"Strange like how?" he wonders.

"Well, for one thing, I didn't get to do any earthbending today, it was all about stances and breathing and listening to the earth."

"...Does the earth make noise? I didn't think it was known for doing that," he laughs.

"Well, it does during seismic events, but I think she meant some kind of earthbending sense thing. I think I might have felt something by the end, but then she gave up for the day and sent me home."

"She didn't say so. She didn't say much at all, actually, she poked me and moved the earth under my feet to get me to stand how she wanted."

"I am envisioning this lesson and it is a weird, weird vision," giggles Dao.

"Are you incorporating into this vision that she's three inches shorter than me and wears assorted rocks tied in her hair and lots of bracelets?"

"Yep. I mean, gemstones - mostly - but rocks. She's very serious about her rocks."

"I'm definitely getting that sense."

"I don't really know why the nuns picked her out, but I'll give her a while before I write her off as incomprehensible, I guess."

"Maybe she's a really good earthbender," he hypothesizes. "What with being so serious about her rocks."

"Maybe, but she doesn't have any other students - not right now, anyway - so whether she's a good teacher remains to be seen."

"Well, good luck, I guess."

"Thanks."

"Maybe you will learn how to listen to the earth."

"I wonder what it has to say."

"Um... 'quit stepping on me'?" he suggests.

"Spirits, I hope not. I don't think that would be sustainable."

"Yeah, if the ground wants people to stop walking on it, it's kind of screwed," laughs Dao.

"Maybe it'll say, 'walk on me more, I have this awful crick in my spine'."

Dao cracks up.

"Or 'walk over there, I have an itch', I don't know. Maybe Shifu Riko has an idea and will tell me eventually."

He giggles some more.