Ensign Jaran Jira - Pretty Rocks
Jira Jaran
(( Param Square - Bewa City, Morta ))
Jagrav: You’ll see when we arrive. But this region was built from mountains.
K’Wara: That's impressive. I wouldn't know by looking at the city itself.
Jira wondered why anyone would exert the effort to carve an entire city out of mountains when many perfectly good not-mountains existed to establish a city that didn't need carving.
But these were thoughts best kept to oneself in the interest of diplomacy. They kind of figured the best response they'd get from Jagrav was a sneer anyway.
Ikaixar: Mmm yes. Have you been here before? Any… interesting sights we should keep eyes out for?
Jagrav: …not particularly. I suppose the peak has a nice view, but you’d see more from an observation tower.
K’Wara: Perhaps we could make a stop at the tower once we've enjoyed our climb.
(( Geological Reserve -- Bewa City, Morta ))
Jagrav: We’re here.
The door slid open, revealing a sight that Jira had never expected to see in the middle of a city. They were at the foot of a massive, narrow spear of a mountain. Steep spans of nearly vertical rock faced them, a short path lined with squat stone lanterns leading directly to their base.
Jira looked to the left and to the right. Colossal buildings in all directions, dwarfed by the mountain ahead of them.
K’Wara: Wow.
Jaran: Couldn't have said it better myself. Makes these buildings look like huts.
Ikaixar: Response
Jagrav: ...Not always. When Bewa City first started expanding, the mountains were culled to make room. Only later did the Superiority of Historical Legacy decide that a mountain should be spared, to show the challenges past Nascaik had to overcome to thrive.
K'Wara: It definitely translates. It's impressive to think this lonely mountain was once part of a chain.
Jaran: I wonder if it always looked like this. It's so... thin. Like it's meant to take up no more than a city block.
Ikaixar: Response
Jagrav pointed up at some invisible point on the mountain.
Jagrav: The reserve is within the mountain. You must first scale the initial three Sangram'pokk. (UT: Steps of Struggle) to reach the entrance.
Steps of Struggle. Steps for whom? That was a blank rock face in front of them. Jira knew of a few animals adapted to scale such a surface, but they weren't one of them.
K'Wara: Well, ::looks to the others:: No time like the present, hm?
K'Wara started untying their shoes. Jira felt slightly justified in choosing their sensible clothing now. The thick knobbly-soled boots would serve them well. They looked at the others.
Jaran: You going to manage this ok?
Ikaixar: Response
Jira's attention turned back to the rock face. They were surprised it hadn't occurred to them yet, but they had no climbing equipment. At least not as far as they were aware.
Jaran: Mr. Jagrav, I can't help but notice a lack of ropes and... crampons? And the like. Climbing things.
But when Jira turned to address him, Jagrav had apparently already returned to the vehicle as he was nowhere to be seen. They were on their own.
Jaran: So... anyone happen to have any climbing equipment on them?
K'Wara/Ikaixar: Response
Jira walked down the path toward the wall they were meant to be scaling. As they got closer, they could see that the surface was not as smooth as it had seemed from a distance. It was pockmarked with many small indentations. Handholds. Footholds.
But still no ropes.
Jaran: Looks like we're doing this about as unsafely as possible, unless anyone else has any ideas. Good thing we're mostly doctors.
K'Wara/Ikaixar: Response
This was really on them. It was their suggestion, so they needed to take some responsibility.
They approached the wall and took a deep breath. They looked up and saw the several metres of stone above them, then put their hand out onto the first indentation they found. Then another. They pulled themself up, gradually, gradually. Their foot searched and miss then searched again and found purchase.
Their breath was already coming hard and hot into the respirator mask, and it strained to keep up. But they still focused instead on the surface in front of them. From the vantage of centimetres away, the rock had taken on a new demeanour. It wasn't a stony sandy-grey as they'd seen from the road. No, from here, it was beautiful. Crystals scintillated along the surface, and they hinted at almost moving shapes, just past the point of seeing clearly. Jira's breath caught and they momentarily forgot about the difficulty of the task. Every push upward revealed new shapes and colours. It ceased being a wonder that this mountain had been preserved as a monument in the centre of a great metropolis.
When their hand found a flat surface rather than a new handhold, they almost felt sad that this vision was over. But they clambered over the edge and onto the ledge. Their arms thanked them, but the stone had returned to the sandy-grey that it appeared from any amount of distance. Jira remained on their back, panting.
Jaran: ::turning their head to direct their voice downward:: Everyone doing ok? Enjoying the view?
K'Wara/Ikaixar: Response
TAG/TBC