High Score [Safie/Tomomi]

All Tomomi could do was watch in silent horror as the woman introduced herself, and gave her own reasoning for why it wasn't a problem. The hint was not taken. Oh god it wasn't taken.

As she walked off to the counter, all Tomomi could do was watch in horror as his fate was sealed, the woman booking a booth, and rubbing salt in the wound, bought herself a can of Dr Salt Neo. The boy put a hand to his face, trying to hide the embarrassment that found its way crawling through him and causing him to shiver as he waited for her to return. As soon as the now named stranger, Safie, returned, Tomomi simply muttered a question. Please at least let it be a quick, short song. "So um... W-what song did you, well... Select..."

"Song? I booked us a booth! Come, come!"

Safie wrapped marble fingers around Tomomi's wrist and pulled him along, near-dragging him into the nearest booth. Like any good karaoke bar, Q Story featured private booths outfitted with sofas, a table, menus for ordering and choosing, and a pair of microphones for the patrons. A flatscreen played the bar's logo. The Velvet Addendant swept into the room first, snapping her can open, taking a long swig. "I could get used to this. Such a vicious balance of carbonation and flavourings. Most indulgent. Now, let's see... let's see..."

She had no knowledge of Endymion's music. Of course she studied music, read the theory, knew how sounds coalesced into notes, combined into melodies, swelled into the thrill of music, but...

"This one?" She pressed the button, grabbed her microphone. The art of karaoke, of displaying one's broken singing talents to another for fun and intimacy. She hoped dearly that such exposure might loosen Tomomi's nerves. Failing that, she would enjoy herself.

The song began to play, and Safie began to sing. Nervous at first, finding her voice, tracking the lyrics with her eyes. Soon she found her foot tapping, her body swaying, and the emotion of the music video sparked in her, giving life and love to lyrics she barely understood...

Tomomi didn't have time to register his despair as the booth was revealed. BEYOND just a song, an entire booth? Before the thoughts and putting two and two together could cross his mind, Tomomi felt a borderline iron grasp around his wrist, before being dragged off. Any watching would behold a most bewildered and terrified expression. It didn't truly hit him until the singing device was in hand, the duo was in the booth, and he was stood there like a deer in headlights as the music played.

Did he sing? Did he opt to not sing? What was he supposed to do in this situation?

The boy had no idea, but, decided to try and go along so as to not be publicly humiliated further. His mimicry of the lyrics was quiet, scarcely a whisper into the microphone, with some words coming out as unintelligible muttering. But, what was audible was surprisingly pleasant soft tones. Like a mixture of good and terrible singing in one.

The song wilted into a wistful finish, leaving Safie humming happily at the end. She span on her heel, smile faltering into a confused shade of itself when she saw Tomomi's expression. Frightened? Frustrated? Embarrassed? The meaning of these words flashed like dictionary entries in her mind, but she could not match a single one to her companion's complexion. She knit her brows together. "Am I doing it wrong?" she asked, head tilting. She pushed a curled lock of platinum blonde back behind her ear, fussing with the rest of her hair as she worked through her logic. "I had read that karaoke was a good way to break down barriers and foster friendships. Is that not how it works in this city?"

As the stranger commented on Tomomi's expression, thoughts ran through his head. Oh gosh. She was trying to make Tomomi a friend? Oh gosh.

"O-oh! I'm so sorry! I uh, I just got a bit, um, uh, stage fright, and it was very on the spot and out of nowhere, so, I um, got very startled! I-I'm very sorry if my um, lack of enthusiasm for karaoke made you think badly! Um, as for how friendships work in the city... I'm afraid I don't really know? Um, I don't think friendship is something as simple as a song and dance, like it is in fiction? It's a complicated thing that comes from uh... Things... Probably... I don't know..."

Shaking his head, Tomomi offered a thumbs up and a rather clumsy smile. "Oh! But um, if you want to be friends, I would love to!"

Safie boggled at Tomomi's attempt at an explanation on the complex matter of friendship. "Must it be so difficult?" She asked, brows knitting even closer together, "To my knowledge, it seems the only thing getting in the way of forging friendships are the friends-to-be that are involved. So much unnecessary complexity."

She plopped onto the couch, folding one leg over the other and examining Tomomi's expression again. The boy seemed to be uncertainty incarnate, a bundle of nerves wrapped in a cable-tie of anxiety. How strange. "I would very much like to be friends. 'Tis the intent of my visitations. Would you be averse to another round? Your choice of song, perhaps?"

Smiling, sincerely now, Tomomi nodded. "Then, um, consider us friends! I guess!"

At the suggestion of another round, it took a tremendous effort for Tomomi to not physically wince. But, clearly Safie liked singing. So, for the sake of friendship, Tomomi swallowed his nerves. It's time for singing, whether he wanted it or not. So, he nodded once more. "Yeah, um, I should have time for another song. And um... It's a bit um... Soft, but, well... I'm sure you've noticed I have a soft voice so uh... Yeah..."

And with that, the boy selected a song, really hoping to mitigate the damage to his anxiety.