Ellen came down the wall after climbing the course she’d designed and set on it. Indoor was no replacement for the complexity that nature carved into outdoor cliffs, but she felt satisfied she’d set a satisfying course. She liked working at this indoor gym because it had a chimney, not just two angled or opposing walls but a full opening in the wall for her to play with. She’d put a chock in that would require some clever work to get over. There were a few months before real climbing season began, and she was already well on her way to peak shape.
She was massaging her forearms when she saw the two of them enter the gym. A young woman, petite, looking around herself in startled curiosity, and an older man, looking at the people rather than the place. Ellen walked slowly towards them, her attention captured by the girl. She had startlingly big eyes that might have made her look vulnerable except for the intensity of the blue in them, and was truly small, perhaps breaking five foot, perhaps not. She was wearing leggings and a tank top, and her red-blonde hair was straight and silky to her shoulders. Her body curves interswerved with muscles, a small waist but irrepressibly wide hips and the tank-top and sports bra underneath were doing heroic work constraining her breasts. She stood like she had no awareness of anyone else looking at her, or wanting to look at her, but Ellen was not the only eye drawn to her.