Skit: Meditation is Dull
"Hey Sheena – what are you up to? Oh, are you meditating again?"

The young Mizuhoan sighed and opened her eyes, blinking against the bright light of the sun above. She had just been on the verge of entering a meditative state too.

Turning around, she saw Lloyd stood behind her – an inquisitive look on his face.

"Uh-huh," she replied. "I try to do it at the start and end of every day when possible. It helps clear my mind."

"Whoa, every day?" Lloyd walked forward and sat down on the soft bank of grass beside the quietly bubbling stream. "Doesn't that get…er, boring?"

"Um…no, not really." Sheena sat back to stretch her legs briefly before assuming a kneeling position again. "The idea is not to think of anything, so you don't really notice."

"Thinking of nothing…" Lloyd paused for a second then shook his head. "Sounds tough," he admitted rather sheepishly.

Sheena smiled slightly, pulling a few loose strands of hair away from her face and fastening them back with the others. "You should try it – if you've got a lot on your mind then it really helps."

"It does?" The young man frowned for a second before nodding. "Okay then…what do I do?"

"Huh?" His assent had taken Sheena by surprise. "You…really want to try it?" The Mizuhoan wasn't sure why his enthusiasm cheered her.

"Yeah sure – you said it would help, right? So, I'll try it."

"Okay…well, um, first I normally find a relaxing place and make sure I'm sitting comfortably – cross-legged or kneeling kinda works best. Then it's just a case of closing your eyes and closing off your mind."

"Close off your mind?" Lloyd looked across. "I…uh, don't get it."

"Um…well, you sort of try and isolate it…does that make more sense? No?" Sheena searched her mind for another example than the one she had been brought up with. "Well…it's kinda like…um, ah – you try to focus and suppress your senses, or at least the external ones. That's why a quiet place works well."

"Oh right, I can do that...I think." Lloyd closed his eyes and Sheena found herself smiling. He was trying at least. "What do I do now?"

"I try to imagine a tranquil scene," she replied. "Something that soothes my mind and helps to clear it of all my thoughts."

"Oh…" Lloyd opened his eyes and frowned. "But didn't you say that the idea was not to think of anything?"

"Yeah, well…" Sheena hesitated for a moment, before deciding it would probably be a waste of time explaining all of the details at once. "…Let's just say that…that doesn't count. It's just a case of imaging such a place, and allowing it to relax and ease your mind. Afterwards, you normally find a new clarity that you didn't possess before." She laughed a little with embarrassment at her slightly jumbled explanation. "Sorry…I'm quite a poor teacher and it, um…takes a little practice, but you get the hang of it with time."

Lloyd laughed, "Don't worry about it. Okay…cool, I'll give it a go then."

Sheena watched the young man adjust himself and close his eyes, before doing the same – feeling her mind gradually phase out the sensation of the sun and breeze on her face. The gurgling stream and wind harassed leaves quietened to inaudible whispers, while the grassy bank beneath her also faded from her senses. Bringing forth the same scene in her minds eye that she always did – vast rolling plains, bathed in the red light of dusk – Sheena inhaled deeply; feeling herself walking across them, feeling the tall blades of grass tickle at the exposed skin on her arms and hands.

This place was always so peaceful, so serene, so–

"Hey Sheena…how long do we do this for anyway?"

The summoner felt her teeth clench tightly together as she was pulled from her meditation again, and looked sharply across at her companion.

"There's no set time Lloyd," she replied – forcing herself to be patient. "Normally a couple of hours or so."

"A couple of hours?" Lloyd cried incredulously, "Ugh, man, that's ages!" The young man paused in thought for a moment, and Sheena closed her eyes again – returning to her task. Before she could settle again, she heard a movement beside her and looked round to see Lloyd creeping away back up the bank.

"Hey!" she shouted. "Where are you going?"

"I…finished," he replied awkwardly. "You were right…it really helped."

"What?" Sheena stared at the young man incredulously. "You finished meditating already?"

"Yeah…and I…uh…just remembered…I said I'd help Genis with his, um, homework." Lloyd broke into a run up the hill. "See you later, Sheena!"

The Mizuhoan watched him as he vanished over the grassy ridge behind her and sighed. "Now I know you're lying."