I've begun mild experimentation in using Calem in different scenarios to further imply development in the relationship he has with Serena, and vice versa. Heads up: Extra bonus if you can guess the corn reference.

Word Count: 1516 words.

For Whom the Corn Tolls

Fishing.

A solitary sport that requires maximum silence for a shot at sucess, an examanation of sorts whose purpose is to test the patience, williness, and ultimate endurance of a person.

A personal test in the middle of a silent lake which itself is in the middle of scenic nowhere.

Calem is no stranger to such things, oftentimes the things he sees in the water open his mind to surreal concepts and experiences he has yet to fully appreciate, as well as continuing to perpetuate the idea that at the young ambiguously teenage age that he is, he may be going senile.

Truly, fishing is both a curse and a blessing.

Calem keeps his hands steady on the Super Rod, a firm grip to be precise. The third hour strikes, yet his patience does not dwindle. He breathes through his nose, eyes closed, concentration and focus at a near-maximum level.

There has not been a bite all day. Expected, but nonetheless disappointing.

The boat itself, wooden and somewhat rickety, has not budged the slightest since Calem's trip to the exact center of the lake. The boy fancies the rather dinky vessel, referring to it by adorable pet names when no one's out and about.

Korrina's back is to his, she shows her patience off in a more lackadaisical fashion. She isn't fishing, nor does she intend to any time soon, but Calem requested an acquaintance, and knew that she couldn't decline such an offer.

Korrina takes note of how tranquil he is when she's not around him. Unlike her, it turns out that he does live up to his name after all, even if it is in small doses.

The roller girl lets out a yawn, scooting somewhat to make herself more comfortable, the slightly-subtle movements are more than enough to wake Calem from his trance. Although the game is game and that game is still on, he still obligates himself to put her needs first.

"Getting tired yet?"

"Huh? Oh! Naaah, keep at it! I'll try to keep it cool beans."

"Think I should be the one telling myself that."

They share a laugh, their casualness and comfort levels having surpassed new levels since Calem's days as a guppy in the league. It's partly the reason he asks her to tag along in the first place. Although peppy and undeniably spunky when given the opportunity, Korrina can be surprisingly chill when the situation calls for it.

As opposed to certain other people.

She crosses her legs in another attempt to gain comfort, her bare feet resting on the bow of the boat. The sun is shining down on both of them brightly, and Korrina has heard good things about tans.

"You know, you never did tell me why all of your gear's gone." says Calem. He brings up the issue primarily because without the helmet, gloves, skates, and most of all-spats, she seems like an entirely different person.

Korrina lightly punches his arm, a punch that would have been harder if her gloves were still with her, "I'm gonna be honest man, Lady Korrina is a terrible gambler! I really slipped up that last stretch, I just know I could have won it, maybe if I put more effort, or, or, maybe if I train a little bit harder? We've been exercising each and every day you know. Gramps says we're improving, but still have a long way to go.. Oh geez! How am I gonna explain this to him!? I'm practically naked!"

Feeling the slightest nudge on his rod, Calem reels slowly, "If I can go ahead and interject, I think you look lovely, though that may just be the dick, sorry."

The serene atmosphere unfortunately does not stop Calem from his typical comments.

The great lady is left flushing, he gives her a pat on the back during which, "H-Hey! Not cool! You're not allowed to make Lady Korrina feel all mushy! Change the subject right away!"

"The floor's all yours,"

And she welcomes that floor with open arms. Shifting once more for comfort, Korrina turns in Calem's direction and lies on her stomach, her legs kicking ever so freely in the air. The great lady has attained a sudden interest in his fishing pole.

"Whatcha fishin' for, anyway?"

Calem decides to entertain her since she's asking for it, "Feebas. It's mainly for dex purposes, you know all that jazz. According to Trevor, they live in this very lake but only pop out on a certain time on certain days. To make things worse it's all randomized, they're smarter than the average fish."

"Oooh," she mumbles, honestly intrigued by the concept of the elusive fish in the deep depths, "sometimes I wish I could be a trainer, I'd get to do stuff like this all the time! I really have to thank you again for the invite!"

"You're better off running the gym, it's not always peachy, and sometimes it can even be a major pain in the ass. That's why I use these trips as excuses to get back in touch with nature, nature and balls. Besides, if your bubbly little sunshiny face isn't going to run the gym then who is?"

Foiled once again by those charms, the roller girl lets out a vaguely familiar huff and prods him in the sides, "Hey, hey, hey! You only get just a few more of those before I start feeling gushy!"

"Sorry, it's a bad habit, I swear."

They stay like that for the next few seconds, both engrossed in the act of watching a line nochalantly bob up and down, waiting for the moment a disgusting bass decides to latch onto it.

It's not long before Korrina speaks up though, her peppiness now back in her system. With a smug smirk on her face and her bottom lip bit down, she teasingly digs a finger into Calem's cheeks, "Hey! So what's the hubbub with the honey? What's the big reason for you not wanting to drag your girlfriend to this?"

Korrina makes sure to put emphasis on the "IR" sound.

"Don't tell me, don't tell me! Has the almighty majestic Lady Korrina smitten another helpless boy? Aww, so cute! I'm so flattered! You didn't need to hide your true feelings from me, silly! I totally get i-!"

That's when the boy presses a finger to her lips to quiet her.

Korrina lets out one of the cutest gasps he's ever heard.

"I wouldn't really call her that."

Calem pauses. His gaze moves to the sky, because he isn't really sure what to label their dynamic as. It's obvious, blatant, as stark as stark can be to anyone's eyes, they've done things, heavy things, it's undeniable, but girlfriend seems too weak of a label. He'd sooner shoot for soulmate, but that in itself sounds too poetic, not at all like his style.

A light smile graces his face, the breeze picks up and his hair revels in it.

"We're stronger than that, I just don't have a word for it yet."

Sitting up, Korrina slides in next to Calem, "Darn it, I'm not good at these deep metaphors! Bahh, oh well.. But hey! Just know that Lady Korrina's always here for you if things don't work out!"

"Yeah, alright. I'll try to keep that in mind. For what it's worth though, it's our 'off-day'. We both just kinda take it easy and get out of each other's hair for a while, doesn't mean I still can't imagine her yelling at me though."

"Ohh, I get it! So that's why she's not kicking us halfway to Snowbelle and back, I gotcha!"

. . .

"Um, when are we gonna catch that fish, exactly?"

"Dunno, could take anywhere from a few minutes to a few hours."

"H-Hours?! But I'm starving!"

"Starving?! I never said we were gonna eat it! What happened to the popcorn?"

Korrina grasps her rumbling stomach with one hand and runs the other through her hair, "I think it was underpopped, I mean, I finished it all so quick, there wasn't even enough for you!"

Calem lets out a half-laugh, there's some sarcasm laced into it.

"Oh, I know!"

It flies over Korrina's head, "Yeah! All I could feel at the bottom were bits and pieces, some salt, and kernels that weren't popped, I tried to eat the bottom bits, but everytime I did, I just got more kernels stuck in my teeth!"

"That sucks, something tells me your gramps won't like that."

This is where Korrina brings things to the ultimate extreme by lifting her lovely legs out in an explosive tirade of naive anxiousness, "You think that's bad? Wait 'till I get back and he finds me near buck naked! He'll probably think you did it!"

The boy ultimately resolves to help Korrina with her dilemma. Just as soon as that piece of shit bass is in his hands.

All the while the two are completely unaware of the comically fuming pair of jealous, gray eyes staring at them both from afar in a bush covered in poison ivy.

Indeed, it is true love defined.