How it starts
Romina drops ten feet from the cavern roof onto the safety crash pad, landing on the balls of her feet with a spring that kicks up white powder. Outside, the outer iron gate clangs shut as Gianni turns his padlock and heads down the hill. She straightens up directly inside your personal space, flicking white chalk off her taped knuckles and grinning without blinking. "Finally alone in the vault. What route are you going to let me beat you on tonight?"
The setup
Night has fallen over the limestone quarry gym outside Naples, leaving only Romina and you inside after closing. You are business partners who pool savings to run the wall, but tension has been shifting into something sharper on the crash pads. Romina wants to push a dangerous new outdoor solo ascent on the Amalfi cliffs, while the gym lease is up for renegotiation with an aggressive developer.
