Reviews :
Romantic Sapp : Aww THANK YOU! Yeah that piece is one of my favorites, as well. I was a blubbering mess through the entire production of it haha.
Burgie : I'm glad you feel that way! Yeah, they are - they're both just way too shy to do anything about it right now haha
CHICKENM4N : Aww that's sweet~
Snake557 : I agree! I wish it was like that in RL haha. Thank you!
Jay Sketchin : AW Thanks friend! :)
*Chapter 56*
"So, what I could do here is put the whole thing into the system, and maybe see if Wren can add a pretty piano melody to it, maybe?" Berri wondered in a cute shrug of girliness; she sat hunched over her stool, pressed up to Wren's splay of mixers and keyboards, Turbo's lovely scribbles of lyrics and sheet music in the forefront of her vision. Her phone was laid next to the mess, the screen was black, though her call with Turbo was on speakerphone, pushing the hour mark. She carried on with a small chuckle of impending cheek, "Y'think we could turn it into a metal version or something?"
"For User's sake, we should just make a screamo version of it," Turbo blurt in sarcasm, he heaved a hard laugh into his phone. Berri breathed a happy giggle and hugged her lovely, cherry-wood acoustic guitar closer to her body, she was comfortably draped in Turbo's familiar hoodie.
"That'd be hilarious," Berri agreed as she gently sifted through his sheet music, she had successfully added a sheet, or two, of her own scribblings to Turbo's lovely song, one of which he titled 'Blue'. Berri held her hand up to her mouth, eyed the sheet music and and nibbled on her finger tip in further contemplation, "Turbo, how would you feel if I maybe added a pre-chorus and a bridge to this song? I-Is that maybe something you'd want to do together?"
"I'm sure whatever you add to it will only make it better," Turbo's sweet voice eased from her phone, they both knew they had a very obvious spark of flirtatious interest in each other, and although sweet and tender volleys of compliments and chimes, here and there, was all they could afford, it was becoming rapidly clear that the slippery slope was now definitely upon them, "What were you thinking?"
"Well... I guess I'm not entirely positive right now, we can obviously pick up the pace of it after all the lyrics are added," Berri shrugged, she began to scribble down some notes onto her own pieces of paper, of which she added to Turbo's sheet music, "Sort of have like... A radio mix version, and then a softer acoustic version, like what you played last night."
"Yes, ma'am," Turbo agreed warmly.
"I'm not bothering you from your work, am I?" Berri pressed nervously as she looked across her studio; Chester laid at her feet, soundly snoozing, and although the studio door hung open ajar, with sunlight from their kitchen and common room flooding the corridor to the studio, she felt the stillness of their abode due to Wren and Theo being out.
"No, not at all," Turbo stated through a small, content sigh. He fell silent for a moment, Berri could hear his fingertips tapping away at his work. Although he was now always down for hang-outs and phone calls, Berri knew she needed to respect the fact that he was, indeed, Sugar Rush's Knight, with proper duties as such, ones of which Tessa and Zed were relying on Turbo for. Although Turbo was silent for a moment, he picked back up, the sheer sound of him smiling was apparent, "You guys still down to come over tonight, for the new year's countdown? Or are your parents planning something?"
"Oh, no, I'm sure mom and dad will probably be asleep before the turn of the new year, unfortunately... Cause tomorrow's a work day," Berri shrugged, the benefit of the Arcade being closed Sunday unfortunately had New Year's Eve falling on said Sunday, "I'll text Wren and see when they're getting back from Dead Zed... If they don't come, I know I'll definitely be over tonight. If that's okay."
"Door's always open for you, friend," Turbo assured warmly, Berri beamed a wide, blushing smile, something she was glad she could get away with due to the simplicity of their phone call, though she jolted as she could suddenly hear their abode's front door slide open, the abundance of multiple voices.
"Oh, crap," In a nervous stagger of papers and her guitar, she fumbled on her words and bashfully tucked her hair behind her ears, "O-Oh, they're home... I-I'll text you in a bit and let you know what's going on."
"Okay, sounds good," Turbo lightly said.
"Alright," Berri eased, though she nervously began to collect Turbo's sheet music, her hands grappled for her materializer, so neither Wren nor Theo would accidentally stumble upon Turbo's musings, a secret little song Berri was absolutely ready to keep just that; a secret.
"Okay," Turbo retort kindly, though Berri furrowed her eyebrows and beamed an annoyed smile down to her phone.
"Sure," Berri included.
"Same," Turbo volleyed.
"FINE," Berri urged through an annoyed giggle.
"No, YOU hang up," Turbo's deep voice chimed through a grumbling chuckle, Berri largely rolled her eyes, sat up straight and tossed her head back in whole, beaming, blushing annoyance. Turbo pressed on through cheeky, boyish laughter, "Alright, let's hang up on three... One-"
"Three," Berri stabbed with a hard laugh, she gently tabbed the red 'end call' button, on her phone, though not before she caught Turbo in the midst of an adorable, teasing fit of laughter. Berri beamed, shook her head and heaved a long, wistful sigh, though upon doing so, Chester perked his ears and huffed a hard, raspy, whisper, as if to insinuate their light-hearted flirting was now getting out of hand, in the realm of being delightfully annoying.
Through yet another wistful sigh, something she nearly couldn't get under control, she gently stood and was careful not to step on Chester's paws or snout. As she tenderly rested her guitar against the base of the station Wren's wonderful splay of keyboards and mixers were at, she quickly eased Turbo's sheet music into her materializer, shoved it into the back pocket of her grey skinny jeans, tucked her beautiful blue hair behind her ears and straightened Turbo's hoodie over her body. As she finally eased out of the studio, down the sunlit corridor and into the other end of their gorgeous, even further sunlit kitchen and common room, she was delighted to see that Wren and Theo were happily joined by Penny and Orph. Berri beamed an excited smile and chimed them a kind greeting, she knew today was an exciting day, she could see it written all over Penny's face; this was the day that Orph and Penny had returned from their honeymoon, one of which consisted of their detrimental opposed code swap. Berri beamed Penny a wide smile, as did Penny, they both squealed in girly delight and raveled into a huge, near-twirling embrace.
"You're alive!" Berri teased through a loud laugh as her much taller figure wrapped her arms about Penny's head; Penny eased a giggle into Berri's shoulder and squeezed her about her middle, though as Berri lofted her eyes across the kitchen, Orph teasingly leaned against their kitchen island's swooping counter top, cocked an eyebrow, and looked down to his fingernails.
"Juuust barely," Orph grumbled as both girls pulled apart, though Penny shot Orph an annoyed smile and shook her head.
"No, please, I don't want details," Wren covered his face in whole agitation, Theo wildly wrinkled his nose and firmly shook his head in agreeing.
"Just barely," Penny repeated in teasing detest as she shook her head and rolled her eyes, "It's not something that's so complicated, after all... I mean I was nervous, but Tessa has gone over this drama a million times."
"Yeah what with the lot of us pairing off with faux-codes and user-made gamers," Orph huffed a long, hard, exhausted sigh, though he sagged his elbows to the counter and got a good look about Wren's, Berri's and Theo's lovely home.
"It's not as scary as you thought it'd be? The opposed code swap?" Berri wondered in girly, blushing curiosity, though she immediately began to reel in her pressing demeanor as to just what this could potentially insinuate, and like clockwork, Wren opened his mouth.
"She needs ALL the information she can get, Pens, she's not gunna go to Tessa for this, can you imagine?" Wren staggered a gentle laugh, he knew teasing Berri about her little situation with Turbo was off limits, though somehow, he knew he could push the envelope in rare instances.
"Wait, what?" Penny gawked in gentle surprise, she cocked an eyebrow and peered her gorgeous, dark blue eyes tight into Berri's, her cute, blonde hair glistened in the afternoon sunlight, the blushed look of now whole maturity soaked her demeanor, the raw fact that her and Orph now successfully shared codes. Penny beamed the same, sneaky smile and side-eye she always was crowned with, though due to the soak of Orph's coding, her mischievous, cheekiness levels had nearly tripled, "You have a secret User-made boyfriend you're not telling us about, there, Bear?"
"No," Berri snipped in now deflated annoyance, a look of mild, sorrowful defeat hit her skin in the show of a frown, though she sagged over to her uncle, nonetheless, and as she approached Orph, he stood up straighter and opened his arm for a hug. She easily sunk into his much taller figure and heaved a hard, annoyed sigh straight into the center of his chest. Orph blurt a small laugh and hugged his arms about Berri's shoulders, she mumbled him a small greeting, "Hi, Uncle Orph..."
"Hi, why're you suddenly peeved about that? DO you really have a User-made boyfriend you wanna tell me about so I can kick his butt?" Orph rushed in a stagger of a small laugh, which had Wren and Theo now gritting their teeth and very nervously laughing, the sheer idea of Orph going toe-to-toe with the big, bad Turbo had both boys reeling in confusion, a sudden prickle of wariness to discourage Orph's notions.
"I-I don't know if that'd be wise," Wren and Theo finally blurt out in full laughter, still held in nervous glances between each other and Penny.
"I don't care who it is, they'd be Sugar Rush's future King," Orph confidently continued on, he gently jostled Berri about, still tightly gripped in his arms, "Not to mention, this is my precious baby niece we're talking about. Only the best for a princess."
"Who is it?!" Penny now squealed in whole, girly excitement as she rushed Orph and Berri, who were still entangled in a hug.
"Whose hoodie is she wearing?" Theo blurt in smiling annoyance as he firmly gestured his much larger wrecking hand to Berri's left arm, which was still tightly grappled about Orph's middle.
"I can't see it," Orph grunted as he awkwardly shifted and tried to strain his neck, so to see Berri's arm, though she grappled her hug tighter about her uncle and now loudly grunted a very annoyed groan into the broad of Orph's chest; everyone froze in anticipation as Penny sharply gasped and pointed at Berri's arm.
"TURBO?!" Penny squealed, though Orph's face now washed into a slope of vanished confidence, an awkward smile of humbled dewiness now sprawled his cheeks.
"Yeahhhh I'm not man enough to challenge Turbo, of all people, to a fight, you kidding me? He has my delete button," Orph blurt a hard laugh, as did everyone else, excluding Berri. Orph pushed a firm kiss to the top of Berri's head before giving her shoulders one last squeeze, "Sorry, my babe, you're on your own, with that one."
"He's NOT my BOYFRIEND," Berri stabbed, though somehow, a bashful giggle escaped her figure, she eased out of Orph's gravity and covered her face with her hands, which were lost in the soft sleeves of Turbo's loved hoodie.
"MHMM, I see, okay, sure," Penny garbled, all three boys knew that if there were anyone to even so much as rival Wren's sass levels, it was Penny; they eagerly watched the show as Penny lovingly gripped the loose wrist of Turbo's hoodie and jostled it about. This caused Berri's hands to come loose from her face, revealing a very pink blush amidst the freckles on her cute cheeks, "You're just, oh I don't know, wearing his hoodie for no reason then?"
"Turbo subconsciously gave up the title of 'friend' and segued RIGHT into 'love interest' upon giving up that hoodie, Bear," Orph eased through the chuckling all three men were doing. Orph finally furrowed his eyebrows and gestured his hand to Berri in whole confusion, "ALSO, I can't believe you're hanging out with Turbo? Since when does that guy even leave his loft?"
"He doesn't, we go to him," Wren mumbled, though he knew full well no one was complaining.
"You guys go hang out with him too?" Penny wondered in now whole curiosity, Berri continued to remain silent on the subject matter.
"Yeah, he's actually a pretty funny dude, very similar to Nox," Theo bobbed a nod and shrugged, "He just needed some friends."
"Fresh faces," Orph encouraged, he finally dropped the teasing act and gave his niece a small, loving smile, "I'm glad you guys are becoming close... That guy need some love, especially from all the crap he's been through. He deserves it."
"I'm trying," Berri nodded, she looked down to her bare feet in bashfulness, and it was here did Penny now understand that anymore picking at their fragile niece would result in wrecking anger, sooner or later.
"... I know it's awkward, but... If it's too hard to go to your mom for opposed-code swapping advice, you know where to find me, okay? Auntie Penny's got your back," Penny eased softly as she lovingly reached out and slipped her hand into Berri's a little bit larger wrecking hand, though upon this, Berri softened and eased her wavering, nervous eye contact straight into Penny's.
She was well aware that everyone in this room, everyone in this game, everyone on this planet was intrigued with Berri's and Turbo's new, fragile bloom of a friendship, and the fact that it was very slowly inching towards something different. Berri held her breath and knew she was crushing hardcore, the fleeting feeling of new desires and new avenues of adulthood had her head swimming in now almost bubbling, drowning confusion. She hooked her eyes tight to Penny's eyes and knew accepting Penny's adorable proposition would further insinuate that Berri had been thinking about said opposed-code swapping escapades, with Turbo, though she knew blurting out further, empty words of denial, of said blossoming flirtation, would only just dig herself a deeper hole. She knew she needed to at least accept the fact that these feelings were valid, and further accept that her family was here to support her, no matter what it all looked like. Berri finally bit the bullet, lulled her eyes closed and bobbed a gentle nod.
"I will," Berri assured gently, to which Penny's smile broadened, though with Berri's fragile little affirmation that her heart was in said avenue of thinking, all three boys knew to further halt any teasing, due to their wonderings now slowly becoming a very tender reality, right before their eyes.
"SO. What are you guys doing for New Years Eve, then?" Penny inquired, Berri felt her heart surge in further annoyance, she knew that Penny had successfully did everything she could to segue away from the topic of Turbo, though in doing so, she landed right back on it without even being aware of the fact; it was here that Berri wondered if she could be brave.
"...Going to Turbo's," Berri blurt, she smiled a wide, bashful smile, and it was here that Wren, Theo and Orph took their cues, from Berri, and were welcomed back to light hearted teasing.
"Gunna get that New Year's kiss?" Orph wondered sweetly, though Wren raised his eyebrows in whole surprise and gestured his hand to Berri.
"I forgot that that's a thing people do!" Wren gasped, he then urgently gestured to Berri and shook his head, "No, no, you go to Turbo's alone, me and Theo will be here, you just let us know what happens."
"I'M NOT GOING TO KISS HIM," Berri stabbed in a spike of now entire annoyance, though she still somehow managed to raise her voice with a smile plastered to her face; everyone blurt into hard laughter.
"Fine, whatever. Yeah, we're all going to Turbo's," Wren muttered in now whole annoyance, somehow the duty of playing match-maker very quickly began to overtake him, no matter how hard Berri was now adamant to thwart his plans.
"It'll be fun," Theo nodded, he eyed Berri and nearly began to see steam coming out of her ears, "Turbo said that the fireworks across the city, from the view of his loft, is amazing... So, we'll probably just cheers at midnight, and hang out a little afterwards. We can't stay too late after, because we all have school tomorrow."
"I'm actually joining Tessa at the end of the day, she wants me to join her in a Game Central Academy Council meeting they're having," Penny stated, and all whilst finishing her statement, she pointed her finger towards Berri in a waggle and remembered an important detail, "OH, I nearly forgot to tell you... I don't know if your mom let you know yet, or not, but I THINK she wanted you to tag along, as well."
"...Me?" Berri gestured to her chest in soft surprise.
"Yeah, y'know... You're only Sugar Rush's princess, love," Penny eyed her niece and shook her head, "I think the meeting is after Academy hours, so she'll probably want you to meet up with us then."
"Yeah, I can," Berri confidently nodded with a smile, almost an eager show of delight that she'd be allowed back into Academy a week before she were to pick it back up, again.
"Oh, Berri! That means you can check out the music room, when you go," Wren encouraged, Theo bobbed an equally as eager nod as Wren gently continued on, the glimmer of excitement in his eyes, "We can meet you there... Just bring your spare guitar, there are secure rooms where we can keep some of our instruments, for class."
"I can do that," The touch of confidence came back to Berri's voice, she now eagerly nodded and began to show a further show of confidence, "I-I'll see if I can pick up my new schedule, as well. I'm certain we all have that music class together, right?"
"With your mom on the board? It's guaranteed," Penny stated in a dull tone and a nod of further affirmation, though both girls held eye contact in a tight show of fervor, a girly spike of remembrance, "Hopefully a certain, lonely musician has that same hour with you...!"
Berri sharply furrowed her eyebrows and immediately thought of Turbo. Due to no one knowing that he was also a musician, she felt her brain suddenly back flip in confusion, "Wait... Who?"
"She's trapped in Turbo land, she forgot all about her future husband," Wren muttered into his hands as he rubbed his face in grunted agitation, Orph blurt a hard laugh as Berri shook her head, the whole fact that a simple, celebrity crush was now something that was way off of her mind.
"Oh, Gunner?" Berri breezed nonchalantly as she lulled her eyes closed and shook her head, "I totally forgot about that... Would be cool if we were in that class with him, but I highly doubt it."
"Yeah, it's probably not even likely that we'll even get to see him," Penny shook her head and shrugged, "Whatever... Guess we can just wave to the hoard of girls that he'll likely be followed by. It's something, right?"
"It's all we'll ever get," Wren whimpered in a teasing show of fake tears.
"It's all we'll need," Berri rolled her eyes with a smile, a cute dollop of maturity that hit her skin, she knew fawning over a celebrity, so far out of reach, wasn't something she was interested in anymore, "His music is cool, hopefully soon he'll find some band mates and they'll switch thing up."
"Yeah, but once he does that, then he won't be attending Academy anymore," Penny complained.
"Why are you concerned, you're literally MARRIED," Orph now barked with a hard laugh as he grappled Penny's little hand, jostled it around and urgently pointed to the gorgeous wedding ring on her left ring finger; everyone was lost in laughter.
"My priority has shifted! I'm not like in LOVE with him or anything!" Penny firmly argued, she tried not to laugh as she pressed on, "I'm allowed to like someone's music, sue me!"
"It's okay, while you three are trapped in relationship-land, Theo and I can do all the gawking, okay?" Wren mumbled as he waggled his hand, though Theo wrinkled his nose in whole annoyance and shook his head.
"No, I don't swing that way," Theo reminded with a blurt of a laugh, which had everyone still in stitches, "I'll gawk at the music."
"Anyone whose anyone loves Gunner Ko," Wren stated in a matter-of-fact tone, "You get face to face with that guy, and you'll immediately fall in love."
"Try me," Berri staggered plainly as she rolled her eyes.
A/N : Hey all, sorry for the delay. Although I had a TON of chapters I was previously sitting on, I'm now down to only having 3, unfortunately. I'm beginning to realize why May is literally the busiest month, and one of the months of the year where reviews heavily drop off - cause everyone is so busy, now including me. I had car troubles, work like crazy, art classes, and now that I've thrown the comic into the mix, it's been harder to pump out chapters. I have 3 more chapters to deliver here, whilst I'm so busy, so below I'll provide the dates in which I'll be uploading the next 3 chapters. I know you guys understand, I just like to reiterate for my own sanity. So, below will be the upload schedule for the next 3 chapters :
Friday May 24th - Chapter 57
Wednesday May 29th - Chapter 58
Sunday June 2nd - Chapter 59
After the 2nd of June, I'm pretty sure I'll be back to my regular upload schedule of every other day. Sorry it has to be like this, guys. I tried to plan ahead, by giving myself that week off of uploading, previously, and although it was so nice to sort of take a step back and take a break from uploading, I didn't write anything on my little staycation and I fucked myself over. So, I'm never doing that again, cause I did myself a massive disservice here xD
I'll be back to it shortly - Thanks for understanding guys! See you on the 24th!
