Chapter 10- Bad Day
Adagio Dazzle was not having a good day. The hot water being out had meant a cold shower first thing in the morning, and dealing with that had nearly made her miss the bus downtown. In her rush she had forgotten her coat, and even though it was mid-Autumn and the temperatures more than called for it the stubborn bus driver still refused to turn on the heat. The office was little better, the higher-ups always keeping the air conditioning a few degrees below comfortable just to save a buck.
Sneaking into the ladies’ room, she looked herself over in the mirror. She had had little time for personal grooming, and it showed. Her hair was frizzy and disarrayed, and her clothes were clearly wrinkled in places. Sighing, she splashed water over her hands, running her fingers through her thick locks in an attempt to get her hair looking something like presentable.
There was little she could do about her clothes. She tried to dress professionally for work, if a bit on the sexy side. Sure, all of her customer interactions were over the phone, but it was amazing how much easier things could be if she just showed a little skin around the office. Usually. Her supervisor, Paper Cut, seemed to be immune to her charms. Too busy pushing around his secretary to notice when he was in the presence of a real woman. The prick.
Not that she was exactly on top of her game today. Today, her thin white blouse was rumpled and messy, and her skirt had a noticeable crease in the front. Her white tights were the only part of her outfit that did not look wrinkled, and that was only because of how well they hugged her legs.
Groaning, she shook her head. How to salvage her appearance? Maybe she could pull off the messy look today. Loose ponytail, shirt open a little at the top… a sexy, just-rolled-out-of-bed look. Not exactly classy, but it would do. Fortunately, she did not need any makeup to pull off the look, not that she normally used any. Making the required adjustments, she gave her reflection another critical look. Frowning thoughtfully, she pulled a thin pair of reading glasses out of her purse and slipped them on, completing the look. Finally satisfied, she nodded before stepping out into the office.
She had to stop short as someone pushed past her and rushed into the bathroom. Short, with longish pink hair. Wracking her brain, Adagio realized she could not recall the woman’s name. One of the newer interns, then. Something struck her about the woman’s face though- she had been crying. It looked like the big boss man was at it again. Typical middle manager, he had no real talent or power worth speaking of, so he made it his business to make his underlings’ lives miserable. It would have been prime feeding, if she still had her magic.
Grumbling to herself, she returned to her desk, entertaining herself thinking of the horrible things she would do to that man if she still had her powers. But it was not to be. She needed her job, even if it meant playing the innocent little office girl. She was a master manipulator, and had been dealing with Cut’s pathetic mind games for months. Sighing, she began to dial the next number on her list.
The call went about as smoothly as one could ever expect for the collection department. “Hello, this is Angel with Canterlot Communications. I’m just calling to remind you that your cable bill is three weeks overdue. If this is not resolved by the end of the month, the company is going to have to cut your service.” Adagio flinched back at the stream of expletives that followed her spiel, before hanging up and checking the “unpaid” box next to the number. Groaning in exasperation, she looked at her call list. They had raised the quota again. That was the third time that month.
Adagio hated her job. It was more than dealing with a shitty boss and going by a fake name. She could deal with Paper Cut and had gone by many names over the centuries (Although Adagio was her real one, as far as she knew). The problem was the customers. Adagio liked to think she was good with people. She had had princes and paupers alike eating out of her hand in the past, on no more than her own natural talent and beauty. She had thought that would serve her well in a job like this, but it was not meant to be. Talking through the phone severely limited her ability to communicate, and she was robbed of all the nonverbal tricks and cues she had spent decades mastering. On the phone, she was just another anonymous voice. Being constantly yelled at from the other end of the line did little to improve her mood. Growling, she began to enter the next number.
“Angel! Get in here!”
Adagio flinched as Paper Cut’s shrill voice burst through her headset. Growling, she ground her teeth in frustration before clicking the return button and saying, in her sweetest voice, “I’ll be right there, sir.” Pushing herself away, she tossed her headset carelessly onto her desk and took a moment to adjust her top and skirt in her monitor’s reflection before heading to her boss’s office.
“You called me, sir?” Adagio asked as she stepped into Cut’s office, a saccharine tone to her voice. The man sat at an imposing looking desk, which Adagio strongly suspected was not real oak. His skin was the exact color of office post-it notes, and his greasy, unkempt hair was a forgettable shade of brown, like spilled coffee. Beady black eyes glared back at her.
“About time!” He snapped, folding his hands on the desk in front of him. “What took you so long?”
“I came as soon as I could,” Adagio said sweetly. “I only took a moment to make myself presentable.”
“Bah!” He huffed, “Who cares what you look like? You’re here to work, not look pretty. Not like the customers care what you look like over the phone.”
Ah, that old song and dance. Adagio smirked internally. While he was never direct enough in his insults to risk a harassment complaint, he always seemed to have a way of making it come across anyway. Perhaps it was some sort of envy, as his own weasel-like face likely did him few favors with the fairer sex. Of course, his frustrations could just as easily be attributed to his personality.
“What did you need, sir?” Adagio asked, continuing her submissive façade. What she would do to smack the lousy bastard into a wall…
Smirking, he retrieved a thick manila folder and dropped it on the desk. “Have a seat. This may take a while.”
Adagio did as instructed, wincing as the too small plastic chair squeaked under her weight. Her eyes flicked to the folder. That was… new. Normally his games were little more than a shakeup, in lieu of having any real reason he would often call someone into his office just to prod them and see what they revealed. He never had anything as concrete as a file. Adagio bit her lip, realizing that something was wrong. Her already frayed nerves began to jump into overtime, but she was not sure why.
“What is this?” She asked, a slight edge rising beneath her sugary tone.
“Data,” Cut said flippantly. “Statistics. Charts. Performance reviews. Customer surveys.” He clicked his tongue. “Altogether it paints a rather unfortunate picture.”
Adagio felt a cold spike of anxiety. Swallowing thickly, she managed to keep an even voice as she asked, “What exactly does that mean, sir?”
He smirked at her, flipping the folder open and spinning it towards her. The top page was loaded with a series of charts and notes, a disturbing amount of red smattered across the page. “You haven’t been meeting your quotas lately,” Paper Cut said, his voice condescending. “That’s… problematic.”
“Sir, with all due respect,” Adagio said, barely managing not to grind her teeth at the accusation, “The quotas have nearly doubled over the last month. There’s no way to make that many calls during one shift. I have had to stay on for extra shifts several times just to get through my-”
“Yes, abuse of company overtime,” Her boss said, cutting her off as he turned to another page. “That’s another strike against you.” He let out a deep breath, whistling through his nose as he fixed Adagio with a smug look. “Let’s talk about your customers, shall we? I’m sure you can appreciate just how important customer satisfaction is at a company like CanCom.”
Adagio seethed silently, but bit her tongue as he continued, flipping to yet another page of the thick file. “Your customer surveys continue to turn up poor. Why is that? I honestly cannot understand how you could justify such a performance.”
“Sir,” Adagio growled, struggling not to lash out. It had already been a long and trying day, and her patience was wearing thin at her supervisor’s mind games. “I work in collections. Of course people aren’t happy with me, that’s part of my job. I don’t know why the survey is even offered after those kinds of call-”
“The automated system-”
“And another thing!” Adagio cut in, sick and tired of being interrupted. “It is not my fault customers are unhappy. I’m just the messenger. It’s the company that keeps raising prices, of course people are upset. And I have to deal with it!” She ranted, her voice continuing to pick up in volume.
“Angel, honey, be quiet. It’s not appropriate for a pretty little thing like yourself to address your superiors like that.” Paper Cut’s tone was insufferable as he leered at her condescendingly. “You need to learn your proper pl-”
“You listen here, you pathetic excuse for a man!” Adagio exploded, slamming her fist onto the desk with a sharp crack! Cut jerked back, falling into his chair at the unexpected show of force, but the smug grin never left his face. “You have no idea who I am or what I could do. I am your better in every sense of the word! I have put up with your horse shit and your mind games for long enough, but this ends here!” She huffed, a loose curl of hair escaping the tie and falling in front of her eye.
Paper cut crossed his arms, a triumphant look on his face. “Tsk, so the pretty little intern finally shows her true colors. I knew you were more than just some office slut.” He chuckled, leaning forward to fold his hands over his desk. “Oh, you thought you could hide it, but I’m too smart for you. I saw right through your little act. You’re just as angry and emotional as any woman. But it’s over now.”
Adagio stepped away from the desk, eyes wide in the realization that she had just made a terrible mistake. “An arrogant girl like you has no place at a respectable company like CanCom,” Cut continued. “You can’t just expect to get by on your emotions and good looks. We aren’t a company that promotes based on how good you are on your knees.”
Adagio was too much in shock to react to the insult. Her heart was thudding in her chest as the adrenaline drained out of her. What had she done? He could not mean… She had not been trying to…
“Angel, you’re fired,” Paper Cut said, a victorious look on his face. “Get out of my office before I call security.” He watched as she stumbled out, shell-shocked by the sudden turn of events. He chuckled quietly, glad to finally be rid of the superior little bitch. It was just one more thing he loved about his job. He moved to sweep up the file and put it away, only for his sleeve to catch on the desk. Scowling, he glared down at the offending furniture, only to find a long crack running the width of the faux-oak surface. How long had that been there?
==O==
Adagio stared blindly out at the passing landscape, slouched numbly against the uncomfortable bus seat. It had taken all her willpower not to cause a scene when she left. She could not afford the attention, especially if security got involved. She had left with nothing, not even bothering to return to her desk. Her workstation had nothing personal or valuable in it.
Her self-discipline had lasted until she left the building and reached the bus stop, collapsing onto the dingy green bench in exhaustion as the last of the adrenaline fled her body. What had she done? She had cost them everything, because of her pride. Again.
Without her job, they could never afford to keep their apartment. They would wind up on the streets, like always. Only this time, they would have no magic, no hope of making it out.
What could she do? Returning to the apartment was too much. She could never keep the truth hidden from her sisters, not when she was herself in a state of shock. But admitting that she had failed them again was unbearable. She had to find somewhere else to go.
Sunset’s apartment? The girl would be at school, but she would not mind letting Adagio hide out while she collected her thoughts…. But no, it was too risky. Sunset’s place was right across the hall from her own, the risk of being spotted by either Aria or Sonata was just too high.
Then where? She could not just ride the bus all day, staring off into space. Who knew where she might end up in her state of mind? Besides, while her pass might have been limitless, the driver’s patience was not.
A glimmer of hope sparked in her chest as she passed a familiar landmark. Her eyes focused on a street sign and she realized that she recognized the place. As the bus rolled to a squealing stop, she stood on shaky legs and made her way forward. Maybe she had another option after all.
==O==
Rarity was having a good day. She had gotten a respectable B+ on her Biology exam, the lunch room had had fresh strawberries, and she had gotten to listen to Fluttershy gush about how much she was enjoying being a part of the Pony Tones for much of the bus ride home.
The school bus made its stop at her street and she stepped out, her sister just behind. “How was school today?” She asked, as Sweetie had spent most of the ride talking to her own classmates.
“It was fine,” The younger girl answered as Rarity retrieved her house key and inserted it into the lock. “Music class is going pretty good, but they gave Diamond Tiara the lead in the play,” Sweetie griped. Neither she nor her sister noticed that, although the key had turned, they had not heard the distinctive click of the deadbolt disengaging. The front door opened easily, admitting them inside.
“I thought you were getting along with her?” Rarity questioned, sliding off her boots and hanging her coat in the closet. Sweetie just shrugged, kicking off her tennis shoes and leaving them in the middle of the floor. Rarity rolled her eyes. “Sweetie,” She said, heading for the living room, “What have I told you about- GAAH!” She let out a startled cry as she realized they were not alone in the house.
“H-hi,” Adagio said, waving sheepishly from where she was curled up on the living room couch. “I didn’t mean to startle you…”
“A-Adagio,” Rarity said, placing a hand on her chest and taking several quick breaths. Her heart was beating extremely fast.
Sweetie poked her head around the corner, an umbrella from the stand clutched defensively in her hand, though she relaxed her grip on recognizing the visitor. “Adagio?”
“The same,” The siren said, smiling wryly. She was curled up on the seat, hugging her knees to her chest. Rarity bit back an instinctive comment about shoes on the furniture, realizing that the woman was displaying none of her typical energy or confidence.
“Sweetie dear, why don’t you go get started on your homework,” Rarity said, motioning with her head toward the stairs. Sweetie took the hint, looking back hesitantly before heading up to her bedroom. With their privacy assured for the moment, Rarity took a seat facing Adagio. She sat straight, crossing her legs out of habit. “So…” She began.
“I uh, I found the key under your doormat,” Adagio said by way of explanation. Her voice was different from usual. Not quite apologetic. Perhaps worried? Concerned? “You shouldn’t leave it there,” The siren continued, “It’s not really safe.”
Rarity smiled a little. “I’d gladly make that mistake, if it means my friend’s comfort,” She said warmly. Her eyes flicked over the woman’s disheveled clothing, a slight blush coloring her cheeks when she noticed how far her blouse was undone. She quickly averted her eyes.
“I’d be more comfortable if you didn’t practically leave your house unlocked,” Adagio chided, Rarity’s indiscretion going unnoticed or ignored. She sounded concerned, like an older sister lecturing a sibling, something Rarity had found herself doing from time to time. For some reason, the thought made her blush deepen.
Rarity cleared her throat, breaking the brief silence. “So, is everything alright? If you don’t mind my saying so you look like you’ve had a rough day.”
Adagio nodded, numbly. “Hot water went out. Rough day at work. Forgot my jacket.” Her voice droned dully as she vaguely listed off the day’s misfortunes.
Rarity frowned sympathetically. “You poor thing,” She said. “Do you want to talk about it?”
Adagio shook her head.
Rarity hesitated a moment, unsure of what to say. “Well, I for one always feel much better after a hot shower. You’re welcome to use ours.”
Adagio blinked, then nodded dully. “I think I’d like that.
==O==
The warm water calmed Adagio’s mind. She shivered as the hot steam chased away the chills and settled her nerves. Propping herself on her forearm, she leaned her head against the wet tile of the shower wall, her soaked hair laying heavily against her back as the water pounded her skin.
Another shudder shook her body, and she barely suppressed a whimper. She felt so, so tired. All she wanted was to stay there forever, melting away to nothing. Biting her lip, she groaned miserably as the water finally began to run cold.
Shutting off the flow, she stepped out onto the plush shower mat and grabbed the luxuriously sized bath towel off the hook. Once her body was reasonably dry, she wrung out her hair a best as she could and wrapped it tightly in the plush linen, piling it on top of her head before grabbing the equally luxurious bathrobe Rarity had left her. She shivered in delight as she wrapped herself in the robe’s warm embrace. Rarity had been right, she felt much better after a good soak. Physically at least. Even so, she was somewhat glad to see the mirror fogged up from the steam.
With the sash tied securely around her hips, she stepped off the mat, only to shiver and immediately retreat as her bare foot touched the tile. Her clothes, where were her clothes? Belatedly, she remembered Rarity offering to wash them, herself agreeing numbly in her fugue state. Surely she could not have been so tired as to…
“Rarity?” She called, poking her head out from the bathroom door, keeping her body hidden despite the bathrobe. She looked down the hall toward Rarity’s room. “Rarity?”
“Coming, darling!” The fashionista chirped in response. A moment later she stepped into the hall, still wearing her clothes from school. “Yes? What did you need?”
“You didn’t happen to put my tights in the wash, did you?” Adagio asked anxiously.
Rarity blinked. “But of course, I said I would. Oh my! They weren’t hand wash only, were they!? I did check the tag, but sometimes the recommended washing instructions aren’t up to par. I’ll go get them for you right away!”
“No, wait! It’s fine!” Adagio called, stopping the girl before she could leave, “It’s not that, the machine is fine.” She hesitated, looking at the floor. “Um, do you have something I could borrow then? My, uh… I get cold,” She said lamely.
Rarity gave her a bemused expression, but quickly replaced it with a gentle smile. “Of course, darling, I’m sure I can find something.” She quickly ducked back into her room, and her voice drifted out mixed with the sound of drawers slamming open and shut. “No. No. Ugh, definitely not. Eew, how gauche! Who do I still have those? Oh, these maybe? Aha! Perfect!” She ran back into the hall, triumphantly brandishing a thick bundle of white cotton.
Adagio raised an eyebrow at the girl’s behavior. What had gotten her so excited? Adagio could appreciate nice clothes as much as anyone, but she would hardly be going anywhere wearing a bathrobe. She smirked a little bit as she finally recognized the stockings for what they were. My my, the pretty one had some surprises, perhaps.
In the privacy of the bathroom she rolled them up her legs. They were not especially racy, despite her initial opinion. Thick and warm, they were actually quite comfortable. The clean white material matched her robe perfectly and reached halfway up her thighs. Yes, they would do. Carefully avoiding any puddles, Adagio left the bathroom.
Rarity was waiting for her in her room, lounging on a Prench style fainting couch. Her face brightened when she saw Adagio, looking considerably better. She motioned her to come and sit, scooting to the side to make room for the older woman. “Come, darling! Sit, sit!”
Adagio did so, almost collapsing onto the soft cushion. She hummed comfortably as she leaned into the back rest, paying no attention to the way her robe slid open a bit at the front, or how Rarity suddenly diverted her attention to the minifridge nearby. “Here we are,” She said, fetching two pint-size cartons of ice cream and a pair of spoons. She handed one each to Adagio, who wasted no time popping off the lid and taking a big spoonful. Rarity followed her example and they let out matching moans of satisfaction as the combination of chocolate, almond, and caramel melted on their tongues. Rarity had had Sweetie retrieve the ice cream from their emergency stash, reserved for really bad days. The way Adagio had looked when Rarity came home, today definitely counted.
They ate in silence for several minutes, just basking in the taste of the ice cream. All too soon, though, their spoons were scraping the bottoms of the cartons. Sighing, Rarity took both cartons and set them aside. Next to her, Adagio had closed her eyes, seeming to deflate against the back of the lounger.
Rarity shifted. “Adagio,” She said, “I understand if you’d rather not, but if you want to talk about what happened, I am here to listen.”
Adagio did not answer at first. Her eyes opened, but she did not look at Rarity. Instead, she just stared listlessly as the ceiling fan spun ‘round and ‘round. Finally, she let out a shaky breath. “It’s… difficult sometimes, opening up to people,” She said slowly, afraid that once she started speaking, she would never stop. “My sisters always needed me to be strong. Need me to be strong. Of course, I could hardly open up to anyone else. It was always too dangerous to let anyone know our secret.” She paused, swallowing thickly. “Now, I have something, a secret I can’t even tell them about, not yet.” She turned, meeting Rarity’s gaze. To the girl’s surprise, the siren had tears in her eyes.
“Rarity… I lost my job today.”
Rarity gasped, her heart going out to her friend. Without thinking, she leaned in, pulling Adagio into a tight embrace. “Darling, that- that’s awful,” She said, stroking the siren’s back through the robe. “You must have felt sick.”
Adagio nodded, her chin rubbing against the girl’s shoulder. “I didn’t know what to do, where to go. I can’t go home, it’s too early, they’d know something’s up. Aria’s too smart not to figure it out, and I’ve never been good at hiding things from Sonata. I just, I can’t tell them I failed again!” Her voice broke with heaving sobs as the stress of the day slammed into her like a train. Rarity began to rock beneath her, still stroking her back.
“Shh, shh, it’s alright,” The fashionista said comfortingly. “You’re welcome here, you’re always welcome here.” Adagio sniffled, but the tears would not let up. Shuddering, she grasped back desperately. One arm continued to caress her, the other reaching up to unwrap her towel and toss it aside. Adagio sagged as her damp hair fell down around her, spilling all over her back and Rarity’s lap. Somehow, the girl did not seem to mind. She just continued to comfort the siren, gently guiding her downward until she lay on the couch, her head in the pale girl’s lap.
A soft melody reached Adagio’s ears, one that was unfamiliar to her, but comforting all the same. It was a lullaby; one Rarity often sang to her sister when she was younger. As she continued to hold the weeping siren, her free hand stretched toward her desk until she could snatch a sturdy purple hairbrush from the top. Still humming that soothing melody, she began working the brush through the thick mess of curls piled on her lap.
Eventually Adagio’s sobs began to peter out, and her heaving breaths became calm and even. She seemed to melt into Rarity’s lap as she let herself relax, her eyes fluttering closed. Rarity continued brushing for a long time, until she worked out every knot and tangle she could find. By then Adagio had long left the waking world. She lay calmly, occasionally twitching in her sleep. Sliding the comb back onto her desk, Rarity leaned forward. Pushing aside a lock of orange hair, she planted a gentle kiss on the siren’s temple. Then, carefully, she slid out from under her. Quickly fetching a light blanket, she carefully spread it out over the sleeping woman. Tiptoeing quietly so as not to wake her, she slipped out the door. Before she shut it, she peeked back one last time. She opened her mouth to say something, then shut it, blushing. Swallowing the words that were just on the tip of her tongue, she closed the door behind her.
Stats
Page generated in 0.061 seconds
Total duration
1,012 users online
142,553 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Well... Paper Cut is an unpleasant person. I can't help but wonder if he intentionally raised the quotas on Adagio purpose to stress her out and try to make her fail.
I guess we ignore the parts where the immune-for-no-reason wizard had an inescapable vacuum portal, the also-immune-for-no-reason girls had their Deus Ex Vinyl Scratch, and charm-immune-for-no-reason boss clearly had it out for her due to apparently misogynistic tendencies? Or has she just internalized that everything is automatically her fault at this point?
It's nice that things don't stay 100% miserable for her all the time, at least, even if it tends to lean 60-70 on average.
Please tell me that Paper Cut will get his comeuppance.
Another very nice chapter! I like the additional hint that even without their magic, the sirens are still more than human.
Looking forward to the situation's resolution.
Are you back to the weekly schedule?
Poor Adagio!
With this part you made me really happy, my hopes for pairing AdagioXRarity in this story just does grow. If in the subsequent chapters you also add me more SciSet moments (which is my absolute favorite pairing) as in the previous chapters, I can pretty much die happy! However, I renew my congratulations for the continuation of the story and I am glad to see that the story has not stopped. You do not know how many times I started reading a story that I liked a lot and then found out that it was abandoned, in fact when I see that a story is not updated for a long time I start to fear the worst.
I HAVE A SOLUTION!!!!!!!!
kill Paper Cut
8298733
All we need is a dude with Scissors in his name. Scissors Beats Paper.
Be hilarious if his Boss was named something Scissors.
Paper Cut reminds me of the place me sister used to work at, a slipper factory. She was a really good worker. So good she would cover for people off for various reasons. Which gave them more reasons to get off. Eventually the workers and the company were so bad, she was doing the equivalent of four other workers, and one day she upped and quit.
The small company didnt last too long after that. Theyd actually got dependant on me sister to make up the numbers.
Now if Adagio had kept copies of her generalised worksheets or othe such information, would certain lawyers be able to put forward a case overall for someone who was defrauding the company for his own purposes even if it wasnt in immediate monetary value or such, as a rough example?
Adagio is too young looking to get a job as Fancy Pants other arm candy? He usually seems a reasonable employer, depending on author.
Having lost a job myself recently I can relate to this a lot. Though I was more angry than sad. I won't go too much into but it was apparently an experience thing, boss didn't have enough time to help me get a feel for the job and let me go. I hated it,
So I can relate to this. Solid enough chapter with more Adagio x Rarity and apparently Adagio isn't comfortable without leggings, go figure. Kind of weird to see the normally Confident to the point of Arrogance Adagio so broken but I could see this happening. Nice work.
8298575 8298625 8298644 8298733 8298761
Paper Cut is just as annoying and unpleasant as his name implies. His parents didn't like him either. (I have a loosish backstory for him, but it doesn't matter very much haha. No excuses for being a terrible person.)
As for the rest... We'll have to see!
8298592
It's more Adagio guilt tripping herself than it is me blaming her, if that's what you mean. It's not totally her fault at least, but she certainly sees it that way. You could say that she's the type of arrogant that can't see anything but herself causing her to fail.
8298653
Thanks! I'm hoping to keep the weekly schedule, but life happens. Things may still be a bit shaky at least through July. (Nothing bad, just busy)
8298695
I was kind of mean this chapter
8298713
Thanks! You'll be glad to know I have basic plans through the end of the story. This chapter marks about the halfway point of what I have planned as the "end" of the story, (As in, the point where I would mark it complete,) But I am heavily considering plans for a sequel after.
I'm glad you're enjoying the shipping! I don't think I'm spoiling anything by saying that yes, there will definitely be more AdagioxRarity. As for Sciset, I've been enjoying it, but since Sunset is more of a supporting role than a main character it probably will be more in the background than a main focus anytime soon.
8298767 8298764
Man, that sounds like a really rough deal, on both accounts. You have my sympathy.
Paper Cut is fortunately not based on personal experience, though his company sure is. From a client perspective at least. Troubles with my cable/internet provider actually very nearly derailed this story early on, as I couldn't guarantee a reliable internet connection. We ended up dropping the cable entirely in favor of mobile hotspots coupled with infinite data. It's worked fantastically so far! But suffice to say my general hatred of cable companies went a long way in Paper Cut's creation. He's the kind of cackling maniac I imagine is behind all the random price hikes.
Ordinarily, Adagio would probably have a good legal case against the company. But she is not really in any position to bring in lawyers, as she and her sisters aren't technically legal. Never mind that they were around long before said legal system. Despite that, there are probably other jobs she could get, but for now she isn't really in a frame of mind to think about that.
I tried not to go overboard with her breakdown (for lack of a better term) But yeah, she is in a bad place at the moment. Don't worry, things will look up eventually.
8298592
Meant to address this in the other comment. He's not immune to their magic, they just don't have it. She got this job after losing the magic in order to support herself and her sisters.
Flim and Flam, however, do happen to be immune. I doubt that will be significant ever, but there it is.
8299007
I specified the charm-immune part because it was noted that he didn't seem to respond to her attractiveness, and because it kept with the list I had going there. I'm aware that they have no magic, or she'd have probably had him eat his own hands by now, one finger joint at a time.
I can see what you mean with her defaulting to just not having been good enough as the reason things go wrong for her, but it's a pretty consistent pattern, here and in siren fics in general; Adagio does anything, gets screwed over more by circumstance than anything else, and gets the full blame for everything going wrong, usually played completely straight as it just being her fault somehow. That is why I felt it worth pointing out.
8298761
Ok, That first line had me laughing from the irony. I could totally see that other intern who was crying having an older brother named Rusty Scissors or something, and pulling Paper Cut into a back ally and literally beating him up. Scissors beats Paper indeed.
Loved the story so far, really have been enjoying seeing the Sirens integrate into the Rainboom's lives like they have been. I'll be looking forward to seeing how things progress, especially with Rarity and Adagio. Never seen that pairing before and I've found that I like imagining it.
8299030
He already has one on his personality
8299043
Ah, I see what you meant. The italics threw me off just a tad haha. Yeah, my thoughts on him is that hes one of those people that has just had so many bad experiences with others (almost entirely his own fault, of course) That when someone tries to act flirty or whatever he's immediately suspicious rather than flattered. Because it's what he would do.
Yeah, it is fairly common I suppose. But this is almost entirely from her perspective. This may be spoiler-ish (though I doubt it's especially surprising) but Adagio's the only one who thinks it's all her fault. Her sisters blame their banishment pretty much entirely on Starswirl. As for Adagio getting fired, well, Aria might just have some insight on that.
8299103
That would be pretty fun to write, I admit.
Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying it! I'll admit, I never got into this story planning to write that ship, but that scene with the flowers just sort of happened in chapter two, and I thought, "You know, I really like this," So here we are!
8298625
Do you know how it is said in these cases? That karma is a whore, so I'm sure that sooner or later will come to visit him ... and it will not be pleasant.
You can probably pull it off.
She's pissed.
Dick.
It helps.
Food is good.
You're a kind girl, Rarity.
Wow, Paper Cut is a gigantic asshole. Hopefully he gets hit by a bus. Or Aria gets wind of the situation and is feeling creative. Excellent chapter.
Ah Paper Cut. Another compelling reason to break the jaws and kneecaps of all middle managers and petty bureaucrats everywhere.
Thats the stuff
8300304, 8299959
It warms my heart to see the collective hate everyone has toward this asshole
8300532
Shipping is Magic
Goddess day, darling. If you're going to be visited by a deity, it's only polite to get her gender right
This was a really delightful moment, one of those little characterisation things that could easily have been missed out but makes the scene/story so much better for its inclusion.
But the repetition here feels redundant; personally I'd change the first bit to 'she beckoned her over' or similar.
I'm of two minds about Paper Cut. On the one hand, it's true to life that there're always self-important arseholes above you that you can't do much about, no more than you can bring down a government you disagree with or switch off friction when it starts to drag. On the other, the notion that middle management could push Adagio around without prompting an explosively violent retribution down the line is somewhere between offensive and factually unrealistic
Really nice job with this chapter, the scene with Rarity coming home was particularly good to read.
8301404
Thanks for pointing those out, I didn't have a whole lot of time to edit this one before publishing. They should be better now!
"God" catch there
I maaay have gone a tad overboard on Paper Cut, but this is the only time we've seen him so I didn't really have time to build up his assholery. I suppose I could have put in a scene with Adagio complaining about him specifically in an earlier chapter, but I really only came up with his character recently. Plus, I don't feel like Adagio would have openly complained to her sisters about something like that, for the same reasons she doesn't want to tell them she got fired. Some part pride, some part shame, and some part wanting to protect them.
As for her blowing up at him, she's not really in a position where she can afford to do that without her magic. She could kick his ass, but then police get involved and she can't really deal with that at the moment. On a normal day she is able to put up with it, but on a bad day... not so much.
8301489 Sorry, I probably didn't phrase the Paper Cut bit very well - I meant I was in two minds about what should happen to him next, as the rest of the comments are generally calling for blood. I thought you did a good job with him just as he was, and seeding stuff through earlier chapters is all very well but in an ongoing story it's often lost unless people have recently gone back to reread them
8301489 Also, with regards to Rarity's choice of socks to lend Adagio; I think there is a legitimate case to be made that Adagio would feel less awkward about having to borrow a Rainboom's clothes if she had the opportunity to turn it into a sex game. Like, I think part of her would rather think of Rarity trying to take advantage and dress her up sexy than Rarity taking pity on her and lending her stuff out of charity.
8300646
Glad I made you laugh.
That makes my day.
8301536
You have a good point, it's a tough balance between foreshadowing and not in an ongoing story, because I'm writing it for the people following it now, but I also want it to be good for anyone who reads it later. But it is still sort of episodic, so I guess it's not a big issue regardless haha.
Yes, I can totally see Adagio framing things that way to make herself more comfortable. As for Rarity's actual motivations...
So... fuck Paper Cut. I'd gladly give him a good knee to the stomach and finger to the eye for making my baby girl cry. Nobody makes Adagio cry and gets away with it, so says Snowflake! I want him dead. I want him dead so badly. Aria, help me out here.
Adagio going to Rarity's. First of all, Adagio being worried for Rarity's safety is absolutely adorable. Second, Rarity taking care of Adagio is too cute and sweet and "CLICHE ALERT" it was really generous of her to let the big cheesepuff get it all out before heading home. Third, Adagio not feeling right without something covering her legs. Makes sense, babe has fine legs, but they probably get cold easy.
Overall, I love ya, Tethered. Don't strain yourself getting us more chapters, but you're doing a fantastic writing job so far, my friend.
8298592
Probably the internalization. I don't think Sirens are immune to psychology. After so many consecutive things go wrong and they were all your idea, you begin thinking the problem is you rather than the things that don't make any sense. I mean, why the hell was Starswirl immune? Why were the Rainbooms? Especially egregious when you remember that Sunset is but a unicorn and therefore shouldn't have been able to resist the Sirens. The Elements and Twilight constantly MacGyver their way out, but Sunny? No explanation. And fuck Paper Cut. That... that's it. Just fuck him. Preferably with a lightning rod.
8300304
Is it terrible that I agree with you there?
8302716
I am honestly so gratified by how much everyone hates Paper Cunt. He's one of those ordinary, everyday villains that seems so much more personal than Johnny Evil who wants to rule/destroy the world.
Momdagio is best, but even she needs pampering sometimes.
Thanks, but if I don't beat myself up about it I'll never finish this story
I'll try not to hurt myself though. No more side projects until I have a buffer again!
Paper cut should suffer the worst pain imaginable... lots of paper cuts! Also rarity is great for being a helpful individual to adagio here. She is a slightly better person in my eyes
8303351
Haha, Paper Cuts are the worst! Of course, that's why he got his name
8305933
At least not the nice things they want.
Nope, because the sirens can't have nice things
8307505
Yeah, I can understand where you're coming from here. It was one of the early chapters of course, and I was still finding my stride. Perhaps it would have been better served as a continuous scene, though I admit I am rather happy with it myself.
I can see your concern, as a siren redemption story, it fails. But I wasn't trying to do a siren redemption story here. They've been done, far better and far more originally than anything I could have come up with at the time. What I wanted to do was a siren x main7 slice of life. Of course, to do that, they need to be at least marginally reformed, so the first few chapters are setting that up. I imagine that by the time you see this you'll have gotten a bit farther, and see that it's not totally devoid of conflict, it's just more centered around their day-to-day life than their reformation.
I do believe I will be exploring their reformation a bit more thoroughly in an upcoming chapter (Things like Sunset's motivation and why the sirens caved so easily), but it's probably too late to make any sweeping changes of the first few chapters.
8307646
Definitely. If anything, she may be a little too aware. I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far!
8309216
Makes sense. Is his wife named lemon juice? Or how about sandy. Maybe it's salty sal. After all those are some of the things that go well with paper cuts
8310111
Paper Cut x Lemon Zest OTP!
Haha no but really, who would marry that guy!?
8310343
Spoiled rich
8309239
I guess i can understand where you are coming from. I feel that their redemption is a necessary and delicate thing to handle first and foremost and with avid details. I love slice of life stories, but, for instance, As the Sun Rises by CommissarAJ is a great slice of life story that I think best handles Sunset's redemption and can be a good example of one way of doing emotional conflict right. The story doesn't revolve entirely around it, but as you said, for the Dazzlings to be friends with the Rainbooms, they must be redeemed in some type of way.
As the Sun Rises focuses heavily on the internal conflict of Sunset as she slowly progresses from her lowest point. I would recommend you read it for enjoyment, but you should also pay attention to how he writes her inner conflicts. It might be a learning experience for you and help you later on down the road.
But as you said, there is really no point in an overhaul of the chapter. The way you handled it was different, so you have a unique opportunity to take what you have and make it even better. Sunset holding onto the gem is something I never expected, and so you should take full advantage of it. It seems like you already have plans for it, too, so I can't wait to see what's next.
8311152
Huh, that would be absolutely horrible for everyone.
8313019
Eh, I can't say I agree because I don't buy the audience argument. I agree that is why she might have wanted to dance, but fundamentally, someone who wishes to dance in their window seductively, and half naked, for random people she doesn't know lacks self respect in my opinion because a self respecting person doesn't, as Aria said, dance like a slut for the world to see.
And the important part is that she wants this to happen too. Maybe you don't view it that way, and maybe Adagio doesn't, but trust me, that is a lack of self respect. It's not necessarily a bad thing per se, but It's still a thing that I have seen in real life with many girls I've met.
8313063
It's more the opposite. She's not dancing for an audience, she's dancing for herself. She just doesn't mind the audience. It's not born of self-depreciation, but arrogance. She believes she is the best, the most beautiful, so of course people want to watch her. She is "generously" allowing them a glimpse of her radiance.
Of course, she is self conscious about some things, like in Chapter 10. But when she's dancing, it's not because she needs attention, but she does enjoy it. Moreover, she enjoys the power she wields while doing it.
8313474
I agree that Adagio would rationalize it like that because to the person doing it, they do feel that they're doing it for themselves. You even said it yourself: "She believes she is the best, the most beautiful. She is "generously" allowing them a glimpse of her radiance."
I'm pretty sure we can say, with out a doubt, she is delusional. She isn't the best and most beautiful girl on the planet, no matter how many thousands of years she's "wowed" the human world. With this being said, i feel that doesn't absolve her actions based on why she's doing them. That's specifically here because, as I said, she cannot be the literal best, and to lead a lifestyle like that is technically called narcissism. She just isn't that bad. I haven't even gotten close to chapter ten, so I still have a ways to go before I can form a full opinion.
8313516 I hesitate to jump in here, but... Aren't narcissism and lacking self-respect fundamentally opposed?
8320839
I agree. However, her actions do not reflect that, and using narcissism as a reasoning for self-respectless acts doesn't make sense to me. You can say she respects herself because of how much she loves herself, but that doesn't absolve her acts.
I guess the point I am honestly getting across is better poised in a question: how does someone with so much self-respect do such self-respectless acts? It seems to me that those two things don't connect, and using her narcissism as the cause for her actions is like using an insane verdict in the courtroom. You don't use someone else's delusions to make it seem like what they're doing is okay. Of course it makes sense to the deluded. In reality, it's the exact opposite.
8320839
Thank you, I wasn't quite sure how to put it. This is it exactly.
8320923
Basically it's like this. It's not just that she has a high opinion of herself, she has a low opinion of everyone else. They are essentially non-persons to her, even reformed. She wouldn't dance like that in front of the Rainbooms, because she cares what they think. She would dance like that in front of her sisters, because she knows they already accept that part of her. She would dance in front of strangers, because their opinions are less than worthless to her.
8320923 Indeed, how does someone with so much self-respect do such self-respectless acts?
It sounds a lot like she doesn't consider there to be anything shameful, or in any way lacking in self-respect, in how she acts. From that perspective, her actions and motivations are consistent. What makes you so sure she's wrong?
8320968
I just don't think that because she doesn't see hee actions as wrong that it also makes what she's doing any less wrong. That's a dangerous thought process that I'm really not going to take any farther than it could go.
8321021 True; Adagio could see no harm in many heinous things, but she wouldn't necessarily be objectively right for doing so. Just as Aria might think Adagio a slut for her behaviour, and wouldn't necessarily be correct.
If I may flip the argument around:
I don't think that because you do see her actions as wrong that it also makes what she's doing any more wrong.
Your own opinion in this is just as subjective as any other, but if I may say, it comes across that you're treating it as being uncomfortably close to fact. This part particularly stood out for me:
In which you accepted that the character might be wrong in her reasoning, and then suggested that the author might be too, but insisted that yours was correct and should be trusted, without offering more than anecdotal evidence about people you've met IRL (which does in itself raise questions of how one goes about objectively measuring other peoples' levels of self-respect, unless you're a telepath).
How do you know that you're not the one rationalising it as being down to something different, rather than Adagio?
8321686
All I can really say is that you're not wrong. I cannot lie; I am pushing my ideas as fact, and I know well how that can be wrong. At this point, though, I don't really have much else to say. I can tell that this story has most definitely gotten better developed and more well written since the chapter I'm having problems with. At this point, I'm ready to read the story farther than argue about something that happened early on in the story.
Why couldn't Adagio just have hit him in the face? It would have made things worse, but if he didn't die from a punch like that, then he'd at least be unconscious for long enough until Adagio found somewhere to hide.
You know what, maybe it was better this way.
Hey so I found Sisterhood just a lil bit ago and now here I am at the current point in Neighbors.
I've gotta say, you're incredible <3 This story is wonderful, it's an emotional rollercoaster, but a gentle one; Like emotional spinning teacups I think ^^'
I'm so in love with the characters you've written (Adagio is far too precious oh my lord), or seething hatred (i.e Paper Cuts) and I genuinely can't wait to see what the next chapters bring!
Maybe there'll be some actual shipping who knows? Or maybe there won't but it's all great ^^ (Although that last scene with Dagi and Rares, I don't even need to say anything about it)
But you're genuinely incredible and you've got talent, thank you for writing this <3
8367076
Thanks, Im glad you enjoyed it!