prettybomberhead: (Default)
Mari Ohara ([personal profile] prettybomberhead) wrote in [community profile] soundoftheseas2017-02-19 10:57 pm

DIAMARI CATCHALL


because these two need a place to just be over the top losers
shinelikea: <lj user=blackmarshdiamond> (pic#11045824)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 04:54 am (UTC)(link)
"Ugh."

Dia slumps forward onto her desk, frustrated groan buried behind her arms. The pen slips from between her fingers in a moment of neglect, clattering to the floor. She hears it roll all the way to the other side of the room, and only heaves out another groan.

"Honestly, what is this," she moans, lifting her head just enough to be able to see above her crossed arms. The open notebook before her is an unsightly jumble of scribbles and scratches, not a single line free of annotations or strike-throughs. The page before it is just the same, as is the one before it, and the three before that.

She refuses to call it a writer's block. It's simply that she holds herself to exceptionally high standards. This upcoming concert, in particular, will be their first performing in sub-units -- that means she has to write a song that won't just flawlessly capture the essence of Azalea, but will stand out among the other two groups as well. Something that will leave a strong impression in people's memories. Something...

Well, something that's not this, that much Dia knows.

Flipping the notebook shut, she reaches for her phone. The Azalea group chat has about a dozen unread messages: Kanan and Hanamaru cheering her on before moving on to discuss possible outfit designs. The conversation concludes, as if to rub salt in her wound, with 'I guess we can't really know what'd be best until we know what kind of song we're doing!'

Kanan's cheery dolphin sticker does nothing to alleviate the sting.

"I'd like to know that, too," Dia mutters through a scowl, tapping the conversation closed without a response. She appreciates their support, of course, and they are doing the best they can... but they're absolutely no help to her right now. Previous attempts in consultation yielded well-intentioned but ultimately unproductive advice: Kanan's suggestions included 'ocean', 'water', 'swimming', and 'diving' ("Haha... sorry, you know I'm no good at this stuff"), and brainstorming with Hanamaru sent them down a two-hour association chain that somehow resulted in a sci-fi adventure scenario featuring astronaut zebras hunting for magic crystals in space. The lyric submission deadline is this coming Friday-- she really can't afford to be wasting so much time. But she's been making no progress on her own, either...

Perhaps she'll take a moment to check on the competition, then. Opening a new chat window, Dia sends out:

Good evening, Mari-san.
I trust you've been having a frugal Saturday?
shinelikea: (I AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOU)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 08:51 am (UTC)(link)
Dia's initial response -- as it so often is with Mari -- is bafflement. She can't imagine what it was about her two lines of text that inspired such a barrage of messages, or what led Mari to leap to such an outlandish conclusion. And what is this about 'competition'? For a moment, the only response she can think to text back is a long string of question marks.

But then-- knowing Mari for as long as she has, it's safe to assume that's the exact reaction she was aiming for. Even ten years later, Dia still ends up playing into her hands with daunting frequency -- but over text, at least, she has the advantage of being able to think each response through.

Talking songwriting with Mari has instantly proven just about impossible, but never mind that now! Dia has set her sights on a new goal. She will play Mari at her own game! And she will emerge triumphant! And the method by which she'll pave her way to victory...

... is by going along with her nonsense without batting an eye!

Mari-san! I had merely asked about your day, must you always draw such presumptuous conclusions?

A pause, for effect--

... This once, however, I will admit.
You were not wholly off-mark.
shinelikea: (grrmph)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 09:36 am (UTC)(link)
"Geh," comes Dia's kneejerk reaction as Mari's messages flood her screen again. Her first instinct is to doubt -- can she really last in the face of Mari's overbearing enthusiasm? And isn't she making a bit too big a deal of this, besides?!

No, she tells herself. It's too late to have regrets! She'll see this through! The one to have the last laugh is Dia Kurosawa!

Kindly settle down!
To begin with, I hesitate to divulge such delicate information to you. These are highly sensitive matters, Mari-san. How can I be sure you're worthy of trust? Do you swear confidentiality?!


... Of course, then there's the minor matter of those details' existence, or lack thereof. She'll work something out.
shinelikea: (huffy)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 10:10 am (UTC)(link)
Dia can't get away with roundabout answers for long, she knows, not with Mari as demanding as she is. But she's certainly not about to spill 'everything' as Mari insists, what with there being nothing to spill.

Bite-sized bits of information, then -- that should be the safest strategy. If she only addresses each point as it rises, it should hopefully lead Mari to ask more specific questions, helping Dia come up with a clearer image in turn.

For now, what she sends is:

Well, I can tell you right now that person is the COMPLETE opposite of you.

She doesn't know why that's the first thing that popped into her head. Still, she can't help being curious-- wondering if that'll win her a reaction.

They don't throw such childish tantrums, for one!
Edited 2017-02-20 10:10 (UTC)
shinelikea: (>:0)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 10:44 am (UTC)(link)
Wow. A reaction indeed. Dia's not sure how to parse it, at first -- it evokes an odd stirring of emotion somewhere between her chest and belly. There's guilt there, instinctively, because goodness knows she's far weaker to Mari than she'd ever like to be; there's the usual expaseration towards her dramatics, and there's... fondness there, too, just from seeing her react so strongly. Just from knowing she's on Mari's mind.

She's careful not to let that color her reply, however; Mari sniffs out weakness like a shark sniffs out blood in the water. She won't let her control slip quite so easily!

See, it is EXACTLY this infantile attitude that sets the two of you apart!
If you truly are interested in assisting me, would you at least take this a little more seriously?
This is not the time to be singing your own praises, either! Honestly!
shinelikea: (dramatic speech)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 11:11 am (UTC)(link)
She has to wonder, at this point, if Mari knows she's bluffing -- if she's treating this as a competition, as well. Because what else could this be if not a prime attempt at one-upping? Worse, even though Dia knows better, she still feels heat prickle at her cheeks.

"A-as if I'd fall for that!" she squawks down at her phone screen, furiously tapping away at the keyboard.

Did I not JUST ask you to take this seriously? Yet here you go with your tasteless jokes!
Perhaps I ought turn to Kanan-san for advice instead!
Edited 2017-02-20 11:11 (UTC)
shinelikea: (RUDE AND ILLEGAL)

1/2

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 11:37 am (UTC)(link)
Do not give me that accursed face!
You! are! INCORRIGIBLE!!!


Dia's face burns even hotter. This is stupid-- what is she doing, getting riled up for real? But she can't help wanting Mari to take this seriously, even when the crux of this conversation was pulled from thin air. Because-- because what if it was real, and she sincerely came to Mari for support? And why does Mari keep making those nonsensical jokes about fighting for her heart if she's not even going to stick by them--

--that's-- that's not the right thing to get upset about, is it? No-- it's all stupid. Dia's going to win. She's going to get Mari invested in her fictional romantic endeavors with every fiber of body and soul! She'll get her so into it she'll even drop those obnoxious smiley faces that Dia can never fully make out! She just needs-- some sort of hook, something that'll reel her in-- No! Not just a hook, she'll get her hook, line and sinker!
shinelikea: (HNNN)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 11:43 am (UTC)(link)
It's Kanan-san.

... is what ultimately comes out of this internal volcanic eruption, and Dia's so caught up in it that it doesn't yet occur to her to regret it.

Take that, Mari Ohara!
shinelikea: <lj user=blackmarshdiamond> (pic#11045828)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 12:04 pm (UTC)(link)
The color that had risen up to Dia's cheeks drains at once when her phone begins to buzz. Oh no. Oh no, no no. Dia is not one tenth as adept when it comes to keeping level off-text. What is she going to say? She didn't think this through at all! And with Mari being Mari, she may well keep calling until daybreak if Dia doesn't pick up!

Screwing her eyes shut with a deep, steadying inhale, Dia goes to face her destiny.

"Wh-what is it? Did you exhaust your supply of ridiculous smiley faces?"
shinelikea: (!!!)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 12:29 pm (UTC)(link)
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?"
shinelikea: (gwaaa?!)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 12:58 pm (UTC)(link)
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."
shinelikea: (huffy)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 01:23 pm (UTC)(link)
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."
shinelikea: <lj user=blackmarshdiamond> (pic#11045822)

[personal profile] shinelikea 2017-02-20 08:54 pm (UTC)(link)
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.

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