9733/All Dogs go to Heaven, but can they Meditate

All Dogs go to Heaven, but can they Meditate
Date of Scene:	21 October 2019
Location:	April's Farm - Northampton, MA
Synopsis:	Pippi makes a mess of Leonardo's leaf-raking. He then attempts to teach her about meditation, with Alopex there to help.
Cast of Characters:	Leonardo, Pippi, Alopex

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Leonardo has posed:
The scene around the farm property is one of things being in motion. There is some preparation going on for returning to New York City, which is to happen in the next day or so, but true to the way he is, Leonardo is getting a jump on some of the cleanup so it isn't left for the last second, risking any delays.

While it won't make a lick of difference in a few days when the place is closed up and locked down again until the next visit, Leo's been raking some leaves. It's clear to see what he's been over and what's still left to get to, given the piles here and there and other areas where the leaves remain on the ground.

Pippi has posed:
    Wind isn't a thing today. Those piles of leaves were calling to her, and as she came out of the woods, Pippi's ears draw up. She tenses. She eyeballs the leaves like they were an old enemy and then with a burst of energy the Power Pup LAUNCHES herself forward, running as fast as her legs can carry her, LEAPS clear over the picnic table and with a mighty woop of joy, lands in the biggest pile of leaves, scattering a bunch everywhere!

    And there's just a red and white tail sticking out of the leaves, wagging like crazy.

Alopex has posed:
    Motion. Movement. Rummaging about. There's a few things left on Alopex's own checklist. Get together the food that wasn't eaten (all of it is non-pizza), make sure there's enough ice to keep it cold on the way back to NYC (Or stop to get ice somewhere, somehow), and stow it all in the van. It's as she closes the back, and turns around, she notices Leonardo. Leaves. Piles. Leonardo diligently raking, but she's staring at the piles as some old instinc is demanding .. something.

        Then Pippi dives into one like an olympian.

Catharsis through a friend, and it settles that old instinct. Probably some sort of hunting urge, flush out something, chase it afterward. At least she doesn't succumb to it. For now. "Leonardo, I do believe you may need another set of hands."

Leonardo has posed:
The piles even seem to form some kind of pattern if one stops to consider them. Zen garden, eat your heart out. But then, there is motion from one area of the property. The blue-masked turtle just stands there as Pippi zooms in, watching with a sort of blank expression as the biggest pile suddenly gets an occupant, scattering a number of leaves around with more being sent about by that tail.

Leonardo rubs the back of his head in silence, the rake upright in his hand with the tines up top, until hearing a voice. "How was I supposed to know she'd do that, Alopex?" By the time he looks her way, she's likely controlled whatever she was about to do.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi's head sticks out of the leaves, and she glances around embarrassedly. She has leaves in her hoodie, in her hair, everywhere, and she looks up at Leo.

    "What? You've never jumped into a pile of leaves?" she inquires, brow markings rising up. "Aah, just gotta get some energy out. Nervous about driving bakc I think, 'cause out here it's so quiet and nice and there's no patrols and tons of food and that creepy owl but there's also no Shredder and no murderlizard with the big claws and maybe it's not a bad idea to stay a while longer and--" she trails off a moment, and rubs the back of her head, ears flicking backwards.

    "Ah... yeah. Just came back from a run in the woods. Just can't seem to sit still!"

Alopex has posed:
    "I doubt there was a way to know, without knowing if she had done it before. Not that I know," the fox muses before looking at Pippi with a small smile. "Yes, it's been a very nice place to stay. Maybe something we can do annually, Leonardo?" Alopex suggests as she glances over to him. "Something to look forward to while we are doing other things. It helps for people to have something to work toward." Then back to Pippi. "Some pent up energy, hmm? Probably best to run about while you can, then. That drive is a long one."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo's expression remains more neutral than not, though there's enough of a twitch in there that he might be fighting a smile..or something else. "That's a shift from you sounding afraid to even come here in the first place, Pippi," he says one the dog's head and upper body have resurfaced. "And no, I haven't. In case you didn't notice, we don't have trees in the Lair." A hand gesture follows, though the other piles are not as large. "Get out all the energy you need. We'll have all of that stuff to go back to soon enough."

He gives Alopex a look of consideration at her choice of words as far as leaf pile diving is concerned, then shakes it off. "I doubt April would mind if we did it in the spring or summer, either. She seemed very happy with all the work that was done, and if we ever run into some serious trouble this is a good place to fall back to and think about what to do next."

Eyes return Pippi's way. "Any more squirrels?"

Pippi has posed:
    "There's trees in Central Park." Pippi points out, and she hops out of the leaves, shaking them off and brushing them out o fhe rhair. She still has a bright red one sticking out, stem caught in the curls

    "Well... I was worried that without a place to hide, The Lab might... y'know. Find me easier." Pippi admits quietly, and she rubs the back of her head. "I might be dumb, but I think of some stuff..."

    and speaking of being dumb, she looks at the hand, still wrapped and sheepishly adds:

    "I wanted to try and understand the hunting instinct that Alopex and Nemean have. So I attempted to hunt a squirrel. I managed to catch one but I couldn't... bring myself to hurt it." she winces slightly, even looking apologetically to Alopex.

    "... it bit me and dug its teeth in and I kinda flailed about in the woods and accidentallied a dead oak tree."

Alopex has posed:
    "Also true," Alopex muses of using the place as a backup. I have Winterfall, but something beyond the city's reach is helpful. We just need to ensure we do not speak of it outside the lair. One never knows who is listening. If it is secret, and if it is safe, I think we could return on a regular basis."

    With the pup emerging from the pile, Alopex wanders over to give a little help, to pluck some errant leaves, and to hear what she has to say of the squirrel. The lab? .. she won't go into the lab. Stirrs up too much for them both, she feels. "Ah.. it is hard to explain an instinct, Pippi. It is an urge one is born with. A feeling you should do something and if you don't resist it, the likelihood of doing it increases a great deal. If you actually caught it? That is proof of your training paying off. As for it meeting a tree, well, that's your strength and likely a reaction to it biting you." .... Hrm. "Has the bite been healing well?"

Leonardo has posed:
"The only problem is it's a distance to get to, but that's also to our benefit," Leonardo explains. He grows quiet while listening to Pippi's tale - he's also listened to her tail whacking things before - and adds, "Alopex is right. Instincts..you either have them or you don't. You can't teach them. That's why they're instincts. I have a feeling leaping into piles of leaves are an instinct of yours."

Pause. "And no, I'm not doing that in Central Park." Party pooper. He adds, "I doubt Shredder or the Foot knows of this place, and we need to do everything we can to keep it that way." The rake is set aside. He has something else to occupy his attention now.

Pippi has posed:
    "Like the instinct to help people?" Pippi asks, listening to both the leaders, and when Leo declines jumping in leaves, she sticks her tongue out at him. Just the first two inches.

    "Party pooper." she accuses him playfully, but she goes to retrieve the rake and rake the pile in to a haphazard, less-than-zen pile again.

    "I was also thinkin'... you offered to do some meditation practice too. Before we came up here, someone said it might help with my focus issues."

Alopex has posed:
    "... I suppose that could be one. I turned on the Clan due to what I saw them doing, how they treated others. How he spoke of family when taking others away from them. I refused to accept it any longer." TOPIC CHANGE.

    "Anyway," she turns to Leo, "I packed the remaining food and anything else I saw that we brought with us. Things are back to how they were, minus the repairs we did.." hmm... "That wouldn't be a bad idea. The fire would have been ideal for it, but it is something you can try anytime you like."

Leonardo has posed:
"..maybe," Leonardo agrees after thinking about it for a few seconds. Helping being an instinct could fit. Alopex receives a short nod and a word of "Thanks" from him. "At least someone's helping out. I think Mikey is trying to figure out how many bones he'll break if he skateboards off the roof, and if it's worth it. There aren't a lot of spots for him to do that with all this grass around."

Meditation talk? Oh. Easy. "A fire is good for meditation, but there was a lot going on last night for it to be anyone's first try. You want it to be quieter. You want to be able to clear your thoughts and focus better. Follow me."

He motions for both of them to come along, since Alopex could always help and might benefit from a meditation session as well, and he takes them out toward a stream that burbles quietly as a little background noise. There are a few smoothed stones large enough for them to sit upon, or they can take up spots on the ground. "Make yourselves comfortable."

Pippi has posed:
    "Any time there's been a fire there's been food. I can't concentrate when Mikey's trying to get me to catch marshmallows from fifteen feet away." Pippi replies to Pex.

    Never mind that she was focused pretty intently on the marshmallow. She pauses as Leo motions for them, and she sets the rake down, looking t othe leaf pile with a little wag of the tail, and then turns to follow along behind their Fearless Leader.

    Pippi picks a rock, near to the bubbling stream, and she spluts down in her typical W-shape posture, glancing between Leo and Alopex.

Alopex has posed:
    "True, I suppose with all the company and food, it would have been difficult last night," Pex admits as she moves to follow after Leonardo. Given the chance to sit, she finds herself a soft spot and settles down. "Not a bad choice of spot," she comments before allowing Leo to educate as needed. "Just relax, Pip. That's first and foremost."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo bypasses a rock, opting instead for the ground itself. In fact, there's a turtle-shaped imprint right there. Funny how that works. "The first thing you want to do is answer what you want out of meditation," he explains. "Is it just for focus? Is it to help deal with stress?" A glance toward Pippi follows; they've covered that part already. "To relax easier? To help deal with pain? There are a lot of reasons to meditate." And he covers many of them when he does it.

He also positions himself in a classic meditation pose, legs tucked in beneath him, the backs of his hands resting across the knees, eyes shutting gently. It doesn't look like an expected position for one unpracticed, but he shows no discomfort.

"First, just let your breathing come naturally. Don't rush it. Don't try to slow it down. Let it be the way it is. Focus on it and how the parts of your body move with each breath. Watch me if you have to, then close your eyes and try it. A minute. Two minutes. If other things start coming into your head, focus on your breathing again."

He expects, at least in Pippi's case, for her mind to wander quickly. It almost always does for a beginner.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi wriggles a bit on a rock, then chooses the ground instead, like the other (smarter) peopel did. She attempts to better arrange herself, sitting cross legged, then she wrinkles her nose and sits on her legs, tail curling over her feet as she finds a comfortable place to sit. She turns to Alopex, looking to the fox a moment before she shrugs her shoulders, and she leans her hands in her lap, palm down, and closes her eyes.

    Her ears flick. Her chest rises and falls. Her tail gives a wag, and then stills.

    Her ears flick forward. Draw up. Draw down. Try to find a good place to relax.

Alopex has posed:
    "It sounds simple, but it isn't. Take your time, and don't expect to be perfect, just like with your other training," Alopex offers as she also goes silent. This comes far easier for her, likely.

Leonardo has posed:
"Spoiler alert: you're not going to get very far the first few times, and if you do I'll be surprised. It took me a lot of focus and practice to get there," Leonardo says. "Your mind is naturally thinking about a lot of things at once. It's going to want to do that, to drift and stray toward stuff that's been going on. Worries, fears, food if you're hungry, things you might have an instinct to do. Forcing yourself to push all of that away even for a couple minutes is not easy right away, so don't get too frustrated."

All these warnings. Will it just make it more difficult for Pippi to begin with, or will it help her understand this is natural for a beginner? He is unmoving aside from the way his body shifts in place with each breath, then he lets silence reign for as long as it will, the white noise of the water running nearby in the background.

Pippi has posed:
    "Well, yeah, there's a lot to think about. Where your next meal is coming from. If you get a next meal. Where is everybody located at. What's that smell..." Pippi trails off, and her ears flick forward again.

    "All the sounds. All the people. Where the ones you care about are at..." she trails off again, and shifts her weight, trying to get comfortable. Her left ear, with its triangle-shaped Delta and her code number flicks. "At least it's not dark."

Leonardo has posed:
As Alopex already slips into a meditative state, Leonardo lets Pippi speak until she's shared what's on her mind, then he quietly shushes her. "Yes. Now, try not to say anything for a minute or two, then tell me what you felt. Talking is only going to distract you." He also falls silent, giving her the chance to make some progress on her own. Meanwhile, he takes advantage of the ability to clear his own thoughts and just be.

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi's ears flick back at the admonishment, turning a little pink, but she gives a huff of breath out througuh her nose, shifs her weight, then concentrates. Breathe in. Feel the cooler air against your nose. Take it in. Feel the chest expand, the pull of the ribcage. Breathe out, the warm air leaving. Breathe in. The way her arms pull slightly as her chest expands. The feeling of her fingerpads againts the ripped jeans. Breathe out.

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo hears nothing for now aside from the faint noises around them, but it can also sharpen other senses. This may especially hold true for someone with stronger ones to begin with. His stress levels have already been reduced here, and he's been seen smiling and joking with others, even with Raphael. Why can't it always be like that? Because, in the end, they all still have to go back.

Pippi has posed:
    Back to the City. To the Danger. Back to the Lair.

    Breathe in. The sound of the babbling brook, each drop of water gurgling and rushing. The whisper of the leaves in the air, dryly brushing against one another as they're swept up. the smell of wood smoke clinging to the woods around them. The warm smell of Alopex. The cooler scent of Leonardo. The feeling of the denim fibers beneath her fingers, and the sunshine on her face.

    Breathe out.

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo cracks open an eye after hearing nothing for perhaps longer than he was expecting. Has Pippi fallen asleep? A glance is had toward Alopex as well, but the turtle still says nothing. Could Pippi be a natural at this?

Pippi has posed:
    Pippi's ears are flicking. She's probably not asleep, but it's clear that there's a struggle for focus. Her tail, short as her fur is, is 'poofed' slightly. Her hands twitch, but she was hesitant to make any sort of noise to disturb the other two. She's trying /so hard/.

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo's voice cuts in, but it's almost as soothing as the babbling brook. "I think it's been longer than a minute or two, and you aren't calm. Open your eyes and tell me what you were feeling."

Pippi has posed:
    "Mmmrnggh... just... not relaxed." Pippi admits. her ears hanging forward. "I can't shake the feeling that something bad's going to happen, Leo." Pippi rubs the back of her head a moment. "And I'm trying really hard. I'm paying attention to how mu chest is moving, and feeling the muscles and my stomach and relaxing the shoulders but... I dunno. Is there a thing as being 'bad' at meditation?"

Leonardo has posed:
"No, there isn't. There's just 'not experienced enough yet,'" Leonardo says, suggesting he believes anyone can meditate with enough focus and practice. "I know there are bad things ahead, but there are good things ahead too. We'll all face those things together and try to be ready for them. Just go back to thinking about your breathing first and try to keep it steady. You were starting to twitch all over, just about."

Pippi has posed:
    "Had to move. It's hard to be perfectly still." she states, and closes her eyes again.

    "... and don't even think about trying to balance a cookie on my nose."

Leonardo has posed:
Leonardo quips, "We'll save the cookie for another time." He really /can/ lighten up under the right conditions!

"This is just the start, Pippi. Try it a few more times here, because once we're back in the city it's going to be harder for you to focus. This is the best place to get used to the basics. Even if you can only go for fifteen seconds of clear thought, you can build on that."

Pippi has posed:
    "Ha. Ha." Pippi replies wryly, and she rolls her head, cracking her neck and re-assumes the meditative position.

    "... thanks, Leo, Pex, by the way... for taking the time." she adds quietly, and she lets out a breath. "I won't try /as/ hard not to move this time."

Leonardo has posed:
"You're welcome, but it's part of what we're here for," Leonardo replies, shutting his eyes again...and yet there may be the sense that he is more aware of his surroundings than someone with their eyes open.

He will remain here with them as long as it takes for Pippi to make progress she's satisfied with, or decide she's had enough. Of course, Mikey could come screaming by. Donnie could create more wubs from the barn garage. Raph could come thump him on the back of the head to interrupt him. Anything is possible.