"Hmm, what is this? An incredible source of magic that erects my senses this much? This magical pulsing rivals Arle's. Strangely familiar too. The time for rambling is over, but let's go over my strategy now, just in case. I'll hunt my victim down, banter, defeat opponent, and then finally tie my opponent up to make resistance impossible so I can drain the magic with ease. It's the most honourable way." Needless to say, the dark mage Schezo went on his mission.

"Gugu gugu gugugu, guguguguuu?"

"No, I don't think I'd survive a one versus three match against the Dark Prince, Rulue and…"

"Be my desi- Arle?"

"Speak of the Prince. Hi Schezo…" Arle sighed. She really just wanted to get that darn book from the Dark Prince already with minimal shenanigans. Of which the Prince will no doubt provide.

"Gu gu gu gu gugugu?"

"I haven't really noticed, but you're right, Carby. Why do you sound so surprised to see me, Schezo?"

"Your magic felt different, it caught me off guard is all. But enough of this, I am here to strip you."

"Please tell you're talking about my magic. And the answer in no, Creeper!" The nickname calling got Schezo riled up. "You say no, yet your magic is more than willing. There's no skirting me."

"Scheeeeezo, I'm gonna pretend you said 'There's no skirting me' to make me feel slightly better. How come you never catch yourself? I'm gonna call you 'Creepo' until you do to save time pointing it out."

The dark mage growled with anger. "We'll save on even more time than that! We'll make this struggle quick and painless. Unless you want my sword thrusted inside of you." Schezo pointed his sharp-pointed iron stick at Arle's face.

"Creepo."

Chapter 10: Slumber

*Ding-Dong* Silvana rang the doorbell of this modest-looking house. She swung around her shoulder bag back and forward awaiting the door's opening, pondering if she really did she wanna do this? Too late to go away now.

With no warning the door went open faster than lightning, a lanky, blond, bushy mustachioed man wearing glasses and Oshare Magazine's sixty-fifth worst tackiest sweater. He had an oppressive atmosphere and a nasty soul stealing glare standing upright staring down on the poor circus clown with his fists on his hip. Sil was too scared to say anything. She didn't want to go like this. NOT LIKE THIS!

"Bwahahaha! Gets them every time." The man's game was mood whiplash it seemed, since he became a lot more goofy. He slapped his knee. "Well, every first time anyway." The man smiled. "How ya doing?"

The despite the fact (or may because of it) that the man's actions were part of a prank. Sil was still at unease. "Y-Y-You must b-be A-Amitie's dad. I'm…"

"The circus leader Pierrot, I love your shows. My daughter's upstairs."

Sil's ears picked the faint sound of doors opening upstairs.

"Hiya, Sil, glad you made it!" Amitie waved from above.

Sil shakily and lazily waved back. "Hi Amitie." Sil climbed the stair. After meeting Amitie's dad this day could only get better.

"Say, Ami, dear, if you can convince her to give me free tickets, that be swell." Sil picked up that Mr. Amitie's Dad wasn't too serious.

"Get real, Dad!" Sil thought it was best not to get caught in the crossfire and kept her mouth shut.

"Perhaps, later. Enjoy the slumber party, Miss Pierrot. Don't let the bedbugs bite. Let me know when you need something. And if you get Amitired [Am I tired] then go to sleep."

"DAAAD!" Amitie yelled. Mr. Amite's Dad stuck his tongue out and laughed to himself. Amitie was positively agitated, she clutched Sil by her jacket sleeve.

'What's going on?' Sil thought all wall-eyed as Amitie dragged her to her room.

As soon as Amitie's door closed, Sil suddenly felt really energized. As if she's in an intense horror novel when it suddenly turned into a fast-paced slapstick comedy.

"I'm so, so, sorry about my dad." Amitie was super embarrassed. "He can suck the fun out of any room by just being there."

"I-I've noticed. It must be the mustache."

"It isn't." Sil has yet to recover. "Is he always like this?" Sil nervously rubbed her tugged spot.

"Nope, you should see him on a day where he's only moping around. Heebie-jeebies doesn't even to begin to describe it." The girls shuddered. "Let's not leave this room." They agreed amongst themselves.

"So where's everyone?"

"Well, Lidelle had a prior appointment, Ribbitie's busy managing your circus, Sig's late, Raffine said no and Klug said he had to clean his glasses and ran the other way."

"So only Sig, huh?"

"If he doesn't get lost."

"I found it with ease, Sig'll find it."

"Yeah, he's been here before too."

"There were some otherworldly friends I wanted to invite."

Sil could see where this is going. 'Play dumb Sil.' "Is it this 'Ringo', you've been talking about?"

"Yeah! But I was also gonna invite Maguro and Arle. But they couldn't make it…"

'Dodged a bullet there.' "How did you convince me to come again?"

"I don't remember."

"Me neither, that's why I asked."

"You can leave if you want." Amitie offered with a tiny smidge of sadness in her voice.

"I can't leave even if I wanted to, Amitie, your dad's out there. And don't wanna hear him comment about it from him."

"Eh-heh. Sorry about that."

"Don't worry about it, it's only partially your fault."

Silvana finally took the time look around Amitie's room. It is on the border of both being tidied up and a mess at the same time. There were all sorts of things lying about. Sil figured that the pile of board games and some other things were for later tonight.

On the bookshelf were very little books, there were a modest amount Captain Hohow comic issues and some magazines on various topics and lots of trinkets Amitie found neat.

Amitie's untidied single person bed itself looked plain, It did have way more bedsheets and pillows than needed, and a single plushie, that looked like Mamono.

"So what're we gonna do?"
"I dunno, it's been a while since I had a sleepover."
"How about… Those board games?"
"Two is too little to the most fun board games I have. How about playing pretend?"
"Aren't you too old for that? And I'm older than you." 'I think?'
"What about some girly stuff I prepared for Raffine or Liddy?"

"No! I don't like that stuff. How about a staring contest?" It was the best Sil could come up with.

"I can't think of anything else to do. Let's do it!" Amitie posed way too heroically for this.

3, 2, 1, GO! Sil started with a neutral face, Amitie made a 'trying-way-too-hard-to-be-serious' face.

… Sil began to smirk and Amitie strengthened her serious face.

… They were in deep concentration, everything around them faded, from their environment to the small noises around them.

… 'Are you seriously not seeing why I'll win, Amitie?'

'Wow, Sil's really good at this, she's not even struggling. Hey wait a s-'

*A shock-inducing door opening sound and fierce slam that followed suit*

"AAAAAaaaah!"

The girls yelped. The perpetrator of their shocks was Sig who looked like he was in shock himself. He had his back pressed against the door, breathing heavily. "Ssssorry I'm ll-l-late, I-I got lost!" Sig's eyes and voice showed emotion for a change.

It was fear.

But the spirit that stuck out from him from time to time, like always, seemed to show how he actually felt.

It was agony.

It's certainly concerning. "Sig?" Sil reached her hand out towards.

"Omigosh! Sig, are you okay?"

Sig took half of a minute trying to stop panting before could answer. "Um… I think I'll be okay." He was back to normal. "I forgot how much your dad gives me the heebie-jeebies." They shuddered to think what horrible joke Mr. Amitie's Dad told that he also made worse.

"Let's not leave this room." They agreed amongst themselves.

"So what are we gonna eat then, Amitie? Unless there's a way to survive standing next to your dad for more than a minute."

"Don't worry, I bargained with Dad to order Pizza to be delivered through the window, so we don't have sit at the dinner table. Trust me, you don't want him to cook anyway."

"Is it that bad?" Gulped Sil.

"No. He's…" Amitie struggled to find the words to give her Dad the fairest possible description. "He's extremely uninspired?…"

"Okay. Can we use the window to leave?" Sil asked. Amitie stood at said window. "I do it every to go to school."

"I've heard enough." Sil placed her palm on her foremask. "Sig's here, three people. Let's try to have fun."

"Let's put on our pajamas!" Amitie's got really high pitched there for a sec.

Amitie usually alternated between some two-piece pajamas that had her normal attires colour palette but lighter and a different pattern. Or a simple light blue nightgown. She wore both! Her beanie's switched out for a pointed red nightcap with big Puyo eyes on them.

Sil's twintails were let loose before she put on her nightwear. Her pajamas, until a week ago, were just the Pierrot costume shreds reformed into imitation pajama. But she requested Oshare to make actual two-piece pajamas in the style of the harlequin costume. The red parts shared the plaid pattern her jacket had, the black bits were the same. Sil also asked for two extra accessories, a sleep mask, and a cape. The sleep mask did serve a practical purpose, but it was mostly for comic effect tonight since she'll sleep in her normal mask. She asked for the cape because she missed wearing one, the extra weight on her shoulders. The bone heap made it both bigger and better than ever! It made her feel heroic. Even if that's not… You know.

Sig wore an oversized ladybug onesie with a flap in the back. Let's leave it at that.

*Fun board games*

Amitie was in a pickle, she needed to roll a five or else she had little chance to win. It's amazing she kept up into the game so far, as she felt that she was fairly luckless during all of the boards. Until the previous turn that allowed her to catch up to her. Sil was doing good, Sig was really lucky throughout. "C'mon, C'mon." Amitie felt the dice tumbling in her hand. The moment of truth is nigh!…

*Overly dramatic dice roll*

"Wicked! After four board games, I finally won!" In her excitement Amitie flipped over the board, the pieces flew throughout the room.

"Amitie?" Sil was annoyed, nothing new there. But she did stretch out Amitie's name a bit longer.

"Y-yeah?"

"I wanted to play for second place." The circus girl folded her arms.

"Eh-heh-heh… Sorry."

"Whatever, it was the worst board we played so far." Sil wouldn't know how to make a board game, but she felt the effect of a board with dice AND NOTHING ELSE.

"Uh, can we play the one bugs again?" Sig asked out of nowhere.

"Or the funny one where we have to lose money to win again?"

*Later*

'Day 24. At this point, I'm convinced the world's out to get me. The neighbouring towns have almost destroyed my stronghold with pillows.' Silvana overdramatized her situation.

Everyone's made bed sheet forts and took turns throwing as many pillows as you have at each other's forts until they collapse. The players closed their eyes or turn their backs so they won't know who hit them. In theory anyway, guessing who threw at you based on where the pillow struck is possible. Sil just got struck, and she guessed Amitie was the offender. "Want more?" Sil collapsed Amitie's fort, because unlike the others who didn't discriminate their targets, she did.

Amitie swung the white pillow sheet. "I'll do better next time." Amitie silently threw the pillow she received for Sig to use.

'Day 30. I some managed to defeat the Mr. Amitie's Dad's daughter spells. Only Sig stands, he should pose little threat should I survive the next attack. Hope I don't hit him too hard… Oh, good job, Sil. Now I might hesitate.' Two pillows hit Sil's now collapsed fort and a third one hit her face with force. Sil had no problem hitting Sig next time.

"Sorry." Sig apologized.

*Pizza break*

"So what'dya guys think of this so far?" Before she scarfed down her Pizza.

"Ouch." Sil exclaimed, for her mask slammed into her face due the elastics. She stopped trying to feed herself with getting her mask greasy or avoiding showing too much of her face to answer. "Lemme think how to put this… I think I like it so far?"

"You really mean it?"

"Yeah, I'm guessing that's because of Arle, Klug and Raffine not being here and I actually have some fun."

"I like it too."

"Wowie." Amitie seemed to be surprised that Sil said positive about something she did, but also at the same time kinda disheartened about her open dislike of her friends.

"So what should do next?"

"Ah!" Sil's mask snapped back on her face again, her long hair got in the way too. 'My sleep mask may show too much of my face. This amazing taste isn't worth that. The fort it is then.'

"I heard of something called Truth or Dare." Sig suggested. "I think it's a slumber party thing, no idea what it is though."

"Oooo. Great idea, Sig. Let me explain how it works." Sil gulped, and not because of the pizza.

"Did you get that?"

"I think so? Can you maybe explain again?"

"Siii~iig…"

"I get it now, sounds fun."

"I'm not so sure about this." Sil grinned nervously.

"Don't be silly, Sil. Hehee, I made a pun."

"You really are your father's daughter." Was the clown's instinctual reaction, she muttered it and thankfully went on deaf ears.

"It'll be fun learning about each other and do some funny things."

"Hrmmph. Fine, just nothing about my mask and no Puyo-ing. I don't wanna sleep amongst the Nuisance Puyo and don't think anyone wants to clean them up, right?" Sil suggested, incidentally finishing remaking her fort with a curtain to eat her almost cold pizza.

"Good thinking, Sil. Let's play! I'll go first."

Amitie couldn't pick which one to choose first. "Sig."

"Hmm?"

"Truth or Dare?"

"I guess truth?"

"What's that ghost thingy that's sometimes with you?"

Sig looked at the spirit, the spirit looked Sig with confusion. "Dunno."

"Fiddlesticks, what a waste…"

"I know isn't my turn, but do you want to know?" Sil had a suspicion of what it was. But there's probably someone who knew more.

"Um… Maybe some other time."

'The less reason to see Klug, the better.'

"Your turn, Sig."
"I choose Ami."
"I'll take a bet on dare!"
"I dare you to… to… um…"

About thirty seconds passed. "Sig?"

"There's nothing I can think of…"

"Sig… You're the one who suggested this." Sil whined from inside her fort, forgetting that Sig didn't know what Truth or Dare even was before they started. "Please think of something."

"'Kay." Sig stared down at his four unfinished slices of Pizza. "Guess I'll dare you to finish my Pizza."

"But I don't like pineapple!"

"Sorry… Should I give you another dare?"

"No, no! I'll try." Amitie's shaky hand grabbed a slice and put the whole thing in her mouth. Her body shivered heavily because of the pineapple taste. The shivering got less and with each slice, but it still was a horrid taste to Amitie. While Amitie was eating that Sil was done with her's. She decimated her fort. She chucked at Amitie.

"I-I'm done." Amitie almost sounded dizzy. "Sil, truth or dare?"

Sacrifice her dignity (aka do her job) or let some truth slip. Which is worse? "Truth."

Amitie thought really hard. 'There was something I wanted to ask Silvana, right? Oh yeah!' "Why don't you like Arle? How do you know her for that matter?"

If Sil still had pizza, this is where she would choke. The tone of Amitie's voice wasn't one of accusation or suspicion, she's merely curious.

"How do you about my connection to Arle?"

"You said you were happy Arle wasn't here, remember?"

"Eh? Did I?"

"Yeah, you did." Sig helped clarify. 'Oops.' Time to commit the ultimate crime. Bending the truth during Truth or Dare.

Sil took in a deep sigh. Here it goes. "Please promise me you won't tell anyone." Amitie nodded. Sil already trusted Sig with that. "I didn't want to say this because you two are good friends, and you mention her a lot. But I'm from her world where she beat me badly. And that's why I don't like her." Sil tightened her eyelids, fearing the worst. 'Pleaseleaveitatthatpleaseleaveitatthatpleaseleaveitatthatple'

"It can't be all that bad."

"HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE BURIED IN OVER 500K Nuisance Puyos!" Sil bursted out yelling, it took even Sig by surprise.

"Wha? How's that possible? It that even legal?"

"It took me years to climb out of it, Amitie! All because wanted to pet Carby…" Sil was on verge of tears, that's one wound that didn't need reopening at the moment.

"But Arle's super nice, she doesn't mind if I pet Carbuncle."

Salt, meet Sil's wound. "Well now, she's nice, she used to be like me."

"Wowie. I'm sorry you lost a friend like that."

"WHO SAID WE WERE FRIENDS, AMITIE! DID I EVER SAY WE WERE FRIENDS, AMITIE! IN FACT, WE WERE ENEMIES THE MOMENT WE MET, AMITIE! WE NEVER WANTED TO BE-"

The went open faster than the speed of light and with what felt like a funerals mists flooded the room. Amitie and Sil felt very uneasy, Sil more than Amitie. Sig shivered underneath a bed sheet.

"I'm not gonna say that you girls should stop having fun, but could you guys keep your voices down a smidge?"

"Okay, dad." Amitie was annoyed again.

"One more thing. Pierrot?"

"Y-Yes?"

"Just to avoid misunderstandings. Were you shouting about a mortal arch-enemy or my adorable, you could just eat her up daughter?"

"DAAAAAaaaaaaad!"

"M-M-M-my m-mortal e-e-enemy, Mr. Amitie's D-Dad."

"D-Does th-th-that happen to my d-d-daughter?" The man jokingly imitated Sil's stutter. You've never seen Amitie this angry.

"N-No Mr. Amitie's Dad."

"Does this mean I can still get free tickets?"

"I'll th-think about it."

Mr. Amitie's Dad stood there for a few more seconds, looking around the room. "You kids wanna hear a funny joke?"

"Not now, dad." Amitie didn't even look at him.

"Okay-okie, don't sleepwalk out of the window like yesterday, dear." The parent said concerned closed the door.

"Is he gone?" Sig asked. "Yeah." Amitie confirmed. "I forgot where we were." "I do too. Sadly." Sil said.

"Oh, yeah. Never let me meet Arle. It won't end well, don't even let her know about me. When I meet her again I'm pretending to be a completely different harlequin with an identical name, outfit, powers, and voice." Sil sounded more down the more things she listed. She shocked herself with her relation to her.

"Um… Silly, that's doesn't sound like the best plan." Seem like Amitie caught on too.

"Our meeting is inevitable, isn't it?…"

"Need a hug?" Sig asked.

"Maybe…" Both Sig and Amitie hugged her. Started to hurt her back but it felt nice to a degree.

"Owowowowow. My back!"

"Oops."

"Sorry. Feel better?"

"No, Sig. I'm still a little frustrated. Can we pillow fight?"

"Okay!"

"Sure."

"Cool, just watch the mask."

*One exhausting but fun pillow fight later*

"*Yawn* Oh boy, I think it's getting late, I wanna go *Yawn* go to slumberland." Amitie said. Sil smacked her with a pillow again, it was tired smack.

"Sounds *Yawn* good. Peek under my mask while I sleep and I'll never forever forgive you." Sil smacked Amitie again.

Everyone got into their sleeping bags and slept like babies. Well, they would except for Sig's constantly turning around.

"Mmmhgh. Can you please stop turning around? I barely get eight hours of sleep anyway, you're not helping, Sig."

"Sorry Sil, but I can't sleep."

"You're still scared of my dad?" Amitie asked from her bed.

"Uh-huh." Sig nodded. It made sense to Silvana. Mr. Amitie's Dad seemed to scare some lucity into Sig earlier today, of course, it should keep him awake.

"No prob bob. I got just the thing." Amitie opened up her drawer and pulled out her drawer.

It was a children's storybook. 'Seriously?' Sil was too tired to say that out loud.

"Mom used to tell me this one all the time." It was a copy of Adventures of Hedgehog. It had a hedgehog and a fox running away from a chicken, a green thing and a red egg with a mustache chasing them.

'Seriously?'

Amitie's reading of the story was weirdly engrossing Sil had to admit. Even if she wasn't sure the story was good. It took her mind off of everything, that egg, the chicken and the green thing especially. It got Sig more though. He's five/sixths asleep and so entranced by the story that he may be unaware that he's slowly but surely pulling Sil towards him. Sil's face slowly but surely turning more red than her clothes.

"And that's why you can always learn something *yawn* from a sloth. The end." Amitie closed the book. She looked down at the two on the floor. Sig was asleep, and Sil was stuck in his arms. "Aww… Look at you two. I'm jealous." Sil couldn't complain, even if she's not all too comfy.

"Good job *yawn*, Am." Sil raised her one free hand in for high five. Amitie happily complied.

"Good night, Silly."

"Stop calling me that."

And everyone had a good night's rest.

That's until Mr. Amitie's Dad yelled them a good morning.

Author's Notes:

Writing Schezo is fun, I didn't know I had it in me. Hope you enjoyed him, I don't think I have plans to bring him back. Sacrificed natural interaction to force some Schezo-isms.

Should I bump the rating up? I like to think the Schezo-isms will fly over the heads of a certain age group. And this is the only section of its kind in a Fanfic planned to have decent number of chapters.

I came up with this last minute because I stole this idea of a Sonic fanfic that was okay, but I made it all my own. I did receive suggestion for a chapter at the same I came up with this one that I like. Expect it to see in 8 to 12 chapters from now. It depends what's considered a chapter.

There was supposed a subplot of having insomnia instead of fear. Then I read Chapter 1 of the Light Novel Sig's Secret and I said: "Great. He's closer to being narcoleptic." And if he was an insomniac he would yawn a lot more, too. I know because I may have a slight case of insomnia.

I have another apology that probably rendered meaningless due how trivial it may be. But I realized I might've made a mistake when I found a height comparison chart for all characters in Puyo Fever 2. In the the past I may've implied that Akuma and Hohow were bigger than Sil… But they're not. Akuma's smaller than Feli, and Hohow is about the same size as Sil. I was thrown off by Akuma's stature and wavy arms and Hohow's width I guess. From now I'll imply accordingly.

I researched things done during slumber parties. It's too stereotypical. I had trouble finding something gender neutral. I think I can fully agree with my sister calling herself a tomboy now.

Anecdote: I once got accidently invited to an all girls birthday party, because the girl they wanted had my male only obscure old-timey name as a nickname. Not sure for who it was worse. I had a few male Amities times 5 too, one was named Freek, and because of them I became a Sil. Or so I like to think.

Anecdote 2: The board game segment is based on my real experience play the MAD Magazine board game with Freek. It's funnier in retrospect.

Deleted scene: [After Sil's Arle rant] Sil: I dare you ask a glass of milk from your dad.

Ami: How can you be so cru-uel?

Sig: Not cool, Sil.

Sil: What? I thought you're used to it?

Ami: I am, but I just finished a pineapple pizza.

*Sil suggests pillow fight*

It would've been too big of a whiplash

Also say goodbye to Mr. Amitie's Dad. I liked writing him too much. But I have no further need for him, and I don't wanna shoehorn him in like Season 1-2 Steve Urkel. I do kinda want him in the games now under the name Mr. Amitie's Dad and maybe without the fun sucking atmosphere problem. Make him the final boss in Fever 3. Could give Amitie some more development. I didn't plan on making him at all and I like him more than the idea of Yeti, which really liked.

I like to write down meaningless things too much, I can't help it.

Next up: Ribbit…