Octavia folded her hands, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her thumbs. “Let me get this straight” she said, speaking slowly and calmly. “You want to start a band, but can’t play any instruments?”
Lemon nodded. “Yup.”
Groaning, Aria massaged her temples. “You’re starting to remind me a little too much of someone I know” she murmured.
“How can you start a band, but forget you can’t play music?” Octavia asked, looking with slightly furrowed eye-brows at Lemon.
Uncomfortably the Crystal Prep student rubbed the back of her head. “I dunno, I… I was just… you know…” She bit her lip. “I was daydreamin’ ‘bout bein’ a rockstar, and it was like, really cool, and then I wanted to start a band myself, and, er…” A nervous smile on her face, Lemon shrugged her shoulders. “I guess I was so excited, I didn’t think it through.”
A hand on her cheek Octavia let out a sigh, while Aria slapped her palm against her forehead.
“B-but I’ve seen people play instruments like a hundred times before on concerts!” Lemon quickly stated, gesturing them to stay calm. “I’m sure I can pick it up quickly!”
“Yeah, sure” Aria said, rolling her eyes. “Listen, rebel, I’ve been playing music for a whole millennium, and you know how much that helped me when my magic gem broke?” She formed a circle with her thumb and index finger. “Zero. Don’t think just because you saw someone play before you can do it yourself.”
Lemon scowled. “Pf, can’t be that hard!” Taking a quick look around she smiled as she saw a guitar standing close to her. “Here!” she exclaimed, grabbing the guitar. “I bet I can bust out a sick guitar riff in no time!” With a wide grin she tucked all the strings at once. Hr grin abruptly turned into a pained grimace, some miserable guitar sounds accompanying her as she yowled in agony. “OUCH!” she screamed, hectically waving her hand. “The strings are like REALLY sharp!”
“That’s why you use a pick to play” Aria told her.
Blushing Lemon quickly put the guitar back. Her eyes then set on a trumpet. “That looks easy to play!” she said, quickly grabbing the instrument. Turning to her bandmates she took in a deep breath, then blew right into it. The two girls covered their faces as little music, but a lot of spit came flying out of the front end. As they frowned at her, Lemon quickly set the trumpet back too. It only took a second though before she had looked out her next instrument.
“Oh, I know!” Excited, she jumped behind the drums, picking up a pair of sticks lying on a drumhead and clapping them together into the air. “I’LL GIVE YOU A WICKED BEAT!!!” Before she could hit the drums however Octavia snatched the sticks away from her, leaving the girl confused as her hands were suddenly empty.
“I’d refrain from doing that, except you want to replace a thousand-dollar drum set” Octavia told her, handing back the drum sticks.
With a sheepish smile Lemon put the sticks back on the drumhead. “Um, maaaayyybe it’ll take a lil’ longer to learn an instrument than I thought” she whispered.
Groaning Aria started to walk up and down the room. “So what now?” she asked, turning with an even more annoyed look than usual to Lemon. “You’re gonna play the air guitar or something?”
Lemon looked up at the ceiling, humming thoughtfully while tapping a finger on her chin. Her face suddenly brightened as she snapped her fingers. “Hey, I know: I could be the lead singer!” she exclaimed. “I have a good singing voice. How’s that sound?”
Octavia and Ara exchanged a glance. “Well, I do admit I focus on my instrumental performance, so my voice is actually not that well trained” she said. More to herself she mumbled: “Some people actually wonder if I can speak at all…”
“And we already talked about my ‘beautiful’ voice” Aria muttered. Squinting her eyes she skeptically looked at Lemon. “Still, are you REALLY any better?”
Holding her fist in front of her mouth Lemon cleared her throat. Before she could start however Octavia raised a hand. “Before you begin, I know you are into rock music, but to better evaluate your voice, I would kindly ask you NOT to sing something that requires an excessive amount of screaming” she said.
Lemon froze for a second, apparently unsure what to do, before slamming her fist into her palm. “Oh, I know!” Smiling she inhaled deeply, sticking out her chest. In advance, Aria and Octavia covered their ears with, ducking slightly. They soon removed them however when they heard a crystalline voice fill the room. Surprised, both of them stared at Lemon’s unusually serious and straight face, listening to her voice. She sang rather calmly and quietly, as if she was only a part of a chorus.
Oh-oh, wuh-oh-wuh~
Unleash the ma-gic~
Unleash the ma-gic~♪
The sound of her voice had a surprisingly feminine ring to it, bright as a bell and ranging in rather high tones, without being shrill or unpleasant. Aria and Octavia were left speechless as the carefree girl perfectly hit every note. When she was done Lemon looked expectantly at her bandmates. “So? Was it any good?”
Slowly, Octavia nodded her head.
“Alright, rebel” Aria said, crossing her arms with that same antagonistic look as ever on her face. “You can chirp around the stage, if you want.”
Grinning Lemon raised her fist to the ceiling. “Alright! I’m still game!”
With a sigh, Octavia shook her head. “Great. So, our band consists of a lead singer, a cellist and a former demon who replays her cursed melodies on a keyboard. What kind of music should come out of that?!”
Looking over the instruments that leaned against the walls again, Lemon spotted a microphone stand resting behind a contrabass. “Chill, dude” she said casually, bending behind the large instrument and pulling the mic out of its stand. “Let’s just jam a bit for the start and see how things flow. I’m sure the spirit of music will carry us somewhere!”
“As long as it won’t leave us drifting in the ocean” Aria murmured.
Though clearly concerned with that idea Octavia sat down next to her cello again, while Aria took position behind the keyboard. Standing between them with the mic in her hand Lemon looked at her two bandmates as both got ready to play. Giddily she put the mic to her lips, taking in a deep breath.
For a whole minute an uncoordinated and disharmonic mix of slow cello music, fast siren-singing and randomly shouted lyrics resonated through the soundproof room. Stubbornly Octavia and Aria tried to force their pace on each other, playing steadily louder in an attempt to drown the other’s instruments. In the middle of this musical tug of war, Lemon just sang whatever came to her mind, from bits of lyrics of her favorite songs to the names of her friends and jingles from TV commercials.
Rocking hard to Sunny days
Sour for lunch keeps diarrhea away~♪
Raise your fist on the Indigo boat
And save 10% by buying two Sugarcoats~♪”
The more she sang the more random her lyrics became, the green-haired girl having increasing trouble to match her singing to the contradicting styles of her bandmates. Also, she had to constantly sing louder so her voice wouldn’t completely vanish behind their instruments. As she screamed a very high note into the mic a loud peep suddenly resonated from it. Dropping the mic Lemon held her ears, Aria and Octavia quickly following with pained grimaces. After a while they slowly put their hands off their ears, Lemon blushing as her bandmates looked angrily at her.
“Okay… I guess just jamming without knowing what to play isn’t the best idea” she admitted.
Octavia put her bow aside. “Look, I know you just want to have fun, but we have to decide for some sort of genre at least” she told Lemon. Her tone was not scolding, but still insisting.
Lowering her head Lemon scratched her shoulder. “Yeah, you’re right” she mumbled.
Aria clenched a fist. “So, rock-paper- scissors about who decides?” she asked, her voice and face giving no clue if she was sarcastic or serious. “Wouldn’t mind a catfight too, but I doubt Miss ‘I’m-so-classy-I-play-cello’ over there wants to mess up her bowtie.”
Instead of a frown, a slight smirk spread over Aria’s face. “Actually, how about we let our music decide?” she suggested.
Both Aria and Lemon lifted an eyebrow at the classic fan. “Like how?” Lemon asked.
“Each of us will play a small song” Octavia explained. “What genre impresses the others most is the one we will play. Of course, self-voting is forbidden, and we have to be honest.”
From behind her keyboard Aria snorted. “Very fair” she scoffed, pointing at her throat. “If you haven’t forgotten, I can’ sing! And don’t tell me to play acapella – everyone knows acapella always loses to songs with lyrics.”
Octavia glared at her, but remained calm. “If you insist, Lemon can sing your song while you play the melody” she offered.
Aria glanced at the green-haired girl. “You’re not gonna mess up on intent, are you?”
Turning her head Lemon looked deviously at her. “Who knows?”
For a second, Aria flashed a smirk. “You’re alright.”
Octavia grabbed her cello bow. “Looks like we all agree, finally. Since it my idea I will start, and I am sure I will convert you both into classic fans.” Proudly she stuck out her chest, holding her head up. “I don’t want to brag, but I have composed a symphony which I think could one day very well be considered a milestone in the era of modern classic!”
“Great for you” Aria remarked dryly. “Last week I squeezed out a zit that was a milestone in the era of my face.”
Octavia gave her another glare, before focusing on her instrument. Calmly, but with great concentration she began to stroke the strings of her cello, her eyes closed. The notes she produced were deep, as if they reaching out from the bottom of an abyss. Only slowly she lured them out of her instrument, her bow softly tickling the strings as she held each note for several seconds. There was a small pause after every note, additionally decreasing the pace of the melody. The slowness and depth of the notes gave it a melancholic feeling, and while it was clearly classic it had a somewhat jazzy feel to it. It was reminiscent of the misty streets of a big city with tall skyscrapers framing the road, while only a handful of shady strangers were walking around. Matching the sad melody Octavia began to sing in relatively deep voice, not quite as pleasant as Lemon’s, but going well with the melancholic atmosphere.
Good evening, people of all age,
Ladies, gentlemen - welcome to the stage ~♪
This very night, I will make you see
For I believe, music is the key~♪
To people’s hearts, and to change the earth
Make it better, life on it more worth~♪
Yes I am sure, the world will rejoice,
And all it takes, is a single voice~♪
Octavia was lost in in her own music, fully focused on her performance. As the last of the lyrics had left her lips a few more notes roll out of her cello. Slowing down more and more one final, deep tone eventually came out of the instrument, resonating in the air for a few seconds. As silence fell over the music room Octavia removed her bow from the strings. Smiling in content she opened her eyes, raising her gaze from her instrument to her bandmates.
Aria was holding a hand in front of her mouth and yawned, while Lemon was sleeping on the spot.
“OH COME ON!” Octavia screamed, looking like she was about to toss her bow to the floor. “I spent weeks on that one!”
Lemon awoke with a start, tumbling backwards and nearly falling into a pile of instruments behind her. While she tried to catch her balance Aria looked indifferently at Aria. “I liked you were kind of kissing yourself with it, but all in all, it was a pretty lame song” she told her.
Octavia turned on the chair, showing Aria her shoulder. “Very well! Then do show us what you have to offer – and just to be clear, your previous performance is not enough!” she told her, strictly pointing her finger at the former siren.
A chuckle was Aria’s reply. “Oh, you have heard nothing yet.” From her pocket she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. “Here, rebel” she said as she tossed it to Lemon, who still seemed a little dazzled. She clumsily caught the paper, juggling it in the air for a moment before unfolding it. “Just follow my lead” Lemon nodded, quickly looking over the lyrics while Aria adjusted the keyboard. With a smug smirk she put her fingers on the keys, Octavia all the while watching her with squinted eyes.
A single, high-pitched vocal introduced the song. It didn’t remain alone for long, quickly joined by an array of notes in various heights and lengths. Aria’s finger practically flew over the keyboard, the pieces of siren singing creating a melody that was even more aggravating than the previous one. Occasionally she pressed a key for a longer amount of time while simultaneously throwing out more notes with her second hand in a fast, yet still melodic rate. It was just background chorus, but the speed and composition created the illusion of a full pop band playing along. As the accords began to repeat Aria nodded over to Lemon, who quickly got ready. When she believed Aria to have reached the passage where the lyrics fit in she began to sing in her clear voice, though Aria’s fast play made it a little hard for her to follow.
I’m here to steal your soul,
And turn you into a doll~♪
You’ll all do what I tell
Once you fall under my spell~♪
Nothing’s holding me back anymore,
You’re gonna beg me for encore ~♪
I’ll take all the fame,
And all of you will scream my name~♪
Once Lemon was done Aria let out one final note, holding it for a few seconds before letting the song end by playing steadily deeper and quieter notes, resembling a dying echo. Eventually the last note ebbed off, leaving the room quiet. The usually nihilistic girl looked in mocking pleasure upon the furious Octavia, then set her eyes on the singer. “So, rebel?” she asked, sounding rather confident in herself. “What do you think?”
Lemon cocked her head. “Meh, it was okay. A little too generic for me though.”
The expression of Aria twisted into a one of annoyance. “Generic?” she repeated. Her eye-brow twitched slightly. “What is generic about taking peoples’ souls and force them to worship you?”
Pondering for a moment Lemon shook her head. “Dunno. Kind of sounded like you are trying to dumb down the aggressive tone of rock music into a more mainstream form to appeal to a wider audience.”
Aria rolled her eyes. “Well duh – that’s what pop was invented for.”
“Yeah well…” Lemon scratched her head “It’s okay once in a while, but I don’t wanna to play it all the time.”
Aria scowled at the green-haired girl. Her attention was then turned to the other girl, who was giggling deviously on her chair in the middle of the room. “At least I didn’t bore her to sleep” Aria deadpanned, defiantly stemming her hands into her sides.
Abruptly Octavia became silent, and frowned. “Well, what do you want to play, Lemon?” she then asked the Crystal Prep student.
“Yeah” Aria agreed, both girls turning towards the founder of their band. “What does the rebel have in mind?
Lemon shrugged. “Not sure. I guess something like… NA-NANA-NANANA-NANA!!!” With no real rhythm she jumped around, screaming nonsense while playing air guitar.
Aria and Octavia exchanged a look, then sternly stared at Lemon. “No” they said in unison.
Stopping her solo Lemon blushed. “Well, at least you two finally agree on something.”
Groaning Octavia placed her hand on her forehead. “This is ridiculous” she said, her palm running down her face. “Not only am I playing in a band with a monster that hypnotized me into worshipping her once, I’m playing in a band that has no direction whatsoever.”
Aria nodded. “Yeah, maybe it wasn’t THAT bad to have someone who called all the shots.”
Lemon smiled at her bandmates. “Come on guys, don’t be like that!” she tried to cheer them up. “I’m sure we will figure things out by next Thursday.”
Almost synchronously the two girls lifted an eyebrow. “Next Thursday?” they asked together.
Their surprised stares confused Lemon for a moment. “Um, oh yeah, forgot to mention” she said, grinning a little embarrassed. “I kind of already booked our first gig for Thursday evening next week, here at Crystal Prep.”
Lemon was startled to see both Aria and Octavia both glare at her – not directly in ager, but clearly they were displeased. “So, we basically got little more than a week to turn this mess of a band into something that can actually play music?” Octavia asked, a hint of aggression in her voice.
“When we can’t even agree what to play?” Aria continued, also having that ring of subtle aggression.
Looking at each of her bandmates, Lemon put on an awkward grin. “Um, is that a problem?”
Octavia and Aria shared a short glance. Then, almost simultaneously, both of them headed for the door.