Rising Shards

Everything we talked about kind of blurred together, so much so that it was hard to even remember who said what.

”We don’t need fancy outfits or anything, it’s pretty chill.”

”That said though, if we don’t have a good setlist, if we don’t put our best foot forward, that’s it.”

”Those songs, though? There’s no way we can play those.”

”It’d be nice to just have a good time, Ana, we don’t have to overthink it.”

”If we’re rocking out, they’re going to be having fun, but these lyrics are not quality for rocking out, next.”

”Just pretend there’s a hypothetical record label exec in the crowd, we can’t screw that up.”

”Let’s just have a blast! But not that song ’Blast,’ put that one in the no pile.”

I felt like I’d just finished a dentist appointment as I left practice. I told myself it spoke to our band’s quality level that we rejected so many song pitches. Sure, most of the song ideas rejected were mine, but that meant I had to step it up. My focus had been so scattered lately, it was no wonder my music wasn’t up to par.

The other devils were still at the cafe upstairs, and they all cheered at my return, which unmoored me from those post-dentist-like hazy feelings. They all sat along a row of chairs at a counter that ran across a wall of the cafe.

”How’d it go?” Esther asked.

”Yeah...yeah, it went great,” I said. Why did that feel odd to say? I didn’t really know how to explain the band’s harsh creative output, but it was nice to know what we’d be playing at the dance. ”Are we hanging out here for a bit?”

”I just got my drink, so we’re staying a bit,” Sai said as they stirred their hot cocoa.

”And I haven’t even gotten mine yet,” Myles said. ”You could probably order something, too.”

I did just that, getting myself a caramel mocha, maybe going a bit overboard with the whipped cream, but I figured I deserved it. I also bought big monster cookies for the others.

”Change your name from the Band yet?” Sai asked.

”It’s The Band At Your Prom now,” I said.

”Oh...” Sai said.

”Pretty bad, yeah, but after prom we’ll probably change it?” I sighed. ”Well, at least I don’t have to think about asking anyone to the dance anymore, and an easy excuse if anyone asks me.”

”I’m gonna pretend I’m in your band and borrow that excuse if anyone else asks me,” Myles said.

”Go for it,” I said.

”I don’t know what I’m gonna do if anyone else asks me,” Ash said. ”It’s not that I want to reject anyone, I’m just not looking right now, you know?”

”Just say you’re in The Band At Your Prom now, too,” Myles suggested.

”We could all just say we’re going as a group,” Esther said. ”That’s what I was thinking of doing if any of us decided to go.”

”Works for me,” Charmaine said. ”Anyone else asks, just say we got devil business. I’m still mad I missed the dating show thing, some damn copy of me there instead? Boooo. Maybe I could’ve had a date to prom.”

”I’m mad I missed it too,” Esther said.

”It was not exactly a time of high quality matchmaking,” I said, still annoyed by that whole thing. ”Even if there were twelve people specifically to my tastes I think I’d reject all of them if I was on that ’dating show’ again.”

”That makes me feel a little better,” Esther said.

Ever since Sai’s group arrived in this world, they’d gotten asked out quite a bit to the dance after our dramatic debut as a group with the whole Penteldtam thing. I think I scared people off with the mask, or just how I carry myself I guess, and people on campus were aware I was dating Nikki, and probably thought I still was, so I hadn’t gotten that treatment.

”Do any of you want to date?” I asked.

”What, like, are you asking us out?” Charmaine said.

”No, not me, I just find it interesting hearing the mix of maybe wanting to date mixed with not wanting to be asked to the dance,” I said.

”Is it not too sore a subject after Nikki?” Esther asked. ”I just want to make sure.”

”It’s fine, I’m really curious,” I said.

”I’d like to, yes,” Esther said. ”As things settle for us and we get used to it here, I think it’d be nice. We spent so long running, going nonstop back home. Having a normal life, or as normal as we can, that would be ideal for me.”

”I think I need more time,” Ash said. ”A lot more time, I’m still coming to terms with the horns and tail, you know?”

”I’m more on Esther’s side on this,” Sai said.

”If the right person came along, sure,” Myles said. ”But so far...”

”Has anyone that’s asked you to the dance been someone you’d consider?” I asked.

”Not really,” Esther said.

”I think it makes sense to want to date someone, especially at super deluxe gay school where you see romances all around ya,” Charmaine said. ”While also not wanting some low quality askers who don’t know anything about us asking just because we had to beat up the principal.”

”Making it real clear they don’t know anything about us,” Esther said.

”That’s fair, yeah,” I said. ”I was thinking of going to the shopping spree thing today just to win against Rising Shards, but if we’re all going maybe we can get something nice, then? Maybe if I get a tux I can just wear that, then doll myself up a bit more of a rockstar way for the stage...or...hm. I’m probably not making much sense...but!”

”You don’t have to explain, we get it,” Sai said. That could have been cold from anyone else, but I knew when Sai spoke with warm tones even if others couldn’t hear it.

”I was kind of expecting you all to say no to the prom in general, so I’m glad I’ll get to go with the group, at least,” Esther said. ”Next important question for tonight’s whole thing, what kind of clothes do you want? Dress or tux? We got Ana’s answer.”

”Tux for me, too,” Sai said.

”I guess a dress,” Myles said.

”Same here,” Ash said.

”Same here, what? Tux or dress?” Myles asked.

”Dress, obviously,” Ash smacked Myles’ arm. ”Obviously I meant same here to the last person that talked, are you stupid or something?”

”You know the answer’s yes,” Myles said.

”How about you, Charmaine?” Esther asked.

”I think I’ll know when I see it,” Charmaine said.

”Come on, that’s not an answer,” Esther said.

If I really stopped to reflect then, I’d notice how much different it felt talking to my friends than my bandmates. How us talking about nothing felt so much more rewarding than talking about songs and setlists with a band that alternated between incredibly strict and incredibly carefree rapidly, so fast I couldn’t keep up sometimes. I should have stopped to reflect, but I kept moving forward, hoping things would just click into place eventually.