soundoftheseas | DIAMARI CATCHALL

There is exactly one thought running through Dia's head right now, and it is oh god in an infinite loop. Mari's not laughing anymore -- she got what she wanted -- but she is not remotely equipped to deal with it. Before she knows it she's up and off her chair, pacing in circles all across the bedroom, as if to shake the torrent of questions off from her shoulders.

Oh god oh god oh god oh god.

"What's it to you!" she blurts out dumbly, the first coherent chain of words her panicked brain successfully forms. Dia cringes at herself. A no-less-frantic attempt at salvaging is made, a bit too strained to sound like a joke: "I-intending to fight her, are you?"

There's a small sound from the other end of the line; a sharp intake of breath, the rustling of blankets, a slightly strained exhale before she continues.

"Dia, I..."

There's a lot she wants to say, now, but none of the words that form on her lips in that pause seem right. There's a joke somewhere buried in there, about how well the last time she and Kanan fought went. There's an outburst hidden in there, too, confused at how this could have been a secret for so long (or, at least, she imagines it's been quite some time, feelings for someone who's been so constant for her [far more constant than Mari ever was, most certainly] don't just blossom overnight). On the tip of her tongue, there's a confession there, too; a declaration that just because Dia loves Kanan doesn't mean Mari will be so willing to give her up, herself. That one stays put, solely because she doesn't want Dia to interpret it as yet another joke.

What ultimately comes out is an apology. But even that seems unfitting.

"I'm sorry, Dia. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings, I didn't realize..."

Dia freezes mid-pace, feet rooted to the wooden floor. Mari's voice sounds so small, smaller than she ever wanted to hear it after everything between the three of them was resolved. And Dia singlehandedly brought it about just now, all because of... what, some prank? A one-sided war she'd declared on her own pride?

How in the world could she have thought this was worth it?

There is nothing but silence in the wake of Mari's words; Dia rolls her tongue around her dry, dry mouth, swallowing with difficulty. It's far too late to nip this off cleanly -- she might as well just spit it out.

"That was a lie, just now." Dia pauses. Swallows again. "All of it."

"A...lie?"

It takes Mari a moment to process what Dia just said; it's a good thing they're on the phone, because her face shifts through a whirlwind of emotions (most prominently, relief, because goodness gracious that had so much potential to turn ugly and that's absolutely the last thing she wanted, after everything the three friends had gone through) before eventually settling on...

"A-ahahaha! Oh, of course, you were just playing a joke! You got me really good there, Dia!"

She sounds almost like she's still trying to convince herself of it.

"I-I should have known! If you had really fallen for Kanan, I'm sure I would have known by now, ahahaha..."

Her laugh certainly feels more forced than usual, and Dia of all people should recognize that, seeing as though her giggling is so prominent.

"I guess I totally did it to myself, though, didn't I? I was being presumptuous, after all...silly me! I really overreacted there, huh?"

She probably won't be trying that particular approach again anytime soon, when Dia texts her on a Saturday night.

On the other end of the line, Dia listens in quiet unease. She had expected Mari to get mad, at least a little -- this self-deprecation doesn't suit her one bit. And even though she's come clean, the guilty knots in Dia's stomach only pull tighter.

Any other time, Dia would have justified herself: well, Mari's always telling those insufferable jokes, isn't she, so how about a taste of her own medicine for once? But this doesn't feel right. Mari's laughter doesn't sound right, either.

"... I apologize," Dia tries, awkward. "It was in poor taste. So if you're angry with me, go ahead and let me hear it."

"Ah, what's that, you say? Don't tell me my lovely Dia is feeling guilty because of little old moi..."

That...sounds a little better. Frankly, her heart was too far in her throat for her to react with anything other than that overwhelming sensation of solace, after what could have been a call way too close for comfort. Hearing Dia sound so remorseful is a bad look for her, too; it may not have been the funniest joke, but, she's not one to let an awkward situation hang for too long, if she can help it. Push those feelings of "but what if that does happen, someday?" or "many a truth is said in jest" straight towards the backburner, go back to business as usual--

"What kind of person would I be if I couldn't take a joke? Come now, Dia, you're cute when you're flustered, but not this kind of flustered! Do I need to come over there and give you a forgiveness hug? I'm in my PJ's right now, but, if you don't mind that..."

Frustration's bubbling up in Dia's throat again, making her flush -- but it offers a faint sense of relief alongside it.

"Just wipe this entire conversation from your memory, please and thank you!"

Yes, this is better. This is normal, after all. Mari sounds like herself again.

Dia should know by now that Mari wouldn't dare let her off that easily. She may be forgiven in an instant, but forgotten is another story, especially when it comes to Mari.

"Ooooh~? But, Dia, I couldn't possibly do that...I mean, you never even told me why you texted me so late to begin with! And to think I was so curious, before you decided to catch me with that mean little trick...honestly, Dia, I didn't think you had it in you, but, you might just have a prankster's spirit after all! I'll have to keep my eye on you just a little bit more closely from now on!"

After all, she doubts she just texted her to play a joke on her; surely there must have been something she needed?

"So, so, so! If it wasn't a desperate matter of the heart, what was it? You can tell me anything, bellissima, you know that! All joke aside, of course, you don't need to be shy, you know I would never bite..."

Not unless prompted, anyway.

Dia heaves out a sigh, trodding over to her bed and plopping down onto its edge. When she called, she'd thought to play coy -- far be it beyond her to admit her failings so plainly, much less to Mari... but this whole whirlwind of a conversation has left her far too drained for any more games.

"I just meant to ask how you were doing with the lyrics, is all."

"The...the lyrics?"

If she was actually talking to her in person right now, Dia would probably be getting a look as if she had three heads? What on earth is she talking about, lyrics--

And then she remembers; the concert, the Friday deadline...that's what Dia was asking about, this whole time?! No scandal, no gossip?! After all of this, she texted her because of that?!

Honestly, Dia...it's fun to tease you when you play it close to the chest like this, but can't you wear your heart on your sleeve, just a tiny bit more?!

"We haven't even started ours, yet! Our cute fallen angel and I were going to work together to write them on Thursday...we were thinking of writing something with a little bit less of a pop, do-kyuun~!, and a little bit more of a jakka-jan! We listened to the Nine-Inch Nails the other day, and we told sweet little Riko-chan to try and make something like that!"

So, needless to say, poor Riko has her work cut out for her. Maybe they can write some kind of power ballad about those zebras in space Hanamaru mentioned--

"Oooh, don't tell me, don't tell me, are you having a little bit of a writer's block~? And you decided to come to your closest friend Mari for guidance...I'm so touched! If you were looking for the most brilliant creative mind of all, you need look no further! They don't call me Mariam Shakespeare for nothing!"

...Of course, no one calls her that.

"The day before? Really? That sort of reckless behavior might be fine when you alone are concerned, but please take some pity on Riko-san."

Another sigh as Dia drops back onto the mattress, bobbing slightly as it sinks and rises beneath her weight. "Nobody calls you any such thing," she offers an obligatory retort, but doesn't have enough fight in her to rebuke the rest.

"Fine, then. If you're so confident, do go ahead and inspire me, o great most brilliant creative mind of all."

Edited 2017-02-20 23:08 (UTC)

"Oh, don't be like that, Diaaa! The lyric deadline is Friday, not the whole song!"

Just because she's correct on this one doesn't make her right--

"Besides, it's not like Riko-chan has to do it alone! Need I remind you that Guilty Kiss has an Ultra-Double-Secret weapon, untapped potential waiting in the wings for the perfect moment to go full-force?!"

Is that what she calls it...

"If she needs a back-up composer, I'm most certainly up to the task! And there's no way I won't do justice to my most favorite genre! We'll be Metal Idols, the first of our kind!"

Except, you know, the others.

"I call myself such a thing, silly Dia! And besides, isn't it obvious what you have to write? Obviously, it needs to be a love song, doesn't it?! Unlike Guilty Kiss's devilish charms, AZALEA has a much more gentle and elegant image! Like a patient young bachelorette, waiting for her true love's first kiss! Her heart throbbing, her knees shaking, her stomach full of tiny butterflies, her eyes glistening with the wonders of love! Could there be anything more pure?! That's the image you need to go for with your melody, my beautiful fiorellino!"

"This again...?" Didn't they just manage to veer away from this subject a mere three minutes ago? "Look, you should know this from two years ago, but we've already decided to rescind this approach. Haven't you heard of 'write what you know'? And besides--"

She shifts a little on her back, scuffs the heel of her foot against the floor. "Don't you think you've been fixating on this love nonsense an awful lot, lately?"

"Well, it's just because I'm trying to help you! That was then! This is now! It's been two years, so surely you must have at least felt something, even if you've never quite been in a relationship!"

Way to rub it in...

"Think about it, though! CYaRon has a bit more of a cute touch to it, a bouncy sort of energy! And Guilty Kiss, well, we're focused on a sort of wicked allure! But between you, Kanan, and your patatina Hanamaru-chan, you need to focus on tapping into that graceful, mature image! And, really, at least one of you must know a bit of the feeling, riiiight~? At least a teeny, tiny little sliver of it!"

After all, when she initially brought up the topic, Dia did say that she wasn't too far off the mark. Maybe it's not too far-fetched? She conveniently skates around that last question, offering up an alternative...

"If you're that stuck, perhaps I can help you get started! It's not really cheating or anything if I do that, is it?"

Dia rolls onto her side with a weary grumble, listening to Mari chipperly prattle on. There's no doubt in her mind that this is a terrible line of conversation to pursue, and she's had more than enough love talk for the next twenty years, besides--

So even she's caught unprepared by the words that slip past her lips.

"Do you? ... Know that feeling."

There's a tiny little giggle from the other end of the phone line, before she continues!

"Of course I do! I've only been telling you as much for ages now, Dia dear, do keep up! I've said it a hundred kablillion times! The feeling of someone being more precious to you than anything else in the world! Of knowing you would do anything to make that person happy, that you would stick by them through the deepest, darkest, most violent storms! ...Not just literal storms, of course, that was a metaphor, you see, but..."

Dia gets it, right?

"That's love, yes? You've felt that way, I'm sure! You can't put that feeling into a song?"

"A 'kablillion'...?"

You can practically hear Dia's eyes squint over the phone. Questionable word choices aside-- they're talking about love, aren't they? Of the romantic sort. So why is Mari making it sound like...

Dia shakes her head. No, no, impossible. Absolutely not.

"I somehow get the feeling we're having two different conversations. Or rather," she concludes, "I haven't a clue what you're on about."

Edited 2017-02-22 08:49 (UTC)

"If you don't quite get it, don't worry your pretty little head about a thing. I'll be more than happy to tell it to you a kablillion-and-first time, and even more times after that. I'm sure you'll understand eventually. ...Still, that doesn't exactly help you very much with the lyrics now, does it..."

Her fingers start to drum on her mattress as she mulls it over; all Dia can hear on the other line, until she comes to her thrilling conclusion, is an over-exaggerated "HmmmMMMMMMmmmmmmm~", which jumps up and down in pitch. Dia can decide whether it's actually the sound of her trying to think or whether she just enjoys the sound of her own voice too much to let the conversation hang in silence.

"Well, why don't we turn it into a fun little game, then? A battle of the ages, Mari and Dia's Super Extreme Dueling Hearts Challenge! Deluxe!"

If Dia didn't have a clue what she was talking about before--

"Just as a fun little writing exercise! After all, you want to get this over and done, and I still have about four more days before I get started on the real lyrics, so, I have more than enough time to play with you~ The rules will be simple! Whoever can write the superior love song wins! ...And, just to be nice, I'll let you decide what to get if you win! Isn't that generous of me? And, you know me, it can be absolutely anything!"

Edited 2017-02-22 09:32 (UTC)

"A competition, is it?"

Well, Mari knows Dia well enough, that's for sure: just the mention of the word challenge instantly has her keen and alert. The sparkle in her eyes is all but audible. That's not to say, however, that she's blind to any potential fallacies in the contest's logic -- for example: "And just how would the winner be determined, here?"

That's more like it. There's the Dia she knows and loves--

"Ooooh~ So now I have your attention! Well, my lovely friend, that can be solved easily enough! We can put it to a vote with everyone in Aqours! Even without us voting, there are still seven members, so there's no way there'll be a tie..."

Though, if Ruby is the tiebreaker vote, that might be a bit of an issue. They'll worry about that when the time comes.

"Or, if you don't feel like sharing with everyone, my shy, delicate rose, we can just have Kanan pick. We'll both send her our lyrics, without putting our name on them, so she won't know who wrote what. Then she can choose without a bias! Isn't that a nice, easy way to settle it?"

The response is immediate: "Absolutely not! Kanan-san's ignorance when it comes to romance is only rivaled by her ignorance in wordsmithery!" And if Dia sounds slightly more frustrated than the suggestion warrants, it's because she's been intimately reacquainted with those two particular shortcomings over the last couple days.

"We'll ask the whole group. It's only fair. And on top of that: no consultation! You must write the song completely on your own!" Not that Dia's concerned with Yoshiko's potential contributions in terms of quality, mind -- but involving her would be practically buying her vote!

But then, it occurs to her, total fairness still won't be so easily achieved. Anything produced by Mari is wholly and unmistakably Mari; even if they don't list which of them wrote what, it should be painfully obvious. A gaping flaw in the system! Thankfully, the fix comes to her soon enough:

"We shall decide on a single theme, and adhere to it in both our pieces. Any ties to our sub-unit's genres must be blurred as thoroughly as possible." Yes, this should be satisfactory! "Do you accept, Mari-san?"

"And here I thought that would make her a good judge for it...I mean, if my lyrics can make her understand the feeling, that's how we know they're a success, right? ...Ah, excuse me, I mean, our lyrics, of course! Silly me!"

Now she's just being cocky...but, she knows that's the best way to get Dia fired up, so, she isn't too concerned about it.

"I wouldn't ask poor Yohane-chan or Riko-chan for help either, though! ...After all, my favorite junior may be molto creativissimo, but, between you and me, I think her talents may lie with other genres..."

She's seen her talk to Hanamaru-chan, after practice. When it's at its worst, she can barely form a sentence; how the heck is she going to form a lyric? And Riko isn't exactly much better, admittedly. Three girls in Guilty Kiss, and they're all about as subtle as bricks to the face with the word "DAISUKI" spray-painted on all sides.

"Of course I accept, though! It sounds more than fair to me! ...But, what did you have in mind for a theme? Now you've got me curious...are you gonna make it something juicy? Keep in mind, we don't want to be too scandalous, not this early in our career!"

Edited 2017-02-22 22:58 (UTC)

"Hush," Dia snaps back, staring up at the ceiling for answers. She had no theme in mind when she made the suggestion, but to hesitate now would be unsightly -- and so she only allows herself a couple seconds' pondering before voicing the first thing that comes to mind.

"One-sided love." It sounds awkward to her, somehow, when she says it. Something in her voice doesn't come out quite right.

Dia clears her throat. "How about it?"

Well, it's certainly not a question of whether or not Mari can work with a theme like that; in fact, if she doesn't watch herself, a song of hers based on that idea may just come on a little too strong. ...Not that she has any intention of keeping herself in check, but, Dia might just find herself playing with a bit of fire, here.

But, more importantly, she catches that little oddity in Dia's tone; she doesn't need to be her friend of over a decade to pick up on when something is off, but that certainly helps matters, a tad. Surprisingly, though, she opts not to grill her over any potential crushes or rejections; maybe it's because she's still a little bit wary of the joke from earlier, but...Well, just so Dia doesn't get too upset, she'll decide against going for the low-hanging fruit. It'll come out when the lyrics do.

"Well, if it were up to me, I would have said something with a bit more hot and spice, you know? But I'm sure you can make something like this a little wild, too! 'I'll make you mine, no matter what the cost!' Something like that! Imagine the choreography! Ooh-la-la~!"

But, all kidding aside...

"There are lots of μ's songs about this sort of thing, so, if you're going to make a song about this, it better be your own! I don't want to read "Unbalanced Love 2," I want to hear you, Dia, your passion! Pour your heart and soul into the page, and let it burn to a crisp with the embers of love!"

Which is to say, she accepts?

Edited 2017-02-23 15:25 (UTC)

That smug bit of advice does wonders to get Dia fired up all over again, mashing her buttons like a toddler on a toy piano. She jumps up into a sitting position with new vigor, the futon bouncing beneath her

"Hah! Don't make me laugh! Have you forgotten just who was singlehandedly responsible for all of Aqours' lyrics two years ago? Underestimating me shall be your undoing, Mari-san!" She thrusts a pointed finger in front of her -- a bit of a pointless gesture when she's the only one in the room, but that doesn't occur to her at the moment. "Prepare yourself, or the one burnt to a crisp shall be you!"

Edited 2017-02-23 22:31 (UTC)

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prettybomberhead - 2017-02-23 22:42 (UTC) - Expand