[Fanfic] Basic Healing with saidar

[Craig]

OOC: This is an archived class. The original class is here: LINKY.

Resindre Mei Lesson One: Delving (traditional)

Resindre Mei hated to lose a wager. This one in particular promised to have a most odious pay-off. She preferred to spend her days caring for her patients, but on occasion, one was forced - or tricked - to descend from the Infirmary and teach.

Her staid, plaited dark hair framed a face of motherly contours, but did nothing to soften the gimlet gaze of an Aes Sedai. With a sigh, Resindre borrowed from the Healing lectures of her own initiation years. She firmly believed that a classic lecture had a lot of life left in it.

"Welcome, all of you, to Basic Healing with Saidar. I am going to teach you some basic ways to use the One Power in Healing. In this course you are not only going to learn how to Delve a patient, but also how to form the traditional Healing weave, and the newer more specialized weaves and their functions and forms."

That was a mouthful, and more than she had learned before pledging herself for the Shawl. Still, so many young women were taking their Healing gifts into other Ajahs now: it did so little good to "conserve information" that saved other sisters for other causes. In this sense, the Yellow was one of the first Ajahs to work toward harmony, or so Resindre felt.

"Now, many Aes Sedai believe that touching your patient is required to form both the Delving and the Healing weaves. This is not true, but it does help to focus for those who are less Talented or even barely capable of the weave otherwise."

Resindre embraced saidar with a suppressed smile. Despite the near century she had been working with the One Power, she still thrilled at the joy of being enveloped in the Light. Her pleasure was imperceptible to her waiting students, but her mood lifted enough to relax some of the more tense.

"Now, you may embrace the Source, but do not perform any weaves. You are to watch my weaving first, and then you shall each stand one at a time and show me what you can do."

As soon as all the girls glowed with the power of saidar, Resindre began to explain the weave while demonstrating it before the class with the use of a dummy that wore the dress of a novice, but no face.

"The traditional Delving weave, like the Healing weave, uses primarily Spirit as you can see. Water is added and entwined with a bit fewer threads of Air. Like so into a net of sorts... Once the entire weave is complete, you simply allow the resulting net to settle over your patient. The weave sinks in to their body and the remaining strands of Spirit will transport back to you an accounting of exactly what is wrong with your charge and where."

As she finished speaking, her weave, which had formed directly over the head of the dummy, she settled it into it just as if it were a real person. Of course without any living tissue to inspect the Delving brought her nothing as she had expected. She turned immediately to the Novice in the front row closest to her and called her forward.

"Now you come up and try it on the dummy here. Once we're certain that you have it down, you can break off into pairs and practice for the remainder of the class."

OOC: You may write about the dummy as well as your group practice experience. Use a NPC as a partner.

[Craig]

Elia

Elia assembled with the other novices around Resindre Sedai and the dummy. She had to maintain a calm to embrace and hold saidar. That wasn’t difficult in this situation; Resindre seemed less austere than the average teacher, especially compared to certain Accepted. This was also a class that Elia had taken without much expectations. She would try her utmost, but she felt that her real calling lay elsewhere. Plus, yellow was not her colour.

When it was her time, she stepped up to the dummy opposite Resindre. Elia had a natural aptitude with Air and Spirit, although Water wasn’t too far behind. Like most female channellers, her weaknesses lay with Fire and Earth, the latter especially. With an expectant look from the Aes Sedai, Elia began to channel the One Power. Threads principally of Spirit formed the basis of a mesh, with thin slivers of Air - somewhat yellow in her eyes - interspersed at regular intervals. It was the thicker flows of Water, cool and crisp, that caused the most bother. She knew, had learnt, that any attempt to force the One Power to her will was an exercise in futility. Instead she submitted to it, let saidar run through her, and guided the bluish strands into the net. The entire weaving may have taken seconds or minutes, but at last Elia settled it over the dummy. The flows of woven saidar sunk into the inanimate form, but lines of silver Spirit like ornate filigree returned into her. There was no particular sensation accompanied with that, but Resindre Sedai gave a satisfied nod.

“You may not be a natural, child, but you got there.” Elia wasn’t entirely sure whether that was compliment or insult, but she bobbed her head respectfully and sunk back into the mass of novices with a feeling of slight contentment. At least I didn’t mess up this time.

Elia waiting patiently as each novice in turn practiced with varying levels of success. There clearly were some naturals amongst the group, and there were less students who made a bad job of it than the Shienaran would have liked. Being the bottom half of a class did not sit well with her self esteem.

She was paired off with a girl from Arad Doman called Therille. She couldn’t be more than fifteen. That also rankled with Elia. She was twenty-two, but her prospects of getting a dress hemmed in the colours of the eight Ajahs seemed no closer now than it had a year past. They took two seats and sat them up facing on another.

“Can I go first?” Therille asked with that juvenile pleading of a child asking for a sweet.

“Of course,” Elia replied with a friendly smile. It wasn’t Therille fault that she had been discovered late.

The glow of saidar reappeared around the girl almost as soon as the words had left Elia’s mouth. It took the red-haired Shienaran a little time more before she felt the warmth of the One Power washing over her, infusing her with light. Sitting patiently still, Elia watched as the web of silverish threads took shape. The bluish additions of Water sat well against the Spirit framework, then... There was a long pause before the yellowish cords of Air manifested. Maybe young, but not naturally gifted. That fractionally buoyed Elia’s mood. It then seemed to take some effort from the Domani before the net settled over Elia and the wisps of Spirit returned into the girl.

Therille closed her eyes as the weave dissipated. “I don’t feel anything wrong with you.” Hazel eyes popped open with expectancy. “Am I right?”

“You are.” It was with a little effort that Elia refrained from adding “child” to the end of that. Such language was reserved for the higher ranks, but this girl was just so young, and acted it too. Not long a novice, clearly.

“Now me. I’m sure you’ll find something!” There was a giddiness in Therille that made Elia want to groan. This is a classroom, not a place for frivolities. She pulled her intricate braid over her shoulder, then pushed it back. If the Shienaran started to fret at the ends of her hair, then her even temperament would fray, then her block would slide back into place.

Holding onto the One Power, Elia wove the netting of Spirit and Air easily, then took almost as much time to add in the Water. Therille didn’t seem to react to the halting pace, which Elia was glad for. Slowly the net fell over Therille and...

“You are...” There was something there when the flows of Spirit returned to her. A feeling, no, a knowledge. Awareness. “Your ankle is twisted.”

Therille’s toothy grin made Elia smile too. “I was attempting to clamber up a tree when I fell awkwardly. Liza Sedai said I didn’t deserve to be Healed, and Mirin Sedai...” A knowing look passed between the two novices.

“I understand,” Elia said soothingly. Elia didn’t, truth be told, but she had some idea of what happened in the Mistress of Novice’s study. Not somewhere she ever hoped to be called into.

[Craig]

Resindre Lesson Two: Healing (traditional)

After everyone had come in and taken her seat, Resindre rose and pulled the dummy to the center of the podium.

“Welcome everyone. Today we shall learn the rudimentary form of Healing, the "traditional Healing" as it is known. This weave will Heal anything short of death, but in return it saps the strength of the one who is receiving the Healing. This is why the patient is often exhausted by the process and why he or she will wake ravenous and notice a marked increase in appetite for up to a week after the Healing depending upon the extent of the Healing needed, and the amount of Healing performed by the Aes Sedai who Healed them.”

“Now most of you, and indeed even most Aes Sedai who can Heal have not the necessary Talent to control the amount of Healing that they perform with the traditional weaving. This is for a good reason. This type of Healing is absolute, meaning that it will Heal everything that is wrong with your patient. However, unfortunately this also means that you MUST Heal everything! Anything that is imperfectly Healed cannot be Healed again later if blundered. The Healing must be completed fully and properly or the results can be debilitating and even impact your patient for the rest of their lives.”

“Please attend as I demonstrate the traditional weave.”

As soon as everyone in the room glowed with the light of saidar Resindre began, once again explaining the process as she wove in front of the class.

“One thread of Air, and one thread of Water exactly the same size, and then one thread of Spirit just half the thickness of the other two. This is the general weave, and the one that most of you will use if you Heal at all. Further Talent in Healing will allow you to use differing amounts for Air and Water in your weave to control how much Healing is performed without adding the negative side effects of an imperfect Healing.”

“Now lay the three threads out before you like so…” She wove all three straight out before her side by side, with the spirit in the middle of the other two.

“You braid all three together into one rope which will then be turned in upon itself and spliced so that the circle is complete with neither beginning nor end.” Now her weave hung complete atop the dummy. A perfect circle of braided saidar. Allowing it to settle into the dummy just as her delving weave had before, she called attention to how, as it touched the head, the braid unraveled and consumed the entire dummy into one big bundle of saidar that slowly took on the shape of the dummy before she released it.

“Remember that the Healing does take the energy and strength from the patient, so you must always ask permission before performing a Healing on anyone. If the patient is a channeler, and able to, they should be instructed to hold the Power. The required energy for the Healing than will come from the Source instead, allowing for none of the usual side effects of fatigue or famine.”

"Any questions?"

[Craig]

Elia

Elia licked the tip of her index finger carefully. She had been handling one of Ravak’s throwing daggers a little too flippantly, and had nicked herself. There was no blood any more, but it stung like a nasty papercut. She was one of the last to have the glow of saidar surrounding her. Although she was beyond chiding herself for the mistake, irritation still sullied her calm, making the One Power hard to embrace.

Once more Elia waiting amongst the throng of other novices, until it was her time to face the dummy and Resindre Sedai. Elia wove the thumb-thick flow of Water first. As the weakest of the three elements needed, that would determine the size of her other threads. Alongside appeared a similarly sized cord of Air, then a thread of Spirit thinner than her finger. Cognisant of the cacophonous eruption of force that had occurred the last time she messed up a weave, or of Resindre’s warning about blunders, the Shienaran was careful when forming the rope. The interwoven strands of blue and yellow and silver never touched, but the coiling ring of saidar came into being after some amount of time. It wasn’t as large or as thick as some of the other novices’, but Elia was still impressed by her own work. As instructed, Elia let the ringed braid drift onto the dummy’s head, then watched as the braid encompassed the whole figure.

The next two words out of Resindre Sedai’s mouth struck Elia like two hammer blows. “Again, child.” She thought she had done alright, but panic struck her. That she had attempted to Heal a dummy didn’t matter. If she had inadequately attempted this on a person, her limited and bungled Healing would have been the only cure the patient would have received. Worry and dismay swelled in her stomach. She didn’t notice when the warmth of saidar vanished, but she did notice as the glowing light around each of the other women in the room started to fade.

A concerned look, at least for an Aes Sedai, crossed Resindre’s face. “Child, take a seat. We shall try again another time.” Elia nodded dutifully, and was grateful for the reprieve.
----- Elia knocked gently on the classroom door. This hour was normally a free time, but the Sister had requested her presence after her failure in class, so here she was. A perfunctory “Enter” came from beyond the door, so Elia pushed it open. Resindre was seated with the dummy in any otherwise empty classroom. Resindre rose and moved between the doorway and the dummy with such grace, Elia thought she was gliding on air. “Come child, we shall practice Healing again. I understand more about your block now.” There was a pause, accompanied by a considering look. “I wasn’t not criticising you before. Your weave was satisfactory, but I think you can do better.” The Aes Sedai led Elia to the dummy.

Resindre embraced the Source, the glow of saidar surrounding her. With a nod, Elia went through the mental exercise. She was a golden rose, opening her petals to the bright light of the True Source. Warmth suffused her. Her senses seemed to amplify. Colours leaped out in undescribable vividness. The scent of her soap seemed close to overpowering, as if her head was buried in a garden full of juniper and rosemary.

“Attend, as I demonstrate the weave again.” Elia watched as the Aes Sedai interwove equal parts Air and Water with half as much Spirit. The weave looped round, and when it was close to completion, the threads that connected the Sister with the weave parted, and the two ends met harmoniously. The circlet of Healing drifted towards the dummy’s head. When it met it, the circlet expanded until saidar was moving through its entire form. “Any questions?”

Elia shook her head in response. Instead, she began to produce her own weave of Air and Spirit and Water. Air came first, as it was easiest for her to manipulate. Then Spirit, half as thick but shining like silver. Water appeared not a moment later, just as wide as the thread of Air. Slowly the lines of the Power moved out in an arc. Not as quickly as she had done before, which meant significantly slower than Resindre Sedai had just demonstrated. Water was the drawback, and as it was dangerous to channel any more, she had to endure some humility and weave slowly.

The ring of blue and yellow and silver took shape above the dummy between the two women. Malachite green eyes were locked solely on the twisting ring of saidar as if it were the only thing in the world. For Elia’s benefit, it may as well be. Success was not an option, it was a requirement. The three coloured strands disconnected from Elia, then met at the end until it was one interlocked loop. Pride began to puff out her chest, and her connection to saidar wavered until she got herself under control. Calmly she let the bundle settle into the dummy. Blue and yellow and silver swaddled the inanimate form before vanishing.

“Much better, child.” Resindre Sedai’s smile may have been slight, but the novice made up for it with a winning smile of her own.

[Craig]

Resindre Lesson Three: Field Trip

With a smile, Resindre turned away from the last two girls and addressed the class, who were all separated into pairs around the room.

“Very good. You’ve all demonstrated a basic understanding of the traditional form of Healing. For most of you this will be all that you can accomplish in Healing. For those few who proceed further in your training, you are likely to find yourself wearing the Yellow shawl after your raising as the Yellow Ajah is very firmly against letting a Healer of such strength get away from them.”

“Now we will all move on to the Infirmary where you will find a patient that has been picked for you based upon your own level of skill with the fundamental Healing. I want you to wait by your patient until I’ve come around to you and then you will demonstrate for me your skills. After I’m satisfied with you, you may go and meet back here in this classroom tomorrow for your next lesson.”

Exiting the room with her class in tow, Resindre leads them quickly down the hall to the infirmary, which is not far and soon they are all outside the entrance. She beckons them to enter with a soft-spoken few words about keeping quiet for the benefit of those being Healed and the ones doing the Healing.

As she goes around the room, you stand waiting beside your assigned patient. Finally Resindre Sedai finishes with the Novice just before you and turns to you with a soft smile.

“All right, Novice. Show me what you have learned so far.”

[Craig]

Elia

Using her thumbnail, Elia picked at the scab on her index finger. It wasn’t the first scab that had covered where she had cut herself, but she didn’t like the feel of it compared to her smooth skin. With only a slight amount of force, the scab came away, revealing tender pink flesh underneath. She balled her hand into a fist to protect the exposed skin from the air.

“All right novice.” Elia blinked and glanced around in confusion. “Show me what you have learned so far.” Resindre Sedai had may her round the Infirmary a lot faster than Elia had expected... or I was daydreaming. The latter was the truth. At least there was no harm in daydreaming.

The two women approached a bed where a boy lay. Uso was the nephew of one of the Blue Asha’man, and had recently travelled with his family to the Grey Tower. He was dressed in a finely-woven blue woolen shirt with silver embroidery running beside collar and cuff. Elia had spoken with him a little whilst waiting on Resindre, but the boy had fallen back into a slumber, snoring faintly. The novice delicately placed a hand on Uso’s shoulder and the boy stirred.

She leaned down to speak at eye level. “Hello Uso. It’s Elia. I’m going to see if I can help you now. Is that alright?”

Groggily the boy nodded. With a smile, Elia straightened. She opened herself to the glow of saidar. Her smile grew a little bigger even as the smell of bleach assaulted her nostrils. Filled with the One Power, she felt more alive than she did without it, even when doing something mundane. Not that this was mundane.

She started to lay out parallel threads of Spirit, then set out the weft of the net with Spirit, Air and Water. When the weave was complete, she settled it over Uso’s head. As with Therille, she felt a deep sense of awareness when the residues of Spirit returned to her. Elia tilted her head in interest. “Multiple bruises, some cuts...” She lifted Uso’s fringe back, which had concealed a nasty looking gash. “...and that.” She stooped down. “Uso, what happened?”

“He fell down some stairs,” Resindre replied in a smooth tone. The young boy murmured something that may of been assent. His eyes tried to flutter open, but it was clear from the bloodshot that he was tired. Despite this, Elia lay a hand on his shoulder again and shook him gently.

“Uso, I’m going to Heal you now, if you wish me to. You’ll be very tired afterwards, and you’ll need a lot of rest and food-” the boy’s blue eyes flashed briefly at that, “-but you’ll be left without a scrape.” Hopefully. “Is that alright with you?” He nodded.

Once more Elia straightened, and felt the rush of saidar flowing through her. She closed her eyes, settling her emotions down in her mind. Whatever concerns or worries she had over her ability, or feelings she had towards Uso had to be ignored so that calm would prevail.

Opening her eyes, three threads of saidar began to take form. A thumb-thick line of Spirit was encompassed by wider cords of Air and Water. Slowly and with the utmost care, the novice twisted the three threads around each other in a braid, weaving them out to form a ring above the bed. Elia detached the weave from herself, and the three threads joined up into an unbroken circle a small distance apart. With the slightest effort, the circle came down upon Uso’s form and-

The boy gasped, back arching, as if he had suddenly been dunked into a frozen lake. He lay there with his body stiff for only a second or two, then collapsed back into the bed with a humongous exhalation. When his breathing was back to regular, Elia reached for Uso’s forehead again and pulled back his fringe. The long gash was gone, and that had potentially been the worst of his injuries. I did it! I actually did it! Elia turned to Resindre with a broad grin. A small smile was all that greeted her. “You may have some aptitude after all, child. Consider volunteering for the Infirmary, mm?”