Anonymous
Oct 1, 2020 7:34:24 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Oct 1, 2020 7:34:24 GMT -6
A bead of sweat ran down her brow as she heaved the last of the boxes into the wagon. The work has been tedious and the day had been hot, but the pay would no doubt make it worth it. The old man smiled in gratitude as he dropped a few coins in her outstretched hand. Bowing her head in thanks Padma waved the old man goodbye and watched quietly as he rode away on his ostrich-horse with his little wagon of goods in tow. She had been in this village for a few months now doing odd jobs here and there, but the money wasn’t enough. First she had to leave some for herself to by some dinner, the rest she would have to send back to her father, all in all it wasn’t enough to bring her father to Ba Sing Se.
“Confound it!” Padma placed the coins back in her purse. Just then her stomach rumbled loudly earning a small sigh from the girl. “Guess I should see about getting dinner. I wonder which place around here is good.”
The market wasn’t big by any means, it was a simple market with a few vendors at different booths. A small woman selling an exotic looking assortment of fruits, one of which she recognized as a Si Wong passion fruit that often hung from trees at the oasis, a commodity she knew was too expensive for her, a man who sold kebabs, and a few other food vendors. Clutching her purse tightly she sighed as she glanced between the two food vendors.
Hopefully I can afford one of these. She continued to pace a bit in thought as she weighed her options. I should probably get some of the cheaper fruit, but the passion fruit reminds me of home! Or maybe I should just get a kebab? But that could expensive, maybe I—
Just then Padma bumped into something, or rather someone. “Oh! My apologies, I wasn’t looking where I was going.”
Oct 2, 2020 19:37:03 GMT -6
Post by Kioko on Oct 2, 2020 19:37:03 GMT -6
Leaving Ba Sing Se was a rare treat for her, so each infrequent trip was something of a delight even if the purpose of her excursion wasn't for the nicest of reasons. This time, thankfully, she had simply been called to assist in a particularly difficult birth. The mother had been part of a refugee group that had arrived in Ba Sing Se some months ago, and she and her husband had found work in a nearby village.
Kioko was exhausted. The messenger hawk had found her quickly, and she dropped everything she was doing to ride out here on ostrich-horseback — a skill that, thankfully, hadn't rusted despite the lack of use. She had said a soft blessing of thanks to her parents who insisted she learn when she was a child. As soon as she had arrived, the mother's labour began in earnest and Kioko spent about eight hours guiding the terrified first-time mother through what countless mothers before her had gone through.
She delivered twins, and Kioko wept with joy and exhaustion alongside the mother, her husband, and the farmer who had been gracious enough to take them in.
Now, she was ravenous. She said goodbye to the little family after making them promise to see her in the city after after a few days. She gave them a little pass with her seal on it, that would allow them entry without paying a fee or having to beg their way in. The marketplace called to her, and she couldn't wait to try the local fare.
She had just placed an order for some kebabs and a serving of rice when someone bumped into her. The food in her hands wobbled, but thankfully, did not spill overly much.
"Oh, it's quite all right, sweetie," she replied, wiping a little yogurt sauce off her fingers. "Are you okay?"
Anonymous
Oct 5, 2020 8:22:16 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2020 8:22:16 GMT -6
Padma quickly took notice of the woman’s unconventional clothing, the blue colors and the strangely foreign looking garbs. She recognized it as Water Tribe, whether North or South she wasn’t sure. She had never met someone from the Water Tribe before, they were naturally scarce in the Si Wong Desert. The tall girl relaxed as she noted that the woman didn’t seem angry. There’s a load off my mind. She bowed her head in slight greeting.
“I’m apologies, I am Padma.” Padma offered a calm smile as her body relaxed. “I’m doing fine.”
Almost as if on queue there young earth bender’s stomach groaned with the need for food, much to her embarrassment. “Well, perhaps I could be doing a bit better.” She said sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck. Letting out small sigh she looked to to the nearby food vendors.
“I do have a bit of a dilemma. I need something to eat but I don’t really have the money. I want to send a majority of this back to my father, he needs it more than I do.” Padma explained quietly as she placed a hand on her stomach. She then perked up a bit and turned to the woman. “Would you happen to know of anyone that is in need of a worker? I work hard, if I could just earn a little more money I’ll be set, at least for today.”
“It’s alright if not, I’m sure I can figure something out.” Hopefully.
Oct 6, 2020 22:55:45 GMT -6
Post by Kioko on Oct 6, 2020 22:55:45 GMT -6
Immediately, Kioko pressed the kebabs into the young lady's — Padma's — hand.
"Here, sweetie," she said with a smile, already turning to buy herself another serving. "Help yourself."
As she waited to get more kebabs, she turned her head to look at Padma in appraisal. She seemed like a sturdy individual, not unaccustomed to hard work and physical labour. She had long since needed an assistant, but the demands of a healer and midwife weren't for the faint hearted; over the years she'd had a few, waterbender and not, and all of them had quit after a while due to burnout. They couldn't handle the starving children, couldn't handle the babies lost due to poor nourishment or the rodent-infested tenements of the lower ring, couldn't handle being refused entry due to stubbornness.
"How are you with bodily fluids," she asked, a little delicately. They were, after all, in a public place. "From both babies and young children, as well as adults?"
She took the kebabs and another helping of yogurt sauce and motioned that Padma should follow her to a spot a little ways away from the stall that was less crowded.
"I run a clinic — healing, midwifery, general healthcare — in Ba Sing Se," she continued, "and I could use an assistant."
Anonymous
Oct 12, 2020 10:34:13 GMT -6
Post by Deleted on Oct 12, 2020 10:34:13 GMT -6
“Oh, thank you so much!” Padma bowed her head slightly as she thanked the woman. Just the scent of the kebab was enough to make her mouth water, this would definitely fill her up for the day. It had been quite a long time since Padma had experience such random kindness from a stranger, though it did refresh her heart to know that despite the war there were still good people out there. Perhaps the war may have soured me a little. Hopefully papa is alright. I’ll have to send another letter soon.
Followed her away from the bustling crowd, nibbling on a piece of meat on the top of her kebab. Just as delicious as it smells!
“I’m pretty good with body fluids. Blood and other body liquids never really bothered me. Why do you ask?” Padma answered honestly as she hit a sizable chunk of meat from her kebab. It was an odd question to ask a stranger to say the least, not that she minded, she did just buy her dinner after all. Though her eyes widened upon the mention of her trade.
This is it! This could be it! A job, not only a good paying one, but one in Ba Sing Se! This had been the opportunity she had been waiting for! With a position like that in the city she could easily pay for her father’s safe travel to the inside of its walls.
“I would happily accept your offer! I’ve been waiting to get into Ba Sing Se so I could bring my father into its walls! Thank you so much for the opportunity. When do I start?”
Nov 22, 2020 13:52:02 GMT -6
Post by Kioko on Nov 22, 2020 13:52:02 GMT -6
Kioko laughed, not unkindly, at Padma's enthusiasm.
"Slow down, slow down," she said with a friendly smile, and patted the young woman on the shoulder. "First, let me tell you about what you'll be doing and what my expectations are. Then, you can decide whether or not to accept.
"The clinic is open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. We treat everyone, regardless of what nation they are from or their ability to pay. We make no judgements on people's lifestyles, living conditions, or choices, we simply inform them of their options and let them decide—even if we disagree with their decision. We don't lecture, we don't bully, and most of all we do not force anyone to do anything they don't want to.
"You'll be expected to shadow me for every appointment for two months before starting any solo work. We'll start with basic first aid — treating cuts, abrasions, fevers, emergency life-saving techniques — before moving on to medical procedures. It would help if you were a waterbender, but I think I'm right in guessing that you aren't. If that's the case, you'll also have to learn when to call for me and when you'll need to rely on more mundane techniques like sutures.
"You'll also assist me in midwifery, and this is the part that really requires a strong heart and strong stomach. Many of my patients are poor refugees, and don't have access to clean living or regular meals. Many times, this means that mother and baby have issues during the pregnancy and during delivery. Sometimes, far too frequently for my liking really, mother or baby may die. Sometimes, terribly, it's both. You'll need to learn how to handle this so that you don't get overwhelmed personally, and so you don't stress out their loved ones during an emergency.
"To start, you'll live in the clinic, in the second floor where I keep a small apartment. You'll receive a sum of ten gold pieces per week, which should be more than enough for clothes, food, and other expenditures. I don't have a kitchen in the clinic, so you'll need to find food elsewhere while you stay in the clinic. Whenever you have enough saved up, you're free to find new lodging or you're free to stay, whichever suits your needs best."
She tilted her head and smiled at Padma.
"I know it's a lot to take in, so why don't you think about it while you tell me a little bit about yourself? How old are you, what's your family situation like, do you have any experience working with healers, things like that?"
