The Motive (Living without you)
(Then Jericho)
The next day, there was no violet glint in the concert audience.
Despite her initial relief at not having to think about Vinyl during a performance (she didn't hit any bum notes, although the performance was otherwise unremarkable), Octavia felt a little concerned. Vinyl had been attending her concerts almost religiously as of late; the unicorn's obvious disappointment last night cast her absence in a bad light. She went to the café in hopes for clues that night, to find the saxophonist gone and no sign of her friend; she ate alone, and was the worse for it.
The next day, Vinyl Scratch had still neglected to make an appearance. The concert hall security (all of one earth pony) asked Octavia if she'd had a fight with 'her strange friend'.
"Of course not," Octavia snapped brusquely, somehow annoyed at his choice of description (even though strange was probably the word she would have picked, too).
On the third day without Vinyl, Octavia began to worry. The unicorn was almost unpredictable; what if she'd reacted more drastically to rejection than expected? Octavia hadn't meant to offend her; it was just that she still had pride, even if only a little, and she wasn't going to be tutored by a pony she had declared she would beat.
On the fourth day, she couldn't focus on playing at all. She missed more notes than she felt comfortable counting, and the maestro took her to one side and asked her very gently if she would perhaps like to take a few days off instead of playing in the big concert that weekend. In between assuring him that she was fine, Octavia decided that this was no longer a problem she could ignore.
"Come, Octavia. You're clearly not yourself. Take a day, maybe two to yourself, and come back rejuvenated," he said, before adding guiltily, "...At this rate, I simply cannot allow you to play for the patrons. This weekend is one of the most important concerts for the entire year; our name is made and broken by these opportunities."
"I understand," she replied, a little curtly. "And you'll assess whether I can take part after an enforced bedrest, correct?"
"Yes. Normally, I would cut you here and now, but...you really are one of our best, usually. Please, take the rest," he urged, and she found herself nodding. A day or two without concerts gave her time to go and fix whatever mistake she'd made with Vinyl.
The next day, at six am, Octavia found herself standing outside Vinyl's house, stomping and shivering (for it was a cold morning for this time of year) and rapping her hooves on the door. After a half-hour with no response, she gave up, and began searching for her friend in town.
When the sun hit high noon, she finally stopped her investigations to rest. In six hours, she had learned nothing, and found nopony. It seemed she wasn't cut out for life as a private detective. Quietly, she slunk back to the side café which was still missing its saxophonist, and ate a solitary lunch. However, luck was with her.
"Have you heard? They say that DJ P0N-3 is playing again tonight. That's four nights in a row. Usually, she scarcely plays three times in a month!" a passing stallion chattered to his friend. Octavia sighed audibly. Only one thing for it.
"Five", she said in greeting, as P0N-3 came backstage. "Five missed beats."
"Oh," P0N-3 said, and lowered her glasses. "I never did pay you back for the meal."
"It's not about that. Why did you stop coming? Did I insult you?" Octavia asked.
"I distract you. You make better music if I'm not there," P0N-3 replied.
"And? What's the point of good music without anypony to appreciate it?" Octavia asked. "I missed you."
The backstage was empty, but felt crowded; the air was still.
"...I see," DJ P0N-3 said finally, and removed her glasses.
"Tomorrow, I shall visit you at your house, and you may teach me how not to be distracted. If you've no objections," Octavia grinned.
"None," Vinyl Scratch said coolly. But when she nonchalantly wiped her eyes, her hoof came away wet.