Welcome to Gaia! ::

Gigi was buying a new winter coat. She was definitely buying a winter coat, and totally not popping into the card shop just to say hi. Definitely not popping in to buy anything. But there were new boosters on display in the window. She paused on the threshold, weighing winter warmth against the heart of the cards.

It was a deck she hadn’t seen before, steampunk-themed and full of clockwork-powered lasers. The art was amazing. She’d missed a new release? She must have, and the accompanying tournament that would have gone with it. For a moment she was disappointed, but then the thrill of the new set took hold of her again. If she skipped lunch and walked home, she could afford a few booster packs.

She hurried into the little shop, skirting the tables of games-in-progress, cards laid out like war plans between the poker-faced players. Some people took it so seriously. Didn't they realise it was supposed to be fun? She pushed her way into the throng of other kids at the counter, admiring the shiny foil packets that lay beyond. Sure enough, she’d missed the release by a week, but that was okay. If she was lucky, and didn’t get too many doubles, she’d have a great deck ready for next time.

And if she did get doubles, there were plenty of people about. Maybe someone would trade.

Gigi jumped at the sudden noise, scattering her coins all over the counter, to the annoyance of the shop assistant, as well as the boy in line behind her.

"Sorry, sorry!" she said, rounding them up with one hand and pushing them into a haphazard pile beside the cash register. Her other hand was clutching her precious new boosters, but her attention was diverted by the dancing boy, now waving a card around like it was a winning lottery ticket. It must be one hell of a card, she thought, to get a reaction like that. It must be something awesome.

Giving in to curiosity, she headed over.

"What did you get, an ultra-rare?" she asked, "Congratulations! Which one is it?"

"Oh wow," Gigi breathed, suitably impressed. She'd seen holographic cards and glittery cards, but glow-in-the-dark was new in her book. "I didn't know they could even do that. That's so cool!"

She smiled at the boy, noticing that it matched his outfit. It was so great that he got the card he wanted!

'I'm Gigi," she said, "I don't know, hopefully something good." She fanned her packs out in her hand, selecting one to open first, and gently tearing the foil away. She flipped through the cards, turning them so Demy could see too. Common, common, uncommon, double... ooh. She held out a very colourful card marked 'Experiment Gone Wrong', which appeared to be a disco party falling down a rabbit hole, all clocks and coloured lights. She paused to read through the card's mechanics. This was going to be a fun deck.

"Do you play much?" she asked as she began opening the second pack. "I don't think I've seen you at the tournaments?"

"Oh! That's not silly at all, that's wonderful! People don't appreciate the art enough! I don't think I'd want to collect the cards if they weren't so pretty - but since they are and I have them, I might as well use them, you know?"

Well, he probably didn't know, if he'd never played, Gigi reflected, pausing in her chatter to check out the next pack of cards. This was a situation that should be remedied. He'd love it if he tried it, she was sure.

"I love playing in tournaments, it's sooo exciting! It's not that confusing," she continued more thoughtfully. "Well. Maybe a little. But you kind of get the hang of it, and you get to see everybody else's cards! It's heaps of fun! Except when some old guy from DCU comes and beats everybody. Or you lose to a ten-year-old. That's kind of embarrassing. But sometimes they give you free cards for joining in and - Double!" Gigi broke off her mile-a-minute explanation suddenly with a triumphant laugh, and held out a second Experiment card, offering it to Demy.

“Totally cool. Last time I got an exclusive card and I didn’t win any rounds at all.” It had been a beautiful shiny card, too, and had made up for the repeated crushing defeats of what she’d thought had been her best deck yet. Maybe she wasn’t the best person in the room to explain tournament tactics to Demy. He would probably be better than her, planning or not. It’d be fun to play someone with his enthusiasm, though. She hoped he’d give it a try.

“All the planning’s in deck-building, really,” she reassured. “And you can get people to help with that. Once you’re actually playing, you’ve just gotta remember what cards you put in there. You’d do great!”

Gigi smiled when her gift was returned with the offer of trade. “Ooh, yes please?” She examined the offered cards, more interested in the mechanics than the designs. The best one was actually a rather dark picture. “Is this one okay?” she asked, sliding it out slightly from the others but not taking it until Demy confirmed.