groovygamers.com

Dave is absent from the table for most of the week except to swallow his food.  He's on a mission to spread the list of kids needing toys to the people who will be attending the Janush party.

Greg is there, as is Rob and John.  John seems to be back to reading during lunch, and Rob and Greg debate the various mind numbing subjects they each hold dear.

There is a feeling of Christmas in the air, mainly because Friday is the lat day of school for almost three weeks.

Sylvia's there with a pile of handmade gifts, dressed in home-printed recycled giftwrap and raffia ribbons.  Every one of the Usuals gets something.  Fleece hats, mittens, scarves--all embellished to within an inch of their fleecy lives.  "Merry Christmas," Sylvia tells each Usual drily as he or she arrives.  "Promise you'll wear it every day."

Sammy shows up with gift tins filled with homemade cookies and brownies and muffins.  "Mom's recipes, but I did the baking."

She leans over and whispers to Greg, "I need to talk to you.  Do you know what happened to Nick?  His face is all bruised, like he got beat up."

Rob is all smiles and nods as he consumes sugary treats.


Greg leans over to whisper to her, "I didn't hear this directly from him.  Rumor mill, and I stress rumor mill, is that one of the guys from Elrod's band, or maybe both of them, beat the crap out of him Saturday.  Something about kissing Elrod's girlfriend."

Sammy swears softly.  "Can you check out the rumor for me?  No, wait, he might lie to you..."   She motions for Sylvia to come over and says in a low tone,  "Nick got beat up on Saturday.  Rumor says that guys in El's band did it because Nick and I kissed at the end of our song at rehearsal last Friday.  If its true, I shouldn't try to get near him to ask him myself, because it might get him beat up again.  But I need to know, because if its true it needs to stop now.  Can you do that voodoo that you do so well to find out exactly what happened?  Will you find Nick and ask him?"   She grimaces.  "I knew it was going to be bad.  If... if you feel like you need to take along other people, go ahead.  My hopes of keeping this as no big deal just went down the crapper."

Donnie trundles over with his tray laying it gingerly down. The last month or so he's been eating a balanced lunch, and today is no different.  A largish salad, a chickem sammich, and his ever-present weakness: two frosty coca-colas. He waves off the offer of a cookie as he pulls the 'dragonscale' knit cap over his head.

"Thanks sweetie!" He kisses her on the cheek.

"Lunch on Thursday is on me guys. No need to brown-bag it."

He looks curiously over at the whispered conversation between Sammy and Greg, but minds his own business.

The wheels in Sylvia's head are clicking away.  "I'll check on it.  You know, I never got the impression that El was the jealous type.  Is he like that, you think?  He'd beat someone up for kissing you?"  She doesn't look at Donnie while saying this, but she wants to.


Sylvia beams.  She's sometimes so grim when she's fixed on an objective, be it geometry homework or the undoing of cosmic evil, but when Donnie comes around, the girlfriend switch is thrown, and she becomes gleeful.  "There's something else under the tree at home for you, for when you and your mom come by for Christmas dinner."

"I don't think so."  There is slight uncertainty to Sammy's tone.  "Its probably just his boys being idiots."  She follows Sylvia's glance and remembers how upset Donnie was the night that he found out about Sylvia and that guy Dylan.  "No offense to Donnie..."

Sylvia makes a face, pressing her lips together and squinching her nose.  She declines to answer, but maybe her expression says it all.

Sammy just raises an eyebrow, and doesn't chase it.  "OK.  I'm going to sit here and pretend like I don't have a care in the world.  That'll keep them guessing."  She whips out an unfinished knitting project and starts working on it.  "Christmas present."

Sylvia takes an immediate, compulsive interest in textiles.  "What are you making?"

"I'll do." says Colin with a smile as he accept his scarf. He shows appreciation of Sammy's present too, not unlike Rob.
"I'm sorry guys, but between the food drive, El's gift list, and, well, the fact that my family seems to have gotten bigger this year, I haven't had a lot of money for gifts this year. I've tried to do something for all of you though." He gets out a lot of red envelopes, one for each of the USs (except Sarah). In each one there's a photo, taken when they didn't know they were being photographed. Each one seems to wear a typical expression, and each one is embellished with stars ans wisps of magic, the same color of their aura.
"I hope you like them."

Donnie looks at his photo admiringly. "Dude, these are wicked! You got everyone's aura on them too!"

"Seriously?"  Sylvia scrutinizes her picture.  "Is that what I look like?"

Sammy looks at hers and smiles.  "You always see me as better than I believe myself to be,"  she says.  "I'm going to have to keep you around."

She opens up her project to better show it to Sylvia.  Its a heathery brown, soft and fuzzy cardigan style sweater.  "It's for my mom.  I've been working on it whenever I get a chance.  She taught me how to knit a couple of years ago, so this is how I pay her back.  It'll have a belt to hold it shut."

"That's cool," Sylvia says.  She's a knitting enthusiast, like an opera enthusiast who can't sing a note but who appreciates the spectacle.  "I could never get the loop through the other loop."

"My mom's a good teacher," Sammy says fondly.  "When I've had enough time to do it, I've made all kinds of nice things.  I've been working on this since the summer.  I made a scarf and hat and mittens for Elrod too.  He can buy anything he wants, so making something for him seemed like the best choice."  She carefully puts pieces of sweater back into their tissue wrap and puts all but what she's working on back into her bag.  She pulls out one royal blue colored mitten sized to fit an adult male.  "I hope I'll still be able to give them to him."  She smiles wanly.  "In case it turns out I can't, know anybody who would want to wear them?"

'Nick' is the first name that springs to mind, but Sylvia isn't that insensitive, unless she's talking to Colin.  "I'm sure you'll find someone.  There are a lot of cold hands out there waiting for something to warm them up."  Then she pauses and blanches over her unintentional innuendo.

Sammy shifts uncomfortably.  She puts the mitten back into her bag, and chooses the least offensive way to interpret Sylvia's reply.  "I guess I can always donate them to a shelter if it comes down to it.  Or randomly pick some homeless person on the street."

Sylvia nods, doing her best to look like a speak-no-evil monkey, without folding her hands over her mouth.

"Sometimes, at least." Colin shrugs, rather proud of the black and yellow contrast of Sylvia's pic.


"It's not too hard when you figure the right rhythm. It's a bit like dancing." Colin says casually.

"But we've all seen you dance," Sylvia says, just to bait him.  Then she realizes she has an easier target.  "You knit?"

A real smile briefly touches Sammy's face.  "Maybe we should have a knitting party."

Donnie looks at Colin, eyebrow raised. You can tell the desire to go Francis on his ass and say 'Gaaaaaay..' (http://www.pvponline.com/2006/05/21/may-21-2006/) is near overwhelming.

But with a supreme effort of will (and knowledge his girlfriend would kick him hard and delete any chance of snogging later), Donnie takes a bite of his chicken sammich and looks around the cafeteria.

Sarah eventually stumbles into lunch looking kind of pale.  She's not carrying anything for lunch.

She sits down and says, "Hey."  

This morning's news about a suicide still had her dazed and frightened. 

"Hey, you're talking to the Homecoming King, after all." he says with a grin.


"Not really. I know only basic stuff." Colin replies, oblivious of the grins that are spreading around him.


"Hey wondergirl." He looks at her and frowns a bit. "Are you all right?"

She shrugs to Colin's question.  "Um... A little shaken up.  I um..  I'm okay really.  Just kind of out of it today.  I think I just slept badly last night.  I should probably stop having late night coffee."

The concept of explaining her recent activities to Colin scared her as much as Smith's actions.  What am I going to tell him?  I altered people's minds to make them do the right thing.  I let a man die, that I could have saved and I let Sm... I let someone I hardly know kill the ring leader.  I don't even know why.  He said he'd take care of it and I thought he was being nice.  Like he'd just make Hollander turn himself in or something...

Sarah forced herself to stop thinking about it directly, shunting it to the back of her mind.  She didn't want to hear from anyone in her mind right now.

Colin shows his solidarity softly massaging her neck and shoulders.

Sammy pushes Sarah's tin of baked goods over to Sarah.  "These are yours," she says.

Sarah looks at the tin and smiles at Sammy.  "Thank you.  That's really nice.  I'm sorry, I don't have anything to give you today."  She heads over and gives Sammy a hug then goes back to get more massaging from Colin. 

Donnie sits at lunch with Greg, Rob, and Dave, and wonders where everyone else is..

Sammy walks into the cafeteria, and she looks somehow different.  Maybe its just her hair, the new do loosened up with stray bits dancing around her face.  Maybe her posture is different because she's not bowed down with a load of books.*  Maybe its the oh my god is that a real tattoo peeking out from under the flap of her green henley tee shirt?

She floats into a seat at the Suspects table and says "Hello, boys.  How's it going?"  She scans the room for threats.

-------
*OOC:  If Sammy's books were where she left them, she put them in her locker.  If they weren't where she left them, she just got a pen and some notebook paper out of her locker and moved on.

*gah.  keep hitting save when I want preview.

Donnie 'hears' Sylvia's warning and looks around to see if Torrance is in the cafeteria. Not noticing her or her group of hangers-on, he turns back to eating lunch. Sylvia was not returning his mental 'ping' so he decided to leaver her alone.

ooc: do the other boys react to Sylvia's message in any discernable way?


*****

When Sammy breezes in to the cafeteria and table, Donnie smiles distractedly and motions towards a seat. "Hey Sammy. What's up? Seen Sylvia anywhere?" His mind is obviously on other things.

Notice check (1d20+3=6) (http://invisiblecastle.com/find.py?id=1422417)

OOC: Rob seems unphased, Dave gives a raised eyebrow but continues to read.  Greg looks around, probably thinking she said it out loud, the squints, shakes his head and goes back to scribbling in his notebook.

Torrance usually eats lunch in one of the other cafeterias so Donnie doesn't see her or her crowd.

In an unnaturally calm voice Sammy says "Yeah.  She and Colin were there when Torrance attacked me.  Syl's gone to warn... a friend of mine to be careful."  The ozone scent around Sammy is probably stronger than normal because of the power surge.  She's still scanning the cafeteria.  "Dave, if that bitch Torrance gets anywhere near Elrod, I don't care if your boys have to set off the building's sprinkler system with a real fire, just get him away from her.  She's really dangerous and she's out for blood.  Do you know if Elrod is at Tasty?"

"He said something about flying to Rhode Island for an interview and that he'd be getting back late.  Not sure if he's here at all today."  Dave says, taking out his mobile phone and firing off a text message.

"Tell him to stay there, or better yet, how about Europe for the holidays?  I hear Italy is nice, and he can buy anything he needs when he gets there.  Tell him to go skiing or something.  Just stay safe."

Colin strides into the lunch room like a boy sure of his place in the world. He's rarely like this. His new tattoo doesn't show, but he looks around for Sarah, he'd like to show her.

"Hi guys.Oh Donnie, you're here. Sammy, have you already asked him?"

"Wait, Torrence attacked you? Who gives a crap about Elrod. What happened?"

"Its Elrod that she really wants, and I'm not about to let her have him, even though he's not mine to keep." Sammy patiently explains.  "But she's going after me in order to get him.  She did some kind of telepathic emotion attack on me earlier in the hall, to try to get me to take a swing at her or something.  It made me really angry, angrier than I was when I was kidnapped,  angrier than I've ever been.  I didn't want to lose it here in school, so I fought to keep it under control.  Colin and Sylvia helped me to the roof where... all that power, Donnie.  It was incredible.  It was like standing under Niagara Falls with tons of water rushing down on me, except it was power and it was going through me.  It was hard not to go away with it, to join it, but Colin... Colin kept me here.  He anchored me down."  She looks at him, and her eyes seem the same, yet different.  "I think I'm less human than I was before, Donnie.  I'm still me, and there's still something that is human -- Colin made sure of that -- but I changed.  All that power changed me."  She touches his hand with her own.  "Can you feel it?  There's still some of it hanging around.  It hasn't all gone back into the bottle yet."

Sarah walks up for the tail end of the conversation.  "What hasn't gone back in the bottle?  Are you guys trying to raise baby mice in beer bottles again?"

Thank you Greg for an obscure and bizarre movie reference. 

"Hi Sarah."  Of its own volition, Sammy's hand moves up to cover the spot with the tattoo.  "Torrance attacked me, made me really angry, and I started to summon incredibly huge amounts of power.  I managed to keep from getting into a fight, but only because Sylvia and Colin were there to help me.  It kind of overloaded me, and I'm pretty sure it changed me.  There's still some bits of it lingering around; my body is still fizzing a little bit.  Its a kind of a shook up coke feeling, like I'm made up of a bunch of air bubbles."

"She nearly became a full elemental, a Djinn like her ancestors, but I managed to root her down to this Earth. Oh, and look!" Colin unbuttons his shirt a bit to show her the new tattoo.
(http://www.stif-meister.ch/V3/gfx/workings/Tattoo_Auge100105_klein.jpg)
"What do you think of it?" he asks with a little trepidation.

Sarah is agape.  "Wait.. what do you mean Torrance attacked you?  Like a cat fight?  It ticked you off so bad you started overloading?  Why didn't you just knock the wind out of her or something?"

She glances at Colin, "More artwork?"

Donnie leaps back from Sammy's touch, an arc of magic zipping between them like an electric shock. "God!"  He rubs his hand where they touched and looks at Sammy with a different glint in his eye. Is it a green glint? "It's all around you, Sammy. Like you are a magical being shaped like the girl I know. Something, maybe Torrance, woke that elemental power within you and it almost consumed you, I think."

He looks towards Rob, who evidently too contained a magical being of immense power. Looking back towards Sammy, he says "You need to tone down your aura. People with magical affinity, and magical beings too, will be drawn to you like moths to a flame.You're shining with magic, Sammy, and it's like a beacon. I didn't see it until you touched my hand, but then again I am only a kid. Be careful, and you need to learn to tone down the aura, seriously."

He looks at Colin and his new tattoo. "You are going to be the Tattoo Kid by the time we graduate, dude."

"I wouldn't mind it. It looks like I get one every time I help someone get out of trouble. What worries me is that last time I got one, I had to use it shortly there after. This one is a watchful eye. It should warn me when we get in some sort of danger. I think, at least."

Sammy looks at Sarah and hopes for a quick, merciful, and painless death.  "I got one too."  She bends back the flap on her shirt to show the crow tattoo to her friends.  Turning back toward Donnie she says "I guess it's Colin's mark because Colin tied me here?"  She lets the flap fall back into place, mostly covering the mark again.  "I don't know how to control the aura.  Its not like that's covered in any classes I've ever had.  If you or the dragons can see it, maybe I can try different things and one of you can tell me if its working? If you don't have time, maybe your brother?  Is he going to be at El's Christmas party?"  She looks at Sarah again.  "I think we'll need all the backup we can get if Torrance gets her panties in a wad at that party.  I don't want the throwdown to happen at school; we all have too much to lose.  That's the only reason I didn't b1tchsl@p her into orbit in the hall today.  She wanted a fight because no matter what happened, she'd win and I'd lose.  If I had slipped and used my powers... it would have been a thousand times worse.  When we fight, it'll be where I choose and when I choose it."

Donnie bobs his head. "That's wise. Choose your battleground, come in with the sun behind you. Surprise attack is the best option, since you can probably take her out with a single blow, unless she's got hidden potential or powers, like John over there. As far as controlling your aura, I don't really know. i do it naturally and I don't know how I do it. I only lose control of it when I get really emotional."  He smiles wryly. "Your power is primal and raw. You need someone schooled in it. Maybe Menlo."  he says, eyes sliding towards Rob.

He brightens. "Or, find out from your mom where in your family tree the power came from. Djinn are immortal. Maybe you can find your grandparent or whoever is the djinn and ask them to teach you."

Sarah bites her lower lip for a few seconds.  She nodded to Sammy before saying, "I'm glad he helped you stay grounded.  I don't want you to blow away somewhere."

Sammy blushes.  "Mom... Mom doesn't know who her father is.  Her mom didn't have powers, and died when Mom was a teenager, so they had to come from her dad.  Her Mom got pregnant on a spring break camping trip when she was in college.  His name was Jim or Gene or something like that.  It was the 60s..." She squirms a little.



Sammy simply says "Thanks."  Implied is Thank you for not killing me, I'm really not after your boyfriend, honest, besides he adores you.

Colin thinks about it for a while. "Maybe I could help, though."

Sammy says "How?  My grandmother is long dead.  Nobody else knew who he was."

"I talk with the spirits. I could try talking with her." Colin says, looking down.

Sammy looks really uncomfortable.  "Colin, I'm not sure she really knew who he was."

"I... see. But the spirits know many things. She, or someone else, might know now. I won't look into it if you don't want me to."

"You can try.  Do you have to be near her grave or anything?  She's somewhere in California.  I don't know where, exactly.  I'd have to ask my mother."

"No, that won't be a problem. I just have to talk to a friend and ask him to carry a message." He thinks about it for a moment. "I'll bring some flowers for his wife, too." he says, pensively. "I think I only need her full name, and maybe the year she died."

"I'll have to ask my mom for that."

Thursday is Pizza Day, and Donnie caves in to his internal demons and walks back to the table ith two slices of pepperoni-and-cheese. As he dabs off the grease pooled on the top of the pizza (a nod to his growing awareness of fat), he looks around the table, throwing a greasy napkin at Rob.

His knuckles are red and he has a bandaid over one of them. "So are we going to get the old group together again, or are we just to busy with college apps, spirits, giant lizards and highschool supervillains to play D&D anymore?"

"Have to be after the holiday break."  Rob says, "Mom is insisting on having every family member she can find come to visit.  I'm hoping for an Extinction Level Event, but I don't think I'll get it in time."

"I'm glad you're filled with holiday cheer Rob."  Dave says from behind his book.  "The gaming would be cool again, but I'm with Rob.  Holiday's are never gonna work for that."

"Count me in when you get going."  Greg says, tapping out a rhythm on the table with pencils, then jotting some notes down.

Sarah perks up at Donnie's question.  She says, "Ooh!  Can I play?  I promise to play by the rules.  Wait... I take that back.  Which rules?"

"Of course, Sarah. There's always a place at the gaming table for our fave gaming grrrl. Just no Half-Drow-half-deepdragon paladins. Sorry, but I gotta set limits." He smiles, but it fades around the edges as he looks around and sees Sylvia has skipped lunch in the cafeteria again. "I guess she's having lunch with Logan again." He says the last with a twist of sourness, and glugs down a coke.

"I think I need more pizza."

He gets up and hits the line again.

"Guess I shouldn't ask about Aasimars and Tieflings." says Sarah. 

Sammy arrives at the table dressed in green tights, a short green skirt, and a green sweater.  She's wearing a Santa hat and elf ears.  Today was the day the band delivered Reindeer Candy Canes* with personalized holiday messages during home room.**  Hooray for fund raisers!

"Asimov and Toffler?  Are you guys talking about science fiction writers?"



* http://static.flickr.com/106/316823000_b25ee78ded_m.jpg
** At the hand of some unknown wiseass, Nick got one with hershey's kiss "bells" twist-tied onto the deer's neck, with a message about christmas kisses being the sweetest.  Sammy did not deliver that one, and has no idea it was sent, although she did send canes to all of her friends, including Nick and Elrod and Logan.  All of the Usual Suspects received candy canes sent by Sammy.

Donnie returns to the table. "Santa's Helper Elves. Level 1 Challange Rating Encounter. Lightening Bolt! Lightening Bolt!" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_ekugPKqFw)

"Hiya Sammy. Thanks for the candy cane."

Sarah silently curses her stupid self involvement for missing another holiday event.  Time was ticking and she still didn't have gifts for everyone!

To her little reindeer she smiled and thanked Sammy.  "You're the best Sammy."

This earns Donnie a puzzled look.  Sammy shrugs off the confusion and smiles.  "You're welcome, Donnie!"


"Merry Christmas to you too!"

Sammy goes through the lunch line and comes back to the table, exchanging greetings with people she knows on the way.

"Are you feeling okay after what happened in rehearsal, Sarah?  You were sitting really close to those love goo canisters."

"Love goo? What are you talking about?"

"The love goo guys spread a gas in the Auditorium. Nothing important happened. They have been caught." Colin says, sitting down with a frown.

"Nothing important?" Sammy hisses incredulously, trying not to shout so loud that everybody in the cafeteria could hear her, "They locked us in the auditorium and gassed a bunch of people!  I had to shock you back to the real world, Colin Crow!  John had to bust the doors down! I'd say that was something!"

"Geez! That's pretty damn serious, Colin. Normally I'd side on the cautious side, but Sammy is right on that account. Was this during practice of the play or something? Why didn't anyone call me?"

Colin closes his eyes "You're right. That's not what I meant to say. I just meant that it shouldn't be a problem anymore. I'd just like to put what happened yesterday behind."

"You were there too? Was Sylvia?"

"Yes I was. And Sylvia was there too, but she hasn't been affected."

[Thread Edit: Sorry, forgot that Donnie was covering lunch today; A deliveryman brings in 5 pizza-pies from Gino's East Pizzaria (http://www.ginosonhiggins.com/) at the biginning of lunch and brings them to the Usual Suspect Table. Donni makes sure John gets one to himself]

Sarah grins, "Yep, you missed it Donnie.  Bunch of mad horny kids tearing off their clothes.  Where were you?"

She turns to Sammy, "I'm feeling fine though.  No side effects or anything.  Maybe a few really good dreams last night but that was about it."

"I was taking care of some business, then went home."

Donnie rubs his knuckles as he says this.

Colin turns towards Sarah, as if he was about to ask something, but then thinks better of it.

"That's all I really wanted to know.  When we were walking to my house, Nick told me he remembers everything, but he shouldn't be a problem.  Torrance probably remembers too, but she's already a problem."  Sammy grins.  "I found out I don't have to breathe anymore."

"Ah, that's why it didn't affect you like last time." He looks at Sammy. "It makes sense that you don't. you are to some degree made of air."

"You don't have to breathe? Wicked.. Glad to hear that most people got away unscathed."

He looks around the cafeteria, ignoring the envious stares at the Gino's East boxes. "I guess Sylvia forgot I was getting lunch today for everyone." He taps a box. "Vegetarian, if people are not feeling carnivorous."

Colin gladly takes a slice from the vegetarian pizza.

"And I found out that when I'm really angry I can send ghosts to beat people up."

"Ghosts to beat people up? Man, did I totally miss out yesterday."

"I'm not proud of that, but at least the lunchroom cupids' career should be over."

Sarah says, "Phew.  Well you know that's a relief.  I mean I kept dropping those Mentos in your bag hoping you'd take the hint but now that you don't have to breath I guess we don't have to worry anymore." 

She smiles sweetly at Sammy. 

Sammy smiles sweetly back.  "And here I was thinking how popular my new power would make me with the boys!"

"Why?" Colin asks, confused.

Sammy just blushes and laughs.

Sarah covers her mouth and falls over chuckling.  Snickers from under the table.

He looks at the guys, hoping for sympathy. "What did I miss this time?"

Sammy doesn't need to breathe, but she is laughing so hard that she is choking.  Tears begin to form in the corner of her eyes.  She sees Sarah under the table next to Colin's legs, and that makes her laugh even harder.

Donnie puts his hands over his eyes, shaking his head in sympathy, but soon he's overcome with laughter and can't help but join in the mirth. "Dude, Sarah needs to be the one to explain that to you.."

Sarah just starts laughing harder.

After things settle down a bit, Sammy asks Dave "Did El get back from Rhode Island, or wherever he was?" 

It feels weird not knowing.  But he didn't tell me he was going, so it feels weird asking anything.

Dave peeks over his book.  "We haven't had occasion to talk.  I assume so.  Want me to check?"

"No, its ok.  I was just wondering.  I haven't seen him either."

"Well, I have a simple solution."  Dave takes his phone out and makes a call.  "Hey, it's me Dave.  Did your brother get home last night?"  Dave's expression changes to one of shock, "WHAT?  When?"  He listens some more, nodding, "Don't worry, he;ll be alright.  I'm heading over there, so just try and relax."  Dave snaps his phone closed.  "Lisa found him on the porch last night.  Someone had beaten the shit out of him.  He's in the hospital, I'm heading over there now if anyone wants a ride."  Dave grabs his stuff to go.

Donnie picks up another piece of pizza and shrugs.

Bite. Chew chew chew.

"I've got an exam in Biology."

Colin swallows the last bit of his slice, looks at Sammy for a moment, and then follows him.

On the way he texts his mom to call the school for him.

Sammy leaps up.  "You're not going without me."  She looks as if she's going to be sick.

Sarah looks at Sammy, "You want me to come along?  I don't mind skipping."  A wave of my mental wand and poof I'll have never been missing in the first place.

Sammy looks gratefully at Sarah.  "Yes.  Please."