On Arle and Carbuncle's merry quest to get that book back, she saw a familiar face in the distance lying on the ground crying.
"Harpy?"
"Gugu-gu?"
"Hi *sniff* Arle." She kept crying. Which concerned Arle, Harpy was usually happy.
"What's wrong?"
"*sob* I was trying to entertain Witch with my newest song with Panotty. Then suddenly *sniffle* her beakers broke out of nowhere and attacked us with Puyos *stuffed nose*, and took some of my feathers as a prize! *bawling*"
"Ouch… But that doesn't surprise me though. Can you still fly?"
Harpy got off the ground. "I can."
"Gugugugugu-gu-gu." "Alright then, I'm sure you'll be fine."
"You're so nice, Arle~ " The tears stopped.
"Seeya later." Arle walked past Harpy. "In five seconds we run, Carby."
"Gu." They whispered.
"Let me sing as a thank you."
"SHOOT! RUN CARBY, RUN!" A_d then the ƒa_r c of real ty fell apa
Chapter 3: Trap With Ease
Silvana cartwheeled over to the place where she and Sig agreed to hang out: the forest. She cartwheeled because she had to fit in her athletic training in somewhere. She mastered several simple acrobatic tricks. Flips and handstands she could do very easily.
Cartwheels, however, were a bit a bit too hard for her. She wants to do ten in a row. After every three rotations, she fell, mostly on her face. But hey, that's one more rotation than yesterday with a little more practice... "Ah, I've had enough, I'll just walk." Sil dragged her foot.
She finally made it to the beach, and as expected Sig was there. She tried to sneak up behind him, and slam her palms into Sig's shoulders and yell 'Boo!' to get a reaction out of him. "Hey, Sil." So much for that. "Nice pigtails."
"Thanks. So what did you wanna do today?"
"I dunno." Sig scratched his head.
"You had nothing in mind, not even looking for bugs?"
"I'm not sure if you'd like that."
"I don't mind. But-"
"There thou art, Sig!"
"Eh?"
There was a pink blob sprinting… More like speed waddling towards them. He was very clearly upset. "Sig, I need your help!"
It was The Prince of the Ocean, The Ocean Prince. Except he was missing his crown, he's bald. "Hey, your Oceanness, what's up?" Sig was as monotonous as ever.
"I misplaced mine crown, and I need thine help. It was lost nea-"
"This shrimp is royalty?" Silvana rudely interrupted.
"Hold thine tongue, peasant! I'll let you know when I have need for a personal jester!" The Prince bursted out.
"I didn't offer anything." Sil crossed her arms and muttered.
"I shall pay the usual."
Sig considered the circumstances, Silvana was here to do something here with him. Ocean Prince lost his crown. A friend adjusting to her life in Primp. Another friend and on-again, off-again employer that pays him in… He forgot. "Um..." He looked between the two.
"I beg of you, I shall pay you double!"
Sig's mind was made up before The Prince of Ocean doubled his offer. "Let's meet up later at your home, Sil."
"What." Silvana couldn't believe it, Sig took the shrimp over her. They were supposed to have a day of doing... something together.
"He needs my help."
"Yes, for I will be in disastrous trouble if I won't be able to find it!"
Silvana supposed Sig had a life outside of her, and more friends than her, all she had were Sig and Amitie. The latter of which she's still angry at. But it still was a day they had planned. But if this shrimp is royalty, who knows what he'll do if she interferes. 'Might as well begin studying some more.' "Okay, but before you go just tell where the library is?"
"Um… Where was it again?" The bug lover asked himself.
"It shares its space with the museum. Now we go forth, Sig! Make haste!" The Prince dragged Sig off.
"Be safe, Sig!" Sil yelled.
"You too." Since living here, the loneliness she normally ignored stung more than ever… Anyway, to the museum via the way she came here.
*52 Cartwheels and 54 faceplants later*
"OOOOOooOOOOOOOOooowwwww!" Her teeth were clasped together. "Okay, no more cartwheels! I need repaint my mask if keep this up. Or worse..."
*A simple, peaceful stroll towards the museum with just one faceplant later*
"Finally, the museum!" This is Silvana's first visit to this place to this great museum. It has everything you need to know thanks to its owner's efforts. Speaking of the devil. She found Akuma reading in the library. Sil has seen his mug around town before but doesn't know much about him otherwise. There were also a few other people she saw in the museum. Two zombies looking guys watching the statues, and a big, pink bird looking at pictures in comic books.
"Hi." Silvana got the bear's attention. "I'm looking for a book on how to perform circus tricks."
"For do you need it, demon?"
Sil was taken back by that. "How do you know that?" She whispered with a frown.
"Your heart is in the wrong place."
"In what way do you mean that? I try." She was a bit nervous.
"Your heart is literally in the wrong place. You are completely mirrored in fact, something that is also backwards... YOUR ABILITY TO WRITE AND READ, KUMA!" The bear suddenly blurted out.
"Shh." Sil and the pink bird a bookcase or two away gestured.
The stuffed demon cleared his throat. "Apologies. But am I not wrong?" Silvana nervously tapped her index fingers together in succession.
"Eeeeh. I've gotten better at it..." She answered sheepishly.
The bear sighed. "Listen. Normally I tell every evil demon that comes to town to leave. But I see no evil in you. Just deep-rooted spite and jealousy."
"When you put it like that I sound pretty evil..." Snark.
"But I'll let you stay in town, try to work out your issues if you can, nonviolently."
"Are you sure?" Sil let her arms go limp.
"No. Despite my long life, a demon trying to reform is something I rarely come across. They don't always succeed. I made it, but that doesn't mean my experiences can help you in any way." Sil just nodded.
"Thanks for the pressure." She had a hard time letting that one out.
"Back on topic. Why do you want that type of book?"
"I run the circus."
"OH, I'VE BEEN LOOKING FORWARD TO THAT, MA, KUMA!"
That lifted Sil's spirit a bit. But still: "SHHHH!"
"Sorry. But I just got the book for you. Follow me."
At the bookcase, Akuma pulled out the book and gave it to Silvana. "'A Universal Guide on How to Entertain the Masses for Simpletons by THE GENIUS RINGLEADER EGGMAN!'? Wha?"
"Forgive the wording, it's a good book, the writer was just really condescending. Flip through it, if you must."
Sil did just that. "Advanced card tricks, ball balancing, tightrope walking, stage magic, knife throwing, acrobatics, animal taming. Seems safer than cartwheels. I'll take it."
*One library card later*
"TAKE CARE, KUMA!" Silvana winced every time.
"I will, bye." The circus leader left, book in the bag, with more hope than normal.
Akuma's yell attracts the local comic book reading Hohow Bird's attention. "Isn't it supposed to be quiet in the library?!" The bird followed Sil.
"YOU'RE SETTING A GREAT EXAMPLE YOURSELF, MA, KUMAMAKUMA!"
*Slightly later*
The Hohow Bird had been spying on that weird faced, maybe-demon in the silly outfit ever since she left the museum. He overheard the word demon, from that girl's conversation with Akuma.
They could've been talking about Akuma himself. But the Bird just couldn't take the risk. He's just biding his time until the plaid jacketed girl does something evil, so he can save the day! Just like his hero, Captain Hohow.
Silvana was just peacefully and carefully walking home so she can peacefully read her book until Sig comes back. Sil fidgeted her hand underneath her mask to rub her eyes.
"HO HO!" The bird expressed in shock. "How did she do that with her face? I have to Know Ho." Hohow Bird swooped down to knock Silvana down. "Incoming!" Announced the wannabe hero.
"What?" Sil turned around for another blow to her face thanks to the Beak of Punching. Hohow Bird landed on his talons.
"OWOWowow!" Sil screamed, holding her mask.
"Ho Owowowow" Hohow Bird screamed, holding his beak.
The jerk-of-all-trades noticed something while putting her hands where it hurts. "A CRACK?!"
"Where?" The pink bird frightfully inspected his beak.
"Not on you bird brain, on my mask!" Sil was furious, that last face blow was the last straw.
"M-Mask?" Hohow Bird felt pretty stupid now. "That's a mask?" Sil didn't even answer. With one finger she cast Royal Heart to heal her pain and to lessen the crack, the other finger burned bright with fire. The other finger joined when it was done healing. Hohow knew from experience that fire, especially from young girls, hurt.
"HO NO! Don't fry me!" The bird held his wings in front of his face. He was scared, sweat fell. Whether the sweat came from the fear or the fire close to him or both.
"FIRE!" Hohow's eyes widened. He barely dodged it, he quickly decided to run it the nearby forest to hide.
"Come back here!" Sil growled as she chased after the bird. She switched to Ice Storm to avoid a forest fire.
Hohow made a huge mistake going into the woods. Due to his size, he can't just fly out of it. There are too many branches to do that. So he just wall jumped from tree to tree with his talons to outrun the Ice Storms. The best option, really.
Sil stopped attacking for the moment to process what she just saw. She started attacking aga- Now the bird's swinging from branch to branch with his wings. And really fast too and surprising gracefully too, she had cast Ace in Spades to increase her stats to keep up.
The bird needed to run on his talons now, the branches weren't too reliable as they kept breaking more and more. Sil was catching up.
Up ahead were several trees that had grown really close to each other, leaving small gaps. This where Silvana would finally catch the bird, there is no way that bird would fit through there.
It wouldn't the first time today she woke up harshly. The bird did "A Cartwheel?!" Ten in a row, through several trees. Sil was more surprised than angry. Her anger died down a little but kept chasing the turkey. The end of the forest was in sight, but so was something else.
If the bird was smart it would fly away. If the bird was dumb it would hide in Pierrot's circus. If the bird was too dumb to live he'd better not damage it! "Wait, stop!" It was ignored.
Perhaps Hohow Bird thinks he's faster on foot than he is in the air. He kept running towards the circus. He stepped into something making him tumble but without losing any speed.
They entered the circus.
*?*
Sig and the Prince were still looking for the latter's crown. They don't have much time left. The prince was at the fourth stage of grief, who knows when he'll reach the fifth?
"It must be somewhere around here. I was snooping around here all morning." The royal brat's eyes were filled with tears. He turned the place upside down looking for his crown. He last picked up a small metal box, hoping it was underneath it.
"Wait! Come back here!"
"Ho No, I won't!" They vaguely heard in the distance. They saw The Hohow Bird and Silvana dashing through the tent's entrance next to them. The chaser and the chase-see didn't even notice them. Not until three quarters into their first cycle around the tent.
"Sig! Shrimp..." She wholeheartedly greeted the unexpected and unwanted guests respectively to her closed circus.
"There's nowhere to hide to in here!" The bird realized much to ho horror.
"Block the entrance! Don't let that overgrown turkey escape!" Sil yelled at Sig. Sig complied. So unless Hohow Bird tears a hole through the tent, this chase is almost over.
The cycle continued for four more rotations. But as soon as the second one the Prince noticed something that made him gasp. "That pesky avian has my crown in its clutches!" More like it's stuck around his leg. "Make him kneel before me you jester and I'll see to it that the rights to this circus belong to you!"
"They already do, Shrimp, but you can help by opening that box you're holding!"
"Like this?" The prince kicked open the box.
"That's one way of doing it. Now catch him with it!" The Ocean Prince jumped in the path.
"Ho How's that box supposed to catch meeeeeeeeeeeeee!" The bird was sucked up the boxes vortex.
"What kind of sorcery is this? How will I get my crown back from that thieving bird?" The prince whined.
"I'll get it back. And then you'll have to answer me to why you are trespassing!" Sil pointed sternly at the vaguely dolphin shaped creature. "Okay, close the box when I'm in." The vortex was still swirling.
"How will you get out?" Sig asked kinda concerned.
"When the box opens again. Open it after 5 minutes or so, and PLEASE DON'T KEEP ME IN THERE!" Sil opened up a touchy memory. This box was her prison for a long time.
*?, for real this time*
"Ho Ho? Where am I?"
Silvana swooped into this place. "Incoming!"
"Please don't attack me! I just wanted to fight you to get rid of demonkind in this town like my hero the awesome Captain Hohow!" Hohow Bird said without taking a breath, cowering in fear.
"Look big bird. Whether or not I'm a demon is irrelevant. I'm willing to overlook you decking my face in." Sil casted Royal Heart again for just saying that. "If you're willing to work for me as an acrobat. You were pretty amazing in the woods, I was impressed." She said half-calmly, half-threatening, half-encouraging.
"S-s-s-s-s-ure, sc-sc-scary lady, anything y-you say." Pretty obvious he was scared, due the surroundings and the girl in the mask. "I-I have j-just one question." The bird raised his shaky index feather.
"Shoot."
"What's an Acrobat?"
Silvana had an 'are you kidding me?' face on her right now. How could someone not know? Was there no circus in Primp ever before she came along? "Gimme a sec." Sil pulled out her borrowed book out of her bag. She flipped through the pretty thick book until she found the right page. "Here."
Acrobat [ak-ruh-bat]
Noun
a skilled performer of gymnastic feats, as walking on a tightrope or swinging on a trapeze.
It came with instructions and pictures. "You'll do neat tricks using your surprising athleticism. You'll pretty much be the hero of the circus."
That explanation cheered up Hohow Bird up on his feet. "Ho Ho! Well, I always was better at accidentally doing stuff like that than flying."
'Accidentally?' Sil thought.
"I'll do it." The bird said with confidence.
"Just one more question." "Shoot." "What's a circus?"
*Outside of ?*
"I'm tired of waiting. Release the thief, Sig!"
"How much time has passed?" Sig didn't keep count.
"I don't care, release them!" Ocean Brat ordered. Sig did as told, because wasn't sure.
The two walked out. "Gimme that box." Sil swiped and hid in her bag.
"Give me back my crown, you thief!" The pink Prince daggered the pink bird.
"Thief?" The bird was confused.
"Hold on Shrimp."
"I am not a shrimp, you will take that back!"
"Whatever. This bird found your crown. Riiiight?" Sil pointed at Hohow Bird's leg.
"Ho Ho. Guess so?"
"Oh really? Then how can I reward you?" The fish 180'd.
"I know! Can this become my very own personal circus?"
"No, I want this circus to remain mine." 'This Shrimp's annoying.'
"Hey Ho, shouldn't I get this reward?" The bird questioned, as the crown was pulled from his leg.
"We'll discuss this, later." Sil whispered. "You can repay me in two ways."
"My ears are open." His was crown on his head, patting it with a smile.
"One: Explain why you were trespassing!"
"I saw a circus, I wanted to see it. It was closed and I was curious. Nothing more to it. I must have lost my crown was slipping underneath the entrance curtains."
"You do know that's illegal?"
"You do know I enjoy something called 'Diplomatic Immunity'?" I'm not sure if that's how it works, but I doubt Sil and The Prince know too.
"J-Just don't do it again!" She said, he could uncover something she doesn't want people to find out.
"Whatever. What is your second request?" "If you wanna visit this circus for free with a seat of your choice, I need you to finance us when stuff breaks or need new supplies." "Deal!" They shook hands/fins. No money problems. Less harsh gymnastics. What a sweet face plantingly good day.
"What?" Sig said in the context what must've happened today.
Author's Notes:
Yo, Mister Excuses here. I hope this chapter was an improvement over the last. The Eggman reference means nothing. I couldn't think of a circus-y name that would fit in the Puyoverse. And the how I worded it just screamed Eggman. In retrospect, something Italian would've sufficed.
Apologies if I got the beloved character of Hohow Bird wrong. I bet you didn't expect him. If a Fever character were going to join the Circus, Hohow Bird surprisingly made some sense. I just had to change him a bit. The original idea was that Hohow Bird was supposed to chase Silvana.
The cartwheels were partially inspired by the Spongebob Movie Game.
I purchased Puyo Puyo Fever 2, 15th, 7, and 20th for DS off of eBay. They're filled with gameplay modes I'm not familiar with. So expect some more gameplay jokes. I do kinda wish the first three were bootlegs that used the fan translations though.
One last thing: don't expect chapters to come out every week or so, like I've done so far. I have a huge gaming backlog to catch up on. And I have been neglecting it a bit to write this. Or I'll keep writing this, wouldn't be the first promise I broke in this FanFiction in the notes.
Promise Broken: I also found subtitled version of Sig's story in 20th. After that, I suddenly felt I had a better grasp on not only Sig's character (as not seen here), but also Raffine's, maybe Feli's and Amitie's. I'm only fan since Puyo Puyo Tetris released, so I'm still new. I read somewhere on Puyo Nexus that some are trying to at least translate the cutscenes. Kinda wish they were made before I started honestly.
But maybe it's a blessing in disguise, that translation made me feel inadequate about my joke telling ability (I say funny things, I don't make jokes), limited vocabulary, a lot of typos in chapter 1, intelligence, amongst others. This is usually the fuse that leads to me losing interest in doing things. I'll keep working on it because enough of you (read: three. If the followers are anything to go by) have shown interest in where this goes. I can only hope you like it.
It's helps I'm working with the Beginning-Middle-End structure for the first time. Normally my writing is full with notes of things I want in the story, it overloads and I abandon ship. BME keeps me on track, and this time I'm not afraid to cut something if it's unnecessary (but I'm going to waste those ideas entirely *Foreshadowing Wink*).
And your feedback has been both nice and fun to read. It's interesting seeing you guys like or even praise a certain aspect of the story I completely rushed or finding a joke really funny while I didn't, I just wrote a shenanigan for the sake of it being Puyo Puyo.
I made this long again, another promise broken. Sorry, I just like to run my big mouth sometimes. Okay, next time it's going to be twice as long! I'm not making sure the story is four times the words longer! And I will definitely try to break every promise without fail in at least two simultaneous ways in the future!
Next up: The Auditions!
