Way to the Top

Vinyl nodded her head slowly to the sound of her sister's cello buzzing through the heavy duty headphones over her ears, intermingled with the roll of her piano through the melodic line. Vinyl cast a glance over at Octavia, who was also listening very intently to the recording they'd just put together, as Vinyl slowly adjusted dials on the recording mixer and bit at her lower lip. Gotta get this right. Heavier on the treble there. She adjusted the appropriate dial, and continued listening to the music herself, trying to fix it up right so Tavi could hear the kinda thing Vinyl was about to propose.

Tavi hadn't said a word since they'd both sat down on the couch about twenty minutes ago. Vinyl wasn't... worried about her, she was just kinda... antsy. Tavi'd been through the wringer, and Vinyl was only half sure she knew how to pull her out of it. Stressin' out over the orchestra had sent her into the kind of downward spiral Vinyl only thought drugged-out rockers got into. Vinyl frowned at a particular section, slowly adjusting the equalizer on the mixer. That bit needs more bass. Gotta keep the rythmn tight. Her eyes narrowed, and she wished she'd remembered to grab her shades. She always thought better with her shades on.

Octavia's whole physical posture reeked of personal uncertainty and doubt. She looked like a filly waitin' for her first recital, and Tavi had never looked like that. Of the two of them, Octavia had always been more confident in her skills. Vinyl knew she was good to a certain extent, but Tavi lived and breathed being good at what she did. She'd never had a doubt in her skillz, never had a reason to doubt it. She was a Piano, latest in a long ass line of musicians, and Pianos were good at whatever music they turned their hoof to.

Now? Tavi had been getting hooves in the guts from the Royal Symphony selection committee, and even more of em from her own self. Why else would Tavi possibly be getting rejected if her music wasn't good enough? Vinyl knew that attitude, like she knew every bass drop or phat beat in her repertoire. That was mum and dad's influence shining through like the dirty light it was, and never had Vinyl wanted more to walk back up to that schmoozy house in Manehatten and beat the living shit out of both of em.

Vinyl pulled her headphones off, grabbing a surprised look from Octavia - who removed her own a moment later. Vinyl half smiled at her and flipped one of the analog switches... Suddenly, the room was filled with a thumping bass beat, woven around a slick piano roll that sounded like it could go on forever - and in the background, the thrumming tones of Tavi's cello gave the usual bass beat a kind of soul that vinyl could really dig. Octavia's mouth dropped into a cute little 'o' shape, as the music flowed in the room around them.

It was a little jazzier than Vinyl usually went in for, but she liked it. It had a good head-bopping feel to it, something you could sink a good tailbounce into too. Tavi's eyes were wide, and shining with... some kinda emotion. Maybe it was wonder. There was an old school classicism to the piece - heavier on the bass, sure - but there was plenty of weight from that cello that Tavi looked like she couldn't quite believe it was her own music getting played. Ain't gonna be a better time than this. "Ey, Tavi." She nudged her sister, turning the volume down a bit so they could have a chat.

Octavia turned her head to her, blinking slowly - She was smiling, and that was a damn good start. "Lissen, I had this crazy kinda idea." She scratched at her chin, pretending it had just occurred to her. "You're comfy playin' around me, and I've been meaning to try out a little somethin' different." Vinyl gave off her very best, most confident grin. "How'd you like to do a little gig, jus' you and me and a sound guy at one of the clubs? Playin' stuff like this." She waved her hoof in the air, as the music continued to thump and thud around them like a faint heartbeat. "Could be a lotta fun, dont'cha think?" She quipped, wondering why Octavia was looking increasingly puzzled.

Tavi opened her mouth a little and spoke quietly - almost too quietly to be heard over the music. "But... Vinyl, don't you have a reputation to worry about?" There was the tiniest of frowns on her face, her hooves slowly tapping together. "You've got an image now, fame to worry about. I couldn't possibly let you jeopardize your career for-"

Vinyl cut her off right there, a little tired of this line that Tavi's mind kept coming back to. "Octavia, buck my career right in its bucking plothole." She growled out, a shocked look spreading across her sisters face. Vinyl grinned toothily. "Part-ners. I dunno how many more times Imma hafta say it, but I guess once more." She grabbed a hoof full of Octavia's gorgeous mane and kissed her hard on the lips for a few long, sexy seconds amidst the wubs, and pulled back with a growl. "I am not happy if you ain't. We stick together Tavi." She pulled up Octavia's hoof and gently pressed her own flush against it.

Tavi flushed a bright red then slowly began to smile, wider and wider by the moment. She lifted her other hoof and Vinyl pressed hers flush to that one too, and leaned in to touch her forehead against Tavi's. Octavia spoke softly, gently. "I love you so very much, Vinyl Scratch. I cannot possibly understand what I did to deserve somepony like you." Her cheeks were faintly red, her body completely relaxed.

Vinyl winked. "Same thing I did to deserve somepony as awesome as you, sis." She grinned hugely. "Cuz I wubs you right back, Tavi. Always will too." She tilted her head then grinned roguishly. "So, I take it that's a yes?"

~~~~~Two days later~~~~~

The next two days passed in something of a blur for Octavia. It was as though Vinyl had spun her up in a whirlwind of practice and preparations, and she'd had no room to even think about the fact that her playing was still flawed to a rather absurd degree. Still, she was looking forward to the chance to expand her horizons a bit - even if the night turned into a complete fiasco, there was the promise of something nice to eat and a bit of dancing... which Octavia was looking forward to rather too much, if she was perfectly honest with herself.

Still, it was nice to have two whole days without any of the stress that had been infecting her life for the past six months Even if she was inflicted with a whole different kind of stress. She could throw herself into the task of preparing for the oddest live show she'd ever been signed up to play. For one thing, the performance had posters. Posters! As though they were some kind of famous pop-starlets coming down into the stews to mingle with the common pony.

Even worse - the poster had a picture of the pair of them in their clubbing gear from the big party six months ago - wrapped in one another's hooves and surrounded by colorful smoke effects. It looked like an advertisement for some kind of steamy stage show, advertising the show as 'One night only!' Vinyl, predictably, had loved it. She'd even made it clear in the ad that this was going to be a concert - not a DJ set. Reportedly, they'd be back in The Clop, and they'd be occupying that center stage hanging above the floor for everypony to see.

It would undoubtedly be the single largest audience Octavia had ever performed in front of, even including the Grand Galloping Gala. That whole new kind of stress? She was equal parts terrified and exhilarated at the thought of it, and she simply could not make up her mind about which emotion was stronger. On the one hoof, she'd finally get to show off her stuff in front of a real audience, even if they were expecting a whole different kind of music than she was used to playing. On the other hoof, she worried - in spite of Vinyl's nigh constant efforts to convince her that she shouldn't - that she was going to fail in some truly preposterous manner and horribly damage Vinyl's career.

It was a knotty problem, and no mistake. She needed to relax herself, or she was going to shakily mount that stage and promptly fall off. Octavia slowly rubbed her temples - trying to focus on the positives of the evening... when two white hooves started working themselves into her shoulders and slowly easing away the tension there. "Geeze, Tavi. You really gotta stop doin' this to yourself." Vinyl teased softly, nipping at her neck. "Chillaaaaaax. We're gonna have plenty of club time to get settled in."

Octavia sighed and nodded slowly. Vinyl was right, of course. "Now c'mon." Vinyl continued, her hooves smacking Octavia's flank - sending her jumping into the air in surprise. "Get dressed so we can get there before the catering vanishes." Vinyl said, her voice laced with a giggling laugh as she quickly shuffled out of range of a retaliatory thwap from Octavia. Tavi glared at her then huffed softly, tossing her mane flippantly before trotting up the stairs behind the still laughing DJ. She was not going to chase her sweet flank up the stairs to get a little....

Oh, sod it. Tavi took off behind Vinyl and tried to tackle her.

~~~~~~~~~

By the time the pair of them had gotten dressed and out the door, the sun was hanging low on the horizon, signaling to all the world that the evening's festivities were about to begin. Octavia took comfort in the familiar weight of the cello case strapped to her back and the gentle chill of the spring breeze catching her coiffed mane and sending the little braids fluttering. It certainly distracted from the costume they were both wearing. Vinyl had insisted this sort of thing was 'hot' right now in the club scene.

Octavia was pretty sure Vinyl had insisted upon them wearing it so she could see Octavia wear it in public. Admittedly, Tavi - you were the one that got Rarity to make them, not Vinyl. Octavia thought, then tried to tell her brain to stop speaking such logic. She sighed and smoothed out the black cotton skirt with an idle hoof, and eyeballed Vinyl. Somehow, she looked incredibly attractive in the schoolfilly's outfit. The tight fitting white blouse, half unbuttoned near her neck with the sleeves slightly rolled up. The loosely tightened, bright red tie around her neck - the black cotton skirt 'shortened' a little so as to teasingly frame her fine flank along with the flashy pair of red panties.... Buck, she was even wearing fishnet stockings and a garter belt.

Octavia wore much the same outfit - except she'd done herself up in it as prim and proper as a parent could wish for. She was buttoned up properly, with a red bow-tie instead of the usual long-tie - Her skirt was perfectly fitted to be proper, and she wore the more common black stockings. They gave off a remarkable dichotomy of style - the wild child and the prim and proper one. It would probably look fantastic on stage. That didn't mean they weren't essentially dressing up in fetish outfits for a musical performance. Not that Octavia precisely minded seeing Vinyl in it...

She shook off the thought with an amused smile as they trotted down the street, staying close to one another. Vinyl had shipped her gear to the club earlier that day, and thus had no burden herself to bear. So instead she used her free hoof to wrap around Octavia's neck and keep her hugged close to her. The physical contact was doing wonders for Octavia's nerves, even if she was still fighting off a feeling like everything was about to go horribly, horribly wrong. Then Vinyl lent into her and gently kissed her cheek, wordlessly - and much of that feeling vanished in a puff of smoke. Octavia already knew what Vinyl would have said anyway. If we go down in flames, we're going go down in flames together.

The trip to the club was made in companionable silence - Octavia truly lacked something to say, and Vinyl was probably thinking about the recital. Well. Not precisely a recital, but Octavia truly had no other word for it. What had Vinyl called their little moments of playing music with one another? Jam Sessions? Perhaps then this was a Jam Concert. It was an absurd sort of name, and it brought a smile to Octavia's face. Of course, thinking about that also allowed her to ignore the gawps and gapes from the stallions - and other fillyfoolers - of ponyville as they strutted down the streets. The last time she'd realized that anonymity was not going to be on the menu for them. it had caused Octavia a minor panic attack.

The streets leaning into the club-part of town were only partially busy - Night had not yet fallen, and so the night market was not quite set up and going yet. Stalls were being dragged into the streets, and the many wares hung on racks or placed on rickety, portable shelving. Hanging around some of the food stands were knots of the younger members of Ponyville hanging about in various bits of costume and talking with one another. As the sun began to fall below the horizon though, the streets rapidly began to fill with more and more clubbing ponies...

The Clop's sign lit up like a neon beacon, in the evening's twilight. The jerkily animated pair of clubbing ponies on the signs summoned the ravers, the goths, the geeks and the wubsteppers to the call of the beat. Outside the club, the walls had been plastered with that promotional poster of the two of them in those incredibly sexy costumes. Octavia blushed horribly and turned her face away from the slowly thickening crowds - hoping they could get inside before someone sent up a ruckus.

Sure enough, the front door bouncer-ponies waved them in - and kept the rest of the crowds firmly out for the moment. Past the front door, and through the little foyer room which separated the club's interior from its exterior - the club floor was bustling with waitresses, bartenders and technicians making final preparations for the night. Nothing much had changed about the club - a former grain depository which had been converted into a club some unknown number of years ago. It had paid host to countless musical trends, and right now was set up for the clubbing set. The club itself was three floors, with a large central empty space in the middle of the club that went all the way up - with a DJ stage hanging on supports, struts and cables hung from the ceiling in the middle of the second floor's gap.

Vinyl tugged on Octavia's shoulder and grinned. "C'mon, I want you to meet somepony," she said, indicating the stairs with a nod of her head. "Then we can get to relaxing." The pair of them ascended the steps to the second floor, Tavi readjusting the cello's weight across her back. Oof. It's going to be nice to set this down someplace. She thought idly, as they crested the top of the staircase and Vinyl rushed over to a unicorn stallion wearing a slick looking black dress shirt and a white tie, and sunglasses very similar to Vinyl's. "Neon!" Vinyl gushed out, and grabbed the stallion around the neck and mussed with his already spiky hair do. The Stallion let out a strangled word and Vinyl grinned unrepentantly. "C'mere! Octavia, this here is Neon Lights. Neon, this is my marefriend, Octavia."

Neon pulled off his shades and suddenly grinned at Tavi. "Well I'll be a diamond dog's uncle. So this is the pretty lady that stole your heart away, eh Vinyl?" Octavia felt her cheeks color prettily... and then was surprised when the stallion took her hoof and kissed it gallantly. "Now that I've seen you for myself, I can understand why Vinyl rebuffed my considerable charms. In the face of this beauty, how could she not?" He said with a voice that was pure cultured Canterlot, smooth and silky like a nice soft cheese.

Vinyl rolled her eyes and clonked the Stallion over the head. "Give that shit a rest, Neon. You knew I was a fillyfooler when we freakin' met." Neon grinned unrepentantly at her, and Vinyl rolled her eyes. "Look, can you take Tavi's cello and get it sound-checked for us? We're gonna go chillax for a while." She had slipped off the soft case from Octavia's back at some point, much to Tavi's personal surprise.

Neon nodded, taking the case carefully with a light glow of golden magic. "Sure thing, marshmallow. Pleasure t'meetcha in person, Miss Octavia. We should all get together and talk shop sometime." He winked at the both of them. "Maybe talk about some other things too." He grinned, trotting off with a cheerful little whistle.

Octavia shook herself out of her reverie. "Vinyl... Did he just hit on us?" She asked, trying to mask her personal astonishment. "I mean- Wait, he doesn't know we're sisters, does he?" She quickly deduced, her thoughts racing as she tried to recall all the times Vinyl had introduced the pair of them around.... actually, she hadn't told anypony they were related directly. Octavia fixed Vinyl with a beady sort of look. "Vinyl Scratch..." She began in a warning tone of voice.

Vinyl sighed softly. "Look. Mum and dad don't know a damn thing about who I am nowadays. I'd like to keep it that way too, not just for me... but for you too, Octi. I know none of us exactly talk all that much, but I don't want you gettin' put through the same wringer I did." She poked Octavia' in the chest, and Tavi meeped a little. "An' don't tell me it wouldn't break your heart, either. Much as we both have a bundle of hay to pick with those two, I know you still love em, warts and all."

Octavia paused in retort, then sighed. "True enough, I suppose." She shook her head and started to walk about the club - taking the time while it was still empty to enjoy the cool and quiet of the place. "Vinyl... What are we going to do about our future?" She asked quietly, a little sickness in her stomach. "We can hardly get married. I am relatively certain there are laws against that sort of thing." Tavi said, a trace of misery in her tone. She lifted up a hoof to gently stroke Vinyl's cheek. "I love you, with all of my heart. But... I'm worried, Vinyl. Where do we go from here?" That was all she could get out - only half seeing the interesting architecture and random bits of kitsch on the walls.

Vinyl sighed and pulled her shades up over her horn. "Yeah, I been thinking about that myself." She rubbed at her chin, and Octavia was surprised at the look of serious thought on her face. "I mean, it's a sticky wicket, eh wot?" She affected a silly sort of Trottingham accent, and Octavia felt a smile tug at her lips. "Well... Um. We're still pretty young. I'm doin' really well fer myself, and I bet after tonight you will too." Vinyl looked to one side - Tavi noticing her cheeks flushing red. "I mean... you ever thought about having a foal?" Vinyl was blushing. A very, very bright red...and finally her words penetrated Octavia's brain.

"You..." Tavi hesitated, her eyes wide and her mind racing. Surely, she hadn't just suggested... or had she? "You want to raise a foal with me?" She whispered softly. The very thought was... astonishing. Intriguing, even. Perhaps a little scary? Well, perhaps. Still! "Vinyl that's...I..." She pressed her hooves to her mouth for a moment and took in a deep breath. "Yes, I think I'd rather enjoy that." Her voice finally squeaked out - sounding a great deal more confident than she felt.

Vinyl stopped in midstep to stare at her in surprise, a slow smile spreading over her face - transforming into a big, happy sort of grin. "Yeah. So would I." Vinyl said softly, and the both of them couldn't help it - they softly laughed. Octavia felt soft warmth in her heart - and trotted up to nuzzle up affectionately against Vinyl's cheek. Vinyl blushed and shook her wild mane a little, looking a little sheepish.

Octavia smiled, and spoke softly. "We'll do our own thing, then. Like we always do." It made sense to Tavi, at least. Who cared what normal was? She'd thrown out normal six months ago, when her beloved Vinyl had pinned her to a brick wall and given her the necking session of a lifetime. Vinyl and her could make their own normal. They'd continue the mighty line of the Piano family with or without Momma and Poppa's help. "We'll raise them right, Vinyl. With love, and care, and gentle pressure so they can become the best musicians they wish to be." She practically giggled at the bright eyed look on Vinyl's face. "And yes, I do mean even if they wish to be like you." She thwapped Vinyl's shoulder and got a laugh for it - Vinyl thwapped her back and Tavi giggled in response, so much of her tension forgotten already.

Vinyl shook her head. "Let's hit the green room. I don't feel like sharing you any more than I gotta tonight." She grinned lustily, and Octavia felt a little shiver of anticipation down her spine, her thoughts racing as Vinyl continued to speak. "We'll have some nice privacy for a few hours, and I bet I can come up with a few ways to loosen you up a little..." Vinyl said slowly, hotly into her ear - gently nibbling down the edge of it and to the primly tightened bow tie.

Octavia could not help herself - she whispered softly back into Vinyl's ears, her voice slightly quavering. "Yes Ma'am."

~~~~~~~~

Octavia was familiar with the concept of the green room. Nopony really knew why they were always called that - they were rarely green, and often they encompassed several rooms. It was one of those traditions that had begun so very long ago no one questioned it. On the other hoof, Octavia had never been inside one of those mythic green rooms herself - and she had to admit, it was not quite what she was anticipating. So she took the moment to look about while Vinyl busied with something regarding the 'sound check' going on outside.

The room itself looked like it had been converted from some kind of administrative office. There were still low-hanging ceiling fans gently spinning and not really doing much but stir up the air, and the entire left wall looked like it had once held windows - most of which were now filled in with plaster and drywall. The room was crammed with furniture of one kind or another - couches, chairs, there was even a rumpled, but clean looking bed at the back of the room, complete with what looked like a full bathroom behind a door - with a privacy curtain no less! What in the name of the moon goes on back here? Octavia thought with some amusement.

What wasn't furniture appeared to be little luxuries for waiting artists - several large earthenware crocks, likely containing some cool beverage or other. A small fridge, for other things to be kept cold. There was even a small, intimate bar here - fully stocked too. Octavia felt a little cheer rise in her as she spotted a very nice bottle of sweet blueberry wine, and pulled it from the shelf without a second thought. Oooo, Chateau de Orange! Very nice. she thought with a great deal of cheer, rooting out a chilled glass from the fridge and set it on one of the tables.

A few moments later, Tavi had snuggled into one of the couches in the green room with her hooves full of a lovely glass of wine - and her mind full of struggling thoughts. What do I do? Tavi thought silently, tracing her hoof along the edge of the glass. I'm still so nervous, but... Her thoughts stalled out there, as they ran into that little problem she'd been wrestling with for the last few days. Vinyl makes me feel so calm, so confident. Why is that? Why is it just her being around me makes me feel... safer? Octavia didn't know. These feelings of personal doubt were an entirely new sort of experience for her as it was, and these strange urges she had around Vinyl were not helping.

Or perhaps it was more accurate to say they were helping... and they were also scaring the buck out of her. She could no longer deny that simply being in Vinyl's presence was more than the comfort of having her very special somepony around. It was like... Admit it Octavia. The thought of letting her do as she pleases with you has become awfully appealing. It was a squirm inducing thought, even as she drank deeply of the wine from her glass. She was not completely naive about the world - Octavia knew more about the sexual oddities of her fellow ponies better than most would presume she did.

That did not mean she was entirely comfortable with applying those same oddities to herself. But once again, every time her mind came back to the thought of just... letting go... Of letting Vinyl stripping away the fear, the stress, the anxiety and replacing it with her gentle love and... and... Control. Octavia's thoughts whispered, and she felt a thrill of desire up her spine. Oh yes. Control. That was the word she'd been avoiding these last few days, the word she'd secretly lusted after and been frightened of in equal measure.

Tavi wasn't left alone with that thought for long, as Vinyl swung into the room with a gusty sort of sigh. "To quote you, Tavi - Bloody hell, these ponies are gonna drive me to drink." She chuckled in a bright, cheerful voice and swung over to the couch - spotting the bottle on the table with a sudden smile of enthusiasm. "Hey! Pour me one, willya?" She said, oh-so-casually... and a little thrill of excitement went up Octavia's body.

Octavia quickly pulled her body out of the deep couch and trotted smartly over to the fridge to fetch another chilled glass. "Can I get you anything else, Miss?" She asked in her very best playful voice, all saucy and sweet. The Trottingham accent rang through, and Vinyl often said it made her sound like a professional maid. Once, she might have taken offense to that. Now... Mm, That's a very sexy thought. A revealing little skirt and a bodice... Octavia shivered again, as she poured the sweet blueberry wine carefully into the glass.

Vinyl blinked at Tavi, as she slowly sank her flank into the couch cushions. "Uh, I could use something to nosh on." She said slowly, obviously curious about Tavi's behavior. Octavia bowed her head and did a cute little curtsy in the school-filly's outfit, bustling over to the mini-fridge behind the bar... Oooh. Perfect. Tavi grinned into the fridge and grabbed the chilly glass bowl carefully in her hooves, biting her lower lip slightly as she turned and slowly walked back with the bowl full of cherries.

Vinyl's eyes brightened up at the sight of the sweet red treats. "Whoa-ho-ho! My favorite!" Vinyl grinned enthusiastically, her hoof lighting up to snatch one out of the bowl... only to have it snagged out of midair by Octavia's crafty hoof. Vinyl blinked in confusion at first, then a look of comprehension slowly dawned over her face as Tavi dangled the cherry invitingly in the air. "Well," Vinyl began, with a slow smile. "are you just going to hold that thing or what?"

Octavia slowly smiled, and gave off a soft tut-tut. "Open your mouth, Miss." Octavia whispered softly - and Vinyl dutifully did so, her eyes widening a little bit as her lips formed a sweet looking 'o' shape. Gently, Tavi pressed the cherry to those lips, then fastened her own around the stem - plucking it off as she pushed the rest of the cherry into Vinyl's mouth with her tongue.

Should I? Octavia thought naughtily, as Vinyl savored the sweet treat... and then smiled coquettishly. Of course I should. She giggled, working the stem with tooth and tongue before popping it out of her mouth with a neat pair of knots tied into it. Vinyl went really wide eyed at that little trick - enough so that the cherry pit just dropped out of her mouth and plopped into the floor. Octavia allowed herself a wide smile and a cheeky wink. "I'm just full of surprises, Miss." She purred out cutely, sashaying her hips a little to flirt her cotton skirt towards Vinyl.

Vinyl then paused, and pulled her shades off slowly. "Tavi... What's with calling me miss?" That bright, jewel clear eyes felt like they could see straight through Octavia. Octavia paused, tapping her hooves for a moment - then smiled brightly. Heh! I don't even need words! she thought smugly. Octavia lifted her body up onto her hind hooves and gently tucked her forehooves behind her back, pressing them together firmly and adopting a posture of waiting. Vinyl slowly pushed herself off the couch and onto her hooves and raised a slow eyebrow at her. "Huh." was all she said for a moment, and Octavia held her position perfectly. She'd had plenty of practice at remaining this still during the long concerts she'd performed in while at school.

Vinyl was slowly pacing around her, making a full orbit and then stopping to speak, her voice sharp. "You don't have any idea what you're asking me to do here, do you?" At this, Octavia smiled a little and nodded. Vinyl's eyebrows went straight up in surprise, and she hopped back up onto the couch, gesturing with a hoof. "Tell me then." She said in a quiet command.

Octavia chuckled softly. "I certainly don't have the words for it but," she paused and licked her lips slowly. "I want you to direct me. To... be my conductor. I need... structure, Vinyl. I need some kind of authority to look up to. To strive to please and impress. Legitimate authority." She looked down, taking a deep breath and exhaling it." All of my life, that's been the Royal Symphony but now... after so many months of rejection after rejection... I had nothing to strive for anymore. I was completely broken down. I felt worthless... and then..." Her voice was coming out a trifle desperate now, as she tried so very hard to get all of these feelings out into words.

Octavia sucked in a deep breath to continue." When you just... took over those months ago... Like when you kissed me on our way to the club, or in the bathroom, or when you just started playing and let me follow along with you... everything suddenly felt so much easier. I didn't have to be the prodigal daughter anymore. I could focus on just being Octavia." Octavia bit her lip hard, trying to contain the tears. "You... You love me Vinyl. You love me for whom I am. Not some idol or ideal, not some impossible standard I could never hope to attain... you just love me." The tears came anyway. A little bit. "When I'm... when I'm with you. In your hooves..."

Octavia looked up to smile slowly, her eyes bright with a touch of moisture. "I can just be... your mare. Loved without condition. I can throw off all of the lies and just be... myself... so yes, Vinyl. I might not know the proper words or any of that... but I do know that you make me feel safe like nopony else does." Octavia shifted a little where she stood, rolling her shoulder to stretch out the muscle. "And... I want more of that. I want to feel like that forever. " she finished, hoping she hadn't gone a shade too far.

Vinyl just looked a little stunned for a few moments, obviously trying to process Octavia's speech. Still, she hadn't fled screaming from the room or told Octavia she was being foalish, so perhaps that was a good sign? Best to remain silent at this stage. Vinyl's ears are already letting off a bit of steam from that little bit of information. It was actually rather amusing - Vinyl looked like somepony had smacked her in the face with a wooden board. Octavia very much wished to giggle... but she also wanted to impress upon Vinyl how much this meant to her. It truly was like some kind of missing puzzle piece that had just... clicked into place.

After several long minutes, Vinyl finally spoke in a very soft tone of voice. "Yeah... I can work with that." She said with a slow smile of her own. "Sheesh, Tavi... How long have you been bottling that one up for anyway?" Vinyl continued with a rich chuckle. "You looked like you were about to explode there." Vinyl had already switched up her position on the couch, and was patting her lap. "Come here, Tavi." She said with just a little bit of force...

Octavia complied quickly, pulling herself daintily onto the couch and slipping into the offered lap, curling her back up against Vinyl's belly and nuzzling her cheek up against Vinyl's. "Ages." Tavi said, her voice drenched in relief. She felt the tension slip out of her shoulders and a soft sigh of satisfaction followed it. "I just... I wasn't even sure how to put it until the shower... thing. Then I just needed to figure out what to say." Tavi laughed out softly, resting her head against her hooves as Vinyl slowly stroked her hoof through her mane. Safe. Octavia thought happily.