Owner	Pose
Leonardo	In the Lair, training is a core part of every turtle's day. Even those who don't do as much of it as Leonardo have time set aside to work on things, keeping their skills as sharpened as the blades the blue-masked turtle wears. Not all training, however, is physical. The mental side is equally important, if not more so, and it's something Leo spends more time on than anyone else in here aside from Splinter himself. This is why he, mask currently down to fit loosely around his neck, has made his way to join the old rat. It's time for some meditation. "I'm here, Father," he says as he steps in.
Splinter	Splinter looks up, incense slowly burning in a lazy stream between him and Leonardo. He blinks, once, twice, and then says, "Good." He gestures to the woven mat on the ground. "Sit." "You wish to learn deeper secrets of Spiritual Refinement." He thinks. "This has always been one aspect of Ninjutsu where you and Michelangelo have paid the closest attention. Each of you possesses one part of it that the other lacks." Then he looks up, and says, "...But at the same time, I worry. You are still young. Life exists to be enjoyed, and being overly serious can be as harmful as rejecting all discipline completely." He inhales. "But." "The Seshin teki kyokyo is not simply meditation... it is the enrichment of the mind."
Leonardo	Leonardo considers the mat, his face oddly different without the mask in its normal position. It causes him to look more exposed in a way, as if letting others in on a part of him that's normally kept tucked away. The brothers often drop the masks when they're just hanging out, but it's easy to get into a mindset where it's always worn in the usual spot. Then, he sits down and makes himself comfortable, crossing his legs. "I wish to learn what I need to know to be as effective as I can be, Sensei," he replies, interchanging the honorifics without thought paid to them. "And Mikey...has the potential to be the best of us, if he puts his mind to it." That, however, is the kicker, isn't it? Leo is the one who applies himself to the best of his abilities, but what he forgets in unwinding and just living life, Michelangelo more than makes up for. They could be two sides of the same coin. For as much meditating as Leonardo does, he says, "I'm ready to learn more. I can always waste time later."
Splinter	"Hmmmmmmmm." Splinter says. "Waste time." Splinter strokes his chin, and thinks about this. "Meditate with me, my son." He closes his eyes, and for a long time, he is still. Then, suddenly, there is a sensation of being pushed outward by the old rat -- and Splinter is standing, but... not standing, and the world is a kaleidoscope of color. "This is the astral plane, my son. It is created and shaped by the presence of living things. Where life is, it is."
Leonardo	"Yes, Father." Leonardo grows quiet, settling into a position he's capable of holding for hours with minimal breathing. Soon, a new feeling, one he is not quite accustomed to. It results in a momentary lurching of a sort within the turtle's mind, clear as he's been able to make it so far. He blinks, his soul-self seeming more youthful, innocent, pure, untainted by the harsh world they've grown up in. He too stands but doesn't, as if there's nothing certain just yet. "The astral plane?" he finds himself asking, eyes quickly searching for anything that might be familiar to him. Nothing appears to have formed yet. "I've heard of it, read about it a little, but this is..this is new."
Splinter	"Yes." Splinter says. "There are those with innate and developed talents far more powerful than I who can access this place... but through hard work and self-reflection, I achieved the ability to detach my consciousness from my body and go wandering through the world. I have learned much... seen many things, and gone to many strange places, all without leaving the lair." "But the power is not the point. It is the stillness, the strength of mind... the deepness of one's resolve that marks the ability to do these things... that is what matters."
Leonardo	Leonardo's initial response is a question. "And you think I have the potential to master this? Is that why you have brought me here?" Whatever it is of them that /is/ here. Their souls? their very cores of being? The thought of others existing on this plane that are more powerful than Splinter has him looking wary. "Or is it to show me how to protect myself if I'm here?" Should any of the brothers wander in on the pair back in the Lair, they will find both deep in their meditative states. Nothing brings Leonardo out of it, not even Raphael yelling, Donatello's thumping music, Michelangelo's endlessly proclaimed love of all things pizza. "What sorts of things have you seen here? Can you show me something?" he wonders.
Splinter	"I think you have the potential to begin to learn these abilities." Splinter says, "Mastery is something you will spend a lifetime pursuing. As I said, I am nothing at all compared to some of the people I have met in this place. I can feel them even now, to the North of us, like burning beacons of light. So many in one place..." Splinter turns his head, as if looking at something, and then he gestures. "Follow." They move, at the speed of thought. Then, they are high up, looking down at the world. "Like I said... the Astral Plane is created by life... by the energy of the living world. Look down."
Leonardo	Potential. Many have it. Some make the most of it. Many more never come close. If mastery over this place is something not even Splinter truly has compared to others, perhaps it will be enough to simply be adept. That is not to say Leonardo would not seek to be better than just that. "As you say," the turtle nods in agreement, though the reference to others in the north doesn't ring much of a bell for him. He simply accepts it as so. Following is a matter of being led where Splinter takes them, to the point that the world below looms as if it could be reached out and touched. His eyes widen with wonder, arms stretching out from his sides briefly as if to steady balance that doesn't really need to be. "Amazing," he marvels.
Splinter	"Yes." Splinter says, quietly. "So many things we knew about the world... but who would have believed us?" He looks to Leonardo, and says, "Once you have learned this skill for yourself, you will find the temptation to go wandering for long stretches of time, to see what alien places you can find... to forget about your body and the things you left behind." Then, suddenly, they're back in their bodies. "...That is a mistake that has taken more than one student, who learned just enough to put themselves in danger. It almost took me. Now..." He says, "I want you to do those things that will let you seek stillness... a state of no-mind. Like your brother. That... is an important lesson you must learn, much as one day Michelangelo will have to achieve discipline."
Leonardo	Leonardo continues to look down on the world from their perspective, much like a child seeing something indescribable for the first time, caught up in the sight of it, the scope larger than what may at first be fathomable. Of course he's going to wander, to explore. That is part of his nature to learn. When he speaks again, it's in the room with both of them still seated as they were. "..I'll be careful when I do, Sensei," he seeks to promise, a sign of that wonder still notable in his expression. "Asking me to empty my head as much as Mikey does is harder than you think," Leo claims, forgetting that Splinter may already know this, probably does. In fact, to get into that deep, meditative state to begin with, he must do it anyway. "But I can get pretty close," he finishes with a half-smile.
Splinter	"It does not mean that it is not worth doing. Your brother is good at emptying his mind... but there is more to it than that. Michelangelo is very thoughtful... just not in the same way as you. He is a student of *life*, which is something you must learn a little more about." Splinter says, "Perhaps you should spend more time with him, just the two of you. Observe... carefully. He may surprise you."
Leonardo	"He loves to party. I don't have the time for it that he does," Leonardo answers, when both of them already know the reasons for that. He pours so much of his free time into studying, training, practicing and practicing and practicing even more. "But I always try to see whatever's there, and he does surprise me sometimes." Raph and Donnie are more known quantities than Mikey, he's found.
Splinter	Splinter fixes Leonardo with a look. "Make time." he says. Then he proceeds to pour himself tea from a steaming pot nearby. "Your new task... is to learn from your brother. To experience him, and get to know him better. And this will in turn help your studies."
Leonardo	A resigned expression passes over Leonardo's face. It's not that he doesn't think he can learn something from Michelangelo, it's more a matter of how to get through some of the other things that come with that in order to come away with something useful. "I will make time, Father," he nods, taking the mature, measured approach to his reply. "Maybe he'll learn a little more from me at the same time." One can /hope!/
Splinter	Splinter cups his tea in both hands, and raises it to his mouth. "That's not the purpose of this." He says, before he lets out an agreeable murmur. "Now... go. Be young, while you still are, my son."
Leonardo	Leonardo rises to give the old rat a formal, deep bow, counting on not receiving a knock across the head from that walking stick in the process. "As you say, Father," he answers unquestioningly, unwaveringly, for while he is Splinter's chunin whether formally or not, and he does think for himself, he still obeys when told as long as the command is reasonable. So far, he has not determined anything from Splinter to not be. Much as he hates to lose to Michelangelo, it might be time for a gaming session in front of the television.