Confined With a Goddess

Celestia didn't return the favour after Jake was finished. He didn't ask her to. He instead just curled up next to her and nestled into her embrace. She held him like that for another three hours before the storm subsided.

In truth, he'd had a good plan. Taking the sail back to the house to serve as the roof, or even as a baseline for the roof, was a good idea. As soon as the storm had subsided, she woke him up and they untangled the sail, folding it up as best they could, wringing it clear of water, then carrying it back to the grove. She was capable of carrying it herself, but he had insisted that he was going to help her. Of course, there was no frame on which to put the sail, so for now, it was just shoved under the house. That would prevent it from being further soaked by rain.

Of course, the island was soaked now, meaning the same was true of their lumber and house. No work today, or so Jake thought at first.

Celestia put him through a quick refresher course on the use of her spear, then took him out on the raft. The sky was clear by now and the wind was calm. It was a good day for Jake to learn how to fish, and he was quite eager to improve.

"Okay, let's go over it again," breathed Celestia. "Why are we so far out?"

"Bigger fish," answered Jake. "And it just rained, so they'll all be up near the surface."

"Not all, but a good many of them," corrected Celestia. "Now, what happens when you go down there?"

"First, the spell you cast kicks in. The one that protects my eyes, and the one that makes it possible to breathe down there."

"Right. Can't have you dying down there, can we?"

Jake shook his head.

"That said, do test the spell out before diving too deep. If it doesn't take, for any reason, come right back up. How do you know if it doesn't take?"

"I try to suck in a mouthful of water. If it tastes salty, come back up, if it's just air, I'm good to try breathing through my nose, and then I can open my eyes."

"Good boy."

"But I have to come back up, anyway," reminded Jake. "I'm not allowed to panic while holding the spear, and I won't even bother to grab it until I'm sure I'll be fine down there."

"Correct," smiled Celestia. "We can't have you hurting yourself, can we?"

Jake shook his head.

"What else?"

"If I catch something, bring it up to you to see what you think."

"Right. There are some that are poisonous, and if you skewer them all at the same time, you risk infecting the lot. So come see me every time, okay?"

Jake nodded. "And watch out for sharks."

"And marlin, and barracuda, and anything else that may be dangerous to you. If it sees you, come back. If it grabs you, stabby-stabby. If it lets go, swim to me. If it does not, stab again. But you'll probably be fine."

Jake swallowed. "Okay. Here I go."

Taking a deep breath, he lowered himself into the water. He could feel the air rushing into his mouth, and then his nose, and, noting that the spell was working, opened his eyes. The water was very clear. He could see all the way to the seafloor, thirty metres below. Or rather, it looked to be thirty metres. It was possible that it was closer, or perhaps further away, through the refraction of light.

He came up and grabbed the spear before returning below the waves. He wasn't a strong swimmer, but he wasn't needing to chase anything down. All manner of fish swam about nearby.

Suddenly, he found himself to be quite squeamish. Here he was, holding a spear in his hand, and there were fish to catch, but the thought of stabbing one of them weighed on his mind. Something about this suddenly seemed very wrong. He didn't want to do this anymore. He wondered if he would feel the same way if he'd caught a fish on a hook, instead, or if this feeling was only brought on by actually seeing them in their natural state.

He felt a hand on his shoulder. He hadn't heard Celestia come into the water, but here she was. She drew his attention to a rather large fish that she often brought back with her, smiling and pointing, unable to be heard through the bubble in front of her mouth. It was bright red, with a dull green head and tail. She'd caught several, and they were pretty tasty.

This was no longer mandatory for him. He could become a vegetarian and just stay on the island. He didn't have to prove how manly he was to anyone, and if he told Celestia that he didn't want to kill the fish, she would probably understand.

He shook his head. This was why they were here. They'd come out here so he could learn to fish. Even if he didn't want to, he may have to, someday. He was going to be here for a long time, and being able to provide for Celestia when she was sick would be important. He had to be able to provide food and water, and if he was going to do that, he needed to do this. It wasn't about being manly or buff or strong, it was about being good to his girlfriend.

Immediately, the thought of her being his girlfriend changed his mind again. She was his girlfriend. Boyfriends did nice things for their girlfriends, like cook dinner. He would cook dinner for her. But first, he needed something to cook. He needed a fish. He needed that fish.

He moved a bit closer, tensioning the band that would launch the spear and holding it tight as he swam toward it. He was going to catch it, and that was that. Remembering what Celestia has told him, he aimed very carefully, kept the fish clearly in his sights, took a deep breath, and as he was letting it out, the spear flew from his grip, launching forward and piercing into the flesh.