Amazing Digital Roleplay

Welcome to the Amazing Digital Circus! A lot has changed around here since Caine's deletion and later return to the grounds. A lot... But every day is still an adventure, so seize it and make the most of our shared existence in this digital world! Post-finale RP blog

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Sounds perfect to me." Pomni said.

"Yeah. Fall's kind of prime time for carnivals, anyway." Ribbit added.

"And there's always something for everyone!" Kinger agreed.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine brightened at once — he was always overjoyed when the humans liked his ideas.

“It’s settled, then!” He spun into the air, holding out his arms. “Digital Carnival, here we come!”

[dayafter-dayafter]

The next several minutes were a semi-chaotic half rush, half walk to the Digital Carnival. Of course, the younger members were the ones pushing the pace, particularly Jax and Ribbit, while Kinger and Queenie remained more measured.

Even so, they stayed roughly together up to the Carnival gates. After all, Caine was the one dictating what they did. If he wanted a group activity first, it was best not to scatter to the four winds before he could say as much.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Right." Pomni agreed.

"It's kind of what birthdays are for."

Giving gifts, no strings attached, to celebrate one more year passed since someone's first day of existence. Nothing more, nothing less...

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine laid back on the bed and stretched out. Not to sleep - just to see what it felt like.

"...it's better than my chair," he admitted, pulling the bee plush up against his side.

Between his words and how utterly comfortable he looked, Queenie couldn't help but giggle.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Kinger couldn't help chuckling again, too.

"I should hope so...!"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

"Now I'm actually going to have to try sleeping tonight instead of staying up to finish the Halloween event..."

"You shouldn't be doing that anyway!" scolded Queenie.

Caine sat up and regarded her with mock hurt. "Don't be mean to me, Mom. It's my birthday!"

[dayafter-dayafter]

Ribbit snorted.

"He's kind of got you there."

[tadcbehindthescreen]

"Okay, okay," said Queenie, feigning surrender. "I'll be nice to the birthday boy."

Caine laughed and sprang off of the bed. "So...what are we doing for the rest of the day?"

"You should pick," suggested Ragatha. "We'll do something you like."

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Yeah." Pomni agreed.

"I mean, it is your birthday...!"

"And birthday kiddos get to decide the activity!" Kinger concluded.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

"Oh, wowie! Let me see..."

Caine set his hand on his chin, pondering. He had to admit, he'd been so busy working on activities for the humans lately, he hadn't really stopped to think about what he liked to do. And now that he did, there were so many choices that it almost seemed overwhelming.

"...what about the Digital Carnival?" he asked. "It's one of my favorite early environments, but it just kind of...sits there most of the time."

Most of the Circus members didn't seem interested in using it, though he kept it around, if only because he liked it and thought its aesthetics matched perfectly with the rest of the grounds.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Sounds perfect to me." Pomni said.

"Yeah. Fall's kind of prime time for carnivals, anyway." Ribbit added.

"And there's always something for everyone!" Kinger agreed.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Right." Pomni agreed.

"It's kind of what birthdays are for."

Giving gifts, no strings attached, to celebrate one more year passed since someone's first day of existence. Nothing more, nothing less...

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine laid back on the bed and stretched out. Not to sleep - just to see what it felt like.

"...it's better than my chair," he admitted, pulling the bee plush up against his side.

Between his words and how utterly comfortable he looked, Queenie couldn't help but giggle.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Kinger couldn't help chuckling again, too.

"I should hope so...!"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

"Now I'm actually going to have to try sleeping tonight instead of staying up to finish the Halloween event..."

"You shouldn't be doing that anyway!" scolded Queenie.

Caine sat up and regarded her with mock hurt. "Don't be mean to me, Mom. It's my birthday!"

[dayafter-dayafter]

Ribbit snorted.

"He's kind of got you there."

[tadcbehindthescreen]

"Okay, okay," said Queenie, feigning surrender. "I'll be nice to the birthday boy."

Caine laughed and sprang off of the bed. "So...what are we doing for the rest of the day?"

"You should pick," suggested Ragatha. "We'll do something you like."

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Yeah." Pomni agreed.

"I mean, it is your birthday...!"

"And birthday kiddos get to decide the activity!" Kinger concluded.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Right." Pomni agreed.

"It's kind of what birthdays are for."

Giving gifts, no strings attached, to celebrate one more year passed since someone's first day of existence. Nothing more, nothing less...

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine laid back on the bed and stretched out. Not to sleep - just to see what it felt like.

"...it's better than my chair," he admitted, pulling the bee plush up against his side.

Between his words and how utterly comfortable he looked, Queenie couldn't help but giggle.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Kinger couldn't help chuckling again, too.

"I should hope so...!"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

"Now I'm actually going to have to try sleeping tonight instead of staying up to finish the Halloween event..."

"You shouldn't be doing that anyway!" scolded Queenie.

Caine sat up and regarded her with mock hurt. "Don't be mean to me, Mom. It's my birthday!"

[dayafter-dayafter]

Ribbit snorted.

"He's kind of got you there."

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Right." Pomni agreed.

"It's kind of what birthdays are for."

Giving gifts, no strings attached, to celebrate one more year passed since someone's first day of existence. Nothing more, nothing less...

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine laid back on the bed and stretched out. Not to sleep - just to see what it felt like.

"...it's better than my chair," he admitted, pulling the bee plush up against his side.

Between his words and how utterly comfortable he looked, Queenie couldn't help but giggle.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Kinger couldn't help chuckling again, too.

"I should hope so...!"

[dayafter-dayafter]

Pomni chuckled a little.

"Well if a nonsentient Mars rover can be programmed to sing itself 'Happy Birthday', throwing a birthday party for you's not that strange."

Kinger blinked in astonishment.

"That happened?"

The first rover on Mars had been quite a big deal, not long before he'd been scanned into the Circus.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“I didn’t know that!” said Caine, interested. “Hmm…have we ever had a Mars adventure? I don’t think I have too much data on it…”

“I can tell you about Mars,” offered Kaufmo. “And an adventure there would be kind of cool, honestly.”

As a space nerd, he wouldn’t turn down the chance to visit another planet.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind that." Pomni agreed.

As long as there weren't, like... monstrous aliens or something.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“I’ll add it to my list of ideas!” announced Caine, making a note in one of his reminder subprocesses.

He finished his cake quickly and began floating around the room again, examining things closely. He spent a long time looking at the photos on the wall — pictures of everyone on vacation, or on various adventures, or at the Welcome Back Formal Dance. Several had come from Jax, who tended to hoard photos the same way that she hoarded keys.

The fidget toys also caught his eye, but nothing was more intriguing him than the bed. He’d very rarely slept in a bed at all, much less had one to call his own. He dropped down onto the mattress, then bounced a little, feeling how soft and springy it was.

[dayafter-dayafter]

By that point, everyone was, if not already eating, then starting in on their cake slices. After Caine had claimed his piece, Kinger had taken over distribution and just now had his own plate.

There was still plenty left for seconds, or simply leftovers... though what happened to it was up to the birthday boy, of course.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Meanwhile, Queenie watched Caine with a smile in her eyes and a forkful of cake held halfway to her nonexistent mouth. "How's the bed feel, kiddo?" she asked.

"Perfect!" responded Caine. "Except...it needs one thing..."

He gestured, and his bug blanket appeared, neatly folding itself at the foot of the bed.

"Now it's perfect!" he proclaimed. He couldn't possibly have such a comfortable bed without his favorite blanket.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Kinger's eyes seemed like they hadn't stopped that smile-crinkle since the moment they opened the door.

"We're glad you like it, Kiddo."

[tadcbehindthescreen]

He shifted, sitting cross-legged on the bed with his blanket on one side and the new bumblebee plush on the other.

"I don't know how I can ever thank you guys for this..."

"You don't have to," said Zooble between bites of cake. "It's a present. No return payment required."

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Right." Pomni agreed.

"It's kind of what birthdays are for."

Giving gifts, no strings attached, to celebrate one more year passed since someone's first day of existence. Nothing more, nothing less...

[dayafter-dayafter]

Pomni chuckled a little.

"Well if a nonsentient Mars rover can be programmed to sing itself 'Happy Birthday', throwing a birthday party for you's not that strange."

Kinger blinked in astonishment.

"That happened?"

The first rover on Mars had been quite a big deal, not long before he'd been scanned into the Circus.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“I didn’t know that!” said Caine, interested. “Hmm…have we ever had a Mars adventure? I don’t think I have too much data on it…”

“I can tell you about Mars,” offered Kaufmo. “And an adventure there would be kind of cool, honestly.”

As a space nerd, he wouldn’t turn down the chance to visit another planet.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind that." Pomni agreed.

As long as there weren't, like... monstrous aliens or something.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“I’ll add it to my list of ideas!” announced Caine, making a note in one of his reminder subprocesses.

He finished his cake quickly and began floating around the room again, examining things closely. He spent a long time looking at the photos on the wall — pictures of everyone on vacation, or on various adventures, or at the Welcome Back Formal Dance. Several had come from Jax, who tended to hoard photos the same way that she hoarded keys.

The fidget toys also caught his eye, but nothing was more intriguing him than the bed. He’d very rarely slept in a bed at all, much less had one to call his own. He dropped down onto the mattress, then bounced a little, feeling how soft and springy it was.

[dayafter-dayafter]

By that point, everyone was, if not already eating, then starting in on their cake slices. After Caine had claimed his piece, Kinger had taken over distribution and just now had his own plate.

There was still plenty left for seconds, or simply leftovers... though what happened to it was up to the birthday boy, of course.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Meanwhile, Queenie watched Caine with a smile in her eyes and a forkful of cake held halfway to her nonexistent mouth. "How's the bed feel, kiddo?" she asked.

"Perfect!" responded Caine. "Except...it needs one thing..."

He gestured, and his bug blanket appeared, neatly folding itself at the foot of the bed.

"Now it's perfect!" he proclaimed. He couldn't possibly have such a comfortable bed without his favorite blanket.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Kinger's eyes seemed like they hadn't stopped that smile-crinkle since the moment they opened the door.

"We're glad you like it, Kiddo."

[dayafter-dayafter]

Pomni chuckled a little.

"Well if a nonsentient Mars rover can be programmed to sing itself 'Happy Birthday', throwing a birthday party for you's not that strange."

Kinger blinked in astonishment.

"That happened?"

The first rover on Mars had been quite a big deal, not long before he'd been scanned into the Circus.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“I didn’t know that!” said Caine, interested. “Hmm…have we ever had a Mars adventure? I don’t think I have too much data on it…”

“I can tell you about Mars,” offered Kaufmo. “And an adventure there would be kind of cool, honestly.”

As a space nerd, he wouldn’t turn down the chance to visit another planet.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind that." Pomni agreed.

As long as there weren't, like... monstrous aliens or something.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“I’ll add it to my list of ideas!” announced Caine, making a note in one of his reminder subprocesses.

He finished his cake quickly and began floating around the room again, examining things closely. He spent a long time looking at the photos on the wall — pictures of everyone on vacation, or on various adventures, or at the Welcome Back Formal Dance. Several had come from Jax, who tended to hoard photos the same way that she hoarded keys.

The fidget toys also caught his eye, but nothing was more intriguing him than the bed. He’d very rarely slept in a bed at all, much less had one to call his own. He dropped down onto the mattress, then bounced a little, feeling how soft and springy it was.

[dayafter-dayafter]

By that point, everyone was, if not already eating, then starting in on their cake slices. After Caine had claimed his piece, Kinger had taken over distribution and just now had his own plate.

There was still plenty left for seconds, or simply leftovers... though what happened to it was up to the birthday boy, of course.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Pomni chuckled a little.

"Well if a nonsentient Mars rover can be programmed to sing itself 'Happy Birthday', throwing a birthday party for you's not that strange."

Kinger blinked in astonishment.

"That happened?"

The first rover on Mars had been quite a big deal, not long before he'd been scanned into the Circus.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“I didn’t know that!” said Caine, interested. “Hmm…have we ever had a Mars adventure? I don’t think I have too much data on it…”

“I can tell you about Mars,” offered Kaufmo. “And an adventure there would be kind of cool, honestly.”

As a space nerd, he wouldn’t turn down the chance to visit another planet.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Yeah, I wouldn't mind that." Pomni agreed.

As long as there weren't, like... monstrous aliens or something.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"We're glad you like it, Kiddo..." Kinger said warmly.

"And of course, if there's anything you'd like to add or change, you certainly can. It's yours now."

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine nodded, though right now, he couldn’t imagine changing anything about the room. It all seemed so perfect.

“Okay, enough tears!” declared Jax loudly. She held a party horn to her lips and blew into it. “Time for cake!”

[dayafter-dayafter]

Ribbit laughed a little, bringing a small stack of plates out from under her arm.

"Well, birthday boy? You get dibs on the first slice. Pick your piece!"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“Oh, um…hang on one second!”

Caine was still carrying the portrait that Gangle had made for him. He floated off the ground, approached the still-open door, and pressed the circular icon into its proper place.

“I guess we’re officially neighbors…!” he said, still sounding a little shocked at the way things had unfolded.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Pomni stifled a little giggle.

"I guess we are...!"

It was almost cute, how touched he was by it all... like a little kid being acknowledged for the first time.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

It may have seemed a bit silly to the rest of them…but for Caine, this was a very big deal. It wasn’t just about the room. It was about the acceptance and love that he was being shown by the humans, his family, who he’d tried so hard to please — and who now, much to his surprise, were giving some of that effort back to him.

Portrait secured, he hovered over to the cake, picked up the knife sitting beside it, and carefully carved himself out a slice.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Ribbit passed him a plate, complete with fork.

It wasn't exactly a blow-out bash... but it was plenty for their little family.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“By the way, Caine, this is for you,” commented Ragatha, reaching out to pin something to his lapel.

He looked down — it was a colorful button printed with the words IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!

“So everyone knows it’s your party!” she explained.

“I didn’t plan a party,” he admitted. “I’ve been so busy working on the Halloween event, and I didn’t even know it was my birthday…or that I even had a birthday!”

[dayafter-dayafter]

Pomni chuckled a little.

"Well if a nonsentient Mars rover can be programmed to sing itself 'Happy Birthday', throwing a birthday party for you's not that strange."

Kinger blinked in astonishment.

"That happened?"

The first rover on Mars had been quite a big deal, not long before he'd been scanned into the Circus.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"We're glad you like it, Kiddo..." Kinger said warmly.

"And of course, if there's anything you'd like to add or change, you certainly can. It's yours now."

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine nodded, though right now, he couldn’t imagine changing anything about the room. It all seemed so perfect.

“Okay, enough tears!” declared Jax loudly. She held a party horn to her lips and blew into it. “Time for cake!”

[dayafter-dayafter]

Ribbit laughed a little, bringing a small stack of plates out from under her arm.

"Well, birthday boy? You get dibs on the first slice. Pick your piece!"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“Oh, um…hang on one second!”

Caine was still carrying the portrait that Gangle had made for him. He floated off the ground, approached the still-open door, and pressed the circular icon into its proper place.

“I guess we’re officially neighbors…!” he said, still sounding a little shocked at the way things had unfolded.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Pomni stifled a little giggle.

"I guess we are...!"

It was almost cute, how touched he was by it all... like a little kid being acknowledged for the first time.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

It may have seemed a bit silly to the rest of them…but for Caine, this was a very big deal. It wasn’t just about the room. It was about the acceptance and love that he was being shown by the humans, his family, who he’d tried so hard to please — and who now, much to his surprise, were giving some of that effort back to him.

Portrait secured, he hovered over to the cake, picked up the knife sitting beside it, and carefully carved himself out a slice.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Ribbit passed him a plate, complete with fork.

It wasn't exactly a blow-out bash... but it was plenty for their little family.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"We're glad you like it, Kiddo..." Kinger said warmly.

"And of course, if there's anything you'd like to add or change, you certainly can. It's yours now."

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine nodded, though right now, he couldn’t imagine changing anything about the room. It all seemed so perfect.

“Okay, enough tears!” declared Jax loudly. She held a party horn to her lips and blew into it. “Time for cake!”

[dayafter-dayafter]

Ribbit laughed a little, bringing a small stack of plates out from under her arm.

"Well, birthday boy? You get dibs on the first slice. Pick your piece!"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

“Oh, um…hang on one second!”

Caine was still carrying the portrait that Gangle had made for him. He floated off the ground, approached the still-open door, and pressed the circular icon into its proper place.

“I guess we’re officially neighbors…!” he said, still sounding a little shocked at the way things had unfolded.

[dayafter-dayafter]

Pomni stifled a little giggle.

"I guess we are...!"

It was almost cute, how touched he was by it all... like a little kid being acknowledged for the first time.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"We're glad you like it, Kiddo..." Kinger said warmly.

"And of course, if there's anything you'd like to add or change, you certainly can. It's yours now."

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine nodded, though right now, he couldn’t imagine changing anything about the room. It all seemed so perfect.

“Okay, enough tears!” declared Jax loudly. She held a party horn to her lips and blew into it. “Time for cake!”

[dayafter-dayafter]

Ribbit laughed a little, bringing a small stack of plates out from under her arm.

"Well, birthday boy? You get dibs on the first slice. Pick your piece!"

[dayafter-dayafter]

Kinger chuckled.

"It's your birthday, kiddo...!"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine was still completely confused. “I don’t have a birthday,” he said, as if stating something obvious. “That’s a human thing.”

“That’s not what Kinger told us,” commented Zooble from their spot in the formation.

Queenie’s eyes crinkled. “October thirtieth. That’s the day when you were first implemented and run.”

He paused at that, doing a quick check of his internal records. She was right — his earliest run date was October 30, 1996, exactly twenty-four years ago.

“I have a birthday?” he said wonderingly. His eyes traveled across the group…before moving to take in the decorated room that he definitely hadn’t created. “But then…this is…”

[dayafter-dayafter]

"It's... your room!" Pomni said, rocking on her heels a little.

"We made it for you. You don't have to use it, but we... kinda figured you could use one. Y'know. Since your office doesn't have a bed and all."

"Everyone pitched in." Kinger said warmly.

"From concepts to conjuring to arranging things just so..."

Gangle stepped forward timidly, something rigid and uneven in her hands.

"Um... Here... I tried to make it look as close as possible to the original."

She turned it to present to him - a brand new portrait for the door of his brand new room.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Almost numb with shock, Caine reached out and took the portrait disk from her. It was him, all right — and she’d done a good job of mimicking the style of the other portraits. It would fit right in…

But would he fit in? Him, here, in the residential corridor with the rest of the humans?

Caine lowered himself to the ground, his feet sinking into the soft carpet. Slowly, without speaking, he began to make a circuit of the room, examining the desk and the bookshelf, the pictures on the wall and the stars on the ceiling, before finally reaching the bed.

He could’ve put a bed into his office if he’d really wanted one, of course. He could have set up an entire separate bedroom for himself. But if he had, it wouldn’t have been here, in this hallway. This was the humans’ space. So to think that they had not only conjured all of these beautiful things, but also done so here, inviting him into their little section of the Circus.

“You…you made all this for me?” he asked, his voice wavering, clasping the portrait to his chest.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Well... yeah." Pomni said, her smile warming a little.

"I mean, you're one of us now... right?"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine stared at her, his eyes welling with tears.

It wasn’t that the humans had never given him gifts before. He’d received some small things from them: drawings, a Christmas sweater, his beloved bug blanket. But this was huge. Even for those most adept at conjuring, this room would have taken so much time and effort to create…

“Don’t get all sappy,” said Zooble in a gruff tone that didn’t quite hide the smile in their voice. “It’s just a room. I mean, you’ve made entire cities for us, so the least we could do was give you one single room.”

“Exactly,” agreed Ragatha. “We wanted you to feel at home.”

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Right." Kinger agreed.

"I know we're not always perfect at showing it, but... you're a part of our family. A lot's changed. We wanted you to have something special... to remind you of that."

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Still clasping the portrait to his chest with one hand, Caine reached out and touched the bee plushie on the bed — his bee plushie, on his bed. It felt so soft. He couldn’t believe that something so wonderfully soft could belong to him…

“That was one of my contributions,” said Queenie. “Bombus, of course. I know that’s your favorite.”

The tears began to roll down his face, and he reached up with his fist to scrub them away.

“This is…wonderful,” he said, his voice almost a whisper. “It’s the best present I’ve ever gotten. I never imagined that anyone would want to do something like this for me…”

[dayafter-dayafter]

"We're glad you like it, Kiddo..." Kinger said warmly.

"And of course, if there's anything you'd like to add or change, you certainly can. It's yours now."

[dayafter-dayafter]

Kinger chuckled.

"It's your birthday, kiddo...!"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine was still completely confused. “I don’t have a birthday,” he said, as if stating something obvious. “That’s a human thing.”

“That’s not what Kinger told us,” commented Zooble from their spot in the formation.

Queenie’s eyes crinkled. “October thirtieth. That’s the day when you were first implemented and run.”

He paused at that, doing a quick check of his internal records. She was right — his earliest run date was October 30, 1996, exactly twenty-four years ago.

“I have a birthday?” he said wonderingly. His eyes traveled across the group…before moving to take in the decorated room that he definitely hadn’t created. “But then…this is…”

[dayafter-dayafter]

"It's... your room!" Pomni said, rocking on her heels a little.

"We made it for you. You don't have to use it, but we... kinda figured you could use one. Y'know. Since your office doesn't have a bed and all."

"Everyone pitched in." Kinger said warmly.

"From concepts to conjuring to arranging things just so..."

Gangle stepped forward timidly, something rigid and uneven in her hands.

"Um... Here... I tried to make it look as close as possible to the original."

She turned it to present to him - a brand new portrait for the door of his brand new room.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Almost numb with shock, Caine reached out and took the portrait disk from her. It was him, all right — and she’d done a good job of mimicking the style of the other portraits. It would fit right in…

But would he fit in? Him, here, in the residential corridor with the rest of the humans?

Caine lowered himself to the ground, his feet sinking into the soft carpet. Slowly, without speaking, he began to make a circuit of the room, examining the desk and the bookshelf, the pictures on the wall and the stars on the ceiling, before finally reaching the bed.

He could’ve put a bed into his office if he’d really wanted one, of course. He could have set up an entire separate bedroom for himself. But if he had, it wouldn’t have been here, in this hallway. This was the humans’ space. So to think that they had not only conjured all of these beautiful things, but also done so here, inviting him into their little section of the Circus.

“You…you made all this for me?” he asked, his voice wavering, clasping the portrait to his chest.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Well... yeah." Pomni said, her smile warming a little.

"I mean, you're one of us now... right?"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine stared at her, his eyes welling with tears.

It wasn’t that the humans had never given him gifts before. He’d received some small things from them: drawings, a Christmas sweater, his beloved bug blanket. But this was huge. Even for those most adept at conjuring, this room would have taken so much time and effort to create…

“Don’t get all sappy,” said Zooble in a gruff tone that didn’t quite hide the smile in their voice. “It’s just a room. I mean, you’ve made entire cities for us, so the least we could do was give you one single room.”

“Exactly,” agreed Ragatha. “We wanted you to feel at home.”

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Right." Kinger agreed.

"I know we're not always perfect at showing it, but... you're a part of our family. A lot's changed. We wanted you to have something special... to remind you of that."

[dayafter-dayafter]

Kinger chuckled.

"It's your birthday, kiddo...!"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine was still completely confused. “I don’t have a birthday,” he said, as if stating something obvious. “That’s a human thing.”

“That’s not what Kinger told us,” commented Zooble from their spot in the formation.

Queenie’s eyes crinkled. “October thirtieth. That’s the day when you were first implemented and run.”

He paused at that, doing a quick check of his internal records. She was right — his earliest run date was October 30, 1996, exactly twenty-four years ago.

“I have a birthday?” he said wonderingly. His eyes traveled across the group…before moving to take in the decorated room that he definitely hadn’t created. “But then…this is…”

[dayafter-dayafter]

"It's... your room!" Pomni said, rocking on her heels a little.

"We made it for you. You don't have to use it, but we... kinda figured you could use one. Y'know. Since your office doesn't have a bed and all."

"Everyone pitched in." Kinger said warmly.

"From concepts to conjuring to arranging things just so..."

Gangle stepped forward timidly, something rigid and uneven in her hands.

"Um... Here... I tried to make it look as close as possible to the original."

She turned it to present to him - a brand new portrait for the door of his brand new room.

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Almost numb with shock, Caine reached out and took the portrait disk from her. It was him, all right — and she’d done a good job of mimicking the style of the other portraits. It would fit right in…

But would he fit in? Him, here, in the residential corridor with the rest of the humans?

Caine lowered himself to the ground, his feet sinking into the soft carpet. Slowly, without speaking, he began to make a circuit of the room, examining the desk and the bookshelf, the pictures on the wall and the stars on the ceiling, before finally reaching the bed.

He could’ve put a bed into his office if he’d really wanted one, of course. He could have set up an entire separate bedroom for himself. But if he had, it wouldn’t have been here, in this hallway. This was the humans’ space. So to think that they had not only conjured all of these beautiful things, but also done so here, inviting him into their little section of the Circus.

“You…you made all this for me?” he asked, his voice wavering, clasping the portrait to his chest.

[dayafter-dayafter]

"Well... yeah." Pomni said, her smile warming a little.

"I mean, you're one of us now... right?"

[dayafter-dayafter]

Kinger chuckled.

"It's your birthday, kiddo...!"

[tadcbehindthescreen]

Caine was still completely confused. “I don’t have a birthday,” he said, as if stating something obvious. “That’s a human thing.”

“That’s not what Kinger told us,” commented Zooble from their spot in the formation.

Queenie’s eyes crinkled. “October thirtieth. That’s the day when you were first implemented and run.”

He paused at that, doing a quick check of his internal records. She was right — his earliest run date was October 30, 1996, exactly twenty-four years ago.

“I have a birthday?” he said wonderingly. His eyes traveled across the group…before moving to take in the decorated room that he definitely hadn’t created. “But then…this is…”

[dayafter-dayafter]

"It's... your room!" Pomni said, rocking on her heels a little.

"We made it for you. You don't have to use it, but we... kinda figured you could use one. Y'know. Since your office doesn't have a bed and all."

"Everyone pitched in." Kinger said warmly.

"From concepts to conjuring to arranging things just so..."

Gangle stepped forward timidly, something rigid and uneven in her hands.

"Um... Here... I tried to make it look as close as possible to the original."

She turned it to present to him - a brand new portrait for the door of his brand new room.