Chapter Text
"Guess who just got the bar up and running again!" Zooble excitedly announced as they approached the main area where everyone was, eliciting soft "woo!"s and claps from the group. "Heh, had to really dig in deep in the circus' adventure history, but it was worth it!" Kinger chuckled, adjusting his dark sunglasses as he caught up with Zooble.
"Ooh! Do we still get our outfits? I really liked mine in that round..." Ragatha asked hopefully, holding a finger close to the corner of her mouth. "Don't worry, already got that covered. It should change your clothes as soon as you step inside, I made sure with Kinger." Zooble reassured as they took a seat next to Gangle, a smile reaching their eyes as they looked down at her and she sheepishly gave one back.
Ever since the whole fiasco that was Caine's tantrum and his subsequent death, followed by the near-collapse of the circus, they were forced to find another computer console and bring him back; which was obviously easier said than done. The first part was more simpler than expected however, Pomni just had to conjure up the exit door again and find another one of the many monitors. The last part however...
Everyone hesitated and debated a while on how to approach it. On one hand, their whole world would only continue to break more the longer it's without its host. What was a circus really without its ringmaster? But on the other, they were all scared of his wrath now that he showed what he's truly capable of. They couldn't imagine how much worse he'd be, especially after being killed.
But Kinger thankfully thought of a solution, and suggested to remove his powers and rewrite some of his code. It wasn't exactly an easy feat—he'd have to be as thorough and precise as a neurosurgeon, he was removing an integral part of Caine afterall—but it was still possible. After a heated argument and (impressively) only a day and a half, he'd managed to finish the rewritten code and get his program up and running again. With bated breath, everyone waited for Caine to show up and have another meltdown; waited for the other shoe to drop.
...Only, it never came.
Pomni had decided to be the one to break the news to Caine about his powers (or lack thereof) as she felt bad at the thought of making the others do it, especially Kinger, who worked so hard on fixing him. So, the first thing she did was immediately tell him once he woke up, to rip off the band-aid as soon as possible.
They didn't expect him to take it very well, but they also didn't expect him to just... not take it at all.
Caine stood unnervingly still, processing the devastating information he was just given before he turned around and. Walked away. Without a word, without anything. The group could only watch dumbfoundedly, the thought of chasing after him never crossing any of their minds.
And just like that, he was gone for 3 days. The circus slowly started to repair itself now with its (former) ringmaster, but it was almost like he was never brought back again in the first place. It was only until Zooble had found him inside an emptied out toybox, did they have to physically pull him out of there.
Now, Caine barely even talks or even looks like he's alive anymore.
Pomni perked up as she got an idea, swallowing nervously. "...Do you think we should invite Caine?" She asks hesitantly, looking at the others. She suddenly feels the need to explain herself as she notices their confused expressions, and so she does: "I-I just think it might be a bad idea if we let him roam around the circus unsupervised. Who knows what he'll do when our backs are turned?"
The others hum in thought and looked away, thinking it over. "I'm fine with it, if you can find that little bugger." Jax shrugged and leaned back in his couch without a care. Recently, Pomni had somehow managed to get Jax out of his eggshell once she got him to realize they were all he had, and he'd even started to slowly open up to the others and apologize in his own subtle, stubborn ways. Pomni couldn't help but smile a little at the rude but somewhat endearing name he gave Caine.
"Oh! Maybe I can try locating him on my computer..." Kinger raised his finger in realization, spawning in his monitor with a snap of his fingers before setting it up on the couch and sitting down on the floor, Ragatha scooting away from where she's sitting to give him more space. They all watched in awe as his hands masterfully glided across the keyboard, before there was suddenly a loud yelp coming from far away as Caine was pulled over to the main area.
There was a small pause as they all awkwardly looked at each other, waiting for somebody to make the first move to which Kinger happily took the initiative. "So uh, Caine, we managed to bring back the bar from the lighting round adventure, and... we were wondering if you would join us?" Kinger offered almost nervously, casting a glance at everyone before tilting his head slightly to the side at Caine.
"...You what." Caine deadpanned as he looked horrified for a second, before he quickly shrugged it off. His mouth closed halfway so it looked like he was glaring, he cleared his throat before he huffed out: "Sure." Kinger's expression softened in concern.
"...Just to make sure, you're all free right?" Zooble asked and pointed a finger at the other humans, to which they all nodded. "Alright, then we can check it out now if you guys want!" They eagerly got up from their seat and summoned a portal with an overdramatic hand gesture, excited chatter rising from everyone as they all got up as well and stepped in one by one. "W-Wait, right now?" Caine asked in surprise as he watched everyone leave, before tensing up when a hand was placed on his shoulder. "No time like the present!" Kinger shrugged with a smile that reached his eyes, before going inside the portal himself. Caine stared blankly at his shoulder where the chesspiece's hand used to be for a moment, before snapping himself out of it and following after the others.
Inside, it was still just the same layout as before. Everyone even took the same seats as they had the last time they were here, with Zooble already behind the counter and wiping cups. Caine looked down at himself and saw that he had on a simple white button-up under a black vest with matching black bell bottoms instead of his usual ringmaster attire. "Hey, you don't look too bad in that!" Ragatha complimented, catching almost everyone's attention as they curiously glanced at him. Caine suddenly froze up like a deer in headlights, before storming off to the furthest stool that was still available which was next to Kinger's. Ragatha couldn't help but frown, holding her elbow while gazing at Caine worriedly.
Pomni watched as the whole interaction went down, eyebrows furrowed in concern as she glanced up at the ragdoll. Ragatha looked back at her solemnly, her hand moving up to rub her own shoulder. "Do you think I upset him...?" She asked. "No, no, you're good. Caine is just... like that." Pomni reassured her as honestly as she could, before her gaze drifted back down to the counter in thought.
Caine was never "just like that," was he?
Pomni's tried numerous times now just to talk to him, everyone has, but each time he just stubbornly stays quiet like he isn't apart of the conversation. It was a far cry from the old ringmaster that she knew, who was pratically a chattering teeth (pun intended) from how much he loved to babble. Now... it was like he was a shell of his former self. Maybe in the past, she would have been grateful for that. At least she wouldn't feel her nonexistent ears somehow being talked off.
...For some reason, she couldn't help but feel like she was apart of-
"So, the usual?" Zooble's voice broke through the silence, looking slightly concerned for the two girls.
Pomni looked back up at them and smiled, "Do you still even remember our orders?" She asked curiously.
They playfully rolled their eyes and rested their fist on their hip, "I have a good memory, y'know." They retorted.
Pomni chuckled softly and shrugged, "Alright, I trust you. The "usual" for me then." She smirked.
"I'll just have another cosmopolitan!" Ragatha chimed in.
"Long island iced tea..." Gangle murmured sheepishly, pulling out her sketchbook from nowhere and mindlessly doodling away.
"Give me another whiskey sour, this time with the egg white." Jax scoffed, shooting Zooble a glare which they ignored.
"I'll have..." Kinger trailed off hesitantly, before glancing down at Jax. "Actually, I'll just have a rusty nail."
"And you, Caine?" Zooble asked as they started to prepare the drinks, catching him off-guard momentarily. He paused and thought about it before ordering: "...A dirty martini."
Jax couldn't help but let out a snicker, "A dirty martini? Oh, I know what you are!" He teased, Zooble shooting him a confused glare. "What are you even trying to say?" They scoffed, it quickly escalating into still somewhat-harmless territory banter with each other.
Caine sighed and looked away from the scene as he instead chose to stare off into some random potrait model in the bar, distracting himself by recounting how he made it all from scratch.
Scratch...
"...Hey Caine, how old are you?" Another voice pulls him out of his thoughts again. He looks back to see it was Pomni.
"Huh?"
"I-I was just wondering, since apparently you're old enough to drink. I mean- you are, right?" She awkwardly asks.
"Of course I am, I'm 21 years old. Perfectly legal." Caine says matter-of-factly, to which everyone suddenly turned their heads at him in surprise.
"Wha- really?" Pomni chuckles in disbelief, Caine's upper jaw furrows and he tilts his head at her in confusion. "Yeah, is that hard to believe?" He scoffed.
"No offense Caine, but I totally thought you were at least... 35, or something." Zooble snickered as they set down Gangle's finished drink in front of her. "You're just so... old-fashioned, I guess." They shrugged, the others nodding in agreement.
"I'm not old-fashioned, It's called having a sense of taste." Caine corrected in annoyance as he spun around on his stool, leaning back against the counter with his legs crossed in a dramatic way. Kinger couldn't help but smile in amusement at such a theatrical motion.
As Caine tunes out everyone's chatter while waiting, they all eventually get their drinks and start to discuss their own "projects." It seems like everyone has one of some sort: Gangle wants to conjure up a modern TV to see if she could watch anime again, Ragatha plans to make a farm with her beloved animals, Jax wants to completely renovate his room, while Pomni still doesn't know what she wants to do and Zooble's project was this bar. And just like with Zooble, Kinger offers his help for each of them and even shares some tips on how to conjure for the few that still haven't gotten it.
Now that the cat's finally out of the bag and everyone had realized that they can create just as much as Caine can used to, he feels a sense of wrongness, deep and unsettling in his code. He was the ringleader, the one who called the shots, the one who made things hot! Who were they to just take over the show, just like that? It's not fair.
He glared at the reflection in his drink for a while.
"Uhh... Caine?" Kinger called out worriedly, snapping him out of it again as he whips his head around to stare up at the chesspiece. "You okay? You haven't drank your martini at all..." His expression softens into what Caine can only see as pity. That burning feeling sears his insides again. He doesn't want pity.
"I'm fine." He hissed, gripping the tall body of his glass tightly.
Zooble quickly notices the heated tension between the two, and sighs as they finally decide to be the one to address the elephant: "Hey, what is up with you lately? You've been avoiding everyone like the plague and now you're here acting all pissy. Come actually talk about whatever it is with us, and stop acting like a brat." They scolded as they walked over to him, placing their hands on the bar and leaning onto their arms, almost towering over him.
Pomni couldn't help but grimace slightly at the harsh tone, but she had to agree with them. She did approach Jax with a similar message, so maybe-
"Why? So you guys can make fun of me behind my back? I'm not stupid." Caine suddenly bit back, glaring up at Zooble now. Their eyes widened in surprise as they leaned back a little, caught off-guard. Everyone was stunned as well, as they immediately recalled the moment before his... outburst. Kinger could only look on with worry and confusion.
After a moment of complete stillness, he takes out the olive garnish in his drink and quickly downs it in one swing. He slams down the empty glass on the counter and bites off the olive, carelessly throwing the stick into the cup before shooting up from his seat and storming away. Pomni reaches her hand out to try and stop him but her reflexes are too late as he runs out of the portal.
They all look at each other dumbfoundedly, once again.
"...What did you guys do to him?" Kinger asks in horror.