It's exactly what it looks like


Blade stormed into the Owl, "MOVE IT! GO, go, GO!" She burst out in anger and slightly panic that Griffin would catch up any second now.

Memphis nearly dropped his phone he was so startled.

Blade rushed passed him and hammered in the commands into the Owl. The engines fired up and the Owl lifted off.

"Chill, two minutes more won't make Coda any less grumpy. Did a Halucinga stung you in the butt?" Memphis joked to ease the tension but was visibly confused. And then he noticed the state she was still in, "Woah, you're still banged up? I thought, she would heal you at least… What happened to your shoulder!? Are you okay? Did Griffin…" Memphis jumped from the pilot seat. 'She wouldn't?!'

"As if! And, heck no, I won't take charity from her!" Blade was still so pissed.

Memphis stepped towards her to inspect the shoulder, "So this is from the bar? Why didn't you say something? Oh man, that means the potion's effects are vanishing. You should go back and…"

"NO!" Blade hissed into his face, and suddenly stopped. "Sorry…" She looked to the ground. "I don't want to have anything more to do with that WITCH than I have to."

"Witch? Not Sorceress?" Memphis blinked in disbelief, 'What the heck happened?!' There was no point trying to convince her now to turn around, one didn't need to be a psychic to see that. Memphis shook his head, "Next stop, infirmary." He started the auto pilot to Red Fountain. 'No, way I set her down in Alfea like this.'

"Do we have to?" Blade raced up and down the Owl, she still had so much adrenaline in her system. "Can't you just do it?"

"A dislocated shoulder? Ha! No…NOOOO. I do know many things, but I am not so stupid to try. If I get banged up, I go to a contact, who knows what they're doing," Memphis declined the request promptly.

Blade stared at him a bit surprised, "Didn't you attend first aid classes in Red Fountain? I thought they are mandatory…"

"…Yes, they are. I can do the basic emergency stuff. You know, wounds, gashes, bandages, resuscitation… And yes, I had maybe two classes about shoulders and joints but that was like a year ago. I gladly help you out with other stuff, but this? No way. You're going to the infirmary, where people know what they are doing," Memphis wouldn't budge. 'Why am I always her ambulance...? Gotta sneak her in…'

"Can't we contact anyone else?" Blade wasn't keen on going to Red Fountain. "Off the books…"

"At this time of the day on Magix, Capital of the Magic Council? That will take way too long. There are hospitals in the City, but flying back, Coda would kill me… And Red Fountain officially is the infirmary of all schools. Plus, they have the better healers, if you ask me, at least for those kinds of injuries. But you already know that." Memphis took the first aid kit from the back of the ship. "I can stabilise the arm and shoulder…" He sighed as Blade looked super unhappy, "I can drop you at Alfea, if you rath-"

"Heck no!" Blade hated that idea even more, "I'll never hear the end of it from them… Fine, Red Fountain it is…"

'Ha! Predictable. Typical Blade. Nebula is right, she does fear that they won't take her seriously. Well, they did send Riven after her. Talk about an overkill… And Griffin, Dusk. All besides her having the prototype bracelet, which Coda no doubt was checking constantly. If they get handed out to all schools all our teachers will fall of their chairs. Well, first off is the beta testing. I wonder who they will chose to set up a system for more students. Hm… good thing, I am preparing countermeasures in advance…' Memphis stared at the shoulder. Blade too riled up to properly sit still at all. He smirked, "Are you always such an unruly patient? Now, hold still…"

They landed in the hangar of the school, "Well then…" Memphis rose from the seat. Blade was grinding her teeth. The potion was weakening by the minute. She tanked the pain like a pro, but still with him she didn't have to pretend and it was clear she was getting worse.

"Know anyone on duty who would be willing to lose the official report?" Blade asked cheekily.

"Hmmm…not a bad idea…" Memphis checked the roster as he pressed on the button to open the loading ramp for them to leave.

Blade spotted the shadow quickly and jumped to the side pressing against the Owls wall next to the ramp, hiding.

"Memphis…" Codatorta's voice rumbled. "You're late. What was taking you so long? Are you reverting back to your old habits? I thought I drilled them out of you…"

"Whatever do you mean?" Memphis chuckled. 'Good eye, Blade.' He stepped down the ramp. "I told you the Owl was on the other side of the city. How did they even manage to set a hangar on fire? There was nothing flammable in the crates…" He was as chilled as ever.

"Detlev made some adjustments to the cranes, to IMPROVE them…" Codatorta updated him.

"Oh, that sounds like him…Did it work?" Memphis asked intrigued.

"Yeah, until it didn't and everything started exploding and burning…You're supposed to watch those lazy cheats!" Codatorta growled angrily. "Now, let's go, you're not skipping the clean-up, your team, your mess."

"Ah, figures…" Memphis watched the loading ramp close. 'Sorry Blade, you're on your own. Ahh shit…'

"Figures? My ass, you get that hangar spotless! And no more IMPROVING!" Codatorta turned around to leave with Memphis. He would make sure that he would get there.

Blade breathed out, "Way too close…" She stared into the cockpit. "Ouch…" it stung as she moved away from the wall. "Well, gotta get patched up…I don't want a record from the infirmary. They'll sent it over to Alfea… Griffin at least keeps her mouth shut because she doesn't want the heat. I hope…then again, I destroyed her window. Crap, that bitch can, aarrrgh." Blade thought about it. "Hmmm…Oh, right, Keith is training healing spells and first-aid stuff… he just started to attend the medic classes." She mumbled to herself and activated her bracelet to call the guys out of bed.

Not fifteen minutes later Team E and Blade were standing in their locker room. They had snuck around the school and hidden inside to escape some guards.

"Remind me again why are we sneaking around in our own school…" Michael spied through the door all was clear again.

"I told you, I finished the Could Tower mission. I can't show up like this in Alfea…" Blade repeated for the hundredth time.

Dean scratched his head, "Then why didn't Griffin…"

Blade glared at him, "That Wi-woman can kiss my ass."

Mercury raised his eyebrows, "Don't tell me. You got into another argument with her about what it means to be a Sorceress. Did she throw you out as punishment?"

"Tch. She'd wish," Blade grimaced as another wave of pain was flooding her system. The potion would not hold much longer.

Julius chuckled, "You always battle with forces beyond you."

"Well, Sis is our Battle Fairy. If not, I would be truly worried," Kai laughed.

"So, like you. Stubborn as ever. I bet she would have healed you up nonetheless, but you stormed out, little Sis, didn't ya?" Dean shook his head as he teased. "At least sit down before you fall over. Keith?"

Keith was skipping through the spell book Blade had lend out for him from Alfea, "Yes, yes, I'm searching. Still, I'm just starting my training as a healer. I'm not sure this will work even if I get the right spell…"

"We could try convergence to boost…" Blade sat down, but it was not just the shoulder that was nagging her by now. All those bruises from the fights in the bar were starting to bother her at last as well.

"You look like a cheetah," Mercury gazed at her arms and her thighs, who were covered in contusions all over. That blue spot in her face on her jaw didn't look so good either. "Wait, maybe we can at least use our ointments for that…" He stepped to his locker. 'Ahhhh, I swear next time I trail her myself. At least she is fine…nothing life threatening...' His heart was pumping a bit faster as he searched his chaotic locker.

Kai opened his, "Wait, I have, woah," A bunch of clothes basically sprung out and rushed down like an avalanche among other things. It was somewhat loud.

"SHHH, Dude!" Michael just caught a training hilt before it clanked on the ground.

"Kai…you know they are doing surprise checks on our lockers. I told you to clean up this mess…" Julius reminded him kindly and picked up the jar of ointment from the floor.

Dean got some bandages and some wounding presses, "Well, let's turn the Cheetah into a mummy."

"Ha, ha…" Blade loosened Memphis's bandages so she could get her shirt off. She used some magic to cut her shirt open at the seams. "Chhhhhh…"

"What are you doing? Gesh, Blade, you're still a girl," Julius was a bit perplexed as she started to strip in the middle of the room in front of them without a prior warning.

"What?" Blade had heard so much weird shit all day that reaction was the last thing she had expected. "We want to get everything or not? Besides you have seen me in a bikini, sports brah isn't much different. They nearly look my training tops anyways. If you're on a mission and have to inspect someone you might even have to cut the clothes open yourself. Get a grip," Blade rolled her eyes earning a disapproving look from him. She stopped. She was confused. His worry was overkill, they knew each other, they were friends and they had seen more skin of hers and she of them. This wasn't the first time they had to check her out. Yet there was sourer aftertaste from the comments in the fight bar and his protest.

"We are Knights, Gentlemen, we simply can lift it, to get one or twooo, ooooohh," Julius protest vanished into disbelief. "I thought it was a retrieval mission? How-" He raised his voice. Her torso and back locked just like her arms full of superficial bruises. "Yeah, that shirt has to go. We can't bandage it like that…"

Now it was Blade, who was hesitating, "I do the chest area myself...or other places…" She warned all the boys harshly. Now there was an awkward tension in the air.

"I didn't mean…Of course, who do you think we are?!" Julius sighed and waited for her to finished cutting the shirt open. 'what the heck was she doing to be this jumpy? I just wanted a heads up…'

Michael hit him with his elbow in the side to shut him up, "SHHHH! Guys, we need to be quiet. We'll wake the whole school."

Kai whistled as she took off the shirt and joked around to lighten the mood, "Not to worry, Sis, I got your covered, I'll be real gentle, I promise," He wiggled his eyebrows. And snatched the jar from Julius and swung himself on the bench to face her and lifted her chin up. They were, oh, so close.

'That Kai…' Blade should be upset but this was just too bad of a performance to take seriously. She instantly relaxed again. She was safe here. This wasn't the bar and he simply wanted her to cheer up. "Ooohh, but Brother," Blade went along with it and teased him back. No way she would let him get away with that joke. "I'm your little Sis, am I not? What will the people think?"

"Ah, what do I care about the world. Forbidden love just tastes the sweetest, no one can keep us apart," Kai used two fingers to get some of the ointment ready to apply it to her jaw.

"No, brother I'm not ready…" Blade took hold of his hand to stop him.

"Not to worry, just let me do-" Suddenly a wide spread hand was shoved into Kai's face and pushed him straight of the bench the jar went flying. "WOAH; HEY!"

"SSSSSSSHHHHH!"

"Gross," Mercury's eyebrow was twitching. He caught the jar and set down in front of Blade, "Hold still," He slapped the ointment into her face.

"Ahhh," Blade clawed into her shirt baring her teeth. "Hey, be careful…" She growled at Mercury. 'What's his problem!? Man, we were just joking…'

"SHHHHH!" Michael couldn't believe them all. 'We're so gonna get busted…'

"You should have thought of that before you got stampeded…" Mercury wouldn't have it. And slapped the next charge at her stomach.

"Chhhh… so cold, gentle," Blade complained. "Give it, I'll do it myself…" She reached out to grab the jar. 'And now he is goofing off? ...Boys…'

Mercury held it out of reach, "You can't, it will hurt even more if you move."

"You're all such pussies, give it, here," Blade moved further to get it. She had forgotten her shoulder for just a second through all the joking around, but the sudden movement shot a pain throughout her body and she froze, her breath stuck.

"SIT. STILL," Mercury glared her down, "Or I will throw you on my shoulders and carry you into the infirmary, myself." He was serious now.

Blade leaned back again, "Oh, you wouldn't dar-" Already her good arm was sized by him.

Mercury was about to fling her over his shoulders as Keith rejoiced, "Got it!" he had found a spell that should do the trick.

"SHHHHHHH!" Michael gave it up and facepalmed, while Kai, Dean and Julius were laughing their asses off, even if muffled. Blade's face was priceless. Michael had to chuckle himself there.

Mercury let her arm go and continued to apply the ointment a bit gentler as he shook his head, "Let's get this over with. Wound pressing and bandages, guys…"

Dean and Julius stepped in to cover all the treated areas while Michael spied through the door to make sure they weren't caught. And Kai started to ripped the bandages apart to make sure the pressing would hold in place.

Keith concentrated, "Umero rego!" He cast. A light glowed up, magic was released but nothing happened. "He?"

"What are you doing?" Julius looked up irritated. "Was it the wrong spell?"

"No, I checked… I'm sure…" Keith checked the page again.

Blade shuffled a bit that ointment was still cold and her shoulder started to tingle, "Well it's tingly now… is that supposed to happen? If you hold the boo- chhhhhh, watch it, ahh, so cold…" She glared at Mercury as her teeth began to chatter.

"Oh, come now, Sis, it has a cooling effect. You know that," Dean chuckled.

"Tingling? No… well it's… uhm… I did nothing wrong as far as I can tell here," Keith held the book up.

Blade gazed at it as Kai started to bandage her wrists. "Hhmmm… that here… no ingrediencies…hmm… Yeah, I would say the spell is correct. Just try again. Take more time to amass magic and visualise. Words alone are not enough. I'm generally speaking okay, so just give it some oomph." Blade gave him some pointers.

'She sounds so sure now. Giving magic lesson, she of all people, ha. She has grown,' Mercury looked up, "Hey, are you alright? You look a bit pale." He stopped for a second.

Keith concentrated anew, "Umero…. Rego…" he amassed the magic visualising the fixed shoulder. Still nothing.

Blade looked to the shoulder, "Ahhhhh…" She breathed through her teeth. The pain intensified all of the sudden. She bent over her vision was spinning.

"Hey! Shit, okay that's it-" Julius was about to call it off. "You're just making it worse!"

"GUYS, SSHHH! Patrol…" Michael cut the lights.

Blade clawed into Mercury's legs. He in return took hold of her wrists, "Hey, ouch, that hurts…" he whisperingly hissed.

"The potion's effects faded…" Blade panted as she burrowed her face into his stomach, so she wouldn't whimper out loud.

"What?!" Michael was shocked. "If she screams…" He panicked in the dark.

"Keith!" Julius hissed at him.

"What am I supposed to do?!" Keith wildly flailed his arms around.

"Hey, did you hear that?" The guards outside stopped.

'SHIT!' They all thought.

Dean grabbed Blade quickly and pulled her up. Reached out to find Kai's locker door.

"I'm telling you I heard…" The door knob turned.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Kai hissed quietly as he got pushed to the side.

"DUDE! Not funny! Turn on the lights. Stop fooling around!" Dean spoke out loud as he shoved Blade into the locker and slammed it shut and leaned against it. Julius pressed Mercury down on the bench.

Blade pulled herself together, that bump hurt soo much, 'Shit. Shit. Shit…'

"Oh, Dean, on the battlefield anything can happen. Chill. You wanted to practice first aid…" Julius had Mercury nailed on the bench.

The guards stood in the opened door a bit of light falling in, but it was enough to see. "What are you…?" They stared at some panicked boys, the most chaotic locker room ever first aid flying all around and Julius who had slapped a wound press into Mercury's face in the most peculiar way. Michael flipped the switch back on.

The other one snorted, "You certainly don't patch one up like that. And those supplies are not for playing around, you know. Besides you shouldn't be even in here at this time."

"And how else am I supposed to pass that damn test?" Kai blurted out. "Master Codatorta will have my head if I screw that test up again." He sounded so devastated.

The guards looked at each other for a second, "Just… clean this up, before your shift starts…" They closed the door behind them and left.

"Sooo, close…" Julius breathed out.

"Yeah, can you get that thing out of my face, please," Mercury requested as he relaxed. A moment of silence.

Keith looked to Dean, "She's awfully quiet…"

"Oh fuck!" Dean reopened the locker.

Blade was still awake biting into one of her dreadlocks, which she now spat out, "Thanks…always wondered how that would feel…" She joked under pain.

Kai laughed, "Because you stuck so many boys into lockers back in school?"

Everyone chuckled. Keith sighed, "I don't think I can make that spell work… I'm sorry Blade. I need more training…"

"Ah, worth a try," Blade grimaced, that shoulder was killing her now.

Mercury helped sat her down and applied the ointment on her shoulder, "Wait, why is Coda not storming in here? Your bracelet should have gone off…"

Blade turned her wrist and they all saw the mini-computer still attached.

"Oooh… that thing…" Keith nodded. "I wondered when Memphis would give it to you. But in that case… We don't need a spell. We have all the time in the world. I can set it back the non-magical way."

"You sure?" Julius was scratched his forehead.

Dean shrugged, "We just had it last week in first aid class. The dummy was easy enough."

"That does hurt more though than a spell in the infirmary…" Michael looked at Blade. She already was in pain. A bit more wouldn't change much.

Mercury looked to Keith, "Well, you want to become a healer and you were the best at it in training. We at least can try. And it would be good practice for you Keith. If you're up for it." He gazed at Blade.

"Sure…whatever… just get it done…" Blade didn't care at least the ointment helped.

"Right… but until that ointment is absorbed, we're fixing the rest again. You need a proper grip," Julius declared.

Keith shook his head, "That is the least of our problems. Her arm has to relax first. Just look at her all tensed up."

"Pressure points?" Kai asked directly.

"Good idea, that worked well in the hearing," Michael agreed.

Keith shook his head yet agian, "People, I'm like three sessions in… I don't do pressure points." He kneeled down and started to massage the arm.

Blade moaned in pain her head wobbling around, "Just do it…now…" That injury wasn't at all bad, yet the pain was excruciating.

"Ahh, hold her she'll fall!" Julius reach out to catch her.

Dean searched slightly concerned for something to kill the pain in all their lockers, "Guys do we have no other potions for this stuff? Or herbs just something?!" He basically threw everything to the floor.

"Blade, come on, no sleeping now. Hey," Mercury snapped in front of her face to get her attention back. "Who's the pussy now? Faint again and I call Griffin to fix you. It's your Sorceress mission after all. She surely won't make an official report. Tell you what I fly you over right now," he grinned at her. 'She's like a robot… she should be screaming, what a girl…'

"Oh, you…I didn't faint," Blade hissed back at him under pain as Julius held her up straight. "Don't make me headbutt you…" She pulled together, she wasn't keen on him making word on his promise. 'As if I would take her help… stupid, fucking...grrrr…'

"He," Kai chuckled as he finished up the bandages yet again, "Seems like Mercury knows your pressure points, eh, mummy. Keith you're a slow study, aren't ya?" Everyone had a chuckle.

Julius shook his head, "I think you've done enough fighting for a day. How the heck did you even got beaten up that much?"

Blade addressed him as she held her staring contest, "This, ah, is hardly the time…" Julius had to agree to that since Blade had a hard time concentrating on anything really.

A few minutes later Keith was ready to have his go at the shoulder. The ointment was absorbed, the arm relaxed, Blade was still drowsy and in a glaring contest with Mercury. "Alright, I need you to sit up straight, don't move. This will hurt and then it will abruptly get better." He explained shortly. Although Blade was maybe getting half of it and the boys already knew.

Codatorta was in Central Command Centre. Organising the troops, sending teams to emergencies and collecting the reports of teams coming in as well as accepting requests for missions all over the kingdoms. A half smouldering hangar was complicating things a bit, but luckily this was a calm night.

"Ehm, Sir… I got an incoming call from Cloud Tower," A guard on duty was staring on his console in disbelief.

Codatorta looked up, "The Witches? Is this another false call, for crying out loud? We had like over thirty this week. Enough is enough," He already was agitated. "Open the channel…" He sighted deeply.

"Yes sir."

"WHAT IS IT THIS TIME!? If you want to meet your boyfriends get A DATE, when they are NOT WORKING!" He thundered super annoyed as suddenly the holo-image pulled up a second too late.

And a voice of doom answered, "HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT!" It was Headmistress Griffin.

"Griffin?! What's wrong? Are you under attack? How many wounded? We can send you…" Codatorta was instantly in action mode. Griffin never used the official line normally. She had a direct line to Saladin after all if she needed anything.

"What? Oh, come on, I know she came to you guys. Did she say anything to you? Which officer was it? Spit it out," The Headmistress growled at him relentlessly.

"She? Who she?" Codatorta answered super confused.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me, I KNOW she is with you," Griffin really got upset.

"WHO are you talking about?" Codatorta repeated his question.

"Really?" Griffin gave him a dead pan stare, "Blade."

"Blade? But she's still in Magix City…" the Drillmaster stated as he frowned. "I just checked her location like fifteen minutes ago." He moved up to pull the bracelet data.

"They flew back!? Oh, that stupid, insufferable, maniac FAIRY; I pin her to a WALL! She is in no condition to, URGH! Tell that Memphis-"

"MEMPHIS?!" Now it was Codatorta who lost it. "He landed like half an hour ago!" And then as if timed, the mini alarm went off. Blade's vitals were spiking out of the blue and her position jumped to Red Fountain.

A painful scream rebounded inside the locker room. "Shit! Catch her!" Julius panicked as he held his bleeding nose and Blade slipped from his grasp. Blade had smacked the back of her head right into his face.

Mercury had jumped over the bench to the rescue, "Got her! Blade? BLADE? Hey, wake up!" He was standing half over her one knee on the bench and had pushed back Julius. It was a balancing act on a tipping scale.

Keith was still holding on to the dislocated arm. Pale as a ghost, "I- I- fuck…"

"Keith, what did you DO?!" Michael was running around the bench to catch Blade's legs the bandages had caught an edge and were ensnaring them cutting into the skin.

Dean was hastily searching for the mini-computer which had been ripped off somehow in the commotion and was flung through the air, "Shit, where did it go!? When do you think…?"

Blade got back to consciousness just seconds later. She glared at Mercury right in front of her face as her eyes opened, not angrily just in agony. Her gaze followed along her arm to Keith, who was holding on to the arm still half-frozen. "AHHHH, CHHHHH, LET GO!" So far, she had tanked most of the pain, but this was on another level.

Keith had totally misjudged how much force he needed and instead of popping the shoulder back in. It had popped out even worse into another direction. "I'm so SORRY!" He let go of the arm.

"NO!" Too late, Mercury lost his balance and crashed further down with Blade to the ground.

"Blade, you okay?!" Mercury asked as he stemmed himself up on top of her. The whole group was in a disarray now. 'Oh, shit, oh, shit, oh, shit!'

Blade ground her teeth and was wiggling beneath him, screaming and clawing into the ground, "You said you can do this!" the world was spinning around her. She was whimpering and groaning, 'FUCK THAT HURTS! How can that hurt so much it's not even bleeding!?'

"KEITH!" Julius pulled on Keith's uniform, "FIX THIS! She'll wake the whole school!"

Keith shook his head, "NO! This was a mistake! We just should get her to the infirmary." He was too scared to try again.

"YOU'RE THE HEALER, DAMN IT!" Dean shouted as he still was searching for that little gadget. "Get a grip KAI!" He hissed at the team's goofball who was just standing around starring.

"KEITH!" Mercury tried just to lift her a little but Blade just squirmed more clawing into him in a reaction.

"SON OF A- LET GO! THAT HURTS!" Blade barked. She tried to push him off which caused her more pain.

Keith scrambled off the bench, "You got to hold her tight. Stop her from moving!" He had to go for a second try.

Kai shook his head as he refocused, "She'll bite her tongue and wake the whole school, damn it!" He grabbed her cut open shirt and stuffed it straight into her mouth. And pressed her head down to the ground. "Hurry it up!"

"KEITH!" Michael just had gotten lose the bandage stuck in the bench and now was fighting the scrambling feet and threw himself on to them as he had no idea what else to do, when the door got flung open…

Everybody screamed in synch, "IT'S NOT WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"