"I saw you hanging from a tree And I made believe it was me...
But with you by my side I can do anything When we swing we hang past right and wrong."
-'I'm Sticking With You'
He glared down at the clear water, hands sweating lightly in nervousness. "You...honestly expect me to...get in there?"
Malik snorted softly, prodding the crouched assassin lightly with the toe of his boot. "It's barely deep enough to wade in. If you panic, then you could just stand." The one armed man turned, hand going up to the series of ties that held his robes to his body.
Altair's eyes widened slightly, not moving from his crouch. Malik droped his gaze to the assassin, a small frown dancing at the corner of his mouth. "I do not want my clothing to get wet, so stop blushing like a woman and get undressed."
Black and white robes pooled around Malik's scarred chest; the cauterized skin on his left arm was dusted a light, agitated pink, causing Altair to shrink back slightly in shame. Scars danced up skin like henna designs, marking the dark planes almost in a beautifully grotesque sort of way. The master assassin frowned to himself, groaning lightly in the back of his throat.
Altair mentally sighed, looking down at his complicated robes. His keen ears heard the sound of fabric being pushed away, and soon something breaking the sleek surface of the water.
"You're wasting my time." Malik's voice held an edge of irritation, which only prompted a smirk from the assassin.
Making sure he took as long as he could with out the one armed man becoming so annoyed that he just up and left, Altair gingerly stepped into the cool stream.
Malik eyed him warily as he moved through the water, stopping when it came to his waist. "If you want to actuallly swim, wouldn't it be better if you came deeper?"
Altair growled lowly, noting the way Malik's mouth was turned upwards in a grin. The one armed man, despite his handicap, moved through the water easily, and this slightly irked the ever prideful assassin.
He moved slowly, the water raising until it was above his belly button; Altair sighed, toes sinking into the soft sand. He didn't hear the water shifting until a strong hand propelled him forward.
In a clash of flailing limbs, water, and plenty of colourful curses, the assassin regained his footing. Malik was laughing loudly, tears coming to his eyes as Altair fixed him with a deadly glare. "You'll pay for that, A-Sayaf." The assassin's voice was low, fingers of his right hand flickering reflexivly.
Malik smiled brightly, moving quickly in a circle around him. "Really? How can you get your 'revenge' if you cannot catch me?"
Altair lunged (although less gracefully than he would have on land); his arms were useless as they tried to propell him through the water, the splashing only causing him to choke on the liquid. He wasn't in any real danger, though Malik's obvious disregard for his...slight...fear of drowning caused him to slightly panic.
The one armed man ducked under, swimming quickly before breaking surface at the shore. "You're never going to learn if you refuse to move!" He called, amusement at his reluctant student's discomfort.
Altair swallowed a snippy reply, fixing his gaze on the choppy waves instead. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see that Malik had let his guard down (well, as much as an assassin could, even in the stronghold of Masyaf) and was lounging in the sun, content as a cat. A plan quickly took form in Altair's mind, and a small devious looking grin settled on his mouth.
Moving as quietly as he could, the assassin slowly made his way to where A-Sayaf was laying. Memories of this strip of beach prodded at the back of Altair's head; with fondness, he recalled that this was the place he and Malik went to 'relax' when they were younger (and being hormonally driven teenage boys, the sessions of 'relaxation' normally caused them both to be late for dinner or lessons).
Fingers slid up the side of the Dai's torso, causing Malik's eyes to pop open at the contact. A shout of protest was about to tumble out of his lips when he saw the look the master assassin was giving him. A displeased expression worked over his face as hot lips peppered his neck with kisses. "We're going to be late for dinner you idiot."
()-()
I don't know; swimming lessons the fun way!