Magic Fingers (Solo Flashback)

[Gunho Ma]

Winter 25, 505 AV Location: Grandmother's Home A young Gunho stirred that morning to the freezing draft gently seeping in from the space between the wooden panels covering the window. Winter was not so cold yet that he couldn't simply shrug off the chill, but he was a boy and like many young children he was still a little sensitive. He shivered and drew his blanket over his head to trap the heat of his body behind the curtain of cotton but he couldn't go back to sleep anymore. The sound of creaking wood from the room beside his own was too loud, such was the consequence of having thin walls. He pulled over an orange wool jacket on top of his sleepwear and hopped out of his bed so he could check up on the person in the other chamber. He had too, this was a cold morning and she always complained on such mornings. Predictably his grandmother was groaning. It was her arthritis again, always seemed to be at its worst during winter. He would have to prepare for her daily treatment, but before that he placed an extra blanket over the woman like his mother had told him to. When he was sure that she was warmer he quietly snuck out the door, closing the sliding it shut making the least possible noise. The half-vantha went to the kitchen to begin the first task of the day. With flint and steel he ignited shredded tinder, an easy fire to nurture given the dry condition of the logs stacked atop each other. When the fire came to life and seemed self-sustaining he left it for a moment to fetch a kettle. This one was filled with water, he needed it to boil for the tea that his grandmother loved. While that was being heated his attention fell on the main course for breakfast. It was something easy to consume, even for an old lady. It was a Syliran recipe for soup... mushroom soup. Gunho prepared the ingredients and set to work. It would all begin with the main subject of this soup, mushrooms. He placed them on a cutting board resting atop the dining table, then he set a clean knife upon them and while rocking the cutting edge back and forth pressed more forward to be torn into tiny little pieces that were easy to eat and almost impossible to choke on. The onions came next, receiving the same treatment as the mushrooms though he didn't use more than one bulb since his grandmother didn't have a great fondness for spices. Following that, he took a bottle of milk, drained it into a bowl and poured in a predetermined amount of flour to mix into it. This would have a purpose later but for now he would let the flour soak well. A bit of oil was in order to get the pan where he would work his magic on, he liberally applied the olive oil on an iron pan and he waited for the kettle to cry once that was done. When it did create that shrill cry he used his mittens to set it aside on stone so he could place the pan to replace it. A few minutes was all it took to cook the shredded mushrooms and chopped onions to their golden forms. Now was the time to introduce his mixture, he stirred the milk and flour together until they blended perfectly and poured them into the pan. It simmered, bubbling slowly... it wouldn't be long now. His grandmother would wake up soon, but at least she had something to eat and no reason to get angry at him this morning.

[Gunho Ma]

His grandmother's mood did not worsen, a sign that she was satisfied with the soup that she'd finished. She sipped her tea quietly, looking past her grandson and staring at the door. Gunho felt uncomfortable, he didn't really spend so much time with his Grandmother but with his father and mother away from the city on business he and his siblings had to stay here. The geriatric yawned, smacking her lips and then she tapped her ivory cane against the wooden floor. "Gunhu, my feet need attention." That was grandma-speak for 'I want a massage' and Gunho had learned since the last time he voiced his opinions that it was in his best interest to obey... even though she'd mispronounced his name, again. "Yes grandma." he excused himself to fetch the menthol balm and oil mixed with eucalyptus leaves. She liked this scent. It kept her docile, as docile as a tiger could be... but that was a thought Gunho would never share, not with his siblings, not with his parents, not even Zintila. With utmost care Gunho rolled the hem of her pants, folding it an inch upon itself until it reached the knees. Her legs were riddled with veins and her ankle was swollen... a side-effect of her illness. The half-vantha did not wait for her to tell him to start, she was watching him, waiting for him to begin. He placed a significant amount of oil upon his fingers and he placed both fingers on the calf of the woman's legs. He started there drawing his thumb and index finger from the knee down to the ankles in mirrored movements meant to knead more blood into deep muscle and make them feel warm. That was the first step. To manipulate tissue, to restore regular blood-flow. That was what he was taughtby the therapist where he learned this skill from, a massage that promoted well-being, one that would help his grandmother combat her illness and re-invigorate the deep muscle and joints of her body. He worked his hands and fingers, the first motions were simple, linear movements, the thumb and fingers travelling in the same path down the body but after minutes of that, he changed the strategy to opposing movements. This thumbs would push flesh up, the index fingers would drag them down. It was important, a rule that he always reminded himself whenever he did this, that a massage should never lose variety. A masseuse must switch between techniques to prevent a person from acquiring tolerance after a few minutes. He counted down mentally, three turns of one to sixty mental counts. Three chimes. He looked at his grandmother, at her pleased face and he took that as a good sign, a confirmation to continue. He moved to the next phase, to the ankle, that joint she always complained about. Here it was no longer a matter of being able to exert strength, the challenge was using the appropriate amount. Too much would be painful, fall below the threshold of sensation and he would get a beating with the cane. Gunho concentrated, trying to read the cues of his grandmother's face and the unconscious responses of the feet. Here his thumb was important, he had to use its pads and draw circles around the knee... first clockwise for ten sets then counterclockwise for another ten. A tedious boring task, but something only he could do. He counted here. He counted slowly. He waited for that 180 seconds before he tried another method and when the time was up he removed the woman's sandals so he could perform unobstructed. This next one was different, he would tackle one foot at a time. He pressed her ankles between two closed wrists, applying pressure with the body prominence of his palm to create a heavy sensation that was punctuated by the heavy focused point of body. His concentration was disturbed by the clank of his grandmother's wooden cane upon the floor. "Gunhu, enough of that. Clean your hands, I think I will want you to work on my back and arms as well." He bowed his head, hiding his frown. "Of course grandmother."

[Gunho Ma]

Gunho lit two pairs of incense to help create a soothing atmosphere that his grandmother could relax in. The setting was just as important as the massage itself, this was an ancient lesson he'd read from a tome and he never questioned it's wisdom. There was no reason for him to do so since the effect was always immediate. His grandmother lay prone upon her bed with her face turned to one side, she did not smile, did not speak, her silence meant that she waiting for her grandson to do what was expected of him. Familiar will all his grandmother's mannerisms Gunho began in silence. He filled his palm with the menthol oil, rubbing it on the palm and around the fingers so that it was spread evenly in order to make his massage become more fluid than it could be unaided. He walked to one side of her, secured the woman's wrists and started with the hand. He would concentrate on the palm, following the lines leading towards the thumb by applying pressure with his thumb. He tried to localize the intensity of his thumb, he meant to focus it into a fine point that danced across the hand to penetrate deep into the flesh he wanted to knead and revitalize. The process was slow, time consuming, but Gunho's grandparent wasn't complaining. After thirty courses were traveled by the thumb upon the palm of Gunho's grand mother he moved to the digits. He interlocked fingers with her, squeezing them, pulling them away then rotating them in small circles while squeezing the blood from the base of the fingers all the way to their tips. He watched carefully, looking at the sign of blood filling the fingers, that slight reddening of the nails before he released his grandmother's hands to repeat the process. Once he did this for one hand, he moved to the other side of the bed and performed exactly the same procedure in the other without hurrying. That was also important, he couldn't show a sign of urgency to the his grandmother... or anybody receiving his massage. He had to take his time and he knew failure to pace his massage would be immediately picked up upon by his grandmother. This was just another test of character, of discipline. Like all the others Gunho only needed to remain calm, focused, humble and patient. There was no shortage of time, not when something needed your attention. When he'd finally wrung that last finger he stretched his arms and looked at his next target. The arms in it's entirety. Starting with the wrist, he used two hands, planting a thumb atop the other and he patiently moved up the limb drawing himself ahead as he went along. His thumbs danced, one taking the position in front of the other as they manipulated tissues both shallow and deeo. His goal here were two, to release pent up pressure and also guide blood back into stiff tense flesh. He would breathe life into these arms with mere palpation, with the firmness of his fingers and the knowledge of what he had to press on the journey up this arm to the joint connecting it with the torso. When he'd crawled up both arms three times Gunho restored to a less tiring method to massage. He used his grandmother's body to perform what was technically a stretching method. He carefully lifted her hands over her crown, bending the elbow without overexertion to make his grandmother notice the parts of her body that he had forgotten over time. He would take the next stop from here on out, but the snoring coming from his grandmother meant that anything he would do would no longer matter. He deemed the massage over and rested his weary limbs. Discipline was at the heart of the career he wanted, but abusing one's own body was not discipline... that was only masochism.

[Gunho Ma]

With the assistance of his younger brothers who he roused from their sleep Gunho was able to turn his grandmother on her back, clothe her in thick winter apparel and tuck her into bed soundly. This was the daily ritual and things would probably continue this way until the woman finally expired... Rarely, during days where he felt unappreciated he wished that she would pass away quickly and peacefully. A cruel thought from a boy so young perhaps, but she hadn't been the best grandmother and he had done his part. The viraya dressed quickly, slipping into his father's fur coat and left the house warning his brothers about the dangerous of playing with fire and that there were chores to do. He didn't want to leave home but they were not rich, he had his responsibilities to keep and his brothers were well disciplined that he could trust the house and care of their grandmother to them. He arrived at the training area a little later than the rest of the other viraya but he had his responsibilities to family and his father had made a formal request that he be pardoned and receive supplementary training later. It was a request that was not lightly accepted, but Gunho was a quick learner and was actually useful in ways that many other trainees were not. Gunho's talent as a masseuse was no secret to his superiors and peers. He was hailed down by one of his instructors as soon as he stepped on the floor. A fellow viraya had injured herself in the course of training, her leg strained when the advanced footwork she was attempting to master got the better of her. He was instructed to attend to her and he quickly rushed to the girl's side to inspect the nature of the injury. He couldn't touch her right away, not until she gave him leave to in front of his instructor. "Permission to touch you?" "Yes." she drew her pants up on the affected muscle which was only slightly red. Gunho began his work, he used his fingers to palpate through the thin later skin covering muscle and began to look for abnormalities. So far so good, there was redness, heat but no swelling...but not for long. In the process of palpating the muscles of her calf he felt like a knot, a lump of resistance where there shouldn't be any. The girl winced when he touched it the first time but he wanted her to confirm it verbally. "I may have found something. I'll attempt to inspect it, are you ready?" he looked at the girl, his hands frozen in place while he waited for her to say something. She nodded and squeezed her eyes closed. "Bite your teeth..." that was his only advice and then he dove for it, plowing fingers and sliding them over that resistance that shouldn't have been there. "How does this feel?" "Painful, not sharp... kind of dull." "Does it hurt when I don't touch it?" he removed his hands from her legs and waited. She shook her head. Gunho took that as a good sign. There was nothing else out of place. "Okay..." he stepped away now that he'd come to a conclusion. "It looks fine, but I can't massage this immediately. I would give it two days rest before I did anything, I have to let your body begin the process of healing itself before we attempt any work on it. What I can guarantee is with daily therapy I can prevent scar tissue from forming." She seemed reluctant about the idea of allowing her injury to heal itself but she couldn't ignore Gunho's knowledge in the matter. "...Okay." she looked disappointed, maybe affronted by how he hadn't seemed to be able to help at all. The viraya could see where this was going, ground his teeth and prepared to make the offer before she told his teachers that he was avoiding responsibility. "If you still want a massage I can do that for the other leg." There was no opposition to that suggestion. Gunho dabbed a bit of oil on his fingers and set right to work. This procedure was less about investigation, just more about evenly distributing and saturating muscles with more blood flow than they normally received. Since he couldn't and didn't want to have the girl turn on her belly here where everyone could see he worked with his index and middle finger in favor of the thumb. He started from the joint over the calf directly opposite in position from the knee, his fingers danced kneading outwards from an imaginary centerline while he dragged the hands down so that all four fingers could work together in a cascading manner. He kept at this for minutes, changing his methods every now and then by using his fists instead and creating a deliberately induced tremor stemming from his elbows or through stretching and extension by joint manipulation. Gunho really didn't know how he was going to catch-up with his lessons here. He was going to have to make time later, after everyone else was gone so he could catch up with the lessons of the other viraya. He just hoped the instructor wouldn't make begging difficult for him today.

[Gunho Ma]

Two days had passed and he was going to have to follow through with his promise with his fellow viraya. This time he wasn't running late, just about on time but he still couldn't get there before his charge. The girl was waiting, eyeing him like prey... or was she? Gunho shrugged off the feeling, she was probably messing with him like all the other older viraya. They liked to do that to the errand boy. He approached her again, asking for permission to touch her in the presence of someone nearby who could hear them before he proceeded. Treating a sprain wasn't as simple as it looked. Rest was only a part of it, the more difficult task was applying pressure to the same spot over and over. Easy on paper, but keeping your thumb on that moving lump of flesh beneath skin was no walk in the park. Gunho had to attack the injury gently, he rolled his oiled thumbs over it, tracing not circles but broad strokes of his fingers to manipulate it and keep the knot of muscle dilated with blood. He manipulated the knot of flesh with clinical precision, working it with firm deep pressure that would not obstruct the flow of blood back to the heart. Key to what he was doing here was to move towards the core of the body, to drag or maybe even scoop blood up in line with the body's natural mechanisms. Concentration, duration, depth and the proper rhythm all in relation to his thumb manipulation and the site of concern filled Gunho's thoughts. His skills were not so sharp, but he was taught to tackle difficulties with perseverance. Where he did not have the finesse he would compensate with sheer diligence. Time was his weapon, he would take his time here until he could form the metal image of the muscles beneath this pale skin and perfectly picture how he was causing change. Minutes stretched endlessly and the act of kneading flesh slowly became as natural as breathing. When the bell rang that was the only time Gunho noticed the passing of time, he was glad. He was sure that he was finished with his work. The female viraya frowned but sighed with resignation. "You're cute, its too bad you're a little too young for me. Thanks Gunho, until tomorrow." when she stood up, just when nobody was looking she brushed up the half-vantha's bangs and pecked his forehead lightly. "A reward, thanks." She left quickly, her gait a little unsure. Gunho was left more than a little confused. "What?" He didn't understand what that was about but it did make him feel a little anxious... but mostly he was just weirded out. Mostly.

[Legion]

Thread Award Gunho Ma: Skills: Cooking +2, Herbalism +2, Massage +5, Medicine +2 Lore: Patient Care, People Management Consequence & Commentary: Flawless and well composed training thread. Gunho is incredibly endearing. Please feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns.