//------------------------------// // There's Got To Be A Morning After // Story: S.M.I.L.E. Agent Aria Blaze // by Hopeful_Ink_Hoof //------------------------------// It was not quite a peaceful sleep for Aria. Several times she was awaken by Kerfuffle using the bathroom, and at one point, had to get up and lead her back to Aria's room after she had stumbled into Adagio's and tried to snuggle the siren. As such, she was the last siren up in the morning. Well... that was actually the case normally, but this time, she had an excuse for it. Not acknowledging the other two, Aria made her way straight to the coffee pot. She filled her mug, and started downing the hot, dark brew. "So, how's your girlfriend?" Adagio asked from her spot at the table. Aria held up her middle finger, finishing her coffee before answering. "She's not my girlfriend," Aria stated. "She's someone I barely know from work." "But you asked her out, didn't you?" Sonata asked from the stove. "No." Grabbing the pot, Aria refilled her mug. "I asked her if she wanted to have sex with me, and that was mostly teasing." Before the conversation could get any further, Sonata's cellphone began ringing. She jumped at the sound, then grabbed for it, dropping her spatula as she did. Her eyes went wide as she looked at the screen. "Everyone shut up!" Sonata cried out. "This could be about my job." She hit answer. "Sonata Dusk speaking." Aria raised an eyebrow, turning to Adagio. "Job?" she mouthed silently. Adagio only gave a shrug in response, her own eyebrow raised as well. The two of them returned their attention to Sonata, listening to her talk as she continued making breakfast. "I'm in great physical shape." Sonata bent down to pick up the dropped spatula. "I can go for hours without getting sore or tired." "So you have to do a phone interview for porn now?" Aria asked, smirking. Sonata's arm shot out straight as her wrist gave a quick flick. The spatula flew from her grip, cutting through the air. Before the action even registered, the edge of the blade hit Aria in the forehead, making her cry out. The impact left a straight vertical line right in the middle of her forehead. "Hm," said Adagio, eyes narrowing as she smirked. "Looks like she's serious if she's willing to attack you like that." Aria turned to scowl at Adagio, reaching up with one hand, to rub the spot with her middle finger. "I do have some experience with camping and wilderness survival," Sonata continued casually as she picked up a clean spatula. "It wasn't anything formal, like The Girl Guides, but my sisters and I spent a lot of camping out over the years. Sometimes, we even did so without any supplies at all." Aria turned her attention to Sonata, the conversation making her all the more curious. "I think I'm pretty good with kids," the youngest of them said. She straightened up, puffing out her chest. "I've been told many times that I really relate to them on their level." In more than a thousand years of life, there was a lot that the sirens had experienced. As such, there were times when they each felt they had experienced all there was, and there was nothing new left. That was when life would have something happen in order to prove them wrong. At this time, life decided that Aria Blaze should learn what it was like to have coffee go up her nose. She had been taking a drink during the conversation, and Sonata's ... interesting interpretation of being called childish had made her try to laugh, sucking the scalding hot liquid into her nostrils. This also led her to learning what it was like to try and scream in pain and cough at the same time. By the time the coughing had stopped and the burning had subsided enough to pay attention to other matters, Sonata was hanging up. She let out a squeal of excitement, jumping up and down. "I DID IT!" she cried out. "I GOT THE JOB!" Her bouncing came to an end as she turned to the other, grinning widely. "You're looking at one of the counselors for Camp Rainbow Falls!" "Camp Rainbow Falls?" Adagio repeated. "You mean you're going to be working at a summer camp? With kids?" "Yep," Sonata confirmed, nodding. Something suddenly clicked in Aria's head. "Is that why all the movies you've been picking out are at summer camps?" "Right," Sonata replied. "It was research." Placing her hands on her hips, she puffed out her chest. "Now I'm ready for anything from over the top pranks to masked murderers." "Sonata," Adagio said calmy, "we've been over this before. You cannot learn practical real world skills just by watching movies." Sonata's eyes narrowed as a wicked smirk formed on her face. "You mean like how Aria saw Wrath of the Dragon's Fist, and tried to do mirror all the fighting moves?" "Hey!" Aria snapped. She tried to come up with a witty and scathing retort, but between the lack of sleep and the still lingering pain of having her brain boiled, could not really think of anything. "Shut up." That just made Sonata's stupid smirk grow larger, making her look very punchable. A few minutes later, the three of them heard a thump of someone hitting the wall, followed by low groans. What had once been known as Kerfuffle shambled toward them, leaning against the wall for support. "Why would someone knowingly put themselves through this?" she asked in a raspy near-whisper. "I take it you haven't gotten drunk before?" asked Adagio. "And I'm never doing it again," the hungover human declared. Pushing off the wall, she made her way toward one of the chairs. As she sat down, she placed her head onto the table. "What kind of sick masochist willingly puts themself through such misery?" Aria thought about The Dazzlings' own relatively short lived experience with alcoholism. Specifically, the last time, when they had been defeated by The Rainbooms. They had sought out seedy bars, buying the strongest, cheapest stuff. Aria herself often drank until she could not remember what happened after. Some times, she woke up covered in bruises and scratches, and others, in someone else's bed. "They're not thinking about the pain of the hangover," she stated as she got up. "They get drunk to numb some pain or other in order to feel something else." Aria grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and set it in front of Kerfuffle. "Drink this." The hungover human obeyed, opening the water and quickly chugging it down. "That way," Sonata said, "if you need to puke, it won't just be dry heaves..." As soon as she heard the word "puke," Kerfuffle dropped the bottle, knocked over the chair as she got up, and ran as fast as she could to the bathroom. Judging from the sounds, she made it, but forgot to close the door. Adagio turned to Aria and smirked. "And you wanted to hit that." "...shut up..."