Business as Usual
Chapter IX: Business as Usual
“So, why did you want to meet me today, Miss Dazzle?” Fancy Pants asks me as soon as we’re done exchanging pleasantries, cutting straight to the point. Even though Fancy is sometimes vague and plays around with conversation as if it is a game, he isn’t so quick to do that this time. Probably because I asked to meet with him pretty much right before the studio closes. That way, everyone else is out of the studio, leaving just me and him.
“No time for chit-chat, Mr. Pants?” I ask him with a raised eyebrow, only slightly teasing my boss. “I suppose we’re all dying to get out of here and go rest at home, huh?” Leaning back in my chair, I look around Fancy Pants’ office, taking a deep breath in. “The last time we met formally, you told me you wanted to sell the music studio. That’s why I’m here. Just like I told you then, I want to buy the studio.” My eyes never leave his, making sure to let him know I am deathly serious about this. It’s not some joke to me. So much rides on this and it all depends on if he will sell to me.
“I see,” Fancy Pants tells me in an understanding tone, nodding his head slightly. “I take it that you finished your GED test?”
“You assume correctly,” I answer calmly, pulling out a piece of paper from my bag. The contents of the page show that I now have the equivalent of a high school education, something I worked for a lot in the past month. I didn’t want anyone else to have a chance to buy this place before I could put in an offer at least.
Fancy looks at the piece of paper closely, examining seemingly every aspect of it. It’s understandable, but the silence kills me at points… I convinced Sunset to invest pretty much all our savings into this, so I would really like this to not be in vain. His eyebrow raises slightly, putting the piece of paper down on the desk. He nods his head in thought, prolonging the silence between us and only increasing my anxiety about the situation.
“I realize that you’ve been one of my most loyal employees, Miss Dazzle, but I must ask… Why should I sell to you?” he asks me without breaking eye contact. His question sounds so… idiosyncratic. Why would he ask me that…? “There are individuals who are better qualified than you with more experience. I want to know what makes you stand out.” Every word that comes out of his mouth is infuriating. It’s like he’s interviewing me all over again when the value of my actions the last two and a half years should have said something.
“You really need to ask me these things, Fancy?” I ask him blatantly, standing up from my seated position. “You remember what you asked me when you hired me? You asked me to uphold the qualities of this studio by teaching everyone I can with no bias. I have done that. God, can’t you see that I am the one who is the most attached to this studio?” Putting my hand down on his desk, I look down at him, not seeing my boss. I only see someone who seems to be backing down from his initial deal with me… Within a second, my hand feels numb and the sense of control in it begins to go away. No… I can handle this. Not her. “Fancy, I am the one who sees the potential of this place. The potential to give everyone a voice. Not even you see the lengths it can go…”
After a few moments of silence, Fancy chuckles to himself, leaning forward in his seat. Raising my eyebrow, I can’t help but wonder what he thinks is humorous about this situation… “That’s… all I wanted to hear,” Fancy tells me with a smile, seemingly happy with my statement. “You’re truly a dreamer like I once said about myself. While I don’t have much hope for this establishment myself, I do wish for your own hopes to come to fruition. So, if you’re still up for it, the studio is yours.” Fancy pulls out a document from the drawer of his desk, a pen in one hand.
“Of course I’m still up for it,” I answer with a nod, sitting down in front of his desk again. Fancy signs his own name before moving the pen to another blank spot on the page, looking up at me curiously.
“Do you remember how much I wanted for this place?” he asks me quietly, making me remember just how much of an investment I’m putting into this place. With all of our savings, Sunset and I are still a couple thousand off the initial asking price. Still… I don’t want to leave her empty-handed.
“I have most of it. I only lack two thousand off your price,” I tell him calmly, not breaking our eye contact. “But I’m sure you know that your asking price was a lot to begin with, so getting this much is a blessing. Signing off your debt on to me and getting a hefty sum on top of it.” Even though I manipulate my words to try and make him accept, it doesn’t seem like I needed to do that. Fancy nods to himself, a thoughtful look on his face before writing down the amount.
“You’re sure about this, knowing that you’ll take on the debt of the studio?” he asks me carefully, returning his eye contact to me. Something about his gaze tells me he’s trying to look out for my best interests, but I don’t need his worry. I’ll be fine.
“I’m sure,” I tell him with a nod, my mind anxious for the paper to be given to me. I’ve already read this same paper a dozen times, so I know what I’m getting myself into. For a few moments, Fancy looks over the document one more time before handing it to me. His hand holds the pen outward to me, acting as the final obstacle before this studio is mine…
Taking the pen, I can’t help but feel a little nervous, knowing just how close I am. All the possibilities of failure run through my mind, but I can’t let those thoughts dictate what I do. I’ve come too far to lose hope now. Sunset always tells me there needs to be a little hope…
Bringing the pen down to the paper, I quickly write my signature on the line, completing the document. Fancy Pants nods at my decision and all the emotions of owning this place hits me at once. “Congratulations, Adagio Dazzle,” Fancy tells me, standing up and shaking my hand. “You’re now the new owner of Daytime Choir.”
======================================================
Walking into the pastel building, the smells of soaps and candles hit my nostrils like a truck, almost making me nauseous. I’ve never been able to handle strong smells… Maybe it’s different today because it’s hard to think about anything but what happened at the studio. My studio… I own that establishment now and my mind can’t stop thinking about the ideas I’ve had to increase the success of the place. Most of my ideas will be slow to implement but the first thing to go is the name. Daytime Choir. As nostalgic as that name is, the studio is going in a different direction and thus, the name must change as well.
For now, I need to focus. The spa is supposed to be a place of relaxation, but how am I supposed to relax when it’s just so… invigorating. Exciting. God, have I ever felt this excited about something other than something involving Sunset? I can’t really say I have. To think I’m excited to live a mortal life with Sunset when just a few years ago, I wanted to rule the world.
Shaking my head, I sigh at myself. Again, I can’t help but think about all the possibilities. I’m here to meet with Rarity, not to daydream about the future of the studio. Of course Rarity would want to meet at the spa. She goes here at least once a week. Usually, it’s with Fluttershy as well, but surprisingly, she isn’t here today. The spa is relaxing and I love some of the things you can do here, but it’s hard to relax when something is taking up your thoughts like this.
Walking up to the counter, I take a deep breath and shake my head once more, trying to focus as much as I can. “Hi. Do you know if Rarity is here yet?” I ask the pink woman at the counter. Even though I wouldn’t normally assume that the employee would know who I am talking about, I know Rarity is pretty popular with this spa’s workers. They would know who Rarity is by sheer personality alone.
“Oh, she’s already inside. You must be the friend she’s expecting, yes?” she asks me with a small nod, looking at her sheet for just a moment. So, Rarity told them she was expecting a friend. Why am I not surprised? I guess it makes this process easier, but it still feels weird when someone mentions me to someone else that I don’t know. “She’s right this way,” she tells me with a kind tone before walking out from behind the counter, leading me further into the spa. Behind the doorway, a large room with multiple pieces of equipment for different spa procedures. I can’t pretend to know what half of this stuff is. I usually just resort to a massage and a mud bath to relax. That’s assuming I have the money to spend on a spa day. Luxury, as nice as it feels, is pricey.
Walking over to one of the mud baths, I notice a woman with cucumber slices on her eyes resting as much as she can. Even though a lot of her face is covered, it’s clear that she’s Rarity from the purple hair and the marshmallow white ears. After leading me to Rarity, the woman leaves us to our own company for the moment, though she will probably be back to ask if we need anything.
“You look comfortable,” I tell my friend with a slight chuckle, causing the fashionista to lift one of the cucumbers to look at me.
“Oh, darling~ I’m glad you could make it! Care for a mud bath this time?”
“Unfortunately, I can’t. I didn’t really bring the right clothes for that. Wouldn’t want to get this beautiful scarf dirty, would we?” With a small flick of my finger, I draw her attention to the purple scarf Sunset had given me years ago, causing both of us to giggle to ourselves. If it wasn’t for Rarity’s help, this scarf would be nothing but dumpster trash after it was torn.
“You could change out of those, but I shall accept your joke nonetheless,” Rarity tells me with a slight roll of her eyes, clearly teasing me. Placing the cucumber back down, Rarity lets out a relaxed sigh. “I can come with you to get a massage in just a second. Do you mind staying with me until I’m done?” I quietly nod to her question, subsequently feeling stupid that I would do that when she can’t see me.
“Yes, I can.” Pulling a chair over, I sit down beside Rarity and relax my shoulders as much as I can. My back has been so tense for a week now… All the stress related to studying for the test and the anxiety surrounding the studio purchase has taken a toll on me. Maybe I really need this spa day… It’d be nice to get some of that tension out of my shoulders and feel a bit more relaxed. “What is new with your life, Rarity? It has been a little while since we’ve talked.” The last time I talked to Rarity was technically in some text messages before I visited Filthy Rich. I had asked her how Sweetie Belle was doing and if she would be down to have a spa day together after my test. Mainly, I asked about her sister since Apple Bloom wasn’t really talking to her or Scootaloo as of late.
“I’m almost done with a new line of coats that I plan to sell for the fall. Unfortunately, Opal has been quite sick for a week now, so I need to bring her to the vet tomorrow.” Rarity barely moves her head from left to right as to avoid the cucumber slices falling off her face. “Other than those two things? Nothing major has happened as of yet. Applejack did ask me about something peculiar though.” Rarity’s voice leaves the statement with an air of confusion, her lips giving off an expression of conflict.
“What did the cowgirl ask you?” Even though I’m clearly teasing her girlfriend, my tone lets her know that I am curious to know what happened between them. What kind of question would Applejack ask her?
“I’m not sure if I should be talking about this, but… she asked me about our living situation.” A deep breath comes from Rarity’s lips, leaving the air between us full of questions. Mainly, questions about her thoughts. I can’t help but ask myself what Rarity thinks of this situation. She wouldn’t bring it up unless it was interesting in some way to the young fashion designer. “She wanted to talk to me about living in the same place. Basically, she didn’t ask for a concrete answer, but she wanted to open that conversation up again.”
Nodding slowly to myself, I remember what Applejack told me the other day. Could this be due to our conversation in her truck? I know Applejack wants to live in the same house as Rarity, but she’s pretty understanding of her girlfriend’s wants. “‘Again’ makes it sound like this conversation has been discussed before,” I state quietly, continuing the topic under the false pretense that I know nothing about this. I already knew all of this, but knowing how dramatic Rarity can be, I’m unsure how she would feel if she knew that Applejack talked to me about this before.
“It has,” Rarity admits slowly, just taking a deep breath without moving from her spot in her mud bath. “See… Applejack and I have talked about living in the same house before, but it’s complicated for me. The thought of getting married and settling down only reminds me that the industry I work for is very cut throat.” The tone in which she says those last few words is very dramatic, but I can still tell she means every word. In a way, I can sort of understand that. In the music industry, musicians are often valued for their youthful appearances and how their songs catch on with teenagers. Especially women. In many fields, women are expected to look their best and do three times the work with barely the same amount of pay. It wasn’t like this in Equestria. Ponies didn’t put so much emphasis on appearance. Neither did sirens.
“Something tells me that isn’t the whole picture,” I respond to her statement slowly, thinking about her words more carefully. Even though it is a daunting idea that she may be cut short for settling down, Rarity wouldn’t let that be the only reason that causes her to avoid marrying her love. She’s too loyal for that. In an industry where they value women who are still bachelorettes and willing to move around a lot, Rarity would still have no problem going against the grain if it meant that she could be happier with Applejack.
“Well, there’s also Sweetie Belle…” The air left after her statement is filled with doubt and uncertainty… What does she mean by that exactly? Why does Sweetie Belle factor into all of this? “She’s already seventeen. The Cutie Mark Crusaders will be graduating in a few months and honestly? I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on her. Moving to a new place. We both know that I would have to sell my home since the farm means too much to Applejack.” A small sigh escapes Rarity’s lips with a slight shrug of her shoulders. Clearly, the current subject of conversation is stressful for her, but she probably needs to let it out… “I guess those aren’t even the big issues. I think… I think the real reason I am hesitating is selfish…”
Looking over at Rarity, I can’t help but raise my eyebrow at her words. Even though she can’t see me, it’s hard to not feel confused when she just leaves off a statement like that. I know Rarity is a dramatic person, but what does that mean? “Selfish… What makes you say that?” I ask her as carefully as I can, hoping that she will tell me her true reason for hesitating.
“I… Every time I think about it, it feels… way too soon. It almost feels like I’m admitting I’m no longer youthful and that passion has left me in favor of something quiet… Settling down.” Rarity’s lips turn to a frown, her head tilting slightly downward in shame. “I know that sounds wrong, but… It’s depressing. To think that I’m only getting older and maybe my time of relevance is coming to an end much sooner than I thought.” Rarity, an early twenties fashion designer, is afraid of growing older… I mean, I can sort of see her viewpoint, but I’ve lived for thousands of years. If anything, I’ve lived long enough. But her? She is a passionate and energetic person who has dreams for the future. In a way, she’s scared that those dreams won’t come true if she shows any sign of slowing down. Settling down with her girlfriend or pursuing her dreams…
In a way, this almost feels like a mid-life crisis. Except that she’s pretty young. She says this desire is selfish… Honestly, that just reminds me of all the times I told Sunset that it’s okay to be selfish sometimes. And how she reminded me of that too… “Rarity, it’s not necessarily a bad thing to be selfish,” I tell her quietly, closing my eyes to think of my next words. “Your situation is tricky, but I’d say you should follow your heart. Whatever that decision may be, I’m sure Applejack would be right beside you.” It feels so weird to talk about decisions of the heart. Usually, Sunset is the one to talk about things in such an emotional way. I usually just give the best advice I can. Usually my advice for friendship is actually recycled from Sunset.
Rarity slowly nods, taking the cucumber slices off her eyes. Looking up at me, Rarity gives me a genuine smile. It’s apparent that her conflicted emotions haven’t left her, but she tries her best to accept my advice. “Thank you for those kind words, Adagio dear. It’s something I will have to think about some more.” Rarity’s lips form a small smirk as she looks at me, seemingly finding something humorous. “But that’s enough about me. If I remember correctly, you’re the one who should be sharing information with me~ Especially due to that test.”
Shaking my head, I chuckle quietly at her request. It had slipped my mind that I told her I would be taking the test before this spa day. “Well, if you must know, I passed that exam,” I tell my friend in a teasing tone, giggling at how curious she is. “And I just got off my shift at the music studio. Let’s just say…” Reaching into my bag, I pull out a ring with multiple keys attached to it, showing it to Rarity. “The studio is under new management~”
Rarity’s eyes widen at the sight of the keys before looking back up at me, full of excitement. “Oh, that’s wonderful, Adagio! I must congratulate you with some type of gift. I take it that Sunset was really proud of you too?” Looking back down at the keys, I smile slightly to myself. Once again, my thoughts center around the studio, what I could do with it, and the woman that helped me through every second of it. Feeling my scarf, I nod to Rarity’s question with a smile painted across my face.
“She’s always proud of me~”
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She has reached a high point again, which leads me to believe the demon wants to pull her back down.
Anyhoo, another great chapter !
Not here.*
As exciting as it sounds, Adagio is gonna have a full plate with running the music studio.
When did that happen, the scarf getting torn that is?
I can kinda see why this is worrying Rarity, though I feel like she's taking it a too far.
11500262
I can't help but wonder what you commented before. XD But thanks for the compliment! This story is definitely not done with Umbra Adagio moments
11500324
She's referring to the siren in her mind~
Not her*
Adagio accidentally had her scarf torn in A Shimmering Heartbreak. XD
11500558
Oh I had commented on how I hadn’t gotten a notification for the last chapter, then I realized it was just an updated version of a chapter you had already uploaded so the comment wasn’t really necessary
11500573
Ah, I see~ Yeah, I try to update chapters when I find errors and the time to do so. Surprised you noticed that I updated it tho
11500560
oh.