A. N. : Laying a lot of groundwork with this one, but I wonder if you'll catch on...
Ty Lee is learning.
And, like, yes she is also enjoying a nice day at the beach with Mai and Doctor Sekiji and Tao the pirate, and tea she brewed herself with leaves Doctor Sekiji bought, and the weather is good, hot but with a light breeze that makes it bearable, and she can just walk a few steps to cool herself down in the ocean if needed – all of that is true, but she is also learning a lot.
Oh, and Qin is here too. Azula still doesn't want anyone around most of the time, so he was chased out of the house. Better to have him somewhere Ty Lee can see him, she guesses, but that doesn't mean she has to like it.
Still. He hasn't done anything since his apology – that she's seen, at least – and right now he seems focused on watching the horizon in silence and not doing awful things to Mai while being so sure it's for her own sake, and his aura is the same usual gold-speckled green it normally is, so it's fine to not focus on him too much.
Doctor Sekiji is explaining his method at Ty Lee's request. Fire healing is different from what waterbenders can do, he's been very clear on that point, but it's not like Ty Lee can use either on her own anyway.
She's not looking for direct application. If Doctor Seikiji could help fix the damage Qin did, he'd have already noticed the green in Azula, in whatever shape it would take.
No, she will just learn what she can, take what Doctor Sekiji can give, and then she will think of a way to use all of that herself.
A firebender's flames are produced from their chi. Fire healing takes this principle and pushes it to its extreme, concentrating the chi and letting it flow inside the patient. It takes immense control and anatomical knowledge to ensure the chi follows the patient's natural flow – a single mistake will result in a burn, the location of which could even be fatal.
The flow's characteristics – smoothness, presence and location of knots – is then used to inform the diagnostic, since by keeping control of the flame all throughout the process, the healer remains aware of its movements and can identify problematic areas.
To Doctor Sekiji's understanding – he has never seen it done himself, so this is only theorizing based on his own sparse knowledge, he insists, and Ty Lee smiles and nods and waits for him to go on – waterbenders rely on the same principle, but the use of water as a conduit allows them to reach even deeper inside the body and inject their own chi, or even medicine, into the flesh itself, to hasten the healing process, making them much more than just diagnosticians.
He shakes his head and sighs, says he never understood why his practice is referred to as fire healing, when the healing is done after the fire, with needles and hand presses.
If Auntie Mei Lin heard him, she'd be pissed.
Ty Lee laughs, half sympathy and half picturing Auntie's face inside her head, and pats Doctor Sekiji's arm in support. To anyone not familiar with the mechanisms, it probably really looks like the flames are doing all the work – and they're so pretty ! It's hard to blame whoever picked this name, even if it's not accurate.
Plus, even if it isn't as powerful as whatever waterbenders have going on – and hm, if water healing really is that strong, then Ty Lee should really aim for the waterbender first if she gets in a fight with the Avatar's group again, to make sure whatever happens sticks – Doctor Sekiji is still an amazing healer on his own right ! He should be proud !
After all, without him, Azula would be dead.
He looks… shy, at that. His muddy aura greys a bit as he looks to the side. It's not embarrassment, if it was, his aura would still grow more vibrant from the pride of being praised. No, this looks more like… shame ? Why ?
… Maybe it's got to do with his previous lack of bending.
Ty Lee didn't ask about that, obviously – that's like, super taboo bender stuff ! – but she still can't help but wonder. She wonders, too, about Azula. She still hasn't made a flame yet, not since she started recovering.
It's probably nothing, though. Not the same thing Doctor Sekiji had to deal with, to fight against, when he wanted to help Azula. It's nothing.
It has to be.