Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Most days in the Digital Circus were the same. Get up, hang around until Caine shows up, get sent on an adventure, come back, eat, maybe hang out again if anyone has the energy, then go to sleep. There really wasn’t anything to look forward to, apart from gambling on the low chance that an adventure might be something other than painful and traumatic. And the prospect of an eternity of such monotony was not something that Pomni was willing to confront.

Unfortunately for her, she had commented openly about that anxiety, unknowingly within the earshot of a certain nosey, noseless ringmaster. 

“GOOOOOOOD MORNING, my lugubrious legume lickers!” Caine announced as he appeared from thin air to greet his performers. “Today, I have a- wait a minute…”

Caine did a quick headcount, pointing his cane at each attendee he could find. Kinger, Jax, Bubble (who had floated in front of Caine’s vision, and was promptly popped), Zooble, Gangle…

“Where’s Pomni?! And Ragatha?!”

Caine scanned the room to see who might have some information for him. All blank stares, and a disdainful shrug from Zooble. Before he could ask further questions, however, the sound of mellow laughter echoed from the east side of the tent.

Pomni and Ragatha had finally come down from the tent’s residences. Ragatha had taken to seeing Pomni out of her room in the mornings, at first as a sort of wellness check, before quickly solidifying the practice as a morning ritual. Now it would be weird to see one of them without the other at this time of day.

“You’rrrrrrrre LATE!” Caine shouted, pointing a finger at the duo and magically pulling them into the center of the room. “Everyone here has been itching to hear about today’s adventure, and we’ve had to wait a whole… ten extra seconds for you!”

“Sorry, everyone!” Ragatha spoke for both of them, as Pomni was doubling over trying to fight nausea from Caine tossing her stomach like a fastball. “We just got caught up chatting in the hall before we realized it was probably time to head out.”

“Not like we can tell the time here anyways,” Pomni grumbled while straightening her posture.

“Ah yes, speaking of time-” Caine posed his arms like hands on a clock at 10:15, with his cane floating in a circle as the second hand, “-today is a very special day for you humans! Or so I’m told.” He dropped his arms and let his cane clatter on the floor.

“I don’t even know how long I’ve been here anymore,” Zooble piped up. “What year even is it?”

Caine guffawed. “Why, Zooble. According to my internal calendar, we are in the year nine-thousand nine-hundred and ninety-nine! Just like last year!”

Zooble crossed their arms and glared at him in silence.

“...But that’s not the part that matters!” Caine said. “What matters is that today’s date is February fourteenth! Valentine’s Day!”

Caine tipped his hat over and let a mess of pink and red hearts burst out of it and swirl in the air above his head.

“And I’ve prepared a very special adventure for the occasion! I call it: Heartfelt Happenings at Honeymoon Harbor!” The hearts that were whirling around in the air came together to spell out the title as Caine spoke it. “In this romantic romp, you’ll need to pair up, find Cupid’s Golden Arrow, take it through the Tunnel of Love, and use it to pierce the Heart of Venus at the very end!”

Caine snapped his fingers and conjured a pink, heart-shaped portal in front of everyone.

‘A romance-themed adventure?’ Ragatha thought.

She snuck an impulsive glance at Pomni, who appeared nonplussed. Her mind raced with the possibilities. She wouldn’t dare to admit it, but she had been crushing on Pomni hard, even going back to when they had first met. The kind of silly schoolgirl-like infatuation that wasn’t worth risking their blossoming friendship over.

“Wait, pair up?” Ragatha asked, as the full suite of information finally clicked with her. “Do we get a choice?”

“Well of course you do!” Caine exclaimed. “This adventure is going to require coordination and communication with your partner, so choose wisely!”

Ragatha’s pupil shrank. “Oh! Well, um…”

She turned to look at Pomni, who appeared to be preoccupied by dread over the coming experience.

“Pomni,” Ragatha said, getting her attention, “do you want to… pair… together… for this one?”

Pomni mulled it over for a moment. “Yeah, sure-”

“But, but, it’s okay if you don’t want to! I understand!” Ragatha stammered. “I wouldn't take it personally if you would rather-”

“I said yeah.”

“Oh! Sorry, that took me a second. Still early in the day, ya know?” Ragatha brought a fist to her head and knocked her knuckles on her noggin. “Still, um, waking up, a little bit.”

Pomni just stared at her. Before Ragatha could articulate another apology, Zooble started to walk away.

“Have fun with this one,” they said.

“Zooble, wait!” Caine cried.

Zooble gave him a censored middle finger in response.

“Zooble, wait!” Gangle cried.

Zooble stopped in their tracks and turned on a dime to see Gangle running up to them. They grew wide-eyed as Gangle leaned in close and whispered:

“Please don’t leave me in this one with Jax!” Gangle pleaded. “I know he’ll pick me just to pick on me.”

Zooble’s expression relaxed, from a look of surprise to nurturing warmth.

“Oh, alright,” they said. “Hey Caine. Change of plans. I’m with Gangle.”

“Yooooouuuu got it!” Caine said with a thumbs-up. “Guess that leaves you two together by default!” He turned to point at Jax and Kinger, neither of whom had been paying much attention up to now.

“What? That’s boring,” Jax complained. “Guess I won’t be breaking any hearts today. Whatever.”

“Oh, I’ve been on this adventure once before, it’ll be a fun one,” Kinger said. “Can’t remember who I was paired up with, though…”

“Well, off you all go then!” Caine said, motioning towards the portal. “Now get in there and have a lovely time!”

‘God, what is Caine up to with this one? Stay strong, girlie,’ Ragatha thought.

Everyone began walking into the portal, leaving Pomni and Ragatha lingering behind. Ragatha studied Pomni’s expression; she clearly didn’t want to go, with irritation and contempt displayed on her face plain as day.

“Something wrong, Pomni?” Ragatha asked.

Pomni sighed. “Not any more than usual. I’m sure Caine has some kind of agony in store for us. Let’s get this over with.”

She threw a hand up dismissively and lazily sauntered into the portal. No way they were going to have an enjoyable time together, it seemed. Ragatha’s shoulders drooped, and she followed Pomni across the threshold.

As the Circus crew emerged on the other side of the portal, they all took in the sights:  immediately before her was a dark red ticket gate, adorned with brightly-colored hearts and pink roof tiles. A fancifully-dressed mannequin NPC was motioning to the party to proceed past the gate, where a concrete path opened up into the plaza of an enormous theme park. Teacup rides, bumper cars, carousels, a ferris wheel; and all of it was decorated in the same cutesy manner as the gate. Statues of cupids aiming heart-shaped arrows into the sky with heart-shaped bows littered the place, walking heart mascots were handing out flowers and cotton candy to the NPC crowd, and balloons of a predictable shape decorated the place with all the colors of the rainbow (except the ones that weren’t red). Individual elements that stood out as fun, if a touch gaudy; but all of that at once? It was lovey-dovey overkill.

“Oooh, isn’t this precious?” Ragatha spoke up, getting Pomni’s attention.

“Eeeehh, I guess it’s… less of an eyesore than the Circus?” Pomni replied.

Pomni was squinting as she surveyed the place, seemingly looking out for nasty surprises. She was visibly tense, with her shoulders hiked up and her arms folded.

“Hey, try to cheer up a little?” Ragatha said. “You heard Kinger back there, right? Maybe this one won’t be so bad.”

Suddenly, the performers were bombarded with the raucous roaring of an obnoxious number of trumpets. Looking up, the source of the sonic assault was a company of cherubs that had flown in out of nowhere, heralding the arrival of the stars of the day’s show. In the center of their formation was one wielding a bow, just like the statues.

“Welcome, welcome!” he announced in what sounded like the pitched-up voice of a grown man. “I am Cupid, and I bid you all good tidings and much love on behalf of all us here at Honeymoon Harbor, where your dreams of beauteous romance may very well come true!” He took a step forward in midair and gave a polite bow. “Now, I received a message from our Lord above telling me that you all are in search of my Golden Arrows?”

“Oh, yes!” Ragatha said. “How can we get them?”

“Well, that’s a bit of a tricky one,” he said with a giggle, “for even I don’t know where they are!”

Cupid shrugged, causing the quiver on his back to rattle around. Over his shoulder, a glint of sunlight shone from three golden arrow tips.

“They’re right there!” Pomni said, pointing at them.

Cupid looked over his shoulder, and drew all three arrows, holding them up to the Circus members.

“Oh, these?”

In one swift motion, Cupid nocked all three arrows into his bow, turned 180 degrees, and fired them simultaneously, far into the sky. Each drew an impressive arc through the air, landing in the depths of the park.

“Like I said, no idea where they are! I must have misplaced them.”

“Well that wasn’t very responsible use of a weapon,” Kinger said.

“We should’ve beaten him up and just taken them. Way to go, Pomni,” Jax scolded.

Pomni groaned. “Okay, figures this wouldn’t be easy. Hey Cupid, how are we supposed to find where those landed?”

Cupid turned back around. ‘Any way you want! Find where they may be, ask around, maybe get a vantage point - they should be glowing now, and highly visible from a distance, even amidst a large crowd. That’s all I can tell you! Tootle-oo, now, and may your escapades bring you oh so close together!”

With a wave, Cupid and his posse disbursed, each flying away with the sound of high-pitched laughter and leaving a trail of glitter raining from their wings.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Zooble asked.

“Well, I guess this is where we split up,” Gangle suggested meekly. “Zooble, do you want to go for the one he shot straight ahead?”

“Uhh… sure, I guess it doesn't really matter which one we choose.” They had a hard time saying no to Gangle anyways. The two departed for the north.

“Jax and I can take the one to the east,” Kinger said, pointing west.

“Uh, yeah, that way,” Jax agreed, walking to where Kinger was pointing. “C’mon, pops.”

Kinger followed Jax’s lead, leaving just Pomni and Ragatha alone.

“Looks like we only have one way to go,” Ragatha said. “Do you want me to lead the way, or…”

“I’ve got an idea,” Pomni said, “c’mon.”

Pomni walked them deep into the plaza, using her hand to keep the sun out of her eyes as she peered up and to the east.

“He said to get a vantage point, right?” Pomni turned to Ragatha, who was following silently behind. “Looks like the ferris wheel is this way. Maybe we could find the arrow from the top?”

“That sounds like a great idea!” she said, trying not to sound too impressed with Pomni’s characteristic resourcefulness. “I love ferris wheels!”

Without a word, Pomni led them onward.

For some reason, despite the only other denizens of the Harbor being NPCs, Pomni and Ragatha still had to wait in line. Seems like Caine was going for a more authentic, immersive gaming experience. Ragatha expected Pomni to be annoyed by this; she could be impatient at times. But even after boarding the ferris wheel and beginning to ascend, Pomni was still acting all silent and sour.

“Hey Pomni?” Ragatha asked.

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry if I did something to bother you. You seem like you’ve been upset since the adventure started. I get if maybe…” Ragatha looked down at her hands in her lap, twiddling her thumbs. “If you wanted to be paired with someone else, I can understand.”

“What?” Pomni was audibly confused. “What makes you say that? I mean, not the being upset part.”

“Well, we’ve been hanging out a lot together lately,” Ragatha started, hesitating to make eye contact, “so it would make sense if maybe you wanted to use this adventure as an opportunity to spend time with someone else.”

Ragatha wriggled in her seat within the ferris wheel’s cabin. She was ready for pain, like she was about to pull off a bandaid.

“Ragatha,” Pomni spoke softly, “I like hanging out with you. That's why I do it. I promise you, you aren’t the problem here.”

She flashed a small, reassuring smile, ignorant to how that made Ragatha’s heart skip a beat.

“Then what is the problem? You seemed fine this morning. I know you don’t have the best history with the adventures so far, but I haven’t seen you this down from the very start of one, at least since the Candy Kingdom.”

Pomni's smile dropped at that mention, and Ragatha couldn’t help but wince at her own faux pas. Pomni never really talked about it, but it seemed like that adventure was a particularly sore spot for her.

“I just… don't really like Valentine’s Day,” Pomni admitted. “Eye-searing decorations, crappy candy, every couple thinking it’s a free pass for PDA… So when you add that to one of Caine’s adventures, it has me feeling kinda grumpy.”

“Oh!” Ragatha replied. “All that is why you don’t like it?”

Pomni put an elbow on the cabin’s window sill and peered out into the distance. After a moment, she sighed.

“I’ll admit, I would always get envious on Valentine’s Day. Was never with anyone when the day rolled around. I even had one relationship end just the day before. The whole thing brings back old memories of… rejection.”

Ragatha chuckled. “Hard to believe. Who could ever reject you?”

Pomni pivoted her head towards Ragatha, wearing a stunned expression and a hint of blush. Ragatha, realizing how that sentence had come out, turned a bit red herself, and shot her gaze down to the floor.

“I mean, I feel like I can get where you’re coming from.” Ragatha said, desperate to course-correct. “Really. I’m sorry to hear about that.” She looked back to Pomni, who was now staring out the window far more intensely than she had prior. “But you know, as rough as Caine’s adventures can be, it’s not impossible to have some fun on them. I was hoping maybe we could-”

“THERE IT IS!” Pomni shouted.

Slapping one hand repeatedly against the cabin bench, Pomni used the other to point in the direction of a large crowd of NPCs. Ragatha rushed out of her seat to get a look. It took a while scanning the sights, but she found it - what was unmistakingly a glowing, golden-headed arrow, being carried by a mannequin who was dressed in a white-and-red pinstripe vest.

“Where is it taking that thing…” Pomni mumbled.

“Oh, I think that outfit means that NPC is an employee!” Ragatha elucidated. “And check it out, there are a bunch of stalls in that area. I bet it runs one of the games!”

“Good catch, Ragatha!” Pomni’s minor compliment hit her like a truck. “Let’s head over there once we’re done here!”

“Well, thanks Pomni!” Ragatha struggled to say in a composed voice. She looked back outside, no longer hyper-focused on finding the arrow. “Wow. It actually is really pretty here.”

“Hmm?”

Taking another look as well, Pomni caught the view of the Harbor just as the ferris wheel reached its zenith. The bright blue sky was nearly cloudless, and from so high up, the entire park could be seen at once, even up to the titular harbor. There, past the boardwalk, a glimmering blue ocean spanned as far as the eye could see… Or at least until it reached maximum render distance, where the skybox took over to maintain the illusion of depth.

“Huh,” Pomni spoke in quiet astonishment. “Yeah, I think you might be right.” She and Ragatha exchanged glances. “About it being pretty here, but also about the adventures.”

Ragatha had no words. Pomni’s eyes were, frankly, far too distracting in that moment.

Pomni sat down and played with her hair. “I’m sorry I made you think you were doing something wrong. I’m open to trying to enjoy the day… with you.”

Ragatha let out a nervous laugh and clutched her dress in front of her legs. “Thank you. Again.” She could feel her face getting warm. “I’d like that too.”

Ragatha couldn't stop herself from beaming with excitement. Thankfully for her, Pomni smiled back, without any hint of hidden “you’re-being-weird-please-stop” thoughts.

‘God, I’m hopeless,’ Ragatha thought.

The ferris wheel ride was nearly done, and both Pomni and Ragatha had renewed vigor for the day ahead. Next destination, the site of their mark: The Fairgrounds of Food, Fun, & Flirting.

Chapter Text

One might think that a glowing arrow with a golden head would be fairly simple to find, but The Fairgrounds of Food, Fun, & Flirting proved to be such a crowded, overstimulating, busy environment that Pomni and Ragatha may as well have been searching for a needle in a haystack. They had to spend what felt like at least an hour going to every stall, one by one, asking the NPCs about the arrow. No luck.

It wasn’t all bad, however. Pomni, true to her word, was trying her best to enjoy her time with Ragatha at the Harbor. When they weren’t interrogating mannequins, it was like any other theme park. The smell of fried foods, the distant music booming from some of the more bombastic rides. Brought back old memories of life before. At times, it even felt like a real date - not that they were on one, of course.

Just as Pomni’s was beginning to show some visible frustration with the tedium of their search, Ragatha proposed a quick break to de-stress a little bit and come up with a plan. Pomni agreed to it, in spite of her inclination to get through any adventure as quickly as possible, so the pair bought some delicious greasy fair food and took a seat.

“I swear, we’ve already checked every stall here,” Pomni complained. “Are they hiding that thing from us on purpose?”

“Could be,” Ragatha posited. “Maybe they didn’t want the scavenger hunt to be too easy?”

“Hmm.” Pomni stared at the chunk of funnel cake adorning her plastic fork. “I think you’re onto something there. If I were Caine, what would I want us to have to do?”

Pomni leaned back in her chair, and Ragatha watched the gears turn in her head, between the last few bites of her bacon-wrapped turkey leg. Having been comrades-in-adventures a number of times at this point, Ragatha had observed and come to admire Pomni’s resourcefulness. Ragatha knew she could rely on her in any situation - at least when fear and anxiety stopped clouding her mind.

“I’m thinking out loud here, but let me know if this doesn’t make any sense, okay?” Pomni asked.

“Sure, go for it,” Ragatha said with a smile, excited to hear that her input was valued.

“So, if I were Caine, and I were making a Valentine’s Day-themed adventure, what kind of ‘vibe’ would I want to give off? I think I’d want to try to lead players into situations that feel…” Pomni hesitated, “...well, romantic. So what’s a romantic thing to do in a place like this, that could get us the arrow?”

“Could have something to do with the food?” Ragatha guessed.

“Maybe. But it'd probably be something more ‘active,’ if that makes sense. Like, we have to win one of the games.”

“But we already scoped out all the prizes at all the stalls. Maybe you’re right, and the NPCs are hiding it.”

Pomni squinted as she racked her brain. “I think so, yeah. And I have an idea how we can get them to reveal the prize. Come on-”

Pomni started to rise from her chair, but suddenly froze and looked at Ragatha.

“Sorry, I just realized,” Pomni said to her, “would you be willing to finish my funnel cake? I don’t want it to go to waste.”

“Sure, I can…”

Ragatha looked down at the plate as Pomni began sliding it over, and a shiver ran down her spine. It was a delicious-looking funnel cake, half-eaten and somewhat messy. Nothing wrong with it at all. Except for the fact that Pomni had been eating it. And it she ate from it too, that would be almost like a kiss. Ragatha felt her body temperature rise as her brain drowned in the implications. She picked up the fork, but all she could do was stare at it.

‘Does Pomni realize what’s going on here?’ she thought. ‘If so, is she doing this on purpose? Is this some kind of hint that she actually… no, there’s no way, I’m-’

Then, as if acting on its own, Ragatha’s hand pushed the fork into her mouth, and she swallowed.

‘Oh my god.’ Ragatha broke into a cold sweat, or at least felt a sensation like one. ‘Why did I do that? I was completely frozen, how could I just… am I that desperate? Am I in-’

“Ragatha?” Pomni called. “Does it taste that bad? I thought it was alright.”

Pomni’s hand waved in front of Ragatha’s face, snapping her out of her sapphic dissociation.

“On second thought, I'm too full already. Sorry about that,” Ragatha said, pushing the plate back to Pomni.

“That’s alright. I realize that the concept of ‘food waste’ doesn’t really apply here anyways. It was just a force of habit,” Pomni explained. “Caine could make a thousand of these spawn above my head, out of thin air, if he wanted to.”

“Sounds sticky,” Ragatha said with a laugh, before thinking too hard about what it would actually feel like and stifling a gag. “But anyways. What was your idea?”

“We’ll need to find a game to play, first,” Pomni said. “Let’s go back to the last one we checked, and work backwards. I’ll let you know the details when we get there.”

“You got it, bossman!” Ragatha replied.

‘Bossman?’ Ragatha thought as she got up. ‘Stop being such a mess!’

Pomni looked a bit flummoxed by suspect sobriquet, but went on ahead without commenting on it. Beating herself up internally, Ragatha followed Pomni’s lead.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Harbor, a one-armed, one-legged Zooble was hopping around the exit to a rollercoaster when they spotted Gangle kneeling down in the dirt.

“Gangle!” Zooble called, waving with the Golden Arrow in their hand. “Why’d you wander off?”

Upon approaching, the answer was evident: In Gangle’s hands were an old-fashioned wooden peg-leg and a garish purple plastic praying mantis arm. She had wrangled Zooble’s missing limbs on their behalf.

“Here,” Gangle offered the appendages. “I didn't want you to have to search for them on your own, especially in that condition,” she said with a sniffle.

“Oh! I… you really shouldn't have… but thank you, Gangle,” Zooble said, glad that blush was hard to spot on their bright pink face. “You know, you didn’t need to throw your comedy mask to hit the last target.”

“We were out of ammo. And you-” Gangle’s voice cracked, giving her pause, “-you had already given up an arm and a leg. I didn’t want you to have to sacrifice alone.”

Zooble giggled softly as they finished popping their limbs back into place.

“Well, I don’t exactly love these things anyways, but it is easier having them than not.” They extended a claw to help Gangle up. “You’re sweet.”

Gangle obliged, wrapping a ribbon around Zooble’s wrist.

“Well, you deserve to be treated with kindness.”

The two looked each other in the eyes, for just a bit too long, before sheepishly retracting their still-entwined hands.

“Let’s, uh, go on ahead?” Zooble asked.

Gangle nodded and wiped away her tears (which immediately reformed).

“Yeah, to the Tunnel of Love. I think it’s over there,” she said, pointing north. “We can do this.”

If Zooble had a mouth, they would have smiled.

“Yeah. Let's go.”

While they strolled off together, Zooble kicked themselves internally for not being able to hide that dreamy sense of ease in their voice.

“Alright, here it is,” Pomni said, stopping in front of a ring toss booth.

Before Ragatha and Pomni was a small kiosk containing a mannequin that was pretending to wipe dirt off of the front counter, a table covered in wooden pegs of varying colors, and a wall of prizes in the back. There were plushies, toys, and candy, but certainly no arrow.

“Ayy, you two again!” the mannequin spoke. “Changed your mind about giving your accuracy a test?”

“Sure did!” Pomni answered, popping an elbow on the counter. “And I’m after your most fabulous prize, if you get what I mean.” Her confidence was as bold as it was unconvincing.

“Afraid I don’t,” it replied. “What you see here on the prize wall is what you get. Which one is the most fabulous is up to you.”

“Mhmm. Give me one second?”

Pomni turned and motioned for Ragatha to do the same. Once she followed suit, Pomni stood up on her toes to speak into Ragatha's ear:

“ Okay, I figured it wouldn’t be simple, so here’s my plan,” Pomni whispered. “We need to pretend that we’re a couple.”

Ragatha’s heart skipped a beat or ten.

“What?!” she nearly broke whispering volume, prompting a “shush” gesture from Pomni. “Sorry… but why do we need to do that?”

“This place’s whole gimmick is love, and trying to push us into romantic scenarios, right? So to get through it, we might need to play along with the theme.” Pomni glanced back at the mannequin, who was standing stiff as a board due to lacking an idle animation. “Just leave it to me, okay?” Pomni spoke, this time for the mannequin to hear.

“Ahh, looking to impress?” the mannequin goaded.

“Oh, I’ve got nothing to prove,” Pomni once again feigned confidence. “But if I’m going to win something for my girlfriend here, it’s gotta be as special as she is.”

Pomni looked to Ragatha, who was covering her face with her hands in an attempt to not look like she was completely losing it after hearing those words. She nodded.

“So, you got anything extra special for her?” Pomni tried to wink, but due to nerves, used both eyes.

“Well, I might have a little something like that, now that I think about it. Gimme one moment.” The NPC ducked under the counter and emerged near-instantaneously holding none other than the Golden Arrow. “Not sure what you would do with this thing. Think you eat it? But if you can land a ring on the centermost peg on that table, it’s yours.”

Pomni watched as the mannequin slid some rings to her over the counter - and became perplexed as she found out they were definitely not rings. The “rings” were, in fact, heart-shaped.

“Are you kidding me?” Pomni complained. “These aren’t aerodynamic, where are the regular rings?”

“Well, here at Honeymoon Harbor, we believe in encouraging people to go the extra mile for their lovers. It’s how we guilt people into spending more on the annual pass.” The mannequin put their hands on their hips and adopted a coy tone: “Don’t you want to show her exactly how much you love her?”

Pomni squinted at the NPC while Ragatha had her hands tightly clasped together and her vision directed at the ground. She was at risk of passing out if she caught a glimpse of Pomni’s adorable face.

“Ugh, alright, gimme the hearts,” Pomni groaned.

The mannequin did as told, then swiftly stepped aside. Pomni picked the first rubber heart-disc-thing up from the pile. It was a bit heavier than one might expect. Was there metal inside?

“You can do it, Pomni!” Ragatha tried to encourage her. “...Uhh, sweetie.”

‘Keeping up this illusion is going to be the death of me,’ Ragatha thought.

Pomni took a breath, and tossed her first ring. It veered left and smacked the side of a peg, nearly breaking it.

“Ayy, you missed, pal,” the mannequin taunted.

Pomni tried to ignore it, and went for another throw. Maybe she needed to be gentler, exercise more control. This ring only made it about a foot past the counter.

Gotta put in a little more than that. The third ring; Pomni launched it hard enough that it embedded itself in the wall behind the pegs.

Next one knocked over some prizes.

The one after that almost hit the mannequin.

The last ring ricocheted off the back wall, to the ceiling, then the floor, before uppercutting Pomni’s chin, knocking her over.

“%$!#!” the censor noise blurted from the jester crumpled in the dirt. “Mother%$!#ing %$!# %$!# %$!#ing %$!#!”

The mannequin peered over the edge of the stall at Pomni, then turned to Ragatha.

“Some sweetheart you got here, eh toots? Guess you’re just not worth the effort.”

“Hey! Pomni’s trying her best!” Ragatha snapped.

She watched Pomni drag herself back onto her feet, despite the stars circling around her head. This whole scenario was fake, but the NPC’s words hit… close to home. Ragatha knew that Pomni didn’t care about the adventure. She was probably just humoring her when she said she’d try to enjoy it. She had no reason to actually change her outlook, not when the adventures always caused her so much pain.

‘Is she really doing all this for me? Just because I asked?’ Ragatha thought. ‘I’m not worth that to her. I'm not worth that to anyone.’

After all, who was she to demand that kind of emotional labor from Pomni? How selfish could she get? Pomni, who was always traumatized, always miserable, still going through all of this for the first time - she must hate Ragatha for trying to get her to play along with this crap! Who wouldn’t? She was just an annoying, boring, worthless-

“Ragatha?”

Hearing her name from Pomni brought her attention back to reality - and to the blue and red eyes looking at her. A look of pity… no… concern?

Ragatha didn’t know how to react, and she had to think fast.

“You can do it, Pomni!” she said, shooting a double thumbs-up. “I believe in you!”

Pomni glanced at her. For her half-hearted, panicked encouragement, Pomni smiled a genuine smile.

“Thanks,” Pomni said, “but I’m not good at this kind of thing.”

Ragatha folded her arms and lifted a hand to her chin, furrowing her brown in thought. She couldn’t let Pomni down.

“Well, I do have an idea…” Ragatha started, “if you’d be okay with it… I could show you how I throw?”

Pomni pondered the proposition. “That’d be fine, I guess.”

Ragatha lit up a little. She was certain Pomni was going to question why she didn’t just take over if she knew how to throw. Now this was a perfect opportunity to give Pomni a reason to be proud of herself. She deserved as much.

Ragatha sauntered over to the stand and picked up a ring, feeling its weight. “Alright, so this should be similar to throwing horseshoes. You can grip it from any side - probably not the pointed ends with these ones, though. Then…” Ragatha hunched, and began swinging her arm back and forth in demonstration. “Keep your shoulder back, arm straight, try not to move your wrist. Then, when you bring it up to about eye level…” She pantomimed letting the ring loose, taking a step forward as she did so. “...you take a step and toss.”

Pomni nodded and took the ring from Ragatha. Focused, she tried her best to mimic the posture she had been shown. She reared her arm back, swung it forward, and let go… sending the ring careening into the sky, arcing in a tight parabola, before landing directly on Pomni’s head.

“Ow! %$!#!” Pomni swore. “I can’t do this, I can’t. I refuse!”

“Pomni…”

“I clearly lack the coordination for this. I should have figured, I always sucked at sports as a kid.”

“Well, you almost got it!” Ragatha said, before cringing at how condescending that probably sounded. “Uh, your form just needs a little adjustment. I, um…” Ragatha began twiddling her thumbs, “I could, if you’re okay with it, maybe… guide your body?”

Pomni, who had still been stomping about and swearing under her breath, suddenly snapped her attention to Ragatha with a wide-eyed stare.

Ragatha felt so much heat in her face, she was getting worried she might combust.

“I mean, I mean-” Ragatha stammered, “like I could guide your arm and help you position your legs. Better than trying to just mimic what I said and did, haha, right?”

Pomni thought for a moment, cleared her throat, and gulped audibly. She did a 180 and grabbed another ring.

“Sure!” Pomni said with a voice crack. “You can, um, go right ahead.”

“Oooookay!” Ragatha tried to sound smooth as she closed the distance between her and Pomnj. It wasn’t convincing. “So. Left foot like this, right foot like this…”

Ragatha was standing right next to Pomni now, making sure she had a clear view of her legs. To easily copy the positioning, of course.

“Now…”

Ragatha put her hands on Pomni’s shoulders. It took every ounce of her willpower not to jump upon touching her, as it felt like a bolt of electricity coursed through her digital body.

‘Focus. Get it together.’ Even Ragatha’s internal monologue was speaking through clenched teeth, she was so tense.

Gently, Ragatha pushed Pomni's arms so that her shoulders were square with her target. Pomni, notably, felt incredibly tense to the touch. Probably the frustration with the ring toss game, Ragatha assumed. She moved a hand to Pomni’s back, brushing against her and initiating a shudder.

“Oh, sorry Pomni.”

Pomni, still speechless and keeping her face turned away from Ragatha, simply flashed a thumbs-up to signal it was okay.

“Okay, now slouch over just a liiiiittle bit…” she pushed Pomni as delicately as she could, and Pomni complied. “and then…”

Ragatha, feeling no less warm than she had been with her faux pas a moment ago, felt like she was reaching a fever pitch with her next move: she leaned over, lowering her arm and pressing her chest against Pomni’s back, so she could wrap a hand around hers which held the ring.

“Loosen your girl- your grip, ever so slightly-”

Ragatha brought her hand up the length of Pomni’s and settled again on her forearm. She started to manipulate Pomni’s arm back and forth.

“You uh, you build matrim- you build momentum-”

With every swing, Pomni’s body pressed up against hers, sending shockwaves through Ragatha’s simulated nervous system. She could swear her head was about to explode. Part of her hoped it would.

“Then take a step forward,” Ragatha demonstrated the motion, “and at the end of the arc, you let go.” Ragatha let out a nervous laugh and put her foot back where it was. “Now then.” Her voice was trembling. “Count of three. One…”

Pomni reared her arm back and swung it forth.

“Two…”

Back, forward, back again. Pomni’s heel lifted off the ground, and-

“Three!”

Pomni took a step forward, swung her arm, and let go of the ring right on time. It veered towards the peg table… and shot right past it. Then it hit the wall behind, bounced off towards the ground, bounced off the ground, hit the mannequin NPC in the head, ricocheted off of it, flew into the ceiling of the booth, and fell straight down.

Straight onto the center peg.

Pomni and Ragatha were both still and silent for just a moment as they mentally buffered.

“We did it!” They shouted in unison.

Ragatha closed her eyes and jumped for joy, ecstatic about the victory. She did it! She managed not to fail Pomni! But more importantly… she forgot to let go of her. So she yanked Pomni by the arm, into the air with her, where Pomni instinctively wrapped her arms around Ragatha’s waist in a panic. Miraculously the two landed on their feet. Pomni let go the instant she was secure in her balance, and back-stepped so deftly that Ragatha could swear she left an afterimage for a split second.

“Oh! Pomni, I’m so sorry!” Ragatha exclaimed. “I should have let go, I shouldn’t have even done any of that, I know you don’t like to be touched, I, I-”

Pomni held up a hand to signal “stop.” Ragatha went still. Pomni closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and relaxed her rigid posture.

“Excuse me, I just needed a second there,” Pomni said. She cleared her throat. “You don’t need to apologize though. Firstly, I don’t really mind so much when you touch me.” Pomni blinked. “Like, er, I still kind of clam up, because I’m not used to it, y’know, but you… I know I’m safe, with you.”

As Ragatha processed what Pomni was saying, she felt the tension in her stomach from earlier replaced with a gentler, warmer, fluttering sort of sensation. It felt nice.

“And,” Pomni continued, turning to look at the ring toss booth, “you won us the arrow!”

The floor-bound mannequin clumsily placed the Golden Arrow on the counter, shouting “Congratulations, to the happy couple!” before passing out.

Ragatha rubbed the back of her head and smiled nervously. “Oh, I didn't do all that much. You’re the one who actually made the throw.”

“Well, I had a good coach.” Pomni put her hands behind her back and kicked her left foot. “I appreciate you believing in me. I would have given up without you.”

Neither Ragatha nor Pomni dared to look at each other directly, but both had big, bashful smiles plastered on their faces.

“Thanks, Pomni. That means a lot,” Ragatha reluctantly accepted the praise. “Uh, anyways. The arrow!”

“Oh yeah!” Pomni eagerly approached the counter and retrieved their prize. “Speaking of the arrow…” Pomni walked up to Ragatha and presented the Golden Arrow in her open palms. “Here. It’s for you.”

“Huh?” Ragatha took the arrow in hand, but her face betrayed her bewilderment that she was being entrusted with such a thing. “But it’s your prize.”

“And I won it for you,” Pomni countered.

Ragatha’s pupil widened and she covered her mouth with her free hand in surprise. She beheld Pomni, who was looking away with pursed lips. Was she trying to look coy about it?

“O-Oh! Thank you, Pomni!” Ragatha stuttered. “Nobody’s ever done something like this for me before!”

Pomni looked at Ragatha and shrugged. “Well, you deserve it.”

The two were silent, until Pomni coughed.

“Now we just need to find the Tunnel of Love,” Pomni said, “and the adventure is done!”

‘Crap, I forgot about that!’ Ragatha thought. ‘Me? In the Tunnel of Love with her? On a two-person boat ride? In the dark?!’

“Ah! Yes! The Tunnel of Love! I’m sure that’ll be fun!” Ragatha blurted. She picked a random direction to start walking in, lest Pomni see her turn beet-red. “I think it’s this way! Probably!”

Ragatha marched south, leaving Pomni to scramble on her stubbier legs to catch up. Onward they went (in the wrong direction), with their hard-earned Golden Arrow in hand, to the adventure’s delightful denouement.

Chapter Text

“Look, Pomni, we’re almost there!” Ragatha exclaimed upon spotting the Tunnel of Love in the distance.

Ragatha smiled at Pomni, but Pomni didn’t return eye contact, instead staring forward while dragging herself along, exhausted.

Ragatha’s smile faded. “And, um, sorry about the whole wrong direction thing, again. I didn’t mean to make us walk for so long.”

Pomni rubbed one of her eyes. “It’s fine, Ragatha. You already apologized a bunch before anyways.”

Poor Pomni. Ragatha could tell that she was trying to stay upbeat for her sake, but the adventure was wearing down on her over time. The hot sun, the loud crowds, the stuffy air. She was extra sensitive to those kinds of stimuli, especially over a long period of time. Sure, Pomni said it was fine, and she sounded sincere. But every time Ragatha replayed Pomni’s earlier words in her head:

“I like hanging out with you. That's why I do it. I promise you, you aren’t the problem here.”

Ragatha’s contrary thought - the one which never left the back of her mind - grew heavier and heavier, until it outweighed any and all outside reassurance:

‘What if she's just pretending not to hate me?’

The omnipresent question. Applicable to every relationship with every person, not just Pomni, but it was so much worse around her. Every time Pomni’s smile made Ragatha’s heart skip a beat, or her kind words brought on a warm blush, it was invariably followed by quakes of anxiety in her bosom. When it came to Pomni, the woman she respected, adored, maybe even loved - how could Ragatha not be scared?

‘Sure, she says she likes you now, but how long will that last?’ the question rang in Ragatha’s mind. ‘Everyone gets tired of you eventually.’ It was Ragatha’s own voice. ‘You try to give them what they want, say what they want to hear, but you’re no good at it. Otherwise maybe they’d stick around. Maybe they wouldn’t see through your crap, and find out what you’ve always been: the sad little girl who can’t keep any friends.’ 

“Ragatha?” Pomni’s gentle tone snapped Ragatha out of her spiraling thoughts.

“Oh! Hm- Sorry, sorry, I just zoned out there for a second,” Ragatha said with the most forced laugh in all of history, “just kinda tired is all.”

Pomni looked like she clearly knew something was up, but chose not to press Ragatha about it.

“Well, we’re here,” she pointed out.

Before the pair was a large and (predictably) heart-shaped entrance, constructed over a river, in which a pink plastic boat already awaited them.

“I guess we’ll just… go ahead, then?” Ragatha said, stepping into the boat.

Pomni started to follow, but the moment she put a foot on the vessel, she began to wobble. She just barely lurched backwards in time to avoid falling into the water.

“Woah!” Pomni exclaimed. “Stupid tiny legs…” She regained her balance and stood straight. “Would you mind helping me get in?”

“Of course!” Ragatha replied cheerily.

A cheeriness that made way for panic when Pomni extended a hand to her.

“Um, yeah, one sec,” Ragatha stammered. She stepped forward and took Pomni’s hand. “Now, just take a slow step, and- AH!”

Pomni took a shaky step forward, nearly falling into the boat once more as both of her feet left the ground. Ragatha stumbled back in the chaos, but managed to hold firm and catch Pomni, keeping balance for both of them while the boat rocked below them.

“Woah!” Ragatha blurted, “Pomni, are you okay?”

Pomni was shaking a bit, with her arms tightly wound around Ragatha’s waist, until she felt like she could stand still again.

“Oof… yeah, thank you,” she looked up from Ragatha’s chest to meet her eye. “Sorry about that. Clumsy.” She let out a nervous chuckle.

Then it dawned on the two that they were still holding each other, and both quickly scrambled to separate and seat themselves in the boat (nearly capsizing it in their haste).

The moment they were both settled, the boat began moving on its own. Visibility in the dark tunnel rapidly diminished as the light from the entrance grew further away, but from what Pomni and Ragatha could still see, it looked like smooth waters ahead. Gentle curves, no forked paths, no obstacles, and the boat seemed like it would continue to move at a leisurely pace.

“You know,” Ragatha said, “this might be one of the most ‘normal’ adventures Caine has ever made for us.”

“Yeah…” Pomni, whose back faced the front of the boat, looked over her shoulders for any signs of trouble. “...Maaaaaybe be careful not to jinx it. Not that I believe in luck.”

The two faced each other from opposite ends of the boat. It had gotten too dark to see more than a couple feet in any direction, anyways. Their world now was just the water, the boat, and each other. It was quiet.

Ragatha brought her legs up and hugged her knees. “Well, what do you believe in?” she broke the silence.

“Wh- What, you mean like, my religion?”

Ragatha shrugged, though the gesture likely went unseen. “Not necessarily. More like… how you think the world works? Um, maybe that’s too broad - what I mean is, do you think that things happen for a reason? That there's some purpose for us being here?”

“Well…”

Pomni took a moment to ponder the question. She leaned against the side of the boat, making herself as comfortable as she could be. No telling how long the ride would take.

“I never really believed in much. Wasn’t raised that type of way. So, how I see it, there isn't really a purpose to anything. Stuff just… happens.”

Ragatha pursed her lips as she took in the response. “Doesn’t that weigh down on you? Feeling like things are meaningless?”

“Well, maybe lately, what with the whole being trapped in a digital hellscape thing going on. But overall? No. In fact, I think there’s beauty in that.” Pomni adjusted in her seat, moving a little closer to the center of the boat. “All the chaos in the universe, nothing guiding it, and we still end up where we are, meeting the people we meet, experiencing the world. All the good, and bad, that comes with.” Pomni let out a morose & sarcastic chuckle. “Besides, I’d be more mad about being stuck here if it were someone’s conscious choice for my life to go this way.”

“Huh. I never thought about it that way.”

Things got quiet again. Ragatha scooched forward a couple of times.

This time, Pomni would break the silence: “What about you?” she asked.

Ragatha’s eyes widened. She still wasn’t used to the way Pomni took interest in her when they conversed.

“Me?” she questioned. “I’m not… totally sure. But I do think everything happens for a reason.” Ragatha pivoted ninety degrees to rest her back against the side of the boat, such the same as Pomni. “Who or what makes that plan, I don’t know. I grew up religious, but stopped keeping up with any of that as a teenager. Still; if we weren’t supposed to be here, then we wouldn't be, right?”

Ragatha looked Pomni in the eye, the only sight within the darkness.

“Even here in the Circus?” Pomni asked.

“Even here in the Circus,” Ragatha answered.

Pomni pulled herself closer. Ragatha, realizing just how little distance remained between them, steeled her nerves and made the bold decision to close the gap entirely. The pair now sat side-by-side in the center of the boat, lounging on the side. Just talking. Just them and the dark and the sound of running water.

“Soooooo…” Pomni drawled, “Why do you ask?”

Pomni rested her head atop her arm, letting her other hand support her weight.

“Oh, y’know. Just curious. And I like talkin’ to ya,” Ragatha mused. She placed a hand on the ground, right next to Pomni’s. “I… want to get to know you better.”

“Yeah?” Pomni said. She put her hand atop Ragatha’s, who wrapped her grip around Pomni’s palm and gave a light squeeze. “I think, um. I think, I want to get to know you better, too.”

‘Oh my God,’ Ragatha thought.

Pomni scooted even closer to Ragatha, to the point of resting against her side, head pressed into Ragatha’s upper arm.

‘OH MY GOD.’

Ragatha was thankful that her digital body didn't have a heart, or else she’d be going into cardiac arrest at this moment. Her mind went a mile a minute just trying to comprehend that what was happening, was in fact happening. Everything she had picked up as a possible signal from Pomni, only to shoot down as mere friendliness, it was all real. It had to be. At this point, there was no more room for doubt, no way she could just be pretending, right? No going back now. However long the fall, Ragatha had already taken the plunge.

“Pomni…” she whispered.

Ragatha gulped, trying in vain to allay her dry throat. Pomni was looking directly at her with those gorgeous, gorgeous eyes.

“Can I kiss you?”

Pomni’s pupils widened, and her grip on Ragatha’s hand tightened. She opened her mouth to answer-

And suddenly, the boat fell out from underneath them.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!” Ragatha and Pomni both screamed as the river turned into a cliff, sending them careening into the air. If they weren't holding hands, they would have lost track of each other in the darkness, barely even able to hear each other’s screams over the deafening rush of wind. Seconds spent airborne felt like minutes of sheer panic and confusion.

For a fraction of a moment, Pomni and Ragatha each caught glimpse of a body of water rapidly approaching them from below. A massive shock of pain hit the pair, and the cacophony of wind gave way to the muffled flow of water. They had broken the surface and their momentum took them far, far down to the floor of the artificial river.

Whatever happened next was even more of a blur, fueled by pure survival instinct rather than thought, but Ragatha eventually found herself emerging for air and grabbing hold of their boat, which had thankfully not strayed far off during the fall. There actually was some light shining up on the water here, emanating from an indeterminate source. It was just enough for Ragatha to scan her surroundings, and notice the distinct absence of Pomni.

“Pomni?” she called. “Pomni!”

Before Ragatha could dive back underwater to go on a jesterhunt, a green-faced Pomni emerged on the other side of the boat, taking in a desperate breath of air and returning to her normal hue.

“Pomni!” Ragatha exclaimed, relieved to see her even as she violently hacked up water. “I’m so glad you’re okay!”

“You too, Ragatha…” Pomni said weakly, between coughs. “Here, can you… can you hold onto the boat, keep it steady so I can get in?”

Ragatha nodded and carried out the instructions. With some difficulty, Pomni managed to grab the side of the boat, hoist one leg into it, and then pull herself up, though not without clumsily (and painfully) falling onto her side. Upon recovery, Pomni held her arms out for Ragatha to grab hold, carefully shifting her weight and moving slowly to pull Ragatha back into the vessel without tipping it.

“I hate Caine so, so much,” Pomni grumbled as she and Ragatha caught their breath.

“GREETINGS, MY LOYAL CIRCUS FREAKS!” bellowed the disembodied voice of Caine.

Pomni, who was face-down in the boat, held up a censored middle finger without lifting her head.

“THIS PRE-RECORDED MESSAGE IS PLAYING TO CONGRATULATE YOU ON GETTING THIS FAR. THE HEART OF VENUS IS JUST UP AHEAD-”

Caine paused his announcement, and at that time the sound of flapping wings and high-pitched giggling filled the air instead. Down from the darkness above came Cupid and his fellow cherubs, lining up into the same formation they held when the adventure had begun. As soon as they stopped, however, something changed in their laughter. Their voices deepened, their tone shifting from mirthful to malicious. They began to twitch, their bones cracking and their limbs bending in unnatural ways. Their arms grew to twice the length of their torsos, fangs sprouted from their mouth, and their skin turned a sickly gray as the feathers fell from their wings to reveal a bat-like form underneath.

“-ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS DEFEAT THESE RAVENOUS EVIL GARGOYLES! GOOD LUCK! CAINE OUT!”

As soon as the audio stopped, two bulky, sci-fi-looking rifles materialized on the boat between Pomni and Ragatha. They were boxy, with a silver finish, and some kind of green glow peeking through vents that lined the barrels.

Pomni picked herself up and faced the terrifying sight of the gargoyles, who snapped their jaws and snarled in anticipation of their hunt.

“Oh, come on!” Pomni yelled. “This has nothing to do with Valentine’s Day!”

Nonetheless, she picked up a rifle, wobbling a bit as she struggled to balance on already-shaky feet. Ragatha, still stunned by what was happening, didn’t rush to arm herself until Pomni looked back at her expectantly.

“Y-Yeah!” Ragatha stuttered. “And gargoyles aren’t even Greco-Roman! They’re French!”

The gargoyles did not care for the criticism. They swooped forward, claws splayed in readiness to take their kill.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!”

Pomni screamed as she opened fire, sending unaimed laser blasts into the horde. Some miraculously connected, but most were dodged by the creatures who wove through the air with expert finesse. They nearly took Pomni’s head off as they flew over the boat, but luckily she lost her balance due to the recoil from her gun and fell flat on her back, thus effectively ducking into safety.

“Hey!” Ragatha barked at the passing swarm. “Stay away from my Pomni!”

Ragatha fired several shots of her own, reducing a few of the creatures into piles of rubble in midair. Most remained untouched, however, and they reconvened in the air above the boat, circling around like vultures over a plague-stricken village.

Pomni groaned and pushed herself off the floor of the boat yet again. Meanwhile Ragatha had her eye trained upward, darting around for any sign of when the next divebomb would strike. Then, without warning, the boat lurched forward, nearly knocking Ragatha and Pomni off yet again as it sped down the river, much like how the ride started. Hissing, snarling gargoyles gave chase. Though the tunnel was illuminated this time by some weak lamps lining the ceiling, it was still too dark to aim very accurately, especially while careening down the river at five times the speed the boat had previously achieved. Ragatha and Pomni both fired in vain at their assailants, this time failing to hit anything as talons and teeth began to chip away at the rest of the boat in increasingly-close lunges from the beasts. One managed to get right between Pomni and Ragatha, and was ready to tear the latter to bits. Ragatha shut her eye, ready for the pain and chaos - but it never came.

Instead, she heard Pomni let loose a primal yell, followed by the loud crash of metal colliding with stone.

Ragatha opened her eye just in time to see the gargoyle fall into the water and get left behind by its ilk. In front of her was Pomni in a wide stance, panting with exhaustion while wielding a now-damaged rifle like an enormous club. Gashes in the barrel crackled with green electricity while the light within flickered on and off.

“Pomni! Are you okay?” Ragatha shouted.

“I’m fine!” Pomni assured her. “But I think we’re down to just one weapon!”

At that moment, time seemed to slow down for Ragatha. Pomni had protected her, at the cost of her ability to defend herself. Ragatha needed to think of something, and fast, or else they would both be torn to shreds. She couldn’t live with herself if she let what could maybe be considered their first date end in such a way.

“Pomni!” yelled Ragatha. “On the count of three, I need you to throw your gun at the gargoyles!”

“What?!” Pomni shrieked. “I- Why would I do that?!”

“I need you to trust me!” Ragatha replied. “Just throw it underhand like a horseshoe, the way I showed you!”

“I- I trust you,” Pomni said, “but I don't trust myself to pull that off here!”

“Well, I believe in you, even if you don’t!” Ragatha jolted to the side to just narrowly avoid decapitation by gargoyle claws. “Now do it, quick!”

“Alright, alright!”

Pomni took a deep breath, trying her best to focus amid the pandemonium.

“One,” Pomni counted aloud.

Ragatha straightened her posture and aimed down the sights of her rifle, into the maelstrom of petrified terrors.

“Two.”

Ragatha held her breath. Stay steady - this was just like those summer days being taught to shoot by her big brother.

“Three!”

With all her strength, Pomni hurled the rifle into the air behind the boat, sending it on an arc through the crowd of creatures, where it would greet the water below. Ragatha would make sure it never completed that journey. She pulled the trigger, firing off one last round of verdant energy into the darkness - where it collided perfectly with the falling rifle. In an instant, the gun emitted a flash of green light, just before violently exploding amid the swarm. Pomni and Ragatha both were knocked flat on their backs, barely managing not to go overboard, while the tunnel crumbled above the point of impact and debris buried whatever stragglers were left to give chase. A shockwave rang throughout the tunnel, causing a wave in the river that launched the boat into the air for a second time. Pomni and Ragatha careened helplessly through the air, carried down the tunnel at breakneck velocity, until finally, they crashed into a wall alongside their boat, which shattered into charred plastic chunks.

Slowly, the pair peeled off the wall and fell to the ground below. They were at the end of the tunnel, a dark circular room where, ideally, the boat would stop at a normal pace and they would be escorted out by an attendant. The one notable feature was a large red heart, adorned with golden tinsel, placed at the center of the back wall.

The tidal wave created by the explosion finally caught up and washed over Pomni and Ragatha. The Golden Arrow, which had miraculously stayed in Ragatha’s possession this whole time, was lifted from her limp body by the water, where it was carried point-first into the heart. The wave subsided, leaving the two performers on the ground once more. Broken, exhausted, and successful.

As they took a moment to process the pain they were in, the plain exit door to the side of the room opened up, letting in a mannequin NPC who began half-heartedly clapping.

“Congratulated,” it said in a nasally voice. “You winner. The Heart of Venus is defoeted. Now get out.” Just as quickly as it had entered, it slammed the door shut behind itself.

Ragatha groaned, performing what she hoped would be her last push-up of the day to remove herself from the pavement. She was dizzy, aching, and soaking with water of dubious origin & cleanliness; but when she looked up and saw Pomni standing before her, hand outstretched for help, she felt at ease.

“C’mon, Rags,” Pomni huffed, still out of breath. “Let’s do what the thing said.”

Pomni smiled, and Ragatha smiled back at her. She readily took Pomni’s hand for an assist in getting back on her feet. She took one last look at the Golden Arrow, halfway buried in the Heart of Venus (which, up-close, was very clearly composed of shoddily-painted papier-mâché). The duo limped hand-in-hand through the door, and into the blinding sunlight on the other side.

Beyond the tunnel, by the rear exit of the Honeymoon Harbor amusement park, stood Jax, eyes focused in the air, with a baseball mitt on his right hand.

“Y’know,” he said as he caught a baseball with practiced precision, “I thought this adventure was gonna be a real drag. But that wisdom you pulled in the tunnel? Really got me thinking.” Jax took the ball from his mitt and tossed it overhead with his other hand. “About who I am. What I want from others. How I treat them. You’re alright, old-timer.”

Across from him, Kinger caught the ball in a mitt of his own, which smothered one of his detached hands. “Why, thank you, son. I don’t remember what I said, but whatever it was, I’m glad it helped.” He readied another throw.

“Oh, it did more than just help me,” Jax said with a chuckle. “We never would have beaten that army of crazy vampires without putting our heads together. Buncha freaks.” He caught the ball once again. “Never thought I’d say this, but thanks, Dad.” Jax dropped the baseball, realizing what he had said. “Thanks Kinger. I meant Kinger,” he spoke in a hushed voice through his teeth. “You will tell no one of this.”

“Of what?” Kinger asked. “Oh, that your dad never played catch with you before? Your secret’s safe with me.”

Kinger saluted, and Jax breathed a sigh of relief.

“Hey guys!” a raggedy voice called from the distance.

Jax and Kinger turned their heads to see Ragatha waving at them with one hand, and dragging Pomni behind her with the other. Both looked beat up to hell and back, but they were smiling nonetheless.

“Where’s Gangle and Zooble?” Pomni asked, sounding hoarse. “They still doing the adventure?”

“Nah, they were here first,” Jax answered. “Pretty sure they left to go find a bench to make out on.”

“%$!# you too, Jax,” Zooble’s voice emerged from behind a fence.

They were holding hands with Gangle, who looked like she was on cloud nine from whatever the two had just been up to.

With everyone gathered, a portal opened to take them all back to the Circus. Bubble floated out of it to meet them.

“We hope you all had a loooove-ly time,” he sang.

Paying no mind to his brainless stare, everyone filed into the portal, ready to go wind down for the evening. First Zooble, with Gangle barely keeping pace behind them, still out-of-it and grinning in a way that everyone else thought was impossible with her tragedy mask. Next was Kinger, behind whom Jax trailed with his hands in his pockets. That left just Ragatha and Pomni. Right before making their way, Pomni cleared her throat, getting Ragatha’s attention.

“Hey, uh, Ragatha?” She sounded nervous. “About, um, what you asked me, just before we went over that cliff…”

Ragatha’s entire face went red instantaneously. “Oh! That! Yeah! Ha ha, I don’t know, you can just forget about that if you want-”

“I was going to say yes.”

Ragatha’s jaw dropped. She looked Pomni in the eyes, staring into the flawless indigo and crimson hues that never failed to take her breath away. She wanted to reply, but she couldn’t speak.

“And, if you would be up for it, I’d be really, really happy if you and I could start…” Pomni looked at the ground, her anxiety making eye contact impossible, “...dating.”

She looked so shy. So cute. Like she was confessing to a crush for the first time in her life.

“So…” Pomni spoke up, putting her hands behind her back and kicking at the air with one foot. “Can I… kiss you?” Using all her courage, she looked back up at Ragatha with an awkward smile, awaiting a response.

Ragatha took a deep breath. However silly Pomni looked in all of this, she was ten times worse.

“Please.”

Pomni, after a moment’s hesitation, took a step forward. She was right in front of Ragatha now. So, so close. Ragatha’s brain was short-circuiting, she could barely process what was going on. Just like in the dark of the Tunnel of Love, the world outside of her and Pomni ceased to exist. Pomni stood up on her tip-toes, closed her eyes, and leaned forward. Ragatha placed her hands on Pomni’s face, stroking her soft cheeks, and bent her head down. Their lips met in the most gentle, most perfect moment. Every minute movement was soft and careful, yet also betrayed exhilaration, and an eagerness for more. When their lips finally parted, Ragatha opened her eye to see Pomni looking up at her with such adoration, the sight of it nearly made her faint.

“More?” Pomni beckoned.

Without a word, Ragatha wrapped her arms around Pomni’s waist, hoisting her into the air and spinning her around. Both of them laughed, feeling the lightest they had since coming to the Circus, as they kissed again and again and again.

“We gotta get going,” Pomni said between her giggles.

Eventually, Ragatha set Pomni back down on her feet, so they could go home and get some rest before Caine fetched them by force.

“Sorry,” Ragatha apologized, though she still sounded upbeat. “I’m just, really excited to be your girlfriend. Uh, if that’s okay for me to say?”

Pomni responded by giving Ragatha a tight squeeze and rubbing her head against her like a cat.

“Mmmmmmgirlfriend…” Pomni’s muffled voice sounded near-deliriously ecstatic.

Ragatha and Pomni laughed again, before finishing their hug and taking each other’s hands once more. Into the portal they walked, ready to end the day and start again tomorrow. But it wouldn’t be the same as it always has been. Not as long as they had each other. Maybe, just maybe, they could make it in the Circus, together.