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[i]
“We’ll start by splitting that in half.”[/i]

Duncan blinked, tracking her gaze to the punctured tree behind him.

... Was she fucking with him?

Whether she had been or not, an hour into their work, Duncan was far past caring. Even with Rin's abilities on an apparent cooldown, they'd worked fast, efficient, and [i]hard[/i]. Duncan's body felt heavy with familiar strain, a comforting warmth enveloping every muscles and joint. His face was flushed, speckled by beads of sweat, shirt stuck to damp skin — a feeling he once found uncomfortable, but which he now welcomed with open arms. 

[i]Literally,[/i] Duncan realized, as he stood atop the watchtower with arms spread wide, letting the wind fan the heat from his skin. To the extent a warm summer wind could, anyway.

From this high up, everything really did seem different. The mountains, the lake, the forest; in the light of the day, without a monster in sight, the world spreading out in front of him seemed less like an uninhabited hellscape and more like a world full of [i]potential[/i]. A land yet to be explored or charted. Yeah, there were the monsters lurking somewhere out there, but honestly, those existed in the real world too. They were just more difficult to spot.

Would Yuki have liked the view? Found the mountains nostalgic?

Glee threatened to drain from his face. [i]Would [/i]have, if he hadn't suddenly been seized by the pants — and unceremoniously tossed off the damn tower.

[i]... Rin was definitely fucking with him![/i]

That was the only thought that had time to register before dread set in. It didn't matter what your merits were, or how tough you'd proven to be. During the few heartbeats of a sudden free fall, with your stomach sinking and floating all at once, every human felt mortal.

Duncan didn't know much about falling, but he felt like the gasp that tore out him upon impact [i]should [/i]have been his last. Should have filled his lungs, probably trapped under at least a few broken ribs, with water that did him in. But though the impact stung, it was the way a slap in the face did, just delivered to the entirety of his body at once. It left him a little stunned, but more in shock than any real pain. For a few seconds he just floated there, motionless. Then the water he'd gulped registered in full and he started coughing, slipping underwater in his panic. 

He sunk, but only for a moment. The pain subsided as quick as it'd come, and it didn't take Duncan long to realize that the light beyond the lake's rippling surface wasn't the light at the end of the tunnel. That he wasn't just [i]alive [/i]— he was absolutely [i]fine[/i]. No bones had broken, no joints snapped, no organs torn. Hell, it didn't even hurt anymore. Because he was no longer just human.

And, honestly, he should've bitched less and enjoyed that fact a bit more.

Duncan emerged from the lake with a few more coughs and a gasp, struggling to wipe hair from his eyes.

[color=0099aa]"Holy [i]shit[/i], that was awesome!"[/color] He took in the scenery with rediscovered vigour, quickly spotting a familiar pink head that stood out from the green that surrounded him. Distantly, Duncan remembered he still had to thank the guy. Well, here was his chance. He raised an arm from the water, waving to get the other student's attention — as if belly flopping right in front of him from like thirty feet up hadn't already done that. [color=0099aa]"Yo, Asahi! Did you[i] see? [/i]We got a diving tower!"[/color]

Duncan reached the shore with a few long strokes, pulling himself up with a splash. He was already making his way back towards the tower as he started to struggle out of his soaked clothes, nearly tripping on a pant leg. [color=0099aa]"Hurry up bro, get off your scrawny ass and come on! You gotta try it."[/color]

If Asahi wasn't willing to follow and not fast enough to avoid it, Duncan[i] was [/i]going to grab the guy by the shoulder and drag him with, if he had to. Asahi would [i]not [/i]miss this.
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