Going out in costume for the first time makes you quickly realize one of the fundamental truths of cape life, that your costume won't protect you from everything. Of course, the cold isn't something you really plan around when designing a suit on a budget like Tightrope's, but it was by far the most pressing threat on a frosty winter morning.

Landing on the side of one of those poorly maintained city fire escapes, they took a moment to step out of the wind, taking sanctuary between two residential buildings. With a sigh, tightrope took a moment's pause to look over the dappled blue fabric that made up their costume, it was too light, built to maximize mobility rather than providing substantial protection. After all, at the end of the day, the best defense was simply not getting hit.

Still... Perhaps they'd have to consider getting a jacket.

Tightrope isn't the only one out in the rather chilly weather, or the only one who favors fire escapes and rooves for the purpose of getting around the denser part of the city. A head pokes over the edge of the roof above them, bearing a mask resembling and owl's face, and a hood such that no skin is visible whatsoever. Cruach clears her throat in as polite a manner as she can, hoping to get the attention of the other cape without startling them too badly.

Should the other cape look up and not immediately blast her or something, she would give a quick nod and a friendly wave, before starting to climb down onto the fire escape proper.

Honestly, it was a bit surreal seeing another cape in action, surreal enough that it didn't trigger a fight or flight response, which was pretty good, Tightrope didn't want to embarrass themselves in front of a potential employer. Eyes veiled behind a ragged piece of cloth, tightrope's surprise is hidden to a certain extent, but awkwardness is evident in their demeanor as they scramble to get into a 'casual' position of leaning against the wall.

As their cloth of their costume flaps around in the wind, Cruach would likely be able to notice Tightrope's legs, which appear less like normal human legs and more like spikes of deep blue material that stick out at awkward angles, embedding themselves in the fire escape like they were welded into the material. Before Cruach is given any time to process this, Tightrope speaks, in an accent that sounds like its from somewhere in the north of England, maybe the south of Scotland? hard to tell from this distance.

"Uh.. hey, didn't see you there!" Nailed it, super casual.

It's apparent as Cruach descends that she's rather tall, and that the rest of her costume has a rather cohesive theme and looks professionally made. If they were paying attention to her costume specifically, Tightrope may notice that it doesn't seem to be heavy or insulating enough to keep the weather from bothering the other cape, and yet she nonetheless seems unperturbed by the cold. Her motions are smooth, looking almost practiced, as she moves down the fire escape. Despite its rickety nature, she barely makes any noise. Once she's in a more comfortable conversational range and position, she responds. Her voice is quiet, but carries well such that it's easy to make out what she's saying; she has some sort of accent, but it's faint and odd enough that it can't be immediately placed.

"Sorry if I surprised you." She does sound actually apologetic. "I wanted to make sure things were going alright, you didn't seem to be handling the cold too well."

It's not quite clear where she's looking, as the goggles of her mask do a good job of hiding her eyes, but she nonetheless doesn't seem surprised by Tightrope's leg situation.

The visible portion of tightrope's face smiles, and it seems relatively genuine. with a seemingly much calmer motion, the cape takes a few 'steps' away from the wall, their footfalls making no sound against the fire escape as they pace back and forth.

"I didn't design this costume for the cold, it sounds kind of silly saying it out loud, but I figured I'd be able to handle it." There's a short pause, Cruach can detect a hint of annoyance in their voice. "I guess I was wrong, but I suppose it could be worse."

Tightrope doesn't seem to like standing still, legs fidgeting in a way that makes it look like the points are constantly looking for something to grab onto. The cape doesn't seem too bothered by it, simply taking a seat on the fire escape railing, in spite of its rickety nature.

"I'm uh.. Tightrope, by the way.." The smile once again returns to their features, or at least to the ones not hidden behind the scrap of cloth covering their face. "You wouldn't happen to know where to get work around here, would you? I'm kind of.. short on cash at the moment."

Cruach leans against the wall of the building, relaxing slightly now that she's pretty sure there's no threat of an imminent cape fight.

"It's not the silly." Her tone is reassuring and steady. "Especially if you plan on doing a lot of running around, being overheated is worse than being a bit chilly." She gives a small nod.

Cruach's head moves smoothly to follow the motions of the other cape, always keeping them in view. The focus doesn't seem malicious, more like a matter of course.

"I'm Cruach." She pauses, as though thinking. "I'm a mercenary, so take what I have to say with that in mind, but it's not a bad gig. If you don't have any contacts or a good reputation, you could start out with bounty hunting, but it's all a bit risky." She pauses again. "I'd honestly recommend locking down something solid outside of the cape scene before you try to make money off of it. Going into a cape fight with substandard gear is just asking for a bad time." She shrugs. "If you're hell bent on making money off of being a cape, I'd be willing to tag along on a couple of smaller things, make sure things go alright. Looting laws and bounties mean that you don't have to get into cape fights to make a bit of money, but I still wouldn't go that route if you have other options."

Tightrope considers Cruach's words for a moment. While it probably wasn't very wise to trust the first person they ran into on the job, they didn't have many options. Sometimes you needed to take a leap of faith, especially if you needed rent money as badly as Tightrope did. They needed an inroad to the cape scene, and this might just be the ticket they were looking for.

Tightrope stands, appraising Cruach. she was taller than they were, probably the kind of person who'd be seen as more of a threat in a pinch, which would be useful if things went south. "Mercenary huh? Earning money in as a civilian isn't exactly an option for me, so if you're looking for help... I'm interested."

Tightrope considers their options for a moment, but decides that honesty is likely the best policy, Cruach could be a lie detector for all they knew, and they didn't want to be put in a situation where they'd oversold themselves. "I'm mainly small time either way, not much of a fighter.. I don't imagine bounty hunting would be up my street for the time being, at least until I get better equipment."

Cruach gives a nod, slow and smooth, as though she's considering. "I won't pry." She pushes off the wall, standing straight. "Being small time is good, in this case. Starting out, it shouldn't be too different from being an independent hero. You go on patrol, find a drug deal, someone getting mugged, something like that, and you stop it. If you're smart about it, you can go after people who the cops want already, which gets you in their good graces, and makes you some money if whoever you've brough in is wanted." She gesticulates a bit as she talks, emphasizing certain words and phrases.

"It's hard to strike a good balance. It's not a great idea to go after capes, or the bigger gangs, but they're more likely to have bounties." She exhales audibly. "If you know the city well, it would be a good idea to take today easy and go out in the evening."

An idea seems to hit Cruach. "Do you have a PHO?"

Tightrope tries their best to follow along with the explanation, but they're visibly antsy about not having moved for the last few minutes. Still, they take most of it in, even in spite of them pacing back and forth. "So no capes, prioritize little guys.. got it." There's a moment's pause as tightrope visibly considers saying something, but then clearly thinks better of it, transitioning to a different topic. "Any you'd recommend? any good places to start? I'm new to the city, so I'm not well versed in where to go."

Tightrope's leg snakes out and curls around their upper body, before extending over the side of the fire escape. It's not a fluid motion, jarringly changing directions at right angles, but tightrope doesn't seem very bothered by it, still balanced on their other leg. "I don't have a PHO, not yet at least, was kind of worried about it being used to track me so I never really made one... do you wanna just.. exchange phone numbers or something?"

Cruach nods. "The denser parts of the city are better for finding a starting point. It goes more smoothly if you know the city, but you can kill two birds with one stone on that front by patrolling enough."

Cruach follows the motion of the leg with her eyes, posture turning slightly more defensive at the rapid unnatural movements. She relaxes quickly, but still seems a little bit more on edge than she was before.

"That's reasonable, though phone numbers are only a little bit better, especially if you're using your personal phone. I'd recommend getting a burner as soon as possible, they're pretty cheap, and very useful for this sort of thing." She pauses. "You should probably also get a PHO, regardless of the tracking risk. If you're careful about where and when you access it it shouldn't be too bad. A big part of PHO is that it allows you to tell your side of the story as a cape. Unless you want to stay a total unknown and run the risk of being labeled a villain, it's a good idea to advocate for yourself there."

"Hah I get it, Birds." they point to Cruach's Owl mask for a second, snickering at the pun. "I got a burner phone a while back for cape stuff, though I can't say I've used it much, I don't really have many contacts." They smile for a moment, their leg going taut as it makes contact with the side of the railing. "But uh.. thanks for the heads up, I'll make sure to set up a PHO when I have some spare time."

There's a moment's pause as they release the leg keeping them held to the fire escape, rotating once as their other leg rapidly uncoils and retracts, before pulling them over the side until they're standing horizontally on the bar of the railing, looking up at Cruach. "I should probably get moving, I was gonna go check out the city center before I got cold feet, want to come with?"

There's a sense of mirth to their voice, smile still plastered on their lower features. "If not, I'll settle for getting your PHO. I wouldn't want to miss out on an opportunity like this.. since you seem pretty experienced at this whole gig." Tightrope shoots her a pair of fingerguns, leaving the offer open.

"We can stick to burners then." She reaches into a well concealed pocket and produces what looks to be a flip phone. She opens it up, navigates through a couple of menus, and then rapidly presses buttons until she's made a contact labeled 'T R'.

"No problem. What number do you use?" She steps away from the wall and towards the railing, so that she's at a better angle to continue the conversation. "Sure. If we're going to be working together for a bit, may as well get a head start on it. Hopefully I can keep up." She returns the mirthful tone, however briefly.

"Thank you." She pauses. "I've been a cape for a while, but I still remember when I started out."

Tightrope takes a shitty looking burner from one of the folds in their costume and swipes the screen in Cruach's direction, sending their contact details over with a grin. "Should be all sent! I uh.. wouldn't worry too much about keeping up, I actually kind of just assumed that you could fly, what with the Owl theme and everything."

They puzzle over this for a moment. "Do you want me to go slow? I'm pretty fast, but I wouldn't mind if you wanted to take the lead, you know where you're going after all... I'm pretty new here." With a smooth motion, the leg tying them to the balcony stretches downwards, swinging back and forth for a moment before relinquishing its hold, sending tightrope spiraling through the air to land on the building across the alley from the two, standing horizontal on its surface once again.

They gesture towards the top of the building, waiting for the other cape to start moving before they continue.

Cruach saves the contact, sends a quick text to give Tightrope her number, and then stows the burner. "Hopefully it works. Still shouldn't discuss details with them, but it's better than nothing, or PHO." She shaker her head. "No flight, sorry. I'm significantly faster than normal though, so hopefully it's not too boring for you." The tone that indicates she's smiling makes a brief return.

"We'll play it by ear, better to learn that way if we're going to be working together anyway." That said, she hops up onto the railing of the fire escape with deceptive ease, grips the floor of the section above, pulls herself up and in a single motion springs off and twists around to grab the lip of the roof of the adjacent building, onto which she easily climbs. She looks down over the edge at the other cape. "It's arguably more fun than flight, at least I assume." She doesn't sound at all winded, or even like she's exerted herself in the slightest.

Tightrope nods, taking a few 'steps' towards the overhang, before crossing over onto the roof, excitement evident on their features. "Pretty cool power! I wish mine was a little less.. visible I guess..." Tightrope takes a few steps towards the far side of the building before leaning over the edge and plummeting downwards, allowing their legs to act as a fulcrum to swing them up and into the air, before detaching from the roof and launching towards the far side of the street.

they twirl weightlessly, before landing on the glass in an impact that probably should have shattered it, but from what Cruach can tell, it doesn't seem to be damaged at all, like the cape doesn't seem to weigh anything.

Tightrope gives a wave, indicating for her to follow.

"Flashy powers are good for shock and awe, don't discount that as a tool." There's a slight pause as she asses the best route. "If it really gets to be a problem, you could try to mitigate it with a different costume style."

Cruach breaks into what looks to be a dead sprint, from a relatively still position. Her timing is such that she can easily spring off of the edge of the roof in a fluid motion. The jump is longer than any normal person could make, but while she does lose quite a bit of height, she makes it. Her fingertips are wedged in a gap in the concrete, which she used to arrest her momentum. She doesn't stay still though, working her way upwards like it's a puzzle she's determined to solve as fast as she can. It's impressive to watch, but it also makes it clear that she's operating within what seem to be normal physics.

"I'll be able to keep up better as the buildings get closer together." She still doesn't sound like she's exerted herself. "Cool power yourself!"

Tightrope takes a few further steps up the side of the glass, crossing over to the roof with a deliberate, practiced motion, granting Cruach a moment to catch her breath on the rooftop. From this high point, it's all downhill, which would make it easier for the Owl adorned cape to keep pace.

A hint of a smile lingers on Tightrope's face from the complement, clearly enjoying themselves. "Thanks! It.. gets easier the more use it.." They let the sentence trail off, trying to think of a way to properly phrase their next words as they pace back and forth, clearly antsy about the time they've spent not moving.

"If you don't mind.. you're a.. Thinker right? you move the same way I do when I need to climb faster, only you're better at figuring out paths than I am." They look a little sheepish about the question, but quickly move the topic on before it's given a chance to get awkward.

"We shouldn't be much longer provided we keep heading north east, I have a feeling that's probably a shortcut of some kind, but I'm not certain, care to lead the way?"

While Cruach doesn't need to catch her breath, the pause does offer her a good opportunity to look around, assess where they are in relation to points of interest, and plan a decent route.

"Practice and all ..." Cruach trails off as well, matching the other cape. "Oh, not at all." She pauses for half a second as she works to put together a good answer to the question. "It's a use of my power, not the totality. Frankly, a lot of that was practice. You spend long enough jumping around the rooftops of cities you learn a few things. That trick you do where you use yourself like a lever, I couldn't pull something like that off."

"Oh, certainly. There are shortcuts everywhere if you know where to look!" It sounds like she's glad for the topic change. With a quick nod, she takes off across the roof, leaping and rolling onto the next in a smooth motion, casting a quick glance back to make sure Tightrope is following, and then continuing on assuming the other cape is.

Tightrope paused at the comment, considering their actions. Had they overstepped in asking a question like that? Probably, but it wouldn't do to dwell on it, probably better to just try and impress the more experienced mercenary, perhaps an opportunity would present itself.

They nodded in response to Cruach's point about shortcuts, letting their power expand into the area to search for routes, points of interest and places they wanted to swing on or move to. Once, that kind of use had been overwhelming, but the changes were something they'd learned to work with. By the time they'd centered themselves, Cruach already moving in the right direction.

If it were possible for Tightrope to trip over themselves, they would have done so at being left behind. Fortunately at this point, movement was more or less automatic, helping them to transition seamlessly from a run into a somersault. Tightrope sailed legs-first into the air, extending the points to grab the lip of the next building over. As the legs retracted, tightrope accelerated at a rate that should have reduced their body to red mist, but in a smooth motion that took less than a minute, they unlatched their hold on the building just as they were about to slow down, launching and themselves over the rooftop and into the air.

The cape didn't bother bracing themselves for impact, twirling gracefully through the sky as they plummeted legs first towards the ground, landing quietly on a small overhang above the town square. With a little wave to Cruach to let her know that they'd survived the landing, Tightrope stared down at the newly set up night markets. A group of bristling, manifold stalls selling all kinds of incredible foods, baubles and tiny knickknacks, exactly the kinds of treasures they were after on an evening like this one.

Cruach, doesn't pause to look back, but seems aware that Tightrope is moving with or adjacent to her, at least for the brief moment that they're going the same speed. Tightrope quickly overtakes her, passing with relative ease given the tenuous grip physics seems to hold over them.

Cruach accelerates in her own way, legs pumping, arms moving, costume flapping. She quickly reaches the sort of speed that is typically only seen in short sprints, and then holds it, not letting the uneven terrain or the frequent jumps slow her down.

She gives a small nod in response to the wave, not slowing until she gets closer to where tightrope has decided to stop. She bleeds off speed quickly, and comes to a stop overlooking the same night markets. She takes a second to look over the scene and smooth out any wrinkles in her costume. After a show of physical exertion like that, one would expect her to at least be winded, but her chest rises and falls slowly and evenly, and she doesn't seem to be breathing any harder.

"Nice view." She comments, before turning to address tightrope a bit more directly. "Those moves you pulled would have pasted even me. If you can control that, you've got a decent shot against a lot of brutes." She sounds vaguely impressed.

Tightrope pauses on the building's lip, giving Cruach a smile as she approaches before stepping onto the side facing outwards, dangling over the edge.

"Oh? uh, well.." they make a so-so gesture towards Cruach with their right hand as they continue to scan the crowd below, not looking for anything in particular at a glance, but curious nonetheless. "It doesn't quite work that way.. the power-stuff I mean, I could fall from orbit and avoid scratching the pavement."

Tightrope's eyes fix on something in the crowd, a gleam of excitement spreading over their features. "I've never really been much of a fighter.. so I couldn't really comment, but uh.. do you want some food? I think I might go investigate that churro stand, if you're.. interested that is."

Cruach scans the crowd as well, noting the various stalls and the surprising hustle and bustle. She nods in thought at the explanation of Tightrope's powers. "I didn't necessarily mean offensively." She shrugs. "Force is force, right? Shouldn't matter if it's coming from a fall or a fist." She turns to more fully face Tightrope. "Unless I'm totally wrong."

Cruach follows the direction of Tightrope's focus, searching for what specifically has the other cape excited, even while responding. "If you want to be a regular in the cape scene, you should fix that. It takes work to mold the established styles to one's powers, but it's worth it. If you decide to go the indie hero route instead of the mercenary route, the protectorate might offer training of some sort. Failing that, there are martial arts and boxing gyms, as well as self defense classes. Those won't help with the specifics of your power, but they should provide a decent basis if nothing else." She shrugs again, as though she doesn't put much weight on the suggestion.

She pauses, focusing intently on the churro stand in question for slightly longer than is probably comfortable before responding. "We'll have to be careful on the approach, don't want to cause a panic." She glances over the area as a whole again. "That said, I could definitely go for a bite to eat." She gestures to a side street. "Drop down over there and then casually walk in? Or do you want to make a show of it?"

Tightrope makes a sound that could probably have been a laugh it it weren't so stifled by a snort of entertainment, Sending another smile in Cruach's direction. "I guess I could try learning how to fight properly! but I don't know if I'd have much of an edge regarding my power." They lean backwards over the concrete lip of the building. letting their legs curve around it as they move in something of a controlled fall, babbling all the while. "I'd have to stand on something to properly break momentum.. but people are kind of.. icky? y'know?"

almost brushing their head on the floor of the suggested side-street, tightrope does a little head-over-heels somersault, retracting their legs to land quietly on the ground. "I'd.. prefer not to make a scene if possible, I never like to make much of a splash!"

"I'm always down for a spar, though I doubt I'd make a very good teacher if you don't have much experience." She watches the power display with interest, following along down the wall in a rather less physics defying manner, though it does seem as though she can stick to places she shouldn't quite be able to, and make reaches with her limbs that no normal person could. "I'm not familiar with how your power feels to you, if they're 'icky' maybe it's trying to tell you something, or maybe it's a random hangup and you should ignore it, at least if it's not a hard restriction. Just the sort of mobility I've seen here could give you an edge in a fight, too few people expect another cape to be able to move like you do, or have the intuition for it even if they have some idea you might be able to do something like that."

"Good. We're bound to draw some attention regardless, but the less the better." Cruach alights on the ground with a little less flair, and begins striding towards the mouth of the alley. "Shall we?"