Bruises and Bandages

“Sorry. I learned most of my cooking tips from the ghosts who hung around our house. One of my favorites, Clara, taught me almost everything I know about cooking. Remind me to bake you a welcome to the neighborhood cherry pie. It’s delicious,” he said, chuckling to himself. “Though my kitchen does tend to have a little more action in terms of magic when baking.”

“You and me both. I’ve hardly found anyone to exchange spell books with. And it’s great to find a new friend. Even if Victoria brought you to me.” Thatcher grinned. “She’s bossy sometimes.” Victoria meowed loudly from her place on the couch. “See what I mean?”

“She’s got a mouth on her, that one.” Eli joked. He couldn’t actually understand her, but he hoped that would change soon. He’d either find his own familiar, or one of the cats he’d adopted would turn out to be his familiar. 

“Yeah, but that’s why I love her. Have you found your familiar yet? Or are you still searching?”

Thatcher glanced up at the busy world above his head. He shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know how I do it. I just do. It took me a lot of practice, though. I turned our kitchen into a tornado once. Victoria didn’t sleep with me for a week, she was so angry with all the thyme in her fur. Cleaning everything was the hard part.” Thatcher laughed at that memory, while Victoria hopped down from her spot and sat in the middle of the kitchen, looking at both of them like she was tempting fate.

“I’m still sadly searching. But who knows, maybe Lilly or Cate will turn out to by my familiar. Or maybe I’ll find one off in the forest. Who knows?” He shrugged. 

Thatcher glanced down at the stairwell, and suddenly he felt very small. He’d never gone skateboarding before, but this kid at academy had dared him to take a spin on the stairwell on it and capture it on video, and here he was. 

“Oh, it’s great practice. And you’ll have some great stories. I also don’t need to make dinner during theater season most nights. One girl brings food for everyone.” Thatcher sighed, smiling unconsciously. That food was always a highlight for him.

“Trust me, everyone down there is just a little crazy. I love that class, though. They stick together, that’s for sure.”

“Sounds like a party. Or a gang. Or both I guess.” Eli laughed, “And if their injuries are anything like yours were today, they’ll be easy to take care of. Well, as long as they’re not human that is. Humans will just flip the fuck out and I don’t have any memory altering powers.” 

“Oh, there’s a trick to that. Bandage up a wound while healing it. Tell them not to take the bandage off for a few days so it can heal up, too. They’ll be none the wiser, and you’ll have lots of practice.”

“Your face is a little red,” Thatcher noted. “Are you ok?” He didn’t know just what he said or did, but suddenly his friend’s face was bright red.

Eli snorted a bit. Were humans really that dense? I mean, sure, they listened to doctors but people couldn’t help but show off their healing wounds. It was gross, but it was part of what made them human. 

Thatcher glanced down at the stairwell, and suddenly he felt very small. He’d never gone skateboarding before, but this kid at academy had dared him to take a spin on the stairwell on it and capture it on video, and here he was. 

“Oh, it’s great practice. And you’ll have some great stories. I also don’t need to make dinner during theater season most nights. One girl brings food for everyone.” Thatcher sighed, smiling unconsciously. That food was always a highlight for him.

“Trust me, everyone down there is just a little crazy. I love that class, though. They stick together, that’s for sure.”

“Sounds like a party. Or a gang. Or both I guess.” Eli laughed, “And if their injuries are anything like yours were today, they’ll be easy to take care of. Well, as long as they’re not human that is. Humans will just flip the fuck out and I don’t have any memory altering powers.” 

Elijah seemed so adamant on that statement for some reason and unlike the others he didn’t seem to be using it as an insult persee… And oh god was he implying the he was a super too?!?

“I’m so so so sorry but I think you might be suffering from overheating. I’m in no way supernatural. I think I would know if I could use magic or fly or grow fur or turn into a seal or was from hell. Or.. or..” Mira racked her brain for all sorts of possibilities, this was ridiculous. And what does he mean by “here”. Does that mean some of my neighbors are freaks? Noo.. I feel awful crushing his happy dream but someone needs to tell him..

His eyes lit up in an inhuman way then, with the blue glowing an eerie silver. “If I were overheating, I’d know it. I work at the hospital.” There was nothing threatening about his tone of voice, just a bit frustrated. 

Thatcher glanced down at the stairwell, and suddenly he felt very small. He’d never gone skateboarding before, but this kid at academy had dared him to take a spin on the stairwell on it and capture it on video, and here he was. 

“It would help a lot. There are plenty of stage or prop dives. Trust me.” Thatcher glanced up from Eli’s cats and grinned. “I’ve treated some interesting injuries lately.”

One of which included diving off stage and into the lasagna one girl had brought for dinner. That had been messy in more than one way.

“Sounds like a bit too much for just one healer then. It’ll be good practice outside the hospital. Don’t like the sterilized smell too much.” He wrinkled his nose a little bit. 

At least he still seemed not entirely unnerved by her like most people would. In fact Mira’s smile came back a little when he reached out to shake her hand. That is until a large jolt ran from his hand to hers as if she had just grabbed onto an exposed wire. In panic, she dropped his hand and scuttled away from him bumping into the nearby wall.

Eli stared at his hand for a solid minute, mouth slightly agape, and eyes wide in amazement. His bright blue eyes then flicked up to the frightened Mira, pressed up against a separate wall. 

“It is gross. She is gross. Absolutely the worst!” He groaned and rubbed his face in Lark’s neck, pushing her over slightly. Ha. Owned. “I do not recommend the experience. If you have a choice of an animal that just has to lick you… Cats. Or perhaps a lizard.” He nodded as he sat up again, flipping his hair over his shoulders.

“Do lizards even secrete saliva in the first place?” He mimicked the way lizards did the weird...tongue thing. They probably did drool and he just didn’t know it because they were so tiny for the most part. 

Thatcher glanced down at the stairwell, and suddenly he felt very small. He’d never gone skateboarding before, but this kid at academy had dared him to take a spin on the stairwell on it and capture it on video, and here he was.