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“So, who’s gonna tell him this challenge is lame?” Jax said, arms crossed as he looked at everyone who just looked defeated and confused. They always had to finish Caine’s challenges, but this one was the strangest and by far the most energy taking of all the ones they’d done.
No one could’ve predicted that he was trying to make them build a new playground— which they actually never really used unless a challenge brought them there. Even then, only some of the characters would do it. Jax had only gone twice in his time at the Amazing Digital Circus, he much preferred the main building. Especially now that he had a universal key to everything, his favourite activity was just to snoop through the entire building without Caine knowing. Or maybe he did know, and just couldn’t give a flying fuck.
Gangle picked up the instructions Caine had given them, which were far too colourful for Zooble’s taste (despite being perhaps the most colourful and vibrant character). “It isn’t lame, maybe it’ll actually be fun if we try…” Clearly she’d been spending a lot of time with Ragatha, her energy seemed to be rubbing off on her.
“That’s very true, Gangle. It is random though, even I can admit that. Didn’t think we’d all become a bunch of construction workers together,” Ragatha chuckled, peering over at the instructions from behind Gangle— who nearly fell as she got started by her. It was adorable, really. “Let me hold this,” she chuckled, taking the instructions from a compliant Gangle.
Jax groaned, stretching his arms. “Pomni, wanna ditch this?”
“I really don’t—“ She squeaked out, eyes meeting Jax’s. Okay, maybe it was a better idea to just follow along with him. Getting on his good side was a good idea, especially knowing he has that key and that he might’ve planted some centipedes in Ragatha’s room. She did not want to be the next one subjected to that. “Sure…”
Walking further down the park with Jax, this was not the thing she expected to do. She thought everyone would do the challenges together but now she’d figured that was not it. They just did whatever they wanted and usually someone would do it. At least that’s what it seemed like to her from the last one.
“Don’t you just get so annoyed by them? **** I can’t stand them sometimes, pretending like these challenges mean shit. Why not just do something fun? Eat food, play a game that isn’t doing Caine’s work for him or like, well, literally anything else. Right?” He said glancing down at Pomni as he walked.
“Ah, well…yes. I guess you are right, but it is something we have to do, right? It’s…Caine’s gift to us, to help us not go insane I guess,” Pomni said, head still spinning from everything. The three days she’d been there were certainly not enough to cope with everything, especially with the events of them. As well as being unable to remember anything from the time before coming there. It felt like being reborn, fresh and new. Yet somehow, she knew everything but who she’d been. Or who she was. Or what the line between that was anyway if it existed at all.
Did she ever exist? She hoped so, she felt so drawn to leave but she couldn’t quite pinpoint to where. Just a room, green headphones placed over her ears. That was…that was it. Her knowledge just ended there.
“Jesus, Ragatha just gets to everyone, huh? “ Jax chuckled, shaking his head, “I was hoping to get through to you first.” As much as fucking around with everyone was the best thing for him to do, he was genuinely worried about everyone’s perception of what was going on. Caine was definitely not who they thought he was. Not that Jax knew exactly what yet, but he knew he was definitely not the good guy they were drawing him out to be. Maybe it wasn’t too late yet for Pomni (he hoped, at least).
“No one has gotten through to me. I still…”
“Still think this is all a dream,” Jax chuckled, clearly trying to not erupt into endless laughter. It was just too good. Maybe she was right but they were all in this dram together, aware and having been there for…years, months or mere days, like Pomni. It seemed a little too insane to him, even if he was the guy throwing people into holes and leaving animals in their rooms. Still.
“Well it isn’t impossible. Caine…he said he didn’t have an exit, maybe I believe that but there could be someone who does.” It was clear she suspected Jax. The one with a key. The one who appeared to not give three shits about anything even in this faux la-la-land they were stuck in for what seemed to actually be forever. “We never know unless we try.”
“Honey— all of us. The ones before us, too; they all tried. Nothing. Nada, sweet cakes,” Jax said with a nonchalant shrug, “I’d rather just do what I want in this place then fret over something that clearly isn’t ****ing there.”
Pomni was still unconvinced. “I don’t think so. Maybe if we keep trying we will find something, maybe were the ones that get to leave and don’t get abstracted. Maybe we can save those who—“
“Pomni, they are long gone. Even if they— even if we could do something, they’re probably too insane for the outer-world too. Practically dead to it,” Jax explained, glancing back at everyone.
It was hilarious, Gangle was trying to lead this time around. Ragatha listened of course, Zooble just listened though clearly didn’t plan on actually helping and Kinger was well…he was Kinger. He was looking around, guarding as though there was anything that could actually come in harms way to them. The red-ribbon limbed Gangle was guiding everyone on where to put things, screwing them on or jumping on them since there seemed to not be a hammer. It was certainly an oddball project.
Though Gangle..Gangle certainly was cute about it.
“So we can get hurt here, right?”
Jax blinked. Was she seriously asking that after everything on her first day there? “Yes, dip****, you can get hurt. It’s different, at least. Just find Caine and he can fix everything, physically, Mentally—hell no.”
“The only thing he can’t control is our minds.”
“Such a relief, huh? I would hate for him to be in mine, it would definitely be funny though,” he said, jumping up and holding onto one of the tree branches. His eyes darted to Gangle again, then away.
“Y-yeah…anyway, shouldn’t we go back to them?”
“Damn, you really don’t listen when people talk, huh?”
When they were back with everyone, it seemed they had actually made progress. A surprise to Jax, with Gangle as their ringleader today. He was impressed though, not that he’d admit it out loud.
“Jax,” Gangle said, throwing him out of his head and getting his full attention, “can you— can you..”
“Can you? Can you? What? Speak up, ribbon-bones,” Jax said, arms crossed as he looked at her. God, she was kind of pathetic sometimes.
She nearly cried, but not even a whimper came out as she spoke again. “Can you attach the purple piece on that tall pink piece? No one else can reach it,” she said sternly, startling Jax (and really everyone). Enough that he actually complied without another word out of his mouth.
Oh. Maybe Gangle could lead and just needed the right opportunity. The Gloinks certainly had not been her thing, or anyones. Zooble had been hilarious, though, he never thought the day she’d fall apart would come so soon. And so literally.
“This thing is stupid,” Jax said, arms crossed over his chest again as he stared at…whatever the hell they were trying to build. Fuck, if he could tell what the hell it was. It looked like a pole, but that was about it. He hoped to god the playground was like some sort of strip joint, that he’d indulge in without a single complaint.
Though, as it moved on, clearly his wishes had not been received. It was your standard children’s playground. Maybe the kind in a mid-range tuition private school, but even that was a stretch. It was probably just because it was new, clean and looked more full of life then any of the character ever had.
“It’s not ugly though,” Ragatha said, not in relation to what he’d say, but perhaps just speaking her thoughts. “Maybe it’ll be fun. Being a kid was fun and carefree.”
“What worries do we even have here? We’re just trapped here forever with no way to get out,” Kinger said, examining the playground for the millionth time. Looking for what? No one had a clue but they let him have at it. Maybe it’d do them good.
Pomni zoned out all over again, now they’d realize it was okay to let her..sink into it a little. Being in denial was far worse then facing the truth, but it wasn’t good to focus in too much on the truth. Or you’d go insane. Either route was…sort of bad, anyway. There was really no way to not get abstracted anyway, it seemed, just ways to keep yourself away from it for longer. It was a surprise Kaufmo hadn’t lasted so long but it certainly was mostly Caine’s fault for sticking in an exit sign just for the hell of it. Someone had to have seen it and be bound to go insane from it after being told that there was no way out the moment they entered the Amazing Digital Circus.
Though Jax was focused on something else— or someone else. Gangle.
Why the fuck was he focused on Gangle…why the hell was he thinking she was adorable and wanted to like, repair her comedy mask and leave it at her bedroom door with a note. Or something stupid like that.
“Jax, does this look right?” She said, black eyes squinted at the instructions. The, again, very bright instructions in her red ribboned hands. “Does…don’t those look a little lopsided?” Her head was just tilted a little, it wasn’t lopsided. Fuck, it was adorable.
He squinted too, not mocking her but just trying to understand. “Eh, no. It looks good, Gangle. You did good by it, I guess. Are we not done or—“
Caine appeared out of the blue, as he usually did. They were done, it seemed as the instructions popped out of Gangles hold. “Aaaamazing job everyone! Really loving the teamwork going on with our newest addition, Pomni!” He pointed to her and continue, looking at the playground. Touching it, tasting it (don’t ask) and using it too. “Maybe you were all construction workers in your li—“
He looked at Bubble then back at everyone, clasping his hands together. “To the tent!”
In the snap of a finger, they were back at the tent. The change of scenery had admittedly been nice but people like resorting to the regular so it wasn’t awful. Though the change had been necessary, Caine had to keep them sane. That meant showing them more then just the tent where they usually resided for shows and then off to their rooms. Or eating (but that was usually Jax).
“Can we go to our rooms now?” Kinger said, as though there was something important awaiting him there. They all knew it was just to draw and draw Queenie, and talk to the drawings as though it were her. It was…unsettling. Even for that Jax didn’t spy.
It was too much.
“Yeah, sure? Why not? You all worked so hard today and Pomni seems much better then yesterday! Food will be available, just press the buttons in your bedrooms or find me,” Caine said, disappearing before anyone could answer him or ask any of their questions.
That was just Caine for you. So much time on his hands yet he always managed to be busy at every aching moment.
But this was Jax’s moment.
“Gangle, are you fucking sleeping—“ He’d been knocking at her door a while, going against using his key when the person was in their damn room. There was no need to be obvious. Jax sure as hell didn’t need anyone telling that he had this mysterious universal key and was abusing his powers with it. Absolutely not.
She opened the door, face furrowed. “You don’t usually come to my room Jax..”
Usually he’d tell her off, saying that was obvious as hell. He’d know that since he was indeed the one who did not come to her room very often. Instead, he didn’t. It felt really fucking weird.
“Well I’m here now, aren’t I? I’m coming in, red riding hood,” he said with a small scoff, walking on in as he pleased. She didn’t stop him either, in fact, she just closed the door after him.
He’d been in her room before, on his own and with her present too. There wasn’t anything new other then some drawings he hadn’t noticed before they looked purple and— She shoved them into a drawer before he even got a proper peek and just assumed it was grapes. Gangle really liked grapes, she had them at every meal and— oh…fuck, why did he notice that. Shit.
“I just wasn’t expecting you today,” she said, rubbing her arm, “do you need something? I don’t think I have anything you need..” Gangle glanced around, trying to find the answers to her questions. He hadn’t come in some time, and she was aware of every single item in her room, none could be his or she would’ve given it back, slipped under his door, a while ago.
What could it be? “Are you like, trying something new, dolly?”
“Something n-new? I don’t follow, Jax…” She said, sitting on the ledge of her bed, watching Jax walk around her room, admiring all the drawings that were artistically littered all over her walls. Even taking notice of some other unfinished ones, that she hadn’t slid protectively into a drawer.
“Trying to get my attention and all, cupcake. You have to know what I mean,” Jax said, facing her and quirky her eyes averted, cheeks evidently pink against her white mask. There was no hiding it, no use in it anyway. “Never seen you assert anyone like that. Let alone me.”
“We-we—well, I was just—“
“Zip it, doll face. I’m not done,” Jax chuckled, amused as he still ruffled through the array of drawings on her little desk. She’d gotten good, it seemed to be her outlet since her arrival. Kaufmo hadn’t gotten very good, he’d just gotten obsessed and then came the exit…but that was besides the point. “I liked it, I think you should do that more often. Hell, you knocked a bit of sense into me, Gangle. So I’m just telling you job well done.” He was lucky to be purple and unable to look pink, because he was pink as fuck right then. Luckily, he was good at saving face and averting conversations.
Kissing Gangle wasn’t going to fix anything anyway.
“…thank you?” She was still quite puzzled, it was written all over her ceramic face.
It was exactly what he wanted though. Who would he be without leaving them dumbfounded?
Certainly not the Jax everyone thought he was, that was for absolute certain.