Assassin's Doubt

"That's.. actually really cool." Hayden smiled. He gently set Alaster down and looked around the room. He then walked over to Thomas. "How often have you stayed here, if you don't mind me asking." He said curiously, leaning on the side of the dresser as he stared at one of the beds.
 
"Oh, plenty of times. At least twenty," Thomas says with a laugh. "This is one of my favorite hideouts. Most people take one look at Mr. Cobbler and assume I'd never stay here. Anyway, want to grab a suit and check out the pool?"

Alaster barks and jumps onto the bed, rolling around and panting as his tail wags. He definitely approves of the living quarters.
 
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Hayden does and glanced at the suits before grabbing a black one with red trim. "Its a good hideout." He chuckled, smiling. "How'd you first find the place?"
Hayden was a curious person and sometimes, if he got his mind on something, or someone, he wouldn't stop finding out what he could.
 
Thomas doesn't mind in the slightest. It's been so long since he's had someone to confide in, and meeting Hayden is the best thing that's happened to him in years. "Funny story about that," he begins. "It was before I even started a detective agency. I was delivering pizzas full time. One night, when I was still a new guy at the place, Mr. Cobblestone ordered in a few extra large supremes. No one else wanted to meet him face to face, so they sent me," he adds with a chuckle.
 
Hayden chuckled. "Well, that's one way to find a good hideout." He knelt down, the swim suit in one hand hand his other petting Alaster. He looked back to Thomas when he stood. "I'm going to go ahead and get changed." He said with a faint smile before stepping into the bathroom. He shut the door, examining the suit a moment before he started to change.
 
While Hayden is in the bathroom, Thomas changes into his swimsuit as well. Then he flops over onto the bed to rub Alaster's tummy. The pitbull mix pants and wags his tail, craning his neck around to lick Thomas' hand. Thomas grins and laughs. "Good boy. You really like belly rubs, huh?"
 
Hayden hesitated to step out shirtless. The scars across his ribs and chest were visible in the mirror and after a second he threw his shirt back on. Grabbing his pants, he left the room and neatly set the pants on the bedside table. He chuckled as he watched Thomas pet Alaster. Walking over, he put a hand on Thomas's shoulder. "Look at you." He smiled and pat Alaster a little.
 
"I know. Look at me, the big softie," Thomas says with a laugh. Then he glances up and tilts an eyebrow, slightly confused as to why Hayden's wearing a shirt. Thomas isn't. Still, it's not his place to ask personal questions. "You have an extra shirt with you?" he asks at last. "That one's going to get soaked. I've got a bunch in the closet just in case. You can help yourself after we're done swimming," he adds.
 
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Hayden chuckled and straightened. "Being a softy is not a bad thing. Shows you've got a good heart." He stretched a little. After hearing Thomas mention an extra shirt, he fidgeted. No.. he didn't have a second one. Glancing down, he debated whether it was worth getting this one wet, just to hide his scars... he'd never let anyone see them... of course, he never had gotten anywhere near someone like he has been with Thomas.. he looked down at Thomas and nodded with a faint smile as the detective offered him a backup from the closet. "Thanks." He said with a slightly bigger smile before he glanced at the window. "I'm ready to go if you are."
 
Thomas grins and pats Hayden's shoulder. "Ready!" He leads the way down toward the pool room. It's a deep, wide pool, and there's also a hot tub nearby, as well as a snack bar.

Alaster yelps and plunges right into the pool, doggy paddling across the water.

"Good boy, Alaster!" Thomas calls out after him. He smiles and steps onto a diving board. "Ever gone diving, Hayden? It's pretty fun."
 
Hayden walked over to the pool after Thomas stepped onto the diving board.
"Uhm, well... not really." He said with a little shrug. Kneeling down, he felt the water, swishing his fingers in it a little. He smiled and looked up at Thomas.
 
"Don't worry, it's pretty easy. I'll show you," Thomas says. He holds his arms above his head and crouches. "Get into a pose like this. Then, when you jump, make sure your arms hit the water first. Watch." He dives expertly into the water, barely making a splash. Without seaweed to frighten him, he's a natural born swimmer.
 
Hayden looked quite surprised and stood from his spot on the edge of the pool. Walking over to the diving board, he carefully stepped up onto the diving board. After a moment of hesitation, he took the form Thomas had shown him. He held his arms straight above his head and crouched down.. Then he jumped. Closing his eyes tight, he felt the water hit his feet first, then it crashed over his head. He kicked up, quickly breaking the surface and rubbing water out of his eyes before looking to Thomas. "I uhm.. I don't think that was quite right." He chuckled a little.
 
Thomas is standing with his mouth gaping open. "Dude . . . you flipped! That was awesome!" he bursts out. "I'll have to try that next!"

Alaster paddles over to Hayden and licks his cheek, barking and wagging his tail.

Mr. Cobblestone shuffles in a few minutes later, holding a tray of snacks. "Can I get you two anything to eat?" he calls out. "It's quite slow around here today."
 
Hayden looked quite startled. "I-I flipped? How'd I do that?" He looked at the board with surprise, then looked back to Thomas. "Well..." he shrugged a little, only to laugh as Alaster paddled over to lick his cheek. "Hey buddy, you having fun too?" He ruffled the fur on the pup's head.

When Mr. Cobblestone spoke, he looked up. "That sounds alright to me." He sat as he waded to the edge of the pool. "What do you think Thomas?" He turned to looked at the detective curiously.
 
Alaster barks again and rests his head on Hayden's shoulder, deciding to float and let Hayden take most of his weight.

"Wow, snacks just for us? Thanks, Mr. Cobblestone! Hayden, Alaster, c'mon!" Thomas bursts out. He drags himself out of the pool and walks carefully across the tile, dripping water. Then he sits down in one of the black metal chairs while Mr. Cobblestone sets down the platter of food and drinks.
 
Hayden smiled as Thomas climbed out. He gently lifted Alaster, wading to the ladder and carefully pulling himself and the pup up. He walked over, choosing a seat beside Thomas and gently resting the pup in his lap. "There you go." He chuckled and pat Alaster's head. He stretched a little, the shirt clinging tightly to him. It was a little chilly, but Hayden didn't notice as he sat back with a smile. "Man... I don't think I've ever had this much fun in a whole week, let alone a day." He laughed softly.
 
Thomas smiles and tilts his head. "Well, I'm glad we could help. I - I haven't had a friend like you for a long time," he adds softly.

"Fun, eh? Well, if it's fun you're after, I don't suppose you two would care to see - " Mr. Cobblestone pauses, glancing back and forth to make sure no one's around. "The secret containment room?"
 
Hayden smiled and nodded as Thomas responded. He let out a soft sigh of contentment before looking up when Mr. Cobblestone spoke up. "The what?" He asked curiously, sitting up slightly. "What's that?" He asked the man before he looked to Thomas to see if the detective knew anything about the room.
 
"Ooh, yeah! I almost forgot!" Thomas says. He shoves a few more cookies into his mouth and nods to Hayden. "Let's go get changed and then meet Mr. Cobblestone in the lobby. You're going to love the secret containment room. But be careful walking into the bathroom, the tile floor can be pretty slippery sometimes," he adds.