Chapter Text
"So… are you going to swap them back?" Ragatha's voice spoke up to their ringmaster hovering above them. His eyes flicking around the circus as bubble smiled beside him at absolutely nothing. Suddenly his eyes focused and he snapped his gaze down to her.
"What?"
Ragatha frowned, he clearly wasn't listening… as usual. She gestured to the odd pair before her, this Pox and Jammi. The twisted versions of the people she knew, especially poor Pomni. This wasn't her at all. That dark grin of Pox that pulled tightly at her face, her eyes that stared at the others, lacking any trace of warmth. Almost as if she was sizing them up. Ragatha shivered. This was ridiculous, Caine wasn't supposed to be able to alter minds, at least. He said he couldn't.
The doll was starting to doubt what was real here, the fact that she was trying to figure out what was real in a digital hellscape they were all trapped in was not lost to her. But this was a step too far.
"I said…" As Ragatha puffed a strand of her doll hair out of her eye. While forcing her own shaky smile back on her face, an awkward one, but still. "… their adventure is done. Change them back." The prickling of irritability just starting to crawl up her spine. She needed their AI jailmaster to actually help sort out his mess.
"Hmm… what do you think Bubble?" The dentured AI spoke to the sharp toothed circle at his side.
"Did you ask for consent?" The high pitched water bubble answered. Ragatha's jaw dropped, what?!
"Golly gosh! You are so right Bubble. Good job." Caine gripped his cane and flipped over to the pair that were Pox and Jammi. The purple jester glaring up at him in amusement. While Jammi just seemed to look on, rubbing his hands together. His body posture curled inwards somewhat, he reminded her more of Gangle than Pomni if she was honest with herself. Speaking of Gangle, the ribboned girl stood at his side, a genuine smile on her comedy mask as she said something to him.
A sudden pang of… something. Guilt? Annoyance? Ragatha couldn't place it, but Jammi seemed to be a better person, especially when compared to Jax. But Ragatha quickly shook her head. No, that wasn't her problem, it wasn't. It was up to Jax, it wasn't their decision to force anything on him. Jammi wasn't real.
And neither was this… Pox.
"So what do ya say? You ready to go back to normal?" Caine asked of the pair.
"I supp-" Jammi started.
"HA! Are you kidding me? No way! I don't wanna go back. Not to that loser." Pox's voice was already grating on her, yet Pox's attention quickly turned to Ragatha nearby. "Hey dollface! You want your precious little pathetic poser back?"
The doll knew she was being prodded but she couldn't help it, her words left her before she could stop it.
"Pathetic?! Pomni isn't pathetic. You are!"
Yet this Pox seemed completely unfazed. As she leaned her head to the side, the jester hat tails following suit.
"Awww… how adorable. Gross." The purple jester mocked her, before laughing. That screech hurt Ragatha's ears. She would take Jax any day over this Pox.
"That settles that then. No way can I change them without their full and complete consent!" Caine stated, he started to float higher above them now. As if the matter was settled. Ragatha couldn't believe it, the gall of Caine! Doing this and then deciding not to fix it?! Yet as soon as she opened her mouth to argue, someone else beat her to it.
"Oh that is bull [%^&*(]!" The ragdoll lost the wind out of her sails, that was the angry voice of Zooble. The ringmaster flinched and turned to them.
"Zooble! Such a potty mouth." Gripping his cane close to him.
"Urgh!" Ragatha could hear the irritation in their voice. "Tch! I suppose you can leave this 'Jammi' he seems ok I suppose." Jammi smiled at that. "But there is no way! NO WAY you can leave Pomni stuck as this… this thing!" Motioning to the purple jester stood nearby.
"I am standing right here you know." Pox inputted. Shrugging. "I didn't even do anything to you toybox."
"Shut up! I am NOT talking to you!" Zooble quickly turned her attention onto the smaller clown. The tension in the air was getting thick, Gangle started to step back and actually behind Jammi. Who gave her a comforting smile. Wow… that was so odd to see from someone who looked exactly like Jax. Except, Ragatha noted even from this distance, his eyes were so…. Pomni.
"Enough! I told you. No consent, no change." The doll turned back to the argument that was still going. Zooble looked like she wanted to strangle the floating Caine. If he actually… had a neck?
"But… but…" Zooble stuttered. "You never had their consent the first time!"
That was true…
"That was for the adventure!" The ringmaster replied, as if it was obvious.
"Well… what if you did it for another adventure?"
That made the ringmaster pause.
"Hmmm… maybe. Though I never do the same adventure twice. That would be boring." With that, the AI snapped himself out of existence.
"Wait! Caine! What the [%^&*]! We aren't done here." Zooble's eyes narrowed, her fingers followed suit, her body language clearly tightly wound and livid even without all of the facial features they used to have. They panted as their eyes fell and landed back on Ragatha. "Sorry Ragatha… guess we're stuck for now. We'll try again tomorrow."
A heavy weight fell on the doll's stomach, trying not to look at what 'Pomni' was right now. A flash of the smile of her little jester, her concerned voice.
"Hey Ragatha, you ok?" She could hear her. That smile of hers, the look of genuine concern, it was nice. Pomni was someone real in this circus, she didn't seem to act out of what she seemed like she should do, or what she was 'supposed' to do. Not like her. Pomni acted on what she wanted to do. She was just so… real. The opposite of her in every way.
"Well that was rude." That voice of Pox's once more. Breaking through her thoughts. It was nothing like Pomni's soft caring words, she was sharp. Like nails on a chalkboard, Ragatha didn't even want to look at the mockery of her Pomni again. "I've been here, what… a day? And you already want rid of me? Maybe you just need to get to know me?" Just don't look at her, just leave. However before any of them even made a step toward their rooms Pox's voice broke the heavy lull once again.
"Hey Gangle, think fast!" A confused yelp from Gangle as Pox launched a ball straight at the masked ribbon. Quickly followed by a cry of pain as the ball cracked her mask, causing it to fall to the floor. The red ribbon of Gangle following suit.
"Pox! …" Tears welled up on the tragedy mask as she knelt down near her broken mask. Jammi next to her leaned down and placed a hand gently on Gangle's ribbon shoulder.
"Pox! Stop it." He yelled at her. The dark jester just blew a raspberry and rolled her eyes.
"Ha! Now I see why Jax did that so often. That is funny."
"C'mon guys, leave her." Zooble's voice attempted to gather the group to leave. Her tone tense but straining to be calm. Ragatha agreed it would be better if the day was just over with, they would try again tomorrow. The sooner they could come up with a good enough reason for Caine to turn them back, the better. The ragdoll turned her back on the purple jester that had been Pomni.
Yet footsteps quickly padded after her. Ragatha's heart dropped. Why didn't Pox just leave her alone. Ragatha's eye narrowed and sharpened as Pox stepped right into her path.
"Not want your little jester cuddly toy tonight?" A shot of slicing panic gripped her heart.
"What?! What are you even talking about. I don't know what you are talking about." She quickly babbled. Shut up… please shut up!
But Pox's grin only grew wider. Those sharp and ugly features of hers, taking what Pomni was and twisting it. Now that Ragatha was closer she could see the odd triangle shaped irises, she missed Pomni's eyes…
"I have her memories you know. I know aaaaaaalll about what you two talked about." Oh… shit. The ragdoll stopped in place, her eye snapping to the others before snapping back. Forcing a laugh. Unable to stop the shaking of her form.
"I-I don't know what you are talking about Pom-Pox!" Ragatha's voice wavered, shaking. She can't actually know… could she? Oh god… oh god, oh god, oh god. Ragatha's fingers clenched and unclenched as her vision started to waiver. Pomni promised not to tell, she promised never to share… but this… wasn't Pomni.
Pox drew closer to her, too close. Pox's familiar bangs inches from Ragatha's.
"You want your little jester back so you can go right back to talking… I know all about your little sleep overs." Once again Ragatha looked over to the others. They were confused, but more concerned.
"Leave her alone Pox." Jammi once again spoke up, trying to defend Ragatha. But the doll was too lost in her own head to appreciate it. The vision around Pox had started to collapse now, the stitching on her face ripping as she bit harder into her own flesh. Even Pox's words started to falter and warp as her mind struggled to accept that something very secret, very private, was about to be babbled out by this nasty jester. She couldn't take it. Yet the panic gripping her froze her, what would the others think?
"You have a crush on Pomni! You and her were talking about all the stuff you would do if you were still human. Talking about licking each other's [£$%^&*(*], her finger in your [$%^&*]…" Pox made some sort of vulgar hand motion that was also covered by Caine's telltale censer. But Ragatha didn't need to see it to understand. Pox kept talking, but Ragatha wasn't listening anymore…
She couldn't breathe. This was too much. Pox just shared all those secret nights Pomni and her shared. All those times they had knocked on each other's doors. Making sure the other was ok, consoling one another. All the nights of awkwardness. And… the night of her confession, it all passed through her mind. Such precious memories. Ruined, stomped on, mocked and spat on by this corrupted evil mockery of her Pomni. The ragdoll began to pant, she couldn't get air, she didn't need to breathe but that wasn't registering anymore. She couldn't be here anymore. She had to leave. Ragatha didn't even look at the others, they said something to her but their faces were blurred, their voices muffled, she couldn't make them out. But she had to get away. They knew, all of them knew. Pox blabbed something Pomni promised never to share, no matter what.
Ragatha ran. She ran away. Back to her room, the only safe solitude she had in this hell. The laughter of Pox filling her ears. She hated her. Ragatha hated Pox. She had never hated anyone so much, not even Jax. And she did hate him.
The others watched her go, unsure of what to say or do. But what nobody saw was a fall in that sharp grin, a glitch in Pox's eyes, the old red and blue pinwheels fuzzing back into existence for a second. Before Pox blinked them away. And they vanished. Her grin right back on her face.