"Ammy's gotten so much better is so short a time. I wasn't as good at my job that early on! And I wasn't out of shape. She just has a natural personality and mannerisms follow up with Pierrot heritage thing…" Confessed to her professor during her Accordion lesson. She leaned on her bound instrument.

"Boy, they're not kitten that you chronically bum yourself out." Popoi already knew. He just wanted to say it. Accord couldn't help but chuckle at his quip in a combination of seeing the stripes and plaid on her student.

Said student's mask grew angry eyebrows. "Apologies, Silvana. But would you take it away from her?"

"Why would I?! I would never take it anyway from her. Have you gone to the circus lately? Ammy and I switch out a lot. She's having the time of her life. The crowd loves her and she can't even do the complicated stuff yet. I'm so happy for her. I was worried she'd never be good at anything."

"Ah, so it wasn't just me and her parents."
"Or litterally anyone else…"

"It just feels like, even though I'm the ringleader, and better at acrobatics and magic tricks. And her equal as a clown… she doesn't even try. She is way more likely to make people laugh…"

"Silvana. I'd happen to know, straight from the horse's mouth mind you, that Amitie wouldn't want you to quit being Pierrot."

"Probably cause she knows that she can't stop eating junk food and suck it up and eat her veggies… I did. Yuck… Spinach." She shivered.

"Stop being so down on yourself. According to Oshare, your crew holds you in high regard."
'They shouldn't.'
"Don't think otherwise, Silvana."
"Wha? Did you just?-"
"No." *Giggle* "I'm your teacher. I just know. Just stop. Be proud of yourself. You're a wonderful sorceress, even with some of your essence sealed away. You managed to run a circus at age sixteen for a year and running, you went from rags to riches. And you don't flaunt said riches despite having every right to do so."
"I kinda have a monopoly on entertainment in Primp… Doesn't count."

"…Silvana. I want you to practice jovial and/or hopelessly romantic sheets exclusively for a while." Accord fished some out of her folders.

"Sounds nice…" She just said before those words were justified. She smiled reading the notes.

"Don't worry about Amitie replacing you. You're not replaceable." Accord's words, whether she knew it or not, reeled in Silvana's downer spell a bit.

"Thanks, Prof." Sil put her instrument into its case. "I have an excuse to go. See ya later."

"Bye." The Professor giggled.

Sil walked around the corner. On her way downstairs, however, she spotted something on a bookcase. She walked back to Accord. "Hey, Prof."

"Yes? OH MY!" Accord looked at the book the clown was holding in shock.
"What's this?"
"I-It's a documentary of Spooky-Wooky/Magic Circus."
"How long did you have this?"

"I forgot." She nervously laughed. "You can borrow it."

"Thanks!~ It's about time I knew more about my own Circus' history." Something her curiosity had been wondering about a lot more on occasion since Halloween. "Bye."

A few seconds later, Accord heard her door faintly shut. She peeked out of a relevant window to make sure the downer jester was gone.

"Should've hidden that better."
"That's the real thing I forgot Popoi. Buuuuuut… She deserves to know…"

Chapter 49: Family Tree

Pierrot had gathered her whole crew and huddled around her on the benches. Amitie was next to her, Vento on the other next, Donguri Gearu on her shoulder.

Pierrot wanted Sig to be there. But he had no interest in Circus affair as usual. But she'll be telling him later anyway.

Amitie was really insistent reading about the Clowns first. The rest didn't object for many different reasons the main one being that Sil deserved to know her family post-mortem.

"I guess… If you guys want to. I was okay with an overall history first..." She flipped through the index. "Profiles. Pre-Pierrot and start of the Pierrot clan, and Post-Pierrot parts 1 and 2… And wowzahs! That's a lot of Pierrots." She cleared her throat. "Let's start, shall we?"

*Agreement*

"This is a lot of detail… I'm gonna skip some stuff over." You're getting the gist of it.


Pre-Pierrot 1: Pumpkin Cutie Pie (Legal name: - _)

"EEE!" Some wounds opened up for Amitie looking at a picture, as Pierrot and Vento looked in disgust. Hohow comforted Amitie.

"I never wanted to see this face ever again!"
"Let alone with white face! Yuck!"
"It's even worse alive!"

Pierrot and Vento said in disgust. Oshare too felt like he wanted to puke.

Pierrot filled the ignorant members in.

"So Ho, that pumpkin creature's with the vines' _ _?"
"With clown makeup. Urp."

Oshare took it upon himself to read.

The first clown the Spooky-Wooky Circus had was _ _'s little sister. Her name was - _.

"Silvana, do you happen to know why their names are blanked out? I can figure that _ _ means _ _. And the _ in - _ but that's where it ends."

"Ribbit, rib - bit?"

"Beats me." Pierrot answered. "Maybe it's somewhere in this thick book." The clown kept reading on topic.

She was a whiteface clown. She was in comparison to her brother, a more neutral creature, she was more lacking a grasp on what morals are as opposed to her most of her siblings. She felt just as happy with him, as with his ghost slaves, and the Circus Slaves. Her colleagues tended to call her a barely aware airhead.

One thing she did love was laughter. She didn't understand how it worked, or how to make people do it. But she did have an inherent knack for it. She didn't have any gimmicks beyond her species' inherent abilities such as vine manipulation, digging underground.

Being _'s brother didn't keep - safe, however. Out of curiosity, she followed the twin acrobats behind to a place where they thought they were safe from _'s ghost spies. She caught them doing magic. They taught her as well. She enjoyed it.

The next day _ _ beat the three to death in front of the others as an example…

"Hey. Um… Boss?"
"…Yes, rookie?"
"I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, Newbie. I won't ever be as cruel."
"I know."

Pierrot turned the page to the next clown. "Does anyone have smelling salts for Ammy?" She looked at the quivering co-clown. 'Is that what I look like after a bad Puyo match?'


Pre-Pierrot 2: Chuckles (Real name: Unknown)

An Orc. Enthusiastic Auguste type clown who was suckered into _ _'s circus. Killed on the first day. Not much was known about him as a result.

"How sad… When is Pierrot gonna come and seal this mea… I can't think of a word horrible enough to describe to meanie! He makes me so mad for his crew!"

"*******." Vento helped Amitie with a word to describe the future Ghost Plant.

"Ribbit!"

"I'm scared to see how many Gho-Hosts he must've made."

"Probably less than he killed." Pierrot answered Hohow straight-faced… She felt sick. It's things like this where she's compelled to stop calling herself evil despite her actions. "Good news. Pierrot I's up next."

*Cheers*


Pierrot I (Real name: Pierrot)

"Pffft."
"What's so funny, boss?"
"Someone named their kid "sad clown"."

There was no picture of his true face. The design of the suit hadn't too changed much over the generations. The mask seemed like the suit hadn't changed, just more colour and small touches over time. The mask's features weren't as full.

Pierrot (Age 15) was a human with crippling shyness, with an aspiration to perform. He wore a mask to cope. He was taken on as clown. He was his own type of clown. His specialty was telling sardonic jokes and slapstick involving his pet wolf, Paws, the only animal he ever dared to tame.

He was the smartest among to crew. Hence why he was the one to seal _ _. Free his friends and the ghosts under the Plant's control.

The group became a giant rabblefest all of which boiled down to "Hooray for Pierrot, good riddance, _!"

With the "King of the circus" dethroned. Ever since then, the circus made his persona iconic to the circus to this day, even if he hadn't finished the previous king off.

"But you did, Sil!"

"The finishing move anyway. I was kinda stuck with Raffine's personality, I wasn't myself." Sil felt embarrassed bringing it up. "I wish I could've done it as Pierrot. Have him be eternally sour about it in the deepest dungeons in hell…" *Sniff* "Instead he probably thinks he got his revenge on Pierrot by beating up Ammy and the kids who dressed up as me."

"Woah."
"Boss, are you okay?"
"Are you crying?"
"Has she done this before?"

"I'LL BE FINE, ROOKIES! NOW SHUT UP!"

Pierrot received several pats and a full on hug from, Amitie, Donguri Gearu, Hohow, and Vento (and by extension Lidelle.)

"…It's for the best is revenge is focused on the Fieldings."
"Sil…"
"I thought she was dead! Alright? I thought I was impersonating the dead! Chances of him escaping are this small… It won't happen."

He was an active, compassionate, smart-mouthed ringmaster, even if the man underneath the mask was very skittish. Always tried to make his Circus a fun place to work for and keep morale high. He was beloved by his crew in return.

He scrubbed the Spooky-Wooky off of the public image, while not forgetting it internally. He refurbished the place and called it Magic. And the whole crew was free to practice it.

He had a romance and eventually married the beast tamer, Timpani. She was his ringmaster when the mask was off.

He lived long enough to see his son, and granddaughter to take up the jester suit and the persona. He retired being the clown when his son took the mantle and died of natural causes. He kept being the ringmaster until that moment.

Pierrot smiled. 'Gee whiz. Not enough action in his life, but I wish… I found a role model after all this time. At my sixteenth…'

"Aaaw! Your great, great, great, great, great granddaddy's awesome, Sil. I'll make him proud, Sil, just like I made you!"

"Fufufufufuuuu~" 'Pretty sure you already have… I'll tell her out loud later I guess…'

"Do you have crippling shyness, Boss?"
"No."

"I like this guy." Vento murmured.


Pierrot Jr. (Real name: Forte Pierrot)

"Aww. Look at the baby picture." Amitie gushed.

"Wow. 'Zat Pierrot's wife?" Vento noticed.

"She's pretty."

"Timpani Pierrot is her name." Pierrot read. She looked closer at the Lavender haired, beast tamer. "Ya know… Give her longer hair curly and some glasses, she kinda looks like the Professor."

"Wha? Oh wow, you're right!" Amitie couldn't believe she didn't notice. Others were surprised too. They agreed there was probably no connection.

A picture of the maskless Pierrot Jr. showed. He wasn't as handsome as you'd think with a mother like his. Not by all means ugly, just below average. He had the same hair colour as his mum and allegedly had his father's eyes.

Forte struggled to take up the mantle at first. The circus had put a lot of pressure on him and his parents to just because he was their hero's son. But he didn't have any talents inherited from Pierrot and Timpani. He wasn't as smart, didn't have leadership skills of Pierrot. So he didn't get to be the leader like as was lead to believe. He quit when it became apparent he wasn't cut out for it or being Pierrot.

It wasn't until Atlas, the acrobat tried to teach him about acrobatics. Turns out Forte had a knack for that. And everyone was eventually okay with him becoming Pierrot Jr. at age 17.

Nobody had anything of substance to say about him.

"He had to fight to become a junior?"
*Sigh* "No, Ammy."


Pierrot III (Real name: Solare Highwind née Pierrot)

"She's cute."
"Same."

Amitie and Vento noted. It was a blonde, ponytailed woman holding the mask in front of her while winking and sticking her tongue out. Must've taken after her mother.

Solare Pierrot was the first of Forte's two kids. Unlike her father, nobody had an objection to her taking up the Pierrot mantle at age 14. Becoming the first female in Pierrot history to boot.

Solare, while she liked the work out the Circus provided. She lacked behind. Where her strength lied was stand-up comedy.

"I'm beginning to notice my masked predecessors weren't really concerned with keeping the Persona consistent… Ahaha! So I'm keeping it consistent, Ha! This is great."

She loved to joke around verbally. She was known for teasing everybody. She loved laughter and to laugh. Much like her predecessor: Pumpkin Cutie Pie, of which she's never heard of.

She retired the Pierrot character when her beloved grandfather (Pierrot I) passed away. And same with her father. Both times she was reminded by the staff that keeping Pierrot alive kept them alive.

She married Storm Highwind. A nomadic wind mage they picked up while traveling between towns.


Pierrot IIII (Legal name: Sky Highwind | Real name: Sky)

"Ribbit?"
"No, Donny. That's what we call a Harpy back in my world."
"Ribbit?"
"Adoption, I'd guess."

"She looks kinda like a hybrid between a Harpy and your average bird/human hybrids." Hohow added his two cents. "She has a beak."

"I think it's wonderful they adopted a species not their own." Oshare praised

"Sooo... Are we talking about that annoying, singing pinkhead with the wings?" Amitie asked.

"Does she have no birdy traits beyond wings? No? Then we don't."

Homeless after she failed to migrate with her original family. Solare and Storm found her as fletching and took her in as their daughter. Helping keep her fed during the harsh seasons. She loved them forever and stayed with them and they loved her back. Solare couldn't bear children.

While the circus liked her chirpy and helpful personality. They wanted the Pierrots to stay blood-related.

That said when her cousins proved to be not suited for the role. Sky and Solare were put under pressure. Sky never felt right being Pierrot (age 17).

She wasn't popular as Pierrot. She wasn't built for the suit. To the audience and internally. Her squawky voice didn't help. They eventually put her in charge of backstage affairs, where she truly shined.

The crew gave her their sympathies.

Pierrot tilted her head. "Hm." 'Not blood related, eh? Maybe I am part of the Circus.' "Next page."

"Wait, Ho Ho!" Hohow interrupted. "Shouldn't that IIII be spelled with an I and a V?"


Pierrot V (Real name: Anton Nadja)

"NNNNADJAAAA!?" Pierrot screamed making the whole tent jump while she was at.

"Nadja, Ho Ho?"
"Who's that boss?"
"Darn. Can you beat these drums any harder, P?"

Amitie kept quiet, but she was happy for Pierrot who just didn't know how to feel. The picture seemed to indicate this isn't a coincidence. His picture showed him standing in his caravan, unhooded and unmasked. With a few items Sil recognized being in her mom's attic. He looked like a male Arle, ponytail and all.

"Nadja, Nadja…" Oshare tried to clean the cobwebs in his head. "Oh, yes. Isn't that Arle's surname?"

"Nnnngggyeeeeess…" Pierrot managed to squeeze through between her teeth.

"Ho Ho, astonishing! Does this mean she has claim to the Circus?"

"Like hell she does! I own this circus and have the deed to prove it!" Pierrot blood boiled. She has legitimate roots in this Circus but couldn't risk to prove it.

"Ribbit? Ribbit rib ribbit?"
"She just does, okay? I don't wanna talk about it…"

*Whisper.*
*Whisper…*
*Whiiiisper?*
*Whisper!*

Pierrot furiously slammed the open space of bench between Amitie's legs due to lack of space elsewhere. Shutting those who didn't up and gave Amitie's spine a jolt. "Can you guys speak behind my back where I can't hear it like everyone else?!" She breathed through her mouth.

*Agreement!*
*Agreement!*
*Agreeeeement?!*
*Agreement…*

"Tea break?" Oshare suggested.

"I love tea… Good idea, you ol' pile of remains." Pierrot said with discord in her voice. "Thirty-minute break guys." She teleported home. She made herself some relaxing tea, she showered, shredded her costume and put the shreds in the washing machine along with her clothes and put on a fresh set of identical casual clothes. She kept her hair loose until it all dried up. Gave Arms a snuggle and got back to the benches about five minutes early. Where a Donguri, Oshare, and handful of stagehands already were present.

"Nice hair, boss." ''Sides the mask.' "You're kinda cute when not in pigtails." A male stagehand gave her a thumbs up.

"Tee hee, thanks, rook." Silvana tossed her still drying hair like Raffine and giggled. *Sip* Through a straw.

Oshare took off his hat and rubbed the top of his skull as he witnesses Sil's hip reaching hair.

"Sil! There you are!" Sil assumed Amitie got lost looking for Sil in her caravan. The blonde grabbed the redhead's free hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, Ammy." She sipped some more of Lidelle's herbal tea recipe. "I feel refreshed."


Pierrot V (Real name: Anton Nadja)

After reconciling that the pure-blooded Pierrot's just aren't cut out for it anymore the circus organized a talent hunt.

The victor was a traveling human sorcerer clad in blue, Anton Nadja. He loved adventure and was frequently exploring dungeons and labyrinths. And that previous occupation made him the first of two jacks-of-all-trades Pierrot at age 16.

Silvana sighed. *Sip*

Though calling him as such is selling him short. He was a brilliant magician at age 5 alone. And had a lot of stamina. He could cast magicks the ordinary folks couldn't.

This was like looking at Arle dead in the eye and not wanting to drop her in the deepest ocean with two ball and chains.

Overall it was estimated Anton was the most popular Pierrot the Circus ever had ever known and is the longest running.

Anton loved being Pierrot. He kept playing until his back gave out on him during a show. One thing he regretted was that his wife remained in her home town. His kids weren't cut out to work at the circus either. He never forced them, but it meant that once every two years he was with his family and stayed there for a while.

"Yo, P. Should we tell Arle about her ancestor?"

Sil was gonna be honest. "I'd rather you'd not… But I won't stop any of you… Just don't give her any hope of owning this tent…"

They all got her point.

"Does it even matter?"
"What are you getting at, Oshare?"
"The Pierrots haven't been the ringleader since the first so far. And ringleader doesn't necessarily mean owner. And even if it was owned by the Pierrots, Anton wasn't adopted into the family and I have sneaking suspicion the legacy keeps drifting further and further away."

"Riiiib~" Donguri Gearu confirmed. Saying the ownership shouldn't be in danger.

"Hey, I think this means you're just as much as a Pierrot as the rest." Amitie winked, perhaps having only slightly listened.

"Thanks." The ringleader wryly smiled. It was nice to hear. "But if you don't mind, I wanna see the rest before I judge that." Silvana chugged the rest of the tea down her throat. "Next."

"Boss, wait!"
"Yes?"
"I wasn't sure before. You're not a descendant of the first Pierrot?"
"Not that I know off, rookie."


Pierrot VI (Legal name: Baton)

The picture of a cute unhooded woman with lavender hair. Glasses as big as Klug's, a long braided ponytail. A giant contraption built for her to play many instruments at once. Where to even begin to describe it?

"Uh…"
"Yo, P. P. P!"

"Yeah, I noticed… She looks like Timpani Pierrot and Accord. Aaaaaand… Her section does not comment upon this."

"In my lifetime I've met three Amitie look-a-likes. I met one more in death. All of them had less than ideal fashion tastes. This isn't too out of the ordinary." The resident geezer, Oshare spoke. Sil shrugged.

Baton joined Magic Circus in her early twenties, she really knew her way around the Circus. She took up Pierrot's mantle at age 24 when Anton Nadja retired.

Baton was musically gifted. And such was her gimmick. Best known for her trick where she played the Bagpipes in such a beautiful way only a few people have managed to replicate it for orchestras. She had similar tricks. Along with expert timing only practice could provide.

Internally she was known to be friendly, loved to tease, tried to lighten the mood with her talents. She also was surprisingly enigmatic despite being a friendly face. They didn't know her likes and dislikes after years of work, whether she was far or nearsighted or not.

'…This is way too similar. I gotta ask the Prof about this later… Does she even know she has possible ancestry in this?'


Pierrot VII (Call name: Twitchy | Real name: Palazzo)

The picture was of a thin man with a crazy look on his face.

Was just one of the stagehands until his mind snapped from a magic trick gone and juggling act freakishly wrong at the same time. He lost most logic, retained morals. He became very unpredictable, which is why after they made sure he was harmless, they promoted him to Pierrot at age 23.

He only lasted a year. His constant unpredictably wasn't impressing the audience. When they finally came across a town with a mental asylum they dropped him off.

His insanity was cured and became a carpenter. While he led a fulfilling life, he missed the days where he was insane to shut himself off from the hardships of life at times.


Pierrot VIII (Real name: Wolf Dog | Real name: ϱoꓷ ʇloW)

"Whyyyyyyyy?" Silvana groaned.

"Why does he have a different colour in these? Is the suit a different colour too? Looks more amethyst."
"Could be the lighting?"

"No, that's not the lighting, boys." Oshare judged with his own eyes. "The fur went from brown to a purple hue."

"Sil." Amitie put her hand on Sil's shoulder. "Is he replaced by Doppelganger?"

"It's pretty obvious, Am… Damn it all…"

Mr. Wolf Dog was a human lycanthrope, became Pierrot at age 27. Technically making him the first non-human since Sky Highwind, the fourth Pierrot.

Wolf was a friendly and gentle soul, wouldn't harm a fly unless provoked. Very likable, great with kids. Which was a factor why he was chosen to be the Pierrot. He created obstacle courses and traversed. He was a fan favorite that generation in Magic Circus.

He had a pension for the lost art of rapping but never used it as Pierrot as he felt it wouldn't fit.

One time he went searching for Biff's son, Buff, who ran off into some labyrinth. Wolf was accompanied. He found and rescued Buff, covered in blood. But Wolf had changed.

"Here it comes…"

Wolf's personality, not to mention his fur and suit, had changed. Albeit, not much. He became more crass, less sensitive towards others.

Buff had told them that that Wolf was a Doppelganger, and the original died. He saw it with his own eyes.

This made the doppelganger of Wolf the first general essence holder for the clan. And the first of two Pierrots to be a Doppelganger, the second being XVIII.

"..." 'Make that three…'

Once the crew knew, they grew uncomfortable around him. There were properly educated people who knew how doppelgangers work on board. And they advised they shouldn't provoke the doppelganger. The crew grew stand-offish. And the doppelganger noticed. He felt he didn't belong at times. They slowly but surely got more comfortable around him, but the memory of the original always lingered in their minds.

The doppelganger kept going until he couldn't anymore, he lived a satisfied life despite the flaws programmed into him.

"Huh… At least it ended well?" Sil felt a mix of emotions. 'Shame he had to die though…'

"How can you say that boss? That doppelganger threatened to tear apart the Circus!"
"Look, rook, I'm not a Doppelganger sympathizer. They shouldn't exist. They serve to sow discord among social circles. But this one failed."
"But Wolf got killed!"
"Yeah, but you have to remember that Doppelgangers have feelings too, regardless of their programming. They kill in what they think is self-defense while most likely their personalities are on mute and afterwards they are in denial while everyone is either afraid of you or unnerved by the change in personality. They can't help it. They are victims in this like everybody else. This is kinda the best case scenario if Wolf had to die."

Sil was calm in her explanation to the backstage workers. Amitie, Vento, and Hohow looked on sympathetically.

"Yi… Uh… Wow. That's… Never thought about it like that. That's messed up." Everyone agreed.

"Eeyup…" *Flips page*


Pierrot IX (Legal name: Beat)

"Another that looks like Accord."

"Ribbit?"

"I agree with Donny, Ammy. I don't see it."

The woman had the hair colour, the hair was shorter and there were no glasses.

The human Beat was originally brought on board as an educator for the staff, also a renowned writer under a pseudonym (she claimed). She shared her work with her colleagues and/or students for their opinion. It often got a laugh whenever that was her intention. She loved her jokes. Which caught everyone by surprise every time it happened.

This gave Ringmaster Highwind an idea. They haven't had a Pierrot in months and she was the funniest they had.

Silvana stopped reading to ponder instead. "I got to be Pierrot because I was completely ignorant on my legacy. So what exactly makes one Pierrot? Agility? Humour? Because I'm not good too with the humour." She spoke out her honest opinion.

Hohow and Amitie were the only ones disagreeing. Sil ignored them.

"I'm a Ringmaster first, anything else second. Clown last." She segmented those things with her arms. "I'm not a fool."

"You are." A minimum wage worker rebutted.

"What did you just say?" Sil slowly turned her head.

"I just said you are literally a fool, boss." She repeated without a second thought. Oshare laughed underneath his breath.

"You got some nerve, rook." 'But you're not wrong…'
"Why? I am accurate. You are a fool."
"Stop."
"Why? There's nothing to ashamed of. You've been one for a long while, haven't you."

Sil's nerves were getting thin.

"Sil's not a fool! She's really smart. Why would say things like that? Take it back." Amitie got protective.

"Wh-What I saying wrong?" The helper asked everybody. "Pierrot's a fool. You are too Amitie! Take some pride in being a fool, for goodness' sake!"

Amitie pouted. "Want a pay cut, rook? This is how you get a pay cut!" Silvana threatened.

"Why!?"

"Ohohohohoho~" Oshare Bones laughed out loud. "Allow me to save your job. Ohoho!"

"What's so funny?" A sour Amitie asked.

"It's just amusing seeing you two fools not get it."

"Ho Ho. I don't get it."
"Me neither."
"Ribbit?"
Etc.

"A-Are you guys t-turning on me?" Amitie tried to coddle Sil's sudden fear away.

"Ohohoho… No~ You see, we're not calling you two idiots (necessarily). Fool, as in "The Fool", is an archaic word for clown, jester, Harlequin, what have you."

The Pierrots looked at Oshare's eyeholes and then into each other's, and then back into Oshare's. "You sure?"

"Absopositivilutely. I was there when the word's meaning shifted. You must be raised by a long-lived grandparent." He said to the girl who started this conversation.

"Yes, good guess."

"Huh."
"Well, pound my butt and call me Feeny. Heh, I feel… ~Foolish~ now. That makes so muc-"
*SMACK!*
"!"

Sil jumped and gave Amitie the biggest stink eye.

"Sorry, Feeny~" Amitie giggled, she stuck her tongue out. The rest laughed as well. Sil's more annoyed than hurt.

"Ha, you beat me to it, A. High five!" And thus Amitie and Vento high fived.

"Sorry, newbie. I didn't know. I won't cut your pay."
"Thank you~"

And so Beat become Pierrot at the age of 24. Her job was to tell jokes, limericks, rhymes, host stage plays, or just simply premier her latest book. Telling the audience to come back or buy her book. She was very grandmother-like despite her age. People were drawn to that.

"Hohow?"
"Yes, Silvana. Maybe we should retool our stage plays."
"Really? Ho Ho?"
"Maybe."

"Ribbit, Ribbit. Ribbit." Donguri said something to the effect of I got the distinct impression that the position of Pierrot is democratically chosen.


Pierrot X and XI (Real names: Pietra Pierrot and Acqua Pierrot)

Back to back standing there were two people who resembled Solare Pierrot in her early 20's. Besides the fact, one didn't look so happy. As a matter of fact, she didn't show any emotion. And the other does but he's male.

"Twins!"
"Pierrots. Blood born?"
"Read already."

Fraternal twins, Pietra (Female) and Acqua (Male) were recruited from outside Magic Circus. So it came as a surprise they were descendants of the former hoop dancer, Signorile Pierrot, the kid brother of former Pierrot Solare Pierrot.

Pietra and Acqua were ignorant of their ancestry when they decided to join the circus to make money for their handicapped parents. They didn't get to be Pierrots nor did they exactly want to be (Pietra at least). They trained hard to earn a place despite their names.

Pietra didn't feel like much hope raising money, while Acqua pretty much thought they had it made with this job.

Acqua's optimism usually won out, as it did here. Pietra had trouble expressing herself like her brother.

Pietra became a Beast Tamer like Timpani Pierrot. This is a coincidence. She really felt comfortable around the animals. She tamed them with love as she was thought.

Acqua became an acrobat, he was really into exercise anyway, this suited him fine.

Having had no Pierrot (the Clown) in a while. The Circus decided to make Pietra one after they witnessed that she got covered in honey and subsequently got chased by bees and the circus bear Bonzo.

Luring her in with a pay raise, she trained her animals to make a fool out of herself.

"Ah! I get that phrase now!"
"Me too!"

Pietra Pierrot became at age 26. Making everyone proud. Even if her brother was a bit jealous. But Pietra eventually found a way to make him happy too. Acqua, being the nimble twin, could play Pierrot if Pierrot was needed to play the upper hand. He became Pierrot at age 27.

This marks the first time two People regularly played Pierrot at the same time. Even if this wasn't known to the public.

"And now we are that, Sil."

"Yeah." Sil smiled. "Not sure how public it is, though." She inquisitively squeezed lips. "We don't exactly hide it."

"Which Pierrot Ho are you two, I wonder?" Hohow Bird wondered he wasn't the only one.

"Oh! I wanna know too, Sil!" Amitie jumped up and down in her seat. "What's my number? Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease-" Sil covered her understudy's mouth.

"The index said that there have been eighteen Pierrots. So that'd make me Pierrot XIX and Amitie Pierrot XX if you count us as separate, like the twins but unlike the Wolf Dogs. Which I certainly do."

"And assuming this book isn't more out of date than we are led to believe."
"Good point, Oshare."

"Pierrot XX? So, an X, and an X. That sounds so cool!~~ I'm gonna use that whenever I need to write it down!"

"Just don't misspell it. Please…"


Pierrot XII (Real name: Sairen)

No picture of her face. "Odd."

Sairen was a Mandrake songstress and accomplished ballet dancer.

"Oh, think we can learn something from her?"
"N-Not out loud, Ammy…"

She came from a kingdom over to try to make it big. Her kingdom had no shortage of great singers and she wanted to stand out. The problem wasn't there wasn't a place for her, it's just she was an average singer. Incapable of earning the glamorous career she wanted.

Ballet was her strongest suit. She joined the Circus because she was averse to having a conventional job and they spoke her language. They helped her slowly learn. She became a ribbon dancer on Puyolympic levels, and that wasn't the only thing she could do with her talents. She was happy with the attention and food on the table.

She never gave up singing. The crew enjoyed it but found it nothing amazing.

Sairin was unanimously chosen to be Pierrot at age 18 when she slipped up during practice. She did not take it well. She felt insulted, she felt she wasn't taken very seriously. She got over it. But not with the condition that it was kept a secret until her death that she is Pierrot and could still do her aerobics.

"See Acrobats for more."


Pierrot XIII (Real name: Rufina Wanhoop)

*Snicker*

There were several pictures of the humanoid dog. All of them in different costumes, outfits, and poses. Very few of them the Pierrot suit.

"What is she?"
"I don't know."
"Shouldn't you know, isn't she from your world?"
"If she is than I don't know."
"She isn't a lycanthrope like Wolf?"
"Lycans are more stubby and wide. She is as thin as a human. I have no idea what she is…"

Rufina was adopted by the circus, she seemingly had lost her family and was lost in general. She loved the circus, she found everything about it exciting. She was loved by the crew as a member of the family like everyone else. She was a bit spoiled by them.

*Snrrrk*

She went "yap yap yap" whenever she got excited. Most couldn't resist her.

Two things she loved were dressing up and Clowns. Wufina looked up to the previous Pierrot more than anyone before. She was dead set on becoming Pierrot. She asked nicely. They said they she needs to work for it. She asked again this time with her adorable eyes. Until the ringmaster knocked her down a peg, telling her to work for it.

She came up with her gimmick within weeks. She'd host a fashion show. She was possibly the girliest Pierrot until the next Pierrot and the 18th.

The crew was against it, but she asked "Pretty please with sugar on top" with her eyes. They caved in, Rufina became Pierrot at age 15.

"HAHAHA!"
"Sil…"
"I am not sorry."

She didn't last long. And this crushed her spirit. She kept helping wherever she could. Sairen, who resumed her role as Pierrot, comforted her. Saying that "Your [Rufina's] enthusiasm is an admirable quality I lack, you have this Pierrot's respect." That had put Rufina at ease.

"What a sweet non-torch passing passing of the torch." Sil commented, projecting herself onto Rufina.

"Kinda similar story to Sky Highwind, isn't? Hm Hmm?"

"Life isn't comic book, Hohow."
"I Know Ho! I wasn't thinking that. Though I guess history repeats No Ho matter what."
"Huh… I guess…"


Pierrot XIV (Real name: Human)

The picture was of a redheaded human woman with a bowl cut unmasked and unhooded. Stood proudly with a magic wand in her hand.

Born and raised in Magic Circus, Human knew the in and outs of it as she grew up.

Human was born with a higher than average I.Q. but 0 M.I.Q.. She's amagical by lacking the mental capacity for it, regardless of how smart she was otherwise.

"Hm… I wonder if you guys are wondering what I'm wondering."

"Wonder what, Sil?"

Vento took a stab at it. "That the godfather of Pierrots fought to have everybody to be able to use magic whenever, and as soon as the second most of these don't put their mana to use?"

Sil widened her eyes a gave applause to the bored imp. "Yeah, nail on the head, Vent."

"Woooooooo…" You could see his finger twirl around the air through his sleeve.

"Aw… Way to honor what the first one fought for…" Was what someone had to say.

"Ribbit. Rib. Riiibbit. Ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit ribbit."
"That's a good argument, Donny."

"What did he say?"

A worker replied to another. "Donguri speculates that Pierrot the First fought for the freedom to use magic. Perhaps he felt that enforcing the opposite would make him as despicable as the overgrown vegetable."

"Rib. Bit."

"Yeah, Sounds about right." The ringmaster vouched. "I'm sure that's somewhere in this titanic book. I needed a paperweight. Ufufu…"

"Is your face as creepy as your laugh, chief?"
"Psst, ixnay onway ethay acefay"

"Easeplay opstay. Ymay atiencepay isway onlyway osay, uuuuuuuh, ickthay? I guess."

Human was like a big sister to those she grew up with. She put their needs above her. Her approval rating was 100%. Only repeated by a few other managers. It was this, along with the management skill she was chosen to inherit the Circus at age 18.

Despite this, she still wanted to perform along with everybody, feeling a bit useless having been promoted like that. She requested to be the ringmaster from time to time, which ringmaster Cockatrice agreed to. Though she did suggest to Human to invent stage magic without mana, with her mind.

And Human did. She amazed people by performing magic, without actual magic. She became Pierrot at age 20. Becoming the first Pierrot to be the owner of Magic Circus since Pierrot I. A feat less ceremoniously repeated by Pierrots XVI and XVII.

"Ominous…"


Pierrot XV (Real name: Schim)

The picture showed a young adult man as alive, an unmoving corpse, and a ghost in a less childish hood than Yu, Rei, and Silly had.

"A Pierrot was undead?!"
"Are you implying something, Amitie?"
"Wha?"
"Saying the undead shouldn't be in a position of Pierrot? We can't help that we're still alive!"
"No that wasn't what I-"

"Ammy, he's playing like a fiddle, ignore him." Sil deadpanned.

"What?"
"Ohohoho~"
"That's not cool, Oshare!"
"You wouldn't know cool if it was your name."

"Would you like to be Pierrot?" Silvana asked just in case. "I think you can pull it off. Even if your bones would rattle a lot."

"That's precisely why I wouldn't do it."

Schim being recruited by the Circus via Pierrot try-outs. Becoming Pierrot at age 23. Died and broke his neck on his first day slipping on a banana peel he didn't see coming.

"Woah!?"
"That quick?!"
"Poor guy."
"Ribbit…"
"First day."
"At least he became a ghooooooost?"

After a minute or two of silence from the still body, the audience and the staff didn't know what he was doing during his solo act. And then, on a sneaking suspicion, the medic checked his pulse. He declared him dead on the spot. To the shock of the staff, audience, and Schim's ghost. Who popped out of his body and replied. "What! Is that why I can't move?" Scaring everyone even more.

Room chuckled.

He was back in on his lack of feet and suit in ten minutes, saying: "The show must go on. Tell me to break my leg, guys!" He grasped his suit's hollow leg pipe where his wispy ghost tail was tucked in. He whirled it around.

And that cemented Schim. His ability to make light of his death. And being one of the funniest clowns the circus ever had.

As a side effect of dying though, he forgot who he was before he died. He loved his job but did take frequent trips to his supposed home town to figure himself out.

And since he was effectively immortal, they gave him a 40-year contract so someone else could have a shot being Pierrot again. Preferably with legs. Any solution they come with was more uncanny than the dangling legs.


Pierrot XVI (Alias: Delentrex)

The picture seemed of a normal if frowny, crimsonheaded woman that looked around thirty.

Like many before her, Delentrex,

"Weird name."

became Pierrot (age 29). Not much was known about her before, or after becoming Pierrot. She climbed up the ranks until she became the owner.

Delentrex was spy hired by an unknown client to sabotage Magic Circus. This worked out fine. All that's gathered about the event's that's tore apart the family-like relationship-

"Guys… No offence, but each and every one of you is getting a background check… Got it?" The book got Sil a little paranoid.

-and defaced Magic Circus and left it to rot deep into the woods for approximately 40 years.

Silvana squinted her eyes in thought…

"Yo, P. Turn the page already! I don't wanna hear about this awful witch anymore…"

"…Give me a second." Stood up and faced her staff so the book's contents faced away from them, non-verbally asked them not to peek. She slowly turned the page.


Pierrot XVII (Legal name: Silvana Vibitia Pierrot | Real name: ɒįbɒИ ǝlɿA)

"That's me! How can this be!?"
"What?"
"Ammy, come here."
"O-Okiday… Oh, wow. No kidding. How does this book know your face?"
"I DON'T KNOW…"

"Can we see?"
"No, rook! Hrr. It has my secrets exposed..."

"Sil? Am I in it? There were eighteen Pierrots, right?"

Pierrot XVIII (Real name: Amitie Rose Jr.)

"Holy cow! How does it know? (I'm not Pierrot X. X… Fiddlesticks.)"

"Hm…" Oshare mumbled. "Boss, what you have in your hand is a self-writing encyclopedia. I don't about your world, Silvana, but those have been outlawed for centuries due to it being used for spying purposes."

"Really. The book must be older than it looks. I'm glad I know this know… I'm gonna make a copy of this without the current events in my free time. This has sensitive info about us… Guys, clean up. Ammy, hug me. See ya later, gators."

*Go Home*

XVII pushed the book into XVIII's hands. "So I'm gonna make some dinner. Ya wanna read about yourself?"

"Do I ever?" Amitie wasted no time opening it up.

"You can stay after dinner, I'm sure Mel can figure out you're probably here." Sil pulled off her mask. "Careful with that book."

*Later, at Silvana's living room… Eating dinner on couches… Like the teens they are…*

"-It says your name is Ajdan Elra. But that can't be it, you were Arle."

"What kinda name is "Ajdan" anyway? Elra's cute. Elra fits you really well."
"Ammy, you dunce…"
"Wh-What did I say this time?"
"It's just Arle Nadja backwards… It's not that hard to figure out for crying out loud…"
"Uh. N. A. D. Emmmm… J. A. Oh, wow…"

"So who's your favorite Pierrot?" Amitie asked out of curiosity.

"...m." Silvana had no intention of answering that.

"Whazzat?"

"I don't wanna really think about it… "

Amitie couldn't really comprehend it. It came so easily to her. "Why?"

Silvana sighed. She took the time to articulate it. "I think… I think… that I don't feel a connection to any one of these beside the first Pierrot, Anton, and Wolf Dog and his Doppelganger. Everyone else just feels irrelevant to me. I feel like I learned nothing from them or felt any closer to their Circus I remade…"

"Sil…" Amitie frowned, surprisingly. "You're as much as a Pierrot as any other. There was nobody left. Leaving the circus in the woods to rot because some nobody wanted it to is just wrong. People deserve to be entertained!"

Sil couldn't help but get a little infected by Amitie's enthusiastic passion. Though she didn't want her to catch on. "I did it for wrong reasons though."

"There's nothing wrong seeking shelter. You did what you had to do."
"True. You know what I also had to do?"
"I don't know. What else did you have to do?"
"Using the Circus to finally have the life I deserved."
"Oh, yeah…"

Sil delivered matter-of-factly, but her body language made it clear she considered it a bad thing. "I'm no better than the mule who brought the thing down to begin with."

"DON'T COMPARE YOURSELF TO HER LIKE THAT!"
"WHY SHOULDN'T I? WE BOTH USED MAGIC CIRCUS FOR THE WRONG REASON!"

Amitie was infected by Sil's pessimism. Sil felt bad… She couldn't speak out the words to apologise.

"D-Did you r-read your entry yet?" Amitie asked as meek as a mouse.

"…No…" Sil didn't want to be reminded of who she was or have herself to be boiled down in a few words. Not any more than Akuma does anyway…

Amitie put her plate away and opened the book. "The book agrees with you."

"…As it should…"

"But as soon as you reformed it speaks more and more highly of you."

"…A-Are you real?" The top clown subconsciously edged closer.

"Yeah, look for yourself, silly."

Silvana read from where Amitie's thumb was placed. "Heh. Wow. Neat." Her lips curled. Amitie's smile trumped her's though.

Out of curiousity, Sil glanced all over her own entry. 'Does birthdays... Lightfooted thanks to an abundance of the essence. Figured as much. Ironically good at voice mimicry? I guess? Does birthdays like, yadayad… Renamed the circus to Puyo Puyo Circus. Out of her love for the game.' "Hahahahaha! Woah, I forgot… Times have changed, haha!"

"Feel better?" 'Did I do it for once? Did I actually?'
"Yeah."
"YAAAY! Woah…"

Sil sat down next to Amitie and pulled her closer to her.

"Oh~"
"Ammy, we're gonna honour the previous Pierrots' legacy."
"Except that bad Delentrex!"
"Yeah. Though… I can't be too mad at her either…"
"HOW?"
"She is the reason I have this circus now. It's what inadvertently led to this revitalization in the first place."
"Uh… Okay, I see your point… Without her, I wouldn't be a Pierrot. Heck, you wouldn't be Pierrot wouldn't you?"
"Hell, I wouldn't have even been Silvana… Well, maybe… But I'd have a less secure life… Hmm…"
"But it shouldn't have happened in the first place."
"Oh, no freaking duh!"

"You haven't answered my question, Silly."
*Iiiiiiiiiiinhaaaaaaaaaale* *Eeeeeeeeeeeeexhaaaaaaaaaaale*
*Carefree giggles* "Who's your favorite?"

"That's a good one, Ammy. Uh… I guess, Sairin was her name?"
"Huh. Didn't expect that. I thought it be Anton."
"There's bad blood between the Pierrots and the Nadjas, no? It's kinda one-sided and I can't help it, it's really annoying."

Silvana found herself playing it off as a joke.

"He just looks too much like Arle."
"Gee, didn't think of that. It's hard to put myself in the shoes of a Doppelganger. It hurts my head."

Sil held her tighter. Removing herself from the equation. "Be happy you aren't one. My head hurts more… So who's your favorite?"

"~I'd never thought you'd ask.~ You're my favorite Pierrot~~" Amitie said with even more passion and honesty than expected from her before she embraced Silvana so hard they were lying down horizontally on the couch with Amitie on top. Leaving the fulltime clown wide-eyed.

"Pffffffffft. Bwahahahahahahahaaaaaaaahahahahaha…"

"Huh?" Amitie was confused at the laugh. Silvana had laughed for a minute straight.

*Catching breath.* "Ha." *Huff* "Haaaa. Yikes, Ammy! Yikes. You could kill a girl with sappiness like that. Ammy, you're my favorite suck-up."

"Yay! Wicked!"


Pierrot XVIII (Real name: Amitie Rose Jr.)

-not remembering the assault by _ _, Amitie liked the idea of taking her Halloween costume a step further. She wanted to become a clown too. Silvana trained her with the same book she had. Unlike her studies, Amitie took this seriously, she only slacked off from time to time. She just has a natural personality and mannerisms to be a clown. Popular with the kids.

Amitie filled in niches Silvana didn't. She's catching up to Silvana in acrobatics thanks to ballet classes. Amitie above all else is a traditional clown. She makes a fool out of herself on stage to make people laugh.

Amitie does have a bigger ego than Silvana, but it never goes to her head. She just loves her job and loves that people love her for doing it.

"I shall make the Pierrots proud!" Amitie says several times. And finally one time, Silvana could finally spit it out.

"You already made me proud, Ammy." She teared up and embraced her. Knowing her role is secured by a passionate soul. "Now stop slacking on your training and be the best Pierrot ever!"

Author's Notes:
Sil is a red-headed stepchild.

Look at all that unneeded lore.

Cut: Sil's entry.
I felt like it's threading ground we covered before. Plus I felt like the timelines would contradict. I felt like it better left alone. I do a lot out of convenience, and forgot a lot of it. The Circus Backstory was never meant to be expanded like this, it would get confusing if you think about it. I don't like contradicting things that aren't thought out, so I try to minimalize it for you.

Now with all that said: There's a bit of a retcon. The dream skits were meant to be dreams based on things that Doppel did when she actually succeeded for a while from Sil's recollection influenced by her purpose seeking into her subconscious. There was a Pierrot among them… I'm not gonna justify that. Make of that what you will. It's better that way. It's a dream.

Anyway, the Circus would've regained the "Magic Circus", if Sil wasn't savvy enough to know that she knows people who were alive during Magic Circus' long run. She's banking on plausible deniability with the retaining of the "Puyo Puyo Circus" name.

Finished on 21-03-2019. Released on 30-03-2019

Next up: Lemres' solution for Silvana. Also, Sil and Amitie won't ever become an item.