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[hate_gettin_older]

Yeah?

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[ragesagainsttheodds]

Ren led them off into the forest, taking them on a short trail towards the Green Man's temple, chattering about this and that along the way but nothing of great import.

"Here we go, big rock number one." Ren announced when they reached a clearing and there was, true enough was a rock climb of about eight foot high with clear spots for handholds and footpushes. "So, first things first, we gotta go through the rules." Ren set down her backpack and unclipped the helmet. "First of all, y'gotta be wearin' this. You ain't got no meat on you to bounce with if y'fall."

"Y'gonna keep at least two points of contact on the rocks at all times. If y'get stuck, y'gonna go down rather than go up, okay?"

[hate_gettin_older]

He nods, and holds his hand out for the helmet. "Never worn anything like this before," he confides. "Tell me if I put it on wrong, will you?"

Once he figures out which way is forward, it's actually pretty easy to get right, although the straps give him a little trouble.

[ragesagainsttheodds]

"Here, put y'chin up." Ren directed him when she noticed his struggled with the straps. "It clicks into this bit here, 'nd you tighten it up just like that." There, safe at least from the perils of Rocks.

[hate_gettin_older]

He fidgets with the strap a little -- its unaccustomed snugness under his chin is uncomfortable -- but doesn't loosen or undo it. "Right then, what's next?"

[ragesagainsttheodds]

"Elbow 'nd knee pads." Ren answered, returning once more with more things for him to put on.

[hate_gettin_older]

"... Promise you're not just fuckin with me?"

But that's about all the protesting he does, except for a little quiet grumbly muttering as he puts on the rest of the protective gear.

[ragesagainsttheodds]

"I mean, I'm not, but..." Ren grinned. She wasn't winding him up on purpose. But the fact he was getting grumbly about it was quite cute. "Y'fucking cute when you get all pissy."

[hate_gettin_older]

He looks up at her, both hands busy with the last strap on the last pad, and grins. "Yeah? Nice someone thinks so."

[ragesagainsttheodds]

Ren winked in response.

What? Like it was a secret she liked him? Nah. She wasn't that smooth.

"'Kay. Now you're all goosed up, I'm gonna show you how to climb this fucker." She gestured back towards the rock formation, notably wearing none of the safety equipment she had put on Edgar. But she did clip a open bag of chalk onto the band of her shorts.

"So, you're gonna reach right up--" Ren demonstrated, stretching up to find a good finger hold "'nd grab on, then you lift y'leg to find the foothold that's gonna take your weight--" She did so, finding a protrusion that was safe enough. "Then, y'push y'self up from your legs don't pull yourself up by your arms - that fuckin' knackers you." All things considered, it was a good demonstration and Ren carried herself up a few rocks, marking out the easier ones with white chalk for Edgar to copy before dropping down to the ground once more.

"Y'ready to try? I'll be able t'catch you if you fall." Edgar certainly didn't seem like he'd weigh more than she was able to handle.

[hate_gettin_older]

"Ready," he says, flexes his hands a couple of times, and starts for the rock.

As tempting as it is to try jumping right in at full speed, swarm right up like a monkey and impress Ren with how good he is at this, he's going to make himself move slow. At least for the first few holds. Falling on his ass isn't going to impress anybody. Test the foothold, test the handhold, and up.

And up, and up; even moving (relatively) slow, he's already passing the last point Ren marked.

[ragesagainsttheodds]

"Ayyyy! That's it!" Ren encouraged, clapping her hands. She watched from the ground, conscious to keep her eyes where he was putting his hands and feet, her own hands cautiously outstretched just in case she did actually need to catch him.

Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. It was hard to explain why she was so strong.

[hate_gettin_older]

"You coming up or what?" he calls down to her, grinning.

(Without turning his head, though -- the last thing he wants is to lose his concentration on the next handhold above him.)

[ragesagainsttheodds]

"Nah, too busy admirin' the view." Ren called back.

She was giving him space to clamber up before she started.

[hate_gettin_older]

Edgar laughs, delighted. "I'd'a dressed for it if I knew you wanted a show!"

The best he can do is a slight wiggle of his ass, between one foothold and the next, as he keeps making his way upward.

[ragesagainsttheodds]

"Yeah, that's right, shake it baby." Ren heckled him in response, wolf-whistling, clearly in a playful mood.

But, by now Edgar had more than enough of a headstart to make it fair on him and Ren stepped forward. "I'm comin' t'get you." She called as a warning.

[hate_gettin_older]

"Oh noooo," he calls back cheerfully, still making his way up. "What're you gonna do when you catch me?"

[ragesagainsttheodds]

"Somethin' terrible. Better not let us catch you." Ren shot back, quickly and comfortably scaling up behind him. Because she had experience, she moved up comfortably without a moment of second guessing - she had after all chosen a relatively easy route for Edgar to try out.

[hate_gettin_older]

"Up I get, then --" and he starts moving faster, still taking care with his handholds but now trying to get to the top before Ren comes close enough to touch him.

And because it is an easy route, after all, he doesn't wind up stuck or slipping on the way up.

[ragesagainsttheodds]

She follows him up, giving him a good arm length of space as she continues. After all, if he did fall back, she needed to be able to push him up towards.

And it didn't hurt the male ego to let him win.

[hate_gettin_older]

Oh, his ego could probably survive her beating him at rock climbing -- but yeah, winning definitely doesn't hurt.

He makes it to the top and turns round to sit on the edge, grinning down at her. "You still gonna do something terrible if you catch me? Got nowhere else to climb to."

[ragesagainsttheodds]

"Gotta get y'alone somehow." She answers, clambering up to the top and pulling herself up with ease. As with all things physical, it came naturally and easy to Ren and she grinned widely, sitting herself down next to Edgar on the edge. "You did good." She nudged him with a shoulder. "So. What's got y'head in the clouds?" Even she couldn't miss that something was off with him. "Now we're up here y'might as well tell us."

[hate_gettin_older]

He glances sideways at her, a touch of trouble coming into his face, and hesitates. They're having a good time, and he's reluctant to risk spoiling that, but ... she did ask.

"... You ever been really fuckin mad at someone you don't wanna be mad at? Not like yelling mad, like don't ever talk to again kind of mad."

[ragesagainsttheodds]

Ren laughs.

Not unpleasantly but in a way that makes her shake her head in fond memory. "Yeah, I got younger siblings and a little brother who thinks he's hot shit." But family was exempt from never being spoken to again no matter how irritating they were. "I'm guessin' it goes deeper into that for you through, right?"

[hate_gettin_older]

"No, nobody that close. Christ, that'd be fuckin beyond awful, being that mad at ... Can't even imagine."

He shakes his head. "Nah, it's somebody here. Don't think I want to say who. Dunno what to do about it."

[ragesagainsttheodds]

Ren was probably the worst person to ask about these sorts of things. She wasn't known for her empathy. But, luckily for Edgar, she was trying to be a better person these days.

"Well, you ain't gotta tell me 'bout who it is." That was fair. "But what'd they do t'make you feel like y'don't even want to be 'round them anymore?"