"Are you okay, Ms. Kaiote?" Talon pulled away from Barry and knelt next to the crow, gently helping her sit upright.
Her eyes went wide when she looked at Talon. "Yes! I- I- I- I'm okay!" she stammered, her gaze fixed on the eagleman's face.
Talon nodded. "When in the water, it is best if you swim."
Kaiote blushed, unable to respond while Talon was looking at her so intensely.
Barry sighed. "Well," he said, "maybe you could give her a lesson."
Talon stood and said, "Mr. Kev, can you teach Ms. Kaiote how to swim?"
"NO!" Kaiote blurted out, then, her voice quickly becoming quiet, "I mean... I'd rather you teach me, Mr. Talon. You just saved me, and I know you'd make sure I'm safe."
Kev glanced between the two with a grin. How didn't he recognize it back in the IT department? Kaiote was head over heels for Talon.
"Mr. Kev is a much better swimmer," Talon said, his voice practical. "He is more qualified to teach you."
"Actually, I'm a bit tired," Kev said, faking a yawn. "I guess my human stamina is getting tapped from doing so much this past week. Would you mind teaching her?" Kaiote nodded subconsciously at Kev's words.
"Yes, Mr. Talon, please teach the lass how to swim," Barry said, his deep voice carrying a note of finality.
Talon nodded, his expression serious. "I will do my best."
Kev and Barry sat on the lounge chairs and watched as Talon carefully helped Kaiote into the shallow end. She was much more cautious of the water now, her movements hesitant. Kev lit a cigarette and glanced over at Barry a few times. The grizzly was smiling, a warm, fond expression on his face as he watched Kaiote splash around, clinging to Talon every time she tried to lift her legs off the bottom.
"I'm surprised to see you," Kev said, turning his gaze back to the swim lesson. "I'm sorry about what happened. I made a mistake, and you got punished for it."
Silence stretched out for a few moments, filled only by the sounds of splashing water and Kaiote's nervous squawks. "I don't blame you, Mr. Kev," Barry finally said, his deep voice a low rumble. "It was that enforcer. The rabbit." He growled, the sound a brief flash of his bouncer's menace, but his voice softened after another short pause. "Honestly, though, if that didn't happen, I would have never gotten the chance to work day shift."
"Day shift, huh?" Kev said, happy that Barry's punishment hadn't totally ruined his spirits. "Was that something you wanted?"
"Heh, I didn't realize I wanted it," Barry said, his gaze still on the pool. "I worked nights for so long, I guess I forgot how nice it is to just enjoy the natural rhythm of life."
"What do you mean?" Kev asked.
"Oh, just coffee shops being open in the morning before work, sleeping when the sun goes down. It's only been a week, and it's like, sleep just comes so much easier." Barry stretched a bit in his chair, a contented rumble in his chest. "I think people are nicer during the day too. More civil."
"Well, things are nice here," Kev said, "but Talon had to deal with some punks at the park yesterday, so the sunlight doesn't make everything better."
"That little guy? What did he do, peck 'em 'til they got annoyed?" Barry said with a chuckle.
Kev glanced over at Barry. "He, uh, nearly strangled them to death."
"Oh, really?" Barry said, his jovial expression fading into a more thoughtful line. He was still gazing at the pool, his eyes now watching Talon with a new intensity. "I was wondering why Kaiote kept talking about him."
Kev frowned. Talon's brutality didn't seem to bother anyone other than him and some hypothetical families at the park. "She's mentioned Talon?" he remarked, shifting the topic. "It seems like she might have a crush on him."
"You think?" Barry said, his deep voice laced with amusement.
They watched as Kaiote attempted to doggy paddle towards Talon, stopping nearly every stroke to plant her feet firmly on the pool floor and take in deep, gasping breaths of air. Talon stood stoically, his hands on his hips. Even from the chairs, Kev and Barry could hear his low, serious voice carrying across the water, words like "technique" and "streamline" punctuating Kaiote's splashing.
Kev shook his head and said, "Maybe I should have done the lesson. I think Talon might be taking it a bit seriously."
"If she doesn't want to be here, she'll excuse herself," Barry chuckled. "I'm amazed she's lasted this long, to be honest."
"Are you her daytime guard now?" Kev asked.
"I guess you could say that." Barry glanced over at Kev, his massive shoulders shifting in the lounge chair. "She likes to wander off and get fried junk food down in the park at night. I caught her in the act when I got stationed on perimeter duty. Let's just say, following her and making sure she was okay was easier than arguing with her." He paused, a fond smile touching his lips. "Then, with some of the new changes Rex has been implementing, she asked that I was chosen to be her daytime security."
"You're her daytime guard now," Kev said, this time as a statement.
"Guard is a weird word for it," Barry rumbled. "When I worked up in the club, I was guarding things. People, places, rooms, tables... But Kaiote doesn't go out much during the day. I was happy that she suggested finding you two." He looked back at the pool, his expression softening. "She seems a bit… isolated out there, you know."
"Well, if she is, you are too," Kev said.
"Ha! She sends me out for food and other things, and I spend a lot of time hiking around the perimeter road." Barry laughed, the sound a low, easy rumble. "I don't know if I'm a guard or a butler."
"So I guess you don't mind it too much," Kev said. "Must be a big change of pace for you."
"A good change of pace," Barry corrected. "I can walk around the grounds, enjoy the sun, and I haven't had to fight a single drunk since the change. Like I said, working day shift is nice."
Kev wondered if this is what Fang was thinking about when he'd said he didn't want Kev disturbing his natural cycles. He wrestled with an idea. It would be simple enough for him to become nocturnal and satisfy his want to be with Fang. But would it be better for Fang himself to change his schedule, to start living during the day? To enjoy the sun, like Barry was?
Kev batted the idea around until his cigarette cherry was burning his fingers. He stubbed it out as Kaiote and Talon walked over.
"Your form needs a bit of work, Ms. Kaiote," Talon rasped, water dripping from his dark feathers. "If you extend your arms and legs a bit more, I think you'll find it much easier."
Kaiote nodded, her gaze still fixed on Talon. "You're right," she said, her voice breathy, without really thinking.
Barry stood and draped a towel over the crow woman's shoulders. "So, your first time swimming. How was it?"
"I like swimming," she murmured, her eyes not leaving the eagleman.
"Swimming is very good cardio," Talon added, his tone entirely professional.
"Talon, how was Kaiote?" Kev asked. "It looked like she did great for her first time swimming."
"She needs more lessons," Talon stated simply.
Barry laughed loudly and said, "I'm sure she'll be ready for her second lesson before you know it."
"I like swimming," Kaiote repeated, watching Talon towel off his sleek, muscular torso.
Barry shook his head with a big grin and picked up Kaiote's shoes and sweatshirt. "I think she's a bit overwhelmed from all the exercise. I don't think she's done more than walk around the club for years."
"I like swimming."
"Yes," Barry said, gently guiding the love-struck Kaiote away from the pool. "Swimming is nice."
Once the grizzly bear and crow had made it inside, Kev turned to Talon. "So? What do you think of her?"
Talon grabbed a towel from the patio furniture and said, "She didn't seem to be giving it her all." He shook his feathers, sending a fine spray of water into the air, then wiped off his arms and legs. "She just kept holding on to me. She'll never learn to swim like that."
Kev shook his head, a grin playing on his lips. Talon seemed completely oblivious to his effect on the crow. "Well, maybe she'll get better after another couple of lessons," Kev said. "But I need to get back inside. I've been out in the sun too long."
"Do you have the burn from the sun?" Talon asked, his sharp eyes staring intensely at Kev's skin as if he could see the invisible radiation.
"No, no. I can tell I'm going to get one soon though," Kev laughed. "Let's go inside too. It's got to be nearly lunchtime, anyway."
Kev waved at Talon when he got to his apartment. "Just come over after you change," he said. "If Sabrina's in a better mood, she can come over here, and I'll make lunch today."
"She was very rude earlier," Talon said, his beak set in a firm line. "She didn't even apologize for wasting the breakfast you made her."
Kev waved his hand. "I'll get over it. See you in a bit."
With that, Talon marched off down the hall, and Kev shut his door. He had only begun to disrobe, ready to take a quick shower to rinse off the pool smell, when there was another knock. He opened it, a towel wrapped around his waist, to see Talon standing there again, still in his wet swim trunks, a look of utter defeat on his face. Kev let him inside.
"So, did she lock you out?" Kev asked.
Talon raised his keys and slumped down on the couch. "She... barricaded the door."
"What?" Kev laughed. "Are you serious?"
"I don't even know how she managed to move the couch," Talon said, putting his head in his hands.
"Look, Talon," Kev said, feeling bad for the eagle, "there are some clothes that might fit you in my bureau, bottom drawer. Go pick some out, and you can take a shower after me."
"I'm sorry to bother you like this, Mr. Kev," Talon said.
Kev turned back towards the bathroom. "It's no problem," he replied while pulling the door shut, "and you can just call me Kev, you know."