Okay, so.

Meditation is a core part of her new life. It's important. And the real core of meditation is focus, and breath. She will just... Breathe. And feel the slow pulse of qi as she breathes in and out. The road does not matter. Her position does not matter. Her breath matters. In and out. In and out. In and out...

It's quiet, with the music off, and the air conditioner swamps most of the road noise. Time passes.

"Half an hour," says Audrey after a while. "You seem to be settling in well."

"Hm? Oh. Yes, I suppose I am. I'm honestly surprised. Meditation seems hard. Cocoa, you can turn the music on? I'll try to focus through it."

"Alright!"

The Rankin Family and their fiddles come back on.

She continues to try to meditate. It's a lot harder with music in the background. She frowns and nudges it down a volume level, and goes back to attempting to meditate.

Though she does notice that her body is just... Not aching when it normally would be? She'd usually feel a little uncomfortable after being in a car for a while. Nothing too unpleasant, just noticeable. Instead, nothing. She feels like she could spring into motion, unclip her seatbelt and leap out the door without a moment's hesitation or a muscle twinge. The benefits of cultivation, eh?

The highway winds by, and eventually Cocoa's CD runs out. 

"Let's stop at the next gas station for snacks," he says.

"Works for me."

"Sure."

She'll just get a pack of crisps and a sandwich. And Gatorade.

"So, what should we talk about now? Music? Boats? Ghost spirits? London?"

Chips, twizzlers, fuzzy peaches. 

"London might be interesting to talk about! Is there anything you'd like to see while we're in the area? Tourist stuff?"

"We could drop by the Tower of London maybe."

"I'm a fan of the British Museum. I like history. A museum might be kind of a full daytrip thing though?"

"We could get a hotel, it's not like money is a problem."

"Maybe visit a nice restaurant... I'd have to check with my contacts but there'll be a ranking Immortal Chef in London I'll bet."

"Heh. That seems like a little much. But I won't say no." (She glances subconsciously in Cocoa's direction.)

Cocoa nods. "Be a nice vacationy thing to do. I'm not sure how we'd pay for it, I'm a little strapped for seals at the moment..."

"Moocher."

Cocoa shrugs and smiles. "Damn, you got me. More seriously, what about Abyssal Bride's portion of the bill?"

"I'd be willing to split it fifty fifty between us and let her mooch. Just so long as she doesn't order anything too expensive."

Cocoa drums his fingers on the steering wheel. 

"What the hell, live a little. I can cover it. If Trys is okay with that, I mean."

"Um."

Well, she did give Cocoa more of the armor seals. 

"Yeah, alright. What kind of etiquette is there at this place? It is like eating at one of those super fancy restaurants..."

"The main matter of ettiquette is not being rude to the chef - only order things you're going to eat, eat everything you're presented with, don't try to keep portions of the meal for later."

"We'll likely run into other cultivators or people in the know in the lobby. Assume everyone there is your senior until proven otherwise - you haven't opened your Heart aperture yet so you won't be able to sense their qi, not that that's always reliable, and besides you're barely a cultivator yet anyway. Black Claw and I will handle any introductions that need to happen. Once we're seated it'll be safe to be informal amongst ourselves, there are always strong privacy formations in these places."

"Bowing is still the traditional greeting among cultivators today. Because you're a junior you should bow deeply. You won't be expected to talk much; you might have to field a couple questions about your training at most. Answer honestly unless asked for details about how a technique functions - in that case demur. It's rude to ask that kind of question but someone might probe you to see if you have common sense."

"In general you ahould be wary of questions about strategic information like where the house in cardiff is precisely or what techniques you know. That kind of interest is never a good sign."