Chapter Text
Deep sea scuba diving…into a kraken nest.
A long day working at a farmland…that’s invested with UFOs
A shopping spree at the local mall…featuring a zombie invasion twist?
Caine was certainly not holding back with the creativity ever since the gun game.
Pomni dragged her feet across the vibrant red carpet of the circus halls, feeling a mix of symptoms that accumulated from the last handful of misadventures. Were her dragging feet a habit picked up from the zombie invasion adventure? Or something she picked up on from simply living life in the circus? She decided it was best not to ponder the matter too much.
She was suddenly aware of whose bedroom door she was about to pass. Despite the subconscious effort to increase her pace, her eyes still found their way to the character portrait that hung over the door. The picture of the purple bunny rabbit’s eyes loomed down at her tauntingly, as if aware of her discomfort and not standing down from the eye contact.
Staring at that portrait was perhaps the closest thing she’d had to a real interaction with Jax all week. After the gun adventure, the bunny had gone out of his way to prove he meant what he’d said: he didn’t care about her, and they had never been friends.
At first, he’d kept his distance, not sparing her a glance. Then came the cruelty, making her the primary target of his usual antics. And now, the current phase: indifference. He chose not to interact unless his words carried an extra bite of aggression, yet were still subtle enough to show she was not worth his time.
Shaking off her thoughts, the jester made it to the common area to begin the usual morning routine. As expected, the rest of the cast were already lounging on the couches.
"Oh! Good morning, Pomni!” a warm voice chimed from behind her. “I hope you slept well after the whole being a zombie thing. Gosh, I still feel so undead.” Ragatha added, a slight shiver creeping into her voice at the memory.
“Yeah…same here,” Pomni replied quietly. Yet her attention was already drifting. Her gaze slipped toward Jax. He was sitting alone at the far end of the room, alone and not interacting with anyone. It was probably a relief to those around him. but the sight brought a tight pull to Pomni's chest. He had been cruel, but she still worried for him.
Despite Pomni’s attempt to hide it, she felt Ragatha’s eyes follow her line of sight straight to him, “Is he still…?”
“Yep...”
“Don’t let it get to you. He can be…a lot.” Her body quickly snapped, catching herself speaking too negatively for her standards, “But I’m sure he’ll bounce back soon...for the better."
As much as Pomni appreciated the support, a wave of guilt washed over her. She’d spent so long brushing off Ragatha’s attempts at friendship. It was never intentional; she was simply too overwhelmed by the ongoing chaotic circus life. Yet here she was, clinging to that warmth after losing that comfort from someone else. She still missed that brief friendship, even if he tried to insist it was never real. It felt selfish, even if Ragatha didn’t seem to mind.
She offered a faint smile and nodded silently. It seemed to do the trick. The simple gesture made the ragdoll's posture light up, just slightly.
Just as the pair were about to choose their seats, Caine had begun his usual dramatic entrance,
“Goooooood morning, my charming carnations! Boy, do I have another action-filled adventure planned for you! Let me tell you, I really outdid myself today! I know you’ve all been dying for more excitement!”
Ragatha raised a hand, as if asking for permission to speak, “Uh, are you sure that’s what we need?”
“I PRESENT TO YOU….”
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ A MARVELOUS MEDIEVAL MISSION! ⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚
“In a distant magical kingdom, the village is preparing a festival to celebrate the great dragon migration, one of the most spectacular events of the century. But, what’s this? A dark presence has taken over the outskirts of the kingdom! The Dark Wizard, an ancient evil that has been dormant for thousands of years, has returned! His dark castle looms over the mountains as we speak! Who knows what evillllll he has planned!
It is up to a group of the kingdom’s most noble heroes to embark on a remarkable journey and complete three trials, each phase proving a true trait of a hero! Collect magical amulets after each trial. Only after you collect all three can you break the wizard’s magical barrier and partake in an epic battle against the wizard! It is up to you to save the kingdom!
A series of blaring trombones surrounded him, followed by a large wall of medieval-themed text that showcased the adventure title once more. He posed dramatically, only to be met with a long silence.
Bubble suddenly appeared, phasing through the floor as he floated up to Caine’s level. He opened his mouth widely, letting out the sound of cartoon-like cricket noises.
Pomni could already feel her stomach twist. Why did Caine continue to insist on such a lore-heavy adventure after the absolute mental whirlpool the guns were? It had only been a little under a week since that mess. Yet all of Caine's adventures have been extra extravagant ever since.
After the brief streak of suggestion-based stories, it seemed he was trying to prove a point: That his original ideas can be just as enjoyable as theirs. The more outrageous, the better.
Pomni tried to look at it with a somewhat positive outlook: At least he wasn’t baiting them with another mundane, everyday task turned into a life-or-death situation. He was straight to the point this time around: Dragons and evil dark wizards. No beating around the bush this time.
Great!
“Caine, can’t we take it easy today? Maybe something quiet like a library or a café? I don’t know if I can handle another high-stakes adventure right now…”
“WELLLL, I noticed some tension amongst our circus after the recent bullet-ridden fiasco. It seems that’s what happens when you let unskilled storytellers, unlike myself, take charge.” He paused, waiting for reassurance, but was met with another loud silence, “Soooo, I figured this one would remind my lovely lavenders of what’s important! That is, being true to yourselves and each other!”
Oh!
Oh…
She involuntarily peered over to Jax, who, to her surprise, was smiling right at her, “Oh wow, Pomni! Sentimental stuff. Sounds riiiight up your alley!” He added a bit of roughness to the last part but disguised it through his trademark toothy grin. That ensured nobody but Pomni could catch on.
Zooble, on the other hand, was not subtle with their distaste towards the adventure. They did not hold back from aggressively turning away from Caine with a sigh, “Nope. That sounds like a nightmare coming from you. See you all in a couple hours,” they grumbled, sarcastically waving a hand in the air as they departed.
“It’s okay, Zooble!” Kinger said, “I understand how out of place you may feel.”
That seemed to stop them in their tracks. They slowly turned towards the chess piece, squinting and looking mildly peeved, “I…what?”
“Think about it; A medieval-themed adventure is clearly not a good fit for a king like me. I’m going to stick out like a sore thumb! You know that they say...”
“What do they say, Kinger?”
“I don’t know! I never said that I know what they say. That’s why I figured you would know! You know what they say about that!” He shrugged.
“Right...Anyways, I’m out of here.”
This time, Caine shows little reaction to their resistance. Instead, Pomni thought she heard him, irritably grumbling under his breath with an unusual amount of frustration.
Gangle, who had been quietly doodling in her notebook, seemed to notice the tension too. Her ribbon fidgeted with the sketchbook’s edge, but then quickly perked up, “Um…I think I’m actually kind of excited for this one!” she offered, her voice small but hopeful as she glanced up.
All attention turned towards her, including Zooble’s. They did not turn completely, but subtly shifted their head. It was as if her words pulled them back in.
“My town used to have a renaissance fair every year…It was huge, one of the biggest events of the year, actually! I mean, I think it was I…never really got around to going…” She sheepishly ran a ribbon hand behind her mask.
Pomni took a seat next to her, “Really? Why not? That seems like your exact kind of thing.”
“Well, turns out it was only my thing. I didn’t really have anybody to go with, and anyone I could have gone with thought…it was really lame.” She sank behind her sketchbook.
There was a brief silence, making Gangle sadly sink even deeper into her seat, clearly uncomfortable with the collective pity. Ever since the Tommy Gun incident, the ribbon avatar had been experimenting with her potential with her tragedy mask. She had even gone far enough to nose-dive into the last adventure without even putting on her comedy mask to begin with. But she still kept it close, just in case she needed the comfort. It lay next to her on the couch, and she gently reached for it before stopping herself.
Thankfully, Ragatha was the first to respond, “Aww, Gangle! I’m sure nobody actually thinks that-oof!”
Her once warm smile was suddenly obstructed by a rogue couch cushion that hurdled towards her face. It conveniently came from Jax’ direction.
“Of course, people think it’s lame! People like your bestie, Zooble here.” Jax snickered, lazily pointing a thumb at them. His wide yellow grin stretched further across his face when they swiftly twisted backwards, countering their previous subtle glance.
“What’s wrong, Zoo-Zoo? Were you not just whining about how lame you think today’s adventure is going to be? Go on and tell ribbons here what you really think.”
“That’s completely different! I wasn’t-” They threw their arms into the air, but their frustration instantly flushed away when they met Gangle’s gaze, shyly peaking between the spirals of her notebook.
Under that meek look, there was a light spark of hope - a look that only increased when their eyes met. That alone erased any anger triggered by Jax. Instead, their gaze softened with sympathy, “You’ve…really never been to one of those fairs?”
She shook her head.
They shut their eyes and drew a breath, quiet enough for Gangle not to hear yet deep enough to put themselves at ease. When they returned their gaze at her, any signs of potential resistance disappeared. Even without a mouth, the warm look in their eyes said enough, “You know what? Maybe tagging along one time won’t be that bad.”
Gangle dropped the notebook away from her face with a tiny gasp. A small spark of joy lit up in her eyes, but she quickly glanced back at Zooble before she could express her excitement any further. It was almost as if she was silently checking up on them, instantly questioning their sudden cooperation, “Zooble…are you sure? I mean, I’d love for you to come, but…you really don’t have to if you don’t want to…”
“Hey, it’s okay, really.” They laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, “I didn’t know this would mean so much to you. Besides, it can’t be that miserable if you’re having a good time. It’s been really nice spending time with you lately.”
While their words were sweet, Zooble didn’t shy away from their usual casual tone. It was as if admitting to such kindness came naturally to them. To them, they were words that didn’t require second thought. It was certainly enough for Gangle’s entire form to light up. Her ribbon hands twiddled under her chin with both excitement and flattery.
Pomni watched the unlikely duo. Come to think of it, were they really that unlikely? She felt that she knew close to nothing about Zooble other than their sarcastic nature and unwillingness to do just about anything Caine asked. But in the blink of an eye, they were suddenly joined at the hip with Gangle, completely inseparable. Clearly, there was something beyond Zooble’s stoic walls, a softer side. It seemed to be working on Gangle like a spell.
She found her gaze shifting to the floor with a melancholy expression. It must be nice to trust somebody that much.
As the two smiled at each other in silence, an evident warmth lingered in the air between them. That warmth was immediately punctured by a certain pair of teeth suddenly popping up between them,
“MMMMMARVELOUS!”
Having been so lost in each other's stares, they both yelped in shock. Gangle and Zooble jolted away from the ringmaster in opposite directions, each falling pathetically to the floor. Caine swooped down to offer a hand to help Zooble off the floor. He did not pay any attention to their sneer or the way they curved away like his touch was poison.
“Zooble! Are my non-existent ears playing tricks on me? Or are you willingly joining in on one of my original adventures? I knew this day would come! I knew you’d eventually let those insufferable, impenetrable walls down!”
That comment made Zooble’s antennas twitch; a single interaction with Caine seemed to make them already regret their choice, “Don’t push it…”
“That reminds me, I got so used to your stubbornness that I didn’t even include you in today’s plot! But fear not! A truly talented storytelling genius, such as I, can. always. improvise. Please hold while I make some minor adjustments to the map.”
Before Zooble could strike him back with what Pomni assumed was a snarky comment, Caine held a single finger up to their face in anticipation. On cue, the entire circus erupted in a mess of pixelated chaos.
Pomni leaped off the couch, just barely missing an aggressive spike of glitches from where she once sat.
The mess immediately sent her into a panic. There was no “getting used to” the circus, per se, but it had been too long since her experience reached that level of uncanny. She searched the room, seeking some comfort or validation that she was not the only one in panic. But to her surprise, it was Zooble who looked the most startled. They clutched onto the armrests on the couch from where they lay on the floor with intensity as if their life depended on it.
Ding! It ended as quickly as it started. Somehow, the sudden stillness felt louder than the chaos that had just unfolded.
Caine froze for a beat before launching himself into the air, twirling with excitement like nothing had happened, “aaaand, we’re done!”
“Uh…that’s new…” Ragatha whimpered. She slowly lifted herself from the ground, holding the ends of her dress with grace, “Should we be worried about that or…”
Caine sank back to eye level, “Woo-wee! That-uh...took a lot...more processing power than I expected…Anyways, no-I-won’t-be-answering-any-more-questions-BYE”
Zooble was the next to get on their feet, jumping up with urgency, “WHAT?! Do you seriously expect us to move on from all that like nothing happ-”
“Yes! Now, go away!”
As much as Pomni would have loved to agree that the incident was something they should certainly not ignore, the (too familiar) feeling of the floor disappearing below her immediately snapped her back to reality.
A fresh new portal opened beneath them, revealing a distant landscape of mountains, forests, and valleys. In typical circus fashion, the gang stood mid-air for a few beats before a large, gloved hand spawned above them, roughly shoving them down the map.
Fighting an evil dark wizard in an enchanted kingdom.
Of course.