Chapter Text
Kit swivels around quickly, heart beating loudly in her chest.
"KABOODLE!" she screams, eyes widening in terror.
Her friend turns, face struck with horror. "I—"
Before he can continue, they're blasted with another wave of gunfire, and she's forced to grab him and hide behind a wall.
Kit's breathing quickens. "What does he MEAN he can bring them back? That doesn't make any sense!"
Kaboodle shakes his head angrily. "No! He can't! He's just another rando villain!"
Kit hesitates. "Then why does he say he can?"
Kaboodle thinks for a moment, briefly peering back at the villain behind them.
"I don't know! Maybe he's trying to manipulate us?"
Kit rolls her eyes. "Oh my god."
Kaboodle smirks. "Hey, I tried."
The villain marches over towards them, footsteps echoing throughout the small room.
Kit covers her mouth and tries to steady her breathing as he looms above.
He narrows his eyes chaotically, pulling out one of his various pieces of technology.
Kaboodle jumps back, shouting wildly. "RANDY! STOP IT."
The villain falters for half a moment. "That's not my name."
Kit grabs Kaboodle. "We need to go. Now!"
Kaboodle pulls away. "No! We have to make sure the hero doesn't defeat Randy!"
Another person—presumably the hero—looms in the distance, watching the chaos unfold.
The villain, who seems to be more robot than human, frowns at him.
"I. AM. NOT."
Kaboodle jumps to the opposite side of him, leaving Kit by herself. Maybe he can distract him.
"You're not what?"
He pulls the trigger on the large gun he holds in his hands.
The machine is pointed directly at Kit's head.
Her eyes widen in shock as she tries to leap to the side.
"I AM NOT RANDY."
He steps on Kit's tail and she flinches in pain. "Get off of my tail, you—"
Kaboodle's heart thumps loudly in his chest. Gosh, he is really bad at this.
He rushes towards Kit, trying to help his friend as fast as he can.
The machine explodes into bright blue smoke, interrupting Kit and blurring their vision. Kaboodle coughs loudly.
"What the heck?" he asks, more confused than afraid.
The villain laughs. "Say goodbye to that stupid cat, idiot."
Kaboodle dodges as the man throws the gun onto the ground next to him. It's completely destroyed.
Then, as if through magic, the man disappears.
...
Kit coughs again, her eyes filling with blue air as swirling light shines into her eyes.
She's floating in a void of blue and black specks of dust.
"What the..."
Kit looks around, twisting midair as she tries to locate something to help her get out of here... at least, wherever "here" is.
The world warps around her, sky blurring.
Kit is hit with an intense wave of nausea as she shuts her eyes in sickness.
"Oh my God..." she murmurs shakily, still filled with the adrenaline from the fight.
It was just supposed to be a friendly conversation! Not that...!
Kit opens her eyes again. The void is swirling now, almost as if it's pulling her somewhere.
She lets out a weak gasp as a new world comes into view.
The tunnel of blue and the strange flickering lights carry Kit helplessly through the darkness of space as she is transported to... circus grounds?
Kit blinks.
"W-wait! Hey! Let me go! I need Kaboodle! I never finished the—"
Kit's eyes narrow, ears flattening.
"KABOODLE!"
The blue merely shimmers brighter in response.
Kit floats above the circus grounds for a long moment, before suddenly being teleported inside.
The world distorts and Kit is slammed into the ground with a loud thud.
She falls directly onto her face, and simply lays there in agony and utter bewilderment.
"What the heck... ow—" she complains, rubbing her arm that had been thrown onto the floor.
"Hello...?" a voice says to her.
Kit jumps back in terror, letting out a small shriek.
The other person gasps, a concerned expression forming onto her face. She looks like she was just crying, but Kit doesn't notice this.
"Sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" The woman chuckles nervously before standing up and walking over to Kit.
"I'm Ragatha! Nice to meet you!" She smiles widely, reaching her hand out.
Kit shakes her hand, laughing nervously.
"Nice to meet you," she says, trying to be polite but very obviously not paying attention.
She seems distracted, and immediately leaves Ragatha by herself as she jumps off the stage.
Turning behind her, Kit's tail moves back and forth nervously. "By the way..." Kit quickly looks up at... what was her name... Reggie? Agatha? And leans onto the edge of the stage. "Have you seen Kaboodle? He's kind of... a really tiny backpack-robot thing?" Kit pulls out a picture of her best friend and shows it to the woman.
Ragatha shakes her head, confused. "I haven't, I'm so sorry..."
Kit frowns, looking back at the picture. She doesn't remember Kaboodle coming with her through that... weird blue tunnel thing... which means that—
Kit immediately looks around the circus. Maybe he's just... helping the bad guy, like in their last adventure! Yeah!
"Okay, thank you and goodbye!" Kit quickly runs away from Ragatha, mind filled with concentration.
Gobbles and Flappers had stayed behind for this mission. Flappers said he needed a moment to recover from... the incident, and Gobbles offered to stay back and comfort him... which means that it's only Kaboodle she needs to worry about.
"Kaboodle!" She calls out again, eyes wide and mouth agape.
Is he here? Maybe he's still in the other world.
How does she leave this place?
Kit turns back to Ragatha, studying her face. She's a good distance away now, but from the looks of it, she's... crying?
Ragatha's eyes look red from her tears, and she keeps wiping at her eyes. It looks like she's trying to hold it all in.
Kit freezes, finally noticing that it's the middle of the night.
Oh my god... she was crying before and Kit didn't even notice...
She carefully walks back towards Ragatha. "Hey... are you alright?" Kit asks, eyes studying the other's expression.
Ragatha freezes, nodding almost too quickly. "Yeah, I'm okay! Don't worry about it too much. Just bein' a bit silly!" Ragatha smiles and laughs at her own joke, but Kit can see right through it.
"You sure?"
"YUP! Never been better!"
Kit pauses for a long moment, tail flicking behind her in thought.
Ragatha frowns, staring to the side for a moment. "Hey, uh... are you one of the new characters?"
Kit looks up, her ears perked at the mention of such strange words. Her face has a tiny look of shock on it.
"I don't... think so?" She asks, voice dripping with confusion. "What do you mean by a new character?"
Ragatha's brows furrow in disappointment. "Didn't you put a headset on to get here?"
Kit bites her lip. If she says no, then they'll get suspicious of her. She has to play along for now. Just until she can leave or find Kaboodle.
Focus, Kit. It's just another game. Just another world...
As long as they don't defeat the villain, she should be okay while finding out how to leave.
"...Yes. That is how I arrived here," Kit agrees, nodding her head in a forced—yet somewhat believable—tone.
Luckily, Ragatha takes the bait. She smiles with a sad look and turns towards the others' rooms.
"Why don't we introduce you to Caine, then? He should know what to do," Ragatha explains, as if Kit has any idea who the heck Caine is supposed to be.
Kit hesitates for half a second. "Uh, yeah! Lead the way!"
The two start walking towards... actually, Kit had no idea where they're going. She just knows they're going somewhere, and somewhere is better than nowhere, so she follows close behind.