protective_logic | Open Post

"Okay, color?" Delta asks as he starts typing rapidly. "Do you like board short style or looser? Are floral styles forbidden? String or Velcro? Give me data so I can... fuck it we'll get you a few. Not too heavy of course. Delivery drone should be fastest."

He has more options than can be believed available to him.

'Preferably not floral, other than that, I don't mind. I prefer board shorts, elastic over string or velcro, but string if they don't have elastic.'

Within moments Delta has a selection of five different styles of board shorts in York's preferred size ordered. And, as he always found himself doing when he bought things online, he made sure to donate an equal amount of funds to a random charity. He hated spending without helping other people, especially when he was buying an excessive amount of stuff. Whatever York didn't like would also get donated, after being offered first to the servants to see if anyone would fit them.

Delta wasn't big on waste.

"Okay, that will be here soon. So we've got some things to do first," Delta muses. "First I have to fish out my own swimwear. And take a shower. We'll get towels from the poolside area of course, we keep them there. You'll be able to wear the armor there, we have a changing space there for Hawks. Is that okay? Is there anything else we should get? Have snacks sent ahead of us, drinks?"

York waits patiently, his fingers tapping a random rhythm on his knee. It doesn't take long before Delta is closing the laptop and seems to be done. That was rather impressively quick.

'And this place is secure?' With him out of armor and unmasked and Delta vulnerable, there need to be no security risks from potential internal or external threats.

"You've already met the man who sired me," he answers, clearly taking that whole 'not calling him father' thing seriously. "Do you think his paranoia is anything less than about his security? My great-grandparents, before Hawks got as big as they are, they used the outdoor pool. Grandma had the inside one put in for her Hawks. And Dad made the security practically equal to a damn panic room."

Which was going to benefit them. Of course Delta didn't mind at all. It meant his father couldn't get in at him.

'That sounds like an acceptable amount of security,' he agrees. Also sounds like Delta's family have been in this business since the beginning, or at least close to it. So they know what they're doing, it's clearly working for them if they've lasted this long.

"Acceptable," Delta chuckles, shaking his head. What in the world would impress the man? But he supposed that wasn't the point. What he needed to focus on was getting his own board shorts out so he could change into them when they got to the pool. "I suppose that's a way to put it. When your family pretty much helps create this whole institution we find ourselves in, you sort of have to get paranoid."

'Sorry,' he says a little ruefully, rubbing the back of his neck. As security and infiltration, he spends even more time on building security than other Hawks, which is saying something. 'Indeed you do. Well, kudos to them, they seem to have done a thorough job.'

"Yeah. But sometimes this place feels like a prison," Delta counters. And that is from someone who personally has a panic room that he works in. But that's just him. "And honestly, I want your careful eyes. I want to know how this place can be better."

'I'd be happy to give it a look over,' he says. 'See of we can't make it feel safer while not being claustrophobic.' A difficult balance, but not impossible. He decides not to point out that he only has one eye. No need to make Delta feel better, and not hen it comes to security, his one eye is probably better trained than most people's two.

"Don't even think that word," Delta groans, and he shivers in fear at the idea. "I don't like small spaces. You saw my work room, it's even got a bed and a couch. A panic room with lots of it."

Because the room had been so small, so contained, so dark. There was a flatscreen he had due in next week that he was going to put on one wall of his work room and have it show a webcam view from outside of his bedroom so it would be like a window. Safe.

The very idea makes him pace, fidgeting in his discomfort at the thought. "I like open spaces when possible."

Definitely claustrophobic, poor guy. Well, if nothing else, that's useful for him to know so he can help Delta avoid such situations. 'That's a good counter,' he says. 'We'll help make sure areas are safe but big enough or open enough to feel safe in.'

Now he's extra glad he encouraged Delta to keep and reinforce his skylights rather than getting rid of them entirely.

"Except for the skylight. That is just silly," Delta says as his pacing slows. The man finally stops moving and looks to York. "I suppose I should get ready. Your stuff should be here relatively soon."

With that he ducks his head shyly and heads for his bedroom to get his swimwear.

The skylight is reasonable as long as it's properly reinforced. 'Probably a good idea,' he agrees. He's still getting his head around within-the-hour delivery for this sort of thing, but at least it's efficient.

He steps into place to guard Delta's room, leaning back against the wall.

Delta is quick in gathering things, grabbing his swim trunks and an extra towel to toss over his shoulders.

"Alright," Delta says as he comes back out with sandals in his hands. "We keep goggles in there. "Let's go wait for your swimsuits."

He waits while Delta gathers his things, thinking through how he's going to do this. For all he knows about swimming, he's never taught anyone else before. But he'll think back to how he learned and work from that.

'Alright,' he says as Delta returns. 'Want me to carry anything?'

"You're not a servant," Delta answers. "I can carry my own things. You're supposed to have your hands free, right? In case you need to defend me?"

He will use whatever excuse he can to ensure he isn't abusing the relationship that has formed between them. And he's got a point about the holding things he thinks.

'That's a good point.' He was mostly just being polite, but yes, he probably should have his hands free. Though he really hopes no one tries to attack them on their way to the swimming pool.

'Shall we?'

Given the house they live in, Delta wasn't completely certain it wouldn't happen. He was living with perhaps the greatest threat to him, so he had to accept that risk and move on with it. Particularly toward the front hall.

He holds the sandals in front of him like it's a shield as he heads out of the room into the hall. "Okay, so we can go wait by the front door. Is that a good place? You've been there a few times. Is it a safe place?"

York stays close. Delta is clearly uneasy and given all that's happened, he can hardly fault him. No one should feel unsafe in their own home.

'We will wait a little ways back,' he says. 'And there's glass or a peek hole, and this for any door, keep the lights off and stay out of its easy sight if you can.'

It takes a moment for Delta to think of why that is important, but he sighs and nods in agreement. Makes sense. Helps that there wouldn't be any windows.

"Honestly I'm more concerned about the internal threats," Delta grumbles as he guides York to the front of the house. "We are protected from external threats by the Hawks and standard security that defend the house."

'Internal threats are different,' he says, trying to keep his tone factual. 'We'll look into putting more measures in place, but for now, the best thing is to stay close and keep your guard up.'

"Didn't really develop a guard," Delta admits with a shrug. They arrive in the front hall soon enough and he carefully considers the door. No windows but maybe he should stay back anyway. And leave York between him and the rest of the house. "I guess you can teach me that too."

That, he is somewhat surprised by. With Delta living the life he does, he'd have thought the man would have developed something of a guard. Well, he can help him develop it now, he's probably going to need it.

'I'm happy to help in any ways I can.' They stay back for now, York between Delta and the door while they wait.

Guard in his own home? It wasn't something he was trained to be. Out on the streets Delta found himself more easily paranoid. And maybe there was something to be said of a man who had his own panic room. But that didn't mean he knew how to be on guard every second of every day in his own home. Threats from within were not anticipated.

"That's all I can ask. After all, we're a team. And we're going to teach things to each other, right?"

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