Chapter Text
Dark.
Her vision is a vast void of darkness.
Just a minute ago, she was wandering around an abandoned building of an old company. She was walking through the dim, dusty old office, stumbling through rows of old computers. She walk onto a random desk, seeing that there's an abandoned VR headset right next to the console of the computer. She tried to maneuver and turn the computer on, the screen litting up in a blinding flash of white. The next thing she did is to wear the headset on her head, and clicking things in the computer. It seemed that the computer directed immediately into a game, buttons laid on the screen for her to click.
She clicked start.
And now she's here, unable to move her body through the darkness. An invisible force of wind seemingly pulls her through the darkness,
And suddenly, she popped into existence.
She's in some sort of.. stage. A really wide stage, and below it, a black and white checkered floor, with humongous toy blocks and children toys in varying colors placed around. A stair that probably goes up to eternity of the ceiling, and said ceiling is so tall. The room is so vast.
She then finally noticed the people on the floor, their eyes boring into her. She tensed from their stare, hugging her self. Or she attempted to.
She looked down on her body, her eyes widening at the absence of her abdomen, replaced by a.. plastic tube? Whatever this is that connects her lower half body, a plastic cube, and her chest, flat and the same plastic but more broader than her lower half.
This is not her body.
She looked down at her arms, same pink plastic tube that seems to stretch.
This is not her body.
What even her body looks like?
She grasp on the headset, or where the headset lay on her head, and attempt to tug it. She struggles to remove the object as she only pulls at her plastic side ponytail. Her hair seems to stretch the more she pulls it.
She give up on trying to remove the headset, her eyes falling to the weird characters in front of her. A king chess piece look at her with a curious eye, the raggedy ann doll looks at her with sympathy, the purple rabbit seems to be just curious at her, and the green frog right next to the rabbit just seems just the same.
"W-what's going on..? Wh.. Where am I?"
She mumble quietly but loud enough for them to hear, her voice sounding different from her actual voice.
Wait, what does her voice even sounds like?
"What is this place? Wh- why is my body like this?!" Her voice grew louder, panic settling on her as she grip her long arms. The raggedy ann doll softly but nervously smile at her, "L-Let's calm down a bit. Everything is gonna be okay!" Before she could say any other thing, a man suddenly appeared out of thin air, floating above her. Said man had a.. denture as a head, with two different colored eyes inside. The man had a black top hat resting, or rather floating at it's denture head.
Please say that she's dreaming.
"My, my! A new human! A new friend has entered our wonderful world!!"His voice is overwhelmingly loud, piercing her ears. She winced at the loud volume of the man above her, covering her ears (or her non-existent ears instead) with her palm."I thought it's an npc.." The purple rabbit mumble quietly.
"Wh-" Before she could even ask the denture head, he cuts her off by speaking over "Well, since you're new here, it's only fair that you share your name, my longitated limb friend! So, what's your name?"
"I'm.. uh.." She tries to speak, but no answer came to her mind. It was just a blank canvas in her brain, trying to form some sort of answer.
Why couldn't she remember her name?
What is her name?
"I.. I-I'm.."
"Betty?"
A familiar soft voice called her back onto reality.
Ragatha.
She looked concerned, her lips formed into a thin line. "Are you okay? I've been calling your name and you're not responding. Is there anything bothering you?"
She shook her head, a small smile planted on her acrylic lips, just to reassure her. "No. It's nothing."
"Well, if there's anything bothering you, I'm here for you if you wanna talk about it." She said with a smile just for her, her brows lifting from tension.
Oh sweet Ragatha..
"Anyways, Caine said that we should line up on the stage, he said that we're about to do the theme song!" Ragatha jerked a thumb to point at the stage behind them from far away. She nodded solemnly, her arms crossing over her chest. Just as they're about to walk to the stage, said ringmaster suddenly appeared in front of them, holding a hand on their face to stop them from their tracks. "Hep, hep, hep!!"
Betty furrow her brows, looking at Caine with confusion "Wha..?" Before she even speaks, Caine pointed his baton at her, or rather, at what she's wearing. A black, large t-shirt paired with light grey pants. Ever since she appeared here with no clothes or whatsoever, she was now allowed to have her own clothes to her liking. Unfortunately...
"Now, now, my dear Betty spaghetti! We can't have you wearing THAT! How would we impress our audience if you're wearing that macro-clothing!" Caine pointed a finger to her face, her irritation deepening at the man before her. And especially at the nickname. She should have thought of a better name instead, so she wouldn't be bullied like this. Great..
"Macro.. clothing?" Betty muttered low in irritation.
Caine snapped his fingers, her clothes changing to a deep purple shirt with two deep yellow button, showing her pink tube that connects her lower and upper body. Her skirt are two layered short skirt, the same purple and yellow colors. She winced at the loss of the comfortable clothes, her face contorting into uncomfort.
What's the point of wearing what she like if he just keep changing it?
"There. Much better! Doesn't the color of this cloth more suitable and pleases the eye? Unlike that ugly fit, your clothes don't look sad!" Caine said with a smile, or what seem to be a smile from a pair of teeth. Her right eye just twitch at his remark, crossing her arm on her chest. She didn't care if she look good or what, she wants something more comfortable.
"Whatever.." She just ignored the ringmaster, walking over the stage and leaving Ragatha throwing Caine an awkward smile. Ragatha then hurried to catch up to Betty's side, an apologetic look plastered on her ragdoll face. "I'm sorry that happened to you. I know how much you don't like this kind of... clothing."
"There's nothing to apologize for, Ragatha. You're good. Just-.." Betty trailed off of what she was about to say. She let out a tired sigh, "Let's just get this over with."
It's just another normal day in the circus. Well, as normal as it can be. They all lined up in the vast stage of the circus as they prepare for their queue in the theme song. Most of them wake up in this routine, now used to performing like circus entertainers. But today seems to be a little different.
Suddenly, characters tumbled down to each other as something, or rather, someone, crashes into them. The colorful assessment of characters stares at the new character right before them. A small jester girl with a pathetic looking expression. Great, another miserable person.
"Caine, is this one of your NPCs or is this a new sucker?" Jax looked up at the ringmaster as he pointed a hand at the jester. "Cus if it's a new character, we have to do this whole theme song!" Jax teased to the cast with a wide grin. Zooble grumbles and reply to Jax "I'm not doing that again."
"My, my! It appears a new human had enter this realm!" The ringmaster announced with his loud voice. The jester tries to pull her hair, groaning in suffering. "How do I- take this- headset off!!" The jester shrieks as she continues to pull her hair. "Just keep grabbing at it. It works to all of us." Betty look at Jax, looking already irritated at him while he only roll his eyes from her "Shut up Jax."
The jester continue to pull at her eye and hair, but it only stretch and recoil back in place. She look at her hand then at the people around her with a confused and lost expression. "What's going on..? I put on some weird headset and now I'm.." She timidly stood as all eyes are on her "here.."
"Who are you people? Why can't I take it off? Where am I???"
"Let's calm down a bit.." Ragatha approached the jester with a reassuring smile on her lips, looking too comfortable for the jester. "Everything is gonna be okay, new stuff. We all been through this. You just need to get your head to-"
"What the f[BOING]k is going on?!- Wha.."
A cartoony sound effect play over the swear, playing as a censor beep. Caine approached the jester with a stern expression, "Now now, now, my dear? We cannot have any of that FOUL language around here!" The jester frowned at the ringmaster above her, her brow furrowing.
"The amazing digital circus is a place to be enjoyed by ALL ages!" Caine pointed at the jester's frowning face, "You, my friend, stumbling into an incredible world of wonder! Where anything can happen!" Caine paused for a moment, "..except, for swearing."
The jester then tries to say all profanity that she knows, series of cartoony sounds and beeps drowning out her words. "Oh my god.."
"There's really no point of trying to use all profanity you know, jester girl." Betty looked at her with a judge. "This is pretty much a kid's place.."
"Well, how do I.. you know, leave?"
Caine stuttered, pausing as he didn't know what to answer. Ragatha let out a nervous chuckle, fiddling with her fingers as she tries to come up with an answer. "Well, don't freak out or anything, but uh.. we, don't exactly-". Betty though, already beats her to it. "You can't."
"What." The jester turned her head to Betty, her expression formed into dread. "Unfortunately, she's right. Welcome to your new home. And your new body." Zooble added, pointing their claw as they gesture at the jester's body.
"N-New home? What do you mean?"
"Guys, don't be mean.." Ragatha reprimanded, but it fell on deaf ears. "We all been stuck here for years! Ol' Kinger over there supposed to be here the longest." Jax pointed a finger to gesture at the pillow fort below the stage. There, Kinger popped out from it and mumbles "Did someone say something about an insect collection?" Betty looked over the king piece, a pity forming at her expression towards the man's insanity. "That's why he's craaazyyyy!" Jax elbowed the jester and grinned at her, chuckling lightly.
Just as Jax stepped out from her side, panic seems to finally settle in on her. Her breathing quicken, her hands balling into fists. But before it could fully consume her, she break into it and tries to delude herself. "Ooh! Now I get it! This is a dream, and I should just play along until I wake up, right?". Everyone just looked skeptical at her, some sharing a contact that holds more heavily than words could. Jax only chuckled at the jester as he shrug "Whatever you say, kid."
On the corner of the stage, Gangle weeps as she's kneeling right at her broken comedy mask. "They broke my comedy mask.." Jax leisurely walked towards Caine, stepping on the already broken porcelain mask. Gangle shrieks more. "So Caine, we having a new adventure for the newbie or what?"
"I'd like to give our new member a tour of the circus grounds first!" Caine then float beside the jester, "Off we go!" He pulled her with him to teleport outside the circus and leave the others right on the stage. Zooble then walk down out of the stage, "Well, I'm done in here." Ragatha sighed as she follow after Zooble. Jax only shrugs and walk away too. Betty look over Gangle who's trying to collect her broken mask with her ribbon hands, contemplating whether to help her.
'It's not your problem.'
The thought popped in her mind. She thinks for a second, but then decided that maybe it's okay. She follow suit with the others down the stage.
"I wanna go in a fun adventure." Jax said with a grin. Ragatha turn to him with irritation, "You're not planning anything to the new person, right?" Jax didn't bother to answer her question, but his grin turned wider. "Don't you have anything to do than torturing others?" Zooble's other parts twitch with irritation towards Jax, their eyes squinting at him. "What? It's not like there's anything to do in here. So why not have fun, y'know?"
"Sure. Torturing and hurting others is fun." Betty snarled at the rabbit, making him hiss back at her. "Ha! Like you didn't enjoy Caine's tormenting adventures!" Ragatha shook her head as she defend Betty against Jax, "Hey, there's nothing wrong with liking Caine's adventure. They're sometimes fun!"
"I don't know what is the definition of fun for you guys, but I wouldn't call his adventures that." Zooble remarked at them as they rolled their eyes. "Well, you should try it first before judging it." Betty tries to convince them, but Zooble only turned it down and shook their head "Not a chance."
Betty decided to just remain silent. It's not like she couldn't persuade them. After all, she witness first hand what they endure when they were new.
Caine and the jester girl then appeared, landing on the floor while the jester's eyes spin. The jester pukes on the floor, her vomit pooling on the pristine floor. "Woah! Clean up on aisle you!" Bubble pop out of nowhere, "I'm on it, boss!" Bubble then proceed to lick the floor clean, making the cast shudder as he lick up the vomit. Caine mutter under his breath, "Why are you like this."
"God, why is everything so weird?" Zooble shudders right beside Betty, who only give them a shrug.
"W-Wait! Was that an exit door I saw out there? Is that the way to leave?" The jester then question as she look around her surrounding. Jax snatched Zooble's arm, using it to scratch his back. "What exit? If there's a way to leave I'm pretty sure we all have left by now." Zooble then choked him with their snatched arm, Jax gagging and falling on the floor. Zooble squints their eyes in disbelief at the jester. "Yeah, what are you talking about?"
Caine still has his eyes glued on Bubble cleaning the floor with his tongue but immediately focus on what's happening and clear his throat. "Um, I assure you there is no magical "exit door". You're probably just experiencing-" Caine ascend high as he throw his hand on the air and a huge lettering above him appeared dramatically "DIGITAL HALLUCINATIONNNS!" Caine descent low towards the girl, "Where your mind transitions to the digital plane." The girl stammers as she tries to convince Caine, "B-But I swear I-I saw-"
"DIGITAL HALLUCINATION!" Caine shouted over her before she finish what she's about to say. The cast behind them just look at each other at the scene unfolding before them. Caine seems tensed as he idle in the air, his fingers drumming on his hip while the jester only eyed him skeptically. Caine then fly high above and pointed his baton at the new girl as he change the subject, "How about we talk about something else? Like your name!"
"My name? My name is uh... O-oh god!! Why can't I remember my name?!!" The girl panicked as she hold on to her head like it would miraculously give her an answer.
"Nobody can remember their names once they enter the digital circus! One of the things I don't have control over are your minds." Caine explained to her in perfect precision. The others only grimace at the fact, some shrugging to ignore it. "All I could help you with is to come up with a new one!"
"What's my name.." the jester groaned under her breathe, tugging the other end of her jester hat. Caine lower down to pat the jester's head, "Don't worry your little head, your new name can be anything!"
Caine then proceeds to ramble fast about some sort of... Is that a whole paragraph about some terms and conditions of something? Weird. The cast just eyed Caine as he just said it furiously fast that no one could really know what he says. "What are 'ya thinking!" He then said after his ramble. "I-I don't really know- just pick anything -".
"Let's see!" Caine then dropped a huge cartoonish slot machine, slamming loudly on the ground that it made the entire floor shake for a brief moment. The machine starts spinning random letters on it, each slot stopping one by one and it spell out..
"What do you think of, XDDCC?"
"I-I don't really..-"
"You're right, terrible. Let's try that again!" Caine then turns the machine again and it starts spinning. The machine stopped letter by letter spelling..
"What do you think of, 'Pomni'?"
"Huh? Yeah, just- I don't really care-"
Caine cuts the girl off what she was about to say again as he shouts over behind him, "Gadzooks, you're right, Jax! We should have a brand new adventure for our new member, Pomni!"
"I said that like five minutes ago.." Jax replied back to him, but it fell on deaf ears as Caine just turn back to Pomni and pointed at her. "You!" Caine then furiously approach Pomni. "Do you like adventure? Activity? Wonder? Danger? HORROR? PAIN? SUFFERING? AGONY? DEATH? DISEASE? DEATH?-"
"Angel fruit cake?" A cake pops right on Caine's hand as he flex his hand towards Pomni. Bubble, who had finished licking the floor clean, popped out and eat the cake right on his hands. Caine growl softly at him and popped him as he shouts, "YOU PARASITE!!" Pomni winced at the volume, looking away from the scene as she just shrugs. "Uh- I don't.."
"Since you're new around here, we're gonna make it a simple in-house adventure to warm you up to how things work."
An in-house adventure? Is he serious?
Betty couldn't help but grimace, she was looking forward for a much more hyper adventure. Whatever, it's just for one day. Right next to her, Zooble groaned as they states their distaste. "No, God! I don't want an in-house adventure." Caine floated right next to her to pat their shoulder in reassurance. "Don't worry, Zooble. I'll make it something unobtrusive that you can choose to not get involved with!" Betty on the other hand, waved her hand to catch Caine's attention. "Can't we have something like, I don't know, an outside adventure instead? Something to do outside the tent?"
"I know how much you love my amazing adventures! But we should make our new member comfortable and familiar on her new world!" Caine fly up the stage, leaving no room for no argument.
Great, what a boring day.
"Well then, I'm not gonna have myself involved here." Zooble voiced loud enough for Caine to hear.
"I dunno, it could be fun. You should really try it out." Betty claim right next to them, although, her face says that she's not interested about today's adventure. Zooble eyed her and cocks their triangular head in irritation, snorting while their antennas twitching lightly.
"Today's adventure is... GATHER THE GLOINKS!"
Caine announced with much glee, colorful letters appearing above him when he throw his arm on the air. He then laughed maniacally, approaching them as his cackle grew more intense. Some of the cast backed away from him, grimacing at the display. "That's right! The entire circus tent will be infested with gloinks, and you gotta catch 'em all!" Caine rolls his tongue while Bubble pop back right beside him, "But what are they?"
"I'm glad you asked, Bubble! They're small-" "And what do they do?" Caine paused when Bubble suddenly interrupted his explanation, staring at him solemnly. "They-" "And how do they-" Caine immediately pops Bubble before he could finish his question."Gloinks are small and mischievous critters that steal anything and everything they run into."
Just as he was explaining, small, colorful shapes with eyes and lips starts to hop around the place, objects they run into seemingly sticking with them as they run away. Wait, did that one gloink just took a whole table? "Why do these humanoid hash-browns do this? How do you stop them? That's for you to find out!" The cast glance back at Caine, some certain toy characters are already grimacing in irritation. "Now good luck, and have fun my little superstars!" Then finally, Caine disappears leaving a cloud of smoke. Pomni only stared at where Caine was floating recently and then glance at the cast. "What did any of that mean?".
Oh boy, this is gonna be a long, boring day.