It's been a busy, confusing, nerve-wracking, and all-around tiring morning, and the day is still far from over. You've got no way to be sure how the fallout of the bombing and free-for-all ninja battle is going to affect your personal plans, but you'd like to be as prepared as possible for whatever developments result from the incident. Having your mana reserve dipping into the red is not what you consider "being prepared," and as such, you look around for a comfortable cushion.
"Tired, Alexander?" Altria inquires as you make your selection and take a seat. You glance at her and note that her shield disappeared somewhere on the trek to the safehouse.
"Sort of," you admit. "Mostly, though, I want to try and shore up what's left of my magic, just in case the universe isn't done throwing curveballs this way."
"'Magic,'" Yuki repeats, using the Japanese word, "maho." "You really aren't using ki or ninpo, then?"
"...well, I can use ki, too," you tell the unfamiliar woman. "But I don't think I've used anything that can strictly be considered ninpo." You're pretty close to having a working understanding of the Body Flicker, but you haven't attempted to perform it - yet.
"Not yet, at least," Kasumi echoes your thoughts with a faint smile. It's clear she's thinking of your arrangement with Ayane. Then she sighs. "Meditation sounds like a good idea, but I'm way too jumpy to try it right now. Are you sure you can, Alex?"
"I should be okay," you say confidently. "You know, as long as no one walks up and hits me in the face or something." Lu-sensei has done that a couple of times during your training, while trying to get you to maintain your awareness of your surroundings even when you're in a trance state. Thus far, you've had little success on that front.
"I think we can make sure that does not happen," Altria says wryly. "At least until Briar and Miss Chase get here, or you have to be woken to go meet them."
"Thanks for reminding me of that," you grumble sourly.
The blonde smiles and nods graciously. It's Ambrose's influence. Has to be.
Sighing, you close your eyes and begin sorting out your thoughts. You sense the ladies moving away to give you a bit of privacy, and after some generic, hushed chatter, hear Kasumi murmuring a question to Yuki about why she calls Ayame "Big Sis." You don't quite hear the answer, however, as your consciousness begins to withdraw from the world around you and sink deeper into itself.
Gained Concentration F++
Gained Ki Recovery F++
Gained Mana Recovery F
Gained Meditation F++
As always happens, once the meditation really takes hold, you lose track of not only your surroundings, but of time. While this loss of awareness never troubles you when it's actually happening, it also never fails to make you uneasy when you think about it outside of the trance-state; you're spectacularly vulnerable like this, almost as much as you are when sleeping. Lu-sensei has assured you that the problem can be overcome with enough practice, but for the time being, you have to grit your teeth and bear with it - and try to meditate only in secure locations, or when you have an ally to stand watch over you. It's usually Briar, but you think that Altria and several ninja can manage in her stead.
Though it's undeniably useful, deep meditation is an ability that can only be maintained so long before your inexperience and youthful vigor make it impossible for you to sit still any longer. As has been the case in the past, you eventually find your awareness once again turning outward. In passing, you note that your reserves are now at about 73% for ki, and a bit less than 13% for mana. As the sense of the room around you grows stronger, you frown, failing to detect Altria or Kasumi's somewhat-familiar auras, or the much more familiar ones of Briar, Cordelia, and Lu-sensei. There is only one other presence in the room, one that you recognize but can't identify with the ease of long association that lets you pick out your fellow Sunnydale residents. For some reason, it makes you think of butterflies.
Opening one eye, you see Ayane sitting across from you, on a cushion of her own, back straight, legs folded, and eyes closed as if she, too, were meditating. There is a bandage on her left forearm and some visible bruising about the right side of her face; she looks fine otherwise, wearing a dark blue outfit with red bows that you mentally designate as "Little Girl's Dress, Japanese Style." Aside from her hair, you doubt anyone would give her a second look like this - which is probably the point.