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There’s something mesmeric about watching Vera on the drums, just letting loose with a similar frenzy to that of what you’ve seen in battle alongside her. Yet through all her ferocity, there’s a certain level of precision to her movements with each strike, that you can clearly hear with each fill and roll. The role of drummer does indeed fit Vera, who does have that precision, as required of a medic when dealing with all sorts of injuries out there on the field, and that sheer force of strength that you’ve seen plenty of times.
The backbeat to the song she’s pounding out sounds extremely familiar. It takes a fellow percussionist to tell that if one took away the guitars and vocals, this is what one would be left with, and for someone who’s got a shared interest in said instruments, it doesn’t take you long to figure out the exact song – ‘Burn the Remembrance,’ by a certain heavy metal band you happen to have on your terminal’s playlist.
“Didn’t take you to be a Katatonia fan.” You quip as Vera hits the final notes with a crash on the cymbals, then immediately kick yourself as your side-comment came out a lot snarkier than intended.
“There’s more to me than many give me credit for and that includes my musical tastes. If you must know, there is a reason I have most of their tracks from ‘Viva Emptiness’ on loop.”
Vera’s more amused than offended, judging from the laugh she gives you after. Of course. Like many, you also had thought Vera to be the type to listen to something more… ‘hardcore’, heavier, more aggressive.
But then again, despite her outward prickliness, there is a softer side to Vera that few have seen. And you’ve had the fortune of seeing that softer side of her a lot, especially when you drop by this very storage room that she’d taken the liberty of turning into a practice space of sorts.
And when you ruminate on it, perhaps it is fitting that Vera does enjoy listening to a band as heavy and as mellow as Katatonia.
“Looks like we have more in common than we thought.” You nod, finding glee in the fact that you’re now not the only person in all of Babylonia that’s a fan of said band.
-
Your next rendezvous has you watch as Vera tugs at her black leather jacket, straightening it out before she picks up an electric guitar that’s the same shade of red as her hair along with a chrome pick that has Cerberus’ patch etched into its surface.
You’re half-expecting to hear the bombastic, energetic riffs of ‘Me’, the only song of hers she’s ever completed, at least to your knowledge, but what Vera’s strumming out with those deft fingers of hers is yet another original piece, one you’ve haven’t heard before – a heavy-sounding riff that’s chugging along slowly. A certain band’s influence in this riff is very much on the nose, given how it evokes a similar sense of longing and bleakness in your mind’s eye.
“You’re enjoying this aren’t you, Commandant?” She’s caught you nodding along to the riffs. And she seems to be beaming at you, with a very visible glint in those garnet red eyes of hers.
“Well, you are good. Is there a name for this one?”
“There will be. When I get to it.” Vera shrugs, her left hand sliding up her guitar’s neck, working the pegs to tune it lower.
“Would this be a follow-up to ‘Me’ when it’s done?”
“Hmm… maybe.”
You can’t help but imagine that if Vera is able to throw together a band after the battle to reclaim Earth has been won, it would really take off. Yet as talented a musician as she is under her outward guise of a battleaxe medic, she doesn’t seem to share that enthusiasm you have.
And she’s seemed to have sensed your thoughts. And you both know that you’re going to push the matter, to attempt to encourage her to pursue this hidden talent of hers once the seemingly endless war on Earth is over.
“I may be good at this, but I don’t have as much love for it as you or other people do.” She’s quick to shoot it down before you can get even the first word out. “Music and songwriting’s just that – a hobby to me. Something I do for just for the hell of it whenever I feel like it. I may love it but I don’t love it enough to actually consider getting serious with it.”
“But are you gonna finish that piece at least?”
Vera only smiles at that question.
“When I get to it.” She says. And then her expression changes into that serious, focused one you’re used to seeing whenever she’s in the zone when she’s just rocking out.
Her fingers fly over the frets as she starts plucking out yet another one of her own pieces. This one is more dynamic than the first, a harmonic series of licks that evoke a similar sense of longing to that of the first song. It’s melancholic too, yes but the sense of bleakness has totally gone, replaced by feelings you can only really describe coherently as ‘bright’ and ‘introspective’.
And through this piece, you come to see another side of Vera that even her own team may not have seen at all. Despite her being blunt to the point of near-tactlessness at times, there are some things she just can’t spit out. Perhaps this is yet another outlet for Vera’s feelings – Or at least that's what that little voice in the back of your head seems to be trying to tell you.
These two pieces were indeed meant for you, weren’t they?
-
Days pass since the last time you’ve seen Vera at her instruments. Of course you’re looking forward to meeting her again, but then as always, being the Commandant of one of Babylonia’s elite Construct teams, the chains of command serve to keep you away from the redheaded songstress.
You find yourself at your desk, sorting out paperwork into the most ungodly hours of the morning. There’s just some things that never change, despite everything being heavily digitized. Some things just have to be logged physically or they never existed.
You’re no stranger to burning the midnight oil but you’re beyond caring at that point. Out there in space, on board Babylonia, there’s no actual ‘sense’ of night and day, with the only indicators of that cycle being whatever clock or timer is within 50 feet. Incidentally, the one on your wrist-terminal is reading ‘0330 hours’.
Addled with boredom and fatigue, your mind begins to wander. And surely, those two riffs you’ve heard Vera play start looping in your head. Especially that second one, that’s seemingly wormed its way into the part of your head that stores your memories and taking over.
And you’re very sure you’ll be waking up with it playing in your head over and over.
Though it’s not like you’re getting any sleep soon because somewhere in the back of your head, a warning beacon goes off. You’re not alone in your room. You see a flash of red and you instantly know who it is.
“Couldn’t you have waited until morning, like a normal person?” You grumble. Part of you also wants to ask how the hell she’s managed to sneak past your squad in their sleep cycles and break into your room but then again, it’s Vera you’re talking about here. Then again, it’s Vera you’re talking about here. If Vera’s got her sights set on something, there’s no stopping her.
Even if it means breaking into your room at 3:30 am.
She’s clearly been burning the midnight oil too and seemingly guessing the unspoken question of what she’s doing at the most ungodly hour of night, she slides a neatly wrapped package over to you.
“Fresh off the press. You’re the first and only person I wanted to show them to. Be thankful I like your dumb ass because I’d never do this for anyone else, not even ‘21 or Noctis...”
What she’s handed to you is a data chip with recordings on it. It’s definitely the final versions of those pieces of hers that you can’t get out of your head.
So that’s what she was doing... And knowing her, she’d probably recorded, then mixed and mastered everything in one go, outtakes and all.
“If you’re gonna work yourself to the bone all night long, might as well blast this and think of me while you’re at it.”
There goes that near-melodic giggle off hers. You could have sworn you caught a look of pride on that pretty face of hers before she turns around. And before you can say a word, Vera’s gone, in that familiar flash of red.
What she’s handed you is what bands from the underground would circulate as demo tapes. It’s wrapped in white paper, the chip’s label itself consisting of medical tape with the title scribbled on in red ink, written in a style that’s somewhere between cursive and the stereotypical medical professional’s scrawls.
‘Old Hearts Fall’, it reads.
There’s only two tracks on it – respectively titled ‘Wait Outside’ and ‘Wide Awake in Quietus.’ – Your current favourite melodies of Vera’s, finally seeing the light of day.
And she finished them just for you.
That sense of elation you’ve been feeling ever since Vera quite literally dropped her songs into your lap only intensifies as the opening beat of ‘Wait Outside’ hits you hard like a sledgehammer from the sheer heaviness of its riffing.
Vera had been thoughtful enough to scribble a lyrics sheet – which was torn in half, containing the lyrics to the first song. Clearly she really wanted to you listen to that one.
I burn the bridges behind me
Can't tell you the truth so I lie
I'm waving at someone behind you
I filter my eyes when I look at the sky
Time to lose
Tell them everything
Say I lost my light
Your word means everything
I cannot say it right
I withdraw
Lost my everything
My vision is unclear
Wait for me outside
Will you hold on
Can you hold on
The words of someone struggling to spit out their feelings. It’s Vera’s entire life and feelings in the span of a few verses. Yes, it’s vaguely put out in an attempt to be poetic, but even then it says so much – This is Vera’s most vulnerable side, literally put to paper and shown right to you.
On the other side of the sheet, there’s a note – an invitation of sorts to her next session. Vera’s somehow going to perform live, most likely with Noctis and 21 roped in. And you're definitely sure that the lyrics to the second track are still on Vera’s person – to be handed to you only and only when you show up.
And right as the song fades into the opening guitar solo of ‘Wide Awake…’, your mind is made up. You’re going to make the time to go see Vera yet again.