Silvana's second personality had been known to the public for about a week.
"Um… Miss, Sil?" Lidelle stepped up to Sil's newest feature she was showing. "Are you sure you wanted to dye your hair?"
*Siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh* "Yes, Liddy. Or else wouldn't have done it…" Silvana had been getting questions like this from everybody but Amitie, Sig, and Accord. It really ticked her off. "I just feel like a summer okay?"
"Are you sure?"
"YEEESS!"
"Meep! Sorry for asking."
"No don't cry, Liddy. I'm so sorry!"
"Call me dad."
"Eeeeh." Silvana nervously twiddled her fingers. She found herself in an awkward situation. She was nervously sweating in front of this me. "If you don't mind… I'd rather keep it at the first name and occupation in relation to Amitie basis, Mr. Amitie's Dad."
"Please, I really wanna apologize for the Vibitia in you… (The real one didn't forgive us…)"
"S-Sorry, her full conscious is… Well… You know."
"Please?"
"I'm not daughter material! Ask Gramps!"
"Are you sure your tastes isn't just slipping a teeny bit?"
Silvana childishly huffed at the Skeleton.
"Ribbit?"
"No, Donny, I don't wanna have a philosophical conversation about what and who I am with two clashing essences… I am Silvana, that's that."
"Mail!"
"SHUT UP, ARLE! I AM SILVANA!"
"Gee, the Amitie in you is really irritable, huh?" "Gu Gu?"
*Muffled scream*
Everyone had gotten the results in from their latest exam. Everyone compared their grades.
Ammy's grade was higher than usual. On par with Sig's which aren't great, he barely passes himself. Both had help. Sil and Lidelle said they'll get it next time.
Lidelle comfortably passed as usual.
Klug was out of town and shall no doubt pass later.
And that leaves Raffine and Silvana as top students (barring Klug) as usual. But with one difference.
"Oh, La-Ti-Da~" *Snort* "A lower score than mine~ Silvana, you are slipping up."
Silvana shrugged it off. "It's no biggie, Raffine. They're just slightly lower than usual, is all." She did care. Silvana is the type brag about a higher score to get a rise out of Raffine.
"Hm… I wonder if this will become a trend?" The rich girl hovered her the back of her hand on the cheek on the opposite side.
"Oh, don't go so low…"
"Why's that?" Amitie innocently asked.
"Don't answer, Raffine." Both Silvana and Accord pleaded.
"I wonder… Is Amitie's copy making you dumber?"
"Hrng…"
"Raffine." Amitie moaned.
"No offense, Amitie. But you certainly aren't as smart as Silvana is. Well, maybe soon she'll be if she keeps using it."
Whether Raffine knew it or not she was feeding Sil's fears she didn't know she even had.
"You're already acting like a child. It's not too out of the realm of possibility, is it not?" She condescendingly bent forward a bit.
Sil squealed quietly. Only heard by Sig.
"Does it not concern you that you'll start to lose yourself to someone else's interests? Sounds like a nightmare to me. I mean, I heard your clowning is doing well so you at least have something to fall back on as your mind deteriorates."
"Now, now, Raffine. Please try to stop teasing." Accord tried to gently intervene. She was ignored.
Sil's muscles had been tensing, the Amitie in her washed away. Raffine had struck deep into her psyche, the child in her, both of them. No matter how much Sig and Lidelle tried to quietly console, and Amitie tried to reflexively try to defend her on Sil's behalf, she felt hurt. "…Army…" She didn't have him on her today.
"Raffine!" Popoi raised his voice.
"What?" She turned.
"Leave Silvana alone." Accord spoke. "She discovered something life changing and has trouble dealing with it. She's trying to be comfortable in her skin."
The clown made an inaudible mumble. It was clearly something like a thank you.
Raffine if nothing else is sly, she tried to get away with. "But, Professor. I am simply concerned, about her."
'No. Not even close, Feeny.'
"As much she's harassing me."
'Do you lack any self-awareness? You're not innocent either.'
"I'd feel shame if a bright student like this beloved fool-"
"-will become a bit more ditzy for keeping this up."
"Get real! We're not ditzy!" Absolutely everyone gave Amitie a funny look. She gave her grade another look. "O-Okay, maybe a lot. LITTLE! Little."
Raffine cleared her throat. "Anyway. You know the saying about striking a face at midnight? Or perhaps more apt metaphor. Becoming the mask."
"Figuratively in this case. You've become that mask already. Perhaps due to, and pardon me, Amitie, this isn't directed at you," '(For now.)' "having a dumb ditz inside oooff!"
"SILVANA!"
"MEOW!"
"Sil!"
"SIL!"
"MISS SIL!"
"MY EYE…!"
Sil panted. She just needed to punch something and that had to be Raffine square in the eye so hard so fell over. It felt so good. "Don't say 'dumb ditz'…" She panted some more, feeling relieved.
Well, until she looked at the frowns and concerned looks. And they came to Raffine's medical aid. She was filling up with guilt. She just wanted to disappear and run away. She ran out of the room. Sig chased after her while the rest attended to Raffine.
"You shouldn't have provoked her, Raffine." Lidelle said on her knees. Keeping her coldest spell on the soon to be a black eye. "She has limits. Ask Vento."
"Hrmmmgh."
"Stop pushing your luck next time. Leave her psyche alone. And she'll just leave at verbal teases." Accord calmly advised.
"DOES SHE?" Arle walked into the room with mail for everybody and a bit scraped all over her legs and arms. "Ooo. Are you okay Raffine? I saw Silvana punched you bad."
Raffine pushed away Lidelle's cooling touch and tilt her frowning head to the mailwoman so she could get the point. The girls winched at the same time. "Owowow. Keep the spell going Lidelle."
"Arle! What happened to you?"
"She just pushed me out of the way just now. And yesterday she pushed me off a hill, and then gave everything I needed to help myself for first aid… You sure you guys feel safe with her? Where's Sig?"
Chapter 51: Apology
Sig had chased Sil to the girls' restroom. Sil had locked herself in. Lifted up her legs and kept quiet. She saw Sig seeing her run in this room. She's not stupid, just not thinking straight.
She could hear the boy putting his ears against the doors and knocked. Sil just closed her eyes. Readying herself for being chastised for punching Raffine and pushing whoever she pushed.
"Sil? If you're still here. I don't blame you… Raffine was being mean."
"…" Sil tried her best not choking up.
"Sil? Wanna talk?"
"…"
"Are you sure you wanna keep it up?"
"…"
"I feel like you're not really happy like this."
"…You're right." The clown unlocked the door and leaned against the unmovable object himself. "What am I doing? I have no idea. You know my deal, I have no business emulating a young, cheery and vulnerable mind. I'm seventeen, not a kid. We already It's just not compatible Sig. Would you forgive me if I repress the Amitie in me unless I'm up against Arle or performing?"
"No, I liked you better before you tried to embrace it."
"Ouch… Be a little gentler next time."
"'m sorry. I meant I liked you before you started to worry about that you actually changed on your or not."
"You did."
"No, I didn't."
"I don't believe you."
She pushed her mask aside a bit so they could rub cheeks. Sil's arms were thrown around his shoulders. "Don't worry about it. I don't care. Have I ever told you that I love you?"
"Yeah."
"Oh." That actually got a shock out of Sil. "Ehe. Have I ever said it sober?"
"Uh… I don't think so."
"Ufufufu. Well then, I've been wanting to you that…" Sil wrapped Sig a bit tighter. Lifting herself to his eye height.
Arle busted into the room and misinterpreted the affection for a strangling attempt. "MIND BLAST!"
"IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIuuuuuuuuuuuh" Silvana's felt her mind droop and her mouth drool. She forgot what she was doing. She slowly turned her head to Arle. Sig adjusted her mask. stared at Arle. Sig quickly readjusted her mask. "Arle? I, uuuuuh hate you, so munch." *Drools* She grew oblivious.
"Arle. She was just hugging me."
"Y-You sure?"
Sig nodded. "She was feeling bad."
"Oh, uh. My bad, this time… Silvana. Your arm was wrapped around his neck. It should wear off tonight. It was a really strong mind blast. Not that you deserve it, but I'm sorry."
*Gear failing to turn* *Hamsters not found* *Drools* "Duuuuh…"
"I'll take care of her. Thanks for the concern, Arle." Sig lifted the clown over his shoulder.
"You're welcome, Sig. And sorry about that. I really am. I saw her punch Raffine, she shoulder tackled me out of the way…"
"It's cool." Sig assured. "But. Be careful around Sil next time."
"Paper both not opposite and not the plural of pape?" Sil blurted out. Arle raised an eyebrow at the statement.
'I can definitely say I haven't heard that before.' "I will watch out. Take care of her."
Sig announced on Sil's intent to repress to Amitie's disappointment, Lidelle's indifferent and Raffine's conflicted stance.
She did laugh at the stupified Sil. Arle apologized and she was forgiven.
Sig got the rest of the day off, he took Silvana to his home to watch over, he and more cognitively, Uncle Stan. They had to make sure she didn't forget how to breathe, to sit, make sure she uses cutlery safely, not to remove and eat her mask in front of Stan.
She hugged a pillow to substitute for Arms and lied down on the couch underneath a blanket as soon as her sense of awareness, self-awareness, and common sense returned to her. She's embarrassed at everything she did under the influence.
"Dumb, Arle. Why you did do that to my head? Mint Blast never be that strong. Ever. Me ready next time."
Sig didn't say anything. He hugged. The sluggish clown urged the bug lover to join her underneath the blankets and Sig didn't hesitate. They were comfortable.
Uncle Stan smiled as he saw the pair lying down on the couch. Smiled and chuckled. He doesn't wanna interrupt the moment. But he did wanna show a proposal. He slowly walked up to them. "Hey, are your lovebirds awake?"
"zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" Sig wasn't.
"Me am. I. I am." Silvana said locked in Sig's grasp. "Whatsup, Ankle?"
"Tomorrow morning the market's in town. I usually do the groceries alone. Uh, wait a second. Do you remember what those words mean?"
Sil tried to break down the sentence. *The hamster is drugged* "No." She shook her head. "What's so gross about peas?"
"Never mind. I'll tell you in the morning. When your smarts return. Ehehe."
"What makes you laugh?" The clown responded to the nervous chuckle.
"N-Nothing. Good night, future niece."
"Night-Night, Uncle."
"All right, I got the day off. And all I got is this letter for Silvana." Arle said as she walked out of the mail office.
"Guu?"
"No, I'm not gonna read it. I'm not gonna spy on her that way, Carby. I'd like to be employee of the month again. I need this letter to say face if I get caught."
"Gu gu?"
"I'm not going Schezo, Carby." Arle was a bit annoyed at the accusation. "It's just that this clown keeps hurting me. I kinda wanna believe Sig and Amitie that it's just me she's like this to. But now I'm so sure after that haymaker she gave Raffine."
"Gu."
"You had to be there. I mean, she was egging her on with the personality thing, but still… I wanna make sure everyone is else safe around her. Scaring her with being buried in Puyos can't be the solution. I think I can cross her Circus off the list. Stan told me that she treats her staff well despite the occasional shout and Amitie backs it up."
"Gugu. Guugu. Gugugu gu gu guu."
"Oh, see ya later, Carby. Be home for supper."
"Gu~"
Arle and Carbuncle parted ways.
Half-an-hour later Arle found Silvana doing Stan's groceries with Sig and Stan. Arle observed that Silvana was amicable to the Uncle, performed little tricks for the kids who guessed right it was her, and indeed seemed like a normal upstanding citizen. That's also a clown.
She also took note of the friendly way Sil and Sig interacted. Before Arle kinda had to take everyone's word for it that they were an item, she saw very little of that herself. She felt a bit guilty for going between them.
"Sig." Sil picked up an apple. "Be honest with me. If I were a fruit, what kinda fruit would I be?"
"Pear."
"Huh?" Silvana thought about, she looked over her body, but it didn't compute whatever she thought. The Uncle laughed. "Explain. I don't get it."
"You don't look sweet, but you are." Sig said sincerely with his usual unchanging tone and expression.
Stan laughed harder but Sil was touched. But would've been insulted by anyone else by implying her skin was coarse among other things. "Aw, thanks. I thought of myself as a pineapple with a bow on top."
'They are cute together.' Arle looked on as Silvana compared Sig with an orange.
"Uncle!" Sil shouted. "We're not a couple, don't give the public the wrong idea."
"Ha! But you're not denying the 'Secretly well-endowed' part."
"Stop! There're kids here. I have an image to keep up!"
"What kinda message are you sending to them? What if they grow up wit-"
"STOP!"
"Oh." Arle empathized. 'Her too?'
"…IIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSS! SIIIIS!" Arle turned her head a little. Amitie yelled until she hug tackled Silvana from behind. Making her lose her balance.
"Hrm… Morning, Ammy."
"Are you smart again?"
"Yeah. Can you get off me?"
Amitie wasted no time. She helped Silvana to get up.
"You're not dumb, Sis." Amitie hugged some more.
"I know, Ammy." Sil smiled weakly. Feeling a bit awkward. "Um. Ammy, there's something I wanna say."
"I know. Sig told me while you were brain dumbed." Amitie's voice faltered a bit. "You wanna stop using Vibby…"
"Yeah… S-Sorry. It just doesn't work out, outside of trying to be nicer to Arle and Clowning. So I'm gonna be repressing it as much as I can. I started this morning. I'm sorry…"
"It's okay…"
"…"
"Lidelle says the real Vibby hates you for it."
"…"
"…"
"I can still be your sist-?"
"C-Can I still be your sist-?"
Both their spirits were raised. *Sisterly high-five*
"Amitie! Please help!"
"Coming, Dad. Ehehe. See ya guys later."
"See ya at the circus." Sil waved, with a smile.
"Bye." Sig said.
"Wow, I'm glad that didn't go catastrophically wrong." Sil said with a straight posture.
"Another niece."
Arle took another mental note. 'Amitie, Sig, and Stan are safe from her. Why do I get the feeling it's just me? Am I just a magnet for jerks? Do I bring out the worst out in everyone? Still, don't have all my memories.'
When Arle snapped out of her thought, her listing spell picked up Silvana. "Thanks, it was fun." She told Sig's family as she zapped her personal groceries home.
"Same."
"You're always a pleasure." They replied. "You going home?"
"No, not yet. I'm gonna dye my hair back to dark red. This plain red doesn't do it anymore. Plus some girl stuff."
"Cool. Wanna catch bugs, tomorrow?"
"The day after that. It's a circus day."
"Kay, see ya."
"Bye. Sig."
Sil got the courage to lift her mask a bit in public to deliver a blowkiss straight from her real lips.
'Okay, without a doubt human. I'd like her better if she really was a frog eater.'
Sig returned it with his dominant human hand. Sil giggled and walked away.
'They're a couple. There's no doubting that anymore.'
Stan was surprised. "Exchanging blowkisses in public?" He got excited for his nephew. "First she's raising her PDA for you some more. And now she's got you doing it more."
"Pea Dee Ay?"
"She's a keeper, Sig. You know this. How many formal dates when others didn't go past two. You two are made for each other."
"Yo, Carby!" Sil was pleasantly surprised to her old buddy again.
Arle had to resist coming to Carbuncle's aid. She grew a little uncomfortable with how comfortable this clown was her buddy. She just didn't get why Carbuncle would like her. Her! Silvana. The girl, despite her best efforts not to, is cruel to her.
Carbuncle can friendly towards others, but he really liked Silvana a lot more than the average person. Not quite like Arle, but it's a bit too close. The last one yellow rabbit-y thing liked this much was a… a… Arle can't remember. But she was scary.
And Silvana adored Carbuncle too. But 'Not enough to cheat on Army' she said.
"The day off?"
"Gu."
"Not lost? Aw. Well. I'll make you some curry some other time. Laters."
"Gu."
They parted ways. Bought some products besides the hair dye. Like a magazine of popping puzzle fun, and somethings that she rather keep to herself. Nobody needs to know, she bought cosmetics for her own personal, experimental use.
'Why would she need it? She's always masked. Maybe for the circus?'
"Lessee. Oshare isn't done with that so I won't have to do that. Maybe I'll say hello. Did I promise anyone else? I don't think so? Is there anything I wanna do? I should walk, I teleport home too much. I need to stop doing that just like I need to stop talking out loud.
'She beat me to it.'
'Guess I'll go see if someone's come early to train. Or catch up on my reading.'
"Halt!" That voice. The Harlequin hadn't heard those chords in a while.
"Klug. How was your vacation?"
"Nevermind that. Your essence is not fully your own anymore."
"Ugg."
"Pop quiz, now!"
"Double ugg."
*Seventeen out of twenty correct questions*
"Satisfied?"
"Quite. Seems like it didn't affect your intellect."
"Don't remind me, Raffine teased about it yesterday… And then I got hit by a hefty Mind Blast."
"Ah, the great Brain Dumb! My sympathies."
"Whatever. Not that it matters. I'm rejecting Amitie in me."
"Huh? Silvana, don't get me wrong, that is no doubt the best choice. But why?" Klug went on the explain Sil's confusion on her mask away. "I just don't get why you'd reject having a good friend. You seemed to love it before I was dragged off."
"Just felt wrong after a while. Will you forever shut up about it if I tell everything you wanna know about it?"
"Ah!" Klug put away his book for a bit and pulled his notepad. He diligently wrote down things. At the end of the exciting interview. Exciting for Klug anyway. "You feel 2% Amitie but you can focus on it. So you have two choices?"
*Huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuufffffff* "Yeah."
"When did this start?"
"Lemres say that an essence'seseness." Sil wished she bit her tongue there. She took a second to rephrase it. "Essence merging is a slow process."
"Hm… I'll have to ask Lemres. This has to be studied."
"Yeah, but not on me…"
"Not like I have the resources." Klug replied pettily.
"Good! Wanna hang out?"
"What do you mean good, research is very, I beg your pardon?"
Silvana shrugged. "Wanna hang out. Chat? I'm bored and you just came back."
"Convince me."
"Don't play haughty, just say yes or no."
"Haughty! Silvana, I hav-"
"YES. OR. NO?"
"Yes, please."
Arle looked at them. Klug was usually very tolerant of her. But Silvana could deflate Klug's ego without demoralizing him. Arle had little against Klug, but how could Silvana like Klug more than her. 'What is it about me what ticks this psycho off?'
"Will power training doesn't work. Frankly, Klug, as a possessor myself I wouldn't know where to begin how to shake little Stan here off." Sil patted the demon bookmark. Stan found it to be a bit condescendingly even if he knew Sil meant it lovingly. "He has a different kind of possession."
"For crying out loud…"
"Have you tried a simple reflect spell?"
"That can't be the solution! That is far too simple! Isn't it?"
*Sealed demon raspberry throwing taunt*
"I don't wanna think so. I'd any reasonable person who can see past your annoyingness should be able to feel sorry for you."
*Blows up*
"And I punched her in the eye." The masked girl sheepishly retold.
"Pah, serves her right. Always so haughty and full of herself, she would…"
*A minute later*
'A lot of this could apply to you… And I'm the flawed reflection?'
"…she's that much of a snob, if she didn't get punched in the eye outside of her senseless fighting tournaments it just wouldn't be right."
"Agreed. But I wish it wasn't me, I'd rather partake in one of those tournaments to do that."
"You'll change your mind when you see her again."
"Maybe."
The two parted ways, they thanked their time with each other.
Shadowing Silvana became more and more difficult as Arle's mind kinda become occupied. "Do I just not know how to make friends? How unlikable am I? Rulue, Draco, Witch, they're jerks to me. And I do have a short temper for things that annoy me. But that can't be it, right? Is this a chicken and the egg thing? I can't remember how I met everyone back home. This is so frustrating! Clowns shouldn't make me feel like this!" Arle refrained from screaming.
"Psst." On her way to still be early for training. Silvana heard a noise. "Psst." Leaning against the corner wall of an alleyway. This person half-a-head taller, sporting a fedora, a mouth covering scarf, trench coat, and eye covering sunglasses.
Silvana figured she should follow deeper into the alleyway. Arle took to the rooftops.
"I'm half sorry, Raffine." The cloaked person halted.
"That's not gonna cut it, Pierrot… How did you know?"
"The big sunglasses, pink hair, shoes, and your awesome kneesocks."
All of this is because everything but the glasses were bought on the spot as soon as Raffine spotted Silvana. This plan of chewing Silvana out on her actions was slapdash. Raffine should've waited a day. "I shouldn't have to explain myself, Pierrot." Raffine adjusted her glasses. You've sullied my grace in one place that's difficult to hide when I need to pull out my reading glasses. And most insulting of all you hit me like a wallflower while we're at it!
"?" Sil checked the muscle on her arm, she's no Raffine but "wallflower"? She didn't have time to think why that would be insulting the pampered Pinkhead.
"You're not worth the colourful diction I have prepared. I demand much more than an apology. Comprenez vous?"
"Tut mir nicht leid." She joked with the very little German her grandma taught her.
'Granny…'
"What do want Raffine?" Sil gave in.
"A few things. First off, a question. Has Amitie have a hidden hatred for me?" Being with Sig for so long Silvana could spot the subtlest of subtleties. She could sense a little insecurity in the snob's voice. She decided against bringing it up. The clown has her cool, but she'd rather go home without mask shards in her eye.
"Look, Raffine. I don't know. I am not Amitie. You have to ask her yourself. Isn't your birthday coming up? You could hire her. She'd do it for free and I'd let her do it for free for you not that you need it."
Raffine gave her an are you kidding me? glance. "Noted. Now! I want you to pay for what you did to my eye."
"Get sunglasses with your prescription so you can read." Silvana said without blinking. "I have 20/20 vision and I know that."
"That won't heal my black eye now, will it?" Obviously, a rhetorical question.
"No, you need ice and white magic for that. Just get glasses. Why isn't it already the right p-"
"I have contacts, you may have damaged my eye."
"Yikes, sorry."
"I just want something from you, I just don't know what."
"You could've said that from the start." Sil rummaged her bag. She showed off the cosmetics she bought. "Like any of these?" Raffine couldn't read it too well. She took it whatever she wanted.
"I don't get you, Pierrot. Make-up?"
"So what?"
"So what? If your little dress-up last Halloween has told me is that you clean up nicely. Any idea how many hearts you could've broken just by walking them if you just throw off the mask dress fashionably. Or conventionally for that matter? Assuming you don't need face surgery, that is."
"Not into that. But if you wanted to I still have that mask of you."
"Don't break the agreement. I don't need any more competition." *Scornful hair flip* "Ta-ta."
"Wait. I need a favour."
"What the hell could you give me in return, Pierrot?"
''Sides the make-up you took?' "Your continued ungratefulness for me being the reason you got medical attention as quick as you did on Halloween."
Raffine daggered the clown. She did not like this. 'She's gotten smart, now she gets the idea for a favour.'
'She saved someone she hates?… What the heck did I do wrong? Did I know her? Did I pass by her and ruin her life? Hope not? Or do? None of the answers are good.'
*Gritted teeth* *Untensing of the muscles* "Fine! What do you want from moi?" She didn't like it.
Sil came up with it earlier in the conversation. She did like the idea, it's just really unlikely. "Raffine. The truth is, I'm not happy with my face, I want a life-like mask. Like the one I imprinted your face on for Halloween. Can you with your riches and resources have some of your lackeys track down or even make one? The latter preferably."
"You want the Holy Grail and a Dodoh Bird with that? Asking a near impossibility of me here, the nerve. But very well. Tracking one premade down is easier. (Not by much.)" Raffine groaned, she felt like she couldn't worm out of this. She never felt grateful, but she knew she should.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
Raffine pulled out a notepad. "What do you want for a face? Something attractive perhaps, femme delaide chambre?"
"A face that looks 18. I'll take mildly attractive. I'm not expecting anything. But unlike you, I'd be grateful if I could walk around in clothes that compliment a human face." Sil pointed at her face. "It kinda gets sweaty in the summer while keeping up appearances." She pointed at her clothes.
"Lose the jacket and leggings then! Or even better, wear something else!"
"No. Mask first."
"Ugh. Noted, but I still do want something in return. Someday, don't even think we're even, you clown de cirque basse vie."
"Eh, I think you're overdoing the french."
"Hmph."
"Sorry for the black-eye!"
"Hmph!"
"Next time you don't tease me that way and I'll keep it in check!"
"HMPH!"
And Raffine was back on the streets while Silvana stayed a little longer in this shadowy alleyway. Leaning against the wall, she took a moment of silence. 'Will she keep her word? Better be on my best behaviour for now. Okay, proud of me that asked this. But was this worth it?' Sil lifted her mask the rub her eyes. Daydreaming about being maskless, hair loose in a light summer breeze wearing sleeveless normal people clothes like the average Jane. "That'd be so sweet~"
Arle barely paid attention. 'No, Silvana does it unprovoked, that's that. Still… I guess it couldn't hurt to be less irritable…'
'And that's why I'm the real Arle, lock her up and burn d-' Sil snapped out of it. Slapped her face a few times. "Bad, no daydreaming ever, Sil. Bad."
Primp's second favorite clown put the mask back on, she stretched a bit. Her head looked up as a result.
"HEY!"
"Huh?" Arle looked down the alleyway to see the mask. "Oh! Hi, Silvana. Eheh."
*Snap* "How much did you see, Arly!?" 'Yuck, I just called her Arly… I feel wrong again'
"See what?" Silvana bought it.
"What are you doing on the roof? What good possible reason are you on the roof?"
"To search for you in a large crowd." Arle pulled out the letter. "PoHost Bird forgot the sent this letter. Here it comes!" Arle dropped it, Silvana caught it. It's from Lemres. "You could've just left it at my home!" Arle shrugged in response and ran off. "Am I this dumb?" Silvana's mind wanted to be like Arle. So she hoped both yes and no.
"AND DON'T THINK I'VE FORGIVEN YOU FOR THAT MIND BLAST!"
"…sorry…!"
Howdy Silvana,
Akuma has brought it to my attention. (He didn't wanna tell you in his own words.) He yelled at me I was wrong.
He gave me additional info, and I read up too. Turns the common knowledge is wrong. Essence doesn't hold a personality. The personality for an essence holder is something different magical thing going on in your head. This is surprisingly obscure. But to be fair. Studying living organic essences holders is considered immoral without consent, and they rarely volunteer. I had trouble myself. Not much study is done about it.
Most of my initial research was with whatever I could dig up. There aren't many Amethyst essence based creatures in the world, you see. And less Doppelg You know this. I'm even sure why bothered to write that down.
My research was based on that you seemed more Amitie-like after Vibitia perished. It hadn't occurred to me that Amitie's infectious cheeriness had just… rubbed off on you. Or you're mixing up your casual and circus personas and that's what I misinterpreted. There's little barrier in-between.
Not saying it hadn't any effect on you. You may've gained some minor facial features, gotten physically younger, or maybe just some energy. Who knows? (Personally, I can't see a difference between your face and Arle's, and you both only have little resemblance to Amitie.)
Anything else you've believed the last several days have been a placebo. I'm sorry. (Your bisexuality might just be a defect of yours like you originally thought. Or maybe Arle doesn't know yet. Best not to worry about that.)
In short: Anything Amitie is all in your head. You've become your mask is all.
How about I treat you to a fancy dinner as an apology? I'll even throw in a free trip to Puyo Puyo Spa. I'm just as embarrassed as you're emotionally confused right now. I've included a Lolli in the envelope. It's my treat. I'll make some authentic Bon Bons for you too.
My bad :(
Still figuring out what to do. Seeking qualified assistants Feli lets me be around.
Apologies, Lemres.
Sil carelessly threw the letter to the ground. She *plumped* face first in bed with her entire weight. Arms bounced within arms reach. Sil agitatingly, but passionately hugged him to make up for the day without.
"What kinda person spends a week explaining she's crazy with justifiable reasons feeling awkward all the way. And spends the next explaining she's just crazy feeling awkward all the way?" "What's that, Pierrot?" "A fool who makes a big deal out of nothing. Arle doesn't deal with this! UUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!" *Sucks on Lolli*
Author's Notes:
I've had the urge to hit something, hurt myself or scream at seemingly random moments. Felt like I could break Nintendo controllers with just my hands at any moment… So I kinda wanna pretend the last chapter didn't happen for undisclosed reasons. But I still wanna roll with it anyway… While it making sense for Sil. While kinda emotional stress and a cavity.
It was supposed to elaborate on it. But, now it also serves as a retraction too. Sil was gonna embrace it less now.
I feel sorry and retracting it won't make it better, while I know better. It sucks. It'll still be important though. I was always unsure of what people think of the last chapter.
I felt like I ruined everything… Ruined something I actually was proud of. I felt like I made 'The Principal and the Pauper', or 'Prince of Persia: The Warrior Within'. I wanted to wait until I felt better. I wrote this to get some peace of mind hopefully sooner than later.
Not even my new favorite thing ever, Raffine in a fedora, sunglasses, and trenchcoat cheered me up.
Luckily, once I came up with this. And I felt a lot better with this, I could have my cake and eat it too. I really do like this, and I'm not gonna backtrack on this. I don't like backtracking.
I dread 15 or so chapters from now…
LOOK! A BEAR ON TOP OF THE PAGE!
Next up: Amitie wants to go dungeon crawling.
