Chapter Text
“ Good morning, my little superstars! “
Jax’s eyes narrowed at their ringleader, who was eager to explain the adventure he had planned for today.
Originally, the rabbitoid didn’t pay attention. He could probably find something better to do today than go on whatever stupid trip Caine had in mind…
Up until some words caught him off guard.
“ You’re all going back to Spudsy’s! “ Caine exclaimed happily. It was one of the only adventures that could randomize daily without a reset. Jax couldn’t believe what he was hearing. His eyes locked on the man with what was almost betrayal.
“ .. What? Caine, we all hated that! “
Pomni spoke up. Ahh, the tiny jester that he loved to pick on. She was sweet. TOO sweet. She’d always end up making someone like her by the end of the day. It was becoming irritating, how much Jax had wanted to wring her neck. But, he held back. She had a good point.
Caine denied it, however. Going on and on about needing to update the circus, and his own data.
“ – And I will be unreachable for however long this update takes! Any questions? “ Caine hummed. He didn’t wait for an answer as he began sliding everyone into a portal with no hesitation. First came Jax, then Ragatha, and so on.
Jax was.. Irritated, to say the least. Last time, he got manhandled and pushed against a clunky TV with no chance to get out of it unless the mechanical hands released him.
He shuddered at the thought of it happening again, but was quickly cut away from it by a small tap on the side by none other than Pomni.
“ Did you uh- did you hear what your tasks were? “ The jester queried, looking up at the rabbitoid with those stupid, big eyes. So full of life, of-
Jax shook himself away from his trailing mind and shrugged.
“ Nah. What was I supposed to do? “
“ Prep the tables, refill condiments and the drink station, and… uuhhh.. “
Pomni slowly zoned out. Seems she didn’t fully listen either. Jax gave a gentle smack with the back of his hand to her cheek, just to rip her back to reality- well, as much of a reality as this can be.
The girl looked so confused. It was almost normal, feeling her gaze on him with such intrigue. A refresher from all the… chaos of the others. He rolled his eyes and sighed, getting their tasks from the new manager.. Zooble.
Great.
Jax couldn’t wait to figure out what they’d make him do as revenge for everything he’d done to them. Probably put him through the training again despite how he came back last time. They’d probably do worse than just the training, if there WAS something worse than that.
He couldn’t help but get lost in thought about the possibilities as he did what he was instructed. Every now and then, for… some reason, someone else would worm their way between his mind’s infighting. He seemed to find it grounding, as unusual as that sounds. He was relaxed…
… Until the scent of burning patties broke his thoughts. Jax whipped around to look at the grill.
Someone was supposed to be in charge of that, right?
Was HE supposed to be in charge of it?
He looked around- Nobody else seemed to notice yet. So, he decided to be helpful for once, and clean up the obviously ruined (and wasted) burgers. That’d cost a few points. He winced as he thought of the possible punishment Caine would hold for whoever did the worst by the time they’d left the ‘adventure’, if you could even call it one.
He’d familiarized himself with the scent of hot oil, slightly mushy but incredibly salty french fries, and patties that were probably not classified as real meat within the FDA by the time he’d adjusted to his position at the register.
A few familiar NPC faces filtered through the day, some even recurring despite them already being there once that day. That got him thinking.
Would they notice if something was off? Could he bug one out to give himself a reason to laugh today? Eventually, he gave into the need. His single urge?
To break an NPC.
And breaking an NPC was exactly what he did. He kept asking over and over what they wanted to drink, and it began twitching and repeating ‘water’ until it just… froze. Jax paused before breaking into a fit of laughter.
Zooble didn’t seem to like that. They gave a small, disappointed sigh in Jax’s general direction before guiding the lagging NPC out of the establishment.
Jax wiped an imaginary tear from his eye before stretching. Unaware of the eyes that zeroed in on him, only noticing when it felt like something was burning a hole through his fur and flesh. He glanced around, and eventually locked eyes with the one he figured was at fault.
The jester’s pinwheel eyes were so large that he could see the pattern from the register. It was practically mesmerizing, but he managed to snap himself away from her, which earned him a distant whine from Pomni. He snorted, turning back to face her.
He just
had
to taunt, “ are you really
that
desperate to have me look at you? “
She let out an alarmed squeak and turned her focus back to the grill. His paw thumped lightly in irritation. She couldn’t be serious – Practically begging him to check her out, but the moment he fulfilled it, she couldn’t handle it?
It was such a waste.
He just wanted to –
“ ‘ello, sir! “
… Oh no. Not this guy. ANYONE but this guy. The last time they were here, Pomni couldn’t keep herself composed. Falling headfirst into some serious attachment issues that Jax couldn’t bear to ask about just yet. All he knew was that it had something to do with the fact that Caine burst him into confetti at the end of the day, and that gave him the satisfaction he needed.
So, he rolled his eyes and got the order. Something about a number 12.. Extra pickles, blah blah blah, nonsense. He knew he was ruining the order in some way, but that prehistoric $#*@head was strong enough to handle it.
And he knew how to make it even more unpleasant. He had Ragatha give Pomni one of the patties she’d made, despite it being… burnt horribly. Of course the little jester hadn’t noticed. She was far too caught up with the fact that her little gummy gator pal was back. Not like he’d remember her. Why was she so in wraps with him? It’s not like anything mattered here–
“ Jax, just serve the food already! “
Zooble’s voice rang from the register where they’d taken Jax’s place, since he seemed to be mentally checked out today. He blinked himself back into reality and nodded, quickly rushing to the table that irritating gator was at. Placing the tray down, and walking off with no more words.
That was normal. At least, for Jax it was. For others? Not so much.
The rabbitoid sighed and stepped back to the register, taking Zooble’s place once again.
“ Go do.. Whatever it is you were doing. Assembly or whatever, “ Jax grumbled. He was in a mood. Everyone knew that.
Ahhh, closing. One of the less favored tasks at Spudsy’s.
However, Jax took it happily. Finally, a chance to be in the quiet comfort of a situation he can control. He sighed, stacking the chairs on tables as Pomni wiped them down ahead of him.
“ Jax? “
“ Yeah? “
“ Are you alright? “
The question stung him like hundreds of needles.
“ Why- Hah. Why wouldn’t I be? “
He really fumbled that response, didn’t he.
“ You don’t have to lie. It’s just us. “
She’s right. He felt sick. He was ready to clock out sooner than ever now. His stomach did flips, and his heart was in his throat.
He couldn’t form any words. Trying to speak only led him to making a strangled sound of protest, before ultimately giving up and getting back to cleaning. Pomni didn’t force him to talk. They worked in a comfortable silence, before the two were able to clock out and leave.
Caine had mentioned SOMETHING about shared apartments while he wasn’t listening, according to Pomni, so he drove both himself AND her to the complex to save on time (and gas).
When they arrived, it was nearly midnight. A 30 minute drive in silence minus the vague semblance of songs playing on the radio was exactly what Jax needed right now. Pomni stepped out after thanking him, waiting outside of the car to make sure Jax came with her.
And he did. He was entirely out of it– having quickly forgotten why he was there in the first place. He mentally shook it off, following her inside and moving to the room they shared.
“ Night, Pomni, “ he gently rasped moments after watching her flop down on the bed, staying standing so he could grab himself a much needed drink.
The fridge consisted of multiple soft drinks, water, and juices. Something caught his eye, however. Caine even put alcohol in. Nothing too much, just two or three bottles of varying types throughout each room. The small selection was decent– being wine and two stronger drinks that he didn’t even read the labels of as he grabbed the first.
Checking the cabinets, he found a glass and poured himself a small amount. He just wanted something a little less bitter or disgusting to swallow down. Luckily, it was on the sweeter side.
So he took a sip and visibly relaxed. Sitting down at the kitchen table to read whatever material Caine decided to give them to read.
It was nice.
An hour passed, and he was fully drained, so he closed the book he was not invested in whatsoever (a blatant lie to himself, really) and washed the glass, stripping himself of the work outfit and pulling on the much nicer, comforting clothes that he was given, and threw himself in his bed, promptly falling asleep just a few minutes later.