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 Posted: Thu Nov 29, 2007 8:08 pm
Xi-Mei lay sprawled out on the grass barefoot, staring up at the sky. She was pretty sure the cloud in front of her was in the shape of a plum blossom. Tilting her head to the side, though, it looked a little more like a lion-turtle.
"Hrmmmm" she said thoughtfully, propping her head up on her hands,
"Perhaps it's a turtle-blossom?"
She laughed a bit at the idea, picturing what such a thing might look like in her head, when a voice called out towards her,
"Xi-Mei, there's a young man coming to the Temple to see you. He's got a Sky Bison who's sick, and we thought you might be able to help."
"Oh!" the girl got to her feet, bowing to the Master addressing her,
"Yes, Master Song, you know that I will do anything I can for an animal in need."
She twirled her hair around one finger thoughtfully,
"Do you know what's wrong with the Bison?"
She shook her head, leading her back towards the Temple proper,
"I have not spoken with the boy. You'll have to ask him about the symptoms when he gets here."
She nodded solemnly, picking her boots up and following him, her now grass-stained feet pattering silently in her wake. Well! This should be fun! Hopefully, anyhow, if nothing serious was wrong with the poor creature. She hated to see sick Sky Bison most of all, because they were so pure. She'd yet to meet a monk from one of the Northern or Southern temples-- she wondered if they had any different practices from her own?
Probably not.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:30 am
It had been many years since Sonam had any cause to visit the Eastern Temple. Truly, he felt a little out of his element. This high, prawling place, among the verdant eastern mountains, had little in common with his own Northern Temple aside from altitute. It was strange to see the architecture of home stretched broad and flat and watched over by the sighless eyes of female masters long since passed into the next life.
Which was to say, uh... Sonam felt a little uncomfortable around women.
"It's been a long while, hasn't it, Pabu? This is where we met."
"Maaaaaaf."
Back then, Pabu had been the size of a small dog, and the monks had warned Sonam that he might not survive through the winter. Sonam hadn't cared. Pabu had bounded right up to take the apple from his hand, while the other boys played with better, bigger colts, and Sonam knew exactly what that felt like.
Sonam flew his glider down through the spiralling towers, travelling slowly so that he wouldn't outpace his friend. They landed in the outer stables, where the breeding bison had their shelters.
"Hello? Is anyone there?" He called out. Oh, dear. Surely this was the place that Master Song had recommended to him in her letter...
"Maaf." Pabu curled up on the floor, to rest his aching tail.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 8:35 am
Xi-Mei had decided to check on one of the bison while she was in the stables already-- this one just about due for delivery, really. She looked out of the shelter, noticing the boy but not really getting a good look because of the distance,
"I'm here! Are you the one with the sick Sky Bison?" she asked, giving the female she'd been checking on a quick pat on the head and moving towards him,
"I'm Xi-Mei, the veterinarian."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 10:14 am
"Ah. Of course."
Sonam rapped his blackwood staff on the floor, retracting the wings of his glider, and leaned it against the wall. Then he pressed fist to palm and bowed formally towards the shape of the girl walking towards him.
"Sonam, of the Northern Temple."
When Sonam was bent over, he doubtlessly looked a little odd - torn pants, and was that hair on his head? - but Xi-Mei wasn't able to get a good look at him until he straightened up.
His clothes were outlandish, at best, and he'd laquered his nails like an Earth Kingdom courtesan. He was pale as a corpse. He'd gone prematurely grey. The arrows etched into his skin marked him as a devout, but the cruel twist of his mouth made him look harsh and unforgiving.
Sonam was hardly the image of a proper monk.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:04 pm
The only part of his appearance that really mattered to Xi-Mei, however, were the arrows. She had to admit to being a bit startled at first by his appearance-- not what she'd expected, of course-- but, in the end she decided after looking him over that it simply gave him character. He would definitely stand out in a crowd!
...Besides, the little Sky Bison at his feet was -too- cute for words! She bowed before the boy, then knelt down to scratch the little guy between the ears, beaming,
"Aww, what a sweetheart!"
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:51 pm
"Pabu has travelled with me since I was a boy." Sonam crouched down by Pabu, to loosed the pack on his back. He could easily have carried his own belongings, but Sonam knew that hauling around the little backpack covered with happy grey clouds made Pabu feel useful, like the big bison in their saddles.
"He- er, was born a bit small. But I'm not here about that."
There was nothing to be done about Pabu being the runt of his litter, no matter how frustrating it was at times.
"You see his tail?" The little bison obediently shuffled around to show Xi-Mei his backside. There was a large, angry gash in his tail, where a whole chunk of flesh had been stripped away. "I fear he was caught in an animal trap in Ba Sing Se, when I wasn't around to keep an eye out for him."
Sonam shook his head ruefully. The expression made him look like a triad boss considering his next hit.
"Now his flying- it isn't what it used to be. I'm worried it might be infected."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 1:58 pm
Xi-Mei got down on her knees in order to check the tail. This boy seemed very sweet too-- he was so worried about the little one! Of course, she knew that she would have been just as worried if something were wrong with Samir-- she loved her own Bison like a child.
Still, not many would've picked a Sky Bison so small it couldn't even carry him. It definitely spoke to Sonam's character anyways.
And the little guy was so cute! How could she not do whatever it took to make Pabu better?
She examined the tail closely, noting the marks and the redness around the scratches,
"Did you put something on the scratches after he got them? Clean them out? Has he been exposed to any potentially harmful substances?"
She shifted the embroidered bag on her shoulder to the floor, rustling through it for some herbs and a vial,
"I have some stuff you can give him that will definitely help the healing process either way, but it'd be good to know the specifics."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:09 pm
"Only salt water," Sonam admitted. He felt a little awkward about how close they were sitting. Their hands had almost brushed together!
He shuffled back, clearing his throat. A boy raised by male monks, with a face like his- he didn't know what he was supposed to do around girls. Not even monk girls whom he was seeing solely on business.
"It's embarrassing to say, but- it's hard to hold him down."
Pabu was small, and swift, and looking at Xi-Mei's bad with a suspicious little pout. It smelled like BATHS and MEDICINE and the kind of icky herbs Sonam scrounged for at the side of the road when there was nothing else nutritious to eat.
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 2:23 pm
She grinned,
"Oh, I think he'll like this, though." She'd spent enough time working with the Sky Bison here at the Eastern Air Temple to have developed some healing herbs that actually tasted good-- really the best way to get them to take the herbs that were ingested, anyways.
She held out what looked like a small chunk of dried herbs, her hand flat with the bit on top of it. The Sky Bison in the stall nearest them perked its head up, looking out the stall. Xi-Mei laughed,
"Not this time, Bu, you're just fine."
She looked at his tail thoughtfully,
"Though, I do have to put the cream on the cut itself. Perhaps while he's eating he'll be a bit more amenable to standing still? We could get him some hay to snack on, that sometimes distracts them pretty well."
She smiled at the boy, not noticing his shyness,
"Or, we can just try to hold him down together. A little airbending might help. Or I could get some of the other girls to help."
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Posted: Sat Dec 01, 2007 7:15 pm
"Oh. Uh- no! Not at all, Miss Xi-Mei."
If there were more girls, he would end up sitting stone-faced and reciting sutras in his head until they left. If he didn't go completely out of his mind first. One girl was more than enough.
There were some students at the Northern Temple who spent quite a bit of time on good-natured speculation as to what went on the equatorial temples when there were no men there. Quite a bit of time. But Sonam wasn't- he just- he didn't approve of that kind of thinking!!! No doubt many of his peers would think him insane for shirking such an opportunity to get to observe the ladies of the Easter Temple, but he didn't care.
"I wouldn't want to cause more trouble for you ladies than I already have."
He almost bowed, again, but second-guessed himself at the last minute, and ended up patting Pabu on the back of the head instead.
"It's okay, buddy. You're going to be just fine."
Pabu tentatively touched his tongue to Xi-Mei's palm. His eye grew impossibly wider, and he fell upon it, licking and slurping, until her hand was covered in bison drool.
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Posted: Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:11 am
"Oh, it's no trouble, but I'm sure we can handle him on our own," She smiled and scratched the little guy behind the ears while he finished eating the herbs.
"Well, those will help him heal faster, and salt water's actually pretty good for cleaning out wounds, so all we'll need is to put the cream on his tail."
She pulled her hand away from Pabu, wiping it on her pants, and took the vial in her hands,
"This won't hurt at all, Pabu, it actually feels kinda nice..." she turned to Sonam, "I keep the liquid in the vials warm, because that way they're less likely to object to it. Oh, and just Xi-Mei is fine-- or Xi-Xi--, I can't be much older than you!"
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 4:53 pm
"I'll try my best, Miss Xi-Mei," Sonam said, unconsciously retaining the honorific on her name. It wasn't that they were so far apart in age. If anything, Sonam probably looked older, with his silvery hair and odd features. He just liked being polite.
"Is there any extra? Pabu and I travel a lot, and he's prone to accidents. If I could-"
Having finished his herbs, Pabu had taken to snuffling at the air. He didn't appear to like the scent of that vial.
Sonam saw the Sky Bison's wounded tail flinch, all angry red and oozing pus, but before he had a chance to speak a word of warning, Pabu had already shot up into the air.
He was heading towards the fields. Several of the other Sky Bison lowed with approval.
"Pabu." Sonam sighed. He looked like he was ready to butcher the poor beast - though looks, in Sonam's case, were nearly always decieving.
The monk prung up onto his feet, and grabbed his staff, fanning its wings out with a practiced motion.
"I'm sorry, miss. Do you have your glider here?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2007 7:27 pm
The girl nodded-- she wasn't going to push the 'miss' thing if it made him feel a little more comfortable around her to use it,
"Oh sure. I can give you the recipe too, so if you run out you can make some more for him. And y'know, you can always come back and see me!"
She giggled, then blinked as the little guy took off,
"Oh! I guess I shouldn't have waited so long. Sure, I have my glider..."
She trotted over to the stall she'd been visiting and grabbed the glider, opening it.
"Though, I think maybe I should stay behind and just use it to help you catch him. He doesn't know me that well and I wouldn't want him to get any more scared, poor little guy."
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 1:10 pm
"He's not scared." Sonam said wryly, almost snorting. It was the least guarded thing he'd done since he'd met her. "He thinks we're going to give him a bath."
He held the black glider parallel to the ground, and set off towards the cliffside at a dead run.
"Come if you want," he called back. "It will probably be faster. But I won't impose!"
Then Sonam took off, shooting up into the sky like a great ragged crow.
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Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2007 1:18 pm
Xi-Mei watched him leave thoughtfully. He was probably right that it'd go faster, but...well, she really didn't want to frighten poor Pabu. Of course, Sonam had said he wasn't scared, and he would know better than anyone what the little Sky Bison was thinking, so....
She opened the glider, adjusting her bag so that it was around her neck where she could keep a better watch over it, and took off, heading in the direction of bison and boy, then veering off to approach Pabu from the opposite direction that Sonam was.
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