leave the light on when i'm coming home to you

[kindofbroken]

It's nice out. This, in itself, is not unusual. In fact, to start as such is probably misleading, as there's nothing particularly unusual about one of the small scenes going on at the beach at all.

The scene in question is this: Charlie Crews is seated on the flattest of one of the outcrops of rocks that grace the beach, in a slightly modified

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[fears_nothing]

If he knew nothing, Niko knew meditation. He'd come to it as a young man, angry and scared that he might lose his brother to any number of things, and the simple focus on his body and his breathing helped center him and helped to ease those feelings of worry. Later, it helped him hone his focus for other pursuits, from both study to swordplay, and now it seemed that zen was some sort of sixth sense.

He didn't want to interrupt Crews while he meditated; it was hard enough to achieve zen in the hectic day to day and he didn't want to ruin it for the man, but after watching for a few beats he cleared his throat.

"If you'd like a partner, we could do tai chi."

Blunt, perhaps, but he'd met the man before.

[kindofbroken]

Slowly, Crews' eyes blinked open, another moment passing before his gaze found Niko. Much like Niko, zen was the way that he kept a handle on himself. It kept him in the moment, as he'd so often told Reese. It kept him here.

Just as slowly, a smile spread across his face, something very alert flickering about in his eyes.

"I've never done tai chi before," he remarked brightly. "I've seen people doing it. Mostly back home. In the parks, things like that. If you wouldn't mind teaching me, I’d love to."

[fears_nothing]

"It helps give you a tangible focus," Niko explained, settling nearby. "Like prayer beads, only more in motion. Some don't care for it, feel like the physical aspect only takes them out of the zen state, but I've found it makes it easier for me to hold my concentration."

He smiled, just a ghost of it touching his lips before it faded. "I'm glad there's someone else here who practices."

[kindofbroken]

"It's helped me out of a lot of tight corners," Crews said mildly, watching Niko intently - not out of any apprehension but curiosity as to the upcoming tai chi lesson. "I've never tried the tangible route, so to speak. It's always been just - reciting things to myself. Proverbs, stuff like that. Words. They help me stay in the moment. Remind me I need to be in the moment. Sometimes I get a little distracted."

[fears_nothing]

"I never tried that," Niko admitted, wondering what, if anything, Cal would do to try and achieve zen. He knew his brother wore mala beads now and while they hadn't discussed it, Niko presumed it was to help him control his emotions or achieve zen. Hardly a fashion statement.

"What distracts you? If you're comfortable sharing, that is."

[kindofbroken]

Crews' gaze seemed to go out of focus, going somewhere into the middle distance, lost in a way that said he didn't mind the question but couldn't help disliking what he was actually about to say.

"This place," he murmured, curiously calm. "Disappearances. Prison is a prison, but some days I think this place is a prison, too. You don't come here because you want to; you're just brought here. And you can't leave until someone - something - else decides it's your time to go."

[fears_nothing]

Niko felt much the same way. He knew there were disappearances, knew how the puck had just been gone one morning like he'd never been here before. It was frightening and frustrating, not knowing what the island was thinking.

"I feel the same, actually. It's...it's like paradise on the surface and something lurking beneath and I am not entirely comfortable with getting complacent."