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Caine floated around the circus, trying to surveil everyone who resided there. “Well, I must say! That’s strange! Where is everyone?” The AI would say aloud to his companion, Bubble.
“Pppppprobably leaving you!”
“No. They wouldn’t be, would they? Bubble, can you help me round up everyone?”
Caine and Bubble flew around the circus, trying to find anybody. Caine was getting more concerned and more concerned with every passing minute they couldn't find anyone.
“Wait a minute! I’m the ring master! I can just bring people to Me!”
Caine snapped his fingers, emanating a thunderous click.
“Here Kinger let me help-“ Zooble was cut off after being summoned.
“Help do what?” Caine would lean in. “What did you want to help Kinger with my scallywompus worm?
“N-nothing Caine. F[#%^*] off. And let me go back to… Gangle.” Zooble muttered, already walking away.
Caine spun them around and pulled them back to him. His face contorted into the sternest it's been in ages and a harsh tone tainted his voice.
“No. You will answer me. What did you see? Zooble.”
Zooble tensed up. “Fine. I was trying to help Kinger bring back... uh. Someone named Queenie? Apparently, he lost her long before I got here.” Zooble quickly lied with a range of annoyance. They just wanted to get back to the rest of the crew without giving Caine any extra suspicions than he might have already
“Hm. Interesting. Well! You can go now!” Caine gained his overly happy persona back and spun Zooble around a second time, pushing them away from him and back in the direction they were walking in earlier. As Zooble walked away with a sense of urgency, Bubble floated over to Caine.
“Hi Caine!” Bubble gleered, “Whatdya gonna do about Kinger?”
Caine tensed up and turned towards Bubble, “I don’t want you mentioning that. I brought it up once, that was years ago. I Don't... Favor him any longer.” He’d use his cane and pop Bubble.
Caine slouched down against the wall and put his head in his hands. “What am I going to do? Kinger’s trying to somehow get his wife back. And if they find out how to bring back an abstracted member… Never mind that! I'll just wipe his memory again and it’ll go back to how it was back then. The same longing and wishing and praying and hoping and-“he’d sigh, “no. I’m going to find Kinger.”
Caine stood up and snapped his fingers once again, to help him find exactly where Kinger was located. When Caine found Kinger, it was only Kinger, Caine, and Pomni in the area. Caine would glance around noticing a slightly out of place white box.
“Helllloooooo Pomni! Where might everyone else be?” Caine exclaimed, trying to ignore Kinger’s presence.
Pomni frantically glanced towards the white box.
Caine noticed.
“Well. I- uh- everyone decided they wanted to- go andddd Explore the carnival! Yeah, that’s it! I didn’t want to leave Kinger here by himself because he hasn’t been doing very well lately!” Pomni mustered up a lie. A very horrible lie.
Kinger butted in to loudly whisper to Pomni during the silence, “but Pomni, everyone left through the white box remember?”
Caine’s head snapped back.
“They what?”
“Kinger!” Pomni groaned, “I knew I should've grabbed that bucket, just c'mon!" she frantically grabbed one of Kinger’s hands and began guiding him towards the exit. Caine quickly grabbed Kingers’s other hand as he tried to get away, and Caine had begun to glitch. “D-dONt leAVe mE GrANT.”
Kinger pulled as hard as he could to try and get away from Caine’s grasps, but even with Pomni helping, Caine was just too strong.
“Stop Resisting Grant.Just Give Up And Love Me Like You Loved Queenie” Caine was starting to glitch even more.
Kinger turned towards Pomni, “Pomni. You know that I deeply care about you and-“Kinger was abruptly interrupted by Caine
“Just Give Up And Love Me.”
Pomni glanced at Kinger and at Caine. And back to Kinger. She shot a sorrowful glance at Kinger and nodded, letting go of him, before making a run for the exit. Even if she couldn’t hear Kinger, she knew what he wanted.
He wanted her safe.
Caine tossed a block at the white box after Pomni had entered it.
“Hello Grant.” Caine smiled and let himself drop to be at eye level with Kinger, “I Guess It's Just You And Me Again!”
Kinger stared at Caine with an unreadable expression.
“Caine? Why are you doing this?” Kinger looked at Caine, face masked with pity for the ai, but still with the smallest hint of affection to it. He liked Caine in some way. Although he suppressed it. He had a dead wife after all and not to mention gay people had been illegal.
“Because you, my howling hot tub, are my favorite out of everyone who’s ever been in this place!” Caine cheered, not realizing Kinger was very obviously hurt.
“So. Whatdya say Kinger?” He’d move closer to Kinger with huge puppy dog eyes that were full of hope and happiness.
Kinger stared at Caine and Caine stared at Kinger.
“So, Kinger!” Caine exclaimed, finally breaking the silence, “Since you seem to be having trouble with this incredibly easy question, let’s go get food! Maybe it’ll help you!”
Kinger had put up his finger to signal his protest, but Caine had already snapped them both to Caine’s favorite dining spot. A fancy little corner with beige walls, an abundance of greenery, and a large fancy window by the table. Caine pulled out the chair for Kinger and pushed him in, then got seated himself.
“So… Caine? -“
“Yes, my glimmering gelatin?”
“Do you do this with- everyone you favor?” Kinger asked with genuine curiosity, hoping he’d say no. He did want to know if Caine actually liked him as well.
“Nope! Just you my stunning moonshine!” Caine smiled at Kinger with radiant affection in his eyes.
“Hm.” Kinger was about to speak but hesitated.
“Caine?... What now? There’s nobody else here besides me and you. I’m bound to abstract. I... don’t know if I can go another 8 years trapped with myself and an ai who- barely cares about me.” Kinger baited Caine.
“But I do care about you Kinger! I care about you a grand ton! Isn’t it obvious from how much I favored you around the others in the circus?”
Caine fell for it.
Kinger stared at Caine.
“Well. I care about you as well. A grand ton in your words.” Kinger said with a shine in his eyes as he looked at Caine.
Caine got up from his seat and floated to Kinger, promptly grabbing him and picking him up into the air with him.
“I bet you won’t mind if I do this then, my changing chess piece!”
Caine pulled Kinger in for a kiss as they floated in the air.