Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

                “No one really knows how it started: the Amalgamation.

            It predated every oral story and history book, it just… existed. Tendrils pulled victims into its oily tar-like body, growing with every scream and despair it manifested. Eyes barely visible under a veil of shifting slime as it crept forward. Attempts to run, kill, plead with it had been moot. Pockets of humanity grouped together, building cities with eternal light to stave off the horror from creeping into their homes. The light didn’t completely destroy it, but it seemed to stop it from moving towards them. Humanity learned to enforce curfews, to always search for ways to keep the light going, never mind that their desperation, apathy, rage, and fear only continued to call the Amalgamation towards them. How humans were able to avoid extinction is a miracle in its own right.

            Then came Joy.

            It wasn’t the emotion of course (the universe wouldn’t make it easy after all), but rather a kind of magic that would manifest on chosen humans. Born into those that were deemed worthy to wield it. No one knows where it could have come from, some speculating that perhaps early humans were able to manifest it without realizing what it was. Joy wielders would often mention how it feels as though there was a spinning core where their heart is, giving it the name joycore.

            The first real historical documentation of Joy began with Enoch the First. It has been said that he was just a simple man, living in the outskirts of the city with all the other misfortunate ones that had been deemed as not worth helping. He put the needs of others before his own, listening to their despair and offering a shoulder to cry on. When he first manifested Joy into being, they say he had been able to walk into the Amalgamation and rescue those that had once been thought long gone.

            Where he walked, the Amalgamation retreated. The hope and elation that he gave to those around him seemed to make his Joy stronger, giving way for humanity to reconnect with each other and build upon their broken world. It came as quite the shock when one day, alongside the coastline, his footprints in the sand just suddenly ended. As though he had been plucked up from the sky and taken away forever.

            At first, confusion and anxiety had spread throughout the cities before a street performer began to show signs of wielding Joy.

            Then a teacher.

            A midwife.

            A farmer.

            Joy began to manifest in different people, giving humanity an even greater hope. Not many could wield it, so the responsibility fell to the few to protect the many. As time passed by, they learned how to use Joy in expressive ways. Singers, dancers, artists, storytellers, counselors, cooks, the list continued as people began to discover new ways to lift up spirits.”

             “As more and more people discovered their ability to harness Joy, many occupations began to spring up that helped Joy be spread. It was when the first circus was created that some wielders opted to try and focus on making people smile through entertainment. Multiple small circuses began to pop up, each one taking claim of a small district section of their cities. The Ringmaster was a coveted role among those that can wield Joy, but only those able to tune their joycore with everyone else’s core for synchronization held the title.

             The circuses gained popularity that it was almost routine for people to attend a performance at least once a week. As the circuses grew, everyone became blind to the growing darkness in their hearts. Greed, envy, lust, and resentment grew. Circuses competed against each other for audience favor, forgetting why they even formed a circus in the first place, unaware that Joy had begun to dim in their hearts.

It happened in a district within our home city, Priscotti, the people down on their luck and so close to the walls made everything tense. They realized too late when at the cusp of a performance in one unlucky circus, all who were present in the tent were witness to the Amalgamation’s only recorded attack inside a city. 

            At first, the performers’ Joy was able to shield the audience and gave them a chance to escape. They thought they were safe to escape themselves, but the Amalgamation began to grow: mouths suddenly appearing across its’ body, teeth made of fingers, and eyes locking onto them as it attempted to devour the performers. Their Joy was weak, years of losing sight of what made this magic so special had given them a weakness that the Amalgamation exploited. The audience could only watch in horror as it consumed the troupe, along with everything that was a part of the circus.

             Joy wielders from around the district were quick to throw up barriers and push it back down into the hole it came from. As they sealed it, everyone was given a grim reminder that even joy wielders could fall to the Amalgamation.”

             “After the Amalgamation was pushed back, the breach was sealed and built on top of the site, a memorial to the joy wielders that were killed. 

             “A strange direction to take, not like they could have sent wielders out to search and rescue."

After the disaster, the people felt too exposed going to circuses, as the need for large spaces-

“-BORING! They lacked any vision to continue, let’s be real-”

-often required to be set up in open areas that are not so heavily protected by the walls. 

             “I’ll have you know a true manager wouldn’t have needed to use such a large space!”

             The cities began to encourage joy wielders with creative talents to instead work alongside businesses such as Walner Media-

“-That snooze fest? They could throw a load of hooey and people will still eat all tha-”

-and Astros Media, to the…well to help tell stories and…

… 

             “Well friends, it seems our little trailblazer is starting to believe it, and me no likey.”

             …

             …

             -The-need-to-use-joy-to-actually-help-people-has-been-replaced-with-using-joy-as-a-pacifier-and-rather-than-using-any-kind-of-effort-to-better-things-the-safe-and-cheap-route-to-calm-the-masses-is-the-staple-entertainment-nowadays-that-really-creates-an-echo-chamber-for-people-and-doesn’t-actually-help-anyone-who-might-ne-”

             “-Miss Polly!”

“Whoop, there it is!”

             A frustrated sigh slipped out of the named student as she watched her professor massage his eyes. Frustratingly enough, the voice in her head decided now was the time to stay quiet. Though to be fair to it, it disappears just as quick as it appears. She avoided making eye contact with her group as they gave her the stink eye, clearly annoyed that this was not what she turned in for her part of the group project, Joy and Entertainment. 

             “Miss Polly, please stay behind after class. Mr. Claus, Miss Pippins, this won’t be marked against your grade. Please have a seat, students.”

             Polly ignored her classmates’ whispers as she took her seat in the back and just kept her down the rest of the day, ignoring the presentations and looking outside the window. At the far distance, she could see the walls that kept the Amalgamation out, joy wielders that have taken a more defensive role patrolling at the very top to ensure that nothing got past them.

             As her daydreams took hold, visions of starting her own troupe circulated her thoughts. Film and media no longer held the same wonder it used to have for her growing up. The need to perform live and really experience the audience and thrill of performance made sitting still very difficult. The cities’ laws prohibiting public performance and censoring any form of entertainment that they deemed too ‘disturbing’ or ‘inflammatory’ for the people made it extremely difficult to really actually express herself the way that she wants to.  

No matter how many times she’s tried to seek out an audience with city council or with the Joy Wielder Guild, no one seemed interested in hearing her out. She still can’t figure out if it’s because of a fear that too much emotions could rile up the Amalgamation into attacking or if it’s just easier to manage complacency, rather than cognitive dissonance. 

             Joy wielders seem content nowadays to just keep things as they are, when before they lead the charge to create a better world. Polly personally believes that its because there’s not many Joy Wielders in the cities nowadays. It’s not talked about openly, but the decline in Joy Wielders has been looming over the cities as time passes. There’s been a push to get the existing Joy Wielders to lean more towards becoming Wallkeepers, guards patrolling the walls and every now and then using their Joy to keep the Amalgamation at a distance. There doesn’t seem a need to push back against the Amalgamation to try and try to make their world a little bigger. Sure, the highway between cities keeps everyone connected with each other, but even other cities seem content in just… doing nothing.

             “Miss Polly?” Startled, she sat up and glanced around. She didn’t hear the dismissal or her fellow classmates leaving. Her professor sat across the desk from her, fatigue and concern in his face. A slight tug in her chest, Polly just gave him a sheepish smile. 

             “Miss Polly, I understand your frustrations with the way current events a-”

             “-Sure doesn’t seem like it,” she grumbled, “you didn’t let me finish what I had to say.”

             “Polly, everyone knows how you feel about the state of affairs. You’re not the subtle type,” he teased, “Our officials and the Joy Wielders Guild are doing their best, and if this is the best, then there isn’t anything we could do.”

             “That’s a lie,” Polly said, rising from her seat, “No one is even trying anymore! It’s just… this.” The venom in her voice surprised him, as he too stood to follow her as she moved towards the door. 

             “There’s no space for anything!” The professor watched as his student was clearly agitated, but he wasn’t sure how to best approach it. His main objective working in the school is to help future Joy Wielders have an easier time navigating through this world and find their calling. It hurt to see her clearly wanting to shake things up, but it’s not like she is the first to want to try and change things. Previous students that used to have this mentality eventually accepted the way things are and after checking in on them years later, they seemed content with their lives. 

             Pulling his magic out to reach for the door, he opened it up for his student as she looked back at him, clear signs of distress on her face.

             “Miss Polly, why does this matter to you so much?”

             “Things can be better and I’m tired of pretending things are fine.”

             “Have you discussed this with your guidance counselor?”

             “She says I need to write in a journal and to practice meditation,” grumbled Polly, “Apparently I need to practice to reframe my thinking and replace it with more realistic thought patterns.”

             “Have you been practicing?” 

             “I’m… trying.” 

             “How has your wielding been?”

“Ouch. Perhaps he should try sticking his nose where the sun don’t shine.”

“…” Polly sighed and rubbed the back of her neck as she moved out the room, quietly leaving her professor in the room. It was an open secret that she has trouble controlling her power. Everyone in the university has been able to properly harness their Joy and express it outwardly, their magic already taking shape to properly help the wielder in whatever field they want to master.

She’s never been able to wield and shape it properly since Joy first manifested in her. At first, she thought with enough training and grit, she would be a top tier wielder. As the years passed, frustrations at her own shortcomings became the norm. It was only a few years after her Joy manifested that the voice had suddenly appeared. She never found out how to speak back to it. The deep and jovial voice just seemed to come and go at its own whim and never seemed to want her to respond, just making observations here and there before it leaves. It did seem to really approve of her desire to use Joy for entertaining people, having actually offered advice through observations that helped her get by in school despite her lack of control. 

             Raised on stories about the circuses and performers of old that the caretakers in the orphanage told her, Polly dreams of a day when she could maybe bring that kind of cheer back. The old women had been children when the last circus show was performed in the cities before it was deemed too troubling to support by the cities. Polly has always dreamed of being a part of lifting up spirits and helping citizens overcome times of depression and anxiousness. It was difficult to know what was considered entertainment outside the orphanage, the children deprived of having access to their own personal phones and computers. Going to the library to use the computers had allowed Polly to watch old movies and cartoons, appreciating and loving the hijinks and emotional impacts. She dreamed of offering that to the people, creating her own little troupe in the orphanage with her fellow roommates before they went off in different directions. 

             She smiled at the memory of the old caretakers laughing and cheering them on. They were silly but the small sketches made her happy and seeing other people be happy made it even better. 

             When she originally interned and worked under Walner Media, at first it seemed fun. She was working alongside some pretty notable entertainers and at first was content at just helping them film and upload their not-so-great videos. After a few months though, she noticed the pattern of constant low-quality spew and barely any effort being made to really engage with their audience. As she reached her campus room, she sighed quietly and entered the room.

As she laid down in bed, the sunset’s rays bounced against her bed. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth from the natural light before the artificial light from the Wallkeeper’s Joy spread through the city. Sighing, Polly considered perhaps maybe it wouldn’t be the end of the world if she just… accepted the way things are. Perhaps over time she would learn to be content with it.

“A quitter in our midst? This won’t do at all.”

Before she knew it, she fell asleep and dreamt of life in a circus. 

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The aroma of cotton candy and popcorn perfumed the tent, as the Ringmaster took center stage, head down as the audience went silent. His black and red tuxedo shimmered in the low light, clearly amplified by his Joy. His red hair was slicked back as his top hat obscured his eyes and his large curly beard kept his mouth hidden. Polly watched from behind the curtain for her cue, the rest of the clowns and performers behind her. As the lights dimmed to spotlight the Ringmaster, a drumroll introduced jovial music as the Ringmaster lifted his head, a large grin took hold of his face and his heterochromia eyes (one blue and the other green) sparkled in the light.

“Welcome one and all to the Amazing Adamsons Circus! My name is Caine! I’m your Ringmaster and I’m here to show you the most jaw dropping, heart stopping, mind boggling paraphernalia you’ll ever lay your eyes upon! Isn’t that right, Bubble?” With a flick of his wrist, his Joy manifested into a large bubble with a mouth full of sharp teeth and two beady black eyes. 

“That’s right, Caine! I can’t wait to see what you’ve got cooking up for today!” With that the bubble quickly flew through the audience, the audience feeling the warmth that the light emanated from it.

“Well, let's not waste any time! Let’s get right into the show!” With that, her cue has been called and Polly moved out with the rest of the troupe, each showcasing their own special skills and abilities to the delight of the audiences. A group of clowns danced around Caine, with one noticeable clown with a sad frown painted on his face exchanging talk with the Ringmaster. 

A clown dressed in green, his face painted as though he were a frog, showcased with another clown, her dress made of rags, to the delight of the children sitting in the front row. The frog clown’s Joy creates little lily pads for the children to hop around in, his Joy also creating an illusion of water around them to let them believe for a moment they were little frogs. The clown dressed in rags kneeled down to the children’s level, using her Joy to quickly craft dolls and figures for the children to play with, laughing alongside them and letting them grab her hands, her red curls bouncing as they pulled her around to whichever direction they wanted to take her.

Above them, a trapeze artist performed amazing aerials, his Joy giving him an edge to perform extra spins and flips, his purple leotard glittering in the spotlight. He used his Joy to even elongate his arms to make himself appear as though he were made of rubber. A colorful tightrope walker performed stunts high above the audiences, their Joy morphing their appearance for every trick they performed on the tightrope, creating a clash of colors competing with the trapeze artist for the audiences’ attention. Alongside them, a ribbon dancer enchanted viewers as her Joy made the satin ribbons shine extra bright, the red contrasted against her white leotard.

A married couple used their Joy to create a multitude of colorful butterflies and dragonflies, flying through the air and above the audience. They held hands as they used their free hand to direct where their beautiful creations take flight, leaning on each other as they watched their creations fly.

Polly performed alongside the clowns, looking at her own clown costume and let out a loud laugh. It almost reminded her of the times she performed in the orphanage. She somersaulted onto a large ball and balanced on top, spreading her hands out to the sky and feeling the power emanating onto her hands and taking the form of what she desired.

Fireworks erupted from her fingertips, to the delight of audiences and performers. She took a glance over at the Ringmaster to see pure elation and delight, clapping alongside the performers. His mouth moved, but she realized she actually couldn’t hear him. Trying to focus on reading his lips, she realized his face had morphed into one of urgency. As she focused, she could clearly make out the words, “Wake up!”

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A large boom woke her, her heart racing as she fell off her bed as her ears rang. Her friend and roommate, Serenity, was screaming at her, but she couldn't hear her words as the room shook. Items on the wall fell and shattered to the ground, bookshelves toppling over, and their hallmates also screaming did not give Polly any clarity.

An earthquake perhaps, with the way it felt like there were waves under her feet. It took a bit to make their way out of the room, but once they did they were thrown in the middle of a battlefield. Oily, black, tentacles were attempting to wrap around the wielders but were pushed back by Joy. 

A nightmare. How did the Amalgamation get through again? Why tonight?

  “Polly you need to go!” screamed Serenity, who quickly formed a wall of light around Polly and used it to push her away from the chaos. One of the very few people who didn’t think and treat Polly differently for her lack of control of her Joy, Polly tried to call out to her but she had already been pushed out the exit. Regular students were evacuating the grounds while Joy Wielding students rushed to action. 

Polly wished she could help, but without her ability to properly wield Joy, she would just get in the way. Deciding to help guide other students, she took rear and shepherded some of the first year students away from the chaos. Just as she was about to follow them to safety she froze, as for the first time in her life the voice actually spoke to her.

“You need to go back.”

“What?” Silence greeted her. She thought about what it said and almost turned around to ignore it when it spoke again.

“THERE’S NO TIME! YOU NEED TO GO!”

Her head rang as the voice’s volume made her dizzy, falling to her knees at the intensity of her pain. She was left behind, the area clear of students as she tried to calm her headache. 

“Who are you?” Polly started to get real sick and tired of constantly getting ignored, opting to scream into the sky, “If you’re not gonna talk, then leave me alone! Why now? Why today are you talking to me?”

The damn silence again.

“IF YOU’RE JUST GOING TO STAY QUIET WHEN I TALK TO YOU, WHY EVEN BE HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE? YOU REACHED OUT TO ME!”

Later on, she’ll blame the voice for this. Granted, she was in the middle of an active emergency but her rage blinded her to her surroundings. She didn’t realize that the ground beneath her was collapsing as a tendril’s mouth bursted underneath her. Screaming, Polly’s last view of her world was the starry sky as teeth closed around her. 

Suffocating in the rancid air, Polly tried to push back against the velvet walls of the Amalgamation’s throat. Tears and sweat blinded her, the creature’s saliva coating her as she continued to scream. Of fear, of rage, she isn’t sure but as she continued to get pushed down the tendril, Polly let out a final screech of desperation, urging her Joy to please save her.

She then felt it. What she had been missing this whole time. Her joycore, spinning hot for the first time in her life, tapped into her nerves and unleashed a burning power through her body. Her hands burned as a burst of light erupted from them, burning the Amalgamation from the inside. A loud guttural scream overpowered Polly’s own scream as she urged her Joy to just consume her. If she’s going to die, then she’ll die with one final fight. Light erupted from all parts of her, losing herself in the feeling of Joy, her final moments in life she finally was able to manifest it? THIS IS STUPID!

Suddenly she wasn’t being pushed against all directions, but rather she was free falling. Confused, Polly spiraled in the air as the ground approached her. Hyperventilating, she tried to call forth her power, but cruel fate seemed to only want to spare her one end for another. Only then, right when she accepted her oncoming death, did something reach out to her. Her joycore started to reach out to the unknown and it was when the connection was made, did Polly feel her Joy once again course through her body. Only now, it was burning her inside out.

Screaming, Polly could feel her body change as the unknown magic fused with her’s, suddenly feeling more than one unknown Joy. Her bones started to break as they shifted, the entirety of her being consumed by her Joy’s light just as she hit the ground. 

Pain blasted through her, almost knocking her unconscious on impact. Gasping for air, she looked around her surroundings. The red sky blared down at her as inky puddles surrounded her. Withered trees did nothing to stop the eclipsed light from almost blinding her. Rolling over to her side, the last she heard before falling into unconsciousness was the voice, clearer than ever.

“Help us.”

Chapter Text

Groaning, she sat up and almost immediately laid back down as pain pierced her head. Ok, so perhaps she might need a bit more time to recover from her fall. Cautiously, she opened her eyes and tried to make sense of where she was. The red sky unnerved her, the withered trees bent at odd angles as their dehydration misshaped them, the eclipsed sun offering very little light. She glanced around and tried to make sense.

Where was she? Raising her hand to shade her eyes from the sun, she froze as a red clawed hand entered her vision. A small yelp involuntarily escaped her mouth as she backed away from the hand, only to have it follow her. Jingling noises were heard as she moved, causing her to look down at her feet to see bells around her blue and red shoes. As she continued to look up at herself, she realized that she isn’t wearing the clothes she had on last night. Recognizing that she is wearing a jester’s motley, she could feel her head weighed down by a hat and removed it from her head: a regular ol’ Cap n’ Bells, almost too big for her head. She gently ran a hand through her hair, feeling that at least her bob cut remained. She placed it back on her head and took a look at her hands, a red glove on the right hand and blue on the right, She removed the gloves to see that her fingers ended in claws, no wait… talons.  

Five fingers are now four and with shaking hands, she put her gloves back on and slowly began to breathe rapidly. She walked towards one of the oil puddles and took a glance to see if she could spot her reflection. The eclipsed light made it difficult, but she is able to get a somewhat reflection. She realized that her entire identity had changed. Her face had morphed just a little bit, resembling almost an owl-like appearance. Her eyes… she couldn't see, but there was something about her pupils… It seemed odd. 

Her breathing hadn’t slowed down, feeling light-headed as her situation was becoming very clear. Her last memory was being swallowed alive by the Amalgamation… is she in hell? Taking deep breaths, she tried to organize her thoughts. The attack at the school, then getting eaten alive, and then… her Joy! Looking down at her palms, she tried to call forth her Joy again. 

Nothing. 

A frustrated cry escaped her, and she massaged her temple. Figures it only came during a time of crisis. She closed her eyes and tried to meditate the way her counselor told her to, a clear sign of how desperate she’s feeling if she’s relying on a skill she never looked upon favorably. She took deep breaths in and out, trying to calm and ease her mind before panic sets in. 

The wind sounded wrong here, almost a shrill whisper. There was no warmth from the eclipsed light, just an unsettling chill that lingered on her skin, making her rub her arms in an attempt to warm up… and realize how wrong her skin felt against the motley. Pulling her sleeves up, she realized that her sunkissed skin was now white. She tentatively pulled at it, aghast at how it stretched like a rubber band before snapping back into place. Putting her sleeves down, she decided that it might be better to distract herself. 

Looking around, the area resembled some kind of twisted woodland. Gnarled trees twisting and turning as no foliage decorated their branches, nothing was growing from ground, so all she was stepping on was dirt and dust. Looking for a clearing, she spotted a hill beyond the trees that seemed like it could give a good vantage point.

Heart racing, she ran straight to it. At the back of her mind, she couldn't help but think how her new wardrobe didn't weigh her down at all, it felt very light. She could do without the bells jingling, though. The sound echoed in the empty landscape, making her feel more alone than ever. 

Cresting over the hill, her careless excitement almost sent her over the edge of a cliff. Teetering to regain balance, she windmilled her arms and managed to regain her footing. Below in the cliffs lay a vast forest of uncorrupted trees. Shocked, she looked around from atop the hill. It was almost as though just the plateau seemed corrupted by the Amalgamation but not below in the cliffs. 

There doesn’t seem to be any signs of civilization around her, up in the plateau or down below in the cliffs. She isn’t sure where or how far the cities are. It seemed as though she just teleported away from within the Amalgamation. To where? She doesn’t know. 

Questions continued to pile up in her mind as she tried to theorize where she could be. She looked up at the sky and wondered how there could be an eclipse? There hasn’t been an eclipse for years and no one has been notified of it, there wasn’t anything in the news. Just as she thought this, the red sky suddenly started to turn grey. Looking up, she watched as the eclipse ended. For just a brief moment, she was soothed by the sight of the yellow sun and blue skies. 

A large trumpet-like roar pulsated through the skies. She covered her ears, discomforted at how she could actually feel the reverberations. The blue sky turned a dark grey and the yellow sun turned into a dull white, as though a monochrome filter had been placed around them. Gasping at what she witnessed, she almost didn’t notice the ink puddles around her slowly moving towards her. 

It was only when a tendril shimmered an oily sheen in her peripherals that she realized the danger that surrounded her. Freezing in uncertainty, she almost didn’t dodge the Amalgamation’s attempt to grab at her, almost teetering over the edge again as she fought for balance. It was… unsettling. Watching as the large gelatinous creature moved towards her. It moved silently, giving it the chance to sneak up on her so effectively. She wondered if this was how it had the advantage. The attack in the university was loud, but here, in its element, she was being stalked by a confidant killer. It took everything in her power to not scream in fear. Its eyes zeroed in on her, mouths suddenly opening and gnashing towards her in an attempt to finish what it started. 

As she tried to look for an exit, she watched as parts of the corrupted trees lost its deformities. Black slime left the trees and moved towards the Amalgamation, the creature growing bigger as it absorbed more of the slime. It seemed to stretch as far as her eyes could see, she isn’t sure how tall it would be if it decided to rear up, but it had the entire plateau covered around her, offering her no escape. It’s a true miracle that she hasn’t been consumed by this evil with how much she is letting herself get distracted, but watching the corrupted get purged out of the environment gave her a grim fascination. 

This has never been documented before.

She took a step back away from a tendril attempting to grab her ankle, and felt the edge of the cliff beneath her heel. There is no escape away from it… except behind.

StupidStupidStupidStupidStupid, repeated in her head as she turned around and closed her eyes.

“I am here. You are not going to do this alone.”

A comforting warmth settled over her heart at the voice’s words.

A deep breath.

She jumped.

As she fell, she could hear a roar of displeasure above her grow faint as the ground quickly approached her. Deja vu briefly entered her mind before she felt it again.

Her Joy. 

Her joycore ran hot again. She could feel the strange sensation of it spinning inside her. A bright light encircled her as she fell, its warmth cocooning her in a protective shell. 

This time she wasn’t panicking as she free fell. This time, she just focused on the warmth surrounding her and the peace that settled into her. She could see outlines of the trees from inside her shell fast approaching and reached out to see if perhaps she could grab a branch. Her descent slowed and layers of the shell peeled back to allow her to safely step onto the ground. Her joycore slowed once again as soon as she had both feet on the ground, but to her delight it remained spinning. There was something to it though, something that she can feel tugging on it.

“This is all I can do for you now my Joy Willing hero… Please… help us.”

“I don’t even know you. Who’s us?”

“It’s hard… it’s angry… to reach… please… help…”

“Why now? Why me?”

“The eclipse… it knew I reached out…you were the only one who listened.”

Shock froze her.

“Hello?” The voice didn’t answer back. Her head was starting to spin at revelation. What did the voice mean by she was the only one who listened? How many Joy Wielders did the voice reach out to? A wave of compassion swept through her. How often had it been ignored in its attempt for help? To be dismissed and forgotten?

Looking up, she could see that the Amalgamation made no effort to move down. It slithered away, perhaps to find a better way down or perhaps deciding that one prey wasn’t worth expending energy over. Whatever the case may be, she opted to put some distance between herself and the creature. She ran far from the cliff wall and deeper into the dense forest. The deeper and deeper she ran, it felt oddly safe to have so much surround and hide her. The monochromatic sun disappeared behind the thick foliage and she began her isolated journey.

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It had been weeks since she began her trek. Every now and then she’d try to reach out to the voice, to get some more clues, but it never answered back. She continued her journey, only stopping when she started to feel mentally exhausted. It had been quite the revelation the first day of her journey when she continued to walk and walk without stopping to sleep. 

She spent the second day trying to figure out her new body. While she does need to rest to catch her breath, she actually doesn’t need sleep. She doesn’t need food or water to survive, either. The more she played around with her new rubber body, she realized she was more akin to a child’s toy than a human. The thought of her lost humanity forced her to rest the second and third day, needing time to recollect her thoughts and cope with her new reality. 

The loss of needing food and water didn’t mean it was an easy transition for her. Every now and then she would catch herself wondering about what to eat and then the sudden reminder made her a little… apprehensive to say the least. It was just easier to not think about it as she walked.

Instead, she tried to think about which direction to go as she continued her journey. It was only a week in that she came across a running river. Fascinated by the current, she spent far too much time just looking at it. The cities have artificial and peaceful lakes that people could spend the day just relaxing, but she marveled at the untamed nature of the running river. She followed the river flow and decided that perhaps she might come across one of the cities on the way. The city had to get clean water from somewhere after all.

The more she walked around the more she could see just how much the Amalgamation didn’t corrupt the wildland. Everyone in the city was told that there was nothing beyond the walls, that the Amalgamation had destroyed everything. Well, the uncorrupted forest she is currently traversing through begs to differ. Animals that she had only seen in books ran wild, unbothered by her presence or staying at a safe distance. The monochromatic sky remains however, the clouds permanently resembling rain clouds as the muted white of the sun almost blended in with the grey skies. 

When night fell, darkness dominated. The moon’s light could barely break through the dark sky, stars just didn’t exist so she took the time at night to just sit and wait. It was the worst time of the day for her, every little noise the forest made had her convinced for a brief moment that the Amalgamation found her. She worried that should she fall asleep, it would creep up on her like on the plateau and overwhelm her. No, it was better to stay awake and vigilant at night, practice wielding her Joy now that whatever block was there is gone. The bells on her new wardrobe often gave her comfort during the day, filling in the silence. At night however, she tries her best not to jostle the bells, removing her cap and shoes to minimize the noise. A part of her would like to ditch them all together, the bells refuse to come off from their place, but something was nagging at her to keep it so she did.

It continued on like this for weeks, her mental health taking a noticeable hit despite her efforts to keep her mind sharp. She started singing songs, practicing her wielding, giving herself small little pep talks, and even trying to call out to the voice every now and then just for the company. 

“You know,” she said aloud, “If you can just tell me where to go it would be greatly appreciated. I still don’t know who you are and who this ‘us’ is.”

Silence.

“Can you at least say your name?” The tugging that she had previously felt on her joycore had noticeably stopped when the voice stopped speaking to her. She attempted to bring forth her Joy and while she could now bring it out in small bursts of light, she still can’t seem to manifest it into anything meaningful. She tried to think about how her classmates and roommate wielded theirs, how their Joy seemed to take shape depending on what route the wielder was going to go in. 

Her roommate, Serenity, was one of the few wielders that wanted to use her Joy to build public parks and improve infrastructure. She was able to use her Joy to lift heavy objects and lay out grid lines for her building projects. She was at the top of her class… She misses her and their friends and hopes that they were able to survive the attack on the school. 

As night drew near, she did her nightly routine and removed her cap and shoes. The sight of talons on her feet still discomforted her despite all these weeks, but she can’t stay quiet with the bells on. She had found a small alcove underneath a fallen tree and took refuge. Despite the freezing temperatures at night, she refuses to light a fire and signal to anything threatening her location. She laid back against the wall and just waited, as she always does. She hated the night so much, the silence forcing her to think.

Distracting herself, she pulled her gloves off and looked at her taloned hands. Much like her feet, the sight of them gave her great discomfort, but she found that having her hands free of any coverings made it easy to manifest Joy into her hands. Like golden veins, it circled around her hands and moved to and fro, wherever she thought of sending them. It was small, but it meant everything to her. So distracted by her practicing, she almost didn’t catch the movement beyond the bushes. 

Ice settled onto her heart, her whole body freezing as she watched a pair of yellow eyes stare back at her. It’s all she could see through the darkness, just menacing slitted pupils following her every move. She refused to look away as she quietly put her shoes and cap back on, ready to run in case she needed to. Slowly rising from her seated position, she slowly walked out of the alcove. Its gaze followed her, making sure she stayed in its vision… or that she kept her vision on it. She had been so preoccupied by what was in front of her, she didn’t pay attention to what was above. 

An awful chill ran down her spine as her whole body was wrapped in ribbons, realizing that she had been duped into distraction. She was suddenly airborne, a scream escaping her and surprising her captor.

“O-oh! W-wait! W-we jus-” The frightened woman’s voice next to her ear was cut off by man teasing, “-Get a grip, crybaby! Kaufmo wants to see what this interloper is doing here!” 

She was suddenly launched high into the sky, no longer restrained but now freefalling again. 

If I had a dime for everytime I’m falling, she thought hysterically. She tried calling her Joy but was rudely interrupted by a kick to the face. Now falling horizontally, she caught a glimpse of her attacker. A large purple hare wearing overalls, his yellow eyes glinting in maniacal glee, sharp teeth spread into a wide grin, as he watched her fly in the direction he kicked her to. At the velocity she is traveling, she’s surprised she hasn’t hit the sound barrier yet.

Just as it looked like she was going to land face first into a tree trunk, her leg was wrapped once again as she was now being dragged along for a ride. Looking at her leg, a bright red satin ribbon held onto her tightly. She followed it to the source to see the same hare now jumping across the treeline, his clawed feet digging into the branches to give him a boost as he launched them forward to their destination. Wrapped around the hare is where the ribbons began. They were tightly wound around the hare so as not to fall off, at the end of the line was a cracked theater mask with a ribbon running down the middle to hold it in place. It stared at her and she watched as the mask’s mouth moved to say, “I’m really sorry about this.”

A panicked screech escaped her mouth as she attempted to break free, struggling as she tried to reach for her leg. Her movements were causing the group to unstable, making the hare growl menacingly at the mask.

“Either deal with her right now, or you’ll both pay if we crash!”

A whimper from the mask, and suddenly both legs were now restrained. Her arms flailed as she tried to rip them off but no such luck. She was too panicky to call her Joy, the night making it difficult to see just where they were going. She tried to take deep breaths in to calm herself when a bright light caught her attention. In the distance, caravans were huddled together, strings of light in between them to deflect the darkness, in the middle a large circus tent. She didn’t really get to admire the lights that were ahead of her when the hare suddenly made one giant leap into the sky and they were now heading at top speed to the middle towards the tent. She couldn’t help the scream as they descended, sure that they were going to rip a hole into the tent and crash land. 

The hare and his ribbon/mask passenger were able to land safely, the hare crouched to absorb the impact of their fall with his hand anchoring them to the ground. She was not so lucky as she was still an unwilling passenger and the ribbon/mask realized too late that she was falling fast and hard, face first into the ground.

I have four dimes, she thought as the pain knocked her out.

______________________________________________________________________________

Muffles.

“-range that she’s here.” She was able to hear those words before she could attempt to open her eyes. She tried to get a sense of her surroundings, trying to ground herself to beat the haze. The voices talked quietly in the background, not realizing she was awake. She didn’t pay attention to what they were saying, her head spinning slightly still as she was still trying to wake up. She realizes that she is laying down on a soft surface, cushioning her aching body that had grown accustomed resting against hard surfaces. She felt a soft blanket over her, a pillow on her head. Her mind began to rebel against her desire to wake up, eventually succeeding.

Just before she went back to sleep, she heard a gruff voice speak.

“I wonder… if maybe this is his doing?”

______________________________________________________________________________

She isn’t sure how long she had been asleep. Only that for the first time since the Amalgamation attack, she felt well rested. Blearily, she opened her eyes and looked around. A wooden bow-top ceiling greeted her first. Confused, she looked around to see that she was inside a small room. Her bed was pushed up against the back corner of the room and raised, a patched quilt keeping her warm. On the opposite corner stood an antique sewing table with baskets of fabrics, cotton, yarn, and threads around it on the floor. Placed neatly on top in a row with the sewing machine were knitting and sewing needles, dust collecting at the top. 

In between the bed and sewing table was a small wood burning stove, keeping the room nice and warm. A single armchair was faced towards the fire, available for anyone to just sit down and enjoy the warmth. She looked next to her to see her cap and shoes on a wooden chair. She sat up and stretched, almost bemoaning leaving the comfort. As she got up and placed her cap and shoes back on, she looked around again to see if there might be any clues to her location. 

Bookshelves were filled with old tomes, the spines worn down by age. Dust again decorating the shelves and books, making her sneeze. Curious, she tried to read the words but found that some were written in different languages, a rarity in the cities. There was only one spoken language in the city as it made things easier to communicate with each other. Nowadays, learning different languages is treated more as an art than a skill.

A wardrobe caught her eye and she opened it up to reveal multiple patchwork dresses, each a different design. Different types of boots were aligned neatly at the bottom for the wearer to pick easily. The dark red walls brightened up the room with the firelight, a window to the side with its curtains closed. She could see light peeking out from the top of the curtains. As she moved closer to the curtains, she could hear activity outside. Talking and footsteps, unaware of the awakened resident. 

She threw back the curtains and was momentarily blinded by the light. As her eyes adjusted, she could see various people walking around through the smudged up window. Working different jobs as they walked around, talking stories with each other or quietly working. She couldn’t help but notice how their clothes were of different time periods, some wearing period dresses and others resembling primal clothes. It was as though she had taken a trip into a time machine. 

She was so distracted by her people watching, she screamed and felt her eyes pop out of her head, literally, as the purple hare who had abducted her jumped in front of her view and said, “Boo.”

She could hear him laughing at her, jumping away from the window, as she grabbed at her eyeballs, and held them delicately in her hands. 

“Wh-what?”

Confusion, horror, and disgust swirled around her head, trying to put her eyes back in place. They kept falling out, her vision causing her to feel nausea as they kept popping out and making everything in the room spin and twirl. She kept trying, not wanting to be in such a vulnerable position, when the door at the end of the room opened and startled her eyes out of her hands.

“Oh, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to frighten you.” The gruff voice was back. She quickly grabbed her eyes and angled them to look at who the speaker was. He was a large man in height and weight, his head resembling the top part of a bowling ball pin. He too was wearing a Cap n’ Bell, but only had one bell as opposed to her two. His clown ensemble was a moderate orange full body suit with a dark orange vest. Two large red buttons kept the vest closed and a red rose was pinned on the left side of the vest. Around his wait was a brown utility belt with many pouches hanging off of it. His large brown boots made large ‘thunk’s on the floor as he moved closer to her. She backpedaled away, unsure what to make of him. He stopped and offered a small smile, his sad face makeup creating a juxtaposition.

“I forget how often people tend to be suspicious of the strange clown,” he tried to joke, “I promise you, you’re safe here.” 

He motioned at her eyes and said, “You need to make your Joy reel it in.”

It took a bit, the quiet settling between them. He didn’t seem nefarious or attempting to pull the wool over her eyes, so she took a couple of breaths and tried to follow his advice. She took a couple of deep breaths and tried to call forth her Joy.

…

Nothing again. A frustrated cry escaped her and she felt tears forming.

“Take a couple more breaths,” he instructed, “When you feel calm, I can help you with the next part.” She took a double deep breath, and felt her weary heart at least beat regularly. She nodded at him, signaling for him to move to the next part.

“Alright, you’re gonna have to trust me on this. I want you to imagine a fishing pole.”

Closing her eyes, she imagined a pole much like the one she used to have before they banned fishing in the park lakes. 

“Imagine your eyes at the end of the line and I want you to start reeling those suckers in!” She imagines reeling on the pole, recalling fond memories of her catching her own lunch with the caretakers, when her eyes suddenly snapped back in place on their own. Dizzy from the sudden change in vision, she felt her face and was delighted to find that she can see normally now and her eyes were back where they belonged.

“Yeah I remember my first Eye Pop,” chuckled the clown, his gaze towards the sewing table, “It took me a lot longer to figure out how to get them back in. The others don’t have to worry too much about it except Ribbit and Jax.” 

He looked at her and said, “Time for an introduction. My name’s Kaufmo.”

Kaufmo. The one the giant hare said wanted to know who she was.

“H-how,” her voice cracking from not being used in so long, “did you know where I was?”

“Missy, you weren’t exactly subtle using Joy in the pitch darkness. You had the whole circus wondering if a trap or ambush was being set up. Safe to say, I’m glad to know it was only you.”

Blushing at her foolish actions, she apologized, “I’m so sorry! I just- I never really knew how to use Joy and-”

“There’s no need to apologize,” he said, “Like I said, we’re all glad when we found out it was you.”

“Wha-I mean-Who were you expecting?”

“Well for one, the ‘malgama. It likes to play tricks when it’s near and tries to get us when we least expect it.”

“The Amalgamation? It can copy Joy?”

“It can now,” he said, a dark shadow overtaking his face, “It tries to make us think there are Joy Wielders that need rescuing. We learned our lesson the hard way the first time it did it.” His gaze moved back to the sewing table. It finally occurred to her that much of the room was layered in dust, no one in the room to clean or keep the place tidy. She looked back at Kaufmo, his grief matching his sad face makeup. He noticed her worried eyes and quickly smiled, masking himself. 

“Let’s go outside and have you meet the others shall we? If it’s alright, may I ask for your name?”

She opened her mouth in confidence, sure that she can give her name easily.

“It’s… it’s… wha-Why can’t I remember my name?” Panic began to overtake her before Kaufmo kneeled in front of her and said, “Listen! Listen! I’m sorry. I knew there was a chance this might happen.”

“What?”

“I’m sorry, kid. Being here, changed like this, we found out that our names have been erased from our memories. All our names, including our families.” That’s… not true. She can remember her roommate… her roommate’s name is… 

Her eyes widened in horror as the truth settled into her mind. She can’t remember her roommate’s name. She tried to think of her other friends, the caretakers, her fellow hallmates. Not a single name pops into her mind.

“I… Why can’t I remember their names?” she cried, tears falling down as she forced herself to try harder, that perhaps there’s a chance it will pop up.

“I wish I could tell you, kid. You might’ve thought of them one more time before the names are gone now. Let me tell ya, when you forget your wife and kid’s name it really hits you something hard.” She blinked in shock. His face matched his make up again before he quickly slapped a smile on his face, he took a deep breath and said, “What would you like your new name to be?”

“I… I can’t really think of anything. This is too much.” She gripped her arms, ignoring the slight sharpness of her talons poking through the gloves. 

Kaufmo looked at the bookcase in deep thought before he suggested, “How about Pomni? Forgive me, it’s a name I do remember wanting to name my kid before the missus shot that suggestion down. Heh heh. I remember pulling the name out of a fairytale story.”

Pomni. Something about the name sounded correct, as though it’s always been her name. Nodding her head, Kaufmo gave a bright smile at her and motioned at her to follow him out the door.

“Heh heh, come on! The others want to meet our newest Joy Wielder resident. We’ve been rescuing people left and right, we never thought we would come across a fellow Joy Wielder, especially after we had to move here a bit hastily.”

“Um, where is ‘here’ exactly?”

“Region-wise I have no clue, our transporting has always been a bit spotty. We one time ended up in the ocean if you can believe it, ha ha ha! If you’re talking about us as a whole, well…”

He quickly summoned small sparklers from his hands, his Joy keeping the sparks from damaging the wooden floor. A small twirl and a quick splits to the ground before bouncing back up, he spread his arms wide above him and said, “Welcome to The Amazing Adamsons Circus!”
Like an anvil dropping onto her head, the name pulled forth the dream she had right before the attack. The trapeze artist and his brilliant purple leotard and the purple hare. The silk ribbon dancer and the sentient theater mask. The lead clown talking with the ringmaster and Kaufmo.

“What?”

"Mi casa, es su casa." 

Chapter Text

Pomni followed Kaufmo as he gave her the tour around the circus grounds. Many people stopped what they were doing, looking at the newest addition to their numbers. She stared back at them as much as they did to her, their different clothes still confused her. It was though they had been frozen in their respective time. Kaufmo turned his head to look back at her and saw her staring.

“The ‘malgama isn’t capable of corruption 100%. We noticed that it’s not an infinite void of destruction like we originally thought.”

Her memory of the Amalgamation ‘uncorrupting’ the trees back on the plateau just to grow bigger to trap her came to mind.

“So is that how you all’ve been able to avoid it?”

“I mentioned transporting earlier to you. It’s what we do if it ever gets too close for our comfort. It’s been chasing us for the last I don’t know how many years and we definitely learned a lot just by observing it from afar. Come this way.” He led her down a path towards the circus tent. As she continued to look around, she could see that the caravans either looked old or brand new, people walking in and out, some alone and some with families. She notices now that some caravans were much larger than others, with one resembling a large portable greenhouse. The sight of children running around her stuttered her step, surprised to see them thriving out here. She had many of them staring at her, surprised to see someone like her in their midst. She stuck by Kaufmo so as not to accidentally get caught in an unwanted conversation.

The trees of the forest hid much of the caravans from sight from above when she was an unwilling air passenger, bright string lights intertwined in between the wooden vehicles. The circus tent stood tall and bright, a beacon in the forest clearing. As they entered the tent, Pomni could hear voices inside. 

“Alright everyone! Huddle up!” Kaufmo’s loud voice echoed in the tent, stopping whatever conversation was being had. She looked around but found it empty. The ring and the wooden bleachers were empty, her stomach knotting up in anxiety as she tried to find out where the voices came from.

A tap on the shoulder made her stutter in fright, hands raised in an attempt to protect herself.

“Oh I’m sorry!” It was the sentient theater mask, her ribbons forming an almost skeletal frame to create a body for the mask. The mask had tear drops as she stumbled out an apology, her ribbon hands wringing, “I’m so sorry! I wasn’t thinking about our landing strategy! I didn’t mean to let you hit the ground so hard!” 

“It’s…” It’s not ok, that hurt. “I-You… Just, next time please remember.”

“Oh I will! I’m really sorry again!”

Pomni could see that she was obviously regretful of the chain of events and found that she wasn’t as angry as she thought she would be. After all, her new body seems to be able to take 

“Apology accepted.” She held onto one of the ribbon hands and gave it a gentle pat. The tear faced mask looked at Pomni in surprise, and she watched as the ribbon running down half her face loosened up, the tear faced mask splitting in half to reveal a happy faced mask underneath it. It pushed forward as the sad faced mask moved to the back, the middle ribbon tightening up to hold the happy face in place. 

“I promise, I will do better next time.”

“Next time?” Pomni stiffened as she heard the familiar monotonous tone of the purple hare. He walked up to them, hands in his red overall’s pockets, clawed feet occasionally scratching the ground as he walked to them. Now that she wasn’t in a state of panic, Pomni could see that he was taller than Kaufmo. His grin made her uneasy as he sauntered up to them, his ears twitching front and back occasionally. 

“Had a nice nap?” His yellow eyes focused down at her, his grin turning into a sneer. Her left eye twitched in annoyance as she bit back, “It was great. Thanks for nothing.” 

A light growl escaped his throat at her tone, the sneer turning into a scowl, when a voice behind him admonished, “Leave her alone.”

Walking up behind him, a large frog man joined the group. He wore a large red bow tie along with high-waisted trousers. The blush on his cheeks looked as though there were stickers on his cheeks. Behind him a tall plastic person quietly followed him in. ‘Person’ is putting it lightly though to describe what they looked like. 

The body parts were different, as though different toy parts were mixed to create them. Their triangular head had two different eye sizes. Five different horns sat atop their head, their neck a multi-colored wire that coiled around at the bottom to connect to a paint-splotched body that had sockets. Their left arm was a bendable plastic that coiled to a cartoon-looking glove and their right arm resembled a mechanical claw machine grabber. A bird wing was under the left arm, seemingly there for decoration than actual use. Their left leg was another bendable plastic coiled to end with a duck foot and their right leg resembled a mechanical cat leg. 

A heavy thud behind the mix-match person caught Pomni’s attention. If she thought the hare was tall, the King chess piece that lumbered in towered over all of them. The tallest of the group, he looked down at her kindly, his monocle on his right eye shining a bit under the light. He wore a regal dark purple cloak with white, fuzzy lining. She couldn’t help but notice his disembodied hands floated in front of him, leaning against a cane as he walked towards them. 

“So Kaufmo,” said the frog, “Who do we have here?” Kaufmo, standing silently to the side as everyone came to meet them, stepped forward and said, “Everyone, meet Pomni.”

“Pomni?” sneered the hare, “You named this runt after the owl knight?” 

A slight blush spread through Kaufmo’s face as he gave a small embarrassed chuckle. Pomni, feeling a little defensive for Kaufmo and her new name, spat, “How about you? Is yours just a generic John or Jack, or does it go along the lines of Rat or Cunny?”

The mix-match person sputtered out a laugh, caught off guard alongside the others. The theater mask covered her mouth in surprise as the frog man pointed at the hare and didn’t bother hiding his laugh. The chess piece stayed quiet, his attention towards the lights in the tent. Kaufmo seemed just as surprised as the theater mask, his eyes wide at Pomni’s words.

A dark purple hue spread across the hare’s face, his scowl turning hostile as he pulled his yellow-gloved hands out of his pockets to reveal his clawed fingers. He moved as though he was gonna take a swing at her when the frog man stepped between the two and looked up at the hare.

“You deserved it.” His smirk didn’t falter under the hare’s glare. He backed off, his hands back in his pockets before he turned his attention to Pomni.

“Better watch yourself.” Whether it was a threat or a warning, she didn’t care as she matched his glare with one of her own. 

“What an ice breaker,” laughed the frog man, “I guess I’ll take the lead then. I’m Ribbit. Our hostile friend here is Jax.” Jax gave a small sneer before looking away, bored with the conversation.

The theater mask gave a little wave, “I’m Gangle.”

“Zooble.” said the mix-match person.

“What’s this about an insect collection?” said the chess piece, looking around in excitement. Zooble sighed as they said, “This is Kinger. Don’t mind him, he focuses when he wants.”

“There’s more of us around, but they asked if they could meet after their work was done.” explained Ribbit. 

“That’s fine,” said Kaufmo, “Not like we have places to be. Anyways, Pomni, we are The Amazing Adamsons Circus troupe! Hold your applause,” (A groan went through the rest of the crew) “and let’s see if we can answer any questions you might have.”

Questions. About a million but where to start. As she looked at the current crew she asked, “Are you all Joy Wielders too? Is that why we look… different?”

“That’s our theory too,” explained Zooble, “I don’t know if you noticed but there’s plenty of normal looking people outside the tent, it’s just that they don’t wield Joy.”

“Why? Who are they?”

“Humans left behind during The Great East Migration to the cities,” explained Kaufmo, “and humans that had been consumed by the ‘malgama throughout time. We come across hordes of void walkers during our journeys and we try our best to rescue them. If they hadn't been completely lost to its corruption, there’s a chance we can save them.”

“Lost to corruption?”

“Their bodies and minds are completely consumed by the Amalgamation,” Gangle said, shuddering as her happy mask was quickly replaced with the sad mask, “We freed a horde one time, but then they started to transform into these… monsters.”

“It just depends on the person,” said Ribbit, “I’m sure you noticed we have some primal humans with us. It all boils down to how strong your spirit is.”

“But how did you know you can save them?”

“It wasn’t easy,” said Zooble, “When we first got consumed by the Amalgamation, we couldn’t save some of the audience in time. As they were getting corrupted, Looli jumped into action and created a candy box to contain them. We all began to fill up her barrier with our Joys’ energy. Since it was separated from the main body, we managed to pull the audience out from the box and left behind the bits. It takes almost all our energy away though, which leaves us vulnerable. So as much as we want to try, sometimes we can’t.”

A sudden grief settled into Pomni’s heart, sad that even with this small chance to save humanity, there were still setbacks. Was it worth then trying to save them if you run the chance of leaving yourself exposed to danger? Deciding to put a pin on this grim conversation, she changed the subject, “You said you were consumed by the Amalgamation? Were you… performing inside Priscotti?”

Surprise swept through their faces as Ribbit asked, “How did you know?”

“Our history class went over it briefly. The first attack the Amalgamation ever made inside a city.” explained Pomni, squirming at the sudden attention she got from everyone, including Jax and Kinger.

“First attack? There were more?”

“That's how I ended up here. A second attack happened at my university,” she explained, “As far as I know. I think I was the only one who got… eaten.”

“Yet by some miracle you’re here now,” Kinger said, speaking up for the first time, “I wonder if Joy itself could recognize the abnormal and destructive nature of the Amalgamation and try to combat it by using us to take the form of joyful designs.”

“How would it know though what could be considered joyful? A giant frog doesn’t exactly give certain people nice happy feelings.” pointed out Ribbit. Kinger wasn’t paying attention though, his eyes were following a moth that had flown close to them until they landed on Ribbit.

“Oh! I didn’t see you there. How’s your day been?” Ribbit sighed, everyone else looking away. Pomni could almost feel an aura of grief surrounding them. She wondered what might have happened to them. Gangle noticed the question on her face and quietly said, “I’ll explain later.”

“If the first attack was documented in history books, may I ask how long its been?” asked Kaufmo, suddenly very neutral. Pomni felt uncomfortable. Would they take the news well? Kaufmo had mentioned having a wife and child. Noticing her conflict and Kaufmo’s sudden neutral tone, Ribbit pivoted, “We can find that out another time, Kauffy. Maybe we should know what exactly has been going on inside the walls since we’ve been gone.”

Blinking in realization, Kaufmo gave an embarrassed cough and said, “Very true, Ribbit. If you don’t mind us asking, could you tell us what’s been happening?”

Taking a deep breath, Pomni explained about the current state of affairs, how there were no more circuses and street performances. She explained what film and the internet was and how city officials have begun to impose censorship to ensure only feel good stories were pushed through. How there was a decline of Joy Wielders and the push to make all Joy Wielders be Wallkeepers.

“Those jackasses hardly have any control of their Joy. They just aim, blast, and call it a day.” said Jax, leaning against one of the tent poles.

“I hate to agree with him but he’s not wrong,” said Zooble, “Is there no more need for counselors or doctors?”

“There was a rumor going around the school that there might be a law passing that you needed to pay just to go see one,” said Pomni, the shock spreading on their faces, “Like I said, there’s a decline and there’s also another rumor that there aren’t many people going into the counseling and medical field either.” 

“My roommate had heard another rumor about resources starting to decline. Not just Piscotti but the other cities as well.” A somber silence swept through them, each one processing the information differently. She suddenly felt as though a string connected to her joycore thrummed. 

“It can be better. You said it yourself.”

She jumped at the voice’s sudden appearance, noticed by Jax who eyed her suspiciously. The others were too busy thinking about what they just learned.

“I can hear them. My dear family.”

“Your family?”

“What was that?” asked Jax, jumping to the opportunity.

“I-Nothing.”

“Whatcha hiding, pinwheel?” he interrogated, leaning forward as though he was ready to pounce. 

“I…”

“Don’t be perturbed, my dear, He’s always been like this. Though better to be honest so everyone is on the right foot. Silence is the number one killer for a good team.”

Pomni looked around to see the suspicious face of Jax and the concerned look the others gave her. Admitting the voice is right, she took a deep breath and explained, “Ever since my Joy manifested, I’ve been hearing this voice in my head.”

“Great,” snarked Jax, “We got a runner up for crazy right behind Kinger.”

“What’s that, Jax?” asked Kinger, taking his eyes off the moth again.

“Nothing you old coot.”

“Oh, ok.” He went back to moth watching.
“Stop calling him that,” said Zooble.

“Or what?” They both glared at each other before Kaufmo cleared his throat and encouraged Pomni, “Please continue.”

“It comes and goes whenever it wants… or it used to. Now it’s whenever it can without losing energy. At first  it was just making observations, it never actually talked to me directly. Then the attack at my school happened and it was telling me that I needed to go back to the fight after my roommate had already pushed me out of the building.”

“What does this voice sound like?” asked Gangle.

“Very grandstand-y. Kinda like an announcer. Very loud and jovial. Likes to call me dear a lot.”

“You said, ‘Your family’, is that what the voice said?” asked Zooble.

“It heard you all and said ‘My dear family’. It even told me not to worry about Jax. That he’s always been this way.” Taken aback by her words, Jax just silently stared.

“It kept telling me ‘Help us’.”

“Is the voice here now? Can it hear us?”

“-t of time. Ple- ell em I miss them. Th- -re he-”

With that, the thrumming string stopped and she knew that the connection was lost. It was different this time. This time she could feel the agony of being so close but so far from those it loves. 

“It can’t stay on for too long. It told me that something knows it’s been reaching out to me, that whatever is holding it captive is angry that it’s able to talk to me. It told me to tell you that it misses you.” Silence hung in the air like a heavy blanket. 

Kaufmo was the one who stepped forward to break the silence and asked, “Is there anything else the voice said?”

“It tried to say something in the end but its like the connection got cut. I could feel it this time… it’s like… a string is on my joycore and it starts to thrum, like a harp.”

“Was that all it said?”

“No, when you first introduced the circus to me. It told me ‘mi casa, es su casa’. I don’t know what it means though.” Apparently she would have to wait for an answer though when an explosive laugh left Kaufmo. He continued to laugh and laugh, tears running down his face as everyone watched.

“What’s up Kaufmo?” asked Ribbit.

“I KNEW IT!” he yelled, startling everyone. “I KNEW I WAS RIGHT!”

“Uhhbout what?” asked Pomni.

“I knew that sly bastard would be too much for the ‘malgama!”

“You don’t mean-”

“-Of us all, who would be this stubborn to last this many years and still find a way to reach out to us? Who's crazy enough to even pull this off, finding someone who can relay messages to him?” Zooble scoffed a laugh as Gangle giggled. Ribbit and Jax smirked as Kinger gave a delighted, “Caine is still fighting for us.”

Memories of her dream once again came to the forefront. The red-haired ringmaster with heterochromia eyes. She still had questions though. 

“If it really is your Ringmaster-”
“-How did you know he was the Ringmaster?” asked Ribbit.

“I think he was the one who gave me the dream,” she explained, “About all of you in the circus and what your acts were. I wasn’t in the best mood that night. I think he wanted to cheer me up.”

“Sounds like him,” muttered Jax, a grin coming across his face, “Doesn’t know when to stay out of people’s business.”

“Two other people were there.” The atmosphere suddenly got heavy, notably Jax and Kinger tensing up.

“Wh-what did they look like?” asked Gangle.

“There was a woman with an afro, she had brown skin, and brown eyes. She was making bugs with her Joy with a man.”

“Oh, Queenie.” whispered Kinger. Pomni wasn’t sure how to progress when a stiff-voiced Ribbit asked, “The other person?”

“Sh-She was a clown. She was really pretty. She had red curly hair and her dress was made of rags. She was able to make dolls with her Joy.” The sudden departure of Jax startled her, he was out the tent almost instantly.

“... Ragatha," said Ribbit quietly, "Her name was Ragatha.”

Chapter Text

“Over here, we have the kitchen,” Gangle pointed to one of the larger caravans, “We can go in and say hi to Looli and Fudge, they’re probably almost done making dinner.” 

Pomni followed Gangle and Zooble as they gave her a tour of the circus grounds. Plenty of people stopped their work to take a look at Pomni again, marveling that a new Joy Wielder had joined them. They greeted Gangle and Zooble warmly, often asking for help in specific chores if they had the time to help, which they did. Gangle’s flexibility and Zooble’s strength helped speed along many chores that needed to get done around the area. From lumberwork, community laundry, and even repairs, there was much work that needed to get done.

As they walked into the kitchen caravan, a flash of green in her peripherals caught Pomni’s eyes. She turned to see Ribbit quickly turning a corner, away from the group. It had been an hour since Pomni revealed the dream she had of them from when they were human. The topic of the mysterious Queenie and Ragatha was left alone in the tent, Kaufmo quickly instructing Zooble and Gangle to give Pomni a tour of the circus. He had escorted Kinger back to his caravan, while Ribbit opted to find Jax. She was terrified to ask what happened, if she had done something wrong. They don’t seem keen to approach the subject so she decided to leave it be for now.

The kitchen caravan on the outside seemed like a larger than normal caravan, but on the inside was a large kitchen hall with rows of large tables lined up with ingredients laid atop for easy to reach usage. Confused by the presence of windows, Pomni glanced outside one window to see that artificial light and wind were coming in, a way to give the room light and to air out any unwanted smells. 

All the way at the end of the hall, she could see a makeshift stove with a woman in pink lightly humming as she cooked. As they got closer she could see that her hair was pink as well. Her dress resembled a pink birthday cake. She heard them come in and turned to face them, Pomni blinking in surprise when she realized the woman’s face was a swirly, brown lollipop with two large eyes eyeing at her in intrigue with a soft smile.

“Oh? And who might you be, sweetie?” she asked kindly. It took her a second, momentarily distracted by the crown on the woman’s head when Zooble gave her a gentle tap. 

“Oh! Uhm, I’m Pomni.”

“She’s the newest Joy Wielder to join us,” explained Zooble, “Kaufmo wants us to give her a tour and thought a quick snack might be good.”

“Oh my goodness! Hello! My name is Princess Loolilalu!”

“Princess?”

“Oh, forgive me. When we had forgotten our names, I let my son pick out my name.” explained the candy princess, turning back to stir the cauldron behind her. The makeshift kitchen had various different stoves and ovens, a mismatch of pots and pans hanging on the wall. They obviously had collected them in their journeys, the sink was a large ceramic basin that resembled a tub. Pomni could smell so many different wonderful flavors wafting through, her mouth watering.

“Fudge! Could you bring our friends a few snacks?” 

In between the cracks of the walls, a dark brown sludge oozed out, pooling into a small puddle that suddenly reached out with arms and a pair of jawbreaker eyes popped out. Candy corn teeth lined up to form a smile as the ooze creature said, “Fear me! I am The Fudge!”

Pomni had to choke back her laughter as she watched the little fudge slime ooze his way towards her.

“I have eaten many candy citizens! I am the ultimate monster!” 

“That’s nice dear,” smiled Princess Loolilalu, “Could you get the snack boxes from the cabinets?”

The Fudge gave an attempted little roar, but hiccuped and accidentally swallowed a candy corn. In his embarrassment, he quickly grabbed the boxes from one of the cabinets and quickly handed it to Pomni.

“I… I’m really scary, you know. I’ve eaten tens of people!” The small fudge spread his arms wide to try and emphasize the number he’s eaten, but it was very difficult for him to keep them spread out in his liquidy form. Pomni, finding his antics amusing, smiled and said, “I’m honestly very scared right now. I think I might have nightmares later.” 

“Oh! Uhm,” something that resembled an abashed look swept across his face, “you’re not candy though. So don’t worry! In fact, you can be my co-monster!” 

“Thank you,” said Pomni, giving him a light pat on his head, bits of his fudge slime running off her hand, “You’re such a kind monster.”

Proudly puffing his chest out, he quickly slimed away back to wherever he had hid himself away. Pomni didn't realize she had an audience until she turned her head to see a radiant smile from Princess Loolilalu and Gangle, Zooble’s eyes shaped as though they were smiling due to their lack of mouth.  Pomni turned red and ducked her head.

“Thank you. Many people aren’t as receptive to him because of how he looks.” Princess Loolilalu gave her a hug, while Pomni gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder, feeling a bit too uncomfortable with the touching.
“Alright,” said Zooble, “Thanks for the snacks Looli. Is there anything you need us to do?”

“Now that you mentioned it,” said Looli, turning around to open up another cabinet, “Would you please deliver these lunch boxes to Gummi and the boys? They skipped lunch again today.”

“No problem Looli,” said Zooble, Gangle grabbing the boxes as Zooble held their snack box. As they began to leave, Princess Loolilalu tapped Pomni on her shoulder. She turned to see the golden light of Joy manifesting in Loolilalu’s hand before a rainbow swirl lollipop popped into her hand.

“Welcome to your new home, Pomni.” Dazed, Pomni took the lollipop and quietly thanked her before quickly following Zooble and Gangle out the door. 

Creation Joy.

An incredibly rare and admired skill. 

Not everyone can be a Joy Wielder and not every Joy Wielder can actually use their gift to create. She unwrapped it and gave a tentative lick. A delighted gasp escaped her, the sweet flavor dominating her taste buds. She wrapped it back up and decided to enjoy it later.

Turning back to look at the kitchen, she wondered how someone with this rare ability began to work in a circus. The rare time this ability ever showed up, city officials were quick to get them to start working in the Hall, where resources could be made to benefit the cities. 

“What are you thinking about?” asked Gangle.

“Just admiring the candy. I never thought I’d see the day someone could actually use Creation Joy.”

“Cause of the decline, right?” asked Zooble. 

“No one likes talking about it, but we haven’t heard of anyone being able to use Creation Joy so far. A lot of the old timers are trying their best to keep things going.”

“Are they still forcing them to work like dogs?” asked Zooble.

“I don’t know. We haven’t heard from the Hall directly in a long time, they keep sending out their own spokesperson to talk for them. Was it different from when you were in Priscotti?” Zooble almost flinched at the question, causing Pomni to try and apologize when they waved their hand in a calm manner.

“Not really. I’m not surprised they’re keeping a tight lip on how things are going. I used to work in the Hall before joining the circus.” explained Zooble. 

“Really?”

“Yeah, it wasn’t my cup of tea though. My Joy has always given me the ability to change appearances, not just for me but anything and anyone. I think whatever Joy is knew what I needed and just said, ‘here you go’. The Hall kept having me change things for efficiency and multi-use but then they started having me change their appearances. At first I didn’t care, but then that’s all they started coming to me for. 

‘Make my dick bigger’, ‘make my breasts better’, or ‘I don’t like this one mole’. 

It was annoying. Especially when I wanted to take on a more neutral identity. I was forced to pick one, and only one identity, because it would make people feel more comfortable around me while they demanded I change their appearance for their pleasure.

Caine caught me walking around in one of the parks one night, I was hopping around on top of the fences trying to clear my head. He reached out and asked if I wanted to try something new for a change.

I thought leaving would be hard, especially when leading up to quitting day they kept guilt-tripping me that I was abandoning the good cause. I told them to fuck off and never looked back.”

“I remember seeing you in my dream. You kept changing your appearances while on the tightrope.”

“Heh, yeah. Every time I did a flip or a spin, they always found it fun to see what I would turn into. I remember at one point, I even did half my body male and the other female. It was fun for someone like me.”

“I never would’ve known. Some of the Joy Wielders that I know who are still trying to get into the medical field have told me they’ve been asked at least once to consider trying to learn how to use their Joy for appearance alteration.”

“Some things never change.” The bitter edge in their tone convinced Pomni to try and change the subject for them, so she asked, “What is in the greenhouse?”

“The greenhouse is where we grow all our important crops. It was hard finding anything edible the first year we were out here. It was hard for our human audiences, especially since they don’t have Joy to help them… We lost a lot of people that first year. Looli was inconsolable for a long time, she kept burning herself out to try and feed everyone.” explained Gangle as her happy mask hid behind her sad mask, her ribbons subconsciously wrapping tight around the lunch boxes. A gentle nudge from Zooble got her to relax her hands, reaching a hand out to wrap around Zooble’s wrist. They stopped in their walk and rested under a shade, away from the rest of the circus grounds. 

“It was a miracle when Caine figured out how to use Joy to expand the caravans from the inside. When he did, our first priority was building the greenhouse and then the kitchen. It took a lot of rationing but we’re at a good point now. 

Caine taught us how to link our Joy to the caravans to make the inside much bigger than it is. The bigger the caravan, the bigger we can make it on the inside. Looli linked her Joy to the kitchen, she feels much more at home there she says. She used to sell her own pastries before Caine had asked her to join us with her son.”

“She has Creation Joy and she never considered working for the Hall?”

“She was approached plenty of times before joining the circus and even during her time with us. Caine asked her if she could run the concession stands and she was more than happy to join us, especially since she got to have her own space for herself and Fudge.”

“Her own space?”

“She’s a single mom and was considered a… fallen,” explained Gangle, cringing at having to use the word, “When her Joy manifested and it was discovered that she could create, they wanted her to join the Hall. Looli said she couldn’t forgive how they treated her before her Joy and rejected their offers.”

“Oh wow.” whispered Pomni, unsure of what to say.

“We’re very blessed to have her with us.” said Gangle as she took the lead towards the greenhouse. The caravan truly resembled a mobile greenhouse as they approached the doors. Pomni could see that foliage was overrunning on the inside and was curious to see what might be inside. As she followed Zooble and Gangle inside, something in her joycore started to thrum. 

It didn’t feel good. 

Looking around, she tried to find what could be causing her joycore to thrum anxiously. She couldn’t find anything out of normal. People were walking around, chatting, working, or relaxing. It all seemed normal.

“You ok Pomni?” asked Zooble. 

“Y-yeah. Just still taking all this in.” said Pomni. She quickly followed them inside and hoped the feeling would go away soon.

As she entered the greenhouse, a gasp escaped her as she found herself in a large open field. Rows upon rows of vegetables were growing, different stages of growth for each vegetable bed, fruit trees blooming alongside the wall. The space size reminded Pomni of the old stadiums that used to host music concerts. From all the way to the other side, she could make out three figures hauling away gardening equipment. 

Sunlight poured from… a giant woman whose head resembled a child’s drawing of a sun sitting against a corner of the field, leaning against the caravan wall. She wore a brown pantsuit and was happily humming to herself. Mouth agape, Gangle giggled at Pomni’s reaction and said, “This is Sun. She helps give the plants some much needed sunlight.”

“Oh?” Sun spotted them as they walked towards her, her voice much higher than Pomni anticipated, “A new friend?”

“Sunny, this is Pomni. She just joined us.” said Zooble, her voice a little louder to speak up to the giant woman. 

“Why hello there!” Sunny laid down on her side and Pomni could almost feel the intense heat simmer down along with her brightness, “Oh you’re so marvelous. I love your eyes! They remind me of the pinwheels my sister and I used to play with when we were children.”

“Thank you?”

“Moon! Moon! Come see our new friend!”

Pomni watched as the ground split open next to Sunny, and out emerged another giant woman with a crescent moon for her head. Yawning, she blearily opened one eye that was visible to them and tilted her head to look at Pomni. Like her sister, she wore a pantsuit but a dark shade of blue. The brightness of the room suddenly went half and half, with one half of the room remaining in sunlight while the other half turned to night.

“Oh my, hello! I hope you are finding yourself well here. I’m afraid I can’t stay up too long, we don’t want to ruin the growing cycle for our plants.”
“Sun! Moon! Is everything ok?” Turning to see who joined them, Pomni could see it was the three figures from across the room, hurrying towards them. As they got close, she could see that they resembled candied-gummy alligators. The one in the middle took the lead as he spotted Pomni and asked, “Well hello, a new resident?”

“Gummigoo, Max, Chad, this is Pomni. She’s from Priscotti.” introduced Zooble.

“No kidding? I haven’t thought of home in such a long time.” said the lanky gator, his large arms crossing across his chest. Pomni couldn’t help but notice their accents were much different than everyone else’s. 

“Best put those thoughts out of your mind,” warned the yellow-green gator, “Does us no good to dwell on the past.”

Gangle walked up to them and handed their lunch boxes, “Looli wanted us to deliver your lunches.”

“Aw! What time of the day is it?” asked the leader. Pomni couldn’t help but think about them eating lunches. Is she always destined to be an outlier amongst Joy Wielders, who now doesn’t need food or water?

“We’re halfway to dinnertime, boss.” said one of the gummy gators, checking his pocket watch, his bowler hat slipping to the side. He was the shorter one of the trio, his purple gummy hue fading into red 

“Alright, keep an eye on the time then Max. We wouldn’t want to upset Looli and her cooking.” 

“Gummi it’s been so long since we’ve seen Looli, why don’t we have a picnic tomorrow, just us couples?” asked Sunny, scooping up Max into her hands and bringing him up to her face. Max in his part seemed a little bashful but gave Sunny a quick peck on check. The other gummy gator walked up to Moon, who gently laid her hand down and waited until he was safely secure to bring him up.

“Had a nice kip, love?” 

“Yes, Chad, I hope to see you later tonight when I’m up.”

“You know I always do, love.” He gave Moon a quick peck on the cheek as well as she placed him back down and retreated back to her sleep. The room lights up again in full daylight.

“I’ll ask Looli tonight Sunny and see if she’s up for it. You know how anxious she gets, though, if she’s not in the kitchen giving orders.”

“Ok!” Sunny placed Max down and stood up. Despite her height, she still had room to stretch and said, “I’ll go this way to give some of the plants a little extra energy. Sorry, I didn’t Moon to miss out though. She misses out so much when everyone else is awake.”

“You know she prefers it that way Sunny,” placated Chad, “She’s always preferred being by herself for a while.”

“I wouldn’t mind switching hours with her. She needs to socialize more.” pouted Sun, walking away to tend to the other side of the garden.

“So Miss Pomni, how have you been faring?” asked Chad, his orange-yellow body jiggling a little with Sunny’s steps vibrating on the ground.

“It’s been amazing. It’s honestly mind blowing to see how well you all have done for yourselves out here.” The gators preened at her praise, blushing a little. 

“Well, if you need anything, miss. Don’t be afraid to reach out to us. My brothers and I will do our best to help.” said Gummigoo, Max and Chad following after him.

“Come on,” said Zooble, “Let’s say bye to Sunny and head on out.” 

After saying their goodbyes and walking out, Pomni asked, “Were Gummigoo and his brothers part of the circus act?”

“No, they were originally temporary hired help but Caine liked them so much that he hired them as permanent roustabouts. Their Joy tends to stack on top of each other so long as they’re near each other.”
“And that would be?”

“Super strength. On their own, they’re really strong but together they’re unbeatable. It really makes wrestling competitions unfair.” explained Zooble. 

“Sun and Moon were also part of the circus?”

“They were originally hired to help manage crowd control. Caine never liked charging people for entrance fees but it also made crowd management very difficult. They hired general contractors and the like to help keep the circus more manageable.”

“I remember reading that in the books, how the circuses never charged fees.”

“Oh, there were some. Caine just felt that with Joy, it means that you help as many people as you can. Charging money I think made him feel like it was disingenuous. We used sales from food and carnival games to fund everything since the entry was free… and even then he kept prices at a reasonable rate. It drove Sunny mad, having to work around low budgets but even she was charmed by Caine’s sincerity.”

“Sometimes she asked Baron and Baroness Mildenhall to help with security.” explained Gangle.

“Bah-Baron and Baroness Mildenhall?”

“Oh they’re lovely. We can share our snacks with Baroness. She knows how to brew the best tea.” said Gangle, excitedly wrapping a ribbon hand around Zooble’s, Pomni noticing the light blush forming under their eyes. Catching Pomni’s smirk, Zooble rolled their eyes and motioned at her to follow Gangle. They approached a regal looking caravan, making Pomni stop in place to look at it in disbelief. 

Noticing her pause, Gangle explained, “Baron and Baroness used to run the Haunted House Maze. I should warn you though, they do have a… different approach to how scary should be presented in their maze, so it’s separated into two.” 

“S-scary? As in h-horror?” Gangle and Zooble watched as the color drained from Pomni’s already pale skin. 

“It’s alright, Pomni. They only open the maze once a month, they like to switch things up and challenge people.”

“So nothing’s gonna pop out or anything, right?”

“Right.” Keeping close to her two guides, Pomni followed them inside the caravan and she was greeted to a grand mansion style foyer. Stairs actually appeared to go up to a second floor and multiple doors were closed on each side of the wall. Only one remained open and they could hear quiet talking. 

“Hello? Baroness? Baron? Ghostly?” called out Gangle. The talking stopped and Pomni could feel her nerves bunching up in stress. It was eerily quiet and Pomni had to fight every urge in her body to not cling onto Zooble… which was quickly thrown out the metaphorical window when a small, green ghost boy suddenly appeared in front of Pomni and politely said, “Howdy.”

Zooble for their part seemed to have anticipated this, not even surprised at the speed in which Pomni scrambled to hang onto her antler horn, clinging and shaking slightly. Gangle giggled quietly and greeted their host, “Hi Ghostly. Are your parents home?”

“Right here, dear.” Floating from up the floor, a beautiful green ghost woman floated next to Ghostly and gave them a warm smile. 

“I apologize for not greeting you right away, Baron and I had to go downstairs to make sure that everything is in its place or else our props come up and scare you.” explained Baroness. Taking a chance, Pomni slowly climbed off Zooble, turning red when she heard Zooble chuckle.

“Uh, sorry. I don’t do so great with scary.” said Pomni. The Baroness didn’t seem to find it offending, thankfully, instead she giggled and said, “We always presume our guests aren’t comfortable with scary, dear. It’s why my darling Baron is putting away our props. We tend to get messy when we’re planning our mazes.” 

“Welcome.” a gravelly voice spoke behind Pomni. Shaking, she turned and once again backpedaled hard at the sight of a dead man walking towards them. Struggling to catch her breath, she almost missed the self-conscious head rub the dead man was giving himself.

“I apologize,” he said, “I know my appearance tends to be off-putting for some, but I do hope you’ll stay for some tea.”

Still shaking, Pomni quickly swallowed the lump in her throat and hesitantly said, “Y-yeah.”

Zooble and Gangle made sure to sit between Pomni and Baron at the dinner table while Baroness and Ghostly went to fetch the tea. Pomni couldn’t help but admire the warm ambience of the room, the fireplace crackling behind them and the snack box in the middle of the table. Gangle opened the box and Pomni could see a delightful array of pastries neatly placed in rows. 

“Here Pomni, you pick first.” offered Zooble, moving the box closer to her. 

“Would eating actually do anything for us?” asked Pomni. Spending weeks without food or water, she never considered the possibility of trying to eat anything while in the woods.

“It doesn’t but it gives us a sense of normalcy,” said Gangle, “Plus there’s like a sense of easement to our joycores when we eat. It’s like we’re feeding our joycores directly.”

“It also does wonders for your ability to focus,” explained Baroness, “Your body, even in its changed state, still seeks nutrients.”

“Here, dear,” said the Baron, pouring a cup of tea, “Try this.”

Despite her skepticism, Pomni found herself eager to try the pastries and tea. She drank her tea and could feel a gentle thrum go across her joycore. Surprised, she placed her hand over it to feel it relax. She could feel her whole body slack in relief, an unknown stress now put to rest. She never realized how used to her body’s misery she was until now.

“How’s the tea?” asked Gangle.

“It’s so good,” praised Pomni, Baroness and Ghostly’s eyes smiling at the praise, “it’s so earthy and sweet.”

“You could feel it right? Your joycore is probably relieved that it can now make energy without having to pull from you directly and your body feels relieved, yes?” asked Baron. Pomni nodded in agreement and eyes the pastries. 

“You still get the first pick,” reminded Zooble. Pomni eyed a cheese tart in the center and quickly made a grab for it, only rather than standing her arm stretched out and grabbed the treat. Everyone’s eyes were widened in surprise as Pomni quietly enjoyed her treat, savoring the flavor and looking forward to eating the lollipop later from Loolilalu.

“I didn’t expect that.” said Baron, grabbing a scone for himself.

“That was quite the display of Joy,” praised Baroness, “If I understand Zooble correctly, bodymorphia is quite a challenging skill, if you aren’t already gifted in it.”

“Say what now?” 

Zooble almost had to laugh at the mix of Pomni’s confusion and delight, her pinwheel eyes almost looked like they were spinning, and explained, “The way you grabbed your cheese tart. I guess we know where to start working with your Joy.”

Pomni blinked at their words and tried to remember how she grabbed the tart. As she remembered, she blushed red and started apologizing, “I’m so sorry! That was incredibly rude of me!”

“Oh don’t fret dear,” placated Baron, “With all the children that like to come play with Ghostly in the maze, this is nothing.”

“Especially if Fudge decides to become the monster for their games.” laughed Baroness.

They spent the rest of afternoon chatting and catching up on current affairs of the circus grounds. Pomni learned that Baron and Baroness often patrol the grounds as security during the night to help keep watch for the Amalgamation… and keep troublemakers at home.

“We all live here safely and do our best to work together, but you’ll always have the one who believes they can do better or are just plain bored and want to start a little scuffle.” explained Baroness when Pomni asked if they ever had to deal with residents causing mischief. They continued to talk well into the night and soon it was time for dinner.

Pomni followed them to the tent where everyone in the grounds was headed. Baron, Baroness, and Ghostly split from the group while Zooble, Gangle, and Pomni met up with Kaufmo and Ribbit. They were talking quietly to themselves until they spotted the trio walking to them.
“So kid, whatcha think?” asked Kaufmo.

“It’s wonderful to see how you are all thriving out here. I wish the cities could see this.” said Pomni, watching as Princess Loolilalu and Fudge served out meals to everybody. Families sitting together in the ring or in the bleachers, friends chatting and laughing, some enjoying their meal in quiet solitude. 

“What would they do?” sneered Jax, popping up from behind Pomni, frightening her. He laughed when she yelped and continued, “As far as the cities are concerned, why even bother trying to leave? It’s a lot easier to herd a bunch of docile idiots.”

Irked, Pomni said, “Not all of us agree with how the cities are being run.”

“And yet,” Jax said, almost bored, “Nothing’s changed. It’s almost like secretly you actually like it.”

Pomni’s hands clenched in anger and a scowl settled deep on her face. Jax smiled at getting the reaction he wanted and walked away, a great leap sending him high up into the trapeze platform where he stayed for the rest of the night. 

“Don’t listen to that asshole,” said Zooble, “He’s always hated the cities.”

“Zooble and I will grab plates for us, we’ll be right back.” said Gangle, grabbing Zooble’s wrist and leading them away. Pomni watched as Zooble gently reached out to Gangle’s ribbon and lightly caressed it, a blush forming on Gangle’s white mask. 

“Don’t let him get a rise out of you,” advised Ribbit, playfully shouldering her, “It’s gonna take a bit before he warms up to you.”

“I don’t care.” said Pomni. An ass like him is hardly worth the effort of even trying to be friends with. She followed Kaufmo and Ribbit to the side and talked quietly, asking questions they were eager to answer. Zooble and Gangle returned with plates of food, for which Pomni was grateful. The simple roasted vegetables and rice tasted like heaven.

When they finished their meal, they engaged in simple chatter. As she looked around though, she couldn’t help but notice Jax’s voluntary isolation and the missing Kinger. The thought of the earlier conversation when the mysterious Queenie and Ragatha were brought up still on the back of her mind.

“I… You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but,” began Pomni, earning a curious look from the group, “Could I ask who Queenie and Ragatha are?”

The way they stiffened had her regretting even asking. 

Ribbit for his part looked at the group. He himself knows just how bad it hurts to relive those memories. He could see in Pomni’s face though that she was regretting asking them and felt a little regretful himself. It’s only right she knows and hopefully this would also help avoid future fallouts with Jax. He sighed and said, “It’s only fair that you know, seeing as how you’re gonna be staying in Ragatha’s caravan for now until we can build you your own.”

“Queen was Kinger’s wife,” he began, feeling a small lump form at the back of his throat. This is gonna be harder than he thought, “She was such a delightful woman, always ready with a helping hand or lend an ear to hear. She just loved everyone unconditionally and became such a pillar of support. 

She and Kinger would always be seen together, always taking their walks and just chatting with everyone. We weren’t careful when she was taken by the Amalgamation… I-She-It’s not to say…”

Ribbit found that he couldn’t form words, the lump had grown in size as his lips trembled. He pulled on his bowtie to ease the pressure. He shook his head, sniffling and trying to pull himself together, rubbing his eyes to clear them.

“Queenie was wonderful,” continued Kaufmo, his voice gruff, “and she found beauty in even the worst things. When we came across a horde, we thought we could help them.”
A deep sigh escaped him and he took a deep breath. Pomni sat silently and waited. Everyone else didn’t seem eager to jump in.

“We originally thought it was going to be easy to contain and rescue, but then when we got into position to begin… the horde disintegrated… All the skin and muscles melted off the bodies until it was just bones… we didn’t realize the Amalgamation had set a trap for us.” Pomni could feel a repulsive chill run down her spine, shaking her to her core. 

It was capable of planning?

“We were separated in the attack and we tried our best to get back to safety. Gummigoo, Max, and Chad had broken off to set up wards and were able to reach Sun and Moon to get them out of the greenhouse and help us. By the time they arrived, Queenie had been taken…” Kaufmo swallowed and took many deep breaths, “Uh-uhm, We tried to rescue her but once the Amalgamation had its grasp on her, it disappeared into the darkness and Queenie with it.”

Hot streaks of tears ran down Kaufmo’s face, sniffling into a napkin Gangle provided. Her sad mask was back in place with large tears running down. Zooble was pointedly looking away while Ribbit just stared at the ground listlessly. Regretting asking the question, Pomni said, “You don’t need to keep going.”

“Why?” Surprised, she turned to look behind her to see that Jax had silently joined them. “You didn’t seem all that bothered sticking your nose in places you have no business being in.”

“Jax,” warned Zooble.

“What?” he asked, his tone seething, “I see no reason in stopping if the worms are out already.”

Pomni would never admit it in a million years, but the glare he had sent her way was bone chilling and made her want to hide. His yellow eyes almost seemed radiant even under the circus light, his pupils slitted and focused on her.

“Since you want to know so bad, Kinger hasn’t been the same since. Turned into a real whack job. He doesn’t really leave his caravan unless it’s for emergencies or a meeting. He gets real crazy when he remembers what happened to Queenie.” 

“Stop it Jax.” warned Ribbit. He had hoped Jax would stay up on his platform for the night, but it was all wishful thinking to believe that Jax would know when to stay away.

“Stop what? She wants to know.”

“Asshole, you’re just saying things to make her feel bad.” sneered Zooble, almost moving to confront the hare when Gangle wrapped a ribbon around their wrist. Pomni panicked, she didn’t want them fighting for a stupid mistake.

“Well if we weren’t so keen on re-”

“Oh!” The sound of lumbering footsteps caught their attention, everyone turning to see Kinger making his way towards them. His eyes smiled at them, a jovial pep in his step. Jax, a cruel smile forming on his face, called him over, “Come here big guy! We were just having a riveting conversation that you might find interesting.”

“Jax!” Kaufmo’s shocked cry made the hare twitch slightly, Ribbit held his breath. This can go either direction with no paddle up shits creek or perhaps an awkward night, and he needed to intervene quickly in case it goes sideways.

Jax for his part had stopped smiling. Glaring still, as though his eyes were screaming everything he wanted to say, yet his posture seemed exhausted. 

“Tsk.” He reached an arm out to Kinger and wrapped them around his shoulders, “Since the newbie here is going to be staying with us, why don’t you give her the rundown of the place.”

“An excellent idea, Jax! Such a considerate boy!” Jax smirked and began to walk away, everyone else releasing the breath they were holding.

Until Kinger asked, “Where’s Queenie, Jax? Oh! And find Ragatha! They’ll be so happy to see a new Joy Wielder among us!”

They all stood frozen, waiting for someone or something to break the ice. Kinger remained blissfully unaware until he noticed that Jax hadn’t left. Then he noticed the shock, rage, and hurt on everyone’s faces. The rest of the tent remained unaware of what was taking place, blissfully continuing with their meals and chatter.

“Jax? Where’s Queenie?” Jax remained frozen, eyes staring forward and hardly acknowledging Kinger’s voice.

“Kinger,” Kaufmo said softly, reaching his hands out to gently try and guide Kinger away. Kinger backed away, his disembodied hands raised defensively.

“Kaufmo? What’s happening? Where’s Queenie?” Pomni didn’t realize until her vision blurred that she had begun to cry. 

This is her fault. 

Is it possible to fix this?

“Everyone, where’s Queenie? Ragatha? Ragatha, dear? Where are you?” Kinger’s eyes started frantically searching, looking for the ones whose names he called out. He began to hyperventilate, hands reaching out for anything to grab hold.

Golden sparks started to escape his hands, his Joy attempting to form whatever his panicked mind was creating. Deformed butterflies and chess pieces formed before disappearing, golden veins encircling Kinger’s form before a sickly purple started to overtake.
“Queenie?” A yellow-gloved hand gripped his searching ones, Kinger looking at Jax directly. 

Jax had broken from his catatonia and smiled at Kinger, “Kinger, my guy. Don’t you remember? The girls went out to look for fireflies.”

“Oh,” relief flooding Kinger’s body. The sickly purple veins faded away as the golden color returned. His frantic eyes stopped darting in every direction, “that’s a relief. Though I hope they come soon, it’s not like them to stay out so late.”

He turned his attention to Pomni, who was still reeling from what she just witnessed, “I hope you don’t mind waiting for them, Queenie loves helping new friends.”

Pomni turned to Zooble and Gangle, trying to find out what to say but they shrugged, unsure what to do as well. When she turned her attention back to Kinger, she noticed he had spaced out again. He blinked rapidly and looked down at her direction.

“Oh! And you are?” Everyone let out their breath, Kaufmo quickly taking control.

“Come on Kinger,” he said, guiding him back out the tent, “Let's turn in early for the night.”

“Welcome to the circus!” Kinger’s kind and excited eyes made her stomach cringe, her heart heavy. She jumped when Ribbit quietly spoke up.

“He hasn’t been the same. When Queenie was first taken, he held on longer than we thought and it was because of Ragatha,” explained Ribbit, Jax flinching at her name, “She was their adopted daughter. She was Kinger’s last line to hold and when Raggy got taken, much of Kinger went too.” 

His eyes lingered over Jax before looking back at Pomni, “Caine had been gone for decades and we had time to ease from that pain. Queenie and Ragatha… Kinger has his moments. It’s great for a while but then he starts to remember.”

It remained quiet, Pomni looking around the tent. Everyone outside their group remained blissfully unaware of the events that had unfolded, thankfully. She looked back at the group to see that everyone looked exhausted, the events draining them mentally.

“I’m so sorry.” Jax snarled at her words but Ribbit had quickly stepped between them, “It’s ok. It’s better that you know now than stumble on it later and catch us off guard, Kinger especially.”
“Don’t feel bad,” said Gangle, placing her hand on Pomni’s shoulder, “We just need time before it’s alright to talk more on it.”

“What’s there to talk about?” said Jax, his monotonous tone jeeringly making Gangle flinch. 

“You know she would want us to move on.” Zooble’s quiet remark earned them a glare but Jax opted to walk away this time. Pomni felt it easier to breath, but still couldn’t completely get over what transpired.

“Alright,” said Ribbit, hitching up his trousers, “I think today has been eventful. Tomorrow we can try and map out the area better. I’ll escort Pomni back to the caravan.”

After saying goodnight to the rest of the troupe, Pomni followed Ribbit outside the tent. It was a quiet walk, the string lights illuminating the grounds. The red and yellow circus tent stood tall and bright, a beacon in the night. Ribbit kept ahead of her, his arms crossed behind his head as he casually strolled. The silence felt suffocating, she felt that she needed to say something, apologize for how the night ended. Her first day with the circus and it ended in awkwardness. 

Much like uni, she thought, a deep sigh escaping her. Ribbit turned his head to look back at her and said, “Don’t feel like you need to apologize. It’s like I said, it’s better we talked about this now than later.”

“I’m still so sorry,” she said, “I didn’t want you all to relive those memories.”

“It stings from time to time, but if we tried to forget them to spare us the pain, we would also have to forget about all the happy memories.” They reached the caravan she would be staying in, pausing outside the door. 

“I still didn’t mean for this to hap-”

“-Listen, if it’s because of Jax, then pay him no mind. He’s just,” Ribbit paused, trying to find the right words when he smiled and said, “A stubborn ass.”

Pomni couldn’t stop the smirk from forming, but it disappeared just as quickly when she heard Jax above them, “Takes one to know one.”

Surprised, they both looked up to see Jax lounging on the roof of the caravan, head resting on his hand as he laid on his side.

“You know it’s all in good fun,” teased Ribbit, winking up at him. Jax scoffed at him and hopped down from the roof, landing directly in front of the door and blocking the way in.

“So,” he said, staring directly at Pomni, “just a fair warning. You leave everything the way it is.”

“She’s not moving in, Jax, you know this,” Ribbit said, exasperation in his voice, “This is temporary until we can build her own space.”

Jax ignored him, glaring at Pomni until he heard the words he wanted to hear. She in turn glared right back at him, tired of his antics but also wanting to retreat for the night.

“I’m not going to move anything out of place.” she promised. Jax searched her face for falsehood but seemed satisfied before walking away, right after shouldering them both as he left.

“What an asshole.” grumbled Pomni.

“Heh, believe it or not, this is the nicest you’ll get from him. He could’ve punted you across the circus.” chuckled Ribbit, though Pomni could not find the humor. 

“What’s his deal?”

The smile left Ribbit’s face as he glanced at the caravan door. “It’s not my place to tell, but I can only ask that you try and give him a chance. Give him time to warm up to you. For a long time it’s only been us, then Caine got taken, then Queenie, and then Ragatha. He doesn’t handle loss very well.”

“But I’ve heard Caine, so it's not like he’s really gone,” said Pomni, “If he’s still able to reach me, maybe-”

“-It’s possible. I’m going to be honest with you though, I don’t want to get my hopes up. You’ve only heard Caine. Not Queenie or Ragatha. It’s,” he swallowed, tears again forming in his eyes, “It’s possible that maybe Caine is the only one you hear because he’s alive and…”

“I’m sorry.” Anxiety pressed down on her, making her feel terrible for once again making someone sad.

“Don’t be. I don’t want you to think that you being here would be terrible or that you’re doing something wrong. We’re still getting used to having a new Joy Wielder, one from the cities after all these years to boot. You don’t know what we had to go through so don’t feel like you’re butting in or overstepping. We’ll let you know if you are.” He gave Pomni one last smile and bid her goodnight. Pomni walked inside the caravan and looked around again.

The ghost of a well-loved friend is now more visible to her. Melancholy settled over her heart, her joycore feeling less hot than usual. The dusty furniture remained untouched, the fire still lit as someone had kept it going for her, the knitting and sewing needles still laid properly on the table. Pomni felt like an invader and trespasser, she decided to sleep so that she could leave early in the morning. 

As she laid down, she pulled the patchwork quilt over her and wondered if this Ragatha had worked on it, made with the intention of personal use instead of a stranger using it. As she closed her eyes, she could feel herself fall further and further into slumber.

“And how’s my superstar been?”

Eyes popping open in surprise, Pomni found that she was not in the caravan anymore. She woke up in a large field with a night sky over her, an actual sky full of stars. Gazing up in wonderment, she almost didn’t see who had spoken to her until he popped in front of her vision.

Dentures with floating eyes inside the teeth smiled at her. He wore a red tuxedo with gold undersides, a top hat, white gloves, and black leggings. He held a cane in both hands, anxiously wringing around it, as he floated in front of her.

“Why hello, dear,” he said, “It’s amazing to finally meet you. My name's Caine."

Chapter Text

“Caine? As in the Ringmaster for-”

“-The Amazing Adamsons Circus! Impressed with my lovely bandwagon of misfits?” It felt surreal to watch him talk, the way the teeth actually mimicked lips to form the words but also eyebrows to express feelings. He kept his gaze on her as he continued to talk.

“Tell me everything you love about it, wait!” With a snap of his fingers, a campsite materialized in front of them, Pomni sitting on a log as Caine continued to float in the air, a tent behind them, and a hot cup of something now rested in her hands. Pomni owlishly blinked at the mug in her hands and took a small sip, gasping in delight to taste hot chocolate.

“A favorite of yours too?” Caine asked, waggling his upper teeth, “I remember camping with the family once before having to flee to the cities, and mother used to make the best mug of chocolatey-goodness ever! I could never figure out how she made it unfortunately, so please make do with my second rate recipe.”

“Second-rate? This is amazing! How-”

“-Are you able to taste it? One of the many perks with my Joy. Sensory Illusion, however, has always been my specialty. It works wonders when you’re running a circus and needing to keep guests on their toes, especially on the days we ran the Magical Adventure Tent!”

“Magical Adventure Tent?”

“Three times a week, I will transform the inside of the tent into a wild and wacky adventure suitable for all ages! I would have the troupe help out by acting out different roles or adding in their own twist here and there to whatever adventure I have planned. Even I don’t know how the story will end!  Hahahaha, haha, haha!” He spun in the air, unable to stop himself from rolling over in laughter. Pomni could only watch in amusement, sipping her hot chocolate and waited for Caine to reorient himself.

“I can’t tell you how much joy (pun intended) it brings me to finally speak with you clearly! You don’t know how long it’s been since I've been able to talk with someone.” His eyes sparkled earnestly as he waited for Pomni to speak. 

Many questions raced to be the first to get asked, but one stood out that she’s been dying to know since that fateful night of the attack.

“Why me? I know you said that I listened, but out of everyone in the cities, why me?” Caine tilted his head at the question, floating down and sitting next to her on the log as he looked off into the sky. Pomni wondered if perhaps she overstepped again when he finally answered.

“I’ve been trapped inside the Amalgamation for years now,” his jovial and loud voice suddenly somber, “When it made its attack on the circus, I knew it was searching for Joy Wielders. To eradicate us was my first assumption. Without Joy Wielders to fight back its negative energy, the Amalgamation would have no trouble in devouring what’s left of our fragile society.” He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to find his words. Pomni waited, preferring he go at his own pace. 

“When we were devoured by it, we all found each other in the darkness. It was like swimming in oil, the screams from the audience, from my troupe, I had to find a way to reach out. Another perk, my dear as you already know, to become a Ringmaster is being able to connect your joycore with everyone else’s. We were able to… swim let’s say, in the darkness to each other and combine our Joys’ energies to free ourselves from the Amalgamation’s hold. We had a much softer landing, I’m afraid, than your introduction outside the walls. Our combination of Joys was able to cushion our landing and help us protect ourselves and our unfortunate audience that were also consumed.” Pomni stayed silent as he took a deep breath in before exhaling it out, exhaustion in his voice as he continued. 

“We all tried our best to survive those first few years. I’ll be honest,” he said as he rose from his seat and began to float again, leaning back as though he were resting on a lounge chair, “I certainly wasn’t expecting to be confronted with all these new responsibilities. It went from ‘How do I best spread these positive and amazing feelings to everyone’ to ‘How do I keep everyone alive’...”

His eyes turned downcast, hugging his knees to his chest, cane gripped tightly in front of him, as he thought aloud.

“... I didn’t want this for us. We lost too many good people those first few years. They, the audience, began to demand too much from us, asking us to perform miracles. Some even blamed us, if you can believe it, for the Amalgamation’s attack. Tensions were high and it was difficult to figure out how to work well together.” 

She tried to imagine it. Two wildly different groups of people attempting to solve problems their own way, some with hostility and maybe some with attempts to straddle the fence. She tried to think of how the cities solved their problems, but it suddenly now occurred to her, perhaps they wouldn’t mention anything at all. She wondered if they would have announced the loss of one Joy Wielder… or at least as far she knows. She still doesn’t know if anyone else had been consumed as well.

“It took us far longer than we liked to have found a way to enlarge the caravans from the inside, even longer to learn the best way to grow food,” a deep sigh escaped him, “I won’t deny having the occasional negative thought, wondering why out of all the circuses it was ours that was attacked or why no one had tried to look for us.”

Silence blanketed them, the campfire popping every now and then. Pomni looked up at him and reached her hand to his arm, slightly startling him out of his rumination. He looked down at her from where he was floating and allowed her to gently pull him back down next to her, the tension slowly ebbing away from his shoulders as she kept her hand on his arm.

“It must’ve been at least a couple of years when it found us again. We had just found a way to settle in and stabilize ourselves when Ragatha had spotted it, lurking in the shadows one day. Her little marionettes were quick to relay the information to us as Queenie and Kinger were quick to establish a sturdy defense.”

“Kinger and Queenie?”

“An amazing duo in action, what with all their Joy lights and puzzle creations. Kinger is an amazing enigmatologist and Queenie is a brilliant entomologist. Brilliant chess players as well, I still haven’t been able to win a match against either of them. If I had to leave the circus in capable hands, it would be them. Together, their Joy is almost impenetrable: chess pieces forming a line of defense and offense.

I will say, you’re very lucky to have them with you while I’m absent. Has Queenie given you the official Adamsons Special Tour? She never fails at easing our new residents.”

Pomni flinched, her hand tightening on his arm. He noticed and turned to look at her, to see her avoid his gaze. She had been wanting to ask him if he had an inkling if Queenie and Ragatha were with him, but it just confirmed to her that he has no idea what’s been happening to his family. 

“Is something wrong?” asked Caine, placing his warm hand over hers. It took a beat to first gather herself, trying to find the best way to approach this with him. Looking at his concerned eyes though, she knew that much like the conversation she had with the troupe, this is something that he needs to know. She just needs a little more time. A little bit more information about Caine’s situation.

“Caine,” she began, pausing to stop herself from just blurting out everything, “Was it only through me you've seen your family for the first time?”

“Yes, it's been,” warbling over his next words, “a gift to see them. I’ve tried to make attempts to reach out to them but the Amalgamation has been able to trace my attempts.”

“Trace? Like it can follow where you send your connections?” asked Pomni, an anxious knot forming in her heart, “Is that how it was able to find me?”

“I do apologize for that. Its able to focus intently when I make attempts to reach out to the troupe, but it hasn’t been able to sense it when I just send out my connections randomly in any given direction. When I first made contact with you, it was such a delight when you didn’t reject my connection.”

Because I had no idea how, she thought with regret. Meeting with the Adamsons Circus troupe and meeting Caine is such a blessing for her, the thought that she was originally upset at hearing his voice made her feel terrible.

“So when you mentioned that it knew you reached out to me because of the eclipse, it just followed the connection?”

“Yes, I’ve been trying in my attempts to shake its grip off of it. I’ve been successful here and there, but it always finds a way to take hold of the connection again. It seems when we’re both in a state of rest, it’s easy for me to create a more protective connection as my Joy doesn’t have to be physically active.”

“Wait, you’re asleep? What if it sneaks up on you? You need to wake up!” Is he crazy? Why is he putting himself in such a vulnerable position just to talk with her?

“Oh don’t you fret, that’s what Bubble is for!” Memories of her dream reminded her of his Joy-created bubble companion, so she relaxed… just a little. 

“Do you know where you are then? Does the Amalgamation still have you?”

“It’s a yes and no,” explained Caine, his fingers rubbing on top of Pomni’s hand as he stared off into the darkness past the campfire. Pomni tried not to blush at his intimate gesture, her hand unconsciously gripping tighter on his arm though he didn’t notice, and did her best to listen, “When I first got taken, it had consumed me to a place where it’s difficult to make sense of up or down.”

“Like it transported you somewhere?”

“More like I have been transported inside the Amalgamation.”

“Wh-What?”

“There’s something about this creature that acts almost like Joy but isn’t. I have been trapped in this void trying to figure out a way out.”

“What’s it like there?” She felt terrible asking the question, but perhaps it could give her a clue to maybe try and rescue him.

“It’s as though I’ve stepped into an upside down world much like our own. Whatever plane of existence the Amalgamation is from, here I am. I can’t tell you though if this is where the creature is originally from or if I’m actually living in a world inside it.” This was a lot to take in, and frightening. If Caine is able to survive in this void world due to his Joy, she wonders about the people who didn’t have it. How would they have been able to survive?

This finally brought up an opportunity to ask about Queenie and Ragatha. She placed both her hands on his shoulders and guided him to fully face her. His eyes peeked out from his teeth, a gaze of wonder aimed at her direction as though he still couldn’t believe that he was speaking to her fully. A part of her heart broke as she thought about how long he has spent by himself trying to survive, but she also felt a little shy at having his full attention.

“Ok, I need you to just… stay calm for this, ok?” Pomni asked, waiting for his hesitant nod before she continued, “Caine, Kaufmo mentioned that the circus has been attacked multiple times.”

Caine stared at her processing the information when he whispered, “What?”

Taking a deep breath, Pomni explained everything that had been told to her by Kaufmo and Ribbit. The way they have to constantly move locations to outrun the Amalgamation once it got too close to them, its ability to trick them by creating fake Joy, the attempts to rescue hordes of the corrupted humans sometimes ending in disaster, and finally, what happened to Queenie and Ragatha.

“They’ve… no, that’s…” He had removed his top hat and was wringing it in his hands, misshaping the felt as he fretted, “How could this have happened?”

“They haven’t given me the full story yet, but it happened recently with how it still hurts them to talk about it. I wanted to know if you might've been able to sense them.” Caine cast his gaze down and tried to find words to speak. He only shook his head though, still shocked that two more members of his circus family had been consumed. As she waited, Pomni noticed that the campsite around them was beginning to distort. The fire changed colors from the bright orange to white, the tent shrinking and growing in size, while the stars started to look as though they were falling from the sky. The dreamscape was falling apart and Pomni worried that they would wake up.

“How much of your Joy are you able to use in here?” asked Pomni, but Caine’s stunned silence continued, the dreamscape continuing to disappear, prompting her to frantically place both of her hands on his face and stroking the sides of his teeth. He blinked, surprised at the contact, the dreamscape stabilizing once again. It took a few minutes of silence, a few minutes of Pomni continuing to stroke his cheeks to calm him down, before the light returned. Everything stabilized once again and she was able to breathe a sigh of relief when he placed his hands again on top of hers, stopping her ministrations and patting them gently.

“I… Thank you.” he said quietly, “I apologize for not being in control there.”

“It’s ok,” she whispered, smiling to show him no harm was done, “I’m sorry you had to learn like this.”

“No, it’s” a broken sigh escaped him, “I’m glad I know. I just… oh, I wonder how Kinger and Jax are holding up.”

“Jax? Kinger I get, but that asshole?” The thought of that infuriating purple hare made her curl her lips in disgust, making Caine laugh.

“Yes, my dear, I feel it’s not in my place to discuss the intricate relationship he has with them, but I feel you should know-in order to avoid further conflict-that Jax and Ragatha were very sweet with each other. He won’t say it, but Ragatha means everything to him… meant everything to him.” 

The very pretty clown lady and that ass? Hard to believe, she thought. Catching sight of her face, Caine chuckled as though he knew what she was thinking and said, “Yes, it caught us all by surprise when they revealed their relationship to us, especially since Ragatha is older by 8 years. Kinger and Queenie were certainly not fans of his temperament but Ragatha vouched for him and they had developed such a tight knit relationship.” 

“Have you ever felt any signs of them since you’ve been here? I can ask Kaufmo or Ribbit how long ago they’ve been taken if it helps. They might've been in this plane the whole time and just need someone to find them.” 

Worry settled on his face as he shook his head, “No. Being here in this void plane is like walking through humid molasses. It weighs down on you, pressing down as though its trying to get you to submit to its influence. My Joy has been used mostly as an umbrella of sorts to stave off the influence, I fear thinking about what Queenie and Ragatha might’ve experienced.”

“Do you think they’re ok?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted, a new surge of energy revigorating him. He straightened up and fixed his top hat before placing it back on his head, standing up, his jovial manner returned with full force, “But as the Ringmaster for The Amazing Adamsons Circus, I won’t rest until everyone is safe and we can find our way out of this mess! You can count on me, dear! Ragatha and Queenie will be found!”

Pomni smiled softly at his declaration, wondering if her life could be different by having that positive outlook, but it disappeared as she considered what the next steps would be. If this void plane exists inside the Amalgamation, then rescue efforts would have her and possibly the troupe risk getting close to it. She’s already dreading the conversation she’ll need to have with Kaufmo.

“This is going to be one hell of a conversation to have with Kaufmo,” she said, drawing her knees up and settling her head down on them, “I don’t even know where to begin.” Caine floated back down and sat next to her again, watching her speculate. 

“Hmmm, how much of your Joy have you mastered?” asked Caine, taking out a pipe and blowing out… bubbles? Pomni couldn’t help the chuckle escaping her, making Caine smile in return.

“Uhm… none? You should remember that I haven’t been able to really use my Joy since you helped awaken it.”

“That’s true,” he mused, “Have you tried to do anything with your Joy since it’s been awakened?” 

“Uh, just-you know, making lights here and there,” explained Pomni, feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment, “and I tried to make that shield again from when I was falling but it just turns into a small ball in my hands.”

“Hm, anything else?” She thought hard about it and recalled the events in Mildenhall Manor, how her body stretched to reach for the cheese tart.

“My body can stretch and grab things… oh! And my eyes were able to pop out before Kaufmo helped me roll it back in.”

“Amazing! A natural user in Uncanny Joy!” 

Uncanny Joy? Pomni had never heard of it. Looking at Caine quizzically, he further elaborated, “Oh, I suppose I should say Cartoon Joy to stick with the modern lingo.”

Pomni blinked at his words, surprised that he would remember anything from her University lectures. Cartoon Joy had become the least favored branch amongst Joy Wielders, nobody seeing the need or want of being able to act like a cartoon character. In the eyes of the cities, it was a wasteful ability.

“Do you have any tips on it?” asked Pomni.

“Ask Kaufmo for guidance, he’s not just the Lead Clown of the circus, but he’s also our Uncanny Joy expert,” instructed Caine, “And don’t feel afraid in asking Zooble for help regarding your body’s ability to stretch. Much of what they’re capable of is in tune to body morphia.”

“Ok,” promised Pomni, a new sense of excitement surging through her: her Joy training can finally begin. She can become an useful Joy Wielder! As she thought this, the landscape became hazy and blurred together, voices heard from the void as Pomni stood up in alarm but Caine waved her down.

“Fret not my dear, this is just a sign that its time for us to wake up.”

“Wait,” She didn’t want this dream to end, “Will I see you again the next time I’m asleep?” 

He seemed surprised at her words, a slight blush appearing again on his face, “I-If you like.”

“Yeah!” she said excitedly, nodding her head with a great big smile.

Caine blushed even harder at her excitement, smiling wide as he floated up high and said, “Worry not my cosmic wonder! I will be sure to make time and visit you again! This I promise!” As the dreamscape started to disappear, Pomni reached out one more time to grab Caine’s hand. She felt his gloved hand squeeze back, his warmth giving her comfort before everything went black.

Pomni’s eyes snapped open as she woke up back in the caravan. Clenching her hand, she could still feel his warmth. Giggling, Pomni jumped out of bed and flew through the door, startling the early morning people who had begun their day. After a quick apology to them, Pomni could feel her joycore spinning hot as she thought about the new direction her life is taking. For once, she didn’t feel lost and she had something to fight for. Heading to the circus tent, she couldn’t wait to tell Kaufmo everything and begin her training.

Caine awoke back in the void, Bubble hovering above him keeping watch. When he heard his creator wake up, Bubble immediately floated down and excitedly asked, “So how did it go?”

“It went very well, Bubble, let’s move to a different location though. I’d rather we didn’t stay here too long.” Caine said, fixing his tie and floating back up into the sky. He didn’t like having to sleep in this cursed place, the Amalgamation always on the hunt for him. He has always stayed one step ahead of it, not giving it time to pinpoint his exact physical location. Putting himself in such a vulnerable position is not the best idea, but he needed to desperately reach Pomni to ask how things were at the circus. Now that he has a clear connection to his family, he hasn’t felt hope like this in years.

“Now what boss?” asked Bubble as they floated alongside Caine. They flew above the gnarled and twisted spires, careful not to float too high or they’ll hit the ceiling of this hellhole. Tendrils that were constantly unfurling and attempting to wrap around anything hung from above so Caine always made sure to float at a certain level.

“Now my little pocket gas, it’s time for us to go from victims to rescuers. Queenie and Ragatha need our help.”

“Oh boy! Time to don our hero caps!”

“Right you are, my friend. Let’s see if we can find a better location to begin our search.” Caine led the way, his new mission vitalizing his spirit along with the thought of getting to talk to Pomni again. Her bright smile still at the forefront of his mind, making him unconsciously smile at thinking about how to get her to smile like that again.