Rising Shards

Evy’s such a cute drunk, she had apologized like five times already but I was living for this. And I wanted her to have fun so I maybe encouraged her to take another drink. It was a good distraction from me worrying about my guardianship skills. I wasn’t worried about her going berserk or anything, she usually just got a bit louder and chattier when she drank.

This time was no different, as after she decided to get a second round of the punch, she decided that we needed to find the painter responsible for the exhibit and ask them some questions.

“You just wanna know what goes on in their head, right?” Evy said to a complete stranger, who after an ice breaker we found out was a professor at this college. Evy sometimes kept her personable side away from me, and maybe kept it locked up herself, but she was really charming.

Zeta was still in hyper mode, responding to Evy’s drinking with a minimal reaction, instead looking like a cat prowling a table looking for the next thing to knock over. Instead of a cat swatting at its prey, it was Zeta looking for new distractions to wander off to.

“Are you alright with this?” I asked. “I should have said sooner. But don’t worry, Evy’s still a cupcake.”

"You said that last time Dr. Diast was drinking," Zeta said.

"I did?"

"Yeah! And I’m not really worried, it’s like your wine nights,” Zeta said. 

“And don’t think this little accident means you’re off the hook,” I said. “How much of the assignment do you have done?”

Zeta strummed her notebook. “Perhaps that will be a secret I shall divulge on a differing evening.”

“Kay, so none, got it,” I said. “What have you learned so far? Maybe write that down first.”

Zeta smiled a ‘I’m not sure I learned anything’ smile. This was likely going to be tougher with Evy inebriated. But she was having fun already, so maybe we needed her to be a bit looser to lighten the mood. My favorite doctor’s attention turned back to us, namely to introduce her new professor friend to us.

“Hastings, this is my dear wife Stella,” Evy said. If I had a drink, I would have spat it out. Instead, I nearly dropped my paper plate filled with snacks. It wasn’t a bad reaction, I was just shocked. “Well, I suppose we’re not married just yet, but in technical terms I’d say…soulmate?” She somehow conjured the most handsome expression she could for that in spite of being pretty tanked, a grin that had me feeling like I got hit with that comet this artist kept painting.

“Evy, oh my god,” I said. I could barely look the professor, an older woman who sounded like she had a drink or two of the same punch Evy tried, in the eyes as we shook hands.

It was Zeta’s turn to laugh, simultaneously relishing in my embarrassment and happy to see us getting along so well.

“And this is my daughter, my canon daughter!” Evy said.

“Canon?” the professor asked.

“It’s a thing she says, don’t worry too much about it,” I said.

“Well, technically she’s my soulmate’s younger sister, but we raise her just the same I do say!” Evy puffed her chest out. With drunken pride, I guess? It was pretty adorable.

“That’s right!” I said.

I wished I could have a drink to calm my nerves. Evy calling me her wife hit me in a way I wasn’t prepared for, and said not married ‘just yet?’ Also, anytime she showed off her care for out little family unit it warmed my heart. And that damn grin. Suffice to say, I was going through a lot of feelings at the moment, and had to resist the thoughts about to drown out our mission of getting Zeta’s assignment done.

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