yeah it looks like only the beginning chapters were super short. that could have been three chapters instead of 6 but oh well... in this chapter i took a little anecdote that Metatron85 gave me, adapted it (And colorized it to remove appropriation in certain parts and highlight the fact that there is a black girl diving team in Florida!) because it was a cute anecdote that my dear friend got from a true story. enjoy.
Eight
There were six others in their group of eight, Jade discovered, a diverse bunch ranging from resort certified divers with very limited experience, to two others like Jade herself, experienced divemasters just out for some fun. Jade smiled at the little girl with the dive instructor. She was young, maybe eight. She remembered diving at that age and feeling so free under water. She was with a whole group that had t- shirts that read. Black girls Dive too.
For one, Jade was glad to see the inclusion. But she looked at the braids in the little girls hair and wondered if the Disney Dive instructor was going to tell her to tuck them away in a wet suit. The hair looked like so much effort, and fish like shiny things.
After a solemn introductory session, and the paying of the fee, they all trooped through an unmarked gate, going from the public part of the theme park, into the work area guests mostly never saw. Jade more or less ignored the chattering around her and spent time looking around at the facilities, which were well kept and spotless though far less ornate than the theme park areas themselves.
They walked past administrative offices, and across a service roadway to the rear part of the Seas exhibit, which featured a huge marine system serviced by entire buildings full of pumps and water treatment equipment.
Inside the exhibit, they moved carefully around huge pipes and up several flights of narrow stairs to a small classroom, where they were given release forms and refreshments while they filled them out. "When was the last time we dove, Jade?" Tori chewed the end of her pen. "Tuesday or was it last Thursday?"
"Thursday." Jade was busy scribbling. "You nearly got bitten by that cranky parrot fish you kept chasing down."
"Ah. Yeah." Tori finished writing and signed her name to the bottom of the release, dating it neatly. "I was just trying to take his picture. You'd think he was a tv star in LA or something."
"Maybe that barracuda that kept following me was his agent." Jade slid Tori's form out from under her hands and gave both to the khaki clad man giving them directions. "Here you go." She sat back and regarded their fellow divers as the guide collected all his paperwork, and checked off sizes for their gear.
"Okay, guys." The man finished and gave them a sunny grin. "Next, we go down to the locker rooms and suit up. Your gear bags are on the benches, and when you're done, just walk out into the hallway and I'll meet you there to take you up to the dive platform. Okay?"
"Good deal." Tori stood and followed Jade as they left the room, traveling down a short flight of stairs to another in a seemingly endless series of pale blue corridors. Touching the wall, she could feel a distinct vibration, and the scent of water seemed to penetrate even the thick concrete. The air was also damp, and combined with the chill of the conditioners, rather refreshing after being outside.
The locker rooms were surprisingly plush. Tori's eyebrows rose as she noted the well equipped showers, complete with shampoo and soap. "Hey. Nice." She complimented them, as Jade sorted out their respective wetsuits. "Almost like home." It had been in her plans to get herself into the tank., so she'd had the wetsuits packed away in her bag as a surprise to Tori. She was glad not to have to spend the extra time trying to wrangle them a spot, and just being able to run back to the hotel and grab the suits from their hiding place.
"Here." Jade tossed Tori a suit, moving forward as one of the two other women walked past her to the changing booths. The other woman followed, leaving Jade and Tori in the main room together.
They exchanged looks, then Tori pointed to one of the changing booths. "After you, little fishie. Give me a hand getting this thing on?"
Jade grinned knowingly. "Sure." She answered in an offhand tone. They entered the same space and closed the door, as Jade draped the two wetsuits over the partition wall. "We don't use these much."
"Nope." Tori removed her shorts, and her t-shirt, leaning forward and giving Jade a kiss on the navel as she did the same. "Too hot most of the time." She removed her still dampish swimsuit and slid it on, grimacing at it's clammy touch. "Someone's going to invent instant suit dryers some day. Brr."
Jade adjusted the strap on Tori's suit, then ducked her head and nibbled her neck, running her hands over the sheer fabric lightly to warm it. "That better?" She inquired, into Tori's now bright pink ear.
"Much." Tori rubbed the bridge of her nose, as the surge of heat from her guts felt like it was going to produce steam off the dampness. "Thanks."
"Anytime." Jade put on her own suit and adjusted it, then she picked up Tori's wetsuit and held it up for her. "Squiggle."
Tori stepped into the shortie suit and tugged it up over her thighs and past her hips before she stuck her arms into it and straightened. "I always feel like a penguin in one of these." She remarked, as Jade pulled the neoprene into place and zipped the back. The suit was restrictive, and she spent a moment moving her arms and adjusting the half sleeves as Jade got into hers. "I ever tell you that you look really good in a wetsuit?"
Jade paused in the process of pulling on a sleeve and peered at her. "I look good as a penguin? Thanks, Tor.. you're a peach." She tugged the neoprene over her muscular shoulders and stretched her arms out, grimacing as the stubborn fabric pulled overly taut before it grudgingly inched into place.
Tori pulled her zipper up and gave her a pat on the side. The thick rubber outlined Jade's body sleekly, and despite the overwhelming scent of carbon, she did find it kind of sexy looking. "You don't look like a penguin, sweetie. You look like a superhero."
Jade looked down at herself, then up at Tori. "I think you're the one who needs glasses, Tori." She laughed. "C'mon. Let's go see some fish." She picked up their clothing and opened the booth door, waiting for Tori to exit before she moved towards a set of lockers where they'd been assigned a top one for their things.
The two other women had already exited, and when Jade and Tori opened the door they found most of the rest of the group waiting. They joined their guide, now also suited up, and stood quietly as the last of the group finally ducked out of the men's locker room.
"Okay, let's go up." The guide turned and lead the way, past anonymous blue doors and up another set of stairs before he reached a door marked "Stage Entrance". "Okay, we're going into the Living Seas now, so everyone suck it up and look good."
Before anyone could react, the guide opened the door and they were greeted with a blast of chilly air. Past the entrance, they could see the inside of the public pavilion, filled with guests some of which were now glancing their way curiously. "Oh… hm." Tori murmured, as they filed out and started across the carpeted floor. "Boy, that could be embarrassing."
Jade merely kept walking, wryly hoping she didn't bump into anyone she knew.
They traversed the main floor and got to the central area, where a huge tube with Plexiglas windows showed a diver's lock in area. For a moment Jade wondered if they were really going to lock through, then the guide took them to a door in the rear and they disappeared into a stairwell leading up.
The scent of water was much stronger here, to the point that Jade could almost feel the salt collecting on the back of her tongue as they walked upwards. At the top of the circular stairs a door opened, and they walked out onto a steel platform.
The aquarium was laid out below them, the entrance to it a huge circular room criss crossed with steel catwalks to give access to the water's surface. There were huge slings and cranes over the water, and equipment for servicing the giant tank was clamped everywhere. Here, rather than the public viewpoint of an entertaining, safe, cheerful show was instead the rig of a professional marine habitat and an air of scientific matter of factness.
Jade found out fascinating. But they were being herded down to the launch area, so she dismissed it and followed Tori down to the lower platform where the divers would enter the water. Already, eight sets of gear were perched on the side, neatly arranged. Very professional, she noted approvingly.
"Okay." The guide faced them. "We're going to gear up, and get in the water. I'll lead you around in the tank, and let you know when it's time to interact with the guests. Now, you know a big part of this is being part of the show, so make sure you have fun with it."
Tori swiveled her head and looked up at her partner, whose eyebrows were crawling almost into her hairline. "Uh oh."
"Part of the show?" Jade mouthed in outrage.
"You'll get to interact with our guests in the observation bubbles, and at the restaurant! Isn't that great? The guests love it. They' think you're one of us, so let's get going!" The guide took the first woman's arm and started moving her towards the gear.
"Wait a minute." Jade started to protest, but fell silent when Tori put a hand on her arm. She turned a glower on her partner, but found herself pinned by warm brown eyes, and a gently entreating expression and knew she was going to dissolve under it the moment she saw it. Torrrriii…"
"It'll be fun." Tori insisted, taking her arm and tugging her towards the gear. "C'mon, Jade, didn't you always want to work at Disney World?"
"No." The taller woman scowled. "I don't do the Walmart greeter, Victoria."
"Just pretend they're just more fish to look at." Tori soothed her. "It'll be fun."
Jade snorted, but reluctantly followed her down onto the platform, blinking a little as the cold water hit her feet. "If I kiss you underwater, think they'll throw us out?" She muttered.
"Jade."
"Heh."
Tori slowly sank into the water, letting herself submerge as she looked around her at the inside of the tank. Beside her, the still visibly glowering even through her mask Jade was doing the same, her hands folded over her stomach as she remained at the vertical beside Tori.
Tori poked her. Jade turned her head and waited, her eyes fastened on Tori from behind the glass panels.
I love you. Tori signed with her hands, watching intently until she saw the flow of bubbles change as Jade smiled around her regulator. After a glance at the guide, Jade signed back the same message, then she appeared to relax, tilting back and finning lazily around in a circle as the rest of the group descended.
That left Tori free to simply float and watch the fish surround her, an explosion of sea life greater than any she'd experienced so far even in the prolific Caribbean. The water was crystal clear, and though the corals were fake, the colors made the fish stand out in vivid waves.
It was very different than ocean diving. For that, you needed to take into account the waves, and the currents, and the visibility was often not that great due to floating debris. This was a complete departure – like having the best parts of a dive set before you without the nasty parts you had to live with.
How Disney. Tori mused, as she put a hand out curiously towards a large parrot fish circling near by. It drifted closer and nibbled her skin, a ticklish sensation that made her nose wrinkle. She felt a tug on her arm, and turned to see the guide motioning them all on towards the main part of the tank.
The water was cold, but the shortie wetsuit kept her warm enough until her body started adjusting to it. Tori gently bled some of the air from her bc and sank a bit, moving down towards the bottom. She stayed back a little then, watching the rest of the group as they explored the first large fake coral structure.
Jade had relaxed enough to take up her usual diving posture, her buoyancy completely balanced, her arms clasped lightly in front of her as she dolphin kicked in a slow circle around the coral. She slowed, and a cloud of fish surrounded her, coming closer than they ever would in the wild. Jade went still, only her head moving as the silvery bodies brushed hers and behind the glass Tori could see those pale blue eyes widening.
Cool. Tori smiled, wishing she had her underwater camera with her. A motion caught her attention, and she turned her head, her own eyes widening as a long, sleek gray form swam towards her. She stayed completely still as the small shark nosed at her fins, then moved on with a negligent flick of his tail. She watched it swim off, then she turned to find Jade gazing at her, one hand lifted with it's thumb up.
Tori responded positively, and swam over to join her partner as they followed the group towards a large circular rock. The guide had all the divers swimming up through it, she realized, emerging at the top where there was a cameraman filming each one as they popped up. Ah. She got into line amiably. A videotape offering must be in the near future.
Jade was in front of her, so she put her hand on the other woman's hip, holding herself in place as Jade started forward, towing her along. They both reached the circular hole together, and she pressed close to her partner as they slid through, their gear just barely clearing the rocks. On the other side, the cameraman caught them, giving them a big thumbs up as they both swam free of the enclosure and tumbled into somersaults in front of him.
Heh. Tori took the lead now, heading downward to where the guide was pointing out something behind a rock. When she got closer, she saw it was a huge turtle, and she settled down cautiously next to it to get a better look.
Jade hovered above her, studying the reptile with interest, then motion caught her eye and she looked up to see faces pressed against the Plexiglas wall next to them.
Several people waved at her. Jade lifted a hand and hesitantly waved back, surprised when the smallest faces started moving as their owners jumped up and down. Curiously, she drifted closer, and watched the children point at her.
She pointed back. They squealed, their mouths opening and closing. With one eyebrow raised, Jade decided to try something more interesting, and she inverted herself neatly, flipping her body over and hanging in the water upside down with bubbles trailing up the length of her.
A crowd had gathered now, and she was apparently the center of attention. Jade glanced down, to find Tori sprawled over the floor of the tank, flippers crossed at the ankles, watching her with great amusement.
The turtle decided he was being upstaged, and lifted up, his flippers clawing through the water as he drifted past Jade and nudged her with his foot.
Jade drew her knees up and somersaulted over him, then she dove for the tank bottom as the rest of the group came wandering over. Tori caught up with her and gave a playful tug on her weight belt, and she found a school of yellow reef fish to focus her attention on.
Another tug. Jade sighed, a plume of bubbles rushing up towards the surface, but then she looked over at her partner and lifted her hand in question.
Tori pointed at her, then closed her fist, then she held both hands together and rocked them.
Jade removed her regulator and stuck her tongue out, then pulled it hastily back in as the cold water surprised her with its sting. She put her regulator back into her mouth and bit down on the mouthpiece, sucking in a breath of cool, dry, rubber scented air. Gathering the remaining shreds of her dignity, she rolled over in the water, looking around as the guide motioned them on.
Ahead of them were more floor to ceiling plate glass windows, with people behind them. Jade edged closer, realizing it was the interior of the restaurant they would be eating dinner in that she was looking at.
As she floated down past the first window, her eyes focused on the people beyond it and she found a shock going up and down her spine as she recognized the faces. She half turned to find where Tori was, only to have warm fingers clamp down on her wrist as Tori eased in next to her.
Inside the glass, outlined in the eerie aqua shadows from the water, were Shari and Michelle. Seated in one of the best viewing tables, neither was paying attention to the sights. Instead, they were talking animatedly over full plates of dinner, as Michelle pointed her fork at Shari to make a point.
Shari put her glass down and shook a finger playfully at her, and they both laughed.
Jade made a hand sign. Tori nodded. They both turned and swam a little ways off, floating in mid tank as they watched the rest of the group wander past the main windows. After a moment, Tori pointed to the tank floor, then lifted her hands suddenly, pushing them upwards in a rush.
Behind the mask, her partner's blue eyes twinkled mischeviously. Jade glanced around, then she and Tori swam slowly down to the bottom of the tank, drifting just off the surface as they made their way to the wall. At the base of the wall they paused, neither breathing. Jade held up one finger, then two, then three.
At the third, they both shot up past the window, exhaling a huge exhaust of bubbles that sounded like thunder around them.
Jade heard, even through the window, faintly, the clattering sound of dishes being dropped. She angled up and over with Tori next to her like a limpet, diving down to another part of the exhibit and exchanging friendly waves with two small boys in identical Mickey Mouse ears.
After a few moments, Jade peeked over her shoulder, watching as two waiters hastily tried to clean up the two tumbled plates of food, while Shari tried frantically to wipe the red wine off her jacket. A snicTor escaped her, causing a cloud of bubbles to emerged from her regulator, and she mouthed her regulator, biting down on the rubber as she tried to control her laughter.
It was childish, she acknowledged to herself, as she saw Michelle throw her soiled napkin from her in disgust.
But it was fun. Jade resolutely turned her head towards her waiting audience, and proceeded to make a face at them, blowing bubbles as they pressed their faces against the glass.
Tori rolled onto her back and rested her hands on her belly, twiddling her thumbs as she grinned. Then she hastily rolled back over and paid attention to the little boys, as the two women suddenly turned and looked out the viewing port, pointing and yammering at the harried looking waiter.
Jade drifted down to her knees in the shell bottom holding out her hands and playing pat a cake with the smaller of the two boys. He was squealing in delight, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he slapped the Plexiglas from his side, as his mother looked on with a smile.
Tori peeked past Jade's shoulder, hoping her features were obscured enough by her gear as she spotted the figures in the window peering at them. For a moment, she thought her eyes met Michelle's and she was busted, but after a split second the figures looked elsewhere, finally pointing towards two of the men divers who were chasing each other in and out of the coral. Beyond them, was the little girl diving with them swimming fast away from a chasing barracuda. Her braids with shiny trinkets streaming behind her. The adult with her racing to reach her and quickly tugging the braids inside the girls wetsuit.
Aww. Tori felt a sense of guilty enjoyment. That'll teach you to mess with us, huh? She turned her back on the window and fastened her eyes on her partner instead, who was now swimming slowly away from the restaurant panes, coming alongside one of the small gray sharks.
Tori followed her, falling into her usual position at Jade's shoulder as they came alongside the next big coral formation, settling slowly to the bottom on their knees as an entire school of brightly colored fish swirled around them.
She tipped her head back and spread her arms, feeling the fins brush her fingertips. Ahead of them, most of the group was clustered near the clear Plexiglas tube, amusing a host of guests snapping photos. Tori decided it was their turn to be on stage, and she stayed where she was, playing with a curious, small angelfish nibbling at the side of her mask.
Her heart was still beating fast from their prank. She wondered if Jade's was, noticing her partner was merely drifting around the rock formation, turning slowly along her length as she took in the inside of the tank. Casually, she reached up and closed her hand around Jade's bare ankle, feeling the steady flutter of her pulse beneath her fingertips.
Jade looked over at her, and waggled her flipper, giving Tori a thumbs up and a wink clearly visible even behind her mask.
Heh. Tori released her and undulated her body, diving down towards the bottom of the tank to have an up close and personal introduction to another big turtle plodding along.
This was fun. She touched the turtle's shell, drifting back a little as it stopped it's methodical chewing of algae and peered at her with it's fathomless black eyes. Had the turtle seen their joke?
Did he think it was funny, too? Tori scratched him on the side of his neck, charmed by the creature's gentle regard.
Then the turtle winked at her, and swam on, searching for new patches of algae to consume. Tori leaned on her elbow, then turned her head as something nudged her expecting to see Jade there.
Instead, a shark was. But since it was a Disney shark, instead of eating her, the animal merely bumped her with it's nose, and slid past her, letting her trail her fingers over it's sandpaper skin.
Incredible. Tori grinned. Just an incredible day.
"That was amazing." Tori wiped her face with a towel, wishing for a glass of anything to clean the taste of rubber out of her mouth. "Jade, can you believe we got afrrff." Suddenly the taste of rubber was made irrelevant as Jade swung the door shut on their changing cubicle and kissed her, effectively cutting off what she'd intended on saying. "Mm."
"Shh." Jade whispered into her ear, jerking her head towards the next cubicles where they two other women on the dive were getting out of their gear. "Yeah, I can't believe we got so close to those fish either." She added, in a louder tone. "Incredible."
Tori made a twirling motion with her fingers, unzipping Jade's wetsuit when her partner complied and peeling the neoprene off to reveal Jade's tanned shoulders. "Did you see that shark? I saw the barracuda chasing the little girl. I had seen ehr braids before the dive and thought of telling them to make sure they tucked it into her suit before she got in"
"Mmhm." Jade stripped off the suit and stepped out of it, hanging it over the wall of the cubby and leaning in to start the shower running. " I think just a few of them fell out. They had it under control. The sights were great. We've seen most of those things before, but never in one place, and never so damn clearly."
"Yup." Tori peeled out of her own suit and added it to Jade's, then removed her swimsuit and hung it up as well. She stepped into the shower as Jade got naked and joined her, and bowing to the close confines of the small space, she made the most of it by putting her arms around Jade and hugging her.
Jade pressed the button on the shampoo dispenser, and used a handful to lather Tori's hair for her. She scrubbed the thick, dark strands as Tori simply stood quietly, her fingertips running up and down Jade's back in a lazy rhythm.
The water pounded down on them, warming them after the long immersion in the cold tank, and the chilly walk down from the diver's lock. Jade rinsed the soap out of Tori's hair, and knelt, resting her chin against Tori's thigh as Tori returned the favor.
Her skin felt a little tender, and the long day's exertions had started to spread a slight ache through her body. She was looking forward to a nice dinner with Tori, and then sliding under the covers with her back in their comfortable room. Then a thought occurred. "Oh, crap."
"Something wrong?" Tori leaned towards her. "Did I hit sunburn on your neck?"
Jade sighed. "No. I just remembered I promised Elle I'd stop by the convention tonight and just make sure everything's all right for the opening of the show tomorrow."
"Oh." Tori ran her fingers through Jade's hair, removing the soap from it as her partner tipped her head back and looked up at her. "Well, that won't take long. We can… oh, crap."
"Mmhm. We have to go back and get the car." Jade said. "We took the bus and monorail." She sighed again. "Oh well. We'll just have to go do it." With that, she rested her hand on Tori's tensed thigh and stood, reaching for the shower controls to turn them off. "After dinner."
"Absolutely. I'm hungry enough to have started chewing on those turtles down there." Tori agreed, as she followed Jade out of the shower and handed her partner one of the two large towels they'd left waiting. The other two women had already finished dressing, and they heard the door close as they dried off. "Not real friendly, huh?"
Jade lifted herself up on her tip toes and peered over the partition, making sure they were alone in the room. "No." She nipped Tori's ear playfully. "Did you see the crosses? They're from a Kansas seminary."
Tori stood quite still, enjoying the tingles brought on by Jade's teeth. "And?" She patted her partner's body dry with her towel, removing impudent droplets from between her breasts. "Did they guess we're gay or something? What clued them?"
"Beat's me." Jade watched Tori lean closer and kiss a few more droplets away. "Maybe it's our haircuts."
Tori looked up at her, one eyebrow arching sharply.
"More likely it's the way we look at each other." Jade grinned. "Or the fact that we spend more time dressing and undressing each other than all the rest of them combined." She ruffled Tori's wet hair. "C'mon. Let's get our t-shirts and our certificates, and go eat."
Tori toweled her head vigorously, and reached for her clothing, dismissing their unfriendly neighbors with a shrug. Not everyone, she reminded herself, accepted their lifestyle as easily as their friends or Jade's parents did.
In fact, she mused, as she pulled on her shorts and fastened them, most people who were not gay really didn't seem to be comfortable with the idea, at least at first. What she'd discovered, however, was that after a while, even the most wary generally got used to it, and then they forgot about it. That was pretty much what happened with her and Jade and work – in the beginning, there had been many people who had avoided her like the plague unless they had to come to her for something.
Now, however, she very seldom got what she referred to as the 'ew – gay cooties!' response. People generally just treated her like anyone else, and that really was all she'd ever could have asked for.
With a satisfied sigh, she shouldered her small bag and followed Jade out of the changing room, setting down both of their wetsuits in the marked hamper with their names. The park would ensure they were sent to their room. Then she ran her fingers through her hair to put it in some kind of order, and rubbed a little remaining water from her eyes as Jade opened the door into the hallway and they joined the rest of the group.
"Okay." The guide reappeared, with two of his buddies carrying a clipboard and a pile of bags. "I've got your shirts and your guaranteed frameable certificates here… anyone interested in getting the video? We've got it inside, and it's just twenty bucks. The money goes towards the marine sciences institute here, so we can keep doing these kinds of services."
"We'll take one." Tori spoke up, just ahead of the others, who also agreed and nodded.
"Great." The man smiled at her. "Hey listen, did any of you see anything weird happen in the tank? Like around the windows to the restaurant?"
Tori felt Jade inhale, and she instinctively took a step closer to her, caught flatfooted by this new danger of revelation. Had any of the others seen them? And if they had, would they tell? She let her eyes slowly drift around the group, then fastened them back on the guide.
Everyone had a puzzled look. Even Jade had manufactured a nice one, cocking her dark head to one side and lowering her eyebrows.
"Okay, well, I didn't see anything either, but somebody inside the restaurant swears they had someone scare the poo out of a couple of people at one of the window tables, so.. I had to ask. Probably was a fish." The guide dismissed the entire affair, and went about passing out their goodie bags.
"Whew." Tori muttered under her breath.
"Mm." Jade returned the guide's smile and took her booty. "Thanks.. that was great."
"Hey, thanks yourself! You were great." The guide responded. "You were a real trooper with the kids, they loved ya! Got any yourself?"
"Just a dog right now." Jade responded. "Glad I was a hit."
Tori took her bag. "It was really fantastic." She complimented the guide. "I had a great time."
"You're a good diver." The man responded. "You've got great buoyancy control, you dive a lot, huh?"
"I do, yes." Tori agreed. "Mostly in the Caribbean and South Atlantic." She smiled at him. "This was really cool."
"Thanks! Tell all your friends!" The man smiled back, and moved on. "Your tapes'll be out in a minute, and after that, my buddy John here will take you back out to the lobby. Hope you all had a great time!"
"Yes!" The group responded in a chorus.
Jade rested her forearm on Tori's shoulder, and they both relaxed as the guide left and the rest of the group milled around waiting for their videos. "This was nice." She remarked. "Totally Disneyfied, but nice."
"Uh huh." Tori agreed. "And at least they don't pipe 'It's a Small World" at you through underwater speaTors." She guided Jade towards the doors, where a new staffer had appeared with a stack of plastic video tape cases. "C'mon, let's go."
Jade took the tape from the woman and they escaped into the Living Seas, blending into the sparse crowd and heading for the exit. As they passed through the doors, Shari and Michelle entered from the other direction, pausing to look around intently before moving on.