//------------------------------//
// Part 2 
// Story: Manhattan Ballad 
// by ObCom 
//------------------------------//

Octavia sat on the edge of the couch, purple eyes scanning every inch of the apartment. There were few things to focus on that did not make her cringe. Posters that hung on the brick walls advertised bands that she did not know. The fan above was lazily spinning around, occasionally lifting the odd scent of pizza, Chinese food, and dirty laundry. Those moments were few and far between, and Octavia made it a point to hold her breath for as long as she could. Her host, Vinyl, had been staring at her from across the table since she had arrived. It looked like she was inspecting an insect before she killed it. The tinted goggles covering her eyes were not helping. Octavia fidgeted under the scrutiny and tried to lose herself in thought, but her mind was drawing a blank.

Vinyl had been watching this for a few minutes and sighed. The irritation she should have felt the night before with Bass Leader was surfacing again. The girl on the couch did not have her father’s presence, and because of that, Vinyl felt like she could vent some of her anger. I wonder if I’m being paid overtime, she wondered. The internal clock said it was 10 am. I shouldn’t be up this early, Vinyl thought. She had forgotten that she woke up on her own accord. “So,” Vinyl said, her voice making Octavia jump, “you’re the wonder child that’s going to save the world.” 
Octavia flinched as if Vinyl suggested they go out and burn an orphanage. “What? No, well, maybe. I don’t know what’s going on, some of my father’s employees showed up last night and they told me to pack up my things. Now I’m here and I don’t know what to do and… how do you live like this?” 
“You should have seen my last apartment,” Vinyl mocked. “Rats the size of dogs, addicts fucking and yelling at the walls, which were paper thin, and the long walks at night from the clubs I played at to get money. It was paradise.” 
Octavia shrunk and pulled up a gray hood over her head. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you,” she muttered. 
“Yeah, I bet you didn’t,” Vinyl deadpanned. She crossed her arms and went back to staring at Octavia, if only to make the girl nervous. There was a sick, irrational, and completely misplaced pleasure in getting back at someone through their relatives. The silence was doing the trick. Octavia’s eyes were moving around the apartment and she kept wringing her hands in a matter of seconds. Vinyl raised an eyebrow and, in a gruff tone, asked, “What is it now?” 
“Nothing,” Octavia blurted out. She winced at her volume and added, “I just don’t know what to do now. I mean, they came out of nowhere and I just had to pack up and I don’t think I got anything really useful. Not to mention that I forgot—“ 
“Yeah, you already mentioned all of that,” Vinyl interrupted. She noticed Octavia was on the verge of tears, undoubtedly because of her acting like a moron. Ah, dammit. I better leave her alone for a bit, Vinyl thought and, without a word, used her augments to bring up the news. 
Her fingertips emitted their usual glow when she navigated the Data Stream. She could feel some of the butterflies in her stomach take flight. Bass Leader’s news from the night before made her hesitant to look at the news. Was the cat out of the bag? Were there riots everywhere? Millions dead? Biting her lip, Vinyl typed in her search. She let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding when she saw that it was only the same old news and no mention about the world ending. I shouldn’t be surprised. Bass Leader and his league of super friends will probably try to keep this under wraps as long as they can, but what am I going to do until then? Keep this girl with me for, as far as I know, no reason? Fuck’s sake, why is she here anyway? I’m just a DJ. Vinyl let out an explosive sigh. I just hope no one is expecting me to eat lead for her. Now that her focus wasn’t on the news, Vinyl could see that Octavia was staring directly at her. “Yes?” Vinyl drawled, taking her goggles off.   
Octavia immediately looked to the side. “I was just wondering what you were doing,” she said. 
Vinyl had to replay the answer in her head to understand what Octavia had said. The first time, it sounded like a giant rush of words. “I was reading the news,” she said. And checking the time. I can’t believe it’s only ten after.
“Ah.” Octavia gave a small smile but didn’t look like she was going to say anything else. Silence reigned once again. Vinyl was sick of it. She abruptly stood up and walked to her bedroom, not even looking at Octavia. Once the door was closed, she let out a loud sigh and fell onto her bed. She wasn’t too tired, and the shower had left her feeling like she should stay up.  But she wasn’t in the mood to be around Octavia. Besides, after making the girl tear up, Vinyl was sure Octavia could do with some time alone. 

Octavia looked at Vinyl’s door for a moment before deciding that she was on her own. Now that she was not facing any open hostility, she released the breath she had been holding. However, sitting on the couch soon became boring, and now that there wasn’t anyone around, she felt safe enough to explore. Compared to the rest of the apartment, the couch was a safe haven. Unlike everywhere else, the couch gave the appearance of cleanliness. The floor was littered with various boxes from different restaurants. Octavia kept her eyes glued to her feet and meticulously picked her path through the empty spots to the kitchen. She did notice that, aside from the couch, a few chairs, and the table, that the apartment was scarcely furnished. For no discernible reason, a lone speaker sat in the corner, but there wasn’t an instrument anywhere. For her, there didn’t seem to be anything to do. There was no television, nothing to read, nothing at all. 
With a frown, Octavia thought, Of course. If she wanted to read or watch anything, she would just use her augments. Why would she spend the extra money? She bit her lip. Being augmented must be convenient. 
After bypassing the worst of the leftovers, Octavia managed to get to the refrigerator. Being augmented did not mean that Vinyl did not have to eat, but Octavia found herself cringing anyway. What, exactly, would the DJ eat? Octavia counted to ten and opened the fridge. She was filled with a sense of defeat. A six pack of cheap beer and ten energy drinks stared back at her. In the door resided a pack of bologna and a brick of mold-encrusted cheese. Appalled and annoyed, Octavia stuck her head in to see if there was anything else. Her eye caught on something else in the door. Taking care to avoid the cheese, she saw that it was a syringe filled with a blue liquid. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened. Drugs?! They took me out of my house to live with a drugged out DJ!? Octavia slammed the door and stood there, arms shaking, waiting until her heart would stop pounding against her ribcage. After that discovery, she was almost too scared to look through the cabinets. 
She held out for a minute before curiosity got the better of her. Besides, there was nothing to do, and knowing where edible food was could only be helpful, especially if Vinyl was going to be stubborn. The cabinets were much cleaner than the fridge. Everything in the cabinets, all of Vinyl’s dishes, looked as if they were not used more than once. Octavia looked back at the fast food containers and rolled her eyes. 
Keeping her eyes glued to the floor to avoid stepping on any boxes again, Octavia made her way to the windows. Below was a throng of people walking on the sidewalk, cars going back and forth, and absolutely nothing interesting. She let out a loud sigh and looked at the apartments across the street. Her face turned scarlet when she saw two people having a quick morning rendezvous. She shut the blinds, her hands shaking. I have been steeped in filth, she thought. 

Vinyl came out of her room a few hours later, stretching and letting out a loud yawn. She had ended up taking a nap. To her surprise, Octavia looked like she hadn’t moved an inch. For fuck’s sake, she thought and rolled her eyes. “Hey,” she said. No reaction. Vinyl frowned, wondering if she was getting the cold shoulder. 
She took her goggles off and looked at the girl. To her surprise, Octavia managed to look more nervous than before. “Hey,” Vinyl said again and got the same response. “Look, I’m sorry I lost my head back there, I was just tired, and all of this was thrown on me just last night. You know how that is, right?” Vinyl gave Octavia an awkward smile. She was still lying about being tired, but Octavia didn’t have to know the truth. Her frown returned when nothing happened. Octavia was still staring into space. With a groan, she heavily sat next to Octavia, and finally got a response. 
“DON’T COME NEAR ME!” Octavia yelled and leapt off of the couch. 
“Huh?” 
“I want to go home! I don’t want to spend another minute with a drug ingesting DJ in this cesspit of an apartment!” Octavia waved her arms around frantically, her hands tightened into fists. 
Vinyl felt her blood starting to boil. “Hey, I didn’t ask for your prissy ass to come here! How about you march out to your—” Vinyl stopped when something finally registered. “What drugs?” 
“The blue stuff in the fridge!” Octavia waved in the direction of the bathroom instead of the kitchen. At another time, her flustered attitude would have been amusing. But for now, all it did was give Vinyl a headache.
Vinyl took a deep breath and tried to imagine exhaling all of her stress before she lunged at Octavia. “That’s not what you think it is. It’s called the Shield. You know, the stuff they put into people who get augments so everything works the way it’s supposed to? And no, in case you’re wondering, it isn’t habit forming. Hell, it feels like injecting your veins with piss and anti-freeze. You are not in the company of a ‘drug ingesting DJ.’” Vinyl’s lips were turned into a smile instead of the intended snarl. 
Octavia looked crestfallen and unclenched her fists. “Oh. I’m sorry,” she muttered. Her hands were playing with her hoodie’s drawstrings. Vinyl expected her to pull her hood shut to escape the embarrassment. 
Vinyl raised an eyebrow. “And?” 
“And what?”
“Are you going to apologize for anything else?” 
“No, this is still a dirty apartment.” Octavia had said it so confidently, but her fingers still played with the drawstring and her gaze never met Vinyl’s. 
Vinyl’s eye twitched. Holy Empress, please keep my hands away from her throat. “Alright, then clean it if you want.” 
Octavia flushed, and Vinyl felt a strange sense of satisfaction. “I am not going to be your housekeeper! I am here against my will!” 
“You can say that again,” Vinyl said and lowered her goggles over her eyes. “While you’re doing that, I’m going to watch cartoons.” 
“That isn’t fair. What am I supposed to do?” 
“Like I said, you’re going to clean this place up. There’s some sort of cleaner under the sink, I think.” Vinyl’s fingertips started to shine and she was almost lost in the Data Stream. Octavia was less than pleased, and Vinyl could see her frowning through the screen. “Damn it, what?! Pony time doesn’t wait for anyone!” 
Octavia raised an eyebrow. “Pony time?” she asked incredulously.  
“Yes. Now what do you want?!” 
“We need to go to the store. I’ve already been through your fridge and you have no food.” 
“That’s it? You’re hungry? The pizza on the table should be fresh enough.” 
Octavia stomped her foot. Vinyl wasn’t sure if it was a cute or annoying gesture. “That’s not the point, Vinyl! You are sorely lacking any sort of necessities. How do you live here?”
Vinyl let out a long sigh and reluctantly tore herself from her show. Settling her red eyes on Octavia, she asked, “You’re not going to let up, are you?” Octavia slightly withered under Vinyl’s glare, but she stood tall and unmoving. With an overly dramatic groan, Vinyl pulled herself off of the couch. “Fiiiiiiiiiiine. Let me get my hoodie and we’ll go shopping, but you’re paying.”