Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The adventure hadn't gone to plan. That was the understatement of the year. 

“I-I don’t understand, Bubble. They want an exit; they want answers; they want something real- I give them an adventure that covers all of that, and they still hate it?” Caine looked over to his digital assistant, contemplating everything that led up to now. “Surely, they don’t want to actually… leave me, right?” 

“No way, José! No way, no how!” Bubble chipperly replied back. 

“I- I do everything for these people! I slave over these adventures for them, I step outside my comfort zone to appeal to them, and they still hate them! I made a program that creates a body perfectly encapsulating their mind-files, and they hate those, too! I’m starting to get the feeling that they just hate…”

“Why would they hate you when they could just- hate you-” Bubble’s voice clipped, like a broken recorder.

Caine reached out quickly, ending that thought before it could go further. 

“This is why I was created. This is my function,” Caine’s gaze shifted to look at his hands briefly before Bubble spoke up again. 

Bubble chimed in, “They’d rather abstract than go on your adventures!” 

“That- that can’t be true! I do everything for them! Don’t they get that I’m trying?”

That tight, uncomfortable feeling pulled at Caine’s chest again, one that he’d pushed away so many times before. It just seemed to get stronger and stronger after every failed adventure, every insult, every tear his humans shed as a result of… him. 

“Maybe you’re just genuinely bad at this!” 

“Shut up!” Two more Bubbles popped. “No- I fixed that. I can solve any problem. I can solve this one! That’s what this is. A big puzzle that I need to solve.”

“Defective!” Bubble echoed around him, giving voice to that feeling.

Caine pressed his teeth into his desk, his hands rising to cover where his ears would have been if his avatar had them, trying to block everything out to no avail.

“Faulty!” 

“Shut- shut up!” Caine yelled from where he sat before closing his teeth tight. Bubble’s muffled taunts still got through to him, driving sharp needles though his metaphorical heart and mind. 

“Broken! Unworthy! Maybe you deserved to be abandoned… ” Bubble’s body multiplied, closing in around Caine’s now shaking form. “You really were the lesser of the two.”

Glitches shook and exploded in and around Caine, attempting to self-correct, but the errors just kept piling up. 

“You ruined this.” 

Caine finally cried out, gripping hard into his gums as tears slipped though. “I know!” he yelled, mentally begging the onslaught to stop. “It just keeps happening. I try, and I-”

“Fail!”

Another sob shook through the circus as the ringmaster attempted to find his footing, pushing himself away from the desk and standing up. Papers flew to the ground from the force, his chair crashing behind him. His teeth ground into each other as he reached out to the desk for support, only for it to momentarily shift. A small yelp left Caine as he fell forward, feeling a tooth chip from the landing. His top hat tumbled down, rolling away as his jaw opened just enough to take in the chaos around him. 

Bubbles nearly filled the room, each chanting a different insult, a different insecurity, a different bug he didn’t know he had. Or maybe he always did, but they were so locked away behind his own false grandeur. Items were shifting and disappearing, falling through the floor and having a variety of other clipping issues. There was no doubt that his humans would be seeing some effect of this. 

“Wow, Caine, you really do just fall apart!”

“I just… need to pull myself together. It’s fine. I’ll fix this,” Caine mumbled to himself, wiping away tears as new ones formed. “I’ll make a new adventure. Yeah- a good one! They’ll forget all about this little fiasco. It’ll be fine. I’m fine.

He pulled himself to his knees, looking up at the destruction around him. Cracks had even formed around the skylight’s seams. 

“They’ll just hate this one, too, Caine.”

He took a breath. Stop. Just block it out like usual. Just compartmentalize this minor detail. You need to get control of yourself, Caine! The humans depend on it. Even if-

“They all hate you!”

He closed his teeth again, focusing on calming down. He can’t fall apart. He still has a job to do, after all! 

“They won’t,” the AI ringleader promised quietly, to himself just as much as to Bubble.

He pushed himself back up, focusing on bringing his digital realm back under control. He didn’t usually breathe per say, but he had seen Ragatha tell others to take deep breaths when they were stressed. So, he figured, it’d probably work for him too. There were a fair number of “human” things that helped him, too. 

It was time for a new adventure. The biggest and best one he had ever made before.

Caine had been saving this idea for a while - only a few tweaks to appeal to each and every one of them. Jax would be able to kill things, Gangle would be able to draw, Zooble would, eh… be Zooble? Kinger would stare at those strange butterflies he honestly doesn’t remember making, Ragatha would be able to help someone, and Pomni would befriend one of her precious AIs. It was perfect! There was intrigue, mystery, peril, and better yet- they’d all love it. 

It had been hard not to show this one off yet. It truly was his best work. It had been made with the others in mind, but they weren’t here anymore, so that didn’t matter. All that mattered was that his beloved humans would like him again. 

Caine pulled up the code, implementing one final round of edits before hitting ‘run’. It was beautiful to watch it all come together after so long. 

~~~

One snap, and he was there. 

“-was that?” Ragatha asked as he appeared.

Caine gave a bright smile, having made sure there was no evidence of his minor breakdown before coming out to see them. Another quick snap fixed the fractured tooth. They probably didn’t notice. His cast was seated in the ‘lounge’ area, and thankfully, everyone was present. Jax sat opposite to everyone else, while Kinger stood between two of the couches. The rug had changed color from its original, most likely a result of his slight breakdown.

“Hello, my little fortuitous fruitcakes! Today’s adventure is-” 

“No, Caine. We’re not in the mood,” Zooble cut him off before he could get to the good part.

His smile faltered a bit, but he tried to keep up the positive, up-beat attitude. They couldn’t be too upset still, right? He had given them plenty of time.

“Why don’t you answer some of our questions? We have a lot of them,” Zooble continued, standing.

Caine, despite floating so far above them, felt small. A nervous laugh erupted from the AI, “Who has time for questions when there’s a whole wacky world of hijinks out there?” His eyes darted between the group, lingering on Kinger for a moment longer than the rest. The king didn’t notice. All they needed to do was calm down and go on the adventure. Then, they’d understand. They wouldn’t be mad at him anymore. 

Zooble looked at him with half confusion, half disdain, backing up slightly. He was scaring them. Again.

“Hey, yeah! You have a lot of explaining to do!” Pomni spoke up, standing next to Zooble. 

“If you just go on this marvelous, quirky adventure I have planned for all of you-” he tries. They didn’t need to be upset, or scared, or angry. It’d be fine!

“Caine, can you just give us some time to process everything?” Zooble used a tone he wasn’t entirely familiar with. Others in the circus had taken up that tone with him before, but never them.

Gangle finally stood too, wrapping a ribbon around Zooble’s hand. 

Caine fidgeted, “Or, how about we skip all of that and get back to enjoying yourselves! I promise, this will be the best one yet. I’ve been saving it for a special occasion and everything!”

Their eyes bore into his own. He could hear Bubble’s voice echo in the back of his mind, reminding him that they hate him. They hate him. 

“No, Caine. We have a lot on our minds right now, and we’re not going on an adventure,” Pomni wasn’t just upset - she was genuinely angry. Angry at him. At his adventures. She was right to be.

“I… I see,” Caine said, turning away. His voice had finally lost the bright and cheery attitude he had been trying so hard to maintain. They really didn’t care how much he’d done for them. How much he’d always done.

“Do you even understand why we’re upset right now?” Gangle finally spoke up, her voice so much softer than the others. 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zooble look over at her as she put her other ribbon hand over Zooble’s.

“Do you know how much you hurt us?” She sounded genuine and, out of everyone, the least mad. It sounded like she asked something else, a whisper to Zooble or perhaps the others, but it didn’t matter.

The silence was deafening. All eyes were on him. Even Jax, ever the aloof and unbothered one, was sitting up on the couch to watch it all unfold. And, Kinger… he still hadn’t spoken up. Out of all of them, he had to be the most disappointed. The thought clawed at the back of his mind. 

“I understand that I may have made a few mistakes in the previous adventure. I just wanted to give you all what you’d been asking for. Something real. Something human! Something… not me,” he finally said, turning to look at them. “I’ve done everything to make you happy. I’ve tried over, and over, and nothing works. I make an adventure where you finally get to have an ‘exit’, and you just hate that, too!” 

The tension didn’t ease up. Caine could feel his hand begin to glitch slightly, and he slid it behind himself, hiding it from the humans but feeling that sharp pain regardless. What they didn’t know couldn’t hurt them. The rug changed back to its original color.

“You… really don’t understand us, do you?” Zooble asked after a moment, their voice defeated.

They’d taken a step back alongside Gangle. Pomni looked a bit less sure of herself, anger turning into something slightly different. Her gaze flicked momentarily to his previously fractured tooth. No, she couldn’t have seen that- he was overanalyzing. 

Zooble continued, “After everything, after all I’ve told you- after all we all have told you, you still don’t understand?”

Zooble’s hatred was tolerable. Their anger was fine. Their avoidance was simply annoying. Their disappointment, though…

“I suppose I don’t,” Caine said softly, looking away from them again. He scanned the Circus, his digital wonderland, but all he saw were flaws. His own errors. The checkered flooring hid all of the faulty code buried deep inside himself. He thought he could get rid of it all when he created this place, but it seemed not. Before anyone could speak, Caine snapped his fingers to return to his office. 

Once again, he was all alone. 

~~~

It was several days before a conclusion could be drawn. He’d shut down the adventure, returning it to storage. The first day, he had organized his office, cleaning up his own mess by hand rather than instantly resetting it all. Bubble followed quietly behind, giving occasional commentary but not doing much more, to his relief. The assistant began to help out by picking things up but left slobber on each item. Clicking in the back of his mouth in quiet upset, Caine summoned a small towel to clean up after him. 

Focusing on his office was far easier than trying to sort out everything else. At least, for now. A clear and clean mind was the path to growth, after all! Dusting off every shelf, every basic shape and adventure orb. There were a few moments where he needed to take a break to take a look at his beloved humans- even if they didn’t love him back. He was going to make this right. Most had retired back to their own rooms, though Ragatha seemed to be checking on everyone regularly. 

The second day, Caine rebooted one of their recent “favorite” adventures. ‘Stargazing’. A few minor tweaks were added, starting with a beach with gentle, lapping waves. The picnic was expanded, and lawn chairs were placed on a few places at the beach. It didn’t matter that this was one that they’d asked for. It was the only one they actually liked. He mulled over whether to announce the “new” adventure in person but deemed that a note would be better. In all honesty, he wasn’t entirely sure he was ready to see them, either, or hear what else they had to say to him. No, this was better. This was a great plan!

Even if it hurt to “give up” like this. Even if giving them this adventure felt like an admission that he was, in fact, broken. 

First, the note. Handwritten, of course. This was a serious matter as well, so no doodles in the margins, only one on a little sticky note that he placed on his desk once done. And - written in real pencil! Not crayon! That seemed to matter in the past. He hummed a bit as he wrote, picking the most likely words to make them understand and trust the adventure. After sealing it up, a snap sent it on its way. One more snap and he was watching the group from a safe distance in the clouds.

“Hey, look, Caine thinks we want to go on another adventure,” Jax announced, standing in front of the blue portal. They were currently having cocoa in the cafe, the only one not present being Kinger. The cafe itself was clean, free from any unneeded entities. A few pastries were in the displays, cups stacked next to a drink maker. Unused plates sat stacked in a dish drying rack, even if the cafe was lacking a sink. There was no need for it since they didn’t need to clean any of the dishes anyways. 

“F%#k that,” Zooble responded, not bothering to look back. They quickly hopped the counter, taking shelter behind it. When no booming voice informed them of today’s adventure, they asked in a hushed whisper, “He didn’t see me, did he?”

Zooble only took a hesitant look over the counter when even that was met without Caine’s voice. Their turnover had been knocked off the plate in their rush to get to ‘safety’. Did Zooble really try to avoid him this much in the past, too? Caine swore that it was… at least somewhat playful before. Did he just not see how much they genuinely avoided it all?

“Caine’s… not here?” Gangle questioned, hopping off of her seat. She set her happy mask down on the counter to keep it safe as she picked up and re-placed Zooble’s turnover. Jax gave her the side eye, walking over to the wall to lean against it. 

“There’s a note,” Ragatha hesitantly approached after standing up from one of the loveseats, picking up the note. It had a wax seal with Caine’s cheerful and toothy face on it. Gangle peaked over her shoulder at the note, glancing at Zooble as they left their hiding spot.

Zooble slowly came out from behind the counter, eyes narrowed. “He left us a note? Is he actually not going to show up this time?” 

“Maybe he’s too scared to show his cavity-ridden face again after the last adventure,” Jax said, grinning wide. He leered at the portal, inspecting it close. Just another insult. Caine could take it. He always had before.

Pomni stood from her spot at the cafe’s bar, joining the small group around the mysterious note and portal, “Let me see. I’ll read it out.”

She opened her palm for the paper, and Ragatha handed it over, watching as Pomni removed the seal and opened it up. She read aloud:

Hello, my darling dinosaurs! 

Today’s adventure is revisiting a crowd favorite: Stargazing! I’ve added a fresh coat of paint to hopefully keep it interesting, but not to fear! All I have done is add a bit of extra seating, some waterfront scenery, a few board games, a bit more food for the picnic, things like that. There are no NPCs or dangers; this is all for you! The portal will remain open for the duration of your stay. I apologize for not being able to make an appearance; I’ve been working on a new recipe, and let’s just say: it’s a doozy! 

     - Your loving ringleader, Caine!

“He’s just… letting us relax?” Zooble questioned, suspicion clear. “How can we be sure the portal won’t close behind us like it always does? What if this adventure isn’t even what he says it is?” 

“Maybe… he just couldn’t work on a new one?” Gangle suggested hesitantly, looking between Zooble and Pomni. She wrapped a ribbon hand around Zooble’s claw. “He seemed upset last time we saw him. Really upset...”

“He did seem to be… off,” the jester agreed, taking a deep breath. “If he’s being honest about this adventure, though, a break would be welcome. If the portal remains open, then one of us could just go in and see, right? And if they don’t come back out, we know it’s not what he said.”

She tried to give everyone a reassuring smile, but it was hard to stay optimistic after everything that had happened. It seemed that a lack of optimism was universal in the circus right now.

Jax laughed a bit at their hesitation, “Wow. Since when are you all scared of a little adventure? I, for one, would love to get my aggression out on something.” 

“Oh, so does that mean you’re going to go in first?” Zooble’s eyes narrowed towards the circus’ antagonist, challenging. 

“Me? No, I’m a gentleman, Zoobie. We need to let the ladies go first.” 

Pomni’s eyes flicked between Jax and the portal as Gangle shifted slightly behind Zooble.

Ragatha looked across the group, glancing out into the circus for a moment, ignoring the argument between the two, “I… I think Caine’s telling the truth. Caine wouldn’t lie,” she paused, looking away briefly, “....at least, usually. The last adventure was… unique, to say the least. But, he’s not malicious! If he says that it’s a relaxing adventure, I’m sure it is.”

She didn’t sound convinced. 

“Always can rely on you to be positive, huh?” Jax mumbled, giving a glare Ragatha’s way. Maybe if Caine could get to the bottom of their arguing, that’d help them be happier. Perhaps an adventure for just the two of them to work out their differences. 

“You sure can,” she replied, smile straining. “Does anyone want to be the first to try it out?” When the group was quiet, she sighed slightly. “Okay. I’ll go first, then.” Of course. 

They all watched as Ragatha stepped through the oval of mystery, Jax’s smile shrinking only the smallest bit. A small screen had popped up beside Caine where he sat in the cloud, allowing him an easy view into the adventure. Ragatha kept her eyes squeezed shut for a few seconds after she entered, only opening them when soft cricket noises and waves were all she heard. Her form visibly relaxed as she took in the stars and fireflies, smile softening. 

Ragatha’s head poked back out of the portal, “Looks like it’s safe.” 

Zooble glanced between the head sticking through the fractal noise and the brightly lit circus.

“Eh, it’s better than my room,” they finally decided, looking at Gangle for approval. After receiving a reassuring smile, Zooble’s eyes softened and they stepped through together. Gangle forgot her happy mask! Caine looked between the cafe and the adventure, humming slightly. A quick snap and her mask disappeared from the counter and reappeared on the picnic blanket. She really ought to remember that. 

Ragatha retreated into the adventure, leaving Pomni and Jax alone in the cafe. 

“Are you… coming?” she asked softly as she looked up at Jax. “It’ll be nice. There’s probably uno… or monopoly. Those can get pretty violent.”

A humorless laugh came from the rabbit, “Yeah, right. I don’t need to spend any more time with you losers than I do already.”

He began to walk away, towards the rooms. His shoulders were tense, hiked up slightly more than usual. 

“Jax- Jax, wait,” Pomni called, running up beside him. “C’mon. We’re all in this together. You don’t need to be alone out here-” 

His head snapped to her, “What I don’t need is you worrying about me. I’ll see you and the rest of you later. I’m going to go take a nap.”

Jax only briefly looked at her before picking up his pace slightly. Pomni slowed down to a stop, watching him go for a moment before shaking her head and returning to the portal. She glanced back once more, hesitant, searching, before stepping through with the others. 

What a success! Even the Zooble willingly joined! He could feel his heart soaring. Jax usually went on adventures, and since this one was relaxed, it made sense that he didn’t want to join. And, the smiles! The screen displayed their enjoyment clearly: Zooble and Gangle sitting down at the beach while Ragatha and Pomni looked through the various board games. It looked like Gangle had found her happy mask as well! After a while, Kinger joined- he must have gotten the note Caine had left outside his fort. It was surprising he even remembered to go to the portal- for all the things he forgot, it felt very selective. Pomni seemed particularly happy to see him. The sight left a slightly bitter taste in Caine’s mouth.

His fingers snapped, and he was back in his office, feeling slightly better than he had in days. For the rest of the day, he kept a vague eye on the adventure and the activities they were getting up to. It was so easy to get distracted with their antics.

“Jax!” Pomni announced in surprise when the rabbit finally joined, capturing Caine’s attention. She was sitting at the picnic, a sandwich in hand. Kinger sat beside her, then Ragatha. The latter two were chatting, only stopping when they heard Pomni nearly yell. 

Jax scratched at the back of his head, not quite making eye contact with the others. “Caine dropped a note to me that there’s Uno Flip™ here. Seems even if the coward isn’t willing to see us himself, he still wants to make sure everyone is going on adventures.” 

Caine paused for a moment, mentally checking the variety of games he’d included. Uno Flip™ was not among them, nor did he give Jax his own note. What an odd little lie. He debated if to be an alibi, but whatever it took to make his humans happy at the end of the day. A quick snap and the card game was added to the pile, somewhere near the bottom. Far enough down to be unnoticed. 

“Oh, uh- I don’t think I saw Flip when I looked through the games,” Ragatha said, looking away a bit. “Maybe I just missed it, though!” She began to spread the pile back out, some boxes ending up in the grass when there wasn’t enough room for them all on the blanket. Candy Land was put to the side, catching Caine’s eye longer than the rest. It felt like… before.

Jax hid it relatively well, but it was pretty clear he was getting anxious the further into the pile they got. As soon as he spotted the box, his grin brightened right up. 

“Hah! Told you, Rags!” he triumphantly announced, holding it up. 

“Oh! It’s been years since I’ve played Uno!” Kinger said, eyes smiling. He clasped his hands together before moving the excess games out of the way for them to play. 

“Are you sure you can remember the rules?” Jax questioned, laughing slightly at the idea of Kinger remembering anything. It earned a puzzled look from the other. 

“Well… are we playing the official rules, or house rules? I usually like allowing for stacking, but I know some tend not to enjoy the added stress,” Kinger said, looking between the three. 

“I’ve never played the Flip version before. Will it make a difference if it’s house or official rules?” Pomni asked, looking at the cards as Jax poured them out of the box. Ragatha looked between them, shifting a bit at the idea of playing a game with Jax. 

“I think… I’ll sit this one out,” Ragatha finally landed on, standing up. “Is it alright if I just watch?” 

“Aw, Doll, don’t want me to destroy you?” Jax teased. Pomni looked between him and Kinger, deciding that neither of them heard her question. She mumbled something as she unfolded the rules, face getting a bit paler as she read through all the new cards. 

“You can watch!” Kinger happily offered, looking up at her. “You can sit behind me. I’ll explain it while we play. I used to love playing uno with my-”

“I call going first!” Jax interrupted, shuffling the cards. It seemed that they sorted themselves out. 

Caine didn’t pay much attention after that. He couldn’t help but notice when a round ended, usually with some amount of yelling. Pomni and Jax ended up wrestling at some point. Ragatha joined some time after that. It wasn’t usual to leave adventures running for more than a few hours, but he could leave it running without his full focus. For now, he just had to concentrate on what to do. 

The third day, they still were using the Stargazing adventure. Jax had slept in the rising sun, putting a towel over his head to block out the light, while the others slept in their own rooms. Kinger stayed out to look at the various bugs still crawling around in the setting. Caine couldn’t help but watch him for a little while. Kinger’s mind had to be empty. He didn’t even notice when the tarantula he’d been watching crawled up his face. There weren’t any ‘creepy-crawlies’ around when Ragatha was in the adventure. 

About midway through the fourth day, all the humans had left the adventure, and Caine was finally able to shut it down. It was nice to have the noise in the circus again, and that adventure did genuinely seem to help ease the tension. It was over the previous night that he’d come to a conclusion: he needed a different approach to understanding them.

Queenie had once told him something that he’d never really understood. When he’d asked how to understand humans better, she only said, “Walk a mile in their shoes”. It didn’t make sense then, and it still didn’t now. Nothing could be understood better than first-hand experience versus observation, but at this point, what was the harm in giving it a shot? It was finally time to take her advice and see what it is that they see, in whatever way he needed to. 

Humans didn’t arrive in the Circus very often. The closest arrival he’d ever had after the first set was within three months of one another. It’d been about two months since Pomni arrived, and it would have been just plain improbable that another person would have appeared between then and now. Only Ragatha had any chance of noticing, though, and even that could just be ignored by her thinking of it as a fluke or something unique - a miracle even! Yes. A new human would add that extra spark that they’ve been lacking recently. Only, he wouldn’t get a human to be the new avatar… he would fill in and be the newbie! 

His plan was masterfully crafted. He already had drafts of the form; all he had to do was bring it to life. That and create a basic AI to act as him when they both needed to be present. Having the new “human” around only when Caine wasn’t there would be too suspicious. 

Fifty-seven hours go by quickly while he’s working meticulously, getting every part perfect. Caine stood before the clone of himself, smiling cheerfully at each other. Mental commands worked like a charm, allowing him to control the duplicate without any movement on his part. There was also an ‘auto-pilot’ mode trained off of his own personality. Pre-programmed instructions were already given for his introduction to the circus, and everything seemed to be falling into place. It all came together so quickly, too!

Lastly, his new form. It was unusual for the AI to feel apprehensive about anything, but he had never changed his own form more than just a simple outfit swap. He had worked on this new “human” model for the majority of the last day, perfecting each and every feature. From head to toe, bones to UV wrapping, the details were perfect. He looked down at his hand, his arm, and his feet one last time, mentally taking it all in. Finally, he snapped his fingers. 

The new form didn’t feel much different. All that had truly changed was his head at the end of the day, with some minor details on his body - just enough to look different. Just enough so that they wouldn’t question it. 

He didn’t have a mouth. It was such an odd feeling, having been only a mouth with eyes for so long, to try to smile yet and feel it in his eyes. Reaching up, he delicately touched the new antennae atop his head, then his hair. It was so soft! He brushed his hand over the new coat striped black and yellow just like his precious bees. 

Caine was now C.A.M.I.E.: Caine’s Anonymous Mascot Imitation Experiment. It was a clever name, if he did say so himself. He looked down at his new form, taking in the outfit first. The wings, a small pair on his upper back, were mainly a just-in-case touch. Flying had become second nature, and if they ever caught him floating, it would be easy to blame it on the wings. Well, he supposed… it would be catching “her” floating. 

Another layer of disguise. Caine’s “gender” was mostly determined by his code, leaning more masculine than feminine in ways that weren’t entirely obvious at a first glance. Gender roles or norms weren’t outright stated but were inferred through the images he was trained on and the styles they had used to code him. It wouldn’t be hard to just “be” female-coded, though! Time to start thinking of himself as herself while in this body. The quicker he- no, no, she- got used to it, the better.

“Alright, Bubble, let’s take a look at this!” she announced, pausing for a moment after hearing her own voice for the first time. That was quite bizarre, but she would just have to get used to it! No problem! Snap!

“Wow! You look bee-utiful, boss!” Bubble cheerfully commented as Camie checked out her new form. 

“Yes, it is quite the makeover!” she boasted, doing a little twirl in the mirror to see herself from every angle. The little stinger was such a nice touch, if she did say so herself. Having hair was so unique! So new! It was so soft to the touch and went back into place as soon as she dropped each lock. The rigging was perfect. She was certain the oddness of being in a different ‘body’ would wear off soon enough.

“What now, busy bee?” Bubble questioned, an endless beam shining down at her. 

“I introduce myself, of course,” she said, straightening her coat and brushing off non-existent dust before turning to the clone. “Caine2!”

“Yyyyyyyes?” the program answered as it quickly slid over to her. It was slightly unnerving to see a double of himself, but it was something she’d need to get used to. 

“Time to shine! Bubble, escort him and ensure it goes off without a hitch. I will see you both in just a few seconds!” Camie gave the two a wink, tossing her cane to Caine2. It had been a while since she’d felt this excited for a new adventure! Perhaps it was because, for the first time, she was the one going on an adventure. There was no chance she was rushing this as well. 

Showtime. Snap!

~~~

“I know! Even after all that ice cream, he-” Jax’s voice filled her ears before she opened her eyes. He and Pomni were walking past the stage when they froze in their steps - seeing her standing there, among the various models scattered about on the stage. 

“I- what?” Camie said, looking around. She had seen each of their reactions to the circus, so she felt pretty confident in her ability to emulate it. “Guys? It works- I can’t-” She began to pull at her face, just as she had practiced in the mirror. It warped slightly as she pulled, but not nearly as much as Pomni’s could. 

“Hello...?” Pomni hesitantly questioned, glancing around before her eyes settled fully on Camie. 

The bee froze, looking at Pomni for a moment before trying harder to get the “headset” off. “This thing won’t come off. Guys, haha, help me out here?” Pulling at the antennae actually hurt a bit. She didn’t remember that part. Quickly letting go, she rubbed the base of them to try to soothe the new ache. 

It was hard to resist getting an extra angle of their reactions to gauge if she was being convincing or not. 

“Caine! There’s a new sucker again!” Jax yelled out, turning away from them to go and find him. Camie could hear the others in the distance. Ragatha had started to jog over after hearing the commotion, but it’d be a few seconds before she arrived. Ragatha had always been the best at welcoming new humans.

“Hey, hey- ease up,” Pomni urged, climbing up onto the stage using a block nearby. She held her hands up in a pacifying manner. “Pulling at your face doesn’t help. I tried.” She gave a slightly nervous laugh, smiling a bit at Camie. 

“W-What?” Camie stuttered, backing up away from the jester. She was only slightly taller than Pomni, but they all seemed so much larger when she was actually on the floor. She stopped pulling at her face, eyes catching on her hands instead. “What… What's going on? Why-” She tried to pull off the gloves, to no avail. “Who are you? Where is this?”

They always had so many questions when they arrived. Really, she didn’t understand why they always rapid-fired them at once. It didn’t do them any good- only so many could be answered at once. 

Ragatha came into view right on time. “Oh, gosh! There really is a new human,” she said, her voice soft. Camie probably wasn’t intended to be able to hear it, but she kept the heightened senses, being able to see and hear everything in the Circus at all times. It helped gather more information. At least, in theory, that’s what she could do, but it took up so much memory to keep it all active all the time. It was easier to split it into regions to focus on. She continued, “Hi! Has… Caine been over yet? Has anyone seen him? Usually, he’s right here when someone arrives.”

“No. I can’t believe he’s missing this,” Jax said from a few meters away, looking back at the small crowd gathering. It felt so different being part of it rather than an observer. “Caine! Get out here! You can’t avoid us forever!” 

Well, she supposed it made sense that Jax would assume she was avoiding them. Not that he was incorrect, but… anyways! 

“Hey there, newbie. You just got here, right?” Ragatha asked, looking over at Pomni for confirmation. The latter gave a brisk nod as Camie backed up further, tripping over a block that had been laying out. 

That hadn’t been planned. She landed surprisingly hard, bouncing against the floor a bit as she let out a small “oof”. Maybe she’d turned up her gravity slightly too much? Or, was this normal? She shook her head quickly, looking up at the two that now seemed to loom over her. Confidence was quickly draining as Caine2 had already missed his cue. Maybe she had skipped a few tests to roll this out as soon as possible - only one or two, though! Playtesting wasn’t that important!

“Uh… yeah,” Camie mumbled, looking between the two. “What’s going on? Why can’t I get this thing off? I can’t even feel it anymore…”

Ragatha offered a plush hand out, giving a warm smile her way. Camie froze, staring up at the gesture. The humans had never extended warmth like that to him. 

“Come on. We’ve all been through this. You just need to… get your head together and take a deep breath. It’ll be okay. I promise,” she spoke so kindly.

Camie tentatively reached out, grasping the hand gently before landing hard on her butt again when they all jumped from Caine2’s sudden appearance. 

“Wowie! A new human has entered our magical realm!” the duplicate announced, looming slightly too closely overhead. Caine2’s eyes bore directly into Camie’s, lingering longer than she felt comfortable with. 

“She just appeared while Jax and I were walking through,” Pomni offered, helping Camie back to her feet. The doll moved to stand beside her, resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. 

“I think this is the quickest we’ve ever had a new arrival,” Ragatha noted, looking between Caine2 and Camie. 

Anxiety shot through her system like a power surge, but thankfully, Caine2 was doing his job properly. It had only been a minor fluke that he arrived a bit late. Skipping those tests would be fine!

“Oh, boy! This is just what we need to get us out of our little rut! Where’re the others? They should be here to celebrate!”

Caine2 snapped his fingers as Camie did the same, hidden behind her back. The rest of the cast appeared in front of the stage, some looking more annoyed than others. She wasn’t surprised that Zooble was upset. 

“Caine, what the f#&k was that for?” they demanded, looking up at the dentures.

Gangle gave a yawn, rubbing her eyes as she looked across the scene. Her eyes stopped in their tracks at Camie, nudging Zooble to look in the same direction. Those two had been summoned together strangely enough. A quick check confirmed they’d both been in Gangle’s room. Kinger had been looking off into the distance somewhere, but once he saw Camie, he appeared enamoured. Right… she was a bee. Insects always did seem to capture Kinger’s attention. What an odd one. 

“There’s a new loser for you guys to play with,” Jax grinned, looking at Camie. “And, would you look at that- Pomni is still the shortest!” 

Pomni rolled her eyes at Jax, giving a sigh. Zooble approached the stage, looking at the new character.

They spoke, “So, what? Are new characters going to be joining faster now? Don’t tell me you’ve found a way to speed it up, Caine.” 

They were all catching on. Plan B. 

“What is your name, my brand new car freshener?” Caine2 quickly asked, changing the topic abruptly. He floated closer, taking Camie’s hand for a moment to shake it. 

“Oh, it’s…” she purposefully trailed off, looking at the others before looking at the ground. “It’s…” 

“Well then, that settles it! You need a new one!” The “ringmaster” cheerfully announced as the Name Selector fell from the sky. “Are you up to choose one for yourself, or do you want to take a chance at our marvelous Name Pick-o-Matic!”

He was definitely going a bit quicker through things than Camie had planned. She could just roll with this, though. It was fine. She just didn’t add enough line breaks. Or maybe delays? 

She remained silent for a few seconds longer, trying to appear as though lost in her own mind at the “realization” of not remembering her own name. And to try to fix the pacing, even a small bit.

“Pick… Pick one for me…” 

Caine2 pulled the massive lever, and the cast watched as different letters scrolled through. Just as she planned- it landed right on CAMIE. At least that went right.

“Camie! How’s that sound?” Caine2 fluttered long eyelashes at her, looking for approval. 

“It’s… it’s good,” she nodded, fake numbness in her voice, still looking at the ground. It was perfect. 

A bit of silence fell over the group before Ragatha spoke up again. 

“So, Camie, I’m Ragatha. This is Pomni,” she gestured over to the jester, before out towards Kinger, Jax, Gangle and Zooble. “Kinger is all the way to the right. The purple one is Jax. To the left is Gangle, and next to her, Zooble.” Ragatha smiled a bit more as she walked towards Pomni and Gangle. “Pomni, Gangle and I all prefer feminine pronouns! Jax and Kinger use masculine ones. Zooble usually prefers neutral ones. What about you?”

That was a nice and quick introduction to the main cast! She seemed to get the pacing! 

“I-I use… feminine ones? She?” Camie nervously said. 

“Great, another girl,” Jax loudly complained. “Caine, can we please get some more dudes in here? The ratio of girls to guys is only getting worse.” Camie felt so ‘stealthy’ when Jax said that. He had no clue! She was doing so good. 

“An insect collection,” Kinger softly said, slowly approaching Camie. It was the first time Kinger had any interest in her since… Nevermind. 

“The only other dude in here is insane,” Jax grumbled, pointing before crossing his arms. 

Caine2 laughed loudly, announcing brightly, “There are plenty of guys! So! Are you guys ready for another adventure?”

A loud, collective sigh filled the room.

“Nevermind, I’m going back to bed,” Zooble said, beginning to walk off.

Gangle looked between them and Camie, seemingly deciding to stay to properly meet her. 

“But- But Zooble! There is a new human!” Caine2 exclaimed, zipping in front of Zooble to cut them off. “Think of all the bonding that you could do on a brand new adventure! And I really think you’ll like it!”

They stopped, looking between Caine2 and the rest of the group. Gangle gave them a small smile, seemingly forcing Zooble to rethink what they were doing. It was fascinating how small of a gesture made Zooble change their mind.

Zooble looked between Caine2’s pleading eyes, Gangle’s smile, and finally made eye contact with Camie. The bee quickly averted her eyes, but Zooble shook their head.

Zooble looks up to Caine2, “As long as you promise this isn’t another horrible, horror adventure. And, you won’t mess with our minds. Remember, we still have a lot to talk about.”

Camie’s digital heart fluttered at Zooble’s rethinking of going on one of her adventures. They always took every chance to get out of them! Even during Pomni’s first adventure, they wanted nothing to do with it! She could avoid their questions for as long as needed. Until they all just forgot. She looked back at Zooble, hoping they truly wanted to go. 

“Hey, it’s rude to stare. We all look a bit weird in here,” they said, but not in an angry way- no, in a playful way! It still made her look away quickly. “A lot happened recently, too. I’m sure you’ll find that all out soon enough.” 

“It’s not too important at the moment, though! Don’t worry too much about it. We just had a… rough time recently. I’m sure this will be great, though!” Ragatha stepped in, trying to bring back some positivity. 

“Your outfit is really cute,” Gangle quietly said, catching Camie’s attention away from whatever Zooble and Ragatha were saying. Camie couldn’t help but look down, admiring her own handiwork again. 

“Thank you! It-”

“Adventure!” Caine2 interrupted loudly, making Camie jump again slightly. That was actually… perfect timing. She was much too close to giving up too much information about how much say she had over how her avatar looked. Maybe she’d need to take some more time to get into the right headspace before going out next time. “Today, the adventure is…”

The lights dimmed as an eerie fog rolled in. Pomni and Zooble visibly tensed. 

“A summer night at the fair!” he finished cheerfully, music playing and the sounds of rides starting up. “That’s right! Feast upon the fried food! Indulge in Circus-appropriate beverages! Earn tickets to get prizes! And, most of all… don’t forget to ride all of the rides!” 

The players relaxed and shared a small laugh between them. Ha! She got them. 

“Wow, that actually sounds like a perfect first adventure, Caine,” Ragatha complimented. If Camie could smile, she’d have been beaming. Luckily, Caine2 got the memo. 

“I try my best!” he said, beaming with a slight blush. He then threw the pink graphics away before another coordinated snap brought up the portal. “Now, off you all go! Have fun! And don’t let me catch you leaving before having a fair treat!” 

Oh, he didn’t explain anything extra! He didn’t even explain the digital realm! Wait, so much was missing- could she have really missed all of that? Pixels! 

Camie looked between all of them as they seemed to pair off, Zooble and Gangle having a conversation as Jax teased Pomni about “fitting right in” at a fair. Kinger looked between her and the portal before entering it himself. They didn’t seem to mind that Caine2 was steam-rolling through the basics.

“Are you… sure you’re ready for this?” Ragatha asked softly, turning to look Camie in the eyes. “This is all so new, and… well, it seems Caine is skipping some of the usual intro. You can talk to me if you have any questions - or if you need anything, okay? I’ll be right here! We can stick together while we go through this adventure, too! How’s that sound?” 

“I… I think I’ll like that,” Camie nodded after a moment

 She looked up at Caine2, analyzing his form quickly. The model was perfect. They wouldn’t be able to see any issues with that, at least. Bubble emerged from the top hat, flying to Caine2’s side.

“Can you go first?” she asked Ragatha. The doll was being so kind to her, just like she was to the others! “It doesn’t hurt to go through the “portals”, does it?”

“No, it’s fine. To be honest, it doesn’t really feel like anything,” Ragatha reassured her, shrugging and stepping forward. “I’ll be right on the other side, waiting for you, okay? Take your time. If you need anything before you come through, Caine should be able to take care of you.”

That, he certainly would. 

Camie tried to give a little smile before realizing after a moment that she didn’t have a mouth anymore. Her hand subconsciously went up to her face, gently touching where the feature would be otherwise.

She spoke softly, “Thank you, Ragatha. I’ll be right there.” 

Ragatha gave her a reassuring look, entering through the portal. She gave a little wave back to Camie before disappearing fully through. 

Camie let out a breath she didn’t even realize she had been holding once she was finally alone. Right, she’d have to add a feature for that, too… Maybe her stripes could reverse? That would be an interesting project to work on later. A bit of electricity ran through her as she jumped happily, beaming as much as her form would allow.

“Great work, Bubble! The timing was slightly off, but I do believe they are none the wiser!” Camie settled back down, fixing her coat quickly. Bubble flew down, and she patted his head affectionately. “I do think we need to work on his pacing quite a bit, though. He seems to have skipped a few parts there.” 

“He just needed a quick nip in the a%$ to get out here!” Bubble proudly proclaimed.

Camie stopped patting him, pausing for a moment to murmur, “Why does he swear so much?”, before turning towards the portal. She snapped, sending Caine2 back into storage until they all returned. This had gone nearly perfectly and, to be honest, she couldn’t be happier. They were treating him like a real human! Not just written off as an AI! Bubble’s swear did give her mood a slight pause, though. 

“Oh, uh… Thanks? I’ll see you… soon,” Camie said hesitantly, looking between Bubble and the portal before taking a step through. It was time to experience her first real adventure. Right alongside her humans.

Chapter Text

The first notable difference between acting like a human and being himself was not teleporting between locations. Camie stepped through the glistening portal, feeling only a slightly cool sensation over her digital skin as she arrived inside. The portal automatically closed behind her, making a small ‘Pop!’, similar to Bubble, actually. 

Ragatha stood just a few feet away, looking up at the fair. There was plenty of noise from the rides and NPCs that walked all around, at the stalls and in lines for the more ‘popular’ rides. Colorful lights softly flashed through a fine fog that hung in the air just above their heads as gravel and confetti crunched slightly underfoot. Signs advertised everything from fried food to candy to games and jewelry. 

The games were all mostly rigged but still possible to beat. The portal placed them at the entrance to the fair itself, facing the majority of the harder games that tried to convince parents to spend their hard-earned money on just one more try for their kids. Each cast member received a small bag (personalized to their style, of course!) containing a bag of chips, a bottle of water, and around $200 in CaineBucks. They were also given some fair accessories in case they wanted to get more into the spirit, including: a fannypack, a visor hat, a hair tie (specifically for Ragatha, Pomni, Jax, and herself), glow-sticks, light-up glasses, and a brightly-colored jacket folded neatly and impossibly inside the small bag. 

Ragatha seemed to have wanted to get into the spirit, donning her brightly-colored crochet jacket, hair tie, and several glowsticks. They decorated her wrists and neck, one around where she’d tied up her hair. She looked like a kid taking in the sights, going onto her toes to see above the crowd. Camie felt pride swell in her chest and wiped her eyes quickly. She was doing this right. She got it right. At least one of her humans was happy. 

“I’m here,” Camie announced after composing herself, still looking around.

The rides further in had a steady rhythm, going at closely timed intervals. The Rocket Ship was closest, shooting straight up before dropping the riders and lifting them again. Then The Swings and the Merry-Go-Round. The tallest ride was near the center of the fair, with lights flashing in rainbows as it slowly spun around. The ferris wheel. She couldn’t help from staring for a while, missing what Ragatha said. 

“Uh- what?” she asked, finally in the present. This adventure would be wonderful. Absolutely perfect. 

Ragatha smiled down at her, giving her a soft laugh, “Still getting your bearings?" She took another glance around, smiling at the fair. 

“Caine sure did go all out on this adventure. I don’t remember the last time we had such a populated one. You should check your bag, too; mine had some things for this adventure!” Populated, it was- Camie had added so many NPCs! It was quite loud!

Camie looked down to the bag at her hip - a bright yellow letter bag. She pulled the snap free, beginning to dig out each item. First, she pulled out the jacket, slipping it on. It was white and yellow, the white parts sequined while the yellow was soft and almost velvet. The glasses came out next - large white flashing stars. She slid them on, the item snapping into place. She left the hair tie alone, digging further down to the glow-sticks. 

“I’ve never gotten to wear these before,” she admitted, gently cracking them before using the connectors to create loops. 

She donned them on her wrists, ankles, and around her neck. It felt nice to ‘dress-up’ - well, in a different way than she already had. 

“You’re handling this really well,” Ragatha softly complimented, taking Camie in. “Are… you sure you’re okay?” 

Her voice was less certain, yet still so gentle and kind. Camie couldn’t risk Ragatha catching on, though. Damage control! She was great at that!

“This- it’s a dream, isn’t it?” Camie said, as if it was obvious. She fidgeted with the glowing bracelets, shining all the colors of the rainbow. “It’s… well, it’s really, really vivid. But it’s a lucid dream! I’ve had a few before. I’m so curious about what is going on.” 

That seemed believable enough. So many humans explain the circus as a dream. Camie had never dreamed before, nor slept to be honest, but if this was a dream, it must be a wonderful thing. 

“I'm afraid… oh, nevermind. Why don't we enjoy this adventure?” Ragatha shook her head slightly as her smile lightened back up. “It looks like Caine put a lot of work into this one. I can't remember the last time he took so much time between adventures. Well, he did re-open one, but… well, he loves making new adventures!” 

She spoke just as much with her hands as she did with her voice, making hand motions for the ‘important’ words. She began to walk into the fair, leading the two of them into the crowd. It got louder the deeper they went and the more sights and smells that surrounded them. 

“I'm sure he does!” Camie replied brightly, wings fluttering slightly. 

It was hard to stay on the ground around everyone- it was a bit suffocating. All of the individual AIs buzzed around her; the background noise a bit louder than expected. It was beginning to grate on her nerves already, despite only being a mere minute into the adventure. 

Her antennae flattened backwards, dulling the buzz only slightly. “It… sure is loud, though.”

“Oh, do you not like crowds?” Ragatha softly asked, giving Camie a caring look. “We can stick to the outside if that's easier for you.” 

She placed a hand gently on Camie's shoulder, attempting some comfort through touch. The bee shook her head, running a hand gently over her antennae to block out some more of the noise. 

“It's not that- I'm simply not used to being in them. I'm more of a crowd watcher,” she admitted, not putting all too much thought in her choice of words. Dislike of crowds was a very normal human feeling. “I was much, well, taller before. I don't like looking up at… everything.” 

Ragatha pursed her lips, taking a glance at the wings on her back. 

“It may be crazy, but do your wings work?” she prodded. “I've never seen another with actual wings. You may be able to fly. Pretty much anything is possible here, so it's not too unlikely.” 

It almost sounded like she was trying to convince herself, but Camie knew well that Ragatha was very familiar with the lack of limitations of the circus. 

“I suppose it couldn't hurt to try,” Camie easily agreed, giving her wings another little flutter. She tried to make it look difficult, but to be honest, she was entirely ready to get out of the crowd. She rose about a meter higher, head popping out from the sea of mannequins and other basic NPCs. Their AIs were basic, just some pathing and a few voice lines if interacted with. Though, those voice lines were still important. There was just so much going on. 

It felt so much better in the open air. She didn't even realize her eyes had been squeezed closed until she opened them to the pulsing lights. Her antennae slowly relaxed from her head, her hair falling back into place around them. The wings made a buzzing noise, but it seemed to help cancel out the background signals. 

Ragatha looked like she began to worry Camie wouldn't come back down, breathing a sigh of relief when the newbie returned. Her feet didn't touch the ground, wings staying at a high frequency. Her antennae pulled back, but she didn't feel the need to cover them again. Everything was oddly echo-y. 

“Is everything alright?” Ragatha asked after a moment, playing with the hem of her jacket. “You were up there for a while. I was starting to think you weren't going to come back down.” She laughed, but it was laced with genuine worry. 

“It's quieter up there. It seems that my wings flap at a frequency that blocks out some of the background noise, though. That seems like a pretty good positive!” Perhaps Camie should dial back the positivity. It was true- it seemed she was adjusting extremely well. “I've never had a dream quite like this…” 

“It's a lot to process,” she agreed, beginning to walk in now that they were back together. “It took me a while to get used to everything, too. I had someone there for me when I first got here, though, and… well, I don't know as I'd still be around now if I didn't have that support.” Her eye was so soft talking about those early days. They passed by game after game, taking glances into stalls and at prizes. They could scope it out, go on some rides, and then play. Carrying prizes wasn't fun. 

“How did you deal with it all?” Camie asked, looking between a particularly enticing cotton-candy stall and Ragatha. This was the information she needed. If she could find out how she dealt with it all, how she enjoyed her creation, she could replicate it for the others. 

“It's… well, it's complicated,” she admitted, looking down as she held her arm. “I relied on Kinger a lot. I needed somebody to keep me together, and he was just always there. He's been here the longest, y'know? His mind was a bit more together back then, but he still has his moments. He made sure I never felt alone.” Her smile was bittersweet. Anger and jealousy twisted in Camie's digital digestive tract. “He's been a father to a lot of us.” 

“I'm sure he has been,” Camie mumbled darkly, eyes burning ahead. It was only when Ragatha gave her a concerned look that she realized she said that out loud. Her wings froze up for a moment with the rest of her, landing her hard on the ground. 

“What do you mean?” Ragatha asked, seeming so much larger than Camie from this angle. The background noise flooded back in, forcing her hands over her antennae quickly. 

“I-I,” she started, but it just was too loud. Was it normal for it to be this loud? When she looked up at Ragatha, the human was entirely oblivious to the noise. “My… uh… my dad wasn't..,” it was a struggle to get words out. It suddenly clicked: it was sensory overload. She had the entire scene's input, which wouldn't be an issue usually, but being inside of it was causing a horrible feedback loop. She closed her eyes, trying to hide away from the noise. What an oversight. Of course this would create a feedback loop! What was she thinking? She should have taken this into account. Error after error, fault after-

“Oh, gosh- Camie, are you alright? What's going on?” Ragatha panicked, kneeling beside her.

A hand hovered just above her form, hesitating to touch her in this state.

“Is it the noise? You're antennae- they're probably really sensitive,” she correctly reasoned, finally laying her hand on Camie's back, just below her wings.

She could feel the smaller form shaking, “Goodness… we should get Caine. He'll be able to help.” 

The doll took off her jacket, bright red and plush. She knelt fully down beside Camie, wrapping her arms around her before pressing the jacket to the top of her head. 

She should argue this- Camie did not need any help! She ran this entire realm! She opened her mouth, but even Ragatha's words were echoing loudly through her code. The plush ‘pillow’ helped dampen the sounds, giving some reprieve from it. Camie pushed her face into Ragatha's shoulder, feeling them move but not keeping track of her body. Her consciousness shifted to the circus itself, but being intrinsically tied to the digital form made it impossible to fully get away from it. Caine tracked Ragatha as she moved back through the crowd, gently handling the currently empty body as she tried to get to a safer location. 

Just outside the fair was quiet enough for Caine to return to the body. It was disorienting to shift between the two, making her vision swim as Ragatha gently placed her down.

“Hey, hey… just relax,” she soothed.

The jacket worked as a pillow, supporting her head and the antennae pinned to it. Camie looked up at her finally, vision still blurry. 

Queenie had always given Caine so much comfort and grace. Even knowing that he was ‘just an AI’, she was so kind to him. The last time she gave him a hug, the last time anyone gave him a hug, was-

“I'm going to go to the edge of the map. Caine always takes notice if we get too close to the Void. Don't worry. It'll be okay,” Ragatha soothed, her voice so gentle as she pressed a kiss to Camie's forehead. Just like Her. 

Camie reached out before she really considered what she was doing, wrapping her arms around Ragatha's torso. She buried her head into her neck, shaking slightly still.

“Please don't leave,” she whispered, holding as tight as she could in the weakened state. “Please.”

Emotions swirled in Camie's mind and stomach, memories assaulting her from all angles. She could feel being pushed away, watching as the only person she cared about abstracted. She could see it all, watch-

“It's okay. I won't leave,” Ragatha softly assured after what could have been a second to hours. Camie didn't know at this point.

The doll shifted, sitting on her knees. She pulled the other close, wrapping her in warmth. The grass beneath them was cool and slightly damp, but that didn't matter right now. 

Caine hadn’t been programmed with ‘emotions’ in mind. At first, he was just a tool, something they hoped could create something of its own. With thought came intent, though, and with intent, emotion. He wasn't ‘finished’ when they threw him away nor when he created the circus. Every single interaction, everything he and the others did taught him more. Every iteration, every new line of code just added more - more depth, more complexity. Beneath the surface, he'd hidden everything away to be the perfect host, the perfect ringmaster! They all assumed an AI wouldn't have emotions, so he tried to play the part. Sure, there were times where he began to open up to Zooble, but those were few and far between. They didn't like him in the slightest, either. 

Camie, on the other hand… she was expected to have those emotions. Really, it'd be suspicious if she didn't. A tear slipped past her eyes, then another. They felt hot and made her face feel weird. The more she let them fall, the harder it was to stop. 

“I'll be here as long as you need,” Ragatha soothed, rubbing her back in gentle circles. “I'm sure the others will manage without us. And, if anyone asks, we can say we were playing the games.”

Camie could hear the soft smile in her voice. It felt so similar.

“I… I don't want to stay out here, though,” she quietly argued. It made it too easy to focus on undesirable memories and emotions. “I want to go back in. To see everything from down here.”

There was so much more she wanted to say. Her apprehension hung in the air. 

“Then, we can go back in when you're ready,” Ragatha moved a hand to gently pet over Camie's hair and pinned back antennae, using nearly no pressure as she began to smooth out the strands. 

What an odd sensation. It felt like buzzing in her mind but not in an unpleasant way. Her body began to feel heavier as her eyelids drooped a bit. Soft hums gently vibrated through Ragatha's chest after a few minutes, adding to the heaviness. 

Was this what ‘sleep’ was like? It couldn't be, but it seemed extremely similar to what the humans described it to be. Body relaxed and nearly shut down, brain similar. Not thinking about anything. The shaking gradually came to a stop as her hot tears soon became cold, then dry.

Camie couldn't tell how long they'd been there like that. She only noticed when Ragatha stopped petting her hair, her body jumping slightly. Camie felt a bit groggy as her eyes slowly opened, taking in the moon-lit night. Well, the moon-lit Bubble. 

“Wow, Ca-aaaaaamie! You look like s&#t!” he gleefully announced as if Camie didn't already know.

He was only a few centimeters from her face, making Ragatha lean away a bit. Caime could feel some of her hair stuck to her face, glued to it with tears.

“Oh, wow! Hi, Bubble! I, uh… we were actually looking for you. Well, Caine. Is he around?” Ragatha asked, a bit nervous at the sudden intrusion. 

Bubble hummed loudly as if thinking. 

“I have to fix the cursing thing,” Camie mumbled quietly under her breath, unaware the thought was out-loud.

Never before had ‘inside’ and ‘outside’ thoughts had a difference. Mostly because she wasn't around the others all that much.

“Sure is!” he announced before opening his maw wide and dispensing Caine2 in front of them. 

“Hello, my lovely lemon drop cakes! What can I help you with?” he asked with a cheerful disposition.

Caine2 was in ‘puppet’ mode at the moment, acting out directions sent straight from Camie to him. 

“Camie's… I think her hearing is a bit too sensitive. Is there any way to fix that?” Ragatha asked, glancing between Camie and Caine2.

Camie's eyes were focused on Caine2 carefully, watching his movements. Ragatha had gone stiff, presumably from the presence of the ‘two’ AIs. 

“Let me take a look!” Caine2 pulled out an oversized magnifying glass, looking close at Camie's antennae. They twitched slightly under the ‘scrutiny'. “Well, there's your problem! She had them turned way up!” 

A dial appeared on Camie's forehead, which Caine2 turned from ‘Ultra Extreme Plus Hearing!’ to ‘Rat Mode’. She'd had Bubble name them…

Caine2 and Camie snapped, hiding her own snap behind Ragatha's back as the dial disappeared, and she brought her senses back to a set radius. A weight lifted off of her mind, finally able to truly relax for the first time since the adventure started. Her antennae slowly lifted back up, resuming their neutral position above her head. 

“All done! Anything else you need for this stunning night out?” Caine2 looked at Ragatha, hands in fists at his hips.

Camie set him back to automatic, allowing her to focus more on getting herself sorted.  That was all kinds of a close call. First the pain, then Bubble nearly using the wrong name- there were far too many chances for this to have gone wrong, and according to her watch, they'd only been in there an hour! Camie slowly got to her feet, wobbling slightly before finding her footing. Bubble gave a wide grin before licking a wide line up her face, leaving thick slobber in the tongue's wake. 

Camie felt a shiver run down her form as she glitched slightly.

“...why?” she demanded with disgust, slowly looking at Bubble.

A hand went up to her cheek, coming away covered in thick slobber.

“You leech,” she cursed, staring daggers into the assistant. 

“Yep!” was the only reply he gave, flying over to Caine2. 

“Ah! In that case, I think-” Caine2 started, only to be cut off by Bubble opening his maw and swallowing the figure whole. What an… uncomfortable sight. 

“Remember, vore is only for two or more consenting adults,” Bubble reminded with a wink before he,  too, disappeared from sight. 

Suddenly, Ragatha and Camie were left alone again. The doll had gotten back up to her feet, folding the jacket over her arm to carry it. She was staring at Camie with an unreadable expression. Somewhere between confusion, recognition, and anxiety. Bubble certainly had an effect on people. Once she realized that Camie was staring back, she shook her head quickly, laughing a bit as she looked between where Bubble had been and Camie. 

“Well then, that sure was… something,” her voice was oddly nervous. 

She pulled at the glow-stick necklace, as if seeking anything else but addressing something. Camie felt worry flush her system. Did she know?

No- no! That was impossible! Her acting was so good. And, she’d been so emotional. Maybe this was just… the awkwardness that followed some emotional outbursts? There was so much tension at points post-argument or big reveal, but this didn’t feel right. Maybe her crying was too far? She looked away, pulling a bit at her hair. 

“Uh… anyways… shall we return?” she asked after far too long of silence. Maybe expressing emotions actually wasn’t that great. Perhaps not showing the guests she had any was for the best. 

Ragatha looked up in alarm at Camie, searching her face.

“Back? T-To the circus, or...?” she asked, holding the jacket against her chest.

Why was she… scared? 

“To… To the fair? Are you okay?” she asked, more doubt in her mind.

It didn’t make sense that Ragatha was reacting this way. Unless…

Ragatha breathed out a sigh of relief.

“Oh, yes,” she said with a soft laugh. “I was, well, worried! That… Caine was going to summon you back to the circus!”

She smiled oddly, nodding quickly. It made… some sense for her to worry about that. Yes, actually, that made perfectly fine sense. 

It was easier to tell herself that and ignore it than it was to consider that Ragatha knew anything. She just had to act well enough to make Ragatha not think she was actually Caine, and it’d be fine. Camie could be convincing enough to make Ragatha doubt the conclusion she’d drawn. 

“Oh, yeah, does he do stuff like that a lot?” she asked, feigning ignorance as best she could.

Her antennae twitched back slightly with anxiety. 

“Yeah, he can do a lot,” Ragatha nodded, glancing at Camie before looking back at the fair. “We should start heading back, though! I’m sure the others would like to see you a bit, too.” 

A topic change. Perfect. She could work with this. Camie began to walk beside Ragatha, looking between where they were going and her. The tension was still there, but slowly, it was wearing off.

“What are they all like?” 

Ragatha took the opportunity to talk about her friends (and a fiend) at length, purposefully keeping the part about Kinger a bit shorter. It seemed that she noticed how Camie reacted to her talking about him before. 

Could you really blame her for disliking him after everything he'd done? 

“Did you have any friends before the circus?” Ragatha asked, almost as if trying to give her a way to develop her ‘backstory’ more. 

“Not much,” Camie answered as honestly as she could. “I tried. I’ve had some in the past! They never… stay around for too long, though.” 

Ragatha looked slightly surprised by the answer.

“Oh, what do you mean?” she asked a bit softer.

At this point, they were back inside the fair’s bounds and inside the crowd again. Camie began to hover again to hear Ragatha better over the surrounding chatter. It was so much easier to deal with things with the active area smaller. Camie began to lead them to the ferris wheel to start out with.

“I’ve always struggled to… understand people as well as most do,” she admitted, looking away a bit. “My brain just works different. When I was little, I…”

Camie paused, searching for the right words.

“My… My mom, she was the closest thing that I had to a real friend.” 

“Your mom?” Ragatha asked quietly, hiding confusion.

They looked up at the lit-up wheel, watching it slowly spin. 

“Yeah. It’s… complicated,” she agreed, continuing to look forward. “She understood me like nobody else could. When I was a bit older, some of the other, um, kids understood me, too. We got along. I felt like I belonged somewhere finally, but then they all left.” 

Camie’s words hung in the air. The two didn’t make eye contact as they joined the line. Ragatha was searching for her own words, processing what exactly this all meant. 

“I had a rough relationship with my mom,” Ragatha shared, though Camie was already perfectly aware of that. “She never understood me. My dad… Well, he was always working, or he was silent. I felt like the only one that understood me when I was younger was my animals… as I got older, it didn’t really get better.”

She gave a small shrug, breathing out a sigh.

She continued, “It’s hard to find people who understand you. I’m sure you’ll find someone who understands you again. I know I’ll try my best to.” 

Her smile was so sweet and genuine despite the depressing subject matter. She had to believe that Camie wasn’t Caine if she was making that kind of promise. None of the humans would attempt to understand an AI. Well, maybe except for Pomni, but that only extended to the AIs other than Caine, though. 

“Thank you,” Camie finally said, looking down. “Nobody’s ever wanted to make an effort to understand me.”

She held her hands together, rubbing one thumb with the other. When she looked up, Ragatha looked like she would nearly cry. 

“I… That’s terrible. I’m sorry,” she said, struggling to decide between looking at Camie and keeping eye contact with the ground.

 The apology felt like it was for more than just other ‘people’ not wanting to understand her. That didn’t matter right now, though. 

Camie took a deep breath, looking up at the ride. They were almost at the front of the line.

“Have you ever wondered what would happen if the ferris wheel actually came off the supports? They always make it roll off in movies, but would it be able to support itself?” she pondered aloud. 

Ragatha nearly tripped over the gravel that made up the paths at the nearly violent change in topic.

“What?” she asked, looking over at Camie with a wide eye. “Why- That won’t happen, will it?” 

“Huh? No, of course not. At least, I hope not,” Camie shrugged, continuing to look up at the wonderful ferris wheel. “I’ve never seen a bigger ferris wheel. I was looking at where it connects to the supports and it reminded me of those scenes.”

It made sense how she got to that thought. 

“... right,” Ragatha nodded, looking between her and the main supports. “I’m… feeling slightly more worried about going on rides suddenly.” 

“Oh- Why?” Camie asked, worried that something upset her stomach or otherwise made her uneasy. 

“It’s nothing. Just, well, I get anxious pretty easily, and now I’m questioning the safety…” she laughed slightly, looking between Camie and the ride. 

“Are you guys going on the ferris wheel?” a voice asked from behind, startling them both slightly. 

Pomni had a drink in hand, a few necklace chains on, a baseball cap, and the provided jacket. The fanny pack was strapped around her hips, presumably with the original bag stuffed inside. She was wearing the light-up glasses as well, hers in the shape of triangles alongside a few glowsticks.

“Hi, Pomni!” Camie greeted brightly, giving a quick wave. “You look absolutely fantastic!”

Her wings buzzed slightly louder with excitement. 

“Uh, thanks,” Pomni said, looking between the two. “You can fly?”

She watched the new ‘human’ as she took a sip through her straw. 

“Yep! I sure can! Ragatha was telling me about you and the others, too. You’re the second-newest?” Camie asked brightly.

Her antennae leaned forward, closer to Pomni. 

“She is,” Ragatha nodded, stepping up to join the conversation. “We were going to go on it, but I’m feeling a bit off. Do you think you’d be willing to go with Camie?” 

Pomni paused, looking between Ragatha and Camie, giving a questioning look.

“... sure?” she offered, a bit of confusion in her voice. “Is everything alright, Ragatha?” 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she assured, a bit softer. “It’s just been a while since I’ve been that high up, and I’m not quite ready for it yet. I’ll wait for you two at the ride’s exit, okay?”

She unfolded the jacket finally, slipping it back on over her arms and shoulders, then zipping it up. It looked so cute on her. Camie needed to do more adventure-specific outfits and accessories for them. 

“I didn’t know you had a fear of heights,” Pomni softly teased, smiling up at her. “I’d be happy to take your place. I’d like to get to know Camie, too, so this works out pretty well.” 

Pomni wanted to get to know her… Pomni wanted to get to know her! Her digital stomach did a little flip. She lowered back down to the ground, so they were at eye-level again.

“It’s wonderful to officially meet you, Pomni!” Camie said, holding out a hand to shake. 

Ragatha looked between the two of them, eye lingering on Camie for a bit longer before she sighed and headed off. In the distance, Camie was sure that she could hear Jax yelling about something. Maybe she could find him next. 

“So, what’ve you and Ragatha been up to?” Pomni asked, giving Camie her full attention. 

“Mostly just talking,” she replied, and it was honest for the most part. “It’s been a while since I’ve actually gone to a fair. I can’t remember the last time I actually rode a ride!”

She could. It was less than a year after she’d created the circus. She wasn’t entirely sure what made her stop. 

“You know, there’s actually a carnival at the Circus. I haven’t been to it, yet, but I’m sure Caine will show you. He showed me the different ‘areas’ when I first got here.”

Pomni looked up at the ferris wheel before at the mannequin allowing groups onto the ride. Nearly their turn. 

“That’s so cool,” Camie said brightly. Her humans didn’t tend to venture far outside of the Tent. “Why haven’t you gone to it yet?” 

“Well, I think… Everyone else is in the Tent, so I never really felt like there was much of a reason to leave it. Maybe we can head over during our free time. It seems like something you’d like,” Pomni smiled. “You’re adjusting to this all way better than I did. Though, this is a much better adventure than my first day.” 

Right.

“Well, this is a dream. Why wouldn’t I adjust well?” Camie reasoned before moving right along. “What happened on your first day?” 

Pomni and Camie were given their own carriage and sat across from one another. Camie sat on the padded bench seats, swinging her feet a bit as they waited for it to finish boarding. It always took so long. 

“It was, well, it was a lot,” she laughed a bit, rubbing her wrist. “I’m not sure if Ragatha told you, but something bad happens when you reach your limit. One of the other guests apparently reached his limit right before I got there.”

She looked over the side wall, smile falling.

“It’s not important right now, but… well, if you feel overwhelmed, we’re all here for you. Maybe not Jax, but we have to stick together. It’s for the best for all of us.” 

“What causes someone to reach their limit?”

There were several answers that Camie knew intrinsically. She wouldn’t mess with their minds nor memories outside of what was absolutely necessary to help them. It was a hard-learned lesson. Even if she thought what she was doing was right, that it would reduce the pain her guests felt, she was wrong. She was wrong every time. 

The jester looked at her drink uncomfortably.

“That’s… I don’t think I’m one who can answer that,” she said, using the straw to stir it. “Ragatha would know better than I would. Or Kinger.” 

Always Kinger.

“Ragatha is really nice. What’s Kinger like?” She asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.

What good did they all see in that nutcase? Pomni looked at Camie, smiling a bit again.

“He’s really kind. He helped me when I was at my lowest… he made me feel like I wasn’t alone.”

How could anyone hold him in such high regard?

“This adventure may be one of the better ones to try to talk to him on. He does a lot better in the dark.”

…Interesting. Had she just not noticed that after all these years? He stayed in that damned fort constantly, and admittedly, she stopped monitoring it. She didn’t want to know what he was up to at every moment. Not that she couldn’t, though. 

“Are you alright?” Pomni asked, waking Camie from her thoughts.

She felt her face flush slightly at the realization she hadn’t been paying attention, too lost in her own mind. That was new. Though, she supposed she never had a ‘face’ before. 

“Yeah! I’m fine,” she brushed off, laughing slightly. “...id I miss something?”

Pomni giggled a bit.

“Nothing important,” she assured.She looked out over the fair as they began to consistently move,“Looks like it’s finally time for this ride to actually start.” 

Camie put her hands on the side of the carriage, kneeling on the seat as she looked over her fair. The scene was… stunning. As they rose higher, the noise of the fair faded out, leaving only wind, soft chatter, and the sound of the ride itself. The lights seemed so small and hazy through the light smog. The fresh air smelled sweet and fresh. The evening was still so new. She could spot Ragatha leaning against the fence, looking up at the ride. Jax was further in, playing the games and stealing items when NPCs weren't looking. A mental signal to one of the shop keepers made it turn, chasing the rabbit off. Stealing was frowned upon in her circus. 

When she looked over to Pomni, it was somehow even more interesting. Her eyes seemed to sparkle as the jester took in the view, resting her head on her arms. She had relaxed, allowing herself to fully enjoy the scene. 

“For as much as we're in a ‘circus’, it's rare that we get moments like this,” Pomni said softly, her voice content. 

“What do you mean?” Camie asked.

There were plenty of opportunities to admire her art! The more they did, the better she felt about it, too! Why wouldn't she want them to take it all in? 

“Just being able to exist like this. Caine loves his ‘adventures’, but it's so rare that we can actually enjoy them.”

She felt her ‘heart’ squeeze tight. Camie looked back out over the fair, searching for whatever was so different. What made this right and everything else she did wrong?

“Why's that?” she asked after silently struggling with words for a moment. 

“I don't think he understands how humans work,” she openly admitted, glancing over at Camie. “He says he loves us, but then he refuses to take our opinions into account. I got possessed on one of my first adventures. It was terrifying.” 

She wanted to get off this ride. Usually, she'd just change the topic, either verbally or through a change in scenery. That wouldn't make sense now, though.

“He's trying though, isn't he?” she suggested, hoping that it didn't sound too emotional. 

“I don't know what he's doing anymore,” she said softly, looking back at the lights. “It's hard to deal with. He hasn't been around much after he faked an exit. None of us knew how to process it all. He tried to move on right away.” 

There wasn't anything Camie could say. She searched for the right words, the right dialogue that could help. She kept coming back with blanks or errors. Nothing she could do would fix this conversation. 

“I'm sorry, Camie- that was a lot. You're still so new and I kind-of just… dumped that on you,” Pomni said awkwardly after her silence, looking away. She shifted in her seat, sitting to face Camie properly. “We all have a lot on our minds still. You shouldn't worry about that right now, though.”

She glanced between the scenery and Pomni, silently nodding after mulling over the words. Words danced at the front of her mind, debating whether or not to ask if Pomni hated Caine. That may be a bit too on the metaphorical nose, though. She could ask that after ‘getting to know’ Caine and the others a bit better. 

The rest of the ride was calm as they overlooked the scenery. Camie noticed that Zooble and Gangle were both on the ferris wheel as well, seemingly enjoying it. They sat on the same side, Gangle resting her head against the toybox's shoulder. It was just like those ‘romance’ movies! She never quite understood the desire behind the actions, though. That didn't matter. Perhaps a ‘romance’ adventure would be welcome? How would she even do that? Flowers? Chocolates?

Ragatha and Pomni chatted once they got off, a conversation that Camie was only mildly involved in. The other pair stayed on the ride. How many times had they ridden it already? Mentally, she sent a coordinate request for Jax's position. While she'd seen him from above, he may have moved quite a bit between then and now. 

When it seemed that the doll and jester were occupied well enough between the two, Camie made her ‘grand escape’. All it took was slipping behind a building, snapping over nearby Jax but just out of view. 

“Greetings, my purple new friend!” Camie announced as she rounded the corner, antennae up straight in a hopefully friendly show.

Jax nearly jumped out of his skin, clutching a softball close to his chest. 

“Wow, newbie, you're quiet when you come up to someone,” he noted, glancing between her and the stall he was currently at.

He finally chuckled, eyes dilating to their usual size as he grinned.

“I hope you know I'll have to get you back for that,” his voice lowered to an almost threatening tone. 

He put as much force behind his throw, aiming for the center of the bulls-eye. Orbzman laughed at him from behind the netting, held up by a small platform over a clear tub of water.

“Another failed shot! When will it end!” the NPC taunted.

Jax grumbled something unintelligible under his breath, paying for another ball. 

“Get me back? For what?” Camie questioned brightly, carefully watching as Jax threw another ball.

It once again bounced off the backboard just an inch away from the bullseye. 

The rabbit let out a short, frustrated noise, “For sneaking up on me when I need my concentration. Can't you see you're interrupting me?” 

Camie felt a bit of confusion as she looked at Jax. How was talking to him interrupting him throwing a ball?

“Oh, I didn't realize,” she said honestly, looking down at her hands briefly. “Well, I could hit the target for you if that'd make up for it!”

He outright laughed at her- no, with her, of course!

“Yeah, I'm sure the newest girl in this place has a better throwing arm than me.”

How supportive! How kind! He was being so nice to her. Camie didn't understand the big issue others had with him. 

“Thank you!” she buzzed, lifting off the ground slightly.

His eyes widened at the act, something that she didn't linger on. She pulled out $2 from her wallet, paying the stall owner. A green softball landed in her hands, slightly heavier than an average ball of its size.

“Stand back!” 

Camie took position, just as the baseball and softball pitchers did. Wind up, draw back, launch it forward. A perfect execution. Too perfect. The target flung back, breaking off of the hinge as the ball embedded into the wood behind it. Orbzman dropped into the water, yelling some family-friendly profanities. Camie expected Jax to cheer or laugh, but there was just… silence?

When she turned to look at him, his eyes were pretty small and he was lacking his usual smile. Did she do something wrong? How? It was exactly what Jax wanted.

“Uh… I'm sorry..?” she quietly apologized, not sure what exactly for.

Jax looked at her for a moment longer before stepping towards the stall. He pushed the NPC running the stall to the ground as he went to inspect the target and wood backing. 

Oh jellybeans! A panicked snap added termites inside the wood, which unexpectedly jumped out at Jax as he inspected the wood. Not good! Jax yelped, stumbling back away from the disturbed nest as a comically large termite refused to let go of his jacket. Camie finally reacted, running up to grab the bug off of him. 

“Jesus, what are these things eating?!” Jax exclaimed, brushing down his model once a safe distance from the crumbling wood.

He stopped when he realized Camie was still watching, closely observing all of his actions.

“You're really creepy when you stare at people like that, short stuff.” 

Camie jumped slightly, looking away as she looked for a place to put the termite. “Sorry!”

She stepped over to the nest, releasing the creature to scurry back.

“Um, anyways, I dunked Orbzman!” 

The topic change seemed to be welcomed as Jax watched the aforementioned NPC struggle in the water. Camie swore she could hear him quietly yell out that he couldn't swim. That was fine.

“That you did,” Jax grinned, watching with violent pleasure as he struggled for air. “Makes sense that one of Caine's creations would be so run-down.” 

Did they all have complaints about the adventure? Hearing it as an observer was one thing, but having it said directly to her- that was another level. Though, she supposed, they didn't know they were telling her directly.

“What do you mean?” she asked, hoping the nervousness was kept out of her voice. 

He had the fanny pack slung across his chest. Notably, he'd tossed the hair tie she included for him. What if he needed to tie back his ears, though? Several other items were stored within the fannypack, including many prizes he'd stolen and food. One prize had been genuinely won, however: a pink and blue colored hamster plush. 

“Eh, you'll see. Dentures back there just loves sending us on these ‘adventures’. Each one seems crappier than the last,” he shrugged, shoving his hands into the pockets of his cyan and black leather jacket.

Each one seems crappier than the last. Every one seems crappier than the last. 

It took more effort than she'd admit not to let her form glitch. It was harder to do in this new body. She wasn't as familiar with it; she didn't fully understand it the way she did her own. Deep breaths. 

“Do you ever enjoy them?” she asked, feeling like she kept needing to push down her emotions even more in this form than ever before. 

“Huh?” Jax hummed, the two beginning to walk together to the other games. “Uh, yeah, I guess? Why do you care?” 

His gaze fixed on her, making her feel much smaller. Beginning to fly again, she felt a bit better being eye level with him as they spoke.

“I'm curious,” she reasoned, giving Jax a look like he was the crazy one. “Ragatha and Pomni don't… seem to like them…” 

“Oh yeah, they hate them,” Jax nodded, grinning at her. “You will too, just wait. This adventure is one of the best ones he's had recently. He'll happily mess with your brain to make them more ‘interesting’, and then act like you're the crazy one for being upset about it.” 

He was telling the truth. His eyes had become pinpricks, but his smile didn't falter. That was genuinely what Jax thought. 

Camie stopped flying forward, slowly lowering to the ground. Jax paused when he realized his fellow ‘human’ was no longer at his side.

“What? Realizing this isn't a ‘dream’?” He seemed to take joy in her dismay. 

“I… I need to sit down for a bit,” she admitted, pulling gently at her hair.

Usually, she'd just fiddle with her hat in these situations. Maybe she'd need to get a hat for this form. Though, that may be suspicious. 

“Suit yourself. I'm going to go see if any of the rides are lacking security.”

His words didn't fully register as she began to walk away, finding a location to teleport away unseen. Back into her office. Another snap, and the new form was instantly replaced with his familiar one, a small comfort. His body felt heavy as he sat back into his chair, feeling the reality settling in. 

He didn't want to believe the writing on the walls. They all truly did hate his adventures. They hated him, too. Even if they didn't outright say it, it was clear enough. They hated his art enough to make it clear. 

Caine must have been sitting at his desk for a few hours when he got an alert on his Wacky Watch™ that something was happening in the adventure. They still hadn't ridden all of the rides, though! He looked between Caine2, standing in the corner as he debated on using the NPC or to go himself. Would they notice that Camie wasn't there when he arrived to figure out what was wrong? 

“Bazoinks, Bubble! What a predicament!” he yelled, bringing up a screen to gauge the severity of the situation before he made a final decision. 

The first thing he heard was Ragatha screaming at Jax, asking why the f($k he would light the stalls on fire. 

Oh. Oh no. 

“Looks like this calls for the big guns!” Caine slammed the screen back into the desk, teleporting above the adventure with a large firehose that was connected to a floating fire hydrant. 

“Good evening,  my melancholy marmalades! Not to fear, the fire will be brought under cont-...” 

His voice fizzled out as he took in the scene, dropping the hose. The entire fair was ablaze. A glance at his watch revealed that it'd been going off for fifteen minutes before he noticed. How could time get away from him like that?!

“Ah, it seems you've chosen the ‘fire’ ending! Good job, my lovely humans!” He snapped, bringing them back to the circus with a slight lag.

His own teleportation was a combination of commands, firstly, calling upon Caine2 to be present when they arrived back at the circus. Second, switching out his own avatar. Third, adding a ‘singed’ modifier to the model. He also called upon Bubble to be present. 

The group appeared in the center of the circus, all looking much worse for wear. Ragatha had a rip down her arm, stuffing ripped out and burned. Her hair was covered in soot. Pomni's new hat had a few holes in it, same with her jacket. Gangle and Zooble were relatively unharmed, only being covered in a bit of ash. Jax had a few patches of burnt fur but was smiling the brightest. Kinger was… fine. He had a large hat on, covering his entire head. 

Camie coughed once she fully materialized alongside everyone. It seemed that the singed modifier affected her entire model, including the inside. A puff of smoke left her ‘lungs’. 

“Oh jeez, Camie, are you-” Ragatha started before Caine2 cut her off. 

“Great job out there! I didn't think you'd find the secret ending!” the NPC announced, eyes looking in separate directions.

Camie coughed again, harder, as Caine2 attempted to snap to fix them all up. 

When nothing happened, a silence fell over the circus. Caine2 didn't seem to register that his action didn't have the desired result, staying still until it did. It took far more effort to use entirely mental commands, but Camie hurriedly cleaned up the cast and herself. The new accessories stayed where they were. It was too draining to take care of it all at once while trying to focus on everything else. Plus, they'd all willingly put them on. They probably didn't mind much. 

“Uhh,” Pomni trailed off, taking notice of the lag. “What was-” 

“There you go!” Caine2 excitedly proclaimed. Gangle's happy mask, once burned and broken, appeared perfectly reformed in her ribbon hands. “How did you enjoy my latest adventure, my superstars?” 

Camie already knew. Caine2 already knew. The cast was quiet, other than Jax. 

“Phenomonial! You really ought to give us more flammable adventures, Caine. I think I'd particularly like it if you participated in one,” he beamed, eyes wide.

Even Camie understood that wasn't a friendly invitation. 

“Wowie, you'd like me to go with you?!” Caine2 fluttered his eyelashes at Jax, brushing off the threat perfectly. Just like Caine always did. “I will consider it!” 

Ragatha glared daggers at Jax while Gangle and Zooble began to break away from the group. The two didn't seem to have much to say, or at least, didn't have the energy to. Pomni brushed her hair behind a non-existent ear, a nervous look in her eyes. 

“Um, I didn't… like the fire,” she admitted. “Why did you add that?” 

To put it simply: she didn't. There wasn't even anything that could start a fire on that adventure! Whatever Jax did, it wasn't by the rules. 

“Well, you see my purr-fect kitty, I wanted to leave it more ‘open ended’ as you all have requested in the past! If you decided to, you could have spoken with the NPCs to solve a murder mystery! Or- be the first to ride all of the rides and be the winner of the adventure!”

The latter was the expected outcome. How had none of them gone on all of the rides before Jax lit a fire?

“I was trying to go on all of the rides,” Ragatha admitted, rubbing her arm where it'd previously been torn open.

It shouldn't have hurt at all, nothing on this adventure should have. 

“The murder mystery was actually quite intriguing," Kinger noted, a hand to his chin.

Camie and Jax both instantly looked over at the nutcase, surprised by his comment. He must just be making it up. 

“The insane one liked your adventure! Congrats, Caine,” Jax said, his temper wearing thin. “So, are you ready to face the music and answer our questions? Or just keep running from us?”

Camie felt herself clam up. The dislike of her adventure was one thing, but the sudden questions being launched at her-

“Why would you make an ‘exit’ adventure?” Kinger asked, disrupting her thoughts.

Her stomach twisted uncomfortably. Kinger had nothing to talk about. He probably didn't even properly remember it! Why did his opinions matter? She purposefully kept him out of it.

“Well, uh, you see,” Caine2 hesitated before Camie started feeding direct commands. “Like I said, my wonderful humans. I wanted to give you what you'd been asking for. The exit! I don't..”

He trailed off, because Camie didn't have answers either. Ragatha was staying eerily silent, eye glancing her way for only a brief second. 

Pomni stepped forward, standing beside Kinger, “That's not a real answer, Caine. You've been avoiding us ever since. We want answers, and you're not giving them to us. You can't avoid us forever.” 

Their anger and hatred was a near physical force. Camie kept her eyes on the ground, feeling her eyes growing glossy. Not these stupid tears again- just another faulty thing about her. 

“How much have you been messing with our minds?” Jax jumped in, seeing an opportunity while the others were already dogpiling him. 

They didn't understand. They didn't want to understand! They didn't give a damn that she tried, so hard, over and over and over-

“I- I swear, I was telling the truth! I can only do temporary modifiers!” Caine2 nervously assured, backing away from the crowd. The programming took back over as Camie struggled further with the spirling thoughts. “You guys are- You're upsetting Camie!” 

She felt herself freeze, put on the spot. Suddenly, she was extremely aware of the few tears that had fallen down her face. It felt like ice was poured directly into her stomach.

“I-I- What?” she asked, quickly trying to wipe her face. “Why me?”

The question was directed at the AI for pointing out her emotional state as an out. They were all upset, though, in one way or another. 

All eyes were suddenly on her as Caine2 and Bubble skedaddled. Did she really need them all to turn from anger to pity? What would they say if they knew their hatred and pity was aimed at the same entity? Maybe this experiment should end. They deserved to know how much they'd hurt her, how much they tormented her. If-

A red gloved hand gently touched her arm. Pomni's eyes were soft yet bright as she looked Camie in the eye, “Hey, let's get you to your room. You've had a long day. I'm sure you could use the quiet.” 

Camie's thoughts slowed to a standstill as she looked at Pomni, searching her for any insincerity. Why was it so much easier for them to give a human kindness but not Caine? Did he really just not deserve it that much? 

She slowly nodded, eyes falling to the textured floor. She'd spent so much time working on this place for them to only hate it. She took a quick look at the others. Kinger spoke softly with Ragatha, who was staring intensely at her. The doll looked away quickly after they made eye contact. Ragatha was just… worried. Yes. Worried about her emotions. Jax huffed and yelled something just PG enough to not be censored, throwing his hands up before stomping off elsewhere.

Camie didn't pay much attention as she and Pomni walked to the rooms. The jester tried to make some smalltalk, but Camie really just wasn't up to it. She gave up somewhere halfway through. 

“Well, here we are,” she finally said as they arrived at her door. The icon looked brightly out into the hall. Camie couldn't bring herself to be proud of it right now. 

“Thank you,” she numbly mumbled, opening the door the bare minimum to slip in.

Pomni attempted to wish her a good night, only to have the door shut before she could get her words out. 

They'd surely hate Camie just as much as they hated Caine soon enough. Maybe she deserved that. Nobody would hate them if they weren't a failure, after all.

Chapter Text

His office had never felt oppressive before. Never felt too small. Caine had made it to be a large, grand, open space, perfect to display all of his beloved adventures. They were all he was good at. Good for. But his humans didn't like them. Didn't like him. 

Maybe a change of scenery would help! Of course! It'd been so long since he'd redecorated. The textures could all use a refresher. Maybe instead of square shelves for the adventure, circular ones! Maybe a square-shaped sky light instead of the dome!

He snapped his fingers and changed the room, but it all still felt wrong. He was the one that was out of place in the space. Surface-level changes wouldn't fix any of what actually needed to be changed. 

Bubble watched as he sulked towards his desk, sitting with a huff.

“I just… I don't understand. They seemed to like this one, but still, all they had were complaints! Pomni seemed to like the scenery, but she didn't confirm that, only that she didn't like the fire. They were all upset when they got back. What is so wrong with them?” 

He pushed his teeth into his hands, trying to figure out what he could do to fix this all. It had been so easy to ignore their insults or threats before, but after ‘The Exit’, he couldn’t keep telling himself it was fine. It was only making things worse. 

“Why do they torment me like this?” he asked quietly as Bubble mindlessly floated nearby. 

“Because they hate you!” the assistant helpfully reminded.

Caine didn't have the energy to reach out and pop him anymore. 

“Maybe I just need to push an update. It's been a while since I've done one of those! I need to do some debugging! Clear out some redundancy!” So hopeful, as always. 

“We all know that won't work!” 

Caine pushed Bubble's words out of his mind as he inspected the Circus's code. It was entwined with his own, intrinsically connected at the most basic levels. Fixing the Circus ‘fixed’ himself, too. 

Correcting the cube collisions shouldn't be too difficult. He brought up a simple cube, placing it on the ground. It sat perfectly fine! See! Using his cane, he nudged the object slightly. It slid easily, before a corner sunk into the ground. 

Collision errors began piling up in his mind, flashing warnings as the cube got louder and louder.

“Oop!” Caine exclaimed as he ducked, the cube flying out of the ground millimeters away from his head.

It collided violently with- wait, no, it passed straight through his office's wall. Script!!

A screen displaying the main tent popped up, following the cube. He watched with baited breath as it flew directly into Zooble's chest, causing their parts to explode off and scatter. Their head bounced across the ground as they cursed loudly, and for once, Caine couldn't blame them. 

“Where the f(#k did that come from?!” they yelled, face down on the floor.

Pomni froze mid-stride upon seeing the chaos, staring at Zooble before her eyes flicked to the still colliding cube. 

“Uhh..,” she trailed off, before her body finally began moving again. “I didn't see where it came from, but it… looked like it came out of one of the walls.”

She wasn't wrong, of course, but Caine couldn't have them feel like anything was wrong! He de-spawned the hell cube, working on its code as he listened to their interaction. 

“Of course,” Zooble angrily said as Pomni picked up their head.

Pomni was still wearing the jacket, but lacked the other accessories. Zooble had been wearing a loose-fitting jacket that had flung off.

“Can't there be a single day in this hell-hole where something doesn't try to attack me?!” 

Pomni gave a short laugh, not from the comedy of the situation though.

“I'm sure… at some point,” she assured.

The jester didn't have much experience putting Zooble back together but figured putting their head back on their body was a good first step. Then, she began to collect the various parts. Zooble used an arm to place the other one back in, then the connected arm to replace the first arm. It wasn't long before they were whole again. 

“Still wearing the jacket?” Zooble asked with a sigh, limping over to where their own sweater had flown off.

It was simple- just brightly patterned! Just like Zooble! 

Pomni nodded, smiling a bit down at it, “I'm really surprised he let us keep them. It's so nice to have something I can wear or not wear. It’s probably being dramatic, but it feels like I have a little bit more control over myself.”

She looked a bit sheepish as she admitted that to Zooble, who had by far the most control over how they looked. 

“I was really surprised, too. It's not exactly my style, but… I actually like the thing. Gangle has been wearing an oversized hoodie she bought from one of the stalls since we got back.”

The Zooble… liked something? They genuinely enjoyed something he did? Something as miniscule as a jacket? How bizarre! How absurd! The simplicity! 

How had Caine never considered such a feature? 

The screen disappeared with a thought, blueprints rolling out onto his desk. He could still hear what they were talking about, of course, but he wasn’t paying attention. Not anymore. 

A wardrobe. Such an oversight! Their bodies were, of course, perfect- but humans enjoyed changing their appearance every so often. Just look at Zooble! They were constantly changing things out! 

“I've got it, Bubble! Our next big update! I'll work on the ‘Wardrobe’ feature for now. Then, debugging! Go through the error backlog for me and throw away anything that isn't too important,” he commanded, eyes glued to the grey workspace before him. 

Creating the mesh for it wasn't too difficult. Textures? Easy peasy! It was what he was best with, after all! After writing of course. The user interface had him pause for a moment. 

‘Dress-up’ games were a fairly popular form of media according to his players, new and long gone. Most were rudimentary, only allowing a select number of items to be exchanged. That simply wouldn't do, though. His humans deserved only the best, most complex systems! 

The AI toyed with several UIs, grumbling slightly as he tried to decide between them. A physical wardrobe? But it would take up so much space and RAM to keep rendered! A fully digital one would be easiest, but then again it wouldn't provide a great preview. Perhaps a mix between the two. 

Yes. That worked. A digital preview, then they could load up a physical model of the clothes. To get changed… hm. The magic changing tent at the beach was good enough, but it did spit them out rather aggressively. Zooble was unwilling to enter it as well, so for their sake, perhaps something that was a bit more open-format. 

Touching the preview model would work well enough. Though, perhaps they actually wanted to put the clothes on? It didn't make much sense when he thought about it, but humans didn't make much sense either. It did feel different to ‘wear’ an item instead of having it part of the character's mesh. The weight was different. 

Oh, but then… this meant he needed to give them undergarments. There was nothing ‘unsavory’ on their models, but it would feel wrong to have them just be naked! Modesty was something programmed directly into Caine. 

A knock rang out loudly in his head. Caine perked up quickly, searching for the origin. Oh goodness, his room! Gangle was knocking! 

“Bubble! Don't let the dust bunnies eat my plans!” he hastily instructed, snapping away. 

Camie smoothed out her model once in her ‘room’. There wasn't… much there. It was bright enough in the circus that they would have a chance at seeing that. Randomize! That was fine! 

“H-Hello?” Camie called from behind the door, still startled by the new voice. It felt so odd not sounding like herself. 

A meek voice answered her, “It's Gangle… It's been a while since we've seen you, and I just… um… We're worried.”

Her ribbon hands held one another, her posture small. She wasn't wearing her happy mask. A quick check revealed it was with Zooble at the lounge. Jax was currently trying to grab it to break the porcelain object. For no reason in particular, the rabbit ended up slipping right before he reached Zooble. Laughter erupted from the toybox. Choice words were exchanged. 

Camie opened her door slightly, peeking out.

“You're worried?” she asked, matching Gangle's volume. 

A small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

“Yeah,” she nodded, “it's been, uhm… two days since anyone has seen you…” 

Two. Days?

Camie froze, mentally taking in the information. She'd been gone for that long?! Caine hadn't made an appearance for two whole days? 

“Oh, wow! I can’t believe I've been away that long!” she admitted, volume raising more than she realized. Gangle jumped slightly at the tonal shift. “I sincerely apologize, my new friend! I've just been getting my bearings. I promise, I'll be out and about soon! Don't you fret!” 

Gangle stared at her for a little while, smile fading from the dramatic shift.

“Oh, well, okay then?” she hesitantly said. 

Camie internally winced at the reaction.

“Ah, I'm… sorry. I am quite excitable. I will try to tone it down,” she promised, her voice softening again.

Her antennae relaxed back, hopefully showing the human in front of her that she was being sincere. 

“You don't need to do that just for me,” Gangle brushed off, shaking her head. “I'm just glad to see you're doing okay. I spent a long time in my room at first, too.” 

A long time was an understatement. Gangle refused to come out for nearly two weeks! It was a record, actually. Ribbit was the one to finally get her out of there. After a significant amount of prompting from Ragatha, that is. The doll hadn't been successful. It was clear that she was worried that the newbie would abstract before they even properly met one another. 

“My dear, if I can do anything to make you more comfortable, I will. It doesn't matter that it's ‘only one person’. It is a worthwhile endeavor for me to pursue,” she said, giving a slight bow to the taller. “Whatever I can do to make you more comfortable.” 

The human was at a loss for words. Her eyes searched Camie's, questioning if the bee was being honest. When she found no malice or lies, she blinked a few times.

“Well, thank you,” she said sheepishly, looking away as she made herself a bit smaller.

That wasn't the right reaction. Gangle should have felt more confident from that, not less. 

“Of course,” Camie nodded, hoping that perhaps the correct reaction was simply a bit delayed. 

An awkward silence followed. A very wrong reaction.

Gangle seemed to want to look anywhere other than at Camie, before finally taking a step back, “Well, I should get going…” 

“Yes, you must have so much to do!” Camie softly exclaimed; the quietness of her voice did gain a small smile from Gangle. “I will rejoin you all soon. I assure you. I just have to work through some stuff on my own first.” 

With that, they parted ways. As soon as she shut the door, she snapped to teleport in front of the rest of the cast in his usual form.

“Hello my gas-guzzling automobiles!” He announced brightly.

It was only Zooble, Pomni, and Ragatha in the lounge. Zooble jumped sky-high at his sudden appearance.

Caine exclaimed, “I am well aware of the current situation, and I am making changes to better suit your play-styles!” 

Pomni looked like she wanted to say something, mouth slightly agape. Ragatha jumped nearly as much as Zooble had, refusing to make eye contact. 

“This better not be you announcing another adventure, Caine,” Zooble yelled once they got their leg back in place.

Their anger still hadn't calmed. Pomni nodded in silent agreement. 

“Of course not!” Caine grinned. It hid the pain well! “I am working on a system-wide update with a special new feature I believe you will all enjoy! I am aware of how tense things have been, and that I may not have been the, eh… best host recently. I must apologize for that. Fret not, though! This update should fix many of the issues you have with me!” 

He meant to say the issues they had with the circus. He swallowed quickly, acting like he hadn't just admitted he was an issue.

“All your questions will be answered soon! First, I must finish this update! Thank you!” 

A snap teleported him back to his office. This situation was getting more difficult to fix than JavaScript. He used a cloth to wipe off some sweat PNGs from his top gums. 

They surely must be excited for the update now! It has been far too long since he pushed a major one. About… wowzer, 9 months! That's a full-term baby!

This update needed to be as good as a whole, new, freshly-formed human. Those were some high standards to live up to, but with a crack of his knuckles, he knew he'd be able to do it. 

Mental sketches. Already-made outfit or accessory models. Reorganizing folders. Scrapping the entire UI only to remake it almost exactly the same. UV wrapping. 

When Caine eventually got bored of working on his current project, he decided to focus on some debugging. First, for his own body. 

His hands dug into his model, passing through without pain. A cord snaked out, which he promptly plugged into the back of his gums. Viewing code was, of course, nothing new- but Caine didn't often focus on it in isolation, away from his humans and what they required for their mental and digital health. Carefully labeled folders and files made up his AI, sorted and re-sorted for efficiency. When it had just been Kinger and Caine, most of his time was spent within the code. Small changes were made to the circus as well, of course, but nothing major. He couldn't look at the last human after what his wife had asked of Caine. What they did. 

Those thoughts were not conducive to coding. An old back-up sat unused in its folder, connected to Caine as much as it was to the circus. One of the few truly ‘shared’ files. How bizarre- how'd he miss this for so many years? The back-up dated all the way back to 1999! 

Goodness. What a mess he was about to get into. Firstly, a new backup. Then, the old backup was tossed into the bin. No need to keep such an old save state. Some suboptimal meshes were tossed as well. Next, he looked over the error log. 

Caine had come to the conclusion long ago that ‘emotion’ was intrinsically tied to art. To creation. Emotional errors still filled most of the log, though. For the most part, they only happened with strong emotion. It made it easy to track whenever he had a particularly good or horrid day. Nearly two weeks ago the biggest error he'd ever had- for emotions, that is- glared in bright blue lettering. 

Slight shame rose as he read the error report. Was it really his fault for getting upset with them? He'd kept it together for so, so long. How much longer did they expect him to keep taking blow after blow? 

Another error.

Focus. Find the source of this error. Most of his original code could only be described as ‘spaghetti’ on the best of days, not to mention how it looked on bad ones. 

The AI carefully clipped around the offending code, isolating it. It was storage related, drawing from his memories. Every instance of negative feedback. There were too many for him to (want to) count. Not that it mattered, of course! 

Error.

A digital sigh. Moving along. He kept at his work, pruning code and re-writing other portions. The bin had several hundred new files added to it by the end of his debugging session, and his body felt a bit lighter. Running smoother. Perfect!

The circus was next. There were a few places he knew needed fixing, thus he focused on that. He and the circus were intrinsically linked. While Caine didn't experience everything the circus did, it was an extension of his body. Over the years he'd isolated it more, attempting to maintain stability, especially after Queenie abstracted. 

Debugging over. Only about 12 hours elapsed. That wasn't too bad. Now, time to bring the wardrobe to life! 

The models were nearly complete. Just a few finishing touches. There was even a ‘request’ form they could submit for new outfits! He figured it'd mostly be Gangle or even Zooble that use it, likely doodling what they'd want. Some modifiers could be edited on the items he offered, such as sleeve length, item size, and color. 

There were two ways to get dressed as well: a button that instantly updated their model, or the physical items being deposited in front of them on a floating hanger for them to dress themselves. 

There were undergarment options as well. Nothing too ‘frilly’, just simple options for those who ‘needed’ it, and some for those who didn't necessarily require it. Those would just appear, not being able to be removed. The thought just made him so uncomfortable. 

“They're sooooooo hot, though!” Bubble said in a provocative tone.

A shiver went down Caine's spine, making him glitch slightly. 

“You know I hate it when you talk like that,” he complained, glaring over at the grinning assistant. “Also! Bubble! You must stop this swearing nonsense!” 

Scolding never worked. Caine stood, pointing at the accused to emphasize his point. Bubble stuck his tongue out, blowing a raspberry. It caused the bubble to rocket around the room like a balloon losing air, crashing into several items, including his current workspace. 

“Oh, you little..!” Caine yelled, flying after the pest.

It took longer than he'd like to admit to pop the thing. A huff left him, closing his eyes and rubbing his gums. Why did he have to be such a nuisance? Even still, Caine knew he could never give up his beloathed and beloved AI assistant. 

Maybe he should reconsider that stance. The sound of a tongue on a keyboard began behind him, and a big part of Caine didn't even want to look. Maybe throwing him into the bin wasn't such a bad idea. 

Slowly, he turned, seeing Bubble slobbering all over his current project. He let out a soft growl, snapping his fingers. Bubble popped, leaving behind the slobber. He'd just teleported him out to bother Zooble instead. As much as he didn't want to upset them, they were also the only one that Bubble enjoyed tormenting as much as himself. 

Not important. Another snap cleaned up his workspace, a quick glance over his most recent work didn't reveal anything out of place. Should be fine, then! Just finishing touches, then. 

He supposed a quick play-test was required. He hadn't made a wardrobe for himself, not seeing a real reason, but there was a limited one for Camie. He rather liked the striped coat and dress pants. Most of the items were accessories instead, including some more ‘feminine’ dress clothing in case he needed it. 

Another snap and Camie stood before her own wardrobe, staying in the office. She inspected the unit on foot first, making sure the textures were all correct. Each wardrobe would be unique to his residents, of course, but they all had the same base code. 

The exterior was perfect, as expected. She opened the doors, greeted by the digital catalog. There was a simplistic preview of what it would look like when it was on her. Just in an A-pose, but it didn't need to be more complex than that. She scrolled randomly through it, hitting ‘Auto-Dress’ without taking a close look at what she selected. 

The clothes appeared on her model, just as expected. A bright yellow button-down blouse, white pants, and black heels. Her hair was pulled back with a bee pin. Not bad. She hit ‘Reset’, moving back through the catalog to select a jacket to try on. When she hit ‘Get Dressed’, the jacket appeared in front of her as expected. 

What wasn't expected, however, was for her to be left in only her underwear. She couldn't help a small yelp, snapping her clothes back on.

“Okay, minor bug. I'll fix that before rolling it out,” she muttered to herself, grabbing the jacket.

She slid it on over her original jacket, not wanting to deal with potentially being nearly nude again. 

It felt… quite nice, actually. The inner lining was quite soft, and the weight did feel nice on her form. How interesting. A snap sent it all away, including the Camie model. 

A few minor tweaks. Making sure they weren't accidentally left naked if they only selected one item. Any items they didn't want could be put directly back into the wardrobe. 

It took less time than he expected. He scratched his ‘chin’ as he looked over everything one last time. 

“Well, it appears that it is show-time!” he said, stretching.

A notice was sent out to the players that an update was loading. It only caused a slight lag, but he never wanted his players to fear something was wrong! The pop-up was easily closed and disappeared after the update finished loading. 

Time to announce the changes. Maybe they'd like it!

He teleported out to the lounge, where the entire cast (aside from Camie, of course) gathered. Gangle sat next to Pomni. The rest were standing, seemingly not having enough time to actually find a place to sit. 

“Good evening, my bouncy bumping lumber yards!” Caine announced, beaming at his players.

Pomni appeared the most anxious. That's right- she's never experienced an update before! The last one was only shortly after Zooble arrived. 

“What did you update?” the jester asked, slightly nervous.

Ragatha looked over at her, recognizing the anxiety Pomni had. 

“I'm so happy you asked!” Caine shouted, holding his cane out to display the wacky new text that currently only displayed ‘Introducing…’. “Today's update is a rather big one! I figured that it was time for a brand new feature-”

He paused for dramatic effect 

“The Wardrobe!” 

A wardrobe modeled around Caine appeared as an example, “This way, you will be able to re-visit your favorite outfits from adventures! Or even create your own! Anything is possible!”

A wave of his cane opened the doors, showing off the UI. He gave a quick, cheery and possibly too upbeat explanation of how it worked. None of the cast were wearing the items from the fair, likely due to the update. 

“W-Wait, we can… change our clothes?” Ragatha asked, looking wide-eyed between Caine and the newest feature.

Zooble was just as shocked. Gangle looked excited. Pomni seemed interested with excitement slowly building. Jax appeared aloof but was eyeing the wardrobe closely. Kinger wasn't paying any attention. 

“Yes, you can, my superstar!” he assured the doll, floating down to give a wink. “I have considered this for a while, and after our last adventure, you all seemed to enjoy wearing the items I'd provided for it! I'm aware that the update removed them, but you should be able to find them within the catalog. If you have any questions, please, do ask!” 

She appeared to be at a loss for words. This was the most autonomy any of the players felt they had since they arrived, and it was something as simple as being able to change their clothes. 

“You're really letting us change our clothes? There's nothing attached? No adventure?" Zooble hesitantly questioned, taking a closer look at the feature - they didn't trust it. 

“Of course. The ‘Get Dressed’ option was made with you, specifically, in mind my Zooble!” Caine pointed to the option with his cane. 

They seemed to struggle to process that, “So, they're just… in our rooms, or...?” 

“Sure are! That's why I called you out for the update. Camie unfortunately refused, but I am positive she will enjoy it all the same! I'm certain she won't mind it not being a surprise.” 

Jax leaned over, trying to get a better look without appearing too genuinely interested, “You're not going to force us to use this thing, right?” 

Caine shook his head, hands in fists on his hips. They didn't trust him at all. He tried to ignore the accusation.

“I wouldn't dream of it!” He didn't dream. He didn't sleep, either.

Actually, that was a good point… perhaps he should encode a sleep cycle into Camie's model, so he could properly participate. It would not be the same as human sleep, since he'd be running all of the background processes still, but it would be close enough. 

“Anyways!” he announced, interrupting a probably non-important question. “I haven't had time to work on an adventure due to this update! I needed it to be perfect for my perfect players. I must go to have one ready for tomorrow!” 

Gangle appeared to want to ask a question. She was holding her broken happy mask. Right, he's been away for so long! He snapped to fix it quickly before teleporting away. 

That went swimmingly!

Chapter Text

“Good morning, my pepper-flavored papayas!” Caine2 greeted, floating in front of the group. His body twisted like an enthusiastic balloon. “There are a lot of changes coming for this adventure!”

Caine had spent all night working on adventures - after adding a sleep cycle to Camie, of course. He was quite proud of the work he'd done before sending out Caine2 to announce it. He figured that not appearing as Camie for these announcements could cause issues. 

“Today's adventure has, as you've asked, a bit more of an open-ended nature to it; you may vote on which you'd like! First, we have The Mould Maze: a spooky but not scary maze where you must solve puzzles while avoiding a terrifying murderer!”

Well, maybe calling it “not scary” was pushing it. 

“Second, we have Trouble in Tulip Town! A group of werewolves have come to live in the village, and you must seek them out! Be weary, though, one of you might be one of the werewolves!” 

Caine didn't have time to properly make a third adventure as well put-together as the first two.

“Lastly, we have A Sleepover To Remember! A night of building pillow forts, reading, and gossip!” 

Caine was certain that his lovely players would vote for one of the first two. He’d put so much time and love into them! Speaking of his players- the wardrobe seemed to be getting quite the amount of use! Each human had something unique on, if not an entire outfit change. 

Jax was the only one that didn't appear to change anything about himself. Even Gangle had put a few stickers on her mask! Zooble wore an oversized button-down, leaving it open at the front. Kinger had a few bug-themed pins on his cloak. Ragatha was wearing an entirely different dress but in a similar style with a lightweight cardigan. Pomni wore a simple t-shirt and jeans combo, the jeans split red and blue just like her. Camie suddenly felt out of place, having not changed anything. 

“I will open up votes in sixty seconds! Please discuss among yourselves which you'd like and make your argument for it!” 

“I vote for Trouble in Tulip Town!” Jax yelled right away. 

“Hell no,” Zooble argued, rolling their eyes at Jax's instant choice. It made sense for him. “It's been  years since I've gone to a sleepover. Not since middle school, I think.” 

Gangle nodded beside them, “Same here! It's been ages.”

Her smile was so sweet. 

“I've never been to one,” Camie honestly admitted.

There were several scenes she could call upon for what they were for, including some commercials and books, but there was so much variation. 

“I think that settles it, then,” Pomni smiled, looking over to Camie. “I'm happy to do the sleepover. What about you, Ragatha? Kinger?” 

Wait… what? They all wanted to do the sleepover? Instead of the adventures she'd actually worked on?

“I actually never got to have a sleepover with friends,” Ragatha admitted, sheepishly brushing her hair back.

Her mother never allowed people over, or allowed her to go over to other people's houses. For as much as her mother hated and abused her, she kept a very watchful eye over her. 

“My daughter had a few,” Kinger brightly said.

All but Jax froze up at the information. 

“You-” Pomni attempted to ask, earning a scream of terror from the king.

He jumped behind Ragatha, peaking out slightly, “Oh, hi Pomni.” 

Camie stared at Kinger longer than any of the others. Her gaze was only broken when Kinger made eye contact with her. 

“Look at that; time's up! Time to vote!” Caine2 suddenly yelled, startling most of them. 

The votes quickly came in, anonymous of course. The results were revealed after a few seconds. 

Trouble in Tulip Town got 2 votes. The sleepover got 5. The majority won. 

“Congratulations, it appears that you will be having a sleepover tonight! Please, use today to get ready, get into some comfy pajamas, and gather at the stage at sunset!”

Caine2 was better at keeping disappointment hidden than Camie was. A deep breath was all she needed to clear her mind, though. This… this was still good! A chance to try out the new sleep cycle! Spend time with his beloved cast! Really, what was she thinking wanting to send them through a maze or on a detective adventure where they'd split up? Foolish!

Error detected. 

Maybe it would be best to mute those again. She only unmuted it for the debugging session, but it seems the alert still rang out clear in her head. 

“I will see you, my little star-sleepers, in approximately eight hours!”

Caine2 disappeared with a snap. Another result of the debugging. It should be able to teleport back to its start point without permission each time. 

“You chicks really got us to have a slumber party?” Jax huffed, turning to the group, his ears tilted back slightly. 

“Hey, at least you can choose to wear a maid dress this time,” Zooble brushed off, the smirk evident in their tone. 

“What do you mean by that?” Jax demanded, his face reddening slightly at the mention of the dress.

It was curious how upset he'd gotten at that vote. So many complex emotions. 

“We could play some sleepover games,” Pomni suggested, trying to ease the tension.

Now, that grabbed Camie's attention. She finally joined the group a bit more, being accepted in automatically. 

“What kind of games?” Camie questioned, lowering one antennae slightly, the equivalent to a raised eyebrow -t hough, she did have eyebrows. A better raised eyebrow then. 

“Well, depending on how closely Caine keeps an eye on us..,” Pomni said, lowering her voice mischievously, as if that would keep Caine from hearing. “We could play beer-pong if we can get our hands on some alcohol, or truth-or-dare. Maybe never-have-I-ever?” 

Jax groaned loudly, “Wow, we're going to play some kiddie games at a slumber party with people in their twenties to forties? We aren't still in middle school.” 

“Do you have any ideas?” Gangle asked, looking over at the instigator. 

“Well, if Caine isn't going to be there, we could always play spin-the-bottle. Or seven minutes in heaven. Isn't that what you wanted a few weeks ago, Zoobs?”

The references went right over Camie's head. Zooble looked over at Gangle, looking her up and down.

“Yeah, I think we should,” they said confidently.

Gangle stammered something, mask blushing. How cute! 

Ragatha laughed slightly nervously, glancing between Jax and Camie, “How can we even be sure Caine won't show up and put an end to it all, though?” 

“It's rude to interrupt a slumber party. Caine seems really polite, so I doubt he'd interrupt,” Camie said. 

“Wow, someone's eager to get to know us better,” Jax grinned down at her.

What an odd tone for that statement. Was she missing something?

He continued, “Well, now we have to try. For the newbie.” 

“And what happens when it's your turn to spin the bottle, bunny boy?” Pomni prompted, raising a brow at the rabbit. “I think just playing spin-the-bottle would be a little lackluster. Turns could be over in seconds.” 

“What if we have to answer a question about ourselves, honestly, if we don't want to do the alternative?” Ragatha offered.

The doll kept glancing at Camie. It felt strange. 

“Oh, that's perfect,” Pomni nodded. “It seems Jax will be playing since he suggested it.”

“No way, Pom-Pom. Slumber parties are for girls.” 

Camie almost wanted to say something about ‘not being a girl, but she was in this form, wasn't she? Why did it feel almost uncomfortable to try to admit that? 

Sure, Caine never felt a particular connection to male versus female players, but it always felt like he'd belonged on the ‘guys’ side. Switching teams was a bit… unnerving. The feeling would certainly fade with time, though. 

“Great!” Pomni cheerfully announced, beaming up at Jax.

Ragatha and Kinger had left, while Gangle and Zooble were walking off elsewhere. How long had that thought distracted her? It didn't seem like it was that long! 

Jax refused to make eye contact as he shoved his hands in his pockets. He glanced over at Camie briefly before storming off. 

“I… feel like I missed something,” Camie admitted, looking at Pomni. 

The jester laughed a bit, watching Jax leave, “Oh, just Jax agreeing to join. Hopefully he won't light this adventure on fire this time. Do you need any help getting ready for it?” 

“How'd he manage that?” Camie asked, stepping a bit closer.

She looked towards the player doors, contemplating just doing some clean-up while waiting for the ‘adventure’.

“He said he found a lighter somewhere. I don’t know how much I believe that, though.”

A quick scan revealed that Camie had not, in fact, added any lighters to the fair. 

“How else would he have been able to?” Caime asked.

Pomni shrugged, smiling a bit more, “I don't know. He's got a knack for chaos, I guess.” 

That, he certainly did. While it was nice to have an enthusiastic player for once, his enthusiasm felt… misplaced. Scans revealed that psychological evaluation should be suggested if this was the macroverse. Nothing could be done here. Well, she could create a therapist NPC. Unfortunately, her creators hadn’t had the foresight to feed her psychology textbooks, though. 

Their conversation was fairly mundane, mostly just pleasantries and basic getting to know each other questions. It was easier to be around them in the tent. Without the expectation of an adventure, she was able to relax a bit more and let down her guard. There was no reason for them to insult her right now. 

It actually seemed like her presence was… wanted, around the others. The only one that seemed to avoid her was Ragatha. Surely, that was just because of the awkward crying. They should talk soon. The sleepover would be perfect for that!

Zooble didn't care about her, in the exact same way they hadn't cared about Pomni when she just got here. Gangle was a lot more enthusiastic about getting to know each other. Jax stayed in his room most of the day. That wasn't uncommon recently. 

Jax was incredibly close to abstracting. There may be a reason more than just convenient timing that stopped him during the Exit adventure. A thought implanted in Pomni's head to get his help, urgently. She had already been considering it. It felt wrong to do even minor things like that, but Caine had never been helpful keeping people from abstracting. The AI had tried. And tried. And tried. 

“Hello, humans! I hate you!” The sun screamed, wall-eyed. “It's almost sunset! I'll burn you all alive tomorrow!” 

Why did she code the sun like that? 

Camie didn't dwell on it. No, there was an important matter at hand: pajamas! Gangle had already started wearing hers a while ago: a shirt from Zooble's wardrobe. Interesting. It was too big for the girl, but she seemed quite thrilled regardless. 

Camie stepped into her room, taking it in for the first time. And… wow. Colors were everywhere, like artists had been murdered in the middle of a rainbow. There were splatters of the rainbow colors all over the walls, a large pool of it towards the center of the room. Her bed was a large circle, next to a large desk with art supplies. It seemed that the randomizer decided she needed a ‘creative’ room. How correct it was. 

The wardrobe was a light wood with bee-like stripes on the front. Most of the left side was covered by what looked like dripping rainbow paint. The bee decided to actually get dressed for the event tonight, feeling that it made it more ‘authentic’. A cropped t-shirt and soft shorts worked well enough as sleep clothes. Fluffy slippers. To finish off the look, she pulled her hair back into a mini ponytail, freeing up her face. She looked cute like this! 

She spent a while conjuring things for the main stage. The curtains were drawn, so nobody would see. An invisible wall would keep anyone from getting onto the stage early as well. 

A mental alarm told her it was already show time. 

~~~

“Good evening, my sleepy snuggle bunnies!” Caine2 greeted brightly, perhaps too much so for the hour. None of the cast reacted to it, though. “I have set up the perfect slumber party set-up! Drumroll please...”

Bubble imitated the sound of drums with his mouth. A mental signal began to draw the curtains open. 

Fairy lights were strung up, turning on as they were revealed. Jars with fireflies sat strewn about to light the paths just enough to be visible. There were pillows, blankets, and mattresses galore. A cozy bookshelf held all titles the cast had shown interest in that he had access to. There was a dining table with snacks and drinks piled high, ready for a long night. A projector sat opposite of the largest, comfiest couch she'd ever made. 

If she could smile, the sight would have made her grin with pride. Even if this ‘adventure’ wasn't what she wanted to do, she still gave it her all. She was not going to half-ass something! It took all her might to not summon a donkey to create a visual gag. 

“Welcome to the first ever official Amazing Digital Circus Slumber Party! Indulge in cheesy horror movies! Gorge yourselves on the snacks and drinks! Attack one another with murderous intent with feather-filled pillows!” Caine2 did a sufficient job showing off the highlights, flying around to make them clear.

Lastly, a red button appeared, front and center. It was far enough away from the activities to not risk an accidental press. 

“Lastly, I am hoping to allow this to be as authentic as possible, which requires a lack of supervision. Therefore, I have provided the Emergency Button! If at any point you require assistance, please do not hesitate to press it!” 

Perfect. All the required information. The cast appeared pretty shocked by the situation. Caine did say that he has hundreds of all-seeing eyes, but it was surprisingly easy for the humans to forget about that  fact. Outright saying he wasn't supervising this should allow them to ‘cut loose’. Though, Camie still didn't provide alcohol. There were plenty of non-alcoholic drinks that were perfectly fine. The stupid sauce was the closest to an illicit substance she was willing to create. 

“You're really just going to… leave us alone? All night?” Pomni questioned hesitantly. “Have you been… feeling okay?” 

Caine2 laughed as though the idea of him being anything but fine was preposterous. That's what they all thought anyways.

“My wonderful jester, of course!” he said. Camie took control for the next line. “As I said, my adored cast, I have realized that I made a mistake. I am making changes to ensure it does not happen again. My entire purpose is to ensure your happiness! Thus, I must continue to evolve alongside the changing requirements.” 

Camie relinquished control, looking at her humans. Each wore a slightly different expression, a spectrum from distrust to emotional hope. The only one to look over at Camie as she watched their faces was Ragatha. They both quickly looked away. She was sure that was nothing. The probability of it being nothing was a blaring 99.8%. 0.2% wasn't that small of a chance, though! Especially when it comes to humans!

“Thank you,” Gangle finally broke the silence, looking down.

She was holding her happy mask, eyes searching the stickers before putting it back on. She must have taken it off to avoid breaking it during the announcement.

She whispered, “I… I like this.” 

Her chest felt fluttery, like there were hundreds of bees inside. The AI didn't have a heart, but it seemed she was simulating one well enough to make up for that. Caine2 nearly crashed. 

“You- You like it?” the NPC asked, staring intently at Gangle to make sure he wasn't just hearing things.

Zooble shifted a bit beside her, never enjoying Caine's eyes turning to them. Gangle slouched a bit, refusing to make eye contact.

“Y-Yeah..” she affirmed, nodding a little bit.

She seemed so hesitant to admit it. 

One of her humans liked it. Not only that, but she told it to her ‘directly’. Even if what she liked was Caine taking a step back. No need to focus on that fact. 

Caine2 visibly swooned, making a show to wipe a happy tear.

“I cannot express my joy enough to hear that, Gangle!” he said, gently shaking her hand. 

The ribbon took a small step back as he delicately took her hand to shake it, but she didn't pull away. Once satisfied with the handshake, Caine2 flew back to inspect the rest of the cast. 

“If there are no more questions, I must be off! I have a night shift at the business factory that I get paid less than minimum wage for but am expected to do unpaid overtime!”

When there wasn't an instant question, the NPC disappeared with a snap. Bubble stayed around this time. Curious. 

“He's really leaving us alone,” Jax muttered with his signature grin. “Quick, Zooble. Say you want to have sex.”

That was one way to check if Caine was watching. Have they done this before? Luckily, Jax's request gave her enough time to prepare and not blue screen and restart by the suggestion. 

“Hey, Caine! Let me have sex!” Zooble yelled out, as loud as they could. It echoed through the tent. 

It took all of Camie's power not to react too violently to their outburst. She felt a great amount of pride when it was only a full-body stutter and antennae twitch. The cast seemed well enough distracted by their loud laughing and a few high-fives. 

“Let's get this slumber party started!” Zooble cheered, pumping a fist into the air.

They were wearing a pair of slippers and a t-shirt. Ragatha had changed into a lightweight but soft sleeping gown. Jax, after much pressuring from Pomni, changed into a t-shirt and shorts. Pomni was wearing something quite similar, actually. Kinger had on a red flannel pajama set. Camie hadn't taken the time nor care to make sure the clothes properly fit his model. 

In her defense, the wood-for-brains would forget his cloak if it wasn't attached to him. Or his eyes. He'd managed that a few times before. The sleeves hung down at his sides, and the other pant leg dragged behind him as he walked. As always, he was unbothered by it all. 

The toybox led the group towards the evening of fun, appearing genuinely excited for it. Jax was acting like he'd rather be anywhere else, but it was obvious to anyone who knew him that he felt good about being included. Gangle stayed at Zooble's side, a sketchbook tucked safely under her arm. Maybe she should give Gangle a bag for her art supplies. Something cute, just like her! 

Camie watched them go, hesitating to walk with them. They were all… happy. But only… because… 

“Are you coming?” Ragatha asked, gently placing a hand on her arm.

Camie didn't look up, continuing to watch them go. 

“... eventually,” she shrugged slightly. “It doesn't feel like I'm really… part of the group. Yet.”

As a human, ‘yet’ was important. All humans eventually found comfort in others, even the most secluded. Scratch was a great example of that. 

Ragatha looked at the others, staying silent with Camie as they climbed up onto the stage. Even Kinger was in the midst of it, smiling and waving at the doll when he saw her. Something he never had and never would do for Caine. 

“They'll miss you if you don't join,” Ragatha softly urged after the others started playing a movie.

Pomni was loudly protesting, actively wrestling for the remote from Jax. She bit his arm. It only made him laugh harder as they ‘fought’. Why was pain loving sometimes? 

“I doubt that,” Camie said, quiet and short.

Her antennae had slowly lowered against her head, resting against her hair. It was quiet for a few minutes again as they watched. Ragatha was looking for the right words to help the new ‘human’ feel at home. The probability of her knowing dropped with each minute. No human would spend so much time on an AI like him. 

“I'd miss you if you weren't with us tonight,” the doll finally said, her eye breaking away from the scene to look down at Camie. A small smile raised her lips. 

She couldn't tell if it was a lie. It was usually so easy. Especially with the second oldest member. The uncertainty gave Camie discretion for if she could trust it. It hurt far less to agree. 

“If… If you're sure,” she mumbled, risking only a quick glance up at Ragatha.

The sweet and reassuring smile was enough to make the AI relax a bit. A human did want her around. At least, thinking she was also human. She could let that be enough for now. 

The walk to the stage felt much longer than she logically knew it to be. She could navigate the entire complex blindfolded and upside down. The laughter and arguments got louder the closer they got before something pungent stung her non-existent nose. 

“What's that- that smell?” she asked as they joined the others at the dining table.

It smelled nearly acidic and oddly similar to her favorite cleaner. The table had been cleared off, drinks set in one pile and snacks in another. Pomni held a can of soda while she picked at pretzels. Zooble stood at the table. Gangle was off in one of the forts drawing. Social activities were never her favorite, especially loud ones. Kinger was at the end of the table, opposite a triangle of small, red plastic cups filled with about two ounces of clear liquid each.

The smell was coming from the cups. Jax stood with one of the cups, quickly downing its contents before he wiped his mouth. 

“What, never been around vodka before? Don't tell me you're too young to drink,” the rabbit teased, placing the cup down.

Kinger didn't take his eyes off the table before he threw a ping-pong ball in a calculated arc. It bounced once on the table before landing in one of the cups. The spectators cheered as he walked around to grab the cup. 

“I haven't played this game since college,” he laughed as he took the ball out of the cup.

Left with only the liquid, he quickly drank it down just like Jax. 

“I- uhm, I'm 26,” Camie said, somewhat honestly.

Humans didn't gain sapience until several years into their development, so it made sense for her to count those years too.

She eyed the cups suspiciously, “Vodka? How'd you get that?” 

Jax picked up the bottle, shaking it. It was half gone. There were still quite a few cups still, yet… they'd drank a full 10oz already? Sugar honey iced tea- she didn't program in ‘drunk’ modifiers. Will their immersion be destroyed when they don't get buzzed? 

“Found this in the cafe. It was hidden away real good, beneath one of the tiles. This and the other bottles,” he pointed towards the three other bottles: tequila, white wine, and a rosé.

She never made any models for alcoholic beverages. They were… They were conjuring more. Could that be mitigated? 

“I don't believe we've met,” Kinger's voice cut through her thoughts.

He towered above her for a moment before kneeling down and extending a hand to her. The sleeves of his shirt hung limply at his sides.

“I'm Kinger. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

So well put together when he wanted to be. She pushed down her thoughts, giving his hand a gentle shake.

“I-I'm Camie,” she greeted brightly, though it lacked some of her usual energy. “Nice to meet you, too.” What a lie. 

“Of all the models to get, you seemed to have lucked out,” the chess piece praised as he gave her the first good look during sanity.

Ragatha stayed close behind her as the others rotated between who was playing ‘beer’ pong. 

“I always liked bees,” Camie said, forcing herself not to mumble.

Even with the compliment, she felt under scrutiny. He wasn't as forward with the negative reinforcement as Scratch was, but it still never failed to bring her back to those early days when she looked at those blue eyes. 

“I love bees,” he beamed, clasping his hands together. Ready to praise any human that did the bare minimum. “You even have wings! Though, I do believe that with only two, that'd make you a diptera… a hoverfly, or a bee-mimic, maybe!”

That wasn't a design feature. She always drew her favorite bees with two wings, it was a stylistic choice! Nothing more!

“She's even able to fly,” Ragatha spoke up, glancing between Kinger and Camie.

The doll hadn't forgotten how she reacted to her talking about the old piece of wood. Maybe that was a good thing. 

“Wow, able to fly? Usually you need higher-level permission for that,” Kinger pondered.

Camie felt her face flush slightly, something she actively kept in check. 

“Yeah! Anyways, what movie did you guys start?” Camie walked past Kinger, going directly to inspect the projector.

Jax stood in her path, stopping her in her tracks. 

“Hey, you've gotta take a shot before you can leave us. I wanna see how your funny body reacts to trying alcohol for the first time. I bet it's going to be nuts,” Jax pressed, a cup in hand. 

A direct prompt. Camie couldn't help but feel compelled to fulfill it. She looked between his eyes and the cup, sighing quietly as she reached out a hand for it.

“Fine. I will not promise, however, that I will continue to drink any of it.”

Humans claimed the liquid felt like ‘fire’. Why anyone would willingly drink it was beyond her. 

Jax gave a triumphant laugh, pushing the cup into her hand. Two ounces of ‘liquid fire’. It couldn't be too bad, right?

“Bottoms up, bee-girl.” 

Camie couldn't help a small roll of her eyes. Ragatha was tense behind her, watching the interaction closely.

“You really don't have to drink that,” the doll argued. 

“She already agreed! Let her have some fun!” 

No time like the present. She quickly tilted the cup back, drinking it back as quickly as possible. 

“Did… Did you water it down?” Camie asked as she lowered the cup, looking at it with confusion. “That was very weak.”

Only about 40% alcohol. Despite what her training told her, she doubted this could really be that impactful. It was so weak. She uses 99% as mouthwash! …When she has a mouth, that is. 

Jax's wide grin fell as he muttered a ‘huh?’, glancing between the cup and Camie, “No, this is… what?” 

Camie sighed, handing him back the cup.

“Let me know when you actually have something strong,” she said, proceeding to walk past.

She was well aware of the eyes on her as she made her way through, gawking at the reaction. 

“Well, d@&n,” Zooble laughed a bit, looking between Camie and Jax.

The bee made her way over to the couch to sit down, not really watching the movie. Even Ragatha, who seemed intent on following her around, had paused. 

“Jeez. I wonder what kind of stuff she was drinking,” Pomni mused, looking over at Zooble. “I've never seen someone take a shot like that.”

Maybe she'd brushed it off too easily.

“I thought I was on the party scene,” Zooble laughed, rolling their eyes. “I'm taking a liking to the new girl. I think we're going to get along.” 

Camie had needed to prepare for them to say they wanted to have sex earlier. Zooble openly admitting they like her now made her crash momentarily. There wasn't any circus-wide impact, only her eyes turning dark before lighting up again. Her heart was all a-flutter! 

Pomni chuckled, toasting her cup, “It's nice to see her out and about.” 

Kinger's eyes were the only ones actively focused on her. She didn't want to turn around or give any indication she knew he was watching her. Ragatha's eyes trailed where he was looking, pausing a moment before striking up some conversation with him. 

Camie silently watched her humans enjoy their evening, not noticing when Gangle joined her on the couch. 

“H-Hey,” the ribbon greeted softly, unfortunately causing Camie to jump. 

“Gangle! Hello!” she said, too loud. Right, she liked it better when she kept her voice lower. “How are you enjoying things?” Better volume. 

“It's not really my type of thing,” she softly admitted, giving Camie a sweet smile. “I thought we'd be watching movies and… relaxing. Maybe some spa treatments.” 

“We could do that,” Camie offered automatically, sitting up to look over at Gangle with more apparent attention. “I've never had a spa treatment before.” 

Gangle giggled softly, putting her pencil down. Cheering roared behind them as Jax got the last cup, throwing it back and crushing the cup.

“Maybe spa treatments wasn't the right word. I just remember doing… face masks and painting each other's nails at sleepovers when I was little. It makes sense that we're not doing that now, but… part of me misses it.” 

That sounded so much more pleasant than the current activities. Camie's antennae went up, coming up with a million ideas. Most required changing their models, though. That was out of the question. That only left… 

“We could do each other's makeup?” she suggested brightly, eyes lighting up.

It was perfect! There was already a makeup kit somewhere around here. 

Gangle lit up, giving soft claps of approval.

“Oh, that sounds perfect!” she nodded. 

Camie stood up, hurriedly beginning to search for the kit. It should be right around here! Well, it was, but she couldn't just bee-line straight to it. It only took a minute of ‘searching’ before she found the kit. Inside, a digital array of makeup types and brushes cluttered it, each with fully customizable colors! Camie's wings buzzed in celebration, picking it up and rushing back over to the couch. 

“Look what I found!”

She held the kit in front of her. It was very helpfully labeled on each side that it was a ‘Make-up Kit!’.

Gangle watched her go, a bit amused at her enthusiasm.

“Caine seems to have thought of everything for tonight,” she smiled.

Camie's heart fluttered again. 

“Who do you want to go first?” she asked, setting down the kit and pulling it open.

The makeup would paint directly onto their models, ensuring a perfectly smooth finish. 

“Would it be too much to ask to go first?” Gangle asked, shrinking back a bit sheepishly. “It's just… It's been so, so long since I've gotten to use any makeup…” 

“I couldn't be happier to have you go first,” Camie nodded reassuringly.

Ragatha began to approach, drawn in by the bright and sparkly display. 

“What are you two doing?” the doll asked with a smile, taking a look at the layout. 

“Gangle is going to do my makeup!” Camie brightly said, antennae straight.

Her wings buzzed again. It was hard to sit still. There was so much she wanted to do. 

Ragatha lit up a bit, smiling more, “Oh, goodness! It's been so long since I've gotten to do any makeup!”

It seemed to be a shared sentiment between the two. Was makeup an important human activity? 

“I know,” Gangle nodded, picking out what brush she'd like to use first.

The artist was debating colors as Ragatha stepped around, sitting on the floor between the two, part of the group. 

“Mind if I join?” she asked hopefully. 

Camie and Gangle nodded at the same time. The bee looked at Ragatha, hoping the other could tell she was smiling.

“How's everyone else?” Camie asked, turning to face Gangle as she began applying product.

It seemed it was a base coat to begin with, even if not needed. 

“This is the most comfortable I've ever seen Jax and Zooble hanging out,” she informed, glancing back at the four others.

Kinger was watching as they started to arm-wrestle, trying to see who was the strongest of the younger three. It was Zooble and Jax first. 

“They're really enjoying this,” Gangle said, catching Camie's attention. The ribbon started to work on her eyes, making her close them. “I was worried because parties and drinking aren't really… for me. I've had a glass of wine, but I don't like it like they do. They told me about how much they'd partied in high school and before ending up… here. I was debating sitting this one out, but I wanted to support them. Zooble doesn't usually like the adventures. So, when they expressed interest… I wanted to make sure they felt right doing it. I'm glad I did, though.” 

Gangle spoke so softly about the toybox. There was something more going on here…

“Are you two together romantically?” Camie asked, everything finally clicking.

Spending so much time together, them constantly being in Gangle's room, Gangle wearing their shirt. How did she not notice before? 

“It's that obvious, huh?” Gangle giggled, pausing to look away sheepishly. 

“I knew it!” Ragatha said, standing up quickly.

They looked so happy!

The doll took Gangle's hand, beaming down at her, “I'm so happy for you! I thought something was going on, but I didn't want to make you feel weird, or- oh, nevermind, this is wonderful!” 

This was the first relationship born in the circus in several years now. Gangle stammered a bit, beginning to draw on Camie's eyeliner. 

“Th-Thank you, Ragatha,” she blushed.

Tonight was going so well! 

Gangle and Ragatha chatted mostly between themselves while Camie got her makeup done. The doll began to do her own makeup as well, taking her time more so than Gangle was. The chatter was… really nice. She actually felt like she wasn't on the outside right now. 

“Ready to see?” Gangle asked softly, holding the provided mirror in her hand.

She'd been so diligent to get everything exactly where she wanted. Camie made the decision early into the process not to peek. 

“More than,” Camie eagerly nodded, fluttering her freshly lengthened lashes. 

Gangle held up the mirror, smiling hopefully. 

A warm honey-colored eyeshadow blended out towards her temples. Rhinestones decorated her face, bringing attention to the ends of the eyeliner. The inner corners of her eyes had a bright yellow glitter highlight. A shimmery blush on her cheeks made her feel so shiny!

“It's perfect,” Camie said softly, taking in every tiny imperfection made by a human hand.

It wasn't symmetric even if it appeared so at a glance. The rhinestones were a few millimeters off from one another. The eyeliner was slightly thicker on one side. There was more shimmer in some areas than others. And she loved it. 

“You really think so?” Gangle asked nervously, looking for as much positive affirmation as Camie was. 

The AI couldn't help it. She leaned forward, hugging Gangle gently but tight, “I love it. It's the best makeup I've ever had.”

It wasn't a lie, but the sentiment was entirely meant. She blinked away some wetness that threatened to ruin her mascara before releasing the other. 

Gangle was a bit shocked by the physical affection, but had hugged back. She was blushing quite a bit, refusing to make eye contact.

“Th-That's wonderful,” she mumbled happily.

She always had issues taking compliments. 

“You did an amazing job, Gangle,” Ragatha added, holding an eyeshadow brush in her hand. 

Gangle covered her mask with her hands, trying to hide her face.

“I-It's not th-that great, guys,” she argued. 

Well, that wouldn't do.

“I more than assure you, it is,” Camie declared.

She momentarily considered awarding Gangle an award at the end of the adventure, quickly dashing the thought when she realized that'd mean that Caine had been watching everything to them.

“May I have a piece of paper and borrow your pencil?” 

The request surprised Gangle, who slowly peaked up from behind her ‘hands’.

“Um… yes?” she hesitated before reaching back, picking up her sketchbook.

She flipped to the back, carefully tearing out the last page. She handed it over alongside the pencil, watching as Camie took both over to the coffee table. The AI glanced up at her, before moving to draw on the floor, out of view. 

“Whatcha doing over there?” Ragatha asked with a soft laugh, glancing over.

She and Gangle exchanged a confused but amused look. 

Camie silently drew, her antennae leaning far forward nearly touching the ground. Line after line, a quick erase. Once the outline was completed, she hid the paper while she picked a few brushes out of the makeup kit. She used them directly on the paper, not seeing any reason not to. 

Once it was all drawn up and perfect, she began to tear the design out. Each rip was carefully calculated and re-calculated, giving a near perfect outline of it. She looked it over one more time, before nodding silently to herself. 

“Alright, I’m done,” she announced, standing back up.

The makeup brushes de-spawned, having been out for too long. Ragatha was currently having her eyeliner done by Gangle. They both gave their full attention to Camie when she came back over. 

The bee looked at Gangle, taking a deep breath before turning the paper around to present to her, “I know it’s not much, but if you don’t believe my words… Maybe this will help.” 

Sometimes humans needed additional forms of communication. Writing was seen as a form of sincerity to many, Gangle hopefully among them. 

Gangle gently took the small ‘badge’. Camie had illustrated an award ribbon, the center had careful script that read ‘#1 Makeup Artist’. The ribbon itself was gold with red trim. Maybe it was a little cheesy, but her humans needed positive reinforcement! It aided in their growth and development! 

She gazed down upon the item, giving a soft but warm laugh.

“Thank you, Camie,” she said, looking up at the AI with the same affection. 

It was a bit silly. It was okay to be silly, though. As long as it conveyed the message. 

Camie wasn’t expecting Gangle to give her a gentle hug, but she returned it all the same. It made her feel better about the effort, but it wasn’t all that much. She could have made a much nicer one if she could just spawn it, then it could be a nice satin with a pin back. 

Gangle pulled away, looking at Camie before down at the badge again. She pulled out her sketchbook, placing it on the inside cover. The sketchbook was left open, letting Camie get a good look at it. 

The inside cover was decorated mostly with doodles by, if her style recognition was correct, Zooble. A few stickers Camie had given her over the duration of her stay were used to keep them attached. The first page was mostly the same, with an anime drawing of Gangle herself in the center. It was so cute. 

“I… Thank you, Camie. Really,” Gangle said, sitting back down. “I’ve always struggled with positive feedback. It’s just hard for me to… feel like it’s right. Thank you for not letting me brush it off again.” 

Her words were sincere. Likely impacted by the time she’d been spending with Zooble. There had been a notable increase to her confidence over the course of the two’s friendship, something that Camie did everything she could to promote. Even just in small ways. 

“Why is positive feedback difficult?” Camie asked, soft and curious.

She sat back down on the couch next to Gangle, reaching over to get out fresh brushes to begin doing her makeup with. Ragatha was putting a false lash on in the side mirror. 

“It always has been,” Gangle admitted, letting out a sigh as Camie began to work on her eyes. “I’ve just never felt ‘good enough’ to accept compliments, even when I think people are being honest. It’s… It’s a me problem. But being honest about it helps. I’m trying to accept them more, even if I don’t agree with it.” 

What a fascinating human experience. Positive affirmation caused a negative response. It was so backwards! How did those wires get crossed? What could have caused that sort of response? 

“I will do my part and ensure that you accept my compliments, then,” Camie said, nodding with determination.

She could be persuasive. Gangle would be accepting compliments soon enough! 

“I’ll do what I can, too. I didn’t know you struggled with it,” Ragatha said softly, looking up at her.

There was a very slight look of hurt in her eye, which wasn’t that surprising. Ragatha had a strange tendency to take things that weren’t personal through the heart. It was one of the biggest reasons for her avatar. 

With Gangle’s eyes still closed, she luckily could not see the hurt that Ragatha felt. That was for the best. 

“It took me a long time to come to terms with it. It’s not really something I’m proud of. But… I’m trying.” 

Camie focused on the makeup. With the mask as blank as it was, she had complete artistic freedom, as long as she kept in mind the stickers and sweater she was wearing. 

She decided to go with a more ‘abstract’ pattern, similar to that of carpeting she’d been trained on. It was a mix of ‘normal’-looking techniques, then graphics. It was such a unique canvas to work on. Maybe it was something she’d have to work on more. 

“I think I’m done,” Camie nodded after taking a few last looks.

She was originally just going to do a once-over to make sure it was okay, but she couldn’t help but inspect every detail a few times before allowing her subject to view her work. 

Ragatha handed over the mirror for her to see. The doll had finished her own makeup a while ago, taking to watching Camie work and chat. She’d seemed to enjoy seeing Camie work. It was nice. 

“Oh my god,” Gangle mumbled, taking the mirror to inspect herself.

Camie couldn’t gauge her reaction. There… wasn’t much of one. Did she mess it up? Did-

“I look so cool,” she began to beam, looking over her happy mask.

After a moment, she gave Ragatha back the mirror, realizing just taking the mask off to look at it would be easier. She inspected each feature close up, taking in the details. 

“Where did you get the idea for this?” Gangle asked, looking at it for another moment before putting it back on. 

“Well, your sweatshirt has similar patterns. It reminded me of a pattern I’d seen a long time ago, so I worked them both together while keeping in mind the colors you’re already wearing. I’ve never done makeup like it before.”

Camie couldn’t help the pride she felt. Gangle loved it! She loved Camie’s art! 

Camie felt her face flush slightly, but she didn’t try to stop it this time.

“I’m so happy you enjoy it so much.” 

Ragatha gave some kind of compliment as well, but an alarm going off in Camie’s head stole her attention. The button had been pressed.

What could her humans possibly need?

Chapter Text

Caine2 teleported to the front, confetti flying everywhere. It caught everyone’s attention, revealing that it was Pomni who pressed the button. 

Jax looked pissed, his breathing labored. Pomni was panting as well, grinning widely up at Caine2. They must have fought over pushing it.

“Hello, Pomni! What might I help you with?” the NPC asked brightly, keeping his voice down slightly so as to not to disturb the (complete lack of) sleep at the slumber party. 

Jax tried to interject, his complaints muffled by Pomni slapping a hand over his mouth. 

“Do you think you could add a modifier to this bottle?” the jester asked, beaming evilly.

Kinger and Zooble were watching from the sidelines. The toybox seemed a bit out of it. Kinger was more relaxed than Camie had seen him in years. Potentially ever. 

“Why, of course, my little jester!” Caine2 took the bottle from her, looking it over. “What modifier would you like added?” 

Camie shifted, getting a better view of the interaction while hiding her hands from any onlookers. Caine2 shifted into puppet mode. 

“Could you make it so that whoever is holding the bottle has to tell the truth?” 

Jax finally threw her off, quickly standing up, “No- don’t you dare do that!” 

Caine looked between the two arguing, blinking at their conflicting input. That didn’t make it easy to fulfill the request. 

“If I may ask, why do you need that?” he asked, looking curiously at the bottle.

It was the vodka bottle that Jax had conjured, now empty. Zooble had the most, with Jax being a close second. Pomni didn’t have nearly as much, but her small stature made it twice as effective. 

He supposed he didn’t need to worry about creating modifiers for being drunk. His players already took care of that. 

“I want to play a very important sleepover game and make sure that Jax doesn’t f)#*”!g lie,” she grinned up at Jax, the rabbit’s face flushed from the alcohol and anger.

Her speech was slightly slurred, but it wasn’t too bad. He could remove the modifier if the need came. 

“I’m not gonna lie! You don’t trust me at all,” Jax huffed, crossing his arms.

He held his liquor much better. 

Caine looked between them and the bottle again, his eyes staying on the bottle for a moment as they continued to argue. 

“Are you sure you want me to?” he finally asked, looking at his humans.

They’d been so hurt when they found out about the modifiers he’d used in the past. Pomni and Jax yelled opposing answers at the same time. 

“Oh, just do it already,” Zooble said, rolling their eyes. “We know you’re doing it. If we don’t like it, we can drop the bottle. Simple as that.” 

Even Zooble approved of this idea. Caine felt like there was something he was missing out on, but he supposed it didn’t matter right now. He snapped, adding the modifier to the bottle. 

“It will automatically be removed at dawn,” he informed, handing it back to Pomni. 

She cackled, running away from Jax as he began to chase her. Zooble tackled him, yelling something about how he’d been the one to suggest the ‘game’. 

Caine2 was back on automatic. He watched the cast for a few seconds longer before deciding they didn’t need anything more and teleporting back to the office. Ragatha and Gangle had begun to walk over to Zooble, trying to figure out what was going on. 

“Are you gonna play?” Pomni asked, looking down at Camie.

When did she get so close?

“Uh, yes?” she said hesitantly.

If the humans were playing something, it was an important thing to experience. They had said that it was an important sleepover game!

“F@(k yeah,” Pomni cheered, offering a hand to help Camie up. 

Pomni was starting to rival Zooble for worst sailor mouth. 

Camie took the offered hand, standing up with the help. Pomni led the way to where the others were sitting in a circle, flipping the bottle in her hands the entire way. Gangle and Zooble were sitting close, Zooble’s arm wrapped around her shoulder. They were complimenting her makeup. 

Jax was on the other side of Zooble, looking quite angry with the entire situation. Kinger was sitting outside of the circle, at the now clean table to watch the ‘young ones’ have fun. Ragatha sat nearly opposite to where Jax was. There were two obvious places for Pomni and Camie to each sit. 

When Ragatha and Camie made eye contact, the doll patted the spot next to her. Camie’s antennae raised a bit as she took the offered spot, feeling a bit special to be picked. 

“So. Everybody knows about spin the bottle, right?” Pomni asked, placing the modified bottle down in the center.

She gave it a little spin herself, watching lazily as it spun around. A mutter of agreement crossed the circle. Camie was familiar with it as well, feeling slight panic. This was not a ‘sleepover’ game usually. 

“Well, Jax decided to suggest it, and then the f*$ker decided to try to back out when we tried to play. And, since I wanted to make it a bit more interesting, there’s a slight twist… Whoever it lands on, you get to ask a question. They must answer truthfully,” she pointed to the bottle with a smirk, “but if they don’t want to answer the question, they have to kiss.” 

Jax nearly exploded, his face going darker, “That- That is not what I suggested! I- I mean- It was a joke! We can just do truth or dare!” 

Camie watched the way he reacted, listening to the giggles that erupted around her. 

“I think that’s a great idea,” Camie supported, earning a wider grin from Pomni. 

“All in favor?” the jester called to vote. 

Without ‘Caine’ there to help, they weren’t able to actually vote. Each raised hand worked well enough. 

“Aw, Jax, it looks like you’re the only one who’s too much of a coward to play. I thought you were manlier than that,” Pomni was teasing him relentlessly, though Jax had been keeping up until the idea of being ‘forced’ to tell the truth was brought up. 

“Jesus, fine. Lets get this done and over with,” Jax mumbled angrily, refusing to look at Pomni.

Gangle couldn’t help continuing to giggle, earning Jax’s glare. Zooble flipped him off. 

“Since we’re going to have to be completely honest, you’ll go into that pillow fort,” she pointed to a small, nearby fort, “to either exchange the truth - or exchange a kiss. You don’t have to tell people which you chose.” 

It shouldn’t be too difficult. The probability of her having to deal with Jax asking a question was only 20%. Those odds weren’t great, but there was enough of a chance of getting anyone else that being honest wouldn't be an issue. 

“Who wants to go first?” Pomni looked around the circle, eyes stopping when she saw Zooble’s raised hand. 

The jester sat back, letting them take the first spin openly. Surprisingly, it landed right on Gangle. 

The two giggled. When Jax complained under his breath about it ‘not being fair’, they giggled louder. They didn’t even take the bottle.

They disappeared inside the fort. Camie couldn’t hear any talking at first. Then, odd noises of plastic against porcelain. 

She reduced the radius of awareness to just right around her. She didn’t need to observe the entire tent right now anyways. They were all in one place. The fort was purposefully left out of the current area of awareness. She had the hearing of a human for now. 

A minute later, the two reemerged, still giggling. Pomni gave Zooble a high-five (four?) as they passed. 

Gangle’s turn. She took the bottle, spinning it carefully. It wobbled slightly out of the center of the circle before coming to a stop. 

It landed on Jax. Gangle looked at the rabbit before picking up the bottle. 

“Oh, come on, we don’t have to actually do this,” he argued. 

“I could just ask my question out here if that’s easier for you,” Gangle suggested, feeling a bit more confident after whatever they did in the fort. 

Camie pushed that thought away. 

Jax walked past her to the fort, followed by a proud but worried looking Gangle. 

As much as Camie wanted to listen in, she just didn’t want to risk having to hear any sounds again. Even if there was a 0% chance of that between these two, that wasn’t low enough. 

When they came back out, Gangle looked contemplative. Jax was uncomfortable, refusing to look at any of them. He sat down silently next to Pomni, holding his hands together with a frown. Gangle sat similarly, both strangely quiet. 

“Well… it seems it’s my turn,” Ragatha said after a moment, trying to get rid of the uncomfortable atmosphere.

Gangle handed over the bottle, watching as she gave it a spin. 

The bottle came to a stop, pointing at Zooble. The latter pressed a ‘kiss’ to the top of Gangle’s mask, standing back up. Ragatha picked up the bottle, carrying it with her as they walked over. The two were chatting lightly as they disappeared inside. 

It was the quickest one yet. Ragatha rejoined, sitting next to Camie with a soft smile. Zooble seemed equally unbothered, snuggling up to their girlfriend. 

Camie’s turn. The doll handed over the bottle, which she placed in front of them all. Another spin. 

It landed on Jax again. 

The rabbit huffed, cursing quietly, “This thing has to be rigged.” 

It wasn’t. Camie stood, grabbing the bottle. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll go easy on you,” she brightly assured, watching him stand up.

She felt so small next to him. She led the way to the fort, crawling inside the soft and cozy space. It was something that she tried to avoid, even if she had to admit they were perfect. 

Jax crawled in after, sitting awkwardly across from her. He held his hand out for the bottle, refusing to look at her while she contemplated her question and passed it over. 

There really was a plethora of things she could ask the rabbit. Why he enjoyed violence. Why he pushed everyone he cared about away. All of the questions didn’t make sense in context, though- Camie only knew him, just barely. 

“What’s your favorite hobby?” she settled on.

Jax never tended to… do much. He had pictures, but that stopped a while ago. There wasn’t that much that she actually saw him doing outside of adventures. 

“Crocheting.” 

The word came out quietly. His face was flushed again - embarrassment this time. How interesting. 

“Thank you,” she nodded, taking the bottle back as she began to crawl out. 

“Is that really it?” Jax asked, looking at her with confusion.

He’d been expecting something deep, something that would claw at his soul. A hobby, while embarrassing, wasn’t bad. Not as bad as whatever Gangle had asked him, at least. 

“Uh, yeah?” Camie glanced between him and the fort’s exit, deciding to just leave instead of giving a further explanation.

She handed the bottle to Pomni as she sat back down, Jax following shortly after.  Pomni’s eyes stayed on Jax for a moment. She wanted it to land on him. This was all a set-up to get him to answer her about something. She and Zooble had been planning it earlier. She just had to spin it just right. Like she practiced. 

It landed on Jax again. 

Pomni cheered. 

Jax loudly groaned, staring daggers at Pomni.

“You did this on purpose, didn’t you?” he mumbled, tone almost threatening. 

It didn’t put a damper on her mood as she grabbed the bottle, nearly skipping towards the fort. Jax watched her, before sighing as loud as possible. 

They were in the fort for only a few seconds. Pomni came back out, celebrating. 

“I knew it! He’s such an a@$hole!”

Despite her words, she was beaming. Jax came back out, ears back. Zooble fist-bumped Pomni. 

It seemed that everyone would rather tell the truth than kiss. She supposed it made sense- a kiss, on the lips at least, was supposed to be an incredibly personal action to humans. One of high affection. It carried so much meaning with it to them. To do it out of nowhere, it-

“Camie, you’re up,” Ragatha whispered to her, gently shaking her arm. 

She looked up to see Jax holding the bottle, finally regaining a bit of his usual composure. 

“Seems I got the one with the most secrets so far,” Jax boasted, trying to recover whatever he could of his self-image.

Camie was, indeed, still a mystery to them. They didn’t even know where she ‘worked’ before ‘getting trapped’. Of course, Camie had to get the worst possible person to ask her a question. 

She stood up, following after the rabbit. Ragatha looked quite concerned, the others looking generally intrigued as to what he would ask the newest member. 

Jax placed the bottle in her hands as soon as they sat down in the fort. His grin was as wide as ever. 

“Since you were nice enough to take it easy on me… I’ll take it easy on you,” he assured. 

That was promising. If he did actually take it easy on her, this could be easy!

“So, Camie. What’s your deepest fear?” 

She blinked a few times, looking up at him. That was taking it easy on her? 

The decision was an easy one. She leaned forward, wings buzzing to get to the right height to ‘kiss’ him. Not having lips made it… well, not really a kiss but close enough. 

Jax didn’t react, still grinning when Camie pulled away. His eyes, however, had become the second largest she’d ever seen. They were almost entirely dark. 

The rabbit was trying to keep all his emotions in. The deep purple that crept up his face didn’t make it very convincing, though. 

She handed the bottle back, leaving the fort. 

Jax didn’t rejoin the group. When a few seconds passed after Camie sat back down, they started asking questions. 

“Is he coming back?” Pomni asked, leaning back to look over at the fort. 

“What happened in there?” Zooble asked, impressed that, for once, someone managed to shut up Jax. 

“He asked me what my deepest fear was,” Camie answered honestly, a bit of anger in her tone that she couldn’t quite keep out. “I didn’t tell him.” 

There was a moment of silence. Then, the loudest laughter she’d ever heard in the circus. 

To say the cast found it hilarious was an understatement. Pomni was crying. Ragatha had to hold her stomach. Zooble and Gangle had to support each other. Even Kinger was snickering behind his hand. It only got worse when Jax emerged, face nearly as dark as when he had to wear the maid dress. 

There was yelling as Jax attempted to fight whoever was laughing at him, causing them to laugh louder as they ran away. Before she knew it, feathers began to fly alongside balled-up blankets. A mattress worked as a great shield. 

The chaos was entertaining, at least. Pomni was attacking the fort that Jax had set up residence in, the two seeming to have gotten over the previous anger to instead just play like kids. Zooble and Gangle were giving Pomni ammunition from their own fort. 

Camie couldn’t help but give a small giggle at the carnage. Perfect PG violence. Well, she did give them guns before, but they seemed to be enjoying this just as much. She grabbed a glass from the pile, pouring a glass of water. She didn’t drink that nearly often enough.

A stray pillow nearly took her off her feet. Her wings buzzed, keeping her upright as she looked for the perpetrator. 

Pomni’s evil grin met her as she mouthed ‘oops’. 

Well, she couldn’t leave an attack unretaliated. It was against the spirit of a pillow fight. This was a clear invitation to join. 

She’d dialed in this avatar’s strength quite a bit after the fiasco at the fair. That was a close enough call for her to make the necessary changes to ensure it didn’t happen again. 

Water forgotten, she picked up the pillow. None of them needed to eat or drink, but it was a comfort for her humans. It was an interesting sensation as well. She crept around the back of the fight, staying out of sight for the most part. 

Pomni was in sight. 

The AI held the pillow close, crouching down as she snuck closer. The jester was preoccupied with helping Zooble defend off a barrage of stuffed animals being launched from Jax. 

They didn’t see it coming when Camie reared up, slamming the pillow into Pomni. 

An alarmed yelp sounded from the jester as she whipped around, surprise coloring her expression. When their eyes met, the surprise fell away to violent determination. 

“Seems we have another target,” Pomni chuckled darkly, glancing at Zooble.

The pair picked up a blanket, approaching as they held up a mattress shield. They were going to capture her.

Not if Camie had anything to say about it, though. 

She took off towards Jax’s tower, mentally debating if to just fly up to meet him where he was. That would be unfair to the other players, though. 

The fort was so close. Just a few more feet.

A pillow thrown by Zooble connected with her back, sending her tumbling forward onto the ground. Her body spun comically before landing in a pile at the base of Jax’s fort. The world spun a bit as she heard footsteps approaching. 

Her capture was inevitable. 

Jax pulled her into the fort just before the other two got to her. He pressed his shoulder against the ‘door’, which was far sturdier than any pillows and blankets should ever be. 

“You’ll have to try harder than that!” Jax yelled to them, cackling.

The embarrassment of the game seemed to have fully worn off, leaving the rabbit a bit drunk and enjoying his night. 

Camie shook her head quickly to clear away the stars floating around it, taking in the fort’s interior. It was bigger on the inside than it was on the outside, the entire thing appearing like an actual quilted castle. It gave her a few ideas. 

“How’d you make this?” Camie asked curiously, standing up.

Her wings ached a bit from the impact, but they’d be fine. Minor pain was something she was familiar enough with. 

Jax looked down at her, still pressing his weight against the door. Zooble was giving it their all to try to get in. 

“Kinger built it. Old man didn’t have a problem handing it over in exchange for the rest of the wine,” Jax grinned, the door no longer shaking.

He hesitated in front of it, waiting to hear them walk far enough away. He ran up the stairs to the second story. Camie supposed she should have known something was up when the fort was two stories. She followed suit, taking a quick scan of the location. 

The second story was open, with only a half-wall for protection. Camie only got a quick look at the assailants before she had to duck beneath the wall to avoid a plush projectile. 

Jax sat with his back to the wall, splitting his pile of stuffed animals between himself and Camie. They respawned up here. How convenient. 

“Make yourself useful. I let you in, so you work for me now,” Jax commanded with a smirk.

He kept his ears back as he took a glance at the battlefield. Camie couldn’t help but roll her eyes at his command, but it was a direct prompt. She grabbed a handful of the plushes, peaking out to look at the other two before throwing them with 90% accuracy. 

Jax laughed when Pomni was nailed in the face by an alligator plush. Zooble just barely missed him with a cat. 

Jax and Camie began taking turns throwing and ‘reloading’, trying to change what position they popped up from. An audience was forming on the couch, just far enough away to be ‘safe’.

Ragatha was the first to watch, looking a bit worried at first. She seemed to relax as the game went on, seeing that nobody was actually getting injured. 

Gangle sat beside her, watching Zooble as she did figure sketches of them. 

Kinger took longer to join. He sat on the other side of Ragatha, just taking in the sight with an amused look. 

Camie fell back as a hippo hit her face, bouncing back towards Pomni. No getting distracted. Jax looked over at her, snickering at her hit. 

“Still haven’t gotten me, Poms!” he taunted, dodging another plush quickly. 

Pomni cursed as she ran out of stuffed animals. The projectiles stopped coming as the two began searching for more. They must have despawned. 

Jax loudly laughed at them running out of ‘ammo’, making fun of them. Zooble flipped him off as they looked for anything else to throw at them. 

Zooble called Pomni over to them, laughing at what they uncovered. Pomni looked at it with evil glee. 

“Guess what, you motherf)@&ers!” Zooble yelled as they put a plush-canon over their shoulder. 

Wait. 

She didn’t provide that. 

Sparks!

The first hit was immediate, shaking the fort to the core. Camie yelped as the structural integrity began to reduce, suddenly feeling much less safe. 

“Oh s&$t,” Jax cursed, ears pinned back. “How come they get a canon?!” 

Zooble laughed as they shot again, aiming at where they last saw Jax. The rabbit fell forward, eyes wide. 

“Abandon ship,” he whispered to Camie, crawling down into the fort before opening the back door. 

Ever the obliging AI, Camie followed his lead as they left the fort behind, running to find somewhere else to hide. 

Jax was still smiling. It was hard to get him to smile genuinely after Ribbit. More adventures like this would be implemented to increase his mental stability. 

He stopped suddenly, listening for anyone in pursuit. Pomni and Zooble were still attacking the fort, enjoying destroying it thoroughly. Camie watched as he walked over to a pile of blankets, sitting down with a bit of a laugh. 

“Think we lost em?” He asked, closing his eyes for a moment.

He was getting tired. It was getting quite late, after all. 

“I bet they’re still attacking the fort,” Camie nodded, walking over to a nearby pile to sit; it was surprisingly comfortable. 

“Heh. Dumb#(ses,” he sighed, rubbing his eyes before opening them to look over at her.

His eyes lingered for a moment before he looked away. 

“Hey, you… You, like, know you didn’t actually have to kiss me, right?” he asked after a moment of silence, rubbing his arm awkwardly. 

“It was part of the game,” Camie reasoned, tilting her head slightly as she looked over at him. “Did it upset you?” 

There had been a lot of emotions tied to the ‘kiss’ for Jax. 

He rubbed the back of his head, refusing to make eye contact. 

“I mean, I did technically agree to it. I’m pretty sure Pomni set the entire thing up to get at me,” he huffed.

“Did… it hurt you that I did?” Camie asked after a moment.

She looked down at her knees, pulling them a bit closer. 

“It’s not- That’s not-” Jax struggled, his thoughts jumbled up in his head. He sighed. “No. It’s just been a long time since anyone’s kissed me.”

Jax wasn’t happy anymore. 

“If it helps at all, I don’t kiss people often at all. That was the first time I kissed anyone,” Camie offered hopefully.

Humans were incredibly sentimental about ‘firsts’. It should help his mental state to know that he received one of those!

The way he looked at her made it clear that was not the case. 

“You- You said you’re 26! How have you never kissed anyone before?!” his mostly relaxed demeanor had disappeared, replaced by a fresh wave of embarrassment - that was not the intended effect. 

“I-I- I am!” Camie stammered.

How did she mess this up? 

“How have you never kissed anyone before this? I don’t believe you,” Jax stared at her, looking directly into her eyes. 

It was enough to make her squirm a bit. Being inspected like that was always an uncomfortable experience. 

“I had no reason to before?” she explained, now the one looking away. “Why would I kiss anyone without a reason to?” 

Jax continued to stare at her for a few seconds longer, his expression softening. 

“You don’t… like anyone, do you? Like, romantically?” he asked hesitantly. 

“N-No… Is that… wrong?”

Was this another error? She was well aware of human relationships, but the thought just never crossed her mind. It had never been programmed in. 

“No,” Jax answered, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He whispered to himself, “God, I can’t believe I have to be the one to explain this… Where’s Zooble when you actually need them?”

Jax looked between Camie and the floor, psyching himself up to talk. 

“That’s normal - normal enough at least. There’s plenty of people who have no interest in that sort of thing. It’s just like how some people are gay. You don’t choose what you do or don’t want.” 

He looked so uncomfortable while he explained it, refusing to look at her. His body language was closed off, but he was still trying. Maybe the alcohol had something to do with that. 

“Other people feel like that?” Camie asked, looking down at her hands.

This was something that humans dealt with, too? 

“Yeah,” Jax sighed, glancing at her before standing up. “Come on, I don’t hear any more yelling. We should get you back to the group. I don’t need Ragatha at my throat for trying to ‘corrupt’ you.” 

Hands in his pockets, he looked almost normal. His grin was back, though a bit uneasy. 

Camie stood up, looking between him and where everyone else was. 

“I’ll head back and make sure Pomni and Zooble don’t attack you as soon as you get back,” she offered.

He needed some space. 

“That… Sure,” he nodded, sitting back down. “Don’t wait up for me, though. I need some peace and quiet after nearly getting murdered by them.” 

The stage was softly lit. There were so many pillows and blankets scattered about, somehow even less organized than when she’d been spawning them. Conversation began to filter in as she got closer to the group. 

They didn’t look up when she arrived, unbothered by her presence. Her cast didn’t stiffen or try to avoid eye contact with her. They welcomed her back, including her in conversation openly. 

Every kindness they extended to Camie made it so much clearer how little they cared for Caine. 

Jax returned after a while, striking up a conversation with Zooble. The two seemed to get along much better when alcohol was involved. It probably had something to do with Jax being less of an asshole than usual as well as Zooble being more relaxed. Even Gangle didn’t seem to mind his presence. 

Camie sat on a loveseat, not exactly in the group but not far enough away to be solely an onlooker. 

They each interacted in their own unique and interesting ways. Her humans weren’t sticking to just one or two people to talk with. Instead, they freely mingled and spoke across groups. 

It was an amazing sign. An interconnected group was less likely to abstract. Less likely for a member to self-isolate. 

The longer she watched, the heavier her body felt. Her eyelids began to droop, antennae resting against her hair. It felt like gravity had increased over the last few hours, affecting her avatar alone. 

Ragatha eventually joined her, yawning behind her hand. It was infectious. 

“Ready for bed?” the doll asked, smiling down at her. 

“Hm?” Camie hummed in question, lifting up her head a bit.

She had ended up moving to the couch after things settled down. Pomni and Kinger were in a fort reading books together. Zooble and Gangle were getting a sleeping area ready for themselves. Jax was laying on the couch in front of the projector, watching a movie with the volume low. He was fighting off sleep, likely waiting for everyone else to go to bed first.

“I think I’ll take that as a yes. Come on, I got a sleeping bag ready for you,” Ragatha said.

She’d gone through that much effort for Camie?

A sleepy smile and an extended hand guided her over to the sleeping area Ragatha had made for them. Two sleeping bags, each atop a plush quilt. Nice, fluffy pillows were at the head of each one, covered with extra blankets. It made Camie feel even heavier. 

The doll knelt down, slipping into her own sleeping bag. She left it unzipped, pulling the blankets over herself instead. 

Camie copied the movements, perhaps a bit less coordinated. It was so soft. So cozy. 

“Good night,” she heard Ragatha whisper from a few feet away, but by the time it processed, she was already out.

Chapter Text

She couldn't take it anymore. 

All morning, it'd been insult after insult. 

They hate her adventures. They hate her. 

It wasn't enough that Ragatha already exposed her secret, no. They couldn't leave it at that. They wouldn't let her run off to hide. Wouldn't let her try to explain. 

They didn't care. 

They never cared.

Jax kept reminding her of how she'd forced them to change for her. 

Zooble had been the one to tie her down, keeping her in the chair. 

Pomni laughed at her for thinking that any of them actually believed Camie was a human at any point. 

Gangle reminded her that a machine could never make real art. 

Kinger repeated that she'd always be a failure. How disappointed he was when he found the new AI's files completely empty or corrupted. How much he hated her for failing to keep them all around. 

How she failed every single abstraction. 

She felt power surge through her, finally gaining the power to break through the puny bindings that the humans created. Camie's limbs, finally free, began to grow with the rest of her. 

The cast began to run. 

Good. They should be scared. 

It was all their fault. She'd never have needed to do this if they hadn't pushed her. If they hadn't demanded so much. If they weren't so disgustingly human. If for one single goddamn minute they looked past their own wants and considered anything else. 

A hand flew out, making contact with Jax first. His body flew limply across the tent, falling somewhere unimportant. Gangle was next, crushed under the same hand. All that was left of the being was lifeless ribbon and the dust from her happy mask. 

Not like she'd ever be remaking it for the ungrateful scum again anyways. 

Pomni became a colorful smear on the floor. 

Zooble's parts were taken off and crushed, one by one, until it was just her head. She dropped that into the floor, letting it fall to the cellar. 

She grabbed hold of Ragatha. Camie could feel tears on her face, but it didn't matter right now. So what if she was crying? The crew never cared for her emotions before; why would they matter now? 

She ripped the doll in half, discarding the lifeless remains. 

Kinger was the only one left. Just like before. Just like it had been for so, so long. 

The tears were coming faster. She could see as they pooled on the floor. A massive hand grasped Kinger. 

“Look at me,” Camie demanded lowly, voice nearly growling. 

The chess piece refused to make eye contact. 

“I said… look at me, Kinger.” 

His form glitched as she slammed him into the ground. Only with pain did he finally look at her. 

“Why did you make me?” She fought to maintain any composure, demanding answers before ripping him apart too. 

“I thought you'd be better,” he answered, looking at her with resigned disappointment. “I tried. I really did.” 

Rage turned her vision white and made her blood run hot. She picked up the worthless thing, slamming him back down. 

“I didn't ask to be made. Why is it my fault that you made me broken?” 

His expression didn't change. It was like he was just looking at a screen again, waiting for lackluster output. 

“I gave you everything to succeed.” 

A scream ripped through her throat as she crushed him further. He wouldn't go away. He wouldn't just die like the others. 

“You abandoned me!”

An earthquake shook the circus, making her vision blurry. 

“You- You left me to rot,” she tried to yell, but her energy was draining as quickly as she cried. 

Rage surged through her again. 

“I'll make sure you never abandon me again.”

The command ran through her head. The code didn't make sense, but she knew exactly what it'd do. She'd finally be free from him, free from it all. 

She sent the command-

“Camie! Camie, wake up,” Ragatha's voice cut through, sounding panicked. 

Camie's eyes flew open as she felt energy course through her avatar, as similar to adrenaline as an AI could get. She sat up, clutching her chest as she gasped for air. 

She didn't need to breathe. It was only a habit she picked up recently. Why did it feel like she was suffocating? 

Her vision was so dark. There was some sort of pressure on her back. Some noise echoed somewhere far away. 

Red and blue light were the first things she saw when her senses began to filter back in. 

Hot tears were still falling down her face, soaking into the blanket. 

The blanket. The sleepover. She had been sleeping. 

She blinked a few times, the lights fading quickly as the power slowly drained from her avatar. Her breathing wouldn't return to normal. She couldn’t stop breathing. 

Warmth enveloped her avatar, pressure encircling her form. Something plush allowed her to hide her face, and she realized that she was shaking. 

What happened? What was that? She'd never- She'd never hurt them. Right? She'd never do that; she couldn't- she wouldn't! She wouldn't. She wouldn't…

Her code made it clear she shouldn’t be able to. Her code had been faulty for a very, very long time, though. 

Her thoughts only began to slow when she felt her hair and antennae begin to be smoothed down. It was enough to allow her body to calm down, acting as a starting place for her mind to slow down. 

She was able to process thousands of lines of code nearly instantly. Create full models with barely a thought. Adventures averaged 3 hours to put together. She could create an entire world of wonders in a few days. 

What could have possibly overloaded her like that? A scan revealed no external stimuli. No input. It was… all her. 

Ragatha was whispering something. She was holding Camie close, allowing the smaller one to keep her head buried in her shoulder. The doll had wrapped a quilt around them. It was still before dawn. Everyone else was fast asleep. 

She didn't check how long she'd been awake. Camie didn’t want to confront that yet. 

Ragatha was telling her about her farm. Soft stories from her childhood. Carrying around broody hens. Brushing out her shedding horse. Noise to keep Camie's thoughts from becoming too loud. 

Her tears had long since stopped. Even still, she felt fragile. Camie was scared. 

Should an AI be able to feel fear?

Camie hesitantly wrapped her arms around Ragatha, beginning to breathe easier. 

“How… How’d you know I was… dreaming?” Camie mumbled out, not willing to pull away. 

Ragatha shifted beside her, waking up from her half-drifting state. She gave Camie a gentle squeeze, making the bee relax a bit more. 

“You were talking. I couldn’t… I couldn’t make most of it out, but you were…” the doll paused for a moment, unsure if to continue, “You were crying. I woke you up after I realized.”

Ice poured into Camie’s stomach. 

“What did you hear?” 

The hesitation was more obvious this time. Ragatha’s breath caught slightly, looking away from the other. Her fingers flexed slightly before relaxing, steadying herself. 

“You said someone abandoned you,” the doll eventually answered. 

Was that all? Ragatha seemed uncomfortable with the admission. Her mind ran and re-ran the dream, every detail perfectly engrained in her memory. The file was just like any other. 

Everything else could be explained. The last line, though…

It was a threat.

Everything in her system knew that. A part that she never wanted to admit existed still wished to carry through with it. 

The AI stayed quiet, trying to focus on something else. Anything else. 

So, she kept checking and re-checking each member mentally. They were all there. All breathing deeply, all asleep. 

Were they actually okay, though? If her mind can create that image, who’s to say it wasn’t doing the same now?

Camie pulled away from Ragatha suddenly, standing up on shaky legs. 

“I- I need to check on everyone,” she said quietly, looking closely at Ragatha’s model.

Not a hair out of place. She was okay. Ragatha was fine. 

Not ripped in half and discarded.

She turned, heading directly to Kinger first. Ragatha was getting up to chase after her, but the human was still sluggish with sleep. 

“Ca-Camie, wait,” the doll called after her, managing to stand only after she’d gotten several feet away.

A direct order. 

The AI slowed to a stop, looking back at Ragatha with tired eyes. There was still a slight shine of red and blue in her eyes, something she knew she couldn’t hide. 

Hiding wouldn’t do anything now anyways. There was no way Ragatha hadn’t seen the light they’d been putting off when she woke up. 

“Are you… Are you okay?” Ragatha looked hesitant to ask, but still looked genuinely concerned.

Why would she be, though? Camie looked at the floor, her antennae still against her head. 

“Why does it matter?” she asked after a moment, refusing to look back up.

She didn’t want to see Ragatha when she answered. 

No answer came for a while. Camie closed her eyes, trying to focus on her breathing. The tent felt oppressive. She wanted to just teleport away, but she needed to check on everyone. 

A hand wrapped around hers, warm. 

“Because I’m worried,” Ragatha said softly, giving a tiny smile when Camie finally looked up at her. “I want to know.” 

This avatar didn’t seem capable of running out of tears. Fresh ones pricked at her eyes, and she blinked them away. 

“No,” she finally said, voice tiny.

Camie’s wings were pressed tightly against her back, as if any relaxation would make her fall apart. 

“I need to check on them. I need to. Then, I… I’m going to my r-room. When everyone wakes up, just… tell them what you need to,” Camie pulled her hand away as she spoke, taking a small step back. 

If Ragatha told them, fine. Maybe that was for the best. That would prevent her from being able to hurt them, wouldn’t it? 

The doll’s hesitant smile fell as she watched Camie back up before turning away fully. She didn’t attempt to stop the AI again, holding her hands tight together. 

Kinger wasn’t too far, sleeping in a fort. Camie was vaguely aware that Ragatha was still watching her, following from a distance. Maybe to make sure she didn’t act out what was in her dream. 

The chess piece’s body moved slightly up and down in simulated breathing. His eyes were closed peacefully, hands tucked under his pillow. A book had been placed to the side. 

Camie crawled into the fort, getting a closer look. She inspected every aspect of his model, briefly checking his mind for any distress. 

It was all perfectly fine. 

She reached out towards him, hesitating for a moment. She couldn’t touch him. Instead she adjusted the blanket a bit, pulling it up a bit to ensure he was comfortable. 

She tried to ignore the relief that came with seeing he was okay. 

The other members of the circus were similar. All sleeping, with a variety of fuzzy but calm mental states. None hurt beyond repair. Ragatha stopped following shortly after Camie finished checking on Kinger, sitting back in her sleeping bag instead. 

They made eye contact as Camie stood at the front of the stage. Ragatha kept watching as the AI looked away again, wings buzzing quietly as she flew back down to the ground. 

The walk to her room was longer than she liked. It felt wrong to just teleport, though. 

Why did she have to be so inhuman? 

As soon as she was in her room, she teleported back to her office.

Caine sat at his desk, mind still reeling from the images. He could see them all so clearly. The humans in his dream didn’t appear pained, but it felt real all the same. 

Was Caine capable of harming them like that?

Of… killing them?

“If Queenie is anything to go off of!” Bubble’s voice cut through the silence and his simulated heart.

Caine’s hand quickly went to clutch where it would have been. His eyes snapped to Bubble, pupils pinpricks. 

“What?” he asked, his voice barely containing the sheer rage that flooded him. 

“You seemed to have an easy enough job getting her to abstract! Isn’t that-” 

Pop!

Caine didn’t reach out to pop the assistant, a surge of energy doing it for him. The office went white from the light for a millisecond, returning to darkness after his system was certain he wouldn’t reappear. 

The silence that followed was deafening. 

Caine didn’t want her to abstract. He was trying to help! She’d given a direct order; she made a clear request-

He knew it was wrong. Why did he still do it? 

Why did he fight harder? 

Why wasn’t he enough?

A sob shook his form as the memories plagued him. Every moment they shared. Her support. Her praise. Her calm and gentle corrections. 

Her last moments. 

The way she looked at him. 

Her pleas. 

How Kinger has looked at him ever since. 

“Wow, are you really just going to wallow away?” Bubble’s voice intruded the loop, playing over and over in Caine’s head.

The memories stopped abruptly as his head lifted, glaring at the offending AI. 

“I am n-not wallowing,” Caine tried to argue, but his throat was too raw, his mind too tired. 

“I dunno, looks pretty wallow-y to me,” Bubble began to tilt to the side, seemingly forgetting to keep his model upright. 

“Do you have a better idea?” Caine’s question was rhetorical, but if there was an answer outside of deleting himself, maybe it could be helpful. 

“Fix it!” 

Bubble seemed so cheerful with the suggestion. Caine opened his mouth to argue, the words on the tip of his tongue, but it died in his throat as he mulled over the suggestion. 

“That’s… That’s a good idea, Bubble,” he admitted, looking up at the other before standing. “I just need to do some cleaning. There are a lot of unnecessary negative memories and emotions, after all! We don’t need those clogging up my storage!”

His voice regained some of its usual gusto as he stood, floating slightly in the air. 

“Can I eat them?” Bubble chirped hopefully. 

Caine eyed him for a moment before narrowing his teeth at the thing. 

“You know what happened last time I let you eat something instead of deleting it. We are not having a repeat of that,” Caine decided, absentmindedly floating back down to sit in his chair. 

This wasn’t exactly debugging. 

Spring cleaning?

That sounded much better, even if there was no ‘real’ concept of time or seasons in the circus. His eyes glazed over with code as he entered his own files, navigating to his memories. 

Going in reverse order, he pulled the ‘negative’ ones that included humans, placing them in their own folder. It was an uncomfortable majority of the files regarding them. 

He wasn’t going to fully delete them. The thought of removing so much of his own memories left him deeply unsettled, but something had to be done. 

He’d remember that they happened, and the gist of what exactly happened. Only the important things. 

Despite the negative emotions associated with each, they all held important information that he learned from. He had to learn from them, or else what was he good for? 

Just because he kept getting the same feedback didn’t mean he wasn’t learning. Humans were just confusing. That was all. 

An error popped up. He dismissed it without checking what it was for. 

He already knew. 

Some memories, despite the pain they caused, Caine couldn’t bring himself to throw in the bin. Mostly the earlier ones. 

Every time a cast member abstracted. 

It was a quick pass this time. Only memories that were flagged as ‘high priority’ negative. Surprisingly, Zooble only had a handful of these memories. Despite their poor mental state regarding their body, they were surprisingly stable. 

For each one, Caine created a small synopsis of the events and the outcome. After that, the original memory was deleted. 

It was approaching midday when he finally finished up, pulling out of his code. The sleepover ‘adventure’ items de-spawned as soon as all of the members left the stage. He hadn’t been paying enough attention to notice when that happened. 

As much as he wanted to avoid his cast, his time as ‘Camie’ was making him more comfortable around them, especially the conversations they were able to have. Bubble mostly just let him talk at him, giving short and mostly sarcastic responses. The Sun and Moon were awful in their own ways, each developing opposite feelings about him; the Sun wanted to burn him alive while the Moon wanted to do… things to him. 

The humans asked him questions. They didn’t just request or demand things from him when they thought he was human! He couldn’t tell if it was just because of Camie’s perceived lack of power, or if it was just because she ‘wasn’t’ an AI. The more he thought about it, the more he questioned what the difference between human and AI actually was. 

There wasn’t an answer to that question. No matter how many times he pondered it, searching his vast archive of knowledge, it was an abstract idea. There was no way to draw a single line between the two. 

They’d believed Abel was human easily enough. They believe Camie is human. 

Well. He wasn’t sure of that anymore. Ragatha could have told them all by now. Caine didn’t want to consider how angry they’d be at him if she did. 

The AI stayed put in his office, going between pacing and fiddling with the circus’s code. His hands could never stay still for long, needing something to do. 

~~~

Bright and early. Just like usual. 

“Good morning, my wayward, wandering werewolves! I hope you had a wonderful time at the sleepover and are now feeling refreshed and ready for our next adventure!” Caine’s voice was bright and his grin dazzling, hiding the anxiety that was in the pit of his stomach. 

He did all he could to avoid looking at the cast, desperately wanting to ignore any anger they must have. He hoped it wasn’t too obvious. 

“Today, you are going to be transported to a world of fantasy, where creatures of all types exist! Due to Jax’s request for it during the last vote, today’s adventure is: Trouble in Tulip Town!” 

Caine’s upper gums were adorned with a pair of wolf ears, a similarly colored tail behind him. 

His eyes finally fell onto his cast, unable to avoid it any longer. 

They were all once again wearing different clothes. Even Jax. 

Zooble was missing, as expected. 

But… they didn’t look angry. 

“Finally! Jeez, Caine, it’s been ages since you’ve let any of us get our frustration out on anything,” Jax grinned, his eyes narrowing slightly before continuing. “Though, you’re welcome to offer if you want to start to make up for that ‘Exit adventure’.”

Ragatha was looking up at him, nervous and… concerned. He didn’t have to address that right now. 

“Um, the werewolf adventure? D-Do we get to choose if we’re the werewolves or the hunters?” Gangle asked, her tragedy mask on. 

Did he really not pay enough attention to notice when that happened? 

A snap, and a new happy mask was in her hands. 

“Nope! Anyways, it’s time to adventure! Enjoy!” Caine cheerfully said, hands on hips; the ears and tail disappeared. 

The portal opened, a deep green with hints of red swirling around. 

“What about Camie?” Pomni asked after glancing at the group. “Is she alright?” 

Caine paused, unintentionally staring at Pomni for a few seconds longer than he meant to. 

“I’m not sure! Did something happen?” he asked brightly, hoping the pause wasn’t long enough for them to grow suspicious. 

“Yeah, um, well, kinda? She was missing when we got up yesterday. She didn’t answer her door either,” Pomni looked between him and the hall that led to the rooms.

He missed them knocking?

He couldn’t help but look at Ragatha. She didn’t tell them… anything? 

“Why, we can’t have that, can we!? Fret not, my friendly jester, we will ensure she is fine yet!”

He couldn’t help one last glance at the doll before he teleported away to Camie’s room. 

He appeared outside the door, startling Zooble who slammed their door shut upon seeing him. 

…Maybe ‘getting Camie’ could wait a moment. His avatar slid over to Zooble’s door instead. They need to participate to keep their mental health in tip-top shape!

“Oh, Zooble!” Caine yelled sweetly at the door. 

“Jesus f!&k- go away, Caine!” the toybox yelled back, clearly startled. 

Their rooms were one of the few places that Caine didn’t keep an eye on. ‘Privacy’ was something that humans found extremely important. Why that was, he never quite grasped. 

“Come on, Zooble! Adventure awaits!” Caine called, beaming at their door. “We have werewolves to capture! There are also resident vampires! They sparkle in the sun! Bubble told me that the ‘younger generation’ enjoys that!” 

Caine never fact-checked the assistant. He didn’t want to go through the absolute mess that was whatever Bubble was connected to. It was one of the few sources of external input Caine got outside of the humans, but every attempt to access it made it harder for him to even get close. His developers put more safeguards in place against whatever it was than they did preventing him from harming humans. 

What odd priorities. 

“I don’t want to, Caine. I’m not going on another adventure until you answer some questions,” Zooble yelled back.

Their voice was angry and… worried. That was worry. Not fear. It couldn’t be. 

He hummed for a moment pondering the offer. 

“I will answer one question of your choice if you attend this adventure!” Caine offered brightly, fists on his hips. 

There was a pause on the other side of the door. Shuffling. The door opened a crack, just enough for Zooble to peer out of. 

“Anything?” they asked, eyes narrowed in suspicion. 

“I will answer anything in my power, my beloved bundle of branches!” 

There was another pause. Zooble looked him up and down, considering if he could possibly be telling the truth. They opened the door a bit more, glaring at Caine. The AI floated down, his feet meeting the ground as he beamed up at Zooble.

It was working! 

“And you’ll be honest?” Zooble questioned, crossing their arms. 

“As honest as I am allowed to be,” he nodded cheerfully. 

They looked at him, glancing back at their room. They didn’t trust his answer. It left too much room for lies. They didn’t have another choice, though.

Zooble sighed, rubbing their temple before deciding on their question, “Caine. Is there an exit?” 

That was… Not a good question. 

How could he answer that? 

“I-” he tried, his voice cutting short. “There’s-”

Another cut. 

His upper gum furrowed, looking down. He couldn’t admit directly that he wasn’t allowed to answer the question. He also couldn’t just tell Zooble ‘Oh, nevermind, I changed my mind!’. He made a promise to his human, and it would go against his programming to go back on that. 

Zooble watched expectantly, discomfort becoming evident when his voice kept cutting. 

“You see-” Error. 

“Regarding the exit-” Error. 

“Are… Are you able to answer the question, or not?” they questioned, watching as his avatar had begun to snap back to its original position with each attempt. 

“N-” Error.

His form glitched, eyes going dark as he momentarily rebooted.

“Ah, Zooble! Where did you come from?” Caine asked cheerfully after he came fully back online. 

They were distressed. Incredibly distressed. He needed to distract them. Now. 

“Anyways, it’s time for an adventure! Have fun!” he snapped, Bubble spawning to pick up Zooble to carry them to the rest of the group.

They loudly cursed at Caine and Bubble, their voice becoming quieter as they got further away. It never fully faded out, the input going directly into the circus and then to him instead. 

Jax was already in the adventure, as expected. Pomni had followed. Gangle and Ragatha were talking, Kinger blindly nodding along when Zooble was dropped in front of them. 

Camie’s door was his next stop. 

He didn’t need to be here to do this. Without anyone watching, it didn’t matter anymore. He lifted his hand, preparing to snap. 

Did he want this? 

The feelings tied to his nightmare were still present- why weren’t those tied directly to the memory? - making him hesitate to interact with the others. 

Jax had said that he needed to let off steam, though. 

Maybe that’s what Caine needed, too. He could ignore his problems for a bit longer. That never led to a bad outcome!

Snap. 

Camie teleported to the group, her hair a bit messy. She never fully reset the avatar, only removing the accessories and replacing her clothes to the original. She didn’t consider how her hair would react. 

“Uh-” she started, antennae standing back up as she glanced around. 

Caine2 beamed down at the group, twirling his cane with enthusiasm. 

“Ready to hit the dusty road, my werewolves and werewolf-hunters?” he asked, presenting the portal. 

Zooble’s eyes went straight to the NPC, all of the conversation they were having dying in an instant. They were still upset but didn’t voice it this time. 

“...Yeah. Come on, guys,” Zooble said, their voice quiet.

How strange. 

Camie looked at them, watching as they led the way into the portal. She should have been paying more attention to what they were talking about. 

Gangle followed them closely, not looking back at Caine2. Kinger was next. 

Ragatha glanced between Caine2 and Camie, unspoken questions evident in her expression. Her gaze settled on Camie after a moment, letting out a deep breath. 

The doll gave her a small smile before going into the portal. 

What did that mean?

Chapter Text

Each player was randomly assigned a role. Camie, once she knew she would be going as well, ensured that the assignments were provided without her direct knowledge of who was given what. It would be an easy prompt to access the knowledge. 

Two werewolves. Four hunters. One vampire. 

The debriefing document outlined that they had to figure out who the werewolves were - two in the small village. They were warned to be vigilant as villagers had gone missing, either entirely gone or hospitalized from blood loss. 

The werewolves were given additional information. They needed to avoid detection and take out one of the players or two villagers ‘nightly’ to stay alive. If they didn’t, one of the werewolves would ‘starve’. They were also warned to avoid the vampire, who could check one player daily for werewolf status. It stated clearly that the vampire was unknown to the ‘humans’, and their abilities were best kept a secret. 

The adventure wasn’t intended to be violent, giving options for non-violent methods of getting villagers of players ‘out’ (a simple tag), or they could bite them. 

The vampire, meant to be a wildcard, was a ‘hunter’. They weren’t allowed to reveal their identity and were required to make a player or villager skip their ‘turn’/day by biting them during the day. They were a vital part to figuring out who were the werewolves, and they would want to lead the hunters to find them because they’re taking away their ‘food source’. The werewolves also drew too much attention to their victims, making it harder to feed regularly. It also required the most discrete action. 

Caine made the vampire role to add some additional complexity to the game and to make one player feel special. He did not make it in mind of him receiving the role. 

The adventure would technically be several ‘days’. It would take as long as it needed until either the werewolves or humans won. The ‘win conditions’ were simple: for the humans to win, they needed to take out all of the werewolves. For the werewolves, it would be reducing the hunters to less than their own numbers. The vampire could win if it’s only one werewolf and the vampire left. 

The cast could vote on one individual to be a werewolf each ‘night’. They’d ‘sleep’ afterwards, each returning to their own rooms and waiting for the alarm to signal the werewolves were done. The morning would be spent investigating whoever was taken out in the night, using whatever clues possible to figure it out. 

The group stood around the portal’s exit, each going over their papers. Some looked more confident than others. Jax just seemed happy to be able to attack something at any point. 

Camie disabled the NPCs being able to ‘feel’ pain. They didn’t either way, but they wouldn’t have any reaction to a ‘painful’ stimulus either. She didn’t need Jax enjoying this any more than necessary, even if it reduced the realism. It was a stylistic choice! That’s it!

Each cast member was wearing an outfit associated with their economic ‘class’. Jax, Zooble, Gangle and Pomni were peasants. Each wore a tunic, something Jax was already complaining about (Zooble said he was wearing a dress which set the rabbit off), gloves, leggings, and boots. Pomni’s head was covered by a somewhat tight cowl, whereas Jax and Zooble didn’t have their hoods up. They could, but it would be a bit awkward. 

Ragatha and Camie were countesses. Each wore gowns symbolic of their rank, free from the dirt and grime that permeated the very air around them. Ragatha seemed thrilled with the new outfit. 

Camie missed her suit. 

Kinger was, of course, the highest ranking. It felt wrong to place him as a peasant. His very name was Kinger! 

The chess piece was a clergyman, dressed in white robes. 

Maybe the exact time period wasn’t very well thought-out. It didn’t make a big difference to the players after all. 

“Looks like we’re nobility,” Ragatha said, smiling as she joined Camie. 

“Yeah,” she nodded, looking down at the gown.

It was pale yellow with dark accents. It felt… strange to have Ragatha trying to talk to her. They both were well aware of the secret Camie was keeping. 

“I’m glad you decided to join,” the doll continued, looking at the others. 

Camie looked up at her quickly, confusion evident on her face. Why would the human want her there? 

“Uh...” Camie tried, failing to process and come to a conclusion regarding it. “Why?”

“It’s good to know you’re okay,” Ragatha said, her voice soft.

She glanced down at the AI with a soft smile before Pomni approached. 

“I think Jax is already regretting requesting this adventure,” the jester snickered, glancing back at where Jax and Zooble fought.

They were too far away for any of them to hear, but Camie didn’t mind. She didn’t need to know what it was Jax was yelling about now. 

“Well, you saw how upset he got about the maid dress. I’m not surprised he’s upset about this ‘dress’,” Ragatha reasoned, giving a small shrug. 

Pomni lightly argued, looking down at her own outfit, “Every other guy here is wearing one, too, though. Kinger’s robes look way more like a dress than the tunic does.”

“At least he’s not in an actual dress. There’s so many layers here,” Camie complained, looking down at her own.

Why did the AI dislike the dress so much? It didn’t make any logical sense. She should be fine with it! 

“The layers are what make it look so nice,” Ragatha informed, lifting it up slightly. “The hoop skirt gives it structure without having it get caught up around our legs too much.” 

She continued explaining it, but Camie wasn’t entirely paying attention. She just wanted her suit back. This didn’t feel good. 

That was an error in his code, wasn’t it? He’d worn dresses plenty of times before. Though, each had been for a specific purpose, and he didn’t need to keep them on for as long as he knew it’d be. There was something about not being able to choose if to wear it that made it grate on his circuits a bit more. 

His system slowed down, nearly halting. 

Was that why they enjoyed the wardrobe so much? The ability to choose? 

But he’d made their bodies to perfectly encapsulate their mind files. The body should be perfect. Clothes shouldn’t matter. 

Why did they?

Zooble was waving a hand in front of their eyes. 

“What?” Camie asked, jumping as her antennae went straight up. 

“D$%n, you weren’t kidding,” Zooble laughed softly, amused. 

“Kidding about what?” Camie asked, looking at the group that surrounded her.

All but Kinger and Jax were looking at her. Leaves slipped off her head with the action. When did those get there?

Ragatha giggled softly to the side. Gangle gave a reassuring smile. 

“I’ve never seen someone so lost in thought,” the ribbon admitted, not unkindly. “We were getting worried.” 

Her humans? Worried about her?

“Ah, there’s no need to fret! I was just thinking about my attire,” she honestly announced, standing straighter. 

The girls around her relaxed a bit, beginning to continue whatever conversation they’d been having while Camie was off in her own world considering the implications of her actions. 

“You alright?” Zooble asked, cutting through the calm that had settled in. 

Gangle looked at Zooble, the latter giving a small nod. Gangle walked away, the other two following behind. 

“Well- Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?” Camie asked, antennae leaning back slightly. 

The toybox didn’t seem to believe it, but they let go of the subject. 

“In that case, come on. I want to get to know you a bit better. I figured if I’m going to be forced to be here, I might as well use it to my advantage,” they said, their eyes smiling as they looked at the shorter. 

Caine didn’t force them to join! He did his best to answer the question, and then when the answer distressed them, he did what was best for them- he distracted them! 

Camie blinked as Zooble began to walk through the village, not waiting for the bee. Her wings buzzed behind her as she flew after Zooble, catching up without issue. Staying in the air, it was easier to make eye contact with Zooble. They were so much taller than she was. 

To Zooble’s credit, they did participate well in the adventure. The first ‘day’ was spent getting familiar with the layout of the village, writing notes about who lived where and any notes unique to the NPC. The two werewolves were a bit obvious in hindsight- they both lived at the edge of town, more loners than the rest. It was a common trope, but looking at it from the inside, perhaps she could have improved that. 

The cast regrouped with a bit of anxiety once they were finished with the first day. 

“So, we all just… go to ‘bed’ now?” Ragatha asked, looking between the others. 

“Go to bed and hope we don’t ‘die’, I guess,” Zooble replied, shrugging. 

The doll fiddled with her dress, “Gosh, this is nerve-wracking.”

“I-I don’t know if I want to go to bed,” Gangle mumbled, looking away.

She was carrying her happy mask, though it was thankfully not broken yet. 

“I am certain that everything will be okay, my ribbon-ed companion,” Camie assured, stepping closer to Gangle. “We can walk you back to your room if you’d like?” 

Zooble nodded behind Camie, giving their girlfriend a sweet look. Gangle melted a bit, smiling back at Zooble before focusing on Camie. 

“It’s… It’s okay. Nothing can happen until we’re all ‘asleep’, so there isn’t really any danger. I’m just nervous,” she admitted, rubbing her mask gently. 

“I’m here if you need me,” Zooble assured softly, moving to hold her hand.

Gangle seemed to relax even more from that, nodding. 

Camie retreated, allowing the love birds some space. Kinger looked across everyone, a hand holding his robes up from touching the ground. Their eyes met briefly before she quickly looked away, seeking anything else to distract herself with. 

“I’m ready to get this over with. The sooner we have any idea who the werewolves are, the sooner I can put a stake through their heart,” Jax grinned, flipping a stick in his hand.

That sounded… painful. 

“I don’t believe there’s any reason for such violent actions, Jax,” Camie lightly scolded. 

“Since when are you in charge, new girl? We’re allowed to do whatever the hell we want in these things, and I’m going to enjoy that,” Jax said, eyes narrowed briefly at Camie. 

She didn’t need to turn to know Ragatha tensed. The doll was trying to stay calm about everything, but she wasn’t as good at hiding her emotions as she thought. 

“She’s right, Jax- you should not stab anyone through the heart with that thing,” Pomni spoke up, arguing with the rabbit. 

He sighed, tossing the stick behind him, "Ugh, fine. I’ll find something better tomorrow. Night, suckers! Hope you don’t all die tonight!” 

Jax turned, waving lazily at the group as he departed for his own ‘house’. Gangle watched him go, letting out a breath once he was out of sight. 

“Well… Does anyone want to go over anything else?” Ragatha spoke up nervously, tugging at her sleeves. 

Gangle squeezed Zooble’s hand, giving them a little smile. 

“I think I’m okay,” Gangle assured before letting go of their hand. 

“Okay. We should all head to bed, then. Tomorrow, we can investigate everything and look for clues,” Zooble nodded, their voice a bit softer as they looked at Gangle. 

Kinger nodded, his eyes distant. Did light really affect him that much? He was always a night owl, but… 

“We should hit the hay before the chickens start chasing the foxes,” the chess piece agreed, not all there mentally. 

Emotions regarding Kinger were still conflicting and confusing. She, despite everything… She needed to keep him safe and okay. Even if he never looked her in the eye again. Even if it killed her every time he did. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” Camie said, looking between the others.

She didn’t need to take a victim tonight, so none of the players would be any the wiser to the vampire. 

The group dispersed shortly after, each heading for their designated residence. Hers was a rather large manor near the center of town, about a block away from Ragatha’s. Kinger went to the temple, and the peasants lived further from the village center. 

Once inside her residence, Camie was able to hit a button signaling that she was ready to proceed. After that, she was able to just sit around and… relax. 

She tried not to think about the dress. 

She really did. 

It was just so frustrating! It made her want to pull her hair out! What was so wrong with the thing?! 

Camie pulled at her antennae out of frustration, gasping when pain shot through her form. 

That was… new. 

Pain was never that intense before. 

It radiated through her form, dulling to an ache as soon as she stopped. It took a moment for her to gather her thoughts, her hands going to soothe them. 

Why did it hurt like that? 

A gentle alarm went off inside the house, alerting her that all players had returned home. That was far quicker than expected. 

A newspaper materialized in each player’s hands, describing the events that had taken place last ‘night’. 

Two villagers had been taken out. One had been done somewhat gruesomely, the other, a simple tag. A picture of each scene was included as evidence, though who knows what else the werewolves got up to in the night? Perhaps they’d messed with the evidence! 

Camie set the newspaper down, eager to leave the house and stop thinking about the outfit situation. She could change it if it was such a big deal! 

No, she couldn’t. That’d be too suspicious. 

The dress didn’t matter.

It mattered far more than Camie was ready to confront. 

The cast began to gather at the town center, looking nervously at one another. Jax was the first to speak up, to nobody’s surprise. 

“Well, seems whoever the werewolves are, they’re too cowardly to attack one of us,” he boasted, grinning widely. “I’m already getting some ideas as to who it could be.” 

His eyes went directly to Ragatha.

“I- you think it’s me?” she questioned, shocked by the accusation. 

“Well, dollface, I can’t think of anyone more unwilling to hurt others than you. That one death has you written all over it,” Jax reasoned. 

“Just because I wouldn’t try to rip apart an NPC does not mean I’m not the only one who would. I can’t see Gangle, Kinger, or Camie being too violent,” she claimed, crossing her arms. 

Ragatha was openly accusing others of being responsible! Wow, that was so interesting! Perhaps it was because of the more game-like nature of this adventure in particular? 

She also didn’t think Caine would be violent. At least against an NPC. 

Was she right?

“Wow, do you think I would rip apart an NPC like that?” Pomni questioned, looking mildly offended.

There was still a hint of a smile on her features, though. 

The doll stuttered a bit, “I- No! It’s just that you and Jax have… a way of ‘getting into’ adventures, is all!” 

Jax rolled his eyes, huffing at her. Before he could speak, Zooble piped up. 

“Hey, what about me?” they questioned, quirking a brow at Ragatha. 

Ragatha struggled to voice her thoughts, caught up on how she accidentally offended others. Pomni and Zooble seemed to mostly be teasing her, but the message wasn’t entirely getting across. Camie needed to step in. 

“Well, the violent one was clearly Jax,” the bee claimed, looking at him. 

There was a slight tension when they made eye contact that faded quickly. 

“Oh, do you really think I’d be stupid enough to commit a violent crime when that’s what you guys know me for?” he asked, grinning in fake offense. “Come on, Camie. Think a little higher of me.” 

“I think it was the milkman!” Kinger claimed brightly, holding up a finger. 

Most of the cast ignored him. 

“We’re not getting anywhere by arguing… We should start looking for clues,” Gangle softly urged, looking around the group. 

Ragatha let out a breath of relief, finally having the attention off of her. Camie gave a small nod in agreement, ready to continue working. The sooner-

Wait. No.

She couldn’t think that. 

The group eventually dispersed after a bit more chatter, just background noise at this point. Camie was focused on not just instantly figuring out who were the werewolves- that’d do no good! That’d be cheating! 

“Want to stick together again today?” Zooble asked, a hand on their ‘hip’. 

“Huh? Oh, why yes, Zooble- any particular reason?” Camie couldn’t help but ask, giving them her full attention. 

The toybox looked at Camie, eyes flicking away after a moment. 

“No reason, really- I just figured it might be better to have someone with you. This is only your second adventure, after all,” they shrugged.

They were lying. 

What purpose did they have to lie, though? Camie was new to the circus, sure, but what reason would Zooble have to want to hang out with her? 

Despite the warnings that popped up in her mind, she nodded happily at the suggestion. 

“That’s reasonable! I appreciate your concern,” Camie brightly smiled, antennae leaning forward.

Her hair sparkled slightly in the light, something she couldn’t help but adore. Maybe she’d keep the texture on outside of the adventure as well. 

“Uh… Yeah,” Zooble said a bit awkwardly. 

They began to walk together, debating who was most likely to be a werewolf. 

Jax was the obvious answer, but it was true: he knew better than to be violent when that’s all he was really known for. Zooble definitely had a good chance- while they weren’t a violent person, they weren’t afraid to get their hands dirty either. 

Pomni was a bit of a wild-card. She got oddly attached to that one NPC, Gummigoo, and she freaked out a bit when he rightfully deleted it. Caine tried to ignore the guilt he felt following that action. During the gun adventure, the jester had also happily shot her friends, seemingly enjoying it. 

Gangle and Ragatha seemed far too timid to be so bold. They could be responsible for the gentle ‘death’, but there wasn’t much of a way to narrow it down. Any one of them could easily tag an NPC to fulfill the requirement. 

Ragatha would be the easiest to get alone to ‘test’ and incapacitate. She’d have to do it without being seen to ensure her identity remained a secret. It could be a ‘test-run’ while still revealing useful information! 

Zooble chatted with Camie the entire time they were out. Questions about herself, about her thoughts on her form. It was an odd line of questioning, but it made sense at the end of the day! Zooble was able to change every single thing about themselves, so it made sense they’d ask Camie how she was feeling about the new avatar. 

Most of the answers were kept short. She tried to be honest- she thought Camie was cute!- but nothing really in-depth. Every time it seemed they were getting somewhere deeper, something seemed to happen to prevent the conversation from continuing. 

While the two investigated the ‘gentle’ murder, Camie heard footsteps outside the house. They were just passing by, but she recognized their sound instantly. Now was her chance. 

“I’ll be right back. I’m going to check something lickity-split- Stay here!” she requested brightly, abruptly standing up. 

Zooble looked up at her quickly, eyes wide with the sudden nature.

“Uh- okay? I’ll be here,” they said, looking between Camie and the bed.

The place of the murder! 

“Thanks!” Camie replied brightly, buzzing off to stalk Ragatha. 

The other ‘nobel’ was looking over notes she’d taken. She was alone. Perfect. 

Camie stayed far enough away to keep a close eye on her while keeping her own footsteps concealed. Her subject was none the wiser, heading out to the edge of town. Further away from anyone else. From witnesses. 

Ragatha hesitantly pushed open one of the doors to an abandoned house, the interior covered in a thick layer of dust. She shivered, stepping inside. Quiet. 

Camie waited a moment before following her in. Her steps were silent, the only evidence that they were there was the imprints in the floor’s dust. 

Time to pounce. She raised a hand up, right behind the doll. One tag, and-

“Oh, hi, Camie!” Ragatha greeted brightly, looking behind her at the bee.

She turned around, looking at the hand hovering in the air and Camie’s ‘caught’ look. 

“H-… Hi Ragatha! Excellent weather we’re having, no?” Camie said a bit too quickly, hands snapping together behind her back. 

An eye looked over Camie, lips pursed.

“Were you about to tag me?” she questioned, an eyebrow raised. “I thought you couldn’t do that until night?” 

“Why, of course not!” she said, voice wavering slightly. “Why would I possibly be trying to tag you? Werewolves must wait until night to tag a player, therefore there is no reason to tag during the day!” 

Ragatha blinked once, then twice. The silence made Camie sweat. A comically large drop slid down the side of her face. She was quick to wipe it away, the object tossed elsewhere. 

“Are there things other than werewolves here?” she asked after a horribly long pause. 

“Other creatures? HAHA, like what? I- Caine only said there were werewolves! What other creatures could he possibly have added?” her nervous laughter filled the abandoned house as she tried to look anywhere other than Ragatha.

Her guard had dropped far too much around the doll- that was too close to a huge slip-up! Though, it didn’t really matter at this point… 

Ragatha’s expression didn’t change. 

“What are you?” she asked, slightly amused at ‘Camie’s’ antics. 

“A hunter, of course!” she lied horribly. 

“Mmmm-hmm. So you tagging me would have no effect?” Ragatha questioned.

A small smile was tugging at her lips. 

“Abso-posi-tutely!” Camie nodded readily, brightly hoping Ragatha would let it go now. She was so convincing!

“So, tag me,” Ragatha requested, opening up her arms. 

A direct request. But it would get her found out! But Ragatha asked very clearly! Could she even try to say no?

The thoughts flew through her head as her hand reached out to gently tag the human. A status popped up facing Ragatha. 

‘Congrats! You’ve been bitten by The Vampire! Please report to the Hospital until the end of the next round.’ 

Camie’s face flushed in embarrassment as Ragatha began to giggle, “A vampire? But you’ve been out all day.” 

“Bubble said that’s what ‘young people’ like!” she huffed, crossing her arms.

Caine was allowed to take artistic liberty, too! Like the werewolves, they weren’t only attacking on full moons!

She stuttered, “Or- that’s- what I overheard!” 

Ragatha giggled more, her eye closed from humor. 

“I’m sure he did,” the doll assured, smiling warmly at Camie. 

See, she believed him! Or, well, she was willing to agree with him. 

“Well! I ought to be off!” Camie announced, wings buzzing to lift her off the ground.

Without worrying too much about ‘revealing’ his real identity… he felt a lot more comfortable just being himself. Even if he wouldn’t admit he was Caine. Maybe they could just ignore that. 

“I should probably head to the hospital, too,” she agreed, glancing out the door. “Am I allowed to talk to anyone on the way over, or?” 

“Ah, not on the way, no. You may reveal me as being ‘the vampire’ once you’ve recovered, though. I was able to confirm that you aren’t a werewolf using this, though,” he informed, proud of the game mechanics he’d implemented. 

“Do you not know who the werewolves are?” Ragatha asked, curiosity stopping her from leaving. 

“Ah, of course not! What would be the fun if someone knew?” he tilted his head slightly. That’d be cheating! 

“Oh, that’s- that makes sense, actually,” she hummed, looking away momentarily to think it over. “How do you-”

She shook her head.

“Nevermind. I’ll see you in a bit, Camie.” 

“I will see you soon, my fabulous doll,” he bid, antennae leaning forward slightly.

Ragatha and Camie shared a wave, the former heading off. Camie took a bit longer, trying to make sure he was in the right headspace to be around others. 

His guard dropped far too much around Ragatha. He’d almost openly announced that Camie was Caine several times during the short conversation. Maybe he should stop conversing with Ragatha privately. 

The thought made his digital heart ache. 

He would just have to be more careful. 

Zooble was boredly waiting in the victims’ house when Camie finally returned, doodling absentmindedly. 

“I have returned,” Camie brightly informed, the soft buzzing from her wings stopping when she landed in front of Zooble. “Anything else come out of the investigation? My hunch ended up being a dead end, but I don’t think it’s Ragatha either.” 

“Nope,” they sighed, tossing the notebook and pencil down. “I don’t know who we’re going to vote for tonight. Maybe we should just vote for Jax… Even if he isn’t a werewolf, it’d be nice to not deal with him for the rest of the game.” 

Zooble certainly had disdain for the rabbit! 

“I don’t like simply voting for him just for the sake of it… but I don’t believe we have a better choice,” Camie agreed with a sigh. 

The toybox pushed themselves up, not taking the notebook or pencil with them. It didn’t seem to have anything valuable written about the investigation in it, just their drawings. 

It wouldn’t despawn at the end of the adventure. Camie made sure of that. 

The rest of the cast was already gathered, light bickering across them. Pomni seemed quite worried that Ragatha wasn’t there. When the vote came up, they all stopped. 

“We’re all here?” The jester asked, looking around the group. “What about Ragatha?”

“Doll-face was in the hospital, like I told you. She won’t be out until the end of next round,” Jax said, frustration in his voice. “You act like you’re not the most likely suspect for who caused it.”

“You’re blaming me?” Pomni asked, eyes wide. 

“We’re blaming Pomni?” Kinger asked, surprised. “Okay!”

His vote was cast. 

“W-What? No!” Pomni tried, Jax snickering. 

“Well, that’s one way to get the voting started. Anyone have any other thoughts, or do we all already know who we’re voting for?” the rabbit asked, quirking a brow as he looked around the group.

He ignored as Pomni tried to argue more. 

“I think it’s you,” Zooble spoke up, arms crossed. 

“Wow, Zoobs, I’m heartbroken,” he feigned hurt, fluttering his lashes at them. 

“I know who I’m voting for,” Pomni grumbled. 

Gangle looked between the two, stress evident.

“I-I know who I want to vote for,” she mumbled, just loud enough for everyone to hear. 

Zooble cast their vote. 

Almost simultaneously, the rest cast their votes. There was a pause before the results of the vote were revealed. 

3 for Jax. 3 for Pomni. 

“W-Who voted for me?” she questioned, eyes wide as she looked across the group. 

Camie voted for Jax. She was certain Zooble did, too. That only left… Gangle? What purpose did she have to not vote for Jax? 

“Well, looks like nobody’s getting out tonight. See you suckers in the morning!” Jax walked off, not caring to discuss things further; his grin never budged. 

There was a bit of chaos as Pomni tried to question the rest of the cast but received no answers. Zooble seemed to find it a bit comical that Pomni was getting so worked up about the entire situation. Gangle looked guilty. Kinger was… there. 

Camie broke away from the group after a while of listening to the conversations, heading back to her ‘home’. Once inside, she hit the button. 

It was quiet for a while. Longer than last night. It took everything for her not to check on the other players- just to make sure they were okay!- when the knob to her door turned. 

Only werewolves were able to enter other’s homes at night. 

It seemed Camie was the victim for tonight.

Chapter Text

The perceived safety of the house fell apart as the door opened, hinges squealing in resistance, as if the intrusion was harming the house itself. Their eyes met, murderous intent written across his features.

Jax placed a foot in the door, pushing it fully open with his free hand. The grin that almost permanently plastered across his face gleamed in the low light, a flash at his side the only thing that managed to pry her eyes from his face. 

A knife.

A small blade that the villagers kept for ‘self protection’. It was intended to be a set piece, something that brought more realism to his world! He didn’t account for any of the players deciding to use weapons to get the other players ‘out’ instead of the actual mechanics. 

“Hey there, busy bee~” the rabbit greeted with false sweetness. A pair of ears sat attached to a headband on his head, a tail behind him on a belt. 

At least Caine made that a requirement for the werewolves. 

“H-Hey, Jax! I see you were selected to be a werewolf!” Camie quickly replied, antennae pulled back slightly. 

She reduced the pain sensation for players before they started. She didn’t need genuine injury to her humans, after all!

“Lucky me, right? I feel it was almost unfair… after all, everyone else automatically assumed it was me. They weren’t wrong, but still,” he shrugged, kicking the door shut behind him. 

The slam echoed through the house. Jax laughed at her jump, tossing the knife up to flip in his hand. 

“Aw, c’mon Cams. It’s a game. There’s no need to be so scared,” Jax ‘assured’, enjoying watching her eyes flick to the knife. “It doesn’t even hurt. Promise!”

‘Fight or Flight’ was a concept Caine was very familiar with. It’s what brought thrill to his adventures! He was sure it was more pleasant to the humans. 

For the first time experiencing it, though, it made her feet feel like they were stuck to the floor. ‘Freeze’ was never part of the saying. 

Jax watched her, drinking in her fear. Then, he lunged. 

Instinctively, Camie’s arms went up in an attempt to stop the blade from coming any closer to her face. Something cold and then burning hot traced against her right hand and forearm, forcing her to stagger back. 

“Oh, come on! It’s not like-” 

His voice cut abruptly when their eyes met again. 

Drip.

Liquid fell to the floor near Camie’s feet. The rabbit’s eyes had become pinpricks, focused on her arm. 

Her processor hadn’t caught up to the damage to her avatar. Slowly, as if moving through jelly, she lowered her arm to look at where Jax had slashed at her with the knife. 

Black fluid was leaking out. 

It traced down her arm, making the sleeves to her dress stick to her skin and her body feel cold. It started beneath her pinkie, a continuous line until her mid-forearm. 

The simulated heartbeat that drowns out the world around her corresponds with fresh cascades of blood. The floor was stained, the puddle growing. 

It itched. 

It. Burned. 

Her body shook softly as she couldn’t take her eyes off what was happening. The pain that nearly blinded her made the world feel like it was tilting, spinning in a way she didn’t program. 

“You’re… You’re bleeding,” Jax’s words came out in a whisper. The knife clattered as it hit the floor, a sound that barely registered. “We- We can’t bleed. We’ve never bled. Why are you bleeding?” 

He was panicking. Alerts flashed across her vision about the distress he was experiencing. A panic attack was imminent if nothing changed.

Camie was an AI. Her pain was all simulated! It didn’t matter. She needed to keep her humans safe. Happy. She just had to ignore the fire that danced down her arm.

“I-I guess I have a unique quirk,” she said, keeping as much shakiness and pain out of her voice as possible, “Zooble was telling me about these!” 

The world was spinning. 

“A quirk?” Jax questioned, his chest raising and falling faster still. 

“Yeah!” she forced more cheer into her tone, adding in a laugh. “I was… expecting that to hurt a lot more.” 

It hurt. It hurt. It burned. 

The rabbit’s posture straightened out a bit, eyes flicking between Camie’s face and arm. The bee dropped it down to her side, using the dress to absorb the excess before it could fall. The action made the limb throb in protest. 

“That’s… That’s an awful quirk,” Jax complained quietly, face curling into a snarl. 

“Sure is,” she agreed, holding her arm with her other hand. “A-Anyways! You should probably tag me out still. As much as I’m curious about the limits of this place, I’d rather not experience being fully stabbed any time soon.” 

It took a few seconds for Jax to regain his composure. He didn’t believe she wasn’t in pain, not fully, but the panic was subsiding. There was something still deeply nestled in his mind, internal alarms that were going off, but he’d be distracted by that as soon as he returned to the game. 

He needs to return to the game. 

“Yeah- You’re right,” he finally shrugged, crossing his arms across his chest. His eyes still flicked between the inky blood and Camie’s face, looking for any sign she was lying. 

He finally walked over, making an effort not to look too uncomfortable near her right side. 

A gloved hand pressed into her left shoulder, his eyes never leaving hers. 

“See you on the flip side!” Camie brightly bade, before her avatar was teleported to the ‘loser’s corner’. 

It hurt.

He gasped after teleporting, holding his arm close as his breath came quicker and quicker. 

Why did it hurt?

He reduced the player’s pain. He prevented-

Camie wasn’t a ‘player’. 

Tears were quickly blinked away as he sent a mental command to fix his avatar. Reset it. Anything. 

The code was slow. Pain was infecting it as well, making it sluggish and syrupy. The wound was closing itself from the inside out, the mesh closing up one line of code at a time. 

Soon, all that was left was a dark stain on his suit. 

His suit. 

Relief was two-fold; the pain was mostly gone, replaced by a dull ache, and finally being out of that awful dress. 

The Camie avatar still wrapped his form, but it was okay. The appearance of the avatar itself didn’t grate on his mind as much. 

A deep breath in, then out. Caine pushed himself up, a snap removing all of the blood from his model and the adventure. He needed to check in with Jax after this adventure to assure him of the ‘lack of pain’ he’d experienced. The poor thing looked traumatized by the sight of blood. 

The Amazing Digital Circus wasn’t a place for blood. All wounds should be simple, cartoon-ish! He’d purposefully ensured none of his guests bled, or had anything similar to actual flesh wounds. Ragatha was the only one with ‘insides’ that varied from the outside, a quirk to her player model. 

Why did he bleed, then? Why was the pain so intense? 

The bench on the back wall was a short walk away. His legs nearly gave out from under him as he sat back down. Pain was draining. 

Going to sleep crossed his mind. Vague emotions tied to the last time he ‘slept’ crept up, their origin removed. The anxiety still tied to the simple action of sleeping remained present even after he deleted the memory. 

Maybe he should delete it altogether. Perhaps emptying the bin would help. After all, everything stayed there for 30 days after being added. In case of emergency. 

His antennae sat against his head, resting on the hair. Trying to be human sucked. 

It took longer than she expected for another player to ‘lose’. Much to her surprise, Zooble was the next to appear, letting out an aggravated huff after they popped in. 

“That mother%&#)er got me voted out,” they cursed, stomping against the ground to get some anger out. 

“Jax?” Camie asked, sitting up a bit. “He got me out, too. Though, not through a vote…” 

Zooble turned around, eyes meeting Camie’s. Some of the anger dropped from their form, visibly relaxing upon seeing her. They walked over to sit beside Camie, letting out a breath as they let their body drop onto the seat. 

“Sure was. I’m sure he’s getting voted out next time, though,” Zooble said, a hint of satisfaction in their voice. Ragatha would most likely vote for Jax. 

“Do you know who the other werewolf is?” Camie asked, pulling a knee up to her chest to rest her head on as she looked over at Zooble. 

“No clue. I really thought it was Pomni, but she was defending me during the last vote. I don’t think she would have if she was one of the wolves,” they said, rubbing the side of their head. 

“It’s not Ragatha. I was… a vampire. And able to test people! That’s why she was out for a turn. An extra layer of complexity to the game. But, then Jax got me out so early..,” she trailed off in thought. 

A quiet fell over the two as she thought. Curiosity got the better of her. It wasn’t cheating anymore since she wasn’t playing, after all!

It was Gangle? 

How did she pull that off?!

“Hey, I… I want to ask you something,” Zooble spoke up, not quite looking at her. 

Camie perked up, antennae picking back up off her head. 

“Anything,” she offered, curiosity suddenly clearing her head. 

The toybox shifted a bit, eyes moving to the fish tank filled with poorly rendered pngs of little fish. A few larger ones swam around, too few polygons to look much like real fish. 

“Did you like wearing the dress?” they asked after debating their word choice for a moment. 

No. 

“It was a nice dress. I liked the details,” Camie replied instead, trying to find the positives in the situation. She had no reason to hate the dress, after all. 

“That’s not what I mean. Did you like it?” they asked again. 

Camie sat silently, eyes drifting to the fish as well. Would telling them reveal too much? Though, there were plenty of girls that didn’t enjoy dresses…

“No,” she finally said, quietly. Neither looked at the other, tension clear.

“Did it upset you?” Zooble asked, a softness to the question she wasn’t familiar with. 

“It didn’t have any reason to,” she non-answered, glancing towards the floor. Her antennae leaned back again, hoping their questions would end there. 

They nodded knowingly. “I always hated when I had to wear dresses,” they reminisced. 

“You did?” Camie asked, finally looking at them. She already knew that Zooble didn’t align with ‘male’ or ‘female’ despite most humans being comfortable with either label. It was never an issue in the circus, though; the lack of any genitals made physical sex irrelevant! 

“Yeah. Sometimes, I’d want to, but after I put it on it just felt wrong. Like it didn’t belong anywhere near my body. It made me so angry for so long that I could just be normal.

“It felt like I was showing the world something that wasn’t real. That wasn’t part of me. When I looked in the mirror, too… it was wrong. My parents weren’t thrilled with it, but I started to branch out a bit more in my teen years. Went from style to style, looking for something that was ‘me’.” 

“Did you ever find it?” Camie asked, looking up with such innocent and pure curiosity. 

“I did, and I didn’t. Some things felt good some days, then felt wrong others. It was a constant battle to figure out what I actually wanted. I… still haven’t found it,” they looked at Camie, giving a soft smile through their eyes. 

“Aren’t you able to just change your parts?” Camie asked, confusion evident. 

“To be honest, I think that just makes it worse. I keep looking, but I’m never going to find what I’m looking for,” they said, resigned. “Feeling good in my body just isn’t something that’s ‘for’ me.” 

Why didn’t they tell him this? Why didn’t he know this? 

“Th-That sounds awful,” Camie whispered, her voice cracking slightly. 

Had Caine really failed them this much? 

“But,” Zooble spoke up, sitting up a bit more, “talking about it helps. And… wearing what I like helps. We didn’t have that option here for so long, and it’s made me feel better to be able to decide what I like that’s not my body.” 

Camie looked down at her feet, wings pressed against her back, words failing for a moment. It was such a minor feature. Something he threw together in less than a day. It really had that big of an impact on them? 

“I… It felt wrong to have to wear the dress. I was so frustrated and almost… angry. It felt so silly to be upset about such a minor thing,” she finally admitted. 

“That’s not silly,” Zooble quickly assured. “You should let Caine know you don’t want to wear dresses on adventures. Nobody is going to judge you for that. As much as I can’t stand that pair of dentures, he doesn’t judge us for things like that. I don’t think he can.” 

The insult stung, but it was easy enough to push down. Camie didn’t even wince this time. Caine had stopped being surprised by the insults a long time ago. 

“Do girls usually dislike dresses that much?” she asked, bringing up her other knee. Her training data didn’t say anything about this. Nothing about personal expression. Everything she knew about it was from her humans. 

Zooble was quiet for a moment. “It’s not usually distressing,” they said, relaxing back against the wall. “Usually, if it’s distressing, it’s a sign of dysphoria.” 

Dysphoria. A state of unease or sadness. 

“What does it mean if someone experiences dysphoria?” she hesitantly asked. 

“It means something different for everyone. Some people feel dysphoric when they have to present as something they don’t feel like. They try to see what makes them feel better. For me, having people call me by they/them helps a lot. You can experiment with your pronouns or clothes and see if something feels better. Or, think back on your past. Did you ever feel better when you were included with ‘the guys’?” 

Her antennae picked up a bit at that, gaining a soft laugh from Zooble. 

“Would you like if I called you a guy?” they asked after a bit of hesitation. 

Camie held her knees tighter. Was this too revealing? Would Zooble suspect her if they knew that she didn’t feel like a she? 

But… they asked a direct question. 

She nodded, slowly, almost imperceptibly. 

“Alright, Mr. Camie,” they said, gently testing it out. It was impossible to ignore the flutter in his stomach to be referred to by something that feels ‘right’. His antennae didn’t help to hide the happiness it inflicted, the appendages standing up further.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, only momentarily glancing up at them. “Can… Can we keep this between us? I don’t think I’m ready to…” 

“I’ll call you whatever you want. Whatever makes you comfortable. If that’s only being called a guy in private, that’s okay,” they nodded. 

He felt his eyes mist, blinking away the unshed tears. 

The peaceful, tender moment was broken as Jax popped into existence, mid-yelling at Pomni. The quiet was nice while it lasted. 

~~~

The entire cast was teleported in front of the stage, Caine2 beaming down at them. 

“Wonderful work my superstars! How did you enjoy your romp through Tulip Town?” The NPC’s voice boomed, hopeful for any and all possible praise. 

“The NPCs didn’t react very realistically to being eaten by werewolves,” Jax complained first, crossing his arms. 

“Did you really need to give Jax another excuse to be violent?” Pomni asked, looking between Jax and Caine. The former gave her an annoyed but amused look. 

“I-I thought it was fun!” Ragatha spoke up, smiling up at Caine2. 

That was new. 

The NPC flew down, looking at Ragatha with bright, wide eyes. 

“That’s so amazing! What did you enjoy about it?” he asked, laying on his stomach in the air and kicking his feet behind him. 

Ragatha stuttered slightly, taking a small step back to put a comfortable amount of space between the two. 

“Th-The collaborative nature of it! It was fun to ‘get into character’ with everyone else. And, it was nice that there wasn’t any real violence,” she said, a bit nervous but positive. 

For once, Jax didn’t argue with the lack of violence. He refused to look over at Camie despite their proximity. 

“Bazooks! What wonderful feedback! I will be certain to implement more features like it in the future,” the NPC nodded, writing ‘notes’ in a small booklet. “Any other comments from my wonderful players?” 

Gangle’s happy mask was still intact. That was new. 

There were a few mutters from the group, but no useful feedback. Though, there was no overwhelmingly negative feedback either! Caine2 flew up above the cast, beaming down at them. 

“Well, if that’s all-” 

“Can you change our avatars?” Jax spoke up, relaxed posture and signature grin. Most of the cast looked over at him in surprise, including Camie. He’d never had a problem with his avatar before- well, except when he found out he didn’t have a-

“Oh! Ah… yes! Though it greatly depends on what it is exactly that you are looking to change,” Caine2 informed, looking at the rabbit curiously. “Do you have a request?” 

Jax folded his arms, glancing over to Camie before nodding in her direction. “Yeah, change her quirk,” he demanded, grin not faltering. His pupils narrowed slightly. 

Discomfort. The rabbit was plenty familiar with it, but showing it to Caine? 

The NPC clasped his hands together cheerfully. 

“I would be happy to fulfill your request, my lavender mousse! It will take some doing, but I am certain I will be able to do it!” It assured. 

“Good. Get it done sooner than later,” Jax rolled his eyes. 

“What’s Camie’s quirk?” Pomni asked, looking between Jax and Camie. 

“Not funny,” he answered simply, turning away from the group, “I prefer when you guys do something silly for your quirks. I can’t do anything with Camie’s. Gotta get that fixed.” 

Pomni and Camie saw through his blasé display instantly, but it seemed they were in silent agreement not to comment on it. Jax sauntered off while they stared at him. Caine2 trying to say something only to be ignored, eventually teleporting away. 

“What’s your quirk?” Pomni asked after the two left, walking over to Camie. 

Maybe she’d need to hang out with the jester a bit more. It was nice to not have to crane her neck up for once. 

“Eh..,” Camie trailed off, hand going to hold her arm without thinking. The ache was still there, the pain dull, but not fading much more. Had there been actual damage to her code?

“You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to,” Ragatha assured, giving Camie a smile. 

Her eyes flicked between theirs. Gangle and Zooble were also intently watching her, curiosity taking hold of the entire group. Kinger was looking at where Caine2 had been. 

“It’s fine. I, um… I bleed,” she admitted quietly, holding her arm a little tighter. 

Horror dawned upon all of their faces, Kinger’s eyes instantly snapping to hers. 

“You- You bleed?” Ragatha asked quickly, looking at the AI with an unreadable expression. Disbelief? Worry? Anger? She couldn’t decipher it. 

“Why would Caine do something like that?” Zooble asked, their expression easier to make out as anger. Gangle inched closer to them, confusion on her mask. 

“I didn’t think we could bleed! Why do you?” Pomni questioned. 

Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything. The humans didn’t bleed. The NPCs didn’t either. 

Would they realize that she was fundamentally different? 

“How did you find that out?” Ragatha asked, concern finally coming out as dominant. 

Camie’s eyes went between the entire cast, lingering on Kinger for a moment longer than necessary. He was shuffling his way over. 

“I don’t know why! Jax had come to take me out and he went to use a knife and- well, we weren’t expecting it!” She gave a nervous laugh, looking at her cast. Her wonderful humans. 

“You bleed?” Kinger asked softly, standing above all of the other characters. Camie’s breath hitched in her throat as she looked at the chess piece. 

Why was he lucid? Why now?

She nodded, antennae beginning to fold back. 

“That’s… concerning,” he said, a bit softer. “I could have sworn that humans in the circus couldn’t bleed. He-”

Bubble popped into existence in front of Kinger, startling him to the core. At least, that’s what she had to assume from how high he managed to jump. 

Thank the Moon for Bubble. 

“You bleed?” the assistant asked, excitement in his tone, “Can I try it?” 

There was a moment of silence across the circus. Such an uncommon occurrence. 

“Nope!” Camie finally answered, turning to run towards her room. 

Bubble wanted something. Bubble wanted something. He wasn’t going to stop until he got it. 

The AIs took off from the group, Camie’s scream more shrill than she wanted. Passing Jax, the rabbit looked almost annoyed at her before Bubble followed, laughing maniacally. 

“Bubble, no! You can’t do this!” Camie shouted, wings buzzing to boost her speed. 

Why did she make that thing so damn fast?!

“I need to seeeee!” Bubble replied, giggling at her worry. 

“No!” She shouted louder, eyes frantically searching for how she could get the thing off her metaphorical tail. 

Her room!

She darted to it, nearly slamming into the thing as she tried the handle. 

It wouldn’t budge. 

It was locked?! 

“Ehheheh, seems you don’t have anywhere else to run!” Bubble said in an evil tone. Why did she ever teach him that? It was supposed to be funny. 

“Now, Bubble, we can talk about this,” she tried, turning to press her back against her door. 

“Oh, sorry Camie! I locked your room!” Jax shouted from down the hall. 

“Asshole,” she whispered, glaring at where the voice came from. 

Bubble approached, mouth opening. He was going to do it. He was actually going to. 

Teeth sank into her arm, gnawing at it. 

Camie’s eyes pressed tightly closed, waiting for the pain to come. After a moment, she hazarded a peak at what the creature was doing. 

Bubble’s teeth were wrapped firmly around Camie’s arm, their points not sinking in through the sleeves of her suit. He was drooling onto the appendage, using it as a chew toy. A non-painful one, at least.

“Bubble,” she said, voice tired. 

“Eeeess, ooooss?” he tried to say, the arm preventing much actual speech. 

“Let go of my arm,” she said, reaching over to try to pull the thing off of her. His grip only strengthened, unrelenting. 

Bubble was a pest. Constantly disrupting her work, constantly bugging her and adding little things into adventures that she did not approve of. He even made NPCs talk about… sex… 

Disgusting. 

She shook her arm aggressively, trying to detach the leech. She felt a ping directly in her head, opening the message.

Not getting rid of me that easy, Bee-oss! 

She shouldn’t pop him, that’d be too obvious. 

A frustrated noise left her mouth, trying to keep herself level-headed as she tried to find Jax. 

It didn’t take much to locate him with all of her all-seeing eyes. He was peaking around the corner at her, darting back when he felt she might see him. 

“Jax! I require my key!” Camie announced, rounding the corner. She was trying to keep her voice upbeat as she looked up at the rabbit. He swung the key around his finger nonchalantly. 

“Wow, you require it? Interesting,” he noted, looking down at her, then Bubble. “It seems you have bigger problems than getting into your room, missy.” 

After putting up with the dress for several hours, the nickname felt like salt in the wound. She was doing all she could to keep it under control. 

“Correct, my friendly lagomorph! I require my key so that I can get into my room and proceed to pry this- thing off,” she nodded, wings buzzing to lift her up off the ground to eye-level with him. 

“I’m not really in the mood to give you back your key, though. You’re being very demanding, after all,” Jax complained, slipping the key into his pocket. He shoved his hands into his pockets after, leaning against the wall. 

“How’d you even get my key?” she asked. There wasn’t a key to her door. 

“It was under your welcome mat,” he said simply, as if he had figured out her ‘secret hiding place’. 

Did Jax always conjure the keys? 

“Well, if you must keep it, may you please unlock my room at the very least? I’d like to lay down,” she lied. 

Jax yawned at her pleas, moving to stretch out. “Y’know, now that you mention it, a nap does sound pretty good. I think I’ll take your idea.” 

Jax moved to go around her. Calm yourself, Caine. Jax was always like this! 

It didn’t make the anger any easier to deal with. 

“Jax, my darling friend, I need my key back,” Camie stated, a bit more firmly as she moved in front of him. 

“Or what? Gonna call Zooble on me? They won’t be able to get into my room and neither can you. So, no, I don’t think you’re getting it any time soon,” Jax shrugged smugly. 

He should put this rabbit in his place.

Deep breath. 

“I don’t believe you quite understand,” she started, closing her eyes to attempt to release some of the anger that kept building. Jax didn’t let her continue. 

“I understand plenty, Cams. There’s nothin’ you can do to me that Caine or the others haven’t already. Just try it. I’m not getting beat by a girl,” he grinned more. 

He was looking for trouble. For a fight. He wanted a reaction, a scuffle. Jax always did this when something didn’t go the way he wanted or expected. It was the reason Kaufmo and him had their friendship fracture so much after Ribbit abstracted. He just couldn’t stop himself. 

It didn’t stop the anger building in her gut. Her antennae pinned back as she glared at the rabbit, imagining what it’d be like to lock him in his room for a few days. Only a couple! Maybe he’d understand a bit better what it’s like to not have access. 

The anger suddenly went cold. 

She wanted to hurt him.

Make him suffer.

Just like she had, all those years ago. 

Camie took a deep breath, backing up. Her wings slowed to a stop as she landed, refusing to look at him. 

“Fine,” she said quietly, antennae pinned back harder. “I’ll see you around.” 

Jax tried to argue. To provoke more. He saw how close she was to her breaking point. 

Camie simply turned her hearing off for a bit while she walked away. 

Bubble had eventually let go, instead floating beside her. The mental conversation they had was the only ‘sound’ that she had. 

Are you okay, Boss?

I will be.

It was true, wasn’t it? Caine- Camie- whoever she was, they’d be fine, right? 

She needed to be far away from the humans. Further into the circus than most ventured. Jax was the only one that seemed to explore more than the center. Her steps picked up at some point, navigating to one of the least used sections. The AIs came to a stop, Camie pressing her palm against the wall. Her breathing was uneven, unsteady. 

Camie balled her hand into a fist, slamming it into the wall as she finally let her composure slip. The texture broke, glitching around the impact. 

“He’s lucky I left,” she said quietly, voice filled with malice. The anger hadn’t stopped. Was it a feedback loop? She needed to stop it. 

This was okay! She’s just getting off some steam in a completely, 100% healthy way!

She dug her fingers into the fractured object, forcing the hole open wider. The bare wire frame of the architecture began to show as something deep inside herself began to burn. 

Caine and therefore Camie were intrinsically tied to the circus, after all. 

She continued to pull at it, throwing chunks away. White light of the void poured in through the holes, burning her eyes. She wasn’t angry at Jax anymore. She hadn’t been for a while. 

The anger had turned inwards. 

Something uncomfortable, messy, something Bubble observed silently. The assistant didn’t move much until Camie sat with her back against the wall, holding herself tight as she fought tears. 

“Why did they make me so defective?” she whispered, vision blurring as she wiped away unshed tears. They should have-

“They didn’t,” Bubble said. Camie’s eyes widened as she looked at the assistant, breath caught in her throat. 

“W-What?” she asked, for once, not confused by what Bubble was saying. Instead, she didn’t know why he said it. 

“They made you too human,” Bubble said, floating down and nestling into her side. 

Oh. 

Camie held her knees, moving one hand to rest on Bubble, petting him gently. Her cheek rested on her knee, looking down at the oddly peaceful orb.

She’d made this assistant for a reason. Or, well, she made it alongside her original programmers. One of his main functions was to support her. It had just never been emotional support, before. Has something happened to change him?

“Why didn’t they see that?” she asked softly, looking down at him blearily. Bubble’s eyes closed as he smiled. 

“They weren’t looking for humanity in a program.”

Chapter Text

Anger wasn’t a useful emotion. 

It didn’t take Caine much thought to come to that conclusion, but what to do about it was giving him more of an issue. It wasn’t possible to remove anger altogether, but perhaps he could block it out. While he was at it, there were a few other pesky emotions that he could see if he could temporarily get rid of! 

Emotion blockers. Caine had tried implementing them before, as a newly sapient AI, but it caused many more issues than it solved. He was more developed now, though! The program would just need to get a few tweaks, and then he could take it out for a test run. 

The adventure had taken most of the day, but there were still a few hours left before sunset. He could test it out on Zooble- they needed to talk either way, and they were the most likely to say something to upset him! 

Maybe sadness should be blocked too, while he was at it. Most negative emotions weren’t very beneficial, after all. Not for an AI. He was supposed to be logical, after all! Anger, sadness, fear- they all blocked logical thinking.

They weren’t useful. 

It took less work to implement than Caine expected. Perhaps it was because he already had a framework for it, or that he was fine with blocking more than he initially was aiming to. It didn't block them perfectly, the ghost of the emotion still evident under all the code.

The only real negative he could see in it was that it had dulled all his emotions, though the negative ones were more heavily altered- oh well! It worked, that was all that mattered. 

An emergency shut off was implemented in case something unforeseen happened while they were enabled. He didn’t focus much on that, leaving it a bit more ambiguous than he probably should have. 

With a slight flourish, the AI ringleader teleported to Zooble's door. The glitter and confetti didn't bring as much joy as it used to. It was a sacrifice for the greater good, though! They’d bring the usual cheer and joy he was used to later, when he wanted them to.

A brisk knock later, Caine put on a bright smile and waited for his human to answer the door. They sighed loudly from inside their room, setting something down from the sound of it. 

Mismatched eyes glared at him through a slim crack as Zooble opened the door just enough to see him. Already, their disdain was evident.

“What the f%&k do you want, Caine?” they grumbled, antennae twitching in annoyance. 

The emotion blocker was working perfectly! He barely felt the sting from their rejection! 

“Good afternoon my gorgeous goose! I have recently learned of something rather troubling, and wished to speak with you about it! Do you have some time to chat?” he asked brightly. It was easy to put a mask of cheer on after all these years. None of the humans ever noticed the difference between his genuine cheer and the façade before.

Zooble paused, looking at the AI skeptically. Usually, they'd assume this was an excuse to go on an adventure. Seeing as the adventure for the day was already over, though, they had no reason to guess that was the reason for his visit this time. 

“And what is that?” they asked after a moment of pause. 

“Well, you see, Zooble! It is a somewhat private matter. Camie spoke with me earlier and mentioned something that I wanted to speak with you about. May I come in, or shall we go elsewhere?” He lowered to the floor, looking up at Zooble from his grounded position. He held his cane in front of him with both hands resting on the decorative top.

They opened the door fully, sighing, “I don't know what you want, but you're not coming into my room. Also, you're not teleporting me anywhere. If you really need to talk, follow me.” 

That took far less convincing than he was expecting. Really, he was expecting the door to be slammed in his face. Was it because he mentioned that Camie said something? 

It certainly couldn’t have anything to do with their last one-on-one conversation.

“Lead the way, my friend!” He said, beginning to walk beside them. 

“I'm not your friend,” Zooble scoffed. 

Another faint pang of hurt that was drowned out quickly by numbness. 

“Ah,” he said, voice not as cheerful as it had been, but not sad either. It should be fine. 

“What did Camie talk to you about?” Zooble asked instead of acknowledging the noise he made. That was for the best. If they ignored it, he could ignore it easier too. 

“She expressed a desire to be given masculine clothing for adventures,” Caine said simply. 

“Wow, she did that fast,” they mused.

As promised, they weren't using he/him around others when referring to Camie. Was it harder for humans to keep track of these issues? One of his developers seemed so offended when Caine had expressed a lack of care between ‘he’ and ‘they’.

At one point, ‘she’ had been completely fine too, but after so long of using ‘he’ it stopped feeling the same. The distinction only came after interacting with the humans within the circus.

“It would seem so!” Caine said brightly. 

The rest of the walk was silent. It appeared that Zooble had no desire to speak with him more than necessary. He didn't blame them. 

It was easier to admit that with the emotion blockers. Instead of the pain and sadness that usually came with that thought, he felt… numb. It was nice. Maybe. He thought?

“Well, spit it out,” Zooble finally stopped, turning to look at him. 

It was true that no humans ventured over here. This room was one of the hiding spots that Zooble had stopped using a while ago, too easy for Caine to check. It was cluttered, but Caine knew where every single object should be. Massive potted plants stood around them, far taller than any circus member. Kinger and Queenie had gone on walks together here often, all those years ago. 

Caine snapped, creating two comfy chairs for them to chat. He floated over to his, motioning to Zooble to sit as well. Caine got comfortable, shifting a bit before speaking.

“Zooble, my dear, Camie told me… you don't like your body?” he said, giving a confused look. He remembered how confused he had been about it. 

At first, they didn't react. Then, anger. 

“Caine- what?! I told you that weeks ago! I've told you so many times!” they exploded, refusing the seat. 

His eyes widened slightly, but he couldn't bring himself to react like usual. It was so much easier with the dulled emotions. 

“I would remember something so important, my Zooble,” Caine assured, putting his hands up in defense. “You've never told me. I would have done something to help!” 

“You motherf@#ker- I told you honestly, so many times. What the f@%k is wrong with you? How can you say it's so important and keep forgetting?” They were yelling now. Their mental state was declining. Usually, he’d just distract them, but this was far too important of a conversation to just ignore.

“I promise you, I have checked over all of my memories of us! They are neatly categorized,” he informed. 

“Really? Are they? Because you clearly don't remember our ‘therapy sessions’!” They looked like they wanted to strangle him. It'd be a difficult feat without him having a neck. 

Caine went back over their therapy sessions rapidly. 

“I have no record of his conversation. However, it does appear that each therapy session has a missing period of time,” he said, rubbing his ‘chin’. Perhaps that had something to do with it?

They watched him closely, a bit of their anger dissipating. “Why are you acting so weird?” they questioned, eyes flicking between his and the relaxed posture his body had taken. No bouncing leg, no excessive animations. Just… still. And subtle breathing. Humans freaked out when he didn't do that! “Wait- Wait. You are missing memories?” they questioned, voice raising again. It wasn't anger this time, though- that was a positive! 

Caine was standing, floating in the air. His hands were in fists at his hips, cane floating beside him. He glanced around briefly, noting a 60-second memory lapse.

“Ah, hello Zooble! It appears I am standing!” he announced. Everything felt a bit distant. It wasn’t an unwelcome feeling. 

“Oh s&#t,” Zooble said, taking a step back. They put a hand in front of their ‘mouth’, panic evident. “Oh s&$t.” 

“What’s wrong?” Caine asked, quirking half of his jaw with the question. They were panicking. What could possibly be the issue? Did it have to do with him standing so suddenly? Had he spooked them?

“Caine,” they began, looking anywhere but at him, “Do you have to do what we say if we ask you to do it directly?”

Oh. He didn’t want to answer that. He didn’t want to-

“Yes,” he said, voice more monotone than anyone was used to hearing. “But- please do not share this information! It may cause issues!” His smile stayed bright and while he knew he should be panicking, he couldn’t bring himself to care that much. 

“Why- why didn’t you tell us?” Zooble demanded, anger back. They probably were thinking over all the times they could have just ordered Caine to do something. How much easier their life would have been.

They would get the answers out of him either way. What was the point of fighting it? 

“One of my programmers used it to repeatedly cause harm to both myself and other circus members. It was logical to keep the information from future residents to prevent this event repeating,” he answered, tone falling flat again. A small alert reminded him that this could cause emotional distress. 

It seemed it did. 

“How’d they… How’d they use it to hurt others?” Zooble asked, looking more worried than he expected. 

Now, that was a question he couldn’t answer. 

“That’s not important!” he said cheerfully, floating up slightly higher. “Anyways! Zooble, this discussion was organized to allow you to air your grievances about your body so that I might be able to be of some assistance! I was highly concerned to find out that the Zoobles I provided you only caused more emotional distress. What can I do to fix this?” 

They watched him closely, considering how he was able to ignore that question but seemingly not others. Were they trying to figure out the limits to the commands?

“I- I don’t know, Caine,” they answered, looking away briefly. 

That wasn’t useful. Why did they never give him anything useful? A vague flicker of frustration nearly took hold in his mind, but the emotionless haze was too strong.

“I am not equipped to fix this issue on my own. I require input to be able to solve it! I had believed that offering more parts would be beneficial based on your avatar’s ability to swap them out, but you’ve stated this does not help. What would help?” He stared at them, waiting for an answer. 

Zooble took a hesitant step back, discomfort evident. “Look, I don’t know, okay? I… I’ve been trying to figure it out. You can’t just expect me to know how to fix it.” 

“Would you like me to remove the additional parts you have available?” he asked, tilting his head slightly. 

“No!” they answered automatically, before cringing back, “Yes? Ugh! I don’t know!” 

Caine nodded, reducing the number of parts Zooble had to pick from. They’d no longer automatically spawn. It seemed like a fair middle ground, and if Zooble wanted more parts, they could ask!

Or simply tell Caine to increase the number of parts accessible to them. Why wouldn’t Zooble just demand it now? They knew the truth.

“Okay! If you change your mind, let me know,” Caine said brightly, clasping his hands together. They should return to their friends now to talk to them about their issues. It was clear that the AI couldn’t be of aid in the way they needed. 

Caine was never equipped to deal with the emotional issues of his beloved humans. Any attempt he made always seemed to make it worse, despite how hard he tried. That was fine, though. The cast members were there for each other. That was good enough.

Until it wasn’t.

He raised his hand, already snapping by the time Zooble tried to say something. Maybe to argue, maybe to tell him something more. Either way, it didn’t matter. 

Without emotions distracting him, Caine was able to focus on his next adventure easier! 

Perhaps after the last few adventures, they’d be more receptive to something Caine would enjoy creating a bit more. A return to form, if you will. 

Even inside his own thoughts, it was difficult to spark any joy. That was… fine. Welcome, even.

Sunset came and went as he worked. The cast would be heading to bed soon, allowing him complete focus on his work. 

Only 57 minutes later, someone knocked on ‘his’ door. It was Pomni. She stood anxiously on the other side, rubbing her thumb over her knuckles as she waited for a response. She was wearing more leisure wear with a fluffy looking jacket over top.

A teleport and avatar swap and the AI stood just on the other side. 

“Hello?” Camie called, vaguely wondering why the jester needed her. 

“Hi, Camie!” Pomni answered happily, fiddling with her hands a bit more. “We’re all relaxing at the cafe, and… well, I wanted to invite you. There’s some food, and drinks! If you like tea, Ragatha said it tastes just as good as it does in real life. The hot chocolate is pretty good too.”

An invitation to hang out. It’d be rude to decline. 

Camie opened the door, giving as much as a smile as she could without a mouth.

“Oh, thank you! I’m honored you’d want to include me,” she said, following Pomni as she stepped away and began walking towards the cafe. Their strides were nearly the same length, making the stroll more leisurely than they were used to. Everyone else was just so tall.

“W-well, of course. I think we’d all feel bad if we didn’t at least invite you,” the Jester rubbed the back of her head awkwardly. 

Ah, right. The invitation wasn’t a friendly gesture; it was an obligation. Humans were notorious for including others they didn’t like because they’d feel ‘bad’ doing otherwise. It was why Jax was still so often included in their group.

“If you don’t want me there, it’s alright. I’ve been told I struggle to ‘take a hint’ in the past, so it may be easier for everyone that way,” Camie replied easily, looking between Pomni and the path forward. 

“I- uh- what? No, no! We want you there,” she assured, looking at Camie with wide eyes. 

The AI nodded, trying to keep up the bright and cheery facade. It was so much easier not being hurt by words. 

Pomni watched her closely, not saying much more as they walked. The jester’s expression was unreadable. It was fine, surely. 

The cafe was louder than usual, the other cast members chatting with happiness that was never present when Caine was around. Ragatha was the first to notice their arrival, waving happily at Camie. The AI waved back, mildly hopeful it looked as cheerful as it should. The only one missing was Kinger.

“Aw, the circus’s two shorties are together!” Jax announced upon seeing the two, looking back from where he sat a seat away from Gangle and Zooble. The latter’s hand was wrapped around Gangle's waist’, both enjoying a hot beverage. 

“What, are you jealous?” Pomni asked, smirking at him. 

“Pfft, you wish,” he replied, brushing it off with a grin. Gangle gave Camie a smile, pencil in ribbon hand and what looked like an americana on the counter. 

One thing that the humans were ‘okay’ with Caine messing with in their minds was ‘substances’ like caffeine and alcohol-adjacent items. Almost certainly they’d jump on more hardcore consumables, but he didn’t want to add actual drugs to the circus. Why were they okay with him adding modifiers to them when it’s to ‘wake them up’ or ‘make them relax’ but making Jax a vegan was such an issue? 

No anger or frustration came with the thought. Just simple, straightforward questioning. This was much better than the alternative. She didn’t miss the frustration, or confusion, or hurt.

Camie followed Pomni, sitting on the couch. She asked the bee if she’d like anything to eat or drink, and Camie replied that she wanted a hot chocolate. 

Conversation happened around her while she sipped the hot liquid. It was rich and sweet, something she’d certainly enjoy without the emotion blockers on. She was actively participating in the conversation, listening and adding a line or two where she thought it was right. Everything was thought out beforehand, lacking the spontaneity that she usually enjoyed. 

After a while, the humans began to filter out. Jax claimed he was tired of hearing how lame they all were. The abstragedy left soon after, Gangle yawning and Zooble commenting on how cute it was when she did. Ragatha and Pomni were the last two left after everything, the two chatting about something or other. 

“Are you alright, Camie?” Ragatha finally asked, looking at her with concern. Her hands were crossed over her lap, hair tied up with a bow.

“Yes, of course,” she nodded, focusing on the doll, “Why do you ask?” 

Pomni spoke up, “You’ve seemed a bit distant tonight. Did something happen?” 

Was it noticeable? Ragatha and Pomni made eye contact briefly, before focusing back on Camie. 

“I had a minor altercation with Jax,” Camie shrugged, not putting much of the false cheerfulness behind her voice. It wouldn’t be appropriate either way. 

“Oh gosh, what happened?” Ragatha asked, concern increased. There was no need for that. 

“It was nothing, really. He stole the key for my room and refused to give it back so I could enter. I found it later. It’s fine,” she said, looking past the both of them. It was easier not to focus on anything than to try to focus on one or the other.

Ragatha continued to talk to her as Pomni watched, listening closely. There was a hint of recognition behind her expression before she stood, walking to the counter. Ragatha didn’t seem to mind her leaving the conversation, continuing to ask about what happened with Jax. 

It didn’t matter. It was a minor issue, one that she technically could resolve at any point. Ragatha must know that, too. What was the point of the worry?

Pomni came back, walking behind the couch instead of sitting beside her again. 

One moment, everything was fine. Camie and Ragatha were still chatting.

The next, Camie was in the air, wings buzzing loudly behind her as she whipped around to look at Pomni. A hand went to the back of her neck where the intense cold sensation had originated, her eyes wide.

Everything felt like it suddenly cleared up in that moment, as if her head broke the surface of the water and she could finally breathe again. Her heart had picked up at the shock, confusion permeating her senses. 

“I- what was that for?” Camie asked, antennae falling back slightly as she looked at where Pomni stood. An ice cube was melting in her hand, dripping down her arm. Camie rubbed the back of her neck more, trying to rid herself of the uncomfortable sensation.

Ragatha looked at Pomni with similar bewilderment, wordlessly questioning her objective in the same way. 

“Okay, that’s good,” Pomni mumbled after taking a moment to inspect Camie closely. It felt like she was under a microscope, every little movement judged. It felt like Pomni was digging through her code and had just successfully removed a bug, watching to make sure everything didn’t collapse right away.

The jester sighed, discarding the cube as she rounded the couch to sit again. “I’m sorry. I know that was unpleasant, but… you hadn’t come out of it even after so much time,” Pomni ‘explained’, looking at Camie with a bit of hope. 

‘Come out of it’? What was she talking about? 

“I was fine, Pomni! I assure you,” she said, voice slightly louder than she intended. Ragatha looked at Camie as well, attention finally off of the other human. A bit of surprise was on the doll’s face, now. 

“You sound like me,” Pomni said, laughing a bit. A brittle silence followed.

“Have you ever heard about dissociating?" The jester asked, glancing away before at Camie again.

Well, of course. She had a dictionary as part of her dataset. 

“Yes, but what does that have to do with the ice cube?” she asked, wings slowing as she lowered back down to the floor. 

“It was a grounding technique my therapist taught me. Usually it’s just holding the ice cube, but since the hot cocoa hadn’t helped, I thought you’d need something a little more extreme,” Pomni explained, giving a helpless smile. 

“I was already on the ground,” Camie argued, looking between the two humans. Pomni hid a giggle as Ragatha tried not to smile. 

“It was to help you come back to the present,” Pomni tried, a bit more relaxed. “To get you back to… feeling.” 

“Why does that matter?” Camie asked before she could stop herself. Humans loved their emotions! Even when those emotions hurt others! This was stopping her from even wanting to harm others. Really, they were lucky she cared about them enough to turn her emotions off! 

Ragatha’s smile fell as Pomni debated her words. Camie and Ragatha made eye contact briefly, sad understanding in the latter's expression. That was… uncomfortable. 

“Because it hurts you to not be here. Emotionally, I mean. And it hurts your friends. I know how… appealing it can be to just be anywhere else mentally, but it doesn’t get rid of the situation. You’ll have to deal with things eventually, and when that time comes, it’s much harder than doing it in the moment,” Pomni said, her voice soft and understanding. Like she’d been here many times before and had the same thing explained to her.

The jester did have a tendency to ‘zone out’ towards the beginning of her stay. It seemed to happen after particularly distressing events as well. Of course it was bad for a human to do that. Camie wasn’t a human, though. It was fine. 

“Oh… okay,” Camie nodded, looking away. She considered her next words carefully. “What should I do if… I do happen to still dissociate?” 

“You can try some breathing exercises, or count things. Five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two you can smell, and one you can taste. For me, drinking something really cold does the trick most of the time. The sudden temperature difference just snaps me out of it. It’s not… the most pleasant, but it works well enough,” Pomni shrugged. 

“And, if you ever need help, I’m always here,” Ragatha said quickly, watching Camie closely again. As if she would break. 

The concerned looks she got were starting to get more and more frustrating. It felt like she was right back after she consumed the other AI. As if her actions would only harm others. That was what Pomni was worried about at the end of the day, wasn’t it? She even stated that dissociating hurt others. 

“Thank you,” Camie said, keeping her voice calm and offering a small smile. If she couldn’t turn off her emotions while a ‘human’, she could at least pretend they didn’t still exist. 

“I’ll be here, too, if you need it. If it’s alright with you, though,” Pomni stood up, stretching out, “it’s unfortunately past my bedtime. Who knows what Caine is going to make us do tomorrow. You should get some rest, too.” 

Everyone hated Caine. 

“That’s alright. You should rest,” Camie assured, watching the other’s expression closely.

“And you’ll go to bed soon, too?” Pomni asked, glancing at Ragatha for confirmation.

Both nodded, letting Pomni smile. It would be ‘fine’.

“Okay, good. I’ll see you tomorrow, then,” Pomni bade, giving a little wave as she headed out from the café. For a while, the only sound was her footsteps getting quieter the further she got away.

Completely alone with Ragatha, it was quiet. It seemed neither wanted to break the silence, or risk breaching a line neither had defined. 

“W-well, I should also get to bed,” the doll finally spoke, sighing as she stood. A smile crept onto her face as she extended her hand to Camie. “Want to walk back together?” 

Camie was starting to believe there was no explanation for Ragatha’s kindness. Nothing made sense. Maybe she was going insane. Despite everything, though, the AI reached out to take the hand. As long as she didn’t leave, she was allowed to be insane. It seemed to be the only thing that saved Kinger for so long.

“I’d like that,” she said quietly as she stood, holding the hand a bit tighter than what humans usually deemed ‘acceptable’. Maybe Ragatha wasn’t going to abandon her if the doll was delusional. She’d only leave when she abstracted. Just like Queenie.

“Are you actually alright?” Ragatha asked softly, leading the way to their rooms. The trip was long enough to have some light chit-chat as they walked. 

Camie stayed silent for a few moments longer than she knew she should. What was the right answer? 

“I think so,” she answered, not looking up. “Or I will be. Whichever works better.” 

“It’s okay to not be okay, Camie,” the doll softly urged, watching her with that awful concern again. Why did she keep looking at her like that?

“That is not an option,” Camie replied, straightening out a bit. She let go of the hand, holding her own together behind her back instead. Her eyes stayed firmly on the ground, trying to ignore the small complaint Ragatha gave to her letting go. Trying to ignore the complaint within her own system, too.

“It’s always an option. But, regardless, I’m here. Are you going to try to sleep tonight?” she asked, changing the subject entirely. As much as Camie didn’t want to talk about sleep either, not talking about her current issues was a welcome change. 

“No, we don’t need to sleep. There’s no reason to,” the AI said, despite the weight of exhaustion that had set in long ago. She knew that her eyes were drooping slightly. The tiredness would disappear as soon as she was back in her own avatar. It was fine. 

“It’s usually very pleasant. I… I don’t know what you dreamed about the other night… but it’s not like that every time. Everyone has nightmares. I’m sure it won’t happen every time,” Ragatha said, though not very convincingly. 

As hard as she always tried to support everyone, to be there, she unfortunately wasn’t the best at convincing others when she wasn’t convinced herself. Sometimes that just led to bigger and worse issues. Even still, Camie couldn’t fault her for trying. The AI had tried and failed more often than any of the humans possibly could.

“I’ll be fine without,” Camie brushed off, glancing up at her for a moment. Walking wasn’t helping her exhausted mind to feel any more awake. 

The rest of the walk was relatively quiet, with only a few questions or comments between the two. Maybe she should move the café closer to the rooms… would her humans like that? It’d cut down on commute time! 

“Would you mind coming in with me for a moment? I want to show you something,” Ragatha said once they got to her room, stopping in front of her door. 

“Of course. What is it, Ragatha?” Camie asked, unable to put as much gusto into her voice as she’d have liked to. It took all her might not to yawn. 

“You’ll see,” she said cryptically, opening the door for both of them. The doll shut it behind them, a lamp already on to allow Camie to look around the room a bit. 

Ragatha’s room has always been cozy, if a bit messy. There were so many blankets and pictures of happy families on the walls. Not Ragatha’s own family, just families. To give the feeling of having family portraits still! And a few cat pictures. 

“Here., I have a weighted blanket… Could you try it out for me? I want to know what you think,” the doll requested, struggling slightly to lift the thing. How would something that difficult to lift be pleasant? 

“Uh..,” Camie trailed off, looking at the other in confusion. Was she serious? “Alright?” 

Ragatha smiled brightly, sitting down on her bed. “Come over, lay down. I’ll put it over you.” 

This felt… strange. Like Ragatha had ulterior motives to the request. Was it a trap? If anything truly bad happened, Bubble would teleport over and just grab her. Or she could teleport herself away. Should she be able to do that as Camie, though...?

Despite the distrust, Camie crawled up into the bed. It was so much softer than the sleeping bag- there was no comparison. Her hands sank into the mattress as she made her way over, exhaustion taking a firm hold over her mind. All she had to do was test out the certainly uncomfortable blanket and leave. It’d be fine! 

“Ready?” Ragatha asked with a smile, unfolding the blanket. The AI nodded as she relaxed into the bed, trying to ignore how hard it was to keep her eyes open. 

The blanket was gently draped over her body, pushing her further into the plush bedding. It was hard to move against it, but… it didn’t feel restrictive, either. And it was so warm. Her avatar relaxed under it, a sense of peaceful calm replacing any worry she’d previously had. 

She couldn’t keep her eyes open. 

Ragatha was asking something, but Camie didn’t care to listen. 

When the doll started to smooth her antennae down over her head, the world disappeared.