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Pomni ran as fast as her little legs would let her. The hulking black beast with way too many eyes chased her down each and every twist and turn of the circus. Pomni didn’t know where she was going, nor did she care. She just had to get out of the creature’s sight.
Pomni turned a corner and ran headfirst into somebody, knocking them both to the ground. She sat there dazed for a moment before scrambling back to her feet and checking to see who she had run into. It was Ragatha. Pomni tried to explain that they needed to run, but Kaufmo had caught up to them, pouncing as he turned the corner. Ragatha pushed Pomni backwards, and the beast grabbed the doll and began flailing her around as Pomni watched in horror.
Once Kaufmo had had enough of the doll, he turned his attention back to the jester. Pomni looked quickly between the creature and the now glitching Ragatha, before turning on her heels.
“I’m sorry!” She cried.
After running for who knows how long, Pomni finally managed to escape Kaufmo. She doubled back to where she ran into Ragatha, who was now pressed up against the wall, glitching badly.
“Pom-om-omn-ni-i?” The jester sprinted over to Ragatha, immediately grabbing the other’s hands. The glitching shocked her hands and started spreading up her arms, but she didn’t care. She tried to assure Ragatha that it would be ok, that Caine would be here any minute.
Then a purple eye appeared over her button. Then a yellow one, then a green one.
“No! No no no no no! Stay with me Raggie, please stay with me!” Pomni cried. Ragatha muttered “I-I’m sca-a-ared.” before a dark black substance surrounded her body. Pomni was pushed back as the black mass grew substantially in size. Where Ragatha once laid now stood a jagged, jet black, eye covered centipede.
“R-Raggie…” She whimpered, before the monster pounced-
Pomni shot up in her bed, gasping for air. She looked down at her hands. No glitching, but they were shaking. She pulled her legs to her chest and laid her head against her knees, trying to steady her ragged breathing.
“Mmnn...Pomni?” The jester turned to see Ragatha stirring in bed next to her. The doll propped her head up on her hand, then reached out with the other to rub her back.
“S-Sorry to wake you.” Pomni muttered. The hand on her back comforted her, grounded her. She swears Ragatha has magic hands.
“It’s ok honey.” She replied, sitting up fully so she could wrap her arms around Pomni from behind and trap her in a gentle hug. The doll laid her head on her girlfriend’s shoulder, placing a gentle kiss against her neck. “Bad dream?” Pomni nodded.
“Wanna talk about it?”
She thought for a moment, which was never a good idea as it just made the memories of the nightmare more vivid. Pomni shuddered.
“Not yet.” She said, trying her best to push the images of the monstrous tower of eyes from her head, instead trying to focus more on Ragatha. The way her arms felt around her, like being hugged by a pillow. The rising of her chest and the feeling of her breath against her neck.
Ragatha gently pulled the jester back down onto the bed. Pomni flipped over and got herself comfortable, her forehead pressed against Ragatha’s chest. The doll began rubbing Pomni’s back again and quietly hummed, and she finally began to control her breathing.
“It was...about Kaufmo. He was chasing me through the circus, just like my first day.” Pomni said. “But then I ran into you. I-I tried to warn you but...he hurt you.” Ragatha pulled away from the jester slightly so the two could make eye contact. Pomni was beginning to cry.
“I came back to you, I tried to help you, but then you-” A sob cut off her sentence. “Oh, Pomni.” Ragatha said, pulling her close once more. Pomni stuttered out apologies as she tried once again to get her breathing and crying under control, and Ragatha kept telling her that there was nothing to be sorry about. The doll took Pomni’s face in her hands, wiping away some of the tears streaming down her cheeks.
“Baby, it sounds like you still feel guilty about leaving me behind. You haven’t forgiven yourself for it.” Ragatha said, smiling sadly. Pomni just nodded, doing her best to hold back her tears. She always thought about how she left Ragatha in that hallway when that exit door appeared in front of her. The incident played in her mind far too often.
"I-It's so hard to. I was so selfish...I hate myself for it. I just can’t figure out how to let it go!” Pomni raised her hands to hit her head out of frustration, but Ragatha caught them, holding them tightly above her head. Pomni fought against her girlfriend’s grasp for a moment before letting her arms go slack.
“Pomni, honey, you have to calm down. Look at me.” She pleaded, moving her hands back to her girlfriend’s face. “I know how hard it is to not dwell on the past. It’s just something you learn how to do over time. Right now, let’s try to focus on the present.”
“Ok.” Pomni said, taking a deep, shaky breath. She reached over and held Ragatha’s head the same way her’s were being held, pulling themselves closer to each other until their foreheads touched. The doll smiled and leaned forward to peck Pomni on the nose, causing the jester to blush.
“Could you...distract me?” She asked. “Just...talk about stuff. Anything.” Ragatha obliged, beginning to talk about stitching patterns or something. Pomni wasn’t entirely sure as she tuned out the words. It wasn’t that Pomni didn’t care, she had always tried to pay interest to her girlfriend’s craft. No, tonight she just needed to hear Ragatha speak, the vibration of her voice spreading a wave of calm throughout her body. The past didn’t matter right now. Right now, she was curled up in her lover's arms.
And there is no place she would rather be.