thirtybits | IC contact

Ah, right, you've destroyed your whole body before, haven't you? I guess after a few of those, there's not much to see. That's...lucky. Maybe you can use that as leverage to keep out of Hell.

I don't intend on staying out of Hell. [Dorian splits the last of the wine between their two glasses, then drinks his as quickly as possible. He balances the glass beside the bottle. And he pulls himself to his feet.]

Think you can climb to the top?

Sure I can, don't you think 'climbing trees' when you think 'peasants'? [He laughs, draining his wine considerably slower before sitting up.]

[Dorian gives Judas one of his sweetest smiles.] I don't think about peasants. [And he's off, climbing up through the branches with little attention to what it will do to his clothing.]

Ah, of course. [Without missing a beat, Judas gets to his feet and tucks the loose parts of his robes into the belt. Then, he follows. His height makes it a little difficult in places, but he's not afraid to jump for it.]

[Dorian doesn't normally have a height advantage, and he has his recklessness, but it's strangely heartening to see Judas taking risks. Perhaps it shouldn't be. Perhaps he shouldn't mistake recklessness for confidence. And yet, yanking himself up from one branch to another, throwing himself onto the mercies of luck, he still smiles.]

[A little over halfway up, Judas stops to rub at a scrape on his hand from the branch below. After shaking it out he continues, calling up to Dorian.] Here I was expecting you wouldn't be able to.

[Dorian grins, perching there with a hand on a higher branch to keep him stable.] I spent about a decade travelling anywhere I could, from the depths of the Amazon to the heights of Everest. This isn't even effort.

--Really? When did you do that? [With that pause Judas is able to make back some ground, stopping when he gets to about the same level as Dorian.]

I travelled a great deal after the Second World War. [He yanks on the branch above him, getting it to drop leaves on Judas's head.] Reconstruction was boring, and I was getting bored. So I followed the paths of doomed and missing explorers, trying to solve the unsolved mysteries of the world.

[Judas makes a face and huffs, batting the leaves off himself with one hand, the other holding him in place. He throws a twig at Dorian in retalliation.]

Did you solve any?

[Laughing, Dorian tilts his head to the side. This, of course, means he has to rely on the branch for balance, which means even more leaves in Judas's face.] One or two.

Hey, watch it! [So much grumbling.]

Which ones? I guess you're not creditted for these discoveries, huh.

[At least when Dorian rights himself, the offending branch stops its assault.] Oh, I didn't tell anyone about the things I found out. I just wanted to solve them for my own satisfaction.

Well, that makes sense. And goes along with your personality. [He grins, shaking his head fondly.] How selfish of you.

Always. [He nods his head towards those final branches.] Care to try getting to another tree?

What, jumping over? That sounds precarious. [But he's not opposed to it. Who cares if he falls and dies haha.]

All the better. [Dorian eyes the distance, taking measure, preparing himself, and jumps.

And falls. Ow! He probably twisted something on that branch. Several branches crack and fall under him, but he is caught before he totally hits the ground.]

Ah.

[Dorian looks up a little dizzily towards Judas and the mess he has made.] But the branch you need to jump to is still there.

[And that's what matters.]

[Judas nearly goes after him when he sees Dorian crash, but reality hits just in time. What good is falling on top of him going to do, after all.] ...Are you sure you want me to? I'll probably end up hitting you.

[Dorian only grins.] So you don't believe you have more skills than your lord? What kind of peasant are you?

[He tries to pull himself up, realizes this is going to screw up his balance big time, and decides not to after all. Let gravity fight for its victories.]

One with low self-esteem? [He grins right on back.

But after a moment of guaging the distance, he goes for it, extending his body to more reach for it than jump. But his hands don't quite make it to the brand they reach for, although his feet do. Rather than fall, he manages to catch himself by hooking his knees around the branch. He dangles there, upside down, looking at Dorian with some embarrassment.]

Well...better than you.

[Dorian laughs, which unsettles the branches. He has to move fast, scrambling under fallen ground so that he can grab a branch with his one arm.]

Congratulations, Judah. You have won yourself the right to continue doing all the manual labour between us. [And then, with hard effort, Dorian swings his feet up to a branch. He nearly slips off but is able to gracelessly get hold of the trunk. Carefully, he pulls himself to his feet.]

But how I regret falling now. Robes being what they are, I'd love to be above you.

[Judas turns red in an instant, pushing at the skirt of his robes to make sure he's covered.] Sh-shut up! Of course that's what you'd jump to right away...

[He grabs hold of the branch to pull himself up into a sitting position.] But I've already been nude in front of you, so, there's nothing to see anyway.

[Dorian seems pretty amused by that last comment.] You still have so much to learn. Context matters far more than actual questions of visibility.

[Dorian gauges a branch above him, steadies himself, crouches, and launches forward. With the best effort he can, he grabs hold and scrabbles up, one level closer to Judas now.]

No, I know that very well. Too well. That's why this time you'll have no such luck.

[He looks down, watching Dorian climb.]

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