Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"C'mon Pomni, you can't stay in your room forever."

"Yes I caaaan! I can totally do that!!"

Ragatha sighed, Pomni's muffled voice a familiar high-pitched whine of distress. "I'm not saying you can't try...but Caine won't let you get away with that for more than a few days before he blips in there and makes you participate." She says. It's not reassuring and she knows that, but it's the truth. "Might be sooner, since you're new and we need to redo the theme song."

Pomni lets out another noise of upset, and the rag doll hears a thud that she assumes was the jester slumping against the door.

"I'm just saying that...it'll be easier on you if you aren't fighting it, ok?" Ragatha says gently.

Pomni doesn't give any response other than another distressed noise.

"...I'm...gonna go, ok? Hang in there, I promise it gets easier." She affirms, taking a step back. "You can hold me to that."

Again, Pomni doesn't respond.

Ragatha sighs, and turns to leave. Her expression is crumpled with worry.

Zooble, who'd been impassively watching the whole thing, twitches an antenna as they walk beside the ragdoll. "You know you can't rush this part."

"I know, I'm just...worried about her."

"Well getting bent out of shape about it isn't helping anyone." Zooble retorts. "So chill."

Ragatha holds back a retort of her own. "I'm not....bent out of shape. I'm worried the correct amount, considering the circumstances."

The other just rolled their eyes. "Everyone's first day sucks [SPROING]. I think you're being dramatic."

She crossed her arms, head dipping a little. "She had to see Kaufmo abstracted on her first day! That's pretty much the worst thing that can happen to someone here, and it was her entire introduction to this place! I'm...worried that Jax might be right."

"...about what?"

"That she's...got a head start on losing her mind." Ragatha replied, voice thick with worry. "I'd feel terrible if we lost her so soon after getting her..."

Zooble's quiet at that for a moment. Then he gives the other an awkward pat on the shoulder. "It'll, uh, work out ok. Like I said...we've all been though this stuff. She'll manage."

Ragatha sighs again. Zooble wasn't the best at reassurance, but he was trying, and that was what mattered. "I hope you're right."

True to what Ragatha said, later in the day Pomni was teleported out of her room by Caine. She screamed, which was to be expected, and her wide-eyed gaze was glued to the Ringmaster as he spoke.

"ALRIGHTY THEN! YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS!" He announced with his typical flair and enthusiasm. "NOW THAT WE'RE ALL HERE, TODAY'S ADVENTURE WILL BE..."

He did a flip in the air, and lifted his top hat, pointing the open end upward. Out from the opening exploded a burst of confetti (and a dizzy-looking Bubble). Big bold technicolor words appeared as the confetti fell, and they read-

"CHASE THE CARBIMBLES!!" He cried, cane twirling next to him as he threw his arms out.

He clapped his hands together above his head, and instantly all of them were warped outside the tent, in-between the carnival and the lake.

In the pixelated grass, there were ball-shaped, spiky creatures popping out of holes in the soil. Most of them retreated back into the ground when the group appeared.

Caine flew above them, and gestured to the, seemingly, hundreds of holes they'd made. "CARBIMBLES ARE CRAFTY LITTLE CRITTERS, OBSESSED WITH MAKING UNDERGROUND MAZES IN MY LOVELY GROUNDS! I CANT AFFORD TO HIRE A DIGITAL EXTERMINATOR, SO THAT'S WHERE YOU ALL COME IN!"

Both Pomni and Gangle open their mouths, individually, to ask something, but they are cut off by Caine snapping his fingers. At the sound, each performer suddenly holds a long, cartoony mallet in their hands. Zooble and Gangle, with their unique limb situations, have to struggle for a moment to not drop them. Pomni panics and drops hers immediately.

Caine pays it no mind. "IN ORDER TO DEFEAT THEM....YOU MUST USE THE HAMMERS TO-"

"Hey now!" Interrupts Bubble, still covered in confetti. "If you tell them what to do, they'll know what to do! That's no fun!"

Caine gasps. "HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOTTEN?! RIGHT YOU ARE BUBBLE!" His cane twirls beside him so fast it's a solid motion blur, but it immediately stops when he reaches over to grab it. "LET THE FUN BEGIN! SEE YOU WHEN I SEE SEE YOU!"

And then he disappears in a puff of smoke. Bubble lingers in an idle animation, but Jax yeets his hammer in their direction and they pop with little fanfare, aside from the confetti falling to the ground.

Jax scoffs, smirk wide. "Anyone wanna grab that for me? My arms are tired from that throw."

No one replies, Zooble glaring at him and Pomni reaching down to pick up her own hammer.

"AH!" Exclaims Kinger, which startles Pomni into dropping her hammer again. "When did I get this?!" He holds out his hammer in shock.

Jax ignores both of them and turns to Gangle with a smirk. "Be a dear and get that for me, wouldja? You're in a good mood today, right?"

Gangle's face falters a little despite her comedy mask. "Uh, sure, I guess I can." She sets her mallet down and walks past Jax towards his dropped hammer.

Predictably, Jax tries to trip her, but Gangle side-steps it, stumbling while doing so and almost falling over anyway. But she doesn't, and she raises her ribbons high in triumph. "Ha! Not this time!" She does a little half-run to get close enough to the hammer to pick it up, and holds that above her head as well proudly.

Jax snorts. "Woooow, what an achievement." He remarks, seemingly amused enough to not be rude about it. He takes the mallet when handed to him and twirls it in his hand.

Zooble, from where she stands, lets out an annoyed sigh. "Dumb as this is, at least this is an outdoors adventure this time. I hate that tent."

"Uh, is...being outside really that much better?" Pomni questions nervously, managing to actually pick up and keep a hold on her hammer this time. "Inside the tent it feels cramped but there's at least the illusion of a bigger world outside. But, but when I'm out here it's painfully obvious how small this place is."

No one replies for a minute.

"....would it kill you to be less negative." Zooble deadpans.

Pomni cringes. "S-sorry."

"You know it's bad when Zooble's the one saying that." Remarks Jax, ever-present smirk not budging. "Anyway, let's get on with the wack-a-mole." He approaches the Carbimble holes eagerly.

"Is it wack-a-mole?" Inquires Gangle with a tilt of her head. "If Caine wanted us to play wack-a-mole, wouldn't he have just had us go to the carnival?"

"Who cares what the solution is? He gave me a weapon so I'm gonna use it on stuff." Replies Jax. He jabs the long end of his hammer into a hole, and one of the spiky balls pops out of a different one. It falls back in immediately.

He tries again, and another pops out of a different hole. He does it repeatedly as the others watch, until eventually one pops out of a hole close enough to him. At which point he swings the hammer like it's a baseball bat and strikes the Carbimble so hard it whistles as it flies off.

It bounces against the ground twice, but on the third bounce its spinning trajectory sends it burrowing into the ground again, making a new hole in the process.

"....I don't think that worked, Jax." Ragatha pointed out.

"Bold of you to assume my goal was to be helpful." He replies, continuing with what he was doing.

The others, with a lack of ideas contrary, attempt to do the same. Aside from Pomni and Kinger, who were both dissociating to various degrees.

Pomni shakes herself out of it before Kinger does, and observes the others for a moment. Gangle and Ragatha seemed to be being strategic about it, using their mallets in tandem to try and manipulate where the Carbimbles would pop out. One rockets into the sky, out of a hole right in front of the ragdoll. She reaches out to catch it as it fell back down, but when it lands in her hands the spikes dig into her fabric and she drops it with a yelp.

"You should've expected that." Chastises Zooble, who was also just watching for the moment.

Ragatha huffs. "Well, I- hmph. Do you have a better idea?"

Zooble says something in response, but Pomni begins to tune it out as her eyes wander about the area again. She hasn't been out here at all aside from Caine's initial tour, so she's never seen this place at ground level.

The carnival was too far away to get a good look at...but the lake was within walking distance.

So, she sets her hammer down and walks over to it. Passing Kinger seems to snap him out of his dissociation too, but he doesn't shout this time, instead just following her quietly. It makes her nervous but she doesn't comment on it.

On the far side of the lake was what appeared to be some kind of....facsimile of a water park, just one giant slide. From were she stood, it looked big enough for all six of them to ride at once. Also in the lake was a giant, real-boat-sized toy boat.

The water was faintly rippling, as if moved by digital wind, but not moving in any real way; the surface was bumpy but still, texture animated but nothing else working to keep up that illusion.

She crouched down, dipping her gloved hand into the water. A ripple spread out from where she made contact, but it was a stock default ripple effect, shape the same no matter how she moved her hand through the water.

"Are you looking for insects?" Kinger spoke up suddenly, startling her.

She looked up at Kinger nervously, the question so irrelevant to what she was doing she briefly wondered if she was even the one he was talking to. But she looked back at the others, and saw them all still over by the holes, thoroughly occupied.

Aside from Ragatha, anyway, who might've been looking in her direction?

She redirected her focus to Kinger, who was staring at her unblinkingly, presumably waiting for her answer.

"Uh....n-no?" She managed.

This, apparently, was enough of a response for Kinger to continue talking. "Well, I spoke to Caine the other day. I thought adding water skimmers or dragonflies would improve this place tenfold. Even more with a diving-bell spider! But he said he didn't have the storage space for the models."

Finding nothing relevant in her head that she could add to the conversation, Pomni settled for awkwardly nodding along.

"But I don't believe that, because I've seen ants here! Big bulbous ones! Which is lovely, but they only seem to live at the carnival, and I am not allowed to have an ant farm." He explained, no longer even looking at her, instead out at the water. Or maybe he was just spacing out again, Pomni wouldn't be surprised. "But I am still holding out hope!"

There was an extended silence.

Pomni stared at him, waiting for him to continue, but he didn't. She cleared her throat.

He startled. "Oh! What was I doing over here again?" He looked around, but didn't look down at Pomni and appeared to completely miss her in the process. "Huh."

And then he just...turned around and rejoined the group, leaving Pomni alone by the water.

Pomni watched him leave, and some of the tension in her shoulders eased, not having someone standing over her. She almost felt bad that not having him near her made her feel better. Almost.

She turned back to the water, and fully committed to sitting down rather than just crouching by it. So, cross-legged she sat, close enough to dip her feet in if she wanted.

She dipped a hand into the water again, and tried to scoop out a handful of it.

The water, however, did not remain in her hand when she lifted it out. It slid from her fingers as if passing through them. She felt the cold through her gloves, but she'd be hard-pressed to say it even felt wet. It was a hard feeling to describe.

"You doing ok over here?"

Pomni flailed at the sudden address, falling to her side in the grass, one of her hat bells dipping in the water with the movement.

"Gosh! Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you!" Said the voice, which Pomni identified to be Ragatha. "Do you need help up?"

"N-no!" Pomni squeaked. "I'm fine, I'm fine and I can..." She halts mid-sentence to look up at Ragatha. The other woman looked so gently concerned, a hand outstretched but withdrawing after her fierce denial.

"...I wanted to sit here. I'm fine..." Pomni reassures, pushing herself up to sit cross-legged again. "S-sorry if I, um, worried you." She manages. Her gaze turns back to the water.

"Oh, you don't need to apologize for that! I worry about everyone." She replies. "You haven't been out here yet, have you?"

"Not really...I was just...curious about the lake. I didn't think I'd be much, uh...help. With the mole holes. So I came over here instead." The jester said carefully. "I didn't think anyone would......." She stops herself. Would what? Notice? Care? Any end to that sentence just felt...pointlessly negative. Zooble was right, she was being a downer.

Ragatha seems to read her mind. "You can't slip away from this group so easily, I'm afraid." She walked around, back into Pomni's peripherals. "Is it okay if I sit next to you?"

She feels tense again, just like she had earlier when Kinger had been standing behind her. The difference, at least, was that Ragatha was both making herself a presence and trying to actually engage with her. So she wasn't as tense as she could be, and she feels comfortable enough to at least meet the other's gaze.

Even so, Pomni tries to deflect. "D-don't they need your help over there?"

Ragatha sighs. "I don't think we're making progress over there whether I'm there or not. I'll go back over if Jax starts punting those things at people, but for now I don't think there's anything for me to do." She tilts her head a little. "So would it be okay to sit with you instead?"

Pomni can't think of any rebuttal, and finds she doesn't really mind the company, so she nods.

Ragatha smiles down at her, and makes herself comfortable in the grass. Close enough that they could reach out and touch each other, but far enough that they weren't in danger of doing that by accident.

So...a respectable distance, really. Not in her bubble. It was nice, having people respect that without her having to ask. It definitely wasn't a boundary Jax cared about, at least.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Ragatha began. "You look like you've got something on your mind."

Pomni almost wished she wasn't so easy to read in her new body. But it wasn't like what was bothering her was particularly heavy, at that moment, so the assessment didn't bother her much. "I just...was figuring out how water works here."

"Oh?"

"It's not...wet, I don't think? It doesn't really move. It...just feels fake. Like a lot of the stuff here."

Ragatha hummed. "It's different, to be sure. But it's not scary, right?"

Pomni blinks, turning to the other in mild confusion. "...no, not...scary. Why would it be scary?"

"Well....a lot of the stuff here is, when you're just getting used to it. I just don't want you to be overwhelmed." She lets out a dry laugh. "Heaven knows Caine isn't making that effort any easier."

Pomni lets out a strained laugh of her own. Understatement of the century. "W-well, you don't need to worry about that with me!"

She receives a skeptical squint in response.

"I....well I meant not about this specifically. I'm not scared of water. I......" She pauses to think, a lump forming in her throat. ".....I don't remember if I knew how to swim, actually." She realizes. Another piece of her slipping through her fingers like pixelated water.

Ragatha smiles. "Hey, that's ok, no one's expecting you to be swimming today!"

The doll didn't get it, and it was wildly frustrating. "I...it's not ok, though. I...." Another aborted sentence. She was having so much trouble putting her thoughts to words today. She dips her hand in the water again.

Ragatha doesn't speak up again for a long moment, simply watching Pomni swirl her hand around in the blue.

Pomni manages to say something before the other does. "I just...can't hold onto it. I feel like I can't hold onto anything, I just-" She stops again. "...I don't want to keep talking about this." She mutters, sounding defeated.

"That's...ok, too. You don't need to-" Ragatha starts, but she's interrupted.

"Hey Pinwheel, Dollface. Care to share with the class?" Jax says, and the pair whirl around to face him. He was bouncing one of the Carbimbles with his hammer, keeping it from hitting the ground. The creatures didn't have eyes, but it still looked like it was crying about the abuse.

His ever-present grin never stopped being unnerving.

Ragatha glared at him. "Jax, we're in the middle of something, if you don't mind."

"Oh, don't worry, you're not bothering me." He replied, cheeky. "If you get to abandon the group to socialize, so can I." He leaned down, somehow still maintaining his Carbimble juggle. "Hey Pomni, wanna hold it? They're super cuddly."

"Ignore him." Said Ragatha with a sigh, turning away from him.

"Oh, you wound me!" Exclaimed Jax, ears drooping to one side as he pouted. "Speaking of~"

And then he punted the Carbimble directly at the back of Ragatha's head.

She shouted in surprise and hurt, almost falling forward into the water but landing on her hands before she could. The spiky creature bounced off her, landing in the dirt and starting to burrow again.

Ragatha whipped around, starting to exclaim something at the smug rabbit, but then her expression went panicked as she saw the Carbimble digging. She plucked it from the dirt and winced, hot potato-ing it between her hands.

"Oops, my bad, my hand slipped!" Said Jax, shrugging.

Pomni really didn't want to be here. She tried to defend Ragatha anyway. "N-no you didn't! You did that on purpose!"

"You can't prove that! These moles are slippery, it's so hard keeping a hold on them." He gestured to Ragatha, struggling to keep from dropping the Carbimble still. "See?"

It wasn't even a valid argument but he wasn't even wrong. Pomni really really didn't want to be here.

At that moment, Ragatha's hand slips, and the ball goes in an arc towards the jester. "Ah, Pomni!" Is all the warning she can give.

Pomni reflexively reaches out to block it with her hands, protecting her face, and the spikes dig into her gloves. "Ow!!" She yelps, and proceeds to hurl it into the lake on pure instinct.

The Carbimble shatters into a million pixels the moment it makes contact with the water's surface.

All three of them stare. Ragatha wrings her hands together, frowning at all the little holes the creature had poked in her fabric.

"Well! Looks like we found the solution! Good job gang, knew I could count on you." Announces Jax with a wink.

Pomni did not want to be here. She continues to stare at the spot the Carbimble exploded on.

Ragatha stands, looking irritated. "Jax, what is your problem? Are you really so personally offended that a conversation doesn't include you that you resort to attacking people?"

"Attacking is such a strong word, you heard me, my hand slipped!" He replied, twirling his hammer.

Ragatha's hands bunch info fists, and she takes a deep breath to calm herself down. But she doesn't get a chance to reply, calm or not, because Pomni speaks up.

"Would that happen to me if I fell in the water?"

Jax and Ragatha turn to her, seeing her blank, scribbly stare. Gaze fixed on the water.

It was a concerning expression, to say the least. Ragatha hesitantly interprets it as frightened. "No, you wouldn't explode. Caine just programmed the Carbimbles to explode on contact with the water for some reason. You're not in any danger."

"Yeah, we just can't die period. That would ruin the fun." Adds Jax.

Pomni slowly stands, turning to the rabbit with an unchanged expression. "Can't.....die? Are you sure?"

Ragatha glares at Jax as he continues. "Yeah, we can feel pain and everything, we just can't die. Gangle fell in a paper shredder once, and she was totally fine."

"She was crying in her room for days after Caine fixed her!" Ragatha shouts angrily. "Just because physical damage doesn't last doesn't mean you can just do whatever you want to people!"

Pomni interrupts again. "Wait, no, so...does that mean we don't need to breathe, either?"

Ragatha feels a renewed concern at how specific a question that was. "....why?"

"I-I mean, I'm breathing right now, right? But if we can't die that means we can't, like, d....suffocate, right?"

Jax raises an eyebrow. "Well Zooble and Kinger don't have mouths...and her mouth is construction paper." He gestures to Ragatha with the long end of his hammer. Ragatha bats it away with her hand. "It just depends. Can't say I've ever thought about it too hard."

"So...even though I'm doing it right now, nothing bad would happen to me if I just...stopped?"

Ragatha steps away from Jax, towards Pomni. "Pomni, sweetheart, you're scaring me, why are you asking about this?" She reaches out her hands, not sure if she was aiming for a placating motion or to grab the jester to stop her from doing something rash.

Pomni's scribble-eyes go frantic for the briefest moment at the reaching hands, and she takes a step backwards, away from Ragatha and towards...

...the water. The water. Ragatha realizes what the jester was doing a second too late.

Pomni closes her eyes, and falls backwards into the lake.

Pomni hears a muffled cry through the water, but she doesn't heed it, instead turning over, eyes opening to the blurry blue surrounding her. She beats her arms, kicks her legs, and starts to move further from the edge and surface.

Despite what Jax had said, she holds her breath for as long as she's able, getting a decent way away from the shore before she feels a burning sensation within her, as if from the lungs she no longer has.

She lets out the breath. Bubbles come out of her mouth, and she feels a deep, terrible cold replace the burning feeling. No....not replace, join. She both burns and freezes, suffocating in the depths.

She freezes up, panicked, limbs growing sluggish, pressure all around her. She does not float to the surface, but sinks.

'Oh. This was a mistake.' She realizes, but too little too late, as she falls so so slowly through the water.

It still doesn't feel wet, she notes. The cold is noticeable, and uncomfortable, but it's like there's some...pixel-thin surface tension preventing her from feeling damp. The cold penetrates deep with every reflexive breath she takes, but the water can't do much else to her.

Her back hits the bottom, eventually, and despite feeling stiff and heavy, she manages to move herself into a sitting position. She cranes her neck upward, towards the distant surface. It's blurry, still, but if she looks around, she can almost make out the boat and the slide.

Not that looking around is even a thought in her mind. The burning in her chest, the cold, the pressure. Each was slowly building the longer she spent down here, but those things made swimming to the surface feel an impossible task. She felt....incapable of anything, really.

She wouldn't die, but this was certainly a kind of torture. She was drowning, but there was no blissful escape.

'Why does everything need to be so difficult?' She meekly wondered, eyes slipping shut. She wishes she'd just pass out or something, but that doesn't happen either. All there is is pain, and no end to it in sight.

'I should've just put up with them arguing.' Is the last coherent thought she has before she begins to violently dissociate, losing herself in all her awful feelings.

"Oh no....did something happen over there? Where's Pomni?" Asks Gangle, watching the pair  run over to rejoin the group by the holes. Well, Ragatha was running. Jax seemed far less prompt about it, though he wasn't really smiling any more.

All things considered, that was a bigger red flag than Ragatha's clear and violent distress.

"She- she just-" Ragatha's breathing is uneven and quick, pupil a pinprick and body shaking.

"She threw herself in the lake." Jax fills in, setting his hammer down and gesturing behind him with his other hand.

Zooble squints. "So...where is she? I don't see her swimming. Good on her for being rebellious, I guess, not taking part in this [HONK], but-"

"No, no, you don't understand," Ragatha gasps, "she hasn't come back up. She went down and she hasn't come back up."

The group goes quiet. And then Zooble lets out a quiet, "...oh."

Jax shrugs. "I mean, implications aside, it's not the end of the world. She checked with us to make sure she couldn't actually drown before doing that."

Ragatha whirls on him, face alight with fierce, protective anger. "Don't even START with that! You practically encouraged it! You know how hard she's been taking everything and you just-"

Jax's expression visibly sours at that. "Now you're just blaming me cuz you need someone to blame. She'll survive, and she full well knew that before she went stupid."

"She doesn't need any more hard lessons!" Ragatha shouts. "She needs a break from the stress of this place and trying to drown herself is the opposite of a break!"

"H-hey, Ragatha, please calm down!" Says Gangle, nervousness breaking through to her still, miraculously, unbroken mask. "What can we even do?"

Ragatha turns away from Jax forcefully, staring at Gangle for a moment, and then she lets out a breath. She closes her eye and hugs herself. "Deep breaths, Ragatha, breathing exercises, no one's abstracting today." She mumbles to herself, slowly soothing herself.

Eventually, she's calm enough to speak again. "Ok. Is swimming down there to get her an option?" She suggests, looking around at the four.

"Nah, I don't have a swimsuit." Says Jax.

"I don't have any of my aquatic parts on me." Says Zooble.

"I'm....not really the most hydrodynamic..." Says Gangle.

"What's going on?" Says Kinger.

Ragatha lets out a groan. "Ugghhh, I sink like a rock when my stuffing gets soaked." She admitted.

"Can't we just get Caine?" Gangle asks. "He can just snap his fingers and Pomni would be back up here!" She points out with a hopeful smile.

Jax tsks. "You know he doesn't ever pop back in until the end of the adventure. No matter what kinda tantrum we throw about it."

"So we still have to figure out what to do with these stupid[QUACK] moles?" Zooble hissed irritably.

"Oh, no, we've figured that part out." Jax replies matter-of-factly. "They explode in the water."

"I own a fishing rod!" Exclaims Kinger suddenly, standing up very straight and looking over the group with what was presumably a smile.

Ragatha sucks in a breath of air through her teeth. "Um, that's nice to know, Kinger, but what does that have to do with anything?" She asks, slowly, still tense.

He tilted his head a little, as if Ragatha was the silly one. "We could fish Pomni out! She could grab the hook and we could pull her up."

Everyone goes a little wide-eyed at that. "...ooohhh."

Ragatha's smile is hopeful. "That's....a really good idea, Kinger! Thank you for saying that!"

"Saying what?"

Zooble lets out an exasperated sigh. "Kinger, where's your fishing rod?"

"Oh! Yes, its in my room! I can go get it!"

"I'll go with you!" Says Gangle with a smile. She gently set down her mallet and skipped over to Kinger's side.

Kinger nodded absently, and the pair walked off towards the tent.

"And then there were three." Jax remarks.

"We should go get the boat ready." Ragatha ponders aloud. "She got to nearly the middle of the lake....we'll need the boat to reach her."

"You two can go do that. I'm gonna stay here and practice my swing." Said Jax, picking his hammer back up and jabbing the holes again.

"You can't even be bothered to help even a little?" Zooble accuses, their eyes narrowing.

"This is helping. Either you fish her up, or Caine saves the day when the adventure is through." He replies. "Watching moles explode is fun. Messing around with you two isn't, not when you're in such a killjoy mood."

"It's called treating a situation seriously." Ragatha shot back with a glare.

"Like I said: killjoys."

Ragatha has to take another deep breath, and Zooble gives her a pat on the shoulder. "C'mon, he's not worth it."

The doll sighs, and the pair walk off, leaving Jax to do pest control all by himself.

Pomni had no recollection of ever being in this kind of pain in her life ever. The minor glitching on her first day wasn't anywhere near this level. The other 'injuries' she'd sustained in the circus were a cakewalk compared to this. And she remembered next to nothing about stressful situations from her life before.

So, new information revealed to her: drowning sucked. Drowning was agonizing. Outside of the circus, a normal person would've been dead by now but she had the privilege of sustaining this horrible experience for far longer than normal. Nonexistent lungs aflame from lack of oxygen, nonexistent lungs aching and freezing from water inhalation. Pinpricks of stabbing pain danced across her from the inside out.

And the pressure, either from the water itself or the combination of the prior two sensations, making her feel like she was being crushed from all sides. She'd long since fallen back over, unable to keep sitting, trying terribly hard to curl in on herself. Each second that passed, she just felt worse and worse and worse.

Why had she done this to herself? She'd figured it wouldn't be pleasant, but she'd had no idea it would be this bad.

Being violently uncomfortable around Jax and Ragatha's argument was one thing. Being violently uncomfortable on her own terms had felt preferable, in the moment. But now...now she just wished someone else had hurt her, so she had someone other than herself to blame.

Could she even really blame Jax for this? Jax being antagonistic was something she knew to expect by now. She shouldn't have been surprised by it. In a way, she really wasn't. Maybe she was just used to seeing it directed at Gangle and not Ragatha. Ragatha, the person who was trying the hardest to make her less distressed by everything.

Guilt was eating her alive. First she gets attacked by Jax, and then she had to watch Pomni do...this.

She wanted to cry, but the lake had stolen too much of her energy to even allow her that. So she just continued to tremble in place, at the bottom of the lake in a fetal position, for another long stretch of time.

Not like time meant anything at all when you were drowning.

It's....hard to make out any sensations other than the painful ones, but eventually she feels something...different.

Her clothes were part of her body now, so she felt through them like they were skin. It was still something she was getting used to, but that didn't mean she didn't feel the sudden....prick, when it happened.

She slowly opened her eyes, taking in her blurry surroundings anew for the first time in what felt like hours. She looked around at herself, trying to locate what she'd felt.

Eventually, she feels it again, and it helps her narrow it down. It was her hat that she was feeling, near the pointy end. She reaches up to pull the spot into view, and she's perplexed by what she sees.

A slivery hook pierces her fabric, attached to a line that trailed up to the surface. She follows the line with her eyes, and her sluggish thoughts catch up to what was happening.

It was a fishing line and hook, and she'd been snagged. Was that on purpose?

Her pulling her hat pulled the line in turn, and soon enough, whoever was on the other end begins to pull the line back up, bringing her with it.

The hook in her hat hurt, but compared to everything else she was feeling, it was barely even uncomfortable. She just lets her limp body be dragged through the water.

It must've taken minutes, but she eventually reaches the surface. She takes a shuddering gasp, exposed to the air again, body practically crying out in relief, burning sensation already beginning to abate.

She feels hands, soft, reach down under her armpits, pulling her the rest of the way out of the water, and she's too out of it to be distressed about the contact. She hears words, muffled, but she can't make out what they're saying.

The world is still blurry through her water-soaked eyes, and she only barely manages to make out where whatever she was sitting in met the water in time to heave out all the water she'd inhaled into the lake anew.

It lasts awhile, that moment. Throwing up on day one had been disorienting but brief. This felt like every bit of agony she'd felt down there was violently coming back out, without any of the relief she'd been hoping for. Honestly, it was much more water than her tiny body looked like it'd be able to hold, but that was par for the course in this stupid new life of hers.

Eventually the flow stops, all the water back to where it came from, and she slumps down into...the boat? She assumes its the boat. The burning feeling was finally gone, as was the pressure, but she was still unbearably cold. Now it was just...coming from the outside, rather than the inside.

The muffled words continue in the background of her perception, and she makes as much of an effort as she's able to focus on them, to bring them into clarity.

"...mni? Pomni, please, please, can you hear me?" She eventually catches.

She moans, still so out of it, but wanting to at least make a noise of acknowledgment.

She hears a relieved sigh, and more words, clearer this time.

"Oh, thank goodness."

"You really freaked Ragatha out."

"Is she ok?"

"Can you talk? Can you move?"

It's almost overstimulating, going from tense, painful silence to this cascade of fretful words.

".........c-c-cold....." She manages to whimper.

Immediately she feels a set of arms lift her up from where she laid, wrapping around her tightly. Warm. It's an improvement, despite even now still not wanting to be touched.

It's not like she has either the voice or the reason to tell them no. She can't even really tell who's arms they are.

A soft rumble reverberates through her, coming from what Pomni still assumes is the toy boat. It's sensation, and its something to ground her. Her eyes slip shut again. Somehow, as if by some cruel joke, she finally manages to slip from consciousness.

Would've been nice to have done that while suffering at the bottom of the lake, but hey, what place does she have to complain about that.

Ragatha clutches Pomni tightly as the boat makes its way to the shore. The jester was trembling, soaking wet, eyes closed, lip a tight, wiggled line. If Ragatha still had a heart, she knew it would've been racing from the stress of it all. It felt like a miracle they'd been able to fish Pomni out in the first place, and she feared if she let the other go it would stop being real.

Zooble was steering the boat, Gangle and Kinger watching Pomni with worried eyes. Because the universe existed to push Gangle down the stairs, she'd managed to break her comedy mask while inside with Kinger. Nevermind outside, where Jax was, no, it was inside that she managed to find a way to fall on her face.

Kinger didn't look like he really understood what was happening, but Gangle, obviously, was on the verge of bawling. "She's...she's gonna be ok, right? Wh-whatever happened, Caine can fix it, right?"

Ragatha held Pomni tighter. "She's ok, she's ok, and if she's not, she will be." Said the ragdoll, seemingly to herself, a mantra, almost a prayer.

"She...just needs to warm up. She might get sick if she stays like this too long." Reassured Zooble from his place at the wheel. "And even if she does, nothing'll kill her."

"I know that. I know that. I...I know." Muttered Ragatha. Her dress was getting soaked from holding the jester as tightly as she was. They were almost at the shore, and she was beginning to shiver, too.

None of the other three knew what to say to lessen the doll's stress, so they just look to each other nervously. The rest of the boat ride is quiet.

Zooble was, thankfully, pretty good at driving the boat, and they had a soft landing. Kinger exited first, waving to Jax. Jax was still punting Carbimbles into the water, and there were actually less holes in the grass then when they started; clearly what he was doing was working.

The rest of them dismounted the boat, and Zooble stretched out her limbs. "Ok. The rest of us should help Jax with the adventure, but you need to get Pomni somewhere warm. We'll let Caine know what happened when he shows up." She instructed Ragatha.

She nodded. "R-right. Sorry that-"

Zooble glared at her. "Stop apologizing for [BONK]. Just go help her."

Ragatha nods again, and runs off.

By the time she makes it inside the tent, Pomni stirs in her arms. "Mmnn...whuh..."

Ragatha slows her pace, realizing her haste must've jostled her cargo. "Pomni? Are you ok?"

Pomni opens her eyes slightly. "Oh. R...Ragatha." She mumbles in greeting.

"Yes, it's me. You're gonna be ok, ok?"

"Can....can you put me down?"

Her voice is still weak and she's still shivering violently; two facts that clearly tell Ragatha that doing what was just asked was a bad idea. So, she verbalizes that. "I don't think you can walk on your own right now, Pomni. I can't put you down till we get you somewhere warm."

"I'm...I'm fine, I can walk..." Pomni mutters in reply. It's not very convincing.

"You are not fine, Pomni. You will be once you get warm, ok?"

"P-please, R-Ragatha-"

"No, Pomni, not yet."

The jester closes her eyes again with a faint grumble. "I don't h...I don't hurt anymore. I'm fine."

Ragatha doesn't respond this time, urgency returning to her steps as she rounds the corner into the hall. The other's room was in sight now.

Single-minded focus guided her feet, and soon enough she's standing before Pomni's door. "Key?" She asks, and looks down at the jester in her arms.

She finds Pomni looking up at her with wide, scribbly eyes. She doesn't move or say anything for a few seconds, but when she does, Ragatha can't decipher the tone. "...you're crying."

Ragatha blinks. "A-am I?" She stammers. She had no idea. How long had that been happening? She didn't remember starting, so it must've been a while.

Pomni nods.

"O-oh. I'm...." Now she's the one who can't complete a sentence. Her hands are occupied holding the jester, so she couldn't even wipe her eye.

A tear falls from her face, landing on Pomni's cheek.

Pomni blinks rapidly, her scribbly irises going haywire before settling, turning between blinks back into her familiar pinwheels. She stares up at Ragatha with eyes still wide.

Ragatha, now aware of her own fractured composure, finds her voice wavers when she speaks again. "P-Pomni, your key."

Pomni blinks again. "...o-oh, right, s...sorry." She procures the key and holds it up to give to Ragatha.

Ragatha, of course, still has her hands full, and cannot take the key. She sighs. "I'll...put you down." She relents, no longer having a choice.

Pomni nods faintly, still staring up at her with big eyes.

As gently as she can, Ragatha sets Pomni down, leaning her against the wall. She takes the key from an outstretched hand, and unlocks Pomni's door with it.

Pomni was stretching out her limbs, now that Ragatha wasn't holding her. She...seemed to be shivering less than before, too, which was a good sign. But Ragatha still wanted to be safe, so she reached down to pick Pomni up again.

Pomni's pupils shrink at the motion, and she noticeably leans away from the other.

Ragatha wasn't forgetful or stupid; she'd seen Pomni do that a few times before, and remembered the other's distressed reaction from earlier in the day when she'd offered to help her stand.

Clearly, something about these situations was making her extremely uncomfortable. But she didn't want to speculate on it at the moment.

She withdraws her hands, and lets them rest at her side. "Can you stand on your own, Pomni?" She asks instead.

Pomni's expression and body language both calm a bit, and she gives a faint nod. Slowly but surely, using the wall for support, she goes from sitting, to all fours, to standing. She wobbles a little, and she's still shivering, but she seems fine.

Ragatha felt ridiculous, seeing it. It wasn't like Pomni had broken her legs, she was just cold. Being made of rubber, apparently, meant she had a decent amount of structural integrity. And having held her as tightly as she had been...she'd warmed up enough that whatever weakness she'd experienced earlier must've mostly gone away now.

The ragdoll averts her gaze. "I...guess I was overreacting. I'm sorry, Pomni."

Pomni doesn't reply, leaning against the wall and frowning to herself.

Ragatha pushes the door open. "After you." She feels another tear roll down her cheek, and she mentally berates herself for it.

Pomni slowly walks past her, into her room, gaze fixed on the other.

The ragdoll follows her, closing the door behind them and clicking on the lights.

Pomni's living quarters were about what she expected. The same as all the bedrooms start, simply furnished, but decorated in primary colors to match its occupant. Though Ragatha did notice a stereotypical "hang in there!" cat poster that clearly was added after the fact. Fitting.

Pomni's crawled into her bed by the time Ragatha's finished looking around, balling herself up in the blankets. She's completely concealed herself in them, nothing of her visible, just a shivering lump in the bed.

Ragatha wipes her eye, now that she's not being observed. Her hands are wet from carrying her friend all the way here, so it doesn't help much. "Do you have spare blankets anywhere? You're still soaking, I should find a towel, too..."

The jester's voice is muffled through the sheets she's buried in. Ragatha takes a step closer to the bed to hear her better. "Can you say that again?"

The bed lump shuffles a bit, changing orientation so that Pomni could poke her face out while sitting. If Ragatha wasn't still so stressed, she probably would've found it cute. But as it was, she had no brain space for endearment.

Pomni's big eyes stared at her for a moment. "...I don't have...a towel, but...I think there's more blankets in the bottom drawer of the dresser." She said quietly.

Ragatha nodded, and crouched down to retrieve them.

"......honestly though, you should probably just leave."

Ragatha felt like an icicle had stabbed her through the chest. She felt her eye begin to swell with new, fresh tears. She choked on a lump in her throat.

She turned to Pomni slowly, afraid of what she might see when she looks. What she sees is another hard to read expression, and that scares her further.

Pomni isn't even looking at her, instead seemingly staring off into space.

"If....that's what you want." Ragatha manages, the lump in her throat making the words come out hoarse, wet. She stands, turning away from her, and she isn't able to stop herself from sniffling, just once.

But she's stopped from taking even one more step by the sound of Pomni sniffling, too. She turns back to see Pomni with tear-filled eyes, trembling violently under the blanket.

She can't bring herself to say anything; which is convenient, considering what Pomni says next.

"I've caused you enough trouble today."

Ragatha's breath hitches. "Pomni, no, sweetheart, that's not-"

"D-don't." Pomni stutters. "S-stop trying to lie to make me feel better."

She swallows. She hadn't thought Pomni had picked up on that. "You...you still need help, and I can-"

"I don't deserve it. All I know how to do is hurt you." She whimpers.

Despite herself....Ragatha finds this response frustrating more than anything else. She inhales deeply.

"You want me to tell you the truth, Pomni? Is that what you want from me right now?"

Pomni looks up at her with a wavering expression and wet eyes. She gives a faint nod.

The ragdoll lets out a deep sigh, and leans back down to gather more blankets before she begins speaking. "Listen. I....you scared me. You scared me so badly, Pomni. And...I like to think I'm good at not freaking out usually but what you did really freaked me out."

Blankets in arm, she turns back to Pomni, who seemed invested in making herself smaller in her little bundle.

Ragatha takes a moment to steady herself before continuing. "But...I just can't get upset with you, no matter how much I want to, because you drowned today! How am I supposed to be mad at you when you probably just had the worst day of your life?!"

At the slight raise of her voice, Pomni's eyes go wide. But she doesn't flinch. She does, however, flinch when Ragatha begins to drape the extra blankets around her existing one.

It's something Ragatha notices, but she pays it no mind for the moment, because Pomni needed to be warm so she wasn't going to stop. "I....I...." She stammers, bringing a hand up to wipe her eye again.

"Ragatha, I-"

"You keep having awful day after awful day and I just...! I couldn't live with myself if I made them worse somehow!" She shouts. That's the root of it, isn't it? She can't stop herself from feeling responsible for Pomni's mental health. She felt like that about nearly everyone else in the circus but Kinger, because he was here before her. But everyone else here had come after, and the protectiveness that came with that seniority meant she couldn't stop herself from caring so, so much about everyone new that arrived here.

Pomni was just the most extreme case, because of her record-breaking terrible first day.

She's startled out of her anguish by the softest of touches, and she blinks through her stress tears to see that Pomni had reached a hand out of her blanket hole to rest on Ragatha's shoulder. Her hand was still: all the blankets had finally stopped her shivering.

Her voice is so, so quiet. "...I did this to you." She says. Her eyes shine with guilt.

Ragatha swallows, averting her gaze.

"I...made you have an awful day, too." She continues. "I'm...I'm so sorry." She hiccups. "I don't want to drag you down with me. You're too nice for that. You're too nice to me."

"I'm nice to everyone, whether they deserve it or not." Ragatha admits. "But you do deserve it. The only thing you've done is....adjust poorly, and that isn't something to beat yourself up over."

Pomni sniffs again. "I won't do it again." She says, still so quiet. "I won't hurt myself like that again. I...I don't wanna keep making you feel like this."

"I don't want you to feel like this either, Pomni."

"I...I promise I won't do anything like that again." Pomni manages to say, voice unsteady like she isn't quite sure if it's a promise she'll be able to keep.

Yet, it's such an uplifting idea, those words, that Ragatha manages a laugh. Her hand finds Pomni's, and she gives it a light squeeze. "You promise?"

Pomni's smile is genuine. "You can hold me to it."

Chapter Text

The rest of the day went by relatively peacefully. She got some flack from Jax for not returning eventually to help with pest control, but it wasn't a taunt she entertained.

Caine, as usual, didn't really understand the emotional gravity of what had happened to Pomni, but did swear that the next day's activities would be calmer to compensate.

Ragatha had been hesitant to leave Pomni's side when the time came for it, still struggling with the gut-deep worry that something bad would happen in her absence. But Pomni had asserted that Ragatha had done plenty, and again, that she wouldn't cause herself any more purposeful tragedy. Ragatha had made her pinkie swear as extra insurance for that.

Side note, Pomni seemed to fluster a bit when they locked their pinkies together. It was such an odd thing to fluster about that it stuck in her mind. Side note to that side note, Pomni blushed blue? Either that was just how it worked for her or she was still cold.

None of that was particularly relevant; either way, she didn't see Pomni for the rest of the day, Caine allowing her to stay in her room to recover from her harrowing experience.

Ragatha even brought Pomni some food after dinner, but she found the jester sleeping when she arrived, and so simply left the plate on her nightstand.

And so, the night came and went.

Pomni awoke in the morning feeling pretty good, all things considered. She was warm and dry, wrapped in a blanket burrito of her own making, and there was a low-poly sandwich on her nightstand. She still felt weird about the food here, but she wasn't about to be a choosing beggar.

She knew she couldn't actually get hungry, but the phantom feeling of it was still present. The knowledge that she should be, especially the morning after a stressful experience. So, she ate.

Plus side of the food here just being fancy code: it didn't get stale from sitting there for hours. Still tasted fine, and not dried out in the slightest.

She stretched herself out, slowly untangling from her blankets and hopping to the floor. Another stretch.

Before yesterday, she'd been determined to barricade herself in her room and not come out for anything or anyone ever again. The room was the one place that was just...hers, and she felt like staying inside it granted her some semblance of control over her situation. But after yesterday...

Deciding to drown herself was a vie for control, too, and it had been a terribly stupid thing to do. She needed to figure out how to adapt...well, better. And she refused to do anything else she knew would upset Ragatha. Staying in her room again would definitely upset Ragatha.

Her's was, at the moment, the only opinion she really cared about. Caine and Jax stressed her out, Zooble didn't seem to actually care about much of anything, Kinger didn't seem aware enough to process much of anything...and she still wasn't sure what to think about Gangle.

Ragatha was transparent, careful, loving. Easy enough to understand, especially after yesterday. Someone who genuinely cared about her...and Pomni was so desperate for something to cling to that she was eager to reciprocate that care. She still felt like she owed her for abandoning her on her first day.

She shook herself off. Ragatha was a friend, which meant it was Pomni's obligation to be one to her. She needed to stop taking more than she gave.

She feels...ashamed that she has to even remind herself that. The more she thought about it, the more performative it all felt. She didn't want it to be like that; she liked Ragatha, or at least she thought she did. She wanted them to have a relationship that was genuine and friendly. But with how uncertain everything felt, she wasn't even sure how to accomplish that.

She lets out an audible groan, bonking her head gently against a wall. "Why can't anything ever just be easyyyyy."

She shakes herself out of it. "No, I can't keep acting useless. I just need to...try. And keep trying. Fake it till you make it, Pomni!" She gently slapped her cheeks with her hands. "Just gotta fake it till you make it!"

It didn't feel like a particularly successful pep talk, but it would have to do for now.

She opened her door and left.

The hall was quiet and empty. She figured maybe she'd overslept, and everyone else was already by the stage waiting for her.

When she gets to the stage, though, it's clear that its actually the opposite: no one was here, which meant she'd woken up early. Which, when she thought about it, made sense: yesterday's stress had made her fall asleep way earlier than normal. Muscle-memory circadian rhythms hadn't really let her sleep too much at once. From what the other's said, she'd probably shake off that muscle memory eventually, but for now she'd slept a normal amount, and was thus awake and alone with her thoughts until everyone else joined her.

She honestly had no idea what time it even was. The lights in the tent were on, but she wasn't even sure if they ever fully turned off to begin with. And going outside probably wouldn't be helpful considering the moon and sun were both just...there.

It was eerie, being alone in this place. It reminded her of searching for Caine day one, hiding from Kaufmo. Fight or flight buzzed beneath her surface.

That feeling dissuaded her from doing any exploring to kill time, so she just crawled up onto the stage to sit and wait in silence.

She was halfway through counting floating geometry when someone speaks up. "You're up early!"

She startles, but doesn't fall over for once. She looks down from her elevated position on the stage, and sees Gangle standing on the floor. She had her comedy mask on, so she was smiling up at her, though Pomni's sudden movement seemed to surprise her a little.

"O-oh, hi. So are you?" Pomni replies.

"Yeah, I usually get up early to fix my mask. On the days I need to, anyway." She replies, trying to climb up on the stage as well.

Her ribbons didn't allow her much ability to do so successfully. Pomni steeled her nerves, and offered Gangle a hand.

She smiles gratefully, and raps her ribbon arm around Pomni's own. She wasn't very heavy, so Pomni was able to pull her up with relative ease. Thankfully, Gangle releases the jester the moment she's up. "Thank you, Pomni."

"Don't...don't mention it." Replies the jester.

"Are you doing ok, by the way? After yesterday?" She asks, tilting her head a little. "Ragatha was really worried about you."

Pomni looks down. "Yeah, I'm...fine now, I think. I learned my lesson." She responds.

"That's good! I was worried about you too." Gangle admits. "I...broke my mask helping Kinger get his fishing rod, so when he actually fished you out I was kinda starting to panic....so I'm glad you're not sick or anything!"

The jester blinks. "We can get sick?"

"We can do just about everything, just none of it is ever lethal." She replies. "I think Caine said something once like..." She puts on her best imitation of the ringmaster, "The Amazing Digital Circus is a very real place of wonder and immersion! If physical consequences would aid in that immersion, then illness and pain there shall be! But don't worry, it's all perfectly safe and legal!"

Pomni lets out a ghost of a laugh at that. "That's what he sounds like, yeah."

Gangle laughs too. "Thanks, I've been practicing."

There's a lapse in conversation at that. Pomni still doesn't really know how to talk to her; she seems so nice, mask intact or not. But there's a lurking...eggshell feeling, like this pleasant conversation would swiftly become impossible the moment the other's mask breaks. Was the happy a facade? Was this just how Gangle dealt with this place?

The question escapes her before she can stop it. "Which, um, which mask is the real you?"

Gangle's eyes go wide at that, and Pomni immediately starts to backpedal. "Oh my god that was a stupid thing to say I shouldn't have said that that was so rude-"

"N-no, it's ok! It's...it makes sense you'd see it like that. You don't know me very well." She says, voice lacking the energy it did earlier. She was frowning a bit, too, and Pomni feels herself panic a little as she sees the tiniest crack form at the top of her mask.

Gangle shakes her head, smile returning. "The way I see it...uh, this comparison might be literal, because it's hard to really remember...before this place? But this mask is me on medication, and the tragedy mask is me off medication."

Pomni blinks, turning the words over in her mind. It takes her a second to understand what Gangle means. "....oh, you mean like...depression medication?"

Gangle nods, smile small. "Yeah! If you want to be technical, the tragedy mask is part of my body more than the comedy mask is...but I'm still me when I'm wearing it."

Troubling implications pop into Pomni's mind. "Wait, then...that means you can just trip and fall and the 'meds' just leave your system instantly."

Gangle gives a sad nod. "I try my best to make the most of it...but it's not exactly a perfect setup."

"....and Jax goes out of his way to break your mask constantly." She says with mounting horror in her tone.

Another sad nod, the tiny crack in the mask growing slightly.

"That's...that's terrible. Why does he do that?"

"Because I'm easy to do that to." Replies Gangle, and she makes a visible effort to smile again. "You know what it's like, here. We've all gotta find some way to not go nuts. That's just his way."

"But that's...that's not fair to you at all!" Pomni exclaims.

"It's not like I'm the only one he's mean to. He's mean to everyone." Gangle points out. "It's not like there's rules here about how everyone has to act. I'm allowed to dislike him for it, and he's allowed to not listen to me when I ask him to stop."

It's such a concerning thing to be even a little ok with. It's a fiercely protective feeling that swells in her chest, and she realizes something abruptly.

'Was this how I was making Ragatha feel  when I was drowning ?'

Her guilt from yesterday blossoms anew.

She doesn't, however, get much chance to dwell on it, because more people were awake to join them. Zooble enters first, followed by Ragatha.

The jester and the ragdoll lock eyes for a moment. Pomni gives a shy wave, hoping she looked as friendly as she wanted.

Ragatha gives her a warm smile and wave of her own. That meant she wasn't upset with her, right? They'd ended their conversation well. Ragatha looked happy to see her.

"Hey guys. Anything interesting happen? Probably not." Zooble says by way of greeting. Familiar disinterested tone.

Pomni clears her throat. "I've...decided that I'm going to punch Jax the next time I see him." She announces. Gangle deserved it, and if she wasn't going to do anything about Jax then it fell to someone else. Pomni had at least more mass to her than Gangle did.

Ragatha looks mildly concerned, but Zooble looks proud. "Atta girl. Anything specific prompt that?"

She gestures with her head towards Gangle. Gangle looks a bit surprised. "I didn't-"

"Ah, fair." They interrupted. "We finally forming the Gangle Defense Group?"

"I-I keep telling you guys that it's not necessary." Gangle speaks up. "I know it's not...good, the way he treats me, but there's no need to antagonize him."

"Uh, yeah there is. He's an [HEE-HAW]. And he's just gonna keep being one until you stand up for yourself." Zooble crosses their arms.

"I don't usually like encouraging this kind of thing, but they're right, Gangle. I worry about you." Ragatha adds. "You...put up with a disproportional amount of abuse. You could abstract if you're not careful."

Gangle flinches at that, the little crack in her face growing again. "I...um. Nuh-uh."

Zooble leers, throwing his hands up. "The [ZOOP] you mean nuh-uh?"

"I'm not going to abstract! I like it here!" She pauses, shrugging sheepishly. "....when he's not being mean to me, I mean."

"You know it's rude to talk about people behind their backs, right?"

The four of them turn to see that Jax and Kinger had arrived. Obviously, the remark belonged to Jax. His arms were crossed and he was smiling smugly. What else was new.

The anger bubbling up within Pomni spurred her to action. She slid off the stage and stormed towards the rabbit with purpose. Her chance to actually do something for someone for once.

Jax looked genuinely intrigued by her approach. "Something on my face, Pinwheel?"

Pomni stopped in front of him, glaring up at him with as much raw anger as she could. "Leave Gangle alone."

Jax blinks down at her, and then chuckles. "Real intimidating, kid. Got any bite for that bark?"

Were Pomni more experienced with how this place operated, she would've seen the statement for the bait that it was. But she isn't, so she doesn't.

Right in front of him now, she realizes she's actually too short to punch him in the face. She decides to punch him in the gut instead.

The moment she moves to do so, though, Jax bends, body curving around her fist. She wasn't very strong, so she'd put all her body's force into her movement to assure it actually accomplished something, and the inertia, now without an end point, sends her forward onto the floor.

She yelps when she hits the ground.

"Wow, what a thing to do! I hadn't even done anything yet today! Uncalled for." Jax remarks cheekily, walking off to lean against the stage, away from the group.

Ragatha dashes over to her, offering a hand up. Pomni barely notices, face burning with embarrassment. Honestly, what was she expecting to happen? Success and an apology? Of course not, he was Jax.

Gangle and Zooble join Ragatha, looking down at her in pity. "Sorry...I kinda saw that coming." Gangle admitted. "But I didn't want to stop you when you seemed so passionate about it..."

Pomni huffed, pushing herself to her feet on her own. Ragatha withdraws her hand.

"I...don't really recommend trying that again." She said gently. "Infighting just makes everyone more stressed. Defending Gangle is a good and just thing, Pomni, but attacking Jax first isn't something that...works."

Pomni pouted. "...yeah, you're right. I don't think I'm strong enough to pull that off anyway."

"Nah, don't listen to her, strangle him whenever given the chance." Zooble interjected. "Works great for me."

Ragatha huffed at that, but didn't outright refute it.

Pomni felt a growing nervousness in her chest again, like she was waiting for an argument to spring up. Luckily, Caine pops into existence before it has a chance to.

"OH! EVERYONE'S HERE THIS TIME! SPLENDID!" He exclaims. "AS I PROMISED YESTERDAY, TODAY IS A FREE DAY! I CAN USE THIS TIME TO PREPARE AN EXTRA SPECTACULAR ADVENTURE FOR TOMORROW, AND YOU CAN USE IT FOR WHATEVER YOU DESIRE! ALL BONUS CONTENT IS AVAILABLE FOR TODAY, SO TAKE ADVANTAGE! IF ANYONE NEEDS ME, I WILL BE PLAYING CHESS WITH BUBBLE ON THE CEILING!"

He floats up to the tippy top of the circus tent, and true to his words, spawns in a chess board.

It's hard to make out, but that's definitely what he's doing. Ignoring gravity and doing it upside-down, too.

"Peculiar and strange..." Mumbles Kinger in response.

He then walks off towards the entrance to the tent without any announcement.

Zooble sighs. "Welp. Headin back to my room now. Have fun or whatever."

"Wait!" Gangle exclaims, looking up at Zooble with a hopeful smile. "You promised me last time you'd let me draw you the next chance I got!"

Zooble squints at that. "I did, didn't I. I'd forgotten about that..."

"Pleeeaaase? I'll let you keep the picture and everything!"

Zooble visibly contemplated this, and then sighed in defeat. "Ok, fine, but we're doing it in my room so I don't have to deal with anyone else bothering me."

"Thank you!! You're so fun to look at so I know you'll be fun to draw, too!"

Zooble's eyes widen a little at that, and she turns and leaves without another word, Gangle trailing after her excitedly.

Ragatha hums. "Do you want to do anything in particular, Pomni? This is your first free day!"

"Oh! Uh...what are the options?" She asks.

Ragatha looks upward, pondering aloud. "Well, there's the carnival, and the reading nook, board game room, rock climbing, we could go swi..." Her expression sours.

Pomni cringes.

Ragatha clears her throat and continues as if she had not said that. "There's a parkour course, a winter room full of snow, a trampoline zone...really, the possibilities are endless. But I usually use my off days to sew." She finishes with a smile.

"That's...a lot of options."

"Lots of doors in this place, y'know? They all need to lead somewhere."

All the rooms she'd seen had been off-putting or dangerous. Had that just been bad luck on her part? Or were the fun ones just sectioned off somewhere else?

"Is there, uh...a music room?" Pomni asked.

"Yes there is! I can lead you there, if you like."

"That would be nice of you, Ragatha." She replied with a smile.

"Gladly then, follow me." She beckoned with her hand, and Pomni stuck close behind.

Jax watched them all go, an odd look on his face at having been abandoned and ignored.

"Hm."

"Any particular reason you wanted this room?" Ragatha asks when they get there.

Pomni pushes the door open to more instruments than she had names for. It's a daunting sight, and it distracts her enough that she doesn't respond immediately.

"Pomni?"

"Ah! Oh, uh, yeah...there's a reason." Pomni says as she steps into the room. She approaches a wall full of stringed instruments as she continues. "On the first night, I was...panicking, and I realized I was starting to...forget things. So I wrote down this big list of everything I could remember about myself."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Most of it seems....trivial, looking back. Like, I wrote down that I liked salmon? Most of it doesn't feel like important stuff anymore...but I remembered that I played an instrument. I couldn't remember which one, though."

Ragatha nodded in understanding. "I see! So you want to just...play some, and figure out which one it was?"

"Yeah! It's...probably gonna take a while and most of it is gonna sound bad, so...you don't have to stay if you don't want to..." She trailed off as she took down a guitar from the wall.

Proving her own point, she strums, and the sound is harsh and grating. Both women wince.

But even after hearing it, Ragatha doesn't go anywhere. Instead, she finds a seat, smiling at Pomni warmly. "I don't mind at all. Maybe I'll try a few, too. Sounds fun to me."

The jester blinks. "Oh. Um."

Ragatha's smile falters a little. "....unless that was you trying to politely ask me to leave? I won't be mad if you don't want me here."

"N-no! That's not what I was doing, I just...don't think I'm that good company..." Pomni admits.

She shakes her head. "You shouldn't talk about yourself like that, Pomni. You're lovely company."

Pomni doesn't really believe her, but she doesn't think it'd be very friendly of her to contest it. Ragatha was making an effort, so she needed to, too. "If...if you say so?"

"I do! Hey, maybe when you find your instrument, we can duet! That could be fun."

Her eyes widen in slight surprise. "You play an instrument too? Which one?"

Ragatha laughs sheepishly and holds her hand up. "There's...less options for me because of...how I'm sewn, but yes."

Pomni kept forgetting Ragatha's hands effectively had three digits. "Oh...right."

"It's not too bad, really. I can make it feel like I have all my fingers still if I focus." She explains. "Enough to...actually, I can just show you." She stands, smooths down her dress, and approaches the wall of strings as well. She plucks a little banjo from the wall and strums back and forth, eliciting a much more pleasant sound than what Pomni made.

The jester's eyes went big and shiny.

Ragatha chuckles at the sight. "I also like this one." She returned the banjo to its place and pulled down a viola. She pulled the bow across it, back and forth, and out into the air came lovely low notes.

Pomni seemed to not know how to respond for a moment, blinking, staring. She shakes her head to clear it, hat bells jingling with the movement. "That's...that's really cool, Ragatha." She says, just loud enough to not be whispering. She sounded awestruck.

Ragatha blushed a little, batting her hand bashfully. "Shucks, I'm glad you think so. It took a while to learn, so I'm glad you like it."

"Wait....learn?.....not remember?" Pomni points out.

"Exactly! I don't think I knew how to play either of these before coming here. But...I wanted to, so I learned."

Pomni's face goes contemplative at that, squinting down at the guitar in her arms. Then she shakes her head again as she snaps back to attention. The bells jingle some more.

Ragatha snickers. "They don't usually do that, do they?"

Her cheeks tint blue, and she puts the guitar back. "Uh...no, I don't think so." She pokes one with her finger, and it makes a gentle tinkling sound.

"I guess they do that here because this is a music room? It's kinda cute." The ragdoll remarks.

Pomni gives a nervous laugh. "Ha....yeah. Definitely."

She assesses the wall of strings again, and shakes her head with a sigh, ignoring the bells this time. "I don't think it's any of these."

"There's plenty of others to try! Maybe something you blow into, like a brass or a wind?"

She furrows her brow. "M-maybe..." she approaches the wall of wind instruments, and attempts a flute. Nothing comes to her, she has no idea where to put her fingers, and the sounds that she produces with it are...dull.

Ragatha's gaze is sympathetic, but not pitying.

Pomni takes a deep breath to steady her nerves. She found herself wondering if she was having a hard time because these really were the wrong instruments....or because she has an audience. And the audience is Ragatha, the one person she needed to like her.

She tries a few other winds, but none of them seem to be it, either. She doesn't get a good feeling looking at the brasses, but she tries a few anyway. None of them she tries work. Each failure adds to a slowly building distress.

Somewhere in the middle of her search, though, Ragatha sits down with the banjo and starts strumming out a tune. It's gentle and repetitive, and Pomni finds herself soothed by it.

A hand rubs the back of her head, bashful. Ragatha was great at this. If these interactions were a contest, she was winning by a landslide.

But they weren't, Pomni reminds herself. So she pushes her doubt down and just tries more instruments.

Drums? No. Marimba? No, but is still sounded nice even in mediocrity. Harp? Absolutely not.

She went through more instruments than she could count, hope fading quickly, until she abruptly realized she'd skipped over one that was obvious in hindsight.

Over in the corner, a piano sat.

She didn't feel any familiarity, looking at it. But she didn't let that stop her from trying.

She rested her fingers on the keys, sat up straight, and sighed. If this wasn't it, that meant it had to be something super obscure that the room might not even have.

Or, more distressingly, she'd already forgotten how to play whatever it was.

But, when she closed her eyes and focused, a feeling in her chest drove her fingers into assuredly practiced movements. Music, real, genuine music, rose from the piano.

A gasp escaped her, and her eyes shot open. The relief that flooded her was so palpable she felt like she was going to cry.

Ragatha let out a tiny gasp, too. "Oh, you found it! I'm so happy for you, Pomni!"

Pomni laughs, small and proud. She plays a few chords, not even really having to think about it. Like making up something on the keys was the easiest thing in the world. "I was getting worried for a minute there." She admitted.

Ragatha hops up, once again swapping her banjo for the viola. "Do you remember any songs?"

"Uh..." Pomni wracks her brain, and comes up with bits and pieces of tunes...but no names to put to them. "I don't....think so."

"That's ok! We can workshop something still, if you'd like." She does a quick 1-2-3 of the bow across the strings. "It's not like I know anything specific, either. Aside from the generic royalty-free tracks Caine provides for practice, of course."

Pomni blinks, momentarily confused. "We...oh, yeah, you...still want to play with me?" She recalls.

"Of course. Do you feel up to it?"

In truth, Pomni doesn't. As much as this felt natural...she didn't think she was good enough at it to pair well with what Ragatha could do.

She squashes the thought. Stop being negative, stop being negative. It wasn't a competition or a performance, it was just...fun. Probably. She at least needed to give it a shot.

"Y-yeah...I guess so. How do we start?" Pomni questions.

"Well..." She begins to draw out a simple series of notes off the viola, a short sequence that looped. She smiles down at Pomni, leaning against the piano. "...just play what feels right to you! I don't think there's really a wrong way to do it!"

"Ha...no wrong way to do it, huh?" Sounded fake, honestly. But Pomni, again, wasn't really going to argue about it.

So, she listens. Commits Ragatha's melody to memory. Considers the kinds of sounds that would go well. And, as the tune begins another loop, she lets her hands move on their own.

It's a magic thing, she recalls, to be lost in music. If she tries hard, to associate this feeling to a memory, it feels like....warmth, and softness, and a lightness in her chest. Freedom.

All of those she has, she supposes, in this moment, aside from the last one. But, miraculously, freedom is the last thing on her mind, right now. She'd found the piano notes came to her easily, finding ones to match and compliment what Ragatha was playing in short order. It was easy to forget her worries, enveloped in the sound they were making.

They went a few loops of it, and then Ragatha began to change what she was playing, making it longer, more complicated, and yet still matching what Pomni was playing. It spoke to the skill she'd developed that she knew how to do it on the fly.

Pomni did her best to mimic Ragatha, listening, thinking of ways to change and still match, and she does.

They go back and forth like that, and even through occasional missed notes, Ragatha doesn't laugh. She just smiles, eye closed, bow dancing across strings the same way Pomni's hands do against the keys.

It's beautiful. The whole situation, even disregarding the music, was beautiful.

Eventually, Pomni stops. Ragatha stops too, opening her eye to peer at Pomni curiously. "All done?"

Pomni lets out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. "Yeah, I...that was really cool." She says, bringing a hand up to her cheek, staring at the piano. "I...don't think I've ever done that."

"You did wonderfully for someone with no improv experience, then! I had fun! We should do that more often." She leaned away from the piano, towards Pomni directly. "Y'know, I think Caine would let us have copies of our instruments to keep in our rooms if we asked nicely." She whispered conspiratorially, as if she was sharing something scandalous.

Pomni blinked, perplexed but surprisingly not uncomfortable by Ragatha's encroach upon her personal bubble. "Oh, I was going to ask earlier about that, kinda...is this hall normally off-limits? Would we not be able to come back here anytime?"

"Caine considers the stuff in this section to be 'bonus content'. It's not exactly...off-limits necessarily...but when there's an actual adventure happening there's this NPC that pops up and tries to redirect us away." Ragatha explains.

She sits on the piano bench next to the jester, then, and Pomni scoots away to give her space.

"Is it...mean?"

"Oh no, it's...well..." She trails off. "I can't say I've actually had to deal with it personally for a while. Usually I just go along with the adventures. But Zooble's told me it's easy enough to deal with, if you know how."

Zooble didn't seem like someone who really let anything stop them, so Pomni believed her. "Right..."

Absently, she taps her fingers against the piano bench. She still didn't really know how to talk to Ragatha. There was a veil between them, almost; Ragatha knew how to talk to her just fine, seemingly, but for Pomni there was no such ease.

Lucky for her, Ragatha still seemed happy to carry the weight of knowing what to say. "Did you want to keep playing, or did you want to go do something else?"

Pomni looked down at the floor, contemplative. "Uh...well, I haven't been to the carnival yet? I-I don't know if I like carnival games or rides or anything, but it wouldn't hurt to look around?" She offered, raising her head and turning to Ragatha with a shrug.

Her lack of confidence doesn't seem to deter the other, who stands, returns her viola to its place, and smiles. "Sounds good to me! I'd be happy to keep showing you around, if you like?"

"Y-yes please. I know I'm probably keeping you from what you wanted to do so, so I appreciate your time." She stammers.

Ragatha frowns a little at that. "It's no trouble, really. I like spending time with you."

"Are you sure? Are you extra sure?" Pomni asks as she stands.

Ragatha eyes her, watches her wring her hands nervously. "Hey, of course I do. I wouldn't keep offering if I didn't."

Pomni flushed a bit, looking down at the ground. "...ok, yeah, that makes sense." She murmurs.

Ragatha begins to walk out the door, and Pomni shuffles behind her, but then she stops in the doorway. "Actually, Pomni..."

Pomni looks up with a start. "Y-yes?"

Her face scrunched up mischievously, and she turned back to look down at Pomni. "Can I ring your hat bells before we leave? Since they only seem to ring in here?"

Pomni blinked, processing the request. "Uh..."

She didn't want to be touched. She owed Ragatha for yesterday, sure, but...that wasn't enough to drop the boundary. Not yet. They weren't close enough yet.

Still, it was nice to be asked, instead of the other just doing it without her permission. "I...I'd rather just ring them for you myself...i-if that's ok with you."

Ragatha's mischievous look softened. "That's fine too. I just like the sound."

Pomni breathed deeply. "Ok!" She didn't know why she felt like she needed to hype herself up for this, but she did, pumping her fists. And then she shook her head as aggressively as she could.

*jingle jingle jingle jingle*

She'd successfully made herself dizzy from the effort, but she'd also successfully made Ragatha smile and laugh.

She was doing something right, then, she hoped.

On the way to the carnival, Pomni noticed Jax tailing them. She'd already been standing pretty close to Ragatha's side, but seeing the rabbit behind her made her anxiety spike, and she timidly held the hem of Ragatha's dress, too, as extra assurance.

Ragatha seemed surprised at the action, and turned a little towards her. She'd offered her hand to hold, and Pomni denied it, feeling more comfortable doing what she was doing; as long as Ragatha didn't mind, of course.

Ragatha hadn't replied, just turned back around with a hum. Pomni found herself worrying she was doing something wrong again.

It was a quiet walk, then, through the tent and outside to the carnival. Pomni kept glancing behind her, and Jax maintained his distance.

They'd paused at the entrance, though, which gave Jax time to pass them. He bumped into Pomni on purpose as he does. "Sorry, didn't see you there." He remarks, waving behind him as he entered the carnival gate.

Pomni's hand brushes against her arm, where he'd brushed against her, and she has to take a moment to settle her tensely-wound chest.

Ragatha scoffs. "Don't let him bother you, ok?"

"He's actively bothering me, though..." Pomni grumbles in reply.

The ragdoll laughs mirthlessly. "It's...what he does, I admit. But he only does it because it gets a reaction. Eventually he'll stop if you don't react to it." She beckons, and Pomni follows her into the carnival.

She huffs. "That's such a mom thing to say."

Ragatha blinks, swiveling around to walk backwards so she could keep moving and look at Pomni at the same time. She's smirking. "You think so?"

Pomni doesn't quite know how to feel about that look. Was she being made fun of? She doubted Ragatha was the type to do that, but it was so hard for her to tell. "W...well, uh, maybe not, I...I don't know why I said that, you can just ignore me..."

Ragatha's smirk drops, and she quickly backtracks into placating motions. "N-no, I'm not upset with you! I thought it was a funny thing to hear, that's all!"

"Oh...o-ok, cool..." Pomni stammers. Her face goes a bit blue with embarrassment. 'Why am I so awkward?? This is literally just a normal conversation!' She internally despairs.

Ragatha stops walking backwards, frowning at the face Pomni's making. "Hey, if....I'm doing something that's making you uncomfortable, you can tell me."

"No, it's...! It's not you, it's, well, I'm just-"

She's cut off before she can finish by a shout. "Oh! Hello to you both!"

Ragatha sighs and puts her smile back on. "Oh, Kinger, you're out here too, I forgot." She turns towards his voice, seeing him approach them. "What are you doing out hERE OH GOSH-!"

Kinger, now close enough to see clearly, was absolutely covered in ants.

A hand went to Ragatha's heart. "Kinger...! Kinger that scared me! Why are you covered in ants?" She questioned incredulously. Pomni watched the little bugs march in lines across his body, luckily all above his robe and not below (not that she had any idea if there was an actual body below the robe to begin with).

Ragatha's brief panic didn't seem to bother Kinger at all. In fact, the chess piece seemed delighted. "Because their trails are fascinating, of course!" He gestured to the top of his head, leaning down a bit so it was visible to the two of them. He had a rainbow glob of cotton candy stuck to him on his 'crown.' "They're harvesting sugar! Did you know they have two stomachs? That's more than we have in our digital forms!"

Ragatha's smile was a bit forced, to the point that even Pomni could tell, which was saying something. "That's...interesting, Kinger. But I don't think they have any stomachs as digital ants."

"Oh, probably not. I doubt digital ants even have a queen." Something in his expression goes...dark at that, and he's silent for a few long moments.

It's a tense silence, for Pomni at least.

But then he snaps back to attention with big shiny eyes. "Have you ever fed ants, Pomni? Watching them trail is quite the experience!"

"Is....is that what you do at a carnival?" She questioned aloud. "I thought that was....pigeons or something."

Both Kinger and Ragatha visibly shudder at that.

"Vile..." Kinger hissed.

"I'm still finding feathers in weird places..." Mumbles Ragatha.

Pomni looked between them with a growing nervousness. "Was...was that the wrong thing to say??"

"Oh, you're new, right, um, how do I explain this..." Ragatha said, hand to her chin.

"There used to be pigeons!" Began Kinger.

"And then there was...an adventure." Added Ragatha. "Caine made them all have teeth like Bubble."

"Which is a federal crime!"

"Uh, yeah that. So now they're all locked up in a room somewhere."

"Bubble said they're his babies so Caine isn't allowed to delete them."

Pomni squinted. "And...I'm guessing dealing with them was....bad?" She guessed.

Both of them shudder again.

"One day they may breach containment!" Kinger said, cheerfully and ominously. "Gangle and Zooble and you all came here after they got locked up, so you don't know what horrors they're capable of!"

"Aaaand here's hoping you never will haha lets go Pomni." Said Ragatha quickly, speedwalking away. Pomni stumbled into a run to follow her.

Kinger stood there distractedly for a few moments, and then let out a single laugh. "Ha. Ants."

The tour of the carnival was slow and meandering, Ragatha frequently stopping to explain things. Oftentimes with personal anecdotes to go along with the rides and stalls.

There was a history to this place, clearly. Ragatha spoke animatedly about it all. It soothed Pomni's nerves in a way she didn't know how to articulate; the best she could come up with was that Ragatha made this place sound real and alive, despite everything here being ones and zeros. In turn, it made Pomni fee a bit more real, too.

Even so, Pomni couldn't help but scour the surroundings every so often for Jax. She wasn't going to be ready when he inevitably popped out from behind a corner, she just knew it. Ragatha was offsetting her anxieties to the best of her ability, but it wasn't like they could ever be put away entirely, even on a good day.

Either way, she was having a nice time. Had Jax not gone ahead of them in the first place, she might've been entirely calm right now. And that was rare for her.

"And that over there is the dunk tank. Jax and Kaufmo...always..." She trails off with a frown.

Pomni looked between her and the dunk tank, then up at her in mild confusion. "...Ragatha?"

"Hm? Oh, sorry, got lost in thought for a minute there. Let's just...move on." She waves a dismissive hand, and her smile returns. Pomni can do nothing but follow her as she walks off.

Anxiety creeps back in. She's sure if she breaks the silence she feels coming on it'll be a mistake. In thinking that, she contributes to the silence developing in the first place.

Eventually though, Ragatha clears her throat. "Well! Is there anything else here we haven't seen yet that you'd like to?"

Pomni ponders, despite the nervousness in her chest growing thick again. She reminded herself desperately that she hadn't even done enough today to have done something wrong.

Her eyes trail upward, and she blinks. "Uh...the Ferris Wheel, maybe?"

Ragatha looked up too, then back at Pomni with a smile. "Sure thing, we can go there. I don't think I have any stories about it, but we can check it out."

They walked in relative quiet. Ragatha pointed out things on the way, but her previous hesitance was faintly noticeable in her tone. Pomni wasn't sure how she could tell, but she could. Pomni kept her own replies brief.

They were almost at the Ferris Wheel when the disaster Pomni had been expecting finally happened. That disaster, of course, being Jax rearing his purple head.

She was still walking behind Ragatha, and as they turned a corner, the rabbit stuck out his leg, tripping Pomni specifically. The jester flailed, falling forward.

...onto Ragatha. They both fell to the ground in a tangle.

She heard Jax laughing, but it was far quieter than the buzzing in her brain. She felt frozen. There were far too many points of contact right now, and she swiftly separated from Ragatha the moment her brain allowed her to.

Ragatha, no longer pinned by Pomni's body, stood and turned on Jax with a frustrated expression. "Jax! Surely you have something better to do today!"

He shrugged. "No, not really. Zooble's barricaded their door so my options are pretty limited, actually."

"The whole circus tent available to you and the only thing you think you can do is harass us?"

"Nah, just Pomni. You're unfortunate collateral." He leans a little, just enough to get a good look at the jester. Something in his grin turns...almost sinister.

Pomni's chest goes tight, and once again she feels frozen in place.

Ragatha steps to the side, putting herself bodily between them, blocking Jax's line of sight. "Back off." She said sternly.

Outwardly, Jax didn't flinch under her hard stare. And yet, he complied, so there was clearly something Pomni wasn't seeing. "Man, you're so boring. Whatever, I'll just go step on Kinger's ants or something." He remarked with an impassive shrug.

Ragatha turned her head to watch him leave, glaring after him until he was out of her sight. Only then did she reach down to offer Pomni a hand. "Are you ok?"

Pomni had to take a moment to settle her nerves, but once she did, she accepted the offered hand for once.

Ragatha pulled her up with an ease that would've surprised Pomni, had the other not carried her across the circus just yesterday.

She withdrew her hand swiftly once she was standing, giving Ragatha a nervous smile. "Uh, y-yeah. Mostly." She looked back down at the ground, rubbing an arm with a hand.

There was a beat of silence before Ragatha spoke again. "Hey, hey. Do you want to ride the Ferris Wheel?"

She looked back up with big eyes. "What?"

Ragatha cleared her throat. "Y'know, you haven't ridden anything here yet, it's a calm ride...and Jax won't be able to bother us..." The last part was said quieter, but Pomni still heard it. The ragdoll sounded a little irritated.

Pomni still felt nervous...but it wasn't like she was scared of heights; that would've been her only real objection. "S-sure, I'd like that, I think."

Ragatha's warm smile returned, more genuine this time. She beckoned Pomni forward, and the pair soon sat across from one another in the little capsule. The NPC manning the ride pushed a lever forward, and the Ferris Wheel clunked into movement.

Slowly it turned, and Pomni kept her gaze fixed on the window. More and more of the grounds became visible the higher they went.

This place was an island, and it was a tiny one. The void stretched out farther than she could see.

Swiftly her gaze found the floor. She couldn't keep looking out at it all, it was all just a reminder of how tiny her prison really was.

"....are you not having a good time?"

Pomni doesn't look up for a moment. Like so many times before now, she doesn't now what she's supposed to say.

The truth would not make either of them happy. But would lying about it disappoint Ragatha? She had to avoid that at all costs.

"I...it's just...small. This place." She relents eventually. "....I didn't realize I'd be able to see everything from up here."

"It's quite the view, isn't it."

Pomni tears her gaze away from the floor. Ragatha's the one looking out the window now, expression clouded by something that Pomni couldn't decipher.

The silence feels tense once more. Pomni feels like she's drowning again, and it's not a pleasant thing to be reminded of.

"Look, Pomni-"

"Ragatha, I-"

They both stop and stare at each other, having spoken in tandem by accident.

"You first." Says Ragatha.

"N-no, you go first." Insists Pomni, nervous hands tense against her seat.

Ragatha's cloudy expression clears, just enough that Pomni can now tell she looks...conflicted about something.

The Ferris Wheel stops at the top.

"Listen, Pomni....don't take this the wrong way, but...I can tell there's something you're not telling me." Ragatha begins.

Pomni swallows. "A...about what?"

"About whether or not I'm making you uncomfortable." Ragatha clarified. "You said I wasn't but...I don't think that was the truth."

Pomni's eyes go wide. "What? No! I wasn't lying about that!" She averts her gaze again. "Honestly, you're the person here who makes me the least uncomfortable..." She admits sheepishly. Thinking it to herself was one thing, but saying it to Ragatha in person felt...different. More personal, or tangible. She wasn't sure.

Ragatha didn't seem convinced, though. "You've been...distant today. I-I know we still don't know each other very well so I could be reading you wrong, but..." She trailed off, confidence waning as she spoke. "....I probably am reading you wrong, aren't I?"

The jester had genuinely no idea where this was coming from. She'd been sticking pretty close to Ragatha all day, hadn't she? She'd willingly spent the whole day with her...the whole day so far, anyway. She still didn't really know what time it was. What had she done to give Ragatha this impression of her....aside from being at relatively normal stress levels?

"What....what makes you think you're making me uncomfortable?" She asks after a moment.

Ragatha rubs at her arm with her hand. "I...you've been not letting me help you up. You pulled away from me as fast as you could, earlier. I feel like I've done something to make you scared of me, which...maybe I did? But it sounds like a silly thing to worry about, now that I've said it out loud."

"....oh." Pomni says. It's all her brain can manage for the moment. She hadn't been transparent about that, had she? With Ragatha basically never touching her unprompted anyway, she hadn't considered that Ragatha wouldn't actually know why she'd answer the offer with no every time. Ragatha didn't know about Pomni's boundaries...she'd just been being polite.

"It's not you, it's...it's me. You haven't done anything wrong." Pomni speaks up. "I just....you've been really respectful and I really appreciate it, I've just preferred to help myself because..." She sighed. "....I just don't like to be touched, that's all."

It's quiet for a moment, but then the Ferris Wheel kicks back into motion, which startles the both of them into continuing.

"Oh, oh my gosh, Pomni I had no idea!" Ragatha exclaims.

"H-hey, you're the only one that's been giving me the option to say no to this kind of thing! Like I said...you've been really respectful of my space without me even having to ask. You're the person I'm least uncomfortable around."

"I...then yesterday, when I didn't put you down when you asked-" She cuts herself off with a hand to her mouth. "That must've seemed so insensitive of me!" She realizes.

Pomni gives a nervous laugh. "I-I'm not mad about that! There wasn't much you could do to not touch me when I was...like that." She admits. Another awkward laugh. "Hhhhh I should've phrased that better." She flushed just a tad, embarrassed.

Ragatha let out a chuckle of her own, albeit more genuine. "Well...I'm glad you're not mad, at least. Honestly I was getting a bit worried you were tired of me."

Her tone is joking, lighthearted, but it's a sentence that makes Pomni startle.

"No! D-definitely not!" She exclaims. "I've been...I've been stressed all day hoping you actually genuinely like me."

She blinks, the tiniest hint of a blush on her face. "Pomni I...I told you earlier that I like spending time with you. Did you not believe me?"

The jester's flushed face gets bluer in shame. "I...I thought it was....possible that you were lying to make me feel better....again." She admitted.

"Oh, sweetheart..."

The Ferris Wheel comes to a stop again at the bottom, but when Pomni stands to leave, Ragatha speaks up again. "Pomni, if it's not out of your comfort zone, could you sit next to me for a moment?"

Pomni swallows. She was so...polite, and kind, and respectful, and...Pomni finds no objections. "S-sure, I guess."

There's space between them, on the seat, so Pomni's nervousness didn't have a clear source. It bothered her that she couldn't calm down.

"I...I'm kind of a touchy person, so...I'm out of my depth on how to comfort you. Is there anything I can do to prove I'm telling the truth? That I enjoy your company?"

She had no clue. She wasn't sure if this was how friendship was supposed to work. Was it meant to be something you proved? Wasn't it just meant to be something that happened? "Mmmmnn...I want to believe you, I really do, I just...." She trailed off, stopping herself from saying something self-depreciating. She doubted Ragatha wanted to hear it.

"Hmm....Pomni, do you enjoy my company?"

That was a question far more direct than Pomni had been ready for, and she chokes on air a moment trying to think of a coherent response. "You, I mean, yes, of course! You...you're really cool, and nice, and mature, and..." She stops herself. "....why wouldn't I?"

Ragatha's smile goes warm, though Pomni doesn't see it, too busy staring a hole in the floor. "You flatter me. If...what if we pinkie swear again? Would that convince you?"

They'd done that yesterday. It was such minimal contact that it hadn't bothered her at all. It felt gentle, and fragile, but a meaningful gesture all the same.

If it was enough to assure Ragatha she wouldn't hurt herself...then it would probably be enough to convince Pomni the other liked having her around.

"Y...yeah, I can do that."

She stuck out her pinkie, and Ragatha did the same; as much as she could, anyway, considering half her fingers were lumped together. They curled the digits around each other, and once again it made Pomni's chest feel light and fluttery for some reason.

"I like being around you, ok? You're my friend." She said it fiercely, like it was something worth saying.

Pomni smiled. With conviction like that, who was she to argue?

Chapter Text

Pomni nearly bumped into Kinger as she exited her room the next day. Her first question wasn't even why he was standing there, it was what he'd been doing before that, because that seemed to be the routine whenever Kinger was zoned out somewhere random.

"Hey, Kinger....." She greeted, cautious, anticipating a startled yell from the man.

Kinger blinked down at her in silence for a few moments, before exclaiming, "Oh, Pomni! There you are! I was waiting for you!"

The jester hadn't expected that at all, and she doesn't know how to react. "Uh......you were?"

Kinger nods, turning to walk down the hall. "Yes, I wanted to talk to you. Come on, everyone else is waiting for us!" He beckons with his hand.

Pomni follows, albeit a little reluctantly. "What did...you want to talk about...?"

"Hm?" He looked down at her for a moment, and, not seeing her, turns around so he can. "I...well, now I'm having a hard time remembering. Hm."

"....then-"

"Oh!" He cuts her off. "I remember now. I wanted to congratulate you for going completely and utterly insane yet! I'd dare say I'm proud of you!"

It's not what she's expecting to hear. She wrings her hands together and makes an effort to walk beside him rather than behind. "You....you are? Why?"

Kinger hums. "Well...I've seen all sorts here. Many with a better hold on their marbles than you. But they're gone, and you aren't." His eyes blink one at a time, and it takes him a second to regain his focus before continuing. "If you ever need to borrow my impenetrable fortress, rest assured it will be open to you. After I rebuild it, of course."

It takes her a second to remember his pillow fort. "Oh, uh...thank you, then? I-I don't think I'll need it, but...thanks...." Kinger, proud of her. He had been here long enough to be able to say that, hadn't he? After his insanity accusation day one, it felt nice to hear him specifically say she was doing ok.

Maybe she would hang in his pillow fort later. She'd heard of less appealing things to do in this place. If pillow forts were what was keeping Kinger mostly sane...maybe they were a good investment? He had been here longest, after all.

She observes him for a moment. He slid across the floor like...well, like a chess piece, really. He didn't have legs under his robe, then? Probably not.

She opened her mouth to ask, but they've arrived at the main room, and her question dies in her throat.

A scene unfolds before her, appearing to have already reached its climax. Gangle's comedy mask was broken on the floor. Zooble stands protectively between Gangle and Jax, Ragatha off to the side, seemingly attempting to mediate.

Jax takes a step forward, eyes on Gangle. "Look, all I'm saying-"

Gangle lets out a terrified squeak, throwing herself at Zooble and entangling them in her ribbons. "L-leave me alone!!" She cries out, tearful face poking out behind Zooble's body.

Zooble stumbles, balance thrown off by Gangle's sudden bindings. "Agh, Gangle! Hey-!"

Gangle just squeaks again, grip tightening.

"Hey, what if we all just take a deep breath and-" Ragatha tries, but is cut off by a growl from Zooble.

"Buzz off! Unless you're telling Jax to stop breathing, we don't need any stupid breathing exercises!" He shouts. Then, turning to Jax, "Get a life, jack[BONK]!"

"Uh, in case you haven't noticed, this is my life." He replied, throwing his arms in the air. "This is all of our lives! For the rest of our lives!"

"Get a hobby or something like a normal person!"

"This is my hobby, smart guy. Stop killing my fun."

"How bout I kill you!!"

Zooble all but throws himself at Jax, stopped only by Ragatha throwing herself in his path. Gangle let out another timid noise, pressing her mask into Zooble's back to hide further.

Pomni could only stand there frozen. Kinger didn't move either, and both of them just watched as Zooble spat out a stream of partially censored threats. One of his arms was a tendril, today, and it thrashed against Ragatha, trying to get her to move. She took it like a champ, continuing to hold onto Zooble tightly.

"Calm down, Zooble, you need to calm-"

"Like [SPROING] I'm gonna calm down!!! Shut the [WHIRR] up and let me strangle him to [TRUMPET TOOT]ing death!!!!"

"WOAH! HOLY MOLY! THIS IS WHAT I GET FOR BEING LATE!"

Everyone startles, looking up to see Caine slowly floating down to their level. Zooble and Ragatha separate, and Gangle reluctantly does the same, falling to the floor in a heap before untangling herself.

Ragatha lets out a breath and goes to stand beside Pomni. She gives the jester a little wave, which Pomni returns.

Pomni thinks she looks tired. Caine speaks again before she can really dwell on it.

"THANK YOU FOR THE MOMENT OF SILENCE, I ACTUALLY HAVE SOMETHING QUITE SPECIAL FOR TODAY'S ADVENTURE!" He begins. "YOU SEE, TODAY'S ADVENTURE COMES TO YOU LIVE FROM THE SUGGESTION BOX!"

Gangle lets out a surprised gasp.

"There's a suggestion box?" Pomni questions.

"Yes, but Caine's never used any of them before so nobody uses it." Replies Ragatha in a half-whisper. "That's what I assumed, anyway..." She adds, noting Gangle's reaction.

"THAAAAAT'S RIGHT!" Says Caine, replying to no one in particular. "AND OUR LUCKY SUGGESTION WAS PROVIDED BYYYY...GANGLE!" A rain of confetti rains down on the performer in question, and despite her current mask she smiles wide. "CONGRATULATIONS, GANGLE!!!"

"Oh...! Oh finally! This is so exciting!" She exclaims with a clap. The tears in her eyes must've been tears of joy, now. Rare sight.

Caine snaps his fingers, and in big, dark, jagged letters, he reads out: "HIDE AND BEAST!"

Gangle's smile slowly slips from her face. "....what?"

Jax scoffs. "Leave it to Crybaby to suggest a baby game."

"I...I didn't suggest hide and seek." Gangle weakly protests.

"ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN THE RULES!" Caine speaks up, ignoring them. "YOU ALL WILL HAVE FIVE MINUTES TO HIDE ANYWHERE IN THE CIRCUS TENT! THE SEEKER, IN THE FORM OF A LEGALLY-DISTINCT GIANT MONSTER, WILL HUNT YOU ALL DOWN! EACH PERSON FOUND WILL ALSO BECOME A GIANT MONSTER, UNTIL ALL BUT ONE REMAINS! LAST ONE SMALL IS THE WINNER!"

"Wait, you....." Gangle trails off, squinting. "I...I suggested a Kaiju ba-"

"LEGALLY-DISTINCT GIANT MONSTERS!!!!" Caine interrupts with a shout. "AND AN ADVENTURE WHERE THE POINT IS HARM TO YOUR FELLOW PERFORMERS WOULD BE BAD FOR OUR AGE RATING! THINK OF THE LAWSUITS, GANGLE!!!"

Gangle pouted.

"Uh....so who's the first seeker, then?" Zooble questions, hesitant.

"WHY, GANGLE, OF COURSE! IT WAS HER IDEA, AFTER ALL!"

"But I-" Gangle begins, but then Caine snaps his fingers and the words die.

Gangle screams.

The rest of them are abruptly forced back, a massive barrier erecting itself around Gangle as her form ripples. Ribbons split and grow, split and grow, multiplying like a hydra. Her broken mask on the ground snaps back together, flying to the back of her head and attaching there. Both masks elongate to points, and her whole self grows, grows, grows. She doubles over.

The group can only watch with wide terrified eyes as her appearance begins to settle. Hundreds of ribbons wrapped around each other to form a long, serpentine shape. Her arms and legs were gone, lost in the mass of intertwined coils of fabric. At the tail were exposed ends that lashed, seeking. And around her neck, too, were exposed ribbon tips, flaring out like the suggestion of a mane. Her two masks seemed to almost form jaws, comedy the upper jaw and tragedy the lower. Neither mask had the mouth marks they had previously.

She dwarfed them. Her jaws parted in heavy, strained breaths, and they all could see another ribbon curled in her mouth like a forked tongue. Massive eyes squeezed shut, all four of them.

"G....Gangle?!" Ragatha shouted in disbelief. "Caine, what did you do?!"

Caine taps the barrier around her with his cane, teeth moving to simulate a grin. "SHALL I START THE TIMER, MY DEAR, OR DO YOU STILL NEED A MOMENT TO SETTLE?" He asks Gangle rather than reply to Ragatha.

The red serpent's breaths begin to slow, calming, no longer sounding labored. Slowly, she opens her eyes. She lets out a gasp, likely meant to be quiet, but with her current size it's plenty audible to the group. She shifts, looking herself over as she raises herself up to her new full height.

"G-G-Gangle....??" Pomni yells, fretful, cautious, concerned. "Are you ok?!"

Gangle blinks, slow, and turns her gaze down toward all of them. "....guys." She says, meek voice booming. And then, even louder, she begins to laugh. "....hmhm, ha, hahahaha!!!"

No one else gets the chance to inquire anything further before she cries out. "This is incredible!" Her voice shakes the air. "This is just what I wanted when I suggested this! I'm a Kaiju!!!!!"

"LEGALLY-DISTINCT-"

She slams her tail-end into the barrier. The floor shakes. Her laugh rings out, joyous and echoing.

Kinger and Pomni take cautious steps away immediately. It takes Ragatha and Zooble a second to follow.

Before Jax can do the same though, Gangle's pointed face shoves itself as close to him as it can. Her booming laugh pauses, some eager look in her eye that actually manages to freak Jax out a little. "Start the countdown, Caine. I'm ready to have fun." She hisses, grin wide and sadistic, gaze fixed solely on Jax.

Jax's ears drop. "....uh-oh." He mutters, tone one of genuine dread.

Caine lets out a laugh of his own. "RIGHT AWAY!" He snaps his fingers, and the timer appears in the air, right were the words had been previously.

5:00

4:59

4:58

They all scatter.

Ragatha whirled around a corner, feet sliding against the floor with a lack of friction she was used to but currently very displeased by. Gangle was massive, but just barely big enough to fit through the hallways, based on Ragatha's assessment. She didn't want to risk hiding in her room. That would probably be cheating and she'd just get teleported back here, out in the open. So a spot in the main area would be smartest.

Then again....she was obviously not Gangle's main target. She wasn't really scared. Just anxious.

At last she finds what she's looking for: a block tilted, bisecting the floor geometry in such a way that it created an underhang. Gangle wouldn't be able to see her under here unless she shoved her head to be flat with the floor.

She crawled underneath, pushing herself as far back as she could, sitting with her knees folded under her, back bent at an uncomfortable angle.

She sighed. In the distance, she heard a quirky little tune play, accompanied by a beep. The timer was up. Immediately Gangle's laugh echoed around the tent again, and a rumble sounded, muffled.

"Oh Jaaaax! C'mon, we're just having fun, right? Like you do every day!" Came her voice, meekness gone, replaced by something cheerfully vindictive.

The seeking serpent slithered by her hiding place, the rumble from before accompanying her movement as she slid past the block at the speed of a train.

Simulated wind blew into the crevice in Gangle's wake. Ragatha shuddered. She watched her long body pass her hiding spot, and only when she was completely gone did Ragatha let out a sigh.

Someone else sighed with her.

She turned to her side with a start, seeing, "Pomni??"

The jester was laying on her stomach, a little further back in the crevice than she was. She seemed startled by Ragatha's exclamation.

Ragatha placed a hand to her chest. "Pomni, you surprised me! When did you get here?"

"I-I followed you." Pomni replied, crawling forward a bit so she was beside Ragatha properly. "That's...that's ok, right?" She begged. "I didn't.......I didn't wanna be alone..."

Another deep breath from Ragatha. "I don't see why not, I suppose..." She replied slowly. If they hid together, they'd be out together, wouldn't they? Did that not matter to Pomni, or was that Pomni's whole plan?

Based on her expression...she didn't like this adventure at all.

"Gangle's not going to hurt us, you know that, right? You've met her." Ragatha reassured.

Pomni shuddered. "I-it's not really her I'm worried about. A-and also she's getting pretty into it, I think she might..."

"Hm...well, we've got a good hiding spot, alright? We'll be fine."

"Yeah...um, has this kinda thing....happened before?? I didn't know he could....change us like that." The jester inquired with an expression growing unsteady. Ragatha could see scribbles coming on.

"No, never before now. I mean, he's changed our outfits before...but never anything this drastic. At least Gangle's having a good time." She replied.

".......I really don't want to turn into a giant monster....." Pomni murmured. "I'm already so weird-looking, I-I don't think I could handle-"

"Hey, hey, don't go there, alright? It won't make you feel any better, thinking about it." She cuts off. "Dwelling is bad."

Pomni makes a noise, noncommittal, but scoots a little closer to Ragatha regardless.

And so, they wait. Considering this was, in essence, still just....hide and seek with a twist, there wasn't much to do but wait.

In the distance, they hear a shout. "YOU!!!"

And then another rumbling sound, and a cry, getting louder and louder. And based on how it sounded....

Pomni swallows. "I think she found Jax."

Jax had to take a moment to steady himself, suddenly giant and way furrier than he was before. He tried to stand up, but he fell back down immediately, unable to balance, and realized with a start that he was quadrupedal now. A detached devil tail, black with a pink tip, lashed behind him. Instead of clothes it was just colored fur.

He wasn't even a rabbit man now, he was just straight up a giant rabbit.

He barely had time to settle into the new shape before Gangle attacked him again. The ribbon tips around her neck stretched, flying toward him, wrapping around his neck and squeezing. "Agh-"

"Isn't it fun, Jax? Isn't hurting people just so fun?!" Gangle screamed, manipulating him with ease so his face pressed into the ground.

"F...foul! I'm on, agh, your team!" He choked out, trying in vain to extricate himself from her grip. His paws just didn't have the strength.

"It's all in good fun, Jax!" She laughed, choking him harder. "It's all fair game! Just get up and go find someone else!"

He tried, by god he tried. But Gangle had him helpless. It was unsettling, and terrifying, being on roughly equal footing with her. Her being able to overpower him so seemingly easily.

His devil tail lashed, slapping against the ground. "This....ahack, it's not f-"

"Oh?? It's not fair?? It's not fair, Jax?? Tell me how unfair it is!! Tell me all about it!!" More ribbons split off from her serpentine body, entangling around his legs, too. Truly and wholly, he was helpless and trapped.

.....except for his tail. If Gangle had some kind of....new abilities in her monster form, maybe he did too?

A ribbon stretched towards it, and he swiped it towards her in turn. The pink tip glowed for just the briefest of moments, impacting, slashing Gangle's ribbon.

She cried out in surprise, and to Jax's amazement, the rest of her ribbons went slack. Her eyes went wide. "Hey, what-?!"

It was just the opening Jax needed. He flailed, thrashed, untangling from his bindings, and he bolted, dashing across the floor of the tent with speed that surprised even him. Running on all fours seemed to be coming naturally to him, luckily enough. Thanks or whatever, Caine.

However he'd incapacitated Gangle, though, it didn't last forever. It was barely moments later when she regained control of her body, and she shouted in frustration. "Get back here!! We're not done having fun yet!"

The rumble of her slithering across the floor was an ominous sound, and he didn't dare look back. Desperately, he scanned the tent for anyone else. Maybe, just maybe, if he found someone else, it would distract her.

It took a while of running before he eventually did, Gangle slowly gaining on him all the while. They'd likely run a good few laps of the main room before a splash of color on the floor caught his attention. Zooble.

He heard her scream as he changed course, bounding toward her with intent. "Oh Zooooobs~"

Zooble tried to flee, to return to whatever spot she'd emerged from, but she couldn't outrun the inevitable. He pounced, paws big enough to cover her entirely.

And then she started growing. But, unlike the other two, what her body was made of began to shift, too. Body parts, previously looking like plastic, began to harden, going from glossy to matte. Jagged, rough edges formed, spines burst out from her back and her 'chin'. She doubled over, not becoming quadrupedal like Jax had, but certainly gaining a much more hunched-over posture. Her limbs of the day (a tendril, a lion's paw, a hoofed leg and a clawed one) seemed to stay roughly the same shape and texture, but now affixed to her body via dark lumps of...stone, seemingly. She seemed to be made of rocks now? The antler on her triangular head now stuck out the back, rather than on top, and the feathery wing now was placed on her to act like a tail.

She let out a gasp once the growth and transformation settled. She turned, ready to cuss Jax out, but stopped herself just in time to watch Gangle pin him again. "[DONK] yeah, get his [CRASH]!" She shouted instead.

Gangle giggled proudly. She didn't choke him this time, but did make sure to pin his tail to prevent him from stinging her again.

Zooble took a moment to look themself over. They reached up, swapping the placement of their antler and the other antenna, which hadn't moved during the transformation. "...not too different. Not used to being....not smooth, though." They remarked, dragging their lion paw against their stony torso.

"Yeah!! I'm having fun! Sorry he got you, though."

"Eh, it's whatever. We're playing hide n seek, I was gonna get found eventually. I was out in the open; watching him run in abject terror was vindicating."

Gangle giggled again. "Y-yeah, it....feels nice to get a bit of healthy revenge. That was...kinda my goal when I suggested this. I'm glad I can still do it even though this is technically hide and seek..." She admitted, bashful.

"What about this is healthy?!" Jax shouted. "You're literally going against the adventure just to beat me up!"

Zooble snorted, and violently stomped on his head with their hooved foot. "Shut up, you [BLORP]ing hypocrite. Ragatha isn't here to bail you out this time!"

Jax coughed. "Caine!!" He yelled, through the stars in his vision, swirling around his head physically as well. "C-Caine, they're playing the adventure wrong!!"

Caine did not appear.

"Calling Gangle a baby earlier? When you're the one calling for dad to break up the fight you started? Moron. [DING]head." Zooble mocked, yanking on his ears with their tendril arm.

"This - ow! - is just straight-up bullying! There's nothing funny about it! That's the difference!" He protested. "I'm only mean when it's funny!"

"Really? Well I'm having plenty of fun right now, what about you, Gangle?"

Gangle doesn't reply. Her grip on Jax goes tight enough that Jax gasps for breath. "Hm."

"Gangle?"

"Can you...hold him there for me? I....need to go breathe for a second before I actually try and kill him." Gangle requests, sounding properly meek again for the first time since she transformed.

Zooble blinked. "Oh, uh...sure. I can do that. Take your time." They grab onto Jax's tail with their tendril, settling down atop the rabbit's torso to pin him there. If they were made of rocks now, they'd surely be heavy enough to trap him with their weight alone.

Based on the frustrated noises and thrashing, they were right in that assessment. Gangle withdrew her ribbons back into her coils.

"Th-thanks. M-maybe I'll actually see if I can find some of the others, too. Be back in a bit." She gave Zooble a grateful nod, the ribbons that flared around her neck curling a little. She turned and slithered away.

Jax sighed in relief. "Dang, thank god. She's crazy."

"You're not off the hook yet, idiot."

"Right. Still stuck with you." He hissed.

"You're just stuck in general."

"Ugh."

Ragatha and Pomni, from their hiding place, could hear bits and pieces of the conversation echo through the tent. They had no idea where the three even were, how far away they were, anything, really. All they knew was that they were loud enough to hear from where they hid.

Pomni shuffled, once again creeping closer to Ragatha. Ragatha made her feel...safe. It was hard to really call it anything else. Safety in this place felt intangible....her comfort level was fluctuating, growing slowly with frequent minor setbacks, but....around Ragatha, everything felt more stable.

It...well, it felt like something she wanted to decode, and yet there was no urgency in it. She just wanted to be close. Close enough to touch...without actually touching, of course. That was still a boundary. A boundary Ragatha now understood and respected on purpose instead of on accident.

She's brought out of her thoughts by Ragatha clearing her throat. "Hey...Pomni?"

"Yeah?"

"....I was wondering...maybe this is personal, but....what other kinds of things did you write on that list you mentioned?"

The jester blinked up at her. "List...?"

"You know, the list of things you remembered about yourself?"

Pomni doesn't reply for a moment. The fact that the other was curious...surprised her. "Oh, uh, that...I said earlier that most of it wasn't really important...I wasn't exaggerating." She admitted.

Ragatha just gave her a gentle smile. "Hey, that doesn't mean it's not interesting. I'd love to hear, if you're comfortable sharing."

She was always so nice. So gentle when she requested things. It always made it hard for Pomni to say no...even though it didn't feel like there was any actual pressure. Aside from...the tiny voice in her head that still felt compelled to do literally whatever the other asked out of guilt for day one. She wasn't sure if it would ever go away.

"S-sure, I guess I'd be ok talking about it..." She admitted. "Um...I like salmon?"

"I remember that one, haha. Maybe you can ask Bubble to make you some?

"...I could, huh." She remarked. The food here was growing on her, sorta. Nothing really had much texture but it tasted nice. She could request food she knew she liked.

"What else did you remember?"

"Uh. Well, I used to be taller than this. But, uh." She blushed a little. "...not by much."

Ragatha's paper smile curled into something amused. "So you've always been short, then?"

"N-not this short, but, uh, yeah." The playful way the other was looking at her was making her feel...weird. Weird and funny and she wasn't sure how to feel about it.

"Anything else?" She prompted again, amused look softening.

"Mm...I didn't have any pets. I don't remember if that was something that bothered me. I'm 25...don't remember my birthday."

Ragatha nodded, attentive.

"My favorite color was red, I had a birthmark on my elbow, I was biiiiiiiiiiii...." She trailed off, anxiety spiking in her chest. "......am I allowed to say that word o-or would it get censored....?" She said, voice tiny. If Ragatha understood what word she'd been about to say, then that meant she'd just outed herself without thinking it through first.

Ragatha stared at her, silent, blinking, squinting. And then she made a sound of understanding. "Oohhhh. You can say the whole word, yes, but if you say it without the 'bi' part then it's just a bleep."

Pomni went quiet at that. Ok, Ragatha wasn't judging her. She hadn't just messed up. Not yet. Hadn't messed up yet. She tests the censors herself just to be sure. "Bisexual. Bi...............[CAR HORN]. Wow, really. The system knows the difference?"

"Caine may be....weird and eccentric, but he's not a bigot." Ragatha replied. "Or...whoever set up the censor isn't, I'm not sure if it's actually Caine who did that."

Pomni lets out a small sigh of relief. "Uh...who did the trial and error to figure that out about the censor, anyway?" She asks.

Ragatha opens her mouth, but then her expression shifts. She slowly closes her mouth with a frown. A hand finds her lips and she averts her gaze.

The younger woman backtracks. "I-if that's a bad question, I'm sorry, i-it's not really important, I was just a little curious but I don't need to know if you don't want to tell me-"

Ragatha hastily backtracks, too, waving her hands about placatingly. "N-no, it's not as though it's a secret or anything! It's...just that you wouldn't know them, is all. I...try not to dwell on the past."

Pomni'd noticed that, honestly. Ragatha had been here way longer than her...so she wasn't about to tell her to stop doing that if it was actually something that worked. And yet....the way the other was compartmentalizing things still rubbed her the wrong way. Had she mourned? Kaufmo had abstracted so recently, but she hadn't mentioned him more than twice since then. Had he been mourned by anyone?

Would she be mourned?

Her voice came out as a squeak when she tried to speak up. "You..." She cleared her throat. "You don't need to tell me, then. I, I don't need to know that bad..."

The ragdoll seemed to go still at her tone. "Pomni, are you-"

Rumble.

Both go silent.

Red slithers into view, and then stops. Gangle shuffles in place. "...anyone here? I thought I heard a voice..."

Pomni freezes for a moment, before looking up at Ragatha with the widest, scribbliest eyes she'd seen yet.

Ragatha lets out a breath, and gestures behind her. Pomni crawls to hide immediately.

Just in time for Gangle to lean down. She blinks. "Oh...hi Ragatha. That's a good spot."

Ragatha laughs nervously. The size of these transformations were...daunting, even if that was her friend talking to her. "Hello, Gangle! Am I out?" She said a bit loudly. She wasn't sure how well the other could hear, being so different in size now.

It takes a second for Gangle to reply. "Oh...well, I guess I could tag you, since I could reach a ribbon under there...but I'm worried you'd get stuck. Can you...come out here? I actually wanted to talk to you..."

Ragatha blinked. "Um..." She resisted the urge to look back at Pomni. Pomni didn't want to be found, so she wasn't going to let Gangle figure out she was here. "Yeah, I can do that. Do you mind backing up a bit?"

"Oh, sure. I'll give you some space." She lifted herself back up, and slithered back from the block.

A sigh escaped her, and she turned back to look at Pomni. She mouthed 'sorry' before shuffling forward out of the crevice.

She didn't see Pomni's look of panic. She knew that's what the other was probably doing, but she turned away before she had a chance to know for sure. Forward she moved, crawling until she was able to stand, until she emerged.

Gangle's form towered over her. It was daunting, like before, but even now she looked so polite. It was hard to be scared of her, even if she could probably squish her like a grape.

Gangle leaned forward a little, extending a ribbon towards Ragatha. "I'm not gonna say it doesn't hurt...but it only hurts a little, and then it just feels weird. Moving around comes really naturally. Ready?"

Ragatha swallowed her nerves, and nodded.

So, so gently, maybe as gently as she's able, Gangle taps the top of Ragatha's head with her ribbon.

Ragatha shrieks, feeling a feeling like stitches ripping. She doubles over, hands bracing the floor. And then she sees her fingers disappear, fusing together to look identical to her feet. She squeezes her eye shut, not wanting to see anything else of the process.

She still feels it, though, though Gangle wasn't wrong in that the actual painful part passed quickly. It just felt wildly uncomfortable, the way her body was reformatting. Yarn on her head stretching, uncurling just to curl again. Stuffing inside her feeling different, heavier. Dress changing shape, yarn sprouting out from...her...

What??

She doesn't dare open her eye. Not until Gangle spoke up. "You're all good, Ragatha. You look like a horse now!"

That makes her eye shoot open. She looks down, seeing her weird feet-hands again. She'd thought once or twice that her feet looked like hooves, but seeing all her limbs ending like that really drove it home. Like it was intentional or something. Looking herself over more, it honestly didn't seem like much else had changed. Her dress now accommodated her new body shape, and the yarn she'd felt growing was...a tail. More reasonable than she'd thought, honestly. Having anything growing out of her butt felt...concerning.

She turned back up to look at Gangle, which was very weird; they were pretty much at eye-level with each other now. "This...does feel strange, you're not wrong about that..." She admitted.

Gangle slithered, moving around Ragatha to get a better look at her. "You don't really look like you changed much. Definitely less than me or...Jax...." She trailed off, little tear-spots appearing at the corners of the eyes on her bottom jaw. "That's...is it ok if I vent to you? I think it would help me sort out how I feel."

It was standard procedure, really. This was the kind of thing people came to her for. She sat herself down again, tail dipping under the block she'd previously been hiding under. "I'm all ears, Gangle."

"You still don't have those, actually. But....thanks." Gangle replies. She coils herself up on the floor, tilting her head. "I...I'm sure you heard me beating up Jax earlier." She begins.

Ragatha nods. "It was hard not too. Zooble joined in, didn't they?"

"They did. They were being so supportive, but..." She shakes her head. "It's...I suggested this because I like big monster battles, sure...but I mainly just wanted to...be able to defend myself for once. Because I'm just....so easy to unravel usually. So easy to break. And...." She wraps her loose ribbons around her mask, as if trying to hide. "...and I was hoping that showing Jax how he makes me feel would make him realize, and make him change it."

Ragatha frowns. "Did it?"

"No. I don't think it did. And...now I feel like.... I'm  the one who overreacted. Like, l-like  I'm  the jerk for doing that to him.  And it feels wrong! I don't want to feel like I need to be guilty for treating him how he treats me, but I do!"

Ragatha reached out a hoof to pat Gangle's....well, the closest spot on her to where a shoulder would usually be. Gangle wrapped a ribbon around it. "Sweetheart, that's completely normal. It's normal to feel bad when you hurt people! That's the difference between you and Jax." She frowned to herself. "I...hate admitting it, because it feels like giving up...but he's not a good person, Gangle. You shouldn't want to be like him. It's a good thing that you feel guilty about it."

Gangle sniffed a little, wiping a stray tear away with a ribbon. "You're...you're right. You're right. I...." She heaved out a sigh. "You always know what to say. Thank you."

Ragatha breathed a ghost of a laugh. "It's no trouble."

The red serpent took another deep breath, and slowly uncoiled. "I...feel better now. Should we split up to look for Kinger and Pomni? I think they're the only ones left."

"That's fine by me. This is your adventure, really, so you can handle it however you want." She pawed at the ground with her hoof. "Splitting up would mean we find them faster, though."

"Then it's a good idea. I...think being this strong isn't good for me." She admitted. "I...don't want to hurt anyone else. It's too easy like this." She slithered away a bit. "Good luck, Ragatha!"

"Good luck, Gangle!" She waved goodbye, and watched her disappear around a corner. Immediately she stood, just to turn around and shove her snout under the block. "Pomni...?" She whispered. "Are you doing ok?"

Pomni was a speck, a pebble, a mouse. Tiny, and she was kinda already tiny even without Ragatha's current boost in size so it was honestly comical at this point. Her eyes were huge.

Abruptly, Ragatha realizes that she must be terrifying, her good eye dwarfing the other, covering Pomni's only exit with her head. "Oh..! Sorry, I'm probably scaring you!" She backs up, laying on her stomach now that Pomni had a chance to flee.

And Pomni does, in fact, remove herself from her hiding place. But despite her wide-eyed look, she doesn't do anything but get closer to Ragatha. "....you're a pony." She says, voice so quiet that Ragatha almost doesn't hear it.

But she does, and it's not at all what she's expecting Pomni to say. "Pony??"

The jester goes red. "A-ah!! I mean, uh, no! You're not scary! I wouldn't be scared of a horse! Horses are cool! I'm...you look nice."

Ragatha can't help it; she laughs. It was an oddly flattering sentiment, especially from Pomni. "You think so?"

Pomni didn't reply verbally, nodding instead. It was hard to get a good look at what face she was making.

Ragatha managed a smile. She could hear Jax and Zooble's distant conversation. She frowned, lifting her head. "....you should hide again. I don't know how actively everyone else is searching, but Gangle wouldn't look here again. Considering how much this adventure's stressing you out-"

"W-wait!" She interrupted. Ragatha looked back down to see her waving her arms about. "What if...what if I hid....on you?" She proposed, voice going timid as she finished speaking.

Ragatha blinked. "....what."

"I-I mean like! In your hair! O-or under your bow? I...um. I just think that's the last place anyone would look and if anyone passes you I could duck down and I just really really don't wanna get stepped on or shapeshifted because that's terrifying and-"

Ragatha raised a hoof, stopping her ramble. "I get it, Pomni, I get it. I....feel like that's cheating, though, isn't it?"

".......I mean, Caine just said anywhere in the tent, didn't he? He didn't say anything about hiding on the seeker." Pomni pointed out. "Though, wait....can I even touch you without turning into a giant...thing?" She went quiet again. Ragatha didn't have the heart to ask her to speak up.

She did have an answer, though. "No, it would be fine. I think it's about intent? I can just tell now, because I'm a seeker. As long as I don't want to tag you, you won't be tagged." She explained.

"O-ok...so...I could just....climb up, then?" She asked, still sounding meek and embarrassed. Once again, it was a strain to hear.

Still, Ragatha was willing to do whatever Pomni needed her to do. Whatever it took to lessen her stress. Carefully, she laid her chin back on the floor. No longer having hands, Pomni climbing up herself really was the only way.

The jester carefully placed a hand on Ragatha's nose. She took several deep breaths. "Ok. Ok. Easy. Just...just gotta try."

Ragatha hummed. "I could tilt my head? You could grab onto my hair and then I could turn my head back up. I feel like I don't have any good...footholds on my face." She really was terrain right now, wasn't she? Logistically, that's what was happening.

Pomni shuddered. She said something, but this time it really was too quiet to hear.

"Pomni, sweetheart, I can't hear you."

"I-I said yeah! Th-that's a better idea!" She yelped. "Sure!"

Despite her expression being hard to read from this distance, it was clear from her tone that she was incredibly anxious and stressed. Ragatha had already been here long enough to be able to take strange things like this in stride, but Pomni was so put off by even the idea of today's adventure that she seemed on the verge of panic.

"Shh, shh, it's gonna be ok, alright?" She soothed, tilting her head to provide Pomni her promised hiding place. "I'll keep you safe. Nothing's going to get you as long as I'm here."

Her pinwheels seemed to grow so big, Ragatha couldn't even see the whites of her eyes. "....sorry."

"It's  alright , Pomni, just grab on."

Pomni reached up, wrapping her arms around one of Ragatha's curls. Ragatha felt her wrap her legs around it, too. She was so small she wasn't even able to touch one hand or foot with the other.

"Ready?"

"M...mm-hm!"

Slowly, Ragatha returned her head to it's upright position. She heard a faint wail from Pomni, clearly still moving fast from her perspective. Now closer to...where ears would be, she was easier to hear. She heard her whimper, even after the movement stopped.

Slowly, the doll-horse got to her feet again. "Are you alright up there, dear?" She asked, taking care to speak softly, lest the others hear.

"Hooo....y-yeah, I'm fine...you're..." She stopped talking abruptly. The nervousness in her tone was still very present.

Ragatha wondered if Pomni's stress had anything to do with the fact that they were touching. Pomni had admitted to her only yesterday that people touching her made her deeply uncomfortable, and here she was, with little option but to...crawl about on her fabric scalp like a bug. It must be awful.

In actuality...Pomni was having little trouble with that part. The size discrepancy was helping to trick her brain into not registering Ragatha as a person right then; she'd feel bad about that if it wasn't actively doing her a favor. Honestly...this was the first time in her memory that being in contact with someone like this wasn't stressful.

Maybe it was just the rest of her stress that was making her feel that way, though. With so much else to worry over, was there even room to be stressed about this?

"....I'm what?" Ragatha asked gently.

Pomni's response was hushed, quiet, so quiet Ragatha didn't even really hear it.

But...it almost sounded like Pomni said 'soft.'

"Look, look,  listen , just hear me out-"

"I don't  care  what kinda freaky [YOWL] you're on about! If you don't shut up right now I'm gonna-"

"Gonna what? Sit on me harder? How do  you  know I'm not into that?"

"You're the  most - ugh, nevermind, why do I ever bother even talking to you, I know it's not worth it."

"Aw, c'mon, and now you're hurting my feelings, too? For shame, Zooble. For shame."

"Say one more god[MOO] word, I dare you-" They stop, turning and blinking. "Woah. Ragatha, uh, hi."

Jax turns too, seeing the giant plush horse emerging from around a corner. He scoffs, ears twitching. "....are you a [PFFFT]ing brony." He deadpans, eyes narrowing a little. "Cringe."

Ragatha scrunches up her face a little at that. She looks more confused than offended. "Wh....what? What does that have to do with anything?"

Zooble groans. "Oh come on! How dare you have an opinion I agree with. [RING]'s not fair."

Jax laughs, grinning wide. "Haha, nice. Up top." He raises a paw. Zooble baps it with her lion paw, looking pained at having to do so.

Ragatha looks between them with a squint. "...to answer your question, no, I am not. I couldn't tell you why I'm a horse right now. But it's unkind to belittle the interests of others, regardless."

"Who cares. Not like anyone's here who'd be personally offended about it." The rabbit replied with a shrug.

"Exactly." Concurred Zooble.

Ragatha's eye twitched. "Hm. Have either of you seen Kinger? It's just him and Pomni left, but...you both seem a bit occupied, so I don't suppose you saw either of them run by and didn't get up?"

Zooble shook her head. "Nope. Wish they had, this is getting boring. Is Gangle coming back yet? It's her turn to kick his [SQUEAK]."

"Mm...no, I think she's done hurting people, that's what she said to me."

Another groan from the technicolor golem. "Ugh! Gangle, come on! He obviously hasn't learned his lesson yet!"

"True, I try to avoid learning anything." Jax agreed with a smirk.

Zooble abruptly stood, still holding tight to his tail. He gestured emphatically with it. "Rags, you kick him! Please! You've gotta have some strength in those legs if you're a horse now!"

She was taken aback. "Wh...no! You aren't roping me into this!"

"Come oooonnn, he deserves it! You know he does!"

"That doesn't matter, I have no interest in kicking anyone! I'm gonna go look for Kinger, I suggest you do the same!" She stomps a hoof for emphasis, and sure enough, the ground shakes with it. She doesn't dwell, instead storming past them.

Jax, trying and failing to escape Zooble's grip, fixes Ragatha with a cheeky glare. His words are targeted, instigating. "Oh, we're not allowed to look for Pomni, then?"

Ragatha stops. Jax can visibly see her trying not to react to his words. He's proud of himself, as usual, for managing to find a nerve to strike. Ragatha was usually a tough nut to crack, in that regard.

"Of course you are. I just think Kinger would be easier to find." She eventually replies, turning halfway to look Jax in the eye. "...not that I get the impression either of you would be looking very hard, no offense."

Zooble scoffs. "I'm not here to play a kids game." They yank on Jax's tail, hard, and he yelps. "If Gangle's not gonna defend herself, then I will."

"Again, this isn't self defense! I'm  literally  just standing here!"

Ragatha breathes deeply, deciding not to look anymore. "Just...the faster we find everyone, the sooner this is done with. Please choose to be responsible on your own."

"No guarantees!" Replies Jax.

"Would it kill you to be quiet?!" Zooble shouts. "I should tie this stupid thing in a knot, see how smug you are then." Another tug on the tail.

Ragatha tunes them out as she walks away. She lets out a weary sigh. "Sorry you had to see that. Or...hear it, I'm not sure how much you could see from up there." She says, voice low.

Pomni makes a little noise from her hiding place. "I...took one look just because I was curious what they turned into...b-but I didn't see anything else."

"It's...despite what you might think, Zooble and Jax get along alright, sometimes. They agree on more things then they'd like to admit. I wish things weren't so...contentious all the time." Remarks the horse with a frown. "But there's only so much they'll listen to me about."

".....doesn't it get tiring?" Pomni questioned, crawling around the other's bow, towards her bangs. "Its not your fault that living here is stressful."

Ragatha bit her tongue. "....someone has to do it. It's a necessary effort." She replies evenly.

Pomni made a sound again. It sounded...displeased, maybe.

But she doesn't say anything else. Not for a long while.

"Is it...is it weird, being so tall now?"

A light laugh escapes her. "Honestly? Gangle wasn't wrong in her description: it's honestly coming naturally. Like I've always had four legs." She replies.

"What else is different?"

"Hm...normally I'm stuffed with something like cotton...but now it feels like sand, weirdly enough." She stretches out a hoof again. "Aside from that, and the snout, I feel basically the same."

"...Zooble looked like they were made of rocks." Remarked Pomni. "D-do you think Caine came up with these new looks?"

"I doubt this kind of thing could be randomly generated...though he is AI, so I suppose anything he comes up with is procedural in a sense..." Ragatha replies, raising the hoof to her chin. The slight movement of her head startles Pomni into yelping again. "Oh! My bad, sweetheart."

"I-it's nothing! Don't, don't worry about me!" She felt the other's gloves fingers bury in her curls. "I just...need to hold on tighter."

Were she normal sized, such a gesture would've come with...connotations. Honestly, having anyone's hands buried in her hair would-

Her thoughts were going weird places. She almost shakes her head to clear it, before remembering, again, that Pomni was hiding up there.

"It's strange, being this large with a passenger." She remarks instead, just to stay on topic. "...I feel like I know how an animal with fleas feels."

There's silence for a few moments. And then, in a pitiful little voice, Pomni squeaks. "...flea??"

"...oh, sorry, I didn't mean that as any kind of insult!" She quickly backtracks. "Just...that's a size comparison. An...exaggerated one..."

"...I'm not that small..." The pout in her voice was practically audible.

"Sorry, I know you aren't." Ragatha laughs.

"I-I'm only a head shorter than you, usually..."

"I'm not judging you! I just-" She stops talking abruptly. Stops walking too. She slowly turns her head.

A block was floating next to her, just at eye level. A familiar pile of pillows was stacked atop it.

"Wha, Kinger?? How'd you get up here?" Ragatha asks, incredulous.

The 'door' to the fortress slides open. Kinger pokes his head out. "Oh!"

The pair stare at each other for a long, long moment.

And then he waves. "Hello, Pomni! That's a very good spot!"

Pomni startles, ducking down to hide more fully in Ragatha's hair.

Kinger blinks. "Oh, apologies, did I just blow your cover? That was rude of me..."

"N-no, I knew she was there." Ragatha asserts. "But...how did you get up here? And when did you have time to remake your pillow fort?" She asks again.

"Oh, it's quite simple really. I...um....well. I can't quite remember now." His eyes narrow, and he looks down at himself. "I...think I stacked my fort and climbed it? Yes, something like that."

Pomni pokes her head back up. Kinger probably wouldn't tattle on her, she figures. "I, uh, thought you didn't know where your fort was?"

He looks up again, and this time, shouts in dismay. "AAAAAAGH!!! GIANT HORSE!!!!!" He screeches, quickly diving back into his fortress and closing the door behind him.

Ragatha lets out a tiny sigh. "I can't just spare everyone, can I? That would definitely be bending the rules. I'm sorry, Kinger, but I found you so I need to tag you." She explains. "Hold on tight, Pomni." She warns, before raising herself up, balancing with her front hooves on Kinger's block.

Pomni squeals, once again wrapping her whole body around one of Ragatha's curls as the world shifts higher.

Gently, the doll-horse nudges the top of the pillow fort. The top layer of pillows falls down, exposing Kinger.

He stared up at Ragatha with wide, terrified eyes...before calming down abruptly. "Oh...right, yes, that is fair. My spot isn't nearly as good as Pomni's." He stood upright, leaving his fort to stand at the edge of the block. He looked up at Ragatha unblinkingly.

Ragatha managed a smile. "Thank you for being a good sport, Kinger."

"Hard not to be, after so long." He replied.

Very carefully, she nudged him with her hoof.

Unlike the others, he doesn't scream. He does still double over, though. His changes are more drastic, and Ragatha has to put a bit of distance between them as he grows, returning her front legs to the floor. His robe, 'crown' and eyes stay the same....but swiftly he becomes segmented and round, three connected body parts, like a bug. Little mouthparts sprouted from the bottom of his head, disconnected wings hover above his back.

And then, from his lying position on the floor, he begins to float. Four legs, disconnected like the wings, sprout from nothing to keep him upright. His gloves become another pair, though they're free-floating, not touching the floor. They also don't even look like gloves anymore...just featureless wood, like most of his body.

He takes a second, blinking. He looks himself over, blinking asymmetrically as he assesses his form.

"....are you alright, Kinger?" Ragatha asks slowly.

".........I appear to be an ant." He manages. He was already a bit of a loud talker, so now his voice was booming. "Do I- oh, I do! I have the wings. I was wondering about that."

"......ants don't usually have wings, do they?" Pomni questions.

"Not workers! It's the alates that have them! Those are the ones that become queens, and also all the male ones! Hopefully I don't die within a week, that would be tragic." He remarked. He crawled off the edge of the block, sticking to it like a real ant would. "Oh! Well this is exciting! I've always wondered what being a big would be like. I wonder if I can fly with these?"

He doesn't get to answer the question, because all of a sudden all of them teleport back to the area by the stage.

All the seekers were piled in a giant heap...and Pomni was off to the side, just barely out of range to not be squished when they all tumble apart.

Caine was hovering above Pomni, but high enough to be eye level with all his giant monsters. "CONGRATULATIONS, WE HAVE OUR WINNER! THE LAST HIDER UNFOUND WAS POMNI!" He floats down, grabbing her hand and raising it high.

She'd felt small, just being in Ragatha's presence. But now, all the others were here. She was surrounded by giants.

She definitely felt like a flea now. Unwillingly, she goes limp in Caine's hold from pure terror.

Gangle and Ragatha see it, and fret. "Oh no, Pomni..." Ragatha starts.

Zooble gets a word in before anyone else can. "Stop freaking out, you literally won."

"Can we shrink again, please? I'm tired of being an animal." Jax interjects.

"WELL, OF COURSE!" Caine snaps his fingers, and instantly everyone is back to normal.

Jax stretches his back out, grinning so wide his face threatens to split in two. "Man, my back hurts! Finally."

"You think you're stiff? Unbelievable." Zooble hisses. "Try being made of rocks and then we'll talk."

"AHEM." Caine interjects. "ANYHOW! LET'S HAVE A QUICK BREAK BEFORE ROUND TWO!"

The group goes deathly quiet. Pomni manages to regain motor function, just to use it to panic aggressively. "No no no no no no no-"

"HM? NO BREAK? WELL, I SUPPOSE THAT'S YOU'RE CALL, SINCE IT'S YOUR TURN TO SEEK!"

Her eyes become scribbles instantly. She wrenches her hand from the ringmaster's hold. "Me?! No, no, no, I-"

"IT'S ONLY FAIR! YOU DIDN'T GET TO SEEK LAST ROUND, SO OF COURSE YOU'D BE EAGER FOR THE CHANCE!"

Pomni tries to scream, to shout, to make Caine listen to her, but she doesn't get the chance.

He snaps his fingers.

The barrier erects.

Pomni's scream as the transformation starts is guttural, dry, prolonged more than the others' were. She doesn't even fall forward, either, instead falling backward, back braced against the barrier.

Her gloves and shoes grow into three-toed claws, the yellow cuffs becoming scruffy fur. The fur grows into a bright yellow ruff around her neck, her jester cap elongating, draping behind her. Her body, aside from the parts with fur, begins to smooth out, colors shifting as clothes become...scales?

She falls to her side as she grows, back now to the onlooking group. The blue and red of her outfit begins to form alternating stripes down her back, the rest of her torso going white as her face. A striped tail sprouts from her rear, long and thick, with a curl of yellow protruding from the tip. The ears that used to be her cap also grow the curls. The alternating pattern on her back paints the top of the ears, and the front of her face.

And then, right as her growth begins to slow, a trio of yellow horns burst from her forehead.

She's hyperventilating. Her eyes rapidly shift between pinwheels and scribbles. Her tail is lashing, beating against the barrier but clearly not consciously.

She's crying.

She barely seems able to look at herself for more than a few seconds before curling up on the ground and covering her short snout with her paws. She's violently trembling.

Caine seems...awkward, seeing Pomni's reaction. His eyes dart between her and the rest of the group.

The first one who manages to break the silence is Zooble. "Ok, I see how it is. She gets to be a cool[BAAA] dragon, but I get to be rocks?!"

Caine clears his throat. "UM...WELL, IT...SEEMS THAT PERHAPS I OVERESTIMATED THE AMOUNT OF....ENTHUSIASM EVERYONE HAD FOR THIS ADVENTURE....B-BUT NONETHELESS, THE SHOW MUST GO ON! I'LL JUST...PUT A FEW EXTRA MINUTES ON THE CLOCK..."

The floating timer appeared without a snap, this time.

8:00

7:59

The group disperses one by one, not as urgently as they had in the first round.

All flee the captive Kaiju...aside from Ragatha, who sits by the barrier with knees tucked under her.

Caine doesn't seem to know how to react to that, either. "AH, MY DEAR, THAT'S NOT AN IDEAL PLACE TO HIDE..."

"It's alright, Caine, I don't mind being found first." She replied.

"WELL...IF YOU'RE CERTAIN? I WILL SEE YOU ALL AGAIN ONCE THE ROUND IS OVER."

He disappears.

Ragatha's gaze turns up to the massive form of the dragon. Pomni's whimpering sobs echoed loudly around the space, and it broke Ragatha's heart.

She'd done her best to protect her...but it hadn't been enough. Had she really failed again? There was no water, but the other still looked like she was drowning.

"Pomni...." Ragatha spoke, voice gentle but loud. "Pomni, I'm here. You just need to breathe..."

Pomni's wet eyes opened, staring down at Ragatha. Her breaths still came short and fast. "R-R...R...R-R-Raga...Ragatha-a...." She whimpered.

"It's going to be ok, sweetheart. Just breathe."

"It's not, it's not, it's not, it's not, it's-"

"Shh, shh, it's not forever. Just breathe."

"B-but-"

"Breathe with me, Pomni, you can do it."

A shuddering, wet sound from the weeping seeker. In, and out. Tears still streaming down her face.

Ragatha scoots forward, close enough to place her hand against the barrier. "That's good! One more, ok?"

Pomni does as told. She places her paw against the barrier, too, right where Ragatha had.

The paw was bigger than Ragatha's whole body. But just like before with Gangle, Ragatha had no reason to fear. Pomni was frightened, experiencing the one thing she'd been terrified of today. Nothing about this situation gave her any reason to be scared of Pomni.

They breathe together, the timer ticking down, until, with a cheerful chime, the barrier drops.

By the time that happens, Pomni's trembling has stopped. Her tears still flow, but slower now.

"Do you feel a little better?" Ragatha asks gently.

Pomni nods, floppy ears swaying with the movement. Her paws rest on the ground. "Ragatha, you...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Hey, hey, it's ok. That's a perfectly understandable response. You still aren't quite used to this place. You're gonna be alright." She reaches out, about to rest her hand on Pomni's giant paw...but stops, remembering. "Ah, right..."

Pomni notices. "H-hey, it's ok, I don't mind if you do that. I...think I need some comfort right now..." She sheepishly says.

It surprises her to hear. She does as told, resting her tiny hand on Pomni's giant one.

Pomni's wagging her tail. Ragatha snorts a little at the sight.

"I....I think I'm gonna be ok." Pomni agrees. "If...if I can tag everyone fast enough, I can stop being like this, right?"

Ragatha nods, and stands. "Let me help you, Pomni. We'll be done faster if we work together."

Pomni's wide eyes go huge. "You'd...you'd do that? I...I was selfish last round, I didn't help you-"

"Hey, no, stop with that. You were terrified. Being a giant horse doesn't bother me, but being like this bothers you!" She gestures at the other with both her hands. "It's a different situation, Pomni."

She looks away, sheepish. "......I'd really appreciate that. I...really appreciate you." She admits.

Ragatha finds herself...flustering a little, to her surprise. It wasn't like this was the first time she'd been thanked, so she wasn't sure why it felt so...different, hearing Pomni say it like that.

"...hey, anytime." She replies, sheepish herself.

Pomni lifts the paw. "Um....wh-whenever you're ready...?" She says.

Ragatha sighs, bracing herself once again for the transformation.

The reaches up to touch Pomni's paw with her hand again.

Knowing what's coming this time, the growing and changing is far easier to bear. But she doesn't have much time to dwell once she's done....because Pomni tackles her in a hug.

Her breath leaves her, stunned. "Pomni?"

"Thank you..." Pomni replies. She pulls away after a few seconds. "I....I. Th-thank you, Ragatha. Really."

Ragatha smiles wide. She felt warm, fuzzy. It must've been such a big deal, Pomni doing that, and it wasn't something she intended to downplay or forget.

And so, the two work together for the rest of the round. Pomni didn't freak out at all for the rest of the day...because just by being there, Ragatha made her feel safe.

And honestly? That was enough.

Chapter Text

Pomni would surprise herself to admit that she didn't actually hate it here. Anymore.

She'd love to be stubborn, sure, she'd love to claim that she was eager to drive herself insane trying to find an exit...well, if that hope hadn't been dashed so quickly after arriving here, anyway.

But, no, she wasn't actually that eager to do that. Aside from Jax, she felt like she had found a friend in everyone else here...to some degree, anyway. She was pretty sure Zooble tolerated her, at best, but everyone else she'd had plentiful positive interactions with!

Gangle was pleasant to talk to, passionate about her interests when she had her comedy mask on, and like-minded when it came to the stressors of this place. Pomni couldn't help but relate to her.

Kinger, despite how...odd and eccentric he acted sometimes, was...fatherly? She wasn't sure if that was the right word. He was kind to her, at least. Eager to offer up his own comfort zone if it was something that would make her feel better.

And Ragatha. Oh, Ragatha. She had so many thoughts and feelings she didn't know how to sort through them. She didn't know where to begin.

The ragdoll was kind, and patient, respectful of her boundaries, charming, pretty....every compliment Pomni could think of, really. All genuine, of course.

She really just seemed...flawless in Pomni's mind. A comforting, soothing presence. Her's was the only shoulder she felt safe enough to cry on. If Ragatha was the only person left to talk to in this place, Pomni wouldn't complain for even a second.

....that was a normal thing to think about a friend, right? Maybe it wasn't....not like it mattered, it was just how she felt and that was that.

She wasn't the first to wake that day, but unlike the other day, she wasn't the last; Jax and Zooble were there. She didn't see anyone else yet.

Zooble waved. They had an assortment of steampunk and buggy parts today. Pomni wondered if any of the parts they ever picked had some kind of significance. They changed every day, so surely there must've been some reasoning.

Pomni thought it was lucky, being able to have any degree of control over their appearance here. She wondered if Zooble felt the same way about it.

She approached them hesitantly. Jax still made her nervous, and she had no idea how Zooble felt about her. But avoiding them blatantly when they were the only two people here....there was no way to be transparent about that, was there. It would just be rude and contentious.

"H-hey. Good morning." She greeted.

Jax gave her a light salute, slinging his other arm around Zooble. Zooble shrugged out of it, not bothering to even comment. "Morning, Pomni. You, uh, holding up ok?"

"Uh...I think?" Pomni replied, sheepish. It had been a few days since they got turned into monsters, and she'd mostly gotten over it by now. "D-do you mean something specific by that or-"

"No, just....in general. You're....nevermind." She trailed off, waving a hand dismissively.

Jax smirked. "He means to say you carry yourself around like you're some dog's favorite chew toy just waiting to get chomped on. So it's never a bad time to ask if you've been bitten yet."

Pomni's eyes pop, and she shrinks a little. "...........what's that supposed to mean?"

"Ignore him, he doesn't speak for me." Zooble interjected. "You're not a chew toy. You just always look a bit stressed, that's all."

The jester grumbled. "I'm always stressed because something stressful is always happening." She replied with a pout. "If Caine's in charge of the day then it's probably going to end with me being some flavor of panicked."

Zooble's eyes narrowed in pity. "Dang, alright..."

"Well at least you're honest about it." Jax said with a grin. "Better than Kaufmo was."

Something in Pomni's chest goes tight, at that. She almost doesn't ask.

Almost.

"What...what was he like?"

Zooble's eyes widen a little. Jax's smile slips. They both look a little surprised. "Uh..." Zooble starts, but doesn't say anything else.

The awkward tension in the air was thick. Pomni almost doesn't press them about it. Almost.

"L-look, I just think...none of you talk about him or........anyone else that's not here anymore...a-and I know the other's have probably been gone for a while so I get it, but Kaufmo practically just left! And it's weird to me that no one talks about him. Did you guys not like him or something?"

They both just stare at her, expressions a matching set. Both looking awkward and...mildly irritated? It was harder to read on Zooble, but easy to identify on Jax.

She felt herself growing awkward as well. "It's.....it's not that weird a question, is it?"

Zooble made a sound like sucking air through their teeth, which was kind of impressive considering they didn't have a mouth. "Look....it's..." They started, raising a metallic hand, and just as swiftly lowering it.

Jax let out an irritated exhale. "Zooble, just tell her she's stupid or whatever you're not saying because you want to be polite for no reason." He said, giving the other a light smack on the shoulder. "It'll save me the the effort of explaining it if you do it."

They shot him a glare. "Wow, offering to shut up? That's a first for you." They spat.

"Psh. I know you agree with me on this one. Why bother saying what you're gonna say."

Pomni couldn't even tell if they were actually arguing. It was bizarre. Was this just how they talked to each other?

"I-I don't need to know....I can just go stand somewhere else if it's a bad question....?" She says, quiet and anxious as usual.

Once again, Jax scoffed, opening his mouth to say something. But Zooble spoke up before he had a chance to. "Look, it's not like it's....well, no, it is a bad question. But it's not like you really know how....that kinda stuff works around here...." She twitched an antenna.

Pomni got the feeling she was putting a lot of effort into answering her civilly. She spoke again, meek. "....should I ask someone else? I....don't think Ragatha likes to talk about this kind of thing, so I'm-"

Jax cut her off with a laugh. "Ha! Asking Ragatha to talk about her feelings! That's a good one, Pomni." He leaned towards her to give her a nudge that might've been meant to be friendly.

Pomni tensed at the contact anyway. "H-hey, I just-"

Zooble let out a shallow sigh. "Ask Kinger or something. Or Gangle, I know she'd be...emotionally available or some [CHIRP]. Just....don't get your hopes up."

Pomni rubbed her arm. Neither of them had even gotten close to actually answering her questions. On purpose, probably.

Ragatha hadn't been wrong, it seemed: they both had more in common than they'd willingly admit.

Speaking of Ragatha...

"Hey, good morning, you three!" She called. Pomni turned back, staring a little before trying to be a bit more normal about it.

Her posture was still nervous, and Ragatha seems to pick up on it. She walks over to stand next to her, frowning. "Are they bothering you?" She asks, tone protective.

Something in Pomni flutters, but the conversation continues too fast for her to dwell on it.

"She just....asked a question that neither of us care enough about to answer." Replied Zooble, deadpan.

Jax shrugged, signature smirk blooming anew across his face. "Tragic, really."

"You could at least try." Ragatha chastised. "Or at least pretend to care, since she went out of her way to talk to you." She pointed out.

Jax snorted. "Why don't you ask her, chew toy? Since you wanna know so bad." He tilted his head, ears swaying with the movement, gesturing to Ragatha with a hand.

Ragatha looked down at Pomni with a mildly confused look. "Is...is it something you wanted to ask me?" She questioned. She absently tucked hair behind the ear she didn't have.

Pomni had to fight the urge to make herself smaller. She hadn't known with Zooble or Jax, but she did know that Ragatha didn't like to talk about Kaufmo, or anyone else who'd abstracted before. Asking Ragatha was out of the question.

So, she gives a light shake of her head. "N-no. Not you specifically. But I, uh, am happy to see you, anyway!" She cringes a little at her words, as she says them. Where did that even come from.

But Ragatha looks flattered, and not weirded out, lucky for her. She laughs a tiny little laugh, and Pomni feels her building anxiety dissipate. "Aw, I'm glad. I'm happy to see you, too."

"Gross." Deadpanned Zooble. They turned and began walking towards the hallway. "I'm gonna go wait for Gangle or something."

Jax did a little jog to follow them. "I'll come with you." He informed with a grin.

Zooble turned back to him, antennas twitching. "Try anything and I'll find a limb in my box that lets me decapitate you."

He raised his hands in mock surrender. "Easy on the death threats, Zoobs! At least take me to dinner first!"

"What is with you today." The shape-person shot back.

Ragatha and Pomni watched as they both disappeared. Ragatha hummed, thoughtful, staring at the entrance to the hallway for a few seconds before turning back to Pomni. "Hey...are you sure you didn't need to ask me something?" She inquired.

Pomni blinked. "Uh...yeah, I'm sure."

Ragatha tilted her head a little. The jester saw her hands twitch at her sides. "Well...if you ever do have a question, I'd be happy to answer. No matter what it is."

There was a sentiment there that Pomni didn't miss: 'you can trust me.'

But it didn't change the fact that she had no plans of bringing up Kaufmo with her. "Thanks, I appreciate it. B-but I'm fine, I promise."

"Okay, Pomni, if you say so." There was a questioning look in her eye, even if she'd seemingly dropped the matter.

Pomni isn't sure what to make of it. She tries to start the conversation up again, anyway. "Hey, so...what do you think-"

"Hello!"

Bubble appeared out of nowhere mere inches from her face. Pomni squealed, instantly backing up into Ragatha. The other's dress folded around either side of her.

"AH!! Don't, don't do that, please." Pomni stammered, staring at him with wide eyes. Not scribbles yet, at least.

"Oh, my bad!" Replied Bubble loudly. "I'm just here to say something on behalf of the BOSS!"

Pomni looked up at Ragatha, and Ragatha looked back down at her. Then they both turned back to Bubble with cautious expressions.

Bubble continued. "He's busy this morning prepping the Adventure! You're all going on a camping trip!"

"....camping?" Ragatha questioned.

"Yep! He's doing a bit of deforestation in the woods by the lake to set up space for the campsite! And that takes a while! And also he says it's more appropriate to start the adventure in the afternoon! So there's not gonna be anything going on until later! And-"

"Th-thank you, Bubble, I think we get it." Ragatha cut him off, gently. "Do you need us to tell the others for you?"

"Oh, no worries! I'm telling them right now!"

They went quiet at that, just in time to hear what sounded like a distant scream from Kinger.

"O-oh....yeah. Ok. Thank you?" Pomni said meekly.

"No problem!" Replied Bubble. "You can pop me now, if you want!"

Neither of them made any move to do so, so Bubble simply floated forward to make contact with one of them on his own. Ragatha raised her hand to prevent him from touching Pomni, and Bubble burst against her finger.

Pomni sighed. Her back was still pressed against Ragatha's dress, though it almost seemed like she hadn't noticed. "Um...thanks."

"Don't mention it, sweetheart." Replied the ragdoll.

And still neither moved, for a few moments. The jester rubbed a hand against the fabric of the other's dress, absent-minded. It was a comforting texture...and it was Ragatha's...

Pomni tensed as her actions and position caught up to her, and she swiftly separated. Her face was bright red. "S....sorry, I didn't mean to get in your bubble like that, Bubble just startled me and-"

"Hey, hey, it's fine! I didn't mind!" Ragatha quickly cuts her off. "You don't ever need to apologize for something like that, to me anyway."

Pomni wrung her hands. "A-are you sure?"

"Of course. I know you're particular about who's allowed to touch you, but I'm not. You....well you don't need to feel bad being in my space. I welcome it, really."

Pomni wasn't sure...but Ragatha almost sounded bashful, saying that. "Oh...if you say so."

"Whatever flirty nonsense is going on in here, you can stop now, you've got an audience!" Shouts Jax from the hallway, making his way over to them. The other three were trailing behind in a line. Kinger in the front, Zooble in the back, Gangle between them. Some sort of protective bubble, keeping Jax at a distance. The rabbit either didn't notice or didn't care.

Pomni let out a squeal, face flushing a bit. "W-w-what are you talking about?!"

"Don't tease her, Jax." Ragatha replied, sounding mildly disappointed. "Also, you just got here, I know you didn't see enough to make that kind of judgement call."

He shrugged. "Whatevs, you're no fun anyway."

Gangle peeked out from behind Kinger, waving. "H-hi, guys..." She greeted. No comedy mask today, it seemed. No wonder the other two were flanking her.

Pomni waved back, sheepish. "Hey Gangle."

Zooble cleared his throat. "Hey, fun times, yay, et cetera, but is there even any reason for us all to be together right now? Like, the actual adventure today isn't until way later."

Kinger hummed. "Well, we haven't all spent a day together of our own free will in a while!" He pointed out cheerfully. "We could do that!"

"Pass." Replied Zooble immediately. "Like [DOOT] I'm giving up any of my alone time for some performative togetherness schmaltz. Hard pass."

"Awww, c'mon, Zooble, you don't think we're a joy to spend time with?" Teased Jax, batting his eyelids.

"Absolutely not, and not you especially."

"Awwwwwwwwww c'mon, what's one day, right? Listen to Kinger, he's fuuuuulll of good ideas!"

Kinger gasped. "Thank you!" He clasped his hands together with a twinkle in his eyes.

"If we'd known about this yesterday we could've all slept in." Zooble pointed out, antenna twitching some more. "And not like that matters, but it would've been nice! I'm not doing anything I don't have to, no thanks."

Gangle hesitantly wrapped a ribbon around one of Zooble's bug arms, giving her a gentle tug. "N-no one can make you...but it's still nice to just...hang out, isn't it?"

Zooble startled at the contact. She seemed to be going through some kind of internal battle, based on the way her eyes kept shifting. An antenna bent on the middle, tilting down to look like an angry eyebrow. "Look, it's not....I'm not here to......."

Gangle's pitiful look seemed...intentional, when she looked up at the other. Was she...was she weaponizing it? That was devious. Pomni was a little impressed, honestly. She only knew how to do that on accident.

"L-look...uh..." Zooble looked around at the others, as if desperate for backup. Kinger was just staring blankly at the two of them, while Jax's expression was dripping with smugness.

Ragatha sucked air through her teeth (though just like Zooble, it was hard to imagine such an action to be literal, with how her mouth worked), and began to close the distance between them. Pomni followed after her like a lost dog.

"Hey, we don't need to coerce anyone! You shouldn't guilt them if they don't want to hang out, Gangle..." She said gently, moving her hands in slow, placating motions.

Jax scoffed. "What? No, Zooble's too tough to be coerced, obviously. Nerves of steel under that cheap plastic, everyone knows that." He replied sarcastically.

Zooble's pink face went a little darker in an angry flush, pupils going tiny, the non-bent antenna twitching like mad. "You [KSHH]ing [CLANK]." They hissed. "You think I'm-" Abruptly, they cut themself off. A metal foot tapped against the ground, and they looked down at Gangle again. "Look! I'm not opposed to hanging out with you, or Ragatha, but Jax?! If we're all doing something together then Jax is gonna be there! Why would you want that?!"

A tear or two slipped down Gangle's face at that, gaze averted from the other. "....I don't." She replied. "But...if you're there, I know I wouldn't have to worry about it, that's all...." She said, sheepish and bashful.

Zooble blinked. They looked like they were fighting another internal battle.

This wasn't an argument, really, but Pomni still felt a little nervous, watching it. She wondered if Zooble just had a hard time telling Gangle no.

"Hm. Are you ok, Zooble? You like you're having a round table discussion in there." Kinger spoke up, reaching over to tap the side of their head.

That seemed to snap them out of their reverie, and they jerked towards Jax with sudden purpose. "Yeah, sure, we can all hang out, as long as he's not invited."

Jax tilted his head to the side. "I don't need to be invited to show up." He pointed out.

"Tch. C'mon guys, let's ditch him." Zooble turned back towards Gangle and Kinger, gesturing with his head towards Ragatha and Pomni, and also the opening to the tent because it was in the same direction.

Ragatha opened her mouth...but then closed it again, resigned. "Sure, that's...not really a compromise but I think that's as close as we're gonna get." She remarked quietly. Pomni heard her, being as close as she was, but none of the others did.

Pomni hesitated. Her ragdoll friend looked a bit dejected, and she was overcome with the desire to do something about it. Based on what she'd said earlier...she had one idea.

She took a deep breath, reached out, and grabbed Ragatha's hand.

Ragatha blinked down at her in surprise. Slowly, though, a smile bloomed in place of her slight frown. "....thank you, I appreciate it." She said.

Pomni felt herself smile wide, which was weird, because she didn't smile very much. But Ragatha's smile was...contagious? How nice.

They followed after Zooble, Gangle, and Kinger, hand in hand.

Jax followed after them all, looking amused and unimpressed.

It was a slow day, all things considered. They all knew they were just killing time, really, until the day's actual main event, so it wasn't like they were picking anything focus-intensive to do.

First things first, on Pomni's suggestion: check on Caine, just to see what he was actually doing. Bubble said 'deforestation'...what did that entail, in a digital world in which the trees could probably just be...deleted with no fanfare?

They swiftly abandoned that idea, seeing the veritable lumber tornado spiraling in the woods. No one was willing to get close to that. They really shouldn't have expected Caine to be doing anything the normal way.

Next was carnival games. Zooble and Ragatha engaged in a little light competition, though it started getting a little heated the longer it went on. Ragatha was polite about it, and Zooble decidedly wasn't, but neither of them seemed to be actually angry.

Jax butted in after they'd finished one, immediately hitting a perfect bullseye with a dart. He smirked, but when Ragatha congratulated him, his smug look fell, ears twitching...nervously? Pomni filed the reaction away for later.

Gangle briefly tried suggesting sitting by the lake, but just as swiftly shut her mouth, sparing Pomni a nervous glance. It was noticeable, the way the others were avoiding reminding her of what had happened there. Pomni would love to be annoyed about it, bothered by everyone treating her like she'd break at the mere mention of the lake.....but honestly it was appreciated. Drowning had a way of making you feel pretty fragile, even if there'd been no lingering physical side effects. Mentally, though...

Yay for trauma.

Kinger never ended up suggesting anything, but on Ragatha's insistence, they took a break to watch the ants. Kinger shared a litany of bug facts while he watched them trail, and while Zooble looked bored, Gangle and Pomni sat and listened with him. He spoke so animatedly...it was interesting, even if neither of them were particularly interested in bugs.

A couple times, Jax tried to suggest things, but he was ignored. He was seemingly content to just follow the group and make cheeky comments, even so. Pomni caught Gangle staring at him a few times, brow furrowing. If Jax noticed it, he didn't show it.

In the middle of heading back to the tent - Gangle had wanted to draw - Caine popped into existence in front of them, limbs spread out like a starfish. Kinger yelped.

"HELLO SUPERSTARS!" He greeted. His eyes were big and shiny, and excitement was clear in his voice. "EVERYTHING'S FINALLY PREPARED FOR TODAY'S ADVENTURE! ARE YOU EXCITED? BECAUSE I KNOW I AM!!"

Pomni let out a nervous laugh on reflex. Camping sounded nice, in all honesty. Definitely far more chill than his usual adventures.

Though, knowing him, they were probably gonna end up fighting a bear or something by the end of it. But right now she could afford a bit of optimism. "I...I guess I am?" She offered.

"SPLENDID!!" He shouted, grinning so wide he probably would've hurt himself had he been capable of it. He did a little spin on the air, and flew off in the direction of where the tornado had been previously. "FOLLOW ME! THE CAMPSITE IS RIGHT OVER THIS WAY!"

As there was no longer a tornado, his words were obeyed. They were grouped in a little bundle, Jax off to the side because everyone was still putting in the effort to exclude him today. He still didn't look particularly bothered.

Ragatha and Pomni had stopped holding hands a while ago, but they still walked side by side. Closer than Pomni usually got to people, proximity wise.

Should she dwell on that? She didn't even feel that uncomfortable with it, it was odd.

...nah. Ragatha made her feel safe, she already knew that. Nothing to worry about!

The campsite looked...relatively tame, when the got there, which was a surprise considering Caine literally made it using the most chaotic method possible. Log seating around a fire pit, an orderly stack of firewood off to the side.

Everything looked....very normal, all things considered. But, then, Pomni turned her head, and saw that that was a descriptor that only applied to the area directly around the fire pit. Beyond it was a large area of trees with the bottom half of their trunks missing, floating there to spite gravity and logic. She was used to seeing floating blocks inside the tent, so she wasn't sure why this felt more strange.

Caine snapped his fingers, and suddenly, everyone had a giant backpack on. Gangle immediately fell backwards from the sudden weight. Caine didn't notice. "YOU'LL FIND IN YOUR PACKS ALL THE SUPPLIES YOU'LL NEED TO SET UP YOUR TENTS! ONCE THAT IS DONE, YOU MAY ENGAGE IN WHATEVER ACTIVITIES YOU'D LIKE! I'VE SET UP A HIKING TRAIL THROUGH THE WOODS, FISHING RODS FOR ANYONE WHO'D LIKE TO RELAX BY THE LAKE, AND ONCE THE SUN GOES DOWN, YOU CAN ROAST CAMP-APPROPRIATE SNACKS BY THE FIRE!"

"And tell scary stories?" Jax inquired, raising a brow.

Caine looked at him in turn. "AS LONG AS THEY'RE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL AGES!" He replies with a grin.

"Sure, whatever. As long as I can make someone scream today." He jostled his backpack with his shoulder and approached the area with the floating trees. "Is this where the tents are supposed to go?"

"WHY YES IT IS, JAX!" He lifted his hat, and out popped a Bubble. And then a bunch more. "IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, OR NEED A HAND SETTING UP YOUR TENT, JUST ASK BUBBLE!"

"I'm great at holding stuff!" Said one Bubble.

"I've got hands with fingers, you just cant see them!" Said another.

A light grimace passed through the group. No one wanted Bubble's help.

"And...what about you, Caine?" Ragatha spoke up.

"I HAVE BUSINESS TO ATTEND TO, BUT I WILL RETURN WHEN NIGHT FALLS FOR CAMPFIRE STORIES AND SNACKS! HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A WONDERFUL TIME UNTIL THEN!"

Instead of disappearing in a poof, this time he just floated away, up through the trees and towards the circus tent.

It was quiet for a moment, Jax unpacking his backpack and the others just looking around.

"C-can someone help me up...?" Gangle squeaked, breaking the silence.

"Ah, Gangle! I'm so sorry, let me help you..." Ragatha yelped, rushing over to lift Gangle off the ground. Pomni followed.

Ragatha helped remove the backpack. "You don't have enough mass to carry this, I think..." The ragdoll remarked sadly.

"Sorry....." A tear trailed down her mask.

"I, uh, I can carry it for you!" Pomni piped up. The pair look at her in slight surprise. "I...I want to be useful." She admitted.

"Oh....that would be nice of you, but you don't have to..." Gangle replied with a sniffle.

"Ok....b-but what if I want to?" She pointed out. "I am offering!"

"Gangle, just let her carry the [TIRE SCREECH] bag." Zooble called out. "It's not gonna kill you."

"Rrright, sorry, ok..." She peeped.

Ragatha smiled, and handed Pomni the backpack. Their hands touched for the briefest moment as it passed between them.

Normally, something like that would set off her nerves for a second. But, again...Pomni found she felt nothing at all. Which was a little jarring. But, again, she told herself not to dwell.

They were busy, and the backpacks were heavy. Visibly she struggled, carrying one on her back and one in her arms.

Ragatha looked concerned. Gangle spared an apologetic glance as she walked past them towards where Zooble was standing. "Do you...need help, Pomni?"

"N-nope! I'm great, I can do it..." She did an awkward, poorly balanced walk towards the half-clearing where the others were. She could see over the bundle she was carrying, but only barely.

"I don't want you to fall over, I can help you carry that if you-"

"Nope!! I...I got this!" She squeaked, waddling forward until she finally managed to walk the few feet that she actually needed to. She set Gangle's bag down next to her. "Hoo...here you go, Gangle."

Gangle managed a sheepish smile. "....thank you. I appreciate it." She said quietly.

Zooble reached out to give Pomni a light pat on the head. "Good job, you....really looked like you were struggling there."

Pomni tensed at the contact, standing up straight and taking a step back. "I....no problem, I'm just...gonna set my tent up over...here, uh......" She swiveled on her foot and walked away to a different part of the clearing.

"Uh....ok." Zooble remarks, sounding mildly confused.

Pomni shrugs out of her backpack, setting it on the ground and opening it. She found the tent stuff densely packed within, along with a sleeping bag and a pair of deflated air mattresses. Underneath those were just...what seemed like random trinkets. A mini portable fan, a can of bug spray that didn't work, and a bag of chips, among other things. She opened the chip bag and munched on one, just to occupy her brain a little more while she figured out how to pitch the tent. The chips weren't crushed; thank you, cartoon logic, for being helpful one singular time ever.

She looked up to check on how the others were doing. Jax had seemingly dumped all the contents of his backpack on the ground, going through them lazily. "Ugh. All this stuff at the beginning is so boring. And I don't even get a hammock. Lame."

Gangle and Zooble were setting up next to each other. Gangle couldn't really pitch a tent very well with her lack of hands, so Zooble was doing most of the work. "Wow, what a shame." They remarked, sounding not even a little bit sorry. "It's almost like the part of the trees you'd hang it from are literally not even reachable right now."

Jax looked up at the floating trees with a mildly annoyed expression. He began to put up poles anyway. "Wow, I just love physical labor, it's so fun." He said, loudly. "Bubble? Any chance I can get a hand?"

Everyone looked at him in mild surprise. None of them were brave enough to see what help from Bubble would even look like. But two of the Bubbles floated over...so it looks like they were about to find out.

"With what?" Said one.

"I'm here!" Said the other.

"I can't remember what to do and I'm tired. Mind showing me the ropes?" Jax inquired, crossing his arms behind his head.

"Of course!! Anything for you Jax!" Said one.

"It's super easy Jax! Just watch this!" Said the other.

And together, both of them swiftly constructed the tent. One used his tongue to hold things, and the other just maneuvered stuff without any contact as if with invisible hands. Jax smiled smugly, watching the work be done for him.

Zooble leered. "Wow. Of course."

The Bubbles both twirled around each other like orbiting planets once they were finished. "Just like that!" Said one, and the other parroted.

"Thanks buddy, what would I do without you?" Jax replied, blowing a kiss.

"Aw shucks!" Said one.

"Now it's your turn!" Said the other.

And with no fanfare at all, Jax's tent fell apart.

Jax's eyes went wide. "Wh-"

The Bubbles both floated away. "Glad to help!" Said one.

The other said nothing, instead just winking at him.

Jax's ear twitched.

Zooble doubled over in laughter. "That...! HA! That's...that's so great! Man! Camping's great, I'm having fun, are you guys having fun?!"

"Har har. Whatever. It was worth a shot." Jax retorted with a roll of his eyes. He squatted down and began to set up his tent himself this time.

Pomni redirected her attention back to her tent, too. There weren't any instructions provided...but for some reason, she felt like she just knew what to do.

Her chest felt funny.

She was halfway done by the time she was snapped out of whatever trance the task had put her in. It was words that had done it, and she turned to the source. Ragatha.

"Sorry, did I distract you? You looked like you were in the zone." She asked.

"Ah, maybe, but that's fine, definitely, haha..." She trailed off. "I...think I've done this before. It feels familiar."

Ragatha smiled. "I'm happy for you! I...wish this was coming to me as easy as it is for you." She held out a paper and scrutinized it. "These diagrams are...not very clear."

Pomni stepped closer to get a good look at them. It honestly looked more like instructions for a Lego set than a tent. She frowned. "Hm...do you, uh...." She looked up at the ragdoll with a hesitant expression. "....want help?"

She blinked, and then waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, I'd hate to distract you from your tent. You seem to know what you're doing, you should finish yours first."

She wasn't looking at Pomni when she said it. "Well...what about after? I don't think finishing mine will take very long."

Once again, the response came after a brief pause. "Only if you want to."

"....I'm offering?"

"Right, yeah....then yes, I suppose I would appreciate the hand."

Pomni smiled. "Thanks! I'll be quick!"

She let out a fond laugh. "Take your time, dear. Also what are you thanking me for? You're the one helping me."

She paused mid-action. "Uh...letting me help you, I guess. I dunno, I just...said it."

Ragatha quiets, blinking. Her cheeks tint, just a little.

"You know you have an audience, right?" Announces Zooble. "We're all still standing here."

Pomni's cheeks tint too, and she looks up in slight confusion. "Y...yeah, I know that? Did...did I say something weird?"

Zooble stares at her for a few seconds, squinting. Gangle gives him a light nudge, and he looks back down at her. "Nevermind, I guess."

Ragatha and Pomni share a quick glance, neither really sure what Zooble had been getting at. They both shrug.

The clearing is quieter for a while after, all of them slowly working on pitching their tents. Pomni finishes hers first, moving to help Ragatha with hers after. Zooble finishes setting up Gangle's tent first before working on their own, which they've got ready before Pomni finishes with Ragatha's. Jax finally gets his set up after Ragatha, which meant everyone was done.

Wait.

Gangle looks around, brow furrowing. "........where's Kinger?" She pondered aloud.

Everyone else looks up too, and expressions all shift to confusion and concern. "Huh. How long has he been gone?" Zooble scratched her head with a buggy claw.

"I don't see his backpack here...did he take it with him?" Ragatha wondered. "Did he want to set up his tent somewhere else?"

"Would he do that?" Pomni asked.

"Knowing him he probably doesn't even have a tent. I bet he's just got pillows." Jax remarks. "Perfect for the outdoors and perfect to get absolutely full of bugs."

"Do you hear yourself? That'd be a plus for him." Zooble pointed out.

"Ugh. Yeah, probably." He retorted.

"Are you alright, Jax? You've been...stressing? Since we started the camping stuff." Ragatha asked, tone gentle as can be. "Do you not like camping?"

Jax's ears went flat, but he smirked like he had no idea what she was talking about. "What? You're imagining things, Dollface. I'm having a blast." He lifted up a blanket bundle out of the grass. "Look, I've got.....no air mattress and just way too many blankets. Just the way I like it. I'll pile em up and build a nest like some kinda weird bird. Normal camping stuff."

His tone was normal, seemingly....but by Ragatha's expression, Pomni guessed she didn't believe him. "Um....I actually have two air mattresses for some reason, do you....want one?" Pomni offered.

Jax's ears lifted, but his expression was blank. Then, he scoffed and turned away from her, back towards his own stuff. "Not really. Like I said, I prefer this set up I got."

"Mm..." Pomni's lips made a thin line.

"Should...should we go look for Kinger?" Gangle spoke up again. "Wh-what if he's lost?"

"I mean...he's probably spent more time in these woods than anyone else here." Ragatha pointed out. "He comes out here a lot to look for bugs."

"Caine might've left some debris around in the aftermath of his prep." Jax pointed out, smirking. "Kinger might trip and fall." He remarked out. "Might fall in the lake."

The air goes just a bit tense, and a few eyes go to the jester. "Dude. Out of pocket." Zooble said, deadpan voice particularly cold.

"What? It could happen. Caine said he got fishing rods set up. It's not impossible that Kinger would've gone that way."

Pomni rubbed at her arm. She was fine. She was fine, the drowning felt like it was so long ago now, she was fine, she was over it.

It's ok.

She stands. "W-well...someone should at least try to go and look for him, so I can do that, I guess. Uh...does anyone want to come with me? I haven't really been in the woods at all yet...I think I'll get lost if I go by myself..."

Ragatha stands as well. "I'd be happy to. I'm curious to see what the trail Caine set up looks like." She walks with Pomni out of the clearing, but not before giving Jax a light glare as she passed him.

Jax just shrugged, still grinning that probably-fake grin.

He snatched Pomni's spare air mattress the second they were out of sight.

There was birdsong in the forest, which Ragatha commented on as being unusual. There weren't any birds in the digital world, so Caine must've set up some speakers or something to play nature sounds. Set the mood, and whatnot.

They did actually ending up finding the source, strangely enough: little featureless bird animatronics perched in the trees. Beaks open, moving robotically.

"Y'know...he does a lot of stuff that's performative...but this is kinda performative in a charming way." Pomni remarked as they walked.

Ragatha hummed in response. "This place is like a playset, sometimes. I don't think he ever knowingly leans into it, but it does happen on accident plenty."

Pomni watched a gif of a squirrel run across their path. Two dimensional, it clipped into a tree instead of climbing it.

Ragatha sighed, but Pomni saw her smiling when she turned to look at her. "It does have a certain charm to it, doesn't it? I suppose I'm used to the way things are, myself...but things like this are nicer when they're new. I'm glad you're adjusting well."

A nervous laugh. Pomni rubbed at her arms. "A-adjusting better, anyway." She pointed out.

'Thanks to you.' She thought, but didn't say.

Ragatha raised a hand, but lowered it again rather than do anything with it. "That's how it goes for everyone in the beginning. I'm proud of you, alright?"

Pomni felt her chest do  a flip. "You...oh. Th-thank you, Ragatha, that.....means a lot, coming from you..."

Once again, her hands twitched a little, but her smile was warm enough that Pomni didn't dwell on it. "Anytime, sweetheart."

Pomni feels warm. Was it from the smile, or the words? She wasn't sure. Either way she was sure she was feeling too much of whatever this was right now and needed to change the subject. Probably to what they'd come out here for in the first place.

She clears her throat. "S-so, where do you think Kinger went?"

Ragatha moved on just as swiftly. "He could be anywhere, honestly." She replied with a sigh. "This is the only place in the whole grounds where bugs spawn, aside from the ants at the Carnival."

"Spawn..." Pomni repeats with a frown.

"We're probably fine just following the path and calling for him. He couldn't have gotten far..." She trails off with a frown of her own. "...though I am disappointed in myself for taking so long to notice he was gone." She admitted.

"None of us noticed, it's not your fault." Pomni replied.

"I'm usually paying attention, though. So it's not as if I'm not to blame at least a little bit." She pointed out.

Pomni made a face at that. "I don't know if that's how it works..."

"No use in dwelling, either way." She continued. "We just need to find him." She cleared her throat, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Kingeeerr? Where are you?" She called.

Ragatha was moving on from the conversation...so even though Pomni still felt concerned by the other's propensity for taking personal responsibility for stuff that wasn't her fault so often, she didn't make any effort to continue the conversation. It would just be...awkward. She, too, called out for Kinger.

They walked together, talking in the sights and shouting for their missing friend. They stopped occasionally, pointed out animatronic and gif-ed wildlife. Caine must've spent a while on it all.

Pomni was still waiting for a bear attack. But right now, that was the only major anxiety lurking in her subconscious.

"Kinger, you still need to set up your-" The jester stops mid-shout, and falls forward on her face.

"Ah! Pomni! Are you alright?" Ragatha exclaims.

They both look to see what made Pomni trip, and to their surprise....it's Kinger's backpack. Pomni shuffles a bit, on her knees instead of her stomach, and lifts it up a little. "Huh..."

"Well...he's been here, at least. Do you need help up?" Asked Ragatha, extending a hand.

Pomni didn't need help...but she was pretty sure it would make Ragatha happy if she let her help, so she took the hand.

No discomfort. Not pleasant, necessarily, but not uncomfortable.

Ragatha smiled, but then schooled her expression back to something a bit more serious. "If he took his backpack off...he should still be nearby, I would hope..." She let go of Pomni's hand to cup her own around her mouth again. "Kinger! Are you here?"

A moment later, finally, the man they were searching for calls back. "Oh! Come see the beautiful moth I found!"

The two of them run off in the direction of Kinger's voice, to their surprise, leading out of the woods entirely. The trees thinned out, and they saw Kinger-

-walking towards the edge of the island. A bug fluttered in front of him, and he followed it blindly. Towards the endless drop into the void.

Ragatha let out a shriek, and dashed towards him. "Kinger stop!"

Kinger kept walking, but did turn his head to look at her. "Oh! Hello, Ragatha! Did you come to see the-"

He tipped forward over the edge. Ragatha grabs him, trying to pull him back. She, too, almost falls forward, nearly unable to carry his weight.

She probably would've fallen, too, had Pomni not been close enough to grab her in turn, pulling all of them backwards onto the grass.

They land in a heap, Pomni on the bottom and Kinger on the top. Pomni's breath goes unsteady. Holding hands was one thing...but this was definitely not something she could handle for very long. She let out a squeak of distress, pupils tiny.

They took a few moments to untangle, but they didn't stand, electing to sit on the ground for a moment. "You almost fell in the void, Kinger! Why did you wander this far?" Ragatha demanded.

Kinger twiddled his thumbs. "I was collecting insects and I couldn't reach that moth. It kept straying just out of reach."

The ragdoll lets out a slightly frustrated sigh. "Kinger, you really need to be more careful about where you're walking. That could've been bad." Ragatha chastised gently.

Kinger gave a light nod. "Yes, I know. I'm normally better about that, but the moth distracted me..." He turned back to it. It fluttered out into the void, image looping in a cycle in place for a moment before moving back towards the land.

Kinger stood, and opens his hands. The moth moves toward him this time, and he cups his hands around it. His eyes close, and Pomni can just...tell that he's smiling.

Pomni stood, too, pausing before offering a hand to Ragatha. That would be appreciated, she figures. She's right, by the way Ragatha's smile blooms.

Kinger opens his hands, showing off the moth to the two of them. It's a gif, wings different colors. Clearly moving at the lowest frame rate possible, but Kinger doesn't seem to mind.

"See how one side is much darker than the other? This specimen is a bilateral gyandromorph!" He's saying.

Pomni finds herself...distracted, though, and doesn't really hear the rest.

The void lays within reach.

Her feet move on their own. Towards the edge she goes. She stops before she crosses the threshold, staring out into the infinite white expanse.

She couldn't have been there for very long, last time, but it had felt like hours when it was happening. She'd been swimming in white noise, blinded by a fuzzy sensation, mind going to tethers as nothing at all happened very, very fast.

And then everything had abruptly gone back to normal the moment Caine had rescued her. It had been incredibly jarring. She had avoided thinking about it very hard since then...

...hard to keep avoiding it, when it was so so visible right now.

To her horror, a little voice in her head was urging her to jump. She'd been fine, last time. Caine had rescued her. They couldn't die, she'd learned that firsthand.

She'd promised Ragatha she wouldn't hurt herself anymore. She'd been having a mostly non-stressful day so far, so she had no idea why the little voice was so loud right now.

She crouched down, peering over the edge. Would it really count as self-destruction, taking a tumble into the digital snow? If anything this was just a lingering curiosity, not some desire to suffer. Caine didn't know what was beyond it...anything could be out there.

What if the exit was out there?

"Pomni!"

She startles, shrieking and nearly slipping off the precarious edge. Her gloved hands death-grip the rim.

"Careful! Goodness, Pomni, were you not listening to what I was telling Kinger??" Ragatha exclaimed.

Slowly, Pomni shuffled away from the edge and stood. "S.....sorry. I...I don't know...."

A sigh. "It's...alright, but please be careful, ok?" She turns back to Kinger, beckoning with her hand. "Let's head back, guys. Will you need help setting up your tent, Kinger?"

"Oh, maybe. But I do think I'm good at crafting structures with structural integrity."

"Haha, I suppose that's true."

Pomni walked slower than they did, sparing one last lingering glance toward the void before dashing to catch up with them.

It was some time after Kinger had his tent set up that Caine finally reappeared with a flourish.

"AT LONG LAST THE EVENING HAS ARRIVED! THE SUN SETS AND WITH IT COMES THE MAIN EVENT!"

Gangle looked up through the trees with a frown, but didn't comment.

Pomni did the same, but did comment. "......but the sun is still right there?" She pointed out.

"THAT IT IS, POMNI! NORMALLY THEY STAY WHERE THEY ARE, ALLOWING A PERFECT HARMONY OF THE SKYBOX! BUT JUST THIS ONCE..." He snapped his fingers, and in the distance, a voice echoed...

"See you later, friends....! I'm gonna take a nap...."

The skybox shifted, the darker palette of the Moon's side slowly taking over as the Sun dipped below the island.

"It's so nice, having you all to myself..." Echoed the Moon, soft and shy and flirtatious.

Caine raised a hand to block her out of his peripherals. "IF I CAN'T SEE HER SHE CAN'T SEE ME." He said forcefully. "AHEM."

Another snap of his fingers, and a table appeared. On it were s'more-making supplies and hot dogs.

....and also some pickles, and a ball of what looked like Mac n cheese.

"SNACKS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED! DO I HAVE ANY VOLUNTEERS ON WHO WOULD LIKE TO START THE FIRE?"

Jax's eyes twinkled like hazard lights. He rose his hand, but Zooble immediately grabbed it and pulled it back down. "No, not you, you are not allowed to do arson." She hissed.

"What are you, a cop?" Jax retorted in response. "I call dibs."

"No you absolutely don't-"

"AH....I AM HEARING CONFLICTING RESPONSES. WERE THE BOTH OF YOU WANTING TO LIGHT THE FIRE?" Caine speaks up.

Jax snorted. "I dunno, Zoobs, do you?"

"No!" Shouted Zooble instantly, but just as swiftly crossed their arms with a slight fluster on their face. "...maybe. Fire's neat."

Jax batted his eye lids. "Well! By all means, then, you go ahead~" He took a step back and swung out his arms toward the fire pit.

"...you know I know better, right?" Zooble took a step away from Jax and the fire pit. "Encouragement from you can only-"

"HA!" Jax barked out, dashing over to grab the fire-starting supplies (a cartoony-looking pair of sticks plus a lighter that looked like a stock graphic) from Caine's hands. "Reverse psychology!"

Zooble stomped angrily, taken aback, steam hissing out the hole in their head. "Oh god [BLOINK]ing [GONG]!"

Jax just snickered with the biggest, smuggest grin imaginable on his face.

Ragatha hesitated before setting a reassuring hand on one of Zooble's four shoulders. Zooble smacked the hand away with a glare.

Luckily for everyone involved, though, Caine was floating an inch away from Jax's face the whole time, shouting loudly about proper fire safety procedures. Jax didn't have any opportunity to do any actual arson, much to his visible annoyance.

Everyone but Gangle grabbed a marshmallow once given the opportunity. Gangle fiddled with the stick for a moment before awkwardly stabbing one of the pickles instead.

Pomni watched with a squint as she stuck her marshmallow into the fire. A little progress bar popped up above it, slowly filling up, before her marshmallow abruptly turned from white to golden brown. She kept it in the fire...but it didn't change further.

She frowned. "Aw."

Kinger blinked at her, bringing his own marshmallow towards where she imagined a mouth would be. A bite went missing from it without any movement from him. "Something wrong?" He questioned. Pomni noticed the moth he'd found earlier was sitting on his crown.

"I...prefer to burn my marshmallows, I think..." Pomni replied.

"....same."

Pomni turned. Jax had said it, marshmallow also remaining in the fire despite the full progress bar.

He wasn't looking at her. In fact, it barely looked like he even wanted to acknowledge her.

So why had he commented?

She decided to not draw attention to it. Jax was being....weird. She didn't want to push her luck, since it hadn't been directed at her yet today.

She ate her marshmallow in silence.

It was a while later, everyone having their fill of snacks (relatively speaking, of course, with the lack of actual hunger), when finally Jax got to do what he wanted. Story time.

Everyone sat around the campfire, Jax finally grinning his usual grin again. For most of the camping trip he'd been fake-smiling or scowling, so despite knowing that whatever he was about to say to them was going to be unsettling and uncomfortable, Pomni was a little reassured.

....if only because he was usually consistent with his behavior. It was weird seeing him act...different. Returning to his natural state left her less room for uncertainty.

He steepled his fingers and leaned forward. "The story I'm about to tell is a true one. It happened to me, years ago, when I was exploring the tent at night. Before you got here, Zooble."

Zooble rolled his eyes. "Sure, whatever. Pick a date like that so I can't fact-check you, I see how it is."

He chuckled. "Happy coincidence. Like I said, this actually happened to me."

"I'LL BE THE JUDGE OF THAT!" Exclaimed Caine, floating crisscross applesauce in the air behind him.

Jax scoffed a bit. "Yeah yeah, just save your comments till I'm done." He retorted.

"I WILL NOT INTERRUPT IF DOING SO WOULD DETRACT FROM THE EXPERIENCE!"

"Good." The fire light cast shadows across his face, illuminating the sadistic smile he wore. "It was a night like any other night. I couldn't sleep, I was bored. So I left my room. I hadn't seen all the rooms yet...I figured then would be a good time to explore some."

"It's hard to visualize this as a scary scene, Jax, when the hallway lights are always on." Ragatha remarked with an amused smile.

"Now now, I'm getting to it. Patience, Dollface." He said, waggling a finger. "I wandered out of the hallway, towards the main area, first. Deathly quiet, no sound. Unnaturally quiet, I thought. My feet barely even echoed against the floor."

Gangle shuddered. Zooble held her hand.

"I went through, exploring rooms, but none of them were very interesting or engaging. Until...this one room. It was pitch black, but I saw lanterns in the distance. I was morbidly curious...so I decided to check it out. The door-"

He grabs a thick branch and smacks it against the log he's sitting on, making a harsh and sudden sound. Pomni and Kinger jump.

"-slams behind me!" He says, emphasizing the words with the sound he made. "I try to pull it open again, but I can't. I'm trapped. So, I figure, point of no return, right? Might as well see if there's anything in here that's worth the trouble."

He tosses his branch into the fire, sending a spray of embers up into the air. "It's dark, in here, I think. The lanterns are distant, and not very bright. I walk towards them anyway, because what else am I supposed to do?"

He drums his fingers against his seat. "I can hear something. Something crawling about in the dark. Scuttling, even, you might say."

Pomni sees Ragatha tense. They were on different logs, so she couldn't offer comfort even if she wanted to.

"I try to be tough, cuz I'm tough, but I wasn't as brave back then. And I feel my heart stop, as I move closer to the light, because I step on something and it moves."

He rustles his hands about, moving his fingers like bug legs.

Once again, Ragatha shudders. It's clear to any who look her way that Jax had picked this story to bother her specifically.

"The movement makes me slip, and I fall onto my back. I don't get a chance to get up before something bites my leg and drags me. I try to kick it, but the face is too hard, and it doesn't let me go. Closer and closer to the lanterns it brings me, and slowly I can see what it is."

His hands cast shadows on his face from the light of the fire. "Plated body, glistening mandibles, and a hundred skittering legs. Three times as long as I am tall. An absolute monster of a centipede."

Pomni has a hard time focusing on the story at this point...because all she can pay attention to is the way Ragatha's death-gripping her dress. Her heart sinks...but it would be weird to stand up and go over to her, right? Would it even help?

She stays quiet and she stays put.

Either way, Jax does not see Ragatha's clear discomfort as a reason to stop. In all likelihood it was the whole reason he was continuing. "The one that grabs me doesn't let go, even as it pulls me up right under one of the lanterns. Now that I'm there, I can see dozens of them, all different sizes. A big happy family of them, I think to myself. They start to crawl all over me with their freaky legs, on my torso and knees and feet."

Ragatha whimpers. It's enough of a surprise to hear that the rest of them turn to her, not just Pomni.

"...are you ok?" Says Gangle softly.

"...mm! Y-yes, I'm fine, nothing to worry about! Just...had something in my throat." Ragatha insists. Her hands are still bunched in her dress.

When no one challenges her, Pomni has an epiphany. But Jax continues before she can act on it.

"They flitter in an out of the dark, all around me. I'm surrounded by them on all sides. I don't know what to do, and I can't leave." He pauses. The silence is tense.

"...and then one of them starts trying to burrow into my ear."

Ragatha yelps, but the sound is muffled by her hand against her mouth. The other still bunches, white-knuckled, in the fabric of her gown.

And still, no one comments. Zooble's look is a pitying one, and Kinger looks confused...but no one has said a word.

Pomni feels like she's frozen.

"Obviously, there's no inner-ear for them to get inside...so they just tear my ears off instead. They snip-snip-snip with their mouths until they're completely separated. It felt like someone had taken a saw to my head."

He yanks on his ears for emphasis. "Now, you'd think by this point I'd be trying to get away, right? Even if there was no way out, I should at least be trying to not let them do that to me, right?"

"Please, god, stop letting them do this, please..." Ragatha whispers, horrified.

Jax doesn't care (or doesn't notice, Pomni thinks, but she knew better than to assume ignorance from him). "But they've covered me by this point. Crawling all over me, pinning me down. The rest of them start biting me all over, too, trying to tear into me with their greedy little mandibles."

She's trembling, now. It's a painful sight. And still, Pomni can't get herself to move.

Jax gives his log a hard slap with hands. Gangle jerks. "The door slams open all of a sudden, and who do I see, but Strings! 'Strings!' I scream! 'Strings help me!' Thank god he does. He slithers over to me in seconds and body-bashes the centipedes off me. I grab my detached ears in one hand and him with the other, and he zooms straight through the door before it closes again."

Ragatha lets out an audible sigh, but she still looks unbelievably tense.

"Strings helps me back to my room, and by the time I wake up the next morning, Caine's fixed my ears. I could never find that room again, not in any of the times I checked for it. But I know it's in there somewhere, because I've never seen a centipede spawn out here in the forest."

He wiggled his fingers about, grinning wide. "So be careful when wandering the tent at night. And don't open any doors, you never know what monsters lurk in the dark~"

A moment of silence. And then, from Zooble: "That's anticlimactic, Jax. And targeted."

"And inaccurate to insects!" Adds Kinger. "Centipedes don't burrow into ears, that's earwigs! Or...no, that's an urban legend, isn't it..." He trails off. "I think ticks do that, but only because they're dark and cramped..."

"It...doesn't matter, does it? It's made up, right Caine?" Gangle asks, looking up at the floating Ringmaster.

All eyes turn to him, not just Gangle's, when the AI doesn't immediately respond. The man looks contemplative, puzzled.

Even Jax's smile slips a little. "...story's done, you can poke holes in it if you like." He speaks up.

Caine blinks. "HM. I SUPPOSE I COULD."

He doesn't say anything more for a long, long few moments. The tension in the air thickens. Whatever brief peace Ragatha had been feeling begins to slip.

"...I NEED TO GO CHECK SOMETHING. SO...GOODNIGHT, SUPERSTARS! REST WELL! ENJOY THE ATMOSPHERE, I WORKED VERY HARD ON IT!" He poofs himself out of existence with a wink.

It's abrupt, and no one really knows how to react. Least of all Ragatha, who's still visibly shaken by Jax's story.

Kinger, surprisingly, is the first to respond, standing from his log with a tilt of his head. "Well, goodnight then. I'm off to sort through the insects I found on the trail! I simply must catalogue and name them all!" He gestures to the moth still perched on his crown. "Especially this lovely specimen! I'm thinking Jerominnie!"

The others watch him go. Jax is the next to stand. He stretches out his arms dramatically. "Well, that was fun! Glad to share my traumatic experience with you all. Makes for good reactions." He arches his brows at Ragatha, looking smug.

Ragatha keeps a straight face, or the best she can, at least. "It was...a good story, Jax." Her voice shakes.

Jax rolls his eyes. "Sure, sure. So glad you think so. G'night, sleep tight, et cetera." He waved half-heartedly, and scampered off to his tent as well.

Ragatha watches him leave in silence, and the moment he's gone, she stands, too, and walks to her tent without a word.

Gangle, Zooble, and Pomni all watch in relative awkwardness. Pomni felt...guilty. She should've said something, done something. Why hadn't anyone else said or done something?

She figured the point of a scary story was to scare people, but the only one who'd been affected by it was Ragatha, because Jax clearly had chosen it with her phobia in mind.

Zooble stands, pulling Gangle up with her, but Pomni speaks up before either of them can go anywhere. "W-wait, guys, uh...."

They stop, turning back to her. Zooble had a brow raised, Gangle looking softly nervous.

"I-is it, um, ok to let Ragatha stress like that?" She asks. She isn't confident in her phrasing but she has to say something. "She was having a terrible time and no one was saying anything or telling Jax to stop, so..."

Zooble's eyes narrow a bit. "...it's a campfire story. It's supposed to be scary." They retort.

"I know that, I just...shouldn't someone comfort her, o-or something?"

Gangle pouts, looking at the ground. "....Ragatha doesn't really let us help her." She says quietly. "Not with stuff like this."

Pomni blinked. She'd suspected, earlier, but hearing it out loud from someone else was a different thing entirely. "What do you mean by that?" She presses.

"She means what she said. Ragatha takes care of herself. She gets all...weird when we ask how she's feeling. It's like talking to a brick wall." Zooble replies. "If you want my advice, just keep doing what you've been doing. You've gotten along great with her so far. No need to push it."

An assessment that was appreciated...but the advice wasn't. Ragatha had accepted her help on small things, like setting up her tent, or offering a hand when she fell...but this was a different scale. A different kind of aid that was needed.

Zooble and Gangle exchange a look, watching Pomni think. Zooble sighs. "Look, I'm not your boss. You can make your own decisions. I'm going to bed, though. Good night, Pomni. You too, Gangle."

Gangle followed after Zooble as she went to her tent, giving a wave and a bow of her head to Pomni rather than say anything.

Pomni just stood there...before eventually sitting back down on her log, deep in thought. She stared into the fire, watching the flames dance in their simple, repeating pattern. Looping animation, like so many other things here.

Ragatha probably desperately needed someone to talk to...but even before hearing outside confirmation from Gangle, Pomni had suspected that getting the ragdoll to actually do that was far easier said than done. She was so eager to help other people....and so avoidant when it came to talking about herself.

Everything Pomni had done for her so far had been...within her comfort zone, to an extent. They were friends, they'd pinkie-sworn on it. If anyone would, no, could, no, needed to get Ragatha to confide in another person, it had to be her. Right? Right. It was her job. It needed to be.

She needed it to be.

...the anxiety in her chest had nothing to do with potential bear attacks, now.

She stood. Her silence allowed her to notice that there was no sound at all in the forest. With everyone having only just gone to their tents, she figured there'd be at least a bit of light chatter. But she didn't hear anything at all, aside from simulated cricket sounds from the tree speakers.

Nonetheless, she approached quietly. Nerves twisted in her belly. What if Ragatha sent her away? She knew the other lies sometimes, to spare other people's feelings...she was probably going to insist she was fine, even though she wasn't. What would she even do?

She approached Ragatha's tent, walking past her own. She had to help her. She needed it, and more importantly, she deserved it.

When she taps against the door to the tent, it makes a sound like knocking on wood. Ragatha opens the door moments later. The fabric under her eye (and button) was wrinkled.

She frowned a little. "Is everything alright, Pomni?" She peered out of the tent, and then looked back at the jester. "Everyone else went to bed already. Did you need something?"

Even now, she cared more about Pomni's needs than her own. Her heart would've fluttered had she not been so actively concerned. And also if she still had a heart to begin with.

"No, I'm...look, Ragatha, are you ok?" She asked. Her eyes narrowed in concern.

Ragatha's expression goes blank for a brief moment, so brief Pomni could've blinked and missed it. Then she lets out a shaky laugh. "Well, of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

There it is, the denial. Pomni calls her out. "You hated that story Jax told. I don't think you're ok."

The doll winces. Even still, she tries to save face. "It's...fine. I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me, Pomni." She puts on a reassuring smile.

'But I want to.' Pomni thinks. "But I'm offering to." She says. "Please, can I...come in? So we can talk? Please?"

Ragatha's expression goes shaky, hesitant. "I...don't really have anything to say right now, but...I suppose you can come in, if you like."

Sharing a tent was...a more intimate idea than Pomni had realized when she'd initially asked. It wasn't very roomy, the tents were made with individual people in mind. So when she enters, she's already in close proximity with her friend. Closer than she'd been expecting to be.

Ragatha had herself pressed against the back of the tent, anyway, giving Pomni as much space as she could. "I...feel like these tents are soundproof." Ragatha begins. "But...I don't know that for certain."

Pomni ponders this. "...no, that sounds right. Everything's super quiet out there, and I doubt everyone's asleep already."

She received a hum in response. But that was all she got.

Even now, the ragdoll's expression was a tense one, but it was very clearly a look she was attempting to hide. It made Pomni's heart ache. She tried again. "Listen, Ragatha....you let me talk to you when something upsets me....so it's only fair if you talk to me when you're upset, right? B-because we're friends?"

Again, she stares at her. But only for a moment, before her gaze is averted. A hand, just like before, bunches in the fabric of her dress. ".....who says I'm upset? I'm not upset, honest." There's a smile on her face, reassuring, but Pomni knows better than to believe it. That, and the fact that Ragatha was deliberately not making eye contact. That was also a pretty big indicator.

"..........you're doing it again. You're lying to make me feel better." Pomni says, voice quiet. She was glad she'd noticed that so early.

Ragatha grimaced. "I wish you hadn't noticed that so early." She said softly, covering her frown with her hand.

"It's...you know it's ok to be upset, right?" She points out. "Jax made up that story to upset you and it worked. Why are you hiding that?"

She didn't reply for a moment. "Pomni, it's not...it's not as easy to explain as you might think, it's just..." She trails off. Her expression goes dark. Her arms wrap around herself.

'She...wants a hug.' Pomni realizes abruptly. Pomni was not yet comfortable giving one. Holding hands was one thing...

She wanted to comfort the other. She wanted to be the kind of person who could. And right now, there was a way she could, even if the other was seemingly refusing to talk.

She just needed to go outside her comfort zone.

She could that. She could totally do that. She needed to. Ragatha needed her to.

Slowly, carefully, timidly, she shuffled forward towards the other. Ragatha looks up at her in surprise. "...Pomni...?"

It's a small tent, so the distance closes quickly. She reaches forward, and as Ragtha raises her arms in surprise, it offers Pomni the opportunity to slide her own underneath Ragatha's armpits.

She feels Ragatha go tense. It's an easy thing to feel, because Pomni's tense, too. It's stressful. She doesn't like hugs.

But Ragatha does. She can tell. She can tell by the way she stops being tense almost immediately.

But her arms don't fall. "Pomni...what are you doing?"

Despite her discomfort, Pomni squeezes tighter. "Hugging you."

"But you...you don't like touching people."

"It's ok."

"No it's not, you're uncomfortable! I can tell! So why..."

"Because I want to. Because I want to, Ragatha."

She hears Ragatha's breath hitch. But still the hands don't fall. "Pomni...I want to believe that you're ok with this but I'm having a very hard time...doing that."

Even now...even now she was putting Pomni's feelings above her own. It was as concerning as it was comforting. "I promise it's ok, Ragatha. Do I need to pinkie swear?"

That's what does it. Ragatha shakily lays her hands down on Pomni's back. The touch itches...but Pomni finds it ignorable...because Ragatha's breathing calms instantly. Her touch is as gentle as possible, seemingly, still trying so hard to mind Pomni's boundaries.

Pomni doesn't say anything, just allows Ragatha to find whatever peace she can.

"....thank you, Pomni." She says after a moment. "This...does make me feel better."

Somehow, those words bring Pomni a great amount of peace, too. Enough that she thinks...even with the discomfort of the touch...Pomni was sure she'd be able to sleep like this.

"....do you want me to stay?" She asks.

"I...I'd hate to inconvenience you for any longer than necessary-"

"Ragatha, please, just say what you mean for once."

"....I keep worrying Jax will slip a centipede into my tent." She admits. "But with you here...he might hesitate to do that."

"...then I can sleep here. I...I don't mind, i-if you don't mind. I promise."

"I....I don't mind, no. Are you sure?"

"Yes, Ragatha. Pinkie swear?"

She adjusts her arm, and Ragatha does too, and slowly they lock their fingers together. It's...something that gets Pomni's heart racing, every time it happens, and this time is no different. Why is it...why is it that she flusters at a pinkie hold but not at a full, chest-to-chest hug?

I mean...aside from the obvious reason.

Ragatha adjusts their position so they aren't sitting up anymore, instead laying down atop her sleeping bag beside each other. Which...yeah, fair, being inside it together would be far too claustrophobic for her to be ok with.

"I-is this ok?" Ragatha asks softly.

"...mm-hm. Yeah. It's ok."

"Are you-"

"Yes I'm sure." A ghost of a laugh escapes her. "Go to sleep, Ragatha."

"......alright. Thank you, sweetheart. This means a lot to me."

And with that, Ragatha closed her eyes and was out.

Pomni felt her heart continue to race....which in practice, without a physical organ to beat in her chest, just felt like a swell of energy, swirling and surging inside her body where a heart would be.

It felt...different, that time. Ragatha had called her sweetheart before, called others it before, it was just about her go-to term of endearment, so why...why did that time feel so...intimate?

Well...it wasn't like this situation in general wasn't startlingly intimate. This was way past what she'd normally be comfortable with. Even now, she was only barely ignoring her own discomfort.

...but she was, because it was Ragatha. And..........she was beginning to think she would be willing to do anything for Ragatha. Because...she.......

.....oh.

That was not a normal thing to think about a friend.

Needless to say, she did not get much sleep that night.

In the morning, a bear attacked. Caine chastised them for not putting out the fire. Apparently the two were related.

Pomni, at least, felt vindicated at being right. And despite how ridiculous it all was.....yeah, she didn't really hate it here.

Chapter Text

She didn't have much time to dwell, that day, on her realization the night before, because Caine threw them into a new adventure almost immediately. One minute they were resting, recovering from the bear attack, and the next they were all scattered in a damp, dark, underground maze.

Pomni wanted to laugh, she really did, but her thoughts were racing too much to allow her the brain space to find this funny. And Caine was barking out instructions over some kind of intercom system.

"THE GOAL IS SIMPLE! FIND A WAY TO ESCAPE! BUT BE CAREFUL WHICH HOLE YOU POP OUT OF! THERE'S DANGER! TRY NOT TO GET BOPPED! GOOD LUCK AND HAVE FUN!"

*click*

Silence, and then Pomni was truly alone. She let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

On one hand, she wasn't scared of the dark...as far as she could tell. There wasn't any natural light in the tunnels she'd been tossed into, but there was a faint ambience. Just enough that she could make out the dirt walls and floor. Additionally, Caine's words implied there wasn't any danger inside the maze. Not that she liked mazes in any sense of the word...but at least it wasn't worse.

On the other hand....she wasn't sure if she wanted to be alone with her thoughts right now.

God. Oh god. She liked Ragatha. Oh she really liked Ragatha. The realization hit her all over again. She forced herself to sit down.

Her thoughts swirled in her head, and her feelings swirled in her chest. Ragatha was the most amazing person she knew. She was kind, and patient, and mature. Respectful, responsible, reasonable. Charismatic and pretty...and she chose to spend time with Pomni of all people.

God. She was not fond of physical contact in the slightest...but she'd hold Ragatha's hand as often as the other wanted if it would make her happy. She'd hug her again if asked. If Ragatha leaned in close with her brilliant paper smile she would-

She slapped herself from the suddenness of the thought. How long had she known Ragatha?? How long had she known the other that she was already fantasizing about kissing her?!

She was alone in a dark tunnel and she was having gay thoughts. She was having little bisexual girl-kissing thoughts while sitting in the digital dirt.

Though...that did raise the question. Did Ragatha like women? What if she didn't? She had no idea and there was no way she was going to make assumptions. Ragatha knew Pomni was bi after she let it slip the other day....but the ragdoll hadn't spoken up about her own sexuality.

Her chest went tight. She could very well be getting herself worked up over a fantasy that was impossible.

"AAAAAH!!!" She screamed. She was alone so she could get away with it. "This is ridiculous!!! What do I doOOoooOooo?!"

She doesn't panic. But it feels close. She doubts she's gone scribbly but with no mirror there was no way to be sure.

"Ok, ok. Just calm down. Calm down! Nothing's even happened." She tells herself. "You like Ragatha, Ragatha likes you, you're friends! Having...having feelings for her doesn't change that part, and that's the important part."

It's not the most effective pep talk, and she wants it to be reassuring anyway...but she can't get herself to leave it at that.

"Ok, but you know if she found out she wouldn't be mean to you about it. She'd be so so nice about it, and she wouldn't....she wouldn't let that get in the way of your friendship. If it made her uncomfortable she'd just...." She trails off. A realization comes to her. ".....she'd push it down and pretend it didn't because she wouldn't want to upset me."

Suddenly she feels very, very cold. That's what she'd do, isn't it. She'd pretend she was fine. She would do everything in her power to ignore whatever negative feelings she'd be feeling so Pomni wouldn't feel bad.

If Pomni did tell her.....how would she be able to tell if Ragatha's response was genuine? How would she be able to trust it? Unless Ragatha told her point-blank that she didn't feel the same and was unhappy with her there was a solid possibility that she'd be lying to make Pomni feel better.

There's a sinking feeling in her gut. Doubt. Fear.

She hadn't even spoken to Ragatha since realizing her feelings and already she was afraid of them. That's gotta be a new record for her.

She forces herself to her feet. "This isn't....this isn't productive. This is just a bunch of....catastrophizing. Quit it. Bad Pomni, bad." She smacks the side of her head again.

"Just gotta...find a way out. Find a way out and go to your room and panic then. Not now." It was an end point...or at least something to work towards. She looked around, and seeing nothing interesting on any of the tunnel walls, she just starts walking.

It reminded her of day one...just without the doors. She pushes the thought out of her mind. There was no exit, this was her reality. Stop hoping, stop hoping.

Around a corner she goes...and she sees a hole in the ceiling.

"....no way it's that easy." She mutters. She runs over to it anyway. There was a ladder leading out of the hole. She climbs it...

Poking her head out shows her the massive scale of the room today's adventure was enclosed in. A flat floor extended out in all directions nearly to the point she couldn't see the walls. There were dozens of holes, roughly equidistant from each other. The floor was light green, as if a facsimile of grass, and the walls were a light blue with spots of white and-

Massive echoing footsteps sound. She whips her head around and is alarmed to see a massive manikin sprinting towards her with a giant hammer in its hands.

She lets go of the ladder just in time to avoid getting crushed by it. She falls back into the floor with a grunt.

She lays there hyperventilating for a long, long while. She can see the manikin sprinting away from her hole after a few moments, hears a loud thud of the hammer impacting the ground somewhere else.

In, out. In, out.

It was like the adventure from the day she drowned...but this time they were the moles. She'd heard from Zooble once that Caine didn't often recycle adventures...she wondered if this counted as recycling.

Either way, she now knew what the danger was. It didn't seem like there was more than one manikin, so all she had to do was find a hole near the wall or something. Maybe there was a hallway she could take cover in, where the manikin wouldn't be able to reach? Easy enough in theory.

Hopefully she'd find someone before getting to that point, though. Maybe if she found Ragatha...

...nooooo if she found Ragatha she'd have a little gay meltdown. She probably couldn't handle being near Ragatha right now.

....the thought made her very, very sad. Ragatha was her favorite person. She needed to get her feelings down to normal levels as quickly as possible so it wouldn't be weird spending time with her. She doubted she could get her crush to go away entirely...but she at least needed to drill into her brain that their friendship took priority. She couldn't support Ragatha the way she needed if she couldn't be normal about her.

She took a deep breath. Sat up. Went down the tunnel again. She vaguely remembered something about sticking to the right wall in mazes, so that's what she did.

She found herself following this 'path' for a long while. With the texture of the wall being the same everywhere, she quickly realized that she would have no idea how to tell if she was going in circles. Even so, she didn't diverge. Keeping consistent would keep her sane.

Wait. No, doing the same thing repeatedly expecting different results was insanity, wasn't it? Did this count? Was she already losing it??

.....she didn't trust her brain when she was alone. She was too prone to overthinking.

"H-hellooo?" She called out. Even if Ragatha found her, honestly, anything was better than wandering by herself in the dark.

She didn't get a response. "Anyone nearby?!" She shouted. Nothing.

As she came up on another ceiling hole (or maybe it was just the one she'd already found, she had no idea if she was making any progress) she decided to hazard another peek at the surface.

She hadn't gotten a good enough look at everything last time to be able to tell if this was a different hole, but she did see something else much more interesting.

Distantly, off to the right of her, Zooble's head poked out of the maze.

Her face lit up. "ZOOBLE!" She called out. Zooble looked at her in alarm.

The manikin, previously off to the side inspecting other holes, began making a beeline for Pomni, alerted by her shout. Pomni's eyes go wide.

She hears Zooble shout something at her, but she falls back down off the ladder before she has a chance to really hear what it was. Probably a censored swear or something, she guesses. Probably calling her an idiot, which was fair.

Either way, she now had a direction to travel. Or at least attempt to. This was a maze. If she could meet up with Zooble, she'd at least have a travel buddy.

Zooble was level-headed, too. So a good choice of teammate to navigate the maze with. Even if they were annoyed with her.

She observed her surroundings...which was just dirt. She did her best to move torwards where Zooble had been.

It's a long walk, and a quiet one. There wasn't much background noise, she noticed. Just the occasional muffled noise of manikin footsteps, and the very infrequent thud of the hammer. She found herself wishing Caine had added some ambience. It was uncanny down here in silence.

She rounded another corner. Nothing. She kept walking. No sound. Another corner. No one. Was she going in the right direction anymore? She'd already lost track of her internal compass. What if this place didn't conform to real world geometry at all? For all she knew she was teleporting around when she passed invisible triggers, like a video game maze. It was possible. It was possible and she was alone and there was no sound-

She rounded a corner too fast and bumped into someone. She managed to not fall over, but she does raise her hands to protect herself. She looks, expecting to see Zooble.

It's not Zooble.

It's Jax.

Her stomach drops. Oh no.

Jax blinks down at her. He grins, which is never a good sign. "Ey, Chew Toy! Or, no, I was calling you Pinwheel before that, wasn't I? To be honest I'm not really feeling either of those." He says, seemingly to himself.

She feels panic creep up her spine. Of all the people to be stuck in a maze with, Jax was by far the worst option. Already she wants to curl up on the floor and die from how bad her luck is.

He's looking her over. A tiny lightbulb pops above his head. "Wait, no, I got it: Scribbles! You're way too easy to read, y'know that? You really should work on that." He pokes a finger to her forehead, between her eyes. Based on his words and new nickname, she could guess what her eyes were doing.

The contact itches violently, but she doesn't say it. "O-ok, cool. Um...any luck finding, finding a way out of here?"

He rolls his eyes, and thankfully stops poking her. "Nah, not yet. This is my natural habitat, though, so I'm not in much hurry."

She frowns, not knowing what he means.

His stare goes deadpan. "...I'm a rabbit."

"Oh...right." She mumbles. Did he really see himself as one? How long had he been here that it affected his sense of identity? Or maybe he was just trying to make a joke and she was overthinking again.

Why couldn't she have bumped into anyone else?

He tilts his head at her for a moment, but then he turns around, beckoning for her to follow. Pomni does, almost reflexively. "Well. At least you're someone to talk to, Scribbles."

"I....don't know how good I am for company. B-but do you have a plan on how to get out?" She asks again. She had her plan, sorta...but she knew she was going to default to what other people were doing would the opportunity present itself. It was just what she did in situations like this.

But Jax just shrugs. "Eh. No danger down here. I'm gonna try and find the others if I can...but other than that, what's the rush?"

He really just didn't care. No adventure would be dire enough for him to fully play along, would it? At least it was consistent behavior.

She wasn't sure if this frustrated her. He wasn't going to be a helpful teammate...which meant it was up to her to be in charge of the escape plan, right? She didn't like that one bit. Mostly because she knew the chances of Jax actually listening to her were slim to none.

But she knew she wouldn't be able to leave him. There was no way he'd let her get away with that. And...he wasn't Ragatha, but she still didn't really want to abandon anyone if she could help it. Guilt still made its home in her chest.

She followed him in silence as he walked casually through the maze. He tried to make small talk (read: heckle her) but her responses were brief and curt. She could see his expression shifting a bit as it went on. Was he losing patience with her? Getting bored? She had no lake to throw herself into this time, so it wasn't like she had any easy escape from his eyes and words.

"....you realize I'm doing all the work here, right?" Jax eventually says. It's in a tone different than the mocking one he'd been using before, and it catches her off-guard. She doesn't trust it.

"Wh-what do you mean?" She questioned, guarded and hesitant.

"I mean I'm doing all the talking, Scribbles. You could at least help me out and make an attempt."

She's quiet at that. He'd surely find some way to twist her words if she did reply, so would it matter? Was it worth it to try and be civil with him?

".....I don't want to talk to you."

He stops. He turns to face her, eyes wide. To her horror, the smile on his face stretches. "Well! I didn't know that!" He remarks.

He steps back towards her. She takes a step back. He doesn't let her get away. He rests his elbow on her head, using her as an armrest. Her brain is full of static so loud she almost misses whatever it is he's saying while doing it.

Almost.

"We're kinda stuck down here together! You could always....pretend you want to, right? I'm making the effort to talk to you and everything!" He lifts off her head, just to sling an arm around her shoulder. Overly friendly, like he was being with Zooble yesterday. His words were familiar, but she could barely focus on that.

He was way too touchy. Did he know she hated touch? Was he doing it on purpose? Was he doing it to bother her specifically? She hadn't told anyone but Ragatha that she hated touch and she didn't think Ragatha told the others-

"Oy, earth to Scribbles." He stops touching her. He waves a hand in front of her face. "Don't tell me you're that bored of my voice."

She startles. "N-no! Not bored! Just...." She struggles with her words.

Jax scared her. She was scared of him. The capacity the other had for pointless cruelty was something she couldn't put aside, especially when he was right in front of her. She didn't want him to treat her like he treated Gangle.

Zooble seemed to be the one able to put up with him the most....but that was just because Zooble was the only one who ever retaliated. But even that didn't stop Jax from trying to harass them, too.

Anything she said to him could and likely would be used against her.

Jax raises a brow. "Something on my face?"

She gently shook her head. "No, I just...nothing." She takes a deep breath. "If...if you're not going to try and find a way out then...I guess that's my job? I've...got an idea. I'm gonna...do that, if you don't mind."

She's tense, but she walks around him. He lets her. She doesn't get a good look at his expression.

Predictably, he follows her. "Eh. Not like I have anything better to do. I respect the hustle."

She didn't trust a compliment from him as far as she could throw it. She doesn't reply to it for that very reason.

Once more, they fall into awkward quiet. Pomni's thoughts race. This was tense, and frightening, and she couldn't shake off the phantom feeling of where he'd touched her.

It wasn't as though what he'd done was even that bad, compared to how he treated Gangle. It wasn't like she was the only one he touched without permission. He did the same exact thing to Zooble yesterday. He was just trying to be overly-familiar to be annoying. He had no qualms about pushing people over, tripping them, hurting them in minor ways.

She doubted, then, that his treatment of her was targeted. He would have no way of knowing that it bothered her more than it would other people. He had no idea.

The thought popped into her head, all of a sudden, that maybe she could tell him. Maybe he'd find more creative ways to bother her, if she did.

......unfortunately, the much more likely option was that he'd touch her more, on purpose, knowing how much it upset her.

"Hey, are you deaf? You really don't listen to anyone but Ragatha, do you?"

She startled at his voice. Had he been speaking to her? She'd missed what he'd said entirely. Only brought out of her reverie by Ragatha's name.

She didn't turn to look at him. "S-sorry." She mumbled, arms tense at her side. "What did you say?"

She head him scoff. "I said, what's your plan, if you're so confident?"

She cringed.

He speaks up again before she could even reply. "Wait, no. Confident? I forgot who I was talking to for a second."

She can tell by his tone that he's smirking to himself. But it wasn't like she really needed to gauge his tone to know that. "I...think I just need to find a hole near the wall...duck into a hallway or something. The manikin wouldn't be able to reach in there."

"Hm. Alright."

He doesn't comment further.

She found herself getting properly anxious again, not just scared. Did he think the idea was stupid? Did he think the opposite of that? He probably didn't give an opinion because he wanted her to guess. Wanted her uncertain.

He was really good at this. He barely had to do anything to make her uneasy. It was almost impressive.

"Ugh. It's way too quiet in here." He muttered. "Y'know I'm being genuine, right? It feels like I'm the only one trying here."

She bristled. No, he wasn't. Or, no, he was the only one trying. The only one trying to make this situation stressful! Ha. This would be sooo much easier if she'd found Ragatha instead. Romantic awkwardness was probably way more bearable than plain-old-regular awkwardness.

Either way, she couldn't bring herself to reply outright. She scanned the hallway, and saw a ceiling hole up ahead. She dashed to reach it faster. Jax, luckily, didn't seem to care enough to chase her, electing instead to lazily continue his current pace.

She climbed the ladder, and poked out of the hole as minimally as possible.

She didn't get a chance to see if they were any closer to the wall than before, because the manikin was right above her already. She looked up at it just in time for it to bring the hammer down right on her head. She didn't even have enough time to scream in terror.

She did, however have enough time to scream in pain as the inertia of the hammer sent her careening down into the dirt. Everything was spinning, ringing. The buzz of discomfort earlier was nothing compared to the brain noise she was experiencing now. Her eyes couldn't squeeze shut, but her vision had gone dark anyway so it wasn't like it made a difference.

"....yikes." She heard Jax say, but it was muffled, muted through her brain fog. "Glad it wasn't me who checked that."

She doesn't move, mostly because she doesn't feel like she can. For the same reason, she doesn't say anything. Was this what a concussion felt like? She had no frame of reference. All she knows is that her head hurt like hell.

She feels something nudge her side. Probably Jax. She can't make herself react. Another nudge. "C'mon. You're not dead. You get used to it, after a while."

She tries to move, and after a few strenuous moments, she manages it. Slowly she rolls over onto her stomach. Pushing herself to her hands and knees is a struggle, too, but she manages.

She doesn't end up getting farther than that on her own, though, because Jax reaches down to grab her arms and pull her up. She wobbles on her feet. She's glad Jax lets her go quickly, but...

Her eyes were probably scribbles, already, but she knows the contact surely makes them worse.

Jax's scoff is dry. "Geez, Scribbles, you look terrible. You really need to get more experience with this stuff."

"I-" She coughs around the lump in her throat. She just got punted into the ground by a several digital-ton hammer so hard there'd probably been stars swirling around her head, and his takeaway was that she needed that kind of thing to happen to her more?

She couldn't stop herself. Even as her voice cracked, she exclaimed, "What is wrong with you?!"

To her surprise, he seemed genuinely taken aback. But the reaction only lasted a moment, and then his smirk returned. "I'm trapped in a circus surrounded by people who're still in denial about being clowns. Same thing wrong with everyone here."

She clenched her teeth. She was still seeing spots. She reached up, gingerly rubbing the top of her hat on the sorest spot. Ow. She blames it on the concussive pain clouding her judgement, but she can't bring herself to be timid with him when she replies. "You know that's not what I mean, jerk." Her voice wavers, but not her conviction.

He tilts his head a little. "Bold of you to assume I'm going to trauma-dump in any more detail than that. That's not how this place works."

She leered at him. Or maybe she was just squinting to see him better. Even she wasn't too sure at the moment. "You know that's not what I mean." She repeats.

He just shrugs. "Afraid I don't have an answer, then, since you're being vague about the question. C'mon, we're killing daylight." And he saunters past her, down the hall, without a care in the world.

She isn't sure whether to laugh or cry. Maybe both. Maybe neither. Either way frustration was bubbling up in her brain and it was making all the other bad physical sensations a million times worse.

Headache-inducing. That's what Jax was. Just plain headache-inducing.

She lags a bit before trudging after him. She considered just...letting him walk away without her. But what good would it do? At this point, as long as they kept moving in a consistent direction, they'd reach a wall eventually. No point in diverging from her path now...even if that meant she was sharing that path with Jax.

"....how long have you been here?" She finds herself asking. Arms crossed, behind him, beyond his peripherals. Filling the silence with something.

"Years. Everyone here's been here for years, Scribbles." He says. After a pause, though, he continues. "I got here after Dollface, but before Crybaby. I'm not really keeping track beyond that." He shrugs.

If it really didn't bother him, she would be impressed. But she had a feeling that he was just good at masking it. He had experience, clearly.

"......was that story you told last night really real?" She asks. A different question, and one she knew she probably wasn't going to get an honest answer to. Not that it mattered much.

Jax slows his pace, allowing her to come up beside him. She was too dizzy to care. "What, you don't believe me? After I was vulnerable enough to share it with you guys! I'm wounded, really."

"The only one who was scared by it was Ragatha." She retorted. Last night she'd been focused on the ragdoll's feelings, but now there was only room for the frustration making a home in her headspace. "So you must've made it up to upset her."

"C'mon, if I was making up a story to freak people out, I'd be casting a wider net than just her." He replied with an eye roll. "You think I don't have the talent to do that?"

"I wouldn't know. I don't know you well enough to make that call."

He lets out a short breath. "Whatever. Doesn't matter."

They walk in silence, again. It lasts a few minutes. He's the one that breaks it. "Y'know, it surprises me a little that you're asking about that story for Ragatha's sake."

Her head shoots up. Alarmed? She wasn't sure. Definitely anxious. She did not want Jax of all people to find out about her feelings.

He continues with a roll of his shoulders. "I mean, that's a lie. I'm not. You two...eh. You're both weird. But with how eager you are to pick apart the lore of this place, I'm surprised you aren't asking me about Strings."

It's a lot of words to process. She isn't sure what part she should be focusing on. "...lore?" She starts. That's the word her foggy brain finds most perplexing.

"Y'know, asking about Kaufmo. You struck me as the type to latch onto a new name like a baby cow." He waved his hand about dismissively. "But I've been wrong before."

She had been curious about that, honestly. But there'd been no time last night to ask....and it wasn't what was on her mind right now. But even if it had....

"You didn't answer me when I asked about Kaufmo. Why would I think you would answer me about this guy?" She pointed out.

He shrugged. "No harm in trying, right?"

"...I don't really agree with that."

He let out a ghost of a laugh. "Really? Come ooonnnn, try asking me right now about him. Just do it. Won't kill ya."

She hesitates...but only because he was encouraging her. It must've been a trick. There's no way it wasn't. But would the possibility of a punchline be worth the risk? He was offering to talk about someone from the past.

After a long moment of deliberation, she asks. "....who was Strings?"

His grin is wide...but it seems a bit more genuine, she thinks. But maybe that's just her dizziness talking.

"You walked past his door, before. Green and orange and fuzzy. Big ol googly eyes." He begins.

She wracks her brain. Her headache makes the recollection difficult, but she eventually recalls who he's talking about. "Oh....the squirmle guy."

He gives her a weird look. "...the what."

"Squirmle guy." She repeats. "You know, worm-on-a-string?"

"I have never heard anyone call those squirmles in my life." He retorts, ears lowering a tad.

She shrugged lightly. "I-it's what I remember them as." She replies, just a bit meek.

He looks away from her again. "Weird. Whatever, yeah, that guy. Strings. We were...buddies. Kinda. He was good at pranks." He shrugged again. "Gone now. Don't really spend a lot of time thinking about him."

She hated how nonchalant everyone was about abstraction. It was a consistent thread between everyone here, it seemed. No one was mourning. No one cared...or at least, no one made it apparent that they cared.

"Don't you...don't you miss him?" She pressed.

His ears fall all the way flat, at that. He's looking at her strangely. It was the same look he and Zooble had given her before. Why did everyone treat this question as if it was inane??

Her fists clench. "You know what? Nevermind. Forget it. I don't know why I bother."

He snickered. "Not my fault you don't get it-"

She cuts him off, whirling towards him and pointing at him with an accusatory finger. "I don't get it because no one will explain it to me!" She shouts. "Which means it is your fault! I'd understand if anyone would put forth the effort to help me understand!"

He raises his hands defensively. "You sure are bold when you're concussed." He remarks. "Kinda funny."

She ground her teeth together. "You're..." She bit back the insult, knowing that it wouldn't do any good. Insults seemed to roll off him like water off a duck.

She tried to think of something else to say, but once again Jax had simply walked past her, rounding a corner. She stomped after him. Frustration turning to anger. The pain going dull but not gone yet.

"If it won't kill me to ask, it wouldn't kill you to answer." She says, quiet but stern.

He snorts. "God you sound like Dollface."

"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" She shoots back before she can stop herself.

They come up on another ceiling hole. Pomni eyes it as Jax responds. "Pfft. Perspective. We only need one Ragatha, Scribbles. But it's no surprise you act like her...considering how much time you spend together."

She tenses. She stops under the hole, staring up at it. Not willing to risk getting whacked by the manikin, but desperate to escape the maze and the interaction.

He comments on her silence. "What, no rebuttal? No fierce denial? Not going to jump to conclusions about what I'm insinuating?"

It's a taunt. She refuses to entertain it, but the longer she goes without saying anything the more suspicious he's surely going to be. "No."

He walks around her. He too looks up through the ceiling hole. "I don't see the manikin. Wanna check?"

"I'm not doing that again. One concussion is enough."

Jax tilts his head to the side, ears swaying with the motion. "Don't be a killjoy. What if we take turns?" He offers.

It...sounded reasonable. Too reasonable. ".....go ahead, then." She instructed. Letting him go first since he offered was safe, right? She couldn't immediately think of a way it could go wrong.

He gives her a mock salute and climbs the ladder, flattening his ears again so they don't poke out of the hole. He looks around quickly, and dips back down. "Mm-hm, mm-hm."

"How close are we to a wall?" Pomni asks.

"Not too close, but not too far." Jax replies.

"...that's not helpful."

"Bold of you to-"

"-yeah, yeah, I know. Not what you were aiming for." She cuts him off.

He bats his eyelids at her. "Aww, you know me so well!"

Hate.

She didn't feel like she had anything else to say to him, but she spoke up anyway. "Which direction was the closest wall?" She questioned, voice tired.

He made a show of looking thoughtful, and then shrugged. "Hard to tell. You can check though, if you want, since this is your plan."

There it was. Taking turns but making his turns barely count. She groaned.

She didn't bother even saying anything, just carefully climbed the ladder. He moved out of the way to allow her access on his own, thankfully.

Luckily, this time she did not experience painful consequences when she poked her head out into the surface proper. She was able to get a good look at the room, too, the manikin dashing towards a far corner. Pomni assessed their location, and identified the closest wall before descending back into the dark.

She continued to not bother saying anything to Jax as she resumed her march through the maze. She knew he was going to keep following her. She knew he was going to continue making a show of being dead weight. What was there to say?

Jax, unfortunately, did not have any such hesitance in speaking. "So...you're really not going to react at all to what I said about you and Ragatha?"

She crossed her arms. "What is there to say. You just said we spend a lot of time together. What is there to say?" She muttered, terse.

Once again, she could just tell he was smirking without even needing to look at him. "C'mon...I know you know how to read between the lines. You think I don't know she's obsessed with you?"

She feels her face alight in a surprised blush. That was not how she was expecting him to continue that, at all. She'd expected him to assume her feelings, not Ragatha's. What?

She's caught off-guard enough that she stumbles, nearly falling forward. Jax catches her wrist to stop her momentum. She whirls around, wrenching herself from his grip and staring at him with wide eyes.

He raises his hands defensively. "Oh, calm down."

"No, I will not calm down! What are you talking about!"

"Is this some kind of trick question?"

"Ragatha is not obsessed with me! A-and if she was, what does that have to do with anything?!" The idea of her feelings being reciprocated was tossed the moment it entered her brain. Jax was the opposite of a credible source so anything he said on the matter was to be disregarded.

He tilted his head again. "Do you want me to pretend I haven't noticed how she protects you like you're her pet or something? Cuz I've got too much self-respect for that."

She felt the fluster turn to anger, protectively welling up in her chest. "Make fun of me all you like, but leave her out of it." She demanded.

He stares at her a moment before his eyes slowly widen. His smirk turns to a wide grin. "Oh...my god. Are you serious right now?"

She blanches. Oh no.

He barks out a laugh. "You, oh my god. You both just...! Oh this is rich!"

She feels her face go warm. "Shut-"

"Of course you two! That's so hilarious! You...!" He doubles over in laughter. "Dating pool as small as this-"

"Shut up!"

"Oohhhh my god, of course, you both are so bad at everything! You're perfect for each other!" He cackled.

She just knows she's scribble-eyes and blue-faced. But even so she can't stop herself from shouting defensively. "Ragatha is not bad at everything! Stop making fun of her!"

His mouth opens fully, which is always a startling sight, with his sharp teeth. "You don't even....!" He's pointing at her with one of his hands. "You're a [SLIDEWHISTLE]ing wet cat and she's your [GLASS SHATTER] catsitter-"

She can't keep the anger in. The last time she'd tried this he'd dodged easily. But he was distracted this time. Her impulse control was out of whack from the lingering pain.

She drives her fist with all her might into his stomach.

His laughter cuts out in a choke, and he falls backwards. He hits the wall and slumps, sliding down to fall to his side in the dirt. He coughs. "Geez-"

"I am so tired of this! I'm so tired of you! Don't you get tired?! Doesn't it get exhausting, acting like this all the time?! Making everyone hate you?!" She feels angry tears prick her eyes. It aches. "How is it fun hurting people this much? How are you not bored of it?" She finishes softer than she began. Her arms tremble, fists tightly clenched.

He's looking at her funny again. She hates it, she hates it, she hates it-

"....mean right hook, Scribbles." He mutters. "And here I thought you didn't have it in you."

She huffs out a breath. She feels it come out like a puff of steam. Like the dragon Caine turned her into.

He hasn't gotten up yet, still just observing her from his place in the dirt. "I really struck a nerve that time, huh?" He remarks, staring at her like he's committing her angry visage to memory.

"What kind of-" She throws her hands up. "Obviously! I...I barely know how I feel! How do you think it feels when someone like you says it before I can?!" She's in too deep to hide it, at this point, so she doesn't bother.

He tilts his head at her before sitting up. Remaining seated, still not standing. "Would it make you feel better if this was mutual? I'll tell you who I like."

She glares. "What."

"Yeah, totally. Only fair. I like................Zooble. Yeah, Zooble." He crosses his arms, smug smile returning just a bit.

It was clear to Pomni by the way he said it that he was just picking a name at random. She doesn't humor it. "Yeah, sure. Zooble."

"What, you don't believe me?"

"When have you ever given me a reason to believe anything you say." It's a statement, not a question.

Jax has the audacity to look scandalized. "Oh, you wound me, Scribbles."

'I sure wish I could.' Pomni thinks bitterly. "This...this doesn't make me feel any better." She tells him. Her headache is getting worse. She massages her head where her temples should be. Stupid spherical head with uniform texture-

He sighs. "Well, can't say I didn't try."

"Yes I can."

"You're getting better at this banter thing. Mind helping me up?" He extends a hand, expression almost friendly, which is baffling in the most frustrating way possible. None of this conversation was pleasant. Why was he acting like they'd just bonded or something?

"Yes, I do mind." She replies, and turns around to continue down the path.

He lets out a surprised noise. He scrambles up to follow her. She whips around to glare when he puts a hand on her shoulder. "Cut that out!"

He withdraws his hand fast, holding both up defensively. "What are you attacking me for?"

She doesn't grace such a question with a response. "I...want to be by myself. Leave me alone. Please." She forces out. Not wanting to be polite to him but having too little self-respect to not at least try.

He blinks. Then he smiles. Not a smirk, not smug, just a regular smile. "Alright."

And he turns around and walks away from her.

"Wh...what do you mean 'alright'?!" She shouts, flabbergasted. "This whole time you've been following me around being annoying and now you just....leave?!"

"Yeah? You didn't ask before now." He replies with a shrug, like him being reasonable was something she was supposed to expect. Ever.

She watches him walk away from her for a few moments, dumbfounded. Then, quietly, she mutters, "...thank you, Jax. I appreciate it."

She isn't sure if he heard her. But as he keeps walking, she sees his shoulders go tense.

She files it away for later, and continues on her way.

Slowly but surely, she makes her way through the maze. Without Jax there, the near-silence felt oppressive again...but she still found it preferable. Honestly anything was better than Jax stalking after her.

Peephole after peephole, she moved in as consistent a direction as she could. It was difficult, this being a maze she was trapped in, but continuously she course-corrected herself until she was right beside a wall. Luckily, the manikin didn't get another chance to pummel her in that time.

She observed her surroundings again, and saw, along the wall she'd made it to, a distant opening. A hallway, just like she'd been looking for! It was near the far corner, which meant she just needed to go in a straight line towards it! Finally, finally, she was almost done.

Once again, she hugged the right wall, to assure she wouldn't get off track. She was so, so tired of this stupid brown wall texture. For once she was glad her room was so obnoxiously brightly colored; when she was done down here she really needed a palate cleanser.

She rounds another corner, pokes her head out of another hole. Gauging her progress was hard, but she hadn't left the wall she was hugging. Her legs didn't feel tired, honestly they were probably were incapable of it, but she wasn't fond of walking as much as she had today. Eager for a break from it.

She saw the manikin smashing something far, far away from her. She dips back down before it has a chance to spot her. She continues on her journey.

She hears a muffled voice. She only hears it for a second, but she hears it. She stops in her tracks.

Honestly, she didn't care right now, as long as it wasn't Jax. The concussion pain was mostly gone now, what remained of it being dull and diluted. With it, her brief boldness had left, too. If it was Jax again she was going to be a wimp about it which was not what she wanted to be right now.

She tip-toed foreword, listening carefully. It took a few seconds, but whoever it was spoke again.

Of course, it was a voice she recognized. It took her another few seconds to figure out who exactly the familiar voice belonged to.

The moment she does, she breaks into a run. "Kinger?! Is that you?" She shouts.

She rounds a corner, hand still braced against the wall, and sees who she'd heard. To her surprise, though, she also saw Gangle.

"Oh!" Exclaimed Kinger. She can tell by his eyes that he's smiling. "Are you looking for mole crickets too?" Is the first thing he says when he sees her. His hands are buried in the wall, somehow.

It's such an inane question. After spending so much time around Jax, it's almost painfully relieving to hear Kinger say something pointless. "No. Do you know if there's even any in here?"

Kinger goes thoughtful. Gangle gives Pomni a light wave but didn't say anything. "Well, I have no reason to believe they are aside from this being the kind of habitat they'd be found in. Or earthworms? But I don't have any equipment to charm them out, so I'm out of luck there."

She doesn't really have anything to say about that, so she doesn't. "Well...good luck, I think?" She turns to Gangle. "How have you guys been managing? I had Jax following me around for a while so I'm...tense."

Gangle's nervous expression worsens, her ribbons going taut as she jerks. "Jax?? Oh, p-please tell me he's not here..."

"N-no, he's not here!" Pomni quickly assures, hands waving about. "I...got him to leave me alone, eventually...he went the opposite direction I did. I don't know where he is now."

Gangle sniffs. "That's good....you're so brave, Pomni."

The jester lets out a sheepish laugh. "Oh, not...not really. I think he got bored of me, honestly."

It made more sense then his actual stated reason for leaving. But Pomni was trying not to linger on the hypotheticals.

Gangle wound her ribbon arms around each other, pouting. "That must be nice..."

Pomni cringed. "S-sorry."

"It's not your fault..."

Pomni cleared her throat awkwardly. "A-anyway, I think I'm close to getting out of the maze. Did you guys wanna come with me...?" She gestures towards the ceiling, then back at them.

Kinger blinked at her. "Out of...the maze." He said, quietly, seemingly to himself.

Gangle looked to him silently, not willing to risk interrupting whatever train of thought he was in the middle of.

Eventually he looks up again. "I suppose so. I haven't found any insects...so there probably aren't any here to find." His hands stop clipping through the wall with a pop sound. "Lead the way, Pomni!"

Gangle nodded. "Y-yeah, let's-"

"AH!" Kinger yelped, hand going to his chest. "Ah, apologies. Forgot for a moment you were there."

She winced at his shout. "Eep! Ah, no, it's my fault, I'm too quiet..."

Pomni sucked air through her teeth. "Just...follow me, I think I've got my process down." She beckoned, and resumed her hugging of the wall.

The pair did so. Gangle moved to walk beside her, still nervously wringing her ribbons. "What's your process? I-if that's ok to ask, I mean..."

Having spent what must've been an hour with Jax, Pomni resolved to treat Gangle as gently as she could. "It's super ok to ask. I was trying to find a wall on the surface room. We're right next to one, now. There's an entrance to a hallway in one of the corners, so if we climb out of a hole near there we could duck in where the manikin can't reach us. Does that make sense?"

Gangle blinked at her, then the tiniest smile graced her face. "...that's really smart, Pomni."

The jester let out an awkward chuckle. "Is it? It didn't take a lot of thought, honestly..."

"Th-that just means you're even smarter..." Gangle points out. "I haven't had any idea what to do...I've just been following Kinger...and he also doesn't really have any ideas a lot of the time..."

Pomni shrugs. "I'm, uh, glad I found you, then? We should be pretty close to the corner now, I think..."

They came up on another ceiling hole a few minutes later. Pomni checked, and it seemed they were only three or four holes away from the hallway. The manikin was still by the far wall, which meant as long as that didn't change in the next few minutes, they were home free.

It was an uneventful couple of minutes, but bit by bit they came upon what should be the final hole. Once again, Pomni checked first.

Surroundings clear, opening in the wall just a bit to the right of the hole. She looked down at the pair and gestured with her hand for them to follow.

She crawled up onto the surface, being extra careful not to make a sound. She slid forward on her stomach just enough to give the other two space to exit, and then carefully stood. She was extra glad her hat bells didn't make any noise under normal circumstances.

Gangle had an easy time climbing the ladder. Kinger did not. Pomni assumed her prior assumptions about whether or not he had legs to be answered, seeing him struggle to hop up rung by rung.

They ended up pulling him by his crown. They tried his hands first, of course, but that didn't do anything for his body's position. The pair of them weren't particularly strong, so by the time they managed to get him out of the hole, the noises of exertion had attracted the manikin's attention.

The made a beeline for the hallway, and because it was close, they managed to reach safety with plenty of time to spare.

The manikin stopped by the opening and slammed the hammer down repeatedly, the speed of the strikes frankly unreasonable.

BANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANGBANG

They stared at the display for a few moments, unnerved. Eventually the manikin stops and resumes its lazy patrol of the room.

Pomni breathes a sigh of relief. "Oh thank god. I am so glad that's over. That was a nightmare."

Gangle frowned at her. "It was...boring down there for us. Did something happen to you? Did....Jax do something....?"

She grimaced. "He's...tiring. But I also got hit in the head by the manikin. I need to lay down."

Gangle's ribbons lift to cover her mouth in shock. "Oh no...! That's awful, are you ok?"

A shaky laugh. "Ha...I'm still a little concussed. Sorry to ditch you guys, but I really just wanna..." She vaguely gestured to the door at the end of the hallway.

"Oh, don't worry about us." Kinger said with a wave of his hand. "We're all going in the same direction anyway." He paused. "Hopefully the other three can find their way out without you to guide them, Pomni."

She groaned at that. "Right now I can't...care. They'll be fine, I am just so ready to pass out or something."

Down the hall she went, Gangle and Kinger following behind her at a slight distance.

It was somewhat of a blur when they got passed the door. Caine popped up and congratulated them on figuring it out, but Pomni just walked past him. Caine called out directions to get back to the main room, and she hazily committed them to memory and followed them.

She trudged back to her room and threw herself onto her striped sheets, exhaling as she laid on her back.

Thinking on it, honestly Jax was more tiring than the maze itself. This was social fatigue more than anything. She was susceptible to that on occasion.

Especially with what Jax was like...the kind of things he said, the way he...knew....

Her eyes, which had slowly slipped shut in an effort to relax, snapped open.

Jax knew she liked Ragatha.

That meant he could tell Ragatha.

Her chest went tight with fear. No relaxation came to her. There was nothing she could do. Either he would or he wouldn't and there was surely no way to influence that decision.

Of all the people who could've found this out, Jax was by far the worst. Her days were numbered, weren't they?

She forced her eyes closed and fell asleep just like that: on her back atop her blanket. Like a dead body.

If only she could die. Surely that would be a mercy compared to whatever humiliation Jax would dish out once he escaped the maze.

Dreamless sleep. Uninterrupted even by Caine. That, at least, could be counted among the mercies she did get to have.

Chapter Text

Pomni stayed in her room the whole of the next day, and most of the day after that, unwilling to leave it and face the potential humiliation. It was a Schrödinger's Cat of a situation: she wouldn't know if Jax had exposed her until she left....so don't leave! Simple! Easy! Free!

There wasn't much to do to occupy herself...and she still did not want to be left alone with her thoughts. And yet the alternative was to be out there with her thoughts...where Jax was. Where Ragatha was.

Blankets bundle around herself. A cocoon of perceived safety. A hollow gesture.

Jax's laughter echoed in her mind. Wet cat and catsitter, he'd called them. Both so bad at everything. She'd agree with his descriptions of her, albeit reluctantly, but his descriptions of Ragatha left a sour taste in her mouth.

Bad at everything? Ragatha was so good at everything, Pomni thought...aside from talking about her feelings. Aside from being honest in certain situations. Aside from...

She curled into herself tighter. She couldn't let Ragatha see her like this, so bent out of shape. Terrified of her because of what Jax might say.

Her worries resurfaced. Ragatha could find out, and very easily just...pretend to reciprocate because she wouldn't want Pomni upset. And Pomni would have no way of preventing it. No certainty. She couldn't in good conscience tell Ragatha, then, because that could mean condemning her to that denial.

What was she going to do? Was she overthinking again? Was it all overblown?

It was entirely possible Ragatha wouldn't even believe Jax if he did tell her. She hadn't believed Jax when he'd implied exactly that about Ragatha.

She wished she could find reassurance in it. But there was dread pooling in her belly. Before, Ragatha's tendency to lie to spare the feelings of others was something Pomni felt she could work around. She knew it happened, so she could call the other out on it when it was particularly obvious.

But this time, there was no such ease. She...liked Ragatha, a lot. She'd pinkie swore that the other was her friend. That she was willing to do things she normally wasn't comfortable with if it would soothe the other. Ragtha seemed receptive to these gestures. Kind to her in a way she felt unused to. Pomni suspected she didn't have a good support structure before the circus.

How was she supposed to differentiate platonic from romantic, when Ragatha was so gentle and caring all the time?

Ragatha, Ragatha, Ragatha...

"I...care about her. She cares about me." She feels tears welling up in her scribbly eyes. "Why can't it just be that simple?"

She yanked on her hat. "Me and my big mouth. Why'd I let him figure this out?" Her teeth clench, sharp against each other. "Why am I so easy to read...?"

It felt world-ending. She was trapped with no escape, in so many ways other than the literal initial one. If things turned awkward....there would be no place to go. No way to hide from it aside from the way she was hiding right now. But Ragatha herself had been the one to tell her that doing this wasn't something that worked long-term. Caine wouldn't allow it.

But even disregarding Caine....she'd bonded with her fellow performers now. Considered most of them friends. Would they let her isolate?

The knock on her door seemed to be the answer.

She yelped. "Wh-who is it?!"

A timid noise. "Um, Pomni, i-it's me. Are you alright?" Called Gangle's voice. "It's...it's late and we're worried."

Pomni whined. "I'm....fine! Definitely! Just...l-leave me alone please! I don't want to see anyone right now!"

She heard Gangle's nervous whimper, muffled through the door. "O-oh! I'm sorry! I didn't, I didn't mean....!"

Immediately Pomni felt bad. "No! No, it's not you!" She insisted. She forced herself out of her bundle. She needed to figure out how to get people to leave her alone...politely. "I just..." She slid off the bed. "It's...complicated, ok? Y-you didn't do anything and I'm not mad at you."

She walks over to her door and crouches by it. She can hear Gangle better now. The nervous noises continue with increased clarity. "Oh, o-ok, if you say so. I'm sorry I bothered you..." A tiny gasp. "I know! I'll get Ragatha, she's good at-"

Panic stabs her like a thousand needles. "NO!! DON'T DO THAT!!!"

Gangle squeaks in distress. "S-sorry! I'm sorry!"

Pomni feels worse. But this time she's too stressed to reassure. "I can't let Ragatha see me like this! I-I can't, can't let her find out about this, I can't...! Aaaaaaaa, Gangle, please, you can't tell Ragatha!"

"R-Ragatha knows you're staying in here already....?" Gangle replies quietly. "But she doesn't know why, because none of us do..."

Didn't know, that meant Jax hadn't done anything yet, probably. But there was no certainty. She didn't know how good at keeping secrets Gangle was, she couldn't risk asking because then she might just out herself again!

"P-Pomni? Are you still there?"

Pomni doesn't respond. She finds herself slumping against her door, curling in on herself. Anxiety building. What was she going to do? Why couldn't anything just be easy? It's almost a struggle to breathe, now, even though she didn't need to. She'd checked.

Her silence seems to alarm Gangle to some extent, because she exclaims, "Oh, oh no, oh no is this....t-try to keep calm! Try to keep calm, I-I'm going to get someone, ok?"

Once again, Pomni feels her panic escalate. "Don't, don't! Gangle don't get Ragatha please anyone but Ragatha!" She shrieks. Or Jax, she thinks, but this is Gangle, so she doesn't think that needs clarifying.

Gangle shrieks again. "AH! Y-you can still talk, ok, good, just stay calm! Stay calm, everything's going to be ok, deep breaths!" Her voice grows distant, but Pomni can still hear her shouting, "Deep breaths....!"

Pomni tries...but Gangle hadn't agreed to not get Ragatha. Her days were numbered, the event horizon was nearing, the box with the cat was sliding open because she was the cat who was secretly already dead maybe-

Her hand goes numb.

A choked gasp of alarm escapes her. Her scribbly eyes were making her vision fuzzy, for once, tears staining her cheeks, hyperventilating, whole body trembling, she doesn't feel real-

Her other hand goes numb, too.

She sits up as quickly as she's physically able, and stares down at her hands in horror. The tears in her eyes make looking difficult, but even through the blur it's immediately apparent what's happening.

Black. Vibrating pixels and polygons. Something blinks at her. It's her. Is it? It's not her, but it is.

No, no, no...

Gangle's words echo in her mind. Breathe. Deep breathes. She forces her eyes closed. Out of sight, out of mind. Breathe. Breathe.

In....out....in.......out.........

Slowly, feeling returns. She breathes, and it's comforting that she can. A luxury, a mercy, that the physical sensation of it is reassuring when unnecessary for survival. She's fine, and she's not drowning.

She opens her eyes after a few moments of intentional calm. Her hands aren't vibrating with black static anymore. Nothing is looking at her. The sigh that escapes her is heavy.

But...once the brief relief leaves her, she feels unbelievably pathetic. Had the idea of Ragatha knowing how she felt really nearly driven her to abstraction? How pitiful was it, that she was so, so afraid? That even the possibility of everything falling apart nearly made her fall apart?

She hated Jax. She hated Jax for driving her to this. She could've found anyone in that maze but she had to find him, with his....his everything.

It was easier to blame him than to blame herself....but that didn't mean she couldn't do both.

*BANG BANG BANG*

"Hey, Pomni! Open up!"

Pomni jerks away from the door in alarm. That was Zooble's voice. Why was it Zooble's voice?

"I stole Jax's key so if you don't open up right now I'm breaking in." Zooble said, in a tone that left no room for argument. He didn't sound alarmed, but Gangle had when she'd ran off.

Pomni can't get herself to say anything. She wishes she could. She wishes she could tell Zooble to leave her be...that she couldn't let the door open or else the many terrible options would collapse into one.

The doorknob begins to turn.

She scoots backwards, away from the door even more. She's pressed against the wall beside her bed within seconds, bracing herself. Zooble wasn't Ragatha, Zooble wasn't Jax. Zooble was just Zooble and therefore Pomni had no idea how to feel about them in this moment.

When the door opens, it's with a tiny creak. The pointy end of Zooble's head pokes through, only one of their eyes visible before their gaze meets hers. The eye widens a little. "Oh. Huh. You're not losing it....any more than than you usually are." They remark.

Pomni notes they sound...relieved, and not bored. Which puzzles her. Or, it would, were she not still so stressed. There wasn't much room to be puzzled.

The door opens more fully, revealing Zooble wasn't alone. From either side of her, Gangle and Kinger stood, leaning in to see her as the gap in the doorway widens.

Gangle looks visibly relieved. "Oh thank god...I thought you were abstracting, Pomni!" She exclaims, a ribbon hand coming up to wipe the top of her mask like she was sweating or something. "I was so worried." The hand then wipes away a tear.

Pomni lets out a nervous laugh. She had no intention of letting anyone else know how right Gangle was. Honestly it would be best if they left, she thought. She really didn't want anymore eyes on her right now, metaphorically or literally. "Y-yeah, um, I'm fine. You...you guys can leave."

Zooble squinted at her. "....you've been in here all day and Ragatha's just been quietly upset about it. You're coming with us, Pomni, so she snaps out of it." They deadpanned. The tone left no room for argument.

But Pomni wouldn't cave so easily. Not this time. "No. No, I can't....I'm not doing that. I really really can't let Ragatha see me right now."

Kinger blinked at her. "Well, that's not kind, is it? I thought you both got along."

"They literally get along unreasonably well, Kinger, it's really hard to miss. Pomni, you're acting [YOWL]ing weird." Zooble snapped back.

"That's the problem...." Muttered Pomni under her breath. But then she said it louder. "That's...that's the problem. I'm...kind of a mess today and I don't want her to see me like this."

Gangle made a face. "I...it's not my place, but I..." She trailed off, looking away from Pomni just as soon as their eyes met. "A-actually nevermind."

Zooble gave her a gentle nudge. "No, whatever you were going to say, say it. It won't kill her."

Gangle doesn't look up, or even look that encouraged really, but she complies. "I was, um, just going to say that I'm...a mess most days too but I still...leave my room. M-most days."

Zooble nodded. "Good point."

"Look, I...it's complicated, ok?" Pomni weakly defended. "Y-you wouldn't get it. It's...weird and I'm not comfortable talking about it..."

Unfortunately, no one in the circus was as good at respecting her boundaries as Ragatha was. "Really. Look, you're making me do way more than I'd like to. If you're really not gonna talk to any of us about it..."

Pomni shook her head violently.

A huff. And then Zooble turned to Gangle. "Gangle, go get Ragatha."

Alarm bells rang in Pomni's head and she rockets to her feet in an instant. "DON'T!!!" She shouts, loud enough that all three startle. "Don't don't don't I will actually just die if you do that!!"

"You're being overdramatic." Zooble says, tone oddly careful. "Is this...did Ragatha do something to you?"

'Yes she made me like her romantically by being so calming and reassuring and sweet.' She thinks, but that's not the part that she's upset about. "No, not...not her."

Kinger glances at his companions for a moment, before turning back to Pomni with what seems to be sympathy. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it? We can listen."

It's harder to deny them so aggressively when Kinger is the one asking. Kinger was kind to her, too. In a different way than Ragatha, sure...but kind. If it was just him, maybe she'd consider it...if his memory was better, that is. She had no guarantees he could keep a secret even if he was trying to.

And Zooble...Zooble probably just didn't care. While that most likely meant she wouldn't be motivated to out her, it also meant there was little likelihood that sharing her current struggle with Zooble would result in anything constructive.

And Gangle was in tragedy-mode right now. Defeatist and pessimistic. Definitely nothing constructive there, either.

....but the alternative was them getting Ragatha, wasn't it? If she didn't talk to them they'd get Ragatha because were this any other problem that would be the right call.

She wrings her hands together, staring at the floor. "I....I don't know...I don't...."

Another sigh from Zooble, more exasperated this time. "Pomni, seriously. Ragatha is going to be so [HONK]ing sad if you don't get over yourself. No one's going to fix your problems for you. And they're especially not going to if you don't even let them try."

Pomni doesn't reply. It was harsh, but they weren't wrong.

The silence doesn't last long, and Zooble huffs again. "Look, if you're not gonna talk to Ragatha....we're your only options! Because I know you're not gonna talk to Jax."

Pomni goes tense at that. She tilts her head up just enough to look at them. "If Jax even looks at me I'm throwing myself in the lake again." She says coldly.

Kinger's eyelids drooped to frown. "Please do not. It was very tedious to fish you out." A pause. "A-and we were very worried! I'm sorry, I don't know why I didn't lead with that."

"I-I want to...fix this, but...I don't, don't know how. Or if I can. I'm kinda past the point of no return already, it feels like..." She feels her nerves go electric again. She hated thinking about this but there was no avoiding thinking about it-

Zooble glares at her. But he doesn't speak. Instead he leans down a bit and whispers something to Gangle. Gangle blinks up at him, nods, and leaves the doorway, walking down the hall. Zooble fully enters Pomni's room, now, Kinger following after him. The door closes.

Pomni felt backed into a corner. Because she was.

Zooble crossed their arms. "Start talking, you're on a time limit."

Pomni feels threatened. Because she just was.

She thickly swallows. Was it even a good idea to share this with them? This could go so wrong in so many different ways. She was a cat in a box and she wanted to stay there, please-

"Pomni, please. We're worried about you. You haven't done this in a while, and..." Kinger spaces for a moment, either deep in thought or not thinking anything. When he continues, Pomni is surprised to believe it must be the former. "...I had thought Ragatha helped you not need to anymore."

Was that a perceptive observation? Or was it just so so obvious that Pomni was that attached to Ragatha that even Kinger could call attention to it?

"It's..." Her metaphorical heart is pounding. "She has. But this isn't...well, it's more because of Jax than Ragatha...he..."

Zooble's frustrated look softens immediately, but only by a small margin.

"He...he said something to me when we, we were in the maze. And...." Her look turns pleading. "Please, I...I need you guys to promise to keep this a secret. Please. I...I don't know if I'll be able to talk about it if you don't promise."

It's a vulnerable thing she's asking of them. In this, they are not friends, but strangers. She has little confidence in them in this. It's a heartbreaking thing to acknowledge.

"Of course!" Kinger says swiftly. "You can trust us. Right, Zooble?" He turns to her with a smile in his eyes.

Zooble hesitates. But only for a moment. "Yeah, sure, whatever."

It's not as earnest as Kinger's promise, but it's one that Pomni reluctantly accepts. It's the only thing she can do. "Ok..."

She takes a deep breath. She can do this. She just has to...explain it as calmly as she can. Not go into hysterics. Ignore the stress, push it down, and just talk. Talk.

"He...he's really good at getting under my skin. So...I ended up shouting at him and getting defensive, and...and..." She paused, throat tight, having such a hard time just coming out and saying it when it was the very thing she was trying desperately to keep secret.

Zooble raises a brow, looking slightly impatient. Kinger is just staring at her. Neither interrupt.

She forced the words out. "...and he figured out I have a crush on Ragatha." Her tone is quiet, frightened, but not unsure.

Zooble blinks in visible surprise, but then, to Pomni's surprise, the look turns impatient again. "Oh so now you're admitting that."

She said it like it was old news, like it wasn't news at all. Like she'd already known it before Pomni had even said anything. Which was terrifying. Mortifying. If Zooble already knew then who else knew-

"What do you mean now?! I-I just, I just figured that out during the camping trip before I fell asleep!" Pomni protested in dismay.

"What are you talking about, you've been flirting with each other since you drowned." Zooble shot back.

Pomni let out a distressed noise. "No, no, she has not been flirting with me. She's been being nice because she's nice to everyone and YOU-" She points aggressively at Zooble, stance widening for emphasis. "-have been here longer than me so you should know that!!"

Zooble raised their hands defensively. "That's...look, that's..." The hands lower. Zooble squints a little. "....hm."

Inconclusive. Pomni's distress builds.

Kinger scratches his head with a hand. "Why are you upset again?"

"B-because Jax knows!" She shouts, hands yanking on her hat. "And if Jax knows that means he can tell Ragatha! A-and I'm not ready and I don't want to...!"

"Ah...right. Hm." Zooble leans backwards against the door. "That's what's probably going to happen, yeah."

"Wouldn't you want to tell her anyway, though?" Kinger asks with a head tilt. "If you love her then you should tell her. You could do it before Jax does! Problem solved!"

Love was a strong word for it....but Pomni doesn't find it in herself to argue about the term. Terrifying. She's feeling everything too strongly, it seems, not just her anxiety.

"I....I can't. I shouldn't. Everything would be so awkward if I did that and I can't do that to Ragatha! She'd....I can't do that to her!"

".....what are you so scared of? Do you think she'll [DIAL-UP]ing explode if she finds out about your crush or something?" Zooble exclaims with renewed exasperation. "What's the worst that could happen?"

The crux of it. The whole reason she was stressed. She wanted Ragatha to be able to be genuine, to be truthful even if it doesn't reassure other people. She wanted Ragatha to trust her enough to be honest. But...she didn't. Even with how close they seemed, Ragatha had still not been honest about something as silly as being upset at a campfire story. How could she trust her to not fib about...

".....she wouldn't reject me if she didn't feel the same way. She'd pretend she did because she wouldn't want to upset me. She's not going to say no but I would have no idea! How could I trust a yes? How could...how could I trust it if she really did like me back?"

Zooble's expression calms, and then goes distinctly nervous. "Uh......."

"I....I can't make her do that! It would suck for me but it would suck even more for her! She'd just be pretending forever! It would be terrible! It would make our friendship fall apart, she'd start to dread spending time with me because she'd have to pretend the whole time to like me way more than she does!!" Tears well up anew in her eyes. "It's awful! I can't, I just can't do that to her!! I care about her too much for that!!"

"Geez, would you quit shouting?" Zooble cuts her off harshly. A hand comes up to rub at a spot on their head between twitching antennas. "Shut up, I need to think for a second."

Pomni goes tight-lipped. She hadn't expected....well, she hadn't expected anything, really. Hadn't known what to expect when it was Zooble listening to her vent. She honestly figured Zooble would stare at her, tell her to get over it, and leave. But they were still here. As was Kinger...

Kinger's look seemed...soft. Contemplative, sympathetic. Kind, above all else.

........was she projecting, or was she genuinely getting better at reading him and Zooble's expressions? She'd been here both long enough and not long enough, so it could be either.

Kinger raises a hand, but Zooble speaks up before he has a chance. "Pomni, you're....putting way too much thought into this." He says with a squint. "I think you're the only one who's ever done this many mental gymnastics about Ragatha of all people."

Pomni doesn't like the way he says it. In fact, Pomni hates the way he says it. Because everyone else in this place was...used to Ragatha acting this way, right? This was just Ragatha. Ragatha was kind. Ragatha was helpful. Ragatha never talked about her problems.

Ragatha gave and gave and gave, and Pomni was seemingly the only person who was concerned by it. It made her chest ache. Ragatha didn't know how to take. It took so much offering for her to even entertain the idea that she could.

Her fists clenched. "I'm doing the right amount of thinking." She asserted. "And I...I don't think you care about her at all if you think considering her feelings in any way to be.....overthinking..." She tried to say it with conviction, but she faltered at the end, because she really didn't want to be confrontational.

Zooble's squint turned to a glare. "Don't care about her?" She asked coldly. She sounded offended. Or....hurt? It was a tone that was hard to parse, mostly from lack of experience with the other. For all she knew it could be open malice.

"Look. You haven't earned transparency from me, alright? You do not get to tell me how much I...." Their antennas twitched even more violently. Abruptly they plucked one from their head and squeezed it tightly, as if that would lessen their irritation. Based on their expression, it doesn't work.

"May I have a turn?" Kinger spoke up, resting a hand on Zooble's shoulder. Zooble swatted the hand away, but stayed silent.

Kinger slid forward a bit towards Pomni, head tilting as he looked at her. The jester tensed, expecting him to put a hand on her shoulder, too, but he doesn't. Even still, she still feels cornered just because of how they're spaced.

She swallows, and crawls up to sit on her bed. It gives her the height to almost be at eye level with him.

He doesn't move from his spot. "I've known Ragatha for a long, long time. Her whole time here, in fact." He begins. "She wasn't always like this. But she has always been an extremely empathetic person. She can't stand to see other people in distress."

Pomni stares very hard at her hands. It was something that didn't need saying, but she says it anyway. "This....whole place is distressing."

"Some days aren't so bad. It's nice, even. No responsibilities. For some of us...a place like this could be considered a fantasy." His eyes blink one at a time, and he goes quiet. He slowly squints before shaking his head to clear it. "But when it's not....Ragatha couldn't just watch it happen. So she didn't. And she never stopped doing it because it made her happy."

Pomni feels cold. "That...that long? How...how long have you- she, how long has she been here?"

Kinger looks up, staring blankly at the ceiling. "The..........time has gotten away from me, a bit. It's hard to....keep track...."

Pomni swears he looks distressed for the briefest moment, but it passes too quickly to tell.

"Ten years, give or take? That's my best estimate." Kinger replies. "And every day she wakes up and chooses to be as supportive as she can."

"It's...it's not fair that she has to!" Pomni throws her hands out. "Even...even if it's something she chooses, she only does because she knows no one else will, she told me so herself!" Her eyes stung from the tears she was trying and failing to hold in. This whole thing sucked so much.

Kinger's gaze was still fixed on the ceiling. But he was frowning, now. Pomni was decently sure of that, that she wasn't projecting a meaning onto his expression. ".....that's...true, I suppose. We aren't the most...emotionally well-adjusted bunch, right now. It was different, in the past..."

More of this past stuff. Jax and Zooble had suggested Kinger as someone who'd be willing to talk about that. Pomni considers trying to pry, but it wasn't the focus right now. Honestly, they'd gotten a bit off-topic. Nothing Kinger had said had been particularly reassuring, either. It all made enough sense, but it didn't make her feel better.

Zooble sighs, and attention returns to them. They've gone back to rubbing that spot on their head. The twitching has gone down considerably, too, both antennas in place on their head. But they still look annoyed.

"Would you like your turn back, Zooble?" Kinger inquires, gesturing between them and Pomni. "I'm sorry for interrupting you."

"Shut up, you're taking this too seriously." They retort. "This isn't some formal, professional thing. If it was I wouldn't be here."

"Why are you here, then?" Pomni finds herself asking, wiping her tears away. "I...I don't think me being upset would usually....." She doesn't want to sound too mean, but it's hard to phrase this in a way that isn't. "...I dunno. I just didn't think you cared about me that much."

Antennas go wild for a second, and once again Zooble rips them out to stop them. "You really need to stop assuming this [HISS] about me. It's...." A sigh, audibly frustrated. "....really [BOOM]ing annoying."

She doesn't reply. Honestly she didn't think she was wrong. Zooble seemed defined by a lack of enthusiasm and care. They seemed to avoid bothering with most things. So why were they bothering right now when she was clearly bothering them?

"...it wouldn't hurt to be honest abou-"

"Kinger shut the-" Zooble cut him off with a hiss, but then squeezed their antennas so hard they visibly winced. "-just let me [CAW]ing say what I want to say and don't give me any 'tips' because they're unwelcome. God." Once more the antenna are returned to their proper places, still twitching but not as much.

Kinger raised his hands in defense. "Alrighty, apologies for being pushy. Just trying to help."

"Yeah yeah."

Everyone here has history together before her, Pomni reminds herself. She's slotted awkwardly into established dynamics and with Zooble specifically she still didn't know where she stood. Seemingly poorly, based on interactions like these.

Another long, drawn-out sigh. "It's...I'm here because Gangle asked me to be." Zooble says, eventually, looking pained at having to admit it. "Do you know how [PAINO CHORD]ing sad it is to tell her you can't help her? I just can't do it, it would eat me up inside. And for the record, yes, I care about her, so you keep your mouth shut."

Pomni raised her hands defensively. But she obeyed and stayed silent rather than actually defend herself.

"It's...exhausting. Everything is exhausting. Gangle...isn't, for the most part. But Jax is, and Ragatha is, and you and Kinger are exhausting as [ROOSTER CROW]." He gestures vaguely in their direction. "And it's not like sleep helps in any other way than placebo. Do you know how tiring it is to have to wake up every morning and put myself together? Dig around in my stupid endless box for parts that even sorta fit this.....thing I've got going on? Every day starts with a hassle and I cannot be made to expend any more energy than I have in me. Anyone who makes me or tries to can [OFF-KEY GUITAR] right off."

His expression has gone dark, bitter. "Doesn't mean I don't care. I just have no reason to overextend myself to show it." He spits, before turning away from the pair. "So stop trying to psychoanalyze me."

Pomni feels guilty, hearing all that. Guilty and awkward. What was she meant to say?

But...it was talk like this that Ragatha probably listened to from the others, wasn't it? All the time. Zooble might not've be considered that to be a vent, but Pomni did.

A good first step, she figured, was lightening Ragatha's load. Even if she had no experience, she could at least try. "Thank you for...telling me, I guess. I wasn't...I mean, I don't know you very well so I assumed..." She trailed off, trying to figure out what words would be encouraging. How would Ragatha say it? "...I assumed and I shouldn't have. I'm sorry."

Zooble looks genuinely surprised. "You..." They blink rapidly. "Yeah...whatever..." Once more they avert their gaze, arms crossed. "S'not a big deal..."

"It is, though. It was rude of me to-"

"H-hey, we're not here to talk about my [BARK]. We're here to talk to you about your [HIGHER-PITCHED BARK]." They cut her off. "You seriously think Ragatha's just going to live the rest of her life a lie to avoid making you feel bad?"

It was a swift redirection, and one that Pomni at once does and doesn't appreciate. "....yes. Because that's what my experience with her has led me to believe. I wish she wouldn't do that, but realistically-"

"Ok, sure whatever, lets say she would." Zooble cuts her off again. "What's your plan if that happens?"

A long moment of silence. Pomni frowns. "I...I don't know. That's why I'm freaking out so bad."

Zooble, once again, just looks frustrated with her. "C'mon, work with me here. You'd at least try and talk to her about it, right?"

"O-obviously! I just don't think-"

"What's the alternative, Pomni? You just stay in here forever to avoid a confrontation?"

Pomni lets out an involuntary whine. "I know I can't do that already! Th-that just wouldn't work!"

"So what are you going to do?! You basically have no plan and that's no one's fault but yours!"

"No, it's Jax's fault for being an [WHALESONG]!!"

Zooble drags a hand down their face. "Look, that's the thing that caused this, but you're the one in this situation. You could've talked to Ragatha, told her that Jax was gonna tell lies about you, but instead of trying to get ahead of him you moped in here all day." Zooble said with an irritated shake of their head. "So now you've gotta come up with something. What are you gonna do?"

Exasperated, Pomni flops face-first onto her sheets. Her hands dig into her hat. "Suffer, apparently." She replies, muffled through her pillow.

"Oh my god you are exhausting. Are you like this with Ragatha?"

Pomni groaned.

"Genuinely like herding cats, trying to get you to do anything. All you're doing right now is sitting around feeling sorry for yourself-"

Pomni pushed herself up, a glare on her face as she turned back towards Zooble. "No, you're not listening! I'm sitting around feeling sorry for Ragatha! Because all she does she does for other people and I don't know how I'm supposed to convince her that it's not healthy!"

She sees Zooble's antenna twitch again, and they cross their arms.

But Pomni keeps shouting, not letting them get in a word edgewise. She sits up properly again. "It's not fair that everyone here is just...used to letting her do that! She acts like she's fine and dandy and I like how put-together she is but it's not fair that she never gets a break from it! She never lets herself get one! I tried, I tried so hard when we were camping to get her to open up but she wouldn't even admit that Jax's story scared her! I made her feel better eventually but she still just refused to talk about it!"

Zooble's expression softened a tad. "That's...just what she's like."

"Well it's a bad habit and I....I want to break it! I'm...I'm scared for her....a-and I like her. I want to be the person she can lean on. I want to be the person she trusts the most...I want to be the person who she's okay talking to about this stuff."

"Pomni, this...isn't your responsibility to fix." Her words come out hesitant, careful. More careful than she'd expect from her. "Just because you think it is doesn't mean its your fault..."

"Ugh, but I want it to be! I want it to be the one to help her because-"

'...because someone has to.'

It strikes her cold. That was Ragatha's mentality. Was...no. No, she wasn't doing it because she felt she had to. Why had that been her first thought, then?

"....because I love her." She finishes, quietly. Even quieter, she adds, "....and I don't think anyone else will."

She pulls her knees close to her chest. "I want to talk to her. I do. I just don't know how, and...if Jax's already told her how I feel, it's going to be impossible."

"Do you trust her, Pomni?"

She looks up. Kinger is staring at her, now. Previously it stressed her out, the way he did that...but by now she'd figured out that there was no malice in him. It was just hard for him not to stare when he was focused.

Something twists uncomfortably in her belly, though, at his question. "I.....I want to. But...."

He slides forward towards her. She doesn't flinch this time, seeing his kind expression. "May I sit next to you?" He asks.

Kind. Respectful of her boundaries, even if he didn't know them. It was reassuring, knowing that was something people other than Ragatha could be. "........sure, I guess..."

He nods and sits. There's space between them, enough that she'd need to reach out to touch him, not that she was planning on doing so. He rests one hand in the space between them, the other on his lap.

She waits for him to speak, rather than ask him anything.

It takes him awhile. He stares at the floor, then at the ceiling. She wonders if her room's bright colors bothered his eyes. With Zooble, at least, she suspected their room might be similarly garish, so it wouldn't be as jarring for them. But it was entirely possible Kinger found them distracting.

"When you...love someone..." He begins, after a long enough pause that hearing him speak makes Pomni startle. "...trust is....necessary. It's the most important thing there is, in a relationship."

She can't stop herself from asking. Kinger was the one who had been here the longest, who was seemingly receptive to questions about the past. She can't stop herself from asking.

"Do you....have experience? B-because I don't think I do."

He blinks, slowly. Doesn't reply for a moment. She swears his eyes go technicolor for the briefest moment, so swiftly there and gone between blinks that she immediately doubts that what she saw was anything other than her imagination.

He turns to her with an expression she isn't brave enough to even attempt to identify. "....I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

His tone seems normal enough.....but Pomni would almost describe his expression as....no, she shouldn't project or guess.

But she thinks he looks haunted.

She isn't sure if she should repeat herself. Honestly it seemed like a bad idea. "......uh..." Hesitantly, she leans forward a little, gazing past Kinger to look at Zooble. Zooble is making a very aggressive 'X' gesture with his hands.

That answered that. "N-nothing, sorry. What were you saying?"

Kinger blinked slowly again. "Hm? Oh, right, yes." His gaze returned to the ceiling as if nothing had happened. "It's clear you both care about each other. I think you don't give her enough credit. It would be unkind to lie to you about this, it would be leading you on. I think she cares about you too much to do that."

Pomni blushed blue, wringing her hands together. "I-I don't know about that..."

"Don't know about what?"

She covered her mouth with her hand. "She...she's nice. She's so, so nice to everyone. She's not treating me any differently than anyone else."

"Wait, no, that's a good point, now that I think about it." Zooble speaks up. "Pomni, do you think if....Jax, lets say. If Jax told Ragatha he liked her, do you think she'd pretend to like him back to not upset him?"

The idea sounded ludicrous, and Pomni says this. "Not Jax. It...it would be really obvious if Jax said it that he wouldn't be doing it sincerely."

"Ok, not Jax then. What about me, or Gangle?"

Pomni considered. Her frown grew. "Mm....Gangle maybe? Getting rejected would break her mask, I think....I...I don't know about you though...."

Zooble looks irritated again. "Pomni. That was supposed to be a thought exercise where you come to some kind of conclusion about how ridiculous you're being."

"W-well! I just answered your question, that's all! I-I think it's a case-by-case basis!"

Zooble looked once again like he wanted to rip his antennas out, but refrained. "Pomni, genuinely, I am this close to dragging you out there myself." He retorted emphatically, pinching his fingers together. "I promised Gangle I'd try to help but you're acting like you don't even want this solved."

"UGH!!" Pomni exclaimed, burying her face in her hands. She'd abruptly remembered the other major roadblock. "I don't even know if Ragatha likes women!!"

Zooble tilts her head a little at that. "....y'know now that I think about it that's never come up. Huh." She admits. "Not any of the times I've spoken to her."

"Oh! I know the answer to this one!" Kinger replies with a raised hand.

"You do?!" Pomni squeaks. It feels like an out of left field thing for him to know off the top of his head. She almost doesn't believe him.

"Of course! We've both been here such a long time, we've..." He trails off for a moment, squinting. "...well, I don't remember when it came up. Certainly a long time ago." He explains. His unsure look slips back into a smile. "She does!"

Pomni's metaphorical heart skips a beat. That meant it was possible, right? One major hurdle had been eliminated.

Her hesitation feels lighter...but it doesn't leave. "Ok, but...that doesn't mean she couldn't still pretend. It just...means she'd be fake dating someone that aligns with her orientation as opposed to-"

"Oh my [HONK]ing GOD you are so dramatic!" Zooble shouted. "Is it even half a thought in your head that she might like you back? Is that not even a concept you're entertaining??"

Pomni cringes at Zooble's volume, shrinking away from the sound. "Look, I'm just....I-I don't know where you got the idea that I'm...confident? Or especially interesting? I can't...imagine what she'd see in me..."

"Pomni, you've been sitting in here having a terrible time for almost two whole days because you care about her!" Kinger points out enthusiastically, like Pomni's anxious inactivity was worth bragging about. "You are being so careful and thoughtful of her. If she notices that about you, it would be easy to see her enjoying your company as much as you enjoy hers!"

She didn't have a Kinger pep talk on her bingo card. "Are you.....are you just saying that to be nice...?" She guesses. Compliments were hard to come by, usually...usually it was just Ragatha who gave them.

....not seeing her for so long was giving her separation anxiety.

"Not at all! You're doing well, like I said before. You...you've found an anchor in each other, somewhat. I'm not sure if that's an apt descriptor or not, actually..." He looks contemplative.

Pomni's blue blush returns. "Anchor........" What a word! What an idea! Did Ragatha really see her that way? Pomni couldn't deny it was true for her. "Sss...sounds right to me. Gosh..."

"Are you reassured yet? Because at this point Gangle's gonna be back soon and you'll be out of time." Zooble spoke up.

Pomni jerks. She'd gotten so caught up in the conversation she'd forgot about the 'time limit' Zooble had mentioned. "Why.....? What's going to happen when Gangle gets back...?"

"I told her if we weren't done in an hour to go get Ragatha and bring her here." They reply, voice level, unbothered.

Pomni heard the words and immediately became the exact opposite: very, very bothered. She stood up on her bed, hands coming up to grasp at her scalp. "Whhhyyy?! W-why would you do that?!"

Zooble leered at her. "Because I figured there was only so much either of us could do? Since you're..." They gesture towards her vaguely. "...you know. Like this all the time."

Bored, unbothered tone, a harsh contrast against Pomni's panicked and quick one. "No no no no, I'm not ready, I need to hide-"

"You never stop with this, look, seriously, she's gonna be heartbroken and [CRACKLE] if you start actively avoiding her specifically. Are you really gonna talk such a big game about her feelings and then do that to her?"

Pomni stills, hands slowly lowering to hang at her sides. She hadn't thought about it like that. "I...that would be cruel, I shouldn't-"

"Exactly. Man up and talk to her."

"...I don't think that phrase is applicable to me- i-is it even applicable to you, actually...?"

"Psh. Who cares, I don't. Doesn't matter. Didn't you say something about being 'past the point of no return' earlier? It's not like it can get any worse."

"...huh." She ponders this. That...was how it worked, wasn't it? Whether Jax had outed her or not, what's done was done. Either she could salvage this...or she could do damage control. But either way, it wasn't like there was nothing she could do. She just had to...try, and keep trying. All she needed to do was...her best.

"I believe in you, Pomni!" Kinger exclaimed, a smile in his eyes. "If it goes sour, you can cry in my fort!"

She exhaled a ghost of a laugh at that. Kinger and his pillow fort. He'd been oddly coherent this whole conversation, she'd noticed. It was...comforting, having his earnest support unhindered by his usual scatterbrain.

She wondered if there was a reason. She didn't ask, if only out of fear of bringing out the brief distress she'd seen from him before. She was grateful for his encouragement; no need to tempt fate.

And so, she takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly, and slides off her bed to the floor. Lets herself calm, as intentionally as she can. "I....yeah, you're right. You're both right, I just...need to do it. I just need to talk to her. That's not so hard, I like talking to Ragatha."

"That's the spirit, finally." Zooble remarked impassively.

"What are you going to say?" Kinger inquires. Pomni briefly wonders if it was a follow-up question...or he'd finally slipped back into not knowing what was going on.

She decides it doesn't matter because either way the answer was the same. "I'm...not sure. I'm hoping I figure it out when I see her...because I might still be doomed a little if I don't, haha..."

Zooble rolls his eyes. "Figures. You know that's only gonna get you so far."

"I...don't think I have the time to make a script or something...and I don't think a script would really help in this case, either..."

"Eh. I'm sure you'll get it." He pauses, brow furrowing. His antennas give a solitary twitch. "Actually...one more thing. I was going to say this earlier but the conversation went a different direction than I was expecting." He takes a few steps towards her, until they are close enough to touch.

Pomni tenses a little, but Zooble doesn't seem to notice, pressing a finger against Pomni's chest. "Jax thinks he can do whatever the [CLANK] he wants to you; don't let him. Don't let him say anything or do anything that makes you uncomfortable without a fight. He bullies Gangle so much because she makes it easy. Don't make it easy for him. I don't have the energy to defend two people."

It's a blunt pep talk, but despite Zooble being the one saying it, it is a pep talk nonetheless. The words had been spoken with a conviction Pomni hadn't heard in their voice before.

None of that really mattered, because Pomni was distracted and distressed by the contact Zooble was making with her. "Um, does...does that advice apply to other, uh, people, besides Jax?" She questions meekly.

Zooble squints. "....yeah. Why."

Pomni hesitates. Did she trust either of them enough to let them know about this boundary? She didn't think they'd expose it to Jax. Zooble definitely wouldn't. Kinger wouldn't either...on purpose.

No, she couldn't keep hiding everything all the time. Step one was letting people confide in her. Step two was letting herself trust other people, too. If she could get better at it...maybe she could help Ragatha learn how to do it, as well.

She took a deep breath. "I...don't like being touched. It makes...i-it makes me uncomfortable. Can you...stop?"

It's not said with a great amount of conviction, but Zooble's eyes go wide and she pulls her hand away as if burned. ".....you could've told me that sooner. Now I feel like an [CAR ALARM]."

Pomni awkwardly rubs the back of her head. "I haven't really been making a habit of telling people. I think if Jax finds out he'll do it more often to bother me."

A grimace passes over Zooble's face. "Sssss. Yeah, nevermind, good call on that one. My lips are sealed."

"Th-thank you. I appreciate how much you've done to help me. I'm......sorry for assuming you...sorry for assuming things about you in general, honestly..." She startles and swiftly turns to Kinger. "Y-you too, Kinger! Thank you too!"

Kinger blinks at her. "You're...welcome? I....oh, yes, that's what we were talking about! Yes, you're welcome!"

She turns back to see Zooble flustered, to her surprise. "It's...it's not a big deal. Really, I did the bare minimum."

Were they...embarrassed? Getting thanked like this must be uncommon for them, if they usually don't put forth the effort to earn it, Pomni realizes.

Lighten Ragatha's burden. "I'm still grateful for the effort, Zooble. It...takes patience to deal with my anxiety, sometimes, and...I'm not as stressed anymore, b-because of you guys." It's vulnerable, still, admitting it so openly. But she was going to have to be vulnerable soon anyway, potentially talking to Ragatha about her feelings. Practice was good.

Zooble swiftly averts their gaze. "......don't mention it."

Pomni smiles. It felt...nice, making people feel better about themselves.

....that was probably why Ragatha did it, wasn't it?

Kinger hops off her bed, seemingly about to say something, but he only gets a single word out before he's interrupted by a gentle knock on the door.

"....Pomni?"

Pomni's chest goes tight and warm and light and-

Ragatha.

"Are you in here...? Gangle said you needed me?"

Zooble glances from Pomni to Kinger, and gestures with her head towards the door.

Pomni's face alights with blue.

"Our work here is done. Let's blow this joint, Kinger." They gesture, and Kinger follows them to the door. They both block Pomni's view beyond the doorway, so she can't see Ragatha's face when they open it.

"Oh! You both are...?"

"Just leaving. Don't mind us." Zooble informs, pushing past Ragatha. The doll moves aside so Kinger doesn't have to do the same.

And then they were gone, and it was simply the two of them. Their gazes lock.

Pomni thought she looked tired. But her expression noticeably lightens at the sight of her. She intertwines her fingers together, her smile small but genuine.

"Pomni...I was beginning to get worried. Are you alright?"

Pomni rushes out to meet her, hands reaching desperately, taking Ragatha's fabric ones in her own. In Ragatha's gentle, surprised expression, Pomni sees the event horizon.

It's not as scary as she thought it would be.

Chapter Text

Ragatha is certain she has done something wrong. It takes her longer than she'd like to admit, though, to realize what it was.

She'd been dropped into a maze, right in the middle of Pomni bandaging her arm after it got torn from the swipe of the bear. A warm moment one second, a cold environment the next.

Her mind lingered on the warmth. Her hand brushed against the bandage. She knew she'd have to stitch it up properly later...or have Caine fix it, whichever she felt like when she escaped. Sometimes fixing things herself made her feel in control of something. Small victories.

But her mind lingered, lingered hard on the warmth. Falling asleep with Pomni in her arms. Oh, surely the stuffing in her chest had formed some kind of knot, bundled up so tight she'd need to tear herself open to fix it. She felt like she was on fire. So warm she might need to take a swim to cool off, if the lake didn't come with connotations now.

She'd known Pomni was a caring person. Fretful most often, but brave, too, whether she believed herself to be or not. There was a depth to her character that Ragatha had seen glimpses of on occasion. Despite this place being the way that it was...Pomni was very in touch with her sense of self.

Ragatha was enamored by it. Fascinated, so so curious. Pomni was far more interesting than she was. Despite how much her boundaries meant to her, she eagerly stepped out of her comfort zone on the hunch that Ragatha needed her to.

The more she thought about it, the more that moment lingered in her mind, the more the phantom feeling of Pomni's body against hers was dwelled upon...

Ragatha had wrapped her arms around herself as tight as she could, chasing that feeling. It was better than anything anyone had ever done for her here.

She never asked anyone for a hug; Pomni hadn't even given her a chance to ask. She'd just gone for it, like some sort of mind reader. She hadn't taken Ragatha's hesitance as a no. And a no was not something she'd been given at all, so she'd kept doing it, all night long.

The comfort she felt was persisting, even the next day. It had nestled deep within her chest, like a puzzle piece missing and finally returned to it's rightful place. The puzzle piece that was....

Pomni herself. Pomni comforting her, instead of the other way around. A love language she'd been denying herself, offered freely in the moment she needed it the most. Physicality, intimacy, no words needed, only warm comfort and affection.

Ragatha had spent most of her time in that maze relishing in the fact that she was in love.

There wasn't much to do but wander, and she wandered with more affection on her mind than attention for the maze itself. She sobered eventually, seeing the manikin and its hammer. But still, all she could do was wander. Wander and wonder.

Thoughts of Pomni filled her mind. Someone so kind, someone who paid attention to how she felt, despite how hard she'd tried to hide it. Despite the truth, she hadn't treated her like a burden. Ragatha felt lighter than air.

Eventually, she met up with Zooble. The pair had made their way through the maze together, making light conversation. In lapses the doll found her mind still lingering on the jester. If Zooble picked up on it, they didn't remark on it.

They eventually found the same solution that Pomni had, they discovered after. At the tail end, Jax had joined them, not saying much of anything. He'd rushed past them to reach the hallway before they did, which made Ragatha come in last place. Not that she cared much about that. As long as the others had a good time, that's what mattered to her.

She'd met with Gangle and Kinger after...but Pomni had already retired to her room for the day. If she'd been tired out by the adventure that badly, Ragatha wanted nothing more than for her dear friend to rest. So she didn't knock, or pry. Her gaze had lingered on Pomni's door when she passed it, even so.

Jax had seen her staring, and snickered. But he didn't say anything at all when she tried to press him, so she dropped it. She'd gone to her own room after dinner, Pomni not showing for that either, and slept soundly.

She hadn't been concerned when she hadn't seen her before sleeping. That changed when she didn't see her after waking, either. She waited with everyone else the next morning, but Pomni never showed. Once again, Jax snickered like he knew something.

Caine too had expressed his concern when his newest star was a no-show, but Jax had spoken up with his typical smirk, said that Pomni was fine, just still tired. Said she'd gotten beaned by the manikin's hammer and needed an extra day since she was so new to this kind of thing. Gangle had spoken up too, confirming that Pomni had told her the same thing.

Jax defending anyone was...out of the ordinary. It was so out of the ordinary that Ragatha doubted his words. Well, not the meat of them. Gangle was a second witness, meaning Pomni getting hurt was probably true.

But Jax kept glancing at her with a grin wider than normal, kept chuckling to himself when Ragatha voiced concern or well-wishes for Pomni's recovery.

She had a feeling that the 'injury' wasn't the real reason Pomni was absent. And she had an even stronger feeling that Jax knew something about the truth.

But the few times that day she tried to gently pry an answer from his smug, inscrutable jaws, he'd been vague, taunting. 'Wouldn't you like to know, Dollface?' Yes, I would, actually. She's my friend. 'Pfft, yeah, that's all this is. Just friendly concern.'

Talking to him was awkward, sometimes. Sometimes they could speak as if they were equals. She knew it was possible. He'd been here almost as long as she had. She'd seen the slow....development of his character. He'd been so young. He'd been a teenager when he'd gotten here. It wasn't a fate she'd wish on-

Not important. They'd all made their choices. The past was the past and it wasn't good to dwell.

The day had come and gone. The day's adventure had been simple; it was just bowling...but the balls were alive. Kinger had been delighted by that, said they looked like roly-polies. But nothing especially hectic had happened.

Ragatha found herself wishing Pomni had been there for it. Something simple like this would surely be enjoyable for the high-strung jester.

Night came. She lingered by Pomni's door again...but couldn't bring herself to knock. It would be selfish of her, interrupting her while she was recovering from a digital concussion. Even if there wasn't any way for it to have left lasting damage...it would be rude, and overstepping her boundaries.

And so, she kept herself occupied, brain and body. She sewed herself back up, having decided to do that rather than bother Caine with it. Keeping her hands busy helped keep her mind busy. Because the longer she went without seeing Pomni...

...the more doubt crept into her subconscious.

She slept, and woke, and Pomni still did not show. This long...it couldn't be the concussion. No, she was...avoiding something.

Avoiding someone.

Jax seemed even more amused today, kept stealing glances at her. Kept grinning so wide he looked like he could split his face in half.

The thought occurred to Ragatha before she could second guess it, and before she knew it, it had made its home in her mind as a permanent fixture.

Pomni had insisted she was okay with the contact, okay with sleeping with her in her tent. With keeping her company in her arms all night.

But she'd been lying. Ragatha hadn't tried hard enough to argue about it with her. She'd been so desperate for comfort and so unwilling to ask for it that she'd just let Pomni be uncomfortable all night.

She'd been selfish, and now she was reaping the consequences.

She felt a pressure building behind her eyes, staring at Pomni's door that morning. But it would be even more selfish to mourn publicly, so she didn't. She was still needed. Everyone needed her to be strong, unmoved, not just Pomni. She had four other friends who needed her.

She didn't mourn.

But all she could think about was how she was ever going to apologize.

"Something on your mind, Dollface?"

She looked up, surprised at being addressed directly this time. Jax had kept shooting her smug looks, but had yet to actually talk to her until just now.

"Well, not anything pressing. Is something wrong?"

"Tch. Yeah. No? Depends." He shrugs.

She fought the urge to pry the answers out of him with her bare hands. "I don't think you'd approach me first unless something was wrong, Jax."

"What, I can't just talk to my favorite ragdoll?" He questions, arms crossed behind his head.

She inhales and exhales slowly. "I...suppose you can. If you like."

"Cool." He replied. And then he said nothing, just kept staring at her with that smug look of his.

It was maddening. It was infuriating. She knew he had answers but he had no intention of coming forth with them on his own.

Clearly he was trying to get a rise out of her. Trying to get her desperate enough to ask, to break character.

Unfortunately for both of them, her resolve was stronger than that. "Well...I'll be here when you decide you have something to say?" She remarked with a half shrug. She turned back to observe the others, deciding to approach Zooble rather than keep standing around by Jax.

She hears him scoff. "Sure thing. Suit yourself, Dollface."

The last part was muttered, but she still hears it. She didn't comment.

Zooble and Gangle were in the middle of a conversation as she approached.

"I'm just glad the glue is so...seamless. I swear it looks like...what's that thing you use to cover up mistakes on paper? Apply it like a marker and it dries really fast?" Gangle is saying.

"Dude, you think I remember brand names? For office supplies? I know what you're talking about but I don't remember what it's called." Zooble responds.

A sheepish laugh. "You know what, that's fair. But yeah, it's like that. I just wish it made them sturdier. My life would be so much easier if fixing them made them harder to break." She rubbed the back of her head with a ribbon, smiling softly up at Zooble.

Zooble merely nodded.

"Hello, you both. How are you this morning?" Ragatha greets.

Zooble turns only enough to see her. "Hey."

"Hello Ragatha! I'm doing ok!" Gangle says with a smile. Comedy mask today, but it was morning, before the adventure, so that wasn't much of a surprise.

Ragatha smiled and nodded. "I'm glad you've got a fixed mask today, Gangle. You said yesterday you went through that whole maze thing without it, right?" Her expression softens into concern.

Gangle gives a slight nod. "Yes...we went right from the bear attack into the maze, so I never got the chance. But since all we did yesterday was bowling I had plenty of time." She rubs the back of her mask with a ribbon again. "So I can only hope whatever we do today is tame."

Zooble sends a glare in Jax's direction. "Yeah. That's the dream, isn't it?"

Ragatha wrings her hands. "Let's not start any contention before the adventure even starts, right? He hasn't done anything yet today."

"Would you quit jumping to his defense? He's got a track record. It's not contentious to try to get ahead of it." They shoot back.

Gangle coughs. "H-hey, no, she's right, he hasn't...." She trails off, leaning to look past Ragatha. She swiftly leans back, and steps closer to Zooble.

Zooble looked down at her with a vaguely annoyed squint, but upon looking back in Jax's direction it intensifies. "Oh come on, what did I just say."

Ragatha turns around, and sees that Jax was approaching them. She doesn't cringe or flinch, but she does brace herself.

He seems amused by how they go quiet at his approach. "Woah, warm reception, gang. Lower the temperature, I might think you care about me or something."

Gangle swallows, wrapping an arm around Zooble's for comfort. Zooble just sighs.

Jax looks at the pair of them, smirking a little. He gives Zooble a once-over. "Looking more symmetrical than usual, Zoobs. What's that about?"

She scoffs in response. "Like that matters to you." She replies sharply.

Ragatha hadn't noticed that, so it was odd that Jax had. Technically, no two of Zooble's parts actually ever looked the same. But today, the colors matched. Two red arms, and two green legs. Nothing extra attached for flair, like a wing or an extra arm. Their antenna were both metallic, but different colors.

It really was far more...harmonious than usual. Usually Zooble seemed to put effort into...well, being the opposite of that. Not that Ragatha ever asked why...well, no, that wasn't true. She had asked, once, and Zooble had told her to buzz off.

Well, Zooble had used harsher language than that.

"Course it matters, I asked." He replies with a wink.

Zooble scoffs. "Whatever. [BOINK] off, Jax."

He raised up his hands defensively. "Hey now, just trying to be friendly. S'not like there's anything else for me to do."

Gangle let out a shaky laugh. "Um...yeah, that's...good. Did you....sleep well, Jax?" She greets.

He smiles wider. "Oh, like a baby. Thanks for asking, Gangle, really appreciate it."

She gives a weak smile of her own. "No problem...?"

Zooble stood up straighter, repositioning himself to more bodily block Gangle and Jax. He doesn't say anything, though.

Jax scoffs, shrugging. "Eh. Hey, don't suppose anyone's seen Scribbles today, have they?"

When no one replied immediately, he gave a slight leer. "Y'know. Scribbles, Pomni? Cuz her eyes do that thing when she's on the verge of a breakdown?" He gestures to his own eyes, makes his pupils tremble a little. Still grinning.

Ragatha tried not to react visibly. But she knew her smile had slipped. Her fault, her fault.

Jax is staring at her again.

"No. Still not showing?" Zooble questions with a twitch of their antenna. "Surely she didn't get hit that hard."

"I mean, she was seeing stars. Left a crater." He raises a finger matter-of-factly. "Or maybe she's relapsing." He says cheekily. "Maybe she's decided she hates us all again and is taking the worlds biggest depression nap."

Ragatha feels the pressure behind her eyes again. Hates me now. She hates me now.

"...Ragatha? Are you ok?"

She blinks away the guilt and turns to Gangle with as genuine a smile as she's able. "Yes, I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Zooble's squinting at her now, looking unconvinced. "Uh-huh..."

Ragatha blinks back at them, pointedly ignoring the way she knows Jax must be looking at her again. "If Pomni needs a break, she's allowed to take one. And it's still early, too, so she might come out later."

"AH!"

They all startle. Kinger, somehow, had snuck up on them this time.

Gangle holds on tight to Zooble's arm, and just barely avoids getting flung by their sudden movement. "Kinger, you ffff.....what is wrong with you?!" They demand.

"Sorry, I was distracted!" He apologized. "A few of the insects in my collection went missing. Has anyone seen them?"

"Negative, chief." Said Jax.

"I haven't seen anything." Said Gangle.

"I haven't been paying attention." Said Zooble.

Once again, it fell to her. Business as usual, Pomni or not. "What kind of bugs are you missing, Kinger? Maybe we can find them if we know what to look for?"

"Oh! Well that would be lovely. I'm missing three beetles, a spider, and the bilateral gyandromorph moth I found the other day." He explained.

"Well, if there's time, maybe we can split up and-"

"GOOOOOD MORNING, SUPERSTARS!"

Kinger let out another yelp of fright as the ringmaster appeared in a flash. "cAINE-"

"HELLO TO YOU TOO! I LOVE A WARM RECEPTION- OH. WAIT A SECOND." He brought up a hand to his upper jaw, and scanned the group. "WHERE IS POMNI?"

"Still a no-show, I'm afraid. Tragic, really. And here I thought she liked us." Jax informed. Gaze slipping back towards Ragatha the moment the words left his mouth.

She hates me now. She hates me and Jax knows it.

"HM. THAT IS LESS THAN IDEAL....BUT I SUPPOSE ONE MORE DAY WILL NOT BE TOO MUCH TROUBLE. BUT IF THIS CONTINUES TOMORROW I WILL HAVE TO INTERVENE! WE ARE A TEAM! IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE ALL GET ALONG HERE!" He seemed more serious than was typical for him, as he says it.

Ragatha lets out a nervous laugh, a hand coming up to rub the spot on her arm she'd stitched last night. "Well...until then, what's the adventure for today, Caine?"

His demeanor shifted right back into exuberance. "I'M GLAD YOU ASKED, RAGATHA! TODAY'S ADVENTURE IS..."

Words appeared above him in the traditional, goofy font...but then swiftly turned into one more normal and boring. It read...

"EMERGENCY SCAVENGER HUNT." He said, tone much calmer than normal.

His performers look at each other in mutual confusion. "....emergency?" Gangle questions, lifting her head to get a better look, as if she thought she'd read it wrong.

"INDEED." Replies Caine, wringing his hands together. "YESTERDAY, DURING THE ADVENTURE, BUBBLE WENT THROUGH EVERYONE'S ROOMS AND...MISPLACED A HANDFUL OF ITEMS EACH."

His hat lifts up enough for Bubble to escape, and he protests. "Nah, boss, we went over this already! It wasn't me!" He turns to the group with a toothy grin. "It was my babies!"

Kinger screams and Ragatha shudders. Jax's smirk slips just a tad. "Oh. Forgot about those."

"MM-HM....IRRELEVANT AND UNTRUE, BUBBLE. LETTING THEM OUT OF THEIR ROOM WOULD BE A VIOLATION OF THE GENEVA CONVENTION, YOU KNOW THAT!" He says it in an almost teasing manner. Bubble just giggles.

"WELL, IN ANY CASE, THINGS ARE MISSING! AND I DOUBT THAT'S SOMETHING ANY OF YOU WANT. MISSING YOUR THINGS, THAT IS. SO I'VE ORGANIZED A LIST FOR EACH OF YOU!" He snaps his fingers, and five sheets of paper appear in the air next to him, spinning in a circle. "TO MAKE THIS MORE OF AN ADVENTURE AND NOT JUST A CHORE, YOU WON'T BE SEARCHING FOR YOUR OWN THINGS, NO NO!"

The papers descend, each one flying towards a circus member.

"INSTEAD, YOU WILL BE LOOKING FOR SOMEONE ELSE'S THINGS! YOU MAY FORM GROUPS IF YOU LIKE, OR DON'T! WHICHEVER IS EASIEST FOR YOU!" He clasps his hands together. "NOW IF YOU'LL EXCUSE ME, I NEED TO GO WITH BUBBLE TO SEE IF SOMEONE FORGOT TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT!"

Bubble goes "Uh-oh!" and pops on his own. Caine disappears immediately after with a cut-off scream.

Any papers that hadn't already been grabbed by their recipients fell to the ground.

Zooble picked up hers and assessed it. "Hm. Your bugs are on here, Kinger." She remarks.

"Oh!" Kinger looks at his list, too. "Oh! I think I have your list." He squints. "Zooble_box_part13003a? Zooble_box_part78560d? Zooble_box_part511-"

She cuts him off with a groan. "Ok, stop, I get it. Here, we've got each others, lets just go look together. That's efficient or some [KNOCK], right?"

"Ok! I appreciate the help!" He remarks, shuffling over to her.

"Yeah yeah, whatever." Gently she pries Gangle off her arm. "You go with Ragatha or something, alright? We can talk more later."

Gangle nods. "Ok, Zooble. Have fun?"

Zooble just shrugs, and the pair walk off.

Ragatha looks at her list. "I just see...keys." She slowly turns. "Jax?"

He chuckles. "Yeah, that'd be mine. I got....pfft. Art supplies and 'generic anime figurines 1 and 2'. Crybaby's."

Gangle makes a face at that. "They're not generic..." Assessing her own list, she gives a faint nod. "I've got yours then, Ragatha. Spools of thread, a box of cookies, and....a drawing I gave you." She smiles sheepishly. "Aw...you kept that?"

"Of course I did. Why wouldn't I? You're a great artist, Gangle."

Her smile grew wider. But then her gaze drifts over to Jax and it fades. She slowly walks closer to Ragatha and wraps a ribbon around her arm.

Ragatha sighs. Neutral party, mediator. Here she was. Natural habitat. At least the contact was comforting. "I guess the three of us can go together? Just so none of us are looking alone."

"...yeah, ok. That makes sense." Said Gangle evenly. They all go forward together to start scanning the main room first.

Jax shrugged. "I'm fine with whatever. Real shame Pomni isn't here, we all could've been in easy pairs if we weren't an odd number right now."

Once again Ragatha's chest goes tight with guilt.

"There wasn't an extra list for her stuff, though." Gangle points out. "Do you think none of her stuff got stolen because she was in her room all day yesterday?"

Jax gives a thoughtful hum. "Y'know what, that's a good point. She would've just been along for the ride if she were here. Just an extra person with nothing to look for."

Honestly, that's exactly how Ragatha feels right now: along for the ride. She checks her list again with her free hand.

Five keys. Obj.key.extra, Obj.key.traditionalbathhouse, Obj.key.testroom, Obj.key.knowledge, and Obj.key.Pomni.

".....where do you even get these?" Is what she ends up saying. "How do you already have a key to Pomni's room?"

She realizes she should've known better the moment the words leave her mouth. Jax's grin goes wicked. "Why, do you wanna borrow it? Break in like a real creeper?"

Her breath hitches. "Why...would I want that."

"I dunno, why would you?"

Still trying to bait her into questioning him. As if she hadn't already tried that before she realized why Pomni was hiding.

In truth, she was desperate. Having the key would be helpful. But using it would also surely make everything a thousand times worse.

"I wouldn't. Let's stay on task, ok?"

"Tch."

Gangle looked between the two of them quietly.

It was an awkward search. Ragatha did her best to try and foster some kind of conversation between the three of them, but Gangle was clearly on edge and Jax was clearly focused on his one goal: getting Ragatha to interrogate him.

She knew he wouldn't say anything helpful. She knew he just wanted to see her explode, to find a break in her composure. It was so obvious, every time he succeeded at that, that he was delighted by her frustration and stress.

So why was she so tempted to give in and give him the reaction he wanted?

Slowly, still, they found some of their missing things. Jax's 'testroom' and 'knowledge' keys, Gangle's sketch pad. Jax had tried to look through it and Gangle had done her best to stop him. Once again it was up to her to mediate.

He hadn't tried to break her mask yet, she reasoned. He was just being a bit obnoxious. More bearable than usual meant Ragatha could still in good conscious be calm about it.

Once they'd combed through the main room, they began checking down the hallways. She pointedly avoided staring at Pomni's door again.

My fault.

"...are you sure you're ok?" Gangle asked her with a gentle tug on her arm.

Ragatha blinked the pressure out of her eyes again. She forced a smile. "I'm fine, Gangle. You don't need to worry about me, alright?"

Gangle's expression softened a little. "If you're sure..."

Ragatha takes comfort in Gangle being calm. Takes comfort in the fact that she'd reassured her. Her smile goes a bit more genuine. "I'm sure."

"....ok. Do you think we'll find any of your stuff soon?"

"It's not like there's really anywhere to hide things in a hallway, to be fair. So I-"

"Nope, you nerds aren't paying any attention." Jax cuts them off. He'd split off and was staring at one of the pictures on the wall.

A little piece of paper was poking out from under a bottom corner.

"Oh! Gangle's drawing. Good eye, Jax!" Ragatha praised.

His ears drooped, but he grinned nonetheless. "Eh, it's nothing. You owe me one." He pulled the picture out from its hiding place and unwrinkled it to the best of his ability.

Gangle made a face. "Those are...two contradictory statements." She remarked cautiously.

"Life's too short to say one thing when you wanna say two." He replied. Finally he'd made the paper flat...only to begin folding it.

Ragatha took a deep breath. "Jax, can you not-" She took a step towards him.

"Nah, chill, I got this." He lifted up the paper so they both could see. He'd made a paper airplane. He looked proud of it, too, but it was hard to tell if it was genuine or for the bit.

He sent it flying, and Ragatha caught it. She gave another half-smile. "...thank you? Good work, Jax." She unfolded the airplane to make sure the drawing was at least still intact.

"...don't mention it." Jax mumbles, expression unbothered but tone more difficult to decipher.

The picture was fine.

Gangle peered over at it, and cringed. "Ah...old art. I'm better than that now."

"Aw, but Gangle, this is still so nice! I like the shading especially. You made us both look so happy."

"Nooo it's old and bad, maybe I'll draw you a new picture instead when I have the time-"

Ragatha shook her head. She tucked the picture away into a pocket on her dress. "There's no need to get worked up, sweetheart! This was the first thing you ever gave me. It's got sentimental value. That's not to say you can't draw me a new picture if you want, but there's no replacing a cherished gift like this."

Gangle doesn't get a chance to respond because Jax makes an exaggerated gagging sound. "BLEGH!"

Ragatha glared. "Don't be rude, Jax."

"Augh, bleh, you're killing me! Too cheesy! Too corny!"

"You're not dying, Jax, calm down."

He hacks, doubling over. "Gross amount of sugar! Look out everyone, sap alert!"

Gangle looks visibly embarrassed. A chip forms in the top of her mask.

Ragatha puts her foot down. Bothering her was one thing, but toying with Gangle's self-esteem was another. "You're being immature, Jax! Does it really bother you that much to see other people getting along?!"

He barks out a laugh. "Nah, nah, just..." His smirk grows wide. "Surprised to see you move on from Scribbles so fast, is all~"

Her heart stops. "What...is that supposed to mean?"

Still, looking at her like that. Cat that ate the canary. Sure to choke on it if it were possible. "Oh, nevermind. If it's not obvious, it's not my place to say!" He raises his hands defensively.

What secrets do you know, rabbit? What secrets are you keeping?

Gangle gives her a light tug, and she snaps herself out of it. "Y-yes, Gangle?"

Despite the comedy mask, she looks a little somber. "Usually Zooble's the one to say this, but they're not here. S-sometimes we just have to ignore him? It's not worth it."

She takes a deep breath. Gangle was right. She was reacting exactly the way he wanted her to, and that wasn't productive. He knew exactly how to get on their nerves and he was taking full advantage.

She makes herself smile, if only to try and jumpstart a better mood. "You're right, Gangle. Thank you. Let's just keep looking."

Gangle smiles, too. "Yeah! Maybe we can meet up with Zooble and Kinger, that would be nice."

"It would, wouldn't it?" Resuming the trek, she lightly turns back to Jax. "You're still coming, right?"

He lets out a ghost of a laugh. "Sure, sure. Nothin better to do."

"Mm..." Went Gangle, nervous. Ragatha gently patted her arm in reassurance.

More searching. Slow and steady. They found one of Gangle's figurines and Jax's 'traditionalbathhouse' key close by one another.

Which left Gangle's art supplies and other figurine, two more of Jax's keys, and her own snack box and thread spools.

Ragatha made a mental note to keep an eye out for Kinger's bugs, too. Those had a likelihood of moving around on their own, so if they came across them it would be helpful to keep a hold of them until they met up with him again.

It was good to be distracted. An active mind left less room for wandering. Any lapse in attention meant she could dwell on Pomni's avoidance of her.

........oops.

She'd really messed up, hadn't she? She was meant to be the person who improved others moods. A listening ear, a shoulder to cry on. The one they could come to for comfort.

Not the reason someone was uncomfortable in the first place. But she'd failed at that.

What else could she be doing wrong?

It was much later in the day when they'd all managed to find almost everything on their lists. Everything but Ragatha's cookies and Jax's 'extra' key. Whatever that led to.

She'd been smart to keep an eye out for bugs, because she managed to spot one of Kinger's beetles on their way back to the main room. She'd cupped it in her hand for safekeeping...but after doing basically nothing, completely still in her hand for the entire duration of her trek...she bit the bullet and set it on her shoulder. She'd been afraid of it crawling into her hair, but it didn't. She doubted these bugs had complex enough AI to do anything actually disruptive, when she actually thought about it. She appreciated having free hands.

Gangle was still stuck by her side, her smaller form using Ragatha's body as a physical barrier. Jax was on her other side, of course, and there was distance between them. Gangle had yet to have her mask broken today, and it was obvious to all three of them that Ragatha was the reason for that. It was hard not to be fiercely protective of the peace.

And, honestly, as far as that was concerned, she thought she had done a decent job. She'd kept contention to a minimum, did her best to make them both feel included. Jax hadn't been given an opportunity to break anything...but he clearly had enjoyed himself, being a nuisance the whole time. That counted, right? That meant he'd technically had a good time on the adventure.

"Maybe Zooble and Kinger found the last two things?" Gangle is saying. "I feel like we've looked everywhere that's not a side room by now."

"I doubt Zoobs picked up anything she wasn't legally required to." Replied Jax.

"It's possible..." Gangle argued quietly.

"Let's not argue about it. We'll find out once we meet up with them again, right?" Ragatha interjected with a reassuring smile.

Gangle gave a light nod but didn't reply.

Jax twirled one of his keys around his finger. "Yeah, yeah." He remarked sarcastically.

She watched the movement of the key with a critical eye. Which key even was that? They all looked identical. She'd had a sense for what they were when she'd held one, briefly, but without it actively in her hand she had no way to describe the feeling.

It might've been Pomni's key, he was playing with.

She shoved the thought out of her mind. Bad. Despite all her guilt there was still a lingering pining, deep in her chest. It just made the guilt worse.

Pomni, warm, bringing her comfort enough to sleep soundly. Something she'd never asked for...and yet inaction had allowed it to transpire, allowed Pomni's discomfort to persist for Ragatha's benefit.

A part of her felt sick, at remembering. And another longed for it again, and again. For Pomni to hold her that gently again, often. As often as she would be allowed. To be that warm again, emotionally and physically.

She winced. Selfish. Selfish. She had no place wanting things after hurting Pomni like she had.

"Zooble!" Gangle exclaimed, lifting Ragatha out of her reverie. Finally the mass of ribbons split from her side, rushing ahead.

Zooble was standing at the end of the hallway, eyes widening a little at the sight of them. "Oh. Hey, guys."

Gangle, arms full of her things, dashed towards Zooble with a wide smile. "Hey! Did you find all your parts?"

Zooble's expression softened again. "Yeah, we pretty much found everything. Aside from-"

Gangle's foot snagged on something.

Everything moves in slow motion. Ragatha, being behind her, cannot see Gangle's expression. But she can see Zooble's, and he looks distressed. He moves forward, arms outstretched to try and catch her, but he's not quick enough. Onto her face she falls, and her stuff scatters across the floor.

Crack, goes the porcelain sound. Chip goes the facade of peace.

Ragatha stumbles forward, the silence broken by a choked sob. "Gangle, are you-"

"Wh-what did I trip on....?" She whimpered, pushing herself up a little. Tears trail down her face and drip, down to the floor, to her broken mask.

Zooble reaches down and helps Gangle up. Zooble's hold is tight, almost harsh, but Gangle doesn't seem to notice or mind. Everyone turns and looks to see what had caused the fall.

Ragatha isn't as surprised as she wished she was to see a key laying there.

Jax gasps in surprise. "Oh, oops! Must've slipped off my finger. My bad, Gangle." He lazily trots over to pick it up, but Zooble beats him to it.

Their grip is tight around the offending object. "Really. You spun it at just the right angle to fly off and perfectly hit Gangle in the foot? On accident?" They remark, unconvinced. Accusation clear in their gaze.

Gangle sniffles and picks up the two halves of the mask. "It's....it's fine, it was probably gonna happen eventually...."

Zooble's antenna twitch violently. "No, stop that! Stop just-" They cut themself off with a hiss. Their hand continues to clench tightly around the key. They gesture with it toward Jax with darkness in their eyes. "I'm keeping this, since you clearly can't be responsible with it."

Jax's gaze shifts, almost imperceptibly, towards Ragatha again. But then he just shrugs. "Whatever, it's Scribbles'. Not like I need it right now."

So it was Pomni's key, after all. Honestly, Zooble having it was probably a good thing. She couldn't be tempted to ask Jax for it if Jax didn't have it.

Zooble huffed, and slipped the loop of the key around one of their antenna. "Did you end up finding all your stuff, Gangle?" They ask, tone going gentler.

Gangle gives a faint nod. "Yeah, I did...it was my sketchbook and some action figures that I lost..." She says, leaning down to begin gathering it all up again.

"Mm-hm. I found all of my stuff, but Kinger's still missing a bug."

Kinger made a sad face at that. "Poor Barthus. I hope he's alright..."

Ragatha snaps back to attention. "Oh, don't worry Kinger! I found your beetle!" She scoops it off her shoulder and holds it out as she walks over to where he stood in the main room.

Kinger's expression flips instantly, suddenly seeming deliriously happy. "Barthus! Oh, thank you so much! I was so worried!" He reaches out his hands, too, and gently takes the beetle from her. He places it on his head, and only then does Ragatha notice that his other missing bugs were perched up there, too. Three beetles, his half-and-half moth, and a spider currently making a crude, pixelly web on his crown.

He seemed to be much more at ease with all of his little creatures returned. "I'm going to put these back in their containers, now that I've got them all. Oh! I found this while I was looking! You can have it as a thank you, Ragatha! You like sweet things, right?"

And he holds out her box of cookies she was missing. She smiled. "Thank you Kinger, I do." She replied. He'd feel more accomplished, thinking this was a gift and not something that was already hers to begin with.

His delighted look grows brighter. "You are very welcome!" He shuffles off without another word, a gleeful bounce to his movements.

Ragatha lets out a weary sigh. All done with the adventure, minus the key Jax was still missing...and still no sign of Pomni. All day, and she still hadn't come to see them. Come to see her.

She'd really, really messed up this time.

".....you've been making that face all day." Zooble speaks up.

Ragatha jolts. She wasn't holding it together well enough. This was her problem to fix, no one else needed to be worried about her.

She turns. Jax had gone off somewhere while she wasn't looking, so it was just her, Zooble, and Gangle. She forces a smile. "What face?"

Zooble looks about ten times as tired, at the question. "Ragatha...are you really that upset that Pomni didn't show?" She asks bluntly.

Ragatha feels her chest go tight, but she does her best to not let it affect her tone. "Upset? I mean...I'm worried about her, sure...especially since she hasn't done this in a while...but I'm sure everything's fine! She'll leave her room again when she feels ready." She insists.

Gangle's frown deepens. "If you're worried about her, why...um. Why haven't you checked on her today?"

"Well, it's...not my place. And I don't want to hover. She's probably isolating because she wants space, I'd assume. And, like I said, I'm sure she'll come out when she's ready."

An even deeper frown. ".....I-I'm worried about her, too." She admitted. "I don't want anything bad to happen to her. She...she's my friend." A tear rolls down the mask.

Zooble's expression softens. "Hey, she's fine. Ragatha's...probably right. Right? Right."

An attempt to be reassuring, Ragatha assumes. Her tone lacked any energy. But the words themselves weren't any more or less convincing than what Ragatha herself had said.

None of them had any idea what Pomni was doing in there, did they?

"But, but...what if she isn't? Wh-what if...." Gangle trails off, sounding hopelessly nervous.

Zooble raises a brow. "......what if what?"

"I...um. This probably isn't helpful, but...but we also hadn't seen Kaufmo for a few days...before...."

The silence that followed was tense.

She was fine until we shared a tent.

She can't stop the horror she knows has crept into her expression. My fault, my fault.

Zooble gives Gangle a light shove with their elbow. "Gangle, shut up. That's not what this is."

Gangle goes quiet. Her grip on her stuff trembles.

But then, she takes a deep breath. "I'm sorry...you're right, I shouldn't have said that. I'm, I'm going to go put my stuff back in my room." She turned back again towards the hallway. "I'll be, be right back."

Zooble gives a light nod, eyes a little narrow. "...don't take too long."

Ragatha can't bring herself to say anything.

They both watch Gangle disappear into the hallway, before Zooble turns back to Ragatha. They're looking at her strangely.

Once again, she must be doing a terrible job of keeping it together, if Zooble is both noticing and reacting to it. She forces a smile. "I'm sorry if I'm worrying you. I'm just a little tired. Spending a lot of time with Jax does that, sometimes, right?"

It was easier to blame Jax than herself. But she hates passing the blame onto other people regardless.

Zooble's strange look doesn't fade. The antenna with the key on it twitches. "Can't argue with that. You...put up with him too much, y'know that? You really oughta try telling him to [PONG] off sometimes, it's good for you."

"That's...not really something I want to do. And I doubt it would work." Ragatha replies, before turning at the sound of a familiar wooden shuffle against the floor. Kinger had finished putting away his bugs, it seemed.

"What are we talking about?" He asks, tilting his head.

Zooble's gaze drifts back over to the hallway. "...not much. Hey, Kinger, what do you think is up with Pomni?"

Kinger brings a hand up to where his chin would be if he had one. "Oh, well...I haven't thought about it really. Well, no, I have....but more about the what than the why."

Zooble's antenna twitched a little. "And what is the what?" She asks.

He looks up. "I'm worried about her. I hope she's doing alright."

She groans. "Glad we've all got complex thoughts on this." She deadpans.

He frowns back. "Should I say something else?"

"...no, I don't really have room to talk, honestly."

Ragatha sighs. "It's...we shouldn't work ourselves up about it, right? Caine said he'd bring her out himself tomorrow if she didn't come out today. So it'll either be up to her or him." She points out. "Realistically we'll see her soon either way." That was her time limit, then. Either find the words to apologize before she went to bed...or stay up all night so she had it figured out by tomorrow.

A sigh from Zooble. "You...ugh. You're right but it's stupid that you are."

Ragatha can't find it in herself to be offended by that. Without anyone else knowing what she'd done to make Pomni hide, she probably was coming across as more lackadaisical than usual. This was far less proactive than she usually was with these kinds of things.

"Eee! G-guys!" Yelped a high-pitched voice from the hallway. Accompanied by a tiny, clothy pitter-patter against the floor, barely audible if not for the general quiet at the moment.

They all turn to see Gangle sprinting towards them.

Ragatha's brow furrows in concern. "Gangle? Is everything alright?"

Her distress seems to heighten at Ragatha's addressing of her. "O-oh! Um, yes, definitely fine! Um, wait, well-" She shrinks a little, and then grabs onto Zooble's arm, pulling them down toward her.

"Uh-?!" Zooble blurts, but then Gangle whispers something quickly to them, at a speed and register that prevents Ragatha from hearing. She sees their eyes widen. "...oh."

"Y-yeah, um, I think I need...backup." Gangle says, still quiet but loud enough for Ragatha to hear this time.

"I can help!" Exclaims Kinger, clasping his hands together. "I don't know what's going on, but I don't have anything else to do!"

Her breath hitches. She swiftly wipes away a tear, then another. "Y-yeah, that'd be good." She replies.

"I can come too-" Ragatha starts, but Gangle shrieks again.

"N-no! Not...you don't need to, Ragatha." She cuts her off quickly. "You've, um, you've helped enough today, it's not a big deal, really! I-I just want you to take a break!"

She feels a sense of alarm, abrupt. Gangle's tone, despite clearly trying to be reassuring, was panicked, fretful. Hasty. Ragatha wasn't wanted, but Gangle was trying to hide why.

She hides her hurt. "Oh...ok then. I hope you get...whatever this is fixed, then? I appreciate the break. Thank you for caring, Gangle."

Gangle takes a few steps backwards, back towards the hall. "Y-yeah, you're welcome. Guys, c'mon guys, follow me..."

The pair follow her, Zooble in the front, and Kinger leaning down to allow Gangle to harshly whisper to him, too. The last thing audible before they're out of earshot is Kinger exclaiming 'oh dear!'

Ragatha takes another shuddering breath. No one trusted her with their problems anymore. First she'd failed Pomni, and now she was failing Gangle, too.

She sets her stuff down, and then wrapped her arms around herself, shuffling over to the stage to lean against it. Lost in thought, for who knew how long. Her fault. She was doing everything wrong.

Eventually the weight of her thoughts drags her down, gravity making her slump to the floor. Her fault, her fault, her-

"And here I thought Scribbles was being dramatic."

She startles, looking up to see Jax towering over her. Well, he was just standing normally, but with how tall he was by default, and with Ragatha being on the floor....

She's never found him intimidating. But today has been pushing that, as he pushed her buttons.

"Oh! Welcome back, Jax, where were you?" She asks rather than address his statement. She doesn't stand, but she does make an effort to smile.

He pulls out a key, tosses it up and catches it in his hand again. "Checking one last place. Found my last key. So now I'm all done with...y'know. The obligatory participation."

She closes her eye as she beams. "I'm glad for you! That key was labeled...'extra', right? What does it lead to?"

He squints at it, and then chuckles. "Not important. Aside from room keys there's plenty I haven't figured out yet. What's life without a little mystery." He replies.

She sees the way his ears dip a little, tilted to the side, but not pointing all the way downward. Was this something that bothered him? He wasn't usually very genuine or candid with how he was feeling...

...it was always difficult to get through to him.

She pats the floor next to her with a hand.

He raises a brow at her, grin slipping to something more neutral.

She just keeps smiling.

He shrugs. "Eh, why not." He remarks, and sits cross-legged next to her.

It's quiet. Neither of them speak. She glances at him sideways, sees him fiddling with the key.

It's not as pressing as it was before. He knew something...didn't he? She could be jumping to conclusions about Pomni. But she couldn't think of anything else that had happened that would've caused this.

Jax was probably the only one who had information she didn't. If anyone had a way to confirm or deny her suspicions, it was him.

But she still knew, deep in her heart, that she likely wasn't going to get anything out of him. He had spent almost all his time since the maze grinning at her smugly, watching her inner turmoil. If he wanted to clear this up at all, he would've by now. So what would he say? What would he say, if she tried asking him again?

She pulled up her knees and hugged them tightly.

Jax gave her a once-over. "I can tell you're just dying to pick my brain. I don't know why. I know less than you do, I'll bet." He remarked as he turned away again.

She sighed. "Really?" She breathed. "What do you think I know, that's so important?"

She didn't turn to see him, see his probably smug expression, but she could feel his eyes on her. "You don't have any suspicions? Any...ideas about Scribbles holing herself away like a mole?" He prompts. "C'mon, lemme hear your theories. Just because you aren't saying them doesn't mean you don't have them."

She let out a strained breath. "No. You're just going to dangle information in front of me like a fishing lure." She raised her head, looking at him critically. "Forgive me for being short with you, but I simply don't believe you'd repay any gossip I tell you."

It's hard to call this anything else, right? He just wants the satisfaction of knowing her secrets. Phobia already securely in his pocket, he took and took and never gave.

He'd been here almost as long as her but she felt like she barely knew the person he'd become. Though...maybe she was just the same. It wasn't like she jumped at the opportunity to talk about herself...most of the time.

It was different, with Pomni.

He scoffs. "That's not very optimistic of you! I was gonna offer Pomni's key to you in exchange...if Zooble hadn't snagged it first." He shrugs. "Eh, I've got the key to his room. I can steal it back later."

She exhaled, brushed hair behind her nonexistent ear. "I don't want Pomni's key. All I'd do with it is give it to her so you don't have it."

"Really, no temptation at all? Aren't you...curious?" His grin resurfaces, familiar in the worst of ways. "And here I thought you two liked each other or something."

She hates the way he does this. Any accusation was a fishing line, a net, cast to assuage its accuracy. And yet, could she blame him, for being right? For thinking the pair were close?

She wanted to be. She wanted to be so very desperately. But after taking advantage of her own vulnerability to Pomni's detriment...

"...I thought we did, too. But I'm sure she hates me now." She admits. It's not like it could get any worse. Jax would keep poking and prodding until she admitted it...and she'd rather get it over with now, rather than wait until Pomni was forced out tomorrow.

But silence follows, not the taunting or laughing she'd been expecting. She looks back at him and is genuinely surprised to see him look...confused.

"Hate you." He repeats.

He looks so genuinely out of his element that Ragatha herself has trouble finding the words to continue. "...yes? You've been staring at me and implying that for a day and a half."

His ears fully swivel downward, at that. "Now you're just putting words in my mouth. All I was implying was that I had dirt on her." He raises a hand to gesture with it. "Have you been overthinking or- no. Wait. Did you do something that I'm not aware of?"

Oh. He had no idea. This whole thing was jump started by his story and he didn't even know that.

She half-expected that he'd spied on them that night, honestly. That he'd somehow found out about this on his own. But he sounded....well, it was hard to ever call him genuine.

But this sounded like genuine curiosity. A morbid kind of curiosity, but not fake.

She face-planted into her knees. "Ugh...look, if I tell you, you're not going to take it seriously. So I don't see the point. And it's none of your business."

"Oh c'mon, be vague, then! Gimme something to work with!" She can tell by his tone that he's smiling wider, but she doesn't bother lifting her head to check.

It was Pomni's business, her boundaries and comfort zones. It wasn't Ragatha's place to share them, and therefore sharing the exact nature of what happened that night was out of the question.

That, and thinking about it in any extended fashion filled her with grief and longing anew. Bad idea.

And yet...the facts of this situation hadn't changed. He was going to pester her about it until he got an answer. And if she didn't give in, he might very well start pestering Pomni about it too, tomorrow.

"I...made her uncomfortable. And I haven't gotten a chance to apologize because she's been hiding. I can't think of any reason for her to hide that isn't related to the fact that I hurt her feelings...so now I have no idea what I'm going to do." She explained, still not looking up. Voice muffled by her dress.

Jax clicked his tongue. "Hm. Yeah, no, I got nothing for that." He admitted. "But you're...you. Isn't it, like, impossible for you to do anything even slightly not selfless enough to..." He trailed off. "Words. I have a hard time believing you could do anything like that if you were trying to."

She groaned. "That's what I'm stressing for, Jax! I don't know! There's a possibility I'm wrong but you!" She lifted up to glare at him through the building pressure behind her eye. "You are the only person who could tell me if I'm wrong! You talked to her in that maze, didn't you?"

He raised his hands defensively. "Hey now! I'm not in the business of airing out dirty laundry!"

She leered at him. "That's your entire business model, I'd argue."

He chuckled. "...fair, fair. But in this case...it'd be no fun, doing it without Scribbles here. No fun showing off her dirty laundry without her here to see the stain." His grin went cruel, again.

Her eye narrowed. "Really?" She pressed, mildly disappointed. Whatever he'd found out about Pomni was...embarrassing, then? And he wasn't going to share it unless Pomni was here, for maximum embarrassment potential.

...huh. That meant...it might not've been Ragatha Pomni was hiding from.

The weight it took off her mind was immense and immediate...but it wasn't gone completely. This was just another possibility. And this was still a terribly cruel thing for Jax to premeditate.

"There's being unkind, Jax, and then there's this. Leave her alone." She says.

Half a laugh. "What, I can't make my own entertainment?"

"Is there some kind of rule I've missed where that entertainment has to be at the expense of other people?"

"Not my fault its the best kind! You guys are too easy to mess with!"

A glare. She didn't like doing anything that encouraged this behavior. Engaging with him in this argument was surely having that effect. And yet...it was difficult not to be fiercely protective of Pomni. "She's having some kind of terrible time, I know, if it's led to her hiding like this. Whether its your fault or mine, she needs a break, Jax."

His smug grin went smugger, like he'd caught her admitting something she hadn't already. "You trying to say...Pomni's off-limits, then?"

She didn't like the line being cast, with that question. She didn't like feeling the need to say yes, she is, and I will enforce it if necessary. Because it would be cruel to do that...when she wasn't even doing that for Gangle, his favorite victim. She couldn't single anyone out as off-limits. She wasn't meant to have a favorite. She could try and stop things when they happen, but...she knew she wouldn't be listened to, if she tried to do more than that.

Her feelings for Pomni couldn't dictate what she let Jax do, because she wasn't more important than either of them. She wasn't in charge of either of them.

They were all in this mess together.

"I'm just asking you to try and have some empathy sometimes, Jax. Some restraint, even if just this once."

He scoffed, visibly amused. "That's not a no. What, you have a favorite or something?"

Throwing darts at her thoughts, trying to hit a bullseye. She wished his aim was worse. "I..."

Another laugh, louder this time. "No shot I was right on both counts. Are you really that predictable, Rags?"

Against her will she feels herself flush. "Would it...would it kill you to be transparent? I'm not going to play guessing games with you, Jax."

Wide grin, delighted eyes. "What, I've been pretty blatant, I like to think! I can't say I know what your type is, but..." He laughs under his breath. "I'd held out a little hope that your standards weren't that low."

The knot in her stuffing is back. It was very, very obvious what he was implying he knew. But how? She hadn't said anything, had she? Why...

...no. To someone like him, it would be obvious. He was perceptive. Nosy. If anyone would figure it out, by accident or not, it would be Jax.

"......mock me all you like, but leave her out of it." She replies, quiet. "There's no such things as standards."

His eyes bug out. "Woah, deja vu! She said the same thing to me in that maze, when I said you were obsessed with her."

Her breath hitches again. She feels cold, so cold. "You...you said what."

He feigns surprise, raising his hands. "Oh, oops! Was that a secret or something, miss professional Pomni-sitter?"

She flusters even further, but now its joined by a mounting terror. A new reason for Pomni to potentially be avoiding her.

He notes her expression with a light head tilt. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't think she believed me." He remarks. "Thought I was making fun of you. Which, really, what a reasonable reaction! What in the world could be attractive about that ticking time-bomb of a wet cat-"

That fiercely protective feeling is back. She forces herself to her feet. "Do not call her either of those things. She is kind, and brave, and funny. And you need to mind your own business."

She'd like to think her tone was one that was non-negotiable...she felt it was a tone that she knew how to invoke easily. But someone like Jax wasn't put off by nearly anything. He too stands, and being taller than her, it was hard to think he found her figure or expression to be particularly intimidating. "Really? This is the hill you're going to die on? That Scribbles has romantic appeal?" He says it like it's a ridiculous idea. Ragatha finds his skepticism a bit offensive.

"Is this the hill you're willing to die on? That she doesn't?" She shot back.

He lightly exhaled through the nose he didn't have. "Nah, I don't feel that strongly about it." He waves a dismissive hand. "Just questioning your decision making, that's all."

"I don't need questioning. All I need is for you..." She stops. What even could she say, to get him off her back?

Nothing. He made it his mission, constantly, to not leave anyone alone about anything.

He raises a curious brow. "...yeah?"

She massaged the bridge of her nose...or, well, that's not really how her face was shaped. Her nose didn't have a bridge. But the gesture, performative or not, made her feel a little calmer. "Is it too much to ask that you give me a little time to talk to her first, before you expose all her embarrassing secrets in front of both of us?" She questions. She was starting to get exhausted, trying to make deals with him.

He looks up, hand to his chin. "Hm...I mean, I could be persuaded. Probably. Depends."

Exhausted, so, so tired of him not saying things. "Depends on wh-"

"U-um, Ragatha?"

She jumps a little. "Gangle!" She exclaims, turning to see the mass of ribbons standing a ways away watching the pair of them arguing. "Sorry, how long have you been there, I didn't see you!"

"Y-you and Kinger both..." She mumbles awkwardly. But then, louder, she continues. "U-um. I'm sorry I told you I didn't want your help. I...do. I think I need it."

Her eye widens a little. A weight from before lifts from her chest. "I'd be glad to. What is it you need?"

Jax scoffs from the side, but both the women ignore him. "It's...it's Pomni. We went to see Pomni, and...Zooble told me to get you if they didn't have everything...uh, figured out in an hour. It's been an hour."

Her eye widens further. "Pomni needs my help?" She clarifies.

Gangle nods. "Yeah, she's...got some kind of problem, and she doesn't know how to fix it? I left, left before I heard what it was, b-but Zooble said to get you. You're always really good at fixing things."

It was reassurance. She was settled into her role. Pomni needed her. She didn't know what way, but a need was a need. And it was a need she could fulfil.

She squared her shoulders, took a deep breath. "Alright. Thank you for telling me, Gangle. I'll go now."

She turned and left.

Jax followed.

Her nerves spiked. "Jax, please. Is there some secret phrase you want to hear that'll make you leave us alone."

"Oh, it's an 'us' situation already! But no, no magic words to get you out of this one."

"I don't want to get out of this one. But I would appreciate you getting out of this one."

"What if I promise to stay quiet? Maybe I just wanna watch."

"If you promised me that I wouldn't believe you, Jax."

"You're so harsh."

"You're making it necessary."

She sees Pomni's door, now. Within sight, within reach. Jax still right beside her, in exactly the place he couldn't be for this.

She heaved out a steadying breath, and turned, gripping Jax's shoulders with her hands. "Jax, I'm being so genuine right now, if you leave me alone while I talk to her, I will willingly let you put centipedes in my hair tomorrow."

His eyes go huge. His smile seems less smug, and more genuinely delighted. "Woah. Centipedes plural, you're saying? I mean, that takes away the fun of surprise, but....hm. You drive a hard bargain, Dollface."

She cringes. Deal with the devil. But at this point, it was necessary. Anything was.

Pomni needed her. Pomni needed her. If Ragatha had to have the worst day ever tomorrow...making sure Pomni was okay was worth it.

Because whether or not Pomni felt the same...Ragatha loved her. Was that enough? It had to be.

Please.

She released Jax from her hold and took a step away. He didn't move, just grinned.

She took another steadying breath. Turned away from him, took another step, towards the door.

Before it she stood, soon enough. She heard muffled words, indistinct. She knocked before she had a chance to accidentally overhear.

"....Pomni?"

The chatter goes quiet.

She doubts herself, even now. "Are you in here...? Gangle said you needed me?"

More quiet, but only for a few moments more. Then the door opens, revealing Zooble and Kinger. She can't see past them to where Pomni is.

Gangle had said they were trying to help, earlier.

"Oh! You both are...?"

"Just leaving. Don't mind us." Replies Zooble, not waiting for her to move aside before shoving past her, as if desperate to leave now that they had a replacement.

Ragatha does the polite thing and moves out the way, so that Kinger doesn't have to do the same.

And then there were two. Her eyes lock with Pomni's. It's such a tremendous relief, seeing her after not being able to for what felt like so long. Nothing was different about her form, but it wasn't like she was expecting a bed head, or bags under her eyes. That just wasn't how their digital bodies worked.

She hasn't moved yet, but she also hasn't looked away from her for even a second.

She clasped her hands together at her hips, smiling small. "Pomni...I was beginning to get worried. Are you alright?" She asks. It's a good place to start.

She expects Pomni to stammer, to be nervous or hesitant in her presence. To try, even if just in demeanor, to hide again, to make herself small. Two out of three reasons she'd come up with for this had involved discomfort in her presence, after all.

But that's not what the jester does. Instead, she rushes forward, almost desperately, and reaches out for Ragatha's hands. She pries them apart, holds them in her own. Looks up at her with those pinwheels. No scribbles, none at all.

Ragatha can't hide the surprise she knows shows on her face. She hopes it's subtle enough to not be flustered.

Pomni, going out of her way to touch her. She hadn't asked, and this time, it wasn't even something she was yearning for.

....well, not any more than usual.

"I-I'm...alright. Yeah, k-kinda..." She replies, and there's the stammer Ragatha had been expecting. "I'm...I'm happy to see you. I'm sorry that I made you worry..."

Ragatha lets out a sigh. It's fond. "It's alright, sweetheart. I'm just glad you're not...hurt, or something somehow." She pauses, leaning a tad closer to scrutinize. "You're not, are you?"

She can see, very clearly, the way Pomni's face goes blue at the question (or maybe just the proximity), so she leans back out of her bubble. Pomni still babbles a little, in response. "N-no, I'm? Fine, uh, mostly. I'm not hurt, no."

Ragatha smiles again. Their hands, intertwined like this...the yearning was back with a vengeance. She tries very hard not to let it show in her voice or expression. "I'm glad."

Neither of them get a chance to continue. Off to the side, someone clears their throat.

They both turn.

Jax was standing a few feet away, something sinister in his gaze.

Ragatha hears Pomni stop breathing. When she looks down at her, she sees scribbles instead of pinwheels.

She turns back to Jax with protective fury in her gaze. She couldn't let him ruin this. She wouldn't let him ruin this.

If someone gets hurt today, let it be my fault, and not his.

Mine.

Chapter Text

Pomni's breath hitched, caught in her throat. Jax's gaze met hers, knowing and smug. Eager, delighted.

She could guess what her face was doing.

Jax takes a step towards the two of them. Pomni is too scared to move, but Ragatha has no such difficulty. She repositions them, pulling one of her hands free to allow herself easier movement. Bodily putting herself between them.

Did she even know what Jax was threatening her with?

"Jax." Is all she says, tone threatening. Dangerous.

Pomni is almost startled by it. Well, she is startled. But it's a feeling that's dwarfed by how safe she feels. This was protective. Ragatha, fierce, a fire in her eye. Literally. Thanks, cartoon logic, for enhancing the moment.

Jax stops his advance, looking amused. "Oooh, she's got some bite. God forbid I get a papercut!" He remarks, teasingly.

"Jax. I thought we agreed on something." She says, cold.

"What, you got that in writing? I can surprise you with a bug whenever I want, but this opportunity is one that'll disappear if I give you both time to kiss and make up." He replies, tilting his head to grin at them.

Pomni feels like she's frozen in place. She shrinks, not daring to look up and see Ragatha's reaction. That was a figure of speech, she doesn't know yet, calm down, you can still stop this-

"Jax, I'm not going to let you do this to her. I will- I will hurt you if you do." The conviction in her voice wavers, but it's strong.

Pomni finds nothing else to offset the startle, this time. She squeezes her eyes shut. Here she is, courage gathered, and still she freezes up. How pathetic of her. How quickly things fall apart, the moment the safety is left behind.

Jax laughs out loud. "Oh, scaaaary. Like I'm scared of your plush hands! It's really not as big a deal as you think it is. No need to resort to threats. In fact..."

No, no, shut up-

"...I bet it's something she wants to say even without me doing it for her."

Please, please, no, please-

"...right, Scribbles? I'll even give you a head start!"

She pries her eyes open to stare at him. Time feels like its stopped. His words hang in the empty space left in their wake. She wants to run and hide, crawl into her room, lock the door, burrow under her bed. But Jax would just shout through the door, muffled but unimpeded.

He wanted her to tell Ragatha about her crush, right then and there.

She wanted to. She wanted to, but she couldn't. Not while knowing the risk of telling someone with Ragatha's tendencies. Not while Jax was here, especially. She wasn't even here to confess, she just wanted to-

Jax is staring, focus shifting back and forth between the pair of them. "C'mon now. Ain't got all day."

"I said leave her alone, Jax." Ragatha repeats, stern. She feels the hand still held in her own tighten its grip. Ragatha's stress and anger is radiating off her, spreading through their contact.

But the contact itself is the least stressful part of this situation, unfortunately. It would be so much nicer if all she had to worry about was was whether or not to be bothered by Ragatha touching her.

"You act like this isn't what you were expecting me to do, Dollface." He remarks.

"Of course I expected you to do this. I just was hoping you wouldn't, despite that. That you have even a little bit of respect for other people's feelings."

"Oh, feelings. What a coincidence, funny you mention that!"

Oh no.

"Last chance to get a word in edgewise, Scribbles." He says, as if it was a mercy he was providing her, and not just delaying a bigger disaster than she had mentally prepared for.

Why couldn't there be some kind of magic word to get him to shut up and-

...wait. There was. She knew what the words were, she'd been paying attention. She knew exactly the kind of words that would shut him up.

Swiftly, before she has a chance to doubt herself, or give him a chance to cut her off, she stammers them out. "A-and that's a chance that I'm super grateful for, Jax! R-really, I, you know, appreciate you so much!"

His expression shifts instantly. Ears swiveling down to drape behind him. "Wh-"

She doesn't let him continue. "Like, you could've easily just shared all my secrets while I was hiding, but you didn't! And, and that's so so nice of you! You're really nice, Jax, for that, and I, y'know, appreciate it!" She does her best to sound as genuine as possible. It helps that that was something she actually did appreciate.

He looks nervous, now. "I...you don't-"

"Thank you, Jax! Thank you for not hurting me!" She says, slightly increasing in volume. "You're the nicest person here! You're really good at everything, you're so funny and considerate-"

"Wh-what the [FOGHORN] are you-"

"A-and another thing, you haven't broke into my room this whole time, even though you had a key! Which, which means you respect my privacy! I appreciate that, too, so-"

Jax takes a step backwards. "Jesus, Pomni, stop! What are you doing this for?!"

"I bet no one ever points it out, do they? When you do good? So here I am, doing it!" Her hand squeezes Ragatha's.

His breath comes out shaky. Another step away from them. "F...freak. You're both freaks, fake as [QUACK]!" He looks almost afraid. But it's a look she doesn't get to see for long because he turns away from them, shoulders raised. "This isn't worth it anymore. Creep. Fine, Rags, I'll take your stupid deal. Bye."

And then he speed-walks away, around a corner out of sight.

Pomni lets out a breath and hunches over, eyes wide. "Oh thank [BLEAT]ing god that worked."

Ragatha hasn't said anything yet, and Pomni's still a little scared to look at her. But their hands are still tightly clasped...which is probably a good thing, since this is Ragatha.

She exhales heavily. "I don't think I've ever been that scared in my life."

"How...how did you do that?" Ragatha questions, bewildered, and the voice is enough to get Pomni's attention on her more directly.

She didn't seem to be upset. In fact, it seemed like all her anger had disappeared. She almost seemed to be looking at her in...awe.

If that didn't fluster her all over again, nothing would. And Pomni wasn't exactly difficult to fluster.

Suddenly the contact was too much. She gently pulls her hand out of Ragatha's grip, clasping both her own at neck level. "I...I uh..."

"Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No, no, it's fine, it was fine, I did it first." She insists. She knows she must be so blue, right now.

It's a shame she's having a hard time looking Ragatha in the face, right then, because she would've seen that the other was flustered, too.

At least...for a moment. But Pomni's statement seems to make her frown, and the blush disappears before Pomni has a chance to notice it. "Actually...I wanted to talk to you about that. Something related to that, I mean."

Pomni looks up at her. She looks dejected, guilty. It's a startling thing to see. "Ragatha...?"

Ragatha takes a deep breath, lets it out slowly. "Would you mind...taking a walk with me? Outside? J-just for privacy's sake. Everyone else is probably winding down for the day, by now."

She tries to temper her expectations. Ragatha seemed somber, she didn't want privacy for any...intimate reason. Be normal, Pomni. You can do it. It is within your power.

She nods. "Sure, I guess....yeah."

Her smile is gentle. They go together...but this time, not hand-in-hand.

Pomni is surprised to find herself a little disappointed by that.

The sky never changed on its own, and so the moon and sun peered down at them, as they walked. Pacing the path around the lake, together. Pomni was glad that most of the AI didn't really interact with them unless directed to do so. Having to make small talk with the sky sounded way too awkward for her to manage at the moment.

...Ragatha's posture was nervous. It was a weird thing to see: normally she didn't let anyone see her stresses. The fact that she was letting whatever this was get to her, visibly....or maybe allowing Pomni to see it...

Was this trust? Letting her guard down? Or was this just really, really bad?

It's so quiet. Pomni doesn't want to interrupt it. She doesn't. She doesn't know how.

The silence was, eventually, broken by a sigh. "I...I think I know why you've been hiding, Pomni."

Pomni staggers in place, her metaphorical heart going still. "You...you do...?" She questions. Terror grips her.

"Well...I have a few ideas. I don't know which one it is." She admits. She turns her head, looking at Pomni with a difficult to read expression. "I...had assumed it was me you were hiding from. But then Jax, he...implied he knew some secret of yours. So I figured it might've been him, actually. But he wanted to spill your secret to me, specifically, I think." She rambles, gesturing with her hands, looking forward again. She sighs. "It kept going back and forth. Tell me, Pomni, even if only in part..." Once more she turns, but this time her whole body, stopping her movement. They stand together at the tree line. "...was it me you were hiding from?"

She hadn't guessed the reason. She was asking for an honest answer, for transparency. Pomni still did not feel ready to spill her feelings in full.

But if she wanted Ragatha to be honest, too, it would be hypocritical to answer her question with a lie.

She nodded.

The breath the ragdoll lets out is a quiet one. "I see." She says, quiet. Resigned. It's heartbreaking.

"L-listen, it's...it's nothing bad, I just....." She tries, but she just can't bring herself to say it. She couldn't do it, she couldn't inflict this upon her closest friend.

She averts her gaze. "I don't think less of you, Pomni. I mean...I wouldn't, if it was bad. I...have a guess. It's been eating me, all day." She rubs her arm, seeming guilty, almost. What? "Is...is the reason something you'd be willing to share?" She attempts. "Before I hazard a guess?"

Pomni looks away, too. "Y-you know the reason, Ragatha. Jax had the ability to tell you my secret, and I...I was so scared of finding out if he had or not that I hid. It's not more complicated than that, really."

There was another obvious layer, to the issue, that being what the secret itself was, but the root of it was Jax. Just Jax. Ragatha was the fuse, maybe, but it was the match she feared.

All she had to do was avoid lighting it on her own, now that Jax wasn't part of the equation.

"Mm..." She doesn't seem reassured. "I...listen, Pomni..." She starts, then stops again. Pomni looks back at her and sees her staring at the ground, wringing her hands. "It's hard for me to say this." She admits.

"Take your time, Ragatha." Pomni encourages. She takes a deep breath, herself. It sounded like they'd both spent their time apart in some kind of distress. She sounded in desperate need of reassurance.

...she knew what Ragatha found reassuring now, didn't she?

She reaches out for her clasped hands and takes them in her own again.

Ragatha's breath hitches. Almost immediately she takes her hands away.

Her chest goes tight, brow furrowing. "Am...am I doing something wrong?" Pomni questions, nervous. "You...you said it was ok for me to...do that." She stammers out, quiet. She wants to break eye contact, but she doesn't. She's afraid she'll miss something crucial if she looks away for even a second.

It's good that she does, because she sees the way emotion flashes across Ragatha's face. Shock, guilt. She's flustering, now, but it's not the happy kind. "No, it's not...it's not that I don't..." She squeezes her eye shut for a moment, breathing deep. "It's...Pomni, you told me you don't like to be touched." She says, forcing the words out.

Pomni blinks. "...what does that have to do with-" She begins, but Ragatha's expression stops her cold. She looks on the verge of tears. She hadn't seen that expression...since the day she drowned.

"Pomni, I think I've been incredibly selfish. I...I think I've hurt you." She says, eventually. A hand come up to cover her mouth. Guilt is heavy in her tone, voice pitching deeper with the weight. "I'm...I'm so sorry, Pomni."

Not at all what she's expecting to hear. "You...what? When, how?"

Ragatha forcefully shuts her eye again. "During the camping trip, Pomni. I...I shouldn't have made you be with me all night."

.....oh. That.

Even now...even now, days later, she was still thinking of Pomni's comfort. "I..." She doesn't know what she was meant to say. It wasn't like she had been comfortable, physically. But it absolutely wasn't something she held against the other.

All give and no take.

Ragatha continues. "I knew you hated touch, and I still let you do that! I, I let you be uncomfortable all night, Pomni. It was wrong of me. And...if you think less of me because of it, that's ok-"

She's too alarmed by that admission to hold her tongue. "Ragatha, stop! That's not how I feel at all!" She cuts off, throwing her arms out, then holding them by her side, palms facing up.

The ragdoll winces. "Pomni, it's ok, really, you don't need to lie to spare my feelings-"

"I don't do that, Ragatha! I don't, I wouldn't. I'm not like-"

She stops dead, the words dying in her throat. She doesn't finish her sentence.

You wouldn't guess that, though, by Ragatha's hurt expression.

"....right. You aren't." She says, quiet. "I...keep forgetting how perceptive you are."

Feeling innately and immediately that she has made a grievous mistake, Pomni attempts to backpedal. "Ragatha, no, wait, that's not how I meant to say that-"

Ragatha lets out a laugh. Pomni thinks it sounds forced. "No, it's ok. You're not wrong. I...it's wrong of me to assume we're the same. The same in that way, anyway." Her expression was strained and somber. Guilty, still. "But...even if you don't feel bad about it now, or hold it against me, it was still wrong of me to guilt you into staying."

Pomni clenches her fists. "Ragatha...you didn't guilt or force me to do anything. You never have." She insists. If guilt had ever forced her to do anything, it had been her own doing. "I made a decision and stuck with it. Because I wanted to help you. B-because you needed my help."

"I...shouldn't have, though." She says, quiet, almost meek now. "It's not right to bother you with my problems if I can help it."

The jester wants to scream, at how frustrating this was. She doesn't. Instead she takes a step closer. "You weren't bothering me, I wanted to help you. You...look, if I was having a terrible time, I wouldn't have stayed all night."

Still unconvinced, based on her guilty expression. "There's no way you were having a good time, either, being in such close proximity for that long." She argues.

"And would that really be the end of the world, Ragatha? If that were true?!" She shouts.

Again, Ragatha winces. She regrets raising her voice immediately. She waits for a response, but she doesn't get one. Ragatha's eye has squeezed shut again.

Pomni wants so badly to just say everything she needs to. To exclaim, explain, all the things Ragatha was doing that couldn't be good for her. But Pomni didn't immediately know how to say these things in a way that wouldn't come across as aggressively critical. She had no idea how to do this right, she wasn't some kind of therapist.

The last thing Ragatha needed was someone telling her she was doing a poor job.

So what in the world was she meant to do?

"Look, this...I kinda wanted to talk to you about this too, but..." Pomni starts, but just as swiftly stops. Ragatha's eye shoots open again, and something frightening comes with it.

A tear trails down her cheek. Pomni had only seen her cry once before now. The day she drowned, when Pomni had been cradled in her arms shivering. A sight so startling it was burned into her mind.

It had been her fault.

"I'm...sorry. Was I interrupting your point?" She says, voice shaky. Another strained laugh escapes her as she wipes away the tear. "My bad, dear. Y-you go first." She clears her throat around the stammer.

She looks so helpless. Pomni can't stand it. Ragatha, kind, helpful, selfless Ragatha, torn apart by the idea that she took something she shouldn't have.

She takes another step closer. They were within reach, now, of each other. Close enough to touch.

That guilty look in her eye, Ragatha tries to take a step backwards. Pomni doesn't let her. Once more, she grasps her hand.

When Ragatha, again, tries to withdraw, Pomni's grip tightens. "No, stop. I wouldn't hold your hand if I didn't want to, Ragatha." She insists.

The ragdoll stops trying to pull away, but she does avert her gaze. She doesn't reply.

It's a chance to continue that Pomni takes. "I...was so, so happy to help you. You help me so much, you help everyone so much. It's...it inspires me. K-kinda. And even if I would've preferred to help in a way that...didn't involve touching, it's...I was ok with it. I pinkie swore, Ragatha." She recalled. She gave the other's hand a squeeze. Her brow furrowed. "....did you not believe me?"

The other lets out a gasp. "You...you did pinkie swear." She says, almost breathless. Her gaze returns to her, another tear twinkling in her eye. "I...I'd forgotten that. I..."

"...it was the only thing I could do to make you believe me." The pair stare into each other's eyes. Were there more levity in this moment, she might've been flustered by it. "And...I thought I'd made you happy. That I'd helped. It made me happy, the idea that I had."

That was a good thing to point out, right? Ragatha was hyper-focused on other people's feelings. Saying it was ok to be sad hadn't gotten through to her, when she tried that angle. But telling her that helping had made her happy, too, might. She hoped it would.

Ragatha's eyelid drooped a little. The tiny laugh that escaped her sounded less forced, this time. "You...you mean that. You mean it?"

"I...I can pinkie swear again, if I need to."

Another laugh, distinctly genuine. "No, it's...not that I want to think you're lying to me. I don't need proof. It's...well, it's just unfamiliar to me, the way you're..." She trailed off for a moment, gaze averted briefly to look towards the trees.

When her eye is pointed at Pomni again, there's pink dusting her cheeks. "...the way you're so keen on making me feel better. It's something I appreciate more than I know how to say."

Pomni blushes, too.

.....but the moment is wrong. Reassuring Ragatha that there was nothing negative between them was good, it was a good first step...but it wasn't the point.

She wasn't here to confess.

Ragatha lied. She always lied if it meant assuring other people weren't worried. Worried about her, worried in general, it didn't matter, she would say anything to keep the peace. Selfless goal it might be...it wasn't good for her.

How long had she been doing this to herself, that she had this kind of reaction to someone reciprocating that supportive presence?

"...why do..." Pomni starts. But she stops, thinking hard about what she wants to say.

Ragatha watches her patiently, eye going dry. A soft smile on her face.

The hand she holds is warm.

Clearing her throat, Pomni pulls Ragatha down the path. "C-can we keep walking? I think moving helps me think." She asks.

"Of course we can, sweetheart." She replies.

The endearment makes her fluster, but she stays focused on her goal. They go down the path through the woods hand-in-hand.

It felt like a minefield...despite the danger being minimal and emotional. Ragatha would probably try to be appeasing, no matter what she said. Agreeable.

It was constructive criticism on her coping mechanisms, though. Pomni was not a therapist.

But there weren't any of those here anyway, so it wasn't like she had much choice but to try.

"Did...did I help you feel better? Th-that night?" Pomni questions, shy, quiet.

"Well...yes, you did." She replies. "I...I think it was lovely, that you did that for me. I'm so grateful for it, even now."

She flusters. And yet, still, that wasn't what this was about. She takes a deep breath. "I'm...glad. But, you know, it..." A pause. Still trying to be so careful with her phrasing. "You're not wrong that it...wasn't as comfortable for me to do as I would've liked. Th-that's not to say I regret doing it!" She says quickly, looking up at Ragatha to try and stop a new wave of guilt from overtaking her expression.

Ragatha blinks. She looks down, expression painfully neutral.

Pomni clears her throat. "I just...y'know. Kept thinking it would've been....easier if you'd just. Um. Talked...to me?" She stammers out. "I'm...not as good as you are at it. But I want to learn. So I can talk to you when you're upset."

Ragatha is quiet. Pomni can see her expression slowly shifting. She looked conflicted.

"....I suppose that would've been easier on you. Talking instead of hugging." She admits quietly. "I'm realizing now how...poor the choices I gave you were, by refusing to talk."

She spoke like she was blaming herself again...which felt very much against the progress they might've made so far. "Ragatha, no, that's not what I meant. You weren't...selfish, or anything like that." She insists. "That's not what I'm trying to say."

"Well it's...still true, isn't it? I didn't give you the option to talk to me until I felt better, so what choice did you have but what you did?"

"I could've left, Ragatha." She replied. "If I'd rather let you be upset than me be a little uncomfortable, I wouldn't have stayed."

"It's...still not fair that you felt you had to, though." She insists. "It's not right for me to have taken up your-"

"Ragatha, please, can't you listen to what I'm saying?" Pomni interrupts. "You act like it's...." Another careful pause, making sure her tone is calm. "You act like it's a crime to take up space, or something."

This time, when Ragatha tries to pull her hand away, Pomni lets her. Now, in the woods, late afternoon but still bright with sun and moonlight, Pomni stands before her, further up the path.

Ragatha wrings her hands together. "That's...not how I feel about it, Pomni." She asserts. "It's...it's more complicated than just me."

Pomni's fists trembled at her side. Nervous energy was building under her surface, but she couldn't interrupt, shouldn't, because it was Ragatha's turn to speak.

".......it's so, so easy for everyone here to have terrible days." She says. "And people need someone who can listen and help. I couldn't live with myself if there was a burden to lighten and I...didn't. That's just not who I am."

It was something she'd said before. She remembered vividly hearing it before.

"....I appreciate that about you, Ragatha, I do. I just....it's not fair that you're the only one doing that." She insists.

"You...haven't been here as long as I have, Pomni. It's...not as simple as you think it is."

She rubs her arm. "....maybe not. But I...I want to understand, Ragatha. I want to know and..." She exhales forcefully. "Everyone I try to ask about anything, here, just looks at me like I'm crazy for having questions about-"

She cuts herself off. She knew Ragatha hated dwelling. Avoided the topic of the past at all costs. Surely there was a way to say what she needed to without bringing this stuff up, right?

Or was it all just baggage, to her?

Ragatha's brow furrowed. "The others have been withholding information from you?" She asks, slipping right back into that familiar tone of supportive concern. "Is this about what Jax and Zooble weren't telling you, the other day?"

She breathes out. No, this had nothing to do with the others. Not right now. "R-Ragatha, you're changing the subject."

She seems startled by the accusation. "....oh. Am I?" A hand bunches in the fabric of her dress. "Remind me again what you were trying to say?"

Pomni steels her gaze, but the tenseness of her stance remains. She doesn't doubt she looks nervous, still, despite her conviction. "I'm....I'm worried. J-just in general, but mostly about you. And I'm especially worried that I seem to be the only person who is. I don't think that's ok."

Ragatha blinks...and then flusters again, for some reason. But then she smiles softly. "I'm flattered that you care so much, sweetheart, but you don't need to stress so much. Too much stress isn't good for you."

Too sweet, even in moments like this. She's starting to get a little frustrated again. "Ragatha, what about you? If too much stress is bad for you, what about all the stress you're carrying?"

She frowned. "It's really not as bad as you think it is, Pomni." She insists. "I've got practice. You don't." A pause. "Well, as far as this place is concerned. Comparatively speaking."

"That...doesn't make it....okay." Pomni repeats, slowly. She doesn't want Ragatha to get the impression she's angry with her; she isn't. Ragatha sounded earlier like she'd expected Pomni's disappointment, like she'd been dreading it in their time apart.

She refused to do anything else, on purpose or not, that made Ragatha feel like a burden.

"Well, whether it is or not, I don't like people worrying about me."

"But why? What's so bad about that?"

Ragatha doesn't immediately respond. In fact, she doesn't look like she even wants to. Her face scrunches up unpleasantly. Hesitant. Her eye is staring off towards the lake.

Pomni tries again. "You worry about me a lot, right? Is that a bad thing?"

Ragatha blinks, concern overtaking her features. "No, Pomni, that's different! You're-" She starts, but she stops again before she can get even a syllable out.

She gestures vaguely, half-formed charades unreadable to the jester. She sucks air through her teeth, and then does a few more vague gestures. "It's, you know, um..."

The only thing concrete Pomni can decipher is a quick motion, between her and the lake. Ah.

She laughs mirthlessly. "You can say I'm fragile, Ragatha, I won't be offended."

"N-no, that's not what I was going to say at all!" Ragatha asserts, nervously waving her hands about. "The word I was looking for was...sensitive! Like Gangle is! You're both easy to worry about and for good reason!"

Pomni moved to close the gap between them again. This time she simply held out her hand, offering Ragatha the chance to take it.

She stared down at it, some kind of look flashing in her eye. But she didn't take it.

Pomni decided to just start talking. "Well, you worry because you care, right? That's a good reason to worry! So...other people worrying about you means they care about you, right? That's not a bad thing!" She rubbed the back of her head with her other hand. "And...sometimes I see things you do, or things you say, or lie about. And I worry. I worry...I-I think you're giving too much. Like you'll run out of....you!"

Ragatha's face flushes again. "Pomni, it's really not as big a deal as you're making it out to be. I'm fine, really! I'm...flattered, you feel so strongly about this, but...really, it's alright."

Deflection. Pomni wasn't getting through to her. "I don't think it is, though. And I think you're still lying to me about it."

She swears she sees Ragatha shudder, just for a moment. "Is...is it such a crime, to want to save you the effort? I've managed this long."

That was far more of an admission than anything else she'd said so far, and Pomni's chest goes tight with something like relief. "You have managed, sure, I just..."

She sighs. This long conversation didn't feel like it was going anywhere. Ragatha seemed to refuse to even consider the idea that she wasn't doing too well. That she might need help.

Reciprocated care, and yet she seemed afraid to accept it.

...maybe she wouldn't pretend to like her back. Maybe she'd deny she was deserving of love in the first place.

No, stop thinking about that. This wasn't what she was here to do. Ragatha needed help, Pomni could help, she just...

She just couldn't keep phrasing things with...so much hesitance.

"....are you alright, Pomni?" She speaks up, frown deepening on her face. "I...really am sorry for worrying you. All I really want is for you to be as comfortable here as you can be."

"And lying to me about how you're feeling is supposed to make me comfortable?" Pomni forces out, voice heavy with feeling. "It doesn't! It...it just feels like you don't trust me."

The hurt expression that flashed across the doll's face is expected, but Pomni still regrets, immediately, being the cause of it. "No, it's not...that's not it at all, I...."

Once more, her composure seemed to be fracturing. It was a thread that needed to be pulled free. She steeled her nerves.

"Ragatha I...I just want you to talk to me. I need you to. I...I don't know what to do when you don't let me." She said, hesitantly reaching out again to take Ragatha's hand. A gentle hold, on the likelihood that Ragatha still didn't want to.

Her expression was conflicted. Brow furrowed, the faintest hint of fluster on her face, practically invisible in the patchy light filtering through the canopy. She didn't look away, didn't remove her hand, but she definitely looked like she wanted to do both of those things. "....most of it isn't worth saying." Is her reply, in a quiet voice, hesitant.

"I-I'd still be ok with hearing it. If you...if you need or just want someone to lean on, I...I think it's a good thing to have. I'm offering, Ragatha, please." She squeezed the other's hand. There was desperation in her tone now, she knew.

When Ragatha's response comes with a smile, Pomni can tell, easily, that it's a forced one. "I...would if I had anything that needed saying, Pomni. But, really, I'm fine!"

Pomni lets out a shuddering breath, eyes slipping closed for a moment. The line had to be drawn somewhere, with this. No more hesitance. No more cautious coaxing, Ragatha would just keep deflecting if she gave her the room to.

She meets Ragatha's gaze, and when she spoke, it was with steady conviction. As steady as she could muster. "No, Ragatha, you're not."

Ragatha's grip goes tight instantly. Pomni winces, but she bears it. "...you...no, I'm..."

"...you're not ok, Ragatha. You're not." She repeats. "I...I can tell you aren't."

A sharp intake of breath.

Pomni continues. "I think...no, I know. A lot of things scare you. But you're so...used to pretending they don't, because you care. You care so much about everyone....even if they don't deserve it." A mirthless laugh, at the familiarity. Ragatha herself had admitted that one, on that terrible day by the lake.

The ragdoll's mouth opens, but no words come out. Slowly it closes again. She thinks she sees something shine in the corner of her eye.

Pomni doesn't let it stop her. "You said to me earlier that you wouldn't think less of me, if I was hiding from you for a bad reason. That you wouldn't be upset if I thought less of you." She could feel a facade of a racing heart in her chest, the sensation accompanying her building fluster at what she was about to say.

She wasn't here to confess...but saying how she felt didn't have to be a confession, necessarily.

"I...I think you're amazing, Ragatha. You're...no, I know you're amazing. You're...strong, and cool, and nice, and mature." She stammered out, trying her best to keep her voice steady and only partly succeeding. "You've been...so good to me. I don't know what to do about it, sometimes."

She'd broken eye contact, by this point, but she can't bear not seeing the other's face. She's afraid of this moment shattering like glass.

When she looks back, tears are streaming from Ragatha's eye. She looks heartbreakingly distraught.

Pomni swallows. She was terrible at this, surely. But she had to keep trying. "I...I want to be...g-good to you, too. Because that's what friends do for each other, right? We're friends."

Her own breath hitches, too, at that. They were. They'd pinkie swore on it. It was real. They were real.

"You're the most selfless person I know, Rags." The nickname slips out before she can second guess it. Some deep-seeded desire to talk about her with the same endearment that she did. Sweetheart and dear and hun didn't sound as pretty, coming from Pomni's mouth. She hears Ragatha's breath hitch again, but she soldiers on. "And, and you said earlier you thought you were being selfish. I don't think you were, but..."

She squeezes her eyes shut again, just for a moment. Feelings were gathering in her chest, again. Soft and fluttery and flattering. She was in love, wasn't she? Here she was, holding Ragatha's hand, making her cry. What a tragedy this all was.

She opens her eyes, grabs Ragatha's other hand with her own, and speaks with as much conviction as she can. "But I don't think selfish is the worst thing to be! It's ok to be selfish sometimes! And it's ok to struggle! I would never think less of you for either of those things!"

Ragatha sniffles, paper frown wavering distinctly. Even now, she looked like she was trying to hold it in, to maintain some semblance of composure.

No more hiding.

"Let me help you, Ragatha. It's ok if you aren't ok. I'll pinkie swear on that if I need to."

She's startled by the shuddering sob that escapes her friend, at that. The doll's eye slips shut, stuffing beneath it seeming damp now, tear-soaked.

Pomni tries to say something more, but she's cut off by Ragatha, speaking in a timid, vulnerable voice. The question is heavy, voice thick with sorrow.

"C-can I...can I hug you, Pomni?"

Her eye doesn't open. In fact it seems to be squeezing shut even tighter, as if Ragatha is afraid to look at her.

Pomni's comfort be darned, she doesn't think it's a selfish request in the slightest.

She embraces the other as tightly as she can muster. It's hard to dwell on the physical sensation of it for very long, because Ragatha lets out another loud sob, arms wrapping around the jester just as tightly. The sound practically echoed.

The embrace is...not comfortable, but it is soft. She was a doll. Pomni wasn't a hugger, didn't enjoy it, but right now, it was a comfort, knowing that her friend was finally letting the stress transfer to someone else's shoulders.

Yes. This is what she was here for.

At some point, they'd stopped standing there in the middle of the path, but Pomni would be hard-pressed to identify when they'd moved. They leaned together against a tree, now, Ragatha slumped forward a bit.

She had no idea what time it was. No clock, nothing indicative about the sky. They could've already been out here for hours, as far as she knew.

But Ragatha was still quietly crying, so there was no way she was going to move now. Eye staring forlornly at the pixelated soil. Somber, but far less anguished than she had been when she'd first finally let herself cry.

Neither of them had said anything in a long, long while, but Pomni was fine with that. She figured Ragatha was gathering her thoughts. She didn't expect to learn her life story tonight...but any weight off her mind was a good start, no matter how small.

They were shoulder-to-shoulder, now, no longer hugging. But while obviously that was an improvement as far as her own comfort was concerned, she was more than willing to change their position to something else, should Ragatha request it.

Not that she really expected that to happen. Baby steps. It seemed to take a lot out of her, even just asking for the first hug in the first place.

A sniffle, followed by a quiet sigh. Pomni turned her head, observed the other. She was to Ragatha's left, so she could see the non-button eye. Useful in assessing the other's expression.

Ragatha still seemed somber. Calmer than before, and that seemed to be a steadily growing thing...but still somber. Pomni assumed that was a good sign: that she was seeing anything negative at all meant that Ragatha had stopped trying to hide it.

Pomni isn't sure if she was meant to break the silence. Would expressing concern be the appropriate thing to do right now, or was it better to let Ragatha herself set the pace for...whatever this was?

If either of them was an expert at this...Ragatha would be closer to it than Pomni. She stays quiet.

She listens. Unlike the camping day, the woods were completely silent, now. No crickets, no birdsong. There was a faint, ambient rustle of leaves, but that was it. And even that was a distinctly artificial sound: there was no wind here to make it, the leaves completely still despite sounding like they weren't.

It really was just the two of them and their thoughts. Pomni'd had plenty of that the past couple of days...but she imagined Ragatha had even more practice.

Hopefully less, from here on out.

It takes a while, but eventually Ragatha's tears seem to stop. A deep breath is taken, a slow inhale then exhale. The breath itself sounds normal now, not as wet.

Ragatha finds Pomni staring at her, when she turns her head. She doesn't draw attention to it, though Pomni does swiftly look away in embarrassment.

"...thank you, Pomni." Ragatha says, quiet. "I...I think I really needed that."

Pomni takes a deep breath of her own before returning her gaze. "I'm glad. Well, I kinda feel bad that I made you cry. But I'm glad it was cathartic." She replies. She gives a smile she hopes doesn't look sheepish. She definitely feels sheepish.

Ragatha lets out a sigh again, the corner of her mouth turning up. Not quite a smile, but something close. "Cathartic...yeah, that's a good word for it." She sits up a little straighter, leaning back against the tree.

Another moment or two passes in silence. Pomni still isn't sure if she should say something. Normally Ragatha was the one out of the two of them who knew what to say.

But she was here to share the burdens, whatever they were. So she might as well try.

"Do you...wanna talk?" She says, and then berates herself because what kind of vague statement was that. "A-about anything, um, that's been bothering you?" She adds.

Another moment of quiet. Ragatha wraps her arms around herself, a little. ".....I should, shouldn't I?" She mumbles. "....I wish I knew how to start. Or...where. There's so much, and...I still think a lot of it isn't worth saying."

"Even if it's not, I'll listen. And I won't judge. I won't say anything at all, if that's what you want me to do." Pomni asserts.

Ragatha's gaze is even more somber, at that. "No, sweetheart, that's not what I want you to do...not at all." A hand reaches, then hesitates. Pomni sees, and extends her hand, too.

The doll grasps it, still frowning. "Is...is this ok?" She questions, softly concerned, even now.

"It's fine, Rags, pinkie swear." She says in reply, giving the other an encouraging smile. She brushes the pinkie across the implication of a knuckle on Ragatha's hand.

She sees pink dust across Ragatha's cheeks. They don't actually move to pinkie swear, but the meaning's still there: the words themselves were pretty reassuring, turns out.

Ragatha's somber gaze is gentle. "I don't really know what to say, but...I think having you talking me through it would help. If that's alright with you. I'm...I'm really out of my element, right now." She admits. "Your...input matters to me. A lot, honestly."

Pomni's face dusts with blue, too, at that. Not here for this, calm down. "What if...what if I start? If I say something that bothers me, and then you say something that bothers you."

She ponders this. "Hm...we can try it...I don't have any other ideas." She repositions herself, and Pomni does the same, so both of them were facing each other now. Holding each other's hand, still.

Pomni still didn't find anything particularly enjoyable about the experience itself, but she was steadily getting used to it. And it was nice, knowing it made Ragatha happy. 

She wracked her brain a moment, trying to amass all her minor grievances, of which there were many. Though she didn't hate it here anymore, really...so fewer than she thought she'd have.

She cleared her throat before she began. "Mm...Kinger sometimes doesn't have a strong concept of personal space. So there's times when he gets way too close to me, but I never want to get mad at him for it, so I have a hard time asking him to back up. It doesn't happen often but it bothers me a lot when it does." She said. Honestly, she hadn't shared that with anyone, either, so it was nice to get it off her chest.

Ragatha nodded faintly. It took her a long, long moment, face scrunching up uncomfortably, before she managed to share a grievance of her own. "Z.........Zooble...." She started. She really, really looked like she didn't wanna say whatever it was she was trying to.

Pomni gave her hand an encouraging squeeze. "Zooble?" She prompts.

"Mmmmmnnn...." She mumbles, before forcing the words out as if they hurt. "I don't....enjoy the way they......pick fights with Jax, sometimes.....it feels.....like it increases...my workload, when they do that..."

"That's good!" Pomni asserts with a smile. "Does you feel better, saying it?"

The other is quiet for another few long moments. ".......I feel a little mean." She says, eventually.

"No, it's not mean! Do you want to be rude to them about it?"

"No, never!"

"Then it's just how you feel! Nothing mean about that. And also Jax probably deserves it." Pomni reassures.

"Mmn..." A conflicted sound, that grumble.

Not used to this, like she said. "Let's go again, me first. Uh...I like Gangle, but sometimes she says really unhelpful things. And I don't feel right saying anything about it, sometimes, because it's not like she can really help it, without her comedy mask."

Another faint nod, from the other. ".....I agree with that. Earlier, today, she...said she was afraid we hadn't seen you in a while because you abstracted. And...I was still worried this was all my fault, so...she scared me really bad, with that one. I felt terrible."

"Oh. Yeah, that....that's a rough one." Pomni admitted. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. I was jumping to conclusions, it's-"

She cuts her off before she can say any more. "Hey, no, don't make excuses for me. I stayed in there way too long, even though I...I had a feeling it would worry you. I take full blame for that."

"........no, it's Jax's fault."

Pomni's eyes widen a little. A truth, a harsh one from Ragatha's perspective she assumed...and Ragatha had been the one to say it.

"It's....all day, Pomni. And all yesterday he's just been.....watching me." She says, breaking eye contact to stare down at their joined hands. "He kept...anytime anyone said anything about you, he'd just stare at me with this smug look. And...and I was sure he was implying it was my fault. That you hated me. And then he said it wasn't that, but..." She trails off. She brings her free hand up to cover the lower half of her face. "He gets in my head and just stays there. And I can't bring myself to hate him for it." She finishes.

"Oh...my god. That's awful, Ragatha. I'm so sorry he did that to you." She says, voice thick with feeling. "You don't deserve to feel that way at all."

She sees her friend's shoulders lower, just a bit. "....oh." She says, so, so quiet, muffled by her hand.

Something in her tone pulls at Pomni's heartstrings. "Y-you...I've been frustrated, maybe, because I want to help you so bad and you weren't letting me....but I could never hate you. Never. Never let anyone make you think that. Don't let yourself make you think that." She gives her hand a squeeze.

A fresh tear sparkles in the other's eye, and she squeezes back. "......that's....never is a long time, Pomni. Especially here."

Infinity was a...fun hypothetical, considering their situation, wasn't it? But for once, it didn't scare her. Not at all. Not with Ragatha holding her hand like a lifeline. "I still mean it. I do."

A moment passes in quiet, considering, but then Ragatha lets out a tiny laugh. Pomni wonders if it's delusional to think it sounds affectionate. Be normal. Normal. "I...that's encouraging. I don't really want to hold you to it, though." Her hand lowers just enough to show her smile. The tear slides down her cheek, and another thankfully does not replace it.

Pomni laughs, too. She knows she must be flustering, a little. "Y-you don't have to. But I still mean it, really."

The smile widens. "....I guess I'll just have to trust you, then."

Her own smile was weaker, when she returns it, but its genuine. Trust was a good start.

"Uh...mhm. Should we keep going?" Pomni questions.

"Oh, uh...sure, I guess."

"Ok...let me think..." She hummed as she did so. "Ok, uh....this isn't really about anyone in particular. But I'm...well, I keep thinking about the lake. I can tell everyone's trying not to bring up what happened." She pauses a moment to assess Ragatha's expression.

The ragdoll definitely looked visibly uneasy, now. "....can you blame us?" She points out.

A mirthless laugh. "No, not really. And...I feel like it's warranted, honestly. A lot of stuff happened that day. Most of it bad. I don't really like comparing anything to my first day here but...." She leaves the statement hanging on purpose, this time.

"Mm. I understand that. It's terrible when things like that happen, to you or anyone else, especially when you're so new.........like..."

A new bout of silence stretches. Pomni's brow furrows. "....like what?"

".....Fleep."

Pomni's heart stops. That was a....name? A name she hadn't heard before? Was Ragatha-

"She sank too, you know, early on. Just...on accident. She didn't really have...arms or legs. She couldn't swim even if she wanted to." She says, careful, slow. Expression slipping into something somber again.

Pomni is terrified. If she speaks, would she break the spell currently causing Ragatha to speak on the past? She wanted to hear this but would it be right to let her speak it if it was painful-

"Kaufmo and Maggie were able to bring her back up in less time than we got you, though. What happened to you might very well be the worst anyone's had it, as far as the lake is concerned."

"Who-" She slapped a hand over her mouth immediately before she could say any more. She was beyond curious, so far beyond it the word didn't do it justice.

But that wasn't a baby step. Not at all. She wasn't going to push Ragatha any further than she already had.

Ragatha's eyelid drooped a little. "Do you not want to know?" She questioned, calm. Not offended or distressed, just...quiet.

Pomni sweat nervously, hand still covering her mouth. "It's...the opposite." She admitted. "B-but I don't want to push you. N...nobody here wants to talk about the people who......."

A sigh. "Yeah, that's....that's how it is. But....talking about things I wasn't willing to before...it's making me feel better. Crying was cathartic. I..." A little laugh. "I want to be...less good, at repressing everything all the time."

The jester grimaced a little, dropping her hand. "That's a good goal to have, I think."

".....I still don't know where to start."

Pomni gave her hand a squeeze. "Anywhere you want. Or...you could work backwards?"

She tilted her head. "Backwards?"

"Y-yeah, like.....Kaufmo, since that was...." Recent, she thinks. ".....it was a jarring introduction to this place, seeing no one....mourn him, I guess."

"...it's hard to. It's not like they're dead, they're just......" She trails off, brow furrowing. "....down there in a room. I've never gotten a good look at it, and I don't want to."

Pomni gives a faint nod, but doesn't interrupt.

"They all, just....some of them disappeared so abruptly. Kinger was never the same after...." She winces. She changes direction. "Barkley and Strings went together. They...after Barkley showed up they were practically attached at the hip. Whatever it was that drove Barkley over the edge, Strings wouldn't have let him go alone. I...I found them together in Barkley's room. Both abstracted."

Ragatha shuddered, and she could feel the movement through their connection. She squeezed her hand again.

"I-I'm not really working backwards, am I?" She admitted. "There's just...so much."

"Maybe, uh....you could talk about happy memories instead?" The jester suggested. "I...I think it's good you're letting yourself be sad, but...I get worried, too, just-"

"I-I get it, Pomni, you don't need to explain anything. That's a good idea." She squeezed her hand back. "I...I was really close to most of them. There's a lot to sort through."

"Take all the time you need. I'm...y'know, I'm here to listen."

A soft, affectionate smile. "That means a lot to me, dear." She sat up a little straighter. She cleared her throat.

And so, Ragatha talked about the past.

Chapter Text

"....it would be wrong of me- no, just...wrong in general to say I miss anyone the most." She began. "But if there's anyone I think about most nowadays, it would probably be Fleep...and Queenie."

Pomni blinks at her. Ragatha knew that was a name she hadn't heard yet. "Queenie?"

"....she and Kinger arrived together, they'd told me. They...were married, before this place. It was one of the few things they knew for certain before the rest of their lives started to slip away." She explained. A ghost of a laugh escaped her. "You should've seen them, Pomni, back in the day. They were adorable together."

Memories flash in her mind. It was a comfort, back then, seeing them. Two people who had each other. It softened the hard edge of this place, seeing such a sickly sweet married couple inhabiting it.

....bittersweet, now. She pushed the feeling to the side.

Pomni's smile is weak. "What was...Kinger like, back then?" She asks, tentative.

"I wouldn't say he's unhappy, now, but...happier. He had a...leader-like quality about him." She smiled softly at that. "Him and Queenie both, really. They took a lot of responsibility for this whole situation. I never really knew why."

The jester's brow furrowed. "It's....hard to imagine. Kinger, in charge...and people being ok with it."

A sad truth, now. Pomni had only seen him like this. "The two of them were the backbone of this place...my load was lighter, back then." Nostalgia clouded her mind, but it was a comforting haze. "It wasn't always just me who people came to, for this kind of thing." She admitted.

Queenie had been better at it than she ever was. But maybe that was her nostalgia talking.

".....oh." Came the quiet reply, faint with surprise. "She was like this, too?"

Ragatha made a face. "Like this?" She repeated, perplexed by the other's phrasing and tone.

Pomni's eyes went wide with panic. "Ah! I mean, I didn't mean anything bad by that, I promise!"

She was so skittish, as if she was afraid of offending her. But Ragatha had no reason to assume any ill intent, not from Pomni. "I know, hun. It's alright. Technically speaking, neither of us were 'like this' back then. It was more...balanced, when there were two of us."

She looks down at their joined hands. A gesture like this wasn't impossible to imagine, back then. It was frequent, even. "We had a lot in common. A lot to talk about. When this place weighed down on us, we could confide in each other. And she had Kinger, and his optimism. Hard to stay too upset about anything, with him around."

"....you bore the weight together." She murmured in understanding. "Kinger....said you've always been eager to help people. It scared me to think that you've always been....alone in it. I'm glad you weren't."

"It's not...foreign, the idea of sharing my burdens. It just....." She trailed off with a frown. "......got quite a bit harder, when Queenie.....abstracted." It was such a terrible word. Not dead, but how else was she meant to feel about it, when she'd never see the other again?

It must show on her face, because Pomni squeezes her hand again. "I'm sorry. If you've been here so long, you....must've seen a lot of that, huh? I can't imagine. Did..." Their gazes met again, Pomni's softly concerned expression giving her out-of-place butterflies. "....did they all hurt you, like Kaufmo did, when...?"

Ragatha blinked the pressure out of her eye, at that. Rapidly. "Oh, no, that's....that's a fringe case. Most of them I wasn't there for...at least during the initial discovery. Maybe it's....surprising for you to hear, but half the time they're not even violent at all."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's...different. Barkley and Strings crowded me, poked and prodded, but they didn't throw me around like Kaufmo did." Her brow furrowed at the memory. She'd thought they'd seemed distressed, at the time. The noisy static emanating from their bodies overpowering her senses as they glitched her out with contact barely even hostile. Abstractions couldn't talk. She wondered if they'd been trying to.

She shook her head. Good memories, good memories. Focus on the good. Talk about them fondly, not with regret. "You know, you wouldn't guess it, but Jax actually had a soft spot for the two of them. Never did a single cruel thing to them, not once." She said.

Pomni lets out a laugh. It sounded nervous, almost. "Yeah, I wouldn't guess that." She agreed. "I...I figured he wasn't always like this, but..." She trailed off. Eyebrows bunching together as she went quiet.

Ragatha wondered what was going on inside her head. She keeps talking to fill the silence. "He...I doubt his campfire story was true....but Strings rescuing him is definitely something he would do. They were both pretty mischievous, but they never pranked each other. They were practically brothers."

Pomni's free hand came up to rub her cheek, eyes narrowing a little. ".....I tried to ask Jax about Strings, in the maze. He said, like, one thing and then changed the subject. Said he didn't miss him."

A sad thing to hear. Jax was almost never candid, so she doubted the sentiment was true...but he was detached, now, like the rest of them.

She remembered him sobbing, at the time, when the pair had gone to the cellar together. It might've been the last time she'd ever seen him cry.

She cleared her throat and continued. "When Barkley came here, and got so attached to Strings, Jax was jealous for a little while. But he won him over eventually. He third-wheeled sometimes, but a lot of the time they were a trio."

Pomni smiled, at that. "...that sounds nice."

Ragatha mirrored it. "It was. Like I said, it used to be easier. But right now, we're..." Her smile slipped, uncertain. She was having trouble, figuring out how to phrase things.

".....not very emotionally well-adjusted?" The jester offered. "K-Kinger said that, earlier."

A faint laugh. Not quite amused, but it wasn't a sad sound. "He can be pretty perceptive when he wants to be."

Pomni gave another small smile, at that. "He...talked a lot of sense into me. I don't know if I'd have ever left that room without him and Zooble's help." Her brow furrowed. "I need to be braver..."

Ragatha squinted a little. "Whatever Jax knows really has you scared, huh?" She remarked.

Immediately Pomni's face alights with blue, and her eyes widen dramatically. She pulls her hand from her grip and yanks on her hat bells. "....ohhh [BWOOP] he still knows. What do I do?!" She whispered in muted horror.

She missed the other's touch, already. But it would be improper to linger on it right now.

Ragatha held her own hands, rested them in her lap. Gentle now, careful. The other was skittish when stressed. "Pomni, whatever it is...know that I won't judge you." She assured. "If...if the timing comes down to you saying it or him I'm sure you'd prefer-"

Somehow her face went bluer. "Nnnnononono no, no, I can't....!" She abruptly cut herself off, burying her face in her hands. "I'm not, no, I'm not ready at all and I don't know if I ever will be." She groaned into the gloves.

"....you might not have a choice, dear. Whatever you did that made him leave might not work a second time." She pointed out.

Another groan, and then the other took a deep breath. Another. Eased whatever stress had entered her brain. Refocused her gaze on Ragatha. "I'm...I'm gonna cross or burn that bridge later. I'd...prefer if we kept talking about what we were talking about. I-if you're still ok with that."

Deflection, from Pomni this time. Ragatha was a professional at that so there was no mistaking what it was, although this time was pretty blatant and hard to miss. She wanted to pry, but...it would be insensitive, right now, and a bit hypocritical. They both had their issues, to be sure....but Ragatha's were far more overdue for addressing; she wasn't so naive as to keep denying that.

....and it was nice, talking to Pomni like this. Sharing the good times, with someone who wasn't desensitized to the bad yet.

"...okay. Hmm....Maggie. I can talk about Maggie. They were always overeager when it came to the adventures. Treated everything like a contest. I...wasn't annoyed by it, necessarily, but it got to a point of toxicity more than a few times." She heaved out a sigh. "It's tough reassuring someone who's both a sore loser and a sore winner."

"Yeah, that sounds rough." Pomni's expression went sheepish. "I-I'm sorry I don't have anything more helpful to say than that....I'm not really very good at this..."

Ragatha found it disheartening how quick she was to make that call. "That's not true at all, Pomni. You're doing great, I promise."

Her brow furrowed. "Are you sure?"

"I am. It's...nice, like I said, just having your input. Having an outside voice at all is helping me sort out how I feel. I appreciate it." She paused. Hoping it wasn't too weird to say, she continued, "...I appreciate you."

She sees Pomni blush fiercely, at that. Her wide eyes blinked a few times, owlish. Was it wishful thinking, to hope it was more than embarrassment?

It didn't matter. She meant it, whether or not Pomni felt the same.

Back on topic. "A-anyhow..." She cleared her throat, just a touch nervous. She just had to trust that Pomni would let her know if she said or did something that made her uncomfortable. Learning curve, not being so careful as to ask every time. "It was different, depending on the adventure. If there was only one winner, they were willing to do just about anything to be it. But...sometimes we'd get grouped up in teams. Maggie barely cared about being the winner, in those cases; it was all about making their teammates succeed. They'd throw a fit if they lost, sure, but always on their teammates' behalf. Accuse the other team of cheating, demand their friends received a reward because they deserve it."

Maggie had never given anything but their 100%. It felt nice, being on teams with them. The competitive enthusiasm was contagious. Ragatha wouldn't call herself sporty, really, but it was hard not to feel it when Maggie was cheering her on.

There was warmth in her chest.

"...what did they look like?" Pomni asked.

"Big pink cyclops. They had a lot of trouble, initially, with the lack of depth perception. I could relate." She replied, gesturing to her own button-eye with a faint smile.

Pomni smiled, too. "I wondered about that but I never thought to ask. What was that like?"

Ragatha chuckled. "Too be entirely honest, I barely remember. I've been here a bit too long to recall what having both is like."

"Huh. Right, yeah, that makes more sense." She admitted. "That's probably better than not being used to it, I guess..."

"Mm-hm! It doesn't make much of a difference in a place like this, I imagine. Plus, compared to Strings and Fleep, I definitely got off easy in the body shape department." Ragatha explained.

She thought about that, sometimes. Most of them ended up as vaguely humanoid in terms of posture. Zooble was drastic, but at least he was still bipedal. But it wasn't a given, that everyone would be.

"Strings was a squirmle, right...I can't imagine how freaked out I would've been had I lost all my limbs when I got here." Pomni commented. Her hand came up to stroke her chin thoughtfully.

Ragatha couldn't help but let out a snort. "Squirmle?" She prompted. A word so unexpectedly silly she couldn't help but call attention to it.

Pomni pouted. Honest-to-god pouted, puffing out her cheeks and everything. Ragatha almost missed what she said because she was taken aback by how cute a sight it was. "Why doesn't anyone else call them that...? Jax made fun of me too when I said that."

"Oh no, I wasn't making fun of you!" Ragatha quickly clarified. "I think it's cute. It's a cute word."

Once again she was worried she was overstepping. Pomni averted her gaze with a blush, but didn't say or do anything else that indicated any discomfort with her.

Was she doing this right? What was she even trying to do?

Pomni cleared her throat. "Uh, um, wh-what about Fleep? I know what kind of body shape Strings had because it's not hard to imagine, but what made Fleep shaped weird?" She questioned, a prompt to continue what they were talking about.

Ragatha cleared her throat, too. Right. "Well, like I said earlier, she didn't have any arms or legs. She looked like a sock puppet, sort of. A little sock puppet mouse. So she slid around on the floor like Kinger does...or hopped if she was trying to move faster." She described. Despite not having legs to do so, Fleep was clumsy enough to trip and fall, when hopping.

An easy thing to remedy. She found herself carrying Fleep semi-frequently. Aid freely given and sorely appreciated.

Her chest feels funny. "...I think she was the least-conveniently made, out of all of us." She continues. "It...always made me sad, seeing her struggle. Strings took to slithering quickly, and Barkley had little trouble adjusting to walking on all fours...but the only options Fleep had were cumbersome and inefficient."

Pomni's brow furrowed, at that. "I bet that was frustrating." She commented, voice gentle with pity.

Ragatha nodded, frown developing on her face as more memories came to her. "She was also hollow, to an extent. Open on the bottom...like a sock puppet usually is. Jax's favorite thing to do to her was pick her up and pull her over other people's heads like a sack to blind them." She shook her head a little. "Frustrating for everyone involved, not just her."

"....jerk." Grumbled Pomni in reply, expression going angry.

Ragatha berated herself for a second, internally, at drifting away from happy memories again. "W-well, it wasn't all bad! She figured out eventually that she could...pilot? Manikins when she was on their heads." She explained swiftly.

Fun day, that was, when it was discovered. Fleep hadn't taken advantage of it much, though. Felt it was...a waste. Hadn't been able to explain to Ragatha as to why. Got quiet when pressed about it.

"...really? How does that even work?" Pomni inquired, successfully distracted from her anger. She tilted her head a little, curiosity shining in her pinwheel eyes.

So cute.

Ragatha found her own smile returning, seeing Pomni look at her like that. "Mostly it was just...tilting herself around and letting gravity do the steering for her. The manikins mostly just walk forward, so all she had to do was guide them when they did move."

"Huh. That's neat. Did she ever try to do that when Jax put her on other people's heads?"

A more specific memory sparked in her mind at that. A smile slowly spread on her face, amused at the recollection. "Do you have time for a story? Because I have a story for that."

Pomni blinked at her, and then gave a timid smile of her own. "Well...yeah, of course I have time.....there's nothing...." She trailed off, smile slipping into something uncertain. But she shook herself out of it quickly, looking back at her. "Nothing but time. Go ahead."

She was wringing her hands. Ragatha wished she was still holding them. She didn't act on the desire. Instead she took a moment to gather her thoughts in quiet.

"....I guess to start with, this was after Gangle got here, but before Zooble. A little before Strings and Barkley abstracted." She explained.

"...it's starting to sound like Zooble's missed a lot." Pomni remarked.

"Yeah, they're...the newest, aside from you. But they've still been here a few years by now." Ragatha cleared her throat as she continued. "Anyway, it was after the adventure, that day. I think it was...some big board game, Caine had us do. We were the pieces. No one got hurt, but everyone was exhausted." Not to say it wasn't close, the whole time. Ragatha herself had managed to only narrowly avoid tearing her stitching, that day.

Pomni nodded.

"Kinger was talking to Barkley, I think....and while he was distracted, Strings scooped up Fleep and slithered off with her. Gangle nearly got knocked over, when he went by." She gave a faint grin, recalling another tidbit. "Strings was much more...careful, with his pranks than Jax was. He tried very hard to not break her mask." She explained. "Not to say Jax did that much, back then. But he didn't go out of his way to avoid it." She gave a sad shake of her head. "It's easy for it to happen on accident."

"....it sucks that she doesn't have much agency about that." Pomni said, quiet. "Has...has the tragedy mask ever broken?"

Ragatha shook her head. "Not that I can remember. It's cracked, once or twice, but never broken all the way like the comedy mask does."

"Mm. S-sorry, continue."

A gentle smile. So polite. "Anyhow, that got Barkley's attention real quick. It's funny how serious he was, all things considered. You wouldn't expect it, looking at him. Strings was ready to immediately cave and put Fleep down the moment Barkley expressed his disappointment. But, of course, Jax isn't convinced nearly that easily by anyone, so he snatched her."

"How was Strings holding her, anyway? Since he didn't have limbs."

"He just kind of...got under her and scooped with the end of his face. So she was just sitting on his head like a beanie, really. Until Jax grabbed her the only thing keeping her there was the fear of falling."

The jester's brow furrowed. "I guess...hm. I'm trying to not make assumptions. But anyone helping Jax be cruel to people....it's not a very good impression."

An understandable stance to have, considering her perspective. "Like I said, he wasn't always as...like this as he is right now. He used to back off the moment he went too far. If we asked." Her chest went tight. And then Queenie left. And with it went a lot of their levity.

"....s-sorry, I keep interrupting." Pomni apologized. She twiddled her thumbs a little, frown deepening.

"That's no trouble, sweetheart, really." She insisted. "It's less...lonely, having you make commentary." She gave a smile, hoping to be reassuring.

Pomni, hesitantly, gave a smile of her own. "I-if you say so, Rags..." Came her quiet reply...and then she reached out her hand towards her again.

And oh, what a sign of trust and vulnerability that was. And the nickname, again...a fluttery feeling tying her stuffing in knots. Did Pomni have any way of knowing what she was doing to her, right now? How warm and enamored she was?

She gently clasped Pomni's hand in her own. Comfort freely given and sorely appreciated. Easy to continue, now. This was more encouraging than any words could ever be. "Fleep was squealing, demanding to be put down. Jax kinda tossed her, up into the air before catching her again, like a toy. Or a sock bundle, really." She gave a faint shake of her head. She remembered how disappointed she was, even now. "Of course Jax didn't listen to her, or Barkley."

She paused. "Which...usually he does. Did. I remember...justifying it to myself, at the time, that he must've been frustrated, by the adventure that day. And the adventure being like that was hardly his fault."

Pomni's brow bunched up, at that. "...just because he needed to blow off steam doesn't mean he can't stop himself from...blowing off steam like that." She insisted.

A fact she was well aware of...but hearing someone else say it made her feel better. "I know that. Now, and then. But...I don't know. Sometimes it felt like...no one was on his side and he took it personally. Like I said, that's more a problem now than then. But still, I...never wanted anyone to feel alone."

Her heart clenched tightly, at that. Loneliness was the quickest way to lose yourself to this place, she knew, she knew...

....so what had she been doing to herself, all this time?

She felt another spiral of emotion coming on, threatening in her headspace, but Pomni squeezes her hand. In an instant she's grounded. A breath escapes her, shaky and relieved.

It was foreign, being so vulnerable. Allowing her feelings to run so wild. But Pomni's presence made it so much less scary, it...

"....thank you, sweetie." She said, gaze going soft before she closes her eye. "Sorry, I...I'm the one who got off-topic that time, where was I..."

Her friend doesn't respond for a long moment. Long enough that Ragatha opens her eye again to peer at her inquisitively.

Her whole face had gone blue. Not just a dusting, no, this was a splash.

"S...sweetie?" She squeaks, voice so small she almost didn't hear it.

Ah, there it is, the line. Sweetheart and hun and dear were fine...but sweetie was a tad too tender.

No matter. Now she knew, and it was no trouble to adjust her language. "Sorry, Pomni, if that one isn't ok, I won't say it. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable..." It was still new to her, not forcing blame on her own shoulders. But something like this wasn't anyone's fault.

Pomni clears her throat...and says something unexpected. "N...no, that's...it's fine. I'm fine." Still sounding squeaky and flustered, but....

....honestly, Ragatha couldn't quite tell what that tone was.

Her brow furrowed, just a little. "Are...you sure? You seem....less than fine." She pointed out.

Her hand is squeezed tightly for a moment, and Pomni's eyes squeeze shut in tandem. When they open, she seems more confident. "I'm...not uncomfortable. That just...surprised me, th-that's all." Her confidence wanes a little as she continues. "Th-that was a....new one."

Ragatha can't stop her own fluster, at that. Not...unreceptive, just surprised. Was this what it felt like to flirt successfully?

Wait had that been flirting??

She cleared her throat. "Oh, uh, ok then. I'll...keep going. Sorry for surprising you, that's not what I meant to do." To be honest she wasn't even sure why she said it, herself. She just...had. Because it felt right.

"...where was I again. I distracted myself."

Pomni cleared her throat. The blush on her face was dying down, going back from splash to dust. A shame. It's such a pretty shade of blue. "Uh, you...you said Jax was playing keepaway with Fleep, I think."

A ghost of a laugh. "That's certainly one way to describe it. Yeah, he wouldn't put her down despite all the people disappointedly telling him too. Only when Strings spoke up in agreement did he finally cave." She sighed. "Seemingly. Instead, he shouted to get Kinger's attention, and when he had it, he...threw her like a basketball. And she landed perfectly on his head."

Pomni snorted, and then immediately looked embarrassed about it. "I'm sorry I shouldn't laugh about that." She said quickly. "Th-that was just a funny mental image."

Ragatha gave a half-smile. "....I suppose she was a little....puntable." She relented. It felt weird to speak of the dead this way.....but it wasn't like the comment offended her. This was a story that had been funny in hindsight, back when Fleep was still around. No reason to shame Pomni for being amused. "Anyway..."

"Sorry, again, I keep interrupting you..."

She gave the other's hand a gentle squeeze. "And again, it doesn't bother me. You're fine, hun, really. I like talking to you."

Pomni looked down at their hands, and brought her other hand to it, unprompted. She gently rubbed her gloved fingers against Ragatha's hand as she spoke. "It's...talking like this, it's different from how we talk otherwise, though." She pointed out, sounding sheepish. "I...I don't want you to think I'm not taking this, you, seriously."

So gentle, both in touch and in words. "I wouldn't think that about you, Pomni, really. Pinkie swear."

Hands in perfect position to do so, they both curl their pinkies around each other.

There's a teeny tiny candle in her chest, she thinks, with how tender and warm these moments were. How she feels. Pomni, her. Trust.

She continues speaking past the pause. "Now, I wouldn't say Fleep was particularly meek, really. To a certain extent, sometimes, she couldn't be much else. Her range of motion..." Ragatha shook her head, sighing. "Sometimes all she could do was let things happen to her. But that! Getting stuck on Kinger's head, blinding him, she's unable to get down. Jax is laughing at the two of them. I guess it was the last straw."

The memory brings her a smile, then. "She lets out this...squeak of rage. Highest-pitched sound I've ever heard. And Kinger told me this after the fact, but apparently having your head inside a hollow person when they scream makes it echo terribly loud. So he panics and starts trying to run."

She sees Pomni's expression shift a little. "I'm guessing he didn't think to try and take her off his head himself, did he?" She guesses, lips curling into something that was almost a smirk.

She shook her head, holding in a chuckle. "No, he just started flailing and running. But, thing it, like I said, Fleep had experience piloting manikins that do that. So, purely by reflex, she starts tilting her body to steer."

Smirk turns back into wide , amused smile. "And Kinger moves with her?"

"Yep. Easy as could be. And she gets this...look on her face. Still angry, really, but...more like some kind of delighted malice. And she leans forward, towards Jax, and says 'King to D4'."

Pomni snorts. One hand pulled from their connection to cover her mouth. "Oh no, Kinger!" She laughs.

Ragatha beams. "Oh, he was fine! Also, I'm doubting Fleep even knew how to play chess. But you should've seen the look on Jax's face when they started chasing him." She too laughs, at the memory of it. "He looked almost afraid...but not for very long. He grabbed Strings and tossed him over his shoulder, laughing all the while."

She moves her shoulders for emphasis. "And then Strings got himself wrapped around Jax's neck, and the next thing I knew, the four of them were playing chicken."

"Wait, really? And...Fleep was ok with it being a game, at that point? Against Jax?" She questions, sounding mildly confused.

"Like I said...things were simpler, back then. Harder to...hold grudges. I ended up getting Gangle in on it, too, with her on my shoulders. It was hard to not want to join in." She laughs a little. "Kaufmo and Barkley tried to do it too, but neither of them could balance right when they tried."

"Aw. But everyone else was having fun?"

Fun. Fun, together, not something set up by Caine. Organic. It...it had been a while since that had happened so earnestly. The closest circumstance to that recently had been when they'd been killing time before camping.

But...that was different.

A bittersweet surge in her chest.

Even so, she manages a soft smile. "Yes. We all were."

Pomni must see some conflict in her expression, because her brow furrows. Ragatha notes it. Notes too that Pomni doesn't speak up, just stares at her for a long few moments.

The doll gives her hand a squeeze, and she snaps back to attention instantly. "Ah, s-sorry. Lost in thought."

"No harm." She reminds. "Is it something you're willing to share?"

Pomni is quiet for another long few moments. Her gaze drops from Ragatha's face to their joined hands again. Honestly they both seemed to keep doing that, gazes drifting to the union like gravity, repeatedly. Ragatha knew why she was doing that; this meant everything to her. Pomni was a rock, a lifeline. The support she needed to lighten the weight on her heart right now.

She wondered why Pomni kept looking.

She speaks up, and Ragatha's attention is snatched. "I...keep thinking of all the times I wanted to ask you about this stuff. These...these people." She admits. Her expression is nervous, now. "I...kept wanting to ask but I never did. I didn't want to upset you...or make you uncomfortable. And now, I..." She trails off, biting her lip.

Gentle, careful. Pomni doing her best, even now, to not tread on unstable ground. But Ragatha was done hiding, done letting herself avoid these things, these moments.

If the ground gave way, she knew they were here, in this moment, to catch each other.

"Well...you can ask, now. If you really want to." She stated. Encouraging. Even now, there was so much to remember, to sort through. Hard to know where to start, and harder to figure out where to continue. If Pomni led, though, she could follow.

Pomni swallows. But then her gaze returns to Ragatha's face, brow furrowed, but raising just a little as some tension escapes. "....it's mostly been Kaufmo I'm curious about." She admits. "Everyone kept acting like nothing was wrong despite him being...gone, abruptly, and......"

Ragatha waits for her to finish, but a hesitant, uncomfortable look settles on her face. The statement hangs, incomplete.

So she prompts, saying, "Well...I can talk about him, if you like. It's...fresh, you aren't wrong about that. And it's easier for everyone, not just me, to pretend everything's fine rather than the alternative."

The uncomfortable expression remains, but it does soften a little. "...that's what I figured. But...y-yeah, I'd like to hear about him."

"He's....he was here about as long as me." Ragatha begins. "He wasn't always the easiest to get along with. I wasn't always fond of his sense of humor." She admitted.

"I remember you saying something about fake laughing at his jokes on day one." Pomni recalls.

"Sometimes they just didn't....land." She explains. "Or they're dark humor and I'm not usually very fond of those. I don't think either of us were the others' favorite person..."

"Hm. I, uh, I remember, during the free day before we got on the Ferris Wheel, you mentioned something about Jax and Kaufmo at the dunk tank? Did they get along?"

Ragatha blinks. "I..." Her brow furrows in thought. It took her longer than she'd like to admit to realize what Pomni was talking about. "Oh. That? I'm surprised you remembered that."

"I've...kinda been committing a lot of stuff to memory." She replies, sheepish. "Especially the stuff you say-"

She slaps her free hand over her mouth the moment the words left it. Face lighting up in blue, eyes wide to the point the pinwheel pattern disappeared. Not scribbly, but still clearly some flavor of panicked.

She blinks at her, baffled by the reaction to...herself, seemingly. "Are...you alright, hun?" She asks. Had that not been something she meant to say?

She looked more embarrassed than she should be, Ragatha thought.

Pomni forcefully nodded her head, and jerked her gaze off to the side. "...fine." She replies, very very quiet. "Can...can we just ignore that I said that...?"

The doll frowned. "Why would that be necessary?"

A muffled squeak escapes her, and, before she responds, she squeezes her eyes shut. In a small, ashamed voice, she admits, "...I don't want you to think I'm weird."

Ragatha feels that candle in her chest grow brighter, warmer. Feels it pulse. She knows she must be flustering, too.

Pomni saying she pays extra attention to what Ragatha says, that was one thing. Flattering, but not indicative of anything more than the care the jester had already shown her today.

But the other's reaction to admitting it, admitting to committing her words to memory specifically, hoping she doesn't think poorly of her for it...

....it honestly sounded like Pomni was treating it as an admission of something much deeper.

Ragatha felt her metaphorical heart skip a beat. Should she get her hopes up? Was this a moment for her own admissions? Was this-

Pomni looked mortified, she realized. Blue-faced, not trembling, but squeezing her hand tightly. Hunching over slightly to make herself look smaller.

Her feelings were secondary, at this moment. Pomni said it was ok to be selfish sometimes....but right now her friend needed reassurance. And Ragatha would never forgive herself if she didn't give it.

"I'd never think you're weird, sweetheart." She promised, squeezing her hand right back. "I promise. I'd never think less of you for anything like that."

Never was a fun hypothetical, in a place like this. It was foolish to taunt it like this, swearing to feel one way for the rest of time. But Pomni had done the same earlier, for her.

She knew Pomni held her heart in her hands. That was all the clarity she needed to make any promise, no matter how wistful.

The jester's eyes opened, surprised, shy, staring up at Ragatha quietly. "...really? You...you don't?"

"I don't see why I should. It's...not like you said anything unusual." She assures.

She paused, and gently, carefully, rubbed a thumb across Pomni's knuckle. The jester's gaze immediately dropped to their hands again, seeming almost transfixed.

Her heart was in her throat...but she needed to say it. "It's not like I don't do the same when you talk."

She sees the way the other's expression shifts. Sees the conflict dance, in the way her brow moves, in the way her lips press together. The blue blush, previously fading a bit, surges back up from dusting to splash.

And yet, she doesn't respond. She just keeps staring at their joined hands, blinking rapidly for another few seconds. And then...

"....oh."

Inscrutable tone, but softly said. The free hand comes up to her cheek.

Ragatha clears her throat. She decidedly doesn't regret saying it...but she does find herself wondering if she's made the other uncomfortable. "W-well, like I said, I don't find it weird. But if you do...then I suppose I'm weird! We can be weird together...about it. There's worse things to be."

She doesn't know where these statements are coming from. It feels like nowhere. Being supportive and knowing what to say usually came to her as easily as breathing....but she felt a little off-balance in that regard, right now. Second guessing each word.

Pomni's fault. But there's no bitterness, in acknowledging it. If anything there's gratitude.

Her friend startles, at the words. "Oh, uh, yeah no, it's....you're right. It must not be as weird as I think it is...if you're doing it." She rambles a little, bringing her hand off her cheek to wave it dismissively, the hint of a smile budding on her bluing face.

That wasn't really what Ragatha had been going for. But Pomni was less stressed, it seemed, so she couldn't really argue with the result. "Sure. Do you want me to keep talking about Kaufmo?"

Pomni opens her mouth to reply, but then her brow furrows again and it closes. "I...wait. This isn't about what I want, it's..."

She tilts her head a little as Pomni trails off. "Well, sure it is. You're helping me, so...it's only fair you get something out of this."

Pomni shook her head. "I want you to...be able to talk about this stuff because it'll make you feel better. It's..." She averts her gaze with a frown. "I'm realizing it's a little selfish to be pushing you to say the stuff I want to hear."

The word spurs her on to respond, and she does so with a smile. "It's ok to be selfish sometimes, Pomni." She recalls. "And this is making me feel better. It's fine if you have preferences; it's not like I have much idea what to say without a little prompting. Like I said, there's a lot."

Pomni puffs out her cheeks again. "Still..."

"Hey, if you ask a question I can't or don't want to answer, I'll just say that. Neither of us need to be walking on eggshells, sweetheart."

Her frown remains, but the eye contact resumes. "...that's fair. Are you sure? If...if I make you uncomfortable, you'll tell me, right?"

That...wasn't quite what she'd said...but it felt like a reasonable question. She was doing her best, tonight, to break out of her bad habits.

Pomni must be worried she's going to keep lying to spare her any worry, or grief. Stress. She still felt like she wanted to...she knew she'd have the urge to, when the situation arose.

But Pomni didn't want her to. She was asking her, so nicely, not to.

Ironically, Ragatha realized, lying so Pomni wouldn't worry would just make her worry more. Previously, she'd been frustrated by how quickly Pomni had caught on to that.

But now...still, only gratitude.

"I'll tell you, I promise." She said, gentle. She lifts a hand without thinking, reaching for Pomni's other hand too, before she catches up with herself and forces it back down. She swallows. "...and you'll do the same, right? I...a part of me is still so afraid of taking advantage of you without meaning."

She hears the other's breath hitch, at that. And, surprising her just like every other time, Pomni links their free hands together once more. "You...m-maybe it's weird. Or maybe that doesn't matter....but, uh. Y'know, I said this before, and its still...true. You've never really done anything that's made me uncomfortable. At least not that I can think of right now. If...if that changed, I would tell you."

She feels...impossibly soft. This whole situation, still, so unfamiliar. In the best way. There's no one she'd rather be doing this with than Pomni.

She really was in love, wasn't she? Hopelessly.

"....we were talking about Kaufmo, right?" She recalls. It feels strange, getting back on topic. She wouldn't mind if they just sat here making sweet promises forever, if you asked her opinion...but it wasn't really what they were here for. "Did you have any specific questions, or...?"

Pomni blinks rapidly for a few seconds, snapping to attention. "Oh, right." She pauses, thinking. "....uh, I think my question earlier was if he and Jax got along." She recalls.

Ragatha nods. "That's one with a weird answer. Sometimes they'd be passive-aggressively at each other's throats, practicing...jokes...on each other. More like insults, really, but with just the right diction to pass as a joke. And other times they'd team up to make some elaborate situation to get someone laughing. Jax is good at doing that at the expense of other people...but Kaufmo was very invested in doing that in other ways. Not to say them working together tended to end with no one upset..." She shook her head a little. "You could never predict it."

"What was the thing with the dunk tank, then?" She asked again.

Ragatha let out a tiny laugh. "You're very focused on that, aren't you?" She teased.

Pomni flusters. "I-in my defense it was the only crumb of information I had for a while aside from the fact that his jokes were bad..."

Another laugh escapes her. "Sorry, I'm teasing. To answer your question, though, what they'd do is kidnap npcs and stick them in there."

".....just for fun, or...?"

"Depends. Dunk tanks are hard to enjoy without someone to dunk and most of the time none of us volunteered. And Kaufmo, unlike Jax, wasn't really willing to grab someone unwilling...so npcs it was. Jax was content with that. A scheme was a scheme, and depending on the npc they can certainly act like they have feelings to hurt."

Pomni frowned a little. "I guess that's better than bothering real people." She relented. "Still."

"Kaufmo was pretty...well, I was going to say disconnected, from this place. But that's not quite true, either." Ragatha replied with a slight frown of her own. "He had no attachment to any of the npcs, or AI. Aside from Caine, he barely acknowledged any of them. And Caine he only acknowledged because there wasn't much way to get around it."

She nodded.

"And yet...he showed up here, saw he was a clown, and wholeheartedly acted the part. Embraced this...role he'd been given." A mirthless laugh. "And he was terrible at it, but he sure was trying."

A snort from the jester. "That's why I'm not trying to do that. I would probably be worse than him at it."

"Aw, don't say that! And jesters and clowns aren't even the same thing, really. They might even be opposites, thematically."

"Still! I don't know any jokes. And I'd feel....weird. Trying to be something I'm.......not."

Her expression dipped into something somber, tinted with stress. Her hands squeezed.

Ragatha couldn't stop the concern from escaping her verbally. "What do you mean? Are you alright?"

Pomni's brows bunched together, and had both the doll's hands not been occupied, she would've had to stop herself from trying to smooth them out. "It's...nothing. Probably."

"Oh, come on now, we're airing our baggage, aren't we? It's only fair I give you a turn. That's  what we were doing earlier, weren't we?" She remarked good-naturedly with a tilt of her head. "Something that bothers you, something that bothers me."

The furrowed brows loosen at that, and the corners of her mouth curl into a hint of a smile. "...when you put it that way..."

"It's only fair." She repeated, smiling more deliberately.

Pomni spends another few moments in thoughtful quiet before speaking. "....I don't really like what this place made me look like." Is how she starts. "I...barely remember anything about what I looked like, so it's not like I have much to compare it to. But I know I hate it."

Ragatha's expression creases with sympathy. "What about it don't you like?" She prompts.

"I....I look like a kid, Ragatha. I look like a joke. And everything here just rubs it in. I...I hate being in my room, sometimes. It makes me feel so small."

Ragatha had only been in Pomni's room once before, on the day she'd drowned. She hadn't been paying much attention when she'd been inside, focus entirely on the jester. She remembered the colors of the room, a poster, and the dresser....

....now that she dwelled on it, the dresser had been very tall. Too tall for Pomni to access most of it, she realized. "That's...I hadn't realized." She mumbled.

"It's....there were like, kiddie toys in there when I got there, too. I put them away because I couldn't stand to look at them. But no amount of moving stuff around changes the fact that I'm tiny, now. I'm a grown-[KLINK] adult! A-and it really feels like this place is trying to make me forget that!"

Her breathing is labored, angry, stressed. Ragatha gently squeezes her hand, and almost immediately she can see her frame lose some of its tension.

But she doesn't say anything more, so Ragatha does. "Well, I can promise you I won't forget that." She assures.

The laugh that escapes the other sounds decently genuine. "I would hope not. I'd....probably die if you thought of me as a child or something."

"It would be condescending to do that, and I have no intention of treating you that way."

"No wonder Jax does, then..." She replies, almost a mumble. But she shakes her head and refocuses on Ragatha. "Ok, uh...your turn? Something that upsets you, now."

She'd nearly forgotten. "Oh, right. Hm, let me think..."

She scours her brain for grievances. Tries to come up with things she hasn't said yet....but they'd been out here so long now she wasn't even sure which things she'd mentioned already.

But, more importantly....Pomni was here, still, holding her hands. Careful and gentle, for her benefit. And...sitting here, in the digital dirt, hand in hand with this person so dear to her....she honestly couldn't think of a single thing to be upset about.

It hits her like a brick, and the warmth swelled in her chest. Safe, cared for. Treated gently. Now, more than any other moment so far since realizing, Ragatha wanted to let her feelings for the other spill forth from her mouth.

Would it be right? Was this a good time? Pomni had been....not uncomfortable, earlier, when she'd called her sweetie. She...wanted to say more things like that. Sweeter, sappier things. Honestly, all of a sudden it was all she wanted.

"...Rags?" The jester speaks up. "You have more things to share, right? There's no way you don't have anything else to complain about if you've been here so long."

The nickname again sends her warm feelings teetering, spilling over the edge. Chest filling up with them, the only place to go was out.

"Pomni..." She starts, and finds, even in this, she's at a loss for words right now. Careful and gentle, the jester was skittish...so how was she meant to say these things without scaring her off?

She sees, perplexingly, that being addressed this time sends a new cascade of blue across Pomni's face. "Wh...what's with your voice." She stammers, quiet, almost tense.

Maybe her tone communicated what she couldn't with words? Or at least, in that moment specifically it had.

But tone wasn't enough, she needed to actually tell Pomni how she felt. It was a deep, deep yearning, and with them already making contact, it wasn't for that.

Tenderly, she rubs her thumbs against the gloved knuckles. "I...I can't think of anything wrong, right now, to be honest." She admits, gaze going impossibly soft. "It's....hard to, when I'm sitting here with you."

The blue spreads further. "With....w-with me. Me?"

She can feel the other trembling in her hold.

But she doesn't voice discomfort.

Ragatha continues, emboldened.  "With you. I...know I had things before, to complain about...but right now it feels like they're miles away. I'm just...comforted. So comforted by how much support you're giving me."

She sees Pomni take a steadying breath. "It's....why would I do anything else? You....deserve someone who does this for you and I want-" She cuts herself off, biting her lip.

It's not surprising that Ragatha's focus shifts to the action instantly. She tries not to be so obvious about it, wrenching her gaze away to more properly make eye contact. "You know what I think, sweetheart? I think that doesn't make it any less special."

She hopes she'd not coming on too strong. This wasn't what they were out here for...

But Ragatha really wants to confess.

Pomni is still chewing her lip. Slowly, but without resistance, she pulls a hand from their connection to place against her cheek. Splash has died down to dust, again. "Special, huh? I mean, I'm...glad, glad that this means a lot to you. I just...hated the idea of this thing we have being imbalanced..."

She sounded so...vague. Thing. What they had, by definition, was a friendship. A close one, especially right now.

Of course, especially right now, Ragatha wanted it to be more than that. "With how hard you worked to get this out of me, I don't think you had anything to worry about." She spoke, soft, gentle. "You...care. So much about me. And....I simply can't stop thinking about it, Pomni."

".....where are you going with this?" She interrupted. Something tints her voice, and Ragatha almost wants to say it's fear.

She can't stop herself; that wasn't an admission of discomfort, really, but Ragatha compulsively feels the need to check. "I'm sorry, am I making you uncomfortable? Am I being...too forward?"

That was something adjecent to an admission, she realizes, and it seems as though Pomni knows it too, by the way dust returns to splash. "A-a-aawhaaat do you mean forward??"

Ragatha steadies herself, reminding herself that even now, Pomni is still holding one hand in hers. Surely, if this was actual discomfort, she would have removed it by now.

That's not to say she looks comfortable, though. Honestly, she looked embarrassed and panicked.

Would it be right, to answer her question honestly? To risk distressing her further?

When she stops to think, it would probably be incredibly selfish-

...but it's ok to be selfish sometimes.

Emboldened anew, she soldiers on. "I...mean that you matter to me so much, dear. So much. And I don't want that to be something you don't realize."

Once more she's chewing her lip, blue spreading further and further across her pale white complexion. "I. I guessed that, probably, maybe, f-from context clues..." She stammered out. "A-anyone would when you're the only one making any effort..."

Ragatha shook her head faintly. "It's not just that, Pomni. You...it's how willing you were, that night, to go out of your comfort zone for me. I don't think I'd ever slept that well here...than with you in my arms. I can't get that feeling out of my head..."

It's a romantic thing to admit, more so than anything else she'd said so far. Everything else had some level of platonic deniability...but she was done hiding.

She was in love.

The others entire face was blue, at this point, not a speck of white aside from her eyes. She looked like she'd face-planted into a paint bucket. It would've been a little amusing had she not also gained her familiar scribbles.

That, clearly, was a sign of discomfort.

She doesn't get a chance to comment or ask any questions, because with startling composure considering her expression, the jester speaks up. "There's no way you're saying what I th-think you're saying. Ragatha, what are you getting at?"

She could not for the life of her decipher the other's tone. So she doesn't try. Pomni asked her a question, asked for honesty, and she was done lying.

No more beating around the bush.

"I'm saying...I'm saying that I like you, Pomni. That...that I don't care if it's dramatic, or early for me to say this...but I think I might love you."

Feelings set free like a bird. Like one of Kinger's butterflies. It feels so relieving to admit it, to be past this point of no return-

"R-Ragatha, please, be honest with me."

She blinks. What??

Pomni's brow is furrowed, she notes. Still very blue, but less than before.

Ragatha feels herself fluster a little, and frowns. "Wh...I am being honest Pomni. Do you think I'm lying?" Genuinely confused, and beginning to feel embarrassed, too.

Pomni averts her gaze. "....yes. Because that doesn't make sense."

Her previous boldness abates, and suddenly she feels meek. "I...well I'm not lying. I promise. I...I can pinkie swear, if that would convince you."

She moves to do so...but that is the moment where Pomni pulls her hand from her own.

The candle blows out, and with it goes all the air in the lungs she lacks.

"I-I was so scared you would do this." Pomni mumbles, dejected and tense.

Ragatha almost feels herself getting angry...because Pomni seemed more upset at this idea that Ragatha was lying about having feelings for her than the feelings themselves.

She tries again. "That...I would do what? F...fall in love with you?" She inquires, still making an effort to speak gently.

Pomni sucks air through her teeth as her breath hitches. "N-no! That you'd pretend! Pretend to like me back!"

The dying candle springs to life, easily. A spark, hope.

"Like you......back?" She repeats, carefully sounding the words out. No way. Reciprocated feelings, revealed just like that?

"Yes!" She shouts, yanking on her hat bells. "You're always trying to say and do whatever other people need to feel better and I knew, I knew, that if you found out how I felt you'd pretend to reciprocate so I wouldn't feel bad!"

Ragatha is startled to see tears sparkling in the corners of Pomni's eyes.

She doesn't get a chance to voice concern. "I thought, I thought you didn't know! Did Jax tell you after all?! Was he acting like you didn't know just drag this out even longer?!" She hiccups around a budding sob.

"Pomni, no! I'm not pretending to do anything! Jax didn't say anything, he...wait, is this what you were so scared of him telling me?"

"You are, Ragatha! You are and-" She chokes around a full-formed sob this time. "-and I'm throwing a tantrum about it." She finished softly, bearing her teeth as she buries her face in her hands. The blue leaves her face entirely. "I'm throwing a tantrum about it like a toddler."

She sounds ashamed, humiliated. Ragatha feels her heart break. "Oh sweetie...no..."

"D-don't call me that when you don't mean it..." Pomni whimpers. "It's not fair...it's not fair to you..."

Her heart skips a beat. Even now, accusing her of deception...she was concerned for her.

"Darling..." She begins again, another new affectionate word spilling forth in this vulnerable moment. "I wouldn't lie to you about this." She insists.

Pomni sniffles, raising her head from her hands a little to peer at her. "B-but...you have to be. It doesn't make sense..."

"What doesn't?"

She pulls her legs out of the criss-cross they were in prior, and sets her crossed arms on her knees. In a quiet, timid voice, she admits, "There's no way you'd...you'd feel that way a-about someone like me."

Ragatha's eye widens in realization. Pomni's words prior, about this place making her feel small. Did she feel insignificant? Not...worthy, of this kind of care?

Well. You'll have to forgive her, but Ragatha saw that as a challenge.

She finds herself gently smiling at the other, and only begins speaking a few moments later, when Pomni's gaze meets hers. "Like you? What, kind? Charming, considerate? I wouldn't love someone like that?"

She sees that blue blush spread faintly across her cheeks, but she hides her face in her arms again before she can look at it for very long. "I'm not any of those things..."

"You're all that and more." She insisted, and stopped herself from reaching out to touch her. She wanted to. Her reflex was to comfort physically...but Pomni specifically could not find comfort this way.

Pomni speaks up again before she can say anything about it. "N-no, I'm not considerate at all. I left you floundering for two whole days because I couldn't bear the idea of this conversation happening!" She exclaimed, muffled through her arms.

"You were...scared. Of me pretending to like you back? Not of me rejecting you?" Ragatha questions. To her it sounded like an absurdly specific thing to be afraid of.

But had they not been as close as they were, now....maybe it would've made plenty of sense. Maybe she would have faked this, to keep Pomni happy.

But here she was, being genuine, and Pomni wasn't happy yet.

"Why would you do that, if you didn't like me back? You're...you're so so nice, you'd never do something that would end with me upset."

Her chest clenched at the sentiment. "....I understand why you'd think that." She said carefully. "But I'm trying so hard today, not to lie anymore to my own detriment. You're the one who helped me realize I could."

Faintly, Pomni tilts her head a little, giant pinwheels staring at her over the rim of her arms.

Ragatha's brow furrowed from the sight. "Why are you so sure I'm relapsing?"

Pomni groans softly, eyes narrowing as she averts her gaze. "...because it's too good to be true."

And Ragatha spends a mere moment, thinking about it, that the idea that she might love Pomni was a concept with such appeal it was deemed unrealistic...

She flusters hard. Pinks and reds threading through her fabric, the candle burning to a blaze in her chest. She blinks rapidly.

"...sweetie. Please, look at me for a second?" She coaxes, and Pomni complies easily.

The eye contact is maintained as Ragatha continues. "Listen...were it an idea you were ok with, I'd be hugging you right now. I'd be showering you with so much affection there'd be no room left for doubt." She explains.

The jester's head shoots up, and blue dusts across her cheeks again. "Ragatha-"

"-but you don't want to be touched." Ragatha cuts her off. "So I don't know how to convince you! Tell me Pomni, anything. Anything I could do for you to show you I'm serious."

Pomni worries her lip, again. Eyes wavering, blue intensifying. "I-I...I couldn't ask that-"

"-I'm offering." She cut her off again, desperate. "I'm offering, so please...tell me how I can prove it."

"I don't..." She inhales deeply, and exhales quickly. "...I have no, no idea..." She admits, pupils moving to the side, away from her.

Ragatha sighs a little. "...can I just...try something, then?"

The gaze flickers back, nervous and flustered. "T-try?"

"You just say the word, and I'll stop." She says, careful, gentle, before reaching out to rest a plush hand on Pomni's arm.

Pomni's breath hitches.

Ragatha fixes her with a look. Is it confident? Flirtatious? She has no idea, but she hopes that Pomni does. "Is this alright, darling?"

Another sharp intake of air. But Pomni doesn't speak. She just gives a shaky nod, blue splash spreading once more across her cheeks.

Cautiously, she pries one of Pomni's hands from the fold. Scoots herself closer to the other. Brings the hand up towards her mouth...then stops, once again fixing Pomni with that look. "What about this?"

Pomni's hat tails shoot straight up, whole face blue. Steam fizzles out the sides of her head with a train whistle sound. Her mouth goes agape.

It's comical. It's ridiculous. It's indicative of the situation they're in.

Most importantly, though, it is proof of some kind that the jester wasn't lying. Pomni did like her like that. If she hadn't known before, the cartoon logic at play had just, very blatantly, outed her.

She yanks the hat tails back down, looking mortified. "Oh my god." She wheezes. "I'm going to kill myself."

"Oh, don't say that, you promised." Ragatha chastised. "And it's not that bad, honestly it was endearing, I swear!"

"N-no it's not! It's stupid and, and embarrassing and-"

Ragatha cuts her off with a feather-soft kiss to the back of her gloved hand.

Her words abruptly transition into a muffled squeak as her mouth snaps shut. Eyes blow wide...but no scribbles, Ragatha notes when she opens her eye.

She lifts away, but still holds Pomni's hand. "Alright?"

"A-a-a-alright? I'm..." She trails off, eyes darting about for a moment before settling back on the ragdoll. Something...shifts in her expression. "C...can you do that? Again?" She asks, so quiet Ragatha almost doesn't hear her.

The fluster threading her own cheeks grows more intense, too. But she complies, smiling into it. She kisses Pomni's glove again.

"....huh." Pomni whispers to herself. "It...it does feel like...."

Ragatha quirks a brow, still smiling that smile. "What feels like what?" She prompts.

Pomni startles, a nervous smile blooming, and she averts her gaze again. "O-oh, uh, it's nothing!"

"I won't think any less of you if it's something embarrassing, dear. Cross my heart."

A dry laugh escapes her. "Ah...is it that obvious?" She mumbles awkwardly.

"Just a guess. And a promise I intend to keep. Please?"

"Mmmnn...okay, fine, but it is embarrassing so don't blame me if you cringe." She retorted. At Ragatha's encouraging smile, she continued. "I...wondered once...or twice, what your..." She starts, but the blue on her face flares and she averts eye contact again.

She points with her free hand toward her mouth.

More warm thread weaves through her complexion. "My...my lips?" She questions, trying to keep the incredulity out of her tone.

Pomni nodded swiftly. "I-I mean it's not like you really have them most of the time- You only really have a mouth when you're talking! But it looks like paper so I wondered what kind of paper it is-" She rambled, and then face-palmed. "A-and now I have my answer? I-it feels like that colored construction paper. Ugh, this is stupid, I'm being stupid-"

Ragatha gave the hand she was holding a gentle squeeze, and Pomni shuts up immediately. "I don't think it's stupid at all."

Pomni shudders, and her pinwheel eyes swirl. "...you really don't...? But I'm...I'm being weird."

"I don't think it's weird." She confirmed with a grin. "And if it is, I think there's worse things to be."

"Ah...I walked into that one, didn't I?" She admitted.

She'd said nearly the same thing earlier, so it was an easy response. Ragatha feels a bit mischievous. "Maybe a little. But I don't mind." Another kiss placed to the glove. Tentatively, considering, she flips the hand over, and placed another to the palm.

"Oh my god." Pomni squeaks. "Ah, c-can you stop?"

She does, pulling her face away again. "Sorry. Uncomfortable now?"

"N-no, not...not that. Just...overstimulated."

Ragatha drops her hand. "Sorry, I'm doing too much, aren't I-"

She's surprised immensely when Pomni grabs it again, with both of her own. "No, Rags, not, not like that. Just...in here." She uses one hand to point to her head, and then returns it to hold onto Ragatha again. "I'm...thinking. A lot. Every time you do that my brain just goes crazy."

She blinks, the warm feeling in her chest kicking up another few notches. "Oh? What kinds of things are you thinking about?"

Pomni doesn't respond. And when she does, it isn't to answer the question. "Listen, I...this isn't working. If...if you really like me back, I...I'm not going to be convinced by you just doing what you think I want."

Ragatha frowns a little. "Really?"

"Really. I'm...a part of me is going to keep being scared that you're just...doing this for me to make me happy." She admitted sheepishly. "If you only do things I want...how am I supposed to know that you...want...."

Solid logic, even if it made her sad. "I see." She replied, voice level.

Pomni flinched, screwing her eyes shut. "S-so, I...I want you to do something that you want. Whatever you want to do to me, that's fine. Even if you think it'll make me uncomfortable."

Ragatha's eye goes wide in minor alarm. "Sweetheart, no, I couldn't-"

"I'm offering." She insists. "I can take it. It's...it's not like anything really bad can happen here...a-and I trust you wouldn't do anything like that anyway, so it's fine."

She decidedly did not like those implications. "I...love you and respect your boundaries. I don't want to go past them when I know you'll have a bad time."

"L-look, just...please. I want to know. I want to believe you, I want to believe you so bad. B-but unless you do one selfish thing for yourself, there's going to be doubt. I'm going to keep doubting no matter how much I don't want to."

It's honesty. Startling honesty, really. Pomni's always been better at that than Ragatha has.

Unlike Pomni, Ragatha has no reason to suspect her words are reassuring lies.

So, heart heavy and nervous, she scoots forward again. "....ok." She says, careful and gentle in word and in action.

Her hands tentatively reach forward to cup Pomni's face. Her thumbs caress the other's rubber skin.

The blue is rich and smooth, up close.  She'd compared it to paint, before, but at the close distance she's found now it really does remind her of an expert water color.

She feels the other tense, hears her breath hitch. But another splash of blue joins the others, so maybe she's not making a terrible mistake?

Touching her now, she can feel the other's warmth through her cloth. It's soothing, reassuring. I did this to her.

She leans forward, hesitant and shy. Even now, permission given, close enough to do what she's been yearning for...it doesn't feel right.

She swears, she swears that Pomni is scared. It isn't fair, not at all. She'd leaned in to press a kiss between her eyes...but she can't, she can't betray Pomni's comfort that far.

At least...not without buildup, and warning.

Instead, she pressed their foreheads together, and sighs.

Pomni goes tense for a second, but then relaxes. "R...Rags?"

She feels so full of affection she might burst. But she doesn't escalate the contact yet. "I adore that you're calling me that, now. It makes me feel so cozy." She admits.

"I..." It takes her a minute to find her reply. "You...call me so many nice things. You say that stuff to everyone, really...but sometimes it felt extra special. I wanted to call you something too. I...wanted to try it. I'm glad it wasn't weird..."

"I'd let you be weird, you know. There's worse things to be. We can be weird together."

Pomni, tentative, shy, opens her eyes. Something twinkles in them. The pattern swirls again. "Yeah?"

Something in that tone sends the warmth overflowing again. So much hope, admiration. Ragatha nearly can't handle it. "Yeah...Pomni, can I...can I kiss you?"

A breath escapes her, swift and airy. And then she leans into one of Ragatha's hands, eyes slipping shut again. "Y-you can do whatever you want." There a smile, small but genuine.

Ragatha hears hope in her tone more clearly now.

She doesn't keep Pomni waiting.

The other's rubber lips squeak as she kisses her. They're soft and pliable, not that she's moving against them with enough force to be able to say that with much confidence.

But the physical feeling of it isn't what she dwells on. She's far too focused on listening, waiting, ready to stop the moment Pomni expresses discomfort, or tenses again, or does anything at all to communicate what she can't with her mouth occupied.

But nothing like that happens. Instead, shakily, the jester brings her own hands up to cup Ragatha's face, too. Feels gloved thumbs rub her cheeks the same way she had done to her before.

She knows she must be warming, at the touch. She leans into it, a quiet hum of contentedness escaping her.

Pomni is trembling.

She pulls away immediately. "Pomni?"

The jester's eyes sparkle with tears, the pinwheel patterns swirling nonstop now.

Concern blooms in her chest. "Is....is this too much?"

"Oh...oh god, you...." Pomni stammers, sniffling. Her lip quivers.

Ragatha tries to say more, to reassure, to apologize, but her friend's next words stop her cold.

"Y-you really...you really do feel the same...." She whispers, tearful voice thick with feeling.

Awe is the one Ragatha can hear the clearest.

She can't stop the faint, relieved laugh from escaping her. "I...I do! You believe me now?"

"Mhm...!" Pomni squeaks as a wide, wide smile blooms across her blue face. More tears well up in her eyes, but even as they trail down her cheeks she doesn't stop smiling. "I'm, I can't, I can't believe...! B-but I do, and you...!"

She hiccups, and once again Ragatha has to stop herself from impulsively pulling the other close.

This time, though, Pomni noticed the way her arms move. "He-hey, it's ok. You can hug, hug me if you want. I don't mind." She says, voice shaky.

Ragatha sighs, but it's a fond sound. "You know I have a hard time believing that."

"But it's true!" She insists, with a smile so giddy it stretches her face. "Because it's you!"

At that, unbidden, Ragatha feels tears welling up in her eye, too. She isn't able to stop herself, now given permission.

She reaches and grabs, careful even still, and pulls Pomni against her chest. Arms wrap around her, gentle, and she feels Pomni do the same.

And like the few other times they'd embraced this way, Ragatha felt lighter than air. Emotions surge and dance in her chest, stuffing singed from the warmth of them.

Loved. The others cared about her, sure, but she was loved!

"This...this doesn't feel real." Pomni whispers, still sounding awestruck.

"It's...surreal." Ragatha admits. "I feel like I'm going to float away."

"Knowing this place, it's probably possible." She replies, soft voice edged with mirth. "S-so it's good that I'm here, holding you here..."

Ragatha blinked, and then pulled back a little so the pair could look each other in the face again. "Pomni, was that a flirt?" She questioned, gaze amused and tender.

Pomni flushes, blinking away the persisting tears. "Not a good one...I'm not an expert..."

"Hey, you're not going to start that again. Whatever you have is what I want. No more." A hand lifts to Pomni's cheek again, and again, the jester leans into her touch.

Ragatha's enamored by how content the other looks. Soothed, unstressed...shy, still, but happy.

I did that.

It takes her breath away. She wants more than anything else to kiss her again.

She worries her lip, letting out a hum, and Pomni's eyes open to peer up at her.

Their gazes meet, Ragatha blushes, and Pomni reads her mind. Her smile is soft, and there is not hesitance when the reaches up to cradle the doll's face. "Is it ok if I....?"

Ragatha's gaze must be lovestruck, she knows, feeling her cloth cheeks go warm at the other's words. "You can do whatever you want, darling."

Her shy, giddy smile as it leans close to meet her is a sight now burned into her memory.

Pomni is gentle as she moves against her, but Ragatha is surprised by the distinct confidence she gains after a few moments. Arms wrapped around her fall to the small of her back, the jester sitting up a little straighter. Rubber and paper lips not quite meshing perfectly as if a storybook moment...but with the feelings dancing in their chests, Ragatha is hard pressed to describe this moment any other way.

It feels perfect, even if it isn't. Maybe that's just who they were, in the end.

Ragatha pulls away first, surprisingly, feeling so flustered, so enamored, her breath is catching on it.

Pomni looks almost nervous. "....did I do that wrong, too?"

"No-" The ragdoll breathes out, half-laughing at how perfectly imperfect this all was. "-no, I just...love you. I love you, Pomni. Pomni, you're perfect."

Pomni's breath catches, too. Her hat tails shoot up again, but no steam this time. "O-oh! Oh god, I...you too. I love you too, oh my god..." She looks so emotional, pinwheels swirling in her eyes, smile seeming wobbly.

They both want to express their feelings more coherently than that, but in lieu of any ideas as to how, their lips meet again.

And they spent a long while doing that, feelings passing between them through action, through the way Pomni clung to her as if afraid she'd disappear, through the way Ragatha let her pull away each time she needed a breather. Minding each other's comforts, sharing them.

No words were needed. Not about this. What they felt was clearly shown in everything but.

And still, Ragatha yelped in surprise when Pomni escalates. When the jester begins to crawl into her lap, arms squeezing her middle as if unable to get close enough. "Woah!"

Pomni jumps a little. "Oh, uh...is this not ok? I didn't...ask, but I thought-"

She cuts her off before she can catastrophize. "No, it's not...that I'm not ok with it, I'm more than ok with it really, I just didn't think you were."

Pomni's blush is fainter, but there. "Physical stuff is...easier for me when I'm the one initiating it." She admits. "When I'm not it...feels out of my control."

Ragatha laughs light. "No complaints from me, then. I'll gladly take a backseat if it means you feel free to take charge more often."

Pomni has the gall to look sheepish. "I mean...you don't think it's weird of me?"

Ragatha quirks a brow, and Pomni coughs.

"Right...."

"I'll say it a third time if you need me to, dear. Or has it been more than that? I've lost count."

"Enough times for me to get the message..." Pomni relents, laughing a little before leaning up to kiss Ragatha again.

This one doesn't last as long, though, because Pomni pulls back down, staring up at the ragdoll with inquisitive eyes.

"Hm?" Ragatha prompts. Pomni's brow furrows, and this time she does reach forward to smooth it out.

Pomni's lip is a thin line, but the contact doesn't seem to bother her. "Hey, Rags...you know what just occurred to me?"

"What?"

"I...we spent so much time talking about the past. About other people, gone and not gone. But I haven't really heard you say much about you." She says, arms wrapped around her squeezing a little.

Ragatha laughs sheepishly. "It's hard for me to think of much that's interesting, really. And it's not like there's much you don't already know from context clues, I imagine."

"I don't know your favorite color. Or your favorite food." She replied. "I doubt you remember much of before this place, but if you do I'd have no idea. I...know what kind of person you are, and how you feel about certain things...but there's so much else I don't know."

Ragatha's gaze softened. "I'd say I don't think it's be very interesting to listen to...but that'd make me a bit of a hypocrite, I think." She admitted.

Pomni uncurled one of her arms from around Ragatha's middle, and buried the hand in her hair. It sent tingles up her back, filled her chest with butterflies. "I...I love you. I love you, Ragatha. And I want to know you. You."

And oh, what a lovely idea that was, someone knowing her. And that someone being the wonderful, amazing woman in her lap right now.

She pressed their foreheads together, smiled so sweetly. "I think I would be honored, then."

And that's how they spent the next while, speaking softly to one another. Not quite sweet nothings...but perhaps sweet somethings. Gentle words, no longer afraid. No need to be careful, for there was no judgment here.

Ragatha didn't know it...but Pomni had finally found something to live for.