[ Choking on a breath, Noctis searches for how to really answer that. There comes a point where a guy has to admit his defeat, and his shoulders curl forward, fingers tightening on the shoddy rod in his hands. Gaelio may have momentarily taken his attention off of his own, but Noctis is all too glad to have the distraction there as it spares him from any immediate response to the present subject matter.

And fortunately, the rod does respond in kind to his desperate and silent plea, the tip of it bending with a sharp tug at the line. His own muscles tense up fast as he begins to carefully pull the fish out, fighting with its forcefulness until the rod abruptly snaps right in half. His shoe-string swims away with the stick, leaving a despondent Noctis staring after it, eyes wide and fingers still frozen. ]

Come on, give me a break...

[ What else is he going to say in this situation. He talked himself up only to fail miserably at his first try. If he had his actual rod here, he's certain he would have had a stellar showing. ]

It's usually not- I'm usually not that bad. This is the first time that's ever happened to me.

[ And of course, it happens when he's got company. ]

I can usually keep it up for the whole time.

[ Wrong choice of words. His fingers curl around the back of his neck as he winces visibly and moves away from the water's edge. The rest of his rod ends up abandoned there, a monument to his failure. ]

...Not that. You know what I mean.