Mary is the first in a long while to inspire spontaneity in the ancient one who barely breaks out of his patterns. Comfort zone. The crisp night breeze and a shared readiness to breach restrictions for this taste of freedom reminds each bone. Those tingles enwrapping his limbs feeling nearly like a warning; foreign territory. One he happily ignores in favor of finishing what he started. Her little jab is met with nonchalance inwardly rivaled by genuine amusement, though Cain's humor here is a matter to be read between the lines. "Do I look like I'm joking?" Because he truly isn't joking, but Mary taunting his ability to 'woo' her in such playful manner? Well, it'd be terrible if that were his idea for courting, indeed. Swimming suits are overrated. Go all in with clothes on your body or nude. Cain makes a mental note to give Mary his coat later, something warm and dry, should she demonstrate bravery by jumping into the pond with him.
The green light granted, he plants a palm atop one of her shouldersβ she'd blink and find herself, alongside current company, on the other side of that fence. No alarm. Good. But Cain could snap it into silence in a beat, anyway. "I'm positive you know how to swim. Otherwise...", he begins, after stepping closer to the water slips out of his shoes. Socks follow; nothing is nastier than the sensation of wet socks in shoes. His coat will be cast aside after.
"There'd come my chance to woo this lady by teaching her." It should be offered in tandem with a wink, instead he cracks a crooked smile. The water is almost still, crickets can be heard chirping. And only the few street lights lining those fences shed just enough light to not render them entirely blind. Barefoot, grass tickling skin, Cain stands upright again before shrinking the distance between them. Let him admire her features in the dim shine that leaves half of her cradled in night's dark, his voice soft enough to border on a hum: "You know... For a hunter, you make quite the bad influence." Nobody else could motivate him to dive into cold water in the middle of the night, fully clothed. At least nobody currently alive, except her.
She plants ideas in his mind without voicing them, without meaning to. But? He won't complainβ this is refreshing in so many ways. "I'll go first." And that's what he's going to do, unless Mary were to hold him back for whichever reason. Not jumping, but walking into the wet until he'd be all in.
