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

[roc_on]

She kisses the top of his head. "Well, I don't hate you for it. I think it's convenient. Unless you have enough issues around it that you're not going to let it be convenient when we get there?"

[thinklikethis]

"You do have those super spiffy healing powers," he reminds her. "I think I can maybe handle some convenience."

[roc_on]

"They are super spiffy! I had not gotten around to deciding what to do about not having them, before I got named, and now I don't have to."

[thinklikethis]

He smiles a little.

[roc_on]

"Like, I imagine kinky couples where neither party is a waterbender must figure something out, but drowned if I know what."

[thinklikethis]

"Um - maybe they - do things - that heal pretty well by themselves," says Dao, blushing furiously.

[roc_on]

"Maybe. You are so blushy and it is so cute."

[thinklikethis]

"I am pretty blushy!" he agrees. "And I guess if you think it's cute I'm not complaining!"

[roc_on]

Beila giggles and squeezes his hand.

[thinklikethis]

He smiles tentatively.

[roc_on]

"Well," says Beila. "This wasn't really how I expected this conversation to turn out, but it's better than 'okay, I can't deal with that, we should break up', right?"

[thinklikethis]

"It is way better than that!" says Dao. "Way, way better."

[roc_on]

She kisses him.

[thinklikethis]

He kisses back.

[roc_on]

Oh good, it would be so awkward otherwise.

[thinklikethis]

Well it is maybe a tiny bit awkward.

But kisses!

[roc_on]

Kisses! Yes. It is not yet the time for any significant amount of convenience. Beila wouldn't exactly mind if he pulled her hair or something but he's never been the type to make guesses and that's fine too.

[thinklikethis]

Definitely not a guesser.

Kisses, though. Those he can do.

[roc_on]

"So -" says Beila, after a suitable number of kisses have been exchanged. "When you said you were spooked did that mean something other than spooked?"

[thinklikethis]

"...yep," he admits.

[roc_on]

Beila giggles.

And then: "After that did you just want to see what getting healed felt like, or...?"

[thinklikethis]

"Moooostly," he says, ducking his head a little.

[roc_on]

"Mooooostly," she echoes softly, and she kisses his forehead. "And the rest?"

[thinklikethis]

"Um. The rest. Yeah. There was some... rest."

[roc_on]

"Don't wanna talk about it?" she asks, puzzled.