“Why does anyone need a horse costume for that?” Sonata Dusk wondered as she walked away from Barnyard Bad Girls, an establishment of sorts that she had misread the name of as where she meant to go. Needless to say, five minutes inside and a cross manager that questioned her age quickly corrected this mistake and now she was once again on her way to the general store Adagio had ordered her to go to for a grocery run. Reaching into her purse, Sonata noticed the list was missing.
“Oh no! Where’s that list?” Sonata asked herself nervously. “’Dagi’s gonna be so mad at me!” She fumbled around a bit more with the contents of her purse, but still no success. When she reached into her skirt pockets, however, she immediately found the paper she was looking for.
“Found it! …And Aria actually thinks I’m stupid!” Sonata declared proudly, pausing when she noticed the stares she was getting. “…And know what? She’s wrong!” she concluded with a satisfied nod as she cheerfully walked through the doors as they slid open, grabbing up a cart along the way to accommodate the rather lengthy list.
“Alright, first thing on the list…” Sonata held up the long slip of paper and looked it over. “Hm, blueberry poptarts for Aria...” Sonata shook her head. Aria went through those so fast it was no wonder she was complaining about breakfast, not that Sonata minded, being a far less picky eater then her. Still, she knew it’d just make Aria mad if she returned without them, so she moved her cart along the aisles till she found someone that worked in the store.
“Excuse me?” Sonata asked using her most cheerful and bubbly tone she could manage. “You know where I can find blueberry poptarts?” The boy who didn’t seem too thrilled with his job casually pointed at the aisle they were standing in without a word. “Thanks so much!” Sonata said with a smile, humming to herself as she walked along the aisle, unaware that her notes seemed to be making the employee suddenly start walking towards the manager’s office with a sullen look on his face.
As soon as she spotted the family-sized pack of blueberry poptarts, Sonata let out a small cheer and tossed the box over her shoulder, letting it land in the cart basket as she took out the grocery list again. “Okay, poptarts… check!” she said proudly, and then thought to herself for a moment. “Hm, better get two boxes so Aria will have to apologize to me for thinking I couldn’t do this!”
Grinning from her brilliant idea, Sonata took a second box and dropped it into the basket as well and looked over the list once more. “What’s next… shampoo? I guess ‘Dagi does use a lot,” Sonata mused, looking up at the signs to find her way to the right aisle this time.
~
“Phew…” The list half done, Sonata regarded the ever-growing mountain of things her mission had required of her. She grimaced as the next item seemed to be on the opposite end of the store if she remembered correctly, wondering for an instant if the last seven things meant anything, Adagio had intentionally given her a list that would keep sending her from one end of this place to the other over and over again.
“Nahhh, she wouldn’t do that!” Sonata concluded. She never really bothered to remember where anything was on their past visits since Adagio usually just led her around and she’d just space out thinking of neat videos she saw on the internet that day, like that one music video with the three young girls…
“Funniest thing I’ve ever seen!” Sonata mused with a smile, remembering the comment she posted on it.
Realizing she was starting to feel chilly as she’d stopped in the middle of the frozen foods aisle, Sonata made a mental note not to space out so much in the future. She was about to continue onward to the next thing on the list when an employee caught her attention.
“Excuse me, miss?” an older woman asked. “Would you be interested in trying free samples of the latest product we got in?”
The idea of free food was more then enough to get the siren’s attention and draw her over to the vendor in an instant, a big smile on her face. “Free? Cool! What’re we having, today?” she asked excitedly, forgetting about her cart and what she was supposed to be doing.
“Well, we’ve just received a new shipment of the Taco Tuesday restaurant’s taco and enchilada wraps for our frozen foods, so we’re giving out samples to customers today!” the vendor explained. “So, want to try any in particular?”
“I’ll try ‘em all!” Sonata said eagerly. She’d never had tacos before, but now seemed as good a time as any to experience them. The employee complied and handed the girl several samples on toothpicks. Sonata slid the first steaming piece into her mouth and flinched immediately from the heat, followed by the spicy kick.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! They’re still a bit hot, and that is the spiciest one. Would you like some milk to wash it down?” the vendor asked.
Sonata immediately shook her head. “That…” she said, swallowing. “That was… sooooooo good!” she beamed, immediately trying the others and being equally pleased by the wonderful meal choice that had somehow eluded her all this time. She knew she was going to need to catch up in a big way, now!
“Those were the greatest things I’ve ever tasted! I’ll get three of each!” she said excitedly. After being handed three boxes of each kind, Sonata turned to her cart and dropped them in, only to notice something missing.
“Whaaaa?” she looked at her arms to see if she’d taken her purse, but it was evident she did not. Looking around she noticed someone rushing off to the front of the store and scowled.
“Oh, no you don’t!” The girl sprinted towards the teen as fast as she could, leaving her cart behind and chasing them outside where she found that the one she had been chasing had three others waiting for him outside, their apparent leader was a girl with a brown bomber jacket and spikey white and purple hair sticking out of her open helmet that obscured most of her face. All of them seemed to have motorcycles, each with their front painted like a bird’s face that just made Sonata cock her head in curiosity.
“Uh, excuse me… your friend there took my purse, can I have it back?” Sonata asked, putting on her best smile. The leader just laughed.
“Get lost, dweeb. It’s ours now!” the leader snapped.
“Aw, come on! I asked nicely!” Sonata protested, beginning to sway back and forth and hum a few notes.
“…What’re you doing?” the gang leader asked, her bike’s motor drowning Sonata’s humming out.
“Darn, this usually works!” Sonata said indignantly. “Can you, maybe, turn off your bike?” she asked.
“Forget it. We’re outta here!” the gang leader replied, snatching the purse from her friend and revving up her bike, immediately bolting from the parking lot. Her friends followed suit, mounting their own motorcycles and turning them on.
“Hey!” Sonata snapped, rushing over and punching the one who had first taken her purse in the jaw, knocking him from his bike and to the ground before he could get his helmet on. The two remaining looked at one-another, then at Sonata before immediately speeding off, leaving their friend behind.
Gritting her teeth, Sonata grabbed the fallen gang member’s helmet and put it on, mounting the now free motorcycle and revving it up. “Oh, it is so on!” she shouted, sliding down the visor and speeding off after them, the remaining biker trying in vain to catch up on foot and quickly falling behind.
“That prissy little princess can ride a hog?! No freakin’ way!” the gang leader cried out in astonishment when she checked her mirror and saw Sonata catching up on the freeway. True, she could just toss her the purse to get rid of her, but she was too cool to concede defeat to some ditzy little teeny-bopper dweeb like her.
“GIVE ME BACK MY PURSE!” Sonata screamed as loudly as she could, unaware that her newly-acquired helmet and motorcycle drowned her out completely and the thief continued to speed through lights and made quick turns as she grew more desperate to lose her. Her own frustration increasing, Sonata sped up to go as fast as she could. As she followed her up an interstate, Sonata noticed the gang leader’s friends began to fall back, and soon they were on either side of her. Shrugging, Sonata gave them a wave. The two bikers regarded her a moment, before one took out a chain and swung it at her. Sonata’s eyes widened behind her helmet as she saw the young man lash the chain in her direction, causing her to briefly loosen her grip on her motorcycle and making it fall back a bit. The chain missed her narrowly and quickly tangling itself into the other biker’s front wheel, prompting him to wipe out and tumble uncontrollably across the pavement immediately after.
Sonata sped up again, determined to catch up with them as they got off the interstate and back into the main roads once more. The biker that was still next to her swung his fist, trying to knock her off her bike but Sonata swerved out of the way, avoiding it. As she attempted to turn and avoid going off the road, the siren bumped into the other biker, accidentally tapping the side of his wheel and causing him to spin out as well and went soaring into a grassy ditch on the side of the road.
“Too bad, so sad!” Sonata called out joyfully to the wrecked biker with a small giggle as she once more returned her attention on the leader.
“You are not getting away from me!” she declared, speeding up to get up close again. The gang leader turned for a moment, astonished when she realized they were the only two left and immediately swerved towards her, trying to knock her over like Sonata had done to the other biker.
“Off the road, dweeb!” the gang leader snapped.
“I can’t hear you!” Sonata protested with a confused gesture as she kept on riding, certain the gang leader had said something but the noise of the bikes’ motors had muted it.
The gang leader grumbled and tried to ram her again, but the girl somehow managed to dodge her once more. Seeing an opportunity, Sonata reached over for her purse on the gang leader’s arm and pulled on it.
“Quit it! You’re gonna make us crash!” the gang leader cried out, trying to pull away but the other girl’s grip was firm.
“LET. GO!” Sonata screamed out with a fierce tug. “I want my purse back!”
The gang leader struggled some more as they came into the urban streets and sighed as she realized she’d have to slow down or risk an accident. Finding a spot to stop, she slowed her bike down and Sonata did the same.
“What’s a stupid purse matter to you?!” the gang leader snapped.
“What’s it matter to you?” Sonata protested.
“How about that what I feel like taking, I get. No one gets back what I take, least of all a little teeny-bopper dweeb like you!” the gang leader said angrily.
“But you didn’t take it, that other guy did,” Sonata pointed out.
The gang leader facepalmed. “Ugh, would you SHUT UP?! You’re seriously getting on my nerves!” she shouted indignantly. “Would you just forget this and scram?”
“Not till I get my purse and money back!” Sonata said, folding her arms and giving the best defiant glare she could provide, though to the gang leader it just looked like she was pouting like an angry child.
“Okay, fine. If you can take it from me, that is!” the gang leader said, holding it out of reach and sneering at the girl.
She never saw the four-hundred-pound Siberian tiger coming as it suddenly leapt out of the alley with a mighty roar and tackled her to the ground.
Sonata stared agape as the tiger held the gang leader down and proceeded to paw the angry girl’s helmet off and lick her all over the face. “Wow! So that’s where he’s been all this time!” she said with a laugh, having remembered the zoo breakout that may have been a little her fault.
“Get this walking rug off me!” the gang leader screamed out furiously as she struggled to ward off the huge cat’s unwanted affection. Grinning, Sonata seized the opportunity to reclaim her purse while the biker struggled and flailed about helplessly under the massive beast’s weight.
“I’ll take this!” she said with a smile, slinging it back over her shoulders and going back to her procured motorcycle. “Thanks!” she added with a small wave as she began to start the bike up again.
“Mister Striperton!” a soft but firm voice called out as a pink-haired girl in green rushed over. “I know you just wanted to explore the city, but it’s time for you to go back home, okay? I know your keepers are probably very worried about you,” she said, petting the tiger who playfully licked her hand then nuzzled her in return.
“I’ll second that notion,” the biker leader grumbled as she tried in vain to get free.
Sonata decided to speak up. “That’ll teach you to steal my purse, lady!” she snapped in as patronizing a way as she could at the biker before looking at the other girl. “Um, you know where Barnyard Bargains is? I gotta get back to my grocery run!”
“Oh, of course!” the soft-spoken girl said. “Just go back that way, turn left, first right, and you’re there.”
“Okay, thanks so much!” Sonata said with a grin, giving the girl a hasty hug and hopping back on her newly-acquired motorcycle, quickly speeding off back to her intended destination.
~
“What do you mean, you restocked everything I got?!” Sonata protested indignantly at the manager.
“You ran off and just left it there, we weren’t going to just leave them there,” the manager replied.
“But someone stole my purse and I had to catch them!” Sonata replied.
“Well, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about it, now. You’ll just need to try and remember what you got and pay for it, then.”
“Do you have my list?” Sonata asked. “I’ll never remember what the girls wanted if I don’t have it!”
“Sorry, but we don’t. It probably got thrown away when the baggers returned the cart to the front,” the manager said.
Sonata’s shoulders slumped and she looked down at the floor in dismay. There had to be something she could do! If she could just…
Her eyes widened with excitement as a new idea came to mind.
~
“’Dagi’s gonna be soooo proud!” Sonata said with a smirk as she parked her new motorcycle by the garage of their place and unloaded the bags from the pouches. The one who had taken her purse had been happy to let her have it as an apology for the trouble he caused once she sang to him about it, and she was now thankfully loaded on enough groceries that she was certain would make the others happy for at least a week.
“Sonata?! Did you just… come in on a motorcycle?” Aria asked as she emerged and stood at the door.
“Yeah, why?” Sonata asked, cocking her head curiously.
“You haven’t ridden one in ages! How the heck does that end up being something that sticks in your tiny brain?” the other siren asked.
Sonata thought to herself for a moment. “I dunno. It was fun, though!” she said cheerfully. “And guess what? I got plenty of food and I know you and ‘Dagi when she gets back are gonna be so happy!”
“...This I have to hear about…”