(no subject)

[sunnydalealum]

It's a bigger room, this time. The better to fit two dozen zhirelin in addition to the sorcerers themselves.

The conference room setup this time is much hastier, at Emma's orders. The table's been upended against the wall instead of removed entirely; the blood in the spell diagram is still tacky. Everything's in place, including the two most vital components: the real Kshaartian mandrake, and the Scythe.

Emma's trying hard not to pace as the two red-robed apprentices bend to light the first candles, as the priests in their darker robes begin chanting.

We're in the homestretch. Go. Go. Go.

Comments

[slayer_fray]

"Walk?"

Mel glances over her shoulder in surprise at the girl who spoke.

"I thought you guys were like me?"

Walk down stairs indeed.

[sunnydalealum]

Blank stare from the girl she addressed.

Brianna's eyes narrow further. "How would you get down -- fly?"

[slayer_fray]

Mel tilts her head and rases an eyebrow at Brianna.

The answer a few months ago would be 'yes', but her skaterug was destroyed in Bahamut and she's still annoyed about it.

"No," she says, opening the door into the starwell, "but I sure as hell ain't wasting my time walking down stairs.

She grabs the stairrail with one hand and flips herself over neatly, balancing for an instant in a one-handstand before following through and dropping down the centre of the stairwell to the next floor, where she catches the railing with the next to sit on the railing and call up,

"Hey, did you want to leave people on each floor or are we heading down?""

[sunnydalealum]

Brianna mutters something about show-off and then raises her voice. "Wait there, we're coming down."

To Juliet and Amy: "Stay on her."

[slayer_fray]

Mel leans back into the stairwell, peering up and waiting.

And mostly trying to see which other Slayers will take the fun route.

[sunnydalealum]

None of them do, in the face of Brianna's obvious disapproval.

Amy does cast a faintly wistful glance over the railing as they come down, though; one can almost hear her thinking that maybe she'll try it later, once they've split off.

[slayer_fray]

Mel by this time, is whistling softly. By the time the group arrive, she's fairly ignoring Brianna, and instead winks at Amy.

"So where are we heading?"

[sunnydalealum]

"The lower levels," Brianna says curtly, rounding the switchback on the landing without a pause. "You three take the fourth floor to start with, and work your way down."

Amy looks at the stairwell again, and glances at Mel half-apologetically. "Come on," is all she says, before starting down the stairs with the rest of them.

[slayer_fray]

Mel rolls her eyes, and leans back in order to count the five levels to the fourth.

Then she just leans back further and throws herself off apparently randomly.

The trick, she knows, is to use every obstacle you can, which in this case is jsut the railings. But she drops from railing to railing, pushing herself down from each and really enjoying herself.

She's flush with adrenaline in the few seconds it takes to reach the fourth, and waits patiently, adjusting the fit of her scythe's sheath.

[sunnydalealum]

A few seconds later, there's a yelp as Amy falls past, grabs for the fourth-floor railing, and misses.

She catches the next one, and has to jog back up half a flight of stairs.

[slayer_fray]

Mel is not laughing.

But she's not laughing in a friendly manner.

"Close," she allows happily.

[sunnydalealum]

"I need practice," she says, a little glumly.

Juliet reaches the fourth-floor landing, and gives Amy a withering look.

[slayer_fray]

Mel grins in Juliet's direction, but she really smiles at Amy.

"At least it'sa fun thing to practise? 'Kay, let's check this floor out, and hope there's something to actually do."