It's Gangle!

DAY AFTER DAY AFTER DAY WE FLY, PAST THE SUN AND THE MOON AND WE DON'T KNOW WHY

[3moreseasons]

Gangle from The Amazing Digital Circus!

Aff. with Isola Radiale

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Looks like ribbon, is actually a normal human being! Haven't you always wanted to be a VRChat avatar?

Great at masking, both literally and metaphorically! We love puns!

Forced to abandon her artistic dreams to work as a manager in a fast food place! Depressingly realistic!

Trapped in a virtual world controlled by a chaotic AI ringmaster who randomly sics adventures on its inhabitants! It's like she was already in an MFRP!

Pretty good at drawing! One of the only things that keeps her sane!

Please don't break her masks! Those things don't grow on trees!

Her favorite One Piece character is Chopper! That's canon!

Doesn't like Jax! Nobody does.

Have you ever tried your best and found it wasn't good enough? Are you convinced that the only people you can interact with secretly don't like you? Are you trapped with no way out? Is your fragile psyche hanging on by a thread, threatening to break any second now?

That sucks.

Anyways!

She's 5'10'' if you're into that.

OK bye

[wolftccth]

Edward listened to the other's rambling, he knew what a television was, although he doesnt watched it. Doesn't mean he doesn't know what it was, but its embarrassing to tell someone that he never seen it, when clearly this stranger was diverse on her facts. Now they're explaining in too much details that makes him stare with slow blinking.

"I mean... i know what electricity and TV is. Never played a game in my life so..." he pauses, rubbing the back of his head, since he was stuck here for who knows how long, maybe it would be nice to learn these... stuffs.

"If you don't mind... you could show it to me... teach me these... modern stuffs... only if you wanna." His cheeks are getting flushed, because it was hard to mutter those words up to ask for help.

[3moreseasons]

"Oh, sorry. I wasn't really sure how much to explain, heh... Figured it would be better to just... err, I guess," you say, forcing a smile. God, that's so embarrassing.

But it looks like the other guy is embarrassed too. The term gap moe comes to mind; this beefy dude (even if you're way taller than him) suddenly flustered to ask for help. You don't really want to- that's way more interaction than you signed up for today, but... you might as well? You guess?

"Um. Yeah, sure. If you're interested, there's an arcade in... Golden, I think. Those are pretty much the same thing, so you could see what they're like. And if you like them, you can always buy your own."

Plenty of your afternoons where whiled away in front of whatever rhythm game you could find, mostly DDR. It might be nice to try them again, or see if there are new ones.

"I'm Gangle. And I guess if you want, we can... go now?"

[sickhackbassist]

"Sounds like a lot." Or maybe that was an understatement of just how much the bassist was trying to understand. Another version of the stars entirely sounded like a complete way to go absolutely insane. But maybe that's why their partner in crime seemed so "calm" about most of this. Because wherever they came from the majority had experienced something like this already...

"I mean I wouldn't know what to do if someone was throwing on me into crazy situations like that. Hell even when I throw myself into something weird I have to wonder how I got there in the first place."

And who would be willing to help her out of it...

"But this spot is perfect! You'd be a natural at finding things like this out for others." Kikuri said before taking a seat right across, stretching out her back and almost falling over in the process as her hands reached over to her case.

"Last time I found something like this might've been back when I was still taking classes. Unless I did when I was far too drunk to remember."

[3moreseasons]

It was a lot, it was so #@?&ing much. At least the Stars leave you alone most of the time- you were lucky to get two days without one of Caine's adventures. You didn't exactly hate them, but they could be exhausting at times. And, according to Zooble, skipping out made him pout sometimes.

"Here, I think... it's just bad luck," you say, taking your things out. "I remember how I got to the Circus. But there's not anything like that in this place, you just kinda... got chosen. L-like a..."

You glance at Kikuri. She's Japanese, right? So she'll get this?

"Like an isekai. Though this one's less fun than in anime..."

At least you've made more friends here. That's what made the Circus bearable, all the people you met. Zooble, Kinger, Pomni, Ragatha, even Kaufmo, back before he abstracted. If it were just you and Caine, you probably... you probably would've only lasted a week, tops. And then good-bye Gangle.

"I-I'm glad you like it," you say, smiling. "I'm always trying to find... quiet places. I don't really like places with a lot of people, but I'm sure you could tell."

You prepare your tools, not that you need much. Just a sketchbook, some pencils, and an eraser. Huddling up against the tree, you look over to Kikuri. "I'm gonna start drawing, okay? Just act natural, but, try not to... move too much, I guess. I-if you can. It's okay if you do."

The pencil touches the paper in long, sweeping strokes. It feels good.

[anttennatime]

@3moreseasons for Spiralefes!: WALK THE CAT(FISH) WALK

"I know, right? I was wondering if I could even get here in the first place myself. Well, turns out I can! Not a drop on me, either. Okay, now spin around for me?"

It's a little funny seeing Tenna down here, as big as he was, crouching over to fiddle with a dress Gangle was volunteered to model. Or with his claws out in the open for once, using them like precision tweezers to decorate the garment.

"Mmhm, yup.

"The rhinestones. Catches all the lights in here--what do you think."

[3moreseasons]

You thought this would just be like cosplay. It isn't. It's something worse. Also, how do clothes like this stay on you?

Tenna's earnestness reminds you of Caine- is that why you went along with it? You're just so used to being told what to do that you did it without thinking? You want to leave, but you're not going anywhere.

"Glad you made it okay," you mutter. "Would hate for something to happen to you..."

You spin as instructed, still a little too glum to catch your reflection at that moment. It's one thing to have wear a dress, it's another thing to have to model. All those people watching you... seeing you.

You blink. "What do I- uh? S-sorry, I was thinking of something else. Let me just... oh."

It's nice. It's more ostentatious than you'd ever choose to wear, but for a special occasion like this... You don't answer for a few moments, staring at the mirror. You swish from side to side, the dress flowing after the movements of your hips. The stones sparkle in the light, dazzling your eyes.

"It's... it's nice," you say, not quite finding the right words. "I've, uh, never worn something like this before. Not even to prom."

You look up at Tenna, the smallest smile on your face. "I didn't know you were a fashion designer, too. I kinda thought you were just a host."

[jestistentialcrisis]

🎪 ɢᴀɴɢʟᴇ ᴡᴀꜱ ʀɪɢʜᴛ-- ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡᴏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇᴍ ʜᴀᴅ ᴇᴀᴄʜ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ. in fact, most of the group was here in the city, save for kinger and caine. honestly, she could really use one of kinger's sane bouts of wisdom right about now.

" yeah, yeah, you're right, " she replied with a quiet laugh. " i don't know what i would've done if i hadn't run into you when i got here. "

pomni couldn't imagine navigating the city completely alone. well... actually, she could. she'd already done that before back at home. maybe it wasn't being alone itself that unsettled her, but the thought of staying that way. still, she didn't have to worry about that now. she drifted into her thoughts for a moment, only snapping back when gangle stood and retrieved their drinks. a faint blush warmed her cheeks, embarrassed by how anxious she'd been while gangle remained so composed. then again, gangle had mentioned more than once that she was used to spirale. hopefully, pomni would get there someday, too.

when gangle returned, pomni accepted the iced drink from her ribbon with a small smile and quiet thanks. the chill seeped through her gloves, drawing a slight shiver from her as she wrapped both hands around the cup.

at gangle's comment about the other patrons, pomni raised an eyebrow, absentmindedly tracing the rim of her cup with a gloved finger. she glanced around the café, careful not to stare too long or make it obvious, before looking back at gangle with the hint of a smirk.

"so... how can you tell who's an npc and who isn't?"

then gangle asked about her drink. pomni blinked before letting out a small surprised gasp. she quickly brought the straw to her lips and took a tentative sip. those pinwheel eyes lit up almost instantly, a bright smile spreading across her face as she looked back at gangle.

" oh, it's really good! i'd definitely recommend this one. "

[3moreseasons]

"I'm sure you would've figured it out. I think you got used to the Circus pretty quickly. A lot faster than I did..." you say, fiddling with the lid of your drink.t.

Something about this reminds you of her first day. The way everyone else was more than used to all the zaniness and thought absolutely nothing of it even as her own world must've been coming apart at the seams. It's amazing what the mind can accept as normal. If anyone had taken her up to the top of the tent, up to the café no one thought to use anymore, would it have helped? Could you have done better?

Probably not.

You look back up at Pomni as she speaks, your gaze quietly shifting to the other people in the café. "I guess it's mostly... practice? The NPCs here are really... plain. I mean, um, the people like us are just a lot more... noticable? I guess? The NPCs just kind of blend into the background. Like they're just there to make things look busy."

Not that you'd ever say it to their faces. They still look and act like normal humans, and for the most part they're pretty nice. Nicer than the NPCs Caine liked to make; a lot of them could be... weird.

"You just can't point it out. They get kinda... weird about it. I saw Jax do it once, but I guess they're not supposed to know? They kind of spaced out for a bit, but we didn't really hang around. We, uh... i-it's not important," you say, shaking your head. You don't want to talk about him.

There's an out, so you'll take it. "O-oh, good! Maybe I can try it next time. Even if they're, uh, NPCs" -you drop your voice- "they make good tea."

You take another drink of your own, and feel your body relax. This is... this is nice. Maybe this can be a thing you and Pomni do together. You look over at her and give her a small smile. "Do you feel any better?"

[thetoyboxcharacter]

It was like being blindsided, coming across such familiar paintings that in all sense and logic shouldn't be here. Their own mouth would be hanging wide open if they had one to begin with. But they stood frozen in place as their eyes looked around the room.

"What the F@!*? Uh... yeah. Yeah that's definitely Caine's."

How did any of this work, exactly? It was still weird accepting the fact that different worlds existed, but also the fact that something or someone out there picked and chose what to bring over here? And out of everything they picked something from the circus. Was it a coincidence? Fate? They didn't know. Gangle seemed just as shocked as them. But no reason to have this shock ruin their trip.

"We can speed-run this section if you want. Or, we could do something fun with it. Like... think any of these have titles? We could come up with some titles for them."

There was one they would see so often, with a weird looking background, almost trying to imitate water in a weird way, and a chess board.

"Like that one." They pointed out. "I'd call it... Drowned King?"

This might be harder than they thought. Most of it seemed straight out of an I-Spy book, after all. They looked over to Gangle, making sure she was okay. They knew she had planned this whole visit but she seemed shocked by the featured art as well.

"Or we can skip it. Up to you. I'm sure there's other sections we could see together, right?"

[3moreseasons]

You never really thought of Caine's work as art. Even the framed pieces that were hung up around the Circus felt like set dressing, things he just tossed up because he thought he should to complete the scene. Did he put time and effort into these pieces? You might never know.

Your head snaps back to Zooble, your eyes still wide. "H-huh? No, I... I don't want to skip it. We came all the way out here, we should give it a look, right?"

Zooble's not wrong- pretty much all of the works by Caine are just labelled Untitled. You wonder if he didn't care or just couldn't think of anything, but it could be a fun date activity now. You smile at Zooble's suggestion, nodding.

"Oh, I like that. What about... that one?" you say, pointing to an image of a tangle of multicolored pipes. They wind through a darkened hallway, like a rainbow of snaking tentacles. "It could be... Pipe Nightmare."

Staring at it the framed picture, you wonder what Caine was thinking when he made it. It almost feels constricting, and for a few moments, you imagine trying to move through the hall while the pipes closed in on you from every angle. Not quite trapped, but barely free. It makes you a little uncomfortable, so you move on. The next one is a series of arches and couches, but hanging in the middle of the image is a pair of extremely-realistic eyeballs. Right, Caine's "hundreds of all-seeing eyes."

"Don't miss those," you mutter. "Um, this one could be called... Celestial Eyes. Like on the cover of the Great Gatsby? I know it's kind of a stretch."

But it's still fun. You glance around the exhibit some more; while there's a few more of Caine's pieces, there's some other art you don't recognize. Scratchy sketches in black ink from someone named Nori Doorman, stained glass art titled The Legend of the Delta Rune, a beautifully painted canvas by Renoir Dessendre, and more. Despite that hiccup earlier, it feels like things are going well now.

"I never really thought about all the different places people must come from... It's... interesting to think about. I used to do things like that when I was younger, just... imagine living in other worlds. What life would be like for the people that lived there, what my life would be like if I were... somewhere else."

After a few moments, you sigh. "Sorry, that sounds a little depressing. Um, are you having a good time, Zooble?"

[tomatertate]

idk gangle he's just doing what he's told!

[3moreseasons]

@sanpatron

You feel like you've been improving lately. With classes and near-daily practice, you art's gotten noticeably better. It's a nice to see progress; it felt like you didn't have as many opportunities to do back in the Circus, but here you can really refine your craft. Maybe you can even start posting online if Spirale has social media.

With your giant sketchpad under one arm and your art supplies in another, you climb the museum steps. It's a bit of a balancing act, which you aren't very good at, so you're not really watching where you're going. You reach the top of the steps, but only then do you collide with some unseen obstacle. Not only do your things scatter, but the comedy masks pops off your face and cracks on the concrete.

"Not again..." you mutter, rubbing your face. Teardrops hang from the corners of your eyes as you begin to gather your things. And then, as if remembering the proper order of things, you look up to see what you ran into.

Oh, who you ran into. Wow, he's big.

"Uh... S... sorry," you say, staring up at him. Then you collect yourself, and try again. "I-I mean, sorry for running into you. I'm a little behind so I... I guess I wasn't paying attention. I didn't get anything on you, did I? Sorry."

You go back to trying to gather your things, because this guy's size is kind of intimidating and you want to leave.

[sparrow-of-abraxas]

The chair is uncomfortable, but Sinclair's a little too focused on the discomfort of being interviewed to really pay much attention to it. He twists his fingers together, knees and ankles pressed tight together and back pencil straight as he tries his best to calm his nerves. The office is about what he expected - though TV shows and movies definitely prepared him for a bit more personalization than a simple cat figurine.

Which was pretty cute.

It's also a little weird to actually be called by his name; he's pretty sure not even his parents or sister call him by it.

Focus, Sinclair.

"U-um... I'm pretty good with f-first aid; my family—" Sinclair stops himself; he doesn't really want to talk about them. Not in any way that might make it sound like he's trying to exercise some sort of privilege. "—wanted me to be prepared in case something happened. Um, s-so I've got my CPR certification... and, um, I'm good at following instructions, I'm a team player, and I do my best to do what I need to to the very best of my ability."

His face is burning.

It feels like he's talking himself up too much even though he's pretty sure that's what he's supposed to be doing in an interview. He wishes he'd thought to bring the script he wrote himself...

"If you'll give me a chance, then, I-I can give 150%! I-I don't have a busy school schedule, and my club only meets up once or twice a week." He twiddles his thumbs, gaze dropping to Gangle's nose to give himself a break from the prolonged eye contact that definitely isn't helping his nerves. "... I-I know my work history is pretty sparse... but I hope you'll give me a chance. I... I think I could learn a lot from a job like this."

[3moreseasons]

The CPR thing makes Sinclair a little over-qualified for fast food, but it's not a bad thing. Could be useful if someone passes out? Maybe? You nod along with everything he's saying, still wearing that managerial McSpiral's smile.

"Well, those are all great qualities!" you say. "A team's only as strong as its weakest worker, so we want to make sure everyone's doing their best. And I don't want you to think of this as just fast food. We're helping people, keeping them fed and happy! There's no such thing as a small job, even at-"

The phone in your office goes off, with one of the other employee's voices coming through the speaker. You scramble to pick it up before Sinclair can hear anything, because by the panic in their voice, it won't be good.

"Uh-huh," you say, listening to the voice on the other end. Your smile begins to falter. "Oh. Okay. Really? No, I- Yeah, I'll be up there. One sec."

You hang up the phone and close your eyes. For a brief moment, you picture speeding cars. Then you stand up and step past Sinclair. "Sorry about that! I gotta go help with a customer! I'll be right back!" you say in an extremely forced falsetto.

You're gone for a few minutes. Sinclair can probably hear the yelling from your office, but it's not your voice that's raised. The customer is angry about- it doesn't #@?%ing matter. The complaint is already gone by the time it reaches your ears, and you can't be bothered to remember it. The protocol is the same: apologize and comp the meal. Easy. It gets the job done, and the yelling subsides. After an additional apology, you leave, and go back to your office.

Standing outside the door, your let your smile fall away for a moment. You hang your head, pinch the bridge of your nose, and take a deep breath. Then, smiling, you head back inside.

"Sorry, had to take care of some Manager duties, you won't need to worry about that! Your job would just be doing your best to serve the customers, and if some of them are..."

You hold back a few curse words, still smiling. "...unhappy, then it's my job to step in! But I'm sure you won't have too much trouble with that. And don't worry about the job history, McSpiral's prides itself on being one of the, uh-"

The country's? The city's? The island's? There's a word there that doesn't quite come to you, and that careful mask you wear slips for a moment.

"A, uh, a really good first job. O-or career, if you want. I'll go over some other stuff, like expectations responsibilities, but first, I wanna know: why do you want this job?"

[jestistentialcrisis]

the jester's ears perked up as gangle mentioned home, something beyond the circus. even if it was something as simple as a café, pomni was learning more about her friend. the two of them hadn't interacted much back at the circus; more often than not, she'd ended up around ragatha or jax simply by circumstance. spending time with gangle like this was... nice, actually.

when gangle's voice trailed off, pomni chose not to pry. instead, she found herself wondering if she'd ever had a place back home that she genuinely enjoyed visiting. the answer came up disappointingly blank. jesus, all she'd ever really done was go to work or wander those damned buildings. once she got out of the circus, well, when she got out — she'd have to make some serious changes. maybe slowing down for once, sitting in a quiet little café with nothing to do, wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

at gangle's drink order, pomni let out a quiet, amused laugh. somehow, it was exactly what she'd expected. it just felt... very gangle. the mention of her job lingered in pomni's mind, though. if she ended up stuck here long enough, maybe she should find one too. it would give her something to do besides spiral in her own thoughts, and having a little spending money certainly couldn't hurt.

pomni was so caught up in her thoughts that she barely noticed gangle leading them toward an empty table, forcing her to hurriedly scurry after her. sliding into the chair, she exhaled slowly, trying to release some of the tension she'd been carrying since the day began. she hadn't really had the chance to let any of that anxiety go.

at gangle's question, pomni shrugged, her gaze falling to her gloved hands as her fingers fidgeted unconsciously.

" i mean... i'm settling in about as well as i can, given the circumstances. " she gave a small, uncertain smile. " i think i'll get used to it eventually. there were a lot of interesting people I noticed on our walk over here, so... we'll see "

[3moreseasons]

You've undoubtedly settled in. You have a routine now, with places you like to eat, a job with a schedule you chose, and art classes at the museum. You don't want to call it a rut; it doesn't feel like you're stuck, even though you literally are. So many of the things you have here in Spirale are things you chose, things you felt like you literally never would have chosen back home. Have you changed? It doesn't feel like it, but sometimes things like that are so gradual you can't tell.

Although your eyes keep drifting to the counter, even you can notice Pomni's nerves. You saw it before, back when she first entered the Circus. With how her first day went, you weren't sure how long she'd last, and so it was a while before you actually spoke to her. Maybe you can make up for that now.

"Um, it's... It's gonna be alright, Pomni. Things really aren't so bad here. And even if they are, well... we all have each other, right?" you say, smiling despite your tragedy mask.

It felt a little awkward to say out loud, but thankfully your order is called, which gives you a perfect excuse to slip away and grab the drinks. Were you forcing it? It felt forced. You're not good at this kind of thing. God, you should've invited Zooble over or something. Too late now.

"Here you go," you say, handing Pomni the cup as you return to your seat. You take a moment to have a drink of your own, savoring another reprieve from your awkwardness.

"You mentioned the people, we think that... a lot of them are NPCs, like back in the Circus. Most of the people in this city, actually. Like..."

You take a moment to glance around. The barista, the couple by the window, and the man reading a book in the corner. "I think we're the only real people here," you say. "You kinda learn to tell, after a while. So it's not too different from the Circus, actually."

You take another drink. "That's nice. How's yours?"

[allswell]

The marquis's eyes sparkle with hidden mirth as he observes the other's reaction. ❛ Non, this you keep. ❜

❛ If something is interesting, then you will come to my shop, yes? Though I am asking you already. ❜

He bends low enough to almost reach 90 degrees, and offers his hand like the politest of gentlemen.

❛ At the hours of two to three in the afternoon, ❜ Cecil finishes, ❛ during les jours de la semaine, ❜ the weekday, ❛ it is most quiet. ❜

❛ If you come then, you will bother nobody. ❜

[3moreseasons]

Ooh, the sales tactics are working on you. Curse your weak will.

"Um, s-sure. I mean, I definitely will. If I see something. I'd hate to interrupt, but if you say it's fine, then... it's fine," you say, more trying to convince yourself than anyone else.

In the real world, this kind of thing was out of your reach. In the Circus, Caine didn't do stuff like this. But in Spirale, Gangle's moving up in the world. Your own house, fancy boutiques, and actual friends. Next you'll own a car.

"Well, uh, thanks. I really appreciate this all. I'm learning a lot," you say, giving the charming man a small smile. "I have to look at my work schedule, but... you'll probably see me at some point."

[3moreseasons]

“  you’re being awfully quiet.  ”

You glance up from the book you have your face buried in, a nice shoujo manga you've already gone through a half-dozen times. Something familiar, something comforting.

Kikuri watches you, one brow slightly raised. While you don't really like being watched, you know her well enough that you're not too uncomfortable with it. Her body sways slightly, her cheeks flushed, and a box of sake sits in front of her. It's late enough that you wouldn't call it day-drinking, just regular drinking, not that you care either way.

"I ain't borin' you, am I?" she says.

"Oh, n-no, you're not," you say, lowering the book just enough to reveal your small smile. "Sorry, I'm just an introvert. This is how I usually spend my free time. Just doing quiet things."

"Ah, okay. I get it," she says, scratching her chin. "Nothin' wrong with some quiet time. You got any other manga?"

You've been waiting for someone to say that to you.

"Oh, sure! What are you thinking?" you say, rummaging through your bag. "I've got Sailor Moon, Kimi ni Todoke, Bloom Into You-"

"Wow, you're stocked up. Y'got Doraemon? I think that's all I can handle right now."

"Uh, I don't... think I have any of that," you mumble, knowing full well you don't. You know of it, it's just not really what you're into.

"Eh, it's fine. Just gimme whatever you got."

You slide over the first volume of Bloom, because all the other ones you have right now are a few books in. Better to start with the beginning, right? Kikuri takes it and begins to read, and the two of you fall into silence. However, it's not much later that she speaks up again, her eyes wide.

"Ohh, this is- this is yuri, huh?" she says. "Ohhh."

"Oh, y-yeah. Is that... a problem?" you ask, fidgeting.

"No, no. I just noticed a theme is all." She gives you an odd look that you contribute to her insobriety. "Gangle, are you... into women?"

Honestly, you don't really have a preference. "Uh, yeah. Sorry, I guess I didn't really think that these were all so similar."

"Oh, ah, that's not it. I was just thinkin'..." Kikuri rests her head in her hand, looking away. "How do I say this... It's really flatterin', but-"

"It's not you," you say, your mouth moving before your mind has a chance to catch up.

She blinks at you; both of you are surprised by the bluntness. "Oh! Ah, okay, I was just worried that-"

"N-no, there's already someone I like," you say, shaking your head. "Sorry? I guess?"

"I just didn't want to think I was leadin' you on! Sorry, didn't want to make it weird," she laughs. You've literally never thought something like that.

"You're... you're fine," you say, your eyes darting to the sake. Has she had more than you thought?

"Not that it's a bad thing, though! I mean, me too."

"You... too?"

She gives you a very slow wink. "Me too."

Oh. "Oh!"

At least, you think oh.

[wolftccth]

Send me 👕 for a drawing of your muse in a fashion clothes. Not accepting!

@3moreseasons

[petalmemes]

🌺 “I WANT TO KNOW…” Prompts

A collection of random “I want to know…” sentences.

For Multimuses: Please Specify Muse(s)

“I want to know more about you.” 

“I want to know where you’re from.”

“I want to know what you do.”

“I want to know what you like.”

“I want to know what your hobbies are.”

“I want to know who your family is.”

“I want to know who your friends are.”

“I want to know what makes you happy.”

“I want to know what makes you sad.”

“I want to know what makes you angry.”

“I want to know why you’re hurt.”

“I want to know who hurt you.”

“I want to know why you’re scared.”

“I want to know what love is to you.”

“I want to know who you loved.”

“I want to know who you hated.”

“I want to know why you run away.”

“I want to know why you stayed.”

“I want to know why you left me.”

“I want to know why you care.”

[noxooo0]

what the hell sure

[anttennatime]

@3moreseasons -> event starter

"Well, good news is that this doesn't look too complicated." The CRT muses, tapping left and right as the boxes shift on the screen. There are grinding noises below them; probably cargo moving on tracks.

"Bet we could clear a path through the room if we lined all these up. Beats fighting our way out."

"Kinda reminds you of one of those sliding block puzzles, doesn't it? You any good at those?"

His screen shifts to look at the other, with the light from his screen shining like a flash light in the already dim room. Sure, there's the ever-present BANG BANG-ing on the door back there, but that robot wasn't going to break in here. That door's too steady.

Right?

[3moreseasons]

When Tenna told asked you to follow, you just kind of did it automatically. Something about him was just... No, why pretend? He reminds you a lot of Caine. You don't even like Caine, you're just used to doing what he says. Then the sliding block puzzle thing happened, and you began to think that someone out there decided to play a really cruel trick on you. Fighting's out of the question, so you'll do the #@&% puzzle.

"Yeah, I can... I can do it," you sigh. "I know the trick. You just have to go row by row. Had to do these a couple of times where I came from... The tower one too. I-I forget the name."

This interface is similar enough. You don't have to get anything in the right order, thank god, so you just start arranging the panels on the screen in order to create a bridge to the other side. The part that'll take the longest will probably just be waiting for everything to move.

"Why do they even have a room like this?" you say, tracing your ribbons on the screen. "Doesn't it feel really... convenient? I guess I shouldn't be complaining."

The banging on the door is a little distracting, but the cargo containers continue on their unhurried way below you. "Uh, can you... can you fight?" you say, glancing up at Tenna. "If it comes to it, I mean."

[everybodyhatesjax]

Jax didn't get mad that Gangle didn't hang out with him as much. No, instead he let it bother him quietly. It was a good thing in a way, since he didn't want to see Gangle and chance her really mentioning anything that had happened between them. But it sucked in another way, because he actively knew he was being replaced. Ragatha and Zooble were probably better company than he was. He could admit it, but that didn't mean he liked it.

There was no way he'd ever bring that up to Gangle. It was just some annoying thoughts he could easily push to the back of his mind and move on with his life. Totally didn't even bother him that much.

He kind of can't help but gravitate to Gangle, to Ragatha, to everyone else. He knew them - he didn't know everyone else. Despite all his hangups, they felt like home, or whatever the circus had become. Another thing he'd never admit.

"Dude, it was so obviously not a normal tent. Why would a tent have those big long hallways and everything else. Caine could magic us a bunch of guns, he could've magicked us some windows." He rolls his eyes, internally debating on whether or not he should order something, or steal Gangle's gross looking salad.

He falls quiet for a brief moment at her next words, then almost just as quickly breaks the silence.

"And you're complaining about that? Sheeeesh! I'd kill to be alone." Lie.

"I think I have a roommate, but I've never seen em. So I guess I might as well be alone! Lucky me. Really, I don't even know why you're complaining."

[3moreseasons]

"Maybe Caine just... didn't think about it. I mean, he doesn't always think all of his ideas through. He just kind of does whatever he wants. Not like here is any different, though."

Caine, the Island Stars, capitalism, you're always at someone else's mercy. You glance up as you chew your salad, watching Jax study the menu hanging over the counter. Jax.

You stab at your plate aimlessly. You're imagining something else on it.

"I guess I just miss having everyone else nearby," you sigh. "If I wanted to see someone, I could just go knock on their door. And now it's a taxi ride, or a bus, or the train..."

You have cell phones now, but you can't help but miss the physical proximity you all used to have. Every day, you'd all end up in the same place, if only because you didn't have anywhere else to go. Now there's an entire city, and it makes sense you wouldn't all just want to sit around on a few couches all day like you used to. But wouldn't it be nice if you could?

"Uh, honestly, I... I think I'm going to buy a house soon," you say, not looking up. "The city has a program for things like that, and I can get one with six bedrooms. So I was going to ask... uh, everyone."

You refuse to look up. "I know it's... kinda silly. I mean, back in the Circus, we had to all stick together. If everyone went their separate ways, I guess I'd... I'd understand. But I'd still like to be friends with the others. If they want to."

Staring at your plate for a few more seconds, you push it over towards Jax, still not looking at him. "I think I'm full. You can have this if you want."