Chapter Text
It started off as a murder mystery adventure.
Immediately, the mention of horror and a mansion brought war flashbacks to Pomni’s dreaded mind, but Caine had assured her that the person or people that “die” would just be pretending. Somehow, the ringmaster’s efforts did little to set her mind at ease.
Each of them had been handed invitations that assigned them their respective roles. The murderer could be anyone; it could be any of them or an NPC. Ragatha was ecstatic to get “the detective” role, Gangle was “the rich widow”, Kinger was “the chef”, and Zooble reluctantly agreed to play as well- they were “the butler”. Jax had refused to tell them his role. So that left Pomni with the honor of “guest”.
“Um. Caine is this right-?” Pomni was cut off as Caine shoved everyone through the portal. Once on the other side, Pomni saw that all of them had been given clothing that matched their roles with a 1930-40s theme. Ragatha had the tweed jacket and cap, Kinger donned on a chef’s hat, Zooble sported a waistcoat, and Gangle and Pomni wore fancy dresses. Each of them had their own gimmicky prop from a folding fan to a whisk.
Pomni, given a polka dot clutch, couldn’t help but tug at her outfit. It was technically a cocktail dress, but keeping up with the jester gimmick, the dress was a bright, Harlequin outfit with her classic pom-poms adorning the front like buttons. It seemed unfitting for the environment. What kind of “guest” was she supposed to be?
Jax had flicked one of her pom-poms with a snicker before she had to smack his hand away.
He had on a trenchcoat, still refusing to explain who he was, but Pomni only grew more defiant in her curiosity, keeping a close eye on him for clues. It was a mystery adventure after all.
They spawned onto a stone pathway as a gigantic mansion was generated before them.
Seemingly miles away from an implied town, the building they appeared in front of was reminiscent of Mildenhall Manor with its Victorian gothic design. However, it was comparably grander with more rooms, a more rendered courtyard, and architecture that screamed old money. Shrubbery and trimmed trees lined the stone pathway and provided a nice, clean foliage around the home. Under the moonlight, the lively colors cooled down beneath shadows, barely discernible beyond unspecific shapes. The only spare light to be found was inside the mansion itself. Every single window was lit up with warm, unassuming lumination, beckoning the cast towards it for the start of their adventure.
“I guess we should ring the doorbell?” Gangle suggested, only to be shoved aside as Jax opened the door. It rang like a bell tower, echoing inside of the expanse of the mansion.
An NPC greeted them, claiming to be the host of the party. Dressed in a fancy suit, the wooden mannequin gestured excitedly, “Welcome to-!”
About to give its monologue, Jax strolled right on by and began to look around. Though, it continued its script, unperturbed as Jax disregarded the exposition to carelessly rifle through shelves and antiques.
“Jax!” Ragatha scolded, waving her magnifying glass around, “You're ruining the ambience!”
“Oh, that's too- Say cheese, dollface!”
Suddenly, a bright, white flash had blinded everyone. All Pomni could see was white, and all she could hear was Jax’s laughter. As her vision slowly returned, the first thing that she recognized was Zooble strangling Jax with their pocket watch chain while he clutched an old-timey camera.
She couldn't help but snort, amused by the rapid turn of events. By now, she's grown accustomed to Jax's impulse to defy whatever adventure Caine had presented, eager to test the limits of their simulated world or cheat his way into triggering something funny with the NPCs. His unpredictability was the one thing that she could count on here, ironically.
So, it made it easier to handle the chaos when she laughed about it than flipped out, even if it was her cringey little snort-laugh.
A noise that Jax seemed to notice. As he was released, he had looked at her, eyes big and round but unreadable, and Pomni couldn’t help but duck her head, expecting him to turn his attention toward her as his next object of mockery. Instead, he had gone back to shoving away Zooble.
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After, the rest of them had regathered to piece together their host’s original monologue, forming a rough narrative of today’s adventure. They were all either guests or servants at this mansion, serving the master of the home. The NPC didn’t have much going on beyond his scripted dialogue options and occasional clipping through furniture and walls – not Caine’s best work.
The event was a dinner party, thus Pomni and Gangle’s formal wear. Compared to their “guest”, Gangle, “the rich widow”, had adorned traditional widow's weeds with a veil to match.
The group was escorted to the dining room. At the center of the room was the dining table, stretching long enough to seat twice as many people present and made of a dark wood that shone under the chandelier’s light. Intricate, floral patterns decorated their flatware with shiny, engraved utensils arranged neatly beside every set.
However, there was no dinner to be had at the dining table.
“Well, I’m the chef!” Kinger held up a spatula, “So, I’ll go to the kitchen to uh…”
“To cook?” Pomni asked.
He was silent for a moment, eyes glazing over and posture slouching forward, before straightening up, “To do kitchening! …Sorry Pomni, did you say something?”
She smiled, giving a small amused hum, “Yeah, but I basically said the same thing.”
And their chef had wandered off.
And he never asked the host where the kitchen was, so it’d probably be a while before they would see him again.
Still, Pomni remained steadfast, shaking her head before joining Ragatha who was getting a jumpstart on her investigation by getting to know the future potential suspects.
“I saw you put something in your pocket, Jax!”
“Nuh-uh.”
“W-what kind of rebuttal is that?”
“Do you have any proof I put something in my pocket, detective?”
“No-!”
“Then, I didn’t put anything in my pocket.”
“Your hand is still in your pocket!”
“Nuh uh.”
Pomni found herself facing a familiar sight. Whether it was Jax purposely getting a rise out of her, or Ragatha being quick to point a finger at him, Pomni had found that the two of them would often be at odds. For as much as Ragatha was a clear people pleaser, the rabbit in question seemed to have a talent for tipping the ragdoll off at a moment's notice. It seemed to go both ways with Jax often getting overly defensive under Ragatha’s scrutiny.
And lately, Pomni had found herself often playing the role of their begrudging mediator.
She waved a little to get their attention, approaching from the other side of the room, “Hey… Um. How do you know he didn’t just… Have his hand in there?”
Jax’s grin widened, feeling vindicated, “Yeah, Rags, how?”
Ragatha jabbed a finger at his face, undeterred, “I saw him grab something!”
“Fine, Jax, can you empty your pockets?”
It’s not like this was a role Pomni was happily adopting. If anything, watching these two bicker like a couple of little kids could get exhausting. Still, sometimes it was just as simple as laying it out logically for them to quit it.
“You got a warrant?”
“JaAAax!”
“Seems like we’ll never know if I did or didn’t put a mystery item in my pocket, then.”
Little kids.
Ragatha opened her mouth to argue back when Pomni placed a hand on her arm, “Hey, no one has been killed yet, right? Maybe you and I can revisit this later together when we get more ‘evidence’.”
The other woman, after a moment, let out a sigh of surrender, shoulders relaxing, “Yeah, you’re right. I don’t know why I got so worked up…” She turned to the rabbitoid, “Sorry about that, Jax.”
He blinked owlishly, taken aback, before rolling his eyes, “Whatever.”
“So, how are we supposed to have a dinner party with no dinner?” Gangle asked as they all stood around the dining room, cluelessly.
“Follow me as we begin the tour through my gigantic mansion!” Their host had suddenly announced, bumping into her as he went into the next room. He had walked into the wall at first, still doing a walking animation in place before gliding out of the doorway.
“I guess we’re going on a tour,” Zooble sighed.
“Through his gigantic mansion! Don’t forget that part,” Jax added.
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“Do you think that Caine ever reuses assets?” Pomni asked as they were all led into the next bedroom. It was expansive with a large king mattress, decorated with carved bed posts, a cushioned headboard, plush duvets, a velvet canopy draped around it, and several embroidered pillows. The carpet was spread corner to corner with a dark, floral pattern of reds and blacks, matching the rest of the furniture from the thick red curtains to the dark wood of the dressers and bed frames.
And it was the exact same as the last five bedrooms that they were just shown, down to the length of the melted wax on the candlesticks and the arrangement of the lipsticks on the vanity.
At first, it was an enchanting sight to behold the first time Pomni walked into the room as if she were actually visiting a real mansion. She couldn’t help but feel a bit fancy in her little dress, looking up at the glow of the chandelier and how it lit the room in a warm, dim light that made it feel almost real. However, by the fourth time that they had to listen to the host repeat, “The intricate wood carvings and vintage portraits add to the room's antique charm”, word-for-word, it had lost its glamour, and she remembered it was all simulated.
“Hey, where are you going?” Zooble asked Jax when they noticed him splitting away from the group. The host had opened the door to yet another bedroom, reciting its script, “...Victorian gothic bedroom. Truly, the design is the perfect fusion between dramatic and elegant-”
“I came here for murder, not a museum field trip,” He waved them off, walking the other direction, “Gonna look for the rooms they don’t want us to check out.”
“It’s just probably going to be invisible walls or something to throw you out of the map. At most, it’ll crash the story for a bit.”
“Hey, I’m a rabbit. We love our easter eggs!”
Pomni never imagined being jealous of Jax before until she watched him strut around the corner. Meanwhile, she was stuck listening to a lecture on interior decorating on a loop.
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“And this is my study,” The host’s voice droned on, but by this point in the tour, everyone had zoned him out.
“So!” Ragatha turned to the others, “You guys looking forward to the mystery?”
“You mean where we all start getting killed, one-by-one?” Zooble asked, pessimistic about the whole thing. They mostly lagged around the back, fidgeting with their pocket watch the whole time.
“Yes!”
“Didn’t expect you to be the type to love this kind of thing, Ragatha,” Pomni said, looking around the study with mild interest. It was what was to be expected. At the head of the room was an oak desk with pens, quills, papers with random nonsense written on them, and even some knick knacks to decorate it. The wall was lined up with a collection of books, and a pixelated fireplace lit the room with a large framed painting of Caine above it.
“Oh, I love a good murder! I used to watch horror movies all the time,” In her excitement, Ragatha was pacing around the room with avid curiosity, peering through her magnifying glass, “And a mystery no less for us to solve. I didn’t do much exploring with the last horror adventure, so I’m excited. I’m sure we’ve already passed some clues during our tour, that’s why we’re following along in the first place. Maybe we’ll have to revisit these places later on to investigate or later find the bodies. Something like that - I don’t know, but I’m looking forward to it!”
“Hm,” Pomni smiled, fondly. She was like a little kid in a candy store. If the candy was corpses, “I’m glad.”
“What are you doing?” Gangle asked, also ignoring their host who was continuing to describe the origins of his desk, from the tree it was cut from to how it ended up in his office after the fact. It didn’t feel particularly relevant to the story.
“I’m looking for secret passages,” Ragatha explained, picking up the random desk accessories and opening drawers, “Maybe there’s a button or a passcode under one of these.”
“Do you think Caine would have put one of those here,” Gangle doubted, crouching behind the desk with her, “A lot of the stuff so far has felt kind of random.”
“We can’t leave any stone unturned,” Their detective insisted, hands feeling underneath the flattop, “Zooble, give us a hand, please?”
With a suffering sigh, they complied, half-heartedly poking and prodding at the items above the fireplace.
Pomni was occupying herself with the many books along the wall, reading their titles and occasionally picking one up to skim.
How to Cook a Butterfly Salad
A Million Ways to Have Fun in the West
Hungry Games: Ways to Play with Your Food
A Little Bit o’ Liquid Courage - A Hilarious Rabbit Romance
The Amazing Digital Memoir: Life of the Ringmaster Who You Love the Most
Zabyl i Vspomnil
Something to note was that Caine was the author of all of them, except for the last one, which was written by Bubble…
“See anything?”
“There’s a creepy bust statue of Caine in the corner.”
“Oh, is there maybe a button under his head?”
“Please, don’t make me touch it.”
One of the books Pomni found was titled simply, Super Duper Secret Passage Way If Pulled, and with a shrug, she did as instructed, not giving it much thought. Maybe there's a chapter that will give them a clue on how to find what Ragatha was looking for here.
A click sounded as she pulled to remove it from the shelf as it didn't allow her to take it out, completely. Instead, it cranked something as the entire book shelf began to rotate like a revolving door around her. She gave a muted cry, releasing the book, but it was too late as her bugged-out eyes and general look of horror were silenced while she was transported behind the bookcase. The host looked over and waved at her, friendly. The shelf clicked back into place, replaced with an entirely different one but no less discernible from its previous. Silence followed while everyone else remained oblivious.
“Oh, there’s some letters in this drawer.”
“Ah, lemme see! It could be useful!”
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“Hey! Let me out!” Pomni banged on the shelf, trying to trigger the mechanism to return her, but it was dark where she was taken. And cramped, “Ragatha? Zooble? Guys? Hello??”
She started hollering and yelling out, but on the other side of the wall, her cries were muffled. The others began speaking over her unheard wailing, none the wiser.
“Anywho, let's move onto the next room, far away from this one and whatever may still be inside of here for the rest of the night!”
“That is a weird thing to say, even for an NPC.”
Leaving her trapped and alone, she finally stopped yelling, feeling at a loss.
Within the confines of the wall, she barely had enough room to comfortably move around, squinting in the darkness. For the most part, she just had to blindly feel around to see where she was going, and the silence was deafening.
Amidst her wandering, a chill had begun to move up her spine when something that felt like a hand had gently started to brush against her arms. The chill had suddenly turned her blood ice cold, freezing her in place.
That’s when two hands had grabbed both of her arms, swiftly spinning her around to a towering figure, inches from her face.
“Boo.”
Pomni screamed and punched Jax in the face.
Her assailant was sent falling backwards, landing awkwardly in the tight space with a grunt. He chuckled, thoroughly amused as he rubbed his injured face, “Dang, Pompom! Fight or flight really kicked in for you, huh? I thought for sure that you’d be the ‘run and hide’ type.”
She had a selection of words on the tip of her tongue, words that would certainly be censored in this world, but her feral ravings were stopped in their tracks as she met Jax’s eyes. They glowed, a faint yellow light filling the darkness inside of the walls. It had her like a deer in headlights the way that she couldn’t help but stare.
“Woah… Your eyes…”
“Gorgeous, am I right?” He teased, pushing himself to his feet and looming over her in the cramped space. It was tall enough to stand up straight but barely wide enough to face her completely.
She shook herself out of the trance, rolling her eyes, “I wouldn't go that far.”
“Kinda rude, Pompom,” He replied in a sing-song voice, “And here I thought we were having a moment.”
She scoffed before coming to a realization, “So, uh, what are you doing back here?”
“Exploring,” Jax shrugged, nonchalantly, “You stuck?”
She made a face, a mix of embarrassment and weariness, “...Yeah.”
“Yeah.”
“So…” With his eyes serving as their only source of vague light, it was hard for Pomni not to stare at his face in this situation, “What now?”
“Why're you asking me?”
“Uh. I don't know… I thought that you would know how to get us out of here the way that you came from?
She was met with silence, much to her annoyance.
“Jax?”
Even as she scrutinized his expression, he continued his uncharacteristic quietness.
“...You don’t know how to get out of here, do you?”
His ear twitched, and Pomni couldn’t help but snicker as his face pulled into a frown, “Oh, I know, but what makes you think that I’m going to help you?”
“Jax,” She said in a sing-song, “Did you also fall for a trapdoor like me?”
“Please, you think I’d be as dumb as to fall for a clearly-placed and cliche trap in a murder mystery mansion?”
“Yeah!”
“Real mature, Pom,” He scoffed, turning on his heel and taking his light source with him.
“H-hey, where are you going!” She stumbled after him, grabbing along the wall for purchase, desperately, as his longer steps competed against her shorter, quicker ones.
“Gonna try and find the way out of here,” He replied, not even looking back to address her, “But you're more than welcome to stay put. I'm sure someone will notice you're gone… Eventually.”
“Hey!” She hurried, feeling like they were traversing a maze with her only means of escape being purposefully difficult to keep up with. At one point, he had stopped in his tracks, causing her to practically crash into his back.
“You stalking me, Pomni?” He cooed, his glowing eyes looking her up and down.
Irritation boiled up inside of her as she gave a huff, “Fine. I'll go the other way!”
“It's a dead end, but good luck.”
She hesitated, attempting to look ahead of her new path but seeing absolutely nothing in the black void. It somehow felt foreboding, especially with a soon-to-be-murderer on the loose.
She gave a sigh and reluctantly turned around to Jax who was actually just waiting for her with his usually cheesy grin.
“Dang, you really fell for that? I didn't even go that way yet.”
Maybe the murder would be preferable.
“Y-you-! Whatever!”
Storming back off in the opposite direction, she was so caught up in her frustration that she ended up slamming face-first into a wall.
Wincing in pain, she crouched to the ground and held her face, “[BLOINK]! Jax!”
He cackled.
It was like being stuck between a rock and a hard place, only the rock was Jax and the hard place was a potentially violent death.
In the end, she was left chasing after the rabbit, nearly running into him again, before he stopped her with a hand on her forehead. He easily pushed her backwards as she swung blindly at the air.
“What?” He feigned sympathy, his stupid glowing eyes looking down at her before he turned to walk away, “Was there a dead end or something?”
She muttered to herself, a censor bar spawning over her mouth, as she begrudgingly followed. In the meantime, she kept her hands pressed to the walls, hoping for another secret bookshelf or a trigger or anything to escape.
However, it was a big mansion, and the search for an exit was, for a while, unsuccessful. They fell into a brief silence. It made her antsy for something to occupy herself.
Also, generally, she was just curious.
She couldn't help but let her eyes wander over Jax's trench coat and ask, “So, what kind of doctor are you supposed to be?"
“I never said I was a doctor,” He said, “But nice try, Pomeranian.”
She huffed, amused, “Fine, then, what are you? Some kind of undercover Superhero? A Supermodel?”
“My model is a rabbit, Pomni. Did you not know? Usually, the ears give it away.”
“Come on, just tell me what you're supposed to be,” She groaned dramatically, “The only thing left that I can think of is a pervert.”
“Oh, you wanna go there, Candyland?”
“‘Candyland’??” She clutched her red and blue skirt, indignant.
“You're supposed to be one of those girls that jumps out of cakes, right? Caine got you in such a cute little number-”
“Alright, let's stop talking.”
“Pommy, I could just eat you right up-”
“Jax, shut up!”
He laughed, replacing the silence with something warmer.
“God, you’re so annoying.”
“Oh?” He stopped, looking back at her and meeting her level. Pomni paused as he got down on one knee, grinning, “Then, why are you smiling?”
She sputtered, “I…”
And suddenly, a familiar click sounded around them, and the floor began to move. They struggled to stay upright as the entire wall next to them started to revolve, and a bright light hit their visions. Opening their eyes as the world came to a halt, they found themselves back in the study.
“Don’t worry,” Zooble drawled, accompanied by a surprised Ragatha and Gangle, “This is actually a completely separate yet identical room as the last one.”
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Soon, dinner was served, and it went normally- or as normally as digital dinners go.
Kinger had somehow managed to cook a fully seasoned and stuffed turkey dinner with sides of mashed potatoes and artichokes, along with a cream pie dessert afterwards. The NPC whose name that they had forgotten already took a seat at the head of the table with everyone else joining at their designated spots. Zooble was handed a bottle of champagne, made to pour everyone a glass.
Pomni was seated between the host and Jax, across from Ragatha. She took a sip of her drink, briefly disappointed that it didn’t taste alcoholic at all. Similarly, Jax, having snatched the bottle from Zooble for keepsakes, downed his champagne in one go, making a sour face afterwards, “...Is this real?”
“Definitely not,” Pomni shook her head, frowning. He seemed satisfied with that answer and continued to drink some more.
Some light discussion was had, and it’s mildly comfortable as the room was filled with the scent of food and the sound of utensils clinking.
Ragatha was excited to show the others her little notepad, “I’ve already started taking notes on all of you guys for potential motives, but if you don’t mind, why don’t you tell me more about your characters?”
“Uh, well, I’m the ‘Rich Widow’,” Gangle began, lifting the sheer veil from her face to read her profile from a card, “My husband was… A business associate and best friend of the host until he betrayed him, and my dear beloved died, mysteriously after.”
“Hmm, oh! Maybe you have a vendetta against our host for what he did to your husband and plan to stab him when all the lights go off!” The ragdoll scribbled in her notes, tapping her foot as the gears turned.
“W-wha, no I didn’t,” the Widow stammered, clutching her pearls.
“Or maybe she killed her husband for his wealth and wants us to think otherwise, framing one of us, potentially!”
“I don’t like this adventure.”
Meanwhile, Pomni, passively listening with mild entertainment, took another sip of her drink. Having finished her glass, she looked over to Zooble, about to ask for another pour. Their butler, however, seemed to have lost interest in the roleplay, taking a nap in the corner.
So, Pomni looked to Jax in the hopes that he was feeling generous with the bottle that he snagged.
Jax who was being uncharacteristically silent.
He sat, shoulders sagged a bit, ears drooped slightly, and eyes glazed over. He swayed in his seat, hands on the table next to the abandoned bottle of champagne. At no point did he join in on the banter, prime for teasing either Ragatha who was getting deep into her character or Gangle who was currently being interrogated to high hell.
She glanced down at her empty glass and then at his, muttering quietly to herself, “Lightweight.”
Upon closer inspection, she realized that he must have also been drinking his own stash, noticing the reddish glaze on the bottom of his champagne flute.
Pomni was not surprised, but if anything, she was offended that he was hogging it for himself.
At least, it kept him subdued. Ragatha seemed like she was having fun, so let her. Maybe get him a water-
Then, Jax’s head slammed on the table. Everyone looked in his direction to see the rabbit out cold.
“Jax?” Gangle asked, poking him with her fork.
He didn’t respond.
“Guess he’s the first murder,” Zooble announced as they rose from their spot, “Maybe this adventure will actually be okay.”
“Our first murder!” Ragatha shot up, eye sparkling and magnifying glass in hand.
“Murjer? Whaadmurjer?” Suddenly sitting up, their “dead” castmate bobbed his head with a slur in his voice, “I jus…” His head lolled downward before shooting back up again, “Took an nap… m’fine.”
(Translation: Murder? What murder? I just took a nap. I am fine.)
Everyone stared.
“Immma… couch,” He muttered, slipping out of his chair and sliding to the ground, “Floor’s good….”
(Translation: I am going to the couch. The floor is good.)
Zooble sighed, looking down at his tangled figure on the tile floor, “You’re drunk.”
“Do you need help?” Pomni got up from her seat, half-way between kneeling at his side and standing respectfully next to him like Zooble. It was weird; she didn’t know how nice she should be with Jax.
“Wuh? Me? Drank? Halp? Noooooo… I done… I donch drink halp…”
(Translation: What? Me? Drunk? Help? No, I do not drink ‘help’.)
“Ah, so he isn’t our first murder, technically…” Momentarily disheartened, Ragatha was quick to recover, “But he is our first murder attempt ! Did anyone else drink their champagne?”
Gangle raised her ribbon-hand, “I did, but it tasted like ginger ale.”
Brows furrowed, Ragatha picked up her glass and Jax’s, sniffing one after the other, “Someone must have spiked his drink… But how is that possible if we all drank from the same bottle?”
“Well, I did notice that Jax’s drink was a different color at one point,” Pomni added, gesturing to the light red drops still left.
Excited, their detective held up her magnifying glass to analyze the mysterious hue change, “Our first clue!”
“I’ll get him to the couch. I think he’s supposed to be dead,” Zooble said, grabbing the drunkard’s arms to drag him away.
“Oh! I’ll help!” Pomni finally got up from her awkward crouching position to grab his legs.
“Donch looch at me feet! That costsss money! I don’t shoe for free!”
(Translation: Do not look at my feet! That cost money! I do not show for free!)
“What?”
“Ignore him. Let’s just get him in the sitting room or whatever.”
“Don’t go too far, guys! I still need to interrogate everyone for motives!”
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Pomni never understood the purpose of a “sitting room”. As far as she knew, it was just a living room without a TV. There was only one couch and two armchairs, in between was a table decorated with a tea set and a familiar blue teapot in the center.
“Don cook me, I tasted like roober,” Jax was muttering, facedown in the arm of the leather couch and posed uncomfortably.
(Translation: Don’t cook me, I taste like rubber.)
His limbs flapped weakly, and his muffled voice came out uncharacteristically whiny. Combined with his already drunken state, Pomni let a laugh slip at the sight, rolling him onto his side with some effort, “What, like ‘wabbit stew’?”
“You ARE gonna cook me!!!” He exclaimed, clutching his chest in shock before bursting out laughing at his own joke.
(Translation: You ARE going to cook me!)
Zooble rolled their eyes, “No. No one would ever want to eat you.”
His laughter stopped immediately before he turned to scowl at them, “Why’du sayit like that ? You’re mean.”
(Translation: Why did you say it like that? You are mean.)
“What?” They squinted, incredulous, “You’re a jerk all the time !”
“Yeah, but ish funny.”
(Translation: Yeah, but it is funny.)
“Little kids…” Pomni sighed, good-naturedly. She met Jax’s gaze for a second, seeing his petulant stare. He was pouting. She couldn’t help herself as another snort slipped out, causing her drunken castmate to ssnicke while his head rolled back on the couch arm.
“Oh, God. Don’t encourage him.”
“I’m not!”
“Sheee Zooobie? ‘M funnyyyyyy…” Jax slurred, hand clumsily fumbling for his front pocket, “...You guyz zee Anne?”
(Translation: See, Zooble? I am funny… Have you guys seen Anne?)
“Anne?”
Glass shattered, and Ragatha's scream could be heard from the other room.
“Ohno! Anne!” With surprising agility, Jax flew off of the couch and back towards the scene of the crime with Zooble and Pomni rushing after him.
(Translation: Oh no! Anne!)
Entering the once elaborate, fancy dining room, Ragatha could be found standing on the table, frantically waving her magnifying glass at Gangle, “GET IT! KILL IT!”
Gangle, on the other side, was also perched up on a spare dining chair, gripping the hem of her dress like a scared housewife, “WHAT?! NO!!! WHAT EVEN IS THAT?!”
“ GET IT NOW !”
Meanwhile, Jax was lumbering over, legs twisting around each other as he made his way. He practically dropped to the ground, landing on his butt with a thud.
“Jax! What are you-?”
Clumsily, he leaned forward from his seated position, hands capturing something on the floor as he cupped his palms around it and held it close to his chest.
“JAAAXX!” Ragatha whined.
“Stahp yelling!” He whined back, “You’re shcaring her! She’s just a baybee.”
(Translation: Stop yelling! You are scaring her! She is just a baby.)
“WHAT?! THAT IS NOT A BABY!!”
“Shuuush,” He waved off the screeching ragdoll, talking to his cupped hands, “Nap time for the baaaabyyyyy.”
(Translation: Shush, nap time for the baby.)
Pomni followed behind as he drunkenly made his way back to the sitting room, a steady hand at his back while the other hovered in front of him, “Okay, buddy, let's stop running between rooms, okay?”
Zooble stayed behind to calm down the two hysterical women.
Somehow making it back to the couch in one piece, Jax continued mumbling into his hands, “Poor babbbeeeyy, did the mean gurlzz schjare you?”
(Translation: Poor baby, did the mean girls scare you?)
Taking a tentative step towards his hunched figure, Pomni peered over to the “baby” in question.
It was a centipede.
Two inches wide and four inches long, it was colored a light shade of purple like Jax, settling down in his palms as he shielded it, protectively.
She stared at the creature, and it stared back.
Immediately, she was in love.
“Is that Anne?” Pomni was cooing, trying to keep herself from squealing with awe, “And she was in your pocket, right?”
“Maybe. You can’t proof that thow,” Jax mumbled, petulant, carefully putting Anne in an empty teacup before laying back down and covering his eyes with his arm, “Why’s me head dizzy?”
(Translation: Maybe. You cannot prove that, though. Why is my head dizzy?)
“You’re drunk,” Zooble answered as he entered the room.
“What?!” Jax sat up quickly, making Pomni flinch away from the sudden movement. He got visibly dizzy as a result.
(Translation: What?!)
“Calm down,” They paused, thoughtfully, making a face that Pomni had trouble reading, “You… didn’t know? Have you ever been drunk?”
“Never! Oh god…” Jax began moaning, putting his head in his hands, “I dijn’twanna to ever…. Aim notch shuppposed too…”
(Translation: Never! Oh goodness… I did not ever want to… I am not supposed to…)
“Well…” They hesitated, expression softening to something akin to… Sympathy? Pity? “It doesn’t really count if you didn’t know. You were drugged.”
Jax whined, looking pathetic and uncomfortably vulnerable with the saddest frown on his face, “Yew done ged id , ‘m gonna be just like zem - i didnjt wanna be like ‘em. I promished- oh god they were all rihh!”
(Translation: You do not get it. I am going to be just like them - I did not want to be like them. I promised - Oh goodness gracious, they were all right!)
“Oh… Uh…” Zooble coughed, rubbing their arm, “I’m… mh.”
Pomni stepped in, slowly reaching over to place a hand on his shoulder, “I’m sure that’s not true…”
“How’dju know? You don’t know…” He muttered, burying his face in the couch, “It's all over… I’d rather abstract right here and now.”
(Translation: How do you know? You do not know… It is all over… I would rather abstract right here and now. )
Pomni’s already-white faced paled even more, hearing his sobering confession. Truth be told, she wasn’t sure what he was talking about, but something had clicked for Zooble, and something about it left them uncomfortable all around. All that she could tell was it had to do with being drunk, but was it really that upsetting? Or maybe it was just the “alcohol” making him more emotional than usual?
Vaguely, she remembered her first time getting drunk. It was not nearly this… Miserable.
She didn’t understand, looking to Zooble for an explanation, but their cast member had notably vacated the room at some point.
Pomni hummed quietly to hide her distress, having to reassure herself so that she could focus back on Jax. She didn’t even realize that she had started to pet his head, fingers running between short but soft fur. Without her usual gloves, she could notice that it was more like the material of stuffed animals than an actual rabbit. Thankfully, she knew better than to bury her face in it at least.
Oh, he was shaking.
“Hey, Jax,” She spoke quietly, kneeling at his side, “How… Did you find Anne?”
He sniffled, and she got a fleeting feeling of sadness from it. Still, she couldn’t tell if he was crying with his face still pressed into the leather, “I waz gonna prank the dolly, but now, I like Anne…”
(Translation: I was going to prank Ragatha, but now, I love Anne… She is my baby.)
“Oh?” She rubbed his back in big circles, encouraging, “Why did you name her ‘Anne’?”
“I tought it would make Raggy mad… Ragatha… Raggedy Anne… Anne,” He laughed, “ish funny cuz she hatez centipedessss!”
(Translation: I thought it would make Ragatha mad… Ragatha… Raggedy Anne… Anne. It is funny because she hates centipedes.)
“Yeah, she would hate that.”
Pomni looked back down at the teacup containing Anne. She was wriggling slowly, filling the cup to the brim as she curled into a ball to fit. It made Pomni’s heart soar.
The fat, little centipede was truly a treasure.
She could see why Jax liked her. Carefully reaching out a hand and putting her finger in front of the bug to sniff like she would a dog, Pomni had found Anne didn't seem to mind her presence if her continued wiggling was anything to go by. Taking the win, she began gently stroking the length of the centipede with her finger.
“She really is cute, Jax,” Pomni chirped, glancing up at the rabbit who was unresponsive, apart from the occasional moan and whimper. She frowned, looking down at his arm hanging off of the side. His hand laid limply on the ground, so she went to pick it up, setting it gently back on the couch cushion. However, she lingered, still grasping his wrist. Giving it a reassuring squeeze, she rubbed her thumb over it in what she had hoped was a soothing matter. It was an action from her past that she could fuzzily recollect, reminiscent of warmth and safety when she thought about it. She was nervous to look back up, though, out of fear that this was going too far. Physical comfort wasn’t exactly her forte, but given her lack of understanding of his distress, words and distractions could only go so far. At the very least, it hopefully reminded him of her presence, which hopefully, was not a bad thing?
His fingers twitched, and maybe her hand was sliding down his wrist to hold his.
“Jax?!”
Pomni practically threw herself backwards, landing haphazardly on the ground as Ragatha came rushing into the sitting room.
“Are you okay?” She was by Jax’s side in a second, concern etched into her features as she took off her hat, “Zooble told me what happened.”
Taking a seat on the floor next to Pomni who had begun to sit back up, she turned Jax’s body to face the ceiling. He groaned in protest, revealing his puffy eyes.
“Oh, you poor thing…” Ragatha sighed, grabbing a nearby tissue box and offering it to him.
Jax had actually reached over to accept it, blearily staring up ahead and accidentally knocking it out of her hands in the process.
“Dangit…” After a moment with his arm still stretched out, Jax muttered quietly, voice cracking, “Why du I run everythin I touch?”
(Translation: FUCK, WHY DO I RUIN EVERYTHING THAT I TOUCH??)
It made the room freeze, an awkward and pitiful feeling filling the air. Ragatha’s face pinched, sympathetically, but Pomni just felt like she was intruding, now, like she was seeing and hearing things not meant for her to have ever come across. As the other fretted over Jax, hand on his forehead, Pomni debated leaving her to it, considering the ragdoll the preferable choice in this situation.
Jax continued, “I want my mom… But not myyy mom.”
(Translation: I want someone to love and comfort me like a mom, but my mom was never that for me. I crave that love that I never got from her. I miss the idea of a good mom.)
Pomni looked down, nodding glumly as she pulled her knees to her chest, but she didn’t say anything about it.
“I miss my horses,” Ragatha added with equal dejection, but the other two looked at her, feeling otherwise.
“Datsnot even remoterly shimulaier.”
(Translation: That is not even remotely similar.)
And while she had nodded in acknowledgement, she seemed less fluent in drunk-Jax-speak than Zooble and Pomni.
She offered him the tissues, again, and this time, he managed to snag one before turning away from them, curling up, slightly.
Then, their host was rushing into the room, “Oh my word! The journalist is dead!”
“Oooh, that's what he was…”
“A journalist makes so much sense,” Pomni said, seeing the pieces come together before shaking her head, “So, I guess Jax really is ‘dead’ then.”
Soon, the rest of the cast was being called into the sitting room despite their objections. However, the script required it.
“There’s a killer on the loose! Detective, please, you must help us get to the bottom of this!” He ran up to Ragatha, practically on his knees, whose eye lit up at the proposition.
“Um, what if we don’t…?” Gangle spoke up from the side. Zooble was disinterestedly leaning against the wall while Kinger was preoccupied with butterfly painting above Jax’s “corpse”.
“Well…”
There’s a loud cracking noise outside the window, a flash of light filling the room before it was plunged into darkness. Gangle screamed in the absence of light, which prompted Kinger to join in, shrieking even higher.
“It’s not even raining outside - how is there lightning??” Zooble groaned, “Hang on, I’ll check the-”
However, the lights returned shortly after, revealing the fallen body of their host. He remained unmoving, laying on his side with both of his arms and one leg twisted behind his back.
Gangle screamed, again, clutching her pearls, “Is he dead?!”
A teacup went flying by her head, just barely missing her. She gasped, scandalized.
“STahp schreeeaming!” Jax flailed his limbs, throwing his head back, ”Ish not real!” He quickly regretted his decision, clutching his skull in pain as he doubled over, “Ohimmapuke….. no ‘m gud.”
(Translation: Stop screaming! It is not real! Oh, I am going to puke… No, I am good.)
After a moment of anticipation, he quietly relaxed back into the couch.
Ragatha looked between the lump on the couch and their dead host, hat in hand. Conflict crossed her face, caught between her personal obligation to check on Jax’s well-being but also her desire to fulfill her detective role.
Pomni couldn’t help but feel sympathetic, recalling the other’s excitement back in the study. She was like a little girl on Christmas night, snooping through dead bodies like presents.
However, Jax couldn’t be left alone like this, could he?
“Hey, um, Ragatha?” She approached the older woman, “Since you're the detective, it doesn't really make sense for you to just hang around back here. If you're distracted, the adventure will take longer, so maybe I can stay here with Jax while you just focus on solving the murders. That way, we can get him to rest sooner. Split our focus?”
Ragatha beamed, slipping her hat back on and holding her notepad to her chest, “That's a great idea Pomni! I'll be sure to give it my all!”
“Chzzy,” Jax mumbled.
(Translation: Cheesy.)
The Detective pretended not to hear him and got to work, “I bet I know what the murder weapon was, too!”
.
.
.
With the others wandering off afterwards, there was still the problem of the body. Since it was just Jax and Pomni left alone, that meant it was hers to deal with. She could have just left it as is, but NPC or not, it was creepy to just be in a room with a corpse.
And maybe dragging it away and shoving it into a closet like a sack of laundry was a bit morbid, but she had other things to worry about now.
Then, it was just the two of them.
Silence, again. Jax wasn’t even moaning miserably anymore, just turned away from her in a lanky ball. She was left twiddling her thumbs, knees pulled up to her chest as she sat in front of the couch.
“So, um. Why do you hate alcohol?” Immediately, she regretted asking, feeling like the question was too invasive.
“Becash of nunya.”
(Translation: Heh.)
“N-nunya?”
“Nunya business!” He sat up a bit, jabbing a finger at her face, “HA! Goteeeeem!”
She supposed she deserved that.
“Heyyyy Hey pompom~” He continued, mood shifting quickly as he kept trying to poke her face. Missing entirely, his hand dropped limply to the floor.
(Translation: Hey, hey, Pomni.)
She sighed, “Yeah?”
“Do you… di you think… Um.” He snickered, head falling backwards, “i forgor.”
(Translation: Do you… Do you think… Um. I forgot.)
Pomni shook her head. Little kids.
“Oh!” He sat up, fully, like a lightbulb had appeared over his head, “Do you think they got nachos??”
“Nachos?” She repeated, trying to get him to lay back down, but easily, he shoved her away. Staggering to his feet, he made his way back toward the kitchen, only to run into something and get sent falling backwards on his butt. Pomni ran up to him, looking back up at what invisible barrier had blocked his way like that.
A large sign from nowhere started to brightly flash in colorful lights above them, “All Dead Guests Must Now Remain in the Sitting Room!” Caine’s voice echoed the caption.
In the gothic atmosphere of the room, the sign was more reminiscent of Las Vegas lights, blinding Pomni as it practically screamed in her face. Jax remained on his back.
“Whuzda poy a shiddy room, nywayz?” He slurred from the floor, “Int just a livin room wthout TV??”
(Translation: What is the point of a Sitting Room, anyways? Is it not just a Living Room without a television?)
And Pomni honestly would have laughed at how he shared the sentiment about sitting rooms with her if she wasn’t visually impaired.
Eventually, the sign blinked away. Though, it was possible it would be triggered, once more, if Jax tried to leave, again.
Jax who got up and punched the wall with a sudden bout of aggression, “Caine! I knooooooow you're hiding! Come out here you little- you- AI NPC content farm licking-” He started to drunkenly rant and rave around them, hollering at the walls and ceiling as if Caine were present in the room, “-Trappin’ us! You think i dont kniw. But I KNOW.”
(Translation: Caine is bitch.)
But just as quickly, his anger shifted, “...YOu- You're hiding my nachos from me!!”
Even in his drunken state, Pomni could recognize when he was being performative, covering up his true feelings now with gimmicks and jokes like usual.
Still, getting just a glimpse of his true fury was unsettling. She took him by the arm and guided him back to the couch, “H-hey, how about I get you those nachos, okay?”
Whatever irritation was left quickly faded as he looked at her, pleasantly, like a little boy being offered a sweet treat. Only this little boy was a grown man, and his sweet treat was drunk nachos, “Oh thanks you Pomegranate… i love… nachos.. so cute. ..”
(Translation: Oh, thank you, Pomni. I love… Nachos… So cute…)
He gave her a pat on her cheek, making a light “pap” sound on her soft face.
And somehow, Pomni didn’t mind.
Maybe they could be considered even now for how she was petting him earlier.
He flopped onto the cushions, his ears spilling over the armrest, and Pomni gave him a thumbs up that he definitely couldn't see before she walked out of the room.
Re-entering the dining room, Pomni saw a singular maid attempting to clean the mess from Anne's visit. Mostly broken ceramic and some spilled digital food.
“Um… Hey uh…” She started, but the NPC only just stared at her. Her blank wooden face remained… blank. It was unsettling. Still, Pomni continued, “Uh… My uh- Can I order nachos? I didn't really get to eat earlier.”
The maid's expressionless face remained expressionless before she returned to sweeping up spaghetti sauce.
With a sigh, Pomni decided to just figure it out on her own. Maybe she could find something else for that sad lump of a rabbit. Instead, what she found was Kinger staring blankly at an overflowing pot in the sink.
She gently reached out for his shoulder, “Kinger…?”
With speed she had no idea that he was capable of, he swung around towards her, a knife in his hand barely touching the hair on her bangs. Pomni jumped back in surprise, practically flying.
“Oh! Pomni! It's just you!” Cheerfully, Kinger put the knife down on the counter and turned back to her, “...You're not the murderer… Are you?” He asked, bending down to her eye level. His intense blue eyes were disconcerting, blinking one at a time.
“Uh, no… Hey, you're the Chef right?”
Kinger looked down at his chef coat, “Oh! I guess so!”
“Do you think you could whip up some nachos for me?”
Perking up, Kinger turned around to open the oven door, taking out a plate of nachos.
Pomni paused.
However, Kinger was already gently pushing her out of the door before she could reply, “Hurry on now! I have to get dinner started!”
“Kinger, we already had dinner.”
“Oh! Then I better clean up!”
The door swinging shut behind her, she remained a bit bewildered as she made her return. In the sitting room, she noticed Zooble sitting in a nearby chair, a kitchen knife in their back.
They briefly regarded her, arms crossed, “I got killed.”
“Aaaaand then I trew yer arm in the sink… and it gotch shtuck on the pip,” Jax rambled to Zooble, apparently in the middle of a story.
(Translation: And then, I threw your arm in the sink… And it got stuck on the pipe.)
“I know, Jax. I was there!”
It was a comical sight for Pomni, resetting with a small smile and walking over to Jax. He finally noticed her presence, turning towards her with round eyes, “Nachos! You brought Pommy! My favorite!”
He took the plate from her, slumping onto the couch and snickering at a joke he privately thought of in his head. Grabbing a handful of nachos, he unceremoniously shoved the whole thing in his mouth, fist fitting between his teeth. He pulled it out with a slurp, crunching chips loudly, after. Laughing to himself, Pomni and Zooble were cringing, meanwhile. He noticed their stares and held the plate to his chest, “Guhyeroun!”
(Translation: ???)
Pulling their head away from whatever that was, Zooble turned to Pomni, “Whatever, Pomni can you just go tell Ragatha that the killer-”
“NO SPOILERS!” Spawning from thin air, Caine was suddenly in Zooble’s face, causing them to yell in alarm and flinch backwards.
“Booooooo,” Jax jeered, throwing a handful of nachos at Caine, “Jempscers air cheap! No clash…”
(Translation: Boo, jumpscares are cheap! No class…)
His nachos splat on the wall behind the Ringmaster, slowly sliding to the floor. Caine looked at the mess and back at Jax.
Turning to Zooble, he continued, “Zooble! Don't spoil the ending for your fellow castmates! It'll ruin the fun!”
“I don't think Jax is having fun with the state he's in,” They gestured to the dead journalist who was currently testing the stretch of his cheese that was connected to a single tortilla chip, “Woah…. Is like in the cartoons…”
(Translation: Woah… It is like the cartoons…)
“Well since Zooble and Jax are ‘dead’, can't they just… Leave?” Pomni suggested.
“What?! Of course not!” Caine bellowed, not understanding what an “inside voice” was, apparently, “Dead people can't leave!”
“Caaaaaaiiiine! Caine! Caine!” Jax called, waving a nacho and a grease-covered glove at him, “Um if you… Um… Ha! I forgort.”
(Translation: Caine! Caine! Caine! Um, if you… Um… Ha! I forgot.)
He began to slide back down before shooting up in realization, “Imgonnapuke-!....” Pomni jumped up in alarm before Jax relaxed back in his seat, “No Imfine….”
(Translation: I am going to puke-! …No, I am fine…)
Caine regarded him, briefly, “Anyway… No spoilers! And don’t worry, Jax is not actually drunk! This is a family-friendly show; he is only poisoned and exhibiting drunken symptoms!”
“Can’t you just… fix him?” Pomni asked.
“No.” Caine replied, not providing any further explanation.
“Well, why shouldn't I just ‘spoil it'?” Zooble grunted, exasperated, “It'll mean this stupid adventure-”
“Hey, Zooble,” Caine interrupted, suddenly inches from their face. It felt like the room was a little darker, and it was just the two of them for a moment, “Shut up.”
“W… What…”
“Don’t you see?” Voice uncharacteristically low, the Ringmaster continued, his lack of whimsy unnerving the human, “Everyone is participating. Ragatha is having fun. Jax is having fun. Everyone is having fun. Do you know how important that is?”
They swallowed, thickly, at a loss for words, “I…”
“If you try to ruin this for all of us, Zooble, I'll break your fucking limbs. All of them, even the ones in the Zooble Box.”
“Oh.”
Jax started laughing uncontrollably, and suddenly, they remembered there were other occupants in the room. Pomni was holding onto Jax’s arm and cradling Anne to her chest, trembling.
“Wow! Where did that come from?! Anyways~” Caine resumed his default persona, floating back into the air above them all, ”Zooble, this adventure is not stupid, I can assure you that! You would see that if you ever gave them a real shot!”
Jax was laughing so hard, tears were forming in his eyes.
“Okay, my dearests! Better solve the mystery soon before you all die from getting murdered!”
A cloud of confetti in the shape of Caine took his place, slowly floating to the carpet.
The sight gave Pomni a bad feeling. Instead, she put her focus on Jax. Not whatever horrifying thing that was. She gently returned Anne to her cup, petting her head with a finger.
Jax had placed the plate of half-eaten nachos on the floor and was now beginning to doze off after his little laughing fit.
She felt her shoulders relax. Some rest would be good for him.
“Heeeeeeyyyy Pomnpomn….” Jax slurred, laid comfortably on his side with his cheek squished against the leather, “You…. your dress akmostsh…almostsh looks like.um… Whats her face…. Yeah… “
(Translation: Idk, man - something about her dress??)
“That's nice, Jax.”
Zooble buried their face in their hands, taking a deep breath. They exhaled, aggrieved and burnt-out, “I can’t believe I have to deal with this on top of Jax’s [BOING].”
Pomni hesitated, feeling strangely defensive, “Well, I mean, I know Jax can be pretty bad sometimes, but…”
“Trust me, I’ve known him longer,” They sounded bitter, the burden of the adventure and Caine’s recent outburst taking a toll on them, “This is just barely scratching the surface.”
“Well…” On one hand, he’s thrown Pomni out of a moving truck and been a snark most of the time, but she couldn’t help but notice something has changed overtime… Between her and Jax? Today especially showed her a different side of him that made it easier to sympathize with the rabbit, “He can’t help being drunk right now, but even before that, he and I had a decent time, you know, in the walls. I mean, he was still his usual self, but it could have been worse.”
“It probably will be soon.”
Pomni frowned, “...Is he really that bad?”
“Are you actually defending him? After knowing him for the shortest amount of time?” Zooble shot her a glare, and she tried not to take it personally.
“Well, no, I mean, well, I remember he and I got along enough at Spudsy’s. At least, we just had a brief exchange, but,” Where was she going with this? It just felt wrong not to speak up for him right now for some reason, “Um, well, I think he has his moments is what I’m saying.”
“Just because he isn’t actively tormenting you 24/7 doesn’t mean he’s a good person.”
“I just,” She tried to subtly dart her eyes toward Jax’s prone body between them, emphasizing, “I don’t know if calling him a bad person is accurate, Zooble.”
However, her discreet gestures didn’t seem to land with them as they grew increasingly exhausted, “What?”
“Isn't that a bit-” She motioned to him, sighing, “I mean he's right here.”
“Pomni, no one gives a [BLOINK] about what Jax thinks.”
She flinched.
Jax rolled over, curling in on himself.
An awkward silence was left, the air growing thick with tension.
So many emotions in the sitting room today.
“Sorry,” After a long pause, Zooble deflated, their brief anger dying down to cinders, “That was mean… To both of you.”
“It’s okay…” Pomni said.
“Iz ‘kay,” Jax grunted.
(Translation: It wasn't.)
And for a while, nobody spoke.
It was uncomfortable.
Getting murdered would be more preferable than being in such a tense situation, but then, Pomni would end up back in this room. She wanted to hold Anne, again.
“Hey,” She looked up at Zooble who was speaking to her more calmly now if not awkwardly, “You think you could check and see how Ragatha is doing with solving the case?”
She faltered, feeling like she was getting kicked out, but nodded, agreeably, “Yeah, I'll be right back.”
.
.
.
Pomni had no idea where Ragatha could’ve been. Maybe she should have asked Zooble before heading down a random hallway, but that would’ve meant spending another moment trying to act like it wasn’t painfully tense in that room. Some space to clear their heads would do everyone some good.
Though, she hoped leaving Jax and Zooble alone would be okay. It didn’t seem like Jax was exactly happy when she left. She hoped he was okay. Both of them, actually.
“Pomni!” Her wandering thoughts were interrupted as she spotted Ragatha rushing toward her. She would’ve assumed the killer was chasing her if it weren’t for the big smile on her face, “Thank goodness you’re still alive! I have great news - I know who the killer is!”
“Oh? Oh! That’s great, Ragatha!” Now, we can leave!
“Let’s go to the sitting room!”
Nooo! “Okay.”
“But first, a stop at the kitchen!”
“...Okay?”
They turned back to where Pomni had come from, making their way to the others.
“So, let me explain to you my investigation findings,” Ragatha began, flipping through her notepad with confidence.
“Where’s Gangle-”
“Now, immediately upon arrival, I had already assumed everybody was a suspect before even any murders had occurred. That included you, the Journalist, the Rich Widow, the Butler, the Chef, and even the Host. Before dinner, we were given a tour, and for the most part, it was uneventful until…” Ragatha dug through her pocket, pulling out some envelopes, “I found these in the Host’s study. They’re letters he’s sent and received to and from the various people at this party, and let me tell you, he was not well-liked by any of us here. The Journalist was hounding him about some possible fraudulent deals in his business. The Rich Widow was accusing him of being the cause of her husband’s death. The Chef and the Butler were complaining about some late paychecks and salary inconsistencies. And even you were apparently a woman that he was attempting to court, incessantly.”
“Oh, right,” Pomni remembered briefly reading her character’s profile and being mildly disturbed at the potential love story she was supposed to play. Instead, she was… Hanging out with Jax the whole time, “I completely forgot about that.”
“That’s alright because I do not believe that you are the killer,” Ragatha reassured, pocketing the letters before she continued, “So then, dinner arrives, and we have our first murder: the Journalist. Out of all of them, the Host was most likely to have the greatest motive, right? Nope.”
“Right because, then, the Host got killed.”
“Exactly! So, who would be the most likely suspect?” Ragatha holds up a photo, “I found this hidden away in one of the employee quarters Apparently, before dinner, the Journalist was walking around, taking photos where he shouldn’t have been.”
“That sounds like him.”
“And one of those places was where the murderer didn’t want him to be,” She revealed the photo to be of a pair of hands… painting the inside of a champagne glass?
“Wait, what?”
“That is how Jax’s drink was poisoned. It wasn’t in his drink at all but his glass!” Ragatha practically squealed, exhilarated by this new information, “The killer coated the inside with a poison, clear with a pink hue, that was probably originally meant for the Host, but because they were caught by the Journalist in the act, they switched them so that it would kill the guy with evidence of their crime!”
“Wait, this is all actually…” Pomni was impressed. She honestly didn’t expect for Ragatha to go so deep on this mystery, assuming the whole thing would fall into chaos before Caine would just tell them the answer in the end.
“I know, right??” Ragatha cleared her throat, gearing up as they approached the kitchen, “So, the killer kills the Host the first chance that they get because that was their original plan, but after that, they’re not done because now? They have a taste for blood.”
“W-woah… I guess that’s why they killed Zooble, too, right?”
“Oh, Zooble died? Aw, poor Zooble,” She shook her head, moving on, “Then, it all adds up! Pomni, I believe that the killer is…”
Pushing open the door, Ragatha guided Pomni inside who accidentally stepped on something that cracked under her foot, “Oh…”
Looking down, there it was: Gangle's Comedy Mask on the floor.
“It’s Kinger!”
“Oh, hello.”
Caught red-handed, Kinger stood there with a knife stuck in between Gangle's ribcage of ribbons. Obviously, it didn't hurt with the blade waving around the gaps of her chest. Though, her dress was now ruined.
“Aw, man, I’m dead…” Gangle moaned miserably, looking remorsefully at the slices in her bodice, “Couldn’t you have solved the mystery sooner?”
“The Chef, after years of loyally serving the ungrateful Host, finally had enough and planned to kill him,” Ragatha continued, pointing a finger at him, “However, he had also gone crazy, especially after his first victim and was going to kill the rest of us in a matter of time!”
“Oh, yes, that sounds like me!”
“Wow… Great work, Ragatha-”
Several confetti cannons went off, and Pomni nearly jumped out of her skin.
“CONGRATULATIONS!” Caine’s voice bellowed as he reappeared above them, “Ragatha has solved the Mysterious Mystery of the Mystery Murders!”
The incredibly noisy celebrations continued as they went into the Sitting Room before eventually dying down so that Pomni could finally remove her hands from where her ears should be.
“Wah… show meny misheries….” Jax slurred, leaning on Zooble as they helped him off of the couch.
(Translation: Why… So many mysteries…)
With a bounce in her step, Ragatha went up to them, wrapping an arm around Jax, “I got him, thanks.”
He pushed his hand in her face, weakly attempting to push her off, “Geh aweh…”
(Translation: Get away…)
He quickly gave up.
She gave him a placating pat on the back, “I'll leave you alone when you're in bed. Okay?”
“...I like meh bed.”
(Translation: …I like my bed.)
“I-I’ll help, too!” The words tumbled out of Pomni’s mouth before she could even consider why or how, but Ragatha accepted it with a smile anyway.
However, their nice moment was cut short by a loud banging around them. Before they knew it, the dead body of their Host was sent shooting through the room, clipping through the walls and bouncing against random objects at dangerous velocities. They were all left ducking and crying out as it ragdolled to and from the small room with all those occupants.
“RUN!” Caine shouted, opening a portal as the NPC corpse slammed against some dishes and flopped around, violently.
.
.
.
After filing out of the portal in a panic, Ragatha and Pomni managed to eventually drag the sack of potatoes that was Jax back to his door.
“Okay, Jax,” Ragatha propped him up on the wall, “Where's the key to your room?”
“Mmmmh No,” He muttered, sliding to the floor in a heap and shutting his eyes close. She sighed, trying to hoist him back up with a grunt, but he just went limp and flopped back down.
(Translation: Mm, no.)
“JaAAX!” Ragatha groaned, causing him to cover his ears and whine.
“Stahp yelin at meeeeee!” His voice was thick, miserable like he was on the verge of tears.
(Translation: Stop yelling at me!)
Forcing herself to take a breath, Ragatha crouched down to his level, “...Jax. Please, unlock your door so that we can get you to bed. You said that you like your bed, remember?”
Preferring just to grunt in response, Jax curled in a ball, “Nu girlz allowed. Iz the rulez.”
(Translation: No girls are allowed. it is the rules.)
“I can take him if he’s going to be that much of a pain about it,” Zooble offered as they were on their way to their room.
But that earned them a glare from Jax, “No. Yer mean.”
(Translation: No. You are mean.)
Ragatha rubbed at her face with her hands, already worn out, "Fine. Then, you're sleeping on my floor, so I can keep an eye on you," Her expression softens, “You can’t be alone right now, Jax.”
"No, you'll just yell at meeee!"
(Translation: No, you will just yell at me!)
"Then, what do you want to do?! I'm not letting you be alone right now!"
"Sheee?! Yer yelling!" He exclaimed before clumsily gesturing to Pomni who ended up getting smacked in the head, "Pomniert can shtay withh me. She doesn't yelk at me... or think I'm a bad person... hate my guts..m act all fake."
(Translation: See? You are yelling! Pomni can stay with me. She doesn't yell at me… Or think I am a bad person… Hate my guts… Act all fake.)
Pomni saw Ragatha flinch at the slurred comments, opening her mouth to protest, but ultimately closing it in the end.
Zooble spoke up, again, looking at Pomni, “Are you okay with him sleeping over?”
“Yeah, it’s fine,” And even Pomni was surprised by her own lack of hesitation.
Together, Zooble and Ragatha hoisted the drunk rabbit up from under his armpits, dragging him across the hall. Pomni unlocked the door for them, holding it open.
Zooble squinted, looking around her room for what she realized was the first time, “Huh.”
And Pomni was anxious as to whether that was a good or bad “huh”.
The bright reds and blues contrasted to the point that it was a violent assault on the eyes. She didn't even like those colors that much, yet they continued to invade every aspect of her avatar and anything associated with it, including her bedroom. Red armchair, red floor, blue ceiling, blue stripes- she could go on.
If anything, she just hoped that they didn’t comment on the mirror in the corner covered with a red and blue sheet…
She was going to ask Caine for another spare cover for the vanity but never got around to it. Mostly, she just puts large enough objects in front of it or doesn't look at it at all.
She debated if she should have tried to tidy up, but her thoughts were interrupted when Jax sat up, sudden and alert.
“I’mgonnapuke!” He grabbed one of Pomni’s spare jester caps laying around, shoving his face in it… Before putting it back down and relaxing back in Zooble and Ragatha’s hold, “”neberminI’m gud.”
(Translation: I am going to puke! Nevermind, I am good.)
“Where do you want him?” Ragatha asked, looking eager to be done in the most polite way possible.
Pomni blinked and glanced around her tiny bedroom, “...Oh! Here’s fine!”
She gestured to the small arm chair in the corner. Jax made a winded sound like an old man deflating as Zooble and Ragatha dumped him on it.
“I hate velvet…” He murmured, sliding to the floor as if the material was incapable of holding him.
(Translation: I hate velvet…)
“Jax…” Ragatha sighed, trying to help him back up. Zooble, however, was already making their exit.
Pomni smiled, equally exasperated, at Ragatha, “Maybe just leave him on the floor… He seems to really like it.”
In a way, it was kind of funny. She couldn't help but laugh at the whole thing.
Ragatha agreed, shaking her head with an amused smile. Gently, she set him on the floor.
“Do you want me to stay?” She offered, quickly perking up, “We could make it a sleepover!”
Pomni glanced back to Jax dozing on the floor, letting out an exhale of relief, “Nah, maybe tomorrow. I think it would be more fun in your room.”
Ragatha beamed, nodding, “Oh! I’ll get everything prepared! Is it alright if we invite Gangle? It could be a girl’s night!”
“Yeah. I’d like that.”
“Yu both are so chzzy…” Jax mumbled with closed eyes, chuckling oddly, “raggy why’re… why’s your hair doin…? Shpinin…”
(Translation: You both are so cheesy. Ragatha, why are… Why is your hair doing… ???)
Ragatha and Pomni stared at him as he went back to snoring.
“Uh. Well… see you guys tomorrow!” Ragatha waved before closing the door behind her.
With a click, Pomni locked the door, taking in the quiet.
“Heyyyy,” Jax slowly sat up, smiling goofily at her when she turned around, “Iz just you an me again!”
Jax cheered, throwing his fists in the air and leaving them there.
Pomni found herself giggling, “You good on the floor there? You want a pillow?”
“Aaaaaaand a blanket!” He added, lowering his arms to lean forward and grab at his feet, “Aaaand another blanket aaaand… more nachos.”
He snickered.
“...Okay I'm actually gonna puke now.”
Soon, Pomni was grabbing for her wastebasket, helping Jax sit up. His ears drooped forward, so she had to hold them back as the glitchy, black liquid loudly and violently escaped his mouth. She rubbed his back with her free hand while he gagged and dry heaved.
After an eternity of barfing noises, it slowly came to a stop with an uneasy groan into the basket. Luckily for Pomni, everything in the bin had despawned almost instantly before she could even accidentally glance inside of it.
“Jax, you okay?” She asked, concerned as she was still rubbing circles on his back.
“No,” He replied, his voice cracking, “I… I never wanted to be like this….”
He pressed his forehead to the edge of the basket.
“I… I hate this, Pomni…”
Her expression softened, “Do you want me to get you something? Water?”
“No,” His tone was flat, still echoing in the bin, “You've done enough.”
Pomni nodded. Perhaps, Jax was sobering up, “So, um. How are-”
He resumed loudly vomiting into the wastebasket.
She flinched, going back to holding his ears and rubbing his back.
A moment of silence passed before he turned his head to look at her with that same silly grin, “You're so nicsshhh to me pomsssßs. and you do iiiit cuz you wanna. Not cush ish ur ‘role’.”
(Translation: You are so nice to me, Pomni, and you do it because you want to and not because it is your “role”.)
She nodded, not quite understanding what he meant, “It's no problem, Jax.”
“Evry one… every one her… they're fake,” He sat up straighter, gesturing around as if the others were in the room with them, “Gangle’s maskin all the tim. Zooble locksh themshelves away- LIKE THEY THINK THEYRE BETTER THAN US!”
He was yelling, again, hollering at the door in hopes that his words would be heard from all the way in here. Hopefully, that wouldn’t be the case, and the rooms were soundproof.
He continued, “Kinger issssss… Well. Hes fine i gesh. And Ragatha- welk you how she is. But you…. You…”
He stared at her for a moment. Pomni blinked. It was that same wide-eyed stare that he gave her at the beginning of the adventure where she thought he was going to poke fun at her laugh, but instead, he didn’t. She was never great at reading faces accurately, try as she might, and it didn’t help that it was the face of a digital rabbit with two black rectangles for pupils. She couldn’t help but feel like they were always boring into her very being, sober or not.
“Youre… You. I knew i liked you when you first got here, and you just shtood there listin all the swear words you could think of…”
She wheezed, a small laugh. She could barely remember that despite that day being such a significant part of her life as it is today. In a way, it was almost endearing the way that he sounded so genuine about it.
“Be honest. Dod you say any slurs?”
“No!” Okay, right, this was still Jax, “I would never!”
It was his turn to laugh, wheezy and carefree for someone who just spent the last 10 minutes puking, “See?! You're cute and funny!”
Cute and funny.
Pomni froze.
Cute And Funny.
He was drunk.
Cute. And. Funny.
He probably just meant her player model.
Cute. Funny.
She doesn't actually look like this, and Jax wasn't actually a weirdly adorable, lanky rabbit thing.
Funny and cute.
“Oh! Um…” She brushed off his comment, shrugging to hide the glow of her blush, “Thanks. I guess this avatar is nice-”
“Notch ur avatar! Dummy!” Jax groaned as if he had just been explaining something to her for hours, “ You!f”
He threw his arms up, snickering at her as he leaned in to press a kiss to her cheek. He gave a pleased hum before laying back down and falling asleep, once more.
Pomni was frozen.
Cute and funny. Cute and funny. Cute and funny. Cute and funny. Cute and funny. Cute and funny-
With her mind on a sort of loop, she got to her feet, stiffly, going to turn off the light on the other side of the room.
In the pitch black of her bedroom, she took a moment to adjust her eyes to the darkness and to process her thoughts as well. She took several moments, in fact.
Having memorized the layout of her bedroom, she stepped around what she assumed was Jax's general form and climbed into her bed. Laying on her back and going through the motions of tucking herseld into her sheets, she did all but close her eyes. Instead, she continued to lay there, eyes wide open and fingers intertwined and resting politely on her stomach. It was her default crisis position when the internals of his mind were screaming at her at night.
Slowly, her cheeks began to heat up, glowing a light pink in the darkness.
So… Jax liked her .
Right? He called her cute and funny , and he kissed her face, and everything else that he's admitted to tonight pointed to yes.
Obviously, he couldn't have been in love with her, but a crush? Somehow, the revelation had excited her. Her heart was beating nearly out of her chest at this point, and her face was practically a bright pink night light at this point. She was practically kicking her legs as she smothered herself with a pillow.
Did that mean that she liked him back?
Then suddenly, an arm had thrown itself around her waist, pulling her against Jax's body.
Wait, what.
“JAX?!” She all but screamed, nearly scrambling off of the mattress.
He retracted his arm but with much less urgency than she was feeling right at the moment.
…How did she not hear or sense his presence?!
“oh f- freak. Im shorry i forgat. no touchinnng.” He chuckled, dazedly, booping the center of her face before scooting back as far as he could- basically pressed against the wall.
Watching him, she took a moment to collect herself, blinking rapidly and letting her poor heart slow to a less concerning rate. As she watched him curl practically into the wall, she gave a sigh, nerves relaxing with some reluctance.
“It's... It's okay, Jax. It's…”
Okay if it's you .
This was her reality now, huh? She had a crush on Jax.
However, poison or not, he was still not himself right now, technically drunk.
Whatever was going to happen between them would have to wait until tomorrow…
She let her hands fall to her sides, preparing to roll over, but her hand had knocked into Jax's.
“Oh-!” Instinctively, she pulled away, “Sorry, I-”
“Can hold it if you wantch,” He was still slurring a bit, but he inched his hand closer, brushing pinkies.
She thought about it, testing the waters as his hand touched hers. It didn’t feel particularly scary despite her thumping chest. She had hoped her palms weren’t sweaty through the gloves.
“...Yeah, okay.”
Their hands slid into each other, hers resting on top of his in a loose grip. She could hear him softly breathing into a snore. It took her longer to relax, admittedly. Still, she kept their hands locked together, not moving.
It gave her time to think… About her apparent feelings.
Had she liked Jax the whole time? He said he had always liked her since she first showed up, romantic or not. Personally, she never took the time to think about the others in that kind of light, especially upon her arrival. Her mind was on other things, like denying that she was trapped in a simulation with no escape, but that’s a mental spiral for another night.
Down the line? He was, well, Jax, and Jax was kind of a major jerk if not all of the time. Quick with a snarky comment and eager to cause chaos and torment them all for one reason or another. She always just assumed it was just him never taking anything serious around here.
Though weirdly enough, she started to have a similar way of thinking as of late.
Things were just funny around here. When they weren’t funny, they were scary, sad, and confusing. Funny was good. She laughed and smiled when she decided to view things as funny. She had good times and got along with the others more when she could just laugh things off when they weren’t life-threatening.
She was a jester after all.
It was a way to cope, but really, she meant it when she was looking at things from a new perspective. It helped. And Jax noticed, she realized.
Credit due, she never resorted to violence and nihilism the way that Jax chose to with his humor.
But lately, especially today, it was different. She could see herself smiling and enjoying herself around Jax in the future, and not just because he was drunk. It was more of a feeling, maybe.
Or maybe being called cute and funny just made her feel a certain type of way, and she was just that easy to reel in.
It was just as mind-boggling as it was thrilling.
God, she felt like a teenage girl geeking over a cute boy at school. Was she that basic?
Then again, not every girl gets to share a bed with that cute boy like it’s second nature. A cute boy with rabbit ears, cool glowing eyes, and a nice voice.
Pomni groaned quietly, scrubbing at her face with her free hand.
She was a mess.
It wasn’t before long that her panicked thoughts began to slow down, eyelids growing heavy. She was blinking, long and slow. However when she opened them back up, again, Jax was gone.