cian_oneill (cian_oneill) wrote in birthrightrpg, @ 2020-07-25 12:36:00 |
|
|||
Entry tags: | rhiannon lee, shimmer, ~cian o'neill |
What you find when swimming
Who: Cian O’Neill, Shimmer, Rhiannon (by phone)
What: From the depths of the Colorado River... or not?
When: Present day
Where: Rams Head Cove, Colorado River
Rating: PG/R?
Status: Complete
The testing run down Lake Mohave had revealed a few tweaks were required on the motor, and Cian had pulled the covers off to be sure he could hear exactly when it was missing as he ran the vessel into the Colorado River. He'd throttled back a few times, made some adjustments, then increased the speed again, listening to the familiar sounds of an engine coming back into line but not quite there yet. He decided to continue down the river, down to Rams Head Cove, east of Spirit Mountain off the Colorado River south of Lake Mohave. The cove was far enough away from all the ski parks and other aquatic enthusiasts to give him some space and he soon had the motor running pitch perfect.
As he cleaned his hands on a rag, then replaced and secured the covers he felt the uncomfortable trickle of sweat down his spine and forehead, and wiped the droplets of it from the cover once he'd finished replacing it. He rolled his shoulders, the t-shirt he was wearing sticking uncomfortably to his skin. After checking the covers again and packing the tools back into his tool bag he climbed the few steps up to the main cabin and closed the hatch. The tool bag was stowed under the control console and he quickly downed a bottle of water. Now he was finished he stripped off, dropping the tshirt and rag onto the floor and kicking off his leather deck shoes.
Walking out to the front of the large square vessel he checked the anchor line, again, and satisfied it was still secure he looked around. His hearing could pick up the sounds of water skiiers across on the Arizona side of the river, but there was nothing nearby here, so he felt it was safe enough to take a cooling dip before heading back up to the marina.
He hadn't been keen on swimming when he was a lad, more interested in being on the football pitch, honing his ball handling skills. It was only since he'd come to the States that he'd started giving it a go, at the insistence of the guys he'd met in Chicago. During the summer up there he'd finally ventured into the water, and realised it wasn't as scary as he'd grown to believe when he was a lad, and wasn't sure whether this acceptance was because of his were, or just his growing up.
He dived in, the water parting and closing over his head and his hearing for the moment completely swamped with the sounds of bubbles as they streamed from his nose. The shock of the cold was pleasant after the heat of the cabin, and he slowly kicked his legs and stretched out his arms in a rude attempt to imitate breaststroke. Eventually his lungs reminded him of their need to replenish and he headed for the surface, slowly exhaling what he had, and gasping in a full breath once he broke the surface.
As he shook his head, clearing the water from his eyes he took a quick glance over his shoulder to check his bearings, noting the houseboat was exactly where he expected. He rolled onto his back and lay, eyes closed, suspended in the water, enjoying the cooling affect on his body. As it often did when he had the opportunity to let it, his mind wandered to Rhiannon, and he wondered what she was doing. With the season in full swing at the Cove he'd been kept busy, working late carrying out the servicing on the engines of the houseboats after they had returned from a days outting to prepare them for their next hire.
He had to admit to himself that Abby was a great help. She didn't need to be asked twice, and he'd very quickly learned that he didn't need to check her work, unlike some of the deckhands he'd had in the Caribbean. She knew the boats, and what needed to be done without him even having to ask in most instances, and he enjoyed working with her. But it still hadn't given him a lot of time to call Rhiannon. He quickly thought through all the charters, and realised that other than the boat he had with him, all others were out for the entire weekend, so he might be able to give her a call this evening, so long as no-one out on the water broke anything, or changed their minds.
As he floated he could feel the water lapping at his ears, again muffling the sounds so that sometimes he could hear above water, and sometimes it was the ethereal sounds of the world beneath the surface.