Rising Shards

I scoffed as I tried to make the trumpet make any kind of noise. It just kinda hissed. The band director pointed her baton thing at me. "No, no, no! Did you listen to what I said?"

"I...don't know how to play this?" I said. "I was in choir but that doesn't really transfer over to—"

"Keep your beat in tune with the water, water, water..." I don't know why she said that three times, but it was only then I noticed I was seated by a school pool, because she tapped her toe in the pool each time she said 'water.' It wasn't the one at Rising Shards, this school looked way older. How did I get here? Staring at the water, I felt seasick for some reason.

There were four others playing with me, each with a different instrument. I was fairly certain none of them played any instruments. Seeing Iris play a violin was the last straw, there was no way that was possible.

Another lurching feeling, and I felt like I woke up, my vision cleared, and my ears popped all at the same time.

"What the..." I stood up, my trumpet clanging on the ground. I was just on the bus to that prom shopping spree, and now I was in an old school? Did I fall asleep? This felt real though, somehow.

"What are you doing?" Lillia glared, putting her clarinet on her lap.

"Excuse me," the director said. With the waking up feeling I also realized that the band director was Tay. "Why did you stop playing? You're dangerously close to the pool's edge."

"You're not a band director, you're just...a classmate..." I said. "What is going on, seriously?"

"Look out!" Tay said. She pointed behind me. A shadowy figure approached. "Don't engage with them, it's a dangerous stranger!"

It wasn't, though. The shadowy figure got clearer, revealing herself as Ms. Corinani in a trenchcoat.

"Heh, you kids want some candy in my van?"

"Well, it's not a stranger though, it's just Corinani." I said. "Well, she's acting like a creepy stranger in one of those safety videos they make us watch..."

"You're still too close to the pool," Tay said.

"So are you warning about strangers or pool safety? Or strangers, pick a side here!" I said. "Something weird is going on, you all need to wake up already!"

My friends just stared at me like I said something stupid. There were some empty seats with other unused instruments on them. Not having any better ideas, I grabbed the cymbals and smashed them together, walking in front of everyone present.

"Wake up! Wake up!" I said.

Iris dropped her violin to grab her ears.

"Ow! Fricking hell Oka, what is your problem?" Iris said. "Wait, huh?"

The loud noises seemed to snap everyone out of whatever haze they were in. It took them a few seconds to get over the barfy feeling that I'd just gone through.

"Ugh, what is this now?" Maia asked.

"I'd guess another imp," Lillia said.

"That'd make sense," I said. "The whole retro look and safety thing mixed with us being someplace else reminds me of Reed's little world."

"Great, just trying to get a free prom dress and look where it gets me," Iris said. "Corinani, bring us back already."

"Er, trying..." Corinani said as she fidgeted with projected screens from her wristband. "Just having some signal issues..."

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," I said. "Our stupid wristbands never help out during these."

"Right? Things friggin' suck," Corinani said. "Also, I would never ever try to lure you into a van and kidnap anyone, just wanna make that clear! That was just the role this imp put me in. Ugh, but doesn't that just make me sound more suspicious? Now it's like it sounds like I'm confessing to wanting to do that! I seriously don't though! This is gonna be like that court case from Jiru all over again, ugh! Well, at least that one was just about arson, but still..."

"I don't think you'd kidnap us," I said.

"Phew, because I really don't!" Corinani said.

"And I'd never direct a band," Tay said, crossing her arms and nodding proudly.

"Right, well one is significantly worse than the other, so..." I said.

"Having a teacher close by might actually be useful," Lillia said. "Do you have experience dealing with imps?"

"Oh yeah, totally," Corinani said. "One time I ended up romantically involved with an imp in one of these little scenarios they whip up. That one was us working in a 1,000 story apartment together. Then she got tired of me and kicked me out. So we should just find the imp in charge and I'll handle the seduction."

"Maybe I shouldn't have asked," Lillia said.

"Well, no, that won't do, I'm seeing someone now...didn't ask permission about void imps, did I...?" Corinani said.

"You can stop talking at any point, please," I said.

"Please." Maia said.

"No, keep going!" Iris said.

"Yes, I need more details!" Tay said.

"Maybe let's just get our bearings and look around a bit," I suggested.

"That's a great idea!" Corinani said.

"Are you gonna make us steal arcade machines again?" Iris asked.

"Ah...no," Corinani laughed nervously. "Did you see Snowglobe is working at Rising Shards now? Oh my god, isn't that crazy? Don't worry, I didn't rat you out."

I didn't know anything about what they were talking about. Iris yapping endlessly with Corinani could stall our whole operation.

"Let's stay on task," I said.

"And get away from the pool," Lillia said. "Because my glasses keep fogging up, and it's very annoying."

"Mine too, oh my god!" Tay said. "We're so alike Lillia, do you want to go to the dance with me? I have a feeling Chumbler is going to flake out on me."

"Would I get wingman points if you say yes?" I asked.

"No, we would!" Iris said.

"Sorry, no," Lillia said.

"No to the points or no to going with Tay?" Iris asked.

"Let's just get moving already," Maia said.

"No, this is really important!" Iris said.

"It's not," Maia said. "Try throwing your instrument into the pool."

"Huh? Whoa, that'd be so cool!" Iris chucked her violin in to the water. "Hahaha, awesome!"

"Her attention span is like five seconds when a bunch is going on," Maia explained as Iris started throwing more instruments into the water, cheering at each splash. "You give her something to break like that and she'll forget what she was arguing about."

I thought about suggesting we split up so I didn't have to include babysitting Iris' hyperactive brain into the mix, but decided it'd be best if we all stayed together. And also I did want to see what'd happen if I chucked my trumpet in the water, so I did just that.

"Really?" Lillia asked as my instrument landed with a pleasant "bloop."

"Oh come on, when are you ever gonna get the chance to do that again?" I asked.

Lillia thought about it for a second, then threw her clarinet in the water.

"Oddly satisfying, isn't it?" I said, snatching a chair out of Iris' hands before she could throw that too. "Alright, we should really get moving."

"Fiiiine," Iris said. "I threw the most stuff though so I win the points here."

"Whatever, all the points to Iris, sure," I said, wondering how far we'd get before another thing distracted the group.

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