protective_logic | Open Post

Delta, caught up with the thoughts, just focuses on moving on, walking, directing York when they needed to turn. Soon he had them at the back half of the mansion, or near to that. Then he came upon a palm scanner and pushed past York to press his hand to it. The door slid open and the smell of chlorine filled the air.

Even the pool cleaner wouldn't be able to get in while they were there.

"Come through. I have to scan my hand on the other side to lock it too."

There are many halls and corridors and York is glad he has the map in case something happens before heading had the chance to learn the layout of the building.

He lets Delta pass and then follows him through into the pool'so area. His HUD alerts him to the chlorine in the air, though he can't smell it himself yet.

Once York is through Delta locks down the door and punches in a personal code to keep it secure. That done he turns and looks at York with a smile. The pool is a wonderful thing, a long thing that was heated and had lights in it and the near end was shaped like a clover leaf because apparently his grandparents had really liked the concept of luck. The main swimming channels almost served as the stem, and he knew the drop off to the diving end was rather deep. The boards at the far end of the pool did make him uncomfortable though.

"So this is it. That door to the right is the changing room. Has a shower and some lockers. And you can see the chairs by the pool. So we're good. I hope."

While Delta locks the door, York admires the pool. While elaborate and carefully designed, it hasn't lost any function to appearances. The fact that whoever made it managed to get both use and looks out of it so successfully is quite the achievement.

'Pretty,' he says as he turns back to Delta. 'Do they have any cameras here?'

"Really?" Delta asks, cocking his head to the side and looking at York. This was a house built for and maintained by the people who helped create the culture of Falconry in the modern day. "Of course not."

He leaves the mound of things for York on the nearest chair and instead fishes out his things so he can walk toward the changing room for himself.

'Just double checking.'

He collects the pile Delta's set out for him and heads for a different changing room where he starts stripping his armor and undersuit. There are a selection of swimming shorts and he picks out a black pair with a gold stripe down his hips and outer thigh. They fit perfectly, Delta was as good as his word, and once he's satisfied, he steps back out.

Delta returns from changing first, his green board shorts (covered in triangles of course) tight to his body. In silence he waited for the man to return, and when he showed up Delta was left staring in... awe? God he was beautiful. It made the man swallow and to protect himself from giving things away he splashed into the shallows. Cold water should help.

"So uh... Like them?"

York, for his part, is feeling a little exposed and self conscious. He hasn't willingly been this bare in a while, and he's gained a few extra scars since then, most notably the long lashes across his back, which he'd rather keep from Delta. If he stays facing the man, it should be okay.

That aside, Delta is looking good in broad shorts, and York smiles as he meets him on the side of the pool.

'I do. Good pick.'

The man doesn't bother to look at York. He's just too attractive.

"So it's time to start, right? Get in the water and you teach me how to swim? Or at least float. Can we start with floating really? I'm only slightly okay at it."

When he floated he tended to flinch and then he wasn't floating anymore. Oh well.

'We'll start with floating,' he assures him. 'And we're starting in the shallow end.'

He ushers Delta down to the other end of the pool. This place doesn't have signs up saying how deep each end is exactly, but he can tell from here that the water won't go halfway up them here. A good place to start. There are steps down into the pool and he urges Delta to them before following him in.

He follows when prompted but stays a touch quiet. This was something he could do, he knew he could do it. York would keep him from getting hurt. Was part of the contract. Besides, York couldn't get out of this place without Delta's help. Self preservation if nothing else.

For a minute or so, they just stand in the water, York swishing his hands lightly in the water. Then he heads over to the side and beckons Delta to join him.

'Okay, so the first thing we're going to do is wade from this side to the other. Not getting any deeper, just walking through the water.'

It was a weird way to start, but Delta was set to listen. Trust. This was about trust. So he let himself walk through it, close to York. Walk. Wade. Get used to the water? Maybe, but he can't be certain.

"Okay, so... why?"

Damn, he asked.

'To get a feel for the water. How it moves around you, the general weight of it, and assuring yourself that your feet can touch the bottom the whole way there an back.'

He won't be taking Delta out of his depth this time, but the reassurance will hopefully make him feel safer and more confident.

Really? Okay, he can understand that argument. And he moves through the water and thinks about what York said. Simple. Easy. He won't slip, and if he did the water would catch him. Or York would. Good? Okay.

York walks with him. Staying close enough to catch him if he slips, but not crowding him. It's careful progress and York let's Delta set the pace.

'Good job! he says as they reach the other side. 'How was that?'

"I've walked in pools before, but I tried to look for what you said. And maybe... it wasn't all that bad."

Made sense, and he liked things that had a logical sense to them. However he still wanted to move on from this. "Is this all we're going to do today? I hope not."

'That's good.' They're not starting from scratch, but it's good to get an image of where Delta is in all this.

'Nope. Now we're going to get you floating. Lean back into me and I'll hold you while you get your legs up. I won't let your head go underwater.'

For a moment Delta hesitates. He swallows and looks away for half a moment. Then he nods briefly in agreement. He turns his back to York and takes a deep breath before leaning back against York. The warmth of his body is weird juxtaposed against the cold of the water. But he leans back and has to trust that York will be there.

For a moment, York wonders if Delta will refuse, but then he nods and York sets his feet a bit further apart, arms out. As Delta leans back, he catches him under his arms arms nd eases him back the rest of the way, keeping his head and upper torso out of the water and against his stomach.

'Good. Now kick your legs up a bit and keep kicking them a bit to stay up.'

"I thought floating was about just relaxing and letting the water do the work."

Were they already to kicking? Wouldn't that push York off balance? And then they would flail and be in the water and he wouldn't remember to float and...

Delta swallowed down his anxiety, closed his eyes and just tried what York said.

'Humans float, but very few float perfectly. I always find my mid-section going down a bit. Kicking gently or swirling your hands a bit helps stay stable.'

He's doing well though. York holds him steasy and let's him set his own method.

"Muscle sinks, fat floats. Your midsection doesn't float well because you are trim."

Not that Delta has checked. Nope. Not while measuring York.

He focused on his floating, keeping his legs moving.

'Huh, that makes sense.' And Delta's not chubby or particularly muscular, but he's keeping up pretty well.

'Alright, stop kicking for a moment just to see where you'll go naturally. I'm still holding you.'

Delta closes his eyes and tried not to hold his breath as he stopped kicking. His legs sank by only a bit. He wasn't very muscular so he didn't fully sink but his legs did droop in the water. But he could float, no denying.

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