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 too much on the matter.
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 an interaction with him 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 had decided he wouldn’t interact unless his words were delivered with an extra bite of aggression, yet still subtle enough to show she wasn’t worth his time.
Shaking off her thoughts, the jester made it to the common area to begin her usual routine. As usual, the rest of the cast lounged 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, sitting alone at the far end of the room. She tightened her chest. Despite how cruel he’d been, worry still built up inside of her.
They paused. Despite Pomni’s attempt to hide it, she felt Ragatha’s eyes follow her line of sight straight to him, “Is he still…?”
“Yeah…”
“Don’t let it get to you. He can be…a lot.” Her body quickly snaps, as if she caught herself in the act of speaking about him negatively, “But I’m sure he’ll go back to his old self in no time!”
But as they moved on, a wave of guilt washed over her. She’d spent so long brushing off Ragatha’s attempts at friendship, too overwhelmed by the ongoing chaotic circus life. Yet here she was, clinging to that same 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. Despite everything, Pomni appreciated her support. She gave her a small smile, taking a seat to join the others. It didn’t take long for Caine to make his usual dramatic entrance,
“WELL, GOOOOOOD 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 for 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. Once you collect all three, only then can you break the wizard’s magical barrier, use your abilities to partake in an epic battle, defeat the wizard, and then save the kingdom!
A series of golden trombones surrounded him, blaring, 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 been a little under a week since that mess. It seemed to her that all of Caine’s adventures since have been extra extravagant.
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! Being true to yourselves and each other!”
Oh!
Oh…
She involuntarily peered over to Jax, who, to her surprise, was smiling, “Oh wow, Pomni! Sentimental stuff. Sounds riiiight up your ally!” He added a bit of roughness to the last part but disguised it through his trademark toothy grin. In that case, nobody but Pomni could catch on.
Zooble, on the other hand, was not subtle with their distaste towards the adventure. They didn’t 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 began to exit.
“It’s okay, Zooble!” Kinger said, “I understand how out of place you may feel.”
That seemed to stop them at 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.”
Caine doesn’t have much of a reaction to their resistance. Pomni thought she heard him, irritably grumbling under his breath with an unusual amount of frustration.
Gangle, seemingly also noticing the tension, quickly broke the silence, “Um…I think I’m actually kind of excited for this one!”
All attention turned towards her, including Zooble’s. They didn’t turn completely, but subtly shifted their head, 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. She tried to ignore the way Jax’ eyes immediately trailed away from her direction, “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 went 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’s direction.
“Of course, people think it’s lame! People like your bestie, Zooble here.” Jax lazily pointed 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, 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. Their smile seemed genuine, which was ironic to Pomni, seeing as they have no 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 happiness 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 noting their unusual cooperation despite their attempts to act natural, “Zooble…are you sure? I-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 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 to them naturally - words that didn’t require second thought. It was certainly enough for Gangle’s entire form to light up, her ribbon hands twiddling under her chin with excitement.
Pomni watched the unlikely duo. 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 someone that much.
The two smiled at each other in silence, an evident warmth lingering in the air between them. A warmth that was immediately punctured by a certain pair of teeth suddenly popping up between them, “MMMMMARVELOUS!”
Both, so lost in each other’s stares, yelped in shock. They 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 didn’t 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 wasn’t the only one in panic. But to her surprise, it was Zooble who looked the most startled, clutching 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.