No Pain To The Tasty ✨✨

In another time, gangle would’ve told him nothing. She would have just claimed nothing was wrong. But now, she couldn’t help the sobs that came out of her.

“I-It’s Jax” she sniffled “he won’t leave me alone.”

Caine stood there. He eyed the broken comedy mask on the floor, then gangle again, who was sobbing so loud that if she were in any other part of the circus it would have gotten one of the others’ attention.

“Did he break your comedy mask?” Caine asked, gangle nodded.

“He always does this!” She sobbed “I hate him I hate him I HATE HIM!”

“I have seen him mess with you on more than one occasion” Caine said “I thought was just how you humans played around… I thought you liked it.”

“LIKED IT?!” Gangle stopped sobbing for a moment, if she were not digital, her voice would sound scratchy and congested “he treats me like I’m his pet! He wants to see me miserable and I am miserable because of him, and you think I like it?!”

The word ‘miserable’ repeated over and over in caine’s head. Someone in his circus was miserable. And he didn’t know. It filled him with guilt, he should have known! He couldn’t allow misery in his circus.

“I’m so sorry gangle, I should’ve known” He said “don’t you worry my dear, I’ll take care of it for you!”

Gangle watched Caine fly away. She didn’t believe that he could actually change anything, but it was sweet of him to try.

———

Gangle drew in the couch to pass the time, zooble had come and sat next to her. Gangle felt a little bit better at having someone to show her art to.

Ragatha and Pomni came, but gangle assumed that they were looking for Kinger, since his fort was nearby. She nearly jumped when Pomni went in front of her.

“Do you know where Jax is?”

“Keep his filthy name out of your mouth” zooble said.

Caine suddenly appeared in front of them, he was a few feet off the ground, but he looked very excited.

“Gangle!” He said happily “I have a surprise for you!”

He snapped his fingers, Jax appeared in front of all of them. But now, he wasn’t wearing his usually cocky smile, he was looking down shyly, and instead of his overalls, he was wearing the maid dress.

They stifled their giggles, Zooble laughed out loud, which made Jax flinch.

“Come on Jax” the AI prompted “what do we say?”

Jax let out a shaky breath, fiddling with his gloved fingers before he held both of his hands together.

“I’m sorry, mistress gangle…”

The atmosphere after those words came out of his mouth was deadly silent.

“What did you just say?”

The second gangle spoke, Jax fell to his knees, his head held down, like he was fighting himself to avoid looking up.

“I’m so sorry, mistress…”

The others looked in shock, this couldn’t have been the same Jax that tormented them just a few hours earlier.

“Caine what the f$%€?” The censor bar covered up pomni’s swear “what did you do?”

“Well, Jax was treating gangle like a pet” Caine said “so it only made sense to turn him into one.”

It was odd to see Jax in such a position, they did not know Caine had it in him. The AI innocently stood there up in the air, looking at gangle like he was waiting for her reaction.

“So that’s an npc?” Ragatha asked.

Caine laughed so loudly it caught them off guard, it did not sound as genuine as a human laugh.

“Of course not!” He said “but don’t worry, it isn’t permanent, I’ll put him back to normal after he learns his lesson.”

That was a relief, at least, to know that Caine wouldn’t permanently alter someone like that.

“Anyway, have fun!”

Caine vanished, leaving the group with this shivering rabbit on his knees.

———

This was an experience to write, but good job to me for going out of my comfort zone 😁