Training and application of the mind(Natsume thread)

[Midnight Sun]

"Oh, yes, she has enlightened me to a great many things," Natsume says. "The only other I know with such extensive wisdom is yourself, sensei."

'She's not a fighter, but he still seems interested..' she thinks at the same time. 'Maybe I'm just overreacting....'

[Anastasia]

"Then I'm sure our meeting with be most productive," is his comment, as he finally ups and leaves. "I would very much like to meet the woman you idolize, Natsume, moreso now." His tone is brisque, but you think you detect a hint of...interest?

[Midnight Sun]

"Well, that was certainly an interesting twist," Natsume says with a sigh. She would have to be more careful with the people she brought over, lest grandfather took a sudden shining to THEM as well. "Anyway..."

Her grandfather expected them to resume practice before the day ended, and there were at least two point she needed to practice before then....

"Kurumi?" Natsume called as she peeked inside the kitchen. Sure enough, there was her younger sister washing the last of the dishes from the morning's breakfast. "I was wondering if I could ask you a small favor..."

[Anastasia]

Humming softly to herself, the melody of one of those pop tunes that infest the radio and school conciousness, Kurumi nods. "What is it, Natsume-chan?" Letting the pan soak in the sink, she wipes her hand on the pink apron she got last Christmas. "Grandfather doesn't want you to shovel the snow, does he?"

[Midnight Sun]

"Eheh, no, at least not yet," Natsume laughs nervously. "Actually, I was kind of hoping if you could help me with my training. Theres something new I want to try out."

[Anastasia]

"Oh," she says, in relief, before, "Wait, your training? Do you need me to hold a practice dummy or something," Kurumi asks, curious as she sheds her apron. "I don't mind, but...what do you have up your sleeve?"

[Midnight Sun]

"No, its nothing like that either..." Natsume says, trying to clarify. "Just, come with me to the dojo, I want to do this where we won't be disturbed."

Without trying to explain any further, she leads the both of them to the training hall. Silently she leads Kurumi to the center and simply motions for her to stand there.

"I just need you to stand very still," she instructs. "I'm...going to try and see your aura..."

[Anastasia]

"My aura," she asks in mild confusion, but does as you ask. "Like that stuff Grandfather's always talking about lately?" Shrugging as she waits for an answer, she spreads her stance a bit and settles in, waiting as still as she can.

[Midnight Sun]

"Yeah, the very same," Natsume answers while at the same time trying to focus her vision, the same way she did while sparring with grandfather. "I tried it before, but it didn't work very well. I'm hoping I can get a better grasp of it if I practice...."

[Anastasia]

* Hatbot --> "Mugetsu rolls 2d6 and gets 3."

You fall into an intense concentration, your mind working towards what you had briefly grasped before.

....

.....

..............

Kurumi stays still in your labors, as....it's strange. You feel...you keep feeling, and maybe it's your imagination, but you thought you felt a shift in your sight. Yet, you don't see anything around Kurumi save for the sunlight coming in from the window and making the entire room morning radiant.

[Midnight Sun]

'I...could've sworn I felt something....' Natsume thinks. 'But I'm not seeing out of the ordinary. Am I doing something wrong?'

She recalled clearly, when she was sparring with her grandfather she could just make out the shape of his aura, before she got smacked in the face at least....

'Why could I see it then and not now....' she thinks for a moment, then, a small inspiration comes to her. "Kurumi, you still practice with the bow and arrow right?"

[Anastasia]

"Grandfather makes sure that I stay in practice," she confirms, taking your words as a sign she can move her stiffening limbs. Wincing slightly as she rotates, "I guess I'm not too bad with one. Why?"

[Midnight Sun]

"What do you do when you're about to shoot an arrow?" Natsume asks. "How do you prepare?"

[Anastasia]

"Um...." Kurumi pauses, looking upward slightly as she thinks. "Oh...how is it that Grandfather went through it, it's perfect for this....oh yes.

Focus on your target, as if it's the only thing in the world. See it with your mind and not your eyes or hand, and fire truly." Smiling at the memory, "In other words, I just aim carefully and shoot, usually."

[Midnight Sun]

"Do you think you could do that right now?" Natsume asks. "Pretend you're holding a bow and preparing to shoot a target. Just like you do for real or in practice."