Callie's Heroes

PART VII: YOU BROKE HER, YOU FIX HER!

In the space of a breath, a cheering roar rose from the crowd, the recruits leaping to their feet in celebration. On the field, the rest of the players stumbled to a stop as the referee whistled the end of the game, turning to look where the shriek had come from.

Wide-eyed at what she had done, Melga gasped and dropped to the ground, crawling over to where the semi-stunned Natala was groaning slightly. "Oh no! I'm so sorry!" Melga cried. "I didn't mean … Um! Um!" she stuttered, mind racing, both unsure what to do, and quite worried she was about to be in a whole heap of trouble. She never should have swapped in to play!

Then, parts of her Healer brain started to kick in and Melga began to assess the injury. She really didn't even need magic. The Sergeant-Major's nose was obviously broken. If the sound hadn't given it away, the lopsided shape and twin rivers of blood starting to freely trickle out absolutely did. Natala groaned again. Melga continued her visual assessment, and saw a leg move a bit, sighed in relief that there wasn't an immediately-apparent neck injury.

"What did you do?" Trainer Cheena said, rushing to stand over her teammate and the one that had felled her. Looking down at Natala's prone form, she couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"I didn't mean to!" Melga said, looking up with worried eyes. "I panicked!"

"Well, you broke her, so you get to fix her. She's your patient now," Rowani added as she jogged up. "We'll help if you need it." There was a further flutter from overhead and a light meow, which quickly transformed into the towering form of Tazrok, who'd been on overhead healing patrol.

While the recruit part of the crowd was still cheering, there was a stunned silence from their players as the excitement faded and they formed a circle around the two Dwarves, largely unsure what to say or do, and not sure if they should cheer in victory or not. They'd reached one-hundred points, which was the goal, but they did it with the help of Natala's smashed and bloody face, which certainly hadn't been part of the plan.

Melga took a deep breath to calm herself, before extending her hand to cast her Diagnose spell. "Dazed, broken nose," she began automatically. "Bruise on the back of her head, but probably no concussion; the ground isn't that hard and our heads are. Doesn't look like any significant other damage. Neck might be stiff for a bit, though." A ripple of relief passed through Melga as well as the other Healers that had joined the circle. "It looks a lot worse than it is."

"Alright," Rowani said calmly, fully in trainer mode now. "You know what to do next."

Nodding, Melga reached forward to begin applying magic, but Natala's eyes went wide with a gasp as the stun finally wore off. Before anyone could tell her to relax and get treated, the Sergeant-Major sat up. Ignoring what had to be intense pain, slowly a grin came to her face as she locked eyes with her attacker.

"That was great!" the Sergeant-Major cried, her voice a little muffled and odd from her nose being such a mess. "Good job, kid!" She reached for her nose, wincing from the pain and hand coming away covered in more blood. In fact the blood was rather freely flowing down her face and dripping rapidly off her chin, covering her chest and lap. She reached forth to clap Melga on the shoulder, covering it with blood as well. "Really good job!"

"I … uh thanks?" Melga replied, unsure how to take the unexpected compliment.

"I didn't think you had it in you! Magnificent!" Natala continued, heaping on even more praise. She started to struggle, as if trying to stand, but both Melga and Rowani forced her back to a sitting position just as a wave of dizziness hit her. "Whoa! The world is spinning. That must have been a really great hit!"

Rowani cleared her throat, giving Melga a look, and her student quickly shifted back into medic-mode, summoning a Healing Berry for the now-conscious and happily grinning patient. Natala grinned wider, almost as if she was being handed a candy, and happily popped it into her mouth. Refocusing on the Sergeant-Major's face, Melga winced as she more-carefully assessed the mess in front of her.

Cheena addressed the group. "Okay everyone. Everything is under control here. The game is over, so please clear the area, if you would." Everyone began to disperse, the unneeded recruits rushing to join the cheering crowd, although a couple stayed, while the remaining camp team members trudged off the field, feeling the sting of utter defeat but largely all smiles, having had a lot of fun nonetheless.

Melga began to push healing magic, wincing again. "This is smushed up pretty good. It's going to hurt. Sorry again. Do you want a Combat Healer?"

"Or Artemis?" Jesca added.

"Bah, it's fine," Natala laughed, waving the concern away just as Jorin rushed up, Thorn and Nevikk right behind him. "What's a little pain?"

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"Is she alright?" Jorin asked generically.

"Oh, I'm just fine. This one's got quite the arm on her!"

"Just her nose?" Jorin asked Rowani, who seemed to be somewhat in charge of the scene, or at least was Melga's trainer.

"Looks like it."

Jorin scoffed in dismissal, as if his wife's face gushing blood was just an everyday non-event. "I was worried for a moment that she actually got hurt." He turned to Thorn. "Busted face, that's all."

Melga tried to ignore the talking as she focused on Natala, finally having to say, "Stop grinning so much! It's making things worse. Just … look natural."

Natala tried to compose herself. She really did. But Dwarves are hardy people, and a good smash to the face between friends was more a cause for celebration than anger. She couldn't help the giggles as she looked up at her husband, Thorn, Nevikk and all the rest, the snorts of laughter sending showers of blood all over her front, and over Melga too. If it hadn't been so gross it would have been pretty comical, honestly.

"I mean it," Melga said again in warning. "This will set wrong if you don't straighten your face!"

"Oh, sorry, kid," Natala snickered.

"Do we need to knock you out? The Faun is somewhere around here," Rowani added from above. "I'll go get her right now."

Apparently getting the hint, Natala focused harder at being still, to some success. She got even a bit more serious as Commandant Xera's face came into her view, the Arkan's appearing a moment later. For his part, the Arkan made an appreciative face, trying to hold back a smirk of his own. It took a lot to break a Dwarf's nose, but really it was just a minor wound, for said Dwarves at least.

Carefully, Melga concentrated, directing the healing energies as slowly as she could, both to minimize any pain from moving things back into place, but also because she was nervous as hell that she'd mess something up. There were some light crunching sounds as the pieces of nose slid slowly back where they belonged, the rivers of blood, which had been slowed by the healing effects of the berry, beginning to flow freely again as things were torn back open.

"So much blood," someone whispered, almost sounding ill. This naturally caused Natala to snicker again, blowing a fresh spray from her nose. There were some more groans of 'ewwww' from around the circle.

"Stop it!" Melga growled, ceasing the repair work long enough to hold up a scolding finger to her patient's face. "I mean it! Keep your face straight and stop moving or it's going to end up crooked." Natala being uncooperative wasn't going to help at all and she was well into the mindset of Healer now. There was another fifteen seconds or so of careful silence, Natala doing her best to keep still, despite Jorin making mocking faces at her. Eventually, Melga relaxed, removing her hands from Natala's face.

"Could you double check?" the Dwarf said, looking up to Rowani. "I think everything is back where it should be, but she was being difficult."

Cheena, who, as a Shaman, was generally better at these types of injuries, gently pushed Rowani aside and kneeled, carefully running a hand close to Natala's face, but making a point not to touch the bloody mess. "Excellent work, Melga. Most excellent. Just one minor thing you missed." Quickly, Cheena pointed out a slightly misaligned chunk of nose, which Melga was able to correct in only a few seconds.

"Good job, kid," Natala said again, now struggling to stand, and this time being assisted to her feet by Jorin and the Major. "Good hit, too. We'll drink to it later!" Her voice was still a little muffled due to some residual swelling and the magically-clotted blood still clogging her nose. She cocked her head to indicate the throng of cheering recruits across the field that were huddled around Callie and Pixyl. With a sharp slap to Melga's shoulder, she added, "Go! Celebrate. Have fun." She looked at the other few recruits still present. "All of you! Thanks for a great game."

Feeling quite relieved that the emergency moment had passed, Melga turned to head back across the field and join the rest of the cheering players. While she'd been working, Wallir had arrived to lend his support to his fellow Druid and Midsummer companion, and then stayed when the others were dismissed.

"Water?" Wallir asked, waggling the fingers of one hand in the air while he gestured to Melga's blood-covered armor.

"I'll be wet, but yeah. Thanks," Melga sighed. "I needed a shower anyway, but I don't want to be all sticky and blood-covered until then."

With a bit of Druid magic, Wallir summoned a stream of fresh water, holding his hand as if it was a shower head while Melga worked to wash the blood off. She got most of it, and he took over the last bits, getting areas she couldn't see or reach well, and then wetting his sleeve a bit so he could wipe her face. Then, maybe as a distraction, he tilted her frowning chin up to face him before giving her a light kiss. "That was a great throw, and congratulations on winning the game." Then, he kissed her again, before offering his hand while the water stopped coming from the other. Together, they walked towards the cheering crowd.

"Melga!" Callie cried, bounding up to her. "Is the Sergeant-Major okay? You thumped her really good!"

"She's fine. She'll be fine. A lot of blood, but no serious damage."

Callie sighed in relief, but before anyone could say more, the crowd swooped in, cheering for Melga and calling her out as the most-badass 'combat-bunkerball' player ever. The poor Dwarf tried to wave everyone off, but to no avail, and she quickly resigned herself to all the back and shoulder slaps.

Then, everything suddenly went quiet, as all eyes turned to see Juniper walking onto the field, wearing a focused expression accompanied by a wry, almost sultry smile, and alluringly swaying hips. She was walking with purpose, with poor Vanis following behind trying to talk her out of whatever she was about to do. Ambria was helping too, actually tugging on her arm to get her to stop. Juniper ignored them both, marching straight towards Lena.

"Oh, stars!" Lena whispered in what almost seemed like panic as her eyes shot wide.

"Lenora, my love, you played your silly game so well!" Juniper said, her voice having almost a purr-like sexiness to it. Pulling her arm away from Ambria, she framed Lena's face with her hands, pulling her into a passionate, in fact a very passionate, kiss.