*Chattering lady-like laughter* "A dress?"
"Yes…" Sil said slightly embarrassed to the skeleton tailor.
"Are you sure?" He put a busybody emphasis on the last word.
"Yes."
"And it has to be fancy now?"
"Yes!" Sil was feeling less certain with each passing moment.
"And it's not for Hohow's "put on hold" plays?"
"Yes…"
"Are you crossdressing?"
"YES! Uuuuhh."
*Laughs some more*
*Annoyed groan* "I mean… I kinda do norma- not with that dress!"
*Even more laughter (in good fun)* "Oh my, Silvana." Oshare Bones put his elbows on the counter, hands on his cheekbones, and put on a teasing face. "First the Raffine impersonation and now a dress, a fancy dress no less! And all to impress Sig "head's in space" Needlemouse? Someone is growing up~"
Sil groaned in defeat. Sinking behind the counter "I need it tomorrow… I'll pay you the full amount… I trust you to make something fancy."
"I won't!"
"What! Please! I wanna surprise him!" She didn't care anymore.
"Fret not, boss. I had something simple in mind. Simple, but elegant. And it happens to be so stylish it doubles as fancy."
"Is that not the same thing?"
"Don't pretend you know what you don't." The undead put his fists on his hips. "It'll bring out your hourglass figure."
"Can you not say hourglass figure?" Sil kept shrinking at the counter from the embarrassment that compliment gave her.
"Being self-conscious of your body is perfectly normal, dear Silvana. Take it from me, I've been there, girl."
Chapter 31: A Date Between Friends
*Giggles & Fun* Sil kept gazing at herself in the mirror in her bedroom. Playing around with her new dress. "Tee hee~" She picked up her new outfit up a few hours ago.
The dress had two familiar colours. The top was black, the bottom was red. Like her Pierrot suit. Oshare even had the courtesy to make the red plaid! "He shouldn't have."
The dress reached to her knees. And it had four points that reached lower. Her shoes were shiny and black. She had to Puyo Puyo Oshare not to make them high heels.
It was sleeveless. Some points she found embarrassing but will live with are, the top bit was spandex, it covered up most of her chest but left her shoulders and more of her back than she would've liked exposed.
"I guess I am growing up? I am the oldest in my class."
The straps in front went straight over her shoulders but crossed at the back. The straps had three rings, two in front, one at the crossing in the back.
Silvana curtseyed, she twirled, she mimicked all of her classmates' feminine poses and mannerisms. From Amitie pepped, Raffine haughty, Lidelle shy (a favorite), to Klug wimpy.
Sil didn't even wear her mask, her hair was down too. "Who are you?" She joked, but she barely recognized herself like this. Her face did not bother her for a change. It must be her smiles.
Once outside the mask goes back on. But she likes what she's feeling. Wonderful! (Give or take the pains she's usually feeling for going against her programming.)
*Monkey exchange*
"N-No Arms! I'm wearing this for Sig to show that I care. I'm not enjoying this dress on its own."
*Monkey's not buying it*
"Fiiiiiiiiine. I like it, it's a nice dress. It's been a while since I worn one. I missed this~" She swayed her body left and right, smiling ear-to-ear.
*Snide monkey*
"Shut up, you! You of all people should know I'm a girl! Mr. Snuggles! It's just that I feel silly wearing it. And I'm a clown for a living."
*Monkey explanation*
"I feel free? Not silly? I think you mean embarrassed beyond my comprehension by a new experience, and this is how cope?"
*Monkey shrug*
Sil looked at her clock. "Sig's late." She was enjoying herself so much she forgot to be nervous. "Say…" She turned to Arms. "Was Sig supposed to pick up me, or am I supposed to pick him up?"
*Monkey iunno*
"Shoot! I was supposed to pick him up, wasn't I?" She immediately stopped her guilty pleasure. Put on her mask, her usual red plaid jacket, and shoulder bag. "I'm hurrying, seeya later, Army. I'll tell you all about it later. Don't throw a party behind my back."
Throwing her door open she found Sig, in a red bowtie with black polka dots, mid-step walking to her caravan.
…They stared at each other. Sil admired Sig's bowtie. And he combed his hair like she did. Okay, it looked like Sig tried. His antennas still did their own thing.
"Sorry, I'm late." The boy broke their silence, rubbing his neck.
"It's okay, we still have all night. If you don't fall asleep like you do in class."
"Uncle slipped coffee in my milk."
"Cool. But I would've shook you awake." Sil stepped down from her home.
"Sorry."
"For what?"
"Couldn't find a flower shop, so no flowers. Sorry."
"Darn!"
"Sorry…"
"Nono, Sig! It's not you. I wanted to give you flowers too… I forgot… "
"Ah."
'This dinner we're having's starting off well…' "It's the thought that counts. And you've done more than I expected you have. Combed hair, bow tie, flowers."
"You too."
"Me too, what?"
"More than I expected. You prepared more than I did."
Sil blushed. "I thought I'd take it seriously. Being Raffine made me really like having my hair down."
"Nice dress. Suits you."
"I know right! I feel so nostalgic wearing one. But, uh… I gave Oshare too much freedom with this thing… D-Do you like it?" Sil nervously asked for confirmation.
"I like it." 'Don't know anything about dresses.'
"Thanks, Sig, that makes it worth it… love your bowtie." Sil stretched it a little, fixing it.
"Thanks."
"Let's go. It's a beautiful evening. We're gonna have a nice walk to the restaurant." They interlocked arms.
"I don't know many restaurants in Primp. Where are we going?"
"Smile Curry!" Sil chirped. "I frequent it. Nicholi might give us special treatment~" She gave a big smile, in disbelief, but pleased they are actually going through with this.
"Sounds good." He was pleased too. They walked side-by-side holding each other's arms with their elbows.
*At the humble Smile Curry…*
"Closed, gone on vacation.
My apologies to my loyal customers,
Nicholi."
Sig read off of Smile Curry's door. "Bummer."
"No kidding." Silvana huffed with her arms crossed. "I put off going here too…"
"What now? Another restaurant?" Sig proposed.
"Obviously. Primp's got enough places to eat, right? I can afford to burn a hole through my wallet tonight. Whaddya say we go to an über fancy one?"
"Do they have something edible?"
"Better than you can make." She snickered at her morbid joke. Stroking Sig's head letting him know all is forgiven. Just not forgotten.
Sig got closer.
*At the high-class Grey Pachyderm: Caviar, Filet Mignon, Spaghetti and more…*
"Spaghetti?"
"I could go for some."
"Expensive spaghetti it is."
"Halt." The man at the gate. "You kids tormented me enough!" He said in a refined accent.
"What?"
"Don't place dumb with me, Miss. You and your Pierrot mask wearing hooligans have spit enough wads at me the last week. And now you want to dine at Primp's most luxurious building? Out of my sight!"
"Sil did nothing wrong." Sig stood up for her, a little miffed.
Silvana didn't get angry. "I'll have you know, sir. I am not some ruffian, I am the real Pierrot."
"Pah! Can you prove that?"
Sil rummaged her bag to find her ID. "Here."
"Silvana Vibitia Pierrot. So you are."
She took it back. "Good, let's go, Sig."
"Halt."
"Now what?"
"I'm here to take your coats, bags, and in your case your mask."
"M-My mask?" Sil clutched it.
"Yes, we do not take in mask wearers."
"Can you make an exception?" Sig suggested.
"No. No visible face, no service." The receptionist calmly explained.
"Pleas-hah!" Sig was tugged by the arm.
"Let's eat somewhere else." Sil calmly said.
*At Sushi & Spaghetti…*
"We only let pure souls in I'm afraid. We need to perform a purity test." The worker lifted up a bucket of water.
'Of all nights, it has to be a day like this…' "Bye…" Sil mumbled.
"Sorry, Miss. Not my rules. You can have take out."
*At Palutena's "Greek" & Spaghetti…*
"Yer, boyfriend's underage."
"Hrrrrmmmmgh!" Sil fumed.
"Sorry." Sig apologized.
"Siiiiiig! It's not your fault."
*5 restaurants with spaghetti later, 3 of them just following rules, an increasingly frustrated Silvana, and two hungry stomachs later…*
"No lefties, they said! I'm right! They're lefties!" Sil ranted knowing she's both right and wrong. But did not care. She turned to Sig, eyes one bad moment away from opening the dams. "I'm so sorry, Sig. I just want to have a nice dinner with you…" She rested her head on the boy's shoulder. "We've been walking for an hour and nothing's going right…"
*Double grumble*
"And we're hungry!"
Sig put a tighter, but comforting grip on the girl. "We could go home. I'm sure Uncle wouldn't mind cooking for us." Sig proposed.
"Have you learned cooking from him?"
"No." Sig answered in an instant.
"…"
"I-I mean it."
"Heh. Let's make that Plan B then. But we're still on A for now… You deserve the restaurant experience."
"No, you deserve it."
"Get real, Sig! You deserve it for putting me on the right track."
"You deserve it if it keeps you on track."
"Sig!"
"Huh?"
"Was that wit you showed?" Sil had fun again.
"Maybe." Sig said like anything. But li'l Sig showed a smile.
"And thanks for caring of me. But you deserve a thank you."
Sig shook his heads. "No, you deserve something from the restaurant."
Silvana crouched to get on eye level with li'l Sig. "C'mon, tell your big you he deserves it."
Li'l Sig's shook his head and poked Sil.
Etc.
*Mr. Rose's Spaghetti & Spaghetti…*
Sig's quivering behind Sil. "We're not gonna go there…" 'Who knew Mr. Amitie's Dad had a restaurant?'
"Pleeeaaaase…" Sig trembled at the thought of being served by him.
"Bye, dad! Thanks for the dinner!"
"That voice."
"Ammy?"
"Hm, oh! Sig! Nice tie. Who's that pretty girl wearing Sil's mask?" Amitie asked. Still bandaged up in a lot of places. Mainly her head and her arm.
The dress wearer tilted her head. 'The doctors said you miraculously had no brain damage, Am…'
"Sweetie." Melody nudged. "It's not nice to address a "stranger" like that." She certainly held in some snickers.
"Oh, oopsie. Hi, I'm Amitie. I wanna be a wonderful magician."
"That needs to study twice as hard once she gets home." Melody said as a friendly reminder.
"Mooooom…" She pouted. "Please don't embarrass me in front of the new girl…"
Sil sighed. "It's me, Am."
"SIL!" She didn't believe it. Until she did. "Wowie! You look so amazing in that dress~" Amitie admired her friend, praising her looks.
"So adorable, I remember you not being as shy wearing something like that, Ammy." Melody got in on the fun.
Red-faced Sil pulled on her jacket to close it. 'Why doesn't it have buttons?'
"Why are you wearing it if you're embarrassed to wear it?" Suddenly a lightbulb went in her head.
Silvana found herself wince at the face Amitie made.
"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh! Oh… my gosh… You two are dating."
"Hmm?" Sil was a bit confused, it didn't cross her to react she's been found out. Amitie went from giggly like a rumor loving housewife to sounding a bit sullen.
"Something wrong?" Sig voiced a little uneasy for his blonde pal.
"N-No. Have fun you two." Sig, Sil and Melody could tell something's off. Subtlety is not in Amitie's being. Melody could see it immediately, but she isn't sharing it.
"Dunno, your voice is shaky. Are you sure?" Sil spoke through her flustered state.
"Y-Yeah, I'm super sure! Mommy, I'm tired, I miss my bed and blanket." Amitie tried tugging at her mom's shirt without hurting her less broken arm too much.
"Of course, Ammy, sweetie." They walked past the dinner wanters.
"Have a good time." Amitie weakly smiled.
"What she said." Melody winked.
"Thanks, Ammy, thanks, Mel." Sil loosened up.
"Nice seeing you out of the hospital." Sig commented.
"Totally!" Sil added. "Get well soon. You know many miss you. And even more than you think."
"Aaaaw, thanks guys." She smiled.
…
"Sig, please tell me you're not the only one feeling guilty?…" The harlequin lowered her neck.
"Feeling it too…"
…
*Double grumble*
"Plan B?" She quickly faced him. With a no-nonsense expression behind her mask.
"Yeah."
*At Stan's House of Needlemouse…*
"Sheesh, Sig." Uncle Stan reacted to the frustrated clown's shorthand summary, helping her take off her coat. "This must be the unluckiest date you've had so far, Sig."
"…So faaaaaar?"
"Eeeeh." Sig seemed a flustered now.
"Don't worry, Silvana." He rubbed her head like she's family. "They all asked him out, not the other way around." He chuckled. ""Wanna date?"" Said in falsetto. "And he says ""Sure?" or "I guess"." He mimicked his kin rather well.
"Who?" Sil's heart felt a little betrayed. But she recognized it's nothing major. "WHO!?" She asked while being escorted to the dinner table. Stan was put a fancy cloth on the table.
"Ammy." Sil put two-on-two together on the Puyo cap wearing girl. Sig tried his best to remember. "Raffine, I think."
"Her?"
"Arle."
"…"
"Lidelle."
"LIDELLE ASKED YOU OUT?" Suddenly Sil felt like scolding herself for taking so long.
"Klug."
"Eeeh?"
"Hahahahaha!" Stan laughed. "I remember that. He kept insisting he lost a bet." Stan kept laughing lighting the candles.
"Oh…" Sil reacted, sitting opposite to Sig. 'Primp Town. Population: Quips fail me…'
"None took me out to a fancy dinner." Sig clarified.
"Ah…"
"It's not a bad thing." Stan said like he's gonna tell her to look on the bright side. He planted his hands on Sig's shoulders, shaking him a little. "My boy, here. He has experience."
Sig blushed, li'l Sig turned fully red.
Stan patted the wisp and gave tap against his nephew's back. "Way more than I ever have. Hahahaha!"
"What's with that gramophone, Stan?" The one Stan just put down.
"For you two to sing karaoke with. Because you, girl, could use some fun. Dying, fighting a ghost, being denied dinner, libel saying you're a male cross dressing (heheh), being denied dinner over town. Surprised you haven't croaked in the meantime. So feel free to enjoy after dinner."
"Woah! Cool! Thanks, Stan."
"No problem. Nice dress."
"Please…" The clown slowly slid off her chair. "Please, no compliments… Give them where I can't hear them…"
"Bet you didn't tell that to Sig." *Wink wink*
*Slide slide*
"Uncle." Sig yelled(?). "Is there something else we should know?" He interrupted Sil's continued torture.
"Yes. I'll serve you lovebirds."
"Hrrmmgh."
"Then I'll take my plate to my room upstairs and leave you two alone."
*Ding*
"Speaking of the Dark Prince." He slapped his hand. "Dinner's ready."
*Big pot quake!*
Sil's eyes widened. It felt like a mighty tremble.
"It's spaghetti. You okay with that?" He scooped some up for everyone's plate.
"Yeah. I'm starving."
"Here's your milk carton, Sig. No coffee."
"Thanks~"
"And for you, Lady Pierrot. I have milk, three different flavours of lemonade, apple juice, oj, and I think that's it."
Instantly Sil knew what she wanted. "Do you have wine?"
The Hosts flinched.
"Sil?"
"Just a little bit, this evening made me wanna be a bit tipsy…"
"Silvana, as an adult I have to let you know you're not legal."
"Story of my life…" She thought she kept to herself. "I am legal back in my former homeworld."
"I don't know…"
"Pleeeeaaaase. Just half-a-glass. That's how much I need to get giggly and forget my bad luck."
"…"
"…"
"I'll take apple juice after that. I don't want any more wine than I asked for. Trust me. I'm a depressive drunk…"
"Fine… I'll dust off the wine cellar. But don't tell the mayor, I need my job."
"Deal."
"You drink?"
"Thanks to my need to be her." She said in Stan's absence.
"She drinks?"
"Sometimes."
"I'm back, this was my father's most expensive, and highest quality wine. I think?" He poured the glass.
"You didn't have to do that."
"Well, I want any future niece of mine to be happy."
"…" Si&Si stared. St smirked as he went towards the stairs.
"Take your mask off if you want. I won't come down without warning. Sig, let me know if she's drunk herself out of control."
…
Stan's gone. Now it's just Silvana, Sig, spaghetti, dimmed lights, candles, karaoke, and a nice atmosphere.
Sil soaked it in. "Finally, our dinner has finally started."
She put her hand on her mask. "Promise me you won't mix up names."
"Have I ever?" Sig asked.
"True. Not that I remember. And I would remember that. Please don't start now, I'll be locked in my caravan if you call me the wrong name."
"I promise."
*Audible smirk* She pulled off her mask.
Sig enjoyed the red eyed girl's smiling face. He rarely gets to it himself. She enjoyed his' back like usual. "Hi, Sil. Long time no see." Sig dryly tried to imitate his uncle's humour.
*Innocent giggle*
*Light chuckle*
*Quadruple rumble*
"Let's eat!" Sil raised her half-empty wine glass. "To you. For not making my life not miserable. (Thank you.)"
Sig raised his milk. "To you. You did most of the work, Sil."
"Agree to disagree?"
"Good idea."
*Clink*
"Ah! Didn't think this through. How much wine is in your milk?"
"None. You caught them all."
"Phew."
They dug in. And Sil was feeling euphoria.
"Sil."
"So tasty! I gotta ask Stan the recipe. I might not need the wine, this gets me in the mood."
*Phew*
"Don't want me to drink?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"You said you get depressed being drunk."
"…No, I didn't."
"You did. I want you to stay happy." He said resting his human hand of one of Sil's.
Sil paused. She loves it when he shows concern. "This much isn't gonna make me depressed. It'll make me more happy." She took another bite. "At least it'll make me more easily amused."
"But-"
"I'll be fine…" Sil put her free hand on top of Sig's. Attempting to put him at ease. "Let's just enjoy ourselves, kay? Show your experience."
Sig's mouth widened. He gulped it away. "Okay." He caustically said as he watched Silvana took a sip or two.
"See?"
"…"
*A Half-Empty Wine Glass Later…*
*Giggle fit* "-and I said to the deaf man "No, sir. I'm not some gigantic sea mammal with leathery wings. I'M AN ACROBAT." Heeheeheehee."
"Heh." Sig found himself amused, by the tipsy girl. "Then what he say?"
"Fufufufu. "Come again?""
"Then what he say?"
"Nono, silly. He said "Come again?". Because he's deaf!" *Giggles.*
"Ah, funny." It was exactly as she advertised. "You're pretty."
"Aaw, fufufufufu. Why must you make blush?~" She said not hiding her face, keeping a smile on it. *Giggles* "I did my best following "All the questions about dating you have but are embarrassed or too obsessed with your stupid sports to figure it out on your own you dumb, stupid, stuck-up tomboy!"'s instructions for this dinner." Sil shrunk, saying the title out loud. "It has good tips buried in this condescending and sometimes hateful book…"
"…Sil?"
"Yes?"
"Can I tell you something?"
*Alcoholic giggles* "Silly, why ask? You can tell me anything~"
"Ah, okay."
"I know you're always trying hard, Sil. Hard trying to keep a normal life. Trying to be your own person, despite everything going against you. I'm proud of you. At least, I think that's what I'm feeling, i-it must be. Anyway, you stress yourself out so much about yourself. You're willing to dress like that, especially made for tonight, stomaching that book which knowing you you're embarrassed for ever reading it, and want to take me to a fancy restaurant. Where I probably won't like the food or the staff. But all of that shows me how thankful you are about your life now. You've got friends, a job, you're the best sorceress I know, you're funny, Lemres' looking to cure you. You got… Me. I'm glad to be a part of it~"
Sil stared and blinked. She stood up from her seat to walk behind Sig's seat. Giving him slightly drunk kisses and snuggles from behind.
He didn't protest, though he recognized she wasn't entirely in the right frame of mind.
"Who are you, and what have you done to my Sig?"
"Still me, my head just wasn't foggy for sec there."
*Chu*
"Siiiiiiiiig, please never change!" She snuggled harder. "It's thanks to you I am who I am now… You're the reason I'm shedding my previous life… Sure I kidnapped you. You could say I started it there. But I wasn't Silvana then." She put a looser grip on him. "To be honest, I wasn't even Silvana when I stepped out of the tent… That came later."
Sig stood up and turned. Returning what Sil did.
They stood there for what felt like hours.
"Karaoke?" Sig quietly suggested.
Sil dug her head out of his shoulder. "I'd love to~~"
*One fun, if massively flawed karaoke night later…*
*Alcoholic yawn*
"Tired?"
*Giggles* "What do you think?" *Light shoulder punch with smile* "Sherlock?"
"Very?"
*Alcoholic laughter* *Satisfied sigh* "It's been fun." *Alcoholic kiss* "Seeya tomorrow." She walked to the hall.
"Wait." Sil turned. "Wanna stay the night? You're drunk. And it's very, very late." Sig nervously asked.
"I love it when you think of my safety, Sig. But I'll be fine. One spell and I'm home."
"O-Oh, forgot…"
"But'll stay if that's what you waaaaant. I want to stay little longer too~~"
"Yay~"
And so they went to bed, fully clothed. Spare dreamcatcher above. At least one arm on each other. Mask still at the dinner table.
"Sig." Sil said on Dream Land's border. "Can I tell you something?"
"Yeah."
"I love bug catching with you, I love it when you go in depth. I just don't love it on its own…"
"I know. I'm not the biggest fan of your circus."
"I know. Wanna do this day over sometime?"
All Sig did was kiss her on the lips in response. Silvana's lips curled up before she dozed off.
Author's Notes:
Would you believe the perfect dress for Sil came to me a day after Chapter 29 on an ad next to a YouTube video on my sister's web browser? All of the sudden I'm not an atheist anymore.
Look it up on the site called "Dresslily" "Sweetheart Neck Tartan Print Insert Dress"
Forgotten scene: "A little too feminine." "For goodness' sake, Silvana! You're looking for a dress. Masculine dresses aren't a thing." *Spark of inspiration*
Also the title of last chapter ""Finally" He Screamed" refers to warelander. I don't think he caught that.
Next up: Three raffles…
