(Aria/Sonata) The Ring and the Cave

>Be Aria Blaze, climbing up the side of a goddamned mountain.
>You know what Sonata’s problem is?
>Thin skin.
>Adagio's already scanning the horizon from the peak.
>You have no idea how she got there so fast, she climbs like she’s being reviewed by a panel.
>You’re still sore about her not letting you crash the last World’s Fair.
>Normally you’d have done it anyway, but Sonata thought it was too interesting to destroy.
>Which meant that if you’d gone they’d have exiled you from the group for another century.
>That was your own, natural version of the humans’ complicated ‘democracy’: if two thirds of the group wants the last third to not find them, they’d have twice the magic to do it with.
>Thankfully you’re in the majority right now, or else this would take ten times as long.
>Sonata was too good with magic for you to track on your own.
>She practiced it.
>Not a drop of it in the world that you don’t personally help convert, but she practiced it.
>You’ve fallen off this thing twice already, and it’s only the second day.
>You’re sure this would’ve killed a human a dozen times by now.
>Those pussies have to use ropes and special equipment.
>When you rule your share of the world, you’re going to start a democracy, but only the people who can climb a mountain without help get to vote.

>”She’s down there.”
>Adagio points to another, lower peak when you finally get to the top.
>You don’t see her.
>Wait.
"In the caves?"
>She nods.
>”Seems she’s taken a lesson in hiding from you.”
>You groan and don’t dignify her with a response.
>Each of you had different hiding places when you ran off on your own.
>And yeah, even you had left the group for personal reasons before.
>Nothing as stupid as theirs were, though.
>It was always over boys one way or another.
>That’s why Adagio hid in plain sight and Sonata usually ran off into nature, they wanted to be found.
>When you laid low, you went deep into a cave system and stayed there.
>Trained monsters, traps, a few good books, the works.
>Sonata’s not smart enough for that.
>Thankfully.
>This shouldn't be that hard after all.
>And even better, Adagio’s climbing back down the other side, so you can beat her there.
>You dust yourself off and take a running start.
>Push off with both legs at the edge of the cliff...
>And then you’re soaring.

>You land a little below the peak and dig in with your fingers.
>A chunk of rock comes loose and you toss it away.
>You can feel her down there.
>You can feel how sorry she is for herself.
>Whoever this statesman she was so smitten over is, you’re going to break his legs.
>...Not to make her feel better, of course!
>Just to set an example to not make you run around the world looking for your sister.
>That’s all.
>Adagio gets up to you by the time you’ve ripped your way inside.
>Not one hair out of place.
>All her clothes are still in one piece.
>You bet she doesn’t even like it, she’s just become good at it because there’s nothing else to do.
>She drops down first and you follow.
>You forgot how nice cave air could be.
>Ah, and there she is.
>Haggard, hair splitting and tangled, covered in dirt.
>She’s only a few chambers away from the entrance, sitting there feeling gloomy.
>A human might mistake it for meditation, but her posture marks her loss and her desire for solitude.
>The both of you land and make your way over to her.

>She pretends not to notice you.
>You both come closer.
"Sonata."
>”Sonata, honey…”
>”Go away.”
>Her voice is a murmur.
>”You can’t do this to yourself, Sonata, we’re a team. We need you. Come back with us, we can go somewhere else.”
>Adagio steps closer.
>Sonata finally stops staring into space and looks at the pair of you.
>Then her face twists in anger.
>”NO! I’m not going anywhere! If Georges want me to be dead, then I’ll be dead for him! If he hates me that much then I’ll stay here until every member of his family dies so they’ll never have to look at me, and all his children’s children too!”
>Adagio stays where she is.
>”You’re being silly, Sonata. I’ve made sure he won’t rise above being a War Minister already, we can go somewhere else in the world and start over. Just come out of this dratted-”
>”I’M NOT GOING ANYWHERE! He wanted to poison me, I could taste it in the wine he gave me! All of it was just a lie, I wanted to give him everything and all he wanted was a world without me in it, so FINE, HERE, TAKE IT!”
>Her voice echoes as she raises her head and shouts at the ceiling, and then throws something to the ground.
>Then, startled and realizing what she’s done, she falls onto her knees and scrabbles through the dirt for it.
>She’s crying as she dusts it off and holds it to her chest.

>You and Adagio look at each other, and back at her.
>She’s sobbing freely now, as if there were no one for miles, head between her knees.
>Adagio comes a little closer.
>”Sonata, please, you know you’re going to come with us eventually anyway, why not now? We’ll go wherever you like, I promise.”
>Sonata stands up to full height and snarls, and Adagio, made aware of their height difference, steps back again.
>You’ve had just about enough of this.
>You start walking, shouldering Adagio out of the way before she can talk again.
>Sonata growls at you, then backs away, but your footsteps are even and constant.
>You’re not taking any more of her shit.
>Finally she backs herself up into a wall, and displays her teeth to scare you off.
>It might’ve worked if she still had more than one row.
>And if she weren’t shaking and tear-streaked.
>You take a deep breath and brace your arms.
>And then you hug her.
>She thrashes in your arms for a moment, but she can’t break your hold.
>This isn’t some cuddly loser bedtime hug.
>She doesn’t get to leave until you say so.
"Shhhh."
>She squirms in all directions, eyes fiercely shut.
>And, slowly, she goes limp.

>You’re surprised Adagio hasn’t come to stop you yet.
>Sonata’s breathing is ragged.
"Shh, it’s okay. It’s alright."
>Hush already, you bitch.
>”I knew he only wanted me cus we were pretending to be important. I knew he did. I knew he just wanted to use me.”
"Shh, you’re alright, Nata, you’re here with me and Adagio."
>”B-but I would’ve let him, is the thing. I don’t care about that stuff. I would’ve given him anything he wanted if he’d just, just asked for it.”
>She tries to chuckle and just starts crying again.
>”Why couldn’t he have just asked me to help him?”
"He was an asshole. That’s why. You shouldn’t spend time with people like him."
>”N-no, I, I couldn’t help it. ...What did I do wrong, Aria? I just wanted to help him, I never asked him for anything else. How did I make him hate me?“
>Her voice is small, and her hands, still clenched into a single fist at her chest, are trembling.
"You didn’t. Look at me."
>You tighten your hold and she turns her eyes to you unwillingly.
>They’re red, in the way they’re not supposed to be.
"You didn’t. He doesn’t want you to be dead or alive or anything else, because he didn’t care about you in the first place. He’s a leech, just like the rest of them."
>”B-but I…”
>She turns away from you again, and her hands shake harder.
>“...I loved him.”

>Alright.
>You can’t ignore the hands thing any longer.
>You take a breath and prepare yourself for more thrashing.
"Nata, you have to let go of that, whatever it is."
>She shakes her head.
"Sonata..."
>You squeeze her as best as you can, ignoring her knuckles digging into you.
"Please let go of it."
>...
>She does.
>It clatters to the cave floor with a small tinkling sound.
>You can see it now.
>It’s a Stanhope ring, a local part of the photography fad.
>There was a lens on one end, and an incredibly tiny image inside.
>”I-it was for our anniversary. He wanted me to see us, together, whenever I wanted. He let me choose what we wore for the picture, too.”
>She’s smiling, and her eyes are wet, but she’s out of tears for now.
>Her arms are at her sides, and after a moment of breathing they slap themselves around your shoulders.
>Good.
>After a moment you feel another arm around your back, and Adagio swoops in around both of you.
>You reassemble into a proper group hug, sandwiching Sonata in the middle.
>She giggles a little.
>It's not her real laugh, but it's an okay try.
>Adagio’s the first to break the silence.
>”I think it’s time we went somewhere else, girls. I can hear the ocean calling.”
"Yeah, let’s get the fuck out of here."
>Sonata nods.

>It takes a minute to create another opening, and they talk about where they want to go.
>Once it’s ready, you’re the last to leave.
>”I’m going to beat you two to the bottom if you don’t hurry up, Aria!”
>Adagio calls over her shoulder as she starts back down.
"Yeah, one second."
>You go back inside and scoop up the ring.
>With an effort, you crush it flat and hurl it into the deepest patch of darkness you can find.
>When you go back outside, Sonata’s standing there waiting for you.
>”Dagi’s halfway there already.”
"Don’t worry, we’ll kick her ass. Come on."
>She takes your hand, and you get ready.
>”...Aria?”
"Yeah?"
>”Thanks.”
>You smirk a little.
"Yeah, whatever."
>Then the two of you make your running start...
>Push off at the last second...
>And you’re flying, wild with the wind in your hair, to the earth.