Mind-Games (Social Link Topic)

It was the weekend that Phoebe could enjoy things for herself as she went to one of the malls within Endymion City. She had interest to find a job-- despite her physical limitations, but it was a known fact that physical limitations couldn't be barred for seeking part-time employment.

The day was warm and sunny today as Phoebe felt well enough to venture further from the Seven Star's region. Her sister would insist she keep close, but the better shops and malls were in Backlight. One of which she wanted to go for some time now.

She soon found a shop, labeled simply as "Hearthstone" . Inside was a series of displayed card packs. Magic, old school board game , video games and other goods that people of that demographic would like. A smile appeared on her face as she entered the shop.

The game shop looked very cozy. There was a series of shelves for books, comics, board games. The main desk had a glass case that had a series of single cards to sell that were clearly valuable. Finally, a part of the shop was made with long chairs and desks for people to play on. In the far back was a few televisions with some game demos playing. She really enjoyed the space, colorful with the different games and posters positioned on the walls.

She took her time to look around, if nothing else, she could consider buying something.

Mr. Kaska was running the shop today. Apparently there was supposed to be a pickup from one of his more valuable customers today. That was alright, Nadia could use the break. Especially after her...episode earlier in the week. The memory of it was like fire in her cheeks. She felt ashamed. Not because she had thought to kill herself - her life meant nothing - but because of the obvious effect it had had on her friends. She'd been wrong to ever doubt that they cared about her. It was just...hard to remember that sometimes.

So, as they had all promised to visit her more often, she had promised to have something to do with them when they did. A videogame console made sense, although Nadia had to admit she knew nothing of videogames. Hopefully, Cecil would teach her. That thought improved her mood considerably, and she was wearing a contented smile as the chime of the door alerted the shop to her arrival.

But her smile quickly blanked into a curious, open-mouthed stare as she looked around at all the unfamiliar things. What did a videogame look like? She wondered, as she stood there looking like a tourist in a foreign country.

"Hmmm" Phoebe said as she passed the video games. As much as she was a fan to some as most her age-- what she really liked was the card games. She always was drawn to games of strategy and customizable avenues of victory.

She went to reach up for one of the higher reaching packs of starting packs-- but it happened. A mild change to her vision that made her loose her balance slightly. She held her own balance-- but accidentaly knocked over some of the cards. "Oh, shoot!" she cried as the pile of starter packs fell down.

A few people would see the clatter but knew it was nothing major. Phoebe took a deep breath and closed her eyes. It happened every so often, her condition influencing her sense of balance or vision. This was a minor annoyance now next to other stuff, but the medicine she was on helped keep her senses in check and less strain on her mind. It was ironic, the best quailty was her mind-- and it was what was killing her.

With a sigh, she began to gather up the cards she had knocked over and hoped to find something she liked. SHe found one thing-- a pack of Buddyfight with more cute and fierce looking chibi monsters. They were adorable, but the strategy and gameplay seemed too easy for her.

She had always liked one game she would follow-- Magic the Gathering. Even after all that hte world endured, that one game had lasted decades. If it endured this long, it was worth playing, that was for sure.

"I wonder if anyone else here plays Magic," she said to herself in interest.

Nadia was wandering around, looking quietly at different things. If she had to find out about these things by reading the boxes and their descriptions, well...then that's what she'd do. She was doing just that, looking at the description on the back of a boxed controller that looked like a steering wheel, when her attention was pulled to the sound of clattering plastic and cardboard.

She turned to see a young girl kneeling to gather up a mess of small packs of something she had knocked over. Nadia approached, and stooped herself, helping to pick up a few of the packs. "Are you okay?" She asked, good-naturedly, shyly eye-ing the other girl. She was holding a pack of cards for this magical game, and wondering what it could possibly be about.

"What is 'Magic'?" She asked. And the question sounded odd coming from her own mouth, considering she herself could cast real spells. "Is this some kind of tiny videogame?" She asked with a curious glance at the back of the pack she was holding. "It seems a little too light to be electronic."

She hesitated at the sound of another person. A young girl with apparently a nice girl with light hair-- almost opposite to her own dark hair . She had one of the card packs in her hand as Phoebe rose up to her feet and brushed off her skirt a bit. "Oh, I'm fine. Really! " she insisted, catching her breath. She wish she could just adjust better to the changes in her cognition like this but she just had to endure it. Perhaps she could sit down later...

.. but no, she wanted to get a job. The last thing she wanted to appear was weak or sickly of all time. Did she take her medicine? -- Yes she did, so she shook her had to focus as the girl asked about magic. "Huh? " she asked, the girl wondering if magic cards she was holding were a 'video game'. "No, Magic the Gathering. Its a strategy card game. Its a very competitive collectible card game that involves strategy and has a myriad of different playstyles. "

With the last of the cards picked up, Phoebe took her own for later and went out of the isle to talk to her. "I'm Phoebe, by the way. I'm a first year in Seven Star Academy." she explained with a smile.

A strategy card game? Nadia had never heard of such a thing, but she had to admit she was intrigued. "I've never played anything like that before..." She replied, continuing to help pick up the cards. When they were finished picking up the cards, Nadia followed the girl into an adjacent isle out of the way of other customers. There were bigger boxes of cards here, and Nadia was inspecting them. There seemed to be lots of different card games like this one. How interesting!

"Oh...I'm Nadia. I attend Seven Stars too. Third year. Nice to meet you." She said as she crouched to inspect a card game that was further down the shelf. This wasn't why she was here, but she couldn't help but wonder if Cecil played this card game. She contemplated calling him, but thought better of it. She'd rather surprise him with it later. Learning a game together could be fun! She looked up at the other girl. "Do you know how to play these?" She asked.

"Yes, I do," Phoebe said happily as she held on to the pack. Though she came with the intent to get a small part time job, this was a more fun conversation. "I used to play for a while. It takes a bit of learning the ins and out of it, but usually they are divided by colors and mechanics that govern them. It depends what series and cards you get , but the combinations are pretty vast. They were also really popular and could go up in price. Some cards are worth hundred of dollars. "

Her excitement got her a little dizzy but she it was more from her own excitement than her own condition.

"But its nice to meet you. Maybe I'll see you around school. I feel a little off being a first year at my age, but certain situations kind of made me need to start off as a first year. " she explained, "I was kind of in the hospital for a while and missed when I normally would of started high school last year. "

As they talked, Phoebe found an application to the card store. Since the shop clerk was a bit busy with a line of customers and card inquirerers, she took one and planned to fill it out later. "Do you enjoy games at all? I mean I know they aren't as big as they used to be, but they have fun strategic exercises. it's like chess. I'm pretty good at chess. " she explained.

Nadia followed as the girl went, keeping her eye out for different kinds of games as she went. She wasn't even sure what she was here for, really. The options were so vast it was overwhelming. As the black haired girl grabbed an application, Nadia made a mental note that the girl was looking for a job, but didn't say anything about it. It wasn't like she had one to offer her.

"I've never played a game before in my life." Nadia replied simply, eyes trailing along something called the "Funtindo Swap." It looked like fun. "But I was told I should get something to do in my free time, and so I thought I would look into it." She explained.

Phoebe smiled at the need to make the most of her free time. She understood that-- especially all the time she was stuck in the hospital when she had her treatments. "I completely understand. " She said as she picked up a pack of cards she liked along with the pen she needed. She kept talking while she would quickly fill out the form she needed for the job requirement. She still had to send in some more information, but it did say she could forward more to email. She finished and turned to her new friend. "Hey Nadia. If your interested, I sort of hope to form a club in due time in school. Maybe if you are interested you can come over and we can work on that. There are demands for these kinds of groups. "

With her work done, she soon scribbled down Phoebe's email and phone number for her small cell. "I hope I am not being too forward, but I like meeting new people. I'm glad we met and attend the same school. So if you ahve any more questions about Magic, let's chat okay? "

With a polite bow, Phoebe took the information she needed and softly walked back out. Though she still had much on her mind, she hoped she made a new friend. No matter what news she had to endure with the doctors or her sister, she felt happy to be of help to new people and make new friends. It made the weight on her heart less unbearable...

The ENd.