-1 Week Later, Gianni’s Next Performance-

Gianni has an extremely depressed expression as he steps on to stage with a cast on his left arm. Bumpkin and Goma-Chan are with him.

He looks to the audience to see Blanca watching with a blank emotionless expression.

He waves at her with his other arm.

Blanca doesn’t wave back.

Gianni’s mouth trembles as he begins his performance. He dances and performs with Bumpkin and Goma-Chan but he’s zoned out in his mind, talking to himself.

Gianni’s Inner Monologue: “Performance 101. Blanca showed up in the audience. I don't know if it’s cuz I’m a complete idiot but I truly believed that unlike the rest of the audience she would talk or at least shout something out to me like she always does… But just like the rest of them, she didn’t say a word and I still didn’t know why. Blanca was sitting right there in front of me with all the answers. She knows what’s outside. She knows what it's like now. She knows why the audience doesn’t speak. She knows why I’m trapped here in Circopia. She knows why Circopia even exists. She knows everything that I’ve wanted to know my entire life and yet… I can’t talk to her anymore…”

Gianni interrupts his performance half way. He stops dancing.

Bumpkin and Goma-Chan look at him worriedly.

Gianni turns to Blanca.

Gianni, speaks out loud: “Please… Say something to me…”

Blanca coldly watches him.

Gianni: “PLEASE EVEN IF IT’S JUST WITH YOUR EYES! SAY SOMETHING TO ME! BLANCA!!! WHAT’S OUT THERE!?”

Blanca doesn’t open her mouth.

The guards come in as Gianni starts tearing up again.

Guard: “Ok. Let’s go Gianni. You’re done for today. We’ll escort you.”

They hold him and drag him off stage.

Gianni’s Inner Monologue: “When I was being dragged off stage, she blankly stared at me and clapped. Precisely 8 times. It was the blandest, fakest clap I have ever heard in my life. Whatever it’s like outside, she must have already moved on to bigger and better things. Watching me perform must be such a bore to her now.”

-2 Weeks Later-

Gianni steps onto stage, still with his cast. It’s now signed by Bumpkin.

He glances up at the audience to see Blanca again.

Gianni’s Inner Monologue: “Performance 102. She showed up again with that blank expression but this time… She didn’t even have the nerve to clap 8 times! She gave me 5 claps.”

Gianni shouts out loud: “5!! REALLY!? IS THAT ALL I DESERVE!!? 5 CLAPS!!? BLANCA, 5 CLAPS, SERIOUSLY!?”

He stares up at Blanca. She keeps her emotionless face.

Gianni: “SAY SOMETHING!!!”

The guards come back and grab him.

Guard: “Alrighty, escort time Gianni, come on.”

-1 Year Later-

Gianni steps onto stage with a healthy arm now.

Gianni’s Internal Monologue: “Performance 155. I thought by now Blanca would stop showing up but she still came. Probably out of pity. It was always the same routine. I’d perform. No one would applaud. Blanca would clap a few times, except sometimes she wouldn’t even give me a single clap.”

Gianni screams at the top of his voice: “REALLY, BLANCA!? NO CLAP TODAY!? DON’T FEEL LIKE WASTING YOUR ENERGY CLAPPING FOR SUCH A BAD PERFORMANCE, HUH!?”

Blanca blankly gazes at him.

The guards start walking up from behind Gianni.

Gianni gives them ‘the hand’: “I WILL ESCORT MYSELF, THANK YOU!”

Guard: “Argh- right…”

-3 Years Later-

18 year old Gianni steps onto stage.

Gianni’s Internal Monologue: “Performance 347. A while back now, I noticed a pattern in Blanca’s clapping. She probably got so bored that she decided to designate how many times she wanted to clap each performance so she wouldn’t have to do it on the spot. She would clap 8 times first, then next time she’d clap 5, then 12, then 16, then she wouldn’t clap for one of my performances, then she’d clap 13 times next time, then 5 times and then she’d start the pattern from the beginning.”

Gianni angrily throws the juggling balls he’s holding on the ground.

Gianni shouts to her again: “Here’s a round of applause for you MISS BLANCA!!”

Gianni starts clapping at Blanca as she emotionlessly watches him.

Gianni aggressively clapping: “HOW’S THAT!? HUH!? YOU LIKE THAT!!? YOU LIKE THESE GENUINE CLAPS!? REAL NICE, RIGHT!!!?? OH WAIT! YOU DON’T GIVE A SHIT! TCH.”

The guards come in.

Guard: “Gianni-”

Gianni eyes them: “I SHALL ESCORT MYSELF GOOD SIR!!”

Guard: “Y-yes!”

-6 Years Later-

Gianni walks onto stage and glances at Blanca.

Gianni’s Internal Monologue: “Performance 615. Blanca and I are both 21 years old now. It’s been 6 years since she made it outside and she hasn’t skipped a single one of my performances. Her hair is much longer and neater than it used to be. Her… uh. Her chest seems to have grown too. I’m not mad at her anymore. Despite probably having had at least 10 ex boyfriends by now in the outside world, she still comes and watches all of my shows. Even if it’s out of pity, she hasn’t stopped watching me and I think that’s her way of telling me that I am doomed to live the rest of my days in Circopia, so she’ll make those days better for me by coming to all my performances. Until as they say… death splits us apart. Haha… I really am an idiot. We’ve already been split apart for 6 years now. Maybe it’s time I moved on too and built my own life, here in Circopia. Maybe a family?”

Gianni bows as he finishes a rabbit out the hat performance. No one applauds. He glances briefly at Blanca who still has her emotionless stare.

Guard: “Nice performance, Gianni. I kinda actually liked that one. Sad that you didn’t get any applause, as usual.”

Gianni: “Why thank you, guard. Now if you excuse me. I will be escorting myself.”

Guard bows: “But of course.”

-Later That Night-

Gianni gets home really tired and yawns as he takes off his hat.

He sees Goma-Chan asleep on a pile of costumes and Bumpkin writing on the white board with a red marker.

Gianni walks beside him: “You already scripting the next performance without me, Bumpkin? What are we doing this time? Ice Skating over knives?”

Bumpkin: “Eeeh…” /＼ ^-_-^ ／

Gianni glances at the white board and sees a bunch of numbers written on it.

Gianni: “A math performance?”

Bumpkin also points to the alphabet which he has drawn next to the numbers.

Gianni: “Are you trying to learn how to talk or something? It’s a little too late for that, you’re already getting pretty old for a bat.”

Bumpkin slaps Gianni.

/＼ ^˃ᆺ˂^ ／

Gianni: “IT’S TRUE! I WAS THINKING ABOUT WHERE TO BURY YOU THE OTHER DAY!”

Bumpkin points at the white board.

Gianni glances back at it: “Huh?”

Gianni confused: “These are… The amount of times Blanca claps each performance.”

Bumpkin throws the marker at Gianni.

Gianni catches it: “What are you-”

Bumpkin points at the alphabet: “EEEEH!!!”

/＼ ^o_o^ ／

Gianni’s pupils shrink: “…This whole time. I thought she was bored and pitying me. I shouted so many terrible things at her… BUT BLANCA’S BEEN COMMUNICATING WITH US THIS WHOLE TIME! OF COURSE! THE NUMBERS ARE LETTERS FROM THE ALPHABET! AND THE DAY SHE DIDN’T CLAP IS A SPACE!”

Bumpkin screeches confirming the theory: “EEEEH!!!”

/＼ ^･`ω･´^ ／

Gianni rushes to the white board and starts messily writing each letter, decoding Blanca’s clapping.

Gianni: “OK!!! LETS SEE!! 8TH LETTER OF THE ALPHABET! THEN THE 5TH… AND THIS… AND THAT… AAND… DONE!!”

Gianni backs off from the white board and drops the marker as his eyes widen.

Bumpkin looks in shock.

/＼^ꏿöꏿ^／

The marker rolls under the mirror with the flickering lights.

The white board…

It reads…

TO BE CONTINUED