Mana Academy (IC) (Open, Fantasy)

[The Isles of Lux]

This was a terrifying story. Two small children, armed with magic, managed to kill their parents and nearly each other. For what? A sibling rivalry? How could two little kids...two innocent little kids...do such terrible things? "...What were you fighting over?" he asked, nervously.

"Hikari called a theory of mine childish and idiotic," Kasumi replied quietly, her voice tinged with... was it shame? "Her volatile personality ignited, and everything went wrong. After it was all over, we separated, and the Sorting was the first time I had seen her in years. Unlike me, apparently she has not learned to control her emotions and still harbors a grudge towards me. No matter. If she wishes to kill me, she may do so. Oblivion would be a place of peace."

Ozzi listens as the girl regales her tale, enraptured. He was shocked at the.. Well, at basically everything he heard. "Where did you go after your parents died?" From what he could tell, the events of this story happened years before the day on which he was hearing about it, but these two little kids were somehow separated throughout all of that time. It didn't quite make sense to him.

[Luminesa]

This was a terrifying story. Two small children, armed with magic, managed to kill their parents and nearly each other. For what? A sibling rivalry? How could two little kids...two innocent little kids...do such terrible things? "...What were you fighting over?" he asked, nervously.

"Hikari called a theory of mine childish and idiotic," Kasumi replied quietly, her voice tinged with... was it shame? "Her volatile personality ignited, and everything went wrong. After it was all over, we separated, and the Sorting was the first time I had seen her in years. Unlike me, apparently she has not learned to control her emotions and still harbors a grudge towards me. No matter. If she wishes to kill me, she may do so. Oblivion would be a place of peace."

"No!...I..." He turned his eyes away again, as he spoke. "...I don't want you to die...I don't want anyone to die!...Don't say things like that!...It...it wouldn't be good if you were dead...Because..." He didn't know her very well, but he wanted to say something kind to her. "You're a nice person, and...the world...needs more nice people..." He told her, turning back to look at her.

Rabbit listened to their conversation, finding it both endearing and saddening. Children being so young and yet so powerful...and yet so unaware of the horrors that some of that power can bring...it was so tragic. Yet the conversation between the two was lovely. After all, neither of them were bad people. They were shy and puzzled teenagers, who wanted to understand each other.

[Charlia]

"Hikari called a theory of mine childish and idiotic," Kasumi replied quietly, her voice tinged with... was it shame? "Her volatile personality ignited, and everything went wrong. After it was all over, we separated, and the Sorting was the first time I had seen her in years. Unlike me, apparently she has not learned to control her emotions and still harbors a grudge towards me. No matter. If she wishes to kill me, she may do so. Oblivion would be a place of peace."

"No!...I..." He turned his eyes away again, as he spoke. "...I don't want you to die...I don't want anyone to die!...Don't say things like that!...It...it wouldn't be good if you were dead...Because..." He didn't know her very well, but he wanted to say something kind to her. "You're a nice person, and...the world...needs more nice people..." He told her, turning back to look at her.

Rabbit listened to their conversation, finding it both endearing and saddening. Children being so young and yet so powerful...and yet so unaware of the horrors that some of that power can bring...it was so tragic. Yet the conversation between the two was lovely. After all, neither of them were bad people. They were shy and puzzled teenagers, who wanted to understand each other.

...a nice person?

Question. Why am I a nice person?

Observation. ...

Preliminary conclusion. ...

Further observation. ...

Conclusion. Classmate Rise-san's words merit further study.

"...thank you," she said quietly, still puzzled.

"Hikari called a theory of mine childish and idiotic," Kasumi replied quietly, her voice tinged with... was it shame? "Her volatile personality ignited, and everything went wrong. After it was all over, we separated, and the Sorting was the first time I had seen her in years. Unlike me, apparently she has not learned to control her emotions and still harbors a grudge towards me. No matter. If she wishes to kill me, she may do so. Oblivion would be a place of peace."

Ozzi listens as the girl regales her tale, enraptured. He was shocked at the.. Well, at basically everything he heard. "Where did you go after your parents died?" From what he could tell, the events of this story happened years before the day on which he was hearing about it, but these two little kids were somehow separated throughout all of that time. It didn't quite make sense to him.

"I lived by myself. I studied a lot. There was little else for me to do."

[Kaledoria]

Aidan waited while Sol and Ozzy were making their daring maneuvers. He had cast a spell to densify the air below them, creating an emergency cushion, should one of the other boys fall. It was not needed.

"I would really like to try to climb it without magic. I climbed a lot, when I was younger. The branches are thick enough, maybe a bit sparse in the lower half. However, I don't have any gloves and it's a spruce..." Aidan took his cloth-belt off, wrapped the one end trice around his left hand and the other thrice around his right hand. In between was enough length, that he could move his arms relatively freely. He grapped a branch and it was thick enough to protect his skin from the needle-like leaves.

He continued to sustain the air cushion at the foot of the tree and started climbing upwards. He stopped below the others, his head on the height of their feets. "There, that should be enough, is it not? Trunk's getting pretty thin up here, Professor."

[Luminesa]

Aidan waited while Sol and Ozzy were making their daring maneuvers. He had cast a spell to densify the air below them, creating an emergency cushion, should one of the other boys fall. It was not needed.

"I would really like to try to climb it without magic. I climbed a lot, when I was younger. The branches are thick enough, maybe a bit sparse in the lower half. However, I don't have any gloves and it's a spruce..." Aidan took his cloth-belt off, wrapped the one end trice around his left hand and the other thrice around his right hand. In between was enough length, that he could move his arms relatively freely. He grapped a branch and it was thick enough to protect his skin from the needle-like leaves.

He continued to sustain the air cushion at the foot of the tree and started climbing upwards. He stopped below the others, his head on the height of their feets. "There, that should be enough, is it not? Trunk's getting pretty thin up here, Professor."

"Good! All of you made it, and nobody fell off! Now, of course, you have to climb down, as the second part of the exercise. Only, Aidan, you had the right idea for this second part," Rabbit suggested. "For the second part, try climbing down without using your magic."

"Wha?!...But...what if we fall?!" Soleil called down, scared.

"Don't worry, as long as you are under my tutelage, nobody is going to break their arms and legs. Or necks. So start climbing down. Trust me, it will all make sense soon enough," they assured the students.

Very carefully, then, Soleil began to climb down, peeking down at each branch as he came down. "Ngh..." he mumbled.

Rabbit continued to watch, then, in case one of them did fall.

[The Isles of Lux]

Ozzi shrugs and immediately grabs ahold of the trunk. He wraps his arms part of the way around it and puts his feet against a part lower down, swinging off of it to land on a branch below him. Ozzi stops for a moment to let Soleil catch up with him, for his more cautious friend is moving slower than he. Once Soleil has caught up, Ozzi begins to climb again, but slower. Ozzi knows that Soleil is probably very nervous at the moment, and he hopes that his climbing down slowly alongside him will calm him a bit. Besides, Ozzi feels a bit more safety in the companionship as well.

[Chrome Legion]

Elizabeth Tsukuyomi

Liz studied the few students waiting for class to start. They seemed a good bunch, and she recognized a few of the from sorting earlier. Even with the sort notice, she was starting to think this would be a fun class to teach. Not to mention some of the magics she would perform during the lesson were sure to attract some of them to her theory class.
"Let's start out by getting to know each other a bit better. I'm Liz, and I really don't care what you call me, people who demand titles rarely deserve them. I'm teaching this class and the magical theory and ritual magic class later in the day. Hmmm, I was born in Yokohama, Japan 1868. Spent almost fifty years severing the Empire of Japan, then joined the Inquisition when it was forming. I've spent about the last sixty years ... alone studying magic. I joined the staff here this year, figuring by now I have at least some knowledge worth sharing. That's me, so why don't the rest of you introduce yourselves to me and your class mates."

Catherine de Sanguine Vivere

Maria huh, I don't know much about her, best to start off on the defense. Catherine scanned the room, looking for her partner. Well at the same time keeping a close eye on Aria and Alex. She recognized Maria from sorting, and approached.
"I believe it would be improper begin with this commotion going on. I would like to observe this as well."
Catherine said while motioning to Alex and Aria's duel.

[Luminesa]

Ozzi shrugs and immediately grabs ahold of the trunk. He wraps his arms part of the way around it and puts his feet against a part lower down, swinging off of it to land on a branch below him. Ozzi stops for a moment to let Soleil catch up with him, for his more cautious friend is moving slower than he. Once Soleil has caught up, Ozzi begins to climb again, but slower. Ozzi knows that Soleil is probably very nervous at the moment, and he hopes that his climbing down slowly alongside him will calm him a bit. Besides, Ozzi feels a bit more safety in the companionship as well.

The two boys thus continued to climb down together, being careful not to climb down too quickly, lest one of them got hurt. In the meantime, Soleil looked up at Kasumi and Aidan. "Are you two okay?" he called to them.

[Kaledoria]

Aidan regretted not going up first, he was still a bit winded and now he was supposed to go back down again. At least he knew already where the thick branches were. In fact, the upper part was much easier now. Then came the part where they had to make a bigger distance. Hanging from one branch and then trying to find a hold on the next lower felt much more instable then moving upwards and Aidan twice struggled to keep balance. In the last moment, he hugged the branch and avoided falling, though he did swear a lot. When he arrived at the bottom, his face and lower arms were scratched open. His casual robe was covered in tree sap and spruce needles and it was questionable if washing it was enough to get it in shape again.

Still, he grinned, content that he had managed to climb that tree. After all, he had gotten a good bit larger - and thereby heavier - since he had last done such an activity. Still, he did not yet see, how this task had been relevant to his magic.

[Luminesa]

Aidan regretted not going up first, he was still a bit winded and now he was supposed to go back down again. At least he knew already where the thick branches were. In fact, the upper part was much easier now. Then came the part where they had to make a bigger distance. Hanging from one branch and then trying to find a hold on the next lower felt much more instable then moving upwards and Aidan twice struggled to keep balance. In the last moment, he hugged the branch and avoided falling, though he did swear a lot. When he arrived at the bottom, his face and lower arms were scratched open. His casual robe was covered in tree sap and spruce needles and it was questionable if washing it was enough to get it in shape again.

Still, he grinned, content that he had managed to climb that tree. After all, he had gotten a good bit larger - and thereby heavier - since he had last done such an activity. Still, he did not yet see, how this task had been relevant to his magic.

Rabbit walked over to him and began to heal the scratches, some of which were rather large. As the Water magic worked, the teacher said to Aidan, "Good job. Now to wait for your friends to come down." They finished healing their student, and then asked, "Oh! I'm curious. What kind of phone do you have? Since you had it out a moment ago."

[Kaledoria]

Rabbit walked over to him and began to heal the scratches, some of which were rather large. As the Water magic worked, the teacher said to Aidan, "Good job. Now to wait for your friends to come down." They finished healing their student, and then asked, "Oh! I'm curious. What kind of phone do you have? Since you had it out a moment ago."

"Thanks, Professor," Aidan said. "It's a Samsung, two years old. I mostly use it to search stuff on the Internet. I'm sorry, I didn't ask permission to use it in class."

[Charlia]

As soon as Kasumi heard that she was supposed to climb down without magic, she turned pale. Looking down, she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, the ground was spinning, the teacher was blurred--now she saw two of them--no, just one. She couldn't see straight. She clung tightly to the tree, not understanding what was going on.

Question. Why am I so unsettled?

Observation. I have very little physical capability.

Preliminary conclusion. Climbing down this tree will be difficult.

Further observation. This tree is very large...

Conclusion--I am going to fall!

Her vision continued to blur, black spots appearing in front of her eyes as her grip on the tree became tighter and tighter. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut--no matter, at the time she couldn't really see anything anyway.

Help me...

"Help me," she whimpered almost inaudibly.

[Luminesa]

Rabbit walked over to him and began to heal the scratches, some of which were rather large. As the Water magic worked, the teacher said to Aidan, "Good job. Now to wait for your friends to come down." They finished healing their student, and then asked, "Oh! I'm curious. What kind of phone do you have? Since you had it out a moment ago."

"Thanks, Professor," Aidan said. "It's a Samsung, two years old. I mostly use it to search stuff on the Internet. I'm sorry, I didn't ask permission to use it in class."

"No worries. I don't have a cellphone policy, except that I'd rather you not play games in my class, since you might miss something," they explained. They then looked up and saw Kasumi was stuck in the tree, like a small blue kitten. "...One moment, boys. Also, please watch Ozzi and make sure he does not fall, on his way down," they spoke, as they kept a close eye on Kasumi.

[Luminesa]

As soon as Kasumi heard that she was supposed to climb down without magic, she turned pale. Looking down, she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, the ground was spinning, the teacher was blurred--now she saw two of them--no, just one. She couldn't see straight. She clung tightly to the tree, not understanding what was going on.

Question. Why am I so unsettled?

Observation. I have very little physical capability.

Preliminary conclusion. Climbing down this tree will be difficult.

Further observation. This tree is very large...

Conclusion--I am going to fall!

Her vision continued to blur, black spots appearing in front of her eyes as her grip on the tree became tighter and tighter. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut--no matter, at the time she couldn't really see anything anyway.

Help me...

"Help me," she whimpered almost inaudibly.

"Do you need help, dear?" Rabbit asked her, gently. They had suddenly appeared next to her, standing on the branch below her. They seemed to have no problems standing on the branches, and had no fear of heights.

Soleil watched them next to Aidan, and was shocked at how Rabbit seemingly disappeared and reappeared next to Kasumi...without any visible effort. "...How?" he mumbled.

[Charlia]

As soon as Kasumi heard that she was supposed to climb down without magic, she turned pale. Looking down, she felt a wave of dizziness wash over her, the ground was spinning, the teacher was blurred--now she saw two of them--no, just one. She couldn't see straight. She clung tightly to the tree, not understanding what was going on.

Question. Why am I so unsettled?

Observation. I have very little physical capability.

Preliminary conclusion. Climbing down this tree will be difficult.

Further observation. This tree is very large...

Conclusion--I am going to fall!

Her vision continued to blur, black spots appearing in front of her eyes as her grip on the tree became tighter and tighter. She squeezed her eyes tightly shut--no matter, at the time she couldn't really see anything anyway.

Help me...

"Help me," she whimpered almost inaudibly.

"Do you need help, dear?" Rabbit asked her, gently. They had suddenly appeared next to her, standing on the branch below her. They seemed to have no problems standing on the branches, and had no fear of heights.

"...ah... Usagi-sensei," she muttered, still clinging to the tree. "I... I will fall... I do not wish to fall... Please, I... I am... I am..."

...I... I...

"...unsettled," she finished nervously, too scared to look down.

[The Isles of Lux]

Ozzi has noticed that Kasumi is struggling further up in the tree, and feels compelled to do something to help her. He turns to Soleil, who is next to him, and motions upwards questioningly. He had started to make his way slowly back up with the intention of calming her down with the help of Soleil when Mr. Rabbit suddenly appears in the tree next to her. This sudden appearance spooks Ozzi, and his first instinct is to jump away from the disturbance. Unfortunately, that is no smart thing to do when in the tallest tree in campus.

"Aheye!" Ozzi lets out a strange sounding exclamation as he loses his grip and begins to tilt backwards, away from the safety of the trunk.

Fortunately, Ozzi has quick reflexes. As he falls, he wraps his legs tightly around the trunk of the tree. This means that only his upper body swings away from the tree, and he is left hanging in a strange upside down position, his legs wrapped desperately around the tree trunk and his arms waving around above-below?-his head, trying to find a handhold. Slowly, his grip on the tree trunk begins to loosen and he starts to shake, almost falling.

"Soleil! 'Elp!" He tries to reach out for his friend, hoping that he will be able to pull him back into a more safe tree climbing position.

[Luminesa]

"Do you need help, dear?" Rabbit asked her, gently. They had suddenly appeared next to her, standing on the branch below her. They seemed to have no problems standing on the branches, and had no fear of heights.

"...ah... Usagi-sensei," she muttered, still clinging to the tree. "I... I will fall... I do not wish to fall... Please, I... I am... I am..."

...I... I...

"...unsettled," she finished nervously, too scared to look down.

They nodded, and they held out their hands to her. "It's alright. There's nothing to be afraid of, Kasumi-chan. I'll help you down from here," they said, softly. They understood Kasumi was not very strong, and she was very nervous about her surroundings. Hence why she couldn't concentrate on what she needed to do.

[Luminesa]

Ozzi has noticed that Kasumi is struggling further up in the tree, and feels compelled to do something to help her. He turns to Soleil, who is next to him, and motions upwards questioningly. He had started to make his way slowly back up with the intention of calming her down with the help of Soleil when Mr. Rabbit suddenly appears in the tree next to her. This sudden appearance spooks Ozzi, and his first instinct is to jump away from the disturbance. Unfortunately, that is no smart thing to do when in the tallest tree in campus.

"Aheye!" Ozzi lets out a strange sounding exclamation as he loses his grip and begins to tilt backwards, away from the safety of the trunk.

Fortunately, Ozzi has quick reflexes. As he falls, he wraps his legs tightly around the trunk of the tree. This means that only his upper body swings away from the tree, and he is left hanging in a strange upside down position, his legs wrapped desperately around the tree trunk and his arms waving around above-below?-his head, trying to find a handhold. Slowly, his grip on the tree trunk begins to loosen and he starts to shake, almost falling.

"Soleil! 'Elp!" He tries to reach out for his friend, hoping that he will be able to pull him back into a more safe tree climbing position.

Soleil stared up at his friend, who was now hanging awkwardly from one of the branches. They were frightened to get back into the tree, but they wanted to save their friend. "Ahhh...hold on! I'm gonna come help!" He rushed over to the trunk and used his magic to propel himself into the tree again, and they clumsily managed to blast themselves into the branch below Ozzi's. When they got there, they climbed up carefully, and they grabbed Ozzi's hands. "Just let go and we'll get down from here!" he called.

[Charlia]

"...ah... Usagi-sensei," she muttered, still clinging to the tree. "I... I will fall... I do not wish to fall... Please, I... I am... I am..."

...I... I...

"...unsettled," she finished nervously, too scared to look down.

They nodded, and they held out their hands to her. "It's alright. There's nothing to be afraid of, Kasumi-chan. I'll help you down from here," they said, softly. They understood Kasumi was not very strong, and she was very nervous about her surroundings. Hence why she couldn't concentrate on what she needed to do.

She unsteadily let go of the tree with one hand, reaching out for Rabbit's cautiously, her hand shaking visibly.

"Ah... I will not fall," she said to herself. "I will not fall. I will not fall. I will not fall."

[The Isles of Lux]

Soleil stared up at his friend, who was now hanging awkwardly from one of the branches. They were frightened to get back into the tree, but they wanted to save their friend. "Ahhh...hold on! I'm gonna come help!" He rushed over to the trunk and used his magic to propel himself into the tree again, and they clumsily managed to blast themselves into the branch below Ozzi's. When they got there, they climbed up carefully, and they grabbed Ozzi's hands. "Just let go and we'll get down from here!" he called.

Ozzi frowns, an amusing thing due to his being upside down. "Let go? I do not want to get down by falling."

Despite himself, Ozzi complies. He closes his eyes and lets go of the tree with his legs, gripping onto Soleil's hands with a surprisingly powerful grip for a boy as small and lithe as Ozzi.

[Luminesa]

They nodded, and they held out their hands to her. "It's alright. There's nothing to be afraid of, Kasumi-chan. I'll help you down from here," they said, softly. They understood Kasumi was not very strong, and she was very nervous about her surroundings. Hence why she couldn't concentrate on what she needed to do.

She unsteadily let go of the tree with one hand, reaching out for Rabbit's cautiously, her hand shaking visibly.

"Ah... I will not fall," she said to herself. "I will not fall. I will not fall. I will not fall."

They took her into their arms, as Kasumi grabbed their hand. "It's alright, Kasumi-chan. I won't let you fall. I promise," they assured her. She was light and tiny, in Rabbit's arms. They felt sorry for this poor, confused girl, who was in a totally new place, and the only person who knew her was a sister who hated her. They were careful with her, and they hopped down one branch to check on the boys. "Do you two need any help?" they asked.

"Ummm..." Soleil turned and looked at Ozzi. "...I-I think we'll be okay...Just...make sure she's safe..." he suggested.

Rabbit nodded to him. "Oh don't worry. She is," they said. They then disappeared, and reappeared at the base of the tree. They then put her down, so she could stand on her own. "Are you hurt anywhere?" they asked.

[Luminesa]

Soleil stared up at his friend, who was now hanging awkwardly from one of the branches. They were frightened to get back into the tree, but they wanted to save their friend. "Ahhh...hold on! I'm gonna come help!" He rushed over to the trunk and used his magic to propel himself into the tree again, and they clumsily managed to blast themselves into the branch below Ozzi's. When they got there, they climbed up carefully, and they grabbed Ozzi's hands. "Just let go and we'll get down from here!" he called.

Ozzi frowns, an amusing thing due to his being upside down. "Let go? I do not want to get down by falling."

Despite himself, Ozzi complies. He closes his eyes and lets go of the tree with his legs, gripping onto Soleil's hands with a surprisingly powerful grip for a boy as small and lithe as Ozzi.

Both boys flopped down onto the branch, given the weight inbalance between the two. A crack was heard beneath them, as they flopped, and the two feared the worst. "Ah! We need to get down quick! Ummm...I got it!" Soleil came up with an idea, and he grabbed Ozzi's arm. "On the count of three, we're gonna jump. But you gotta trust me...I-I think I know what to do!" they suggested.

[The Isles of Lux]

Both boys flopped down onto the branch, given the weight inbalance between the two. A crack was heard beneath them, as they flopped, and the two feared the worst. "Ah! We need to get down quick! Ummm...I got it!" Soleil came up with an idea, and he grabbed Ozzi's arm. "On the count of three, we're gonna jump. But you gotta trust me...I-I think I know what to do!" they suggested.

Ozzi grins at Soleil and pushes down lightly on the branch upon which they sit, testing to see whether it is going to snap. When the branch creaks ominously he quickly takes his hand away from it. Ozzi's eyes widen in surprise when Soleil grabs onto him, not for the first time that day. "Er.. Alright.. If you say so, Soleil."

Ozzi looks a little nervous at the prospect of jumping off of a branch so high in the air, but when the branch creaks again and begins to slant downwards he sets his jaw and nods. "On one, two, three!" On three, Ozzi jumps off of the branch as planned. He simply lets himself fall, hoping that whatever Soleil has planned doesn't rely on him doing anything more than gripping onto Sol's arm with a hold strengthened by nerves and adrenaline.

[Charlia]

She unsteadily let go of the tree with one hand, reaching out for Rabbit's cautiously, her hand shaking visibly.

"Ah... I will not fall," she said to herself. "I will not fall. I will not fall. I will not fall."

They took her into their arms, as Kasumi grabbed their hand. "It's alright, Kasumi-chan. I won't let you fall. I promise," they assured her. She was light and tiny, in Rabbit's arms. They felt sorry for this poor, confused girl, who was in a totally new place, and the only person who knew her was a sister who hated her. They were careful with her, and they hopped down one branch to check on the boys. "Do you two need any help?" they asked.

"Ummm..." Soleil turned and looked at Ozzi. "...I-I think we'll be okay...Just...make sure she's safe..." he suggested.

Rabbit nodded to him. "Oh don't worry. She is," they said. They then disappeared, and reappeared at the base of the tree. They then put her down, so she could stand on her own. "Are you hurt anywhere?" they asked.

She stared down at herself, gauging her physical state.

"I am... unhurt," she replied slowly. "Thank you, Usagi-sensei. I... I am afraid I have very little idea of what came over me."

[Luminesa]

Both boys flopped down onto the branch, given the weight inbalance between the two. A crack was heard beneath them, as they flopped, and the two feared the worst. "Ah! We need to get down quick! Ummm...I got it!" Soleil came up with an idea, and he grabbed Ozzi's arm. "On the count of three, we're gonna jump. But you gotta trust me...I-I think I know what to do!" they suggested.

Ozzi grins at Soleil and pushes down lightly on the branch upon which they sit, testing to see whether it is going to snap. When the branch creaks ominously he quickly takes his hand away from it. Ozzi's eyes widen in surprise when Soleil grabs onto him, not for the first time that day. "Er.. Alright.. If you say so, Soleil."

Ozzi looks a little nervous at the prospect of jumping off of a branch so high in the air, but when the branch creaks again and begins to slant downwards he sets his jaw and nods. "On one, two, three!" On three, Ozzi jumps off of the branch as planned. He simply lets himself fall, hoping that whatever Soleil has planned doesn't rely on him doing anything more than gripping onto Sol's arm with a hold strengthened by nerves and adrenaline.

Soleil focused his magic into his hand, and he shot downwards. A huge gust of Wind magic burst forth from his hand, and it acted as a sort of brake for their fall, slowing them so they wouldn't fall as quickly. "...Here we go..." he breathed, as the two of them made their way down easily to the ground.