Silence is Garbage

Another Day, Another Migraine

"If I had to listen to that damn J-Pop song one more time..." Deidre thought, as she returned to the dorms. It wasn't that the song was bad. It was even a recent chart topper. It was that she'd had to listen to it so many times in a row that yes, she could pick apart elements of the song, but listening to the same song over and over ad nauseum in class was maddening.

The young composer wearily trod up the stairs, before flopping down on the couch in one of the building's common areas, only sitting rather than laying so she wasn't imposing on onthers. The near-mute then fished her iPhone out of her purse, deciding to flip on an app for Pandora.

The girl flipped through the list of stations. Rock, hip-hop, plenty of good American music she could use to erase the frustration listening to a single J-Pop song over and over again could cause. She still kept looking, trying to find something the exact opposite of what she'd used to. She momentarily paused on a country station, before deciding she didn't want to listen to a guy singing about how he wanted to marry his truck or something, and kept looking. At last, she found Jazz music. It wasn't her favorite genre, but it was pretty far gone from J-Pop, which was really what mattered right then and there.

While she put on a pair of trendily anochronistic headphones, they fit a bit loosely on her, and some of the music, unbeknownst to her, could potentially be heard by passerby.

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primmadonna g i r l, all she ever wanted was the world. @ Deidre VAN ALTENA 442 words

❝ At least until she heard the brash country music booming from the small girl’s headset. Not that she disliked Country Music-when done right it was great! But...uh, when a guy sings about marrying his truck. Mmmn, that left a bitter taste in her mouth. Thankfully, she switched it in a heartbeat. Maybe she felt the same about it? She doubts it- maybe she didn’t want to stick out like a sore thumb. Ha. Too little too late, she was embarrassing. Hinako smiled- laughed even, but it was the kind that was of the wrong sort. That laugh of hers ran on ice cold, indirect malice instead of anything generous and good natured. That smile had as much love in it as a medieval mace. Was she…scorning her- probably. She’d seen the girl in class a few times. She had striking features, though she was never interested enough to take a good look at her. Now she was even less interested in her. Giving her the wrong idea was an understatement- that girl was a creep. Of freaking course, she had to pass by a few times, she wasn’t strong enough to move all the pieces of her instrument herself, and that meant at least two trips in a row. Maybe she should’ve asked for help? She’d never ever do that, she didn’t know anyone here, she didn’t trust them either. So on her second trip, she’s gotten most of the pieces tucked away, and all she was carrying now was the bowstring she’d accidentally left behind. Hinako’s ready to carry on just as usual. But something draws her closer into the common room than she would’ve liked. It takes her another minute before she takes another step. It takes a whole other for her to recognize the soft, smokey tune of something antiquated but so, so great. “Hey, is that Sinatra you’re listening to?” She mutters, giving her a soft flick of her finger to get her attention. Suddenly, she’s not snaring at the world itself for birthing her or something. But she’s quite priceless. Hinako seemed shy about it, she was somewhere between raw, oozing confidence and a total dork with one hand scratching at the nape of her neck. Well…sometimes- yes. She was a bit of a nerd when it came onto what she loved. Besides, that was one of her favourite singers. “You speak right?” No stutter? Good job Hina-chan! The blonde quickly regained her default persona, as she waited for an answer, checking her nails and blowing a baby pink bubble from the strawberry flavoured gum she’d been chewing. God, she was a moth to a flame.

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Great, Just Great

Deidre heard the tone of the first laugh, and she grunted in vague annoyance, even though she wasn't 100% sure that the laugh was for her. Not like she was focused on anything but trying to scrub the stain of a single song ad nauseum from her head. If it was towards her, she merely hoped she'd keep walking.

That didn't appear to be the case. Rather, she found that some random girl... given the voice, the same person who'd laughed at... her, more likely than not, this time with a somewhat less patronizing tone, even a bit interested. Jazz wasn't her favorite genre, but it was nice to listen to every once in a while Deidre's taste in music tended towards older genres. Rockabilly first and foremost, but Big Band and Jazz music held a place in her heart as well.

The touch felt a bit patronizing though, as if she automatically expected that she wouldn't be able to hear her directly address her. Not the worst assumption anyone's ever made of her, but still less than pleasant. She felt like sighing in mild frustration at the situation, but she figured she should actually address her.

With a single flick of her index finger, the music paused, and with her other hand, she moved her headphones from her head to her neck so she could actually listen. "Yes it was." she told her.

"Too much of one song." Deidre told her, in her soft toned voice, "Jazz is good though." She had a feeling that her laconic way of speaking probably wouldn't go unnoted by the other girl.

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primmadonna g i r l, all she ever wanted was the world. @ Deidre VAN ALTENA 261 words

❝ She seemed…funny. Not in a hilarious way, but that something was off with her. The way she sat by herself, figuratively boxing herself in to make space for someone who’d never come. The way she only said a few words at a time, like words were going scarce and she had to save them for a rainy day. A part of her was tempted to question why she acted like that. Yet at the same time Hinako couldn’t care enough. She wanted to be a freak- that was fine. Keeping her mouth shut like that wasn’t going to get her too far in life though. “Uh, sorry about laughing- earlier.” More like sneering. Hinako had a bad habit of doing so. Of course, she wasn’t the victim here, but it was a way of keeping herself distant from people before they hurt her. A kill it before it kills you kind of deal she picked up from her previous school. “Your headphones were bleeding music and you were listening to some loser singing about his truck wife or something.” “Yeah,” She laughed, but it was something lighthearted and clear if you could get used to it. “I thought ‘God you’re such a loser’, but… you don’t seem too bad.” She seemed…really genuine saying that? It was a bit hard to place. Maybe it was the sudden transition from a bold sun in the sky, to a mimosa plant, hiding away with the slightest touch. “So sorry about that, you mind if I sit with you?” “Do you like any other jazz singers?”

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Interesting

Well, she didn't expect an apology. She'd met more than a few people who wouldn't own up to things they did and apologize, so maybe she wasn't as bad as she seemed, "There's better out there." Deidre mentioned, "That artist was shit." Seriously, there had been a country station back home, and while she didn't mind songs about a loyal husband to his wife or patriotism, songs about how much said singer loved his car were stupid, and that particular singer was known for it.

"Not my favorite genre though." she told her, still in reference to the country genre, "There's 3 melodies copied." Deidre had heard enough Country over the radio to realize a lot of it sounds a lot alike.

Chosing to ignore the comment about her being a loser, considering anyone who actually liked listening to truck wife songs must have been, she skipped to answering her question."Monroe is classic though." she told her, "Klein isn't as famous." Miriam Klein wasn't as famous at Jazz singing, even if she was recognizable. Overall though, Deidre's tastes were pretty varied, even if she always fell back to Rock, and Rockabilly even moreso, as her favored genres. Judging by Hinako's tastes though, she seemed to be someone with interesting music tastes.
"Music department?" she asked.

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primmadonna g i r l, all she ever wanted was the world. @ Deidre VAN ALTENA 237 words

❝ “Country music is plagiarized music if you put it that way,” She pointed out, chuckling as she took out her own phone. Her short, perfectly manicured nails flicked through all the clutter and widgets on the phone with slight difficulty. The baby pink, blush kitten head charm on it’s end dangled until she’d gotten what she wanted, the behemoth of a library she called her music app. “But I’m sure that’s not the case,” Hinako’s pale blue eyes rolled in playful sarcasm, “There might be some good originals out there, but it’d take a miracle for me to look at them.” “Well, I mean, she was easy to look at back then?? I guess,” She snorted, casually bearing her fangs as she scrolled through about fifteen albums already- all filled with different artistes, different genres; different moods “But not even google knows who she is unless you type singer beside her name.” Hinako might’ve been a little harsh saying that- but it was the truth, to her, Klein was just another starlet who died too quickly up in space for anyone to see her shining. In a way, it was sort of terrifying to her. “Music Department?” Hinako shifted her neck to put one fluffy pigtail behind her shoulder, her eyes darting down at the remaining instrument in her hands before looking up at the snow haired girl. “If I’m coming from there? Yes, I am actually.”

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Someone with a Hint of Taste

Deidre laughed softly, before she continued, "I suppose." Then again, at least half the songs in many genres that weren't religious in nature were about love or lust. They were the subject of longing, desire, dreams, nightmares. Really, perhaps music itself was a question of how many different ways were there to express an idea or feeling?

"Needle in a haystack." Deidre nodded, a tint of barest humor to her voice. Still, she felt that it wasn't always the cream that rose to the top, as was with Klein. It was always a mix being being pretty and being talented, in her opinion. And maybe a bit of luck to get noticed by the right person. Which was a bit depressing of a thought.

She nodded when she heard she was from the music department, "Me too." she replied. She'd be surprised if she was a fashion designer, given her taste in music wasn't just the latest album of whatever happened to be popular at the moment, The next moment, she added in, "If you couldn't guess." Which she believed that, more likely than not, Hinako was well aware.

"Deidre." she introduced herself.

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primmadonna g i r l, all she ever wanted was the world. @ Deidre VAN ALTENA 185 words

❝ She chuckled at that, pearly white teeth blinding as could be as blush rose to her cheeks. If she could just cut down the snarkiness- she was genuinely a nice person. "If you really think about it- it's a little depressing huh?... I wouldn't want that to happen to me- or even you for that matter." She paused, looking out the window and then towards the girl once again. "You sing right? You look like a singer," Her velvety voice emphasized her words more than necessary. For Hinako to even say that, a lot of things were at play. At face value- Deidre was actually quite attractive- if she was talented enough to match then it'd be a closed case. "Sterling, Hinako- it's nice to meet someone who shares similar passion." She giggled, less of that high school bimbo of a laugh and more of a satisfied mind kind of laugh. At face value, Hinako was as fake as can be. But there were many layers to certain kind of cakes. "That means we'll see each other quite often then- I'd love to work with you!"

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Critical Hit

Deidre nodded, "Sometimes talent isn't rewarded." Deidre mentioned. It was the prettiest, those who could appeal to the common denominator. It was mass appeal rather than appealing to a subset. It was, all in all, the all to commercial nature of music. Not that she could really get too critical, considering it was a system her parents had released a hit under, even if it was their only one.

It was a good thing that she'd been looking at her screen rather than Hinako at the moment, because she cringed when she heard it. There was a deep breath taken that she tried to keep quiet as she could. Because honestly, that stung a lot deeper than Hinako could have done if she had been deliberately trying. Because, Deidre was a singer, emphasis on was. Perhaps she'd have even been here for singing, you never know, if she'd just gotten the cold, if she'd just brought her lunch, if she had decided she'd decided she didn't want her vegetables just once, if Corporate America hadn't screwed up.

"Composer, actually." Deidre looked back at her, looking normal. It was one of Deidre's other talents, to be able to mask her emotions. She had trouble faking being happy when sad, but a neutral appearance was easy for her. Her way of speaking, though forced, did give her a bit of an air of stoicism at times.

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primmadonna g i r l, all she ever wanted was the world. @ Deidre VAN ALTENA 235 words

❝ "I know, I know," She huffed, but it was something of a poor things, than I wish it were different. Hinako had no problem with that- she herself thought she was beautiful, with and without makeup. Mass appeal wasn't something she had to worry about. What did bother her though, was the fact that this was the way society was. Everyone would judge you for the rest of your life -like a picture book- they categorize you by the colours and forget to read. Hinako meant well when she said that, but it seemed even then that such actions only made a turn for the worst. She looked away from her soft pink manicure, then towards the girl, she studied her for a second. As she traced her features with her eyes, her crystalline gaze averted to the outside world for a second. Gone was the sun, just a second after its grandiose display of summer reds and deep violets. She sighed, a lopsided smile coming to her lips. "It should rain," She mumbled, before fidgeting with her phone's interactive lock-screen a littler more. "Say...did I hurt something by any chance?" Hinako had a knack for being blunt with her feelings, and though she wished this was different, she couldn't silence the fact that she not only tried to study the girl- but tried to get into her head as well. "Oh! Composer- right, right,"

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Still Keeping Secrets

She nodded slightly. As long as you weren't stuck in it, the sound of rain in the background was always soothing. If you were stuck in it, well, it sucked.

It seemed though that Hinako was pretty perceptive. She'd apparently seen past her little emotional mask, at least a enough to suspect that her comment actually hurt some. Not that Deidre would readily admit that wound existed, or even that she was anything more than laconic in her manner of speech, "No."

It was one advantage of her situation, ironicaly. If she had to fib about her situation, she only had to use one or two word denials. It was bit easier to conceal the truth with such simple responses.

Anyways though, seemed like Hinako felt the same. Which was ironic, considering her parents had made it big, even if only for a short while, under that system. Whatever. She always felt her parents music was bit different than the mainstream, and it hit a chord, so to speak. Of course, she would be biased to think that.

Maybe they'd stuck on music a bit too long as a topic though, "So, what other things." she paused for a moment, "Do you like, aside from music." The pause on the 'comma' was a bit longer, a small trick to extend her sentences

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primmadonna g i r l, all she ever wanted was the world. @ Deidre VAN ALTENA 251 words

❝ "No?" She retorted, a bit thrown off by the one worded answer, "Hmm...okay," Hinako scoffed, completely in the dark about what to believe. Was She lying to her? Or perhaps her Pokerface prevailed as her overall personality. "You should try it sometime with me, though" Awkward and quiet, Hinako seemed out of place with herself when she was keeping her mouth shut. She always wished she'd had something to say, always, but beggars certainly couldn't be choosers with a wish like that. With nothing to say that wouldn't lower her self-esteem in Deidre's presence, she hummed. Right up until the girl broke their silence. Hinako began to sweat, gawking at Deidre with oceanic eyes, she was dumbfounded as to how to answer that question. Normally, if a topic was chosen, it would just go on and on until one or both parties dropped the act and went their own ways for the rest of the day. "Eh, ah...what I like," There were a few things she could've said, but it was a loser's bet on whether Deidre would be able to relate to any of them. She liked, spending lavishly, and going out to place no one else knew about, she like the feeling of the sun on her skin when it was ready to say goodnight, and she liked the way Deidre's eyes reminded her of the summer sky. "I dunno, I like a lot of things," She shrugged, "No one's ever asked me that before...So, *what do you like?*"

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The Plot Thickens

The moment of silence was unexpected for sure. Most people would talk at length about what they liked, even if it was to the exclusion of their favorite thing. Much like Hinako, Music was her life. It was one reason why her condition had been even more devastating than it would have to most people. But Hinako was well and able to speak perfectly clearly. Honestly, it was a bit of a surreal situation; was music Hinako's sole interest, "Maybe her other big interests are embarrassing or childish." That was the only other possibility she could think of.

Hinako then proceeded to give Deidre the most uninformative and generic response imaginable, before turning the question back on Deidre. The girl was slightly disappointed, but she was surprised nobody had ever asked her. She was about to ask more about that, but then she realized it might get deeper than she wanted, "Questions for another time, maybe." She thought. Was she the sort of person nobody got to know beyond being a pretty face? She had seemed slightly standoffish at first.

"Manga, slice of life and romance." Deidre told her. She could have summed it up better as 'Shoujo Ai Manga', but she didn't know how the other girl would take that. Some did more than others.

After a short moment passed, she added in, "Novelty, new experiences." Dee was always up to try something new, create a memory, broaden her horizons.

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