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“Toralei, watch out! Toralei!”
"Don't get your hoops in a twist, Sparky. I'm fine—"
That's all the warning Jinafire gets before she hears a distinctive screech and a whoosh of air from above her. Before she can think, she's dropping her fan and opening her arms—and not a second too late. Toralei lands in Jinafire’s outstretched arms with a dumbfounded look, like a cat that just tripped backwards off a couch.
“Perhaps you should be more careful next time,” Jinafire chides. “I won't always be here to catch you when you fall.”
Toralei's cheeks turn an amusing shade of red as she sputters, “I d-didn’t fall! This was just a—a part of my routine! I was supposed to jump down and land on my feet, but somebody just had to show off and catch me.”
Jinafire quirks an eyebrow. “Right.”
A moment passes as Jinafire watches Toralei flounder for something to say. Finally, the werecat drops her head in defeat and mutters, "...You can put me down now.”
“Oh, my apologies.”
Jinafire sets Toralei down carefully, then crouches to retrieve her dropped fan. By the time she's back in position and ready to keep practicing, Toralei's already scaling the ladder that leads back up to the tightrope. Jinafire watches her for a second, then resumes her fire-breathing practice.
If she keeps her ears open for any more warning shouts and eyes peeled for any more falling ghouls, well, that's nobody's business but hers.