Open House at Serenity Spa

[galacticgeisha]

Characters: Companion (galacticgeisha) and OPEN
Date/Time: Friday afternoon
Location: Serenity Spa
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Companion likes friends?

Comments

hm... what time shall we say... 1:30ish?

[lemonshine]

Lucy had said that she'd come by Serenity but being busy and the sudden influx of bad news had left the girl with more than enough things on her mind that she'd actually forgotten. The flyer had caught her eye after the end of her shift as Lucy started wandering over to the Spa Island. It was nice to go back to a place that she hadn't seen in quite sometime. Given the recent incident, she was feeling a bit on edge as she spotted Companion's spa right away. Her footfalls brought her up to the door which she pushed open easily enough.

She peeked around the corner of the door, looking at the surroundings before setting foot inside. "Companion?"

1:30ish is fine ^^

[galacticgeisha]

Companion wasn't holding Lucy's lack of a visit against her, she understood how busy people could be and figured her friend had a good reason for staying away. She had known how deeply Lucy was affected by the recent disappearances and hoped that perhaps she could be of some assistance if Lucy thought to come by.

In the process of cleaning up after one of the other patrons Companion smiled as she heard the familiar voice and walked out into the entry-way. "Lucy, hello! How can I help you?"

hee yay :D

[lemonshine]

If other people in the Sphere were going to tease Lucy for getting upset then that was their problem. She'd rather get it out of her system than to hold it in anyway as she grinned at the older woman. Her hands stuffed into her pockets as she looked around at the comfortable setting of the spa.

"You remember how we talked about Zen before? I'd like to learn about it. I think it's time for some inner peace."

Re: hee yay :D

[galacticgeisha]

If other people in the Sphere dared to tease Lucy about getting upset, they'd discover that Companion was not a lady to mess with. She saw nothing wrong with someone being willing to express their feelings, and envied Lucy that freedom.

"Then I would love to teach you. If you like, follow me into the meditation room. It's best for you to be fully relaxed when you open yourself and your mind."

[lemonshine]

Lucy followed Companion quietly into the back of the Spa, noticing that the green colour scheme on the walls was soothing in its way. Perhaps there was something in a colour that could calm a person, help them feel more relaxed as the pair entered the Meditation room. The back wall caught Lucy's attention instantaneously as she started counting the sconces glowing with a soft light. The decent sized room had the same green colour scheme as the rest of the spa but there were a couple of thick cushioned chairs and a single elongated couch with the same cushions. Glacing down, she saw the soft looking area rug arranged in the center of the room.

"Should I take my shoes off?" she asked innocently, not wanting to ruin the decor with her muddy shoes.

[galacticgeisha]

Companion was quiet as Lucy followed her through the hallway and to the Meditation room. The candles had already been lit, their soft light reflecting off the pale walls as a light tea rose scent filled the room. Stepping into the room, her stockinged feet barely making a sound, Companion found a place to sit on the area rug. She smiled at Lucy's question and nodded.

"Yes, please. There are slippers of various sizes and styles in the little alcove there." she gestured towards a small area with cubbyholes.

[lemonshine]

"Okay," she replied quickly, sitting down on the floor in front of the alcove. Her sneakers were off soon enough, neatly arranged to the right of the alcove as she fished about for a pair of slippers that would fit. In the end, she settled a plain pair of beige slippers and settled herself neatly across from Companion.

Lucy was curious as she sat cross-legged in front of her friend, thankful that was still a bit too cool outside for sundresses. Her fingers drummed on her knees in anticipation of what was to come. This would help in the future, she figured. Instead of getting upset, Lucy could calm herself down and not worry everyone.

She smiled, waiting for the lesson to begin.

[galacticgeisha]

Once Companion saw Lucy was settled she picked up a small book, rather new looking. She held it out to the younger girl, smiling slightly as she presented it like a gift to Lucy.

"For today, I will simply speak with you about what Zen is about, however when you leave here today I will let you take this book, and you can read through it to help you learn more about Zen. It is a book of koans, which are little lessons to consider." She put the book on the table and took a deep breath, preparing herself.

"Now, what Zen is truly about is using a variety of meditations, koans, and personal experiences to help widen the mind and achieve peace. The key to achieving a zen mindset is the acceptance that everything is constantly changing and we need to expand our beliefs in order to comprehend all of it. It all boils down to the fact that we are never done learning." Companion paused, shifting her position slightly. "A true follower of Zen Buddhism knows that it exists mainly to help anyone who likes to learn and practice what the Buddha

[lemonshine]

Perhaps that was a lesson to consider first, Lucy thought as she mulled over the thought of a koan. Good things came to those who waited right? Maybe there were things to learn from some of her past actions. She'd never thought of it that way before as she'd learned quickly that there were some things best avoided in the tree.

"So if something happens in the tree, and I start to worry or panic about it, I should just let it slide?"

A perplexed look swept across her face as she tried to translate koans in her mind. They were lessons? So it was like a story then but with a message. "So a koan is a life lesson? I think I get it... but I'm not sure."

[galacticgeisha]

The look of confusion that came over Lucy's face was practically comical, and made Companion think that perhaps it would be best if she started small and worked her way up. Lucy might understand that better. Still, she brought up some good questions that Companion was sure she could answer well.

"No, more like if something happens in the tree and you start to worry or panic you should stop and think about what is worrying or panicking you. Then, once you figure that out you can break it down in your mind until you have a better understanding and it would no longer eat at you."

Picking up a different copy of the book she flipped it open to a random page, running her finger down to stop on one. "A koan is a story that has a moral to it. Something for you to consider and hopefully learn from." She paused. "Is that making any sense?"

[lemonshine]

A lightbulb went off in Lucy's mind as she nodded. A story with a moral to it sounded interesting. Learning lessons was something that had always come at the expense of her health so to do it without putting herself in danger was always a plus. On the plus side, Companion had picked up on her confusion as she mulled over what her friend was saying. Lucy was thankful for that as she focused on the subject at hand.

Thinking things through instead of blurting them out or acting rashly would save a lot of people worry. Understanding things was better than avoiding them at the end of the day anyway as she reached for the book on the table and opened it up. Instead of reading it however, her thoughts were drifting back to the latest series of disappearances.

"It's making a lot of sense now and it's making me think about Link and Scales," she admitted. "I miss them."

[galacticgeisha]

Reaching out, Companion lightly rest her hand over one of Lucy's as she gave the girl a look of sympathetic understanding. "Of course you do, I miss them too. We just have to stop and really look at their situations, and that should help us both accept that everything happens for a reason, and perhaps there was more to this than we realize." She was prepared to share the conclusions that she had come to in the course of her musings on the situation with Lucy.

"While both Link and Scales were here, do we know how happy they were, or how accepted they felt? I remember that Scales sometimes had issues with people making assumptions about him that nobody would want to deal with. Would we rather have him here, having to deal with that simply because that would make us happier, or should we accept that perhaps the Tree felt that he had paid his penance here and was ready to leave?"

She sighed, shaking her head. "The difficult part is that we shall most likely never know, however all we can do is hope."

[lemonshine]

"Link was pretty quiet but we talked all the time on the farm," Lucy explained. "We born together so that made us twins here. He really enjoyed caring for the animals and playing his ocarina. He was always there for me and I wish I could've been there more for him