In the human world, Octavia finds himself in the midst one a one week relationship with the strangest woman he's ever met. Will he survive the week? More importantly, will he be able to handle it ending?
In an alternate human world, Octavia finds himself in a one week stand with the strange Vinyl Scratch after one of his concerts(after nearly breaking her nose). While initially annoyed at the idea, he soon finds himself absorbed into her life and, more importantly, her music. With only a week to get to know each other, will their relationship have a chance to flourish? Especially when he finds something he hadn't even known he was missing...
Vinyl was certain of many, many, many things. For example, the concert she'd been forced to sit through on her friend's insistence was definitely NOT worth it. She'd been expecting something a bit more... wild. She really should have suspected this, though, when her friend said to dress nice because some of the guys in the ensemble were really absolutely positively cute. Then proceeded to bribe her with promises of buying her that new remix program for her system she'd been eying. Then looked at her with horror when she'd just come in a light blue blouse and a purple pair of pants. In retrospect, there were a lot of reasons she should have seen all this coming.
Except the blood leaking from her nose that now stained the front of her blouse. That the woman hadn't seen coming.
“I truly am sorry! I really thought you were with that ruffian!” her previous assaulter said for at least the thirteenth time while she dabbed at the woman's face.
“It's fine, really. I shouldn't have come up behind you after that,” Vinyl said with a chuckle, shaking her head. The concert had been mind numbingly boring. It wasn't that the music was bad, it really wasn't. She could have even danced to it a bit. That was the problem, though. They had to sit there and listen. Just listen, unable to move. She'd have even been willing to put up with line dancing by the end. Sitting for such an extended period had nearly driven her mad. Even worse because she had started sweating and made her clothes and back stick to those annoyingly warm chairs.
“I'm so, so sorry,” the woman said again, still dabbing away with the tissue and trying to get all the blood off, though Vinyl doubted there was any left to remove at this point. It barely even hurt anymore.
“It's fine, really. Mistakes happen,” she said again, nervously trying to laugh it off. After the concert she'd been on the verge of slamming her head into the wall. She'd wanted to run off, get something to eat and forget about the whole affair. Maybe stop at a club and get some dancing in. But of course Silver Spanner wouldn't hear of it! No, her friend had demanded that they try to see if they could see one of the ensemble members, in fact, she was certain she had seen one wander off alone. To Vinyl's surprise, they actually DID manage to find one of them. Octavia, the player of the cello, was caught in the parking lot. Why the woman wasn't with the rest of the ensemble, Vinyl couldn't imagine. But the woman had been cornered by a someone by the time they'd arrived on the scene and he hadn't seen intent on letting her go. She had to admit she was a little surprised they could even see her in the darkness, the tuxedo and her long, dark gray hair had made her blend in really well. If it wasn't for the guy, they might have even missed her.
“I know, but-- wait. Where's your friend? She was here a moment ago, wasn't she?”
Vinyl looked around and, true enough, Silver was nowhere to be seen. “Yeah, she does that. Probably trying to find your ensemble mates.” Things had turned violent a moment after they'd arrived. Octavia had said something and then the man had recoiled, only to take a swing at her a moment later. It had all happened so fast, but a second later the cello player had slammed and even managed to pin the guy to the wall, twisting his arm behind his back. She'd let the man go quickly. Vinyl had the smart idea to run up behind Octavia, unfortunately the woman had whipped around and rammed an elbow into her face, knocking her back and leading to the outflow of blood. It had taken her a moment to realize what had happened, and a few more before she was shrieking apologies and helping get her inside, alongside Silver. Now there was a large pile of tissues on the ground besides them.
“Oh, so she's one of those,” Octavia mumbled a bit darkly, before cringing. “A-ah, my apologies, I didn't mean--”
“No, no, she really is,” Vinyl said with a shake of her head. “So, give it to me straight doc, will I ever be able to smell the roses again?”
Octavia gently reached down and pinched the nose, before pulling back. “Nothing seems to be broken. I'm... really sorry about that. You were closer than I thought, I wasn't aiming for your face, I was... it doesn't really matter where I was aiming. I really should have paid more attention. I cannot apologize enough.”
“No, it's fine. After dealing with that jerk, I'm not surprised you were a little tense,” Vinyl said before looking down at the counter nearby and sighing. While her nose would be fine, her glasses, unfortunately, didn't survive the attack. They hadn't shattered, but they were cracked.
“That's no excuse,” Octavia said before reaching down and picking the glasses up and holding them out. “I'll pay to have them fixed. I truly am sorry.”
“It's fine, really! You shouldn't say sorry so much, people will think you don't mean it,” she said before putting the glasses on and looking into the large mirror against the wall. Well, the glasses were ruined, but at least she hadn't got any blood in her hair. It was a real pain to get the dark and light blue stripes to work just right through it. “What did he want with you anyway?”
“He hadn't read the program very closely and decided to take his mis understanding out on me,” Octavia said before standing up. “I should try to find your friend. I hope she isn't bothering the others.”
“I think she has the biggest crush on the guy who was playing the piano.”
“Ah, Frederick. Of course. She--” The woman was halfway out the door before stopping. “Wait, guy who plays the piano?” She looked back. “Are... you not a fan?”
“I--” Vinyl stopped. Before the woman had seemed quite worried and upset. But now her face was completely still and almost stone like, not a hint of emotion in it. “Errr...”
“It's fine if you're not, I don't mind.” Her lips didn't even twitch. It would have been better if she'd looked upset, but this was so obviously suppressed, it was a little disturbing.
“I'm not really that used to it, honestly,” Vinyl said with a shrug. “I liked it, but I'm still kind of new to the whole classical thing. Silver wanted me to come because she thought I'd like it.” It was close enough to the truth she didn't have to feel bad.
“There's no need to make things up,” Octavia said before turning towards the door. “I understand completely. You're hardly the first person dragged along by their girl friend to one of our concerts.”
“No, really! I did like it! A-and she's not my girl friend. She's my gal friend,” Vinyl said. The other woman was like a rock, unbending and unmoving. But she hadn't been like that before. It was obvious she was upset about it and Vinyl really didn't want to be the cause of that pain. “You play the cello quite well. I'll be honest, I don't get much classical music in my job, but it doesn't mean I don't like it. I'm just not as experienced in it. That third one was based on Wright's Hunt of the Golden Tiger, right?”
Octavia looked back, her eyes widened slightly, just slightly. “You're familiar with that music?”
“Not extremely, but I've heard it a few times. Neon did an entire record dedicated towards Wright's numbers and Hunt of the Golden Tiger was one of the best ones. I've heard the full song, though.”
“Interesting. Yes, it was a dedication towards that particular song. I'm impressed you were able to catch it. What exactly did you say you do again?”
“I didn't. But I'm a DJ,” Vinyl held out her hand. “DJ P0N-3. You might have heard of me, I have a permanent spot at the Bronze Idol club on fridays and the weekends.”
Octavia shook her head before slowly reaching out to shake her hand. “I'm afraid I have never been there. I'm not one for clubs, however. But still, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“You should come by sometime! I can get you in, not something a lot of people could do you know. Bouncer is an old friend of mine.”
The cellist chuckled. “Perhaps I'll try to make an attempt to visit. Though the weekends do tend to be my busiest time due to--”
“Octyyyyy!” a voice called from the doorway, making them both look up. A woman was standing there, her brown hair pulled up over her head and wearing a dazzling red dress. Vinyl recognized her as the tuba player, Beauty Brass. “Can you help me? The back of my dress, the knots are stuck and I can't--” It was then her eyes fell on Vinyl. “O-oh, you have a guest.” She looked at the woman's nose before sighing. “Really? Another one?”
“It was an accident, she snuck up behind me,” Octavia said coldly. “We've already worked it out, it's fine.”
“Still, you need to be more careful. You're going to end up getting arrested one of these days. The laws don't look kindly on guys who beat up women.”
“It was an accident,” Octavia said before walking to her friend. “Here, I'll untie the knot, just turn around.”
Vinyl watched them for a few moments, before what Beauty said finally clicked. She looked Octavia over quickly, her eyes widening. Sure, she was in a suit and a little flat chested. But that face. Those curves. Even the voice was... there was no way. But Beauty had said... what if she was making a joke? What if it was just to mess with her? She had to think of a subtle, simple way to ask without her finding out! All she had to do was-- “You're a guy?!” Dang it brain!
“Yes,” both Octavia and Beauty said in unison.
Vinyl's eyes went even wider. “W-wait, you BOTH are? But you're so... you're in a dress!”
“So? He pulls it off quite well,” Octavia said quickly. “You didn't read the program all the way through, did you?”
Vinyl coughed and looked aside. “Well, I didn't, err, fully. I mean, I kind of... skimmed it a little bit. But all the way? Not... errr...”
“There's one on my changing table,” Octavia said. “How about you take another look?”
Vinyl gave a sheepish smile before quickly moving over towards the table, picking the program up.
“How did you even get it this tight? Where does this knot even end?” Octavia grumbled. “Who did this for you?”
“Parish.”
“Of course he did. I really do wish you'd come to me for these things. His idea of a knot is tying so many of them that the thing can never be undone. Just be thankful you wax your back or this would hurt a lot.”
“What does that-- OW! You did that on purpose!”
“A little. One knot down.”
“W-why are you always so mean?” Beauty asked with a mock sniffle.
“Because you really should know better than to have Parish do this. Where is he, anyway?”
“Already headed out. I saw Frederick leaving a bit ago with a woman with silver hair.”
“That would be my guest's friend. I was wondering where she'd run off to. Second knot down.”
Vinyl stared at the program. It was all there, held in her hands. An all male group. She really wished she'd read it a little closer. She glanced up to Octavia and gulped. “I uhhh, sorry. I guess I should have read this a little closer. Wait, is this why that guy was attacking you?”
“There. Done, hold this so it doesn't come off,” Octavia said before holding the strings against Beauty's shoulder. “That ruffian? Indeed. He wasn't exactly... thrilled about finding out about what I was. He could have just read a little more and saved us both the trouble. Such a shame.”
Vinyl nodded slowly. “I... see. I guess... that happens a lot?”
“All the time,” Beauty said with a chuckle. “But Octavia knows like... all the martial arts moves, so he usually keeps us safe.”
“I know self defense,” Octavia said with a roll of her eyes. “I do not know all the martial arts. I have a barely rudimentary grasp of barely any of the martial arts. I just know enough to keep myself safe. And you, half the time.”
“That's pretty horrible,” Vinyl said with a shake of her head. “It's cool, though. I know it was just an accident. I guess if I had to deal with things like that... well, I'd probably be a bit jumpy too. Why were you even out there?”
“The concert hall gets quite hot during and after the show,” Octavia said. “I need a bit of time to cool off. I try to keep to myself, but he found me. Beauty, are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah. The manager can give me a ride back to the hotel,” he said before making his way to the door. “She's cute, have fun on your date.”
That made the cellist stop and stare. Before he could respond, the door closed. He then quickly covered his mouth and coughed. “I... apologize for him. He doesn't quite... think before he speaks. It seems your friend has more or less abandoned you. Would you like me to call you a cab?”
Vinyl shrugged. “Silver's kind of... like that. She's good, really! A good person! She just doesn't always think things through before doing what she wants. Tomorrow morning she'll call me in a panic and ask what happened, begging for forgiveness profusely. I guarantee it.”
“She should have at least made sure you were okay. If you'd like, I can give you the number of our manager. He'll make sure you get your new glasses and everything you need.”
“It's fine,” she said before getting to her feet and picking up the broken rims of her glasses. “They're more or less a prop, anyway. Cheap enough to replace. So, how long have you been in town for?”
“Since monday. I--”
Vinyl grinned before looking towards the door. She crossed her arms before nodding. “Well, in that case, I think it's only fair you let me show you around town a bit. You haven't been here long enough to see all the sights, after all.”
“W-what?”
“It's too early to go home and with Silver gone, I've lost my party girl. You'll have to do in a pinch.”
“Again, what?” He gave her a flat stare, devoid of any amusement.
“Come ooooon. It'll be fun. I can show you where I work. They'll be open all night. It would be a great way to make up for almost breaking my nose, too.”
The flat stare devolved into one filled with guilt. Finally he gave a nod and sighed. “Very well, if you wish. But I truly can't be out past midnight.”
“Why, going to turn into a pumpkin?”
“No. But I do have a job that I simply can't abandon. We don't have a concert tomorrow, but we still have rehearsal. I need plenty of rest to--” He was cut off when she put a finger to his lips.
“It'll be fine, I swear. We'll go out, have some fun, you'll buy me a few 'I'm sorry I clocked you in the nose' drinks, I'll make a few jokes about how up tight you are, one of us will end up dancing on a bar top.” Now he just looked horrified. “Besides, your friend did say I was sexy.”
“He said you were cute.”
“It was implied.”
The cellist sighed and put a hand to his forehead. But, after a few moments he gave a nod. “Very well. I suppose a few hours won't be so bad.”
“You won't regret it.”
------
Octavia regretted it, so much. His head pounded, the drinks were a bit strong for his taste, though he'd only tried a sip of the first one. There were pounding lights and everyone just kept bumping in to each other. If he didn't feel so guilty, he'd have left the moment they stepped into the building.
But, then again he had almost broken the poor lady's nose. He couldn't imagine what possessed her to invite him out to drinks like this. Was it because she expected him to pay? He would, of course. But he really would have preferred to just give her the money and been on his way. The club was hot and stuffy and all the quickly blinking lights were annoying.
“You seem pretty annoyed,” Vinyl said from across the table, grinning at him. She then looked horrified. “O-oh, I'm sorry. I didn't even think about that!”
“Huh? What?”
“The whole... well, how crowded it would be. Are you feeling okay? No one is going to try anything with you, I swear. Here,” she said before getting to her feet and taking his hand in one hand, her drink in the other. He barely had time to grab his drink before he was hauled away. She dragged him across the club, people bumping and grinding into him the whole way, before she walked up to a rather large man with more tattoos than she thought possible. He had a scowl and Octavia couldn't be sure, but he would have sworn his earing was a clip on, not an actual piercing. The flashing lights made it too hard to see. His escort talked for a few moments, before she started hauling him around again.
To his surprise, they stopped at a booth a few moments later. The table had the remains of some meal still, but there was a nice wall behind it. He sat down and smiled. The music wasn't so loud and the lights didn't seem quite so intense here. “Thank you, but why did you choose this spot?”
“You nearly broke my nose when I walked up behind you in the parking lot,” she said with a smile. “I'm guessing you've had it happen a lot. I figured you'd feel more comfortable with a wall behind you.”
His eyes widened slightly. “Why... yes, in fact. I do. Thank you, that was quite thoughtful.”
“That and you seemed so stressed, I wanted you to relax a bit.” She reached out and tapped his hand. “You okay?”
“I'm not stressed,” he said firmly. “I'm merely... not used to such places. The loud music and lights are... not exactly my preference. I never really liked this song, either.”
Vinyl rolled her eyes. “It's not a bad song, you know. There's a lot of pretty good parodies of it too. I think there was a really good one, join the... something. I don't know.” She shrugged. “Come on, you should try to enjoy yourself. You only get a few hours with--”
“Oh my gosh, Vinyl, what happened?” a voice said, making the two look up. A woman with neon green hair walked up to the table, putting a hand on it. “Your nose looks horrible! What happened to your glasses?”
“Thanks,” Vinyl said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “There was an accident and they got damaged. Trust me, the nose looks worse than it is. Octavia, this is my boss and owner of the club, Strobe Light. Strobe, this is the cellist of the quartet I went to see, Octavia.”
“A pleasure,” Octavia said, bowing his head slightly.
“Wait, really? I thought Silver said they were all supposed to be guys.”
Octavia let out a little snicker and quickly covered his mouth. “I... ahhh, am a guy. Though I do find it humorous that your friend told you, but not Vinyl.”
Vinyl's face turned just a hint of red, as did Strobe's. “O-oh. Err... I mean, looking at you now I can see why... err... so many masculine... features like... the...” She coughed. “Really, if you want to not get confused for a girl, cut your hair.” She then stormed off.
“I... think I might have upset your boss,” Octavia said as he watched the woman walk off.
“Oh, her? Nah, she'll be fine. She just doesn't like being corrected. And she's kind of a bitch, anyway. So don't worry.” She reached up to touch her nose. “Does it really look that bad?”
“It's hard to tell in the flashing lights, but I'd have to say no. The edges around the base are a little bruised, but it is nothing that shouldn't go away in a few days. Again, I am dreadfully sorry. I never meant to--”
“Oh relax. It doesn't even hurt any more. I bet Strobe was just making a big deal about it because I don't have my glasses on. They're kind of my signature, you know. Without them, half the people here won't even know who I am. She hates that.”
“I find that hard to believe,” Octavia said with a chuckle. “You do happen to leave quite the impression, with that hair and... well, everything about you.”
“Was that a compliment or an insult?”
“I don't quite know yet. A part of me honestly feels like I'm being kidnapped at this point.”
She let out a snicker. “Oh, okay then. Tell me, what would you be doing now if you weren't here with me?”
Octavia rubbed his chin and closed his eyes, before leaning back. Finally, he nodded and opened them. “I'd likely be at the hotel, either sleeping or reading a good book.”
“Oh? Which one?”
“I'm currently in the midst of reading a series by a young mare known as Audi Valet. It's an older series.”
“Ohhhh, the bards of Cantermar? I never would have figured you for a fantasy reader.”
Octavia looked taken aback, his mouth opening slightly. “You've... heard of them?”
“Of course. I used to love the music she added with the books, they were pretty great. I think my favorite was Philosophy. That thief bard was always one of my favorites.”
“I have found him quite interesting, but I think my current favorite is still the princess. It was nice seeing her evolve from a spoiled child to a bard of the realm.”
“Ohhhh, has she gone on her quest yet?”
“No, not yet. But I do believe it happens in this book, now that her training is complete.”
“I won't spoil it then. It's awesome, though. You're going to love the axe, Want.”
“The anti magic axe? It's been interesting so far.”
“Oh, it gets a lot more interesting.”
The cellist let out a soft sigh before taking another small sip of his drink. “I... must say. I'm quite impressed. I don't meet many who have read her books.”
“Told you, all the music is what got me interested. You've heard the songs, right?”
“Of course. I've actually played a few on the fiddle.”
Vinyl's eyes widened. “Wait, really? You can play them? That's awesome! But I thought you were a cellist?”
“I am. I am a passable fiddler, however. It's really not that hard once you know how to play the strings and properly play the notes. I'm no master, of course.” He glanced towards the stage. “Well, tell me. What would you have done if I'd denied coming here with you?”
“Probably come here anyway,” Vinyl said with a shrug. “Texted Silver like a hundred times to guilt her a bit for abandoning me like that. Probably danced a bit. Actually...” She reached out and grabbed his hand. “Come on, let's dance.”
His eyes widened. “W-what? I do not--”
“Don't tell me you don't dance. Every guy says that.” She got to her feet and started dragging him towards the center floor. “Trust me, half the people here can't dance either, that hasn't stopped them.”
“I've noticed.”
“See? If you can be condescending about it, you can come out and entertain me a bit. Please?”
He sighed and motioned to the table. “We shouldn't leave our drinks behind. It's not safe to do in bars, you know.”
“It's a club, but fine.” She walked to the table and downed hers in one quick gulp, before grabbing his and thrusting it in his face. “Drink or wear, your choice.”
The cellist let out another exasperated sigh. “Are you always this forceful?” He took it in hand and tipped it down his throat, shuddering slightly.
“Yep.” She barely gave him a chance to put the drink down before she was dragging him towards the floor. “Are you always this tense?”
“When around people such as you, yes,” he mumbled as he had no choice but to follow her. People were bumping and jostling them the entire time but he tried to ignore it. He was sure the club was a fine, up standing establishment. Or at the very least, a safe one. Yet he couldn't shake the feelings of unease. He never really liked places like this. Still, he had assaulted the young woman and the fact she wasn't pressing charges was reason enough to at least play along for now.
“Come oooon. It'll be fun. Tell you what, one song, and we can get out of here. Okay?”
“Truly?”
“Yes, truly.” She then turned around and he didn't stop in time, accidentally stepping into her.
“Sorry!” he said quickly, backing away. His cheeks turned a little red as he became distressingly aware of just how... soft she and her clothing were.
“It's fine, come on! Relax and try to have fun!” And she started to dance.
Octavia sighed and at least... attempted to imitate the movements to an extent. He felt extremely foolish, though. He swore the woman looked more like she was having a seizure than any rhyme or reason to her movements and following them was near impossible. Then again, he figured such movements suited the woman. She'd yet to have shown any rhyme or reason since he met her.
Still, he tried to keep up. By the time the music stopped, he felt like his heart was going to explode and sweat had started to gather across his shirt. Vinyl, on the other hand, looked completely unphased. As if she'd done nothing but a short walk. She led him to the door, gently pulling him the whole way. Once he was out, he had to lean against the wall to catch his breath.
“Are you okay? I thought you'd have done this stuff before,” she said with a light snicker. “Well, some dancing.”
“I told you, I don't dance. Not to mention it is extremely hot in there with everyone so close. I'm amazed no one gets hurt with all those drinks and bodies huddled together.”
Vinyl gave a low nod. “Well, we did what I wanted. Let's do something you want. What do you like to do when you visit a new town? I bet there's all kind of fancy rituals you have. See the museums, visit tea shops?”
He blinked and slowly shook his head. “No? Why ever would you think that?”
“You're kind of... stuffy and distant. You seemed like the kind of guy who would go to those kinds of places just to brag about going to them.”
He cringed and gave a sigh, before looking away. “I'm... sorry. I didn't mean to give such an impression. It has been a charming evening, truly. But I am just not the kind of person who enjoys these kinds of things.”
“Well, fine then. What kinds of things do you like?” She walked besides him and took his hand.
“I... do enjoy walking,” he said softly. “When I visit new places, I'll often head to the parks and walk many of the trails. I enjoy the fresh air.”
She nodded and started leading him down the street. “Well, there's one near here. You ever go on the parades and those kinds of walks? Running those five Ks and what not?”
“What? No. If I was going to do that I'd do it on my own. Why would I want to do it amongst such a crowd?”
“Ohhhhh. I see how it is. You like doing things, but you just don't want to do them with so many people?” She gave his hand a little squeeze. “Fine, how about you and I dance in private then?”
His face turned bright red at that. “W-what? I-I don't, I wouldn't, I-I don't like to dance at... at all,” he said softly, looking away.
She snickered and squeezed his hand again. “Relax, I was just kidding. You know, you should try calming down a bit. There's no need to get so upset and worried about everything.” She looked back at him. “You don't go out very much, do you?”
“No, not particularly. I sometimes go out with Frederick, but I... prefer to stay in my room alone most nights.”
“Is it because you're afraid you'll get attacked? Or get hit on by guys too often?”
“More often the latter. The former normally only happens when alcohol flows freely.”
“Oh. Another reason not to like the club, huh?”
“Are you often like this? I mean... with people you've just met? I could be some kind of crazy person. Maybe I'm trying to get you alone to... will you stop laughing?”
“Are you kidding me? You're like... a big stuffed bunny. Not even a teddy bear. I doubt you could hurt anyone who didn't attack you first.” She smiled back at him. “I'm a real good judge of character, you know. I can know within three seconds just by looking at a person if they're going to be okay, or if I'm going to have to have the bouncer toss them out.”
“Really?”
“Well, sometimes. But trust me, you pick up on things like that pretty quick you hang out with enough people. We're here.”
He looked up. “It's... nice?”
“It's a park. What, did you expect flashing neon lights and confetti cannons around the entrance?”
He smiled at her. “With you? Yes, a little bit.” He stepped forward through the small gate around the park. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. The sprinklers had been on a little bit ago, so the scent of water mixed with the grass to give it a pleasant, gentle aroma. There was a soft, cool breeze occasionally blowing across the path, a pleasant surprise considering the warm night. The path was dirt and surrounded by grass, but still soft underfoot. He could hear the gentle tinkle of water off in the distance. “Is there a pond here?”
“Yeah. I wouldn't go swimming in it, though,” Vinyl said as she walked besides him. “So, you like this more?”
“Yes, it's quite pleasant.” He smiled to her again. “Thank you. You've been quite the excellent host. I truly do appreciate you taking the time to make me feel comfortable in your town.”
“Eh, you bought the drinks, I think we're even. Besides, I don't really like going out on the town alone. It's always good to have someone with you.”
“Even someone you just met?”
“You seem like a good enough girl.” She cringed. “Guy. Good enough guy. Sorry.”
“It's quite alright,” Octavia said with a shrug. “I've been receiving comments like that ever since I was a child. I don't believe you mean anything ill by it, so I see no need to get upset.”
“So, how often do you travel?”
“It can vary. During our busy seasons we can go entire weeks never being in a town for more than two days. Times like now, however, we'll be here for a few weeks. We have a week playing in that hall. After that, we have a few parties we'll be playing at. We'll be leaving the saturday or sunday after this one.”
“Really?” Vinyl asked with a little snicker. “I never imagined you for the kind of person to play at parties.”
“Not the sort of parties you'd imagine,” Octavia said with a gentle chuckle. “Gallas, balls. Things of that sort. Occasionally we'll even be hired for private lawn parties by a politician or some other... extremely well off person.”
“It must be kind of lonely traveling like that all the time. Do you make many friends?”
“Not particularly. Beauty, Frederick and Parish have been my friends since child hood, however. I believe they're the only friends I truly need. I have a few friends in other locales, but I rarely speak with them. How about you? I imagine you must have dozens of friends.”
“Totally,” Vinyl said with a chuckle. “Though Silver's my bestie, we go way back.”
“That's a shame. I'd hope you'd have a best friend who wouldn't so quickly abandon you.”
She sighed. “Listen, she's really not that bad. I know she can be a bit flaky sometimes. But we've been watching out for each other for years. If I was in any kind of real trouble, she'd have never have bailed.” She then moved a little closer and reached out, gripping his hand. “Besides, I'm having a nice time. I love meeting new people, especially when they're so cute.”
He let out a little yelp and tried to pull away, but she didn't let his hand go. “W-what? I didn't, I wasn't--”
“Oh, don't be modest. You're absolutely adorable and we both know it.” She reached around and grabbed his other hand. “A bit shy too, but I don't mind.”
He gulped, slowly backing away, or trying. But she had a grip like a vice and he couldn't really pull free. “I-I never... meant to, I-I wasn't giving the impression that--”
“Oh? Are you seeing someone?”
“W-well, no, but--”
“Then what's wrong with having a little fun?”
“I-I didn't-- MMPH!” he let out a startled gasp when she stepped in quickly and put her lips against his. It only lasted a few seconds, but when she finally pulled back he couldn't move, his eyes wide.
“See? A little fun. Oh, relax. It was just a kiss, no need to get so up tight about it. Come on, let's go see the pond. If you don't relax, I'll push you into it.”
“B-but you just... you...” he said softly, following behind her because he had no real choice. She only let one of his hands go.
“I kissed you. So? You're cute and I think you're interesting. Relax, it's not like I proposed or tried to strip you down. I usually wait for the third date for that.”
“W-what?” Octavia asked, his eyes going even wider as he struggled to process what she said. “W-why are you, what are you--”
“Stop complaining or I'll kiss you again.”
“S-sorry,” he squeaked softly. She finally drew him to the small pond. It was a wide oval with a floating bridge crossing it from one end to the other. A small plaque was in the center and rows of flowers lined the guards on the sides.
“You never gotten a kiss by a pretty woman before?”
“O-of course I have!” he said quickly, his cheeks burning even redder. They were halfway across the bridge before he finally managed to pull on her hand and get her to stop.
“What?”
“Why did you kiss me? I want to know,” he said firmly, glaring at her.
“Why not? I told you. You're cute, you're interesting. Shy as heck so it's not like I could expect you to try it. And I kind of wanted to know if you tasted like a girl or a boy.”
His cheeks turned even redder. “W-what? Wait, you can tell by taste? H-- wait, you've kissed--”
“Both? Yeah. Honestly, you did kind of taste like a girl. Sorry.”
He let out a sigh. “Just... give a little more... warning. Please. Before you do something completely... insane.”
“Never.”
“Wait, you were expecting me to make a move on you? Why?”
That actually made Vinyl pause and glance back at him. “Wow. That was just... wow. That's a bit of a hurtful thing to say.”
“What? Why would--” His eyes widened and he shook his head. “N-no! I didn't mean like, no! Not like that, I just, err, I meant because I'm leaving soon. I thought... err... there's no real time for--”
“Who said I'm looking for a big relationship?” She started walking again, dragging him along. “Maybe I'm just bored and your a fun little fling I can brag to all my friends about. I got a cellist. They'll be so jealous. Especially when I show them the pictures.”
Octavia let out another exasperated sigh. Just as soon as he'd finally begun to relax and think he had this strange woman figured out, she threw him for another loop. He watched her for a moment before smiling. Well, she was interesting, and cute. He gripped one of the bridge posts in his free hand. He then pulled with all his might, making Vinyl let out a yelp as she suddenly came rushing back to him. He tried to catch her, but when she stumbled into him he fell back, bringing them both crashing to the ground. He looked up at her and groaned. “That... that went far better in my head.”
“What on earth were you trying to do?” she asked as she let him go and got to her feet, only to hold her hand out and help him up.
“I was trying to... I don't know... be a bit romantic. I mean, you made a move and I--”
“It's fine, it's fine,” she said before slowly leading him away again. “If anyone asks, we'll pretend it went well and you totally swept me up in your arms, completely romantically.”
He chuckled and then looked down the path. “I uhhh... I am sorry. I'm not usually one to... errr...”
“You don't get flirted with a lot?”
“Not by women.”
“I can pretend to be a guy, if you like.” Vinyl took a deep breath before talking in a deep voice. “Hey. Octy. Let me grab your butt. Mmmm, that's some good shake in that trunk.”
The cellist stared at the woman as if she was mad. “Even if... why would anyone ever talk in such a strange manner?”
She shrugged. “I don't know. You should be thankful, though.”
“Why?”
“If the rail guards weren't so high, we might have toppled into the lake. That would have been a lot harder to explain.”
He chuckled before starting to walk a little faster, moving besides her. “You... know what? You're actually quite the interesting woman, miss Vinyl. I think tonight has been absolutely delightful, yet somehow dreadful, and I probably won't forget it for a long while.”
“Not without therapy and the right medication, at least.”
“Quite. But I do believe it's about time I head home. I wish I could stay out all night, but I must get back home to practice. The others will be furious with me if I don't show.”
She let out a sigh, before giving a nod. “Fiiiine.” She turned around, tugging him back the way they came. “I assume you'll at least escort me back to the club, right?”
“Err, of course. You'll be fine getting home, won't you?”
“Of course. I can probably get a ride with someone from work in a few hours.”
He nodded and glanced back to her. He was quite certain now, even if he never met this woman again, he'd definitely never forget her.
Vinyl sighed as she flipped the record off the DJ table and into its case, only to quickly toss another one on. The club was packed from end to end, with people dancing, drinking and generally going along with their lives. “Is everyone ready for this? We're going to be going all night!” she yelled into the microphone before starting the next beat. She had her glasses back, setting the world in its signature red haze. The air was hot and humid, all the bodies below the stage moving as hard as they could to keep up with the beats she threw down.
Yet she couldn't help being annoyed. It had been quite a few days since she'd last seen Octavia and while her new glasses had showed up the day after, the cellist was nowhere to be seen. She'd been so certain that the boy would have come within the next two nights. After all, she knew he knew where the club was, she made sure of that. He also knew when she'd be working. She didn't expect him to come up on the stage or anything, she imagined he was too shy for that. But she at least expected him to step into the club, awkwardly idle by the door for a few minutes, maybe get a drink before making his escape. That was when she was going to strike and make her move.
Instead, tonight was her last night and he hadn't even shown up outside, she was sure of that. She'd told the bouncer each night to keep an eye out. She was miffed about the whole thing, she was usually such a good judge of character, yet she'd read him all wrong. Maybe she'd been a bit too direct.
But she couldn't help it! He was just so shy and cute. He'd looked like a cornered animal when she first brought him into the club and they'd sat at one of the normal tables. Ready to dart at a moment's notice, his shoulders all tense and knotted up. Then when she'd got them a booth, he'd almost instantly relaxed and she could watch the tension disappear. She wondered how many times he'd actually been attacked due to his looks like that. Had they stayed much longer, she was pretty sure they'd have started getting drinks delivered to their table from special admirers.
Besides, he was only going to be in town for a few weeks. It would be a fun little fling and she'd dated guys and girls, but never someone so close to the middle. It would be a new experience and she hated saying no to new experiences. But she needed him to show some kind of interest, some sign that he actually wanted to see her. She couldn't just force him to come make out. She could probably try, but he had a mean right jab and she didn't want to risk it again. She certainly gave him enough signs that he should feel confident to at least show up. It's not like she expected him to ask her out, she'd more or less done that alre--
She had to resist face palming as she flipped to the next record. Of course, she hadn't asked him out. Just kissed him. Sure, most guys probably would have taken the hint, but he wasn't exactly the most forceful guy she'd met. It was too late now, anyway. She'd be off for a while after today and it was almost midnight. There was no way he'd--
He was here! She let out an internal squeal of glee when she saw him pop in through the front of the club. He seemed as awkward and nervous as ever, slowly moving through the crowd. He kept staring at the ground, too, as he made his way towards a table. “Okay, you all ready to get this party rocking?” she yelled before flipping through two of the records, her hands moving like blurs as the dancing began to get faster. For a moment she felt a surge of power as they moved to the beats she set. On more than a few occasions she'd considered dropping the beats, hard, before literally letting the beats drop completely, just to see how many people fell over.
Then she'd quickly shut those thoughts out because while it would be funny at the time, there was a good chance someone would get hurt and while she may have been evil, she wasn't that evil. Still, she moved through the beats quickly, her eyes occasionally flicking towards him. He was sitting off alone, near the back. He'd ordered a drink, but she had no idea what it was, other than red. It could have been any dozens of drinks.
However, the way the cellist was sitting, slightly hunched over the table, tense, nervous, his eyes scanning from left to right. He looked like a frightened fawn just waiting to get picked off by some predator. It wasn't long until such movements drew the attention of his first prospective suitor of the night and she couldn't help but smirk slightly as someone broke off from the bar and made their way over.
------
Octavia couldn't believe he'd actually come here. Why was he doing this? He didn't have time for any of this, he had to get back to practice. His livelihood depended on him being the best cellist possible, but instead he was wasting valuable time at a club like this. He should have stayed home. It was her last night, that's what she'd said. If he had just waited, he'd never see her again. No more temptation, no more distraction.
Yet here he was, sitting in this dimly lit locale while the music thumped loud and hard enough to try and throw off his own heart beat. The music itself wasn't bad, in fact it would have been quite good. If not for the fact it pounded so painfully. He was used to listening to much softer, gentler music. Hearing the notes and letting them carry him away. But these ones threatened to beat him over the head with a frying pan, toss him in a sack and then drive him off a cliff.
But still, it wasn't bad. He was just thankful they didn't have any of those nail on chalkboard sounds he'd heard in the past. The beats were mixed up a lot, but nothing jagged or too hurtful to one's ears or sensibilities. In fact, were he able to get a place further from the speakers, he could actually enjoy it far more. The way one song would smoothly glide into the next, as if they were one.
“Come here often?” a voice asked as someone sat across the table from him. Octavia didn't even look up, just rested his head in his hands.
“No. In fact, I am merely waiting to meet with someone. Alone.”
“Oh, no need to be like that, baby,” the person said. He refused to look up, he just shook his head.
“I am not your baby. Please, just leave. I am most definitely not the person you're looking for.”
“Trust me, you've been looking all your life for someone like me.”
Octavia opened her mouth to speak. However, before he could get the words out, he felt a hand on his legs. He took a slow, deep breath. “You do realize that I am, in fact, a guy, correct?” The hand pulled back so fast he was certain the appendage now had whiplash. There was a few seconds before he heard the clatter of a falling chair.
He glanced up and, sure enough, the table was now empty again. He sighed and took another sip of his drink. Why was he subjecting himself to this? Ten more minutes, that was it. That was all he was going to wait, then he'd leave. He couldn't endure this for long, no matter who the woman was. She probably didn't even notice him come in.
------
Vinyl grinned as she popped her hands and stretched, stepping out from the DJ booth. It had been almost an hour since Octavia had arrived, but she'd been watching the table since the man arrived and he hadn't left it. Even after that guy practically jumped from the table, the cellist hadn't moved. But now she was finally getting a small break, so she already knew how she'd spend it.
Most of the floor were already sitting down and resting. She always liked to up the beats right before her break, make sure they were nice and tired so the pre-mixed music wouldn't bore them. Not that it wasn't good, in fact she had a feeling most of her mixes were used during the weekdays, she'd heard them enough when she visited. But she liked to have a bit more control over the crowds. Still, it was hard to notice the music when you were already seeing stars. She slid into the chair across from him.
“Go away, I'm waiting for someone,” Octavia grumbled.
“Really? Who? Is she cute? Pretty? Sexy? Ohhhh, is she an awesome DJ who--”
“Are you going to toot your horn the whole time?” Octavia asked, finally looking up.
“Only if you won't,” Vinyl said with a smirk. “I hope you didn't mind waiting too much.”
“It was fine,” he said before sighing. “I uhhhh... I do hope you...” He brought his fist up and coughed into it. “Before we proceed, I think we should discuss--”
“Wanna go out sometime soon?”
He nearly fell out of his chair and now she was sure he was blushing. “W-what? But, but I was about to--”
“You were too slow. So, yes or no?”
He gulped. “Y-yes?” he offered, giving a weak smile. “But you know--”
“That you'll be leaving town soon because of work? Yeah, I figured that was kind of obvious. Really, if you were on such a short period of availability, why did you waste so much time coming down here? I was expecting you on friday.”
His face turned even redder. “I... I did come down. I just didn't... get in line or anything. It was... can we just... move on, please?”
“Okay. Soooo, since I know the area and asked you out, I think I should choose where to go.” She grinned wickedly. “Tomorrow, around noon. Dress nice and meet me at city square.”
“Nice?”
“Nice. As nice and fancy as you can.”
He gave a nod. “R-right. Of course. I'll uhhh... I'll be there.”
“Make sure to wear a nice dress, too.” She giggled at the glare he gave. “I'm kidding, I'm kidding! So, wanna hang for a bit? My break isn't for long, but after I'm off I--”
“No,” he said firmly. “While this has... most definitely been an experience, I cannot stay all night. If I am to be around with you tomorrow at noon, I'll need to make some calls first. But I will stay until your break is over.”
“Awesome,” she said before grinning at him even wider. “Are you always so uptight?”
“Yes. It is genetic. I was born with a stick magically inserted into my rectum.”
Vinyl grinned for a few moments before her eyes widened, thankfully hidden behind her glasses. She then stared at him and finally burst into laughter. “I... I can't believe you... you actually said that. I never thought... really? Isn't that a bit crude for you to say?”
“You seemed like the type who would appreciate such words,” he said before taking another sip of his drink.
“Well then, we only have a few days,” she said before reaching out and clasping his hand in hers. “How many, exactly?”
He sighed and lowered the glass. “On saturday we will be performing our final show. We will either be leaving that night or the following morning. Saturday will be spent primarily in preparation for the show.”
Vinyl nodded and then pulled her hand back. “Five days, huh? Sounds easy enough?”
“Easy enough for what?”
“To make you fall madly, deeply in love with me and make the rest of your trips absolutely suck.”
Octavia stared flatly for a few moments before lightly chuckling. “Charming.”
Vinyl hummed a little as she stared at herself in the mirror, holding a dull, red dress over herself. She didn't really know anything about being all hoity toity and dressed up. Sure, she'd been to a few major events. Even DJ'd at a wedding once for a friend. But at most she'd dressed casual-nice. Octavia was probably expecting something more... just... more.
She shrugged and tossed the dress to the side. The cellist was interested, but he knew she wasn't that kind of girl. He was probably expecting something a bit more fun. She grinned from ear to ear and cracked her knuckles. Oh, she could do 'fun'.
------
Octavia felt like a bloody fool. He was wearing a black suit and pants set, standing in the middle of the city square. His hair was even tied back neatly into a ponytail. He felt quite well put up, though he still felt silly. It was already ten minutes after noon and there was no sign of the DJ.
She stood him up, he couldn't... well, he could completely believe it. It wasn't the first time. There was no future in their relationship, they both knew that. He traveled a lot, she had a job. Albeit one she didn't go to very often it seemed. She didn't seem to like it much, either. Then again, he traveled the country going from concert to concert, so it wasn't like he could talk.
He just wished she'd had the nerve to tell him to his face. He could completely understand her not having any interest. But he didn't like her pranking him like this. She was an interesting woman who... well, an interesting woman. He felt tense around her, but he also felt relaxed. Worried at any moment she might go off like some firework, but also relaxed because a part of him felt no matter what he did, she'd just shake it off. Well, so long as he didn't mean anything bad by it. After all, he'd already punched her in the face and she let that slide.
Maybe it was all just payback for the blow. He'd never meant to hurt her. Bah, he didn't know why he cared. It wasn't like it really mattered to--
“Sorry I'm late!”
Yay she came! “It's quite alright,” he said before looking over and letting out a light gasp. “You look... errrr...”
“Fun, right?” she asked before taking his hand.
“That's a word for it,” he said carefully as he looked her over. She was wearing a... well, the remains of what had once been a red dress. It looked like she'd torn off part of the skirt to make it come a few inches over her knees and the sleeves had been torn off as well. There weren't any loose strings he could see, but the ends were obviously hacked away. However, the back part of the dress looked fine, giving it a sort of cape appearance as the long back half of the skirt went down to her ankles. She was wearing low heeled shoes and her hair was tied back into a simple ponytail as well.
“Didn't really know what we were going to do today, so I thought I should choose something I can run from the law in. What do you think?”
“It's quite homie,” he said quickly. “Looks very unique.”
“You don't like it, do you?”
“What? No! I like it, I...” He sighed and shook his head. “I'm not really a good judge, honestly. It looks fine, really.” He gulped as she moved in closer, staring into his eyes. After a few moments she nodded, seemingly satisfied.
“Well then, onto our next order of business!”
“Next?”
“Yes, eating! Come on!” She took his hand. “You're going to love this. I bet you've never eaten anything like this before.”
He followed behind her, a small smile on his face. He could now imagine where she was taking him. Probably some fast food restaurant. Of course having him get dressed up before hand was all a--
The color drained from his face. “What, exactly, is that?”
“Food trucks. They're awesome.”
“W-what? But it's not... why would you... is that a--”
“A jelly bean pizza? Yeah, they're awesome. Come on, where else can you get spaghetti sushi, or chocolate and ham gordita or a strawberry ice scream?”
“Ice cream? Anywhere, I imagine.”
“No no, strawberry ice SCREAM. You see, they freeze up the strawberries, beef, chicken and--”
“I... I've heard enough. I'll take something... something simple. Please.”
She chuckled and nodded. “Fine. But I'm getting a jelly bean pizza.”
He nodded and grumbled as he followed behind her. To his surprise, there were plenty of normal items on the menu, too. But each one seemed to have some strange items he couldn't identify. Just what in the blazes was bubble tea? He followed behind her and let her order for him. However, when he reached for his wallet to pay, she smacked it away.
“I asked you out, chose where to eat and ordered the food. I think at this point it's my responsibility to pay.”
“Err... okay?” Octavia said, more confusion on his face. He felt as if he was being swept along in some great tide, drawing him out to sea. The woman was absolutely crazy, he was sure of it. There was no doubt in his mind at this point. But he couldn't help but enjoy it. At least a little bit. Maybe the week would be a little fun after all.
“Besides, after this I've got something reallllllly fun planned. You'll love it.”
Or maybe he was doomed.
------
“I really should have seen this coming,” Octavia said with a shake of his head.
“It was this or paint ball. Besides, this is cheaper, requires less clean up and is still a lot of fun,” Vinyl said as she dragged him along. “Besides, with all the running we'll have to do it'll help burn off the calories from the pizza dogs.” She dragged him forward towards the great metal doors of the laser tag arena. It seemed like just the kind of thing he'd like. Well, actually it seemed like a good idea at the time when they passed by, but hey, when life throws a lemon in your eye you wash it out with water. Or something to that effect. “Come on, it'll be fun.”
“I'll take your word for it. I've never done anything like this before.”
“Me either.”
“Wait, what?”
“Two please!” Vinyl said as she stepped up to the counter. “Adults.” She hummed happily as she pulled out her wallet.
“Wait, you've never done this before?”
“No, of course not. Why?”
“Then why did you decide to--”
“It's no fun to try new things alone. Besides, it'll be fun. See, less loud music and you get to shoot anyone who comes too close. Isn't that just the kind of thing you'd like?”
“I've never actually used a gun...”
“So? It's like using those toy guns when you were a kid and you never used those, either, did you?”
He shook his head. “I'm afraid my parents did not condone such objects. The closest I ever got to a weapon was the bow of my fiddle.”
“Oh. Well, it'll still be fun. You get to shoot people with laser beams! Oh, don't aim for the eyes.”
He sighed, but gave a nod. “As you wish.”
“Trust me, you'll have a lot of fun.”
------
Octavia could not believe it. He was actually having a lot of fun. His suit wasn't exactly made with the idea of the wearer running and leaping about, but he had plenty more and the tears were fixable. He was covered in sweat and thankful he had tied his hair back, otherwise it would have been flying everywhere. He couldn't understand why this was so much fun. It was running around in a dimly lit room, shooting people with little lasers. But he got a quick thrill every time he actually managed to land a shot.
Sadly, he really wasn't landing many shots. He was shooting at people, but he had never really aimed one of these before and it was a lot harder than it looked. Vinyl, on the other hand, was running and jumping around like a excited kitten, shooting everything that came near(including him a few times). He swore he even saw her run up a wall and back flip over a guy, but he was sure it was just the dark and flashing lights playing with his mind.
He ducked behind some cover(a giant plastic box) as beams of light flashed all around him, barely avoiding the small group who came across the hall from him. He took a deep breath and readied his gun before standing up, ready to go in a blaze of glory.
Vinyl was standing there, surrounded by the quickly dispersing group. “You okay?” she asked with a wide grin.
“How... how do you do that?”
“I don't know. I just like it. Ohhh, come on!” She ran off again and he struggled to keep up. He wondered where her boundless energy came from, though he did find it a little intoxicating. The woman was insane. Deranged. Completely crazy. Yet there was just something about her. About the way she moved, never stopped. Seemed to live purely on instinct. As he watched, he couldn't help but imagine her movements matched some kind of beat.
It took him a few more moments to realize they WERE following a beat. She was moving perfectly in tune with the music blaring over the loud speakers. It was like her own little dance, every step she took was just another way for her to express it. He wondered if she could even listen to music without--
There was a loud beeping and he looked down. He got tagged, he was out. “Sorry, Vinyl. Good luck.” He quickly made his way towards the waiting area. He couldn't deny feeling kind of awkward and nervous while he waited. He swore he was the only one here over the age of sixteen, though he still wasn't the tallest. He moved near the vending machine and crossed his arms, leaning back against the wall.
A few minutes later Vinyl came out, dripping with sweat and lightly panting. “So, you have fun?”
“You know what? I really did,” Octavia said before pushing off the wall. “A bit tired, but nothing too bad. This has been a pretty pleasant experience.”
“You just sound so thrilled when you say it like that. 'A pleasant experience'. It was a date, not a wedding. Come on, show a little spirit.”
“I have plenty of spirit,” he said with a shrug. “I just happen to be less of a cheerleader than you.”
“Ohhhh, what I hear there is you want to see me in a cheer leading outfit. Kinky.”
“Sure, I'll get Beauty to lend you his.”
That caught the woman by surprise and for a few seconds she didn't say anything. Finally, she coughed into her hand. “Does... does he really have something like that?”
“Probably. He has dozens of little outfits I've never seen. I hate to say it, but in many of them he looks quite good.”
“Oh.” There was another pause. “Have you and he ever... you know... a little bit of... made out?”
Octavia snickered. “Of course not. He's like a brother or sister to me. We've never done anything less chaste than holding each others hands.”
“Oh.” Pause. “I bet if you looked online, you'd find all kinds of stories about--”
“Thank you very much but I am not interested in hearing about what people have written or fantasize about me. They are free to imagine whatever they like so long as I do not have to get involved in it.”
“Really? That's... I figured you'd get upset by things like that.”
“I've had people trying to destroy my reputation ever since we became popular. People calling Beauty and I sinful creatures for the way we look. Well, the way he dresses and the way we look. During our first year every town we went to there would be picket lines and constant death threats, not to mention people saying we were both going to hell for being abominations.”
Vinyl nodded slowly. “O-oh. I didn't realize--”
“It wore off quickly. Once the initial tensions wore off, people began to care less and there was a lot less hostility in the air. People like that often burn bright and loud, but they move on quickly once they don't get the attention they feel they deserve. The first year was quite hectic and, at some times, dangerous.”
The woman reached down and cupped his hand in hers. “You don't get those now, do you?”
“Not as much as I used to. I still get three or four death threats a week on our fan site. Fortunately, we don't tend to attract those kind of people to our shows. Usually. I do get a few dozen people wanting to give me spiritual guidance each week, though.”
She chuckled. “If it helps, I used to get those a lot too. Not that many, but then I never really made it that big.”
“Really? But your songs were doing really well last night. I may not understand everything about that type of music, but even I could see that everyone was dancing heavily to it. That is the desired effect, yes?”
Vinyl let out a sigh. “Yeah, but those aren't my songs. All I get to do there is remixes of the songs they have the licenses too. I've made a few of my own songs, but they never seem to go over quite as well or get too popular. I can't play them at the club, either. My mixes tend to be pretty popular, but I can't sell those. There's a lot of legal hurdles to go through to do that legally.”
“You don't play your own music there?”
“No. I've tried to get permission a few times, but the owner says it's impossible for now. Well... at least, I don't want to do it the way she wants to do it.”
“How?”
“If I play them there, she wants full rights to them. Meaning she'll own my music, I won't anymore. She's nice enough, but frankly I've worked hard on these and even if I can't make much on them, I still want them to be mine. You know?”
He nodded. “I see. I can understand that. I've dealt with more than a few groups who wanted to own everything that we worked on just for the privilege of them working with us on something. I'd love to hear some of your songs sometime.”
“Really? Well, we could swing by my place and I could play some for you.”
Octavia chuckled. “Really? Inviting me back to your place on the first date? Aren't you rushing things a bit?”
“My room mate will be there, so not as much as you'd hope. But hey, play your cards right and I might be able to convince her to leave. That or she'll taze you.”
He nodded before sighing. “It is your friend, isn't it?”
“What fresh pit of tartarus is this?” Octavia asked as he stepped into her house, recoiling.
Vinyl looked around. Well, she'd admit it was a little messy. Some clothes were on the floor, she forgot to put her pizza slice away when she didn't finish it, so it was on the couch. There was a bit of glimmer on the ground, too. Not to mention a few lights and glow sticks. There was a clear path for them to walk through, so she didn't get what the deal was. “What?”
“It looks like a bomb went off in here,” he muttered. “Is... what happened to that?” he asked before pointing at the dismantled remains of a toaster on the ground.
“That? Probably one of Silver's things she's working on. She does that a lot. Don't worry, it doesn't explode or anything.” She gave it a wide berth. “Probably. I mean, they usually don't. Come on, I'll show you our sound system.”
“Our?”
“Oh yeah. Silver loooooves tinkering with the thing. Every so often she'll come back from the dump with a bunch of pieces from tossed out and broken sets. She's an absolute wiz with anything mechanical.”
“Does it... blow up?”
“The stereo? Only when I crank it up to fourteen or higher for too long, but it's sooooo worth it.”
Octavia cringed again. “Let's not have it that loud then, shall we?”
She nodded and pushed open the door. “Here it is.”
Octavia gasped. “She... she built this?”
“Eeyup. I bought the initial system, but she's fixed it up and made so many adjustments to get it just right that it's both of ours.” Vinyl stepped into the room.
Octavia followed behind, his eyes wide with wonder. There were at least six different speakers of varying sizes strewn across the room, all aiming towards the center. Up against one side was a frankensteinion creation of metal, knobs and dials. A computer was up against the opposite side, complete with its own desk filled with knobs and dials, as well as cassette, record and cd players. “She did all of this?” Most impressive of all, it was all clean and gleaming. He couldn't even find any dust on it.
“Yeah, here. I'll turn it on.” Vinyl walked around, flipping knobs and dials, before going by the computer. An ominous hum filled the air and Octavia felt the hairs on the back of his neck go on end. He was starting to understand why there was no dust anywhere. “Even have a new mixing program.”
“W-wait, what are you going to--”
The sheer sound sent the cellist toppling back out the room, crashing into the wall. He groaned for a moment, his head ringing. It switched off quickly.
“See? Totally worth it! That was sixteen!” Vinyl yelled, her air now pushed back. “Can't do it for more than a few seconds though! Entire thing just goes boom then!”
Octavia groaned and slowly sunk to the ground. “Can... can you please turn it... down a lot more next time?”
Vinyl chuckled and gave a nod. “Sure. Hold on, I'll play one of mine.”
Once again there was a hum, but it disappeared quickly. This time when the music played, it was actually kind of pleasant. It was fast and a bit wild, but without the heavy thumping or ear shattering sounds he'd grown used to hearing from Vinyl's music. He got to his feet and walked into the room, timidly looking around as if he expected to be rocketed out of the room any second. Satisfied, he stepped into the center of the room and listened to the music. “You know, this isn't so bad. I can see why you enjoy dancing to such things.”
“Dancing? When?”
“You're doing it right now,” he said with a smile.
Vinyl looked down and, true enough, her hands were tapping to the beat and her legs were bouncing up and down. “Huh. I didn't even notice. How long was I doing that for?”
“Entire time. You're not one who usually likes to sit still while letting the music run over you, are you?”
“Are you kidding? Music is for moving! Letting it flow through you with every--”
“Our concert must have been horrible for you then, correct?”
Vinyl froze and quickly coughed into her hand. “Err, well, no, not horrible. Just... errr...” She looked up at him. To her surprise, he didn't look hurt or void of emotion this time. He just looked amused.
“No, that's fine. I can understand that need to move. We all enjoy music in our own way, after all. I won't deny that there are some songs that even I feel I must dance too. Though I imagine my style is far different than yours.”
“I'd hope so. Could you imagine if you started doing a club dance on stage?” Vinyl grinned as she imagined it. “Actually, yes. You must do that.”
“I will not! I'd be lucky to get away with tapping my foot, have you ever lifted a cello?”
“Suspend your cello from the roof, it'll be fine.” She smiled, but quickly faltered from his glare. “Easy, easy, it was just a joke.”
He kept glowering for a few moments before smiling. “Your music is quite good. I'm surprised you aren't more successful.”
She gave a shrug. “It's really about who you know. I've managed to get a few nibbles, but never any full bites. Nothing I could really use, yet.”
He nodded before looking down at the station. “What kind of remixes do you do?”
“All kinds, I-- ohhhh, wait. Here.” She quickly pulled out the cd before disappearing behind the station. After a few moments she came out with a small black case filled with cds. “Okay, it's in here. Now, which was it... ah hah! Here!” She popped it in and his eyes widened.
“Is... is that--”
“Eeyup. Hunt of the Golden Tiger. With a few personal additions.” She smiled proudly. “Well, what do you think?”
“I'm... quite honestly? Stunned. I didn't imagine that you'd have the skills to do such a thing.” Now it was her time to glare. “I didn't mean it like that. Classical music just tends to be more...”
“I can find the best beat and mix for anything,” Vinyl said with a smirk. “I'm a master of the table. I bet with a bit of time I could even set your music right so it could be played at the club. AND it would get people dancing, rather than sitting at their tables.”
Octavia chuckled before smiling to her. “I'd like to see that.”
“Okay, it's a deal.”
That made him falter. “Err, excuse me?”
“Tomorrow, you come by I'll have a mix that will take your breath away.”
He shook his head and she could see the worry rising in him. “N-now Vinyl, there's no need to--”
“Oh, relax. I won't ruin your precious classical vibe. Trust me, it'll be awesome.”
Octavia gave another worried look before sighing. “Well, what could it hurt?”
“Good. Swing by here tomorrow around... ohhhh... let's say three. Okay?”
He gave a nod. “That shouldn't be a problem, but I won't be able to stay all night, I have--”
“Another show?”
He gave a sheepish smile.
“That's fine. I'll see you then.” She walked to his side and gently guided him to the door. “Want me to walk you home?”
He chuckled and shook his head. “No, I can get a cab.” He turned and smiled to her. “I had a wonderful time, Vinyl. It was-- mmph!” He was cut off when she leaned in to give him a kiss on the mouth, cutting his words off. She pulled back after a few seconds.
“I had fun too. Though you really need to work on your kissing technique. It's not bad, just a bit awkward.”
“W-well then give me a bit of warning before you do it!” he snapped, his face beet red.
“What's the fun in that? You should just start expecting it.”
“Expecting it? How?”
“Expect it at all times. Wake up? Expect it. Go for a walk? Expect it. Go into the males bathroom? Well, don't expect it from me, but expect it,” she said with a snicker, before reaching out to take his hand. “Or do you not like my kisses?”
“I-I think it's time I took my leave.” He pulled his hand back from hers and quickly ran down the hall, making her giggle as she watched him go.
“Vinyl? Is that you?” a voice asked from behind her. She glanced down the hall to see a woman with long, silver hair standing in the doorway. She was only wearing a robe and her hair was disheveled all over the place.
“Yeah, it's me, Silver. I didn't wake you, did I?”
“Hmmm? No,” the woman said with a yawn. “Hungry. Was someone here?”
Vinyl snickered and closed the door, heading back towards the music room. “Yeah, I had a date.”
“Ohhhh, who with?”
“The cute cellist.”
There was a momentary pause as the woman tried to process that. Then her eyes widened. “What? HEY! That's not fair! How can you get a date when I struck out?”
She snickered. “Ah, Frederick wasn't interested? Shame. You should have gone for Beauty.”
Octavia took a slow, calming breath as he stared at Vinyl's door. He wasn't sure at all about how he felt about any of this. Her music was good, he didn't know much about her style but even he could tell it was good. But he had no idea if it was great or even amazing. She seemed quite popular at the club, so she likely knew how to mix quite well. Especially if she was the one selected for all of their weekends. But that was other people's music, that she mixed. There was no telling if Vinyl had any talent for mixing her own. A lack of popularity could mean anything.
Now she was going to mix their music and expect a real judgment on it. He didn't know if he could handle hurting her if it was really bad. A part of him wanted to just go, say he had other plans. He wished the others said he had to stick around and prepare, but they were being far too accepting and encouraging, telling him to 'go out' and 'have some fun once in a while' and some other things far more personal.
He could only put it off for so long though. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door three times and waited. He had to wait about thirty seconds(he counted) before it opened to reveal a silver haired woman he recognized from his and Vinyl's first meeting. “Ah, hello again Silver.”
She glared at him for a few moments, finally making him take a step back.
“Y-yes? Is something wrong?”
“Your friend Frederick is a jerk,” she grumbled. “Vinyl's with my baby.” She moved aside.
“W-wait, there's a child living her?” Octavia asked, looking around with a newfound horror. How could a baby survive in such a wrecked household? One avalanche of junk and it would be gone.
“The remixer.”
Octavia nodded. “O-oh. I suppose that makes more sense. Can I come in?”
The woman grumbled darkly before moving aside. He stepped in and quickly made his way towards the remixer. He never would have thought to call it that, more like the abomination or eldrich horror of music. Though it was quite impressive, if a bit frightening to find out what they could do with a bit of spare parts and hard work. He knocked on the door.
“Come in!” Vinyl called out.
He opened the door and stepped in. She was sitting by the computer, adjusting knobs and dials on the table. “I'm almost done. Something simple I threw together.”
He nodded and leaned back against the door, readying himself he was blasted through it. He hoped she had the volume under control this time.
“Aaaand done. I got this song off your website, one of your free ones. Wedding serenade?”
He cringed. “Ah, yes. That one. I wished I'd never made it, to be honest.”
“Why? It sounded fine to me.”
“That's all it ever was,” he muttered. “It was just... missing that special something that I could never find. It was for the wedding of a friend and I wanted to make something truly spectacular. Sadly, all I could come up with was decent.” He could see the woman start to deflate a little. Of course, there was no way she could know it was one of his least liked songs. “I'd love to hear what you've done with it, though.”
“Well, it's not much, but I think I gave it a nice blend.” She pushed a knob and the music started. It was just his cello at first, the gentle medley playing through the air. Then, a light beat mixed in with it. Not drowning it out, but supporting it. The beat mixed with it smoothly, holding the pace until other sounds were added in. He recognized them as being changed sounds from his cello, ones he hadn't made but that the DJ had crafted from his. They all mixed together in a way he'd never imagined. He slowly sank to the ground, letting the music wash over him.
Once it finally finished, silence lingered in the air and he didn't speak, all he could do was sit there and play the music over again through his mind. It all made so much sense, now. It was the song he should have played at the wedding, but he'd been too blind, too deaf, to know it.
“Well?” Vinyl asked. “I uhhh, I know it's not much, but I only put it together in a little bit.”
“It... it was amazing,” he muttered. “Truly spectacular.”
“Errr, really? You seem kind of... down about it.”
“No, it's not that,” he said with a shake of his head. “It was truly amazing, breath taking. I wish I had heard it months ago before the wedding. It was what I should have done. If I'd had any idea how!” He slowly sat up and smiled at her. “I would like to hear it again.”
She grinned widely. “Really? So you don't think the beat is too strong? I know I kind of went a little wild during the second half.”
“No, it was perfect. I was looking for some way to create that effect in the second half. Some speed, power. I can't believe I never thought... it all seems so obvious now. How could I be so blind as to miss it?” He shook his head and chuckled. “You really threw that together in just one night?” His mind was already racing through the possibilities.
She coughed and looked to the side. “A-actually, I spent almost all night and all morning working on it. I just didn't want you to feel guilted into liking it.”
“It was truly spectacular. I'd love to hear what else you could do with our other music.”
She grinned. “Really?”
He paused before giving a nod. “Yes. I'd actually like a copy, if you'd be so kind. I think our manager would love to hear it.”
Vinyl's face turned red. “I-I'm not so sure that would be a good idea. I mean, well, you're kind of popular and I'm... errr...”
“You're plenty popular. You just need the proper publicity,” Octavia said firmly. “Now, I insist. That song was marvelous and I'd love to hear what else you could do.”
“Oh, well, if you'd like to wait until tomorrow I--”
“Nonsense. You have some of my other songs, why not play through some of them? I'd love to see what you could do. Don't worry, I don't expect too much out of such an impromptu performance, but I would still be greatly privileged to hear what you could do.”
Vinyl gulped and nodded. “W-well, ummmm, here I go. I'll load up a few.”
------
Vinyl panted as she sat in her chair behind the table, the cd spinning but the sounds muted. They'd spent the entire time Octavia had been here working, though she couldn't deny she enjoyed it. He seemed as passionate about it as she was, even if they did like different music. Mixing their styles together had been an interesting challenge the night before, but doing it with Octavia there had been truly exhilarating. Watching the reaction on his face allowed her to adjust and fix the beat as she worked, until she found the perfect mix to satisfy him.
He wasn't an easy ticket, either. After the first song she'd assumed he was just sparing her feelings. She couldn't have been more wrong. When he didn't like something, he would cut it with words sharp as knives. But when he liked it, she could see the way his face would light up, he'd close his eyes and let the music envelop him. She'd never really thought of doing anything for weddings before, past the one she'd done for a friend, but now it sounded a little interesting.
It was different from the club, very different. There she had all of her songs chosen before hand and she had to have the mixes down at least a week in advance, when she added new ones. Most of that was mixing the beat correctly so each song flowed into the next and there was no jarring stops. She did some with the records themselves, but even that was so repetetive and usually mixed with her own mixes. The club rarely got new songs. While working, she just had to monitor the floor and make sure to speed up or slow down depending on participation. Getting people to dance when she wanted had been done so many times now that it was all second nature, easy as pie.
But this was mixing and changing based on one person, using music she wasn't familiar with, some music she'd created herself and trying to make it all mesh well into one single beat. It was a lot shorter set up time, but a lot more work during it. It felt exhilarating. She put a hand over her chest and felt her heart thumping so fast she thought it might burst out of her chest.
“You didn't break anything, did you?” Silver asked as she peeped into the room. “You never took it--”
“It never went over eleven, I swear,” Vinyl said with as solemn a face as she could, though the grin on her face refused to move. “It sounded good though, didn't it?”
“Oh, plenty good. I didn't think he'd like things like that, I thought he was supposed to be all... fancy and up tight?”
Vinyl snorted. “He is, a bit. But he has another, interesting side to him. Besides, just because he likes classical music doesn't mean he can't like this too.”
Silver gave a shrug. “I guess.” She walked into the room and sat on one of the speakers, leaning back. “Soooo, how long you two going to end up dating for?”
“End of the week.”
“Wait, really? That's all? Oh Vinyl, you're wayyyy better than that. You can't just let him use him as some kind of fling, he--”
“He's not,” the DJ said with a chuckle. “I'm using him as some kind of fling. I mean, come on. He's cute and all, but we'd hardly mesh. I'm a DJ, he's a classical cellist. He travels a lot, I work at a club. I'm a smoking hot woman. He's...” She paused and grinned even wider. “A smoking hot woman.”
That drew a snort from the silver haired woman. “I guess. Just don't let yourself get attached. Oh, I wanted to tell you. I got a call back from that Prism.”
Vinyl's eyes widened. “Really? What did he say?”
“He wants the watch I built. Says he'd love to go into production immediately.”
Vinyl stood up and raced to her friend, giving her a great hug. “Hah! I knew it! I told you it was a great idea!”
“Actually you told me no one would want a watch that weighed almost eight pounds.”
“Well, what do I know? People can put them on each arm and use them for work outs.”
There was a light chuckle from the woman and she shook her head. “I still need to negotiate the terms,” she said as she patted her friend on the back. “But this could get my foot in the door. With their resources behind me, there's no telling what I could do.”
“Exactly, you could be stealing broken electronics from the fanciest dumps in the city!” Vinyl said, a moment before her side got pinched. “Ow ow ow!”
“You know, it's those diving sessions that paid for the mixer you so love and adore. I could always take the parts back,” Silver said before letting her go.
Vinyl eeked and backed away, flinging her arms over the sound system. “No! Not Robby! I take it back, I take it all back!”
Silver glared for a few moments before rolling her eyes. “Fine, whatever. I'll be talking with him again tomorrow. Try not to break too much while I'm away. Is he coming by tomorrow?”
“He better be. He's only got two or three more days before he has to leave.”
She nodded and walked out the door. “Good. I'm gonna go get something to eat to celebrate. Wanna come with?”
“Sure, why not?” Vinyl said with a shrug. She glanced towards the system as she walked out. She felt a little guilty thinking it, but she was more excited to hear what Octavia's agent was going to say over actually seeing the guy. She could still barely believe he'd liked it so much.
Though a part of her began to worry. What if he'd just been being nice?
Vinyl took a slow, deep breath as she looked at her phone. She couldn't believe him! After the awesome two days they had, he hadn't even called her. She was sure he was busy, but that was no excuse. He could have taken just a few minutes to give her a call and let her know he was too busy today to see her.
They only had a few days left to be together, and he wasted the whole day ignoring her. She wanted to break him like a twig. Crush him like a grape. Toss him out a window. How could he possibly have been such a jerk? As petty as it was, she'd spent the last few hours taking his songs and destroying them, adding all the little things she was sure he'd hate to make them the kind of thing that would play at a club. It was therapeutic, but useless she knew. Not like she'd do anything with them. She glanced back at the clock and sighed. It was only a few hours until midnight and he still hadn't even given her the time of day. She couldn't believe she'd misjudged him so. Well, fine. He was just a fling anyway and--
Her phone went off and she grabbed it instantly. She stopped before answering it, though. Would she sound desperate? Would she-- She rolled her eyes and clicked accept. Okay, annoyed or not she was not going to let herself be that kind of person. She was wayyyyy too cool for that. “Hello.”
“I am so so so so so sorry!” Octavia said from the other line. “I have a good excuse, but I am really, really sorry.”
“I'd sure hope so. It's almost ten, you know. Where have you been?”
“That's just it. I've been talking with my manager. How would you feel about doing some mixes for a few of our other songs?”
That made her head nearly explode and her hand tightened around the phone. “W-what?”
“He said it was pretty good and he has just the right record company who'd love to see some of--”
“When? Where? How?” she asked, a wide grin forming on her lips. She could kiss him! Well, kiss him again. And again and again and until his lips fell off.
“Err, whenever you can. You have some of our other songs, right? Could you put some things together tonight?”
She looked down at the sound system, cringing at the only thing she had saved was the remixes she was using to destroy his music. She quickly tapped a few times, deleting them. “I'll stay up all night if I have to.”
“Okay. Put a cd together of a few more of them. Add some of your music, too. An official one. I can grab it tomorrow and we can go down there and show it, okay?”
She nodded, then realized how foolish that was. “R-right! I will!” She paused and nervously gulped. “I uhhh... I'm just curious, why are you doing this?”
“I liked the music we made together.” There was a bit of laughter in the background. “You know I didn't mean it like that! You heard her music!” he snapped at someone.
She lightly snickered. “Who's with you?”
“Beauty. He came with me when I talked to the manager. I uhh, I need to get some sleep though, tonight was really hectic. Tomorrow, see you then?”
“Of course. I'll be all yours.”
“Good. I uhhh, bye.”
“Bye.”
------
Octavia took a deep breath as he stared at the phone. He couldn't believe he'd done that. Her music was good, but he was only going to know her for a short time. No matter how good they sounded together, it was a lot of extra energy that he should have been focusing on his own works. But she had talent and he couldn't deny it. And he definitely couldn't deny her. It just wouldn't be fair.
“If you keep staring at your phone like that, it's going to burst into flame,” Beauty whispered, making him jump.
“W-what? No, I wasn't, I was just... thinking.”
“Hoping if she gets picked up she can join us on our tours?” he asked with a mischievous smile as he leaned back in the lounge chair. “Come on, we should head back to the hotel. You want to get some sleep tonight, don't you?”
“O-of course,” he muttered, before glancing back to the phone. “You heard her music. It was good, right?”
“I think it mixed well with your playing. But I don't think it would go well with the quartet. It mixed really well with your cello, but all of our music playing together...” He shook his head. “We've been playing together for years. Adding on something like that just wouldn't work well.”
Octavia sighed and gave a nod. “Right. Come on, let's get a taxi.” He started walking towards the door, but stopped when his hand was grabbed. “What?”
“Just because it won't work with with all of us, doesn't mean it won't work well with you,” Beauty said with a little smile. “Come on, smile. If you want to do a little solo work, no one is going to blame you. You'd hardly be the first. Besides, it's not like it would be the first time you'd done something like that.”
He chuckled and gave a nod. “I guess. I'd just like it a bit more if... well...”
“If we all did things together? You just met her, I wouldn't try planning your life together quite yet. At least date her for a few months first.”
His cheeks burned red. “I-it's not like that! I love her music, it's quite--”
“Quite good, I've heard,” Beauty said with a smirk before letting go and walking towards the door. “Come on, let's get some sleep. Frederick and Parish are probably already asleep by now.”
Octavia sighed and followed after him. He then lowered his gaze. “I'm not... wrong, am I? The music was good, wasn't it?”
“Of course it was. Uncle Belle wouldn't have been made the offer after he heard it if it wasn't.”
Octavia nodded again. At least he could be sure his sense of music was still working, even if the rest of his senses had abandoned him.
------
Vinyl took a slow, deep breath and held a hand over her chest to try and keep her heart under control. She held three cds in her other hand and her heart felt like it would burst out of her chest. She couldn't believe it, this could be her big chance.
Well, maybe not her big chance but a chance. Their quartet was popular and she knew she could do all kinds of mixes with it to help bring it alive. She'd spent all night working on it, in fact she hadn't gotten any sleep at all. It was, unfortunately, making it a bit hard to focus and she kept drifting off, but she was sure it would be fine. She'd poured her heart into these cds and they were going to be amazing. They'd beg her to do all their music, or at the very least start selling some of hers. She had the talent, the skill, the dedication. All she needed was the opportunity.
Now she knew someone. And as she had learned long ago, it was more who you knew than how good you were. Usually. It was all she could do to avoid squealing like a child with excitement. She glanced to the door and let out a nervous gulp. He'd be here any minute and then they'd be off. She'd be off. Their agent would love her work and she'd get a few good sales. With those, maybe she could negotiate the rights to use her songs at the club. If they were popular already, the boss would be giving up money saying no. Even if she still said no, Vinyl could always try to get a new position where her music would be better appreciated.
She took a deep breath and shook her head. First step first. She had to meet the agent and for that, she needed Octavia. A sudden knock on the door made her suppress a squeal and she tore it open before he had a chance to finish.
“Oh, you're ready already? I thought... err, are you okay? Did you sleep okay?”
“Didn't sleep, too excited,” Vinyl said with a wide grin.
He chuckled. “You should have at least tried, you...” He sighed and shook his head. “I'm not really one to talk, I guess. I've never really been one to sleep when I'm excited either. To be honest, I didn't sleep very well last night either. Come on, the cab is downstairs waiting.”
She nodded and quickly followed after him, only stopping to close and lock the door. “So, your agent really liked them?”
“Yes. He's a pretty good guy, too. You'll like him.”
“How did you meet him?”
“He's Beauty's uncle.”
That made her pause for a moment and nearly miss a step as her groggy mind tried to process that. “Wait, really?” was all her tired mind could come up with.
“Yes. He knows quite a few people in the industry and has really helped our careers take off. We probably wouldn't be nearly as successful without his know how. Parish is pretty good maneuvering the hurdles we have to face sometimes, but he's nowhere near as good.”
Vinyl nodded. “I see. That makes sense. It can be... err...”
“Difficult without knowing the right people? Quite so,” he said as they stepped outside. “I've known a few who managed to do it alone with their talent and skill, but very few. Here.” He pulled open the door and motioned inside.
She slid in and moved up against the side door, her exhausted mind racing back and forth as she tried to process everything. This wasn't just some agent she was meeting, this was an actual family member of the ensemble. What if her stuff really wasn't good and he was just flattering her because she was dating Octavia temporarily? What if this was all his doing to try and take advantage of her, to put her in his debt? Why were these seats so incredibly comfortable?
------
Octavia smiled as he watched the sleeping woman, her head lolled to one side as a little drool went down the seat. It brought back so many memories of the sleepless nights he'd spend in preparation for their first few concerts. Not to mention the number of times they'd had to go on stage with only two or three hours of sleep between them. The travel, the hard work. The times they'd spent an entire road trip just sleeping. It was one of the reasons none of them wanted to learn to drive, because they all knew they'd end up being the one without sleep when those times came around. They still did more often than he cared to admit.
He glanced to the cds clasped tightly in her hands, the fingers holding them in a death grip. He could barely believe she'd actually made three in one night. But she did have the talent. He just hoped she'd be okay doing most of her work solo or just with him. The more he thought about it, the more he was certain that Beauty was right. It wouldn't be fair to expect the others to work with her if they didn't like the music. They had enough on their minds without worrying about adding their music to hers. Of the four, he was the only one who tended to enjoy doing his solos. Developing his own music and exploring different options. And this was an option he'd never imagined possible. In many ways it took his breath away. There were so many different things he could do with such devices, different songs. Vinyl obviously knew what she was doing, knew how to add and support his music. He felt a thrill go through him at the thought of discovering what other music they could make together.
His cheeks went a little red as he realized how those words sounded, even in his head. He looked to her and took a deep breath before shaking his head. It was just a passing fling, after all. They both knew that. Even if he got her career going, their professional and personal lives weren't connected and they would both know better than to try to mix them.
But as he watched her, another dark thought entered his mind. What if she was using him and this was all just a plan to help get her career in the air? He'd met more than a few people who'd resorted to such tactics. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not. She was wild, powerful. Very forward. Most women he'd met didn't tend to be so forward, at least not towards him. Sometimes with Parish, even Beauty, but never him. He'd never really been good with women and now this one was pushing her way into his life like a train ramming through a barricade. Even worse, it had been her idea to go to her place, to show him her sound system. She worked at that club and she wanted him to see her. What if the entire time he was being played?
He shook his head and turned back towards the window. It made far, far too much sense that that would be the case. But it didn't matter. His personal life and business life would remain separate. Even if she wasn't interested in him romantically, she could help him create the kinds of sounds he'd never truly envisioned. He'd only known her for a week, as well. It's not like his feelings could possibly be any more than infatuation. If she was just using him, he'd push through it and be over it in a week or two, he was sure of it. It would hardly be the first time he'd had to.
But when he looked at her, sleeping in the taxi, so unaware of the outside world, he just couldn't believe it. She seemed too... innocent of such thoughts. He couldn't imagine her being the sort to use someone for her own gain. At least, not intentionally. The taxi drew to a stop and he glanced up, before reaching up to shake her arm. “We're here.”
“W-wah? Silver? Turn off the... huh?” she grumbled and looked around blearily. “Where are we?”
“Come on. We're here to meet my agent, remember?” He opened the door and stepped out, holding his hand out to her. She took it and was slowly drawn out, looking around and blinking blearily.
Then her eyes went up and she blinked a few more times. A sky scraper stood ahead of them, the tip piercing the heavens. The sunlight glittered across the many windows, making it appear as if it was made of jewels. “We're... meeting him here? But this is so... so...”
“Grandoise?”
“Fancy,” she grumbled before looking down at herself. “Should I have worn something more serious?”
He looked at her and then at himself. She was wearing some long shorts and a blouse while he was wearing a pair of pants and a simple t-shirt. “I think it's fine. We aren't interviewing for a job and he doesn't care how you look. Don't be so nervous, it's fine.” He took her hand and gently started leading her towards the building. She smiled and followed behind him, before stopping.
“Octavia?”
“Yeah?”
She took a deep breath and squeezed his hand. “How much time do we have?”
“About twenty minutes. I wanted us to get early. Why?”
“Good.” She dragged him forward, besides the building. She then looked up at him. “Okay, listen. I'd rather not have to say this, but I don't want to spend the entire meeting panicking about it and frankly I've always faced these things head on. Now is not the time for me to stop.” She glared up at him defiantly. “You aren't just helping me because you think I'm hot and we made out, are you?”
“W-what?”
“Listen, you're cute. I'd have made out with you regardless. I don't mind a little help, but I want my music to be noticed because it's good. Not because I happen to be making out with a cellist. If he's only listening to my stuff because--”
“He's not, I swear,” Octavia said before reaching out to grip her shoulders. “I love the sound you made. The things you did and added to my music was beautiful. I am helping you with this, I won't deny. But I'm doing it because I think you're very talented. He wouldn't be willing to see you if he didn't think so too.” He then looked to the side. “I want to see what else you can do for my music.”
She nodded and took a deep breath. Then she smiled and gave a cocky grin. “Good, one last thing. Do you think I should lose the glasses? They aren't too much, are they?”
Octavia stared for a moment, looking into the red lens. Then, he was unable to stop himself, he burst into laughter.
“Hey!”
“I-I'm sorry, that was just... Oh heavens, yes they are. But you should keep them. I think being too much is your talent,” he said with a chuckle, moving a hand to cover his mouth.
She chuckled and gave a nod. “Well, as long as you're sure. Come on, let's go.”
He nodded and reached down to grab her hand. “I uhh... you aren't just dating me because I--”
“Please, if I was going to do something like that I'd have dated an agent. You just have a cute butt.”
“Oh, okay then.” He paused for a moment and looked down. “Wait, really? It's--”
“It's a bit bony, but it's pretty good. You have really good hips. Child bearing hips, even.”
“Oh, that's-- HEY!”
She grinned. “Come on, you asked. I couldn't not say it.”
He rolled his eyes. “You're quite insulting sometimes, you do realize this?”
“Of course. But you know you love it.” She gripped his hands and pulled him in, giving him a kiss on the lips. “Come on, let's go talk to your agent. Before I decide to take another nap.”
He smiled and gave a nod. “Of course.” He turned back around and started leading her into the building.
------
“Wake up.”
Vinyl heard the voice but didn't want to do it. The couch they'd sat in was just so comfortable. Octavia's shoulder was just so soft for her head to lay on, too. Not to mention all the circulated air was keeping the place nice and toasty. It took her a few more seconds to remember where she was and she quickly sat up. “Ahhh!”
“I'm happy you decided to join us, miss Scratch,” a man said from across the room behind a desk. He was wearing a black suit and had short, graying hair. “I'm happy you find the chairs so comfortable.”
She smiled sheepishly. “S-sorry, I didn't sleep very well last night.”
“Of course,” he said with a nod. “You'd be amazed how many hopefuls I've had sleeping on that couch while waiting for their meetings with me. Sorry I was out of the office, justa minor thing I had to take care of,” he said with a shrug. “Now, I assume Octavia has told you about me, but allow me to introduce myself. I am Belle Brass. Beauty's uncle. A pleasure to meet you.”
“Vinyl Scratch. Ummmm... DJ,” she said with a nervous smile. “I made a few cds if you want to hear them?” She held them out and the man took them.
“Interesting. You made these all last night?”
“Two of them. One is actually my demo. The other two are some remixes I did of Octavia's and his quartet's music. They--”
“Let me stop you right there,” he said firmly. “We've already had a few discussions about it. You won't be working with the quartet. You'll be working with Octavia alone.”
Vinyl nodded and gulped a little. Maybe her initial worries were correct, he was just trying to use her. “May, err, I ask why?”
“He's the one looking to add new music. The others aren't so keen on the idea. Perhaps in the future there may be a change, but for now it would just be him. Which one is of your music?”
She gulped and pointed towards the one on the bottom. “It's the one with the blue and white label.” She glanced towards Octavia, he looked as nervous as she felt. “Octavia's songs are mostly on the second cd. I also added the one I'd already done.”
He nodded and then stood up, walking to the stereo he had on the nearby shelf. “Now then, how about we give it a listen?” He inserted the three cds.
What happened next was the worst hour of her life. He went through the songs, one by one. He'd fast forward through most of them, only getting little hints and samples of the flow. He completely skipped over the quartet's songs which, unfortunately, were most of them. He didn't say anything and she had too many butterflies in her stomach to say anything. She could only helplessly listen as her music played. Every single mistake and error she made now so clearly cast in front of her. Places where she should have adjusted them. One of the songs made her want to slam her head into the ground. How could she have gotten the timing so bad? If she hadn't rushed so much she would have been fine.
Instead she now had her possible future hanging in the balance and she hadn't even had time to properly prepare. It didn't help that the man didn't seem to have any emotion on his face as he listened. Then, finally, it was over. He paused the cd. “Was that the last of Octavia's melodies?”
She nodded nervously, too tense to say a word.
“Okay then.” He ejected the cds and took a seat across from her again. He looked her over and took a deep breath. “Well, Vinyl, I have some bad news.”
She felt like the floor had fallen out from under her. “Y-yes?”
“Your stuff is good. Pretty good. The songs you did with Octavia were quite exquisite. Your demo was one of the better ones I'd heard. I think you have a bright future ahead of yourself, given time. But...”
She took a deep breath and waited for the hammer to fall.
“I can't recommend you to my higher ups. We sign only a few people a year and I see plenty of musicians with your level of talent. We're looking for something truly unique and spectacular. Maybe if you'd already had an established fan base, we could use that as a starting point. But as a relative unknown, you're not worth the risk.”
Vinyl cringed and gave a nod. It hadn't been the first time she'd been told that. It was one of the reasons she'd wanted to play her own music at the club. But she had a sneaking suspicion that her boss knew that and wasn't going to risk letting one of her best DJs get big so she could quit. “I understand. It's cool though, really,” she said with a smile before looking up, waving it off. “I'll just keep getting better and one day I'll make it.”
He took another deep breath before looking to Octavia. Then he turned back to her. “However, I can advise you here. There is still an opportunity, though I imagine it is nowhere near what you were hoping for.”
“What?” Vinyl asked, feeling just a little bit of the ground coming up under her. Maybe there was something to stand on.
“I am Octavia's agent and he's asked to... he wants you to work with him regardless. We could offer you a short term contract. Six months. But you'd be traveling with the quartet. It wouldn't be easy work and your name wouldn't be the lead on most of what you're looking for. But it could be a way to get your name out there. In six months... who knows?”
Vinyl's eye twitched. “You... don't say.” She squeezed her legs so hard she thought she might break them.
“It will be short notice, as well. You'd have to leave with the rest of the quartet this weekend.” He paused and pulled out a small envelope, before holding it out to her. “These hold the terms. Take as much time as you need, just make sure to let us know by Saturday afternoon.”
She took it, having to resist the urge to tear it up. “I'll let you know.”
He nodded. “Very well. Please, have a wonderful evening you two.”
Octavia got to his feet and held out his hand, but she ignored it. She headed out the door and squeezed the envelope once she was out of sight. As furious as she was, she wasn't going to cause a scene inside the building. She could do it when she was in the cab. He followed after her a moment later.
“I'm sorry. Do you want me to take you home? I--”
“I'm not going to sleep with you, you know,” she said angrily, trying to suppress the anger but it felt like it would boil over at any second.
“I... I'm sorry?”
She took a deep breath and then pushed the button for the elevator. She didn't say anything until it opened and she dragged him inside, pushing the lobby button. “I'm not going to sleep with you. Do you think I don't know what this means?” She held up the envelope. “Was he not interested in my music at all? Was this all just some trick to try to get your jollies off?”
“W-what? No, I wasn't--”
“I'm not an idiot,” she snapped and glowered at him. “'Your music isn't good enough. But please, follow my client around like a puppy for six months, then we can ditch you at any time'. It's obvious what--” To her surprise, all of a sudden he had her by the shoulders and pulled her close, staring into her eyes.
“I swear, with every fiber of my being, that's not what this is,” he said firmly. “If you want to break up right now, the offer still stands. No matter what. The music we made that night, please don't snicker, was marvelous. I want to see what else you can do. What we can do.” He let her go and crossed his arms. “I am a member of the quartet, but that's not all I want to be. I want to see the outer edges of where my music can take me. I want to mix and mold different sounds together. The music you showed me that day was beautiful and I want to see what else you can do with it. What we can do. That's why I insisted that he make that offer.” He pulled back. “Please. All I ask is that you look at that contract and think about it. I know it's a big risk, but I think we could do big things together.” He looked away then. “But... if you decline, I understand. But please, do it for the right reasons. Not because you think I'm trying to... with you. I swear that's not the case.” His cheeks were light pink as he stared away.
Vinyl sighed before giving a nod. “Fine. I'll... get some sleep, then take a look at it. I'll let you know what I think then.” Maybe it was the fact she was so sleep deprived, but she couldn't help but trust him. He really didn't seem the sort to just use her like that. Besides, certainly if he was that hard up there were easier ways to find someone. Ways that didn't involve contracts. Before she decided anything she needed to get home and get some sleep. She felt like she'd drop off at any point.
------
Vinyl groaned as she sat up, looking around her room drearily. She couldn't remember getting to bed, but sure enough she was in it now. Her glasses and a little envelope were on the table besides her bed, waiting for her. It took her a few moments to remember everything that happened. When she did, she practically jumped from the mattress and tore the envelope open before she landed on the floor. Her eyes scanned over it quickly.
She had to stop and rub her eyes, the words swimming before her. “Calm down, deeeeep breaths,” she said before looking at it again. There was a lot of legal things she didn't understand, but she kept reading through it as she tried to decipher what it meant. When it finally clicked she froze in place.
They weren't kidding, accepting this would be a huge risk. She'd have to quit her job and leave town. She wouldn't even have time to pack, she'd just have to grab a few things and go. But there was pay. Good pay. She'd be staying in the same places as the ensemble(in her own room) and traveling with them. Same accommodations. They couldn't just dump her off at a cheap hotel and leave her behind. Meals would be spent with them. The pay was actually decent, too. Not a lot, but considering her required expenses would be minimal, she'd be making a pretty penny.
She could save some of the money, use a bit for storage and then when the six months were over, she'd just have to find a new job. She'd also get royalties on all songs she worked on Octavia with. As far as she could tell, it was a pretty fair deal. More than fair. When she first started out she'd have jumped at a deal like this.
But now she had a job and a room mate. She could help pay rent for a little bit until Silver found a new one, but if she lost this job, there was no telling how long it would take to get a new one. It had taken her months just to get that one. She didn't think she could handle going back to working fast food or stocking aisles at a super market. Music was her passion, her love.
She stared at it for a few more moments before calling out. “Hey, Silver?”
“What?” the woman called from the other room. Well, at least she was home.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
“Sure, I'm just taking apart this waffle maker. Come on down.”
Vinyl nodded and got up, sliding her glasses on and stepping into the hall. She glanced down at the contract again before walking to the front room.
------
“I think you should do it,” Silver said after a moment. “How often does a chance like this fall into your lap? Well, or try to break your nose, I guess.”
“But what if it doesn't work out?”
“You marry Octavia after six months and make him pay to have your musical career take off. I mean, DJ marries fancy cellist has got to be worth some sort of publicity. That'll sell some music for sure.”
Vinyl snickered and gave a nod. “So... uhhhh, about me leaving... I, errr... I know--”
“Just pay rent for two months and I'll figure it out,” Silver said with a shrug. “I have a few logs in the fire. Besides, you make it big and I'll have people paying big money to rent the room that Vinyl used to sleep naked in.”
The DJ face palmed. “I didn't sleep naked in it.”
“That's not what the ad space will say.”
Vinyl rolled her eyes, before leaning forward to give her a hug. “Thanks. I uhhh... I don't know what I'd do without you.”
“Probably live on the street. Come on, relax! Once you make it big you know I'm going to make you buy me a house,” Silver said with a chuckle. “That or I'll make you pay for a mixer the size of a house.”
Vinyl's eyes lit up. “Do you think you could make something like that?”
“Oh, sure, it'd be easy. Plumbing would be hard, but all you'd have to do is knock out a few walls. Well, all the walls. And the roof. Easy.”
“Well, at least now we know what I'm buying with my first million,” Vinyl said before pulling away. “Thanks. I uhh, I better call the boss. She's not going to be happy.”
“Want me to tell her?”
“No, no, I'll do it,” Vinyl muttered before pulling out her phone. She took a deep breath before walking back towards her room and dialing the number. Someone answered after a few seconds, but she couldn't hear what they said. “Hey! It's Vinyl, is Strobe there?” There was a few more moments of heavy music and yelling. “Get away from the speakers! How did you even hear the phone ring?”
“It flashes green,” a voice said. “Who is this?”
“It's Vinyl. Is Strobe there?”
“Oh! Yeah, she's in her office. Want me to send the call back?”
“Please.” Vinyl rolled her eyes. What else could she possibly want.
There was a few moments of ringing before a click. “Hello, Strobe speaking,”
“Heyyyyy. Strobe, it's Vinyl.”
“Hmm? What's up? You're not trying to call in sick, are you? You're not on until tomorrow.”
“Errr... yeah, about that.” She took a deep breath, she could do this. She was Vinyl. Besides, it wasn't like she wanted to spend the rest of her life in a dead end job like that. Even if she was doing mostly what she loved. “A great opportunity has come up and I kind of... I'm calling to quit.”
There were a few moments of silence. If not for the constant thump in the background, she probably could have heard a pin drop. “You're... quitting?”
“Yeah. Errr... Actually, I'll be leaving on Sunday.”
“WHAT? You expect me to cover you in just two days? After everything I've done for you?” She could hear her boss take a deep breath. “This is because you can't play your music here, isn't it?”
“No,” Vinyl lied. It was part of the reason, at least.
“Listen, I tried. Really. But you know the rules. If I don't own the music, it doesn't sound good to have it come from my club.”
“You don't own any of the music coming from your club,” Vinyl muttered darkly. “You just own a license to play it. I offered free rental and you shot me down.”
“That's because you're a nobody, I can't just play music like that. Listen, Vinyl, we can work this out. How about... one night a month you can—”
“No,” Vinyl said firmly. “I'm sorry Strobe, but my mind is made up. I'll leave my mixes.” Not that it made much difference. She knew Strobe played most of them on nights she wasn't there anyway. “But I won't be there. I'm leaving Sunday.”
“FINE!” Strobe yelled. “Don't bother showing up tomorrow, either! I can't believe you're so selfish, Vinyl. After I--”
The DJ clicked the phone shut and glared at it. She couldn't believe it, she'd actually done it. She'd quit her job. There was no going back now. She then pulled out the contract and took one last deep breath. Now that she thought about it, she probably should have quit AFTER signing the contract. But it was too late now. Besides, she had momentum now. If she spent too much time thinking about it, she might chicken out. She grabbed a pen and quickly signed on the bottom.
She swore she heard lightning crash in the background.
Octavia stared at the roof, his mind racing. Had it all been a mistake? She'd seemed so angry. Did she really think he expected her to... perform for him? All he wanted was her music.
His face turned a little red and he rolled onto his side, looking out the hotel window at the filled parking lot. Okay, so he wanted more than just her music, but he would happily settle for her music. She was talented, he could see that. Maybe not the most talented ever but one day she might be. It was best he snatched her up now while she still had time for him. Besides, he could afford it.
He'd left out the fact that the entirety of her contract was being paid out of what he earned. But it was worth it. There was no telling what new music they could create together. Things he could be really proud of. Taking his music to new heights. The fact there was a beautiful, talented woman there besides him who was quite exciting to be around helped. Though he--
He frowned as he heard a sudden pounding on the door. Who would be here at this hour?
“House keeping!” a muffled voice said from the other end.
He let out a sigh and got up, walking towards the door. It was almost midnight. Who would send house keeping now? He grabbed the knob and pulled. “I'm sorry, we don't-- ack!”
He stumbled back and fell as Vinyl landed on top of him, her arms around his neck. She smirked at him. “Did you really think house keeping would come at this hour?”
“W-what? How did you get here? Who told you where I was?”
“It wasn't easy, mister Octavia Melody. I had to call half a dozen hotels before I finally found this one. I figured you'd be in this area though.”
Before he could object further, she stuffed a piece of paper in his face. He reached up and pulled it back, his eyes widening. “You... you signed it. But you were so mad before and--”
“Eh, I'm a woman of fierce passions,” she said with a dismissive wave. “Besides, I had a roomy who wanted me out anyway. I figured it might be a good experience. Worst comes to worst, I can get a new job when I get back.”
“Your boss didn't mind?”
“Strobe? Nahhhh, totally cool with it. She was practically screaming at me to go in the end.”
He nodded. “You uhhh... you know we're not leaving today, right?”
A look of horror fell over her face and she put a hand to her forehead. “No! We aren't? But I already have everything packed!”
“I get it, you two are a couple!” an angry voice called from inside the room. “Can I please get some sleep?”
Octavia cringed. “Sorry, Beauty! She ummm, she just--”
“She signed it, I get it. I can hear you from here, it's a two bed room. It's really not that big and you two are really loud! Out!”
“Right, right, sorry,” Octavia gave her a sheepish smile. “Could you get up, please? We should do this in the... we should do this outside.”
She chuckled and jumped off him, stepping out of the room. He followed behind her, quietly closing the door behind himself. “Come on,” he muttered, though still found himself following her out the door. To his delight, she seemed quite excited. Her hands were shaking a little and she had an extra skip in her step. “So, you actually signed it,” he said once they were outside. The air was a bit cold and nippy, but he didn't really mind. All he could notice was her.
“Yeah. I wasn't going to at first. It really was a big risk. But hey, what's the point of living if you don't take the occasional risk? My mother once sunk her entire life savings into a type writer factory, you know? Taking risks are part of life.”
“Really? How did it go?”
“She lost the factory and we almost lost the house. Not the point,” she said with a shake of her head, before smiling to him. “The point is, I'm down for this. I know it's a big risk and I know my music isn't exactly what your kind of fans usually go for. But... well, who knows? It's a chance, a good chance. And I believe you. I think you really do care more about the music than making out with me.” She paused and looked him over. “Or at least an equal amount.”
He nodded. “I do. I mean, I do care more about that,” he mumbled, looking away from her. “I never thought... you changed it. You really did change my music in ways I never expected. It was still mine, but different. I want to see what else we can do. I think six months will be enough time.” He then sighed. “You didn't need to come all the way out here, though. It can't have been easy.”
“Oh, don't worry, I charged the cab to your room.”
“Wait, what?”
“It says travel expenses are paid for,” Vinyl said with a smirk. “I looked it over verrrrry closely, you know. Right here.”
Octavia face palmed. “Travel expenses to... oh, forget about it,” he said before smiling. “I'm happy we'll be working together. I'm pretty sure you'll drive me crazy, but I think it'll be worth it.” He closed his eyes. “I... think this is the part where we break up, right?”
“Why?”
“You wanted to be sure I wasn't using you, right?”
He suddenly felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and he was yanked forward. His mouth was covered by hers and he let out a little eep as she held him against her. By the stars she was soft. Finally, she pushed him back and his eyes opened to stare at her.
“I don't think you are,” Vinyl said with a smirk. “Besides, what's wrong with a little fling? It was only going to be a week before, remember? Now it's just going to be a short six month fling. Barely a blip on a rock star's radar. You play the cello, but I'm sure it's sorta close.”
Octavia snorted. “Of course. Every so often we all don face paint and light the flowers on fire. Could you imagine trying to do a stage dive?”
Vinyl snorted. “I'd actually love seeing you try to do that. Cello and all. I bet you'd break someone's nose.”
“Only if you were one of the one's catching me.”
“Oh? So, is that your go to pick up routine? Break a girl's nose? Or try?”
“Only when I'm pretty sure the girl is crazy.” He looked down at the contract. “Are you... sure you want to do this? I know it's--”
“Crazy? Insane? A bit wild? I've already left my job and I have someone who's going to store my stuff for a bit. Trust me, it'll be fine. I don't know what I'm doing but I rarely do.”
He nodded before reaching out to grab her hand. “I uhhh... I just want you to know. I did mean everything I said. There's still two days to--”
“I'm not backing out. I made my bed, I plan to lie on it. Also, I'm getting room service. That's covered too, right?”
He gulped. “P-please no. Room service is expensive, it would be cheaper to get a cab and just...” He frowned when he realized she was laughing at him.
“It'll be fine, relax,” she gave his hand a squeeze. “Besides, we make beautiful music together. Who knows, in six months there's no telling where we'll be. Maybe we'll have made a best selling record. That or I'll have finally driven you off the deep end, you'll be in jail, I'll be six feet under.”
He snorted. “Is there anything you can't say with a smile on your face?”
“Asparagus,” she said with a shudder. “Can't stand the stuff.”
“Wanna get some coffee?”
“Isn't it a bit late for that? Don't you have a show tomorrow?”
“It'll be a late one. And I can get decaf. I don't think I'll be able to sleep for a while, anyway.”
“I'd love to.” She turned and started hauling him down the street.
Octavia smiled as he followed behind her. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. To imagine it had all started with a nearly broken nose. Now he wondered where it would end? More importantly, would he survive the next six months?
