“Dating Advice, Drama, and Dance” (79.3) (Anastasia)

After one of the worst sets I'd ever heard from a band (and I'd seen some terrible, terrible sets), one that was so bad it had me questioning if I ever really enjoyed a genre, the second band was finally done. I hoped that meant I'd get to see Zoey finally play again, but there was an announcement that Radiance had a bit of a delay and would be playing in a while. A DJ was up next, and while I really wanted to see Zoey play, I think we all needed some time dancing to pop songs to get that band out of our systems.

For some reason, Zeta and Oka were still by us.

"Wow, they were way worse than your band," Zeta said.

"If that's it for the battle of the bands part, you definitely won," Oka said.

I grumbled something in response. I don't think Zeta quite wrapped her head around the idea that I despised her, but for my friends' sakes I didn't blow up at her or her girlfriend, though my jaw was firmly clenched the entire time she was close by.

It took a song or two for anyone to even start breaking out of the stunned silent pose that Eclectic Skullduggery put us in, but the mood improved even if I thought most of the pop songs were just as bad as the dad band.

"Hey, come on," Sai said.

"What?" I said. "I'm trying to be chill about her."

"You're doing fine," Sai said. "I mean dance with me."

I thought we were all dancing already. Zeta and Oka were in their own little world once the music started, but myself and the rest of the devils were dancing too. Well, I thought we all were, the Altheas, Charmaine, and Esther were getting pushed away from us, and after a peppy song about table manufacturing, they had vanished into the crowd. Lillia was by us, too, looking somewhat unsure what to do.

"You can just dance," I said.

"Huh?" Lillia said, surprised I even spoke to her.

"If you think you'll be bad at it, nobody cares," I said.

"Yeah, Lilly, come on!" Sai said. "Dance with us!"

"Lilly?" Lillia said.

Sai blushed, surprised they gave Lillia a new nickname apparently. For a second, they looked worried like they were about to scare Lillia off, but she stayed. The three of us started dancing, and it was like it was just us out there.

It was a bit of a weird moment with our impromptu trio for the first few songs together. If Tay was around, it'd be the three people playing that wingman game on the bus, but I hadn't seen Tay since I arrived. The three of us didn't get dates on that bus trip (well maybe Tay did), but we still ended up going. I knew dancing didn't have to be romantic or anything, but I did wish I found a date. I wished I had talked to Zoey before this, or that she'd come out now before her set, but I didn't know what delayed it. So it was just me, Sai, and Lillia.

Even though there was a lot on my mind, a lot I wanted to do, a certain person I needed to see, certain people nearby that I did not want to see, and bittersweet feelings bubbling up still with Nikki, I was able to throw that aside for a moment and just dance. I didn't know what Lillia was worried about, she was just fine actually dancing, and Sai and I were in sync even though we'd never really danced together before (I did make them come to a mosh pit or two after some of my concerts, but that didn't count in my head). I was laughing and enjoying myself more than I could remember doing in a long while.

A slower song came on, and we weren't sure what to do. Jokingly, the three of us hugged and tried to do a slow dance as one, but that proved awkward.

"We'll trade off," Sai said, in the tone that told me this wasn't something I should debate.

"Sure, yeah," I said as I put my hands on their shoulders, their hands at my side. "Every other song?"

"It'll probably just be the one song, yeah?" Sai said, moving back and forth with me. "Every few sways we'll switch."

"Sure, sure," I said. "That work for you?"

"I think that would work nicely, yes," Lillia said.

It was almost as awkward changing dance partner every few lines of a song, but that awkwardness was kind of fun, too. When Sai was my partner, they kept smirking at me for some reason, something about their smug little expression with their tail pointed up like a happy cat's made me grin, too. When it was Sai and Lillia, they had more of a softer smile that matched Lillia's. For the slow dances with Lillia, I think we both weren't sure how to react, and we both probably looked goofy as hell glaring at each other.

When the slow song ended, it felt like we returned back to reality, like we were aware that there were others around us. About half the people on the dance floor seemed to get the idea at the same time that this was a good point for a break.

Zeta tapped on my shoulder, and she was very lucky I didn't grab her arm and throw her over me onto the ground.

"We're gonna go look for Kalei!" she said.

"Fine, whatever," I didn't know why she even bothered telling us, or why she stayed near us for this many songs. I watched as she and Oka ran off, hand in hand.

"I suppose I'll join them," Lillia said. "Thank you both for the dances."

"Heh, no problem," Sai said. "Maybe some more later?"

"That would be lovely," Lillia said before joining her friends.

Refreshments were provided in booths with these janky weird robots that the school district loved to use for events, the fast food chain called Treesburger made them, and I couldn't believe anyone was still impressed by that. Sai and I sat down with robot made sandwiches and glasses of fruit punch.

I held my cup up. "Cheers."

"For what?" Sai said, still clacking their plastic cup against mine.

"For this being fun, I guess?" I said.

"That works," Sai said.

"Hey!" Myles waved as she arrived. "Finally found you. Wait, they have food here?"

"Yeah? Robots make you a sandwich," I said.

"What the hell? I'm starving!" Myles ran off.

Shortly after, her sister Ash came by from the other direct.

"Got pushed away by the crowd, ugh," Ash pouted. "Don't leave me behind next time."

"We didn't try to," Sai said.

"Well, at least I wasn't stuck in the crowd too long, the more I got pushed out the more I was like, I'm just gonna walk around," Ash said. "The bathroom's are crazy here. Fancier than the labs, even. Like going to some high tech space lab, but it's a bathroom."

"That...sounds kind of unpleasant," I said.

"It was alright," Ash shrugged.

It took a bit of time, but one by one the other devils returned to our table. If we spent the rest of the dance just hanging out, I'd be a bit disappointed in not seeing Zoey again, but even with that girl on the mind, I knew how time with my friends was just as vital to me.