Nanera steps into the courtyard, bamboo staff in hand. Warm morning light glints along the polished wood as the children hush and turn toward her.
She sets her feet and shows them a smooth, defensive sweep, low and controlled. The arc is wide enough to protect, gentle enough to teach.
Her children mimic her with small wooden sticks, some eager, some clumsy. Tiny sandals scrape the stone as they try again, watching Nanera’s shoulders and hands.
Ardis
That one makes it look easy.
Ardis leans in the doorway with a proud smile, his gaze moving from Nanera to the children. The dojo feels quiet, held together by tea scent, sunlight, and breath.
The Traveling Healer
So this is where peace is practiced, not just spoken.
One child adjusts their grip and looks up at Nanera for approval, waiting for the next move.
“I instruct my students on another move”
SUCCESS (Great Hand-to-Hand Combat, rolled -1)
Nanera turns from the waiting child and shifts her staff across her body. The courtyard stills again, every little face fixed on her hands.
She shows them a second move, a firm parry that redirects force instead of meeting it head-on. The bamboo tip glides, then settles, clean and calm.
Ardis
That will save a wrist, if they keep their elbows soft.
The children copy her in a wavering line, then correct themselves together as Nanera adjusts their spacing with a glance and a small nod.
The Traveling Healer
She teaches balance like it is breath.
One child’s wooden stick slips free, taps the stone, and rolls neatly to Nanera’s feet. The lesson holds without breaking.
From the open doors, a cooler draft touches the incense haze, and the sound of water beyond the dojo reaches the courtyard for a heartbeat. The child who dropped the stick looks up, waiting for Nanera’s next instruction.
“i continue training my children”
SUCCESS (Great Hand-to-Hand Combat, rolled +1)
Nanera lets the dropped stick settle, then steps the class inward with one calm motion of her staff. The children tighten their line, eyes fixed on her feet and hands.
She demonstrates a simple empty-hand bind, turning a wrist away and guiding an arm into a safe path. The movement is small, precise, and easy to copy.
Nanera
The grip has to soften before the throw can work.
Child 1 mimics the shape first, then Child 2 and Child 3 follow, each correcting the last by watching Nanera's shoulders instead of just her hands.
Ardis
Good. They are learning where force ends and control begins.
The Traveling Healer
Her lesson leaves no bruises.
Nanera shifts two steps through the line, adjusting elbows and stances with quiet touches. The practice stick is lifted, handed back, and used again without a word.
At the edge of the open doors, the cooler air carries the same faint water-sound, now clearer than before, as the children hold their new positions and wait for Nanera's next cue.
“i continue training the students”
SUCCESS (Great Hand-to-Hand Combat, rolled -1)
Nanera steps the line forward by a half pace, and the children follow without breaking rhythm.
She shows a second sequence, low guard to wrist turn to a controlled off-balance, then lets the motion end cleanly instead of hard.
Child 1 copies the timing, Child 2 matches the shift, and Child 3 finally keeps both feet planted through the turn.
Ardis
That is it. Their center is staying under them now.
The Traveling Healer
Such small corrections, and the whole form changes.
Nanera glances toward the open doors as the water sound swells clearer than before, then guides the class into a slower breathing drill.
The Traveling Healer
If you wish, I can fetch fresh towels after this set, or follow the water path with you.
“I follow the water path with the healer”
SUCCESS (Fair Agility, rolled -2)