Work Text:
“Bubble take five! I need a moment.”
“Aye aye boss!”
Caine swooped out the back door before his assistant could ask any further questions. The sound of raucous fighting faded behind him, giving him the much needed reprieve to clear his head. Rehearsals for the show tonight were not going as planned.
Gangle’s ribbons had gotten tangled up during her dance routine. Kinger had forgotten where he placed his set of juggling balls, so he and Queenie had been gone all morning looking for them. Zooble had put the wrong pieces in the positions they needed for the new contortionist bit they had planned. Kaufmo the clown was complaining nonstop about his new partner—who was suspiciously absent—not being funny enough. And last but certainly never least, Jax and Ragatha had messed up their trapeze act and almost fallen into the flaming net below them, setting off a huge fight that rippled through the entire ring. Suddenly everyone was talking at once, insults being hurled every which way, and the ringmaster had no idea where to even begin to start solving the issue. Abel was no where to be found, much to Caine’s dismay. Bubble was a loyal companion, but truthfully, wasn’t much help when it came to interpersonal problems in the circus. He was on his own, and very overwhelmed.
He floated back and forth in the air, trying his hardest to resist the urge to reach for his bubble pipe. He’d been relying on it a little too much recently, using it as more of a distraction rather than a genuine coping mechanism. He wanted a clear head. After all, it was his job to fix everything.
But how could he? No one was listening to him! The endless frustration was maddening to a degree he didn’t know was possible. Everyone either just kept talking over each other or wouldn’t compromise an inch. Jax and Ragatha were particularly bad at sniping at each other, but Zooble also liked to make things difficult when they wanted to, voicing their displeasure more times than he could count. It had a domino effect on the others, causing a divide he didn’t know how to close. He tried his best to accommodate every employee, but it seemed the more he tried the worse it got.
Caine paused his pacing and slumped against the brick wall, illuminated under a single street light. This was his dream, the one thing he knew he was destined to be. The ringmaster to the greatest circus the digital world had ever seen! If they all could just cooperate, he knew they would be able to see the vision too.
He looked down at his hands before closing his eyes and burying his teeth in them. He was far too stubborn to give up. Yet how was he ever going to get them to understand? What was he missing?
His spiral was cut short by the sound of the exit handle clanging to life. Caine whipped his head towards the door as it swung open to block the light, praying it wasn’t Bubble coming to collect him. He wasn’t ready to face anyone. Not just yet.
Instead he heard soft footsteps make their way outside as the door rolled shut again to reveal a petite, colorful jester standing with her head turned away from him. She was a scheme of red and blue with yellow accents around the sleeves, neck, hat, and shoes. Her costume was puffed at the arms and the legs, her jester hat parted like two pigtails down her back. She was wringing her gloved hands when she looked towards him, the gentle sound of bells tinkling as her mouth parted in surprise.
“Oh I’m sorry! I didn’t realize there was anyone else out here.”
It clicked in his head that this must be the new hire to be Kaufmo’s partner. The one he wouldn’t shut up about. The street light gleamed in her hair, her multicolored eyes shining big under the shadow of her eyelashes. Her face looked small under the brim of her hat, but expressive just the same.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but Caine could swear she was glowing. Like some kind of. . .harlequin angel, sent to him as some sort of sign. A sign of what remained to be seen, but a sign none the less.
She started to fidget again under his intense stare, her eyes darting to the side a few times in clear discomfort. At least, it might be clear to anyone else besides Caine.
“I’ll uh. I’ll just go then.”
Those words seemed to finally snap him out of his stupor as she turned to leave again. Her hand was hovering over the handle when his arm shot out into a stop motion before he could think.
“Wait!” His voice boomed louder than intended, making her jump. Oh no. That certainly wasn’t the impression he wanted to give her at all. He stuttered to come up with something to say to make up for his outburst.
“U-uh, I mean its no trouble at all, please stay!”
It was the first thing that came to mind. And he meant it. Why, he wasn’t sure he could fully comprehend yet. All he knew was that a minute ago he wanted to be alone, and now? He really, really didn’t want her to go.
The jester shifted from one foot to the other, appearing to contemplate his offer for a moment. If Caine knew how to hold his breath, he would be in anticipation of her answer.
“Well, if you insist.”
He had to stop himself from shouting I do! He had an inkling she wouldn’t respond well to too much overt enthusiasm. So he watched her walk around to his right side and join him in leaning against the concrete wall. One palm rubbed at her arm as she looked out into darkness, frowning to herself. The ringmaster tilted his head to the side, hoping to get a better look at her expression. Pensive and guarded, he would call it. He couldn’t deny it intrigued him.
“Something’s troubling you.”
She whipped her head around to gape at him, as if she were surprised he even noticed. How could he not? It was written all over her energy. What on earth would a lovely little thing like her have on her mind to make her so upset? He simply had to know.
“Am I that obvious?” Her voice was sheepish in tone.
“Extremely,” he replied, wasting no time in mincing words. He didn’t believe in it. Directness was always the way to go, at least in his opinion.
“Care to elaborate?” He went on, desperate for any morsel of information she was willing to feed him. He tried not show his frustration when she immediately closed up again, clasping her hands onto her elbows and shaking her head.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she said, sounding surprisingly more sure of herself since the conversation started.
“Why on earth not?” It spilled from his mouth without a second thought. He was doing his best to keep his cool, but she wasn’t making it easy for him. What did he need to do to make her open up to him? What was the key to unlocking this mysterious creature’s mind?
She unintentionally gave it to him in her next words.
“I mean, you are sort of. . .you know, my boss?”
Oh. Right.Abel may have been the one to hire her, but Caine was the head honcho around here. Yes, he could see how her technically being his employee could blur the lines if they got too personal with their interactions. However, the ringmaster would never dream of betraying her confidence, and he was not about to let a little technicality keep him from his mission. He racked his brain, trying to come up with something to say that would put her at ease about his intentions.
“Well, you know, being your boss also means it’s my duty to fix any problems you may be having. So if there is something bothering you, you should tell me what it is, and that way we can get to the bottom of it. Together.”
Her face read as interested, but unconvinced. It wasn’t a lie. It just happened to align with his desire to get to know her better. Never mind the protocols he might be breaking in doing so, he could deal with that later when they came to it. There were benefits to being the one in charge, after all.
She had turned away from him, seeming to mull over her thoughts. As impatient as Caine could be, he did his best to wait for her answer. She was still turned away when she finally spoke.
“I just,” she began, taking a long pause before starting again, “I just don’t think I’m very good at this job.”
“Your job?” He latched onto the sentence like a piranha, taking what he could and running with it. “What do you mean?”
She shrugged, her gaze falling to the ground, as if to avoid his own. She was going against her every instinct screaming at her to walk away. No good could ever come of opening up to the person who could fire you on a whim. None of this was wise, but for some reason, she found herself wanting to not only stay, but to tell him everything.
“I don’t know. I mean, I’m a jester avatar, it’s my job to entertain people. It’s what Abel hired me to do. But I don’t seem to be very good at making people laugh? I know when others look at me and see a jester, they automatically think I must be funny, and I’m doing my best but I-just. . .” She trailed off, unable to form the next words for exactly what she was feeling.
“Seem to be coming up short?” He finished the sentence for her, making her jerk her eyes up to him. A short moment passed before she nodded, a subtle smile on her lips.
“Yeah.”
Caine finally broke his trance on her to look up at the night sky, watching the stars twinkling down on them with an introspection he didn’t normally let others to see. This jester girl was having some strange effects on him, to be sure. There was no other explanation. But he felt it was only fair that he reciprocate the display of vulnerability with his own.
“This might come as a surprise to you, but, I think I can relate,” he went on, letting the thoughts spill out as they came. “I’m the ringmaster! It’s my job to make sure everything is running smoothly and that everyone is happy. And yet, lately it feels like everything is falling apart.”
He let his eyes fall to the ground, his front teeth scrunching together in dismay.
“I just don’t understand what I’m doing wrong.”
There was a long, heavy silence between them. He couldn’t blame her, seeing a confident man such as himself so defeated would make anyone uneasy.
“Well it might have something to do with the flaming net.”
If question marks could appear out of thin air, there would have been one floating over Caine’s head. He turned to the brunette, arching one of his incisors at her. Not for the first time, she wondered how a set of talking teeth could emote in such a bold way.
“Please explain.”
She shrugged, seeming to shrink back into herself. A sign she was unsure of what she was about to say. You’re in too deep now. Should have thought of that before you opened your big mouth.
“I mean I just heard that the net being on fire really made Ragatha nervous, and then I think that might have set Jax off? And then I heard Zooble told him to knock it off and that made him even more mad, and I’m pretty sure Gangle had to step in to get them to stop bickering which did NOT go over well and. . .I don’t know, I was only hearing bits and pieces, really.”
Her mouth snapped shut comically, effectively ceasing her rambling. Caine was caught between wanting to hear more and blue screening in an effort to process everything she just said. His head was spinning, and in the center was one thought.
“But the net has to be on fire! How else are we going to make the show more thrilling for the audience?”
He was genuinely so confused. Ragatha never said anything when he brought up his idea about the net. When he took the time to collect the memory, he could remember her face showing some concern, but he assumed when she decided to go along with it that she understood the vision he was going for. Why would she agree if she didn’t?
Caine rubbed the side of his teeth where his temple would be, exasperation flooding his system.
“I don’t understand. There’s no real danger from the net being on fire, why would it make her nervous?”
He appeared to be speaking to himself more than to her now. The jester could see the distress rolling off him in waves, and she started to feel guilty for even saying anything at all. But then something told her he would have pulled it out of her eventually. This man was nothing if persistent to the core.
She felt moved to ease the torment she had unintentionally caused him.
“W-well I think she just didn’t want to upset you. The flaming net might not kill her, but it would still hurt. . .like, a lot, ya know? That’s how I saw it, anyway.”
Her words cut through his anguish, making him straighten and look towards her again. He hadn’t thought of it that way before. How had she figured that out with only being here such a short time? Her people reading skills were extraordinary. She was already proving to be a valuable asset to the circus. Caine made a mental note to praise Abel later on his keen eye for new hires (and also to tell Kaufmo to back off and let the poor girl breathe).
“You raise an excellent point my dear,” he said, touching the bottom of his gums as he spoke. “But then how else would I raise the stakes of the performance? I’m afraid I’m all out of fresh ideas.”
She instantly started to panic, laughing nervously while waving her hands frantically in front of her, making the bells on her hat furiously jingle.
“Oh, I don’t think I’m the right person to ask about that,” she sputtered out. She was being way too modest as far as he was concerned. However, he didn’t wish to push her past her comfort zone.
“But I’m sure the others have suggestions for you, if you ask for them,” she went on, tapping her pointer fingers together absently. She was absolutely, unintendedly adorable. It took every ounce of restraint for him not melt into a puddle of pixelated goo at the sight. She was also, once again, spot on.
“Gadzooks you’re right! I could make a suggestion box for the others to put their ideas into. Why hadn’t I thought of that?”
His boisterous bravado filled the air around them, shifting the mood to something more palpable. He placed his knuckles on his hips and puffed out his chest, feeling his usual vigor beginning to return. And it was all thanks to her!Gratitude surged through his body as turned to fix her with what she could only assume was the closest thing to a smile that he could conjure.
“Thank you-uh-uhhh. . .” He came to a stop in middle of his expression, realizing they hadn’t even exchanged proper introductions.He was appalled at his own rudeness.
“Oh do pardon me, where are my manners? We haven’t been formally introduced yet. My name is Caine!”
He thrust his hand out toward her, making her blink owlishly. She looked up at him then down again, waiting a few seconds before slowly grasping it with her red glove. They shook a couple times delicately, as if they were moving in water.
“Nice to meet you Caine, my name is Pomni.”
“Pomni.”
The ringmaster stared directly into her eyes as her name rolled off his tongue. Caine’s attention was immediate and intense. The word subtlety was definitely nowhere near his vocabulary. If Pomni wanted space, she would have to be assertive about it.
But did she? Why was she hesitating?
He kept gawking at her, holding her hand and making her squirm in an entirely new way she wasn’t used to. This was uncharted territory for the jester, and she was beginning to feel overwhelmed.
She jerked her hand back suddenly, the thoughts swirling around in her head picking up speed. It slipped from his palm with ease, his eyes still fastened on her guarded body language. It wasn’t his intention to make her purposefully uncomfortable. He simply couldn’t help but be enamored by her.
Pomni felt herself reaching her limit for this particular social interaction. She needed an out, and quick.
“We should probably get back inside. The others are probably wondering where we are.”
Caine narrowly shook his head, breaking his daze. She had a knack for doing that to him. What’s more, is that he was finding he didn’t mind one bit.
“Yes of course, you are correct, we have been absent for some time.”
He levitated off the ground and turned to open the door. They were met with the distant sound of the others working away, a calm seeming to finally have settled over them. He gestured inside while bending into a small bow expectantly at her.
“After you, my dear.”
Pomni gave him a tiny smile and maneuvered around his floating feet to walk through first.
“Oh, and Pomni?”
She halted and turned to look up at him as he hovered above her, her face open and inquisitive. She didn’t fail to notice how his voice had softened ever so slightly when he said her name this time.
“Don’t worry about your job. If you don’t think the position is a good fit, I’ll personally make sure we find you one that does, ok?”
She turned pink under her blush marks, ducking her head and nodding. He watched her fade back into the shadows of the door frame, her silhouette highlighted by the dim back lighting. He drifted there for a moment to admire the view until she was out of sight.
The hand that had held hers flexed before he swooped in after her, letting the door quietly seal shut behind him.