Closed Sweet Songs

[Sapphire Michaels]

Now that Sapphire was graduated, she was unsure of a lot of things. Noelle... hadn't bothered to fight for her. That had hurt her, in a lot of ways she hadn't expected. The harsh truths of his rejection had forced her to come to terms with other feelings she hadn't wanted to face before. What she was supposed to do, she didn't know for certain yet. But she knew that she couldn't ignore her feelings for Frankie anymore. It was the day after the graduation party, and she sat under a tree outside her house. The neighborhood was quiet, and home alone, Sapphire was taking the opportunity to try and think things through. She lounged in the shade, guitar in hand, and played a quiet melody, one full of longing and sadness and a hint of hope.

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera liked coming to Brightstone it was a cute town, and after touring so much she liked to visit and take in all the shops. This visit wasn’t just for fun though, she was here to meet a potential client who would commission a painting from her, but she had come early to spend some time walking around and taking in the area. Her meandering path eventually took her to a row of houses and that's when she started to hear some music. It sounded sad, even from this far away so she decided to follow it. Eventually she was able to spot the source, it was a younger girl probably just out of school. She was pretty with dark hair, and was simply playing the guitar with no awareness of anything around her. “Hey!” she called out, and felt bad for breaking her concentration. “Did you write that?” she asked curiously. Vera stuck to drums mostly even though she could play piano just a little, she had been making music long enough to know a decent chord progression when she heard it.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire looked up, a bit startled by the sudden appearance. Her eyes widened a little bit, and she shook her head. Was she going crazy? "Uh, yeah, I just sorta came up with it," She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Did you like it?" She asked, curious now and a little bit nervous. She bit her lip a moment, considering. "Hey, um, you're Vera Ito, aren't you?" She asked.

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera noticed the girl look surprised. "It's good." she said encouragingly, hopping she didn't take her question in the wrong way. "I am." she said slowly. This wasn't the first time she had been recognized but usually it was at a show or somewhere more expected. It was faltering but it still felt bizarre when ever it happened and Vera was fairly certain that was never going to change.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire blinked. Ah, Vera did not like that. She tucked it away quickly. "Alright," She murmured, turning back to her guitar and setting it down. "Thanks, I wasn't really expecting anyone to hear it," She smiled a bit, "What brings you around?" She asked idly. She hadn't expected to see one of her early childhood role models just wandering around her neighborhood, but since she had seen the look on the woman's face when Sapphire had recognized her she didn't intend to bring it up.

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera watched her closely as she set down her guitar. “What’s your name?” she asked curiously. The other girl seemed to take the complement well but did appear to be a little uncomfortable about having been overheard accidently. “Have you ever played in front of people?” she asked. It took a lot of guts to play in front of people. Vera was lucky since she could hide behind her drum kit in the back of the stage. It really did act like a security blanket most of the time. She could never understand how the boys did it, hamming it up for the audience like it was nothing. She smiled when the other girl asked what she was doing around here. “I’m meeting someone about buying a painting, but I’m early so I went for a walk.” she said with a shrug.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire almost smiled a little, standing and leaning against the tree to make herself more comfortable. "Sapphire. And yeah, here and there, but usually it's with my brother. School talent show or neighborhood barbecues, minor things like that. Never been caught by a professional before." She laughed a little rubbing the back of her head. She nodded when Vera said she'd been out for a painting. "Are you the one buying or are you selling?" She asked, curious. It seemed like a random place to go for a walk, but she wouldn't argue. It was still a bit odd to her that Vera Ito had just stumbled upon her, like really, when did that ever happen?

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera smiled. “Sapphire is a nice name.” she commented, thinking about some of the more interesting names her siblings ended up with as she listened to the younger girl talk about her musical background. Vera was a little caught off guard when she asked about her paintings. “Selling.” she said simply. “What they don’t tell you about being an artist is that sometimes you have to diversify your skills.” she explained with a small laugh. “It can be rough starting out and well, thankfully I like painting and other people seem to like them too.” she said. “Do you think you’ll try and pursue music?” Vera asked, and was surprised by how curious she actually was. After her run in with Vivian she realized just how much she cared about helping younger artists. She had to find out a lot of things the hard way with Leo and the rest of the guys, and if she could spare anyone else the headaches she would.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire smiled a bit. "Thanks. Gemstones run in the family, I have a twin brother named Onyx," She laughed lightly. She was a bit surprised at the thought of Vera painting. "That's pretty cool," She mused. "Do you paint a lot?" She asked, thinking of Ava. She blinked, surprised by the question. "Me?" She thought about it a moment before shaking her head. "Nah, probably not. I'm more into photography, really, I've been looking into that. My brother might go into music though," She paused, face falling a little as she looked away. "Once he's back on his feet."

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera let out a small laugh when Sapphire mentioned her family’s affinity for gemstone names. She thought about her own sibling’s names and while she sometimes thought they were on the strange side, except for hers. But in comparison they actually felt quite tame. “Sometime. If something inspires me. But I also end up doing a lot of art for the band as well.” she explained. Vera nodded as Sapphire brushed off the idea of pursuing music. She understood music was a hobby for a lot of people and it took a very particular person to really go for it. “What’s he up to now?” she asked lightly, sensing it might be a sensitive subject.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire nodded, thinking it was cool that Vera's talents and interests were so varied. She paused when Vera asked about Onyx though, and shrugged. "He's still recovering, really; our aunt tried to murder us and he lost his memories by the end of it. He's getting better, he's starting to mess around a bit with instruments again. He's never been much of a... leader, really, he prefers drums, but he can sing and he plays piano as well. A bit, anyway, it's been a lot of relearning." She explained.

 

[Vera Ito]

When Vera asked about Sapphire’s brother she really didn’t know what she expected the answer to be. “Oh wow.” she said and blinked a few times, unsure how to react to information like that. She knew she had her own issues with her family and how she was raised, and that her parents didn’t speak to any of their extended family. But at least attempted murder was never involved as far as she knew. “There are plenty of drummers who sing.” she offered. “Not me, but they’re out there.” Vera added quickly with a smile. She could carry a tune if she tried but singing just wasn’t something she enjoyed. Besides she liked being at the back of the stage. “Well music is known to be a pretty good medicine. I hope it treats him well.” she said genuinely.

 

[Sapphire Michaels]

Sapphire laughed lightly. "Well to be fair, strong multi-talented forces of nature trump singing drummers," she grinned, locking her hands behind her head. "Leo seems reasonable enough but anyone that can deal with the other two must have super patience or something," She laughed, having never taken Asher or Delaney seriously. "I'm hoping my brothers' new french boy treats him well. Be a shame to have to go to France just to bash his face in." She joked lightly. "I'd invite you in for a drink but I've probably stolen enough of your time. How's your time?" She asked, wondering how long Vera had left before she needed to go.

 

[Vera Ito]

Vera grinned. “You may be on to something there.” she said thoughtfully. “Leo is a pro that’s for sure.” she laughed. It felt a little weird to about her band mates with, more or less, a stranger. But she was also amused that other people could pick up on the dynamic between them. “Well whatever happens he’s lucky to have you.” Vera said sincerely before being reminded of the time. “Oh right?” she mumbled before checking the time for herself. She swore under her breath, she still had time to get where she was going but it was much later then she had expected it to me. ”I actually do have to get going. But you should keep playing, even if it’s just for you.” she said earnestly as she started to walk down the road. “I’m sure I’ll see you around, don’t be afraid to say hi at the next show.” she added before waving goodbye.