Complete Private Start Over

[Fiora Di Angelo]

 SOMEWHERE IN AN APARTMENT IN CALIFORNIA

 @Lune | @Luthien

Their morning had been spent, where it became a monotone back and forth between the front door and her 'new' room. A mercy she quite didn't want to accept, as the distance between herself and her family didn't seem to grow any thinner given her responsibilities, and yet... It was a start.

Hard to swallow-kinda pill, yet the efforts out of Dayeon and Val gave her the strength to keep her back straight when carrying her gaming setup to her new little pocket inside the building. She wasn't one to package too many things, but among the most noticeable there were spreadsheets for her own plays and, most recognizable of all, a small, orb-shaped little drone with a helix at it's top. Perhaps far more striking to Val than Dayeon; One of Ronja's little bots, lacking in all the fancy movement and clockwork that the actual Aidlings had, fit more to be a toy than anything else, piled among many blueprints hand-made by the pinkette herself.

"I'd say that's the last one... Yeah, yeah it is." Nico sighed off, dusting off her coat as she flopped down on the floor right next to a chaotic stack of boxes full of clothes, the very bulk of her belongings really, and the only thing to really call 'hers', "So this is that bullcrap you all been working on, huh?" Breathy, her chest heaving desperately to catch her second wind, voice inquisitive as usual but not without a smirk to add charm to the abrasive icebreaker, "Only missin' Ronja and we have a whole gang here. You did tell her about this all didn't you, Val?" Of course she would, because she herself hasn't, having let assumptions take the reins for that matter.

Pushing herself back up from the floor, Nico closed the distance towards Dayeon, wagging a finger right on the idol's face, "Bitch, you and Val got a lot to discuss with me. There's a lot of crap we haven't been talking about and it's high time we sit down and act like grown ups." Her frown softens, taken back by the memories of their recent fumble, giving a side-glance back at Valeria then over to abs-idol "We can't have what happened in MIT again." Selective with her words, if anything because there were still many incognitas here yet to be answered.

Did Dayeon go as far as to hide the truth of her death? Of the sacrifice they performed where Luthien's couldn't see and the only ones to tell the tale were four of them? And yet previous experience made her skeptical about the truth being a part of this. They had proven to be deceitful enough to get her panties in a twist before, yet in her gaze there is a lack of filter and the clear expectation to bring things out to the light.

"Let's leave my stuff here and go elsewhere, I'm starving. Could use for some indonesian food."

 

[Lune]

"Well, that's all done in one day."

Dayeon, sporting a brand new look for the upcoming Slime Girls Reunion Project, was dressed in a simple crop tank top, shorts, and a pair of white Crocs. She took off her snapback hat and wiped the sweat off her forehead. It was a miracle that they hadn't collapsed, considering they had been working since morning.

It would be great if Ari were helping, but the man has been too busy lately. Perhaps overworking was in their DNA.

"Bitch, you and Val got a lot to discuss with me. There's a lot of crap we haven't been talking about and it's high time we sit down and act like grown ups."

Sighing, the idol leaned on the plain wall while fanning herself with her hand, her glistening abs looked like it was trying to intimidate Nico. "I thought we had an unspoken rule not to bring anything TS-related here? Is it just me?" She turned her head towards Valeria while shrugging, knowing she would agree with the oreo idol. "Part of being a grown-up is to bury stuff deep inside, you know."

Maybe there's no harm in just some discussion. They had time to heal after everything that happened, after all. "Now?" She quickly turned towards the door, "Alright, at least let me grab my jacket first. I'm drenched."

 

[Luthien]

  

 Valeria Marie López Morelli
 

Breakfast wasn’t a meal she often had, but today Val was glad she’d taken the extra time to do so. The task of moving in was always an exhausting one and, even with friends willing to lend a hand, it always took a toll.

"I swear to the Alfather… " She’d never subscribed to any of the religions available in their reality, and referencing the Yladian deity had become second nature by now for the blonde. Thankfully their monicker was common enough that it’d be hard for others to immediately link it to a singular illegal VRMMO. "None of you are allowed to move anywhere for the next decade."

There were aches in places she had forgotten it was possible to feel discomfort in as she picked a spot of her own to lay down on the floor, but the fact they’d managed to assemble the IKEA bed, dresser, and nightstand combo for Nico’s room was a positive testament of the current state of their relationship to one another.

"You did tell her about this all didn't you, Val?" An eyebrow raised high into the air upon hearing Nico’s question, the blonde rolling to her side and propping her body up with the aid of her upper arm despite its own silent protests. "Damn, don’t tell me the in-game brain damage is seeping into IRL Nico now… did you forget I asked both of you about it that day?"

It seemed the pinkette was on a roll today however as her attention turned towards the idol in the room. "I thought we had an unspoken rule not to bring anything TS-related here? Is it just me?" A light shrug was the only thing Val offered her unnie in return. If Dayeon had thought the blonde would back her up on this she was about to be disappointed.

Unless the siblings had gone behind her back she couldn’t remember such a rule being made as part of the conditions to move in, and a large part of her own motivation to get everyone together within the same zipcode was the quiet fear of one of them finally reaching the accursed third in-game death… with Ari and Dayeon being the most likely to achieve the unwanted milestone first.

That said, Val wasn’t gonna force any of them to discuss TerraSphere if they didn’t want to.

"Wait, we’re not actually going out out though… right?" She wasn’t exactly feeling like being around strangers after the moving workout they’d gone through, but Nico’s apartment unit still wasn’t in good condition to host people. "We can just DoorDash something over, and eat at either of our places—"

Indonesian food was the last thing Val would’ve ever thought the pinkette would actually ask for, and she made no effort to hide the quizzical look in her face as the blonde reached for her own jacket. "Since when do you crave Indonesia? I thought you’d ask for some spaghetti or fettuccine to insult your ancestors when you cut it with a knife."

@Dee | @Nico

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Nico Bellantoni

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‎

"Hey now, don't put the blame on me, YOU asked for this one, chief." She jabbed a finger in Val's direction, the sudden twitch on her hand purposeful to add intensity behind that gesture, "I figure Dayeon had to be dragged here too. Imagine having to live near you and Ari, I would go crazy-crazy." Yet confusion follows these words as she takes a mental step back- Allfather she said? "Believing in fake religions now? Hello? Is this Luthien now?" She grinned, turning her attention back to the idol, only for her neck to crank back at the jab coming from the latina.

Oh she couldn't let that slip, not without stomping her way forward with an all too prideful smirk on her face, revitalized from their IKEA nightmare of earlier with newfound spite to work as fuel now, "Well you see, I might be brain damaged but..." She bit down her tongue, a 'tsk!' following afterwards. All the will, but no ammo to shoot with regardless of how many times she presses the trigger, "Alright FINE, I forgot, fuck you Val, I can't remember every important detail myself, that's why we are friends aren't we?"

A scowl follows as she switches targets back to the idol, this stupidly intimidating idol with too much of a physique, like she belongs in some bodybuilding competition rather than in this videogame drama they partake in. She looked her up and down, appreciative had she not open her mouth about unspoken rules that Val clearly had no footing on apparently.

"Yeah I agree, but guess what, grown-ups usually do not have to go through world ending situations with fucking robots and magic, so I'd say the circumstances call for a little bit of talkin' so we can, y'know, work together and not get any of us killed?" Arms folded against her bossom, gaze darting down to Dayeon's abs, flashing her teeth almost in a mixture of disgust and annoyance all at once, "Cover that up, slut, this ain't a slime girl show- Which by the way you owe me some VIP tickets or whatever you all use for your next event." As much of a statement as it was a plea, in the only way she knew how to: Aggressively.

"Wait, we’re not actually going out out though… right?"
"I mean-" A cursory glance across her room only proved the silent point made; This place looked like dogshit right now compared to theirs, "Yeah I guess we can DoorDash it and go to your or Dayeon's place." She nodded to herself a few times, gleeful smile setting up as Valeria asked just what she wanted her to ask, taking the answer straight out of her mind's backpocket,

"Ain't it obvious? I want to celebrate the Slime Girls Reunion! What better way to than with indonesian cuisine? This is probably the best thing to happen this whole year- Well, second thing but still!"

@Luthien | @Lune

 

[Lune]

She wasn't at all weirded by the Alfather reference, knowing how much Val has been saying it as Luthien all this time. The pinkette's comment on it was actually funnier to take a jab at, "All religions are made up by humans." The idol shrugged. "We're just lucky their gods are kinda local." Gods stuck in a cloud server somewhere, heh.

As the irritated Nico told her to cover up, at it did was to make Dayeon's smirk even wider. "Now you're just being jealous of the result of my extremely hard work." Those are, after all, the abs that secured a plethora of sports brand deals.

"VIP stuff I gotta ask Katya. She's funding basically everything, I've seen the numbers and you could probably buy a small nation with that expense."

Maybe Dayeon was being hyperbolic, maybe she was not. Who knows.

She was gonna turn toward the door before stopping, looking back at Nico with raised eyebrows. "Aren't you supposed to support your favorite artist by buying our ticket instead?" It's not like Ari wouldn't literally just book those two the VIP tickets for free, knowing him.

"My place, then. We can order and eat while listening to some unreleased samples. Let's go." Dayeon opened the door to exit Nico's apartment while opening the app to remotely turn on the AC in her room as she waited for the others. And when they all left, they made their way towards the elevator.

"... Exactly, Val. Why Indonesian, specifically? I'm Korean. The group's K-pop, and none of us are from Southeast Asia."

Mako's Japanese, Ekaterina's Russian, Xiaolung's Chinese, and Almira's South African. Unless Nico's been inhaling some hallucinogen and thought there was a sixth member. Hawaii was so long ago that she had forgotten that when Nico's around, the idol has to spend double the brainpower to predict how the pinkette's thoughts actually work.

 

[Luthien]

 Valeria Marie López Morelli
 

"YOU asked for this one, chief."
"I know, I know… kinda second guessing myself already too."

That gremlin-y smirk on her lips contradicted her whispered commentary, an expression Nico hadn’t seen for a while now but one the pinkette knew well—both in-game and out. "Aren’t all religions fake ones? Just like the way this one rolls off the tongue I guess." Conspicuous enough to be used out of the game too, and it wasn’t probably common enough even among TerraSphere players—most tended to focus on fights and the actions rather than learning more about the cultures and myths surrounding the various Lander races.

A shame really, there was so much lore left to uncover…

Her unnie’s added commentary received a thumbs up from the blonde, before a quick "Oh shit—" escaped her as Nico shot back up onto her feet. Val knew a nerve had been struck when the pinkette made sure to stomp her way over towards the blonde that had now sat up herself.—words firing off one after the other, but the grin on Val’s face only widened as Nico quickly ran out of ammo.

"I can't remember every important detail myself, that's why we are friends aren't we?"
"Of course, I remember the lore and you bring the violence~"

Part of her was glad Nico had turned her focus on Dayeon next, since it meant the pinkette hadn’t glimpsed happiness and relief clearly displayed on her face or the quiet chuckle her hand covered up when Nico had verbally admitted they were still friends.

"Teach me your secrets unnie~" While none of them were truly out of shape there was no denying that the idol had put in a lot of work when it came to her physique—understandably so given the taxing nature of her career choice.

"I wouldn’t say owed, but… gotta back up Nico on this one." It was comical to witness Nico ask for something, her aggressive nature always at the forefront regardless of the request. "Concert tickets were already tough enough to buy before y’all disbanded... I bet it’s gonna be hell getting them once the dates are set and ticket sales go live."

Not only would they have to fight other Slime Girls fans for them, but the game between scalpers and online ticketing websites persisted despite attempts made to stomp them out. "Not for free of course, but I'd rather make sure the money goes towards you guys instead of some asshole’s pocket y’know?"

Her own jacket was picked up as they headed for the door, phone in her other hand as she scrolled through the available Indonesian options before stopping on one that looked good enough to the blonde.

"I want to celebrate the Slime Girls Reunion! What better way to than with indonesian cuisine?"
"Why Indonesian, specifically? I'm Korean. The group's K-pop, and none of us are from Southeast Asia."

Amusement lit up her gaze, making her eyes sparkle like a pair of pink spinel jewels as she glanced from Nico to Dayeona and back. Her laughter could no longer be contained as the elevator arrived, a merry sound that accompanied them as they stepped into the lift together.

"Check it out Dee, this bitch decided to assume you’re Indonesian~" A soft jab was given to the side of her unnie ass she spoke, before her phone was lightly tossed over for Nico to catch. "You pick from the menu first, I wanna see what Indonesian food you actually know."

@Dee | @Nico

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Nico Bellantoni

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‎

"Of course, I remember the lore and you bring the violence~"
"You are goddamn right." A loud smirk plasted on her face, pride swelling up her chest a little.

Nico was this close to respond back that smarty-pants attitude coming from Dayeon, her expression pretty much a tell of how much she wished to clap back, yet to do so was to fall into a trap, and that? That was not Nico Bellantoni's style. She shut her mouth instead and dismissed her off with a wave.

"Her secret? Toxic industry I bet. It's just some abs anyways..." She shrugged, half-lid, glassy eyes completely focused on these abs like she was about to make a review out on them, uncaring of the buzz on her ears, at least until the unimaginable happened and she had to double check with a quirked up brow and a dramatic turn of her head-

Val? Siding with her for once..? And her reasoning wasn't just logical, but even better than her own. Sensitive would be the right word, "Yeah Dayeon, I'm already supporting you with the merch, I can't do all at once you know? Besides it's not like you can't ask 'em for two extra tickets. We are your besties even," Nico leaned over, wrapping an arm over Val's shoulder as she shot a smile back at the idol. "We can also buy one for Ari I guess, but that man's a corpse at this point."

A hand reached out for her phone as she walked along behind Dayeon. Was this how it felt to be the superior fan? It had to be, the dumb smile on her face just didn't wipe itself clean, not knowing a lot of that unreleased bangers were a few minutes away from blessing her ears with eastern melodies.

Dayeon was quick to throw off her haphazardly put-together information. That much she could handle, but Valeria chirped in no soon after and she felt the pressure pile up just then, her face going beaty red, eyes tracking back and forth between both of them as the pinkette rushed into the lift.

"L-listen, MAYBE you have an indonesian cousin, what the hell do I know?" Even that felt like a weak comeback, all bark but no weight, embarassingly so, yet before she could answer Val had risked her phone by throwing it over, with the saving grace being instinct forcing Nico's hand to reach out and catch it mid-air flawlessly.

Suspiciously so in fact, enough so to have her double-take if this hand belonged to heri n the first place, but she had no time to question it, not when blonde over here is pressuring her to find a meal to match.

"UuUUHH..." Nico scrolled up and down, finally tapping away at the one with a name that vaguely felt like a good fit, "Me...Melayu? Yeah I wanna have that."

@Luthien | @Lune

 

[Lune]

With the demand for the free VIP seat increasing, all Dayeon could do was to exhale in defeat. "Like I said, I'll ask Katya. Her word is final." She did think that the Russian woman would easily grant their request without any further thought."I think you got along with her, didn't you, Val?" She turned to the blonde.

The idol could only laugh as both Val and her cornered Nico on her lack of knowledge (despite being a self-proclaimed Dayeon fan). "What you should know is not to assume based on racial features." She shrugged before actually adding useful information. "No Indonesian cousin. Ari and I are both Koreans, with some Japanese mixed in and a little bit of Chinese."

After Pinkette added a food that she couldn't even pronounce correctly to the cart, Dayeon grabbed the phone from her with a mocking chuckle as the lift door opened on her apartment floor. "I'll have the Selam Pempek, tried that one at a random hawker when I was there. And we can split the Chicken Satay with peanut sauce."

She passed the phone back delicately to the owner as they walked to her room. Tapping the keycard, the electronic lock beeped, and then the idol pushed the door to reveal the apartment. "Welcome. Also, take those shoes and slipper off." The woman pointed to their feet.

Closing the door behind them, she then guided them towards the studio room that was on the other side, where everything was soundproofed and designed to have the best acoustics possible.

"And here we are, where the magic happens."

 

[Luthien]

 Valeria Marie López Morelli
 

Just some abs she says… She didn’t miss the way Nico’s eyes remained focus on them as she moved the conversation along, a faint snicker escaping as Val decided to grant the pinkette one(1) mercy.

"Y’know how it is, hard to deter him once he gets an idea inside that skull of his." It seems the workaholic gene was shared between Hispanics and Asians alike, and she knew better than to try and pull Ari out of whatever current hyper fixation he was going through. "Though he wouldn’t miss it for anything in the world."

A nod was given as her unnie confirmed she’d speak with Katya about this, the grin still present as she spoke of their brief meeting a few weeks back. "Confirmed she’s not known as the Ice Queen for nothing, but we had a good time. It’ll be nice seeing Katya again~" It had made her more curious about the rest of the Slime Girls too, but she wasn’t about to bother Dayeon about it when the group was so busy working on their return to the stage.

"L-listen, MAYBE you have an indonesian cousin, what the hell do I know?"

Raised eyebrows and laughter continued inside the elevator as Nico stuck her foot into her mouth further, the blonde forced to wipe tiny tears from the corners of her eyes as the elevator came to a stop. "Who knows unnie, maybe you both do and they just haven’t taken a 23&Me DNA test yet." It was amazing how a choice done on a whim had revealed more than any of them had expected.

Nico’s choice surprised her a bit, though Valeria had to admit it sounded delicious, and her unnie had also picked excellent options as the phone was returned back to its owner. "Making that two Chicken Satay, they caught my attention from the get-go, and I’ll have a Borneo with flat rice noodles." Her gaze shifted to the bottom of the menu where the drinks were located, curious about the selection as Dayeon opened the door to her unit.

"Look™, I know the rules." She had already kicked one sneaker off when the idol turned towards them, tongue sticking out before she nodded in Nico’s direction. "She’s the one that needs a reminder every time."

Her shoes were neatly lined by the entrance before following behind her unnie, her phone flipped towards Dayeon as she called out. "Hey Dee, do you think their milk tea is good?" The teh tarik had caught her attention, not to mention that neither of the other two had selected drinks of their own.

"Now this is a studio~" The room had already been decked out with the newest and latest stuff, Ari had made sure of it, but Dayeon had slowly added her own touch here and there as she made it her own.

@Dee | @Nico

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Nico Bellantoni

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‎

"Fine fine, Val can go and bribe Katya here while I wait for her to show up with two tickets." Finally Nico gave up, letting what she had to say swim in her thoughts instead, such as her envy that Valeria of all people got to meet the Ice Queen. Like she wasn't her top 1 fan too... And every Slime Girls really.

She squints, her eyes darting back and forth between blonde and oreo as Ari keeps being brought up so... Casually? Given the past there should at least be some kind of weird itch behind their voices at least, or so she expected, "What does Ari gotta do with this though huh?" A hum followed her words, suspicion made clear as her eyes dig deeper into Val, the one she expects to break first compared to the idol. "Bitch stop laughing I mean it! I didn't know he was korean either! Thought he was... Greek." Power depleted at that last word, bashful all of a sudden.

She kept looking over to the flickering light, praying for it to finally stop to get her out of this cage of torment built out of her own stupid mouth, and she would be the first to storm out of it, only stopping at the locked door, giving room for Dayeon to catch up and open it up.

Perhaps the Idol could read her throughfuly, as one step forth proved her intent, and the second was halted entirely at her command to take her shoes off, doing so with a groan and huff to match,

"Hey I actually went to visit a friend in Japan okay? Didn't have to tell me to follow her rules though. Was scared shitless of embarassing her boyfriend at the time." She smirked, stepping out of her shoes without even bothering to untie the laces.

Nico nodded a few times over Val's words, giving some gesture-based feedback as the puerto rican voiced out her own, "Pretty good. We could probably play something ourselves one day. If I can fit a wholeass piano through your front door." She snorted, a faint chuckle tried to come to life, yet this time it was forceful. The kind either of them can tell tried to loosen up whatever was running through her head at the moment.

Which they found out soon enough as she wiped the smile from her face into a thin line, eyes cast on both of them, naturally skeptical, unamused in the way one becomes when talking business matters with their partners.

"We all did our own bullshit after Camp Hope, and now?" Stillness in her voice to match her avatar's tempo, making up the lack of her tempered ire with raw emotion, "We all are one step closer to UI-locking. I accepted that we can't avoid some outcomes, we gonna bite the dust at some point. But what happened in that lab..?" Spite underlying her words, as she knew very well who to point fingers to, and none of them were in this room to make themselves responsible for it, "Dayeon, lying ain't getting us anywhere. We both died, Yugam died, Ronja died. We did our job, but you exploding us all to spawn feels like a shonen last resort, and thank fuck Val wasn't there or she would have bitten it too I bet."

"I'm glad we had it, really, you saved us all." That much she had to make clear at least, "But this feels like it could have been avoided if we didn't start to play fucking solo leveling while Val and Ari went have their couple's honeymoon in Vintergard doing who the fuck knows what to find out Szofrit is just a misunderstood non-chalant with daddy issues."

@Luthien | @Lune

 

[Lune]

"Hm? If Ari's not Indonesian, then neither am I. That's how that works." With one eyebrow raised in confusion, a realization suddenly came to the idol's head. "Wait... I assumed that you told her. Did you not?" She turned the blonde about the news that apparently wasn't that well-known.

As Val showed her the drink selections on her phone, she looked at it for two seconds before nodding. "Milk tea is always solid. I remember Teh Tarik is just a more frothy one. Order one for me, too." She closed the studio door, and now they could really feel how well-designed the acoustics in this room were. No echoes, no sound leaks, just peace.

At least until Nico quickly brought up what happened in a completely different tone than the last. "Really? We're doing this now?" Couldn't she even wait for the food? Exhaling, Dayeon made her way towards the studio PC, clicking on some available tracks. "Sigh, at least let me play some music."

The background track that played shortly was pretty chill, almost lo-fi with no vocals yet. Perhaps with this, she could set the tone to be calmer. The idol motioned for them to sit on the sofa in the corner.

"If any of you knew too early, I just know that you were gonna hit me with the `There's other way` stuff." She pushed a swivel chair and sat there, across the pair. "I'm an idol, Nico. Lying is my second nature. If my lies make people happy, then that's it."

Yes, perhaps they could be more united. But so much bad stuff happened after Camp Hope that affected everyone. "All of us were in a really bad spot. We all needed time, we needed space. It was not going to be better if we were to just go together, only to debate and disagree about methods. No planning was gonna prepare us for players still going against us to defend Szofrit for whatever reason."

She nodded once, exhaling before letting out stern words. "No, I don't think we could have avoided it, sorry." Her eyes then went from Valeria, slowly towards Nico as she expressed regret for having to pull out that stunt. "I do still have to apologize. Sorry for killing Yugam, for killing you, and for killing Ronja."

"But I had to do that. I knew how it felt to see your loved ones being controlled as a weapon against their will. It was better than leaving any risk for Szofrit to take control of people you care about."

It would have been easier if none of Kenji had been intact anymore. But he called her name. He asked for help.

"I killed mine. I don't want you to experience the same."

 

[Luthien]

 Valeria Marie López Morelli
 

"Whatcha mean, why wouldn't he be invol—" Laughter interrupted her words as she caught the tail end of Nico’s statement, one hand covering her mouth as her arm wrapped over her abdomen in a vain attempt to contain it. "Pffft, girl he was adopted by Greeks… that doesn’t mean he shares their blood now."

An elevator ride had never been better, a shame really that it had come to an end so quickly.

"Nao, right?" She had heard of their adventurous trip from Ari once, and knew how fond her boyfriend was of the woman in Japan. Last she’d heard it seemed Nao had stopped playing TerraSphere entirely—a good thing really—due to business picking up for her online storefront. "I’m jelly, Japan is beautiful and it sounds like y'all had a really good time~"

However Nico’s piercing gaze hadn’t left her since they’d entered Dayeon’s apartment, and with every moment that passed the blonde could feel her nerves rising. She wasn’t sure why the pinkette was so focused on her out of nowhere, until her unnie’s words finally shed some light into the mystery.

"Yeah, I did—oooh..." She had not. Right, it’s was during that time, wasn’t it? They hadn’t been talking then and, between one thing and another, she had forgotten to tell Nico—and Ronja now that she thought about it—about the unexpected discovery two 23&Me tests had revealed.

"S-So we all uuhm did one of those DNA tests," she began, a nervous chuckle escaping as she put Nico up to speed with the situation. "Mine found out shit of course, but turns out Ari and Dayeon are related…"

A glance was given towards the idol, she could finish the sentence if she wanted to. "Same parents, I'm the older sister. Small world, right?"

"Right, two milk teas then… you want one too, Nico?" A third one was added regardless of the pinkette’s answer, though she would also order whatever drink Nico mentioned if it turned out to be different from the milk tea. "They have iced lemon tea too."

For a moment things took a turn into somber territory, one that Dayeon managed to lighten up with some lo-fi tunes in the background. Valeria found a swivel chair of her own, wrapping up their order as she listened to the idol speak.

She shook her head softly as Dayeon apologized, after all the idol hadn’t forced any of them to stick around for her own stunt. No, each one of them had made their own choices time and time again, ready to accept the consequences that might come as a result... and she had never hated any of them for it.

@Dee | @Nico

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Nico Bellantoni

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‎

Eyes sharp like a knife post-whetstone, her glare shifted between both of them once Dayeon made it clear there was more to it than just a random mention. It was enough to set aside Nao's existence aside, or the fact she wanted to brag about being first to something Val hasn't, since she has been beating her in the 'meeting idols' department.

Her predictions were right as the not-indonesian idol supported her by pushing the blonde under a figurative bus, literal if Nico had a driver's license. She could sniff the nerves outta Val right now as she explained in a far more composed manner than expected, and only then did her gaze soften, growing wider, perplexed.

And then it went back to Dayeon. And then back at Val. And then back to Dayeon as she bit down her tongue and it was her turn to feel the heat of second-hand embarassment paint her cheeks red.

"...That's so messed up. Like damn I don't wanna say anything anymore couse it's rude to Val here," And that much took an herculean effort on it's own as she struggled to keep her raw thoughts in her head. "See what I mean though? This-" Index fingers pointing down, giving light taps into the air, "Is the kind of dysfunctional shit not talking causes." Her voice cracks with exhaustion, a mix between the physical effort they all three been through earlier and the now mental one to pick at Dayeon's words.

"Milk tea's fine, thanks." Her back propped against one of the walls, arms folded against her chest, "Killing shit is how I solve things Dayeon, and as far as I see it? I never been wrong about it, it's damn effective, so even if there was any other way I wouldn't have taken it." She shrugs, eyes momentarily landing on Valeria as the blonde came to mind about it; Always willing to look for a better alternative - The one thing they would never agree on, it seems.

"Trust me when I tell you I was going to kill Ronja myself if she threatened any of you.." Calllous words she could barely force out of her throat, repulsive of that train of thought but willing to swallow that pill despite the bad aftertaste it carries. "dead or alive, Szofrit was a goner, and I'm glad you blew the fuck up with her. Don't apologize when we all knew the risks, it was all in our cards." At least she knew Ronja wouldn't hold a grudge against the idol for that.

She couldn't either, not when everyone else was at stake and rushed decisions had to be made.

"Maybe it's time you stop thinking like an Idol. There are enough shitters playing this game that sets us back. If we plan to be a bunch of depressed fucks, let's try to stick together while doing so."

@Luthien | @Lune

 

[Lune]

"Is the kind of dysfunctional shit not talking causes."

"We could talk for an eternity and never find out if it wasn't for a random DNA test." In fact, they could have lived in the same apartment until both of them died of old age and never found anything regarding that, considering they didn't recognize each other outside of some vague vibe.

When Nico talked about killing (thankfully in an audioproofed room in a private apartment, otherwise people might misunderstand), she couldn't help but nod in agreement. "I do agree with that. It is not the best way from any angle possible, but it's the one that works there, sadly." While she doesn't like the murderhobo mindset, that other world is worse in terms of kill-or-be-killed. "Sometimes we need results."

It's still some time for their food to be ready and delivered to the door, so she stood up to grab some water bottles from the box in the corner. "It's easy to say that, but life keeps forcing cruel choices." She placed one on the sofa table in front of Val, and then one in front of Nico as she looked at her. "And I'm not the only one who walked away, so you understand where I'm coming from."

"We cannot even settle on one unanimous consensus, like whether to put Szofrit down or leave her alive." Dayeon opened her own water bottle as the idol sat back down, taking a sip before continuing. "Which I have to complain for the last time, bit us in the butt royally." She sighed, knowing that at one point in the future, they'll be at odds during an intersection anyway.

"You can't just choose for everyone. Really, all we can do is to always remember what we are fighting for." The idol shook her head at the inevitability. She didn't want to argue much, and neither did Val, who didn't talk much during this exchange. "No matter the paths, it keeps us united." It's just that all three of them had a lot of baggage to unpack, and it's the only semblance of comfort was to discuss things in a civil manner like this.

As the lo-fi track without a vocal ended, another one played, this time with orchestral strings at the start, reminiscent of classical music. "And now for my second demo track."

 

[Luthien]

 Valeria Marie López Morelli
 

She could almost see the cogs slowly turning inside that thick skilled nogging that housed Nico’s brain, allegedly at least, as the pinkette glanced from Dayeon to her, and back a few times. "Look, I’d offer you a shot of whiskey to drown those thoughts from your head right now, buuut… I don’t think Dee keeps any in stock, right?" It was certainly the type of conversation that went better with some alcohol involved, and one Nico should’ve been part of at the time… but nothing they could do about it now, not like any of them could wind back time and change the past.

"We could talk for an eternity and never find out if it wasn't for a random DNA test."
"If anything I’m the one at fault for that one—the 23 and Me stuff was my idea."

Funny how the biggest surprises could come from the most unexpecting and funny ideas.

A sigh escaped her lips as she looked at the timer of order slowly tick down, it was evident Nico wasn’t gonna wait for their bellies to be full before dragging the elephant that were their issues right into the very center of the room.

"Trust me when I tell you I was going to kill Ronja myself if she threatened any of you." She knew the pinkette meant it too, that was just the way Nico operated—and perhaps the same could be said of Ari and Dayeon too.

The water bottle provided a needed distraction as Val accepted it, quietly uncapping it as she listened to the ongoing conversation. It provided an excuse for her own silence, drawn out sips keeping her mouth too busy to interject herself into the discussion.

However, one thing remained true despite their difference in views—they all wished to stay together, and perhaps it’s thanks to that alone that the wild idea of purchasing a whole apartment building had panned out for the better so far.

"And now for my second demo track."
"W-Wait… that was part of your demos?"

It’s the first thing to finally blurt out of her mouth as she looks at the idol, having thought it was just a random lo-fi track that Dayeon had picked to fill some of the silence behind the heaviness of their words. "Huh... different from the usual, but it’s good." A smile carefully crept back as the second track began, the classical undertones that Valeria could only assume had inspired this one familiar and comforting for the blonde.

@Dee | @Nico

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Nico Bellantoni

‎
‎

"No I don't mean that- Whatever, the point is that you all just don't mention important shit like that ever." A sting in her words, the vigor in her voice toning down, hands pocketed in her pants. If her eyes could turn inwards to stare daggers at herself, she would be doing so right now as every word comes out different, pictured one way only to produce an undesirable variation in practice.

"Haven't we been drowning this enough already?" Dry delivery punctuated by the cold, careless glance darting back at Valeria, akin to a gut punch or a stray shot for a passerby who got caught in the fire of the argument — Then a frown, realization, following the irritated sigh of someone fed up to the limit, both with the topic at hand, and herself, "Sorry..." She started, pushing herself off the wall, reaching over to the water bottle, which couldn't make it past a few inches before she put it back on place, "I could use a shot or two really if that's still on the table." And she could make a joke about not drinking water for long enough that it could cause a chain reaction in her body if she started to now, yet her palate for a pun grew numb at the moment.

The song triggered a pause, changing the ambience a little, sweetening it between the casual ice-breaker Val got to offer and the idol's own mention of the demo. It's only now she felt herself picking up on the track, the conversation having muffled everything else, specially given the tempo behind the lo-fi of earlier, far more like a background static noise against their conversation.

"Feels like it's missing something. The... Dayeon Energy, I suppose. Not bad though, just different." She chirps in, as deep down it felt more like a track out of the idol's avatar rather than herself. Too classic, too different, and as usual with different things, it was difficult to adjust to and accept it.

"I'm not gonna say I got all the answers, but we ain't gonna get nothing done if we split up. Game's meant to be played in groups. No more 'changing names' or hairstyles without telling us all, Dayeon. That goes for all of us, even though I don't think latinx girl here will." She pointed out, nodding over to Valeria, hand resting over the table now, "Which by the way, I still think Moonsong was a cooler name compared to Lune, I think I've seen like three Lunes already at this point, and there's also that Luna we met- Overused as fuck."

@Luthien | @Lune

 

[Lune]

"No liquor here." Alcoholic drink was something she would rather not drink if possible, especially when the mood wasn't even worth celebrating. "If we can't discuss things without alcohol, then perhaps we shouldn't discuss at all." She sighed, pointing at the water bottles.

"Mm, yeah. Most don't have finalized vocals yet, I'm working on it. This one is mostly complete." Dayeon tapped her feet to the rhythm, as a voice that belonged to her filled the room, a low-pitched, soothing vocal accompanied by the regal strings. She wondered how Val would react to this, being a violin player and all.

"What do you mean Dayeon energy? Versatility is my power." She chuckled, turning to Nico. "I don't know when people started associating me with rock, but that's not even my preferred genre."

Listening to the pinkette, she didn't answer with any explicit yes or no; as she found it hard to promise something she can't control. Although her eyes shifted towards Val with raised brows at the mention of latinx. There's no way she would let this one go.

"Hey, I'm not the one running around with a name of a League of Legends champion." Dayeon giggled, quipping back at the playful jab. If there's anyone without a place to speak their opinion about names, it's definitely the pinkette. "I long for a worthy opponent." She mimicked the video game character's voice in a French-sounding accent with hilariously precise accuracy.

The track slowly approached the chorus, and techno beats kicked in, turning the classical backtrack into more of a techno dance. "Wait for the drop." Just a few seconds later, it then became clear which Vivaldi piece the song was sampling as the chorus hits.

Bulgeun ppureun bitna, that's my crown, crown, crown
Snow whispers against the raven's love, love, love
Nae moseup geudaero, not putting me down, down, down
Eoreumcheoreom chagaweodo, I survive.

The chorus part was high-pitched, in contrast to the vocals that came before it. The techno beat didn't stop, but the vocals descended back to Dayeon's usual low, slightly breathy voice as the song entered its second half.

"What do you think? Speaking of, is the food delivery nearby yet?"

 

[Luthien]

 Valeria Marie López Morelli
 

The lack of liquor in Dayeon’s apartment didn’t surprise the blonde, and her unnie raised a valid argument with it. A sympathetic glance was given at Nico, giving the pinkette a silently mouthed later when she looked in her direction, before taking a few long drawn sips from her own water bottle in an attempt to keep herself busy during the exchange.

"I like it… and it wouldn’t be the first time they release something out of their fans’ expectations." The Eden soundtrack was still a source of discord among netizens even up to this day, it seemed people either loved it or hated it—no in-betweens allowed.

"Did you just say Loon?" The matter of Nico’s botched pronunciation was placed in a momentary pause when her unnie brought up League of Legends, a chuckle following as Dayeon mimicked the character with surprising accuracy. "Damn Nico, you’re on a roll today. It’s pronounced Lu-nay—"

And then the pinkette decided to fire a stray shot in her direction, causing the blonde to gag in mocked reaction as she heard Nico say latin-ex in her presence.

"Okay, spit it out, what fucking woke ahh bug nipped your buttcheek last night?"It was almost impressive how the pinkette found new ways to make not only her ancestors, but also those of everyone in her vicinity, roll in their graves. "Moonsong was good, but a bit of a mouthful too."

Her eyes closed as Dayeon warned them of the coming drop in her demo. She focused on the lyrics, the vocals and the strings in as they performed in unison—"Wait… can you rewind that part a bit, Dee?" It had been faint at first, but once she’d heard it Val couldn't tune it out.

"There, do you hear it unnie?" There was a disconnect in the chords between Dayeon’s voice, the violin, and the background tunes as the song picked momentum for the chorus. "You're competing with the violin here instead of harmonizing."

And, just as the idol asked about their food, Val’s phone buzzed with the latest update to their order. "Speak of devil… I’ll go get it." She pocketed her device and headed for the front door, a quick "Don’t you dare play more demos without me!" echoing down the hall as Valeria slipped her sneakers on before heading out the door.

@Dee | @Nico

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Nico Bellantoni

‎

Nico shrugged, her expression making it clear she's between actually arguing that out or letting it slip, with the latter option taking over as Valeria already had thrown the white flag for this one, "Right right, your room your rules, Oreo." Her hand reached over for the bottle once more, confident now on intoxicating her body with the one drink she avoids like a plague.

"You are one to talk for an oreo who shares the same name as a french character too." Her answer padded by a scoff, gesticulating mid-air as if she were calling for the elements within the room to conjure a spell with, "Can't believe you know League though. You don't look like the kind of toxic, grease collector that would play that more like an uhh Stardew Valley or friendslop player. Or maybe a filthy Dota player at best"

The matter of Moonsong VS Lune became serious enough, with Val shooting back a correction that had her squinting the whole way through, the cogs in her brain spinning a little, before shock took reins from the initial whiplash.

"Wait so all this time it wasn't some accent thing for you?! You think it's Lunay?! I thought it was loon like... Looney Tunes?" Voice like nails on a chalkboard, dropping down lower as she mouths a "Lu-nay" to herself, as if tasting the pronunciation only to find her palate completely reject it,

"Okay, spit it out, what fucking woke ahh bug nipped your buttcheek last night?"
"Latin-Ex bug told me it would reaaally annoy you to call you that. I don't subscribe to the logic behind it though, sounds stupid to me, but if it makes you mad I'll take it!"


Up to this point the track had been very uniform. Instrumental wise at least there was a clarity that just felt different to the usual, but not bad enough for her to discard the option entirely out of her tastes. She had enough classical tunes for a lifetime, her ears perking once Dayeon's voice came into the mix, "...I mean you ain't wrong, but it just feels like it lacks somewhere. Maybe Val here's right and you are fisticuffing the violin and this is just the 'Me' way to tell ya' the same: Dayeon Energy."

Speaking of the devil, it had begun to walk off in search of their food, a grin plastered over her face as she bids adieu to Luthien with a wave from her hand.

"Alright now that VALERIA is gone why don't we play the next one?" Making no attempts at secrecy, hoping for the blonde to hear it out.

From a soundproofed room she forgot she is in.

"Okay so the drop convinces me, at least Slime Girls never failed me on that." Nico admitted, eyes set back on Dayeon again, "I think the second half of the song's just better, but that's my personal taste really. I love your voice but I kinda also like when the beat matches the life in it, and slow melodies just ain't my jam for that." Overexposure, fatigue? She could attribute it to many things, "What's gonna be the lore for this one, or are you just gonna make me wait until the MV drops and I gotta figure it out? I'm not too good dissecting lyrics for this stuff."

@Luthien | @Lune

 

[Lune]

She winked at Valeria, knowing well she was talking about the polarizing Eden. "Better do make something that people talk about rather than playing it safe, right?" Sometimes, songs aren't made for the fans.

Her ears perked up at Fiora's mention of the video game that she played. "I played here and there after performing in Worlds." Not a lot of time to game, but she would still fit one or two quick matches with the practice room PC. "Wait, you didn't watch Slime Girls Go Season 3 Episode 4? I demolished some kids in the internet cafe with Irelia." The woman sighed at the mention of the other MOBA, though. "No DOTA, that's Katya's breakfast. My head hurts just looking at her playing."

She didn't comment much on the pronunciation thing, just a little nod. "Lu-nae. Artistic choice."

Val asking to rewind one part was causing her to raise her brows. A specific part wasn't sounding exactly right.

"Is it?" Dayeon walked up to the computer to repeat several times the part where her voice came on in a high note. The harmonization was indeed slightly off, but she couldn't exactly tell why. Her eyes were glued to the timeline, checking the tracks one by one. "Wait a minute... Maybe this should be G# instead of G?" Perhaps if she had shown this to Katya first, she would definitely catch this jarring mix first.

Valeria went to grab the food, so the idol just used this time to fix whatever went wrong. "Well, I'm trying different things. Not a lot of Electronic Dance Classical nowadays." She shrugged, adjusting the knobs on the side of the big table."I'm not half as good as Katya or Xiaolong at producing objectively great tracks, but I think I have the feel whether people will enjoy it or not."

"After all, we can't have a reunion project and still be overshadowed by the new boys on the block, right?" Dayeon turned towards the pinkette, giving her a thumbs up. "It's not that deep, your usual fight song. I'm still negotiating whether Katya would finance the MV since this is for my solo stuff, but I do have storyboards drafted."

She pressed Enter with such force that people might think that the next line that comes out of her mouth is `I'm in.` That part where her voice comes to meet the violin plays again, but this time better.

"There, should be fixed....? Maybe?"