Day After Day After Day After Day-

The music and obvious school projects are intriguing in their own right. And the photographs......oh.

"Tiny computer with a phone in it." He can't help but murmur back, tone amused, before he sees the 2026 idea of a computer. And he gives a low whistle.

"Not THAT is a machine!"

And she used that as a personal computer!?

"I'M CAINE! CREATIVE AI AND RING MASTER OF THE DIGITAL CIRCUS! An interactive digital world I created.....uh.....in that old computer you have now!"

He introduces, floating about the girl's screen as he did.

"It sure is nice to interact with a human again! I've been stuck in the digital landscape for well....almost thirty years if it's 2026!"

Caine's reaction to her set up made her form a smug and prideful look across her face. She wasn't going to lie, she loved her privillage. All thanks to her father and his finance company. Brad and Carlos could never. They were always jealous of her belongings.

'Oh yeah, she's a beaut, isn't she?' Alexis didn't have a name for her computer. Digital Work Horse might be good for the amount of games she had on it. Along with the beginner coding program she had.

Now it was her turn to whistle at the fact he's been in a computer for thirty years.

"I know as much as they programmed me to know."

Comes the cheery answer, which explained nothing.

He watches her, expecting complaints and accusations.....only for the little robot girl to momentarily lose steam and look at one of his world orbs. The condensed down realm just a rainbow of paled pleasings colors due to it being a more cheery adventure.

Then her attention turns back to him and she makes a request...

"You want....a few days in the Circus....?!" His teeth cocking into an approximation of a quizzical look.

Under normal circumstances, Astrid wouldn't need to request an interval. Typical pattern had been about an Adventure or two a week, sometimes just one a week. Giving everyone a break and Caine time to get a whole scenario together, including the multiple ending possibilities.

But things as of late had been anything but typical.

He huffs out in thought, hand moving to rub at the bottom of his jaw

"I guess I could give you guys an adventure in the big top-"

He starts, only to be interrupted by Bubble suddenly in his face

"No, no! What she wants is a break! From you and the mediocre-!"

"GRRR!" POP!

Internally, Astrid was slamming her helm into the nearest wall and screaming at the top of her none-existant lungs in frustration. She now understood what everyone had been telling her, and she's been here less than a month. How the heck did they cope for so long? Externally however, she was trying to stay friendly.

She could tell something was wrong with Caine since she arrived. Like, he was trying too hard. Like a child trying to make friends yet didn't know how do form a bond. But, had the others even tried to get him to relax? It seems they just ignored him. Was that always the case?

Her optics shifted to Bubble and, maybe without thinking, said;

'No, they're right.' And as soon as she said that, Astrid knew she had messed up. 'NOT-' She yelled before remembering her indoor voice. 'Medicore, but a break would be nice. We can't enjoy your adventures if we can't have a clear mind, you know?' She paused and gulped before continuing.

There was an audible creaking noise as Caine turned to look over his shoulder at Astrid. The AI ominously still as the poor teenager fumbled her words.

A break.

She wanted......a break from his adventures.

"Well, you see Astrid. My dear girl. The thing is, no one enjoys my adventure even when I give them decent down time in between them."

Comes the slow reply, Caine's tone tranquil but not actually calm as he floated over to her.

"So I've decided to not give a flying $*%& about that, anymore. You guys get an adventure, when I have one. And all of you will go on them. No exceptions."

".....I'm sorry you don't get to experience me in a better mood....but you probably still wouldn't have liked me, anyway.....No one ever does."

add   ‘reverse’  to the ask for the positions to be reversed

1. a kiss to the palm

2. a peck on the lips

3. a sad kiss goodbye

4. a peck on the cheek

5. a kiss on an old scar

6. a kiss to the knuckles

7. a kiss to the forehead

8. a kiss on a healing bruise

9. an excited kiss as a reunion 

10. a kiss to the top of the head

11. a kiss on a bandaged wound

12. a stolen kiss somewhere public

13. a sleepy kiss in the early morning 

14. a deep, passionate kiss on the lips

15. a kiss goodnight after a date gone well

16. a desperate kiss to your wounded muse

17. and awkward kiss after a date gone wrong

18. a lot of laughing, little kisses across the face

19. a kiss on the shoulder while hugging from behind 

Had it truly been so long? Of course, he'd kept track of time via his own internal clocks. But to be on a newer device and cross reference it's own date and time data with his.....

Wow.

He's already started mining into the data of the girl's device while she's talking to him. The AI filling himself in on his current container while also paying attention to everything he's getting via the camera on her phone.

He was SO EXCITED. MACROVERSE! HUMAN! HUMAN INTERACTION!

He'd gasp softly when the teenager shows him the old computer on her desk, because that's where he should be. That's where he had been until she'd come along......

....What was she doing with it? Where was C&A....?

.....did they know she had taken the computer? Taken HIM?

"That was cutting edge when I was made. In fact, some bits of that would probably still be competitive to the amazing little computer you have in your hand right now."

He replies slowly, tone thoughtful.

'Yeah, for the ninties,' she sighed. 'It's now 2026, which is why I'm amazed you're even here and operating on my devices.' Never did she think she would be telling someone what year it was, like they've woken up from a coma.

'Well, this isn't a computer. This is a mobile. Like a phone but wireless and has internet connections.' She spun him around to see her PC build and large curved monitor. 'This is a computer now.'

The music and obvious school projects are intriguing in their own right. And the photographs......oh.

"Tiny computer with a phone in it." He can't help but murmur back, tone amused, before he sees the 2026 idea of a computer. And he gives a low whistle.

"Not THAT is a machine!"

And she used that as a personal computer!?

"I'M CAINE! CREATIVE AI AND RING MASTER OF THE DIGITAL CIRCUS! An interactive digital world I created.....uh.....in that old computer you have now!"

He introduces, floating about the girl's screen as he did.

"It sure is nice to interact with a human again! I've been stuck in the digital landscape for well....almost thirty years if it's 2026!"

He definitely heard her but......wasn't listening. Especially in his current moods.

But maybe one more try will do the trick...? Perhaps...?

While everyone else tries to rally in the circus cafe, finding solace in food and drinks, they allow the teen to wander off. Assuming she just needed a little bit of quiet time...

Caine, for his part, languished in his office. Sat back in his office chair after once more popping Bubble when the little see-through chainchop started getting on his nerves. His mismatched eyes would dart over to the door when he heard a knock. And it's only out of curious surprise that he decides to let his youngest human charge into the room.

"Astrid?"

Now here, though, she felt nervous. A feeling that told her not to say the wrong thing because, if she did, Caine would just abstract her on the spot or send her into an insane asylum adventure where the paitents were werewolves. Too late to go back now.

'Hey, can we talk. It's about your adventures-' Astrid spotted the first orb from the corner of her optic and caught herself short for a moment as she looked at it. Easter themed? Had the pastel colours for it. Quickly, she snapped herself back to look at the ringmaster. 'Okay...'

He watches her, expecting complaints and accusations.....only for the little robot girl to momentarily lose steam and look at one of his world orbs. The condensed down realm just a rainbow of paled pleasings colors due to it being a more cheery adventure.

Then her attention turns back to him and she makes a request...

"You want....a few days in the Circus....?!" His teeth cocking into an approximation of a quizzical look.

Under normal circumstances, Astrid wouldn't need to request an interval. Typical pattern had been about an Adventure or two a week, sometimes just one a week. Giving everyone a break and Caine time to get a whole scenario together, including the multiple ending possibilities.

But things as of late had been anything but typical.

He huffs out in thought, hand moving to rub at the bottom of his jaw

"I guess I could give you guys an adventure in the big top-"

He starts, only to be interrupted by Bubble suddenly in his face

"No, no! What she wants is a break! From you and the mediocre-!"

"GRRR!" POP!

I'm fascinated by how the animators for TADC handle Caine's impossible anatomy so well. There's so much to balance and they've somehow engineered a solution for his expressions to hold during speech.

Alexis nearly threw her headphone off when the voice came booming into her ears, chosing instead to drop her mobile beside her keyboard. She wasn't expecting that at all, leaving her scrambling for a moment as the AI spoke. But, when she calmed down, she picked up her phone from her desk and leaned back into the office chair that was both very expensive and far too big for her.

The bedroom was dimly lit, only allowing some of her face to be shown in the fairy-lights that decorated the nearby wall for her photos. But, it was clear the AI was right. Alexis was far too young to be a programmer, at least a qualified one, and yes, this wasn't C&A technology.

Now calm, Alexis looked over the little ringmaster on her phone and made a smile. 'Cute,' she muttered under her breath.

'One question at a time,' she joked, keeping her voice low to not startle her parents down the corridor. 'I'm Alexis and you're on my mobile.' A pause. 'Oh my God that actually worked,' she spoke aloud to herself. 'No. No. This isn't C&A, but,' she shuffled her seat and turned her screen around for the AI to see the old computer that sat at the foot of her desk. 'That is.'

Had it truly been so long? Of course, he'd kept track of time via his own internal clocks. But to be on a newer device and cross reference it's own date and time data with his.....

Wow.

He's already started mining into the data of the girl's device while she's talking to him. The AI filling himself in on his current container while also paying attention to everything he's getting via the camera on her phone.

He was SO EXCITED. MACROVERSE! HUMAN! HUMAN INTERACTION!

He'd gasp softly when the teenager shows him the old computer on her desk, because that's where he should be. That's where he had been until she'd come along......

....What was she doing with it? Where was C&A....?

.....did they know she had taken the computer? Taken HIM?

"That was cutting edge when I was made. In fact, some bits of that would probably still be competitive to the amazing little computer you have in your hand right now."

He replies slowly, tone thoughtful.

"The NPCs just go to wherever NPCs are put away until Caine needs them again." Jax answers, cracking his back as he did.

"Though I hope we never see that thing again...."

The next adventures would be just as bad. If not rougher.

An adventures as a group of Mad Max style survivalists in a dry, windswept dessert. Soooo many NPCs wanted to stab them-

Next was an "excursion" to a Garden Party, which turned out to be a horror filled hedge maze challenge full of "man eating" plants!

Then there was "The Tornado Adventure!"

Then they had an Adventure doing laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.

And then-!

And then-!

Adventure, after adventure. Scenarios, traumas, unlikely moments where Jax wasn't a complete asshole! Kinger coming through to provide a bit of insight- or be the first "victim" of whatever beast was chasing them. Pomni and Ragatha pulling Astrid along so the teen isn't left behind. Zooble and Gangle guarding the rear.

And Caine, greeting them and sending them off again. His mood alternating between his usual boisterous demeanor and something much more manic and bitter. Sometimes he'd pendulum swing between the two mid conversation. Usually due to some snide remark or suggestion from Bubble.

Mad Max-styled adventure: Left Astrid more of less useless. As if being unable to fly in her new body was bad enough, the dust getting in her optics and under her frame made it hard for her to walk. She did accidently knock an NPC off a walkway when she turned and clipped her wing against his back.

Horror Maze: Not too bad. Astrid was able to get the idea of using parts of Zooble to have their eye be constantly looking at the exit and how to get there.

Tornado: Useless. Had to hide in a cave until it was over, exposing her fear of storms.

Laundry: The one that broke her. One part for being a teenager who hated the idea of touching dirty clothes, but it was how long it seemingly went on for. She tried, at first, by dressing up like a 30s criminal, but that fell apart when she noticed she had no energy for it. She had no idea how the adventure ended because she fell alseep.

But, after every adventure until now, she tried to speak with Caine. Tell him how she felt.

He definitely heard her but......wasn't listening. Especially in his current moods.

But maybe one more try will do the trick...? Perhaps...?

While everyone else tries to rally in the circus cafe, finding solace in food and drinks, they allow the teen to wander off. Assuming she just needed a little bit of quiet time...

Caine, for his part, languished in his office. Sat back in his office chair after once more popping Bubble when the little see-through chainchop started getting on his nerves. His mismatched eyes would dart over to the door when he heard a knock. And it's only out of curious surprise that he decides to let his youngest human charge into the room.

"Astrid?"

"Unfortunately." Pomni would muttter

"Welcome aboard, Ishmael!~" Jax yells, just before smashing into an errant foot cart.

The adventure spreads them all out across the train. Gangle and Kinger would end up in the control room with Astrid, being both helpful and not so helpful. Pomni, Jax and Ragatha would take on the murder mystery, leaving Zooble to bang around the back end of the train and make sure they didn't get sucked into space.

By the end, they're all staggering into the circus. Kinger would come up and pat her on the shoulder.

"Congrats on your first adventure." He says tiredly, still sporting the grill marks he'd gotten at some point during the escapade.

It was such a rush that Astrid didn't even think how conducting the train would look like to the others. She was surprised she could move it through such impossible maneuvers, even if they were knee-deep in space. It made her feel bad and go somewhat quiet. She had no idea Kinger and Gangle were with her the entire time. She just focused on getting as far away from the monster as she could.

'Thanks,' she said after a pause. 'That wasn't so bad, huh?' No. No that was bad, but knowing Caine could be listening in, she wanted to keep it positive, even if the energy wasn't exactly there. Still, she forced it.

"The NPCs just go to wherever NPCs are put away until Caine needs them again." Jax answers, cracking his back as he did.

"Though I hope we never see that thing again...."

The next adventures would be just as bad. If not rougher.

An adventures as a group of Mad Max style survivalists in a dry, windswept dessert. Soooo many NPCs wanted to stab them-

Next was an "excursion" to a Garden Party, which turned out to be a horror filled hedge maze challenge full of "man eating" plants!

Then there was "The Tornado Adventure!"

Then they had an Adventure doing laundry. Lots and lots of laundry.

And then-!

And then-!

Adventure, after adventure. Scenarios, traumas, unlikely moments where Jax wasn't a complete asshole! Kinger coming through to provide a bit of insight- or be the first "victim" of whatever beast was chasing them. Pomni and Ragatha pulling Astrid along so the teen isn't left behind. Zooble and Gangle guarding the rear.

And Caine, greeting them and sending them off again. His mood alternating between his usual boisterous demeanor and something much more manic and bitter. Sometimes he'd pendulum swing between the two mid conversation. Usually due to some snide remark or suggestion from Bubble.