Chapter Text
Silence reigned over the circus for a while after Caine's disappearance. Nobody dared to move, nor even speak for that time. It was like the very tent itself was holding its breath, like everyone was waiting for Caine to pop back and say "Gotcha!", proving this was all just an elaborate ruse, just like the "escaping" adventure he set up.
So they waited...
...and waited...
...But he didn't come back.
Zooble moved first. With deliberate, careful movements, they turned to face Jax, their abstract features adjusting into an expression of anger. "Jax... what the [&$#?] was that?" they asked bluntly, glaring daggers at him. Gangle squeaked from behind them, glancing quickly between the two, clearly worried about how this confrontation might turn out.
Jax didn't have an immediate response. He'd been zoning out, his eyes stuck on the spot where Caine had disappeared. Slowly, though, he adjusted his gaze to meet Zooble's, no hint of remorse in the slightest. Instead, his expression was merely a blank mask, showing nothing of what he might be thinking. "What? I was just saying what everyone was thinking. Can you seriously tell me you disagree?" he asked softly, tilting his head to one side.
At that point, Zooble hesitated. They knew — they all knew, really — Jax was right. At least to some extent. They all harbored some kind of resentment for the ringmaster, even if most didn't bother saying too much. Zooble was the most outspoken of the group, but even they wouldn't have gone as far as Jax had.
Still, though, they couldn't really disagree. So instead, they just scoffed, turning away and starting off. "Whatever. I'm going back to my room." they muttered, not bothering to look back as they walked away. As Zooble walked away, Gangle spared one last glance at the rest of the cast, then hurried to follow them, walking side by side in silence.
In the newfound silence, Ragatha decided to clear her throat softly to break the ice somewhat. "How about... how about we all just take a break? Go back to our rooms, refresh a bit... I'm sure Caine will be back tomorrow anyway, good as new. He always is," she suggested softly, though her tone suggested that even she didn't quite believe it. None of the cast had ever seen him break character this badly, so no one really knew when, or if, Caine was going to come back.
Jax scoffed softly, but shoved his hands in his pockets and turned away, stalking back to his room without another word. Pomni, for this whole time, had been staring at the ground with scribbles for pupils, but she blinked herself out of her daze when she realized it was just her and Ragatha. The latter was looking at her anxiously, clearly unsure about whether to leave or not.
In an effort to ease Ragatha's clear indecision, Pomni just cleared her throat, standing up a bit straighter. "Y- yeah, that... that sounds like a great idea, Ragatha." She hesitated a moment more before gesturing vaguely in the direction of the rooms, inviting the doll to go first.
Ragatha sighed with relief and started walking, with Pomni matching her pace. They walked in silence, each trying to process the extent of what had just happened. Caine, the AI — who, thinking logically, shouldn't even be able to feel — had just broken down. In front of them all, no less. It was truly a... surprise, to say the least.
Ragatha halted when they reached her door, waving at Pomni briefly before disappearing into her room. Pomni nodded back, then just kept walking, heading to the relative safety of her own room. Thoughts and anxiety cluttered her mind, and before she knew it, she'd arrived at her destination and slipped into her room, quietly closing the door behind her.
Having nothing better to do, she just flopped on her bed, her eyes gazing at the ceiling, though unseeing. She continued to think, wondering about Caine and whether he was okay or not. Logically, she knew he wasn't, but really, what could she do about it? It's not like she knew where he was, nor was she even sure he'd accept help. No, it seemed she was stuck waiting this whole thing out. So with that thought in mind, she let herself drift off, darkness enveloping her thoughts as she succumbed to whatever the digital equivalent of slumber was.
---
As Pomni awoke, the first thing she noticed was a deafening silence.
Usually in the circus, there's some sort of background music. Maybe it's some sort of jazzy tune, maybe it's a faint buzz that stirs memories of computer fans whirring, maybe it's a distant chattering of the cast talking. Now, though, everything was quiet as a grave. It pressed in on Pomni from all sides, enveloping her like a blanket, making her movements slower, as if not to break this precarious stillness.
As she got up from her bed and out from her covers, her movements were noticeably muted, matching the environment. She moved with a deliberateness that she usually lacked; any other day, she let herself feel groggy, stumbling around a bit before she truly woke up. Now, with the unnerving lack of noise, she was already fully awake before she even reached the door, glancing around nervously like she expected something to jump from the shadows and attack her.
Her door opens and closes with the same soft click as it always had — that was good, at least. It meant she hadn't just gone deaf, and that she probably wasn't just going crazy. With that in mind, she started towards the only place she could think of going; the couches where they all usually hung out.
As she arrived at her destination, she saw the rest of the cast already waiting quietly. Zooble and Gangle were sitting next to each other, the latter drawing with the former watching, Jax was zoned out in an armchair with his ears pinned back, Ragatha was glancing around nervously with her hands folded neatly in her lap, and Kinger was once again nowhere to be found. Pomni noted the chess piece's absence with a vague sense of curiosity, but didn't think too much about it, since she was snapped from her thoughts by Ragatha.
"Oh! Pomni! You're... awake. Yay... ahah..." She trails off awkwardly, likely realizing she doesn't have much to say. Pomni hummed softly in acknowledgement and sat near the doll, staying quiet; making any more sound than she already had felt like it violated some unspoken rule in this newfound silence.
The group waited for a while more, each hoping that Caine would show up to break this awful monotony. The ringmaster's excitement, while usually barely tolerated, would be a welcome distraction from the emptiness lingering within the tent now. So they waited.
...But nobody came.
Eventually, it got to the point where Pomni gathered her courage enough to break the silence. "...Has- has anything like... this... ever happened before?"
The cast remained silent for a moment before Ragatha spoke up. "Not that I can remember... Caine has always been out here by now." She mused, glancing around again anxiously. "I hope he's alright..."
Jax scoffed from where he was sitting, his eyes not moving from where they were focused on nothing. "Even if it isn't, who cares? It's not like it cares about us, with all the [#!$?] it's put us through."
"Oh, shut up. Haven't you already done enough damage?" Zooble shot the rabbit a glare, their voice harder than the plastic their limbs were made of. "In case you've forgotten, this is your fault. You just had to speak up when Caine was obviously already aggravated, you just couldn't keep your [@$?#] mouth shut."
Jax's eyes shifted in an instant, and his mouth twisted into a scowl. "Oh, that's rich coming from the person who gives Caine [?&#$] the most." He put on an awful impression of Zooble, eyelashes magically appearing on his face just so he can blink in an exaggeratedly innocent fashion. "'Oh Caine, nobody likes your adventures, they're always painful and annoying and when they're actually fun I hate them because I have no sense of entertainment.'" He rolled his eyes, lashes disappearing, his previous, snarky attitude replacing them. "Please. As if you're not just as guilty here."
Zooble bristled, shifting where they sat. "Excuse me? I was just... trying to give him advice. His adventures suck [!#$@], we both know that. What's wrong with giving him some... constructive criticism?" they defended, narrowing their eyes at Jax. It wasn't constructive criticism, they knew that, everyone knew that; it was always much too harsh to have teaching intentions, always too blunt. They were just trying to rationalize their actions towards the AI.
Jax, ever perceptive in every wrong way, picked up on that immediately. His scowl flipped and suddenly he was grinning, eyes narrowed as he leaned forward, looking very much like a predator stalking prey. "Oh please. You're joking, right? You gotta be, cause there ain't no way you'd ever try and help it. And who would? That thing doesn't deserve-"
Ragatha leaned forward suddenly, brittle laughter echoing through the tent. "Okay! I don't think there's any need to blame each other quite so much..."
"Yeah," Pomni broke in, taking advantage of the lapse in arguing to try and be productive. "This isn't going to get us anywhere. It's just... annoying, really." She deliberately ignored Jax's eye roll, continuing on as if he didn't exist. "Shouldn't we try and... I dunno... find Caine...? Just to make sure he's alright and all..."
Ragatha nodded quickly, clearly grateful for the distraction. "That's an excellent idea, Pomni!" She paused, her mouth half open like she was going to say something, but forgot halfway through. "Uhm... does anybody have any ideas on how to find him...?"
Gangle, having been quietly observing from her corner of the couch, spoke up. "We could try and ask Kinger...?" she proposed, looking around at everyone. Her comedy mask was still on, so her voice wasn't quite as wobbly as it usually was, but it was still fragile sounding.
"That's a great idea, Gangle." Zooble immediately spoke up again, offering her a smile — with their eyes, of course, seeing as they didn't have a mouth. Gangle returned the gesture, straightening up a bit as Zooble continued. "We could have a couple people go ask Kinger, and the rest of us stay here in case Caine does show up, yeah?"
Jax groaned loudly from his chair and stood up, the noise sounding like a gunshot in the silence. "Yeah, as if I'm going to try and find that lost cause. [@?$&] this." he grumbled, shoving his hands in his pockets and stalking away, muttering under his breath as he went. Pomni's eyes lingered on his form until he disappeared, at which point she sighed sadly. If only he didn't feel the need to be that way.
"Uhm... that sounds good. I could go and check in on Kinger, then?" she offered, standing up already.
"I'll go with you! Just to... uh... keep you company, of course." Ragatha stood quickly, dusting off her dress, despite that not being necessary. Pomni just nodded, already waving a hand goodbye at Zooble and Gangle. So, the two set off, making their way through the labyrinthine corridors and hallways. Eventually, they arrived at Kinger's pillow fort, and Pomni knelt, only to pause before going in.
"Hey... Ragatha... D'you think you could stand outside? Just in case, like- you see... uh... Caine float by, or something. Like a lookout sorta situation." Pomni started fidgeting with one of the pom-poms of her jester suit, feeling a twinge of guilt for asking the doll of such a thing. She wasn't trying to be mean or anything, of course, but she felt Ragatha's presence would only complicate things where they didn't need to be complicated.
The doll immediately stepped to the side of the pillow Pomni was about to remove, already stammering. "O- oh! Yeah, no, yeah, I- I get it! Of course I get it, y'know, I... yeah, it's fine..." she trailed off, glancing away, eyes scanning the tent.
Pomni winced, but nodded. "Right. Thanks." With a last, soft sigh, she carefully extracted a couple pillows from the fort — just enough so she could enter — and crawled inside.
The insides of the fort were nice and cozy, with blankets and extra pillows scattered across the space, though considerably bigger than what should be possible. Pomni didn't let that faze her, though, and instead just let her gaze land on Kinger where he sat holding a small, glowing butterfly gently in his hands.
The chess piece looked up, seemingly surprised at having a visitor, though certainly not displeased. "Oh! Pomni, what brings you here?" he asked pleasantly, patting the space next to him with one hand, the other still supporting the glowing insect.
At the sight of the butterfly, her thoughts about Caine ceased and she forgot why she came in the first place, just walking over to sit next to Kinger and look upon the insect in awe. "Where did that come from?" she asked softly, leaning forward just barely to get a better look at it.
Kinger just chuckled, his eyes smiling despite his lack of mouth. "Oh, this? Well, I just made it. You can get really creative here if you know how. Why, how do you think Caine makes his adventures?"
Caine. Right. She was here to ask if Kinger had any idea what was up with Caine. Tearing her gaze away from the dazzling specimen, she forced herself to look into one of Kinger's eyes — they were pretty crooked, after all. "Speaking of- of Caine... He's been- uh- gone. For a while. He sorta... crashed out after our last adventure and we haven't seen him since. He was... pretty upset," she explained softly, watching as Kinger's eyes widened slightly.
"Oh? Well... that's probably not good, is it?" he mused, his tone thoughtfully concerned. "And what are you asking me to do?"
Pomni paused, blinking a few times as she tried to figure out just what she was trying to ask him about. "Oh- well- y'know... Just, do you have any idea where he could be...? Or- or how we might be able to find him?"
At this, Kinger puts the butterfly down gently, the hand which previously held it now stroking his imaginary chin in thought. "Have you tried simply calling for him? He usually answers to that. And, of course, if that doesn't work you can always try calling for Bubble. He'll send a message from you to Caine if needed, most likely." The butterfly's wings flap gently; not fast enough to fly, but just a contented motion that inspires a certain kind of calm.
Pomni made a small "huh" sound, wondering why nobody had thought of that. It was so simple, and so in character for the AI. Of course, with how he was acting now, it was just as likely to fail as it was to succeed, but at least calling for Bubble had a good chance of success. "That- that's actually... really smart. Yeah... That- that.. oh, uh- I should get back to the others," she realized, looking from the butterfly to Kinger, offering the chess piece a small smile. "Thanks."
Kinger just smiled again, nodding softly and scooping up the butterfly again, watching with a contented sigh as its wings flap once again. "Of course. Glad I could help. And, uh... let me know if you find him and he's... not alright, hm?" he asked, glancing at the jester as she stood.
"Oh- yeah, sure, of course. I'll see you later, Kinger." She nodded, agreeing without a thought — why wouldn't she tell him? — and waving goodbye as she went to exit again. When she did, she was bombarded with the bright light of the circus, but in a few blinks, she was thankfully adjusted again, already standing next to Ragatha.
"Well? What did he suggest?" she asked curiously.
"Oh- well, he just... said to call him. Caine, I mean. Like call for him. And if that didn't work, call for Bubble to send a message to Caine." Pomni said with a shrug, already starting back to the others, with her companion matching her pace immediately.
"...Huh. Really? I suppose it does make sense... and it's not like we have any better ideas," she sighed, going quiet for the rest of the walk back.
The journey back was, of course, uneventful, with the silence slightly uncomfortable. That atmosphere was broken, however, the moment Gangle and Zooble came into view at the couches — they'd only gotten closer in the time Pomni and Ragatha had been gone, and seemed to be idly chitchatting — and Pomni raised her voice to call to them. Gangle waved, Zooble nodded, and they both paused what they were previously doing to wait for news.
"What'd Kinger say?" Gangle's soft voice drifted from her avatar, almost anxious in quality.
"Well..." Pomni trailed off momentarily, unsure of how to word the rather straightforward suggestion. "He just said to... call for Caine. Like, literally call. And if that didn't work, he suggested calling for Bubble so he could give a message to Caine."
Gangle made a soft hm sound, likely wondering why nobody had thought of that in the first place, but Zooble outright groaned. "Seriously? That's it? I should've known it'd be so simple..." they grumbled, huffing softly as their arms crossed.
"Well- ehm- I guess there's no time like the present, right? Does anybody want to call for him...?" Ragatha asked, her voice it's usual cheerful tone, even if she was nearly certain nobody would.
It took a couple seconds, and the ragdoll had seemingly just come to terms with doing it herself, but Pomni spoke up. "I- I'll do it. What's the worst that could happen?" she asked flippantly, ignoring how numerous, anxiety riddled thoughts immediately popped up. 'He could show up and yell at you, or he could show up and teleport Jax nearby to throttle him, or he could start breaking down and you can't handle that right now you're gonna snap you're snap-'
With a deep breath, she forced herself further into the center of the living space, doing her best to ignore her bubbling thoughts. "Caine!" She raised her voice, and it even started bouncing off the walls of the tent, coming back to her a distorted, repetitive clone of what it originally was. "Caine? Please... Please come back out...?”