Aida and Sue rinsed themselves off and donned their spa robes in silence, accompanied by an occasional sniffle. Sue gave Aida a watery smile as they both stepped through the curtains back to the lobby. Connie was there to greet them.
“This way, girls! How was your soak?”
“It was wonderful,” Aida said, since Sue was still lost in thought. “I don’t see why you don’t have more clients.”
Connie tsked. “That’s what I’m saying! We’re the first spa in this district, so I don’t know why word isn’t spreading more quickly.”
Gesturing them to a private room with a sliding door, Connie gave them instructions to remove their robes, lay face down on the two beds with their foreheads placed on the cushioned rack, and to cover their backsides with the cloths provided; she and one of her assistants would be in shortly to give them their full body massages.
Finally seeming to come back to her usual cheerful self, Sue stepped into the massage room first, making soft “ooh”-ing noises as she took in the decor.
The room overall was quite dim, with only a small skylight in the center, and aromatic candles burning in the corners. Twin massage beds were placed in the room, with a curtain separating the two beds. Aida’s favorite feature was the rivulet flowing through the room in front of the door, providing soothing ambiance as the water made its way through the pebbles placed throughout the small channel. The bamboo bridge that allowed them to cross over the rivulet produced a satisfying clock with their clogs as Sue and Aida made their way to the beds.
Hanging her robe up on the hook on the wall, Aida could already hear the creak of the bed as Sue climbed on to it. Feeling rushed, she quickly wrapped her towel around herself and lay on the bed, becoming self-conscious again now that there was no steam providing any illusion of cover. Her timing was good – almost immediately after she straightened her legs, Connie was calling through the door. Sue responded that they were ready, and the door slid open a fraction, Connie’s words coming through more clearly.
“I’m so sorry girls…my assistant ran out to grab some items, but isn’t back yet. Is it okay if one of you has a male masseuse?”
“It’s fine,” Sue said, a smile coming through despite being muffled by the headrest.
“Excellent! If it makes you feel more comfortable, my son Caleb will be the replacement. I’m sure you’ve seen his Earth mana prowess at school, but it is something else when applied to massage,” Connie said proudly.
“Mother, please stop,” Caleb’s soft voice mumbled.
“Oh, stop being so modest,” Connie chastened him. “Go ahead, why don’t you take Suelina, and I’ll take Aida.” Ignoring Caleb’s stammers, Connie stepped in, surefooted, bearing a tray with bottles and vials on it. She smiled at Aida, who immediately dropped her head back into the headrest as Caleb, also dressed in a dark purple yukata, stepped through the door cautiously, his face red.
“Don’t forget to close the door,” Connie reminded Caleb, sweeping Aida’s hair away from the back of her neck. “Have you ever had a massage before, dear?”
“Not a full body massage,” Aida confessed. Just whatever shoulder massages her mother or father gave her at home.
“No worries, you are in for a treat! Do you mind if I tie your hair up?”
Acquiescing, Aida felt her hair being tucked to the top of her head, and felt the tickle of something silky skimming the back of her neck as Connie wound it around her ponytail. She could hear murmurs on the other side of the curtain as Caleb and Sue conversed, but she couldn’t make out what they were saying.
Connie pulled the towel down, folding it over her buttocks. “I’ll start from the top of your spine, and then slowly move down and outwards, treating whatever knots and blockages you may have,” Connie informed her, gently touching various points along her back to trace out the path she would take. “Just let me know if I’m pressing too hard, or if you want some more focus on a certain area.”
“Okay.”
“If this is your first time at a massage, I would also recommend you do some mana circulation during this session,” Connie advised, beginning to oil her hands up. “Caleb has said he believes that helped him expand his reservoir and awareness.”
“Really?” Aida asked, intrigued. “If you don’t mind me asking, are you an earth mana practitioner too?”
“Of course I don’t mind! And yes, John – Caleb’s father – and I are both mana practitioners. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough power back then to be admitted to Maglica, but I assure you we have refined our technique to guarantee you will feel refreshed,” Connie promised, beginning to spread oil along the back of her neck.
“I believe you,” Aida assured her. “Out of curiosity, how do you use your mana to facilitate your massage?”
Connie made a thoughtful noise as she began working her fingers right below Aida’s neck. “I don’t know the exact terminology you learn at school, but I’ll do my best to explain what I do.” She started kneading Aida’s shoulder blades. “When I started my apprenticeship, I was only taught the physical aspects of acupressure – you know, where the major acupressure points are, how to release and encourage blood flow – but eventually, since massaging is as meditative for me as it is for my clients, I found myself connecting with my clients’ energy circulation. Not exactly mana circulation,” she added hastily. “But more of the barebones energy circulation that every living creature has that sustains their life force. Don’t forget to circulate your mana, dear.”
Shutting her eyes, Aida attempted to relax as Connie’s fingers pushed firmly into the knots in her back. “Your circulation helps me identify blockages more easily as well, so don’t be shy.”
“I’m trying to circulate, but I keep getting distracted by the pain.”
“It’s too much? I’ll let up, so you can get into the zone.” With that, Connie’s touch lightened to a soothing rub. Aida followed her flow, expanding her awareness through her body. After hearing Connie’s description, Aida noticed some areas of her body seemed to constrict her mana flow. Curious, she focused on one such area (her shoulder), and immediately felt Connie’s own energy – innocuous, almost imperceptible – pushing its way through the knot in that muscle, stirring up the concentrated, albeit stagnant, mana there, and burst through the blockage to unimaginable relief.
Gratified, Aida decided instead to follow where Connie’s fingers decided to go – to the opposite shoulder of her dominant hand. Unlike the first release, Connie didn’t use too much energy to remove any blockages; likely because there wasn’t as much of a blockage here. Instead, Connie just massaged the muscles, relaxing her body (which certainly still helped to improve her circulation), before moving down to Aida’s lower back, where she started feeding energy again.
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Fascinated, Aida observed Connie’s workflow. The woman certainly seemed to be in tune with Aida’s own mana. She prioritized the worst blockages, but she also kept a balance; once she cleared one blockage, she would focus on the opposing side of the body, slowly working her way out. Seeming to follow Aida’s thoughts, Connie explained her process, her voice distant. “You might wonder why I don’t focus on treating the muscle groups following the blockage clearing, and why I move to another part of the body: that’s because I want to give your energy the time to settle. There’s nothing wrong with doing the whole group at the same time, of course, but I would run the risk of wasting my energy trying to supplement your flow, so I prefer to let your body and energy sort itself out where it can and just assist with major blockages.”
Content with Connie’s explanation, Aida relaxed into the massage. She didn’t even really feel pain in her body anymore, just relief as Connie cleared blockages. As the session went on, the bursts of release became less and less satisfying, as Connie focused more and more on the incremental blocks. Finally, Connie gave Aida a head massage, before announcing her task complete.
Lethargic, Aida slowly pushed herself up on the table as the door slid shut behind Connie and Caleb. She could feel Sue on the other side of the curtain stirring as well. Her eyes snapping wide open, she focused on her expanded senses. It was true – she couldn’t see Sue or a thermal outline of her or anything, but she could sense what Sue was doing. She was stretching – and yawning.
Bewildered by these details, Aida moved on, and could sense Caleb still standing outside the door, motionless – although with an elevated heart rate.
“Aida? Are you all right?” Sue asked, concerned tingeing her voice.
“Never better,” Aida said slowly. “...Sue, is this…are you able to sense people’s mana and energy? Like, even when you can’t see them?”
“Ooo, did the massage unlock a new ability for you?” Sue asked happily. She began pulling the robe on. “Yes, I usually can sense other living creatures. I’m so glad this was such a beneficial trip!” Coming around the curtain and totally ignoring Aida’s nakedness still, Sue fetched her robe for her. “I find my awareness typically dulls with time – you never feel as refreshed as immediately after a massage, you know? But I can still sense things normally. I’ve also heard that water practitioners usually are more sensitive and aware than the rest of us other elements.”
Though intrigued by the new information, Aida kept her attention on Caleb through the door. He seemed conflicted, but he didn’t seem to hear the discussion between Sue and Aida, so it probably wasn’t related to that. “Hey Sue,” Aida murmured. “Did something happen with Caleb?”
“Hmm? No, not really. Why, what’s up?”
“No worries, we’ll talk about it when I buy you your dessert.” Aida smiled at Sue. Oblivious main character.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
It turned out Aida didn’t have to buy Sue dessert at all. Caleb brought Aida and Sue to a small bench in the zen garden, where Connie had prepared small bowls of nutritious jelly and hot tea for them. Caleb was doing his best to act normal, and Aida had to admit he was doing a great job of it. If it weren’t for her heightened awareness, she wouldn’t have thought he was acting any differently than at school.
As it was though, his pulse would spike whenever he looked at Sue or heard her voice. Sue, on the other hand, was totally unaware of the effect she had on Caleb. Perhaps she was so used to everyone physiologically responding to her that way that she didn’t realize it was abnormal. Aida worked hard to keep her mirth hidden; fortunately, everyone seemed to think her placid smile resulted from an excellent spa day.
After Connie and Caleb left, Sue leaned against Aida as she scooped her jelly. “Thanks for coming with me,” she said happily. “It’s so much more fun going to a spa with a friend.”
“Thank you for inviting me along,” Aida returned, taking a bite of her jelly. It was a dark brown color, and smelled earthy. It certainly tasted earthy too, and carried an undertone of bitterness, counteracted by the drizzle of honey on top. The tea itself was smooth, and easily washed away the bitterness from the pudding. Overall, Aida enjoyed the new flavor combinations.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” Sue leaned in closer, speaking in stage whisper. “Are you into Caleb?”
Aida rolled her eyes. “No, I’m one-hundred percent certain he’s into you – precisely because of my heightened awareness.”
Sue scoffed. “Okay, Master. Tell me more. What evidence do you have?”
“I’m so glad you asked,” Aida declared. “Let’s start with the everyday observations. Have you noticed that he can’t stop staring at you whenever you’re around?”
“He’s just keeping tabs on his rival. It’s not surprising that someone of his ability pays attention to those who could be a threat to him,” Sue said loftily, sipping her tea. She flicked her wrist. “Next.”
“Really? Does he keep tabs on Levi and Ezra the same way?” Aida asked, interested.
“Um…” Sue pulled up short. “I don’t know, actually.”
“Do you keep tabs on Levi and Ezra – and Caleb – the same way?” Aida persisted.
“...kind of,” Sue said, scrunching her face up cutely. She rallied almost immediately. “I mean, there’s no need to. I don’t consider them a threat.” At Aida’s pointed look, she relented. “Okay, no, you’re right, we’re all kind of neck-and-neck. But I have better things to do, okay? Keeping track of the political climate isn’t the most fun thing.”
“I don’t think Caleb is interested in politics, either,” Aida pointed out. Caleb was at the other end of the zen garden, smoothing out and crushing the pebbles into white sand on that end before raking it with a short wooden rake. Presumably he was working to improve the texture, but from her perspective he was blowing off some steam. Unfortunately, he was too far away for her new and improved senses to confirm his intentions. “Levi and Ezra seem like the type to keep track of the political situation.”
Sue sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. But still, Caleb hasn’t acted any differently since we first met in first year. You were there!”
Aida shrugged. “I’m pretty certain this isn’t a new development.” She glanced slyly at Sue. “Trust me, his body is responding to you, even if you think his mind isn’t.”
Sue frowned at Caleb in the distance, before shrugging. “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it, so no point in thinking about it.”
Aida laughed. Contrary to what she expected of being a supporting character to the main character, it wasn’t as bad or annoying as she thought. Sue certainly had the Main Character characteristics, but she was a genuinely likable person with a decently level head.
“We should probably get going,” Sue said, looking up at the sun. “I still want to get my shopping done, and then we need to get my fire float before sundown.”
Collecting their bowls and cups into the tray, Aida followed Sue back to the locker room, stopping by the reception area to hand the tray back to Connie. Aida dallied at the counter, letting Sue enter the locker room first. Connie smiled at Aida inquisitively.
“I just wanted to thank you for explaining how you use your mana to improve your work,” Aida said sincerely. “You helped me deepen my understanding of mana, and I can tell my mana flow and awareness has improved so much already.”
Connie’s eyes became watery. “Oh, you’re so sweet,” she said. “You are the reason why I do what I do. I love being able to help people feel their best. I know you have a great future ahead of you, but if you are ever interested in learning more about acupressure and massage therapy, we would be happy to have you take on an apprenticeship here after you leave school.” Connie laughed lightly, embarrassed. “Hopefully we will have more customers by then.”
“Really? You’d do that for me?” Aida asked, touched. “I would be honored.”
Clasping Aida’s hand, Connie brought her into a gentle hug. “Just come back when you graduate, and we can talk more.”