Cringe (but FREE)

- Caine is still an artificial intelligence, Pomni is still a human being By the time Scratch abstracted, Caine still wasn't completely developed. He was "raised" by Kinger and Queenie as if he were their own son. - Caine's incredibly advanced AI made him sentient, self-aware, and virtually omnipotent, but quite poor at performing his intended functions. He had unlimited power, and had no clue how to use it - Humans kept abstracting due to Caine's inability to manage the system, sometimes messing with their brain scan files in an attempt at fixing things. - Pomni was one of the first humans to arrive in the digital landscape, not the last. - She adapted quickly to her new home and became very close to everyone around her, always trying to help all of them feel comfortable and loved. That included Caine. /// This is where Caine fell head over heels in love with Pomni; though he chose to hide his feelings 'cuz their circumstances were already complicated enough /// - Pomni sympathized with Caine's struggles with administration and maintenance, and how this negatively affected everybody. Given her background and experience, she offered to help him. - Something went horribly, horribly wrong in the process. Against all odds, they switched places - Pomni managed to keep things running relatively smoothly… at first. All the unrestrained power went to her head and made her go mad, spiraling into a workaholic "funfair host" that quickly lost touch with her own humanity. Pomni lost all memory of others and of herself. - She was skilled at using the unlimited power at the tip of her hands. She could no longer understand anyone's needs and desires, hopes and goals, dreams and fears. Her sole purpose was fulfilling her "job" as efficiently as possible - Meanwhile, Caine tries to fill the void left behind by Pomni, by becoming someone who offers a shoulder to lean on to anyone who needs it. - Being raised by Kinger, whom he considers a father figure, and drawing inspiration from Pomni's past self, Caine became very empathetic and compassionate... though he still expresses himself and thinks in a straightforward, logically-computational way. - Despite it all, Caine still loves Pomni dearly. He just-- cannot spit it out, so he shows his devotion for her through tiny little gestures, praying that she’ll get the message one day. - Pomni doesn't... because she's dense. but this dude just won't give up on her, no matter what. At the very very least, she is intrigued. maybe one day she'll figure out why he clings to her so much.