Chapter Text
Everyone stumbled into the circus after a long adventure over at the lake. Swimming into the depths of the weirdly deep lake to find the items to complete the adventure was not very fun. Usually Ragatha had at least a little bit of fun on the adventures, but this one kind of sucked ass. Any time someone would successfully bring an item up to the boat, Jax would take it and throw it back in the lake. Zooble kept falling apart any time they tried to swim in the water. Gangle kept floating up in the water and never went down. And Pomni halfway through started feeling sick.
Oh yeah... Pomni. The jester had been looking off all morning. Ragatha noticed her usual puppy-eyed face looked weak and tired. She couldn't stop sniffling and she seemed feverish. When the rag doll had asked her if she was fine (like a million times), the jester said she was fine and just felt a tiny bit under the weather. It was the worse when it was Pomni's turn to dive down into the lake. Usually, after a minute or so, the person would be gasping for air. (No, they didn't need to breathe; but the urge was still there) Pomni though, after four minutes, still hadn't come up. After Zooble unsuccessfully tried to calm Ragatha down, the doll jumped into the water and saved Pomni who had sunk to the bottom and was too weak to swim back up. Yeah... not fun. After Ragatha had recused the jester, Pomni just kinda sat on the boat; looking worse and sicker by the second.
Now Ragatha was helping Pomni walk back inside. The jester's walk was unstable and wobbly, but that didn't stop her from protesting against the doll helping her. "R-Ragatha, I'm fine. I can walk by myself." Just then, the jester's knees buckled and she crashed into Ragatha's chest. The rag doll awkwardly grabbed Pomni and tried to aid her in standing.
Jax whistled and his iconic piss-stained grin grew wide on his face. "Damn, short-stack. First digital virus and you got the worse one!"
Pomni lifted her face from the doll's arms and she stared at Jax in confusion. "Digital what? What are you talking about?"
Guilt suddenly flooded over the rag doll as she realized she forgot to inform Pomni about digital viruses. Jax wrapped his arms behind his head and he casually began explaining. "Y'know, digital viruses. It's when a computer virus or something gets into your code and jumbles it all up. Your firewall goes apes$#% and makes you all feverish and pathetic."
Jax probably would have continued if Pomni didn't suddenly burst into a coughing fit. They were wheezy and sick. Ragatha tapped her back a few times until the jester wasn't wheezing away. Poor Pomni whined weakly before going limp in Ragatha's arms; the jester didn't have the strength to hold herself up anymore. The doll scooped Pomni's knees under her arm and lifted her up. She seemed barely awake and her cheeks were red with fever.
Gangle wiped the blue tears off her face as she looked at the jester. "Oh... Poor Pomni."
Zooble was pouring water out of their head when they stepped next to Gangle. "Yeah. Hate to say it, but Jax is right. She looks like she got the worst of the worst."
Kinger had a tender look of concern. "You should probably take her to her room."
"Guys, I'm not that sick. I'll be fine after a drink of water-"
"CONGRATULATIONS ON COMPLETING THE DEEP DIVE ADVENTURE MY HEART FULL HAMMOCKS!" Caine's usual loud and eccentric tone filled the room. He happily floated above the cast; he almost looked proud of himself. "THAT ADVENTURE WAS PROBABLY MY BEST ONE YET! TODAY'S AWARD FOR COMPLETING THE ADVENTURE WILL BE- GOOD GOD! WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU POMNI?!"
The ringmaster teleported straight to the jester's side and inspected her. Ragatha then realized Pomni really did look that bad if even Caine noticed. After a few minutes of scanning, the ringmaster floated back up above the circus cast. "IT SEEMS OUR DEAR JESTER HAS CAUGHT HER FIRST DIGITAL VIRUS." He pulled his top hat off and out came Bubble. "BUBBLE! MY DEAR SERVANT- I MEAN MINION- UHHHHH I MEAN PARTNER!" Why was their relationship so weird? "GO WHIP UP SOME ANTIVIRUS FOR POMNI, WOULD YOU?"
"No can do, boss!" Bubble yelled out while keeping it's toothy smile. It honestly still gave Ragatha nightmares.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'NO CAN DO?'" Caine seemed very confused by the abomination's response.
"You deleted it out of the game's file on cleaning day! It's completely gone!" It looked so proud of itself for the response.
"Uh... Caine? You can get Pomni some antivirus though... right?" Dread ran through Ragatha's mind.
"uh... WHY OF COURSE! I might need to dig through the trash though..." He said that last part weirdly quiet. "COME ON BUBBLE! WE'RE GOING DUMPSTER DIVING!"
"Yummy!" Caine and Bubble then flew out of the tent, leaving the cast alone.
Everyone kind of stared at the ceiling for a moment: trying to process what the hell just happened. It wasn't until Jax spoke up did anyone move. "Welp, Pomni's screwed. Have fun taking care of her!" And just like that, he ran off.
"Wait what?! Jax!" The rag doll was definitely not happy. Who would leave such a small, cute, smart, beautiful, adorable... WHY DOES SHE ALWAYS GET DISTRACTED?! JAX'S AN ASS AHHHH!!!
"Ugh, just let him go." Zooble rolled their eyes. "He'd be more trouble than help anyways."
Ragatha sighed. "I know. He doesn't need to be so rude about it though."
"Yeah... I guess you're right." Gangle whispered. "Do you need any help with taking care of Pomni?"
The jester mumbled a response. "I-I... I am fine!..." Her words were slurred together.
"No! I got it." Ragatha mentally face palmed. Why would she say that?! Now she's damned to take care of her crush- uh... best friend while she's sick and delirious. "Thanks for the offer though!"
Kinger luckily suggested something very helpful. "I can make some soup and tea for her. That'll help her out."
Ragatha sighed with relief. "That'd help a lot Kinger. Thank you!"
Zooble stared at the chest piece though with a suspicious glare. "Yeah... last time you tried to cook, you set the fridge on fire. The fridge."
"Oh..." The memory seemed to suddenly come back to him out of nowhere. "Do you wanna help me then? My memory is not nearly as good as it used to be."
"That's a bit of an understatement, but sure." Zooble nodded and began to walk off to the direction of the kitchen. Kinger and Gangle followed closely and Ragatha was left with Pomni.
The rag doll saw the jester was desperately trying to stay awake. "Uh..? Do you wanna head back to your room to rest, Pomni?"
She jerked up in Ragatha's arms and stared at the doll. "W-wha? No, I dun want your confetti, Caine..." The poor jester was so out of it.
Ragatha cleared her throat gently. "It's Ragatha, sweetie."
Pomni blinked; she looked super confused. "Oh... What about the adventure? Something about a lake?"
The rag doll sighed as she began walking to the jester's room. "We've finished it already, Poms."
"Wait, wha?"
"Yes."
Pomni sniffed and let out a gross cough. She looked at the ground for a second before staring up at Ragatha. "Can you put me down?"
The rag doll wasn't very sure if she should let the jester walk on her own. She could barely talk without slurring her words. Though, as always, against her better judgement, she stopped in her tracks and helped Pomni try to stand up. The small jester was extremely wobbly and unsteady; Ragatha almost scooped her up again. Pomni let out a rough cough before trying to walk off.
"Thanks Ragatha-" She was cut off by her knees buckling and falling flat on her face. The rag doll ran over to her and turned her over. The jester's face was wet with sweat and red from fever. She groaned a little before muttering out something. "Mmm... Never mind."
The doll was praying to anyone who could hear her that her face wasn't flushing red right now. Why was the small jester so cute? She felt so bad for feeling this right now; just look at her Ragatha! She can't even walk on her own and you're blushing? She sighed and tried not to let her self-destructive thoughts consume her. She cradled Pomni in her arms and headed off to the jester's room.
~*~
Ragatha was almost certain that Pomni was suffering from brain-fog or fever brain or something. Why you may ask? Well she was saying some weird shit. "Uh... mmm... Ragatha?..."
"Oh, yes sweetheart?"
"You think we're NPCs?"
Ragatha blinked. That was a weird question... The rag doll was pretty sure of her answer. "I don't think so."
Pomni's eyes seemed glazed with hazinesses and fever. "You- you dink we'll end up like Gummi?"
The doll wasn't even sure if the jester was aware of what she was saying. "No... I don't think so."
"S#@%..." She paused for a second. "Rags... you're really pretty..."
The doll felt her cheeks flare up at the unexpected compliment. So many questions ran through her mind at once. She thinks I'm pretty? No, she's just sick. But what if she means it? Does she feel the same way I feel? Does she even like girls? Does she know I like her? WAIT I LIKE HER? Well that would explain a lot... Butterflies danced in Ragatha's stomach as she responded. "T-Thank you. I appreciate it."
Pomni waved her finger around one of the doll's curls before she gave a weird, sickly giggle. "Y'know... I kindaaaa hate myself."
The rag doll felt dread loom over her. She dropped that so casually. Ragatha chose not to respond, but the jester kept going.
"It's hard to- to sleep sometimes cause-" She was interrupted by her own cough. "Leaving you fo the exi door... mmm, it was bad."
Shock flooded the rag doll's chest. Pomni still felt guilty about leaving her behind when Kaufmo attacked them? It had been over a month since that incident.
"I-I'm sorry I neva-" She let out another harsh cough. "-apologized. I fel...t too ashamed."
They were in front of the jester's door now. Ragatha felt a bead of sweat run down her neck. Yeah, the doll had been hurt by the action, but she had long since repressed the feeling. She didn't want it getting in the way of her and the jester becoming friends. She just sort of guessed the jester had forgotten about it. Ragatha had to be careful now; one wrong move and she'll burst into tears.
"Do you have your key?"
Pomni looked like she was barely paying attention. "See? Not- not really... eveytink is kinda blurry..." She blinked slowly.
The rag doll sighed and repeated the question. "Do you have your key, Pomni?"
The jester perked up. "Oh yeah." She dug into her hammer space until she popped out a golden key. "Maybe shove it thr-through my brain. Heh, I have the worst headache..."
The jester closed her eyes and nuzzled into the doll's chest. Ragatha took a deep breath as she tried to control her stomach butterflies. She's just sick, Ragatha. Soon Caine will bring the antivirus and she'll be back to herself.
Ragatha managed to open the door and got Pomni on the bed. Oh, what to do now...