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Caine was starting to make amends with everyone. At first, they were all mainly focused on maintenance and new ideas.
Make new places to go to.
Can we have games and fun things to do, accessible at any time in the Circus tent?
Can we have a bar?
How about an art studio?
A horse farm?
There had been so many suggestions, and Caine did his best with each one, making sure to ask for feedback from everyone so he wouldn't upset them with whatever he made.
After that, he worked to make sure the NPCs and open worlds were available at all times, that the humans had more freedom, and that the abstracted members had a better place to call home.
From there, as they all seemed to settle into routines or just doing things they liked, Caine had assumed that they would only come to him if they needed something. But, well, Ming would certainly remind him how bad assuming things could be.
He had only meant to check in on the others. But then they started actually talking to him.
Ragatha wanted to show off her horses and help him learn about riding and horse care.
Gangle wanted him to brainstorm together and even draw together.
Pomni offered to play card games together.
And Zooble had even made him a drink at their bar!
He really couldn't be happier. He knew he still had a long ways to go before they might get closer and fully trust him, but at least now they seemed to accept him and not push him away.
As he floated along, looking to make sure everything was working as intended, he could hear a voice coming from the abstraction aquarium. He lowered himself to the floor and walked in.
Inside the aquarium, Kinger sat on one of the benches, watching the abstractions - particularly Queenie - swim around behind the glass. As Queenie got closer, he chuckled and waved to her.
"You look beautiful as ever, dear," he said fondly. "And I wish you could have been on this latest adventure with us. We found some amazing bugs that Caine created for the world that I think you'd love. Ragatha was a bit unnerved by them, but the caterpillars and spiders and butterflies all looked incredible! Not realistic, of course, but still very cute, and actually really close to real life bugs! Even the way they all behaved was quite realistic! I'm sure you would have loved to study them!"
Ah right. Caine had created a somewhat more realistic but still cartoonish looking outdoor area for them all to relax in, including flowers, trees, bugs, and a few small animals. The humans seemed to like having picnics there, or at least an "outdoor" place to relax, similar to the "Stargazing" adventure from their little Lightning Round a while back. And if Caine remembered correctly, Queenie had always liked the bugs he included in adventures.
Her abstracted form stayed close to Kinger as if she was actually listening to him - maybe she was? - then her many eyes noticed Caine just standing there at the entrance behind her husband. Kinger seemed to notice where her eyes were looking and turned around.
"Oh! Hi Caine! Did you need something?" Kinger asked, keeping a friendly tone.
"Oh, um, not really!" Caine suddenly felt a little awkward. Humans preferred their privacy, especially when conversing with a partner, right? "Um, I can leave if you'd like! I'm sorry to bother you!"
"Wait!" Caine had turned to leave, but froze as Kinger called to him. He turned back to the chess piece.
"...Did you need something?"
"No, I..." Now it was Kinger's turn to feel awkward it seemed. He nervously rubbed the back of his head, then glanced down at the bench he was on. There was still room on it, so Kinger patted the spot beside him. "Would you like to sit with me? I... we haven't really had the chance to properly talk in a while."
"Uh, yeah, sure!" Caine walked over and sat beside Kinger, his little legs now dangling beneath the seat.
"...I want to thank you for creating this place," Kinger started quietly. "It's nice seeing them all so calm and... I appreciate the fact that I get to see my wife again, even if she's still like this. I know the others like this too. I've seen everyone stop in here at least a few times now to see someone they knew and cared about. So, thank you."
"Oh, you're quite welcome!" Caine beamed. He was doing good! They were happy with what he's made! And it seemed like the abstracted members liked it too!
Kinger chuckled a little and he smiled with his eyes down at Caine. He then looked back up, and the joy was gone. He sighed and held his hands tightly on his lap. Then he finally turned back to Caine.
"I... I don't know if you'll believe me. You have no reason to," he said as he now glanced between the AI and his own hands on his lap. "But..... I never intended to delete you. I never wanted to. When I was going through your code back then, I had been simply trying to put you into a sleep mode, or perhaps reset you to just a few days before... all of that. But something on the computer kept trying to distract me or get me away from your code. I don't know if it was a virus or a security measure that you had set up, or something, but I never meant to delete you. It just... popped up as an option on the screen, and whatever was messing with me at the time caused me to accidentally select 'yes' to the delete option. I don't mean to say all of this as an excuse, just an explanation. I... I also hope you haven't been thinking that we had wanted you gone all this time, Caine. But if you have, I'm so sorry that we made you think that. That I made you think that. I really am sorry for... everything."
Caine wasn't sure how to process that. They hadn't wanted to delete him? It was all an accident? And Kinger was apologizing to him?
"I..... thank you, Kinger," was all Caine could manage vocally. He looked down, still trying to process it all.
"We..... we never did tell you how amazed we all were, did we?" When Caine looked up, confused, Kinger continued. "When the others and I had been working on creating you, you were the first genuinely creative AI any of us had ever made. We gave you data, and you not only replicated it, but you also changed it. You made it into something new. Sure, it was a little erratic, but you were new to it all! You were still learning. If I had known then what I know now, I would never have tried to... to scrap you. But we had investors to impress, and Scratch... well, we knew he wouldn't live forever. He was already struggling with his cancer at the time, so we had wanted to try and make something usable and presentable as quickly as possible. Scratch especially had wanted that. But we never did get to tell you how amazed and proud we were. Even now, you find new ways to make me proud. I... I had said this to the others, but maybe I should have said it to you first. But... you were - are - one of my greatest achievements as a programmer."
Caine had wanted to hear those words from any one of his creators for decades now. Of course, many of them had abstracted, including Scratch, but Kinger was still here. And he actually said he was proud. It made Caine's eyes water, and large tears started to slide down over the teeth of his lower jaw.
"Y-you... you really mean that?"
"I do. And I'm sorry I never realized how badly you needed to hear it," Kinger said as he placed a soft hand on Caine's back. "I'm sorry if I have ever made you feel unwanted or unloved. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize how human you really are. How you also deserve to be told that we care about you. So, I'm telling you now. And I'll continue to tell you, to try and make up for all the lost opportunities I had over all these years."
Caine was an AI. But a very intelligent and emotional AI. In fact, he modeled so much of himself and even his own code over time to the humans, that he truly developed the same kinds of feelings that humans did. So to hear someone acknowledge that, apologize, and promise to do better, all for him, it was a lot. Not only that, but it was one of his original creators telling him this. Someone who's been with him since the beginning.
So all Caine could really do with all of this overwhelming joy and sadness and relief and emotion, was just to cry. He curled in on himself, closing his jaw even as more tears leaked through, shaking as he hugged himself. He'd never felt so much before! Was this why some humans cried so often?
"Oh Caine." Kinger's voice was gentle, as were his hands as he pulled Caine into a hug. Caine grabbed Kinger's robe like he depended on it and sobbed, while the chess piece rubbed his back. It was soothing. And it reminded Caine a little of the data on human families. Good parents were supposed to be comforting, right? This is what a good father would do for a child that was experiencing too much and just needed a good cry and a hug. And fathers were usually a part of the creation process for human children. Did this mean Kinger was his father? One of them, at least. He had multiple programmers that had worked on creating him after all.
Slowly, Caine started to calm down. Even as an AI, he could still feel tired. Typically it was when he'd been working on multiple projects at once, or just at night after a long day of creating adventures and maintaining the Circus, allowing himself to then enter a kind of sleep mode for the night while the humans also rested. But this was a new kind of tired. He had expelled so much energy from crying, causing him to feel exhausted, but he also felt... good? As if any worry or fear or sadness had escaped through the tears, and all that he was left with was relief. It was weird, but in a good way.
"Are you feeling any better?" Kinger asked. He then conjured up a handkerchief and offered it to Caine. The AI took the handkerchief and wiped away any leftover tears with it, even though he could have easily snapped them away. But it was the kind gesture of the handkerchief that was more important.
"Yeah, I'm feeling better. Thank you, Kinger," Caine said quietly. "I just... I'm really glad to hear you say all that. I also... never expected any of this. Not just what you've said, but also what the others have done as well. I didn't expect you all to... to actually start being so kind and friendly to me after I....." Caine didn't need to finish his sentence, so he let his words trail off.
"Well, you've been clearly trying to do better for us, and I think we've all realized that you deserve the same kindness as anyone else here," Kinger replied with a slight shrug. "Sure, you messed up. But I think we all did in different ways. You're showing that you want to change for the better, and we want to do the same towards you."
Caine smiled, then leaned close to Kinger as he looked up at the glass of the aquarium. Kinger kept his hand on Caine's back, then gave him a gentle squeeze in a sort of side hug. Together, they watched as the abstractions swam around together, with Queenie remaining closer to the chess piece and the ringmaster.
"...I have been trying to do right by you and the others," Caine said as he watched Scratch pass by, "but I want to try and do right by our abstracted friends as well."
"But you already did? You created this aquarium so we can visit them," Kinger pointed out, confused.
"Yes, that's true, but I want to do more," Caine explained. "I..... I have not fully understood abstraction when it comes to human brain scans. I have tried to figure it out, and while I have some ideas, I am still severely lacking in understanding how humans' brains work. And I... I don't want to mess up when it comes to tampering with the minds of others on my own again. But... if we'd work together, do you think we could... maybe... help them unabstract?"
"...Do you really think it could be possible?" Kinger asked, almost breathless.
"I don't know. But maybe we could try?" Caine looked up at Kinger hopefully. Kinger paused, genuinely thinking it over as a hand reached up to where his chin might be if he had a more human head.
".....It will be difficult, and there's no telling if this is even possible, but... I'd be willing to try if you're willing to as well."
Caine smiled, now excited and determined.
"This sounds like a noble objective to strive for, my fine felicific father figure!" Caine exclaimed. "Shall we start working on sorting out ideas and theories after we conclude our dinner with the others tonight?"
Kinger chuckled. "I think that's a great idea, Caine."
"Wowee! I'm going to start compiling some basic information now in preparation! Call for me if you need anything!" He then gave Kinger a light squeeze, and disappeared with a *pop!*
As soon as he was gone, unseen by Caine, Kinger stood and placed a hand against the glass as he looked up at Queenie.
"I don't know if any of this will actually work, but... maybe there's a way that I'll actually get to hold you again, my dear. Only time will tell. Until then, take care of yourself and the others. I love you."
With that, Kinger left the aquarium, shielding his eyes before he conjured up a pair of sunglasses to protect himself from the bright light of the Circus. It seemed that there were going to be even more positive changes being made for everyone here, and Kinger couldn't be more excited.