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“Welcome back my soggly wobbly tourniquets! Did you enjoy The Treasure Hunt for the Bits and Pieces of Destiny, or what?” Caine greeted the humans as they returned to the circus via the portal of fractal noise.
“Oh, you know it!” Exclaimed none other than Grimace's twink of a cousin, Jax, before sticking out his foot in a successful attempt to trip a poor ragdoll.
“Owww… Jax?!” She quickly picked herself back up with the assistance of a red gloved hand belonging to Pomni.
“It actually wasn't too bad.” The jester commented.
“I liked how it wasn't life-risking.” Gangle then added with a small chuckle.
“I really liked how we had to catch our destiny like butterflies!” Kinger exclaimed, appearing behind Gangle out of nowhere, making her jump a bit.
To this the ring master spun in the air with glee. “Yeppie woo do da!! Did ya hear that Bubble? ‘Not too bad!’” His eyes lit up like a four year old's to candy.
The freaky sphere simply stared at the set of gums for a hot second before popping abruptly.
“Hahaha! My thoughts exactly, dear friend.” He gestured to the place where Bubble popped previously with one hand and wiped a laughter induced tear from his giant eye. “What did you think about it, my quilt of varying fabrics?” The teethman questioned while batting his eyes towards Zooble.
“..It was… Fine? I guess…” They said with a sigh.
“I'm gonna head to my room.” Finishing the sentence under their breath they quickly slipped away from the crowd and towards the hallway of rooms.
Zooble was stopped mid-step by a bundle of ribbons. “..Uh w-would you like to hangout.. maybe..?” Gangle asked while fidgeting with her ribbon hands.
Zoobles eyes squinted in a way to smile. “Maybe later. I'm just really tired today for some reason. Thanks though.”
“No problem!” The masked character assured them with a smile and a makeshift thumbs up.
The other characters, along with Gangle, proceeded to do the casual post-adventure activities which only really consisted of chatting at the lounge area.
Meanwhile, Zooble limped with their mixed matched legs into the hallway before leaning on the wall for support. They held their head with their free hand and squinted slightly.
“Ugh… What the hell?” They groaned as their hand reached the knob to their door. They stumbled into their large colorful bed and covered themselves with their poofy comforter.
Zooble had been feeling… Sick?... All day. They didn't even know that you could be sick here. The whole ‘no human bodies’ thing must've made it pretty hard if not impossible to catch or spread sicknesses.
Whatever it was, it made Zoobles head throb, legs ache, and imaginary throat dry.
It was agonizing.
They tried their best to fall asleep but the twisting in their stomach made that urge insatiable. They could do nothing but curl up into a pathetic ball of exhausted limbs.
It was only a matter of time before nausea took over and Zooble bent off their bed to empty their disturbed stomach with a gruesome splat. They could see a tinted version of their exhausted reflection through the black sludge.
“Eugh…” They said in disgust of the vomit they had just projectiled onto their unfortunate floor. They scrambled back underneath the covers and shivered like a poor stray on the streets.
About an hour had passed since everyone returned from the adventure and began conversing. Gangle quickly found herself becoming bored. She swiftly excused herself to her room. She had some character designs she needed to work on anyways.
She walked through the hallway but stopped herself at Zooble’s door. They had been in their room for a while. Probably just taking a nap.
Gangle hesitated before entering her own room.
Zooble has never been the type to be exactly vocal when some personal was bothering them.
It shouldn't hurt to simply check on them, right?.
The bipolar basket case retraced her steps back to the door to the room belonging to the so-called ‘mix and match cash piano’ and knocked softly only to be met with silence.
“Hey, Zooble? Its me,” Gangle called out quietly. “uhm… A-are you alright.. In there?”
She put a non-existent ear up to the door and could hear a muffled groan.
“Are you okay Zooble? I-im coming in!”
Her ribbon hand wrapped around the knob to creak the door to the dark cave open. A stream of light poured in that led to another quiet groan of protest coming from a heap of blankets with an antennae of a once blooming flower peaking through, slightly wilted.
Gangle slowly approached the heap of bedding after gently closing the door and patting her ribbon against the wall to find a light switch. It turned on with a click and a shuffle from the bundle of blankets to seemingly shield their eyes from the brightness of the artificially white luminance.
She stopped at the edge of Zoobles bed and laid her ribbon over the bunch with a soft pat.
“Zooble.. Are you sure you're feeling okay?” Her voice was gentle but clearly concerned and empathetic.
A hush, “I'm fine…” could be heard from where the zoob rested.
“Are you sure..? You don't seem fine.”
“I-i dunno…” Zooble admitted with a groggy voice and a sigh as they freed their upper half from the blanket.
“Its not possible to get sick here, right?”
“Not that I know of…” Gangle replied with a tilted head. “Are you not feeling well?”
Zooble shook their head with a slight… Lag?
Which made Gangle jump slightly.
“Uhh.. What was that?”
“What do ya mean?”
“You, like, buffered there… err.. something..”
This caused Zooble to take a turn with the head tilting of confusion.
“Huh?-Huh?” They buffered once again, causing their head to repeat the tilting motion exactly the same with each remark.
This glitch caused Gangle to jump up from the place on the corner of Zoobles bed where she sat with wide eyes.
“I-i don't think that's supposed to happen. Uhh… I'm gonna go get Caine.” She muttered, already halfway out the door.
This led to Zooble being alone. Their head let out a fresh throb and their ears began ringing once again which was more than convincing enough to dive back into the secure darkness of the pile of blankets.
Gangle then set forward on her own adventure to find Caine.
She searched and searched before finding Ragatha and Pomni on one of the public lounge couches talking about… Styrofoam beans? Whatever those were.
“Oh, hey Gangle!” Ragatha chirped cheerfully as Pomni waved welcomingly.
Gangle waved back timidly.
“Hey Ragatha. You wouldn't happen to know where Caine is, would you?” Ragatha shook her head.
“No, sorry…”
Pomni looked up at the masked woman.
“Hmm… Last time I saw him he was ranting about the moon and something to do with the ‘Digital Carnival’..?” Her sentence sounded more like a question than an answer.
“What do you need him for?” Asked Ragatha.
“There's something wrong with Zooble… W-well they're okay but they keep glitching, but only a little, and they said they felt…sick?” She said with a shrug.
Pomni’s eyebrow raised in confusion before Ragatha replied, “Oh! They might just have a little bug or something, I'm sure they'll be fine.” She waved her hand in a way to reassure Gangle.
“A bug?” The frail girl questioned.
“Yeah. One of those hasn't happened in a long time. Though I've even had one before, believe it or not. It just means something's gotten a little messed up with their coding.” She explained.
“Knowing Caine, he's probably already on it.”
“Hmm…” Gangle pondered.
“So, is there anything I can do to help them until then? It seemed like they felt pretty awful.” She looked at the floor and rubbed her arm in concern.
“Maybe we could check up on them..?” Pomni suggested. The others agreed and ventured to the hallway of rooms.
Zooble shuddered slightly even under the blankets that covered their wonky body. That's when the door to their room creaked open.
“Ugh… Who's there?” They groaned from under the covers.
“Ooh, Zooble!” Replied an unknown sing-song voice. They lifted their head from underneath the covers to see a sudden, piercing ray of light like none other.
“AGH!! WHAT THE HELL?!” They quickly covered their eyes and hid under the covers.
It took them a few seconds before they realized that the covers were nowhere to be found. Their grip over their eyes loosened ever so slightly as they found themselves floating in pitch black darkness in contrast to the previously vision-depleting sight. They hesitantly removed their hands from their face and looked around to see pure nothingness.
“H-hello!?” They called, shaken up by whatever the hell was currently happening. The only response of echoey dripping and the faint sound of nails on a chalkboard.
“Is anyone there!?” Once again, no reply. The distant scratching sound seemed to almost pulsate in volume, following their head wherever the characterized puzzle looked. The only physical sensation that could be felt was the rubbing of limbs against limbs that was enough to make Zooble nauseous once again. They were about to bend over to empty their stomach before they felt silk wrap around their arm.
“...G-Gangle?” They questioned. “Is that y-agh!” Their query was interrupted by the harsh tugging of their arm.
“S-stop it! Let go!” They attempted to tug their arm free from the silks grasp but to no avail. The only thing they could feel now was the amount of silk continuously increasing and weaving its way around Zooble’s body, encasing them in a claustrophobic cocoon.
Starting at their arms and continuing to their torso and legs, It felt suffocating. The panic set in quickly as they pulled and tugged for freedom with heavy, petrified breathing, but each tug only made the ribbons squeeze harder. How ironic that even the softest of silk can be so painful when used incorrectly.
After the silk made its way all around Zooble’s body they could feel it creeping around their neck. They shuddered at the cold sensation, unsure of what they should do. It was then that the silk began entering their hollowed out encasing. Shoving into the circulator sockets that held their cherished and customizable limbs. That feeling made them want to scream but the ribbons grip on their throat made that impossible. They could feel the silk wriggle around inside their torso as if there were live organisms crawling around their insides.
They had to get them out.
They scratched and clawed and pryed but that only motivated the ribbons to continue their physical and physiological torture.
They then felt the silks grasp contract to simple hands that laid on their shoulders, shaking them from the lucid daze.
“Zooble!? Wake up!” The previous voice shouted, causing the mix and match character to grab at their imaginary ears and groan in pain.
The voice was foggy, fading in and out, and morphing between pitches and tones. There was no telling who or what was calling their name or why it was so urgent.
“Zooble?! Are you alright? It's me!”
“G-Gangle..?” They replied in a raspy whisper.
“Oh, thank god you're okay!!” The voice, now recognizable as Gangle’s, rejoiced before pulling Zooble into a warm embrace which was a very nice feeling after waking up in a cold sweat. They were too exhausted to object when the embrace ended.
“What the {!$&@!} just happened?” Zooble asked, their quiet voice remaining.
“Classic fever dream it seems.” The new voice made Zooble jump before realizing it belonged to the ginger ragdoll who was standing beside an anxious jester.
Zooble looked around with squinted eyes. “Whys there so many people in here..?”
“Well we were just gonna check on you but you kinda started freaking out in your sleep.” Answered Pomni.
“Hmm…” They replied before blinking slowly. “...Get out please.”
The three girls nodded before heading to the door. Gangle's attempt to stand up was denied by a plastic hand remaining its gentle hold on her ribbon.
“You can stay…” Zooble whispered after the other two had already made their exit.
The ribbon lady smiled and sat back down as colorful enby sighed softly.
“You should be fixed up by Caine soon, but until then, is there anything I can do for you?” She asked Zooble, her voice so delicate and sweet yet still showcasing her flattering concern.
Zooble simply smiled before shyly speaking up and avoiding eye contact. “...Maybe just… Stay..? F-for a bit..?” Gangle's expression softened at the poor things embarrassment to ask for such a sweet and simple favor.
“Of course.” She replied before patting their head comfortingly. Zoobles eyes closed with relaxation as they felt themselves slip back into slumber. But this time it was safe and protected. The only silk that caressed their body was the gentle touch of their dear, sweet Gangle.
They awoke after what felt like an eternity, feeling completely refreshed and rejuvenated. Zooble looked over to their side with a yawn to be met with an empty chair. They rubbed their eyes before exiting their dark gloomy cave. They walked down the hallway and into the public lounging area. There they saw Ragatha talking to Gangle who quickly darted her head to see Zooble and excused herself from the previous conversation.
“Hey sleepyhead!” She joked playfully. “Are you feeling any better?”
“I actually am, surprisingly.” They answered with a light chuckle. “And I just- um… I wanted to thank you for… Staying last night.” They recalled while avoiding eye contact with fidgety fingers.
Gangle's smile only widened at this as she softly laid a ribbon on Zoobles shoulder.
“My pleasure!” She assured them. “You also snore like a cute little kitten, so…” She teased.
Zooble froze up. “N-no I don't!” They objected with a flustered face.
“Aww… C’mon, it's adorable!!” She cooed.
Zooble simply rolled their eyes before following Gangle to the others to begin their daily adventure.
Maybe this one won't be so bad.