trans_9 | Massage Club, Meeting One

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Massage Club, Meeting One

After making her announcement, Yuna scurried about making her little hut presentable. There were rags drawn over the windows for makeshift curtains, sheets piled on the table, and candles lit wherever possible. Of course, they were a mishmash of scavenged candles and no two matched, but it was better than nothing.

The hut where they would be learning had two rooms: a somewhat larger room with benches for the theory lessons, and a smaller room in the back for treatments. The back room probably wouldn't be needed today, but she hoped to use it when oils and creams were available.

"Good morning," Yuna greeted her guests, smiling brightly at them. "We'll get started soon!"

(Dive right in! Feel free to start a new subthread if your character wants to do another lesson or provide other advice, and have fun!)

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Greetings and chances to mingle among the benches came first.

((Just an optional chat thread, Yuna will answer any questions asked.))

After an extensive anatomy lesson that they definitely needed to cooperate to get through (and that was just on the upper body today!), they started on on etiquette. There were a few things Yuna wanted to cover.

"We all have clean hands, right? We won't be touching very much skin today, but it's always important. And it wouldn't be smart to wear jewelry, it can hurt when it's pressed into the skin."

There wasn't much to cover as they were only doing head and back that day, but it was still important to get everyone grounded.

"We'll be able to do more later when we have more private rooms and creams and oils, but for today we're just applying pressure over clothes. Remember not to press on the spine or tilt the neck too far, all right? We'll rub the scalp and temples, roll the shoulders, and rub the back. Pressing alongside the spine can help too! But don't forget to start slowly. Allow your partner to get used to your touch first, and slow down before you stop. There's no hurry, all right?"

When all that was said, she waved a hand. "Please ask questions if you have any, but if you're ready, grab a partner and take turns! I'll join in too."

(Wait for a partner, grab an existing one, or take Yuna. Have fun, get messy, make mistakes!)

"Planning to have any standard practice for lotions or oils when looking at muscle stimulation massage? Or is that for some other time?" Sakura was asking for contextual reasons, curious.

"Well..." Yuna hadn't thought about that. "I think...I'd like to let everyone use what the client is most comfortable with. Is one more effective than the other?"

"Lotions can build up a residue," Sakura said with a shrug, "Depending on the kind. Easier and safer to work with ones that have no extra scent, when it comes to lotions, and that can help with dry skin. Oils are absorbed to an extent, then better washed off. With patients who can't move around a lot, the lotion's probably easier to use. And you don't always have to, if it can be beneficial."

"Right," Yuna took her notes. "Then we can decide based on the situation. Scents can cause problems, and allergic reactions can happen....I'll make sure to ask if there might be any problems."

Another nod from Sakura. Her main concern had been addressed, and she wanted to be on the sidelines of most of this. It was easier, and frankly, much more interesting.

"Anyone think they have an idea of what we're practicing?" Sakura was fairly confident she did, if she was looking to help give confidence and pointers to those who might not be so confident.

Ronnie smiled and nodded, happy that it wasn't a big crowd, so she felt more comfortable even if she was slightly blushing. "I used to give my parents massages when they got back from missions. One of my mamas showed me how to."

Yuna was very glad to hear that. "That's wonderful! I'm sure you'll be great at it. Did you two want to work together?"

Sakura smiled back to Ronnae. "I'd be happy to work with you, Ronnae, if you don't mind."

Why was there a hut covered with rags? This needed to be investigated!

Maybe if Lash read the posts more often...

She peeked in and...what the heck was going on.

"Hello!" Yuna greeted the newcomer cheerfully, hoping to help ease the confusion she saw. "This is the first meeting of our club---for people who want to practice massage. Are you joining us?"

Wow, it was like Yuna's mouth was moving, but Lash didn't understand half of it. Okay, clubs maybe, she could almost think of the outsiders as one, but massages? Why would they need to practice it?

"Uhh...." she staled on, looking more lost than anything else.

Yuna took this to mean that some explaining might help.

"We were hoping to help everyone feel better. The battles can cause muscle damage and pain, and we're going to learn how to fix that. It might also help everyone to relax," she smiled, announcing her secondary goal.

"If you wanted to stay, you could accept one of our chair massages or practice yourself!"

"Oh, ah s-sure! I'd love to~" It was someone she was definitely comfortable with and one of her friends. It would help her feel much more at ease. She smiled and bowed towards both.

Jinx smiled smugly, with her deft fingers and clever hands she was sure she would be a quick study. Already she was re-running through the information Yuna had provided in the discussion.

Now, she needed a ~~test subject~~ partner to practice with.

"How about you?" She offered.

"All right," Yuna agreed easily, clearing a comfortable bench for them. "Do you want to practice first, or should I?"

"Mmm you first. Learning by example should be easier."

Plus she had some tension she wouldn't mind having massaged out, what with the whole trying to find her place in this new life.

She took a seat awaiting instructions.

"All right. I'll talk you through what I'm going to do."

Yuna tied up her sleeves and seated herself behind Jinx, taking a few moments to breathe. When she was stable, she lifted her hands and laid them on the other girl's shoulderblades. "Try to focus on breathing. We'll start slowly to get used to it all."

After a moment of getting Jinx used to her touch, she began her broad strokes. Up, curl over the shoulders, squeeze, slide down the back to the base. She passed her thumbs over the girl's neck to warm it as well, going until the muscles were warmed enough.

When that was done, she started to make gentle rolling movements on the muscles in her neck and shoulders. "It's all right, relax."

Jinx paid attention to the motions as best she could while also willing herself to relax. Her breathing was deep and slow and measured. When was the last time she'd allowed herself time to relax really? She could hardly remember. Before her life had been thrown completely out of order she'd been focused, hard working, aiming for lofty goals to satisfy her ambitions.

With none of those goals here though all that tension and energy had no where to go. toned muscles relished the gentle ministrations of the other woman as Jinx mapped out in her mind the actions she too would perform.

Yuna smiled. It seemed to be working! She started then on the back, careful to press and rub around the spine. The shoulders were spots of tension too, ones that she carefully worked before moving down the arms and back.

It was slow going, but loosening happened eventually. She brought her hands up and gently chopped her way up the woman's back, pressing on the way down, sure to catch every muscle down to the base of her spine in the slow soothing strokes that followed.

When everything seemed done, Yuna paused with her hands on Jinx's shoulders again. One...two...three...ever so slowly, she released the other woman. "You're done! It's your turn whenever you're ready---I didn't want to mess up your hair, but we can practice that later if you'd like."

He shot a lazy glance around. "I'm up for giving or receiving, whichever! Who wants a piece of this?"

"If anyone's interested, I can teach you about something of a different technique," Morgan said, as he produced a chart he'd (rather poorly) rendered himself. "It's a different kind of massage relying on the principles of vital stimulation rather than direct manipulation of the muscles."

"A girl could get use to that." she smirked and stretched feeling a flood of crisp clear awareness and energy. It was really amazing just what a little relaxation, forced or otherwise could do for a body.

Rising to her feet she turned to face Yuna, "Oh no problem, I'd like to give it a shot now. And after setting all this up you deserve a little relaxing yourself."

Yuna looked pleased. It was such a relief that her first attempt hadn't gone too badly.

"Make sure you don't forget to get a drink today---or let one of the hydration needles help you. It's important to have plenty of water," she advised quickly, reminding herself to get a drink before heading back to work today.

Once she was turned in the right direction she straightened and relaxed as Jinx had for her, head slightly lowered. Time to see if she'd taught this properly.

Jinx wasn't shy about getting started, copying Yuna's original motions start with her delicate long fingered hands resting on Yuna's shoulders deep breaths now, nice and slow." She offered breathing with her "subject" before starting on the broad slow gentle strokes of her fingertips.

The lessons had been learned, then. Yuna smiled to herself, steadily relaxing. She had been tense leaning over beds and bustling around to study, now that she thought about it.

"Yes." In, out...in, out...

She winced when the tension between her shoulderblades was hit, but that could be taken care of. It was all going to be fine.

"Ah!" The wince startled Jinx and she loosened her grip, "Sorry did that hurt?" Though there was concern in her voice in her mind there was resentment at having made a mistake.

"No...it's just a bad spot. You can loosen it with a little work, it's okay!" she reassured, straightening her posture to ensure she wasn't inadvertently causing herself more pain.

"Alright then." Jinx carefully returned to work focusing her senses to try and feel the muscles hidden beneath the skin of Yuna. "Mind if I ask what it's from?" A little friendly conversation, hopefully getting people to open up while relaxing.

Yuna was glad to hear it. Talking was good, to keep people at ease with each other.

"Well...I guess I've just been working hard," she said softly. "I've spent so many days bent over the screens and pulling things that I must have strained something. I'll be more careful after this," she was sure. Definitely sure, because she wanted this knot out.

Well this knot was now Jinx's enemy, and she had no intention of letting it go without being soothed.

"I can understand that. A girl's gotta give it her all in everything she does." At least that's how she went through life. "In work and in love." She added giving the statement an extra level.

Yuna worried her lip at those words. In love...Tidus, she thought, the loved one she hadn't seen in several weeks. Was he already gone?

She pushed that aside for the moment. "Why do you say that? Are you worrying about love with someone?"

"I suppose you could call me a romantic." Jinx explained moving her hands along Yuna's back using a gentle stroke to encourage pleasant feelings before she returned to massaging the muscles. "We all want what we can't have you know?" She chuckled playfully.

"That's true more often than we'd like" she agreed, calmed by the touch. She could focus on taking care of herself, it wasn't all that difficult. "But I believe we can have what we want sometimes...it just comes at a price."

Sometimes a very heavy one.

"That is how it goes so often isn't it?" Jinx sighed peacefully while her hands moved down along her body. "But if there's anything worth paying for I suppose love would be it." Though Jinx was a greedy sort who had trouble with the concept of self sacrifice.

"Yes. It would mean everything if we could stop this suffering somehow," she wished, relaxing back. Jinx had done so well, she was feeling better already.

She sighed in contentment. "Thank you."

Jinx withdrew her hands with a smirk, "No thank you. Skills like this can come in handy when you least expect them to."

The wunderkind took a step backwards...but didn't leave quite yet. Something was obviously bothering her, but then she thought of the possibilities it could present.

"I haven't had much experience in physical contact," she explained. Well with Zetta but that was an entirely different thing! Right? Right!

"Is that supposed to be a human body?" Lash replied, looking at the poor rendered chart. Subtlety was not part of her repertoire of words.

"Yes, but quality is not guaranteed, and somehow my handy laminated charts didn't make it into the possessions area when the ship saved me." Not that he was bothered; he knew he couldn't draw.

"Riiiight," the wunderkind said, rubbing her chin. "I don't get what it's supposed to be, exactly."

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Massage Club, Meeting One

Check-in

Basics

Practice

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/remembers to tag this finally

Acupressure!

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Re: Acupressure!

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