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Pomni opened her eyes to a serene surprise. The night sky cast a tranquil blue shade over everything and everyone around her. They weren't in one of Caine's virtual worlds... They were home... outside the circus tent... in an open field next to the carnival. Stars twinkled above them.
She smiled gratefully, realizing what this meant. "Are we just chilling for this one? Can I finally relax?"
She was merely thinking out loud, but once she lay down, she noticed Jax's presence near her. He shrugged off her comment, proclaiming his preference for more chaotic adventures.
That made her wonder who had suggested stargazing for them all. She'd have to thank that particular person at some point.
Not too far off, Kinger waved and called out to get Jax's attention, offering him a sandwich. He was with the others atop a picnic blanket as they shared food. Maybe he was the one who suggested this hangout as an adventure and later forgot about it.
Pomni looked up at the stars, wanting to move as little as possible, her eyes scanning the heavens for any discernible constellations. Finding none, she tried searching for her own patterns to connect... and discovered one that was kind of shaped like Gummigoo. Her eyes widened. The way it dazzled in the sky, as though the real Gummigoo was watching over her in spirit, left her spellbound. If he were actually here with her now, she'd point out his starry likeness to him, hoping he'd be able to find it too. Then it would be his turn to search for interesting patterns in the sky and show them to her. And then she would ask if he ever made a wish on a star before. If so, what did he wish for?
She sighed softly, her fantasies bringing her even more peace. What she wouldn't give to have him join their little picnic outing. Then the experience would feel complete. Harmonious. Perfect.
"Intermission time!"
"Why are we vogueing?"
"Daddy Bubble demands more sex appeal!"
"Uh..."
Pomni had no idea how to model, but she recalled Kinger's advice from the presidential adventure earlier: time to rely on her heftily honed improvisation skills.
Yeah, right.
The room was blank and empty, so without knowing what to do, she lay on her back and raised one leg up. Frowning in discomfort, she lifted both legs and kept them in the air, as if exercising. She pushed her lower half higher, close to performing a backwards somersault, but this was a mistake. Gravity tugged at her, and that was the moment Jax sat down close, stopping her fall with his back. Invasive much? Or perhaps he was trying to prop her up so she wouldn't make a bigger fool of herself than she already was.
God, this felt awkward. But the others continued posing comfortably unbothered, so she tried to relax. In times like these, thinking about her favorite NPC always did the trick to calm her nerves, so she closed her eyes and let her mind zone in on him.
Gummigoo. When would she get a chance to see him again? She wanted to spend more time with him and get to know him more. What would he think if he saw what she was doing now? Would he like it or hate it? If he liked it... then she wanted to do it well.
Hanging onto that desire, she began posing with an air much more natural and mature. In every snapshot, she experimented with different positions. In one moment, she sat bow-legged on all fours; in another, stood with her back against a corner and arms pressing the walls; later, knelt with her hands behind her head—all the while glancing toward the camera with a smooth and daring come-hither look. She felt... in control and even somewhat pretty. It was easy to keep going when she longed to see that special someone once again. Perhaps she'd be much better at flirting with him the next time they met?
There was nothing funny about cannibalism, but seeing Jax run across the softball field and chomp down on his "evil" counterpart reminded her of Gummigoo. Not because the candy bandit's true personality was vicious in any way, but because of what the future could hold for him. He might play the part of a bandit again... or rather, she mused from watching Jax's display, the part of a brutal, wild crocodile who wanted nothing more than to maul and maim his foes in cold blood... Picturing that outlandish scenario was quite funny. Her face cracked into a grin, imagining how unafraid she'd be if Gummigoo ever made an attempt to overpower her. She'd simply smile at him and talk to him like she knew him, like they were friends, because she did, and they were. She was very familiar with the real nature of his heart. Oh, his jaw would drop completely if she behaved that way!
Ragatha looked at her with eyebrows raised, and she quickly nipped her phantom laughter in the bud so she wouldn't get the wrong idea, especially after telling her Kaufmo's own attack wasn't funny.
Come to think of it, this was the closest she ever came to truly laughing since she arrived at the circus, wasn't it? What a crazy day. She glanced back toward the benches, where a branded image of Gummigoo's face on a GatorGoo sports drink container silently observed her.
"Oh yeah, Pomni, I can show you that thing in the hall I was talking about."
"Sure."
As they walked away from the others, Jax strode close within her personal space, more than she was comfortable with. Normally, she'd raise her guard in case he was planning something fishy, but today had been so weird and all over the place. She decided to test him by keeping the distance where it was. If he truly had a change of heart and wanted to be friendly towards her now, then she had nothing to fear. After all, Gummigoo went through a similar experience, going from someone hard to someone soft, from being her enemy to becoming her friend. Granted, the circumstances were vastly different back then and the stakes much higher, but after talking with him under the map, she knew the most unlikely of things were still possible.
Time to see if offering up her trust was an ill-fated move or not. Fingers crossed.