Rising Shards

Stella was nervously quiet throughout the car ride to the restaurant. She wasn’t expecting to do much more than say hello to Dr. Evy Diast, but she couldn’t turn down dinner with her. When she daydreamed about a similar scenario, she imagined herself in a glitzy red dress that showed off her back when she’d twirl in front of Evy. But it was late fall, and it was super cold, and they were cautiously driving through a blizzard. Dr. Diast was unusually unchatty as well, her focus mainly on keeping the car steady as the road conditions got worse.

Evy pulled over at a cozy looking bar that had almost a log cabin aesthetic. Snow covered the big wooden letters of the sign above it, but ”LIKE A SKI LODGE BAR & GRILL” was still readable. It was a pretty on the nose name, but Evy sounded so excited about this place, Stella didn’t want to be rude.

“Here we go,” Evy said. “I’m starving. Winter driving really takes it out of you, you know?”

“Definitely.” Stella said. “You just clench your muscles harder subconsciously driving in a blizzard.”

“Exactly!” Evy said.

After getting out of the car, Stella opened her phone to find she’d already gotten a ton of texts from Zeta already.

“Did you find a ride?”

“Stella?”

“Pleas message mabck uqickly”

“*me back”

“*quickly”

“Im really worried about you driving or getting a ride”

“in the blizzard I mean”

“Please write back soon especially if you’re getting a ride and please tell me when youre home”

“Stella?”

”Please dont get a ride froma stranger”

”*from a”

”i know stuba is always a stranger”

”but i mean like a stranger like some random person”

”like dont hitchhike in a blizzard”

”please text me back im just thinking about 

”the snow” 

”and you driving or getting a ride” 

”in the snow” 

”and I dont like it”

Those continued on, getting more and more frantic with each message. Stella texted back quickly.

“I’m just getting some food, I have it figured out. It’s all OK, Zeta. I’ll keep you posted. Call if you get really worried and need to talk, OK? :)”

“ok”

Stella didn’t tell Zeta she was grabbing dinner with anyone, because Zeta didn’t need to know her big sister was getting dinner with Zeta’s Cani doctor/teacher/advisor. It might make her more anxious to hear that.

Stella found herself walking ahead of Evy as they headed towards the restaurant. Part of her felt a bit wary about it, but another part of her told her to show off a bit. I did my interview good, I calmed Zeta down, I’ve been working out enough to actually look good in these, I get to show off my yoga pants in front of Evy, I earned this.

Stella didn’t even know if Evy was looking her way, but she hoped she was.

She also hoped Zeta didn’t somehow randomly show up and see Stella trying to get her teacher to check her out. She did have a friend with teleporting powers so it was possible.

The Like a Ski Lodge Bar and Grill lived up to its name, with a ski lodge cabin vibe on the inside as well, with a big stone fireplace on one end and every employee in woodsman flannel. Evy brought Stella to a spot of booth seats and the two sat across from each other. Stella laughed nervously, but was unable to come up with a good excuse as to why so she just let it hang there.

“So the interview went well?” Evy asked after they ordered.

“Well, I went to the right place, so that was good,” Stella said.

“I have definitely gone to the wrong place for a job interview before.” Evy said.

“Me too! I’m extra careful about it now.” Stella said. “I’ve been to the entire wrong building before. Luckily I know the school a bit better.”

“That’s good,” Evy said. “The whole celebrity thing, was that weird? It was super weird for my interview.”

“Oh my god, totally,” Stella said. “I know the Kilanders a bit through Zeta and Oka, but I’d never actually met them.”

“It only gets weirder, trust me,” Evy said. “I do really hope you get this job, though. I…have a very good feeling.”

“Wait, did you hear anything?” Stella asked. “Er, you probably wouldn’t have heard anything, I only just had the interview.”

Evy slyly smiled back at her.

“No way, did you actually hear something?”

“Maybe,” Evy said. “It might be a bit secret though. Can you keep a secret? Only for a few days probably.”

“Waitwaitwait,” Stella said. “You seriously heard? OK, if you really did you have to tell me. Or wait, if you heard that I probably won’t get it, don’t tell me. But you wouldn’t say that like that if you heard I didn’t. Right? I hope? Because if you did…that’d be really concerning. Like, taking joy in the idea that I didn’t get a job—”

“Stella. Breathe, girl.” Evy said. “Unless your interview was a like ‘knee Penteldtam in the balls’ tier disaster, based on everything I’m hearing, I’m ninety-seven percent sure you got it.”

Stella squealed. When others in the restaurant turned to her, she blushed and slumped in her seat.

“Sorry. That’s just. Really really good news,” Stella said. “What stuff are you hearing? What’s everything? I mean, not everything as in everything—”

“Remember how I just said to breathe?” Evy said. “I just heard your resume was a lot more impressive than the other candidates. When it was just Penteldtam in charge I’d worry about a curveball pick, but I think Berin Kilander is gonna play it safe.”

“Wow,” Stella said. “Oh my god, I have to put my two weeks in at the college. I need to find a place here too! Sorry. I’m just…wow. Thank you so much for letting me know about this job in the first place.”

“It’s fine! I’m really happy too.” Evy said. “The librarian you’d be replacing well. They uh. Diplomatically speaking, I did not see eye to eye with them on a ‘argue so bad about a late fee they threatened to put a thousand dollar fine on my account’ level.”

“Wow.” Stella said. “Well, I’ll let you hold books as late as you want for helping me so much.”

“I like the sound of that,” Evy said.

Their food was brought to them, greasy, fried and salty, and Evy was clearly very hungry with how she devoured her fries right away. Stella noted to herself when they ordered that both had just gotten soda instead of anything heavier.

“Probably good we’re just getting soda,” Stella said, feeling a wince come on as she made her desperate bid for small talk. “Don’t want to be tipsy or anything with the roads already…er, tipsy feeling. With the snow.”

“Mmh,” Evy said after her first bite of her burger. “Yeah, good point. I have some stuff at home if I really have to drink tonight, anyways.”

Stella took a sip of her soda, and noticed her hands were slightly shaking.

“I probably shouldn’t be drinking this,” Stella said. “It’s past four, I’m gonna be up all night,”

“That wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing,” Evy said.

“I, er.” Stella laughed. She couldn’t tell if Evy was flirting there, which would be amazing, or just offering some odd take about all-nighters. “Are all-nighters good for Cani?”

“I don’t know if we get any specific benefit for them, but they’re kinda fun sometimes,” Evy said. “Really fun if you have the right person with you.”

She’s flirting. I think. Oh my god. Don’t panic. And slow down on the caffeine.Stella answered Evy’s likely flirting by letting out a horrible gut laugh that she only emitted when being flirted with, then eating her food quietly in embarrassment.