There were some expressions people wore that were just universally recognised, no matter who was wearing them. For Adagio, the face she now had was unquestionably one of great tiredness. Clad in the pristine white uniform of the local spa workers of Canterlot, the eldest Siren sister made her way along the hallways of her apartment block, glancing at door after door until, finally, she stopped at one in particular. After staring at it for a time, she let out a long sigh.
"Home sweet home."
Reaching into the pocket of her uniform, she rummaged around for a bit before eventually pulling out her key, which she promptly slotted into the door before her. Turning it, it wasn't long before she opened that door, which greeted her with the usual squeak she had grown so accustomed to. Entering the apartment in earnest, she closed the door behind her, locking it again as she did so, before turning around and swiftly eyeing a nearby chair. Moving to it, she sat down, letting out a sound of relief.
"Phew...what a day!"
After taking a few moments to simply enjoy sitting down at last, she leaned forward, reaching down to her a shoes and starting to untie the laces. This motion ended when she began to carefully slip them off herself, and as she set her shoes to one side, she started to gently nurse a sore spot on her right foot, bearing a look of discomfort as she did so.
"I swear, it's like I've been standing up forever."
As soon as she was done with this, she stood up yet again, slipping off her outer jacket and hanging it on one of the hooks on the wall beside her. With this done, she turned, making her way further into the apartment, wherein she began to call out.
"I'm home!"
But, after waiting a few moments, and after entering the main room of the place, she began to glance around, surprised to find that there was nobody calling back to her. Neither Sonata nor Aria seemed to be here, either in the living room section of the apartment or even in the nearby open kitchen. Placing her hands upon her hips, Adagio raised a single eyebrow, looking around once more before calling out a second time.
"Sonata? Aria?"
Again, there was no response, leading to some confusion for the Siren. But, that confusion soon turned to curiosity, as she spotted something unfamiliar through the corner of her eye. It was a small piece of paper, sitting upon the top of the counter that separated the kitchen from the rest of the apartment. After just a moment's pause, she walked over to it, reaching forward and picking it up with one hand. After seeing the familiar hand-writing upon it, she cleared her throat, before then starting to read the words aloud.
"Dear Dagi. Sorry to do this to you, but me and Aria aren't going to be here tonight. She got a call from her boss, asking to work late tonight, so she's staying over at the store for a few more hours today."
Adagio's eyes drifted further down the note, and she continued speaking the words there.
"As for me, I got this call from Pinkie asking if I wanted to go out with her and Lemon tonight, and I said yes. Don't know when I'll be back, but don't wait up."
The eldest Siren regarded the note with some incredulity, looking up for a moment to take in the solitude she now had, before looking back to the paper and finishing the final words upon it.
"P.S...there's some cake in the fridge if you're feeling hungry. I made it myself, so I hope it tastes okay. Hugs and kisses, Sonata."
With that done, Adagio set the paper aside, right back where it was, before turning and leaning her back against the counter. She stared out at her empty apartment, looking, for the most part, taken aback at this situation she'd found herself in. After a while though, she started to gain one of her infamous Adagio-brand smirks, raising a hand to her chin and looking deep in thought.
"So...just me for the evening, eh? How...delicious."
Immediately, she got to work, heading across the room for the main window of the apartment, which looked out at the town around them. With a few fast motions, she closed the curtains, completely blocking anybody's view of the goings-on of the apartment. Next, she made her way over to a nearby table, upon which lay three small open black boxes. Raising her hands, Adagio reach behind her neck, unclasping the black choker that held her recently-reconstructed red gemstone. Taking the necklace into her palm, she smiled at it before carefully laying it down into the middle of the black boxes, before closing it shut.
"That's enough of you for one day, old friend."
Moving away, she now walked closer to a door further along the wall from where she was, turning the knob and entering the room that lay within. And that room was none other than the main bathroom of their apartment, clean almost to the point of sparkling. Closing the door, Adagio made doubly sure that that was locked as well, before taking a few steps over to the largish-looking bathtub on the far-side of the room. A few seconds later, she turned the handle of the tap at the end of it, and out came a torrent of water. For a time, she simply stood there, her arms folded and her foot impatiently tapping against the floor. Eventually though, she turned the water off again, before briefly dipping a single finger into what now lay in the tub. After just a moment of doing so, she started to smile.
"There we are...just how I like it."
With the steam still rising from the now-still waters, the Siren looked over to a cupboard directly underneath the bathroom's sink, electing to get down on one knee before opening it. She looked through many of the various bottles and soaps she found there, before eventually spotting something that caused her eyes to widen slightly.
"Aha! There you are!"
Reaching within, it wasn't long before Adagio pulled out a small pink bottle. Closing the sink-cupboard, she stood tall once more, examining the bottle in her hands, the label of which read "Bubbles". Smirking slightly, she started to unscrew the top of the thing, walking back to the bathtub and, rather expectedly, pouring some of the pink fluid into the hot water. Setting the bottle aside on the floor, Adagio knelt down again, placing her hand in the water and swirling it around for a bit. It took some time, about a full minute in fact, but eventually, the bubbles did indeed appear, soon covering almost the entire surface of the water. After standing up yet again, Adagio looked on, pleased with her handiwork.
"Well then...time to really enjoy my evening."
She placed her hands up to her neck, and soon began to unbutton the main part of her spa uniform. As her eyes stayed locked onto the bubble-covered water, she undid button after button, until at last, the entire outfit had been completely opened. She followed this up by slowly slipping her attire off her shoulders, letting it fall to a heap on the floor around her. Naturally, her skirt was next, and it wasn't long before Adagio unzipped it at the side, before starting to slowly bring it down her legs in a fashion that suggested she was showing off for some unseen audience. But, at last, her outer clothing was off, leaving her with her undergarments of a light-purple bra and panties. The former of which, however, she looked down at with some disapproval.
"Why humans ever made these things I'll never know."
As one would expect, it wasn't long before she started to remove even these from herself, reaching behind and swiftly finding the clasp of her bra. A few moments later, off it popped, and as Adagio held the now-removed item in her hand, she let out a long exhale.
"There we are. Much better!"
Dropping the clothing on the ground, she then turned her attention to the last item she wore, and like before, it took no time whatsoever before it too was gone from her. Now completely bare, she took a step closer to the bathtub, raising one leg and slowly dipping her toe to the surface of the water. Sure enough, it was still the right temperature, much to her delight, so she slid her foot in entirely, followed shortly by her other. Very carefully, she knelt down, grabbing hold of both sides of the tub before gradually sliding herself fully into the water. By the end of it, the water level was right up to the top of her chest, and as she leaned her head against her end of the tub, she closed her eyes, a contented smile upon her face.
"No matter the place, and no matter the century...this will never not feel good to me."
Opening her eyes again, she lifted one hand, taking a palm-full of bubbles as she did so. A brief giggle escaped her before she then blew upon them, sending them flying off further down the tub. Her smile continued as she then lifted up a single leg, resting her ankle upon the edge of the bathtub, before promptly grabbing hold of a nearby sponge and caressing it gently upon her knee to clean it. As drops of water and clumps of bubbles slowly made their way down the inside of her thigh, she mused on her situation.
"The only downside? Nobody to join me."
A thoughtful look crossed her face, followed shortly by a slight smirk.
"Hmmm...I wonder if I should do something about that one day? It's been quite a while since I had anyone regular in my life, after all."
Whatever other thoughts she might have had on that matter didn't last long, as she simply shrugged her shoulders before getting back to the business of cleaning herself. She remained silent throughout all of this, keeping her look of sheer contentment as she guided her sponge to every single part of her, making sure to be careful not to slosh any water about as she did so. In-between her movements, however, she would sometimes just lean back, relax, and close her eyes, enjoying this moment and what she was doing. So relaxed was she that she would even drift right to the edge of outright sleep, only to bring herself back just in time. After a good deal of time had passed, almost an hour to be precise, she set her sponge aside, letting out a long sigh.
"Oh well...all good things must come to an end, I suppose."
With that, she grabbed hold of both sides of the tub, before promptly hoisting herself up. Within moments, she was standing shin-deep in the water, shaking slightly to get as many droplets of water off herself before she did anything else. In this moment, the combination of the bathroom's lights and the water still on her skin acted together to make it look as if she was almost glowing. It was a fact not lost on her, as she just so happened to catch a glimpse of herself this way in a mirror which hung on the wall nearby. Smirking, he placed one hand upon her hip, raising the other hand to her mouth and blowing her reflection a kiss, even going so far as to wink as she did so.
"Oh yeah...still got it."
But now, she got back to the task of getting herself out of the tub, taking one careful step out and placing her foot squarely upon the bath mat beside the thing. Her other leg came out shortly afterwards, and once out completely, she turned around, reaching in one final time to pull out the plug. As she watched the water start to swirl about in the tub, she reached over for a hook on the wall, from which hung a bright white towel. Naturally, she began to use it, wiping off whatever moisture she could still find on herself, before then getting to drying off her hair. As one would expect, with as much hair as she had, this latter action took a bit longer than most. But, end it did, and as she set her towel back where it came from, she turned around, her smile returning as she eyed one item in particular.
"Can't leave without that now, can we?"
It was a bath-robe, coloured a dark purple, much like her regular school attire, and the eldest Siren walked to it with an affectionate smile on her lips. Placing her hand upon it, she sighed briefly, before pulling it off its hook on the door. With a single swift motion, she wrapped it around herself, closing the robe and tying it up, before giving herself a brief look in the mirror once more. The look on her face made it clear that she very much approved of her appearance right now, and after giving her reflection a quick nod, she raised both arms, stretching herself for a few moments. Her expression made it obvious that she was enjoying the feel of the fabric against her skin, even to the point of giving a slightly pleasant shiver from it. When it was done, she exhaled deeply as she lowered her arms, a contented smile crossing her visage.
"I must remember to than Rarity for recommending that store to me. This robe has worked wonders!"
Turning, she reached for the knob of the door, opening it and, after briefly looking behind to make sure all the water was gone from the tub, stepped out into the rest of the apartment. Placing her hands on her hips, she glanced around the place, before finally settling her gaze on the nearby kitchen area. Smirking slightly, she walked over with that usual sway in her hips, before soon arriving right in front of the fridge. Opening it, she looked around at all the food and drink that lay within, from the milk to several pots of leftover meals, before finally spotting what it was she desired.
"Here we go!"
As Sonata had promised, there was indeed a small plate of what appeared to be chocolate cake, resting in the middle shelf. Reaching in, the oldest sister grabbed it, carefully removing it from the fridge before quickly closing the latter. She licked her lips for a time at the sight that now rested in her hands, walking over to the living room section of the apartment. Gently, she set her plate down on the coffee table that stood in-between the sofas and chairs there, before then returning to the kitchen. Opening one of the drawers there, it took only a moment of rummaging around before she found what she was looking for; a clean fork. Smiling once more, she then returned to the nearest sofa, sitting upon it. However, as she did so, her smile faded somewhat.
"No, no, no! This simply will not do!"
Getting herself up from her spot, Adagio looked around her immediate surroundings, eyeing every single chair and sofa in the vicinity. Her smirk returned as she gracefully walked around the coffee table and towards her targets, reaching down and plucking every pillow she could grab, including the large ones intended as part of the furniture. With herself now stacked to the brim with such things, she returned to her original sofa, carefully placing them all down. A minute of two passed as she re-arranged her acquisitions, watching with a critical eye at what she had made for herself. Smiling, she gave a nod.
"That's more like it!"
And with that, she sat herself back down, immediately letting out a long sigh. The additional pillows she'd brought to the sofa for herself made this particular spot about as soft and supportive as she could remember, and she slid into them perfectly, spreading out both arms as she reclined into the back of her furniture. Thankfully, she'd remembered to keep one pillow in reserve, and had in fact placed it upon the coffee table. Knowing this, she lifted both legs and gently propped her feet on top of said pillow, leading to an even greater look of relaxation on her face.
"Now this is the life!"
Still smiling, she turned to her side, reaching over and picking up the nearby plate, which still had that slice of cake on it. Taking the fork in one hand, she stared hungrily at the confectionary before her, before giving out a slight chuckle. After clearing her throat somewhat, she started to speak, albeit in a deeper and forced masculine manner.
"Would you care for a bit of our delicious cake, Mistress Adagio?"
Smiling wider, she answered her own question, this time in her regular speaking voice.
"Oh, Garcon...I most certainly would!"
She plunged the fork deep into the cake, slicing off a modest chunk of it before carefully binging it to her mouth. Opening wide, it was not long before the sweet flavours were on her tongue, eliciting a moan of pleasure from the ancient woman. Reclining still further into the sofa, Adagio savoured every single moment the cake was in her mouth, speaking up while she was still chewing in fact.
"Sonata...I must confess...you do cakes good!"
At long last she swallowed, and as she paused in-between bites, she stopped and looked around for a moment. For this brief time, she took in everything about her situation. How relaxed she felt after that luxurious bath, how tasty the cake was, how comfortable and warm her apartment was in this moment of time. All of these things and more worked together to give her a feeling of utter relaxation and contentment, made all the clearer by the look she now bore. When first she entered her apartment tonight, she looked as if she'd never been anything but tired. But now? Now it was as if she had not a care in the world. And as that feeling continued to sink in for her, she leaned back, resting her head upon her many pillows, and smiled to herself.
"Yeah...I needed this."
