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onepromise[Thank goodness for the Shinkansen.
Otherwise, Mai highly doubts she would have slummed it on a local train for almost half a day just to spend some time in Tokyo. As it is, she hardly bothers venturing to the capital city if it doesn't involve anything school-related-- and even then, she's the last person to be excited about participating in the first place. She far prefers her home campus in Kyoto to the sister-school where, unfunnily enough, her own sister attends. Just the thought of being in the same city as Maki annoys her to no end, but Mai takes mild comfort knowing that whatever plans she has wouldn't have interested her musclehead sister, anyway.
She won't admit it out loud, but the best part of today's trip is the fact that it doesn't involve school, or curses, or anything relating the life she was unfortunately born into and forced to remain in. Pretending to be utterly normal, even if for a day, is a luxury not meant for someone like her-- yet here she is curled up in her train seat and watching the world rush by, just like everyone else.
Of all of the impulsive decisions that she's made, this one might prove to be one of the very few that don't crumble into something wholly disappointing. Or, well, a girl can certainly wish.
At some point in their planning, Mai had insisted on meeting up at some karaoke joint-- Nana made no mention of any upcoming shows she'd be performing at, but Mai would be damned if she went back home without finding out if the woman was all-talk about her record deal and star talent. In another life, Mai might've been the type to join a group of girlfriends for singing as soon as the last school bell sounded. In this life, though, she's rubbing elbows with someone almost-famous, hundreds of miles away from home. She could do a whole lot worse for herself (and certainly has before).
She's reluctant to admit when she's lost, but it's obvious enough when she shows up a bit late to their hangout that Mai fumbled the directions along the way. Embarrassing. The excuse of not being all that familiar with the city is tidy enough and it's the truth, but Mai is still annoyed-- half with herself, and half with the city of Tokyo in general. When she spots Nana lingering outside of the building, she makes a half-decent effort to smooth the scowl from her face before approaching her side.]
These streets are so annoying. I don't know how anyone could get used to living here.
[As she speaks this brusque "greeting" of hers, Mai fishes around in her tote bag before pulling out a small box of a regional confection from her hometown. Without fanfare, she holds the gift out to Nana in the hopes that she'll do Mai the favor of taking it off of her hands.]
This was my friend's idea. Keep it, or give it away. I won't care either way, really.
[A lie; Momo might have been the one to insist on her bringing along a souvenir from Kyoto, but Mai is the one holding the box and the expectation of approval. A hereditary trait she loathes, honestly.]
So, what are the odds of this place having any of your originals to sing along to?
Otherwise, Mai highly doubts she would have slummed it on a local train for almost half a day just to spend some time in Tokyo. As it is, she hardly bothers venturing to the capital city if it doesn't involve anything school-related-- and even then, she's the last person to be excited about participating in the first place. She far prefers her home campus in Kyoto to the sister-school where, unfunnily enough, her own sister attends. Just the thought of being in the same city as Maki annoys her to no end, but Mai takes mild comfort knowing that whatever plans she has wouldn't have interested her musclehead sister, anyway.
She won't admit it out loud, but the best part of today's trip is the fact that it doesn't involve school, or curses, or anything relating the life she was unfortunately born into and forced to remain in. Pretending to be utterly normal, even if for a day, is a luxury not meant for someone like her-- yet here she is curled up in her train seat and watching the world rush by, just like everyone else.
Of all of the impulsive decisions that she's made, this one might prove to be one of the very few that don't crumble into something wholly disappointing. Or, well, a girl can certainly wish.
At some point in their planning, Mai had insisted on meeting up at some karaoke joint-- Nana made no mention of any upcoming shows she'd be performing at, but Mai would be damned if she went back home without finding out if the woman was all-talk about her record deal and star talent. In another life, Mai might've been the type to join a group of girlfriends for singing as soon as the last school bell sounded. In this life, though, she's rubbing elbows with someone almost-famous, hundreds of miles away from home. She could do a whole lot worse for herself (and certainly has before).
She's reluctant to admit when she's lost, but it's obvious enough when she shows up a bit late to their hangout that Mai fumbled the directions along the way. Embarrassing. The excuse of not being all that familiar with the city is tidy enough and it's the truth, but Mai is still annoyed-- half with herself, and half with the city of Tokyo in general. When she spots Nana lingering outside of the building, she makes a half-decent effort to smooth the scowl from her face before approaching her side.]
These streets are so annoying. I don't know how anyone could get used to living here.
[As she speaks this brusque "greeting" of hers, Mai fishes around in her tote bag before pulling out a small box of a regional confection from her hometown. Without fanfare, she holds the gift out to Nana in the hopes that she'll do Mai the favor of taking it off of her hands.]
This was my friend's idea. Keep it, or give it away. I won't care either way, really.
[A lie; Momo might have been the one to insist on her bringing along a souvenir from Kyoto, but Mai is the one holding the box and the expectation of approval. A hereditary trait she loathes, honestly.]
So, what are the odds of this place having any of your originals to sing along to?
no subject
Date: 2025-03-22 02:36 am (UTC)When the song begins, Mai makes herself still, her breaths as quiet and as slow as she can manage. There isn't the excitement of a proper audience to overpower her nerves or drown out her presence in their commotion, so she can feel the thrum of the guitar and the rhythm of the drums more strongly than she expected to. It is, of course, nowhere near as intense as she imagines it would be in a real venue, with Nana's real bandmates setting the scene for her voice to truly stand out.]
'Furueteru kuchibiru
Heya no katasumi de I cry...'
[Oh.
Even without the stage, the band, the audience-- everything melts away as Nana throws herself into the music, her music. That earlier warm-up, though impressive, feels like a silly little exercise in preparation for this. Mai had hardly understood the words of that western song, but these lyrics grab her immediately in their moodiness, only heightened by the way Nana sings-- the way she's done countless times, surely.
Mai feels her chest tighten when the chorus hits, and she can't say completely what exactly draws such a reaction from her. Is it Nana's impassioned vocals, hauntingly impressive in its raspiness? Or maybe it's the melancholy dripping from the lyrics, the desperation of wanting someone and the praying that they won't abandon you the moment you reach out for them with everything you have... ]
'I wanna need your love...'
[By the time Nana is in the midst of singing the second pre-chorus, a few faces peer into the window of their room to see exactly who is singing so enthusiastically right now, to the song from a band with more than a few scandals under their belt.
It couldn't be Nana Osaki, one girl seems to mutter to her friend, as she tries to get a better look in the dimly lit room. But with Nana mostly turned away from them, all they have to go off of is the dark hair and stylish clothes on a slender young woman. A wannabe, maybe? But not with a voice like that... ]
'Nobody can save me
Kogoeru bara no you ni'
'Yasashiku nemuritai my tears...'
[And Mai isn't even paying them any mind, herself already sucked in right as the chorus strikes again.]
no subject
Date: 2025-03-31 03:17 am (UTC)yet as she went on singing, hitting each word with as much passion and gumption as before, she found herself comfortable on the little stage she had made. whatever worries and insecurities were floating back into her mind were slowly drifting away. anyone who knew her, as a person and listened to those lyrics would realize the full extent of nana. that behind that cool exterior and fashionable aura, was a woman riddled with a need to love and be loved. she had shut herself off for so long, for so many years that the idea of wanting love had been so gone from her but now it was the only thing still driving her to keep a connection with others.
finally, as she reached that last bridge with the distorted voice [normally in the released version of the song], she turned towards mai and stared at her intently— )
'Nobody can love me
Nobody can help me
I'm a broken rose'
( then came the last chorus with the gaggle of on-lookers still whispering and ogling someone they thought was nana, but weren't quite sure of it. )
no subject
Date: 2025-04-04 05:23 am (UTC)'I'm just a little girl / who can't stop the tears'
She's lived those words intimately, hasn't she? And she sings them in a way that Mai could only dream of, in a way that could truly speak to others rather than keep them at arm's length. A rose that's too thorny is awfully lonely, isn't it?]
...I take back what I said. You're the real deal, Nana.
[Normally, getting kind words out of Mai is like pulling teeth, but this time, she doesn't resist telling Nana exactly what she thinks. And she knows well enough that Nana would survive just fine whether or not she got this compliment. If she was aiming for the top, she'd need a will of steel that would keep her going no matter what kind of muck she'd have to wade through for the world to see her shine. Goodness knows that there's plenty of it, already.
The crowd around the window has grown too obvious to ignore, and Mai shoots them a testy look before crossing her arms and looking back up at Nana.]
Guess the audience out there is thinking the same. Want me to do something about them?
[Mai doubts that Nana wants to field any fan interactions, right now.]
no subject
Date: 2025-04-14 05:24 pm (UTC)she turned briefly, placing down the mic onto the table and began to reach for a bite of the food that had been brought earlier. she remained silent for now, opting to eat as she looked at mai with a soft face before her eyes skirted towards the door to see the crowd of eyes looking in on them. )
Sure, go nuts. If you do a good job I might even consider hiring you as my personal body guard.
( it's a soft joke meant to sway away the intense feelings she felt now— it was a strange thing to be complimented, to boast about her talents in such a way. she wasn't quite proud of doing this now and while mai had pushed her, she wasn't sure if this was a good idea.
nana had never been too good at being prideful all things considered. )
Just make sure they don't get in here, would hate for this to end up on some cheesy tabloid.