Chapter Text
The hardest part of the day was breakfast.
Not the adventures, not the grating voice explaining them, not even the hits she took during them or how discouraging it felt to lately to come back completely wrecked. It was breakfast. And maybe, just maybe, bedtime came close.
But right now, breakfast was winning by a landslide.
It meant getting up specifically to sit at a table and eat just to simulate normalcy, and while doing so, staring straight at the day waiting ahead of you, a day that made it painfully clear this was your routine, this was your reality, and you were trapped in it.
Not exactly encouraging for Ribbit.
So when, for the thousandth time, as part of the routine, Ragatha asked her to pass the syrup, Ribbit didn't even hear her. pass the syrup, Ribbit didn't even hear her. Running on autopilot, she grabbed it and extended her arm —misjudging her strength— and ended up flinging it straight at her instead.
Ragatha blinked down at her dress, more confused than shocked.
"Wow. Is this another one of your... pranks?"
"No—agh! It was an accident, why would I—?" She squeezed her eyes shut, frustrated, unable to find the words.
"Someone's in a mood today too," Kaufmo laughed, leaning over to hand napkins to the doll.
"I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Ribbit, really. I know it wasn't on purpose... Did you sleep any better?"
"Yes."
No. Not at all. Sleeping wasn't necessary, which somehow made it worse because not only couldn't she rest, her body didn't even help her want to.
"Good! Like I said, there's nothing a good night's sleep can't fix!" Ragatha chirped, dabbing at the syrup with napkins, only managing to spread the stain further.
Ribbit let out a long sigh and pressed her hands to her face, granting herself a few seconds of silence inside her own head.
Which were quickly interrupted by Caine's voice.
"Good morning, my dear friends! What better way to start the day than with a hearty breakfast and an adventure I've prepared with the utmost dedication! Grab your sunscreen and hats because TODAY WE'RE HEADING TO THE SAVANNAH!"
Ribbit couldn't help it and they let out a loud groan, hands still covering their face.
"Is there a problem, Ribbit? Did you wake up on the wrong foot again today?"
"It's just that Ribbit's had a couple rough days," Ragatha answered, ever supportive.
The giant mouth blinked twice in silence, as if processing the information before leaning back dramatically.
"RAGATHA! What happened to your dress?" He snapped his fingers, cleaning it instantly. "Much better! As I was saying, PACK YOUR BAGS BECAUSE TODAY WE'RE GOING TO THE SA—"
"Could we maybe do something else?" Kaufmo interrupted. "Something more... indoors."
Caine froze for a second, pupils dilating as he processed the interruption.
"More... indoors?"
"Yeah. Don't we already have enough internal trauma without going outside?" the clown said, waiting for someone to react, specially her, but there was only silence in return. "You guys get it? Internal, external."
The silence continued and this time more uncomfortable. Ragatha let out a few forced giggles to ease the tension.
"I agree with Kaufmo," she added gently. "It might be nice to stay inside today."
Caine blinked twice, snapping back into himself.
"But I already had everything prepared! What can I possibly do in here?"
Ragatha thought quickly.
"Maybe something sporty?" she suggested, glancing at the others, especially Ribbit. "Would that be okay, guys?"
"I was hoping to see the Savannah creatures," Kinger murmured. "But I would also prefer to avoid a face-to-face encounter with the black fly."
"Even Kinger agrees... I think," Ragatha said, tapping her chin and then smiled "Something athletic would be excellent then!"
The ringmaster watched them, shoulders drooping, before straightening again and gripping his cane.
"An excellent unsolicited creative suggestion! If the humans request it, then—" He snapped his fingers. "TODAY WILL BE A DAY OF CIRCUS SPORTS! Because what better way to embrace the theme that surrounds us?"
Ribbit almost would have preferred the Savannah. But she appreciated Kaufmo's effort to keep it inside because she didn't feel like walking for miles.
She didn't feel like doing anything.
The adventure was simple in theory: get the ball into the giant hoop in the center of the tent. Simple, except for the fact that the ball constantly changed shape. It could go from a chicken, to confetti bomb, to anything unpredictable enough to slip through your hands. And also the hoop moved and it had a mouth, a really big and loose mouth. On any other day, Ribbit would've thought it was the coolest NPC ever.
But stripping all that weird shit away, the objective was clear: get the ball into the giant hoop at the center of the tent.
Psychotic basketball plain and simple.
They must have been at it for about half an hour, one of the rare times time actually felt real, thanks to the massive clock looming overhead, when Ribbit started to feel a rush, the typical rush she had been seeking since even before she was condemned. This time it came in the form of a competitive high. It reminded her of P.E. class, being on a team that just wanted to crush the other side.
So for the first time in a rough couple of weeks, she had a reason to care.
Kaufmo had the ball, struggling as it shifted into a bowling ball mid-run.
"Pass it!" Ribbit shouted.
He hurled it with all his strength. And in a strike of luck, the moment it landed in her hands it shifted back into a normal ball and a determined look settled over her face.
Kinger was on defense. With his limited awareness of what was happening, it was easy to slip past him. She dribbled straight toward the hoop.
"Is that really as fast as you can go? I've seen frogs hop faster!" the hoop taunted, mouth wide and mocking.
Ribbit sprinted harder. The hoop began flashing, signaling it was about to relocate, so adjusted quickly, redirecting with precision.
She had it.
She was about to land the shot—
Until the hoop shrieked...
And instead of scoring, Ribbit slammed full force into something that wasn't there a second ago.
"Sh*t," she muttered as she fell, the ball exploding into confetti in her hands.
She heard the other's footsteps rushing toward her. The hoop hurled circus appropriate insults that were, frankly, perfectly aligned with was she was thinking at that moment.
She stood up immediately, brushing herself off, looking to see what, or who, had gotten in her way.
A tall figure.
Whom slowly turned around.
And thats when she saw him. Purple. Long rabbit ears. Wide, completely confused eyes. A face that looked utterly disoriented, glancing at her and then around as if he had no idea how he'd ended up there. Just like the rest of them.
"Uh, Caine!" Ragatha called out.
"Wh—what is happening?" the large purple figure said.
"Oh my god. Is this another one of his stupid NPCs?" Ribbit growled, her almost-victory, her only purpose for the day, slipping through her fingers.
"Where am I?" His gaze dropped to his hands. To his entire body.
That was when Caine appeared.
"It seems a new friend has joined us..." he said, pausing as if buffering .
The newcomer lifted his head from examining "himself," finally noticing the details: the floating hoop, the wrecked circus court, the confetti drifting down.
"Clearly I shouldn't have taken those mushrooms Seth gave me. They always give you the worst trips at the worst possible times."
"Uh-huh," Ribbit nodded flatly. "That's definitely it."
What Ribbit had already identified as a rabbit pressed a hand to his temple, rubbing as if that might restore some sanity.
Ragatha stepped forward, wearing her careful smile.
"Hi... um... how are you feeling?"
The purple rabbit jolted and stumbled back a couple of steps.
"NOPE!" He pointed accusingly. "Hallucinations don't talk. Basic rule."
Kinger raised a hand from behind.
"Well... sometimes they do here."
"Shut up. Hallucinations talking about hallucinations don't count," he shot back automatically.
Caine floated up directly in front of his face. Too close.
"WELCOME TO THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS!" he announced with full enthusiasm. "Human! I am Caine, your host, ringmaster, and possibly your only source of eternal entertainment!"
The newcomer leapt back.
"Too close!" he snapped in disgust. "This has to be the weirdest thing I've ever hallucinated. What exactly are you?"
"Excellent question!" Caine clapped. "Any more, my terribly confused new friend?"
He stared at the thing, processing. Then let out a shaky laugh.
"Okay, okay... A minute ago I was…” He dragged a hand down his face. "This is just a bad trip."
He looked at his hands again. Stretched his fingers. Clenched them into fists.
The frog crossed her arms, visibly uninterested.
"And another one bites the dust... Right when we were winning. Can we get back at it?"
"Hey, excuse me." He turned toward her. "I didn't ask to interrupt your... what was that? Demonic basketball?"
The hoop screamed something deeply offensive.
"SEE?" he pointed. "That's not normal!"
The rag doll cleared her throat politely.
"Well. Technically it is in here."
"I think it's time to stop the game," Kaufmo suggested, glancing at Caine.
Caine snapped his fingers. Everything reset into the usual circus setting.
Ribbit stood still for a few seconds, breathing in slowly, fists clenched. The competitive high had completely evaporated, replaced by that bitter feeling she got whenever something finally started going right and the world decided to ruin it just because it could.
All attention that day shifted to the purple rabbit.
"Let him breathe. First, I'll give our new member a tour!"
Caine did exactly that, one of those lightning-fast tours that felt express to them but like an entire lifetime to the newbie. When they returned, Ribbit noticed the new guy was spinning slowly in place, touching the walls, looking up at the ceiling, crouching to press his hand against the floor as if expecting it to dissolve beneath his fingers. His eyes were wide and his forced sarcasm barely covered something she recognized without wanting to: panic.
"Okay..." he muttered under his breath, laughing nervously. "Okay, okay, okay... This still isn't real. None of this."
Ragatha approached him again, but slower this time. Gentle. Careful not to invade his space. Smiling with that stubborn sweetness that never seemed to crack.
"Hey," she said softly. "I know this is... a lot right now. But you're safe. We haven't introduced ourselves properly. I'm Ragatha."
Ribbit couldn't help rolling her eyes. Safe. That was a good one.
"Safe from what exactly?" he muttered, eyeing her sideways. "Because two minutes ago I was almost crushed."
"That was part of a game," Kaufmo chimed in. "I'm Kaufmo, by the way."
"Kaufmo, Ragatha... what kind of stupid names are those?"
"And what's your name?" Caine asked brightly.
"My name? My name is—"
His pupils shrink.
Ribbit saw it happening: the spiral forming. She sat on the edge of a nearby platform, arms tightly crossed, chewing the inside of her cheek while watching the downfall of a human.
She was used to it. More than she would ever admit.
"It's normal," Ragatha began gently, stepping even closer. "It happens to all of us at first—"
The rabbit shoved her away with a sharp motion.
"Leave me alone, you freaks, monsters. Why can't I remember my name?... I swear Seth I'm gonna kill you.”
"Well one thing's for sure," Ribbit muttered just loud enough, "he's a total j@c%a$s!"
"A j@c%*#s?" he repeated, startled by the way the word wouldn't fully leave his mouth or anyone's.
"Jacks?" Caine repeated thoughtfully, drifting closer. "That could be it. Do you like it, my friend?"
"J@c%a$s" he tried again. "Sh*t! Mo#$$*f#c%er!"
"He loves it, that is definitely his new name" Ribbit declared, standing up.
Everyone else continued staring at him with concern.
Ragatha let out a nervous laugh.
"Well... at least it's easy to remember."
Ribbit wanted to laugh at that but nothing really came out. She could keep up with it but messing with the newbies had stopped being fun since the last one. She just couldn't watch this anymore. Everyone's forced smile and Caine acting like this was just another normal afternoon. It burned in her chest again that feeling, frustration, and a kind of anger she didn't know where to put.
She stepped away, about to go anywhere but there.
But before she could get to the hallways something else called her attention. Something shiny.
A red fire alarm mounted on a wall, an alarm that absolutely hadn't been there before. Random things appeared sometimes, sure, but this one felt placed… For her. She had the tendency to think everything was for her.
And she stared at it for a few seconds. Then she looked at Kinger.
"Hey, Kinger," they asked quietly. "What do you think will happen if I pull that?
The chess piece blinked twice, then shrieked softly as if just noticing she was there.
"Oh! Ribbit!" he exclaimed.
She kept her eyes on the lever.
"Well... probably nothing. Or probably something horrible. I give it a fifty-fifty. But you won’t know unless you try."
"Works for me."
Ribbit grabbed the alarm and yanked.
The sound was immediate, shrill, piercing and so unbearable. Followed by red lights that began flashing as a siren filled the entire circus.
Everyone turned toward her.
Caine froze mid-air and let out a gasp.
"OH NO!" he cried, in a tone that wasn't nearly as worried as it should've been "The fire suppression system! That hasn't been activated since... uh... ever!"
Just in that moment the ceiling split open with a mechanical CLACK.
And then the water came.
Freezing torrents cascaded down from every direction, soaking everything within seconds. The floor turned slick. Kaufmo and Kinger slipped and crashed down. Ragatha gasped as she was instantly drenched.
Even in this absurd world where nothing worked normally, the newcomer immediately understood something important:
This wasn't controlled by the circus.
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" he shouted.
All eyes turned to the culprit.
Ribbit stood there, completely soaked, water dripping down her body.
"And she," the rag doll muttered. "...Is Ribbit."