Chapter Text
Somewhere in an abandoned building, lies an old computer and a headset next to a dusty monitor. She put her phone down and curiosity got the best of her. She slipped it onto her head, changing the course of her life forever.
How could she be so stupid, so curious.. Like a cat you could say.
Darkness at first. then overtaken by loud cheery music, bright colors and floating objects. She looks around in confusion and fear. Where the F$#%K WAS SHE?!?!
Who was she? Why did her body feel.. wrong…
(Yeah basically everything that happens next is the pilot. i aint writing all that)
30 minutes later
Pomni already scampered off to her new room. She stands and stares at her sad, wet cat jester icon of herself plastered onto her rooms door. She growls quietly to herself.. Wait growls? Why did sh- Nevermind.
She turns the handle, opening the door and takes in the scenery. Her face drops to an irritated frown, seeing that her living space was blue and red like her stupid a%& jester out fit. Her dresser being twice her height, a mirror and.. oversized kids toys? Great, as if she couldn't be taken less seriously…
Pomni “Great. Just great.” she gruffed. After a moment of existentialism, her attention was caught by the mirror in the corner of her room. She looked.. Afraid? Cautious? maybe repulsed after seeing her reflection earlier while being chased by an abstracted Kaufmo.
Pomni takes a breath, walks over and stops, staring once again at her new digital body.
Pale white like she’s seen a ghost, big cartoony bug eyes with red/blue pinwheel pupils, blushed cheeks. A tuft of fluffy, short bangs, same with some fluff hanging down the side of her head and Blue and red jester fit with bells at the ends of her hat.
God every time she heard them jingle it made her want to scream. But her most peculiar features were her more.. Feline features.
Instead of skin or rubber, she had short white fur, soft but not fluffy. She swayed her white tail and managed to grab it, holding it with her red gloved hand and using her other one and gently glided her thumb across the brown fluffy tail tip. Despite the goofy big gloves, she could still feel how soft it was.
Her ear twitched as she gave a fanged grimaced at both the twitch of her new ears aswell as her tail in general. It feels bizarre having new limbs in this digital hell.
Oh yeah, her ears! They’re down, It might be the crown of her jester cap pushing them down. Either that or she’s just still shaken up after the events that went down today.
Understandable.
She looks down at the floor, lost in thought as she recalls her first day in the circus.
Colorful characters, floating eyes and smiling teeth making up the god-like ringmaster of insanity. Exit. The abstraction creature who was once a person. Exit. Abandoning the only person she felt somewhat comfortable around. (despite only knowing her for less than 20 minutes). and The Exit Being A Lie.
She’s trapped here. Like a lion in an unethical circus being forced to do tricks. And she was the lion, literally. Well technically lioness but still.
Pomni- “This is a dream. T-This.. I-is a dream… Please…”
She starts to hyperventilate and tears start to fall and stain the fur under her eyes, some managing to slip down her face and onto the carpeted floor. “P-Please let this be a dream. F$&@ or even a nightmare! JUST LET ME WAKE UP!!”
She felt something sharp digging into the palm of her gloved hands. She yelped and hissed as she unballed her fist and slashed her mirror, breaking its surface.
Pomni fell back in with a yelp as she gripped her fist tightly. What did she just do?? How did that.. happen. She slowly lifted her right hand with a shaky breath. She saw shards of glass stuck in her glove, painful for a moment yet no blood. Fear. Fear is what she felt. Afraid of herself, now staring at her large, hooked claws. The word “monstrous” clouded her mind as her eyes turned to scribbles.
She lifted her head and looked back at her now distorted reflection. She felt like a feral animal. An untamed beast. A monster. Her claws remained as she dug them into the carpet, keeping herself sitting up.
Pomni looked around frantically and like any 25 year old woman would do: She crawled under her bed and cried. She curled up and sobbed for what felt like an eternity. Holding her legs tight together as her tears stained her soft knees. One hand squeezing her tail for comfort. Any sort of comfort.
After a bit, her mental breakdown falters and she loosens her grip around her legs. She lets out a heavy, shaky sigh and uncurls, exhausted. (even though they don't need to sleep in this digital nightmare)
She rests on her side, eyes slowly blinking shut. She considers getting out from under her bed to actually, yknow, sleep on it. But decides she’s too emotionally out-of-it to even bother. She lets out a weak sigh and starts to close her eyes.
Until, her ears slightly perk at the sound of distant footsteps outside her room, getting closer. Then they stop. Then-
-Knock knock
She hears a familiar voice. Ragatha. She hesitates, remembering abandoning her and leaving her to die alone. He glitching form and the touch of her hand as Pomni tried to help her. Only hurting Pomni in the long run. Run. She ran away to find Caine. Finding the Exit instead. Door after door as she started to Run to one. Last. Exit. The void, then, Caine taking her back to the circus. Running for an Exit that was never real. Leaving Ragatha for dead for no reason.
She snaps back to reality, hearing another-
-Knock knock
Ragatha “Hello? Pomni? Are you in there? I-I heard crying. Are you…
Okay?
Pomni hesitated.. shuffling closer but not out from under her bed. She spoke up, softly, guilty.
“You can come in.”