The Triassic Terror (Hive)

He had done it. Wesley had gotten accepted to the HIVE. He had heard stories of the HIVE's accomplishments before the vanishing, and he was definitely a fan. It had taken a few public thefts to get the hive's attention of course, but they had come for him with speed and efficiency. A masked man carrying an application. It was a sort of datapad that he put his information into. Rather efficient recruitment tactics honestly.

A week or so later, the figure was back and lead Wesley to the school, instructing him that there were the hive existed in a literal underground network. He was told that he would soon learn exactly where all the exits and entrances were.

So here he stood, in the common room of the hive, looking over. He was told that he had this day to interact with others, and get himself acclimated. His room would be provided, and the next day he would begin classes.

A woman walked into the room, in his eyes an absolute bombshell. "The pleasures all mine teach." He said shaking her hand and then giving a little bow that showed he barely took it seriously. Lillith. That name sounded familiar. Maybe he had heard it during one of those boring Sundays in his bible classes at the orphanage. Whatever.


"The grand tour huh? Don't mind if I don't." He said strolling around the room. "Where should I start?"

At least the tour guide was hot because otherwise this thing was boring. Boring. Boring. Boring. Boring. bo-Torture room? Okay, that was different. Most high schools don't have torture rooms. Those that do generally don't stay open for very long. Generally. He couldn't resist asking the obvious question. "Uh... can I ask who's occupying the uh... torture chamber?"


Man that was hard to say casually.

"Well uh. I don't think I have any questions other than that."

Nima had already made it back to the Common room and was in the middle of beating some poor kid's butt in Magic. The girl had a maniacal grin on her face as she put the kid back in his place. He had said that he was the best there ever was, and now it looked like he was on the verge of tears. The girl finally put him out of his misery and giggled. "Wanna go two out of three~?" The boy ran off which made Nima pout.

The girl sighed and looked through her favorite deck. She wanted to tweak a few things, but knew that she couldn't. She had tried before and all the magic had been lost. Hmm... Oh well. She hadn't drawn for her card of the day yet, so let's see where that got her...

HER SEVEN CARDS: Vampire Nighthawk, 2X Thrull Parasite, Syndic of Tithes, Murder, 2X land

THE CARD SHE PICKS: Vampire Nighthawk

"Well that's an obvious choice." She nods to herself and then yawns, leaning back in the chair she was sitting in to take a nap. They were done for the day, but she wasn't ready to go and meet her roommates quite yet.

Husher had also just come off a tour, being one of many select students to undergo their registration today. He had seen everything open to the new recruits including that torture chamber. Andy too had been prompted to comment. "We had one a these torture chambers back at my old school. 'Cept we jus' called it a cafeteria." The fate of the poor blighter inside didn't cross his mind to ask.

Released from the orientation display, Husher naturally gravitated back into the common room. Since he would be living here for the foreseeable future it was about high time he learned the foibles of the community. Observe what there was a market for. He lurked over the shoulder on many a social exchange before settling on a card game. Ah - now cards he understood. They were the chief culprit of gambling rings the world over. Any shady community anywhere had a whiff a cards about it.

"'Scuse us!" Husher dropped himself sideways into the chair the other kid had just vacated. With both elbows on the table - as mum had taught him - he leaned across the gap before continuing to speak, "What game you got going 'ere? Blackjack? Old maid? Seven-card poker? I bet it's something you got bits and bobs wagered on, eh?" There was no profit in playing such games. Getting in on the ground floor, however.

Welsey crossed his arms. Well that was a sort of... not answer? Oh well. He'd meet whoever it was later. For now, he was being made to socialize with the others. Maybe that was a good thing. After all, these were the guys he was going to be knocking over banks and jewelry stores with for the foreseeable future. 

"So. Uh. What do you guys do?" He asked. It was very likely that these people had some manner of special ability. After all, it didn't look like any of them had the physique to be a kung fu master or something.

Nima was in the middle of trying to figure out the best possible strategy if problem 921 came up, when she was interrupted by some jerk asking if she was playing Black Jack? As if. The girl simply rolled her eyes and continued what she was doing. If he couldn't see for himself that she wasn't looking at regular playing cards, then she had no time to waste on him.

Just as she was about to figure out what her master plan would be in situation 921, another fool walked up to her table. What was with these guys? It was like they wanted to have some kind of camaraderie between thieves. She then blinked. Oh, that's what they were all here for. She sighed and looked up at the two of them with complete disinterest behind her glasses. The girl looked to the one who came up first and spoke with disdain. "For your information, the card game I'm playing is called Magic: The Gathering. No, there's no gambling involved... Though I guess there could be." She said as more of an after thought.

The girl then looked up to the other one and pushed her glasses back. "As for your question, I prefer to leave some mysteries about myself until they're necessary to be revealed. So, what do I do? I play my cards. And if you don't, I suggest you scram." She then blinked and blushed lightly. "However, I'm always willing to teach new fools the beauty of my game."

Husher was no stranger to disdainful looks. He knew his worth at the bottom of the heap; and many others knew it moments after they first laid eyes on him. He did not find it unusual or off-putting. This girl must have had some airs and graces put into her. Which only meant she'd have more money to throw around.

Her reply, however, foxed him. Magic the gathering? That were a funny name for card game. Maybe it was a form of cribbage. The players of crib always were a pretentious lot. Upon closer observation Husher noticed the artistry on the front of each card, which wasn't at all like usual. What good were picture cards unless you were playing Happy Families or Top Trumps? Very strange. Anders smelt a money maker.

"I see, love." He crowed, stroking a finger of his left hand. It was at that time a tutor came over with her charge. Husher hadn't seen the headmistress before and straightened at the sight of her. Completely missing everything she said, his eyes followed her each moment until she left the room. Only then did his mind come back into the conversation. They had some great hiring policies at this school.

New kid. Great. And the subject hadn't changed. Now sat sideways in his seat, Anders slouched with an arm over the backrest, "Yeah sure, sure. Go over the basics, why don't ya. Jus' hang about; is this a popular game round 'ere? And what does one a these decks of picture cards go for? Retail price, like."

Well this girl was a snob. Wes had heard of the game before. Seen it sold in stores, ect. It was one of those weird nerd games with mystic monsters or whatever. And neither of these clowns actually answered his question. 

But it looked like these guys were already well into the subject of the game. And one thing Wesley had learned during his time with the gang, is that if you're new, you don't question. That's a sure way to end up dead in this business.

Nima smirked when the boy asked to go over the basics, but asked a few other questions that were easily answerable before going into the complexity of this beautiful game. However, one comment needed to be addressed first, a growl escaping the snooty girl's lips. "Don't you dare ever call them picture cards again. Or I'll show you what happens when Magic comes to life."

The girl quickly composed herself and sighed, getting out a few decks from her bag. "Magic is a fairly popular game here, especially considering the HQ is located here. A deck can range anywhere from $50 to upwards of a grand, depending on the cards value. Personally, I've spent a total of... $5 on my entire library. Five finger discounts are great, ya know?" She smirked, having set the cards up in a specific way as she talked.

The girl would then start to explain the structure and mechanics of the game, pausing any time they had a question. Surprisingly enough, the girl was actually an excellent teacher, making sure to be slow and thorough so that they understood each step if the way.

Husher raised his hands at the girl's threat. A practiced air of innocence befell his face, "Yeesh. Alright. I was just sayin'." It appeared the game was suitably steeped in worth. Far above his expectations, in fact. To buy a pack of playing cards at that price, you'd have to be barmy! And that was just his kinda merchandise. The spiv schemed - he had to get his hands a good deal of these cards.

Although, he was disappointed to learn that what looked to be a promising buyer pilfered all her wares instead of forking out good coin. Sometimes Husher's clientele could be real... crooks. He listened to the explanation, occasionally giving the third kid glances of meaning when Nima wasn't looking. He would ask the odd question, but it was quickly becoming apparent the game was too slow and clunky for any real betting potential. Still, he felt he shouldn't say as such.

At some point he spoke out, "Yeah, I think we get the gist. Don't we?" He shrugged at the new kid as if for help. He felt like the girl could go on all day.