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Jax still can’t abstract
Not for lack of trying either. It unnerves him. He’s more and more convinced it’s cairns doing but he just can’t understand why (it’s not out of any care for him. He knows that. If he did have care he wouldn’t have let ribbit and kaufy leave.)
He exits his room in the morning. Not wanting too, but also sick of being cooped in.
“CAMPING” Caine suddenly shouts.
“Ugh…. What??” Zooble then says. Everyone’s sitting out in the lobby… guess they woke up before him.
“CAMPING” he stresses “THAT WILL BE TODAYS COOL ADVENTURE!!!”
“Oh… I kinda like camping” gangle smiles. Jax doubts that the nerd and artist likes to go outside, but he doesn’t say anything (because in truth or dare he said he would play nice. See look how nice he is!!!).
“PERFECT!!!!!” Caine snaps (Jax looks away, he wishes Caine would stop doing that.)
And a portal appears.
He’s placed in a highly detailed (well for Caine at least) forest…. On his own. Didn’t the others come with him?
He walks forward to see… more trees. Great.
He keeps walking til he sees an orange glow of the fire.
He pauses closer, once he sees Zooble and gangle sitting at the campfire.
Sitting there….
He doesn’t hear anything, gangles staring at the fire, and Zooble just sitting there…. What are they doing.
He suppresses the urge to run to them (he doesn’t need them.)
And they just… sit.
He walks forward, and suddenly they both spring to life, gangle leans down and grabs a marshmallow. While Zooble talks.
“Then I said-… oh hey Jax”
What.
Weird.
“Hi.” He said to them. “What ya doing?” He crosses his arms in a very chill pose. (He’s freaked out.)
“Just sitting here mostly” gangle said. And yeah, he could see that “I was going to make marshmallows, you want one?”
“Pft. Sure I guess” he rolls his eyes (what’s happening. Something weird is happening. Should he get Caine?! No Caine would make it worse.)
He sits on the log, in the space in between Zooble and gangle… wouldn’t they want to sit together? Maybe he should offer. Not because he cares but because of the whole ‘nice’ dare he had right.
“You know you two could sit together” he then says “I don’t mean to get in between you, heh literally” his voice wavers.
“No it’s okay.”
No it’s not.
Panic comes up his throat. Because this is weird, how did he not notice it yesterday this is weird.
“We don’t mind you.”
“Right.” He takes a marshmallow. Before just throwing it in the fire.
“Why the [%$!#] did you do that?” Zooble then says. The cursing was right. Maybe he’s dumb. Maybe this means nothing.
“Just felt like it” he shrugs.
Gangle hands him another.
Weird.
.
.
It’s time to pick tents. He picks one on his own (there were three, each big enough to fit 6 people) normally it would be a poor choice, especially with how he’s been lately. But he has a plan.
At the dead of night he sneaks out of his tent. Heading over to ragathas, pomnis, and kingers one.
Trying to down the feeling of being a creep he goes to the front of the tent, and lifts the flap up very slightly, leading in.
Ragathas sitting on pillows, there’s a dim light on the counter, and kinger sits a little away, pointing to a butterfly, pomni sits next to ragatha, looking at him.
They’re not moving. Not even the butterfly. More like statues of themselfs.
He sits there for a minute, but nothing happens, he shuffles getting a tad closer when they too spring to life.
The butterfly flaps its wings.
“Which one is that?” Ragatha asks him.
“This is a colorful flower butterf-“
Jax snaps his head back, but he still hears the distant sounds of them talking and moving, and he makes his way to Zooble and gangles tent.
Peering in he sees almost the exact same thing.
He quickly snaps back. That’s all he needed to see.
“Caine.” He then says.
He needs someone to tell him what’s going on (someone to make him feel less alone. Please make him feel less alone. Maybe it’s a nightmare. He hopes he wakes up soon.)
“YES JAX!!”
“Do you… want to share a tent with me…?” He tries to smile.
“GASP ME?!!!! On an ADVENTURE?!!! WITH YOU?! WOWIE!!! Of course Jax!!! Let me get my things!!!”
…
“and just look at the tents texture, I really outdid myself don’t you think!!!” Caine smiles. Now in his tent, pointing out every little detail.
“Uh yeah…. You know…. I was curious about the others, do you think they like this adventure” Jax smiles.
“OF COURSE THEY DO!! All thanks to you!” Caine smiles “I’m more interested in you, sense the others are already so impressed.”
“I’m always impressed!!! I mean look at the… texture… it’s…. Fabric!!!” He smiles “but I was just… you know aren’t you supposed to really care what Zooble thinks.”
“I do!!!! But Zooble loves me now, all thanks to you of course!! Look how much fun they had on the last two adventures, cleaning! Games!!! So much fun.”
Oh. Caine knew about the truth or dare…. And he didn’t stop it.
“Have YOU been having fun.”
Why is he slipping the conversation to himself.
“Of course” Jax stresses with the most believable smile he can manage…. Should he ask about it. “The others I think might be glitching out” he then sighs “just a little bit.”
Caines face falls.
A ping of fear goes through him “NOT- it’s fine!!! They’re not complaining so it’s really nothing!!!” He was hoping Caine would tell him something, anything believable enough to satiate his fears.
The next moment he blinked he was back in the bright circus.
“Well! It seems the ruse is done for!” Caine spoke dramatically.
He looks at Zooble, and their expression seem more blank then it was before.
The others are here too… they aren’t moving?
“Did you… do something to them?” He can’t help but ask Caine, his voice small.
He could’ve, right. If he stopped him from abstracting that means he has more control then Jax could even think of.
Caine laughs, snapping his fingers.
Pop!
No. No no. No. No.
He looks at the ground, but next to his foot lay colorful confetti.
No! He was the one that did something wrong!! Why was it them who got punished for it.
And it’s quiet. Too quiet.
He takes a glance up. Finding no one else around him. all of them gone in a single snap.
“I’m sorry Caine.” The words fall out of his mouth before he can stop it “I love you.” Tears start falling from his eyes as he internally begs it to stop “I’m sorry caine” he tries to wipe the tears away “I love you” it doesn’t stop “I’m sorry Caine.” He puts on a smile, but it shakes “I love you”
He’s pathetic. He wanted to abstract right? Hadn’t he already decided getting popped would’ve been a mercy. He doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t want to live, but the thought of Caine snapping one more time to do who knows what to him makes his chest ache. And he can’t stop the words from spilling out his mouth.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA GET PRANKED!!!”
What does that mean.
He hears bouncy music play in the background.
He tries to close his mouth but a “I’m sorry” still escapes.
“FOR YOU SEE!!!! Those were just npcs!!!”
Oh.
Of course they were.
So he was alone again.
“OBVIOUSLY!!” Caine sticks his tongue out “ALL NPCS POP INTO CONFETTI WHEN I MOVE THEM! You humans just move normally!!!”
What.
“The REAL others are on an adventure!!!!!”
For… months….? He shakes his head, but follows it up with a short “I’m sorry Caine… love you..” in hopes to forgive him for his slight disagreement.
“FOR YOU SEE!!!! You’ve been causing some drama among the other humans, with your jokes and pranks and such!! So we all thought it’d be a WONDERFUL idea to prank you back!!!!” Caine giggles “I’ll get the portal for the others!!! Hope they won’t mind that I ruined the surprise!!!”
Caine snaps his finger and Jax shuts his eyes.
Zooble. Gangle. They were npcs of them. Of course they would, why would those two ever give him the time of day. It’s embarrassing to think he would’ve wanted it anyways.
He hears them talking, but it’s all a blur of noise.
He glances up at them still mainly faced to the ground… when did the confetti disappear.
Ragathas soaked in mud, double missing an arm, one of gangles ribbons is a bit torn, and pomni doesn’t have her hat (kinger is in perfect condition.) if this happened a while ago he would’ve laughed at them (if it happened yesterday maybe he would’ve too.)
Instead he just looks at them “that wasn’t all bad” ragatha said “I did like the horses!”
“Speak for yourself” Zooble voice made him cringe. “That gem was not [%$!#] worth it.”
“Yeah…. Plus that bull knocked me over….” Gangle said sadly. He can’t help but wonder how she lost her happy mask.
But he empty’s his mind of that. He tries to empty his mind of all things, of all feelings.
They did this to him. Who knows if that’s even them!!! What if they’re npcs too?!!
“The [%$!#] happened here??”
“THE PRANK DEAR ZOOBLE!!!” Caine says excitedly.
“Oh yeah” pomni says “I forgot about that.”
Zooble shrugs “right, how could I forget. The only reason why this adventure went well.” They had a smirk in their voice and Jax just looked at the floor.
They aren’t his friends. He never thought that, it was a dumb thought to have. (And he went though this for months. Maybe more. Maybe less!! Who even knows!!! Clearly Jax doesn’t?!! And they forgot.)
“Jax…?” It’s gangles voice. And he doesn’t move a muscle.
“What’s he saying?” Ragatha asks.
…. He’s not saying anything? He’s not right??? He moves a hand to his face, and feels his lips moving. No that’s not right, what is he saying.
”im sorry Caine… I love you”
”im sorry Caine… I love you”
”im sorry Caine… I love you”
”im sorry Caine… I love you”
”im sorry Caine… I love you”
His own voice fades in and out of his ears, he knows the words but it’s hard to make out still.
His mind screams danger at him, and he just can’t stop speaking.
Everyone’s quiet, but the song in the background continues. Are they closer to him? He can’t tell. He doesn’t want to look up again.
“Jax…” ragathas pitying voice comes in. How does he know if it’s ragatha? Not just some npc sharing her face.
“The [%$!#] did you do to him?” Zooble cursing has the same normal silly sound effect, but clearly it’s easy enough to fake.
“I did the prank… you know… what we talked about??”
“Everyone disappearing by that
Snap thing?” Pomni shutters as she says (so they planned it. They made it happen.) then she looked at him, he felt her doubtful eyes “… it’s only been a few hours right?”
Zooble sighs “overdramatic.” They mumble “or he’s trying to prank us back. I’d say don’t engage.”
“Well I may have taken a FEW creative liberties, like extended the time out here, so it’s been MUCH longer in the circus than it has been in the adventure!!!”
“…how long” pomni asked.
“ACCORDING TO THE CAINE WACKY WATCH ITS BEEN 500 SLAMONIDERS!!!! Or in human terms~ 4 months!!!”
4 months.
Maybe caines lying. Maybe he’ll pop them too and this will be another prank. (4 months? No that’s can’t be right? Can it? It did feel like a long time but it wasn’t that long was it?!).
“Jesus [%$!#] Caine?!!” Zooble shouts.
“That’s… it was only meant to be for an hour or two?” Pomni then says.
“I knew we shouldn’t have done this…” gangle mumbles.
“Oh hi Jax!! Long time no see” kinger suddenly said.
They were all looking at him. Was he still talking? He didn’t think so.
He had to leave. He should’ve already left by now, his legs just refuse to move him, no matter how hard he tries.
Whatever. “Caine.” His voice comes out just above a whisper “put me back in my room” he hates asking Caine for it, but it’s not like he can move on his own (he needs him. And the thought makes him want to cry. But isn’t he crying already? Did he stop)
Caine looks taken aback for a moment.
So Jax smiled “please…?”
With that Caine lifts up his hand, Jax thinks he may have said something, but he wasn’t paying attention, and snaps.
…..
A sob escapes him the moment he’s met with the darkness of his room.
The others are back right? Meaning he’s not the only one left in the circus?
Meaning he can abstract right? That’s how that works??!
He crawls to his bed, breathing heavy as he tries to slow it down.
Ribbit will save him.
Kaufy will save him.
C’mon. Just save him
Hasn’t he waited long enough.
He looks to the corner of his room with pleading eyes.
Save him.
Save him.
A hand emerges.
He steadily reaches out.
Save him.
Then his mind empty’s. And he’s sent into bliss.
(Knock knock.)