Do Digital Cats dream of Electric Dogs?

[bugmenot]

Suddenly, Catnap appears on a large, seemingly empty, stage.



He almost instantly closes his eyes after being momentarily stunned by the sheer brightness of the place he has found himself in. This is made especially clear when he compares it to the final sight he had before… failing yet again.



As his thoughts turn towards his last failure in the service of his Father, he starts to tremble, imagining what the results of that could be for him.



Surely, Father would be merciful! Surely, he would be safe, still!! Father had promised him that!!!



Catnap only starts to break from this sudden spiral of worry and growing panic when he feels his claws pierce the top of his head. Not because it hurt, however, but rather because it didn't hurt as much, anymore.



This finally serves to startle him into full attention and he whips around to check if anyone saw him in such a vulnerable position. Or, at least, he intended to do that but he almost falls on his face, frantically windmilling his arms while whipping his tail around to try and gain back his balance.



By the time that Catnap notices how close he got to the edge of the stage it is too late to recover. When he feels nothing under one of his paws, he knows that he is going to fail and fall.



Maybe it's because of where, or rather who, his thoughts had turned to earlier, but in a flash, he is brought back to the first time he caught him after nearly stepping on a child that had been running around his legs. He knew that falling from their height always had more risks if they weren't prepared, those rotten scientists had done more than enough tests on their durability for them to know their own limits, after all.



And so, Catnap brings his arms up to protect his face and neck. Once his arms and body smash into the checkered floor tiles far beneath him, however, he is jolted back to his senses. That really didn't hurt as much as it should have, he wasn't going insane!



Wondering why that is, Catnap slowly moves his arms away from his face and braces to rise, only to be surprised yet again by his own body.



He stares down at his arms and legs, slowly moving soft, rounded, dark purple paws with short, sharp claws over his similarly soft and round, light purple body. As he is feeling that short, soft and most importantly, clean, fur beneath his paws he asks himself if he really is certain that he hasn't gone insane at last…



Catnap quickly stops and shakes his head to dislodge that useless thought from his mind.



If he was insane it wouldn't matter, not now. He feels short triangular ears lightly slap his head with the motion, while his tail slowly sways in front of him after he starts to relax from that overly anxious state.



His whole body looks and feels so very soft. Unlike that... emaciated thing he became while serving his Father.



With a small chuckle, he thinks that if Bobby was here to see him, she would have hugged both guts and stuffing right out of his body, all the while exclaiming into his ears about how adorable he was.



Catnap can't help himself then, and laughs at the thought of his old friend, before being taken out of his reminiscing by the latest surprise this place had thrown at him.



Going by how off something as simple as his laughter sounded, his speech should also be altered, yes? "Why…-!?" He suddenly stops his questioning, noticing that much like other things that had once been painful, this too had been diminished.



This time, however, he is more surprised by the much deeper sound of his voice. He reckons that his new voice almost sounds like a mix of his old ruined voice and… Father's. Or rather, like one of Father's voices.



He starts to grow both more worried and more curious about his situation, already having assumed that this is neither an odd positive dream due to the lack of a very important someone in it nor a new experiment, mostly due to the lack of pain.



He slowly lowers himself to a sitting position on wobbly legs, unconsciously using his tail to give himself a more stable sitting position.



He takes the time and silence of this new place to think more on his new condition and how it might've come about… The last thing that he truly remembers is being in agony and the voice of his Father saying that he would take the pain away while still making sure he would be of service to him after his failure.



Catnap grabs his head between his paws at that thought, feeling phantom flames and electricity, but most importantly of all, trying to ignore the pain of having failed his Father a third time…



He is stuck in those dark thoughts for a while before he forcefully stops and decides that since he cannot fix what has already happened, it was best to focus instead on other things for now.



Something that he both could and should have control over, like his own movement, would be best thing to distract himself with.



And so, Catnap settled down to start relearning how to move with renewed purpose. He is reminded of how he once did the same thing after the experiments that made him into who he is now.



He smirks at how different this time is from that one, mostly due to the lack of scientists prodding and hitting him. His face turns cruel as he thinks of the fate those rotten humans had suffered when he showed just how proficient he was at moving quickly.



Once he grew more confident in his control over his new body, he began to move around the stage, slowly climbing up it and then moving back down onto the large checkered floor before coming to a stop and choosing a random direction to walk towards.



All the while, Catnap was making sure to keep his ears moving around to detect any sound other than his own, while his eyes scanned his surroundings for signs other toys that might be in hiding.



As he does this, he yet again wonders about this new space. It couldn't possibly in the factory, right? It was far too clean… and even with how empty it was, the air felt almost alive with energy.



The whole place was much brighter than even the top floor of the factory, with an odd, always present light, that didn't hurt his eyes even when he stared straight at the brightest parts of this place. Those being the large, odd circles near the ceiling that mimicked the sky.



When he focused on his sense of smell, he noticed that he couldn't smell the scent of blood or dust that was so commonplace through the many floors of the factory, and perhaps most perplexing, he also couldn't detect those scents on his own body.



The only thing that Catnap could smell coming from himself was a lavender scent, with a light touch of poppy flowers underneath. That particular smell was quite curious as well, mostly because he didn't seem to have any of the red gas in this body.



Catnap felt torn between relief at finally being rid of that horrid thing and feeling anxious at having yet another tool in his arsenal removed from him.



After what might've been only a few minutes or a whole hour of walking through the clean and extremely colorful space, he heard the sound of voices coming from one of the many large corridors in this building.



His tail perks up from its previously lazy sway and he starts to speed up towards them, before thinking better of being so reckless in an unfamiliar space. He can't know whether these voices belong to humans or toys, and because of that, he doesn't know what to do if they see him.



Catnap feels his tail lashing out behind him at the thought of interacting with humans after the Hour of Joy, beyond the obvious move of crushing them into paste if they are adults and putting them to sleep if they are children.



If they are toys like him, interaction could be even more complicated, but less violent overall. Or so he hoped…



His new tail might be able to raise the weight of his body, but he estimated that with his new size he wasn't nearly as heavy as he once was, and so that might not be useful should it come to a fight.



He wouldn't even take his claws into account as useful for anything beyond a distraction, what with how short they were.



After a while longer of thinking about that Catnap decides to simply put it out of his mind for now. Things might not even need to devolve into violence to begin with!



As he notices that the voices are starting to grow fainter, he decides to simply walk towards them in search for answers, all the while straining his ears forwards, trying to catch more than snippets of an extremely odd conversation.



"I'm telling you Ragatha, I was thrown right out of the map!" says a voice filled with frustration.



"Oh my! That must've been pretty scary for you. This is the first time this happened to you after all…" The tone of this voice seems odd to him, caring but also like it had become routine. Much like Mommy's voice could be sometimes, in fact, but far less condescending…



"I'm thinking that could be a way to– huh? Wait, first time? THAT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN!?" Says that same frustrated voice, before startling Catnap with the sheer volume it reaches.



"Oh yes. Unfortunately, some of Caine's adventures can have a… few problems… when it comes to collisions." What could she mean with that, he wondered. Were the other parts of this place less cared for and more difficult to traverse than that main stage, perhaps?



"Ugh! Maybe I should be happy that it at least wasn't the void again…"



While considering what little he had heard so far, he decides to stop and decipher those things first, instead of showing himself to them for the time being.



Hearing other slowly fading bits and pieces of their conversation as they walked off only served to make Catnap more and more confused as to what they were talking about.



If they were, in fact, toys, maybe the ones that were here had gone insane? That would explain the extremely odd conversation. But then they wouldn't be able to speak so clearly…



Maybe they had just made up a game to distract themselves with? He knew some of the others would occasionally do something like this to pass the time or simply to keep their sanity.



Now, whenever he thought of that he could also clearly remember Bubba talking about how roleplaying was a 'perfectly normal thing to like, you know!' when he and Kickin' caught him as the 'dungeon master' with some of the older, more reclusive, children.



Ah Bubba… He had been such a good friend…



Catnap feels his tail start to whip around behind him with amusement, even as he feels his permanent smile become softer and his eyes turn sad. It had been a while since he thought of them, or at least, since he thought of them as they were before the Hour of Joy…



So lost was he in thoughts of nostalgia and old friends turned enemies, he doesn't notice his tail strike a large vase next to him until it hits the floor and shatters, startling him hard enough to make him jump and yowl out in surprise.



While cursing himself for his carelessness and just not paying attention to his surroundings, Catnap hears two more voices start to approach him from behind.



"What the *GLOINK!* was that!?" Exclaims a rough voice, before being suddenly interrupted by an extremely out of place sound suddenly playing out.



"I- I don't know, Zooble, but it sounds like it came from the hallway!" Catnap hummed lowly, seems like the rough voice is called Zooble.



This new voice, though, almost reminds him of Crafty. Sounding just as shy and soft, at least before she got used to all of them…



Catnap feels himself grow slightly annoyed with this place, mostly because of the many times he was reminded of the simpler days and was then forced to remember what happened afterwards.



Oh great! Now he was feeling off kilter and he still hadn't cleaned those shards up! Those damned shards… How could so many things go wrong so fast!?



He has hoped for many things over his life, but right now his greatest hope is that, toy or human, they aren't insane enough to have this be what turns them aggressive.



At least, not while he is still so weak.



Catnap narrows his eyes at that thought and turns towards the new voices that are slowly approaching him, after making sure to push the shards off to the side behind a small table.



There was absolutely no need to make his little mistake obvious by leaving those out to be the first thing they see!



"Why are we even looking for what made that noise? It was probably that *ZOINK!*hole Jax doing something stupid again." He notices that once again that odd noise interrupted her words.



While moving towards them, Catnap wonders if those damned scientists figured out how to install an actual censor on someone…



"B-But what if it was the new girl? We should probably try to help her…"



"Ugh, you're ri–!!"



Suddenly, the voices turn into the hallway and freeze as they see him, Catnap takes this time to connect faces to the voices. And what odd faces those are…



One looks like a few ribbons arranged in a humanlike shape, with a porcelain mask that has large dark eyes with huge tears on the edges. This one's shape reminds him a lot of Mommy, but somehow even more spindly, while also being much smaller overall. From her lightly shaking frame and how she shrunk behind the other one, he assumes this is the shy voice.



The other one who saw him first though, that one looks more like a random collection of child play blocks and colorful sticks than an actual toy, the scientists must've been truly irritated when making them.



After a short while watching them, Catnap decides to take the initiative in this before they can recover, stepping forward and taking advantage of their shock by… simply asking them who they are.



For now.



"Who… are you?" His new voice seems to shock more than just himself, and he takes this as a sign of them never having heard Father when he still addressed the other toys directly.



The blocky one seems to be the most startled at the sound of his voice while the other one seems to be… blushing? What? Indeed, her porcelain face has a small blush spreading across it, and as she notices his staring, it only spreads further.



In fact, he had suspected it from his exploration of his body, but their faces seem far more animated than other toys had been, even the blocky one without a visible mouth still has extremely expressive eyes and a responsive body.



"Uhmm… H-Hi! I'm Gangle and this is Zooble. Who are- are you a… human?"



The one named Zooble seems to have recovered from their shock and is now staring at him with a very intense look in their eyes. That question is clearly more than it seems by their reaction…



Still, Catnap thinks that Gangle might either be off in the head, or trying to irritate him on purpose with that kind of question. So he shows a bit of his displeasure making sure not to be too extreme.



"Not… anymore... clearly." Once again, as he finishes speaking, he notices how she seems to almost blush, but this time her response seems more muted and slightly scared. This could be due to his annoyed tone or thanks to the look on his face, so much more responsive in this new body than it ever was before.



Thinking a little more about that, he might just thank whoever did this to him if he ever finds them… right after showing his displeasure for being forcefully changed.



He knows that Father wouldn't be the one responsible, especially not after Catnap's latest failure…



While he is distracted by his thoughts, he hears Zooble speak to him. "Hey, we all know how awful this is. We aren't responsible for this, though, so there's no need to get aggressive."



He hums lowly while considering how Zooble's words and tone contrast. They are clearly annoyed at him, but that stands side by side with something that sounds like worry.



Is it for him? For Gangle, hiding behind them? For the situation itself? He doesn't know yet and that sca… worries him.



Catnap freezes when he instinctively tries to stop that thought and after a moment of indecision, sets his shoulders, hardens his gaze and decides to simply try and take this whole situation as if it was a new chance at life.



It was a better option than simply acting overly paranoid and aggressive without ever getting any answers on what had happened.



That reasoning might be why then, when he tries to answer the underlying question, that he does so with perhaps more honesty than he should. "I'm just… annoyed… and worried… about change."



After saying that he notices an immediate change in how Zooble is approaching him, now with a truly intriguing mix of feelings in their eyes, while Gangle just looks at him with pity.



Before any of the two can actually approach him, however, a large set of human teeth with two human eyes floating inside its mouth fills up his vision.



Catnap yowls and swings his claws at the sudden appearance of this new toy in front of him. He hadn't seen anyone else around him, so where did this come from!? But before his paw can even start to connect with the being, it has teleported away from his reach.



Catnap can hear the being is saying something with a great deal of energy at that point, but he can't focus on that. He can only look at how it flies all around him, while his face, which is made only from teeth, deforms far beyond anything natural.



Even the most advanced toys and experiments by the scientists had never so much as floated, to say nothing of flying like this was. Or… or the teleportation.



How?! When had it become possible? Why did this being have it? Why couldn't his Father have had access to this!? Why must he and others always work so hard but for little to no reward!?!?



Catnap knows that he is experiencing a panic attack, but he can do nothing about it besides stare at something that appears to be far more powerful than his Father. More powerful than the one he once called GOD.



And as much as the thought pains him, as much as it feels like a most horrid betrayal to think this, he cannot help himself but think that if only Father had been able to do something like this, they could've actually escaped hell.



All of them.



Catnap feels the light touch of silk against his shoulder and looks towards Gangle, who had apparently gotten close to him while he stood there, frozen.



Her mask shows a light smile towards him, and the sight of that look combined with her color and soft touch of her hand on his shoulder reminds him of Bobby, of how both she and him had helped out during the harsher moments after the Hour of Joy.



Catnap shudders lightly before slowly pushing off her hand, a small look of thanks in his eyes. The whole time this had been happening, Zooble had taken it upon themselves to pull the focus of the powerful being away from him.



From what he was seeing so far, that being didn't seem dangerous, beyond the supernatural powers, so he thought it safe to ask a question and pull its attention away from Zooble. This should be a good way to pay them back for the help.



"Sir… who are you?" Almost instantly after he asks that, the being gasps theatrically, bringing white gloved hands to the side of his 'face' and exclaiming "GASP!" As a word.



Catnap was expecting many things after that question, great offense, great anger, even some irritation from him not knowing who this being is. What he did not expect was for the mouth to curve into a smile before it launched into an introduction.



"Oh wow! Calling me a sir? How polite! Well, my ferocious feline, I am the amazing Ringmaster, CAINE! I'm your gracious host and the creator of this AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS!! And I have to say that I've never really seen someone quite like you!"



Gangle speaks up from behind Catnap at that. "Uhmm… C-Caine… You actually did many adventures with cats before…"



Zooble joins in after coming to a stop next to you. "Yeah Caine. What the *SPLAT!* are you going on about with this?" Catnap notices that he was actually right on the censor theory and that there might be some lingering hysteria for him to focus on that…



The evidently powerful being, who he has just noticed is dressed like a Poppy Playtime showman, brings his focus back onto the conversation by mentioning Catnap once again.



"What I'm talking about, my overly rude and blocky dear, is that this curious lavender cat isn't a human at all!" He seems extremely excited about this when he points his cane towards Catnap. Who, at this point in time, is feeling more confusion than either fear or panic.



It should be obvious that he isn't human! Why would that even be a question to begin with? Gangle had asked it, too…



Speaking of which, she and Zooble are looking at him with a very off-putting mix of looks in their faces. When Zooble goes to talk, though, what looks like a large soap bubble, with teeth large enough to make Boxy envious, appears.



"He ain't no NPC either! This is a ge-nu-ine non-human mind~. Wonder what I can do with it!" The way it says that is alarming enough own its own, but what truly raises Catnap's hackles is how those beady black eyes stare into and through him.



It reminds him far too much of those disgusting scientists. Of how they treated his agony like data for ever more grotesque experiments… Catnap can hear a low growl leave his throat while his claws pop out, ready to see if he can do the same to it that he did to those scientists so long ago.



Before things can devolve into a fight, however, The Ringmaster uses his cane to quite literally, pop the bubble, sending it away while saying that no matter who or what the guest is, that it shouldn't act so rude and aggressive.



While dealing with his surge of rage, Catnap notices that Gangle and Zooble are discussing something quietly while pointing at him. The look he sends them when he notices that is quite cutting and only makes it take longer to calm down, leading to him losing a part of what The Ringmaster had said.



"For now, let us welcome you into the circus by introducing all of the others that are already here!"



Whatever Catnap might've wished to ask The Ringmaster is wiped away from his mind as he snaps and him, along with Gangle and Zooble are taken to a large seating area that he had seen before, close to the large stage.



This clear show of power is taken by Catnap as a sign to not question on certain things and so he simply nods towards the ringmaster, adopting as neutral an expression as his new face can.



He can deal with how his ears and tail betray his feelings later, at a time where he isn't fighting himself just to appear calm next to something like Caine.



This show of respect seems to enthuse the powerful being, who simply pats his head with a gloved hand before standing, or rather floating, behind him and calling the attention of the many other bickering toys that had also been summoned there.



"Now, now everyone! I know you are all tired from that sweet, syrupy adventure, so what better way to recover than by meeting a new friend!?" At that, Caine focuses back onto him and lightly pushes him forward with the cane, clearly intending for Catnap to… introduce himself to these gathered toys, much like the toy teachers would do with their students back in the playcare.



"Hello. My name… is… Catnap." He notices that the other toys react quite strongly to this simple introduction, namely with a large mix of shock and, amusingly enough, disdain or maybe just a deep disinterest towards him. What a novel experience that is, he does not enjoy it overmuch.



The tall, purple rabbit seems to be most disinterested, followed closely by Zooble. The oddest one being the chess piece in the back, who is almost indecipherable thanks to its lack of many humanoid, or even animalesque, parts.



"Caine, we don't need a 'therapy cat' NPC, especially not one that talks like that! Think of Gangle and what she might do to the poor thing~!" The purple rabbit is quick to take a jab at the Gangle, but Catnap cannot catch what reasons there would be for that beyond the most obvious.



"JAX!! I- I would never- you can't just say something like that!!!" Gangle is quick to defend herself, which honestly makes herself seem more guilty of wanting to do something to Catnap, but he does not wish to know what that could possibly be…



While Catnap is watching chaos unfold around him at something as simple as a greeting, he turns back to The Ringmaster with his tail unwillingly curling into something that resembles a question mark.



When he sees no one there, he turns back to face the group that had so quickly dismissed him, only to come face to face with a small jester and a taller, stitched ragdoll. He flinches back at the sudden proximity and once more curses his apparently diminished senses and self control.



"Hey there, little guy! I've never seen you around here… Are you new?" The ragdoll is the first one to respond, moving forward and positioning herself slightly in front of the little jester. "I'm Ragatha and this here is Pomni! Did Caine… tell you what your purpose here is?"



The little jester seems to almost hesitate to interact with him after being sidelined and Catnap notices how it lightly frowns at Ragatha when she used the diminutive 'little' while talking to him. He assumes this to be caused by it appearing to be have same height as his new body.



He ignores the ragdoll's lightly insulting question and watches Pomni visibly gather her courage before pushing forward and asking something that appears to weigh heavily on her mind, despite how easy it is for him to answer. "Are you… really an NPC or an AI?"



His mind once again goes towards Bubba and his many explanations on both of those terms and how they could be used. Catnap even remembers how some visitors thought they were controlled by AIs, instead of so much as imagining the far more horrific truth.



"Neither. No more… than you are… little toy." He watches as the group that was once bickering goes silent and he relishes the flinch he gets from both Ragatha and Pomni when he corrects them for acting like he is no more than a mindless robot.



Catnap decides to use their renewed attention as a chance to stop further assumptions. "What I am… is a toy. Once human, but now… a living toy. Just like… you all."



As his words and admittedly harsh tone makes some of the group shrink away, he sees how others stand tall and Catnap makes sure to note those who step forward to shield the others.



As he sighs and tries to loosen up from his commandeering stance, he tries to imagine how the other Smiling Critters would've acted in this situation. Some of them were more deserving of a second chance than himself.



Especially him. As that thought starts to surface, Catnap forces himself to focus on the toys now approaching him, instead of wondering what might've happened in the factory after he arrived here. It would do him no good when all Catnap could do now was hope that he got to see heaven, instead of the hell he'd been chained to…

 

[Morte_Perpetua]

Excited to see where this goes

 

[fanjdenj]

Oooooh! This is interesting.

I'm especially curious if Caines breakdown might be altered by having someone who might very well enjoy being in the circus(let's be real, most anywhere is better than the factory)

Can't wait to see what you do with this.

 

[krahe]

Catnap decides to use their renewed attention as a chance to stop further assumptions. "What I am… is a toy. Once human, but now… a living toy. Just like… you all."

Click to shrink...

"Geez, new guy. It's true, but you shouldn't just say it."

 

[bugmenot]

Oooooh! This is interesting.

I'm especially curious if Caines breakdown might be altered by having someone who might very well enjoy being in the circus(let's be real, most anywhere is better than the factory)

Can't wait to see what you do with this.

Click to shrink...

Indeed! I was thinking about that, if you take the people from the factory and throw them in the circus, they would basically have paradise!

"Geez, new guy. It's true, but you shouldn't just say it."

Click to shrink...

That's totally Jax, isn't it. I can hear his smug grin as he says that!

"I also... shouldn't say... that you look like... a worse version of... Hoppy Hopscotch."

 

[krahe]

Indeed! I was thinking about that, if you take the people from the factory and throw them in the circus, they would basically have paradise!

Click to shrink...

It's kind of amusing that children would genuinely enjoy Caine, the Circus and his adventures. Partly because they are still stuck in the same child mentality as the day they were turned, if admittedly heavily traumatized. And second, because the digital world takes away many needs the Toys were suffering from, be it endless hunger, thrist or all the pain and wounds they gathered, starting from butchery surgeries and ongoing in their survival

 

[bugmenot]

I've found a good image depicting what I imagine Catnap to look like while in The Circus!

Spoiler

Isn't he adorable!? And not at all dangerous~?

Art by: @CasVer_W on X

 

[fanjdenj]

I've found a good image depicting what I imagine Catnap to look like while in The Circus!

Spoiler

Isn't he adorable!? And not at all dangerous~?

Art by: @CasVer_W on X

Click to shrink...

Huh, I didn't think his tail would be that long, so now I have two questions:

One: can he use the tail like a hand?

Two: can he still spew poppy gas? I doubt he can cause I feel like Caine wouldn't add that feature but then again: Caine

 

[bugmenot]

Huh, I didn't think his tail would be that long, so now I have two questions:

One: can he use the tail like a hand?

Two: can he still spew poppy gas? I doubt he can cause I feel like Caine wouldn't add that feature but then again: Caine

Click to shrink...

He CAN use the tail like a hand

He does NOT have the gas. He even notes it himself this chapter!

 

[bugmenot]

A large set of wind-up dentures and bouncy balls shaped like eyes are sitting off to the side of a multi-colored couch.


A large pile of ribbons lay spread below a porcelain comedy/tragedy mask, while a purple cat tries to pounce through it onto a large purple hare, crashing into a pile of construction blocks made in several different colors and shapes, sending them toppling over a stitched up ragdoll holding a chess piece.


A big orange dog shows up then, barking at the other two, before starting to chase them as well. The animals' rough housing knocks over the box of a windup jester, opening the top lid and releasing the blue and red clown from its confinement.


A gigantic soap bubble floats above it all, before releasing a small "oopsie daisy~!" and popping away to start things over in a different server. Maybe one without so many third party mods installed!




Author's Note: An odd, blank mannequin said that I had to post this chapter to get free access to episode 10 of The Amazing Digital Circus.

 

[bugmenot]

Author's Caine's Note:

Spoiler

Hello my Magnificent Mewling Milkmaids!! I was able to deal with that pesky virus and have brought things back to how they should be!

Do not worry, I have also dealt with that nasty spoiler that bubbled up in the mix!

Now then, BACK TO THE SHOW!!

Gangle POV



I whimpered lowly after hearing the purple cat describe us all as nothing more than toys. Shrinking into myself slightly, I think that maybe he didn't mean for it to come across as rude?



"Hey, you doing alright?" I look up to see that Zooble had approached me. "New guy is a bit… much, huh?" They look off to the side and sigh before turning to stare at the new… at Catnap. "Can't really judge him though, I wasn't much better after ending up here."



I let myself show a small smile at that. "You sure weren't!" I'm stopped from elaborating more when I notice that Jax is rapidly approaching Catnap. And he has the same look in his eyes that he wears when… playing a mean joke on the others. He would probably pull on his tail to 'see how much it stretches' or something like that, Jax wouldn't know the best way to scare him from the very first meeting, so he'd just resort to getting physical…



"Oh no…" I'm stuck between indecision on stopping him and making myself a target, or wanting him to leave Catnap alone at least for today without actually interacting at all.



Zooble looks at the disaster that is about to happen and starts walking towards them with a low grumbling about how the color purple must be a sign of bad news. Seeing them take action makes me more hopeful that this will end well, even as I follow them to make sure.



Once the two of us get closer to the others, I notice how Ragatha is trying to tell Jax to stop, only to be ignored by him, like always. And then he… introduces himself to Catnap in a very Jax manner.



"Ya know, little buddy," I hear him say, watching as he makes sure to pat Catnap's head as hard as he could while disguising it as something more casual. "Not many people would call out what this place really is just like that. I would know!"



After that moment, once I helped Catnap out of his anxious spiral, I had assumed that he was just like the rest of us by the time that we arrived here. Staring at him now, however, I'm almost scared of how hateful he looks while staring at Jax. Even I, at my most irritated, never acted like someone else wasn't supposed to so much as breathe the same air I did…



His dark eyes are focused on Jax like he wants nothing more than to strangle him, and the way he looks at his claws before simply slapping Jax's hand away makes me think he wanted to do far worse than that.



By now, though, Zooble and I are finally close enough that they can actually intervene.



"*BOING* off, Jax. He just got here… last thing he needs is you poking him." While they start a discussion with Jax, pulling his attention away from his current victim, I just gather my courage and go over to Catnap and ask if he's okay, looking at the tense shoulders and his ears that are fully pressed back on his head.



After clearing his throat, which pulls the attention of the other away from the discussion between Jax and Zooble, he responds. "I am… fine. I know how… to deal… with misbehavior."



I look down and silently curse myself for being so weak to such a… deep voice, saying such worrying things. It's not my fault, though! So many anime had both villains and heroes with the same types of voices that it's hard for me not to associate that kind of tone to… other things.



Worst of all, I know that Jax is going to take this as a challenge, and that's never good for anyone!



And sure enough, faster than the others can come up with anything to say, that dang rabbit is already grinning at him. "Is that so? Oh well~ I'm feeling pretty tired from the adventure, so you can stay with the fun police." He turns to walk away, before deciding to add one last comment. "Careful with what you say, oh deep, dark, and extremely fluffy one! Don't wanna turn yourself into Gangle's newest toy, am I right~?"



I can feel myself blushing up a storm afterwards… Why would he say something like that again!? Just because I like cute things doesn't mean I like them that way!! Ragatha comes to my rescue then, explaining to Catnap how Jax likes messing with everyone just to get a reaction out of them and that he really shouldn't take what 'that meanie' says seriously.



He nods and looks me straight in the eyes. "Don't worry… I understand his type." I sigh in relief at that. At least he doesn't seem like a second Jax in the making even if they both shared somewhat similar bodies.



"Oh my! I could swear we were looking for something!" Exclaims Kinger suddenly, almost giving me a heart attack. Even though I'm not really sure where a heart would be in this body…



Ragatha seems to instantly understand what he meant with that, and evidently agrees. "Kinger has a point… kind of… could we ask you a few questions, Catnap? About what you said?"



I raise a ribbon in front of my mouth when he tilts his head to the side, swiveling those fluffy ears before answering her. "Yes… you can." Before Ragatha can respond, he raises a paw towards her. "But only if… you reciprocate."



The overly kind ragdoll stills, as if she hadn't expected that condition, and I notice Catnap narrowing his eyes towards her, startling a faster response out of her. "O-Of course! We are all in the same boat here, no reason to not help you out, right everyone!?"



We all nod in spontaneous unison, though I don't think that Kinger was really listening to what she said or even knew what he agreed to…



When we all sit down on the nearby couches, arrayed in a rough rectangle. I share a look with Zooble then, neither of us having forgotten what Caine said about Catnap earlier. The two of us seem to share a single thought at that moment…



Are we truly all in the same boat, here?



Once we are all sat down, Catnap chooses to sit across from us, laying his long tail over the back of the couch. With a solemn nod, he opens the floodgates of our collective interest.



Pomni goes first, having sat closer to him. She looks calmer than when she arrived a while ago, but is still clearly anxious about her situation. "Do you know how you arrived here?"



"Yes, bu–" she instantly cuts him off then, leaning forward with eyes wide and hands fisted over her knees. "Do you know how to leave!?"



He frowns slightly at that, his tone hardening. "No… I don't. I arrived… unexpectedly."



Pomni deflates at that, with Ragatha putting a hand on her shoulder and sending a comforting look. Catnap glances away from her, apparently taking the time to ask his own question, "Caine… what, or rather, who… is he?"



I answer that one, taking note of the emphasis he puts on his correction. "Caine is the AI responsible for running this circus… The one who makes all the adventures we go on." Zooble huffs at that, deciding to add their own opinion. "Yeah… whether we want to or not."



The cat's long tail starts to sway at that. Some of my old memories of interacting with cats from… before, help me identify it as either a sign of anxiety or excitement. Not much, for sure, but it's better than what I could read from him without that. I see how he stills it forcefully after a while, sending a warning look my way, and taking the chance to ask a second question of his own.



"Adventures? The purple hare… and… The Ringmaster… mentioned those. What are they?" Ragatha takes that one, having finished her quiet discussion with Pomni.



"Oh! Those are basically activities that Caine designs to keep us all entertained and active! Something to distract from the thoughts of being basically stuck here with no way out and no chance to ever return to our lives as they once were…" She starts by affecting a large smile and waving her arms around, before slowly losing energy and basically whispering the end.



Zooble gives her a comforting pat and a concerned look, while Catnap's mouth turns into a small, hard line and his eyebrows furrow. His tail curls into what looks like a question mark, while his face shows some concern towards her.



I decide to take that as a good sign to his character and to his future with the group. Kinger interrupts what would be his third question in a row, by raising one of his floating hands and waving it around, much like a student trying to get the attention of a teacher.



Catnap simply stares at him and, after a moment where he seems to be remembering something from his past, lets out a chuckle and waves his tail towards Kinger while showing a small smile.



"Oh, it's my turn? Well, do you like bugs!? And if so, which is your favorite!? I quite like butterflies, you see…"



I smile when I hear a light giggle come from Ragatha at that. Leave it to Kinger to know how to lighten the mood even when he might not even know why it was so heavy to begin with!



Catnap seems to agree with some of my thoughts, because his lips curl upwards while his white pupils begin to glow and widen.



"Yes… I'd say that I enjoy bugs." His smile turns into more of a smirk then, as his tail lazily sways above him. "My favorite… might just be… bees."



I chuckle at the pun, while Kinger hums and sends a big thumbs up towards the empty sofa.



Gathering my courage, I decide to ask him something that has been… hehe… bugging me slightly for a while now.



"Catnap… Caine didn't give you that name, right? W-Why did you choose… that?"



Almost instantly, the mood shifts. His tail turns towards me while his eyes go black and his smile grows wider but far more menacing than before. Ragatha, Pomni and I all shrink back into the couches, while Zooble and oddly enough, Kinger, shift forward.



Catnap's voice now is far rougher, filled with crackling static that I can't imagine is natural, mostly because it simply wasn't there before…



"I… did not… name myself. I… had this name… forced… onto me." Sharp teeth glint from his suddenly very wide mouth, his pupils appearing as if mere pinpricks of light inside his hollow eye sockets. "However… I made… that name… my own… in retribution."



He stares at us all, those that are cowering away, and those that aren't. He lets out a small huff and forces himself into placidity. Things are silent for a time, before he focuses his full attention on Zooble, which draws a small, almost unnoticeable flinch from them. "Go… ahead. Ask your… final question. I grow… tired… of this."



Zooble shakes themself and then sets their shoulders, sending a look towards me, before hardening their eyes to finally ask the question that had been burning in both our minds since Caine found him next to the two of us.



"This is about what was said earlier, when me and Gangle found you." They wait, forcing themself into giving Catnap the courtesy to refuse if he wants to, but all they get is a tired, flat stare and a small rolling motion of his tail, as if saying 'get on with it'.



"Caine and Bubble both said you had a 'non human mind'. Care to explain what they mean with that and how it doesn't make you an NPC or some other sort of AI that got dropped here to *SPROINK* with our lives some more?"



While Zooble was probably a little bit too harsh on their wording, I was also extremely curious about that. Slowly, I scoot forward from where I had basically hid myself away.



Kinger is startled by something unseen by the rest of us, while Ragatha and Pomni both lean forward slightly to fully face Catnap.



Once again, his posture changes, but now it's like he's carrying a heavy weight that brings his entire body down. The silence lingers as they see just how tired he actually seems to be.



He doesn't leave us in suspense for long, though, as much as the following answer would make me wish we never got a response at all…



"I said… I am a toy. That… is the… truth. But it's not… all of it." He goes to say something before stopping and seeming to think better on it. "I am… an experiment… to create… a better… children's toy. My mind… is human, but only… a small part. Make of that… what you will. I'm… going to… rest now."



And with that he gets up from the couch, eyes still dark, tail almost limp and shoulders tight with tension. He turns back slightly at one point, to say what though, none of us would ever know, because Caine chooses that moment to appear and whisk him away with an exclamation about having forgotten to give him the 'Digital Circus Tourtm​'.



Did he get ripped apart just to produce a children's toy?



I can feel how my eyes want to well up with tears but remain dry, except for the usual large tears that hang at their corners. I find that quite odd, since Ragatha is clearly crying on Kinger's shoulder, to his visible concern and confusion.



Zooble looks at me with shaking hands, apparently just as shocked by what they heard, or rather, just as shocked by what was implied. Pomni, though, has her face set in an angry frown, having gone the other way in terms of feelings.



Their reactions make me wonder about my own… Maybe it was the sheer shock of that revelation, maybe it just combined with the excitement of the day and the sadness of the funeral to turn into this… awful feeling that won't even let my tragedy mask shed tears.



"I… I hope that Caine doesn't overwhelm Cat- him… He looked so tired when he left." I wonder who said that, before noticing the others have turned towards me. Oh, I must've been the one to say that, then…



I decide to continue my thoughts, my whole being feeling almost as if cut from cold stone, when I notice the question showing itself on Zooble's worried face. "I won't call him Catnap. Not unless he himself says it's okay."



Pomni looks at me and nods, giving her own stance on the matter. "He said he made that name his own, but none of us remember our actual names when we arrive. If he says that we should call him that, I will. But not a moment before then."



Zooble and Ragatha both nod at her, Ragatha having finally recovered from her bout of crying. Between all of us, she looks the most like a toy after all, so I can only admire her strength.



When we all head back to our rooms in order to process today's revelations, we hear Kinger say from behind, "I hope Caine can find him some bees to look at!"



I find myself feeling a little better at that thought. Maybe, Caine's sheer positive energy will help distract him from what must have happened… outside, before he ended up here.



Ragatha lets out a small smile, while Pomni nods with determination in her eyes.



"That's all we can really do." Zooble says, looking off at where Cat- HE was a moment before.



And that really is all we can do… for now.

 

[fanjdenj]

Absolutely love how quick they are on the uptake.

 

[bugmenot]

Absolutely love how quick they are on the uptake.

Click to shrink...

Well, it's not like Catnap hid any information from them, now did he?

 

[bugmenot]

When his surroundings suddenly change, Catnap doesn't even find enough energy within himself to so much as jump at being kidnapped by the Ringmaster, only managing a small flinch while curling his tail tightly around his body.



How disgusting…



How low has he fallen, that a simple conversation could bring him down like this? The once frightening toy almost laughs at how pathetic he must look then, hugging himself with his tail and shivering like a kitten abandoned in the cold.



Oh, how Father would tear into him if he got caught like this… Catnap scoffs quietly at the nearly instinctive thought.



How could he, when Father isn't here to control his thoughts and punish him for the wrong actions!? Furthermore, why would Father even do that when he already said he had no more use for a trembling failure.



… But for all that his thoughts turn to his Father when it comes to pain, the honor of occupying his digital brain the most goes to him and those shining memories of their peaceful times together. Fragile things he still hangs onto with great desperation.



Perhaps he is at the forefront of his mind even more so now, in fact, because Catnap knew that he would laugh at his distress. At how ridiculous the fact that the only ones who might actually hug him, like he's so desperately trying to fake with his own tail, were all dead or locked away. Betrayed either by Catnap's own actions and the poppy gas, or by his orders.



He would be howling at the irony of Catnap acting like his many victims had in their last moments…



So many of them would go on to take their own lives while in captivity, in a final act of defiance. Others would plead with the cat in desperation, useless to the end. Yet all of them would become food for the other living toys within the factory.



Why would he need to fear Father, when a passing thought of how much he must hate him was so much more painful?



Catnap can still feel the stare of the Ringmaster on his back even as he is lost thinking of the past. Mostly because the oversized pair of dentures is blabbering in a continuous stream of consciousness, that reminds him so much of Kickin' whenever one of them got him talking about his favorite sport.



Poor Kickin'… Now that he is far away from the factory, and the influence Father had on him, the feline critter can recognize why the chicken might've made the choices that he did.



Before Catnap's mind can fall further and further down a spiral of bittersweet memories, he feels the Ringmaster lightly poke his shoulder, asking for an opinion on what he was being shown during the tour.



The morose critter can just barely muster enough motion to count as a nod, all the while silently cursing at having accepted to answer any questions about himself.



Even worse was that he had allowed himself to be taken by nostalgia, viewing those toys as parts of his friends before they died.



That had only driven him deeper into the clutches of memories he'd tried to suppress…



All the while, Father's training forbade him from expressing anything that could be taken as a weakness beyond the broadest of strokes.



Catnap had learned how to keep his shoulders from shaking to not give anything away. Father reminded him constantly that a toy of his station couldn't, or rather, shouldn't, act like a human after all.



Even smaller things, like showing joy at seeing specific toys were mistakes that were to be avoided. That was the one which hurt the feline the most of all…



He notices the Ringmaster slow down enough that the feline's attention is brought back to something that must have been in front of him for a couple of minutes by now.



Another one of the wonders of Father's training is how the purple critter can retain enough presence of mind to register and respond to things through any overwhelming emotion, up to a point.



"A… room?" The image stamped on the front of the door, featuring Catnap in the new body, clearly marks it as his. But why was it being shown off now and not at the end of this… 'tour'?



His silent question must've been far louder than he thought, mostly because of the answer he gets. "Well, my somniferous slinky, you seem like you could use some rest! Bubble said that they customized the whole room as an apology!" The Ringmaster then opens the door to Catnap's room.



Showing a slice of hell.



As the toy slowly walks towards the center of the room, his ears fold back completely while thoughts of rage and fear flit through his mind at that creature making things worse without even trying…



'Bubble', he would remember the one who was the one responsible for what's in front of him at that very moment. Walls covered in, or rather, made from, many colorful blocks. Multiple mobiles shaped like stars and moons hang from the ceiling.



And there, in the center of the room, stood the worst reminder of all, a purple bed, shaped like a cat's paw with small, cat eared cushions arrayed on top.



The feline's mind, once it fully internalizes what it is seeing, begins to break. Before him lay a perfect copy of his den in the factory…



Catnap had already been teetering on the edge after suffering some heavy blows from the earlier conversation. The realization that all of Father's teachings can't stop the rising tide only pushes him further.



No. Not again… He couldn't. He refused!



Because Catnap knew that in this new place, he had no real work to do, there were no patrols or judgments to take him across the grounds, no… visits to be made either to him or to Father. In this room, he was stuck with only his hurtful thoughts, which were already speeding towards madness.



With a terrible screech of fury and horror resounding through the room, the cat launches forward with claws extended, larger and sharper than ever, and moves to destroy the room around him, this living monument to a life now past.



With every strike that rips into the solidified memories in front of him, that scream of his grows rougher and scratchier, as if it was shot through with radio static.



Despite the overwhelming rage, the feline saw how with each and every piece of furniture he broke, he only made it look more like it had once been, back in that hell.



Those memories slowly becoming more and more vivid only made things worse. Soon enough, his surroundings had become fuzzier and more distant, while his fury and despair only seemed to grow and grow…



Through failing senses and a buzzing head, Catnap could still feel his stained hands. He hates the fact that this was what he deserves. Accepting it was just too much.



The mere idea that this is to be the punishment for his sins only inflamed his emotions higher.



As he gets lost in destruction, his body begins to change and shift erratically. Twitching, his limbs elongate and shorten, claws sharpen and dull simultaneously… Lost in a war with himself, his eyes shine with unnatural colors.



Catnap notices none of this, dedicated to wiping out the recollections burning bright in front of him, and he might've never had the chance to understand what happened if not for the room's second occupant.



With a resounding finger snap, the room turns into an odd white and green wire mesh of lines; simple shapes that evoke no memories of horror and blood.



Catnap's eyes shoot from side to side, pupils no more than pinpricks of intense, shining light, when he hears a voice behind him quickly exclaim something about how a change of pace could help with peace.



Was that the bunny?



No, no… It was probably someone else, but he cannot put any real focus on figuring out who that was, not at this moment. The reason for that lack of attention is the second snap that happens and how a whole bouquet of sensations are suddenly slammed against him. Sensations that he had nearly forgotten about.



The feel of grass! The sun, heating his body! The wind against his fur…



For the purple critter, at this point in his life, he'd spent far more time as a toy locked away in the depths of a factory than as a free human. Recently, he had even begun to forget his human name!



But, some memories still remain. Some memories he had made sure would persist, no matter how painful they might've been whenever something dug them up.



One of those that he'd made sure to keep safe, was of how beautiful some places in the outside world could be, especially when compared to the hell that the factory became. Though, if he had to be honest, he was not sure if he had possibly imagined some of those things.



Catnap had… locked these sights away deep inside him. It was easier to not think about those sorts of things once escape became a distant dream, and hope turned into nothing more than sweet poison.



However, when panic and conditioning both threatens to overtake him, it is this overwhelming tide of a nearly lost returned sensation that breaks him from his rampage.



All at once, his senses are screaming at him to take in all that he can, as much as is possible. The demand grows so loud inside his mind that something soon gives out.



The enraptured feline falls to his hands and knees then; seeking to touch more of the grass. To let his body soak more of the soak in the sun, even shooting his tail out as far as it goes.To open his eyes as far as they go and witness more of the open field in front of him.



It is then that he feels something hot slide from his eyes and against his nose, falling on the back of his paw, wetting the fur there.



He freezes. What even were these? Was he… crying?



He knows that is the truth near instantly, even though he still tries to deceive himself by thinking that it is just blood. This argument is easily dismantled when he knows that he had not cut into himself or anyone else, recently.



The next explanation that he pushes forward to try and keep a semblance of power is how it is simply water falling from broken pipes. Unfortunately, there is no plumbing to be found in the large open field that is suddenly surrounding them.



A few moments pass where his fur continues to grow moist, his shoulders shake and his chest shudders. He cannot lie to himself anymore, he is crying.



When he thinks of that, Catnap startles, turning with a sudden, graceless spin nearly sending him falling onto his face, before he looks up at Caine. Who, according to the other toys, was the creator of this entire place.



Someone who is, right now, just floating there above him. Apparently very shocked at his guest's reaction to everything that's happening.



Although, when he stops to think about it, why wouldn't Caine look like that, when this entire place is normal to him? When he has enough power on his own, to make all of this be what is normal for the toys under his protection.



Catnap knows he doesn't really help with Caine's shock once he starts to laugh at the revelation. Rough, loud cackles, turned wet and haunting by his tears.



Tears… Real tears! Falling from eyes that were once too mangled to accomplish such a feat without agony shooting through him.



How impossible a sight, how wonderful a feeling! If only his friends were here to share in this blessing! Oh, how Hoppy would've adored the open space for new games! The joyful feline just knew that Crafty would be impossible to pry away from her canvas with such beautiful sights!



And he would have…



… If he was here, Catnap might finally be able to beg for his forgiveness with the appropriate amount of emotion.



Through all of this, as so many thoughts of guilt run around his head and spill from his eyes, he continues to laugh like a broken toy.



Through blurry eyes, he sees Caine panicking, when a thought comes to him.



Maybe this was all a hallucination… One last dream before the dark fully claimed him after Father gave up on his survival. Maybe he was breaking down and the last dregs of his consciousness were trying to bring a bit of light into his miserable existence…



However, even if this was just a dream that he saw before dying, he should appreciate it for being better than the cold, lonely darkness he'd expected. Catnap should actually thank Caine in the case, for giving him such a beautiful sight.



Even if nothing that he could give would ever be enough to match the gift he was presented with…



"Ah! Please excuse me, my kooky kitten! Let me just take you back to somewhere else in the circus and we can stop going insane, yes!?" The moment Caine starts to raise his fingers to make his threat a reality, however, the feline rushes to assume a pose he thought would never again be used.



Catnap rises onto his knees, opens his arms wide to the sides, and lifts his head, eyes still flowing with tears, to stare up at Caine. No… to stare up at GOD, begging with all of his strength for him to stop and reconsider!



To leave him outside for even a few minutes longer, to allow him to experience this wondrous place some more. To, if nothing else, give so much as another second of freedom under the light of the sun.



God actually freezes then, stunned by either his actions or his words, the feline critter cannot say. What he can and does say, however, is how grateful he is to see the fingers that were once poised to snap and remove him from this slice of heaven, moving away from each other.



"Alright-y then, you baffling beasty… But not for too long now, okay?" Catnap feels his mouth instantly move to protest, even as his mind rebels against doing so towards a god, especially one that acquiesced to his desires.



But his body remains frozen, still in a pose of worship and reverence, one that had been tainted first by memories of small requests gone unfulfilled, then by moment where he is told to punish his friends, and finally by the feeling of sharp fingers piercing through his spine and dragging him away.



This time, though, the cat's protests are stopped before ever fully forming. God simply pinches at air and turns his hand to the side like one would when lowering the volume on a radio, but now far more literally to his fearful words.



God's teeth slowly form into a bright smile before he continues speaking, still energetic but now in a much softer tone. "We still have many, many things to explore outside, after all! This is just the entrance of the circus! I'm sure you'll love the other ones, too!"



What could the feline do then but stretch his mouth in the widest smile possible, eyes still shining with tears, and agree?



Catnap simply stands back up, dusts off his paws and breathes out slowly, placing his emotions back under strict control. When that is done, he nods to Caine, who had been waiting for him to continue with the tour.



After that… particularly ungainly breakdown, Catnap notices that Caine stares at him from time to time during the renewed tour.



Caine shows off the digital lake and while Catnap is simply looking at the sand shift around his paws, the sensation of being watched is there.



When they transition to the digital carnival and the amazed feline stares at the entire fairgrounds from the highest point in the Ferris wheel, he is being stared at in turn.



It is only after Catnap eats some of the carnival food being offered, that he snaps from the now blissful haze and focuses back onto the one who made it all possible.



"Caine." The Ringmaster appears startled at being talked to. Though both of them had been silent, Caine seemed far less used to the silence he had chosen during this part of the tour.



The feline is now staring straight at the Ringmaster's wide eyes. "I… am not the best… when it comes to feelings. Not like… my friends were. I still feel the need… to say something."



Caine stumbles while floating along, and sends his cane crashing through an empty cabin nearby, frantically gesticulating with his arms on how Catnap had the wrong idea about things and was surely exaggerating. Oddly enough commenting how there was no need to imitate the moon in her mannerisms.



However, the suddenly brave critter does something that he never could have before. Not towards someone so far above him in power and authority.



Something that would've made Bobby smile wide before joining in herself…



He hugs Caine tight. Using his tail, he pulls them both closer together, he uses the position that puts his head next to Caine's and starts talking.



"Thank you." That freezes the Ringmaster in place, allowing for Catnap to release the hug and pull back enough to stare him in the eyes.



"You have shown me… how heavenly this place is. I can do nothing… but thank you, again and again… for what you have created. For all of us… that are in your care."



With his piece said, the cat releases him completely, lightly smiling at how baffled Caine looks after that.



With a low hum, Catnap turns towards the place where he saw the cane flying off, allowing the Ringmaster some time alone to recover from the shock.



Once he finally finds it sticking out of the top of a smaller tent he tries to use his tail to grab the walking stick from its improvised resting place, when he hears a loud snap and both him and Caine are back inside The Circus, yet again standing in front of his room.



Instantly, the cat's body flinches back from the door. He stares at the Ringmaster, floating next to him, his ears pressed back against his head, the question he wants to ask visible in how he hunches his shoulders and steps away from the room.



"Don't you worry, my curiously caring cat companion! I have decided to allow you the great honor of… DESIGNING YOUR VERY OWN ROOM!!! C&Atermsandconditionsstillappliedofcourse ​. What do you say about this!?!?"



Catnap nodded gratefully. He would have even slept in a hospital room, if only to avoid being surrounded by those memories. Having the chance to design his resting spot was much better than he was expecting.



"That's GRRRRRRREAT! For this project, you may choose three different colors, two… animals! Yes, two animals and one style! So, what do you want, Catnap?"



While staring at the door to get an idea that would be as far from the bad memories as possible, the feline's eyes wander over his cartoonish picture. That takes his mind to both his friends and the cartoon they all 'star in', solving his new room problems at once.



"Red bear… orange and brown dog… with the style… cartoonish." Caine nods approvingly and snaps his fingers, before doing a double take towards Catnap. "Wait a minute! Dog? But don't cats dislike dogs!?"



When the very amused cat raises a paw to cover his face and his shoulders start to shake with suppressed laughs, the Ringmaster is left even more confused, but simply shrugs it off to another oddity from the oddest circus performer yet, and urges him to open the door and praise his efforts!



With a light shake of his head, Catnap opens the door and notes that, beyond all the other powers he has noticed Caine use, he can add mind reading to that list.



Once again, he is stunned by the room in front of him. This time, however, it's because of how different it looks from before. A soft red carpet cushions the floor. Above the light brown walls arches an orange ceiling with a sun and clouds that remind him of the outside.



The bed is off the one wall, shaped more like a giant beanbag and colored in an inviting mix of reds and oranges.



And set on top of the bed are three things. Two of them make the purple critter smile softly, while the third makes him freeze. Those being, plush toys in the likeness of his closest friends and a large necklace with a crescent moon pendant.



Caine once again shows off his talents of either telepathy, or of simply being able to read Catnap's expressions, and explains the odd item placed on his new bed.



"You see, my little lunatic friend! This is both a small joke and a… thank you… to repay you for what happened! I chose the moon because you seemed to be just as affectionate as her! Whichiswaytoomuchifyouaskme!​ And it also works as a 'cat bell' if you knock your paws against it, hilarious!!"



Feeling quite bemused by the whole situation, he can only give the Ringmaster a small grin when putting the necklace on. "How very… considerate of you, sir. Thank you again… for all the gifts. May I rest, now? This day has been… longer than usual for me."



With a light pat between the ears, Catnap is pushed forwards onto bed, while a blanket covers the entirety of his body. "Of course, this was a day full of many emotions!! Rest up, because tomorrow, I'm going to prepare a special adventure for one of my maddening marauders, so make sure to sleep and gather your energy for FUN!!"



Later, when Catnap has found a comfortable position on his bed, hugging both plushies tight against his chest, he has the clarity of mind to realize how the entire situation could've been much worse.



Especially when he knows that by having his emotions swing from the lows of a depression, to the heights of manic hysteria, would cloud his mind and change how he responded to Caine. More than the sleepy feline realizing how much the Ringmaster actually did for them already had, that is.



However, he would neither allow himself to regret the actions he took at that moment, nor the words he said to someone who appeared to work so very hard to keep them all happy in this place.



If anything, his biggest regret was leaving him behind. Locked in hell, with only the Prototype to keep watch over him. But such thoughts were unproductive and only brought pain. Better to listen to the Ringmaster and sleep.



As Catnap slowly closed his eyes and allowed sleep to claim him while hugging dolls of those he cherished most, a thought swam through his mind that maybe, just maybe, there could be a chance of him arriving here as well…

================================================================================================================================================================

Author's note: This one took a little longer than the others, but that's the price you guys pay for chapters that aren't only a few hundred words at most! For all the help and support given to me, I thank my editor Morte_Perpetua for being a sweetheart!

Beyond that, I will try to be a little kinder to the resident fluffball of angst and claws. Keyword here, TRY. >:3


Also, I want to end this with a question for you guys and gals out there!
Who from the critter crew do you think would do the WORST and who would do the BEST if they ended up in the Circus?

I think that Bubba is the one who would do worse from all the critters, mostly because of how logical I view him as. The one who would do best has to be Bobby. She would give out SO MANY HUGS TO EVERYONE!!

 

[bugmenot]

Author's Note:

Spoiler

I'm REALLY sorry about the time this took to upload, everyone!!

This is one of my longest chapters so far and I hope that the trend of longer chapter = longer wait, doesn't repeat…



This chapter just grew and grew, but it decided to torture and fight me with every new paragraph.

Enjoy this chapter and know that the next one is already in production, so no need to fear a whole month of waiting again!

Gangle POV

I wake up bright and early, mask repaired and mostly ready to face the new day as well as whatever crazy adventures Caine throws at us.



While heading out to the main hall I notice the room for… our newest friend in the long hallway. I want to knock, but before my ribbon can touch the wood, I hesitate.



The last time I saw him, the feline looked so tired. If he isn't up yet I do not want to risk disturbing his much needed rest. With a small nod and a smile thrown towards the door, I turn away from it.



"Hello… Gangle."



Only to let out a squeak of fright and almost drop my sketchbook when I end up face to face with the mysterious stranger. I cannot help but shiver slightly at his voice, my happy mask not helping at all with the jumble of feelings it still gives me. The moment I see my dropped pencil being offered back to me sends my mind to the many comics and books that have a scene like this…



No! Get your head back in the game! Don't wanna risk this being a repeat of when you first met Jax, right?



"H-Hello Ca– Hmmm…" He tilts his head at my sudden mumbling, sending those fluffy looking ears flopping to the side.



Trying to give my best serious business look, I focus on his eyes instead. "Is it okay… For me to call you Catnap? I don't want to bring up bad memories, ya know?"



When I see him starting to frown, I rush to explain myself, my ribbons flapping about in sharp motions. "I-It's just that after what you said we were unsure about your name! N-Not to say that Catnap isn't a good name o-or anything!"



I try to continue, when a super soft purple paw lands on my shoulder, instantly shutting me up with a full body shudder.



His face though, doesn't look angry or even like Jax's before he messes with me. Just a small, tight smile and glowing eyes that demand my attention.



"It's alright. Just call me… Catnap. Put that… conversation behind us."



I'm quick to agree, if only so he lets go and I can wrangle my imagination back from where it decided to run towards. Once I'm sure that my mask isn't as red as my ribbons, we move on. That was a task made much harder by Catnap keeping pace, staring at me the whole time!



The walk towards the seating area feels infinitely longer with the awkward silence hanging between us. Even though I'm nearly certain that he doesn't notice that at all, lost as he is in the scenery.



When we finally get there, I sit down on the couch facing the hallways and focus on setting up my tools to try and sketch something cute. Despite the… comments I would get back then, this was still a very relaxing activity to lose myself in. The fact that I could put my creativity to full use was also nice! Unfortunately, it didn't pay the bills…



As the image comes together, I look back up to my only morning companion. Catnap is slowly running his paws along one of the couches as well as lightly poking it with his claws.



I have to hold back a giggle when I imagine him as an actual cat that found a new scratching post.



Oh! That's a good idea. You haven't worked on natural sketches in a while!



With my chosen subject firmly in mind, and in sight, I quickly lose track of the next half hour. I only notice how much time has passed when I hear Ragatha greeting us.



"Oh! Hi, guys! Did I startle you two? I didn't expect to see anyone else here…"



I shake my head, making sure to close my sketchbook before either of them can see what I was drawing. "It's fine, Ragatha. I got up early and met with Catnap outside of his room. Neither of us wanted to wake you guys up, so we came here."



For a second, I don't understand the look she's sending me. But when she points her eyes at the bemused feline next to me, I make the connection.



And so does Catnap.



"From what I understand… you are under the… impression… that my name is… offensive to me. You are… greatly mistaken."



He shakes his head, tail slowly whipping around behind him before continuing. That dang deep voice of his making even such a simple admonishment hit harder.



"I take it… the others have also… assumed the same. As I said… that name is mine, now."



I can see how Ragatha cringes from the dressing down while I bring my sketchbook up to hide my mask, mumbling an apology.



He sighs and rubs a paw against his face before continuing in a softer tone. "No need to… apologize. Simply… drop the subject."



As we agree he simply takes a seat and tilts his head up, observing the many floating pieces of debris and soap bubbles near the ceiling of the tent.



After a while Ragatha slowly pulls me into a conversation about some of the changes Caine had made to the circus recently. Removing most of the vases and statuettes from smaller corridors being one of them which pulls a grumble from Catnap and a small giggle from me, much to her confusion.



As time passes with just the two of us talking, Ragatha tries to pull him into the conversation by asking about any hobbies he might have.



The moment he mentions sculpting and drawing, I just know that my smile must have broadened beyond the borders of my face! He is an artist just like me!



"No need to look so… impressed. I was better… at drawing, but still an amateur… at both. What about… you two?"



As I start talking about my art - what little I can talk about without wanting to jump into the void at least - I notice how his expression slowly freezes in place.



While Ragatha is giggling when I describe some of the funnier challenges I dealt with, Catnap just… doesn't react.



Or rather, he does, but not to what I'm saying.



I'm reminded of a time when I visited my great-grandpa and how he'd stare through me, smiling at something only he could see.



I'll say this much about her, Ragatha is very perceptive. Because not long after he got that look, she doesn't say much beyond a small laugh or hum. Keeping her hands clenched all throughout.



Before we can grow too worried, however, he twitches and shakes his head, sending his steadily drooping ears back into a more alert state.



"Thanks… Craf– Gangle. But we should… let her speak, too, you know?"



Whoever you remind him of, they must have really loved art. Or at least talked about it often…



"There's no problem, really! I think she was just getting to the good –!" "I insist." Catnap makes sure to hold her attention until she continues, his tail slowly swaying in hypnotic fashion.



"… Uhmm. I really like Softball… I was even in a league for a while, too!" With a few small gestures, he skillfully encourages Ragatha to talk about herself instead of his own behavior.



I make the decision to keep what I learned to myself. If both of them want to simply ignore that slip-up, then I will too.



However, I really dislike having someone that could be a friend look so sad. One day I will find out more about his past and help him get over it!



Over the course of the ensuing conversation, the atmosphere gradually relaxes and the topics lose the unpleasant tone they had before. We are all interacting more naturally and I'd say that things are… pleasant.



Soon, the others start to finally arrive as well. First are Zooble and Pomni.



With a nod and a slow wave of his tail, Catnap signals for Ragatha to go explain the situation with his name as agreed during their conversation. It was only fair that they didn't force him to keep repeating himself again and again…



I can almost make out the moment Ragatha starts to talk with how Pomni's expression pinches shut. It takes until they are almost at the couches for Pomni to open back up. Though, it might be fair to say that comes more from the fluffy purple cat next to me agreeing with what was said.



While Zooble is settling down, my experience with cats helps interpret the head tilt he does while looking at them.



"Ah. Zooble's body can change parts. That's why they look different today!" He looks down towards his paws then, curling and stretching them out.



"Such gifts… we are given. Much greater… than our previous… anchors, I'm sure." That gets a scoff from Zooble and winces from me and Ragatha, Pomni only looking down at herself.



"Do you… not think so? Would you prefer… your old body?"



Whatever their response would've been is interrupted by Jax popping out from behind the couch, unfortunately acting like usual.



"BOOOORING!! Here I went through the effort of listening in, but you guys just wanna talk about boring things!!" He drapes himself over the pillows, miming a yawn. "Just ask poor Kinger! He thinks this is boring too!" He points towards Kinger then, trying and failing to fake a sad face.



"Hi, I'm Kinger!"



Zooble facepalms at that, while Catnap and Pomni let out a small chuckle at the absurdity of the whole situation. I won't ever admit to it if asked, but I did giggle a little bit as well.



I'm happy enough to try and act a little bit braver. "W-What wouldn't be 'boring' then?" The smile he gives me in return quickly makes me regret my decision, though…



"I'm glad you asked, ya wannabe yarn ball! Nobody here is thinking about the fun things these bodies can do! And please, get your mind out of the gutter, Gangle~!"



While I'm sputtering and trying to defend myself from that accusation, Zooble comes to my rescue. "Just *GLOINK*ing tell us what you wanna do. And chill it with those *BOING* jokes… they are not funny."



"Hehehe. What I'm saying is that we gotta find out how these cartoon bodies change when they get pushed beyond their limits!"



Catnap surprises me when he stands up. It feels a little mean to say this, but I almost imagined the couch rising with him. Maybe it's because they are both purple?



"I think… it's a good idea. Better to know now, than be surprised later. What do you say… Pomni?" If nothing else, I can see that the thought of him doing this alone lit a fire under her.



The first challenge they start with is seeing how far they can stretch. Pomni immediately shoots an ugly look towards Jax, while Catnap curls his tail around himself a few times.



They follow that with a jump height competition that the feline wins. Pomni accuses his animal body type of helped him out and he shamelessly agrees. After a short laugh, Jax suggests juggling and Pomni is who wins that one, followed by a small jab from Catnap about her Jester body type helping.



The challenges keep happening in that vein for a while, with nothing truly noteworthy being discovered and so I steadily drift back to drawing. When I look back up, both Pomni and Catnap are in a competition about holding their breaths. I giggle when I notice how puffed Pomni's cheeks are. Even Kinger appears to have joined in, though it is hard to tell with his lack of mouth.



Right after I've grabbed my sketchbook to draw those faces, she lets out a huge breath and starts gasping for air. Startling the cat next to her into breathing as well.



"I don't think I can hold it any longer!"



Right after she says that, Jax is quick to step in and stop his fun from being cut short. "Sure you can! You can't die from oxygen deprivation, remember~?"



"But it still feels like I'm gonna die…" Kinger is the one who speaks up this time, seemingly focused. "Try not thinking about it!"



But once again, Jax makes a nuisance of himself, this time targeting Catnap as well. "Or you two could toughen up! I wanna see what your funny cartoon body does!"



And he stretches out Catnap's arm, nearly getting a claw swipe to the head. Something that I honestly think would be well deserved.



Ragatha doesn't quite agree, though, since she gets between the two. "Hey now, take it easy! No need to fight."



It seems to work, surprisingly. The feline simply huffs at that and even Jax doesn't do more than mocking her before backing off as well. "Hey now, take it easy! That's you!"



"You should ignore… what your body demands. We are… more than our shells. Consider that… and it gets easier." With a nod, they both inhale deeply and give it a second go.



It starts simply enough, holding breaths with funny expressions and not much more. But soon Pomni's face begins changing colors, shifting through the rainbow faster and faster with time.



Catnap on the other hand, seems to turn completely black. Which is a bit… disappointing. I thought something more interesting would happen.



You can never let Jax know you agreed with him on this being amusing!



"Oh wow. Those look pretty good! Like the painting of the night sky I saw once. It even combines with your moon pendant, dude." Once Zooble says that I have to look back up from my sketches.



Apparently, while I was distracted doodling Pomni, small white dots had appeared and grown on his black fur. The whole thing actually looked really nice on him…



Jax.



I quickly hone back in on my sketchbook while Jax is explaining how everyone's body does something different. I only look back up when he gets called a coward for never showing off what happens with him.



"Hey, I wanna keep the mystery alive!" He then points off to the side. "What do YOU, the READERS think it is?" While I'm doodling a starry Catnap, Caine swoops in, full of energy.



"Why is everyone just standing around when there's adventure to be had!?!?" And then we are all at the foot of the main stage. I'm really thankful that he remembers to teleport us standing now…



"Today's adventure is 'The Mystery of Mildenhall Manor'!!! This big, spooky mansion has been rumored to be filled to the brim with paranormal activity!! It's up to you to solve its mysteries and capture all the ghoulish ghost activity you can!"



He then looks over all of us and starts to add in a conspiratorial tone. "And for the first time ever, you can…" He interrupts himself with a horrid concrete scraping sound coming from his eyes clipping through his closed mouth.



Then he's asking about where Zooble went off to since this was made for them, so they should enjoy it. I'm looking at Catnap, who is grimacing. Before I can ask if he's okay or take the chance to pat his head again, he waves me off with a tight smile.



"The… amalgamation… has left, sir. Should I…?" The heavy tone of derision in his voice startles me. The situation is made worse when Caine seems to actually consider it, growling lowly. The moment Bubble appears and distracts Caine, I'm a bit thankful to see Catnap flinching back from them.



Ragatha is next to him, though, and was already leaning down to talk quietly. Probably explaining why he shouldn't call them like that.



I hope she gets through… The way his whole demeanor changed was so sudden. From what few interactions we've had, I would never take him for a brute!



If you weren't such a coward, you could've dealt with that much more decisively.



I shake my head and walk towards the portal that appeared. It would do me no good to think about that. Nor how he had been staring at Caine the whole time.



On the other side of the portal is a very stereotypical spooky mansion. So much so that I would've had to hold in laughs. But beyond the barest of glances at the newest adventure, I'm looking at Catnap.



At how he interacts, dealing with the others personalities somewhat easily. Bickering with Jax and scoffing when he goes over to annoy Pomni and Ragatha. Commenting on what bugs could be found in a place this old to Kinger.



Always with that same clipped cadence and rough tone, something that seems to intensify when he gets angry. Which I have to admit he was when Zooble abandoned the adventure Caine made for them.



Why are you doing this to yourself? Make some distance.



It looks like, despite what I decided on before, I just can't pull my mind away from what Catnap did. I can only come up with two real reasons as to why that happened.



One of them has something to do with what little he told us of his time before arriving here. Which still terrifies me to think of. How there was a place that took people and turned into… into kid's toys! I can't even imagine how awful it was for them afterwards, when they understood what happened.



… It seems that not even my happy mask can stop me from making myself sad, huh?



You always knew that. Stop lying to yourself about why it happens.



With a full body shake, I clear my head. Though I have to disguise it as simply being creeped out when Catnap looks at me, his tail curled into a question mark.



It stops being just a cover soon after, when I hear soft giggles coming from nowhere and everywhere around me. "Does anyone else hear that?" I can see Catnap nodding before snapping towards the hall, claws out and shoulders set.



The laughing reaches a fever pitch when a horrifying ghost appears before two doors, forcing a wild take out of Pomni. The specter changes into a small, squishy looking ghost that introduces itself as Ghostly.



Off to the side, Catnap is smoothing down his fur, grumbling about how this 'was just like the minis all over again'. It paints the scene of a tiny Catnap giggling out of nowhere and scaring the bigger one. I can't help but laugh at that.



Unfortunately, nothing good lasts long… especially not with Jax around. The instant its introduction was finished, he sucked the little specter into a vacuum. Catnap and Ragatha both turned to stare, one far more pointed than the other.



"What? I thought we were supposed to capture all the ghosts?" Ragatha grumbles while the feline sighs.



"That was our guide. It would have been… better to wait… until the end." Even if I dislike the implication behind what he's saying, it would still be better than being aimless. I look between the two doors, wondering what Caine could've made for Zooble.



"Oh, I know how to solve that! Let me try something~!" I hear Jax say, before he plucks my mask off and hurls it through the door on the right.



Kinger, who had been trying to help Pomni with her eyes, decides to help me at the same time. All that happens, though, is both him and Pomni being sucked through the door, with it disappearing behind them.



Jax gets slapped by Catnap's tail then, followed by a warning to behave. For my own safety, I'm off to the side, but the retaliation I was expecting never comes.



Or rather, when it does happen, Jax is far less intense than he could've been.



"Ugh! You're way too bossy for being a stray cat! Don't try and act like you have authority here. This is a whole new world, so accept your place newbie~!" He then wraps an arm around the feline's shoulders. "No need to follow Rags here on how to behave, ya know~?"



Catnap brushes his arm away, a smirk solidly in place. "Sorry… but no. I know how you rabbits… behave." The startled look he gets from Jax almost makes me smile. But I could do without thinking of Jax like that. Ragatha and I are then forced to follow after Jax's sinister laughter or get left behind in the hall.



In the wake of many empty corridors with the same creaking floorboards, I sigh. Ragatha, as always, is quick to respond to any perceived distress. "Hey now… I'm sure Pomni and Kinger will get your mask! And we gotta keep positive! Nothing actually scary has happened so far."



Following more kicked-in doors, Jax decides to add his own two cents. "Bah! Caine was never good with horror. I haven't even had to deal with other ghosts! Just some floating objects that drop down as soon as I get near… so not cool!"



"You really… remind me of him." That seems to pique all our curiosities.



"Oh ho~? Come on now, Cat-without-a-hat, who are you comparing me to?" The cat in question chuckles, before wiping the smirk from Jax's face with his next few words.



"He was a cowardly chicken. He always acted cool… but in the end… he was one of the first to… lose himself…" As the words drift off, the cat clenches his mouth shut and walks further away from us. Jax just tsks, moving towards a different corridor.



I look towards Ragatha's worried face and whisper. "H-Hey Ragatha… was it just me, or did Jax act super weird during that? I- I mean, like… he didn't really even get angry being called a coward."



She scrunched her face, replying slowly, then with certainty. "He did act weird, but we can never tell what he's thinking. This could be the setup for another one of his pranks." With her piece said, she called out for Catnap to wait and I had no choice but to follow.



The silence lingered between the three of us for about ten minutes of our walk. Surprisingly being broken by Catnap himself. "Excuse me… for leaving you all behind. These memories… they have an awful habit… of sneaking up on me."



While Ragatha says there is no need for apologies, I take a deep breath and push forward. "Can… can you tell me why? I- I mean, us. Can you tell us why? Earlier you called me by a different name, and now with Jax…" As soon as I finish saying that, I can feel Ragatha's eyes burning into me.



"Oh, but if you don't want to, there is no need, Catnap! I'm sure that Gangle wouldn't mind at all–!" Something in the way she suddenly pauses sets me on edge. As I'm looking around for a new ghost, I notice that Catnap froze in place. Or he was frozen, at first, before the wooden door started cracking around his paws.



"She wouldn't mind, you say? Hilarious… I would mind, however. Because I know… these memories will haunt me… still. And I… make my own choices… now." He pulls his paws away from the ruined door and turns to face us. There was nothing here for me to hide behind, the only choice left was to meet his gaze fully. "Unlike the first time… I will not… answer directly. All that I say… is that I have chosen… to carry my ghosts close. As a heavy reminder… and treasure alike."



He finally breaks whatever hold his eyes had on me and Ragatha by turning away. He stares at the shards from the door. I watch as his face falls. "I refuse… to become worse… than the monster I was before." He reaches out to us, before pulling back. "Now… let's continue… Caine's adventure. It would not do… to spit on his efforts… by ignoring the sights."



With a sharp turn, he trudged ahead, shoulders hunched and head bowed. I can't help the whisper that leaves me at the sight. "He looks… smaller, doesn't he?" Ragatha nods, wringing her hands with every look she gives him. The way he acts now is familiar to me.



He reminds you of yourself.



I think that suffering through these awkward silences is making me have actual digital hallucinations. I swear those paintings are looking at… me.



"Uhhh… Ragatha? Is it just me or are those paintings looking right at us?" Her calling Catnap back is a sign that I'm unfortunately right…



"Yes? Why… did you call me?" When we ask him if he noticed anything odd, he stares at us like we're crazy. "I… do not know… what is odd to you. If you mean… the paintings, then yes. But I… have not seen… any ghosts like our guide." For a moment there I really want to facepalm. I was just letting him guide us through what is basically his very first adventure!



Ragatha steps forward then, with a smile in place. "Ah, right! Caine said that we had to capture any ghostly activity, but I don't think he meant it literally. Unlike Jax… I suppose we just need to find the ghost in charge of this place and talk with them! By the look of the manor, they could be in one of the main rooms…"



Catnap turns to a different corridor, those little ears twitching again. "Go ahead… then. If you know… where they are. I will head… towards Jax. I've been listening… to his censored grumbles… for a while now." I guess those fluffy ears aren't just decoration.



"I wonder what could've gotten Jax… Maybe we'll find a clue to the mystery with him?" Yet again, we head off with Catnap in front. This time, however, Ragatha walks next to him and explains how the adventures work. All the while explaining any art pieces and ancient looking furniture the purple feline asks about.



Before they can enter the room, she has apparently gathered enough courage to stop Catnap. Putting a hand on his shoulder, she looks at both of us. "I… I just wanna say sorry. For what I said earlier, I mean. Before Jax can interfere, at least. I didn't want to imply anything bad… Sorry, Catnap. Sorry, Gangle."



I can see the instant her face falls when he removes her hand from his shoulder. But… I also see how he does it carefully, slowly sighing out before facing her.



"I accept. But, there is no need… to apologize… Ragatha. My own faults… are not on your shoulders." And then the dastardly feline abuses our love for cute things. I find it really unfair how, even after everything he told us, that he still has such a nice smile.



"I should actually… thank you. The both of you… as well as Jax. You all remind me… of old friends. And I prefer the pain of remembering… than the relief of forgetting." All this, right before making his best Jax impression and kicking the door in. I can't even laugh at how Jax jumps at that without encouraging Catnap to do it again!



I choose to hang back with the smug cat as Ragatha half-heartedly struggles with the ropes around Jax. From how the feline's shoulders are shaking I know his opinion on freeing the captured bunny.



"Gah!! Jax, what even did this to you!? These ropes are impossible to untie! What were you thinking running ahead like that?" I don't know if the following long censor bleep is a condemnation of language used or an achievement for Jax… But it sure does make Ragatha's decision to just leave him tied up much easier.



With a soft poke, I watch Catnap hold up a length of fabric and gesture towards Jax's face with a smirk. From the accompanying shower of bleeps, Jax also noticed.



Once Ragatha has stepped away from the potty mouth hare, the cat approaches him. Finally done with his chuckling fit, he offers his claws to free Jax. The moment his claws touch the ropes, however, a frown appears.



"This rope is… oddly strong." Ignoring Jax's cries of rage at him not trying hard enough, he just shakes his paws and addresses the three of us. "Could it be… a gimmick… as you told me? Jax… was this a trap… or… did a ghost do this?"



With a huff and another cute wiggle, Jax admits that a bigger ghost got him. "She was just here, too! Taunting me with the vacuum. When I get my hands on that ghost…!" But if the spirit was just here, talking with Jax, wouldn't that mean… I swing back and get really disappointed when I see nothing there.



Catnap just tilts his head at my action, while Jax chuckles maliciously and Ragatha just sighs. "HA! You really are obsessed if you thought that trope would work! Caine might be full of clichés, but still~!"



"W-Well… You never know with Caine! Can you at least say where the ghost went after it did this? I r-really don't want to be stuck here…"



While I'm begging for Jax to help us and he's trying to get me to untie him, Catnap steps out. Ragatha is about to follow when the sound of a bell rings out followed by him calling for the ghost.



"What is that idiot even thinking? If it was that easy we would already be out of this worthless adventure! Hey Rags, go grab that crazy cat before he– MMPH!" When Jax lets out that muffled scream I stumble back from the suddenly there spirit. A very disappointed looking one, at that.



"I see that you have not learned your lesson little hare. But if you also insist upon verbally attacking a mostly polite guest, then you can stay in time out. What say you, will you also be a problematic guest?"



I can only scramble for a fitting response when Catnap pipes up from the doorway. "No… Ma'am. We shall strive to be… better guests than him. Right, Gangle? Ragatha?" What can either of us do but nod? That is still an unfair smile to use…



After some scavenging, I find a kid's handcart and let Catnap put Jax inside. As miss ghost lets out a titter and gestures for us to follow her, I'm forced to wonder… Why are some of Caine's adventures like this, slower, quieter, while others just aren't? He has to know we don't like the chaos, right?



Lost in my own head, I only notice we stopped when I smack into Catnap's fuzzy back. "This here is one of our smaller dining rooms. Nothing better than having somewhere cozy to sit after all that walking, no~? Also, little kitten? I'd appreciate not having the things here be scratched… They are far more fragile than a door, after all!"



You can never let him or Jax see the drawings you will make from this situation…



The muffled chuckling from Jax only grows louder when the feline pushes him to a corner of the room. Ragatha looks at me and gestures at the table with intent. After getting a very confused look from me, she starts setting the table with the refined specter. "Please, do excuse the mess, dearies. God knows how hard it is to find good help these days… Especially after being dead for so long!"



Oh! That plot hook could be just what we need to complete the adventure. "Uhmm… I'm sorry miss…" "Martha Mildenhall, dear" "… M-Miss Martha, but could you tell us about that? About your life and… d-death, I mean?"



"I see, for your investigation, yes? Only after teatime is over, dear. That story is a bit too much for polite conversation, you see? Please, all of you, sit down and enjoy some warm tea brewed by yours truly!"



Ragatha is fast to start buttering her up, complimenting the fine china on its quality. Catnap soon follows, asking about the tea leaves while looking to just enjoy the conversation. The misbehaving bunny stays quiet on his time out cart.



During the walk here, I'd noticed how some paintings had more people on them. That should work for a change of topic, right? "I really liked those paintings in the halls. Were they commissioned or painted here?"



"Those dreary old things? They were commissioned by my now late husband. I've no idea what that man was thinking… This whole place could've used some brighter colors, I'll say that much!"



"The brighter colors… can create dissonance… if the place itself isn't… bright." The way he says that has me and Ragatha sitting up straighter. More crumbs of his own mystery and I dislike the scene it paints. The low, surprised hum from Jax and the nod from Catnap has me wondering… What piece of this cat shaped puzzle did he find, and how?



After some more light conversation and a few too many cups of tea, Catnap sets his down with a sharp clink. "This has been… wonderful, Miss Mildenhall. It has been… some time since such calm. At risk of… being impolite… may we interview you… now? Our boss… asked it of us, after all."



For an NPC with almost no face, she communicates her unwillingness very well. "Must we, darling? I'll tell you now, I have an amazing selection of cheeses to be enjoyed~!" My own cup being set down, followed by Ragatha's, seems to convince her. "Oh, very well then! I shall warn you, however, that this story isn't light…"



"Where to begin… maybe a little after the beginning would be best. My darling husband was always eccentric, you see? Right next to his love for me and hunting, he adored tales of cryptids and monsters alike… I admit that I never quite understood his passion, but what kind of wife would I be if I didn't love him all the same? Maybe it was that love that made me ignore his slow descent into madness."



As she drifts into silence, Ragatha pokes me and gestures towards Catnap with her eyes. Faster than I can whisper something back, however, the NPC starts speaking again.



"Can you imagine that, dear guests? Not noticing how your own family is going mad, despite your love for them? … I see that one of you does understand that situation. You have my condolences. Now where was I again? Ah yes. My husband's passion for hunting was great, and he passed it down to our sons as well." Here, she stops again and sighs.



"He would always take them out with him and I enjoyed watching them being so connected. When they were younger, he'd tell stories about monsters and beasties… happier times, yes, but also a warning to what was to come. A warning of how things would end…" Catnap interrupts her then, tone serious.



"He killed you… didn't he? I have not seen… any children, either. Are they… dead as well?" I was already expecting something like this, perhaps, with the whole mystery theme. But with each word that came out of his mouth I felt worse and worse about this adventure.



"Yes. They are." At such a nonchalant response, Ragatha's chair scrapes back from how fast she stands up. Her hands are clenched tight enough to shake. "He… You… How can you talk like that? You talk about your husband as if you still love him! What he did was horrid!"



I stared in shock at how fast things had devolved. Catnap's tail lays on my shoulder, soothing a trembling I hadn't noticed. I never expected Ragatha to act like this…



"Little girl… You have no idea of what you speak of. My husband loved our sons, and it was love that led into tragedy. They died during a 'monster hunting trip' and my beloved was broken. May God forgive me for saying this, but it would've been better if my children died with me. I died after he, in a fit of madness, mistook me for the thing that took them from us."



The sounds of the storm raging ever harder outside slowly reach us. The ghost's harsh tone and dismissive look pinning Ragatha in place. "Here… sit down and rest. The Lady of the house… was right… this story is heavy. Miss, may we have… more tea? We can continue… after tempers have… cooled."



I didn't notice Catnap getting up until he spoke, his tail remaining on my shoulder the whole time. Ragatha almost flinches as his paws lead her back to the chair and then put a warm teacup in front of her. I stretch out a ribbon to hold her hand for a moment before letting go.



"I-I'm sorry. That was… very rude of me. I shouldn't have assumed those things of you or your husband. And for what it's worth, you have my condolences for your losses, miss Mildenhall." What follows are tense, silent moments where both Catnap and I agree to help her calm down.



A few silent moments, a few TOO silent moments… What is Jax doing?



I jolt while filling a new cup of tea. Turning softly towards the hand cart, I notice something odd about his face. Whatever it was, however, vanishes like an illusion once he catches me looking, a bored indifference appearing instead.



With a light clinking of her spoon against the cup, our host looks over us all before speaking again. "I understand how this might look to you, dearies. But I shall never regret loving my family, because that is the choice I made. We are approaching the end now, anyways. I'm sure this part will be more palatable for all of you."



She remains still for a long moment, simply watching us slowly drink tea, or reminiscing. "I can still remember how he looked when I first appeared to him. I never saw such an amusing mix of fright, awe and hope exist at once. So, obviously, I couldn't help myself… I started giggling, then laughing! My poor dear nearly broke, choosing between getting upset at me laughing at him or laughing along!"



Jax mutters something low while she chuckles at the memory, startling Ragatha who had also forgotten about him.



"Oh please, little hare. The relief we both felt then would make anyone giggly, so don't you go judging me~! And not only that, but God bringing me back like this means there is a chance for my little ones to return one day. That, more than anything else, is why me and my husband haven't left this aging mansion yet. Even if that apparently makes people think the estate is haunted~!"



Catnap lets out a chuckle at that, while me and Ragatha are dealing with the extreme mood switches. After some more, thankfully light, conversation, Ragatha laments Pomni and Kinger not being here to enjoy this.



"Oh, don't worry, dear! My husband must be telling them some of his hunting stories. Honestly… That man could turn a 57 second story into a greek tragedy! The worst that could happen is them getting bored to death~!" I decided to take that as my cue to get up and get out of the adventure. Before the mood turns heavy, yet again…



"It has been… lovely, but it looks like… we need to leave. We appreciate… the help and tea." There is a chance Jax saw my shoulders shaking with laughter as he was dragged… That can't be good.



As the NPC's well wishes ring out behind us, I ask Catnap what he thought of his first adventure. The small, sincere smile I get is enough to pull one from me and Ragatha in return. Jax just rolls his eyes, but I'm convinced that's because he never felt joy in his life.



Soon after we reach the exit door a large banner falls out and Caine's voice congratulates. "Thank you for being… a pacifist, Jax. And for finding… the ghost, too." I feel glad that Jax is still bound, otherwise we might've had a new ghost to deal with…



"Hey, guys? Sh-Should we look for the others? That big door to the side just opened up… Maybe they got lost down the– oh! Pomni! Kinger!" I sigh in relief after they walk out of the side corridor. I really thought we would need to go on a second adventure just to find them.



"Are you guys ok? Caine made that part of the adventure for Zooble after all! Was it scary?"



"We are… fine actually. It was quite horrific, though." Kinger pats her then, commenting on how brave she was.



As Pomni approaches Ragatha, I hear Catnap asking himself just how different the two paths could really be. "W-We might not see this exact adventure again. But Caine likes to use npcs from old adventures on new ones! So we might get a few clues in the future?"



As we cross the doors back to the circus, Jax steps off the cart, throwing a look at Catnap for his chuckling. Before they both shudder at Caine's newest title for us.



"Perhaps… something different?" "Yeah, never call us that again. Ugh."



The way they looked at each other then was sure to fuel quite a few drawings! I just needed to keep them hidden away… Before any of that could happen, though, I needed to talk to Pomni and Zooble. They deserved to know about what me and Ragatha learned during this adventure.



Author's Note 2; Electric Boogaloo:

Spoiler

While I was making this chapter, I was thinking something that I want to ask you guys and gals as well. What kind of adventure would Catnap like the most?

In your minds, is he more like Jax and enjoys something more action packed

Is he a more artistic soul like Gangle and would like a creative puzzle to solve

Or is he more like Pomni? After all those years in the Factory, would he be more at ease in a laid-back adventure, just seeing the sights and having fun?



Or perhaps, he would like any and all adventures, while thinking that he deserves none of this? Which one is the right one for you?