Boundless Limits {B.Durran}

10

The Gauntlet practices leading up to the presentation and Threshing are hardly eventful for Tierney. No one else in her squad died, although Tynan has trouble getting past the bouy balls and Violet's enemy is the chimney, but no one died.

Violet's far too short to reach the footholds to climb the chimney and they're getting nowhere near finding a solution for her. And because she can't get past the chimney, she can't practice the ramp, which might be just as bad for her.

"C'mon, Tynan!" Tierney shouts at him as she places her hands on her hips, watching the boy struggle and slowly cross the obstacle.

"Yelling at me isn't helping!" The black-haired boy yells back, making his way around the swinging balls at a snail's pace, almost slow enough for Tierny to wish he'd fall.

Tierney rubs her face, she's just figured out the perfect manoeuvre to help her get across the balls faster and Tynan sure is taking his sweet ass time to get across the standard way. "Are you sure you're not afraid of heights?"

"Shut up!" Tynan shouts as he leaps to the third ball, shimmies his way around it and lands on the gravel path, panting heavily as he rubs his sore arms.

Tierney shakes her head and takes a running leap at the balls, her hands grasp the chain of the first ball and with her upper body strength, she is able to pull herself to stand on top of it.

She grins, "Surely, this can't go wrong." She mutters as she rocks her weight back and forth, gaining momentum she isn't sure she needs before she leaps off the first ball and to the next. "No— Don't need the momentum!" She yelps in surprise as she catches the chain before she flies past the ball, not trusting herself to go from first to third.

Releasing a deep breath, the woman jumps to the next and lands on the other side, with almost no more issue than the first jump. Tynan scowls at her ability to make it over so easily before she carries on, through the course and up to where Violet, Rhiannon and Sawyer stand staring at the chimney.

"Maybe you can climb up onto my shoulders and then..." Rhiannon shakes her head as they study the crevice that's become Violet's nemesis as Tierney moves the group.

"Then I'm still stuck halfway," Violet answers, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Doesn't matter, you can't touch another cadet on the route." Sawyer folds his arms as Tierney moves to stand next to him, looking at the red tip of his nose, a sour gift from the sun.

"Are you here to squash hopes and dreams, or do you have a suggestion?" Rhiannon retorts, "Because Presentation is tomorrow, so if you've got any bright ideas, now is the time."

"I guess I got here at the perfect time, didn't I?" Tierney asks as she looks over the three, "I've figured out a way to climb the chimney faster, that you might be able to use, Violet."

The trio's eyes light up as they look at Tierney, possibility of a successful plan holds them high, then Rhiannon's face falls, "I can't even do some of the shit you do." Rhiannon points out blankly, "Would Vi even have a chance... no offence."

"Me either," Sawyer adds, shaking his head and Rhiannon watches closely as Violet shakes her head at the woman, taking no offence to her comment.

"So is it pointless?" Violet mumbles, knowing that, with the body and skill she has, she doubts she'd succeed in trying any of Tierney's ideas.

"C'mon! Just see me do it first." Tierney says, frowning at the group. "Have a little faith, maybe Vi can do it, maybe she can't, you won't know unless you see it."

"Go on then, Tierney, show us what you've got," Sawyer mutters, waving his hand.

Tierney shakes her head as she lines herself up with the chimney. "You're fast so you might be able to do this," Tierney runs toward the chimney and up the wall, a step or so more than she was able to do the first time.