Chapter Text
Acht sat at the edge of the island. The sound of the skyboxes buzzing and soldiers in the Takozones Unit training was essentially white noise to them now. Staring off the distance, nothing much seemed to distract them. They'd been so zoned out that they hadn't even noticed the approaching sound of boots. They held their breath- it was probably one of the elites that had caught her slacking off.
They were right on one part.
They turned their head around, expecting to see one of her commanders. It wasn't that at all. The girl they were now face to face with was Marina Ida, one of the most hardworking Octarians the army ever knew, and one of Acht's friends. Marina wasn't in this dome too often- usually busy doing whatever tasks the elites do.
"Hi Acht!" She said, a bright smile on her face. Setting down her bag, she took her spot next to them. "How've you been?"
Acht shrugged. "Alright," they responded. They wanted to ask why she was there, but they kept their words lock up.
"I'm glad to hear that," she added. "I know I'm not here often, but I had some free-time so... I figured I would drop by and see how you're doing!" Yeah, that sounded about right. Marina worried about them often. Acht didn't understand why- there wasn't much for them.
"Not much," they said. They kept their eyes alert, looking to see if anyone was around. If any higher ups saw them together, they'd probably go insane. A high-ranking elite engineer hanging out with a delinquent like them. Acht glanced over at Marina. She seemed to be thinking deeply about something. Whatever it was, it was a mystery to Acht. "...so how have you been?" They asked.
Marina looked up at them, seemingly breaking out of whatever trance she was in. "I've been good! Work keeps me busy and I've been learning a lot," she replied. "Though, there is one thing I've been curious about lately..." They tilted their head curiously. Marina knew a lot of things so to hear that there was something she was curious about naturally made Acht want to know. "Well, I've been thinking about music lately," she explained. "You seem to know it pretty well, and it's made me curious on how it works." After those words left her mouth, a sudden wave of... realization, maybe, washed over her face. "Acht! Would you be willing to teach me Music Theory?"
Acht was surprised. When people needed to know things, they didn't really ever ask her. They thought about it for a moment. The way Marina's eyes glimmered with hope... something about it would've made them feel guilty for saying no. "I can... try," they said hesitantly, "but I'm not good with explaining things, so I can't guarantee it'll be the best."
Marina's eyes lit up. "Thank you so much, Acht!" There a bright smile on her face, growing wide from ear to ear. She pulled out a pen and notepad. It seemed she was already ahead of the game. Had she been preparing to ask Acht? "So how does it start?"
"Well, let's start with the basics- particularly with beats and measures," they said. "There's usually four beats in a measure, sometimes less or more but it all depends..." Acht continued to go on and on about music theory. It took them about 10 minutes to realize how much they had been information dumping.
Marina broke in at one point, saying, "wow Acht, I never knew you were that passionate about music!" Her tone wasn't demeaning, but more so... surprised? Marina had known Acht was passionate and loved music, but this must've just confirmed it to a new degree for her. "Don't get me wrong- it's a good skill!" She added. "I'm glad you have something to care about so much."
"I guess." Acht did care about music- more than they must've realized. Marina looked at the nearest clock for a good moment.
Marina's happy expression faded a bit. "I have to get back to work now," she said. Acht simply nodded. They would probably have to do the same soon anyway. Not that it made a difference- they usually slacked off regardless. Sometimes, they wished they had the same hardworking mentality as Marina- maybe then they wouldn't be looked down on as much. "I'll see you the next time I can swing by!" Marina said. "Make sure to take care of yourself- don't forget to eat!"
"I know, I know." Marina packed up her belongings and began to walk off. After the first few steps, Marina turned back around to wave. Seeing her leave made something inside Acht twist. Usually, they didn't have a reaction but for some reason, it just... hit inside them. What was it?