The Pool, Sunday Morning

[endsthegame]

He'd left his room, and no one had stopped him. Then he'd left the floor, and no one had stopped him there either. So in the dorms, at least, Ender had freedom of movement. The same might have gone for outdoors-- there would be no guard stopping him. That was good to know. At least this prison had space

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[iseewhatyoumean]

Cassandra wasn't a huge fan of swimming, though it wasn't bad. It was, after all, a physical activity.

What she was a fan of was quiet, and stillness though, so she found herself in the area near the pool on a surprisingly regular basis. Today, however, it was not as empty as it generally was.

At least it was still and quiet. She paused in the doorway, pulling her shirt more tightly around herself as she tried to decide whether to just come back another time. But that would mean she had put on the bathing suit for nothing, and she didn't like that idea.

[endsthegame]

The pool hadn't been as quiet and empty as he'd thought before-- but sharing his space wasn't new to Ender, and so he acknowledged the newcomer with the opening of his eyes. He wondered if the people would continue to watch him. He wondered why they did: to analyse, to plot, or just because they didn't have anything better to do.

He wondered if he was up for caring about it. At least no one had recognized him, so far.

[iseewhatyoumean]

After another moment to study him Cassandra decided that she could use the pool without being too disturbed. For now, at least, it was occupied by people who were quiet and still. They wouldn't intrude upon her if she needed her space.

She hoped.

Still, it was people, so she decided it would be more comfortable to keep her shirt on as she slipped into the water.

[endsthegame]

He wasn't going to pass comment. She seemed cautious, almost wary-- Ender supposed he could reach out to her, verbally, and try to put her at ease. But that didn't seem like it would matter, and it was a public pool; the lack of conversation was more soothing than it should have been, most likely. But after yesterday, he was already worn out about it.

His eyes flicked away from her, and he returned to studying the ceiling. Quietly.

[iseewhatyoumean]

The boy in the pool seemed to find peace in simply lying there, but Cassandra had always needed physical exertion to relax. She pushed herself forward and begin stroking from one end of the pool to the other. While her movements were naturally graceful, in this case they ended up looking almost awkward. She'd only ever been an indifferent swimmer, and the shirt wasn't really a good choice for freedom of movement.

It was also a bit harder to swim properly when one was spending energy and effort keeping an eye on the pool's other occupant.

[endsthegame]

Her movements were making ripples; it disturbed the illusion of empty space he'd managed to conjure up in his mind. He was still being watched, and he felt those eyes on the side of his head, like the slightest touch of a burn he hadn't known he'd done up.

"I'm not going to do anything," he said.

[iseewhatyoumean]

Cassandra stopped swimming, letting her feet sink down to the bottom of the pool (good thing she was in the shallow end). She turned to watch him, eyes sharp.

"I know," she eventually answered. "Old habit."

[endsthegame]

'Old habit' said a lot, and some detached part of his mind wondered why it had become a habit. Had she spent a lot of her life in danger? She watched like she had. As if she were waiting for the next blow to come.

He supposed he should be kind. He could understand what it was like. "Don't worry about it," Ender said, "I'll keep out of your hair."

[iseewhatyoumean]

Her hand reached up to brush through her wet hair and she blinked in a moment of confusion. Then she remembered it was just an expression, and offered a nod.

She was about to go back to swimming, but paused. "I'm interrupting you." It wasn't a question.

[endsthegame]

He supposed that she was, but it really didn't matter all that much. "It's a free pool," Ender said, cutting through the water with a little wave of one of his arms.

[iseewhatyoumean]

Cassandra frowned slightly, shaking her head. "I can come back another time." When she wouldn't be interrupting.

[endsthegame]

Ender could let it go-- it wasn't as if it concerned him one way or another. "It's a free pool," he repeated, "Don't let me chase you out." He didn't want anyone to wait on his wishes. Not like this; maybe not in any other way ever again. He didn't know yet: maybe never would.

But she could stay.

[iseewhatyoumean]

Standing quietly in the water Cassandra considered what the boy said. She also considered, and gave a bit more weight to, what he didn't say.

Eventually she nodded slowly. "You don't want me to leave for you."

[endsthegame]

Of course. He should have known they would be perceptive here. Why else would IF have sent him? Not to drift around in pools; not to build rafts. To get him out of the way, that had been one thing.

But the island had already been more than it seemed, and now this girl was paying attention to him as clear as his to her. It should probably be troubling, but he was tired of fighting it. "No," he said, "Stay, if you want."

[iseewhatyoumean]

She nodded, very slowly. "I understand."

And that exchange... changed something between them. Cassandra wasn't sure why, but the shirt, which she had used as a sort of shield, didn't seem necessary anymore. She peeled it off and tossed it on the side of the pool before resuming her slow swim.

[endsthegame]

His own attention shifted back to the ceiling. It was a slow tilting of his head that did it, sending little rings of tremors through the water as he quietly nodded, sighed, and let his thoughts claim him again.

They could live in the pool together-- and the phrasing of that thought in his mind made him smile a little at how ridiculous it was. Spending the rest of his life as a prune in a pool.

It'd be a waste. But it'd be funny, in some vast way.