Rekindlingby JSAChapters1: The Cinders2: The Kindling3: The Scorched1: The Cinders“Alright," You sigh into your phone, "I’ll take a look at the images in the morning.” ”Thanks, Anon." Your boss curtly replies. "The downtime today left people really upset." 'Not my problem.' You muse to yourself. “See you tomorrow.” The gruff voice on the other end acknowledges and the line goes dead. You turn your phone on vibrate and slip it back into your pocket. “Not my fault they can’t figure out how to do proper fucking patches.” You gripe out loud to no one in particular. With you being the only occupant of your two bedroom condo, you are free to complain about anything and anyone you see fit. The downside, however, is that no one can sympathize with your plights and minor inconveniences of the week. All you can do is bitch and moan to your own inner monologue. You let out a long guttural groan and turn your attention back to your stove top, where placed inside a skillet are two beautiful cuts of beef. It's not too often that you get evenings like this to yourself without too much work, so you're taking full advantage by cooking yourself a nice dinner. The meat sizzles and pops nicely in a mixture of garlic butter and it’s own fat. You take care not to cause any splattering as you flip the meat over, pausing to admire the sweet smell that emanates from the skillet. Once you're satisfied with the seared crust, you take the skillet off the flame and slide it right into the oven. After setting a timer on your phone for 15 minutes, you set about cleaning off the kitchen. As you’re cleaning up, you feel your phone vibrate once more. The vibrations send waves of frustration through you, and you curse not so much under your breath. It’s very rare that you have an evening to yourself without playing IT to some dumbass who can’t google their problem. The buzzing continues as you decide to let it ring. If anyone asks where you were you can say you just dropped your phone in the toilet or something. Finally, the vibrating stops and you breathe a sigh of relief. Your solace is short lived however, as your phone resumes its maddening whine. After the cycle repeats twice more, a heavy sigh escapes your lips as you decide to answer it and get it over with. You mentally steel yourself to answer whatever inane tech questions will come spewing out, only to stop and read the name displayed on the screen. Sunset Shimmer. That’s a name you haven’t seen in awhile. You’d briefly forgotten she was in your contacts, but seeing her name flash across your screen invokes a bittersweet feeling. You were first introduced to Sunset when she became your RA in college, and enjoyed each other's company even after you moved out of the dorms. Alas, the drudgery of adult life and responsibilities fizzled out your camaraderie to exchanging text messages once in a blue moon. If she’s calling you now, it could be important. You tap the accept button and hesitantly speak. “Hello?” ”It’s been awhile, Anon.” you hear the familiar voice coo. You roll your eyes and lean onto the counter. “Three years isn’t THAT long, Sunset.” ”Sometimes feels like it is. How are you doing?” “Pretty good, pretty good." You wedge your phone between your shoulder and ear as you give a pot of rice a cursory stir and kill the burner underneath. "In the process of making some dinner.” ”Nice, Nice. Hey, listen, this may sound weird but....I need a favor.” Well she's very quick to the point. “Awww, Didn’t call for a quick chat?” you playfully retort. “You said yourself it’s been awhile. ” The line is quiet before a quick sigh is heard. “Anon as much as I’d love to just talk, this is something pretty serious.” Sunset insisted. “I need your help.” “Serious enough to call someone you haven’t seen since college?” ”It’s...a really big favor.” Her tone has grown more pleading with each passing second, making you more and more uncomfortable thinking about what exactly Sunset needed from you. “Like, a really really REALLY huge favor.” You roll your eyes. “Sunset," You sigh, "the last time I heard something like this I had to bail someone out, so if it’s that, the answer is no.” “What? No no no no, it’s-well-kinda-It’s..."Sunset's stammering trails off for a second. You take a quick glance at your phone to confirm the call wasn’t dropped. “You still there, Sunset?” You ask. “Yea, I’m here. Look, can I come talk to you? It’s better if I explained it in person.” “Uhhhhhh…” You hadn't really anticipated setting dinner for another person. You were hoping to meet her at a bar or something. But if it’s important enough for her to call like this, you suppose she should come over. “Sure.” You reply. “Great!" Sunset chirps. “Are you still living in your apartment?” “Same place, yep.” ”Awesome! We’ll see you there. Bye!” “Bye.” You place your phone on the counter and take the plastic plate you got out for yourself, exchanging it for three of 'the good plates'. You figure you might as well pull out the nicer dishes if you're having company. After all, It’s been a while since you’ve had guests over. The thought of having people over suddenly turns the cogs in your head as you realize what Sunset had said before she hung up. “Wait…we?” “No.” ”Look, Anon. I know that the two of you have some...history, but-” “No.” You echo. ”I told you he wouldn’t agree to it.” ”Hush. Anon, please just listen to m-” “I did. And I said no.” ”No," Sunset huffs, "you just saw her and immediately went sour. Please hear me out.” You cross your arms but say nothing, your gaze fixated on Sunset. The second you opened the door and saw Aria standing behind Sunset, you almost shut the door back on their faces, had Sunset not intervened by jamming half her body in the doorway. The three of you exchange glances with each other, and Sunset takes your silence as her opportunity to speak her mind. ”I understand how you feel Anon, I really do-” Sunset shifts uncomfortably under your stare. “No you don’t.”, you bluntly interrupt, your focus entirely set on your friend. You would rather not look at the girl sitting on your couch. With her shoes on it. “-But believe me, we wouldn’t have come here if there wasn’t another option.” “I can think of some pretty cozy underpasses by the highway.” “I’m not sleeping in a tent outside, you jerk.” Aria spits. You match Aria’s glare. “Who said anything about giving you shelter?” Sunset turns and points at Aria. ”Stop it, you’re not helping!” Aria growls and jerks her head away. “Anon, please, it won’t be for that long.” Sunset moves in between you and Aria, taking her out of your view. You rub your temples in an effort to dispel the headache you have, but Aria is still sitting in the room, cross-legged and staring at the wall. “Can’t she stay with you? Please?” you plead. Sunset's lips twist into a frown as she shakes her head. ”My studio is barely big enough for me. Adagio stayed at their apartment, and Sonata is with Pinkie Pie, but-” Aria decides to cut in again, her tone dispassionate and rude. ”But none of the other Lamebooms want to take me in. Apparently that prissy one said I’m too-” Aria takes on a high and regal sounding voice, one you assume is meant to mock one of Sunsets friends. ”-Abrasive and uncouth!” You fold your arms over your chest and stare at the girl. “Sounds like she’s a good judge of character.” you reply with no hint of sarcasm. Aria glares at you from behind before kicking a leg up onto the couch arm and turning her attention back to the riveting wall that had captured her attention previously. Sunset mutters something under her breath before looking back at you. ”Anon can we step outside for a moment? Just you and me?” Sunsets eyes dart back and forth between you and the door. You chew your lip as you consider just throwing the two of them out and enjoying your food on your own. But against better judgement, you nod toward the door and the two of you head outside onto the walkway. You inhale the crisp, cool air and immediately feel yourself relax as the door closes behind you. Being in the same room as Aria feels like having your entire body pricked by little needles. Her absence, although brief, is already a great boon. ”So, Anon.” Sunset begins as she clasps her hands together. “I really need you to hear me out on this. Please” “I’m listening.” You lean back against the wall and cross your arms. “For now.” “I know this is a lot to put on someone, all things considering.” You snort. ”That’s putting it lightly.” “But.” Sunset interrupts. “We would not be here if she had any other choice. I’m not forcing you to take her in. This is only a favor I’m asking of you.” You inhale sharply. Under normal circumstances, you’d be more than happy to do a favor for Sunset. Nothing about this was normal, however. Is there anything you even wanted from Sunset that could come close to what she was asking of you? Is the fact that you’re weighing your options mean you’re thinking about saying yes? “You HAD to have known I was gonna say no.” ”I-Yes.” Sunset mutters towards the ground. You throw your hands up. “And yet you still brought her! If it was anyone-LITERALLY ANYONE-else, I would have said yes.” ”But..here we are.” Sunset mutters dejectedly. “Yeah, here you are.” You clasp the bridge of your nose between your hands and let out a long sigh. “God damnit, Sunset.” You feel a twinge of shame as you vent out your frustration on Sunset. While she wasn’t the one you had this history with, she brought Aria here. You feel an involuntary scowl contort your face as you think of the woman sitting in your apartment. That witch is probably getting a kick out of seeing you squirm like this. She probably wanted to come here to make you uncomfortable. “Why couldn’t one of the others have stayed with me? I would take Sonata over...HER in a heartbeat!” ”She wanted to stay with Pinkie.” Sunset replies matter-of-factly. “By the time I knew about this she had already moved in.” “For asking a favor, you’re making it sound like that there’s no other choice in the matter.” Sunset stares into your eyes briefly before speaking. ”Like I said, I came here to ask you if you could take her in. Not make you take her in.” You narrow your eyes at the girl. ”And you brought her along thinking it would help you and your argument?” you retort. Another pause as the girl seems to sweat over the right answer, and scowls. “Ok, Anon this hasn’t really been easy for me either, y’know.” “Preaching to the choir, Sunset.” “I didn’t want to be put in this position, Anon” She gestures towards herself. “And I know that you don’t as well. Neither of us wanted to be here, but…” Sunset casts a glance towards your doorway. “As horrible as she has been, she still needs help. And I said I would help her, so here we are.” Sunset runs her hand through her hair before turning away. ”Look, you can...say no, Anon. Again, No one is forcing you. Either way, I really appreciate you hearing me out.” You chew your lip as you turn to look over the railings of the landing that your apartment is on. Being on one of the higher levels of the complex offers a more scenic view. The town is warmly lit by streetlights and open businesses, beckoning the nightlife in to enjoy an evening of food and drink. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Sunset lean onto the railing and look out. “Was there REALLY no other option at all?” You plead. “No roommate ads? No tiny homes? No openings at a strip joint?” Sunset groans “If she had found anything like that, she wouldn’t still be holed up in some seedy hotel. You weren’t her first option either, Anon.” “I shouldn’t have even been an option.” You sense Sunset shift uncomfortably at your remark, but she doesn’t raise a protest. Instead the two of you gaze out at the horizon, not a single word uttered between the two of you. ”You’ve got a nice view up here.” “It’s nice to look at, I guess. Clears my head.” You mumble. It was certainly true. Watching the flickering lights drift around the night sky had a serene feel to it. You feel Sunset hesitantly rest a hand on your back. ”I know it hurt.” She says, almost remorsefully. At her words, a wave of painful memories come flooding back to you. You shut your eyes tight as if to cut out the images in your head. “...You have no idea.” You let your other senses absorb the surroundings, hoping that you can either distract yourself from this or the answer would somehow appear from the dark. You want to say no. Even though you kind of already did. You really want to laugh straight in Aria’s smug face and kick her to the curb again. Her resting bitch face wakes something primal in you, making every fiber of your being want to say no and physically drag her out. “How long.” You mutter. Sunset almost slides off the rail, but catches herself as she turns to face you. “Anon, are you sure?” ”How. Long.” Sunset blankly stares at you for a moment before coming back to reality. ”Probably a couple of months I suppose, Anon are you s-” You cast a sidelong glare at the girl. “Sunset, ask me again and I’m going to change my mind.” Realizing her position, Sunset stammers out an apology before wrapping you in a tight embrace. “Thank you so much, Anon. I appreciate this so so so so much.” “No problem, I guess. But you owe me BIG for this.” You respond, jabbing a finger towards her. Let’s just go get her bags.” As you turn to make your way back inside, you hear a muffled groan. You look back at Sunset, who just stands there with a sheepish look on her face as she rubs the back of her head. ”S-sorry. Haven’t eaten in awhile.” You can’t help but smirk. “It’s alright. Steak probably finished resting so let’s-” Suddenly, you’re interrupted by shrill beeping piercing through the quiet night. The sound appears to be coming from behind your door. Your heart drops as you realize what the cause is. “MY FOOD!” ”You’re. Welcome.” Aria says, crossing her arms. “Do you really expect me to say thanks?” You snap back. “The food was perfectly fine.” Aria shrugs. “I thought you left the food out too long and it would get cold.” You don’t REHEAT steaks, damnit! This-” You point at two blackened slabs sitting on a cutting board, “-is exactly why! I’ve made steaks for you before, you should know this!” You grumble. “Well, I forgot.” Aria slides down from the countertop. “I don’t make steaks, I just eat them.” As Aria makes her exit, you mentally kick yourself for not being more aware of who it was you left in your apartment. Not even back here for more than an hour and she’s already fucking things up somehow. Now here you are, left with well done beef and scrubbing the rest of it off the skillet. You’re disappointed with her and yourself, but you’re too hungry to start anything. So instead, you’ll resign yourself to your quiet brooding and venting your frustration on blackened chunks. Your front door swings open slightly, and opens more as Sunset pushes her way in, overburdened with several bags. Sunset grunts in effort as she drops one of them onto the floor, and flings a smaller one onto the couch. ”Whew-Well there’s just a couple of bags left, Aria.” Sunset jabs her thumb towards the door. “They’re in the trunk. The car is unlocked.” Aria just stands there slowly nodding, and the two just stare at each other for several seconds before Sunset coughs and speaks up. “The trunk’s already unlocked, Aria.” Sunset repeats. The purple girl stares at her for another moment, seemingly confused at the situation. “Oh. You’re...ugh. Fine.” Aria slowly trudges out the door, leaving you and Sunset to watch her leave. ”Are you sure you’ll be ok?” Sunset asks curiously. “I’ll be fine. I guess. You gonna stay for dinner?” You point towards the food Aria almost ruined. “Got a mighty bountiful feast tonight.” Sunset lets a bag slide off her shoulder as she shakes her head. ”I’ve got to get back home. Work in the morning. Also...Twilight made dinner for me.” “Awwwww, I knew it.” ”What?” “Nothing. I’d always just figured that you and here would be a thing.” You respond coyly. “Took you two long enough.” ”Sh-shut up…” Sunset shoves your shoulder, a blush streaking across her cheeks. You pat Sunset on her bacon head, earning you a small pout from the girl. “Ah, you know I’m just messing with you.” You wrap your arm around the girl and pull her close. “Despite the reason for your being here, it’s good to see you again Sunset.” Sunset sighs happily and returns the embrace, then pulls away and hums contentedly before turning her eyes to your work. ”Is it burnt in pretty good?” “Yep.” You emphasize by scraping off a burnt char with your chainmail. “...At least she got them out.” Sunset says with a forced smile. “You’d think she’d know what burnt food smells like given her track record.” You wipe your brow of the sweat from your exertion. “For fucks sake, I taught her this shit myself! Did none of it stick in that thick head of hers?” ”Well…” Sunset just glances at the floor and shrugs. You grunt with defeat as you scrape off the last remnants of any taste your food might have had and decide to throw some warm water into the skillet. Seasoning it again won’t be that hard, anyway. You have more pressing matters at hand. You have some stuffed bell peppers leftover from the other night. Those should do. Your rice and beans will fit well with that. And all things considered, the steak is still somewhat edible, but not in the way you had hoped. Tossing out food that has potential to be salvaged doesn’t sit right with you, so you start racking your brain. You take another glance at the meat, cursing yourself for leaving Aria alone. Could put it into a stir fry, you suppose. Yeah, that sounds good. While the beef is probably as dry as sandpaper, it could be coaxed back into having flavor with another quick marinade. You give yourself a mental stamp of approval as you pull out some saran wrap to save what’s left. “You wouldn’t mind if I checked up on you every now and again?” Sunset asks, her tone hinting at a degree of uncertainty. “If only just to catch up with you~” “Not at all-” You turn to face her, leaning your arm on the counter, “-because I’m sure you don’t want to see anything about a murder on the news?” Sunset rolls her eyes. ”I know you wouldn’t do anything like that, Anon. Plus, I’m sure it won’t be that bad.” The two of you are interrupted by several loud thuds at the doorway. You turn to see the sound has come from Aria who is propped up against the doorway, her ample chest heaving with each breath she takes. Several bags and cases are strewn in front of her, spilling their contents onto your floor. “GODDAMNIT, A LITTLE HELP HERE?” Aria shouts as she kneels down to scoop up whatever contents had spilled out. You roll your eyes and start by picking up loose articles of clothes and accessories, taking care to skip over underwear and other revealing items. As you pick up a pair of pants, you find a brown shoebox sealed tightly with a swathe of duct tape. Figuring something in it might be fragile, you grab it and start peeling away at the tape to check on whatever is inside. ”NO, GIMME THAT!” Before you can react, a purple hand quickly wrenches the box from your grasp, leaving you bewildered. Aria clutches the box closely to her, her eyes darting between you and Sunset. ”It’s my...uh...personal things.” Aria sputters. Aria quickly darts in between you two and vanishes down the hallway, leaving the two of you at the doorway. After a slam echoes from the corridor, you and Sunset stare at each other for a moment before exchanging a shrug and picking up the remaining items and leaving them outside the bedroom Aria had just shuttered herself into. Sunset stretches her back, grunting ”I guess I should actually head out now.” “Gonna leave me with all of this?” you ask, desperate to keep a friendly face here as long as possible. “I’ve kept dinner waiting too long. ” Sunset responds, glancing at her phone. “You mean you’ve kept Twilight waiting too long?” Sunset scoffs and lightly slaps your chest. ”You’ve always been such a charmer with your humor, huh?” You bend down to pick up a box, cradling it underneath your arm. “I’d say it’s one of my better qualities” Sunset chuckles before she heaves a heavy sigh. ”Anon?” “Hmm?” A short silence follows your response, before she wraps her arms around you. ”Thanks again.” Her head falls onto your shoulder. “I understand it must have been hard to agree.” “Yea well-” You return the gesture by resting your head on top of hers, “-I’m nice like that sometimes.” ”I know. It’s always something I’ve admired about you.” “...She knows she’s not staying here for free, yea?” you bluntly state. She nods. ”I told her she would be paying some rent, yes.” “Well at least she won’t be total dead weight.” you say, absentmindedly scratching your head. Sunset looks at you inquisitively, but before she is able to press further, a small chime sounds from her pocket. She pulls her phone out from her coat, and scans the screen. “Gotta get going?” You wiggle your eyebrows. Sunset sighs. “She’s wondering why I’ve been gone so long.” “Guess I-well-we won’t keep you any longer.” Sunset nods, and she picks up her bag and jacket before she turns to look at you. ”If you need anything Anon, I’m only a phone call away.” ”I know." You respond, rubbing the back of your neck. "I’ll… let you know when anything comes up.” Sunset smiles and hugs you one more time “Take care, Anon. I’ll check up in a couple of days.” “Drinks?” ”Only if they’re on you.” You rest your hand on your hip and raise your eyebrow. “That’s how you thank me?” Sunset grins sheepishly. “I was just joking. My treat.” “That’s more like it.” You say smugly. ”Where’s the egg salad?” You look up from your food to see Aria foraging your fridge, rummaging through everything at her leisure. “What?” you ask through half chewed food. Aria continues to root through the contents of your fridge, not even turning to acknowledge you. ”Egg salad! Or a side dish!” Aria turns with her arms outstretched. “You can’t JUST have whatever that is!” “I’ve got rice, and I’ve got beans.” You point your fork towards the two bowls before returning your attention to your plate. “Help yourself.” You swallow your bite and take a deep breath. “If you don’t like what I’m having, you’re free to go out and get your own fucking food. There’s a Burger King on the corner.” Aria stares at you blankly, seeming to be lost in thought. Before she can speak, a quiet rumbling coming from the girl seems to affirm her decision. “Put everything back in and come sit down.” You snap. “You’re gonna spoil it all.” ”Fine.” The fridge is shut with a slam and you see her down across from you. You lift your head to see Aria already in the process of scooping generous portions onto her plate, eliminating the possibility of saving any worthwhile amount of leftovers. The two of you eat in relative silence for a while, the only sound being the soft clink of silverware. After finishing, you take your plate and whatever is left of the food back to the kitchen, storing the leftovers and proceeding to clean the plates. Aria is the first to break the silence, with her mumbling heard over your shoulder. "That was good." You only nod in approval. "Where'd you learn to cook again?" "I've told you before. My grandmother." You say, shaking your head. Aria grunts in response, but doesn't say anything. After a minute, Aria mumbles something about changing before standing up and disappearing into the guest room. Several minutes pass and she reappears, her hair completely let down, wearing only an oversized dark green shirt and a dark purple thong. You cock an eyebrow at her choice of attire. Aria sees you staring at her and shrugs. "I get hot at night. You know that." “You couldn’t wait to change?” "It’s nothing you haven't seen before." Aria dismisses as she dives onto the couch, grabbing the TV remote and flipping the power on. She’s only greeted with a blank screen, and after several attempts at brute forcing the buttons on the remote she turns to look at you with a dumbfounded expression. "I don't have cable anymore.” You confess. Aria throws her hands up, almost sending the remote flying across the room. "Why not??" "Aria, It’s current year.” You reply in an exasperated tone. “No one under the age of forty has cable." Aria seems to take a moment to digest this information before turning back towards the TV and kicking her feet up onto the arm. "Whatever. You still have Netflix?" You stack the last of your dishes onto the drying rack and lean on the counter. “Do you not have your own damn account?” you bark. “Adagio changed the password.” Aria says solemnly. You groan inwardly and drag your hands down your face. “It’s on the console." You watch as Aria lifts herself off the couch, fumbles with black box, and sits back down on the couch. You stretch your back and yawn. The time to heed the clarion call of your bed is nigh, so you shuffle off down towards your bedroom so you can sleep away the stress of the last few hours. Author's Note ARTIST: Kazabomb LINKS: https://luchadan.tumblr.com/ https://derpibooru.org/tags/artist-colon-kazabomb 2: The KindlingWhenever the topic of classes would come up around your classmates, night classes were often singled out as easy credits. Apparently it would be common for professors to run out of material and let you go early, if not finding some other excuse to dismiss the class. You recall the end of last semester where Snails was eagerly egging you on to sign up for a history class with him, so he wouldn’t have to take it alone. Coincidentally, it satisfied one of your requirements, so you signed up for the class anticipating a smooth ride through the semester. Unfortunately, what Snails and everyone else neglected to tell you was that some professors would take a perverse enjoyment in keeping students as long as possible. As soon as Ms.Cinch strutted into the classroom on the first night, Snails went white as a ghost, grabbed his bag and bolted out of the hall before you could react. When you attempted to do the same, Cinch homed in on you and forced you to stay for the remainder of the class. Before the class you’d only heard about Professor Cinch in passing from others. She was always described as a shrewd, spiteful old woman who had a distaste for anything and anyone that disregarded her rules. If she found the slightest thing out of place, or if she was just having a bad night, she would find some way to make every student just as miserable as her. From surprise exams to tangential lessons on manners, she was very effective at draining the class spirit, leaving only an empty husk to pour her menial lessons into. So here you were, three weeks in and withering away in a musty lecture hall for a subject you don’t care about. With nothing to do except wait for the inevitable, you let your gaze drift towards the doorway, where fellow inmates slowly trudge through the door. Each one looking as drained as you imagine you appear to be as they surrender themselves to a three hour time sink. You glance at your phone to check the time, but it only serves to remind you how long you’re here for. If you were discrete about it, you could pass the time by watching a movie. All you’d need to do is pretend to give Cinch the undivided attention she so craves, when in reality you are watching foreign fight movies! ‘Delightfully devilish’ you think to yourself. You fish your laptop out from your bag and flip the screen up, preparing to tune out the rest of the evening. ”Anon!” You close your eyes and silently curse your bad luck, lowering your laptop screen to reveal a grinning blue face staring straight back at you. “Hi Sonata.” You drone as you push the screen back upright, blocking her from your view. You hear her stifle a giggle from behind your electronic barricade. This was going to be a long night. "Soooo, Anon~" Her ponytail rises into view, slowly before her eyes peer from the top of your only protection. You sigh in defeat, acknowledging that whatever this is probably can’t be avoided. “What’s up, Sonata?” You reply with sarcastic enthusiasm, closing your laptop shut. Sonata leans over her chair and rests her elbows on your desk. “ I haven’t seen you since, like, lunchtime!” Sonata exclaims while she rocks back and forth. “I was , like, sooooo~ bored during my other classes today. And-Ohmigosh-my bio professor was such a bitch today! I take out my phone for ONE second and she comes and takes it! How’s your day been?” A smile creeps on your face at the carefree antics displayed the girl in front of you. Sonata’s demeanor could be best described as if they’d given a two month old puppy a human form and set it out into the world. She was a constant source of bubbly energy and unbearable naivety, and seemed to hide her distaste for this class better than others. While you normally wouldn’t mind her vibe, it starkly contrasted with the general feeling of the classroom. Like a clown in a hospital’s coma ward. “Oh you know, pretty good, pretty good.” You say with as much enthusiasm as you can muster. “This really weird girl pestered me to buy her food and fell asleep on my bed for a couple hours. Snored so loud it bothered my roommates.” Tilting her head and humming in thought, Sonata seems to process your statement for longer than necessary before the realization flashes in her face. “You’re talkin about me, aren’t you?” “I am talking about you.” Sonata crosses her arms, huffing at your jest. “You didn’t say I couldn’t.” There was truth to that statement. The alternative, however, was putting up with her endless whining about wanting to nap on your bed until she eventually won the war of attrition. “What do you want, Sonata.” Feigning ignorance, Sonata looks at you wide eyed with a finger lightly touching her chin. “What do I want? Can’t I just talk with my friend?” “No, because you usually want something when you do.” ”Well, this is time it’s different! It’s something super, super important!” She leans in closer, putting more weight onto the back of her chair. “I know a little secret about you.” Eyebrow raised in curiosity, you lean forward in your seat. “A secret?” Sonata nods her head vigorously. “Mhmm! You wanna know what it is?” “If it’s about me, wouldn’t I already know about it?” Sonata stares at you in mild bewilderment before giving you a small pout. “You’re not gonna make this fun for me, are ya?” “Where’s the fun in that?” You say, leaning back in your desk with a smug smirk. As always with her childish energy, Sonata bounces in her chair impatiently. “C’mon, Anon. This is such a juicy secret!” She looks around for anyone trying to listen in on your conversation. “I bet it’s something you don’t want me to know.” When you first started talking with Sonata, you could have dismissed her as a stereotypical airhead girl, had it not been for a general sense of there being more to her than she let on. There was a method to her ditzy madness,and she seemed to hide her intentions and motives well. Still, it was always easy to figure out what she could be motivated by. “You’re really pushing it, Sonata Dusk. You already make me buy you lunch almost every single day.” Brushing her hair back with a coy smile, Sonata leans onto your desk and rests her head on her hands. “You’re gonna hafta do better than that, mister. Want me to tell ya~?” “Do I have any other choice in the matter?” “Nope!” Sonata leans forward a bit more, causing her chair to totter with the imbalance. She yelps and grips onto your desk for balance as her chair slides out from under her, bringing the girl down with it. You chuckle as you flip the screen of your laptop back open to resume your diligent classwork. Once again, Sonata shoots up into your view, this time giving you a look of betrayal and hurt. ”How could you do that, Anon!” She whimpers. A shrug is the only response you can come up with. “Do what?” Before Sonata can respond, she’s interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat echoing across the walls. “She’s here, Sonata.” You nod your head towards the direction of the door, from which Ms.Cinch has emerged. Her beady eyes scour the hall, creating a mental list of who she wants to spite during tonight's lecture. Cinch locks eyes with Sonata and she eagerly homes in on her first victim. “Ms.Dusk.” She points a gnarled finger in your general direction. “Take your seat this minute or I will mark you absent.” “Yes, Ms.Cinch. Sorry Ms.Cinch.” She slides back into her seat and tries to make herself a smaller target. Satisfied that her target was properly chastised, Cinch eyes the rest of the classroom warily for anymore targets. No one else seemed out of line, so she nods in approval. ”Now then-” Cinch takes a brief moment to clear her throat and adjusts her glasses. “Green Apple” A petite girl several rows down listlessly raises her hand. “Here.” You would have to wait a little bit longer before you can tune Cinch out. She loves saying how much she hates repeating herself after all, and you’d hate to be singled out by her. “Silver Dew.” “Here.” “Sonata Dusk.” Sonata quickly raises her hand and exclaims “Here!”, immediately returning her attention to her desk, scribbling furiously on a small slip of paper. She puts her pencil down and looks up towards Cinch as she folds the slip in her hands. ”Flash Fire.” The room remains silent. Cinch looks up from her clipboard and studies all the students for anyone not paying attention. She licks her lips and furrows her brow. “...Ahem. Flash Fire?” After another brief pause, Cinch nods to herself. ”Very well. If Mr.Fire does not choose to put in even the minimum effort to pass this class, he must face the consequences.” She turns back towards the desk at the front of the room and begins to jot down something. ”This generation must learn to properly understand good discipline if they are to give this department and this school a good name in the future.” With Cinch’s back turned, Sonata quickly flings the slip of paper she had hidden over her head and onto your desk. The paper flutters onto your keyboard just in time for Cinch to turn back to face the class. ”Hopefully the rest of the class is more exemplary than Mister Fire. Ever Glade.” ”Here.” You stare at the small scrap in front of you as you hear Cinch call off names. It seems small enough to where it’s not long winded. In the short time you’ve come to know Sonata, you’ve realized she’s not one for complicated thoughts. She probably doesn’t have the attention span to write anything longer than a paragraph. You take the folded paper in between two fingers and fiddle with it. What secret could she be talking about? You feel your heart rate rise and fall as you think of different possibilities. How could she know something about you after only knowing each other for a month? What was she going to get out of letting you know that she was aware of whatever secret she knew? Was this her intention all along, to lure someone into a false sense of security and blackmail them? “MISTER ANONYMOUS!” You slap your hands down on your desk in shock. “HERE!” You instinctively shout. Cinch is standing at the end of the row to your left, her hands on her hips. Her eyes peer at you from behind her glasses in such a way that it makes you feel like they’re burning holes right into you. “Mister Anonymous. When you are in this class, I demand your undivided attention. I will not tolerate any daydreaming in this class. You should understand this by now.” You nervously swallow. “Yes, Ms.Cinch.” Cinch turns around and makes her way back to the podium, making marks on her clipboard. “Since you did not respond when called, I will be counting you as late.” You gawk in surprise at her remark and begin to stand up and shout in protest, only to stop yourself. Saying or doing anything at this point would potentially result in further retaliation from the shriveled bitch. You sink back further into your chair, admitting defeat. People around the class exchange looks with each other and you, casting their pity onto you. The whispers of several others nearby catch your attention. “Can she even do that?” “I can’t believe her.” Sonata briefly turns to face you and leans in to whisper. “Sorry, Anon.” You wave your hand dismissively and point towards the front of the class. “Don’t get in trouble because of me. Pay attention.” Sonata anxiously glances down at the paper in your hand and turns back towards the front. You fumble around with Sonata’s note and flip it open, only to have your heart skip momentarily as you read the five words written there. ‘I know you like Aria.’ -------------- “Sonata whatever you do, you can not say a fucking word to her.” Sonata skips along by your side and hums happily as the two of you exit the classroom, oblivious to your discomfort at the situation you’d found yourself in. People file out from the hall beside the two of you, eager to find solace in the comfort of their homes or the backseat of a car. Your mind was racing as it tried to fit this mess into place. How the hell did she even find out? You didn’t even know the two of them were related until Sonata showed you pictures of them together, referring to Aria as her sister. “Please don’t tell me she already knows.” “Not yet! Why? Do you wanna tell her yourself?” Sonata gasps and looks at you with wide eyes. “Are you gonna give her flowers?? I TOTALLY wanna see you do that. It’ll be adorbs!” Rustling from somewhere behind you sends every muscle in your body on high alert, and you look around the empty campus, expecting to see a purple blur rapidly approaching you. You only breathe a sigh of relief when you see several stray cats dart out from some bushes and into the night. “That’s the very last thing I want to do right now. Or ever.” Sonata happily bounced next to you as you escorted her to the only campus outlet that was still open at this time; a small grill attached to the outside of the student union building. The last refuge for anyone who still found themselves wandering the campus this late at night. While Sonata didn’t explicitly say it, you had gotten the very heavy handed hint that she was expecting you to cover her meal again. It was an obvious case of extortion, but the choice between a takeout bill and a hospital bill was an easy decision. Taking note of your paranoia, Sonata bumps you in the shoulder to earn your attention. “You hella need to chill out, Anon. Everything’s fine. Look-” She pulls out her phone and shows Aria “I could call her right now and see if she wants to eat with us!” You step in front of Sonata, reaching out to lower her arm. “Sonata, I’m serious about this. If Aria finds out I’m fucking screwed! I mean, how did YOU even know about this??” “Pffft, you kiddin’ me?” Sonata says with a wave of her hand. “I see you lookin’ at her instagram, like, ALL the time in class.” “Wh-what do you mean?” You stammer out. Sonata responds by pulling her phone out and showing you her evidence; your instagram profile. “Do you know how often I’ve seen you looking at her profile, Anon? I’ve seen her gym videos on your phone, like, HUNDREDS of times already.” “Th-they just appear on my feed. I don't know what you're talking about.” You shakily reply. “Oh?” Sonata says with an unconvinced expression. She comes to your side, wraps an arm around your shoulder and shows you the screen once more. “You’re the only person I know that talks about painting those little figures, Anon.” She scrolls through the page, revealing the dozens of pictures you’d taken of your paintings. “Ok first of all, they’re called ‘Miniatures’. And it-nevermind. Point is, I am begging you not to tell Aria. Please.” Sonata rocks back and forth on her feet, avoiding your gaze. ”I dunno, Anon. I’m getting pretty hungry and the cafe closes soon~. Maybe I’ll just text Aria and see-” You clasp your hands together in a prayer. “I already told you I’m buying you food, Sonata PLEASE don’t-” A fit of giggles erupts from the girl. ”I know, Anon. I’m just totally messin’ with ya!” Sonata says through her bubbly laughter. “C’mon they’re gonna shut down the shake machine soon!” She grabs your hand and drags you along to the cafeteria at the center of campus. The atmosphere you two are greeted with once you walk in is rather melancholic. The only sounds that echo through the room are the dull electrical hum of machines and the soft buzz of fluorescent lights. Several of the workers are aimlessly shuffling through the dining area, feigning their work ethic as they sneak glances at the clock at the far end of the room. Around the dining area rows of empty chairs waited to be stacked away for the night, save for one that was occupied by a hooded figure hunched over a pile of books and papers. You couldn’t tell if the sounds coming from them were sobbing or snoring. Could have been both. The double doors behind you two loudly slam shut, announcing your arrival to everyone in the room. Several of the workers that were awake enough look at you with thinly veiled ire as they ready themselves for one more order for the night. -------- “Did you see if they spit in our food?” You whisper to Sonata as the two of you make a hasty exit from the building. “I got a bit of a feeling they didn’t really want us there.” “I don’t know about you, but I’m sure they wouldn’t do anything to my stuff.” Sonata said with a cocky smile, batting her eyelashes. “It really pays to be a super cute girl, y’know.” “I’ll keep that in mind next time I order food.” While the sun had set not too long ago, almost every square inch of the campus was illuminated by light fixtures dotted across the paths. The pathways are bathed in a warm, muted orange from the buzzing lights. The hot summer air was swept away by the crisp evening breeze that rolled across the sky. After dragging you halfway to the other side of the campus, Sonata stops at the base of some stairs overlooking the front of the college. In front of you is a large lawn that sprawls from one end of the property to the other. A large fountain and pond sits in the middle of it all, sitting dormant for the night. Sonata lifts herself onto a nearby wall before she begins to tear into her food. You settle onto the ground and pull out your own meal as Sonata murmurs sounds of happiness through chewing. A comfortable silence hangs around the two of you, the only sounds around you was the gentle murmur of the night and Sonata loudly munching away. ”So tell me everything, Anon.” Sonata asks before sucking down another gulp of milkshake and stuffing another handful of fries in her face. “Why Aria?” There was no point in trying to hide the truth anymore, so you might as well come clean. “Man where do I even start?” You ask yourself, conjuring an image of the punk girl in your mind. “Obviously I think she’s really pretty.” Sonata suppresses a fit of laughter and you wheel your head around to glare at her. “What’s so funny?” “Sorry Anon, just that Aria would totally kick your ass for calling her pretty.” Sonata rests her head on her hand, a grin that was dripping with mock innocence smeared across her face. “Anywhoo’s, what else ya like about her?” “Well-” You pause for a moment as you consider other descriptives that Aria might not enjoy. “Whatsamatter? Grump got your tongue?” Sonata says, fighting the urge to laugh at her own joke. “...The first time I saw her was at the bookstore, start of last semester.” You began, your mind conjuring up the memories. “Nothing really happened, we were just buying our books. But when I saw her it just felt...I don’t know...she really stood out in the crowd. She carried herself with this energy, like she was just exuding confidence with every breath she took.” When you don’t receive a response you turn to look up to Sonata, who gives you a warm smile as she waves her hand for you to continue. “So I don’t think there’s one specific moment that made it happen, like flipping a switch, y’know? Just the more I saw her, the more I felt like I wanted to get to know her...although...there was this time I saw her at the library...” Sonata continues her feast as you revel over your fondness of her sister, only interrupting to offer sound advice on how to not get your ass kicked by Aria. But once you’re finished with your impassioned speech, Sonata only offers a contemplative hum in response. “What?” “You really do like my sister, don’t ya?” Sonata sighs wistfully and lays back on her perch. “Aria’s sooooo lucky. I totally wish I had a guy who would gush over me like that. Most guys I talk to are super lame..” “Well, you can always do what Aria does.” Leaning back up, Sonata shoots you a confused look “What are you talking about?” “Uh-You know...beat them up? Doesn’t Aria do that to anyone who talks to her? That’s what I heard.” Slowly, Sonata shakes her head. “Noooooooo...Wait is that why you’re scared of her?” With only a shaky nod as your response, Sonata gives you a blank stare before erupting in laughter that rang out across the empty campus, leaving you feeling embarrassed. You throw your arms out in protest. “You JUST said she’d kick my ass for calling her pretty!” You snap back. “Don’t say that and then laugh at me for being scared!” Her laughter slowly dies down before she wipes a tear from her eye. “You’re soooo funny Anon, y’know that? Do ya really think she’d still be here if she fought EVERYONE she came across?” Sonata shakes her head as she slurps down her milkshake. “Nah, just anyone that gets super creepy with her. Like, dudes at the gym who stare at her ass and stuff like that.” A brief moment of reflection shines some mental clarity on your smoothbrain. Given that you overheard these stories about Aria from conversations among the student athletes in your classes, this had to carry a degree of truth to it. Nevertheless, the fact that Aria could still send someone to the hospital frightened and excited you at the same time. It was probably for the best to withhold the fact that you always love a girl who could kick your ass. “So.” Sonata claps her hands and leans forward. “You should try!” “Hmmm?” Sonata rolls her eyes and stares down at you. “So try and hook up with Aria! C’mon, I’ll set you up with her!” she said with barely contained excitement. “Don’t you think it’s weird to try and set me up with your sister?” You ask her doubtfully. “If she’s the kinda girl that has kicked anyone’s ass for looking at her funny, can you imagine how she’d react if someone like ME tried to confess to her?”. ”Whaddya mean?” “Look at me, Sonata.-” You gesture at yourself. “-Do I really look like someone that Aria WOULDN’T be absolutely disgusted by? I mean, she’s fit, she’s fiery, she’s beautiful, and I’m-” “A lanky, weird dude who’s never kissed a girl in his life?” You grimace at her remark, but offer no protest. “...Yeah. That. It’s better for me not to risk my neck like that and just...admire her from a safe distance.” Sonata playfully brushes your head with her foot. “Like a stalker?” She says while giggling. “You’re hilarious.” You grumble as you swat her foot away. This conversation was only serving to make you feel more convinced that Aria was someone that was way too out of your reach. ”Have you even tried talkin’ to her? Like, when have you ever said anything to her?” You sigh. “I did ask her for notes for a class after I slept through it all.” “And? What she say?” Sonata asked with anticipation. “Well, she didn’t really say much, to be honest.” You respond with a shrug. “She kinda just threw her notebook into my face and said ‘You’re welcome’.” “That kinda does sound like her.” Sonata trails off as she taps her chin in thought. After a moment, her eyes widen and she gives you a wide smile. “Do you want me to ask her for you?” You scoff at her proposal. “Sonata, we’re not in high school anymore. Please.” With an accusing look in her eyes, Sonata nudges your head with her foot again. “Ok, Mister Stalker. If you have any better plans, spill ‘em!” Well, she’s got you there. Aria’s intimidation factor limited the plans you had considered to just liking every post she made on instagram, and even then that felt like a pretty gutsy tactic. Sonata putting you on the spot for your cowardice “...Be discreet about it.” you mutter bashfully. “Discreet? What’s that supposed to mean?” “It means don’t just say ‘Hey Aria, Anon thinks you’re a hot piece of ass. What do you think of him?’.” You point at Sonata. “Don’t do that.” “Well I wasn’t going to, but what you said seems waaay more fun to say to her.” Sonata giggles and reaches her hand out to your bag of foodstuffs. “Ooooooooor I could take your fries, if you’d like.” “Damnit Sonata, I will buy you food for the rest of the semester if you do NOT do that.” Sonata says nothing, only clenching and unclenching her extended hand several times. Acknowledging your position in this situation, you grab the bag and place it into her grasp, earning a delighted squeal from the girl as she sticks her hand into the bag. “Okie! Dealzies, forealzies!” She happily exclaims before shoving fries into her mouth. “Please don’t say that.” Sonata giggles through a mouthful before swallowing. “Dealzies.” You groan. Author's Note ARTIST(S): (Characters) nairda, (Background) Kazabomb LINKS: https://twitter.com/nairdaGS https://derpibooru.org/search?q=artist%3Anairdags 3: The ScorchedAuthor's Note It's been a while hasn't it? The last year has been a bit of a roller coaster for me. Alongside worries with this little thing called "COVID-19", I poured way too much energy and time into my work then I should have in an effort to be recognized for a promotion. As a result, my personal life suffered to the point that I had no time to do anything but sleep and eat. Since then I've tried to work on bettering myself and my habits in an effort to get back on track, and one of the things I'm doing is making myself write more often as a better way to express myself I suppose. I really do apologize for the lack of any updates on this story. I'm going to make an effort to be more proactive on updates. Thanks, JSA 3: The Scorched You apathetically sigh as your eyes trail over the state of disarray laid out before your bathroom. A bag of makeup has been left open and tossed aside on the countertop, spewing its chalky contents across the tile. Clumps of matted purple and green hair snake over every surface of the bathroom floor, shower, and countertop like vibrant seaweed that’s washed across a beach. Several lengths stick out just over the mouth of the sink drain, almost as if to taunt you with their mere existence. Hesitantly, you pinch the colorful strands and pull at them, only to have a much larger and more horrific truth become apparent to your mortal eyes. Suppressing your gag reflex, you throw the eldritch tribble into the trash and lean over the counter as you focus your energy on not throwing up your breakfast. Outside the door and down the hallway, you’re greeted by a similar sight in your kitchen. Utensils, plates and cups haphazardly clutter the sink after having been missing for weeks. The fridge door is still wide open, shelf after shelf of food that you had gone through a great deal of effort to cook and weigh out the night before had been greedily ransacked at will, containers le And the crumbs. God the crumbs. As catastrophic as it all is, the scene before you is all too familiar. Almost nothing Aria could do would surprise you anymore. Almost nothing. Her lack of tidiness or cleaning habits is one of the caveats that took you longer to grow indifferent towards. The only reason being that the messes Aria would often leave created serious points of contention between you and your college roommates. Trying to bring it up with Aria would rarely yield any results as she would alternate between a series of excuses about how it wasn’t that bad, how she would clean it later. And so, eager to avoid any further conflict with the people you had shared a living space with, it fell upon you to make sure no trace of her negligence remained. And now it’s followed you back to disrupt the sanctity of your home, like some witch’s curse you never shook off. Grumbling to yourself about the injustices you’ve put up with, you pull a large swath of toilet paper off the roll and wipe down the counter to the best of your ability. One roll later and there are still streaks and smears that Your instincts are yelling at you to wipe everything down, to make everything pristine and perfect once more. Shrugging in bitter defeat, you sling your bag over your shoulder and force yourself not to think about it as you close the door to the room. ‘Out of sight out of mind, after all’ you try to reason with yourself, but it’s difficult to ignore when it’s right behind you. While you mentally grapple with yourself over your compulsive tendencies, Aria quickly sidles past you in the hallway, twisting her usual hairstyle into a singular ponytail and securing it with a band. Her usual punk attire has been traded in for the red and black uniform of the local movie theater. "Three years of college paid off well," you think sarcastically to yourself, a pitiless smile finding its way onto your face before it bitterly flips down into a scowl. “Hey.” Aria grunts in response, but makes no effort to acknowledge you further as she continues her way towards the front door. “Heyheyheyhey Whoa whoa, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Aria turns to face you without breaking her stride. “What?” She asks incredulously. “Don’t ‘what’ me, you know damn well what. Go clean up the bathroom.” You jab your thumb behind you in the direction of the hallway. “It’s a fucking mess because of you. Again” Before you even finish naming your demands Aria cuts in. ”Can’t. I’m gonna be late.” She twirls back around dismissively and scoops her purse up from the couch. You step in front of her again and receive a glowering glare as she steps back and crosses her arms. Old habits die hard. As Aria turns to leave, she’s met by you planting yourself right at the doorway. “You should have thought about that before you fucked everything up in there.” You lean your weight back onto the frame in case she tries anything funny. “If you didn’t want to be late you shouldn’t have stayed up till four in the morning drinking.” Aria opens her mouth to defend herself but you chime in before her. “You snore louder than a fucking jet when you’re drunk, so it’s hard for you to hide. Go clean the damn bathroom.” Aria rolls her eyes. “I’ll do it when I get home d-Anon. I’m seriously going to be late.” “Take better care of MY place then.” You growl. “Now.” Growing more annoyed, Aria stares back into your glare with equal intensity. “You want me to lose my job?” “You want to lose the roof over your head?” Once more, you point in the general direction of the devastation Aria had left, eyeing her intensely. “Now.” You restate, adding more force to your tone. With no way to respond to your threat without digging a deeper hole for herself, Aria seethes and mumbles before violently tossing her bag at the couch and stomping away down towards the hall. At least she still has some common sense. open the door and shout “I'll be back around 10.” before closing the door behind you and heading out towards your car. For some reason, you expected to find yourself feeling a smug sense of satisfaction at being able to finally hold this kind of power over Aria. Yet you couldn’t help but realize that the pit in your stomach was anything but. Shouldn’t it feel good to put Aria in her place? To finally have some modicum of leverage on someone who ground you underneath her heel for so long? You shake your head free of the thoughts and try to shift your thinking to the day of work ahead of you. ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ you try to remind yourself as you press the ignition of your car, hearing it’s engine roar in response. There would often be days made you reconsider your career path and you would find yourself daydreaming about the life of a simple farmer, a buddhist monk or anything that would not involve hours of staring at hamfisted code and incessant emails. Today was certainly one of those. You lean back in your chair and rub the fatigue from your eyes before turning your attention back to yet another failed build. Lines upon lines of ambiguous error messages flashed from the bottom to the top of your screen, the red text jumping out as if to mock you for your inadequacy. You and several others on your team had been stuck on several critical bugs for the last week, with progress constantly being slowed by meetings that were insisted upon that would often last longer than they would have any right to. You sat in resigned silence for a moment, staring at the doorway on the other side of your office as if expecting someone to walk in and pull you into another waste of time. Reaching over in between your desk and the wall, you pull out a long pole and shift it in your grip. A trusted friend you could always turn to in your time of need, even more so than your rubber duck. The pole always knew what to do in situations like this. Leaning over your desk , you extend your reach with your friend until you make contact with the door to your office. With a little bit of maneuvering you tap the door with a grunt and watch it swing shut with a sharp click. The cathartic effect of isolating yourself instantly lets the tension in your shoulders dissipate as you recline in your chair and close your eyes. You draw your focus from your nagging thoughts to your breathing, falling into a slow rhythmic pace of deeply inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. An action that had become habitual at this point, as the daily stresses of your high demand work forced you to recollect yourself once or twice a day. In. And out. In. And out. Slowly, your lungs expand and contract with each practiced breath you take. What could be only a couple minutes feels like an eternity as you lose all sense of the world outside of the sound of your breathing echoing in your ears. Soon enough, the urgent nags of tickets and deadlines begin to trickle back in, disrupting your short-lived solace. With an impatient huff you open your eyes and tilt your head over to stare out the window wall adjacent to your desk. Even though your job demanded a lot from you, you couldn’t deny that it came with a plethora of perks to enjoy; one of them being a corner office in the building that offered a full view of a large public park that served as a gathering for all walks of life. At this time of day, the sun had arched over to the other side of the horizon, its last parting rays still piercing through the soft shadows of the afternoon. There’s enough light where you can make out the shapes of people enjoying the wooded park as they stroll through the winding pathways or sitting down to take in the surroundings. You sigh longingly as you imagine detaching from technology to enjoy an evening to yourself without having to worry about code pushes. But your slipshod coding wasn’t the doubt plaguing you that you were trying to shove down and ignore. No, another pressing matter that you were chewing over was your not-so-new roommate and all the griefs that she brought along with her. Frustration, anger, and many other emotions weigh you down so much you feel yourself sink further into your chair. Despite how cluttered and conflicted your thoughts are they all revolved around one question; Why did you let Aria stay? The second your consensus to let Aria stay slipped out of your mouth, that one question has been constantly barraging your mind to the point that it’s consumed every waking thought with an undying hunger. When Sunset had initially asked for your reasoning you shrugged the question off, offering her the half-assed rent response. It’s not like you so urgently needed the money that you would resort to letting Aria ruin your life again. Sure, paying only half rent will be welcome, but it’s not like you were strapped for cash. And even then, was it really worth reliving the trauma and pain whenever you saw her face? If it wasn’t for the money, what other explanation was there? The truth was you weren’t entirely sure of the answer, as you had even surprised yourself when you agreed in the first place. Hesitant to confront what your Id had forced you into, you had pushed the concern to the back of your mind and reduced it to a gnawing whisper. But merely thinking about it now brought it to the forefront once more. What would have happened if you said no instead? While Sunset had iterated several times that you weren’t being compelled to do this, something inside you felt otherwise. If you had said no to Sunset, it assuredly would have been the last time you’d ever have to seeAria again. A concept that should have left you elated, and yet you’re fighting with yourself over it here in your car. You close your eyes and envision the exact moment you told Sunset that Aria could stay. The guilty expression in Sunset’s face was just as clear to you in your memory as it was out on the balcony that night. She turns to you with that wistful look in her eyes and rests her hand on your shoulder. Sunset opens her mouth to speak but no sounds come from her. Instead, her voice seems to echo through your whole body. “I know it hurt.” Even as a memory, Sunset’s words still evoke the painful memories you had tried to bury in your closet of skeletons. You admire Sunset and her offer to share your misery, but her gesture was a sympathetic one, much like a parent consoling a crying child over a broken toy. She felt it was necessary, an action that she had to take as a friend to console you over something she could never understand. Not that she needed to though, someone like Sunset didn’t deserve to go through what you did. A noisome clattering reverberates across your desk, pulling your attention back to the physical world. Groaning under the titanic effort, you force your body to sit back up to see the commotion is coming from your phone, the screen illuminated to show a number instead of a contact name. You swipe to decline the call and lean back in your chair to return to your self reflection. Your phone buzzes once, indicating that a text message is waiting for you. Closing your tired eyes, you relish the last moments of your peaceful isolation before leaning back up and . Upon reading the contents of the text you immediately realize who the sender is, breathing a sigh of relief that you didn’t answer. ‘Answer your phone please. I’m locked out.’ The words displayed on your screen elicit a small chuckle out of you. Even if you wanted to help, it would require getting out of your chair to drive half an hour to just open the door for her. You drag your thumb over the screen to reply. ‘I’m at work until the evening. Go find somewhere else to be.’ Before you could hit send, another message pops up into your feed. ‘I forgot my key because I was late.’ You groan in frustration and send your original reply before throwing out another one. ‘Not my problem. I’m not driving half an hour just to let you in.’ Already exhausted from the short exchange you toss your phone onto your desk with a clatter and lean back once more. You bring your hands up to your face and rub your eyelids again before another buzz from your phone makes you groan in anguish. Eager to shut her up, you flip over your phone and swipe open the screen to type out an impatient retort only to stop as you read the message on your screen. ’Nevermind I got in.’ For several minutes you sit there staring in bemusement at the words displayed on your device, trying to parse whatever hidden meaning there may be. If the door was locked and she forgot her key, there weren't a whole lot of other ways she could get in. But you knew Aria, and you knew she wouldn’t let something like that stop her. “Goddamnit” You angrily mutter to yourself as you grab your keys. “Just count yourself lucky that none of the neighbors weren’t here to call the cops on you.” ”I said I was sorry.” The expression on your face twists into a scowl. Apologies from Aria carried very little meaning with them. You’ve known her long enough to know how empty and practiced her words were. A trained response to shrug off any blame that came her way. And everything from her demeanor to her tone of voice heavily implies that nothing has changed at all. You close your eyes and take a deep breath, forcefully willing yourself to maintain your composure. “Look. I’m really busy today.” You say with no lack of exasperation as you massage your temples. “I didn’t want to waste my time having to drive back here to babysit you.” “Oh yeeaah.” Aria waves her hands in the air. “Sorry to pull you away from your busy life of staring at a computer, geek squad.” You raise an eyebrow at her. “And your choice of career has more value?” She grimaces before crossing her arms and looking away, pouting like a child who got caught shaving a cat. “Look, I don’t see what the problem is. I got in without needing you to ‘waste your time’. It’s not that big of a deal.” “NOT THAT BI-” You pull at your hair and groan. “Aria you climbed up to your window and BROKE it to get in! Do you realize how much shit you’d be in if someone cared enough to call 911? And that’s not even MENTIONING the fact that there is broken glass littered ALL over your goddamn room! Yo- Why did you even need to get in that badly?!?” “Because I was late for my bus to work-” Aria spits out as she jumps off the couch and stomps towards you, her violet eyes boring anger into you. “- and I forgot my lunch and my cash.” You scoff. “So?” “So?” Aria repeats in disbelief. “So I wasn’t about to starve and I sure as hell wasn’t going to eat the greasy slop I have to peddle to the mindless pigs.” She shudders at her words, as if she’s recalling some atrocity at the hands of people wanting popcorn. “Disgusting.” “I still fail to see how any of this was my problem.” You say with a shrug, making the impatience in your voice more apparent. “Dickhead!” She huffs furiously, the outburst taking you by slight surprise. “If you hadn’t threatened me to do some stupid fucking chores that-might I add-could have fuckin’ waited till I got home, I wouldn’t have been late, I wouldn’t have forgotten my money, and I wouldn’t have had to have broken the goddamn window!" “Oh, so my window being broken is somehow my fault?.” You reply mockingly with a laugh as you roll your eyes. “I’m sorry, I forgot you have no sense of responsibility. I’ll remember that next time you trash MY place.” You lean forward with a sneer and Aria shirks back. AGAIN.” “I-I was going to clean it!” she exclaims defensively, squirming under the pressure you were applying to her. You narrow your eyes at her. “No you weren’t.” Aria steps back with a look of frustration.“Y-you don’t fucking know that!” “Yea, I DO. You can barely clean up after yourself to begin with!” You angrily gesture your hand towards the kitchen, which shows little noticeable improvement since this morning. “I had to threaten your dumb ass with eviction to get you to wash my fucking dishes! And you STILL didn’t do that, you parasite!" Growling into clenched fists, Aria paces in a circle before she faces back towards you. “God what the FUCK is wrong with you?!? I NEVER should have told Sunset to call you!” She hisses as she jabs her finger at you. “Living in a fucking van down by the river would have been better than this!” “Finally!!” You triumphantly shout, throwing your fists in the air. “Something we can agree on!” Aria’s glare remains fixed on you for a second longer before the anger that’s aflame in her deep violet eyes instantly vanishes. “Wait, I didn’t me-” “No, I know exactly what you meant. And I’m glad you were the one to say it. Makes this process so much easier!” “I didn’t mean it, you asshole!” She cries out, a level of panic apparent as her voice cracks. “I just-nevermind! I just didn’t mean it!” “Well why not? You said it yourself. We’d both be much happier if you just got the fuck out my apartment!” You spit as you point towards the front door. “You know what? FINE!” Aria shoves past you as she makes a beeline for the front door. “Where do you think you’re going??” You shout back at her. “Get back here and pack your shit up!” “If you want me out of here so bad I’m leaving until you can pull your head out your ass, you jerk!” She yanks the door open with enough force that you have a brief moment of concern that you’ll have to have that fixed as well. “Alright, go on! But don’t be surprised if your shit is tossed out on the curb, bitch!” “Don’t go in my room, you asshole!” “IT’S NOT YOUR ROOM!” “FUCK YOU!” You open your mouth to parrot her outburst, but it’s too late. The door slams shut behind her and the sound of muffled footsteps trailing off before leaving you in the room that has now fallen completely quiet, a stark contrast to just moments ago. You interrupt the silence as you vainly curse and spit at the empty space around you for several minutes until you collapse breathlessly onto a chair, your aimless venting only serving to frustrate you even further. You dig your fingers into the palm of your hands, wincing at the pain but not relenting. It gives something to think about besides the anger that’s continues to fester in you. Eager to try and distract yourself from thinking about it anymore, you lift yourself up and trudge down towards the open doorway that leads to Aria’s room and peer in. You grit your teeth at the state of the room. Again, while it was nothing you were a stranger too, the mere sight of it only served to remind you of your past experiences with Aria. only serves to cement your belief that nothing about Aria has changed in the years. The disrespect, the selfish impulses, and the lack of empathy or concern for anyone else but herself. It was all too familiar. The only mess of notice is across the room where the window used to be. Where the agape, vicious shards of glass poking from random corners and edges. Sprinkled all across the area beneath the opening are dozens of smaller fragments, the last rays of the evening sun catching against their surfaces and casting reflections all across her room like a dangerous disco ball. Some pieces are easy to spot, but flickering glints amongst the rest betray the hundreds of slivers and bits that would be a nightmare to pick out by hand. Who were you really mad at, you muse to yourself. At the surface level, Aria was the one to pin the blame on this, as well as everything else. She was the one that resorted to property damage for no reason other than the fact she was too stubborn to eat a slice of pizza or a hot dog. It wasn’t your fault that she could never keep track of her priorities. You shake away the thoughts and slap yourself upside the head. The only fault you had was trusting her at all. You shut her door before sitting back down on the couch, no doubts in your mind that she would come back eventually. She has a habit of doing that.
1: The Cinders“Alright," You sigh into your phone, "I’ll take a look at the images in the morning.” ”Thanks, Anon." Your boss curtly replies. "The downtime today left people really upset." 'Not my problem.' You muse to yourself. “See you tomorrow.” The gruff voice on the other end acknowledges and the line goes dead. You turn your phone on vibrate and slip it back into your pocket. “Not my fault they can’t figure out how to do proper fucking patches.” You gripe out loud to no one in particular. With you being the only occupant of your two bedroom condo, you are free to complain about anything and anyone you see fit. The downside, however, is that no one can sympathize with your plights and minor inconveniences of the week. All you can do is bitch and moan to your own inner monologue. You let out a long guttural groan and turn your attention back to your stove top, where placed inside a skillet are two beautiful cuts of beef. It's not too often that you get evenings like this to yourself without too much work, so you're taking full advantage by cooking yourself a nice dinner. The meat sizzles and pops nicely in a mixture of garlic butter and it’s own fat. You take care not to cause any splattering as you flip the meat over, pausing to admire the sweet smell that emanates from the skillet. Once you're satisfied with the seared crust, you take the skillet off the flame and slide it right into the oven. After setting a timer on your phone for 15 minutes, you set about cleaning off the kitchen. As you’re cleaning up, you feel your phone vibrate once more. The vibrations send waves of frustration through you, and you curse not so much under your breath. It’s very rare that you have an evening to yourself without playing IT to some dumbass who can’t google their problem. The buzzing continues as you decide to let it ring. If anyone asks where you were you can say you just dropped your phone in the toilet or something. Finally, the vibrating stops and you breathe a sigh of relief. Your solace is short lived however, as your phone resumes its maddening whine. After the cycle repeats twice more, a heavy sigh escapes your lips as you decide to answer it and get it over with. You mentally steel yourself to answer whatever inane tech questions will come spewing out, only to stop and read the name displayed on the screen. Sunset Shimmer. That’s a name you haven’t seen in awhile. You’d briefly forgotten she was in your contacts, but seeing her name flash across your screen invokes a bittersweet feeling. You were first introduced to Sunset when she became your RA in college, and enjoyed each other's company even after you moved out of the dorms. Alas, the drudgery of adult life and responsibilities fizzled out your camaraderie to exchanging text messages once in a blue moon. If she’s calling you now, it could be important. You tap the accept button and hesitantly speak. “Hello?” ”It’s been awhile, Anon.” you hear the familiar voice coo. You roll your eyes and lean onto the counter. “Three years isn’t THAT long, Sunset.” ”Sometimes feels like it is. How are you doing?” “Pretty good, pretty good." You wedge your phone between your shoulder and ear as you give a pot of rice a cursory stir and kill the burner underneath. "In the process of making some dinner.” ”Nice, Nice. Hey, listen, this may sound weird but....I need a favor.” Well she's very quick to the point. “Awww, Didn’t call for a quick chat?” you playfully retort. “You said yourself it’s been awhile. ” The line is quiet before a quick sigh is heard. “Anon as much as I’d love to just talk, this is something pretty serious.” Sunset insisted. “I need your help.” “Serious enough to call someone you haven’t seen since college?” ”It’s...a really big favor.” Her tone has grown more pleading with each passing second, making you more and more uncomfortable thinking about what exactly Sunset needed from you. “Like, a really really REALLY huge favor.” You roll your eyes. “Sunset," You sigh, "the last time I heard something like this I had to bail someone out, so if it’s that, the answer is no.” “What? No no no no, it’s-well-kinda-It’s..."Sunset's stammering trails off for a second. You take a quick glance at your phone to confirm the call wasn’t dropped. “You still there, Sunset?” You ask. “Yea, I’m here. Look, can I come talk to you? It’s better if I explained it in person.” “Uhhhhhh…” You hadn't really anticipated setting dinner for another person. You were hoping to meet her at a bar or something. But if it’s important enough for her to call like this, you suppose she should come over. “Sure.” You reply. “Great!" Sunset chirps. “Are you still living in your apartment?” “Same place, yep.” ”Awesome! We’ll see you there. Bye!” “Bye.” You place your phone on the counter and take the plastic plate you got out for yourself, exchanging it for three of 'the good plates'. You figure you might as well pull out the nicer dishes if you're having company. After all, It’s been a while since you’ve had guests over. The thought of having people over suddenly turns the cogs in your head as you realize what Sunset had said before she hung up. “Wait…we?” “No.” ”Look, Anon. I know that the two of you have some...history, but-” “No.” You echo. ”I told you he wouldn’t agree to it.” ”Hush. Anon, please just listen to m-” “I did. And I said no.” ”No," Sunset huffs, "you just saw her and immediately went sour. Please hear me out.” You cross your arms but say nothing, your gaze fixated on Sunset. The second you opened the door and saw Aria standing behind Sunset, you almost shut the door back on their faces, had Sunset not intervened by jamming half her body in the doorway. The three of you exchange glances with each other, and Sunset takes your silence as her opportunity to speak her mind. ”I understand how you feel Anon, I really do-” Sunset shifts uncomfortably under your stare. “No you don’t.”, you bluntly interrupt, your focus entirely set on your friend. You would rather not look at the girl sitting on your couch. With her shoes on it. “-But believe me, we wouldn’t have come here if there wasn’t another option.” “I can think of some pretty cozy underpasses by the highway.” “I’m not sleeping in a tent outside, you jerk.” Aria spits. You match Aria’s glare. “Who said anything about giving you shelter?” Sunset turns and points at Aria. ”Stop it, you’re not helping!” Aria growls and jerks her head away. “Anon, please, it won’t be for that long.” Sunset moves in between you and Aria, taking her out of your view. You rub your temples in an effort to dispel the headache you have, but Aria is still sitting in the room, cross-legged and staring at the wall. “Can’t she stay with you? Please?” you plead. Sunset's lips twist into a frown as she shakes her head. ”My studio is barely big enough for me. Adagio stayed at their apartment, and Sonata is with Pinkie Pie, but-” Aria decides to cut in again, her tone dispassionate and rude. ”But none of the other Lamebooms want to take me in. Apparently that prissy one said I’m too-” Aria takes on a high and regal sounding voice, one you assume is meant to mock one of Sunsets friends. ”-Abrasive and uncouth!” You fold your arms over your chest and stare at the girl. “Sounds like she’s a good judge of character.” you reply with no hint of sarcasm. Aria glares at you from behind before kicking a leg up onto the couch arm and turning her attention back to the riveting wall that had captured her attention previously. Sunset mutters something under her breath before looking back at you. ”Anon can we step outside for a moment? Just you and me?” Sunsets eyes dart back and forth between you and the door. You chew your lip as you consider just throwing the two of them out and enjoying your food on your own. But against better judgement, you nod toward the door and the two of you head outside onto the walkway. You inhale the crisp, cool air and immediately feel yourself relax as the door closes behind you. Being in the same room as Aria feels like having your entire body pricked by little needles. Her absence, although brief, is already a great boon. ”So, Anon.” Sunset begins as she clasps her hands together. “I really need you to hear me out on this. Please” “I’m listening.” You lean back against the wall and cross your arms. “For now.” “I know this is a lot to put on someone, all things considering.” You snort. ”That’s putting it lightly.” “But.” Sunset interrupts. “We would not be here if she had any other choice. I’m not forcing you to take her in. This is only a favor I’m asking of you.” You inhale sharply. Under normal circumstances, you’d be more than happy to do a favor for Sunset. Nothing about this was normal, however. Is there anything you even wanted from Sunset that could come close to what she was asking of you? Is the fact that you’re weighing your options mean you’re thinking about saying yes? “You HAD to have known I was gonna say no.” ”I-Yes.” Sunset mutters towards the ground. You throw your hands up. “And yet you still brought her! If it was anyone-LITERALLY ANYONE-else, I would have said yes.” ”But..here we are.” Sunset mutters dejectedly. “Yeah, here you are.” You clasp the bridge of your nose between your hands and let out a long sigh. “God damnit, Sunset.” You feel a twinge of shame as you vent out your frustration on Sunset. While she wasn’t the one you had this history with, she brought Aria here. You feel an involuntary scowl contort your face as you think of the woman sitting in your apartment. That witch is probably getting a kick out of seeing you squirm like this. She probably wanted to come here to make you uncomfortable. “Why couldn’t one of the others have stayed with me? I would take Sonata over...HER in a heartbeat!” ”She wanted to stay with Pinkie.” Sunset replies matter-of-factly. “By the time I knew about this she had already moved in.” “For asking a favor, you’re making it sound like that there’s no other choice in the matter.” Sunset stares into your eyes briefly before speaking. ”Like I said, I came here to ask you if you could take her in. Not make you take her in.” You narrow your eyes at the girl. ”And you brought her along thinking it would help you and your argument?” you retort. Another pause as the girl seems to sweat over the right answer, and scowls. “Ok, Anon this hasn’t really been easy for me either, y’know.” “Preaching to the choir, Sunset.” “I didn’t want to be put in this position, Anon” She gestures towards herself. “And I know that you don’t as well. Neither of us wanted to be here, but…” Sunset casts a glance towards your doorway. “As horrible as she has been, she still needs help. And I said I would help her, so here we are.” Sunset runs her hand through her hair before turning away. ”Look, you can...say no, Anon. Again, No one is forcing you. Either way, I really appreciate you hearing me out.” You chew your lip as you turn to look over the railings of the landing that your apartment is on. Being on one of the higher levels of the complex offers a more scenic view. The town is warmly lit by streetlights and open businesses, beckoning the nightlife in to enjoy an evening of food and drink. Out of the corner of your eye, you see Sunset lean onto the railing and look out. “Was there REALLY no other option at all?” You plead. “No roommate ads? No tiny homes? No openings at a strip joint?” Sunset groans “If she had found anything like that, she wouldn’t still be holed up in some seedy hotel. You weren’t her first option either, Anon.” “I shouldn’t have even been an option.” You sense Sunset shift uncomfortably at your remark, but she doesn’t raise a protest. Instead the two of you gaze out at the horizon, not a single word uttered between the two of you. ”You’ve got a nice view up here.” “It’s nice to look at, I guess. Clears my head.” You mumble. It was certainly true. Watching the flickering lights drift around the night sky had a serene feel to it. You feel Sunset hesitantly rest a hand on your back. ”I know it hurt.” She says, almost remorsefully. At her words, a wave of painful memories come flooding back to you. You shut your eyes tight as if to cut out the images in your head. “...You have no idea.” You let your other senses absorb the surroundings, hoping that you can either distract yourself from this or the answer would somehow appear from the dark. You want to say no. Even though you kind of already did. You really want to laugh straight in Aria’s smug face and kick her to the curb again. Her resting bitch face wakes something primal in you, making every fiber of your being want to say no and physically drag her out. “How long.” You mutter. Sunset almost slides off the rail, but catches herself as she turns to face you. “Anon, are you sure?” ”How. Long.” Sunset blankly stares at you for a moment before coming back to reality. ”Probably a couple of months I suppose, Anon are you s-” You cast a sidelong glare at the girl. “Sunset, ask me again and I’m going to change my mind.” Realizing her position, Sunset stammers out an apology before wrapping you in a tight embrace. “Thank you so much, Anon. I appreciate this so so so so much.” “No problem, I guess. But you owe me BIG for this.” You respond, jabbing a finger towards her. Let’s just go get her bags.” As you turn to make your way back inside, you hear a muffled groan. You look back at Sunset, who just stands there with a sheepish look on her face as she rubs the back of her head. ”S-sorry. Haven’t eaten in awhile.” You can’t help but smirk. “It’s alright. Steak probably finished resting so let’s-” Suddenly, you’re interrupted by shrill beeping piercing through the quiet night. The sound appears to be coming from behind your door. Your heart drops as you realize what the cause is. “MY FOOD!” ”You’re. Welcome.” Aria says, crossing her arms. “Do you really expect me to say thanks?” You snap back. “The food was perfectly fine.” Aria shrugs. “I thought you left the food out too long and it would get cold.” You don’t REHEAT steaks, damnit! This-” You point at two blackened slabs sitting on a cutting board, “-is exactly why! I’ve made steaks for you before, you should know this!” You grumble. “Well, I forgot.” Aria slides down from the countertop. “I don’t make steaks, I just eat them.” As Aria makes her exit, you mentally kick yourself for not being more aware of who it was you left in your apartment. Not even back here for more than an hour and she’s already fucking things up somehow. Now here you are, left with well done beef and scrubbing the rest of it off the skillet. You’re disappointed with her and yourself, but you’re too hungry to start anything. So instead, you’ll resign yourself to your quiet brooding and venting your frustration on blackened chunks. Your front door swings open slightly, and opens more as Sunset pushes her way in, overburdened with several bags. Sunset grunts in effort as she drops one of them onto the floor, and flings a smaller one onto the couch. ”Whew-Well there’s just a couple of bags left, Aria.” Sunset jabs her thumb towards the door. “They’re in the trunk. The car is unlocked.” Aria just stands there slowly nodding, and the two just stare at each other for several seconds before Sunset coughs and speaks up. “The trunk’s already unlocked, Aria.” Sunset repeats. The purple girl stares at her for another moment, seemingly confused at the situation. “Oh. You’re...ugh. Fine.” Aria slowly trudges out the door, leaving you and Sunset to watch her leave. ”Are you sure you’ll be ok?” Sunset asks curiously. “I’ll be fine. I guess. You gonna stay for dinner?” You point towards the food Aria almost ruined. “Got a mighty bountiful feast tonight.” Sunset lets a bag slide off her shoulder as she shakes her head. ”I’ve got to get back home. Work in the morning. Also...Twilight made dinner for me.” “Awwwww, I knew it.” ”What?” “Nothing. I’d always just figured that you and here would be a thing.” You respond coyly. “Took you two long enough.” ”Sh-shut up…” Sunset shoves your shoulder, a blush streaking across her cheeks. You pat Sunset on her bacon head, earning you a small pout from the girl. “Ah, you know I’m just messing with you.” You wrap your arm around the girl and pull her close. “Despite the reason for your being here, it’s good to see you again Sunset.” Sunset sighs happily and returns the embrace, then pulls away and hums contentedly before turning her eyes to your work. ”Is it burnt in pretty good?” “Yep.” You emphasize by scraping off a burnt char with your chainmail. “...At least she got them out.” Sunset says with a forced smile. “You’d think she’d know what burnt food smells like given her track record.” You wipe your brow of the sweat from your exertion. “For fucks sake, I taught her this shit myself! Did none of it stick in that thick head of hers?” ”Well…” Sunset just glances at the floor and shrugs. You grunt with defeat as you scrape off the last remnants of any taste your food might have had and decide to throw some warm water into the skillet. Seasoning it again won’t be that hard, anyway. You have more pressing matters at hand. You have some stuffed bell peppers leftover from the other night. Those should do. Your rice and beans will fit well with that. And all things considered, the steak is still somewhat edible, but not in the way you had hoped. Tossing out food that has potential to be salvaged doesn’t sit right with you, so you start racking your brain. You take another glance at the meat, cursing yourself for leaving Aria alone. Could put it into a stir fry, you suppose. Yeah, that sounds good. While the beef is probably as dry as sandpaper, it could be coaxed back into having flavor with another quick marinade. You give yourself a mental stamp of approval as you pull out some saran wrap to save what’s left. “You wouldn’t mind if I checked up on you every now and again?” Sunset asks, her tone hinting at a degree of uncertainty. “If only just to catch up with you~” “Not at all-” You turn to face her, leaning your arm on the counter, “-because I’m sure you don’t want to see anything about a murder on the news?” Sunset rolls her eyes. ”I know you wouldn’t do anything like that, Anon. Plus, I’m sure it won’t be that bad.” The two of you are interrupted by several loud thuds at the doorway. You turn to see the sound has come from Aria who is propped up against the doorway, her ample chest heaving with each breath she takes. Several bags and cases are strewn in front of her, spilling their contents onto your floor. “GODDAMNIT, A LITTLE HELP HERE?” Aria shouts as she kneels down to scoop up whatever contents had spilled out. You roll your eyes and start by picking up loose articles of clothes and accessories, taking care to skip over underwear and other revealing items. As you pick up a pair of pants, you find a brown shoebox sealed tightly with a swathe of duct tape. Figuring something in it might be fragile, you grab it and start peeling away at the tape to check on whatever is inside. ”NO, GIMME THAT!” Before you can react, a purple hand quickly wrenches the box from your grasp, leaving you bewildered. Aria clutches the box closely to her, her eyes darting between you and Sunset. ”It’s my...uh...personal things.” Aria sputters. Aria quickly darts in between you two and vanishes down the hallway, leaving the two of you at the doorway. After a slam echoes from the corridor, you and Sunset stare at each other for a moment before exchanging a shrug and picking up the remaining items and leaving them outside the bedroom Aria had just shuttered herself into. Sunset stretches her back, grunting ”I guess I should actually head out now.” “Gonna leave me with all of this?” you ask, desperate to keep a friendly face here as long as possible. “I’ve kept dinner waiting too long. ” Sunset responds, glancing at her phone. “You mean you’ve kept Twilight waiting too long?” Sunset scoffs and lightly slaps your chest. ”You’ve always been such a charmer with your humor, huh?” You bend down to pick up a box, cradling it underneath your arm. “I’d say it’s one of my better qualities” Sunset chuckles before she heaves a heavy sigh. ”Anon?” “Hmm?” A short silence follows your response, before she wraps her arms around you. ”Thanks again.” Her head falls onto your shoulder. “I understand it must have been hard to agree.” “Yea well-” You return the gesture by resting your head on top of hers, “-I’m nice like that sometimes.” ”I know. It’s always something I’ve admired about you.” “...She knows she’s not staying here for free, yea?” you bluntly state. She nods. ”I told her she would be paying some rent, yes.” “Well at least she won’t be total dead weight.” you say, absentmindedly scratching your head. Sunset looks at you inquisitively, but before she is able to press further, a small chime sounds from her pocket. She pulls her phone out from her coat, and scans the screen. “Gotta get going?” You wiggle your eyebrows. Sunset sighs. “She’s wondering why I’ve been gone so long.” “Guess I-well-we won’t keep you any longer.” Sunset nods, and she picks up her bag and jacket before she turns to look at you. ”If you need anything Anon, I’m only a phone call away.” ”I know." You respond, rubbing the back of your neck. "I’ll… let you know when anything comes up.” Sunset smiles and hugs you one more time “Take care, Anon. I’ll check up in a couple of days.” “Drinks?” ”Only if they’re on you.” You rest your hand on your hip and raise your eyebrow. “That’s how you thank me?” Sunset grins sheepishly. “I was just joking. My treat.” “That’s more like it.” You say smugly. ”Where’s the egg salad?” You look up from your food to see Aria foraging your fridge, rummaging through everything at her leisure. “What?” you ask through half chewed food. Aria continues to root through the contents of your fridge, not even turning to acknowledge you. ”Egg salad! Or a side dish!” Aria turns with her arms outstretched. “You can’t JUST have whatever that is!” “I’ve got rice, and I’ve got beans.” You point your fork towards the two bowls before returning your attention to your plate. “Help yourself.” You swallow your bite and take a deep breath. “If you don’t like what I’m having, you’re free to go out and get your own fucking food. There’s a Burger King on the corner.” Aria stares at you blankly, seeming to be lost in thought. Before she can speak, a quiet rumbling coming from the girl seems to affirm her decision. “Put everything back in and come sit down.” You snap. “You’re gonna spoil it all.” ”Fine.” The fridge is shut with a slam and you see her down across from you. You lift your head to see Aria already in the process of scooping generous portions onto her plate, eliminating the possibility of saving any worthwhile amount of leftovers. The two of you eat in relative silence for a while, the only sound being the soft clink of silverware. After finishing, you take your plate and whatever is left of the food back to the kitchen, storing the leftovers and proceeding to clean the plates. Aria is the first to break the silence, with her mumbling heard over your shoulder. "That was good." You only nod in approval. "Where'd you learn to cook again?" "I've told you before. My grandmother." You say, shaking your head. Aria grunts in response, but doesn't say anything. After a minute, Aria mumbles something about changing before standing up and disappearing into the guest room. Several minutes pass and she reappears, her hair completely let down, wearing only an oversized dark green shirt and a dark purple thong. You cock an eyebrow at her choice of attire. Aria sees you staring at her and shrugs. "I get hot at night. You know that." “You couldn’t wait to change?” "It’s nothing you haven't seen before." Aria dismisses as she dives onto the couch, grabbing the TV remote and flipping the power on. She’s only greeted with a blank screen, and after several attempts at brute forcing the buttons on the remote she turns to look at you with a dumbfounded expression. "I don't have cable anymore.” You confess. Aria throws her hands up, almost sending the remote flying across the room. "Why not??" "Aria, It’s current year.” You reply in an exasperated tone. “No one under the age of forty has cable." Aria seems to take a moment to digest this information before turning back towards the TV and kicking her feet up onto the arm. "Whatever. You still have Netflix?" You stack the last of your dishes onto the drying rack and lean on the counter. “Do you not have your own damn account?” you bark. “Adagio changed the password.” Aria says solemnly. You groan inwardly and drag your hands down your face. “It’s on the console." You watch as Aria lifts herself off the couch, fumbles with black box, and sits back down on the couch. You stretch your back and yawn. The time to heed the clarion call of your bed is nigh, so you shuffle off down towards your bedroom so you can sleep away the stress of the last few hours. Author's Note ARTIST: Kazabomb LINKS: https://luchadan.tumblr.com/ https://derpibooru.org/tags/artist-colon-kazabomb
2: The KindlingWhenever the topic of classes would come up around your classmates, night classes were often singled out as easy credits. Apparently it would be common for professors to run out of material and let you go early, if not finding some other excuse to dismiss the class. You recall the end of last semester where Snails was eagerly egging you on to sign up for a history class with him, so he wouldn’t have to take it alone. Coincidentally, it satisfied one of your requirements, so you signed up for the class anticipating a smooth ride through the semester. Unfortunately, what Snails and everyone else neglected to tell you was that some professors would take a perverse enjoyment in keeping students as long as possible. As soon as Ms.Cinch strutted into the classroom on the first night, Snails went white as a ghost, grabbed his bag and bolted out of the hall before you could react. When you attempted to do the same, Cinch homed in on you and forced you to stay for the remainder of the class. Before the class you’d only heard about Professor Cinch in passing from others. She was always described as a shrewd, spiteful old woman who had a distaste for anything and anyone that disregarded her rules. If she found the slightest thing out of place, or if she was just having a bad night, she would find some way to make every student just as miserable as her. From surprise exams to tangential lessons on manners, she was very effective at draining the class spirit, leaving only an empty husk to pour her menial lessons into. So here you were, three weeks in and withering away in a musty lecture hall for a subject you don’t care about. With nothing to do except wait for the inevitable, you let your gaze drift towards the doorway, where fellow inmates slowly trudge through the door. Each one looking as drained as you imagine you appear to be as they surrender themselves to a three hour time sink. You glance at your phone to check the time, but it only serves to remind you how long you’re here for. If you were discrete about it, you could pass the time by watching a movie. All you’d need to do is pretend to give Cinch the undivided attention she so craves, when in reality you are watching foreign fight movies! ‘Delightfully devilish’ you think to yourself. You fish your laptop out from your bag and flip the screen up, preparing to tune out the rest of the evening. ”Anon!” You close your eyes and silently curse your bad luck, lowering your laptop screen to reveal a grinning blue face staring straight back at you. “Hi Sonata.” You drone as you push the screen back upright, blocking her from your view. You hear her stifle a giggle from behind your electronic barricade. This was going to be a long night. "Soooo, Anon~" Her ponytail rises into view, slowly before her eyes peer from the top of your only protection. You sigh in defeat, acknowledging that whatever this is probably can’t be avoided. “What’s up, Sonata?” You reply with sarcastic enthusiasm, closing your laptop shut. Sonata leans over her chair and rests her elbows on your desk. “ I haven’t seen you since, like, lunchtime!” Sonata exclaims while she rocks back and forth. “I was , like, sooooo~ bored during my other classes today. And-Ohmigosh-my bio professor was such a bitch today! I take out my phone for ONE second and she comes and takes it! How’s your day been?” A smile creeps on your face at the carefree antics displayed the girl in front of you. Sonata’s demeanor could be best described as if they’d given a two month old puppy a human form and set it out into the world. She was a constant source of bubbly energy and unbearable naivety, and seemed to hide her distaste for this class better than others. While you normally wouldn’t mind her vibe, it starkly contrasted with the general feeling of the classroom. Like a clown in a hospital’s coma ward. “Oh you know, pretty good, pretty good.” You say with as much enthusiasm as you can muster. “This really weird girl pestered me to buy her food and fell asleep on my bed for a couple hours. Snored so loud it bothered my roommates.” Tilting her head and humming in thought, Sonata seems to process your statement for longer than necessary before the realization flashes in her face. “You’re talkin about me, aren’t you?” “I am talking about you.” Sonata crosses her arms, huffing at your jest. “You didn’t say I couldn’t.” There was truth to that statement. The alternative, however, was putting up with her endless whining about wanting to nap on your bed until she eventually won the war of attrition. “What do you want, Sonata.” Feigning ignorance, Sonata looks at you wide eyed with a finger lightly touching her chin. “What do I want? Can’t I just talk with my friend?” “No, because you usually want something when you do.” ”Well, this is time it’s different! It’s something super, super important!” She leans in closer, putting more weight onto the back of her chair. “I know a little secret about you.” Eyebrow raised in curiosity, you lean forward in your seat. “A secret?” Sonata nods her head vigorously. “Mhmm! You wanna know what it is?” “If it’s about me, wouldn’t I already know about it?” Sonata stares at you in mild bewilderment before giving you a small pout. “You’re not gonna make this fun for me, are ya?” “Where’s the fun in that?” You say, leaning back in your desk with a smug smirk. As always with her childish energy, Sonata bounces in her chair impatiently. “C’mon, Anon. This is such a juicy secret!” She looks around for anyone trying to listen in on your conversation. “I bet it’s something you don’t want me to know.” When you first started talking with Sonata, you could have dismissed her as a stereotypical airhead girl, had it not been for a general sense of there being more to her than she let on. There was a method to her ditzy madness,and she seemed to hide her intentions and motives well. Still, it was always easy to figure out what she could be motivated by. “You’re really pushing it, Sonata Dusk. You already make me buy you lunch almost every single day.” Brushing her hair back with a coy smile, Sonata leans onto your desk and rests her head on her hands. “You’re gonna hafta do better than that, mister. Want me to tell ya~?” “Do I have any other choice in the matter?” “Nope!” Sonata leans forward a bit more, causing her chair to totter with the imbalance. She yelps and grips onto your desk for balance as her chair slides out from under her, bringing the girl down with it. You chuckle as you flip the screen of your laptop back open to resume your diligent classwork. Once again, Sonata shoots up into your view, this time giving you a look of betrayal and hurt. ”How could you do that, Anon!” She whimpers. A shrug is the only response you can come up with. “Do what?” Before Sonata can respond, she’s interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat echoing across the walls. “She’s here, Sonata.” You nod your head towards the direction of the door, from which Ms.Cinch has emerged. Her beady eyes scour the hall, creating a mental list of who she wants to spite during tonight's lecture. Cinch locks eyes with Sonata and she eagerly homes in on her first victim. “Ms.Dusk.” She points a gnarled finger in your general direction. “Take your seat this minute or I will mark you absent.” “Yes, Ms.Cinch. Sorry Ms.Cinch.” She slides back into her seat and tries to make herself a smaller target. Satisfied that her target was properly chastised, Cinch eyes the rest of the classroom warily for anymore targets. No one else seemed out of line, so she nods in approval. ”Now then-” Cinch takes a brief moment to clear her throat and adjusts her glasses. “Green Apple” A petite girl several rows down listlessly raises her hand. “Here.” You would have to wait a little bit longer before you can tune Cinch out. She loves saying how much she hates repeating herself after all, and you’d hate to be singled out by her. “Silver Dew.” “Here.” “Sonata Dusk.” Sonata quickly raises her hand and exclaims “Here!”, immediately returning her attention to her desk, scribbling furiously on a small slip of paper. She puts her pencil down and looks up towards Cinch as she folds the slip in her hands. ”Flash Fire.” The room remains silent. Cinch looks up from her clipboard and studies all the students for anyone not paying attention. She licks her lips and furrows her brow. “...Ahem. Flash Fire?” After another brief pause, Cinch nods to herself. ”Very well. If Mr.Fire does not choose to put in even the minimum effort to pass this class, he must face the consequences.” She turns back towards the desk at the front of the room and begins to jot down something. ”This generation must learn to properly understand good discipline if they are to give this department and this school a good name in the future.” With Cinch’s back turned, Sonata quickly flings the slip of paper she had hidden over her head and onto your desk. The paper flutters onto your keyboard just in time for Cinch to turn back to face the class. ”Hopefully the rest of the class is more exemplary than Mister Fire. Ever Glade.” ”Here.” You stare at the small scrap in front of you as you hear Cinch call off names. It seems small enough to where it’s not long winded. In the short time you’ve come to know Sonata, you’ve realized she’s not one for complicated thoughts. She probably doesn’t have the attention span to write anything longer than a paragraph. You take the folded paper in between two fingers and fiddle with it. What secret could she be talking about? You feel your heart rate rise and fall as you think of different possibilities. How could she know something about you after only knowing each other for a month? What was she going to get out of letting you know that she was aware of whatever secret she knew? Was this her intention all along, to lure someone into a false sense of security and blackmail them? “MISTER ANONYMOUS!” You slap your hands down on your desk in shock. “HERE!” You instinctively shout. Cinch is standing at the end of the row to your left, her hands on her hips. Her eyes peer at you from behind her glasses in such a way that it makes you feel like they’re burning holes right into you. “Mister Anonymous. When you are in this class, I demand your undivided attention. I will not tolerate any daydreaming in this class. You should understand this by now.” You nervously swallow. “Yes, Ms.Cinch.” Cinch turns around and makes her way back to the podium, making marks on her clipboard. “Since you did not respond when called, I will be counting you as late.” You gawk in surprise at her remark and begin to stand up and shout in protest, only to stop yourself. Saying or doing anything at this point would potentially result in further retaliation from the shriveled bitch. You sink back further into your chair, admitting defeat. People around the class exchange looks with each other and you, casting their pity onto you. The whispers of several others nearby catch your attention. “Can she even do that?” “I can’t believe her.” Sonata briefly turns to face you and leans in to whisper. “Sorry, Anon.” You wave your hand dismissively and point towards the front of the class. “Don’t get in trouble because of me. Pay attention.” Sonata anxiously glances down at the paper in your hand and turns back towards the front. You fumble around with Sonata’s note and flip it open, only to have your heart skip momentarily as you read the five words written there. ‘I know you like Aria.’ -------------- “Sonata whatever you do, you can not say a fucking word to her.” Sonata skips along by your side and hums happily as the two of you exit the classroom, oblivious to your discomfort at the situation you’d found yourself in. People file out from the hall beside the two of you, eager to find solace in the comfort of their homes or the backseat of a car. Your mind was racing as it tried to fit this mess into place. How the hell did she even find out? You didn’t even know the two of them were related until Sonata showed you pictures of them together, referring to Aria as her sister. “Please don’t tell me she already knows.” “Not yet! Why? Do you wanna tell her yourself?” Sonata gasps and looks at you with wide eyes. “Are you gonna give her flowers?? I TOTALLY wanna see you do that. It’ll be adorbs!” Rustling from somewhere behind you sends every muscle in your body on high alert, and you look around the empty campus, expecting to see a purple blur rapidly approaching you. You only breathe a sigh of relief when you see several stray cats dart out from some bushes and into the night. “That’s the very last thing I want to do right now. Or ever.” Sonata happily bounced next to you as you escorted her to the only campus outlet that was still open at this time; a small grill attached to the outside of the student union building. The last refuge for anyone who still found themselves wandering the campus this late at night. While Sonata didn’t explicitly say it, you had gotten the very heavy handed hint that she was expecting you to cover her meal again. It was an obvious case of extortion, but the choice between a takeout bill and a hospital bill was an easy decision. Taking note of your paranoia, Sonata bumps you in the shoulder to earn your attention. “You hella need to chill out, Anon. Everything’s fine. Look-” She pulls out her phone and shows Aria “I could call her right now and see if she wants to eat with us!” You step in front of Sonata, reaching out to lower her arm. “Sonata, I’m serious about this. If Aria finds out I’m fucking screwed! I mean, how did YOU even know about this??” “Pffft, you kiddin’ me?” Sonata says with a wave of her hand. “I see you lookin’ at her instagram, like, ALL the time in class.” “Wh-what do you mean?” You stammer out. Sonata responds by pulling her phone out and showing you her evidence; your instagram profile. “Do you know how often I’ve seen you looking at her profile, Anon? I’ve seen her gym videos on your phone, like, HUNDREDS of times already.” “Th-they just appear on my feed. I don't know what you're talking about.” You shakily reply. “Oh?” Sonata says with an unconvinced expression. She comes to your side, wraps an arm around your shoulder and shows you the screen once more. “You’re the only person I know that talks about painting those little figures, Anon.” She scrolls through the page, revealing the dozens of pictures you’d taken of your paintings. “Ok first of all, they’re called ‘Miniatures’. And it-nevermind. Point is, I am begging you not to tell Aria. Please.” Sonata rocks back and forth on her feet, avoiding your gaze. ”I dunno, Anon. I’m getting pretty hungry and the cafe closes soon~. Maybe I’ll just text Aria and see-” You clasp your hands together in a prayer. “I already told you I’m buying you food, Sonata PLEASE don’t-” A fit of giggles erupts from the girl. ”I know, Anon. I’m just totally messin’ with ya!” Sonata says through her bubbly laughter. “C’mon they’re gonna shut down the shake machine soon!” She grabs your hand and drags you along to the cafeteria at the center of campus. The atmosphere you two are greeted with once you walk in is rather melancholic. The only sounds that echo through the room are the dull electrical hum of machines and the soft buzz of fluorescent lights. Several of the workers are aimlessly shuffling through the dining area, feigning their work ethic as they sneak glances at the clock at the far end of the room. Around the dining area rows of empty chairs waited to be stacked away for the night, save for one that was occupied by a hooded figure hunched over a pile of books and papers. You couldn’t tell if the sounds coming from them were sobbing or snoring. Could have been both. The double doors behind you two loudly slam shut, announcing your arrival to everyone in the room. Several of the workers that were awake enough look at you with thinly veiled ire as they ready themselves for one more order for the night. -------- “Did you see if they spit in our food?” You whisper to Sonata as the two of you make a hasty exit from the building. “I got a bit of a feeling they didn’t really want us there.” “I don’t know about you, but I’m sure they wouldn’t do anything to my stuff.” Sonata said with a cocky smile, batting her eyelashes. “It really pays to be a super cute girl, y’know.” “I’ll keep that in mind next time I order food.” While the sun had set not too long ago, almost every square inch of the campus was illuminated by light fixtures dotted across the paths. The pathways are bathed in a warm, muted orange from the buzzing lights. The hot summer air was swept away by the crisp evening breeze that rolled across the sky. After dragging you halfway to the other side of the campus, Sonata stops at the base of some stairs overlooking the front of the college. In front of you is a large lawn that sprawls from one end of the property to the other. A large fountain and pond sits in the middle of it all, sitting dormant for the night. Sonata lifts herself onto a nearby wall before she begins to tear into her food. You settle onto the ground and pull out your own meal as Sonata murmurs sounds of happiness through chewing. A comfortable silence hangs around the two of you, the only sounds around you was the gentle murmur of the night and Sonata loudly munching away. ”So tell me everything, Anon.” Sonata asks before sucking down another gulp of milkshake and stuffing another handful of fries in her face. “Why Aria?” There was no point in trying to hide the truth anymore, so you might as well come clean. “Man where do I even start?” You ask yourself, conjuring an image of the punk girl in your mind. “Obviously I think she’s really pretty.” Sonata suppresses a fit of laughter and you wheel your head around to glare at her. “What’s so funny?” “Sorry Anon, just that Aria would totally kick your ass for calling her pretty.” Sonata rests her head on her hand, a grin that was dripping with mock innocence smeared across her face. “Anywhoo’s, what else ya like about her?” “Well-” You pause for a moment as you consider other descriptives that Aria might not enjoy. “Whatsamatter? Grump got your tongue?” Sonata says, fighting the urge to laugh at her own joke. “...The first time I saw her was at the bookstore, start of last semester.” You began, your mind conjuring up the memories. “Nothing really happened, we were just buying our books. But when I saw her it just felt...I don’t know...she really stood out in the crowd. She carried herself with this energy, like she was just exuding confidence with every breath she took.” When you don’t receive a response you turn to look up to Sonata, who gives you a warm smile as she waves her hand for you to continue. “So I don’t think there’s one specific moment that made it happen, like flipping a switch, y’know? Just the more I saw her, the more I felt like I wanted to get to know her...although...there was this time I saw her at the library...” Sonata continues her feast as you revel over your fondness of her sister, only interrupting to offer sound advice on how to not get your ass kicked by Aria. But once you’re finished with your impassioned speech, Sonata only offers a contemplative hum in response. “What?” “You really do like my sister, don’t ya?” Sonata sighs wistfully and lays back on her perch. “Aria’s sooooo lucky. I totally wish I had a guy who would gush over me like that. Most guys I talk to are super lame..” “Well, you can always do what Aria does.” Leaning back up, Sonata shoots you a confused look “What are you talking about?” “Uh-You know...beat them up? Doesn’t Aria do that to anyone who talks to her? That’s what I heard.” Slowly, Sonata shakes her head. “Noooooooo...Wait is that why you’re scared of her?” With only a shaky nod as your response, Sonata gives you a blank stare before erupting in laughter that rang out across the empty campus, leaving you feeling embarrassed. You throw your arms out in protest. “You JUST said she’d kick my ass for calling her pretty!” You snap back. “Don’t say that and then laugh at me for being scared!” Her laughter slowly dies down before she wipes a tear from her eye. “You’re soooo funny Anon, y’know that? Do ya really think she’d still be here if she fought EVERYONE she came across?” Sonata shakes her head as she slurps down her milkshake. “Nah, just anyone that gets super creepy with her. Like, dudes at the gym who stare at her ass and stuff like that.” A brief moment of reflection shines some mental clarity on your smoothbrain. Given that you overheard these stories about Aria from conversations among the student athletes in your classes, this had to carry a degree of truth to it. Nevertheless, the fact that Aria could still send someone to the hospital frightened and excited you at the same time. It was probably for the best to withhold the fact that you always love a girl who could kick your ass. “So.” Sonata claps her hands and leans forward. “You should try!” “Hmmm?” Sonata rolls her eyes and stares down at you. “So try and hook up with Aria! C’mon, I’ll set you up with her!” she said with barely contained excitement. “Don’t you think it’s weird to try and set me up with your sister?” You ask her doubtfully. “If she’s the kinda girl that has kicked anyone’s ass for looking at her funny, can you imagine how she’d react if someone like ME tried to confess to her?”. ”Whaddya mean?” “Look at me, Sonata.-” You gesture at yourself. “-Do I really look like someone that Aria WOULDN’T be absolutely disgusted by? I mean, she’s fit, she’s fiery, she’s beautiful, and I’m-” “A lanky, weird dude who’s never kissed a girl in his life?” You grimace at her remark, but offer no protest. “...Yeah. That. It’s better for me not to risk my neck like that and just...admire her from a safe distance.” Sonata playfully brushes your head with her foot. “Like a stalker?” She says while giggling. “You’re hilarious.” You grumble as you swat her foot away. This conversation was only serving to make you feel more convinced that Aria was someone that was way too out of your reach. ”Have you even tried talkin’ to her? Like, when have you ever said anything to her?” You sigh. “I did ask her for notes for a class after I slept through it all.” “And? What she say?” Sonata asked with anticipation. “Well, she didn’t really say much, to be honest.” You respond with a shrug. “She kinda just threw her notebook into my face and said ‘You’re welcome’.” “That kinda does sound like her.” Sonata trails off as she taps her chin in thought. After a moment, her eyes widen and she gives you a wide smile. “Do you want me to ask her for you?” You scoff at her proposal. “Sonata, we’re not in high school anymore. Please.” With an accusing look in her eyes, Sonata nudges your head with her foot again. “Ok, Mister Stalker. If you have any better plans, spill ‘em!” Well, she’s got you there. Aria’s intimidation factor limited the plans you had considered to just liking every post she made on instagram, and even then that felt like a pretty gutsy tactic. Sonata putting you on the spot for your cowardice “...Be discreet about it.” you mutter bashfully. “Discreet? What’s that supposed to mean?” “It means don’t just say ‘Hey Aria, Anon thinks you’re a hot piece of ass. What do you think of him?’.” You point at Sonata. “Don’t do that.” “Well I wasn’t going to, but what you said seems waaay more fun to say to her.” Sonata giggles and reaches her hand out to your bag of foodstuffs. “Ooooooooor I could take your fries, if you’d like.” “Damnit Sonata, I will buy you food for the rest of the semester if you do NOT do that.” Sonata says nothing, only clenching and unclenching her extended hand several times. Acknowledging your position in this situation, you grab the bag and place it into her grasp, earning a delighted squeal from the girl as she sticks her hand into the bag. “Okie! Dealzies, forealzies!” She happily exclaims before shoving fries into her mouth. “Please don’t say that.” Sonata giggles through a mouthful before swallowing. “Dealzies.” You groan. Author's Note ARTIST(S): (Characters) nairda, (Background) Kazabomb LINKS: https://twitter.com/nairdaGS https://derpibooru.org/search?q=artist%3Anairdags
3: The ScorchedAuthor's Note It's been a while hasn't it? The last year has been a bit of a roller coaster for me. Alongside worries with this little thing called "COVID-19", I poured way too much energy and time into my work then I should have in an effort to be recognized for a promotion. As a result, my personal life suffered to the point that I had no time to do anything but sleep and eat. Since then I've tried to work on bettering myself and my habits in an effort to get back on track, and one of the things I'm doing is making myself write more often as a better way to express myself I suppose. I really do apologize for the lack of any updates on this story. I'm going to make an effort to be more proactive on updates. Thanks, JSA 3: The Scorched You apathetically sigh as your eyes trail over the state of disarray laid out before your bathroom. A bag of makeup has been left open and tossed aside on the countertop, spewing its chalky contents across the tile. Clumps of matted purple and green hair snake over every surface of the bathroom floor, shower, and countertop like vibrant seaweed that’s washed across a beach. Several lengths stick out just over the mouth of the sink drain, almost as if to taunt you with their mere existence. Hesitantly, you pinch the colorful strands and pull at them, only to have a much larger and more horrific truth become apparent to your mortal eyes. Suppressing your gag reflex, you throw the eldritch tribble into the trash and lean over the counter as you focus your energy on not throwing up your breakfast. Outside the door and down the hallway, you’re greeted by a similar sight in your kitchen. Utensils, plates and cups haphazardly clutter the sink after having been missing for weeks. The fridge door is still wide open, shelf after shelf of food that you had gone through a great deal of effort to cook and weigh out the night before had been greedily ransacked at will, containers le And the crumbs. God the crumbs. As catastrophic as it all is, the scene before you is all too familiar. Almost nothing Aria could do would surprise you anymore. Almost nothing. Her lack of tidiness or cleaning habits is one of the caveats that took you longer to grow indifferent towards. The only reason being that the messes Aria would often leave created serious points of contention between you and your college roommates. Trying to bring it up with Aria would rarely yield any results as she would alternate between a series of excuses about how it wasn’t that bad, how she would clean it later. And so, eager to avoid any further conflict with the people you had shared a living space with, it fell upon you to make sure no trace of her negligence remained. And now it’s followed you back to disrupt the sanctity of your home, like some witch’s curse you never shook off. Grumbling to yourself about the injustices you’ve put up with, you pull a large swath of toilet paper off the roll and wipe down the counter to the best of your ability. One roll later and there are still streaks and smears that Your instincts are yelling at you to wipe everything down, to make everything pristine and perfect once more. Shrugging in bitter defeat, you sling your bag over your shoulder and force yourself not to think about it as you close the door to the room. ‘Out of sight out of mind, after all’ you try to reason with yourself, but it’s difficult to ignore when it’s right behind you. While you mentally grapple with yourself over your compulsive tendencies, Aria quickly sidles past you in the hallway, twisting her usual hairstyle into a singular ponytail and securing it with a band. Her usual punk attire has been traded in for the red and black uniform of the local movie theater. "Three years of college paid off well," you think sarcastically to yourself, a pitiless smile finding its way onto your face before it bitterly flips down into a scowl. “Hey.” Aria grunts in response, but makes no effort to acknowledge you further as she continues her way towards the front door. “Heyheyheyhey Whoa whoa, what the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Aria turns to face you without breaking her stride. “What?” She asks incredulously. “Don’t ‘what’ me, you know damn well what. Go clean up the bathroom.” You jab your thumb behind you in the direction of the hallway. “It’s a fucking mess because of you. Again” Before you even finish naming your demands Aria cuts in. ”Can’t. I’m gonna be late.” She twirls back around dismissively and scoops her purse up from the couch. You step in front of her again and receive a glowering glare as she steps back and crosses her arms. Old habits die hard. As Aria turns to leave, she’s met by you planting yourself right at the doorway. “You should have thought about that before you fucked everything up in there.” You lean your weight back onto the frame in case she tries anything funny. “If you didn’t want to be late you shouldn’t have stayed up till four in the morning drinking.” Aria opens her mouth to defend herself but you chime in before her. “You snore louder than a fucking jet when you’re drunk, so it’s hard for you to hide. Go clean the damn bathroom.” Aria rolls her eyes. “I’ll do it when I get home d-Anon. I’m seriously going to be late.” “Take better care of MY place then.” You growl. “Now.” Growing more annoyed, Aria stares back into your glare with equal intensity. “You want me to lose my job?” “You want to lose the roof over your head?” Once more, you point in the general direction of the devastation Aria had left, eyeing her intensely. “Now.” You restate, adding more force to your tone. With no way to respond to your threat without digging a deeper hole for herself, Aria seethes and mumbles before violently tossing her bag at the couch and stomping away down towards the hall. At least she still has some common sense. open the door and shout “I'll be back around 10.” before closing the door behind you and heading out towards your car. For some reason, you expected to find yourself feeling a smug sense of satisfaction at being able to finally hold this kind of power over Aria. Yet you couldn’t help but realize that the pit in your stomach was anything but. Shouldn’t it feel good to put Aria in her place? To finally have some modicum of leverage on someone who ground you underneath her heel for so long? You shake your head free of the thoughts and try to shift your thinking to the day of work ahead of you. ‘Out of sight, out of mind.’ you try to remind yourself as you press the ignition of your car, hearing it’s engine roar in response. There would often be days made you reconsider your career path and you would find yourself daydreaming about the life of a simple farmer, a buddhist monk or anything that would not involve hours of staring at hamfisted code and incessant emails. Today was certainly one of those. You lean back in your chair and rub the fatigue from your eyes before turning your attention back to yet another failed build. Lines upon lines of ambiguous error messages flashed from the bottom to the top of your screen, the red text jumping out as if to mock you for your inadequacy. You and several others on your team had been stuck on several critical bugs for the last week, with progress constantly being slowed by meetings that were insisted upon that would often last longer than they would have any right to. You sat in resigned silence for a moment, staring at the doorway on the other side of your office as if expecting someone to walk in and pull you into another waste of time. Reaching over in between your desk and the wall, you pull out a long pole and shift it in your grip. A trusted friend you could always turn to in your time of need, even more so than your rubber duck. The pole always knew what to do in situations like this. Leaning over your desk , you extend your reach with your friend until you make contact with the door to your office. With a little bit of maneuvering you tap the door with a grunt and watch it swing shut with a sharp click. The cathartic effect of isolating yourself instantly lets the tension in your shoulders dissipate as you recline in your chair and close your eyes. You draw your focus from your nagging thoughts to your breathing, falling into a slow rhythmic pace of deeply inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth. An action that had become habitual at this point, as the daily stresses of your high demand work forced you to recollect yourself once or twice a day. In. And out. In. And out. Slowly, your lungs expand and contract with each practiced breath you take. What could be only a couple minutes feels like an eternity as you lose all sense of the world outside of the sound of your breathing echoing in your ears. Soon enough, the urgent nags of tickets and deadlines begin to trickle back in, disrupting your short-lived solace. With an impatient huff you open your eyes and tilt your head over to stare out the window wall adjacent to your desk. Even though your job demanded a lot from you, you couldn’t deny that it came with a plethora of perks to enjoy; one of them being a corner office in the building that offered a full view of a large public park that served as a gathering for all walks of life. At this time of day, the sun had arched over to the other side of the horizon, its last parting rays still piercing through the soft shadows of the afternoon. There’s enough light where you can make out the shapes of people enjoying the wooded park as they stroll through the winding pathways or sitting down to take in the surroundings. You sigh longingly as you imagine detaching from technology to enjoy an evening to yourself without having to worry about code pushes. But your slipshod coding wasn’t the doubt plaguing you that you were trying to shove down and ignore. No, another pressing matter that you were chewing over was your not-so-new roommate and all the griefs that she brought along with her. Frustration, anger, and many other emotions weigh you down so much you feel yourself sink further into your chair. Despite how cluttered and conflicted your thoughts are they all revolved around one question; Why did you let Aria stay? The second your consensus to let Aria stay slipped out of your mouth, that one question has been constantly barraging your mind to the point that it’s consumed every waking thought with an undying hunger. When Sunset had initially asked for your reasoning you shrugged the question off, offering her the half-assed rent response. It’s not like you so urgently needed the money that you would resort to letting Aria ruin your life again. Sure, paying only half rent will be welcome, but it’s not like you were strapped for cash. And even then, was it really worth reliving the trauma and pain whenever you saw her face? If it wasn’t for the money, what other explanation was there? The truth was you weren’t entirely sure of the answer, as you had even surprised yourself when you agreed in the first place. Hesitant to confront what your Id had forced you into, you had pushed the concern to the back of your mind and reduced it to a gnawing whisper. But merely thinking about it now brought it to the forefront once more. What would have happened if you said no instead? While Sunset had iterated several times that you weren’t being compelled to do this, something inside you felt otherwise. If you had said no to Sunset, it assuredly would have been the last time you’d ever have to seeAria again. A concept that should have left you elated, and yet you’re fighting with yourself over it here in your car. You close your eyes and envision the exact moment you told Sunset that Aria could stay. The guilty expression in Sunset’s face was just as clear to you in your memory as it was out on the balcony that night. She turns to you with that wistful look in her eyes and rests her hand on your shoulder. Sunset opens her mouth to speak but no sounds come from her. Instead, her voice seems to echo through your whole body. “I know it hurt.” Even as a memory, Sunset’s words still evoke the painful memories you had tried to bury in your closet of skeletons. You admire Sunset and her offer to share your misery, but her gesture was a sympathetic one, much like a parent consoling a crying child over a broken toy. She felt it was necessary, an action that she had to take as a friend to console you over something she could never understand. Not that she needed to though, someone like Sunset didn’t deserve to go through what you did. A noisome clattering reverberates across your desk, pulling your attention back to the physical world. Groaning under the titanic effort, you force your body to sit back up to see the commotion is coming from your phone, the screen illuminated to show a number instead of a contact name. You swipe to decline the call and lean back in your chair to return to your self reflection. Your phone buzzes once, indicating that a text message is waiting for you. Closing your tired eyes, you relish the last moments of your peaceful isolation before leaning back up and . Upon reading the contents of the text you immediately realize who the sender is, breathing a sigh of relief that you didn’t answer. ‘Answer your phone please. I’m locked out.’ The words displayed on your screen elicit a small chuckle out of you. Even if you wanted to help, it would require getting out of your chair to drive half an hour to just open the door for her. You drag your thumb over the screen to reply. ‘I’m at work until the evening. Go find somewhere else to be.’ Before you could hit send, another message pops up into your feed. ‘I forgot my key because I was late.’ You groan in frustration and send your original reply before throwing out another one. ‘Not my problem. I’m not driving half an hour just to let you in.’ Already exhausted from the short exchange you toss your phone onto your desk with a clatter and lean back once more. You bring your hands up to your face and rub your eyelids again before another buzz from your phone makes you groan in anguish. Eager to shut her up, you flip over your phone and swipe open the screen to type out an impatient retort only to stop as you read the message on your screen. ’Nevermind I got in.’ For several minutes you sit there staring in bemusement at the words displayed on your device, trying to parse whatever hidden meaning there may be. If the door was locked and she forgot her key, there weren't a whole lot of other ways she could get in. But you knew Aria, and you knew she wouldn’t let something like that stop her. “Goddamnit” You angrily mutter to yourself as you grab your keys. “Just count yourself lucky that none of the neighbors weren’t here to call the cops on you.” ”I said I was sorry.” The expression on your face twists into a scowl. Apologies from Aria carried very little meaning with them. You’ve known her long enough to know how empty and practiced her words were. A trained response to shrug off any blame that came her way. And everything from her demeanor to her tone of voice heavily implies that nothing has changed at all. You close your eyes and take a deep breath, forcefully willing yourself to maintain your composure. “Look. I’m really busy today.” You say with no lack of exasperation as you massage your temples. “I didn’t want to waste my time having to drive back here to babysit you.” “Oh yeeaah.” Aria waves her hands in the air. “Sorry to pull you away from your busy life of staring at a computer, geek squad.” You raise an eyebrow at her. “And your choice of career has more value?” She grimaces before crossing her arms and looking away, pouting like a child who got caught shaving a cat. “Look, I don’t see what the problem is. I got in without needing you to ‘waste your time’. It’s not that big of a deal.” “NOT THAT BI-” You pull at your hair and groan. “Aria you climbed up to your window and BROKE it to get in! Do you realize how much shit you’d be in if someone cared enough to call 911? And that’s not even MENTIONING the fact that there is broken glass littered ALL over your goddamn room! Yo- Why did you even need to get in that badly?!?” “Because I was late for my bus to work-” Aria spits out as she jumps off the couch and stomps towards you, her violet eyes boring anger into you. “- and I forgot my lunch and my cash.” You scoff. “So?” “So?” Aria repeats in disbelief. “So I wasn’t about to starve and I sure as hell wasn’t going to eat the greasy slop I have to peddle to the mindless pigs.” She shudders at her words, as if she’s recalling some atrocity at the hands of people wanting popcorn. “Disgusting.” “I still fail to see how any of this was my problem.” You say with a shrug, making the impatience in your voice more apparent. “Dickhead!” She huffs furiously, the outburst taking you by slight surprise. “If you hadn’t threatened me to do some stupid fucking chores that-might I add-could have fuckin’ waited till I got home, I wouldn’t have been late, I wouldn’t have forgotten my money, and I wouldn’t have had to have broken the goddamn window!" “Oh, so my window being broken is somehow my fault?.” You reply mockingly with a laugh as you roll your eyes. “I’m sorry, I forgot you have no sense of responsibility. I’ll remember that next time you trash MY place.” You lean forward with a sneer and Aria shirks back. AGAIN.” “I-I was going to clean it!” she exclaims defensively, squirming under the pressure you were applying to her. You narrow your eyes at her. “No you weren’t.” Aria steps back with a look of frustration.“Y-you don’t fucking know that!” “Yea, I DO. You can barely clean up after yourself to begin with!” You angrily gesture your hand towards the kitchen, which shows little noticeable improvement since this morning. “I had to threaten your dumb ass with eviction to get you to wash my fucking dishes! And you STILL didn’t do that, you parasite!" Growling into clenched fists, Aria paces in a circle before she faces back towards you. “God what the FUCK is wrong with you?!? I NEVER should have told Sunset to call you!” She hisses as she jabs her finger at you. “Living in a fucking van down by the river would have been better than this!” “Finally!!” You triumphantly shout, throwing your fists in the air. “Something we can agree on!” Aria’s glare remains fixed on you for a second longer before the anger that’s aflame in her deep violet eyes instantly vanishes. “Wait, I didn’t me-” “No, I know exactly what you meant. And I’m glad you were the one to say it. Makes this process so much easier!” “I didn’t mean it, you asshole!” She cries out, a level of panic apparent as her voice cracks. “I just-nevermind! I just didn’t mean it!” “Well why not? You said it yourself. We’d both be much happier if you just got the fuck out my apartment!” You spit as you point towards the front door. “You know what? FINE!” Aria shoves past you as she makes a beeline for the front door. “Where do you think you’re going??” You shout back at her. “Get back here and pack your shit up!” “If you want me out of here so bad I’m leaving until you can pull your head out your ass, you jerk!” She yanks the door open with enough force that you have a brief moment of concern that you’ll have to have that fixed as well. “Alright, go on! But don’t be surprised if your shit is tossed out on the curb, bitch!” “Don’t go in my room, you asshole!” “IT’S NOT YOUR ROOM!” “FUCK YOU!” You open your mouth to parrot her outburst, but it’s too late. The door slams shut behind her and the sound of muffled footsteps trailing off before leaving you in the room that has now fallen completely quiet, a stark contrast to just moments ago. You interrupt the silence as you vainly curse and spit at the empty space around you for several minutes until you collapse breathlessly onto a chair, your aimless venting only serving to frustrate you even further. You dig your fingers into the palm of your hands, wincing at the pain but not relenting. It gives something to think about besides the anger that’s continues to fester in you. Eager to try and distract yourself from thinking about it anymore, you lift yourself up and trudge down towards the open doorway that leads to Aria’s room and peer in. You grit your teeth at the state of the room. Again, while it was nothing you were a stranger too, the mere sight of it only served to remind you of your past experiences with Aria. only serves to cement your belief that nothing about Aria has changed in the years. The disrespect, the selfish impulses, and the lack of empathy or concern for anyone else but herself. It was all too familiar. The only mess of notice is across the room where the window used to be. Where the agape, vicious shards of glass poking from random corners and edges. Sprinkled all across the area beneath the opening are dozens of smaller fragments, the last rays of the evening sun catching against their surfaces and casting reflections all across her room like a dangerous disco ball. Some pieces are easy to spot, but flickering glints amongst the rest betray the hundreds of slivers and bits that would be a nightmare to pick out by hand. Who were you really mad at, you muse to yourself. At the surface level, Aria was the one to pin the blame on this, as well as everything else. She was the one that resorted to property damage for no reason other than the fact she was too stubborn to eat a slice of pizza or a hot dog. It wasn’t your fault that she could never keep track of her priorities. You shake away the thoughts and slap yourself upside the head. The only fault you had was trusting her at all. You shut her door before sitting back down on the couch, no doubts in your mind that she would come back eventually. She has a habit of doing that.
