Rising Shards

"You'll never get away with this, the so called 'Mighty Emperor' Bloatrix!" The muscular captain said, straining against the tentacles that tightened around him.

"That's where you're sorely mistaken, Lt. Colonel Chalk “Turbo” McStormRain," said the owner of the tentacles, a goofy looking octopus-bug monster with a crown. "My plans are merely just beginning! I've separated you from your teammates, and now I'll take you apart piece by piece!" 

"No...if you do that, I'll never see her again! My beloved ship, the Unlimited Shark DX3!"

I slouched into my recliner, not a lot going on in my head other than hoping to have some more do-nothing time to unwind. I got my homework and chores done the night before, so I wouldn't have to worry about Stella getting on my case.

"What are you watching?" Dr. Diast asked.

"That void marine show," I said. "The main guy really wants to marry his spaceship. I kinda ship it. Eh? Get it? ship it?"

"Ha ha. Your comedy career has a bright future."

"Hrgh, if I can just reach my telecommunicator...!" The captain said, reaching for a device on his belt. "Got it...but it'd be such a bother calling my friends for help..."

The show then cut to a flashback of the captain in an argument with his wife in his personal quarters.

"Were you talking to her again, Lt. Colonel Chalk “Turbo” McStormRain? I'm your wife, you should tell me."

"I talk to my ship before every mission, you know this, wife! I can love two peop—I can love my wife and my ship."

"More importantly, have you told your crew about your concerns about this big mission?"

The captain scratched his head. "I...well...it's hard to ask for help, you know, Mrs. Lt. Colonel Chalk “Turbo” McStormRain..."

"Are you...enjoying this?" Dr. Diast asked.

"Not really, it auto played after I finished the new Tower of Hate and Love documentary and I was too lazy to click away," I said. "There's only one girl, and she's..."

The sole lady on the team (the captain's wife only showed up to nag, apparently) named Adalaide rolled her eyes at the rest of the marines. "While you were busy arguing with your wife, I've been sitting here babysitting these Cani boys. Babysitting reminds me of my favorite role in life, being a wife to my husband and a mother to my children."

"This is kind of super awful," Diast said. "But I can't look away."

"Right?"

We did find some enjoyment in how little we were enjoying it, and ended up roasting the episode for a bit.

"I know people who swear by the books they're based on," Dr. Diast said, a hint of dread in her voice as she spoke. "This is...concerning."

The flashback mercifully ended with the captain realizing he had to call for help. His crew arrived moments later, bursting through a wall. Dr. Diast and I questioned what exactly the evil guy did to separate them if they were so close by, but it wasn't worth it to try and figure out the logic of this show.

"Sgt. Dr. “Energy Drink” Jomes! Rifle Funnyman! Sniper “Goggles” Techboy! And Adalaide! My entire team!" The muscular captain cried as his friends each dramatically reloaded their laser rifles about five times too many.

"We wouldn't leave you behind, Lt. Colonel Chalk “Turbo” McStormRain," Adalaide said. "When you're in need of help, it's always mega badass to call on your friends, because they got your back. Now let's make some grilled octopus for dinner."

"What the hell is this?" Stella asked.

My sister had snuck up on us, immediately joining in our utter bewilderment at what we were watching. I did my best to explain the show.

"Hm," Stella said. "Well, can we pause it for a second?"

"Awww," I said. "I mean. Less of this wouldn't be the worst thing." I gestured to the onscreen pose off between the muscular void marines.

"Great, it's just a little school thing," Stella said.

Whenever Stella said something was "just a little thing," it was her way of trying to soften the blow of telling me something really scary. I had caught on to that tell, and immediately started trembling. Stella and Dr. Diast weren't tense or anything as we all got into family meeting mode in the kitchen, but I made up for their lack of tension with every muscle deciding now would be a good time to anxiously tighten up.

"The after school job part of your scholarship is starting soon," Stella said.

"O-oh yeah," I said. "Forgot about that one..."

"And we just wanted to check in with you, with everything going on, to make sure you're doing alright, and just make sure you know we always have your back."

Outside of a few occasions where I helped Stella at the library, I'd never had a for real job before. Dr. Diast mentioned something in the first semester about it getting delayed to spring, but I was hoping the entire school forgot about it.

"I am rather stressed about this prospect," I said. "I think I'm a bit frazzled already."

"That's alright, if it helps it'll be like four hours a week," Dr. Diast said. "And you get paid."

"Think of all the Raina Starlight merch you can buy!" Stella said.

"That is very enticing..."

"And it won't start for a few weeks," Diast said. "We're gonna do a bit of in class prep work for it, like training and lessons about expectations for a job. There's gonna be a mock job practice too around campus to make sure everyone's set for this."

"I hope you get assigned to the library," Stella said. She did a dramatic villain voice. "It's your destiny, Zeta...to join in the family business..."

"You make it sound like we own a library." I said.

"I wish!" Stella sighed longingly. "Or a bookstore, ugh."

"Maybe someday, we could look in to that." Dr. Diast said.

"Evy..." Stella's eyes watered up, and I assumed the family meeting was done as my sister and Dr. Diast started going on and on about how we could work to own a bookstore, which sounded more like them flirting than actual planning. It was still sweet, though.

While they talked, I thought about I wouldn't necessarily be opposed to my friends and I all working together in the library, that sounded cool. But did I really want to work under Stella? She could be very strict about how she wanted chores done.

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