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Purple. Her right eye was glowing a bright purple. This is not good. Her right eye was yellow. How did it even change color?
"Caine," Ragatha took a step back. "Did you change something in her body?"
"I reestablished the connection with the soul as usual," Caine's voice trembled, "but I didn't change her eye."
Pomni stood on the table on which she was lying and did a backflip. In the air, she flipped a couple of times and landed behind Caine and Ragatha.
"Good day, dear viewers," an unnaturally sweet smile appeared on her face. "I am Pomni, the Performer Harlequin. And today I will entertain you."
"Performer..." Ragatha muttered.
"Harlequin..." Caine finished.
Oh no...
"THE PERSONALITY FILES ARE DAMAGED!" they shouted in unison.
"Pomni, don't panic! I can heal you." Caine grabbed the harlequin by the shoulders.
"Get back on the table, now," Ragatha moved a lever, and the table moved to a vertical position.
"Oh, how come?" Pomni's upset sweet voice echoed through the basement. "And I wanted to show you what I can do."
Before the new Pomni could blink, she was already strapped to the table. Another pull of the lever and she was in a horizontal position.
"What bad luck," she mumbled.
"She even stopped cursing," Caine rubbed his eyes.
He began to slowly sort through her personality files.
"Got it," Caine nodded. "Good news, her files are not damaged. They just glitched." Caine smiled at Ragatha but then frowned. "The bad news is that the reset will take some time."
"So Pomni will be... like this?" Ragatha summarized. "But we can't lock her in the basement for all that time."
"You're right. She needs to exercise her brain to get it working again," Caine thought about what to do.
Right now, it was just the three of them in the mansion. The other puppets were either busy with their tasks or on missions. So, no one would see Pomni in such... ahem... form.
Caine restored all the files, and Pomni came to life again. She sat up elegantly, crossing her legs. The harlequin shyly averted her gaze from Caine. The Puppetmaster didn't understand what that meant, so he cleared his throat and spoke.
"Pomni, my dear, don't go anywhere without me or Ragatha. It's dangerous for you to wander alone now."
"Understood, Mr. Puppetmaster," Pomni jumped to her feet and curtsied. "I entrust my soul to you."
Caine blushed slightly. He thought about what the usual Pomni would have said.
"JUST FUCKING DARE TOUCH ME, I'LL BITE YOUR DAMN HAND OFF!"
"Yes, she would definitely say something like that," Caine dismissed the thought. "So, what would you like to do now?"
Pomni examined her outfit.
"What am I wearing? Why such a strange, closed costume?" she genuinely didn't understand anything. "And is this a sword? Was I participating in a box-piercing trick?"
"She's completely nuts!" Ragatha whispered into Caine's ear(?).
"We'll manage," the Puppetmaster patted her on the shoulder. "If you want to change clothes, Ragatha will take you to the wardrobe."
Pomni's eyes sparkled.
"Wardrobe? I love costumes!"
"I'D RATHER DIE THAN CHANGE MY COMFORTABLE CLOTHES. FUCK YOUR DRESS-UP GAMES. I'M NOT A DOLL!"
It seemed Caine and Ragatha were thinking about the same thing. About how Pomni would have responded in her usual state.
Ragatha adjusted the medallion on her neck and took Pomni by the shoulders.
"Alright, dear, let's go then. We'll find you a cute dress."
"Oh, I'll be delighted, Lady Ragatha," the harlequin gently clapped her hands.
Caine was left alone in the basement. He needed a minute to process what was happening.
"So, what do we have?" he thought aloud. "Pomni is now behaving completely opposite to how she usually does. Apparently, during the last fight, that electric shock hit the brain center responsible for her personality. She remembers some moments from her usual life. For example, my title of Puppetmaster and Ragatha's name. But Pomni couldn't recognize her sword. This... this is actually sad. What if someone attacks us and she can't fight? Oh Lord! What to do!" Caine began to panic.
"Hi, Boss," suddenly a small airship appeared in the basement. "Why are you talking to yourself?"
"Bubble!" Caine noticed the butler. "Oh, just thinking out loud."
"Maybe you should read a book? You look very tense," Bubble offered a reasonable suggestion for the first time.
"Yes... maybe you're right," Caine headed to his office.
In Caine's office, there was a slight mess. Stacks of books were scattered here and there. He grabbed a random book from the shelf and sat in a chair. His eyes moved from line to line, but his brain didn't perceive a single word.
" Mr. Puppetmaster," he suddenly heard Pomni's voice.
"Pomni!"
Caine abruptly closed the book and turned to the door. He was speechless. The harlequin was wearing a knee-length dirty white dress with ruffles and a jabot. Over it, there was a brown corset. On her feet were high boots with small heels, and on her hands, fingerless leather gloves. A belt with a pouch hung at her waist. Her usual ponytail was let down, and her hair was slightly curled. Pomni twirled and smiled at Caine.
"How do you like it, Mr. Puppetmaster?" her voice was so unnaturally sweet. So melodious, so sensual.
"You... you are beautiful," Caine uttered.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE THESE RAGS ON ME?!"
Pomni turned her head in surprise.
"Huh? Did someone say something?" the harlequin put her finger to her lips. "Never mind." She waved her hand. "May I come into your office, dear Mr. Puppetmaster?"
"Yes, of course. Come in," Caine couldn't take his eyes off her.
"CAINE! YOU PERVERT! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU PLANNING TO DO!?"
"What he would never dare to do with you," Pomni whispered softly to herself.
"OH. SO YOU CAN HEAR ME! WONDERFUL! JUST GREAT! NOW TURN AROUND!"
"I want to feel the warmth of his heart," Pomni said again in a whisper.
Pomni sat down on the sofa next to the chair where Caine was sitting. She carefully placed her legs so that for a moment, Caine could see her underwear. However, his gaze was fixed on her face. Even her expression was different. Somehow relaxed. Her eyes flirtatiously half-closed, her lips slightly pursed... no... this is not Pomni. Not his Pomni. His Pomni would never dress like this. His Pomni would never ask for permission to enter his office. This is not her. Not his beloved puppet.
"Pomni," he found the strength to speak. "Do you remember anything before you woke up on the table?"
"Does it matter?" she moved closer to Caine and leaned on the arm of the sofa. "Now I am here. With you."
Caine didn't know what to say. He just looked into her eyes. Her purple and red-blue eyes. His hand reached for her cheek on its own. Pomni leaned into him.
"NO, NO, NO! TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF. TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF."
Pomni started imitating a cat's purr. Caine blushed at this.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING? THIS IS NOT ME! NOT ME! NOT ME!"
"How do you like the new me?" Pomni suddenly asked. "Isn't it better than before?"
"Better than before?" he latched onto this phrase. "What were you like before?"
"I was rough, unrefined, messy, always rushing into combat," Pomni sat on Caine's lap and moved his hands to her shoulder and hip. "But now I'm cute, pretty, kind, tidy. And I'll never rush into combat again." Pomni took Caine's head in her hands and prepared to kiss him. "So you'll never have to lose me again."
"NO! THIS ISN'T WHAT I WANTED! I WANTED... HE WANTED... WE WANTED... ARGH! DAMN IT!"
Just a couple of centimeters separated them. But suddenly, Caine grabbed Pomni in his arms and carried her somewhere.
They moved to the next room. Caine's private quarters.
"Oooh Mr. Puppetmaster, you're so assertive," Pomni put her hands on her cheeks.
In the next moment, Pomni was thrown onto the bed. The Puppetmaster's glowing heart hung over her, and his hands firmly held her wrists.
"Be gentle with me," Pomni flirtatiously wiggled her hips.
"Pomni," Caine said absolutely seriously. "I know you're in there. Come out already!"
"What?" The Harlequin was stunned.
"CAINE! I'M HERE! I'M STILL HERE!"
"SHUT UP!" Pomni whispered angrily.
"Pomni, this fake personality appeared because of a glitch in your personality block. It shows your hidden side. The one you're ashamed to show. It's exaggerated these qualities and now it's trying to take over your body. Don't let it consume you!"
Pomni's eyes sparkled.
Combat Harlequin Pomni stood in the middle of a dark space. She looked at her body. Her usual clothes, her ponytail, her sword, everything was in place.
"Oh. Did you really have to interrupt me?" Pomni the Performer Harlequin floated in the air. She adjusted the frills on her dress and reached into the bag on her waist.
"This is my body! You, slut," Pomni drew her sword and pointed it at her other personality.
"But I think Caine prefers me more," Pomni took out a vial of powder from her bag and poured it onto the floor. In a cloud of smoke, memories from the combatfield appeared. How combat Pomni and Caine fought back to back. "You only know how to fight. But our beloved Puppetmaster has needs. I, on the other hand, can fulfill those needs."
"Pervert," Pomni was disgusted by the words of the second personality. "Caine can quite well abstain. He hasn't touched me with a finger before you appeared."
"But he wanted to," Pomni descended to the ground and playfully covered her mouth with her fingers. "He loves you, he desires you, he craves you."
Meanwhile, in the real world, Caine heard every word of the two of them. He could tell who was speaking by the color of the right eye. It was either yellow or purple.
"I think this information is confidential," a blushing Caine heard the last phrase of the Performer Pomni.
"I would know if he felt anything for me," Pomni aimed her sword at her interlocutor.
"You do know," Pomni walked towards her. "How do you think I know? You just don't want to admit it."
Pomni and Pomni were now standing close to each other. Performer Pomni smiled lightly.
"Let Caine choose. He lives with us. Let him decide."
Outside, Caine stared at Pomni's purple eye. Then he definitely decided that if he was entrusted with the choice, he would do everything right. Only he knew that his Pomni couldn't stand easy victories.
Combat Pomni blinked a couple of times.
"LIKE HELL!" She pierced the second personality with her sword. "I WILL CHOOSE MYSELF! AND I'LL DECIDE HOW TO LIVE THIS LIFE. AND YOU CAN GO TO HELL!" she caught her breath. "He is mine. ONLY MINE!"
As soon as Pomni pierced the heart of the second personality, her body blinked. Her yellow eye and red-blue eye looked into Caine's blue and green eyes. The Puppetmaster's eyes trembled in fear.
"Caine..." she smiled. "You didn't think you'd get away with it while I was gone, did you?"
"Honestly, right now I'm thinking about something else."
He leaned forward, and their tongues touched. This kiss was not passionate, lewd, or exciting. It was simply... loving. Caine realized that he didn't need anyone else. Only Pomni, the last combat Harlequin, was on his mind right now. Pomni, in turn, decided that she would no longer allow her mind to be clouded. This was her body, her decisions, her life.
When the kiss ended, they hugged with laughter.
"Ah. I want to get rid of this rags," Pomni got up from the bed and shook the hem of her dress.
"Do you want me to help you?" Caine playfully suggested. His hand rested on her shoulder, and his head on the other.
"You may," she responded just as playfully.
As soon as the Puppetmaster pulled on the laces of the corset that adorned Pomni, the door burst open with a bang.
"CAINE! I LOST POMNI!" Concerned, Ragatha burst into the bedroom. "Oh... sorry for interrupting." She was about to close the door but then opened it again. "Wait, Caine, Pomni is not herself right now and you decided to take advantage of her? How low!"
"Calm down, Ragatha, I have already come to my senses," Pomni waved her hand. "And now, with all due respect, get lost!"
"Oh. Alright. I'm glad. Good luck to both of you." Ragatha closed the door again... only to open it again. "Actually, Pomni, you need to change into your usual clothes. The rest of the mansion's residents are already in the front garden."
Caine and Pomni froze. The timing was certainly lucky.