The Neutronium Records conservatory was practically Tori's second-or rather, third-home for the next few days as she continued working on her cover album. Her song list was approved, to the delight of both her and Jade, but then came the tough part of arranging some of the songs to her key and making them sound unique from the originals. She sat in front of a piano for almost the whole morning, her eyes constantly shifting between the keys and her laptop perched on top of the deck where her friend Andre was in video chat with her.

"Okay, tell me how this sounds…" Tori directed to Andre as she started to play the chorus of her song on the piano. After having played it all morning, it was almost muscle memory for her.

Andre lightly bopped his head to the beat of the song, then pressed a key on his side to play other instrument sounds to accompany her piano. "Alright, alright! I think it's comin' together! We should be able to get this arrangement down on sheet music for the in-house band you got there!"

"Oh, thank god!" Tori would have laid all the way back if there was a back to her seat, but settled for a long stretch of her arms above her head, "At least we're using the same key as the original, but seriously, thank you Andre! I really appreciate this!"

"No problem, Tori!" Andre chuckled, closing the music on his laptop, "It's just like old times, you know? Tell me you don't miss jamming like this back in school."

"Well, I certainly don't miss jamming together, only to be rejected by a 'baby test'." Tori rolled her eyes at the memory and the idea of it. "You know you made an amazing song, Andre, and you deserved a lot better for it!"

"I know, I know," Andre laughed again, "And I will, in due time. Honestly, I thought it'd be tough finding someone else to sing the vocals with you all the way there, but Cat surprisingly stepped up and is blowin' it away!"

"Really? Cat?" Tori smiled at the image of her singing Andre's music, "Actually, that's not too surprising after that song she sang at Karaoke Dokie! She's really embracing music over acting, huh?"

"Yeah, and she's great, like always—well, better than always!" Andre smiled, "Speaking of, what about you? You got the backing vocals covered for your…covers?" He laughed at his own pun for a good moment before he noticed Tori wasn't, but she was smiling nonetheless.

"Oh, I've got it covered~ Jade's mom is bringing her over after lunch to audition for Mason and the in-house band, and if what Jade says is true, she'll be a knockout!"

"Yeah, that was gonna be my next question," Andre sat back, resting his hands behind his head, "Jade's mom's really cool with the two of you together, huh?"

"Um, yeah! She totally is!" Tori crossed her arms at how relaxed Andre was looking, "I mean, she wasn't exactly one to judge when we found out she was seeing someone here, too."

"Really?" Andre leaned forward, rubbing his chin at the thought, "I never met her, but to think even Jade's mom has got it goin—"

"Andre!"

"What? I didn't see that in your songlist!" Andre laughed out loud as Tori's face flushed at the implication, "And hey! She's Jade's mom! You telling me you weren't feeling any…"

"Oh my god, Andre! She's Jade's mom!" Tori scoffed, looking aside to try hiding her blush.

"Come on, you said she even did the 'scary car ride' bit Jade did to you; with the pretend-friendly voice and everything! Did she have the seduction eyes, too?"

"Seduction eyes?!" Tori almost yelled, "Okay, that's enough of that! I'll see you later, Andre!" She almost angrily pressed her finger over the End Call button to the sound of Andre's laughter, leaving her alone to air out her feelings in the conservatory until lunch was over.

Almost as soon as Tori had calmed down, she heard a knock on the door, to which she quickly flushed again at the thought that someone heard her yelling. She called out, "I'm sorry for the noise!" as she answered the door; opening it to reveal Tara and Nora, staring at her with a spot of confusion.

"Noise?" Nora chuckled, "You're in a room full of musical instruments, Tori; a little noise is probably expected, don't you think?"

Tori sighed in relief, stepping back to let the two in, "Sorry about that. I was working on one of my covers with a friend. How are you doing?" She looked at Tara, whose eyes were taking in every instrument in the room before looking back at Tori.

"Oh, uh, hey!" Tara gave her usual half-wave greeting before looking down at her shoes nervously. It didn't take her long to notice that Tori was looking just as nervous.

"Okay!" Nora broke the tension with a clap, "Tara, why don't you get your audition song set up while I let Mason know you're here?" She promptly closed the door as she backed away, leaving Tori and Tara together in an awkward silence.

Tori cleared her throat, looking back in Tara's direction, "So…is this your first time in a room like this? I mean—I know you were in a theater, but…"

Tara shrugged as she casually walked around the room, "It's a little like the music room at my school, but with a lot more instruments not covered in dirt and dust. There used to be a performing arts program, but budget cuts killed it before I even got there." She plopped down on the piano bench and tapped a few random keys, surprised to hear them properly tuned. "Of course, that also meant no one stopped me from using it as my own little lunch room/singing space."

Tori grabbed a stool and sat down next to her, trying not to wear a pitiful face, "Jade told me that's how you got your performing chops, right? I feel a little bad, considering I went to a school where the arts were almost literally the entire curriculum. Maybe if you had the chance to audition for Hollywood Arts…"

"…I would probably get in? Yeah, Jade said the same," Tara flashed a grin before looking at the closed laptop on top of the piano, "Speaking of, maybe we should set up my audition for this thing?" She took the laptop in her hands, lifted the cover, and visibly froze upon seeing Tori's desktop background; a photo of Tori and Jade smiling side-by-side in their apartment.

Tori bit her lip, recognizing the freeze as she scooted next to Tara on the bench. She reached over and scrolled to a browser program that covered over the background, "You sure you're okay doing this? I mean, if you're not, I won't be offended; promise!"

Tara shook her head, pulling up an online drive Jade had shown her before, "I'm fine. I had a crush on Jade—I admit that. Then I found out she's with you, and you're both very happy together, so I'm okay with that. I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." She clicked on an audio file with the simple title, "Tara's Audition Song", and paused it before it could play.

"Now, I need to focus for a bit. I just want this to go well so I can actually have some enjoyable work for once…and to help my friend's girlfriend." With that, she stood up from the bench and walked a few feet away to go over the lyrics quietly to herself. Behind her, Tori was looking back pensively before plugging in her laptop to charge.

A few minutes later, Nora came back into the music room accompanied by Mason Thornesmith and a few members of the company's in-house band, young men and women a good few years older than Tori and Tara. Tara stood alone next to the piano and the laptop with her song pulled up while Tori moved to join Nora at the corner of the room.

"Alright, then," Mason sat down on the nearest stool, taking out a clipboard with some papers not visible to Tara from where she stood. "Nora tells me you'd like to audition to be part of our in-house band as…a vocalist?"

Tara replied with a prompt nod, standing up straight and proper, unlike her usual manner, "My name is Tara Mendoza, and while I don't have any formal training or experience, I did receive some help from a Hollywood Arts graduate, Jade West. You may remember her, Mr. Thornesmith. You almost—and I quote her on this—made her 'dress up like a pink, alien bride of Frankenstein for the Platinum Music Awards.'"

Mason cleared his throat, clearly taken by surprise with that straight-faced delivery, while Nora groaned and covered her face. "Very well, and what will you be singing for your audition, Ms. Mendoza?"

"My audition song is called…" Tara snuck a quick glance back at the laptop to confirm the name before standing back at attention, "'Everyone Dies.'"

It was Tori's turn to cover her face, deducing just who helped Tara find this song to audition with. She then heard a click from her laptop and a somewhat pleasant-sounding intro to the song before Tara began singing to the tune of a jazzy swing song.

[Song: Everyone Dies as performed by Yasmine Al-Bustami]

I guess…everyone dies, that's fine
Looks like now is my time but it's alright
I'm ready, feet walkin' steady
Though a little sooner than I'd like

Tori briefly lifted her face to see Tara's manner shifted into the "performance mode" Jade mentioned to her. Looking over to the side, she saw Mason still straight-faced, but nodded to the beat of the music along with the rest of the audience.

Nora took a peek at the audience, who was still nodding and even tapping their pens to the rhythm while Tara continued to sing in a nonchalant, swing-like tone despite the otherwise pessimistic lyrics. She was about to whisper something to Tori when the booming back chorus caught her and everyone by surprise.

(Everyone dies) No stress, stop getting all existential
(Everyone dies) I guess my best was inconsequential
(Everyone dies) Alert the press of this wasted potential
(Everyone dies)

Tara's eyes opened as the song wound down for a spell, her gaze shifting subtly toward Tori with an almost longing look in her eyes as her next lines came quickly. She didn't stop to see if Tori was looking back at her as she closed her eyes again and breathed in deep for the song's climax.

(Everyone dies) I can't be bothered to cry
(Everyone dies) We'll all be dust down the line
(Everyone dies) So pour a tall glass of wine
'Cause everyone…dies.

With the last word sung, Tara's stance returned to normal and she looked up toward her audience. Like with the Bird Scene, she stayed quiet and stoic, not appearing desperate for feedback or approval.

Nora held her breath, crossing her fingers in her closed hands, while Tori tried to pass a smile of approval that Tara did not catch.

"Well, sweet Nanny from Flushing! That was a certainly…unexpected!" Mason got up from his seat, writing down a few last remarks on his clipboard. "I just have one question for you, Ms. Mendoza."

"Yes, sir?" Tara replied, holding in her breath for the question.

"When would you like to start?" Mason held out a hand for her as the in-house band applauded her; Nora and Tori joining in enthusiastically.

Tara's composure almost broke as she stared at him wide-eyed for several seconds then finally took his hand, shaking it a little more than necessary.

Nora cut in as Tara remained in stunned silence, "Uhh, Mason, why don't we give Tara a few moments to catch her breath while we take care of her paperwork in the office?" Mason fished his hand back quickly enough to nod in agreement and exit with the rest of the in-house band, who all give their own regards to Tara on the way out. Nora turned to her and silently cheered with a tight hug and whispering, "Congrats!"

"Thank you, Nora," Tara whispered back, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" They broke away as Nora gave a thumbs up before joining Mason out of the room.

Tori approached Tara from the corner, applauding again for her, "Congrats, Tara! Wow, I…I had no idea you could sing like that; not to mention that stage presence!"

"Oh, it's nothing, honestly," Tara scratched her neck as she sat down on the piano bench, exhausted, "Jade just showed me the show that song came from, and I was just imitating what I saw! It's really nothing too special…"

"Well, it was special enough to land you a spot here!" Tori joined her on the bench, "I'll be looking forward to working with you!" She spread her arms for a hug, then quickly retracted one arm to simply offer a handshake instead.

Tara chuckled, sensing the same hesitation, and shook Tori's hand calmly. "Look, I can tell things are weird right now, and they're probably only gonna get weirder once we start working together like this."

"I…I know," Tori groaned, covering the piano keys with the sliding cover before leaning her back over them, "I know you mean well, and I really appreciate your help! It's just…the elephant in the room, you know? I guess we'll just have to get it out of the way as soon as possible, huh?"

"You…actually read my mind!" Tara smiled. "I was just about to suggest something that'll probably help deal with…this."

"Like what?" Tori raised an eyebrow to her, curiously.

Tara sat up straight, turning herself to face Tori properly, "I'd like…to go out with you!"

Tori remained still, her face unchanged from the raised, curious eyebrow, and still leaning back over the piano.

"Tori?" Tara's face dropped a bit in worry, "D-Did you hear what I said? I'm…asking you out."

With the room so quiet between the two of them, if Tara listened carefully, she would have heard Tori screaming internally.