//------------------------------// // Mourning // Story: Resplendence Revoked // by NaiadSagaIotaOar //------------------------------// Morning finally came, bringing with it rays of sunlight shining through the curtains. Sonata stirred, grumbling and sticking her head under a pillow to block the light. She laid in place for a minute or two, only dimly aware that she was even awake at all. When she did realize that she was awake, she also came to the conclusion that it was very cold outside the blankets and that it would be silly to subject herself to such a trying environment. Even so, she had a nagging feeling that there was something she was supposed to be up early for, so she decided to get up. She thought about throwing the covers off and springing out of bed, beaming with joy at the coming of a new day. In a few minutes, anyway. Adagio wasn't screaming at her, ergo she still had time to relax. She curled up next to the pillows while one hand idly fumbled around the bed for one of the many stuffed animals she kept close by for cuddling purposes. Only there weren't any. That was strange. Sonata poked her head out from under the pillow and squinted. The mattress felt luxurious and delightfully fluffy just like the one she expected, but the frilly purple and gold bed sheets made her frown with suspicion. The bookshelves lining the walls, the fancy chandelier hanging over her and the unusual abundance of mirrors quickly led her to start formulating a conclusion. This. In her weary, half-asleep state, more than one word at a time was simply asking too much. Isn’t. My. Room. Alright. That cleared up… something, at least. She swung her legs over the side of the bed, stretching her arms and yawning heavily before standing up and rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Then she stared at the floor, hanging her head while her brain slowly warmed itself up. Over time, she gradually gained enough awareness to deduce her whereabouts. Okay. I'm in Dagi's room. But... why would I... Her head snapped up, eyes flinging open as memories of the night before brought a sudden rush of clarity. Momentarily hopeful, she lifted her hand to her neck, feeling for a gem that she knew to be absent. For just a moment, she hoped that she had awoken from a terrible nightmare, and that everything would be fine now that she was awake. Her shoulders slumped and her heart sank when she realized that she hadn’t been dreaming. Her gem was gone. Broken. The shards were on a table in her room. But that wasn’t so bad, right? Maybe they could be put back together. And if not, she could always get another gem. Maybe an even prettier one. Adagio probably had dozens of jewels lying around somewhere. She looked at herself in a mirror and immediately frowned. The hair she had spent so much time brushing the night before was matted and tangled, the outfit that she hadn't bothered changing out of was wrinkled and disheveled and her face was pale. Most importantly, there was a patch of tender bare skin just below her neck, where once had dangled a gleaming crimson gem. Had she been wrapped from head to toe in steel, she still would have felt naked without that gem, vulnerable and exposed to a suddenly dangerous world. Just looking at it brought a dull, aching pain in her throat and a reminder that she couldn't sing anymore. She tried imagining another gem in its place, but that only made her frown harder. It just wasn't the same. She shrank away from the mirror and went out the door, anxiously rubbing her neck the whole time. It’s morning. That means Adagio’s got a plan. She always has a plan, right? Once out in the hall, a pleasant scent drifted lazily through the air. It was composed of a blend of aromas, but a distinct smell of strawberries stood out from the rest. The smell guided her downstairs and towards the kitchen. On their simple but elegant dining table, there was already a plate stacked high with light, fluffy-looking pancakes, with a bowl of neatly diced strawberries and bottles of maple syrup and whipped cream on the side. She eyed them with excitement, but tempting though the food might have been, there were more important things on her mind. She peeked into the kitchen, and to her relief, saw Adagio standing in front of the stove with more pancakes well on the way. She cleared her throat, consciously standing upright and forcing herself to smile. “Adagio?” “Sonata.” Adagio did not turn to face her, nor did she offer even the smallest of smiles in return. She stared down at the pan with a vacant expression. “You said we were going to talk in the morning.” Sonata looked at a clock on the wall for confirmation and then back to Adagio. “It’s morning.” “Later,” Adagio murmured in a small voice Sonata didn't even know she had, “once Aria’s up. Are you hungry?” “I… guess so.” “Then eat.” Adagio gestured idly to the cutlery drawer. “I’ll be along in a few minutes.” Sonata frowned, but obediently retrieved a set of utensils and a plate, sat down at the table and stared at Adagio's back. She’s fine, she told herself. Just doesn’t want to repeat herself. No point in talking to us one at a time, is there? A nagging voice in the back of her head told her that there was more to it than that, but she chose to be hopeful and started eating, albeit hesitantly. True to her word, Adagio came over a few minutes later with another stack of pancakes. Unlike Sonata, she still looked pristine, not a hair out of place and dressed in a neat white blouse. On the surface, she looked much the same as she had the day before, still the perfect image of beauty. Even so, there was an uncharacteristic apathy in her, as if something had drained her of the confidence she used to project at will. Her movements were slower, less forceful. When she walked, she strode instead of sauntering. She carried herself with a demeanor that was dispassionate but not disdainful, calm but not smug. She sat down without a word, only briefly looking in Sonata’s direction before she started eating. Continuing the trend of peculiarities, she elected not to comment on Sonata's haggard appearance, giving neither a scathing barb nor a disapproving remark. They ate in silence, prodding at their plates and chewing with languid motions. Having refrained from eating most of the night prior, they ought to have been famished, but both of them barely felt like eating. The food just didn't feel filling, not like even the morsels of negativity they used to sustain themselves on. It wasn't long before Adagio dropped the pretense and stopped entirely, taking one last bite before standing up without a word, taking her plate into the kitchen and setting it down by the sink. “Just leave it all out when you’re done,” she said in a voice just loud enough to be heard. “I’ll take care of it later.” Sonata watched Adagio with a frown on her face, quickly following suit and taking her dishes to the kitchen. If she had wanted to, she could have eaten a little more, but the food was a trifling thing, enjoyable in the moment but ultimately meaningless whereas a troubled Adagio could be an enduring source of distress. She went back just in time to catch Adagio going up the stairs. “Adagio? Are we going to talk?” At the sound of her name, Adagio paused. She took a long time to answer, forcing words out as if it harmed her to utter them. "Wait in your room," she stated. For a second, Sonata thought she saw Adagio's expression falter, showing a hint of pain. "I'll come get you when I'm ready." Sonata nodded and went up the stairs behind Adagio, splitting off to go down a different hall towards her room. She stepped inside and flopped down on her bed, where she picked up a fluffy plush miniature mammoth and cradled it. The fur felt soft and smooth in her arms, but it lacked the warmth that she craved. She thought back to the night before and wished that Adagio would hold her like that again. Adagio gave good hugs, when she was in the mood. Don’t worry, Sonata told herself. She’s tired. That’s all. Sonata glanced at her clock, hoping that she would not have to wait very long. She considered changing into something more comfortable, but decided against it. Surely Adagio wouldn’t be long. She was nothing if not efficient, after all. Maybe she had been killing time waiting for her sisters to wake up, but now that one of them was up Adagio would get moving. Sonata just had to stay strong for a little bit until Adagio made everything better. Thirty seconds turned into a minute. One minute turned into five. Just relax. Any minute now. Five turned to ten. Sonata huffed, eyes darting around the room looking for something to do while she waited. Staying strong like that turned out to be terribly dull. Who knew? The first thing she laid eyes on was a notebook and a pencil. She picked them up, turned to the first blank page, set her mammoth down beside her and pressed the tip of the pencil to the paper, plundering her mind for an image to draw. Maybe a dragon, she thought, smiling faintly. Dragons are cool. Simple, too. Just a quick, cute one. Her drawing started as a vaguely dragon-shaped doodle, then slowly began to blossom as she smoothed it out. A few scribbles turned into a sleek body, a handful of scrawls turned to sweeping horns. When she had the outline, she started adding flourishes. First the scales, which she chose to be a neat pattern of colored diamonds. Then she drew the eyes, wide and innocent like hers but with a distinct rounded vertical oval pupil. She made stumpy legs terminate in blunt claws like those of a mole, for it was the sort of dragon that lived in deep tunnels. Naturally, she still added wings because no dragon was complete without wings. Lastly, every dragon needed a hoard. She initially imagined a nice pile of shiny coins and gems for the adorably diminutive harbinger of doom and destruction to defend, but she winced when she thought of gems. Maybe I'll just do coins. A few minutes later, her doodle was complete. She looked it over, nodded with satisfaction and looked up at the door. Still no sign of Adagio. Sonata sighed. She’s probably just getting Aria out of bed. That always takes awhile. One more drawing couldn't hurt. She flipped to the next page and started drawing a penguin. One last squiggly bit completed her latest creation, an entire legion of disarmingly adorable penguins pledged to eternal servitude in the name of their minute-but-terrifying draconic overlord. Quite a feat, if she did say so herself. And she did. Proudly. Those last few pages went into a haphazard stack of other doodles in the corner, after which Sonata plopped back down on her bed, crossing her legs and eagerly eyeing the door. When another few minutes went by, she frowned and looked at the clock. Three hours. She had been doodling for three hours. She had been waiting for three hours. And still no sign of Adagio. She’s taking an awfully long time. Sonata bit her lip and twirled her hair anxiously. Don’t panic. She knows what she’s doing. She’s gotta know what she’s doing. She always does. I just need to wait a little longer. That’s what she said, right?. Sighing heavily, Sonata set the notebook aside and laid down, resting her head on her pillows but keeping it high enough to clearly see the door. She had gotten so caught up in her drawings that she hadn't realized how tired she felt. A little rest might have been good for her, she decided. Her eyes started to get tired, so she closed them. Just for a few minutes, long enough to rest. When she opened her eyes again, four more hours had passed. The sun was just starting to set over the horizon. Still she stared at that door, barely awake and drifting in and out of slumber until she fell asleep again. "Get up." Sonata grumbled and shoved her face into her pillow. She felt something poking her on the shoulder, so she swatted it away. "Get up. Now. I'm not asking a third time." Sonata opened one eye and glanced to the side. There was a blurry shape standing over her. It sounded like Aria and looked vaguely purple and belligerent in a sort of Aria-like kind of way, but it was hard to be certain. Could have been anyone, really. Sonata mumbled an utterance that could have been interpreted as "I don't want to" had she spoken it in a manner that even resembled conventional speech. As it was, it came out as a petulant groan. She received only a brief grumbling sound as a warning before a pair of hands put themselves on her stomach and flung her out of bed, sending her tumbling heavily to her rump with a startled yelp. The impact did wonders to shake her out of her sleep-induced stupor. Sonata shook her head frantically to wake herself up and then looked up at what she could then definitively identify as Aria in her natural sulky state. Aria glared at her. "What did Adagio say?" Sonata blinked once. Then twice. Then a third time. Aria rolled her eyes and groaned again. "Great," she muttered, "you're still stupid. Good to see nothing's changed. Did you talk to Adagio yet?" "Huh?" "She said we were going to talk in the morning." Aria folded her arms and scowled at the clock. "I don't know about you, but she's got a real strange idea of what constitutes morning." Sonata tilted her head and shrugged. "I saw her at breakfast," she said, smiling hopefully. "She said she was going to go get you. Although, she did seem pretty..." Sonata stared off into space, searching for the right word but never finding it. "Pretty. She was very pretty." Aria grumbled again. "Whatever. She said she'd come get me? That's what I assumed she would do, but where is she now? I haven't seen her all day." "She's not here?" Sonata looked at the ceiling thoughtfully. "Dunno." Aria looked over her shoulder out the door. "Her door's locked, so I figured she went for a walk or something. She didn't tell you anything?" Sonata shook her head and clambered to her feet, dusting herself off before looking at Aria, concerned. "The last I saw of her was this morning. Do you think she went somewhere?" "Wouldn't surprise me, but she usually leaves a note or something." With one more roll of her eyes, Aria walked towards the door. "Come on," she said. "Let's go check on her." Sonata nodded and moved to follow when a thought occurred to her. "Aria? Where were you earlier today?" "Where do you think? In my room." "What were you doing there?" Aria stepped outside, Sonata trailing behind her. "Stuff," Aria stated, curtly. "I'll tell you both about it later." They went down the hall to Adagio's door, which stood resolutely in the same place as always. Aria walked up and banged on the door. When no response came, she rattled the doorknob to no avail. Grimacing, she knocked one more time, and when no response came, she muttered under her breath, giving the door a parting kick before storming off into her room. She popped back out a minute later wearing a grey hoodie and marched right past Sonata down the stairs. "Aria? Where are you going?" "Go back to sleep, Sonata." Aria clenched her teeth, one hand on the doorknob and looking up at Sonata with fierce determination in her eyes. "There's something that I have to do, and I don't need you two bothering me." "But... what about Adagio? Are you going to look for her?" Aria scoffed. "What's the point? If she's not in there, then she could be anywhere. Stay here in case she comes back." With that, Aria stepped outside, leaving Sonata alone. She stood in place for a few minutes, the reality of her day slowly dawning on her, bringing with it a single thought. They're gone. Both of them. She sniffled quietly, the first of many tears falling from her eye. If only for a moment, she envisioned a world where both her sisters vanished, and she was alone. No. Aria said she'd be back soon. And Adagio... The door hadn't opened. She knew it hadn't, but still she looked. A thought came to her and she went over to the door, where she pressed her ear against the wood and listened intently, hoping for even a faint sign of an occupant. At first, nothing. She heard nothing. And then a sound reached her ear. A strange sound that she had heard many times, both from herself and others, but possibly never from Adagio. Sobbing. Adagio's crying. She doesn't like to cry. Sonata hesitantly reached for the doorknob, opening her mouth and hoping that she would find some way to get Adagio to let her in. She thought at first that maybe she would be able to comfort Adagio somehow, just like Adagio had done for her in the past. But surely, if Adagio needed something like that from her, she would ask, wouldn't she? Adagio didn't like to cry, especially not in front of other people. She'd probably be mad if Sonata walked in on her. Maybe she doesn't want me right now. Maybe she just wants to be alone for a little while. Maybe I'd just make things worse again. That had to be it. Adagio was strong. Much stronger than Sonata. She'd be alright. Or so Sonata thought, or at least thought that she thought. Still, she eyed the door warily as she walked away and shuffled back to her suddenly unsatisfying bedroom. Starting the next day, all that Sonata saw of Adagio was that locked door. Occasionally she would hear sounds coming from it. Sometimes it was only a simple shuffling or thumping, other times she heard somber piano melodies. On more than one occasion, she heard faint sounds of sobbing, and was once awoken late at night by an anguished wail. Every day, she checked the door, telling herself that it would just be a little bit longer until it opened. Every day, her hope went unrealized. As for Aria, Sonata saw her from time to time. She stayed home just long enough to eat before walking out the door. Over time, she started getting up earlier and earlier. Eventually, she was gone by the time Sonata woke up more often than not, but she was always back by evening. Once or twice, Sonata asked her what she was doing, but Aria always gave the same answer: "I'll tell you both later." Such was the way things went, day after day after day. Before Sonata knew it, it had been a whole week since she had last seen Adagio, and nearly as long since she had spoken to Aria for more than a curt exchange. Though the halls of their house looked the same as they had ten years prior, they felt as cold and desolate as if she were laying eyes on them for the first time. Starting that day, the house was still a house, but it no longer felt like a home.