Chapter 5: Mind and Body

Sen limped his way out of Yakkul's gate. At Sen's insistence, Ariak had put him through a particularly intense training session. He figured it didn't matter if he got hurt badly, as he was heading to a hospital anyway.

"Now, patience is not exactly Tlun's strength, so please forgive him if he seems a bit troublesome," Ariak pleaded. "Focus on your training. Don't try to talk with him about anything else, and it will go smoothly."

"I'll manage," Sen said. Ariak was very concerned about Sen and Tlun getting along. There was a damaged relationship between the two brothers, and Sen felt like he was being used as a proxy to repair it. He didn't mind that so much as the fact that no one was telling him exactly what had happened with Ariak's family, his sister in particular.

Sen began his walk to the hospital, and Suda, concerned as always, decided to accompany the slightly injured Avatar to the hospital. Sen was perfectly capable of walking on his own, albeit slowly, but Suda insisted on coming with all the same. Sen mostly suspected that Suda was bored and felt like he needed something to do.

The receptionist at the front desk seemed to have the wrong impression about Sen.

"Emergency room is that way," He said, looking at Sen's obvious limp, and the few bruises he had on his arm.

"Uh, actually, I'm here to meet Tlun," Sen explained. "Did he leave any kind of note?"

The receptionist looked over a massive stack of papers and scrolled through them all. He occasionally took a break to help a patient or another person approaching the desk. Sen couldn't blame the receptionist for putting him on the lower part of his priority list. The hospital was filled to the brim with the sick and injured. Suda kept looking around the room, and it seemed like every time he turned his head there was some new patient waiting. The most striking sight was a teary-eyed woman arguing with a nurse. A young boy in a metal leg brace was standing next to her.

"Oh, yes, he reserved one of the training rooms," The Receptionist said. He then provided Sen with directions to the room where Tlun was waiting. Sen nodded and turned to Suda. The boy in the leg brace had caught Suda's attention, and he snapped back to focus when Sen called his name.

"Alright, I figure you can probably sit in if you really want something to do," Sen said. "But I don't think it it'll be-"

"No, no, you go on ahead without me," Suda said absentmindedly. "I'll find something to do."

Sen shrugged his shoulders and said goodbye. Suda immediately moved to the other side of the room. The voice of the teary-eyed woman became much clearer.

"You have to have some kind of spare, something just lying around," She pleaded.

Suda took a closer look at the boy in the leg brace. It was obvious that his legs were misshapen somehow, and the metal rods were meant to keep them in alignment. However, the metal braces seemed too small, and the boys legs could not move properly.

"We can't simply give out hospital property, ma'am," the nurse said. She was keeping a surprisingly level head. "You have to pay for a new brace, or wait until your insurance provider agrees to cover for a new one."

"But it's not right for him," The mother protested. "It's only making his legs worse!"

"Hey, umm, excuse me," Suda said, suddenly interrupting. He pointed at the leg braces. "What are these made of? I mean, I'm a metalbender, could I just…?"

The mother turned to the nurse with fresh hope in her eyes. The boy in the leg brace stayed quiet. He seemed like the shy type. The nurse shrugged her shoulders.

"Stretching the material might make it more fragile," The nurse cautioned. "But if your boy can be careful, I don't see any reason it won't work."

Suda immediately knelt down and took a closer look at the leg brace. The bracing on the lower leg was too short, which put the knee joint in an awkward and painful location. Suda carefully pushed and pulled on the various beams, joints, and hinges of the elaborate metallic construction, readjusting them until the knee joint sat at the right angle.

"Alright, how's that?"

The boy took a few steps around and declared that the brace now fit perfectly. The mother nearly burst into tears and hugged Suda for an uncomfortable length of time. Suda fended off her offers of repayment and eventually wormed his way out of her arms. The young boy said a simple thank you and started to run off, forcing his mother to chase after.

"Thank you for that," The nurse said. "Fine luck, that was. You're probably the only metalbender for miles."

"Hey, it all works out," Suda said with a shrug. "I needed something to do anyway."

"Well, we can always use a spare hand," The nurse said. "Ask the guy at the desk about volunteering if you need something to do. See you around."

The nurse waved goodbye and went back to her duties. Suda looked at the desk and rubbed his chin.

Sen walked through the halls of the Yoguda Hospital for quite some time. His journey might have only taken a few minutes, but for the fact that he was stopping every other minute to examine something. He was seeing a lot of things and hearing a lot of words that he had never seen or heard before. Medicine had never been brought up much in his life, not even after leaving the orphanage.

Eventually Sen worked his way through the hospital, to the room where Tlun was waiting. The doctor had clearly been pacing the room back and forth for a while now.

"Where have you been," Tlun snapped.

"Sorry, sorry, I got held up," Sen said, weakly raising his hands. Tlun noticed the bruises along his forearm.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh this, this is nothing," Sen said. "Just a bit of training with Ariak. I've had worse."

"Worse?"

"Oh yeah, it's an occupational hazard," Sen said. "I had Sozin Syndrome for a few weeks, and then after that there was the time I got electrocuted –two times, actually- and the time I got thrown around on this big rock and was unconscious for a few hours, and then another time I nearly drowned."

Tlun tilted his head up and down as he looked Sen over. He pointed at a small tub of water sunk into the ground.

"Get in."

"What?"

Tlun walked behind Sen and pushed him towards the tub of water.

"You should be dead. Several times. I'm not doing anything with you until you've had a checkup."

"Alright, alright, you can stop pushing," Sen said. He shook Tlun off and sank into the water himself. It was actually pleasantly warm, in contrast to everything else up North. Tlun waved his hand over the warm pool of water, and Sen felt a noticeable pulse through the liquid. It felt like it was seeping into his skin.

"Well, you're not dead," Tlun mumbled. "You don't even seem to have any noticeable health problems. Skin's a little scarred around the left leg…"

"That would be one of two electrocutions," Sen explained.

"Fantastic," Tlun said idly. "Well, as your doctor, I think I should advise you that the third time is not the charm when it comes to electrocution."

"I didn't plan on it."

Tlun offered his hand to help Sen out of the submerged tank, and Sen crawled out of the water. With a wave of his hands, Tlun dispelled the water that clung to Sen's skin and clothing, leaving him just as dry as if he'd never entered the pool in the first place. Sen readjusted his clothes and followed Tlun to the first official step of his healing lessons.

A large mannequin with deep rivets cut throughout its body laid on a table before Tlun. The doctor waved his hand over a small bowl of water, and the water gradually spread through the trenches cut across the mannequin's body, glowing slightly as it did so.

"Waterbending healing lies at the crossroads of the body's physical and spiritual aspects," Tlun began. "It follows the path of both the circulatory system that pumps blood through the body, and the Chakra network through which Chi flows."

Sen was familiar with the flow of Chi, but he knew significantly less about the circulatory system. He saved his questions about that for the end, allowing Tlun to continue.

"The water itself can prevent bleeding and reshape wounded skin and muscle, but the real potency comes from enhancing the flow of spiritual power, improving the body's ability to heal itself," Tlun said.

He waved his hands again, and the water flowed across the surface of the mannequin, demonstrating the most potent channels through which chi and blood flowed. Knowing these channels was the fundamental factor on which all healing was based. Sen paid close attention as the crystalline water rolled across the surface.

Tlun waved his hand again, and the water flowed out of the mannequin and back into the bowl. He held out his hand, gesturing for Sen to try and repeat his demonstration. Sen stepped up to the table and focused on the bowl of water. It took him slightly longer to put everything precisely in place, but Sen had little trouble replicating Tlun's technique. The young doctor nodded approvingly.

"That's just a dummy, though," Tlun said. He grabbed Sen by the sleeve and rolled the arm of his shirt up slightly. The bruises from Ariak's training were still present. With a flick of his wrist, Tlun called up a small amount of water and and worked the glowing liquid into Sen's skin, repairing the broken tissue. The bruise faded from a purple spot into normal skin in just a few moments. Sen paid close attention to everything he felt while the healing was at work.

It was a smooth and comfortable sensation, like resting in a soft bed, as the healing did its work. There was no discomfort as the liquid seeped into his skin and reshaped what laid beneath. There was a moment of odd coldness as Tlun pulled the water away, but it quickly passed. Sen looked at his newly healed skin.

"It's always easiest to practice on yourself," Tlun elaborated. "You know the inside of your body better than anyone, after all. Give it a try."

Sent turned his arm to find another bruise and then took hold of a small amount of water. The small sphere of liquid wobbled slightly as Sen brought into place. He managed to replicate Tlun's healing technique with ease, although when he pulled the water away, the bruise was only slightly faded, not completely gone.

"Very good, all things considered," Tlun said. He was a hard man to impress, but the Avatar managed. "Working on the subcutaneous layer isn't very easy for a first timer."

"Subcu-what?"

"Subcutaneous," Tlun repeated. "Beneath the skin. You know, the subdermal layer."

"Wait, what does subdermal mean then?"

"Beneath the skin."

"Why do they have two words for the same thing?"

Tlun didn't actually have an answer for that. The nature of synonyms was not the point of this discussion, though.

"You didn't know either of those words?"

"Nope. Never really had to know those kinds of things before."

Tlun's fist clenched slightly.

"Do you have any idea where your kidneys are?"

"In…this general area," Sen said, waving a hand over his midsection. Tlun's fist clenched even tighter.

"Do you know what a femur is?"

Sen's first instinct was something about Lemur's, but he restrained that urge. He admitted that he had no idea what Tlun was talking about, and Tlun's fist began to shake as he clenched it tighter and tighter.

"I think it would be…easier on us both, if you were to study anatomy before we continued," Tlun said through a tightly clenched jaw.

"Okay, well, where would I start-"

"The library," Tlun said. He provided a detailed set of directions to the library, and then nearly pushed Sen out the door. As an afterthought, Tlun actually said goodbye, just before slamming the door in Sen's face.

Sen looked around at the hospital hallway. He did not entirely know what Tlun was doing. Now Tlun was just alone in a room with a bunch of mannequins. Apparently getting rid of Sen ranked above doing something sensible. Sen shrugged and decided to follow Tlun's directions to the library.

Finding the library was easy. Finding the books he needed was considerably harder. Understanding what was in those books was harder still.

It finally sunk in to Sen that he was well behind where he should be when it came to education. In the past few years he had been mostly concerned with spiritual or combative pursuits. He had rarely, if ever, learned something practical. As Sen dove deeper into the books on anatomy and medicine, he found himself with more questions than answers. The books assumed that the reader already knew the basics; Sen did not. He had to make a second trip to the library to find less advanced material.

As Sen returned to Yakkul's compound for the second time, he found that Suda had made it home as well. Suda did not offer much in the way of conversation. He was tired, and worked to the bone, but he had a satisfied smile on his face. Volunteering at the hospital had been exhausting, but rewarding in a way Suda did not fully understand. He made a little small talk and then collapsed into his bed. Sen was glad that someone was having a good day, at least.

With his books in hand, Sen sat down on the icy ground and waited for Gun to show up. The young animal guide did not waste much time. His appearance raised no concern from Yakkul's students; the esoteric swordsman simply told them that he had purchased a badgermole on a whim recently. It said a great deal about Yakkul that his students did not question this. Sen leaned against the badgermole's hide and tried to relax as he began to catch himself up on several years of education.

Gun's fur ruffled slightly as someone new approached. Ariak took a quick step back, and Gun relaxed slightly. Sen looked up for a moment to see what Ariak wanted.

"I hope I'm not interrupting, Avatar," Ariak said. "I was just wondering how things went with my brother."

"Eh, I didn't get much done," Sen said. "Tlun wouldn't teach me anything until I learned more about anatomy."

"I'm terribly sorry, he can be very impatient."

"No, he's fine, he has a point," Sen sighed. "I really don't know a lot."

Sen looked back to his book. He was currently engrossed in, and grossed out by, the human pituitary system. Ariak shuffled his feet for a moment, perhaps feeling as if he had more to say, before deciding against it and moving away. Sen returned entirely to his studies. He had to swap between books frequently, looking for an explanation on some information he didn't understand.

The scholarly endeavor lasted much longer than Sen was comfortable with. He was a quick learner, but there was so much information to learn that he felt like he was making no progress at all. He worked his way through the numerous books over the course of hours, and as he did so, he didn't feel any smarter. In fact, Sen was becoming keenly aware that he was a complete idiot. If there was this much to learn about medicine, how much was he missing in math, or science, or history?

The sun began to set over the arctic horizon, and Sen decided to pack up and go inside. Gun quickly vanished under the soil as well. It was about to get very cold in the North Pole.

Sen dragged his feet against the rough floor as he made his way to his room. He did hesitate slightly. There was someone he wanted to talk to. Setting his pile of books aside for a moment, Sen knocked on the door to Whistler's room.

There was a sound of shuffling feet and muttering behind the door. Whistler didn't do much nowadays. She gave Sen a few lessons on airbending now and again to keep his skills up, but mostly she kept to herself and tried to stay warm. Sen had rudely interrupted one of the many naps that took up her time. She very sleepily opened her door.

"What do you want," She mumbled.

"Can we talk?"

"We're talking now," Whistler said dismissively. "But yeah. What's on your mind?"

Sen stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Whistler contained the urge to roll her eyes. He probably wanted to have an important chat. She hated those things.

"I can trust you to be brutally honest with me, right?"

"Probably too much so," Whistler said. She was not known for being considerate of anyone's feelings.

"Do you think I'm stupid?"

Whistler restrained herself from blurting out an answer. There was a lot going on with that question, she could tell. Sen looked wounded somehow. Whistler had seen him physically hurt, quite badly even, but this was a different kind of pain. Something had hit him right in the heart. Whistler considered her answer.

"No, but also…yeah, kind of."

Sen gave her a strange look.

"What do you mean? Is it one or the other?"

Whistler held up her hand to ask for a moment. She didn't exactly know how to put this. She took a moment to think of a good metaphor.

"Sen, you're like…like a really good satomobile engine, but without any gas. Like, you've got all the machinery and the pieces you need to work, but you just haven't got any of the stuff you need to make it go."

Whistler grabbed him by the sides of his head, tilted his head slightly down, and then tapped her knuckles against his forehead.

"I have seen you come up with some really clever stuff, and you learn really quickly," Whistler said. "There's just a lot of stuff you haven't learned yet. Once you catch up, you're going to be a really smart guy."

Sen considered her words. He had thought of himself as fairly clever before all this, and he supposed he still was. He did not know much, but what he did know, he knew very well, and could use to great effect. Sen picked his head up and smiled.

"Thanks, Whistler."

"Yeah, yeah, you're welcome," Whistler scoffed. "Speaking of being empty, I'm going to need at least a week to get back all that human decency I used just now, so don't come to me for advice any time soon."

"I'll just let you nap, then," Sen said.

"Good man. See you in a week."

Whistler leapt backwards and landed quite solidly in her bed, returning to her nap with almost alarming speed. Sen silently excused himself and went to his own room.

Sen's next visit to the library was much more relaxed. He'd worked through the material of a few books, so he returned those, and took a quick look around for something else to study. He wasn't quite sure where to start. Searching for random books wasn't of much help. He needed some kind of direction.

Sen looked through the cracks of a bookshelf, past a book on spinal surgery and over a guide on field medicine, to another shelf leaning against a far wall. Next to the shelf, in a bit of empty space, was a bulletin board. Something on it caught Sen's eye. It was hard not to pay attention to such a strangely festive flyer. Sen walked over and read the message.

"Group Tutoring, Noon to Four, Library Main Area."

He turned his eyes to a nearby clock. It was ten in the morning now. He turned back to the flyer. Between a small amount of glitter and a red sticker, there was another, smaller message.

"Ask for Taina."

Tutoring sounded like a good idea, but the arts-and-crafts decoration of the flyer made him wonder if it was meant for children. He was probably on the same level as some children, unfortunately, but he still had his dignity. Sen figured he could wait until noon and see what the situation was.

Sen buried his face in a book until it was nearly noon. A young woman walked into the library and set up her papers. She was taller than Sen, and very skinny, but she had a certain intellectual flair about her. Sen had a feeling that she was Taina, but he didn't want to be too presumptuous. He waited for a moment. Soon enough, a young boy about his age showed up and confirmed his suspicions by calling Taina by name. She did not seem excited to see him.

"Hey Taina, how's things?"

"As good as they can be," Taina mumbled. "You're early, as usual."

"I like to get my time in," The bothersome boy said. "You're the best teacher I ever had, you know. I like to show my appreciation."

Sen decided this was the time to interrupt. He'd confirmed that this tutoring was meant for people his age, so it wouldn't be too embarrassing to get involved.

"Hey, sorry to interrupt, quick question," he began. "Is this where that tutoring session is?"

"Yes, yes it is," Taina said, glad to have a distraction. "I'm working as part of a course with North Aurora University, we take students between the ages of seventeen and nineteen and help prepare them for higher education, or catch up on schoolwork they missed in the previous year. You can sign up right here and I'll get you caught up with the rest of the class by the end of the week."

Now that her pre-rehearsed speech was over, Taina could talk more naturally.

"So, here's the paperwork," she said, handing over a small sheet of information to Sen. "Now, to give me an idea of what material to cover: what grade were you in last year, and what was your final test score?"

"Uh, I didn't go to school last year."

"Not a problem, lots of people skip a year at our age," Taina said. The bothersome boy sitting next to her had a strange smile on his face. "What was the last year of school you attended, then?"

"Well…about that," Sen began. The friendly smile dropped off Taina's face quite quickly. Alrok's twisted grin only got bigger.

"Have you been to school, ever?"

Sen gave her a blank stare and pursed his lips. Taina went through a variety of facial expressions and hand gestures, before finally pressing her clenched fist against her lips with a look of intense concern on her face. She briefly pulled her hand away.

"Can you read and write," she asked quietly.

"Yeah, I can do that," Sen said, handing back his completed paperwork. Taina looked it over. Nothing was spelled wrong and his handwriting was coherent, so he had that going for him, at the very least.

"Then I can teach you," Taina said proudly. This was a challenging situation, to be sure, but she lived for moments like this. It would look astounding on all her scholarship applications, after all. She could take a fresh, completely empty mind, and teach him the ways of the world. Her Professors would be impressed.

The boy sitting next to Taina put his feet up on a desk and looked Sen over with some hostility.

"Hey, name's Alrok. I'm Taina's best student."

"Technically," Taina admitted. Alrok had improved by twenty percent, the most of any of her students. The problem was that increase was from a thirty percent to a fifty percent.

Taina ignored Alrok's attempts to change the subject and asked Sen to retrieve a few books for her. She was going to make this work, but it would take a lot of extra effort on her part. Sen would need a very specific kind of tutoring, not the usual spiel she gave to the students who gathered before her.

"You're serious about this?"

"Of course I am," Taina said. "I can teach any of you kids."

"You're barely older than me," Arlok objected. He took a peek at Sen's paperwork. "And him, too. Don't talk down to us."

"When you score perfect on the Northern Standardized Test, I'll talk to you like an equal," Taina said. She turned to her folders and gathered a few spare materials, dismissing any of Arlok's attempts at further conversation. She knew that Sen would be an important student for her, even if she didn't yet realize how important he would be.