Chapter Text
After the last adventures reaction caine had done his best to stay out of sight. None of the troupe has seen him in a few days. Which a few saw as a gift where two saw it with concern.
"Kinger. Where do you think he went?"
Pomni asks as she ducks into the pillow fort where kinger has been for most of the time since then.
"Where who went?"
He asks
"Caine."
"Oh! Hes probably just setting up the next adventure. I dont think theres anything to worry about pomni."
"whos scratch?"
Kinger pauses at that. Looking at pomni with sad eyes.
"Scratch. . .they were. They were the first one here to abstract. I honestly dont think caine knew it could happen."
He holds his hands together.
"But he still messed with peoples minds. He still caused that."
She said. Jestering around.
"Its not as uh. Simple as that. Not as simple as jax might think."
"He caused all of this?! Shouldn't we be mad!"
"Pomni. . .caine just. He doesn't understand us. How humans work. So in trying to keep us happy there are a few. Flukes. He doesn't know better."
She still looks frustrated.
"Just. Why would he bring our hopes up to just lie to us."
"Because. Thats what he thought we wanted. An exit. So he . .made it into an adventure. Because thats all he knows how to do. To create. Entertainment."
"Entertainment for who?! Himself! To see us confused and hopeful?"
"Did you notice how nervous he seemed?"
"I . .uh."
That stops her in her tracks. He seemed nervous. More nervous than she thought she would ever see.
He was scared of us? For a moment. Did he even understand what he did wrong?
"Kinger. I think we need to find Caine."
"I think so too. Lets look for him."
Kinger stood up. Pomni gave him a hand to help him up.
"Just keep a hold on my hand. Okay."
She nods as they leave the pillow fort.
Behind the curtain of the stage there was a ringmaster pacing. Holding the front of his coat with his hands.
"What am i going to do. What am i going to do. They didnt like that adventure. They didn't like it. They seemed so. . ."
Bubble pops in.
"Heya boss whatcha doing?"
"Not right now bubble i need to find out how to make them happy. How to make the right adventure."
"Are ya going to deal with the scratch issue?!"
What scratch issue! Theres no scratch issue. Shh bubble. Dont say that!"
"Their going to hate you!"
Bubble said as he slowly turned in the air.
"No! No! No they arent going to hate me!"
He says in a desperate tone.
"Hahaha they already do! They hate you! They hate your adventures! They hate this whole place!! Hate! Hate! Hate!"
His eyes flashed a spark getting sent down his body.
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up bubble!"
He yelled out hands gripping at the sides of his head like he was covering ears. He hand landed on the ground. Still ready to keep pacing even with the slight stagger he had in his step.
"They dont hate me! Why would they hate me! Im their ringmaster! The maker of the amazing that is the digital world!"
"Well if they hate the digital world why would they care if its 'amazing'"
Bubble said in a sing songy tone.
"Urgggmmefdm"
Caine lets out as he pushes on his own face. Muffling a scream he lets out.
"I just need to make the perfect adventure and then they will like me. Maybe. Hopefully."
He says in a tone of someone who has tried again and again and again to make the right thing. But it never works out. It never will because theres one variable. One that always ruins it.
Him.
He stomps on of his feet. In an childlike act. Like a kid throwing a tantrum.
"I can do it. I just need to figure out what im doing wrong. Then i can do it."
He sounds tired.
Hes replaying that scene in his mind again. Like he has been. Over and over again.
Jax yelling. Their faces. They were looking at him like he was the antagonist of the adventure. He wasnt!
He wasnt!!
He was there to tell them what their choice made. The path they chose.
Why would they be so. Angry? At choosing that choice. Werent they having fun?!
Wasnt that what they wanted?! An exit!
A door. Back to that blasted macroverse.
Why did they want to go there?!
Did they. .did they really hate him?
Did they really want to leave!?
"Boss?"
His head was fully closed covering his eyes. Those glitches staying to his form.
His head hurt. Why did it start doing that recently. He cant compute. He cant figure out what they wanted and it was driving him crazy. He just wants to make them happy. He just wants to show them that he loves them.
Is that so wrong?!
"Boss?"
Bubble got closer to him. Caine had stopped moving. Head facing the ground.
What does he have to do to show them he loves them.