Herald's Silence
by Shadow Flare
*OOC characters!*
Chapter Two: First Day
Vanyel stared all around the crowded lunchroom, not having any idea where to sit, not even seeing any familiar faces.
(This is nothing like my old school.) he thought. Mount Vernon High School was nothing like the private school his father had sent him-and the rest of his siblings-to. For one thing, it was very crowded.
A girl's high-pitched giggle interrupted his brooding.
"Hey, sit over here!" a pretty redhead called out. Sighing inwardly Vanyel made his way over there-he really had nowhere else to sit.
In a matter of seconds he was bored. (I probably would have been better off standing the entire lunch...)
"Done!" Lyn cried out joyfully as she slammed her algebra book shut.
"Should I tell Savil you were doing her homework in lunch?" Tylendel asked with raised eyebrow.
"I already did her homework. This is extra credit." Lyn replied absently.
Tylendel pointed with his sandwich at the black-clad figure who looked rather bored, sitting at the other end of the lunchroom.
"Isn't that Vanyel?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think." Lyn responded. "He looks bored."
"I don't blame him." Lyn's cousin Joseph Patrick "JP" Johnson said breezily as he tapped away on his laptop.
"What are you doing?" his twin sister, Rosemary, asked.
"Downloading anime pictures." JP said, cracking his knuckles.
"Don't download any hentai ones." Chris Allen cautioned, as Justin Mensen grinned.
"What? You're being unperverted for once?" Mela Terrel asked.
"Nah, I just don't want the adminstrators bustin' our asses. They already don't like us." Chris drawled.
"Come on, 'Lendel. Let's go rescue Vanyel." Lyn said, standing up.
"I could do that on my own." Tylendel protested. "Which I was about to go do."
"Not a good plan. Everyone knows your preferences...and Vanyel's reputation doesn't need to be wrecked because of rumors, it's already going to get wrecked because of one, the way he acts and dresses, and two, who his aunt is. Actually, probably the only reasons he's in the preps' favor are that he's good-looking, and his parents are rich."
"No kidding?" JP asked.
"None. I asked Savil. Her brother Withen-Vanyel's father-made a whole lot of money in the stock market, amazingly enough, and also has a big piece of property somewhere...full of oil." Lyn yawned. "But money doesn't buy happiness...Savil's not really what you would call rich, or even well off, but we're a lot happier then Vanyel's family is. His mother's an idiot, and his father...I wouldn't want to have his father!"
"Are you going to stand there like an idiot?" Justin Mensen pointed out.
"No." Lyn said, and walked toward the table.
Vanyel stood up abruptly. (In one more second, I am going to go mad...)
he thought.
"You're lookin' bored." Lyn Littrell commented airily from behind him. "Can't say I blame you, considering who this lot of airheads are."
"Why, it's Lyn." a blond girl said sarcastically.
"Oh, hi, Helen." Lyn said sarcastically: it was obvious neither girl liked the other. "And I wasn't talking to you." she turned back to Vanyel. "Nothin' in that crowd but pretty faces and nothin' else. Mostly, anyway."
(An excellent conclusion...I had come to that conclusion about three minutes ago.) Vanyel thought.
"Why don't you come sit with us?" she continued. "We may not the most popular people around, and we aren't all pretty, but hell, we're a good deal more interesting."
"Interesting doesn't say half of it." Helen snorted. "Crazy is more like it. And speaking of crazy, there's a prime example of crazy right there, and her name is Lyn Littrell."
Lyn got out a pocket-sized dictionary from her purse, and pretended to flip to a section. "Bitchy...aha! I see that your picture is underneath the definition for the word!"
"Cute, Lyn. Very cute." Helen said, sarcastically clapping her hands. "You'd better stay away from Lyn and her crowd, they'll rub off on you." she said to Vanyel.
"We can hardly avoid each other." Lyn said sweetly. "We live in the same house."
Helen sputtered. "How-"
"I never told you my full name, did I?" Vanyel asked sarcastically. "It's Vanyel Ashkevron."
"Ash-" Helen sputtered.
"Vanyel's Savil's nephew." Lyn said mock-patiently.
"It figures." Helen muttered. "With an attitude like that, he's got to be related to Sour Savil." she looked beyond Lyn, noticed Tylendel standing quietly there, and her blue eyes narrowed. "Well, if it isn't a certain blond fairy." those last words had an edge of disgust to them. "You really should read the Bible, Tylendel Frelennye. You're doomed to hellfire otherwise."
Lyn's eyes narrowed, just as Tylendel pushed her aside.
"Thanks for the advice, Helen, but no thanks." he said amiably. "I don't read the Bible, and I don't believe in hell, I'm not Christian. And I'm not a fairy...I don't wave around a wand, nor do I have wings. I am shay'a'chern, which is the proper name for it."
"I don't care what you call it, you are still a sick, perverted person who is going straight to hell!" Helen told him. "As are the rest of your friends!"
Lyn's eyes snapped sparks, and she pushed Tylendel backwards, straight into Vanyel, as she got right up in Helen's face.
"Do. Not. Insult. My. Friends." Lyn said coldly. "You may call me anything you want, but DO NOT INSULT MY FRIENDS. Is that clear?"
"As dirt." Helen sneered. Lyn's long fingers curled into a fist. Vanyel could tell that a fight was about to begin.
Tylendel had other ideas. Quickly, he Mindspoke JP, Rosemary, Mela, Justin, and Chris, while stepping forward, next to Lyn.
:Pack up and head to Savil's room. Lyn and Helen are at it again. I'm gonna haul Lyn outta here before anything else happens. It hasn't gotten physical yet, but it will, unless I get her out of here.:
The other four teenagers assented.
:Did Helen insult you? Or one of us?: Rosemary asked.
:Dead in the black. Do you want me to repeat Helen's whole speech?: Tylendel asked. :She mostly insulted me, but in the end got all of us.:
:Yeah, I'd like to hear it.: The Healer-Adept responded.
:This starts from when she noticed me standing there.:Tylendel told her. :Quote, 'Well, if it isn't a certain blond fairy. You really should read the Bible, Tylendel Frelennye. You're doomed to hellfire otherwise...I don't care what you call it, you are still a sick, perverted person who is going straight to hell, as are the rest of your friends!' Unquote. Lyn got really mad.:
:I'll bet. You helped her out of that depression, so she's gonna kick the ass of anyone who says a bad word about you-or anyone else she calls friend and cares for.: Rosemary said dryly. :Send Vanyel to me. I'll jump up and down and wave.:
"Lyn. Back off." Tylendel said warningly, then turned to Vanyel. "I'll handle Lyn. But I suggest you get out of this area. When Lyn gets mad, really mad, not annoyed but mad, she gets mad, and it doesn't matter if you're her friend or not, if you're in her way, you'll get hurt." he took a quick look back and saw Rosemary standing on a chair, jumping up and down and waving. "You see that blonde girl back there? The small one who's jumping up and down trying to make sure that you see her? That's Rosemary Johnson, Lyn's cousin. Go over to her."
Vanyel shrugged and followed Tylendel's directions, as the tall blond turned back to the two girls. He could Feel the anger flow between them, and he had to act to defuse this situation fast. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw JP, Rosemary, Chris, Mela, and Justin, followed by Vanyel, leave the room. 'Lendel considered his options carefully: projective Empathy might work on Helen, but it wouldn't work on Lyn: not only was she projecting anger out the roof, Lyn was also an Empath, and a strong enough one that with her powerful Mindspeech, was comfortably in the MindHealer class: Tylendel himself was nowhere near that category, his Empathy was not his strong suit at all. His low-level talent would do nothing against Lyn, not in the blind rage she was in.
"Lyn. I said, back off." he said. She ignored him. 'Lendel noticed the security guards coming their way.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." he said, then grabbed her around the waist, picking her up and slinging the girl over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes. Lyn didn't take kindly to being carried, or being denied the 'right' to finish the job.
"PUT ME DOWN, TYLENDEL FRELENNYE!" she screeched. "I'M NOT THROUGH WITH HER YET!"
"What are you doing, Mr. Frelennye?" Ms. Wilson asked.
"Defusing a situation. I'm going to carry her all the way to Ms. Ashkevron's room...if anything can cool her off, it's going to be Ms. Ashkevron." Tylendel said. "Lyn was provoked...Helen-" he pointed at the girl. "Was insulting me and the rest of Lyn's friends, and Lyn got angry."
"What kind of insults?" Ms. Wilson asked coldly.
"Mostly insulting me about my preferences, and basically saying that me, Lyn, and our friends are going to hell." Tylendel said carefully. "I'm dealing with the situation right now..."
Ms. Wilson gave Lyn and Helen sharp looks. "You're treading on thin ice, you two. Keep this up, and you'll both be written up."
Tylendel carried Lyn out the door, with the whole cafeteria staring after them in shocked silence.
"Ouch!" Tylendel then cursed, as Lyn's foot caught him in the back. "Stop that, I just saved your ass from getting written up!"
"You should have let me finish the job." Lyn retorted, as he stopped in front of Savil's door. Tylendel considered the best way to open it, but just thought 'screw it', and used Fetching to open the door.
Savil groaned as she saw Tylendel come through the door, Lyn draped over his shoulders. "Lyn. Don't do that again."
"But that bitch-" Lyn got only part of her protest out, as Tylendel dropped her to the ground and swung the door shut. The girl got up, her ponytail swinging.
"You are better then her, but by succumbing to her goading, sink to her level." Savil continued. "Do you want to be like her?"
"No, Savil." Lyn said quietly.
"You also have dignity, which you must keep. Is that clear?"
"As crystal."
"But, that is only during school hours." Savil said, a thin smile creasing her face. "After school and off school grounds, I don't care what happens. So give her as much as she deserves, and with my blessing. But you'll embarrass us all if you lose, so don't. And if you get caught, I have nothing to do with this."
"Gotcha." Lyn grinned.
"I can't believe this." Tylendel muttered.
"But I'm not done with you yet, 'Lendel." Lyn grinned. "I'm going to get you for this."
Tylendel clapped his hands sarcastically. "Oh, joy. Just. What. I. Need."
Lyn glared. "Whatever. Do you want me to start cracking blond jokes?"
Rosemary cleared her throat.
"Oh, sorry, Rose." Lyn said. "Not for you...for 'Lendel."
"Thanks, but no thanks." Tylendel said.
"In that case, I challenge you to a game of Magic." Lyn said, hauling a deck of Magic: The Gathering cards out of her purse. Scott Summers, who had been waiting in the corner, came over to them.
"But I didn't bring a deck!" Tylendel complained, just as Scott handed him a deck.
"It's the only rainbow deck you'll catch me with." Scott said. Vanyel watched quietly as the two began playing. He'd wanted to learn how to play, but his father thought that the game was 'Satanist', and wouldn't let him learn.
"Vanyel, from the way you're watching us, you must want to learn how to play." Lyn called as she 'cut' her deck. "Land."
Tylendel cut his deck. "Five. I go first."
"..." Vanyel didn't say anything.
"Scott, teach him." Lyn called out as she watched Tylendel lay a land-a Mountain-and 'tap' it, playing a Seal of Fire. "Are you done, blondie?"
Tylendel made a face. "Yes. And don't call me blondie."
"I'm sorry, I just undignified you with Robert's name." Lyn said, as she drew her card and played her Mountain, bringing her own Seal of Fire into play. "I'm done."
In about ten minutes, Vanyel had managed to grasp how to play the (very complicated) card game, though Scott had to keep reminding him to do such basics as untap lands at the beginning of his turn, and to tap creatures when attacking with them.
"Mwa ha ha!" Lyn cackled.
"I don't like the sound of that." Tylendel muttered, as Lyn tapped all eight of her Mountains.
"Obliterate!" Lyn said, tossing down the card. "Clear the board, buddy!"
"Damn!" Tylendel muttered, and 'cleared the board', putting everything but his hand into the graveyard, while Lyn did the same. "Is this your 'Switch Color' deck?"
"Bingo." Lyn laughed.
"Dammit." Tylendel muttered as he drew the card. "No frickin' lands."
Lyn laid a Swamp-which she had been holding in her hand-tapped it, and played Dark Ritual.
"Let me guess, Avatar of Woe." Tylendel said.
"Good guess, buddy." Lyn laughed. "I love it when people play creature-heavy decks...when I clear the board, I can play Avatar for only two, since there are WAY more then ten creatures in our graveyards." She played the Avatar, and watched, grinning, as Tylendel finally got a land, but didn't have enough to play any cards.
"I'm just glad this isn't your Puzzle Box deck...you read too many magazines." Tylendel muttered. "Stop gloating, woman."
"I'm not done yet." Lyn grinned as she untapped her Swamp, played another, and tapped both, playing another Avatar. "Avatar Number Two, here she comes!"
"What is this, the Avatar beatdown?" Tylendel muttered as he drew his card. "Damn, no land!"
"And you're playing a rainbow deck. How sad." Lyn said mock-sweetly.
"You destroyed all the others I played, even before that Obliterate." Tylendel muttered, as she untapped, played another Swamp, tapped two more, and brought one more Avatar into play.
"I should fold, but I won't." Tylendel said, as he played a land, and then tapped both and brought a Seal of Cleansing and a Seal of Fire into play.
"How stubborn of you." Lyn said, playing another Swamp, then tapping all four. "Avatar of Woe, two Unholy Strength."
"You little bitch!" Tylendel cursed.
"Honey, you're gonna die next turn." Lyn grinned, as Tylendel untapped his lands, and glared as he discarded a Rootbreaker Wurm, since he had too many cards in his hand. "Are you done?"
"Does it look like it?" Tylendel asked. "Wait, I'm sacking the Seal, you take two."
"I'm at 14. You, however, are at 8." Lyn grinned as she untapped her lands, and played a Swamp. She tapped four of them. "Rhystic Syphon, you take five. You're at 3, I'm at 19. I'm not done yet." she tapped the Avatars. "You're dead."
"Damn." Tylendel muttered, and the two gathered up their cards, just as the bell rang.
"Come on, Vanyel, we've got the same class." Lyn called out. "English. Let's go, before we're late."
She fairly caught his collar and dragged him out the door.
"What a first day." JP said, shaking his head sadly.
"It's going to get far more interesting." Rosemary added, as they all walked out the door-except Tylendel, who had Savil's Algebra II/Trig class 7th period. "I'll bet you on that."
~End Chapter~
by Shadow Flare
*OOC characters!*
Chapter Two: First Day
Vanyel stared all around the crowded lunchroom, not having any idea where to sit, not even seeing any familiar faces.
(This is nothing like my old school.) he thought. Mount Vernon High School was nothing like the private school his father had sent him-and the rest of his siblings-to. For one thing, it was very crowded.
A girl's high-pitched giggle interrupted his brooding.
"Hey, sit over here!" a pretty redhead called out. Sighing inwardly Vanyel made his way over there-he really had nowhere else to sit.
In a matter of seconds he was bored. (I probably would have been better off standing the entire lunch...)
"Done!" Lyn cried out joyfully as she slammed her algebra book shut.
"Should I tell Savil you were doing her homework in lunch?" Tylendel asked with raised eyebrow.
"I already did her homework. This is extra credit." Lyn replied absently.
Tylendel pointed with his sandwich at the black-clad figure who looked rather bored, sitting at the other end of the lunchroom.
"Isn't that Vanyel?" he asked.
"Yeah, I think." Lyn responded. "He looks bored."
"I don't blame him." Lyn's cousin Joseph Patrick "JP" Johnson said breezily as he tapped away on his laptop.
"What are you doing?" his twin sister, Rosemary, asked.
"Downloading anime pictures." JP said, cracking his knuckles.
"Don't download any hentai ones." Chris Allen cautioned, as Justin Mensen grinned.
"What? You're being unperverted for once?" Mela Terrel asked.
"Nah, I just don't want the adminstrators bustin' our asses. They already don't like us." Chris drawled.
"Come on, 'Lendel. Let's go rescue Vanyel." Lyn said, standing up.
"I could do that on my own." Tylendel protested. "Which I was about to go do."
"Not a good plan. Everyone knows your preferences...and Vanyel's reputation doesn't need to be wrecked because of rumors, it's already going to get wrecked because of one, the way he acts and dresses, and two, who his aunt is. Actually, probably the only reasons he's in the preps' favor are that he's good-looking, and his parents are rich."
"No kidding?" JP asked.
"None. I asked Savil. Her brother Withen-Vanyel's father-made a whole lot of money in the stock market, amazingly enough, and also has a big piece of property somewhere...full of oil." Lyn yawned. "But money doesn't buy happiness...Savil's not really what you would call rich, or even well off, but we're a lot happier then Vanyel's family is. His mother's an idiot, and his father...I wouldn't want to have his father!"
"Are you going to stand there like an idiot?" Justin Mensen pointed out.
"No." Lyn said, and walked toward the table.
Vanyel stood up abruptly. (In one more second, I am going to go mad...)
he thought.
"You're lookin' bored." Lyn Littrell commented airily from behind him. "Can't say I blame you, considering who this lot of airheads are."
"Why, it's Lyn." a blond girl said sarcastically.
"Oh, hi, Helen." Lyn said sarcastically: it was obvious neither girl liked the other. "And I wasn't talking to you." she turned back to Vanyel. "Nothin' in that crowd but pretty faces and nothin' else. Mostly, anyway."
(An excellent conclusion...I had come to that conclusion about three minutes ago.) Vanyel thought.
"Why don't you come sit with us?" she continued. "We may not the most popular people around, and we aren't all pretty, but hell, we're a good deal more interesting."
"Interesting doesn't say half of it." Helen snorted. "Crazy is more like it. And speaking of crazy, there's a prime example of crazy right there, and her name is Lyn Littrell."
Lyn got out a pocket-sized dictionary from her purse, and pretended to flip to a section. "Bitchy...aha! I see that your picture is underneath the definition for the word!"
"Cute, Lyn. Very cute." Helen said, sarcastically clapping her hands. "You'd better stay away from Lyn and her crowd, they'll rub off on you." she said to Vanyel.
"We can hardly avoid each other." Lyn said sweetly. "We live in the same house."
Helen sputtered. "How-"
"I never told you my full name, did I?" Vanyel asked sarcastically. "It's Vanyel Ashkevron."
"Ash-" Helen sputtered.
"Vanyel's Savil's nephew." Lyn said mock-patiently.
"It figures." Helen muttered. "With an attitude like that, he's got to be related to Sour Savil." she looked beyond Lyn, noticed Tylendel standing quietly there, and her blue eyes narrowed. "Well, if it isn't a certain blond fairy." those last words had an edge of disgust to them. "You really should read the Bible, Tylendel Frelennye. You're doomed to hellfire otherwise."
Lyn's eyes narrowed, just as Tylendel pushed her aside.
"Thanks for the advice, Helen, but no thanks." he said amiably. "I don't read the Bible, and I don't believe in hell, I'm not Christian. And I'm not a fairy...I don't wave around a wand, nor do I have wings. I am shay'a'chern, which is the proper name for it."
"I don't care what you call it, you are still a sick, perverted person who is going straight to hell!" Helen told him. "As are the rest of your friends!"
Lyn's eyes snapped sparks, and she pushed Tylendel backwards, straight into Vanyel, as she got right up in Helen's face.
"Do. Not. Insult. My. Friends." Lyn said coldly. "You may call me anything you want, but DO NOT INSULT MY FRIENDS. Is that clear?"
"As dirt." Helen sneered. Lyn's long fingers curled into a fist. Vanyel could tell that a fight was about to begin.
Tylendel had other ideas. Quickly, he Mindspoke JP, Rosemary, Mela, Justin, and Chris, while stepping forward, next to Lyn.
:Pack up and head to Savil's room. Lyn and Helen are at it again. I'm gonna haul Lyn outta here before anything else happens. It hasn't gotten physical yet, but it will, unless I get her out of here.:
The other four teenagers assented.
:Did Helen insult you? Or one of us?: Rosemary asked.
:Dead in the black. Do you want me to repeat Helen's whole speech?: Tylendel asked. :She mostly insulted me, but in the end got all of us.:
:Yeah, I'd like to hear it.: The Healer-Adept responded.
:This starts from when she noticed me standing there.:Tylendel told her. :Quote, 'Well, if it isn't a certain blond fairy. You really should read the Bible, Tylendel Frelennye. You're doomed to hellfire otherwise...I don't care what you call it, you are still a sick, perverted person who is going straight to hell, as are the rest of your friends!' Unquote. Lyn got really mad.:
:I'll bet. You helped her out of that depression, so she's gonna kick the ass of anyone who says a bad word about you-or anyone else she calls friend and cares for.: Rosemary said dryly. :Send Vanyel to me. I'll jump up and down and wave.:
"Lyn. Back off." Tylendel said warningly, then turned to Vanyel. "I'll handle Lyn. But I suggest you get out of this area. When Lyn gets mad, really mad, not annoyed but mad, she gets mad, and it doesn't matter if you're her friend or not, if you're in her way, you'll get hurt." he took a quick look back and saw Rosemary standing on a chair, jumping up and down and waving. "You see that blonde girl back there? The small one who's jumping up and down trying to make sure that you see her? That's Rosemary Johnson, Lyn's cousin. Go over to her."
Vanyel shrugged and followed Tylendel's directions, as the tall blond turned back to the two girls. He could Feel the anger flow between them, and he had to act to defuse this situation fast. Out of the corner of his vision, he saw JP, Rosemary, Chris, Mela, and Justin, followed by Vanyel, leave the room. 'Lendel considered his options carefully: projective Empathy might work on Helen, but it wouldn't work on Lyn: not only was she projecting anger out the roof, Lyn was also an Empath, and a strong enough one that with her powerful Mindspeech, was comfortably in the MindHealer class: Tylendel himself was nowhere near that category, his Empathy was not his strong suit at all. His low-level talent would do nothing against Lyn, not in the blind rage she was in.
"Lyn. I said, back off." he said. She ignored him. 'Lendel noticed the security guards coming their way.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." he said, then grabbed her around the waist, picking her up and slinging the girl over his shoulders like a bag of potatoes. Lyn didn't take kindly to being carried, or being denied the 'right' to finish the job.
"PUT ME DOWN, TYLENDEL FRELENNYE!" she screeched. "I'M NOT THROUGH WITH HER YET!"
"What are you doing, Mr. Frelennye?" Ms. Wilson asked.
"Defusing a situation. I'm going to carry her all the way to Ms. Ashkevron's room...if anything can cool her off, it's going to be Ms. Ashkevron." Tylendel said. "Lyn was provoked...Helen-" he pointed at the girl. "Was insulting me and the rest of Lyn's friends, and Lyn got angry."
"What kind of insults?" Ms. Wilson asked coldly.
"Mostly insulting me about my preferences, and basically saying that me, Lyn, and our friends are going to hell." Tylendel said carefully. "I'm dealing with the situation right now..."
Ms. Wilson gave Lyn and Helen sharp looks. "You're treading on thin ice, you two. Keep this up, and you'll both be written up."
Tylendel carried Lyn out the door, with the whole cafeteria staring after them in shocked silence.
"Ouch!" Tylendel then cursed, as Lyn's foot caught him in the back. "Stop that, I just saved your ass from getting written up!"
"You should have let me finish the job." Lyn retorted, as he stopped in front of Savil's door. Tylendel considered the best way to open it, but just thought 'screw it', and used Fetching to open the door.
Savil groaned as she saw Tylendel come through the door, Lyn draped over his shoulders. "Lyn. Don't do that again."
"But that bitch-" Lyn got only part of her protest out, as Tylendel dropped her to the ground and swung the door shut. The girl got up, her ponytail swinging.
"You are better then her, but by succumbing to her goading, sink to her level." Savil continued. "Do you want to be like her?"
"No, Savil." Lyn said quietly.
"You also have dignity, which you must keep. Is that clear?"
"As crystal."
"But, that is only during school hours." Savil said, a thin smile creasing her face. "After school and off school grounds, I don't care what happens. So give her as much as she deserves, and with my blessing. But you'll embarrass us all if you lose, so don't. And if you get caught, I have nothing to do with this."
"Gotcha." Lyn grinned.
"I can't believe this." Tylendel muttered.
"But I'm not done with you yet, 'Lendel." Lyn grinned. "I'm going to get you for this."
Tylendel clapped his hands sarcastically. "Oh, joy. Just. What. I. Need."
Lyn glared. "Whatever. Do you want me to start cracking blond jokes?"
Rosemary cleared her throat.
"Oh, sorry, Rose." Lyn said. "Not for you...for 'Lendel."
"Thanks, but no thanks." Tylendel said.
"In that case, I challenge you to a game of Magic." Lyn said, hauling a deck of Magic: The Gathering cards out of her purse. Scott Summers, who had been waiting in the corner, came over to them.
"But I didn't bring a deck!" Tylendel complained, just as Scott handed him a deck.
"It's the only rainbow deck you'll catch me with." Scott said. Vanyel watched quietly as the two began playing. He'd wanted to learn how to play, but his father thought that the game was 'Satanist', and wouldn't let him learn.
"Vanyel, from the way you're watching us, you must want to learn how to play." Lyn called as she 'cut' her deck. "Land."
Tylendel cut his deck. "Five. I go first."
"..." Vanyel didn't say anything.
"Scott, teach him." Lyn called out as she watched Tylendel lay a land-a Mountain-and 'tap' it, playing a Seal of Fire. "Are you done, blondie?"
Tylendel made a face. "Yes. And don't call me blondie."
"I'm sorry, I just undignified you with Robert's name." Lyn said, as she drew her card and played her Mountain, bringing her own Seal of Fire into play. "I'm done."
In about ten minutes, Vanyel had managed to grasp how to play the (very complicated) card game, though Scott had to keep reminding him to do such basics as untap lands at the beginning of his turn, and to tap creatures when attacking with them.
"Mwa ha ha!" Lyn cackled.
"I don't like the sound of that." Tylendel muttered, as Lyn tapped all eight of her Mountains.
"Obliterate!" Lyn said, tossing down the card. "Clear the board, buddy!"
"Damn!" Tylendel muttered, and 'cleared the board', putting everything but his hand into the graveyard, while Lyn did the same. "Is this your 'Switch Color' deck?"
"Bingo." Lyn laughed.
"Dammit." Tylendel muttered as he drew the card. "No frickin' lands."
Lyn laid a Swamp-which she had been holding in her hand-tapped it, and played Dark Ritual.
"Let me guess, Avatar of Woe." Tylendel said.
"Good guess, buddy." Lyn laughed. "I love it when people play creature-heavy decks...when I clear the board, I can play Avatar for only two, since there are WAY more then ten creatures in our graveyards." She played the Avatar, and watched, grinning, as Tylendel finally got a land, but didn't have enough to play any cards.
"I'm just glad this isn't your Puzzle Box deck...you read too many magazines." Tylendel muttered. "Stop gloating, woman."
"I'm not done yet." Lyn grinned as she untapped her Swamp, played another, and tapped both, playing another Avatar. "Avatar Number Two, here she comes!"
"What is this, the Avatar beatdown?" Tylendel muttered as he drew his card. "Damn, no land!"
"And you're playing a rainbow deck. How sad." Lyn said mock-sweetly.
"You destroyed all the others I played, even before that Obliterate." Tylendel muttered, as she untapped, played another Swamp, tapped two more, and brought one more Avatar into play.
"I should fold, but I won't." Tylendel said, as he played a land, and then tapped both and brought a Seal of Cleansing and a Seal of Fire into play.
"How stubborn of you." Lyn said, playing another Swamp, then tapping all four. "Avatar of Woe, two Unholy Strength."
"You little bitch!" Tylendel cursed.
"Honey, you're gonna die next turn." Lyn grinned, as Tylendel untapped his lands, and glared as he discarded a Rootbreaker Wurm, since he had too many cards in his hand. "Are you done?"
"Does it look like it?" Tylendel asked. "Wait, I'm sacking the Seal, you take two."
"I'm at 14. You, however, are at 8." Lyn grinned as she untapped her lands, and played a Swamp. She tapped four of them. "Rhystic Syphon, you take five. You're at 3, I'm at 19. I'm not done yet." she tapped the Avatars. "You're dead."
"Damn." Tylendel muttered, and the two gathered up their cards, just as the bell rang.
"Come on, Vanyel, we've got the same class." Lyn called out. "English. Let's go, before we're late."
She fairly caught his collar and dragged him out the door.
"What a first day." JP said, shaking his head sadly.
"It's going to get far more interesting." Rosemary added, as they all walked out the door-except Tylendel, who had Savil's Algebra II/Trig class 7th period. "I'll bet you on that."
~End Chapter~
