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Pomni had managed a fitful nap, after what seemed to be endless loops of existential dread on top of bitter mockery of her idea of an escape ever being reality.
In her dreams, she was at the panel again but watching herself from behind.
Jax jeering from behind her, repeating the words he'd screamed at her while his voice warped and his wide broken eyes morphed into abstracted eyes and hissing static.
She ran for the button, he jumped her and she only saw blazing white and glaring yellow–
Then she jolted into the reality of the circus, her hat softly tingling as it dropped off her head.
Pomni groaned, glaring at the reflection of the mirror showing how little the nap did for her.
A smudge of blue she didn't recognize caught her attention, it shifted in the mirror so Pomni whipped her head to see what was in her bed.
…
A newborn baby rabbit, trembling as it lifted its head to yawn from a disturbed sleep. That wasn't what scared her.
This baby bunny was blue-furred, as natural…as…
“OH…oh!” Pomni slapped a hand to her mouth, holding either a squeal or a scream.
The baby bunny started to whine, then cry out with an effort that made it shake more.
‘Where did this come from?! Where is the bunny mom? Why here?!’
Pomni looked under the bed, then as best as she could check on a shelf or higher resting point. No further babies or a mom showed themselves, and she was coming to a conclusion that made no sense.
“I…can't be your mom, can I?”
She paused, waiting for Caine to pop in to congratulate her on her newborn.
…or for Jax to give himself away when she called for him.
“Jax?!”
She waited for his guffaw, for him teasing her about paternity tests or something stupid like that.
Not one peep, only a baby rabbit whimpering.
“What… is going on?” Pomni whined, and she finally decided the poor thing should at least be kept warm.
She cradled the baby to her chest, petting the tiny head. “Where in the world did you come from, little one?”
The baby grunted, a thready noise that barely could be heard if it wasn't this close.
Pomni chuckled, holding it a little closer. “This isn't a great place for a tiny thing like you.”
Would Jax be able to help her?
The question popped up quicker than expected. No one really approached Jax after the last Adventure; either pissed he forced his choice on them, or nervous to be near him if Caine was using him that easily. Pomni thought he needed time to process like anyone else.
Maybe more than anyone else.
The last thing he probably needed was playing daycare…or house.
He didn't have to be part of it, but she wanted to help this little thing survive.
…
She wasn't asking Caine, for now. If he's playing from the background this time, then at least she's keeping an NPC from being destroyed.
…
If this was an NPC.
It being a blue baby rabbit, almost a shade that matched well with her motif, somehow spawning on her bed felt intrusive.
Maybe it was their job to raise another character player like them for Caine to play as, choosing Jax because he'd already influenced him…
And her to nurture it because she was the last one to still reach out to Jax.
Even if it was a trap, she still needed to be sure.
Maybe it's a prank Jax forgot about…
She really hoped it was a prank Jax forgot about.