Duaka's foot slipped. He skidded down the wet tiles, fingers clawing at the chimney before finally catching.
"Drakon-!" His grip slipped an inch, "A little help?!"
Drakon stepped onto the edge of the roof, steadying himself near the chimney, but didn't grab him.
"Focus on your breathing."
"My breathing? Pull me up already!"
"Yes," Drakon said calmly, "Use your Prana. Get back into your body."
"Drakon... I can't-"
His fingers slipped again.
"Then you will die."
Duaka lowered his head and forced his breathing into a steady rhythm, dragging his panic back under control.
As he held the rhythm, steam began to leak from his fingertips, thin at first, then growing sharper as he clung tighter.
"Good," Drakon said.
Only when Duaka's breathing finally steadied did Drakon move, his foot snapping out and knocking Duaka's arm off the chimney.
"Wait-!" Duaka shouted as he slid down the roof.
Steam burst out in uneven waves, barely slowing him. His descent was unstable, the wet tiles drying only in patches as he struggled to keep it under control.
Until he stopped sliding.
"...Ha." Duaka let out a shaky laugh. "It worked."
His expression twisted almost immediately.
"You fucking idiot," he snapped at Drakon, his voice still tight with adrenaline, "Are you trying to get me killed?"
"You did it," Drakon said after a beat.
Duaka got up and steadied himself on the roof, glancing down at his hands.
"...that was Prana?"
Drakon nodded once.
"That was control," Drakon said as he turned and leaped to the next rooftop, "Now do it while moving."
Duaka ran toward the edge of the rooftop and leaped to the next one.
"The tiles are like-" Drakon started.
Duaka joined in, "- like springboards."
"You taught me that, cousin," Drakon smiled, "The body seems to remember what the mind forgets."
Duaka looked down at his hands curling into fists.
Was it this easy all this time?
Did I just have to jump out the window?
All this time?
"Don't get left behind," Drakon teased as he jumped over to the next rooftop.
Duaka soon followed.
They ran across the city rooftops, each lost in his own thoughts. Taking in the night scenery.
"It's quiet tonight," Drakon said as he paused near a ledge.
Duaka rested his hands on his knees, steadying his breathing, "It's a night like any other."
"Not quite." Drakon added, "A lot of people aren't getting by due to the shortages. There are a lot of robberies. Most of them go wrong."
"Have you seen a lot of them?"
"Almost every night," Drakon answered, quickly changing the subject, "Hey, cuz. Do you remember that tree?" He pointed at the green clearing. A lonely tree in the middle of the park.
Duaka focused his vision, "How could I forget? That's the tree. Where I taught you how to climb," he let out a mellow smile, "And where my mom taught me how to climb. And Juku and Shadow back in their day."
They paused, giving the air room to breathe.
Duaka started counting on his fingers, "How old were you?"
"Around ten, or eleven, I think. You were twelve." Drakon emphasized, "That's just how far ahead you were by then. Hell, you were so far ahead of me, I thought you were unreachable."
"And here we are..."
Drakon sat down on the ledge while Duaka contemplated the city backdrop. The rough electricity lines hanging from roof to roof, giving life to otherwise derelict buildings.
"I'm guessing now is the time you try to convince me to head back to the Academy." Duaka teased.
"Oh, no. I'm already happy getting you out of the house." Drakon said as he got up, "Daze bet me I couldn't even get you off the couch."
Duaka laughed, "Do all my cousins think so little of me?"
"Not at all, otherwise we wouldn't be running bets for two years straight." Drakon said while he adjusted his gloves and tightened his boots, "Your mother trained us, you know? We all want to see you back on your feet."
Duaka looked back at Drakon, getting ready to leave, "Are you going somewhere?"
"Yeah, it's getting pretty late and I have work to do," Drakon replied as he put his hood back on, "I'd like to get some sleep before the sun rises. You should do the same."
"Alright. See you around, cuz."
"See ya."
Duaka looked to the horizon, as he watched Drakon disappear behind the rooftops.
I've barely left the house these past two years.
So many places I forgot, or pretended to forget.
So many memories left scattered in these streets and alleyways.
The tree is just one of those places.
Somewhere past those rooftops stood the garden where I took Taris on our first date.
When we were still together.
And the stairs where I would hang out with Kaminari, back in the first year of the Academy.
That tree has more story to it than I remembered too.
That's the tree where I would play with Rex for afternoons on end, waving sticks around like laser swords, pretending to conquer the galaxy.
What happened to these two years? To my friends? To me?
Everywhere I go is full of ghosts.