Outdoor... Bonding?

This was not the first time Theo had been kayaking with others before. Sure, when he was young he spent 100% of his time in a canoe completely alone, because there was no one else out there. But he first learned how to kayak while he was in university. That was when he decided that it was fun to go out to sea or go whitewater kayaking with others. That was when he first started competing. He didn't win everything. He was good at it, but he wasn't the best.

It's been a while, though. Hadn't touched the canoe much for the last few years.

The sky was a beautiful colour. Just as blue and cloudless as usual, except that they've chosen a good time in the afternoon to do this, missing the searing midday sun. Kayaking in the evening is never a good choice- you lose way too much visibility - so mid-to-late afternoon was just around the best time for it. He had explained this to Alaude on their way to grabbing the rental kayak.

He had been spending some time with Alaude. Not hanging out, to be precise, but it was spending time together nonetheless. Enough that they were something akin to friends, or at least the closest things Theo has to friends in this place. And they're on a first name basis too, so that's some improvement.

As enthusiastic as Theo seemed about this, he was actually worrying. Not about anything as simple as capsizing or getting hurt, no. Those were real risks that were easy to see and easy to deal with. He had been kayaking and around water for enough of his life to know how to deal with those things. It was just the creeping feeling in his stomach about how much this entire situation resembled the first few days he had spent with David.

"Well, we get into the water and bring the kayak in with us. Then you sort of climb in. Don't drop the paddles." Theo said and gestured towards the lake, "Hope you have a change of clothes. This is not a dry activity,"

@Trahnael

"You might want to wait, first. It's going to be much more difficult to listen to instructions while in the water," Theo said, sounding much more serious than he ever had before. Beginners made mistakes. Even though the sun was warm, the water in the lake is cold, and looking at what Alaude was wearing hypothermia might actually become a problem. You can't swim in jeans.

Theo didn't get into the water immediately. Instead, he opened his bag and dug a few things out of it. There was the little waterproof box with survival supplies, just in case anything goes south, some things to anchor the kayak, and a few bottles of water. He moved to the kayak and secured these things into the bulkhead, then tied the water bottles to the top of the kayak.

"You might want to keep that on." He picked up the life vest Alaude discarded and tossed it back to him, zipping the other life vest on over his rashie. "Of course it's your choice but I just want to make sure nothing bad happens."

He moved forwards and pushed the kayak into he water with Alaude, careful not to lose his grip ok it. The water was cold but not very deep. There's no telling how deep it gets, though.

"Do you want to sit in the front?"

@Trahnael

Theo didn't respond to Alaude's comment about taking off the life vest with anything more than a nod, even though he was tempted to glare or say something that may be considered rude in response. He will make sure Alaude keeps his life vest on. After all, he wanted to make sure people got home safe.

"Make sure that doesn't slip off. I don't want to do any diving today," He said, raising an eyebrow at the knife. Oh well, whatever floated their boat. Plus, a knife was always a useful tool to have on yourself. Just maybe something more subdued and practical than a... machete-like object strapped to your arm. "And you want to make sure it's stainless, too, if we get wet."

It didn't take long to get into the kayak. Theo had a couple concerns about how exactly the steering was going to work, with the less experienced person the front, but it seemed that it should work out as long as Alaude didn't flail about.

"You want to hold the paddle so that your arms are at about a ninety-degree angle when the centre of the paddle is above your head- And make sure that there's an equal amount of shaft on both sides," Theo said. Alaude was struggling. That was obvious. And most people didn't want to admit that they were.

"Since you have a paddle with no offset, it should be easier to paddle. You want extend it a bit away from you... 2 feet forwards, then pull it back, parallel to the boat. Then turn to the other side and do it again." He himself had a feathered paddle with a left-dominant grip - the blade has an offset so it's easier for him to row. "Like this."

The kayak moved slowly forwards in the water and a sudden burst of melancholy hit Theo. He made a quiet noise and suppressed whatever it was that he was feeling. He was making friends. No need to make the situation more complicated.

@Trahnael

Theo watched from behind as Alaude adjusted his grip on the paddle. It wasn't exactly perfect, but it would do for a beginner. It was certainly a lot better than the ones he had seen on some other beginners, though, and Theo didn't hesitate to point that out.

"That's good, just make sure to turn your shoulders each time you row." He said, watching the other man's posture. The stroke was a bit wobbly and he had placed way too much strength in it, but it worked. The kayak glided further out into the open. "Relax. We're not racing or anything."

"Oh, no, nothing is wrong," He quickly recomposed in case Alaude turned around. To be honest, he was a bit surprised. Alaude was showing concern towards him - Or maybe he just wanted to learn how to kayak properly and didn't want to fall into the water. Don't misinterpret, and don't overthink. That's not how you make friends.

Theo continued to row for a short distance, propelling the kayak slowly across the water. It was heavier and slower than what he was used to, but it was still a kayak, and he was with somebody who was a friend. Everything was feeling familiar, and maybe in a good way.

@Trahnael

"Yeah, sure, I'm fine." Theo said, smiling. He knew that his smile looked a little less than genuine, but it'll do for now. Nobody looked closely enough to bother to tell the difference. Even with that, he felt relieved as Alaude turned back around and went back to rowing... Or attempting to row, anyways.

With time, they had managed to move to the deeper parts of the lake. The water was now a dark blue colour, almost black. This wouldn't be good if they capsized. The water was cold, and with it looking as deep as it is, something might just go wrong. Hypothermia. Drowning. He shook those thoughts out of his head. Everything was going to be fine... right?

Theo drew in a sharp breath when the kayak rocked to one side, but calmed down as soon as it had settled. Then he frowned. "Try not to throw your weight around, Alaude. We don't want to capsize. The water's too cold to swim in." Theo said, seriously.

"Of course." He replied although he was a little hesitant. There was still more than half the lake to cross.

@Trahnael