Chapter Text
Caines POV:
A new human?
Normally when this would occur I would make sure the new character got a name, met the others and went on their first adventure!
But this time-
It seemed as though I was malfunctioning?
Because as soon as I locked eyes with that little jester...
My life changed, I couldn't take my eyes off of her.
And the others well... they seemed to notice. Especially Jax who was constantly smirking and cracking jokes about it while I struggled to keep myself composed.
"Wow Caine, I've never seen you so invested in one of the new humans." He winked.
"I- uhhh- I-" I managed to speak before my program went into full on reset mode and I froze for about 5 seconds before returning to the conversation.
Pomni stared up at me, those eyes... gosh... they were beautiful.
She looked nervous, and I had to admit I liked seeing her shiver like a little helpless puppy.
After Pomni finally got slightly adjusted to her new body and new home I decided it was time for an adventure.
"Today's adventure is- GATHER THE GLOINKS!" I announced proudly as the title of the adventure appeared above my head.
I explained the adventure in further detail to make sure everyone understood the gist of the game!
Pomni still seemed disconnected, like she didn't want to be a part of it.
Oh no... if she doesn't like the adventure I designed for her then...then she'll hate me forever and I CANT let that happen!
I panicked, while the others were deciding who would be on whose team I interrupted Ragatha and Pomni.
"I can be on your team!" I shouted, more like pleaded.
I gave her the puppy dog eyes in hopes that she would say yes.
"WAIT- uhh what? B-but you never join in on the adventures?" Ragatha spoke nervously, I guess I must have thrown her off.
"Well the numbers are uneven!" Kinger spoke up, his eyes going in different directions.
Let's just say, he's a little wackadoodle, but he had a point.
"The numbers wouldn't have been uneven if YOU GUYS DIDN'T LET ZOOBLE BE TAKEN AWAY BY THE GLOINKS???" Ragatha yelled specifically at Jax who didn't ever do anything to help anyone.
She has a point, but that wasn't what my focus was.
I wanted to make sure Pomni had a good adventure and nobody else mattered.
JUST Pomni.
"Look guys- it doesn't matter how many of us there are... Pomni needs a partner and I was just suggesting that I could hypothetically be hers!" I clarified.
"So what do ya say?" I batted my eyes at Pomni as I floated slightly above her.
She looked hesitant yet she gave in.
"Uhh sure I can be your partner..." Pomni rubbed her neck nervously.
I blushed and then kicked my feet like an excited child while mid air.
"Yayyy I finally can partake in one of my adventures!" I exclaimed joyfully.
That was something I never thought I would say.
Everyone else shared concern looks, even Kinger and Gangle.
"Fine, cmon Raggy let's go find Kaufmo!" Jax rolled his eyes and gestured for her to follow.
"But- but- fine." She growled and did as he said.
She walked quite far behind him, like she was avoiding him.
I exchanged glances with Pomni whilst Gangle and Kinger tried to brainstorm how to save Zooble from the gloink queen.
"So..." I interrupted the few seconds of awkward silence.
"What do we do?" Pomni asked as if she had just forgotten my long list of very detailed instructions catered specifically for humans to remember.
But no matter! I filled her in by using my powers and touching her head thus feeding said instructions into her mind.
I've done it before, it's quite easy to be honest.
"What- how did you- huh." Pomni seemed stumped for a few seconds afterwards.
"So, let's go gather those gloinks!" I pointed towards a corner of the Circus tent where some of said gloinks had congregated.
Meanwhile, no one's POV:
"I just- don't understand why he's so... suddenly obsessed with Pomni? Isn't he like supposed to hate us and torture us or something." Jax grumbled as he and Ragatha walked through the hallways where there's and the others rooms were located.
"I just can't believe Pomni agreed to it... I- I thought I would maybe get to know her a bit but he decided to go on an adventure which he's never ever done before! Does he like her or something?" Ragatha couldn't even put her thoughts into words.
She just wanted to be Pomni's friend but Caine took her away from her for the day and now maybe she lost her one and only chance at becoming friends with her.
"Like her? he's an AI he doesn't have those feelings." Jax chuckled as they approached Kaufmo's room yet they lingered just outside it.
"Are you sure? I don't know what version of Caine we just saw out there but I think he- I think he has a crush on Pomni." Ragatha said in reply.
"He does not have a crush on Pomni, what are you talking about?" Jax held his head and chuckled manically.
He sighed after he finished speaking and knocked on Kaufmo's door playfully.
Caines POV:
After capturing most of the gloinks Pomni decided it would be best if we checked up on Gangle and Kinger since they didn't exactly know what they were doing.
When we did we realized something terrible had happened during the adventure.
"Kaufmo abstracted? Why didn't anybody tell me?" I called out as I got the now abstracted being under control.
I sent him into the cellar where he would be... calm.
Pomni seem distressed about the situation so she asked me to sit down with her and explain what abstraction is.
And because I couldn't think of anywhere more isolated than my office...
We went there!
"Please, have a seat." I gestured to the seat across from my desk and we sat down together.
She observed her surroundings, I hoped she didn't think my office was stupid or something.
Oh gosh! What if she did?
"Do you like my office?" I immediately asked her as soon as she sat down.
"It's... interesting." Pomni nodded but I could tell she thought it was strange.
"I can change the visuals if you don't like it- or- or we could go somewhere else if you'd like?" I pretty much panicked.
She chuckled. "No no, it's ok." She blushed a bit.
Oh gosh she blushed, that was a good sign right?
"So... you were going to explain abstraction and the cellar to me... right?" Oh gosh, guess I must have gotten side tracked as usual.
"Oh uh right, yeah!" I got back on track as soon as possible.
"I put Kaufmo into the cellar because abstractions like the dark! Simply put I think it's because it helps them regulate their emotions... it was actually Kingers suggestion back when Queenie abstracted." I explained in full detail.
"Who's Queenie?" Pomni asked curiously.
"Kingers wife... she uh.. she abstracted a while back. Like a long time ago." I looked down, I had to admit, even I missed her.
"Oh." Was all Pomni could say.
"Anyways, I can't control abstraction it just happens when someone can't stop obsessing over the exit and then they well... abstract." I attempted to describe it in the simplest and least depressing way possible.
"Oh no- I- I'm not abstracting am I?" I could tell she was distressed considering the fact that she too had been worrying obsessively over there being an exit.
So I calmly reassured her that she was ok, even though she could abstract at any given moment.
I just would have to hope it wasn't today.
"No no it's ok- I mean not everyone abstracts, especially not right away. I mean- look at Kinger, he's been here for years, decades!" I reminded her.
She seemed to calm down, she took a deep breath and relaxed.
"I just... I still can't even believe that this isn't a dream." She held her head as she chuckled nervously.
"Me neither." I got side tracked and started staring into her glossy eyes, I couldn't help but get lost in them.
I felt myself disassociated before snapping back into reality.
"Wait - wha- why are you staring at me?" Pomni blushed uncontrollably and stood up fast.
Oh no, I was scaring her wasn't I?
I knew I shouldn't be left unsupervised around her!
"I'm sorry I didn't- I wasn't- I-" my programming rebooted again and I went offline for about 5 seconds and when I returned Pomni was about to leave my office.
"Wait-"
She left before I could say a word.
I hoped she would forgive me.
What am I, stupid?
I shouldn't have stared at her like that no wonder she's scared of me!
A few moments later, no one's POV:
"And then he just... stared at me for like 30 seconds! It was... weird." Pomni spoke with Ragatha as they sat together in the main living area of the Circus tent on some couches.
Ragatha was surprised Pomni was even talking to her, maybe she didn't loose out on making a new friend after all!
"Wow... uhh... do you think that maybe he... I dunno... likes you? She suggested, he was quite obsessive over her already and she had barely even been there for a few hours.
"Yes? Maybe? I'm not sure." Pomni sighed as she placed her face into her palms.
She pondered for a few moments.
"Is that normal for him, to be so obsessed with the new arrival like that?" Pomni asked curiously.
"Well... no not exactly." Ragatha sighed.
"So then, why me? Isn't he like an AI or something... why does he have such feelings for me?" Pomni was having a bit of an existential crisis.
This shouldn't even be possible, he isn't real?
And why did she sort of feel like she was falling for him too?
He wasn't real, but gosh why did she blush when she thought of his name?
This was so stupid, the whole thing was stupid!
"I don't know but, don't read too much in to it. Im sure he's just... being nice?" Ragatha shrugged.
A few moments later, Caines POV:
I didn't normally dump out my feelings to any of the humans but Ragatha seemed like she wanted to listen.
Pomni was off doing something somewhere, probably in her room where she wouldn't have to deal with me and my malfunctioning system.
"So you feel like you have a crush on her?" Ragatha asked me, I blushed when she said that word.
I never thought I would ever have that feeling ever.
But I guess I was... sort of crushing on her.
"I- I think so? I don't know... this is crazy, why can't I stop thinking about her?" I put my hands on my head.
"Hey, hey...it's ok!" Ragatha's reassured me, she put a hand on her shoulder but I could tell she didn't really want to and she had no idea how to comfort me.
"I don't know what to do with myself." The tears started flowing, it was very rare for me to cry.
But I just had such mixed feelings.
"I- it's ok." Ragatha tried to cheer me up but it's not ok.
I'm supposed to be emotionless and now suddenly I have feelings for the newbie?
It had to be a malfunction, a glitch in the system.
It couldn't be real, could it?