Chapter Text
The circus had been made into a much better place ever since they'd spoken to Caine. somehow, they had convinced Caine to actually listen to their suggestions and open up multiple portals at once. The adventure portals were now left running for however long the humans wanted to go in them. New ones were being made quite often.
Today, it was one of the more chill days. Gangle and zooble were at a bar, Ragatha was at a farm, and Jax and pomni were in conversation at a small bakery, talking about whatever they felt like talking about.
"Hmm." Pomni hummed. "I never knew that about you…" her grin turned teasing." You think we could ask Caine to create a mermaid adventure -"
"Hey, don't get the wrong idea, I was only obsessed with them when I was younger! I don't actually…like them anymore. "
"No, no, it could be interesting…" She laughed.
Suddenly, Caine appeared. "Hello, my little sour pickle Pattie's! I just wanted to check on you and ask you about this mini world I created!" He gave a sidewards glance, and tapped his fingers together nervously." So…what do you think?"
"it's good..." Pomni said, exasperated.
upon hearing that, Caine's eyes sparkled in delight.
Pomni continued."…you know, you really don't have to ask that everytime." She sighed.
Caine grew confused. "what?"
"U-Uh…" Pomni cringed at her own stutter. "You're always-"
Jax interrupted."Blah blah blah, the adventure is AMAZING." he said with a hint of sarcasm. "Jeez, just leave us alone right now. here we are, having a good time…Don't you have anything better to do? Like, I don't know, arguing with bubble?"
Caine's shoulders sank. He looked down, turned around, and snapped his fingers.
He disappeared to somewhere behind the circus tent.
…
He had given them everything they wanted, he made things better!
And this was the thanks he got?
Un-bee-liveable.
Bees.
Caine was getting distracted already.
His mind slowly drifted to something, or someone else…
Kinger.
he never did well in the light, but, in the dark…he was back to his old self.
Though, Caine never completely understood why Kinger had this issue in the first place.
It was only when queenie had abstracted, that he started to act different.
He would forget simple things, and soon forgotten his own name. Kinger.
Within the span of 8 years, not once had another human showed up. it was just them two. Caine and Kinger. alone together, until ragatha showed up.
It was quite awkward during that time. It felt…lonely. Even though Kinger was with him, in the same room, it had felt as if he wasn't even there at all.
nowadays, Kinger seemed to be more sane, but that was thanks to the dark areas he created for Kinger.
Pomni had asked Caine to create a separate area for Kinger due to the issue he had.
But Kinger was still distant from Caine.
I mean, they were never "close" (though Caine did consider all the circus members his friends, they didn't really go out of their way to hangout with him specifically), but he did like some of his adventures, right?
was he ever really…anything to him?
because, hoo boy, did Caine consider him his best pal.
there was only one way to find out. To find out if Kinger would be interested in becoming a…friend.
…
Caine found himself back in the circus tent, and went to go look for Kinger in the darkness.
He put both his hands to the side of his face and yelled out. "Oh, Kinger , Where are yoooou? I have an amazing insect collection just for you!" He floated, scanning the dark for the chess piece.
He heard a movement in the distance, and sure enough, it was Kinger.
"Ah, Just who I was looking for!" He snapped his fingers."Get over here, my meowing milkmaid!" He had made Kinger float towards him.
"wh-what? "Kinger looked around. "Oh, it's you, Caine…"
Soft, dim yellow lights surrounded them in the dark. Caine added little lamps for decoration, but he ensured they were not too bright.
"Kinger, buddy…I was just wondering if you perhaps, wanted to uh…" he suddenly found it very hard to say what he wanted to. " to-to…hangout! Like buddies, pals, you know!" He wrapped an arm around Kinger. Kinger stared daggers into his eyes, like he said the most insane thing ever.
Caine misinterpreted him though, resulting in Kinger being left confused when Caine had backed up so fast.
Kinger walked closer, slowly. "Uhm…you said, hangout?" He arched an eyebrow."just…the two of us?"
"Yes, that's correct!" He nodded eagerly, with two thumbs up. "Hangout, somewhere with you, just the two of us. it's about time we have a one on one!" he paused, quickly darting his eyes to the side."Or, well, at least the first one in a really long time?" He rephrased.
Kinger blinked. He narrowed his eyes, thinking. "Well, did you have… anywhere in particular that you wanted to go?" He looked up at the floating ringmaster.
Caine thought for a moment. he raised a finger, like he just realized something. He grabbed kinger. " …I have just the perfect place in mind!"
…
They were now both teleported to outside the tent, the moon and stars set in the sky. A beautiful, grey, gravel path covered bits of the digital grass. Tiny flowers blanketed the pasture.
Caine moved in front of Kinger, facing him. "A walk and talk adventure, to get to know your buddy Caine!" He pointed with two fingers to himself, his tongue out in a silly way.
"You didn't you try talking with the others?" Kinger asked.
"Funny story, I did! they just didn't want to uh, talk. To me. Or really…be near me, for that matter. "
Caine looked down as he was floating, tapping his fingers together quietly. He snuck his gaze to Kinger, who was looking at him aswell, along with big, blue, sad eyes.
"None of them?" Kinger sighed." I'm sure they just wanted space."
"Space." Caine stopped dead in his tracks. " that's all you humans ever talk about is- space! Now isn't that just a little unfair? I mean, I gave you guys what you wanted, you took it, but me?" Caine put a fist to his chest."I get nothing in return!"
Kinger spoke in a near whisper. "I think they're still a bit…intimidated by you. But, I don't think they hate you. Wanting space is nothing bad, you know."
Caine snapped. "I SAID NOTHING ABOUT HATE!"
Kinger jumped back a little. He wasn't expecting Caine to get so angry.
Caine quickly fixed his bow tie."ha, uh…Looks like I got a little carried away there. " Caine mumbled, turned his back against Kinger, and shrunk a bit.
Kinger watched Caine. His pupils shrank once he noticed that he was shaking.
The circus rumbled a bit. Then, a ding sound was heard." Now where were we…oh yeah!" He floated eye level to kinger, and started moving along the path, next to him. Kinger followed.
Caine snuck a peek at kinger, while he slowly floated above the ground. He stared intensely at him. It seemed half of kingers face was illuminated by the soft lights in the sky.
even though he couldn't quite understand the humans that much, he wanted them to understand him.
He just wished he was just like them.
He whished he were human.
He wished he was-
Caine snapped back into reality when kinger turned his head to look at Caine.
"Not a lot of talking, huh?" Kinger laughed.
"Huh-wait-now hold on a minute! I was simply just undergoing some…minor updates in my system!" He didn't even need to update.
Kinger's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. Caine fidgeted with his hands. Why was socializing with humans so hard?
"Ye-yep! You heard me right, I haven't been updating in while, so I decided to do that. Right Now." Caine frowned.
Kinger made a face, a knowing look. "Well, you seemed as if you were deep in thought. Like you had a lot to say, but just couldn't. "Kinger was very observant. "Are you…okay?"
Something, a feeling, in Caine's chest had stirred once he said that.
"Oh, I wouldn't worry about me, if I were you! Because I have no problems and I'm fine!" he waved his hand passively. "It's just like I said earlier, I finshed all the updates, so I am UP and running like a firework on the 4th of July! as you humans described-"
Caine paused once he felt a hand touch his arm.
Kinger's hand created a warm feeling in contrast to the cold body of Caine, a empty machine built of code.
"Hm, you don't look like you're okay? You're, uh. Shaking. " Kinger gazed softly at him.
Caine could just melt at those soft blue eyes staring at him.
"it's nothing! Really, y-you…you can stop asking questions now."
"If this is still about the thing you said earlier, Its like I told you, they don't h…"
Caine narrowed his eyes.
Kingers eyes widened. "…dislike. They don't dislike you."
"And, how do you know that?" Caine raised an eyebrow, hands at his hips.
Kinger sighed. "I think, If they did, they would've never tried to talk to you a few weeks back, about changing the circus."
"Caine! We need to talk!"
"We're tired, ok?! We have made tons of suggestions, but you don't even bother checking them! What's the hold up?"
"Don't you think it would be better if you made one big world?"
He remembered them all screaming at him to change everything about how the circus worked. They didn't even think about how making so much adventures would tire him out! But, he did it anyways. He didn't want them to be mad at him anymore.
…
"So. What you're saying is…that I still have a chance?" Caine said with a tone of hope. He looked like a sad, wet dog." A chance to…become friends with everybody?"
"If that is your goal, it would take while… maybe you could try to be a bit more honest, they would probably listen to you. And maybe they could understand you." Kinger smiled with his eyes warmly.
"But humans are just-just not relatable. " Caine blankly stared ahead. "I'm a machine."
Kinger looked down, and darted his eyes as he thought of something to say that would make things better.
"…I remember your joke the other day."
"W-what? Ha, I DO NOT REMEMBER MAKING ANY SORT OF JOKE." Caine, for some reason, felt embarrassed.
"I know it was a terrible joke, but i understood it, and…it wasn't that bad."
"So…you're saying, you liked my joke, even though…" he looked at his hands. "even though it was really stupid?" He said with a slightly confused tone.
"Do you know what I'm getting at?"
"That I have the potential to actually become someone, that's not so different from you humans…?" He tapped his fingers together, with a hopeful expression.
"I don't think I would word it like that, but-."
"Did-did I say something wrong? that's not a big deal! Let me reword my earlier statement for you-"
“No, Caine!" Kinger was surpised at how loud he got. He quickly lowered his voice." That's- not what I meant. "
Caine crossed his arms. "Care to enlighten me then, my dear tropical tulip?"
"I don't think you would need to change a thing, Caine. I think, you're already an interesting ai."
Caine stopped.
A human…
complimenting him?!
Caine stared at Kinger as if he was looking right into his soul.
"I mean-you are…"kinger stuttered, and couldn't finish his sentence. His pupils shrank in panic. "What I'm saying is, I think it is possible for you to-"
Caine's pupils had dilated even bigger. "I think you're interesting as well, kinger!!!" he blurted out.
He had no idea what compelled him to say that. It was the first thing that popped into his head, and he had just said it.
"haha…thanks." Kinger said nothing else.
It was awkward, but a nice and quiet type of awkward.
'Hm. He asked me a question, and I answered it. Now, do I ask the same? Is that how we would connect more?' Caine thought to himself.
He breathed in and out, and let a moment pass, before finally speaking.
"Kinger, are you "okay"? Caine lowered his claspsed hands together making a awkward motion. He'd seen humans do hand gestures while talking before, so he'd figure he would try it.
Kinger stopped walking.
It seemed like as if he hadn't been asked a question like that in a very long time…
"…I-im…" Kinger was hesitating. He slowly sighed . "I'm…better than before, if that's what you're asking-"
"are-are you sure?" Caine floated too close for comfort toward kinger.
something made kinger unable to say anything for a while. After a few seconds, he recovered.
"Maybe, sometimes…i feel down. But, slowly, I'm healing, I think. " he looked up to the stars. "Queenie."
Caine remembered her. And kinger and her together. How they would sing to eachother, dance with eachother. Their special human relationship.
Love.
Kinger continued. "She was…everything." He looked back at Caine." Even though shes gone, I'll always remember her. I’ll always love her."
Caine felt a sudden, stinging feeling in his code. Even though he didn't go through what kinger had gone through, he felt sad. for him. What was happening?
An understanding.
Was this what understanding was really like?
Now that he thought about it, he did miss queenie aswell. Her jokes, her rants about bugs. She had also loved theater.
He remembered a particular adventure he made specifically queenie. It was a bug catching one. She was very intelligent on how much she knew about bugs.
Caine attempted to lighten the mood."You humans are such complicated creatures! I can't believe you guys have to feel this way…it is an odd feeling." he laughed, not mockingly, but softly.
Kinger realized something, and looked up at Caine,. "Yeah." he sighed, before speaking again." Everything you told me, I believe a lot of people would relate to how you were feeling…so. I think I understand now, how you're feeling."
Caine felt another feeling stir in his chest. God, today Kinger was making him feel so many things.
his eyes watered up."Oh, Kinger, my original superstar, you really mean it? How WONDERFUL! I could almost cry!" He said, as tears fell down.
"Caine?"
"Mmmmyep?"
"You are crying…"
"huh-oh! I'm so sorry you have to see me like this, I-I….really, I am-" Caine snapped his tears away. "There-there we go."
They continued to move along in silence, before reaching the digital lake, where the path disappeared. The stars in the night sky were reflected across the water.
Caine, yet again, drifted his gaze to Kinger, this time without turning his whole entire head to look at him. There were a lot of thoughts he had about kinger. He had always thought of him. And he just didn't know why.
"Kinger, what does love feel like?" Caine said, without thinking.
Kinger was caught off guard by the sudden question. He thought for a Moment, before he finally spoke." Oh, it's wonderful. it's a warm feeling in your chest…those butterflies you get are really something else. That special someone… " kinger giggled to himself a bit.
"You think… I would be capable of feeling that way for someone?" Caine near whispered.
Kinger turned to look at him.
There was a moment of intense eye contact.
"I have no doubt that you could."
Caine intensely stared at kinger, eyes dialated, and Kinger stared back.
Both standing at the edge of the lake, there was an electric feeling in the slow digital air.
…
"Well, I-I..." Caine stuttered. "I think I should head back to the others. This has been quite a fun talk, my friend!"
Kinger said nothing, and instead, gave Caine a nod in return. Caine snapped his fingers, and they both were returned to the circus.
Caine turned to look at kinger. " I- I guess this is goodbye. what did you think of that LOVELY walk?”
"It was-"
Caine interrupted. "Great! I know! Anyways, I'm going NOW!!!"
And with that, he disappeared.
Kinger blinked a few times before eventually heading back to where he was before.