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There came a knock on the door of the classroom, and Kalim quickly opened it with a cheerful grin and greeting. “Hey! What brings you to the Pop Music club?”
“Good afternoon. It’s a pleasure to make my acquaintance with you. My name is Violet Evergarden.”
“My, how polite you are.” Lilia remarked, hanging from the ceiling, before promptly dropping down. “It is also my pleasure. I am Lilia Vanrogue, a third-year student from Diasomnia.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Vanrogue.” She responded with a small bow.
“Oh, please, no need for the formalities. We’re all students here, are we not? Please just call me Lilia, Violet.”
“Then it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lilia.” Violet smiled. “I believe Mr. Diamond is here?”
“Oh, you’re here for Cater!” Kalim grinned. “I’m Kalim Al-Asim by the way, nice to meet you!”
“Whoops, almost forgot! Cay-Cay’s right here!” Cater came from the corner of the room with a cheerful wave and a smile. “Glad you could make it, Ms. Doll! Also, please just call me Cater–”
“If it is your wish, I will travel anywhere to meet you. Auto-memories doll Violet Evergarden, at your service.” She said politely and professionally with another small bow.
“Auto-memories dolls?” Kalim tilted his head confusedly.
“A female scribe, Mr. Asim.”
“Oh, okay! Just call me Kalim, though!”
“Scribes, you say… I haven’t heard of those in quite a while. I believe they have grown quite outdated as times continue to change.” Lilia remarks again. “Ah, how nostalgic.”
“”Kay, Violet, do you want some sweets? And some tea? You’re probably gonna be brainstorming a lot today,” Cater offered. “After all, you’re going to help us come up with some lyrics for our new song!”
—
“I’ve only written songs a few times, so please pardon my inexperience.”
“Nah, I’m sure it’ll be fine!” Cater assured. “Alright gang, let’s get brainstorming!”
“Um, if it is alright, may I hear you all play so I may get an idea of what kind of song to write?” Violet requested.
“Huh? Oh, sure!” Kalim beamed. “Hm… We haven’t really played in a little bit. What song should we play?”
“Hm~ Oh, what about the one we learned last week? That one’s pretty upbeat, right?”
“Oh, that was quite fun to play.” Lilia agreed. “Then let us play this one as best we can, shall we? We have an audience this time, no?”
.
.
.
It was nothing like anything Violet had ever seen or heard. Not as classical or elegant as opera, or as enthralling as an orchestra, but with its own attractive charm. The vocals were also a different style she had never heard or recognized. It was like something new. It was vibrant and fun, cheerful and bright. Otherworldly.
For that matter, she’d never really seen the instruments before. Lilia and Cater were holding what looked like guitars, but decorated with new patterns and colors with a slightly different, pointier and non-traditional shape. They also produced a new kind of sound she wasn’t familiar with that was quite different from normal guitars.
The instrument Kalim seemed to be playing was a drum. But there were many of them along with cymbals that he hit with a stick. Lilia played the leading vocalist and guitarist for this performance, and the lyrics he sang were in no way similar to what she was used to at the concerts she attended with her co-workers.
Nonetheless, she stood up and clapped by the end of the performance, star-struck.
“How was it?”
“It was wonderful.” She said, “I’ve never heard music like this before— I am amazed beyond words.”
“This is a song I got from a pop idol group.” Cater admitted. “Glad you liked it!”
“It was quite fun, though my personal favorite song was the one we performed in front of the student body during the Student Club Fair.” Lilia remarked.
“Haha! I remember that one! You were shrieking at the top of your lungs right? You even smashed the guitar too! Pretty intense, but it was super fun!” Kalim added.
“So, there you have it. You got any ideas?”
“I may need to think for a while, but I believe I can compose some lyrics you may like.” She said. “Please give me some time.”
“‘Kay, ‘kay!”
—
“Hey there ‘lil imp!” Sam greeted with a friendly wave. “What can I get you this time?”
“Is it possible for me to borrow the typewriter once again?”
“Oh, good news!” he grinned. “Another imp came in today and bought it!”
“Oh.” She paused, blinking. “That’s quite a shame… Do you happen to have another one?”
“I said it was good news, didn’t I?” he smiled. “The buyer said it was for you!”
“Me?” she blinked. “Do you happen to know who may have made the purchase?”
“‘Course I do!” he responded with an amused grin. “It was interesting, actually. You wouldn’t happen to be acquainted with Leona Kingscholar, would you?”
“Mr. Kingscholar?” she repeated, surprised. “I must go thank him then.”
“Woah, don’t forget your typewriter!” he called, heading to the back of his shop.
“Ah, yes. Thank you, Mr. Sam.”
“No problem~ pleasure doing business with ya!” he said cheerfully. “You know, I was always wondering why you always ask to borrow this old thing so often. I doubt anyone would have bought it anyway, so I was actually considering just giving it to you. But hey, I’d never turn down any business~”
“I see,” she nodded with a small smile. “I appreciate your thoughtfulness, Mr. Sam,”
“Well, here you are,” he said, appearing back on the counter from the back of the shop, with the familiar suitcase Violet knew contained the typewriter.
“Thank you,”
“No problem~ Don’t forget to come again!”
—
“This is nice, Violet,” Cater said, looking at the piece of paper. Yet he looked quite nervous and conflicted. “It really is— It just sounds so… um– Classical?”
“If I may, I believe it would better fit an opera theatrical number.” Lilia commented.
“My apologies, It’s the only kind of song I’ve ever written.” She admitted.
“Well at least you’ve got experience!” Kalim added.
“What do you suggest I improve on? Is there a particular topic you’d like me to write about?”
“Hm… Something more modern.” Cater said. “Something that would make everyone jam to the music with their friends and say it was a fun concert afterwards, you know?”
“That’s… quite specific.”
“The topic could be anything really, but try to have something modern that would appeal to the students~.” Cater suggested.
“I see… Alright.”
—
Violet spent a few hours in the library again, diligently studying and reading up on modern topics, as well as a borrowed musical score from the music classroom.
She had come to realize that the things she had grown used to from Leiden weren’t very commonplace here anymore. Telephones had advanced far beyond any of her expectations, much to her amazement, and everything from trends and norms along with life styles had changed drastically.
Violet didn’t know what to make of it all.
Most especially the way letter writing had grown outdated.
She wrote down some notes in her notebook, turning the page on her book once again. Operas hadn’t grown that outdated, but other music forms had grown more popular. Even some that she was sure did not exist anywhere in her world.
The soldiers often sang every now and then in their free time, Violet recalled. Sometimes on their own, whistling or humming mysterious and unfamiliar tunes and melodies. Occasionally there would come lyrics, floating along somberly. She never sang herself, as there weren’t any songs she remembered, and also because she saw it as a pointless time waster. But thinking of it now; What songs had they been?
Where had they gotten it? Was it a favorite song of theirs? A loved ones’ song? She never stopped to think about things like that.
…Did the Major ever sing?
Violet sighed, flipping through more pages of her book to distract herself from such grieving thoughts, as the silence offered no comfort.
However, there were times when soldiers sang together, she thought.
Whistling and vocalizing in unison, like a sort of chorus. There’d be military cadence calls too. As they ran and marched in groups, they’d sing, oftentimes in marches.
In her curiosity, she paused and sang lowly, in a half-whisper or mumble.
“Hi, ho, lock and load….” She paused, before repeating. “Hi, ho, lock and load…”
“The engines are running, we're ready to go.” After every line she paused and repeated it, replicating the call-and-answer style the military used.
“Kill the enemy, take control.” She faintly mimicked a response afterwards. “So early,” tap. “So early,” tap “So early in the morning…”
The lyrics were often dark, reminding everyone of the reality of their grim position in the military, and making them question once again, what were they fighting for in the first place?
It was odd how motivating it could make you feel. Maybe she hadn’t realized or felt it before, but it certainly had its effects. In the midst of her faint singing, Violet felt herself become re-immersed with her past. With the taller soldiers marching beside her as they formed a unit. Violet always had a feeling that something was burning and intensifying during those marches when they sang their cadences, but couldn’t spot any fire.
Perhaps it was everyone’s drive.
Their voices always rang out loudly in unison. In the earlier days, they were a mess– uncoordinated vocally and in their movements. Sloppy and unfit for work. But given more time, they’d coordinate as a unit, progressing more and more everyday. Their unified march acted as a makeshift accompanying beat to the cadences, and the cadences kept them on the same beat of their march.
The only reason Violet ever sang along was because they were orders, and all she did was follow them, though not as enthused as her fellow soldiers. They’d joke around when they sang too, modifying the lyrics and making everyone go with the flow. Admittedly, she had a hard time keeping up.
However, they were having fun.
“Something that would make everyone jam to the music with their friends and say it was a fun concert afterwards, you know?”
She’d consider the idea.
—
Benedict once told her that a song was just a poem with rhythm. Maybe now was a good time to take that advice to heart and apply it.
Fun. Something fun. She thought to herself, wondering what to write. It wasn’t very often she received requests like these where she had to write herself.
With a book on poetry sitting on her desk in Ramshackle she began drafting with some notes written down on a piece of paper. She had scribed for poets before, and had an idea of what they usually wrote.
“Roses are red…” She trailed off with a sigh. “Violets are blue? But that’s not right… they’re clearly purple.”
Violet worked through the night, brainstorming.
—
“Okay, I think we’re getting there?” Cater said, examining the paper. “It’s so… poetic though? I’m not saying it’s bad, just a bit…”
“It makes a lovely poem, I must say.” Lilia commented.
“Yeah! Just not really the style we’re going for. Sorry!” Kalim admitted. “Wow, Violet, you’re pretty good at this though! I bet it would do great if you publish it. It’s got this medical vibe to it.”
“Medical…?”
“I believe you mean medieval, Kalim.”
“Oh, yeah! Sorry,” He laughed. “Just for future reference, I’m not really a big fan of performing really complicated songs. So maybe try something that could fit a more upbeat melody!”
“Upbeat…” She trailed off.
“Sometimes, people come to concerts to let loose, y’know? To forget all their troubles and have fun, make memories! Maybe even dance and jam it out! Try some simpler lyrics to sing along to.” Cater added.
She frowned at the complexity of the request, left puzzled by her assignment again.
—
“Mr. Diamond, what is it exactly that you want from this song?” Violet asked, confronting Cater, who was left in the clubroom when Lilia and Kalim had already left earlier.
“Hm~? Oh, hey Vi!” he hummed in response, “Like I said, it can really be any song. Maybe I should have been more specific though! Something pop or rock would be pretty ideal, as long as it’s fun!”
“Perhaps I should rephrase the question slightly.” Violet replied. “What exactly do you seek to achieve with this song?”
“Huh?”
“What is the purpose of the song?” She asked again. “What do you want from performing it?”
He paused, still taken aback by the question. Sitting thoughtfully, he formed a smile with his response. “Fun, of course~”
“Pardon?”
“The Pop music club has a nice casual and chill atmosphere, right?” he said. “It feels more like a hangout than a club, actually! Sometimes we’d just talk and gossip over tea. Just the three of us since no one else really wanted to join.” Cater explained. “We’re all chill, and we can just play music whenever we actually feel like it. We still have to do performances to keep it going though, so I want us to have fun.”
“Fun…”
“After all, if it isn’t fun, for us or the audience, the club will come apart.” He said. “Especially if the other guys aren’t having fun. I gotta make sure we can all vibe, you know? So that’s where you come in. I thought it’d be exciting if we had someone write us a song, Change of pace and all,” Cater explained again. “Sorry if I was giving you a hard time with the vague but super-specific request! Bare with us, ‘kay?”
“You want this to be fun for who?” Violet asked. “You, your band, or the audience?”
He hummed in thought, before offering another one of his smiles. “Don’t really know yet.”
“...I see.”
—
“Hello, Violet Evergarden!” Ortho chimed.
“Good afternoon, Mr. Shroud.” she greeted with a smile.
“Oh, you don’t have to address me like that! If you do, you’ll confuse me with my brother.” he advised. “Besides, we’re schoolmates, right? Just call me Ortho!”
“Ortho.” She echoed. “I see.”
“Alright! Time to examine your automail.” he said, hovering to where Violet was before a faint, translucent blue field scanned over her. Violet watched with fascination.
“Ah, If you don’t mind me asking, where is Mr. Shroud?”
“Hm? You mean Idia? Oh, he’s a bit nervous, so don’t mind him. He’ll be here in a bit though.” Ortho assured. “Brother, come on! The headmaster entrusted us with this job! Didn’t you say you wanted to examine the automail up close again? There’s really no magic in these at all!”
Strands of fiery blue hair rose up at the call of his name as he tensed, peeking behind the wall as he did before. “Ortho, there’s a difference between looking at it up close, and looking at it up close while it’s still attached to a human….!”
“Ehhh? You know, they’ve got some old gears in here that are definitely outdated, and even some other mechanisms that I’ve never seen before.” Ortho said. “It’s really lightweight too… I’m surprised your posture isn’t suffering! Plus, there’s so much wiring in here…”
He sighed, relenting as he inched closer ever so slightly to have a look. “Um, what are the wires made of…?”
“Copper, I believe.” Violet responded.
“Huh, for prosthetics like these we usually use the kind made from magical ore for the wires,” Idia remarked. “They can generate their own artificial energy from magic and all that. Ortho, what’re the results of the scan?”
“Hm, I think it’s time to clean and disinfect the automail in order not to risk further infections,” he chimed. “Violet Evergarden, will you let us sterilize your prosthetic automail?”
She nodded. “Of course. Thank you.”
“Alright, now we’ll just have to take it off. May I?”
She nodded again, taking off her uniform blazer and rolling up one of her sleeves as far as it could go. Around the upper part of her sleeve, the flesh of her bicep cut off and her metal prosthetic arm started.
“Have you been experiencing any pain on any part of your arm?” Ortho asked, carefully unscrewing her automail.
Violet hummed in thought. “I don’t think so, I didn’t quite feel anything.”
“Then there aren’t any infections, good…” Idia muttered to himself.
“This one should be off in about…” Ortho trailed off, before Violet winced in pain, gritting her teeth slightly. “Oh, sorry! There isn’t exactly a painless way to go about it.”
“Ah, no need to worry. Thank you.”
“Now for your other arm! May I?”
She nodded again, and Ortho passed the arm over to Idia while he rolled up Violet’s sleeve for her. The elder brother held it delicately, as if it were a fine piece of art, while his expression told them that he was in awe at the piece of metal that was in his hands at that moment. “This is some intricate stuff…”
While Ortho got to work unscrewing her other arm, Violet observed the way the robot seemed to levitate and how life-like he was. The concept of robots on its own was something mostly foreign to her world entirely, so it took a while to get used to– Along with all other manners of technology.
“Here you go, brother,” Ortho said, passing over her other limb to Idia.
“Um, alright, so now we have this so uh–” he stuttered. “We’re going to get this cleaned up, how often do you get this done?”
“A deep clean like this where my limb is removed is once every 6 months. However I regularly clean and oil it in order to prevent rust and malfunctions almost every night.” Violet answered.
“Wow, I can see that.” He remarked, looking into his reflection on the metal arm. “Uh, so I’m just gonna get this cleaned at Ignihyde… yeah.”
“It might take a bit of a while, and it would be a little inconvenient to simply continue on without limbs, right? So how about you come along with us to Ignihyde?”
“Ortho…!?”
“If you would have me.”
“Great!” he beamed. “Come on!”
“WAIT–!”
—
While Violet simply sat on a stool inside the room, patiently waiting, Idia seemed to be muttering to himself frantically, peeking behind him ever so often to look at her before letting out a squeak and quickly getting back to whatever he was doing.
Curiously, she pointed to a poster on the wall of the fairly messy room (which reminded her of Leona’s room, but much more cluttered with unfamiliar items). “If I may, who are the people on the walls?”
“Oh! Those are the members of Idia’s favorite Idol group!” Ortho beamed, turning around.
“Idol group…?”
“You don’t know what an idol group is!?” Idia exclaimed in shock. “A-Actually, I guess those didn’t exist, like, last century, but–”
“Violet Evergarden, what kind of entertainment did you have where you’re from?” Ortho questioned. “Since it seems to be farther back in time, I’m a little interested.”
“Oh, well…” she trailed off. “Theatrical operas are quite popular, as with theatrical plays.”
“Yeesh, sounds really old…”
“It’s fascinating. There’s something called ventriloquists. They make their puppets speak on their own as if they had their own minds. It’s just like.. Magic. I wonder if mages may have actually existed in my world after all.” Violet explained, sounding very fascinated. “There were orchestras and choirs too. I’ve heard of carnivals but have never been to one myself.”
“Operas aren’t as popular anymore, but it isn’t really a lost art. Musicals are more common though in that field.” Ortho remarked. “Nowadays, TV shows and movies are some of the most common pieces of media.”
“Movies…?”
“Motion pictures!” he responded. “Stories recorded by a camera. Think of it as a lot of pictures combined in order that lets you see it move. Kind of like flipbooks!”
“Flipbooks…” she trailed off with a tone of marvel. “Ah, Ortho, may I ask you some questions?”
“Sure thing!”
“What genre of music would you consider to be the most ‘fun’?” she asked. “Um, something that makes people smile and laugh with their friends together, something very upbeat and vibrant?”
“Idol concerts.” Idid piped in, speaking without hesitation. “Definitely. Nothing beats the feeling of attending your fav group’s performance– sevens, even I’ll say in-person live concerts beats live streams and performance videos. Waving your glow stick and cheering for your fav members and buying their merch is a literal dream. There’s colorful lights and it’s blinding but it totally enhances the atmosphere. And then you get to sing along with them and if you’re lucky there’s handshake meet and greets and–”
Idia’s hair was flaming like a raging fire, reflecting his sheer passion and enthusiasm. Violet listened, nodding every now and then to the point that she started feeling enthusiastic too.
“That poster over there? It’s signed by the one and only May from–”
“Alright, I think it’s better if we just watch a performance video.” Ortho cut in, stopping Idia as he started a holographic projection up in the air in front of Violet, much to her curiosity. “This one’s Idia’s favorite!”
—
In a sea of rows and rows of moving poles of lights, rhythmically shaking in sync, the performers on the stage were dressed with accessories and hats, each one in a different bright pastel-color. They smiled brightly, singing and dancing across the stage amidst the beaming lights.
“When you smile like that my heart goes K.O~! Hey, look at me when you make me glow~!”
“Yeah!”
“Cupid’s arrow pierced my heart in a clean shot~ Way to put me on the spot!”
“All’s fair in love and war, So sorry, let it be you that I adore~!”
“Tell it to my heart, ‘I love you!’ from the very start~! I look away and what do you know? Looks like you had me K.O!”
“Cupid’s arrow pierced me in a clean shot, way to put me on the spot~!”
“I guess it’s okay if it’s you, so say the words and we’ll be a couple of two~!”
“I,”
“I!”
“Love,”
“Love!”
“You!”
“You~!”
“Tell it to my heart! From the very start~!”
At the final moment, the girls posed together with bright smiles, signaling the end of the song, followed by cheers from the audience. Surprisingly, there were no flowers thrown, but Violet was positively amazed. Confetti and streamers rained down from the sky in the bright stage while the performers blew kisses and waved with their sunny smiles, bowing as they made their way backstage.
—
“That was–” Violet paused, her eyes widening as if she couldn’t quite understand what she had just witnessed, but only the sense of joy that came of it. “That was enthralling.”
“Right!? Wasn’t May just awesome? Who’s your favorite ? May’s the one in blue over here.” He said, pointing out the girl dressed in blue with short hair to the left. “That was legit their best song. It’s a banger! It’s super upbeat and gets stuck in your head. Super catchy! Aside from May, everyone was in top form for this performance and I would have died for a chance to attend the concert in-person last year but no, I just had to put off watching this group’s performance videos before then–”
“Everything was so bright, and everyone was cheering.” She added. “Is this what Idol concerts are like?”
“Um… Pretty much, yeah.”
“...May I please learn more about it?”
—
“Oh, hiya Vi~!” Cater cheered. “Let’s sit outside, it’s got the most photogenic view and the weather’s great today~”
She nodded. “Alright.”
It wasn’t the first time she was seated in this particular patio outside of Heartslabyul’s main dorm building, as 2 of her previous client’s had been from Heartslabyul too. As usual, there were sweets laid out as a nice treat for her.
“Hm, hey Vi? Mind if I snap a pic of you eating sweets?”
“‘Snap a pick’?” she echoed in confusion. “I don’t have any toothpicks with me to snap though…”
At that, Cater paused for a moment before laughing. “Aw~ You’re so adorkable!” he said, and much to her still present confusion. “‘Snapping a pic’ basically means taking a picture, y’know? Ya gotta catch up on the slang, Vi~”
“Oh.” she let out. “I see…”
“So, can I?”
“Of course, but why?” she questioned.
“To post on Magicam, of course~”
“Magicam…?”
“Man, I forgot how different the last centuries were– Uh, Magicam is like this place where you can post pictures from people everywhere to look at. If they like the picture, they’ll leave a ‘like’. It looks like a 'lil heart. The more likes you have the more popular you are!”
“You want to post me on your ‘Magic cam’?” she echoed. “My apologies, Mr. Diamond, but I don’t believe I will acquire many ‘likes’ for you.”
“Aww, what makes you say that?”
“I’m… quite boring and uninteresting.”
“You aren’t though! You’re plenty interesting and super cute and pretty to boot.” he assured with a smile. “You’re actually super photogenic! So, mind if I post you on my cam?”
“Um… Sure. If you’d really like.” she confirmed.
Cater grinned, pulling out the rectangular device that telephones had evolved into and aiming what she assumed would be a camera at her. “Smile~!”
She stiffened and widened her eyes a bit in surprise, still unprepared.
“Wow, you look a bit funny in this picture~”
“My apologies.” she sighed. “I’m not quite photogenic after all.”
“Whaaat? Just one picture isn’t going to determine how photogenic you are. You just weren’t ready.” Cater assured again. “Eh, we can retake later. So, what did you call me here to talk about?”
“I’ve been working on the song, and while I am in the process– I wanted to ask what you wanted to include in it.”
“Huh?”
“What do you want to sing about?” she asked again. “It’s a simple question I should have asked long ago.”
“Oh, uh, right. Hm… I guess ‘fun’ isn’t the most specific descriptor. You can just add in some elements of trendy stuff– I mean, what are people into these days?” he answered. “Pop is going to be forever popular, obviously. Rock’s something we’ve dabbled in a few times… Oh! Almost forgot we’re in NRC, so cutesy love songs aren’t really going to–”
“But what do you want to sing?” she cut in. “Perhaps it’s just my observation, but you seem to only worry about what other people might like or be interested in. Are ‘trendy’ things the kinds of things you’d want to sing?”
“...I mean, if it’s not trendy and fun, what’s the point, y’know?” he finally said. “No one’s really gonna enjoy it, and the only two other guys in the club are gonna probably leave. And, well.. There goes our chill club.”
“Your mindset still seems to be centered around appeasing others.” she questioned. “You are my client, Mr. Diamond. I’d like to know what you want me to write.”
“What I want…” he trailed off with a sigh. “I don’t want our club to come apart, basically. Oof, this got pretty serious and gloomy, huh? Anyways… well…–”
“You haven’t quite answered my question.” she repeated again. “What kind of song do you want me to write?”
“Um– I-I don’t know!” he exclaimed, before widening his eyes at his sudden outburst. “I’m– well… ugh, now I just sound totally confused…”
“That’s fine.” Violet said. “You can take some time to think of an answer.”
“Ugh, feelings suck…” he trailed off, slumping in his seat and bringing his head down on the table. “Sorry about that, Vi. That was definitely not my #moment.”
“Hashtag…?”
“Uh, don’t worry about it.”
“The point is, even though I may do ghostwriting jobs too, I am a scribe.” she stated. “I write for you , my client. What kind of song would you like me to write?”
Cater didn’t really answer, burying his head in his folded hands that rested on the patio table, letting out a soft sigh. “...Something fun.” he said, as he did last time– the description sounding a bit too vague. “Something that can make people smile and get in the spirit, y’know? I totally meant it when I said it the first time a few days ago. And well, trendy stuff are usually fun too. That’s the reason they’re trending in the first place, after all.”
“You seem very set on this ‘fun’ concept.” she noted. “May I ask why?”
“Guess that’s just built into my personality and stuff, y’know?” he answered. “Fun, fun, fun… Exciting, cute, sparkly… interesting.” Cater sighed again with a small groan“Vi, can I rant a bit?”
“Go ahead.”
“My family moved around a lot since I was a kid. It was mostly for my dad’s job and everything.” he began. “I mean, I guess it’s cool that we get to travel to different places and meet people. Actually, I met a lot of awesome and cool friends when I was a kid. I’d move into the school, get attached to some friends, and a few months later my dad would announce we’d have to move. Again.” he frowned. “They didn’t really let me have my own phone when I was young and my mom would lose my friend’s old contacts all the time, so I… guess I just lost them all.”
“...I see.”
“So, well, when I was reaching my early awkward-tween stage, I kind of got a grip on the idea that we wouldn't stop moving around any time soon– so I kind of just didn’t try to form any connections that were, uh, super deep, you know? Learn to impress people and be a 100% friendly guy, make some casual friends to pass the time, have a good time, and then move forward and be totally okay.” he shrugged. “And, well, it works. I’m just kind of that chill dude that posts stuff on Magicam at school.”
Violet hummed. “It must be… difficult to lose people you care about and not be able to know how they’re doing.”
“I’m guessing you know what that’s like, huh?”
She clenched the emerald brooch tied to her uniform with a slow nod. “I lost someone very precious to me in a war.” Violet said somberly. “He’s the reason I became an Auto-memories doll.”
“...I’m sorry for your loss.” Cater mumbled sympathetically. “It doesn't sound like anything I've been through could compare to that, ha…”
“You shouldn’t put your own experiences down like that.” she began. “Everyone has their own pains and sorrows no one else can see, and it’s inhumane to invalidate such things simply because you feel more people have suffered more. Everyone goes through painful experiences, no matter the magnitude we choose to measure it by.” Violet assured. “War was a terrible thing that brought many of those sorrows– and I was a big cause in such pain.”
“...I may not be from the last century, but I can tell it probably wasn’t your fault.” Cater said. “We learned a lot about wars and stuff in Professor Trein’s class– and a lot of people were kind of just dragged into it. No one would be having fun in a time like that.”
Violet hummed quietly, taking a well-decorated lime green sweet from the tray. “I’ve found that time is a cruel thing.” she stated. “It erased and replaced many things over the course of it, and mercilessly marches on no matter the tragedy or the frequency the world continues to burn. The world may not stop for you even when you fall behind, and you are constantly pushed to catch up and be in the ‘present’, no matter how much you’re suffering.”
“The ‘present’, huh?” he remarked. “Leave everything behind in the past, and live in the ‘present’. That kind of just makes the past sound meaningless. It’s a lot harder to just move on than people say it is, isn’t it? It’s like constantly chasing new trends all the time. Erm, not that I’d know….”
Violet hummed. “I wondered what I should have done when I lost the Major, but the war was concluding, and time was passing— times were changing— and there was nothing I could have done to stop such a force. And suddenly, now I'm in a world far ahead and foreign to my own.” she said, slicing the treat and having a bite. “I've spent a lot of time trying to slow down and make sense of things in this world. It’s quite surreal to study from a history textbook of a time that was similar to my own.”
“Heh… I can’t imagine how that must feel…” Cater chuckled slowly.
“I read many historical textbooks, and saw that only ‘famous’ people made it in.” she continued staring off wistfully. “I wondered, what of the lesser-known people? Normal civilians, disposable drafted soldiers in wars, hard working nurses, auto memories dolls like me– will the world forget us? No matter what we sacrificed to survive?”
He looked away, hands on the table curling into a fist before laughing awkwardly. “That’s… Scary.”
“I write letters, Mr. Diamond,” she stated. “Do you remember Professor Trein’s lesson where we studied old letters? Letters between generals and kings, letters between lovers, letters between drafted soldiers and their then-distant families. Letters that stood the test of time and prevailed to be recorded. I sincerely wish that every letter written in the world, whether I have written it or not, may be preserved until the end of time. Because as every letter deserves to be delivered, every letter, and the feelings written into them, deserve to be remembered, do they not?” Violet looked at him again. “And I wish that for you as well.”
He blinked. “H-Huh?”
“I sincerely wish for you to be remembered. By the friends you made, no matter how old they get. I sincerely wish that those you have met and sincerely loved will always remember you, and that one day you will meet again. Because no matter how much time passes, feelings prevail, do they not? A grieving parent’s love for their child, a soldier's resentment, a promise between two lovers. And your grief.”
“Grief?” he echoed, wiping his eyes before laughing a bit. “But my old friends aren’t dead, you know.”
“They aren’t. But feeling as if you lost them forever is similar enough, isn’t it? Knowing they’re somewhere, but you just can’t see them because you don’t know where to look, and because you’re so scared of their rejection.”
“I… Ah, darn it, Vi…” he buried his face in his hands as his voice got a bit shaky. “You’re… You’re clawing at my feelings at this point, you know?”
“I’m sorry, but I am an auto-memories doll and you are my client.” she stated. “My job is to be able to decipher your feelings and write them down, Mr. Diamond.” She pulled out her typewriter. “So please— tell me what you want me to write.”
He chuckled to himself. “Have you ever pressed anyone else this much?”
“Many times,” she replied. “It was quite painful to come to terms with such things, and there were many times I struggled to understand feelings and comprehend myself. But I suppose, the closest thing to your case, must be when I wrote a song for a songstress named Irma.”
“Song.. stress?”
“I was still quite inexperienced, in my early days. She asked me to compose a love letter, not telling me that it was for a song. It took many, many frustrating attempts to meet her expectations, but, after some advice, I managed to understand and created something she was satisfied with.” she explained. “Irma’s lover left for the war but never returned, and so she and her manager, her lover’s father, aimed to create a new concerto that everyone, even, and especially the common folk, would relate to. A song about the war. After speaking with her, I managed to discern her's and many others’ feelings, and wrote a letter worthy of being sung about. It was just like the song you wanted, Mr. Diamond. A song that brings people together.”
Cater sighed and wiped his eyes, looking a bit glassy as he looked back at Violet. “So that’s it, huh? I don’t know about comparing me to a probably super famous singer, but… yeah.” he said with another small, wistful laugh. “So Vi, You’re… you can decipher my feelings then, right? If you can decipher hers, then you can for me too, right?”
“I will try my best.”
“Then do that,” he said. “Please, um, put my feelings inside your song. I don’t care anymore how you do it. Just please,” Cater pleaded. “Make this a song that can make you feel like you want to jam it out when you’re happy, and comfort you when you’re hurt. That’s all. Can you… do it?”
She widened her eyes before smiling. “Okay. Please count on me.”
As she finsihed her macaron and prepared to go, she heard a click and blinked. “Hm?”
Cater chuckled agian, scrolling on his cellphone. “I got myself a pretty picture~ Hope you don’t mind, Vi!”
“Pretty picture?”
“I’ll show you once it blows up.”
Her eyes blew wide in horror and concern. “Wh-Why would it blow up…? Is it… Is it a hidden function within your cellphone!?”
Cater burst into laughter again, much to Violet’s still evident confusion.
—
A song that gives you spirit, a song that unites people. But a song that conveys harsh realities when you’re hurt enough to listen.
Violet sat at her desk, Grim sleeping on her lap and snoring away, and a candle illuminating the rickety room she resided in, typewriter sitting invitingly.
She put her hands on the keys and the words began flowing.
.
.
.
.
Cater held the paper in his hands. “This… yeah.” he nodded. “This is it.”
“My, it’s wonderfully written,” Lilia agreed. “I must say, you are very talented, little one.”
“It’s awesome! Can’t wait to sing this at the concert! It’s our first one in a while, after all.” Kalim grinned.
“Guys… um, sorry,” Cater said, “Just– Just asking, is it okay if I lead this song?”
“...Cater?”
“It’s alright if you don’t want to, but uh, yeah, I just–”
“Of course,” Lilia smiled. “Why wouldn’t we let you?”
“The stage is yours, Cater!” Kalim grinned.
“Oh– Thanks guys,” he smiled cheerfully. “Oh, and you too, Vi. Thanks, really.”
She smiled back. “You’re welcome, Mr. Diamond.”
He laughed. “Pfft– seriously, just call me Cater– or Cay Cay if you want~”
“Alright then… um, Cay Cay.”
“I… Pfft— haha!”
—
The day of the concert rolled around, and they stood on the stage at the wall of the gym, before a crowd of slightly interested and slightly distracted students. Cater took a deep breath, gazed over at his two other band members, who grinned back at him, and flashed his signature smile. Can’t look bad on Magicam, after all! Trey’s in the crowd recording a live stream for him.
The lights shut off, and their special, colorful concert lights switched on in dazzling streams. Of course, he’d have to watch out for the fire at the sides of the stage later, courtesy of Lilia’s request.
He tapped the mic, and began his song.
“ Da~ zzli~ng Stars.
Where should I seek to find a true friend of mine?
Because when the sun emerges
You’re gone~
Dissipating far beyond my reach
Away and lost where I can’t dream
Of ever finding you again~!”
Lilia started up his electric guitar and Kalim hit the drums, creating a vibrant and electrifying instrumental. Second by second, eyes were drawn back to the stage and in their direction, as Cater caught the small gasps of surprise from the audience between the loud beat banging on the speakers. He smirked. Good.
Somewhere, decently up front, Trey held his phone with a thumbs up, while he spotted Ace and Deuce coming in from the entrance at the back of the crowd, late, while Riddle was scolding them presumably from taking too long.
He wondered for a second if Violet might make an appearance. He hoped so.
“You try to paint the sky
In a vibrant, dazzling blue
And cover up the foggy, dull and gray
But hey,
Won’t the raindrops wash it all away~?
All we can do is wait ‘till the rain lets up”
“Hey! Hey ! Hey!”
“Far, far away,
Lost to time and the like
A connection is waiting to be renewed~”
“Ooh~”
“When your own heart works against you,
You have to act all on your own~!”
“ Oasis Maker! ”
The crowd gasped a little bit at the small gentle raindrops raining from the ceiling, and Cater was glad his phone was waterproof. He grinned a little at the reactions of his friends from the sudden surprise.
“The sky above won’t stay the same,
Sometimes it rains, and clouds and thunders too!
The world won’t always look the same
When time’s never gonna stop marching on!
Even when melancholy's such a pain,
Even when it gets exhausting to try keep up,
Like how Diamonds form under pressure,
A rainbow’s only there when there’s sunshine and rain,
You know~?”
A ray of light shot from Lilia’s magic pen, which he taped to the end of his guitar, pierced through Kalim’s gentle rain. A rainbow sprouted in beautiful colors, earning the crowd’s amazement yet again.
“Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!”
Breathlessly, Cater peered over the crowd again with focus, and almost choked when he finally spotted Violet somewhere in the crowd, dressed in Pop Music Club Merch and waving two colorful pen lights alternating between orange, yellow, and hot pink.
“Pfft– Haha!” he laughed a bit, realizing he was being taken by the wave of cheerfulness, the atmosphere was washing over him.
At that, Violet blinked, before smiling encouragingly and giving a thumbs-up, which almost made him crack up again. Cater gave a nod and prepared to get back to his song.
“But hey, aren’t you so bored of adventure?
Aren’t you so bored of the passing faces
And nothing real~?
You know it isn’t so bad to wanna slow down
It isn’t so bad to hold onto things
It isn’t so bad to want familiarity~
You’ve got things you like,
Things you know,
And things you un~der~stand~
It’s time to stop lamenting the lost,
And cherish what you have~!
WOAH~!”
Lilia got to his guitar solo, and the fire shot up from the corners of the stage as he practically lost it on the poor thing, at the brink of smashing it again— but he unfortunately promised Crowley not to, much so against his will at the threat of not getting him a new one. The orange flames reflected in Cater’s eyes in a shining, determined glint, and his eyes were set at Violet’s little pen light dance. He wondered a bit in amusement where she may have learned such a thing, being from the 19th century and all–
“The sky above won’t stay the same,”
The audience continued.“Sometimes it rains, and clouds and thunders too!”
“The world won’t always look the same,”
“When time won’t ever stop marching on!”
“Even when melancholy's such a pain,”
“Even when it gets exhausting to try keep up,”
“Just like there’s once-in-a-lifetime comets
The stars are still there in the da~y,”
Everyone sang this part in unison. “YOU KNOW~!?”
“Hey, when’ll you stop with your stargazing?
Hey, won’t you ever try and take a leap?
Hey when are you gonna be ready,
To take a risk and stay~?”
“Woah, woah woah~”
“Hey, don’t you know that chances slip away?
Hey, don’t you think things could go differently?
So take a deep breath,
Chill for a sec,
Give yourself time,
And just go ahead~!”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah!”
“They’re here, the ones you love,
Don’t let them drift away,
You know you’ll feel bad later~
And now I guess I’lll sign of like this…”
Cater stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, before smiling to himself with a chuckle as he spared a quick glance at Kalim and Lilia. “You know, I love you guys.” He grinned. “Sincerely, me.”
A beat. Maybe two.
Then, the audience erupted into enthused, amazed, praising cheers. To be honest, NRC wasn’t really your usual pop audience but there was still a considerable amount of people that showed up and bought tickets— a lot of them were actually Ignihyde students, with their much higher tolerance, and sometimes fondness for the more cutesy kind of pop songs, thanks to the usual otakus that get sorted in there. Looking now, Cater hadn’t really noticed, but when did the number of pen lights increase anyway–?
Waving off and smiling at the crowd as the last of the confetti rained, Cater gave Violet another grateful smile.
—
“Hey, Vi! Guess what blew up?”
“Y-Your cellphone?”
“Nope!” he laughed, taking out his still very much intact phone. “Look,”
A picture of her, eating a green macaron sat in a box on the screen, and below she could discern and make sense of a caption, saying, ‘You’ve heard of Heartslabyul’s roses, now get ready for Heartslabyul’s prettiest Violet!’ with a small drawing of a purple flower next to the sentence.
“A picture of me?”
“Look at the amount of likes it has! The little hearts, see?”
Next to the little heart in question were the numbers 30.K
“K?”
“30 thousand likes! Can you believe it? And look at the comments too—”
‘She looks just like a doll!’
‘Is she a model or some kind of cosplayer? So pretty <3’
‘Why r her eyes so gorgeous can i have them ajsbsskdns’
‘This picture is so ethereal TwT’
Violet felt a bit embarrassed— who was saying these flattering words? She didn’t think she looked all that beautiful or remarkable– she’d imagine someone like Cattleya would be more likely to receive comments like these. “ ‘Step on me’ ?”
“Erm, let’s just forget about that onez.” Cater said awkwardly, setting his phone away. “Oh! And I wanted to give you this—” he pulled out an envelope, sealed with a red, rose patterned wax seal, with the words ‘to Violet’ written on it. She accepted it, albeit a little confused, before opening it and realizing it contained a certain sum of money.
“Mr. Diamond, there is no need for this.”
“Wait, did you actually think you’d be doing this without getting properly compensated?” he asked, genuinely surprised. “Aw come on, Vi! I’m not just going to leave you hanging after all that trouble you went through to write that song for us!”
“I no longer work for a postal company, so–”
“Well that doesn’t change the fact that you did work, you know?” Cater sighed. “It’s alright, just take it, I want you to.” he smiled. “Thanks for everything, Vi. I really, really mean it.”
Hearing this, she relented and smiled back, accepting the money. “It is no problem, Mr– ah, Cater.”
“By the way, where’d you get those pen lights?”
Violet hummed in thought. “The Shroud brothers were kind enough to engineer custom-made ones— I’m quite grateful. They even taught me how to dance with them properly.”
“Shroud brothers? Wow,” he said. “Huh… I guess someone like Idia is a total otaku anyways, so that would make sense.”
“Otaku?”
“Let’s not corrupt your innocent soul any more!” he exclaimed, albeit a bit dramatically, before laughing. “Well, you’re always welcome in the pop music club. Always. Feel free to come over for some tea and sweets~”
She nodded. “Of course.”
—
“Violet?” Gilbert asked.
“Yes?” she responded almost immediately.
“Do you have any favorite songs? Do you… perhaps enjoy singing, maybe?”
Violet thought of it for a moment. “...No. I see no purpose in music. I believe it is a waste of time.”
“...Is that so?” he responded, looking a bit wistful before humming a bit. “Well, you’ve never really heard much music, right? Maybe one day, after the war is over, I can take you to go see an opera at a theater, or an orchestra, and you can decide for yourself whether you really like music or not.” he said. “Do you want to?”
She nodded. “I’d follow you anywhere.”
“Ah… I see.” he responded, as if not expecting the answer. “It’s okay if you don’t want to, Violet.”
“I’ll go with you if you feel the need to go somewhere, no matter where it may be.”
Gilbert inhaled a deep breath, before exhaling, and just smiling. Violet couldn’t help but think he looked a bit saddened. “Really? Alright then.” he nodded. “But, Violet, I hope one day you’d learn not to follow me, and go somewhere that you want to go.”
“...Are you going to abandon me, Major?”
“No, no…. Violet, I… I’d never.” he quickly assured. “I just… You might understand one day.” Gilbert smiled at her. “If you ever find one, tell me what your favorite song is.”
“Yes.”
“Who knows? Maybe you’ll grow up one day and write your own songs.”
“I highly doubt that would happen. I have no talent for songwriting.”
“You don’t know that yet.” he laughed. “If you ever do though, I hope I get to see it be performed, or hear you sing it, Violet.”
“...Yes.”