It was Valentine's Day. And Sil had to smuggle a big heart-shaped box of mouth-watering praline bonbons home without being caught by anyone, specifically by anyone she knows.

"Hi, Sil."

"Geez!" Sil violently reacted. Sig came out of nowhere. "H-Hi Sig." She hastily juggled the box until it was behind her back.

"What are you holding behind your back?" He pointed to the box thrice the girl's width.

She glanced at it. "No point in hiding it I guess… What does it look like?" She deadpanned.

"A box of Valentine chocolates?"

"Yep… And now you know what day it is." She nodded. 'How the heck am I gonna say the next bit?' "They're not for you, sorry…"

"Oh…"

'Noooooo! He looks so disappointed at me. Should've led him into it a bit more!' "Wait these are for the crew. We all like praline bonbons, but they're so hard to get out of season. You can come along if you like…" Sil rubbed her foot the ground for whatever reason. Her heart felt fluttery as well like it did the whole day.

"I'll come with." Sig was uplifted. "Must be some good chocolate."

Sil chuckled at his response. "You have no idea. I gotcha something though, it's a bit more meaningful than chocolate." She reached for pocket while managing to balance the chocolate box behind her. She comically circled her arm, preparing for a throw. "Catch!" And there it went flying overhead, Sig followed it with his eyes until it hit him on his head.

"Ow." He picked up the tin can that hit him.

"Sig!" Sil overreacted, rubbing his head. "Why didn't you catch it, dummy?"

Sig ignored her, he tried reading what it said. He couldn't make sense of it. "What's this?" He opened it up. Some sort of cream was inside.

"It's some foreign net polish, I bought it while we were at Jen town, supposedly one of the best."
"You brought money."
"I know. Shouldn't have don't that. But got you something neat, didn't I? Like it?"
"I do. I'll get you something in return."

Monotone as usual, but his gratitude shone through. Sil blushed. "You don't have to, just another little 'thank you' gift for making me feel so high~" She didn't know what was worse, her racing heart or that cheesy line.

Chapter 23: The Hypnosis Chapter and its Prologue

Backstage in the Puyo Puyo Circus, Amitie controlled the lights of the current show while chatting with Pierrot and Sig. The latter's just hanging out with the two.

"Can't wait to see your hypno act, Sil!"

"I didn't know it was real."

"I know, right?" Amitie and Sig conversed. Curious to see the new act they didn't even know their clown friend was practiced in.

"I can't wait!~ What're you going to make them do? Make them think 1 plus 1 is 3? Glue their fingers together with their thoughts? Make them feel tickly all over? Oh, don't tell me, you're gonna make them think they're chickens!?"

"Glad you're excited, Am. I'm improvising so you'll just have to wait and see~." Sil teased one-handedly juggling two pocket watches.

"Sil?"
"Yeah, Sig."
"Is hypnosis really real?"
"Sure is. I'd ask my assistant to vouch for me, but she wishes to remain anonymous."
"Why didn't ask me to uhmmmmm… Hypnotize you so you'll always be Silvana?"
"You can hypnotize too, Sig?"

The bug boy shrugged his head. "Anyway, I was just thinking the same. But wouldn't it make more sense to make yourself think you've always been Silvana?"

"Sounds good. But I need to learn how to do it first." Sig added.

"I'll try too!"

Pierrot just gave them a stare. 'You guys are really proud of this plan, are you?' Amitie eyes were constantly shifting to her magical lighting manager and Pierrot's mask.

"Whaddya think?"
"We'll help you."
"Even if you fight back. We understand if you don't wan-"

"I've tried it already." Pierrot deadpanned silencing her friends.

"Huh?"
"Wha?"

"Appreciate you guys thinking of me, but not so much underestimating my attempts."

"So… you hypnotized yourself?"

"Yessssss." The jester sigh talked. "More than once…"

"How did i-"

"IT WASN'T SUCCESSFUL. The first time I convinced myself I forgot I was hypnotized the next morning. The second time it worked out of fifty attempts, worked even after I slept but when I went to wash my face I snapped immediately out of it."

"Third time could be the charm." Sig smiled.

"Yeah! Let us help."

Pierrot took fifteen seconds to exhale. "The third time I subconsciously convinced myself to be Arle again via hypnosis." She lied to shoot the argument down. Though certainly, it's is a possibility. She just feels thing will get annoying if she went down this path.

Annoying and awkward.

"My cue's in a minute. I need to get back into the mood… First one to say something funny gets a nap on my couch."

"Eh?"

"Um… Primp?"

*Suppressed laughter* That unfinished sentence got to her.


"Okay, folks! Glad you enjoyed it. I regret to inform you that Vento wanted some time off."

Pause for audience reaction… Aaaaand mild disappointed.

"I know, he'll be back soon. In the meanwhile… I'm filling in for him with a new act. One that involves audience participation that shall reward you with 300 Golden Credits!"

*Curious noises*

Pierrot had her couch, a table with a tea set, and a folding chair pushed into the spotlight, one of the couch's cushions lay a top hat. "I shall raffle two ticket numbers from this hat! Now you may've noticed the piece of string attached to your ticket." Most people looked again. "That has nothing to do with it."

"I'm hypnotizing two of you fine folks today!"

*Mixed reaction*

"If you don't want to be hypnotized then keep sitting. I shall leave no post-suggestions after we're done. No little kids. Only teens and above." Pierrot shuffled the hat. "It's an experiment to see if it's entertaining. Shall we begin?"

The clown raffled. "Number 121!" She waved the piece of paper.

A pink haired girl stood up, looking not too amused. Her parents made her stand up. Pierrot scrunched her face. 'Seriously? She goes to the circus? Neat.'

After some more raffling. "Numbero 73!" No one stood up. "I'm giving 73 ten seconds. Ten, nine, eight, seven, si-" A small girl stood up. "Oh. What a coincidence. She's older than she looks, folks. She doesn't count as a kid."

"Please sit down." They did. They agreed the couch was really comfy.

"So Miss 121. Tell us a little about yourself."

"My name's Raffine. A martial artist, fashionista and a top student. I'm good at anything." She regrettably spoke.

"Well, that's a lie. Why are you agreeing to do this?"

"My allowance wasn't big enough this week."

'Eh? How big does your allowance need to be?' "Okaaay. Now Miss 73. What about you?"

Lidelle looked at all the eyes watching she clammed up.

"You don't have to tell them if you don't want to, Lid." Pierrot put her hand on the imp's shoulder. "Point is folks, her name's Lidelle and she's very shy."

"Have either of you been hypnotized before?"

"Never, I'm just playing along." Raffine answered.

Lidelle didn't answer.

"Luckily for all of us these two actually know each other so I have something fun in mind! Are you two sure you want to go through with this?" The question was directed more to Lidelle but Raffine answered as well. Both of them needed a little extra money.

Pierrot pulled out two pocket watches from the tips of her hood.

*One quick, but effective, induction later...*

There they were, slumped into the furniture. Peacefully in trance, asked to sleep. It's the most peaceful anyone had ever seen Raffine.

"Are you two deep in trance?"

"Yes…"
"Yes…"

The two droned in their sleep.

"The audience is not there. You're in a room in my caravan, hypnotized for practice. Understood?"

"Yes…"
"Yes…"

"You cannot hear or see them. Understood?"

"Yes…"
"Yes…"

"You cannot hear or see me address the audience. It's like time is frozen from your perspective. Understood?"

"Yes…"
"Yes…"

"Okay ladies and gentlemen, this is real hypnosis here, no magic involved!"

*Mild silent applause*

"Since these two know each other, and are frankly opposites, I have something cool in mind." The ringleader turned her attention back to them.

"Now I want you two to think of what makes what makes you you. Your personality traits, I want you to concentrate on them. Are concentrating on them?"

"Yes…"
"Yes…"

"Your positive ones, your negative ones. Now feel them collecting themselves into a ball of personality and emotions. Can you feel it?"

"Yes…"
"Yes…"

"Very good. On the count of three, the ball is complete. One, two, three." *Gloveless snap* "Is the ball complete?"

"Yes…"
"Yes…"

"Good. Now feel me taking your personality. If you woke up now you'd feel very empty. You'd barely feel anything. No happiness, no sadness, no fear, very blank. But your opinions and memories are intact. How you feel?"

"Blank…"
"Empty…"

Lidelle and Raffine replied.

"Oh dear, I better do something about that." Pierrot said in mock concern, for the audience's sake. "Whoops I accidentally put Lidelle's personality into Raffine, and Raffine's in Lidelle. It'll be a while before I can undo this, sorry." She lied but it prevented them from asking that question.

"Feel your new personality already simmer. Feeling what the other would feel. Becoming second nature to you, there's nothing that can be done about, so you won't protest it. Do you feel any different?"

"Yes…"
"Yes…"

These two were still in the tranquility of trance, but Pierrot did pick up subtle tonal differences.

"Good, on the count of three these personalities will set in. One, two, three!" *Snap* "Have your personalities changed?"

"Yes…"
"Y-Yes…"

"Good." Pierrot once more turned to the audience

"Sorry to have bored you, folks. Just a few more seconds, I promise."

"In a moment I shall wake you up, thinking you're in my living room, having tea with me. You will remain on the couch unless told otherwise. You will wake having no recollection of being hypnotized. But you'll still feel the effects of it. Perhaps even confusing you. Understood?"

"Yes…"
"Yes…"

The final one.

"Waking up one, two, three!" *Snap*

The two woke up. Pierrot walked to the folding chair. Pouring the tea sitting on it. "You know, if you just wanted to crash on my couch like everyone else, you could've just asked, guys."

"Excuse Silvana, how careless of me to fall asleep on your couch again." Lidelle apologized. Getting out of her lying position making herself comfortable on the couch again. Crossing her legs, and presented herself in a confident aura.

"Please, Lidelle, I'm in my suit."
"Ah, forgive me, Pierrot. I forget sometimes."
"Nah, that's all right, Lid."

Raffine, on the other hand, did not look comfortable at all, shivering in the corner of the couch.

Though Pierrot enjoyed it so much that could use it bathe herself in it and be clean for months. She chose to play clueless, part of the act. She also needed the right balance of casual, but not too personal. "Raffi-" "EEEEE!"

The pink haired looker wasted no time taking her perfect hair and pulled it over her face. "Jeez… I just wanted to ask you something."

"Wh-Wh-Wh-"

"Come on."
"Spit it out, please."

Pierrot encouraged and Lidelle almost commanded, seemingly not disgusted with how her friend acts.

"Wh-Wh…"

"I wanted to ask you for some martial arts lessons."

Raffine opened her hair to peek at Pierrot's mask to see if she's serious. The mask's on neutral, so the curtains closed again.

"I need to be work on my muscles a little, I feel I may've brought it up earlier at that restaurant we were? I feel martial arts will help." Pierrot undid her sleeve showing. "It gets the job done, but I don't know… I feel too much a Jill-of-All-Trades (like a Jack-of-All-Trades, but better or worse, depending who you ask). I do a lot of different things in here. I'm really starting to enjoy acrobatics a lot more, so I could use a li'l more finesse…"

"Looks fine to me." Lidelle commented.

"Thanks, Lid. But I was talking to the shyster over there."

"But am I not the shys- huh?" She scratched her head.

"Something wrong, Lid?"

"There is… But not that I'm complaining." The imp smiled, sipping her tea.

'Wow, I didn't make a monster out of her.'

"Wh-what did you d-do to me? Why am I in your house?" The girl on the right barely managed to bring it out.

'She must not have a high opinion of Lid. Poor things.'

"What I did to you and why're in my house?" The clown repeated it so the audience could hear it.

*Quick nod*

"I asked you to come over."

"Then why am I here again?"

"Because I need to plan things out better, Lid."

Out of nowhere, something went loose.

Sweet Lidelle had something green in front of her. "Of course…" She groaned. She turned to her couchmate hand gesturing her to hand something over. "'Feenie can I borrow your powder compact and comb?"

"'Feenie?" Pierrot chuckled. 'I gotta remember that one too~'

The shy one didn't like it, but she complied.

Then Lidelle undid her buns and tried straightening her long hair looking in the mirror. "I'll never get those lousy curls out." She muttered.

The ringleader and the audience were surprised. Though the former had a hard time determining what got the latter most. The fact they that didn't know, or those in shock that she actually did it.

'Ah, vanity begins to set in… I take it back, I did create a monster… Just a lesser one.'

"…Puh-Please answer my questions…"

"Answer your questions you said?"

Raffine was annoyed Pierrot did this. "Well." Pierrot threw up her arms. "You got me. I did indeed something. Wanna see?" She prepared her fingers. "When I snap these your normal personality will return and you will realize where you are. Every time I snap after that you'll switch again."

*Snap*

They snapped out of it. Looking around them, remembering everything. "Eep!" Lidelle, mid combing, quickly redid her buns while hiding her face.

Raffine, on the other hand, forced her comb out of Lidelle's hair (pulling a few out in the process, Lidelle yelped). "Gimme that!" Combing her hair back to normal. "Thanks for that…" Raffine grumbled.

"So what did you two think? How did it feel?"

"I refuse to speak…"

"Thanks 'Feenie. That's what the public wants to hear…" Sil snarked.

Lidelle was struggling getting her words out again.

"Did you like it, Lid?"

'Yes. But I don't wanna be like that again. So embarrassing.' Is what she got from the body language.

*Snap* "Well you at least one of enjoyed it." Raffine ruined her hair again. "Now for fun: the next time I snap it I will no longer have a hypnotic control over you. But you will still have each other's personality until you wake up the next morning. They'll come home when you sleep."

"Wh-Why?" Shy Raffine asked.

"Iunno. But I'll give you two 50 extra credits. Meet me backstage if you want your cash." *Snap* "Now back to your seats."


"That was pretty good, Sil! Raffine is so cute. But why do you want to strip poor Liddy's new confidence?"
"I have many reasons, Am. But the real answer will suck the magic out of the act."
"Get real… So if knew why you won't do it. I won't be able to get hypnotized?"
"Yeah, pretty much… Which is why I'm not gonna do, entertainment only."

Sil wanted to elaborate more. But she talked her mouth off. So screw it.

"What you want if you were hypnotized, Ammy?" Sig asked.

"Oh, good question… Uuuhh." Amitie scratched the back of her neck. "I guess I would make Vibby a split personality." Amitie was convinced this was a good idea. Sig agreed.

Pierrot spit her coffee against her mask. Regretting that her hidden talent was discovered in the first place.

"You want to kill yourself, Am?" The clown scolded her friend.

"Huh?"

"Vibitia is just you but murderous towards you. Why would you want (a dangerous, irrational version) of yourself as a second personality?" This came from the heart, though if she was in that situation… She wouldn't complain.

"Can't I just imagine, Sil?" Ammy looked at her feet. Sig petting her shoulder.

"Sorry…" Pierrot mumbled halfhearted. In hindsight, she did find some sympathy for the copy. But Amitie's safety was way more important.

"No, I'm sorry, you know better."
"You can nap on my couch too, Am."
"Yay!~"

*After the show, still backstage*

There Lidelle stood, buns undone. Chatting it up with Amitie and Sig.

"Aw, Liddy, I'm so proud of you. I mean it's kinda outta your control but it took a lot of guts to do it the first place."

"I like your horns. Are they real?"

The imp enjoyed all the nice things said about her. She let them touch her horns. Showing off her new aura, horns, straight ears and, award-winning smile. Though plenty of blush.

"Are you sure you won't let her stay like this?" Amitie pleaded to Sil.

"It's okay, Ammy." Lidelle brushed off. "I'll make the most of it." *Wink*

The jester knew immediately her drift. "Thanks for understanding, Lid. You shouldn't hide your true self."

"You wear a mask, Miss Sil."

It took a moment for her to realize what just happened.

"I instantly regret Vento not being here right now."
"I don't."
*Annoyed grown* "See ya tomorrow, Lid?"
"Oh, of course."

"Can I sleepover, Liddy? I wanna get to know you like this before it's over." Amitie gushed.

"Of course, Ammy. See you at home~" Lidelle walked off with a purse full of Credits. Amitie went back to wrapping the place up.

"Ahem…" A deep, gentlemanly voice wanted attention. Everyone knew him, and if you didn't it wouldn't take you long to figure out who judging by the scared tall teen holding onto his arm for dear life.

"Hi, Mr. Fielding!" Amitie greeted the well dressed, rich, buff, boxer/novelist. Making the stoic man smile warmly. "Hello there, Miss Amitie." He walked up to Sil. His face became hard to read.

Sil looked the man's face in front of her. He's two heads taller. He stretched out his hands. "I'm Mr. Fielding." He said calm enough.

She shook his hand. "Silvana PierROOOOOOT!" If he'd put more pressure on it she had to retire. It seemed like it was in jest. It wasn't funny. But it did make wallflower Raffine crack a little smile.

"Sorry, it took a little while. My daughter insisted I collected her participation money for her. You perhaps went overboard. Not that I'm complaining. It's adorable."

"I agree! You're so much cuter now!" Amitie squeaked.

"D-Daddyyyyy! Make her ch-change me b-back, p-pretty pleeeeaaase." Raffine cried.

"Why? It's only for the rest of the evening, it's not every day you're someone else. Didn't you want a little extra allowance this week? The opportunity fell on your lap. The least you could do is suck it up and honour the agreement." He spoke optimistically. Raffine held his arm tighter for several reasons. "She could've made you think you were a chicken, or glued your fingers together. That would've been unforgivable."

"Here's your money." And Papa Fielding tucked it in Raffine's pocket.

"You're frankly real a sweet clown, Miss Pierrot. Now Raffine, what did I tell you about lying about people?"

Feeling a little sorry for the nerfed lady, who winced at the scolding. "She wasn't, but I'm not the only guilty party here."

"If you say so."

"Daddy…"

"Oh! Don't know which is cuter." Amitie squeed, she's overloaded. "The new Liddy or new Raffine!" Embarrassed, the latter buried her face in her father's arm.

"My daughter of course. I missed you being this dependent on me." And her face went deeper.

'This was worth it. But the audience's reaction was a bit lukewarm. And my friends won't shut up about it. I'm slowly gonna phase this out. No matter how priceless this is…'

Author's Notes:

Sil's hypnotism is a remnant of when I thought the Dark Prince was hypnotized in Yon. No mind controls spells. Body control/possession only.

Hypnosis works mostly like in real life, I did take some liberties. It's nothing overpowered. This subject fascinates my a lot. It's also a bit of an atonement for my first fic, which shall remain unnamed.

Next up: Raffling two prologue characters for filler…