The Origin of Roh-Shan

Havenoe Healer

"Ah, fuck! OWWWW!"

Roh and Kota startled awake at the howling sound outside the cave. Ennis stood at attention immediately, his ears forward and tail whipping.

The sun was up, and Haider was gone.

Roh looked down and realized she had fallen asleep big-spoon behind Kota, her arms wrapped around her. For warmth.

They both got up quickly and ran to the edge of the cave. Sure enough, about 20 feet down the rocky slope, wrist still tied to ankle, lay Haider, writhing in pain.

The girls slid down the rocks, more carefully than Haider had clearly, and stood over him. "Trying to escape?" Roh crossed her arms.

Haider just huffed.

"How'd that work out?"

"Why am I tied up!"

"You didn't forget that you betrayed us on the boat, did you? And look who came to your aid after your "new friends" left you for dead?" Roh said.

"Okay, I'm sorry. Please. My leg really hurts."

The girls noticed his leg for the first time. It was just slightly curved the wrong way and clearly broken. "You gotta be kidding me. How many times do we have to bring you to a healer in one day?"

"I've been to one already? Actually, I don't care. Please just get help right now."

Kota whistled for Ennis.

~

Ennis was helpful in getting Haider up the cliff. But they unanimously decided parading him through town would draw way too much attention. After one miserable walk through the town carrying Haider, not to mention barefoot, and a very kind gentleman with a wheelbarrow to transport him the rest of the way and lead them to the healer, Haider was brought into a waiting room. There were three people ahead of them with relatively minor injuries, which pissed him off even more.

"That's what you get for trying to escape." Kota told him.

"My arm and leg were numb, I was trying to find a rock I could sharpen to cut the rope so I could get some bloodflow!"

"Oh, good, then you didn't feel it when your leg broke."

"I feel it now!" His shouting attracted the attention of some others in the waiting room.

"Guys, be quiet. Haider, you know you could have just woke us up? Say 'hey guys, I could use some help here.'" Roh said.

"Well, you two looked a little... busy."

Kota blushed hot red.

"Haider, shut up. You're lucky we didn't abandon you on those rocks after what you did."

"I was just trying to trick them, I wasn't actually joining--"

"Shut. Up."

~

After another half hour of waiting in agonizing pain, no doubt also in pain from his concussion, he was brought in to see the healer and the girls decided it was punishment enough.

While he was inside, the girls found a shop nearby and used their silver pieces to buy three pairs of shoes. They returned just in time to see the healer wrapping Haider's leg in a bandage wrap.

"Can I ask you something?" Roh got down on the floor on Haider's other side, and looked at the healer. Kota stood to the side.

"Sure."

"What's the building at the top of the hill over there?" Roh pointed East.

"Oh, the Air Embassy?"

"Yeah, that one! Um, what's an Air Embassy?"

She frowned at them. "You must not be Earth Kingdom, are you?"

"I'm an earthbender." Haider defended, even though he'd never lived in the Earth Kingdom a day in his life.

"Fire Nation." Kota said. "Ren Haru. All of us." She glared at Haider.

"All the major Earth Kingdom cities have an Air Embassy, to negotiate trade and other agreements. There's a few monks and nuns who live there full-time, but every teenage airbender spends a month living at an embassy, as part of their cultural schooling. There's between five and seven at any given time." She looked annoyed. "And they're all fascinated by the healer. They don't have waterbenders at the Air Temples, of course. Is that all? I have more patients to see."

Roh helped Haider to his feet. "Yes, thank you very much. That's great news."

She looked confused. "Whatever. Who's next!"

~//~