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]

"No!" he says firmly. "No slurping."

[roc_on]

"Awwww, I can't believe you wouldn't let a fluffy little puppykitten lick your hand."

[thinklikethis]

He covers his face with his hands and giggles.

[roc_on]

"Or a goatpuppy, those also lick people," Beila says. "Ranyi sometimes goes through phases of wanting a goatpuppy."

[thinklikethis]

"I have never wanted a goatpuppy in my life."

[roc_on]

"Me either, I'm generally the one to argue her out of it. I don't mind playing with ones that belong to other people but I prefer my nice low-maintenance non-licking-inclined giant bird."

[thinklikethis]

"Rocs are cool," Dao agrees.

[roc_on]

"Especially my roc! I was so thrilled when I got her - I had to be certified glider-safe first or Chali wouldn't hear of it - and I got my own egg and rented an incubator and I checked on her three times a day to see if she'd hatched yet, it was constantly exciting even though nothing was happening."

[thinklikethis]

"Spirits, that's adorable," snorts Dao.

[roc_on]

"It was! I was a very cute nine-year-old. And then she did hatch, and she made this little peeping noise and she was only about as long as my arm - wrist to shoulder - and I had to feed her till she was old enough to fish on her own, but that only took a couple months."

[thinklikethis]

"Awwwwwwwwww," says Dao, and he hugs her.

[roc_on]

Hugs!

[thinklikethis]

Snuggy hugs.

[roc_on]

Snuggy happy hugs. Kisses?

[thinklikethis]

Kisses!

[roc_on]

Yay!

[thinklikethis]

Snuggy happy kisses!

[roc_on]

Lap-sitting? Happy snuggy lap-sitting hugs?

[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.