My Roommate Aria

It was a typical work day, customers were few and Anonymous was watching some TV from one of his bar booths to kill some time. “Ugh... Might just close up early today.” He checked his phone, 11:40 and a Tuesday. “Wasting electricity at this rate.”

The door bell chimed, Anon looked over and noticed an... Unfamiliar face. “Oh, just a sec, sweetheart.” He got up and fixed his clothes, moving back behind the bar table. The woman took a seat at a stool nearby. “What can I get ya?”

“Fire Bomb, dry.” Oh... Well, the ovaries on this chick! “You have any cinnamon or lemon?”

“Uh... You sure about a fire bomb, Miss?” She looked up at him, her deep purple eyes staring him down like the bad end of a gun. “Okay, sorry!” He raised his hands defensively. “Just asking...” Despite her leering eyes, she definitely had a pretty face. Soft, bright orange skin with poofy curls of a darker shade. “From out of town?” Anon asked, deciding to stir some conversation.

“I travel a lot.” A simple answer to a simple question.

Anon hummed as he got to work on her drink. “Not much of a talker, huh?” Her silence answered him quite clearly. “Somethin’ on your mind?”

“...A few things, I suppose.” Once Anon handed her the shot glass, she paused before swinging it up and gulping it down. “Ah... Nh.” She shook her head and sputtered, her throat burned bad and her stomach was a lead weight. “Been a good while...”

Anon raised a brow. “You alright, Miss?”

“Yeah... Didn’t expect yours to pack such a punch.” She coughed and hacked like an old war veteran, until she cleared her throat and breathed out. “I was saying... It’s been a while since I had a drink this good.”

Anon shook his head at her. “Flatter me up all you like, sister. You aren’t getting any free drinks.”

She just giggled, might’ve been the cocktail smacking her brain. That’s what Anon assumed. “... Ishould...” She looked a bit sad, suddenly. “I should apologize, for my earlier behavior.”

“No harm done, Miss.” Yeah, wouldn’t be the first time he’s dealt with moody customers. A little alcohol tends to make that-

“Adagio...”

“Pardon?” He asked.

“Call me Adagio, if you would.” She gave him a smile.

“Oh...” It was a fine name, almost mature in a sense... Yet, for some odd reason, he couldn’t shake this weird vibe from it. “Just call me Anon, everyone else does.”

“Charmed.” She tapped the table. “Another, if you would?”

”Another?” Damn, she had some guts. “Second person I’ve met that could even stomach this.”

“Only second?” She asked. “He must’ve been quite the drinker.”

Anon chuckled. “She’s one helluva drinker, I can assure you.” Adagio’s smile faded. “She isn’t allowed here anymore, though. Not after what she did to my booth.” He gave her the cocktail, and just like the last it was gone in a second with some coughs and chest pounding. “Lord, Adagio!”

“Don’t-’COUGH!’ ‘Cough-hack!’ I-I’m... Fine.” She calmed down, though Anon was still quite cautious about giving her a third. “...Anon.” She began, eyeing the floor. “Do you have a family?”

“Well sure, everybody does.”

She paused... “What’s your family like?”

A bit odd for a question, but... “Well, pretty big I guess.” He answered. “Grew up in Apploosa, Momma had six kids so every day was complete chaos, me being second oldest.”

Adagio looked at him like he had carrots growing out his ears. “Six... My word, how did you put up with that?”

He just shrugged. “We were all rough n’ tumble, always pounding on each other. Even the sisters weren’t afraid to knock some teeth out.” Adagio could only look on, head tilted in confusion. “We never hated each other, mind you. We were just really rough kids.”

.....

“Have you... Ever said something awful to them?” She asked. “Something that really hurt them?”

He noticed her tone, and pondered for a bit... “We would say some horrible things, sometimes.” He recalled, feeling his heart turn green with disgust. “‘I hate you’, ‘Go jump off a bridge’, ‘I hope you die’...” It only grew heavier and heavier. “.....’I wish you were never born’ was a nasty one.” He rested himself on the counter, elbows propping him up as he looked Adagio in the eyes. “But, no matter how much we drove each other crazy, we were still family. We loved each other no matter what we said or how badly we beat ourselves up.” Her eyes seemed to soften, depression washing over her like a wave. “You gonna be okay, Adagio?”

She simply shook her head. “No... I don’t think I’ve been ‘okay’ in years.”

.......

Anon... Smiled. “It’s funny.” He spoke. “Had another girl tell me that a few years back.” He sighed, taking her shot glasses and washing them out. “She told me a story a lot like yours, Adagio. Told me this drunken tale of how she was sick of her family, sick of wanting to go home for some reason.”

Adagio’s face fell...

“Even said she hated her sisters.”

Her eyes were glistening, fists clenched tight.

“So I smacked her across the face.” She looked up at him, almost offended. “And I told her, plain and firm, to never ever say that again.” Anon’s voice had a clear authority behind it, as did his eyes. “I told her with a raging anger, that if she ever said anything like that again, I’d kick her sorry ass so hard she’d be tasting shoe polish.”

Adagio was quite silent the entire speech, clearly so full of questions yet unable to... Overpower this sudden anger.

“Dunno If I ever got through to her, to be entirely honest... I like to think I left something for her to think about.”

Adagio just looked down at the table, not a peep out of her mouth... But from her silence, a small smile grew, and with it her voice returned. “I think you may have, Anon.”

He couldn’t help but smile.

“...Anon.” He looked up, Adagio standing and leaning over the table quite close to him. “Thank you.”

“For... What, exactly?”

Her hand met his cheek, and like some cheesy 90’s flick she gave him a soft, surprise kiss. His eyes widened, her eyes stared back with warmth simply oozing out of them. The intimacy was almost electrifying, as if she were exploring his body with her lips and eyes alone...

He felt, alarmingly, an unease at his core. It wasn’t a particular feeling but his body was reacting as if he were being molested, with cold shudders and a haunting pit deep in his gut. With separation, Anon was awash by a wave of fatigue and inertia. “What...” He clenched his chest, as if to preserve and protect something within. “That was...”

“Interesting.” Adagio finished for him, with a moment of pause to follow. “.....You’re awfully pale, Anon.” She noted. “Was I... Perhaps your first?”

“First... N-no, of course not!” He objected in an offended tone. “I just... It surprised me.”

She smiled. “You’re adorable, Anonymous.” She gave him some cash, paying for her drinks and then some. “Do me a favor...” She continued, turning and walking to the door. “Please, take good care of Aria for me.”

“Aria... H-how did...”

“I dare say I shouldn’t have to tell you this, but... Aria is very sensitive, despite her brashness and short temper.” She turned her head just a slight, and gave him a cold stare that could make Michael Myers flinch. “If you happen to hurt her, dear Anonymous... I will find you.” He could feel his very heart being weighed down at the ever-growing air of malice surrounding her. “Need I tell you what will happen when I find you?”

He shook his head, lips sealed and teeth clenched shut. He dare not say a single word out of fear.

She smiled, eyes half-lidded and seemingly satisfied with his answer. “Glad we understand each other.” She opened the door, the little bell chiming to break the tension. “I may drop back in from time to time, you’re pleasant enough company.” She gave him a wink and blew a kiss at him. “Ciao.”

The door closed with the bell once again, and all poor Anonymous could do was-

’Thump!’

Fall face-first into the counter, completely exhausted. “I’m... Closing up early today.” He had jitters in his voice, as lifeless as it already was. He propped himself back up with his arm, the other grabbing at his heart for dear life. “Closing... Oh Jesus, my heart...”

(Sometime later)

Aria had returned home, completely wiped from an evening of fun at the night club, took a little detour for some cheap acid she’d hit later tomorrow. Nothing says fun like a good trip, amirite?

She opened the door, kicked her shoes off and... Found Anon, dead asleep on his easy chair.

.....

She smiled, tip-toeing to the kitchen and grabbing a dry-erase marker from the table... “No.” She put it back. “You’re better than that, Aria.”

Yes, it simply wasn’t enough for her. She wanted to go higher, farther! She wanted to make something from such a rare opportunity! “Now... Where to start.” She held her chin in thought, lightly stroking it as the gears in her head clanked... Before gasping, as a nasty little plan came to fruition.

Anon had sat in silent slumber, plagued by a strange dream... It wasn’t like the usual familiar-yet-outlandish dreams we all experienced under the veil of the night, rather it played out like a series of visions.

They were random at best, but they all had two things in common. They were from the perspective of someone that he felt wasn’t him, and in every one of them Aria Blaze was present.

In one scene, it showed Aria among what looked like the regalities of 1800 British aristocrats. In another, she was in medieval Rome, leading an army of men in conquest of new land. The images left as soon as they came, and flooded Anon’s mind nonstop. She was a soldier, she was a diplomat, she was an enforcer, she was a spy, she was a high-ranking leader; all from separate time periods ranging from decades to as far as centuries!

Why? Why was she in all these places, with the blue skinned girl being with her every other image? Why was he even seeing all this nonsense? What did it all mean?

’Hiisssss...’

All the images, all the craziness, all this information had finally ceased. Only to be replaced by what looked like alligators...

Wait, alligators?

“’Snort!’ Huh!? Wha!?!... Uh...” Anon stared up at the ceiling, gobsmacked and slowly trying to register the weird shit he witnessed.

Wait... Why couldn’t he remember? All that was in that head was alligators for some-

’Hiiisssssss...’

Anon’s eyes widened, he looked at the door just slightly ajar, the trail of what looked like slime leading to the kitchen. “What in god’s name...” He got up and tip-toed inside, witnessing the fucking full-grown alligator smack in the middle of the kitchen floor!

He had no words, not a peep, as the sight of this murder-log petrified him for a solid ten seconds. “A...a-a.... A-ARIA!?” The alligator swished it’s tail, knocking over a chair. It started to slowly crawl its way toward him with a low hiss. His response, much like anyone else’s, would be to scream like a little girl and book it to his room. ”ARIA HELP! DEATH JAWS!!!”

“Ugh, JESUS IN HELL!” Aria’s door opened, Anon ran right past her squealing for God’s mercy and through his bedroom door, slamming it shut behind him. “...’snort!’” Her lips were puckered, trying to hold in her laughter. “H-hey... Anon?” She called from outside his bedroom door. “Why’d you scream so pathetically?”

“BECAUSE THERE’S A GODDAMN ALLIGATOR IN THE KITCHEN!!!” He screamed back. “For the love of God, call animal control!”

“Alligator...?” She wondered in faux surprise. “Ohhhhh, that Alligator!”

“Excuse me!?” He sounded pissed now, per usual. “YOU KNEW!!?”

“Yeah, he’s a pet. One of my friends wanted me to pet-sit.”

“Who in their right mind domesticated a LIVE ALLIGATOR!?!?” One second... Two seconds... “Is it Pinkie’s?”

“Yep.”

“Jesus Christ...” You could heat the brow-pinching in his voice alone. “Why the hell does she own that thing!?”

“I dunno, girl’s crazy?” Aria felt a tug on her leg, the toothless maw of the pet working to get her attention. “Oh, hi Gummy.” It just blinked, tongue sticking out of one side of it’s mouth. “...You hungry?” It just stared at her with slobber running down its tongue, though it did swish it’s thick tail a little. “Guessing that’s a yes.” She pat her thigh to signal him and walked to the kitchen, Gummy slowly trudging behind. “I think Pinkie said you like eating gummy worms, buuut... Let’s try some of that meat in the fridge.”

’Excited(?) hiss...’

Anon spent five hours in his room before he was dragged out by Aria to make food, Gummy tried biting him. Just another day at the Anonymous residence!

As for Adagio...? Well, that’s a story for another day.