Adagio

by NaiadSagaIotaOar

Chapter III

Adagio awoke from a restless slumber, reluctantly dragging herself up to sit against her headboard and bury her face in her palms; every second of hazy weariness reminded her why she didn’t usually drink.

Just as it did every morning, though, one of her hands made its way towards her throat, where her fingers wrapped around her locket and held it close to her chest. She took a peek inside and saw shards, but pleasant, soothing daydreams showed her images of something whole. She thought she saw it for a moment: fractured, mutilated crystal resuscitated, coagulating under the gentle touch of a voice so heavenly it could only be hers.

That day would be a wonderful one. She hadn’t a clue how it would come to pass, but when she looked at those shards, she knew it would, eventually. Hope filled her when she held those shards, nourishing hope that ate away at the troubles of the present. Pains, whether of the flesh or of the heart, were temporary, but her song was eternal and undying.

She felt a small, faint smile dawning on her lips as her fatigue receded. The oldest, most stalwart companion she’d ever had… of course it hadn’t given up. She should’ve known that, but the affirmation brightened her spirits just the same. To her surprise, she heard herself chuckling quietly after a little while.

And right afterwards, as if it had been preordained, the soft sound of a distant knocking broadened her smile, made her sit up straight and sent flutters through her heart. Out from amidst tousled sheets she crawled, lingering in her bedroom just long enough to slip a luxurious silk robe on and then hurrying towards the door.

“Took you long enough,” she muttered under her breath as she approached and gripped the doorknob, trailing into a giggle.

But then it was teal eyes that she found herself looking into—soft, bright green where she’d been hoping for vivid, piercing violet.

She faltered briefly, blinking and swallowing a curse as the events of the last night came rushing to her like a flood. “Oh.” She recovered from her stumble, leaning against the doorframe and masking the bitterness her memories brought with a flashed smile. “It’s you again.”

“You did ask me to stop by today. Last night?” Sunset’s eyes dipped down, and faint touches of red came to her cheeks. “Sorry?”

Adagio shrugged. “I was hoping that was all just a terrible nightmare, to be honest. No such luck, I take it?” Nippy morning air made her pull her robe slightly tighter around herself.

Sunset folded her arms, sighing. “Do you want me here or not?”

“If I knew what was good for me, I probably wouldn’t have asked you to come in the first place.” The exasperation on Sunset’s face wasn’t quite as enjoyable as it had been the night before. Adagio drummed her fingers on the doorframe, sparing a glance at her glaringly silent home.

She could use a distraction, perhaps. “But you’re already here,” she said, craning her neck and peering over Sunset’s shoulder. “Alone, I might add. I’m surprised.”

“Yeah, well… you’ve had an awfully long time to try something, if you were going to.”

“Indeed I have, and you’ll notice that I have very little to show for it.” The envelope from last night reminded her that she wasn’t the only one who’d been dragging her feet. “But you’ve probably told your friends all about me, at least.”

A pause hinted at doubt. “No, actually. I haven’t. They don’t even know I’m here.”

Adagio lifted an eyebrow. “Going behind their backs just to get me all to yourself?” She chuckled softly. “I can appreciate that. Be a dear and keep this between us for now, then? I don’t know if a delicate flower like me could handle much more attention.”

“For now, at least.”

“I’ll take it. So. Why’d you come, then?”

“Because you asked me to.”

“Not because you wanted to, then?” Adagio pouted, then scoffed. “I must be losing my touch.”

“Well… I meant what I said last night.”

“About how I shouldn’t have to be alone?”

“Yeah, that.” Sunset stepped back a little, holding up her hands. “I’m not saying I know what to do about that, but…”

“You’re under the impression I need to do something?”

“You seemed pretty miserable last night.”

Adagio fought to keep herself from scowling. The number of things she might have changed from the night before seemed too large to count. “Today isn’t yesterday,” she stated.

It would have been so, so easy, just then, to leave it at that. She could have taken a step back, thrust the door closed, and been done with it all… and alone with that letter.

She sighed. Sometimes she wished she could just pluck out her heart and get rid of all those unwelcome feelings. What kind of goddess welcomed a former enemy just because she felt lonely?

“But, if you want me to indulge you…”

Sunset stiffened. “You don’t need to do that.”

“No,” Adagio said, “I don’t. But you did a few things you didn’t need to do last night. Fair’s fair.” She glanced down, tugging at the hem of her robe, then flicking her head. “Let’s take this inside. I’m not wearing a thing under this and I’m about to catch my death of cold.”

“S—sure, yeah.”

The faint little blush that came to Sunset’s cheeks made Adagio put a smirk on her lips and an extra sway into her hips as she went back inside, lazily beckoning with two fingers.

The living room, being the first thing visitors might see, was almost immaculate. Sure, thin layers of dust had accumulated and perhaps the tiled floor wasn’t freshly polished, but plenty of decorations more than made up for it.

“Would you like something to drink?” Adagio asked. “I’m not keen on repeating last night, but I think there might be something lying around if you felt like misbehaving.”

“I’m fine, thanks.”

“Suit yourself.” Adagio waved her hand, moving farther from the door towards the kitchen. “I’ll be back in a moment. Don’t break anything important.”

The kitchen, fewer people saw. In the time Adagio had spent in that house, she’d seen it resemble something between a factory and a laboratory, producing far more tastes and scents than she could have put names to. When she stepped inside, she was greeted by a sink filled with dirty dishes and a squatting wastebasket almost overflowing with the crumpled cardboard boxes left over from frozen appetizers that had ranged from bland to horrid. But it was either those or teach herself how to cook, and she saw no reason to break a perfectly fine thousand-year old tradition of cooking being something done for her, not by her.

She sighed, popping open a cupboard and pulling out a hand mirror—there was one in every room—and inspecting herself from a few different angles. The “just got up” look was far from her best, and she wished she could at least sneak a few minutes with a brush in, but whatever, she was still gorgeous. Sunset seemed to agree, anyway.

Adagio chuckled softly as she filled a glass of water. Maybe she won’t be such a bad distraction, she thought as she sauntered back to the living room.

When she saw Sunset standing by the table, peering down at a light pink letter, she stiffened and almost swore, but she put only a smirk on her face. “Of all the things here, it’s a letter that catches your eye?”

“Oh, sorry!” Sunset tensed, hurriedly turning. “I was just—”

Adagio sauntered over slowly, plucking the letter out of Sunset’s grip and giving it a flippant wave. “It’s my own fault for leaving it out.” She turned it over in her hand, stifling a scowl. “Not much point in trying to hide it anymore, is there?”

“Right, yeah.” Sunset frowned, glancing at the letter. “Were you thinking of writing back to her?”

Adagio looked down at the letter, turning away to hide her scowl and flinging the letter onto the far side of the table. “I’m not the one who needs to apologize.” She brushed her fingers over her locket, certain that her silent companion would agree with her.

“But you do miss them, don’t you?”

“A little.” An ugly feeling churned in Adagio’s gut; she swatted it aside, wearing a smile as she slunk over to her couch and leisurely sprawled over it. “But this isn’t the first time we’ve had a squabble and ended up parting ways for a bit. We’ve always found our way back to each other.”

Sunset’s frown didn’t relent. “How long have they been gone?”

Adagio suppressed a glower. “Too long, and yet not long enough.” She leaned back, draping her arms along the back of the couch. “Dull though it may be, I was just starting to enjoy having this all to myself. You wouldn’t believe the kinds of trouble they could get up to.”

The look on Sunset’s face said, “Yes, I would,” even as her mouth said, “No, I can’t. But there must be some good memories, right?”

A sinking feeling welled up in Adagio’s gut. She ran a finger over her locket, then shrugged her shoulders. “There was that one time I tried to replace one of them with a rabbit, but that turned out to only be a temporary solution,” she said, staring pointedly at Sunset and patting the couch beside her. “What’re you getting at?”

Sunset stayed where she stood, shifting anxiously. “Look, Adagio… Sonata wouldn’t have sent you that letter if she wasn’t thinking about you, would she?”

“I appreciate the thought, I really do, but I have spent more time with them then you will ever spend breathing, and that’s all I have to say on the topic.” More venom crept into her voice than she wanted, and she chided herself for it.

Sunset went silent. She looked away, ran a hand through her hair, and sighed. She looked so tragic for a moment, when Adagio caught a glimpse of her wistful eyes.

Eventually, it was the faint sound of a buzzing phone that ended the silence. Sunset frowned, fumbling through her pockets as Adagio arched an eyebrow.

“S—sorry.” Sunset murmured, hastily withdrawing her phone.

Adagio drew in a long breath. “Something important, I hope?” The interruption was refreshing in some ways, insulting on others.

“It’s… you.”

And just like that, Adagio felt her face tightening. “Is that so?”

“Yeah. She said she’d contact me today and…” Sunset stared at her phone for a moment, biting her lip. “Well, she’s asking if I can go and meet her now.”

Adagio’s gem would have been livid, and she was inclined to agree. “You could always say no. Her problems are not yours.”

“Yeah, well, the last person who got curious about this magic stuff on her own almost broke reality. Now that she knows something’s up, I’d just as soon keep an eye on her.” Sunset went still again, just for a moment before sliding her phone back into her pocket. Her expression went hard and stony briefly. “And I think she deserves an explanation, at the very least.”

“Does she, now?” Adagio couldn’t stop a scowl from forming on her face. The cheerful, smiling face she pictured immediately seemed like a taunt—what did that feeble little thing deserve that a siren didn’t?

Nothing, she knew her gem would have whispered to her.

“You… weren’t exactly very polite last night.”

Adagio stared daggers at Sunset. “I thought I made myself perfectly clear the last time, Sunset,” she hissed. “She is a mockery of me. A puppet, with flesh to match her name but none of the spirit.”

Sunset clenched her teeth. “That’s not her fault.”

“I know. It wouldn’t matter if it was.” Adagio glowered for a moment, lip curling. Aria would understand. That thought just made her anger rise. She gave a sharp wave of her hand. “Fine, then.”

With that, Adagio stood to her feet, sending one last glare down towards Sunset, folding her arms across her chest. “I think we’re done here.”

Sunset breathed deeply. By the time she stood up, her face had softened, just slightly. “Adagio, I… didn’t intend to anger you.”

“We all do things we don’t mean.” Adagio gestured towards the door, wondering if she’d made even more mistakes last night than she’d first thought. “I’m starting to think you and her are a better match than you and I anyway.”

“I don’t—” Sunset held out her hand, squeezing her eyes shut, breathing again. “I wasn’t trying to choose anyone.”

“I’m sure you weren’t. For what it’s worth, I really am glad you were there to keep me company last night.” She fought to stop herself from scowling, resting a hand on her hip and looking away. “And I appreciate what you’re trying to do. But I don’t see it ending well for either of us.”

“I’m not certain you’re wrong,” Sunset said, at last. Wrapping her arms around herself, she stared towards the floor. “Okay. If you want me gone, I’ll go. Just… think about writing back to Sonata?”

Adagio tilted her head from one side to the other. “I’ll think about it.”

“Thanks.” A moment went by, and then Sunset stuck out her arm, clutching a piece of paper. “And… take this? You don’t have to do anything with it, but I’ll feel better if I know you have it.”

Adagio glanced down at the paper and the phone number scrawled on it. She took it without saying a word, staring at it before gesturing to the door. “Thanks,” she muttered. “Now, I think you should go.”

Sunset gave her a long look before nodding and showing herself out.

Adagio watched Sunset leave with a grimace on her face, then turned away shaking her head and making her way back to her bedroom.

Who does she think she is, telling me what to do?

She took the envelope, scowling, discarding it with a flick of her wrist out of spite before flopping down on her bed and very pointedly not doing what Sunset suggested.

Because she was better than that. Sunset didn’t know anything about her. She was young, naïve, absolutely insufferable…

The silence of an empty room reared its ugly head again. But she could find other distractions, could she not? Sunset could go make friends with that audacious strumpet if she really wanted to. It was her time to waste.

Seething thoughts turned toward that imposter’s face. Her stolen face. Her undeserved face. Her smiling face.

Adagio’s fingernails dug into her palm. She felt warm, burning. Anger, some deep, visceral rage, churned inside her.

Aria would understand, she thought again, which infected her anger with bitterness.

Why should she be the only one who gets to smile? she thought next.

---

It had been difficult for Sunset to keep the one Adagio out of her thoughts as she made her way to a nearby shopping mall to meet the other—Dazzle, she’d decided to call the second one, for convenience.

Her phone lit up with another text; Dazzle wanted to meet in… an outlet store, of all things? Sunset lifted an eyebrow at that, but shrugged and navigated accordingly.

Dazzle, when Sunset found her, was combing the racks and displays of a clothing store, with a handbag slung over one shoulder and a cluster of clothes on hangers dangling from her other arm, seemingly lost in thought.

Sunset cleared her throat. “Hi!” she said, approaching with a friendly smile.

Dazzle lurched to face her, and her face lit up with a bright, cheery smile. “Oh, you’re here!” she chirped. Before Sunset could respond, she was being hugged, and then a second after that Dazzle had flitted away. “Sorry, I was thinking we could talk over coffee or something, but then I was looking for a good place and stopped by here and—” Dazzle held up a glittery high-heeled shoe and let out a small giggle “—well, some things are just hard to say no to.”

Sunset blinked. Whether it was unfair of her to think it or not, seeing ‘Adagio’ fawning over shoes was weird.

Dazzle stepped back, shot a quiet, longing stare back at the shoe. “But anyway, I really did want to talk to you about…” She cut herself off, quirked her lips, then skimmed through the cluster of hangers on her arm. “Well, okay, one more thing first?” She picked out a tight, black, perilously short skirt, cocking her head and holding it against herself. “What do you think of this? I have such a hard time thinking it’s really ‘me,’ but last night I saw myself wearing those shorts and was just struck by this odd confidence to—”

“You know, I’m—” Sunset stepped back and held up her hands. “I’m not sure I’m the best person to ask, to be honest.”

“Hmm.” Dazzle looked at the skirt with an appraising eye, then shrugged. “Well, I’m feeling daring.” She turned towards another shelf and started scanning it. “But anyway. That wasn’t what I dragged you out here for.”

“R—right.” Sunset followed behind Dazzle. “I just wanted to apologize. You know, for what happened last night.”

Dazzle looked back at Sunset, giggled again, and flashed a gleaming, pearly-white smile. “There’s nothing for you to apologize for, sweetie. It was a little surprising, sure, but—” she leaned forward a little, lowering her voice slightly “—just between the two of us, you’ve no idea how long I’ve been waiting for something as exciting as this to happen.”

“That’s… good to hear.” Sunset bit her lip and tried not to dwell on how jarring Dazzle’s friendliness was. “She really was out of line, though.”

“Yes, well…” Dazzle’s attention shifted back to the shelves. She walked slowly, eyes wandering, occasionally pausing to take a closer look at something. “She didn’t seem like she was having a very good night and we’ve all been there, haven’t we? Water under the bridge.”

“Yeah, she’s been going through a pretty rough patch lately, I think.” Adagio had her moments of haughtiness, sure, but there was an air of melancholy to her quite far removed from the embodiment of glamour she’d been when she’d strutted into CHS.

“I figured as much. I don’t mean to pry, of course, but what seems to be the matter with her?”

“Well, I don’t know the whole story. Sounds like some kind of… family drama, let’s say.” That seemed a fair compromise between practicing honesty and avoiding gossip.

“Oh.” Dazzle came to a slow pause, frowning. She looked distant for a moment, before she shook her head and put another smile back on. “I don’t suppose you’re insinuating she also has two sisters who drive her crazy?”

Sunset winced, wishing she’d thought of that earlier. “Something like that, I think.”

“I see.” Dazzle thought for a moment, then glanced around. The store was quiet—both of people and of noise, Sunset noted. “Listen, I know it’s none of my business,” Dazzle said, her voice laced with more concern than curiosity, “but do you by any chance know what happened?”

“Not really. Argument of some kind, it sounds like.”

“If hers are anything like mine, it’s nothing they haven’t gone through already.” Dazzle looked Sunset over, chuckling softly. “But at least she’s got a…” Her hand raised and made a vague gesture. “Sorry, what’s your relation to her?”

“That’s a long story. We met almost a year ago, when she and her sisters were… doing some pretty bad things, let’s say.” It felt dirty, hiding the truth like that. But when the truth involved small magical artifacts as powerful as the siren gems had been… the line between ‘cautious’ and paranoid was thin indeed, but she felt like she was squarely in the realm of the former.

And I’d sound crazy if I dove into it. Baby steps.

“Anyway, my friends and I put a stop to them,” Sunset continued, “and then they just vanished, basically. Last night was the first I’ve seen of her since then.”

Dazzle cocked an eyebrow. “She must not’ve been that bad, if you could go from shutting down her scheme to walking down the street with her hanging off your arm like that.”

“I’m still not sure what to think of her, to be honest. Like I said, she’s done some really bad things, but seeing her all alone like that… I’m not sure what you can do that’s so bad you deserve losing your family for it.”

Dazzle’s hand drifted up, and her fingers brushed against her left ear—Sunset thought she caught a glimpse of a pearl earring for a moment, but then dangling, curly tresses hid it from view.

It was difficult to guess what feeling occupied Dazzle’s thoughts, but Sunset got the impression it wasn’t the most pleasant one—doubly so when she noted that she’d only ever seen Dazzle alone. Not the most troubling of things, but when, for the longest time, she’d never seen Adagio all by herself…

Could this be hitting a little close to home for her?

“Do you have any idea what happened to the other two?” Dazzle asked eventually. Her expression had softened slightly, but it was only a faint smile that played on her lips.

Sunset shook her head. “No. I’ve asked her to try reaching out to them, but…”

“I see. Is there any chance I could see her again, then?”

Memories of harsh words and sudden glares made Sunset wince. “She’s still pretty mad at you, I think. This might not be the best time.”

“I can’t blame her.” Dazzle chuckled briefly. “Well, I was holding out hope she’d turn out to be a long-lost identical twin, but it’s sounding like there’s a little more to her than that.”

“…It’s a long story.”

“All the best ones are. I…” She rubbed at her ear, quirking her lips and pausing thoughtfully again. “Well, I wasn’t originally planning on staying in Canterlot for long, but clearly just a day or two isn’t enough to see all the sights. I do hope you can find the time to tell me the rest of that story soon.” She smiled, then made a small “oh” and rummaged through the clothes on her arm. “But, if you’ll excuse me, I think I have a few more errands to run, and I wouldn’t want to keep you for too long.”

“Sure, yeah. I’ll keep in touch. See you later, then?”

“Wouldn’t miss it. Thank you for your time.”

---

The sun had started to lower by the time Adagio had finally decided to take the plunge and look over that envelope more closely. Everything about it felt perfunctory, like an offered hand where the salient transgressions called for a grovel.

And yet there was a return address, scribbled on a corner.

---

Sunset’s evening had not been a restful one. Through the afternoon and beyond, she had neither the desire nor the capability to get Adagio out of her thoughts—which Adagio she was more fixated on, she wasn’t sure she knew herself. She found herself drifting back to those women again and again, wishing she knew better than she did what to do about them.

Somewhere down the line, Sunset’s eyes finally fell shut and she slipped out of the waking world.

She found herself standing on a grassy hill. She felt wind, cooling her cheeks and tossing her hair as it whipped past her. One hand tightly gripped a microphone; the other relaxed its grip, and a black leather jacket fell to the ground.

The battle. No memory of it had ever been so vivid—now, it was like she’d been wrenched back in time. Everything was as she knew it had been:

The sirens on the stage, suspended by gossamer wings, eyes consumed by pools of crimson.

The great dragon-like creatures hovering protectively above them.

The crowd alternating between roaring passion and eerie silence, enslaved by the ebb and flow of haunting music and horrifically blissful the entire time.

The torrent of the adrenaline in her ears.

The knowledge that, when confronted by majesty as inexorable as that of the sirens, a single dud note, a single fracture in the harmonious ensemble she formed with her friends, could be all it took.

The most exhilaratingly high stakes she’d ever been subjected to.

But she knew what came next. The sky would split; she craned her neck just in time to see it happening, see the crystal alicorn they'd called into being riding on their melodies. A triumph that would set the world back as it should be.

But before that happened, for a moment, just before that climactic strike, she looked down and saw for the first time in her life what a siren on the verge of defeat looked like...

Adagio was pale. Pale, trembling, clasping her gem to her chest. Her eyes were sinister, yes, but they were pleading as well.

And Sunset felt a dozen different things rushing through Adagio just then. Panic, fear, disbelief… concern, and not just for herself.

The gem broke. It was not the only thing on that stage that shattered.

The thrill of victory competed with a nagging, twisting yearning; Sunset saw the sirens scrambling away, and this time she reached out to them; she was too far, her voice too small… and she didn’t know what to say, anyway.

That world dissolved into a slurry of formless dreamstuff, unfurling and twisting until it became something new.

This time, she was in a dimly-lit hallway, and three sirens circled her slowly like sharks. There was one in every direction she looked, each one smiling, each one chipping away at her resolve with scalpel-like words—or, in the case of the blue one, mallet-like chirps that felt painfully dismissive.

And fear coursed through her. Fear of the sirens, of what they might do, of whether they had a point and her friends didn’t fully accept her yet.

But this time, she wasn’t just afraid of the sirens. She… envied them, in a way. She’d spent months being among the lowest of the low—shunned and scorned by all, no matter how she’d worked to scrape her way up—and in had walked three girls who were so glamorous it was otherworldly, and they’d turned the cafeteria into their catwalk in seconds.

And they’d had each other. Companions, the exact thing Sunset realized she’d always craved, and her worst enemies had the exact kind she longed for the most.

The world dissolved again, then reformed.

This time, she was in a bedroom. There were no sirens, not anywhere, just her and her friends—Princess Twilight was there too, since she hadn’t gone back to Equestria yet—and they were celebrating their victory. There was an air of joy to everything that happened that night, a sense of giddy excitement that kept every spirit in the stratosphere.

It was eventually diluted, just briefly, by talk of whether the sirens might return, and that had made everybody go a bit quiet and then they’d started chattering about how they should go looking for them and see what’d happened and what they should do with the shards of ruby that were left behind and then Sunset saw golden hair swishing past the window and felt her chest tighten for a few tense seconds—was that—no, it couldn’t be—but what if it was…?

She had time to confirm it was just someone with light hair, but not the time to relax before that world faded away.

In the next world she found herself in, she was a goat. And she was in a field with lots of other goats, and she had lots of goat friends, and they all gathered together every evening to sing songs together, and sometimes when they sang especially cheery songs, as they did this particular night, the sky would change color, and when that happened they’d all hug each other tightly and then go trotting off to see the wizard who lived in the tower a few fields over—every field was full of goats—and ask him very impishly to please pretty please change the sky back—

That scene melted away too. What it became next, Sunset wasn’t sure; her dreaming mind blinked through half a dozen surreal worlds that only tantalized her memories.

But then.

Then there was music. It was like a knife, the only thing sharp and neat in a swirl of foggy things. When it faded, the silence was agonizing—but didn’t last for long.

“Hello, Sunset.”

Sunset blinked. She was in her bed, gazing upwards at a dark ceiling. Hazy seconds ticked and tocked by and her head spun, but that voice had sliced through the daze to reach her ears with sublime clarity. It was languid and sultry. She knew it, or so she thought—dimly, as she lifted her head and rubbed the sleep from her eyes—but when she looked she couldn’t see anything but a ruby light winking at her.

Adagio sat there, lounging in a chair, framed and draped in shadow. A black dress clung to her tightly, save where long, supple legs poured out of slits in the skirt. Glossy crimson lips flowed into a sensual smirk while delicate fingers brushed against a gleaming, malevolent, wholly intact ruby hanging from Adagio’s neck.

“Did you miss me?”

“A—Adagio?” Sunset moved to scramble out from under the covers. “What’re you—?”

“Now, now.” Adagio’s voice drifted lazily through the air, soft and silky and musical, but then it felt like a boulder pressing on Sunset’s shoulders. “There’s nothing you need to worry about. Just… relax.”

Her voice, for that last word, turned into a lilting purr—then resonated with the most effortlessly perfect note Sunset had ever heard. And then there was music, suddenly bursting from every pocket of air all around her. Everything that wasn’t Adagio turned blurry and hazy. Thoughts became elusive, ponderous things, difficult to chase and harder to hold on to. Her pillows felt like a cloud, though, when she sank back down into them. Soft, inviting… why would she ever want to leave them?

“There we go. See, isn’t that more comfortable?” Adagio stared for a moment, silent and inquisitive, and then a radiant smile lit up her face—but if it was really radiant, why did it make Sunset’s blood churn? “But you can talk all you want, if you’d like to. Not to say I couldn’t listen to myself all night, but that wouldn’t be very productive, would it?”

And just like that, it was like a fog had been lifted. Thoughts came so much more easily once Sunset had permission to voice them. “What are you doing here?”

“I was in the neighborhood. Thought I’d stop by, keep you company for a little while. That’s what friends do, isn’t it?” She slithered off of the chair, rising to her feet, caressing her gem. Her lips remained sealed, but her head moved as though she’d heard something. “And we are friends, aren’t we? Or you’d like to think we are.” Her eyes gleamed excitedly, glimmering dangerously in the dark. Straight towards the desk, she went, as surely as if she’d known what was in it all along.

“Why are you doing this?” Sunset wondered why she thought it was a problem.

“You didn’t think I’d forget, did you?” Adagio made a short chime of a laugh that hung in the air like an echo. Long, slender fingers languidly pulled a drawer open; Adagio held a small shard of ruby up, pinching it carefully. “You really shouldn’t be keeping these poor little things cooped up all day. Beauty like theirs is meant to be admired, don’t you think?”

“Adagio, you know I can’t—” Sunset paused, frowning. Her body said she was relaxed, but her mind told her she should have been terrified.

“Of course you can. But, here’s the thing about sirens, little girl.” Adagio slipped the gem back into the drawer. “We can’t even imagine a world where we don’t get what we want. And if there is one thing we are oh-so-very good at…” She laughed again, puffing out a note that darted into Sunset’s chest and made her heart turn flips. “... Well, one more thing, anyway… it’s wanting things.”

She came forwards, stalking and swaying, her gait leisurely and sinuous. She knelt beside Sunset’s bed, reaching out to lift Sunset’s chin so their eyes met.

Her touch was soft, and it left Sunset feeling warm, heated and hopeful, even as icy cold dread gnawed at her core.

Adagio’s tongue ran over her lips. Her fingers left Sunset’s face and drifted downwards, finding the scarlet pendant hanging from her neck and lifting it up. “Someone’s a little fixated. But…” She let Sunset’s pendant drop and redirected her attention to her own pendant. “… I think we both know who’s got the prettier bauble.

“So. I’d keep those stolen trinkets close if I were you.” Adagio shaped her lips into a smile as she leaned forward. Her breath was a gust of hot air on Sunset’s face, sweltering her like she was in a sauna. Sunset wished they could stay that close forever. “Wouldn’t want anyone doing something naughty, would we?”

When Sunset opened her mouth, a burble of scattered noise leapt out, so unsightly that she was ecstatic that a finger pressed to her lips silenced her. But then Adagio pulled away, and Sunset’s bed seemed cold and empty and far less than adequate.

“Or you could give them back. I know someone would appreciate them. If you don’t, though…” Adagio stood up again, brushing a lock of errant hair out of her face, gesturing towards the desk with her eyes. “… be a dear and take good care of them for me?”

Desperation Sunset was only barely aware of pushed her to speak. “Please. You don’t have to do this.”

Adagio gave her a long look. And then she laughed. It began as a whimsical giggle, then slowly turned low and haggish, filling the room, wordlessly taunting Sunset from every angle. That laugh made her feel small and frail, like a guppy courting a great white.

“Oh, you don’t even know how far out of your depth you are. It must be nice, not knowing what kinds of things are out there.” The next smile that came to Adagio’s face was broad and glinting, and this time Sunset knew exactly how afraid she was supposed to feel. “What, you think you keep me company for one night and suddenly know what makes me tick? No, Sunset, I’m not like you. There is a siren’s dying heart locked in your drawer, and you don’t know a thing about it or me.”

Before Sunset could speak again, a faint breath from Adagio’s lips turned all her muscles to jelly. She couldn’t move, couldn’t think, couldn’t sense anything but Adagio looming over her.

“Well. I hope you enjoyed this little talk as much as I did,” Adagio said, licking her lips and fluttering her fingers in a little wave. “You make such good company I might have to come back one of these days.” She grinned, wicked excitement flashing across her face.

Sunset’s head flopped back, her eyes clamping shut.

---

Sunset’s eyes snapped open, despite the daylight that ordinarily would have brought a wince. She sat up at once, bolting over to her desk and yanking on the drawer.

It didn’t budge; the lock rattled. Sunset blinked, lurched around, felt her heart thumping rapidly as she darted for the key’s hiding spot underneath her bed. She found it right where she’d left it, then darted back to the drawer, shoved the key into the lock, twisted.

Even when she saw ruby fragments staring at her, she didn’t quite relax. Just a dream, she told herself, but it took until she looked down at the carpet and saw not a single footprint in the corner that she slumped down, breathing heavily, shivering. Just a dream.

Comments

[forbloodysummer]

I have been waiting two years to post this comment:

But it was either those or teach herself how to cook

Adagio, sort your life out!

[Boltstrike58]

Wait, was that last part actually just a dream? Is Sunset losing it? Thanks, Adagio.

[NaiadSagaIotaOar]

9321762
If you recall, from earlier in the chapter:

“No,” Adagio said, “I don’t. But you did a few things you didn’t need to do last night. Fair’s fair.” She glanced down, tugging at the hem of her robe, then flicking her head. “Let’s take this inside. I’m not wearing a thing under this and I’m about to catch my death of cold.”

Proximity to barely-dressed sirens has been known to leave one with a less-than-lucid mental state

[Boltstrike58]

9321973
Oh goodie.

[jaroslav]

Sure it was dream. Siren magic doesn't work on Sunset. Sunset's magic power is too strong to be influenced by it.

[Fylifa]

As I read on I do love the prose in this one. I didn’t think a door could get a rhinstone infection, but it fits! Maybe it is how Adagio views the world. Everything in impressionist, emotion filled view. Fitting for a once-emotion-vore. The dream sequence emphasizes that I think and some very nice imagery. Though mysterious too!

But I wonder if the dream was real why Adagio didn't just bust the lock on the drawer. Sure it might make more cat-and-mouse to give Sunset the option. But its her gem in there! Machinations and emotional puppetry be damned when a brick to a cheap desk lock works quite as well.

But it's still a nice sequence and I like that moment of interesting camaraderie Sunset recognizes. It's what makes sometimes the former villain character so interesting. That they can have sympathy where heroes who have always been heroes can't.