Archive of Our Own

Term: Country Bumpkin

Definition: A disparaging term for a person from a rural area who is considered awkward, unsophisticated, or foolish.

Connotation: Generally disapproving or judgmental, often used by people in urban areas to feel superior.

Synonyms: Hillbilly, redneck.

~~~

The moral of this story is: If you don’t know the true definition of a word, maybe don’t use it as a nickname for your girlfriend.

As usual, it began with one of Caine’s adventures. That day, he created a Farming Simulator adventure for them. Not a farming adventure, he stressed, but a Farming Simulator one. Despite him underlining the importance between the two, nobody in the circus cared enough to differentiate.

The toothy ringmaster teleported them to the scene. Endless grassy hills rolled in the distance. Massive clouds billowed in the sky. The cacophony of whinnies, bleating, and clucking from the animals filled the air. The group was dropped in front of the bright red barn, landing in a heap. As they pushed themselves to their feet, Caine launched into his introduction.

“Welcome to the AMAZING DIGITAL HARVEST!!!” Caine announced with a flourish of his hat. His words appeared overhead in a rustic, orange font. “Today’s adventure will be…” He paused for the drumroll. “Complete your chores!”

Caine snapped his fingers, and a massive checklist scrolled through the sky… Then a second column of chores appeared next to it. Then a third.

“What the hell?!” Jax yelled in protest with wide arms. “You’re seriously going to make us do all of that?!”

“Why, yes!” Caine winked with a clack of his teeth. “As part of my mission to keep your brains stimulated, I search effortlessly for new ways to get those neurons firing! Wouldn’t you know it, chores are a GREAT way to learn and practice important skills!”

Jax fell to his knees with his hands over his face as he sobbed. He turned his face to the sky in anger, cursing the Gods. “Why did it have to be chores?!?!”

“Not to agree with Jax, or anything,” Zooble piped in, eyeing the rabbit with a mix of disgust and concern, “But that’s a lot of chores.”

“Nonsense!” Caine countered. “You just need to work in teams!”

With a snap of Caine’s hand, the six humans were lifted into the air and reshuffled in line, split into three sets of duos. He pointed to Zooble and Gangle, snapping his fingers a second time.

“You two will take care of cows and pigs!”

Snap!

The two were swallowed by a cloud of white, quickly reappearing in different outfits. The two of them wore plain jean overalls with a massive, oversized pocket on the chest. A pair of shiny black boots appeared on their feet, and a pail in their hands.

He turned to Jax and Pomni. “You two will take care of chickens, geese, and turkeys!” 

Snap!

Jax’s outfit hardly changed. A strand of grain appeared in his mouth and he was given a straw hat that matched the color of his teeth. Pomni received a more dramatic transformation. Her shirt changed to a blue and red plaid shirt with half the buttons undone to reveal a strapless yellow shirt underneath. The other half of her shirt was tucked into her too-baggy jeans that covered her dark brown work boots. Her iconic jester hat remained as always.

Next were Kinger and Ragatha. “And you two will take care of horses, sheep, and the dog!” 

Snap!

Kinger’s cloak was replaced by a purple button-down shirt with golden leaves and flowers embroidered along the top of his chest near the collar. Ragatha wore a similar shirt. Hers had a white base and the embroidery a mix of baby blue and red. Unlike Kinger, she was given pants, a pair of well-fitting jeans tucked into her light brown cowboy boots. The two of them sported matching belts with a whip attached at the hip.

When Ragatha noticed Kinger looking at his whip with interest, she intervened before he could unravel it. “I’ll just… Hold onto this for you, okay?” She said with a stiff smile, not wanting to imagine the trouble Kinger would get himself into.

Caine looked upon them fondly, clapping his hands together, teary-eyed. “They grow up so fast, don’t they, Bubble?”

Bubble appeared from stage left. “It stinks here. I want to go home.” Caine popped him with the tip of his finger.

“Now then, the clock’s a tickin'!” He pointed to a wristwatch that wasn’t there. “Finish all your chores by the end of the day or…” he trailed off, tapping at his bottom teeth before finishing with a shrug. “Or else!”

With that, his body swirled until he disappeared, vanishing with a blip of light.

After Caine’s disappearance, a large countdown appeared above the checklist. The group looked at each other warily.

“What do you think ‘or else’ means?” Gangle questioned aloud. She tried to stop herself from eyeing Jax. “If it’s anything like the training at Spudsy’s...”

Jax snapped his head to turn toward Gangle. “You were never supposed to bring that up again, Manager Gangle,” he uttered through gritted teeth. Gangle hid behind Zooble’s shoulder with an eep!

Zooble stepped in front of Gangle further. “Cool it, Jax, nobody cares about you and that ‘arm’ chair,” they rolled their eyes at him before addressing the rest of the group. “Let’s just get this over with, do we agree?”

The rest of the group nodded. 

Gangle and Zooble walked away toward the barn doors to milk the cows. Gangle’s arm wrapped around Zooble’s like she was the red part of a candy cane. Pomni eyed her farm partner, who was still moping, sitting on the ground with his head between his knees. She might as well give him some time to cope. Her attention shifted to Ragatha, who was trying to map out a game plan with Kinger (who only seemed interested in the whip).

Pomni grinned. If both of their partners were out of commission, she might as well give her recently established girlfriend some company.

Approaching Ragatha from behind, Pomni tapped her left shoulder. When Ragatha looked over it, Pomni ducked to the right, tapping the other one. When the cycle repeated, Pomni giggled mischievously, stepping around the ragdoll to separate her and Kinger. 

Ragatha looked down at her in happy surprise. “Oh, hey, Pomni!”

Pomni turned over her shoulder to look at the chess piece. “Hey, Kinger, mind if I steal this cowgirl from you?”

Kinger looked perplexed. “Ragatha’s a horse girl, not a cow girl.”

Both Ragatha and Pomni snickered, covering their mouths. They struggled not to laugh too hard. They didn’t want to hurt his feelings. 

“Kinger,” Ragatha managed through her laughter, “How about you comfort Jax? It looks like he could use someone to talk to.”

“Ok!” Kinger agreed easily. The two women glanced at each other and giggled in anticipation of Jax’s reaction. If there was one person Jax couldn’t be too cruel to, it was Kinger. 

Finally alone, the two of them turned toward each other. Pomni admired the embroidery on Ragatha’s collar. As she drank in the ragdoll’s appearance, dragging her eyes up her body, she realized after locking eyes with her that Ragatha was doing the same. 

“Nice outfit,” Pomni complimented, meaning every pixel of every letter. 

“Thank you,” Ragatha responded bashfully. She rested her arms by her side as if expecting her skirt to be there for her to curl her fingers into. The ragdoll eyed the jester’s pale collarbones peeking from behind her unbuttoned shirt. Her eyes flickered up to meet Pomni’s. “I like yours, too.”

Pomni managed to keep her grin despite the way her stomach fluttered. She pushed past her nerves. “You excited to play with real horses instead of a plushie one?”

Ragatha gasped, covering Pomni’s mouth and checking to make sure neither Jax nor Kinger heard. Luckily, they looked preoccupied with Jax yelling at Kinger to leave him alone. “Careful!” Ragatha chastised, pulling away to reveal Pomni’s smirk underneath her hand. “Nobody else knows!”

“I know,” Pomni crooned, taking Ragatha’s hands in her own. “It’s a secret saved just for me. That’s what makes your reaction more exciting.”

Ragatha lightly pushed Pomni’s shoulder, hiding behind her bangs as she pushed her hair behind an imaginary ear. “You’re awful, you bully.”

“And you love it,” Pomni stood on the balls of her feet to deliver a kiss to Ragatha’s cheek. The ragdoll leaned into the touch before the jester pulled away. “But seriously, I can imagine you’re ecstatic.”

Ragatha took a deep breath, her hands balled in front of her chest, and her eye squeezed shut. “Pomni.” When she opened her eye, it gleamed with excitement. “You have no idea how long I’ve waited for this.”

“I’m so glad,” Pomni said genuinely. “Too bad we aren’t partners, huh?”

Ragatha shrugged, looking to the side with a mischievous grin. “It’s okay,” she looked at Pomni from under her eyelashes, “We can still hang out together later, right?”

Mentally, Pomni pumped her fist. Success. A hangout after the adventure was secured. With any luck, they could spend it in her room.

From behind them, Jax yelled, “Hey, Ragatha!” They begrudgingly turned toward him. He was pushing Kinger away from him with a hand on his chest. The chess piece seemed to be convinced that a hug was what he needed. “Come collect your madman and go ride horses, or whatever. Pomni, let’s go pluck these birds.”

Pomni raised a brow. “I don’t think I saw that one on the list.” Ragatha snorted at her joke.

Jax glared and held up a censored finger. “Don’t patronize me right now when I’m emotionally vulnerable,” he held a hand to his chest and fake sobbed, “This is a very trying time for me.” He let his hand drop and side-stepped Kinger before walking away. “Time to break it up, lovebirds! There’s work to do!”

Pomni rolled her eyes, turning her attention back to Ragatha. “Of course, he chooses now to feel motivated.”

Ragatha smiled. She placed her hand on top of Pomni’s head, caressing her through her hat until she held the tip of it between her fingers. She used it to tickle Pomni’s face, to which the jester sputtered, flailing to push it away.

“Good luck with that one,” Ragatha gestured to the rabbit’s retreating figure. “You’ll need it.”

“I can manage him,” Pomni grinned, leaning in close. “It’s being without you I can’t handle.”

Laughter bubbled out of Ragatha, and she pushed the jester away playfully. “Alright, you’re done.”

“What? Too corny?”

“Way too corny.” Ragatha leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss to Pomni’s lips. A blink-and-you-miss-it kiss. “I’ll see you later, okay?”

“Okay,” Pomni said dreamily. 

When Kinger approached them from behind, Pomni bid farewell to the two of them. She turned and ran to catch up with Jax. As she ran, she looked up to the sky and read off the list of chores for them to do.

After reading down the list, she brushed it off. This was a piece of cake. How difficult could farm work be?

~~~

Pomni crawled on all fours, straining her neck to look underneath the chicken coop. Unsuccessful, she sat up and tossed her head back with a dissatisfied groan. The curious chickens that hovered around her scattered in a flurry of feathers. 

With her head craned back like this, she could see the 49/50 marker floating above their area, taunting her. No matter where she looked, she couldn’t find the last egg.

Her head dropped to the side, eyeing her partner leaning against a fence post in the distance. Instead of actual farming, he was aurafarming. She would be angrier with him if she weren’t so tired. Who knew this would be so exhausting?

Deciding she deserved a break, she walked toward the same fence Jax was leaning on. The chickens followed her, wondering if she was planning to complete the next task of feeding them. 

Man, she really overestimated how many chores she could finish. In her defense, she was completing all of them while Jax groaned, dragged his feet, and wielded the skill all men possessed, known as weaponized incompetence. She tried to comfort herself with the knowledge that she was technically doing the work of two people. 

… Despite telling herself that, she didn’t feel much better. To be honest, she felt out of her element in this adventure. The farm stank, most of the animals were less than nice, and she had to touch more gross things than she wanted to recall. She felt the urge to fall to her knees as Jax had done earlier. Maybe his reaction wasn’t as over the top as she first considered it to be.

Pomni leaned over the wooden railing of the fence with a sigh. She placed one knee on the bottom rung and her chin on the upper one. She addressed Jax without looking at him.

“I thought rabbits loved finding eggs?”

Jax grumbled, the grass in his mouth bobbing as he spoke. “Two things. Number one, it’s hiding eggs, not finding them. Number two, I’m not the Easter Bunny.”

Pomni huffed a laugh, her chin still planted firmly to the wood. “You could have fooled me, you’re just so festive that I confused the two of you.”

“Hardee har har,” Jax muttered, his mood still not improving. He scanned the distance, scoffing when he caught sight of something interesting. “Well, isn’t that dandy?”

Curious, Pomni stood on the bottom rung of the fence, lifting herself higher to see what Jax was looking at. 

Across from them, a few parcels down, a sea of white sheep ran across an open field, their bleating audible from where the two of them stood. On the perimeter of the herd, a brown flash raced around the sheep to condense them. Squinting her eyes, Pomni recognized a familiar streak of red.

Ragatha was locked in, her body leaning forward and hands tight on the horse’s reins. She moved her body in time with her steed, leaning into the turns and guiding the animal effortlessly. Her hair was wild in the wind. A black and white border collie accompanied her, darting around the horse’s legs and nipping at the sheep’s ankles to keep them from straying. 

On the other side of the field, Kinger sat atop his steed by a gate. Pomni snickered when she heard him yelling, “Hyah! Hyah!” as he encouraged the sheep through the opening of the gate. Above the open field, their counter pinged rapidly as their count rose to 100/100. Ragatha rode behind the final sheep, her horse slowing to a trot.

Ragatha and Kinger exchanged a high-five. The ragdoll’s beaming smile was visible from a distance.

Pomni let out an impressed whistle. “Wow, that was [%^#&]ing cool.”

Jax closed his eyes with a lazy shrug. “Meh, it was whatever. The dog did most of the work.”

“You’re such a hater,” Pomni dismissed him. Balancing herself on the fence, she used her hand to block the sun from her eyes as she tried to get a better look. It was hard to see Ragatha when Kinger was blocking her view…

Finally, a window opened. Pomni wished she had binoculars to see Ragatha’s expression more clearly. She looked tired, but upbeat. She was laughing at something Kinger said. Pomni leaned in closer. Sweat shone on the ragdoll’s brow, glistening under the midday sun. Her bangs were half-stuck to her forehead.

Pomni yelped as she leaned too far forward, bracing herself for impact, but Jax grabbed her by the back of the shirt before she hit the ground.

“That’s what you get for being a simp,” he taunted. He lifted her and set her on the ground as if he were scruffing a kitten. “What, you want to hang out with that country bumpkin more than me-?”

Pomni cut Jax off with a swift punch to his gut. He doubled over, clutching at his stomach, wheezing. He looked up at her with a glare. “What gives, dude?”

“I don’t know, dude,” Pomni mocked back. “Maybe it’s because you keep calling Ragatha names when I’ve told you a bajillion times to stop.”

Jax straightened himself out and played coy. “Whaaat? I would never insult Ragatha! That’s sooo not me.”

Pomni crossed her arms, unconvinced. “Oh, really? Then tell me what a country bumpkin is.”

The rabbit blinked once. Unbeknownst to Pomni, he was now convinced he was going to get out of trouble scot-free. Little did he know the future ramifications of his lies.

“Nothing bad!” He fibbed. “It’s like… A southern belle! The prettiest girl in town! You know, those girls who are drowning in their frilly dresses with a stupid tiny parasol.”

Pomni raised an eyebrow. “For real?”

“For real,” Jax nodded, holding one hand up with the other behind his back, fingers crossed. “Scout’s honor!”

Pomni hummed, still suspicious of his words. “Okay… Fine. I choose to believe you. But I’m not apologizing because you still used it negatively. Now go look for that last egg, you slacker.”

Jax waved Pomni off, strolling casually as he made his getaway before Pomni caught onto his ruse. “Yeah, yeah, I’m on it. Don’t get your panties in a twist.”

Pomni was about to step away from the fence before something caught her eye. She knelt on one knee, conveniently finding the final egg resting in the shadow of the fencepost. When she turned to call Jax back, the rabbit not having made it very far, she overheard some of his grumblings.

“... So defensive over that prissy ragdoll…”

Before the rabbit could retreat any further, Pomni swiftly snatched up the egg. The counter pinged 50/50 as the egg soared through the air, cracking open with a wet smack right on target.

~~~

As Pomni continued to whittle down her to-do list, slowly crossing items off as the day went on, she frequently found herself lost in thought. One recurring thought was how she was not cut out to be a farmer in any way, shape, or form.

When she was feeding the chickens, they sensed her weakness and swarmed her, drowning the short woman in a flurry of excited clucking and scratching. 

In the goose parcel, she happened upon a hidden nest in the reeds by the pond. She cooed at the tiny army of goslings she found. She then bolted away in terror, screaming as the momma goose hunted her for sport.

Then, she entered the turkey area to… She glanced up at the task list in the sky… To get turkeys off the menu? She didn’t know what that meant exactly, but she assumed it had something to do with Thanksgiving. 

Figuring a heartfelt apology would be enough, she found the largest turkey on the plot and knelt before it, offering a deep bow to the ground. Straightening herself upright, she declared, “We humans humbly apologize! Turkeys shall never be an entree again!”

The turkey clucked, tilting its head in confusion at the jester. Pomni faltered. Did it not work? She felt her stomach sink when the turkey puffed its feathers, shaking its plumage as it gobbled angrily.

Pomni gulped. The turkey thought she challenged it to a duel.

She ran away screaming for the umpteenth time that day. Where was Jax during all of this, you ask? Why, he was leaning up against the fencepost as usual, pointing and laughing at her misery.

It wasn’t just handling the animals she was bad at. Her gloves were shredded from trying to repair a wire fence. Her jeans were filthy, the knees stained from grass and dirt. One of the pom-poms from the end of her jester cap was lost to her battle with the turkey. Not only could she not act the part, but she also couldn’t look the part. 

Meanwhile, she caught glimpses of Ragatha throughout the day, who was on the opposite end of the farmer spectrum from her. The ragdoll looked like she was right at home. She rode on top of her horse like she was born to do so. She didn’t shy away from her work and blasted through her list faster than anyone. Not only was it impressive, but it was hot, too.

Comparing Ragatha and Pomni was laughable.

Pomni sighed at the thought as she lagged behind Jax, the two of them walking to their next chore. The sun hung low in the sky.  While he rambled on about something to her, she wasn’t listening, too consumed in her thoughts. 

Pomni continued to think of Ragatha. She wasn’t lying when she said she liked her cowgirl outfit. It wasn’t often she got to see her wearing pants. Sexy pants, at that. The way her jeans hugged her thighs made Pomni drool. Sure, she hated when the ragdoll walked away, but she loved to watch her leave.

It wasn’t just the pants she loved. She also enjoyed the shirt. It was a cool, western design she had never seen before, but it felt appropriate on her. The jester imagined tracing the embroidery on the ragdoll’s chest, trailing her finger in circles, and feeling her breath stutter beneath her touch. 

The jester’s imagination persisted. She would reach out to Ragatha’s buttons, curiously undoing them. Ragatha would twitch and gasp in anticipation as they came unbuttoned one by one. Finally, there were none left. Ragatha would look up at the jester through her eyelashes, her chest rising and falling, the fabric covering her chest unmoving. One gust of wind was all it would take to reveal her.

Pomni couldn’t take the excitement any longer, and gently took the shirt in her hands to push it off the ragdoll’s shoulders- 

“Pomni? Are you even listening to me?”

Pomni broke out of her thoughts, almost tripping over her own feet. She recovered quickly. After all, she was well-versed in the art of pretending to listen. 

“Yeah, keep going,” she feigned interest. “I’m just shocked that happened.”

When Jax stopped eyeing her suspiciously and the suave grin returned to his face, she knew she was successful. She waited a few minutes before slipping back into her mind.

For some reason, the name Jax called Ragatha earlier was stuck in her head. Maybe it was because it was a phrase she had never heard before. Considering her lack of success as a farmgirl, it was unsurprising that she didn’t know much about southern culture.

Country bumpkin. Bumpkin. It kinda sounded like pumpkin. She closed her eyes and imagined a pumpkin turning around, revealing Ragatha’s face on the other side. A small laugh escaped her as a single red string grew from the stem, her curly hair representing the pumpkin vine. She gave Pumkin-gatha her blue bow to complete the look. 

She smiled at the imagery. Cute. 

But wait, she stopped herself, shaking her head. The phrase wasn’t to describe a pumpkin. It meant something else… What were the words Jax used? Something about a fancy southern woman in an equally fancy dress.

Pomni’s thoughts drifted again. Ragatha appeared in her mind, this time as herself instead of a gourd. 

The scene began atop one of the many rolling country hills. Pomni approached Ragatha from behind, the ragdoll having yet to notice her. She rested her tiny parasol against her shoulder, a white bow in her hair replacing her usual blue one. 

Suddenly, the wind blew hard, and the tall grass whipped at the jester’s ankles. She paid the pain no mind. She was spellbound by the sight of Ragatha’s white dress billowing around her.

Ragatha blended in with the blindingly bright cotton-like clouds towering behind her silhouette. Her red curls were a rose in a sea of white. 

The wind stole away Ragatha’s umbrella. The ragdoll reached out for it, trying and failing to grab it. 

Because this was Pomni’s imagination-land and she could do whatever she wanted, physics be damned, the wind carried the parasol to her, and she caught it with ease. If the jester ignored the fact that this was all fake, she felt pretty cool.

Finally, the damsel in white noticed the jester’s presence. The background faded away, replaced by a scrolling scene of sparkles and flowers. In slow motion, the ragdoll turned around with her fist pressed over her heart, her hair flipping cinematically. Her eye shone like in an 80’s romance manga. She opened her mouth to speak, calling out-

“Pomni!”

Pomni broke out of her thoughts for the second time. Wow, she got really invested in that last one. So much so that it sounded like Ragatha was actually there.

Or, that’s what she thought before she looked up to see Ragatha approaching them from the opposite direction. She was walking alongside her brown horse and leading it by the reins.  Pomni’s heart jolted in surprise, but her face brightened at the sight of her

With her previous thoughts still lingering in her mind, Pomni compared Ragatha in her imagination to the real thing. She smiled wryly. As beautiful as she was as a radiant, sweet southern magnolia… She looked more like herself in what she was wearing now.

Pomni waved to Ragatha, running ahead of Jax and leaving him in the dust. She grinned when the ragdoll returned the wave with a sunny smile. 

“Hey, Ragatha!” Pomni greeted, stopping just in front of her. The jester jumped out of her skin when the horse whinnied loudly, stomping its front hooves on the ground. 

“Whoa, there!” Ragatha proclaimed. She wrapped the reins around her hand once, tugging on them to still the horse. She pulled it closer to her and petted the white diamond on its nose, shushing to calm it down. Pomni watched in awe as the horse listened to her, settling down and behaving again.

“Sorry,” Ragatha’s expression softened as she turned back to Pomni. “I should have warned you, he’s pretty jumpy.”

“Hi, Pomni!” Kinger said, approaching from behind. He led his black stallion by the reins as well, the horse obediently stopping beside him. “How did plucking go?

Pomni laughed at Kinger’s question. “Well, the birds still have all their feathers, but they sure got me good.”

Ragatha looked confused before spotting the chicken scratches all over Pomni’s chest. She gasped, reaching forward to touch the jester’s skin before her hand reeled back. Right, she couldn’t just reach out and touch her chest so casually like that. Or, at least, she shouldn’t in front of Kinger.

“What happened?!”

“Oh, these?” Pomni looked down at herself coolly. “Just my battle scars. Nothing crazy.”

“Wow,” Kinger admired the scratches. “Did the poultry unionize?”

Ragatha continued to wince sympathetically. She gently grabbed the top of Pomni’s shirt and tugged it closed. Leaning in, speaking low enough that Kinger couldn’t hear, the ragdoll murmured, “As good as you look with your shirt undone, you should have taken better care of yourself.”

Pomni’s smile turned lopsided, her blush burning darker as she enjoyed both the compliment and being reprimanded. “It’s okay, I’ll be good as new once we are back in the circus.”

Ragatha pouted, her thumb rubbing the material of the jester’s shirt. “Still, though…”

Unfortunately, Jax caught up to Pomni eventually. “‘Sup, dollface! Have fun playing horsie all day?”

“Hey, Jax,” Ragatha replied tiredly, managing to maintain her smile, albeit stiffer. “Nice to see you, too.”

“Hi and bye! Alright, let’s go, Pomni,” Jax said flippantly, gesturing for the jester to follow.

“Wait!” Ragatha yelled, letting go of Pomni’s shirt to grab her hand. “Actually, can I borrow Pomni to help me with my last chore?”

Jax turned around incredulously. “Seriously?! What do you need her help for? You two are just looking for an excuse to go suck face!”

“Jax!” Ragatha cried. “Stop that! Please? Kinger already agreed that he would help you in Pomni’s place.”

The group’s eyes drifted to Kinger, who was having a staring contest with his horse… Or was he looking off into space? None of them could tell.

Jax’s frown decreased when he eyed Kinger’s horse. The gears in his head turned. His grumpy demeanor melted away suspiciously fast. “Fine! I accept your terms. Don’t choke on each other’s tongues!”

Jax ignored Ragatha’s yells of protest and clasped his hands behind his head, beckoning Kinger with a jerk of his chin. The chess piece followed him mindlessly, happy to be included.

Finally alone, the jester and the ragdoll turned to each other.

“Hey,” Pomni greeted smoothly.

Ragatha let go of Pomni, clasping her hands behind herself shyly. With her chin pointed to her chest, she looked up at Pomni. “Hey, you.”

Pomni was struck by Cupid. In a meek attempt to hide her lovesickness, with her heart beating fast in her chest, she turned to look at the sky. “What last chore do you need my help with?” She gleamed with false bravado. She read the list above.

☐ Take Chestnut on a run

Pomni’s glee vanished. She stiffly turned to look at the horse by Ragatha’s side. “Chestnut wouldn’t happen to be that guy there standing next to you, would he?”

Ragatha’s smile shined as she looped one arm under the horse’s neck and patted its nose with the other. “Why yes, yes, he is.” 

“Oh,” Pomni choked. In her mind’s eye, she imagined herself riding a horse, an activity she had genuinely never considered herself doing. She shivered. Knowing her luck today, she wouldn’t just ride the horse, but she’d fall off it, too. “That sounds like so much fun…” she said unconvincingly.

Ragatha snorted at Pomni’s hesitance. “Wow, you’re super excited, aren’t you!”

“I can hardly contain myself,” Pomni lied sarcastically.

Laughter bubbled from Ragatha. “Come on, you’re ridiculous! Just give it a try. Don’t knock it ‘til you try it.”

Pomni eyed Chestnut warily. The horse flicked its ear. “I don’t know…”

“You get to wrap your arms around me~.”

“... Okay, I’ll give it a shot.”

Holding Pomni’s hand, Ragatha guided her beside Chestnut. Pomni marvelled at the size of the beast. How was she supposed to hop up there?

“Go ahead and put your foot in the stirrup.”

Pomni looked down, not moving. “... What’s that?” Her skin burned with embarrassment when Ragatha giggled at her.

The ragdoll pointed at a D-shaped metal ring hanging from the saddle. “That. Then climb up.”

Grateful Ragatha couldn’t see her bashful expression, Pomni obliged with the ragdoll’s request. Foot secured, she pushed down, pulling herself upward. When she almost lost her balance, Ragatha strengthened her grip on Pomni’s hand and held her steady. Before she fell, Pomni quickly swung her leg up and over the saddle.

Still recovering from the ordeal that it was to get on the horse, she looked around. Her stomach lurched, suddenly aware of how high in the air she was. She couldn’t recall ever being this tall before. The rolling hills now seemed even more endless.

“There you go, good job!” Ragatha praised. “How do you feel?”

Pomni considered Ragatha’s question. Hmm. How did she feel?

Firstly, let her reiterate that she never thought she’d ever ride a horse before. Maybe it was because she grew up in the city, but she never had a pet growing up. She didn’t socialize with cats or dogs frequently, if ever. So to jump from barely any animal experiences to suddenly riding one… To say she was reeling from the culture shock was an understatement.

Pomni flinched when the horse snorted, its chest quickly expanding and deflating between her legs. It smelled strong and, frankly, unpleasant. The leather saddle squeaked beneath her. If Ragatha let go of her hand, she was sure she’d slip right off.

Ragatha’s smile dampened at Pomni’s silence. “Shocked into silence, huh? Do you want to get off?”

“No, no, I’m fine!” Pomni quickly blurted. “I’m chill, it just… Feels a little weird.”

Ragatha’s brow furrowed. “You’re sure?”

Pomni recollected herself, putting up a brave face. What was she being so dramatic for? She was just putting her life in the hands of an animal, no big deal. “Yep. Now come here, you. It’s lonely at the top.”

Ragatha’s concerned expression slowly melted away, a relieved smile taking its place. When the ragdoll let go of Pomni’s hand, the jester’s grip flew to clutch the edge of the saddle. 

Ragatha pulled herself up effortlessly. The movement was practiced and confident. You almost couldn’t tell the ragdoll ever stopped riding. She grabbed the horn of the saddle, pushed up, and swung her leg over the saddle in one smooth move. As Ragatha settled in her seat, Pomni was impressed by how erotic mounting a horse could be.

Turning over her shoulder, Ragatha asked, “Are you ready?”

Pomni replied by quickly switching from gripping the saddle to wrapping her arms around Ragatha’s waist. She pulled herself closer to her. Because of their height difference, it felt like she was hiding behind her. This close, she could smell her familiar, flowery scent mixed with a hint of sweat. The flower smelled like magnolias.

Her nerves soothed, she gave Ragatha a nod. “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

As Ragatha led the horse across the farmstead, the two of them caught up with one another. Pomni let Ragatha do most of the talking. It seemed wrong to bring down the mood and complain about her crappy day with Jax when Ragatha seemed so happy with her own.

Chestnut turned into an empty parcel. Above their heads, the marker read 0/1. Rather than another empty field beside this land, a line of ancient oak trees stood tall, looming over them as they approached. The wispy prairie grass swayed. The tree leaves reflected the light as they danced in the wind.

Pomni looked over her shoulder. The sun hung low in the sky. The timer above them continued to count down.

In the very corner, underneath the shade of the oak trees, an open gate led to a hidden service road. Tire tracks scarred the path, a strip of grass down the middle stretching ahead endlessly.

Ragatha gently tugged Chestnut’s reins, bringing the horse to a stop. She placed one hand over Pomni’s arms, wrapped around her middle. “Are you sure you want to ride? We can stop here, and I can take him and meet you back here.”

Pomni squeezed her grip. Why did she feel so humiliated? She felt babied, even though she knew that wasn’t Ragatha’s intention. “Yeah, let’s do this,” she confidently replied.

When Pomni felt Ragatha huff, she knew the woman was smiling. “Alright then, you better hold on tight!”

Ragatha lifted the reins and whipped down her arms, the reins snapping with a resounding crack! Chestnut reared with a high-pitched whinny, his front legs in the air and bent toward his chest. A yelp escaped Pomni as she clutched to Ragatha, convinced she was going to fall off.

Chestnut broke into a gallop, and the power of his hooves beating rhythmically against the ground thumped through Pomni’s body.

Pomni pressed her face to Ragatha’s back, her eyes squeezed shut. Her stomach jolted as the horse jostled them up and down. Her stomach clenched with fear, as much as she wished it didn’t. She bit her tongue and toughed it out, hoping it would end soon. She would rather die than ask Ragatha to stop the ride.

“Pomni!” Ragatha called out. “Look around!”

Swallowing thickly, Pomni reluctantly obliged. She felt her insides lurch as she peeled herself away from Ragatha. She hesitantly peeked at their surroundings, curious what was so beautiful that it warranted her falling to her digital death.

The tree-lined path stretched endlessly toward the horizon. Despite Chestnut’s running, the end still wasn’t in sight. Above them, the low-hanging sun painted the sky in vibrant hues of orange and pink, the colors peeking through the gaps in the overhead branches. The leaves whispered as they rustled in the wind. Warm color shone down, and dots of light danced on the ground.

Pomni relaxed marginally. Her eyes widened at the beauty of the backwoods.

Wind rushed past her ears and tousled her hair, her hair whipping her cheeks. Despite her eyes watering, she forced them open to drink in the view. Suddenly, to her left, a cardinal whizzed past them, flying ahead and disappearing into the oak tree canopy. 

Pomni watched where it flew, her eyes scanning above for a flash of red. Even as they passed the area, Pomni continued to search from over her shoulder. It had completely disappeared.

“What do you think?” Pomni felt Ragatha’s words vibrate in her chest. “Having fun?”

“Yes,” she yelled against the wind. Her words rang true. “This is crazy!”

Ragatha laughed in response. “Want to go faster?”

Pomni gulped, feeling a waver in her chest before she barked, “Floor it!”

How could Ragatha say no to that? She cracked the reins twice and cried, hyah, hyah! “Go, Chestnut, go!”

Chestnut’s nostrils flared as he huffed. Ragatha leaned closer to the horse’s neck, and Pomni followed suit against the ragdoll’s back. The jester felt his galloping accelerate, his powerful hooves slamming against the ground. She then realized that they didn’t call it horsepower for nothing.

Pomni looked up to Ragatha’s profile, catching a glimpse of the woman’s expression. Her heart jumped to her throat, beating hard. The ragdoll was elated. A huge, gleaming smile stretched across her face. Her gaze was steadfast and focused on the horizon, her curls bouncing in time with Chestnut’s galloping. She looked at home.

Pomni’s eyes shined. Wow. Ragatha was amazing. 

When Ragatha released the reins and threw her arms up wide, shouting a joyous, wordless cry into the air. Pomni felt compelled to join her chorus. Although she did so with her arms firmly locked around the ragdoll.

A bright light opened up ahead. Despite running in a straight line, the path spat them out into the same parcel from which they came. Chestnut slowly lost his momentum, slowing to a trot, his sides rising and falling rapidly. There was a ping! overhead. The counter read 1/1.

Despite not having run a single step, both Ragatha and Pomni were heaving as they caught their breath.

Shifting in her seat, Ragatha turned to Pomni, giggling at the sight of her. The jester was totally windswept. The ragdoll didn’t realize she looked just as disheveled. She reached out and straightened Pomni’s jester cap, using both pointer fingers to twirl the frame of the jester’s bangs to straighten them out.

“That’s better,” Ragatha said, satisfied. Pomni noted the pinkness on the ragdoll’s cheeks. The color was a result of the wind rather than a genuine blush. That was the jester’s job to change.

Leaning forward, Pomni bravely let go of Ragatha’s middle and instead cupped her cheek, guiding her down to deliver a sweet kiss to her lips. Surprised at first, the ragdoll hesitated before melting in her hand, turning her head to deepen the kiss.

After an eternity, they pulled away from one another. There, Pomni noted the deepened color on Ragatha’s cheeks, that was better.

“I’m glad you liked it,” the ragdoll breathed, catching her breath a second time.

“Of course I did,” Pomni started coolly, hooking her fingers on the belt loops of Ragatha’s jeans. “I was holding onto a beautiful cowgirl the whole time, how could I not enjoy myself?”

Chestnut snorted, flicking his tail. It seemed he didn’t appreciate Pomni’s cheesy line. Ragatha laughed, patting the side of the horse’s neck. The two of them bobbed together as he walked himself out of the parcel, seemingly taking them back to the barn. Pomni watched with fascination as the horse knew where to go without being guided.

“Wow,” Pomni said in awe, “So horses are like a car, but with a personality.”

Ragatha laughed at the random comment, looking over her shoulder at the jester incredulously. “What?! Where did you get that from?”

Pomni shrugged with a slightly embarrassed smile on her face. “Just a thought.”

Before Ragatha could say anything else, Pomni pulled herself forward by the ragdoll’s belt loops, pressing her chest to her back. She could feel the heat of the sun radiating off her skin and hear her breath stutter. Her hands snaked around the woman’s hips, clasping in front of her stomach. She straightened her posture to rest her chin on Ragatha’s shoulder, nuzzling slightly into the crook of her neck.

She would be in heaven if her legs didn’t hurt from having a horse between them. 

The two of them watched together in a comfortable silence as the colors of the sky deepened, the sun sinking toward the horizon.

The two of them were broken from their trance by the distant sound of a whip cracking. They looked up from their personal paradise and squinted into the distance to find out what the commotion was.

In front of the barn, Jax and Kinger rode atop the latter’s stallion. The purple rabbit took the lead with the reins in hand. The horse bucked and whinnied, kicking its powerful back legs in the air. Kinger wielded his confiscated whip, twirling it in the air before bringing it down with a crack! The two of them were laughing, both on the edge of sounding maniacal. 

Ragatha quickly turned to look at her hip where only one whip hung from her belt. She whipped back around. “Jax, you son of a [%^&$#]!”

While Ragatha snapped Chestnut’s reins to pursue the two troublemakers, Pomni felt tears spring to her eyes as she struggled to contain her laughter lest she, too, felt the wrath of Ragatha.

~~~ 

Finishing their chores early, the six humans sat together beneath a willow tree behind the barn to watch the sunset. They exchanged stories of their day, laughing at and bickering with each other as the timer ticked down.

“... And then one of the pigs stole Zooble’s wing.” Gangle giggled behind her ribbon hand. “We chased after it, but I didn’t realize their leg had popped off. I turned around and found them face down in the mud!”

While the group laughed, the mismatched toy groaned with their face in their hands. “Stop, I can’t bear the pain of remembering.” They shivered in disgust. “I can still feel the mud in my joints.”

“You think that’s bad?” Jax turned his sights on Pomni with a mischievous gleam in his eye. “This one over here lost a battle with every species of bird today. I’ve never seen anything so sad.”

“I should have thrown all fifty eggs at you,” Pomni glared.

Ragatha huffed a laugh, eyeing Jax as she asked her, “Do you need a second hand?”

Kinger looked between the three. “I think you have plenty of hands to go around.”

“Honestly, today wasn’t too bad,” Ragatha smiled, curling her legs to her chest. “I’d even say it was fun.”

“Strangely, I agree.” Gangle softly shared the ragdoll’s smile. “It was gratifying to check things off a list. But maybe that’s just my inner shift supervisor speaking,” she chuckled.

“Yeah, instead of flipping burgers, you were fattening them up,” Jax quipped. Shockingly, his joke landed with the group, and they all burst out in laughter.

After a while of chatting, Ragatha quietly elbowed Pomni’s side. When she looked up at her, Ragatha gestured behind them with her chin.

“Come here,” she whispered, “I have something to show you.”

The two of them excused themselves from the rest of the group, Pomni following behind Ragatha. Curiosity nibbled at her brain. What could Ragatha possibly have kept hidden from her all day? 

Ragatha led her down the hill, just out of view from the rest of the group. There was another large tree in the distance, the largest one Pomni had seen all day. Hanging from a massive branch was a wooden bench, swinging from sturdy metal chains.

Ragatha looked at Pomni with a smile. “What do you think? Want to watch the sunset with me here?” She looked behind them playfully. “Or would you rather hang out with the rest of the group? I’m sure you’re sick of spending time with me.”

“Ragatha,” Pomni started, “If I ever say no to hanging out, that’s when you know it’s time to put me out to pasture.”

When Ragatha giggled at Pomni’s joke, the familiar sense of satisfaction was only amplified by her proper use of a “country” saying.

Ragatha took a seat on the bench, patting the empty seat next to her. Rather than sitting, Pomni took her seat and turned herself 90 degrees, putting her legs under the armrest and laying her head in the ragdoll’s lap. Although Ragatha’s eye widened in surprise, her expression quickly softened, love sickness written all over her face.

In a practiced movement, Ragatha rested her hand on Pomni’s head. They grew comfortable together, relaxing as the swing rocked the two of them back and forth ever so slightly.

“I had fun today,” Ragatha spoke softly with a radiant smile. “Did you?”

Although the truth of her miserable day of chores burned in her chest, Pomni felt obligated to lie. “Yeah, I had a great time.” She wasn’t completely lying, she reasoned with herself. She liked holding onto Ragatha during their joy ride. And riding a horse was pretty cool. 

Luckily, the ragdoll didn’t seem to suspect her answer, too caught up in her bliss to question Pomni’s response. Satisfied, she turned back to the sunset. “Good. I’m glad.”

Pomni’s stomach sank with guilt. It was just a white lie; how could it hurt? In their mutual silence, she began to ponder… Why did she lie?

Her insides churned when she realized she didn’t know the answer. She gazed up at Ragatha from the woman’s lap. The ragdoll had her eye closed, soaking the sun’s warm rays with the faintest of smiles remnant on the corners of her mouth. Pomni’s eyes drifted to the woman’s embroidered shirt. Fascinatingly, there wasn’t a single streak of dirt. It was as clean as it was when it first appeared on her.

In contrast… Pomni looked down at herself. Angry red scratches marred her chest, pronounced against her pale skin. She remembered Ragatha commenting on them. Earlier, the ragdoll’s attention filled her with mirth. Now, on the other hand… Suddenly self-conscious, she slyly pulled her shirt closed with one hand. 

Her appearance didn’t improve the further down she went. Her gloves were littered with small cuts. Her jeans were filthy. The knees were grass-stained, and the cuffs caked in mud. She then remembered her missing pom-pom. Unconsciously, her hand shifted from her shirt to squeeze the naked tip of her jester cap resting on her shoulder.

The layer of grime became unignorable. She felt disgusting. 

In comparison, Ragatha practically glowed.

An uncomfortable feeling squirmed in Pomni’s chest. Her mind struggled to understand what it was. Was she feeling… Insecure? A shiver crawled up her spine. It wasn’t an emotion she encountered frequently.

Pomni pushed the feeling down deep, trying to maintain a sense of normalcy. 

A gentle breeze blew past, rustling the leaves above. The wind tousled Ragatha’s curls, the strands glowing a fiery red in the receding sunlight. Pomni drank up the sight. Rather than watching the setting sun, she was more interested in her star. 

Ragatha breathed in deep, releasing the breath with a sigh. “It smells so much like home out here,” she murmured with her eye shut. Her hand petted Pomni lazily. “I didn’t realize how much I missed it.”

Pomni took Ragatha’s other hand, setting it on her stomach and clasping it in her own. She played with her fingers. “I’m glad you had so much fun today, even if the adventure was to complete chores.”

Ragatha snickered at herself. “I know, right? If anything, it made this place feel like home even more,” she sighed, her eye opening.

Pomni waited for the ragdoll to continue, but she remained silent. The amber glow of the sun shimmered in her pupil. The hand on the jester’s head went still. Pomni knew that home didn’t always have the best connotations for Ragatha. She could only imagine what memories she was recalling.

Pomni bit the inside of her cheek, brainstorming how to break Ragatha out of her thoughts. “It was amazing watching you today,” she confessed, “I saw you herd those sheep. I had only ever seen something like that in movies. Did your family have sheep, too?”

Ragatha blinked, straightening up as she resurfaced. Shaking her head slightly, she replied, “No, no, that was my first time, actually. We had plenty of animals, but we weren’t really a farm per se.” She turned her hand in the air, gesturing to their general area. “It was more like a ranch, if anything.”

“Jeez,” Pomni huffed, “Humble flex.” She squeezed Ragatha’s finger, feeling the uncomfortable feeling squirm in her chest again. “With how cool you looked, I thought it had to be something you did every day. You’re really good at horse riding.”

Ragatha blushed, turning her head to the side to hide her expression. “Thank you, you’re too sweet.”

“I really mean it, though,” Pomni continued, “You always talk about your horses, but this was my first time seeing you on one. You looked so,” Pomni faltered, trying and failing to find the right word, “So happy. I wouldn’t be surprised if you started riding the second you popped out from the womb.”

Ragatha tossed her head back in laughter at the imagery. “Ok, ok! I get your point. Horse riding was one of my favorite hobbies.” Her expression turned bitter as she recalled old memories. “It certainly beat all the other things my mom made me do.”

Pomni hummed. “Right, the piano playing and dancing lessons, right?”

“Yes,” Ragatha groaned, “It was never-ending. Etiquette lessons, tea parties, embroidery… Not to mention the endless social networking.” 

The feeling of inadequacy grew heavier in Pomni’s stomach as Ragatha went down her list.

After a beat, the ragdoll chuckled airily and continued. “When we would go to the derby, my mom would have me and my sisters dress in these ridiculous dresses. Don’t forget the gloves we weren’t allowed to take off that itched.” She covered her mouth as she giggled, “She always wore the ugliest hat, too. Instead of betting on the horses, my siblings would bet on whether it would blow away.”

Instead of focusing on the culture shock of Ragatha and her family attending prestigious horse racing events, the earlier image of the ragdoll in a billowing white dress resurfaced. “Did the dress have frills?”

Ragatha nodded. “Too many. And so many layers. Some years, I’d be grateful for them to keep me warm. Other years, I would be dripping in sweat.” The ragdoll sighed, a smile pushing her cheeks. “I imagined myself competing with my own horse to stay sane.”

Pomni struggled to hide her stunned expression from Ragatha. Luckily for her, she seemed preoccupied with strolling down memory lane. Forget the culture shock, forget the fancy events… Pomni was flabbergasted that Jax was right. Ragatha really was a country bumpkin.

“You’d definitely win if you tried,” Pomni replied with sincerity, recalling the ragdoll’s expression when they ran with Chestnut. She struggled to find more words to reply. The jester shook her head. “Sorry, I thought I’d have more to say. You’re just so impressive, you know?”

Ragatha blinked in surprise. There was just the tiniest sliver of sun left. In the dusk, Ragatha’s hair burned bright against the dimming purple sky behind her. Her hand left Pomni’s head to play with her curls self-consciously. “What makes you say that?”

Pomni threw her hands into the air with an almost delirious laugh. “Are you kidding? Have you heard yourself this whole time?” The jester shook her head, sitting upright with her back to the ragdoll. 

“You know how to do all this stuff I’ve never even thought about.” Pomni threw her hands into the air, counting off her fingers. “The farming, the ranching, the horse riding. Plus all the fancy stuff your mom made you do…” Pomni’s hands fell as she shook her head a second time. “I’m sure you enjoyed it a little, didn’t you?”

Ragatha hid a small, insecure smile. “Maybe a little…”

Pomni looked over her shoulder at Ragatha with a wry grin. “Right,” Pomni laughed incredulously, “Sorry for being so forward, I just didn’t really realize how different you and I are until today. It’s crazy that you and I ended up dating when we are on totally opposite ends of the spectrum. I’m just some city girl, and you’re…” Pomni faltered, struggling to find words that described the deep, aching feeling in her heart. 

Despite this, Pomni persisted. She kept her chin low and her back turned, too overwhelmed to meet Ragatha’s gaze.  “You’re such a country bumpkin, y’know?”

Unbeknownst to Pomni, Ragatha’s expression fell with each word. But when those two words came out of her mouth, the ragdoll flinched, her body becoming rigid. 

The only sound she managed was a small, meek, “Huh?”

The sun finally slipped below the horizon. The final rays of light disappeared, leaving the two in the shadows of dusk. A buzzer sound came from overhead as the timer flashed 00:00 in the sky.

The snap of fingers rang through the air, and they found themselves teleported in front of the barn with everyone else. 

Caine exploded into existence in a massive cloud of confetti. “Congratulations, and grrreat job!” He held a hand to his eyes as he scanned the barnyard. “This place looks magnificent! You all truly pulled yourselves up by the bootstraps.”

“Yeah, yeah, we worked like dogs. Can we please go home now?” Jax complained.

If she weren’t reeling from the emotional whiplash shocking her system, Pomni would have cursed Jax out for claiming he did a damn thing. 

“Sure, my rootin’ tootin’ shooters!” With another snap, a portal appeared. A large white glove pushed them roughly through into the main room of the circus. “Home, sweet home! Now, if you’ll excuse me, the poultry union called for a meeting that I must attend. I sure do wonder what could have ruffled their feathers!”

And just like that, as quickly as he appeared, Caine blipped away with a ba-gawk!

The group groaned as they recollected themselves, pushing themselves up from the floor.

“Finally,” Jax grumbled, stretching his arms over his head before folding his hands behind himself coolly. “If you guys need me, don’t.” With that, he went off on his own… Or that’s how he would have preferred it if Kinger didn’t follow him. The chess piece was saying something about Jax swiping his whip from him… Oh well, Pomni didn’t want to get involved any more than she already had.

Pomni noticed a zigzag antenna twitching next to her foot. She looked up to see Gangle picking up the scattered pieces of Zooble strewn across the floor. It seemed the shove that sent them back home shattered the mismatched toy upon impact. The jester quickly knelt to grab Zooble’s part and search for more.

She was just about to grab Zooble’s brooch when her hand brushed against Ragatha’s, who was kneeling beside her. The two of them quickly pulled their hands away, an awkward tension between them. 

“Go ahead,” Ragatha gestured to the brooch.

“Thanks,” Pomni replied, unsure why the energy between them felt so off. When she looked up to meet Ragatha’s gaze, she was surprised to see the ragdoll had already turned away to look for other pieces.

The three women worked to assemble Zooble, with Gangle holding the mismatched toy’s triangular head in her hands. “Thanks, guys,” Zooble thanked wearily.

Finally, Gangle set the final piece in place. Zooble stretched out her limbs with a groan, rolling her shoulder. “I swear, Caine does this to torture me specifically.”

“I’m sorry, Zooble,” Gangle comforted them by stroking their head.

Ragatha nodded sympathetically. “Me, too. But on the bright side, you’ll always have your friends here to help put you back together!” she said with an encouraging swing of her arm.

Zooble offered a smile. “Thanks again.” They turned to Gangle, taking her small ribbon hand in theirs, which she happily wrapped around Zooble’s arm. “I think we are going to rest for a bit. You guys take care.”

“Thanks, you too!” Pomni called out as the other couple walked away. The jester smiled when she saw Gangle rest her hair on Zooble’s shoulder. Jealousy wasn’t the right word. No, not when she had her own girlfriend to hang out with.

… Speaking of. She distinctly remembered Ragatha mentioning a hangout after the adventure. She grinned to herself, giddy at the thought of what they would do. Probably something relaxing. After today, she would be content if their hangout was nothing more than a nap together.

But before Pomni turned to face Ragatha, she flinched when she remembered her mini-rant on the tree swing. Whoops. Maybe she got a little carried away in the heat of the moment. But could you blame her? Ragatha was so cool, and she… Well, it didn't matter. There was no need for her to wallow in self-pity when there were better things to do.

With the other couple far out of sight, Pomni turned around with her hands clasped behind her, kicking her feet shyly. She noted that Ragatha was back in her dress, as was she in her usual jester outfit. 

“So, about what I said earlier… You can just forget it.” Pomni laughed awkwardly, rubbing the back of her neck. “I got a little carried away there for a second.” 

For a moment, Ragatha stood there, as if frozen. After a beat, she straightened up, the light returning to her eye. “Oh, yeah, right. Sure, Pomni.”

Pomni’s brow twitched. Why did Ragatha seem so… Stiff?

Pomni stepped closer to Ragatha, taking her hand in her own. She rubbed her thumb over Ragatha’s knuckles, pulling her hand close to her chest. “So, what do you want to do? Play cards? Read? Or we can go straight to bed, if you’re down for it,” Pomni wiggled her eyebrows playfully with a sly grin.

Her attempts at lightening the mood failed.

To her shock, Ragatha pulled her hand away. She clasped her hands together in front of her, looking to the side uncomfortably. No, discomfort wasn’t the only emotion. Despite the ragdoll’s attempts to hide it, Pomni could see the sadness in her eye, no matter how hard she tried to hide behind her smile.

“Actually, I’m pretty tired,” Ragatha said with an overly cheerful tone. She still couldn’t meet Pomni’s gaze. Instead, she looked to the floor, to the wall, anywhere but the jester. “I think I’ll go to bed a little early… B-But we can do something tomorrow?”

Pomni felt her blood turn to ice. Oh God, what was wrong? What did she do? They had never argued before; was this what that was? The devil on her shoulder was begging her to press Ragatha for answers, to demand a resolution this very second. 

However, Pomni wasn’t blind. She saw Ragatha’s posture. Her anxious grip on her skirt. How she bit her bottom lip in anticipation of the jester’s response. It was killing the ragdoll to not sweep her emotions under the rug and go along with whatever Pomni wanted.

… That just signaled to Pomni that whatever she did, it was a major fuck up.

So, reluctantly, she swallowed her pride and returned the best smile she could. “Yeah, no problem. You did a lot today, so I get it…” She trailed off, hating how audible her gulp was. “I’ll be around if you change your mind.”

Ragatha’s posture relaxed marginally. She squeezed her skirt once, twice, before nodding. “Yeah, of course. I’ll see you later, then.”

Pomni’s heart sank as the ragdoll turned around. Against her better judgment, before she could get too far, she called out, “I love you!”

The ragdoll turned around with a look of surprise. Mercifully, her smile seemed more genuine this time… But the heartbroken gleam remained. “I love you, too.”

With that, Pomni was left all alone. To her own devices. In her own thoughts. She maintained her cheery, okie-dokie exterior just in case Ragatha turned around. She would kill for a look back. But it never came.

Behind Pomni’s facade, she was kneeling in the rain, crying out into the air, before stabbing herself through the heart in despair. 

On her lonesome, the room was disturbingly quiet. 

Finally, Pomni broke. Her hands flew up to her head, gripping and pulling at the twin tips of her jester cap. 

What the hell did she do?!?!?!

She cursed herself with every profanity in the book. It had to have been something she said when they were on the swing together. Did Ragatha catch on that she was lying about enjoying the adventure? Or, no… There was only one thing it could be.

Pomni groaned in dismay, pulling the tails of her cap over her face. It was definitely what she said during her emotional outburst. She didn’t mean to hurt Ragatha’s feelings; she was just voicing her thoughts! There was nothing wrong with that, right? Freedom of speech, and all that!

As Pomni bargained with herself, Ragatha’s dejected expression flashed in her mind. It didn’t matter if what she said wasn’t meant to hurt her. It still did.

Pomni took a deep breath before letting go of her hat. Instead, she pursed her lips and gripped her hands tight in determination.

She was going to fix this.

… But how?

Pomni racked her brain for an answer to the question. Flowers or chocolates seemed like slapping a band-aid over a stab wound. No, this conflict needed a resolution. But how was she going to reach the conclusion when she didn’t know what upset Ragatha specifically? 

She needed a relationship expert to help her solve this case.

~~~

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how Pomni found herself lingering in front of Zooble’s door. If she paced there any longer, she would leave a permanent mark in the carpet.

Pomni bit her fingertips. Was this really a good idea? Wouldn’t it make more sense for her to wait until Ragatha came to her when she was ready for a conversation? That would probably be the better alternative than her trying to expedite the process. But the anxiety rattling in her chest was going to explode her heart if she didn’t do anything about it. 

If she waited for Ragatha… Pomni huffed a laugh. Knowing the ragdoll, she would find Pomni tomorrow pretending nothing had ever happened. And just like that, the strain between them would grow. Thoughts would continue to go unsaid. Strain would turn to tension. Then animosity. Then that would lead to breaking up-

[%^&#] it, Pomni swallowed the lump in her throat and knocked loudly on Zooble’s door. Maybe a little too loud. Too long. Definitely desperate.

“It’s open!” She heard Zooble call on the other side.

Pomni took a deep breath. Ok. She’s got this. (No, she doesn’t.)

She pushed open Zooble’s door. Unsurprisingly to the audience, but surprisingly to Pomni’s frantic mind, Zooble wasn’t in their room alone.

Zooble and Gangle lay on the bed together, Gangle sitting upright against the pillows with her sketchbook in hand, and Zooble lying on their stomach with the former’s legs crossed over her back. Zooble glanced up from the book they were reading to see Pomni’s awkward figure standing in the doorway.

The mismatched toy grinned. “What’s with you? You’re acting like you just walked in on your parents.” They patted the space on the bed. “Come sit down and chill out.”

Pomni obliged, still feeling horribly awkward. Her feet felt like lead as she dragged them across the floor. Was it too late to back out?

Gangle let out a sigh of relief and put her pencil down. “Finished. Shading took forever.” She looked up from her paper. “Hey, Pomni, what’s…”

Gangle trailed off, looking Pomni up and down. “Is everything okay?”

Zooble chuckled as Pomni stiffly took her seat at the very edge of the bed. “Don’t you recognize that look, babe? Somebody’s having love troubles.”

Gangle covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide as she looked between Zooble and Pomni. “Oh goodness…”

“So,” Zooble started, pushing herself up off her stomach and upright into a sitting position. “What ails you, lovergirl? Is there trouble in paradise?”

Pomni felt her face burn from being caught so soon. Actually, soon would be an understatement. They knew why she was there before she had even opened her mouth. Nothing got past these two. She gripped her hands into fists, pressing them tightly to her knees as she hung her head. How humiliating…

“It’s okay, Pomni,” Gangle soothed. She set her sketchbook and pencil to the side. “We won’t judge.”

“Guys, I haven’t even said anything yet,” Pomni muttered through tight lips. “What if you’re jumping to conclusions?”

Zooble crossed their legs, resting her elbow on her knee and her chin against her claw. “If we were, you wouldn’t be here. So spill it, what’s the drama?”

Pomni tried to ignore the glint of interest in Gangle’s eyes. These two were definitely going to talk about this together later, weren’t they? Well, the damage was already done. She might as well rip off the band-aid. 

“Have you two… Ever fought before?”

The two of them blinked in surprise. Apparently, whatever they were expecting, it wasn’t that. Now Pomni suffered through their mutual looks of concern. 

“Argued? Not really,” Zooble shrugged, maintaining their chill exterior. “But disagreements, sure. Plenty.”

Gangle giggled. “Yeah, plenty of those. Over the silliest of things, too.”

A knot in Pomni’s chest unravelled. These two had been together for a lot longer than she and Ragatha had. It felt like she was speaking to the sapphic relationship masters. To hear that they encountered their own hiccups was reassuring.

“Did you two argue about something?” Zooble asked.

“No?” Pomni responded unconfidently. “No,” she repeated with conviction, “It wasn’t an argument. And it wasn’t really a disagreement. Actually, Ragatha didn’t say much of anything. Honestly, I’m not even sure what I did to upset her.”

Gangle suddenly hummed and nodded in understanding. She pressed her hands together. “Ah, I see what’s going on.”

Pomni leaned in closer. “Really?”

“Yes,” she said wisely. She raised her head, somehow snapping her fingers. There was a twinkle in her eye. “It’s the classic misunderstanding trope.”

“... The what?”

“Oof, that’s the worst kind,” Zooble cringed.

“Okay, guys, let me in on the joke because I’m lost.”

“There is no joke, Pomni,” Gangle said grimly, her expression serious. “Think about what you said. Every word. When did you notice her demeanor change?”

Pomni thought this seemed a bit much, but when both Zooble and Gangle didn’t let up, she obliged and thought back in time. “Uh, I don’t know... When we got back to the circus, I guess?”

“What were you two talking about when you left the group?” Zooble questioned further.

“Just random stuff…” Pomni pressed a finger to her chin as she thought back to the scene. She closed her eyes. A gentle breeze. The slight sway of the swing. Ragatha’s soft lap. The sweet smell of magnolia. The orange glow of the sun reflected off Ragatha’s button eye.

She was back in the moment.

Pomni continued with her eyes closed, playing the scene before her. “I was on her lap… We were watching the sunset together…”

Pomni missed the way Gangle and Zooble shared a look, the two of them rolling their eyes and gushing on Pomni’s behalf.

“She asked me how my day was…” Pomni trailed off, biting her tongue.

“And?” Gangle pressed, “What did you say?”

“I-I…” Pomni stuttered. Exploding under the pressure of the situation, she blurted, “I lied! I hated it!”

“Whoa, there,” Zooble exclaimed, leaning back slightly. “I won’t argue with you. Today was a day.”

Pomni gripped the ends of her jester cap, her eyes still squeezed shut. “I don’t think she realized, but I also don’t know for sure… I felt so disgusting,” she shuddered, remembering the layer of grime, “But I held it together. For her.”

Gangle held a hand over her mouth, her brows taut. “Aww… That’s so sweet.”

Pomni blushed, realizing her sappiness had slipped through. She cleared her throat to recollect herself. “We talked about her home. The farm- No, ranch. The family ranch. She told me about her life, horse riding, piano lessons, everything.”

In Pomni’s mind, she gazed up at Ragatha from the ragdoll’s lap. She glowed brighter than the sun. Without trying, she was beautiful. Effortlessly so. She was perfect. She was hers, but…

Slowly, Pomni opened her eyes. “... I felt insecure.”

When the couple looked at Pomni sympathetically, her stomach churned. [%^&#]. She shouldn’t have said that. Talk about oversharing.

“Anyway,” Pomni kept her gaze low as she brushed past the topic, hoping the other two would as well. “I voiced… Some of my thoughts. About how cool she is and how different we are-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down there,” Zooble cut in, a hand held out for her to stop. “You mentioned your differences?”

Pomni frowned. “Yeah?”

Zooble hissed through their teeth. “I’m almost scared to ask… Did you make sure to end the conversation with, ‘but I love you despite them’?”

Pomni’s gears grinded.

“Um… I don’t think so?”

Pomni jumped when Zooble and Gangle facepalmed in unison. “Pomni!” Gangle cried out, “That’s, like, relationship rule number one!”

“Wait, wait!” Pomni yelled, desperate to defend her actions. “It wasn’t all bad! I complimented her at the end! Do you guys know what a ‘country bumpkin’ is?”

The silence was deafening. Pomni’s heart beat loud and strong in her ears. Why weren’t they saying anything? Why were they just staring at her?!

“Pomni,” Zooble groaned, “Tell me you didn’t say what I think you said.”

“What?!” Pomni yelled out, growing frustrated. She smacked her hands on the mattress, pushing herself forward. “What am I missing?!”

Gangle sighed, shaking her head before hiding it in her hands. “You did, didn’t you?”

“Guys, seriously, I will walk right out of here.”

Zooble winced as they revealed, “Country bumpkin means… You basically called her a hillbilly.”

Pomni’s gears came to a screeching halt. All color drained from her face. “Huh?”

“Or a redneck,” Gangle chimed in, recoiling with an eep! when Pomni looked to her next.

“You’re lying,” the jester laughed. Ok, funny game! What about the alternate definition? You know, where it means a beautiful, smart, well-rounded, dignified young lady? 

Silence was her only answer.

“[%^&#],” Pomni whispered. Then, with a shout, she yelled it again. “[%^&#]!!!”

Zooble reached out for Gangle’s hand, the two of them hanging their heads in sorrow. “Well,” Zooble tried, “At least you know what you did now.”

Pomni jumped up from the bed, her anxiety cranked up tenfold. She tugged at her cap so hard the tails threatened to rip off. “That can’t be right, Jax said- Oh God, why did I ever believe him?! I can’t leave this unresolved. I need to talk to her now! I need to…” Pomni pulled the tails of her hat to her mouth, screaming into them.

When she was finished, she let go of them, huffing as she caught her breath. She turned to the other two, who simply watched. Pomni hated the looks of concern, but appreciated them at the same time. There were too many emotions swirling inside her to decipher each one.

“Thank you,” she blurted in a rush, taking a few steps backward, “Seriously, thank you. But also, oh my God, I hope you’re wrong.”

With that, Pomni whipped around and bolted to the door, all but throwing herself through the doorframe as she sprinted to Ragatha’s room. If what Gangle and Zooble said was true, she owed the ragdoll one hell of an apology.

~~~

With how great a day Ragatha was having, she should have expected something to happen that would make it crash and burn at the end. 

Back in her room, she swiftly shut the door behind her, pressing her back against the wood and sliding down. Her dress pooled around her. The rush of anxiety from turning Pomni down still pumped through her system, her heart threatening to beat out of her chest.

She knocked her head back against the door with a dull thunk! Why did she do that?! Couldn’t she just swallow her feelings and pretend everything was okay? Why did she feel the need to stand her ground?

Pomni’s words from under the oak tree resurfaced. She sank through the floor as they echoed in her mind, her body heavy.

Ragatha bit her bottom lip. Her eye felt hot. No, she did the right thing. There was no way she could hide her emotions, not when they swirled and crashed inside her like a tidal wave. And there she was in the water, swept away in the current.

She curled her knees to her chest, hiding her face in clenched fists. Rather than anger toward the jester, which she was rightfully entitled to, she instead melted into a miserable puddle of depression.

Catching herself falling back into old habits, she snapped herself upright, slapping her palms against her cheeks. No! She wouldn’t stew like this! It wasn’t going to get her anywhere. She gripped her hair in her hands. She needed to do something to distract herself.

Maybe a shower would clear her thoughts. Self-care helps, right?

Ragatha pushed herself up on wobbly feet, stumbling as the feeling in her legs slowly returned. She managed to make it to the bathroom, tripping through the doorframe. Her mind continued to swirl all while she undressed, turned on the water, and stood numbly under the warm stream, quickly losing track of the time.

Standing alone in silence was the perfect cure-all for a chronic overthinker, right?

After scrubbing herself clean (while wishing she could clean her thoughts from her mind the same way), she stepped out and grabbed the nightgown she had laid out for herself that morning. A spa day wasn’t enough to distract her from the thoughts spinning in her head. 

The worst part was that, despite everything she said, Ragatha missed Pomni.

Ragatha paused before lifting the nightgown over her head. Instead, she pulled the fabric close to her chest, her heart aching and her expression crumpling in sorrow. She desperately craved Pomni’s whispers of reassurance, her warm touch, her sweet gaze. 

The dichotomy of the Pomni she thought she knew and the words Pomni had said scared her. The fear made a home in her stomach, filling her with an inescapable nausea. Which Pomni was the real one? What did she really think about her?

With a groan, Ragatha pulled the nightgown over her head, all while the sense of self-hatred sank its teeth into her. Stupid brain. Pomni loved her; she knew that. But that knowledge didn’t stop her from feeling betrayed, though.

Ragatha took two hair ties before she left the bathroom, holding them in her mouth as she divided her hair into twin braids. She shuffled to bed while tying off the elastic with a snap! Braids secured, she flopped back onto the mattress, staring dejectedly at the ceiling above. 

The thought of confronting Pomni tomorrow made her stomach clench. How was she going to face her? Could she just pretend nothing happened? 

She played the imaginary scene. Hi, Pomni! I’m all rested now. Sorry if I seemed off yesterday. Oh, you want to hang out? Sure! What do you want to do?

The idea of returning to their normal routine loosened the knot in her chest. Maybe she was overreacting. Surely Pomni hadn’t meant to hurt her. A relationship was like a game of softball. Three strikes, you’re out. This was just the first strike.

She didn’t allow herself to entertain the possibility of the jester reaching three strikes lest she send herself down another spiral.

Instead, the ragdoll reminisced, yearning for what the day could have been.

With Pomni fresh on her mind, she was at the forefront of her daydream. She smiled bittersweetly as she recalled helping the small jester hop onto the horse, Chestnut. Her gloved hand was tight in hers as she wobbled, eyes wide in panic, when Ragatha steadied her before she fell. She giggled. The jester’s look of surprise was cute, sitting so stiffly in the saddle as if afraid she’d slip off.

Little did Pomni know, while helping her climb up, Ragatha caught a good look of what the jester was (not) hiding under her halfway unbuttoned shirt. If Pomni weren’t so distracted by mounting a horse for the first time, she would have noticed the ragdoll raking her eyes over her bare skin, drinking up the sight as if she were a sexually repressed Mennonite. 

Ragatha swallowed. She wondered what Pomni would do if she caught her staring. Did she keep her shirt undone to knowingly tease her?

The scene melted away, replaced with another. 

The two of them sat on the bench together. Pomni gazed up at Ragatha. Bright, painful chicken scratches bloomed across the jester’s chest. If she’d let her, Ragatha could kiss them better. The heat of her lips could help. Pomni could sit in her lap, and she would take care of her, trailing her kisses up to the jester’s neck.

Would Pomni wince from the pain? Or would she look at her with playful eyes, goading her into slipping her hand under her undershirt?

Ragatha’s eye snapped open, a heavy flush on her cheeks. She realized she was gnawing her bottom lip. She released it with a gasp, quickly covering her face with her hands and flailing in embarrassment.

What was wrong with her?! One second, she was fearing the very foundation of their relationship, and the next, she was fantasizing.

What would she rather do: Play pretend, or go find the woman infiltrating her thoughts?

Ragatha sat up. Yeah, if she was planning to let this incident slide, then why was she sitting in her room alone when the problem had already fixed itself? She had her alone time. It didn’t matter what she felt earlier; those emotions were half-buried and put to rest. 

She wanted to see Pomni.

Right as Ragatha stood determinedly, there came a knock at her door. Or, that wasn’t descriptive enough. The right words were a loud, frantic, rapid banging. The sound caused the ragdoll to jump out of her skin.

“... Pomni?” She murmured confusedly, her brow furrowed. Her posture straightened, and her heart skipped a beat. Did the jester come looking for her? Or did she somehow manage to manifest her to her doorstep?

Ragatha rushed to the door, curiosity pushing her forward with large, anticipatory steps. There was no way she would have known what to expect. Absolutely nothing could have prepared her for the trainwreck awaiting her on the other side.

As she turned the knob, Pomni all but fell through the doorframe, messily landing in a heap. She was heaving, frantically trying to catch her breath to say something. Instead, the only sounds that escaped her were unintelligible gibberish.

Ragatha’s mouth fell open in alarm, and she reflexively took a step back. She jumped when Pomni clutched the bottom of her nightgown, firmly anchoring her to the spot. The ragdoll held her hands to her chest fearfully, her mind reeling as she tried to make sense of the situation. What on earth was going on?!

“I didn’t know-” Pomni wheezed as she tugged on the material of Ragatha’s dress, practically crawling up her leg. “I didn’t know-”

“Pomni?!” Ragatha cried in concern. She pushed Pomni’s hands away as she knelt down, collecting the jester’s sweaty face in her hands and lifting her to meet her gaze. “What happened?”

Pomni met her eyes shakily. The jester swallowed, taking an extended, deep breath before shouting, “I didn’t know what it meant! I’m so sorry!”

Ragatha’s expression continued to crumple in utter bewilderment. “Pomni, what are you talking about?”

“Jax lied to me!” Pomni cried out, her expression collapsing into one of total despair. “He told me that a country bumpkin was-” the jester faltered briefly as she tried and failed to recall his exact words, “A bell of the south, or something like that! A fancy, dignified lady! I thought it meant something nice, I swear! I would never insult you like that!”

Ragatha rapidly blinked as she registered what Pomni was trying to say. Bell of the south? Southern belle? How did Pomni manage to mix that up with being a country bumpkin of all things?

Finally, the sequence of events clicked into place. Oh. So, wait, did that mean Ragatha was right? Pomni hadn’t meant to hurt her after all?

Ragatha sputtered a laugh, quickly slapping a hand over her mouth to contain it. “Sorry!” she apologized, the word muffled. She pushed her laughter down to save Pomni the humiliation, recognizing the jester was already in the pits of despair. 

“I think I see what happened, but…” Her giggles slipped out of her as she spoke, enunciating each word, “Why on God’s green earth did you believe him?”

Pomni groans morphed into a wail, the jester outstretching her arms and wrapping them around Ragatha’s neck, dragging her down into a hug. “I know, I’m so stupid!”

Ragatha stiffened before she returned the embrace, swallowing the jester in her arms. “You’re not the stupid one,” she comforted with a giggle, “Jax is.”

“I promise, I would never call you that intentionally. You’re not a country bumpkin, or a hillbilly, or a redneck-”

“Okay, okay, that’s enough now.” Ragatha stopped her with a pat on the back. She briefly wondered how she ended up being the one to comfort Pomni when Ragatha was the one who had her feelings hurt. Oh well, it didn’t matter to her. In truth, she was more relieved it was just a misunderstanding. “No more synonyms or I’ll get mad at you all over again.”

Pomni squeezed Ragatha closer, burying her face in shame. “I’m so stupid, I deserve your anger. You should kick me out without a second glance.”

Ragatha hummed, nodding in agreement. “I really should.”

Pomni pulled away, her eyes wide and watery. She looked pathetically dejected. “... Are you going to?”

Ragatha was struck by Cupid. So cute. It wasn’t often Ragatha got to be the one to play with Pomni. It was usually the other way around. However, the jester was lucky she came at the perfect time, or else teasing may not have been the ragdoll’s resolution of choice.

Ragatha pulled Pomni closer, pressing her against her chest and crushing her in a tight hug. “I won’t,” she pressed a kiss to Pomni’s head, “For now. Your grovelling satisfied my thirst for revenge. I think I could get used to the sight of you on your hands and knees.”

“If it meant you’d forgive me, I’d become your personal chair,” Pomni sniffled.

“Okay, reel it in,” Ragatha chuckled, “I’m glad to see you’re back to your normal self.”

Pomni’s grip around her tightened. “Ragatha, I need to be serious for a minute.”

Ragatha rubbed smooth circles on the jester’s back. “Serious? That’s unlike you.”

“Please. Just for a minute.”

Ragatha pulled away from their hug. Pomni shivered at the cold. The ragdoll searched the jester’s expression with a look of pity. Despite the concern, Ragatha couldn’t resist the grin tugging her lips.

“Okay,” Ragatha obliged. She pushed herself to her feet, extending a hand to Pomni. “But if we are going to talk things out, how about we do it on the bed instead of in the doorway for the whole circus to hear?”

Pomni turned around to see that the door to Ragatha’s room was, in fact, wide open. Her face was overtaken by a pink flush. Welp, it was just another L on top of the many she received that day. She took Ragatha’s hand and stood, quickly shutting the door with her foot.

Pomni cleared her throat, looking down at their clasped hands and rubbing Ragatha’s knuckles with her thumb. Her gaze flickered up. “Sorry for causing such a commotion.”

Ragatha’s grin deepened. “You can tell me how sorry you are in bed.” Her giddy expression faltered when she processed her words a second time. “W-Wait! Not like that- Or, well, I mean, not that I’m opposed to- No! Stop! Forget what I said!”

Pomni sputtered a laugh as Ragatha turned away, hiding her face as she dragged her to the bed. The ragdoll all but tossed the jester onto the mattress, dropping into her seat next to her. She suspiciously couldn’t meet Pomni’s eyes, no matter how the jester moved her head to try to meet her gaze.

“Stop that!” Ragatha whined, pushing Pomni away with a hand on her chest. Even from this angle, Pomni could see the red on her cheeks. “Just say what you were going to say!”

Pomni’s expression faltered, regret flashing across her face. Right. She didn’t earn back the right to horse around just yet. She had business to attend to. Pomni pulled away. Ragatha’s hand slipped off her chest before gripping the material of her skirt resting on her lap. 

The jester’s blood rushed in her ears. She was so ready to blurt everything out back in the doorway, but now that their mood lightened for a brief period, she lost her momentum. She took a deep breath to steady herself, reminding herself that Ragatha (probably) wouldn’t break up with her over this, no matter what her anxious thoughts whispered to her.

Pomni released the breath. “I never meant to hurt your feelings.”

Ragatha remained turned away from Pomni, her posture stiffening marginally before she shrank in on herself. Pomni didn’t need to see her face to know what expression she held. The ragdoll nodded her head. “I know that now, but… It wasn’t just the ‘country bumpkin’ comment that hurt, you know.”

Pomni bit her lip. “I know that now. To tell you the truth… I… I lied to you about something.”

Finally, Ragatha whipped around, her braids flinging over her shoulders. Her expression was frantic and expecting the worst. “What?”

Pomni wished she could kiss away the knit in Ragatha’s brow. She knew how silly her words would sound before they left her mouth. “I hated today’s adventure.”

“... Huh?”

“You asked me if I enjoyed today, and I lied.” Pomni laughed deliriously. “Other than our horse ride, I was miserable working as a farmhand,” she shivered in disgust when unsavory memories resurfaced, “I will purposefully never become a vegetarian because of this experience.”

Ragatha hesitantly chucked, her concerned expression persisting. She rubbed her upper arm. “I’m sorry, I know you struggled a little. But… Why did you lie?”

“Honestly, I didn’t know at first,” Pomni confessed. Her eyes dropped to the side. “I didn’t want to ruin your good mood by being a buzzkill. But also, I realized I was embarrassed.”

Pomni raised her head to meet Ragatha’s gaze head-on. She pushed past her apprehension, forcing herself to lay her emotions bare. It was the least the ragdoll deserved. 

“You’re just so… Perfect,” Pomni emphasized, exhaling the word. “You have all these cool skills and you’ve lived such an interesting life, while I… What do I have to show?” Pomni laughed wryly, her eyes growing hot. “I’m just some nobody accountant. Just a replaceable cog in the machine. Hell, I couldn’t convince anyone to watch my YouTube videos even if I tried. Compared to you, I’m so… Boring.”

Pomni dropped her head, squeezing her hands nervously. “It made me wonder if I’m deserving of someone as special as you.”

Ragatha’s expression crashed like a shattered window, and Pomni threw the brick. Her mouth opened in horror, but before she could respond, Pomni continued.

“That’s what I was trying to say earlier, without actually saying it, obviously.” Pomni rubbed the back of her neck. “But I said it wrong and hurt you instead. Yeah, obviously, we are different. But at the end of the day, who cares?” Pomni reached over for Ragatha’s hand, the ragdoll easily offering it. Their fingers intertwined. “I love you no matter what. I promise.”

Silence. Hesitantly, Pomni slowly raised her head. Ragatha met her gaze immediately. Light flickered over her button eye. To the jester’s surprise, the ragdoll had an ear-splitting smile pulled across her face. She struggled to hold back her heartfelt tears.

Pomni felt her stomach flip at the attention. She swallowed down the butterflies that threatened to erupt from her mouth. Hopefully, Ragatha couldn’t feel how damp her palms were through the gloves. 

“And, obviously, you’re not a country bumpkin,” Pomni reiterated confidently, without her earlier theatrics. Finally, the right words came to her. “You’re a beautiful, southern belle, and I don’t want you any other way.”

“Oh, Pomni,” Ragatha’s smile continued to grow, her cheeks aching in protest. “Thank you.”

Pomni gave in easily when Ragatha swept her into yet another hug. The jester leaned into her as the ragdoll pulled her tight against her body. She gently wrapped her arms around Ragatha’s waist, nuzzling herself into the crook of the ragdoll’s neck as her comforting flowery scent washed over her.

They locked together like two puzzle pieces, as if made for each other.

Ragatha’s hand found its way to Pomni’s head, repeating the familiar motion of petting her. She slipped down the tail of her jester cap, squeezing the tip between her fingers. Pomni felt her breath stutter in her chest before she mumbled, “I’m not as perfect as you think I am, you know.”

Pomni’s grip around her only tightened. “You don’t see what I see.”

Ragatha’s eye gleamed. She bashfully buried her face into Pomni’s cap. “You’re so sweet to me.”

“Of course,” Pomni smiled against Ragatha’s skin. “I have to be so you don’t break up with me when I tease you too much.”

Ragatha tossed her head back with a laugh before she pulled Pomni to her chest. “You’re like a Sour Patch Kid. First you’re sour, then you’re sweet.”

Pomni looked up at Ragatha, resting her chin above the ragdoll’s breasts. “If you’ll eat me up, then I’ll be whatever candy you want me to be.”

“There’s the Pomni I know,” Ragatha giggled, pressing a kiss to Pomni’s forehead. “You’re lucky I tolerate your teasing at all.”

Pomni pulled away with a playful grin. “I know you not-so-secretly like it. Is that the kind of stuff you’re into?”

Ragatha pushed Pomni away by the shoulders, but the jester held on fast, refusing to let go. “You’re done! Apology time is over! It’s not too late to kick you out like you said I should!”

“Nooo!” Pomni whined, “I’ll be good, I swear! Come on, it’s so late, are you really going to kick me out at this hour? What will the neighbors say?”

Ragatha smiled wobbily. In a fit of cuteness aggression, she threw her arms around the jester, burying her in her bosom as she shook her back and forth. “Gah! You’re just too cute. I could never stay mad at you.”

Pomni resurfaced with a gasp, conflicted on whether she was ready to be let go or not. She hoped her darkened blush wasn’t too obvious. Recollecting herself, she looked up at Ragatha with her best puppy dog eyes. “So does that mean I get to spend the night?”

Ragatha huffed a laugh, her expression dripping with adoration. Pomni mentally snapped a picture, wanting to remember the look forever. Ragatha cupped Pomni’s cheek, leaning forward to press a warm, tender kiss to her lips.

“Sure,” she murmured tenderly, “You can stay.”

Although Pomni was successful at reclaiming their originally scheduled hangout, Ragatha wouldn’t allow her to get under the covers without changing into sleep clothes. She dug through her dresser and found an old oversized shirt and shorts for the jester to wear, ushering her to the bathroom for her to change.

Upon exiting the bathroom, Pomni grinned when she saw Ragatha give her an up-down. “Like what you see?”

Ragatha giggled, turning her face away slightly, but maintaining eye contact as she looked at Pomni through her eyelashes. “What, aren’t I allowed to look?” She pulled back the covers, beckoning the jester to come. 

Who was Pomni to reject such a tempting invitation?

The two of them got comfortable under the sheets, the lights in the room dimming to a warm, nightlight-like glow. They held each other at an arm's length, both of them still too wired to fall asleep.

“What do you think it would be like if I met your family?” Pomni asked.

Ragatha quirked a brow with a smile. “What makes you ask that? Actually, before you answer, you should know I’d try to keep them as far removed from our lives as possible.”

Pomni half-shrugged. “I dunno, I thought about it because of our conversation. From what you’ve told me about your mom so far, I think I agree with your decision.” Pomni closed her eyes, pressing the back of her hand to her forehead. “What if they forbade our love? What would you do then?”

“I’d tell them to [$%^&] off!” Ragatha barked a laugh, squeezing both of Pomni’s hands in her own. “Our relationship is none of their business.”

“Lame!” Pomni exclaimed. “Where’s your sense of imagination? Come on, think about it. What if they bribed me with a ton of money to leave you? Then what would you do?”

“Are you sure you’re not hoping they’d do that?”

Pomni gasped in offense. “How could you spew such an accusation?! I would never take the money, I swear on it.”

“Nah, take the money,” Ragatha chuckled, “We can take it and blow it all. Or we can invest in camera equipment so your YouTube career finally takes off.”

Pomni tried to push the ragdoll away, but Ragatha held on fast, openly laughing at the jester’s humiliation. 

The two of them settled down after sharing their laughter, gravitating toward each other until their bodies were intertwined together. Lying against Ragatha’s chest, Pomni could hear the steady ba-thump! of the ragdoll’s heart. 

The jester fought heavy eyelids, tempted by the promise of sleep, but resisting the lull so she could enjoy every second of Ragatha’s tender embrace. 

“Pomni?”

The jester jolted awake, realizing she was seconds from reaching REM without realizing it. “Yeah?”

“Sorry, were you sleeping?”

“Not yet,” she lied, “What’s up?”

“Nothing, I was just thinking… How do you feel about pet names?”

Pomni hummed. “I dunno, I can’t say I’ve given it much thought.” Pomni rubbed Ragatha’s side, feeling the seam along her waist. “Why do you ask?”

Ragatha shrugged one shoulder, unintentionally jostling Pomni. “I dunno. Maybe if you had a designated nickname for me, then you wouldn’t make the same mistake from today.”

Pomni’s hand froze before she gripped the material of the ragdoll’s nightgown, burying her face as she cringed at herself. “Ugh, don’t remind me.”

“So…” Ragatha trailed off, twirling the pom-pom of Pomni’s cap around her finger. “What do you think?”

Pomni begrudgingly lifted her head, hiding her bashfulness behind a confident exterior. She smirked. “I dunno… Petnames already? Moving kinda fast now, aren’t we?”

Ragatha pouted, playing along. “Aww, but Pommy, don’t you think we’re ready for a new milestone?”

Pomni’s stomach flipped. “Pommy?” She grinned, “Is that the best you could come up with?”

Ragatha rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so mean, I’m serious. I thought it was cute.”

“No, no, you’re right, I like it.” The jester looked up and to the side, thinking briefly. “You’re too thoughtful, Ragsy.”

“Ragsy?” Ragatha laughed incredulously. “It sounds like you’re going to use me to clean up a spill.”

“Yeah, because you’ve made a mess out of me.”

Ragatha snickered, rolling her eyes yet again. “Smooth line, Pommy.”

“Thank you, Ragsy.”

The atmosphere between them grew heavier. Pomni was aware of Ragatha’s chest rising and falling against her own. Even in the dim light, the jester could see the lovestuck look in the ragdoll’s eye. She was sure she wasn’t faring much better. Her blood rushed in her ears.

Pomni swallowed just before Ragatha delicately swept her up into a kiss, her lips hot and soft against hers. The jester interlocked her slightly chapped lips with the ragdoll’s, delivering a burst of sweet smooches to show her adoration. Ragatha giggled at the action, pulling Pomni closer by pressing down the back of her head.

Pomni sighed as she melted in Ragatha’s embrace. She turned her head to deepen the kiss, only for Ragatha to pull away soon after.

She was sure there were hearts in her eyes. Did they have to stop so soon?

“I love you, Pommy.”

Pomni’s heart skipped a beat. She was a goner. “I love you too, Ragsy.” She pressed her lips as she failed to fight a smile creeping up on her face. “We are getting pretty good with these pet names now, huh?”

“Mm-hmm,” Ragatha hummed, pulling Pomni back into their sleepy embrace. “We’ll be experts in no time.”

The sleepiness quickly returned after breathing in Ragatha’s sweet, flowery scent. Pomni played with the silky material of Ragatha’s nightgown, counting the dull blue polka dots. Huh. That was strange. Was the ragdoll’s nightgown always this color? 

Testing a theory, Pomni traced a finger along the stitching of the nightgown, feeling the raised seam. She slyly hugged Ragatha’s upper back, feeling a tag tickle her skin.

Ragatha’s nightgown was inside-out.

Pomni tried to hide her laughter, burying herself deeper against Ragatha.

“What is it?” The ragdoll mumbled sleepily.

“Nothing,” Pomni whispered against the skin of the ragdoll’s neck. “Nothing at all.”

Nobody is perfect, Pomni least of all. Everyone makes mistakes. What matters most is continuing to love someone despite them.