#cat: proceeds to keep her minor breakdown in her thoughts…that we cant see

[marchleader]

She once again hears the small sound of footsteps and turns to see a small…cassette player? Did Eyepatch put this here again?

She grabs it and the cassettes. Cat looking over them curiously. “Oh, these devices play music. Just music though unlike the previous devices that has visuals.” March says. “If you put one of the tapes into the player and press this button the song will start and-“

The mask comes off and the beast comes out

“It’s my voice again!” March says. “Strange, this does not seem to be from the extraction machine…where would these have come from?”

Cat seems to grimace a bit. “It’s…loud.”

Ah… “I can’t lower the volumn on this…” She says. To her this doesn’t sound too loud though. Her ears twitch. She supposes they aren’t Real Cat Ears compared to Cat’s. They must be a lot more sensitive than hers.

I can’t “sit”, I can’t even “stay”

She frowns, And like the previous song these lyrics feel…unfairly targeted.

Cat smiles. “Are you sure you really aren’t a cat?”

Again, she thinks she would have known if she was.

High expectations of love is not allowed

She sighs. “I’m aware.” She says bluntly. She almost stops the tape right there, but Cat stops her.

“But you were just complaning about it being loud a while ago?” March says.

“Maybe I want to hear it now.” Cat says.

(Something seems strange about Cat. She shoves that thought aside.)

She lets the song continue. It’s enjoyable, more entertaining than what she usually gets to listen to anyway. Something about it feels a bit…sinful to listen to, with how rebellious the song sounds, but at this point anything she does feels sinful.

The effect it has on Cat though is…

The mask comes off and the beast comes out, barefaced animal, I do it wild even if it’s ugly

Cat seems to be actually humming to it.

March smiles, she didn’t expect that. She wonders what about the song makes her so happy.

Why don’t you get h!g%, why don’t you go cR%&Y, why don’t we do it m0rE, hahaha

Though…

The feeling of something off doesn’t really leave her. Like there’s something more here that Cat isn’t telling her about.

If you can be a little greedy, I want to be happy

(Cat flinches, her happy mood dissapearing for a second)

(Amane, kindly, doesn’t comment on it.)

When the meowing starts Amane almost expects Cat to start meowing along.

It makes sense the song called Animal would be enjoyed by a cat. In a way.

(She doesn’t want to listen to the other tape though…if the lyrics here are so targetted she shudders to think what the song called “Positive Parade” would have.)

“Can I be allowed to keep this?” Cat asks her, when the song ends. “I’d like to listen to it again.”

(The choice of words bothers her.)

“…Sure,” March says, handing it over to her. “If you like you can have the other tape as well.”

“Oh, thank you.” Cat says. “I’ll take care of it.”

She smiles at her.

March tries not to think about how practiced it feels.

*Puts down two Incredibly Normal Cassette Tapes containing two covers*

"Music? Music that I am not supposed to listen to?" She puts the first cassette, labeled "Positive Parade", in the player. Good thing she knows what these are. Some of the prisoners didn't know about these that one time they showed up.

"This song is super upbeat. Is that my voice? Is this like those CDs?" And then the lyrics start.

Heeey, aren’t you straight up bawling your eyes out? It’s not normal for you to pretend that everything’s fine

Amane hurls the cassette player at a wall. But it keeps playing, and she finds herself compelled to keep listening. Not for lack of trying to stop.

"I'm sorry, I can't do it anymore, please help me"

"Stop it. Stop it. I'm not listening. I'm not."

You don't want to imagine it, you don't want to hear it, do you? So before it comes to that, rely on me!

"...Did March sing this? 'Rely on me'? Was it Cat, perhaps?"

You'll turn out okay! Because you'll find that your smile fits you perfectly

"I hope so..."

If someone tells you you're wrong, even when you're not wrong at all I won’t support anything that denies you

"Is this about Warden-san? I wish you could have told me this before the interrogation... It would have made me feel better."

You can take the opportunity to hold me close, and you can share the burden of your worries with me You say it's embarrassing, but I'm embarrassed too, you know!

This says so much about her that you can forgive her for staring blankly and saying nothing. Don't laugh and say this isn't like me It’s my answer to meeting you.

"But this isn't like- ...oh. I would only be lying to myself."

Even when times are tough, the light is always by our sides

"The light... Is the light still there?"

Amane goes over to where she threw the player and removes the cassette. "Could it really have been me singing this? I am inclined to think it was March in particular... but then again, she is a past me, so it could have been me after all."