Johnston's Bar and Grill
The next day after they filled out the applications for the jobs Sonata found them, the girls went to turn them in at the restaurant. When they got there, it was during the recommended time Mr. Elric told them to arrive. They were a little surprised they managed to get their interviews almost right away.
"Hello. My name's James Forrester. I'm the General Manager here," the man introduced himself. Mr. Forrester was a tall and muscular man with dark skin and a neatly shaved hair. He may seem imposing at first, but they would quickly find out he was a rather reasonable person.
"Hi, I'm Mr. Johnston, the owner," a medium built man, who looked to be in his late to early fifties with a little pudge, introduced himself.
"You're Sonata right?" Mr. Forrester asked pointing to the light blue haired girl. She nodded and shook both their hands. "Mr. Elric said you came by yesterday. I guess these are the friends you mentioned?"
"Hello. I'm Adagio Dazzle, sir," Adagio introduced herself and shook his hand followed by shaking the owner's hand as well.
"I'm Aria Blaze," the last of their trio said following Adagio's actions.
"Well then, let's get this interview started shall we, Mr. Forrester?" The two men then led them to the office.
{-} {-} {-}
The interview had gone really well and pretty quick. They were asked the standard questions and the two men made them feel a bit at ease. Their time was now coming to an end. "So is there anything you want to ask us?" Mr. Johnston asked in conclusion.
"Well, I was wondering if maybe we could not have to do just one job only," Sonata started. She gulped when the others looked to her. She soon regained her composure and continued, "I was also wondering if the three of us could kind of be allowed to work together most of the time, if that was possible."
"That's an odd thing to ask." The owner seemed deep in thought. He thought it might be something they could do, but first asked. "Do you have anything to say on this Mr. Forrester?"
"So let me get this straight." The three girls looked to him. "You three want to work together, but are otherwise flexible with your schedule?"
They slowly nodded. Aria and Adagio decided to let Sonata kind of run things with this. They wanted the second request, but weren't sure about the first one she made. Now that they thought about it, they weren't opposed to the idea really. It sounded kind of nice to them.
"You three also want to be allowed to work as cooks, waitresses and bartenders?" he asked looking them over. They nodded to this as well. "I'm assuming you don't necessarily mean all three of you work the same job as each other every time, right?"
"We would appreciate it if you just let us work the same shift and not be stuck to one job only. I think that's what she's asking." Adagio decided to try and clarify and help out Sonata here.
"That's what I was meaning, sir," Sonata replied in agreement with Adagio. Aria just stayed quiet here.
"Since you three got here quickly like this before most of our new positions will be filled I don't see a problem. Just make sure you get your shift codes right. And we won't have a problem. In fact..." He gave them a smile. "I think that will really help us out a lot. Three girls working the same shift able to fill in any gaps on the schedule sounds like a good idea to me. If you think that will work, sir."
Mr. Johnston was in thought for a couple of seconds. This was a very unusual idea for him. It was also something he wouldn't normally consider, but he would give it a try and see how it goes. If they worked out like this that would be more than worth the extra training time it might take them.
"It will require more training for you three, but I'll see how this goes. If it doesn't workout then you'll have to settle for just the same shifts and more permanent positions. You three have three days to get your ABC License. If you don't have it by then you will not be working here. The building across the street can help you with that. They have plenty of classes they can set up," he said to them.
The three thanked the men, were given their first shifts and left the office. As they left, Mr. Forrester spoke up one last time, "Make sure you have your cards by your first shifts. You can come by and show a manager the card before then if you want."
They were thankful this plan was working out for them. They wasted no time getting signed up for the certification class.
{-} {-} {-}
Adagio, Aria and Sonata were meeting with all of the managers and some others before they started their first day. "We're going to try something a little different with these three. They are going to be on pretty much the same schedule and they are going to be put into a rotation of sorts. They asked for this and the owner and I decided it was worth a try. This way we'll have a flexible team that can do whatever needs help when they have their shifts, or if we are really busy. They will be trained as bartenders, cooks, and wait staff. Do you all understand?"
The gathered people were a little curious, but understood. None of them really seemed to have a problem with this apart from one of the managers, who didn't say anything. The man in question was Mr. Simms. He was tall with a light muscular build. He had a light tan and dark blue hair. Adagio made a mental note to keep an eye on him. She would make sure he didn't find a way to cause them any trouble here.
"Okay, good. Miss Dazzle, you're learning to bartend first. Mrs. Franks here will help teach you." A pretty woman in her late twenties gave her a friendly smile.
"Miss Blaze your working the kitchens first. Mr. Thompson will be helping you out with training." Aria looked to a gruff and muscular man with some gut. The man gave her a nod and Aria actually thought he seemed like he could be kind of cool.
"Sonata, You'll be learning to wait tables first. You will be tagging along with Wendy here for the next couple of days." Sonata looked to a girl who looked to be about the same age with a smile. The girl had red hair with a couple of light rose streaks in it.
Training and their first day of work actually ended up going really well. They got along with most of their fellow employees and the trainers were good at training them. The girls knew they had found their temporary hideaway now.
It probably also helped that they went with their plan of being 'naturals' at their jobs. They had learned a few things over their long life times and some of those skills were paying off here. It was looking like this would be the perfect place for them. The best part was they didn't have to use their powers for this to happen.
{-} {-} {-}
Things had been going fairly well for the most part with their new job these past couple of weeks. There were still problems here even if things were mostly going well. The main and really only problem the trio of girls had, came in the form of Mr. Simms. For some reason, he seemed to be trying to make things harder for them than they should be. It wasn't anything that would really seem more than just a little bit of trouble with a manager that didn't like you, but Adagio knew better.
She had been paying attention to him closely and noticed some small tricks he did here and there to mess things up for Sonata or Aria. Surprisingly he hadn't really done much of anything to bother her. Adagio didn't understand why this was the case. She would probably have said something to the right people, but it was just her word against his own word. He was slick with the tricks he pulled, so her word wouldn't really go anywhere.
Mr. Simms was seemingly just a little harsher on a couple of the new girls than the others to outsider observers. Things like when Sonata had a couple of accidents, he came down on her harder than he usually would, but in a way that it wouldn't seem like anything to really worry about.
With Aria, he would give her a hard time about her attitude with customers. Aria wasn't as friendly as the others, but she was more than pleasant enough and she was actually a little popular because of her attitude.
Despite the popularity her attitude had, it seemed Mr. Simms managed to "hear complaints" about her. He would even sometimes recommend that maybe she shouldn't be on the same shift as the other two girls. "She feels like she has to play a role around them instead of doing her job." He would claim. It made sense enough and would be a good reason to shift her around, but he was the only one who seemed to think this.
Another thing Adagio noticed was he would give her and a few other girls certain looks. Usually Adagio wouldn't care about such things and just blow it off as stupid. However, she had seen him do things that made other girls feel uncomfortable. To the outside observer, it seemed he was just someone who was a little awkward around girls, but not anything too bad. He also still knew and preformed his job well. He just happened to be a little stricter than the others and nothing more.
Adagio knew better though. She had seen it too often and thought it creepy and wrong. For the most part, things were good for the group even with the Simms situation at least. Adagio kept an eye on him and couldn't really do anything about it yet. She had instead decided to wait for the right moment. He was bound to slip up sometime and then she could make her move.
She was being extra cautious and didn't want to do something that would threaten their jobs. If it was just about her alone she would just leave and find a new job somewhere else. However it wasn't just about her. It was about the others as well and she doubted they would find another job which allowed them this much convenience. They didn't really have to work together like this, but they all liked it. It was reassuring to work and either look at the kitchens or the bar and see one of the others there as well.
No, Adagio would find a way to make sure they stayed here. She would take care of this herself. She was letting the others help sometimes and appreciated what they did, but this was something they didn't need to have to worry about. She would take action if needed.
When she noticed Mr. Simms getting a little too fresh with Sonata one time, Adagio knew it was time she took action. She guessed there was a reason he would give her looks and glances every so often and wasn't bothering her unlike the others. She could use this to her advantage. She wasn't happy about it, but she was sure it would work. She wasn't about to pretend to like him or anything like that though.
It might not be the best way to handle it, but at the moment it was all she could think about on the matter. Adagio gave a stretch and walked over to the others as they got ready to leave after their shift, "I need to talk to Mr. Simms about something. You two can go ahead and get the furniture. I'll be home after a while. See you two later."
"Are you sure, Dagio?" Sonata asked with a puzzled frown. Aria was looking at the curly haired girl a little strangely, but said nothing.
"Yes I am, Sonata. I'll see you two later," Adagio finished with a small smile.
Sonata gave a big grin and grabbed Aria before they left. The trio decided to get some more furniture today for their apartment. They could each pay for things now even if they were still tight with their money. Sonata was excited so Aria had little choice but to go with her despite wanting to confront Adagio.
Adagio gave a sigh once they were out of the restaurant. She knew what she had to do to make sure things didn't get bad. She hated it and only hoped maybe part of it would be enjoyable for her in someway, but she doubted it. She didn't think Mr. Simms would be nice to her, but this was the only way to take care of it right now she could think of.
The orange haired girl waited until she knew he would retreat to his office for a bit to take care of other business. She wasn't going to let anyone have any idea what was going on if she could help it. She knocked on the door and said, "Mr. Simms. It's me, Adagio Dazzle. I wanted to speak with you about something."
"Come in Miss Dazzle," came his quick reply.
She opened the door and closed it behind her. She locked it as well. He heard the click and looked to her questioningly. She probably could have tried to be threatening instead of what she was going to do, but that wouldn't work as well she was sure. "Also no powers..."
"Is there something on your mind?" he asked as he looked her over.
"Yes, there is. I know what you're doing to some of the other girls, sir," she said.
He shifted uneasily and cleared his throat. "I don't think I understand what you mean."
Adagio gave a sigh. "Let's cut the chase. I've seen you getting a little extra feely and grabby a bit. I know you also don't like the setup Aria, Sonata and I have."
"You have a lot of gall to accuse me of such things. As for the agreement you and the other two have with the Bosses, I don't like it. It's not right to give such preferential treatment to three employees like that. As for the other stuff, what proof do you have of any of it?" Mr. Simms said. He wasn't sure what to do here. He'd never actually been called out like this about it.
Adagio frowned, "That's why I'm here and not somewhere else." She gathered her courage and sauntered up to him putting a little sway in her hips and accentuated her features with a seductive smile. "I can't really do too much about it. I have noticed the way you look at me as well."
"I was thinking..." She placed a hand on his chest and caressed it. "We could come up with some agreement. You aren't too bad looking." She hated how she was having to feed his ego like this, but she was confident it would work.
"How do I know you aren't going to just do something and then blab as a way to try and prove these fantasies of yours that I'm being inappropriate with the female staff?" Mr. Simms asked.
He was a little nervous here, because he was trying to remain strong. Adagio had somehow caught his eye and attention when he first saw her. He also wasn't above making a deal like this to get what he wanted, but he needed to be sure it would work in his favor.
Adagio's shoulders drooped. She had to let him know he was in control here or her plan wouldn't work. "Because we really want to keep this job and have it the way it is. I wish you would leave all of the other girls alone, but I only really care about Aria and Sonata. I'll do as you say if you leave them alone. I'm not stupid. I know you really do want me. I'm willing to let you have all of me, if you will do this for me."
Mr. Simms swallowed to this. It was really hard to think here with how close she was and with her caressing. Her hands were so smooth and meticulous. He would take her up on this offer, but he was going to show her that he was completely in charge here.
The manager placed both hands on Adagio, catching her by surprise. He then twirled her around until she was lying face up with her back on his desk. She was breathing a little hard because of the surprise. He was even stronger than he looked. He stared into her eyes and kissed her fiercely. He then started to undress her as she gasped in surprise.
{-} {-} {-}
Adagio was panting as she finally recovered from her twisted high. She had to admit it was more intense than she thought it would be. She hated the fact the pleasure senses of her body overrode her mind and she did find some enjoyment in what was happening. She finally got up and dressed as Mr. Simms did some work on a laptop.
"Good your up," he said in a causal voice that showed he knew he was still in charge here and he was only using her.
Adagio frowned at this, but it would make things easier on her she felt. None of those pesky feelings trying to get in and muddle things at any time. She didn't really trust feelings yet. It was better they had a cold relationship where he just used her and maybe she might get something out of it as well.
"Yes, I am," she said in a cool tone.
"So here's the deal. Whenever you three are working my shifts you will come early unless told otherwise. I'm sure the others won't be a problem. I doubt you want them to know what you're doing for their sake," Mr. Simms said in a business like tone. It suited the situation just fine Adagio thought. "Understood?" he asked.
"Understood, sir," she replied with a grimace.
He gave a scoff as he said, "Oh come on now. You act like you didn't enjoy that, Miss Dazzle. I'm pretty sure your voice and body betrayed you if that was the case. In a most intense fashion, I might add. Good thing these walls are well built here, or someone might hear you and think you were trying to get a head in this business with me or something."
Adagio just looked at him with a glare. It actually scared him, but he didn't let it show. Plus, it only lasted a couple of seconds before it disappeared and a somewhat defeated expression took it's place. "I'll keep up my end of our agreement regarding your friends, so don't worry, Adagio."
She walked over to the door and regained her composure quickly. She opened the door and turned to give him a small smile as she said, "Thanks for you time, Mr. Simms. I'll make sure we work on Sonata's clumsiness."
"It was a pleasure, Miss Dazzle. Until next time." The door closed behind her. Mr. Simms folded his hands in thought. She was different. Adagio was stronger than the other girls they had on staff. It would be fun to deal with her in the future. He then closed his laptop and went back out to check on his employees. He was still a very good manager at running the restaurant, even if he took small liberties he shouldn't.
{-} {-} {-}
Adagio made her way home slowly. She couldn't stop the tears falling from her eyes. She would make sure something happened to that horrible man. She would wait for him to drop his guard. She would build his confidence and let him think she wasn't ever going to turn against him. This was her new plan, unless something happened to change it up.
She stopped at the apartment's office building for a bit and calmed down. She got herself a soda from the vending machine along with a flavored water for Aria and another soda for Sonata. Adagio gave a small smile. "At least he won't bother them anymore. He really won't go back on his word, even if he is a complete asshole. I can tell," she thought as she made her way to the apartment.
She felt a little warmer inside when she saw Sonata and Aria sitting on a nice new couch. "Hey, Adagio! Look what we got. We now have a couch!" Sonata squealed in delight.
"We also got two chairs, Sonata. They came as a set remember?" Aria said as she sat on the opposite end of the couch from Sonata.
Sonata gave a giggle, "Sorry, I forgot. I just really like this couch. So what do you have there, and how did it go with Mr. Simms. I don't really like him that much. He's a little mean and sometimes acts strange."
Adagio gave them a small smile. "I talked to him about that and a few other things as well. I don't think you'll have to worry anymore, Sonata. As for what I got." Adagio sat down right in the middle of the couch. Sonata was happy about this, Aria was seemingly indifferent.
"On my way back, I decided to stop by the vending machine. Here you two go." Adagio then held out the drinks for the other girls as she took the one she got for herself from her hoodie's pocket.
"I love this drink!" Sonata said as she snatched it. "Thanks, Adagio!"
"You're welcome, Sonata," Adagio said quietly.
"Thanks... I guess," Aria said with a small blush as she grabbed her drink. It was her favorite flavor.
The other two looked at her for a second or two. "What's the problem?" she asked.
The others looked away and said, "Nothing." They would each remember her blush even if they didn't point out she just said thanks.
The trio enjoyed their drinks as Sonata went into detail about their adventure in the furniture store. Well, it was an adventure the way she told it. Despite what she had done earlier, Adagio was able to enjoy her night with the other two and have a good night's sleep. She was pretty sure that wouldn't always be the case in the coming days, but that was to worry about later. For now, things were once again alright for them. They had their jobs. They had a home, and most importantly they had each other.
{-} {-} {-}
In the following weeks, things were going well for the trio, but not everything was for Adagio. Mr. Simms kept his end of the deal and she kept her end. She didn't really like it though and she was feeling more and more powerless around him. He had her do things that she didn't really like, but she humored him. "It seems I was right when I thought, he wouldn't be as nice as the guys at the Holiday Inn," she thought as she took in a deep breath and let it out again.
Adagio was sitting in the break room as her shift ended for the day. Once again, she was meeting with Mr. Simms. He told her to wait a bit saying he had some other business to take care of first and would send for her when it was time. She was still keeping a close eye on him waiting for him to slip up and make her move to get rid of him, but that moment hadn't come yet.
Her eyes wandered the break room until they rested on an odd colored poster. It was in the back and kind of hidden. It didn't look like it was on purpose though. She was pretty sure it just happened to end up hidden. She went over to look closer at the poster.
Her breath hitched as she saw the poster and her eyes widened. "Why didn't I think about that?! It only makes sense!" She now knew what to do about Mr. Simms. She would put up with whatever perverted deeds he wanted this time. She knew it still might take time, but it was something that would hopefully work out in the end for the better.
Adagio heard footsteps and saw another girl who seemed a little shaken with her uniform a little untidy step into the break room. The other girl looked to her and said in a timid voice, "Mr. Simms is ready to speak to you, Adagio... What were you looking at?"
Adagio looked the other girl up and down. She recognized her as one of the other girls that had a certain unpleasant manager's attentions. She looked the girl in the eyes as she calmly said, "Something I wish I had seen sooner." She walked closer to leave the room and stopped as she said to the other girl in a whisper, "Something you might want to look at as well." She knew the girl took the hint.
As the ex-siren left, the other girl looked at the poster as well and had a similar reaction to Adagio's. Adagio hoped the girl would have the courage as well. She already knew she would have it. Two people taking action here would be better than one though.
She opened the door and gave her usual seductive smile to the man in the office. "Good evening, Mr. Simms."
"Good evening, Miss Dazzle," he replied as she locked the door. "I have some thing special planned this time. I assure you."
"I wouldn't doubt you do, sir." Adagio used an even more seductive walk as she made her way over to him this time. She had him now she was sure of it. It didn't matter what happened tonight.
{-} {-} {-}
After everything was over with, Adagio was a little confused. She had questions about her sexuality she didn't before. This really got to her. She should not have discovered anything this way. She should have found out on her own. That night Adagio just left without much of any exchange of words.
Adagio took her time getting home. She called up the others and told them she would have supper on her way back. Her mind was racing in a very confused manner. She went to a sushi bar and got herself something good to eat. She needed something special tonight as she processed everything.
When she finally got home, she told the others she was really tired tonight and went straight to bed. She laid there for a bit as she finally felt like herself again. This ordeal had gone on long enough. She was glad they wouldn't be working with him for awhile after this. Hopefully it would be enough time for something to happen and it wouldn't be an issue after this.
As she sat back up, she picked up her cell phone and dialed the number she saw on the poster. "Thank you for calling the Sexual Harassment at Work Hotline for Folken Restaurant Group Incorporated. All calls are recorded and shared with the police department if needed. Do you wish to remain anonymous?" A cool female voice asked on the other end of the line.
"I'd appreciate that," she answered.
"I need to ask you a series of questions and then you can tell me any other details you wish to share. Are you okay with this?" the woman asked in a kinder tone.
"I am," Adagio said.
"Good..." with that the operator asked several questions and Adagio answered them all the best she could. She didn't leave much out. She wanted the sorry excuse of a human gone.
Once the call was over, Adagio collapsed on the bed and cried herself to sleep that night. She didn't dare stop her tears and she wanted to get it all out. Even if she was doing this for the others, it wasn't any less hard on her.
{-} {-} {-}
The next several days where the trio didn't have to work with Mr. Simms were wonderful. Adagio even smiled a few times. Working at Johnston's was still far from a dream job, but it wasn't really that bad. Sonata was really starting to take to it even. The light blue haired girl really got along with a lot of the staff.
Sonata wasn't about to say it, but she was starting to like their new job in some ways. It was hard work yes, but it felt good to finish the day and know they had earned their money. They weren't taking things from others anymore. They were earning what they had.
Aria was starting to actually be a little more friendly to everyone. She still played the cool tough girl a good bit. After all, she noticed regular customers liked her for it. "That Girl with the twin tails. She has spirit!" some customers said when they thought she wasn't listening.
"I like how she is all like tough and cool, but at the same time she still treats us just as well as the rest of the wait staff," another couple said to each other. It was still kind of a boring job to Aria, but it wasn't really that bad.
Adagio once again started to feel that missing part in her or hole fill up some as she spent time with the others. It was nice after everything she had done. She was a little concerned what would happen in the next couple of days when they worked with Mr. Simms again. She hadn't really seen any results from her call yet. "I suppose not enough time has passed for them to get what they need to take action, yet." She still hoped something would happen.
The next day their shift ended and Mr. Simms came to take over for Mr. Elric. Adagio was waiting tables again today and currently acting as hostess as her shift was starting to come to an end. Two men and a woman in normal business attire stepped into the restaurant. If they didn't have a certain aura about them, Adagio would have guessed they just got off work from an office nearby. However that aura said otherwise.
"Is a Mr. Simms in at the moment?" the lady in the lead asked Adagio.
"I believe he just came in. His shift is about to start. He's probably in the manager office," she replied.
"Can someone show us the way?" the woman asked calmly.
Adagio looked to see some people behind the group waiting to be seated. She felt relieved. She did not want to be the one that took them to Mr. Simms. "Eric?" she asked a man behind her.
"Yes, Adagio?" he asked with a smile.
"Would you mind showing these three to the manger's office? They wish to speak with Mr. Simms," she asked kindly.
He looked a little puzzled, but then it seemed like he understood something. He soon had a smile that was a little dark. "Yes, I'll show them the way, Adagio." The three people followed him into the back.
Adagio helped the other customers get seated. Her heart was racing the whole time. She wondered if something was going to happen now after all. The three people never came back to the front of the restaurant.
Soon she saw Eric again. He seemed to be a little relieved for some reason. "So what happened?" she asked him when no one was around.
Eric looked to her and simply said, "There will be an all staff meeting about it in a few days. I'm not supposed to say anything else. I'm still glad something finally happened though. Never really had much proof to show, but something must have changed."
Adagio's eyes widened for a moment before she saw a few more guests arrive waiting to be seated. She could think about and contemplate things later. She had work to do now, even if she was smiling more than she usually did.
{-} {-} {-}
The staff meeting a few days later was at first in the break room, but soon they realized there wasn't enough space. They moved into the main part of the restaurant instead. They were having the meeting before they opened for the day. That way everyone would be sure to arrive.
Mr. Johnston and Mr. Forrester stood in the center of the half circle. They were not happy, but they weren't angry either. They seemed a little disappointed, but not at any of the people gathered.
"It pains me this happened. But it's unfortunately a truth in this world of ours. An ugly truth but a truth nonetheless. Fortunately the problem has been taken care of. If you don't yet know what I'm talking about, that's good." There were several confused looks in the crowd, but there were a few, including Adagio who knew what was being said.
"Mr. Simms had to part with us. He had committed crimes against certain staff members here. I won't go into details, but I have to tell you what it was. He committed some crimes of Sexual Harassment. I'm not required by law to have said that, but I felt I had to tell you all," he paused as several people gasped.
Mr Forrester spoke up next. "He was fairly sly about it, but it happened. We didn't know it was happening because we were busy with other parts of the business. If something like this happens you can and should tell a manager about it. However, if that seems too much. There is a hotline you can call. This is part of the reason why we are a part of Folken Restaurant Group Incorporated. They are good at handling these kinds of problems. We like to think of everyone here as part of a family."
He gave a sigh. "It's painful this happened, but some people who we don't know stepped forward and reported him. This allowed Folken to take actions and look into the matter. They are really quick about these things and were able to find what they needed to take appropriate action, which they did."
Mr. Johnston took over again, "Fortunately, Mr. Simms was an outlier and not the norm here. The situation has been handled and we will do a better job of making people aware. Something like this hadn't happened before so we didn't take it as seriously as we should have."
Some people seemed a little uneasy wondering if this was going to cause a lot of changes to the place. Mr. Forrester noticed this and spoke up, "Don't worry, we won't be doing anything too drastic. We are just going to keep a better eye out for this stuff and make sure people are aware there is a hotline that can be called and you can remain anonymous as you report these things. We aren't told who all is involved and we aren't given any recordings, or anything that might give away who reported it. That is strictly for Folken to know and not us."
He gave a sigh again before saying, "The main thing to keep in mind on this matter is if someone tells you they don't like you doing what you're doing then you should heed their word. It goes for both males and females. Keep that in mind as well. Few usually do."
The meeting was a little better after some questions were asked and they covered other topics that needed to be addressed. It finally came to an end on a fairly happy note. "Since we now have a new management position open we need to fill it. Mr. Forrester and I discussed this with the other management staff and a few others. We decided to promote someone already a part of our family," Mr. Johnston gave a smile now.
"Mrs. Franks has agreed to step out from behind the bar to help out. As many of you know, she's been with us for a while and has for a long time now been an 'unofficial manager'." Several people laughed to this as she stepped forward and everyone gave applause.
Mr. Forrester stood up and dismissed them, "Alright, that's it for the meeting. Everyone you're dismissed. Those of you working be ready for a busy day. Those of you off. You can go home and go back to sleep."
The rest of the day was very busy and Adagio, Aria and Sonata had a long shift. Despite this, Adagio had a smile on her face most of the day. She felt happy and relieved. The only problem this place had was taken care of now. She and the others could work in as much peace as a restaurant can have. That night she slept really well.
{-} {-} {-}
Adagio woke up after she had cried herself to sleep the night before in a long time. She wasn't happy about this, but she didn't let it get to her. She more or less remembered everything that happened to them up to now again. It was tough, but now that she remembered all of that again. She realized just how good things really were for them. She hoped she wouldn't have to remember her past in such detail any time soon.
As she brushed her hair, she hummed a tune to herself. She gave a giggle as she thought about how Sonata had asked if she could brush Adagio's hair for her. The orange haired girl of course said no at the time, but now she thought that maybe she would let Sonata try. It might be kind of nice. "If nothing else it will make her really happy," she thought and oddly enough that was more than enough reason for her to allow it.
"Really, feelings are strange..." she thought once more. "But... they aren't always so bad. Even if I'm not used to them yet."
Knowing she had been through what she had been through since the battle of the bands and made it, gave her a small sense warmth. Their lot in life was still pretty bad in comparison to before, but it was working out. She just hoped Sonata wouldn't press the singing thing again any time soon. Thinking about that caused Adagio to frown a bit. She shook her head. "Best not think about that for now."
She was about to spend the day with her three companions as they went to go and check out the mall for those pendants they saw the other day. It was something she was a little excited about herself. There was this green one she really liked. Surprisingly the part she mostly looked forward to was being with Aria and Sonata. After thinking over everything once again, she was glad to have something to get her mind off it all.
Adagio finished with her hair and took in a deep breath. She gave her reflection a nod of approval and left to meet the others. It was a new day after all and she was sure Sonata would come bouncing into the room to drag her out if she made them wait any longer. Adagio gave one last chuckle as she turned the light off to her bathroom.
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Three new chapters
You're spoiling us, sir!
Guess that means less sleep for me today...
5492472 lol well you can take breaks if you want. But yah three chapters because it was one, but things kept coming to me.
5492472 Your pic fits that description!
well, i'm happy to see things are working out for them.
5492745 I just wish I could have kept it a bit more evenly mixed so far, but yeah the Dazzlings are very important to the story.
5492816 I really like what she does to protect the others. It may be tough on her, but it's a big part of her development in this story. It does at least pay off here and there for her.
5492869 Good to know. I was hoping that would be the case. I was a little concerned what happened to Adagio might overshadow that fact. Oh well at least that stuff is done with in the story now.
I had a feeling this would be the reason for Dagi's abnormal work shifts, and it's sad to see her go through with something like that again, at least in the end everything worked out for the three of them.
I don't think it's necessary to apologize for how we've not seen Sunset or Twilight. I, for one, have greatly enjoyed learning more about what the Dazzlings have been through (dark things aside).
continued below
Honestly after reading about what happened to them, and how they each treat, and care for one another; Like how Adagio will go so far out of her way to keep the others safe, how Aria will try to help out Dagi without saying anything so she doesn't have to do everything by herself anymore, or how she will snuggle with Sonata (and occasionally Adagio) while they're sleeping so they can sleep peacefully, and how even Sonata will put in as much effort as she does to keep the others happy, despite sometimes not being happy herself with the situation they are in, I think I can say these are my favorite versions of the Dazzlings I've ever read about.
Sorry if I seemed to be rambling abit, can't wait to read more about them, along with Twilight, and Sunset later.
BiomasterM2
puu.sh/eoygt/c20e606313.jpg
5493061 I like it as well. Part of the reason I started this story was because I wanted there to be something out there that shows how things are for them after Rainbow Rocks, which doesn't go the they break up route or the Human 5 plus Sunset come in and completely save the day for them. I like those stories, but there are a lot of them now.
5493101 Then you got the hints on that one. I did have it planned from the start because of her "I'm responsible for what happened to us" mentality. The dark things that happened were important, but they were tough to write. I even ended up writing a whole distant future chapter that is filled with happy times to ease my mind. However, like you pointed out things are pretty good for them now.
I'm glad to hear you like my version of the Dazzlings that much!
As for the Sunset and Twilight thing, I was mostly just surprised how much time I ended up spending on the Dazzlings' past. I originally meant for it to be two chapters and then it became four. I just couldn't see the later events as just one huge chapter. I felt that would have been too much important stuff happening in one chapter.
More SunLight, YAY!!, I'm gonna read the chapters 4-7 :)
I have to say I really enjoyed these last four chapters. It was very interesting to see a recap of the Dazzlings lives and see how they recovered from after the battle of the bands, and got to where they are now. I also have to say that this is very unique, at least I haven't seen anything else like it so far. I think you do a really good job of showing how hard it would be for three people to have to start a whole new life, but you also did it in a real heart-warming way. It definitely had it's dark moments, but they were done well, and made me feel empathy, and then happiness when things turned around for them. After reading this story I definitely am starting to like the Dazzlings a right now, or at least your version of the Dazzlings. I have to give you a hand very well done, I'm very interested to see where this goes from here. I'd really like to see more chapters like this about the Dazzlings, but I also understand that you want to go into the Sunlight portion of the story as well.
Also it was nice to see Mr. Simms get his due. That part was a little dark, but the ending was nice, and it had a lot of sweet justice.
Edit: I also think I have an idea what the emptiness their feeling is, and if it's true it'll definitely hit close to home for me. I've felt that same hole/emptiness a few times in my life as well.
5493624 I'm glad to hear you really liked the chapters. I enjoyed writing their past and it was something I really wanted to do with this story. I was just surprised it ended up being so many chapters for their history alone, but it felt right once it was written out. I was just a little concerned people might have forgotten about Twilight and Sunset in the fic. I guess I was overreacting a bit on that.
I liked writing the end of the Mr. Simms situation. I could have gone into more detail possibly, but I wanted to sort of go with how Adagio felt about it. She was happy and relieved it was over and didn't care what else happened to him. She was ready to just move on and not let the situation spoil the otherwise good deal they had at the restaurant.
I do want to get into the Sunlight parts some now, but the Dazzlings are still going to have their fair share of story and moments as well. Their part of the story isn't near over yet.
As for the emptiness, there are some hints at what it might be, so you might be right. It will be addressed along with other things as the story progresses.
5494040
I probably could write an epic length story about them, but I have more than enough epic length stories as it is. I planned for for this story to be at least half Dazzlings, but that was before their four chapters of recent history. So they might end up with a little more of the story overall in the end, but we'll just have to see. It still is good to hear people like how I'm portraying them in this story. I see them as having a lot of potential post Rainbow Rocks. This is the way I see them.
But when are the Dazzlings and Twilight and Sunset cross paths?
5494826 I won't spoil when, but it will happen.
5493142 How would you know now already that this story is gonna be featured in June?
Anyhow my reaction to the first half of this chapter: "Dammit Adagio, selling your body isn't the answer to everything!"
Nevertheless Im really enjoying this story so far. The last few chapters alone could make a great fic on their own, which makes it that much more juicy that they are embedded in a bigger whole. The only thing that's kept me from favoriting it so far are the odd spelling mistakes here and there plus a bit of strange wording at times. You don't per chance have an editor?
Also congratulations to still not having a single dislike with almost a hundred likes. Let's see how long your lucky streak lasts.
5497560
i'm just quoting the description. :^)
5497576 Well then how does Gadman have that kind of foresight?
5497576 There made it easier to understand. At first, I went with the MM/DD/YYYY format.
5497560 I don't have an editor. I have tried that with another one of my stories and it does help some, but they would sometimes take months to finish because they kept doing other things. It probably also didn't help that I wouldn't constantly bug them about it either. I'm not too keen on having to juggle my fanfic release schedule around someone else's as well. Mostly because mine is rather haphazard as it is when it comes to writing fics.
5497671 They all go through some dark times, especially Adagio. I feel what she does works for how her character develops in this story. Doesn't make it any easier when it does happen though.
5497816 Well nothing's stopping you from waiting a day or two and uploading the unrevised version if the editor hasn't sent in their version by then, updating it once they do.
Poor Adagio, that was horrible. If Twilight ever learns what Adagio went through, she's going to hate herself.
Why adagio! Why! Twilight is going to hate her self if she finds out what adagio did so aria and sonata could be happy
5547897 Well I am glad you like the story despite the mistakes. I will try to keep a better look out for that stuff in the future. I actually kind of rushed getting the last three chapters out, because they were one chapter before it grew way too long. I also kind of made it a deadline of sorts when I was writing that weekend to publish before the end of Sunday. I will take some time before the next chapter is out to double check. The wrong uses of the word "of" are probably actually "off" like you said.
"Than" and "Then" I usually try to avoid using because in many cases they are similar to "that" meaning they are just filler words which aren't needed. I will pay more attention to "their selves", I don't usually think to use "themselves".
As for the quick handling of the Mr. Simms thing, I don't want this to be a "dark" or "sad" story and I felt I had already put Adagio through more than enough of dark sexual experiences as it was. Also I was trying to show that a lot of the time when something like that keeps happening, it's because the victims don't speak up for whatever reason. Most of the time they fear it will come back to them or it won't matter despite companies taking such matters seriously.
This is also why the title was so specific. It wasn't meant to be funny. Large companies with such hotlines, don't call it something creative. They call it what it is. The Folken Restaurant Group Incorporated part was added by the company to show it wasn't Johnston's Bar and Grill running the hotline, this way hopefully victims would feel more at ease and confident to use it. Issues like that are usually taken very seriously. There was also more to why it was resolved the way it was and so quickly in my mind, but I wanted readers to feel like Adagio did at that moment. She didn't want to know details. She was just happy and relieved it was over and put it out of her mind.
There are reasons in my mind why this was taken care of before Twilight and Sunset came into the picture. I hope in the future chapters to kind show why. As for why so much focus on the Dazzlings, I'm kind of wanting the story to be half Sunlight and half Dazzlings. I wanted to just get the Dazzlings post battle of the bands history up to where they were in chapter three. I will get the story back to being more balanced, but this fic is as much Aria's, Sonata's and Adagio's as it is Twilight's and Sunset's story. Maybe it is very ambitious or something, but it's something I really wanted to write.
Again, thank you for enjoying the story and pointing out the mistakes you found. As for you being critical, I don't have a problem with it because you were being helpful. One thing you might want to think about with some author's who get really offended by such things, is to point out more of the good as well. I usually try to point out at least three things they are doing well and an equal number of things I think could use some work, but that's just me. Also the examples you provided are helpful.
Once more, thank you for the long and thoughtful review
. Hopefully my grammar will improve as the story continues and you will continue to enjoy it.
5549557 you pointed out some, but they were very brief a quick. I was merely saying to make sure of that is all with some people. We need more helpful reviewers I think, but it needs to be done right. Don't worry about it. I was just rambling there a little. Still it was a very good review.
I am very excited for when Sunset and Twilight finally meet the Dazzlings, and Adagio's dark secrets are brought to light.
5607914 I'm glad your liking the story. I actually have that meeting already fully written out, but I have a chapter or two planned before that happens.
5613102 Thanks for pointing out these mistakes. I went and made the corrections.
5614480 *Fluffle Puff gasp*
Is the author still alive? Did he leave the story?
5676991 I am still alive. I was taking a little break of a bit after I wrote those last three chapters in about three to four days in a row. I am working on the story it's just taking longer than I hoped it would. I have bits and pieces of the next chapter written, but not the whole thing and I need to get it to flow better than it currently does.
5677291
Take your time. As though we needed an excuse to re-read the previous chapters.
Although a blogpost now and then about how things are coming along wouldn't be unwelcome.
5677305 I might give that a try. I've mostly used blogs for rants and thoughts...
. I didn't know if people really paid much attention to blogs unless they're from well known users on here.
I was promise cute, cuddley sunlight, and you gave me Siren prostitution.... I am dissapointed
Great chapter. Despite the lack of Sunset and Twilight at the moment, I'm really impressed on how you handled the Dazzlings' side of the story. Well done! I definitely look forward to more of this in the future!
5783277 I'm glad to see you're enjoying the story so far. I hope it keeps entertaining you as it progresses. Also it is good to see you enjoyed Sunset's reactions to Twilight's adventures in Equestria. I haven't really read too many stories yet that actually have something like that. They ones that I have read where Sunset learns about what Twilight and her pony friends have been up to is usually kept short in stories.
5777017 I appreciate the review. I understand where the negativish comments are coming from, but it is nice to read good reviews and especially longer ones like your's. I'm glad you like my versions of post Rainbow Rocks Dazzlings. That was part of the reason I first started writing this story was because I didn't see many that actually gave the Dazzlings a redemption road to travel. Most of them at the time were either they break up, their starving to death and in a completely pitiful state until Sunset and the others save them, or the stories are mostly lighthearted and they are already friends with the Rainbooms.
I don't have a problem with stories like this, but I wanted something more and at the time I couldn't really find it on here well enough. I eventually had my version of how they would be after the movie stuck in my head. I just figured there was something more to why they were together for all of those years besides merely convenience they just didn't know it yet.
I have found more stories that give their post Rainbow Rocks versions more depth. lol I only wish I was the trend setter, and could claim so :p lol. Seriously though, there are more like that now, which is a good thing. I am still working on this story slowly. I just got into marathoning shows on Netflix in my free time recently, which has slowed things down along with other things as well.
5815680 Does your reply to me hopefully mean you'll be updating a new chapter soon?
5815682 I'm not sure how soon. I'm about to write a blog entry about progress and other parts of the story. I'm not really making any promises other than I am working on it with a little more priority again. I'll just have to see what happens.
5815687 Well! I guess that's better than nothing! Lol. Keep up the good work either way!
I find this story to be really good on a lot of levels. I can see Adagio having to deal with some depression In the future because of what she put herself through for them. This is already a bit of an emotional rollercoaster and I hope it only gets better.
And this is why I admire Adagio so much, she is patient, cunning, and observant. This is what made her such a great foil during Rainbow Rocks and what makes her great during this story. You the writer have done quite a excellent job of capturing those qualities of her character. Well done.