2nd Order [joint video post]

[hallacious]

Good afternoon, Union! I hope your day thus far has been as productive as possible!

[The intense-looking boy on the Warp Band gives an impassioned salute and moves the camera over to encompass both him and a girl around his age.]

Yes, good afternoon! For those who do not know us, I am Pearl Fey, and this is Kiyotaka Ishimaru.

[The girl in question gives a smile before bowing politely, looking every inch the proper young lady. ]

As I am sure you are all aware, the recent earthquakes in the city have taken a toll on all citizens, some to a harsher degree than others. That’s why we feel it is of the utmost importance to deliver this information to you as promptly as we can!

We of the Kurain School in Ninetails Vale practice meditation as a way to hone our spiritual abilities, but it can have many positive effects even for those who don’t study the spiritual arts! That’s why the two of us have decided to pool our efforts to help anyone in Union who may want to learn how to properly meditate in order to help deal with any stress or negative energies that may be burdening you at this time.

If you are interested in calming your spirit once more, we will be giving an instruction at the Kurain School for both beginners and those with some experience already! We hope that you take this offer into consideration.

As always, stay vigilant!

Comments

[pearltergeist]

Oh... hm. May I ask a question?

Do you think that your, um, friend, would be willing to try and practice for even just five minutes a day?

[niepokonany]

...He could probably do that, yeah?

[pearltergeist]

Then that's great! It may sound like too small a time to accomplish anything, but it would allow him to develop a habit of daily meditation, even if it is only for a short time at first.

[niepokonany]

And that could help?

[pearltergeist]

I believe that it would be worth a try. They do say, "nothing ventured, nothing gained," right?

[niepokonany]

Yeah, maybe.

So, like... What does he have to do for those 5 minutes? Just sit really still or something?

[pearltergeist]

Not exactly. Stillness is an important part, of course, but many beginners to the technique find it useful to focus wholly on their breathing in order to shut out any intrusive thoughts or outside influence.

[ she pauses, searching for the right way to phrase her offer. ]

It is often easiest to get the idea through trying it out, so... if you would like to take a free taster session so that you can show your, um, your friend what to do more easily, Mr. Ishimaru and I will be available for most of the day today.

[niepokonany]

On my breathing? For 5 whole minutes?

[Yeah, he has a few distinct mental strengths, but patience really, really isn't one of them.]

[Or remembering to keep up with his cover story, apparently. Damn.]

[pearltergeist]

Um, well, yes! Meditation is a state of awareness, you see; usually, we aren't aware of our own breathing, so learning to focus on it provides an ideal way to get used to attaining that state of mind.

[niepokonany]

Why would I need to be aware of that? It just does the same thing over and over again!

[pearltergeist]

That is actually part of the reason why it's so ideal, believe it or not.

[niepokonany]

How's boring my-- um, himself half to death gonna help?

[pearltergeist]

Focusing on something so simple and constant helps to clear your mind. Don't you find sometimes that you are filled with so many thoughts that you can't really let go of, no matter how restless they make you?

1/2

[niepokonany]

I don't care if I think about other stuff too much, I just don't wanna be always thinking about --

2/2

[niepokonany]

[...Oh, that actually wasn't in any way somewhere he wanted this conversation to go. Even without color on the video feed, one can easily imagine him going pale as he covers his mouth and backs off from the camera.]

[pearltergeist]

[ oh no. what just happened there? ]

Ah--! Um. Are you okay...?

[ carefully, she adds: ] Umm... I will not ask you to tell me what it is you don't want to think about if it's too painful for you.

[niepokonany]

[Feliks isn't really comfortable expressing negative emotions outside of the annoyance-to-anger range, so he does what he's gotten entirely too used to lately and puts on a big, bright smile. It usually works okay, but this time, it sort of sits wrong on his face.]

Yeah, totally! Never better!