Manuel and Marie - We Care A LOT!

[x-empath.livejournal.com]

Who: Manuel de la Rocha, Rogue
Where: Rogue's room
What Happens: He asks her to teach him how to meditate. Manuel makes a discovery that excites him greatly.
When: Wednesday, mid-afternoon



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Manuel finished up his classes for the day and, after grabbing a snack from the fridge (quickly, he still wasn't 100% comfortable in there, despite what people said) bounded upstairs to head for Marie's and Shinobi's shared suite. He was dressed only in grey today - a tonal step up for his normal habit of late in preferring all black.

The door to the suite was open, as it usually was during class hours if either Marie or Shinobi were about. Marie was sitting on the couch, going over some notes and entering them into her laptop when she heard someone approach. She put her notes down on the table and rescued her almost-cold cup of tea from the cushion beside her, then took a look to see who was there.

Manuel knocked on the doorframe, as was his usual habit even though the door was wide open. "Anyone home?" he called with a grin.

Marie laughed and shook her head, remembering their last conversation about whether or not Manuel needed to knock. "No," she replied. "But come on in anyway."

Manuel stepped inside the suite, looking around with great exaggeration. "Well, since no one is actually here, I guess I'll go raid the fridge and make myself comfortable until someone _does_ reappear."

"Go right ahead." Marie's smile was delighted, seeing him in such a good mood was a rare but happy thing. "What could I do for you if I were here?"

Manuel wandered over to the fridge, snagging the _entire_ carton of just-opened OJ and a glass. "Well, if someone _were_ here, I would have to ask her about the books she loaned me. I would have to tell her that my English isn't good enough to really read them very well, and then ask her about meditation. But since she's not here, I guess I'll just drink all of her juice and then burn all her underwear or something."

"Not my underwear!" Marie protested. "You wouldn't be so cruel. I've only just managed to get it to where all the pairs have matching bras that don't pinch or anything like that. You can help yourself to the orange juice, though, it's good for you." She put her laptop aside and stretched. "What can I tell you about meditation?"

"Well, what _do_ you know? She _is_ here! Funny how that worked out. Meditation - it's something that Ms Frost mentioned to me that might help me out." He then poured himself a large glass of juice, and drank about half of it before retopping off his glass.

"It might," Marie agreed. "It's pretty useful to develop a skill that allows one to practice being aware of thoughts and emotions while not actually engaged in them or overwhelmed by them, even more so for people like us. Did she have any practical advice?"

"No. She told me I had to figure it out for myself. So I thought I'd ask you." he says around another mouthful of juice. Then he burped loudly, grinning like the child he never really had the chance to be.

Marie shook her head at him but her amusement belied any disapproval. "I see. And I suppose coming to me does count as figuring it out for yourself, does it? Well, meditation is mostly a matter of just doing..." She frowned a little then, thinking. "Usually meditation comes along with some sort of philosophy or other practice, even if it's just the practice of being mindful."

Manuel topped off his glass _again_, then put the carton of juice back into the fridge. He then came back out to sit in his usual chair by the couch Marie was sitting on. "So - what is there to this whole thing? What do I have to do? This will calm my mind, right?"

"I can't know for sure," Marie said honestly. "It works for me and I think it'll work for you. As for what you have to do, you have to take the time to meditate, you have to do it. I've never taught anyone how to do this kind of thing, so... what do you know about it? Or what do you think about it?"

"I was taught that it was for hippies, freaks, deviants, and Asians. Who are often all of the proceeding. That it was a waste of time, and not something that a well-bred boy should ever be doing." he said with absolute sincerity. "That it involves wearing pajamas and staring at your navel and chanting. And candles, somehow, figure into it somewhere."

"Well, good. At least we have a place to start from," Marie said, her mouth twitching with suppressed laughter. "I don't know about the candles but sometimes incense is involved, but that's because the sense of smell is very effective at evoking mental states. No chanting. No pyjamas, unless you just got up. No navel-staring. It's not a waste of time. And every well-bred boy should have more control over his emotions than they have of him."

Manuel rubs his jaw like he's remembering something. "I will take your word for it." he says dubiously. Then he takes another drink of his juice before speaking again. "So ... what do I need to do? I want to try this."

"Well, it's not terribly exciting and yet there's at least a dozen ways to do it. It doesn't feel like much at first but in time, it can be the difference between being caught in the river and standing on the banks watching it flow." She bit her lip, thinking, and then got up, grabbing two cushions from the couch. "Here, we'll do the very most basic one that I can think of." She threw the two cushions down in the empty space in front of the TV, seating herself on on cross-legged. "Five minutes to start."

Manuel watched Rogue sit on the cushion cross-legged style with some amusement. "Nice legs." he leered gently, then took another drink of his juice.

"They get me around, yes." Unperturbed, she pointed to the other cushion. "Come. Sit."

"With style, no less." he leered again, before standing, abandoning his juice to an end-table, and sitting on the indicated cushion normally. "OK, now what?"

"Now we sit properly, spine straight, shoulders not all hunched up, and then we close our eyes and pay attention to our breath." Marie gave him a little smile. "Easy. Breathe through your nose, at whatever pace is natural, and pay attention to the breath and the sensation of it moving through you. If you start thinking about other things, you just bring your attention back to your breathing. That's all."

Manuel blinked. Several times. "That's IT?" he said. "Shit, that's _easy_." So then he tried it, but his posture was still fairly terrible, and his breathing obviously artificial and stilted.

"Not so easy," Marie said gently. "You're trying to make something happen. It doesn't work that way."

Manuel looked over at Marie, and then shrugged. "Ow. Sitting like this is uncomfortable." he said before leaning back to brace his spine against the base of the sofa. "That's better. What is this supposed to feel like anyway?"

"It's hard to describe. Can you see enough to watch me?" she wondered, half to herself. "Maybe that would help."

Manuel nodded. "That, at least, I can do. You are close enough." So he settled himself back a little further to just _watch_.

Marie's smile was a little shy. "Okay. Sometimes it's easier than others, but..." She let the sentence drop and closed her eyes, sitting upright with her hands on her knees, palms up and open. Turning her awareness inward to watch her own breathing, she followed the same simple practice that she had just described to Manuel.

As he watched Marie meditate, he watched her emotional spectrum, fuzzed and indistinct from the dampener, slowly get more regular and more delineated. "Amazing." he said softly. "I need to learn how to do this."

"You're still Five Colors, but even the others seem to be behaving. Although this one, back here ... gaah, I can't tell. Too fuzzy. But it looks ... active. Annoyed, but I can't really tell for sure." he mused as he continued to watch.

After a while, Marie opened her eyes again. "See? Keeps me sane. And that's just the simple part. And the annoyed one is probably Stanley. He's a real little shit. The other three are all very disciplined, so it's easier to calm them that way."

Manuel shrugged, and decides to give this whole thing another try. This time, his posture is worlds better, and his breathing is slow and regular.

Marie watched him for a moment, her expression a blend of pride and approval, and then followed suit, content to practice for as long as Manuel wants to continue his attempt.

Inside Manuel's mind, as he concentrated on nothing but his breathing, his power stopped pushing against the barrier that is the filter and pooled, like a deep lake seething with power. Externally, his face relaxed and his breathing deepened and slowed again.

The change doesn't go unnoticed. Marie hadn't completely focused on her own work, keeping some awareness on Manuel in case of any strange adverse reaction to the activity. She opened her eyes, remaining very still, and watched him again to reassure herself that all is going well.

Manuel continued to pool his power inside of his mind, merely concentrating on his breathing. His face twitched as he breathed, his forehead scrunching like something was paining him slightly. Inside his mindscape, he carefully extended out a tendril of his pooled mindpower, fashioning it into a spyglass, then put his mental eye to the spyglass. For a second, just the shortest of split-seconds, he could _see_ again - all the riotous colors and threads that represent the whole of human emotions. The experience, and the joy that the seeing brought, shattered the spyglass and snapped Manuel out of his mild trance. ~I SAW!~ he says triumphantly in Castillian.

"What did you see?" Marie was curious, concerned. She pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins.

Manuel made like he was going to answer the question, the cradled his head as what feels like an entire artillery barrage goes off behind his eyeballs. "Oh, OW..." he moaned. "Ow, ow, ow."

That was what she was afraid of. Marie crawled over and put an arm around Manuel's shoulders, pulling him against her. "...trust you to make meditation into an extreme sport," she said, her southern accent coming through quite clearly for once.

Manuel leaned into the hug, wallowing in the pain behind his eyeballs. "A _what_?"

"An extreme sport. Dangerous version of a common sport," Marie explained. She decided to wait to ask him what on earth he'd encountered or tried to get this effect. With her free hand, she tentatively stroked his hair.

Manuel took a few shuddering deep breaths, but didn’t say anything.

Marie sat with him, stroking his hair, until he was ready to move. As is often the case, Manuel leaves her torn between emotions; exasperation, pity, affection, and disbelief, to name a few of them.

Manuel finally recovered somewhat from the bomb going off in his head, and pulled away to run his fingers through his hair. "Ow. That hurt, but it was worth it."

"What on earth were you doing, honey?" Marie let him go, frowning a little.

"Testing a theory." he said unapologetically. "Worked, too, but I lost it."

"Which theory would that be?" Marie leaned back, hands braced on the floor behind her, and arches her back a little to take out some of the tension. At least, she thought, this wasn't a complete disaster.

Manuel waved that off. "An idea that Ms Frost gave me." he said. "It's personal."

"Mm, I see," Marie saod, a little disapprovingly, and poked him gently in the leg with her foot. "Aside from whatever else it was that you were doing in that head of yours, did you get anywhere at all at being calm and focussed?"

He nodded at this. "Yes, actually, I did. Very ... interesting. I'll have to explore it further. You've been a really big help, thanks!"

Marie sighed heavily. "Why do I sense impending disaster?" She sprawled backward on the floor dramatically with a laugh. "I'm glad you got somewhere, at least. That's good. You're a quick study."

"Contrary to public belief, I'm not _completely_ dim." he laughed.

"I've never thought you were, Manny." Marie sat up again. "I've always thought you were a smart man. Remember, I told you that on our first drive. Anyone who might be so silly as to think that just doesn't know you like I do."

Manuel smiled bitterly. "Were all my associates so forgiving."

"Forgiving? Maybe I'm too good at it sometimes, but..." Marie shook her head and smiled at him. "I'm not about to quit. Someone's got to do it, right?"

"I guess someone does. Some prefer a short sharp rap across the knuckles to get the student's attention." he mused.

"A sharp rap has it's place in any relationship sometimes," Marie said wryly, thinking of Logan in particular. "But that place isn't here." She gestured to the space between them. "Not now, anyway."

Manuel grinned. "This is why I am here, as opposed to elsewhere. When I need that rap, I don't talk to you. I talk to you when I want ... other things." And then he leered at her.

Marie reached out and tapped his nose lightly with one finger, laughing. "Like patience?"

"Maaaaaaybe." he said, laughing. "Eye candy, at the very least. And juice."

Marie shookd her head in mock-dismay. "Obviously, the strenuous meditation has addled your wits, Manny. Do you need me to walk you back to your room?"

"Can I get that lucky?" he said with a grin. He then reached over to take his juice from the table, and finished it with a long swallow.

Marie got up and offered him her hand. "I think so," she said, after pretending to think about it for a bit. "If you want company to practice the meditation, we could start meeting in the sun room in the mornings or something."

"As long as it isn't _too_ early in the morning, then you have a deal." he said, standing up himself before taking the proffered hand.

"Would I do that to you? I was thinking between classes, if you had a break in the morning." Holding his hand in hers, she started walking slowly toward the door.

Manuel followed along with a smile. "I had the /feeling/ you might be one of those unnatural morning-people."

"Five-thirty is about my wake-up time," she admitted. "But I know that for some of us," she gave him a meaningful look, "ten is bright an early."

Manuel mock-shuddered. "I'm a night owl. Go to bed by two or so, up at 10. Sounds like a perfect way to be to me. You morning people can _keep_ it."

"That's generous of you." Marie gave him a wink. "I like it when it's just me and the world. Anyway, you should be able to find me around easily enough. Let me know if you want to try the meditation again, with company. I could stand to do more of it."

"Sure." he said with a grin. "Sounds like a date."