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Jax wanted to scream. Caine had to choose the WORST adventure possible for them today.
“TODAYS ADVENTURE IS, NAVIGATE THE MALL!!!” Everyone suddenly was teleported to the front of a big mall. “HERE YOU ARE, AT A BIG CROWDED MALL FILLED WITH NPCS! YOUR TASK IS TO FIND ALL THE ITEMS AND RETURN THEM TO ME! BYE-BYE!” And he disappeared.
A list was dropped in front of them, which Ragatha picked up, “Welp, I suppose we should start…” Everyone began walking in, Jax stared for a second before snapping out of it.
“Is Caine seriously having us to his shopping? What are we, his little minions?” The rabbit complained smugly.
“I mean, we kind of are his minions, when you think about it,” Zooble mumbled back, reading over the list. “God[@#$%]it Jax, you’re right. A [@#$%]ing toothbrush? A, ‘super duper big ole toothbrush’,?”
“That’s… specific…” Gangle mused as they all walked inside.
When the doors opened, Jax internally cringed. It was loud, bright, big, and very VERY crowded… He gulped, stepping a bit closer to the group, and in an attempt to make it not look like it was out of fear, gave Gangle a little push, breaking her comedy mask.
*gasp* “my comedy mask… its broken again…” Jax and Gangle said at the same time. Jax imitating Gangle mockingly as she spoke in despair.
Gangle snapped her face towards Jax in confusion and sadness, “how’d you know I was gonna say that…”
Jax stared.
“…lucky guess….?”
“Jax! Be nice!” Ragatha gave him a shove, which made him bump into an npc, causing him to flinch away, moving back to the group again. He got a few weird glances, but his sharp glare shut them up before they could even speak.
They made it to the first store, everyone went in and got what they needed, then came back out.
On the way to the next store, they entered a more crowded area of the ‘mall’. There was blasting music playing and bright, changing colours disco lights. It was very overwhelming. He kept getting bumped into by the npcs or one of the other characters. But no matter which one bumped him, it still stressed him out more and more.
The lights were so bright, and never stayed the same, the music was loud and floor shaking, there was barely any room to walk. Jax felt like he was suffocating. He had no idea what was going to happen next, and it scared him.
He stared at the lights flashing and where the music was blasting from, loosing focus. When he zoned back in, he realized he couldn’t see the others anymore. He gasped, turning and looking absolutely everywhere…. But they were nowhere to be seen.
He tried to push his way through the crowd, but it was too dense and he ended up getting shoved closer to the speakers.
He felt the vibrations blasting through his bones, shaking his body to the core and it made him feel sick. He scrambled back, shoving himself into a corner he found and huddling up in a ball, covering his ears and crouching on his feet, bent over his knees as he tried to touch the vibrating ground as little as possible while staying low.
The sounds, the lights, the people, the vibrations, all the feelings and sensory… It was way overstimulated.
-RAGATHA POV-
“Have you guys seen Jax?” Ragatha asked, looking around when she realized Jax wasn’t in their group any more.
Everyone glanced around, except Zooble who just shrugged and walked away.
“Did he get lost….?” Gangle says in worry, even though the rabbit had just broken her comedy mask.
“How would he get lost?” Pomni asked skeptically. Everyone shrugged.
Ragatha stepped out into the crowd, just shoving the npcs aside as she looked for Jax. It was a few minutes before she saw a flash of purple near the ground a bit away.
“Jax!” She pushed through the crowd to find… a very shocking sight.
Jax was crouched down, leaning over his knees, holding his hands over his ears, his eyes closed tightly as he slightly bounced on his feet, mumbling nonsense.
She rushed over, kneeling in front of him and taking his hands in hers.
“No-“ he yanked his hands back and covered his ears again.
Everyone began to crowd around him, making him shove even more into the corner, sitting now in a tight ball as he covered his ears and tensed his body from the vibrations, eyes still tightly shut.
“Jax, are you okay…?” Ragatha asked softly, placing her hand on his knee gently.
“NO!-“ he spoke louder this time, pulling away from Ragatha’s hand, causing her to pull back and give him a sad look.
“What’s wrong honey…?” She asks softly, not trying to touch him this time.
Jax took a few raspy, shaky breaths, “I- I don’t l-like it-“ his voice is soft and strained, sounding stressed anxious.
“Don’t like what? The noise?” She gestures to his covered ears and he nods vigorously.
“Wanna leave?”
“Y-yes-“
“Can I touch you, Jax?” Ragatha was soft, holding her hands out in a non-threatening manner.
Jax took a long second to think, but then nodded.
Ragatha leaned forward, wrapping her arms around him gently and lifting up, helping him to his feet, putting a hand on his back and using the other hand to hold his, beginning to walk out.
Jax opened his eyes, they were wide and anxious, his pupil shrunk small and darting around the room shakily. His ears were pinned down to reduce the noise, and his free hand was gripping the front of his overalls tightly.
The others followed, very confused as to what was happening to the usually very uncaring person they knew. All worried, except Zooble, but she was a curious and a bit concerned.
When they were outside the ‘mall’, in silence, Jax backed up against a corner again and slid down, huddling close to himself, tugging at the front of his overalls and pulling his ears hard, whining softly.
“What’s going on Jax? Did the loud noise and lights and crowds… scare you…?” Gangle spoke up in a small worried tone, but hesitating when she said the last part, nervous Jax would get mad for calling him scared.
He whined softly, turning to face away from everyone.
“Whats wrong with him…?” Zooble complained, seeming very confused but curious.
Pomni… looked at him in realization, “guys, stop talking,” she commanded everyone softly as she went to sit next to Jax.
She looked at him for a second, examining his actions and his body language.
“Can I hug you, Jax…?” Pomni asked in a very soft, very gentle tone, like she was talking to a small child.
Jax squirmed, wrapping his arms tightly around himself and glancing away. Pomni took that as a yes.
She leaned forward, embracing him in a tight hug, putting a lot of her weight against his body. It was a bit hard to hold him sufficiently when she was like… a third of his size, but she made it work.
She squeezed his body as tight as she could, holding his head under her neck and putting as much pressure on him as possible. While obviously making sure he’s comfortable.
“Was that stressful? In the mall?” She asks very softly, very calmly.
Jax nods softly.
“Was it the lights? And the music? And how crowded it was?” Jax nods again, staying tucked close in her tight embrace.
They stayed like that for a long time, till Jax calmed down and just laid in Pomni’s embrace, which she lightened up. Jax opened his eyes, peeking from over Pomni’s shoulder to everyone else who was staring at them in shock.
“What was that…?” Zooble questioned.
Pomni glanced down to Jax, “it’s… it’s something Jax will tell you when he’s ready.”
Jax snapped his gaze up to Pomni’s eyes, “y-you k-know…?”
Pomni met his gaze with a small smile, “yeah… We’re the same, y’know?”
Jax’s eyes widened, “…really?”
Pomni nods, “I understand okay? I wont tell them till you’re ready.”
“Can you tell them… please… I don’t… want that to happen again and… n-no one know…”
Pomni nods, standing, pulling Jax up beside her, who kept a tight grip on her hand. For comfort.
“So… turns out me and Jax aren’t all that different… we’re both autistic,” Pomni explains.
Ragatha stares at them in shock and everyone else in worry, “how… bad does if affect you…?” She asks.
“For me its, just…. Annoying, but I’m not sure about Jax,” Pomni explains, glancing up at Jax who just had his gaze down, still a little overstimulated from what just happened.
“Um… bad… pretty much everything about this circus is… very… overstimulating… All the colours, sounds, Caine talking loud, being forced into stuff… its… just…” his voice cracks and he turns away. “I don’t wanna talk about it.”
He hesitates for a second before he lets go of Pomni’s hand and leaves to go back to the Tent and to his room. Leaving Pomni in great concern and surprise and everyone else in confusion.