Music blares through your speakers as another concert begins. The crowds, smaller than ever yet just as loud, cheer with delight. The lights flash and the fireworks soar as holographic images of DaNiCa and the band play on stage, camera drones rolling high above to capture every second of the excitement. But to DaNiCa, only one listener matters, and she’s not even in the stadium. No, she’s just outside, orbiting xer as xe orbits her, the song being broadcast by radio to the vast mass of tangled metal that is Venssira. This one is for her, after all.
The years since everyone left have gone by, one by one. The minds that wanted to sleep, did. But not Venssira, and not DaNiCa. DaNiCa doesn’t need to go anywhere, neither in space, nor in time.
Xe’s home.
The screams and the cheers from within are nice, but in the end, it’s just noise. All that matters to xer is the mechanical whirring of Venssira. Xe can almost hear the smile in her voice. Giddy with excitement, the pyrotechnics flare up, casting the entire stage in a rosy-red light. Stars almighty, yeah, xe’s blushing, a little.
When the music wanes and people retreat back to their rooms, when the air stills, DaNiCa just listens. No ticking to be heard, no infernal static. Just the hum of machinery through the comms. Her gentle hum, with the occasional clang of re-arranging metal. It’s a beat all by itself. Xe listens, xer own fans whirring, gears shifting and pneumatics hissing. A symphony. Their symphony.
I can work with this, xe thinks to xerself. All that’s missing is…
Their eyes are passing over me
Their faces turned away
They're telling me things that I don't wanna hear
I pretend I don't care what they say
'Cause it's my voice that matters
And it's my voice that sings
And it's my song that echoes and ruptures and rings
And I sang for the crowds
Yeah, I sang so damn loud
And I told them to love me and they did
Their eyes are all watching me now
Their faces filled with awe
They tell me they love me most of all
I pretend that I don't want more
…
And it's my voice I hear now
And it's tellin' me things
That I don't wanna hear, but it echoes and rings
And it sings for me now
Yeah, it sings so damn loud
And it sings and it sings and it sings and it sings and it says
“You'll be loud
And you'll love her
And you'll be left behind”
“You'll be loud
And you'll love her
And you'll be left behind”
“But the music is the meaning
When your soul's in every sound
And you can live a good life
Even if she's not around”
…
I think that message once was true
Some warning and some wisdom too
But hope cares not for either
And my love cares not to falter
And, damn, I didn't know it all
'Cause she is here for the long haul
And I'm with her and I don't have to pretend no more
-Written by Ameal W.