Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sound of a crashing waterfall filled the air as mist rose from the river. The water was perfectly clear and you could see all the small fishes within the pond. The sky was beautiful shades of pink and orange that gave Ragatha's red hair a perfect hue. Pomni splashed up water in the river, laughing and giggling as sprinkles of water got on her face. Ragatha blushed hard: she was so cute. The rag doll was unsure she could keep these feelings inside much longer. She covered her face shyly as she began to make her way to the small jester. 

Pomni stopped her splashing as Ragatha approached; the jester's face still gleamed of joy and fun. "Ragatha, thank you for bringing me here!"

The rag doll felt her cheeks blush out and she looked away before Pomni could see just how red she was. "Y-yeah. Of course! You deserve it after all you've been through."

"Oh Ragatha! You make living in the digital circus so much easier!" The jester ran up to Ragatha and hugged her tightly. She never did this! She must be dreaming! The hug was long and tight. Ragatha felt as though she was in heaven as she embraced Pomni's warmth. Right when the hug felt like it was going to last forever, the jester broke the hug but kept her hands on Ragatha's chest. Pomni's cheeks flushed into a light shade of pink. "I-I have something to tell you..."

"Same..." Ragatha responded. Before she knew it, she was leaning in for a kiss. Right as the two girls lips touched,

CRASH

Ragatha jumped up in fear. She shot up in her bed confused before she realized that whole kissing Pomni sequence was just a dream. Disappointment flooded through her at the realization; it felt so real. The rag doll wished she could just close her eyes and finish the wonderful dream, but unfortunately, she heard a bunch of crashing and screaming coming from right outside her room.

"If you even THINK of doing that EVER again, I'll-" 

"You'll what, short stuff? Bite my ankles? Pretty much all you can reach from down there!" 

A squeaky and angry voice let out a sharp yell before Ragatha flinched at the sudden sound of another thing crashing against her wall. The rag doll groaned as she slowly got up from bed and readjusted her sleeping robe. These late night arguments between Pomni and Jax were happening way too often; and it was always up to Ragatha to stop the two. Correction: it was up to Ragatha to calm the jester down, and convince her to just let it go and go to sleep because Jax was about as cooperative as a fat piece of shit.

The rag doll opened her door and immediately had to dodge a flying vase. She felt the wind of it whoosh past her before a loud crash sounded behind her. She sighed as she saw Pomni, still in her PJs and teeth sharpened, screaming loudly at Jax who had a wide grin spread across his face.

"Don't you think you're overreacting a little, Pom-Pom?" The rabbit said with the tone a school teacher would give to a student.

"F%@# you, creeper!" Pomni tried to flip him off, but the censors bleeped it out.

Suddenly, a door swinging open made Ragatha jump up in surprise again. "Would you two shut the f@#$ up?!" Zooble came out with Gangle in toe. The miss-matched shapes threw their sleeping hat in Jax's face as they continued yelling. "Some of us are trying to sleep! Would you stop screaming and smashing stuff against the d@&* wall?!"

A quieter and friendlier voice came from the entrance of the hallway as he heard all the commotion. "Wow, I could hear you two from my impenetrable fortress downstairs." Kinger shuffled to the rag doll side. Ragatha realized just how loud they must have been for Kinger to hear it all the way from the stage.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and all in between!" Jax started; a smug look seared into his face. "I'm so sorry Pomni woke you all up with her angry, high pitch temper-tantrum. I take full blame."

Pomni slowly walked up to the jackrabbit and pulled him by his undershirt he wore to sleep in so his face would reach her level. She then proceeded to lost her shit. "Go f%$#ing kill yourself you self-centered, piss-stained, pervert!" A small bead of sweat ran down Jax's neck. Ragatha was certain that if she didn't grab Pomni, the jester would rip out the rabbit's ear with her bare teeth. 

The rag doll wrapped her arms around the small jester and made sure her feet weren't touching the ground anymore. Pomni flailed and screamed, "What the f%#$?! Let me go!"

Jax wiped his forehead as he stepped back. "Phew! Thanks, dollface! That woman is feral." He turned around and got punched in the face by Zooble. "Ow! What was that for?"

"That was for provoking Pomni and waking us all up, @$$hole!" Zooble clenched their fists until they shook as Gangle stood behind them with her eyes half open.

"What are you talking about?!" Jax argued, "I did absolutely nothing!"

"Cut the bulls#&^, Jax. Last time I checked, Poms doesn't scream at the top of her lungs and smash things against the wall at 4:00am for fun."

When the jester stopped squirming and thrashing around, Ragatha finally put her down. Pomni's chest heaved before she she shouted again; though not as loud as before. "You wanna know what he did? I'll tell you what this Kook did! He snuck into my bedroom like the freak he is and laid on top of my bed until I woke up!"

Zooble, Gangle, Ragatha, and Kinger all gave Jax an uncomfortable stare. 

"Not only did I wake up to that piss-stained grin, I also realized that he watched me sleep." Okay yeah, Pomni had full right to be as upset as she was.

Zooble punched Jax again; they looked even more pissed this time. "You watched her sleep? Okay you sick f%#@; I get your deal is pranking and whatnot, but that's just perverted!"

"Yeah... that's kinda weird." Gangle whispered.

"I feel like that pushes a few boundaries; especially Pomni's." Kinger added in a judgmental tone.

"Jax, ew! What's wrong with you?!" Ragatha yelled. What part of his brain told him that was okay?!

The rabbit looked appalled that everyone was yelling at him for watching Pomni sleep. His eyes grew large and his tone sounded innocent and just. "Oh, so I'm the villain now? Is it that easy to just pin the blame on me?"

"Yes." Everyone responded.

Jax gave an annoyed glare to everyone before rolling his eyes and turning to Pomni. "Okay, okay! You all can be as mad at me as you want. Short stack over there is still the one who woke you up with all her throwing and screaming."

The small jester approached him with her eye twitching furiously. "Are you even hearing yourself, you d%#@? Or are those ugly @$$ ears just for show?"

The bunny merely shrugged off the rude insult and threw one back. "I don't think I did. Kinda hard to hear you from down there to be honest, shorty." 

It took all of Pomni's willpower to not beat Jax until he was black and blue. "If you make one more comment about my height, I'm gonna make you wish I never put that headset on!"

"I wish that everyday regardless." Jax chuckled to himself.

"Alright, bring it on you-" Right before Pomni was about to strike, Ragatha stepped between them. The last thing anyone needed was for Jax and Pomni to tussle; even if Jax sort of deserved it.

"Pomni, please. Try to calm down." The rag doll said in a gentle and soft tone. Pomni wasn't having any of it though.

"Calm down? Calm down? You want me to calm down after this c%$# broke into my room and watched me sleep?"

Ragatha sighed. "Look Pomni... Isn't it easier to just let it go?"

"No! I'm sick of having to let it go for the sake of easing the tension. This is why Jax keeps pulling bull$#&* like this on us! We just let him get away with it!" Pomni wanted nothing more than to wipe that stupid grin off the purple rabbit's face. "We need to defend ourselves godd@#% it!"

Zooble nodded their head. "She makes a good point, y'know."

The rag doll felt sweat run down her forehead. This is the opposite of what she wanted; everyone was just getting more heated. "Pomni, please. We can talk tomorrow."

"Ragatha, you're not listening-"

"No, you're not listening!" The rag doll snapped. She was too tired to keep her positive mood up. "Everyone go to bed now. End of discussion. We'll talk about this in the morning when everyone is less angry."

Surprisingly, everyone stayed silent. Kinger was the first one to shuffle off. He left the dorm hallway to go back to sleep in his impenetrable fortress. Soon, Zooble and Gangle left back to Zooble's room. Gangle was probably scared to sleep in her own room by herself after hearing Jax likes to watch people sleep apparently. Speaking of the rabbit, he scoffed and slowly walked to his room. He gave Pomni a cheeky glare while the jester returned it with a stink eye.

It was only Pomni and Ragatha left in the hallway; right in front of the jester's room. Pomni cleared her throat awkwardly before filling the silence. "Umm... sorry about that. I didn't mean to wake you all up and not listen." She gazed guiltily at the floor. She seemed to be avoiding eye contact with the doll.

The rad doll sighed. She was honestly just relieved that the situation was defused. "No, it's alright. You were right to be upset. And, I'm also sorry for snapping at you." She rubbed her head and looked towards the ceiling. The two cast members stood weirdly for a long minute before Ragatha decided to end this uncomfortable silence. "So... I suppose we should head to bed now. Caine still had an adventure planned for us tomorrow."

The small jester really only seemed to be half listening as she twirled her hair nervously. "S-speaking of t-that..." She coughed lightly. "I-I don't really want to wake up to Jax's face in mine... again. S-so I... uh, was wondering..." The cleared her throat. Ragatha could already tell what she was asking; poor Pomni just felt too embarrassed to get her question out.

"Do you want to spend the rest of the night in my room with me?" The rag doll's usual gentle and kind demeanor had returned.

"I- uh... yeah." Pomni stuttered out. She wrapped her arms around her chest and refused to look Ragatha's way. "O-only if it's okay with you though. I don't wanna force you if you’re uncomfortable with that."

"Oh not at all!" If Ragatha was being honest, the idea of Pomni staying in her room made her really excited. Her pinks blushed into a light shade of pink as she wondered if she and the jester would have to share a bed. Would Pomni be okay with that? "Come on, it's late."

The doll took a few steps to her door and unlocked it. She opened it and let Pomni in before closing the door behind her. She saw the jester settling on her couch right at the foot of the large bed. "Oh! Pomni, you can sleep on the bed if you'd like-"

The rag doll was interrupted by Pomni's loud snoring. Wow, she was already asleep? Ragatha chuckled a little as she grabbed a small blanket and extra pillow from her bed. She put the pillow under the jester's head and threw the blanket on top of her. "You really can sleep anywhere can you?" The doll felt the butterflies in her stomach go wild as Pomni's comically loud snoring turned into soft, gentle ones.

Then Ragatha shook her head and muttered to herself, "Don't watch her sleep, you weirdo. She just got done screaming at Jax for doing just that."

The rag doll sighed before she climbed into bed. She stared at the ceiling as her eyes began to slowly close. She felt the dread of tomorrow looming inside of her as her eyes slipped shut. Yeah, tomorrow wasn't gonna be fun; was it?

Chapter Text

Ragatha took a deep breath in, then out.

"-if you don't wanna be pushed to the ground, maybe walk faster!"

In and out.

"Go to hell you f%@$ing ugly b^%@!"

They'll calm down soon.

"Ooooh, my fweeings! Great job in the comeback department, short stack."

So, she can calm down as well.

"Good god! I don't know how you even stand yourself!"

Should she step in though?

"You should try it sometime scribbles. Who am I kidding, no one could deal with you; not even yourself!"

Just to ease the rising tensions.

"Stop treating everything like it's a joke for once! You couldn't take anything seriously if you tried!"

Yeah, that's a good idea.

"Ha! I don't! How do you think I've survived this long? At your rate, you'll be abstracting by next month!"

Peace and quiet will come quicker if she does.

"Go kill yourself, @$$hole!"

"Pomni, Jax, can we minimize the shouting please?" The rag doll got between the two. Jax seemed to not take the situation seriously at all, while Pomni looked about ready to burst a blood vessel.

"I'll minimize the shouting when he f$^&ing apologizes to us!" Pomni cheeks her bright red in heated anger. As much as Ragatha admired the jester's backbone, Pomni still didn't seem to pick up on the simple fact that Jax sees this world and everyone in it as what it is: a video game.

"Apologize for what? I've done absolutely nothing wrong this time." Jax's smug attitude mad it so hard to empathize him sometimes. "Pom-Pom looks like she needs to sit in time-out."

Pomni threw a twig out of her hair and threw it in the rabbit's face. "God, I hate you! You can't just throw me and Gangle into some weird pothole and expect us to just be okay with it!" 

Ragatha was now directly between the two cast members. She was trying so hard not to be bias, but the jester was just too spot on. Jax had pushed her and Gangle into a pothole which was full of water... which was full of sharks. The poor bundle of ribbons was ripped to shreds and Pomni nearly drowned. Zooble ended up saving the both of them (not without loosing an arm though). Caine had luckily fixed the two, but Gangle had went back to her room; likely too traumatized to do anything else for the rest of the day.

"Oh calm down, teeny. It builds character! Giving Ribbons and backbone, and you a taste of the circus; two birds with one stone! Figured you could use a reminder considering how your first two days wet from imaginary exit to confetti on the ground."

The jester's eyes twitched and her teeth grew sharp. Oh god... The doll was ready to grab her before Pomni gave a loud sigh and walked away. "Okay..."

Jax looked both surprised and disappointed; he probably expected some big reaction from her. "Didn't ya hear me, jester?"

"Loud and clear." She turned around and headed towards the stairs; Ragatha chased after her.

Pomni didn't bother to turn her head and she climbed the steps. The rag doll was left trying to make very awkward small talk. "So- uh... that maze adventure was surely a doozy!" The jester stayed silent. A cold sweat ran down the doll's neck. "You did really good though. That was the fastest I think we've ever gotten out of a maze thanks to you." She gave her a soft smile, but Pomni didn't seem interested in the conversation. She kept quiet.

The doll was getting a little desperate. "So..." She cleared her throat. "Want me to bring you dinner? I don't think Bubble is cooking today; so I can make whatever you'd like and bring it to your room!" Nothing. Okay, Ragatha was getting desperate. "You can help me if you'd like! I know you're not the best at cooking; but, I can teach you!" she was 100% sure she was drenched in sweat. Yet, Pomni stayed completely soundless.

The doll was about to make even more one-sided small talk, but then the small jester finally spoke up a bit. "Ragatha, can I just talk with you later?" Her voice was hushed. It took all of the rag doll's willpower to not look hurt by the comment. 

"O-oh. Y-yeah sure." She rubbed her arm awkwardly before clearing her throat again. "Could I walk you to your room at least?" Pomni shrugged her shoulders as they walked down the dorm hallway. 

It was only about a 15 second walk, but the silence was so tense, it felt like 15 years to Ragatha. 

Once they reached the door with Pomni's picture on it, the jester took her key out of her hammer-space and unlocked it. She muttered one word before heading inside. "Night..." Before the doll could even think of a response, Pomni had already closed and locked the door.

Ragatha now stood in front of Pomni's door. "Way to comfort someone, Rags..." She whispered to herself. "Ugh, I bet she feels even worse now."

~*~

Pomni didn't even bother to change into her sleep attire as she climbed into bed. She threw her hat on the floor and a few tears escaped out of her eyes. She didn't want to let Jax's comments get to her, but something about the way he mentioned her first two days was just so... uncalled for. She sniffed and sobbed as softly as she could; she didn't know if the others cast members could hear her from her room and she wasn't planning to find out.

And what was the deal with Ragatha today? Pomni get that she was just trying to make her feel better, but why was her solution to always just distract and patronize. That might work for some people, but it just didn't for the jester.

She sat up and wiped away her tears. She should get ready for bed. She sat up from her bed and looked in her wardrobe. She rolled her eyes at a reminder of who was now. All she'll ever be for now on. A jester. A joke.

Existential thoughts aside, she reached into the back of the closet and found her PJs: a large black t-shirt with baggy red and blue pants. She automatically changed as she grabbed her clothes; her day clothes teleported on to the ground.

Pomni sighed as she picked them up and threw them in her endless laundry basket. God, what was the point anymore? She had only been here for a little more than a month and she was already engulfed by the feeling of not mattering. 

Why does she even try?

Is she even real?

Does it matter if she is?

What did she do to deserve this?

She doesn't have to eat.

She doesn't have to sleep.

She doesn't need to even fucking breathe.

Was she a good or bad person before the headset?

What's her name?

What's her name?

What's her name?

Maybe she does deserve it.

What. Was. The. POINT?!-

"POMNI, MY DEAR! I HAVE A TASK FOR-"

"AHHHHHH WHAT THE F%#&?!" 

"Man, I should really get a swear jar." The ringmaster dropped the loud and eccentric voice for just a second.

"Caine! Oh my god! You can't just bust into our rooms like that!" She was in the middle of an existential breakdown! How rude! 

"WELL, MY DARLING, AS YOUR RINGMASTER, IT IS MY JOB TO ENSURE THE BEST EXPERIENCE FOR YOU AND THE OTHER CAST MEMBERS! IF THAT MEANS PUSHING A FEW HUMAN BOUNDARIES, I AM HAPPY TO DO SO!" Okay, Caine sucks at understanding how humans work again. Great...

"Caine-"

"BEFORE YOU SAY ANYTHING ELSE," Caine interrupted. "I HAVE AN IMPORTANT TASK FOR YOU! Well... more of a specialized adventure..." It was always weird to see him talking quietly. It freaked Pomni out.

Caine snapped his fingers and Jax appeared in the middle of the air and face planted on the floor. The jester looked on in silent shock.

"Ow! What the- Caine? You glitchin’ or something again?" Jax stood up and dusted himself off.

"NO, JAX! IN FACT, I'M FEELING BETTER THAN EVER!" Caine's eyes popped out of his... mouth... ew. 

Pomni looked to the side and muttered under her breath. "Oh, I can tell."

Jax rolled his eyes and adjusted the glove on his hand. "Make it quick, dentures. I need my beauty sleep in order to deal with mental breakdown for another day tomorrow."

Pomni crossed her arms bitterly. "You're one to talk."

Before the conversation turned into a full blown argument, Caine began screaming in their ears. "I HAVE BEEN GETTING COMPLAINT AFTER COMPLAINT FROM EACH CAST MEMBER THAT YOU TWO HAVE BEEN HAVING LATE NIGHT ARGUMENTS AND PROCEED TO AWAKE EVERYONE UP!"

Oh god, he knew? This was so embarrassing.

"Haha! Yep! Blame short-stack over here." Jax rested his arm on Pomni's head before she flinched away.

"It'd be easier if you didn't watch me sleep, you predator!" The jester didn't think she'd ever get over that.

"WELL WHATEVER THE REASONS FOR THE FIGHT MAY BE, IT'S CLEAR TO ME THAT YOU TWO NEED SOMETHING TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO GET ALONG!"

"Oh, here we go..." Pomni face palmed.

"What? You're gonna force us to make friendship bracelets?" Jax chuckled a bit at his own snide remark.

"CLOSE! I'M SWITCHING YOUR BODIES!"

"What." Pomni and Jax said together.

"YOU HEARD RIGHT! FOR AN ENTIRE DAY, YOU'LL BE WALKING IN EACH OTHER'S SKIN! I DID THIS ONCE AND IT ENDED HORRIBLY; BUT WHO'S TO SAY THIS WILL BE THE SAME?"

Pomni blinked; her mind raced with confusion. Was he being serious? "No. I'm not doing that."

Jax rolled his eyes. "Should have told him that 45 seconds ago, shorty."

"MAKE SURE NOT TO TELL ANYONE AOUT THIS BODY SWAP ADVENTURE! THAT WOULD TAKE AWAY THE FUN!"

Was this a sitcom or something? What the hell? "Okay Caine; let's say I entertained your idea, which I don't!" She took a deep breath before continuing. "Why wouldn't I tell anyone?"

Caine got right next to Pomni's face a whispered something so quiet, she almost missed it. "Consequences..." Okay... creepy.

"Uh-"

"I'M GOING TO CALL THIS ADVENTURE 'JESTER BUNNY SWAP!' YES, YES. WHAT A CLEVER AND ORIGINAL TITLE!" That was quite possibility the corniest and stupidest title Pomni had ever heard.

"Caine! W-wait, can't Jax and I just talk-"

"HAVE FUN!"

Caine snapped his fingers and teleported away in a puff of smoke. A sharp shock of electricity ran through the jester's body as she stood completely motionless. Suddenly, a wave of dizziness and haziness washed over her entire body. The room began spinning and she saw double. She stumbled backwards and her back crashed into her door.

Help. She needed help.

She grabbed the door knob and twisted it. As the door opened, her vision cut out and her balance was lost. She felt her body go limp and hit the floor; then her consciousness cut.

~*~

Maybe she should check on Pomni. Ragatha laid on her bed with her sleeping robe but was unable to fully relax. She just couldn't knowing the poor jester felt so upset. The doll sighed as she got up from her bed. Why was she like this? Why couldn't she just not care like Zooble? Or maybe be unaware like Kinger?

The rag doll walked into the hallway; at least the jester's room wasn't too far away. She stopped to stare at her door. Should she do this? What if Pomni was already sleeping and the doll was just bothering her? Oh, she might hate her even more...

Ragatha shook her head and lifted her cheeks. "Less self-doubt, Rags. Gotta think positive." Right when she was about to knock, the door creaked open; then the jester fell right on the ground.

The rag doll yelped in shock and stood staring at the limp woman. She heard another body hit the floor; she looked forward and saw Jax laying on the floor passed out as well. Ragatha blinked as she stared at the two limp bodies. What happened? Why was Jax there? Were they sick? Should she get Caine?

So many questions...

Ragatha took a deep breath before clearing her throat. "Uh- Zooble? Zooble! I need some help!"

After a few seconds, the mix-matched shapes' door opened and they poked their head out. "What do you need? I'm fixing Gangle's mask."

"We have a bit of a situation."

Zooble sighed as they closed their door and walked to Ragatha's side. "Ugh, this better be- oh what the f@#$?!" They stood in complete shock when they saw Pomni and Jax's bodies lying motionless. "Uh- wha- I- answers please!"

"I don't know! I went to check on Pomni and found them like this?" A sweat ran down the doll's neck. "Should we call Caine?"

Zooble shook their head before taking a moment to think. "Um, no I don't think that's necessary." They turned so that Pomni's face wasn't kissing the floor. "Pomni looks alright."

Ragatha blinked. "And Jax?"

Zooble rolled their eyes as they walked over to Jax and took a quick look at him. "He looks alright; besides his ugly @$$ face, but he has that naturally."

Ragatha face palmed before she lifted Pomni into her arms. The jester was breathing perfectly fine; she was even twitching a bit in her sleep. "She's seems to be absolutely fine. What could have caused that?"

Zooble grabbed Jax's leg and began to drag him out the door. "I have no clue. Maybe her first system reset?"

"No, that wouldn't make sense." Ragatha put a blanket over Pomni and tucked her in tightly. "Those only happen every six months, and she hasn't been here six months. It also wouldn't explain Jax. He's not due for a reset for another four months."

Zooble shrugged. "Well they look okay. If something is up with them tomorrow, we'll deal with it tomorrow." The mix-matched shapes dragged the rabbit out of Pomni's room, opened his unlocked door, and threw him inside. "Don't stress yourself out about it." They dusted off their hands and closed the jackrabbits door.

Without another word, Zooble headed back to their room and shut the door. Ragatha had half the mind to tell Caine anyways; but, where would she even find him? She shook her head. Zooble was right; she shouldn't stress out about it.

The rag doll sighed as she slowly headed out of Pomni's room. She saw the jester giving soft snores and shuffling a bit in her sleep. Maybe she was just stressing herself out; the jester looked fine.

As she closed the door, Ragatha muttered a few words. "She'll explain in the morning, right? No need to worry." She began to walk to her room; at least knowing the jester was asleep would help the doll relax a bit. "Goodnight, Pom-Pom."

Chapter Text

Pomni groaned as she slowly stared waking up. Talk about a hell of a night. A light pounding in her head slowly faded with each movement she made; but, the back of her head and spine ached. The usual sweet scent of cinnamon in her room was now replaced with sweat and dirty sheets. Oh god, was she sleeping on the floor? What even happened last night? All she remembered was Caine saying something about body switching before he snapped his fingers and everything went dark. Talk about random- Wait... body switching?

Pomni sat up and looked down at her hands. Yellow gloves.

A scream erupted from her throat. Jax's voice came out, but it was her fear. "Oh my god! What the f[$#@]?!" She touched her face; no way this was real. She felt soft fur and large ears where her hat usually was. She stood up in an instant and looked down at herself: pink overalls and long, lanky legs. "Holy s[%^&]... Caine wasn't lying." Was this a good time to freak out? Because she was definitely about to fucking freak out.

She looked down at her hands again. No, no way this was real; she had to be dreaming, o-or she was finally going crazy (wait she already wasn't?). A sudden pounding at the door made the jester- uh... rabbit flinch. Her ears pricked up at the sound of a gentle, yet concerned voice. "Jax?! Are you alright? Could you open up?"

Oh shit. Ragatha was here. Maybe she should pretend she was asleep! Wait no, bad idea; she was just screaming. Okay, okay; just act normal. 

The memory of Caine's warning rung through Pomni's ears: 'Consequences...'.

Okay, act normal. Pomni opened the door and realized she was looking up like an idiot. Usually, with her height, she would look up at the entire cast in order to see their faces. She had adapted to it; now she looks stupid.

"Uh... Jax?" The doll muttered in confusion.

Pomni cleared her throat and looked down to see the rag doll; damn, Jax was tall. "Sorry. Uh- what do you need?" She tried to lean on the door like Jax usually did, but it came off as awkward.

Ragatha looked away uncomfortably before continuing. "I was just worried. Why were you yelling?" She rubbed her arm, and genuine distress painted her face.

Pomni's eyes darted around nervously. Oh god, she should have thought of this before yelling in terror. She took a glance behind her and saw a gaming set. Okay? Maybe that would be a good excuse. "I-I was... playing a-a... a horror game! Yes... very, very scary."

"A horror game? I thought that gaming set was just a prop...? Y'know, like Pomni's building blocks." The doll tucked some hair behind her ear and adjusted her skirt. 

Okay, time to lie on the spot. "Um, Caine got it working for me! Yeah, yeah. He even got me a game! A horror comedy called..." Scary names, scary names... What sounds scary? "Murder Drones." DAMMIT THAT'S A SHOW.

"Murder Drones?" Ragatha's look of confusion was making Pomni sweat. "I thought that was a show Pomni liked? Didn't Zooble help her pirate it or something?"

"T-They came out with a new game! Terrifying, honestly." Oh my god; if Ragatha asked one more question, the jester- wait... no, rabbit?- would be absolutely fucked.

"Good morning to you guys too." A third voice popped into the conversation. It took all of Pomni's willpower to not throw up from pure shock. "What a warm welcome I must say." Was that her body?! It was her big, bug eyes, giant hat, twig like body, and her blue and red color scheme. Wait... was that Jax?!

"O-oh, sorry, Pom-Pom. Good morning! I just got distracted because of Jax's yelling and-" Right when the rag doll started fidgeting with her hands and rambling, Jax interrupted.

"Yeah, yeah. Ya mind? I wanna speak to the rabbit in private." He rudely waved off his hand. Oh god; Ragatha was going to see right through him! She would never-

"O-oh... but, shouldn't I-?" The doll looked hurt, but tried her best not to show it.

Jax rolled his eyes then wall pinned Ragatha. The doll's face grew bright red as the rabbit- oh god; this is gonna take forever to get used to- the jester whispered in a lustful tone. "Do it for me, doll face..."

The doll sweated hard and fanned her face; she looked like she could barely get her next sentence out. "Uh- oh- um... of course, Pomni." She cleared her throat shakily. "I-I've... I'VE GOTTA GO!" 

In an instant, Ragatha was running away like the tent was on fire. Jax chuckled as he pushed Pomni aside and walked into the room. "Wow, didn't know she was that head-over-heels for ya."

"Excuse me?" What had she just witnessed?

Jax rolled his eyes again and sat down on a bean bag on the floor. "Never mind. So, you're looking quite handsome today; I must say." Pomni was going to have to get used to her voice and body acting like an ass.

"Jax! Our bodies are switched, and you're making puns?!" She grabbed her ears and tugged hard. Jax went over to her and slapped her hands.

"Hey, hey. Don't tug the ears." He grabbed the end of his new hat and held his fingers into scissors. "Ya tug the ears, I cut the bells." A large grin grew on his face as Pomni finally let go.

"Fine, god!" Pomni crossed her arms as Jax pulled her down to his level.

"You might wanna pull up your overalls; your top scars are showing." The jester rabbit let go and sat back down on the bean bag while Pomni was panicking.

"Top scars?! W-what? You're trans?!"

"Yeah? Thought it was obvious." He was now in an upside down position on the floor cushion. "Gotta say, not very happy to be a lady again; reminds me of my cis days." He stuck his tongue out in disgust. "You're lucky you're so flat-chested-"

"Why does your f[&$%]ing avatar have top scars?!" That actually makes NO SENSE.

"Who knows." He shrugged his shoulders.

Pomni looked down to see her chest. Yep, top scars. She pulled her overalls up to make sure they weren't visible before shaking her head. So many questions...

"Ugh, how do you walk in these?" Jax was walking around aimlessly; how was he already bored? "High heels? What demon gave you these?"

"Well, how do you walk with no shoes on?!" As much as she hated her high heels, at least they were shoes. "Do you know how dirty this floor probably is?!"

Jax's usual laugh definitely sounded a lot weirder with Pomni's higher voice. "Oh, trust me, short-stack; I do."

"T-That name doesn't apply to me right now!" For once, she was the tallest one in the room; she couldn't tell if she liked it or not.

It didn't really matter though because Jax rolled his eyes AGAIN. "Whatever, smart-mouth. Now, if we don't wanna with Caine's..." He threw up air quotes. "'Consequences,' you've gotta act like me."

"That goes both ways, Jax." God, how was she gonna act like HIM for... WHO KNOWS HOW LONG?

"Uh-huh, yeah." He wasn't even listening. "Lemme lay out some ground rules: one, break Gangle's mask the second you see it, two-"

"W-what?! Absolutely not! That's just unnecessary."

"Listen, you want your body back or not, Poms?" Pomni sort of just stared at Jax. Honestly, she couldn't tell if she was having an out-of-body experience or if she just couldn't take her own serious face... well, seriously. Did she really look like that?

Either way, she responded. "Ugh, yes."

"Alright, shut up when I'm talking to ya then." The urge to strangle that asshole was strong. "Anyways, two: you gotta be quippy; I know, I know, so hard for you. Then three: don't call anyone by their actual names."

"What's rule four? Be an a[$$]?" She crossed her arms and looked off to the side. Watching herself speak and move was making her nauseous.

"No, but I won't stop ya." He gave a light chuckle. GOD THIS WAS CREEPY. "Also, ya might wanna hold the potty mouth. I don't curse nearly as much as you."

"W-what?! I don't curse!" Jax looked at her as expected. "T-That... much..."

"Uh-huh..." He stretched out his back and walked over to a nearby mirror. "Damn, that's ugly." Pomni reacted about as happy as anyone would when being called ugly to their face. "Anyways, what do I gotta do to act like you? Have a mental breakdown? Complain? Call you a jack[@$$] because you're 'so creative'?"

The jester bunny was about to counter everything, but he kept going. "Maybe I should start rambling on calculus. Or better yet, calculus 2! Oh! I know it! I'll set water on fire and burn the kitchen down!"

"Are you done insulting me?" Five minutes in and she was already frustrated with the rabbit jester; great job Caine.

"Mmm... for now." Jax's new big bug eyes definitely didn't portray him the way he wanted to be portrayed.

"If you want everyone to believe you're me, you have to treat them with basic human respect; what a hard task for you, I know." Pomni was sure the rabbit jester was allergic to being nice.

"Jesus, scribbles. Ya don't gotta be so blunt about it."

"And don't say 'ya." I don't talk like that." Oh god; that made her sound so old.

"Oh yeah, forgot you have a fancy tongue." Jax adjusted his hat slightly as he spoke.

"E-Excuse me?"

A knock on the door brought the tense conversation to a sudden holt. The first pound was light and shy; the second one nearly broke down the damn door. "Hurry up, Jax! I'm not running the theme song twice just because your lazy a[$$] didn't wanna get out of bed!"

"Oh yeah!" Jax looked like he was desperately trying not to burst out into laughter. "Have fun dealing with everyone being pissy with you." He walked to the door, opened it, and walked right pass Zooble who didn't bat an eye.

Pomni's eye twitched lightly as she took a deep breath. "Morning, Zooble."

"What the hell was up with you last night? Passed out in Pomni's room for what? Were you watching her sleep again, motherf[@$%]er?" While Pomni appreciated the bundle of shapes sticking up for her, this was not the right day.

"Oh, yeah, that... uh-" Good excuse... good excuse...? "Look it's a long story. Me and J-Pomni! Pomni and I just talked it out; we came to an understanding." She held her hands behind her back and tried to look little 'I'm-literally-about-to-start-crying' as possible.

Zooble gave her a quick blink. "Sounds like newbie is rubbing off on you."

The jester rabbit started fidgeting with her chest fluff. "Is she?" She cleared her throat as a bead of sweat ran down her neck. Oh god; please don't get caught.

"Just hurry up, dumb[@$$]." And with that, Zooble walked off. Pomni let out a massive sigh of relief; she was about 100% sure that Caine was trying to make her abstract from stress alone.

Today was going to be a long day; wasn't it?

Chapter Text

"ALL RIGHT, MY BELOVED BUTTERFLIES," Caine, as always, shouted. Jesus Christ, he needed better names. "I KNOW THAT YESTERDAY'S ADVENTURE WAS EXTREMELY EXHILARATING AND AMUSING-"

"Oh, it was amusing, alright..." Pomni muttered under her breath. She was still getting used to these overalls; being a woman her whole life, it just felt wrong to wear these overalls so low with nothing else. It took all her willpower to not constantly pull them up or cover her chest.

"SO TODAY, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A SIMPLE AND RELAXING IN HOUSE ADVENTURE!" The ringmaster seemed beaming with excitement; meanwhile the jester bunny was practically boiling in anger. Did he do anything that didn't either piss her off or traumatize her? Who the hell just switches two people's bodies and then pretends it never happened? Caine apparently.

It seems another cast member was just as pissed as her; not for the same reason though. "Ugh, f[#%$] no." The mismatched shapes' antennae twitch in irritation. "I'm not doing another 'in house adventure.' That last s[#@&] show yesterday was enough for me." They began to walk away, stumbling a bit in their step.

Caine's eyes popped out of his... mouth... ew... as he floated down to Zooble and wrapped his arm around them to prevent them from walking away. "WAIT ZOOBLE! THIS ADVENTURE IS MY MOST LAID BACK ADVENTURE TO DATE! IT'S CALM AND EASY! YOU'LL LOVE IT, I SWEAR!" Was he... begging them? "JUST STAY AROUND FOR ME TO EXPLAIN THE CONCEPT AND RULES!"

The bundle of shapes groaned and rolled their eyes; they already knew they didn't have a choice. "Whatever."

The ringmaster's face seemed to light up as he floated back to his normal position. "VERY WELL THEN!" He took off his top hat and out came Bubble. Its toothy grin and soulless eyes stared right into Caine.

"So, can we have the name of this chillaxing adventure, Boss?" Why does hearing Bubble talk always sound like a weird uncle trying to relate to his nieces and nephews?

"SURE THING MY PET-, I MEAN HOSTAGE-, UHHHHHH- I MEAN ASSISTANT!" Can Caine get a fucking grip on his relationship with that damn bubble? THE NAME IS-"

"And what are the rules?"

Caine face palmed in annoyance. Even he couldn't handle this anymore. "Can I at least-?"

"And what's it about? And what's-" The soapy AI was cut off by the ringmaster popping him. Caine sighed as he put his loud and overwhelming voice back into full display.

"TODAY'S ADVENTURE IS CALLED 'KOOKING KHAOS!'" 

Jax rolled his eyes, unimpressed. "Well, that's uncreative." It was in character for Pomni enough... right?

Caine came right down and grabbed both his shoulders. "NUH-UH-UH, MY FRIEND! IT'S 'COOKING' AND 'CHAOS' WITH A K!"

The rabbit jester just tsked as he shoved the ringmaster away. Something about the K sounded familiar to Pomni though...

"Hold on, 'Khaos'? as in the god?" Everyone looked at her weirdly; why was that? She dropped these random facts all the time. "Y'know, like the greek god of chaos-" She stopped midway in her sentence when she saw Jax signaling her to cut it out. She then realized that she was in the rabbit's body. How did she forget already? I don't know; ask her. She cleared her throat; she needed an excuse, right now. "Ehhh... Uhhh... P-Pomni- Uhhhh- shorty told me about that..." She looked around the room awkwardly. "I thought it was... sort of interesting."

Oh, the judgy eyes were on her now. She felt a bead of sweat run down her neck as her ear twitched. She could see Jax's eyes scribbling as he face-palmed.

For once, Caine broke the tension (instead of causing it; yayyyy!). "WELL, ISN'T THAT AN INTERESTING FACT? LET'S KEEP OTHER RELIGIONS OUT OF THE CIRCUS THOUGH! WE ALL KNOW THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS IS OWNED BY THE CHRISTIAN COMPANY 'CAINE AND ABEL!'"

Pomni sighed out of both relief, and annoyance. So much for 'christian company'; that stupid faceless corporation damned her and the rest of the circus cast to a bleak and black afterlife with no god or chance of redemption.

"I DIGRESS. IN TODAY'S ADVENTURE, YOU WILL BE SPLIT INTO THREE PAIRS OF TWO! YOU WILL THEN PREPARE A DISH OF YOUR CHOOSING AND I WILL RATE IT AND SEE WHO'S RECIPE IS THE BEST! WHOEVER WINS GETS THE REWARD FOR TODAY!" Wow, for once the adventure didn't sound like it was trying to kill the entire cast (I'm looking at you Family Bonding and Pop goes Pomni).

"Sounds wonderful!"

"Eh, that actually doesn't sound too bad."

"Oh! Sounds fun!"

"Sounds lame."

"AH- sorry, could you repeat that?"

"Oh god..."

Oh no... Pomni sucked at cooking. That wouldn't be that bad of an issue if Jax (believe it or not) wasn't a literal cooking god. When the jester first met him, she fully expected him to have zero experience in the kitchen; given his personality. But her assumption was completely flipped on its head when she was struggling to make a grilled cheese one day (she's trying, okay?) and he ended up throwing the sandwich in her face and making a Gordon Ramsay style Beef Wellington. He didn't even look stressed while cooking it! Meanwhile, Pomni was over there sweating and crying trying to boil pasta.

Zooble's apathetic voice managed to break the jester rabbit out of her rambling thoughts. "Fine, I'll do the adventure as long as I'm not paired up with Poms."

Pomni was about to defend herself when Jax spoke up. Oh yeah... he saved her there, huh? "What did I do to ya?"

"Nothing." The mismatched shapes stated bluntly. "Your cooking skills are just a[$$]."

Confusion lit in the rabbit jester's eyes before he seemed to remember and shake his head. "Right… yaaaaa I suckkkkk." Oh lord, if Pomni could strangle that jackass right now, she would. Zooble gave the rabbit jester an awkward look before shrugging it off.

 “THAT’S A SIMPLE REQUEST, MY DEAR ZOOBLE! YOU’LL BE PAIRED WITH KINGER INSTEAD!” He picked said chess piece up with whatever force of nature he possessed and placed him right next to the bundle of shapes. Though, Kinger seemed to realize only after he was placed on the floor that he was picked up at all.

“AHHH! OH MY GOD! Oh. Hi, Zooble!”

The mismatched shapes blinked and shook their head. “Ugh, Hi, Kinger.”

The ringmaster turned to the rest of the cast and pointed to Jax. “YOU, POMNI, WILL BE PAIRED WITH GANGLE!” Then he pointed to Pomni. “AND, YOU, JAX, WILL BE PAIRED WITH RAGATHA!”

Confusing much?

Pomni stared for a little bit at Jax, then Gangle. Just then horror sunk into her soul; Gangle’s comedy mask was still on.

She gave a thorny chuckle before grabbing the small rabbit jester’s shoulder. “HAHA! Great choices, Caine! Let me speak to J-Pom- er.. short stack over here real quick! HEhe…” She shoved her own face right into his and made sure her voice was barely above a whisper. “ If you even think of breaking Gangle’s mask, I will personally beat the actual living s[*&^] out of you… ”

Jax grinned and toyed around with his new hat. “Tehe. Hot~ ”

Pomni felt her eye twitch and her mouth shift into a crazed smile. “I’m being serious. ”

“Yeah, yeah.” He rolled his eyes and looked down to her feet. “You can stop thumping your foot about it.”

Pomni looked down and saw one of her feet was bouncing on the floor widely. She immediately stopped it as quick as she could and a small bit of embarrassed blush covered her face.

“I didn’t even realize that was happening…”

“Yep.”

“Do you always do that when you’re agitated?”

“Eh, I wouldn’t know. I don’t worked up about every little thing like you do~”

Pomni crossed her arms over her chest and sighed. Trying to hold a conversation with Jax just always ended with her either feeling annoyed or smaller. Though, before her negative train of thoughts could take off, a soft hand was placed on her shoulder. She flinched away at the sudden and harsh contact.

“O-oh.” The rag doll seemed a bit surprised at Pomni’s reaction. “Did I scare you, Jax?”

The jester rabbit’s eyes darted over to Gangle and Jax; the former was greeting the rabbit jester with a cute smile on her face. “Uh, n-no.” What’s something Jax would say?... Something rude? Mean? Maybe even poke at some insecurities? Wait no, that’s just cruel… SCREW IT, POMNI! YOU’RE JAX RIGHT NOW HE DOESN’T CARE. Oh, you should probably say something; Ragatha is just staring at you while you stand in complete silence.

“Jax?”

“N-nahhhhh… it was just- uh… your hands!” She felt her neck break into a cold sweat.

“My hands?”

“Yeah.” She tightened her arm cross and leaned forward, trying to look ‘cool’. “Th-they’re so dry. Like, realllllllyyyyyy dry. Are you sure they aren’t made of sand?”

The doll held up her hands and stared at them. She then looked at Pomni and blinked before chuckling nervously to try and break the tension. “Uh… are you alright, Jax? Do you need to lay down, or-”

“No! No, I’m good.” Five minutes in and she was already struggling HARD. “Let’s just get this stupid adventure over with.” FINALLY! SHE SAID SOMETHING IN CHARACTER (even if it’s something she would say normally… don’t tell her though).

“ALRIGHT EVERYONE! HERE IS THE LIST OF ITEMS YOU CAN CHOOSE TO MAKE!” Caine snapped his fingers and three papers appeared before floating down to the three pairs. “YOU WILL HAVE AN HOUR AND A HALF TO COMPLETE THE RECIPES ONCE YOU’VE ALL CHOSEN!”

One of the papers floated down to Ragatha an Pomni, and the two stared at all the options; there were so many.  Chicken alfredo pasta, pizza, gyros, cookies, sushi, pho, chicken stew, brownies-

The rag doll gasped. “BROWNIES? ” Her good eye became so dilated, practically no white was shown. “Oh my goodness! I could use my sister’s old recipe! Do I remember it? Oh, I’m sure I do! She made the best brownies back before the headset! Oh my! I love brownies! Baking them is so much fun! Could we-” She stopped herself and looked away at the floor, embarrassed.

“S-sorry for rambling.” Her voice suddenly became very small and quiet. “I know y-you probably don’t wanna make brownies…”

That’s something Jax would do; isn’t it? He’d see just how excited Ragatha was getting over the recipe and immediately shut it down simply because it was making her happy . But, something within Pomni just couldn’t do that; she didn’t care if it was out of character for him.

“Actually, I’ve got a sweet tooth. Why the f[$#@] not.” Oops, she should not have said ‘fuck’. Ragatha didn’t seem to notice though; she was too busy looking absolutely so overjoyed, her single eye teared up a bit. “Oh my goodness; really!? Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She enveloped the jester rabbit in a tight hug; Pomni felt the air get knocked out of her lungs. 

“Ah- too tight-”

“Oh, sorry!” She let go and held Pomni’s hand. It took all of her willpower not to pull away. Why was she so excited over being able to make brownies though? They were just brownies- she caught sight of her yellow glove.

Damn, it’s really fucking easy to forget. 

Caine seemed to be writing something down; with how loud Ragatha was yelling ‘brownies’, it was quite obvious what they were making.

“Caine! Caine!” Gangle seemed cheery and was practically bouncing up and down. “Oh! Oh! Could we make dumplings? I know a great recipe my grandma used to make me when I was a teenager!”

“WHY, OF COURSE; IF THAT’S OKAY WITH POMNI HERE!” He pointed to the rabbit jester who seemed to be lost in annoyed thought. Once he realized he was being talked to, his face lit up in a fake smile.

“Oh, yeah. Sureeee.” Once Caine wrote something down and floated away, Jax’s face grimaced once more.

The ringmaster then floated over to Zooble and Kinger. “AND WHAT WILL YOU TWO BE MAKING?”

Zooble pointed to something on the list, and Kinger nodded. 

“We’ll make the chicken alfredo!” The chess piece replied with glee.

“It’s the only thing I won’t have to run with a fire extinguisher in hand for.” The mismatched shapes threw the list behind them and stretched out their back.

“WONDERFUL CHOICE, MY DARLINGS!” He wrote something down on a piece of paper until Bubble came out of literally nowhere and ate the paper.

“Oooooohhhh~ lead; my favorite!” The soapy AI licked its lips and smiled wide.

On the other hand, Pomni could see Caine’s eyes visibly twitch. He then screamed so loud, his own voice box seemed to glitch. “YOU PA- A SI- TE!” He popped Bubble in an instant.

“Intense…” The jester rabbit muttered to herself.

“Tell me about it.” Pomni could almost hear Ragatha’s eye roll.

Caine then turned to the cast like absolutely nothing had just happened and pulled a comically large clock out of his hat. “YOU WILL ALL HAVE 01:30:00! USE YOUR TIME WISELY! I’LL BE BACK SOON, MY SUPERSTARS!” The clock stayed, but the ringmaster disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Okay… Pomni thought, almost sweating. Let’s hope my cooking skills aren’t as bad as Jax makes it out to be… and Zooble, and Ragatha, and Gangle, and Kinger… and myself. GODDAMIT WHY A COOKING ADVENTURE TODAY? It was almost like he did this on purpose!

…Wait a minute…

Chapter Text

“So… you need me to brown the butter?”

“Yes, Jax. You know how to do that. Just 2 sticks of butter.” Ragatha already seemed to be losing her temper. “ What do you not understand about this? It’s just browning some butter.”

Pomni tapped her fingers nervously together. Not only because she’s never done anything with butter besides burn it, but also because the rag doll seemed to be getting upset and impatient. She knew she had a short-fuse around Jax, but the fact it was directed at her made her nervous.

“Y-Yeah, okay. Uh… so, it will just turn brown?”

“Ugh, Jax! I thought you already knew how to do this!” The doll curled her fists and pouted. The jester rabbit laughed nervously and played with her fingers.

Though, Ragatha took notice and her face melted from annoyance to confusion. “That… that’s Pomni’s nervous tick… Why are you-?”

“Wassup, Rags~” 

Right before Pomni’s cover was blown, Jax scrolled up; making Ragatha blush profusely. 

“O-Oh! HAHA! Uhm… Hey, Poms. How are you doing, sweetie? Shouldn’t you be helping Gangle out?”

The way Ragatha changed so quickly… it was almost like she had two different personalities… It gave Pomni an icky feeling. It almost felt like she was being lied to.

Jax shrugged and leaned against the bottom cupboards. “She’s kneading the dough for the dumplings. I figured I’d talk to you two.”

Oh my god. Jax is so bad at capturing my personality.

The doll immediately nodded her head and swayed her hips happily. “Oh, how lovely! I’m dealing with Jax here; you know how he is…”

“I can hear you.” Pomni grumbled.

Despite the comment technically being directed at Jax, she couldn’t help but feel hurt. How does Jax deal with this everyday? Does he not care… or pretend like he doesn’t?

Ragatha sighed. “For some reason, today he’s pretending he doesn’t know how to cook! I swear… he’s acting like he doesn’t even know how to brown butter.”
“I’m still standing right here!”

The rabbit jester gave Pomni an amused and satisfied glare. Just the sight made her blood boil. “Oh, you know how he is. Just a troublemaker.”

Pomni just stared at him. Why did she feel so hurt by these comments? They weren’t meant for her… “I’ll go get the two sticks of butter.”

The jester rabbit walked off and opened the fridge. She just sighed and flopped her head on the cool surface. “... Stupid Jax and Caine with their games and… and…”
“And what-?”
“GAH- [f^%k]... Jesus, Zooble.” Pomni saw she dropped the milk on the floor and she bent down to pick it up. “Sorry about that-”

She was cut off when the mismatched shapes suddenly grabbed her by the overalls and dragged her right up against their face. She panicked and grabbed their arms. “Ah- What the hell, Zooble?!”

“You’ve been looking in that stupid fridge for way too long. What are you up to?”

The jester rabbit felt her breath catch in her throat as she desperately tried to explain the situation that didn’t exist. “I’m just grabbing butter! Damn, so hostile for what?!”

Zooble threw her off and Pomni stumbled back into place. She shook slightly and her breath was ragged. She didn’t know Zooble could be that scary.  

“Yeah, last time you said that, suddenly the orange juice was spiked with vodka. What are you really doing?”

The jester rabbit aggressively opened the butter and cheese drawer of the fridge and shoved two sticks of butter in the bundle of shapes’ face. “Grabbing butter! [F*&@KING] BUTTER! LEAVE ME ALONE!”

A quick glance at the fur on her arm was a harsh reminder of the deep shit she was in.

“Mhm… sure. I’m onto you.” And just like that, they walked away.

Pomni stood there in silence for a second. She didn’t really know how to process all of that. Tears started budding her eyes. Ragatha’s annoyed comments, Jax’s smug looks, Zooble’s hostile behavior. It was all too much.  

No no no… No, Jax doesn’t cry… She wiped away some of the unshed tears and started walking back to Ragatha.

The doll waved off Jax happily before her eyes laid on Pomni’s shaken form. She looked more exasperated if anything. “What took so long? Were you messing with someone?”

The jester rabbit put a pot on the stove and unwrapped the butter from its case. “No.”

Ragatha huffed and crossed her arms. “I don’t believe you! Why are you always doing this?”

“Look, I’m not in the mood right now, Ragatha! Just leave me alone so I brown this stupid block of butter!” Pomni took a deep inhale in and out. I’m losing character…

The rag doll stayed quiet for a moment before staring at the butter, then Jax. “Why have you been acting so differently today? You’re not as… hm…”

What’s a believable excuse? Ugh, just do something common! “I just… I’m just having a bad day and don’t feel like myself.”

The doll nodded and rubbed her arm. “I see… Well, you just need to get your head in the game and keep your head high! I know it’s been hard to adjust to Pomni’s arrival, but we’re all pushing through. You’ve got this.”

That was… not something Pomni would have expected Ragatha to say to Jax. Regardless, it managed to lift her spirits a bit. Enough to where she remembered that she had to stay in character. 

“Sure, whatever. Uh… let me brown the butter and you… sow yourself or something.” Nailed it. No she didn’t.

“Uh…?” Ragatha blinked before brushing it off. “Right, I’ll go measure out the chocolate, cocoa powder, and coffee. Be right back!”

The doll walked away with a slight bounce. Alright… just gotta brown the butter. How hard can it be? She turned on the stove and… should she put it on high or low? Maybe medium? No… no, Ragatha was getting impatient. She wasn’t known for her patience around Jax. Pomni decided to just put it on high heat. Butter is oil— it can take it, right?

Just then, Pomni heard little jingles and light footsteps with a high pitched voice giggling quietly… damn, these ears were good.

The jester rabbit looked over at the pantry and saw Jax handing a heavy bag of flour to Gangle. “Mind holding this for me, ribbons? It’s far too heavy for my twig arms~”

I’m gonna kill that motherfucker.

“Oh, sure!” The bundle of ribbons said softly. Though, she did look a little confused. “Usually only Jax calls me Ribbons-“ She was cut off by Jax dropping the flour into her arms. The weight of it caused her to fall to her knees. Pomni jumped at the last second to save her comedy mask. They’re legit gonna get caught.

Gangle got up slowly and sniffed as Pomni handed her her comedy mask, fully intact. “Uhm… thank you, Jax…” 

The jester rabbit looked off to the side and saw Jax’s eye twitch. Yeah, I kinda fucked that up. “Uh-… whatever. Just gotta break it later in a… better way, yeah.” Pomni held back a cringed expression as she heard the rabbit jester face palm. “I’m gonna talk to Ja- Pomni real quick. Be right back!”

As Pomni grabbed Jax’s arm, she heard him make some grunts and struggles. He clearly wasn’t used to having such a small body that could be thrown around. She let go of him; her face shirting into a crazed and twisted smile. “You’re not even trying!”

“Neither are you.” He pointed out. “I would never save her mask. She’s so annoying when she’s happy.”

“That’s f[%#*]ed up! Don’t ever say that!”

Jax rolled his eyes, his arms crossed. “It’s not my fault you’re a sensitive little b[*^>] who can’t even let someone be a little tearful for a few hours.”

Pomni felt her foot start tapping and she grabbed her ears and yelled, “THAT’S NOT THE POINT-“ she took a deep breath, trying to compose herself. “That’s not the point. I’m trying to say that you’re acting nothing like me! Stop being mean to Gangle if you don’t want Caine to punish us!”

The rabbit jester gave a sarcastic chuckle that made Pomni want to strangle him until he was purple. “Awe, come on— you’re actually worried about that? Caine’s not gonna punish us; it’s not in his nature.”

The jester rabbit’s ear twitched as she clenched her jaw. “I wouldn't chance it. The AIs are smarter and more capable than you think.”

Jax looked like he had a smug remark, but his smirk shifted to a raised eyebrow. “Are you aware your pot is on fire?”

Pomni felt her eyes go small as she turned around… yep.

The oil was spilling over the pot, falling into the gas fire and the entire stove. The angry flames kissed the ceiling as sparks flew around the kitchen. Smoke started to fill the room, stinging her eyes and throat. Yeah, the entire stove top was covered in a tall oil fire. “F[$?&^]!” 

Pomni ran over the fire, feeling the heat on her face— making her sweat profusely. It wasn’t long before everyone else started flipping out and running around.

“Jax! Why?!”

“Oh my god! A fire!”

“You stupid b[%#*]! I’m gonna throw you in that fire!”

“Hehe~ nice.”

“AHH-“

Pomni felt her chest begin to tighten and her heartbeat speed up. “WATER! WE NEED WATER!” The jester rabbit looked around and saw a very convenient bucket of water just laying on the counter. She ran over to it and grabbed the bucket. Right as she was gonna throw it, she heard Zooble yelling,

“Wait, don't! It’ll-“

Before she could register it, she dumped the entire bucket of water right into the grease fire. The flames sort of calmed down for a second before the light turned into a blinding yellow. Right as Pomni registered that she might have fucked up, the flames turned into a fireball and exploded.

She felt a searing hot pain envelop her face and chest before her vision went black and her body went limp.