Work Text:
Angela sat on the edge outside the immigration memorial hall, watching the waves reflecting the Alba city night light. The song still echoing within her slightly causing her to softly hum.
She couldn’t do much right now, she knew as much, her feelings had just been killed and then resurrected within a few weeks. They weren’t made for that.
“Not made for this”, she thought out loud, “that might be a song”. She thought back to Tao’s final words
“I’ll be watching from somewhere far away. Let’s meet again someday” but most importantly “you should sing your own songs now”.
“Oh I’ll sing my own song, you will see”, she promised not even noticing her feelings leaking out some tears as she gave an attempt at a confident smile.
Angela drew some inspiration from her old rivals and got herself an actual notebook to write down lyrics in. Writing many drafts for ‘Not made for this’, she found one thing she was bad at. Not the song writing itself, but her handwriting sure didn’t show signs of perfection or beauty. It was laughable even, when Angela had a good day, she would laugh at it. The bad days they were rather a reason for despair.
Angela had enough one day and after reflecting on their song of unity, she asked Carole and Tuesday. She just wanted to see how they wrote all their lyrics so effortlessly. So she came by, seeing their very humble abode. She wasn’t expecting to be greeted by a hug the second she was properly inside, but she didn’t object to Tuesday’s embrace, she gave a slight chuckle and grew a smile brighter than what she’d had whole week.
Tuesday looked at Carole, “So-”, she backed out of the hug and Carole resumed what she was saying.
“What brings you Angela? Your text didn’t say much”, Carole scratched the back of her head.
Angela, uncharacteristically sheepish, looked at the ground “I wanted to see how you write your songs”
Tuesday immediately grabbed Angela’s attention as her eyes grew twofold and she clasped her hands in front of herself, “really? We’d love to write a song with you!” She looked to Carole “right Carole?”
“Totally! This will be awesome!”, she lifted her hand towards Tuesday who highfived it immediately.
“That wasn’t exactly what I was saying”, Angela piped in.
“Oh”, the pair said in obvious disappointment,
Angela didn’t waste a moment before being persuaded, “but I suppose it could be... Awesome”, she was a bit hesitant. Both girls watched as she obviously considered to lift her hands for high-fives but thought better of it. It was quiet for a bit, before Carole introduced Angela to their writing/living/dining room. Angela got her own notebook out, laying it on the table. Tuesday didn’t waste a moment before asking if she could peruse it. Angela, feeling a bit self-conscious of her handwriting’s and lyrics’ lack of polish and Angela-brand greatness, considers saying no but she relents, because what’s the worst that Tuesday can do?
Tuesday didn’t do the worst or even anything bad. It was as if she didn’t care about the messy handwriting and the lyrics that were still work in progress.
“You did this?”, she looked at Angela holding the notebook to her chest, “it’s really cool! Oh, wanna see mine?”, quick as a mouse Angela was shoved a bright pink and heavily worn notebook with hearts drawn on.
The inside being a miasma of lyrics and drawings and a bad, although not as bad as Angela’s, handwriting that was borderline childish.
It was obvious from reading the notebook how both how quickly Tuesday’s mind would shift from one thing to another but also how creatively focused she could be.
Angela was both relieved and intimidated as the notebook looked like hers, but at the same time Tuesday was obviously more skilled.
Carole began playing with her keyboard a bit and Tuesday took up her guitar.Their groove instantly matching. Angela stood a bit daunted and feeling excluded from their moment. But then Tuesday and Carole both looked to her, still playing with their instruments, “How does, Not made for this go?”, Tuesday asked.
“It doesn’t go anyway, yet”, She answered.
The pair nodded to her, as to say, try now. Angela tried to find a place for the song with the music they supplied, which they tried to work so it would fit Angela’s song. They had many breaks discussing the lyrics and the beat of their delivery until Carole asked the important question, “what is the song saying for you”, before adding “Angela?”, when she didn’t answer.
“... Mr Tao”, Angela started and both girls quieted down, “I was not made for this...”, she didn’t realise what the song actually meant before this point, “I’m making myself for this”. When she returned from thought she was met by two nodding girls, who slowly came with the ideas for the song, that Angela was beginning to slowly get herself.
Angela went home that day, with an unfinished song, but with the confidence that she would complete that song herself. She apologized to the pair before leaving, saying that this was a more personal song. So she would be making it herself, but she promised to properly make a song with them in the future. At this she hesitantly highfived both of them with a sweet smile.
The writing process wasn’t as smooth without Carole and Tuesday, but Angela would be damned if she wasn’t going to complete this song herself. She got Katy to get her some musicians to play the music in the background. Before the week was over she had the song under production.
Sitting down in her apartment, she looked to the last spot the AI Tao had made for her stood, she raised a glass of water, “beat you, no offence“. Drinking the glass of water she went to bed exhaustively relieved over soon completing her promise.
After she finished her album, which still consisted of a lot of AI made songs, she went on a small tour, dazzling every fan and finally making sure Tao heard her own song.
Before every show she made on that tour she’d ask out loud, “how far away are you watching from now?” and at the end of the show she would say “I can’t wait for my next song, can you?”.