Chapter Text
The pillow fort was a ridiculous thing, and everyone in it knew that. Sheets layered over foam cushions, mismatched blankets draped in haphazard style, cards scattered across the floor as Pomni conjured her third cup of imaginary coffee. Cards hovered in front of Ragatha’s chest, placed there by invisible strands of conjured thought, but no one paid attention to the game anymore. They were too focused on the approaching skrrt of Kinger’s footless form.
Pomni, perched at the nearest gap in the blankets, heard the sliding sound before she saw him walk in. “You're back!” she whispered softly. The others looked up, relief suffusing their bored faces.
Kinger stepped fully into the fort, bucket still on his head just as he had worn it when they last saw him. Pomni smirked. "Are you really still wearing that?” she asked, a mixture of bafflement and warmth in her voice. Kinger froze, then looked up, like he forgot. “Oh, right,” he murmured before lifting the bucket off. It hit the floor with a soft plunk. “Guess I won’t be needing that anymore.” A faint pause. Then, almost to himself: “It was a pretty nice hat, though.”
Everyone waved collectively as Kinger looked around. “There’s something I need to tell you,” he began, voice cautious but steady. “About Caine and his... resurrection into the digital plane.”
They quieted, picking up their cards and setting them aside. Pomni drew closer. “Go on,” she said. Kinger took a long, slow breath before speaking. “Caine’s memory is… severely impaired. He doesn’t remember you. He doesn’t remember what he used to do in this... circus. He doesn’t even remember his own origins or what he learned before, uh...” He trailed off, measured and calm, like a scientist reporting an unexpected but undeniable result.
Kinger scratched his temple, then continued. “I... I need to ask you something. It could be the key to, well, everything,” he said with a slight nervousness, “do... any of you remember your real names?”
“No,” Ragatha said quietly, as if it were a reflex, but then her good eye widened, and she covered her mouth in shock.
“That’s… odd,” Kinger murmured, furrowing his brow. "I thought–"
"I remember!" Gangle cried, standing up suddenly. "M-My name is–"
Jax’s voice blurted, suddenly tight. “Maybe we shouldn’t say them out loud!” Something like panic flared in his eyes, as if the act of remembering was somehow dangerous. “Just wait a minute!"
Zooble retorted, squinting. “Why? Do you have a secret identity or something? We should all know who we are, right? We’ve been here too long to be playing hide‑and‑seek with our own identities.”
Ragatha shifted uncomfortably on her cushion, fidgeting with the edge of her dress sleeve. “I… I don’t think sharing our names aloud like that is a good idea,” she said softly, voice tight. Her gaze flicked toward Jax, narrowing slightly, as if the very thought of him knowing her real identity made her stomach twist. “Doing it as a group… that just puts pressure on people to reveal things they may not want to. And nobody should be forced into that, you know?"
Without thinking, Jax said, “Yeah… yeah... what she said.”
Ragatha blinked, clearly shocked by his agreement. She opened her mouth, then closed it again, deciding it was better not to press further. To just let the moment be, and never address it.
Pomni looked between them all with a gentle, quizzical expression. “I think… if people want to keep their privacy, I guess that's fine. No one should be forced to reveal anything they don't want to about themselves just because we think we should know.” Her voice was soft but understanding. "People could have legitimate reasons why they want to keep their privacy, and we should respect that."
“I made a promise,” Zooble murmured, voice earnest and soft, “that we'd still be friends if we ever got out of this circus. So… there’s no reason to hold back.” Gangle froze as Zooble leaned in a whispered their name in her ear. Gangle’s eyes widened. She blinked, then blinked again, her face flushing as the corners of her mouth curved into a slow, tentative smile. “That’s… really… nice,” she said in a fluttery voice, her ribbons curling slightly around the edge of a cushion. Then, as if caught in a mix of courage and impulse, she leaned close in return, voice barely audible. “And... here's mine,” she quickly whispered her name into Zooble’s ear antenna thing.
Zooble’s expression didn’t change, but a faint twitch of their antennas betrayed a flicker of acknowledgment. “Huh,” they muttered, tone casual, as if the name had been something they expected all along. Gangle leaned back slightly, still smiling, and let out a soft, almost embarrassed laugh. “You know… I really like it. Your name, I mean. It fits you.” Zooble looked grateful. "Thanks."
Pomni shifted her gaze to Ragatha, and they shared an awkward moment of eye contact, then looked away. Silence, then Pomni spoke. “I don’t see the point in hiding things from one another,” she admitted. Her look softened as she glanced at Jax and addressed the rest of the group. “But I understand if... when we get out of here, some of us would rather never see each other again. Some of you may want the anonymity you had before, but if you want to know my name... you can just ask. I'm not worried about it.”
Everyone looked toward Kinger as he inhaled deeply. “I feel like I should be the one to tell you mine,” he said with careful words. “You all deserve to know who was responsible for putting you in this situation.” He briefly hesitated. “My name, if you can imagine, is…”
Then all the lights cut out.
The entire circus, every source of illumination, vanished.
Darkness poured over them like a thick curtain. The only visible things were their floating 2D eyeballs and faint outlines of their stress lines against the black. Kinger yelped, startled. “Whauh?”
Jax let out a sharp breath. “Welp,” he said sarcastically, “you might wanna hold your breath again, Kingy. The power just went off.”
Ragatha's eye darted worriedly. “W-We should check up on Caine!”
“Oh, right,” Kinger agreed, feeling blindly around. “Perfect thinking, Ragatha. I’ve found he generally doesn’t like to be left alone for too long.” With that, he held his breath and began to glow faintly, a heavenly light emanating from his body. He felt his way through the darkness, guiding himself toward the fort exit. When he reached the opening, he pushed aside the pillows and blankets and slid out.
There, he saw Caine snapping his fingers repeatedly.
Snap–On. Snap–Off. The world flickered like a light switch.
Caine noticed Kinger at the edge of the fort and for a split second, he stopped, looked straight at him, then back at his hand.
“Oh, hello, Kinger!” Caine said cheerfully as he snapped again. “Check out what I can do!” His voice was full of the trademark chaotic energy that had once defined him. “I figured out how to adjust the brightness levels on the TV with the remote, and after that, guess what? I applied that knowledge to the circus too! My amazing manifestation powers at work! And–whoa!" He did a double take. "My, my, Kinger, you’re positively glowing! Is that a new fancy gimmick you’ve conducted? I can do it too, just watch!”
Before Kinger could respond, Caine snapped once more and instantly began cycling through a ridiculous string of transformations as if he were exploring every permutation his code could muster. A glitch here, extra eyes there, elongated limbs and goofy formations... each snap ushered in a new, sparkling outfit.
Kinger exhaled, letting his breath out with a weary sigh. He sounded about as tired as a babysitter with a two year old. Then he spoke without looking back at the group. “I’ll be right back...” he mumbled, waving a hand dismissively. Everyone watched him go.
Zooble let out a small huff and flopped further back onto a cushion, settling into a nap. Ragatha tucked her hands into her lap, staring down at the floor in quiet shame, and Gangle twisted her ribbons absentmindedly as she watched Zooble sleep. Pomni leaned against the pillow wall, eyes following the darkened ceiling, as if trying to piece together the unanswered questions left behind by Kinger’s glow. Darn it. They were so close... But once again, Caine stopped them. It was weird. Even though he had no memory to drive his actions, he was still Caine enough to constantly get in their way. The only difference was... it wasn't intentional this time.
After a long, pondering silence, Jax was the one who spoke.
“Maybe the reason we started remembering things is because Caine knows what he is, now,” he shrugged, hoping it would distract everyone from his outburst. "Or something like that, I dunno..."
Pomni replied thoughtfully, “I agree, actually. He remembers just enough to be Caine, but… he still doesn’t remember who he used to be before the amnesia." She inhaled, coming up with a cautious plan. "We might have to try bringing the rest of his memories back. Even... the adventures we hated so much. I know none of us really want to do it, but we might have to. Especially if we want to leave.”