Shape the Invisible [OPEN]

[redwhitensnark]

Who: Ratchet (redwhitensnark) and whoever is in the mood to visit. (Feel free to interrupt him.)
What: Nauatilus' head of medical has a lot of his processors. Rather than let it all eat at him, he decides to initiate a meditation session to further sharpen his focus for the purpose of bending.
Where: Northern District, outside the medbay.
When: Thursday

Comments

[folds_ur_pants]

In light of recent revelations - namely, that something very bad is coming sometime in the near future, and it will apparently take the collective population of Nautilus to stave it off - Jamie's been practicing his Bending more fervently than usual. It...hasn't gone so well.

He's managed to bend a few small things, but when he compares that to the feats of some of the more talented of the city's denizens - well. Willing a box of dryer sheets into existence can't really compare with Mr. Jefferson's altering the flow of time like he did that once. Jamie sincerely hopes they're not all expected to be at that level of Bending prowess, because he's sure he'll never be able to rise to the challenge.

It occurs to him, after a couple hours of failed attempts at Bending more impressive things, that this self-doubt might be what's holding him back and it might do him some good to get some fresh air and clear his head a little.

The familiar red-and-white form catches his eye as he's wandering the Northern District; Jamie considers for a moment and then makes his way over. Ratchet seems, if not always calm, at least level-headed and sensible, like he knows what he's doing. Jamie could use some of that right now.

He's not entirely sure what the old 'bot's doing or, therefore, if he'll be interrupting, but figures he might as well check to see if Ratchet's up to some company now. He hovers awkwardly for a moment. "Um. Hi. Mind if I join you?"

[redwhitensnark]

"Hrm. ...Jamie?" Ratchet opens his shutters a moment later, optical cameras focusing on the youth as he allows himself to move into a more relaxed position. His smile is slight, but the warmth in his voice is hard to miss.

"Have a seat in the shade, kiddo." He pats the ground next to him before resting his hand on one knee joint. "Just out for a stroll or are you like some of the rest of us, worried about all the nonsense that's gone on and still to come?"

He's fairly sure it's the latter. One would either have to be completely insane or have been living under a rock for the last week or so to not be at least a BIT concerned about the business involving Isis. And while the thought's already occurred to him before, seeing Jamie causes it to resurface... It won't just be the adults and those accustomed to combat who will have to help defend the city. If Nautilus is to stand, likely everyone will have to help somehow...

Even the kids.

[folds_ur_pants]

Jamie smiles a bit and accepts the invitation, settling cross-legged on the ground nearby, his hands folded loosely in his lap. At Ratchet's assessment, he nods, and then falls silent for a moment, trying to order his thoughts.

"Mn, yeah. Been trying to Bend, y'know, like Jin said we needed to, but..." He lifts one shoulder in a chagrined shrug. "Haven't been making much progress. Thought I'd take a break. Just for a little while."

There's a lot he leaves unsaid - that he's worried about being able to do his part in the conflict to come, that the worry is something that threatens to erupt into full-blown panic if he allows himself to dwell on it too much - but he's not quite ready to admit to that just yet. Instead he glances up at Ratchet, a little hesitantly. "What about you? 'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

[redwhitensnark]

"Sometimes just stepping back from whatever work you've got helps. Clears your mind a little and lets you see things a little better when you get back to it. I think we still have some time, too, so it's not like we've all got to master bending before the week's over."

Ratchet allows his near hand to rest on the ground alongside Jamie. It allows him to feel like he's got more presence that way, something that somehow seems necessary with the old bot. Being companionable without total invasion of space, which when you're a twenty foot tall robot is a little too easy to do if you're not careful.

Glancing down, he meets Jamie's gaze a moment before looking away again. Don't want to make the kid uncomfortable. "Been doing a lot of thinking about the state of things. About what we've been through, about what's coming. Prowl, Alexander and Kyd Wykkyd have all already dropped by and gone on again. I've been out here lapsing in and out of meditation to try and sharpen my focus a little bit. I find it makes bending easier. Though, no, you're not interrupting."

arrgh so very late responding. i am sorry. D:

[folds_ur_pants]

Jamie feels somewhat reassured by the large, metallic hand beside him. It's solid, grounding, tangible - and in a city where existence itself is fluid and ever-changing, governed almost literally by whims and desires, that tangibility is comforting. It reminds him a little of home, when he used to go out to the hangar to work on his Zoid when he got a mental block working out strategies for the team.

Glad to hear he's not distracting Ratchet from his activities, he regards the medibot curiously. "Meditation...? That really helps?" He feels a little foolish asking, but he does anyway: "How do you, um. How d'you do it?"

S'okay! ♥

[redwhitensnark]

"I find it does, yes. Bending seems to be about two things - sheer force of will AND focus. You need both in order to make it work. After all, you can have all the will power in the world and it won't do you any good if you can't channel it properly. I like to think of it like a beam of light... The more you focus it in one direction through a lens, the brighter and stronger it is."

Reaching up with his free hand, he rubs his chin in thought. Prowl is a lot better at explaining what meditation is and how it's done, though he supposes he can take a shot at it. Push comes to shove, he can always contact the ninja and ask if he'd like to take on another student, if Jamie is willing.

"I learned from Prowl just before Starscream took over the city. Granted I'm STILL learning because it's just one of those things that takes a lot of time and dedication." Calling up the related memory file, he checks it quickly before continuing, just so he's got it right. "Prowl described it as being 'about focus and self-regulation.' You find a point of focus and stick with it, concentrate on just that one thing. The idea is to let yourself be absorbed with that one thing so that you don't get distracted, really. It's odd, but there's sort of this sense of heightened awareness that comes with it once you start to get into it.

"Prowl uses a humming sound as his point of focus. That didn't work for me, so I monitor my own spark. If I turn inward enough, I can actually sense the energy fluctuations."

:'D

[folds_ur_pants]

Jamie takes all this in and mulls it over a little, chewing his lip thoughtfully. He can see how it'd help with Bending, once a person got the hang of it. Maybe he should give it a shot sometime.

"How d'you decide what...works for you? As your point of focus, I mean?" It seems like sort of an obvious question, but this is an entirely new field of thought for Jamie, so he sees little shame in asking stupid questions at first. "Is it...something that kinda - jumps out at you and catches your attention while you're being quiet, or d'you just...try everything until you find the right thing?"

[redwhitensnark]

Ratchet frowns, not sure how to answer that question. "I want to think the humming thing is sort of standard for cyberninjas, or just...whatever school it was where Prowl underwent his training. It would be good if Jazz were here in addition to Prowl..."

Leaning on that hand he's got placed beside Jamie, the medic thinks it over a bit more. He knows he chose his own spark because life is a point of interest for him.

"I chose my own spark because it is the center of me, and it is the center of my work and duties. My primary functions are to protect life and heal others. This might actually be something Prowl will have to answer, since he's actually completed his training at this point. He is the master. I'm sure he wouldn't answering questions about it, maybe even take you on as a student if you're interested in taking it that far."

[folds_ur_pants]

"You think he'd do that? Teach me, I mean? 'cause if it'd help with Bending, wul...I can use all the help I can get." He flashes a hesitant half-grin, one which reveals more worry than he'd really intended; a little embarrassed by this, he averts his gaze, feigning concentration on a hunk of gravel wedged in the tread of one shoe.

"So um...the meditation's one thing, then." He glances back up, his expression a little less openly anxious this time. "'s there...anything else that you think helps with Bending?"

[redwhitensnark]

"He...recently lost a student. One of our teammates went back to sleep," Ratchet sighs, leaning back against the wall behind with his optics shuttered. "I'm sure he wouldn't mind doing what he can to help sharpen your focus. Likely all you need to do is ask him over the network and he'll probably be glad to help you out."

Silent for a long moment after, the old mech considers Jamie's other question, allowing himself to focus on that as opposed to the loss of Bumblebee. When he again opens his optics, he shifts his weight so he can lift his hand, his back still to the wall. His palm comes to gently rest against Jamie's back, the weight of it held in check so as not to be a burden.

"Well, knowing what you want, for one. You don't want to try so hard that you frustrate yourself. Change should be fluid, like the water in the streams and canals. If you over-analyze, try to work through it in too many steps, you'll probably run into mental blocks. And really? Just believe you can do it. Don't doubt." He glances down at Jamie with an encouraging smile. "Nautilus gives us the power to level the playing field, right? Size, weapons, physical strength... They have to bow to will and creativity."

[folds_ur_pants]

Jamie nods slightly; he's seen talk on the network about one of the Autobots disappearing from the city. He guesses that must be rough, losing a friend like that and never really knowing if you're going to see them again... Regardless, he makes a mental note to take Ratchet's advice and see if Prowl would be willing to give him a few pointers on improving his focus.

He glances over his shoulder at the light pressure against his back - Ratchet's touch is an unexpected gesture, but not necessarily an unwelcome one, and he relaxes a little as he takes in the 'bot's words.

"...mn. Yeah, I wonder sometimes if I just...try too hard at it? I mean, I know it's about concentration, but - yeah. Feels like it's the kinda thing you can't really force like that." He shrugs somewhat fitfully. "Guess it's just that...over-analyzing stuff's kinda my job. Back home, I mean. Sorta hard not to do it, but...guess it's something I'll have to work on."

That last bit, though, about leveling the playing field? - is actually pretty reassuring. It's nice to think that a regular human can have just as much sway in Nautilus as any of the giant robots or people with otherworldly powers. Jamie catches Ratchet's eye - er, optic - and returns the smile, a little more hesitantly, but gratefully.

[redwhitensnark]

"If it makes you feel better, I used to do the same. Took a little while living here to get used to the feel of the city. The meditation helped, too. It's hard when you're geared for the kind of work we do, working with machinery and dealing with engineering issues. If you're anything like me, you want to analyze everything from every angle possible and multitask until it hurts."

Ah, there we go. Ratchet nods a little, seeing the smile on Jamie's face and feeling like there's been some progress. He gives the kid a light pat the back with the side of his thumb before moving his hand away completely. Don't want to overstay his welcome in the youth's personal space.

"You'll do fine, kid. I'm sure of it."