Back Alleys and New Friends

[Sarai Naavah]

5th of Summer 514 AV The ally was empty, it was in a secluded unlike so many parts of this bustling university town and really Sarai didn’t want to look like a fool in front of people so she had been scouting for a place for what felt like hours. Finally she found the perfect spot. Taking a deep breath she let the air fill her chest before she pushed it out slowly again to calm her erratic heartbeat, her nerves on end for no reason apparent even to her. A small hand reach up and tried to rake through her unruly curls of sandy blonde hair that fell a few inches past her shoulders only to get stuck half way through and her have to wiggle free of the death trap that were her locks. Shaking her head she bounced on her toes eagerly staring up at a wall only a few feet taller than her short stature – she could do it! Another deep breath and a few hops later Sarai backed up giving herself as much running distance within the ally as she could before she pushed forward a few steps until she leaped at the wall with as much might as she could muster. Time seemed to slow as she reached out for that ledge, her feet tilting to dig into the wall as a grip. She was sure she was going to make it even as the wall came rushing towards her, or rather she rushed towards the wall, she was confident she could make it but just as quickly as time stopped it all sped up again and she felt her chest and thighs slam into the wall. The girl’s hands grasped at the stone surface, clawing at it as she would in her leopard form trying to scramble to the top but it was no use and she soon found herself back on the ground. Her feet hit the ground first but her knees buckled beneath her and sent her body backwards catching herself with her backside and her hands in an ungraceful moment of panic. A hard thunk sounded and she breathed out in a startled gasp of pain. Her backside was covered in dust now and her hands darkened with the dirt beneath them because of the fall. Sarai’s breath came out slightly labored as the pain in her tailbone made her eyes water and her teeth bite at the inside of her cheeks to keep herself from crying out. Who knew how much falling on ones rear could hurt when you weren’t expecting it? Deep breaths Sarai, in through your nose and out through your mouth … in through your nose and out through your mouth … in … out … in … out … She chanted in her own mind as she forced herself not to cry, crying would not help the situation and she was supposed to be a big bad predator – at least to the little mammals she hunted. A moment more passed before she took her final deep breath and straightened herself up raising to her feet in a fluid motion that belied the lack of grace she had when she fell to the dirt. Wiping her hands off on her already worn looking clothes she tilted her green and gold eyes back up to the ledge of the wall and narrowed her gaze in determination. It wasn’t going to win this fight, she’d beat it, she had to because well that’s the task she put her mind to so that was the task she was going to master. If not master then at least she would be content with at least succeeding … once… Okay you’ve got this … you can do this … if not you’ll just hurt you butt again and you don’t want that … Sarai bantered at herself trying to pump herself up for the task especially when the wall seemed so much taller now that she already fell once. Wall climbing … not her thing apparently, give her a tree in her leopard form and she was all over that like white on rice but city walls not so much. The young female shifted from one foot to the other almost wiggling her lower body like she would when chasing something as a cat and then again she was running towards the wall and leaping a little bit earlier this time hoping not to come up short. Unfortunately for her she was falling once more on her butt as well but she at least scraped the ledge with the tips of her fingers this time! The smart of the fall made her eyes water again and a huff to push out of her lungs in frustration, her hair bouncing like it had a life of its own as the curls ricocheted with the impact of the ground.“Come on …” she murmured to herself, verbal words not something she often uttered preferring to play the part of a mute but her frustration over rode her normal silence.

[Matthew]

He was pretty sure he was going to injure himself, but what did it matter? There was already something very wrong, something that he couldn't quite put his finger on. A broken bone or two wouldn't matter.

So off he went.

First was the jog that had become a standard part of his morning routine. The Harlot strippped down to just a pair of fitted black shorts and took off through the streets, choosing an earlier time of the morning so that the streets wouldn't be too horribly crowded. Bare feet slapped upon cobblestone as he ran, the lack of shoes a purposeful step taken so that he could built up the soft soles of his feet. He ran and he ran, taking a predetermined path through the warm summer university city. He would jog at a brisk pace until he felt he couldn't take the burning in his lungs any longer, then he would slow to a uqick walk. Then back to the jog, then back to the walk. Off and on he went, alternating the exercise until he reached a predestined point in his path. There was a series of rooftops and there was an old wooden ladder leading up to one of them. He had scouted it out a few days before, and he was fairly certain that it would serve his needs. He kept his body awake and alive, dropping at the base of the ladder to pump out a few quick push-ups, injecting the muscle in his arms with some energy before hopping back to his feet.

Up the ladder he went, hand over hand, climbing until he stood at the top. The wind struck at his shimmering form, flesh coated with a light layer of sweat. His bangs danced in his blue eyes, a hand lifting to brush them to the side as he studied the path before him. Nipping his lower lip in thought, he only paused a moment before finally taking off. His legs and feet churned as he broke into a run and then a fluid leap, clearing the small gap between the two rooftops. He bent at the knees to soften his run and then kept going, running across the next rooftop and throwing himself over the edge. He broke into an awkward roll as he landed on the next rooftop, an ache exploding in his shoulder as he landed roughly in the amateur manuever. He would have a bruise later. He grunted, springing to his feet, refusing to let his body stop his from attaining his goal.

Matthew took off again, once more throwing himself over the edge in a full-out leap. This time though, something went wrong. His step wasn't fluid enough, he hadn't pushed off hard enough, he had stumbled or hesitated. He didn't know. All he knew is that instead of landing on the opposing roof, he was instead flying towards the edge of it. He braced himself and let out a loud grunt of pain as he landed his chest against the edge, medical mind instantly checking his chest for any broken or cracked bones. Nothing, though there would no doubt be a bruise later. He had other things to worry about at the moment.

He scrambled against the smooth stone as he slid down it, hands catching the edge of the rooftop. The Harlot hung there for a few moments, catching his breath, then tried to use the muscles in his arms to slowly pull himself up. He didn't have enough strength. He was able to get himself up just a bit, but not all the way. He struggled a bit more before letting himself go slack, still just hanging off of the edge. If he let go, would he risk damage to his legs? He dared a look downwards, checking out the alleyway beneath him.

There was a young woman sitting there.

The young man paused, blue eyes blinking as he stared uncertainly, caught a bit off guard. Social skills kicked in out of instinct, Matthew's polite voice echoing out as if this was an ordinary sort of situation. "Ah, hello. Am I interrupting anything? I am Matthew. It is a pleasure to meet you."

[Sarai Naavah]

Sarai brought her hands up to her face and rubbed intently as if trying to erase the second failure from her memory as well as wiping away the dampness from her eyes. Her breathing was slightly faster than normal as frustration built in her bones and just as she lowered her hands from her face a voice greeted her. The petite female jumped as if startled not having expected the company but she looked up with wide eyes at the male hanging from the wall. Her lips parted silently and she scrambled to her feet dusting off her pants while she put as healthy of a distance between them as the width of the alley would let her. It might seem like she was politely giving him room to fall if he wished as he just hung there by his fingertips much like she had been trying to do a moment ago. Large eyes glanced between him and the wall now at her back as she tried to figure out where he came from. Was he jumping roof tops? Running from someone? Sarai glanced back at him again and bit her bottom lip softly before glancing towards the ground beneath him in timid silence. She rolled his words in her mind as a blush crept beneath her tanned skin, she should probably answer he asked her a question after all. Her heart pounded erratically in her chest and she clasped her hands before her, ringing them together before she took a step forward and judged the distance from his feet to the ground. There seemed to be a war of emotions crossing her face, life was different out here away from the orphanage and she was finding it harder and harder to get away with her normal silence. After a moment the war seemed to be over, who won and who lost even she wasn’t sure but she knew she couldn’t just stare at him and expect him to read her mind. When she spoke her voice was small, velvet and warm like a purring feline but there was a reserved quality to it that matched the tension in her shoulders as one side shrugged up towards her ear. “I won’t laugh if you fall, I promise…” What were promises from a stranger? Sarai’s forest and gold eyes flicked up to his with encouragement as if she trusted his fall to be okay and she offered him a hesitant smile before she motioned one hand into the alley and breathed “Matthew …I’m Sarai.” Maybe he was nervous to drop because he didn’t want to crash as she did? Either way she’d make sure he’d have plenty of room to fall if he wanted to. She was sure his arms would tire if he hung there for too long and well he seemed large, perhaps it was the height at which his body was suspended but either way she’d never be able to catch him without hurting one or both of them so she didn’t offer. While she gazed upon him she bit her bottom lip again and then forced her gaze away from him trying not to be rude while she gaped at him. For one he had to have come from somewhere because unless he was invisible moments before and in the alley with her it meant he must have come from another roof. He must know how to get up on the roof and that set a feeling of awe inside of her since that was what she had been trying to do. Secondly … well secondly he was pretty. Men were hardly ever pretty, handsome or rough or even brutish in their own attractive man ways but this man falling from the sky was pretty and it was hard not to stare at that. He reminded her of someone an artist would draw, all softness and strength somehow blended into one. She moved around him with curiosity as she shifted her weight and let it carry her to the other side of him as if she was circling him trying to see if there was a secret rope attached to him that would aid him in his roof travels.

[Matthew]

She seemed to be having some sort of internal struggle within her mind, so Matthew took the break in conversation to refocus on his current predicament. He didn't think he was that far from the ground. He should be okay if he let go and just made sure to bend a bit at the knee to absorb the impact of the straight fall. His chest was aching from the earlier impact with the edge of the rooftop, but all in all he wasn't really any worse for the wear. He would probably have a nasty bruise, though. Continuing to silently ponder his situation in a way that was probably overthinking a rather simple sort of problem, he tested his strength again and tried to pull himself up. It would have to be an exercise he added to his bodybuilding exercises. The effort of trying to pull all of his weight straight up with only the muscle in his arms was quickly taking a toll on his back and shoulders, working a unique set of muscles. After a few more moments of working out the aching areas of his body, Matthew let himself fall slack again.

He couldn't hold on much longer, though. Best to quickly decide. He was distracted as Sarai suddenly spoke, something in the tone of her voice causing him to pause and furrow his brow at her. There was something different, something he couldn't put his finger on. His intense blue stare quickly flitted over her, studied every last detail that he could get his eye on within the span of a few ticks. She had quite the head of hair and rather large eyes, those being the first two things that popped out at him. Her nails were bitten down, a common nervous habit. Was the odd tone in her voice actually a hint of nervousness? He didn't know. He wasn't at all good at reading these sorts of things.

"Sarai. A very pretty name." He paid her the compliment in an oddly distant tone, head turning back to the wall to study his options. He had already studied them enough, though. He was definitely going to fall, so he could either do it on his terms or just let gravity take him over whenever it wished.

The Harlot noticed her circling him on the edge of his vision but didn't pay any mind to it at the moment. He held his breath and let go of the edge of the rooftop, falling the last few feet to land in a rather painless and anti-climatic moment. He had definitely overestimated the danger of his plight.

Reaching a graceful hand up to carefully brush dirt and flakes of stone from his sweaty upper half, he stood motionless and studied her as she moved around and studied him. After a few ticks of silence, he offered an explanation, figuring one was deserved. "I was practicing running, leaping and climbing. I missed one of my jumps. I apologize if I disturbed you." He glanced up to the gap he had failed to cross, chewing on his lower lip in thought. It had been an easy jump, hadn't it? He would have to review his memory to understand exactly why he had failed something that was seemingly so simple, even to a beginner like him.

[Sarai Naavah]

Sarai blushed when he complimented her name but there was something in his tone that made her attention perch. She didn’t know what was different about his tone but she knew compliments were supposed to be spoken with warmth. She wasn’t entirely sure she had never given one before nor did she remember receiving them but, she had seen others given and receive them and she was sure there was something off about his tone. Taking a deep breath she watched him fall to the ground in silence, her eyes scanning his descent to watch how he’d handle the impact on the ground. He seemed to handle it fine and there seemed to be no rope attached to him or anything that would aid him in his wall climbing that she could see. Her head tilted slowly as he brushed the dirt off his torso and she bit her lip backing up slightly from him so she wasn’t in his personal space but her eyes landed on his when he spoke. She let her body drop lower; crouching in the passage they occupied making herself seem even smaller as she hugged her knees to her chest. His next words made her mouth open silently for a moment as he revealed that he had been doing things that were much harder then she was just previously attempting before his sudden appearance. “That’s amazing …” Her voice trailed off while she glanced back up at the space between the roofs trying to imagine doing what he just did only without the falling part of it. Turning back to him she waved a hand subtly as if dismissing his apology “You didn’t disturb me Matthew.” She repeated his name again trying to memorize it, it was a simple name but the simplicity of it was nice. “Are you okay? Did you hurt yourself?” Concern edged her gaze as she flicked it over him again, this time with an attempt at clinical observation to make sure there was nothing truly wrong with him that she could see. He seemed fine to her in her quick assessment that had complete lack of medical knowledge and so she settled herself and reached up to try to tuck some hair behind her ear though it simply bounced back into its voluminous form before her face. “How did you get up there?” She rose to her feet again and stepped towards the wall running her fingertips deftly over its surface to try and figure out where he must have placed his feet to gain purchase up the side. “I want to get up there…” She turned her eyes on him, pinning him with her curiosity “…will you show me? I think perhaps I’m to short …” she frowned at him and then looked back to the wall and slid to her tip toes trying to reach for the top of the wall though clearly falling short by a large margin. She let her body fall back down to flat feet and she placed her hands on her hips glaring at the wall as if it was the structures fault and not from lack of practice that she couldn’t ascend to the heights she wanted to. “If you show me … maybe I can show you something?” She offered quietly “…I don’t know much but maybe?” she chewed the inside of her cheek waiting for his answer, her heart pounding in her chest. It was only fair to offer someone something if they gave you something right? Yes that was right, that’s what she was taught whenever she was caught stealing. You can’t just take something, you have to give something to the person you take from – some sort of payment she supposed.

[Matthew]

Now she was crouching and hugging her knees. Something buzzed in the back of his head and he pushed it away, his lip curling ever-so-slightly at the annoying noise. The moment of expression was quickly gone however, wiped away and replaced with that stoic expression that he normally wore. Blue eyes studied her closely as he tried to remember what all of her little quirks and nuances reminded him of. It was on the tip of his tongue. He shuffled through his inner library, having to work through quite a few memories. It was somewhere in the past, but not in this city. Syliras, perhaps? He started shuffling through those particular archives, determined to find an answer now.

"No, I didn't hurt myself. I appreciate your concern." Just in case, he made another mental check of himself, wanting to make sure that he hadn't somehow overlooked any kind of injury with his previous assessment. No, he had just misjudged the fall. The bruise was no doubt already starting to blossom across the expanse of his chest but he was otherwise unhurt. It had just been his mind making up fears and dangers in the spur of the moment.

His lean body fully turned in a smooth gracefully motion, arms crossing over each other as he fixed blue eyes upon her. She was trying to climb the wall? He stared at her a moment and then tilted his head, following the smoothness of the wall and judging the height. He doubted that even he would be able to get up there without some sort of help. He did take another few ticks to double-check everything that he lay eyes upon when it came to the smooth wall, but there was nothing of any note to help them out if they decided to try and journey up the smooth stone. It was well-crafted and that was that. He continued to chew on his lower lip a little bit, pacing a little back and forth. At her question, he turned his head back to her, the whole scenario suddenly making a lot more sense. She thought that he had climbed up the wall. While he wished he had the ability to do that, she was sadly quite far from the truth.

“Why do you want to be up there? It isn’t too big of a secret, I just scouted out ahead of time. I’ll show you.” He motioned for her to follow him, turning on his heel and leading her deeper into the alleyway.

He had a fairly good sense of direction, twisting and turning through the maze of alleyways to come back to the one that had the rickety wooden ladder on it. He pointed to it and then motioned for her to go ahead and climb it, letting her go first so that he could be there to support her if she proved to completely fail at being good with her feet. If she went, he would soon follow, his toned graceful form popping up over the edge of the ceiling to stand beside of her and glance out across the variety of rooftops that were stretched out before them. “Is this where you were? Would you like to run with me, or were you looking to practice your climbing?”

[Sarai Naavah]

Sarai took a deep breath and expelled it quickly gathering her thoughts on his questions. Wasn’t it obvious? He had climbed the wall, she wanted to climb the wall. “I like it up there … or at least I think I would, I’ve never been actually up there before. Trees are nice and high so wouldn’t this be like a tree only a building?” She tilted her head as he started to walk away from her, lead her somewhere else and she paused for a moment watching him with keen eyes. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to follow, she didn’t know him but he had secrets she wanted so when he breached the mouth of the alley she ran after him until she was walking in mirroring steps behind him. Each twist of his body around corners she tried to memorize the route but after the 4th or 5th turn she became a little sideways in her directions and instead just focused on him so she wouldn’t lose him. When they finally came to the wooden ladder she looked up it and then back at him with a frown. “I thought you climbed the wall.” She was a bit disappointed only because she literally thought he had some magic way of climbing up the smooth wall she had been trying to dominate. Taking a deep breath she shook her head, and her mane of hair, to herself before she nodded towards him and then she approached the ladder. Small hands wrapped around the rungs and she placed her bare foot delicately on the bottom step to test its strength before she pulled her body up one step at a time. Though her movements were slow because she feared the thing collapsing beneath her weight and his she was rather steady over all before finally scrambling onto the rooftop and standing to look around. She could see across the whole city up here and her already unnaturally large eyes widened a bit more. It was amazing. She barely noticed Matthew standing beside her until he spoke and the young girl shook her head in response “I’ve never been up here. I didn’t know they had ladders.” She smiled at him with a teeth flashing grin as excitement thrummed in her veins. She bounced slightly on the balls of her feet and then spun around to try and get a 360 view on the city. “Run across the rooftops like you were before?” The thought of falling barely touched her mind despite that’s how she found him, or rather he found her, and instead she seemed perfectly eager. “If you lead the way I’ll run with you, you know this better than me yes? It’ll be like we’re flying …” She poised her body waiting for him to make the first move praying that she could keep up with him and his long legs.

[Matthew]

He pondered her words for a moment before slowly shaking his head, eyes thoughtful. "I don't think they normally have ladders, but I've found this one sitting out here for a few days in a row now. I originally was thinking I would have to do what you were doing and find a way to climb the walls, but all of the ones I tried are just too smooth. I would scramble about halfway up and then just slowly slide back down. Perhaps if I had a grappling hook of some sort..." He trailed off, eyes distant as the new idea occurred to him. Perhaps that would be something to try at some point.

He slowly nodded at her suggestion, turning to face the row of rooftops in front of him. He took a few seconds to plot out a course, beginning to bounce back and forth from foot to foot, loosening up his muscles a bit. Flexibility was just as much a part of acrobatics as jumping was and it was definitely a good idea to make sure muscles and limbs were loose and ready to go. He stretched both arms up to the sky and rotated them slowly, letting the muscles crackle and pop a bit as he flexed them. A few ticks later and he was ready to go, blue eyes narrowing as he decided upon his course of action.

Matthew didn't hesitate, starting at a run. His legs and arms churned as he bolted forward, already starting to feel the muscles in his legs begin to lightly burn. Upon reaching the edge of the roof he threw himself forward, bending at the knee and then pushing off in a great leap. The space between this little section of buildings wasn't at all that wide, allowing even a beginner like himself to clear the space. He landed on the other rooftop, bending at the knee once again to absorb the impact of his landing. Then he took off once more, making sure that he was keeping a steady breathing pace. His boots pounded across the thick ceilings, and the minute he reached the far edge Matthew took another leap. He repeated this over and over for a total of four leaps across four gaps, easily managing to clear the gap that he had somehow fallen in before.

He slowed to a stop on the fourth rooftop, not having glanced back or slowed down to make sure that the girl was still on his tail. He wasn't skilled enough to focus on anything but his running when it came to this sort of practice, having no doubt that he would end up on the ground if he didn't focus for even a moment. He waited for Sarai, watching her progress if she wasn't already next to him, taking a moment to catch his breath before offering her some words (if she made it, of course). "Can you handle more? You can choose the next path we take, if you are comfortable."

[Sarai Naavah]

Glancing to the ground below them and back up Sarai’s head cocked to one side “I was running and jumping, I almost got it!” It was a lie, she would never have been able to get the tall wall but she was convinced she could and perhaps that was better than admitting defeat. “You’re taller, maybe you should try running and jumping from the ground … wiggling helps …” She nodded lightly and let her hips sway back and forth as they had when she had tried to jump the wall before he came into her alley. “I don’t know what a grappling hook is but I hope it helps you.” She offered encouragement to this thought of his before her jaw tensed slightly and she suddenly seemed all business when he started bouncing to get ready for his run. Sarai followed suit, going back to bouncing on her bare feet as well thinking this is what they must do to run faster and better on the roofs of the city. Watching him stretch his arms the young leopard followed suit, mimicking his warm up routine and trying to commit it to memory. She let her body bend at the sides back and forth to stretch her own spine but then she couldn’t help stretching completely to her tip toes like she usually did before she shifted forms. It helped relax her, it even made her yawn though this moment of brief calm was interrupted by her new running partner took off across the roofs like – what she assumed was – a pro. The leopard pushed off the balls of her feet running several seconds behind him because of her prolonged stretching, her muscles stretched and lengthened beneath the surface of her skin and her hair whipped behind her like a tornado. She felt the run ripping into muscles that she didn’t typically use in this form and she relished the pain it gave her, the exercise made her feel alive. It was when she reached that first roof top that she faltered. On instinct she skidded to a halt and her eyes were wide with fear as she looked over the edge but she flicked her glance back up to Matthew’s form watching him cross the second roof with a grace that made her narrow her eyes in determination. She could do it. Backing up on the roof she put some good distance between herself and the gap before she started running again with a slight bounce in her step. She counted the space between herself and the edge of the roof and at the last second she pushed off and she felt her body fly, it was the most exhilarating experience she ever had. When she hunted she didn’t typically run like this, not with this care-free abandon and certainly not jumping across roofs. Her arms wind milled in the air and her legs tucked closer to her body as she reached the height of her jump, she was descending to fast though and before she knew it her thighs were mashing into the ledge of the second roof and her upper body clung to the building like her life depended on it. Breath was pushed harshly from her lungs and she unwittingly let out a strangled cry. Her legs pumped and scrapes bruised and tore at her pants and skin before she finally scrambled to the rooftop sweating and out of breath. Matthew was far ahead of her now and it only took her a moment looking down at her pants that exposed slightly bleeding skin before she shook herself out and breathed deep to slow her heart rate. Well she would need a new pair of those it looked like. The trace of shy awkwardness that had been in her demeanor on the ground was now gone and sheer determination spread across her features. Shaking her body out the small girl hopped again like Matthew had one roof ago and she started running again, this time pushing her legs harder then she thought she could. A burning sensation pulled at her muscles and the wind against her thighs stung but she needed to catch up to him, he was teaching her how to run across roofs and she couldn’t learn from all the way back here. This time when she approached the second gap she kicked herself in the air with as much power as she could to sail her across the space in an arched curve much like she would look if she was on all fours in her leopard form. Her body twisted and converged on itself until she collided with the rooftop on the other side. Her landing was anything but pretty but she made it all the way this time. Scrambling to her feet she could see Matthew stationary a couple of roofs away, waiting for her, and she would push off again running across the third roof and third gap. Again she felt like her legs were about to catch on fire but she made the third gap with the same clumsy, yet victorious, conclusion as she had the second. Her breath was panting now, a stitch in her side feeling like she was being torn open but she had one more roof to go to reach the male and she was going to jump that gap even if it meant falling. One step, then a second and a third and she began running towards him as quick as she could. Her feet pounded into the roof and her arms pumped at her sides until she was air born and sky rocketing right for him. Perhaps it was the exhaustion from the activity she wasn’t used to or perhaps it was her bleeding thighs but when she reached his roof her legs collapsed beneath her trembling with adrenaline. She stayed there, he spoke to her and she stayed there at his feet catching her breath for a few long moments. The girl pulled air into her lungs like a fish gulped water after being deprived. Sweat poured down her neck and her body causing her baggy clothes to cling to her uncomfortably and still she sat there. Another heart beat or two passed before finally Sarai lifted her head to look up at him and a slow smile drew across her lips. “I wonder if that’s what birds feel like.” She offered in a breathless tone before she stood up one leg at a time. “I’m sorry you …. That you had to wait for me.” As she spoke she looked down at her ruined pants and frowned before grasping at one pant leg and using the rip that had already begun because of her fall to guide a larger rip and pull it around her inner thigh before she stepped out of the sleeve of fabric. She did the same thing to her other leg making the pants into shorts now that hung loosely from her toned legs, she didn’t like clothes anyways, before she looked up at him and then grinned “That’s better. I can lead us …If you still want to?” With a deep breath she bounced on her feet, still mimicking the routine he had and then she started off setting her burning pace across the roof they currently occupied. Each push of her muscles, each strain of her limbs making her adrenaline climb as if she were on some unseen cloud. She crossed two more gaps like this before she had to stop, her large eyes glancing around for him to see if he had followed while her hands pressed into her thighs above the scrape marks and she caught her breath again. If he did follow she’d speak in gasps “I’m sorry; can we break for a moment? I … can’t … breathe …” She didn’t need to be a long distance runner when hunting prey, she just needed to be faster than her prey for a few seconds to claim them as her next meal. Whether he agreed or not she would sit down and let her legs dangle over the roof edge. Her hands reached up into the impossible mess that was her hair and she tried to pull it back from her face and separate it so she could braid it to keep it off her neck and cool herself down. Each breath that dragged through her lungs wheezed slightly and the stitch in her side only seemed bigger now as she swung her numbing legs over the edge.

[Matthew]

Matthew's eyes unblinkingly stared down at her as she collapsed before him. It was a familiar sight. He had found out firsthand that faltering was the worst thing you could possibly do when trying out an exercise like this. The rooftops were close enough to each other that the leap wasn't actually that hard or that far, but he had found that the real enemy was himself. He would question his lack of skill, wonder if it would leave him broken and bloodied in an alleyway. He had wondered if he would trip and fall, if he had misjudged the distance between the rooftops, or any other number of things. It was only when he thought about it that he began to fell. It had taken effort and willpower, but he had eventually learned not to falter. Free-running like this took a certain level of bravery and the understanding that there would be mistakes, and those mistakes would definitely lead to broken bones or torn and bloodied flesh. It was not a matter of if, it was a matter of when. So why falter? There was a difference between reckless abandon and calculated bravery.

He had caught the last half of her attempt and the way that she moved once more nagged at some little corner of his mind. It was discarded when he noticed her bleeding thighs, the thought process left for a different and more immediately urgent one. He furrowed his brow and crouched beside of her, blue eyes intensely locked upon her minor wounds. He had studied medicine when he was younger, and old instinct combined with a intermediate amount of knowledge immediately caused him to inspect the damage that she had inadvertently caused herself. The harlot in him briefly appreciated the length and definition of her legs, while the scholar in him appreciated how she had quickly converted baggy pants into shorts that were more suited to their current method of learning. He reached out a hand for her minor wound, glancing up at her, movements slow and a soft voice explaining his intentions. "I studied medicine at one point in my life. May I?" If allowed, his hand would continue forward, only to hover a small distance from her flesh.

It appeared to just be a scrape and nothing more. He still took one of the discarded scraps of torn clothing, gently brushing the scrape clean of dirt and little flecks of stone. Providing she allowed him to continue, he would then quickly tie the length of cloth to cover the scrapes, using the other one on the other leg if it had an identical wound. It somewhat defeated her efforts to free herself of clothing, though his makeshift bandage was definitely tighter than the baggy pants had been just a few chimes before. "It just needs to stay clean until it scabs over, to prevent any sort of infection. Be sure to wash it." He explained and gave orders, eyeballing his work before slowly rising to his full height once again.

A soft shake of his head was given in return for her apology, the Harlot not thinking it was needed. He would no doubt be the one making her wait at some point during this whole learning process. When she took off across the rooftops, he waited a tick before taking off after her, arms pumping and legs churning. He made sure to keep his breaths even as he combined both running skills with minor acrobatics skills, not hesitating to fling himself over the gaps of the alleyways in an attempt to keep up with the enthusiastic young woman that he had just met. He soon found that the worst part of such great leaps was actually the impact of the landing. When he came to a halt beside of her, gasping for air as well, he found that he was buckling at the knees and his ankles were beginning to ache. He'd need to strengthen the muscles there to prevent any further damage to them. Nodding at her request, he seated himself beside of her, existing in comfortable silence for a bit.

After a few moments of just catching his breath, he attempted to start some form of conversation, well aware that he needed practice. "We can certainly try to climb up here a different way, if you'd rather. I also need to go for a swim at some point. I appreciate you training with me, and wouldn't want for you to be bored."