justonetruth | There's something so powerful...

If you're of a type to look in the more unusual corners of the Mansion — namely down the far hallways or up to the ceiling — you may get a bit of entertainment today thanks to a pair of certain residents.

Those venturing down the long hallways on the higher floors might come across a simple wooden door, behind which seems be an assortment of sounds originating from a gym: squeaking shoes, clanging metal, and confident, uneven footsteps and harsh breathing from a single person.

Inside is a wooden floor and an assortment of blue landing mats, true, but it's not quite a gym. Few gyms have such a wide and varied (and tall) assortment of artificial rock faces. They tower up to the distant ceiling, marked only by infrequent hand- and footholds. Any potential grappling targets are high on the cement walls, on smooth areas without rock and far out of conventional reach. The center of the room is staggered with free-standing rock columns (many with their tops cut off at sharp angles, as if sheared by the downward force of a giant knife) and an assortment of grid metal poles that are climbable but precariously narrow. Various metal bars hang from the ceiling, occasionally providing the only possible path between the top of one structure and another.

One Shinichi Kudo of a middling twenty-something years of age is currently swinging from one of those bars, dressed in a thin long-sleeved shirt and simple black pants, and evidently not harnessed to a single thing. This doesn't seem to bother him much, as he gathers momentum in a final swing and then throws himself forward above and over a thirty foot drop to land lightly on one of the narrow poles. He wobbles a moment, his arms thrown out for balance, then quickly steadies and aims for his next landing target.

For those more inclined to greater heights, the Mansion's lobby is the place to be — or more specifically, the empty air above it, stretching upwards forever as the building's infinite staircases spiral up around the edges. Many, many, many many many many stories above the ground, a thick cord of webbing is anchored securely between one side of the grand stairwell and the other, forming a narrow tightrope path maybe 8-10 meters across.

Standing calmly on this cord, arms out for balance and already several meters away from safety, an Aoko Nakamori is steadily making her way across. She seems about as old as the Kudo from the gym, dressed in sneakers, capris, and a padded black vest over a blue tank top. She does have a harness, but it's a simple affair and not immediately noticeable: just a strong cord and a couple of carabiners, tethered to the main line at one end and Aoko's waist at the other. Even as you watch she slips, quickly catching herself by folding a leg over the rope and 'sitting' on it, and grumbling swears while she waits for it to stop swaying up and down.

((Tagging with both raider!Aoko and raider!Shinichi, simply state your preference by specifying the setting. The "gym" is rather reminiscent of one belonging to a certain Lara Croft, though it's a bit grander and not an exact match. Others may recognize Aoko's activity as highlining/slacklining.))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I wouldn't be doing this if I had a reason to worry, Aoko.

[moving incredibly smoothly, though risking a lot by walking without a harness]

[yeah, she's well aware of just how much he's risking here, though she feels better the closer he gets. If worse comes to worst, she can catch him from this distance]

Oh, so you're just going to make me worry instead?

[just grinning at this point, leeeeaning forward a bit toward her once he's close enough]

You don't have to worry, you know that.

[SIGHS]

You're an idiot.

[his grin widens.

and suddenly he's tilting over the edge, as if he's about to fall]

[cripes— GRABS FOR HIM AND COUNTERBALANCES though not a whole lot since she suspects he's joking]

Kaito!!

[you're an idiot AND A JERK]

[... it's too bad he wasn't joking. SOMEONE IS FALLING OFF THE EDGE AND PLUMMETING TO THE GROUND NOW]

[you son of a— his shirt slips through her fingers, and in a matter of seconds she's cast off her harness and is jumping after him, scowling the whole way]

[Though right before she can jump and before he can fall too far, he's quickly pulling a grappling hook out of nowhere and aiming for the edge of the stairwell as he fires. The hook catches the banister, the line goes taught, and (because he hadn't fallen far) there isn't enough momentum in his swing for his landing against the wall to hurt. All in all, it is a pretty graceful fake out.

... except for the fact that the banister breaks, and the confident smile is quickly wiped from his face as he starts to fall again.

KAITO KNOWS HOW TO MAKE SMART DECISIONS]

[DOESN'T HE ALWAYS.

The broken landing slows him just long enough for Aoko to catch up with her fall, but it's also pulled him off his original trajectory, and she flings out a hand in an attempt to reach him. They're running out of floors very quickly]

Kaito!

[... oh damn it woman you weren't supposed to jump with him]

Hey-- [any good tomb raider has doubles of all of their supplies, so despite his flubbed first plan, he has a second one directly up his sleeve. it's complicated somewhat by the fact that she jumped after him, but while one hand dives back into his jacket for his second grappling hook, he reaches out to take hers tightly with the other.

LOOK WHAT YOU DID NOW I HAVE TO SAVE BOTH OF US GEEZ]

[YOU WISH.

The second his hand is in hers, she hauls him in close, wrapping her legs around his and yanking out a cord in her vest in one smooth movement.

The sudden deployment of the parachute creates a fair amount of inertia, but Aoko's hanging onto Kaito with all four limbs by now and he only slips an inch or two as they're jerked upwards, and then begin sailing down at a more moderate speed. She exhales in relief.

And then glares at him]

You idiot! What made you think that was a good idea?!

[He's in the process of aiming for a second shot when Aoko grabs him and the parachute is deployed, the jerking motion taking him off guard. He manages not to lose his own grip on her, and as they begin to slowly float downwards, he blinks up at Aoko in surprise.

... and then he scowls]

I've made worse jumps! And I had it! You didn't need to follow!

Had it like you had the first one?! Why would you think it wouldn't break a second time when you had more speed behind your fall?! You're supposed to test these things!

[it is notable that the canopy of her parachute is (just) small enough to avoid catching on the stairs on either side, and while the weight of two people is making them descend a little faster than usual, it's obvious that she checked all her equipment (and surroundings) out beforehand]

How stupid do you think I am?! I test all of my equipment before using it!

[just gonna yell at her on their way down, yup]

You obviously didn't check the banisters!

[likewise]

'Course I did! It's not my fault one of them happens to be weaker than the others!

You couldn't have checked all of them and for all you know more than one of them was weak!

How many banisters do you think are in this mansion, Aoko? That's insane!

That's exactly what I mean!

I would have been just fine! [he probably would have, at the very least, heavily bruised some part of his person had she not saved him]

Geez--! You didn't have to jump after me!

That's what you think.

[whoops almost down at the main floor and coming up quick. Brace for landing!]

[bracing. but also grumbling]

[letting him drop juuuust a little early so that he has time to roll to absorb impact and get out of the way, then makes her own running landing after him.

And then just turns and starts grumpily gathering up her chute as it comes softly down. Not talking to you, nope]

[taking the landing gracefully and tumbling out of the way to make room for her. and that's okay, he's grumpily stuffing his grappling hook away in his pockets. :T also not talking to you miss]