Noturbizniss

First time poster here. I tried a rudimentary search but couldn't find this. I was rereading edgedancer a few weeks ago and got to thinking. When lift climbs the walls by grabbing on to wyndle, is that really what she's doing or merely how they perceive it? Since she has the surge of abrasion, could it be that she is merely making the friction so high on her fingers and feet that she doesn't slide off? She doesn't understand it so she perceives it as grabbing on to wyndle?