ladieskissing | (no subject)

"Sorry for the intrusion," Nico mutters flatly as she takes off her shoes in the doorway, knowing full well that even if there was anyone in that labyrinth of a mansion but her and Maki right now, her voice would never be able to reach them. She follows Maki inside with her hands shoved into the pockets of her cardigan, head tilting left and right as she takes in her surroundings like it's her first time seeing them. There are so many pieces of overly-elaborate decor that Nico doesn't think she's ever going to remember them all.

Oh, but she definitely remembers that giant piece of armor on the wall over there. She always gets the feeling like if she gets too close it'll topple over and trap her underneath, so she subconsciously leans towards the opposite wall every time they pass by it.

"Seriously, Maki, no matter how many times I come to your house, it's just way too big," she grumbles, only to catch herself the next moment.

"-- But of course, once Nico's become a super idol, she'll have a mansion like this in every prefecture!" She strikes her signature pose and smile. "Teehee."

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Maki pays close attention as Nico hums, staring off from them as she takes the sounds in. She taps her foot along to Nico, trying to catch her rhythm.

She stops a beat after Nico does and turns to her as if noticing her again, she was so lost in her own thoughts.

"What about..." Maki's fingers hover over the keys for a moment until she decides to settle on a chord. She plays one but it doesn't sound quite right, so she tries another, one step up. Then two, but that one's too high and she goes back to the second one. She plays it a few times humming out the melody Nico attempted, until finally her fingers break from it and play the melody, improvising an accompaniment.

It's Nico's song, but added to it, a few notes here, a longer pause there. She adds some staccato to her playing to make the melody more fun, jumping from note to note.

The passage was short, so it ends all too soon. "Like that?"

Nico, expecting her suggestion to be turned down point-blank, is more than a little surprised when Maki doesn't just listen, but accepts it, as well. And when Maki plays, she can hear her own tune in it, a faint but prevalent guideline, on top of which she's built something rich and alive. She just hummed it out on a whim, and yet it's already starting to take form as a real, actualized song-- it's pretty amazing to hear.

"Wow," Nico says, for once not thinking to filter her praise. "That's really good."

Maki smiles at the piano keys at Nico's compliment, then puckers her lips to not let it show too much. She clears her throat and taps out a random melody on the keys. "Don't you mean it's because of the great Nico-nii that the song came out so good?"

"Yeah, well," she smiles lopsidedly, "but I'm willing to give Maki some credit, too. Why don't we try the chorus?"