Chapter Text
Caine had done it again.
Not for the first time today, Pomni had found herself running from some kind of goopy monster through what, on a surface level, appeared to be your standard shopping centre: aside from the vast array of all-too-expensive clothing shops, the mall was practically overflowing with For Sale signs and 30% Off! boards that just so conveniently happened to light up at regular intervals; the white-tiled floor was as shiny as that of a ballroom, harshly reflecting the rather out-of-place-fancy chandeliers lining the ceiling above. It seemed so… normal.
Of course, this was the Amazing Digital Circus! Nothing here was ever normal, not even in the slightest.
Pomni had seemed to, admittedly very foolishly, forgotten this fact, and had entered the day's adventure with all-too-high expectations as to the apparent day out at the mall. She saw, now, that this wasn't the case.
Pomni skidded across the slippery — because of course it was slippery — mall floor, flinching as she heard the slime creature splat down on the spot she had just been standing in mere seconds ago; the thing roared, sliding about on its slimy, gloopy feet as it tried to righten itself in her direction. Pomni didn't slow her pace as she bolted up to the second floor, unaware of the stationary state of the escalator below her, without looking back.
I'm going to kill Caine for this!
Her fists clenched as she ran, trying to suppress the bubbling rage that had settled within her; she knew it did no good, taking her anger out on the Artificially Intelligent ringmaster — he didn't seem to register any of the complaints they made, anyway, so this time would be no different.
Still worth a try.
Pomni nearly choked on the short, bitter laugh that escaped her at the thought; she was probably just plain stupid for even having the thought to begin with, let alone actually kind of believing it. She just wanted a normal, down-to-earth adventure that didn't involve man-eating, intergalactic goop monsters. Was that too much to ask?
Probably.
Just as it felt her legs were going to give, Pomni found herself at what appeared to be the exit: it was the standard red exit door, the same kind as she'd been so cruelly tricked with on her first day in the circus, but this one was already open and the interior was glowing white… white was good, right? Like, end-of-the-game good?
It didn't matter either way; the gloop-thing had started its ascent up the broken escalator, gurgling all the while. Pomni squeaked at the sound, ducking straight through the door and reappearing in the Tent.
Thank God for that.
She was panting, hunched over with her hands on her knees; too much running for one adventure, of that much she was sure. Catching her breath, Pomni noted that everyone else had already made it out — though only four of the other five were present in the atrium, Kinger most likely having retreated into his pillow fort.
Ragatha spotted her friend, making a hasty approach while daintily lifting the front of her dress as she practically jogged over. “Pomni! Are you alright? You didn't get attacked by the monsters, did you?” Ragatha was inspecting her anxiously, checking for any sign of distress or, in some rare cases on these “stakes” adventures, injury.
”I'm OK, Ragatha. Thanks for checking,” Pomni forced a strained smile; it wasn't that she didn't appreciate the concern, really, she was just still really ticked off at Caine.
Ragatha seemed to almost hesitate at the short response, before giving a nod and a reassuring smile that seemed to hold more confidence on the surface than the ragdoll was actually feeling inside.
"Where's Caine?" Pomni realised all too late just how irritated her tone sounded, catching Ragatha's attention with a surprised look. Pomni smiled awkwardly. "I just really didn’t like the way he handled that adventure… it was supposed to be a relaxing shopping day out, not… that.” She gestured dramatically with her hands, mimicking the motion of a nuclear bomb going off.
Ragatha rubbed the back of her neck worriedly. “I… don't know. He wasn't here when I got back, and no one else has seen him since the start of the adventure this morning. My best guess is, in his office planning the next adventure.” The last few words weren’t said without the corresponding grimace Pomni expected.
She sighed, giving the ragdoll a more sincere, small smile as she allowed her tensed shoulders to relax slightly. “Alright, I guess it can wait… I just need a sit down.” Pomni winced, cracking her back as the chore of sprinting from mall monsters caught up with her body; Caine didn’t sweeten any exertion blows, that was for sure. He liked to keep it “realistic”, as he had so helpfully put it the last time one of them had complained about the muscle fatigue they each experienced after another arduous adventure.
Ragatha smiled sympathetically – she was good at that - and gestured over to the seating where the rest of the cast (minus a certain chess piece) had disposed of themselves.
Pomni trailed slowly behind her, noting the rather tense atmosphere coating the atrium; it became apparent to her, as she drew nearer, that Zooble was glaring daggers at Jax, who had seated himself on the opposite side of the layout with that usual smug grin plastered across his face; Gangle's comedy mask was broken, and, from the look of seething outrage in Zooble's expression, Pomni guessed Jax had just now shattered it.
“Jax, what did you do?! I was only gone for a few seconds!” Ragatha immediately went on the offensive, fists curled as she glowered over at the rabbit. She hadn't even bothered to ask what had happened, though Pomni knew from however long she'd spent with these people that no one really needed to ask if Jax had done it; he almost always had.
”Already hurling accusations, Dollface? You haven't even read me my rights!” Jax mock-pouted, his eyes sparkling with amusement as Ragatha's already-tense stance grew even more furious.
”Why do you always have to pick on Gangle?! She's done nothing to you!” Ragatha stamped a foot, clearly not in the mood to deal with this kind of situation - so, Jax - reasonably right now.
”Uh, Ragatha?” Pomni chimed in softly, stepping forward to raise a tentative hand towards the ragdoll's shoulder, not quite making contact. “Maybe you should just… have a seat? Maybe some tea? It'll help you cool off.” Pomni tried to keep her voice even, light; she didn’t want Ragatha turning on her, next, especially when her friend was clearly in need of some down time. These adventures put a strain on everyone, including the group's most collected member.
”I—“ Ragatha glanced over her shoulder at Pomni, clearly about to argue, before exhaling and returning to a semi-composed manner, not wanting to deflect on her friend. “You're right… I just need some tea. That'll do the trick.” Ragatha turned away from Jax without another word, of who was beaming even wider at the forfeit, and instead looked to Gangle, Zooble and Pomni. “You guys want anything?” When both Pomni and Zooble shook their heads, and Gangle gingerly requested a hot chocolate, Ragatha took her leave to go prepare the beverages in the makeshift kitchen Caine had reluctantly provided them with.
”Wow, Pom-Pom, didn't realise you were so eager to see me win a debate with Dollface.” Jax jibed, his mocking grin now directed at her. “What a shame she didn’t stay for a round two, aye?” The comment warranted an irritated grumble from Zooble, to which Jax snickered at, and Pomni simply levelled him with a bored stare, not in the mood to play along with his crap. “I'm just trying to diffuse some of the tension, Jax, you could actually be helpful for once and do the same, instead of trying to get a reaction out of everyone.”
Jax scoffed, his smile faltering ever so slightly at the comeback. “Whatever — I’m going to my room, you losers are so boring!” With that, the rabbit strolled off towards the corridor, hands at rest behind his head as he went. Pomni exhaled, already sick of the day that had only just begun.
Oh how she just loved these adventures.