Chapter Text
Zooble dug through their box of parts, trying to find something new in the sea of brightly colored plastic shapes.
After a few minutes of rummaging and switching out limbs and joints, they stood up and turned to the mirror nearby. It was... a look. Zooble always looked weird, obviously, but maybe these parts felt a bit better than the old ones...? Their brow furrowed as they looked closer.
...
Whatever. They managed to drag their searching eyes away from the mirror. This wasn't doing them any good, they looked fine, that was enough.
That was enough.
Besides, they should go check if the others were back from their adventure yet. It would be nice to see Gangle right now. Maybe the two could even draw together if she wasn't too traumatized by whatever the hell today's adventure was.
Zooble had heard Caine announcing it earlier while hiding. They thought about it as they opened their door and stepped into the hallway. What was it,something about a murder?
"It was a murder mystery!" Gangle explained as they ate in a corner of the circus. She seemed cheerful, especially with her happy mask still being intact, a rarity by the end of most adventures.
"How did it end up going?" Zooble asked
"Oh, I was the first one to get killed. It was kind of nice though, Caine just put me in a room by myself and let me draw."
"Hm."
It kinda ticked Zooble off that Gangle was always left out or killed in Caines adventures. It was like just because she was shy people thought they could do anything they wanted with her.
...But she seemed happy right now at least. And seeing her be so cheerful over just getting to draw for a while was pretty cute.
"You wanna show me what you drew?"
Gangle perked up, nodding through a bite of cake as she pulled out her sketchbook. She could sometimes just pull it out from nowhere like she took it out from a pocket that wasnt there. Laying it out between them, she opened to a page with a drawing of an unfamiliar character on it.
"This was the npc that guided us around, she was really nice.."
Caine caught snippets of what was being said from his hiding place up above the two players. He scratched his chin as he observed them, noticing something very strange.
"Hey, Bubble"
"Yeeeessss?"
The shiny orb floated up beside him.
"I'm just realizing this now, but... I don't think I've ever seen Zooble so..."
"Aroused?" Bubble offered
"Wha- no! Happy, I was going to say HAPPY."
Caine sighed, pinching a nosebridge that wasn't really there.
"Certainly happier than they ever are on my adventures.."
He resumed looking on in contemplation. There was Zooble, looking upbeat, but WHAT was making that happen?
That was when his gaze slowly turned to the one Zooble was talking to.
And as he stared at Gangle, smiling and showing off her art, the gears slowly began to turn in his head...
When the realization hit him all at once.
"THATS IT!"
Caine burst out into the open air, spinning as he announced his epiphany.
"I know just what to do now!"
With a snap and a turn, he poofed away, leaving Gangle and Zooble staring up in bewilderment at the place where he had revealed himself.
A moment of silence passed.
"Uhh... What do you think that was abou-"
But Zooble didn't get to hear Gangle finish her sentence, because all of a sudden they were teleported into a different part of the circus, sat on a brightly colored couch. They scrambled to reorient themselves.
Caine watched them cheerily from the air above, reveling in how brilliant his plan was. Pretty soon, Zooble would be thanking him for such great adventures!
"CAINE, WHAT THE F----!!!"
Ah, speaking of Zooble. They had stood up and were now looking very upset in their usual Zoobley way.
"WHY am I here right now. Where's Gangle?!"
"Oh don't you worry a BIT about her, I have something BIG planned for today, and it's JUST FOR YOU!!"
He swooped up in front of Zoobles face as he spoke, and they could already tell he was announcing... oh god, another-
"ADVENTUUUURE"
He proclaimed, flying back up to his original place.
"And a real special one too! You see, for the longest time I've been trying to figure out what would make you happy, Zooble. What would make you shut that whiny, complaining mouth of yours! Because SERIOUSLY, you can be SO ANNOYING!"
"Yeah, yeah I get it."
"Yes! But ANYWAY, I was observing you today, when it hit me!! The key to that tiny plastic heart if yours isssssss"
Bubble had appeared, and through its open mouth a drumroll sound was playing.
And then with a snap of Caines fingers, Gangle appeared out of thin air above him.
"Gangle!?!"
"GANGLE!!!"
The masked ribbon fell from where she had been suspended in the air, and Zooble immediately rushed forward, managing to catch her in their arms. She looked up and made eye contact, clearly caught off guard, but managing a shaky smile.
"Thanks, Zooble..."
"Ah yes, just look at the two of you!! Two peas in a pod, if I do say do myself!! Which is why today's adventure is just for the TWO OF YOU!!"
"Just the two of us..?"
Gangle said as Zooble lowered her out of their arms. She looked to Zooble for their opinion, her eyes wide in suprise. They were a bit shocked too, scrambling for a quick answer in their mind.
"Uh, I GUESS that could be better than usual but..."
They mumbled, still confused, and Caine immediately launched into a spiel about the rules. He talked fast and loud as he listed off the details of a maze and a timer and gloinks and fun and-
Zooble interrupted.
"Hey, hey, ok NO. I didn't agree to this. Me and Gangle can be together any time, we don't have to go on some weird adventure!"
Finally, their head was straight. They didn't want Caine forcing them on some adventure and dragging Gangle along just because his weird AI brain thought it was a good idea. He always just thought he could do whatever he wanted! Well not today. Not right now.
Caine seemed to pause at Zoobles clapback. Zooble saw something in his eyes shift, and he looked... angry. But just for a second before he crossed his arms with an exaggerated pout.
"If that's how you're gonna be, then maybe I should I hide your Zooble parts instead!"
"Wait, what!?"
"YES that is a GREAT idea!! Your new mission is to collect Zoobles body parts that will be hidden throughout the maze!! And once you find all of them you can come back to the circus! How does that sound?"
"Wha- TERRIBLE!"
"INCREDIBLE? I know!! Now LETS GET GOING!!"
And just like that a portal appeared in front of the two players and Caine shoved them through, despite Gangles nervous protests and Zoobles aggressive ones.
Once the portal closed behind them, Zooble turned and huffed in anger at the place it had been in a moment ago. As they did, Gangle looked at the scenery around them. It was a hedgemaze made up of green leaves and roses that glowed in the daylight. It was really...
"Pretty"
Gangle murmured.
Zooble turned to her, their previously angry eyes now full of concern.
"Are you ok?"
"Oh! Um yeah, this place actually looks pretty nice!" Gangle answered. She always got flustered when Zooble worried for her like that. Sometimes it made her feel lucky she couldn't blush with a porcelain mask for a face. Now being one of those times as Zooble walked up next to her and put a hand on her back.
"Sorry Caine dragged you along on this, that wasn't fair to you."
Their eyes were a mixture of agitation and regret. They had so many complex emotions beneath that surface of swearing and complaining... Gangle got angry at their situation every now and then, but most of the time she just crumpled into a ball of despair, never fighting back or trying to do anything. And in the end, Zooble always pulled her out of it.
Maybe this time.. She could be the one to help them.
So she smiled. A gentle, hopefully reassuring smile. "Its ok.. This adventure dosent look too bad anyway. We can just find your Zooble parts and get out easily!"
Zooble paused for a moment, trying to tell if she was being genuine or not. They didn't want her pretending to be happy for their sake. Eventually, they sighed and looked off ahead.
"Ah, you're right... What the heck, we'll find the parts and get out together."
Zooble made eye contact.
"Right?"
Gangle felt a fresh wave of determination.
"Right!"