//------------------------------// // Arc XXIX Episode III: Party Time // Story: Family Begins With You // by Jmaster49 //------------------------------// Later that night, at the Sirens’ home… Sonata would get a phone call from Trixie, to which she answered while lying in bed. “Hey, Sonata,” Trixie spoke with a worried tone, “That battle today was rough, huh? You alright? Just wanted to check on you.” Sonata sat up in her bed. She had on taco-print pajama shorts and a white tee with a blue leviathan on it. Her long head of blue hair with purple streaks was down and loose--travelling down to her waist. “Agh…yeah, I’m fine,” she yawned as she properly answered Trixie, “Needed a long shower after that one. I was too tired to even tell my sisters what happened.” “...Ouch. Sorry about that. But I’m sure they’re relieved you’re okay, hm?” “You shoulda seen them,” Sonata rolled her eyes, “As soon as I stepped in the door, they were both watching the news about what happened and they panicked trying to get me to explain what happened as they helped me relax with some sea salts.” “Sea salts?” “We’re Sirens,” Sonata explained, “Ya know? Pretty mermaids who sing? Smell of the ocean calms us down.” “Ah, that makes sense,” Trixie replied, “But it does sound like they take really good care of you. Must be nice being the little sister of the three, huh?” “Yeah…” Sonata muttered in a half-hearted tone. “But today…hoo-boy. Today was like, a completely new experience for me, Trix.” Trixie took a moment to comprehend Sonata’s point of view, then came to a realization. “Ah…you’re not really used to being in charge of anything, huh?” “Nnnnnope,” she replied in a drawn out, flat manner, “Today was super scary because I knew that if any of us got hurt, it’d be on me if I didn’t take control somehow.” “...Sonata. You don’t have to force yourself to be a leader,” Trixie offered her words of sympathy, “We all fought that icky eyeball demon together. As a group. Putting all of that on yourself isn’t gonna help, ya know? Trust me--Trixie knows exactly what that feels like.” “Ya do?” “Pfft. Of course!” Trixie scoffed and continued, “As a magician, I’ve always prided myself on being as amazing as possible. Buuuut and this is a big but--I realized a long time ago that I can’t just do everything on my own. Sometimes, it’s good to have the help of an assistant--or even a partner. Heck, a whole group of performers often make a show better when we’re all working together. Get what I mean?” It was a strange analogy, but Sonata was able to pick up on it. “Yeah, I get you,” she replied with a sense of understanding, “I guess I just need more practice when it comes to being the leader of a situation. Thanks for the kind words, Trixie.” “...I may not always be right, but I try my best when it comes to my friends,” Trixie admitted in a sincere tone, “Nobody has all the answers, Sonata. But that’s what makes dealing with life fun sometimes.” “Good point….aahhh…” Sonata yawned and flopped back down into bed, “For now, I need to get some sleep…g’night…” “G’night, gal-pal,” Trixie replied before hanging up, leaving the two to sleep in peace for the night. A few days later, at Silver Spoon’s manor… “Alright. Everything is set up. Food, games, live entertainment and so on…” she went over a list of items that she had covered for her birthday party. Everything was set up in her massive backyard with various tables for the food and one small table for presents, and lastly, the swimming pool had just been freshened up and cleaned so everyone would be able to go for a swim. “Just hope it’s not gonna get cold today,” she muttered as she looked up in the sky to get a feel for the weather. Just then, Silver Spoon’s cousin--Salad Fork--would make her appearance and put an arm around her. “Hey, cuz--how you doin’?” She had similarly grey skin with a head of long, white hair, green eyes, a black tee with a pentagram on it, and slightly ripped jeans with blue tennis shoes. “Can’t believe you’re turning 17. I remember when I was that young…boys were all over me.” “Ugh. Can you not,” Silver Spoon demanded with a disgusted grimace on her face. Her cousin was about five years older than she was. “I don’t wanna hear about your numerous girlfriends and boyfriends.” “Hey now, you gotta cast your line before you find out what kinda fish you like,” Fork took a seat in one of the nearby chairs--sitting in it backwards with her arms resting upon the back of the chair. “Speaking of which, have you and DT hit it off yet?” “Well…yes but with a catch…” Silver Spoon admitted as she adjusted her glasses in a nervous fashion. Somehow, Fork was able to precisely guess based on her cousin’s body language. “Ah, lemme guess. You both somehow ended up liking the same boy and decided to all just enter a committed triangular relationship.” “...I…” Spoon’s face turned red for a moment as she pushed up her glasses and rubbed her eyes. “...How did you guess?” “When you swing for both teams, it can be kinda hard to know which one you wanna settle down with,” Fork continued, “I know exactly how it feels since I often found myself wondering who’d treat me better.” Spoon put her glasses back down and asked, “...so what did you do?” “Oh I haven’t found the right person yet,” Fork replied, “But it sounds like you’ve got it figured out. Just be mindful that both of them are gonna require your emotional attention. Are you prepared for that?” “Of course I am,” Spoon replied confidently, “I love them both and I’d never be able to pick between them.” “Alrighty. If you’re sure. Speaking of which, who’s the lucky guy that managed to snag not only you but DT as well?” As if on cue, she’d have her answer. “Wassup mothersuckers?” Keiji called out as he strode out to the backyard, nibbling on a blood sausage. “The chefs in your place really know how to cook, Silv. Alright, now where are the boring-ass corpo bastard kids that also got invited?” Salad Fork chuckled upon seeing him. “...I see what you see in him.” “Hey, he keeps it real,” Spoon insisted. “Unlike the riffraff that’s being invited.” “Yeah, what she said,” Keiji confidently jumped into the conversation without a clue as to what they were talking about.