Rising Shards

The rehearsal was going well, at least on Oka’s end. She had remembered her lines and Reit hadn’t stopped everything to tell her how bad she was doing in front of everyone. They were taking a break to “Simulate the intricacies of intermission,” as Reit put it, so Oka was working off her nervous energy wandering around backstage. She checked her phone to see some very sweet messages from Zeta, supporting her in spite of the obscene amount of anxious paragraphs Oka had sent before the rehearsal started. She also sent some pictures of her new apartment, which most interestingly had a basement all for Zeta. Which could mean a basement all for Zeta and Oka to be alone in. Oka felt like she was getting too warm just slightly thinking about that, so she put it aside, turning her attention to her really great plan to get Lillia and Naomi alone.

“That’s your really great plan?” Lillia hissed when Oka told her. The two stood at a treat table, and Lillia pointed a donut with light blue icing and sprinkles on it towards Oka accusingly. “I’m trying to just enjoy this donut, have you eaten since breakfast?”

“I feel like if I eat now, I’m gonna get all bloated and then I’m gonna goof up my lines in the second half.” Oka said. “But now’s the time for you! Since it’s just intermission, practice intermission no less, you can bail out any time and it’ll be fine!”

“Right, but,” Lillia rolled her eyes. “Your plan is really just that you distract whoever’s talking to her, then I go and make small talk?”

“Uh huh, uh huh!” Oka said. “Zeta and I made lots of small talk when we first met. We surprisingly got a lot of early talking milage out of talking about what kinds of cheeses we like. She likes cheddar! Oh!”

Oka pointed to where Naomi talked with another second year in the play, a tall girl with a bob cut.

“Alright, it’s not one of the guys, so that makes this a little easier for me.” Oka said.

“Do you have trouble talking to the guys?” Lillia asked.

Oka shrugged. “I just think it’s easier talking to girls! Don’t change the subject! Now I’m gonna get this short hair girl aside with….something.” She held her hands on her forehead like a visor, as though it would help her analyze Naomi’s friend. The girl turned as she laughed, and Oka gasped when she saw what was on her shirt. “I got it! You ready, Lillia?”

“For what?” Lillia asked.

“I’ll get this other girl somewhere else, then you strike!”

“Oh my god,” Lillia said as Oka started walking towards the two and gestured for her to follow. “I guess we’re doing this.”

Oka waited for a good point to interrupt Naomi and the girl’s conversation. She started to point to the girl’s shirt, but stopped mid-motion as she didn’t want to randomly just point at the girl’s chest.

“Teensly Street!” Oka said, nodding to the shirt with big block letters with the title on it, as well as art of the cast of drama filled high schoolers. “I love that show.”

“Hm?” The girl asked, turning away from Naomi. “Oh! Yeah, me too, it’s the best!”

“I’m only on the first season though,” Oka said. “So no spoilers, please!”

“Oh, just wait.” She said.

“Does it get better?” Oka asked, casually stepping away. The girl started following her. After a few more casual steps, Lillia was alone with Naomi. Now Oka just had to talk to this girl for a bit, so she didn’t go back and interfere in their conversation like Oka just had for the one Naomi and this girl were in the middle of.

Some hypocritical rudeness is necessary when being a wingman. It’s in the handbook. Probably.

“Better is an understatement,” The girl said.

“Uh huh, uh huh,” Oka said. “I am just waiting for Evonne and Delphine to get together!”

The girl had a slight smirk at that.

“What?” Oka said.

“You said no spoilers, I’m not saying anything!” She said. “I don’t think we’ve talked before, have we?”

Oka shrugged.

“I’m Clover, a second year.” She said.

“I’m Oka! I’m kind of a background character in the play so I guess it makes sense we haven’t talked.” Oka said. “I have seen you around, though.”

“I’ve seen you as well,” Clover laughed.

“Huh? What’s funny…?” Oka asked.

“You’re Reit’s niece,” Clover said. “So you have the Kilander connection. I won’t bug you about that though. Are you the clybrid or the other one?”

“The…other one.” Oka said.

Clover laughed. “Got you!”

“Ha…ha?” Oka wasn’t sure she liked Clover’s sense of humor.

“You’re also the one dating that blonde girl, right?” Clover said. “I’ve seen her waiting for you after practice.”

“Yeah, Zeta!” Oka said.

“How cute,” Clover said. “Well, my advice for today is to just picture her in the crowd then. You’ll perform better!”

“I’ll do that!” Oka said. She leaned a bit to the side casually, spotting that Naomi and Lillia were talking. With her mission accomplished, and her and Clover a fair distance away from any potential Naomi conversation interference, she awkwardly broke away from the conversation with an excuse about snacks. She didn’t want to eat during the intermission, but that donut Lillia had made Oka’s stomach growl.