Chapter Text
Ragatha didn't know if she'd ever been more angry in her life. She'd dealt with the teasing and the pranks of the evil trio as dubbed in her head. But at least they'd been there to keep each other in line. Bugs and pie and whoopie cushions were one thing. She could even handle the snide comments the manipulation. But a Caine level horror movie with no kid friendly option was entirely another.
Struggling to wipe off what had to be a corn syrup concoction leaking into the fibers of her remaining arm Ragatha could feel her heels sticking to the floor as she went. Her other arm ended in white fuzz just below her elbow. There were scratches along both legs and her back and she knew she was leaving a bread crumb trail of fluffy white.
"How did she even get those set up so quickly?" Zooble asked, screwing their arm back in for the second time, the elbow join still stuck. "I didn't think the circus had that many mirrors."
Gangle only hummed. She'd been turned into little more than a ball, her mask clinging by a hope. Underneath Zooble's arm she was still so dizzy she hadn't managed a word since thier escape.
Zooble seemed almost not to have noticed that both antennae, one a soft curl and the other once a deer antler, were both broken in half, leaking down the back of their head.
"Do you think Kinger is okay?" Gangle said, scanning the hallway with an unsteady gaze.
Ragatha bit her cheek hard. "I think so. I don't think anything was after him."
"The 'blood' went around his pillows," Zooble paused once more, knee almost giving out. Maybe something really had broken. Rounding the final turn into the hall of bedrooms Ragatha saw the figure hunched against the wall and saw red.
"Jax!" She shrieked, not caring how the carpet held onto her feet, how her dress dripped with each marching step.
He didn't move. Head down, arms hiding all but drooped purple ears, Jax was… shaking.
"Are you laughing?" Ragatha grabbed his arm, wrenching him to his feet.
Squeaking, Jax looked up frantically, his bloodshot gaze turned red around the rims. It was Jax but it wasn't Jax. He wasn't laughing. He was… crying?
"Ragatha!" Jax hugged her hard, taller but somehow his grip around her waist. "Did you see her? Are you okay? Did she hurt you?"
Ragatha positively froze. It simply didn't compute. It looked like Jax. Same lanky purple rabbit as he'd always been, but he wasn't in pink, instead dark red overalls, puffed sleeves, mismatched socks. The biggest change was all in his face. Those weren't his eyes. Tear filled and scared, the pattern was all too familiar. "Pomni?"
"No, no I'm Jax. I think I'm Jax," tears began to leak down his cheeks once more. "I'm pretty sure."
Ragatha knew herself. And holding grudges had never been her strongest suit. Releasing the sigh caught in her throat she sank to the floor, arm around him. "What happened?"
Head on her shoulder Jax wiped frantically at his cheeks. "We, we were fighting."
"Who?" Zooble stayed back, still several steps away.
Jumping like an actual startled rabbit, Jax looked up, melting. Ears dropping back to lie on each shoulders. "She got you too?"
"Yeah…" Zooble said slowly.
Hand over his mouth Jax reached for Gangle. "Oh god, I'm so sorry. Can I help?"
Taking another step back Zooble shook their head, taking yet another step away. "I've got it."
"Okay," Jax looked between Zooble and Ragatha, shrinking a little more, shoulders hunched forward.
Heart melting yet another fraction Ragatha squeezed his shoulders. "You were telling us what happened."
"Right, right," he wiped at his face again, picking at the hem of his gloves. "We were fighting. Pomni-" he swallowed hard, halfway to tears. "I don't even know about what. Caine saw us and said, he said something about needing to see from the others shoes?"
Zooble rolled their eyes. "Good to know he's improved so much on turns of phrase."
Jax tugged at his ear, the other tucked below his chin. "Then he snapped his fingers and I was…" he gestured down at the cropped overalls, the mismatched gloves, puffed sleeves and leg warmers. "Then there was blood? I don't Caine doesn't allow b-blood." He whimpered
And really, what else was she supposed to do? Ragatha slid an arm around his waist again and pulled him into a hug.
Jax crumbled immediately.
Chin on his head Ragatha looked over top to Zooble, whose eyes couldn't have been bigger if they tried. Even without a mouth they looked like thier jaw had hit the floor.
Stepping back Jax wiped at his face, little ruffles around his now mismatched gloves. They had no fingers, showing rabbit paws. Just another thing Ragatha melted at.
"We have to stop her," Jax said, jaw set as bravely as he could manage.
"How?" Gangle asked miserably.
This time when Jax stepped forward, hand outstretched Zooble hesitated, letting him.
Carefully undoing the knotted mess, squeezing the end of the ribbon he thought might be her hand Jax smiled.
Gangle returned it. They weren't Jax's eyes. They were Pomni's. But still, it was nice to see him smiling at her.
"Caine," Zooble said firmly. "He might want the pair of them to do whatever this mess is for an adventure but he can't be okay with his circus looking like that." They shoved a thumb behind them, the slow pooling of dark red oozing into the hallway, thick as sludge and reeking of metal.
Jax whimpered.
"Where did he go?" Ragatha removed the bow atop her head. "After Pomni started all that."
"I didn't see," Jax kept his gaze on Gangle, carefully unwinding the rest of her arm.
Stretching out Gangle patted his hand gently. "Maybe we could just call for him? That worked before."
"Caine!" Ragatha cupped her mouth, head back.
Nearly jumping out of his skin Jax's fuzz stood up as he dropped to his knees, hands over his ears.
"Sorry!" Ragatha smacked a hand over her mouth, cursing herself for not warning. How on earth had Caine done this to him? To either of them? What had he done?
Chest still heaving Jax smiled. "It's okay. Just surprised me." He tried to wipe his hands on his pants. Ragatha's mess and a little bit of fuzz had clung to him in spots.
Exchanging yet another set of glances Zooble cleared their throat. "I don't think he heard. Do you think we can find a way around the mess out there without being caught? It doesn't feel right leaving Kinger out there."
Jax's head snapped up. "Kinger is out there alone?"
"It didn't look like Pomni was interested in him," Ragatha bit the inside of her cheek, starting to feel a spark of guilt. "Most of the mess passed right around him."
He wasn't listening Scrambling up, looking more like a rabbit than ever, he he shot down the hall and back into the main circus tent.
"Jax!" Ragatha tried to go after him, Gangle's unfurled ribbon catching her wrist. "What are you doing? We can't go back into that."
"And send him alone? Didn't you see what Caine did to him? She'll rip him apart."
"Then the best thing we can do is find Caine." Zooble assured.
Jax couldn't hear anything but his heart pounding in his ears, the dread building up like bile in the back of his throat. All he knew was he had to get to Kinger in time, had to stop her, had to stop-
"There you are!"
Jax scrambled onward, ears dropping, panic rising hiring up like ice in his arms, in his chest.
"Awe, don't ignore me like that, it's rude."
He could feel the ears, blinking rapidly to get them out. He knew the circus, knew each turn, each giant block and shape pressed into the walls and floor. It was as if someone had draped a layer of smog over the lights. Each shadow was darker and deeper, the shadows too long and sharp. And each color had been muted by what had to be blood. From the way it dripped, viscus and everywhere Jax was sure it had once been raining.
Head on a swivel he slammed into the block before him, the air knocked from him for a long moment. Gasping, chest still heaving he peered around, praying to find any sign of Kinger.
A hand gripped his shoulder.
Turning on a dime Jax froze.
Not Kinger.
Floating mid air with a bright grin and staff.
"Hi Jax," Pomni crooned. Jester uniform swapped to alternating violets, green edging, Her smile was not a comfort.
"Wh- that's Caine's staff," Jax didn't know if his words were even audible. He couldn't breathe. Fear was rooting his very bones in place.
Pomni tossed it between her hands, still floating. Why was she floating? "Is it?" she hummed.
"Where's Kinger?"
She pouted, bottom lip stuck out. "And here I was thinking you'd come back to see me? Where'd you go?"
Jax swallowed. It felt like swallowing a bowling ball. His fingers were numb, his toes were numb. "You ripped my tail off."
Pomni patted her top button. Not like the others, too soft.
"My-"
The head of the staff pressed against his lips. "Not yours anymore bunny. Mine now. I like it." She pressed forward.
Body reacting without input Jax backed up atop the nearest cube, scraping his already stinging back against the sharp edge.
Smile spreading, teeth sharp Pomni climbed up after him, on her hands and knees, sliding through the blood, new red dripping between fangs. "You know, I like that. Mine. I think I should make more things mine. What about Jaxy, bunny?"
He couldn't speak. His tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth.
Her laugh echoed through the dim circus tent. Hand outstretched Jax felt the edge of the cube too late. With a shriek he fell down the ledge, Pomni's laugh echoing after him.