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The theater emptied out, little by little. Mannequins mumbled and murmured as they strode out the doors, only to despawn once they’d crossed the threshold. Pomni averted her gaze, trying not to think too much about how the once lively crowd was evaporating into nothingness one by one.
Soon, only the real characters were left… could she even call them that, when nothing here felt real? Thankfully, she didn’t have time to dwell on that long before Ragatha’s voice drew her attention. “Well… don’t feel bad, I’m sure you all got plenty of votes!” Ragatha said, offering a smile to the others behind her.
“...Maybe…” Gangle glanced away, studying the stupid-sauce inebriated Zooble to her side. “I-I’m going to take them back to their room to sleep this off…”
For some reason, when the doll turned back around, she seemed… disappointed? Concerned, Pomni put a hand on her arm and shouted over her shoulder next. “Oh, uh… you all go on ahead. Ragatha and I are just gonna… sit here and chat a bit,” she informed the others.
Her eyes fell on Jax in particular, way in the back. She expected him to say something smarmy… like ‘don’t make out too long’ or something equally cheeky. Instead, for perhaps the first time, he didn’t say a thing. Just turned to leave ahead of the others, hands in his pockets and grin on his face.
That silence was far, far more concerning than any cheeky comments he could’ve made.
But Pomni would just have to worry about him later. She’d already pushed him kind of hard earlier, and she was now FULLY aware that that would just make him wall himself off harder. She’d give him time to mellow out, come back out of his shell a little.
Besides… right now, there was someone more important to focus on.
Alone with Ragatha at last. Pomni shifted in her seat, unsure where to begin. “Soooo… you wanted to tell me something?”
“And you wanted to tell me something,” Ragatha pointed out, motioning for her to take the lead.
Pomni didn’t. “No, you go first, I insist.”
“No, please, you go…”
“No, no, you can go firs-”
“After yo-”
The two fell silent. After a moment, they both chuckled sheepishly. “We’ll be here all night at this rate,” Pomni pointed out. “Please, go first?”
For both their sake’s, Ragatha set politeness aside with a nod. “Alright. Well… I just wanted to say that… urm… how do I put this? I don’t want to sound like I’m accusing you or anything… so, please don’t take this the wrong way…”
“Ragatha.” Pomni tipped her head towards her, urging her to just go for it before they really WERE here all evening.
So the doll did. “...You shot me.”
Oof. Guilt punched a hole in Pomni’s chest, almost as if she’d been shot herself. “...I did,” she admitted shamefully. “And that’s what I wanted to talk about, too. Look, I’m so, so sorry—”
“No, no!” Ragatha interrupted, waving her hands. “That’s not what bothered me! I mean, that was the point of the…” Describing shooting your friends as a ‘game’ didn’t really sound quite right. “The adventure, right?” She rubbed her arm. “What bothered me was that you almost looked like you were… enjoying yourself when you did it.”
Pomni winced. “I, uh, guess technically I was?” Now it was her turn to wave her hands in protest. “But it wasn’t because it was you! I would’ve looked the same if I shot anyone! In fact, I
did
look the same when I shot everyone! …Do I sound psychotic right now?”
Ragatha pinched the air. “Little bit.”
Pomni sighed. Well, it wasn’t the first time, she was sure. “What I’m trying to say is… it was all just fun and games to me. Like, I dunno, paintball or something. Violent paintball. …Where the only color is red.”
“Pomni.”
“Right, back on topic.” The jester cleared her throat, twiddling her thumbs while she explained. “Before we found you guys, Jax and I talked. And he… kind of made some good points. Everyone’s been here so long and already found their niche. And then there’s me, who’s just…” She gestured down at herself. “Me. He said that you could do or be anyone you want here. So I thought… why not try something new? No one was getting hurt in the end. …Permanently.”
Ragatha raised a brow. It didn’t sound like solid reasoning, but it was reasoning nonetheless. “...Did you like it?”
“Ehhhh.” Pomni shook her hand back and forth. “It was kind of nice to not take an adventure so seriously for once. But I… never really stopped to think how it’d affect the others. Affect you. And I’m sorry for that.” She wrung her hands, unable to meet her gaze. “If I’m ever going to try Evil Pomni again, I’ll let you know beforehand. I promise.”
Ragatha had been smiling supportively throughout her talk, but now, it faltered. “So, it was all because of Jax’s influence?”
“Kind of? I’m not going to duck responsibility, that’s dumb. It was me pulling the trigger. I’m just trying to let you know it wasn’t personal or anything…?”
She hoped she’d managed to get her point across. Either she hadn’t, or it’d been a really sucky point, because Ragatha’s gaze fell to the floor with a sigh. “...That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Huh?”
“I wasn’t upset that you shot me. I was upset that… it looked like you were changing. Like I was losing you. Maybe even pushing you away.”
Pomni scooted closer, trying to reach out for her. “Ragatha…”
But the doll ignored her, holding herself, continuing on as if in a trance. “...Jax wasn’t always, you know… Jax. He was kind of like you, really. …Just less cute.” Somehow, the compliment didn’t really make Pomni feel any better about seeing her like this. “I think everyone kind of starts out that way. Even me. And I wanted to protect him, make sure this place didn’t get to him.
“...And I failed.” The doll sucked in a shaky breath. “I tried too hard, pushed him away, and he changed for the worse. He hates me. He shot me before the match even started! And it’s coming back to punish me, because now he’s changing you as well, and then you’ll hate me too, and…” By now, she sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “And… I don’t know if I can handle losing the best thing I’ve found in this place.”
“Ragatha!” Pomni practically dove for her hand, squeezing it tightly in both of hers. “You’re not losing anything. I just got a little bit carried away. …I feel the same way I did about you before. I don’t hate you.” Her voice dropped, soft, almost pleading for her to believe her. “...I could never hate you.”
It seemed to snap Ragatha out of it, if only a little. The doll sniffed, wiping her watery eye with her free hand. “How can I know that’s true? I already turned Jax against me… Zooble and Gangle avoid me… and I’m more Kinger’s protector than his friend…” Another sniff, her face scrunching up as she thought back to all his strange behavior that day. “...Though maybe he doesn’t need me as much as I thought he did. And when he realizes that…”
“ Stop . ” Pomni grabbed Ragatha’s face and squished her cheeks together. It practically sounded like a squeaky toy. “Listen to me. Jax doesn’t hate you. I don’t think he hates anyone, really. He’s just…” She bit her lip, unsure just how much she should share about their earlier confrontation. “He’s just afraid. Like all of us are. And he’s handling it his own way.” Pomni paused, eyes glancing back and forth as if connecting invisible dots. “And… remember when I said it was nice to not take an adventure seriously?”
Ragatha’s face remained squished, growing increasingly uncomfortable. “...Uh… yeh?”
“I think that’s how Jax thinks ALL THE TIME. No worrying about others, no worrying about yourself. It’s all just one big game. And if nothing matters, if no one means anything to you… then nothing can hurt you. You didn’t push him away, he pushed YOU away… for his own sake.”
Ragatha’s gaze flicked back and forth, trying to process this new viewpoint… and it was a lot harder when you were losing blood flow in your cheeks. “Can I haw my faf back now?”
“Oops.”
Pomni let her go, and the doll took a moment to massage her face. “You don’t know if that’s true…”
“No, but it makes a lot more sense than him hating you. You’re pretty hard to hate.” That got a small smile out of her. “You don’t have to believe it, but think about it. And don’t worry about him changing me… I’m not him. I care about people too much. And I care about you even more than that.”
“Awww…” Ragatha’s hand flew to her chest, touched. After a moment, she reached out and pulled Pomni in for a tight hug. “I care about you more than anything. …And if you ever do another self-discovery exercise, please, don’t change TOO much. …I like you just the way you are.”
Grinning, Pomni returned it just as warmly. “I promise.”
For a moment, they just hugged it out, enjoying the cuddly embrace after a tense conversation. When they finally separated, though, Pomni’s face grew serious. “There’s… one more thing I want to say.”
“Yeah?”
“I… want to keep trying to get close to Jax. He’s my friend, even if I’m not his. And friends help friends face their problems together.” Brow knit with determination, Pomni sucked in a breath. “I know you might not like it… but I don’t want to leave anyone behind. Not even him. And I promise, I won’t let him change who I am… or how I feel about you.” She held a hand out to the doll. “Do you trust me?”
Ragatha stared at her outstretched hand. For a moment, Pomni worried she’d asked too much. At last, though, Ragatha smiled and took her hand, shaking it with a squeeze. “I trust you.”
“Thanks, Raggy.” Pomni didn’t take her hand back, just enjoying the warmth and softness as she offered her a hopeful smile. “And hey… if I can get him to warm up to me, maybe I can get him to stop dropping bugs on you?”
“Befriending him would be one miracle, Pomni. I’m not expecting two.”