"Glad to have you with us." Lucas smiled at Arizona as she sat back down, squaring his shuffled deck in front of him. "So we'll just start off easy whilst you get the hang of it. I'll go first, then we normally go left so you can go next."
He drew his starting hand of seven cards, which contained a mix of six spells and creatures with relatively high costs, and one land to power them. It was a bit of a gamble, he could be left unable to do anything for ages, but those were some pretty sweet cards that he didn't want to see vanish back into the deck.
As he took his turn, putting down a lone island, he made sure to very carefully explain every step he was doing to Arizona, wanting to make sure she didn't miss anything. He wasn't trying to be condescending about it, he just wanted to be thorough.
"So that's my turn done, I just put down an island because I don't have anything in my hand I can play yet." That wouldn't be a long-term situation, probably. Hopefully. "But now it's your go, so see what you have in your hand and what you can do with it. If you can do anything," Faith liked to go red after all, a colour notorious for early game aggression "attack Toby, not me."
A Trip to the Nerd Zoo
It’s like Jurassic Park but way less scary - Open!
Was there any possible way instant regret could get more instant?
Toby was boring...the everloving...shit...out...of...her.
He said a lot of stuff. That was about as much as she could say about it. He was using terms that made sense to him, but he didn't explain them to her. His social skills were lacking. Arizona's eyes glanced over at some of the other customers. They all had a very specific look. She wouldn't have been surprised if Toby joined them in a few years time.
Then Faith handed her a deck. That just hammered home how fucked she was. At least, it wasn't Toby helping her. Lucas began the game and played some lands and apparently, you needed them to be able to do things. Glancing down at her hand she saw that there was a grand total of zero lands. She had a lot of other shit but no lands. Everything about this situation, both in game and out, was terrible. She hoped her brother appreciated that damn book.
She turned to Faith and showed her the awful hand she had drawn.
"I've got nothing."
Toby was boring...the everloving...shit...out...of...her.
He said a lot of stuff. That was about as much as she could say about it. He was using terms that made sense to him, but he didn't explain them to her. His social skills were lacking. Arizona's eyes glanced over at some of the other customers. They all had a very specific look. She wouldn't have been surprised if Toby joined them in a few years time.
Then Faith handed her a deck. That just hammered home how fucked she was. At least, it wasn't Toby helping her. Lucas began the game and played some lands and apparently, you needed them to be able to do things. Glancing down at her hand she saw that there was a grand total of zero lands. She had a lot of other shit but no lands. Everything about this situation, both in game and out, was terrible. She hoped her brother appreciated that damn book.
She turned to Faith and showed her the awful hand she had drawn.
"I've got nothing."
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Toby wasn't getting great vibes off Arizona, though Faith seemed to be keeping her focus. If they already knew each other it figured, she'd probably be more willing to put up with tutorials from someone familiar. Teaching Magic was a tough one, though; it literally took him years between playing for the first time and getting to the point where he didn't screw up at least one rule every match. In one session? Good luck.
In the meantime, Toby was waiting on Arizona/Faith's turn, looking at his hand. He had two Plains, an Island, a control enchantment, a creature, and one of his major win cards. It wasn't ideal, but he figured playing Arizona meant it wasn't going to be a top-level competition. Honestly he wasn't exactly sure why she was here at all. It was...probably not something she was super into. Was she that bored?
Then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and set his cards face-down on the table, checking who had texted him...Wait, he was getting a call. That usually meant it was parents. "Sorry, one sec." Toby turned away from the table and answered. "Hello?" He recognized the voice immediately, and indeed it was the mom of a nine-year-old boy named Dylan. Apparently, they were going to a business meeting thing and their original sitter canceled.
Damn. Dylan was a good kid, he was quiet and basically just needed Toby to make dinner, but he was kinda doing something, man. He couldn't exactly turn down the money, though. "Yeah, I'll be there in ten. Goodbye." Toby looked up at the others sheepishly and started gathering his cards into their box. "Duty calls, sorry guys. Last-minute cancels, all that shit. This might make it easier though, just a one-on-one."
Toby stood and gave a friendly nod to the collective. "Good luck. Later!"
((Toby Underwood continued elsewhere))
In the meantime, Toby was waiting on Arizona/Faith's turn, looking at his hand. He had two Plains, an Island, a control enchantment, a creature, and one of his major win cards. It wasn't ideal, but he figured playing Arizona meant it wasn't going to be a top-level competition. Honestly he wasn't exactly sure why she was here at all. It was...probably not something she was super into. Was she that bored?
Then he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, and set his cards face-down on the table, checking who had texted him...Wait, he was getting a call. That usually meant it was parents. "Sorry, one sec." Toby turned away from the table and answered. "Hello?" He recognized the voice immediately, and indeed it was the mom of a nine-year-old boy named Dylan. Apparently, they were going to a business meeting thing and their original sitter canceled.
Damn. Dylan was a good kid, he was quiet and basically just needed Toby to make dinner, but he was kinda doing something, man. He couldn't exactly turn down the money, though. "Yeah, I'll be there in ten. Goodbye." Toby looked up at the others sheepishly and started gathering his cards into their box. "Duty calls, sorry guys. Last-minute cancels, all that shit. This might make it easier though, just a one-on-one."
Toby stood and gave a friendly nod to the collective. "Good luck. Later!"
((Toby Underwood continued elsewhere))
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Frozen Smoke
- Posts: 533
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
- Location: Where I need to be
Faith wasn't overly surprised when Toby hung up his call and had to go. He never seemed like the kind to seek out stuff to do, it always ended up dropping into his lap, and he seemed perfectly content to meet those expectations of being ready to jump at the call to get something done. She couldn't help but smile a little as she wished him a safe journey towards whatever demanded his attention. Toby wasn't exactly a close friend of hers like Lucas, but he had his charms, and she was sure that if for some reason she needed him - all she'd have to do was ask.
Her attention was pulled back towards the game as Arizona dramatically unveiled her lack of lands to her. She paused for a moment, making sure she remembered precisely how the rules worked before explaining them - She knew Lucas wasn't the sort to let any oversights slip past, so she did her best to not get tripped up on the technicalities, whilst keeping it simple enough that Ari' could understand it.
"Ok, what we can do is shuffle that hand back in and draw another one, and hope we get a better hand this time." she said, as she began shuffling the remaining stack of cards together. 99 cards made shuffling cumbersome for sure, but splitting it into two piles and shuffling each before mashing them together was generally considered 'good enough'. It wasn't like she was the sort to stack her deck anyway.
She then peeled off another seven cards, and fanned them out to show them to Arizona - A much more equal mix this time. A few spells, a few lands and a solitary creature. A cool one too - It let you look at your opponents hand and take a card from them until it died. It was the kind of thing that kept your opponent off balance, and let you know exactly what was coming to play around it. A quick re-arrangement of her hand left the lands on one side, which she quickly gestured to;
"These are your lands, you can play one per turn, and they each produce one mana - Which you can use to cast-" her gesturing shifted to the rest of the cards "these things when it's your turn. We don't have any one-mana plays right now though, so we can only play a land and pass the turn." There was a brief pause, before she did just that - handing the cards back to Arizona as she waited for Lucas to make his own play.
Her attention was pulled back towards the game as Arizona dramatically unveiled her lack of lands to her. She paused for a moment, making sure she remembered precisely how the rules worked before explaining them - She knew Lucas wasn't the sort to let any oversights slip past, so she did her best to not get tripped up on the technicalities, whilst keeping it simple enough that Ari' could understand it.
"Ok, what we can do is shuffle that hand back in and draw another one, and hope we get a better hand this time." she said, as she began shuffling the remaining stack of cards together. 99 cards made shuffling cumbersome for sure, but splitting it into two piles and shuffling each before mashing them together was generally considered 'good enough'. It wasn't like she was the sort to stack her deck anyway.
She then peeled off another seven cards, and fanned them out to show them to Arizona - A much more equal mix this time. A few spells, a few lands and a solitary creature. A cool one too - It let you look at your opponents hand and take a card from them until it died. It was the kind of thing that kept your opponent off balance, and let you know exactly what was coming to play around it. A quick re-arrangement of her hand left the lands on one side, which she quickly gestured to;
"These are your lands, you can play one per turn, and they each produce one mana - Which you can use to cast-" her gesturing shifted to the rest of the cards "these things when it's your turn. We don't have any one-mana plays right now though, so we can only play a land and pass the turn." There was a brief pause, before she did just that - handing the cards back to Arizona as she waited for Lucas to make his own play.
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
Lucas waved off Toby, feeling just a little bit disappointed. Toby was good company. Well, never mind, back to the game at hand.
He sat still and watched quietly as Faith and Arizona went through the lengthy process of shuffling their cards. He found himself wandering where to look: he didn’t want to just stare at his hand, because he already knew what was there and he didn’t want to seem antisocial, but he didn’t want to watch them too closely like some kind of card playing creep either. In the end he just wound up aiming his face slightly off to the side as he lightly drummed his fingers on the table. A real cool cat.
With them done, he offered another smile and picked up the cards he’d laid (face down, naturally) on the table, taking his turn.
So as mentioned, Lucas wasn’t new to Magic the Gathering. Even if he wasn't a serious player, not like Toby, he thought he was at least halfway decent.
So how the hell had it come to this?
Arizona had a good dozen hit points on his four, and a lot more lands in play. He, meanwhile, was still looking at four of the cards he’d drawn in the first hand, and only had a meagre three islands to power them with. He would still need three more to get anything going.
He wiped his hand across his sweaty, sweaty brow, having only had a brief respite from all that running perspiration. it was not very becoming, in his mind, to be losing this badly to a first timer, friendly game or not.
He put his hand on his deck, silently drawing breath as he drew another card. Would it be his salvation?
As if.
“So, um…” he said, reviewing his hand and empty playing field, looking between them and the girls opposite. “…pass?”
He sat still and watched quietly as Faith and Arizona went through the lengthy process of shuffling their cards. He found himself wandering where to look: he didn’t want to just stare at his hand, because he already knew what was there and he didn’t want to seem antisocial, but he didn’t want to watch them too closely like some kind of card playing creep either. In the end he just wound up aiming his face slightly off to the side as he lightly drummed his fingers on the table. A real cool cat.
With them done, he offered another smile and picked up the cards he’d laid (face down, naturally) on the table, taking his turn.
So as mentioned, Lucas wasn’t new to Magic the Gathering. Even if he wasn't a serious player, not like Toby, he thought he was at least halfway decent.
So how the hell had it come to this?
Arizona had a good dozen hit points on his four, and a lot more lands in play. He, meanwhile, was still looking at four of the cards he’d drawn in the first hand, and only had a meagre three islands to power them with. He would still need three more to get anything going.
He wiped his hand across his sweaty, sweaty brow, having only had a brief respite from all that running perspiration. it was not very becoming, in his mind, to be losing this badly to a first timer, friendly game or not.
He put his hand on his deck, silently drawing breath as he drew another card. Would it be his salvation?
As if.
“So, um…” he said, reviewing his hand and empty playing field, looking between them and the girls opposite. “…pass?”
Arizona looked at the assembly of cards on the table. Lucas' game was going about as well as his Facebook feed. Arizona was sure it wasn't due to her having anything resembling skill at the game more due to his luck. At the same time though, she was a competitor and if she saw the chance to win she was going to take it.
"Alright then." She said as she drew her new card.
It was another creature.
With a couple of hand movements and glances over at Faith, Arizona had it in place.
After that she turned her creatures on the field in what Faith had explained was the sign of an attack. There was a short silence as Arizona took in the scene.
She turned to Faith and shrugged before turning back to Lucas with a grin.
"You come at the Queen, you best not miss."
"Alright then." She said as she drew her new card.
It was another creature.
With a couple of hand movements and glances over at Faith, Arizona had it in place.
After that she turned her creatures on the field in what Faith had explained was the sign of an attack. There was a short silence as Arizona took in the scene.
She turned to Faith and shrugged before turning back to Lucas with a grin.
"You come at the Queen, you best not miss."
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
-
Frozen Smoke
- Posts: 533
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
- Location: Where I need to be
Faith smiled back at Arizona as she looked over. It wasn't her place to tell her she'd basically won, and figuring out when you had was part of the fun of it, but she could enjoy the satisfaction radiating off of Arizona nonetheless. Especially when it came attached to a smug comment like that, even if it was just a little too girl power for her tastes. She was glad Ari' was getting the game, at least on some level, as she moved to attack for enough damage to close out their little match, unless Lucas had something special in the wings. She took a few seconds to look at Lucas, who looked conspicuously nervous about the creatures being turned sideways, rather than like he had an answer ready. That probably meant Arizona was going to win her first game, and knowing Lucas, that was an actual win as opposed to him being 'nice' and letting her win.
Faith was glad about that. She'd had to spend some time finding people like Lucas that wouldn't take it easy on her, just because of who she was. She'd mulled over that for a while, wondering if that was why none of the girls seemed to reach the competitive apex of their little group, as no-one was willing to give them a fair chance to succeed. Not that she wanted to be there herself, of course, she wasn't nearly enough of a turbonerd to actually spend time working on maths to get better. That was basically doing homework but without the grades. But it was something that stuck in her craw.
"So, uh, action on you?" she said, looking between the two players to confirm, before focusing precisely on Lucas and waiting for his response. She had to say, he'd been a good sport too. Getting screwed by pure luck like that sucked, and she knew she'd have been spitting feathers, and he was trying his best to just play out the game instead. And sweating a lot. But that was sort of a thing he always did, rather than an indication of the situation he was in, he was just a hot dude.
Thermally hot. Not the other kind of hot.
Faith was glad about that. She'd had to spend some time finding people like Lucas that wouldn't take it easy on her, just because of who she was. She'd mulled over that for a while, wondering if that was why none of the girls seemed to reach the competitive apex of their little group, as no-one was willing to give them a fair chance to succeed. Not that she wanted to be there herself, of course, she wasn't nearly enough of a turbonerd to actually spend time working on maths to get better. That was basically doing homework but without the grades. But it was something that stuck in her craw.
"So, uh, action on you?" she said, looking between the two players to confirm, before focusing precisely on Lucas and waiting for his response. She had to say, he'd been a good sport too. Getting screwed by pure luck like that sucked, and she knew she'd have been spitting feathers, and he was trying his best to just play out the game instead. And sweating a lot. But that was sort of a thing he always did, rather than an indication of the situation he was in, he was just a hot dude.
Thermally hot. Not the other kind of hot.
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
Lucas couldn’t stop himself from letting a pout slip through in response to Arizona’s grin. It was one thing to be losing this badly to a beginner, another entirely when she was rubbing your face in it.
Like it or not though, he was beat. He threw his hands up in the air, sinking into his chair and letting out a deep sigh. “Yep, I’m dead. You win.”
He wanted to do the polite thing and smile, but he was actually feeling pretty embarrassed. Not just because he’d lost to a complete beginner, awkward as that was, but what made it sting was that he’d done so right in front of Faith. It wasn’t like he wanted to impress her or anything, they were good friends and he didn’t have to try to do something like that, but that didn’t mean he was welcoming the opposite with open arms.
Yeah, it was just a card game, and it was just a friendly match, but that didn’t change the fact that Arizona had just gotten lucky. As Lucas drummed his fingers on the table, shoulders tensing, he did his best to feign a lack of bubbling irritation.
“It was a good game. You must have a knack for it.”
He smiled, but he didn't stop when he had the chance.
“Beginner’s luck helps, too.”
Like it or not though, he was beat. He threw his hands up in the air, sinking into his chair and letting out a deep sigh. “Yep, I’m dead. You win.”
He wanted to do the polite thing and smile, but he was actually feeling pretty embarrassed. Not just because he’d lost to a complete beginner, awkward as that was, but what made it sting was that he’d done so right in front of Faith. It wasn’t like he wanted to impress her or anything, they were good friends and he didn’t have to try to do something like that, but that didn’t mean he was welcoming the opposite with open arms.
Yeah, it was just a card game, and it was just a friendly match, but that didn’t change the fact that Arizona had just gotten lucky. As Lucas drummed his fingers on the table, shoulders tensing, he did his best to feign a lack of bubbling irritation.
“It was a good game. You must have a knack for it.”
He smiled, but he didn't stop when he had the chance.
“Beginner’s luck helps, too.”
"It's better than having no luck."
Arizona didn't know why Lucas was having an attitude about losing. It wasn't like it mattered. They were just messing around with a stupid card game. But everything about his body language read as annoyance or anger. Arizona knew what it looked like. She aimed to annoy or anger her opponents on the court after all. So she could tell, just by giving Lucas a cursory glance, that he was taking the loss badly.
It didn't allow him to take shots. He lost. He needed to accept that and not be a little bitch boy.
Still, she had a rep to uphold. So while she could have left off, she decided to take another jab.
"Just don't vagueblog about me yeah?" She said with a grin.
Arizona didn't know why Lucas was having an attitude about losing. It wasn't like it mattered. They were just messing around with a stupid card game. But everything about his body language read as annoyance or anger. Arizona knew what it looked like. She aimed to annoy or anger her opponents on the court after all. So she could tell, just by giving Lucas a cursory glance, that he was taking the loss badly.
It didn't allow him to take shots. He lost. He needed to accept that and not be a little bitch boy.
Still, she had a rep to uphold. So while she could have left off, she decided to take another jab.
"Just don't vagueblog about me yeah?" She said with a grin.
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
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Frozen Smoke
- Posts: 533
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
- Location: Where I need to be
Faith had to stifle the laugh that was the immediate reaction to that joke, the corners of her mouth jerking upwards as she looked away a little bit, mouth taught as she knew opening it would only rub more salt in an already very salted wound. She knew Lucas wasn't the type to take a jab like that well, and she did feel bad for him, even if it was his fault. Still, she couldn't pretend he wasn't a sore loser, so seeing his "unbeatable" control deck bested by Arizona was... Well, it felt like cosmic justice.
As soon as she was confident enough that her speech wouldn't devolve into her laughing at Ari's joke, she spoke again, trying to get in between the two of them before Lucas began digging a hole that'd end up being his grave. Arizona had as much of a rep for being able to get under people's skins as Lucas had for having thin skin, so if they kept poking each other like this, someone was going to lose their cool.
"Thanks for playing it out Lucas, sucks getting mana screwed like that!" she said, beginning to pick up the many cards of hers that were now scattered across the table, shuffling them back into the tower of cards that was her deck as she turned to her team partner, trying to think of a way to congratulate her that didn't seem like she was gloating over her friends defeat.
"Nicely done Ari', see why I play now?" she asked, with a grin, completely failing to conceal her enjoyment at the turn of events.
As soon as she was confident enough that her speech wouldn't devolve into her laughing at Ari's joke, she spoke again, trying to get in between the two of them before Lucas began digging a hole that'd end up being his grave. Arizona had as much of a rep for being able to get under people's skins as Lucas had for having thin skin, so if they kept poking each other like this, someone was going to lose their cool.
"Thanks for playing it out Lucas, sucks getting mana screwed like that!" she said, beginning to pick up the many cards of hers that were now scattered across the table, shuffling them back into the tower of cards that was her deck as she turned to her team partner, trying to think of a way to congratulate her that didn't seem like she was gloating over her friends defeat.
"Nicely done Ari', see why I play now?" she asked, with a grin, completely failing to conceal her enjoyment at the turn of events.
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
It was a good thing that Faith spoke when she did, as Lucas was a moment away from grabbing a spade and digging himself another hole for his social life to fall into.
Had Arizona so callously stepped on the nerve a few months ago, Lucas probably would’ve jumped down her throat right off the bat. After all, who did Arizona think she was, pressing on such a sore spot just because he’d insinuated she wasn’t an instant expert at a card game? How low a self esteem did someone have to have that they had to lash out like other people over something as trivial as that?
However, the one good thing that had come out of his social media foray is that he had gotten just a little bit numb to the topic. Not because it didn’t upset or embarrass him, though he still was quite certain he hadn’t done anything really wrong, but because people just never shut up about it anymore:
‘Oh hey Lucas, when’s your Facebook going back up?’
‘Hey Lucas, push over any wheelchairs today?’
‘Yo Lucas, want to head over to the special ed class and throw stuff?’
It was almost funny how liberal a school like George Hunter High could be so narrow minded about a person.
So Arizona could try to hit him where it hurts, but she was really late to that party. And that lateness meant Lucas could bite his tongue just long enough for the topic to start to change.
“Yeah well, at least I don’t have any choice over getting mana screwed. Getting screwed by a bitchy attitude, I think that’s on Arizona.”
That didn’t mean he couldn’t drive it right back though, if he wanted to.
Had Arizona so callously stepped on the nerve a few months ago, Lucas probably would’ve jumped down her throat right off the bat. After all, who did Arizona think she was, pressing on such a sore spot just because he’d insinuated she wasn’t an instant expert at a card game? How low a self esteem did someone have to have that they had to lash out like other people over something as trivial as that?
However, the one good thing that had come out of his social media foray is that he had gotten just a little bit numb to the topic. Not because it didn’t upset or embarrass him, though he still was quite certain he hadn’t done anything really wrong, but because people just never shut up about it anymore:
‘Oh hey Lucas, when’s your Facebook going back up?’
‘Hey Lucas, push over any wheelchairs today?’
‘Yo Lucas, want to head over to the special ed class and throw stuff?’
It was almost funny how liberal a school like George Hunter High could be so narrow minded about a person.
So Arizona could try to hit him where it hurts, but she was really late to that party. And that lateness meant Lucas could bite his tongue just long enough for the topic to start to change.
“Yeah well, at least I don’t have any choice over getting mana screwed. Getting screwed by a bitchy attitude, I think that’s on Arizona.”
That didn’t mean he couldn’t drive it right back though, if he wanted to.
As Lucas replied the grin remained but it shifted slightly. Previously it had been a having fun talking trash grin. But as Lucas spoke the edges sharpened and a glint began to form in Arizona's eyes. She knew she had gotten to him. There was an obvious weakness. He was getting emotional. It would have been easy for her to reach out and snatch his soul. She had done it before on the court. Played around with trash talk until she had found that one thing. The one detail about someone that really set them off. That was when she could throw people off their game. Force emotional reactions and mistakes. Then she struck and used those mistakes to maximize her advantage. Sure, people had a problem with it but they needed to grow up. The aim was to win and all the George Hunter team did was win.
Did she need to do it?
Maybe not.
But she needed to do something. Athletic talent could only carry you so far. Plus she had to compete with Sam, so she needed something. Playing hard and speed were her things. People needed to keep up with her physically and mentally. She had made it an art.
So yeah, it would have been easy for her to destroy Lucas then and there. But the only reason would have been to keep her rep up. She didn't need to do it. She'd already won.
She resisted the urge to laugh.
"Alright, that's fair."
She stood and picked the bag containing her brothers present up.
"Yeah, it's actually kinda fun." She said to Faith as she tucked her chair back in.
"Anyway, I better get home, later nerds."
She gave the pair a small wave as she turned and headed out.
It wasn't long before she was messaging Sam telling about what had happened.
((Arizona continued elsewhere...))
Did she need to do it?
Maybe not.
But she needed to do something. Athletic talent could only carry you so far. Plus she had to compete with Sam, so she needed something. Playing hard and speed were her things. People needed to keep up with her physically and mentally. She had made it an art.
So yeah, it would have been easy for her to destroy Lucas then and there. But the only reason would have been to keep her rep up. She didn't need to do it. She'd already won.
She resisted the urge to laugh.
"Alright, that's fair."
She stood and picked the bag containing her brothers present up.
"Yeah, it's actually kinda fun." She said to Faith as she tucked her chair back in.
"Anyway, I better get home, later nerds."
She gave the pair a small wave as she turned and headed out.
It wasn't long before she was messaging Sam telling about what had happened.
((Arizona continued elsewhere...))
V8
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
Aracelis Fuentes
California “Cali” Fox
Darryl Smith Jr.
Jessica Romero
Roberta “Robbie” Woodvine
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Frozen Smoke
- Posts: 533
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
- Location: Where I need to be
Faith chewed the inside of her lip as she kept up a relatively cheery expression. She could feel something in the air as Arizona stared Lucas down for a moment, not quite energy, but the potential to have energy at the flick of a switch. It felt like things were just another push in the wrong direction from sliding into a shouting match that would probably end up all over social media, and that'd look bad on pretty much everyone. Fortunately, Arizona brushed it off, and the Sword of Dramacles seemed to vanish from it's lofty heights above them as abruptly as it had appeared. Her shoulders lost a little bit of tension she hadn't realised she'd been putting into them, and she gave Arizona a little bit of a wave as she left, before realising she wasn't looking behind her and stopping.
There was an awkward moment of silence as she waited for Arizona to get firmly out of earshot before she spoke again, shuffling her cards a little, so she had something to focus on other than the indignant reaction she knew she was about to get. But it had to be said.
"You gotta stop taking the bait, dude." she warned, softly, trying her best to not sound patronising. Lucas seemed like he couldn't let a thing go, and whilst he was a great friend, sometimes friends had to let other friends know they were fucking up. Even if it felt like she was just piling onto someone who'd been piled onto enough, maybe he'd actually listen to her.
There was an awkward moment of silence as she waited for Arizona to get firmly out of earshot before she spoke again, shuffling her cards a little, so she had something to focus on other than the indignant reaction she knew she was about to get. But it had to be said.
"You gotta stop taking the bait, dude." she warned, softly, trying her best to not sound patronising. Lucas seemed like he couldn't let a thing go, and whilst he was a great friend, sometimes friends had to let other friends know they were fucking up. Even if it felt like she was just piling onto someone who'd been piled onto enough, maybe he'd actually listen to her.
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.
Lucas held his stare as Arizona excused herself, not wanting her to see the weakness in his eyes she already had. He didn’t offer her any goodbyes or even a little wave.
Finally, he sank back into the chair, arms folding as he avoided looking at Faith, who he also didn’t want to show that weakness to.
“…yeah, I know.” He finally admitted, after a brief but significant huff. Now that Arizona was actually gone, he realised, picking a fight with her had been pretty stupid. Not because she wasn’t being a bitch and trying to tear open old wounds over a card game, but because that it was only going to add fuel to the fire that everyone around him was very eager to see relit. Everyone except Fatih, at least.
“Sorry, I know she’s your friend. I’ll apologise or something next time I see her.” He said, though was not really sure whether he’d actually follow through. Well, if it happened, it happened, but he wasn’t going to go looking for her begging for her forgiveness. Actually, he might not look for her at all.
“You want to play a few more games whilst we’re here?” He wasn’t in a particularly good mood anymore, as memories of his classmates’ jabs were resurfacing, but they’d both made the trip out and it hadn’t even been a half hour. Worst case, they could go to the food court afterwards and grab a smoothie together. That would make him feel better, as Faith usually did.
Finally, he sank back into the chair, arms folding as he avoided looking at Faith, who he also didn’t want to show that weakness to.
“…yeah, I know.” He finally admitted, after a brief but significant huff. Now that Arizona was actually gone, he realised, picking a fight with her had been pretty stupid. Not because she wasn’t being a bitch and trying to tear open old wounds over a card game, but because that it was only going to add fuel to the fire that everyone around him was very eager to see relit. Everyone except Fatih, at least.
“Sorry, I know she’s your friend. I’ll apologise or something next time I see her.” He said, though was not really sure whether he’d actually follow through. Well, if it happened, it happened, but he wasn’t going to go looking for her begging for her forgiveness. Actually, he might not look for her at all.
“You want to play a few more games whilst we’re here?” He wasn’t in a particularly good mood anymore, as memories of his classmates’ jabs were resurfacing, but they’d both made the trip out and it hadn’t even been a half hour. Worst case, they could go to the food court afterwards and grab a smoothie together. That would make him feel better, as Faith usually did.
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Frozen Smoke
- Posts: 533
- Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2018 3:50 pm
- Location: Where I need to be
Faith found herself smiling back at him softly as he took the L and apologised after a moment of agonising. He'd probably been thinking about arguing back for a little bit, but unlike most, Lucas could own up to his mistakes. It wasn't like he could run away from them in GHHS, as much as he tried, but she respected the humility that came with facing them. She didn't buy that he was going to apologise to Arizona - she doubted that she'd give him the time of day in the first place to do so - But it was a nice thought.
She considered thanking him briefly, trying to figure out a way to say it without making it seem like Arizona mattered more than he did, but Lucas switched the topic before she could fit the words together. Bringing them back around to that topic was only going to ruin what had been a pretty good night so far, wasn't it?
Best to let it lie like the proverbial sleeping dog.
"Sure thing man. I want to see what your deck does when you actually get to play Magic!" she said, punctuating it with a little chuckle. The last game had basically been her guiding Arizona through a game of Solitaire, and she was eager to see just what all the new cards he'd so excitedly messaged her about did when he could actually cast them.
((Faith C. Marshal-Mackenzie - Continued elsewhere))
She considered thanking him briefly, trying to figure out a way to say it without making it seem like Arizona mattered more than he did, but Lucas switched the topic before she could fit the words together. Bringing them back around to that topic was only going to ruin what had been a pretty good night so far, wasn't it?
Best to let it lie like the proverbial sleeping dog.
"Sure thing man. I want to see what your deck does when you actually get to play Magic!" she said, punctuating it with a little chuckle. The last game had basically been her guiding Arizona through a game of Solitaire, and she was eager to see just what all the new cards he'd so excitedly messaged her about did when he could actually cast them.
((Faith C. Marshal-Mackenzie - Continued elsewhere))
Criticism or thoughts on my writing are welcome and appreciated - always looking to improve! Feel free to poke me on Discord or via PM.