dilettante | ♡INBOX (GOLDEN PEACOCK)

[ maybe it's a bit silly to go responding to a month old wanted ad, especially to have her mind drift to something so simple and normal, when nothing about her life has allowed her the space for these little pleasures in years.

and yet, when she receives the response, she lights up a little. ]

oh, wonderful! it's nice to meet you too, layla. i'm tifa.

i actually did just get here a few days ago so i'm sorry if this is really late.
i'm sure you've had plenty of messages about it already.

( with her mind focused on mostly filling up her time here with things she wanted, gently encouraged by her new friends, she’s more than happy to continue on recruiting whether for a little concert or just to spend time with others.

but this message? it tugged at her heart. brand new and immediately turning to her for this? it made reira feel for the other. )

no need to apologize! I’m more than happy to see what you’ve got to offer.

so do you sing or play an instrument?

well, i can't sing at all. i wouldn't punish you like that.

but i used to play piano a lot when i was younger.
it's been a few years so i'm pretty rusty. i don't know that it's much to offer necessarily.

[ but she does still love it, even after all these years. how her mother used to teach her how to play. one of those pieces of her she'd been able to hold onto after she'd died. it makes her a little ashamed to be out of practice as she is. ]

but i'd like to be able to play for you, at least once, if that's okay.

well the one thing we have here at the resort is time, so if you’d like to practice and have a song to play along to, I’d be more than happy to guide you.

and I guess that answers your next request — yes I’d love to meet you and hear what you have to offer! 💕💕

Edited 2025-04-04 21:13 (UTC)

really?

[ it feels like it's the first time since she's been here that she's actually felt enthusiastic about something. maybe she really does need this for herself. ]

i really appreciate it! i promise not to take up too much of your time. just tell me when and where and i'll be there.

well I don’t actually have a ‘real’ piano in my suite just yet but I did manage to get an electronic keyboard. otherwise we’ll have to see where in the resort we could practice.

( there’s a few places and bars they could go to, but all things considered she’d much rather they go together given reira’s ranking.

in the meantime she sent her the address to her suite — for this month, there was a dedicated elevator that opened right up to it. )

why don’t you swing by my suite first and we can head on down to one of the bars with a piano? we can get to know each other first and see what you think about my singing.

i've never actually played on one of those before, so there's always a first. but we could go exploring!

[ she's still getting the lay of the land too, after all, and it might just as well be a good opportunity to learn the what it has to offer, especially in terms of musical entertainment. ]

i'd definitely love to hear your singing. i can make my way over if now's a good time.

anytime is good really, it’s not like I’m up to anything too wild around here.

( but now the pressure is on (??) to make a good first impression. )

oh wait tifa, do you have anything you like in particular? in terms of food or drink?

okay! well, i don't really have any plans set up either.

[ it's not like she's settled enough for things like that. and even if she was, she's not sure what she'd find herself doing. ]

oh, well, i'm not too picky of a eater. not like i used to be when i was a kid, anyway. i really do like soups. steaks too, though that's more for a post-workout meal. and nothing beats a good fruity cocktail.

( post-workout meal? steaks, soups? reira was certainly dealing with someone far more different than she had been expecting.

in fact, she's a little bit too excited to see who this woman was, what she was like. )

well a fruity cocktail with your name will be waiting for you and if you're really hungry I could always order room service.

do you go to the gym? back in your world I mean ♡

you don't have to worry about spoiling me, but i still appreciate it. i'm sure the cocktail will be plenty delicious.

[ she hadn't been anticipating someone quite so sweet, especially when she'd been the one so invasive on her time, but it does excite tifa plenty, since she's always eager to meet new girls, with how little she got to spend with them growing up. ]

sort of. there weren't really gyms in the slums, but i did plenty of my own workout routines — squats, curl ups, pull ups, lots of jogging. plenty of monsters to fight in the junkyard too. keeps anyone in pretty good shape.

( there's a bit of guilt that creeps into her reading that message because really her kindness came from a place of selfishness. she was all alone in this resort and had to rely on her own personality to make connection. thankfully she didn't have any ill intents. )

monsters?? slums??

oh no you really should come take a break in my suite then, there aren't any monsters here but that sounds awful. you poor thing!

[ from tifa's end, she doesn't feel any selfish intent from the invitation, simply feeling a sense of gratefulness at a time where she doesn't really know what to do with herself, the promise of playing and hearing music being such a pleasant one. ]

oh, it's okay! i guess i haven't really been living in the slums for a little while now. [ she's somber for a brief moment, recalling its loss, but she tries to grasp that strand of positivity back before it slips from her. ] i've been doing some traveling and fighting monsters is kind of just a normal thing for me now. i'm pretty tough actually.

not that i'd mind the break if you're offering. i'm sure it's lovely there!

( with each message that came through from the other, it was becoming more clear that they came from two vastly different worlds. in fact their lives could not be anymore different and yet she's not surprised at all. there were countless people here who happened to be from the same country as her, but from a different point in time.

it was fascinating to reira more than anything, and while she was worried about the other, her positivity left her wondering if she should even ask more about it. she certainly didn't want to bring the mood down. )

well okay, I'll be here then in my suite waiting for you. you won't be running into any monsters here at least not right now.

if you do run into one on your way to my suite well....I'm afraid I can't really help you, sorry.

don't worry, if i do, i'll take care of them! i should be there in a short while so i'll see you soon.

[ she chuckles with a fondness at reira's concern in her message. really, she doubts she'll have any run in with monsters in a place like this, but she has been told that there has been the occasional presence of strange creatures and bizarre occurrences, so maybe there isn't exactly a full guarantee.

the trip to reira's suite, though, does go without incident, as she arrives at her door wearing a simple black thigh-length dress with buckled straps and a long sleeve white shirt beneath it that bares her shoulders, long dark hair loose and falling freely at her back. it's been strange for her, getting to dress so casually in a way that isn't with the constant preparation of a fight in mind, but admittedly, it's been a nice change, always longing for those chances to dress up like a normal girl.

taking a breath, she gives a light knock on the door. ]

( in turn there wasn’t much preparation reira had to do or sought to do beyond just having some ice ready for drinks— as much of a prison as this place was for others, for reira things had been surprisingly more liberating for her. no meetings to attend to, no calls to answer, no interviews to bluff her way through and best of all, no takumi to remind her of her failures.

some viewed her as far too casual with things but others had supported her in their own way. while she didn’t know tifa very well there was something about that little exchange that she couldn’t help but sympathize with. having to sing and perform with all the expectations and hindrances of being a celebrity couldn’t compare to fighting monsters but perhaps they could meet on common ground some day.

for now though when the light knock came at the door, she began to make her way over and opened it, a small gust of wind lightly lifting up her curls. she was wearing a pink cotton mini dress and wedged sandals to match, a more casual outfit. at first she remained silent taking in tifa’s appearance [she might have been expecting a warrior type woman before her frankly] but after a moment she smiled up at her bright before taking her hand to greet her. )

You must be Tifa, come on in! Would you like something to drink?

[ tifa doesn't really have any expectations about what reira might look like, really, but when the door opens, she finds her lips parting a bit with the surprise, if only she hadn't really been anticipating someone quite so beautiful, the way those well tossed pink waves of hair seem to work so perfectly with her dress. growing up, she used to look at all kinds of old photographs of wealthy families during the republic, gorgeous girls in the prettiest of dresses with made up faces that always inspired tifa to want to try the same, even if the poverty of nibelheim limited her on what she could work with. standing there now, reira looks like she could belong in one of those photographs. ]

And you must be Reira, hi! [ she shakes herself out of her briefly dazed stare, laughing lightly as she steps forward to follow her inside. ] Sorry, I guess I wasn't expecting to meet someone quite so pretty. I'd love a drink — whatever you're having is fine.

( there’s a light blush that seemed to perk up on reira’s face as she heard the compliment. any other time before arriving here she wouldn’t be remotely fazed over such a thing but after her encounters with some of the other women here well her own feelings about certain things began to change.

it took her a brief moment before she released tifa’s hand and turned around, guiding her inside. the very first thing tifa would notice was the large walk in closet to the left filled to the brim with costumes — gifts from ‘fans’ — before noticing the kitchen and mini bar. )

Do you always give such lovely compliments? You’re very cute yourself, that outfit is quite lovely.

( once they were both inside and the door was closed, she walked over towards the bar and began to pour a more fruity mix into two prepared glasses with ice. )

So what do you think of this place? You’re pretty new so it must be kind of crazy learning about everything.

[ it's become fairly obvious to notice the differences between suites around here as she's come to visit a few. being a ten has supplied her with a fairly comfortable style of living, grander and more lavish than someone like her even knows what to do with, but she's learned that some of the suites can be a lot more limiting to just merely a single cramped room or something even more expansive like this, eyes certainly catching on the closet even bigger than her own with far more clothes and costumes than she could even think about. she's not sure how she could get used to it. ]

Oh, me? [ she gives a small laugh, looking down at her own clothes with a shy flush to her cheeks. ] Thanks. They had a few outfits already in my suite so I've just been trying them out. Not really used to wearing things this pretty. I don't get many chances to wear them.

[ not when she's had to dress more casually with comfortable things she could move around well in, the necessities with all the fighting she's had to do. following reira towards the kitchen, she gives a glance around, taking it all in. at the question, she exhales a small breath. ]

Yeah, it's ... been a lot. I'm not sure I'm too used to it all, but then again, I'm not sure this is the kind of thing most people would get used to. But everyone's been really nice and I think that makes it a bit less overwhelming.

Hmm? Fighting monsters and the like, I imagine it would be hard to wear something cute.

( past where reira stood was the living room that resembled more like a small recording studio with couches and other furniture in between smaller instruments and the like. there wasn’t much decoration beyond that except for a few mirrors and flower vases, and a pile of her journals scattered about the coffee table.

when she finally finished making their drinks, reira turned around and walked back over holding the drink out to tifa. it was a bright orange and blue drink, a fruity cocktail with a splash of vodka and a small cherry in it. )

When I arrived here I woke up in the trunk of a car, at least it seemed you guys got a better arrival. Are there people that you know here as well?

Yeah, the minute you wear something nice, it immediately gets dirty somehow. A few nice dresses in my closet and I've had to deal some bad rips. Feels like a waste every time.

[ she gives a defeated chuckle with a soft sigh but her spirit lifts nearly immediately as she spots sight of that recording studio, with the few present instruments, dazzled at the idea that someone could have an entire space like that dedicated to music. it's quite the dream.

finding herself so easily distracted with her fascinations, she turns back to reira when she's presented with the drink, already pleased by the brightness of the colors which is always her favorite feature when she does her own mixing back in the bar. ]

Oh, thanks, this looks grea—wait, did you say trunk of a car? [ she blinks up to her, eyes wide. ] I guess there's no soft way of putting it that this has all felt pretty much like a kidnapping, but that's taking it really far. But I have seen a few people from home. Not all ... likeable people, but I guess any kind of familiarity is nice. What about you?

( for now reira remained silent, actually listening to tifa and paying attention to the little worries she had in relation to her own world. it sounded like a difficult burden, one she certainly couldn't handle if she had to live that way and for once— despite the bitterness that came with it, she found herself actually being grateful for the kind of life she's had so far. it could have been a lot better, less challenges and painful moments but coming to the resort has matured her just a bit. unexpectedly.

with a sip of her own drink, she nodded a bit at the question, placing the cup down on the kitchen counter before returning her focus back to tifa. )

I have to say, I did think I was kidnapped. Back home I'm a pretty popular singer, so I thought I was done for.

( especially considering she woke up practically nude beyond a bathrobe. )

Not me, I'm all alone here but I've made a few friends so far in my time here. So I hope you'll enjoy my singing and maybe this is a bit selfish but...

I hope we could be friends too?

[ tifa can't imagine the extent of such an experience, to wake up in the trunk of a car without any sense of recollection of how she'd gotten there, to feel beyond hope of saving. she hadn't exactly enjoyed the confused feeling of waking up in those barracks either, dressed in that athletic clothing and tossed into a bunch of games with minimal explanation, but it fares much better in comparison as a preferable option for waking up in this place. ]

I'm sorry, you must have been so terrified.

[ which makes it a relief to see the girl seeming a bit more at ease, at least in appearance. lifting up her own drink for a slow sip, she almost immediately lowers it as reira presents that question to her, surprised but almost touched by the sweetness of it. ]

Oh! I mean, of course — I'd love to. [ she gives a small chuckle, nodding her head. ] And I'd really love to hear you sing too. Being in a place like this, no one should have to deal with this alone, and — well, you're really kind and I think we can get along pretty well, right?

It was pretty nerve-wrecking for a moment there, especially since I wasn't sure if anyone would pay a hostage fee for me or not.

( although her words are quite dark, she laughed as she said them, gingerly waving a hand to dismiss going too deep into her emotions. if she went back to that time when she first arrived and really remembered what a mess she was at the end of it all, she would surely fall apart before this stranger.

unfortunately though like love, this too proved to be a difficult task for reira. the moment those sweet and polite words escaped tifa, she felt another wave of guilt eating at her. was she so kind? so very sweet as people seemed to like to interpret her as? or was she just a selfish woman seeking others to provide her comfort? she was all alone here after all and had to rely on herself far more than she had to in a long time.

she looked at tifa with a more concerned expression before she picked up her drink and gave another strong gulp, immediately using her request as a jumping point to change the topic. )

Oh absolutely do you want me to sing for you right now? I was in a band back home, maybe I could sing you one of the songs we released if you'd like.

[ despite reira's laughter through the words, tifa feels a wave of sadness in hearing them, in the idea that someone wouldn't believe themselves worth any amount of money to save. does she have no one at home to seek saving her? being a popular singer, she must know so many people, so surely, she has to know people who care for her like that ...

tifa's nearly prepared to grab the girl's hands and assure her of that, but reira's already taking a drink and immediately moving forward before she has the chance to.

though there's still concern, her expression softens at the offer, giving her an earnest smile and an honest nod. ]

I'd really like to hear you sing, Reira. Whatever song is your favorite.

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dilettante - 2025-04-23 17:36 (UTC) - Expand