Chapter Text
Gangle cracked her eyes open as a yawn forced its way out of her, grumbling as she shut her eyes tight and tried to get back to sleep. She reached over to try and pull Jax closer, hoping to nuzzle into his fur and let it's warmth lull her back to sleep, only for her hand grope fruitlessly in the air. Popping an eye open, she was surprised to find no trace of the rabbit, her tiredness leaving her as she sat up and looked around her room. Much to her disappointment, it seemed like he was nowhere to be found. "He must have woke up before me." She mumble aloud, sliding out of bed and stretching her limbs, "Why didn't he wait for me this time?" The sound of someone screaming pulled her from her thoughts, quickly rushing out of her room to see what was going on.
"Why do you have so many of these!?" Ragatha screamed as she frantically brushed centipedes off her body, only making Jax laugh harder.
"Jeez, Raggy." He said with a large grin, "I didn't realize it would BUG you so much." He cackled at his own joke as Ragatha finally threw the last centipede off herself, glaring at the rabbit as he laughed. Once the laughter had died down, it was only then did the pair notice Gangle's presence. "Oh, looks like Crybaby is finally awake." He sneered.
"Why can't you be nice to her?" Ragatha asked, before turning her attention back to Gangle, "Did he break your mask already? I can go get Caine if-"
"Mask?" Gangle asked, cutting the doll's sentence off, "I haven't been wearing my comedy mask very much lately. I thought everyone knew?" The pair looked at her confused, only making her grow more confused herself.
"Looks like she thinks she figured out how to keep me from breaking it." Jax chuckled as he turned and began walking down the hall, "Hate to break it to you, but I still have the key to your room."
"You shouldn't have keys to anyone's room." Ragatha scolded as she walked towards Gangle, placing a hand on her shoulder and forcing a smile on her face, "Are you feeling ok? I know it's pretty early to deal with Jax and all."
"I guess so." The ribbon character replied, staring at Jax as he walked down the hall, "I just... He hasn't acted like this in awhile. Why start now?"
Ragatha's smile fell as a confused and worried expression crossed her face. "Gangle, are you feeling ok?" She asked, kneeling down to meet her eye line.
She brushed the doll's hand off her shoulder as she backed away slightly. "I'm fine. It just feels like something is... off this morning."
Ragatha slowly got to her feet, not taking her eyes off Gangle as she wrung her hands together. "Are you sure? First you don't wear your mask, then you think Jax acting like himself is new..."
"Ragatha," Gangle interrupted, "I'm ok, honest." The doll averted her gaze nervously, before a small smile crossed her face as she nodded softly.
"Well... if you say so." She said with a small laugh, "Just let me know if things keep feeling... off." With that, Ragatha began to head down the hall herself, leaving Gangle alone to question if she was going crazy. The sound of a door opening snapped her from her thoughts, turning around to find Pomni shuffling out of her room with a thousand yard stare towards the floor.
"Hey, Pomni." Gangle called over, making the jester flinch as she looked up.
"O-oh, hi." She said with a small, nervous wave, "It's Gangle, right?"
Gangle's confusion was replaced by a feeling of unease that settled in the pit of her stomach. "...Of course it's me, Pomni. We've been friends for months now."
The jester looked at her suspiciously, fiddling with the pom poms on her outfit. "I've... only been here for a few days." She mumbled, quickly heading down the hall as she kept an eye on Gangle nervously.
Gangle felt her chest tighten as a wave of anxiety washed over her, her breathing growing labored as she stumbled backwards into the wall. She reached over and pinched herself, wincing in pain as she hoped to wake up from this nightmare of reverted characteristics.
"You alright, Gangle?" Zooble asked, waving a hand in front of Gangle's face.
Her eyes widened as she looked at her friend, looking them up and down nervously. "Z-Zooble? Is it really you?"
They raised an eyebrow as the glanced around. "Yeah... it is?" They replied in confusion, "Are you, like... ok?"
"Something weird is going on." She said, grabbing Zooble by the shoulders and pulling them down to her level, "It's like everyone is losing all the personal development they've had. Jax is bullying me again, Pomni is nervous and acting like she just got here. I don't know if this is some weird nightmare or something, but... this isn't right-none of it is."
As soon as the words left her mouth, everything around her froze, most notably Zooble. Their eyes became unfocused as they stared off into space, the entire circus falling silent as Gangle felt her panic grow worse and worse. She felt like she was drowning, her knees buckling as she collapsed to the ground, tears falling from her eyes. She tried to scream, but no sound came out, her body shaking as black dots faded in and out of her vision.
She shot up with a scream, looking around in a panic as she panted heavily. She found herself at the dinning area table, the rest of the players all passed out in their chairs. Slowly, the memories of that morning came flooding back. Caine had posed a challenge to them all, offering an entire week off from adventures if they would test the new world simulation by all being trapped in a world of their biggest fears and either overcome them or figure out the situation wasn't real. They all had reservations about doing it, but a week without adventures was deemed too good to pass up. She slowly regained her composure, watching her friends lay motionless in their seats.
"Hello, Gangle!" Caine said cheerfully, making her jump as she whipped her head around to face him, "You're the first person to complete your challenge! I hope your fear of things never changing is successfully quelled!"
"Caine, I think you may have gone a bit overboard on the, uh, fake world." Gangle said nervously.
"Nonsense!" He said with a dismissive wave, "I had to make them as close to reality as possible, otherwise there wouldn't be a challenge!"
"Caine, if someone doesn't realize it's fake, and the genuinely think their worst fear is coming true, aren't they at risk of... abstraction?" She asked, making the ai fall silent as he thought.
"You raise an excellent point, Gangle!" He said, clapping his hands together, "In order to ensure everyone succeeds, I'll be sending you into their challenges to help them out!"
"Wh-what?!" She asked in shock, "Can't you just pull them out early?"
"That would defeat the point of the challenge!" He said with a chuckle, before pointing his cane at her, "Now then, good luck!"
"Caine, wait!" She yelled, but it was too late as a blinding light enveloped her, soon fading to reveal a strange area that looked like an office. She looked around the dusty place, finding abandoned computers and desks strewn about without reason.
"No, no, no!" A voice cried out, a door slamming soon after. Gangle turned and saw Pomni rush into the room, a panicked and desperate look on her face. She locked eyes with Gangle, a mix of emotions flashing across her face, before landing on a mix of relief and confusion. "Gangle, what are you doing here?" She asked as she ran up to her, "I thought you had escaped with the others."
She tilted her head in confusion at the jester. "Escaped?" She asked, making Pomni's expression fall into horror and despair as tears started to well in her eyes. The jester collapsed to her knees as she let out a choked sob, with Gangle quickly following suit and placing a hand on her shoulder.
"I woke up and found a letter saying you had all left." She sobbed, "I tried following the exit signs, but they just lead back to this stupid office. I've run through door after door after door and I haven't gotten any closer to making it out of here."
Gangle rubbed her arm awkwardly, unsure of how to navigate the situation. She had never been great at comforting people, with even the times where she helped Jax being more a matter of practice than an innate ability. "I'm... sorry." She mumbled out, making Pomni look at her with teary eyes, "I know you want to find an exit. I think all of us have hope of finding one some day." She sat down in front of her friend, doing her best to give a comforting smile, "I can't say if we'll find one," -Pomni whimpered at her words, making Gangle panic as she quickly course corrected her statement, "b-but! I can assure you, if we did, no one would be left behind."
Pomni wiped the tears from her face, looking at the floor sadly as she traced the seams in the carpet with her finger. "What if- we're stuck in the circus forever?" She asked, her voice weak and on the verge of crying once more, "What if we never find an exit and we have to spend eternity in this place."
Gangle stayed silent for a moment, trying to find the right words to say. "Well," She began as she stood up, offering her hand to the miserable jester, "then I'm glad I'm here with such good friends." Pomni sniffled and smiled softly as she took Gangle's hand, being helped to her feet before throwing her arms around her ribbon friend. Gangle looked at her in surprise, with Pomni pulling away from the hug quickly with an awkward laugh.
"Sorry," She said, rubbing the back of her neck, "I'm, uh, not good with physical contact. It felt like the right thing to do in the moment, but now that I did it, I feel like it was weird and kinda wish I hadn't." Gangle chuckled at Pomni's awkward demeanor, making her visibly relax. She looked around the office, her earlier panic being replaced with confusion. "Now that I'm thinking a bit more clearly, something about this place doesn't make sense. Why would Caine just let everyone leave?"
The world froze around the pair as Pomni spoke, reminding Gangle of what happened during her challenge. Before either of them could discuss the sudden pause, a light blinded Gangle once more, fading soon after to reveal that she had been taken to a dark room somewhere in the circus. Her eyes slowly adjusted to the dark, with small, familiar details beginning to make themselves present. She soon realized she was standing in Zooble's room, with various pieces of the character strewn about haphazardly. To say the scene was eerie would be an understatement. She saw a figure sitting on at the foot of the bed, slumped over and deathly still. It didn't appear to have any limbs, featuring only a triangular head and cylindrical body.
"Zooble?" Gangle asked quietly, slowly approaching the hunched figure. The closer she got, the more of them she could see, finding them devoid of both eyes and antennae. Her eyes widened in horror as she quickly began to search the ground, quickly scooping up two discarded eyeballs and carefully placing them on her friend's face. Once in place, they blinked to life and locked eyes with her, before looking down at the floor sadly.
"What are you doing here?" They mumbled, their usual calm and relaxed attitude nowhere to be seen.
"Caine, uh, 'suggested' I check on everyone to make sure they were ok." She said, sitting down next to them, "That being said, are you ok? You seem a bit... sad." Zooble stayed silent for awhile, simply staring at their parts they had thrown across the floor with a mixture of loathing and misery.
"Why am I like this?" They asked quietly, "Why did I have to get stuck in this body?" Gangle remained quiet as they spoke, tapping her hands together nervously. "I hate all these stupid parts. All the claws and horns and whatever other toy box reject Caine has given me. I've tried every combination I can think of, and none of them work! I just... why can't I find something that feels like me? What if I never can?"
Gangle looked around the room awkwardly, racking her brain to try and find anything to say that would be of comfort to her friend. "Well," She eventually mumbled out, finally drawing Zooble's attention away from the ground, "then I guess we'll have to keep trying." She gave an awkward smile as Zooble looked at her in confusion. "I know your body isn't... ideal, but I don't think you should give up."
They sighed as they leaned back against their bed, "Gangle, I-"
"I know you've tried everything," She interrupted, taking them by surprise as she stood up and began to walk around the room collecting pieces, "but I'm not going to let you give up. We may not find the perfect matches, but I'm willing to help find the closest we can get." She sat in front of Zooble with an armful of parts, carefully slotting them into place as Zooble's look of sadness slowly gave way to a soft smile. Once all their pieces were in place, Gangle helped them to their feet. "We all have things about ourselves we don't like." She continued, "But we can't let that stop us from living the best we can."
"Since when did you start giving inspirational speeches?" Zooble asked with a snicker.
"I, uh-" Gangle blushed as she rubbed the back of her neck awkwardly, "may have taken that from an anime." The two shared a laugh as the room became deathly silent, having frozen as another bright light enveloped Gangle and whisked her away, dropping her in another dark room in the circus, this one appearing to be Ragatha's. She quickly spotted the doll laying on the floor, with a miserable look on her face and tears in her eyes as she stared up at the ceiling.
"Are you here to tell me how awful I am again?" Ragatha asked, not even looking at the ribbon character as she spoke.
"Wh-what? I'd never say that." Gangle stuttered out, a feeling of guilt washing over her as she was reminded of her talk with Pomni outside of Spudsy's.
"No need to lie anymore, I get it." The doll continued with a dismissive wave, "Everyone told me how 'fake' I was being. That I'm not being genuine and that I'm selfish. And you're all right." Gangle sat next to her as she spoke, tapping her hands together anxiously. "I just wanted to help everyone. I thought if I was nice all the time and tried to stay positive that everything would be ok. I mean, Jax already brings enough negativity, why would I add to that? But I guess I was only making things worse."
"Ragatha," Gangle began, "you need to stop worrying about what others think about you."
"That's easy for you to say." She replied, "You haven't been built up thinking that you didn't matter if you weren't perfect."
"But how can you be 'perfect' if you aren't happy with yourself?" Gangle shot back, making Ragatha fall silent, "If you keep focusing on not upsetting others, you're only going to upset yourself."
She sat up and looked at Gangle in confusion. "But earlier you all said-"
"Forget what was said earlier." She interrupted, "Is it hard to know if you are being genuine sometimes? Yes. But that doesn't mean you're a bad person or that you aren't trying." She placed a hand on the doll's shoulder and gave her a gentle smile, "I'd rather have a friend who tries to much than one that doesn't try at all."
She laughed as she wiped a tear from her eye, brushing the hand off her shoulder. "I just wish it was easier."
"I think we all do." Gangle replied, "But we'll all get through it together." Ragatha smiled as she rested her head on Gangle's shoulder, a noticeable calm atmosphere filling the air. "Also, for the record," Gangle continued, "I don't think anything you heard today was real."
"I don't see what else-" Ragatha began, only to cut herself off as she narrowed her eyes, "Oh, god %@!$ it, Caine."
The world around them froze, an already familiar sight for Gangle, as Ragatha's challenge came to an end. "This is getting repetitive." She muttered to herself, closing her eyes in preparation for the blinding light to engulf her once more. As soon as it appeared, the light faded and she found herself in a quiet garden, the sun setting on the horizon as various different insects skittered and fluttered around. The entire place was bathed in a peaceful orange hue as she took in her surroundings, watching a butterfly fly by an land on a nearby flower. She saw a bench out of the corner of her eye, sitting alone in the center of the garden with a single occupant resting on it as they watched the sunset. She approached the bench slowly, leaning over the back of it and catching the attention of the man sitting on it in silence. "Hey, Kinger." She said with a small wave, earning a cheerful expression from the older man.
"Oh, hello Gangle." He said happily, "Would you like to join me?" He scooted over to make room for his new companion, who promptly took a seat and looked towards the sunset with him. They remained silent for awhile, both of them taking in the scenery around them, with birds chirping in the distance and insects buzzing through the air.
"Hey, Kinger?" She asked, finally breaking the silence and drawing the chess piece's attention away from the sunset, "Are you doing ok?"
"Oh, I'm fine." He said, "I figured out what was going on awhile ago."
Her eyes widened in surprise at the revelation. "You mean you already-" She began, only for Kinger to hold up a hand to make her stop talking.
"I think if I don't say it out loud, I can stay here for awhile longer." He explained, earning a nod from his friend as he returned to watching the sunset.
"Do you mind if I ask why?" She queried. Kinger looked around the garden with a smile, slowly standing up and approaching a lone flower that was beginning to droop towards the ground.
"My wife and I used to sit out here and watch the sun set." He said, gently pushing the flower upright, "Being here reminds me of her."
"O-oh, I don't think I've heard much about your wife." Gangle said, watching him tend to the flowers from her spot on the bench, "Is it... tough to think about her?"
"Not usually." The chess piece continued, "It's just something I don't find much reason to share when I can think clearly." He finished tending to the garden and returned to his spot on the bench, looking towards Gangle curiously. "What about you?"
"What about me?" She asked, cocking her head to the side.
"Are you doing ok?" He clarified, "You aren't usually so talkative."
She gave a weak laugh as she looked down at her hands. "Caine is making me check on everyone to see if they are doing ok with their challenges." She explained, "I've been trying my best to be comforting and helpful, but I don't think I'm very good at it. I'm starting to get why Pomni seems so tired after listening to us vent."
"Well, I think you've been doing good." Kinger reassured, giving her a quick pat on the back, "If how Jax has been is any indication, you must be a natural at it. I haven't seen him as happy as he has been in a long time."
"Really?" She asked in surprise, earning a nod from the man sitting next to her.
"The fact he has been open with you about how he feels is an achievement in itself." He continued, "He started closing himself off from others a few years ago, but I couldn't figure out why. Though, I guess I'm hardly ever in my right mind to find out." He chuckled at his own joke as he looked off at the sunset. "My point is, I think the two of you are a good match, whatever form it may take. I want my friends to find the same happiness I do in this garden." Gangle smiled as she rested her head against his shoulder, the both of them falling silent as they watched the last few minutes of the sunset. As it dipped below the horizon, Kinger sighed as looked down at Gangle. "Well, I guess that's my cue."
"I'm sorry you can't stay here longer." Gangle said as she sat up, "This place is nice."
"It is." He said as he stood up, "But all adventures have to end sometime."
Once again, the world froze as the words were spoken, shrouding everything in light once more as Gangle was brought to the circus. "Only one left." She said to herself, a quick feeling of pride swelling in her chest at having been able to help everyone so far. It was quickly snuffed out by the sound of shouting from the hall, abruptly reminding her that her job wasn't quite done yet. Rushing towards the hall, she saw a crowd had formed near one of the doors, all shouting over one another at someone in the middle. As she walked closer, she started to make out the faces of her friends, though she was almost positive this was simply some of Caine's NPCs like she had seen during her challenge. A feeling of worry soon washed over her as she saw Jax in the center of the group, his disheveled form barely recognizable as he stood in front of the door in a daze.
"You really thought you had a chance with her?" The fake Zooble sneered, "You're more pathetic than I thought."
"I had pretty low expectations, Jax, but I thought even you were above pushing someone to abstraction." The fake Ragatha added in disgust.
"I'm so disappointed in you." The fake Kinger said sadly, "I thought you were better than this."
"She was right about you." The fake Pomni continued, "You really are nothing more than a bully." The groups mocking came to an end as they dispersed, heading into their rooms and leaving Jax alone as he stared at the door, tears streaming down his face.
"I'm sorry." He whispered, "I'm so, so sorry. I didn't want this to happen. Not again." A sob escaped him as Gangle carefully approached, finally being able to see who's door he was in front of.
She saw her own cartoony decal with a large red X over it, realization dawning on her of what Jax's fear was.
"I take it back. I take everything back." He whimpered, placing a hand against the door, "You can't be gone, not now. @%#$, this can't be happening."
"Jax?" Gangle whispered, making him go rigid as he whipped around to look at her, his eyes bloodshot and brimming with tears, "What's going on?"
"Oh god," He said as a panicked chuckle escaped him, "I'm already going insane. I thought it would have taken longer." He leaned back against the door as he looked down at his trembling hands, another laugh escaping him, followed by another, and another, until he was all but howling with it despite the flood of tears that ran down his face.
She knelt in front of him in a panic as she placed a hand on his shoulder, his body shaking from both his laughter and his strangled sobs. "J-Jax, please try to calm down." She said, though it was unclear if he had even heard her over his manic laughter.
"Oh man, this place really is hell." He said through his laughter, though it frequently fluctuated back to sobs, "I'm in hell, aren't I?" He met her terrified gaze as he trembled, putting his hands on her shoulders and gripping them tight. "It only makes sense! You abstract, everyone blames me, I have to live with my guilt and loneliness for the rest of time. If that's not hell, I don't know what is!"
"Jax, stop talking!" She yelled, grabbing his wrists as tight as she could and forcing them to his chest, trying to think of anything she could to snap him out of the downward mental spiral he was in, "You aren't in hell, you aren't alone. I'm right here. It's going to be ok!"
"Man, I really messed things up, huh?" He asked, still clearly unstable.
"No you didn't." She snapped back, quickly running out of ideas and growing more and more desperate to ground him.
"I mean," He continued, another laugh escaping him, "what kind of monster kills their best friend?!"
With a growl of frustration, she quickly decided to do the only thing she could think of to shock him out of this state. Releasing his hands, she grabbed the straps on his overalls and pulled him forward, planting her lips on his and immediately silencing his ramblings. His eyes widened in shock, the erratic look in them vanishing as he slowly leaned into the kiss, closing his eyes and resting his hands on her shoulders. Gangle pulled away soon after, catching her breath as she looked at the now much calmer rabbit seriously. "Will you listen to me now?" She asked in a firm tone, still holding his overalls in a death grip. He nodded silently, earning a sigh from her as she herself finally relaxed. "Everything is ok." She began, making sure to speak as gently as she could, "I'm not abstracted. You didn't do anything wrong. You aren't a monster."
"I think that second point depends who you ask." He chuckled as he wiped the tears from his face, forcing his usual conceited smile back on.
"Please, no jokes right now." She said as she looked him over with concern, "Are you ok?"
"Oh yeah, I'm just peachy." He said as he rolled his eyes, slowly climbing to his feet and helping Gangle to her's, only for her to punch him in the arm with a scowl, "Alright, fine, I'll stop."
"Good." She said, before she sighed and looked around the hall, "The others are all finished with their challenges, so we should be back at the circus once you-"
"Challenges?" He interrupted, only for the confused look on his face to slowly morph into anger, "This is one of Caine's #!%$ing adventures, isn't it?" As soon as he said it, the world froze once more, the bright light returning one final time to envelope Gangle.
She shot up in her seat and looked around wildly, finding herself back at the table like she had at the beginning of her impromptu mission. The other players all sat around the table, looking at Caine with varying levels of anger as they waited for her and Jax to wake up. With a groan, the rabbit lifted his head off the table and slowly took in his surroundings, his eyes widening as more and more of the actual day's events came back to him. He looked up at Caine and grit his teeth, glaring daggers at him, though the ringleader didn't seem to notice.
"Welcome back, everyone!" He said cheerfully, either unaware or purposely ignoring the angry looks he was getting, "It seems like everyone completed their challenges! Which means that you lucky duckies will be getting the next week off from adventures!"
"You need to be reigned in." Zooble said, narrowing their eyes at the floating character, "I don't know what it is with your adventures lately, but they've been more upsetting than usual."
"Well, I can't have an adventure with it being a little upsetting!" He defended, placing his hands on his hips, "That'd be like having milk without the things to dunk in it!"
"Cookies?" Pomni suggested.
"No thanks, I just had lunch." He replied, before looking down at his watch, his eyes widening a cartoonish amount, "Good heavens, look at the time! I almost missed my conference call!" He bowed towards the players before promptly vanishing, making the tension in the room noticeably lessen.
"If he messes with my brain again, I'll find a way to kill him." Jax growled as he stood up from his seat.
"For once, I don't think you'd be in the wrong." Ragatha mumbled, before her eyes fell on Gangle and she perked back up, "Oh! Gangle, I almost forgot to thank you for your help today."
"Oh, me too." Pomni chimed in.
"O-oh, guys, that's really not necessary." She said with a small laugh, though it did little to stop the multiple rounds of thanks she got from the table. All except Jax, who had already left his seat and started heading towards the hall.
"Hope you all have fun celebrating," He said, "cause I'm too tired to stick around and ruin it."
"Wow, how kind of you." Zooble said as they rolled their eyes.
"I know, aren't I just the best?" He snickered as he continued on his way.
"He didn't even thank you." Ragatha pointed out with a frown, looking back towards Gangle, only to find her staring in the direction Jax had walked off in. After a moment, she turned her attention back to the group, finding them all staring at her with knowing looks.
"O-oh, um-" She began, a blush creeping up her face as she tried to think of an excuse, only for Zooble to sigh and derail her train of thought.
"Just go." They said, nodding towards the hall, "It's not like we don't already know."
With an embarrassed smile, Gangle slid out of her chair and quickly headed towards the hall, jogging through and finding Jax just before he entered his room. "Wait, Jax!" She called out, making him stop and look at her curiously as she approached him, "I just wanted to say I'm so-"
"Nope, save it." He said, holding his hand up to make her stop talking, "You don't have anything to apologize for."
"B-but, I-" She continued, her face heating up as she thought about earlier, "I should have asked or tried something else. You weren't in a good headspace and I shouldn't have-" She was cut off as Jax pressed his lips to hers, killing the apology in her throat and stealing her breath away. His thumb slid along the edge of her mask, sending a shock through her body as she began to lean into the kiss, only for him to pull away as soon as she did.
"There," He smirked, the blush in his cheeks as bright as her own, "now we're even." She tried to say something, but all that came out was a faint groan as her mind replayed the moment over and over again. He turned to his door and pulled it open, stepping inside and pausing as he began to close it. "Oh, and... thanks." With that, he shut the door on her, leaving her in stunned silence as she finally registered what was going on.
"U-uh, yeah!" She called through the door, a giddy smile spreading across her face, "I was happy to help!" She prepared to leave, only for the door to crack open and for Jax to poke his head out, a mischievous grin plastered on his face.
"Oh, by the way," He began, holding a blue notebook out the door and waving it at her, "I popped into your room and, uh, 'borrowed' that sketchbook you had on your desk." Her smile fell into a look of horror at the mention, only making his grin grow wider. "I gotta say, Ribbons, I didn't take you for the freaky type. I never expected this to be how you let off steam, but I can't say I'm upset. Though I am a bit surprised how often you draw everyone in the circus. Though, I'll give you credit, you're pretty accurate on the size of my-"
"JAX!" She screamed as she lunged at the door, with him quickly pulling it shut and locking it. She couldn't help but laugh as she pounded her fists on the door, hearing his own laughter on the other side as he presumably flipped through the book, "When I get in there, I'm going to kill you!" Despite her words, she'd be lying if she said she didn't find the situation a little humorous.
"From the drawings I'm seeing, I have a few suggestions of things I'd like to try first." He replied, only making the two of them laugh harder as she continued trying to get into his room.