| Abraxan
Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Perth, AU (GMT +8)
Posts: 25,070
Hogwarts RPG Name:
Jasper Hart
Graduated
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|  #4 ½ EagleBrain ♥ Creeperdoodle ♥ Raven Dor ♥ Berry ♥ ½ Team House Elf
From this balcony, he could see that he was too far from the next one, and it was higher up than he was… there would be no hope in reaching it with the plank, or rope, or both. There was no way for him to move along his side of the street. Assessing the side opposite, he could see there was a fire escape ladder leading to the roof - a viable option if he could get to it, but there in lay another challenge. How was one to cross the alley, when they weren’t allowed to touch the ground?
….
It was times like these he wished he was a Ravenclaw. Zeke paced the balcony for a moment before giving up on trying to think of a solution, and instead, went inside.
He wasn’t sure what he was looking for, but his eyes searched every dark shadowy corner for ANYTHING that might help him. As far as he could tell, this room held little for him. He peaked his head out to assess the rest of the building, and the staircase, but just like every other building he’d been in, this one didn’t look any more promising than the last. Was Sabel insane? Setting them this challenge. Were they supposed to fail? Were they supposed to get stuck? Concede? Was there a ‘moral’ lesson to be learned? He hoped not, because if there was, he wasn’t getting it.
Returning to the room, Zeke kicked the door frame before turning his attention to scattering the few materials that were in the room. Boxes were useless, curtains, he figured were just as useless… and looking out the window, he realised that rope was perhaps his only real option. HOW though, still remained to be seen.
Lingering in the balcony doorway, Zeke scratched at the palm of his hand as he stared up and down the alley. The splinters in his palm were painful, but he was too busy trying to think of a solution to really care - never mind the pained expression he wore.
And then it hit him.
Rope was the answer. Just not HIS rope. His gaze fixed on a point across the alley, where rope hung overhead, attached to one building and as he followed it along, he discovered that the other end was fixed to the building he had just crossed from.
….
WHY had he not noticed that before?!
Not wasting any time, Zeke crossed back over the plank he had left on the balcony’s side, and moved back to the building from which he had come. All he had to do now, was reach the rope, get across it, move to building next to the one he would come to, climb to the roof and find the flag.
Jumping on the spot, Zeke failed to reach the rope. He tried again… and again… and again… and again… but without any luck. It was too high up.
Resting in a squat position, Zeke caught his breath, his mind racing to solve his problem. Being stuck here was no more desirable than failing. The weight on his own rope around his shoulder dawned on him. He had to be able to use that somehow to hoist himself up. Only… he had a better idea.
Instead of reaching the rope to climb across it horizontally, traversing across the pit, he could FLY over it instead.
Beaming, Zeke pulled the rope from his shoulder and tied a section of it firmly around his middle, tying the knot tightly. And in fact, giving it a double knot. Extra security was preferable to falling into a pit, no? With this done, Zeke hoisted the opposite end of his loose rope over the one that was hanging above him. Pulling it tight, he tied it down to the part around his middle, weaving it and tightening it as best he could without compromising the structure of it. Leaning over the balcony, Zeke assessed where he might land, and he knew for certain it would not be a clean landing on the opposite side. For starters, there was no balcony there, all there was, was a glassless window. At least he would have something to stand on.
Both hands on the metal rail, Zeke climbed up to sit on the edge of the structure, and as crazy as it seemed, attempting to flying fox across to a brick wall above a street with no promise of a soft landing… he was determined to do it. He was excited to do it. One deep breath, and a solid push off from where he sat, Zeke clung to the rope that hugged his torso and flew a length of the way across.
YIKES!
If there was ever a moment where looking down was not advised, now would be it.
He wasn’t hugging the wall, in fact, he was too far away from the wall to even attempt to reach the fire escape to the side.
Sweet mother of Merlin.
He was stuck. In midair. Above an alley with a pit in it.
Holding on tighter than before, Zeke tried swinging his legs forward, pulling them back, and thrusting them forward again. Slowly he began to inch in the right direction, he only hoped the rope was sound enough to make it. He didn’t fancy dying today.
Eventually he made it across, and he was able to plant a foot on the windowsill below. He fit in its frame, somewhat awkwardly as it was shorter than he was, but his feet were on solid not-ground, and that much was appreciated. His challenge now, was to get across to the fire escape… and as far as he could tell there was only one way to do it. Jump.
The rope was still around him, it was something of a safety harness - a painful one at that. He wasn’t sure if the rope could handle his weight if he jumped and missed, but it was worth a shot. He’d come this far, there was no turning back now, and he didn’t fancy untying himself while hanging out the side of building with only his feet to keep him balanced.
Bracing himself, Zeke mustered his will and his strength, and with eyes wide open… jumped.
….
“URGH!” he cried out as his hands made contact with metal. They latched on, despite the pain, like hundreds of tiny swords digging into his palm. Bloody splinters. Zeke didn’t spend much time hanging, using his legs he scrambled up the couple of steps to the platform where he could safely untie himself from the rope. There was no way of keeping it now, with the way he had weaved it before, by undoing it, he was forfeiting it to the alley. It had served him well.
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