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It’s been a month since Jax’s cruel prank. And Zooble refused to talk to him since.
It was mean, beyond mean, just downright terrible. Especially to gangle who was actually worried about him. (Zooble was worried too. So were the others. But they knew it was all a set up for a prank! They said it before!!! They just knew it!!)
Jax has been back to his old self.
“Sup mix ‘n match!” He smirks devilishly behind them “what do you think Caine has in store today?” His eyebrows raise
They don’t say a word to him. He doesn’t deserve one.
And he doesn’t care. He never seems to care.
Caine pops in, excitedly telling them the plans for this dumb adventure, not allowing Zooble a choice of staying or going, and the adventures start.
“Cool” Jax says “pirates!” No one responds to him.
(But gangle looks at him, concern all over her face, happy mask broken by the hands of that [%$!#]er. Why does she care? Why did she ever care. They were right. It was just a prank.)
Jax shoves ragatha onto the plank, before making her walk it, into the water. He then fights off the enemy ships with a sword, while Zooble tries to find a quiet spot to relax.
“Awww” he then says, catching a glimpse at them “trying to hide?”
“Trying to get away from you.” They mumble.
“I’m almost hurt.” He puts a hand over his heart and closes his eyes, not without a chuckle.
“can you just stop” now wasn’t the time, and even if it was it’s not like he would listen to them “no one here likes you!“
“PFT! You guys are still on about that prank.” He looks uncertain “me and Caine just wanted a little payback, that’s all!” He shrugs.
There was no use. They knew that “Just shut up.”
“Why don’t you join the adventure mix-y”
“Don’t call me… ugh just leave me along. And by [%$!#]! Don’t talk to gangle.” Zooble says “you’re not funny, and you never were.”
He doesn’t say a word. Just looking at them.
Seriously? Does he expect sympathy? That they’re gonna have some big heart to heart with him, that’s he’s going to trick them into feeling pity? They know he’s faking it at this point. It doesn’t work on them anymore.
Jax stands there. Unmoving, untalking. Eyes wide.
And Zooble walks away.
.
.
.
Jax is still standing like that when they’re popped back into the circus. (Unnaturally still.)
“What happened.” Gangle mutters sadly (but so worried.) to Zooble.
“I don’t give a [%$!#]” they sigh, trying to turn around, in hopes gangle will follow them (gangles sweet, too sweet. They know she’s try to cheer Jax up. She’s been acting weird about the whole thing. Not that Zooble is surprised by it. The whole thing was [%$!#]ed)
“WHATS HAPPENING INDEED GANGLE.” Caine then screams. Great. Now they have to deal with the other [%$!#]hole.
“Caine?” Ragatha says, pomnis standing by her, kinger too. now it seems everyone’s looking at Jax.
“BECAUSE…. YOU. ALL. GOT. PRANKED!!!!”
Everyone quiet. (The last time this happened was at Jax’s ‘funeral’. They had made the decision to go, Everyone did. And right as ragatha was starting her speech caine had popped in, and announced that it was nothing more then a prank, summoning Jax back in too.)
“What?” Gangle was the only one to speak up.
“I thought the prank was getting a little…. Boring, especially some some UNGRATEFUL PEOPLE are saying they didn’t like it” Caine pauses after yelling, then clears his throat “SO I TURNED HIM OFF” he gestures at Jax “this WOULD be the part where I pop in normal Jax… but he had a little…. Mishap with the cellar.”
Normal jax? Pranked? Again really?!!
“Caine… what are you talking about?” Ragatha then says.
“Did Jax… abstract?!” Gangle says, Zooble can hear the worry in her voice.
(He didn’t. He wouldn’t. It’s a prank.)
“INDEED HE DID YOU LITTLE RIBBON RIBS!” Caine somehow speaks with a smile “good thing he was already in the cellar!”
They look at ‘jax’. Still frozen.
“So-… wait what? If that’s not Jax what is that?”
“An npc of course!!”
Oh. Was that why he was always talking about Caine (is that why Caine no longer scared him? Zooble had always thought it was just part of the act.)
Gangle hums next to them. Now looking at the ground. “I knew it.” She mumbles. And Zooble wants to say something, but just can’t.
“YOU- You let him in the cellar?!!” Ragatha voice panics.
“Not for the purpose of abstracting!!!” Caine laughs nervously “We came up will a brilliant prank and he didn’t follow the it!! So I had to improvise!” Caine said “and I saw how much Jax loved when the prank had you guys as npcs, I just thought, why not do it again!”
Caine snaps his fingers.
“But you know my policy on letting smart ai in the circus for to long!”
Jax. No the Jax npc, pops into confetti.
“SO GET PRANKED!” Caine says before disappearing.
Jax no longer stood in the main hall with them. Instead all that’s left is confetti on the ground.
Was this a prank too? Zooble hoped it was (it was the same prank they pulled on him, maybe he just wanted proper revenge.) so zooble waited. Waited for Caine to come back in, bring back normal Jax and say he was kidding.
But the more moments that pass the more unlikely it seemed that would happen.
(So what? Jax actually abstracted that day and Caine wanted to taint his memory? Or could he possibly somehow believe that they really would like this? Zooble doesn’t know which one’s worse.)
They’re all left in silence.
Zooble looks over at gangle. They know ragatha and pomni care (even kinger would care, if he had the memory too.) but first thing first they had to make sure gangle was okay.
Gangle stands, starring ahead.
Zooble should say something but their throat is dry. It seems no one wants to be the one to say the first word. So they just stand there
Until.
“Huh.” Gangle says