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Vyce kicked her feet up on the table as she watches the Corestrike Pro League 20XX Grand Finals. Once again, the Ember Monarchs have taken the number 1 spot; the fire-licked Kai standing front and center of the video feed. "Man, that guy is just... somethin' else! Like- how many years does he need to win in a row to be satisfied? I don't get it." She sighed, glancing over at her sister, who is seemingly disinterested in the champions. "Ego, perhaps. He is quite the cocky one." Leaning back in her couch, Vyce clocked the date on her phone. "Hey, Octavia, I got a show in a couple days. It's gonna be next week, Wednesday at 9." Octavia's eyes darted towards her sister, shocked by the news. She sat up from her side of the couch, opposite from her sister. "Really? You're... still going solo?""Well... yeah. I mean, it's not like you and I can go on stage together.""Why not?""I- I don't know. Our audiences don't mix, and neither do our music styles. Plus... I don't know if I'm ready yet."Octavia sat up, putting her hands in her lap cautiously. "Are you nervous people will think of you badly if you're seen with me?" Vyce sighed, turning away. "Again, I don't know. Just... let me have a couple shows to myself, alright? I just kinda... wanna get a feel for it. Been a while, after all. Practicin' for the Pro League and all, even if we did get washed. Stupid sellout..." Octavia laughed, cusping a hand over her mouth. "Please relax. I cannot help but assume you mean Estelle?""Of COURSE I mean Estelle! She always flaunts herself like she's the queen of everything!""Well what about the other two? The other members of FrostFire?""Well... they're better. I love Juliette's fire! She's always got this attitude that's like- 'yeah!' Yknow?" Vyce motioned something explosion-like with her hands as she spoke."And... Dubu?" Octavia leaned onto her hand, enjoying delving into her sister's mindset. It was a relaxing moment between the two, something they hadn't shared since long before their feud."Don't even get me started! How does a hamster even get that big? He- I mean, he is a hamster right? I don't know. Gerbil, hamster, rat thing. How do they get that big?! I read that Juliette took care of him or something as he grew. What did she feed him!? I refuse to believe it was just basic hamster food!"Sitting and listening as Vyce ranted on and on about her confusion with Dubu's growth, Octavia found herself laughing more and more. It'd been so, so long since they enjoyed a moment like this together.Vyce was always a hard child to get along with, constantly getting disciplined for her unusual behavior and lack of response to others' emotions. She would always end up pushing others away from how much she talked about anything and everything, yet would always get confused when they never reciprocated the excitement. Octavia was the only one who would always stick about, but now even their bond is wavering. While Vyce was away for her shows, who would be there to comfort her if she got confused? If she felt isolated, even if surrounded by so many people?Octavia leaned closer. "Vyce, please, listen to me for a moment." It was a sudden shift of tone that visibly upset Vyce; she held back her words. "If you ever get... um... confused or anything, don't hesitate to call me, okay? Or- text, anything. Please, take care of yourself, okay?" "Um... yeah. Sure." Vyce stood up, brushing out her skirt. "Will do." She stood there for an awkward moment, unsure of when to take her leave. Wanting to make one last push to salvage what she could of their relationship, Octavia got up and approached her sister, gently pulling her sleeve; she didn't want to scare her with anything sudden. "Vyce... I understand that you might still be mad at me for what happened, I just- need you to know that I'm still going to be here." Vyce avoided eye contact, uncomfortable by such. "I know." "If you want, I could come to your show...!" Vyce perked up a bit, her back straightening from a slouch. "You would?" Her eyes were still fixated to the floor, but they were wide with surprise. "But... you don't like my music, I thought." Octavia pulled her into a gentle hug. "I... prefer it at a lesser volume than what you do, but you're still my sister. I've left you behind once before, and I'm truly sorry. But after we played on the field together, I remembered just how much fun it was to hang out with you. I've been chasing perfection all this time. I was so blinded by the thought of being the best, I abandoned you... You were right. I'm sorry. I'll gladly come to your show." Vyce finally managed to drag her gaze away from the floor, looking at her older sister with admiration. "You can say some cool stuff sometimes, but that... that sucked." She laughed, wrapping an arm around Octavia. "Sappy talk doesn't fit you. You're supposed to be cold and cunning." "Is that how you see me? Would you want me to be cold?" "...No," Vyce giggled as she separated from her sister. "And, um... me too. Sorry about everything. I liked playing on the Corestrike field, too. I forgot how much fun it was. Hey, don't worry about paying for a ticket, by the way. I can get you a pass." Octavia shook her head. "No no, it's okay. I don't want to be a special guest or something. I just want to support you from the crowd like everyone else. It'll be weird if I'm given a free pass just because I'm your sister." "No, it won't... What's wrong with that?" "Nevermind..." Octavia sighed. "I'll be there. Wednesday at 9, right? I promise." Suddenly, Octavia's phone went off, playing her EDM-style theme, "Thousand Absolutes." Octavia's brow furrowed as she stared into her screen; she raised her head to face Vyce once more. "I have to leave and take this. I'm sorry. But I still promise, I'll be at your show on Wednesday." Vyce stared blankly at her sister, already having a gut feeling of what was transpiring. "Yeah. See you then." Octavia bounded out the door, her white and purple heels clacking as she left. The last thing Vyce heard was "Yes, I'm here" before her voice was silenced by the shutting of the door behind her. Everything got so much quieter. Vyce's senses suddenly sharpened. The silence began to hurt, she could feel the fabrics brushing against her skin; her clothes felt so heavy. Her hands trembled as she reached down into her jacket pockets, scrambling for her earbuds. Popping them in and playing her tunes, her body started to relax a little. Having her earbuds in and isolating herself from the rest of the world was Vyce's way of comfort, closing her eyes and calming all of her senses. She wasn't sure if she believed that Octavia would show up. She wanted to trust her sister so, so badly. She too wanted to reform that messy, scrambled relationship. She just couldn't express it in a way that she thought was fit. There was only one way to find out, she supposed. Cranking the volume of her music, she became unable to hear any other outside noises, lying down on the couch and soothing her nerves. Blaring music to herself always relaxed her, ironically enough. Other kids found it disruptive; she would always play music loudly on her devices during playtime when she was much younger. The adults would always tell her to turn it down, but they'd never understand when she tried to explain how she felt. Without playing music, it felt like there was always a violent silence that needed to be filled. If there was no sound, all of her other senses became oppressive; her eyes would strain, her body would become itchy and heavy. Eventually, she resorted to leaving headphones in at all times. Octavia was the only one who understood why she was the way she was, though eventually, even she would grow tired of Vyce's constant neglect towards rules and authority, refusing to take out her headphones when instructed to. She became labeled as a deviant, different from everyone else and ostracized. That part didn't particularly bother her; she felt little when it came to understanding others. However, when Octavia began to distance herself is when it became a problem. After enrolling in the music academy, Vyce kept up her rampant and deviant behavior. She started leaving behind her headphones and rocking out whenever she pleased. Though it disrupted others, she felt little to no obligation to suit their needs. When even Octavia started to walk away however, she became infuriated. Why couldn't she just rock out how she wanted? Why was it never okay to play her way? Seeing her sister again, let alone playing Corestrike with her after all of these years was a hard feeling to adjust to. So many years of feeling inferior and wracked by anger, all meant to be brushed under the rug. Despite how badly she wanted to believe, she couldn't help but fear Octavia would abandon her again after all these years. She hated the feeling; it felt gross, feeling such hesitancy towards Octavia. Vyce once again closed her eyes, curling up with a soft, smooth cushion against her face. She'd see her at the show. Definitely.