Rising Shards

We were still out in the snow by the train tracks, and nobody else had joined in yet. But ever since Roux gave me a reality check about Octa Kathron and the Taramin Labs junk, I kept glancing around, expecting someone from there to show up.

If Roux was at all concerned about getting involved with us even with that Taramin sword hanging over it, they didn't show it.

"To get this poorly run operation back on the rails, pun fully intended," Roux kicked the nearest train rail with their foot, which looked like it hurt a lot. They strained to not show that pained reaction the best they could. "I...have a three step plan to make this less stupid."

"I could use a few less instances of being called stupid," Aira said. "But admittedly, after some of the choices we've made, it's kinda fair."

"Roux's called me stupid so many times I'm kinda numb to it," Syval said. He laughed. "You should've been there when they found out about the Tokickaman thing."

"Tch," I rolled my eyes. I was still pissed Syval blabbed about it to Roux of all people. Were me and Marms the only ones taking the secret part of this seriously?

"Step one! We need a new lair. I mean, look at this," Roux gestured to the sight of us shivering in the snow in our desolate spot. "This is just pathetic."

"You figure that out then, because I don't think there's any good place on campus that's private," I said. "Also, not very heroic to call our future base a lair, just saying?"

"Step two," Roux said. "Getting better at the whole thing. Better costumes, better grasp on powers, that sort of thing. Our team dynamic is all out of sorts with a flying type, a teleporter, a beast chick, a turbo genius, and whatever Marmalade's power is."

"It's earth based, like mainly earthquakes, but I'm getting better at more specific and cool things to do with dirt!" Marmalade said. I held my hand up for a high five to that, because Marms getting hyped about something made me feel like I wasn't standing out in a winter hellscape.

"Right," Roux said. "Once you've all been more properly trained and the whole team thing is figured out, then we go to step three. This is the biggest one."

I think Roux wanted us to be more excited for whatever the biggest one was, holding out a dramatic pause way too long. I just waited though, because if I made any noise they'd just interrupt me the millisecond I started speaking.

"You are a rudderless boat of a superhero faction, going nowhere but acting like you are. You need a clear goal. I'm thinking to solve that you need a villain to take down. Or a hero if you wanna brand it that way. But really, the antagonist to your protagonist could do numbers in giving you a clearer direction to go in, at least."

"Do you want us to just like go randomly pick someone to be our enemy?" I asked.

"Usually it's the other way around, isn't it?" Marmalade said. "Like a villain decides the hero sucks or whatever and makes that their whole deal."

"You could start brainstorming. Lots of baddies you could take down." Roux said.

"Also, just wanna say I'm genuinely stunned that merchandise wasn't one of the steps," I said.

"That's step four," Roux said. "But after my last attempt went up in smoke, I want to be slightly more trepidatious about our next go at t-shirt selling."

"And maybe not with Chumbler this time?" I asked. "Wait, does Chumbler know? Please tell me Chumbler didn't find out about this, did she?" I smeared my face in my hands.

"I think she was too in her own little world with her friend to notice anything during the Falling Shards incident," Marmalade said. "But if she found out after that, I dunno."

"I'm just going to say she didn't for my sanity's sake," I said. "Well, I'm assuming that's all you had."

"What?" Roux asked. "No, I had like at least thirty-two more bullet points."

"And by all you had I mean the rest of what you say is going to be really meandering and pointless, so let's move on," I said.

"What could possibly be more meandering and pointless than you, Koridia?" Roux asked.

"A lot, especially when you're talking," I said. "I really just wanted to talk about Aira and Syval's thing," I said.

"I suppose that's important as well," Roux said.

"Well..." Aira said, grabbing her shoulders. "We don't have to, really."

"Dude, you wanted to talk with me about this, we should just talk about it, especially now that we know who's..." I said. "I mean, you know who's in you, right?"

"That sounds weird when you put it that way," Aira said.

"Deflecting with humor due to the uncomfortable discussion, I get it," Roux said. "But I'll admit we should probably talk about the Jeans thing. Care to explain that whole deal?"

"I think we've been over it a bunch," Syval said. "Me, Aira, and Kalei went to a Taramin Lab and we ate some magic crystals, we had no idea there were people in them!"

"Except you did," I said. "You totally did, we read that journal that talked about them and everything!"

"One of you write the novelization already of your escapades and let me fact check," Roux said. "I could see either of you being entirely or at the very least somewhat incorrect."

"Well, I'm the one who's in the right here, but whatever," I said. "We delay by like five minutes every time you interject, so shut up for a second Roux."

"I shall try," Roux said. "I'll fail, but I shall try to quell the voice that guides this little ragtag operat—"

"Seriously, shut up," Marmalade said. "Not trying to be rude, just. Come on."

That actually got Roux to stop. I gestured to Aira and Syval, not sure what they were gonna say, but wanting to give them the floor.

"Yeah, so...according to Octa, the magic crystal isn't like lodged in us, it turned like to spiritual energy or something," Aira said. "So we can't just like hack up the crystal. Something I did try."

"Didn't need that last detail, but whatever," I said.

"Now who can't shut up?" Roux asked. Marms shot us both a look that stopped another argument.

"But like, until we can get that energy dislodged from us, I guess we're each like kind of a portal to the person trapped in the crystals?" Aira said. "Sorry if that doesn't make sense. Syval got Rem, and I got Jeans, yeah. I've...been starting to talk to her, ever since the Falling Shards thing she's been showing up. Oh!"

We all tensed as an aura of energy surrounded Aira, quickly forming into a person again, like a ghost tethered to her body. Unlike the time Reed forced it out of her, this time the person formed clearly, and was awake and aware of her surroundings.

"I'd rather introduce myself, if that's alright," Jeans said.

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