Raffine was angry. She had a date two nights ago and she was stood up! This is the third time in a row with this guy. Nobody stands Raffina Fielding up! He should consider himself to be lucky that Raffine let him get away with it twice already! Most don't even get a third chance. Tarutaru wouldn't do this to her! Klug wouldn't do this to her! She had to dump him before he could dump her.
She stomped towards the circus to confront the scoundrel. "Why did he have to be one of Silvana's slaves?"
On her way to the tent, she caught Sig getting out of Sil's caravan. Getting a good look on the lipstick marks on his cheek and hidden everywhere else. "Hi." He greeted in his usual neutral tone.
Raffine's blood was warming up. She shunned Sig, with a mighty head turn and a "HMPH!".
"Bye." The cyan-haired clown lover said. As he went to Arle to thank her.
Raffine gave a backhanded wave back. 'Damn that clown! She takes her time and gets the right prince on her first attempt. Looking like that! Well. Sig did sell his soul to the Ocean Brat without a second thought… I might give that boy too much credit sometimes. Maybe he sold his literal soul too.'
Chapter 58: Silvana, Protective Sister
"...not to mention you're weak! You can't beat me in a fight. I dating a strongarm like you was a waste of my time abilities! Not only are you too slow in combat but also with literally everything else." Raffine yelled out in public (but not so hard that everyone heard them) in the tent to her ex-date.
"B-But I…"
"No buts! You're no gentleman. You stood me up! You're more trouble than you're worth. You lack etiquette. You're insufficient in combat. I already mentioned how slow you are and, frankly, and most disgusting of all, with all your finely toned muscle you can't even put it to gooduse. Taught me a lesson about dating circus peasants. You fight like a wallflower!" She took the time to strike a subtle dominant pose. Raising a shoulder and one side of her hips, pursing her lips while one-eyed closed. She felt great.
"F-Fight like a wallflower?"
"Actually, that's not going far enough. You're the circus' strong man and its greatest martial artist and you can't keep up with moi? Oh, La-ti-da! You fight like a girl."
"What?!" Raffine crippled the boy's heart that day. "But you fight like a girl…"
Raffine tutted at him with a wagged finger. "Little girls lack technique and grace. I am a lady, and I fight as one. You lack technique and grace, and you fight like a girl. And a weak one at that!"
He started sobbing. "Please! I was occupied. Gimme another chance."
Raffine shunned him by turning her back on him. "Look. If I wanted to date a girl. I'd date a girl. In fact…" She had an idea. She wanted to spite this guy right here right now. And her hasty plan involves to date the nearest girl with a same-sex attraction or just bribe one who doesn't. 'I'm really gonna experiment now, huh?' She bit her thumb. 'I'll cross that bridge when it comes.'
Now! There are a few girls around her age that worked in the circus. But there's only one real choice here. Raffine's guilty pleasure of a human:
"Amitie?!"
"Hey, Raf!" She popped up as Pierrot. Making Raffine wanna reconsider her life choices. "Heya. Are you okay?" She addressed the sobbing strongarm.
"Nevermind him. Remember that I said I was straight?"
"Dozens."
"Well… I wanna put it to the test. Amite." Raffine lifted up the ugly mask and unhooded the girl and held the back of Amitie's hands and pushed them together.
Amitie was kinda flustered. "Wow. What's this?"
Raffine was in flirt mode, complete with posture and tone of voice. "Will you be my steady date?"
Amitie's face went red. She tried to open her mouth but nothing came out as she's completely flabbergasted. The prettiest girl in class, possibly the whole town. The one with impossible standards, the one who critiqued her clothes and her circus life choices without a filter. The one who held a record-breaking grudge against her for the longest time. The one was off-limits to her. Wanted to date her…
"Amitie?"
"W~I~C~K~E~D~"
"Amitie?" *finger snap x2* "Heeelloooo?"
"Get for really real. Raffine~? Woooooow."
"AMITIE!"
"Whoa, whu?" The lady had snapped her classmate out of the disbelief. "Suh-Sorry. I thought I heard something, eheheh."
Raffine rolled her eyes
"Be my steady, you dolt."
"Wait… YOU ACTUALLY SAID THAT?!"
"Not so loud."
"And you're f'real?!"
"Yes." *Nod*
Amitie's heart melted. "Finally~" As in Finally, someone to love romantically! She hugged and muzzled her stylish friend who found it a bit awkward. But she got the reaction she wanted out of the strong arm. "Oh, La-Ti-Da." 'And to cut the rope…'
Amitie was quite surprised at that she was kissed on the lips by Raffine. Entranced, really. Raffine was surprised as well. It's amazing what spite can do to a person.
"H-How could you do this to me, Raffine?"
"Because you're useless. And Amitie will at least try to make up for being late, and probably can gracefully dodge a kick in a stylish manner by now."
"Let's try it!" Amitie suggested. Raffine's raised an eyebrow.
"Alright. Three. Two. ONE!"
*Dodge.* "Ta-daaaa~" Amitie said with a wink.
"Impressive" Raffine genuinely praised. It was a quick kick, despite it being telegraphed. "See? She's a way better choice than you."
"Tee hee. The circus and ballet pays off~"
"But she's a "circus peasant" as well!"
He got Raffine there. She can't be outed as a hypocrite, now can she? Luckily she's ever so sly. "And that's where you're wrong. Amitie isn't some circus peasant. She's Silvana Pierrot's sister. She's circus royalty."
Amitie's mouth was agape. "Sooo… I'm your princess, Raffi?"
"Uuumm." She bit her lip.
"Eeeeeeee~" Amitie squeaked. He hugged Raffine some more. "I didn't know you cared. Let alone this much~"
'I made a huge mistake.'
"I love you too~"
The teenage strong arm went to the changing room to be alone.
"Gee. I hope he's okay." Amitie said, breaking away from the pinkhead's spell for a moment.
"He'll live." Raffine couldn't care less. Now to maintain this relation for a week. That should be enough for him to get over me, right?
"So wanna go to my parents' spaghetti restaurant? They'd be happy to hear good news~"
Raffine's lips wrinkled. If she's put on the arena with Mr. Amitie's Dad she'd sooner ring her herself out.
"Today? Eh… Alright…? But perhaps someplace else. N-Not in the mood for spaghetti."
"Wicked!" Amitie jumped up and down in pure joy. "So where will we have dinner, girlfriend?"
Raffine eyed Amitie. "First off I can't be seen dating a fool, Amitie. For the love of all things sacred please change into something elegant."
"Sure. Hey, can I ask my Sis if I can they the rest of the day off?"
"If you must."
"Okido~ Please wait here. I think she's at home. See ya later, Raffigator!" Amitie ran off.
"Raffigator?" She said out of her ear shot…
…
"****. This will damage my reputation. I made a huge mistake." She scolded herself.
"I'll say." A familiar deep masked female voice said. It startled Raffine a bit but she quickly regained her dignified composure. Pierrot stopped hiding behind a curtain. Her mask wasn't on 'emote'. But it was clear as day she was holdingi some serious fury. "You know, Feenie. Our hate wasn't mutual until today. You digust me, Fielding." She said arms crossed, floating towards her.
"Hmph."
"I mean it, you're awful. Poor Amitie thinks she's in for a relationship like mine and Sig's. Where we both like each other very much. And she got you." She started slowly circling around her.
Raffine kept silent. She had an aura about that said. You're not scary and I don't have to explain myself.
"I know your game, Fielding… We read the same book."
Raffine gasped. "Who told you I read: 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!?"
Pierrot cracked up a little. "Fufufu. Seriously? I was bluffing. Oh my~" Raffine was embarrassed. Pierrot cleared her throat. "And you mess up tip 32. You don't make a guy jealous by promising another guy (Amitie in this case) who you do not have interest in way too much."
"Hmph. You don't know. Maybe I like girls too." She crossed her arms.
Even though she couldn't see, she could feel the deadpan glare from behind the mask. "You're a ruler, Feenie."
"What's that supposed to mean? Sounds more like a compliment than anything else. And what do you care? She's not your real sister anyway, orphan."
Like the strong arm before her, Pierrot was hurt. "Ammy's real to me!" She yelled. "And she will have the best! She already lost the chance to get with me and/or Sig. She was so disappointed… She deserves the best and you will treat her the best until you inevitably break up."
"I don't need your permission."
"I don't need your permission. That's how you sound. Look, I won't stop you, cause I won't be able to stop Ammy. But I am asking you to be very, very nice to her! And when you wanna break up (and I'm willing to bet all my personal riches you two will) you will do it in a way she won't be a broken, crying mess after you're done with her. Understood? Desecelate her first."
"You'd really think I'd do that to Amitie? I'm hurt. And what if I don't comply?"
"Well for that unforgivable crime against her…" The jester placed her hands on her mask. Raffine was put a bit off by it. Pierrot shifted her mask a bit to Raffine's left so she could actually see a bit of her face.
But before she could get a good look, her surroundings became a swirling dark purple vortex all she saw. Beside that were two red, glowing eyes. It was quiet for a full minute. Raffine tried to run away from it all. But it didn't do anything. "What kinda sorcery is this?! Help!"
"Break Ammy's heart, and pay the price." Silvana's voice echoed.
It all disappeared. The vortex, the eyes, Pierrot. And Raffine was back at the Circus.
"Raffi!"
"AHHHH!"
"Huh? Did something happen?"
"N-NO! H-Hello, A-Amitie."
"You sure?"
"YES!"
"…If you say so… I couldn't find Sil."
"I came across her… Sh-She gave her blessing for y-you to l-leave, m-more or less."
"Wicked! Isn't my Sister awesome?"
"Mmmmmmm."
"Come, Milady Fielding. Let us have some quality time, together, shall we?"
"Uh… Why yes, Milady Rose."
"I go by 'Pier'rose now~"
"I'm not calling you that."
Amitie held Raffine's hand as she skipped out of the tent with her girlfriend.
So far this day had been a mixed bag for Sil. She had to console her strong arm, raising his morale saying things like "You wouldn't wanna date her anyway. She has freckles." to cheer him up (Some extra cash for him and his grandma helped too). Sig left to see Arle instead of spending more time with her. This sudden unexplained pain on her chest. And being a good sister where she had to scare Raffine, while all she really was planning to do were a few humiliating pranks like placing a live crab on her seat or something.
Despite all that. The dance was still amazing. She still felt refreshed. Satisfied. Even with everything else that tried to sour it.
The satisfaction still stayed with Silvana after last night's dance.
She's taking her training break from cleaning the Circus to look behind her unbuttoned shirt in the mirror.
"Since when are zits light-blue and glowy?"
Author's Notes:
To answer your questions last chapter. Mostly yes. Mostly no. Mostly I want spaghetti. But I'll tell you this. The answer is partially in the title. And Arle and Sil are okay.
Also, guess who learned he got an infection/virus and needs tons of painkillers the day after I uploaded the chapter where Arle needed a ton? I needed 11 or so a day (I'm okay now). And I wasn't out of it.
Next up: Arle has new concerns about Sil's influence on Sig and Amite.
