Eri didn't really have any sort of fondness for the club scene. It was loud. Too many flashing disorienting lights. Too many loud noises. Too many sweaty bodies pushing each others in waves of motion leaving little to no room for personal space. It was bad enough that she had to work in that sort of environment but for Nozomi and Nico to drag her here for a so-called "fun-night out"? Eri was resisting the urge to kill her so called 'best-friends'.
"What the hell am I doing here?" Eri moaned, sifting her beverage around in her glass. She didn't even know what she was drinking — just that Nico assured her it was non-alcoholic. Mainly, it tasted like a fizzy cherry juice cider… The moment, if ever, Eri started feeling even the slightest bit woozy, she would stop drinking. She did, after all, have to drive home.
"You are celebrating the successful end of the first semester," Nozomi explained with a teasing grin, lifting her own glass to her lips and taking a sip. She was obviously glowing from the energy in the room. "With your best friends who you have been neglecting as of late!" Nozomi added with a playful frown.
Eri felt a slight pang of guilt at that statement. "I'm sorry. I've just been a bit busy."
"I'm just teasing," Nozomi said. "You know I understand."
Eri smiled. "Did we have to come to a club though? I mean, there are so many other things to do than just sit and drink and talk."
"Well yes," Nozomi rolled her eyes and gestured at Nico. "You'll have to ask Nico for an explanation for this one," Nozomi teased with a sparkle in her eye.
Nico shot a scathing look at Nozomi. "Nozomi, shut up." she said extremely seriously.
Of course, Nozomi didn't. Eri would have questioned Nozomi's sanity had she listened. "Nico's got a crush on the pianist," Nozomi grinned deviously, her eyes turning towards the stage.
Eri followed her gaze. A quick appraisal told Eri that the stage at the rear of the club was being occupied by a five-member girl band. Eri focused on the pianist. She was pretty, Eri admitted. The pianist had a slim body, fair skin and very slender arms. Gorgeous burgundy-red hair. She had a sort of brooding-sexy but at the same time cute thing going for her. But no sparks flew. Eri sighed indadvertedly and turned to Nico who's cheeks were sporting a very flaming shade of red.
"Nozomi!" Nico exclaimed slamming her hands on the table to command her attention. "I do not have a crush on her," Nico stressed, puffing up. "I just admire her talent, that's all. She wrote the instrumentals for all of Muse's songs you know. She's really amazing. I'm a fan."
"Oh really?" Nozomi prodded, her lips curving into a smirk. "You won't mind if I get her number after then? She is rather cute," Nozomi ran her tongue over the top of her lip provocatively. "Very cute."
Nico's eyes flashed but she folded her arms in front of her, turning back to the stage. "No," Nico gritted. "Not at all. Do what you want."
A perfect cadence cut through until the harmony dissipated into the air into a sort of filled silence. The club erupted into applause — or hoots and hollers more like it from the people on the dance floor. Eri watched as the brown-haired girl centre-stage taped the microphone two times before she spoke into it.
"Hey guys," the cheerful girl's voice echoed through the club. A chorus of 'Heys' replied back to her, inciting a grin. "Hope you enjoyed that," she said, pausing, waiting for the club to respond with cheers. "So if you don't know already I'm Honoka," the audience greeted who Eri guessed was the lead singer very enthusiastically, "And we," Honoka turned to gesture to her band, "Are Muse." This time, the applause lasted quite a bit longer.
"They are really popular, aren't they?" Eri asked in the middle of the applause, her hands clapping along automatically.
"Are you kidding?!" Nico gaped at Eri incredulously. "They are the local band to listen to. They've won regional awards and stuff! One of their original music videos last year went viral on the web. And I think the lead singer actually went to our high school. How have you not heard of them?"
"You are the band fanatic. Not me," Eri reasoned.
"Yeah but this isn't like obscure hipster music. Muse is really popular. Especially around here," Nico continued arguing.
"Nico—"
"Never mind, just hush," Nico cut Eri's subsequent point off, turning back to the stage without a second glance.
"—bad news for you all," Honoka had been saying. "Some of you may know this but for those of you who don't know, Kotori is actually going to study fashion abroad in France." Honoka turned to the side, smiling at the guitarist. Honoka reached out to grab the hazel-blond girl's hand. Her eyes teared up slightly. "She's amazing, isn't she—" Honoka's voice broke off and she turned away from the audience, covering her face with her free arm. The guitarist quickly shrugged off her guitar, placing it not so gently on the floor, and wrapped her arms around the lead vocalist, shielding her from view. The guitarist murmured words that could not be heard from the audience.
A collective 'Aw' resounded. Then shouts of encouragement erupted.
"Don't leave her!"
"World's cutest couple!"
"Be strong!"
"Kotonoka forever!"
Eri blinked, leaning closer to Nozomi. "Were they a thing?"
Nozomi shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. "I guess so."
"Nico?" Eri prompted, turning to her other side. Nico had shed a tear, causing Eri to smile a bit. Nico was a big softy despite her bark.
Eri turned back to the stage just in time to see a dark-haired girl wave Honoka and Kotori off the stage and take the mic. Eri inhaled sharply. The dark-haired girl was strikingly beautiful. Her straight hair flowed to just above her waist and seemed to shimmer under the light. She had a defined nose but full and rosy lips. Her long legs were hugged and accented by the cut of her jeans. She wore a simple v-neck t-shirt that clung snuggly hugged her sides. But her eyes. Dark and mesmerizing. Was she the bassist? Yes, she must be.
Then, into the mic, the bassist spoke.
"So," the bassist began simply.
Suddenly, the room cheered.
That didn't make much sense to Eri — the bassist barely said anything. But at the same time, Eri could understand it. The bassist had the smoothest voice she had every heard. It was like listening to golden velvet. Like, if you could hear the touch of silk, that was what it could be.
"What the heck?!" Nico exclaimed, tugging at Eri's sleeve. "Oh my god, is she going to sing? She never sings!" Nico beamed at Eri. "Like ever. Especially not solo. It's always been Honoka or Maki taking lead. But oh my god, Maki and her are going to duet aren't they? This is going to be amazing!"
"Is that her name? Maki?" Nozomi spoke with a pointedly teasing smirk, inciting yet another glare.
"What's the bassist's name?" Eri asked.
"Shhhhhh," Nico hushed, her eyes stuck on the stage.
"We were going to play last number together as a group actually," the bassist spoke when quiet had settled over the audience. She spoke calmly, measured. It was rather different from how Honoka had commanded the scene — with contagious enthusiasm. The bassist, however, while she certainly had presence, she radiated a completely different type of aura. "But, Maki and I had to foresight to predict that Honoka and Kotori probably wouldn't be able to sing after that announcement and planned a surprise," the bassist looked over her shoulder to nod at Maki, who shot her a thumbs up. The bassist turned to face Honoka and Kotori, who were sitting at a table near the stage huddled close together. The drummer ran off the stage to offer the two of them tissue papers before leaping back to her seat. The bassist continued, gazing fondly upon that scene. "Kotori you are one of the nicest, kindest most caring people on the planet and I, Maki, Rin and of course, Honoka, care about you more than you can imagine. We will miss you so much more than we can say and Muse will probably never be the same without you." The bassist laughed slightly. "But, I'm not really good with words and neither is Maki, as you probably know, so instead, we decided to express our love in the only way we know how. We wrote a song for you."
A chorus of "Aw" and hoots.
The bassist bit her lips and waited for order. "So everyone. This is probably going to be the last song Muse will play for you until the next year. Because Muse isn't Muse unless Kotori is here so unfortunately, you, like us, will have to wait for her return."
Cheers. Applause.
"So, without further adieu…" The bassist stepped away from the mic and took off her bass. She grabbed Kotori's discarded guitar then stepped back to the mic. "Hope you don't mind if I borrow this," the bassist grinned at Kotori. "Alright then…" with a nod behind her, the pianist began playing.
Then the bassist-turned-guitarist started singing.
And it was the most awe-inspiring moment that Eri had ever encountered.