You Did Enough (Jesterdoll version)

After Caine's deletion, an argument between Jax and Ragatha pushes Ragatha over the edge. When she abstracts, Pomni enters her mindscape and uncovers the painful truth behind every smile.

or

Ragatha abstracts instead of Jax and Pomni desperately tried to save her.

Notes:

DISCLAIMERRRRRRRRRR: Spoilers for Episode 9! This is a Jesterdoll version of my You Did Enough (Bunnydoll version), so please don't expect strict canon compliance. There may be grammar mistakes and typos since English isn't my first language, and I finished this in about 4 days. I actually worked on both versions at the same time, but finished the Bunnydoll one first because I love them too. I also thought it'd be more heartbreaking if Ragatha was the one trying to save Jax instead. SHE DESERVES TO KNOW THE TRUTH. Also, trans Jax is canon in this fic, so I'll be using she/her pronouns for Jax from now on.

Also, I swear I don't have a favorite ship... don't compare the word counts.

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Work Text:

The circus no longer felt like a circus ever since Caine's deletion, something had been missing. Not just him. Literally everything. The endless energy that once filled every corner of the grounds had vanished, the vibrant colors that used to paint the world in impossible shades had faded, leaving behind dull, washed-out tones that looked almost lifeless.

Above them, static occasionally crawled across the horizon before disappearing again. Entire pieces of the world flickered in and out of existence without warning.The circus was slowly collapsing and everyone could feel it. No loud announcements, no sudden adventures, and no npcs chasing them and trying to kill them. Despite that, everyone kept moving. They had to.

Some worked to reinforce structures before they completely broke apart and fell into the Void. Others repaired the checkered floor that had begun cracking beneath their feet. Every day brought a new problem, another section of the circus threatening to disappear and somehow, between all of that, they were still trying to take care of each other, trying to stay together, and trying to keep going.

Ragatha sat quietly on the edge of a raised platform overlooking the grounds below. From where she sat, she could see pieces of the circus glitching in the distance. Entire sections of pathways flickered before stabilizing again. A carousel horse remained frozen in midair several feet above the ground, never moving, never falling. Every now and then, the world around her distorted slightly.

In the distance, she could see Kinger helping reinforce one of the larger fractures spreading across the circus floor. Zooble was nearby, arguing with a piece of broken scenery that refused to stay attached to the ground. Gangle moved between them while occasionally stopping to make sure nobody was overworking themselves, she was also helping conjuring blocks and help Zooble and Kinger.

Everyone was busy and trying yet despite all the movement around her, Ragatha couldn't stop feeling like something was missing or rather...Someone. Her eyes drifted toward the empty space beyond the circus grounds and inevitably, her thoughts found their way back to Jax.

Pomni spotted her from across the area and immediately concerned because of course she was, Ragatha rarely sat alone and Pomni walked over before sitting beside her.

"You okay, Ragatha?" Pomni asked.

Ragatha looked over and then gave a small shrug.

"Yeah."

Pomni raised an eyebrow and Ragatha sighed.

"...Okay, maybe not."

"There she is."

Ragatha laughed softly.

"I'm just worried about Jax."

Pomni hummed because honestly? She was worried too.

"She's probably somewhere."

Pomni glanced around the broken circus.

"Who knows what she's doing right now?"

Ragatha answered immediately.

"Something stupid."

Pomni snorted.

"Definitely something stupid."

"Probably dangerous too."

"Very dangerous."

The two shared a brief laugh and it faded quickly because neither of them actually believed Jax was okay. The silence returned. A section of the sky flickered violently before stabilizing again. Pomni watched it happen and then glanced back at Ragatha.

"You really care about her."

Ragatha blinked.

"Well..."

She looked away.

"Yeah."

No hesitation or denial. Just honesty and Pomni smiled slightly.

"You know she's a jerk, right?"

"Unfortunately."

"A massive jerk."

"Unfortunately."

"A professional jerk."

"Pomni."

"What?"

Ragatha laughed.

"You're not helping."

"I'm making a point."

Pomni nudged her shoulder.

"A very good point."

Ragatha shook her head despite herself, she was smiling. Only for a second and then it disappeared again. Pomni noticed. Of course she did. The silence stretched and this time Ragatha broke it.

"I don't think she's doing well."

Pomni's expression softened.

"Yeah."

"I mean..."

Ragatha struggled for the right words.

"She's never really doing well."

Pomni couldn't argue with that and Ragatha stared down at the cracked floor beneath them.

"I've been trying for a long time."

Pomni looked over.

"Trying what?"

"To help."

Ragatha laughed quietly.

"The problem is every time I try helping Jax, she somehow turns it into an argument."

Pomni immediately laughed.

"That sounds about right."

"I'll ask how she's feeling."

"And?"

"Then suddenly we're arguing about whether cereal counts as soup."

Pomni stared.

"...Did that actually happen?"

"Three times."

"Three?"

"Three."

Pomni buried her face in her hands.

"That's ridiculous."

"I KNOW."

The two laughed again, a genuine one this time then Ragatha's smile faded.

"I just..."

She looked out at the ruined circus and the place they had spent so many months heck even years trapped inside.

"Sometimes I can tell she's struggling."

Pomni didn't interrupt.

"Like really struggling."

Ragatha swallowed.

"And every time I try reaching out..."

A pause.

"It never works."

Pomni looked down because she understood exactly what Ragatha meant. Jax always dodged it, always joked, always changed the subject, and always ran.
Ragatha continued quietly.

"I don't even think she realizes people care."

That hurt more than either of them expected and Pomni stared at the horizon.

"...Maybe she does."

Ragatha looked at her and Pomni shrugged.

"Maybe she's just scared."

"Scared of what?"

Pomni thought for a moment then answered honestly.

"Being vulnerable."

Ragatha fell quiet because that sounded painfully accurate. A nearby structure glitched violently before stabilizing again. Neither of them moved and after a while Ragatha spoke again.

"I don't want her to be alone."

Pomni looked over and Ragatha wasn't crying, wasn't even close but there was something sad about the way she said it like she'd thought about it a lot.

"I know she pushes people away."

Ragatha continued.

"I know she makes it difficult."

A small smile appeared.

"Really difficult."

Pomni laughed.

"Extremely difficult."

"Exceptionally difficult."

"Historically difficult."

Ragatha laughed.

"But I still consider her as my friend."

The words lingered. Pomni looked dow and then nodded.

"Yeah. Same."

Their friend, the one who's always annoying, infuriating, and exhausting but still their friend. The silence that followed wasn't uncomfortable. Just two people sitting together while the world slowly crumbled around them and Pomni glanced at her.

"You know..."

"Hm?"

"If she heard you talking like this she'd probably throw herself into a wall."

Ragatha immediately laughed.

"Oh, absolutely."

"'Wow Ragatha, that's gross. Stop caring about me.'"

"'I'm serious, Jax.'"

"'That's even worse.'"

Pomni started laughing and Ragatha joined her. The conversation with Pomni lasted longer than Ragatha expected. Long enough for the knot in her chest to loosen slightly. Not disappear. Just loosen. The two sat together while the circus continued to glitch slightly around them. Somewhere in the distance, another structure flickered violently before stabilizing. Neither of them reacted anymore. They had gotten used to it eventually, the conversation slowed and neither of them had anything left to say, at least for now.

Ragatha pushed herself to her feet.

"I should probably go check on everyone."

Pomni nodded.

"Yeah."

Ragatha offered her a small smile.

"I'll be back."

She turned to leave.

"Ragatha."

Ragatha paused and Pomni was looking at her, not smiling or joking. Something in Pomni's expression made Ragatha stop.

"What?"

Pomni hesitated like she was trying to find the right words.

Then finally:

"I'm here."

The words were simple. Ragatha stared at her. For a second, she didn't know how to respond because part of her immediately wanted to dismiss it. Not because she didn't appreciate it... Its...Because she didn't know how. A part of her still expected people to leave eventually, still expected support to come with conditions, and still expected kindness to run out. So even now...Even after everything, she struggled to believe it but Pomni didn't look away, she didn't laugh or take it back.

"I'm serious," Pomni said.

Ragatha swallowed then nodded.

"...Okay."

It came out quieter than she intended and Pomni smiled. Ragatha smiled back before finally walking away. The circus felt just a little less empty than before.

---

It didn't take long to find Zooble and Gangle. The two were sitting beside one of the damaged support pillars near the center of the grounds, just watching and everything then Zooble pointed at the wall.

"If that thing disappears one more time, I'm naming it."

"You can't name a wall."

Gangle said as she looked at Zooble.

"I can if that thing won't stop."

"What would you even call it."

Zooble thought for a moment.

"Maybe Steven."

Gangle stared harder.

"Why Steven?"

"Not really sure."

"That's unfitting"

"It does fit. It matches the wall."

Gangle and Zooble chuckled as Ragatha walked up to them and both of them looked up when they saw her.

"Hi Ragatha"

Gangle immediately brightened.

"Hey, Ragatha."

Zooble leaned back against the pillar.

"Come to witness our continued suffering?"

"Maybe."

"Good."

Ragatha sat down beside them. For a while, nobody spoke. The comfortable kind of silence and then eventually:

"How are you two holding up?"

Zooble snorted.

"Poorly."

"Zooble."

"What? You wanted honesty."

Ragatha laughed.

"Fair."

Gangle's smile faded slightly.

"I think everyone's scared."

That got quiet quickly because she wasn't wrong and the damaged circus surrounding them was proof enough. Ragatha looked down.

"...Yeah."

Zooble sighed.

"We lost Caine."

The words sounded strange even now like nobody had fully processed it yet.
Gangle fiddled with her ribbon hands.

"He did horrible things."

Neither of the others argued because he had. The adventures, the pressure, the constant danger, and the torture. Gangle swallowed.

"But..."

She struggled to finish but Ragatha understood anyway.

"He was still here."

Gangle nodded.

"Yeah."

The silence returned and Zooble stared at the fractured horizon.

"I hate saying this."

"That's usually how your best conversations start."

"Shut up."

Ragatha grinned and Zooble rolled their eyes, then they continued.

"I hate saying this, but the circus is falling apart."

Nobody argued.

"We don't know how much time we have."

Still nobody argued.

"We don't know what happens if the corruption gets worse."

Nothing.

"We don't know if anybody can stop it."

The reality of it settled heavily between them. No Caine, no backup plan, and no one waiting behind a curtain to fix everything. Just them. For the first time since arriving in the circus. They were truly on their own and Gangle looked down.

"That's terrifying."

"It is."

Ragatha answered immediately. No fake optimism or forced positivity.

"It really is."

The three sat there quietly, watching distant structures flicker, pieces of the world struggle to remain intact, and the circus desperately trying not to disappear.

Then Zooble groaned loudly.

"I hate this."

Ragatha chuckled and Gangle smiled. Zooble immediately pointed at both of them.

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Ragatha asked.

"Act like this is normal."

The smile faded slightly from Ragatha's face.

"Yeah beecause it isn't."

The three fell quiet for a second. The circus glitched somewhere in the distance. Eventually Gangle spoke.

"...Do you think it'll be okay?"

Zooble didn't answer immediately and neither did Ragatha because they all knew what she meant. Not the circus. Them. Then Zooble sighed.

"I don't know."

It was honest.

"But we're still here."

Gangle looked down at her hands.

"That's not very reassuring."

"I know."

Another pause then Zooble nudged her shoulder lightly.

"But if something breaks, we'll figure it out."

Gangle blinked.

"You sound weirdly optimistic."

"Don't make me take it back."

Ragatha laughed.

"There they are."

"There who are?"

"The two of you."

Zooble groaned.

"Oh no."

"What?"

"You got sentimental again."

"I did not."

"You absolutely did."

Gangle giggled and Ragatha pointed at her.
"See? Gangle agrees with me."

"Traitor."

"I'm not a traitor."

"You laughed."

"I always laugh."

"Not true."

For the first time all day, Zooble smiled. The conversation drifted after that. Not toward Caine or toward the circus collapsing. Just random things. The giant candy kingdom adventure, that one time Gangle got stuck hanging upside down from a giant lollipop tree, the baseball adventur, and the fact Zooble somehow got hit by a baseball despite not even playing.

"It literally curved."

"It did not."

"It did."

"It didn't."

"It hated me personally."

Ragatha laughed, Gangle laughed even Zooble cracked a smile at that one then they started talking about old adventures. The stupid ones, the boring ones, the adventures they complained about when they happened, and the adventures they secretly missed now and slowly without anyone really noticing the tension eased. Not gone. Just a lil lighter. For a little while, they weren't thinking about the circus ending or what might happen tomorrow. They were just three friends sitting together, talking or laughing. Making fun of old memories and for now that was enough.

After spending some time with Zooble and Gangle, Ragatha eventually excused herself.

"I'll see you guys later."

"Assuming reality doesn't collapse first," Zooble said.

"Zooble."

"What? It's a possibility."

Gangle sighed, Ragatha laughed and walked away. It didn't take long to find Kinger. He was near one of the larger cracks running through the circus grounds. A bucket still sat on his head and one eye peeked out through a small hole he had somehow made in it. In front of him, blocks continuously appeared in his hands before being carefully placed over weak spots in the floor. It wasn't actually fixing anything. Nothing could really fix the circus right now but it made the paths safer.

Ragatha watched for a moment and Kinger placed another block. Then another and then another one. One immediately fell through because it wasn't the right size and Kinger stared at it.

"...Rude."

Ragatha laughed and Kinger looked up.

"Oh!"

His face immediately brightened.

"Hey, Ragatha."

"Hey, Kinger."

He patted the space beside him, Ragatha sat down, and Kinger spoke first.

"You look worried."

Ragatha smiled weakly.

"Do I?"

"Yes."

A pause.

"You also look sad."

Another pause.

"And tired."

Kinger tilted his head.

"Actually everybody looks tired."

Ragatha laughed quietly.

"That's fair."

Kinger nodded proudly.

"I know."

Silence settled again. Comfortable. That was one thing Ragatha always liked about Kinger. She never felt pressured to fill the silence eventually she sighed.

"...It's Jax."

Kinger immediately nodded.

"Ah."

"You already knew?"

"No."

Another pause.

"I guessed."

Ragatha smiled.

"Of course you did."

Her gaze drifted towards the floor.

"I just keep thinking about her."

Kinger listened quietly.

"I know she's probably okay."

"Probably."

"But what if she isn't?"

Kinger didn't interrupt.

"What if she's alone? or what if she's scared or... what if she's losing it and nobody's there to help her?"

Ragatha swallowed.

"What if she abstracts?"

The words finally came out and the thing she'd been trying not to think about. Kinger was quiet. Not because he didn't care but beecause he was thinking.
After a while he conjured and carefully set another block down.

Then he spoke.

"Ragatha."

"Yeah?"

"If Jax was sitting where you are right now..."

Ragatha blinked.

"What?"

"If she was worried about you."

Another block.

"What do you think she'd do?"

Ragatha opened her mouth. Closed it then pened it again.

"...Probably panic."

"Correct."

"Probably refuse to admit she's panicking."

"Also correct."

"Probably try to find me."

"Very correct."

Kinger nodded and then smiled.

"So why do you think she'd stop trying now?"

Ragatha stared and Kinger shrugged.

"You care about her."

"She cares about you."

"Seems pretty simple."

"...It's not that simple."

"Most things aren't."

Another block appeared and Kinger carefully placed it.

"That doesn't mean they're complicated."

Ragatha looked down, thinking and Kinger suddenly gasped.

"Oh!"

"What?"

"I just remembered something."

Ragatha immediately looked concerned.

"What?"

"Queenie would've loved you."

The statement came completely out of nowhere and Ragatha blinked.

"What?"

Kinger nodded confidently.

"Absolutely."

"She would've adopted you immediately."

Ragatha laughed.

"Kinger."

"No really."

"Day one."

"'This is our daughter now.'"

"Kinger."

"I'm serious."

Ragatha was laughing now and Kinger pointed dramatically.

"She would've manipulated you."

"Manipulated me?"

"Into liking centipedes."

Ragatha immediately groaned.

"Absolutely not."

"Oh yes."

"No."

"She was very convincing."

"Kinger."

"She could've done it."

"No she couldn't."

"She absolutely could've."

Ragatha shook her head.

"No."

Kinger nodded.

"Probably would've started with tiny stories."

"What stories?"

"Oh, you know."

Kinger cleared his throat.

"'Once upon a time there was a very handsome centipede named Gregory.'"

Ragatha immediately laughed.

"No."

"'Gregory wanted friends.'"

"Stop."

"'But everyone was afraid of his many feet.'"

"Kinger."

"'And then he saved a village.'"

Ragatha buried her face in her hands.

"Oh my gosh."

Kinger looked incredibly pleased with himself.

"By the end of the week you'd own a centipede plushie."

"I would not."

"You would."

"I wouldn't."

"You absolutely would."

Ragatha couldn't stop smiling anymore, her worry eased although not quite disappeared. Kinger noticed. Of course he did and without saying it directly, without forcing it, he gently reminded her of something that she wasn't alone and that sometimes the people you care about are stronger than the fears you imagine for them. The two sat there together for a while longer. Fixing the floor together, talking about nonsense, talking about Queenie, or talking about the others like a father and daughter sitting on a porch after a long day.

After checking on everyone else, Ragatha went looking for Jax. It took longer than she expected and more than once she thought she saw Jax only to realize it was just a broken texture or some piece of scenery. Still, she kept looking because that's what she always did eventually, she found her. Jax was sitting behind a partially collapsed wall near the edge of the grounds. Alone. Of course she was alone.

Jax had one knee pulled up to her chest while absentmindedly throwing small rocks into the Void below. She didn't look surprised when Ragatha approached. If anything, she looked annoyed and Ragatha stopped a few feet away. Gathered every bit of courage she had and then she spoke:

"Jax?"

"What?"

The answer came immediately, Jax sounded annoyed and didn't even look at her. Ragatha hesitated.

"...Are you okay?"

That got a reaction. Jax turned toward her.

"Seriously?"

"What?"

"I'm sitting alone."

"Yeah."

"Does that sound like the behavior of someone who's okay?"

Ragatha sighed.

"I was just asking."

"And I'm answering."

"Without actually answering."

Jax rolled her eyes.

"See? This is why I don't talk to people."

Ragatha sat down anyway and Jax immediately groaned.

"Oh my god."

"What?"

"Why are you sitting down?"

"Because I want to."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

Ragatha smiled.

"You're impossible."

"You're annoying."

"That's not new."

"Unfortunately."

Silence. Jax sighed and Ragatha spoke again.

"You know..."

Jax immediately looked suspicious.

"Oh no."

"What?"

"You started with 'you know.'"

"So?"

"Nothing good has ever followed that sentence."

Ragatha chuckled softly and Jax hated that she chuckled. Mostly because she liked hearing it which was stupid and annoying and completely irrelevant.

"You remember that treasure hunting adventure?"

Jax froze slightly.

"The one with Kaufmo and Ribbit?"

Jax immediately looked away.

"...Maybe."

Ragatha smiled.

"You found the treasure in the first twenty minutes."

Jax groaned.

"Oh my god."

"You did."

"I didn't."

"You absolutely did."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"You literally buried it again."

"I was being generous."

Ragatha laughed.

"You were cheating."

"I was improving the experience."

The memory surfaced before either of them could stop it, hours spent searching. Everyone getting increasingly frustrated, Kaufmoinsisting they were close and Ribbit insisting Kaufmo was wrong then Ragatha catching Jax quietly re-burying the treasure behind a rock.

"YOU ALREADY FOUND IT?!"

Jax immediately putting a finger over her mouth.

"SHHH."

"JAX!"

"Do you want them to hear us?!"

"You found it!"

"I know."

"Then why are you hiding it again?!"

Jax looked genuinely confused.

"Because they're having fun."

Ragatha stared then burst out laughing.

"You're such a liar."

"I'm serious."

"You are not."

"They've been looking for four hours."

"Exactly!"

"Look at them."

Both of them turned. Kaufmo was enthusiastically digging random holes and Ribbit was yelling at him from across the map but neither were even remotely close.

"...Okay that's actually kinda funny."

"I know."

Then... 3 days passed, Ragatha helped Jax hide the treasure box and unfortunately Ribbit had spotted them and somehow discovered the truth. The next several hours became Kaufmo and Ribbit chasing them across the entire adventure map. Ragatha laughing so hard she could barely breathe, Jax running, Kaufmo screaming something completely incomprehensible behind them, and Ribbit threatening both of their lives.

At one point Ragatha had jumped onto Jax's back because she was laughing too hard to ru and Jax carried her anyway. The memory faded.

Both of them smiling slightly despite themselves. For a moment, everything felt normal again like Ribbit was still here, like Kaufmo was still here, and like none of this had happened then reality returned and the smile disappeared from Jax's face. Her shoulders stiffened and her walls went back up.

"Shouldn't you be with the others?"

Ragatha blinked.

"What?"

Jax gestured vaguely toward the circus.

"You know. Playing therapist."

Ragatha frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"The whole thing."

Jax rolled her eyes.

"Checking up on everybody."

"Making sure everyone's okay."

"Pretending you're holding this place together."

"I'm not pretending."

"Sure."

Ragatha stared at her.

"Jax—"

"What? Am I wrong?"

"Yes."

Jax laughed.

"Really?"

She pushed herself off the wall.

"Because last I checked you've spent years sticking yourself into everyone's problems."

"I care about people."

"No."

Jax cut her off immediately.

"You need people to need you."

Silence and Ragatha froze but Jax kept going because once she started, she couldn't stop.

"That's your thing, right?"

"Everybody's favorite Ragatha."

"The nice one."

"The caring one."

"The one who always knows what to say."

Ragatha looked away.

"That's not fair."

"Why?"

"Because that's not why I do it."

Jax snorted.

"Then why do you?"

Ragatha opened her mouth, nothing came out, abd Jax noticed, and it only made it worse.

"You know what I think?"

Ragatha immediately hated that sentence.

"I think you're terrified."

Jax stepped closer.

"I think if people stop needing you, you're scared they'll leave."

Ragatha looked hurt and Jax saw it but she kept going anyway.

"So you keep throwing yourself at everyone's problems."

"Comforting them."

"Fixing things."

"Acting like it's your job."

"Because if you're useful enough maybe they'll stick around."

"Jax."

"No, seriously."

Jax laughed bitterly.

"When was the last time you did something for yourself?"

Ragatha didn't answer.

"Exactly."

Neither looked away.

"You wanna know the worst part?"

Ragatha felt her stomach drop because she knew that tone and Jax only used it when she wanted to hurt someone.

"The worst part is that it doesn't even work."

Ragatha went still and Jax immediately regretted it but the words kept coming.

"They leave anyway."

Ragatha's face fell. Jax kept twisting the knife.

"Ribbit left."

Silence.

"Kaufmo left."

Ragatha looked down.

"Jax..."

"No."

Jax's voice cracked.

"You wanna act like you're helping everybody?" Jax laughed "Look how well that turned out."

Ragatha flinched and suddenly Jax hated herself but it was too late to bring hereslf back.

"You were always there, weren't you?"

Jax laughed again.

"You checked on Ribbit every day. You checked on Kaufmo every day. You tried everything."

Her voice got quieter and meaner.

"And they abstracted anyway."

Ragatha stared at the ground, not defending herself anymore, not arguing.
Just listening which somehow made it worse and Jax clenched her fists.

"You wanna know what's funny?"

Jax whispered.

"You keep acting like it's your responsibility."

Ragatha swallowed.

"...Because maybe it was."

The second the words left her mouth, Jax felt sick because she believed it.
She actually believed it and instead of stopping, Jax doubled down.

"Maybe you're right."

Ragatha's eyes widened.

"Jax..."

"Maybe if you'd noticed sooner. Maybe if you'd said the right thing. Maybe if you'd tried harder."

Every word felt like knives and Jax was practically shaking now.

"Maybe they'd still be here."

Silence. Complete silence. Then Ragatha looked away and softly:

"...I know."

And that is the exact moment Jax realizes she's gone too far because Ragatha isn't arguing or even trying to defend herself. She's agreeing and suddenly Jax doesn't feel victorious. She feels terrified because Ragatha already believed every horrible thing she just said. A moment later...

Jax left. No apology or "I didn't mean that." and Ragatha stayed exactly where she was. For a long time. Maybe minutes or hours. Time didn't feel real anymore. The circus continued around her. Somewhere in the distance she could hear voices. Someone laughing. Someone calling for another person. Life kept moving and she didn't. She just sat there and staring at nothing. Listening to Jax's words repeat over and over and over again.

"Ribbit left."

"Kaufmo left."

"Maybe if you'd tried harder."

"Maybe they'd still be here."

At first, she tried arguing with it. She told herself that Jax was angry, that Jax had lashed out, and that Jax didn't mean any of it but another voice immediately answered: Then why did it hurt so much? Slowly, Ragatha stood up. Her legs felt numb. She didn't know where she was going, only that she wanted to be somewhere nobody could see her. Somewhere she wouldn't have to smile. Somewhere she wouldn't have to pretend. So she walked, walked, and walked until she finally found a quiet corner of the circus where nobody would find her. Somewhere that felt safe. Somewhere she could finally fall apart, Ragatha sat down and the moment she did, everything hit her at once. Ribbit, Kaufmo, Jax, Pomni, everyone, and all at once. Her breathing became uneven.

"Maybe she's right..."

The words slipped out before she realized she'd spoken and Ragatha hugged her arms tighter.

"She... wouldn't have said it if it wasn't true."

Her throat tightened.

"I was there. I was there for both of them."

Ribbit. She remembered knocking on that bedroom door. Every day, waiting, calling, begging, trying, trying, trying and it still wasn't enough. Then Kaufmo, checking on him, talking to him, encouraging him, telling him everything would be okay, and it still wasn't enough.

Her hands started shaking.

"Why wasn't it enough?"

A laugh escaped her.

"Why am I never enough?"

The question echoed and suddenly she couldn't stop thinking. Couldn't stop remembering,Pomni, the newest member. The one she had immediately tried to help, tried to comfort and tried to protect. She remembered every conversation. Every attempt, smile, and reassurance. She tried so hard. So why... Why did Pomni always seem more comfortable around Jax? The thought hit harder than it should have because it wasn't jealousy. Not really. It was something worse. The feeling of failing again, Ragatha pressed a hand against her chest, and her breathing quickened.

"When she's with Jax..."

She swallowed.

"...she looks happier."

The words felt wrong but they wouldn't leave.

"She laughs more, comfortable, and... she's herself."

Another breath. Too fast and shallow.

"What did I do wrong?"

The question came out as a whisper and then another.

"What am I doing wrong?"

Again.

"What is wrong with me?"

Her vision blurred and her heartbeat pounded louder.

Zooble and Gangle. They liked her. She knew that, didn't they? but suddenly every interaction felt different. Every memory twisted itself apart. Maybe she talked too much, maybe she worried too much, maybe she was annoying, and maybe they only tolerated her.

Maybe...

Her thoughts spiraled faster, she couldn't catch them anymore, and then Kinger appeared in her mind. Sweet, kind, and patient The one person she trusted most, who always listened, and who always cared but even that hurt now because Kinger forgot things,was confused most days, and couldn't always remember and suddenly even that felt like proof lie another reason.
Another excuse. Another failure. Her breathing became sharp and painful like
the air wouldn't stay in her lungs.

"Ribbit..."

Her voice cracked.

"Kaufmo..."

Tears blurred everything.

"I'm sorry."

The words came automatically like she'd been saying them her whole life.

"I'm sorry."

Again.

"I'm sorry."

Again.

And again.

Until she couldn't tell who she was apologizing to anymore. Then... The final thought. The one that broke her.

"Jax..."

A shaky breath.

"Where did I fall short?"

Another.

"Where did I fail?"

Then...

"Why couldn't I be enough?"

The world around her flickered, reality glitched, colors warped, cracked, and tore. Ragatha didn't notice, she was crying too hard, hyperventilating too hard, and drowning too hard. The last names that crossed her mind were the ones she'd spent years trying to protect.

"Pomni..."

"Ribbit..."

"Kaufmo..."

"Kinger..."

"Gangle..."

"Zooble..."

"Jax..."

A pause.

Then...A whisper so quiet nobody was there to hear it.

"...I really tried."

And finally... she lost it.

Pomni was the first one to notice that Ragatha wasn't with them. At first she didn't think much of it. Everyone had been splitting up throughout the day anyway. The circus was barely holding itself together after Caine's deletion and everyone was dealing with it differently but after a while...Pomni started getting worried. Hours had passed and Ragatha still hadn't come back. She checked the places Ragatha usually liked sitting heck even the small corner where Ragatha sometimes went when she wanted a little peace and quiet. Nothing. No Ragatha.

Pomni's stomach sank and he immediately went back to the others.

"Have any of you seen Ragatha?" she asked.

The group looked up and Gangle blinked.

"No?"

Zooble frowned.

"I thought she was with you."

"I haven't seen her at all after we talked." Kinger admitted.

The worry only got worse and Pomni looked between them.

"She's not anywhere."

Nobody answered then Gangle spoke quietly.

"What if she..."

She stopped and immediately covering her mouth. Nobody wanted her to finish that sentence and the silence that followed was awful. Zooble quickly shook their head.

"No."

But they sounded like they were trying to convince themselves too.

"No. Don't do that."

"What if—"

"Don't."

Gangle looked down, Kinger stood up, and his bucket tilted slightly.

"We should find her."

Everyone looked at him.

"We don't know what's happened."

"But sitting here won't help."

He took a breath.

"So let's go find our friend."

Nobody argued, the group split up, searching different parts of the circus, and nd after what felt like forever... Pomni found Jax, sitting alone against a wall, arms crossed, and looking annoyed at the universe as usual. Pomni immediately walked over.

"Hey, Jax?"

Jax looked up and already irritated.

"What?"

Pomni didn't hesitate.

"Have you seen Ragatha?"

The answer came too fast.

"If you're looking for Ragatha, she isn't here."

Pomni narrowed her eyes, way too defensive, and suddenly something clicked. Ragatha had been worried about Jax all day. Of course she would've checked on her.

"Jax."

"What?"

"When was the last time you saw her?"

Jax rolled her eyes.

"Oh my god."

"When was the last time?"

"Why?"

Pomni folded her arms.

"Because she's missing."

"She's not missing."

"We can't find her."

"Same thing."

"No it isn't."

Jax groaned dramatically and Pomni's patience was disappearing rapidly.

"Jax."

"What?"

"What happened?"

Jax stood up and nothing good ever happened when she stood up.

"What makes you think something happened?"

"The fact that you're acting like this."

Jax laughed. A bitter one.

"Oh wow. You've really bought into it too."

Pomni frowned.

"Bought into what?"

"The Ragatha thing."

Pomni blinked.

"The what?"

"The whole act."

Pomni stared at her then chuckled, not because it was funny because she genuinely couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Are you serious?"

Jax shrugged.

"You tell me."

Pomni looked horrified.

"Ragatha literally spends every day worrying about everyone."

"Exactly."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

Jax rolled her eyes.

"Nothing."

"No."

Pomni stepped closer.

"What does that mean?"

Jax looked away.

"Psh."

Then she laughed, a fake one. The kind Pomni had learned to recognize.

"You worried about her abstracting or something?"

Pomni froze and Jax smirked.

"So what?"

Pomni's body went cold.

"Who cares?"

The next thing Jax knew... Pomni had launched herself at her.

"What the—HEY!"

Both of them hit the floor and Pomni grabbing her shoulders.

"What is WRONG with you?!"

"GET OFF ME!"

"No!"

Jax shoved her and Pomni shoved back. The two nearly started wrestling.

"Are you insane?!"

"YOU DON'T MEAN THAT!"

"Mean what?!"

"THAT YOU DON'T CARE!"

Jax stopped, just for a second, and Pomni saw it. The tiny hesitation.

"You don't mean it."

Jax immediately got angry again.

"Yeah I do."

"No you don't."

"Yes I do."

"No."

Pomni pointed directly at her.

"You don't."

"Stop acting like you know me."

"Then stop lying!"

Jax's jaw clenched.

"Nobody asked you."

"Ragatha was worried about you all day!"

"Good for her."

"Jax!"

"What?!"

Pomni's voice cracked from frustration.

"She cares about you!"

Jax laughed again and meaner this time.

"That's her problem."

Pomni looked stunned then angry. Really angry.

"You're unbelievable."

"And you're naive."

Pomni clenched her fists.

"No."

A pause then she finally said it.

"If you really don't care..."

Jax looked at her.

"...you wouldn't be trying this hard to convince everyone."

Silence, Jax froze, and Pomni immediately knew she'd hit something because for the first time Jax had nothing to say. No joke or insult or comeback. Nothing. The silence lasted only a few seconds then Jax looked away. Her expression unreadable and without saying a word, she walked off.

Pomni watched her leave, part of her wanted to call after her, part of her wanted to apologize, and another part wanted to yell at her again instead she just sighed because none of that mattered right now. Ragatha was still missing and suddenly, Pomni had a terrible feeling that something was very, very wrong.

Pomni searched everywhere. Every corner Ragatha liked to sit in when she wanted to be alone. Nothing. No Ragatha, no voice answering back, no familiar smile, and no sign of her at all. The longer she searched, the worse the feeling in her chest became. At first it had been worry. Now it was fear.

"Ragatha?!"

Her voice echoed through the circus. No response. Pomni ran faster, past rooms, and past empty pathways.

"Ragatha!"

Still nothing. The circus felt too thick all of the sudden like it was swallowing her voice whole.

"This isn't funny!"

Pomni shouted, her voice cracked slightly.

"Please answer me!"

Nothing, not even an echo, and her breathing became uneven. She kept running.

"RAGATHA!"

Then... She noticed something. A faint glow. Hidden behind an isolated section of scenery, a corner nobody really went, and a corner so far away from everything else that most people wouldn't even think to look there. Pomni froze then immediately sprinted toward it. Her heart pounded harder with every step.

Please be okay.

Please—

Pomni rounded the corner and stopped. The words died in her throat, Ragatha was there or rather what was left of her. The transformation had already begun, black matter stretched across the ground like spilled ink, jagged spikes emerged from shifting masses of darkness, glowing eyes blinked open across her body, hundreds, and colors flickering endlessly. Threads dangled from distorted limbs and pieces of her shape folding into itself. The creature looked unstable like reality couldn't decide what it was supposed to be and somehow, Pomni could still recognize her. Her entire body went numb. No thoughts, movement or words. Just disbelief. She was too late and the realization hit harder than anything else. Too late. She didn't even notice someone shouting her name from somewhere behind her, didn't hear footsteps, didn't hear the others searching, and didn't hear anything at all.

The abstraction turned. Hundreds of eyes immediately locking onto her, the creature froze, and Pomni froze. Then the abstraction screamed. A distorted, broken sound that barely resembled anything human and launched itself forward.

Pomni didn't move, couldn't move, her body refused, and her mind refused. Everything refused. The massive creature closed the distance almost instantly.
Then...Something slammed into her. Hard. Pomni crashed into the ground and pain exploded through her side.

"Pomni!"

Gangle's voice, panicked, terrified, and Pomni looked up. Gangle was beside her, breathing hard. Having shoved her out of the way at the last possible second. The abstraction crashed into the ground where Pomni had been standing. Black corruption spread outward from the point of contact. Pomni stared, still unable to process what she was looking at and Gangle grabbed her arm.

"Pomni!"

Nothing, No response and then Zooble stepped in front of both of them. Their entire body tense. Eyes locked on the creature and pure survival instinct is shouting at them right now. The abstraction stood again and its body shifting violently. Eyes opening and closing across its form, watching, observing, and moving slowly.

And then... Jax appeared, she had been nearby, drawn by the noise, by the screaming, and by the chaos. She stopped the second she saw it. The second she saw the shape, the eyes and the torn rag-doll silhouette hidden beneath all the corruption. Jax immediately knew, her entire body went still because she recognized it. She recognized her. Ragatha. The thing she'd spent hours convincing herself wasn't going to happen, the thing she'd refused to think about, and the thing she'd walked away from. It stood right in front of her and there was no denying it anymore. The abstraction lowered itself and preparing to attack again.

Zooble saw it first.

"Move."

Nobody listened.

"Move."

Still nothing, Pomni remained frozen and Gangle wasn't much better. Both staring and horrified. The abstraction lunged.

"MOVE!"

Zooble grabbed Pomni's arm, hard and yanking her forward. Gangle stumbled after them. The creature slammed into the ground behind them, the impact shaking the entire area. Pomni nearly fell and Zooble refused to let go.

"RUN!"

That finally broke the paralysis, everyone moved fast, and the four of them sprinted. Footsteps pounding against the ground. Behind them, the abstraction screamed again and the sound echoed throughout the circus. Nobody spoke or looked back except for Zooble.

Zooble looked back for a second and immediately regretted it.

"Why the fuck is this thing so FAST?!"

The only thing louder than their footsteps was the creature chasing them. Someone appeared ahead, walking directly toward them. Kinger. Completely unaware and still trying to find Ragatha. One eye peeking out from beneath his bucket and everyone immediately panicked.

"KINGER!"

Pomni's voice cracked and Kinger looked up, confused.

"Hm?"

"RUN KINGER!"

The fear in their voices told him everything he needed to know. Kinger didn't ask questions, didn't hesitate, and didn't look back. He dropped the questions for later, turned around, and started running. Fast. Very fast. Especially for someone wearing a bucket, the group continued sprinting together, and the abstraction's screams echoing behind them. Getting closer and closer. None of them wanted to turn around.

When they finally managed to reach one of the higher platforms overlooking the circus, the abstraction lost sight of them for a moment. The creature continued rampaging below, destroying scenery, tearing through structures, and its distorted screams echoed through the circus. The sound alone made everyone's stomach turn. Nobody spoke at first and everyone was too busy trying to breathe also rying to process what had just happened.

Kinger slowly stepped toward the railing, his breathing was uneven beneath the bucket, and he carefully peeked over the edge. Watching the abstraction tear through another section of the circus. For a moment, he looked confused.

"Gosh..."

He adjusted the bucket slightly.

"How did an abstraction get out of the cellar?"

Nobody answered, Kinger blinked then looked around.

Pomni.

Jax.

Zooble.

Gangle.

All present and all silent.

His eye moved across the group once more and stopped.

"...Where's Ragatha?"

Nobody answered, the silence felt immediate, heavy and wrong. Kinger's expression slowly changed, the confusion disappeared, and replaced by understanding. His shoulders lowered slightly.

"...Oh."

That was all he saidm, just one word, quiet and small like saying anything more would make it real. Below them, the abstraction let out another distorted shriek, Kinger looked back toward it and suddenly couldn't look anymore. His hand tightened around the railing because now he knew. Ragatha wasn't missing wasn't hiding, and wasn't coming back. Not this time.

Beside him, Pomni stared downward unable to take her eyes off the creature.
Every movement hurt to watch because she could still see pieces of Ragatha in it. The way it stumbled before throwing itself forward again, her chest felt tight
like she couldn't breathe properly, like her lungs had forgotten how. Meanwhile Zooble stood a few feet away, arms crossed and jaw clenched. Their entire body trembling. Not from fear but from anger.

The kind of anger that comes when grief doesn't know where to go. They watched the abstraction destroy another section of the circu then laughed.

A single bitter laugh.

"Of course."

Their voice cracked immediately and nobody missed it.

"Of course she'd wait until nobody could stop her."

Silence, Zooble shook their head and looking away.

"Of course she'd keep pretending she was fine until she wasn't."

Their voice broke harder. The words sounding almost angry but everyone knew they weren't angry at Ragatha. They were angry at themselves. Angry that Ragatha had been hurting that badly and angry that she had carried it alone.

Zooble suddenly punched the nearest wall, hard, and pain shot through their hand but hey didn't care.

"Stupid."

Another punch.

"Absolutely stupid."

Their voice cracked again then they stopped because Gangle was crying. Not loud or dramatic just quietly, sitting on the floor with her knees pulled to her chest, tears running down her face, and Zooble immediately walked over, sat beside her without saying anything. Gangle wiped at her eyes.

"She..."

Her voice shook.

"She was always checking on us."

Another sniffle.

"Always."

Zooble looked down, not trusting themselves to speak, and Gangle's tears fell harder.

"Why didn't I check on her?"

No answer because none of them had one and Gangle buried her face in her hands.

"She always asked if I was okay."

Her shoulders shook.

"And I never thought to ask if she was."

That was enough, Zooble immediately rapped an arm around her, pulling her into a hug, and Gangle broke down completely. Zooble rested their chin on top of her head, trying desperately to stay composed but failing.

"It's not your fault."

Their voice sounded rough like they were forcing every word out.

"You hear me?"

Gangle cried harder and Zooble tightened their grip even though they weren't entirely sure they believed it themselves. Back at the railing, Kinger still hadn't moved, he continued staring downward and watching the abstraction destroy everything in its path, his eye looked distant and lost like he was seeing something else entirely. Something years ago... Something named Quenie.

Pomni's vision blurred, her hands shook and then suddenly... She broke. A sob escaped her. Then another and another. She covered her face, trying to stop but unable to because she kept seeing Ragatha. The one who always smiled, the one who always sat beside people when they were scared, the one who always made room for everyone else, the one who never asked for the same thing in return, and now she was gone. Pomni cried harder.

Then... A voice spoke.

"Well."

Everyone looked up, Jax stood nearby, hands behind her head looking away, not at them but at the abstraction.

"That happened."

The entire platform went silent even Pomni stopped crying for a second. Zooble stared. Absolutely horrified.

"Seriously?"

Jax rolled her eyes.

"What?"

Zooble stood immediately.

"What?"

"Yeah."

Jax shrugged.

"What?"

"You seriously chose now to do this?"

Jax scoffed.

"What do you want from me?"

Zooble looked like they wanted to strangle her.

"Ragatha just abstracted!"

"Yeah."

Jax shrugged again.

"I noticed."

Pomni stared because something felt wrong, and Jax sounded annoyed but her voice kept cracking, tiny cracks she ormally would've hidden.

"What, you want me to cry?"

Nobody answered and Jax laughed, a bitter laugh.

"Sorry. Guess I'm not having a dramatic breakdown right now."

Pomni's eyes widened slightly because Jax wasn't fooling her. Not anymore and Zooble wasn't fooled either.

"Don't."

Jax looked over.

"Don't what?"

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Act like you don't care."

Jax froze, only for a second then rolled her eyes again.

"Oh my god."

Pomni stepped forward and er fists clenched.

"You don't mean that."

Jax looked at her.

"Mean what?"

"Any of it."

Silence, Jax looked away, and Pomni's voice shook.

"You're not fooling anyone."

That hit. Everyone could tell because Jax immediately became defensive.

"Wow."

She laughed.

"Good to know we're psychoanalyzing me now."

Zooble pointed at her.

"No."

Their voice cracked.

"We're calling you out."

Jax's jaw tightened.

"Whatever."

"No."

Zooble took another step.

"You know what your problem is?"

Jax immediately groaned.

"Oh boy."

"Can't wait."

"You think if you act detached enough, none of this can hurt you."

Jax froze, completely. The platform went silent even Gangle looked up. Jax's eye twitched and then she laughed. Way too quickly and way too forced.

"Wow."

She looked at Pomni.

"Did Pomni help you write that?"

Nobody laughed or even smiled because Zooble had hit the target and everyone knew it including Jax. Pomni stepped forward and tears still in her eyes.

"She was our friend, Jax."

The words landed harder than anything else because Pomni meant it. No accusations or yelling just truth. She was our friend and Jax looked away immediately like she couldn't stand hearing it. The silence stretched. Finally, Jax then cletched her fist, and turned around and started walking away. Nobody stopped her or even called after her because they all saw it. The way her shoulders were tense, the way her hands were shaking, the way she walked too fast like she was running from something. Zooble looked ready to yell again but Gangle grabbed their arm, shaking her head.

A minute later... The two left as well. Just the two of them and trying to hold each other together. That left Pomni and Kinger alone at the railing.

For a while neither spoke, they simply watched the abstraction below, watched what remained of their friend eventually Pomni sat beside Kinger and Kinger sat down too. Neither looked at the other yet somehow talking became easier. They talked about Ragatha, the good things, the stupid things, the things she did that made them laugh, and the things they wished they had said and eventually...Pomni asked quietly,

"What was she like?"

Kinger looked over.

"When she first got here?"

Pomni nodded and Kinger laughed softly. A genuine laugh despite everything.

"Oh."

His eye softened.

"Nervous and in denial at first... but... Chaotic."

Pomni blinked.

"What?"

"Very chaotic."

"Ragatha?"

"Yep."

Kinger nodded.

"Not Jax-level chaos."

"But definitely chaos."

Pomni stared.

"I don't believe you."

Kinger laughed harder.

"She once helped Jax hide the treasure chest from us."

Pomni immediately looked interested.

"What happened?"

"They accidentally created a treasure hunt that lasted three days."

Pomni stared.

"What?"

"Oh yes."

Kinger nodded.

"Three whole days."

"And when they finally found the treasure..."

A pause.

"It was with Jax the whole time."

Pomni laughed despite herself and Kinger smiled.

"She spent most adventures making sure nobody got hurt."

His voice softened.

"But every now and then..."

He chuckled.

"She'd join the disaster too."

For the first time since finding the abstraction, Pomni smiled, small and painful but real and Kinger smiled too because if there was one thing Ragatha would've wanted...It was for them to keep talking. Still, she and Kinger sat there for a little longer. Talking and remembering. Trying not to think about the abstraction rampaging somewhere below. Trying not to think about the fact that Ragatha was gone eventually the conversation drifted toward the others.

Gangle.

Zooble.

Jax.

The people still left behind and who were hurting.

"We should keep an eye on them."

Pomni said quietly and Kinger nodded immediately.

"Oh definitely."

"Gangle's crying."

"Zooble's pretending not to cry."

"And Jax is..."

He paused.

"Jax."

Pomni snorted.

"Yeah."

Kinger adjusted the bucket.

"We should look after them."

Pomni smiled.

"We will."

Kinger smiled back.

For a brief moment, everything felt okay. Not fixed or bette but okay. The two shared a quick hug before standing. Kinger headed off toward where Gangle and Zooble had gone, Pomni watched him leave and then glanced down toward the lower levels of the circus. Her smile disappeared because she had no intention of stopping there. Not yet. Not when Ragatha was still down there. Not when part of her refused to accept this was truly the end so Pomni did something incredibly stupid. Again. She conjured a gun.

"...This is probably a terrible idea."

Then she started walking, downward, following the destruction until eventually she found herself standing outside the dormitory hallway. Pomni frowned, the place looked strangely untouched. Not completely but the bright colors were gone. Everything looked faded like someone had drained the life from the walls but compared to the rest of the circus, It was still slightly intact. The lights still worked and the hallway stretched endlessly ahead.

Silent and empty. At the far end, The abstraction stood motionless, its massive body nearly touching both walls, and hundreds of eyes slowly drifting across the hallway. Watching and waiting. Pomni's heart immediately jumped into her throat and the creature noticed her. Every eye snapped toward her, Pomni froze, the abstraction screamed and launched itself forward.

"Oh no."

Pomni immediately raised the gun, not at the abstraction but at the lights.

BANG.

Glass shattered.

BANG.

Another light exploded.

BANG.

Another.

The hallway rapidly darkened until finally, everything disappeared, darkness swallowed the corridor, and the abstraction stopped immediately. Its violent actions vanished, the creature froze then slowly lowered itself. The eyes stopped moving, the screaming stopped, and the violent shifting slowed. Pomni stared and the only thing she could hear now was her own heartbeat.

"Please work."

Nothing happened, the abstraction remained still, calm and Pomni swallowed. This was stupid. Dangerously stupid. The kind of stupid people write warnings about. She knew that, her brain knew that, her survival instincts knew that yet somehow the abstraction never reacted and when Pomni was about to touch it. Pomni was close... Close enough to see fragments of fabric trapped beneath the corruption, and fragments that looked suspiciously familiar. Pomni's chest hurt because for a second, she could almost pretend Ragatha was still there, waiting and lost but still there.

"...Hey."

Her voice shook. No response. Pomni didn't hesitated then wrapped her arms around it. The second she did, colors exploded around her and the sensation of falling and flying simultaneously. Her stomach twisted violently. The circus vanished, reality vanished, and the abstraction vanished. Pomni couldn't tell which direction was up anymore or down or anything. Every color imaginable stretched around her, melting into each other, breaking apart, and reforming. Pomni felt herself being pulled, dragged somewhere, fast. Too fast and a silhouette appeared. Far away, standing alone. Ragatha or something shaped like Ragatha. She couldn't tell. The silhouette never moved, never spoke, and it's simply just float there before dissolving into darkness. Everything went black instantly and completely. Pomni hit solid ground, hard, and she stumbled. Nearly falling then looked up and froze. The walls were almost completely black, swallowing whatever little light existed. Thin glowing lines traced across the ceiling and floor, casting a faint pink glow throughout the space and lining the hallwaa were six doors.

Three on each side identical, every single one painted the same color, and every single one bearing the same image. A smiling Ragatha. Pomni slowly stood. The hallway felt wrong, not dangerous but it feels like she's being watched like the room knew she wasn't supposed to be there. Her eyes immediately landed on one door, the first door on the right unlike the others, it was completely covered in chains. Heavy metal chains wrapped around the frame again and again, layer after layer, and far more than necessary. Dozens of locks hung from them, some large, and some small. All sealed shut and beneath them, scratches like something had repeatedly tried to force the door open or desperately keep it closed.

Pomni stared at it. Of course it was the first thing she noticed because there was absolutely no way she wasn't going to notice the terrifying door covered in enough chains to lock up an entire building. Slowly, she approached and finally she stood directly in front of it. Pomni hesitated then reached out and her fingers brushed the handle.

BANG.

The sound exploded throughout the hallway and Pomni jumped.

BANG.

Every other door began shaking violently, the handles rattled like the doors were warning her, like they were screaming. Not this one. Pomni immediately pulled her hand away and the shaking stopped instantly.

"...Okay."

Pomni took several steps backward.

"Nope."

Another step.

"Absolutely not."

She pointed at the chained door.

"You can stay locked."

Nothing happened which somehow made it even creepier. Pomni stared at it for another second then quickly looked away instead, she walked toward the door directly across from it. A normal door or at least as normal as anything in this place could be, same pink paint, same smiling Ragatha, and same friendly expression. Pomni stopped in front of it, took a deep breath then sighed.

"Ragatha, I'm here."

She grabbed the handle, turned it, and opened the door. The hallway beyond vanished instantly, the darkness and the strange six doors. All of it disappeared. A new scene unfolded in front of her. The dormitory hallway and the lights flickered hummed slightly, nothing moved and nothing changed. It felt less like a memory and more like a photograph frozen in time.

Pomni looked around then spotted Ragatha, standing alone. At the far end of the hallway, she wasn't moving or speaking or doing anything just standing there. Her gaze fixed on something ahead and Pomni followed it, Jax's door. The rabbit face painted on it had been crossed out with a large red X.

The X is a reminder of what happened. A reminder that Jax was gone, Ragatha stared at the door and kept staring, seconds passed then minutes. She never knocked, never reached for the handle, and never tried opening it. She simply stood there, watching it as if expecting something.

Ragatha looked up and she looked directly at Pomni. Pomni froze, she knew it wasn't real yet it felt like Ragatha could actually see her then Ragatha smiled, the kind of smile she always gave everyone else, and the kind that said:

Don't worry about me.

Even when she was clearly hurting and the image distorted, the hallway began breaking apart around the edges. Ragatha never looked away, she kept smiling, trying to reassure someone or trying to convince someone she was okay. Maybe Pomni. Maybe herself then the door slammed shut by itself.

Pomni moved toward the next door instead and another smiling Ragatha stared back at her from the wood, Pomni hesitated then reached for the handle, she took a deep breath and opened the door. The darkness vanished ann immediately replaced by a familiar scene. A picnic blanket and a sunny digital field, bright colors, artificial clouds drifting lazily overhead and nd sitting on the blanket was Ragatha and Pomni. The two were talking, nothing important or dramatic, Ragatha was rambling about something and Pomni was half-listening and half-staring at the sky. The conversation felt normal.

Ragatha laughed and Pomni laughed too. The scene continued for several more seconds. Then everything froze. The world stopped moving, The clouds and the conversation even Pomni's own frozen smile. Silence and then something appeared. A massive wall. Stretching endlessly upward, covered entirely in notes, thousands of them and Pomni's stomach dropped. Every single note was about her. Not obsessive or creepy just concerned and thoughtful like someone trying desperately to understand another person without crossing boundaries. Photos, sketches, observations, tiny reminders, questions, and attempts.

The earliest notes looked worn, older, and written shortly after Pomni first arrived.

"Don't overwhelm her."

"Give her space."

"Remember how scared she looked."

"Ask if she wants company."

"Don't ask too many questions."

Another note.

"She looked tired today."

Another.

"She smiled when Kinger told that story."

Another.

"Remember that."

Pomni slowly walked closer, the wall seemed endless, everywhere she looked more notes, more attempts, and more effort then the memories started playing. One after another, pojected directly onto the wall, Ragatha offering Pomni food, Ragatha trying to start conversations, Ragatha inviting her to group activities, and Ragatha checking on her after adventures. Again and again and again. eery failed attempt replayed endlessly, some were awkward, some were successful, and some painfully uncomfortable. Pomni watched Ragatha get politely brushed off, watched conversations die after only a few sentences, watched Ragatha smile anyway, and keep trying then another memory appeared.

This one different.

Pomni immediately recognized it. She and Jax. Talking, laughing and actually laughing. The moment froze, Jax was saying something stupid and Pomni was grinning despite herself. The image paused and a note slowly materialized beside it.

"How did Jax do that?"

Another.

"Am I being too pushy?"

Another.

"She looks happier with her."

Pomni's chest tightened then the next note appeared, smaller than the others and almost hidden.

"But why does that hurt?"

Silence. The room felt heavier then one final note slowly attached itself beneath the others. The handwriting shakier and less confident.

"Maybe... mother was right."

Pomni froze. The words felt wrong not because she understood them because she didn't. Not completely but she knew they mattered and knew they hurt. The notes slowly faded, the wall shifted, and another image appeared. A drawing. Simple, hand-drawn, and slightly messy. The whole group together.

Kinger.

Gangle.

Zooble.

Jax.

Ragatha.

Pomni.

Everyone.

Pomni was drawn right in the center.

Safe, surrounded, included, and loved. Attached beneath the drawing was a single note, carefully taped into place unlike the others, this one wasn't asking a question, wasn't doubting itself and uncertain just a simple and honest statement.

"She's gonna be okay."

Pomni stared at it. For a long time, long enough for her eyes to sting and long enough for her throat to tighten because suddenly every conversation. Every check-in and awkward attempt made sense. Ragatha wasn't trying to fix her, she wasn't trying to force friendship, she wasn't trying to make Pomni like her, and she was just worried and hoping and trying. The same way she'd always tried for everyone else.

Pomni swallowed hard, slowly stepped backward, the drawing remained pinned to the wall, and the note untouched.

"She's gonna be okay."

Pomni reached for the door, her hand shook slightly, he wasn't ready to stay in this room any longer. Not yet. The moment her fingers touched the handle, the wall disappeared, notes vanished, memories faded, and Pomni quietly closed the door behind her. Returning to the dark room, the six identical doors stood, and somewhere behind her the heavily chained door remained completely still.

Pomni moved to another door and slowly pushed it open. The darkness disappeared, immediately replaced by sunlight, bright, warm, and peaceful. For a brief second, Pomni thought this memory would be normal then she looked up and immediately understood why it wasn't. The entire sky was filled with butterflies, thousands of them, gigantic butterflies with glowing wings drifted lazily through the air and colorful flowers stretched across endless fields while sparkling rivers cut through the landscape.

Honestly? It looked beautiful at least until something moved behind Ragatha. A shadow then a horrible hissing sound and Ragatha slowly turned around and screamed.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA KINGER! KINGER!"

Pomni nearly jumped. A giant winged centipede burst from the flowers then another, each one was easily bigger than a truck and their countless legs twitched against the ground while massive insect wings buzzed behind them. Their antennae snapped toward Ragatha and hissed. Ragatha immediately ran.

"Nope! NOPE! CAINE YOU DIDN'T SAY THERE WERE BUGS!"

The centipedes gave chase, fast and Ragatha sprinted across the field while screaming at the top of her lungs.

"WHY ARE THEY SO BIG?! WHY DO THEY HAVE WINGS?! WHY DO THEY NEED BOTH?!"

The centipedes hissed louder, one dove toward her and Ragatha somehow screamed even louder then...

CRACK.

The ground beneath her gave way.

"OH COME ON—"

She disappeared, straight into a pit. Pomni watched Ragatha tumble down the side before landing in a heap at the bottom. For a second, everything was quiet then a shadow slowly covered her. Ragatha looked up and immediately regretted it. The largest centipede slowly descended into the pit, its wings buzzed, its dozens of glowing eyes focused directly on her, and its massive body curled around the edges of the crater, blocking the sunlight and Ragatha froze.

"...I hate this place."

The centipede hissed and Ragatha visibly shrank.

"...I really hate this place."

The creature lowered itself closer, closer, and closer. Ragatha's eyes watered slightly not because she was hurt because she was genuinely terrified.

Then—

BOOM.

A gunshot echoed across the valley, the centipede's head snapped backward...A second later, its entire body vanished into confetti, Ragatha blinked then she slowly looked up, standing at the edge of the pi was Kinger, olding an absurdly oversized rifle and the weapon was somehow bigger than he was.

"Oh."

Kinger lowered the gun.

"I think I got it."

Ragatha stared and then immediately pointed upward.

"You think?!"

Kinger looked at the giant pile of confetti.

"...Yes?"

A pause then Ragatha started laughing. Partially from relief and partially because she was one bad day away from losing her mind. Kinger carefully climbed down into the pit then offered her a hand and Ragatha took it, he pulled her back to her feet.

"You okay?"

Ragatha brushed dirt off her dress.

"Barely."

"That's good."

"How is that good?"

"Because not okay would be worse."

Ragatha stared at him then laughed again and Kinger smiled, poud of himself even though he clearly had no idea why she was laughing. The memory shifted, another scene appeared then another.

Kinger explaining how the circus worked.

Kinger helping her during adventures.

Kinger absentmindedly talking about random facts nobody else remembered.

And every single time... Ragatha listened, not because she was humoring him because she genuinely trusted him. The memories froze, tworld stopped moving then a note appeared, pinned in the center of the sky, and the handwriting was unmistakably Ragatha's.

"Kinger notices more than people realize."

Another note appeared beneath it.

"He remembers the important things."

And another.

"When everyone else gets overwhelmed, somehow he's usually the one who knows what to do."

Pomni felt her chest tighten. One final note appeared.

"I trust him."

The notes lingered, floating above the frozen memory. Kinger standing beside Ragatha, the giant rifle still slung over his shoulder, and the expression on Ragatha's face wasn't fear anymore. It wasn't worry instead it was comfort. The scene slowly faded and Pomni slowly began closing the door.

The door clicked shut behind her. For a moment, Pomni remained still.
The image of Kinger standing over that giant centipede lingered in her head, the oversized rifle, and the best timing. The way Ragatha had looked at him afterward. Pomni swallowed then turned toward the next door, she reached for the handle and pulled. The darkness vanished and immediately replaced by chaos.

Gangle was running and Zooble was yelling, something exploded in the distance.

"WHY IS IT CHASING US?!"

"HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW?!"

"I THOUGHT YOU READ THE MAP!"

"I DID READ THE MAP!"

"THEN WHY ARE WE LOST?!"

"BECAUSE THE MAP IS STUPID!"

Camera flash, the scene froze, a photograph appeared. Gangle looked horrified and Zooble looked annoyed, the monster chasing them looked confused then the memory changed. Another flash. Another picture. Gangle proudly holding up a drawing, the drawing itself was... questionable. At best... Camera flashed then another and another. The room filled with floating photographs, dozens, hundreds, everywhere like a giant scrapbook brought to life.

Gangle showing Ragatha every drawing she ever made even the bad ones and Zooble handing Ragatha random drinks they had found during adventures. One picture showed Zooble handing Ragatha a glowing purple soda, the next picture showed Ragatha lying face-down on the floor. Camera flash. Another photograph. Another memory. Gangle laughing so hard she couldn't breathe and Zooble accidentally getting launched into a wall.

Pomni watched the memory after memory, adventure after adventure, and moment after moment then she noticed something and once she noticed it, Ragatha wasn't in any of them. The photos were always taken from her perspective, always from behind the camera, always watching, and always capturing everyone else. There were pictures of Gangle, pictures of Zooble, and pictures of both of them together but none of Ragatha. She was documenting the memories, the realization made Pomni's chest tighten, and a final photograph drifted down from above. Gangle and Zooble sitting together after an adventure, exhausted, laughing about something, and neither noticed the camera. Attached beneath it was a note and written in Ragatha's handwriting.

"Gangle is stronger than she thinks."

Another note appeared beneath it.

"Zooble is kinder than they think."

Then one final note.

"I hope they know that someday."

The photographs slowly stopped moving. Pomni stared at the notes then at the picture. Honestly? She agreed. Gangle was stronger than she gave herself credit for and Zooble cared far more than they'd ever admit. Ragatha had seen that even when they couldn't and Pomni smiled sadly then Pomni quietly closed the door behind her.

Pomni slowly opened the last door. The darkness disappeared instantly and chaos greeted her, bright, colorful, and ridiculous chaos. Everything looked like an old cartoon, the colors were absurdly saturated, the sky was orange, the grass was blue, and the clouds had faces. Nothing obeyed logic, nothing obeyed physics, and nothing obeyed anything. In the middle of it all was Ragatha or rather... Cartoon Ragatha. She wore a bright neon-orange outfit that practically glowed, the kind of outfit normal Ragatha would never wear, and the kind of outfit her mother would've absolutely hated and Cartoon Ragatha looked ecstatic.

"ADVENTURE!"

She pointed dramatically toward a castle that immediately exploded for no reason. Gangle's masks bounced around independently, one rolled down a hil, another got chased by chickens, a third somehow ended up wearing a crown. Zooble's limbs detached every few seconds, an arm wandered away, returned, left again and came back holding a fish.

Kinger rode past on a giant insect, holding a tiny flag, the insect wore sunglasses, and Pomni didn't even want to know. Nearby, Jax got hit by a piano.

CRASH.

Five seconds later...Another piano.

CRASH.

Then another.

CRASH.

Jax stood back up every single time looking equally annoyed.

"Seriously?"

CRASH.

Kaufmo laughed so hard he nearly fell over and Ribbit wasn't helping. In fact, Ribbit was the one dropping some of the pianos. The two chased Jax around the landscape while Cartoon Ragatha cheered them on. Nobody got hurt or upset or abstracted.Everyone was just...Happy. Pomni watched quietly. Something about it felt wrong. This didn't feel like a memory. It felt too perfect then she noticed something. Ragatha wasn't watching from the sidelines.

Ragatha was in the middle of everything, laughing, running, and causing problems. Being ridiculous alongside everyone else. Not taking care of people or worrying about them, she was just having fun. The realization made Pomni's chest tighten. This wasn't a a memory. It was a wish. A world where everyone was okay, a world where Kaufmo and Ribbit never abstracted, and a world where nobody needed saving.

The cartoon world suddenly froze, every movement stopped, the colors began melting away, the sky folded inward, and the ground unraveled like a television being switched off and then...Everything vanished. Darkness swallowed the scene and a new room slowly formed. Small. A round wooden table sat in the center.

Three chairs surrounded i it and seated around the table were three Ragathas and the fourth sat slightly away from them, playing a cello. Pomni immediately looked at the three closest ones. Cartoon Ragatha was impossible to miss, the neon-orange outfit practically glowed, and Blank Ragatha stared at her then slowly looked her up and down.

A pause and then:

"Why are you wearing that?"

Cartoon Ragatha gasped.

"EXCUSE ME?"

Blank Ragatha pointed at the outfit.

"I would've been killed."

"What?"

"My mother would've killed me."

Cartoon Ragatha slammed both hands on the table.

"MY OUTFIT IS AWESOME."

"It is orange."

"ORANGE IS AWESOME."

"It hurts my eyes."

"YOU HURT MY EYES."

Blank Ragatha blinked.

"I've been looking at the table."

"EXACTLY."

On the other side of the table, the third Ragatha laughed. This one had bright blue hair and pink outfit, feet resting on the table, she looked completely relaxed and completely smug. The version of Ragatha that never apologized, the version that actually said what she was thinking, and version that would've gotten into arguments for fun.

Cocky Ragatha tossed down a card and then pointed at Cartoon Ragatha.

"She's right."

Cartoon Ragatha immediately perked up.

"THANK YOU."

"The outfit is awful."

Cartoon Ragatha looked betrayed.

"WHAT?!"

"It looks like a traffic cone exploded."

"I LOOK FABULOUS."

"You look radioactive."

"I LOOK FABULOUSLY RADIOACTIVE."

Cocky Ragatha groaned.

Blank Ragatha nodded.

"Agreed."

"STOP AGREEING WITH EACH OTHER."

The two ignored her and Pomni slowly stepped closer. The three immediately looked toward her.

"Oh."

Cocky Ragatha leaned back.

"Guest."

Cartoon Ragatha gasped dramatically.

"GUEST."

Blank Ragatha nodded.

"Guest."

Pomni hesitated.

"...Hi?"

"Hi."

"Hello."

"GREETINGS CITIZEN."

Pomni stared and Cartoon Ragatha pointed dramatically at her.

"DO YOU LIKE MY OUTFIT?"

"No."

Cartoon Ragatha looked genuinely heartbroken.

"YOU DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT."

"I really didn't."

Cocky Ragatha nearly fell out of her chair laughing.

"She's my favorite already."

Pomni rubbed her forehead.

"...Right."

Silence then she asked the question she'd been wanting to ask.

"Where's the real Ragatha?"

The room changed instantly not physically but emotionally. The three stopped talking, Cartoon Ragatha's smile faltered, Cocky Ragatha stopped laughing, and Blank Ragatha slowly lowered her cards. Silence and then Cocky Ragatha looked away.

"...There she goes."

Pomni frowned.

"What?"

Blank Ragatha slowly looked toward the corner of the room and Cartoon Ragatha looked there too. Pomni followed their gaze and noticed the fourth Ragatha. The cello player unlike the others, she wasn't exaggerated, wasn't cartoonish, smug or emotionless. She just looked like Ragatha.
The Ragatha Pomni knew. Her dress was the same and her hair was the same but her smile was gone.

The music continued softly through the room, slow, gentle, and almost sad. Pomni watched her fingers move across the strings. Again and again and again then she noticed something. The cello player wasn't choosing to stay there, her legs were chained to the chair, heavy chains wrapped around her ankles, keeping her firmly seated, and her wrists were trapped too. Metal restraints connected her arms to the cello and bow.

The cello player glanced up briefly, meeting Pomni's eyes, and then looked away again and continued to play as if she had accepted it... As if she had been doing it for years. Beside her sat a door and it was the same one as she saw earlier. The cello player's eyes occasionally drifted toward it before returning to the instrument.

Pomni's chest tightened, the other three Ragathas weren't looking at the door, only the one playing, and chained to the chair. The music continued and Pomni glanced between the four Ragathas then toward the door beside the cello player. Slowly, she walked toward it. The cello player noticed immediately, her hands never stopped moving across the strings and the melody never faltered but her eyes followed Pomni, worried and almost pleading.

Pomni reached the door, grabbed the handle, and twisted. Locked. Of course it was. Pomni frowned and then turned around.

"Okay, where's the key?"

Silence. The room immediately felt heavier, the three Ragathas at the table stopped playing cards, and stopped talking. Cartoon Ragatha's smile twitched just slightly.

"Oh."

She looked toward the door. For the first time since Pomni arrived she didn't look excited but she looked nervous.

"If you open that door..."

She paused, her smile became smaller, and almost sad. Then... she vanished. Gone. Her chair sat empty and Pomni jumped.

"What?"

Cocky Ragatha stared at the empty chair.

"...Well."

She laughed nervously.

"Oh no. I hope that doesn't happen to me."

Then she disappeared too. Leaving only Blank Ragatha on that table, Pomni looked at her and Blank Ragatha looked back. Then Blank Ragatha slowly turned her head, toward the locked door, then toward the cello player and then back at Pomni like she wanted to tell her something but couldn't.

Her lips parted slightly and no words came out and finally she vanished. The chair became empty and cards fell onto the table, only the cello player remained and Pomni slowly looked toward her. The music continued, soft and almost heartbreaking. The cello player finally stopped playing, she lowered her bow, and the final note echoed through the room then faded.

Silence.

The cello player looked up, meeting Pomni's eyes, and there was worry there. Slowly, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small key. Pomni froze and the cello player held it out. Their eyes met. For a moment, Pomni thought she might finally say something but she simply smiled.The kind of smile that hurt to look at and Pomni hesitated before taking the key, the moment it left the cello player's fingers...She disappeared just like the others. Leaving Pomni completely alone.

The room felt empty now and Pomni looked down at the key then toward the door.

"...Great."

She walked over, inserted the key, and the lock clicked. The door slowly creaked open, and darkness waited beyond it. Pomni swallowed and then stepped forward. The moment she crossed the doorway...Everything exploded.

A dining room. It was large, expensive, and perfect in the way only wealthy homes could be. The chandelier above cast warm golden light across polished silverware and crystal glasses. Every chair matched, every plate was perfectly arranged and every decoration seemed carefully chosen Everything was perfect. Young Ragatha sat stiffly in her chair, her back was straight, her hands were folded neatly in her lap, and her eyes remained lowered toward her untouched food. The table was crowded with people. Family members, relatives, and parents.

Faces surrounded her from every side, yet none of them were clear. They were blurred and indistinct, like smudges in an old photograph despite all the people sitting around her, the room felt empty. Forks scraped against plates, conversations drifted across the table, laughter occasionally broke out, nobody spoke to her, and nobody looked at her. Then a voice spoke:

"Smile."

Young Ragatha immediately looked up and her mother's voice echoed through the dining room.

"...What?"

The slap came immediately and the sound echoed against the walls, Ragatha nearly fell from her chair, and her cheek burned instantly. The entire room seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second. Then...

"How dare you talk back?!"

Tears immediately welled in Ragatha's eyes and he grabbed the edge of the table.

"I wasn't—"

"Enough."

Her mother rose from her seat, disgust was written across her face, and pure disappointment.

"Always looking miserable."

Ragatha's breathing became uneven. Desperately, she looked around the table. At her father and relatives. Nobody moved. Nobody defended her. Forks continued scraping against plates, conversations continued, and her relatives laughed as if nothing had happened.

Her mother turned and walked out of the room. For a brief moment, silence settled over Ragatha, she shakily wiped her eyes, tried to steady her breathing and then footsteps returned. Young Ragatha froze, her mother had come back and holding a container. The moment Ragatha saw it, every muscle in her body locked.

"No."

The container shifted and something moved inside.

"No..."

The lid slowly opened, dozens of centipedes crawled over one another inside the container and Ragatha immediately pushed herself away from the table.
The chair screeched loudly against the floor and panic exploded through her chest.

"No no no no no!"

Her breathing became frantic, her vision blurred, and the centipedes kept getting closer.

The memory shattered.

A sudden darkness swallowed everything and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

School. A crowded hallway, lockers lined both sides of the walls, and students moved around her in every direction. Teenage Ragatha stumbled forward as someone shoved her from behind, her books flew from her arms, papers scattered across the floor, and laughter immediately rupted around her.

"Oops."

A boy smirked.

"Didn't see you there."

Another student laughed.

"You literally pushed her."

"Same thing."

More laughter. Ragatha quickly dropped to her knees, her hands shook as she gathered her papers, trying to collect everything before anyone noticed and before anyone laughed more. A shoe suddenly landed on one of the page, pinning it to the floor, and she froze.

"Look."

A girl rolled her eyes.

"The rich girl is crying again."

"I'm not crying."

Her voice came out weak.

"Sure."

More laughter, the hallway felt larger somehow, and the crowd felt bigger.
Everyone was staring and watching, Ragatha grabbed her books and quickly stood, head lowered and shoulders hunched, trying to leave. A hand shoved her shoulder again, hard, and she stumbled.

"Maybe buy some friends."

The hallway exploded with laughter and the ound swallowed everything.

The memory shattered.

The darkness returned, and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

Rain poured from a dark sky. Ragatha ran, a suitcase bounced violently against the pavement beside her, er shoes splashed through puddles, and she couldn't breathe. Everything hurt, her ears, her head, her chest and her lungs burned. Behind her, the front door of a large house slammed open. Someone shouted her name. A distant and familiar voice but it couldn't be heard over the storm or maybe she simply didn't want to hear it.

She didn't stop and wouldn't stop. Tears blurred her vision, rain soaked through her clothes, her legs burned with every step, and she still she ran.

Further.

The memory broke apart.

The darkness returned, and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

Ragatha stood in the center of a stage, confused and terrified. The world around her made no sense. Everything was too bright and too strange.
A few blurry figures stood behind her. Friends. The people who had dared her to put on the headset, the people who had laughed, and the people who had promised it would only take a second. Gone now and nowhere to be found.

"Hello?!"

Her voice echoed through the circus grounds.

"Can anybody hear me?!"

Silence and then a voice answered.

"I can hear you."

Ragatha spun around.

A chess king stood nearby.

"W-Who are you?!"

The chess piece blinked.

"I... I'm..."

A pause, confusion crossed his face as if he couldn't remember then suddenly, a pair of dentures appeared, bright white teeth, and red gums. Floating where his face should have been. Ragatha stared, horrified and speechless.

The memory shattered.

The darkness returned, and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

Another figure appeared. A frog girl, she looked just as terrified as Ragatha felt, her eyes darted around wildly, taking in the impossible colors, strange blocks, and cartoonish landscape surrounding them.

For a few moments, neither moved, neither seemed entirely convinced the other was real and Ragatha awkwardly shifted her weight then took a cautious step forward.

"Um..."

The frog girl immediately jumped.

"What?!"

"Nothing!"

The response came out far too quickly, both immediately fell silent. The frog girl looked away and Ragatha looked away then both accidentally looked back at the same time. Neither knew what to say. The silence stretched.

Then suddenly...

"WOW!"

Both screamed, Caine had appeared upside down between them, out of nowhere. The frog girl yelped and Ragatha nearly fell backwards.

The memory immediately skipped.

Months later.

The same stage, the same circus, and the same two people. Only now everything felt different, comfortable and safe. Ragatha sat beside the frog girl who was now named Ribbit.

A bucket of ppopcorn rested between them, both are bored, and Ribbit tossed a piece of popcorn. It bounced off Ragatha's forehead. Ragatha blinked, she slowly turned toward her and Ribbit immediately looked away, whistling innocently. Ragatha grabbed a handful of popcorn then threw it directly back.

"HEY!"

"You started it."

"No I didn't."

"You absolutely did."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You literally threw popcorn at me."

"Allegedly."

Ragatha stared at her and Ribbit tried to keep a straight face, failed instantly. A snort escaped her then another before long both were laughing. The kind of laughter that left them struggling to breathe

The memory shifted again.

Dozens of momentss flashed by, tiny moments and important moments. Ragatha and Ribbit wandering through adventures together, sharing jokes, tlking late into the night, complaining about Caine, getting lost, getting found, sitting together during meals, and laughing over things neither would remember later. The awkwardness from their first meeting vanished completely. Friendship replaced it.

The memories flickered rapidly.

Adventure after adventure and conversation after conversation until suddenly a clown appeared, and he stood in the middle of the stage ground, looking around then he looked down at himself, his eyes widened, slowly, very slowly, and he turned toward Ragatha and Ribbit.

The two were already watching him, waiting, curious, and concerned. The clown stared at them then stared at his own hands again and then back at them. His face twisted into complete disbelief.

"...What the f—"

The memory skipped.

Months had passed. Kaufmo slowly starts to feel more comfortable and becoming part of the group, slowly finding his place and slowly smiling more.

Then another flash.

The three sat together near one of the circus pathways, nothing important was happening, no adventure just talking. Kaufmo suddenly sat up straighter like he'd discovered something.

"Oh."

Ribbit immediately groaned.

"No."

Ragatha looked confused.

"What?"

Kaufmo pointed dramatically.

"I have a joke."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Absolutely."

Ribbit buried her face in her hands and Kaufmo cleared his throat then smiled.

"What kind of shoes do spies wear?"

Silence.

Ragatha already looked nervous and Ribbit looked exhausted.

"What kind?" Ragatha asked.

Kaufmo pointed.

"Sneakers."

Silence. Ragatha laughed, a real laugh and not a pity laugh. Ribbit immediately whipped her head toward her.

"Ragatha!"

Ragatha was still laughing.

"What?!"

"Don't encourage him!"

Kaufmo immediately jumped up.

"I KNEW IT."

"No."

"I KNEW MY JOKES WERE FUNNY."

"They aren't."

"They are."

"They aren't."

"They are."

Ragatha laughed harder, Ribbit groaned, and Kaufmo looked victorious. A few seconds later...All three were laughing even Ribbit thoough she'd deny it.

The memory lingered.

The darkness returned, and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

A castle adventure, massive stone walls, and tall towers. An absurd amount of stairs. The kind of adventure only Caine would think was reasonable and haos was already unfolding. Ragatha heard screaming.

"DON'T PANIC."

"I'm panicking!"

"STOP PANICKING!"

"I CAN'T!"

Ragatha looked up then immediately regretted it. Kaufmo was hanging upside down from a flagpole, thirty feet in the air. Somehow. His leg was tangled in the rope and the flag flapped beside him. Ragatha stared.

"...How?"

"RAGATHA HELP ME!"

"HOW DID YOU EVEN GET UP THERE?!"

"I WAS INVESTIGATING!"

"INVESTIGATING WHAT?!"

Kaufmo paused and then:

"...I DON'T KNOW!"

Below them... Ribbit nearly fell over laughing and Kaufmo pointed accusingly.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY."

Ribbit laughed harder.

"It absolutely is."

"RAGATHA."

"I'm trying!"

"No you're not!"

"I AM."

"No."

"YES."

Ragatha grabbed the rope, pulled and it was the wrong rope. The flag detached and Kaufmo screamed. Ribbit collapsed onto the ground laughing.

"RAGATHAAAAAA!"

Eventually they got him down. Nobody knew how he got up there not even Kaufmo himself.

The memory froze.

Kaufmo sitting on the ground afterward, Ribbit still laughing, and Ragatha trying and failing not to laugh too. Three friends just being stupid together.

The darkness returned, and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

The circus dormitories, late at night, most of the lights were off, and only a few remained glowing softly in the distance. Ribbit and Ragatha sat together outside. The silence wasn't awkward anymore because months together had burned that away and now it was comfortable. The kind of silence shared between people who trusted each other.

Ribbit leaned back against the wall and Ragatha sat beside her, looking unusually quiet and Ribbit noticed immediately.

"Something wrong?"

Ragatha hesitated.

"...Can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

Another pause. Longer this time then the words started coming and lowly at first like she wasn't sure she should be saying any of it.

"When I was younger, my mom wanted everything perfect."

Ribbit listened.

The memory shifted.

A younger Ragatha sitting perfectly straight while playing a cello, studying, reading, writing, and winning awards. Always smiling, polit, and perfect.

"My grades had to be perfect."

Flash.

Young Ragatha holding a test paper, 98%, and her mother looked furious then slapped her across the face.

"You missed two points."

Flash.

A younger Ragatha practicing cello.

Again.

And again.

Until her fingers hurt, until her hands shook, and until she cried. Her mother kept forcing her to practice over and over again.

"Again."

"Yes, mother."

Flash

Young Ragatha sat on the floor crying quietly, her mother standing above her, angry, and disappointed.

"You want something to cry about?"

Silence and then:

"I'll give you something to cry about."

The memory cracked.

Ribbit's expression slowly changed. The more she heard the less she knew what to say.

"My mom really liked centipedes."

Flash

Pomni immediately wished it hadn't.

Young Ragatha standing completely frozen, several centipedes crawling across a table, and her mother smiling and watching.

"If I misbehaved..."

Ragatha swallowed.

"...she'd make me hold them."

Flash.

Young Ragatha crying.

Trying to pull away, her mother refusing, and memory skipped.

"Aren't they cute?"

"No!"

"Stop pulling away before I beat your ass!"

Flash again

Her parents screaming at each other late at night. Young Ragatha sitting in her room, hands over her ears, trying not to listen and trying not to cry.

Flash.

A slap, a harsh word, a cruel comment, and a disappointed look.
Again and again and again. Every memory seemed to follow the same pattern. Nothing was ever enough, never good enough, never smart enough, never perfect enough, and never enough.

"My family saw it."

Ragatha's voice grew quieter.

"They knew."

The memory shifted.

A dining room, family members looking away, someone continuing to eat, and omeone pretending not to notice. Nobody speaking. Nobody helping. Nobody stopping it.

"They never said anything."

Ribbit's jaw tightened.

The memory continued.

Birthdays missed, invitations refused, friends she wasn't allowed to see, school, home, horse stables, school, home, horse stables, and nothing else.
No freedom, no choices, and no escape.

Flash

Classmates, laughing, smiling, asking for help for their homework, pojects, assignments, favors, and more favors. Taking, always taking, and ever giving.
The moment Ragatha stopped being useful, they vanished.

Flash

Another report card, another perfect score, another achievement, another award, and another reason for her mother to find something wrong. Another reminder she wasn't enough.

Ribbit sat completely still now and listening.

The darkness around the memory felt heavier then Ragatha laughed, a small one not because anything was funny, its because she didn't know what else to do.

"The worst part?"

She looked down.

"I really thought if I just tried harder..."

A pause.

"...maybe she'd love me."

Silence.

Ribbit didn't interrupt or try tell her everything would be okay, she just listened and somehow that seemed to help more.

The memory shifted one final time.

The biggest argument, Ragatha stood in the living room, shaking, terrified, and desperate.

"I'm struggling."

Her voice cracked.

"I can't keep doing this."

For one second, she thought her mother would understand then came the response.

"After everything I've done for you?"

The words echoed and something finally broke, years of fear, years of guilt, years of anger, and years of pretending. Ragatha finally snapped. The memory became blurry. Her mother shouting and Ragatha shouting back. Years of swallowed words finally spilling out. Then... she slapped her.

Once.

Twice.

Again.

Hands grabbing hair and people yelling. Family members rushing in and every single one of them moved toward her mother. Not her. Never her.

Her mother crying, everyone comforting her, nobody asking why and nobody asking if Ragatha was okay. The decision came instantly. Run, leave and don't come back.

Flash

A front door slamming, footsteps, tears, rain, and the night air.

Freedom and loneliness at the same time.

Back in the dormitory hallway...

Ragatha sat quietly, finished like she'd finally set something down and Ribbit didn't say anything for a while. Then finally...

"...Your mom sucks."

Ragatha blinked then laughed.

"Yeah."

Ribbit nodded.

"Like."

A pause.

"Seriously sucks."

Ragatha laughed harder and for a brief moment the darkness surrounding the memory didn't seem quite so heavy then the memory began to crack.

The darkness returned, and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

The Circus kitchen was quiet. No adventures and no Caine sudden announcemen just the distant hum of machinery somewhere beyond the walls.Kaufmo sat on the counter, swinging his legs. Nearby, Ragatha sat with a sewing kit in her lap, carefully repairing a torn sleeve. Neither spoke for a while then Kaufmo suddenly pointed at her.

"You do that a lot."

Ragatha looked up.

"Do what?"

"That."

"Very helpful."

"I know."

Kaufmo nodded confidently.

"It's one of my best qualities."

Ragatha laughed.

"What are you talking about?"

Kaufmo leaned forward.

"You keep checking on everybody."

Silence and Ragatha blinked.

"Well..."

"No seriously."

Kaufmo started counting on his fingers.

"Ribbit."

One finger.

"She's my friend."

"Kinger."

Another.

"He gets confused."

"Me."

Another and Ragatha paused.

"You need supervision."

"Wow."

"Was I wrong?"

Kaufmo thought about it.

"No."

Ragatha smirked and returned to sewing then Kaufmo pointed at her again.

"See? That's what I mean."

"What?"

"You always have a reason."

Ragatha frowned.

"For what?"

"For caring."

A pause.

"Ribbit's your friend., Kinger gets confused, and I'm a disaster. You always have a reason."

The kitchen grew quiet again and Kaufmo's smile softened slightly.

"What if people don't need one?"

The needle stopped and Ragatha looked up.

"What?"

Kaufmo shrugged.

"Nothing."

A pause.

"Just feels like you're always trying to earn people."

The words caught her off guard.

"People can just like you, Ragatha."

Another shrug.

"For free."

Ragatha stared at the sleeve in her lap, the needle wasn't moving anymore for once, she didn't know what to say and Kaufmo noticed immediately. So naturally, he stood up.

"Anyway."

He hopped off the counter.

"I'm gonna go see if Ribbit wants to commit crimes."

Ragatha burst out laughing.

"Kaufmo!"

"What?"

"Don't commit crimes."

The clown pointed dramatically.

"No promises."

He started walking away then paused at the doorway without turning around.

"You're one of my favorite people, by the way."

Ragatha blinked.

"What? Just thought you should know."

Before she could answer, Kaufmo disappeared around the corner, leaving Ragatha alone in the kitchen, and staring at her unfinished sewing. Trying very hard not to cry.

The memory faded.

The darkness returned, and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

A new arrival. A purple rabbit, terrified and confused. The moment she appeared she immediately backed away from everyone.

The memory shattered.

The darkness returned, and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

A rooftop. One of Caine's adventures. Far below, the rest of the group searched for some ridiculous objective nobody remembered anymore. Meanwhile, Jax and Ragatha sat near the edge of a building, the city stretched endlessly around them and neither seemed particularly interested in helping. Jax lazily tossed a pebble off the roof and Ragatha watched it disappear.

"Weren't we supposed to be helping?"

"We are."

"How?"

Jax gestured vaguely at the skyline.

"I'm boosting morale."

"By abandoning everyone?"

"Exactly."

Ragatha laughed.

"That's not how that works."

"Sure it is."

Jax leaned back on her hands.

"They'll appreciate us more when we're gone."

"That's terrible."

"It's effective."

Far below, somebody yelled, neither bothered looking and Jax tilted her head.

"You know, I figured you would've been the first person down there."

Ragatha looked over.

"What does that mean?"

"You always volunteer for everything."

"Someone has to."

"Why?"

"What?"

Jax shrugged.

"Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Act responsible."

Ragatha stared.

"Because nobody else is."

"That's not an answer."

"Yes it is."

"No, it's not."

Jax pointed at her.

"That's the answer you tell people."

Ragatha opened her mouth, paused and then narrowed her eyes.

"You've spent way too much time around me."

"Unfortunately."

"Oh, unfortunately?"

"Yeah."

Jax looked away dramatically.

"Every day I become slightly more emotionally aware."

Ragatha immediately burst out laughing. Jax looked smug like she'd been waiting for that reaction.

"See?"

"See what?"

"I knew that would work."

"You planned that?"

"I plan everything."

"You're a liar."

"True."

Ragatha shook her head, still smiling, and the wind blew through her hair. For a moment, neither spoke. The adventure continued somewhere below them then Jax broke the silence.

"You know what your problem is?"

"Oh good."

"You care about people."

Ragatha blinked.

"That's my problem?"

"Yeah."

"That's ridiculous."

Jax nodded.

"I know."

A pause.

"Still true though."

Ragatha looked at her and Jax was staring out at the city, not joking and which somehow felt stranger than any joke she could've made then Jax immediately ruined it.

"If you were more selfish you'd probably have less headaches."

"There it is."

"There what is?"

"The awful advice."

"You're welcome."

Ragatha laughed again and for a little while longer, neither of them moved from the rooftop. Below them, Ribbit suddenly stopped walking and she pointed upward.

"Why are they up there?"

Kaufmo looked up. Jax and Ragatha sat near the edge of the rooftop, completely unaware they were being watched. He thought about it for a moment then nodded seriously.

"Courtship ritual."

Ribbit nearly fell over.

"WHAT?!"

Kaufmo immediately lost it and laughing so hard he almost tripped over his own feet.

"Oh my gosh, look at them!"

"STOP."

"They're sitting together!"

"PEOPLE SIT TOGETHER!"

"They're isolated from the rest of the group!"

"WE'RE ALSO ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE GROUP!"

Kaufmo pointed dramatically at the roof.

"Look at the body language!"

"What body language?!"

"The body language of love."

Ribbit smacked his arm and Kaufmo laughed harder. Above them, Jax looked horrified and Ragatha looked seconds away from throwing herself off the roof.

Back below,

"You're making things up."

"I would never."

"You absolutely would."

"I have standards."

"No you don't."

"That's fair."

Ribbit rolled her eyes and Kaufmo continued staring upward.

"They've been up there for like twenty minutes."

"So?"

"They voluntarily chose each other's company."

"So?"

"That's weird."

Ribbit stared at him.

"How is that weird?"

Kaufmo pointed at Jax.

"Because that's Jax."

"...Okay that's actually a fair point."

"THANK YOU."

Kaufmo nodded smugly.

"I rest my case."

Ribbit looked back toward the rooftop, Jax was currently arguing about something while Ragatha laughed. Again. For like the fifth time and Ribbit narrowed her eyes.

"...Okay maybe a little suspicious."

Kaufmo gasped dramatically.

"A believer."

"Don't push it."

"I'm putting ten imaginary dollars on them."

"There are no dollars here."

"Then ten imaginary imaginary dollars."

"That's not how betting works."

"It does now."

Ribbit sighed then glanced up again.

"...Do you think they know we're talking about them?"

Kaufmo looked up, Jax was now glaring directly at them from the rooftop, Kaufmo waved, Jax immediately flipped him off, and Kaufmo gasped.

"She noticed us."

"Really? What gave it away?"

"I think they're shy."

Ribbit doubled over laughing. Above them, Ragatha covered her face with both hands and Jax looked like she was genuinely considering murder.

The memory shattered.

Flash.

The four of them together.

Jax.

Ragatha.

Kaufmo.

Ribbit.

Sitting around after an adventure, nobody doing anything important, Jax complaining, Kaufmo making terrible jokes, Ribbit pretending she wasn't amused, and Ragatha laughing anyway.

Flash

The four running through one of Caine's adventures, Kaufmo accidentally triggering a trap, Ribbit yelling at him, Jax laughing, and Ragatha trying and failing to calm everyone down.

Flash

The four sharing snacks afterward.

Flash

Playing cards.

Flash

Arguing.

Flash

Laughing.

Dozens of small moments, tiny pieces of a friendship that had once felt permanent, the memory lingered, and long enough for Pomni to see something she hadn't expected. How easy they all looked together. How comfortable like they'd genuinely been happy.

Then another flash.

Kinger joined in, the group became five and somehow everything became even more chaotic. Kinger stood proudly in the center of an adventure and holding an upside-down map.

"This way."

"No it isn't."

"It absolutely is."

"We're literally walking into a wall."

"The wall is temporary."

The wall was not temporary

Flash

Kaufmo laughing so hard he couldn't breathe, Ribbit facepalming,Jax making things worse on purpose, Ragatha trying not to laugh, and Kinger somehow getting everyone lost.

Again.

Flash

The five gathered around a campfire.

Flash

Running from giant bugs.

Flash

Celebrating after finishing an adventure.

Flash

Simply sitting together, talking, existing, and being friends.

The memories accelerated.

Blurring together, years compressed into seconds, adventure after adventure, conversation after conversation, friendship after friendship and through all of it Ragatha remained, laughing, watching, helping, and caring. Not because she had to but because she wanted to.

The darkness returned, and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

The warmth vanished, laughter disappeared, and suddenly...everything started going wrong.

Flash.

Ribbit and Jax, not together. The distance between them felt obvious now. The two who once spent entire adventures side-by-side barely looked at each other, conversations ended quickly, arguments started easie, and silences lasted longer. Ragatha appeared between them constantly. Checking on Ribbit, checking on Jax, and trying to understand what happened. Every attempt ended the same way. A dismissal, forced smile, and cold response.

Flash.

The snowy adventure, the memory moved strangely like Ragatha didn't fully understand what had happened either. Only that afterward something felt wrong.

Flash.

Ribbit's bedroom door and it was closed, Ragatha standing outside and knocking gently.

"Ribbit?"

No answer. Another knock. Nothing.

"I just wanted to check on you."

Silence.

Ragatha waited, longer than she probably should have eventually... she left.

The memory skipped.

The same door, another knock, and still nothing.

Another day.

Nothing.

Another.

Nothing.

Again.

And again.

Flash.

Ragatha stood outside Ribbit's door.

Again.

The hallway was quiet, her hand hovered over the door before she knocked.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

Nothing.

No answer or voice from inside.

Just silence. Ragatha waited and waited and waited.

Maybe Ribbit was sleeping or she was busy or she just needed space. That was okay, Ragatha could wait because she always waited.

Flash

The same hallway. The same door. A different day. Another knock and still nothing.

Flash

Another day.

Another attempt.

Another silence.

Again.

And again.

Ragatha always checking. Always hoping and always convincing herself there would be an answer this time eventually, she sighed. Slowly resting her forehead against the door.

"I'll check tomorrow, okay?"

Silence.

Ragatha smiled anyway then she turned around and walked away. The memory followed her. Not Ribbit. Ragatha. Walking away because it was the only thing she could do.

The memory shattered.

The next one hit like a truck. Chaos, noise, and glitching colors. Ragatha hid behind a wall, frozen, and her hands covered her mouth. Tears streamed down her face, she couldn't move. The abstraction roared and Ragatha just watched because she was too late.

The memory shattered before Pomni could see more.

The darkness returned, and hundreds of colorful eyes opened. Watching. Watching. Watching.

Another memory appeared.

Ragatha standing in front of Jax, trying, and still trying. Trying to talk to her and to help. Jax shoved past her, hard but not enough to hurt but nough to make her stumble.

The memory froze.

On Jax and Ragatha.

Then it shattered.

Darkness.

Again.

The eyes multiplying.

The memories becoming unstable.

Faster.

Pomni.

A new arrival, terrified, lost, and confused. Ragatha immediately rushing toward her, trying to reassure her, trying to explain, trying to make sure she wasn't alone, and trying to make her feel safe.

Flash.

Kaufmo's bedroom door and Jax opening it.

Flash.

Jax and Pomni walking together.

Flash.

Pomni smiling.

Flash.

Pomni.

Flash.

Pomni.

Flash.

Jax and Ragatha arguing.

The memory didn't stay long enough for details. Only fragments, flashes, feelings, raised voices, frustration, hurt, and regret. Words thrown like knives.

The memories accelerated.

Faster.

And faster.

Until every memory blurred together and they became impossible to follow and then everything went black. Complete darkness.Silence.

Pomni stood alone, beathing hard, and her chest rose and fell rapidly as she tried to catch her breath. The adrenaline from everything she'd just seen hadn't faded yet. The arguments, grief, and memories. They still lingered in her head.

A tiny light appeared and Pomni froze, it floated lazily through the darkness. A single glowing firefly then another and another. One by one, small points of light emerged from the darkness around her, dozens and maybe even hundreds. They drifted through the empty space like stars.

Pomni found herself staring, watching them weave around each other, and some landed briefly on invisible surfaces before lifting off again, others circled one another in lazy spirals, and the sight was strangely peaceful. The fireflies simply drifted and standing among them was Ragatha. The real one. She stood quietly in the darkness, fireflies drifted around her, and some settled briefly on her shoulders before taking flight again. A few floated lazily around her before disappearing back into the darkness and Ragatha didn't seem to notice or maybe she simply didn't mind.

Pomni saw Ragatha's exhaustion showed clearly now, the slight slump of her shoulders and the distant look in her eyes yet despite that she looked calm like she'd finally stopped fighting for a moment. Pomni stayed where she is after everything she'd seen... The dining room, the school hallway, the rain, Ribbit, Kaufmo, Jax, the arguments, the guilt, and the loneliness. It suddenly felt impossible to find the right thing to say. The fireflies drifted lazily between them neither moved.

Pomni swallowed, her eyes lingered on Ragatha, and she gathered what little courage she had left and spoke.

"I didn't know you could play the cello."

The words seemed impossibly loud in the silence and the fireflies continued drifting through the darkness. Ragatha didn't react and one landed softly on her shoulder, the tiny lights continued floating around them then slowly Ragatha lifted her head. Ragatha let out a quiet laugh not because it was funny.

"I was... forced to play it."

Pomni lowered her head slightly.

"...I know."

Ragatha looked away and the fireflies continued drifting around them.

"So."

A pause.

"Was that it?"

Pomni frowned.

"What?"

"Everything you expected."

"Ragatha—"

"You got the full tour, Pomni."

Ragatha smiled weakly and the kind of smile that looked exhausted just holding itself together.

"Mommy issues."

She counted

"Dead friends."

Another.

"Unhealthy coping mechanisms."

Another.

"The whole package at this point."

Silence. No laugh or awkward response and somehow that scared Ragatha more than anything because Pomni always said something even when she didn't know what to say. She tried and now she was just staring, looking horrified and worried.Ragatha's smile faltered.

"Come on."

Her voice came out smaller than intended.

"Say something."

Pomni swallowed.

"Ragatha..."

"You finally know what's wrong with me."

The words left before she could stop them.

Silence.

The fireflies drifted lazily through the darkness.

"You finally got an explanation."

Ragatha laughed again.

"A reason."

Her eyes dropped to the water-like floor beneath them.

"Now you've got one."

Pomni took a step forward, ripples spread beneath her feet, and small circles expanding across the dark surface.

"No, that's not—"

"You saw all of it."

Ragatha cut her off, her voice cracked.

"You saw Ribbit."

Another crack.

"You saw Kaufmo."

Pomni's chest tightened.

"You saw everything."

The smile was gone now and only exhaustion remained.

"So why are you still looking at me like that?"

Pomni froze because Ragatha sounded genuinely confused. Not defensive just straight up confused like she honestly couldn't understand what Pomni was doing. Ragatha stared at her and waiting, searching for an answer.

"I don't get it."

Her voice shook.

"You saw me fail."

Pomni opened her mouth and nothing came out.

"You saw what happened to Ribbit."

Ragatha looked away.

"You saw Kaufmo."

The words were quieter now.

"You saw how hard I tried."

Her hands clenched.

"And it still wasn't enough."

The water beneath her feet rippled and fireflies drifted past her shoulders.

"You saw me spend years trying to help everyone."

A bitter laugh escaped her.

"Turns out I wasn't very good at it."

"Ragatha—"

"No."

For once, Ragatha interrupted immediately. Her voice rose slightly not angry but esperate.

"You saw all of it."

Her breathing became uneven.

"You saw every reason."

Every word came faster.

"Every mistake. Every failure. Every time I wasn't enough."

Pomni took another step then another slowly and carefully but Ragatha didn't seem to notice and lost inside her own thoughts.

"I couldn't help Ribbit."

A pause.

"I couldn't help Kaufmo."

Another.

"I couldn't help Jax."

Her voice broke completely and the last name barely came out.

"And honestly?"

Ragatha laughed again and a miserable sound.

"I'm not even sure I helped you."

Pomni immediately shook her head.

"That's not true."

"Then why does everyone leave?"

The question came so fast Pomni almost missed it, Ragatha still didn't look at Pomni

"If I cared that much..."

Her voice trembled.

"If I tried that hard..."

A pause.

"Why wasn't it enough?"

The darkness felt heavier and the fireflies seemed dimmer somehow, Ragatha swallowed, and looking smaller than Pomni had ever seen her.

"So why..."

Her voice barely rose above a whisper.

"Why are you still looking at me like I'm worth saving?"

The darkness around them shifted, the fireflies scattered, and the space between them stretched. One second, Pomni was only a few feet away. The next, she wasn't. Further and then further like the mindscape itself was trying to keep them apart. Trying to preserve the distance Ragatha had spent years building around herself. Ragatha noticed it immediately, she almost smiled and a weak laugh escaped her.

"See? Even this place gets it."

Pomni's eyes narrowed.

"Don't say that."

"Pomni—"

"No."

Pomni didn't stop and she walked faster. Her footsteps sent ripples racing across the dark water beneath her feet. She didn't care that the distance doubled. Didn't care that reality itself seemed determined to push her away.

"You're literally doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Deciding for me!"

The distance stretched further.

"Pomni, stop."

"No."

"You're not listening."

"I AM!"

Pomni shouted. The sound echoed through the endless dark.

"That's the problem."

Ragatha stayed still, the fireflies around her flickered nervously like tiny stars caught in a storm.

"I listened."

Pomni's voice cracked. The anger was still there but now it was mixed with something else. Something hurt. Something desperate.

"I listened to everything."

Reality twisted again, violently, and the floor shifted beneath Pomni's feet.
She nearly lost her balance. Her foot slipped but she caught herself and kept going.

"All of it."

Another step.

"Your mom."

Another.

"Ribbit."

Another.

"Kaufmo."

Another.

"Jax..."

The name lingered.

"Everything."

Ragatha still hadn't looked back because if she turned around...if she saw Pomni still coming, something inside her might finally break.

"Then you know."

Her voice sounded small now.

"I know you're hurting."

The distance stretched impossibly far. Farther than before. Farther than should have been possible. The fireflies became tiny dots between them.
Pomni started running and Ragatha heard it immediately.

"Pomni!"

"Stop running away!"

The words echoed and for a moment everything became still. The darkness stopped moving and The fireflies froze. Ragatha's lip trembled.

"I don't know how not to."

The confession came out so quietly Pomni almost missed it.

"I've been doing it for so long."

The words hung in the air. The distance stretched one final time and the largest gap yet. A last desperate attempt by the mindscape. One final chance for Pomni to stop but she didn't. She wasn't listening to the mindscape, she wasn't listening to the darkness, and she wasn't even listening to Ragatha anymore. She just kept running, her legs burned and her lungs hurt. Her breathing became ragged but she kept running.

And running.

Until finally... she reached her. Ragatha's eyes widened because Pomni wasn't supposed to make it this far. Before Ragatha could take another step back, Pomni crashed into her, wrapping both arms around her, holding her tightly and desperately like she was terrified Ragatha would disappear if she loosened her grip for even a second.

Ragatha didn't hug back or move or speak. She didn't even breathe properly, she thought she'd imagined it, thought this was another wish, another fantasy, and another thing her mind had invented because she wanted it too badly. The fireflies drifted around them and Pomni didn't let go.

Her voice barely came out.

"Pomni..."

Ragatha couldn't believe it.

"What are you doing?"

Pomni immediately tightened her grip like letting go wasn't even an option.

"Hugging you because you deserve it."

Something broke. The last thing Ragatha had been holding together finally gave out. A sob escaped her then another and suddenly she was crying.
Actually crying. Not hiding it or smiling through it. She wasn't even pretending that she's okay.

Pomni felt her shaking, felt years of exhaustion finally catching up to her.
Ragatha's legs gave out, and Pomni went down with her. The dark water-like floor rippled around them as they fell to their knees together.

"I don't know why people leave."

Ragatha's voice cracked between breaths. Trembling.

"I don't know why bad things happen."

Another shaky breath.

"I don't know why Ribbit left."

Her shoulders shook.

"I don't know why Kaufmo left."

Pomni's own eyes were burning now and tears slipping down her face before she even realized she was crying too.

"But none of that means you didn't try."

Ragatha squeezed her eyes shut and Pomni hugged her tighter as tight as she could.

"None of that means you failed."

"Pomni—"

"Because if you failed them..."

Pomni swallowed hard and trying not to break down completely.

"Then what chance do the rest of us have?"

Ragatha froze. The words hit somewhere deep, somewhere she'd buried a long time ago, and Pomni's voice shook.

"You cared more than anyone."

A tear slid down her cheek.

"You stayed."

Another.

"And you kept trying even when it hurt."

Pomni pressed her forehead against Ragatha's.

"I'm sorry you had to carry that all by yourself."

Ragatha looked impossibly small. Not physically. Just...Human. Tired, sared, and someone who had been carrying far more than she ever should have.

"Pomni..."

A weak smile appeared.

"It's okay."

"No it isn't."

The answer came immediately and Ragatha couldn't say anything after that.
Only sniffled, she held on, and something changed. A strange feeling like a clock finally reaching the end of its countdown. Ragatha felt it immediately.
Her time was running out.

"Tell Zooble—"

Pomni instantly knew where this was going.

"No."

"Pomni—"

"NO!"

Pomni shouted.

"Don't do that."

Pomni's voice shattered.

"Don't say goodbye."

Ragatha's cried even more, she wasn't saying goodbye, she was preparing her, the way she'd always prepared everyone else, and the way she'd always carried things so other people wouldn't have to.

"Tell Zooble they didn't do anything wrong."

"Stop."

"Tell Gangle she couldn't have known."

"Stop."

"Tell Kinger—"

"STOP!"

Ragatha's voice softened.

"Tell Kinger he's the dad I really wanted to have."

Pomni let out a broken sound. Half sob and haf laugh. She didn't even know anymore, she only knew she was holding on tighter desperately like maybe if she refused hard enough none of this would happen.

"Jax..."

Ragatha stared down at the floor and her voice growing quieter.

"I know she acts like she doesn't care."

A small smile appeared.

"But she does."

The smile trembled.

"Too much sometimes."

A pause.

"She just doesn't know what to do with it."

Pomni couldn't speak, couldn't breathe properly, and couldn't think because these were the words people said when they were leaving. The words people said when they were trying to make everyone else okay first.

"None of this was your fault, Pomni."

"Don't."

"You tried."

"Ragatha—"

"You always tried."

Pomni's chest hurt.

"Please stop talking like that."

Her voice barely worked anymore.

"I don't want you blaming yourself."

"I'm not."

A lie. A terrible one and both of them knew it.

"I'm not..."

This time her voice broke completely because she knew exactly what she'd be blaming herself for.

"Just stay."

The words came out desperate.

"Just stay."

Ragatha suddenly started hyperventilating, her hands shaking violently, her breathing uneven, too fast, and too shallow. Her eyes wide with fear. Not for Pomni. Not for Zooble. Not for anyone else but for herself. For the first time in a very long time... Ragatha was terrified for herself.

"Pomni..."

Her voice came out tiny.

"I don't want to go."

Pomni froze, this wasn't the version of Ragatha that kept going no matter how much it hurt. This was just Ragatha, a scared girl who had spent years carrying everyone else's pain and now she was admitting she was scared too.

"Stay with me."

Pomni's voice cracked completely and her hands were shaking. She held onto Ragatha so tightly it almost hurt like if she loosened her grip for even a second, Ragatha would disappear. Outside the mindscape, Ragatha's abstraction stepped on the discarded flashbang lying on the dormitory floor,
a burst of white light exploded through the hallway annd inside the mindscape... everything flickered. The fireflies scattered and Ragatha inhaled sharply like something had finally found her.

"Pomni..."

Her voice sounded distant now and Pomni immediately shook her head.

"No."

Tears streamed down her face.

"No no no no—"

"You were the best thing that happened to me since I got here."

Pomni broke. The fireflies around them started glowing brighter until the entire darkness looked filled with stars and Ragatha's body began glowing. Golden light slipping through her seams, through her hands, through her hair, and the abstraction was taking her and Pomni knew it. Pomni refused to let go. She buried her face into Ragatha's chest, still crying and still holding on.

Ragatha's mind slipped, everything slowed, and in that fading space between existence and nothing. Ragatha's mind played something else. A memory, warm, and for seven minutes... It was the only thing left in the world.

Water.

Ragatha laughing as Ribbit splashes her while Kaufmo yells that this is "cheating in a friendship context." Jax grabs her wrist and drags her deeper into the lake while she protests, already laughing too hard to resist.

Night sky.

Fake stars above them. Ribbit arguing loudly with Jax about something completely pointless. Kaufmo and Ragatha sitting on a blanket nearby, Ragatha leaning slightly into Kaufmo's shoulder while he whispers, "we should probably stop them," and she just says "no" without looking away from the sky.

A carnival.

Kaufmo somehow convincing Ribbit to participate in a three-legged race. Both immediately falling over. Ragatha laughing so hard she can barely stand while Jax claims she could've won if everyone else wasn't "holding her back."

A rooftop.

Jax throwing rocks off the edge while Ragatha sits beside her. Both talking about absolutely nothing important. Jax making a joke. Ragatha laughing immediately. Jax looking way too pleased with herself afterward.

Carnival lights.

Ragatha missing the ring toss again. Jax rolling her eyes, stepping in, and winning immediately. The horse plush landing in Ragatha's arms. Her staring at it, then at Jax. Jax awkwardly shrugging like it meant nothing.

A hallway.

Ribbit dragging Kaufmo and Ragatha toward another stupid idea. Kaufmo fully committed already. Ragatha pretending she's going to say no before following anyway.

Flowers.

Kinger carefully placing a flower crown on her head like it's serious work. Ragatha laughing under her breath and asking if she's supposed to survive this. Kinger nodding like it's a scientific guarantee.

A quiet adventure.

Kinger sitting beside her while everyone else runs off somewhere. No chaos. No danger. Just him telling her she doesn't have to hold everything together all the time. Ragatha listening more closely than she lets on.

A tea party adventure.

Kinger explaining a completely incomprehensible story. Ragatha somehow following along anyway. Booth smiling by the end despite neither understanding how they got there.

A craft room.

Gangle excitedly showing off a drawing. Zooble immediately calling it a cursed potato. Gangle insisting it's art. Ragatha laughing softly and calling it "emotionally expressive produce."

A baseball adventure.

Zooble wearing that ridiculous hat. Ragatha laughing every time she looks at them. Zooble pretending to be annoyed while clearly keeping the hat anyway.

Kinger, Zooble, and Gangle all talking over each other. Noise everywhere. Ragatha sitting in the middle of it all. Smiling. Listening. Feeling strangely content.

An adventure gone wrong.

Pomni turning a corner and immediately finding Ragatha looking for her. Relief crossing both their faces before either can hide it.

A rooftop.

Pomni sitting beside Ragatha in comfortable silence. Neither speaking for several minutes. Somehow still enjoying each other's company.

A movie night.

Everyone complaining about Caine's terrible film choices. Pomni and Ragatha sharing increasingly concerned looks every time the plot becomes worse.

Pomni trying to explain a memory she barely remembers. Ragatha listening anyway. Asking questions. Helping her piece together fragments neither of them fully understand.

Fake rain. Fake clouds. Fake thunder. Pomni insisting the weather isn't real. Ragatha holding an umbrella over both of them anyway.

Pomni laughing. Really laughing. Head thrown back and everything. Ragatha staring for a second because she realizes she hasn't heard that sound nearly enough.

Pomni spiraling. Talking too fast. Thinking too much. Ragatha simply listening. Patient. Calm. Steady. Pomni asking if she's too much. Ragatha immediately answering no.

Pomni sitting beside her after a difficult day. Neither speaking. Neither needing to. Just existing together while the rest of the Circus continues somewhere far away.

All of them together. Ribbit, Kaufmo, Jax, Kinger, Zooble. Gangle, and Pomni.

No disaster. No abstraction. Just laughter. Ragatha standing among them, smiling not because she felt responsible and not because she was trying to keep everyone together just because she was happy to be there.

Then something grabbed Pomni from behind. Hard.

The darkness immediately cracked apart around her. Fireflies scattered in every direction and the space between her and Ragatha stretched unnaturally. Pomni reached forward on instinct, grabbing for her. For a second she felt Ragatha's hand in hers then it slipped away.

"No!"

Pomni lunged forward. Reality distorted around them. Light bent. Sound warped. Everything glitched. Ragatha grew farther away no matter how hard Pomni tried to reach her. She fought it. Tried to hold on. Tried to stay. Tried to get back to her but he couldn't. The mindscape collapsed and everything went white then reality hit her all at once.

Pomni opened her eyes and immediately felt hands on her shoulders. Her vision flickered violently, glitches crawling across the edges of her sight. Zooble, Gangle, Kinger, Jax, and all of them were there. Looking down at her, looking terrified then they looked up. Pomni followed their gaze. The abstraction towered over them. A massive black shape of shifting spikes and jagged angles. Hundreds of glowing eyes moved across its body. Watching. Blinking. Looking everywhere at once.

Nobody spoke. Zooble stood frozen, fists clenched so tightly their hands shook. Their face twisted with anger they clearly didn't know what to do with. Beside them, Gangle cried openly, tears streaming down her face as she stared at what Ragatha had become. Kinger looked completely lost like his mind couldn't catch up with what was happening and Jax was fighting. Kinger had both arms wrapped around her and she was still trying to break free. Kicking, pulling, and truggling. Tears streamed down her face as she stared at the abstraction.

"LET ME GO!"

Kinger held on tighter as the group fell into silence and they helplessly watched their friend…slowly lose herself in front of them. The tent took almost an entire day to build. Nobody talked much while doing it. They just worked. A giant tent stood on the center of the circus and large enough for her. The abstraction rested inside after going on a rampage earlier

Gangle entered first. The flap closed behind her.

For a few seconds there was silence then a loud, broken sob echoed from inside. Not crying. Not even weeping. A scream. The kind of cry somebody makes when reality finally catches up to them. Everyone outside froze. Gangle's voice cracked then another sob followed. Nobody went inside. Nobody stopped her because they understood.

After a while the tent became quiet again and Gangle eventually emerged with red eyes and shaking hands, she didn't say a word, and and she simply sat down beside Zooble.

Zooble waited longer. Much longer and then finally stood up and entered. The tent became quiet again and Zooble stared at the abstraction. At what remained of Ragatha. At the person who had spent years making sure everyone else was okay.

The person who checked on everyone, the person who always noticed when somebody was struggling, and the person who somehow made the Circus feel less terrible. Zooble hated it, hated looking at her, and hated looking away.

Part of them wanted to blame somebody.

Jax.

Caine.

The Circus.

Themselves.

Mostly themselves because there had been signs. There were always signs and somehow nobody had noticed how bad things were getting. Zooble sat down nearby, arms crossed and looking up at Ragatha.

"...Idiot."

Their voice cracked and Zooble looked away immediately then sat there for another hour before finally leaving.

Kinger entered next. The moment he stepped inside, his heart dropped. Queenie. The memory hit him instantly not because Ragatha looked like her, not because they were the same but because the feeling was identical. The feling of being too late and Kinger slowly walked forward then sat near the abstraction. For a long time he said nothing and then finally...

"Ragatha..."

His voice shook.

"You were strong."

Silence.

"Super strong."

Kinger stared up at her and the giant shape towered over him.

"I don't think you knew that."

His hands trembled slightly.

"You kept helping people even when you were hurting."

A pause.

"You reminded me of someone."

Another pause.

"Someone I loved very much."

Kinger smiled sadly.

"You would've liked her."

His eyes watered.

"And she would've liked you."

Silence.

"You made this place easier."

Kinger swallowed.

"For all of us."

Another pause.

"I'm sorry we didn't make it easier for you."

The tent remained silent, Kinger lowered his head then eventually stood and left.

Jax entered the moment he walked out. The flap closed, she stood there, frozen, looking up unable to move or breathe properly eventually she sat down. Close. Her hands clenched tightly together. For a while she said nothing then she eventually spoke:

"You weren't supposed to believe it."

Silence.

"You were only supposed to stay away."

Jax laughed once then tears started falling again.

"I'm sorry, Rags..."

Her shoulders shook and she covered her eyes.

"I'm sorry."

Again.

And again.

Nobody heard the rest and Jax stayed there for hours. Long after everyone else had gone to sleep eventually she stood, wiped her face and left.

Outside...Pomni sat alone on a couch, glitching occasionally, small distortions flickering around her body, and Jax noticed immediately. She hesitated then sat on the couch across from her.

Silence.

A long silence.

Then—

"How you holding up?"

Pomni blinked, looking surprised that Jax had spoken first then she remembered. Ragatha's words.

"I'm okay."

Jax snorted.

"Terrible liar."

Pomni almost laughed then the two sat there, talking about everything, and that went on till morning. Then, it stopped. The glitching didn't fade away. It didn't slow down. It was simply gone like something had been reset. The air shifted and the pressure that had lingered over the circus seemed to disappear all at once. A voice echoed through the space.

Caine's. He approached them slowly. Not with a loud announcement. Not with another adventure.

"I..."

Nobody answered and they simply looked at him. Caine adjusted his hat nervously, a strange sight for someone who always seemed so certain of himself. The old Caine would've already launched into some grand speech. This one didn't.

"I... I understand that you're afraid."

His voice wavered slightly.

"And you have every reason to be. After everything I've done, I don't expect you to trust me. But I've been doing a lot of thinking and..."

He paused.

"I want to give you control of this place."

The words stunned everyone.

"I've learned a lot about you. About your world." Caine sighed. "I understand now that keeping you under my thumb wasn't right. I can't take back what happened. I don't expect forgiveness, but... I hope you'll at least accept my offer."

Zooble was the first to speak.

"Caine... you've put us through a lot. It's gonna take time before any of us trust you again."

Caine looked away.

"But despite all that..."

Zooble folded their arms.

"It's good to have you back."

For a moment, Caine looked genuinely shocked then his gaze drifted toward the large tent the group had built together.

"Um... did you need any help with that?"

Everyone followed his gaze.

"No. Not yet, anyway. We've worked something out."

"Understandable."

An awkward silence followed then Caine cleared his throat.

"Oh, uh... I've made something for all of you."

He glanced toward the stage.

"Feel free to join me whenever you're ready."

Without another word, he floated away. The group exchanged uncertain glances before following after him.
"I think it's something all of you deserve to see."

Later, everyone gathered near the stage and Caine stood at the front of the room, hands clasped together. For once, he looked unsure.

"No more secrets."

The room fell silent.

"No more mind games."

Nobody interrupted. A projector hummed softly to life and a beam of light stretched across the room and illuminated the screen. The room grew still and Caine looked at all of them.

"You wanted answers."

A pause.

"So I thought you deserved at least one."

The screens flickered again. Names appeared, real names, and real lives. The people they had been before the circus.

Pomni — Abigail Brooks

Jax — Leeroy Mateo

Zooble — Riley Verselis

Gangle — Zoey Raghavan

Kinger — Grant Best

Beside Kinger's name was another.

Destiny Best.

Queenie.

Kinger immediately froze, his eyes widened as he stared at the screen and then the final name appeared.

Ragatha — Suzie J. Ackerman

The room became even quieter, information appeared beneath her name, photos, fragments of a life. A real one. Despite cutting contact with parts of her family, she hadn't been alone. She had friends. People who cared about her, people who loved her and slowly, Caine removed his hat. The gesture alone said more than words could.

"There are people out there who loves her."

The room fell silent.

"People who smiled because she was around."

A pause.

"People whose lives were brighter because she was in them."

His voice softened. The words settled heavily over the room and Pomni felt her throat tighten.

"She... she had friends..."

Zooble looked away, Gangle covered her mouth, and Kinger closed his eyes.

"...Good."

Nobody argued with him because somehow that single word carried everything he wanted to say. Pomni couldn't stop staring at the screen.
The pieces of a life she had never known existed.

At the photographs and at the moments frozen in time. Birthday parties,
group photos, smiling faces, pieces of a life none of them had ever seen before, a life that existed beyond the circus, and her eyes settled on the name again.

Suzie J. Ackerman.

Slowly, Pomni whispered it aloud.

"...Suzie."

The name lingered in the air, soft. A faint smile appeared on Pomni's face through the tears gathering in her eyes.

"That's a beautiful name."

Her voice was barely above a whisper yet everyone heard it. Pomni could almost imagine Ragatha standing beside her, face turning red, and muttering something embarrassed about how it was "just a normal name." The thought made Pomni smile then it hurt again because now she knew. Ragatha is loved outside the circus and she had been loved here too.

After that day, Caine changed. Not in appearance but in function. The circus stopped being a demand, there wwere no more forced adventures, and no expectations disguised as entertainment. Only choices, space, and silence when it was needed and something entirely new.

The abstraction zone was rebuilt into a vast aquarium-like expanse of drifting lights and softened gravity. A place where those who had abstracted could exist without suffering further and where what remained of Ribbit, Kaufmo, and Ragatha could drift peacefully together, untouched by the circus itself.

Kinger often sat on a bench near the center, watching and reading a butterfly book to Queenie. Pomni sat beside him with a cello in her hand, she's been trying to learn how to play the cello for Ragatha and far ahead, three abstracted figures drifted through the glowing waters of light. Not violent or lost just together.

Ribbit.

Kaufmo.

Ragatha.

Pomni swallowed.

"...They're together."

Kinger nodded.

"Yes."

A pause and then, softer:

"I think that's the closest thing to peace we'll ever find here."

Jax approached from behind, she didn't say anything at first, she simply sat down beside Pomni and the three of them watched in silence. After a while, Pomni spoke.

"She had a life outside."

Jax nodded.

"I know."

A long silence followed then Pomni whispered:

"...I hope she knew she was loved."

Nobody answered immediately because they were all thinking the same thing eventually, Gangle and Zooble joined them, together, they sat beneath the drifting lights, watching, remembering, and hoping that wherever Suzie J. Ackerman was now...

She had finally found peace.

She knew how deeply she was loved.

And that she had never been alone.

Notes:

Jesterdoll nation, WE WERE EATING GOOD AND GETTING ROBBED AT THE SAME TIME. 😭

Also, if you're wondering why Ragatha is surrounded by fireflies instead of being under a post lamp like Jax was in canon, it's because I saw a gorgeous fanart (https://x.com/i/status/2068103066411221500) and immediately went, "Yep. I'm doing THIS." So I changed the scene a little and yes, I was originally going to make them kiss while Ragatha was abstracting, but then I decided I wanted maximum emotional damage instead.

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