I do not own anything within this fan fiction. All rights belong to their respective owners.
Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.
It was afterschool… The school day progressed without a hitch and now, it was time for some club meetings. John head to the Magic Clubroom and listen to your club leader. John entered the clubroom and saw all the other club members already gathered in front of the club leader. Standing before the crowd was a troll with unusual hair, a large patch of black on top of red. He wore green slacks, red shoes, and a black shirt with a blue star on it. This troll is named Sakaki, a master of card tricks and expert performer. John, make your approach.
"And here comes our star magician! Welcome to the stage John." Sakaki said with a bow. Everyone else began applauding as John made his way to the front, kind of embarrassed. "Come on man, no one is as good with the crowd as you. You're the star." John replied modestly. "Well, we're all stars when it comes to our specialties, but let's get this meeting underway. Our first order of business, I regrettably have to say that both Johnson and Murphy had quit over the summer due to the loss of interest. Those two were great performers with plenty of tricks up their sleeves, but not everyone is cut out for this kind of business and would prefer to pursue bigger, better things. Remember guys, no one is forcing you to stay here. This club is all about good fun and our purpose is to make everyone smile, laugh, and leave them in awe. So, if there is anyone here who wants to call it quit, just say so and we'll say our good byes." Sakaki announced.
John looked around and saw at least two hands raised out of the fourteen people around him. "Tannis, your reason?" Sakaki asked. "Um, I just got a job at the Quick Stop Mart yesterday and I won't have any time to come anymore." Tannis answered. "Don't worry, go get that job experience. We'll drop by sometimes to check up on you. Good luck and best wishes." Sakaki replied. And with a bow, Tannis left the room. "Louis, how about you?" Sakaki asked, turning his attention to the other hand. "My grandfather just moved in with my family and I have to go home to take care of him." Louis answered. "I understand, we only have one family after all. Just drop by to say hello once in a while. It was an honor working with you." Sakaki replied, shaking the hand of his now former club member. And once Louis left, Sakaki continued with club business. "If that is all, I would like to address the next order of business. Unfortunately, the club budget has gone down because of the accident last year." Sakaki continued. "That giant meatball really did a number on the School Field…" John commented, remembering last year.
"And we were really lucky that no one got hurt because of that. So as a new law, no trick shall include objects much larger than eight feet. Also, as a reminder, please make sure that every aspect of your trick does not hurt your partners or the audience. You may have protection from your own trick but no one else does. And no one will be laughing at that kind of blunder." Sakaki said. "Does that mean my lightning cage is off limits?" One club member asked. "Yes Daniel, that is completely off limits. But you could repurpose it for something safer but just as shocking." Sakaki replied. "What about my snake cage?" Another asked. "So long as the snakes aren't poisonous or constrictive Ramona. And with the right adjustments, the trick could still be rattling and amazing." Sakaki answered. "What about the shark cage?" Someone else asked. "No seriously, why are we all doing cage tricks now? Okay, as long as there are no real sharks involved, it will be fine Yenson. But try to figure something out that has a similar bite and hook, line, and sinker. Any other questions?" Sakaki answered.
John looked around and saw no one else speaking up. "Now for our final piece of business. As you know, next week is recruitment for all clubs and I need a few people to help me out during the demonstrations. Who is up for it?" Sakaki asked. You have nothing better to do John, go volunteer for your club. "I'll go." John replied. "Are you sure? You might have something that will come up. If you are, come talk to me after the meeting. If the rest of you are thinking about it, contact me later. Anyway, that is all, if you have any questions, come talk to me or email me later. Court adjourned." Sakaki said. John, go talk to the Sakaki about next week's performance.
"Hey Sakaki, what do you need help with?" John asked as everyone began leaving. "You know, we need some stage hands for preparations. And probably get some other performers to give the attendees a wider scope. You should perform with me, that air pump trick last year was as confusing as it was amazing." Sakaki answered. "I'll think about it man, I just need a good trick to show off… Do we still have any dish soap?" John asked. "Plenty. And if you need anything else, just tell me." Sakaki answered. "I'll keep that mind. Thanks man… Can I talk to you about something? Two things actually." John said. "You usually talk about personal things with your friends, so it must be a bit embarrassing if you have to tell me. But go ahead." Sakaki replied.
"Well, you probably know that I just beat up Caliborn yesterday." John began. "Who doesn't? It's practically the talk of the school. And if that's not it, then it's definitely the teacher who came in wearing a suit of armor. But, what about Caliborn?" Sakaki asked. "I just have this suspicion that people will not remember me for all the amazing and funny shenanigans I pull, but for the rather serious beat down that I just gave. And it just really bothers me that everyone is so focused on that one thing. I mean I'm glad I was able to put the guy in his place and make him stop bothering my friends. But me beating him up isn't something legendary and deserves to be remembered. Am I the only one who feels that way?" John asked.
"No, I know how you feel but people just love conflict and drama. A team wins gold at a competition? That'll be the talk for a few days at best. However, a team winning gold then starts fighting over it, risking the whole team name on it. Then people will be watching that go down every step of the way. It's like a car crash, it's not fun being in one, but people just love to look at it. But my tip to you is just ignore it John. Sooner or later, people will just drop the whole thing and go on to find something else to gawk at. And John, you are a performer, don't let one bad act ruin your career. So what if the crowd has an eye on your fight, that gives you a chance to show that you are still John Egbert, star magician and prankster extraordinaire. And once that happens, the crowd will forget the old, take in the new, and they will smile, laugh, and leave in awe." Sakaki reassured. "Yeah, you're right. There's still time to fix this. Thanks man." John thanked. "Any time. Now what about the other thing?" Sakaki asked.
"Well, I'm not sure you know anything about the guy in the armor, but he's my history teacher. And he likes to tell stories from ancient civilizations. For some reason, every time I hear one, I have this sense of familiarity, like I somehow know the people in a legend over thousands of years old. I never asked anyone else, but do you sometimes feel that?" John asked. "Maybe not for centuries old legends, but I definitely have some weird feeling every time I play a game of cards. I even had this dream where I was a human playing a children's card game to save the world." Sakaki replied. "That's weird… You think it has something to do with our past lives or something like that?" John asked. "Probably, but that is going into territory I have nothing on. It's best not to worry about it, we should just focus on what we could do here and now. And not on the things that we may have done in another time." Sakaki said. "Philosophy is weird." John commented. "It is. I don't think my brain could handle such conversations." Sakaki agreed.
"Anyway, it's about time we head off. There are a lot of things to do before next week." Sakaki said as he made his way to the door. "Yeah, see you later." John said cheerfully, leaving the room.
John, go home and began research for a new magic trick.
And that is chapter 14.
Recognize who I blatantly based Sakaki on? I decided to include a version of him to add a bit more variety to the cast. Sakaki's design is based on an art I have found that is more or less a trollsona of the original character. The artist can be found on Pixiv under the user "ぱれっと" go check it out if you have the time.
*Note: I cannot figure out for the life of me how to make Troll names. So regular six letter names is the best I can do.
Also, their won't be a second update this week. I hope that doesn't affect you too much.
Other than that, there is nothing much else to talk about.
Remember to leave comments, it will help improve the fan fiction for everyone. Also notify me if any of the chapters repeat or is chronologically out of order.
Anyway, I kept you here long enough. So...
Until next time, T1.