//-------------------------------------------------------// Love Playlist -by NyxTheDude- //-------------------------------------------------------// //-------------------------------------------------------// Uptown Lady //-------------------------------------------------------// Uptown Lady It was a beautiful morning. The sunlight filtered through the curtains into the room, lighting it softly. The breeze ran across, moving some blue locks of hair belonging to a girl sleeping peacefully between bed sheets. It was a nice morning indeed, but everything changed when the clock alarm decided to interrupt the dreams of a certain DJ with a extremely loud sound. “please, 5 more minutes...” was the only responce that the girl gave to the non-stop noise, turning around and covering her head in pillows to mute the sound. This keeped on this way for some minutes. Even the girl was finally falling sleep again, ignoring the persistent sound af the alarm, but something inside was telling her to stop the noise and to wake up, and for the second time that morning she decided to pass it by and continue resting, but little she knew that it wouldn’t last for too long. A blonde girl entered the room enraged, heat steaming from her head, breathing fast and searching for any live forms inside the room. Once she located the blue-haired girl, she launched a near boot to the sleeping figure in the bed, causing the other girl wake up both confused and scared. “VIOLET! SHUT THE FUCKING ALARM OFF BEFORE I FUCKING KILL YOU!” Was the only thing she said, or screamed, before storming out and shutting the bedroom door behind her as she leaved, not before giving a death glare to Violet, who was still trying to comprehend what was going on. “What the heck?” Scratching the back of her head, she reached for the alarm, finally putting an end to the noise. Removing some strands of hair from her face, she enjoyed the quietude in the ambient, yawning a couple of times before standing up and making the bed. “Well... here i go” and saying this, she slipped inside the sheets, accommodating in them and ready to fall sleep once again. This plan worked for a couple of minutes, but now her cellphone ringed, waking her up for the third time. She tried to ingnore the call, but the insistent sound won the battle. She extended her arm to grab the phone, looking at the name of the caller and answering right away, recognizing the voice of her roommate. “Yo, raise and shine sis!” She said cheerfully, acting innocent, something that annoyed Vinyl even more. “Dude, you’re downstairs, you could come and give me hell personally” she was rubbing her face, trying to fully wake up, and growled when she heard giggles from both the phone and outside the room, remembering her the absurd situation she was into. “Is funnier this way... hurry up and get ready, breakfast in 15 min, then we have to go!” “Fuck me... " “Already did so, neither of us liked it, move on” With that Violet ended the call, too sleepy to reply, and with not too muh time either. Pretty much against her will, she took a fast bath and get dressed. She was an expert in the ancient skill of looking good without even trying, what everyone would known as a natural beauty, even if she wasn’t exactly natural. Her hair, messy and asymmetric, was tinted in an electric blue color and white highlights, she had freckles in her cheeks, and a couple of fang-like piercings adorned her lower lip, and many more were located in her ears. Her skin was pale, with several tattoos covering the left half of her body. A hot shower and teen minutes later, she was on her best clothes... or what she considered her best clothes, that was basically a loose white sleeveless shirt under a dark blue jacket to cover most of her upper body, and gray skinny jeans that, without being inappropriate, marked her silhouette just right. Downstairs, a blonde with a similar outfit waited for her with breakfast ready, or better said, two bowls, a pack of cereal and a jar of milk. That was what Lyra rated as making breakfast. “Looking good vi” “Feeling good Lyra” Lyra nodded and both girls digged into their bowls, eating cereal with the most dignity and maturity possible. After a fast dish-cleaning session and a even faster last minute preparations, the girls left their home. The girls went through the city easily, experts in the noble art of walking between crowds. bumping no one, even with bags, boxes of records, and more articles. They made their way smoothly, already used to that kind of ambient, talking, joking, enjoin the walk. Before even noticing they were out of the downtown and found themselves in the highest zone of the city. The houses around Laura and Vinyl became bigger and bigger as they walk, and more distanced from one another, not a single noise at all, only the sound of the wind against trees and the singing of bird in the air. It would be a nice view, but when you have been walking for almost an hour, you couldn't care less about anything but stop walking. Violett was the first to complain. "Ugh, " She groaned loudly "are we there yet?" "Not yet..." "How far are we?" "Well... " Lyra stopped for a second to stretch her back, witch was aching for carrying her box for so long "we are talking about the richest person in the country, and normally, the richter you are, the higher your house will be" Vinyl's blood drowns from her face, looking even more pale. "So, you are telling me...?" "Yep... we have to walk all the way to the top" she sighed loud, making sure that Laura hears her. Violet wasn't an enemy of physical activity, but she preferred to limit herself to the morning push-up, and videogames nights with friends (that she totally count as physical activity). "Don't be like that Vi" Lyra turned to face ger friend with a big smile. "Maybe you find a girl in here, one that's not a snoob and likes fun... and girls" Not more than three seconds later both girls were laughing out louder than they should, almost dropping their boxes. "Yeah right, like that would happen" Vinyl shaked her head, smiling "I can bet that every girl in this place are the typical princess, boring and common. It would be a miracle if any of them won't judge us, ya' know?" "Geez dude, be more positive!" The blue-haired girl responded sticking out her tongue, and Lyra did the same. Some more laughs, a pair of tired legs, and fifteen minutes later, the girls had finished their odyssey, arriving to their destination, a huge white mansion, owned by the most successful and rich person in the arts's industry: Fancy Pants. Both were standing in front of a huge door. Inmobiles, tired, a new problem appeared for them. "Soooo" Vinyl shifted her weight frow side to side "Now what?" "Hhmm?" Lyra crossed stares with her friend. "Well... i don't know" "You want me to knock the door?" She said, already putting her box in the floor and approaching to the door. "WHAAAT?" Vinyl flinched from the scream, and even a nearby group of birds took fly from it. "Are you crazy!? You can't just knock the door of Him like that!" Violet crossed her arms on her chest. "So what? We wait here till people start arriving?" She lifted an eyebrow over her glasses, clearly disgusted. "Isn't there a ring bell or something like that?" Both girls inspected the door, only to find that there, indeed, wasn't any ring bell or anything that could helped them. "Nope, nothing, imma knock!" "No, wait, let me call Him" said Lyra, searching for her phone in her bag. "Yeah right" the blue haired girl snorted, gaining the attention of the blonde. "Calling Him personally is better than knocking his door" "Maybe He'll sent someone" "i'm gonna knock, is faster this way" "No, wait vi!" "Nope, i'm knocking this-" she did knock something, but it wasn't the hard surface of a solid wood door, in fact, it was softer and silky, and felt like it was alive. "-Door?" She took a couple of seconds to process all the situation. The door was replaced by a tall, old man in a very fancy suit. She tapped the chest of this subject, to test if it was real, and fearing the worst she looked up, only to find that she, indeed, recognized the face of the man. "I think that would not be necessary anymore" the man rubbed his chest, with a small expression of hurt, soon replaced by a warm smile. "But i guess it was my fault, i should have announce me" Now, everyone who knowns Violett would be used to this kind of situatuon. She was a natural beauty, incredible talented in music, and very charismatic and friendly with people. But she had another talent, one darker than the others. She was able to get into the most akward and ridiculous situations, so it was not new to see Lyra behind Vinyl, failing miserably to hide a laugh, as her friend tried to came up with something intelligent to say. "Oh shit!" Clearly, she didn't achieve her goal, and blushed hardly. "Oh god, i'm so sorry, i didn't meant to... i was trying... you just came up from nowhere and i..." another curious fact about Vinyl is that she was a verbal train wreck. The more she talked, the deeper she digs, and the louder Lyra laughs. "... please don't fire us" she finally said, lowering her head beated. She was expecting many things. A judgemental glare, maybe an speech about professionalism, responsibility and such, the end of her career in music and her future as a waitress in a fast food restaurant. But both Lyra and her were confused when instead of the wrath of the most influent person in the country, they heard a loud and sincere laugh. "Do not worry, young ladies. I can assure your jobs are safe" the girls stayed still, waiting for something else. The man looked Vinyl directly to her eyes, offering a hand to shake. "You must be Vinyl Scratch, is a pleasure to finally meet you in person. I have listened great things about you" "You have?"she was equally impressed and shocked, and numbly she shaked his hand. "I-I meant, the pleasure is mine Sir" "It really is Mr... Fancy Pants?" Laura shaked his hand too. He smiled recognizing the pseudonym created for him. "I'm sorry, it sounds kinda weird..." "I know, it was even more weird at the beginning. You will get used in time" He moved to the side, making space at the door, and inviting the girls to enter. "Please, come in. We already introduced ourselves, so let's put formalities aside" they entered the mansion, and stopped in a living room. Vinyl and Lyra were amazed by how big and elegant everything was. Vinyl could swear that their entire apartment could easily fit inside the living room, and was totally sure that the furniture worth way more than their apartment. They sat in there. quickly two maids appeared, formatting one beside the other at the limitations of the room. "Do you want something, like water or anything?" Fancy Pants asked, searching in his pocket for a cigarette. "Well, some water would be good" a quick gesture of with the hand from Fancy Pants and the maids were in action. In no more than a minute, the maids delivered successfully two glasses of water, a plate full of cookies, and some napkins before returning to their original positions. "Now, let's talk about business, shall we?" He lit up his cigarette and inhaled deep, blowing a large cloud of smoke up in the air. "Like I already told to you on phone, you will be playing in my private event this afternoon. I know very well this is not the type of scenario you are familiar with, but I take care of the preparation of every detail so you can develop in the most natural way possible" "Whoa, thank you, but you shouldn't worr-" Fancy Pants interrupted her raising a hand. "Please. It is not a problem for me. And this way I can ask for nothing but perfection for your part" he signaled again to the maids, who served him a glass of whiskey. He removed the liquor with his finger and took a sip. "Of course, art is not about perfection... so asking for it is ridiculous. I expect a wonderful, inspirational show" The girls were silent, and two thoughts crossed their minds: they had to make a great amazing show, and how easier they live would be with a couple of maids like that. Of course, the second thought was not important, so they put it aside for the moment, concentrating in their actual goal. Violet decided to take the lead for their side. "You can bet on it! We will give you one heck of a show!" A smile appeared in the man face. "I am glad to heard that" He took anoter sip of his drink. "Can i ask something? Could you be so kind to explaing me which papel do you take in the show, Miss Heartstrings?" He was careful to not sound rude or apathetic, but more curious than anything. "I'm like the technician," Lyre said proudly. "I take care of the installation, sound, lights, etc... also, I'm a musician too, but a composer more than anything. I help vinyl came up with new songs and stuff" Fancy Pants nodded in understanding, and stood up signaling to them to stand up as well. "Very well, please follow me to where the event would take place" they beging to walk towards the main garden, only that for the girls, it was a field with the size of a small stadium. Many flowers, trees and plants perfectly cutted adorned the place, elegant decorations situated along with tables, and a complete squad of maids and butlers where military formated in the near wall of the mansion. They continued walking through the garden reaching a stage in the back, where speakers, monitors and a turntable where placed. "This will be your working place. As you can see, there you can find anything you will need to your performance" Violet climbed up, running a hand through the turntables. Her mind activated with a spark, and a devilishly smirk appeared in her face, along with a fictional electric blue aura surrounding her. She felt a familiar electricity running through her body, and a incredible sensation filling her. "Ooooh yeeah... this is gonna be good" she whispered to herself, not caring about the looks she was receiving from Lyra and Fancy Pants. "She always does that, don't worry" Lyra explained to him, and he nodded. "Excuse me... YO VI! WAKE UP!" She screamed, flinching the blue haired DJ, who woke up from her trance. Fancy Pants cleared his throat to gain the attention of the girls. "I am happy to see that you fell more than happy with the equipment. Now, I will explain the job" the girls nodded in approval. "You will be playing for a total of 5 hours. you will get a recess of one hour after the two first hours. My guests are not familiar with the material you work with, so I highly recommend to use the softest repertoire you have. Other than that, you are free to control the music as you wish" Vinyl smiled exited. "Before I forget... do not take suggestions from anybody but Me or your friend here" "Got it! Imma rock this place out in the softest and chilliest way possible!" She hive-fived Lyra, and Fancy Pants smiled at them. "I can not doubt that. I will let you work then, if you need something, feel free to ask for help to anyone of my maids or butlers. Miss Scratch, Miss Heartstrings..." He nodded and parted away, letting the girls with their work. Lyra hurried to check all the impluts, and do some corrections and connections of their own. Vinyl for her part started to do all the configurations in the pads, turntables, and her laptop, and begun to edit the playlist. They didn't took too long before ending. A couple of sound test later, they were ready with al the preparations. "That's it! Thanks sis'" Vinyl extended a fist to Lyra, with a big smile all over her face. Lyra bumped it with her own fist, walking to the stairs of the stage. "Blow'em up sis!" The people started to arrive, making the maids start to offering drinks and food for them at the tables. Lyra turned to face the DJ, who was conecting her headphones to the laptop. "I'm gonna find some chicks that aren't a huge normie mess, see ya'" she blinked and walked off. Vinyl breathed deep, closing her eyes for a moment. "Ok, let's do this..." a smirk formed in her mouth. She opened her eyes, running a hand through her spiky hair, and pushing some buttons the music flow through the garden. A slow solid beat started to pulse, followed by a faded keyboard which increased its volume. Soon, the song was filled with different instruments. Vinyl nodded to the beat, watching the people mimicking her unconsciously. She smirked, all doubts and nervous were long forgotten. She was in total control of the ambient. With a button she could make this people dance. a combination of scratches would gain her ovations. She knew the power she had, and she was used to it. she controlled the rhythm of the event, accelerating the beats when the ambient was too quiet, and slowing it when she felt people should rest. Nothing could ruin her concentration, she was on her own world. In a small group of people, she could recognize Lyra talking with another girl, that wasn't new for Vinyl. But beside them was a thirth girl, looking directly at her with interest, nodding her heat to every beat. Now the mind of the DJ was divided in two, one still focused in the music, and the other one, she doesn't knew why, was trying to not lose the sight of the girl. Before she could tell, the two first hours were completely gone, so she hurried to prepare an auto mix for her break, losing track of Lyra and the mysterious girl. She jumped down the stage, searching for her friend through the garden. The first thought of where could be lyra was the bar, but lost in her thoughts she bumped with a familiar face. "Ugh, sorry, I wasn't loo-" she went mute when she distinguished the face of the girl. The one that was looking at her when she was playing, and now, the one that was smiling at her with a sweet face "-so beautiful" "What?" "What?" Vinyl's eyes widened in shock, knowing that she made a bad start. The other girl though was not mad or whatsoever, in fact, she was smiling even more waiting for Vinyl to talk. "N-no what i meant! Not that you are not beautyful, but that's not what I was going to say!" Vinyl took a couple of steeps backwards, both to gave space to the girl and her, and to came out from the punchzone. "Let me start again... The name is Violet Scratch, but you can call me Vinyl" "Pleased to meet you, I am Octavia Melody" Octavia nodded in understanding. Vinyl made a fast examination of the girl, and she could tell they were completely different. Octavia's face was pure and clean, with big purple eyes. Her black hair fell elegant and soft till her lower back. Her body was more voluptuous than her's, hidded in elegant clothes that fitted her in all the right ways, giving the appearance of high class. "It is an spectacular presentation so far. I enjoy the music, even if I am not to familiar with the genre" "You did!?" Vinyl scratched the back of her head. "Well, it's not my everyday type of music, but I can manage me very well" "So you do not produce this genre of music often? Then I assume you must dedicate yourself to the Rock or Punk Type?" Octavia was confused. Violett easily could tell the knowledge of this girl about electronic music: Zero. She grinned and shaked her head. "You are both right and wrong here" Octavia cocked her head as Vinyl continued. "I don't make this kind of music all the time, but I neither play in a rock band. I'm more of a Techno and Dubstep DJ. This is Ambient music, another Sub-Genre of electronic music" "Oooh... please pardon me, i didn't meant to -" The DJ raised a hand making Octavia stop. "No prob'. Are you a musician too?" "Indeed" again, Octavia nodded. This gesture was cute to Vinyl, who was trying to pay attention to the girl and not losing herself in her thoughts. "I play the cello for the city's orchestra. Also, I have the ability to play the violin, guitar, and the bass. Currently i am learning to play the piano" Vinyl could tell from the way Octavia Raised her head and smiled subtly that she was very proud of her curriculum. And she couldn't deny it was amazing. "That's soooo cool! Hey, wanna have a drink? I get kinda thirsty up there, whatcha' say?" The DJ raised a thumb signaling the bar, and smiled shyly. "I mean... It's better to chat with a drink in hand and somewhere to sit, don't ya' think?" Octavia offered a warm smile of her own, which came along with another nod. Violet was already getting used to it. Soon they where sitting in the bar, drinks in hand and talking about music, their carrers and jobs, the event, which guest was the most ridiculous or worst dressed. "... and that's how I almost get arrested by eating a piece of cake" "It was Princess Celestia's piece of cake. What were you expecting!?" "Not getting arrested?" Another laugh from the girls. The only thing that could ruin their fun was the time, and vinyl's phone was there to remember her about it. "Darn it... gotta get going, the show have to continue!" She gesture to the bartender to gave her a piece of paper and a pen. She wrote fast and gave the paper to Octavia. "That's my number. We should hang out someday!" With that, Vinyl waved a hand to the Cellist and made her way to the scenario "Duuuuude... what a girl!" Vinyl sighed and runned a hand through her hair, looking back at where Octavia was. She had a great time with her, and Vinyl knew there was somehing about Octavia that make her different from others uptown girls. But one thing is sure, you can always count on your friends to bring you back to reality, even if you don't want to. "What are you looking at!? " Violet jumped frightened, and lyra laughed loud. She followed the DJ's sight to Octavia, and smirked. "Guess you were busy with someone, but with her? Sis', you know who is her!?" "Octavia Melody... dunno', the daughter of some high class douchbag?" Lyra shaked her head. "All I know is that she is really cool, is pretty funny and cute. And she got the butty like... whoa" "She is like the most important musician in the classical industry! Is the youngest cellist to get into the city's orchestra, and the youngest composer to have an original work played by one!" "Well, that's... " she tapped her chin like she was thinking. "That's impressive. She is cool, though" The DJ was already climbing up the scenario, getting ready to retake control of the environment. "Don't worry sis'.I'm not gonna do nothing crazy, just wanna be friend with her. that's all!" "Right..." she rolled her eyes, not believing Vinyl. "And what about ya'? I was looking for you, but you just disappeared." Violet lifted her shades to look deep in the eyes of Laura. "I was talking with someone," Said Laura, shifting her weight from side to side. "ya' know, just a girl I meet" "So you were hitting on that girl..." Vinyl smirked, putting back her shades in place. "Tell me about her later. I'm sure that would be a good story". She fist bumped her sister, receiving a smile from lyra. "Well, second round. Finnish 'em!" Lyra went towards the bar again. Vinyl connected her headphones again, make sure everything was in place, and taking a deep breath, she scratched her transition to another song with a devilishly smirk. "Let's spin this!" Author's Note Well, you have the first chapter!!! I know I didn't gave to much time to Octavia, but i just wanted to introduce her this way. Next chapter will have a lot more of Octavia. I have to tell you guys a few things. First of all, english is not my primary language, but I can speak, read and write fluently, yet, hope i didn't make too many mistakes. Second, this my first story ever. I never wrote a story before, in part because I am really shy to show anything i make, and in other part because I never came up with a good idea to write about. But I read a lot, and I mean a Loooot of FimFictions, and they inspired me to write. That lead us to the thirt point: this fic is, in my opinion, interesting in terms of my inspirations. You will see that the chapters names are name of songs, and I use those songs to came up with the story in some way; but also, this story is inspired by other FimFictions like "Simple melodies are for fillies" of Bahatumay, "Apple scratch saga" of Mariacheat-Brony, "Watch and learn" of Bonejingle, and "University Days" of DawnFade. You will notice references to the song and fics in each chapter. Last but not least, (and to finish because this note is already long), I appreciate constructive criticism. If I'm making any error, or you have any advice for me, i will receive them happily. Like I said, I never wrote any story before, but I'm excited about this project. I love this community, and I truly hope you enjoy this fic, I will be publishing every week or week and a half. The song of this chapter is "Uptown Lady" by "Jakubi". //-------------------------------------------------------// Do your thing //-------------------------------------------------------// Do your thing "Dude, I told you!" Violet said talking on the phone. "Is not a date! I meet Tavi last weekend, we're just friends" "Yeah right, the same weekend you spend talking 'bout her... " the voice was deep, and used a sarcastic tone. "I-I didn't talked that much about her..." Violet blushed, and she could see the boy's laugh from the other side of the phone. "Just tell me again how to get to the damn directon Noah!" She had been walking for almost an hour in a zone of the city she wasn't totally used. It was a foggy day, and it seems that would start to rain soon, so it was natural for her to make it to her destination as fast as possible. Not that she wanted to see Octavia again, nope, not at all. "Geez dude, chill out" Vinyl frowned at the commentary. "Let me see... did you past the 'Golden Oak' library?" "Ummmm... yep, just did so. Nice place by the way" "Eeeeyup... well, from there is two blocks down till Sugarcube Corner. Easy to find, I meant, is really big and pink" "Thank you, Noah. I'll buy you a burger tomorrow!" Saying this she ended the conversation and putted her phone on her bag. Violet hurried up as rain began to fall. Not to much time later, she found herself outside of Sugarcube Corner. "Whoooa... it really is waaaay pink" she shaked her head to free herself from the stunt and entered the establishment. The first thing she saw at the entry was the face of a pink haired girl that bounced in place, smiling widely at her. "Hii! I'm Pinkie! Well, that's not actually my name, but all my friends call me that way, and I'm totally sure we are gonna be really good friends! What's your name!? " she closed the distance with Vinyl even more, touching their noses. Violet took a couple of steps backwards, feeling invaded in more than one way. "Emmm... hi Pinkie, I'm Violet Scratch, nice to meet you?" She had seen too many things in many shows she had played at, but this girl was for sure the most weird person she ever meet. "Hi Viol-" Violet was even more confused when the girl suddenly frowned looking directly to her eyes. "Wait... you are not RainbowDash19!?" Violet shaked her head. "Are you TOTALLY sure? 'Cause she said she has coloured hair, and yoy have coloured hair" "Sorry, but I don't even know who you are talking about" "Oh, ok! Well, no worries, I made a new friend with you!" She pulled out a piece of paper from her hair and gave it to Violet. "Here! That's my number! Call me if you want a party, see ya'!" Pinkie left to talk with another girl who entered, apparently putting her down the same interrogation. Vinyl blinked and came back to reality, resuming her original task of searching Octavia. She looked around the place, and saw the Cellist waving at her at a table in the back. "Guess you already meet Pinkie" Octavia hide a laugh behind a hand. "She is a really good girl once you pass the initial shock and know her. And has the reputation of organise the best parties in the city" "Well, I'm sure I'll remember her next party I throw" Violet smirked, taking a sit in front of Octavia in the table. A waitress rapidly brought them a couple of cups of coffe and an ice cream for each one. "I hope you don't mind, but as you can see, I took the liberty of ordering for both of us" Octavia said, smiling shyly and taking a spoon full of ice cream in her mouth. "Nah, no biggies" violet took sip of her coffe. "Sure, this is not what I thought when you said 'drink something', but is still nice, especially in a day like this" the girls laughed. Vinyl celebrated in her mind, her joke worked out to break the ice. Soon, that inital feeling of discomfort disappeared; sure, they had been texting since Fancy Pants's party, and Violet was good making friends and all, but it was an unfamiliar scenario. "So, you said you wanted me to see some of your new work?" That brought Vinyl back to the real world, lately she was spacing out too often to her own good. "Oh yeah, let me grab it..." she searched for a file with many papers in it, and putted it on the table in front of Octavia. The cellist looked through them, moving her lips like she was singing a song, and making unconsciously the hand positions for each note. "Pretty cool, huh!? I thought in mix some bases of dubstep with some classical samples. The arrangements are not finished yet, and I still don't have a good idea for a transition in the second chorus, but so far is a good piece" Violet crossed her hands in the back of her head, with a proud smirk plastered in her face. Octavia didn't said anything. She continued reading with detail every note of every paper, still moving her lips, and still making the hands positions. Violet noticed it, and was captivated by it. Every move of her hand was precise, perfect in technique. The bright lips of the Cellist murmured every note in the most beautiful way Violet ever saw. But what really caught Violet attention was the focus Octavia had. She could said that Octavia was really focused in her work, but not only to look at it, but to understand it. She knew that the Cellist was looking inside the music, trying to find the soul of it. It was flattering and frightening at the same time. Finally, in what Violet's eyes seemed like an eternity, Octavia straightened herself and looked at the DJ, with a serius expression on her face. "S-soo... what ya' think?" Violet said in an intent to break the silence. She was someone who was always confident in her music, but somehow this time she was nervous. "It is..." Octavia looked at the papers again, and then at Violet, this time with a big smile in her face. "It is a wonderful song Violet! I can not belive you made it in so short time. I must admit I'm a little jealous about it..." "Really!?"Violet let out a breath she didn't knew was holding, and scratched the back of her head. "Well, I'm sure your work is way better than mine, so you don't have anything to be jealous about" Violet wasn't sure, but she thought to see a blush in Octavia's face. "A-anyway... how long have you been a musician?" "How long? Well..." Violet tapped her chin with her finger, taking a sip of her coffe. "I produced my first song when I was fifteen years old, so about seven years. I became pro at university though" "It was long time ago indeed... was it difficult for you?" Octavia rested her face in her hands, like a child waiting to heard a story. Vinyl sighed and finished her coffe. "You wouldn't believe it. I had a rough childhood, sure, everything went better when I meet Lyra-" "Your friend..." "Well, yes and no. Long story short: I was kinda adopted by Lyra's family, so we were raised like sister. But I would tell you about it some other day. Returning to the music, I was good at it, actually, Music was one of the few classes I was really good at. I sucked at everything else, so I decided to dedicate full time to music" "I choose to be a DJ because I want to discover new sounds. Mixing is something difficult, but if you do it well is amazing. So I had to learn everything about it, from the begging. I searched for every tutorial on internet, digged on every book about it, practiced every day without fail, until I was a master of the turntables. Then I made my first song, and it was..." "A masterpiece?" Octavia interrupted with a smile on her face, and Violet laughed shaking her head. "Well tavi, for me it was beautiful, I recorded it and asked to a local radio station to putt it on air... they destroyed me, or better said, my song. They said that the bass line was a total mess, the samples had not relation with anything, and don't let me start with the scratch party I made for the song... I wanted to quit, to just forget everything and lock me up in my bedroom; but even if it was a total disaster, Lyra and my parents supported me. I tried again, with another radio station, and it was a huge hit! My very first song playing in a local radio!" "After that, it was a rollercoaster of experiences. Sometimes my music was a total success on clubs and radios, and then they weren't. Everytime and everywhere there were some assholes that wanted to tell me how to act, how to dress, how to make my music. I told them to fuck of. I don't really care what people say about me. They think I'm a rebel and a total mess, I think those people are boring and idiots. I like who I'm, the things I do, and the way I do it" She didn't noticed, but Violet's body was shaking in anger. But a suddend feeling make her relax. She saw Octavia's hand on hers, and blushed hardly as her anger disappeared, and was substituted by shame. "Heh, sorry, didn't meant to, ya' know, let it out all at once" she quickly removed her hand from Octavia's, and scratched the back of her head. "Emm... and what about you? How you get yourself ito music?" "I have to say that it is not an interesting story, but if you want to know, I think is the right thing to tell you about it" she straightened herself in her seat once again, obtaining a more solemn appearance. "I was born in a rich family, and since I was a child, I demonstrated some ability in music-" "Just some? I bet you were a prodigy or something like that!" Octavia laughed and nodded. "Well, yes, I was talented in music since my early years. My parents signed me in several musical academies, hired many tutors, bought me any instruments I showed interest to. I was happy because I was doing what I love with the support of my parents, but I felt trapped... I wasn't until I left home that I made the music that I wanted" "Do not get me wrong, I left home not because I had an argument with my parents, no. I love my parents, in fact, they come to almost every concert I have. I left because I wanted to live alone, try new thing by my own, free myself from so many rules and schedules" "But you stick to classical... why?" "Because I like its style. I can play different genres of music, and even made colaborations with many others artist, but classical is what I love the most. Maybe is because it was the first genre I learned to play, or because I like the versatility of the genre... But is what I do, and is what I love" "I think that's great." Violet fixed her glasses, trying to hide a smile. "So far you love what you do, then there is nothing wrong with it..." she then started to eat her ice cream. "And what if I tell you I love to kidnap, torturate and kill people?" Octavia smiled devilishly, watching how Violet almost choked with her spoon. "Wel- ugh... well played Tavi" she coughed a few times before she could speak again. "Let me correct it. So far you love what you do, and you don't hurt anybody before, during or after it, then there is nothing wrong with it" Violet couldn't help but to notice Octavia smiling at her. At this point, not spacing out would be rude. She fastly recognized every detail she didn't noticed the first time she saw her; like how long Octavia's eyelashes were, how perfectly combed her hair was, the way she seated, she talked, she smiled. Vinyl knew that she never detailed no one so much before, and doing so with Octavia was new for her "Huh... that's weird" "What thing?" Octavia asked curious. Vinyl's eyes widened, looking everywhere except to Octavia, hopping that something would came up in time. "Emm... hmm... " she was running out of time, until she noticed familiar pink haired girl. "Pinkie! Pinkie putted out a confetti cannon from nowhere! That's weird" Violet signaled in Pinkie's direction, and Octavia turned to see the said girl covering in confetti and then hugging another girl with multi- colour hair. "Oh, that's her pocket party-cannon... if you see she pull out a larger one then we are in trouble" Vinyl laughed, but slowly stopped when she noticed the serius expression of the Cellist. "Wait. Are you serius?" Octavia nodded, and the DJ turned to see Pinkie walking away with the other girl. "Ho-how many times does she put out that cannon?" She asked nervously. "We don't talk about it" Octavia whispered. "Anyway... Do you have many friends in the city besides Lyra?" "Heh, well, I know many people around the city. Clubs Owners, party droppers, DJs, bartenders, that stuff. But beside Lyra I got two other close friends: Jasper and Noah. We are like family. We hang out together almost everyday, we go party, we help each other in music... they are really cool, ya' know?" "Indeed, they seem interesting" "And what about you!? Many friends at the orchestra?" "Actually no. But I do have to close friends. One is Chloe, is my best friend; and the other is Shizuku, she is younger than us, and is like a little sister for us, even though she don't like it" "Heh, and how you meet them? " "I have been friend with Chloe since childhood. She was in one of my music classes learning to play the Violin, and she just started to talk to me, and we became friends not so long before" Octavia smiled nostalgicly. "I remember she had a strong southern accent, and called the Violin 'Fiddle'... my mother didn't liked her at first, but then she was good with it" "Tell me about it, when mom find out that Lyra and I were dating, she almo-" She stopped at the realization that she had made a huge mistake. Lyra and her had one rule: Never reveal their 'couple fase' to anyone, no exceptions. It was crucial to avoid akward situations like this. "- let me explain! It was long ago, when we were like sixteen years old, Lyra has always been a lesbian, and I haven't decided at the moment, so we kinda dated to, ya' know, help me decide?" Octavia blinked confused, only to burst out in laughs. Violet relaxed a little before continue. "I know it sounds like the worst excuse ever, but is the honest truth. It help me though; even if I didn't like Lyra in that way, I realized that I like women... And lyra and I kinda get closer since" "I can imagine that" Violet felt relieved whe she saw Octavia laughing. She wasn't expecting that at all, but it was a good sign. "Though is difficult to imagine that your first couple was... your adoptive sister" "Yeaah... and what was yours!? Do you have any boyfriend or so!?" This was a question that Vinyl was anxious to ask. She didn't really knew why, but she needed to. "Oh, well... I don't have a boyfriend, and I never had one before" Octavia tilded her head as she remembered something. "Actually, I had a kind of a boyfriend back in high school. It was a friend, and he was victim of bullies all because he hadn't a girlfriend, so I pretended to be his girlfriend for a the rest of the year" "Whooa, little Tavi helping out! That's cute!" She squished her face to mock the Cellist. "Let me guess: he fell in love with ya', but you didn't, so you had to say nope to the nice guy?" "No at all... he was gay, and he left the school the year after. Now he lives happily with his husband, who came to be one of the bullies back then" Both girls remained silence for a few seconds, and bursted out in laughs almost immediately. Vinyl was hugging her stomach to avoid the pain. "I WASN'T EXPECTING THAT!" The girls tried to control themselves, and it took several minutes before they could talk clear and fluent enough. "Duuuude! That's gold! That's a sick love story!" "Believe it or not, they are a beautyful couple now. They are applying for an adoption" "Awwww so cuuuuute!" The girls laughed even more, until Octavia's phone ringed. The Cellist checked the name on the screen and saw Violet. "Excuse me for a moment, I have to answer. Could you please watch my purse while I'm gone?" Violet nodded, and Octavia hurried to a more quiet place. Violet sat there, securing her musical work back on her bag. In that moment, in that moment of silence and quietude, she find out that she could remember with exact words everything Octavia said, and every gesture and movement she did. Most of the time she only remembered key moments and words, the things that she felt were important to maintain a fluent conversation with coherence. But for some reason, everything that Octavia did or said was important to her. "Nah... is just the vibe. Beside, we just finished talking, obviously I remember everything..." she whispered to herself shaking her head. She then noticed Octavia coming with a sad smile on her face "I am so sorry Violet, but I have to go to a rehearsal of the Orchestra." Octavia grabbed her purse with a fast movement, and Violet walked her to the entrance. "It was planned for tomorrow, but they moved for today, and I'm going to be late if I don't go... " "Hey, don't worry Tavi. I get it, now, hurry up or you gonna be on trouble! Just text me when you get there" "Thank you Violet!" Octavia started to walk when she stopped and turned to see Vinyl. "I had an splendid time, we could do this again? Maybe I can invite Chloe and you invite Lyra" "That would be great! I'll text you later, see ya'" she shaked a hand while the cellist hurried, disappearing in the streets. The rain had already stopped, and te fogg faded away, the sun was shinning forming a rainbow in the distant clouds. Violet started walking the same way she came, stopping in front of the 'Golden Oak' library when a familiar song emanated from her phone. "Yo, what's up Noah?" "Just checking out how was your date..." he waited for a moment, with a worry voice. "I'm not interrupting something, am I?" "Nah, don't worry" Violet chuckled. "We just ended" "Ohh! Soooo... how was it!" "First of all, it was not a date, is like when I hang out with ya' -" "Is not like that at all dude, 'cause when we hang out, I now you wouldn't make a move on me 'cause I'm not a girl!" Violet face palmed, but smiled recognizing the truth in the commentary. "Whatever, just call Jasper, game night today... I will tell you guys how was it!" "Ooooooh yeeah! It's on baby!" Violet hang up the phone and put it back on her bag. She couldn't help but smile at how great that day has been. Author's Note Hiii! Second chapter here, a little bit shorter this time, but I cover everything I want for this chapter. Hope you like my version of Pinkie Pie. Some references to "University days" in this one. The song of this chapter is "Do your thing" by Basement Jaxx, great song, I love it! See you guys next chapter! //-------------------------------------------------------// Holiday //-------------------------------------------------------// Holiday Octavia walked fast, her cello secured in its case at her back. The rehearsal wasn't going to start for almost two hours, but for her arriving an hour before the start was 'Being Late'. She fastened her pace even more when she saw the theater in the distance. "I DO have to do more cardio..." she said through hard breaths. Once in the theater, she relaxed, placing her cello on the floor and allowing herself to breath deeply to regain her strengths. After a few moments the cellist grabbed the case of her instrument, and managed through the halls in pure memory, finally arriving to her final destination: a large stage, decorated just with the classic red curtain. She could perceive some companions already there, tuning their instruments and practicing some pieces by their own; Octavia was happy to see one of her friends among them. "Octavia! Over here!" Octavia smiled at her friend; an Asian girl, smaller and younger than her, with long black hair except for a large blue strand; she was the pianist of the band, so she was relaxing her chair next to the piano. She was wearing the obligatory white shirt, and a squared skirt, giving her a scholarly look. "Hello Shizuku, how are you today?" Octavia asked as she reached her friend, who received the cellist with a small reverence. They sat down, and Shizuku helped her tune the cello. "I'm more than great, senpai!" 'Senpai', that was how this girl referred to Octavia and Chloe most of the time; thanks to her expressions, the infinite energy, and many other things, most of the time Octavia thought that Shizuku came up directly from an Anime. "'No Name' will give a concert next week, and I just bought a ticket for the first row! See, see!" Shizuku showed a page of sells in her phone, and Octavia nodded... just to not be rude. "I can see why you are happy. Congratulations" the pianist smiled widely and went to secure her phone in her bag. Octavia had been friends with this girl for almost two years now, and yet she couldn't figure out her personality. During rehearsals and concerts was really serious, even more than most of the oldest in the Orchestra, but in the free time she was more extrovert and childist, yet, she could act mature and provocative when she wanted, but most of the time she was innocent and slow with some subjects. "I see Shizuku here told ya' about the gig of 'No Place'" Octavia turned when she felt a hand on her shoulder, and she recognized the voice of the girl at her side. "Howdy Octi! How was your date with that 'Violet' girl?" "Hello Chloe..." This girl was tall and athletic, with honey brown short hair, an old fedora adorned her head. She was wearing a dark yellow T-shirt, with the white shirt open over it, and skinny jeans that fitted her figure. She was the first Violin, and Octavia's best friend. "Oh my gosh!" Shizuku gasped, and Chloe laughed, knowing what would happen. "Everyone! Octavia had a d-" all the others on the stage turned around to see Octavia covering the mouth of Shizuku, who was struggling to free herself from the grip, and Chloe laughing at one side; they rolled their eyes and resume their activities. "Shizuku! How many times do I have to tell you to NOT shout out my personal life!" Octavia scolded the pianist as quietly as possible."And Chloe... I told you it was not a date. A friend needed my opinion of her work, and we decided to do it in person" "Right... but that doesn't answer my question, Octi" Chloe was smiling anxiously, and Octavia rolled her eyes. "Soooo, how was it!" Shizuku moved to sit next to Chloe, she, too, wanting to hear the answer. "It was a pleasant time" "Oh come on! Ya' can't just answer like that!" Octavia frowned, raising an eyebrow. "I suppose that I do have right to have some intimacy and privacy, don't I?" "The moment we became friends ya' lost all rights to privacy" Chloe crossed her arms on her chest in a victory pose. Then she let it drop to continue. "I can give ya' your intimacy, thou... I don't want to see ya' fucking anybody" "Langu-" "Don't change the topic, ya'pussy!" Chloe pointed out a finger at her. She spun her chair, resting an arm on the back of it, and putting the chair between her legs. "Come on girl, ya' never go out without us, especially with another human. Ya' can't blame us for being curious" "That is not tota-" "And you had been talking with her since that party!" It was now Shizuku who interrupted, making Octavia flinch. "And not only that, you talked us about her for two complete days! And you were the one who suggested to meet in person!" "Well, I did talk about her, bu-" Octavia could feel the blood on her cheeks from the blush on her face. She knew what was happening, and she knew that soon, she would not have more option but to talk. "Just tell us, Octi!" Chloe insisted. "We are your friends! If ya' can't trust us, then who!?" "Yeah! You can totally trust us!" Shizuku nodded, making emphasis in what Chloe said. "I promise to not tell anyone. Not a single soul would know about your date!" "Fine! J-just..." she gestured her friends to calm down, not wanting to alert everyone again. "Please stop pushing me". "Aww, come on now," Chloe did an exaggerated sad face, like she were hurt. "We're just picking with ya'..." Octavia sighed and face palmed. "It was NOT a date, Violet is just a friend, nothing more." She began. "If I talked about her was because I find her interesting and gracious, and her presentation in the party was wonderful." "Now hold up... ya' are gonna tell us 'bout her or what?" "What do you want to know?" Octavia crossed her arms on her chest, ready to the interrogation. Shizuku was the first one to show interest, raising a hand to get the attention. "Yes, Shizuku?" "How old is she!?" "She is twenty-two" "How does she look like" "She has blue and white hair, a bit shorter than you Chloe... pale skin, some freckles on her face, many piercings..." Octavia closed her eyes to visualize the DJ. "She has dark magenta eyes, and some tattoos on her neck and left arm... is just taller than me, and slimmer too... " "So is flat-chested?" Chloe joked, obtained laughs from Shizuku, and a death glare from Octavia. "What!? I just want to have an idea of the girl, ya' know?" "She is not flat, just has less chest than me..." "And than me too..." Chloe looked at Shizuku and then to Octavia, who shook her head. "Sorry there Shizuku, guess that ya' are still the smaller around" Shizuku covered her chest pouting at the commentary. "Soooo.. what ya' guys did?" "We drank coffee, checked her work, talked for a while... the normal things that people do when they pass time with a friend." "Not buying it" Shizuku's commentary fell flat on Octavia, surprising the two other girls. "You came so happy, even though you were 'late'... I'm guessing that there were more than you are telling us" "I-I am not sure what are you referring to" Octavia blushed, failing to sound or look innocent. "It was a normal afternoon with a friend, not more" Shizuku was about to say something when Chloe interrupted her, covering her mouth with a hand. She looked Octavia directly in her eyes and fixed her hat. "Now tell me one more thing, Octy. I want ya' to be one-hundred percent honest..." she signaled to the Cellist, and Octavia nodded understanding. "How was it?" "How was it what?" "How was your afternoon with that girl?" "Are you referring to wh-" Octavia flinched when Chloe closed her distance with her. Shizuku was observing cautiously from behind. "Ya' know very well what I'm talking 'bout" Chloe's voice was darker, serious, intimidating. Octavia had seen this side of Chloe a few times before, and each time produced terror in her. "Did ya' have a nice time with her or not?" "I-I..." Octavia gulped, trying to make her comfortable despite the fact that Chloe was almost over her, so she had little space to move. "I did, it was a wonderful afternoon, I enjoyed every moment of it" "Ok..." Chloe moved slowly, nodding as she returned to her seat beside Shizuku. "Then we can let ya' alone with that. Now let's talk 'bout something else!" The girls stood there, silent, waiting for someone to initiate a new conversation. The seconds became minutes, and the ambient was becoming more and more awkward. Shizuku tried to find something to say, looking around the room, and soon she remembered something. "Ooh! I know!" She tapped Chloe's leg to gain the attention of the girls. "Look, Shizuku, we love ya', but if something 'bout that band, th-" "No, it isn't about 'No Name', is about the orchestra" the girls were surprised, normally, the pianist didn't talk about the orchestra unless it was important. "Did you hear about the new director?" "Is Ferdinand or something like that, right?" "Is Frederick. He was a pianist, and now is a director!" Both Chloe and Octavia rolled their eyes. "He was like the greatest pianist ever! He played for the princess itself!" "We know him..." Answered Octavia and Chloe at the same time. Shizuku gasped at the revelation, so Octavia took the opportunity to explain. "He was a friend of ours back in the conservatory. We won the opportunity to play for the princess, after that he decided that he would be better on his own, so we continue our lives in separate ways" "Ya' are missing something important there" Chloe interrupted, obtaining the attention. "We were like best friends, and the best ones in the conservatory; but he had a HUGE crush on Octavia," She faced the cellist. "And ya' rejected him... So he left like the coward he is and blame a Pink haired girl of 'ruining' our careers and disappeared!" "I think that is not important... he should have his reasons to leave" Chloe nodded like she was fine with it. "But if he is the new director of the orchestra, then good for him" "Wait..." the girls turned to face Shizuku, who was trying to figure something out. "Isn't going to be a problem? You know... Because he liked you and you rejected him and all..." Octavia was about to say something when Chloe interrupted. "Nah, I don't think so... it was long ago" the violinist said with a carefree smile. "I don't think he stills love ya'..." Octavia was to say something else, but once again she was interrupted, this time by someone they didn't expect. "Good afternoon everyone!" The girls turned to the owner of the voice. It was a tall man with blond hair; his voice was clear and smooth, and had a strong presence in the room. "Please, excuse me for the last minute call, I had to make some changes in my schedule and was impossible for me to assist to rehearsal tomorrow..." he climbed up the stairs and positioned himself in the center of the stage. "To make things fast, so we can get to work, My name is Frederick, I'll be your new director, if you want to know more about me, feel free to ask the major, or if you are brave enough, the princess..." "Heh... Good to know he hasn't chance" Chloe whispered to her friends, obtaining some goggles from them. "Very well, I assume everyone is ready, so please, get in your positions" Frederick clapped two times and everyone started to move to their respective places. He walked through the lines, making corrections and asking questions to some members. "Nice to see you again, Chloe. How have you been?" "I can't say is good to see ya' again thou..." she whispered to herself, making sure that Frederick didn't hear. "I've been pretty good, thanks for asking" Chloe offered her best fake smile to him, and he nodded smiling and walking away. From her seat, Octavia begged that he didn't see her, but she had to swallow her frustration when she saw him in front of her. "Octavia Melody! What an enormous pleasure to meet you again," he grabbed her hand, kissing it softly and smiling at her. "I have to say, you look as gorgeous as always... I look forward to work with you" "Thank you, Frederick." She nodded, and cleaned her hand sneakily. "I also feel optimistic to work with you" both of them nodded, and he continued his way. Octavia sighed, and looking around, she could see Chloe and Shizuku laughing. Octavia could feel how slowly this wonderful day became a not so wonderful one. "Everyone is ready" Frederick made a hand motion, and all the members of the orchestra moved at the time, ready to start to play. "Then... Let's begin" Violet danced through the streets, her headphones at maximum volume, nodding at a rhythm only she knew. She climbed up the stairs of the building and entered. After waiting and entering to the elevator, she finally was in her home. She threw her keys to a near table, and dropped her bag on the floor next to the entrance. "I'M HOOOME!" Violet unplugged her headphones so she could hear. "I NOTICED!" Lyra shout as she appeared by the stairs. "You know, not everyone is using headphones at deafening levels, so not need to shout!" "Aw, come on..." Vinyl smiled carefree as she let her fall on the couch. "It wasn't that lo-" she was stopped by a pillow thrown to her face. "So, how was your date?" Lyra sat next to her sister, and Violet growl to the question. "Noah told me it was good, and that you wanted to talk about it with everyone tonight. But you will give me a preview, right?" "Ok, like I said a thousand times already, It was not a date at all!" She covered her face with her hands, rubbing it and letting out a long sigh. "But... it was pretty cool, I-I did have a great time, you know?" "Am I sensing some love around here!?" She received the same pillow on her face, laughing hard at her sister. "Don't blame you, that chick Octavia is nice, a ten for sure" "Yeah, she is really nice and beautiful... but is not love, dude!" Violet stood up and went to the stairs."Let's talk about it later, I'm gonna take a shower" "A cold one!?" Lyra had to duck to avoid a shoe threw at her, but she continued laughing, not really caring about it. The afternoon went by fast. Soon, Violet was with her sister preparing the dinner, cleaning just the necessary space in the living room, and doing all the other preparations for that night. They were almost done with the food when the door bell made echo in the apartment. "I'm coming!" Violet shouted as she walked towards the door. When she opened it, she was instantly lifted off the ground, being carried on the shoulder of a somewhat fat boy, with a long beard and short hair, who was much taller than she. Behind them was another boy, this one was taller than the girls, but smaller and thinner than the other boy. He had spiked green hair, and many tattoos and piercings all over his buddy. The taller boy dropped Violet on the couch and went to where Lyra was in the kitchen."Whaaaat's up!" He said hugging the blonde. "Yo Ly, my girl, ya' look great tonight!" "Th-thanks... Noah..." she was still being hugged by Noah as she talked. "Could you... p-put me down... air, please..." the boy laughed and freed Lyra from the lung-crushing hug. "Come on Noah, don't kill her, we need her alive!" The other guy shouted from the living room. He was taking a seat next to Vinyl, who was recovering from the shock. "Hey Vi, how are you dude?" He fist bumped with the DJ. "What's up Jasper? Wanna get destroyed on 'Street Combat' tonight?" She made a devilish smirk, and he responded with one of his own "Nah... I'm here so you can pay me what you own me last time, Scratch" "Yo Jasper, don't be so rude with Vi here, she is sick, dude" Both Noah and Lyra sat on the living room with the others two. Lyra was laughing, and Violet made a confuse look. "What are you saying dude?" Violet asked. "I'm not sick" "Of course ya' are, Scratch!" He made his best serious face. "My girl Lyra told me ya' are Lovesick with an uptown girl!" Everyone laughed except for Violet, who frowned. She was thinking that maybe this game night was not the best idea. "Nah, but now, everyone, let be serious here... our friend here will talk." He gestured to Violet, and everyone putted their focus on her. "Ok, I will tell you guys on one condition... you have to be serious at all times, if you wanna say something, you better say something useful... When we finish, then you can tell your bad jokes and all" everyone nodded and Violet took a deep breath. "Ok, so I meet Octavia last weekend, at Facy Pants's party. I bump with her and we started to talk. I admit that she is really beautiful. Anyway, I gave her my number, and she texted me the next day, she wanted to know more about my music and work, you know, normal stuff" "She texted you first..." Jasper was the first to talk. "I mean, she is interested in you in some way or another" everyone nodded, and he smiled victorious. "Like I was saying, I told her about my music, she told me about her music, we talked about music.... In a moment I told her about my new song, and tha-" "Hey Vi, not meant to be rude, but can ya' please fast forward till ya' hang out with her?" Noah fixed the collar of his hoodie. "We want to know how is the girl, dude!" "All right, all right..." Violet sighed. "She told me to hang out at 'Sugarcube Corner', awesome place dude! They have the best cupcakes I've ever eaten! But yeah, when I get there the first thing I saw was-" "Her?" Everyone said at the same time, and Violet laughed. "Nope, the first thing I saw was a crazy, pink haired girl who known literally nothing about personal space!" The group let out some confused laughs. "Yeah, she was searching for an internet friend or something like that. Then I saw Octavia, we drank some coffee, chat about music and stuff, and th-" "Wait, wait..." Jasper interrupted once again. "What does 'Stuff' means?" "W-well, you know, about our lives, childhood, past relationships..." "Hold on a second!" Lyra's eyes were wide; she was pale and had a worried expression on her face. "Did you tell her about... You know..." she made a dissimulated gesture to violet, signalling to both of them. "I kinda told her about that..." Both of the girls blushed lightly, and the boys were confused about it. "Nothing to worry about, she was cool with it" Lyra let out a breath and told her to continue. "But yeah, after that she had to go, something about a last minute rehearsal or something like that... that was it." She nodded, satisfied with her story, but looking at the frowns on her friend faces, she decided to add something more. "I guess you guys have questions, don't you?" "Yeah, first of all, does she have a nice friend or sister? You know... " Jasper and Noah Laughed. "No, but seriously, I got only one question for you: How do you feel around her?" Now Jasper was serious; this made everyone feel confused. Usually, in this kind of conversations, Jasper was more of jokes and pranks, while Noah was the serious one. "What do you mean?" "What my friend here is asking is how do ya' feel when you saw her?" This time Noah took the lead. "Like, when you saw her for the first time, or today in your Date-Not-A-Date" "W-Well... She is cool, and I like to talk with her. I find her pretty funny and-" "No, no, no!" Lyra said, closing her distance with the DJ. "What do you feel, dude!?" Violet closed her eyes for a moment, and let out a long sigh. When she opened them again, she started to talk. "I feel like I want to know everything about her, and to spend time with her talking about whatever cross our minds... I feel happy and nervous around her, like I have to impress her somehow, and at the same time I'm comfortable with her, like I don't need to act differently or pretend... But most of all, I want to make her smile all the time, 'cause when she smiles, she took my breath away, and I feel like I fly to a better place..." The room became quiet for a while, the only thing that could be heard was the breathing of the group, and the television at the back. It remained this way, until Vinyl's phone, that was resting on the beeped, with text from Octavia. Everyone crossed looks, and then hurried to pick up the phone. Thanks to her strategic position and her speed, Violet could reach out the phone first, shielding it behind her "WAIT!" She screamed to the others. "Is MY phone, don't act like animals, you idiots!" "Oh, come on!" Lyra made an exaggerated sad look to her sister, and the guys mimicked her. "Don't be like that, Vi... We want to know what she is saying" "Is my friend! And I have a private life!" "If she is your friend, then is our friend too!" Jasper said, gaining the support of the other two. "Besides, you lost the privilege to keep secrets when you became our friend, so stop acting like a pussy and read the damn text!" "Ugh... Fine!" Violet shook her head. "She is saying that she had a pleasant time today, and that she wants to hang out again another time" "Pleasant?" Lyra chuckled for herself. "Did you fuck with her or what dude? It was 'Pleasant' to drink coffee and talk about random stuff?" She joker, but was not well received by the others, especially Violet, who was frowning at her. "Is her way to say she had a great time, Ly..." Noah explained to the blonde. "Yeah, but, you guys need to admit it was funny!" Everyone shook her head, and she let out a growl. "Come on! Who says 'It was pleasant' unless you are talking about sex!?" "People who are not perverts with bad jokes?" Jasper smirked, and Lyra punched him in the shoulder, but it hurt her more than him. "What you gonna answer Scratch?" "Well, I want to see her again, so... yeah..." "Hey! Why don't you invite her to my concert?" Jasper said excited. "Is next week, and I got some extra tickets. Noah can't come for some family stuff, so I was going to ask Lyra and you to come" "I can give my ticket to Tavi" Lyra shrugged, smiling and walking away. "You can ask her out if you want. Maybe I go out with someone..." "That's it! Invite her!" "Ok, ok! Calm down!" Violet moved back to the living room, sitting on the couch. "I'll invite her later, she has to wake up early tomorrow, so I'll let her rest." she placed her phone on the table and searched for a control of the console, changing the channel in the television and starting a game. "Can we play now? I wanna sweep the floor with your faces!" "Oh! It's on baby!" Noah hurried to grab the other control and sat next to Violet. "Ya' are brave, girl! After the massacre of the last time I wouldn't play no more dude!" "What are you saying Noah?" Lyra came back with some energy drinks and chips. "Last time I destroyed your fat ass!" "Yeah, but at the end that didn't matter at all..." Jasper threw himself into a chair and grabbed an energy drink, drinking some before speaking."Because I was the one who won! I'm waiting for you to pay me, Scratch, don't act like you forgot" "Double or nothing, Jasper! Twenty bucks that you won't win today!" Author's Note Hi everyone! The third chapter is done, and I have to say... it was difficult to write. I had to re-write it like three times because it was hard to give some personality to all the characters. Just so you guys know, the character of "Chloe" is my version of Fiddlestick... hope you like it (^-^) Anyway... the song of this chapter is "Holiday", another song of Jakubi. I'm very thankful for your support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter! See ya' next time! //-------------------------------------------------------// Wasting Time //-------------------------------------------------------// Wasting Time Violet was sitting on her desk, working on her computer. The music pulsed around the room. The DJ was working on her newest song, but was having some trouble with it; growling, she deleted all her progress for the fifth time that night. Frustrated, she pushed herself back, making some space from the desk; she reclined on the chair, looking at the ceiling, and crossed her arms behind her head. She closed her eyes, trying to get some inspiration by letting the music flow inside her. She relaxed, the music was taking form in her head, but it soon took the form of a certain cellist smiling at her, and that inspired her to do something else. With her eyes still closed, her left hand made its way through her body, stopping at the waistband of her jeans. Slowly, she popped the button open, and let her hand slide under it. She began to rub the zone, letting out soft moans, confident that the music will do its job covering any sound; but as she continued letting off some steam, she forgot about two important things: Her sister was still in the apartment, and most importantly, she forgot to lock her door. "Yo Sis'! Have you seen my-" Lyra walked inside the room, finding herself in front of something interesting. Violet was sitting on her chair, legs open, offering a splendid view of the wet spot in her jeans where her hand was. Violet blushed madly, and fell on the floor trying to reach for something to cover her, hitting her face hard on the floor. "DUDE!" Violet fixed her pants in a fast move, and checked if there was blood on her nose. "Do you ever know how to knock?" Lyra couldn't help but laugh at her sister. "And do you know how to lock a door?" Lyra said between laughs. "What? Fantasying about Octavia?" "N-No! I was just... " Violet threw a pillow to Lyra, making her stop the laughs for a moment. "What do you want, Lyra?" "Hey, don't need to be rude Sis'" Lyra made a convincing sad look, making Violet feel sorry. Violet always said that Lyra had talent to be an actress. "I was wondering if you knew where my black heel-boots were..." "Yeah, you threw them at me last Friday to wake me up. That hurt by the way..." Violet searched behind her bed, pulling out a the pair of boots and handing them to Lyra. "Here. Are you going out?" "Huh? Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you!" The blonde girl sat in her sister bed, putting on her boots. "I'm gonna have kind of a date with a girl I met at Fancy Pants's party." She stood, extending her arms and making a full turn so Violet could see her. "So, how do I look?" She had her hair loose, falling without interruption to both her back and chest. A gold necklace, which had a lyre-shaped charm, adorned her neck. She was wearing a light mint-green blouse, and white skinny jeans along with the said black boots. "You look beautiful Lyra." Violet smiled at her sister, who blushed a little. "Are you going to tell me about the girl?" Now Violet made a more serious look, and Lyra's blush increased its intensity. "S-Sorry Vi, but I can't! You see, we made a promise: While we decide if this is something serious or not, we cannot tell anyone about us..." Lyra held her left arm with her right one. "You know, to protect our privacy in case that is just for fun..." "And you think that is just for fun?" "Well, is fun to hang out with her, but I'm in this for real" Lyra walked out the room, with Violet following behind. "And I'm pretty sure she wants something serious, but I gonna find out tonight" "Dude, you met her last Friday, it cannot be that serious..." "Hey!" Lyra suddenly turned to face Violet, making the DJ flinch. "You are not the only one who can have a Crush on someone they just met. I'm taking action on it, that's all!" "Fine. I just don't want you to rush things out." Violet walked to the door. She had to admit that she had a huge crush on Octavia, but she didn't dare to move, not wanting to risk their newly started friendship. "I know Sis', and thanks" Lyra offered a warm smile, and Violet was thankful for that. "Sorry for letting you alone... But I'm sure you will find something to do." she gave a quick look to the DJ's pants with a playful smirk. Violet blushed hard, covering the zone with her hands; she waited by the door, while Lyra checked her out in the mirror. Once she finished, they hugged and Lyra left the apartment. "Well, hope you two get together, that way I would be able to know her!" Closing the door, Violet sighed, realizing she was going to be alone that night. Giving a look around, she considered all the options. She could return to her room and continue working, but she was sure that she didn't want to become crazy so young. Cleaning was a last resort, and she was not that hungry, so she left cooking aside; she looked down at her pants, and thought about resuming her last activity, but the initial emotion disappeared, and she felt dirty at the moment. She finally decided to take a shower and then find something to do. Violet climbed up the stairs, undressing on the way, walking into the bathroom. She steps into the shower, turning on the water and letting it fall on her body. As she was there, many thoughts crossed her mind, most of them about Octavia. Violet had only met her for a week, but she became an important part of her daily life: she was the main theme of most of Vinyl's dreams, and the few times she had seen her were precious. Violet smiled, she cannot believe herself; she had many crushes in her life, but none had her feelings the way she felt now. Turning off the water, she shook her head; maybe she was giving too much time to that, maybe after some days it will fade away. After drying and putting some more comfortable clothes, Violet found herself without nothing to do. She walked through the apartment, putting some music so she doesn't feel so lonely. She sat in the living room, and looking at her console, she decided to play to kill some time, but sweeping through the titles, nothing called her attention... It was going to be a long night. With nothing better to do, she grabbed her phone. She scrolled from app to app, looked at photos and videos on the internet, but after some time she was bored again. She stopped at her contacts list; texting someone and talk for a while could help. But who should she text? Violet could only think of a certain girl with purple eyes. "Tavi..." Violet whispered, she was in the conversation screen, her fingers almost touching the screen, when many doubts invaded her. "What should I talk about? Could she talk right now? Or maybe I would be bothering her..." She shook her head; it was not like her to be so insecure, besides, you can talk about whatever you want with a friend, right? "-What's up Tavi!? How you doing?" Vinyl sighed. "Come on Violet! You can do it better!" Now, her intention was to erase the message and re-write it, but her finger slipped and accidentally tapped the 'Send' button. We can divide the following Violet's stages into three. "Damn it! Violet, you idiot!" the first, 'Anger', occurred instantly after realizing that the message was sent, and that she could do nothing to prevent it. "Why are you like that, Violet!? Ugh!" She facepalmed, neglecting the fact that she had her glasses on, and therefore, hurting her face even more. "OUCH! YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" "Huh? No, no, no, no, no!" We can call the second stage 'Panic', and it started when Violet saw the sign of 'Writing' on Octavia's chat. Violet's face paled while the sing disappeared, leaving a message instead. She dropped the phone, not reading the text, and got up from the couch, hands on her head, thinking about what to do. The third and final stage is called 'Even more Panic', it started when Violet's phone started ringing, with Octavia's icon on the screen. Violet jumped in surprise, and hide behind the table, all in just a second. She breathed deeply, and accepting her destiny, she answered the call. "Y-Yeah, hello?" "-Hello, Violet, are you all right? You sound strange... -" -Ok, Violet, play it cool, do not fuck this up... - "H-Hi Tavi! Yeah... um, no, is nothing, I hit my toe with the table, that's all!" Violet made a mental High-five with herself. "-Are you hurt? Well... Let me rephrase it: Are you hurt badly? -" "Huh? Oh, no, don't worry, just a Scratch!" Violet laughed at her own joke, until she realized how dumb it was. She was about to facepalm again, but stopped remembering the last accident, and hearing a laugh emanating from the phone. "-So you are the 'Pun' type, why does that not surprise me? -" "I guess because I love puns... " Violet dropped herself on the couch, resting her head on a pillow. "Anyway, to which I owe you the honor of your call, Miss Melody?" She asked, making the worst accent ever heard. Octavia seem to ignore it. "-Well, my friends are busy tonight, I had nothing to do, and you texted me... -" Violet could hear a small giggle from the cellist. "-I am not a fan of texting, I prefer to call... So here we are-" "You had nothing to do?" Violet played small ornament, throwing it in the air and catching it back. "I was not expecting that..." she smiled confused. " -I'm supposed to be practicing, but I know the piece quite well..." Violet could imagine the smile on Octavia's face. "And I can't concentrate, so I just decided that I'll take this night off-" "Whoa, watch out! We got a badass over here!" "-Ha ha, really funny... -" Octavia laughed along with her friend. "-So, beside making fun of me, what are you doing? I thought you played in local clubs... -" "Yeah... well, I got a couple of free days, and I need to take some rest from writing music... This last song is killing me!" "-And why you don't ask Lyra for help? -" Violet smiled, standing up and walking through the room. "That would be a good idea, but she is on a date with a mysterious girl, so I'm alone tonight" "-I understand... then I will be more than happy to accompany you tonight!" Vinyl would never admit this in public, but this girl could make her blush even on the phone. "So tell me, Violet, what have you been doing these days? -" "Not so much... " Violet jumped over the kitchen table, sitting on it and grabbing an apple to eat. "This week has been a bit slow for the clubs, so I didn't have any gig. -" She took a bite of the apple."-I had time to work on a couple of songs, but I'm blocked at the moment... What about you? How is the Orchestra going?" She took another bite, leaning on the wall to be more comfortable. "-There is not much to talk about, except for the fact that we have a new director... one not so agreeable-" "Oh yeah!? What, a creepy old man with long beard and dirty jokes?" "-That would be the old director..." both girls laughed, but then Octavia's voice became more serious, making Violet worry. " The new director is someone who was my friend a couple of years ago... Let's say that, after a bad presentation, he decided to leave on his own and leave the group, only he didn't do it in the best way... -" "W-What do you mean? What happened?" "-Many things, actually... I-I had a crush on him when I met him," Violet felt a pain in her chest, but it was soon relieved. "but after knowing him well, that feeling disappeared; he was interested in me, and proposed me to be a couple, a proposal I had to reject... He was hurt, then we had an accident in an important event, and at that moment everything went wrong... He insulted us, said that we won't be successful, and left... -" "Whoa... Well, I can understand he was angry, but he is a total jerk, you know?" Violet threw the already eaten apple inside the trash can, and jumped off the table. "A bad gig is not a reason to act like an asshole. I'm sure he is a total nobody..." "-You may want to consider that again... " Octavia said giggling. "He is one of the most famous pianists in the world, and performed for the princesses many times... I had to admit that he has an excellent career-" "Well, now I feel like an idiot" The girls laughed. Violet sat on the stairs, resting her head on her hand. "-Don't need to worry, to tell the truth, I didn't know until some days ago. But let's talk about something else... tell me, did you eat? -" "Really?" Violet smiled, standing up and walking to her bedroom. "-Hey, I just want to start a conversation! -" "Come on! You can do it better than that!" Violet let out a loud laugh, throwing herself on the bed. "Try again!" "-Ok, wait a minute... -" Violet heard movement on the other side, followed by a clickinck sound. "Well, I got it, 'fifty-five questions for friends'... You want to give it an opportunity? -" Violet smirked. "Let me guess... Internet?" Octavia was about to say something, but Violet continued. "Yeah, why not? Those are funny, and maybe I learn one or two things about you, Tavi" "-So let's start... I read the question and we both answer, first you, then me, and the next we change the order, okay? -" "Bring it on!" Vinyl made a fighting pose still lying on the bed. " Very well, first question!" Violet could hear Octavia gliggling "What is the funniest anecdote you've ever lived? -" "Already with the big guns, huh? I got plenty, but if I have to choose one..." Violet went silent for a moment, thinking. She straightened, sitting in the bed, and let out a small laugh. "Well, I would have to say one that happened to me at a funeral... You see, when I was sixteen, a distant aunt of the family died. Mom asked Lyra and me to accompany her, terrible decision by the way, and once in the wake, Mom leaves us for a moment, and these guys start talking about the dead aunt, telling stories and remembering things... but what they talked about most was how much he smoked. One of them looks at us, as if waiting for us to say something about the aunt, I panicked, and all I could say was 'Well, at least she won't smoke anymore...'" Violet let out a sigh. "Yeah... it was brutal" "-NO WAY! -" "- -" It was already close to one in the morning when Lyra entered the apartment. Wobbly, she tried, and failed miserably, to move silently, stumbling over a table, cursing for the pain, and heading for the stairs. Once upstairs, Lyra was about to enter her room, take off her clothes, and sleep until it was really necessary for her to wake up, but the sound of laughter coming from Violet's room caught her attention. She could wait a couple more minutes before sleeping... "It's impossible for you to do that! Hahahaha!" Lyra could see her friend, twisting with laughter in her bed, holding her abdomen with one hand, and her phone with the other. She could feel a gentle and pleasant air in the atmosphere, and a part of her told her not to interrupt, but another part, influenced by alcohol, told her that she would not be her if she didn't... Lyra decided to listen to the second. "WHAAAAAAT'S UP!?" The blonde threw herself on her friend, ramming her against the bed. Violet struggled to escape her friend's grip. Lyra meanwhile, laughed, and settled down, sitting in front of her sister. "YO TAVI! WHAT'S UP GIRL!?" Violet punched her, and Lyra continued laughing. "-What is that, Violet? -" "Nothing, just m-" "YO TAVI! YOU CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT I FOUND VIOLET DOING THIS AFTERNOON!" Lyra interrupted, and Violet's eyes filled with both terror and anger. Lyra was still laughing when she was held back by her sister, covering her with blankets and pushing her against the bed. "-Violet, is everything fine with Lyra? -" "Yeah, yeah! She is... Well... drunk" Now that the atmosphere lost its magic, and that Lyra was gaining strength, Violet decided that it would be best to end the conversation. "Hey, Tavi, I will have to take care of this mess, and you have practice tomorrow... I think it's better that we go to sleep" "-I think the same... Thank you for your company, Violet. Remind me to never invite you to a funeral... -" Violet could hear the playful tone in Octavia's voice, and smiled to herself. "Really funny, Tavi... Good night!" "-Good Night Violet-" With a click sound the call ended. Violet released her sister from her sheets prison, and proceeded to sit in her chair. Violet looked at her sister with an expression of joy and disbelief at the same time, while Lyra saw her smiling stupidly. "What's up?" Lyra said while still smiling. "Everything is cool with Tavi?" Lyra was reeling from side to side, and violet couldn't concentrate well on the conversation. "You sure were having a good time... Sorry for tackling you by the way." she smirked, the alcohol in obvious control of her. "Eeeeyup, everything was great, what about you? Is official now?" "Yup... I will tell you about it tomorrow, though... I'm curious about ya'... What did you and Tavi talk about?" Lyra told her sister to sit next to her. They sat face to face, legs crossed, and hugging pillows in their hands. "It was great, you know? We talk for hours and hours, and I think there is a kind of, I don't know, connection?" Violet' eyes they shone as they spoke, and a smile formed on his face. Lyra couldn't ignore this, it made her happy to see her sister like this. "I haven't seen you like this in a while," Lyra smiled nostalgically, but soon his teasing energy returned, giving the DJ a little punch. "So you were like, I don't know, thinking about her, and how they could run away together... she would teach you about classical music, and you about a couple of techniques in bed!?" Violet's cheeks turned red, and she hid behind a pillow. "N-Not at all!" The girls were silent for a while. Lyra looked at Violet with an attempt of seriousness, raising an eyebrow. They kept it up until Violet finally gave up. "Well... Maybe a little. I don't know, maybe I impressed her with all this about being a DJ and showing her my music and that... but I wonder if she thinks about me as much as I do about her, or if I'm just wasting my time..." "You aren't..." Lyra shook her head, giving her sister a hug. "What you are doing is thinking too much. As you said, you barely know her for a week, don't complicate yourself yet! Enjoy this, whatever it is, and create the basis for your move!" "Since when are you an expert in love? You could help me before, you know?" Violet smiled, returning the hug. " I've always been, only that I like to see you suffer from time to time." Lyra stood up, and walked through the door. "Well, I'm going to die for a while, wake me up tomorrow only if necessary. Good night Sis'" "Good night Sis'" And with that Lyrq closed the door behind her. Alone in her room, Violet turned off the light and lay down on the bed, covering herself with the blankets... a smile formed on her face thinking of Octavia, about her hair falling gently on her shoulders and back, about her bright eyes... closing her eyes, her left hand traced its way from her neck, stroking her breasts and abdomen, and sliding into her pants, settling in his crotch. Violet began to touch the area, which was already wet ... this would be a long night. Author's Note 4th chapter here! Even though it was the most difficult to write so far, (especially for the phone call) It was fun to write. I was late publishing this one; it was supposed to be ready by Sunday, but, well, I was sick and had to do some editions. The song of this chapter is "Wasting time", a song by my favorite band of all my life: Blink-182. Great song, amazing band. As always, thanks again for all the support, hope you enjoy it! See you guys next chapter! //-------------------------------------------------------// Crush //-------------------------------------------------------// Crush Lyra opened the refrigerator, searching for the ingredients for her most recent sandwich. She was happy; she had an amazing date last weekend, a not so terrible hangover, and now she was about to eat a sandwich. Everything was good, but the sound of hurried footsteps and the calling of her name let Lyra know that, even if she did not want, her sandwich would have to wait. "Lyra, we have a problem!" Violet came rushing, almost tripping in front of her sister. "Nope... " Lyra sat on the kitchen table, taking a bite of her freshly made food. "You have a problem, I have a sandwich." Violet made a pout, a gesture that didn't bother Lyra too much. "Sometimes I hate you, you know?" "Yeah, I love you too Sis'... Don't tell me, is about Octavia?" "Not all my problems are about Tavi!" Violet pouted, crossing her arms on her chest, and looking away with a small blush on her face. "Although it is about her..." "Ha! I knew it!" The DJ could not help punching her sister, who laughed at her while happily eating her sandwich. "Let me guess again... You haven't invited her out to Jasper's concert yet, and now there's little time left to do it, and you don't know what to do... Am I right?" "I really hate you right now... " Lyra shrugged, finishing eating, and pointing to Violet to keep talking. "But I need your help right now... can you think of anything?" "Right now all I can think of is about how much of a dumbass you are by not inviting her before..." Violet frowned, but decided not to answer, after all she needed her, and although she doesn't like to admit it, she couldn't deny that Lyra was better than her in these things. "Okay. I think I have an idea, but first you must ask for my help in a good way." "Wh-what!? Dude, I already ask you to help me!" "Nope, you said that you hated me, and then you ask for my help... Come on, be nice!" "You know, sometimes you're a pain in the ass, Lyra." "Yeah, but this pain in the ass has an idea to get you closer to Octavia, so if you don't want to spend more lonely nights touching yourself, be a good girl and ask nicely..." Violet rolled her eyes. He could see his sister's mocking face, but he really needed his help, so he decided to swallow his pride and fulfill the established demands. "My sweet, dearest and beloved sister, oh source of wisdom! Who am I to ask for your advice, but I trust your immense mercy to respond and go to my request for help in this time of immense need" Violet knelt in front of her sister, as if pleading before a king. Lyra heard every word with a solemn expression, of course, at the end she had to turn around to hide her laugh, which Vinyl took advantage of to show her middle finger. "Ver- pfff... Sorry... Very well, I like your style, now, let me tell you my incredible, awesome idea to get you with your beloved cellist!" Violet checked her phone for the fifth time. She was on time, six o'clock, she was in the right place, and she was wearing the right clothes, all that was left was Octavia to come. Of course, if she would come. This simple idea terrified Violet; she could deal with acting on a stage in front of hundreds of people, face the haters, and be discovered by his sister masturbating, but she could not stand the rejection or the idea of being planted on a date... even though this was not a date, no, not at all. Again, she checked the time anxiously, to realize that not a minute had passed since the last time. He sighed, running a hand between his hair, and taking off his glasses, he rubbed his eyes trying to calm down. "Dude, calm down... ya' can't be like this all the time" Vinyl raised his head, managing to see Noah and Lyra walking towards her. "Ya' aren't going to make her come sooner, so relax Scratch." "I know, I know..." the three moved to nearby benches to sit down, and obviously try to calm a very anxious Violet. "Can you explain the plan to me again?" Violet looked at her sister with real despair in her eyes, who smiled, resting a hand on her shoulder. "It's simple. As I told you, you can't go to the concert, it's too late for that... instead, here in port there is an art exhibition, there are musicians, and there is food!" The three nodded in understanding. "Now, Noah and I are going to 'join you' for a while, the first thirty minutes to be exact, then it is your task to continue with this date" "Yeah, and remember, the most important thing in this Date-not-a-date is that ya' get a second one; remember how are ya' going to do it?" "Asking her to record a song with me?" Violet responded nervously to her 'Trainers' "Nope." Lyra shook her head. "Not asking, but rather inviting her. The idea is that you sound interested, not needed." "Ok, got it!" Violet clenched her fists in celebration, with a determined look on her face. A look that would soon change. "Wait, guys, Tavi said she would come with a friend, what about her?" "Don't worry, we're going to take care of her!" Noah tapped Vinyl on the shoulder, encouraging her back. "We'll make her come with us. I can guarantee ya' an hour, maybe two, alone with your girl, and if I'm lucky, maybe I'll go with one today, huh!?" "Well, big man, lil' sis'... Show time, there comes your girl" In theory, Lyra's plan was foolproof. There were no risky moves, she had Noah's help with regard to distraction, and Violet should only be herself, the only variable that could affect was Octavia's friend, but when Lyra could recognize the face of a short-haired Honey-Brown haired girl besides Octavia, she knew she would have no problem... After all, they already knew each other, had already dated a week before, and had already talked about this plan hours before. "Tavi! Over here!" Violet waved her hands to attract the attention of the girls. "Violet, hello, sorry for the delay, there was some traffic along the way." Violet just smiled, her body didn't respond to do something more complex than that. "Please let me introduce you to my friend, Chloe." "Howdy y'all!" A short greeting, but cheerful and energetic enough to capture the attention of the group. "I'm Chloe, friend of this girl right here, nice to meet y'all" Both Violet and Noah were surprised. The looks and style of the girl did not match so much with her personality and the talk; Lyra could recognize the same look on hers when she first met Chloe, and successfully avoided to be seen laughing quietly. "Nice to meet you, the name is Violet, you can call me Vinyl if you want. These weirdos over here are my friends, Noah and Lyra! Sooo... guess we can get moving, you know, walking and stuff" The group nodded, starting walking towards the nearest exhibition. Lyra took the opportunity to catch with Violet. "Dude, what was that!?" The blonde was whispering, not wanting to be in the spotlight. "What was what?" "That presentation dude! Vi, you have to act natural!" "That was natural!" "If that was natural, then your natural style sucks... You started great, but the 'Let's walk and stuff' part... Man, that was pretty bad. Look, just be yourself, after all, we're just hanging out!" She winked at her exaggeratedly, tapping her elbow on Violet's arm. "Now go get her, sister!" Violet smiled confidently, stepping forward to reach Octavia and Chloe. Not now he approached Lyra, his hands hidden in the pockets of his jacket, and a mocking expression on his face. "Dude... Are ya' sure that violet can do her part without looking like an idiot?" "Well..." Lyra had considered all the variables regarding Octavia, Chloe, and the date in general, but she forgot about the lack of ability Vinyl possessed to flirt, or even to look like a competent human in front of someone she liked. "I hope so. But if she doesn't, we'll have a good story to tell Jasper!" Noah laughed silently, not calling the attention of others. Violet on the other hand had reached the girls, positioning herself next to Octavia. The girls talked about Orchestra matters, and Violet decided not to say anything, just enjoy the moment itself. Noticing her presence, Octavia and Chloe decided to change the topic of the conversation to one more accessible for all three. They inspected the works of art on display, commented on the musicians on the road, and were able to discover the fear Violet has of mimes. In the end, Violet could fit and feel quite comfortable in the group, being able to speak naturally, and more importantly, enjoying the company of both girls. That was the moment that Lyra decided to launch her part of the plan. Making a quick sign to Noah, they both approached the girls, placing Chloe next to Lyra taking the lead in the operation. "Hey, Chloe, you're a violinist, right?" "Eeeeeyup, it is not very rare in my family, but I'm the first to be in something as fancy as an orchestra" "That's great! Hey, I saw this guy who had a violin with a single string and who plays like a pro, it's great! Do you want to go see him?" "Lead the way!" The two girls separated from the group, disappearing between the exhibits and the people. Before Octavia could say anything, Noah came forward, drawing the attention of the girls. "Yo, Vi, Imma go see some things in the video game store, why don't ya' guys get ahead?"He hadn't finished talking when he was already walking away from the girls. "There's a bar not far from here, go and I'll catch up later " Violet was as confused at first as Octavia, until she realized that it was her moment to shine. She let out a sigh and faked a cough to attract the attention of the cellist. "Well, guess we're on our own. How about we go for something to drink, huh? " "I imagine you don't talk about coffee, don't you?" Octavia looked mockingly at the DJ, who looked away quickly, while at the same time clutching her right arm. "Well, the truth is that I'm thirsty, so a drink wouldn't hurt." "Great! Well, uh... I know a great place!" Vinyl began to lead the march, but stopped almost instantly, turning to look at the cellist with a nervous smile. "Y-You don't mind walking for a while, right?" Violet's eyes widened as she realized how her comment sounded, and quickly continued to correct herself. "I-It's not what you think! It's that the place is a bit far-" "I'm fine with walking, Violet" Octavia interrupted, and Violet was grateful that this happened, as she stopped the verbal disaster that was forming. "Well, you are the leader, I follow you." A small blush formed on Violet's face, who smiled, and adjusting her glasses, began to walk in the direction of their destiny. During the journey, which lasted a good half hour, not many interesting things happened. The girls continued to enjoy the exhibitions, the music, and talking about their respective current musical projects; however, the lack of 'emotion' during this time did not bother Violet at all. She felt really comfortable, she could be herself, without forcing conversations, or suffering during occasional silences. Violet was beginning to question whether her feelings were truly as passenger as she initially thought, but decided to concentrate on the present. She had to get the 'Second Date' some way, then she would have time to suffer for her feelings. Finally the duo arrived at the desired place, the 'Point Drank' bar. A rustic style bar, with most of its elements made of wood. Photographs and paintings of bays adorned the walls, and a small stage with instruments was located at the end of the establishment. The place was not too crowded, just a couple of tables occupied, and about 4 people at the bar, so the girls had no trouble choosing a place to sit, and easily ordering a couple of cold drinks. Once seated, resting, and with a drink in front of her, Violet began to prepare for what awaited her. A message from Lyra let her know that she had at least another half hour left to make progress with the cellist, and also get the unofficial 'second date'. The game had begun, and Violet wasn't quite ready to play, but a part of her was eager to start and discover what could happen at the end of it all. "-Ok Vi... think of something, in some way to ask her to record a song with me that doesn't include, of course, mention that I can't stop thinking about her, and how much I think about making sweet music touching her..." Violet frowned at her drink, ignoring that Octavia could see her. "Wait, totally avoid that last. Even if it's true, we can't tell anyone about that. That's a secret between me and me... and my hand. Aaahg! What's wrong with me? Focus on what you have to do Vi! -" "There is something wrong?" "Huh? Wha- I ju- N-No! Nothing, just spacing out, sorry." She took a quick drink of her drink to reduce her nerves. For Violet, every minute that passed, the atmosphere of comfort she felt on the road gradually disappeared, with the constant reminder of her personal mission. She couldn't think of any topic to talk about, and with the growing silence, she was already resigning herself to failure, until a slight laugh took her out of his depression. " You know, I'm glad you invited us here today. Now it was Violet who was confused, but seeing Octavia's flushed face made her blush. "A-Anyway, where do you think the others are?" "They are on their way" Violet was relieved that Octavia had spoken first, so it was easier to go from topic to topic, after all, being a DJ knew how to handle rhythms and themes. "It seems that Chloe and Lyra get along, don't they?" "Indeed, that seems so." Octavia smiled. "Lyra looks nice, even the kind of girl Chloe likes" "Oh, so Chloe is... " "Yes she is." Violet needed the conversation to be routed to music, but this seemed interesting, and the truth was that it was information that could serve Lyra in the future. "It was never a big problem among us, according to her I am not her type." "She misses it. You're totally my type..." Violet was slow to realize that she had said it out loud instead of in her mind. She felt a chill, and was afraid to see Octavia in the face. "W-Well, thank you very much..." Violet couldn't believe it, her mind was totally blank. She couldn't understand why Octavia was smiling embarrassed and blushing, and why she wasn't screaming furiously at her. "Excuse me, I was never good at getting compliments..." "Excuse me, I'm usually less clumsy when I speak, you know? But hey! At least I make people laugh!" "It's as they say, the misfortune of some is the happiness of others" "Heh... I think I could put on a comedy show with my life as a theme." The girls laughed. The atmosphere was now much friendlier for Violet, and with renewed spirits, she began her plan. "Hey, did you hear that new song that is playing on the radio? It's pretty cool, Tavi." "I'm afraid I haven't heard it yet..." "It's super cool! And it has a line of violins that is to blow minds! When I heard it, I remembered you Tavi! And it gave me an idea for my song!" The DJ spoke euphoric, something that Octavia found tender, and that the mention of her name caused a slight blush. "I'm working on a string arrangement for the song, and I was thinking of using a cello for the Bass line; combined with some new samples that I created, it will be an amazing song!" "That's a very good idea. I'd love to hear it when it's complete!" Octavia could see the emotion in Vinyl. It was a good thing to find someone who enjoys music as much as she does. "I didn't know you played the cello..." "Oh, I don't. The truth is... you know, I wish that... since you know how to play the cello... Maybe it would be nice if you... maybe you could record the song with me?" This was the final play for Violet. This decided everything. Violet felt nervous, but she couldn't do anything anymore, it was all up to Octavia. "Seriously!?" The surprise tone of the cellist did not give Violet much confidence, but Octavia continued. "That would be phenomenal! I would love to be part of the song!" "Really!? Thanks Tavi! O-Of course I'll pay you! Fifty-fifty the earnings of the song an-" "I insist, I will not let you pay me anything, it is not necessary!" "Don't think I'm going to let you work for free, Tavi!" "You are my friend, I will not charge for a favor." "I am not asking you for a favor, what I ask of you is a serious and real collaboration! So stop arguing and do what I tell you!" "Isn't it cute? The first discussion of lovebirds!" Both girls' eyes widened, and their faces turned so red that a tomato would feel jealous. "Sorry for the interruption, but I hope you ordered something to drink! I'm dying of thirst!" Lyra sat next to Violet, followed by Noah, Chloe sat down with Octavia. "Come on, don't be shy! Ya' guys can keep talking no problem!" "Yeah! Ya' were saying something 'bout a collaboration with my friend here, don't ya'?" The girls changed the subject quickly, distracting the attention of others. The bar stopped being so quiet, and the group was full of laughter and friendship. Without a doubt, this was one of the best moments for Violet; a day with friends, having fun, talking, being crazy and scandalous, and above all, sharing all this with the person who occupied her mind lately, Octavia. "I'll text to you later! See ya', Tavi!" Violet waved her hand in farewell, in turn, Octavia smiled as she entered the bus next to Chloe. The DJ turned around meeting her friends who were waiting for her next to Noah's car. "Dude... This day was great!" "Yeah, it was a good day... Too bad Chloe is dating someone." Noah pressed a button on the car keys, deactivating the alarm and releasing the door locks; After this, everyone got into the car, with the boy as a driver. "Although that didn't stop Lyra to make a couple of moves on her!" Noah elbowed Lyra, who was in the passenger seat. "Wait, you were hitting on her!? I thought you were dating the party girl." Violet looming in the space between the front seats to be able to participate better in the conversation. "Well, you would like to know that you are his kind of girl! Or at least that's what I found out from Tavi..." "R-Really!?" Lyra tried to hide the blush forming on her face, but failed, causing laughter in her friends. "A-Anyway, let's talk about what matters! You made it!? Do you have the second date!?" "Yep, I have it!" Everyone celebrated, patting Violet on the head and shoulders. "Well, when will it be!?" "Emmm... We haven't decided yet." "And the song, did ya' make the part for Octavia and all that?" "Nope... not yet" Violet watched as her friends looked at her seriously, not satisfied with the answers, and then she smiled sadly as she leaned on the back of the back seat. "Well, let's say I almost had the second date..." Author's Note Heeeey! Chapter 5 finally ready! I hope you apologize for the delay, but these last days have been a complete madness! For starters, last week I had a couple of exams in college, and here among us, mathematics can kill some people's creativity. After that, something very curious happened ... a pretty little bee spikes my neck, causing me an allergy attack that literally kills me. I had to spend 3 days in hospital, but I feel much better. Anyway, enough of my life, let's talk about the chapter. The truth is that my original idea was to attend the concert of Jasper and "No Name", but in the end I decided that this would be better, since it would make more sense with the next chapters. The song in this chapter is "Crush" by Tessa Violet ... Lately I have it stuck in my mind, it's a bit annoying, but I can't complain. I hope you are enjoying the story so far, and thank you very much for the support! until the next chapter! see ya'! //-------------------------------------------------------// Lately //-------------------------------------------------------// Lately "I'm telling you, it's all part of my master plan!" "Let me tell you something: Your plan sucks. It has been two weeks and you haven't recorded the song, all you do is text each other and drink coffee... " Violet pouted, not only because she was angry, but also because it was true what Lyra said. "But I have to admit that surprise her going to pick her up from her rehearsal is a good idea... " The girls were walking, still a couple of streets away from their destination. Violet woke up that day with a good vibe, and came up with this simple but effective idea. It has been almost two weeks since she asked Octavia to record a song, and now that she has everything ready, she wanted to inform the cellist in person. "I know! Is a great idea! But I'll need you to go away earlier... You know, I want to work the 'atmosphere' and that" "Sis'... If you keep saying things like that it would be a miracle that you get that girl." The girls continued walking until they reached the theater, thanks to Vinyl's research, in which the orchestra's rehearsals were performed. They managed to see the different members leaving the building, some in groups, others on their own. Violet's plan was going well until now, they had arrived just at the end of the rehearsal, and now all that was left was to locate the cellist. "Can you see her somewhere?" Vinyl was almost jumping so he could increase her field of vision, attracting the attention of many of the musicians who passed by them. "I can't see her anywhere... Is she gone? Or is she still inside?" "Hey, you really need to relax... I don't want to be a pooper, but it's not like it's vitally important- Oh! I see her!" "Where!? Where is she!?" Now Violet was jumping even higher, trying to locate the girl. Lyra put a hand on her shoulder, stopping the movement of the DJ, and with the other pointed toward the entrance to the theater, where Octavia was. "Dude, chill out!" Violet was about to get going when she was stopped once again by her sister, who now had an expression of confusion. "I think she's not alone at all... There's a guy, a handsome one, or at least for me. It seems like they're talking, and laughing... And yep, that's a blush from your girl." "Wait, what?" Vinyl took off her glasses to clean them, hoping to see the situation better. Indeed, Octavia was talking, smiling and blushing with a guy, and this caused Violet a lump in her throat. She was upset, upset that this idiot was making Octavia laugh, upset that Octavia was laughing with that idiot, and even more, upset that she was not who was making Octavia laugh. She couldn't do or say anything as much as it bothered or hurt her, after all, she was still just a friend, so she just hated that unknown guy in silence... "Who the fuck is that idiot!?" "Don't know, but I think he's hitting on Tavi." "Is he doing what!?" This time Violet spoke loudly, almost screaming, drawing attention to her. With a rapid movement, Lyra was able to pull Vinyl behind a nearby wall, hiding both from the sight of others. "Ok, now I'm serious, you need to calm down. Octavia is a pretty girl, it's obvious that the boys try to get close to her. What did you expect? That all the men in the orchestra were gay like that one over there?" Lyra pointed to one of the musicians who passed by to emphasize her point. "I know! Ugh! But who has that idiot that I don't!?" "Well, apart from an apparent stable job, a perfect view, good clothes, and hair that doesn't seem combed by an electrifying beam, I can tell you that he has a dick and you don't..." "That's no big deal... I mean, I can get something much bigger than his for sure." "Right..." Lyra looked out to see what was happening with the cellist and the subject, and then saw Violet with a smile on her face. "Of course his goes with him everywhere... Anyway, your turn, the guy is leaving." "Ok, here I go!" Violet made some funny stretches, cracking her fingers and neck, and doing warm-up jumps before freezing in place "Just to be sure... What the heck am I going to tell her?" "You have to be kidding me... " Lyra put a hand to her face while letting out a long, irritated sigh. "Explain to me how the hell it's that you are such a popular DJ with those shitty speaking skills?" "Most of the time my music speaks for me. Now, be a good older sister and help me, please?" "Fine, wanna hear a good advice? Be yourself. For some reason Tavi seems to like your dumb style, so let's go there and say whatever you want to say!" Lyra laid a hand on Violet's shoulder, feeling proud of her motivating speech, however, this was short-lived, since a thought of tragedy and sorrows passed through her mind as she reviewed her last line. "But if you think about it, saying whatever just like that is not such a good idea... you better just say hello and I'll take care to talk, then you get into the conversation and grab the rhythm, got it?" Violet nodded, and the girls set off, with the intention of intercepting Octavia, who was now accompanied by her friends, at the bottom of the stairs. Violet slowed her step a little, feeling less confident now that she not only had to talk with Octavia, but also with two other girls, girls of whom she only knew one for a few hours; however, Lyra kept walking with complete security, forcing Vinyl to keep up with her. "Time to shine." Lyra told Violet in a whisper, pushing her sister forward. Although the push was without much force, it was given at the worst moment, causing Violet to stumble upon Octavia, and both fell to the ground; more specifically, Violet fell on Octavia, their faces separated from each other by just a couple of inches. Violet could not move. His heart was beating rapidly, and his breathing was strong. I knew it wasn't the time to get carried away by his thoughts, but Violet couldn't help thinking about how close he could have been to a kiss. It was almost ridiculous to think that a stumble was what had brought her closer, physically, to Octavia. "-God, this is so Cliché... but hey! Clichés exist because they work, right? -" "Ok... I don't say ya' can't enjoy this, Vi, but I think it would be better if ya' girls continue in a private room without public, don't ya' think?" The mocking voice Violet recognized as Chloe's made her come to reason. in a rapid movement, she knelt beside Octavia, giving her space, and at the same time missing her position on top of her. "DUDE!? WHAT THE HECK!?" Violet was very upset, and protested to her sister as she stood up and helped Octavia stand. However, she did not achieve a good intimidating impact thanks to the blush that her face possessed at the time. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry! Are you alright, Tavi?" "To tell you the truth, I've been better. Although you don't need to worry, I'm not hurt." Octavia accepted the hand Violet offered her, standing up, and patting herself to shake the dirt off her clothes. "I must say that it is an original way to greet someone... but, I would like it not to become a habit among us, if you don't mind." "Haha... Yeah" Violet stood next to her sister, giving her a strong but concealed blow with her elbow, causing her to give a deaf groan and grab her arm. "Anyway, how about the rehearsal? Everything cool?" "Everything is more than good, thanks for asking." "The truth is that it was the same as all the others..." Chloe let out a light laugh, which made the atmosphere lighter. "This is the most exciting thing that happened today. Fred as director is good and everything, but leaves little room to create something new, ya' know?" "Fred?" The expressions of confusion on Violet and Lyra's faces made the girls realize the obvious reality: Those two had nothing but a vague idea of what they were talking about. "Frederick, the new director." Octavia took the lead in explaining the issue. "I remember talking about him with Violét. He was an old friend of ours, but after some unfortunate events, he decided to separate from us. He was elected as director a month ago, and his instructional style is a bit..." "Boring? Serious? Robotic?" With each word, Chloe made her dislike for the director more and more noticeable. "Accept it, he's an idiot and his practices are too strict. They kill our originality, and they make us human metronomes. If I wanted something like that, I'd have joined the royal guard." "Dude... sounds like fun." Lyra could not avoid a laugh that ended up infecting the rest of the group. "I already want to meet the guy." "It's not like that at all ... he's just a perfectionist, there's nothing wrong with that" "C'mon Octy!" Chloe tapped her elbow while her face showed a playful expression. "Ya' just say it because he's good to you. If I didn't know ya' well, I'd say ya' like the idiot again!" "T-That's not true at all." Octavia looked away, avoiding the eyes of others. "I just prefer not to speak ill of a co-worker, it is not right to do so, and less to give an impression to people who do not know him at all." As much as she wanted to avoid it, the other girls noticed the small blush on her cheeks, especially Vinyl, who now had a sad smile on her face. The truth is that hearing the possibility that Octavia will like another person hurt Violet. She knew it was useless to think about that, they were just friends, and she couldn't ask Octavia for exclusivity, but this didn't take away the pain in her chest. Perhaps what she hated the most about falling in love was jealousy; She didn't consider herself a celopate, but she suffered from a small amount of jealousy, an amount her friends told her was healthy and normal... As much as she tried, she never understood as something that caused pain, fear and anger, even In small quantities, could be healthy in someone. Violet decided to deal with those feelings later, and shook her head so she could shift that thoughts and concentrate on the conversation. "And what you gonna do later?" Lyra's question put Violet back in the game. She recognized sudden question as her entrance, and soon placed herself next to Octavia. "I've nothing to do today, of course I can always join the party." "I don't have plans for today either... Although honestly, I wouldn't like to have to walk much." Octavia said, pointing to her cello case on her back. "There is a nice café a couple of streets from here, if you want we can go..." Violet suggested, and turned to see Octavia. "What do you say Tavi? You wanna go?" "I could have coffee, and also something to eat. Lead the way!" The group set off, led by Violet, who was next to Octavia, chatting happily. Violet's phone rang, causing the DJ to check it quickly, reading the message from her sister, who was walking a couple of steps further along with Chloe. "[Hey, u want us to part ways now, Chloe is ok with the plan]" "[Wait... did u tell her?]" "[Dude... I don't know if u know, but we all ship u guys. U want us to separate now or what?]" "[Wait? U SHIP US!?]" "[Not Important right now...]" "[OK, protocol 17, thanks!]" Vinyl kept her phone and continued her conversation with Octavia. She already knew what would happen, after all, she designed this specific protocol; Fifteen seconds passed when Lyra answered a call on her phone, a call that didn't last more than a minute, when she ended the call, Lyra said something to Chloe, and then they approached Violet, who had a side smile on her face. "Hey Vi, it seems that Jasper found a place where they are selling tickets for the event I was telling you!" Lyra got ahead of the girls, followed by Chloe. "You don't mind if I go for a moment? Go ordering for me, I don't think it will take long." "I'm going with her, ya' know why Octy... We'll be back in no time, go ahead and ask for something to eat!" And so, both girls left, leaving Violet and Octavia alone. "Ok... that's weird... I guess they want some time alone." Violet crossed her hands behind her neck. "Come on! I invite you a coffee and a good sandwich!" "Very kind of you. I will accept your invitation, Vi." Octavia smiled proudly, not noticing the expression of surprise on Violet's face. "You know, that's The first time you call me 'Vi'!" Vinyl gave Octavia a big hug, surprising the cellist. "Awwww Tavi! You finally love me!" "Don't overdo it, I just call you by your nickname..." Octavia looked away, hiding a small smile. "I supposed it would be fair, after all, you call me by a nickname you created for me." "Anyway, you called me 'Vi', it's great and you can't do anything about it!" The girls left the Café, smiles on their faces, satisfied with their previous hunger and thirst. They had spent about an hour and a half, had chatted and had a good time together, and now they were preparing to go to their homes. Violet noticed the fatigue in Octavia, who was gathering strength to carry her cello, and without saying anything, she grabbed the case and secure it on her back, offering Octavia a warm smile. "T-That's not necessary, really! I can take it!" Octavia struggled uselessly against Violet, who easily stopped her. "Leave me, I'll take care!" The DJ smirked. "Now, lead the way to your house!" "W-What?" "Come on! This is not exactly light, how about we get going!?" Octavia could not believe this girl. They stood there, facing each other, Violet smiling happily at Octavia, and Octavia trying to figure out what was on Violet's mind. At the end, Octavia gave up smiling. She knew that she could not do anything else, and to tell the truth, she could not say why, but she could not resist the energy and presence of the DJ. There was something about her that made everything more cheerful, more luminous, she knew that something exciting would happen, and at the same time she could be calm near her, she could disconnect from everything and relax, in a different way, but let herself go and relax . Octavia started walking, indicating Violet to follow her. "Come, this way. Thank you very much for joining me, and also for carrying my cello... It's very nice of you. You don't have to do it if you don't want to." "Yes, I know... But I want to." Violet smiled, accommodating the bag on her back. "Besides, I wasn't going to let you carry this all the way!" Octavia let out a cheerful laugh. "You don't have to worry, I'm already used to its weight" "Dude... Can't imagine having to carry this every day. At least you live nearby, otherwise it would be crazy, your back would be destroyed." "Please, if you feel very tired, or uncomfortable carrying that, can you give it to me... I would hate you to drop it. "Octavia's face changed from happiness to a strange combination of worry and intimidating expression, of course for Vinyl, it was still a rather cute expression. "Don't worry your pretty little head! I just drop the bass in the clubs!" Violet laughed at her own joke, while the cellist let out a sigh in defeat. Half the time she couldn't understand this girl's jokes. "Anyway, I have good news! I've finished writing your part for the song that I tell you about, we can record it whenever you want!" "Really? That's fantastic, I'm busy this week, but the next one I have a couple of days off, so we can record then!" Violet smiled, she was relieved that her plan was going as planned for now. Octavia had accepted, for the second time, to record with her, and apparently this also excited the cellist, who had a huge smile on her face. "Hey... Doesn't it seem weird that neither Chloe nor Lyra ever got to The Cafe? In fact, I haven't received a message from Chloe at all." "Really?" A shiver ran down Violet's back. All her plans required that her friends had to take care of leaving Octavia and her alone. Violet knew that Tavi was not stupid, and that it was only a matter of time before she noticed it; hopefully, she would still have some more time to think of a good excuse by then. "Yes, and now that I think about it, it's weird that whenever we go out in a group, we end up alone..." Violet struck herself mentally. Obviously he no longer had the time she would have liked, so he would have to rely on his instinct to quickly think of something. "Well, i- it's like I told you, maybe they want some time alone, or maybe Lyra is an idiot and she forgot to come back ... that always happens." "But why would they want time alone? As far as I know, although Chloe is interested in Lyra, she is dating someone, so I know very well that they would not try anything, especially Chloe; in her family honesty and loyalty are very important." Hell, Octavia connected points and found plot voids much faster than Violet took to think of a good answer. "It's almost as if they want us to be alone." That was the end of everything. Violet could not believe how quickly Octavia had discovered her master plan. She was about to give up when an idea came to mind; It would be a risky move, but it could mean salvation for her "I don't know, I think it's weird... Why would they want us to be alone? I don't think it's more than a coincidence. Don't overthink Tavi, just relax. Maybe they are besties and want to do things together." Mentally, Violet crossed all her fingers, and prayed to all the gods she had heard of. It was probably the vague and least solid excuse he had ever created, but he knew that everything was in the attitude, so he did everything possible to appear as safe and relaxed as possible. None said anything for a whole minute. Octavia was tapping her chin with one finger, possibly to concentrate, and Violet prayed intensely for her plan not to be discovered. Finally, Octavia let out a long sigh of defeat, and nodded in Vinyl's direction. "You're right, I'm thinking about things that don't matter. I'm sure they don't do it on purpose, and, like you said, they don't earn anything leaving us alone." "Yup... Lyra gets very distracted, surely they started to see stores or something, no need to worry." "Maybe you are right." Octavia laughed a little, and stopped in front of a small building, not very tall, but much more elegant than Violet imagined. "Anyway, we're here. If you want, I can offer you a cold drink or something..." Violet contemplated the possibility of entering Octavia's apartment, but before he could accept, the sound of a message coming to his cell phone forced him to delay his decision. With incredible ability and speed, Violet unlocked, checked and responded to the message, but now he had a sad smile on his face, as he removed the Cello from his back and handed it to Octavia. "Sorry, they just called me for a presentation at a club tonight, so I have to go to get everything ready..." "You don't have to apologize, I understand!" What happened next was something Violet never thought would happen. Octavia approached the DJ, surrounding her with her arms in a big hug, and before separating, the cellist planted a kiss on Vinyl's cheek, causing her to turn red, in a very intense hue. "Thanks again, and good luck tonight! Please text me after your presentation, I want to know how it went!" Violet was stunned, so she just nodded, and raised a thumb to indicate that she understood the message. Octavia smiled again, and entered the building. The blue-haired girl didn't know what had happened, but she did know something: Her crush was slowly becoming something else. While walking back home, Violet was still shocked by Octavia's last action. The cellist had managed to penetrate his mind in such a short time that it seemed ridiculous how important it had become for Vinyl. She made her go crazy, the way she accelerated her heart, the way she made her feel. It was something new, something that was happening lately, something she liked. Violet smiled once more. Lately she did it more often. Author's Note HOWDY!!!! Whoooa, two and a half weeks ... sorry, I know I'm VERY late, but I have good reasons, seriously! First of all, these are the last weeks of classes at the University before going on holiday for Christmas, so I'm full of exams and papers. In addition, I am now enrolled in a parallel career that will begin in January ... I will be a Chef !!! It is super cool!!! The second reason is that because of some family problems, I really was not in the mood to write ... And when I was encouraged, I just wrote a couple of sentences before running out of ideas, so yes ... whoever says this is Easy, it's a vile lie. Enough of me, let's go to the chapter. A little jealousy, a little humor, a little romance, and especially, a little humor towards my tendency to separate the group! As a curious fact, this chapter is inspired by real events, more specifically, the only date attempt I had in my life, my friends organized it, and this shyness and lack of social skills do not help ... It do not end very well for me. in short, not to make the note longer than the chapter itself, I will close by saying that the song of this chapter is "Lately" by Forrest. As always, thanks a million for all the support, I hope you enjoy this story, and comment! I love the comments! Until next time! See ya'! //-------------------------------------------------------// My room //-------------------------------------------------------// My room Vinyl was running at full speed through the streets, avoiding tripping over the different passersby. An enormous happiness was reflected on her face, which she easily demonstrated with a huge smile. I watch the time on his cell phone, and speed up; Maybe she could be a little disorganized with her things, and also a little clueless, but something she would never do was be late for a presentation. Turning around a corner, she almost fell to the floor as she slid on the wet sidewalk. Running at night after a light rain was perhaps not the best idea she had come up with, but she had no cash to pay for a taxi, and she didn't have much time to think of a better plan. The show must continue, or in this specific case, it must begin. After several more slips, a couple of trodden puddles, and an almost run over, she finally stopped before a small building with a huge luminous sign, which easily illuminated the whole block in striking neon colors. The music could be heard from outside the premises, making everything around her vibrate with the powerful bass, something Violet adored with madness every time she came to this place. People formed near the wall, some dancing, others drinking, and others trying to do anything to get into the club, always bounced by the guard who protected the entrance. Violet walked confidently through the entrance, giving a half-smile and a fist to the guard, who responded in the same way. Once inside the establishment, the first thing that caught his vision was a rapid burst of flickering lights, and music that resonated from each wall of the structure. She took a couple of seconds to adapt to this discharge of stimuli, always grateful to always carry her sunglasses and headphones with her. She made her way through a euphoric dancing crowd, arriving with who should be her employer. "Hey! Are you Neon!?" Even though Vinyl shouted, his voice was barely heard under the thunderous background music. She repeated her question a couple more times, asking the young man, who was concentrating on his phone and had not noticed the presence of the blue-haired girl "Huh?" The guy looked up confused, detecting the presence of the girl in front of him. "Oh, yeah! Excuse me. The name is Neon, I'm in charge of entertainment at the club. You're Scratch, aren't you? Yeah girl, I heard a lot 'bout you, you know?" "Heh, I think so dude" Violet smirked, winning a barely audible laugh from Neon. "Are you kidding? I've seen you in all your touches of the last three months. I have to say, you're amazing." Neon put his cell phone in his pocket, and turned to see the stage where the turntables were. "Ok, this guy has about seven or ten more minutes left, after that you take care of the rest of the night. If you need anything, you tell me and I solve it, okay? Let me talk to him to finish strong... By the way, the first three drinks you order goes on me!" Neon retired, heading to the stage. Violet approached the bar, asking the bartender for an energy drink, she needed to regain strength after the marathon she ran to get there. The next ten minutes passed relatively quickly, and Violet had to admit that the little she had heard from who was in charge of the music was someone who knew what she was doing. She was not a critic, nor was it that she had a lot of time as a professional (After all, she was still playing in local clubs, and had hardly been invited to a couple of festivals), but if she could tell when someone had talent, when someone was doing things just to sell and when they were doing it for passion, and the guy who was finishing his turn was of this last type of person. However, this did not scare her or cause pressure on her. Violet was more than motivated that night. Seeing the audience applaud the young man who was retiring, she approached the stage, exchanging a couple of words with the young DJ and asking the audience for more applause for him. "Yo'! What's up!?" Violet spoke through a microphone, while introducing a USB to the laptop and finished making a couple of personal settings on the console. "How are we tonight!? Anyone want to dance!?" The audience responded with several shouting and cheers. Vinyl smiled, frowning comically. "I think this doesn't work well... I said, does anyone want to dance tonight!?" Now the public is even more uproar, screaming even louder than before. Vinyl smiled devilishly, speaking once more. "Do you guys want to dance tonight!?" The audience shouted once again, this time at full throttle, somehow exceeding the previous volume of music. "Oh yes! That's what I was talking about! Well, if that's what you want..." Vinyl pressed a key on the board, causing it, along with her headphones, the plates, and the stage, to light up in a blue color very similar to the tone of her hair, forming a circuit design throughout the club. "Then let's turn on this shit!" The public became more energetic than before. Her mouth curved in a smile; full of confidence, she pressed a button, causing the discs to start spinning. A bass line filled the place, followed by a moving melody. Each vibration running through people's bodies, causing them to unconsciously nod, move and dance. Vinyl felt in control, she was in her element, enjoying note after note of every second that passed, she was the great leader of the party, the reason why all these people were there that night and not sleeping in their homes. Vinyl smiled, following the rhythm with his head. A small glow was seen in her eyes. No doubt she was having a good time, and there was nothing that made her feel bad about it... Violet hated every action and decision she made last night. Yes, it had been a spectacular night, she had filled not only the club, but the whole block with an audience that danced to the rhythm of her creations, and that made her a much larger income than she expected, but after arriving at four in the morning, with more alcohol and energy drinks than blood in her veins, to then wake up at nine in the morning... It is not something pleasant for anyone. "I told you, I told you not to accept the encore..." Lyra watched from the doorframe as her sister battled the sheets to get up. "Now you're a mess, and Tavi will come in two hours or so. Come on, you have to take a shower, you really stink." Under any other circumstance Violet would have responded in more ways than one to the comment, but in her current state the least she wanted was to discuss. Following her sister's directions, she went to the bathroom, confident that a good shower would take her out, even a little, from the torment she was in. "Well, I guess you're fine for now. I'll make some coffee. Try to recover and not die, I'll take care of cleaning the mess you did downstairs." Violet's response was a simple smile and a thumbs up, but due to her current state, it wasn't the best or the nicest smile ever. Lyra left the suffering DJ alone, disappearing by the corner of the door frame. Vinyl sighed, resting her head in the wall, and letting the cold water run through her body. Deep down, the only thing she wanted to do was to get back in her bed and sleep for a few twelve more hours, but the thought of her compromise with Octavia, and the chance of make some advances in her crusade gave her enough energy and strength to maintain herself conscious. A good half hour latter Vinyl freed herself from the enchanting shower and dressed. She sure would like to take this opportunity and wore something more suggestive, but her final outfit was more fit for comfort. She tied up her hair in a pony tail, a long light blue T-shirt covered her torso, she wore gray sweatpants, and since she was not going to go outside this day, she had a pair of white and blue socks covering her feet. Attracted by the smell of strong coffee, she went downstairs to find her sister sitting on the couch, sweeping her sweat out her forehead, and the hole apartment clean. "You're finally out, thank god... I almost thought you passed away in there." Lyra said giving Vinyl a quick look. "You own me big for this, you know?" "I did the same for you last month..." "Yeah, but you didn't have to wake up at nine to clean all this shit" "As long as I remember, I didn't break anything last night, just spilled juice in the kitchen and bump against the couch..." Violet suited herself with a large cup of coffee and sat beside Lyra, putting a hand on her forehead. "You throw up in the entrance, broke a lamp, and bruised your forehead somehow..." "But you haven't woken up at nine to clean up..." "Fuck off" Both giggled at themselves. The sisters sat in there, in silence, watching the time pass by, too sleepy to talk, to act and even to think at normal speed. After what it looked like an eternity, the silence was broken by the buzz of Violet's phone, catching the attention of the girls. "Octavia?" Lyra didn't move, looking at the ceiling and resting a hand on her forehead. "Eeeeyup..." Violet grabbed the phone and tapped a quick text, letting drop the device back on the table, and rubbing the back of her head while she drank what was left of coffee in her cup. "She'll be here in ten minutes or so." "Are you ready?" "Nope... But I can't back down. I have everything ready, and today is Tavi's day off. As bad as I may feel I have to record today, no matter what." Lyra got up slowly, yawning a couple of times as she climbed the stairs. "Well, I'm going to sleep for a while. Good luck with the recording, and take one more cup... You look like a damn four-eyed zombie." Lyra continued her way not even caring when Violet showed her the middle finger from her seat. Once alone, Vinyl took some time before standing up and walk to the kitchen, following her sister advice and serving herself a second cup of coffee. She returned to her seat, not knowing what to do to pass the time. She sat there, admiring the quietude of the room; she was impressed by how silently this place could be, this level of silence was only achieved when they both fall sleep watching a movie or when either of them went sick, or in the most obvious scenario, when they were out. She was enjoying the time alone, slowly becoming more and more sleepy, but the knocking on the front door woke her up in an instant. Vinyl moved as fast as her current mod allowed her, stopping in front of the mirror to have a quick check up. Once she made sure she had no similarities with brain-eating creatures, she finally answered the call at her door, finding on the other side the girl she was waiting to see. "Hi Tavi! How you doing toda-" Violet had gathered all the energy she had from the bottom of her being for her greeting, but she was surprised to see Octavia, who despite looking happy, possessed body language that reflected fatigue. "Hey, are you alright Tavi?" "Hmm?" Octavia lasted a couple of seconds before fully processing everything. "Oh, yeah, just a bit sleepy. Do not worry though, I will do just perfectly for the recording." "You sure? You don't need to push yourself, we can record any other day if you want to..." Violet would never admit it to anyone, but she was hoping for Octavia to accept her suggestion; not because she didn't wanted to see Octavia play, or spend a good pair of hours with her, but to get some sleep, recover energies and be able to fully appreciate and enjoy all of that. "I am sure." Violet cursed inside her head. "I do not have to many days off, and I would hate to make you wait longer, besides, I was excited to record this song, so let's get to work!" Violet let out a long sigh. She knew she couldn't say anything else, and to tell the truth, she was also eager to see Octavia play live. She just nodded and gave way to the cellist so she could enter. Inside the apartment, Octavia released weight by resting her instrument on the floor against a nearby wall. She took the liberty of taking a quick look at the place, seeing that while it was a bit messy in some parts, it was a luxury place, with nothing to envy to other apartments located in better areas of the city. "I'm sorry, but I have to admit that I didn't think you lived in a place like this..." Octavia was still inspecting the place while talking. "It is a very beautiful apartment." "Thanks!" Violet rushed to the kitchen, looking for a cup of coffee for her guest. "It was from Dad, it was his gift for Lyra and I when we entered the University. It's pretty cool, he still has a couple of things about my dad, but Ly and I made a couple of tweaks here and there..." "So... The neon lights, the bottle collection, those skateboard shelves and the speakers are your work?" Octavia smiled, accepting the coffee cup Vinyl offered her, taking a good sip. "In fact, only the speakers are mine..." Violet scratched the back of her neck, taking a sip from her cup. "The rest was already here when we moved... We thought it looked cool, so we left it." "Whoa, I didn't expect that..." "Yeah, neither do we..." Violet finished drinking the little liquid left in her cup, so I take a seat on the couch, inviting the cellist to sit down too. "Anyway, sit down for a while, drink your coffee, and then we'll get into the action!" Octavia said nothing, but accepted the proposal sitting next to Violet on the sofa. "So, what about Lyra? Where is she?" Octavia asked, taking a small sip of her drink. "Oh, her lazy butt is sleeping." Vinyl stretched a little, crossing his arms behind his head. "Don't worry, she sleeps like a log. You could blow up a rocket right here and the only thing you would achieve would be for her to turn in her bed."Octavia laughed after imagining the situation, in his mind the whole apartment would be burned, destroyed, the explosion would have shaken the place, but the blonde would continue to snore, all exactly to a cartoon. The cellist finished her drink a short time later, handing the cup to Violet, who loosely took it to the kitchen. "Thank you very much for the coffee, I needed it to recover energy." Octavia smiled, and looking for her cello, she began to inspect once again the room in which she was. "Emm, Violet, where exactly are we going to record? In fact, I don't see any musical equipment here other than the speakers..." "Well, it's because my equipment is in my room, that's where we're going to record." Violet smirked, telling Octavia to follow her up the stairs. "Relax, I have everything we need, and I made my room soundproof, so we can work without problems!" The girls went up, entering the DJ's room. To their surprise, the room was well organized and clean; the bed was stretched, the discs and albums organized on its shelf, and all the equipment, from the wiring, to the turntable and microphones were well cleaned, prepared, and ready to use. Violet supposed it was Lyra's work. Her sister had to fix everything while she was bathing, and she didn't realize before because of how sleepy she was. "Well, let me look for the piece, if you want to settle there, near the window." Violet sat down at her desk, searching for the papers with the piece for Octavia. "Very good." Octavia took a little time, looking for a place, near where she had been told, to sit down. Violet solved this by offering a high stool, which she quickly looked for in the kitchen. With Violet back, and now with a place to sit, Octavia took her cello out of its case. "If you don't mind, I'm going to tune my cello..." "Hmm? Oh, yeah, sure! Just wait a second!" Violet brought a microphone to Octavia, directing it to the cello. "Well, you can start, so I can also make volume adjustments and recording filters." Returning to the desk, Violet searched once more among several creations on paper for those indicated for the cellist, finally getting them. "Yes! Well Tavi, here you go!" "Well... Let me finish this first, then I read what you have for me." Octavia smiled, but quickly her expression changed to a more serious one, concentrating completely on her instrument. Almost automatically, She ended the tuning in less time than Violet would have ever thought. "Okay, let's see what we have here..." Octavia then grabbed the papers, checking their contents carefully. Vinyl could see that, as in that cafe where they met sometime ago, Octavia moved her fingers forming the necessary positions to produce the notes. This little habit seemed incredibly cute to the DJ, who could not help smiling when she saw her. "So, whaddya think?" "Yes..." Octavia barely moved. She just nodded without even looking up to watch Vinyl. "W- What?" Violet was confused by the response of the cellist. "What do you mean by 'Yes', huh?" "I mean I like what you wrote, it's a good piece you created here. It's not very complicated, so it won't be a problem for me." "Ohh! Ok, I get it!" Violet approached her computer and opened the program necessary to record and mix music. "So are you ready!?" "Sure, when you say." Octavia swung her cello between her legs, something that drew a lot of attention from the DJ, and lightly grabbed her bow, positioning it to start playing. "Well, before you start, you need these..." Vinyl approached Octavia, putting a pair of headphones on the cellist's ears. "With these you can listen to the base of the song. I'll give you the mark to start... We'll do a test round, so you'll familiarize with the piece. If in the end you want to make a change, feel free to say it, all right?" Octavia nodded, and Violet gave him a thumbs up. Pressing a button, the DJ started the music. Octavia could clearly hear a bass imitating pulsations. As she could read before, this was a fast and energetic song, so she was not surprised to find other instruments synthesized on the track. Octavia waited patiently, watching Violet for her entrance. Soon all the instruments disappeared, leaving only the bass beats, at that time, the DJ pointed to Octavia, who understood the sign perfectly. She closed her eyes to concentrate on the music. With a smooth but rapid movement, she drags the bow over the strings, thus releasing the corresponding notes. The complexity of this piece fell more on the speed than on the technique, but without a doubt Octavia made seeing everything too easy, moving quickly and gracefully, marking each note perfectly. Violet was stunned, it was the first time she saw the cellist in action, and she had fallen hypnotized under this. Violet could see first hand that Octavia was on another level, she was in her element and made her notice, it was poetry in motion, it was magnificent, unique. "-Whoa... If she plays my shity song like that, I can't imagine what it would be like to see her playing something really serious." Violet smiled, she couldn't help it. Little by little, the other instruments reappeared in the song, but this time accompanying the Octavia cello, sounding only to emphasize the great instrument. The rest of the song advanced in the same way, Violet completely focused on Octavia, and Octavia completely focused on the music. A couple of minutes passed when Violet indicated Octavia to stop playing. "So..." Octavia smiled, leaving her bow to one side and resting the cello on the chair, while she adjusted a strand of hair and wiped the sweat from her forehead. "How was it?" "That was beautiful! You were great, amazing!" Violet smiled, giving the cellist a quick hug before returning to her computer. "Forget the test round, that's more than great! Come see it!" Octavia's cheeks turned pink. Approaching the desk, and positioning herself next to Violet, Octavia could see what her recording was supposed to be. The screen showed a large panel with several bars, options, buttons and other things that Vinyl used to adjust the mixes. The DJ made and undoes her work, listening, mixing and repeating everything. Octavia watched with curiosity the intensity and passion with which Violet worked on the song; Of course, it was weird to understand how this was "Equal" to playing a real instrument, but it was certainly interesting to see something new, and see the smile on the DJ, the brightness in her eyes, and the concentration that she emanated. Time flew by. Without realizing it, Violet worked for a full hour, ending with a version of the song. Sighing, Violet turned to see Octavia, who was still at her side completely immersed in her work. "Ready!" Violet smiled, crossing her arms behind her head, dropping her headphones on her shoulders. "Well, at least the first version ... I'll work a little more later." "Great! So we're done for today?" "Eeeeyup ... Do you want to hear how it looks?" "Eeeeyup ... Do you want to hear how it looks?" Octavia nodded, and Violet rose from her chair. "Good! But if we're going to listen to it, we have to do it right!" "What do you mean?" Octavia was confused to see the DJ connecting and disconnecting cables from the computer. "You'll see ..." Violet finished her wiring work and threw herself on her bed, sitting on it supporting the wall mounted. "Come! Sit here!" "I - The tr- I don't know if it's a good idea ... I don't want to abuse or something like that" "Hey, come on! Aren't you going to make me beg you?" Violet insisted, patting the place next to her a couple of times before smiling at the cellist, who couldn't help smiling too. "Very well, if you insist ..." Octavia accommodated next to Violet, leaning her back on the wall just like the DJ. "This place is quite comfortable." "See? And now, the epic revelation of the song!" Octavia pressed a button on a control, activating the sound equipment in her room, which began to play the girls' song. Octavia could recognize the bass line, with a solid pulse, and the energy and filling of the instruments, then came the silence, the pulses, and the cello. It was fast, accurate, and somehow refreshing. Octavia closed her eyes once more, concentrating on the music, and unconsciously resting her head on Violet's shoulder, causing an increase in blood flow on her face. Violet felt her heart beat faster than the BPMs of her song. With extreme delicacy, I turn to see the cellist, who was breathing deeply, possibly asleep. Avoiding sudden movements, Vinyl covered both of them with a nearby blanket, and closed his eyes, resting his head against the wall, feeling its cold against it. It might have cost her to wake up this morning, but it was certainly worth it. No doubt what she wanted to do since she woke up; staying in her room, wrapped in her favorite blanket, listening to music while relaxing, but doing all that with Octavia was a hundred times better, she couldn't ask for anything better. Letting her mind empty, she gave way to music, and little by little she plunged into a dream. Lyra woke slowly, rubbing her eyes tightly and yawning widely as she stretched. Little by little she left her room, scratching the back of her neck, when she realized the silence that flooded the apartment. Her first thought was to check her sister's room, hoping to see her work on the song. without noticing much entered the room. "Yo Vi, what are.." The image of her sister sleeping peacefully beside the cellist huge smile on Lyra, who retired quietly from the site. Closing the door behind her, the blonde looked for her cell phone, and looking for Chloe's name in the contact list, decided to write her a text. "[Hi love, u can't imagine what I just saw ...]" Author's Note Heey! what's new! Waaao, I hadn't published since last year... bad joke, excuse me. Sorry for the lack of activity, but despite being twenty-two years old, I am still a seven-year-old child when Christmas comes, and I get very excited about my gifts... it is enough to say that I spent a whole week playing video games for twelve hours at day, while I slept the other 12... Regarding the chapter, I feel personally happy with my work. I liked to write it, it was really fun! Well, I'm still working on romance and don't worry, I'll be better! The song that inspired me for this chapter is "My Room" by Forrest ft. Wizard Island Finally, I wish you a very late Merry Christmas, a happy new year, and as always I thank you for all the support, and I hope you continue here for the next chapter. Until next time! see ya'!