First Date 0.0 (Aidara)

[Sira]

Timestamp: 14th of Winter, 510 AV "Oh gods, Sira.. You look awful." Sira stared at her wild frizzy hair in the mirror. It had been days since she'd done anything with it at all, and hair was going everywhere. There were bags under her eyes from lack of sleep the night before, and her legs needed a good shave. All in all, Sira was a mess. Normally none of this would have really concerned her, but Sira wanted to look her best for the day to come. She was going to see Aidara, which was why she hadn't gotten any sleep the night before. Excitement and nerves kept her awake most of the night. It had been several days since the incident at the beach, and Sira had yet to spend any time with Addy alone. Either her sister would be there, giving them an unapproving glare (or at least that's how Sira interpreted it anyway), or somebody else would inevitably stumble upon them. But it would be different today, she told herself. The plan was for Sira to meet Addy at her place, then go out for a night on the town. Okay.. it wasn't so much a plan as Sira hoping they could find something entertaining to do while spending some time together. Unfortunately, it was hard to find time alone in Wind Reach during the winter, but hopefully all would go well. If all else failed, they could always go back home and hang out there. Either was was fine with Sira, so long as she got to spend some time with Addy. Sira still had plenty of time to get ready, however, and she was glad for it as she began running the brush through her hair. She wanted to look her best, but it was going to take some time. Over the next few hours Sira bathed, shaved, did her hair and attempted to put on makeup. Then came picking out what outfit she would wear. Sira didn't own many, but she wanted to make sure whatever she chose made her look irresistible. After staring for a moment Sira realized she didn't own any such outfits.. Sighing, Sira reached for the nicer of her two outfits, a red and gold strapless vinati with a black bryda. The bryda had a red, talon-like design (think tribal-ish) that started at the feet and clawed it's way up the legs and thighs. Sira slipped on her black sandals and put on a red scarf, then grabbed her katinu just in case they went outside. Slinging the coat over her shoulder, she headed out the door and down the hall toward the twin's place. It wasn't far from where Sira lived, but it was still a good bit of a walk. The twins lived a bit higher in the mountain than Sira did, and while it was technically just a short distance away navigating the winding tunnels that led up the inside of the mountain did take some time. Finally Sira found herself standing outside Addy's door, and after a quick mental pep talk she raised her hand and knocked.

[Aidara]

The day could go one of two ways. If things went according to plan, Addy would be graceful and entertaining, attempting all she did with a flawlessness that would leave Sira a gooey puddle of love mush at her feet. Or Addy could fumble everything up, and look like an idiot while holding her head high and trying to muddle through the mess-up of a date. Charming and confident as the woman may be, nerves and apprehension quickly unraveled said poise, screwing it up into a messy knot and stomping on it. The date was most likely to go the second route, or so Aidara thought as she endlessly fiddled with her hair in front of the mirror. Of course, the woman looked stunning as usual; She knew how to dress herself, just how to rouge her face, and which way her hair looked best. To live the lifestyle that Addy adored, knowing these things were about as important as being able to walk. But was it going to be good enough for Sira on their first date?! Panic rose like bile in her throat and Addy had to take a step backwards to lean against the wall of the washroom, her hand moving to cover her forehead as she closed her eyes against the wave of nausea. "Oh gods... I am going to make a fool of myself." There was a definite note of defeat in her voice as Addy lowered her hands and caught sight of her pale, trembly reflection in the mirror. Aidara didn't do dates, or at least not ones that didn't include both parties using the outing as a more polite way of getting between the sheets. This was something completely new, unsettlingly foreign. The awkward experience that was her date with Fenilen non withstanding, Addy had never been on a date before. What was more, the woman was far more concerned about how Sira would perceive her than if she would get any by the end of the evening. Not once did it cross Addy's mind that Sira was just as nervous, and that they had practically already admitted their love for one another, and that this date wasn't going to make or break anything. Their relationship could only go forwards, at this point. But the woman was too panicked to think clearly. It was Sira's gentle knock at the door that broke Addy from her reverie. "Goddess almighty! I'm not ready!" Looking down from her reflection in the mirror, the healer noticed that she was still wrapped in a towel. "Calm down. Pfsshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....I"M COMING!" Yelling loud enough for Sira to hear Addy let out a slow breath between clenched teeth, shaking herself like a dog ridding its fur of water. "Be in control. Confident. Cute. Not Clumsy." Hiking her towel up higher, Addy strode from the washroom muttering her four c's under her breath "Control..Confident..Cute...Clumsy...Not Clumsy.." Striding across the common room, the handle of the door was grasped and flung open, revealing the beautiful woman who waited on the other side. Addy had never seen Sira look more splendid. It was abundantly clear that the Kelvic had gone out of her way to dress up nicely for the occasion. With a pang of guilt, Addy first looked down at her towel and then thought of what she had planned for them to do this evening. But those thoughts were quickly driven from her mind when she caught Sira's eyes. With a smile blossoming over her features, the small woman ushered the other inside, directing her towards the most comfortable couch. "I am sorry I'm not ready. I got caught up at looking at myself in the mirror, stove off a panic attack and contemplated how I am going to make the world a better place." To hide her embarrassment, Addy put on a joking air as she slid into her room and slipped on her clothes. "I um, had a different sort of plan for us today..." There was a great deal of clinging and rustling from within Aidara's room as her sentence trailed off. Moments later, she appeared completely weighed down by travel sacks. "I thought we should go climbing." As if to demonstrate how questionable this idea really was, Addy tripped over a length of rope that dangled from one of the packs. The stumble conveniently sent Addy sprawling into one of the nearby chairs, where she let go of the pack and stood quickly back up to face her awaiting date. With her face flushed and a crooked, semi-self conscious grin and a pair of dimples, Addy looked to Sira for approval. Wearing a pair of sturdy boots, bryda and vanti a chocolate brown color, the woman looked stunning even though she was dressed for a hands on activity "For you, I'm willing to get my hands dirty" Considering Addy's aversion to dirtying herself, and her compulsive need to wash said dirt immediately from her body...this was saying a lot. "What do you say?" Hopeful, anxious, worried, nervous and excited, Addy stood before Sira as if she was subjecting herself to harsh judgement and close inspection.

[Sira]

Sira stood outside Addy's door waiting nervously for her to answer. She might have been handling her nerves with a bit more grace than Aidara was, but just like Addy she had never really been on a "date" before either. Most of Sira's romantic interests rarely went beyond physical, and more often than not they were initiated by Sira grabbing the arm of whatever man or woman she was interested in and dragging them back to her place. As much as she would have liked to do that very thing with Aidara, there was more to it with her than just physical desire. She was actually interested in Addy for what she had to say as much as what they could do together. There was of course the Kelvic side to it as well. If Addy hadn't shared similar feelings Sira would have assumed it was only her need to bond making her feel the way she did.. but Aidara had been the first one to say it. That had to mean it was just more than biological need, didn't it? In all honesty though Sira could have cared less, she wanted to be with Addy one way or another and she didn't care where the desire came from. Speaking of which, Sira was met with an unexpected surprise as Addy opened the door. Sira didn't know what to expect for the day but of all the outfits Aidara could have had on she certainly hadn't been expecting Addy to be in nothing but a towel. Addy quickly ushered Sira inside, explaining that she wasn't ready yet then disappeared into her room. Sira made herself comfortable as she waited, wondering what on Mizahar Addy had planned for them. The clanging of metal and other objects, Aidara's clothing or lack thereof, the mention of something "different", Sira could only wonder (and maybe be a little bit afraid) at what sort of idea Addy had come up with. Again she was surprised as Addy came out weighed down in gear and suggested they go climbing, followed by a less than graceful stumble into a conveniently placed chair. Sira couldn't help but giggle a little at that and.. wait. Giggle? Sira had never giggled before in her life! Is that what being in love did to you? Sira blushed slightly and cleared her throat, a bit embarrassed by her display of.. giggling. "Mountain climbing..? You know, I've lived in this mountain my whole life and I've never done that. Sounds fun!" Sira was excited. She had been worried the day would turn out to be completely lame and boring, an all around disaster, but somehow dangling from the face of a cliff seemed much more interesting than any ideas she had come up with. Sira really had never done any kind of climbing, at least not major climbing. One advantage to having wings meant you didn't really have to worry about climbing things. That didn't mean Sira wasn't looking forward to the idea, climbing for fun did sound entertaining. And they were unlikely to be disturbed on the side of a mountain, so Sira could finally have the alone time with Addy she had been hoping for since the day they met. "I must say though, I was afraid I over dressed when I saw you in that towel." Sira flashed Addy an excited smile and jumped to her feet. "So.. where do we go for this? Did you have a spot in mind, or do we just go out the back door?" Sira could think of a few spots that looked like they would at least have a wonderful view, but she didn't know anything about how the climbing would be.

[Aidara]

"Something tells me that Catabasis won't be very happy if we just start trouping through his aerie like it's the Courtyard of the Sky. Lets take the long way. Plus, who can really say no to exercise and alone time?" With an impish grin Addy turned and hoisted one of the packs out of the chair, pausing to untangle the bit of rope that hung from the one pack and tangled the straps of the other. Tucking the rogue piece of rope back under the flap of the pack, Addy slung it onto her back while reaching for the other, turning and handing it to Sira. "With her permission, I borrowed Sai's climbing gear. So not only do I know we have all the right equipment, I also know that it's very well taken care of. Ropes fraying while we are dangling hundreds of feet off the ground is just a little too much excitement for me" Leading the way out of the aeries, down the corridors to the main hallways Aidara practically bounced with excitement. With much longer, lovely legs than her, Addy was not worried about Sira being able to keep up with her energetic pace. It wasn't until the women passed through the Courtyard and headed off towards the cliffs that the healer spoke to her date. Until then, the journey had consisted of silence on Addy's part, punctuated with shy glances at the kelvic. "We're going to the Edge of the World. Except I didn't really plan this out very well. I don't know exactly how to get there. Climbing is Sai's thing, not mine. oocSorry it's so short. I have to study for a test but I wanted to get this up for you

[Sira]

A look of worry flashed over Sira's face for just an instant when Addy mentioned the possibility of falling, but she quickly tried to mask it with a playful grin. "Just make sure you have the better of the sets. This is the only nice outfit I have and I'd hate to tear it up shifting because I had to save your sorry butt!" The jibe was meant to be playful, but Sira couldn't completely mask then concern in her voice. It wasn't that she thought Addy would actually fall, or that she wouldn't even be in dangerous situations throughout their relationship together. Sira knew Addy would be put in harms way on a regular basis if she stayed with Sira for too long. It was just that Sira had never really thought about it until then. Addy didn't seem to mind danger though, so Sira pushed all dark thoughts out if her head as they left the aeries to whatever place Aidara had in mind. Sira was quiet for most of the trip, content to watch Addy practically bounce her way to their destination. As always, Addy was gorgeous. She had a way about her that no matter what she did or how she was dressed she looked stunning, even decked out in climbing gear as she was. Not that Sira didn't look good herself. She knew she did, especially today, but Sira had more of a wild unkempt good look to while Addy's was a skillfully put together masterpiece backed with natural beauty. At one point Sira reached out to grab Addy's hand, but had to stop because somebody rudely pushed between then on their way to the other side of the corridor. Sira shot them a nasty look but didn't press the matter, and spent the rest of the trip until they stopped looking for a good opening to snatch Addy's hand. Or perhaps a better explanation, she was waiting for her courage to build.. There were plenty of opening, but Sira always conveniently got distracted when she saw them. But then Addy decided to turn around right in front of Sira and say something. Sira barely heard what she had to say, so focused was she one staring at Addy that she somehow failed to notice she had stopped and ended up walking right into her. "Oh crap! Sira stumbled, trying to keep her and Addy from falling over, but the pack had her off balance and down they went, Sira conveniently landing right on top of Addy. There was a moment of awkward silence as Sira stared into Addy's eyes... And then she realized this was probably very uncomfortable and not at all romantic for Addy who was laying on top of a pack full of pointy climbing gear. "Oh gods! I'm so sorry!" Sira jumped to her feet and helped Addy up, "I uh.. wasn't paying attention to where I was going." Sira's face flushed red and she looked away, trying to hide the fact. Addy had said something. What was it? Oh yes, the Edge of the World! "I know where the Edge of the World is! Follow me!" Sira grabbed Addy's hand, not thinking about the fact that she had been trying to do so and pulled Addy along. She had to distract Addy from the utter disaster she had just caused. She knew where the Edge was, she had been there many times though never for climbing. Sira enjoyed freaking out children and onlookers by falling off the cliff then circling around and coming up behind them shouting BOO!! The kids loved it, the adults found it annoying.. It was all food fun for Sira. But they were still a long way, at least another fifteen chimes or so. Hopefully Addy wouldn't be put off by Sira's lack of grace. ..and her hand.... It felt so nice to hold.. maybe she should take the long way there...

[Aidara]

The graceless fall did little to dampen Aidara's mood. Instead, she tumbled over with a laugh that ended suddenly when Sira landed on top, effectively knocking the air from her lungs. Still, Addy couldn't help but smile at the look of pure horror on Sira's face. For a moment, they were lost in each other's eyes before Sira seemed to remember she should be thoroughly embarrassed. Strangely enough, this knocked Addy out of her funky mood. Who cared if she did something stupid? Sira had not only fumbled in the way Addy was trying to avoid, but reacted the same way she would have, had it been her mistake. The both of them were equally terrified of messing up, and it was ridiculous. Laughing brightly as she realized this, the healer waved away all attempts for apology. "It's fine. You're adorable. I was a nervous wreck, and I can see that you are too. We need to calm down or I think we're going to get each other killed. As epic a story as it would make to die on our first date, I'd like to make it to a second, third, fourth...." Leaving the sentence trailing away suggestively, Addy started to brush the debris from her fall away. It took only a minute for her pack to be rearranged to a more comfortable position on her back, with nothing poking or scraping, but Addy made sure to look away from Sira, letting her compose herself. Before she knew it, her hand was grabbed and the kelvic was tugging her along, shouting her knowledge of where they were going. That was a relief. The date would have been an utter failure if they hadn't even been able to reach their destination. Sure enough, no more than a quarter of an hour later Sira had them at the foot of the cliff. Unease squirmed in the pit of her stomach as she looked at the shear face before her, the pack on her back suddenly feeling very heavy. "Alright, now I'm scared. You will catch me, right?" Addy cast Sira a sidelong glance as she shrugged the sack from her shoulders and opened the top flap, pulling everything inside out onto the ground. "Sai explained all the parts to me last night. I think I remember it all correctly. She said it was all pretty obvious how it fit together." By the way that Addy held the different pieces of gear in her hands, this statement couldn't be further from the truth. Breathe. Relax. Inhale.....exhale. Using the trick that she'd been taught for releasing stress before loosing an arrow, Addy grounded herself and abolished the fear that began to claw through her chest. As a sense of calm washed over her, Addy began to look through the equipment she had spread around her feet. Finding two sets of fingerless gloves, she handed one to Sira while donning the other. "I don't know why Sai gave us all this gear. Because I'm pretty sure we're not going to use any of it yet. Maybe it was a futile hope that I would excel quickly and be able to join her on her freaky squirrel climbs." Shaking her head, Addy shifted through the gear one more time, putting it back into the pack as each piece was rejected. In the end, the two women were left with only their gloves, and the clothes on their bodies. "Other than that, she doomed me to failure at the same time as telling me to go slowly and keep trying." With a wry grin Addy turned to Sira and beckoned her forward. "Since I am getting the impression we're not going to be getting up too high, I don't think we need spotters until we're more advanced. We can try together!" With an enthusiastic bounce in her step, Aidara moved towards the foot of the cliff, giving a pause to tilt her head all the way back to try and see the top. "Maybe it's a good thing that we're not going to get up there yet. I'm not sure how good I am with heights when I don't have solid stone or feathers underneath me." After Sira's clumsy moment, Addy was no longer self-conscious, feeling completely at ease during this date, and well prepared to fail in front of the other woman. A complete turn around from how she felt this morning. It was her palpable enthusiasm and a bit of adrenaline that began to pump through her body that cause Addy to practically throw herself at the cliff face. This resulted in much scrabbling, slipping and no progress at all. Attempt number two was no better. The healer was simply attacking the side of the cliff, trying to grip at non-existent hand holds instead of looking ahead and planning her moves. She tried to haul herself from the ground with her mediocre strength, and even that was getting her no where. On top of all of that, the gloves that she and Sira had both put on were actually causing her hands to slip more against the rock protrusions, instead of help her grip. "Well these things suck." Venting a little bit of her frustration at not even being able to lift her feet from the ground, Addy turned from the offending rock wall and ripped the gloves from her hands. Throwing them back towards the pack, as it was her sisters gear and she did have to take care of it, she soon swallowed her frustration and carefully tucked them away in their bags. "Turns out this is going to be much more of a learning experience than I expected. I thought we were going to have a grand old time scurrying up the sides of mountains like we were borne doing it." Addy paused as she looked at Sira, and a her irritation was replaced by a mischievous twinkle. "Maaaaaaybe I can purposefully fall so you can catch me." Not one to fall and stay down, if you would, Addy went straight back to the wall and began her attempts to at least find a hand hold. The first she attempted to use was nothing more than a loose protrusion of rock that crumbled under her fingers. Ducking her head to avoid getting an eyeful of debris, Addy paused only for that moment before going back to her search. Ah-ha! There's one It was up onto tippy-toes as the short woman tried to reach the hand hold that was far out of her reach. It was a good one too,a clear jug that would perfectly support her little hand. It was deep and wide, giving a good grip. The other grips Addy could spot were nothing but little, finger sized ledges. She would have to balance her fingertips along the shelf and try and pull herself up that way. But her arms were no where near strong enough for that. So, with the only good hand hold out of reach, Addy looked to her feet. Instead of asking Sira for a boost up, she wanted to try and find a foothold that would give her the extra foot she needed to reach the jug above her. She spotted one by her left foot, and in her excitement just stuck her foot in and pushed. Her fingers weaved in the air as she stretched to reach her hand hold...getting closer... and closer! And then, the spot crumbled, and the woman was once again sliding down the face of the rocks, bumping and scraping. It was as if the cliff was rebuking her for not testing her footing before putting all of her weight on the spot. Addy had begun to grumble quietly to herself before she reigned in her emotions, not allowing herself to get frustrated. Another foothold was sought, tested, and found able to support her weight. Shifting her left foot around in the hold, Addy made sure she had appropriate balance before she shoved against the foothold and stretched her body out against the rock. "Stretched" is the wrong word. The woman plastered herself to the side of the cliff. Balance wasn't her strong point, she she tried to use the surface area of the rock to make up for the fact that she was standing on one foot, leaning to the right while she stretched with her right hand and scrabbled with her right foot. She failed all attempts to find a second foothold for her right foot- more poor planing- but managed to get her fingers onto the edge of the hand hold just as her balance started to fail and she began to tip too far to the right. It was pure luck more than any type of skill. Elated with her success, Addy turned a grin down at Sira ( who was she kidding, she was a scant few inches off the ground, and simply looked over her shoulder at Sira. Their height gap was almost closed at this point, but Addy still felt like she was much higher off the ground than she really was ) and smiled brilliantly. "You know, once the rocks stop being dumb, this is actually really fun!" Turning her attention back to the wall, with her right foot still hanging off in nowhere land and both hands grasping tight to the one handhold she had discovered, the woman started looking around for more. Far to the right was one for her foot, and she stretched and stretched, her legs almost not long enough to reach. But it did, eventually, and by that time Addy was puffing with slight exhersion. Next on the agenda: Another hand hold. A few careful minutes of close examination of the rocks above her head, and she came up empty. No prospect of a hand hold and the muscles in her legs were starting to quiver in protest of the splayed position they were being forced to hold. With a sigh of defeat soft enough that Sira wouldn't be able to hear, Addy let go of the wall and dropped gracefully to the ground (not that it was a far drop), rather than loose all the strength in her arms and legs and tumble down to land in a sprawled mess on the ground in front of her date. Turning to Sira, she gave the kelvic and extravagant bow with a sweeping gesture towards the rock face. "Rock climbing apparently isn't for short people. I will try again after you, my dear."

[Sira]

Aidara's shift in mood did much to help Sira's own and it wasn't long before she was thoroughly enjoying herself and laughing at Addy's antics on the wall. The fact that they weren't going to be weighed down by difficult to shift in climbing gear helped also, not that it looked like that was going to be much of a concern, but mainly it was Addy who made Sira feel better. Sira gladly let the bouncing Inarta go first and stood back to watch as Addy failed numerous times at scaling the cliff. For Sira it worked to her advantage, being able to see what not to do and also gave her time to study the wall. Her keen eyes were easily able to pick out numerous handholds leading up the face of the cliff, and Sira was fairly confident she would do a much better job than Addy was doing. Probably... When Addy finally gave up, giving way so Sira could attempt, Sira approached the cliff full of confidence and just knew she was going to do an amazing job. Sira reached up, grabbing for a handhold she had spotted earlier, which happened to be the same one Addy used. Sira then lifted her leg, choosing a different foothold than Addy had and tested her weight on it. When it didn't crumple beneath her she pushed herself up, her athletic body having little trouble getting her off the ground. Sira's other hand quickly reached out to another knob protruding from the cliff and she was able to stabilize herself, her right leg now dangling beneath her. So far she wasn't having too much difficulty, but next came the hard part. Luckily Sira had had time to plan out her moves and new where to put her foot. Pulling herself up higher Sira planted her right foot into a divot slightly higher than where her left foot was. Nodding silently to herself Sira pushed up with her right leg, reaching for the next handhold only to have her foot slip from it's holding. Sira tried frantically to hold onto the wall but her slip up caused her to tumble to the ground, landing on her back with a hard thump and an "Oof!" Sira stayed on her back for a few seconds, the wind knocked out of her, before rolling over and looking up at Addy with a helpless smile. "Okay... So it's harder than it looks." Sira climbed to her feet and turned back to the cliff, staring at the imposing obstacle and wondered if they would even make it more than ten feet. They must both look like complete fools... luckily there was nobody around to see them at the moment. Alright Sira, you can do this. Sira walked back up to the cliff and started again. This time she chose a different handhold and managed to get her feet off the ground, back at the same height she had been before. Alright.. Moment of truth. Sira pushed off with her right leg again and let out a sigh of relief when it didn't slip beneath her this time. Stretching her arm she gripped a large protrusion and pulled, letting go with her other hand and grabbing for a small ledge a little further up. Sira's left leg lifted and fumbled around for a moment as she tried to get the toe of her boot into a small hole. Once she was secure she repeated the process, pushing off, latching on, pulling herself up... It was very tiring. After about three rounds of this Sira began to wear out, but she didn't plan on stopping. Her feet were now level with Addy's head, though that still wasn't very high, and as she reached for her next handhold her footing crumbled beneath her and she fell again. Sira's initial reaction was to shift, but she suppressed it knowing it wouldn't make a difference at such a low height and would only ruin her outfit. Then she'd have to complete the date naked, and as much as Addy might enjoy that, Sira didn't like the idea of scraping her naked body against rocks and stuff while she tried to scale the cliff. Sira hit the ground with another loud thump, though this time she had managed to control her fall a bit better and twisted in the air hitting the ground hard on her hands and feet, rolling ungracefully to a stop where she lay sprawled and stunned. She wasn't injured, but she was exhausted and embarrassed, and maybe just a little bruised.. but she was probably fine. After a minute or so Sira rolled over and pushed herself up to her knees. She looked up at Addy and shrugged. "Maybe I should just fly up there and tie off a rope, and we can climb that... Cause apparently we suck at climbing."

[Aidara]

Addy had watched with amused fondness as Sira had tried multiple times to climb the rock face, using a couple of the holds that Addy had managed to fine. The Kelvic woman did get a bit higher off the ground than herself, but only barely. Addy had been the perfect audience: She cheered, clapped and catcalled when Sira succeeded, gasping and rushing forwards as if to catch the taller woman as she fell, only to realize she wouldn't be able to hold, let alone catch, Sira's weight, and promptly scampered backwards. She would wait till Sira hit the ground, and then re-rush forwards to make sure she was alright.

"Ow why did you land on your back? That hurts. At lease I was able to land on my feet" Trying to make it into somewhat of a challenge, Addy extended her hand to help Sira up. When they were both standing again was when Sira suggested she could fly up to tie off a rope for them.

"I'm also pretty sure that I am going to suck at climbing a rope just as much as climbing a rock. But let's do it! I want to get to the top!" Practically skipping, Addy went over to their packs and withdrew the long coil of rope she had brought with her. It was definitely long enough to reach the top, and then some. "I think we might be able to use those peg-things that are left over to help us climb up the rope, right?" Oh, it was so high up. Now that Addy took the opportunity to look at the top of the cliff with the prospect of actually getting up there...it seemed much higher than when she was sure she would get no more than a few feet off the ground.

"Wow..." Came the murmur as she slid back over to Sira and placed the rope in her hands.

[Sira]

Sira twisted back and forth stretching the stiffness from her back after the fall, shrugging at Addy's comment. "Hey, I'm a bird, not a cat. We aren't used to falling. I can't just land on my feet whenever I want." Sira continued working out the pain while Addy retrieved the rope, taking it and setting it aside when it was placed in her hands. "Okay, I'll to find a ledge or something that I can land on and tie this off. You just be ready to catch me in case I fall and hit my head or something." Sira offered Addy a playful wink then moved a few feet away and started to undress. It wasn't the first time she had stripped in front of Aidara and it wouldn't be the last, and anyone else who happened to be nearby certainly got an eyeful as well. Not that Sira cared.. A complete and utter lack of modesty just came with the species and Sira was no more concerned about people seeing her naked than she was about the sky falling on her head. Once she was undressed Sira shifted in a whirl of colorful swirlyness, replacing the naked girl with a giant golden feathered eagle. Sira snatched the little rope in her talons then hopped a feet more feet away before spreading her wings and lifting off the ground. The wind from her take off was still enough to knock Addy a bit off balance, but it only lasted a moment as Sira flew up high into the air, circling back around toward the cliff. Down below she spotted Addy watching and tilted a wing to her, then shifted her gaze to the cliffside, scanning it for an appropriate landing spot. It had to be low enough for the rope to reach the ground, but high enough to give them a good long climb. It would probably take a couple rope lengths if they wanted to reach the top. After a bit Sira spotted a small ledge that looked ideal and swooped in for a landing. She took it slow, flaring her wings and pulling up, approaching the ledge as carefully as possible so she didn't crash right into the wall of mountain she was attempting to land on. She had made landings like this before though and as she came in she dropped the rope on the ledge and shifted, landing semi-gracefully in a crouch. Sira turned around and peeked over the edge, waving at Addy and offering a thumbs up, then turned to find a place to tie the rope off. She had forgotten to grab a hammer, so she either needed something to wrap it around or wedge the peg between. For some reason the thought of going back and grabbing a hammer never crossed her mind, and didn't have time too as Sira spotted a perfect place to wedge the peg into. Shoving it between two large rock-type things Sira pulled on the rope testing it's strength. Once she was confident it would hold Sira nodded and dropped the rope down then hopped off the ledge, shifting and gliding back to where Addy was waiting. Once she had landed and was human again Sira glanced at the cliff, confirming that the rope hadn't gotten stuck on something on the way down then turned to Addy, a big smile on her face. "Okay, I think we're good to go. Some people might call this cheating.. But we're just gonna call it being resourceful." Sira glanced down at her clothes, considering putting them back on, but decided against it. If the rope didn't hold she wanted to be able to shift quickly, and the clothes would just complicate things. She might get scratched up from the rocks but she was used to such things. Being a kelvic who shifted back and forth several times a day she was naked more often than not anyway. Clothes were just a hassle. "So... you first?"

[Aidara]

"Yeah, sure, I'll try and catch you, but then you'll be on a date with the grotesque splat on the ground."

Chuckling at her own little funny joke, Addy sat down where she stood as Sira moved off to the side to remove her clothes. Boo. She could have danced or something while she did that. Moving away made Addy feel like she had to try and peer peripherally, not quite catching on that Sira was as carefree about the human(/kelvic) body as she was. Perhaps it was a good thing, otherwise Addy might have pounced her right then and there.

The colorful swirlyness that Sira poofed into brought another cheer from Addy, who couldn't help but give an enthusiastic wave to the giant eagle that now soared above her. The whole human-except-not thing completely enthralled her. Unlike her sister, who wanted to figure out what Sira meant for their city, Addy wanted to figure out the person. And I mean come on, how freaking cool is being able to turn into a bird? She might have been a little bit more than jealous.

So the rope was tied, and Sira descended. After a few minutes had passed and she still hadn't gone to retrieve her clothes, Addy smiled "Good choice." Though it sounded rather cryptic, the look she gave the other woman made it extremely clear what she was talking about. "I, however, am as delicate as a spring flower and I would rather not get rope burns in certain places. Kay? Kay." With no further ado, Addy flounced over to were the rope dangled. This was mostly because Sira had ushered her forward, and Addy felt the need to comply.

Her first attempt was monkey-like. The rope was grasped in both hands as high above her head as she could reach. Using this for leverage, Addy lifted her feet of the ground and tried push against the rock wall while sliding her hands up the rope. This clearly didn't work. The first time Addy moved, she completely lifted her hand from the rope to grab another section above her. This lead to a scary wobbling motion and a rather indelicate screech from the woman...even though she was barely off the ground.

Planting her feet back where they belong, Addy reassessed the situation. Again, she grabbed some rope high above her head with both hands. This time, she used the rope it's self as leverage, instead of pushing against the rock and causing an imbalance in her weight distribution. She had come to realize that the rope had knots interspersed along it's length. Not remembering Sai mentioning anything of the sort in her quit climbing tutaladge this morning, Addy realized she must have grabbed the wrong rope. More to their benefit, though.

Both her feet were placed on the first knot, where she balanced for a few moments as she shimmied her hands higher up the rope. Then the next knot, and the next. Before she knew it, Addy had slowly but surely risen to a height far over Sira's head. Realizing this, the woman also realized she had spent an unknown amount of time ignoring her date. Her naked date. Smirking, Addy twisted on the rope from her position of an odd fifteen feet in the air to peer at Sira. In a moment of sheer stupidity, Addy raised a hand to wave with a brilliant smile.

And then, before she knew it, the rope fell away from both her hands. Since her feet were only rest atop the knot of the rope, they were no help either and she was plummeting. With time to do little more than twist so she didn't land face first, Addy landed with a sickening thud on the rocks below.