Chapter Text
Ragatha often wondered what she could’ve possibly done to deserve the type of teasing she often received at the hands of the circus’s resident purple rabbit.
Honestly! She was nothing but kind to him. She was kind to everyone! She tried to keep her temper under wraps at all costs, because what purpose would be served by getting angry?
She always brushed Jax off and ignored his attempts to get under her plush skin, and she was usually very successful at it.
However, today just might be the day. She might just lose it today.
Sopping wet and muddy from what might’ve been one of the worst adventures ever (flag football on a soaked and rainy field) Ragatha trudged through the portal, leaving a trail of muddy footprints in her wake. Her yarn hair was positively drenched and she grumbled with each heavy and soaked step.
Jax, who didn’t seem to be affected at all by the rain or mud they’d just sloshed through, was hot on her tail.
“Aww, what’s wrong Doll?” he mocked, his voice falsely honeyed. “Can’t take a little competition? Whatever happened to good sportsmanship?”
“Leave me alone, Jax,” she warned, wringing out her hair.
The rabbit showed no mercy. He continued with his cruel taunting.
“Who taught you how to throw a football, by the way?” he said, casually getting in her space as she dripped water all over the tiled floor. “You’d think you were trying to be terrible on purpose.”
“Jax,” Pomni sighed as she shook out her hat. “Maybe you should lay off her.”
“Maybe you should mind your own business, Tiny Tim,” he snapped back. “Rags knows I’m just being truthful.”
Ragatha closed her eye and inhaled a deep, deep breath, meant to calm her. It wasn’t working.
Jax chose that moment to shake his fur like a dog, pelting Ragatha with even more muddy droplets.
“Much better,” he laughed. “Sorry I had to tackle you so many times, by the way. You just made it too easy. I mean, the whole point of the game when you have the ball in your possession is to run, not stand there like a gaping idiot—”
“SHUT UP!” With her fists balled at her side, Ragatha turned on her heels. She got in Jax’s face now, staring up into his shocked yellow eyes. She could feel her cheeks burn with anger. She had had enough. “JUST STOP! WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM WITH ME? WHAT DID I DO TO YOU?”
Jax looked nervous. Not at all used to being stood up to, he backed away a couple of inches. He didn’t respond right away.
The others watched the interaction with equal amounts concern and curiosity. No doubt, none of them had ever seen the rag doll lose her temper like this before.
“Woah, Rags, calm down,” Jax offered, but the confidence in his voice was gone.
“Don’t tell me to calm down Jax,” she growled at him. “After the way you’ve treated me all day, don’t you dare act like you’re the victim and I’m the one out of line.” Her voice was low and dangerous. “Just stay away from me!”
With that, she turned and stomped away. Caine chose that moment to appear and snap them back to normal, resetting their bodies so they were no longer drenched and sodden and covered in mud. The ringleader watched Ragatha stalking off and turned back to look at the others with genuine curiosity.
“Welcome back my little all-stars,” he said fondly. “I hope you all enjoyed yourselves today. If I may, what’s wrong with Ragatha? I thought she loved football?”
“Where do you get your information from?” Pomni asked, looking concerned.
“Don’t humans love football? Sports? Throwing spherical shaped objects at one another?”
No one answered him.
-
Jax was annoyed. He had half a mind to run after Ragatha and shake some sense into her cotton-filled head. Who does she think she is, embarrassing him in front of the whole cast like that? His fur bristled at the thought. He glanced around at the others, only half listening, until he heard his name being thrown around by none other than Zooble.
Typical.
“Maybe if he wasn’t such an @$$,” Jax heard them say. “Drove Ragatha crazy enough that even she lost her $h!t today.”
His anger—which was already simmering at the surface—boiled over.
“Can’t keep your invisible mouth shut, can ya, Zoob?” he growled.
Caine turned his attention to Jax, wagging his finger in his face. “Jax is this true? Were you rude to Ragatha?”
“He’s always rude to Ragatha,” Gangle squeaked, but quickly quieted under the glare Jax shot her.
“Jax, we talked about this,” Caine sighed.
“No, we didn’t,” Jax grumbled. “You talked about it. I just stood there and ignored you.”
“A little empathy goes a long way, Jax,” Pomni added. “Ragatha’s already been having a rough week, and you making things worse today probably hasn’t helped much.”
“So what? We all have rough weeks! You don’t see me whining about it! You don’t see Kinger whining about it!”
“Did someone say wine?” Kinger piped up at hearing his own name. “There’s no alcohol in the Digital Circus,” he said solemnly. “Prohibition and all that.”
Not a single one of them tried to comprehend what he said or why.
Cain cleared his throat. “Well, Jax…you’ve been warned multiple times now to lay off the others. I can see that these warnings aren’t working.”
“Heh, words are meaningless,” Jax crossed his arms.
“Exactly,” Caine nodded. “I think it’s time you learn some empathy, as our dear Pomni so eloquently suggested.”
“Oh please,” Jax snorted. “I’ll be in my room.” He rolled his eyes and turned to leave.
“I know just the thing,” Caine continued on. He snapped his fingers.
There was a massive explosion of purple smoke. The sound of coughing rang out across the room as the wisps faded away.
Jax noticed right away that he felt a bit funny…dizzy almost. When the smoke cleared, he realized he was staring up at everyone as though he was lying down on the ground. The others were all looking down at him with wide eyes.
What, did he faint? As if this couldn’t be any more embarrassing…first the doll shames him in front of everyone, and now he passes out! Now he—
“Oh my GOD!” Zooble exploded with laughter.
What the hell are they laughing at? Jax thought furiously. He opened his mouth to speak.
…but no sound came out.
What the f—
“Caine,” Zooble wheezed. “He’s an actual rabbit!?”
“Jax, I have hereby decided on a special in-house adventure tailor made just for you,” Caine announced proudly. “You’re going to be Ragatha’s emotional support rabbit for the next twenty-four hours!”
Did he just say what I think he just said? Jax thought to himself. He tried to run to look in the nearest mirror. He had to see what they were talking about. But to his horror, all he could do was hop.
Oh my God. Oh no.
The sound of Zooble’s laughter was all he heard before Caine snapped his fingers again, and Jax found himself inside of Bubble, who’d mysteriously appeared out of nowhere, and who was currently floating down the hall toward the dorms carrying Jax like he weighed absolutely nothing.
-
Ragatha lay curled up under her plush comforter, wiping at her tired and wet eye. She never went back to the main hall for the after-adventure feast. She just wasn’t in the mood and didn’t want to be around anyone.
She couldn’t believe she’d lost her composure like that in front of the others. Though it felt extremely good to put Jax in his place, she still felt awful that she’d been driven that far to begin with. She didn’t like losing her temper. She always felt waves of guilt after the fact.
She was about to curl up and go to bed early when there was a sound outside her door. It sounded almost like…
“Delivery for Ragatha!”
Bubble?
This can’t be good. Filled with unease, Ragatha walked to the door and hesitantly opened it a few inches. She was about to ask what the heck Bubble wanted, but was stunned into silence at the sight before her.
A purple rabbit with yellow eyes was literally inside Bubble, staring at her with a horrified expression and shaking uncontrollably.
“Oh!” Ragatha gasped and opened the door wider. “What the—“
“Here’s your emotional support bunny,” Bubble announced. “Caine asked that I hand deliver him, but I don’t have hands.”
“Oh…kay,” Ragatha said. She stared at the poor, terrified rabbit trapped in the bubble. The little thing was shaking like a leaf.
Suddenly, Bubble popped, dropping the poor animal straight into Ragatha’s arms. Surprised, she clutched at the creature as it scrambled, trying to get away.
“No, shh, shh,” she whispered soothingly. “It’s okay! It’s okay…I’m not going to hurt you!” She held the rabbit tighter and closed her door. The tiny thing seemed to calm a bit at her words, but Ragatha could still feel the rapid beating of its heart.
She’d barely had any time to process the fact that she was just given a live rabbit for no explainable reason whatsoever…or at least a reason that made any sense.
An emotional support bunny? What was Bubble talking about?
She carried the bunny to her bed and sat down. Stroking its fur, Ragatha carefully set it down on her comforter.
“There you go, cutie,” she smiled. She watched curiously as the rabbit spun itself in a circle, looking around at its surroundings. She was pleased to see that it seemed to have calmed down a bit. “What am I going to do with you, huh? You sure are adorable.”
The rabbit blinked at her with large, golden eyes. Familiar golden eyes…
Eyes that looked just like…
“Jax?” Ragatha’s eye widened.
The rabbit blinked back.
“No, you can’t be Jax,” Ragatha laughed to herself. What a silly thought. “Caine just doesn’t know what a real rabbit must look like.”
That had to be it. Caine was programmed with only so much information. It only made sense that he made this NPC bunny look like the only rabbit he knew. Maybe he was also trying to mess with her. Caine could be like that sometimes, find humor in the worst possible places.
Ragatha sighed.
-
Jax couldn’t believe what was happening to him. Trapped momentarily in Bubble had been horrifying. He could still feel his heart racing. It wasn’t until Ragatha had held him close to her chest, stroking his fur, that he seemed to be able to calm down. That was another thing he hadn’t been prepared for…literally being dropped into her open arms.
Shit.
He was a fucking rabbit.
How could Caine do this to him? Were his so-called crimes really worth this type of punishment?
He wanted so badly to be able to speak. He opened his mouth and tried to vocalize, but all that happened was a strange, soft honking sound. Whatever noise it was that he’d just made, it made Ragatha laugh.
“Aw, do you have something to say, bunny?” she said softly, petting his ears.
Oh…that felt so nice.
Jax found his eyelids starting to droop. He flopped down onto the comforter, his legs giving out beneath him under the spell of Ragatha’s soft touch.
“Can I tell you a secret?” Ragatha whispered softly.
Jax listened, his mind buzzing with curiosity. At least if he was stuck like this for the time being, he’d be able to gather some dirt on Ragatha to tease her with later. He peered up at the doll and waited for her to continue.
“It’s been a really rough week for me,” she began. Her hand moved steadily over his head, ears, and back. “I don’t know if the others keep track of how long they’ve been here…but I have. It’s been another year. I don’t know why it’s hitting me so hard this time around.”
Jax blinked. He’d given up trying to keep track of time years ago. He should’ve figured Ragatha still did. She was diligent like that.
“Every year that passes…I always feel worse when the date comes around. I can’t help it. Honestly, I just want to be left alone. But Jax makes it unbearable.”
Jax’s ears twitched. He looked at her. She smiled down at him, oblivious.
Unbearable? He truly made it feel that way to her?
“I used to think he did it for attention…but now I’m staring to wonder if he truly does it to be cruel.” Ragatha used her finger to pet up and down Jax’s ears. “I guess I shouldn’t judge someone for what this place has turned them into. But still, I can’t help but wonder why it’s always me he picks on the most.”
Jax felt uncomfortable and his mind was going a million miles a minute. Did she really think that about him? She really thought he was out to get her specifically? That he was a cruel person?
She clearly had no idea how much he enjoyed her attention. Yes, he went out of his way to make sure he got that attention no matter what. But cruel? No, he was a lot of things, but cruel was a bit harsh.
His thoughts were distracted when he heard her sigh heavily.
“I guess it’s not so bad being in here by myself if I’ve got you with me,” she smiled. “If it weren’t for the fact that I don’t want to talk to anyone, I’d show you off to the others. Jax would get such a kick out of you. Or he’d actually kick you, if I’m being completely honest…”
She fluffed up her pillow and began to turn down her sheets.
“You wanna cuddle up with me?” she asked, patting the spot beside her. “I could really use a friend right now.”
Jax immediately hopped over. He turned in a circle in the spot next to her before he flopped down, suddenly exhausted. Ragatha climbed under her covers and pulled the quilt up to her chest.
“I know you’re just an NPC,” she said softly. “But talking to you has brought me more happiness this week than I’ve felt in a long time. Maybe Caine was right. Maybe I needed an emotional support rabbit after all.” She chuckled softly to herself.
Jax wanted to yell and scream that he wasn’t a real rabbit. It was him, it was Jax, he was there with her, bringing the comfort she’d been craving in silence for so long. Why didn’t she ever speak up? Why does she always hold everything in?
He hopped closer to her and cuddled up against her arm. Before he’d even realized what was happening, he felt his teeth grinding together and making a strange, purring sound. Somehow it felt right. He didn’t seem to mind it.
“Thank you,” Ragatha whispered.
Jax could see her eyelid getting heavier. Slowly, Ragatha reached out and gently pet his head.
“Wish I could keep you with me…” she said softly. Her voice trailed off as her eye closed completely. Her hand came to rest beside him.
Jax listened as Ragatha’s breaths evened out. Now he was completely alone and wide awake. A million thoughts were running through his head and all he could do was sit with them. He couldn’t speak, he couldn’t even really go anywhere in this form.
He looked at Ragatha. She really was very pretty. How had he never noticed that before? Her eyelashes dusted her cheek, her brow was furrowed like she couldn’t escape her worries, even in sleep.
Well, according to Caine, Jax had to endure twenty-four hours of this. He figured he might as well make himself comfortable. He snuggled against her and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep.
-
Jax woke up suddenly, his eyes blinking to adjust to the pitch black darkness. He immediately felt a change.
He sat up, and to his immense shock, he noticed his gloved hands were back. His long legs were back. He was no longer a literal rabbit.
Jax let out a deep sigh of relief. Exhausted, ready to fall back to sleep, he was about to lie back down until a soft exhale of breath startled him. He’d completely forgotten Ragatha was lying there next to him.
He needed to get out of there before she woke up and discovered him. Normally, scaring the daylights out of her would make him laugh. But after her confessions before she fell asleep, the idea wasn’t appealing to him in the slightest.
Moving slowly, he slid out of her bed and tiptoed across the room. He gave her one last look before he closed her door with a soft snap.
-
Jax found Caine floating around the main hall, inspecting things like he was making note of changes he wanted to make. Jax took a gamble wandering around in the middle of the night, but he figured the AI didn’t sleep, so he had to keep busy somehow.
“Jax!” Caine exclaimed, surprised. “What are you doing here? Why aren’t you a rabbit?”
“I don’t know, you tell me!” Jax growled, thumping his foot on the ground in an agitated fashion. “I thought you said twenty-four hours?”
“I thought I did too,” Caine crossed his arms and scratched his teeth. “Hmm… Maybe I mixed up four hours with twenty-four hours. It’s entirely possible.”
“Yeah whatever,” Jax said. “Listen, I need you to do something for me.”
“Have you learned your lesson?”
“Sure,” Jax said quickly. Anything to make the AI shut up and listen to him.
“That’s wonderful to hear, Jax!” Caine said proudly, as if he’d accomplished something stupendous.
Jax rolled his eyes. “Just listen, okay?”
“I’m all ears.” To make his point, Caine tugged on one of Jax’s ears, and Jax did all he could not to punch the ringleader in his denture head.
He needed to keep his calm. This was important.
-
Ragatha woke with a soft sigh. Another day had arrived. Another adventure lie ahead. She didn’t want to face it. She didn’t feel ready. Her emotions were still raw from the night before.
Suddenly, she remembered her rabbit friend.
She sat up abruptly and looked around for the NPC, but instead of the little ball of fluff she’d been given, there was a tiny stuffed rabbit on top of her comforter. It was nearly identical to the NPC rabbit itself, with purple fur and yellow eyes.
Ragatha picked it up slowly. It was so, so soft.
Had she been dreaming? Was the night before even real? She searched her room, hoping the bunny was simply hiding somewhere. After several minutes of this with no luck, she flopped back down onto her bed. She felt strangely disappointed that the bunny was gone.
Hugging the stuffed animal to her chest, she took a deep, steadying breath. She would be okay. She could get through it.
One day at a time.