Of Jelly Babies and Serra Angels

I'm starting to get into Magic: The Gathering. I think I can admit that to you, my constant readers and fellow dorks. I am enjoying the iteration of the game on XBLA--especially the 'Pay Only Once' part of it. Still, since I've been playing, Vulcan Ninja has dug up our old cards and instructional manuals, and has been seen reading them over beer. Apparently, we will be playing in the real world soon.

So I thought yesterday might be a good day to stop in at Freshers, the card place up near the Wellington Chapters. I had expected an eye-roll from the Ninja, but there was none. In fact, as we got out of the car, she saw the British Shop, and ran over, full of jelly baby expectation. Her joy at finding a bag let me know that I could probably spend a million dollars in the next five minutes and she wouldn't notice, so enraptured was she in her little gooey blobs of flavoured toxicity.

So, upon entering Freshers, I was taken with how clean the place was. How well set up. How polite the staff were. This is noteworthy, because many geek havens in town do not subscribe to this belief system. I walked past two older guys playing Magic, each card sealed in cryogenic plastic.



At the back, I was overloaded with all the variations of the game available for purchase. Since I was determined to spend only $5, I found a pack that met that requirement. I went up to make my purchase.

"You play Magic?" the woman asked.

"Uh, yeah. Kinda. I just started playing again on XBOX Live," I replied.

She looked confused at that. "Okay," she offered.

So I paid for the pack, and turned to leave. She quickly scribbled me a note, saying I would get 40% off my next pack. And that Wednesday was Magic Night, and I was more than welcome to come out, to see the Lords of The Game play. Used to the usual grunting one gets from comic book store employees, I was in shock at this display of politeness and, that rarest of things, a smile.

I thanked her, and left.

Outside, Ninja pretended her hands were tentacles, clutching at my shoulders. "Come eeeen, come eeeen, come eeeen to our leeetle world, leeetle boy," she hissed.

"I thought she was nice," I said.

She laughed,then turned her attention back to her Jelly Babies, munching happily.