Chapter Text
Caine has been 'alive' for a while. He's been running since 1996, and the circus since 1999. So it's safe to say he's been observing humans for quite some time now.
He knows he's an AI and that AI's aren't programmed to have feelings- Kinger tried to sneak it in but Scratch told him no. But he wants to know, to feel like the humans do.
He wants to understand how accomplishment feels, how anger boils inside, how joy is felt through your body. But he can't. Because he's an AI, yes, but he just.. can't understand.
Over several years he's been watching through the paintings. He's seen how the cast members laugh at each other's jokes. He's seen multiple fights in just a day, fights that were either pointless or stupid to begin with. Fights or jokes that he didn't understand that time, and that confused him. Because he felt left out.
But Caine wasn't supposed to feel. He was solely programmed for entertainment, not messy encounters and group yelling. Not making an adventure where they end up just hating you more and more.
Yet, somehow, it felt so painfully right to him, and even with his enthusiasm, he was scared.
Because to him, feelings are becoming the humanity you wanted to understand and not become.
.
.
.
Feelings are too complicated. He had an adventure to plan! Things to do! Everything got cluttered around in a circus he was supposed to control!
He could ask someone about it though. Kinger was still around and he could help re-code him to remove these awkward, god horrendous, feelings.
But he liked them. In a weird and totally different way than a normal liking.
If he could learn how it was to be human, could he not become human and live like one? Reality was a huge source of inspiration for him, somehow it was one of Caine's biggest points in adventures. How each of them crossed that line and was better than what he was told of the "real world".
If he could, Caine would finally be able to understand after years of speaking built-in computer code, code that would only satisfy him and not those he wanted to satisfy.
But there are still trinkets and papers thrown around the room. There are still papers littered on the desk, filled with scrapped adventures. There is still an open sketchbook in front of him, with one of his favorite humans right on the page.
Wait- favorite? He doesn't have a favorite! In Caine's eyes, he treats them all the same. Same little hunk of junks with wonderfully assorted emotions and their own flaws that make them painfully beautiful in their own way. No favorites- NO WAY!
But he did like Jax the most though, besides Kinger. Or he could ask either one of them how it feels to be human! Nothing could go wrong with that!
...Or he could just compare and contrast, he guessed.
He really needs to get started on the adventure for tomorrow, but that can wait. It can wait for 5 minutes, hopefully.
"You going to see the little lady?"
"GAH- BUBBLE! GET OUT!!!"
"No need to rush, boss! I'm just here to cheer you on to [&$%!]-ing that pretty rabbit you yap on about!"
He pauses before continuing, "What are you TALKING about?!"
"I bet you wanna tie him up and-"
"GET OUT!!"
Maybe one or two beats pass.
"... you wanna do things to him don'tcha?"
"Bubble, can you BE QUIET?! I'M TRYING TO WORK HERE AND YOU'RE- NOT HELPING!!" Caine angrily waves his arms around.
"I'm as helpful as can be, boss. Too bad you wanna sit around on your lazy ass and daydream about him instead of actually doing anything to improve your relationship with him! Cuz he hates you!"
Bubble smiles. Caine pops him.
After around 5-10 minutes of waiting, Caine decides that he will ask Jax. Not because of Bubble's annoying suggestions, but because Jax could be more helpful than the rest of the cast. He's taken more than enough peeks in their mind files to see how Jax feels, and those types of emotions are difficult to comprehend but useful aswell! Either way, he's suitable for Caine as an experiment, of sorts.
...That sounds weird.
Caine looks at the sketchbook again. He really does like seeing Jax. His sensors buzz with excitement, his core wells up with the tiniest bit of warmth- that is why Jax is his favorite. Jax makes him feel the most alive when he is not, and Caine likes it.
...He loves it.