I May Look Old, But I Can Still Kick Your Arse

Michael had taken advantage of the gold membership to St. Mungo's fitness center, and he had taken it upon himself to add a great, tall, difficult climbing wall. He had already stretched, done his work in the gym, and had proceeded, with his own climbing gear, to climb up the huge climbing wall that he'd put there. It was definitely not for amateurs. Well, actually, the first short bit of it was for amateurs, and he had set the top levels up to be challenges for himself and anyone of those sorts of abilities. He was looking forward to getting to the upper levels so he could get a really good workout.

He had his harness in place and had forgone the helmet. He just didn't feel like he needed it. It was certainly a risk, but it was one he was willing to take. He clipped his line to the harness with the carabiners and put his gloves on. Then he proceeded to do a last minute check of the lines.

"How far up you goin', Old Man?" some little arrogant idiot asked him.

"Farther than you, Guppy," he snarked back.

"Guppy?"

"You're just a little fish in a great big pond. You think you're man enough to do this, then, bring it!" he challenged. The young man just sneered at him, figuring he had Michael beat without even breaking a sweat.

"Go ahead, Grandpa," he jeered at Michael. "I'll give ou a head start."

"Oh no. Not a chance, " Michael shook his head. "We're doing this right. Get your gear, if you're man enough."

The young man walked over to a counter to check out some climbing gear while Michael waited. Michael planned to enjoy this.

Jack walked into the fitness centre his work out bag slung over his shoulder and a some what annoyed look on his face he had come to use the punch bag in the gym but decided to use the climbing wall instead thinking it would take out his pent up aggression. All this waiting was getting to him his mind kept going back to when jess was missing and he knew exactly how Brain was feeling he had felt it himself all those years ago.

Placing down his bag in a locker he took off his jacket and placed that in too hung on a steel hook in the back. Slowly he walked to the counter glancing for a moment at the wall he saw two men on it well one man one boy obviously trying to out do the man who was clearly winning and he smirked at the sight.

Strapping in to his own harness he moved to the base of the wall clipping the carbine onto the rope, placing some chalk on he began to climb up the wall each hand hold was easy to start with but soon grew more difficult , this was something he enjoyed , a challenge reaching out he grabbed one but his hand slipped he dangled for a moment by one hand and foot. Swinging he grabbed it and paused catching his breath , even with the rope he still felt his heart race at the near slip. After a moment he continued to climb his eyes searching for the next hand hold and looked up right into the eyes of Michael.

“Hey” he said grasping a hand hold to pull him self up to the next.

(word count: 286 )

"Not bad," Michael said, not even breaking a sweat yet. The "Guppy" beside him was managing so far, and Michael had kept his skills as tightly under wraps as he could. He wasn't ready to show the kid up. Not yet. "Welcome aboard, Jack. Let's see how far you can go. The top tier is build striclty for the experts. Don't push yourself any higher than you can manage. Take your time."

"You'll find its a good workout for any stressors you have," Michael said, already getting a good read that eveyone on Robert's team of hatchlings had their share of battlescars and that this was resurrecting it for them. "Do your best, and you'll find you feel better." He glanced down at the boy. "Come on, Lad, if you're coming. I can't spend all day kicking your behind. Well, actually, I could, but I choose not to." The boy cussed at Michael who just laughed out loud. Michael looked back at Jack. "He's got a lot to learn."

Jack shook his head as he began to climb “always one sir” he said and pulled up to the next hand hold , soon he could see the next stage it had over hangs and crevasses he smiled loving the challenge it brought to his muscles as he reached for the next hold ,he moved his rope from in frot of him noting another younger boy next to him struggling , swinging over he took his hand placing it on a hand hold “I think you should go back down this isn’t your section” he said nodding to the man below as he gently pushed him off the lower down the boy nodding and relived not to go any further. Jack though continued dangling from an over hang he then climbed to the top to sit looking down.

“getting up was fun but getting down is better” he said smiling.

Michael had given up holding back on his abilities and deided to just do his work out like he came here for. He climbed easily to the top and sat down for a moment. He had a few aching muschles, but then again, he hadn't done this for awhile, and he didn't have werewolf strength to get him through it. He was pleased in finding that he could still do it.

"Ah, but did you notice, me boy, that this wall is three sided? like an obelisk? that's because each side looks like a different obstacle. let's see of you can manage the next two walls. You did the first one well enough. Repel downwards and then go to your right for the next challenge."

Michael smiled. The next bit was designed to see how well he could do with one of the two most likely kinds of building faces they would have to deal with at whitehall. The third was the second, and what Michael thought was the most likely of the surfaces that they would be challenged with. Michael wanted to be sure they could do them both.

"Coming?" He asked, rising and repelling down the first surface to the floor below.

Jack grinned as he looked around at the three sides of the climbing wall and nodded “sure I like a challenge” he said grinning as he stood up repelling down to the ground again and moving to the next witch didn’t have so many hand holds. Grabbing a foot hold he started up the second side some men shook the heads but he continued.

Once or twice he jumped to catch a hold but he got it , then his foot slipped and he hung from his hand , slowly he twisted to grab a second his foot searching for another hold witch after several moments he did and pushed up to the next.

“ok maybe this isn’t as easy as I though “ he said to himself now focusing on climbing till he reached the top some what out of breath and a little sore, but he was enjoying himself his wear side wanting something to do but he took a small sip of potion to stop it coming out.

Michael took a breath to focus, centered himself mentally, and then grabbed onto the rope. They were gathering a crowd who were calculating as to whether Michael could actually do this. He sighed heavily. What was it about people that thought that old men were feeble? He and Flint were definitely going to have to have a pint over this. But back to the task, he thought.

He grabbed the rope and snapped it into position and then made the climb look easy. He scaled the wall, entirely to the top at a steady pace, without breaking a sweat, without missing stroke, and with considerable more speed than Jack had done. Well, Jack hadn't done this all his life, now had he? The one he really needed to focus on, for himself, was the next wall.

"Well done, me boy," Michael laughed, patting Jack on the back. "You might have a bit of a rouge in you yet. If its in there, we'll find it. You need a break or are you ready to go on to the third one? That's the most important thing we'll do today. Be sure you're ready for it."

Jack sat for a moment wondering just how he could do this he smiled at Michael and took a deep breath “5 would do “ he managed to say sitting looking down and he chuckled “Drawing the crowds I see “ he said “never underestimate any one right “ he grinned at him “no matter who they are” he said and stood up repelling back down to the base as he waited for him with a smile , he move to the final side it was sparce with hand holds and over hangs.

One man shook his head “you’ll never do it nor that old man ether” he said but jack shook his head “that old man could put you to shame , twice over, sir” he said and began his assent up the wall he paused twice even before he had gone several feet. He focused

"A hundred galleons for anyone who says I can't!" Michael shouted. Almost every hand went up.

"200 without the line, then!" someone else shouted.

"As you wish," Michael said. "But let's make it five if i do it without any gear at all but my gloves." A cheer went up and Michael took off the harness and left the rope and all the gear on the floor. "Now, you lot, ante up." He laid a great wad of gld coins on the floor with his gear. Men tossed galleons onto the stack of coins he'd ante'd in with.

"It appears we're ready now," Michael said with some sense of satisfaction. He turned to the wall. He needed to do this freehand when he went into get Khaat anyway. She would most likely need the rope and the hook when he brought her down. He had never planned on using the ropes and the harness himself at all anyway. He went over to the building, used only his gloves, no chalk, no lines. He scanned the building to get the lines of the builidng fixed hard in his mind. Then he pulled himself up with more flexibility and agility than anyone believed anyone his age could have. He scaled the side of the building by freeclimbing it. It became a trifle more challenging at the overhangs, but only for a moment, and he soon was sitting beside Jack at the top, feeling a whole lot richer. To his surprise, the men were cheering him on. They'd never expeced him to make it, and certainly not without a line.

"Well, about enough of a show for today then, Jack?" he asked. "Or shall we practice this one again a time or two?" He knew they needed to be proficient at this one. And quickly.

Jack smirked as he sat at the top finally watching Michael climb freestyle he knew he could do it and grinned as he sat next to him.

“owe no thanks once is enough, besides I don’t think they could afford it “ he said chuckling to himself as he stood back up and prepared himself to descend “ have you tried the pool yet , you should and the massage section god for relaxing the muscles “ he lowered himself over the edge and down to the ground and un clipped himself stepping back waiting he looked forward to that laps in the pool it would hep wash of the sweat from the climb.

He felt he had done well but he knew pride would get him know where.