Rising Shards

“This is really stupid,” I said, pouting.

I huffed as I stared at the tray in front of me. Our class was in the field of flowers in the void, and we’d each been given a tray to experiment on. For finals, we’d have to show we have control over our powers, and one of the tests was for us to create something ‘tangible and artistic’ with our gifts.

“What am I supposed to make with my powers in an artsy and craftsy sort of way?” I asked. “I just make freaking rain! This project is so unfair to everyone with powers that aren’t just making things. “Like, Aira’s powers are teleporting. What is she gonna do here?”

“I dunno, teleport?” Kalei said. “I’m making a sick ice sculpture, check it.” She conjured some ice cubes and started stacking them.

“Is it cold when you hold them?” I asked, immediately distracting. “Like, are you immune to the coldness of the icy things you create? Or cold things in general? Have I asked this before?”

“Nah, cold stuff is still cold,” Kalei said. “I can just make ice.”

“It’s too bad we can’t combine powers,” Oka said. I was a bit jealous of her plant conjuring, as she had plenty of lovely looking experiments already, from a bouquet to a flower crown. “I’m picturing Kalei making something with ice and Zeta refine the details of it with her storms.”

“I wouldn’t need her help to refine it,” Kalei said. “You seeing this?” She gestured to her stack of ice cubes.

“Looks like…blocks.” Oka said. “Lots of blocks.”

“Yeah, well just wait and see, I’m gonna be a conjure sculpturing pro by finals.” Kalei said.

“Well maybe I’ll get so good with my powers that I can make ice sculptures too!” I said. “If I figure out how to make snow on command, you better watch out.”

“Don’t steal my idea,” Kalei said. “It’s probably possible for me to learn water business. I think. How does that work again?”

“It is possible, yes,” Lillia said, taking a break from making little dolls made of fire dance together. “Cani with elemental abilities typically start with one style they are inherently able to do. For example, both you and Zeta deal with water, but you start with ice, Zeta starts with precipitation and generally, weather formed by water. Our powers can branch out to others as well, as Zeta also possesses the ability to conjure lightning, which could eventually open up more electricity-based powers.”

“Wow…” I said.

“Honestly, I think Lillia’s a better teacher than Diast,” Kalei said.

Lillia just glared, perhaps torn between a desire to accept the compliment and one to chastise Kalei for being rude to a teacher.

“I heard that,” Diast said as she passed by, checking on the various groups scattered around the field. “I explained the elemental deal to you like five times.”

“And Lillia did a better job.” Kalei said.

“Outside of insults to my teaching skills, how is it going for everyone?” Diast asked.

“Pretty amazingly, I’d say,” Kalei said,

“If you turn in a stack of ice cubes, you’ll pass but don’t expect better than a C.” Diast said.

“Are you serious?” Kalei asked.

“Uh huh, the judges will want something that isn’t just a basic show of powers for higher grades.” Diast said. 

"Who the hell are the judges gonna be?" Kalei asked. "Some shadowy group of Benta scholarship dorks?"

"It'll be teachers and faculty," Diast said. “Something like Oka and Lillia’s is more in line with a high B or a low A.”

“I’m organizing them in a certain order so the first letter of each plant's name spells out S-H-A-R-D-S!” Oka said.

“I’ve been studying up dances from various musicals and trying to choreograph my fire dolls properly.” Lillia said.

“I wonder if I could make my flowers dance…” Oka pondered.

“Yeah, see, that’s a lot more effort, and would get a higher grade most likely.” Diast said.

“What do you recommend for me?” I asked. “Because I’m kinda not doing the best at the moment. I don’t think I’m even at C range right now. I don’t even know what a C range would be for storm powers.”

“Hmmm,” Diast said. “Thunderstorms…maybe get a bottle and hold lightning in it? That’s what I tend to see.”

“But this is something tangible, isn’t a bottle bringing an outside object in?” I asked.

“For those who don’t have the ability to conjure up business like a bouquet, you can get a couple items to accentuate your ability. Just pick something that’s like…thematically fitting for thunderstorms.”

My tail flicked as my curiosity was piqued, seeds of ideas feeling like they had just been planted in my mental garden.

“And I had to hear you complain about how unfair this was for twenty minutes.” Kalei said.

“It was like five,” I said.

Diast advised us to chill out a bit with the bickering before moving on to check on the others.

“Since you can get, how about something with watercolors?” Oka suggested. “You could provide the water!”

“Ohhh,” I said. “Maybe!”

“You’ll probably get a C like your best bud Kalei Koridia if you paint Raina Starlight.” Kalei said.

“As if!” I said. “I’d paint Raina Starlight so well their minds would be blown. Or I’d paint Oka, I already wrote a report about her and got a B minus on it.”

Oka giggled and had a quick fit of excitedly/accidentally conjuring petals in response.

“You wrote a report about Oka?” Kalei asked. “What class would accept a report about someone’s girlfriend?”

“It was more inspired by me,” Oka said. “I go back and read it a lot.”

“Hmm,” I said. “If I do something inspired by you, maybe I can make some cool art. If it’s really abstract, I’ll let you know that it’s you.”

Oka grinned. “I’m looking forward to it.”

“And if you paint a bunch of ice cubes, I’ll sue you for copyright infringement.” Kalei said.

“Eh.” Oka said.

“What?” Kalei asked.

“Not your best material.” Oka said.

“I’m taking that as a challenge,” Kalei said. “Now you’ve done it. Get ready for some real snark coming your way now.”

Oka rolled her eyes.

“This is what you really should be looking forward to.” Kalei said. “Or rather…looking out for.”

“Oof,” I said.

“Again, maybe keep the one liners in for a bit if this is what you’re contributing,” Oka said.

“I think I’m off my game,” Kalei said. “But just you wait.”

Oka and I probably could have gone easier on her, but Kalei had been (probably inadvertently) taking out her feelings as of late mostly on us, being extra snippy when she was upset. I hoped things wouldn’t get super tense, but it was a pain when Kalei wouldn’t let the snark go for a second. At the same time, I probably wasn’t helping her mood either with my whining about the project. We were all starting to feel the pressure of trying to recover from the last month or so mixed with the stress of finals approaching.