Taking on a New Life

Part Twelve

Written by Arian Mabe (Amethyst Mare)

Commissioned by Kittenrose232

Adagio should have been out for New Year's Eve, though it had not been much of a tradition to her before, not when she'd been a man, when she'd been just Knight. The siren didn't understand what all the fuss there was about, for ponies didn't have things like that in their world and the outskirts of society where the sirens lurked and dwelled had not taken things like that on. Celebrations were few and far between in their culture and society.

I'm still not sure what this is all about, the siren mused doubtfully, though there was little of New Year's Eve for her to participate in when things were so busy. It seems like one big party.

And you don't like parties, yeah, yeah, I get it.

The siren, inside Adagio, rolled her eyes.

It's not that I don't like parties, just that that was not something that we indulged in, not before. You see how Aria is, she doesn't understand that side of your lives here at all either. To us, it seems like frivolous pony things, though there was a great deal of chaos and unrest to feed on at such events. We see them as nothing more than that.

Adagio sighed, hefting a box up in her arms, testing the weight of it. She wished she still had more strength, which had at least been something she'd enjoyed as a man, but would have had to put in more work physically if she was to embody that as a woman too.

There is often trouble at parties, I'm not going to lie to you. But people enjoy it and we're not ponies. Maybe it is frivolous and not needed…but does it really matter?

“Hey, you okay over there?"

There was one thing that did matter to them that they could agree on and that was Donnie, though their relationship was…strange. Of course, there'd been the kiss and he hadn't tried anything on with her since that. It was not that Adagio hadn't wanted him to kiss her, but her sense and need to be in control had, at least somewhat, gotten in the way there, hindering things between them.

All would come in time, however, she thought as she settled back on Donnie's sofa with him, a few boxes open around them where his clothes and some lesser-used belongings were being packed up. With their condo all chosen and waiting for them to move in at the end of January (Adagio had used her wiles to get the handover period shortened, as was her way), all they had to do was pack up their lives. Both had given notice on their apartments, but it was still so very easy to snuggle in against him, her head close to his shoulder but not quite on it while the sofa comfortably took their weight.

On the TV before them were the city celebrations for New Year's Eve. Aria had said she was going to that but it had not interested Adagio all that much, especially when she knew that there was a lot there that they had left to do. Some, of course, had been outsourced to her protégé, especially when it came to stuff at the bar, but there was still a lot of work for her to take on and her wage at the bar didn't quite cut that. That, however, would soon be no worry at all as things in the singing and label business picked up, even if that was still just a seed of an idea to be tugged forward.

Whisky was their drink of choice, something good, something from a brewery that had a speciality shop in the city, now that they could have walked by if not for the siren pointing it out. Alcohol had not been something that the siren had enjoyed before and she leaned into it a little too eagerly, even if the two of them had discovered that their tolerance increase when they slipped between the two of them at the helm of control for their shared body. The peaty burn of whisky left a pleasant, moreish aftertaste in their mouth, though Adagio knew that she might have wanted to slow down a little.

The siren, however, had no intention of doing that at all, not as she and Donnie became progressively drunker, giggling, pointing out things on the screen. No one would remember what words had passed between them come the next morning, Donnie with a worse hangover than Adagio, but the siren's memories would show foggy images of what they thought had happened.

Her arm across his chest, laughter on her lips. So innocent, at least at first.

How she had stroked his face, turned his head to hers, lips brushing. A kiss – but not quite. Just a tease, a temptation of more.

His hand on her thigh, closer to the warmth of her than ever before, the tension between them crackling like fresh kindling on the fire.

There'd been a touch to the cheek, the jawline, her lips, though they did not know which of their drunken notes were memories and which were dreams come the next morning, waking in a tousled mess of orange hair. But what Adagio and the siren did remember was how warm and comfortable everything had been, the sense of safety, comfort, not quite control. But did that control have to be present all the time?

There was a beauty in trusting too. That was something that they were both yet to learn.

They did not say anything about that night to one another, not immediately, though they were closer. There were little things, like a brush of their elbows while one of them was doing dishes, sitting a little closer, as if another invisible wall between them had come down. Yet only time would tell just how close they would come, the creep of their relationship opening the door for something, quite naturally, to blossom between them.

“Are you ever going to make a proper move on him?" Aria asked, once, through the magic-infused pendants that allowed the two of them to communicate. “It's strange that you're so held back from him. He could be useful to you."

Of course, Aria did not understand, but Adagio didn't need to explain it to her either. As long as she respected her relationship with Donnie, all was good with her.

“Maybe you should find yourself a man too," she teased instead, the siren snorting inside as Aria baulked. “Or a woman. However you lean, Aria. It might even be good for you."

That, at least, got Aria to be quiet on that issue. For a while.

The skill tournament, a demonstration of sorts, at the dojo at least got Adagio out of her head and it was nice to think about something other than packing and tidying and sorting for a change. Being at the dojo let her sink into her own body with the siren to guide her, letting her muscles and the beat of her heart dictate her moves, striving to predict what her opponent was going to do a heartbeat before it happened.

The touch of breath on her lips, lighter and cooler where a tiny patch of saliva lay, though she would not have noticed it otherwise. The stands were set up on one side of the main dojo, allowing spectators, though she relished in her strength, the power that could be teased into a more functional form, sliding from one move into the next, a sweep of her leg, a jab of her hand.

The mixed martial arts allowed expression in form, though winning every bout that she was set to did not always win her the respect she wanted. As she brushed off the neck of her outfit after winning her sixth round, the dojo master took her aside.

“Adagio, you are progressing well, more swiftly than expected."

She frowned, raising an eyebrow.

“Then why do my marks not reflect that? What's missing?"

She wanted to know, sincerely so, for it was a competition, after all, and something that would benefit her in many facets of her new life. She was there, after all, for self-defence and it had very clearly benefitted her in the city already, though the siren was more confident that their growing vocal power, channelling their energy, would be more useful to them in the long run than physical prowess. It was there, however, that they differed in opinion, and that was okay too.

“Hm…" The dojo master considered, streaks of grey and white in his beard and short, receding hairline. “There is speed and haste in your moves. You strike as if you expect your opponent to strike you down, that you are fighting for your life. That is not the case here and, even in the case where self-defence may be required, you will score higher and maintain a greater level of personal safety by slowing down."

She blinked at him, though it was only her respect for the dojo master that kept her from rocking back on her heels, crossing her arms and rolling her eyes. Adagio did manage, to be fair to her, to exercise a little more restraint than had previously been the case.

“Slower? That doesn't make sense…"

He chuckled.

“I can see. You are allowing your form to slip, as you rush to overwhelm your opponents. As effective as that is for you at this level, you will soon run into issues when you face stronger and more practised opponents. Your defence also was not displayed here and I will be able to mark you more highly once that is also demonstrated. I cannot offer advice on what I have not seen, after all."

That made sense, even though Adagio grumbled a little, bowing and showing the instructor the respect he deserved. She had learned a lot and she knew it, but there was always more to improve on. Finesse and fine-tuning gave her more control over herself, but that did not honestly mean that she would enjoy it, the endless drills and repetition that allowed her body to act before her mind had even caught up with what was happening.

“You did well though, boss," Aria commented through the crystal pendant, her voice soft while Adagio had to be discreet there. “You're right, I should train in this too. Let me know when to start."

Having Aria there too would bolster her position, but she still wanted to be better, frowning, her lips twisting as the siren touched her mind, words flowing.

It will come in time, the siren reassured her. Like swimming, like walking. One day, we will not even have to think about it.

We will simply do.

Hang on… Isn't that…

They'd seen her as one, for she was not as discreet as perhaps she might have liked to be. Her orange hair had been straightened so that it no longer matched Adagio's spring and bounce, though it was still her, still Olivia, Adagio's little protégé.

She frowned, standing up tall, her shoulder blades pushed back a little as she crossed her arms over her chest. Not that Olivia was doing anything wrong by coming to the tournament, though it was, to be fair, a little strange. It was not something that Olivia had been invited too, though it was plausible too that she had other friends there that were competing and demonstrating. Apart from what benefitted her, Adagio did not push into too much of Olivia's life. If she served her purpose and was moulded into the perfect protégé for her, Adagio couldn't honestly say that she had too much interest in her, not as she had with Aria and Donnie.

She's tried to look different…

Adagio frowned, following the siren's comments.

And she's wearing her old clothes.

We'll ask her about that later.

But neither was confident that the answer they would receive when Olivia was duly put on the spot would be satisfactory. They could only hope that their little protégé was not about to throw a spanner in the works of what they had so very carefully cultivated.

The first week of January, however, was a time for sales and for picking up all the things that they would need for the new condo, though their apartments had been modestly furnished before too. Adagio had some of her things that would not be needed (two sofas were not required, not when Donnie's was so much more comfortable than hers) up for sale, Donnie having convinced her that it was not all that economic or environmentally friendly to just take them to the dump. That had been a new concept to explain to the siren too, as, to her, things just appeared when needed and she had not considered what would happen o items or belongings when they had either run their course or were no longer needed.

“Hey, I'm going to look at the computers and see if there's a good deal on," he said with a grin, his fingers brushing her shoulder as he left, a comforting squeeze. “You need something to run your business and your phone isn't going to cut it. We'll make sure everything gets set up in an office for you!"

She smiled. It was endearing, dare she even say “cute", how much he doted on her and the siren did wonder too why she did not push things on, why she did not close the distance between them even more.

I've always been like this, slow and steady. I guess things just don't seem to be following all that much of a linear path, a straight, direct line, with Donnie.

Adagio laughed lightly, shaking her head, browsing the TVs with the siren.

But, the thing is, I don't think anything can ever be straight and clear again, not with you in my head. No offence, of course, there, but it's going to be different now. I'm in here and you're in here and whatever we are together is in here.

The siren considered that.

So, you are right… But I was thinking –

Adagio, however, never got the chance to find out what the siren had in mind as a larger, rounder, woman crashed into them. More accurately, her trolley crashed into them, slamming into Adagio's hip as she helped and stepped back, pain lancing through her, though it was merely from impact and there was nothing else there, nothing deeper damaged.

“Hey! That hurt!"

That was a rather tame response from Adagio, the siren hissing, seething, though Adagio bid her to simmer down a touch. It was a busy shop, after all, and it was the weekend, surely the woman had not meant it and –

“Why don't you look where the fuck you're going? Shouldn't you be doing your job and actually being helpful instead of hanging around here like the loser high school drop-out that you are?"

What in all hell…

Adagio took a step back, eyes narrowing, lines of tension showing in her face, how a muscle jumped at the corner of her jaw. That was one hell of an overreaction, though she stepped aside with a flip of her hand, controlling the siren inside her, who champed at the bit, striving and straining for control.

Teach her a lesson, the siren demanded, slamming into her defences, though those defences were the very ones that could keep the two of them in check, as and when needed. She deserves it, the putrid wretch. What even is that on her head?

Adagio didn't have time to explain to the siren that the woman had some weird kind of updo in her hair that perhaps had been in style at one time, but left her looking like there was a literal ball of hair on top of her head. The siren snickered, mocking her inwardly, though Adagio only wanted to get by. It was too difficult for her to manage the siren and her own emotions and sometimes one had to be set aside for later reflection.

“Excuse me," she clipped frostily, eyes set on a point beyond the strange woman's shoulder, her blonde hair bobbing anxiously, fretfully, in the ball-shaped protrusion. “I must be getting on."

That was a line from a movie that she'd watched recently and she would have been pleased that she'd remembered it if the woman had not chosen that very moment to shove her hand right back up in Adagio's face.

“Excuuuuse me! I'm not done with you yet!"

Adagio's jaw dropped. The bitch couldn't be serious, could she?

Apparently so as she flung her hands up in the air.

“You are a sorry disgrace for an employee! Where is your manager? I'll have you fired for this!"

“Lady, I don't even work here – now lay off!"

She couldn't control herself anymore, growling deep in the back of her throat, though it was subtle enough to not be noticed. She was a woman, after all, not a wild animal, though she felt the fangs of the siren as acutely as if they lined her own mouth right at that very moment.

“Ohhhh, sure that's what they all say so the kids that think they can take a good, deserving person's job can just hang around all day, playing with their phones! Now get me a size and hurry up about it!"

A dress was shoved at Adagio that wasn't even from that store, though Adagio scoffed, letting it fall to the ground in a crumpled heap.

“Lady, you're way out of line here and that – "

Slap!

Her ears rung, though she only shuddered sideways instead of reeling and stumbling, which was a credit to her training. The burn in her cheek seared through her skin, the woman before her red-faced with misplaced rage, shock coursing through Adagio, cold, unerring shock.

“Did you just slap me?"

There should have been a reason for it and yet there could be none against an action that was so completely and utterly out of place that it was laughable. Yet any self-control that Adagio had had was whipped away in that moment, a snarl ripping from her as the woman, suddenly uncertain in what she had done, took a step back.

“You'd better watch that smart mouth of yours, missy, or I'll show you what for again!"

A rude bitch, that was the term for her, though there were far cruder words too that Adagio could have used as she drew herself up tall, imposingly, though there was nothing in her mind that was actively trying to be like that. There was simply nothing else that her body could do in response to the blind fury coursing through her, how her breath caught and clawed at her lungs, snarling like a beast that had no place in her.

She wasn't just Adagio anymore but she was Adagio the siren, her eyes glowing faintly, even if it was something that, in the human world, would merely be passed off as a trick of the light, something that was not there even if the red tint to them was present. The woman stumbled backwards, her heel snapping, yet Adagio was right there in pursuit, the siren writhing within her like a serpent. She supposed that the siren was in part a serpent, for to say that the back end of her hippocampus body, how she truly was, was a fish would not have been quite apt. A sea snake or dragon or similar would have been more apt for the fire in her heart and the blazing heat in her body, fierce in her defence of what she believed was her right, her due.

She'll pay for striking us!

The woman swore and fell, though there was still anger in her eyes, misplaced hate that, truly, had no place where it came to Adagio. Whatever right she'd thought she'd had was not to be taken forward as the truth as Adagio advanced, the click of her shoes on the hard floor ominous, even as the tinkling store music played in the background. The short, sharp pop song was not suited to the raw fury coursing through her.

What are you doing?

That was the siren inside her, though it was Adagio at the wheel, in the driver's seat. Cutting the siren off, she growled, raising her hands, reaching for her power, the world dipping into seeming slow motion before her.

She would see that the woman never bothered her or anyone else again, not for her rudeness, not for daring to strike her. If she lunged for Adagio, who knew what more she could do to someone weaker than her, that could be more vulnerable? Adagio's pride stung more than even her throbbing, pulsing cheek, though she hissed through her teeth, powering coursing through her as if with the heat of her heart.

Blood rushed to her cheek, her body sending in the red blood cells, though the bruise that showed in the coming days would anger her even more, reminding her that there was someone that had moved quicker than her, all when her guard and defences had been down. Maybe that too was what the dojo master had been talking about, where she had rushed in, where she had not been alert.

Of course, it was always possible to use her powers to brute force things, but that was not the cause of the moment as the siren egged her on, telling her to teach her a lesson, blood roaring in her ears. The scream of a beast burst through her without actually erupting from her lips, as if there was something and someone more, other than even the siren, that had become Adagio, heated in the moment.

“You'll regret ever touching me."

Her words were like ice chips, sinking into the woman's skin. All she could see was how the woman would crumple before her, without Adagio even knowing her name – for what possible purpose could she have to know her name when it was hardly as if she had done anything for Adagio in the first place other than seek to hurt and humiliate her? No, no that was not at all what Adagio thought she should reward, darkness sinking its claws into her heart, the pendant at her throat glowing red like her eyes, though that was thankfully hidden by the high neckline of her shirt.

Before her, the woman whimpered, her lips moving, though Adagio was too far gone to hold back. Oh no, she had well and truly made her decision right there and then in that moment and the only one that could call a halt to the course of action that raw instinct had driven her into could be herself.

Crush her, a voice whispered inside Adagio, a voice that was not the siren's. She doesn't deserve to be her. See the bitch crunched into dust, all for this heinous transgression.

The chilling tone of the words leaping unbidden into her own mind cut her more deeply than the snarl of any force of anger. It was true terror-inducing calmness that sunk into her, telling her that she was doing the right thing, that the world would be better. Fire burned across her face, reminding her of the slap, the transgression, one thing that the stupid woman never would do again, not even the once, as power crackled through her palms. Black spiked across her palms like the natural lines of them as she prepared, a truly wicked smirk pulling at her lips.

She was enjoying it.

STOP!

Adagio hesitated. That was her but not her: the siren. The siren stopped her, though she slammed into the barrier separating their minds, making her hand judder in the air rather than stopping her from sending her powers forth to end the woman.

Adagio took in a tiny breath, coolness washing over her lips, the heat in her face even more noticeable now that she had come back, even a tiny little bit, to some modicum of reality. What was she doing? Anger still roiled inside her, cloying and sickening, sinking its teeth into her stomach, but she stepped back, letting her power fall away, though her breathing still came a little more shortly and sharply than before.

Are you serious? She demanded of the siren, though Adagio could not have honestly said that she'd been in complete control of herself. You saw what she did to me, to us! She deserves to be taught a lesson!

Inside, the siren shook her head.

I feel the same as you, but it's you that taught me that some aren't worth our time. It will only bring attention to us. Look, there are actual employees, those working here, already looking.

Although the staff members should have stepped in or called someone, anything to help, Adagio slowly became more and more aware of her surroundings. There was more than one cluster of people there, whispering behind their hands, though they looked at her with wide, fearful eyes that should not have made Adagio as happy to see as they did. Oh, she wanted that fear, that terrified respect, as it suited her to a “T", but at the very least the siren was right about making a scene.

Look at her. Do you think she's worth it? We've scared her enough. And it didn't even take that much…

Adagio snorted. The woman cowered, whimpering, blubbering, big, fat tears rolling down her cheeks. Where the woman had sought to use her size against Adagio, shoving her out of the way, she had only found that Adagio was a worthier opponent. And there was no question as to which of them had come out on top from that interaction.

“Don't ever touch me again."

She quailed from Adagio's hiss even as Adagio stepped aside, her fingers shaking, the siren manning their body for a while. She had to retreat, had to calm down, her stomach turning over and over.

I think I'm going to be sick.

Well, don't do it right now, Donnie's coming back.

“Hey, is everything okay?" He asked, rushing in, his hand going out to her, brushing her shoulder, though he didn't quite raise it to the flaring, angry red of her cheek. “I heart shouting… What the hell happened over here? Was it her?"

He clenched his hand into a fist, even though that too was not becoming of him as the siren, as Adagio, took Donnie gently but firmly by the arm.

“Yeah, it was," she said coolly, more in control of herself, though her pride burned. “I took care of it, don't worry. Jeez, there are some real crazies here…"

She'd never let anyone slap her ever again. She'd make sure of it. That, in protecting herself, her mind, soul and body, was part of why she could not slack off on her training, not in the slightest.

Donnie didn't quite look as if he believed her, but he had to as she led him away, their purchases already made and being brought out for them on a trolley, though that was only because of the large TV that Donnie had thought was too good a deal to pass up. Adagio wasn't so sure that a trip out had been worth it for that, considering all that had happened.

Out of the corner of her eye, she was dimly aware of the woman being escorted out by a red-shirted staff member and, too late, she realised that she had also been wearing a red shirt, though it was a fashion item and clearly not what the staff members there wore. She even had a black skirt on and not the odd brown khaki pants that were so popular in store positions.

But that hadn't mattered to the woman who had just needed someone to hurt, someone that she'd felt that she could lord herself over. And it had been Adagio that she had found, not someone more vulnerable.

Donnie took her into his arms, muttering something under his breath, Adagio stiffening. It was wrong, it was in public, and yet she could not help but relax into the hug. Her face pressed into his shoulder as she inhaled his scent, closing her eyes, shaking lightly, though that was leftover anger, not worry, setting her trembling, her muscles quivering with the need to expend pent-up fury.

If it had been anyone other than Donnie, she would have shoved them away. But, because it was him, she allowed it.

It was the first of many hugs that Adagio allowed from him, though the first as their relationship shifted into something even more beautiful and meaningful would linger in her mind forever.

“Boss, are you okay?"

It was not a question that Aria should have been asking her through the pendant at such a time, but her worry was palatable. She must have felt Adagio's anger through it, though it was the siren who took the reins, answering while the rather shaky Adagio retreated. Time to let someone else pilot.

“I'm fine, Aria, just heading home. This world is not as I expected."

But more than manageable for her, at the very least. She could handle herself, though there was more still for the siren to learn, along with Adagio growing as a person, who she was in herself.

After that rather stark incident, the rest of the day was calmer, Donnie tucking her up with a blanket on the sofa (she'd said she didn't need it but secretly liked it, cuddling into the soft fleece) and some hot chocolate. Coffee or something stronger would have been preferred, but it was such a different experience to be looked after that she could not help but lean into it.

Just like his hug…

Oh, shut up.

As she leaned back into the sofa, sighing gently, Donnie appeared with a genuine smile on his face, a piece of paper in his hand.

“Hey! I didn't want to call you over, as you were resting up and all, but your tattooist called. He said to give you these details."

She brightened, sitting up a little more as she practically grabbed the old envelope, just a scrap of scribbling paper, out of his hands.

“Oh, fantastic – just what I need!"

Truly, it was, a good kind of distraction as she scanned the price the tattooist had settled on for her, when her appointments could start, for it would be a tattoo that should take multiple sessions.

The pain and the healing should be fine between us, the siren told her. We heal swiftly with our power, though we'll only need to make sure that we act normal.

But we can keep working through the healing process, that's the important thing.

She didn't want to skip out on her income, after all, in the interim, considering all that they were building. Soon, she would meet with Aria again and see if their studio space was coming along, though the tattoo would be key to show the siren as a part of herself, to strengthen their bond and, of course, channel their power.

Adagio smiled, running her finger across the paper. With Donnie there, the tattoo progressing so swiftly that she'd start the process before they even moved in together and the siren even growing enough to stop her from abusing their power out in public, things seemed to be coming up just as they were needed.

Together, we are stronger.

I know… Adagio said, musing through her own thoughts. But everything is taking a little getting used to.

The siren chuckled.

Looks like we've got the rest of our lives to get used to that. So… Get used to it?

Where had she picked that up from? The siren would not tell Adagio, but it still brought a rise of a chuckle to her lips, shaking her head, even as Donnie glanced back at her, confusion lining his expression in the tilt of his head.

“What? What's so funny?"

But Donnie would never know.

The siren and the Adagio were a team, both in it together.