Hearing is Believing

Chapters

1-Opportunities Part 1
2-Opportunities Part 2
3-Trying Something New
4-The Mojo
5-One More Time
6-Questions Part 1
8-A New Day
9-The Room
10-Guitars
12-A Distraction From A Different Perspective
13-Beginning Of A Song
7-Questions Part 2
11-Partnership, Business and Casual

1-Opportunities Part 1

Octavia Philharmonica knew she was at her lowest point in her career, she just didn't want to admit it. She’d always had a stubborn streak; it got her far in the classical music industry, but it wouldn't get her anywhere, and she had found that out the hard way. Too many Canterlot elites had made one too many remarks about “this one chord she absolutely should not have messed up,” or “her inability to keep comments to herself,” which had led her to make a slightly rude remark to the nephew of President Celestia -- who was the president of the Royal Canterlot Orchestra -- after he had hounded her with minute things she had done wrong, and how he could've done what she did with his eyes closed.

Octavia shook her head in annoyance, finishing her pancakes, and waving the waitress over for the bill. Blueblood was never able to do anything other than use his relation to the title, and she highly doubted that he would've been able to even hold the cello right. She sighed, the memory making her recall the reason she was looking for one last chance, anything that would get her back on track. Almost anything, really, some things she wouldn't do no matter what: anything to do with modern music, specifically the horrendous sounds that came from the genres that had surfaced recently; she would only dabble in it if she was forced to, and if her life was on the line.

The waitress came by again to finish the dues, and Octavia gave a huff as she pushed herself from her previous seating position, making her way to the door. She meandered through the pathway between the tables and booths, but as she was almost to the end of it something groped her butt.

Octavia whipped her head around to see a women that seemed around her age, with outlandish blue hair accompanied by lighter streaks of the same color was the culprit. She threw her hand back in preparation to leave their cheek with a different primary color, but stopped once they spoke.

“Hey, lady, what's this say?” The punk wasn't even looking at her.

Octavia took a deep breath to calm herself, then glanced at the menu, ignoring the fact that the girl had just grabbed her butt, and saw that they were ordering something quite simple.

“It's pancakes, they're...scrumptious.”

“Say again?” The woman took out an earbud, letting the obnoxiously loud electronic music play for both of them. “Sorry, was checking out some competition.”

Octavia sighed, “Yes, well, you're looking at pancakes. I do have to recommend them as they are something of a staple for this place.” She began to walk away, “Good luck to you and your...endeavors with breakfast.”

She huffed in annoyance at how someone could have competition from that kind of music. it was just a bunch of random noises with no correlation to each other. But…

“Might I ask what this competition is?” Octavia had returned to the table, her curiosity winning a battle over her dislike of the electronic music phenomenon that had begun to overtake their generation, and the new generation, too.

The artist took out her other earbud, and gestured toward the other side of the booth, bouncing a little in excitement for being able to talk about something she did. Once Octavia sat down they began.

“Well, ya see, my job is to create EDM for a certain production company called ‘Wonder Productions,’ and this up and coming artist is tryin’ to kick me off the charts.” They turned their phone around to show Octavia the artist, someone she didn't recognize and didn't care about, but she nodded to be polite. “Oh, the name’s Vinyl Scratch, I go by DJ PON-3. The y is a three for ‘aesthetic’.” Vinyl made air quotes to accompany her obvious annoyance with the way it was spelt.

Octavia cracked a smile at the woman's annoyance for the whiles that come with working for production companies. She understood it completely as work with her own manager could be aggravating at times. She sighed as she recalled that a meeting with said manager was imminent, something about a new proposition in the music industry. Vinyl raised an eyebrow at her sigh, obviously curious.

“I know that it's a pretty cringey way to spell it,” She chuckled awkwardly, “but I didn't know it was that bad.”

Octavia blushed in embarrassment, “Oh, no, no, I wasn't sighing at that. I just remembered that I have a meeting with my manager coming up.”

Vinyl perked up, “Really? What do you do?”

“To put it simply, I play the cello.”

Vinyl nodded, “Cool, I've always wanted to try putting classical stuff in my music. Actually, I'm about to go to a meeting about just that.” She checked her phone, a wallpaper of a cartoon white unicorn with large headphones on top of what seemed to be the contraption the Disc Jockeys used quickly flashed on the screen, along with the time. “But I think I've got a few minutes.”

Octavia checked her watch, “It seems I do, too.”

Vinyl shifted a bit to get more comfortable before continuing, “So, what's it like playing the cello?”

Octavia smiled, happy that she was able to talk about something she enjoyed doing, “It's magical, especially when you are in an orchestra. The whole symphony of varying instruments, the way the music just fits, and the euphoric feeling of the bow sliding across the strings, caressing your ears with its lulling sounds.” She grinned, “Much more sophisticated than your ear-splitting, shrieking that those abominations of technology make.”

The waiter came by to gather what Vinyl wanted, and promptly left once she gave him her order. Vinyl sipped on her drink before replying, “Oh ho, I see how it is. You just can't handle the bodaciousness of my house shaking musical talent, but I get it, you want to hide your secret admiration of my awesome job.”

Octavia let out an exaggerated gasp, “Well, I never! I would have thought that even someone like you wouldn't be so rude as to sully the life changing effects, and musical genius of classical music.”

The two began an intense stare down, but were interrupted by the clattering of the plate that held Vinyl’s pancakes. Both cracked a smile, eventually bursting out laughing.

Octavia sat up from the booth, “It seems that's my cue to depart. It was a pleasure conversing with you Miss Scratch, I do hope we can meet again.”

Vinyl smiled and nodded, “Yeah, same. I'll see you around, uh…”

“Octavia, Octavia Philharmonica.”

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Octavia made her way to her manager’s office, stopping once she saw the plaque labeled “Lyra Heartstrings” situated next to the room number. She knocked on the door politely eliciting what seemed to be a joyous, “Come in.”

Once Octavia was seated Lyra began her pitch, “Okay, so let's get straight into it. I've got something I think you'll like, the only problem is you have to decide within...uhh, yeah, the next hour or so.”

Octavia sighed, “And how, per se, did this predicament come about?”

Lyra laughed awkwardly, “Heh, ya see, it may have been a slightly dangerous combination of alcohol, procrastination, and all around laziness.”

Octavia pinched her nose, “I sometimes wonder how you're able to function properly.”

“Anyway,” Lyra said, obviously trying to avoid a certain subject. “I got this deal from another company saying that they needed to borrow a classical musician from us, and, well, I figured that you would be right for the job.”

“And the job is…”

“Working with an EDM artist.” Lyra backtracked, “Listen Tavi, I think it would be a pretty sweet venture for you to try, I know you don't like that electronic music, but it could be really fun.”

Octavia would probably have immediately said no, and she almost had, but when she thought back to the conversation she had with the EDM artist her curiosity got the better of her. “I'll do it.”

“What?”

“I said I'll do it.”

Lyra blinked, “A-Alright, let me get my stuff, we’ll leave to meet them after that, ‘kay?”

The drive to the EDM production company was quick, it especially felt so with Octavia’s nervousness over the rash decision to accept working with some artist she hadn't even met, but that was the reason that they were going to their building. She just knew that they wouldn't like her. No ‘modern’ artist seemed to like her, but then again she thought slightly more lowly of them than she probably should, which meant it was her fault for their attitude toward her. Her breathing quickened with her rising anxiety, what if I come off as standoffish towards this person, too? Ooh, I don't want to mess up again. Octavia perked up as she realized something, no, I can do this. I just act like I did to that one artist and I'll be fine.

Before she knew it, and realized it, Octavia sat on a rather comfy couch outside a recording room. At least, that's what she thought it was. Both her and Lyra didn't wait long until the manager -- an attractive woman with pale skin, and dark blue and pink hair -- walked into the room with…

“Vinyl?!”

2-Opportunities Part 2

Octavia knew that she had been getting herself into something that would have many twists, turns, and surprises. She definitely hadn't expected such a coincidence to happen so quickly, though it shouldn't have been that surprising seeing as she had expected surprises, just not so soon.

When she had entered the building she had been so focused on making the right impression that she hadn't seen the large letters above the entrance spelling out, Wonder Productions. Now Octavia sat lack-jawed in front of a loosely clothed, outrageously styled hair, and rambunctious artist by the name of, Vinyl Scratch.

The said artist sat down on the couch across from Octavia and Lyra, grinning as she did so, “Hey Octy, eyes are up here.”

Octavia felt the blood rush to her cheeks, “H-Hello Scratch, fancy meeting you here. Quite the coincidence I must say.”

Vinyl chuckled, “Yeah, funny that we both had a meeting, and it turns out that it's with each other! Anyhow, Bon Bon?”

The other woman that had walked in first perked up, “Yup?”

Vinyl gestured to Octavia and Lyra, “Mind giving them the full rundown? They probably know the gist, but just in case.”

Bon Bon nodded, “So, Wonder Productions has always been looking for new ways to make music, and popularize it for the masses,” She titled her head to Vinyl, “something one of our best artists has been able to continuously offer to us. This new venture was something I've been pestered from her constantly, especially after she met you, Miss Philharmonica.”

Octavia smiled, slightly shy at the sudden praise, “I'm glad I could be of service, at least in that respect.”

“Yeah, well, eventually she wore me down, and we went on the search for someone that would fit her requirements.” She smirked, “And after dragging Vinyl to one of your concerts she, how do I put this? Immediately wanted you to work with her for your...assets.”

Vinyl was now the one blushing. Octavia kept a mental note for later, then interrupted Bon Bon. “And you called Lyra to set this up, yes?”

Lyra stepped in, “Mhmm, I kinda forgot that I'd planned this meeting, and that's why we rushed here. “ She rubbed her head sheepishly, “oops.”

Bon Bon chuckled, “Nonetheless, I think this is a great opportunity for all of us; it's a chance to bring something to the table that hasn't really been done before.” She slid a packet of papers forward, “Sign this, and we’ll be ready to get everything started.”

Both Lyra and Octavia looked over the papers, while they both were already on board, the right thing to do was to check over everything, just in case. Octavia noticed that the restrictions were mostly common sense, really, just obvious things that shouldn't be done by anyone, and would get them in trouble: don't attack each other, if damages are done by the other party then they must take responsibility, and so on. She was surprised at the amount of leeway that was given to both her and Vinyl so easily, and quickly for a partnership that had just started. Vinyl seemed to have noticed her apal at the aspect, as she wasn't used to such freedom.

“It's actually pretty good to know how much you're able to do without someone breathing down your neck, tellin’ ya what to do.” Vinyl said, surprising Octavia.

Octavia nodded absentmindedly, soaking in the notion that she wouldn't be told everything that she should do, and anything that she couldn't. Sure, Lyra held many of the higher ups at bay, ones that almost controlled her with how insistent they were with how her talents were to be used.

She raised an eyebrow in realization, “I'd say. Hmm… Lyra?”

“Yeah?”

She shifted closer to Lyra, lowering her voice to a whisper, “How was this even approved? There's no way that your boss would let us do this!”

Lyra smirked, “True, but not their boss, or really, the boss.”

Octavia’s eyes widened, “You got in contact with President Celestia to approve this?!”

Lyra shrugged, “I know one of her former students, Twilight Sparkle. A few books as bribery, and boom! Instant convincing for Twilight to have President Celestia let this happen. Not that she would’ve even known about it from, Mr. Grumpy Pants.”

Octavia smiled and shook her head in exasperation at Lyra’s ability to get things done, not something that she expected from her out of work. She let loose a chuckle after she realized that Lyra had called her boss, Mr. Grumpy Pants. Her unprofessional side was seeping out, it seemed.

Octavia took a moment to make sure she really wanted to sign the document packet. Her, as Lyra liked to call it, ‘mojo’ had been absent for the larger part of the last few months she’d been playing. To compensate she would find ways to get by with pieces that she knew by heart, and didn't have to focus entirely on during performances. Now that she had spent a little more time than a fleeting chance meeting with Vinyl, she could already tell that by signing she would be getting herself into a ride of unseen memorable moments, and hard tribulations. Hopefully the latter would be minimal.

Octavia sighed, “Oh, what the heck.” The scribbling of her pen was followed in silence after; she let the pen rest on top of the packet after she had signed. Once she looked up, she glanced around at the faces of those surrounding her, all of them elated.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

The rest of the meeting hadn't taken long, most of it had been working out any kinks that had come up during the conversation about their newfound partnership. Octavia was particularly interested in the fact that since she would be spending most of her time in the Wonder Productions’ building, collaborating with Vinyl, and from what it sounded like, actually sleeping occasionally in it, too. The atmosphere that had come from both Bon Bon and Vinyl had let her assume that it would be a very friendly environment to work in compared to the almost militant schedule that was given to, Octavia.

She wasn't unhappy with her close friends that had made it tolerable at what had been her dream job, like Lyra and the way that she was able to easily crack a dirty joke at anytime, something that Octavia tried not to laugh at when it occurred. Yet the concept of new beginnings in a whole other genre, and place intrigued her, causing Vinyl to lead Octavia around the building on a tour. Bon Bon and Lyra had stayed behind, and based off the looks Octavia had caught before Vinyl and her had left, she'd deduced that she was better off not knowing the specifics to their endeavors.

Octavia let out an, “Umph!” as she bumped into Vinyl, who had stopped in front of their apparent first stop; a door labeled Neon Lights.

“Might I ask who this is?”

Vinyl glanced over to her, “Oh, yeah. He’s one of my best friends, childhood actually.” She took a breath to continue, but stopped. “Ya know, let's just go in.”

Vinyl threw the door open, revealing a bewildered young man that seemed their age, his spiked hair most likely an influence of Vinyl’s or the other way around. “Yo Neon! How's it goin’?”

Neon got up from his chair to greet Octavia and Vinyl, giving Vinyl a high five and shaking Octavia’s hand, “Nice meeting you… uh, whoever you are.”

He turned to Vinyl, and in an unsubtle whisper asked Vinyl, “Who's she?”

Vinyl chuckled, “This is my new partner, Octavia Philharmonica.”

Neon’s eyes widened as realization set in, “Ooh, gotcha.”

Octavia gave a warm smile, “I do hope we can get along, this is quite a new venture for me.”

“Oh, for sure!” Neon grabbed Vinyl in a arm lock, “You'll have an awesome time here, I guarantee it. Vinyl here is one of the best DJs in all of Equus! Other than me of course.”

Vinyl pushed Neon away, “Yeah, yeah, tell me that after you've beaten me in Ponyfield.”

“Speaking of Ponyfield, you up for it tonight? I got a few other artists together to do a livestream.” Neon plopped down back into his chair, swiveling and spinning in it as he talked. “I think it should be pretty fun, probably gonna get a new speaker from those donations or something like that, hmm?”

Vinyl sighed, “That'd be awesome man, but I've gotta get Octavia settled in. Maybe I'll get her to join in eventually, two for one deal, yeah?”

“I guess.” Neon turned back to his monitors, reaching for his headphones too. “Anyway, gotta get back to editing this track. See you ‘round.”

The duo made their way through the hallways. Octavia noted that there weren't that many doors; they were actually very spaced out. When she asked Vinyl, Vinyl said:

“Oh yeah, each artist usually gets their own room, and recording stuff. All the equipment that we need -- even some of the behind the scenes people -- usually is a lot, and since we don't have too many people in the company it's built, so there's plenty of room for everyone.”

The next time Vinyl halted her stride, Octavia didn't run into her, but still looked at the plaque situated on the door. Trixie Lulamoon was emblazoned across it, sparkles and a slightly over the top amount of bedazzles covered it. Oh my, this'll be… an interesting individual.

Trixie made no notice of them as she was tinkering with some machine. Octavia glanced round the room to see that most of it was filled random devices, and the like, all most likely having to do with EDM. She was aghast at the amount of technology that went into the production of the music as a whole. She took a breath, and was about to notify Trixie of their presence, but was interrupted by Vinyl.

“Hey, Trixie!”

The said companion stopped her work, and turned around, lighting up as she saw the duo. “Vinyl! How goes the latest track of yours? Trixie is itching to try out her new devices of smoke!”

Octavia raised an eyebrow, directing her confusing at Vinyl for obvious reasons. Vinyl smiled sheepishly, and whispered to her, “Oh right, uh, Trixie likes to speak in the third person. She's never really said why, I think it has somethin’ to do with her past magician background.” Vinyl turned back to answer Trixie’s question, “Soon, I just got my new partner here to help out with it.”

Octavia cautiously made her way to Trixie, holding her hand out for a shake, “Pleasure to meet you, I'm Octavia Philharmonica.”

Trixie took her hand, shaking it vigorously, “I'm sure it would be to meet the Great and Powerful Trixie! Trixie thinks that it will be a momentous occasion once Vinyl and you collaborate, most certainly. Now, Trixie must finish her project, greatness does not halt for anyone!”

“Ah, yes, I do suppose that would be of utmost importance. Apologies for intruding.”

Octavia and Vinyl backed out of the room, continuing on their journey to Vinyl’s abode. Octavia felt she should comment on Trixie, “I think she's a most eccentric person, I assume she's a hit at parties?”

Vinyl chuckled, “She's definitely something, but with the work she's able to do on stages… well, let's just say that my shows wouldn't be half as good without it. So, you'll probably be seeing more of her.”

Octavia sighed, “Brilliant.”

They eventually made it to Vinyl’s room. The plaque on the door was simple, Vinyl Scratch was plastered on it, along with DJ-PON3, and a musical note underneath it. Vinyl opened the door, gesturing for Octavia to enter first.

“Welcome to my humble abode, Miss Philharmonica.”

Author's Note

I do hope this was an acceptable start for this new OctaScratch multi-chapter fic, I'd been planning on doing something like this for awhile and I think it'll be pretty fun to write this. I apologize if I went too fast, I'm used to writing one-shots so this is new ground for me in that respect. There should be a new chapter out about every other week, so keep a lookout for that.

Thanks a bunch for patiently waiting for new content, though I suppose that users reading this later wouldn't have to and this seems a little pointless for them. But nonetheless thank you. I also want to thank General Skullcoat for coming aboard again to proofread and Haze too for editing, especially for taking time away from his own writing and stuff to do so.

If you liked the story, leave a like and comment why, I like any type of feedback. The same goes for if you didn't like it, tell me why, I may be able to fix it in the future. This'll hopefully be a fun time for both me and you, so I hope I can help make it fun and enjoyable to read.

-Till the next one

3-Trying Something New

Surprisingly enough, the room that Vinyl worked in wasn't that messy. Sure, it had a few things scattered here and there, but that was expected. Octavia had thought that it would've been a hoarder's dreamland, but equipment seemed to be nicely maintained, along with a nice and neat recording room off to the side. A couch, chair, and table, along with a television were situated in the middle of the room, the recording room to the left of it and the door. While the right was filled with monitors and a plethora of technology that Octavia would never dream of understanding, let alone being able to work.

The right side of the room had a large desk holding the monitors too, along with a few other things like a small fridge and a dresser-like piece of furniture, something that Octavia assumed was for extra clothes or holding equipment. She wasn't really sure, but wasn't curious enough to ask.

Vinyl plopped down onto the couch, “So, whatcha think?”

Octavia sat down on the chair next to Vinyl, “Very impressive. Granted, I wouldn't say I'm that qualified of a judge for something like this, but I do think that it is a very nice...how do you say? Set up?”

Vinyl chuckled at Octavia’s limited slang, “Yeah, I trick it out every once in awhile. New equipment is always comin’ in.” She paused, looking like she was contemplating something, “Ya know, you have a set up here too.”

“I do?” Octavia didn't understand how they would've had such things ready so quickly.

“Totally,” Vinyl huffed as she got up from her seat, probably annoyed that she had to get up. “Come on, I'll show you.”

Octavia gave a grunt as she got up, expecting yet another long walk with...interesting people to meet. “Ah, yes. Do show the way.”

The duo made their way out of Vinyl’s room...and right into the room next to it.

“Oh.”

Vinyl chuckled at Octavia’s reaction, “Heh, convenient right?” Vinyl opened the door to the room, gesturing for her to enter.

Once Octavia did, her breath caught. The whole room was filled with instruments, anything that she could imagine and want to use, even instruments that she'd thought she would never see. However, one in particular made her mouth fall open. The sleek metallic material reflected light from the large windows paralleling the wall that the door was on.

“You have an electric cello?!” Octavia rushed over to feel it, her body forcing herself to go over to it.

Vinyl meandered over to her, “Heh, actually it's your cello.”

Octavia’s eyes widened, “I-I can have it?”

“I mean, yeah. We got as many instruments and stuff ‘cause we weren't sure what whoever accepted would want.” Vinyl tapped her chin. “Though I suppose it wasn't the best venture money-wise.”

Octavia sniffed, tears welling up around her eyes, “Thank you so much, I'll be sure to use it to the best of my abilities. It's the least I can do.”

Vinyl chuckled and patted Octavia on the shoulder, “I'd hope so, can't have my partner using it wrong. I need some solid music for my new songs.” She paused, “Our songs.”

Partner, huh? I like the sound of it. “I won't let you down.”

“Anywho,” Vinyl began to make her way back to the door, “Let's go see where Lyra and Bon Bon went.”

They made their way back to the outside area they'd started their meeting at, but arrived to see no one was there. Octavia pulled out her phone and resorted to the easier way of finding them, texting Where are you? to Lyra. Octavia sighed once she received her answer.

Vinyl gave a curious glance, “What's up?”

“It seems we've been...what's the term?”

“Ditched?”

“Yes, that seems about right.”

Vinyl chuckled, “Where'd they go?”

Octavia sat in her previous seat, “They went, and I quote, ‘to dinner, don't expect us back’.”

“Mhmm, dinner.” Vinyl gave air quotes to accompany her skepticism. “Well, looks like we’ll have to fend for ourselves.”

“Do tell.”

“Seems like dinner's on me, you good with pizza?” Vinyl pulled her phone out and shook it as she talked, “What kind of toppings and all that?”

Octavia’s eyes darted around in nervousness, “I-I, uh, I've never had pizza.”

“What?!”

Octavia blushed in embarrassment, “I always thought that it wasn't something a Canterlot elite would eat, at least that's what I was told.”

Vinyl facepalmed, “We’re fixing that immediately.” She called a place to order, all the while mumbling about how absurd it was to not have eaten pizza.

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The duo made their way back to Vinyl’s room once the pizza had arrived, along with soda and something called cheesy bread. Octavia was definitely curious about the pallet layer out on the table, as she hadn't been able to eat junk food with how much she wanted to maintain her figure along with too many prying eyes that could snitch to the elites and hurt her reputation. Now that she had spent some time seeing how the less sophisticated artists in the music industry acted and spent their time, she felt that the notion of not being able to choose what she wanted to eat was a really pretentious way to act.

With a plate of pepperoni pizza slices, breadsticks, and a cup of soda, Octavia began her first taste of a surprisingly liberating act of trying something new.

“Pretty good, huh?”

Octavia nodded vigorously, taking multiple bites as she did so. Gulping it down she paused for a breath and took a sip of the carbonated soda, the liquid tickling her tongue. “I must say, I'm pleasantly surprised at the taste of lower class food. Most unexpected.”

Vinyl laughed, “Oh I see, you were too good for this? I see how it is, I guess I'll just take those breadsticks back then, their soft, heavenly goodness are probably too good for you hmm? Wouldn't want the queen to get poisoned, better test them to see if they're okay anyways.”

Vinyl reached for the breadsticks, but Octavia smacked her hand away, “I think the queen will survive.” She took a bite of a random, fluffy breadstick, her eyes widened as she bit into it. “Ish so good.”

Vinyl laughed, “See, us lower class people do have a sense of class. Just not in the way you're thinkin’.”

Octavia continued to eat with Vinyl the large pallet they had compiled, their progress slowing as time went on, and the night creeped up on them. Eventually, the two were at their limit, Vinyl more so than Octavia as she hadn't eaten anything so greasy and unhealthy ever. Yet the amazing tastes goodness it provided won over the battle between her years of societal boundaries and want for trying something new. Her clothes had lost the battle against the food though, as she had tomato sauce on them and some of the greasiness from the pizza too.

She checked her phone for the time, “Ah, it seems I must depart. It’s quite late, and I'd like to wash these poor clothes. I'll see you in the morning, Scratch.”

Vinyl did the same with her phone, “Yeah, I guess you should.” She paused, “Uh, actually. Did you come here in the same car as Lyra?”

Octavia’s eyes widened as she realized what Vinyl was thinking, “I did…oh great, now what should I do?”

Vinyl shrugged, “You could grab a taxi or somethin’, shouldn't be that hard to get back yeah?”

Octavia shook her head, “I'm close, but not that close. Plus, my purse is in the car with Lyra.”

Vinyl tapped her chin in thought, “You could just stay here, I was gonna anyway.”

“That's certainly kind of you, but I don't have a change of clothing, plus I won't be able to cleanse myself too.”

Vinyl scoffed, “Don't worry about that. I've got some clothes and stuff, plus we've got our own shower room thing, I'm not really sure what to call it, but we have a shower. With all the gigs and partying we do, plus the gazillion overnighters we always do, there was eventually a need for one and bam, we got one.”

“I suppose that will work.”

Vinyl’s eyes lit up, “And we could have a slumber party!”

Octavia gave her a dubious look, “A slumber party?”

Vinyl began to bounce up and down on her seat cushion, “Yeah! It'll be awesome. I mean, it'll just be the two of us, ‘cause everybody is gone by now. But still, I'm one of the best party people, there's no reason I shouldn't be able to do the best slumber party.”

Octavia sighed, “Alright, how does one go about doing this...slumber party?”

“What do you mean?” Vinyl gasped, “Have you never had a sleepover?”

Octavia blushed in embarrassment, “I was always busy practicing, I never had time for them.”

Vinyl gave another more exaggerated gasp, “That's unacceptable! We must rectify this immediately!”

And thus, Octavia’s first slumber party began.

Author's Note

Wow, it already time for another chapter huh? Well, I hope everyone is enjoying the story, as it will definitely be continuing. My friends Haze and General Skullcoat are to thank for that, as they're able to keep me procrastinating so I can keep thinking on how to write each moment, therefore making it better. I'm pretty sure that's how it works.

Anyway, expect a new chapter the week after next, it'll be a little different than you're used to. Oh, and if you enjoyed it, leave a like and comment! If you did like it, go ahead and tell me anyway, I like feedback!

-Till the next one

4-The Mojo

The idea of a slumber party, or sleepover, exited Octavia. Even though she had never done one or been to one, Octavia had always wanted to do one. While some may consider both of them too old to do it, Vinyl didn't seem to care and continued on with her preparations for the ‘ultimate sleepover’, a night that Octavia will never forget. Seeing as Octavia had never done one, she was stuck wandering around the building on her own while Vinyl set her office up to accommodate their needs. Octavia didn't think that the office should really be considered one with how much Vinyl was able to change it up for the sleepover.

Not knowing where anything was, Octavia gravitated toward the one place she did know that would occupy her. Eventually she was standing in front of the door to the music room, or her office, more so, from what seemed to have been implied. The door creaked a bit as Octavia opened it, but she didn't notice as the overwhelming emotion from seeing the beautiful cello enveloped her. She almost floated to the instrument, itching to try it out.

But deep inside her she knew that trying to play wouldn't go well. Her motivation and skill throughout the past few months had felt like they were going to be nonexistent any moment. The sounds she could ease out of her cello used to flow in and out of everyone's ears, enrapturing them in the moment at hand. Nothing would matter at that point, it would just be her, the cello, and the audience in a almost too private conversation through music.

Any small children brought along suddenly stopped whining, anyone complaining about how long it was taking to get started, really anything that was remotely negative ceased once she began. Her songs would feel like they'd never end, sometimes even causing attendees to fall asleep. She didn't mind, it acted as an example to the peace and serenity her music provided to the audience. Those were what she considered her glory days, times when nothing altered but when she would be playing next.

Yet, in the back of her mind, she slowly felt that it would come to an end. There was no tells that implied that, the famous celebrities and many fans overshadowed any doubts, but eventually she stopped. Octavia was yet able to explain why, but one day it stopped. Her motivation, her fame, and anything that had to deal with classical music. She had a theory though, something she'd been told by a few people throughout her rise and fall.

Octavia knew the fame had gotten to her and she’d realized it far too late. Her attitude towards anyone that was even close to a friend was horrendous, along with acting like anything she did would be gold. And the final straw was when she pushed away Lyra, who had been there as her best friend since childhood. Octavia had screamed and said things she knew she'd regret till the end, she'd even literally pushed Lyra away.

Though, she supposed, it was most likely when she back talked the ‘famed’ Blueblood. If she could pinpoint the exact moment her career hit the lowest point yet, it would be when she asked the nephew of President Celestia if he wanted to do the work of a cellist, heck, why not the whole orchestra if he was so proficient in his understandings of the actual way cellos should be played. Octavia never understood people like that, but it seemed that was her downfall. By not understanding the person that she had become, a standoffish, cocky, all around egocentric negative musician.

Somehow though, a week later Lyra came back with a plan. Though no one wanted her to play, Lyra still had hope in her, which was all Octavia needed to get on the path to redeeming herself. Once they had discussed what to do, and approved it with the higher ups, Octavia and Lyra set out to get her mojo back. Which inevitably lead to Octavia meeting her eccentric new partner.

Octavia shook her head and returned to the present, a present that was giving her every opportunity to make it back to the top, and this time with someone who seemed to be quite a human being. But it would have to wait as she had to start with doing the one thing that dictated whether or not they would be able to go on that path; the cello.

Octavia grabbed the sleek, electric cello, something she'd only heard about and seen a few times here and there in pictures over the Internet. Now that she held it Octavia could see what the fuss was about. A chair to the side, facing the door worked as a place for her to practice. Octavia took a breath, situated herself in a comfortable position, and drew the bow across the strings, creating a…

Ear splitting screech.

She sighed, then placed the string back in its original place on the cello. She wasn't going to give up, not yet. The bow slid across once again, this time not screeching but almost...putting like smoke forcing itself from the muffler of a car. Octavia continued her endeavor of finding the right movements, trying her hardest to recall the right placement of her fingers and her bow, something that had waned as her career dropped and she practiced less, basing her excuse of not doing so because she thought she wouldn't need it.

She was already one of the most well known cellists of her generation, why waste her time on practicing something she'd done hundreds of times? Ultimately, that mindset lead to her demise and now caused her frustration. Time passed quickly and unknowingly to Octavia, as she was too focused on the cello and playing it the way she wanted. Not from some sheet, not how she had done, the way that she had gotten famous.

She inhaled, focusing solely on the cello, bow, and what she wanted the instrument to do. For the upteenth time, Octavia drew the bow across the string, hoping to ease the beautiful music that had caused her to fall in love with classical. And by the time the bow had gotten to its furthest reach, all that had come out was horse manure. Octavia threw the bow on the ground, not caring that it most likely cost more than a month of her current rent.

“One last time, Octy.”

Author's Note

Well, I'm sorry that this chapter was basically just description, but I think it was worth it. I wanted to have a pretty serious backstory and stuff, with this I think it went well. Don't worry, it'll be back to the good 'ol OctaScratch soon. If you enjoyed reading it, go ahead and tell me, I love comments and likes, but if you didn't enjoy it, well, go ahead and say why.

-Till the next one

5-One More Time

“Come on Octy, try again.”

Vinyl stood in the doorway to Octavia’s room, or rather the music room. She had a serious face, which also seemed to have a bit of hope.

Octavia sighed in defeat, “I can't Vinyl. If I can't do this right, the way I want, then there's no point in this whole partnership. All it will be is the abysmal strings of notes that have been coming out for the past, what? Twenty minutes?”

Vinyl chuckled and shook her head, “It's more like an hour and a half, but sure.”

Octavia reared her head back in shock, I've been playing for that long? Most of the time she could only play before she'd quit for another few days, or the neighbors would complain about the noise.

“Wow.”

Vinyl smiled, “See, just one more time and then you can stop. I know you've had problems with this, Octy, I do my research. But I've heard the raw stuff, the music that's you, that's why I wanted you to be my partner.” She paused. “Though I'm kinda surprised I didn't recognize you at the restaurant, I've seen a few of your concerts, huh.”

Octavia picked back up her bow and slumped against the chair, “Fine, I'll try once more, then we go back.”

Vinyl nodded, smiling about winning the small argument, “Sounds good, all you need is to focus. Think of why you first began playing music, don't think of what you should be doing, think of what you want to do. Make the cello your bi-”

“I get it Scratch.” Octavia reverted back to her previous position of playing, something that would happen for the last time that day. Viny sat down on a chair close to Octavia, gesturing for her to start.

And that's what she did, a deep inhale followed her preparing the bow to slide across the strings. Her thoughts and surroundings faded until it was just her, the bow, and the cello. Octavia wanted to have it work, all she needed to do was focus and, like Vinyl said, it would work out. The bow crawled across the strings, creating sounds that were bland in comparison to what she was able to make.

Octavia took a deep breath, thinking of why she was a musician, why she did what she did. And now that she had time to think, Octavia knew that she played the cello for a few reasons, but the most important one was the best. Sure, she did it to be known for something, she did it to have a solid life, but the biggest reason she was a musician made her proud to play.

It was for influence, not to make people do what she wanted, obviously. Octavia played music to influence the future generations of musicians, to make something that they would look up to and find inspiration, but also spread music everywhere for anyone to hear and enjoy. She smiled and felt slightly renewed at the revelation, giving her some much needed motivation to try and make the bow do what she wanted, not what was required.

And for the upteenth time that day, the bow flew across the strings of the cello. This time though, she was controlling it, just ever so slightly. And it made a difference, a noticeable difference in fact, in the sounds of the piece. While it did make a difference in the piece, it affected something else; Octavia herself.

She'd thought that the idea of partnering up with another musician, especially a musician of a genre that she didn't particularly like, wouldn't have even worked on the drawing board. But now that she sat across from the very thing that she had doubted, and was able to change how she played just ever so slightly, she knew that whatever was going to happen from then on would be worth it.

Vinyl laughed, “See Octy, what'd I tell ya, it's all about the focus.” She noticed Octavia’s eyes had begun to water, “Hey, hey, this is supposed to be an awesome step into gettin’ you back on track. I get that I'm an amazing instructor, but it's nothing to cry over.”

Octavia sniffled, wiping away the tears congregating in her eyes before they fell, “N-no, it's just that it's been so long since I've been able to play so freely. Thank you so much Vinyl.”

Vinyl huffed as she got up from her chair, meandering her way over to Octavia, “I just gave you some tips, you're the one that used them. I mean, go ahead and praise me more, just remember that the tips don't mean anything if you don't follow them, yeah? So you helped my ego grow in that regard, someone following something I said doesn't happen that often, surprisingly enough.”

Octavia looked up at Vinyl, hiccupping a bit, “Really?”

Vinyl nodded, enveloping Octavia in a warm hug, which she most definitely needed. Vinyl’s soft breasts pressed against her head were definitely an added bonus, seeing as she had been wearing a deep V-neck it wasn't just that her breasts that were pressing against Octavia’s face, it was skin on skin. Octavia sighed in happiness, all her worries melted away as she pretty much snuggled in between Vinyl’s bosoms.

Whether Vinyl had noticed Octavia was better or had found out that she was a little too much better, she pulled away and grinned at Octavia, “Alright, we can worry about all this music crap later, what's today by the way?”

“Friday.”

Vinyl checked her phone anyway, “Huh, cool, we’ll have the weekend to start something. Okay, let's get back to my office room thing,” She sighed in annoyance, grumbling, “Whatever the heck I'm supposed to call it. My crib, abode, room, office, why not all of them, hm?”

Octavia laughed and followed Vinyl out the door. Her eyes widened as she took in the changed office of Vinyl’s. The couch was now a bed, covers followed over it, along with pillows that dotted the floor and the bed itself. It seemed anything that would have been hazardous was moved to the recording room, while the desk and all the monitors to the right of the room were mostly still there, but a large blanket made a tent from the desk to the couch.

Vinyl noticed Octavia’s reaction to the overwhelming change to the room and grinned, “Let our sleepover begin!”

Author's Note

Well, here's another little chapter for you all. I'm probably going to have these chapters stay the length they've been, as I need to focus on writing one of my larger stories and this is still something for me to use as a break from writing said story. A new chapter should still come out pretty frequently, I think about every other week still. Hope you all enjoyed!

6-Questions Part 1

While Octavia had never been to a sleepover, she still knew the general idea of one, though the name itself seemed pretty self explanatory. The first endeavor of their sleepover (eating pizza) had been quite fun, with something that tasty Octavia doubted that Vinyl would be able to top something like that. She hoped there would be at least one game of Equestria, a popular game that took inspiration from Life. She hoped that they would at least stay up all night, Octavia had tried doing it many times before, but never succeeded in doing so.

Octavia had found a place among the pillow and cover filled floor, waiting for Vinyl to set up whatever she had planned. “So, what is it exactly that one does during a sleepover.”

Vinyl gave Octavia a weird face, but shook her head, “Oh right, I keep forgetting that you haven't had one. Did ya ever read a book or somthin’ with a sleepover, or even one of those gooey romance movies where the girls sit around and talk about boys.”

Octavia’s eyes lit up, “Is that what we’re doing!?”

Vinyl glared at Octavia, “No-” She paused and mumbled, “Yes.”

Vinyl plopped down next to Octavia, finally done with whatever she'd been doing. Which apparently was setting up a console-looking box to the flat screen, shortly after she had sat down the screen lit up with the opening of a movie. Octavia waited till Vinyl was done getting comfortable to ask another question, “A movie? Is that's what's first on the agenda?”

Vinyl glanced back at the television, “Hmm? Nah, that's just background noise. We’re gonna start off with gossip, questions, girl talk, and probably a ton of other things. Since we’re staying up all night it doesn't really matter what we start with though.”

Octavia perked up, “And that is?”

Vinyl leaned back into the fluff, “Well, I guess the first thing on the agenda is question for a question.”

Octavia nodded, it seemed simple enough, “Alright, who starts?”

Vinyl shrugged, “Eh, you can. Remember, you're able to ask anything, we don't hold back around here.”

“Okay…” Octavia took a moment to think of what to ask. She'd never been able to ask anyone anything she wanted, since she could remember it was always answering whatever people asked her. Occasionally, she would be the one asking questions, but sadly they were just the same string of questions that others formally asked her. “Hmm, have you ever had a mix of beer and wine?”

“Pssh, what kind of que-” Vinyl paused, “Ya know, I don't think I have. Huh, I wonder how that would taste. I mean it shouldn't be that bad, and if I did I have a pretty high tolerance.”

Another question came to mind and Octavia blurted it out, “What's the most you've ever seen someone drink?”

Vinyl tapped her chin, “Well, I heard this one guy could drink scores of glasses before he even felt it, but I not believe it. And that's two questions, so I get two now.”

“Ah, right.”

“Okay, what's your cup size?” Vinyl poked Octavia’s breasts, eliciting a squeak from her. “There's no way those things are real.”

Octavia hugged her chest protectively, blushing madly, “Y-yes they are, just because they're an E-cup doesn't mean it isn't possible.”

Vinyl choked on air, “What? Come on…” She mumbled shortly after, “I’m like a few cups under you.”

Works for me, great breasts are great breasts, Octavia thought. She'd never say it, as she'd been taught better, but it actually helped to have a strict filter for what she said. Since no one could read her thoughts, that she knew of at least (Octavia assumed that she wouldn't know if someone was actually able to do so), she was able to think whatever she wanted without anyone the wiser.

Vinyl shook her head, “Anyway, girl talk stuff. Let's see, any guys you've got your eye on?”

Octavia shifted in slight embarrassment, “I do have someone I've got my eyes on, yes. They're just not…a guy.”

“Oh.” Vinyl’s eyes widened, “Oh! You too?”

Octavia was surprised to Vinyl’s response. Sure, she hadn't really told anyone that she liked women, but she'd never expected someone to be so casual about it. “Uh, what?”

“It's the boobs isn't it? I personally think they're the best things that were ever made, like, how can you not want to feel boobs? It's just a bonus to have them, really.” Vinyl moved around said breasts with her hands.

Octavia shook her head, dragging herself out of her breast-induced stupor. “Ah, well, I suppose I agree, breasts are quite nice.”

Vinyl threw her hands up, “See! This is why women are the best partners, I mean like life partners, not partners in a business way.” She noticed Octavia’s different expression, “Not that I don't mind you as a partner...and not that I'm saying that you're not someone I'd like to date. I totally would, but you're like way outta my league, you've got bigger boobs than me, better personality, probably don't drink, and I bet that you've had a way more adventurous sex life than me.”

Octavia laughed nervously, “No, I haven't had any to be quite honest with you.”

“Never!?”

“Never,” Octavia sighed, “I was always too focused on practicing the cello, that I never even got a girlfriend. Plus, it's, how to say, uncouth to date people of the same sex in the classical society. But I'm sure you have many wild stories about intcourse.”

“Heh,” Vinyl scratched her head, “Yeah…totally got it with the ladies. So, you don't gotta girlfriend?”

“No, no I do not.” Octavia raised an eyebrow in curiosity, “And you? I suppose you have one. Since it seems you've been leading in the questions, I'm also curious as to why you'd ask.”

“Oh, no reason.” Vinyl’s face looked slightly more red than before, “And no, I don't have one. No one’s been awesome enough to handle this.” She gestured to her body.

Octavia nodded silently, secretly happy that she had found out that Vinyl had no one special currently. She knew that being a business partner with her was probably going to be the best chance she'd ever get at having a shot at courting Vinyl, or whatever it was. Octavia hoped she'd be able to do the task, but based off Vinyl’s reactions so far, she had a feeling it was possible.

Vinyl waved her hand mindlessly, “Anyway, next question.”

Author's Note

Yeah, I know this chapter ended on a cliffhanger, or at least as much of one as I can give right now. But don't worry, it's just getting started. I'm still getting over my cold and I really want to focus on writing new content for That Was Close, so we'love have to see how often new chapters for this come out.

-Till the next one

8-A New Day

Octavia woke to sunlight dashing across her eyes, the window above Vinyl’s monitors had let it in. She felt especially, how to say, warm and fuzzy for a new day, even though she was a slight morning person. She tried to close her eyes and get back to sleep, still a bit tired, but felt a weird feeling on her chest. There hadn't been much attention payed to the annoyance, or in this case, the possible cause for her warm and fuzzy feelings.

At first Octavia had assumed that she had left her bra on before falling asleep, something she regularly did after a long practice, but when she glanced to the floor she found that it was lying casually next to the pull out. Taking a moment to think, she realized that it wasn't a different bra that was constricting her chest, it was a certain someone’s grasp. It turned out that Vinyl Scratch had decided to spoon her, the discovery prominent by the two soft assets of hers pressing against Octavia’s back.

After a few more minutes of waking up and and enjoying her situation, Octavia finally slipped away from Vinyl, taking a moment shortly after to admire her sleeping form. She searched for a sticky note, or something of the like, eventually deciding on a random piece of paper lying about to write a note for Vinyl.

Apologies for not waking you Scratch, I assumed you needed the sleep after last night. I'll be fetching my belongings that are needed and moving them into the music room while you're asleep. If I'm not here when you wake, go ahead and call me, I wouldn't mind some help. My phone number is...

Octavia nodded, happy with her work, then laying the paper atop the pillow beside Vinyl. She got herself clothed and made her way to her car, hoping she could fit her equipment in the little space she had. For some reason, she noticed, the drive back to her apartment was surprisingly lonely. In just a day Vinyl had made such an impact on her that she already missed her. Sure, the budding feelings that had already begun to sprout weren’t any help, but nonetheless, Octavia had a nagging feeling that told her to crawl back into the bed and cuddle with Vinyl. But her professional side and slight bit of common sense won over her thought.On the bright side, all she had to do to gain a cuddly girlfriend was court the heck out of a DJ.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she parked beside the sidewalk near her apartment, realizing how many stories worth of steps she had to climb. A few moments of contemplation and regret followed, then Octavia pulled out her phone and called her manager. She new that she had to admit defeat or call in reinforcements, so the latter was initiated.

Ringing filled my ears for a few seconds before Lyra’s voice overcame it, though it was a little hard to understand because of her groggy voice. “Octavia?”

“Hey Lyra, enjoy your time with my partner’s manager?”

“Y-yeah, Of cou-” A sound of someone stretching and the bed creaking interrupted her, “-rse. Heh.”

“Lyra Hearstrings, “ Octavia knew that she’d not just gone out to dinner with Bon Bon, “Have you seriously bedded Vinyl’s manager?”

“What? Pssh, n-no…I would ne-”

“Lyra.”

“You can’t have her Tavi.” Lyra responded, whispering, obviously to keep Bon Bon from hearing whatever she was going to say, “I know you’re probably thinking that whatever decisions I’ve made were affected by some drunken stupor, but I think that this time that didn’t happen. I really want to try something steady.”

“Really now?”

“Yeah, plus her tits are ginormous.” She paused, possibly taking in said breasts. “I’m tellin’ ya, this one’s a keeper.”

Octavia said, “Yes, well, I’d love to pry you out of that bed to come over here, but I’m in quite the conundrum and I need you to come over to my apartment.”

“But Octaavia.”

“I would rather not tell embarrassing childhood stories to the two of you while your sparsely clothed and I don’t think you would either, so please remove your behind from Bon Bon’s fingers and get it over here.”

Lyra sighed, “Yes, ma’am.”

With the call ending and Octavia having a few minutes to spare she began to clear out her car. Once she was finished, she took all her equipment (her cello, laptop, speakers, etc.) and put it in her living room, hopefully making it that much easier to get to move. She also grabbed a few pillows and blankets, since it seemed that she would have to find a place to not only put the other instruments but her equipment, on top of finding a suitable sleeping arrangement. She didn’t mind sleeping in the same bed as Vinyl, but a voice in the back of her head said it was best that she didn’t intrude and to only do so once Vinyl was a bit more than a new friend. Octavia hoped, just slightly, that they didn’t just move the bed in the musical room to storage. Just so she could spend a few more nights over in Vinyl’s room.

Her inner conversation came to a halt, the knocking on her door being the cause. Opening the door, Octavia was greeted to Lyra in a half open jacket (her midriff made it obvious that she wasn’t wearing a bra), some black sweatpants, and a bedhead.

“Hey Octy,” Lyra yawned.

“Hello Lyra,” Octavia said, allowing Lyra to walk in.

“Woah,” Lyra’s surprised face made Octavia grin, “You’re bringing everything, huh?”

Octavia nodded, “I figured that if I really wanted us, not just me and Vinyl, but you and Bon Bon to become the success that Vinyl wants...well, I wanted to be serious. Not just act like it’s another song, or duet, the like, I want to go about this with the hope that it will become our life.”

“Wow, that’s way too deep for nine in the morning.” Lyra said, hefting up a speaker. “Anyway, I guess we can use my car too. Let’s get this show on the road, I’ve got heaven to get back to and an angel to cuddle.”

With Lyra having a touch more initiative than before, they had all of Octavia’s belongings in the cars within a reasonable amount of time. The drive back to Wonder Productions was better with Octavia keeping Lyra on speaker, not just to make it bearable, but to keep her awake. By eleven, the two had arrived at Octavia’s new workplace. Parked and just starting to unload, Vinyl popped up behind Octavia, almost making her wack Vinyl with her cello out of surprise.

Vinyl was still rubbing her eyes after Octavia got back her bearings, “Hey Octy, I came to help and stuff.”

Lyra came over from her car, “Oh, hey Vinyl’s here. All the stuff from my car is out in the lobby, I’ll trust you guys to get everything where it needs to be and all that.”

“What, there’s no way you finished that fast…” Octavia glanced over to the lobby, and sure enough, it had the said load occupying its space. Before Octavia could even thank Lyra for her help, the door to Lyra’s car was closed and she was riding off.

“Where’s she going?”

Octavia returned her attention to Vinyl, “Ah, she and Bon Bon are a thing now, I suppose.”

Vinyl cocked an eyebrow, “They banged?”

“That’s one way to put it, yes.” Octavia said, blushing profusely. “In Lyra’s words, ‘I’ve got heaven to get back to and an angel to cuddle’.”

Vinyl grumbled, “Hmph, wish I had a girl to cuddle. Ya know, I was just dreaming about that last night, felt so real too…”

Octavia’s mouth flopped open and closed back, “The best dreams are the ones you hope for, hm? Or maybe, it’s they’re the ones that will come true.”

Vinyl perked up, “You think so?”

“If you take initiative, I don’t see why not.”

Vinyl thrust her chest out, “Alright then, let’s get some work done, eh?” With that, they began to continue unloading. Letting Octavia wonder if her hint got through.

Author's Note

It's been awhile since I put something out for this story and I have to say it was kinda fun getting back into it. I hope to keep progressing this story slowly, each chapter holding just about a thousand words. I know that doesn't seem like much, but I do it to not only get them out easier, but to have somewhat of a collection of scenes instead of actual chapters. Something I haven't tried before, so bear with me.

Anyway, the trip to Bodukan and Tomorrowland is just starting and I hope you'll enjoy the ride.

9-The Room

Unloading went fairly quickly with Vinyl helping and soon the lounge and hallway near their rooms were filled with instruments. The previous room for the instruments (soon turned Octavia’s room) was the second part of the plan to be cleared out. Octavia was skipping up the stairwell with the last armful of the load, excited to see the main musical room that they would be moving the instruments.

“So, where is this room you mentioned?” Octavia asked, one hand grasping the neck of a violin.

Vinyl grinned, “Oh, you’ll see, it’s the star attraction of our building. You’ll usually see someone there no matter the time of day.”

The duo continued the conversation with discussions of what instruments to keep in Octavia’s room. A few hallways, turns, even a stairwell, and the like, they had decided on finding a stand for her cello’s, a guitar or two, and a speaker in the corner. They didn’t have any furniture as it was too hard to fit in the cars, but Vinyl’s SUV would allow them to bring a few pieces over. Luckily, Vinyl mentioned that they didn’t have any mattresses, but had some money to be a new bed anyway, and she would happily contribute to the funding if needed.

The last corner was turned, and the two arrived at a door appropriately labeled Music Room. Vinyl took the lead, but as she opened the door, she didn’t enter, holding it open for Octavia. Both smiled at each other, but when Octavia turned to the room, slowly walking into it and forgetting to thank her.

“Wow.”

The room wasn’t just a room, it was a gathering place for the modern peoples. A hang out was to the right, flatscreens and a few couches, along with a table occupied the area. Then a few doors led to recording rooms to the left, bean bags were against the wall too. A hallway past the lounge gave Octavia a peek at a game room filled with tables of air hockey, pool, and other extremities she couldn’t see in her field of vision. Straight ahead held what they were looking for; a plethora of instruments. The whole wall of the room in front held an unimaginable amount of instruments, devices, tools, and a whole list of other things.

Vinyl grinned, seeing Octavia’s shocked expression, “We like the open-concept kind of deal, if you can tell.”

Octavia spun around as they walked to the instrument wall, noting that someone was playing some video game on a TV, looking a bit familiar. The pile of snacks and drinks alluded to a long session.

Vinyl took a detour to the obvious friend, smacking them on the shoulder, “Neon! Buddy, I thought we agreed on no all-nighters. We don’t wantcha dyin’ on a stream.”

“Wha?” The sleep deprived Neon turned his head to face the pair. “Oh, hey guys, I was just tryin’ to get a few more dollars for that foundation.”

Vinyl patted him on the back, “Come on man, get some sleep. Me and Octy’ll join ya later today to get the extra stuff aight?”

They received a snore in reply.

Octavia watched as Vinyl took the headset that had been resting on Neon’s head and began to speak into it, “Hey guys, gotta put ‘ol Neon to bed. Mr. Snuggles is already missing him.”

Rapid fire text sprung up from another screen beside it. Octavia looked questioningly at Vinyl while she began to shut down the electronics, “What exactly was he doing?”

Vinyl led Octavia to the wall of instruments, having finally shut down the set up, “Oh that? The stream that Neon asked if we wanted to do was what he was doin’.”

Octavia took a moment to soak in what had happened, “I would like to try this ‘streaming’.”

“Sweet! We can do it later today, like I said.” Vinyl grabbed a speaker and a few chords from the wall, “Anyway, let's get you situated.”

There was so much too choose from, making Octavia a little overwhelmed at how well the company must have been doing to afford a literal wall of instruments. “I-I...where do we start?”

“The big things we can get later, like a piano to put in the lounge, plus you have a good amount of what we need already over there.” Vinyl strutted to the left and removed a guitar from the wall. “I say we grab you an electric guitar and bass, which you’ll pick out obviously, while you do I’ll get the stands.”

Octavia took the guitar from Vinyl, admiring the sheen the red and light yellow gave off on the front. The brown neck stood out by, ironically, not standing out, as the mellow color balanced out the bodacious body coloring. Octavia nodded in acceptance, moving on to find a bass. Her jaw dropped, a glass body held the slender wooden neck together, practically calling for Octavia to hold it, to play it, to have it.

Vinyl returned with their needed accessories, to say it one way. Soon after both of them had arrived back at their rooms. And by the end of the day, with some needed breaks and lunch, they had finished transferring the unneeded instruments and furniture to their pre-planned spots. Dinner (pizza again) was finally eaten on a table, instead of the floor at Vinyl’s. Sadly, not really in Octavia’s case, they still had to get her a bed, and she was stuck with Vinyl for the time being.

“So,” Vinyl sighed as she leaned back in her chair (a small “living room” styled set up had been moved to a corner of Octavia’s room, filling the space for the bed), “tomorrow we can get to our first practice, and see how it goes from there, yeah?”

Octavia nodded, excited to show off her skills, and not just with the cello. Though if she was having a hard time with her best instrument, it would probably take awhile to get back in the groove with it and the others.

After taking a shower and getting into her new clothes (and secretly a big disappointed at not getting to share clothes with Vinyl, something Octavia hadn’t done before with a girl, space, friend), they finally were in the bed. Or Vinyl’s bed to be more specific, which Octavia was acutely aware of.

Vinyl didn’t seem to mind too much, turning to face her, “Hey, Octy…”

A bit distracted by how delicious Vinyl’s lips were, and her minty breath, Octavia replied, “Y-Yes?”

“I know I pushed you to get those guitars, but I totally forgot to even check if you could play ‘em. Sorry…” Vinyl’s face fell, but quickly lit up, “I could teach you though!”

Octavia shook her head, “No, I am quite decent at those, thank you.” But after seeing Vinyl’s face fall yet again, “However, I must say that I’m rusty and may need some assistance in recalling the chords and such.”

Vinyl grinned, “Sweet! Anyway, how’d you get into guitars? I thought you were all classical and crap.”

Octavia wasn’t about to ignore a chance to talk to Vinyl more, “Well, you see…”

Author's Note

Here's something I've been holding for awhile. I don't know when I'll update again, but I want to thank you all for your patience.

10-Guitars

“...When I was little, one of my cousins, Ringing Note came to visit. They were like the cool cousin of the family back then, still are to me. He had been playing with a band he started in college that got pretty popular and had come to Canterlot as part of a tour they were doing.”

Vinyl kept silent, surprisingly enough. She was actually interested in such a story, something that surprised Octavia a bit. Not to say that she didn't mind telling a few stories here and there. Telling a bedtime story to one of her children some day was a quiet goal of Octavia’s, something she hadn't told anyone. Her first impressions of Vinyl were interesting, and as the hours began to turn into days, she really saw how much she wanted to be next to Vinyl more.

“I hadn't dabbled in the then overbearing loudness that guitars created.” Octavia continued, “But it was close to my birthday and Ringing Note wanted to give me the best present he could give; a hand carved guitar.”

Vinyl whistled, “That's a mighty fine present, though I guess you're used to those huh?”

Octavia shrugged, “I suppose, my parents only gave presents that they thought would further my music career. The only gifts I received that seemed to have any actual emotional value and not monetary would have to have been the trinkets that Ringing Note sent me.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, well, compared to my life, Ringing Note was able to travel the world with his job,” Octavia smiled, remembering the stories that she was told every Christmas. “He’d sit me down in the rocking chairs out front on our porch at night when my parents were asleep and tell me of the wonders that music had brought him.”

“I can back that up,” Vinyl said, “We’ll be able to go anywhere in the world, I’m sure with your help we can do anything.”

Octavia felt a warmth blossom in her chest, “T-Thanks Vinyl, it means a lot that you said that.”

Vinyl lent back and threw her arms over on top of her head, “No problem, let’s hear the rest of your story, yeah?”

“Of course, I liked to keep the trinkets on their own shelves as my own collection of things. They were really the only things that gave my rather boring room any flare.” Octavia sighed before continuing, “Since my parents were highly against the use of the guitar, but for whatever reason pertaining to morals would not throw it away, I had to self teach myself for the most part.”

Vinyl nodded in understanding, “Yeah, that sounds like generic Canterlot parents to me.”

Octavia had been come increasingly aware of the mint smell that came from Vinyl, wanting to lean closer to Vinyl to get a constant barrage of the pleasant smell. Taking a gamble she leaned on Vinyl’s shoulder, not only getting a hum of appreciation from her but a great view of her breasts. Not that a Canterlot Elite like herself would stoop to such lows to get a peek at suck perky cherries.

“Octy?”

A poke in the forehead broke Octavia out of her stupor, “Hey, you like what you've seen so far?”

“W-What? I don't want to think that you're assuming what I think, but I can assure you that someone of my stature would never stoop so low.” Octavia sputtered, trying to look away, to find anything else to look at. Even though it was quite painful to do so.

Vinyl tisked, “Sure, sure. Anyway, you still keep in touch with your parents? Or were they too strict and annoying for you to want to even talk to them anymore?”

Octavia took a deep breath, sinking into a blissful state that she hadn't ever thought she would be in with someone like Vinyl, “Well, I cannot say that they were in my highest favor when I went to Canterlot University, but I wasn't so annoyed that I cut off ties. I stuck with letters every once in awhile and still do. How about you?”

“You mean my relationship with my parents?”

“Yes, that's correct.”

Vinyl seemed to have understood her intentions with leaning her head on her shoulder because she took full advantage when she shifted to sling her arm around Octavia, “Hmm, there's not much to tell. They were pretty much the opposite, only strict when they really needed to and let me follow the path that I wanted. Surprisingly, I went to the Canterlot College, near you. My Mom works as a teacher in the High School near where my dad’s music shop is. They don't do much honestly, probably nothing like your parents.”

Octavia tapped Vinyl’s knee in thought, “Well, I would say that they are doing alright. Last I heard from them was that my father’s teaching at some prestigious music academy and my mother is producing soundtracks for some blockbuster movies. They really can never sit down I must say, I can see them working until age takes them.”

“Dang, that’s crazy. I couldn’t imagine working the much for that long, my parents have always said they would hand off the store once they felt it was time.” Vinyl had slowly begun to realize the person that Octavia was. Her tenacity she had shown to break free from her pressure from her parents and societal norms was admirable and admittedly attractive.

“Yes, well, I haven’t been in the best of contact with them. Letters only give and receive so much information. So, I suppose things could have changed, but I doubt it.” Octavia sighed, “Once I can get to a point I am happy and proud of myself, I’ll move on from letters and visit them.”

Vinyl knew she had chosen the right person to help her get her mojo back. She was confident that Octavia’s drive would motivate her to actually get back in the groove. And having Octavia with her throughout the whole journey was motivating unto itself.

“So,” Vinyl smiled as she thought about what she was going to ask, “Tell me more about the guitar.”

Octavia chuckled, “I see what matters to you Scratch. Hmm, let’s see…”

Author's Note

I have to apologize for the long times between updates, but nonetheless here’s some more. There’s some more material saved up so stay tuned, I’ll be putting out more chapters this month. Thank you to everyone who’s stuck around.

12-A Distraction From A Different Perspective

Vinyl and Octavia’s talk and interaction devolved, or evolved, into cuddling and getting to know each other more intimately. Both had little relationships in their life, which had been taken over mostly by their work. A chance at sharing similarities, especially over business and pleasure gave them both reassurance that their relationship might last. None of this was spoken between the both of them, it was shown through their actions during their mutually agreed to cuddle session.

The session might have been somewhat impromptu, but Vinyl knew it was a first step toward a budding partnership. She’d take awhile to admit it, Vinyl already knew, but the moment she’d seen Octavia at the diner it was love at first sight. She wanted to soak in as much of her as possible. The dark waves of hair that cascaded down Octavia’s face, like a sheet of music that drew your eyes across the paper it drew Vinyls eyes inward toward her eyes.

Other than Vinyl’s completely unbiased opinion on the angelic features that made up her new girlfriend’s face, it was the eyes that drew her closer. Of course, her peripheral, as bad as it currently was (likely cause of the added stress of being in the position she currently was in), allowed a peak at Octavia’s lithe form. The curves flowed together to create a picture perfect body from her perspective complete with humps on the landscape that seemed too enticing not to double check if they really were that perfect.

Her vision unfocused and refocused rapidly every time she made it back to Octavia’s eyes. Vinyl wasn’t completely sure, but the violet eyes stared ahead, oblivious to her partner’s scanning of herself. It was quite cute if Vinyl was to admit anything, the unsaid allowance of the, for lack of a better word, probing of the cellist gave Vinyl a warm feeling.

Too impatient to not know the exact color, Vinyl broke the silence, “Hey, Tavi, what’s the color of your eyes? I just can’t stop staring at them, I think my eyes have literally gotten tired from staring so much.”

Octavia giggled in response, “You get right into the flattery, I respect that Scratch. I will not be going anywhere anytime soon, so as much as I welcome it, I can assure you that it is not needed for me to stick around. Anyhow, I’ve been told their violet, dark purple if you are to be simplistic.”

“Hmm, fantastic. I don’t think I’m going to stop staring.” Vinyl replied, continuing to do just that.

“Yes, well, I would recommend taking it in doses. It sounds like you need to rest those eyes anyway.” Octavia cracked a smile, resting her hand on Vinyl’s leg.

Vinyl put her hand on top of Octavia’s, moving her other hand to Octavia’s chin. “Well if you insist, I guess I can find something else to take in doses.”

Oh? And what might that be? Could y-“ Octavia was cut off by Vinyl’s lips pressing against hers. They took a second to naturally find their groove, and it was obvious that Octavia was a quick learner. The first time for her was getting better every second, and Vinyl wasn’t going to deny the occasional tips of tongue that graced the crest of her lips.

It was freeing and a good distraction, she hadn’t been in many relationships that even got to the point she was at currently. Vinyl would admit that she tried her best to get into and maintain something to get anything out of it, but her work always trumped the relationship causing a quick end to anything that could have been. So, while she wouldn’t admit it anytime soon to Octavia, the bliss that she was inducing to Vinyl was somewhat new to her too. And even with the short time they had taken to know each other, it was the first time that someone had listened and she had wanted to do the same.

Vinyl wasn’t going to stop her new exploration of the ticks and buttons that made Octavia breathless and moan oh so uncivilized. And the credentials she had been given to access these places, that was the newly acquired girlfriend status, allowed for pleasure to extend well past what should be probably the norm for new couples. She didn’t care, the warmth flooding through her chest and throughout her body told her that it was meant to be.

It was like pulling off a band aid with the tinge Vinyl felt pulling away from Octavia, “Uh, um, wow. You’re way too good at that.”

Octavia smiled sheepishly, looking suddenly shy for such a brazen response, “I take that as a compliment, yes?”

"That is one hundred percent a compliment Octavia. We need to do that more often." Vinyl said, likely more breathless than Octavia.

"Well, we do have work to get done." Octavia giggled in response to seeing Vinyl's pouting face. "But I suppose break time might need to have some allotted time for such a thing."

Vinyl's eyes brightened, "Great! Well, I think we've gotten distracted for long enough. Sadly, we should probably be getting to bed. We won't be productive if we don't get any sleep. Money's gotta be made somehow ya know."

"Oh I am acutely aware of that. Do not fret dear Scratch, I have strictly budgeted for the past years because of my situation." Octavia replied, a bit bitterly for having experienced something so uplifting moments before.

Vinyl smiled, "I don't think you'll have to worry about budgeting much longer. I think after I hear you play some, and get back in the groove tomorrow. My mojo will be back and ready to make some bread!"

Octavia smiled back, yawning instead of verbally responding. And with that, the two snuggled into the covers. Prepared to take the next day in stride. It was going to be hard work, and Vinyl couldn't wait to get through it with her new partner. The future was looking bright, and Vinyl was ready to see it to the end.

13-Beginning Of A Song

Octavia yawned, opening her eyes to be overtaken by some blue hair. She snuggled her nose into the nest of bedhead, breathing in the natural scent of what smelled like cherries. Vinyl made a noise and opened her eyes to stare back at Octavia. In response, Octavia smiled, “Good morning darling. Sleep well?”

Vinyl sat up and stretched out her whole body, Octavia took note of the way it accentuated her figure in the light. “Yeah actually, probably the best I’ve had in awhile. How about you?”

“Good, ready to get to work if I must say.” Octavia replied.

Vinyl's eyes brightened, "Great! Well, I think we've gotten distracted for long enough. Sadly, we should probably be productive. Money's gotta be made somehow ya know."

Vinyl smiled, "Right, well I guess we should save messing around with the guitar and other things that aren't making money some other time."

"I agree."

Vinyl huffed, a subconscious event caused from pushing herself off the bed, "Let's get everything properly situated and start getting some samples from ya. I think we can go from there."

It was a quick set up of Vinyl moving some of the recording equipment around and sitting down at her computer while Octavia hooked up her new electric cello. The two settled quickly, ready to start the day off right. Octavia was excited to see if her groove was returning, even if somewhat. All that mattered was that they could see some sort of progress made in the session. She was excited, no matter what happened. It finally felt right to be doing what she was doing after so long not knowing. It was going to be a completely new experience with Vinyl, something that Octavia still had butterflies in her stomach about.

The cello fit nicely in her hands, the hand crafted neck among the whole body reminded her that she should be putting in just as much work to parallel the pride the craftsman had put into the cello. Octavia could tell that she was not just getting an opportunity, it was coming to her on a silver platter with the best equipment she could wish for. All she had to do was help her new partner with the same problem she was having, and it was beginning to look like a light was opening for the two of them.

"I am ready when you are Vee. How would you like to start?" Octavia asked, aware of the nuances and 'pre-game' rituals each artist had. At the end of the day, Octavia needed no interruptions during sessions as they would break her momentum for the feel that she would discover throughout the session.

Vinyl typed, clicked and tapped a few things on her setup, "Alright, I'm ready too. Lets just start with something simple, I wanna see if I can build off what you have. 'Cause right now is just that feel part of the process ya know. We gotta figure out how each other works. The results will come later."

"I suppose that makes sense. Okay then, I have a couple simple samples I have come up with in free time that I like to play." Octavia adjusted herself to get comfortable and ready to play. "How about we start with that? I assume you will free-hand what comes with it using all the equipment you have in front of you?"

"Exactly!" Vinyl said, tuning some more of said instruments. "Just start playing and I'm going to try and get something going over here."

Octavia drew her bow and glided it across the cello, appreciating the soothing noise that was produced. Her eyes closed, feeling the hard work she had previously put into the piece on her free time. The soundwaves vibrated her whole body, acting as a massage for her body and alleviating worries that had come through the past couple months. She relaxed into her seat, moving side to side slightly in cohesion with her bow. It was finally back, she could tell. Her mojo was returning in full, all because of a DJ that she had begun to like more than a friend. Maybe it was the electric personality, or the subconscious knowledge that if anything did not work out Octavia had someone special to fall back on. All Octavia could tell was that she was back in the game, and from what she could hear, it wouldn't be long till she got back to peak performance.

A smooth bass broke her out of her stupor, but she found herself feeling the electronic side of the sample adapt to what she was putting out. The treble and drumbeat came in soon afterward, and it was starting to sound like a real song. It was actually something bearable. Octavia had not been fully sure if what Vinyl was doing was going to work, her pessimistic side was too strong, but whatever was occurring surely had not been done up until them. It was a purely yin-yang combination, and it worked beautifully. Something simple that they had created gave Octavia real hope that it could change the industry like they had discussed.

After around an hour and a half of Vinyl fiddling around with her electronics to compliment Octavia's unending flow of music from her cello, Vinyl called the session. "Okay, I think that should be good for now. Lets get some food and maybe see if we can find our managers to update them. We'll try and get some sort of rough draft of a song out of what we have later today if that works for you."

"That sounds excellent Vinyl," Octavia placed her cello back in its stand, "I am quite famished from all this. Everything sounded wonderful. I cannot wait to mold this into a song."

Vinyl wrapped an arm around Octavia's shoulder, and gave a quick kiss on her cheek. "I know this sweet panini place a couple blocks away. We can chill there and call up Lyra and Bon Bon, maybe turn it into a double date, hmm?"

"That sounds nice, shall we get going." Octavia asked.

Vinyl held the door of their room open for Octavia, "We shall."

7-Questions Part 2

Octavia tapped her chin, contemplating on what question she should ask. It seemed that there weren’t any rules in the question asking, just an unsaid agreement not to reveal any information about the other person. She didn’t want to get into more super personal information as the talk about their sex lives and breast sizes had worn her out about those types of things. In all honesty, Octavia wanted to hear about Vinyl herself. Though that sounded pretty obvious, she really meant it. Vinyl herself was such an eccentric individual, so boisterous no matter what, that Octavia was curious about her life.

“Umm, tell me about your life, please?” Octavia shifted around the pillows, a bit nervous about what Vinyl would say in response to her new question.

From the other side of the room, closer to the wall than Octavia, Vinyl shrugged, “I mean, sure. Anything specific?”

“How about what made you choose the route of an artist of this...electronic music?”

Vinyl chuckled, “It’s EDM, that’s the general thing at least.” She scratched her head, contemplating on how to go about describing her affinity for EDM. “Let’s see...I think it started when I was pretty young. Probably started when I saw a concert with my brother, actually, I still listen to their music.”

Octavia stayed silent as she watched Vinyl get up from the bed, sitting down at the computer and typing a bit before she swiveled back around to face Octavia. The movie on the television had been paused for whatever Vinyl had planned, which became obvious when the EDM began to blast from the high-tech speakers near the computer. It still grated a bit on Octavia’s ears, as she still wasn’t that big of a fan of the type of music. There were just sounds that had really high pitches a lot of the time, which really turned her off from wanting to listen to more.

Yet, once the singer began, well...singing, it hit her; this was actually quite good. The different noises were just different instruments, the artist acted as the conductor. Octavia could really see the similarities of both EDM and classical music, though they were still different in many ways. and that would be just the fans of the two. Octavia was definitely curious about what a combination of classical and EDM would sound like. If it worked, it might just be the next big thing, a whole new genre almost. And with their talents, it might just be a possibility.

The song ended and Vinyl returned to her seat, unpausing the movie to continue the aforementioned background noise. “Thoughts?”

“I-I…” Octavia couldn’t quite put it into words, or at least ones that would justify just how highly she thought of the song, the artist, and now, at least just a bit more, the genre as a whole, “I think it was simply amazing.”

Vinyl’s eyes lit up, “I knew that you’d like it,” She paused, “Okay, I really just hoped you’d like it, because, you know, it’s what got me so invested in the genre. Someday I hope to make an impact in the industry, to be known for something, ya know?”

Octavia smiled, “That I do.”

Vinyl sighed, leaning back into the pillows that surrounded her, “It’s amazing, I want to go to one of those really big festivals one day. Tomorrowland, Budokan, or whatever else, just something we can be known at. There’s one coming up soon, but it isn’t enough time to prepare, so I guess we’ll have to wait, or just go to some smaller ones. I don’t know, we just have to make some good music, alright Octy?”

“Yeah.” Octavia crawled over to the bedside, reaching her hand out to Vinyl, “I look forward to it.”

Vinyl grasped her hand in a firm handshake, pulling her onto the bed and onto the plethora of pillows, “Alright, that’s enough about me for now. Can you give me your spiel on why you got into classical music stuff?”

Octavia shrugged, “I digress, my story is not nearly as good as yours.”

Vinyl pouted, “Come on…”

“Fine.” Octavia sighed, laying her head near Vinyl’s legs. “I was pretty much forced into the classical world, now that I think about it. It was just something expected of me, though I just went along with it. I was just happy to be pleasing my parents. When it became something I enjoyed a few years later, I think that’s really when the high point of my career began.”

“Then inspiration struck, huh?” Vinyl commented.

Octavia nodded, “Yup, at least for a good while. Not anymore, sadly. But that’s what i’m here for, to get my, my mojo back.”

“It’ll happen, that’s what I’m here for.” Vinyl gave Octavia a warm smile.

Octavia smiled back, a mild blush had begun to heat up her cheeks. Having a partner, business or romantically, to go over one’s troubles with them, backing them up and helping them out was something a bit new to Octavia. The high society of Canterlot was stuck up, that wasn’t too much of a surprise to many. It created a “fend for yourself” environment, which meant friends were scarce. you could only trust a select few and that was if you were lucky to have someone to trust.

“I’m ecstatic about that, really. I’m looking forward to becoming friends with you, it’s not something I can easily do over in the Canterlot Orchestra.”

Vinyl tilted her head in curiosity, “Oh? You don’t have a ton of friends. That’s surprising, I mean, I’d be friends with you because of that rack alone.”

“I do hope that isn’t the reason for this partnership and possible friendship.” Octavia replied, deadpanned.

Vinyl waved her hand around, yawning, “Nah, nah, I’m doin’ this stuff because of you yourself. I think everything else is pretty much profit, or like, a bonus.”

Octavia yawned, the myth that yawns are contagious seemed to be confirmed, “You just want me for my body.”

Vinyl laughed, “I will neither confirm nor deny that I think you’re hot.”

Octavia closed her eyes, just listening to Vinyl’s voice, “Right back at you, Scratch.”

She heard Vinyl sigh, then the pillows and sheets next to her shifted, “Man, I’m beat. That was a pretty long day.”

Octavia chuckled, sleep beginning to take over, “It’s the same length as yesterday, and the day before, and so on.”

“Yeah, but still, it felt longer, therefore I’m gonna decide it is longer.”

Octavia stretched out on the bed, yawning all the while, “Yes, well, I too am quite beat. Dare I suggest that we turn in for the night?”

“Znghhh.” And it would seem that was as much an agreement as Octavia would get for awhile. She let her mind and body relax. sleep take hold of her, too tired to notice she was in bed with a woman that she had a budding crush for. The real possibility of that crush being returned hadn’t passed through her mind yet, or what could happen with two grown women in a bed alone, but she was too tired to care.

Author's Note

Wow, it's been almost a month since the last chapter. Well, I've been meaning to put something out since I haven't really done so because of the flu and stuff. I'm thinking of trying to get one out every other week at least, but we'll see how it goes. I hope you all enjoyed the story!

11-Partnership, Business and Casual

"You okay, Octy?" Vinyl asked. "You kinda, I dunno, short circuited or somethin'."

Octavia shook her head, clearing it a little. "No, it just feels like it's been awhile."

"It's only been a few seconds. You sure you're good." Vinyl seemed a little concerned.

Octavia shook her head again, "No, no, since I told the story. Now, lets see..." Octavia took a moment to decide when to start. "I would say it all began when I was house grounded for awhile when I was young."

Vinyl cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "House grounded? What's that?"

"Well, our property was acres long and had a couple guest houses, pool, horses, and the like. The usual that came with the high society of the elites. I was not allowed to go outside of the main house."

"Of course. Because who could ever not consider having to stay inside a mansion punishment." Vinyl chuckled, laughing to herself mostly.

"I know it cannot be much of a surprise. Anyway, it gave me plenty of time to explore the parts that I rarely came across. This allowed me to find the guitar that my parents had stowed away in one of the storage rooms. As strict as they were, they wouldn’t throw away something from Ringing Note." She was always surrounded by things that denounced that type of culture, so it had almost been ingrained in her to avoid such things. But curiosity and the instinct to know more things had won over the former. "I had nothing important to do at the time, so I brought it up to my room and began to learn how to play after I found a couple books on how to play."

Vinyl smiled, lightly shaking her head in amazement, "Wow, of course you would teach yourself how to play. I'm not surprised a bit."

Octavia rubbed her face, hoping to not make it obvious that she was trying to hide her blush, "Uh, yes, I suppose so."

It was totally obvious that Octavia was blushing, and Vinyl was using her smooth moves to every advantage. "What stopped the interest?" She leaned into the bed, stretching her arm over Octavia.

Octavia snuggled into Vinyl before she was going to continue. She wasn't going to complain, she thinks. She had gotten surprisingly brave the last few days, especially whenever it involved Vinyl. Octavia had a fluttering feeling that it was coming from some kind of 'love at first sight' kind of deal. Maybe Vinyl was right about having a woman as a partner, it did have plenty of benefits. And not just the lewder kind that she had previously listed. Octavia was more focused on the qualities and benefits that Vinyl possessed. Again, nothing to do with the beautiful body she had that over time had been molded by hours of constant movement during her time as a DJ. It was honestly incredible how good she looked, her breasts were aptly sized and perfectly perky (evident by her shirt forming around a braless from), while she had a defined six pack from the aforementioned workout her work gives her. She even had a cute butt, Octavia was able to glimpse when she got out of the shower. It-Octavia coughed, she was getting sidetracked.

"Um, well, I would say that I lost interest." Octavia shifted, letting her front meld with Vinyl's side. "My parents found that it was not the way of the elite. Much like many of the things I have participated in the past few days."

Vinyl grimaced, looking guilty, "Oh, uh, well how's that turning out?"

"I would have to say that I feel quite free. A little more brave and I think I am ready to take some chances in the future." Octavia hoped her underlying point would get across.

Vinyl looked interested, "I guess we'll have to see what situations you get in to cause some decision making, huh?"

"I suppose we will. Now, I must hear your story of how you learnt to play guitar. I hope it is as good as mine." Octavia did that sniff thing like they do in the movies, dragging her finger across her nose confidently.

"It was alright. Not nearly as good as mine will be though. But it's okay, it's pretty hard to keep up with me.” Vinyl chuckled, “It’s really nothing too special though. My parents were always on tours back in the day, so when my brother and I were home alone here and there he would grab a guitar from their collection of stuff for music and teach me something. He was an amazing guitarist, still is, and I learned a lot of tips and tricks from him. I still visit him every once in awhile for some advice on a random instrument.”

Octavia smiled at the story, “How sweet.”

“Ah, I guess.” Vinyl replied, “It’s come in handy, so I can’t complain about all the bonding time our parents forced us into.”

They didn’t say much after that, just little things here and there. Octavia continued to consider taking the next leap early. It had barely been close to a week from Octavia meeting Vinyl and the upcoming beginning of training. And as little as Octavia knowing that she hadn’t felt so comfortable and right with someone before, considering she hadn’t been with anyone did not help logic dictate anything, she still wanted to say her feelings. It felt so right to just blurt them out in the setting that had creeped up, the silence invited her to do so.

Octavia glanced up to Vinyl, who did the same to her. She would do it. For once in her life, she would take charge and say what she wanted, what she felt to her peer. Octavia parted her lips to prepare her words, and felt warmth envelope them. Vinyl was kissing her! Octavia melted into the kiss, slipped her free arm around Vinyl’s waist and grasping her butt while pulling her closer. It wasn’t a perfect reciprocation on Octavia’s part, who was too focused on her handful of butt and the breasts pushed against hers, all the while experiencing her first kiss. Vinyl’s lips felt like they left quicker than they had arrived and before Octavia knew it, Vinyl was stuttering out an excuse.

“I-I, um, I’m sorr-heh, I don’t know how to say this.” Vinyl was blushing madly, “Ireally like you, and I’d really like to ask you-“

Vinyl wasn’t able to say anything, since her lips were occupied by Octavia’s. Octavia pulled away, licking the cherry taste off her lips, “I like you too Scratch.”

The words seemed to give Vinyl her confidence back. She pushed her body up and over Octavia’s, using her elbows to allow her to plank over Octavia. “Well if that’s the case, how would you like to put a label on that?”

“Is this of the girlfriend kind, I presume?” Octavia asked.

“Yes, yes it is.” Vinyl replied.

“Well then, I accept.”