Dar found it fascinating. But they were being herded down to the launch area, so she dismissed it and followed Kerry 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."
Kerry swiveled her head and looked up at her partner, whose eyebrows were crawling almost into her hairline. "Uh oh."
"Part of the show?" Dar 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 toward the gear.
"Wait a minute," Dar started to protest, but fell silent when Kerry put a hand on her arm. She glowered at her partner, but found herself pinned by warm green eyes, and a gently entreating expression and knew she was going to dissolve under it the moment she saw it. "Kerrrryy..."
"It'll be fun," Kerry insisted, taking her arm and tugging her toward the gear. "C'mon, Dar, didn't you always want to work at Disney World?"
"No." The taller woman scowled. "I don't do the Wal-Mart greeter, Kerrison."
"Just pretend they're more fish to look at," Kerry soothed her. "It'll be fun."
Dar 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.
"Dar."
"Heh."
KERRY SLOWLY SANK into the water, letting herself submerge as she looked around her at the inside of the tank. Beside her, still visibly glowering even through her mask, Dar was doing the same, her hands folded over her stomach as she remained at the vertical beside Kerry.
Kerry poked her. Dar turned her head and waited, her eyes fastened on Kerry from behind the glass panels.
"I love you," Kerry signed with her hands, watching intently until she saw the flow of bubbles change as Dar smiled around her regulator. After a glance at the guide, Dar signed back the same message, and then she appeared to relax, tilting back and finning lazily around in a circle as the rest of the group descended.
That left Kerry 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, Kerry mused, as she put a hand out curiously toward a large parrot fish circling nearby. 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 toward 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. Kerry gently bled some of the air from her BC and sank a bit, moving down toward the bottom. She stayed back a little then, watching the rest of the group as they explored the first large fake coral structure.
Dar 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. Dar went still, only her head moving as the silvery bodies brushed hers, and behind the glass Kerry could see those pale blue eyes widening.
Cool. Kerry 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 toward 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, and then she turned to find Dar gazing at her, one hand lifted with its thumb up.
Kerry responded positively, and swam over to join her partner as they followed the group toward 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.
Dar was in front of her, so she put her hand on the taller woman's hip, holding herself in place as Dar started forward, towing her along. They both reached the circular hole together, and Kerry pressed close to her partner as they slid through, their gear 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. Kerry 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.
Dar hovered above her, studying the animal 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. Dar 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, Dar 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. Dar glanced down, to find Kerry 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 Dar and nudged her with his foot.
Dar drew her knees up and somersaulted over him, and then dove for the tank bottom as the rest of the group came wandering over. Kerry caught up with her and gave a playful tug on her weight belt, then she found a school of yellow reef fish to focus her attention on.
Another tug. Dar sighed, a plume of bubbles rushing up toward the surface, but then she looked over at her partner and lifted her hand in question.
Kerry pointed at her, and then closed her fist, and then she held both hands together and rocked them. I love you.
Dar 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. Dar edged closer, realizing she was seeing the interior of the restaurant where they would be eating dinner.
As she floated down past the first window, her eyes focused on the people beyond it and felt a shock going up and down her spine as she recognized the faces. She half turned to find Kerry, only to have warm fingers clamp down on her wrist as Kerry eased in next to her.