Work Text:
“Could I get a ticket, please?” Pomni asked. The NPC behind the admissions tickets booth doesn’t respond. They sat rigid, staring forward over the top of Pomni’s head. Pomni bunched her lips to the side and took several steps back. Maybe they couldn’t see her. She did barely reach over the little counter.
“Excuse me?” Pomni waved her hand in front of the NPC’s face. The mannequin-like NPC shook their head for a moment then looked down at where Pomni was waving. The NPC stares at Pomni, then with a start they quickly tear off an admissions ticket and slide it to her. Pomni accepts the ticket, regarding the NPC with mild confusion.
“...Thanks.”
Pomni walks past the booth, not noticing the NPC pressing their face against the plastic divider to watch as Pomni enters the digital carnival.
For a carnival made by Caine, Pomni was surprised that it seemed so normal. There were various game stations circling the area such as the high striker, the water gun race, and the milk bottle toss. Food stations, tables, and benches were also included. Pomni passed several classic carnival rides not in operation despite each having an NPC manning it. The further she went into the carnival the more she realized just how eerily quiet it was.
Caine had set up NPC’s to act as background carnival goers, but even they were standing rock still. Some were frozen mid-walking animation while others were simply strawn randomly all around; sitting, laying, leaning, waiting. Pomni felt herself shiver slightly. Despite the frozen state of the carnival, Pomni felt the creeping sensation that she was being watched. As she continues deeper into the carnival, she doesn’t notice the heads of the NPCs turn to follow her as she passes them.
Pomni walked by the ferris wheel, craning her neck to see just how far it reached when she bumps into an NPC holding a bunch of colorful balloons. Several of them scatter to the sky.
“Sorry!” Pomni said, stepping back.
The NPC shakes their head. Just like the ticket booth NPC this one also takes a moment to acknowledge that Pomni was standing right there.
“You’re…a human?” Inquired the NPC. Pomni looked around her as if there were any other humans they could be addressing.
“Uh…yes?”
Every NPC scattered across the carnival let out a gasp making Pomni jump, her arms folding up to her chest. Pomni caught scattered conversations as they all began to move. “It is a human!” “A visitor!” “A human visitor!” “A human has finally come!” “Places, places!” All at once every ride and NPC kicked back into life. The previous heavy silence now overflooded by the sudden surge of noise that came from every which way. The whirring of the mechanical rides starting back up were drowned out by laughter, random conversations, and carnival games being won. Above Pomni, a speaker was turned on as the feedback made her cover where her ears should be. Stock carnival music began playing from them.
NPC’s run by Pomni holding prizes and carnival snacks. The smell of greasy fried funnel cake, popcorn, and cheap hot dogs hits her. Pomni tilted her head up, inhaling the smell of carnival food. She felt herself salivating.
“Welcome to the digital carnival, human!” The balloon NPC greeted her. Bending down, they handed her a red balloon.
“Oh, um, thank you,” Pomni said, reluctantly accepting the balloon.
“Why, thank you for your thanks!” The NPC replied.
Pomni relaxes a little more, adapting to the now lively carnival atmosphere. Looking up at the balloon, she wonders if she looked childish holding it.
“You guys…don’t get many visitors do you?” asked Pomni.
“Nope! We don’t get any at all! You’re our first in…” The NPC paused, looking off in the distance. Pomni awkwardly scratches her neck, preparing to walk away if they didn’t respond in five more seconds.
“Anyway!” the NPC chirps, turning away, “Enjoy the carnival!”
Pomni watches the NPC walk away, randomly handing out balloons to others as they slowly reintegrate into the background of the carnival. Pomni turned, her head bumping against something solid as her feet caught onto themselves. She lets go of the balloon, feeling her body tilt back. She reached out, instinctively trying to grab hold of something. Someone grabs onto her wrist, catching both her and the balloon string just before she hits the ground. Pomni blinked up at the person holding her.
“Caine?” she gazed up at the grinning ringmaster.
“Pomni!” Caine pulled her up back onto her feet. Pomni took her hand back as Caine held onto the balloon string.
“I see you’re seeing what the carnival grounds are like today! What a pleasant surprise!” Caine twisted in the air, the balloon string wrapping around his waist. Pomni felt her lips tilt up in a smile. From the way he hung in the air it looked like he was floating by the lone balloon tied around him.
“I didn’t expect to see you here either,” said Pomni.
Caine crossed his arms and tilted his head, “But you were the one who said ‘We should do this again sometime!’” Pomni grimaced, cringing at both the memory of her saying that and the memory of Jax laughing at her for it.
“Yes, I did say that,” Pomni admitted, brushing a strand of hair away which does nothing but fall back in place. “I just didn’t expect it to be so soon or for it to be here.”
Caine turns in the air, pawing at the balloon like a cat would a toy feather.
“When is a better time to do anything again than the very next day?”
Pomni already accepted there was no talking him out of this one. Caine stood up straight in the air, “I’d originally planned for you to take another adventure tour, but I’m glad someone finally wanted to see the work I did around the circus grounds!”
Pomni began rocking on her feet, “You’re right, I did want to see more of the things you made around the circus–” Caine beamed at Pomni. For a split second Pomni thought she saw the balloon become a heart. She blinked. Just a trick of the light. The balloon was just a regular balloon.
“Would you like to…join me?” Pomni asked, rubbing her arm. Caine paused for a moment.
“Why, I would be delighted!” Caine exclaimed. Pulling a pin out from nowhere, Caine pops the balloon and falls to the ground, landing on his feet. Bending towards Pomni, he offered her his arm.
“Shall we, then?”
Pomni felt her heart flutter as she accepted his arm. That flutter immediately turned into a leap as Caine warped them to the food stalls. The NPC manning the stall sighed as they asked for her order. Pomni got herself a funnelcake while Caine got a bag of popcorn. They sat down at a table across from an NPC holding two hotdogs. The NPC was struggling to decide which one they should eat first.
Pomni takes a bite of her funnelcake. She felt the crunch of the fried dough as the sugary powder melted on her tongue. Pomni hums in surprise, glancing at Caine who was throwing popcorn at himself, the kernels bouncing off his jaw and landing on the floor. An NPC on standby was sweeping up Caine's mess each time he threw his food.
“Have I just been imagining it or has the food in the circus gotten better?” Pomni asked.
“You have been imagining it and I've been working on bettering the food in the circus!” Caine said, snapping his popcorn away. “How is it? Delectable? Delightable?”
Pomni takes another bite, chewing carefully as Caine watches.
“It’s good,” she said.
Caine nods thoughtfully, “Good…” he echoed. Pomni felt that wasn’t the answer he was aiming for. Before Pomni could finish off her funnelcake the sweeping NPC grabs it out of her hands. They gave her a literally expressionless look, turned, then ran away leaving Pomni to stare at her funnelcake-less hands.
“Splended, you’re done!” Caine stood up, placing a hand on Pomni’s shoulder. Pomni looked up at the game booth she was just warped to then down at the colorful rings she was now holding. They stood side by side in front of a ring tossing game. Several glistening glass bottles were set up in a square in the middle of the booth. Pomni notices two NPCs with rings stepping back to give them space. Beside her, Caine throws all his rings at once, each one pausing in the air, deliberating which bottle they wanted to land on before all of them landed on the same bottle at the very center. A bell is rung and Caine points to a plush bee, the most detailed looking toy of all the prizes. He gave the plush a quick squeeze.
Pomni quickly tossed her rings and watched as not a single one of them landed on any of the bottles. “Could I–” Pomni began. Caine placed his hand on Pomni’s shoulder again, warping her to another game. This time, it was a balloon popping one. Caine was already lining up the dart, tongue sticking out in concentration as he aimed.
Pomni crossed her arms with a huff, “Caine!” The dart flew out of Caine’s hand ricocheting off the side of the booth and sailing past Pomni, narrowly missing the top yellow puff of her jester outfit. Pomni didn’t flinch. Behind them something popped followed by a sad voice lamenting, “My balloon…”
“I wasn’t done playing that game and I don’t want to just jump across the carnival!” Pomni scowled at Caine. Caine placed his bee plush on top of his jaw, positing it just right so it looked like it wore his top hat.
“You were!” he protested, crossing his arms, “You used all your rings! And this way we can visit every booth without wasting time on things like choosing where to go next or walking!”
Pomni groans, “That doesn’t mean–I get how you could see that as unnecessary or slow, but–”
“It is! That’s why I’m here to speed things up!”
“I don’t want you to speed things up!” Pomni snapped. The NPC manning the booth awkwardly pretends to examine the targets of the game. Pomni inhaled slowly.
“Look, I want to enjoy the things you’ve made and I want to talk to you,” Pomni sighed, “but I can’t do that if you rush me through everything. I can barely get a sentence out sometimes…”
Caine slowly loosened his arms, bringing his fingers up to tap nervously against each other.
“Could you slow down?” Pomni asked warily, “Maybe go…my pace this time?”
“...Pomni’s pace?” Caine looked down, contemplating.
“Pomni’s pace,” Pomni repeated.
Caine closed his mouth, his hands clasping behind his back. The NPC of the booth awkwardly shifted forward, re-adding the dart Caine had lost earlier. Someone in the background managed to hit the bell in the high striker game. Caine walked closer to Pomni and suddenly grabbed her shoulders.
“Wha–” Pomni felt herself get turned around then pushed forward, her feet forced to start walking.
“Hey!” she protested. Pomni was pushed all the way back to the ring toss booth. Caine then turned her around, let her go, and started marching back to the darts booth on his own.
“Pomni’s pace it is!” he sang, his arms and legs high in the air. Pomni stared at him going on ahead by himself, marveling at seeing Caine actually walking from point A to point B. Pomni smiled at his back then cupped a hand to her mouth, “Hey! I said I wanted to play this one again!” Caine does an about face, his head taking a second longer to catch up to his body. “Pomni’s pace!” he chanted, marching right on back to her.
♡ ♢ ♤ ♧
Going at the pace of Pomni, the two of them were able to tackle several carnival games with Caine scoring plenty of prizes. Both his arms were carrying various different plushes while the lone bee plush sat atop his head. Pomni wasn’t winning as much, but finally won a prize at the water gun station which ended up being a gloink. The booth only gave out gloinks.
Pomni didn’t mind losing any of the games save for one. She stubbornly kept replaying the game booth where the players used a BB gun to shoot out a picture of a star from a piece of paper. The NPC manning that booth was equally as stubborn, pointing out even the smallest pixel of the star left. After the fifth attempt, Pomni heaved a sigh of resignation, putting up the BB gun. Caine dropped all his prizes, giving Pomni a reassuring wink.
Instead of leaning forward on the provided shooting bench, Caine takes several steps back. With one arm behind him, Caine pointed at the star. Pomni saw a flash of light as Caine’s hand was knocked back from the recoil of his shot. She flinched from the sound of the sudden blast, more laser than any gunshot. Inside the booth, the singed paper now had a perfectly scorched out shape of the star. The shaking NPC handed Pomni her coveted prize; a familiar, giant, semi-realistic, gummy-gator plush. It was just about taller than Pomni in length and much too big for her to even hold properly. Caine watched Pomni happily hug the plush even as it fully engulfed her.
Caine indulged in seeing Pomni waddle around with the plush for a moment before he snapped it away. The other prizes littering the ground and even the bee plush disappeared as well.
“I took the liberty of taking that one back to your room!” Caine explained.
“Oh, thank you,” Pomni said, straightening up, “For doing that…and for winning it for me.”
“Of course, my dear sharpshooter,” Caine chortled.
Satisfied with the games, the two of them tackled the carnival rides next. At the giant slides, Pomni slid down normally while Caine skateboarded his way down. He earned extra points for grinding on the side of the slide and pulling off trick combos in the air. At the bumper carts Caine somehow spun out of control. His cart tilted to the side which then caught on hyper realistic fire. NPCs brought out the fire extinguisher. Caine had reappeared by Pomni’s side as she watched them put out the fire from her own cart. “Hope that guy had insurance,” he remarked. The ride was shut down for the day.
At the carousal Pomni politely declined going into the spinning cup with him, choosing to ride a unicorn-mermaid instead. She watched him put his hands on the center wheel of the cup. His arms pulled at the wheel, straining from the exertion as he gave it one strong spin. Her expression remained placid when both he and the cup disappeared. After the ride she found him bent over a nearby trashcan throwing up. The cup did not return.
Pomni led Caine to the last ride she wanted to go on; the ferris wheel. Stepping onto the basket, Pomni sat across from Caine. The basket was just small enough for their feet to touch slightly as the ride jerked into motion. Rising above the carnival Pomni peeked her head out of the basket, watching as the carnival grounds slowly got further away. In the distance, the sun was just about to sink behind the circus island. Pomni could see the digital lake from where they were. It sat still and looked a bit lowly rendered. Pomni sighed, feeling a nice breeze ruffle her hair and jingle her bells.
Across from Pomni, Caine sat up straight, watching her as she looked across the circus. Pomni, noticing his unusual silence, looked over to him.
“I have been very good!” He stated, hands clasped in his lap. Pomni mirrors him in his rather stiff business-like posture.
“Um, yes,” she agreed, nodding, “You have been.”
“I did not rush you!”
“That’s right, you didn’t.”
Pomni waited for Caine to say something else so she could clearly see where he was leading the conversation. Caine continued to stare at her expectantly. The sharp chime of a timer went off in her head as realization suddenly hit her.
“You did wonderful, Caine!” Pomni praised, “It’s not easy pacing yourself for others but you did!”
The effect was immediate. Caine swayed in his seat, grinning to himself as Pomni’s words washed over him. Biting back a laugh, Pomni leans back, a sudden mischievous idea sparking in her mind.
“You’re always so fast, Caine. It must’ve taken a lot of control to slow down to my speed,” Pomni said as Caine shook his head, trying and failing to hold a humble air.
“You looked really cool when you shot out that star,” Pomni added as Caine began blushing deeply.
“Would you say I looked dashing? Gallant? Attractive?” Caine asked, peeking out from his teeth with twinkling eyes, unabashedly fishing for more.
Pomni felt her face grow hot, her smile turning sheepish. “You were dashing,” Pomni admitted, choosing what she deemed to be the least embarrassing to say out loud. Caine was vibrating in his seat at Pomni’s words, his hands bashfully bunched up at his lower teeth. Pomni chuckled seeing such an all powerful being be so over the moon.
“If me complimenting you for today has you like this, how did Zooble’s feedback yesterday make you feel?” Pomni asked as the ferris wheel completed one loop.
“Fantasmerrific!” Caine gushed, throwing his hands up. Confetti and glitter fell from his sleeves and into the basket. A gust of wind carried it all away.
“I’m glad…thanks for taking my advice.” Pomni smiled, looking back to the circus tent in the distance, “And for what you did for Zooble.”
“As much as I’d love to take all the credit, I can’t! Your input affected a great deal of their experience for the better!” Caine commended, “I should be the one thanking you, my lovely consultant!”
Pomni felt her heart do a leap then faceplant in her ribcage. She clears her throat, gently patting her chest. That digital funnelcake must not be going down easy.
“But,” Caine continued, “I felt today’s post-adventure reactions were a bit…different from what I expected.” Caine takes his hat, fidgeting with the brim as he looks over to the tent.
Pomni pulled at her gloves. “Yeah…maybe you got a bit overexcited from Zooble’s praise…”
♡ ♢ ♤ ♧
Jax groaned the moment he saw where the portal spat them out.
“A museum?” he grumbled, walking up to a small plaque, “Who wants to walk around looking at old stuff all day?”
Pomni didn’t agree with his complaint. She felt relieved to find their adventure took place in such a mundane location. The only story indicator was a note left by the curator requesting they watch over his beloved museum while he takes the day off. Ragatha tagged along with Kinger to admire the living butterfly exhibit. Zooble and Gangle started down the classic arts. Pomni and Jax were left to wander into the modern art exhibit. As Pomni stared at a particularly unique piece, a sculpture of a pink fleshy creature she could not discern, she heard a cry of anguish followed by obnoxious laughter.
Pomni ran towards the commotion to find Gangle covering her mouth, Jax hunched over laughing, and Zooble pinching the space in between their eyes. They were standing in front of a framed drawing complete with its own plaque. Pomni slowed down, looking up at the frame holding a small piece of paper that looked like it was torn from a notebook. A pencil sketch of an anime character was at the very center, eyes large and sparkling.
“I–I drew this in 5th grade!” Gangle squeaked out. Pomni realized that she was looking at one of the innermost, private, sensitive hidden facets of an artist; their childhood OC (Original Character). Pomni looked to the next exhibit, noticing it just as Jax did. It was a larger picture, one colored with alcohol markers, but definitely another one of Gangle’s works.
“Oh no,” Pomni whispered. Zooble followed Pomni’s line of sight as she looked further down the hall.
“Don’t tell me,” Zooble fumed.
Caine had filled the entire modern art exhibit hall with Gangle’s work throughout her lifetime. The pieces ranged from original creations to fanart of characters and items that already existed in their own media. Some pieces stayed true to their size such as the many sketches of characters on notebooks. Others were blown up to fit large paintings such as what looked like a digital drawing of a character Pomni didn’t recognize.
Pomni watched as Gangle went through the exhibit in a panic, over-explaining herself for each piece she came across. Jax was having a wonderful time pointing out all the things Gangle didn’t want him to point out such as proportions, color scheme, and a prevalent type of character design Gangle seemed fond of.
“Leave her alone, it’s not her fault Caine pulled all these out,” Zooble grumbled as Gangle covered her face.
“No, but it’s most definitely her fault I gotta see’em now!” Jax retorted.
“I think it’s kind of nice,” Pomni said quietly, admiring a fully inked and colored page in an oversized frame. Pomni felt Zooble and Jax’s eyes on her, each staring in different forms of shock. Zooble out of anger and Jax out of disbelief.
“I–I meant this work,” Pomni quickly corrected, “Not that it’s nice for Caine to have put them all on display. Just that–this one is really great.” Pomni gave Gangle a small smile, hoping to express her genuine admiration. Gangle’s eyes went wide. She looked up at the piece as Pomni read the information plaque beside it. Gangle made this in what spare time she had while she attended both school and work. It took her hours to compose and outline then even more to fully ink and color. Pomni wasn’t too experienced of an artist, but looking at this piece she could tell how much love and care Gangle poured into it. Gangle watched the way Pomni stared at her work, taking the time to study it.
“Thanks, Pomni,” Gangle sniffed.
Pomni shook her head, “Thank you for making this. I’m sorry I’m kind of seeing it without your permission…”
“To be honest this is really surreal,” Gangle said, looking down the hall dedicated only to her work. “A part of me has always wanted people to see and admire my art. I’ve always wanted to…make something people would enjoy.”
Pomni gave a slight huff, “Leave it to Caine to take that and make something like this…”
Zooble crossed their arms, standing beside Gangle, “Yeah, a real dream come true and [%$@!#] nightmare all in one.”
They went through the exhibit with a now calmer Gangle to guide them through. Pomni listened as Zooble and Gangle discussed different art techniques and inspirations. There were only a few pieces that were digitally drawn. Gangle explained the drawing pad she bought was second-hand and broke after a few months of use. Zooble made Gangle blush when they complimented a dense looking piece where she only used ink.
Though Jax’s heckling didn’t stop as he tagged along, he did eventually stop pointing and laughing. He even asked a question or two regarding Gangle’s art style and anime tastes. Gangle became really excited when a long time character she adored showed up in a piece. She went deep into their lore before nervously moving on when she caught herself rambling.
They went through a lot of different periods of Gangle’s art including one where she came back after a long break. It was a crumpled up piece of paper that someone tried to smooth back out. The wrinkles were still bold while the drawing was small. According to the plaque, the piece was called Regressed?
"I was...going through a hard time," Gangle said softly.
Zooble shook their head, taking one of Gangle’s ribbons into their hand, "You don't need to explain any further. If you want, we could leave so we don't see the rest..."
Pomni nodded in agreement. Jax had walked a bit further off, pretending to be distracted by something else.
Gangle shook her head, "No, it's okay. It feels kind of...cathartic. I can let you know if there’s anything I want to skip–"
“Woah!” They all turned to Jax who was leaning real close to a drawing further down the hall. Gangle let out a shriek the moment she saw what he was staring at. Pomni covered her mouth.
“From which hidden journal did Caine pull this one from?” Jax snickered.
“Oh shut up, Jax, it’s not like we’re not all adults here,” Zooble said, exasperated.
“Even my adult eyes find this a bit too spicy!” Jax exclaimed, fanning himself, “I knew you were capable of a lot of things, Ribbons, but this takes the cake!”
“Many if not most classical art is just as nude,” Zooble protested.
“Uh huh, so Michaelangelo also drew people doing the–”
“Let’s move on, please!” Gangle cried, pushing everyone along.
Just a few drawings down, it was Jax’s turn to let out a cry, “Wha–you! When did you–”
Zooble snorted as Gangle smiled under her ribbons. Pomni’s lips formed a line as she took in the drawing. It was a very large piece, one of the many that Cain randomly chose to blow up. Held within an ornate wooden frame was a drawing of Jax posing in his maid outfit. Gangle drew him completely red in the face, furious, and dripping with sweat. It was almost exactly how he looked then, staring at himself. Gangle really nailed the expression of horrified embarrassment.
“She captured you perfectly,” Zooble remarked.
Jax reached out to grab the frame, intent on ripping it off the wall. An alarm went off activating lasers and a lockdown cage around the drawing.
“What’s the point of us being here if there’s already a security system!” Jax cried.
Back in the present time, Caine was tapping his hands on his lap. “From what you’re describing it sounds like everyone had a wonderful time at some point!” said Caine.
Pomni narrowed her eyes at him then took a breath.
“Caine,” she said evenly, “I thought it was nice that you tried giving Gangle the feeling of having her art displayed and celebrated but…a lot of them were really private to Gangle.”
“I–I simply chose ones that bore great significance to her. And ones that I believed everyone would enjoy!” Caine replied tensely.
“Right, but it’s still her work, you know? I mean how would you feel if someone took your adventures and showed it off to everyone before you felt they were ready?”
Caine frowned, his upper jaw bunching together. “That–that’d be terrible! I–oh…oh dear…”
Pomni lets him marinate on that for a moment, watching as slumped back into his seat.
“And Caine?” she called.
“Yes?” he answered, meekly.
“Did you have to make her artistic creations come alive and attack us?”
Like a wilted plant under an open faucet, Caine immediately perked up. Caine laughed, as if it were the silliest question Pomni’s yet to ask. “Of course! Creator and creation colliding in an epic confrontation? How moving! How marvelous! Why, I can't think of a better climax to the story!”
Caine leaned towards Pomni, putting his hand beside his mouth to whisper to her, “You won’t believe the time it took to ensure there weren’t any copyright infringements.”
Pomni closed her eyes, putting her fingertips to her temple as she recalled the next events.
The moment the sun set on the adventure a drawing Gangle made during college blinked, jumpscaring Pomni. The drawing stepped out of her frame, bowing to Gangle who was at a complete loss for words. Another one, a character she drew as a child, bounded over calling her “My princess” as they planted a kiss on her ribbon. Gangle responded with a high pitched shriek, her mask completely red. Before Zooble could finish saying, “What the [%$@!#],” their little group was surrounded by Gangle’s creations.
Some characters kept to their 2D form while others turned 3D once they passed through their frames. Plenty of characters became their accurate size and height while others stayed their drawing size as they left their canvases. Pomni looked all around at the increasing mass of colorful hair and detailed eyes.
Jax was interviewing an old sketch of Gangle’s, digging real deep for every childhood secret he could pull from the character. Meanwhile, multiple characters were confessing their undying love for her as they tried to declare themselves the superior love interest.
“I’m her true love! She drew me for years even after my manga went on hiatus!” One character cried, eyes tearful.
“So what? She drew me out of her own mind! I was literally made for her!” Countered the other character, their ink smearing.
Zooble was doing their best to back Gangle up before she was swarmed. Gangle kept switching between looking horrified and absolutely ecstatic. Before a ridiculous competition between the love interests could take place one character shoved them aside to confront Gangle.
“Why did you change my backstory to make it more tragic! I had loving parents!”
That caused other characters to speak up about their own tragic backstories, flaws, unfinished arcs, and even their clothing. One character happened to be the tiniest little doodle being held up by an anime girl. They tearfully shared how they were a 3AM frenzied brainstorm and quick sketch in a notes app who was then abandoned. Gangle couldn’t answer them all.
Gangle did try to explain herself only for her most loyal characters to step in front of her protectively, stating how that was no way to address her. Insults were thrown out, the one that Pomni remembered most was one character calling another a “Half-baked, forgotten, Mary-Sue, self-insert, ripoff!” to which the other replied with “You’re not even inked in!”
The magical anime girl threw a punch. Everyone descended into chaos. Weapons were pulled out, characters were powering up, and moves were being loudly announced. There were already casualties as magical blasts scattered everyone across the museum hall. Jax was quick to snatch a nearby character's musket.
“Great job, Gangle!” Jax shouted, dodging a sudden sword swing, “Your drawings are out for blood! Or is it ink? Graphite? Whatever.” With a grin he happily aimed and pulled down the trigger, blasting a character as they were still shouting out their attack move. Pomni picked up her own weapon; a scythe which doubled as a gun. Pomni pulled the trigger of the scythe just as an anime girl aimed her glowing hands at her.
Zooble held up what looked like a giant scissor blade to block an oncoming sword. Gangle was on the ground under Zooble, picking up a dropped magical wand to aim at the character.
“I’m–I’m so sorry Haruka-chan!” Gangle wailed as the magical wand charged up. A multicolored blast later Gangle watched in anguish as the character’s charred 2D body scattered in the air. The battle raged on as the hall began filling with debris, craters, lost weapons, and fallen anime characters.
“Guys, I think the mad characters are winning!” Pomni called out, swiping her scythe wide. A sullen looking anime boy jumped on top of the scythe, using it as a spring to get right above them. He pulled out little ninja stars, ready to throw. Pomni hulled her scythe up and pulled the trigger. The character dropped from the sky, right beside Jax who was busy going through dropped weapons. He tossed aside a black notebook, an oversized paper-cutter looking blade, and a longbow to pick up a big futuristic gun. The moment Jax wrapped his fingers around it the gun transformed, turning into a “lethal eliminator.”
“Music to my ears,” Jax smirked. He jumped into the fray, shooting what looked like an overdesigned hand cannon laser which obliterated whatever it hit. Pomni heard a loud crash near the entrance of the hall. A giant butterfly had broken through the ceiling, soaring above the fight. Pomni spotted Ragatha and Kinger riding on top of it as it dodged random magical blasts. She had no time to comprehend what she was looking at.
All through the night the cast were defending themselves against or running from the various other aggressive exhibits that joined in. Jax was having a blast picking and choosing from weapons when he spotted something cowering away in the corner. It was the drawing of himself wearing the maid uniform. They locked eyes, staring at each other from across the battle strewn hall. Jax pulled out his gun. Pomni didn’t see him for a while after that. She could only guess that he spent a long time chasing his maid counterpart down.
Thankfully, after the aggressive ones were dealt with, Ragatha and Kinger had successfully calmed many of the inhabitants by either impressive acts of diplomacy, completing rather mundane tasks, or simply feeding them.
Gangle quietly sat on the floor, amidst the carnage of her work which were now mainly torn or burnt paper. Some of her surviving friendly characters sat nearby, quietly watching her. She heard a small cough and her name being called out on the now quiet battlefield. Gangle knelt down beside the 2D anime girl, holding her hand as the girl coughed. The girl was holding her side, wincing in pain.
“Shadowthorne-san…” Gangle whispered as her tears fell on the girl's cheeks.
“I know it’s been a long time since we’ve seen each other,” said the girl, voice strained as she coughed up ink, “but I was so happy whenever you drew me. Wherever you drew me.”
“It’s okay,” Gangle choked out, “Don’t force yourself to speak.”
“I need to say this.” The girl breathed in slowly, giving Gangle a smile, “Thank you so much for creating me. I was so glad to be there for you when you needed me to be.”
Gangle sobbed, her tears dropping on the girl's cheek. The girl closed her eyes and laid still. As Gangle held her, Zooble placed a gentle hand on Gangle’s shoulder, “Hey, I finally found some supplies,” they said. Zooble placed down several pencils, highlighters, and pens as Gangle tried to wipe her tears away.
“I figured if you created them–” Zooble began.
“Then slaughtered them!” Jax jeered from the side.
“Then you can re-create them,” Zooble finished, ignoring Jax.
Gangle picked up a pencil and held it nervously in her hand, “But–it’s been so long I–”
“Only if you want to,” Zooble said gently.
Several other characters spoke up, reassuring her that they were always there with her. If not under her pencil then in her memory.
“Whether you want to keep drawing us or not, we’ll always be your creations,” said the small crumpled character, “We only hope you remember to keep doing what you love.”
Gangle nodded, wiping away her tears. With a dramatic flourish, she quickly drew a bandage on the girl in her arms. Just like that, the girl opened her eyes again. She smiled at Gangle as the first rays of the morning sun shone through the windows. Gangle’s creations froze, reverted back to their paper forms, and fell to the ground all around her. With tearful eyes, Gangle was smiling as she held them all to her heart.
Pomni crossed her arms across from Caine who nervously stretched out his shirt collar. “Right–yes, the amount of character death was…underestimated,” Caine confessed.
Pomni sighed. “Caine, does something always have to take an unexpected turn on your adventures?”
“Of course!” Caine replied, “Those are the best kinds of turns! Better than the expected is the unexpected!”
“Okay…” Pomni thought for a moment. “What else has to happen on your adventures, Caine?”
“I’m thrilled that you asked!” Caine beamed, taking his hat, “A journey must happen of course! And for that to happen something bad must happen! We need a drive! A reason! High stakes! Character growth! Incredible action! A touching moment of character bonding! Conflict! More action! More conflict!” As Caine listed more things out he’d pull random assortments of items from his hat, discarding them off the side of the ferris wheel as he went along. Pomni only caught a handful of what he was referencing as his little physical examples were dropped off the side.
While Caine droned on Pomni nodded thoughtfully, “And as you said before, something more chill, something low-stakes where nothing terrible happens is–”
“Boring!” Caine gladly completed Pomni’s statement.
Pomni leaned back against the basket, looking off towards the distance. “Then I must’ve really bored you today, huh?”
Caine froze. Pomni heard the sound of something heavy drop out of his hat whistling all the way down before it crashed to the ground, making both of them momentarily lift off from their seats. Pomni saw the paper star booth now crushed by an anvil as the ferris wheel slowed to a stop at the ground. The NPC manning the ferris wheel controls looked back and forth between Caine and Pomni. After neither of them moved or acknowledged the NPC, they started the ferris wheel back up. Pomni silently watched as she rose above the carnival, not bothering to even glance at Caine.
It wasn’t until the ferris wheel was halfway down again that Caine broke from his spell. Shaking his arms, head, then whole body Caine looked like a wet dog drying himself off.
“No, no, no–yes–well–no and yes–I mean,” Caine’s voice was almost strained, emitting a static filter that warped and chopped up his words as he spoke, “We played games–no–nothing bad–we’re–we’re talking! No high stakes–but–um–”
Pomni turned to Caine, brows furrowed and eyes wide. He'd stopped shaking. One hand clutched at his upper jaw while the other gripped his lower teeth. His eyes held that similar frantic look she’d witnessed back in his office. Pomni watched as Caine struggled to make a coherent and complete sentence. Starting then restarting then starting a new statement again and again as his voice continued to distort. Pomni leaned towards him, gingerly taking his hands. Caine quieted, eyes going still.
“Hey, woah, it’s okay,” she soothed, “I had fun today.” Pomni tilted her head to get a better look into Caine’s eyes, “Did you have fun today?” Like coaxing a kitten out from under the bed, Pomni patiently waited for him to process her question. Caine took a moment. Pomni felt his tense arms finally relax as his hands held onto hers.
“I…had fun,” Caine said quietly.
“Yeah?” Pomni watched as Caine’s teeth tilted up into a soft smile.
“Nothinig happened. But I had fun,” Caine said a little louder, his small smile turning into a goofy grin, “Nothing is happening! And I am having fun!”
Pomni lets out a light laugh, “I’m glad!”
Caine swung their arms as the ferris wheel came to a stop again at the very top. The last of the day cycle slid under the island, making way for the night. Below them, various booths and rides of the carnival began turning on their lights, bathing the grounds in a golden glow. Strings of lights turned on in a sequence until they all reached the ferris wheel whose lights were the last to turn on.
“Wow,” Pomni gasped. One of her hands lets go of Caine to grasp onto the side of the basket. She leaned her head over to take in the sight of the glowing carnival. Out of the corner of Pomni’s eye she noticed something shoot across the sky and disappear. Pomni looked up at the stars and saw that they weren’t the usual stagnant white dots and few doodles, but real twinkling lights scattered across a gradient night sky.
“Did you update the sky since the stargazing adventure?” Pomni asked, smiling wider as another shooting star flew by. Caine doesn’t answer. She felt his hand grip hers just a bit tighter. In the glow of the starlights, Caine could only stare as Pomni turned to look at him.
Caine was used to always running. That was one of his primary functions: to run. He ran the circus, the adventures, the shows. He ran things in the background, the middleground, the foreground. His very being was always running. But now, as he held onto her, he suddenly felt himself slow.
It was agonizingly slow.
The one second it took her to turn to him was so…agonizingly…blissfully…slow.
Caine felt himself manually take it all in, one detail at a time. He wanted to remember the way the stars danced behind her. The way they framed that charming hat of hers. He wanted to remember the shade of blue that bathed her from above and the warm lights that reflected off her from below. The way she slowly turned to him, the way her hair gently blew in the night air, and her eyes. He wanted to remember the exact pattern of stars that reflected off her eyes as she gazed at him.
Caine stopped running.
“...Caine?”
Everything suddenly kicked back into overdrive.
“Yes?” Caine replied.
Pomni hesitated, “...my hand?”
Caine followed her line of sight to where his fingers were still holding onto hers. He looked back up at her.
“The sky–yes it is there,” he answered.
Pomni blinked at him, mouth turning down in concern.
“Um–” Pomni began to say. Caine glanced down again.
“Oh,” he uttered.
Caine lets go of Pomni.
Retrieving her hand, Pomni asked Caine another question. Caine waited a beat then held up a finger as if a thought just occurred to him.
“I must go feed the Bubble,” he said, words tumbling out robotically. Caine stood up and stepped out of the basket where he hovered for a moment. Summoning his staff, he jabbed it down in the air and turned back to Pomni. “Enjoy your night, Starlight!”
Just like that, Caine warped himself away. Pomni waited a moment, as if he’d return as suddenly as he’d left. After the moment passed she sighed. Pomni crossed her arms and hung her elbows out of the basket, setting her chin on her wrists. She thought that he could’ve at least waited for the ride to be over then caught herself. Pomni groaned, pulling at her hat as she felt her face heat up.
Something bright suddenly appeared from overhead. Pomni looked up to see the moon gently smiling down at her.
“Don’t worry,” said the Moon, “I don’t mind sharing.”
Pomni looked at her in complete and utter horror. With a flushed face and shaking eyes, she leaned out the basket to call out below, “Could someone please get me down from here!”
♡ ♢ ♤ ♧
Pomni closed her bedroom door, relieved she didn’t run into anyone on her way back from the carnival. She walked to her bed, not bothering to turn on her lights. She fumbled a bit in the dark trying to find her bedpost. Her hand brushed over something foreign making her jump.
“What the–” Pomni felt around a bit more, her hands squishing various different objects and sinking into others. Her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness as she squinted at the soft object in her hands. A familiar bee plush stared blankly back at her. Pomni looked over to her bed where all the prizes Caine won earlier now sat.
A small laugh escaped her as she marveled at the sight of her bed completely overtaken by her new plush roommates.
“Sorry, guys,” she said, gathering them up, “some of you will have to settle for the floor.”
She removed all the plushies except for two. Yawning, Pomni climbed into bed, pressing her back against the gummy-gator plush. She wrapped her arms around the bee, hugging it close to her chest. As she nuzzled against the plush, Pomni drifted easily off to sleep.