The Lotus Peak

Eka embraced her friend right back. "Yes," she began, "it is rather...nice." She took a step and then turned around, trying to get a full panoramic view of Japan from the peak of the mountain. The crags of the mountain were just as stunning as the flatlands below, and Eka was not going to take a picture this time. Her memory would be the only thing that could preserve this awe inspiring image. As she turned, her mouth hung open. When she completed the cirle and Feruza popped up in her field of view once more, her open mouth closed and her lips curved into a smile.

"We can stay here for as long as you like." Eka replied. The Georgian girl meant it, too. Her feet were double-wrapped in the warmest socks she had, and her parka was durable, to say the least. She pulled her beanie off, and let the wind whip her hair around a bit. The sensation made her laugh a bit, and she stepped forward to hug her friend.

Feruza took out her phone, and started to snap pictures. She felt a tad bad about it, considering how holy this place was, but there was no way she wasn't showing her family these pictures. She wasn't poor, but she wasn't rich enough to buy them all plane tickets to Japan, so pictures would have to do. She hoped her friend wouldn't judge her for it.

After she captured a sufficient amount of photographs, she stuffed her phone back in her pocket and smiled sheepishly at Eka. "Sorry, photos were for my family." she said. "I did not desecrate anything..." she said, before her eyes went wide. What if she had? "Did I?!"

Eka shrugged. "I took a selfie up here. If you have desecrated this place, then we are going to the same bad afterlife." The Georgian girl then recognized that she should look up what sort of afterlife Shintoism had. Nominally, she was Orthodox, but she could not honestly remember the last time she had been in a church. And it wasn't long enough, she thought sardonically. "I am sure it will be fine. There is no one to tell on us, yes?" Her blue eyes darted around. It was true, they were the only ones up here.

The wind blew a cold chill straight into her. She shivered. "We have a long way to go to get to the bottom of the mountain by sundown. If you have had quite enough time up here, I think it may be wise to start descending. There is a long way to go, yes?" Even as Eka spoke the words, she was beginning to regret them. Her legs were still aching from the trek up. The trek down was going to be even more arduous, she thought, as she had a longer way to go.

"Well, if you are there, maybe bad afterlife will not be so bad, yes?" Feruza said with a smile. She couldn't believe how well they had hit it off. Only yesterday they were complete strangers, and here they were, close friends on top of a mountain together. It was amazing, for sure. "You will have to show me your selfie." Feruza said. "It sounds like a very nice one."

Eka made a point. They really should be getting down the mountain. However, Feruza remembered how sore Eka was. It was a long way up, and a long way down. Eka had went up and down yesterday, and she was doing it again today. "Are you sure you will be able to walk fine, my friend?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

Eka dimly wondered if her new friend had any sort of social media. If she did, then Eka was sure as hell going to thumb the depths of anything that she had. When Eka did anything, she wanted to peek around every corner, hit up every small nook and cranny, and learn everything she possibly could. Plus, with an adventurer like Feruza, they were sure to be interesting. "I will show you my selfie. And I am sure there are far worse afterlives..." She said with a foxy grin.

"And who knows these sorts of things?" Eka shrugged. An inkling of doubt crept through her bright and buzzing mind. It was far easier to go down than it was to go up, true, but that did not mean that going down the gargantuan mountain would be a walk in the park. "Either way, there are only so many ways to get off of the mountain, yes?"

And with that, Eka steeled herself, and began walking down to their little campsite. Her pace was even, not trying to give away too much nor take in too much. The vista was still as pretty as a postcard, but Eka had to concentrate on the path in front of her. Her ears were open, to hear Feruza's footfalls on the snow to make sure she was following.

Her legs were getting so tired though...

Feruza winked at Eka. "Far worse." It was clear that they were on the same boat. She was glad to follow Eka down the mountain, which she did hastily, not wanting to fall behind Eka— but that wouldn't be too hard. Eka was moving much slower than she had been at the beginning of their ascent, and her steps were far more labored. She said that was the only way down, and that was true, in a way.

But Feruza still wanted to help. For a few minutes of walking down the mountain, they didn't say much, until Feruza got an idea. It would be hard, but hey, Eka was having a hard time. Feruza blushed a little. "Eka... could I maybe, uh, carry you?"

Eka felt herself collapsing. It wasn't a good feeling in the slightest, and she was soon on her knees in the snow. The Georgian girl pulled herself up and turned around to face her new friend. There was no dignity in being carried down the mountain for sure, but there was far less grace in falling on the mountainside. She weighed Feruza's words for a hot second, and blinked.

Then she walked up to her friend and threw her arms around Feruza's neck. "Yes, carry me back to our little camp." It had been a long time since she had been carried. Maybe when her father picked her up when she was just a little girl. Whatever the case was, Eka was happy to be carried now.

Feruza gasped as Eka collapsed, and rushed forwards to catch her friend. "Eka!" she exclaimed, scooping her arm under the Georgian's legs, carrying her bridal style. "I will gladly do it." The Uzbek nodded, lifted her friend up and down a few times, laughing, and started off down the mountain, Eka in hand.

The sight was a testament to Feruza's years of kurash, which had made her upper body stronger than most people, even many wrestlers at AFW. So, while she was a little bit heavy, Feruza didn't have a problem carrying her. "Hope this is not embarrassing."

Eka had her arms around Feruza's neck. Her blue eyes were forward, and a wry smile was on her face. Those long legs that supported her frame were crossed over, and for the first time since they set out early in the morning she felt like she was relaxing. Her legs were no longer screaming in pain, and her mind was at ease. Once again, the Georgian girl was having some fun.

The Georgian girl turned her face towards her friend. "It is a little embarrassing. But whatever. There is no one around to see it. And there are far worse places to be than in the arms of a strong girl, yes?" The last little bit slipped out, mostly unintentionally. Eka blushed a little and turned her eyes back down the mountain. It was time for her to literally ride this one out.

Something about Eka sitting in her grip, smiling, looking up to her, complimenting her... well, she just looked positively kissable. But Feruza would resist the urge to smooch the woman in her arms, and limit it to an "Aww. Eka, you are too kind." She added a wink on, too.

They were quickly making progress. Feruza was walking with a spring in her step, making Eka bounce slightly. This would have been fine normally, but, for whatever reason, Feruza got it in her head that it could be making Eka sick. Maybe the raven-haired girl was easily motion sick? "You are alright, yes? I can slow down if I am making you sick." she said, smiling, happy to oblige her if she did.

However, regardless of their speed, they would reach their camp at roughly the same time. And when they did, Feruza let her friend down— gently, onto one of the logs around the fire pit. "Ah..." she sighed in relief, spinning her arms. She was strong, but carrying a full grown woman that far for that long, down a mountain, would take it out of anybody. She kept working her arms out. "Feels good. And you? How are you feeling?"