Rising Shards

Aira continued to console Laenie, who had been in an upset mood all day. The two had just officially joined the plant club.

“I’m sorry, Aira,” Laenie said. “You should be out having fun. Not babysitting me. I can be so weak sometimes…”

“Hey, crying doesn’t make you weak.” Aira said. “You wanna see weak, you should see my neighbor back home, he’s on record, genuine legal record, telling everyone he refuses to show any emotions ever. Like he went to court to say it. Now that’s weak.”

Laenie giggled a bit.

“Silver lining, you can’t go full Exa when you’re crying,” Aira said. “I think. That’s how that works, right?”

“I don’t know,” Laenie said. “At least, it’s never happened before when I’m crying. I don’t know if it’d be like a super wimpy version of my big monster form.”

“Ah, crap,” Aira said, looking ahead.

“What? What is it?” Laenie asked.

“Ovie Chirhart alert.” Aira said. “You want a get out of here quick word?”

“I trust you to know when,” Laenie said. “She might go somewhere…ah, of course she sees us.”

Aira nodded.

Ovie continued to approach, solo at least so they didn’t have to deal with her minions at least.

“I don’t even get a hello?” Ovie asked.

“You have to earn those,” Aira said.

“I like to think I earned an apology,” Ovie said. “Thanks for ratting me out to Dr. Diast, Laenie. My family got my unjust punishment turned down from suspension for ‘theft,’ to suspension for ‘borrowing.’”

“Great, can you leave us alone then?” Laenie asked.

“I just wanted to show this off,” Ovie said in a cheery voice. She held a can out in front of Laenie.

“A…can?” Aira asked.

“I’m showing it to Laenie.” Ovie said.

“You are aware she can and has punched you like into the horizon and I was the one who saved you, right?”

Ovie didn’t say anything to that.

“This is called minivan in a can,” Ovie said, clicking the top of the can and tossing it onto some empty space on the beach. With a “BWOMP”, the can unfolded, turning into a little cart.

“It’s not really a minivan, is it?” Laenie asked.

“More like a…tiny little car…if that.” Aira said.

“Yes, but this baby can drive really fast and if you ram it into someone it’d really hurt, especially if they’re a big stupid wolf monster.”

While threatening to hit Laenie with a car was pretty awful, the sight of the stupid little cart was pretty doofy to Aira.

“If you’re such a strong Cani, don’t you have like powers you can use against her? Buying a whole unfoldable cart thing seems dumb.”

Ovie pondered for a second.

“…stop speaking.” Ovie said.

“Hey!” Laenie yelled. “Don’t tell her to stop talking!”

Laenie slammed her fist on the booth table, and Aira immediately recognized the veins in her arms past her clenched hand.

“Alrighty, I’m just gonna…getcha out of here!” Aira said. She grabbed Laenie’s arm and teleported her away.

They landed way further down the beach, right under a little rock formation. Laenie started her breathing exercises, that kept her inner beast in check.

“Thanks,” Laenie said. “Can I take back that I said I feel sorry for her before?”

“You can do anything, Laenie.” Aira said. “I’m not in charge of anyone’s free will but my own. Unless my Cani power was free will control, of course, but I think I just have teleporting, but they did tell me it’s possible to have multiple powers that could show up at any time, so that’s fun.”

“Right,” Laenie said, falling back in the sand as Aira continued to speculate on the idea of free will control as a Cani power. “You rock, Aira.”

“Aw, you do too.” Aira hugged Laenie, which also always helped pre-full-wolf-monsterening.

“Are you…rumbling?” Aira asked. “Like really hungry or something?”

“I was going to ask you that.” Laenie said.

The two realized the rumbling was beneath them, and quickly moved aside.

“Something’s…there.” Laenie said.

The two stood ready to attack if things got weird as a big silvery object rose from under the sand.

“Is it like…a mini tank in a can?” Aira asked. It looked like a bigger version of Ovie’s stupid cart can thing, at least.

“I don’t see any writing on it,” Laenie said. “You don’t think this is a bomb, do you?”

Laenie started to run away immediately, but Aira grabbed her arm.

“If it’s about to explode, I’m quick enough to get us away.” Aira said.

“Right,” Laenie said, deciding that grabbing onto Aira’s arm was the safest option at that moment.

“It isn’t ticking, so probably not a bomb,” Aira said. “It rose up at our voices…”

“So maybe we can get it to do something else then?” Laenie asked. “Preferably not exploding?”

“Let’s do it!” Aira said. “Alright, how about, go away! Go back under the sand!”

The big silver object didn’t obey that.

“Hrm,” Aira said. “That didn’t work.”

Aira poked at it with her toes as she and Laenie kept a distance. It had a few grooves on it, but no obvious opening or joint on it.

“My theories right now are weird art project, underground mole Kanibari, or aliens.” Aira said.

“I only like one of those options,” Laenie said. “You know my aversion to weird art projects.”

“Uh huh,” Aira said. “If this thing opens, and it’s aliens, all I’m saying is we’re gonna have to get lawyers. Space lawyers.”

“What?”

“Outer space aliens are always coming to our planet to sue us in all the shows I watch.”

“Hm, good point,” Laenie said. “Know any lawyers?”

“A few, but none I’d trust with my legal wellbeing.” Aira said. “There’s about nine good ones in this entire state, if I’m remembering them all correctly and not counting the striped cat guy, he’s a rip off.”

"Really?"

"Yeah, his stripes are dyed!"

The silver object started to rumble.

“Oh no, is this from the striped cat guy lawyer?” Aira said. "Did he hear me?!"

Suddenly, ‘09’ appeared as a projection on the front of the strange silver thing. The center split between the numbers and opened. Aira and Laenie coughed and waved the steam coming out of it away. It definitely wasn’t a bomb, but there was something inside of the pod.

“What…is that?” Laenie asked.