Chapter Text
To Jes's contentment, the all company's building was back to normal. All her colleagues have their face back and was smiling, talking to each other or deeply focused on their computers like nothing ever happened. The only thing that didn't came back to normal was Jes herself. She could see it by her four fingers hand and her size. That and the fact that none of her colleagues seems to see her. Thanks God. She didn't wanted them to see her like that.
She sigh, turning her head towards the flying denture creature who have, thankfully, let her go to talk to her.
-”So! How's your life?” He start. “You're working here? That's a nice place, but isn't it a bit boring?”
-”Huuuh... It's fine by me, I guess.”
-”Well good for you! How's Selena?”
-”Wha- How do you know about my mom?!”
-”Because you used to talk to me about her everyday, silly goose!”
-”I DON'T EVEN KNOW YOU!!”
The denture step back a little, figuratively speaking since he was floating in the air. He seems a bit hurted by Jes yelling at him. But she didn't take it back.
-”Let me ask questions!” She started, pointing at him. “What the hell happened! What was all of this?! Why Darcy was a fucking big ass larva monster?!”
-”Well first of all, language.”He said with a deeper voice, making Jes glups, but he soon regain his happy attitude. “Secondly, what happened was an Ennui Event.”
-”Some of you said that word, 'Ennui'. But what is it?”
-”It's the manifestation of someone's problems. It was so strong that it took a form and trap its owner inside of itself.”
-”So... that thing we saw was Darcy's problems?”
-”Precisely!”
Jes frown. She didn't know that Darcy was in trouble, but to the point of... this?...
-”Fortunately, you, the Guardians, was able to defeat the Ennui and I, the Master, was able to cure the human behind it. Everything went a-okay!... Kinda.”
-”But I'm not a Guardian. I have nothing to do with this!”
-”Of course you are! Admittedly, your powers woke up a bit late and you haven't used them yet, but I'm glad you're once again in the team. It's so good to see you again, Pomni!!”
-”What are you talking about? It's the first time I saw you.”
-”Ah la la... Newbies...” Jax sigh behind them.
-”Well technically, we already saw eachother last Friday, remember?”
-”Huh?”
-”Bubble?”
It suddently click in her mind. Of course she know that voice, it's...
-”You're the toy shop owner!!” She yelled, shocked.
-”Yep! It's me! My name is Caine, but you already know that!”
-”Huuuuh...”
-”But don't you remember before? When you use to came to my Circus?”
-”Circus?”
-”Yeah! Last time I saw you, we were celebrating your eighth birthday! But you have to go away with your mother and we never seen you after that. We were so, so very sad.”
Jes frown, unsure of what he was talking about.
-”Oh! Maybe this would clear up your memory.”
He pull out of his pocket an item that Jes recognize immediately : it's the rubber ball she eventually lost in her fall into the Void. The one he give her last Friday. The one who make her remember her eighth... birthday...
She stop on her tracks and stop to breath, trying to think straight. It was impossible. All of this was in her imagination, it has to be her imagination! Nothing of this ever happened, she created that. The rubber ball fall from her hands and she look back at Caine as he grab the toy.
-”I've... created you...”
-”Ha ha, they all say that once adult.” Caine comment while nudging Jax who was also smiling.
-”The Circus doesn't exist...”
-”Of course it is! I still leading it!”
-”No, no, all of this... Nothing of this was real. Nothing is! I'm still in bed! I'm dreaming and I'm going to wake up soon!”
Caine sigh, staring at her with empathy. But before he could contradict her words, he heard something far away.
-”Do you heard that?” He ask.
One of Jax's ear rise higher to hear while Jes was too disturbed to pay attention. With some concentration, they could both hear... Gangle! She was near! But she was also... laughing?
-”Well that's weird.” Jax comment.
-”She seems to be alright.” Caine conclude. “Let's go find her.”
Both of them start walking towards the laughters while Jes was just... standing there. Her expression was the one of pure shock and incomprehension. She couldn't understand what happened and what's going on, but... it's kinda progressing somewhere since she followed the flow. She should keep following it, maybe she will wake up.
She walk where Caine and Jax went, follow them from afar as they all going towards the storage's door. Jax open the door, who lead to the storage room like it was supposed to, and they see inside of the room the dark monster, holding Gangle by the foot with its tongue while it was tickling her sides with both its hands. She was laughing, drooling, twitching and desperately trying to keep the giant hands far from her but in vain.
-”Hahahaha-STOP!!AH!! I'm- Hahaha! I can't! BREATH!! HAHAHAHAH!!”
-”Well they seems to have fun, but time to stop all that.”
When he finish his sentence, Caine snap his fingers and a bubble is created around the dark monster, letting Gangle go as she fall on her face. The creature seems shocked to be trapped and start patter angrily against the bubble, but it was solid enough to not break. A black hole make its apparition under it and the bubble slowly go down the hole with the monster still inside.
-”In the cellar you go.” Caine said with an unidentifiable tone.
The hole close. Jax, after staring at where the hole was for a few seconds, walk nonchalantly towards Gangle, followed by Jes who was unsure of what to do. The ribbon stand up in a sitting position, head down.
-”You're good, Ribbon?” Jax ask, his arms crossed.
Gangle doesn't respond, instead she start... crying.
-”Oh come on! You think it's time to do that, Crybaby?” He scold.
-”Why did you lied about Kaufmo?...” Ask Gangle between two cries.
Jax freeze.
-”Wha? You don't know if it was him-”
-”I know it was Kaufmo!! I could feel it, Jax!” She yelled at him, tears dripping down her face. “Why didn't you tell me!?”
She hide her face with her hands, weeping loudly. Jax just stare at her, his shoulders going lower, while Jes still doesn't understand what's going on or know what to do.
-”... he just wanted to see me smile...”
-”God, I hate your Gift...” Jax whisper.
-”Well! Time to help Ragatha!” Caine announce like nothing happened.
He turn around to leave the room before gasping when he saw Kinger and Zooble coming with Ragatha on the chesspiece's back. She was wincing in pain and was doing her best to hold on to Kinger's grasp while Zooble was holding her missing leg and her phone.
-”Dear god, what happened to you, Ragatha?!” Caine exclaim in pure shock.
Once again, he snap his fingers and suddently, a small tornado of confettis is created, gently picking up Ragatha and her leg. Slowly, the confettis fused with her skin and, like glue, stick back the leg together. She stood in the air a little while before softly going down and standing on her now two feet. Her balance was losing a little, but she quickly manage to keep it straight. Zooble quickly give her back her phone.
-”Aaaalllright! Everything is aaaaall clear!” Caine said.
Everyone just staring at him with differents expressions. Mostly tired, but also sad ones. And a confuse one from Jes.
-”Well! I'm hungry! Let's grab some chow.” Jax exclaim, the hands on his hips.
Suddently, Gangle start crying even harder, surprising some of them. Ragatha rush to her side, with a bit of difficulty, to comfort her, giving a angry looks towards Jax.
-”What? I didn't say anything!” He said, annoyed.
-”Yeah, I don't think it's time for a dinner party.” Zooble comment.
-”Well the newbie owe a dessert and I want it now.”
-”Wh- I don't owe you anything!” Jes yell in disbelief.
-”Oh you didn't heard me when I've saved your life. You owe me a dessert.”
-”Ragatha saved my life.”
-”But she wouldn't have done it without me.”
-”Why am I arguing...”
Jes turn towards Caine.
-”What now? Will I stay like this forever?” She ask, worringly.
-”Oh you have noooo ideas.” Jax said behind her.
-”Oh, you want to turn back into a human?” Caine ask. “Why so soon? We just saw eachother back again.”
-”Wha- I just want to go back to my life! All this just fell on me like a waterfall of problems and I still don't understand what's going on! All I want is just to go back to my desk, doing my job like I always do and finish my day! Is it too much to ask?!”
-”Ooh... Okay, Pomni. I guess we can see you another day.”
Caine snap his fingers and a white door appear in front of them. Jes look at it before looking back at the pair of denture.
-”This door will bring you back to the Real World and you will turn back into a human. If this is what you want.”
Without waiting, Jes approach the door and put a hand on the handle, but stop before doing anything. She turn around to see the others as they were all watching her. Jax having a bored expression, Zooble had a nonchalant one. Kinger and Ragatha wave at her happily while the latter is on Gangle's side who's still weeping. Caine just stare with anticipation.
Jes doesn't know why she look back, she shouldn't care about those... weird people. She turn the handle and pull the door.
-”Oh wait!”
Jes turn around and Caine approach her with an item in his hands.
-”You always forgot this.”
It was the rubber ball. Jes just stare at it for a little moment before taking the object and enter throught the door.
-”Oh Pomni, there you were.”
Jes turn around. The door disappeared. And Lynn was staring at her, holding a stack of paper.
-”I was looking for you everywhere!” She said.
-”Oh! Sorry, I was... I don't know.” Jes answer with honesty. “What do you need me for? Continuing the visit?”
-”What visit?”
-”Huh, the one for you? 'cause you're new here?”
-”What are you talking about? It's being a while I'm working here.”
-”Huh?”
-”Anyways! I think you should see Darcy in the test room. She looks... a bit sad today and since you know her more than I do, I was thinking...”
-”Oh... Oh! Yeah, I will speak to her!”
Lynn smile at her and leave to do the rest of her activities. Jes looks around her with a little expression of disbelief. Nothing seems to have changed. Her eyes fell on a calendar: we were the same day she had begin with. She turn around to see a clock and it seems that a few hours passed in... whatever she was in. Probably somekind of dreamlike state that could be scientifically explains. Really. She still holding the ball, she can feel it between her finger, but... there's no time to think about that. She's back in reality and Darcy was in trouble.
She make her long way towards the testing room, hoping secretly to not be in trouble herself for being daydreaming at the job. Kinda. When she arrived, she saw people already testing the headset and trying to find their surrondings. Jes look around the room and see Darcy, sitting in a corner, clearly thinking. She approach to her side, hoping to not scared her off.
-”Hey? Darcy?” She start.
-”Oh. Hi Pomni.”She answer, but nothing more.
-”That name again.” Jes whisper, a bit annoyed before taking her attention towards her colleague. “I've heard you wasn't okay recently. I wanted to check on you.”
-”Ah... Oh, it's nothing. My idea was rejected for the new project and I've being brainstorming on my own all day. But when I was about to found something... nothing.”
-”What do you means?”
-”It's like I was eating a sandwich and someone just make it spit out by force... Sorry for the metaphor, but it feels like that.”
-”That's a very... specific metaphor?”
-”I know right?”
Jes couldn't help but think about the battle between the Guardians and the Gloink Queen where the ribbons force the big larva to spit out Zooble's parts. She stop thinking about that when Darcy sigh.
-”Anyways... I need to find something before the end of the week. Otherwise, I'm cooked.”
-”I'm sure you will find something eventually. You were always good for this.”
-”Thanks you, Pomni... By the way. What's this... toy in your hand?”
Jes looks at the rubber ball, then back at Darcy.
-”Oh this? Is a thing a person give me for finding their dog.”
-”They give you the dog's toy?”
-”I think it's a bouncing ball... You know, I used to have the same one back when I was a kid.”
-”Oh really.”
-”Yeah... It was a weird part of my life, I think. I used to have a wiiiiide imagination. I was a lonely child so, back in the days, I used to imagine an all circus in my closet and when I went inside, I was thinking about me and imaginary friends doing circus acts in all forms or goes on little adventures made by the ringmaster. It was so funny... Sorry, I don't know why I'm telling you this.”
-”Sound like you had a happy time.”
-”It was fun, yeah.”
-”Mmmh... what about a circus...”
Darcy stand up, clearly deeply thinking before looking at Jes.
-”I think I'm getting something, Pomni. I just have to develop it.” She annonce with a serious look.
-”See? I knew you could found something in no time.” Jes said with a thumb up.
Darcy quickly pick up a notebook and start writing inside it before looking back at Jes and giving her a smile.
-”Thank you, Jes.”
-”Oh it was nothing!”
-”I think you should go back to your desk, it's near the end of the day... Oh and I'm sorry about saying that I will fire you. I'm not even able to do that.”
Jes is surprised : it's something her Ennui said. But before she could ask her how she knows about that, another artist interrupt the two to ask for Darcy's assistance. She say a last “see ya” to Jes and leave her alone in the room. Well, it's her clue to go back to her desk.
The path making her think about her last Friday where she did the exact same thing before going home. Walking down a corridor, going past the printing room, going throught the breaking room, seeing Kaufmo and his donuts... except that Kaufmo wasn't there today. Jes brush it off; he was probably at his desk.
But when she pass his office, she saw... another person at his desk. Someone she doesn't know. Confused, she decided, after a few seconds of thinking, to see what's going on.
-”Huh, excuse me?” Jes begin, a bit nervous to talk to a stranger.
-”Oh hi Pomni. What bring you here?” He said nonchalantly.
Jes glups. He knows her “name”.
-”Huuuh... Who are you?”
-”Wha? Huh, I'm John? I've being working as a developper here since 7 years? Are you okay?”
Jes frown. No, it's... Kaufmo who's being working here since 7 years as a developper. She knows that. What's going on?
-”Pomni?”
She didn't take attention, she was too busy looking at his desk. Everything that made Kaufmo's desk was gone. All his tinkets? Gone. His usual pack of candy for his break? Gone. His clown doll which she always found a bit creepy? Gone. Everything was... gone.
She turn around to walk away in pure disbelief. She doesn't understand why Kaufmo was suddently replaced by a complete stranger. Unless... this dark monster was really-
Her train of thought was interrupt by her own phone vibrating in her jacket. She stop to pull it out... and see that her phone was also replaced. Instead of the classic modern phone she used to have since the beginning of her twenties, she have a red toy-like flip-phone with a blue cercle on the front. She flip it with a trembling hands and see a message. From Ragatha.
“I'm sorry to bother so early, but Caine made me realise that you would probably need informations about all this. Wanna meet us this weekend?”
What the-?! How did she got her number?! Before she could do anything, Ragatha respond immediately.
“Oh yeah, I have your number because it's automaticaly had to our list. We have a special place for our discussions. You will see that soon enough.”
Okay? This is weird. But she thought all of this was just some kind of strange dreamlike state or something. It couldn't have happened...
“So... Are you okay for this Sunday?”
-”Pomni, are you okay?” Said John behind her.
She turned around to face him with a confused expression, near at the verge of tears and wanting some confort she knows she wouldn't have right away.
-”I... I don't know...” Pomni answer.