Felice snickered at the dog as it attempted an answer. Oh, this was amusing. His attention was quickly taken by Vlad's instruction again, though. 

The boy clicked his tongue as he moved closer to the two spots, standing between them for a minute. Wall or rope first? Rope climbing wasn't exactly his favorite thing in the world, but he had to do it enough back in the troupe to know how it worked. The wall seemed easier in theory because he could balance and push himself up like he was more used to, but the thought of going up a wall rather than something he could swing freely from was less fun. Deepening his scowl, he moved to the wall first, stretching out before beginning his ascent. 

[i]Catch, catch, pull, pull, edge here, drop here, better foothold there, here's a spot where I can swing...[/i] 

As long as he kept a rhythm, he could figure out how to go from one movement to another. Of course, sometimes his first plan wouldn't work and he would have to figure out something else, but that was usually fixed by dropping a few stones or making a jump in another direction. His worst enemy was the close proximity he had to maintain to the wall. He did better with more space around him, even if it was empty. 

One hand slipped when he was near the top and trying to reach the next hold, causing him to drop again. It hurt a bit to catch another rock on the way down, but it was better than hitting the floor. Just like with all his work, he had to think quickly to improvise his way out when things went wrong. Letting out another huff, he continued until he made it to the top, about twenty seconds faster then his best time. Hey, he just said better, not by how much, so that was all he wanted himself. Satisfied with his work, he worked his way down, a bit faster with gravity helping, and started for the ropes. This would be significantly easier, probably.