Day 256 [Open]

[daughterofursa]

Who: Zuko and anyone
Open: Open!
When: Day 256, evening
Where: By the lake
What: A failure to meditate
Format: I'll match
Warnings: Honor

Zuko knows she's always been hard on herself, but she's never really considered it to be too hard. But some of the things people have been saying about her... Well, people in the Bastion have always expressed a more positive view of her than she thinks she deserves, and she always figured it was because they don't know what she's come from, but she's finally starting to wonder. Maybe the flawed perspective is her own.

Which is why she is attempting something else which, like positive thinking, she is not very good at: meditating. Whoever really wants to can find her by the lake, sitting cross-legged with her eyes closed and... definitely scowling more than she ought to be.

Comments

[four_quarts]

[Well, if she'd chosen the lake in the hopes that nobody else would likely be here, then she has company because someone else had the same idea.]

...You seem troubled.

[daughterofursa]

No kidding.

[Apparently the lake was the absolute worst choice if she wanted to be undisturbed, does everyone take their evening walks here? Zuko speaks even before looking over this time, but then she blinks in some surprise. She's seen him around before. The man whose face might actually be worse than hers.]

[four_quarts]

[Ghaleon too has seen the young warrior about the Bastion before, and had wondered what her story was. Unless he is mistaken - and he highly doubts he is, given his own experiences - that scar was not created accidentally.]

My apologies for the interruption. You just seemed to be having difficulty concentrating, and thought I might offer my assistance.

[daughterofursa]

Are you some kind of expert on meditating?

[It's said sarcastically, but if she didn't want the help she would have said she didn't need it.]

[four_quarts]

I suppose that depends on what you would consider an expert. I have, however, been in the practice for considerably longer than a human is able to live.

[daughterofursa]

...well, I don't know what you'd know that my uncle wouldn't, but I could listen to tips. If you have them.

[Let's face it, she probably forgot 80% of what her uncle might have told her about it because she was too stubborn to listen.]

[four_quarts]

[Fortunately, Ghaleon is very, very patient when he wants to be.]

I could give more than just general tips if I had some clue of what you intend to meditate on, but I suppose the knowledge that one does not necessarily need to be sitting during meditation may be useful for future reference.

[daughterofursa]

What difference does it make if I'm sitting or not?

[four_quarts]

Lying down is easier on the back in the event you need to do this for longer periods.

[Obviously.]

[daughterofursa]

I don't think I'll need to do it for that long...

[...or at least not all at once. She has other things she needs to do.]

[four_quarts]

One day you may or may not. Divination is not one of my skills, so the future is a mystery to me.

[Well, not a complete mystery since people are fundamentally people and thus in some ways rather predictable, but that's neither here nor there.]

[daughterofursa]

But you've had to before?

[Spend an entire day lying around meditating she means.]

[four_quarts]

At times when I could do nothing else for whatever reason, or when complete relaxation was necessary.

[And even then almost never an entire day. Things to do, you know.]

[daughterofursa]

I'm not exactly doing it to relax.

[Although it might help if relaxation was a step that she included.]

[four_quarts]

Perhaps not, but it does look as if you could stand to do so. After all, tension tends to inhibit the contemplation process.

[This is his way of saying that Zuko looks as stiff as a board without using that exact phrasing. Tact, he knows how to use it.]

[daughterofursa]

[That's okay, Ghaleon. Zuko can interpret that into something tactless.]

I get it, I'm bad at all of it.

[four_quarts]

[And he can turn his response into something helpful yet terribly snarky.]

Oh really? And here I thought your lack of skill was due to a lack of practice. If you truly lack ability, then speaking of your troubles to someone would serve you far better.

[daughterofursa]

[Zuko shoots him a glare for that.]

Who, like you? Forget it.

[four_quarts]

Perish the thought. This is our first conversation, and you have no reason to trust me.

[daughterofursa]

[After all her "let's be friends!" first conversations, Zuko is actually surprised by him being sensible about this and it shows.]

...exactly.

[four_quarts]

[The surprise is understandable considering how many of those sorts of people seem to have gathered here. He smiles.]

Forgive the unsolicited advice earlier. I was once a teacher, and it seems old habits die hard. I am Ghaleon.

[daughterofursa]

Zuko.

...it's fine, I guess. If it were someone flailing around with a sword, I know I'd interrupt.

[four_quarts]

[He cringes slightly at the thought.]

Yes, far better to damage their pride than risk an injury in that case.

[daughterofursa]

Yeah.

Why did you stop teaching?

[four_quarts]

Teaching becomes rather difficult when one is dead, although events leading up to that point rather damaged my reputation as well.

[Massive. Understatement.]