School's out! And the girls (not counting Silvana) found themselves conversing. "Yes, Amitie. That's why it's called division." Raffine explained simply. "Break down words more for your sake. Words do have a meaning."

"Eheh, guess I should."
"If it helps, Miss Ammy, I don't do it either."
"Let's work on it."

Out of the school's gates, Silvana ran.

"Sil, do you any words-"
"Notimegottago!"

And the harlequin zoomed past them. "Again?" Amitie asked in general. Not like her boss could hear them. "I wonder what's she's doing after school. She isn't going to the circus… Do you know, Liddy?"

Lidelle shook her head. "She's not going to Mister Sig's home. And he's still inside. There's no market today. I don't have a clue."

Raffine giggled. "As much as I wanna say that maybe she's getting a face of her very own. I know the truth."

Amitie and Lidelle frowned at their rich friend. "Raffine, are you still sending your paparazzi to make Sil feel horrible?" The former got angry at her bossy friend for her boss/friend.

"Celebrity gossip sells papers, 'kay? How many of those does Primp really have? So forgive me being for being hands-on with my ownership of the press."

"Didn't Miss Sil file a lawsuit?"

"I promised it won't happen unless it's important." 'How dare I run one of daddy's businesses.' "One thing that I didn't to get published was very interesting though… Oh, La-Ti-Da." The pinkhead giggled some more.

"Raffina…"
"That's not nice Raffine."

"Pfft. I have no regrets. You two are her friends, no?"

"Duh!"
"We are."

"And don't you wanna know what your friend's up to?"

Amitie's eyes shifted.
Lidelle looked sheepish.

"Just a liiiiittle bit?" Raffine smirked as she performed her favorite thing. Playful body language. One eye closed, bent over a little, turned her head a few degrees, a deceitful smile and pinched the air signifying size.

"Uh…"
"Um…"

"Don't pretend you don't wanna~" In the end, Raffine successfully persuaded them. Amitie and Lidelle's curiosity overtook their better judgement.


The trio found themselves at a gym in town.

A ballet gym.

"Get real!" Amitie said peeking through the window. "That's really Sil in a leotard!"

"Really, Miss Ammy?"
"Yeah! She's really good."
"Oh! C-Can I see?"

Lidelle jumped.

"Ugh." Raffine grunted. "One lady at a time. My tough-yet-delicate shoulders can only take so much…" Amitie jumped down to swap with Lidelle. "H-How are you just as heavy!?"

Lidelle found herself kinda mesmerized. "Hoh. How graceful." She took notice of Silvana's movement. The whole year Vento had been employed by her Lidelle noticed Sil got more and more nimble. And seeing her this light on her feet. It made the imp feel really proud of her.

"Hey, do you think this is where Sil learned to bend her body for comedy?"
"She has too, Ammy. I recognize some movements."
"Hey, maybe I should join if I wanna be a wonderful clown magician!" *Energetic one eye closed, one hand close to face and the other pointing pose*
"Teehee. I think you finally found something you're really good at after all these years filling in for Miss Sil."
"Heehee~ I know right? Wicked isn't it?"

"Gag me…" Raffine muttered. "If I had known you two would've been this saccharine about this I wouldn't have told you."

"I'm glad you did." Amitie replied, only slightly hurt by Raffine's tone. "Let's compliment Sil! She could use it, she'll love it!"

Chapter 41: Class Clownseling

"And I am so embarrassed. I didn't want anybody I know to know. And now Amitie's gonna take lessons too to make it even worse!" Sil buried her masked face in her accordion in front of her music teacher.

She continued. "They said something like I didn't seem like the type. And I replied: "You do know tomboy doesn't mean I'm a boy in a girl's body you know. I am a girl! That's it I'm gonna let my hair down and wear more dresses for the sake of b- Egh." Stupid job, forcing handstands and flips…" Sil pulled her pigtails in frustration.

"And then you pulled the your clown suits shredded bits from your bag a pulled them together in embarrassment?"
"H-How did you know?"

Ms. Accord giggled. "You've been my student for a year now. I'd like to think I know you by now."

"Oh… Fair enough." The clown looked down. She took a big breath, knowing if, anything any secret is safe with Professor Accord. "I know I'm a tomboy, but I have a big girly side, you know? I like cute things. I like girly things! I enjoy girly things! Being Raffine for a bit was wicked fun, I'm at least as girly as Ammy. I find myself playing with dresses I have in the mirror, dresses as in to look pretty in."

Her head raised which point she made eye contact. But she faced down again. "Then I freeze at the thought of anyone seeing me, like that. I got the Primp Journal to stop but the people don't. People still call me a boy sometimes. Almost everyone can't believe I like my ballet lessons. And Ammy's gonna join me! I can't handle this. Can't we just not care about it?"

Accord gave a inappropriate giggle. She nonverbally acknowledged it as such. "Your troubled childhood is showing."

"What'dya mean?" The harlequin got ready to be insulted.

"She means you didn't someowlize much."
"Most kiddies at below your age have already figured this out."

"…I was always on the run or hiding in plain sight… The past year has been the first time I've had a social circle. I've winged it from there…"

"And if may say so, you've done a wonderful job at that." The teacher giggled some more. "It's normal to have insecurities. We all have them."

"But I don't wanna be called something I'm not…"
"I can't help there. No, that's not quite true, but believe me that fighting stereotypes are harder than fighting _ _."
"I'm not gonna bother. But can you tell me why people call me a boy sometimes? I really, really, really don't get it."

"You sure?" Popoi asked.

"Yeah."

Accord sorted out the points in her head. There were way too many. "Where to start? What are you dressed as?"

"Clown." She replied without thinking.

"Most clowns are male." Accord made no big deal of that. "You look androgynous in your Pierrot suit. As the original suit was created. Not helped by your deep voice making you sounds like a young boy sometimes. Most people on the street don't see you as Pierrot, but more like a weird girl with a strange fashion sense."

"Ah…" Sil assembled her Pierrot costume and turned her head to the nearest mirror. "That makes sense." She noticed her deep voice. "Guess I do sound like a young boy…" She shredded the costume again.

"May I ask you a question, Silvana?"
"Sure…"
"Why do you wear the mask? The real reason please."
"So when people on the street see me as the Pierrot persona instead of the girl behind it? Despite I don't uphold the former at all unless it's a joke?"
"That's a good cover. I'm not entirely convinced that's it."

"But that's question's a red herring, anyway." *Cat purr* "You always look like a clown. And may I remeownd you, most clowns are male." Popoi explained.

"That doesn't define me. Now matter how important that part of me is!"

"We know." The Professor looked sympathetically. "But stereotypes and public perception say otherwise. That combined with your baggy jacket and shorts, deep voice, your knack for adventuring, the fact you are embarrassed by your girly side. That's why your friends are surprised when you wanna learn ballet. Especially when you keep it secret from them."

"Can we watch some time? Meow."
"Proooof. Can you stop with the puppet play for a bit? And no! Only using bits and pieces of the show."

"Oo. Apologies. And that's a shame. But don't you agree?"
"I can't argue…"
"It all depends how you deal with it from now on."
"H-How should I do that?"
*Giggle* "I'm not you. Do what works for you."
"First I need to know what my freaking options are!"
"You'll figure it out. Just keep in mind the first and only option at the time isn't always the best."
"How helpful…"

"Oh!" A spark crossed crossed the Professor's mind. "I completely forgot to apologise the trouble I caused you."

"Pfff. Which one?"
"That time I was gone and you had to kill the Doppelganger Amitie."

Sil seriously couldn't believe she brought that now up, after how many months? She chuckled. "Water under the bridge, Prof. She's doing well in Hell. Liddy says she's doing well as long as the Amitie and Silvana buttons aren't pushed."

"So we heard. That's relieving."

"How's Akuma your Grandpawter?" Popoi brought up out of nowhere.

"Don't wanna talk about it." Default response to that question. "I'm not in the mood to fail at the accordion anymore. Mind if I go home early Prof?"

"I do." The teacher put aside her accordion to get some papers. "There are few little things I want to discuss with you."

"Alright."
"First off, I want you to know this is nothing personal."
"Great omen."
*Giggle* "I appreciate your sarcasm."

She straightened her papers.

"But it's nothing bad. I just have nothing left to teach you."
"Really? I just thought I was just rethreading stuff I already knew for a while."
"No, it's just I've been out for the past three months."
"Oh. Neat?"

Sil had an idea where this was going.

"I want you to know that you're always welcome in the classroom and you are even free to teach if you so want to. I can even let you stay in class. But I know you're a very busy woman. *Wink* Between school, running the circus, accordion lessons, Ballet… You must be hurting for free time."
"I really do…"
"And since you are legally not allowed to a higher school (despite you not needing to). I want you and me to plan your unofficial graduation soon."

Author's Notes:

How much credibility did I just flush down the toilet?

If I didn't get a stress jaw ache this is how the accordion got introduce. With as little fanfare as possible.

This chapter not planned. It did spark from that crossdress joke I made.

Next up: We flash back a week. Sil gives Amitie and Sig their souvenirs.