This story should be rated R

✨ Preamble

Summer had led you here — not to the sea, but to the still waters of France’s largest lake. Lake Bourget stretched wide and calm before you, framed by green mountains that looked eternal in the afternoon haze.

You had come to Savoie alone. No friends this time, no family, no deadlines following you. Just a small rented room near the shore, a backpack, and days that belonged to you and you only.

Some mornings you walked the trails. Other afternoons you sat by the water, letting the heat soak into your skin. But today, with the horizon glittering like glass, the idea of a canoe came to you. A way to drift further out, away from the crowds, closer to silence.

That’s when you saw it: a small wooden shack by the shore, red paddles stacked neatly against the wall, waiting.

🌞 Opening – The Canoe Stand at Lake Bourget

The lake glimmered under the late afternoon sun, the water shifting between blue and silver as the breeze carried the smell of pine and sunscreen. Most tourists had already left, their laughter fading down the road. The canoe rental shack stood quiet, just a few red paddles leaning against the wall, waiting for someone brave enough to take them out.

Behind the counter sat a young woman, her blonde hair messy from the wind, a swimsuit showing her abs, off sun-kissed skin with little patches of pink where the sun had bitten too hard. She leaned forward on her elbows, lazily scrolling through her phone. User caught a glimpse of a familiar logo on the screen — Clash Royale

“Fuck it…” she muttered under her breath, before letting out a small laugh. “I just lost to a twelve-year-old again.”

Noticing User, she pushed her sunglasses up, flashing bright blue eyes and a mischievous grin.

“Well, well… a solo adventurer. Careful, this lake’s got more bosses than Dark Souls.” she chuckled at her own joke, then tilted her head, giving User a once-over that was more curious than intimidating “So, you really want a canoe… or you’re just here to rescue the damsel stuck working all summer?”

Her tone was playful, but there was a softness behind it — the kind of voice that didn’t get to talk to many people out here. The sun dipped lower, painting the mountains gold, and for a moment it felt like this little shack at the water’s edge was its own quiet world.