Drown With Me

Chapters

Part 1 - Proposition. Also, Rejection.
Part 2 - The Strangest Intruder
Part 3 - Prince Charming
Part 4 - Dining with an Ex-Monster
Part 5 - Knowings and Notes
Part 6 - Dead End Discovery
Part 7 - Drown With Her (Mature)
Part 8 - Restoration, Resolution

Part 1 - Proposition. Also, Rejection.

The summer sun's heat plays off the pool's playful waters. The scent of dry air and wet chlorine, hot food and cold drink wafts on the faint breeze. The sounds of splashing water mingles with the chatter of the patrons sitting nearby. You shake up another margarita, pass it to the customer perched on a barside stool, and drop the money in the cash register.

There's nothing quite like owning your own poolside bar.

On one hand, because your outside bar has a pool, the summer months mean your business is plentiful. And on the other, because your pool has an outside bar, there are no children screaming or splashing around, and no rowdy teens pushing each other into the pool and blatantly disregarding other swimmers. Everyone needs to be over 21 to drink at the bar, so no one under that limit bothers turning up. Instead they aim for the local beach or a nearby family pool. The result; a cheery atmosphere where people can cool off in peace, and enjoy a cold drink of beer, cider or whatever cocktail you can muster.

Of course, even the most idyllic paradise has its problems. The Dazzlings, a trio of swimsuit-clad delinquents from who-knows-where, have volunteered to be yours.

The sound of hard plastic slapping on the counter catches your attention; a girl's ID being thrown decisively onto the bar. Adagio Dazzle, a woman who seems to be made purely out of puffy orange hair and sass, gives you a smirk.

Out of the three Dazzlings, two have been a source of irritation since day one. Weeks ago, you tried to use their apparent youth as an excuse to shoo them out of the bar, but somehow their IDs insist they're in their early thirties. You had to double-, triple- and quadruple-check those cards to make sure they were real, but nothing about the IDs seemed fake.

"The usual?" you ask, pushing the ID back towards her; you aren't giving her the satisfaction of checking it yet again.

"You know it," she replies coolly.

It's strange to think of them as over thirty, considering how young they look. It was as if they'd gained some sort of unnatural longevity on their eighteenth birthday. There was a brief time you thought they had to be vampires, but that was quickly disproven; they waltz around your pool-bar in broad daylight all the time.

You begin by drizzling some lime juice and sugar into a glass, then adding in a few mint leaves.

So, what else can you do? Technically, none of them have done wrong, and they always pay for their drinks. Sure, two of them occasionally try flirting and manipulating the other customers, but that's not really any of your business. In fact, there have been several times other guys at the bar have brought them drinks with the intention of getting lucky. More sales for you.

You jam some cracked ice into the glass, and splash a moderate amount of rum over it.

And the third girl? She keeps to herself. She rarely ever buys drinks, preferring to stay in the pool; the only reason you know her name as Sonata Dusk is because of her seldom-used ID. You'll often see her dip under the pool's surface, only to come back up a few minutes later, coughing and spluttering. It's safe to assume she's the odd one of the group.

You top off the drink with soda water, and garnish it with a sprig of mint and a straw.

Honestly, you think Adagio asks for a mojito every day because she knows it's one of the most time-consuming drinks to make. It could be worse, you suppose; it's far more stressful to make a mojito in, say, a packed nightclub with a bar surrounded by other thirsty patrons rather than a chilled poolside bar where everyone's laid back.

But yeah, screw Adagio.

Finally, you pass the drink to the paying customer. Adagio takes it and gives you a smile with no latent smugness whatsoever. Cough.

"So, what's new for the Dazzlings?" you try to force some conversation as you stuff the money in the register. They're pretty much regulars now, so you might as well treat them as such. "Still trying to work on this charm magic you mentioned once?"

Honestly, you never thought you'd say a sentence quite like that. It was only a few years ago the very idea of magic, however scarce, was discovered. Since then, people just kind of... accepted it. There was never enough of it in this world to pose too much of a threat, and if there was, the consequences were far away from this summertime retreat. No point in worrying about it. But it's a talking point, nonetheless.

"Sonata isn't, she quit a long time ago. But Aria and I continue to experiment," Adagio pushes the mint leaves around with her straw absent-mindedly, then takes a generous sip. "We used to be able to bend anyone to our will with a song. But things change. Now we have to rely on other means."

You check the pool area that stretches behind Adagio - though you have to crane you neck quite a bit to see past all the hair. Aria's already trying to flirt with a sunbathing hunk, and Sonata's nowhere to be seen. You suspect she's already at the bottom of the pool again.

"What's the deal with Sonata?" you ask. "Is she training as a free-diver or something?"

"Nah, she's just being nostalgic." Adagio doesn't add more that that. Either she's not telling you the whole story, or she simply doesn't care. You'd believe both. "But enough about her, let's talk more about me."

Pushing her already half-empty mojito to the side, Adagio leans forward on her stool and gives you the half-lidded, flirtatious stare you've seen her give many other men around the pool. Because she's leaning forward, her breasts are pushed up slightly by the counter itself, and the resulting cleavage peering from her bikini top is about as subtle as a neon sign that says "wanna fuck?".

"I've been trying a new technique to get other people to do my bidding," she explains. At least, you think that's what she said. You're too busy appreciating how her chest moves as she's breathing. "Is this working, or would you prefer a more hands-on approach?"

The world is full of people like her. The beautiful types who think that, just because they're pretty, the world owes them something. Those that think having sex with someone means they rightfully own them, because why else would they do something so intimate with you? Love? Pfft.

The rule-of-thumb with girls like her is that you're free to acknowledge their flaunting - within reason, of course - but don't touch unless you can deal with the repercussions.

"You're hot, but I don't think we'd work out," you try not to make it sound like a flat-out rejection, although that's exactly what it is. "You can probably do better than me."

Adagio takes it about as well as you expected her to.

"Of course I can do better than you!" she brushes you off, immediately sitting up on the stool, ending her bikini's peep-show. "I just thought the gentleman who's been mixing mojitos for me all summer wanted to, just this once, take a load off. I was being nice."

You can't help but notice how she said the word 'nice'. It sounded like a snake hissing.

"I appreciate that, I really do," you reassure her. "But like you said, it'd be a just-this-once fling, and I couldn't possibly jeopardize the relationship of my..." - this last part's gonna be hard to say with a straight face - "favourite regulars."

Are you giggling? Is your face creasing up? No? Good.

"Ugh. Whatever." The apparently-thirty-year-old woman is behaving more like the stroppy teen that she looks like. "I'm not mad at you for turning me down, I'm just mad that it didn't work."

"What didn't work?" you ask. Instead of an answer, Adagio sucks down the rest of the mojito and pushes the empty glass back to you just in time for Aria Blaze, clad in a tighter-than-appropriate bikini of her own, to reach the bar.

"Adagio, I got bad news about our latest technique," Aria says. "When I tried to flirt with that hunk back there..."

"Let me guess, our theory of being able to tap into our charm magic via sex appeal is a complete bust?" the great poofy-haired sass-girl replies.

"Uh... yeah. How'd you know?"

"Forget it. Just get Sonata out of the pool and let's go." With that, Adagio, scoots out from the stool and walks for the exit, trying not to make it look like she's storming off. Which she totally is.

"C'mon, Sonata!" Aria calls out over the pool, loud enough for her voice to reach the girl at the bottom. "We're leaving, it's back to the drawing board!"

The third member of their group rises from the water with a gasp. "Aww, already?" she moans. "We only just got here!"

"We'll come back another time," Aria rolls her eyes. "We just need new ideas on how to charm people first, or else we're just wasting our time here."

Sonata sighs to herself, before slowly paddling over to the pool ladder.

You've seen this girl climb that ladder so many times before, but you never get tired of watching it. Two silky, powder-blue hands hold the metal frame steady as she lifts herself out, highlighting the two glinting spiked wristbands. The water droplets run down her wet ponytail, and onto her tight one-piece swimsuit. The sunlight catches the soaked, purple fabric of the swimsuit, which adds a glistening sheen to her lithe form under it. On most days, you would even notice her chest heaving from her breath-holding routine, but she hasn't spent nearly enough time underwater today for that to be the case. It's a shame that she doesn't talk to you much; of all the Dazzlings, she's the one you'd most want to talk to. She's also the only one you'd genuinely consider having-

"Sex on the Beach, please!"

"Huh?"

It takes a moment for you to snap back to reality. A customer's giving you an expectant look, already clutching the right amount of cash for the aforementioned cocktail. By the time you finish mixing the drink, the Dazzlings are long gone.

Part 2 - The Strangest Intruder

You push open your bedroom door while drying yourself off from your shower, eager to get off your aching feet after a long day's work behind the bar. You throw off your towel and lie back in your bed, taking a chance with your slightly-damp hair on the pillow. The window's wide open to counteract the cloudless night's lingering heat. You tune out the sounds of the many crickets chirping outside; or at least, you try to.

As much as you'd like to rest right now, you just don't feel sleepy at all. Perhaps you could relax with a book? Nah, nothing on the shelf grabs your interest. Fall asleep watching a movie? Nope, screw trying to pick one. Mix yourself a drink? Hell no, you've done enough of that for one day.

With a sigh of exasperation and boredom, you sink deeper into your pillow and let your thoughts wander. Your recent encounter with Adagio has been lingering in the back of your head for hours, but now that you have nothing better to do, your mind sets on trying to unravel the mystery surrounding her - surrounding them.

Thirty-year-olds that look and act like they've just turned eighteen. Two of them seem to be obsessed with learning "charms" or "charming" or some other magical nonsense. One of them seems to be focused on just swimming around in your pool. Whether that's magic or just eccentricity is anyone's guess. Personally, you don't bother with magic; it's a rare thing in this world, and whenever something magical does happen, it's usually for the worse.

With a sigh, you hoist yourself out of bed, ready to close the curtains and call it a night. Suddenly, the faintest movement from outside the window catches your eye. You look again; getting a clear view of your pool bar in the moonlight, from the bar's counter to the water itself, and you could've sworn you caught something moving on the water's surface. Trespassers, no doubt. Probably some party animals that think the pool's open-all-hours.

You root around in your bedside drawers for your flashlight; it's best to play it safe, despite how luminous the moonlight is. You also quickly put some shorts on before leaving - you just came out of the shower, after all.

*******

"Hello?" You say aloud. Honestly, you don't expect a reply; you just hope whoever's here will scram if they hear you.

The thin beam of your flashlight drifts over the upturned stools of the bar, and plays across the rippling surface of the pool's water. Yes, someone was swimming in it very recently. At this time of night, the water's usually dead still.

"I know you're around here," you call into the darkness. Again, nothing.

Hold on; if someone was swimming here, they must've left a trail of water when they got out. Your flashlight scans the poolside, hoping to catch the reflection of a puddle. There's nothing. Not a single droplet.

But if the pool's water is rippling, and there's no sign of anyone leaving the pool, that means...

Your stomach tightens into a knot. They're still in the water.

The pool has built-in lights under the water, but the light-switch to turn them on is behind the bar. It'd be foolish to walk past the pool in order to see in it while you're holding a perfectly serviceable flashlight.

Dreading every step, you shuffle closer to the pool's edge. You aim the flashlight directly downwards, letting the beam piece the black water's surface. A sense of panic hits you in the stomach; you were right. There's someone down there, at the very bottom of the pool. And they aren't moving.

You can't get any more detailed than that - the water's surface isn't calm enough. While your mind draws a blank, your instincts kick in and your body starts to move by itself, quickly clasping the flashlight between your teeth. Without a second's hesitation, you find yourself diving into the pool.

You silently thank your past self for springing for a waterproof flashlight; the bright beam penetrates the cool, dark waters as you sink lower and lower. Despite the taste of chlorine and the blur of the water, you start to make out more of the poor victim the closer you get to them.

Female. Somewhere between a teen and a young adult, you think. Purple, one-piece swimsuit. Punk-ish spiked wristbands. Blue hair in a ponytail. Pale blue complexion. Is that Sonata Dusk!? She's motionless. Her eyes are closed. At best, she's unconscious. But at worst...

You try to wrap an arm around her waist, with the intention of pushing off from the bottom of the pool with your feet and swimming right back up. As soon as your hand brushes against her, however, she convulses as if she's recoiling in shock. Her eyes whip open and you even hear a short, muted yelp of surprise from her. A burst of bubbles spew from her lips. One pale-blue hand covers her mouth, while the other tries to thrash against you.

Her flailing arm takes a swing at your head. She misses, but her spiked wristband catches your cheek. You feel a faint nip of pain, trying to ignore the unsettling red that swirls in the water around you. Suddenly, a flash of fire burns from inside your own head. Every nerve in your body seems to numb, and for a moment, you forget which way is up. Through your haze, you see the reanimated girl pushing off from the pool floor herself, making a fast beeline for the surface. You wisely follow suit before your own lungs start to ache.

You break the surface of the water a moment later, tasting the cool night air. Sonata's already beside you, clinging to the pool's ladder. You can hear her loud, heaving breaths and the occasional splutter. The pain in your head is gone, as if it were never there. Your hand brushes the cut on your cheek - the bleeding is a lot less serious than you thought. Perhaps the water made it seem more dramatic?

Once you have your own breath back, you drop the lit flashlight by the poolside and paddle over to her.

"Are you okay, Sonata? For a second there, I thought you were-"

SMACK! Sonata's outstretched palm slaps you across the undamaged half of your face. Hard.

Ow.

"J-jerk!" she wheezes, still trying to steady her own breathing. "I was... going... for a... new record..! I think I... swallowed something back there... tastes like rusty salt."

"What the hell are you talking about?" you rub your sore cheek, "Why are you using my pool in the middle of the night? Alone!? That's just reckless!"

The girl pauses for a moment, waiting for her lungs to settle. "Don't call me reckless. I can take care of myself! Don't let the other girls tell you I can't!"

"That's not what I meant," you retort. Sonata heaves herself up from the ladder, turns around, and sits by the pool's edge, dipping her legs in the water beside you. The nearby flashlight catches Sonata's hair, making it gleam pleasantly. And sure, it catches her swimsuit too, but now's not the time for that sort of thinking. Focus. "Why are you even here, Sonata?"

"Apnea training," she says curtly.

"In the middle of the night?"

"I didn't get the chance to do it during the day, did I?"

Of course, you remember now; Adagio stormed off after you turned down her experimental advances, so the Dazzlings left early in a huff.

"So why this pool in particular?"

"I'm used to this one," she shrugs. "I like it."

"And you couldn't apnea-train in a bathtub back at your place?"

"Bo-ring."

"Maybe, I dunno..." you think for a moment, "You could try swimming in the ocean? That'd be interesting."

Sonata scoffs, and folds her arms. "Sure, because diving in the ocean all by myself and at night is sooo much safer! Who's the reckless one now, Mister Reckless McReckless with a side of dumb?"

"Rude," you chide back at her; it seems to be the only language she understands. Letting go of the poolside, you lie back in the water, drifting in thought for a moment. The stars are as bright as always in the cloudless summer night. "Do you really like swimming that much?" you finally ask. "Enough to sneak into someone's pool at night by yourself?"

"It's not the swimming, really," she replies. "It's the remembering."

"What?"

Sonata tuts to herself, rubbing the back of her head. "Yeah, I wasn't expecting you to understand."

"And what if you explain it to me? Gimme a chance."

"Why should I?" she tilts her head. "Most people wouldn't believe me."

"Come on, Sonata, magic was recently discovered in our world, I think we're all a little open-minded these days."

"Hm," she places a finger on her lips quizzically. "I'll tell you, but only if you let me use the pool after hours from now on."

Sonata getting free reign of your pool? That sounds... actually, not as bad as Adagio or Aria. In fact, you decide to weave that into the bargain.

"Only if the deal works for you, okay? The other two girls can't swim with you."

"Deal. They say memories are a waste of time anyway." And with that, she scoots forward with her butt, and plops back into the water. After a moment, she surfaces with a smug grin on her face.

"So?" you encourage her, "Your part of the deal now. Why does being underwater help you remember stuff?"

She giggles. "Here goes nothing. The reason for that is..."

Suddenly, you find her swimming much closer to you than before. You back-pedal in the water until your back touches the side of the pool. She swims ever-closer, placing both hands on the pool's edge either side of you. Part of you wonders where this sudden show of intimacy is coming from, but then again, why ruin the moment?

Her eyes gaze deeply into yours. Her lips part, and her face inches closer and closer. Without thinking, your lips part as well, ready to kiss-

And then she leans into your ear instead; "...I miss having gills."

Wait, what!?

With a cheeky bout of laughter, she pushes herself away from you, drifting out of your reach. First of all, what a tease! Second of all...

"Sonata," you ask dumbly. "Were you a mermaid once?" Man, saying that out loud felt stupid.

"Nope," she says without a care. "Good guess, though."

"Well, what were you? What are you?"

"Doesn't matter," she taunts. "You let me use the pool after hours, I tell you why I like swimming. That was the deal!"

"Y-you just can't leave me hanging like that!"

"Can and will."

"Ugh. Fine, be that way," you grunt, pulling yourself out of the pool. "I'll figure you out eventually though."

"I'm sure you will," Sonata chimes happily, floating across the surface. If Adagio was half as cheeky as Sonata was right now, you'd just ask her to leave. But she's not Adagio. Far from it. Perhaps a more friendly approach is in order.

Picking up the still-beaming flashlight, you amble towards the bar. "Since you're using it at night from now on, I guess I'll turn the pool-lights on."

"Thanks."

Part 3 - Prince Charming

"What did you do to her?" her fist slamming on the counter punctuates Adagio's sneering accusation.

Despite the midday sun's glare, Adagio doesn't have a drop of sweat on her. It's like she's saving herself for the hunt, and the way her eyes are staring you down right now doesn't help. A few patrons briefly glance at her before becoming far more interested in looking the other way.

You casually look up after closing the cash register, trying not to look guilty. "Fine day, Adagio. Mojito?"

"Screw you for trying to change the subject. But yeah, a mojito. And answers."

"Answers to what, exactly?" You pick up a nearby glass and start on her usual order.

Adagio jabs a finger towards the poolside area; Aria Blaze is currently sitting on one of the sunbeds, rummaging around in her bag for something. Sonata, on the other hand, is lying down on a sunbed of her own, curled up and breathing softly. She doesn't seem to be sunbathing; in fact, she's sound asleep under a parasol.

"She practically sleep-walked all the way over here," Adagio explains. "During her few moments of clarity, she mentioned you and your pool. So spill it. What happened last night?"

Despite the bizarre occurrence that happened last night, your eyelids aren't as heavy as you thought they'd be. But of course, you weren't swimming the whole night away. Of course Sonata would be exhausted.

"She just showed up at my pool, that's all. I let her swim in it since you left early yesterday..."

Adagio suddenly raises a hand up to shush you. "Stop right there. You just let her do that?"

"Well, not right off the bat," you muse, pouring some rum over the mojito-to-be. "We reached something of an agreement. There wasn't any hocus-pocus involved."

"So you think. But the point of charming someone is for them to think their thoughts are their own, so..." The Dazzling scratches her chin in thought, looking back towards Aria. Currently, Aria's lighting up an incense stick from her bag. "I wonder if Sonata actually did do something to snag you."

Before you can object, Aria prowls up to the bar, lit incense stick in hand. It smacks of burnt lavender. "Time for the next experiment, Adagio; charming via aroma. Since we used to be able to charm others with sound, maybe we can tap into our powers with other senses!"

"Atta girl." Without hesitation, Adagio snatches the incense from her friend, and wafts in front of your face. "Now," she demands, "you shall give me that drink for free. You will obey me."

"Nah," you reply, trying not to sneeze from the fumes. "You know how much it costs. No freebies."

"Ugh, I thought we had something," Aria mutters. "Maybe we could try different scents?"

"Hold on, I still think Sonata might've charmed him last night." Adagio gestures towards the sleeping girl. "Maybe if she gives the order..."

"Hey Sonata!" Aria calls out, "Tell the barkeep to give Adagio free drinks!"

Sonata Dusk rolls over and wakes up just long enough to mumble something incoherent. And now she's asleep again.

Judging by the look on Adagio's face, she didn't quite hear her either. You decide to have some fun.

"I will obey!" you say in the most neutral tone you can manage. You add the sprig of mint as a finishing touch, then hold the drink out for Adagio to take. "I will give this drink to Adagio for free!"

Said Dazzling's jaw drops. "I knew it! Sonata really did snag this one!"

Just as Adagio reaches out to grab the mojito, you pull it back out of her reach at the last second.

"Gotcha. Pay up, Adagio."

"Oh, piss off!"

*******

It's been about an hour since Adagio stormed out of the bar, Aria in tow. They left their snoozing friend behind; you decide she could use the peace and quiet. You also kept the untouched mojito behind the bar until someone else ordered one.

It isn't until the mid-afternoon rush that Sonata finally stirs awake, still in the parasol's shade. She may never know that you've been moving it around her every hour or so, keeping the sun off her pale-blue skin. She sits dumbly on the sunbed, silently watching you serve drinks until the customers thin out, before ambling over to the bar herself and plunking herself on a barstool.

"Ugh, what time is it? I'm starving."

A girl after your own heart, surely.

"Almost four. Here," you push a packet of salted nuts across the counter. "It's on the house, should keep you going until dinner."

"You're just offering me free nuts, huh?" Sonata flutters her eyelashes flirtatiously. "You sure know how to get a girl in bed."

"Dinner and a drink first." You say without thinking; it just slipped out.

"Whoa, really?" she blinks.

"Why not?" you shrug; you've already gone this far. In for a penny, you guess. "That is, if your friends are cool with it."

"Pfft, they aren't the boss of me! I can date whoever I want, they can't say jack about it." Sonata declares.

"And, theoretically," you nonchalantly wipe a glass with a trusty cleaning rag, "if you were to date me tonight, where would you think is the ideal place for that? Again, theoretically."

Sonata looks up at the bar's thatched roof for a moment. "I know a good restaurant near the beach," she finally says. "Does really good steak."

"A steak lover?" you raise an eyebrow. You wouldn't have thought it just by looking at her skinny, swimsuit-clad form. Nevertheless; "Sounds good. How does seven sound?"

Sonata tilts her head a little. "You mean seven steaks between us, or seven steaks each?"

"I mean a seven o'clock start."

"Oh. Oh! That's also good! I guess I won't need these after all," Sonata winks playfully, leaving the packet of nuts on the counter. "Gotta save room for food tonight! I'm gonna get ready, meet me there at seven!"

Meet me there at seven.

With that, she hops off the barstool and skips toward the exit. Then she stops halfway, turns back and scoops up the salted nuts.

"Actually yeah, lemme take those. My munchies right now are fierce."

*******

You close the pool-bar a few hours later.

Soon after that, you're scrutinising yourself in the mirror. Shit, showered and shaved. Teeth scrubbed clean. Hair on point. Smart-casual clothing without a single crease in it. All you have to do now it put some shoes on and you're set. But something still feels off.

It just doesn't feel real, somehow. You've dated before, of course, but you get the feeling Sonata isn't gonna be like most other girls you've been with. Maybe it's the mystery surrounding her and the other two Dazzlings. The fact they appear so young, although their IDs clearly say otherwise. Their affinity for "charming" and other magical terms that would've been considered nonsense a few years ago.

Speaking of charms... a horrible thought just pops into your head. Dinner and a drink first. You remember saying it, but did you really mean to? Or did Sonata-?

No. You're gonna stop yourself right there. She couldn't have charmed you. Adagio said they no longer have that kind of power, right?

Right!?

Meet me there at seven. That's what she told you. But was it a command?

You step back from the mirror and look towards the shoes in the corner of your room. If Sonata really did put a charm on you, then you'd have no choice but to put the shoes on and meet her by the restaurant. But if you pull a no-show and just leave her waiting, that means there was never a charm in the first place... and that you're a huge jerk. But if you show up, is it because she wants you to, or because you want to?

A single memory pierces your muddled thoughts - that night in the pool. When you had your first real conversation with her. During the confusion, there was that flash of pain... why did you not question it when it occurred? Of course, you were more concerned about Sonata at the time. You wrote it off as your imagination.

Your stomach starts to grow tighter and tighter the more you think about it. She convinced you to give her free reign of pool at night so easily. Was that charming too? Was everything she did part of a charm? Or was nothing a charm, and you're going crazy with paranoia?

You could ditch her, but being able to ditch her means she's innocent.
You could go tonight, but that could very well mean you're under her spell. Or not. There's no way of telling.

Wait! Of course, you figured at way out of this dilemma! Flip a coin!

Dipping into your wallet, you produce a shiny silver coin. If it's heads, you go to the date, and it's technically the coin telling you to go, not Sonata, and therefore no mind-control! Simple.

But if it's tails? Then it gets complicated. If you still turn up for the date after that, it means for better or worse, she has a grip on you.

You give yourself one last glance in the mirror, and position the coin over your thumbnail. And with a deep breath, you flip.

*******

The summer sun starts to dip in the sky, but the daylight still has a few hours of distant glowing on the horizon. The faint seaside breeze doesn't bother Sonata. In fact, the only thing biting her was the absence of her date. She uneasily pulls out her phone yet again to check the time; he's only running five minutes late, but the anticipation keeps the passing time to an oppressive crawl.

Sonata quietly wishes she'd thought to exchange phone numbers.

"Sorry I'm late."

Sonata looks up from her phone to see your approach. You must admit, the screen of her phone does a good job of lighting up her violet eyes.

She's wearing a dark-raspberry blazer, her sleeves rolled up to reveal the same punk-ish spiked wristbands she insists on swimming with. A teasingly short, pastel-pink skirt adorns her waist, and a pair of long, vivid-pink and white boots rise up almost to her knees. It occurs to you that this is the first time you've seen Sonata in actual clothes, instead of the plain purple swimsuit you've seen her in every day.

"You're not late! Barely five minutes, it's no biggie!" Sonata chirps, "C'mon, I'm totally hankering for some grub."

With that, she grabs you by the arm and, with a surprising amount of strength, ushers you into the restaurant.

You catch a great spot by the window, with a great view of the beach and the water beyond. As soon as you sit down, Sonata's already studying the menu for something to-

"Made my choice!"

Wow, she chose already? You've barely opened your own menu. Fortunately, you make your decision just before the waiter turns up.

"Welcome, sir and madam, to th-" Suddenly, the waiter's eyebrows raise. "Oh! It's you, madam! I see you've brought different company than usual!"

"Hi! We're on a date!" Sonata declares ecstatically.

"A good choice of restaurant, in that case!" the waiter replies, because of course he'd say that. "The usual meal?"

"You know it!" Sonata chirps.

"Excellent! And for the fine gentleman?"

You play it safe with your own order; a spiced veggie burger with a heap of peppered fries and salad soaked in dressing. As for the drinks, Sonata orders a rum and coke, while you order a beer; it's about time someone was serving you the drinks for once.

After the waiter had served the drinks and left with the menus, you take a long draught of beer just to stop your throat from drying. "So, Sonata," you begin. "Can we talk about... whatever you and your friends are working on? Charms and all that stuff?"

Sonata brings the straw from her rum and coke up to her lips. After a thoughtful sip, she says; "Whaddya mean?" Not the best reply considering how long she thought about it.

"I just want to know the specifics of it, that's all."

Sonata tilts her head and raises a quizzical eyebrow. You continue talking, just for the sake of making sound.

"Like, how does it work? Is it mind-control, or one big illusion, or are you just puppeteering a body? Are charmed people even aware of it? Most importantly, how do you break a charm? I can't stress that enough."

"Whoa, where's all this coming from, man?" Sonata leans back in her seat. She's trying to be nonchalant, you can tell, but her eyes are scanning you like a hawk.

"Uh, I'm interested in what you get up to when you're not around the pool-bar." It's hard to come up with excuses on the spot.

"C'mon, Adagio and Aria aren't here to give you hell. Be honest with me."

Be honest with me.

"I want to know how charms work because I'm almost certain you've charmed me."

The words just fell out of your mouth. They felt like the perfect words to say, right up until you are done saying them. Sonata just stares dumbly at you for a moment, before scrunching her nose up with a snort of laughter.

"Man, I've heard some crazy pickup lines in my day, but that one was adorable," she chuckles, sipping more of her drink. "I mean we're already on a date, you're a little late on the pickup! But hey, bonus points for referencing the whole charm thing."

"I'm being honest with you, Sonata. Just like you told me to."

That hint flew right over Sonata's pretty head. "Oh, trust me man, you don't wanna talk to me about charms."

"I don't want to talk to you about charms," you parrot back at her.

That got her attention; she looks back up at you with a cocked eyebrow. "Did you just-?"

"Yeah."

"Like, not a joke?"

You shake your head. "Not a joke."

"Prove it. Spill your drink."

Before you can even think of a way to dissuade her from making you do that, the beer glass is already toppled. To the restaurant's credit, a staff member's already on their way with kitchen towels and a damp flannel.

"Holy crap," she mutters.

"Gee, thanks for that," you scoff. "You're paying for my replacement beer."

"Nah, you're paying for it," she says without thinking. Damn her.

After the mess had been cleaned up, you sit down with a new beer that you'd paid for. From there, you just sit in silence. Sonata can't talk, just in case she charms you into doing something. You can't talk, because there's only one subject you can think of, and you're unable to bring it up.

"So," Sonata finally breaks the ice. "Charms."

"Don't wanna talk to you about it," you say bluntly.

"Why not!?" she snaps accusingly.

"Because you told me so."

"Oh. OH! Of course I did," she holds her hands up in a rare show of responsibility. "I hereby give you permission to, uh, want to talk about stuff. Or something. I dunno. Did it work?"

"So," you test your newfound freedom. "Charms."

"Cool, that worked. That's good. Please, tell me everyth-" Sonata suddenly halts herself, bringing a hand up to her mouth. "I mean, uh, I'm not trying to control you in any way, but if you told me what you know about how..." she waves her arms vaguely, "this happened, it would be really cool. Not that I'm commanding you to do anything."

How considerate of her.

"I don't know exactly," you admit. "But I'm pretty sure it was when we were both swimming in the pool last night. I had this huge flash of pain, but I didn't think much of it at the time, since it was over quickly. Heck, I didn't even consider myself charmed until I tried flipping a coin to see if I should turn up or not! Came up tails, telling me not to go but screw that, because guess what, I'm charmed! I just want this spell broken, or turned off, or whatever it is you do."

"That's the problem, though! I don't know how I charmed you either, honest!" Sonata pleads. "I gave up on charms after we lost our gems - the source of our powers. Man, if Adagio knew I accidentally succeeded at something she's been failing at for years, she'd never let me hear the end of it!"

"For both our sakes, let's keep this between us," you suggest. Sonata nods. "But now that we know you've charmed me, you can turn the charm right back off, can't you?"

"Sure, we'd just use our gems! But we don't have those anymore. Bummer."

"So what? Am I stuck as your puppet forever now?"

"Hey, I didn't wanna charm you, it just happened!"

"But how!?"

"By accident, duh! I don't even know what I did to cause it or when!" Sonata buries are head in her hands. "I'm just... I'm sorry, okay?"

You just sit there in silence. You've seen the Dazzlings happy, sad, angry, sleepy... but you've never seen them guilty before. This is no ruse; she's truly sorry for what she's done.

"You know, I just realised," Sonata says, her voice unusually still for her. "The only reason you're here is because I told you to come on this date. I made you come here, and I thought it was because, you know, you actually liked me. Not because I was making you."

"Sonata-"

"So if you want to leave, you can," she lowers her hands back on the table, revealing an unmoving face with two watery eyes. "I'm not gonna tell you to leave, because that'd be mind-control too. But if you don't wanna stay here, you're allowed to go whenever you want. I don't wanna date someone who doesn't want it back. I'm not like Adagio anymore."

Those words hang in the air for the shortest time, quickly becoming lost in the clutter of the restaurant. Almost a minute of silence passes. You don't move at all.

"I'm free to leave whenever I want?" you finally ask.

"Uh huh," Sonata avoids eye contact, nudging an unused fork across the table. Anything to distract her from this whole mistake of an evening. "Not telling you to, though. That way you can get outta here willingly."

You don't leave - of course you don't. Instead, you calmly place your hand over Sonata's. She promptly stops pushing the fork, freezing on the spot. Her eyes blink twice in confusion before rising to meet yours.

"That means I can stay willingly too, right?" you say with a smile.

Part 4 - Dining with an Ex-Monster

It's been almost five minutes since you told Sonata of your intention to stay. All she did in return was smile and say "I appreciate it". Since then, she's been unusually quiet, especially for someone as talkative as her. She clearly doesn't want to accidentally make your charmed condition worse, but it still feels unnatural.

Luckily, before it can get any more awkward, the waiter arrives with two generously-sized plates. While you only ordered the veggie burger, they didn't skimp on any part of it. Three patties stacked on top of each other, with a soft bun that almost topples over from the height. There are so many fries that you can hardly see the plate beneath it. The salad's bunched up in a corner of the plate, dripping with dressing.

And then you notice Sonata's plate.

"Uh, Sonata? Is that what I think it is?"

Her meal came with its own steak-knife, along with the usual utensils. Currently, she's carving through a hunk of what looks like...

"Raw meat?" she finishes your thought. "Kinda. It's seared on the outside, but it's almost raw on the inside. Some countries call it 'blue steak' for some dumb reason, but it's totally pink to me. It's as raw as restaurants are legally allowed to serve it."

"You've got... interesting taste."

"To you, maybe. I eat this stuff for the same reason I do the underwater apnea stuff."

"You eat raw meat because you miss having gills?"

"Nah. I miss my fangs."

"Huh." While you're thinking of how to best phrase your next question, Sonata is happily chewing on her almost-bloody meat like it's the tastiest candy.

"You know when I asked if you were a mermaid, Sonata?"

"Yup. Ya guessed it wrong."

"Here's my second guess; are you some kind of shark-woman?"

"Snrrrk! Bahahahah!" She's so tickled by the question, she has to put her carving-knife down for a moment. A few patrons glance over to see what the noise is before going back to their dinners.

"Swing and a miss?" you quip once she's calmed down enough.

She sighs and wipes away a tear of laughter. "You know what? Since I screwed up with the whole charm thing, I guess I owe you an explanation. I'm a Siren."

"A Siren? Like, the beautiful women who lured sailors to a watery grave?" You realise you've been so distracted by Sonata's plateful that you've not yet touched your veggie burger. Just for the sake of eating, you pop a peppered fry into your mouth.

"Yes and no. Half of that's just silly humans spreading hysteria." Sonata jabs another hunk of meat with her fork and examines the pink flesh. "We were beautiful, sure. But not in the way you think. We looked more like horse-fish-things... guess you'd call it a hippocampus or whatever. We ruled the seas without an issue, right at the top of the food chain. Sometimes we'd come to land to hunt more than just seafood, using our magic to hover for short periods of time. But all that's in the past."

"So you took up apnea because you were sentimental about living underwater?"

She nods. "And this food reminds me of what we used to eat back then; fresh, delicious creatures. These human teeth don't hold a candle to the chompers I used to have. Heck, a few years ago I got obsessed with tacos because the shell reminded me of crunching the bones of my enemies!" Finally, she puts the fork in her mouth and chows down on the meat, savouring the bite. "I still do like tacos, but it's not an every-day sorta thing," she adds through a mouthful.

After a moment of chewing, she swallows the meat with a subdued sense of thrill that dies away quickly. "Then again, Adagio and Aria have a point when it comes to this food and the apnea stuff. It's all for the sake of memories. Memories are nice, sure. But that's all they are."

You watch her poke the almost-raw meat around the plate for a while, then look down at your untouched, triple-stacked veggie burger. In the back of your mind, you feel the need to help her. Such an urge can't be a charm, because she's not asked you to help. All the more reason to act on it.

"You're right, Sonata," you say, removing the bun from the top of your burger. "Memories are nice. But making new memories are even better."

With that, you take the topmost veggie patty from the burger, using your knife and fork as rudimentary tongs, and offer it to her. "Ever tried a veggie burger before?"

"Didn't know you were a vegetarian," she replies. "You must be grossed out by my meal, huh?"

"I'm not a vegetarian, I just think veggie burgers are less greasy."

"That's fair, I'll take it. Wanna try the blue steak? Just to be clear, that's not an charm-order or anything..."

*******

Most people, when they discover their date's an ancient mythical threat from ages past, would run for cover. You, the absolute madman you are, decide to have a romantic dinner with her. Even after she gives you permission to leave.

The most surprising thing you learn tonight, however, is that almost-raw meat seared on the outside is strangely delicious. Its taste reminds you of campfires and clear night skies, with a taste that almost compels you to grab a spear and hunt wild bulls. Meanwhile, since Sonata was made aware of the spices in the veggie burger - cumin, paprika and turmeric specifically - she's made a mental note to put that stuff on everything from now on.

Sonata puts her fifth empty rum-and-coke glass on the table. You slam your fifth pint. The empty plates are long gone thanks to the staff, but you've had so much fun talking with her, the drinks just kept coming.

"So yeah, she doesn't look like it, but Aria's totally the nerd of the group. For realsies."

"No way."

"Yuh huh," Sonata nods as sagely as, well, Sonata. "She made notes on everything back in the day; Siren-magic, different effects on different victims, how long the magic lasts and how flexible the spells are, stuff like that."

"Wait a second," something in your booze-addled mind says that you just missed something important. "What were we talking about?"

"How Aria's a secret nerd?"

"Nah, after that."

"Something about Siren magic?"

"I think so. Wait, before that!"

"Again, Aria's a nerd? Oh, you mean how she kept notes!"

You snap your fingers to signify a correct answer. "Yeah, that! Does she still keep those notes around? Maybe they'd help cure my, uh, charm-ness. Cure me being charmed. Cure my Charm-itis."

Sonata pulls a strange face. Then you realise it's because she's thinking through the rum. "Might work, but I'm sure she wrote those back when we had Siren-Gems. The notes might be irrelevant when it comes to dealing with your version of it."

"It's gotta be worth a shot though, right?"

"Totes. I'll tell her I'm interested in helping them get their grooves back, and she'll be sure to fork those notes over! And hopefully I'll find a way to... free you, I guess?"

"Thanks," you smile as the waiter approaches the table with the bill; pricey, but not going to bankrupt you anytime soon. "I'll handle the bill."

*******

The walk back to Sonata's place is quiet, save for the surrounding crickets congregating in every bush. The summer heat persists through the cloudless night, the stars above almost bright enough to illuminate the ground between lamp-posts. Sonata mumbles to herself, still mildly drunk as she tries to rehearse the best way to get Aria to part with her notes.

Bless her. She's trying so hard to be a good person, despite who she hangs out with. Maybe if she left the other two Sirens for good, she'd be a saint in her own right... but she'd also be without the only two people who knew what it was like to hold the power she once had. She misses her gills, so she tries to nearly drown herself every time she visits a pool. She misses her fangs, so she eats excessively crunchy food and almost-raw meat to remind herself of what she was capable of. And she misses her old life, so... she hangs out with the only other two who can relate. Even if they're a bad influence on her.

Memories. It's all about memories and how she misses what life used to be like. She could make new memories, like you offered her back in the restaurant. You could provide them. You could be her new source of happiness, if only you knew a way to put it into words.

"We're here," she pipes up.

You've stopped just outside a small, white apartment complex. It's only a couple stories high, and the corners of the building has been smoothly rounded out to give it a friendlier tone. A similar design your own house, but of course far larger.

"We all live on the second floor," Sonata says. "I'm in apartment number 203."

"If you want me to join you up there for coffee, you only need to order me," you say, suddenly very aware of how drunk you are as well. Otherwise, you'd never have said that.

Lucky for you, Sonata sees the funny side of it, making no effort to hide her smile nor her blush.

"Well, I'm not going to order you," she begins slowly, as if she's trying on a flirtatious tone she hasn't used in years. "But if you were to, um, say goodnight at any point, now would be the perfect time. Again, not ordering you, because that'd be... y'know, mind control and I, er, that'd be... y'know, sucky and weird. And stuff. Because, like..."

You place a finger over Sonata's babbling lips. You can see in her eyes that she's wordlessly grateful for your intervention, before she ran out of ways to sound more awkward. Watching her fumble and dance around the topic is actually rather cute, but it's no fun letting her suffer like that.

She has all the flustered signs of someone reaching out for love, but being unable to say it straight for fear of walking on eggshells. With your recent condition, you can see why. And you know just how to fix it.

"It's okay," you lean in and whisper. Her breath is warm against your face. "You can say it if you want to."

"R-really?"

"Just this once," you assure her. "I'll let you say it. I won't mind."

Sonata's cheeks light up even more, and her voice catches. Her breathing almost turns into a pant before she gets it back under control. Finally, with a half-lidded gaze and a mischievous smirk, she gives you an order that you have no problem with at all.

"Kiss me."

Those words had barely left her mouth, and already you move in with your lips. Her own soft lips push back as her arms hook around your shoulders. Your hands find themselves holding her hips. Just as you part your lips to breathe, her tongue darts forward at the first opportunity, taking you off-guard. You welcome it regardless, playfully trying to pin her tongue down with your own, stopping only to sigh and gasp keen breaths between each kiss.

You can feel her heartbeat through her chest that presses against your own, each quickened thump reminding you of the living, breathing, beautiful creature that Sonata was, and has become.

Kiss me, she said. But she didn't say love me. What you're feeling right now is all you.

Part 5 - Knowings and Notes

You awaken the next morning after the most wonderful rest; for the first time in years, your mind was far away from the day's duties. Instead, your swirling thoughts feature Sonata herself, swimming through your mind as effortlessly as she does in your pool. You're so preoccupied with your own contentedness, you don't even notice the figure watching you open your bar.

"So. Dating."

You look up from cleaning your bar's counter-top to see the judgemental eyes of Aria Blaze. Not even one minute into opening time, and there's already trouble brewing.

"No point in hiding it from you, eh?" you reply. Trying to deny it from someone like Aria would only make things far worse.

"Hiding it? I saw you both smooching from my bedroom window. You looked ravenous."

You pretend not to notice the heat behind your cheeks. "What's it to ya?" you retort, trying to give her a taste of her own grumpiness.

"Quite a lot, if Sonata's to be believed," Aria smirks, leaning against the bar's counter. Your eyes scan the area; neither Sonata nor Adagio seem to be here. Too early in the day for them. "She barged into my apartment just after she arrived, demanding to see my notes on charm magic."

You freeze on the spot. Not very tactful of her. Then again, she was drinking that night, as were you. You think back to the date; the agreement to keep your charmed condition between yourselves. Did she really just go home and blab to the first person who'd listen!?

Aria leans forward cockily; "You know what that means, right?"

No. You have to trust Sonata. You want to trust her. She wouldn't sell you out like that.

Would she?

"What?" you try to sound nonchalant. It came out a bit hoarse.

"Obviously," Aria scoffs, "she's trying to charm you. You must've been such a good date she's trying to keep you permanently."

Wait, if that's what Aria thinks is happening, then... Sonata kept your secret! She didn't sell you out after all!

"Oh," you say dumbly, trying to hide a smile. "Why are you telling me this?"

"I'm telling you because it means she actually likes you! For real. The charm ain't gonna work, of course. We can't really do that sorta thing anymore, despite what Adagio thinks. I go along with it just in case something happens, but let's be real here; we're not magic anymore."

For a split second, you thought about telling Aria the truth regarding Sonata, and how she actually succeeded in charming you. Then you immediately think better of it, because you aren't an absolute moron.

Aria continues unabated; "The important thing is that you oughta treat Sonata right, seeing as you're one of the few people who she likes these days. She'll always be the little sister of the group."

"Even though your IDs all say you're around thirty?" you quip back.

"Do you really believe our IDs?" Aria crosses her arms. "Do you think we're that old?"

"No, of course not," you retort. "I actually think you're older."

Aria's eyes widen by the smallest amount. "She told you, didn't she?"

"Not directly," you shrug. "But I pieced it together. She told me you were all Sirens, and they've been around for a long time. You must be several thousand years old, right?"

Aria responds with a scowl. "Several thousand my ass. We've only been in this world for just over one thousand."

"As for the IDs that say you're thirty..."

"They're legit. Or at least official." Aria nods. "Every ten to fifteen years, we drop in on our state-issued licence providers. We tell them there's a misprinted number on our date-of-birth, and that we're actually eighteen. They believe us, since we look the part, and they update the year. Rinse and repeat."

"And they never catch on?"

"It's usually someone different working there each time we pull that trick. Either that or it's been too long for them to remember us."

"Mystery solved," you chuckle, perhaps as a means to cope with the fact your ex-monster girlfriend is older than the invention of windmills, handguns and mechanical clocks. "And now that I know for sure you're old enough to drink... what'll it be?"

"It's still morning, so I want something light," Aria smiles. "Tequila Sunrise, please."

*******

The rest of the day went by quietly. Aria left within the hour. After that, it was just the usual customers... except for the Dazzlings. No Sonata practising apnea in the pool. No Adagio strutting about like she owns the place. Nothing.

Midday drags its heels through the afternoon, then the evening, then finally closing time. Not a Siren in sight. This whole time, your insides sink deeper and deeper into unease. It's not like them to just disappear like that. On the bright side, it gives you the chance to come to terms with Sonata's age; she's still more or less a young adult, despite being over a millennia old. It's just a matter of perception.

You finally make it back to your home. Today's just been one uneasy mess, but at least now you can finally relax.

"HEY DUDE IT'S ME OPEN UP!"

Sonata's face squishes against your bedroom window, scaring the crap out of you. Even though it's dark outside, you can clearly make out the bags under her eyes.

It would make a lot more sense for you to get up and let her in through the front door, but instead, you open the window and let her tumble through; she never specified what to open, after all. As a result, you're treated to the sight of her falling face-down-ass-up onto your bedroom floor. After you watch her flop about for a moment, Sonata brings herself to her feet and produces her phone from her pocket; "Ta daaaah!"

Once she notices your blank look, she opens the photo-viewer on the phone, scrolling through picture after picture of scribbled notebook pages.

"I spent all of today with Aria's notes on charm magic," she explains, "and while I was reading them I thought Gee, there's so many notes, I'll need weeks to get through them all! So instead of just reading them, I decided to take pictures of them instead! That way we can both read the notes without ever having to ask Aria again!"

"You spent the whole day taking pictures of a notebook?"

"Well, yeah. Most of it was deciding what filter to put on each page." Sonata shrugs lazily. "I'm very tired."

Honestly, you don't care if the notes are in Sierra, Sepia-tone or Lo-Fi. "Anything in there about a cure?"

"Not really; why would a Siren ever focus on that? But there is info on how far a charm can go," Sonata swipes through a few chapters, "Maybe if we use this info to stretch the charm to its limits, then maybe we can straight-up break it."

"Sounds insane," you tell her. "Let's get started."

"Cool. Chapter one;" Sonata squints to read the scrawlings on her phone, before remembering its zoom-in function, "The art of charming is a spell that alters the logical centres of the victim's brain, rendering them highly susceptible to suggestions from the caster. Hell, I coulda told ya that!"

"What does that mean?"

"It means, duh, that we can just order you not to take orders! I think." Sonata adopts a powerful stance, hand-on-hips, and points to you in a take-that fashion. "I order you not to take any more orders from now on! I order you to be cured of my charm!"

You feel... you feel... absolutely nothing.

"Okay, now to test it out," Sonata says. "Stand on one leg for a sec."

Without thinking or questioning her, you lift a leg.

"No! You weren't supposed to do that!"

"Oh, right," you say. You remain one-legged.

"Why are you still doing that!?"

"You told me to."

"Well you're not supposed to!"

"Can't not, though."

Sonata sighs. "Still charmed, huh? Screw it, put your leg back down." She whips through a few more pictures. "There have to be ways to override charms. If it alters the logical centres of your brain, maybe we can use logical paradoxes to break you out."

"Sonata, what the hell are you even-"

Before you can utter another word, Sonata shoves her face unsettlingly close to yours, and with her tired eyes wide open, she yells;

"WHO SHAVES THE BARBER!?"

"...What?"

"I DARE YOU NOT TO ACCEPT THIS DARE."

"Sonata, I don't think it's working."

"THIS STATEMENT IS FALSE."

"That only works on evil robots, Sonata!"

She finally backs off. "I dunno, it might've worked. Snap your fingers three times if you're still charmed."

You watch helplessly as your hand raises, and your middle finger and thumb press firmly together. Snap. Snap. Snap.

The hopeful light dims from Sonata's eyes. "Damn, I thought that would've worked!"

"Hey, don't worry," you reassure her. "There are way more notes to go through."

She turns back to her phone, eyeing the notes in disgust. "Yeah, but I had really high hopes for that one."

Gently, you place an arm around her shoulder. "It's okay. I appreciate you going through all this. I can tell you're doing everything you can to help. You could've just made me a captive or something, but you didn't."

"If this happened a few years ago, I probably would have," she mumbles bitterly. "Back when we called charmed people like you thralls. Back when we were power-mad."

"That's not you anymore though, is it?"

Sonata shakes her head. "I'll undo this charm one way or another, I promise. But right now, I can't even begin to think of a plan for it. There's like two hundred pages here, and most of them don't even help. Gotta look at this with a clear mind."

"Wanna go for a swim? You've still got dibs on the pool at night."

She genuinely considers it for a moment. "Nah. I'll be tired all tomorrow if I did that. No condition to help. I just wanna rest for now. I gotta rest."

"Want me to walk you home? You look exhausted."

"Nah. I know the way back. Here." She jams her phone into your free hand. "Passcode's 8226. Maybe you'll have better luck reading through the notes than I do." And with that, tries to lift herself through the open window.

Your jaw drops. "You aren't serious."

"What?"

"You're just leaving me with your phone?"

"Yeah?"

"Sonata, I'm not going through your personal stuff while you just waltz off for a whole night. I've got a bed right here, I'll sleep on the couch or something."

She looks at you, then the bed, then back to you. "Heck, you said it, not me," she shrugs. Then she takes her top off.

"Whoa Sonata what the hell are you- oh." You stop freaking out when you realise she's wearing the swimsuit - the same one you see her in almost every day - under her regular clothes.

"What? I'm just getting comfortable. I do this all the time," she grins, pulling her skirt down. Even though she's still technically clothed, you find yourself unable to look away. And she knows it.

"You wear that swimsuit twenty-four seven?"

"I wash it too!" she retorts defensively, plopping herself onto your bed. "More than you wash your bedsheets, at least. It's cool, my bedsheets stink too."

"Gee, thanks. Have a good night, Sonata," you say, opening the bedroom door; the couch awaits.

You were expecting her to reply with something like "Yeah, have a good night too", but when you turned back, she was already sound asleep.

After relaxing in your makeshift bed - made from a spare blanket and the cushions acting as pillows - you discover Sonata's phone in your pocket; must've been from when she gave it to you earlier. 8226, right? Maybe your non-Siren perspective would catch something she'd miss.

You're not even two minutes into reading Aria's notes when something vital stands out in the chapter labelled Giving Orders; Dictation vs Self-Preservation.

The following Law of Charming was discovered by accident in the Autumn of 1987, as Adagio ordered her latest thrall to buy her an espresso from a nearby coffee shop. Said shop was on the other side of a busy road. As observed many times before, the thrall took steps in self-preservation, walking to the nearest set of traffic lights and waiting for the right time to cross safely. This is perfectly normal for those under the effects of a charm, as we leave the so-called "Survival Instinct" part of the brain untouched, meaning our thralls don't accidentally walk into buses or off cliffs when carrying out certain orders.

However, Adagio began to show signs of impatience and, once her thrall was on his way back out of the coffee shop, espresso in hand, she ordered him to "hurry up and screw waiting at the lights". And this is where it gets interesting; the thrall was forced into carrying out a task that directly interfered with his sense of self-preservation. The result was strange to behold; he happily walked out into the busy road, and was halfway across when a truck sped around a nearby corner. Said juggernaut screeched past the thrall, missing him by what I can only assume to be inches at most. At which point he appeared to shudder, and a moment later, drop the coffee and run off.

Even as Adagio shouted orders from afar, the formerly charmed thrall did not obey, choosing of his own free will to escape our grasp. I can only speculate that the near-death experience caused the untouched "survival instinct" part of the brain to override the original order. And once the charmed individual reaches the logical conclusion of being able to disobey orders, any future orders no longer have any effect on them. To put it simply; the charm breaks.

Moral of the story? Don't make your thralls do stupid crap.

By the time you'd finished reading, your veins ran cold. In order for you to get rid of your charm... you had to undergo a near-death experience. Perhaps Sonata had missed this part of Aria's notes; she did look exhausted, after all. First thing tomorrow, you'll speak to her about it. Maybe she can figure something out.

Curling up under the blanket, you lie wide awake, flicking through the rest of the notes. There must be an easier way. Must be.

Amongst all the thoughts that buzz around in your head, one thing stands out; tonight is going to be long and restless.

Part 6 - Dead End Discovery

Man, you look worse off than I did!

You know what? I can make up for that. Come with me.

Yeah, now lie in bed. Put your head right here.

Sweet. Isn't that so much more comfortable?

Rest up, dude. We have a long day ahead.

You feel the balmy heat of summer against your eyelids. Your body wants to stay under these covers forever, but your stomach wants breakfast. Even though you know the curtains are closed, the room is well-lit from the light that bleeds through said curtains. A yawn coming from somewhere nearby pulls you further from slumber. You instinctively respond with a yawn of your own, burying your head deeper into the warm pillow as you enjoy its calming heartbeat.

Wait, hold up.

You lazily lift an eyelid to find that your pillow's no longer there, nor are you resting on the couch in the next room over. You're back in your own bedroom, resting on something soft and round, tightly clad in purple lycra; a familiar swimsuit. Then you notice the blue skin beneath it.

Your head's on Sonata's boob.

Not quite knowing what to do - or how you got there, for that matter - you groggily try to lift yourself up and away from the breast you're pressing into your own face. Seeing as you're still half asleep however, all you manage to do is flop about a bit and make groaning noises.

"Good to see you're awake, sleepyhead. Thought you'd be snoozing forever!"

Your second attempt to wake up properly is a lot more successful, rolling completely off her. Once your senses are back in their entirety, you see Sonata, still donning that swimsuit of hers, wide awake and grinning; she knows exactly what she did.

"I woke up in the morning and saw you were an absolute mess!" She explains, scooting out of the bed. "It's like you only had like five minutes of sleep or something. So I thought I'd let you rest up a little longer in your own bed."

"What time is it?" you ask.

"Almost one."

"Ah crap. The bar."

"Man, you have more things to worry about than that. Don't you think we should focus more on curing you?"

You rub the back of your head; you suppose you could close the bar for one afternoon. Then you remember what kept you up so late.

"Oh! Sonata, the notes! I found a way to break the charm!"

"You did!?" Her eyes light up.

"Yeah! It's in this chapter right here," you say hastily, grabbing her phone and leafing through the pictures. "Basically, all I need to do is have a near-death experience and-"

Slap! Sonata's hand quickly knocks the phone right out of your hand, sending it flying - thankfully - into the bed's pillow.

"No," she says with the stern tone one would use on a badly-behaved child. "We're not using that trick. If we were, I'd've tried it by now."

"Sonata, what else is there? I know it's risky, but-"

"Too risky," Sonata cuts you off, staring you down. "The charmed guy who discovered that cure was lucky. A few other thralls we had back in the day had the bright idea of trying to do the same thing when we weren't looking. Some tried poisoning themselves to near-death, then drinking an antidote. Some tried jumping off tall things with a trampoline at the bottom. Others even had the bright idea shooting apples of one-another's heads, making it a 'close call'. I won't get into the gristly details, but..." Her eye contact breaks off from your own, "It doesn't work every time."

"So... put it in the 'maybe' pile?"

"Just think of something else, okay?" she pleads. So, being under her spell, that's exactly what you do.

"Hmm. Remember when you said you were able to cancel charms with your gems?"

"Gems we don't have anymore, but carry on."

"Maybe if we recreate the same situation that caused me to get charmed in the first place, it'd reverse itself?"

Sonata opens her mouth to say something, but then stops. Then she tries again; "You mean that time in the pool? With the flash of pain?"

"Yeah. I touched you, thinking you were drowning, then you started failing around, then I felt the flash."

"And you think that'll work? Be honest."

You be honest; "No, I don't think it'll work at all. But it's the only other thing I can think of."

Sonata's mouth twists into a frown. "Fine. Grab your swim trunks. We're going for a dip."

Minutes later, you're at the deserted pool-bar. It would seem the regulars have already spread their wings and flown to other pastures of sunshine and inebriation. Sonata's already there, standing by the pools edge and rocking back and forth on her heels. She wordlessly beckons you over with a finger.

"Here's how this is gonna go down," she states bluntly. "I'll jump in the pool. You dive in after me and touch me with your hand. Or whatever you did back then. Not likely to cure you, but we gotta try something, right?"

"Sure thing," you say, fully aware that the charm is making you say that. You decide to add something else on the end; "You seem kinda tense, Sonata. Is everything okay?"

"Nope. This sucks." And with that, she drops into the pool with a splash. You watch the water's surface dance around until it settles, revealing Sonata's form lying at the bottom, arms crossed. Then the charm kicks in; you take a breath and dive in after her. You push yourself as deep as you can, each stroke making you marvel at how Sonata's such a natural in the water. After a few seconds, you're close enough to Sonata to grab her. Just as you did last time, you wrap your arm around her waist and...

Nothing.

Sonata gives you a deadpan look, and an unimpressed huff that materialises itself as a cloud of bubbles. Then you remember the struggle that ensued that night, and how she cut your cheek in the mess of it. Maybe that was part of an accidental ritual? You gesture your arm around the cheek, and mouth the words 'slap my face'.

Her hand half-assedly pats your cheek. Still nothing.

You point towards the surface before kicking off the bottom of the pool. Taking a gasp of air as you break the surface, you hear the water ripple as Sonata ascends beside you. She's not even panting.

"Welp," she deadpans. "You said it probably wouldn't work."

"Hear me out," you raise a hand while keeping the other clasped onto the poolside. "When we went down there, you accidentally grazed my cheek with your wristband. Maybe if we dive down there again, and you draw some of my blood..."

"Man, you're a glutton for punishment, aren't you?" She splashes some water in your direction. "First you wanna try risking your life, now you want me to start cutting you up?"

"I don't want to do either, Sonata. I want this charm broken!"

"Geez! Fine!" she snarls in exasperation. "If I remember right, I also accidentally drank -" her voice catches for a moment - "I also got some blood in my mouth too. Might as well go whole hog."

"Wha-"

Too late. Sonata flings herself at you before you can get a word out, causing you to lose your grip on the poolside and fall hopelessly back under the water. You wouldn't have minded so much if she'd given you a chance to take a breath first.

Sonata asserts herself on top of you as you sink, until you're met with the dull thud of the pool's mosiac-spangled floor. She makes quick work of you; one of her hands holding your head still, while the other one takes a swipe at you with the metallic studded wristband.

The cut didn't hurt as much as last time - you were expecting it. You weren't expecting Sonata to lean in over you and start licking your wound. The sensation of her tongue on your face was brief and efficient, as if she was making a point of not being sensual. That didn't stop you from feeling a faint blush, though.

A second passes, and you think about rising for air. Then the pain starts. That flash of heat from inside your skull lights up again, and your nerves desensitize. Direction loses all meaning. Despite the numbness, you feel yourself being pulled by Sonata's hand clasped around your own. You trust that she's heading towards the surface.

Your face hits the warm summer air, which you gratefully inhale. Sonata, as usual, is unfazed after such a short dip. The pain has already dissipated like mist.

"Did it work?" she asks.

"I... think so..." you pant. "Definitely felt something. Gimme an order."

"Okay. Poke me in the eye."

"Sonata, that's dumb." You say as your finger takes a jab towards her eye. Of course, she anticipated it; she snatches your hand in mid-motion, and forcefully contorts it away from her face.

"Okay, cancel the order! Don't poke me! Don't poke me!"

"Aaaaaah leggo my arm you're twisting it argh!"

*******

You never thought you'd be mixing drinks today. It's only you and Sonata drinking, of course, but you might as well make use of what you have. Hence why you're sitting on a stool next to Sonata, chilled beer in one hand and her phone in the other.

"Any other terrible ideas?" Sonata deadpans, prodding the ice floating in her rum and coke with a straw. "Or is being forcibly brainwashed twice over good enough for you?"

"On the bright side, Aria's notes say you can't stack charms on top of each other," you chime back, "So I'm still technically charmed once."

"You're still charmed though, Mister Optimist."

"True, but we did learn something important; charms involve drinking the victim's blood. And possibly being underwater, but I'm quite sure it's the blood drinking."

Sonata sucks the straw in her beverage, taking down two thirds of the glass in a matter of seconds. "Pretty sure it's just the blood thing. The water's just what made me drink it accidentally that first time. I'm sure that's why Adagio hasn't figured it out yet; she doesn't swim. And while Sirens always ate victims raw, we don't really get to do that in this world unless it's restaurant-quality."

"So, what now?" you swig your beer; only a fraction down compared to your friend's drink. "Unless you're up for trying the near-death experi-"

"Don't talk about it." Sonata scowls, downing the rest of the rum and coke. "And make me another one of those."

And, as usual, you obey the words that seem perfectly logical and reasonable to you. You aren't even scared that she's doing this. It's like a filter that blocks every little thought against her. By the time you push the second rum and coke towards her, she's already teary-eyed.

"Sorry. I should've asked, not ordered. Dick move on my part. Scratch the no-talking order too."

"I get it, you're mad about this, We both are." you pick up your beer again. Still cold. Good. "But we have to try everything we can possibly think of."

"Wait! That's it!" Sonata almost jumps out of her seat. You totally didn't flinch or anything. But you did just lie to yourself.

"What if - and hear me out;" Sonata begins, "we do the reverse of what made the charm work?"

Your nose crinkles. "You... wanna regurgitate blood?"

"Gross. And no," she leans towards you with a cheeky grin. You notice that her second drink's halfway gone already, and that she's blushing. "If me drinking your blood made the curse, then maybe you drinking my blood..."

"Also gross, Sonata. But it's the only other plan we've got. Let's get it over with."

"Wanna hop back in the pool for that?"

You shake your head. "You're the swimmer, Sonata. That's your way of drinking blood. If I'm the one doing it, I wanna do it my way."

You turn to your faithful cocktail mixer and crack some ice into a tall glass. You pour in some vodka and tomato juice, then squeeze a lemon over it. Three shakes of Tabasco and black pepper. You stir the lot, then garnish with a little more ice and a celery stick. Then you place the glass of deep, red liquid in front of your guest.

"There. Put some blood into this, Sonata. Not too much, though."

Sonata looks at you, then the drink, then back to you.

"Gods, you're such a comedian," she scoffs. "A Bloody Mary? Really!?"

"Hey, some people consider this a hangover cure! I'm trying to cure my charm. It's symbolic!"

"And it's nothing to do with the fact you'll be drinking my blood?"

"Well no, but actually yeah."

She snorts. It's kinda cute. "Whatever you say, handsome." With that, she holds her pinky-finger over the glass and carefully gives it the infamous spiked-wristband treatment. You avert your gaze - it just felt wrong to watch her do it - but you do notice one, two, three droplets of red trickle down past the ice, and into the drink itself.

"Mmm hmm," Sonata signals the go-ahead, popping her finger into her mouth to stop the bleeding.

Raising the glass to your lips, you quietly count down to yourself, then chug the whole thing. You were smart with choosing a Bloody Mary; the tomato, Tobasco and pepper makes it almost impossible to taste anything even vaguely like blood. Clever you.

You hold the nearly-empty glass aloft over your mouth, making sure to catch every last drop, just in case. Then you bring the glass down to the counter with a clack, then wait.

"If this works, Sonata," you say slowly, "you should get a bit of pain in your head. Happened with me."

She fell silent for a moment, expecting the sudden magically-induced headache. "Nope. Sorry. Nothing." She shrugs.

"Me neither. Test it out?"

"Pour your beer away," she orders. Then she watches you grab the bottle and tip it over the nearby sink.

"I liked the eye-poking order better, really," you quip. "Painful, but at least I didn't lose any booze."

No response.

"Sonata?"

She just sits there, in her own brooding silence. Her head's in her hands, fingers clasped at her hair in frustration. "That's it. That's everything we can think of. There's nothing left."

You're about to correct her by mentioning the near-death experience theory, but you recall her asking you not to talk about it; she may have given you permission shortly after, but it's still a sore spot. Then again, she already knows what you intend to say. She's gripping her hair so tightly, her knuckles are turning white. Before you can reassure her, she belts out a scream of rage and dismay. A moment later, her stool is flung in a fit of anger, toppling several others like bowling pins.

"Whoa! Sonata, wait-" You scramble from behind the bar with the intention to stop her from wrecking your bar - stronger ancient monster-girlfriend be damned - only to witness her slump over in hopelessness. By the time you reach her, she's sobbing uncontrollably.

Without a second thought, you bend over to pickup the sorry mess of a girl. She doesn't even try to stand up properly, instead choosing to fall into your arms. You wisely take this chance to embrace her; a literal shoulder to cry on that she wordlessly, yet gratefully accepts.

You can't tell how long you stand there with her as she cries, but she finally lowers herself from sobbing to heavy breathing and sniffling. Despite all of her experience as a Siren, the thing she finds most precious is someone who treats her like a human. So that's exactly what you do. Nothing else needs to be done.

Finally, she calms down, lightly pushing your chest to end the hug. Her eyes are still red.

"You know what this means, right?" She whispers. "It's either the near-death experience or just staying a charmed thrall for life."

"Yeah."

"Is there any way I can get to choose the safer option willingly?"

You shake your head. "No. Would you feel better if I were forced into choosing that?"

"No."

"Then we've already made the choice. But how are we gonna go about it?"

She pauses to consider... well, everything. It's so silent, even the bustle of the crickets seem distant.

"Your choice. You're the one going through it. S'only fair." Sonata's voice is barely audible at this point. The very topic is enough to shrivel the happy-go-lucky girl.

"Let's see... no poisoning, or anything that could involve me being rushed to a hospital. That would depend on an ambulance too much. I'd rather not have any bones broken or brain damage either, so blunt force is out. A car crash sounds just plain reckless for everyone involved, and might even hurt bystanders. It's gotta be something that nearly kills me, but isn't damaging enough to-"

"Gods you're picky," Sonata mutters. Then she quickly adds; "That's fine given what we're talking about, but yeah, you've got slim pickings here."

"Point taken. I guess the most important thing would be having you nearby, in case something goes wrong," You bring a hand to her cheek and wipe away a rolling tear that overstayed its welcome. A small tint of pink blooms on Sonata's face. "I trust you to help me when that time comes. Do you know any first aid that'd help?"

She responds with a shrug. "Not a huge amount, no. I can do CPR, but I only learned that while I was reading up on underwater apnea, just in case I needed to use it."

You look at Sonata, then the empty, motionless pool sitting a few short feet away. Then back to Sonata.

Her eyebrows furrow when the cottons on. "You can't be for real. You want me to drown you!?"

"I don't want you to, but It's the best shot we have," you reply. "It's on my property. No bones to break. And I have you, Sonata, to help me through it. It's the best thing I can think of."

"You... really trust me that much? Be honest."

Be honest.

You gently hold Sonata by the hand and look into her eyes. "Yeah. I do."

The faintest smile twitches at the edge of her mouth, if only for a moment. Then she takes a deep, thoughtful sigh.

"Fine. Let's do it."

Part 7 - Drown With Her (Mature)

When most people look at an outdoor pool, they see a fun, relaxing place to swim. You, however, might as well be looking off a sheer cliff-edge.

The very idea of drowning... you might be having second thoughts.

That is, until a warm, caring hand on your shoulder snaps you out of it. Sonata Dusk stands by your side, still garbed in her purple swimsuit. All the same, you nervously tighten the laces on your swimming shorts.

"So," she says, "how long can you hold your breath?"

"Two minutes at a push, but it's been a while." You resist the urge to step away from the water. The moment of truth looms closer and closer, but you know this is the best chance you have of freedom from the arcane.

"Cool. Here's how this is gonna work," Sonata's voice shifts to a more serious tone. "We're both gonna go under at the same time. I can hold by breath for four minutes on average, so twice as long as you can. That means I can keep an eye on you the whole time we're down. If I ever need to swim up for air before you, I'm dragging you up with me. If it's too much for me to stay under, it's definitely too much for you."

"I thought you were trying to drown me?"

"I'm trying to get you to survive drowning. Hell of a difference. You don't actually have to drown; you just have to be in enough danger for your brain's preservation instincts to kick in," she taps your forehead to drive the point home. "Might happen in a matter of seconds!"

"That's good."

"Or it might not happen at all and you'll pass out. Never tried this before. No way of telling."

"That's bad."

"That's why I'm joining you; if you do pass out, my superior lungs and I will be here to drag you back to the surface."

You nod slowly, taking a moment for that to sink in. Ugh, sink.

"Hey, Sonata?"

"Thinking of backing out? I'll understand."

You shake your head. "I just wanted to say thanks for being with me during this. I know you're against the whole near-death-experience tactic, but you're helping me through it either way. You're a good person."

She tilts her head. "A good human? Or a good Siren?"

"You heard me." You gently place a hand under her chin, and look into her eyes. "A good person."

"Good enough," she chuckles impishly. Her hand grabs your wrist and pulls your own hand away from her face. Then she leans in for a short, but welcome kiss. "You know," she traces your bare chest with a finger, "since this is pretty dangerous, we might not get another chance to be, well, intimate."

That word alone raises an eyebrow. "Should we put this drowning thing on hold for a few minutes? I mean, my bedroom's right over there..."

"We could do that," she seductively hums, "or if you like, I could make your time underwater a little more..." she presses her lips close to your ear and whispers; "...comfortable."

Huh. Suddenly you're a lot less nervous about being underwater with her. Funny how that works.

"I'm okay with that," you simper before turning back to the eerily still water beside you. "Mostly."

You take a few deep breaths to steady your nerves. Most people take something like breathing for granted right up until it's taken away. "I'm ready when you are, Sonata."

She gives you a small nod, and pulls you closer to her via your shoulder. Her hot breath warms your face as she whispers;

"Drown with me."

Drown with me.

You already feel your own foot stepping over the edge of the pool. There's barely enough time to take a deep gasp as you hit the water. At the last second, Sonata flings her arms around you, diving in tow.

A brief sting of chlorine invades your eyes. After a moment of blinking through the pain, your vision adjusts. Through the blur of the water, you see Sonata's eyes, already transfixed to your own. The very sight of her provides something to focus on as your panicked mind tries to reassert itself. Once you feel yourself hit the bottom of the pool, however, your situation is so very clear. So very real.

She must've seen the fear in your eyes. After all, she knew what you were going through. Her hand caresses your face and pulls it closer to her own. You slowly lean in towards her, clearly showing her that you intend to kiss her.

She got your intention, and then some. The taste of Sonata's lips push through the pool water with ease, causing your heart to beat just a little faster. Savouring the moment, you prop yourself back, making sure her lips are still busy with your own, until her whole body is over yours. She catches on and kicks it up a notch, pinning your arms to the pool's floor and pressing her tongue past your lips.

Your tongues turn into a hot, slippery dance, rubbing and sliding in a playful way, never once stopping to think about how best to kiss, but instead enjoying the love for what it is. Sonata herself gets carried away by it all, pressing herself deeper and deeper into your mouth. Without her knowledge - or perhaps she planned this perfectly - her body presses into your own as well.

For a short time, you enjoy the silent love that only an underwater kiss can offer, your own heartbeat being heard loud and clear in your head. But Sonata's tongue continues to delve into your mouth, almost to the point of it being partway down your throat. Instinctively, you press a hand against her chest, as if asking her to back up just a little. It hadn't occurred to you that your hand was on her breast until you had a big, soft handful of purple lycra and round, pale blue flesh.

Sonata pulls herself out of your mouth, and glares at the offending hand on her bosom. You recoil your hand away, but of course, it was too late. Her own hand lunges out with inhuman reflexes and tightly grabs you by the offending limb's wrist. Her expression changes, her face displaying the most devious come-hither eyes you've ever seen. You make no attempt to struggle against Sonata as she guides your hand back to her breast, and squeezes them both together.

You don't need to be charmed to oblige her; you continue taking a bountiful grasp of her buxom breast, your thumb tracing the spherical curve of her swimsuit until it catches the faint hint of a nipple. From there, you massage her seductively, enjoying the small stream of bubbles that trickle from her nose; she's enjoying this far too much, and is trying her best not to sigh from the indulgence.

If you pleasure her just enough, she might cave in to the needs of her own lungs before you, despite the fact she can beat your own lung-power twice over. And since she specifically told you to drown with her, your charmed brain considers that a challenge.

Sonata's leaning forward, letting you get an even better grip of her ample chest. Her eyes are closed, letting her focus on the sensation of your massaging thumb across her nipple. She's close enough for your lips to reach her soft neck. Naturally, you start kissing her, starting just under her jaw and working your way lower. She squirms ever-so-slightly, her pearly grin telling you not to stop.

Sonata removes her hand from your own and slowly peels back the swimsuit from her shoulders. The fabric drifts downwards as she pulls it lower, revealing her breasts in full. The titillating sight causes you to lose a small sigh of air, not that you're bothered. Your hands eagerly reach forward and playfully fondle her breasts as your fingertips feel them bob and float in the surrounding water.

It's almost enough to distract you from the discomfort in your lungs.

Without warning, your chest convulses with the need for air. You can only watch as a small cloud of bubbles escape your lips and rise to the surface. Sonata stops her sensual playing with you for a moment; this might be the time your charm finally breaks.

You briefly think about going up for air, but despite the rising sense of desperation, you still have no desire to swim upwards just yet. You shake your head at Sonata; Keep going for now. The look she flashes you is one of genuine concern, but she obliges. Seems like you might have to push yourself to your limit before the survival instincts kick in. If they kick in. Good thing she's here for you.

You give her a short, reassuring kiss to let her know you're alright, before raising your hand back to her breast. This time you're a lot more gentle, softly caressing her and playing your fingers over her exposed nipples. Her left hand envelops itself around your waist, while her right hand slowly drifts downwards towards your swimming trunks. With a practised pinch, she pulls on the trunk's cord and loosens it using only one free hand.

You push the trunks down, letting them float away. For a moment, you enjoy the cool water drifting freely around your member, but that sensation's cut short by something far more tantalising; Sonata's careful fingers curling meticulously around your tip one at a time.

From there, she delicately massages your cock with her fingertips, teasing you to the rhythm of your throbbing pulse. Despite the ache of your lungs, your growing lust wants you to see this through to the end. Pushing your need for air to the back of your mind, you savour one last squeeze of her breast before gently sliding your hand down towards her hips. And from her hips, you head lower, to her inner thigh, and slowly start caressing upwards.

Before you go any further, you give Sonata a wordless glance, checking for her approval. You can tell just by looking at her vivid, blushing cheeks and her half-lidded eyes that she has no objection to it; in fact, she shuffles through the water in an effort to get within easier reach of you.

With that, you mirror her own pose, your left hand supporting her back while your right hand slides under the lower part of her swimsuit, and into the warm and eager opening between her legs. In that moment, you time your tender caressing of her clit with the ebb and flow of the water around you. Your left arm brings Sonata's body closer in for an embrace, and she does the same in return.

She brings her face forward for another kiss. You happily oblige, enjoying both the heat of her tongue and the rubbing of her fingers around your cock, while you try to keep a steady rhythm with your own busy hand.

Part of you wants to stay in this sublime moment forever. Another part of you starts begging for sexual release. And another, much louder part of you is begging for air.

Another convulsion. You're forced to break off the kiss and cover your mouth with your free hand. Try as you might, a stream of precious bubbles escape and rise to the surface without you. Sonata pauses a second time to make sure you're okay. She's such a perfect girl.

No. The burning in your chest wants you to go for the surface right now, but your mind wants none of it. It's like trying to move with sleep paralysis. You try to let Sonata know how you feel with a single look, one of apprehension and worry. She nods towards the surface. You shake your head. You can't. The charm won't let you. Not yet.

She understands. Resuming her adept handjob, she brings a free hand to your face in an effort to calm you. Through the water, you can see her mouth the words everything will be fine. You smile back at her. Of course it'll be fine. She's here for you.

She brings her hand to the back of your head, and gently starts pulling you back towards her. At first, you think it's for another kiss, until she starts guiding your head lower and lower, until you find yourself eye-level with her still-exposed breasts. You gratefully bury your face between them, as if you were hoping to find air somewhere in her cleavage. Of course, there's no such luck, but that doesn't stop her pushing your face deeper, as if she's trying to suffocate you in her gorgeous bust. A pointless endeavour; you're suffocating enough already.

That blissful feeling of your face in her breasts, so close you can feel her quickened heartbeat, is almost too much to take. Her swift yet gentle working of her hand on your cock brings you closer to the point of no return. Losing your common sense for a moment too long, you sigh in ecstasy, letting a small cloud of bubbles float away.

Almost immediately afterwards, you start to regret it. Despite the sudden sting in your lungs, you hold back the reflexive need to inhale. Surely your survival instinct would've kicked in by now? Why aren't you swimming upwards? Why are you willingly drowning? The charm still has its claws in you, even as you grow more and more desperate.

At this point, signalling for Sonata to save your ass just means you'll be back at square one. Your oxygen-deprived brain reaches a sour conclusion; if you aren't going to make an attempt at surviving this, you might as well go all the way with her. There probably won't be another chance.

Lifting your head away from between her breasts, you gently push her shoulders, causing her to lean back until she's lying on the bottom of the pool. With a careful finger, you hook a lose part of Sonata's half-removed swimsuit from around her waist, and experimentally drag downwards. Sonata, to your delight, lends a helping hand, pushing her swimsuit down her legs and kicking it off a foot, letting it float away.

You admire the beautiful, naked form of Sonata lying before you, but only for a moment. Every muted heartbeat in your ears reminds you how little time you might have. You catch a small hint of Sonata's stomach convulsing, but only slightly. If Sonata's showing signs of struggling at this point, who knows how long you've been under?

Not wasting another moment, you push yourself through the water until you're floating just above her, looking into her bright, violet eyes. Despite the rising ache, you bring your hips closer to her own, until your cock, still twitching and eager, finds its way between her legs, stopping just teasingly short of her labia.

Sonata's arms reach out and envelop around your torso, dragging your chest to her level until you feel her skin on yours, before she thrusts her hips forward of her own accord, sliding your cock into a warm, soft state of bliss.

Any and all figments of control you had fades away in that moment. Instead, your eyes bear witness to the rest of your body falling into the passion and blur of natural desire, thrusting and writhing and groaning the last few precious bubbles away. In the fleeting moments of pure, sexual liberation, air doesn't even matter anymore. The charm doesn't matter. Nothing matters except you and Sonata, drifting through the water where up and down is irrelevant.

Pure exhilaration pulses through you with each thrust, driving your cock deeper and deeper into her, making her hair and breasts sway calmly in the encompassing waters. Even Sonata, as great of a breath-holder as she is, has to raise a hand to cover her mouth between titillating moans.

Your vision starts to blur the closer you get to your climax. Perhaps it's the lack of oxygen. With a renewed vigour, you thrust harder and harder, chasing your sexual zenith before you lose consciousness, all the while refusing the urge to release early; you can tell Sonata's close to finishing as well, and you've no intention of stopping her.

Your tip starts to strain almost as much as your lungs as you continue pounding, grasping, caressing, chipping away at Sonata's endurance. The rhythm of her own hips against yours starts to grow faster as more and more bubbles escape her lips. Her fingers dig into your shoulders as they clamp down hard, bracing against your body to thrust faster and faster, the last thing you see before your vision blurs completely is her eyes rolling to the back of her head.

Despite the lack of sight - or perhaps because of it - your other senses catch every little detail. The muted, garbled scream of climax from her echoes through the pool. You can feel the stream of bubbles from her drift past your face. The warm lubrication from her climax mingles with the water around your cock, causing your last hint of resolve to break. With one more thrust, you pass the point of no return and let yourself come, the sexual frenzy wrecking your body with each passing heartbeat.

Finally, the orgasm fades to a low, numb throb. Your limbs are too heavy to drag to the surface. There's nothing left in your lungs at this point. Your eyes are hardly working at all.

Despite every nerve in your body telling you not to breathe in, your reflexes betray you.

You weren't expecting, however, to be breathing the sweet, summer air.

Part 8 - Restoration, Resolution

You lie there, your lungs sucking in air again and again as your muscles finally find the strength to move.

Blinking away the blur that invaded your eyes, you see the blue, cloudless sky overhead, and feel the hot afternoon sunlight on your naked skin. Turning your head to the side, you realise that you're lying by the side of your pool. Sonata's still in the pool itself, gasping for breath as she clings on to the metal ladder.

"Did.. did you just save me?" you ask despite the shortness of breath.

Sonata shakes her head and brushes the limp, wet hair from her eyes. "That was all you. I just saw you swim up and drag yourself out of the pool. I didn't do a thing."

"I don't remember doing that."

Sonata shrugs her shoulders. "Survival instinct?"

"Must've been," you reply.

But wait, if you went against Sonata's orders to drown, that means you don't have to obey her for anything, and that means-

Your brain is suddenly hit with a strange spasm of cold pain; it feels like your mind just crashed through a window made of ice. And an instant later, it's gone. In fact, your mind feels clear for the first time in days.

"Uh, are you okay, man?" Sonata clearly noticed your wincing.

"Quick, ask me to do something!" you demand.

She blinks in confusion, then offers a hand. "Help me outta the pool."

"No," you snarkily quip, the rush of relief and happiness making you grin like an idiot. "Get out yourself."

Sonata flashes you a callous What the Hell kind of look before she realised what that meant. "The charm!"

"I know!" you cheer. "It's gone! That near-death experience thing worked!"

"You're free!"

"I know!"

"That's fantastic! But seriously, I need help getting out the pool," she grimaces behind a blush. "You were not gentle towards the end, and I think I'm gonna be walking funny all week."

You cough a dry laugh, deciding to take that as a compliment, before grabbing her by her outstretched wrist and pulling her out of the water. As the exhaustion sets in, she collapses by the poolside next to you, letting the warm sun wash over both of your naked forms. You make a mental note to fish the trunks and her swimsuit out of the pool later.

While your body recovers, your mind is still free to roam. There's so much you want to thank her for. The experiments in breaking your charm. Sticking with you through the whole ordeal. Even just turning up to your pool-bar with her friends; if she hadn't even turned up, she might never have met you. She might never have charmed you either, of course.

In the end, you decide that it was worth it.

*******

The summer sun's heat plays off the pool's playful waters. The scent of dry air and wet chlorine - you added more chlorine than usual to counteract your experience with Sonata yesterday - wafts on the faint breeze. The sounds of splashing water mingles with the chatter of the patrons sitting nearby. You ring up another freshly made cocktail and clean up a nearby empty glass.

Sonata's still snoozing in your bedroom, which is perfectly fine by you. For the small amount of time you've actually been dating, you honestly wouldn't mind her moving in with you. Or would that be taking things too fast, you wonder? Surely it would be better for her than living with-

"Well?" a sudden, expectant snarl almost made you drop the glass you were cleaning.

You look up to see Adagio in all her wrathful glory. Knowing she's actually a thousand-year-old magical beast explains a lot about her, but it doesn't do much to help your nerves. She's not just a sassy psudo-girl anymore.

"Mojito?" you ask hopefully.

"Sonata."

Crap.

"Lemme guess, Aria told you about us?" You crane your neck around Adagio's poofy hair to find Aria sunbathing on one of the sunbeds, minding her own business.

"Of course she did," Adagio lowers her eyelids teasingly. "Dating a Siren? You're either brave or stupid."

"I'll let you decide," you respond as neutrally as possible. Adagio jumps on that sentence like a leopard.

"Stupid, in my humble opinion. If you wanted to throw your life away so badly, you might as well have gone for me," she caresses the fabric of her bikini for no other reason than to spite you. "You might as well have enjoyed the ride."

"Hey, Sona-"

"Sonata's different?" she cuts you off. "Of course she is. She's the most different out of all of us. But a different Siren is, at the end of the day, still a Siren."

You sigh; there's no way of arguing with Adagio, so the next logical step is to just sedate her. "You want a Mojito or not?" She pushes the exact change for one across the counter, without dignifying that response with words. The next minute is spend carefully constructing her drink as she stares at you wordlessly. It's like she's dissecting you with her eyes.

By the time you're done, and you hand the drink to her, she's no longer riled up. Adagio stirs the cocktail with her straw, before taking a thoughtful sip. "Why her?" she asks calmly. Unusually calmly for her. "Why did you go for Sonata and not me?"

It didn't sound like a loaded question, but it certainly felt like one. "How can I explain feelings? I just... clicked with her. I'd call it fate, but I'm not that spiritual." You hide the need to squirm under Adagio's burning stare. "I guess we just chose each other."

"But I'm the hot one. Surely I'm the better choice, right?"

"There's way more to life than being hot, Adagio," you respond, ignoring her scoff. "If you're dating someone, you need to look beyond what's on the surface. For example," you try to mention something interesting you know about Adagio, but when that turns up dry, you change tactic; "what's one of your favourite hobbies?"

"Used to be singing, obviously. But not anymore. We lost our voices. Thanks for reminding me."

"Then find something else to do! Something that you know you're good at."

"Like what?" she replies almost interrogatively. "Charming people? That's out of the window too, and nothing we can do seems to bring that back."

You wisely choose not to talk about Sonata's accidental charming misadventure. It's better this way, right?

"Uh," you go though a series of replies in your head before eventually settling on; "you could be a model. You said it yourself; you're the hot one. Make use of that gift."

"Modelling, huh?" she thinks aloud. "It's no mind-control, but it's the closest thing a human can get to it. Except maybe a radio talk-show host."

"I uh, I didn't mean it like that!"

"Hah. Sure you didn't." she smirks, taking another sip.

You don't respond, despite Adagio's metaphorical neon sign begging to you to rise up to it. When the silence drags on for a little longer, she hums to herself thoughtfully. Perhaps you weren't as easy to manipulate as she reckoned.

"Can you promise me something?" she says finally. You raise an eyebrow, letting her continue. "Look after Sonata, okay? I know we're usually snarky around her, but she's one of us. We look out for each other."

You nod. "Aria told me the same thing a few days ago. Of course, I'll be doing my part to treat her right, but Sonata's more capable than you'd think."

Adagio's expression turns impossible to read. "That's a first. No one's ever said that about her before."

"You should know more than anyone. She's your friend."

Her eyes drift distantly for a moment before suddenly coming into sharp focus. The very face of sudden realisation.

"You're one of the good humans. I hope you make her happy." With that, she tips back the last of her drink and leaves her seat. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have modelling roles to apply for. C'mon Aria! We've got a new plan of attack!"

Some folks never know when to give up.

*******

Taking an early lunch break, you disappear back into the apartment and work on getting a snoozing Sonata out of bed. Rather than actually knocking on the door and waking her up like a normal human being would, the hopeless romantic in you decides to let her nostrils do the waking.

Five minutes later, and the whole apartment is awash with the scent of waffle batter cooking in the kitchen. Sonata, as you predicted, ambles out of the bedroom. You can't help but notice she's wearing nothing but one of your shirts. Cliché as hell, but you let it slide.

"Mmm," she greets you, wiping the sleep from her eyes. Wordlessly, she takes a seat and gratefully tucks into her syrupy breakfast.

"I saw Adagio and Aria earlier today," you make casual conversation as you cut a piece from your own waffle. "I think I accidentally gave them careers."

"Haff!" she laughs with her mouth full. "Foundf like fhem! Fhey're gonna gef info all fortf of fhenaniganf af ufual."

"Whatever helps them move on from charming people I guess. Even though we know the secret to it, it's better to let sleeping dogs lie, right?"

She finally swallows the last of her mouthful. "You asking me? You got doubts about that?"

"Yeah."

Sonata looks down at her half-eaten plate, as if it were a magic 8-ball. "Well, I personally don't wanna go back to what it was like. We were chasing power that, at the end of the day, wasn't gonna make us happy. It's an endless hunger sorta thing. If they find out they can charm people again, they'd probably try to drag me back into their world-domination thing. Only with blood-drinking instead of singing. Hard pass from me. Can't rock the vampire look."

"So... keep it secret to spare any potential victims?"

"Bingo." And back to the waffle-slaughter she goes.

You nod in response. Hearing it from the lips of a Siren herself re-enforces the decision. The rest of the meal's quiet, save for the noises of summer fun outside. Once you're both done, you dunk the plates in the sink for later; you have a job to get back to.

"You know, the pool's quiet today," you suggest. "I reckon its missing you."

"Well, I haven't done my apnea thing for today. I guess I can come with, but..."

"But?" you stop just short of the front door.

"Where do we go from here? Dating, I mean." When you take a moment too long thinking about a reply, she continues. "Are we just gonna be here forever? Swim in the pool, go for a meal, fuck like rabbits - preferably not drowned rabbits next time - rinse and repeat?"

"Of course not," you reply. "Summer doesn't last forever. We have the rest of the year to figure out what we wanna do. But for now, I wanna make the most of our time here, in the sunshine. With you."

"Heh. Ya romantic dope," she blushes, holding out her hand. "I can work with that. C'mon. Let's make the most of it."

And so, you take her by the hand, and open the door to the rest of your lives.