8th of Spring, 522 AV Evening
In the time they had gone inside and come back out again, a light rain had fallen, stippling the beach like a freshly plucked chicken leg. After studying the sky for a long moment, Randal lead the way to the community pool, and Cleon followed carrying the surfboard he had picked out. Although it was yet unpainted, it was still a beautiful board, and the stained wood had a certain gleam to it under the muddled evening sky. It also felt a good deal more solid then he remembered, but that also might be because he was feeling a bit tired. No matter, he was feeling freshly infused with a keen energy to learn what this surfing was all about, especially after having put all that effort into learning how they were made.
Before they did that though, they broke for a small meal at the commons, using some fruit that had been left out, and combining it with the stores both of them had brought along. Randal contributed a few sandwhichs while Cleon brought out some stew he’d taken from the Inn that morning. It was altogether a pleasant repast that they spent quietly as both were eager to get the meal done quickly as the light was old in the sky.
They managed to reach the community pool in short order after that, and with a bell or so of daylight remaining both of them climbed into the pull. Cleon watched as Randal went fully into the water, taking to it easily while Cleon loitered about waist deep in the water, cautious about going any further. At a gesture, he placed the board in the water, and Randal swam over to pull it by the tip toward himself.
“So I’ll demonstrate first off what positions you’ll need to memorize on the board, and you can work on these until I think you are ready for the sea.” Randal said as he flipped the board around, then climbed on top of it, laying down across its length. “This is the first position you’re going to want to memorize. Its the one where you will be the most stable with your balance which is important when you’re out at sea and dealing with the movement of the water underneath you.” Randal said, paddling with his arms while using his legs to keep the board from tipping to either side. Cleon watched him carefully for a moment as Randal pushed back onto his knees, then pushed up so he was balancing across the back of the board with one foot in front of the other. The board drifted forward for a moment before it stalled and Randal hopped off of it.
Pushing it towards Cleon, he grinned. “Give it a shot. Who knows, you might be a natural.” Randal said, and he didn’t quite get the comment till he realized his mark of Oceanus was visible from where it was crawling up the left side of his hip. “I didn’t get this from being a good swimmer, I assure you. Quite the opposite actually.” Cleon said, guiding the surfboard slowly towards him before he attempted to get on top of it. It didn’t work quite so easy as Randal made it appear, as the board slid away from him the second he pushed against it, and before he could grab it, the board shot forward to the other side of the pool. Fortunately Randal managed to catch it before it bumped against the other end, and pushed it back to him as Cleon recovered from almost face planting in the water. He’d managed to keep his feet under him but only just.
“You know, you really ought to learn how to swim a little if you can’t before you try to get on this board.” Randal said with a grin. “You don’t even need to leave the shallows, just start paddling at the water and then slowly lift your feet off of the ground, try it.” Randal said. Cleon did as was demonstrated, leaning back a little in the water as he started flapping his arms around, and gradually he lifted his right foot, then the left.
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Before they did that though, they broke for a small meal at the commons, using some fruit that had been left out, and combining it with the stores both of them had brought along. Randal contributed a few sandwhichs while Cleon brought out some stew he’d taken from the Inn that morning. It was altogether a pleasant repast that they spent quietly as both were eager to get the meal done quickly as the light was old in the sky.
They managed to reach the community pool in short order after that, and with a bell or so of daylight remaining both of them climbed into the pull. Cleon watched as Randal went fully into the water, taking to it easily while Cleon loitered about waist deep in the water, cautious about going any further. At a gesture, he placed the board in the water, and Randal swam over to pull it by the tip toward himself.
“So I’ll demonstrate first off what positions you’ll need to memorize on the board, and you can work on these until I think you are ready for the sea.” Randal said as he flipped the board around, then climbed on top of it, laying down across its length. “This is the first position you’re going to want to memorize. Its the one where you will be the most stable with your balance which is important when you’re out at sea and dealing with the movement of the water underneath you.” Randal said, paddling with his arms while using his legs to keep the board from tipping to either side. Cleon watched him carefully for a moment as Randal pushed back onto his knees, then pushed up so he was balancing across the back of the board with one foot in front of the other. The board drifted forward for a moment before it stalled and Randal hopped off of it.
Pushing it towards Cleon, he grinned. “Give it a shot. Who knows, you might be a natural.” Randal said, and he didn’t quite get the comment till he realized his mark of Oceanus was visible from where it was crawling up the left side of his hip. “I didn’t get this from being a good swimmer, I assure you. Quite the opposite actually.” Cleon said, guiding the surfboard slowly towards him before he attempted to get on top of it. It didn’t work quite so easy as Randal made it appear, as the board slid away from him the second he pushed against it, and before he could grab it, the board shot forward to the other side of the pool. Fortunately Randal managed to catch it before it bumped against the other end, and pushed it back to him as Cleon recovered from almost face planting in the water. He’d managed to keep his feet under him but only just.
“You know, you really ought to learn how to swim a little if you can’t before you try to get on this board.” Randal said with a grin. “You don’t even need to leave the shallows, just start paddling at the water and then slowly lift your feet off of the ground, try it.” Randal said. Cleon did as was demonstrated, leaning back a little in the water as he started flapping his arms around, and gradually he lifted his right foot, then the left.
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