“You know Cary-dear,” said Iona, “I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for us already.” Cary was surprised; it was the second week of her at her desk, sitting across a pop culture juggernaut, and she’d already forgotten exactly who she was talking to.

“It’s my job,” Cary said with a shrug. “Not much to really thank me for.”

“But everyone is already so comfortable around you--it’s true!” said Iona. “I know our personalities can clash with your Special Cary Style, but even I can see the ease the others are feeling!”

“I don’t have a ‘Special Cary Style’,” said Cary, lifting Iona’s glitter-pink pamphlet of a resume, ready to get back to the task at hand. “But I’m glad we’re getting along well enough.

“Cary?” asked Iona. Now Cary was caught by the clearness, borderline vulnerability, of her voice. “I know I’ve asked a lot of you already, but can I trouble you for one more thing?”

“Is something wrong?” Cary asked.

“No, not quite,” said Iona, shaking her head. “I was just wondering if...did Odila say anything to you about DCT?”

“Not really,” said Cary. She wracked her brain for any missing details, but all she has was the obvious. “She ditched her appointment before she could say much of anything.”

“Ah ha ha! That’s just like our Odila!” Iona laughed brightly.

“That doesn’t seem like something to laugh at,” said Cary.

“Ee hee! I guess you’re right,” said Iona, as Cary let out a small sigh. “Still, she didn’t seem too enthusiastic about this arrangement. I think it’s because of me.”

“Did something happen between the two of you?” Cary asked. Iona’s seemingly eternal smile stayed in place, but her eyes sank into her lap. A long breath escaped her nose.

“I’ve always worried I took her away from what she really wanted,” said Iona. “I was a huge fan of her and Dusty’s music before DCT came to be.”

“I think I remember a coworker saying something like that,” said Cary. “They used to be their own group?”

“Oh yes! Yes yes yes!” said Iona, practically springing back to life with a noticeable bounce. “Have you ever heard of Strawberry Cherry?”

“Ha! No?” Cary said. She realized two things at once: One, she tried to make a joke without really thinking about it. Two, because of that, she sounded rude as all hell. She felt her nose prickle with embarrassment, but Iona only met her bluntness with a bobbing nod.

“Then you’re in for a treat!” she said, pulling up her bag and sorting through it’s spaces. “Really, the only way to hear them is live, but...here we go!”

She pulled out a thin, white player with a small set of earbuds tied around them in a neat coil. She unwrapped them with what seemed like a single tug, and offered one of the buds toward Cary. “Give a listen!” she twittered, giving it another shove into the air.

Knee-jerk manners suggested Cary refuse, but she found herself suddenly nostalgic--she hadn’t listened to another person’s music since college. She placed the bud into her ear, hearing the pleasant clicks of Iona’s player as she scrolled through her library.

“Ready, set!” said Iona. She gave such a cheery intro that Cary expected bubble gum and candy beats, but instead, she heard the beginnings of a deep, mournful chord suddenly soar to a triumphant cry. And then, she heard Odila’s voice.

“It’s called ‘Long Lost Last Chance’,” said Iona, placing the other bud into her ear, face melting into the music. “This is the song they wrote as a farewell to their old band, Strawberry Cherry.”

“Oh…” Cary said, a loss for all else. It did seem like a song goodbye, radiating with an odd melancholy behind its bright, steady beat. But Odila’s voice was low and carried a warmth Cary had yet to see, weaving a turbulent past and unsteady future into a cautious optimism that vibrated deep in Cary’s ribs.

“Odila has to sing this song when we perform,” said Iona. “It’s an unwritten rule.”

“Wow just...wow,” said Cary. “She sounds great. Well, now you can tell I don’t ever listen to music. ‘She sounds great!’ I say, the dark cockles of my heart weeping.”

“Ah ha ha ha! You’re too much Cary!” said Iona, giving Cary a light, affectionate shove. It was so gentle that Cary didn’t even feel annoyed. For a moment, they shared a pause as the song went on. Tomorrow, Odila sang, we’ll be reborn with all our scars from yesterday, reminding us of the rocky ground below...

“They were brilliant,” continued Iona. “Odila and Dusty both. Back before, they were very obscure--but I loved them, you know?”

“I can see why,” said Cary. She was surprised how weak it sounded compared to Odila’s song and Iona’s words.

“I made DCT so they wouldn’t disappear,” said Iona. “I still wonder if that was the wrong choice.”

“Wait, you made DCT?” said Cary, momentarily lifting the bud from ear. “How?”

“How you make any business! Rub shoulders, talk big, wheel fast, prove your talent!” said Iona, flexing the muscles of her right arm. “Not that they gave me any trouble with the talent part!”

“Then if you wanted to save them, why did they have to disband?” asked Cary. “Why DCT? Why all this Quirky Sexy Dream stuff?”

“Ah ha! It's pretty dumb,” said Iona. “Image mostly, you know? Girl bands always need a more cutesy face.” She gave a small, sad laugh. "It's so unfair! After all, we should all be Beauty Dream!"

“I guess,” said Cary. “And I can see them as the type to not fake-smile for anyone.”

“Right?” said Iona. “They’re so strong!” She let herself fade back into the music a bit more. “I don’t often get to hear this kind of song anymore. Probably because I pulled them into all of this...” It was a sad thing to say, but Iona’s smile remained as she closed her eyes.

“I think Odila would tell you if she was really that upset,” said Cary.

“No, not really,” said Iona. “Odila’s a really easygoing person, you know?”

“Of all my impressions, ‘easygoing’ was not one of them,” said Cary.

“Goodness gracious! Should I tell her you said that?” Iona let out another giggle. “I’m kidding, I’m kidding! I’d never do that to you, Cary-dear!”

“Yeah, but,” said Cary, “if she’s really that relaxed, she’d probably be okay talking with you, right?”

“I did talk to her, before everything broke out,” said Iona. “She knew it was a part of Dusty’s history, but she didn’t know it was that guy specifically. Which makes sense, you know? But when I asked if she wanted to leave, she just said ‘I’d rather be here than anywhere else’.”

“So you think she was lying?” Cary said.

“No, she was telling the truth,” said Iona. “I just don’t know why it’s how she felt. And now...I guess I know even less.”

“She’s a hard person to understand,” Cary said.

“Most sensitive people are,” Iona said. Cary had to think to hold back a ‘yeah right’ as the song began its final crescendo, and Odila’s voice echoed with a promise for today. It’s not fair, but I’ll be brave...it’s our long lost last chance…