Rising Shards

Where's Roux when you need them? For some of my friends that may be a strange thought to have, but that's what I was thinking as Kalei and Risa chatted. Roux had helped me in the past, maybe not actually giving advice about this whole mess but possibly having an innate sense of how to pull a friend away from a messy situation (the time Roux stopped me from spending all day staring at Kalei and Risa hanging out came to mind). I shouldn't have felt anything negative about the two talking, Risa was Kalei's childhood friend, but still. Just a bit ago Risa asked Kalei out, though. She got rejected, but I couldn't help seeing her as a threat.

A threat. I'm such an idiot. It's not like Kalei's in a rush to ask me out, and I'm...too scared to shake things up to say how I feel to her face. Shaking things up by getting scratched by monster-form Kalei that may also turn me into a monster? Fine. Shaking things up by telling her I have feelings for her? Way too much. I'm seriously an idiot.

"I bet you wanna ask how my whole poly thing is going," Risa said.

My stomach churned a bit. What if Risa asked Kalei to join them? What if she said yes to Risa asking her out this time? That apparent polycule surrounded us, Risa sat in front with Ovie to her left, Chellsi and Mikeila-Keila were behind us, and 09 sat to our right.

"Well, I wasn't gonna phrase it like that, but sure," Kalei said. "Last I saw 09 kissed you in front of everyone at the camping trip.

"Yeah, well," Risa chuckled. "There was a lot of kissing on that trip."

"I think we kissed in like every combo," Chellsi said.

"Like. Every!" Mikeila-Keila said.

"Yeah...cool..." Kalei winced at the two leaning over our chairs. "Seems you're all...still getting along."

"I really wasn't expecting things to go this way," Risa said. "After you rejected me, I figured that was it for me dating anyone around these parts."

Kalei's expression was blank, but I could tell she didn't like having that brought up in front of other people. I knew about it because I was...maybe spying a bit but I came clean about that right away to her. I wasn't sure if the others crowding around us knew about any of that.

"Can we stop telling Koridia about our affairs?" Ovie huffed, not turning around to face us. "Besides, we're not even a polycule. We just...had some fun on a camping trip."

"Pfft, affairs? Ovie's a bit shy, if you can believe it," Risa said. Ovie blushed and turned to the window. "We're not technically all together yet, we're taking it steady and figuring things out. Trying to go on dates and seeing if we're all compatible. So far so good!"

"I have a date with Risa tomorrow," 09 said.

"Awesome...yeah..." Kalei said. "Thanks for the updates..."

I wondered if I'd have some kind of Downside reaction to this. Wanting to protect Kalei from this awkward conversation, maybe I'd explode into a giant wolf lady like she did and rip up half the bus. But that didn't happen, unfortunately or not. Instead, I just felt like a ghost, unable to speak up and join the conversation, and also going unnoticed by Risa and her new "friends." Should I have stood up and tried to pull Kalei out of this like I'd done for her in the past? It'd be nice, but where would we go? It was a coach bus, so the only place we could run to was the dinky bathroom in the back or maybe try to hide in the storage compartments above us. The mental image of that was funny, but not really helpful.

Without much else to do and wanting to drone out the sound of 09, Risa, Chellsi, and Mikeila-Keila listing all the dating combinations they could have, I got my phone out and played a gacha game about shark girls. That was mildly interesting, keeping me occupied until someone texted me. I hoped it was Kalei sneaking a message in, but it was Roux.

"Greetings. I am with the Secret Collective. Would you be interested in some private, high paying work?"

"I have your contact saved, Roux. Not going to fall for the 'secret government official hiring spies' trick again." I texted back.

"Hmph. No fun. But it doesn't look like you're having much fun where you are, so I suppose I can't judge." Roux sent.

I looked around trying to spot them. They sat up further ahead, their big cat ears poking out above the chair. They stared at me, then flipped me off.

"Wow, cool Roux." I sent, trying not to laugh. People didn't get Roux at all, but I liked to think I did. I could tell when they were actually mad and when they were teasing.

"Sorry, couldn't resist. You just have a very flip-off-able face."

"You're lucky you didn't get caught," I sent.

"I am very stealthy," Roux said. "Case in point. 7 18 5 5 20 9 14 7 19 0 13 1 18 13 1 12 1 4 5 0 9 20 0 9 19 0 1 0 23 5 12 3 15 13 5 0 7 9 6 20 0 20 15 0 3 15 14 20 1 3 20 0 25 15 21 0 15 14 0 20 8 9 19 0 2 21 19 0 18 9 4 5 0 1 13 15 14 7 0 20 8 15 19 5 0 9 0 1 13 0 6 15 18 3 5 4 0 20 15 0 19 16 5 14 4 0 20 9 13 5 0 23 9 20 8 0 1 20 0 20 8 9 19 0 8 5 12 12 9 19 8 0 19 3 8 15 15 12 0 25 15 21 0 1 18 5 0 15 14 5 0 15 6 0 20 8 5 0 13 15 18 5 0 20 15 12 5 18 1 2 12 5 0 14 1 25 0 16 18 5 6 5 18 1 2 12 5 0 6 15 12 11 19 0 20 15 0 2 5 0 20 18 1 16 16 5 4 0 8 5 18 5 0 23 9 20 8 0 21 14 6 15 18 20 21 14 1 20 5 12 25 0 25 15 21 0 1 18 5 0 3 21 18 18 5 14 20 12 25 0 20 18 1 16 16 5 4 0 23 9 20 8 0 1 14 0 21 14 19 1 22 15 18 25 0 19 5 20 0 15 6 0 3 8 1 18 1 3 20 5 18 19 0 23 8 5 14 0 11 15 18 9 4 9 1 0 9 19 0 20 8 5 0 2 5 19 20 0 1 22 1 9 12 1 2 12 5 0 25 15 21 0 11 14 15 23 0 20 8 9 14 7 19 0 8 1 22 5 0 7 15 14 5 0 1 2 19 15 12 21 20 5 0 20 18 1 19 8 0 13 15 4 5 0 1 14 4 0 9 0 4 15 0 14 15 20 0 5 14 22 25 0 25 15 21 18 0 3 21 18 18 5 14 20 0 19 9 20 21 1 20 9 15 14 0 13 25 0 3 15 13 16 1 14 9 15 14 0 1 14 4 0 1 12 12 25."

"Uh." I sent them.

"That's a coded message regarding your current situation. If you can't crack it, I'll put it to the next layer, a simpler, more understandable code." Roux sent.

"Why are you writing in code?" I asked.

"Because you are surrounded by the enemy. Those two behind you...wait..." Roux poked their head up again, squinting behind me. "Oh, I don't need a code then. Those two likely can't read."

"That's...probably kind of mean." I said.

"How?"

"If they can read then that's mean to someone who can't?"

"Well, anyways, I'll code it a bit so shield your phone from The Dumbass." Roux said.

"Who's...?"

"It's simple." They sent a list of their "code."

"THE DUMBASS = Koridia

THE ROBOT = 09 (I realize clybrid Cani is vastly different than a robot but I like this one as a nickname personally)

THE BITCH = Ovie Chirhart

THE FOOLS = Chellsi and Mikeila-Keila (do they have last names?)

THE HEIRESS = Risa"

"See? Simple! Now I can help you strategize."

"I don't think Kalei's a dumbass."

"Even if you disagree (you're wrong) you should still use codes in case she sees it and gets all pissy as she does when she faces any remote pushback on her jackassery."

"OK, I could see that. Thanks, by the way. I was going a bit crazy there."

Honestly, it was like they read my mind when I wanted their help. Well, the code names were a bit much, but I figured I could use Roux's unique mindset to make this bus ride more tolerable.

"Of course I have to help one of the vital members of the team. The Dumbass, less so in spite of her newfound beastly form. She can enjoy chatting with Risa. I'm also very bored, as Raytris was seated on the other bus, so I'm stuck up here listening to the Matora sisters fight each other about this 'Roxana' who sounds like a real piece of work."

"That...sounds like a story," I said. "Wanna tell me about that to distract me from this?"

"Only if you provide the intel about your current situation to me," Roux said.

That seemed like a fair trade, so I sent some emojis confirming that.

"You know, in some cultures, that string of emojis means you are open to cannibalism."

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"Yes?"

"OK, fair. Here is what I am hearing in this argument between Ko and Kai..."

My spirits felt a bit lifted. It had been a weird day so far, cramming so much in, but I had hope I'd have some fun for the rest of it.

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