Your Choice

7 - The Two Newest Characters

This chapter is brought to you by: @LuciferTheFallen16 !!!

You finally conclude that Pomni's social life seemed worse than yours, and that was really saying something. Who knows, behind all that... paranoia... there may have been a genuinely nice person. And today you decided you would find that out. 

You strolled briskly over to Pomni's room, and raised your hand to knock on her door, before realizing she might not have even been there. Eh, who cared though, it was worth a shot. 

The sound of your knuckles colliding with the door echoed throughout the nearby areas of the hallway, and the inside of Pomni's room as well. Hopefully she could hear it. You stood outside of her door patiently, whilst swaying slightly and tapping your foot. You basically had all the time in the world in this circus, your interactions weren't limited to today. Plus, it wasn't like you had anything else to do, so waiting outside the jester's door wasn't a big deal. 

After another minute with no response, you knocked again, this time slightly louder. "Hey Pomni, are you in there?" you ask. After another little while with the only reply being the silence of Pomni's room, you figured she must've left. Wouldn't be a big deal trying to find her though.

Step after step you took, and even though the little jester was your main priority, that didn't mean you weren't willing to talk to anyone else. Preferably not Jax though; you may have been perceived as sane but that facade would quickly crack when you were around that nuisance. Or maybe it wouldn't. Maybe he just needs a friend, someone to get to know him, like Pomni. But from what you've seen so far, it seemed a lot easier to be able to form an alliance with Pomni than with Jax.

Step after step you took, exploring the circus and finding areas you were oblivious to the existence of. There was still no sight of everyone though. The circus must've been huge. Or maybe Pomni was the only one outside of her room. The tent was filled with colors, with so many varieties. Without turning your head, you'd most likely find every shade and hue of colors humanly imaginable. But, Caine (or whatever mysterious forces had created this digital universe) didn't seem to be human, meaning he may have access to a wide array of colors that humankind was unaware of. 

Step after step you took, watching the walls pass as you continued to wander through this never ending tent. From the outside, it looked so minuscule, but from the inside it never ended. Like a Tardis. Yet even with its massive size, it seemed so empty, and almost lifeless. The entrance/exit to the tent was so far away, it looked like it would take 10 minutes to walk there. But even after what felt like 30 minutes of walking towards it, it was the same distance away. No wonder so many people here were on the brink of insanity. 

Step after step you took, you pondered different facts about your new hom- 

"Ah!" you heard a familiar girl scream, who just so happened to be facing away from you when you bumped into her. The unfortunate girl was given a fright. 

"My deepest apologies, Pomni!" you immediately begin. "Believe it or not, I was actually just looking for you."

The shy jester looked towards the black and white checkered floors, shuffling nervously and grabbing her arm with one of her gloved hands. "Are you... mad at me?" she asked, her voice wavering like she would burst into tears any second.

"Huh? What? Of course not Pomni! As you know, I'm new here and I just thought it would be nice to formally introduce myself, and maybe spend some time together!" 

She was taken by surprise with your eagerness to meet her, especially as she'd been here a month and still didn't have a true friend. Yes, she may have talked to the others some times, but she mainly stayed cooped up in her room, other than adventures. Even Ragatha didn't seem too fond of her, or at least to Pomni it seemed that way. She was constantly tortured with being stuck in her own head, unable to see the reality of the world. Nobody hated her, but you knew it would take help for her to see that. 

"Earth to Pomni?" you questioned with a friendly laugh.

"Sorry... I... Nobody has really asked to hang out with me before... How am I supposed to respond?"

This conversation made you feel like you were speaking with a young child, who happened to have the vocabulary of an adult. "You can accept or decline, and I know you feel a bit nervous right now so don't be afraid to deny my offer. It won't hurt my feelings! And you don't have to worry about going too in depth with your answer, a simple yes or no will suffice." You replied, trying to sound as friendly as you possibly could. It almost made you feel like the therapist of the circus, but it wasn't negatively affecting you yet. 

She still looked upon the shiny, tiled ground, before quietly responding.

"Yes..."

You squealed with delight and grabbed her hand before dragging her along with you. This obviously took her by surprise, but she didn't really seem to be fighting it. Her stubby legs made it so that your walking pace was her running pace, and she was barely keeping up.

"Oh. I actually don't know where I'm going." you admit. " Is there any place you'd like to be?" 

"I haven't explored the circus as much as I should've... the only place I'm slightly comfortable in is my room. If... it's ok that we go there..."

"Of course it is! Here here, I think it's this way-" You began, before turning around and noticing you were right next to the stage and close to the bedrooms. "I swear I've been walking around for like half an hour, how are we still this close?"

For once, you heard Pomni let out a genuine laugh, even if it was very quiet. "Time and movement is weird here. You could travel halfway across the world in a minute, or you could travel 10 feet in an hour. There is no pattern and there is no way to predict how quickly you'll navigate. I'd say it's a game of luck."

"God that sounds miserable."

"That's for sure. Let's hope we can get to my room before the sun sets." This time, you guys both laughed a little. Pomni's shell was easy to break past, if you knew how to do it. You had a feeling you guys would grow really close if you continued to bond with her. 

You found out that the best way to make friends would probably be to figure out everyone's love languages. Ragatha seemed to be a gift giver, meaning if you gave her a gift in exchange it would strengthen the bond between you two. Pomni seemed to have an aversion to touch, meaning you should probably avoid touching her as much as possible, whilst trying to find out what she does like. This method would mean that not only would you be able to form a bond with Pom and Raggy, but maybe even everyone else too!

"Now you're the one zoning out!" Pomni said, pulling you out of the inferno of your mind. Today it didn't seem so hostile however. The thoughts you had just had were almost like a tutorial in a video game, telling you how to progress further. 

"My bad; do you have the key to unlock your room?"

"Mhm! I've got it right-" she cut herself off immediately after starting.

"???" You didn't actually say ??? out loud, but your confusion was so strong you might as well have. It showed clearly on your face.

"F- BOINK ing Jax. He took my key again..." she solemnly continued. Her face looked just like the one on her door. Morphed into one of undying sadness. "And unlike the others, I don't have a copy of my key because I'm new."

Noticing the jester's distress, you quickly suggested, "We might have a few options! We could maybe go back to my room instead, or harass Jax until he gives you your key back. Or we can go to Caine and have him give you a spare. Doesn't seem like that would be too difficult for him to create, as he is an All Seeing All Knowing God with Unlimited Power."

She seemed content with your options, but ultimately couldn't decide which one to pick. "I guess it would be up to you. You seem to be good at decision making." 

There were 3 options. 4 if you decided to make a fool out of yourself and try to open the door with sheer force. But who knows, it could work. 

The best choice out of the 4 would be...