Chapter Text
Ragatha puts a carrot on her fork and eats it. She hopes everything’s alright. Both nullble and jack left early, leaving her, kinger, gangle, and pomni left.
“So…” it was gangle to start. But her voice quickly died out. “That was a bit weird… wasn’t it?”
Ragatha hadn’t wanted to say anything. Of course she hadn’t. But it was! And she was glad to not have to be the one to point it out “yeah.” She sighed “they don’t normally leave before us.”
“I mean yeah… I was just… they…” gangle hummed awkwardly. “Nevermind.” She mumbled.
“Ate a lot.” Ragatha had noticed that too. Nullble had shoveled food down their mouth like a starving person. Perhaps it was rude to point out, she hoped it wasn’t-
“Jack didn’t eat anything.” Pomni said. (She had also seen him. Grabbing the smallest portion known to man, and then just staring at it. Before taking it with him? But that felt like a normal Jax oddity… in a way? She had seen Jax before, when he had first joined the circus, hide food in his room. Though back then he always ate a lot during these dinners too. Similar yet still so different. That was the best way to describe nullble and jack.)
“I hope Zoobles okay.” Gangle sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
“Caine will find a way to bring them back!!!” Kinger spoke.
“I hope it’s sooner then later…” gangle sighs.
“Yes I also like spoons over ladles!!!” Kinger… tried.
“I’m sure Zooble and Jax will be okay!” Ragatha wasn’t, but she hated to see gangle sad.
An awkward silence was drawn out for a while, while the members of the circus ate their food.
“How do you feel? About them?” Pomni then asked.
“Uhm-… well they’re… just kinda like our Jax and Zooble… but” there was something she was missing. Because (at least according to Caine.) a month ago they were EXACTLY like their Jax and Zooble “I guess something happened?”
Pomni frowned “yeah… I got that too. But how do you FEEL about them?”
What was ragatha meant to say? “I guess I like them just as much as I like Zooble and Jax?” That seems like the best answer.”
“I don’t think nullble likes me very much.” Gangle then says.
“What?! No!” Ragatha doesn’t believe that! Zooble and gangle get along so well.
Gangle shakes her head. “That’s not- I don’t know.” She sighs.
“They seem to act weird around everyone but each other.” Pomni then said.
And gangle smiled (those were better words for her. Not a rejection on what she had said. But actual words to make her not feel crazy. To validate her. God ragathas so stupid.) “yeah.” She agrees… “they do seem to like each other.” That was nice at least “I saw them snuggling, it was pretty sweet.”
Gangle smiles, and pomni chuckles “really?!” She says (and suddenly ragatha feels like she made a mistake. If jack DOES have a crush on pomni it’s probably not good to tell her that he was snuggling with another person. She hopes that doesn’t ruin it for them.)
“That’s cute.” Gangle says “jack was waiting for them outside my room.”
“Jack thanked me today too.” Ragatha then said.
Gangle smiles “maybe they get along better in that other world. That would be nice.”
It would be nice. Jax is a pain, so imagining that there’s a world where he isn’t would be very nice (…that’s not mean to think right?)
It doesn’t explain the rest of it though. Strange.
jack held the jester by the throat. Pinning her down on the floor. In the same spot he had once been left to rot.
Not being able to move, flailing around, watching her face change colors as she stops and gives up entirely on escaping the suffocation.
He’s yelling. Tears falling down his face, but he’s still smiling.
She can finally feel what they felt. The pressure on her neck squeezing her, begging for an end that won’t come.
The blood surfaces from the back of her throat, resting there, choking her further. Jacks grip doesn’t lighten, watching the light fade from her eyes. But she doesn’t die. Just like all of them. They are stuck here together. Forever in misery.
The blood pools in her mouth, gaging the back of her throat as her body vomits. And he laughs harder. Who’s in control now.
Jack wakes up, with nullble by his side. It’s no wonder jester doesn’t allow him to sleep.
But jesters not here now. And he can close his eyes once more, and let sleep overtake him.
Jesters in the other world.
With the other Jack and nullble.
He hopes they’re doing alright.
.
.
It’s dark. Very dark. Zooble has to close and open their eyes just to make sure everything was right.
They looked down at their hand… it was fucked up… wait what? Why wasn’t that censored? It’s normally censored. Even in their mind.
It was low poly. That was the big difference.
They looked around and found no one. Walking through the empty halls of the circus. Some parts seemed… bigger than it had been before.
“What sorta adventure is this?” Oh god fucking damnit. It’s Jax.
“I don’t know, I want out of this shit-“ they cut themselves off. “Fuck.” Oh “shit. Damn. Ass. Bitch-“
“Woah. That’s weird” Jax interrupts.
“Fucking hell”
“You’re having way too much fun with that” Jax rolls his eyes.
“You’re not even going to try saying something”
“Nah. I don’t care about it” he shrugs. “Doesn’t matter to me.” Whatever. They’ll take the small things they can get. “You know what’s going on?”
“No. I have no fucking clue.” Maybe Jax is right, but it feels so good to curse again.
“Oh- HEY RAGATHA!!! Huh-“
Zooble looks to where Jax is looking. It’s empty.
“Guess she ran away.” Jax laughs “she looked really weird, wonder what caines up to-“
Teleported. They know this feeling too well. And suddenly both Zooble and Jax are in a grand dinning room.
“Seems someone’s causing a problem” a voice spoke, its-
“Pomni?” Jax looks at them “wow, you look even more ugly like this!”
Honestly… she did look a bit creepy, the black surrounding her eyes seems very apparent, and the coloring on their clothes are darker, and dulled.
“No no” she giggles “I’m not pomni, I’m the jester”
“Uhhhhhhh” Jax blinks.
“You two aren’t jack and nullble are you?” She sings out “not my jack and nullble anyways, you’re files are identical, but you’re body’s are different.”
“What.” Jax asks.
“Hey Pom- er jester, what the fucks going on? Is this an adventure?” They just want to know what’s going on. Maybe this wasn’t pomni, maybe it was an npc??? Like their evil versions. They’re confused.
“How rude of me!” She floats up “I do believe in your world I am ‘pomni’! And in my world you are jack, and you are nullble. It seems you two have… swapped places!” Is this some sort of plot line or… “you mentioned an adventure, I assume you still have Caine in your world.”
“Hey can you stop speaking so ominously just explain what’s going on?” jax then says “what do you mean ‘you’re world?’”
“I don’t remember telling you you could speak”
“I don’t remember you controlling me.” Jax smirks.
And jester laughs, far too loud. “That’s cute.” She says “I think you’d think it best to let me keep talking in peace.” She clears her throat “it’s a different game. From what I can tell. Different save files of the same game. I can’t touch the other saves, and they’re all different. I’ve tried looking into it, but it seems the only world I can rule over is this one. So to answer your questions, no. This is not an adventure. And I do hope you have fun with your stay here.” (Zooble doesn’t dare to say a word.)
“Why do you talk like that.”
“Jax.” Jester smirks “your name is Jax, right?”
“Uhh yeah?” Jax says.
“You don’t have permission to speak.”
“Why do you sound like a cartoon villain? Caine really is a bad writer, right zoobie.” (Fuck that. They’re not messing with this jester person.)
“What do you think you can hide from me, Jax?”
“What kinda question is that?” Jax laughs.
Jester smirks. “I already know everything about you. We’re best friends.”
“I don’t know you! I think you’re crazy” Jax glares. “A wannabe villain, who is overcompensating, because she really doesn’t know anything about us, other then what caine programmed into you”
“You know pomni” jester says “best friends” she repeats. “Yet you’re still so quick to try and hide behind a smile, hide behind the control you think you have. poor baby boy.” She mocks “Too scared to open up to anyone. Still upset you went off and told mommy you were a girl.” She smirks.
What…?
Jax’s eyes widen. And his mouth completely disappears… that’s not- wait.
“Oops.” The jester laughs. And looks right at them “Did I let something slip?” She’s smirking.
Jax is frozen.
“Do you want me to tell what happened after.”
Jax doesn’t say a word.
“That’s what I thought. You don’t talk unless I tell you too.”
No.
“OH FUCK YOU-“ zooble screams, it comes out of them before they can even control it, they don’t know what they’re going to do but anger flows through them. They approach jester “WHY THE HELL WOULD-“
The jester snaps and pulls them up in the air. She watched them struggle to get down, but they’re stuck up there.
“Sorry zooble” she smiles “I have control over everything in this place. And now that includes you.”
Shuffling.
“Oh” jester sounds annoyed “I’ll get back to you two!”
Then they’re teleported back.
The room there in is black and white and grey, completely devoid of color. Except for Jax of course (and them. Not that they can see themselves.)
Jax is standing in the middle of the room. Eyes wide, just looking at the ground, pupils enlarged.
It’s quiet.
What is there to say.
They move closer to Jax, and then drag them to the bed (‘drag HER to the bed’ Is probably correct. But even then a part of them feels bad. Because that was a fucking horrible way for that to get revealed. They kinda knew, or at least suspected. But they never wanted to bring it up in case they were wrong. Or in case they were right. It wasn’t their business. And it shouldn’t have been unless Jax wanted it to be.)
What can they even say. They wish they hadn’t gotten teleported away, they wish pomni- or jester or whatever the hell that was couldn’t stop them in place, they wanted to strangle the living shit out of her.
They start with a hand on her shoulder. Jax doesn’t even react. Just sitting down on the bed.
“If this is a Caine adventure I’m going to kill him.” It was self explanatory.
Jax shakes her head, slow, and subtle, almost unreadable if not for the fact the rest of her is frozen.
It seems talking won’t get them anywhere. Zooble wants desperately to know what Jax is thinking, but she’s probably just trying not to.
Zoobles arms wrap around her, and Jax lets them.
They sit there for a while.
.
.
.
Jax is gone. Jester made a point in teleporting her away. And Zooble doesn’t fucking know where anything is.
Jax still hasn’t been talking, or really responding to anything (there was once when her mouth opened, but she seemed to give up quickly.)
It’s so strange here. The background music is a low, slower sounding version of the one from their circus. It sounds broken. Almost like a creepypasta. They would’ve just called it caines bad writing. (Caine better not have fucking wrote this… but if he didn’t then how do they get out.)
Whatever. They’ve been wondering these halls for hours and they feel so stupid. The musics starting to get to them, it should be dumb but it’s effective. And everything else is just too quiet.
It feels like forever before they run into someone.
“Gangle!”
“Nullble” gangle looks them up and down. Nullble is what jester called them, meaning this probably isn’t gangle, but this worlds version of her. “Why are you even here?”
“I’m looking for Jax”
“Jack? Huh?” Oh right, she was called Jack here “I saw him” oh thank god.
“That’s great! Where?” They couldn’t hide the sigh of relief.
Gangle sniffles “him and Annie where making fun of me again, and they even tried to fight me, crowner didn’t even listen to me when I told him. Not that you’d care.”
She’s crying.
“Hey- hey” god damnit Jax-! They don’t know who Annie and crowner are, but they do know this is definitely something Jax would do. “I’m sorry”
Gangle frowns at them.
They should tell her the truth “I’m not from this world I don’t think. Me and ‘jack’ aren’t, At least. And I know he’s a piece of shit, I won’t let him get away with it.” Zooble says “I’m Zooble”
“Zooble huh? I thought jester just messed with your avatar” gangles smiling now.
“Are you still gangle here?”
“Yeah! Wait… uhm I’m jangle, is that what you said?” Was it? They don’t think so, it was pronounced a little differently. They smile.
“Alright then jangle, can you show me where Jax went?”
“He won’t be there anymore” jangle says quickly “but I can show you where I saw them last. I can tell you about this world too!” She smiles “and then you can fight him for me”
Gangles normally not that forward, but it’s nice to hear, they laugh “yeah I’ll kick his ass” just because Jax needs help doesn’t make her not an asshole, theyll help her eventually, or at least try too. Right now what matters is jangle.
“This circus is really bad” jangle says “jesters really mean to all of us” they got that part down.
“Yeah she’s an asshole”
“I wouldn’t say that so loud. She’s always listening” shit… whatever that means. “Everyone’s so mean to me too. It’s really the worst here.” She frowns “the other day Annie told me she wished Id never appeared here, and… I didn’t choose to come here, no one did. I wouldn’t be here if I had a choice!! And jack keeps telling me off for ‘looking at him wrong’… I don’t even know what I did.”
“That sucks” they still aren’t sure about Annie, but if there’s more people who are mean to jangle… god that sucks “I’m sorry that happened, no one wants to be in this shit show. I hate all of this too”
“What’s your circus like?” She asks.
“It sucks. Not as bad as here. Caine makes us do Adventures-“
“I wish we still had caines Adventures.” She cuts them off. “You’re so lucky.”
“Yeah… I mean I guess it’s better than here.” Zooble wouldn’t really consider themselves lucky.
“You should be happy.” They then say.
“I mean… it’s a low bar, both places are the fucking worst.” Even if this one seems more fucked up “I just want to go back to the real world too”
Jangle frowns “you’re just like nullble.” She sighs “you always just think of yourself. How much pain you’re going through. The ‘suffering’! But you had a good life in that circus, right? You’re the reason this place is how it is now, and you’re going to ruin your circus in the same way.”
…what?
“I- I’m sorry?” That’s not- well “I mean- yeah sorry. That was shitty of me to try to complain… I guess. It’s worse here.”
“That’s what I thought.” This is weird. But- maybe… they don’t know how bad it gets. Maybe they deserved that. “The other day I was just trying to eat, and then Jack came in and jumped on me!! He ripped the food from out of my hands and when Annie came over he tried to say I stole from him!” She sniffles again. “I was so hungry too. But Annie made me give half of it up.” She’s uh… still talking about this “and then Jack, trying to show me up gave Annie half of his! So she’d take his side.”
“Oh that really-“ they get cut off
“And then-“
.
The walk goes on like that. Jangle has a lot of stories about this circus. It sounds really bad. Though her words still do linger in Zoobles mind. What did she mean THEY ruined the circus? their first instinct is to immediately assume she’s wrong, but they can’t help but feel bad for that. They don’t know what happened, if nullble really did ruin the circus they’d feel like a huge piece of shit for trying to deny that.
Zooble doesn’t say anything else, but jangle still talks on.
“Oh, we’re here. This is where Jack was last.” …????? This is near their room. (AKA where they came from in the first place?!) There’s no way Jax was there??? They left this area because she wasn’t there?… well maybe Jax entered when Zooble left?
“Oh I see… uh thanks jangle”
Maybe Jax went back to their room.
It was the black and white room, on the door to it was obviously them, but also greyscale. They go to the door.
“Jack is in there?”
“Maybe?” They shrug.
Jangle doesn’t leave, standing behind them.
They open the door.
And there Jax is. Sitting on their bed. Probably waiting for them to get back.
She looks just as bad as she was last time Zooble saw her. Zoned out completely, staring at the floor.
“Jax?”
Jax doesn’t move. Shit.
Jangle is looking at them expectedly. “Well.” She says “we found him.” (They cringe a bit, but Jax doesn’t react again.)
“Yeah… thanks.”
Jangles still looking at them “aren’t you going to stand up for me.”
Oh… they probably should do that. They sigh, feeling a sudden wave of tiredness. It doesn’t even seem like Jax would listen if they said anything. But on the other hand it’s fucked up for Jax to attack jangle like that, and they won’t stand for it.
“Jax” they start “I know this whole situation is shitty, but that doesn’t mean you can be an asshole to the rest of us-“
“You mean to me?” Jangle says.
“Yeah- so just for fucks sake stop messing with jangle!” They sigh…
are they done? Jax doesn’t say anything, this whole thing feels weird.
“Okay… I think you get it” they don’t know if she does. But they tried at least.
“Wait that’s it-?! That wasn’t even a slap on the wrist” jangle says. “You believe me right?!”
What?? Why wouldn’t they “uh- yeah???”
“SO THEN WHAT WAS THAT???!”
They’re so confused?!? What does jangle want them to do?? It’s not like Jax is even talking back??
“You’re just like them! Only caring about yourself and Jack! You don’t even think about me anymore! This isn’t my fault! This is your fault! And you drag me along! You broke this place! And you-“ she turns to Jax , then grabs her roughly “at least I’m not weak and mean enough to be jesters little pet. We all know what’s-“
Jax shoved her off, and she flies back.
Jangle snaps, turning to zooble “Really?! Did you see that? That’s what you’re defending Zooble. A monster.” She says.
And tears start to roll down Jax’s face. She looks down at her hand and breathes heavily.
Jangle leaves the room.
This… is weird.
(They have a sudden doubt that Jax even did mess with jangle in the first place.)
Jangle hasn’t wanted to be this way.
First nullble stopped looking at her. She was starving. And sad. And they didn’t care. But she told them. That Jack hurt her, then they cared. So she told them that again. And it wasn’t a lie. He had… a few days ago…
It made them look at her. Made them coddle her like before. They stopped looking at themselves and finally looked in her eyes instead. Then they’d stop.
Then Jack was next to her. Tired. Nullble was watching. He didn’t try to fight jangle. probably because she wasn’t there. He would’ve though. (Nullble didn’t believe her. Not that day.)
Annie WAS mean to her. She didn’t remember the comment but it was rude.
(Annie would always apologize. She never would stand up for herself, never say ‘I didn’t say anything to jangle.’ She’d just say a ‘sorry’ further incriminating her. No one would point out Annie hadn’t even spoken to jangle that day. They had just believed she had done wrong.)
And nullble had comforted her like before. But distant. More distant. They stopped. Sulking in their room as if everyone here wasn’t suffering.
She had mumbled something to Jack. Not big. Not loudly, and it was true! It wasn’t mean if it was true!!! And he fought her!! And they cared! They looked at her again.
But they stopped.
Always stopping.
Who did they think they are? They don’t even care about her. She had tried so hard for so long and they don’t even care. (Jack apologized. Jack asked if she was okay after jester made him-… she fought him. No one would believe him anyways, she told the others he was being mean to her, they believed her.)
But they didn’t care.
Jangle wanted them to hurt. They were just like Jack, all of them. Annie was mean to her. Crowner didn’t listen to her. Nullble can’t care about anything anymore.
They were doing wrong. And she wanted them to feel that.
‘It’s all your fault.’
She meant it too.
Now ‘Zoobles’ here. Whatever that means. It didn’t change anything. She thought for a moment it would be like it was before. But they barely did ANYTHING! Who cares if Jack (or Jax now) didn’t actually do anything today. He wouldve!!! And how would they know!
They don’t trust her inherently. Even if he did so something their reaction would be the same.
Not enough.
Zooble was just like nullble. Just with a new coat of paint.
Jax and Zooble couldn’t starve. Or bleed. Jester learned that quickly.
At first it seemed like a shame. Now… jester learned to work with what she had.
Physically they still felt pain, just… lesser then the other members, and no matter how much she tried she could mess with their code (the only thing that seemed to effect them was the removal of the swear filter, probably because that was code for the world, not for the characters.)
Pain was used, of course, it was always fun to watch them squirm and struggle to leave. But her fun started to come from the emotional responses from them. Especially from Jax, she has so many weak spots. And though jester can’t mess with their files, she can definitely still view into them, even Caine could do that!
A part of her wonders if jacks the same, she never bothered to check, the starving got to him enough for her to not need too. But it would’ve been a lot of fun if she knew, especially before caines disappearance. To be the only person she could trust, to have the only person that accepts her betray her, make that nightmare a reality.
Of course she has no clue if Jack IS the same, though maybe something to look forward to when he comes back.
Jax is sitting down where she told her too, on a fire pit, Jax winces, but it doesn’t leave a mark. (They couldn’t bleed here, they could barely bruise either. The pain receptors are still on, but showing the pain would involve slight changes to their files, which again. She can’t do. She can pick up the file, stop it in its place, toss it around. She could even open it! She just can’t edit the inside. Which is such a same. She wanted to see if the maid dress was still available on Jax’s character model.)
Jax hasn’t been talking. Which is good! That means she’s learning!!
Honestly jester doesn’t really care about the trans thing (honestly she doesn’t even know what happened to Jax’s mom either, but it’s fun to pretend like she does.). She thinks about saying that. Nullbles trans too, there’s just never been an opportunity to explore that. They started feeling more comfortable before she took control, so trying to use it against them wouldn’t amount to much. It’s just the reaction that she craves. If Jax had felt this strongly about something else she’d be using that instead.
So in that way it’s kinda Jax’s own fault for worrying about it so much. It’s on the tip of her tongue to say, but would that hurt more then the possibility that jester does really care. She bites her tongue, it’s best to save that thought for later! Much to consider!
Jax stays there, trying not to make any noise. It’s fun to watch for a while. But it gets boring.
“You want out of there don’t you?”
Jax doesn’t say anything.
“I’ll let you. And I’ll trade you with Zooble.” She smiles “how’s that sound?”
Honestly a part of her expected Jax to immediately nod her head. She has been acting a lot like how Jack used too. Funny. Uncaring about who she hurts or how she hurts them. (Once you get in control you really see how much power you have. How little everything matters. Jack had once understood that. Jax seemed too before too.)
But at the end of the day Jax and Jack are more similar than not. And Jax stays quiet.
“Should I swap you with Zooble?”
Jax shakes her head.
“Wrong choice.”
The flames get higher, she heats them up until they fully engulf Jax’s body.
Jack never could go all the way. Could never disconnect himself enough to let the others Indore REAL torment. he was the most fun out of them, understood it was a game better then most. But still there was a part of him deep down that cared. It seems Jax has that too.
She wants to burn that part out of her. (But it’ll never work. So instead she just burns her.)
.
.
Pomni was sound asleep in her room. When she was rudely awoken by frantic knocking on her door.
Her eyes opened uneven. It… probably wasn’t ragatha, she at least hoped not. (Not because she didn’t want to see ragatha, but because ragatha knocks have always been quiet, or calm. Normally it was paired with a ‘Hey pomni!!’ Muffled by the door. If this was ragatha that meant something had gone wrong.)
Perhaps it was kinger. That would make the most logical sense. Though isn’t it night? That would mean it’s dark in the circus.
KNOCK KNOCK.
She should answer it.
So she does, she gets up and gently opens the door.
It’s Jack. His eyes are wide and he seems… like [$%!#], for lack of a better word.
“I messed up-“ his breathing is bad. “I messed up” he repeats quieter.
And dread flows through her. She’s never seen Jax like this, not even after kaufmo abstracted. So what in the world did Jack do.
“It’s- okay!” It’s not okay, but saying the obvious won’t get them anywhere right now “just come in.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice, quickly walking in his room and sitting down on her bed.
She can’t help but wonder if they were closer in jacks world. At first it didn’t seem like it but maybe…?
Her and Jack sit next to each other.
“Could you tell me what happened?” She hopes it’s nothing too bad (but it looks bad. Did someone abstract. That’s all she can think of. Oh god what is she going to do if that happened?!)
A sob goes through Jack, and he curls up on himself. Hiding his face, trying to be quiet “you were right.”
Huh????
“Right about… what?” What had she even said to Jack? They honestly haven’t talked much. Jack always seemed to be avoiding her… she thinks at least? It’s weird.
“I can’t take care of myself.”
Okay she definitely didn’t ever say that.
“Was that… a thing your world’s version of me told you?”
He nods. And she breathes easy for a moment, one thing down. That’s good. Now she just needs to ask the harder question, why would she ever say that?
“I’m sure I didn’t mean it?” Pomni was a lot like jester, from what she was told at least, they had been the same up until a month ago. Right?? She didn’t actually know anything about jester (other than the name.) but she has to go forward with the assumption they’re similar. And pomni could definitely see herself yelling something like that during a fight, a spur of the moment type thing, something she didn’t mean.
“Doesn’t matter.” Jack mumbles “you were right.”
It feels… wrong. She doesn’t even know the context. How can she speak on it. “what did you do?” (Please say gangles okay. Please say ragathas okay, please say he didn’t push them too hard.)
“I threw up.”
Oh.
She bites back an ill timed laugh, luckily Jack doesn’t seem to notice, or if he does he doesn’t point it out, “that’s not that bad?” What was the catch? She’s thrown up in this world too, multiple times. It’s not… a big deal at all??
“In nullbles room”
Oh maybe they got mad at him. “I’m sure bubble can clean it up” she tries to repress the memory.
He shakes his head “he is-“ so what’s wrong then??? “They’re never going to trust me again. They shouldn’t-“
“Hey? I mean it doesn’t seem like it was your fault?” (Jax’s thrown up before too. One time Zooble scared him and he did. No one seemed to care then.)
“It was- I told them I could eat more and they trusted me-“
Oh…
She can’t help but think of the dinner table.
“Can you get hungry?”
Jack nods (she assumed that. Nullble seemed hungry.)
“I still am.” He mumbles.
That would make somewhat sense, he did lose everything he ate.
“I’ll get you something then” if bubbles in Zoobles room cleaning it up she could use him to call for Caine.
Jacks eyes widen, he lifts up his head to look at pomni “I hate you” he says “I hate you-“ it’s choked out “I hate you” said with a little more aggression.
She doesn’t know what to say. She doesn’t even know what she had done. “Jack-“
“I’m sorry-“ Jack is shaking. What’s happening “god I-“ tears fall down his face “god you’re right- I’m useless without you-“
“I never said that!!” She says quickly, what in the world had she said, what is she even supposed to do? “Why… why did the other me make you think that.”
“She told me that.”
… “okay…?” She’s too tired for this. (No. She’s just not ready to hear whatever Jack has to say. Not ready to know what she did. Even if it’s in another world.)
“I can’t eat unless she allows it- and she never- she doesn’t-“
[$%!#]. [$%!#]. Why would she do that. She didn’t do that?! There’s no reason for her to do that.
“Please let me eat-“
“Okay-“ she’s not crying. She can’t be crying here, not now “lets- let’s get you to ragatha okay. And I’ll get some food” she doesn’t know if she wants to be alone with Jack (correction. She doesn’t know if Jack should be alone with her.)
She helps him up from the bed, and he’s shaking. And she still- it’s-… maybe it’s a prank. It’s not a very funny one if so (was this why Jack had been so eager to follow ragatha before. To get away from her. Why he didn’t eat in front of her. Why he didn’t eat at all. It makes it worse that Jack came back to her too. What had he expected her to do. Hurt him even more.)
She tries to clear her mind knocking on ragatha door.
“Oh! Hello pomni! Hi- uh… Jack?” Ragatha answers “are you two okay.”
“Could you watch over him?”
Ragatha nods, she seems nervous.
No time to explain (pomni doesn’t want to explain. If she’s right about it, she doesn’t want ragatha to know).
Ragatha takes in Jack, and pomni makes her way down the hall, to Zoobles room.
She knocks, and the door opens.
“Oh.” Nullble said. (She looks closely at their eyes, they seem put off. Do they know. Does this validate what Jack had said… maybe she’s just looking too into it.)
Bubbles still in the room.
“Uhm I wanted to talk to bubble-?” She feels so awkward.
“Mmmmmm yep?! Talk to daddy bubble!!” Bubble said.
Not worrying about that “I just uh- wanted to get more food for Jack.”
“No the fuck you arent” nullble hissed “I know what you’re trying to do, and you’re not going to hurt him anymore” [$%!#]. So she really had…
Nullble grabs her and pins her down.
“I’m tired of not doing anything” they seem to have put in two pairs of arms, one pair is holding her down in place, while the other two reach up for her neck- wait- what’s-?!
They hold their hands there, squeezing pomnis throat and she can’t breathe- not that she needs too but the shock from it leaves her gasping. She can’t get anything, as they just squeeze harder.
“I’m not letting go until you abstract.”
.
.
.
“CONGRATULATIONS!!! Wait-“ caines voice goes through her ears. She should be passed out, but that would be a mercy. She still can’t breathe. “Stop that” a snap.
And breath comes back to her, she scrambles away from nullble… wait they’re in the main hall now?
“LIKE I WAS SAYING IM SMART AND COOL!!” Caine says.
(Ragatha here, gangle too. And Jack… he moves back to nullble.)
“I FOUND A WAY TO BRING YOU TWO BACK HOME!!” Caine makes a portal, it looks different to the ones for adventures.
“W-wait- can’t we just- bring the others here I mean-“ Jack stumbles over his words.
“Just keep us here and bring your Jack and me back!” Nullble says.
(Under jacks breath he says “what about Annie.” Nullble looks away before saying “it doesn’t matter, as long as we’re safe.”)
“NOPE! YOU TWO GOTTA GO BACK!!!” Caine smiles “but never worry!!! I noticed a certain ringleader disappeared without a trace! And I will retrieve him!! And give him better admin access, to make sure no one can usurp him again!!! HAHAHAHA”
“W- really?!”
“Of course!!!” Caine says “anything for my lovely humans!!” He smiles “now in you go!”
They walk in. Jax and Zooble walk out.
“How did we-?” Jax says.
“Is-“ Zooble looks around “that wasn’t a [$%!#]ing adventure was it-?!” They sound horrified.
“Nope!!! Just a glitch!” Caine says “glad to have you two back!!!” Then Caine leaves.
“The [$%!#]?!” Zooble looks around (they’re standing right next to Jax, closer than they normally would.)
“Oh-“ ragatha starts “Caine says there’s uh… different circus games, that have a copy of us in, to help… optimize… stuff?? I don’t really get it. It’s supposed to be an exact copy of us, but something happened and it switched you?” Ragatha shrugs “sorry I don’t really understand either, but we’re really happy to have you back!!”
“So does that mean that they’re the same as us” zoobles looking at pomni “the people in the other world”
“Uhhh Caine made it sound like it? I think?” Ragatha shrugs.
“Whatever!” Jax smiles “I’m going to my room!”
Zoobles glaring at her. Jax isn’t looking at her.
“I’m going too.” Zooble says.
“Wait-! Zooble I missed you… if you want to hang out?” Gangle asks.
Zooble looks at Jax. “Later.” They say “I’ll hang out later.”
And they follow him.
Exactly like how nullble and Jack were.
Exactly.
It wasn’t her fault.
She doesn’t know what jester did.
She can’t control what jester does.
They were only there for a few days, why would they already think she’s a monster.
It’s not her fault.
ITS NOT HER FAULT.