Taking on a New Life

by AmethystMare

Part Six

Author's Note:

Adagio finds out the result of the tense competition at the bar for the promotion and develops her fighting skills as her feelings for Donnie grow... But the siren inside her has much to say about that!

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Story © Amethyst Mare / Arian Mabe
Characters © respective owners

Taking on a New Life
Part Six

Written by Arian Mabe (Amethyst Mare)
Commissioned by Kittenrose232


Adagio sighed, leaning over the bar as she cleaned the safe spot for what had to have been the umpteenth time. It needed to be cleaned, that much was fair, but the problem was that nothing that they used on that part of the bar seemed to lift the innate stickiness from the wood. Sometimes they gave up and placed mats and promotional paperwork over it, flyers to advertise what was happening in the bar the next weekend and the like, but it always came back to someone stubborn in the end.

The siren scoffed, flitting back and forth inside her. She even gave the impression, to the outer Adagio, that she’d turned a somersault in there, in the sanctity of her mind. Though it didn’t feel like much privacy to Adagio anymore when she was sharing both her mind and her body with someone who thought that they deserved the rights to the whole thing. Still, they had come to an agreement in the end, however tentative it was. A relationship, after all, could be built on and that was all the two of them could hope for going forward.

“I’m waiting.”

She spoke out loud, though quietly, addressing the siren, even as she scoffed again with a flip of her fins.

If you wait any longer, you shall turn to stone.

Yet the time for waiting was done as Mick, the manager that she had sought to replace, called everyone up to the stage, the entire staff available at midday on a Monday: completely unheard of. But they were there for a special reason and Adagio smirked, tossing her hair back over her shoulder in a blossom of ginger-orange curls.

“And I thought you were going to announce everything earlier, Mick!”

She charmed him, laying her hand on his arm, the siren taking control for a moment to exert a little more influence over the manager who faltered before them.

“I...uh, yes, Adagio, but there were last-minute details to finalise.”

To their joint surprise, he shook her off, Adagio left floundering a little in his wake, turning one way and then the other and trying to appear as if she was adjusting her clothes, fluffing up her hair.

What’s his problem?

Adagio frowned.

I don’t know. I thought that would work.

It should have worked.

Yet not all mortals were easily swayed by the wiles of a siren as he tapped the microphone and cleared his throat, the squeal of the microphone turning on with him speaking a little too close echoing through the bar.

“Right... That’s that then. Thank you all for your participation but it’s now time to announce who will step up to replace me, after I finish out the month. You will have a share in the bar, of course, and full running rights while our head, the owner, remains overseeing the greater operations. But as a partner in the bar, you have earned your place here. And I’m very pleased to announce that that person is...”

He paused, dragging out the suspense as the crowd of waiters and waitresses, the bartenders too, groaned.

“...Sandra! It’s a pleasure to have you here and even more so to have you on board! Come on up here!”

Adagio blinked. That wasn’t her name. Without thinking, her hands balled up into fists, tipping forward, a hiss ripping from her lips, though the polite clapping and diplomatic cheers of the rest, thankfully, drowned it out. Even the siren rose within her, striving to hold her back when she was at risk of blowing their cover, the nice little nook of a bar that they had carved out for themselves.

Stop it! It’s not worth it!

I thought you wanted me to kick up a fuss! That’s my job!

Not this time it’s not.

That much was true as the others filtered out, Adagio trailing after them, adrift and uncertain, no longer certain where she was. She should have flounced out ahead of them all, leading the way, though the anger inside her was not only her own but one born of jealousy, twisting and seething like a sea serpent or maybe even the hippocampus form of the siren herself within her gut. It was a darker, more insidious kind of anger and the words that played out over and over again before her eyes flirted like the hand of a lover with only promises to break.

Revenge. Yes, there was a sick, curling part of her that wanted revenge, though that had to be more a part of the siren than her, Adagio leaning into it. But what did it matter where the feeling had come from, in the end, only that she took it for what it was? She had been wronged and it was time to –”

“Adagio, do you have a minute?”

She followed Mick into the back room, the office, as if she had any choice in the matter, though her feelings were plastered all over her face for all to see.

“What the hell is all this about?” She hissed, slamming her fist into the palm of her opposite hand. “I made the most money! Everyone loves me! This is absolute insanity to hire her over me – to take her on as a partner, not me!”

Mick held up his hands, though he was seasoned and her anger was nothing new to him.

“Adagio, let me explain.”

“Oh, please do. I love hearing how little my work is appreciated here!”

Even the siren flinched.

Ouch.

Shut up.

“You lost because of your additional help, Adagio. That was never part of the deal.”

She stiffened, shoulder blades pushing back.

“What? Donnie? He’s been here for weeks! Just why didn’t you tell me that to begin with? And he’s been a great draw too to see what the customers here like! They come to listen to him and be entertained by him almost as much as me! Do you think he’s going to keep coming here if I’m not here.”

Mick raised an eyebrow.

“If you’d like to keep working here, you’re welcome, but do not throw threats around, Adagio. I am still your employer.”

The siren hissed.

I can take him. He shouldn’t speak to us that way. Crude, old man...

Adagio smiled. It was good to have someone on her side: she needed that. But she had to be present in the moment even as Mick droned on and on, talking about how it was about managing rather than doing anything. She barely even noted his commandment of her, though the siren latched onto that.

See, it’s not that important. You will come through this.

Even the siren was more encouraging than her and Adagio sighed, running her fingers back through her hair. It needed washing. It seemed more important than anything else that was going on.

“You wouldn’t like being in the office most of the time anyway, Adagio,” he said to her, drawing her back to reality and not in her mind with the siren. “You wouldn’t like being stuck back here, managing and doing the background work, while the others are out on the floor?”

She sighed. It was true. But it still dashed the step-up for her that she wanted. The siren did not seem to understand the gravity of it, why her anger rose so quickly, though it was not as if she was not keen to feed it, to let it simmer and grow.

“Whatever, Mick. I’ll get over it, you’re right, I’m sure.”

For what she knew was that the place, truly, was hers even if she did not have the keys in her hand. The siren flitted back and forth as she left, trying to talk to her, but Adagio was in too much of a foul mood to let her in, blocking the door and shutting her out so that there was no conversation or life to be had there. The two of them may have co-existed but it was fragile even from the human side of the equation. Adagio still could not let go, quite rightly, that she had been a man before the siren had changed her.

She calmed a little at home, dressing in loose, comfortable clothes, adjusting her balance and stance, practising her skills. Well, what skills she had gained already to join Donnie’s dojo, a mix of martial arts that was versatile when it came to self-defence but disciplined in a way that she could not quite explain why it appealed to her.

It has a pattern.

Adagio frowned, stumbling out of a kick.

What are you on about?

The siren readied herself, giving Adagio the impression that she was taking a big breath, gearing up for more.

The patterns in the fighting. When you’re training, going through drills. It’s like the patterns of the water, the flow coming together in current after current.

Adagio rubbed her chin, sitting down to stretch out. That was enough of the hard work for the night: flexibility had to be taken into account too.

I see what you mean there... It is kind of soothing.

It’s nice that it reminds me of the water too. I fought, in times gone by, but we sirens looked to attack with our voices and our influences more than our teeth and fins. It was crude and uncouth to battle like that when we could be far more subtle in waging war, driving chaos. It was all we fed on.

Adagio smiled.

That sounds like a lot of hard work though.

The siren nodded, turning in a circle, the tail of her hippocampus form seeming to chase her through a substance that was neither water nor air where she held herself within Adagio’s mind.

Indeed... But you have an exam to train for.

Why are you trying to get me to practise for it? It’s not like you to be so...so... Adagio floundered, searching for the right word. Supportive? Are you actually getting to like me after all this time?

Of course, the siren snorted and scoffed at that, turning her tail on the human who she shared a body and a life with.

Maybe only a little. And you toss and turn all night when you’re stressed. That’s uncomfortable for me, so I’d much rather you slept like a log than grumbled about things you can’t control all night.

Adagio smiled.

Sure thing.

They rested but Adagio slept a little more soundly that night, knowing that someone was rooting for her. Maybe it was not so bad, after all, that the siren had come into her life.

The next day loomed bright with the entrance exam and a day off work to take care of it. It was not much of an exam, really, but more of an assessment of the skills of new trainees so that they could be sent to the correct classes and given the appropriate belt, so she didn’t really have anything to stress about there. It was not something that was any kind of matter of life or death but something that she had to go through before an audience of friends, family and those who simply wanted to watch what was going on for the fun of it. The dojo was always open to spectators, holding an open door policy that she had taken advantage of, of course, when coming with Donnie before.

It had both good and bad sides.

Dressed in her dojo kit, the white “robes” that came in leggings and a loose top, tied with a like-coloured belt for practice, she paused before the mirror only long enough to ensure she was appropriately dressed.

You don’t have to look pretty for this one.

Adagio dawdled, toying with a stray orange curl.

I know... But why go out plain when I could make a statement?

The curl of hair was played across her forehead as she took a moment, applying very light, very natural make-up – just enough to bring out her eyes. It would stand up to sweat but, frankly, she didn’t expect to he exerting herself there.

Donnie met her at the dojo, a smile on his gentle lips as always. Her heart turned over.

At least he’s something nice to look at.

How can you say that when Donnie’s not even of your own kind?

The siren only smirked and waved a fin at her, though their relationship was lighter than usual. The dojo was a break and a distraction from the bar, though the siren did not understand why she did not exert her influence more freely to simply control them. There could be chaos, nightmares, eve the destruction of professional and personal relationships, if she chose – and the siren could feed on it all, drinking it all down until she was plump and full.

With Adagio, however, she had had to learn to settle with the hunger, lingering in the background of her mind as she watched, a voyeur to the life happening before her. She could help but things with Adagio were but a passing interest to the life she had led before she had become trapped, something that she still had to come to grips with in some way. The kicks and punches were all well and good, but where were the spins, the lure of vocalisation, the singing that could draw all into her clutches?

The siren shook herself off. Adagio wasn’t like that. But that did not mean that they could not work together. At least things kept her interested.

Being that she had been there for some time before the opening entrance exams, Adagio was treated to a session with the dojo master beforehand, his eyes dark and kind, though the wisdom of his years was shown in the lines of his face.

“Change your stance, take more weight onto your right leg...and lean into it, right there.”

Adagio frowned, her forehead tightening even if it did not draw into lines. It was hard and she did feel a light rise of sweat growing: damn it. She could only hope that no one would notice it on her.

Why does it matter? The siren interjected. I thought this was about defence, physical activity. Though it should really be about attacking...

Adagio shook her head.

We don’t do that here. Our world is not like that...though we have armies, the military. Adagio swallowed hard. That was where she had been, once. Once. It seemed a long time ago. Not everyone agrees with it but the idea behind it is that everything is self-defence, not going off out to attack anyone. Practising like this is merely practise, even in competitions.

She felt the siren’s interest perked a little more.

More competitions... You humans are strange, strange creatures.

But anything more that was entertaining would always be a benefit to the siren.

The master ran her through sets of exercises to allow her a little more stretch and flexibility in her muscles: tiny things that would give her an edge in the exam. The stands, set against one wall of the practice area, were half-full, though there were some old faces in there that she recognised, as if from a life that, in itself, had been lived in a dream. Adagio grunted, the master connecting with her, her side throbbing.

“Adagio! Focus!”

He was right, of course. There were more important things at play other than her past, yet no one else but her could ever understand just how it was to have another person inside her, a voice inside her head that was not her and would never go away.

I can be quieter.

Adagio rolled her eyes.

As if that would last for long. Anyway, I’d miss you too much.

That was almost a kindness between the two of them but the siren’s influence seeped into her, softly and slowly. If Adagio had not already known just how it felt, she would not have understood what was happening, why she felt stronger as she faced off against first the master and then another student, so that he could observe from a little bit more of a distance. There were things that one could see from stepping back that one could not see up close, but her blows raining down on him were infused with the muscle memory she had learned along with the swiftness of the siren.

Her military background helped her too with her reactions, locking into the moment as if she was in the thick of battle even though, to be fair, she had never been in anything too intense during her time of service. It had been something that she’d had to go through, however, and even with her new, female body, she did not forget her training, everything locked in as she folded away from a kick of the master’s like a reed bending in the wind.

Yes!

Even the siren was cheering for her: perhaps the most surprising thing of all. Donnie was there, clapping politely along, though she liked to think that he was encouraging her so much because he wanted her to be there, because he wanted to spend more time for her. She would have taken any excuse, right then and there, to spend time with him and she wanted the same from him, tuning out the siren but taking all the help she had to offer. All the siren gave her came from curiosity and interest but she liked to think that she was on her side too.

Maybe she needed that. Maybe Adagio needed that more than she had ever needed it ever before.

The master finished sparring with her and it was quite telling even as she backed away, not believing that it was over. How long at it been? Her muscles felt warm and ready, though not sore as she expected them to. She’d barely even touched the master: she probably could not expect to at a time when he was angling away from her, slipping from her strikes like water between rocks in the riverbed.

The final test against a student followed straightaway afterwards and she jolted upright to see that she was not up against another fresh-faced applicant but the man that she had been spending oh so very much time with lately already.

“Hello, Adagio,” he said with a grin, bowing as if he had never met her before. “Give me your best shot!”

It was all in good fun, of course, and yet she could not help but lean into it a little harder, all for those little touches and brushes of contact with Donnie. It was a distraction and some kind of motivation both at the same time. She wanted to get in closer but that rendered her vulnerable to his strikes – and, oh, he was quick. Quick enough to get by her military training, the siren hissing rising to the challenge.

Left!

Adagio’s muscles jerked, taking her that way even without the active consent of her mind. The siren was in control and she knew what to do, dodging, even managing to throw in a flip that seemed to come from a hippocampus’ tail rather than her legs. Everything that the siren had came in a raw, unrefined fashion but she had to push on, swinging, chopping, bringing her leg down in a move that no one had ever shown her but just felt natural.

Donnie frowned and her heart surged. She was a challenge for him! That was good, that was very good... That was everything that she needed it to be and more, everything that she wanted to push into to see herself through. Her muscles thrummed and throbbed with a strength and energy that she had never felt before. It was fresh and it was new and it invigorated her through and through, everything that she needed and more as a growl that she had never made previously ripped itself from her throat.

For the bar. For everything that she had lost. For everything that had changed in her life. Every moment boiled down to that single exam in the dojo, everything that she had thrown out there as Donnie met her, blocked her, taking a few blows of his own all the while. He had to strike back, connecting with her, eyes wide at her fury but he matched her with his own fervour and ferocity, though his was tamed and disciplined, coming from the heart of the dojo itself and all the training that he had done there.

Some things, after all, took time. Adagio panted, her lips dry, but she didn’t have a moment in which to sweep her tongue over them for a touch of moisture. No, she had to keep going, no matter how her muscles began to ache, a strange sort of pain as blood roared between her ears. The siren was in control as she took a back seat, the flat of her hand whipping out towards Donnie, his expression stark as he knew that he could not block her in time.

“Enough!”

Panting and heaving for breath, she’d pushed herself to her limit as she stood before the master, bowing respectfully. It was just as well that she’d been pulled back before things could escalate, though it would all have been within the rules of the dojo, despite neither Adagio nor the siren understanding, in full, the entirety of the strikes and blocks that they were performing.

Flowing from one to the other was exhausting, however, her shoulders rounding, stomach turning over. Maybe she should have eaten something more substantial before the exam but she had not been sure that she would keep food down.

“Master.”

He stood tall, arms folded over his chest.

“Excellent! You are good, almost a natural, though your movements... They are still stiff and unrefined. We can work on that.”

Adagio rolled her eyes mentally at the siren.

I knew that you should have let me take the lead.

I helped you get this far.

We’re not going to get into the school at this rate!

We? Since when were we in the school together?

“This belt is for you.”

She blinked at it, laid across her open palms before her eyes.

“That’s it? I’m in?”

Donnie clapped her on the shoulder hard enough to rock her sideways. She still was not as strong as him.

“Congratulations!”

“The counters were strong and you fight well, but you are at a place where you can train hard, looking for the fluidity of motion. Do you understand?”

Of course, she agreed with the dojo master, but it was hard to feel negatively about anything when she was so pleased to simply be in the position that she was. She was in and it gave her something new, a different direction in which to focus: something that would have been sorely needed for any human but even more so for a siren who tired swiftly of the same old thing, day in and day out. When she could not cause the unrest and chaos that she wanted, there had to be other things to occupy her. Still, she grew restless. Maybe the fighting, even if it was just practise, would help her in some way? Only time would tell.

The rest of the session was a blur and Adagio laughed as Donnie walked her home, stepping between white pools of street light, water glistening on the sidewalk. Cars sped by but they were none of their concern as Donnie and Adagio retreated to her home, the apartment that had already been her safe place for so many years. Something was different, that time, on inviting him in, though she liked having him in her space, welcoming him close even though she tended to keep more of a personal bubble elsewhere.

Dinner. She told herself, showering off hastily, though dubious about washing her hair at the same time, it would just take so long. It was just dinner. Between friends.

He’s interesting. You should do whatever it is that humans do when they don’t want to merely be friends.

Adagio winced.

Do sirens do that too?

Do what?

Get...together with someone else?

Yes, though we’re hardly as picky about it as you are. Maybe we have a smaller pool to draw from. There are not as many sirens in my world as there are humans in yours. I am unsure as to which is better, as yet.

That was a question that would have to be answered at another time, if it even needed to be answered at all, as she found a compromise between looking good and being casual: slim-fit jeans and a loose, flowing shirt. It was comfortable after working out and she certainly felt sore as she dragged herself back to the kitchen where Donnie was working away at enchiladas for the two of them.

“You look nice,” he said with a chuckle. “You make me feel underdressed here!”

It was all fine and good, however, as the siren retreated, allowing Adagio some semblance of privacy with Donnie. She would know all that had happened between them, of course, but it was moments like that that showed their respect for one another, though Adagio would surely owe the siren more control over the coming days and weeks to make up for everything at the bar and, of course, the dojo.

They talked and talked, though time passed swiftly, without them even noticing it. It was almost a non-event for Adagio to have him there on a social endeavour, for there was no more work to be done for the bar to push out the boat, to push on and on, trying to win. It was over. Donnie knew but, diplomatically, he had not mentioned it to her, for which she was grateful. It was like he knew her better than she knew herself, which would make sense, considering that she was still very much working out who she was as a woman, as Adagio.

“See you tomorrow, right?”

She said goodbye to him on the step at the front of the apartment complex, opening out onto the relatively busy street outside. Something hung between them in the damp air, laden with the promise of more rain, though it was not something that they could breathe life into as yet. Maybe it would never come to anything. But it was nice just as it was, exactly as it was. It didn’t need to be anything more than that as she smiled and waved him off, something tightening in her chest that she would, later, have to address.

It’s normal.

That was the siren, but, for once, she didn’t have an answer for her. That was okay too. Not all words had to be spoken out loud in an error of communication.

Left with her thoughts and the siren, Adagio sighed, glancing at the pile of dishes in the sink. Oh, those could wait until the morning as she opened the window for a breath of fresh air. The siren stirred, flitting up, pushing in, taking control while Adagio was too tired to honestly pilot her own body. At times like that, all she could say was that she was thankful to have the siren there.

What do you think about the dojo then? Adagio asked her, sleepily watching things grow tidy around her, under her own hands, though it was not through her own doing. You came in strongly... I didn’t expect that.

Oh! It is interesting, so very much so.

The relish and pride in the siren’s voice could not possibly be mistaken for anything else, which surprised Adagio, even though she was too tired to express it.

There’s a power and a precision to it, calming, soothing, even though everything’s happening so quickly. It takes you into a new way of feeling out this body. Everything is different to how it was before for me but it still reminds me of a good time, a better time.

The siren paused but whatever it was that she was thinking was tucked away where not even Adagio could pick it out of her own mind.

Anyway... Yes, yes, I shall continue assisting with this. I’ll take some sessions, maybe this “refinement” will not be so difficult for me to practise, once I understand the concept.

Adagio giggled.

So formal... You’ve got to loosen up at some point. So, we’re continuing with the dojo? Training? Practising?

The siren’s eyes glittered, though it was a feeling that Adagio got rather than something that she saw with her own eyes.

I think you’ve already made your mind up on whether you are going to continue with it or not, considering Donnie...

The siren let that hang in the air and Adagio raised an eyebrow. Was she teasing her? That was strange...very new. Adagio wasn’t sure whether she liked that or not.

But everything would be fine, luring on into the eve of the night, talking about the control and power, the force of the fight. There was a lot still to come and they both leaned eagerly into it, hoping to attain things that had never before crossed Adagio’s mind.

Being with the siren, even if it was unconventional, opened up so very many doors to the two of them that it occult have been a blessing even if it felt like a curse. Neither of them knew, though they were more than keen, in their own, separate ways, to find out.

There was a lot of work to be done but rest was to be had too as they collapsed into bed, imagining all that would come to pass, designed by their own hands. They could have been two separate beings again, though there was only so much that they could do, so much that they could take on, all at once.

Step by step, breath by breath. Taking on a new life was not easy. But it had to be done.

The siren and Adagio would work out their differences together.