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Knock knock knock.
Who could that be? At this hour? What hour? No, what time was it? Was time even relevant here? Nothing in this place seemed real or relevant, because it wasn't. She refused to believe it. She'd find her way back, she'd find her way out. Even if it meant going back to her normal, boring life, it was better than this confusing hellhole.
The cruel thought that she'd be stuck here, tortured, taunted with the promise of false exits and fake hope finally began to sink in, this time much heavier than before. Losing her mind was a mere understatement.
The jester lay on the floor, staring blankly at the ceiling, trying to take in everything that happened that day. She would say it was today, but then again, time flies when you spend it all trying to hold yourself together. Her hat sat idly at her feet.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Each knock felt excruciatingly longer than the last.
"Can I come in?" No.
The door opened regardless.
"Sorry for barging in, I came to apologize for–-"
She didn't even react to the intruder. Zero response to someone marching into her residence like they owned the place. It was like her brain had short-circuited. If you shook her around, you'd hear it bumping about her skull as if she were a child's rattle.
"Pomni..?"
The girl shot up from the floor, her eyes snapping out of their entranced state. She looked frantically around the room before she settled on the taller woman before her. They stared at each other for a moment. A long, grueling moment.
"Are you—" the "guest" started before being abruptly cut off by the crazed-looking girl.
"Yes! Perfectly fine!" she blurted.
Uncomfortably enough, she could feel her pupils dilating and her chest heaving as she tried desperately to keep herself under control.
"You're uhm, Ragatha, right..? I'm just fine. More than fine— actually, I was just getting ready for bed, so it would be great if you could just… go somewhere!" Pomni lied, pleading with the woman to leave her be. However, said woman wouldn't let that happen.
In response she crossed her arms and stubbornly stood her ground.
"Woah– woah! No, you are not 'just fine' and no, I'm not going anywhere until I say what I came here to say." Ragatha affirmed.
Pomni pulled at her hair out of frustration.
"Nonono…" Pomni sighed, "Fine. What do you want?"
She sat crisscrossed on her bed and motioned for Ragatha to sit to her right. The latter eagerly took a seat next to her. Pomni silently continued to stare aimlessly off into the distance.
"So, about earlier, I came to say I'm sorry." the taller stated. "I'm sorry if I made it seem like I was angry with you for not helping. You just got here and—"
The other broke from her daze and interrupted, "There's nothing you need to apologize for. Really, I should be the one apologizing. I'm sorry I didn't do enough."
"You didn't have to do anything. I– I made you think you needed to help, and I'm sorry for that. The heat of the moment really got to me and sometimes I tend to just talk without thinking first. I could've waited it out until someone else came but—" she sighed, "I instead resorted to putting the pressure on you."
The pair sat in silence for a while, each twiddling their thumbs or gently swaying their legs waiting for the other to speak up. They could feel the unspoken tension in the room dwindling just by sitting near each other. They could feel the soft, imaginary warmth between them start to grow. They could feel as the other grew anxious and more unsure with each passing millisecond.
"It's okay." the two spoke in unison.
A rush of awe and consternation washed over them. The breaking of the eerie silence between them, the fact they'd done it at the same time , left them both shocked. It was unsettling, sure, but in a way it was also… no, it couldn't be…
…oddly comforting.
They couldn't tell if they'd stared at each other for a long moment or a moment too long. Time itself seemed to stop momentarily. It was just the two of them at that point. Nothing more, nothing less. Just Ragatha and Pomni. The latter shook her head to break from her state of astonishment.
"I… I really mean it. It's okay. You don't need to feel guilty for asking for my help. I could tell you were in pain and I wanted to try my best to help," she said, chuckling softly, "even though I was afraid."
Ragatha smiled. She recalled how Pomni stopped for a second when she reached out her hand to help. Deep down, she still felt quite bad for accidentally hurting her by trying to grab it.
"Well, thank you Pomni. I'm glad you understood how I felt, and again, sorry about all that. Didn't mean for you to have such an, erm, eventful, first day here." she said.
"Oh, well– that's not your fault. It was certainly stressful, but you made me feel more… more welcome here. In a way, you made me feel safe, and you helped me calm down a bit." Pomni added.
"I'm glad I was at least somewhat able to help," the other giggled. "I hope we get to know each other better."
The room went deathly silent again, just as it did before.
"Well, I guess I'd better get going. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Pomni." Ragatha said, getting up from the bed.
She walked over to the door, turning around as her hand rested on the doorknob. Once again they locked eyes for a second. It seemed so insignificant, yet it lasted just long enough for the jester to make up a thought that had been lingering in her mind since the other had entered the room. The creaking of the door was her cue to act.
"Wait," she spoke, "don't leave yet."
She looked to the floor in some sort of shame. The taller of the two stopped in her tracks. She gently shut the door and turned back around.
"Please?" Pomni pleaded.
To both of their amazement, she offered Ragatha her hand. Only it was different than before. The red-haired girl knew something was off. Something had changed between the two of them since the incident in the hallway. Previously, Pomni hadn't been so confident. There was a second of reluctance before she reached out.
Only this time, there was no hesitation.
This time, it was an act of desperation. She was sure of it. There simply was no other explanation. This is what Pomni needed, and she wasn't afraid to admit it. Part of it was heartbreaking. Seeing her so needy to the point where she—quite literally—reached out to someone she'd been scared of just hours ago. Yet it was somehow so wholesome to see the shorter girl this way. She was able to warm up so quickly and was now showing that she was comfortable with a simple touch. Although it wasn't much, for Ragatha, it was more than enough.
Trying to hide her excitement, she lightly clasped her hands around Pomni's.
"I'd love to stay."