Choosing to Heal (Attn: Astarte)

[Leala]

Torianin walked and did not hurry, did not hold back. This Aes Sedai glide would be difficult to master, but perhaps not impossible. What was more difficult was the Aes Sedai mask. While she knew that her disposition of finding happiness in this place was not a common one, but she felt like she was beginning to fit in, in her own way. Today, she would see Betrys Sedai for the first time since becoming an Accepted. When she had met the newly-raised sister, she had been a nervous novice, and the Yellow had been an Accepted who was considering the Yellow Ajah. Torianin still had no idea which Ajah would be her future home, but for the time being, she would enjoy the company of her old teacher, learning how to Heal today in the Infirmary.

She had managed to direct her hair into a manageable braid that day, and she had also slimmed down, if just a bit, since the day that she had begun to feel the heart of the Grey Tower with Betrys as her guide. She had only had one lesson with her, but she was excited to show her how far she had come.

Finding the Infirmary, she held back from bursting with a giant smile on her face. Instead, she calmly and gently opened the doors, walking slowly, but with purpose, looking for Betrys Sedai. She felt the One Power being wielded with expert ease from the women. The Asha'man of the Yellow Ajah had no such feeling, but she knew that they were doing their part as well. Women simply could not feel when a man channeled Saidin. Spotting her teacher, waiting for her. She nodded when they made eye contact, then made her way over to her. She wanted to congratulate the other woman for her recent raising, but she wasn't sure if that was rude or not. So, she simply dipped a curtsy. "Good afternoon, Betrys Sedai. Thank you for taking the time to teach me today."

[Astarte]

The room that she'd picked was a bright one, the warm spring sun spilling into the area and making it impossible not to be happy about the time of year - at least for Betrys if no one else.

She liked this time of year, it was when the earth woke up again.

That meant more work for her in the gardens, tending to the assigned sections for growing herbs and the like. Betrys didn't mind and her time in the Tower had given her the ability to balance the needs of the growing plants along with the rest.

It was easier now...and more difficult. No more classes to attend per se...

No, now she stood and assisted others on their journey.

Which was why she'd been rather pleased when Torianin had requested her for assistance in learning how to Heal with saidar she approved of that. Personally and privately. Betrys also encouraged other lessons aside from the use of the One Power but learning about even one section could be vitally important, the more one knew the more could be learned and developed. The Last Battle would come eventually and they all needed to be prepared for that to happen "Good afternoon, Torianin. I am pleased to see you again, are ya settling in?" she asked, the accent ever-present but increasingly softened with time and experience.

Betrys would never lose it, partly because it was hard to do but largely because she didn't want too.

"I understand you want to learn about using saidar to Heal?" she asked, wanting to set the scene before they got down to business.

[Leala]

A smile spread across Torianin's face as Betrys greeted her. "Yes, I'm beginning to settle in," she said. She had not been there for very long before she had been raised. It felt better to be among women who were about the same level as she was in the One Power. She felt like she had been holding herself back before. Now she was where she needed to be. She could teach classes and take different classes as well. Today, she chose Healing, because part of her wanted to help others. She knew what it was like to be in a situation where control over one's life was taken away. She did not know where she would fit in specifically in the Grey Tower once her shawl was attained, but this was a good place to start.

She nodded when Betrys Sedai asked her about wanting to Heal. "Yes, I would like to learn," she said. The red-haired Accepted did not elaborate, but the biggest reason for her want to learn was the Aes Sedai right in front of her. She had figured out what the mission of the Yellow Ajah was early on in her stint as a novice, and she knew that it was a noble purpose. But, Betrys was one of the first people that took an interest in helping Torianin. She did not lose patience with her, she did not imply that she knew nothing, and she did not ignore her when she wanted to discuss the workings of the Grey Tower after their lesson was through. Betrys was someone that wanted to help others, and she had been a role model as she settled into the Tower. Telling her that would likely distract from the lesson, though, so she waited for her teacher to begin the lesson.

[Astarte]

Naturally she had no idea about the thoughts that were wandering through the other woman's mind. She would have been flattered but at the same time keen to promote the lesson onwards without stirring up her ego.

Betrys really didn't need or want to encourage that sort of thing anymore than strictly necessary - at least that was very much what she believed about the whole matter. Even if her opinion wasn't asked very often about it "Don't be concerned if it takes a wee bit of time. Yer be finding it comes eventually tae ya, one day...it will just seem right" Betrys reassured her about the matter.

It took some longer than others.

In the beginning, Betrys hadn't wanted to get used to it.

In fact, she had been seriously worried about somehow losing herself by accepting the welcome and her place in the Tower. Yet, she had managed to hold onto that young girl who had first arrived, upset and more than a little frustrated and angry to marched away from everything that she had ever known to come here.

"That is a good place to being. What do you know about Healing? Hae ya done it before?" she asked, bright and merry almost, certainly lacking the more common stoicism seem in the rest of her Sisters.

[Leala]

Torianin thought back to all the weaves she had learned. She had gotten much better at remembering the weaves over the experiences. Even if she remembered the hard times, she did not have the averse reactions, as she had just a few shorts months prior. Every day, she was reassured by her surroundings and the people supporting her that she was so now removed from being damane. In fact, she was rather far removed from being a novice as well. Being an Accepted was much closer to being Aes Sedai, although it was still rather far. Every day, she found different experiences and feelings to lean on for support if any doubts or fears crossed her mind. She was moving forward. She had a future again.

As far as her teacher's question was concerned, however, she did not have much of an answer. Torianin shook her head and shrugged. "Most of the weaves that I learned before enrolling in the Grey Tower had to do with battle," she admitted. "A few others used healing weaves, but I never did. I only observed." After becoming a novice, she realized that damane were likely not taught Healing, because they were mostly viewed as tools or weapons. To heal and help another person would just remind them that they were people. Now, however, she would not be broken again. "However, I did pick up on a few things after coming here. I know that the weave for Healing mainly uses Air and Water, along with Spirit. Air and Water are easiest for me to use, so I should be able to perform it. Is it difficult?"

[Astarte]

It was a sensible question to ask and on that Betrys respected needed to be voiced out loud, which showed that Toianin felt confident about asking her without worrying about sounding or seeming foolish. The woman she'd first met had started to grow and change even from that short period of time between those encounters.

Now if only it was a straightfoward to answer it properly and without sounding like she was being vague as the result "Difficult...yes, all Weaves can and are difficult. The one for Healing is more than that, it can also be dangerous. The one taught here relies on those elements and one of the drawbacks is the cost that exists for the patient - it relies on their own physical resources to provide their strength for the Healing being performed" it was hard to explain but something needed to be said.

"For the moment I will show how to create the Weave and you can practise creating it without worrying about actually using it on someone else. Are you aware of not using it on yourself?" she replied and smiled, wanting to encourage Torianin as much as possible "It is useful as well in using it to assess damage and what needs attention, in a more conflict driven setting it can be used to see who needs your help the most" she didn't touch on the topic of the Last Battle. That might hang over their heads but it wasn't here and Betrys was not interested in using fear to push forwards the lesson plan "So...first draw on the One Power for me and then wait..." she paused and did the same, confidently and with the whole familiar understanding of being able to just pull the Weave from the shining rainbow of colour "Now select Air..." Betrys waited again using her enhanced senses to make sure that Torianin was happy with following her lead.

Betrys took her time and patiently added the Water, binding it under and through the Air thread "Then the Water and finally the Spirit..." she added and smiled to continue to show her support as the Spirit washed down the length and connected it all together "There we are..." her eyes looked for the other woman and her efforts to see how she'd done.

[Leala]

Torianin felt like a novice again, sitting in front of her teacher. However, she had a better comportment now. She was Accepted, and had earned a higher rank, as had her teacher. She nodded along as Betrys explained how the weave would work to heal the patient, and that she could not use it on herself. That made sense. Then, it came time to practice, but without someone there to practice on. That was good. She did not want to hurt anyone else by messing up. She embraced Saidar when the Aes Sedai instructed her to do so, then waited. She watched as the flow of Air was formed. She then selected Air and wove it the way that Betrys had demonstrated. She added the Water and wove it around and through the flow of Air. This was much more complex than she had anticipated. She checked her work against the Yellow's before they moved on. The Spirit worked with the Air and the Water to make a good foundation for the weave.

"As I think of it," she began thoughtfully, comparing the two weaves, "I don't think I've ever sent a weave into someone. What ailments do these weaves cover? I know they heal injuries, but what about sickness?" She thought back to the patients that she had glanced, sniffling and coughing. "Is it the same weave for that?" she asked, hoping that question would make a bit more sense.

[Astarte]

Betrys had paid close attention to her work, allowing her to make the corrections on her own. She had expected that Torianin would be handle to note any possible need to work on the flaws of the Weave before she mentioned it, although Betrys would have mentioned if there had been a flaw before they progressed "You need tae watch the Spirit but...yer doing fine for a first attempt" she added, nodding as the questioned arrived "It can seem strange and it will be another few lessons of practise, including a healthy volunteer before we see about yer going tae any patients" she admitted.

There would be no rushing about in this, Healing could well cause harm instead of the more positive result "They are generally applied tae more physical injuries, bruises, breaks and the like..." she explained "Sickness? Often it is best to allow the body tae handle it but yes, you can use saidar tae help. Have you studied Herbcraft?" Betrys asked. That was a more advance Weave and wouldn't be something she taught immediately or allowed any sort of testing for the time being.

"There is a similar Weave that can be used for that but the basic is the same. Though it can be very dangerous as the person may not have the strength to actually provide the Healing with what it needs" she explained.

[Leala]

Torianin was glad that her first attempt had not been a disaster. She was used to must less elegant weaves, used for far less elegant reasons. As Betrys Sedai explained why a different weave was needed for illness and that it usually wasn't used, it made sense to Torianin. She had said that the weave would rely on the strength of the patient. She took mental note of that and nodded, to show that she understood. Her teacher mentioned that she would be practicing on a healthy patient, which made her nervous, before she even began, but she quelled the nerves. Not easily, and they were still there, but she was back to focus on the lesson at hand.

"No, Aes Sedai, I do not know about herbcraft," she answered. She added that to the list of classes that she would like to take in the future, though. It made a lot of sense that herbs would be used a lot in Healing, especially if the weave used strength from the patient. "Should I have taken that class before this one?" she asked, suddenly worried that she had taken the classes in the wrong order. She knew that it likely didn't matter which order she took the classes in, but she wanted to pay attention. Something as important as Healing required respect for the craft and attention as well.

[Astarte]

She shook her head slowly "Not at all. You will find that the class for Herbcraft is a fairly open one and not everyone who takes it can use the One Power or is of a specific rank. It has uses outside of Healing another person...most find it useful to know in advance what sort of plant is bad for them" Betrys admitted lightly "You've done nothing wrong...we all walk our paths and reach the destination eventually, even if some of them are different from what might have been expected" she added and smiled to hopefully some of the clear worry that had appeared on the face of her pupil and encourage her to relax once more.

In order to learn, it was far better to be relaxed. At least that was the method which Betrys used.

Whatever others chose to do so in their lessons was entirely up to them and Betrys held no person judgement on the matter "Healing is not about using saidar to solve the problem of the patient, it can be complicated. There is often more than might be first assumed on the initial examination - have you encountered anyone who suffered an ailment of the mind?" she asked, deciding to use an example.