Swim For Your Life (Caz)

[door]

Door had no idea where she was going.

She had recently checked out a new book from the library (The Cult of Ancient Aliens) and she was sort of engrossed. With the beauty that was the weather, she decided to start wandering around and let her feet carry her where ever she went. It wasn't long though before all the direct sunlight started to cause a headache and she had to find her way inside somewhere.

Which sort of explained why she was inside the Activity Center. More specifically the pool area. In her duster. And heavy boots. She probably looked possessed; or, at the very least, a bit odd.

She wasn't paying much attention to the swimmers - she could just tell that there were a few of them, all doing laps that seemed to be unending. She just kept reading as she walked up one side of the Olympic-size swimming pool and down the other. At one point some one who must have been an instructor asked if she was lost but he didn't had much issue with Door continuing her pacing.

She let one hand go up to her head and play with the hair on her crown. She was sort of expecting that habit to die when she cut her hair so short but apparently, no dice.

[cazaril]

An older, wiser, experienced Caz would have had to of been paid to get into the water but as the resolution fairy had given over the chance at a new lease of life, water wasn't terrifying any more.

It was in fact, a very fun part of his training. Dressed in just swim shorts Caz was pounding lengths in the Activity Center Pool with purpose and drive and poem stuck in his head.

Ironic for Caz to have this long living love of poems. He probably had some sort of poem in his head most of the time, but this one he had never heard of before, and he figured that was what had distracted him as he got out of the pool, grabbed the towel and started to dry up so when he did see the girl in the duster he didn't quite react.

He looked down at himself, and didn't think very much of it. He was a strong guy, he guessed. But he was also dreadfully skinny for the most part and he was really subconscious about a dip he had in his chest, but he had it because his brothers used to tease him about it.

Lupey with the creepy chest. They used to call him. Well, he wasn't feeling too bad at the moment, best not to get caught up in that kind of thing - if you reveal you're anxiety people will notice you're nervous and that wasn't something to worry about.

Though at least, wishes considered, he wasn't covered in scars on his back and just had a very small battle wounds.

So partly dry, covered in a towel (clearly with the shorts still on) clean shaven and smiling he turned to the girl that he was sure he recognized and completely oblivious to the fact she was probably not wanting to see his naked body he called over, "Hey, it's Door isn't it?" he said beaming, hoping he didn't disturb her.

[door]

Door hadn't noticed Cazaril either. All the time that he was focused on his poem, on toweling off, she was focused on her book. When she heard someone say her name she looked up without thinking and then back down, more acknowledging that someone was there and that she could indeed hear them rather than she was listening.

Then she realized it was Caz.

"Oh, um, hi." Door folded the page of her book down and looked up, smiling brightly. She tried to slip her book in her bag while still looking at Caz but she was sort of not doing well at it. She looked down for a moment so she could put the tome away.

And all this time had passed before she realized that Caz was standing there semi-naked.

Crap.

"How are you?" Door smiled, trying desperately to keep eye contact. Don'tlookdon'tlookdon'tlook. Course, she couldn't not look. Her eyes would travel downwards for a moment before immediately looking back up and scolding herself mentally. She managed to take note of a scar before finding herself again. "You're clearly finding everything alright? Cause um...pool." Door motioned towards the pool with her hand.

Oh yeah, this was going very well.

[cazaril]

Caz smiled, unaware of how awkward this was for her, I mean, it was just his chest, lots of men had them - but maybe she didn't like the dip. He proceeded then to use his towel to cover his chest and most of his bottom half by just hugging it in a cumbersome fashion.

"Yeah, pool is good" he said, copying her broken speech, laughing slightly.

He gave a shrug before grinning, "Isn't it dangerous to read by a swimming pool? I mean, for the book. It'd get wet?"

Yeah, great conversation Caz. He coughed, trying to clear his sudden burst of nerves (why world? I shouldn't have to worry about being nervous should I?) even though every women he ever talked to was usually his superior due to his work.

"I um...I'm good. Still coming to terms with the place, but I'm enjoying it." He'd found ties and jumpers - which was pretty fun stuff to wear, and boots that were smaller and wasn't so harsh on his ankles.

"How are you doing, then?" he decided to ask.

[door]

Door blushed and looked down to the ground as the boy covered up. He must have noticed that she was looking. Or did he get uncomfortable on his own? She wished she had some hair to fidget with. She looked up again, a smile on her face and all the color gone from her cheeks.

He sort of sounded nervous too. If they were both nervous that, for some reason, made Door feel less nervous. Because she was weird like that. She laughed as he did, the nerves not dissipating as fast as she wished they would. Was she this nervous visiting him at his home? No...but she was in shock then.

"Oh, um, I suppose that's true." Door touched the bag at her side where she had placed her book. "I sort of hadn't thought much about it. I was just...sort of...walking where the book took me. I was um...engrossed." She sounded like a dang crazy person. The book took her places?!? She usually had such a better filter than this.

"I'm very glad you're getting accustomed to everything. And um, you know that, um, if you need anything...you can ask." Why did everything sound so bizarre coming from her? She was just telling the boy she could help him! How was that embarrassing? Door smiled good naturedly, aware that he probably felt her nerves. "I'm good. You know um, classes. Reading. That's sort of what I do..." Door smiled and shrugged.

"Are you taking classes?

[cazaril]

Caz wished he was better clothed, glad he was covered up though he bit his lip a little. "I guess books do that, when I was little I used to steal books from the master's library. I did give them back, when I had time...being a page was hard work."

Then was a terrible soldier - thought the humble Caz who'd only been doing it two years. Recalling how being a courier meant he almost died twice and tried as a spy.

How had he got out of those again?

Either way, he looked up. "I'm taking classes, I...I don't know which ones actually, I haven't checked..." he ran a hand through his hair. "I guess I've got a lot to get used to. I'm not used to being a scholar, I don't know if I'll be any good at it..."

He sighed, "Ooh, and thanks....for offering your help, I'm sure I'll ask when I think of something..."

He smiled, widely, trying to give a charming smile instead of a nervous one, that came across sort of...odd as it was.

"Ooh, that's something, is there anything about social status I need to know...I mean, I don't know why I keep getting looks from people about the way I've been dressing"

He needed to wear clothes from the 21st century after all, not the 17th from now on.

[door]

He used to steal books? Door couldn't help but smile with that one. A man after her own heart.

She almost laughed when Caz said he wasn't sure if he would be a good scholar or not, but she managed to keep it together. She hadn't quite figured out if it would be smart to tell him that he was in his mid-forties all but a month ago (what if it was a spell that would make his head implode or something?). "I'm sure you'll do just fine in the scholastic field. Anyone who would steal books definitely has the drive to succeed."

Okay, asking about clothing. Door was sort of a weird choice for that one (she dressed much like she did in the London Below, which was not typically described as "normal") but she at least had a general understanding of what people typically wore. "Um, well, maybe you should...uh...change? So I could see what you usually wear? Cause you're wearing the right clothes for um...swimming...you know?" Door chuckled nervously again and didn't try to hide the blush that washed over her cheeks.

[cazaril]

"I didn't steal - actually it was...I..." Caz stumbled a little, trying to know what to say, shrugging. He folded his towel closer. "I'm sure I'll find some sort of clothes, and I kinda assumed that I was wearing the right clothes for swimming...I would assume you would wear anything else...I mean..."

Shut up boy, his mind told him.

"I...I'll go do that now....if you'd like? I mean - change my clothes. It might be easier to talk...dressed."

He gave a weak smile. "So....do you like to swim?" he asked laughing gently. "I mean, not right now of course, but swimming or whatever."

He hoped she said go get changed, he was bursting to cover up.

[door]

Door smiled and held a hand out for a moment. "No, no, I know you didn't mean actual stealing. I just...I thought it was sweet. I um...I really like books so the idea of someone being interested enough to um...sweet. I just thought it was sweet." Had she always been this bad around boys? More specifically boys she liked? More specifically boys she liked that used to be her English professor?

Was he asking her if she wanted him to put clothes on? Was there any way to answer that beside with the affirmative? She was about to answer when he mentioned swimming.

"I actually don't know how to swim to be honest." Door shrugged for a moment, slightly embarrassed. Most people seemed to know how to swim but it was just not something she had ever learned. She thought it was a little worse because she was admitting to not knowing how to do something in front of someone she was rather desperate to impress.

"Um, if you wanted to get dressed you can. I'll um...I'll wait. Look at your clothes. See why maybe people are responding a bit out of the ordinary..."

[cazaril]

"Swimming, well I could teach you that! I mean. It's helpful - I mean, when I'm in the army it's useful..." he explained.

He surely was what sounded horrendous. So he was going to exit the conversation. Caz laughed, nervously. "Right...well...yeah, I think I should just get dressed, I'll see you outside, yes?"

With that, he did dart away, he needed to get dressed. He needed to just feel better. Why was when he talked to girls he felt completely unable to talk to them.

It wasn't like he hadn't had....relations. His father and brothers had introduced that pleasure to him when he was sixteen. It had been embarrassing but the girl was willing...even if it was strange for Caz as he had always thought his first time would be a girl who loved him.

Either way, he still didn't have much of a nerve when it came to talking to women, and problem being that the only thing he felt good at when it came to women was by writing about or for them with poetry.

With dressing done, he disappeared back to the pool entrance, "Should we continue this outside?" He had had no idea he had put on his robe back to front.

[door]

Door smiled at the offer to teach her how to swim. "Thanks for the offer. I might actually take you up on that..."

She smiled carefully as Caz excused herself. She waited for the boy to leave before she started to carefully pound the palm of her hand at her forehead. She sighed and continued to walk out of the building. She felt like a complete joke. She probably sounded like a dang moron. Was she always this bad?

Door leaned against the wall of the building, waiting for Caz to come back out. She was trying her best not to come off like the insane person that she felt like but she knew it was all for not. Caz could smell the insanity on her, she was sure of that.

She turned towards the boy when she heard his voice. Oh. Well...that would explain some of the looks.

"Outside works." Door looked up and down at Caz's clothes. She walked carefully by Caz's side and grabbed at her bag. She had her alien book...did she have anything more realistic? Of course not. Too bad, pictures were always easier than words.

"Is um...is this what you usually wear? Or is this just post-swimming attire?"

[cazaril]

"I....wait, what?" Door's reaction to him did make him giggle, and his eyes raised, "My clothes?"

He looked down then realized what he'd done, before sighing, He was dressed wrong. "I...well...yeah, I mean....I don't really have anything else, what you saw me in last time was some old spare clothes in the flat...I haven't had time to buy anything else..."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Look...this is embarrassing...I should do, I'm sorry for wasting you're time," he told her, looking worried. "I need to go..."

He couldn't do this. He couldn't. Why was this so hard? Why were girls so...so...!

"We can do this...again another time? Okay?" and with that he rushed away. What the hell was wrong with him when he was around Door? And for the most part - why can he fight battles and go against death and be a courier when faced with a beautiful girl he spent the time panicking?

Maybe next time he should...just get dressed first so it wasn't so embarrassing.

[door]

"No, really, don't fret..."

Door was immediately humiliated. Why had she said that about his clothing? Now he seemed to want to bolt and that was DEFINITELY not her intent. She just wanted to make sure that was what he usually wore. She sighed for a second before starting to hear what was in Caz's voice.

He was just as embarrassed as she was.

She didn't want him to feel uncomfortable around her. She didn't want him to feel like he had to be embarrassed. It was clear that she wasn't good with words around Caz so she did the only thing she could think to show some amount of comfort. She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently before letting it drop. "We can do this another time, sure. "