waterbenders can / if they will apply themselves / learn the healing arts

[roc_on]

Beila studies waterbending, and when she has the basics (waves, ice, the water whip, other relatively simple forms) she's permitted to specialize in healing.

Later on she'll be able to volunteer at a hospital and get her practice in that way, but to start, her teacher advocates practicing on oneself - just a few times, to get a feel for what one's healing bending is doing on both ends at the same time. This dojo produces more and better healers than most, so Beila's inclined to agree with the practice. It's only a few minor injuries, the teacher will be right there to patch her up if Beila doesn't manage the trick by the end of the lesson, and - it's not like she minds, in the right mindset.

Beila gets this faster relative to other students than she did the ordinary waterbending forms. The teacher says she has a natural aptitude. Over the course of her three-hour lesson she heals several burns (these are the easiest injuries to handle with waterbending) and then moves on to slicing her palm shallowly and then pressing healing water into the cut.

It's almost meditative, almost hypnotic. The teacher is satisfied she doesn't need immediate oversight and has gone to see to another student; Beila loses track of time. She's sitting in the dojo courtyard with her bowls of water (one bloody, one clear) and slicing her hand open again at the time her boyfriend is supposed to pick her up.

Comments

[thinklikethis]

...You know what, yes. Absolutely.

[roc_on]

Oh goody.

[thinklikethis]

Also kisses.

[roc_on]

Those are one of Beila's favorite things!

[thinklikethis]

Awesome! Because Dao is pretty fond of them, too.

[roc_on]

Good, good. Pleasedness with the situation all around.

[thinklikethis]

Yaaaaaay.

[roc_on]

"We at any risk of your dad walking in and wanting to know why there is an Avatar in your lap?" Beila murmurs.

[thinklikethis]

"Nah, probably not."

[roc_on]

"We at any risk of him showing up and already having a very good idea why there might be an Avatar in your lap?"

[thinklikethis]

"I think if he shows up he will probably figure it out all by himself," snorts Dao. "But I don't think he'll show up."

[roc_on]

"Wait, does he know about me," wonders Beila, "or would there in fact be figuring to do?"

[thinklikethis]

"Nah, he doesn't, why?"

[roc_on]

"I dunno, we've been dating for a while, my parents know."

[thinklikethis]

"Well, mine doesn't."

[roc_on]

"Is he going to continue to not till you come up in an interview or some amateur photographer takes a picture of us or something? Like, if you have reasons to keep it quiet, that's okay, but my life is not set up to make that indefinitely possible."

[thinklikethis]

Dao blinks at her.

Then he says, "I, uh, don't actually think he'd care. Which is why I haven't bothered telling him. It's not like you're a secret."

[roc_on]

"...Oh." Pause. "That's... unusual."

[thinklikethis]

"I guess." He shrugs. "Dad just doesn't care about much."

[roc_on]

"That sounds hard." Beila leans her head on his shoulder.

[thinklikethis]

"I'm used to it," he says, snuggling her a little. "No big deal to me. It'd be weird if he started paying attention."

[roc_on]

"If you say so. I'm used to my parents wanting to interact way more than I do. I love them but they're not that interesting."

[thinklikethis]

Dao snorts.

[roc_on]

"Like, Chali and Ranyi are both really sweet, and they probably are actually reasonably interesting when they're at work - I took introductory airbending lessons with Ranyi, she's a good teacher even if she's not qualified enough in airbending to handle higher levels - but when they get home they just argue about whether it's fair for airbending to still be excluded from league-level probending, or talk about how the neighbor's sparrowkeet got loose and if you see it please tell her, etcetera. Fine in small doses, nice to come home to, not how I want to spend all my time."

[thinklikethis]

"Why do you call them by name all the time?" he wonders.