Rising Shards

I don't know why exactly I was this excited to do a pretend business giving dating advice while we were already at the prom. Maybe I just felt unsatisfied at my last wingman attempts leading to no new couples? If I could just give one bit of advice, one little push that could lead someone into a relationship that was like the one I shared with Zeta, then I'd be satisfied, I think.

I wasn't sure if our first client was going to be that person, however. When we were playing wingmen on the bus ride to the mall shopping event, Chumbler passed by, but we were trying to get Lillia a date for that, and Chumbler and Lillia weren't exactly remotely compatible even as friends.

"I, Chumbler, am lost in the ways of love," our first guest said, playing with the little bits of plastic confetti and such on the table. "It's pretty hopeless for me, right?"

"Nah, I don't think so," Zeta said. "Didn't you have a date with Tay for the dance?"

Chumbler frowned, sighed, then frowned even more deeply, looking like a comic strip cartoon character. "Things...didn't pan out, shall we say. She didn't take too kindly to my suggestion of selling our prom clothes to buy more gambling equipment to build a makeshift casino for the dance."

"Sorry to hear that. What sort of things are you looking for in a partner?" I asked. "That might be a good place to start."

"Someone who likes gambling, preferably," Chumbler said.

"Do you have other hobbies besides gambling?" I asked. "You come on pretty strong with that, that might turn people away. If you had other interests that you could show people, it might be more enticing?"

Chumbler huffed, and squinted at me. "You're just saying that because you got lucky enough to find a girlfriend who likes gambling just as much as you."

"Uh..." I said.

"I...don't like gambling, though?" Zeta said.

"What? But you gambled with me!" Chumbler pointed aggressively at Zeta.

"When you brought me down to the casino setup you had on campus?" Zeta asked. "That was like months ago!"

"I guess, technically speaking you do like gambling as much as I do," I said. "In that we don't like it?"

"Phooey, and foolish," Chumbler said. "Gambling kicks all kinds of ass."

"Hey, if you don't want our dating advice, you can just go back to what you were doing," I said.

"No, I do," Chumbler relaxed and let out another sigh, this one like the annoying sigh of someone who just wants attention. "I guess I could pick up like needlepoints or something."

"Say, why don't you and that girl that's always with you go out?" I suggested.

"Who? Z.O.K.? Or Zorta?" Chumbler asked.

"That's...the same person, isn't it?" Zeta said.

Chumbler winked. "Thought you'd say that. And you'd be correct."

"OK..." Zeta said. "She might be a good pick, though. Oka and I started as friends, then we became really really good friends, then best friends, then girlfriends! So maybe something similar could happen to you?"

"Hmm," Chumbler said. "I guess I could consider that. She's not great in the boob size department though, you know?"

"Maybe let's wrap this up here," Zeta said.

"Yes, this might...that might be all we have for advice," I said, regretting waving her over.

"I guess I can deal with that sort of bust size, and I have my sexy form I can shift into so I can always be the boob gal of the team?" Chumbler said. "Maybe I will see if she's into the ol' Chumblernator romantically."

"Yeah, sure, yeah...go check maybe..." I said.

She mercifully got up and left, and Zeta and I both let out exhausted yelps as we leaned forward, burying our faces in our hands.

"I shouldn't be surprised by anything anyone says or does at this school anymore, but sheesh," Zeta said. "She can be so fricking annoying."

"Yeah...sorry," I said. "Is this whole thing dumb?"

"I don't think it is," Zeta said.

"But like...we could be dancing, and I have you stuck here," I said.

"It's not me being stuck if I'm having fun," Zeta said. "And my feet are still aching, these shoes are terrible, so I was gonna be sitting anyways."

"Sure, yeah...as long as you're having fun..." I said, not fully convinced I wasn't just annoyingly keeping her here.

"I am, seriously, She gently took my hand. "We just need to find one person who's a bit less out there than Chumbler. Then maybe get back to dancing?"

"Then definitely get back to dancing," I said. "And maybe we sneak off to the sides and...I dunno."

"Oh? Something fun to do on the sidelines, you think?" Zeta said, wearing the smirk of a cat that successfully knocked something off a table.

"Mayhaps," I said.

"Mayhaps indeed," Zeta said. "But I do want to try one more time for the dating advice, because you seem so happy about it so I don't want to douse that fire."

"Why thank you, my love," I said.

I got up and attempted to wave more people over. There were some more rude girls that I told myself were just from Wildfire Hearts, but I remembered Rising Shards had plenty of rude folks before the school swaps and mergers happened.

"Surprised we haven't seen Iris and Maia yet," I said. "We could just give them the same advice as last time to just admit they're dating already."

"Right? I could see those two skipping this entirely, though," Zeta said. "I wonder who else could use dating advice..."

"Dating advice, you say?" With some convenient timing, the love trio stopped in front of us. The three were inseparable even after they made the call to try to gain more romantic experience outside of their group. The three looked radiant, Amara and Rain in sparkling dresses and KJ in a tuxedo. Michi poked their head out from behind them, they also had a tux on.

"I'm here too, hey," Michi said. "Don't know exactly how I ended up here, heh, but...yeah. I am here, too."

"Need some dating advice?" Zeta asked. "Oka and I are starting some kind of dating advice business."

"We have been together a long while, but we are still navigating the confusing waters of polyamory, you see," Rain said. "What say you three? Want to hear what Zeta and Oka have to say?"

"We tried to help Chumbler out just before you all, so we would like to have clients that are less..." I said.

Rain's expression dropped. "Chomper, eh?" She sat down, and her companions followed suit. "We'll be better clients than Chomper."

"Great!" I said.

A girl scooted up behind them, clasping her hands together, each incremental move toward us like a centipede scuttling our way.

"I, um, am here also," Tay meekly raised her hand. "I don't mind waiting if you want to have us go after the love...trio plus one."

"Or we can all just sit and chat, maybe?" I suggested.

I wasn't sure what advice we'd give to this group, but surely they'd be a bit easier to handle than Chumbler.

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