Chapter Text
"AAAAAAAAAAAH- ugh !!"
this morning was supposed to be peaceful in some sort...well that was until you fell in, landing onto something that then got splitted into small little bits and parts
"OH FOR F SAKE !"
a triangular shape spoke up as you groggily sat up on the floor, looking around at what you landed on. The grass was a sickening neon green color as looked down to see...colorful plastic like limbs ?
"uh...I guess it's raining npc's today"
you hear a smug voice as you turn to look at the...tall purple rabbit in overalls ? where are you right now ?
"ugh...what the-"
you watched as the mismatched limbs crawled away back towards a bean shaped polka dot body. You look at the triangular shape on the floor, seeing two eyes, one far too big that didn't fit with the other
"you mind helping me over here ?"
it asked. You were confused but you still got up, gently picking the triangle head and placed it back onto the purple noodle sticking out of a white joint.
"thanks...you alright there ?"
"o-oh uh...my head hurts a little...where am I ?"
the character sighed
"welcome to hell…"
"I-I'M DEAD ?!"
"naah, just stuck here for eternity"
the bunny spoke up, going to rest on the other character's shoulder but plummeted onto the floor as the other character took a step back.
"...eternity…"
this shook you to your core. You couldn't help but look down at yourself as you were now a cartoon character...you didn't like this at all...what the hell was going on ? surely they must know
"I-I...are you-"
"yes, we're human…I'm guessing you also got here through the headset ?"
oh yes ! that's right !
"I did ! I was testing a game out with my friends and-...I got here"
"same old story it seems...you friends must have loved you so dearly if they decided to leave you here in this place"
the bunny man responded sarcastically, making you furrow your eyebrows
"big talk coming from a furry"
this made the other character snort at the retork. The guy just rolled his eyes
"whatever, get lost…"
"so...what's your name ?"
the mismatched character asked as you were about to speak up-...wait...what's going on ? you couldn't shake off the feeling that you were forgetting something...something crucial
"...I-I...I Don't...I can't remember…"
was it from the fall ? the character's shoulder slumbed forward as they sighed in dissapointment, as if this was going to be different in any way.
"...we all Don't remember our names here…"
"...did you just say all ?"
"yeah, there's others here...we're all stuck here-"
"hey ! Caine ! get over here already"
this made the mismatched character's antennas twitch in anger
"did you seriously had to-"
suddenly out of nowhere, Something zoomed past you in a blink of an eye as you looked up in shock, eliciting a small yelp from you : there, floating in the air stood a short entity with...a jaw for a head ? it had two heterochromatic eyes, one blue and the other one green as he wore the outfit of a circus ringleader. as if this acid trip of a world wasn't confusing enough. the ringmaster looked down at the three with what seemed to be a big smile on his Bottom maw
"yes Jax ? oh hi Zooble ! now what can I do for my two frolicking damsels ?"
"is this a npc of yours ?"
Jax pointed at you as took a step back. Caine's eyes widened in shock. could it be ? a new player ! Caine couldn't Believe it as he was snapped out of his reverie, now wanting to interact with you. You looked back at the strange entity only for it to zoom pass the rabbit, his eyes blown wide in excitement
"GASP ! WOWOWOW ! it seems that a brand new player has joined us ! what a way to start the day !"
it cheerfully exclaimed before placing two cartoonish hands on your shoulders, making you jump as he was way too close
"now ! why Don't we-"
"okay, Caine, back off, can't you see they're stressed out ?"
Zooble tried to get him off of you but it only made Caine whine
"oh Zooble, Don't worry your little, pointy head about ! my presence is a comfort for all brand new arrivals here !"
"as if…"
the overjoyed entity turned his attention back at you, now taking your hand and squeezing it
"where was I ? ah yes ! I'm sure you took your time getting to know our dear Zooble and Jax over here ? why of course you did ! I'm sure they must have told you about a charming and spectacular ringleader that everyone loves ?!"
"no"
Zooble responded bluntly
"oh...well let's change that !! my name is Caine ! I am the ringmaster of the amazing digital circus ! and you my dear are in for quite a show !"
you stayed silent for a bit
"okay-"
"NOW ! I'm sure you had enough time to realise that you don't remember your name ? I'M GLAD YOU ASKED !"
"I didn't say anything-"
before you could continue, a slot machine came in view as Caine brought it up to you
"now my dear ! pull the lever !"
"not fair, I didn't get to do that"
Jax grumbled in the background, winning a slap behind the head from Zooble. You took a deep breath, gently pulling on the slot machine as it soon revealed your name. Jax snorted
"pff- sounds stupid"
"will you ever shut up for five minutes ?"
"AH ! what do you think about it my dear ? it fits you to a T !!"
"it's...alright I guess...uh, thank you sir ?"
the ringmaster beamed at your polite little agreement as he patted your head
"oh my, what a sickeningly sweet little munchkin you are my dear ! the pleasure is all mine ! and you can call me Caine !"
"Caine..." you tested his name as you looked back at him. you felt a lot calmer than before. "alright"
"THAT'S THE SPIRIT MY DEAR !"
he then grabbed your shoulders again as you were now floating in the air out of nowhere
"now if you two excuse us, it is time for a tour of the circus and an introduction to the other cast members to our brand new superstar over here ! tootles my whimsical piñatas!"
in a flash of light you zoomed pass Jax and Zooble as you let out a choked out yell. Jax sighed
"ahh...the newbie's not gonna make it one day here... am I right, Zoobie ?"
Zooble didn't respond. Not because they were annoyed like usual : if anything they looked concerned.
"...hey, I'm talkin' to ya rubic's cube...don't leave me hangin' here-"
"...have you noticed that...nevermind-"
"hey, come on, don't keep things to yourself here Zoobs. What's got you all serious sherlock ?"
Jax teased as it made Zooble's fists tighten
"...Caine seemed...clingier than usual...don't you think ?"
Jax's smile faded away at what Zooble noticed. They were right, he was acting weirder than usual but then again it's Caine, he's the embodiment of unpredictable
"...I mean...Caine's already clingy enough but...I don't know..."
he then looked back at Zooble with a slappable look on his face
"are ya gettin' jealous that our newbie's getting more attention than you ? my my Zooble, getting attached to an AI isn't going to help you in any way y'know"
"ugh ! can't you take anything seriously for once in your life a//hole ?? whatever,I'm going back inside..."
"see ya around hermit"
"f/// you..."
things were flashing across your eyes as this energetic pair of dentures showed you every cracks and crevices around the circus as he look ecstatic, keeping you close by the waist as he pointed around. He afterwards placed you back down as you were holding the contents of your stomach by a thread. You looked to see three figures, one of a red and blue jester, one of a ragdoll and a ribbon with a porcelain mask
"and here is your brand new friends my dear ! meet Pomni, Ragatha and Gangle !"
Gangle looked at you, her head hidden behind her sketchbook as Pomni looked worried and almost sad to see you. Ragatha on the other hand had a motherly smile as she approched you, her hand holding onto her forearm gently
"hey there new stuff ! I hope your arrival wasn't too surprising...don't worry though, things will be al-"
"YES YES VERY GOOD POINT MY DEAR ! anyways ! there will be no adventures for today as I need to work on tomorrow's adventure ! feel free to roam around and discover more about this place my little duckling !"
he pat your head again as he teleported away. You were taken by surprise as you looked back at the three girls-
"AAAH !"
"AAh ! what the-"
you were startled by a king chess piece standing beside you with pillows in his hands : they flew up in the air, one landing on your head as Ragatha caught one
"Don't worry ! it's just Kinger..."
"oh ! hello there, you startled me"
the king piece responded as he looked calm now...he doesn't look to be fully sane though
"you startled me too sir...oh um here"
you handed him the pillows that had fallen at your feet as he took them
"thank you !"
he then waddled away towards a mass of pillows. The jester sighed as she plopped back onto the couch
"at least there's no adventure today...some peace and quiet for once..."
"hopefully it will last..."
Gangle responded as she went back to sketching.
"so...I'm guessing this is it ? how did you guys all get here ?"
"oh ! w-well it's usually the same story...we'd find a headset and...well...poof !"
Ragatha explained as she then placed a hand on your shoulder
"but don't worry ! we'll be your new family here, we're all in this together"
this made you smile as you sighed in relief, you were grateful to know that you had a friend to count on in this hellscape.
"thank you Ma'am...Ragatha, is that right ?"
"yes, that's right, why Don't you take a seat ? you look quite shaken up"
"ah, yes…"
you went up towards the couch as Pomni and Gangle made you some space. You sat down as Ragatha sat nearby next to Pomni.
"I still can't Believe it...are we really stuck here for eternity ?"
"yes, unfortunately we are...but do not worry too much, as long as you're around us, Nothing bad can happen"
"that is without mentioning the adventures…"
Gangle Added softly as she then squeaked when she realised she said that out loud
"oh, yes, Caine said about making an adventure…what is it ?"
Ragatha chuckled anxiously
"a-ah it's uh...some little experience that Caine creates to keep us active and sane"
"but they tend to do the opposite..."
pomni added at the end as you gulped.
"oh...well...how bad can it be ?"
you asked innocently as you heard shuffling behind you. you looked behind to see Zooble
"ah...already warming up I see...Caine didn't chew your ears off did he ?"
they asked as they settled next to Gangle who got closer to them. You smiled softly as you nodded
"it was alright really, I mean, I guess I got scared at first but his enthusiasm soon got to me ? he seemed a lot scarier but now...he just acts like a goofball"
"yeah, that's the insane manic pixie AI for you"
you tilted your head. AI ? like in artificial intelligence ?
"AI ?"
you asked in confusion as Ragatha spoke up
"ah Caine's not human...you didn't know ?"
"I honestly didn't. I thought he was just a very goofy human with admin powers"
you said that as it made Zooble roll their eyes at the subject they were talking about. You took notice of their groan as you looked down before looking back up
"wait- how old are you guys ?"
"o-oh ? I'm thirty"
Ragatha responded as the rest of the group continued
"Twenty five"
"Twenty six…"
"Twenty two...Kinger's the oldest and probably around his fourties and the rabbit you met is the same age me…"
"huh…"
you listened as you looked away. Pomni looked back at you in worry
"and how old are you ?"
"oh, um, I'm 19..."
they looked surprised as Zooble shrugged
"guess I ain't the youngest anymore…"
"oh, my dear I...that's…"
Ragatha looked taken back a little, as if you told her you were only five. Pomni looked to be taking the news a bit badly as well but said Nothing. The room was silent as you soon spoke up again
"...things...will be okay...right ?"
you asked them, hoping for Something, anything, at least a small lie or a half Truth : you clearly just needed some help at the moment. Ragatha picked up on that as she immediatly got closer to you, gently placing her hand on top of yours
"hey, it'll be alright, as long as you stick with us we'll make it out together"
you smiled, trying to ignore the expressions on all the others. They all knew there was no way out. The best they could do is hope, dream, yearn.
thanks to the mercy that Caine granted over your arrival, you and the three other girls as well as Zooble and Kinger got to chat and spend time together. Kinger joined you a while after you settled down as you all spoke about yourselves and your past or at least what you remember of it. For you it was nice to listen to them, finding their personalities all interesting. It just brought you closer to everyone and it felt comforting to know that you weren't alone in this. You also got to see a few of Gangle's Drawings once she warmed up to you and understood you meant no harm. They were great and she looked quite happy when you and the others praised her work. Though despite the laughter and lighthearted atmosphere, Zooble couldn't help but feel Something watching them. they couldn't tell what it was as everytime they'd turn around, Nothing would be here. It made them a bit paranoid to the point that Gangle and Pomni picked up on their tense stance. They brushed it off, maybe it was just-
"boo"
"ugh great, you again"
Zooble grumbled at the sight of Jax who just scoffed
"just here to bring more fun to the party...I forgot you hate fun"
"whatever, Don't bother Gangle or the newbie. You've done enough damage yesterday"
"so little trust in me...as you should"
the rabbit sarcastically responded, acting hurt as he then walked over behind Ragatha was as he played with her hair, Moving them up like wet noodles as Ragatha had an unimpressed look on her face
"I'm guessing you're all chit chatting about how horrible of a predicament you guys are in and how miserable the newbie's gonna be ! to be fair, you're takin' this far better than Pompom over here"
"Jax, stop playing with my hair will you ?"
he ignored Ragatha's plea as he went to gently play with one of Pomni's bell on her hat, making Pomni have the same expression as Ragatha
"Jax, come on…"
"I mean, it ain't that hard to understand how messed up our situation is...unless newbie here's too dumb to understand it"
"Jax !"
"what ? I'm just sayin'...this won't last forever-"
"you sound jealous"
this made everyone go silent as Jax glared a bit at you
"me ? jealous ?"
"yeah...it shows"
"pff, as if-"
"then why are you here ?"
this left Jax slightly speechless, which was an achievement on its own as Zooble couldn't help but hold back a laughter
"ugh, get lost"
he lets go of Ragatha's hair as he pouted and walked away. Gangle untensed as Zooble let out a short snort before patting your shoulder
"good one"
"thanks...I think I upsetted him"
"Don't worry about it. He's stubborn as heck. he'll go pout somewhere else while picking up his ego. You're good"
you smiled and nodded as Ragatha spoke up
"uh, well would you look at that ! the moon already-"
before she could finish her sentence the whole group was teleported to a long rectangular table covered in food and drinks. You looked down, your plate full as you looked up to see the ever so energetic ringmaster now with a small little Bubble with eyes and sharp teeth as it ominously stared at you
"NOW MY SUGAR CANDY HEARTS ! time to indulge in some of Bubble's best cuisine for the arrival of our brand new showstopper !"
you looked down at the plate in front of you, looking at the polygone shaped food as you tried to make out what it was
"eat it !"
"huh ?"
the little Bubble had come up to you as it had a big toothy grin
"it won't eat itself !
"right, I know-"
"it's especially made with all the love I'm allowed to give…"
there was an ominous silent after what the little creature just said as Ragatha spoke up
"Don't worry, that's just Bubble"
"shut up..."
Jax grumbled as he looked away. Caine gently floated down, taking Bubble into his hands as he chuckled a bit anxiously
"hehe, I'm sorry my dear, Bubble's just…very excited to see you eat. now ! why Don't you tell me about your day ?"
a chair appeard in a snap of a finger as he sat down on it, his legs not even touching the floor as he stared at you with big eyes. You were surprised at first as you soon smiled at his request. The others could only Watch, wondering what was going on as Zooble was already giving Caine a stink eye. This behavior was new from the ringmaster and they were all pretty confused about it.
"well, I guess it was pretty fun in some way-"
he didn't let you finish as he beamed in delight
"WELL THAT'S GREAT NEWS MY SUPERSTAR ! I know today might have been a little boring but do not worry ! tomorrow I'll have you settled into your first adventure and you're going to love it !"
he happily explained as you couldn't help but smile at his enthusiasm. You nodded,
"well, if you say so Caine, I'm sure it'll be great"
Caine couldn't help but feel giddy as he went red a little. He then chuckled, a mix of ecstatic happiness and nervousness
"why of course my dear ! it'll be perfect ! just for you... all !"
he immediatly snapped the chair away as he left you alone to eat peacefully. The rest of the group shrugged it off as Caine being desesperate again but Zooble clearly knew the AI was up to Something...they just didn't know what though. you ate your food...it tasted Nothing like what you expected. It wasn't savoury, nor was it sweet...a weird almagamation that tasted good somehow someway.you didn't know what it was but you didn't mind it as you kept on eating peacefully. soon enough, the group started to go to their room as Ragatha went up to you but was suddenly stopped by Caine
"now now my dear, no need to worry about the new cast member, you can go get yourself some well deserved rest"
he said it like a boss giving his employee some payed vacation as a reward from some hard work. Ragatha was surprised at first as she spoke softly
"ah, Caine, that's nice of you really but I really don't-"
"just go-"
he snapped his fingers, teleporting Ragatha to her room without a second warning as he flew up towards you, gently leaning against a wall, missing it as he caught himself with his cane. Luckily for him you didn't notice as he cleared his throat to draw your attention
"now my dear, why Don't I guide you to your room ?"
"ah, yes"
you got closer to Caine as he gently guided you with his hand on the back of your waist. you walked, passing by the rooms; some were crossed out as you couldn't help but arch an eyebrow
"Caine ? what happened to these people ? I Don't remember seeing them anywhere"
Caine stopped in his track as he looked at you
"that's...another story for another time my dear, you should be very tired from your first day now aren't you ?"
as he said that you couldn't help but realised how exhausted you were right now. It really took you by surprise as you felt just fine a few minutes prior. You didn't argue as you nodded, gently yawning as you covered you mouth, your eyes closing as you couldn't notice how Caine was staring at you, almost infatuated like you yawning was the most beautiful sight he's ever seen.
"yeah...I am tired now that you pointed it out"
"ah well let's not waste any time my darling"
he said softly, surprisingly out of character from him as you let him guide you away to your selected area. Caine couldn't help himself, you humans were so interesting but since he knew how much the others didn't like him, he decided that it'll be a fresh start with you ! and knowing how you think of him...you think he's funny ! he's never been told that before ! He just knew this would be it with you, with how sweet and calm you were, you two were like two puzzle pieces that fitted together perfectly ! he just knew it. If he couldn't make the others happy, he could at least try and make your stay enjoyable, even if it means being near you no matter what. You two soon arrived outside of your designated room as he gently opened the door for you, gesturing you Inside as you took a few steps in. You were surprised to see how well adjusted your room was as almost everything you've ever wanted was Inside, completed with a desk with a few stuff to help with your hobbies and a big plush bed with multiple pillows. Caine could see your bright smile on your lips as you stepped Inside and took a look at your surroundings before plopping onto the bed gently. Caine rejoyced at the sound of your laughter as you took a deep breath. You couldn't help but feel cozy and safe here somehow as you turned gently to look at Caine.
"this room is all I could ever dream of !"
"why of course it is ! all the rooms here are tailored to your own personal comfort"
Caine lied through his teeth...the other rooms were pretty spacious as well but they did reflect the guest's insecurities. Somehow, yours didn't show any but he'd never tell you that detail, why would you need it anyway ?
"goodnight my dear ! sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite !"
you smiled as he closed the door behind him. You couldn't help but look more into the room as the comfortable feeling shifted into one of unsettlement...how did he know ? you didn't even talk about yourself to him earlier, how did he even know your hobbies ? let alone your favorite colour ? with that you suddenly felt like you were going to pass out as you let out a big yawn. You gently crawled into bed mindlessly, your mind too tired to even think at the moment as you snuggled into the covers and blankets, already warm like a comfortable hug as you immediatly drifted off to sleep. The lights were soon automatically turned off. as you were now sleeping soundly, unaware of the hundreds of eyes watching you as you slept, taking in your form, your breathing and focusing on your peaceful expression. Caine hummed to himself, a smug grin on his Bottom jaw as the clips of you sleeping played in his mind. Gosh weren't you just adorable ? he knew he did a good choice by picking you and he will make sure that Nothing will ever go wrong when it'll be all about you. not on his watch, not Under his control.