Howard Bassem had hit the jackpot. He hadn't been looking for it, but of course that was usually the way the jackpot was. You found it when you least expected it. And here he was. Lying on an inflatable bed floating in artificially blue, crystalline waters. A martini and some mirrored sunglasses would have been perfect to complete the image.
The pool's owners had apparently been above the FAYZ's age requirements. Or they had been murdered. It was hard to tell the difference anymore. But their pool remained, and it now belonged to Howard. He took an imaginary sip of his imaginary martini and stared up at the grey expanse of the sky. It looked so empty. There was nobody around here except him and the sky. No Orc puking his guts out. No smart-ass Astrid. No worried as hell Sam. Just Howard Bassem, the booze guy. This was the life.
"Howard?"
Great.
Howard kicked his feet in the water to attempt to turn his float around. It leaned forward dangerously and he hoped it was not doing what he thought it was. Before he had time to hope any longer, it smacked him in the back of the head as it capsized and he was thrust underwater.
He clawed it off him and resurfaced, sputtering. The first thing he saw was the concerned and slightly angry face of Edilio Escobar.
"Hi, Deely-O," he said as casually as he could. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm the sheriff. Sheriffs patrol. It's my job."
"Hey, nobody's paying you. Why the hell do you do it?" Howard began to try his hand at getting back on his float.
Edilio sighed. "I'm going to say a very clichè sheriff thing: I ask the questions here. I found your shirt on that fence and...assumed the worst."
He clambered back above the water. It was fun to talk to someone from the float. It made him feel like a king talking to his subject. Which would have been more enjoyable if it was Sam or Astrid and not Edilio. "What? You thought I was dead? No, man, I just finally found some peace and fucking quiet. I guess being dead would be peace and quiet too, but-"
"Shut up, Howard." Edilio began pacing back and forth, but he didn't pace very far. "You found water. And you didn't tell anyone."
"Deely-O, this is pool water. Chlorine. People drink it the way they drink normal water and they probably die or something. You just want an excuse to be pissed off at me."
"You're on the council. That comes with responsibility." Edilio sighed. "Look. I don't mean to be rude. But while people are starving to death you're sitting on your..." He struggled for a word. "Lounge chair?"
"Inflatable bed. Float. It's comfy." Edilio looked him up and down and Howard chuckled. "Room for two."
"Howard, do you even know how crazy I think you are?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I do. Better crazy than starving and miserable." He grinned. "Come on. You never catch a break. Nobody around here to see anyways."
Edilio sighed again, then took off his t-shirt and stepped down the ladder into the water. He didn't do the half-assed doggy paddle that was Howard's signature and only stroke. Edilio did a strong, wide breast stroke. The tan color of his skin shimmered underneath the water. He climbed up onto Howard's float carefully and gracefully.
"Peaceful," Edilio said as he laid down.
"Yeah. See, it's good to get your conscience off your ass for a little while, isn't it? Relax. Have fun. It's the FAYZ, no adults, no rules."
"Don't give me that, Howard."
"Whatever you say, Deely-O. You didn't have to agree to come here and hang out with me."
"But I did," Edilio said. His tone was almost a warning.
"You did," Howard agreed. A breeze made the water ripple and blew them along the surface. Edilio had closed his eyes. Howard still wished he had that martini, but Edilio's presence was close enough.
I have been spending a lot of time in swimming pools and this just kinda came to me.