"Just lie flat, don't move, and... it'll feel weird, but it should start feeling better quickly."

That being said, he drew the first needle from the pouch, then bared her arm to gentle insert it into the skin. It seemed like it should hurt, but the needle was tiny, and either he was skilled or that prod earlier was still serving its purpose.

"I favor using fewer needles than many would, in the grand scheme of things," he said conversationally, to keep her mind off her own pain as much as possible and distract her from the needles he continued to slide into her arms. Her stomach was next on the list. "Then again, I'm not manipulating your chi with these needles so much as I'm using them to break down the barriers between your body and mine."