[@LiegeLord]
“Ha ha, very funny,” Cecilia facetiously remarked with a smile to match when she turned her full attention back at James. Her hand opposite him, now free, moved to rest itself over his forearm. She didn’t mean to make him feel left out in any way and was keen to make it up to him when she had the chance, that is, if she could still move after this whole climbing thing was over with. During a somewhat long sigh that sounded more plaintive than she would have liked, she glanced at the next phase they’d have to scale. “I guess we shouldn’t put it off, huh?” she said, referring pensively to their next stage.

Since the two of them seemed to have lowered themselves down after their successful attempts, there may have been a bit of walking they’d have to do to get to the top of stage two before tackling stage three itself. Cecilia would rather take the trip with James and Neric, electing to simply hold hands with the boy so as not to risk either of them tripping on the other’s feet while walking up the perhaps uneven dirt path. She’d be blushing throughout all this of course, somewhere along the line beginning to silently fret over how clammy her hand was getting, between the late summer morning, worrisome anticipation and just being with James.

“This is it… I-I’ll just go first and you can meet me at the top. Sound good?...” Cecilia would ask, getting progressively unnerved just by being in proximity to the wall. She approached the start, intent on going first anyway, attempting to confidently look back at James and Neric with what she felt was a rather convincing facade, though she honestly doubted she was fooling either of them at this point.

Cecilia might as well have been in a dentist waiting room with the wall towering over her as she just sort of went through the motions of being hooked into the safety line. Getting started as soon as the okay was given, she found the first third of the ascent easy enough, the small break serving her well through the initial toeholds. Yet no sooner had she reached the halfway mark when her muscles started to ache under the strain, her arms finding each new hold harder to reach than the last. Cecilia’s pace slowed to a stop, her depleting energy being devoted towards keeping her from falling rather than any kind of progress. After a quick glance the rest of the way up, her head slumped downward under a tired and frustrated sigh. If there was any silver lining to all this, it was that, instead of a skirt, she had actually been sporting some outdoor hiking legwear, which was just a few pockets short of being considered cargo pants in her opinion.

The welcome assurance of not being particularly leered at would only pleasantly distract her for a few moments, the burning in her extremities serving as an ever present reminder that, if she didn’t make it to the top soon, she’d most certainly fail this challenge. She had originally chosen a mostly artificial route primarily featuring placed grips, however she decided upon a shorter but more arduous course. Her fingers felt the burden especially, and although she was glad she wasn’t the kind of girl to insist on long or elaborate nails, she could tell the natural ledges and slits were getting narrower, her finger tips beginning to carry her weight with every move.

It came to the point where Cecilia just couldn’t hold on, her hand losing it’s tentative grip while she was laboriously outstretching her other arm. Very much aghast during the ensuing free fall, her helpless gasp came prior to a yelp in pain when she fell backwards and slammed against a relatively jagged section of wall, her safety line abruptly halting her descent and drawing her into it, her left shoulder blade getting the brunt of the impact. Cecilia winced in pain, her right arm reaching out to grab onto any handhold to continue, having to make up the distance as well as the rest of the final third of the stage under a very stinging handicap.

Progress was grueling, Cecilia’s bruise and her limbs especially feeling as though they were on fire as she was forced to take the longer path, her incessant, heavy breathing and pained grunts at the more challenging portions: a very good sign that she wasn’t having a good time. When she had finally reached the top, her right arm would try and pick up the slack and cling to the edge of the cliff, he left arm just about spent in light of a sharp throbbing from her bruise whenever she moved said appendage. Though success was in her grasp, she was completely exhausted. She rested her head sideways against the ledge, eyes closed as she effectively shut down, her perception fading amidst her own labored breathing. Her turn might not have been over, but it sure felt like it was.