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Butterflies, an entire kaleidoscope of them, danced across a clear blue sky like shards of broken stained glass. She could almost hear their wings flapping, even from the ground, there were so many of them. Their proportions were so natural, so real, Ragatha almost forgot they were a program.
Everything about today's adventure felt like it was plucked straight out of her memories of the farm she grew up on, then transformed into a beautiful fairytale. At least, the good memories.
The grass beneath her feet seemed to sing in the wind, the sound of dozens of different birds telling stories in their own sorts of languages was clear as day in her ears. All of it seemed perfectly tailored to everything she'd ever wanted her life to be.
Pomni, Kinger and Gangle had begun a game of tag down the small grassy hill she stood atop of, giggling like school children as they let themselves have fun for once. She spotted Zooble further off, plucking a few flowers and twisting them into a crown. Even Jax didn't seem too standoffish, lying against the gentle slope of the hill, a piece of grass clamped between his yellow teeth.
Ragatha had suggested this adventure so long ago that she'd nearly forgotten it existed. It had been almost a week since she'd first joined the circus—she'd been so hopeless back then. The idea of this adventure had kept her going for so long it had eventually faded into a figurehead of future hope.
Why had Caine granted this wish, she wondered as the last of the scattering of butterflies disappeared over the edge of a nearby forest. And why now of all times? The last few examples of suggestion box adventure had not been the best, at least in Caine's view. Why had he suddenly changed his mind?
A sudden rush of cold air swept across Ragatha, jolting her into the present. She spun around to see a whisper of something disappear behind a nearby lone oak tree.
"Hello?" She called, a thread of worry woven through the words. Was all of this some ruse for the adventure to suddenly turn dark? She was already jittery at the thought. Oh, how she hated violent adventures.
Nothing responded. She wasn't sure what she'd expected really.
Steeling her nerves, Ragatha called out again. "Hellooo?"
This time a rustle came from the large branches of the oak, something large. She spotted a flash of something red, then something gold through the leaves. Could it be…?
She took a step forward, then another, then another until she stood almost under that spot of former commotion.
"Caine, is that you?" She asked, incredulous.
There was a momentary stretch of awkward silence.
"Of course not!" Caine's voice called from the oak. "Simply uh- a digital hallucination!"
Ragatha wanted to laugh, but she licked her lips instead, that string of worry now stuck in her throat. What did he want? What was he doing here? Was he spying on them? On… her?
"I thought you didn't join us on these adventures." She attempted to keep her voice as neutral as possible. She wasn't sure his intentions, but she didn't want to immediately assume they were malicious.
"Well I don't usually- I mean- tweet! Tweet! Just a bird in the well sculpted branches above you!"
The laugh escaped her before she could think this time, short but genuine. Her apprehension dissipated slightly. "You're right, little bird, they are quite well-made branches. As well as the entire landscape—extremely close to life!"
Caine's toothy head suddenly appeared through the leaves, his large bug eyes staring down at her. "Really?"
A smile broke across her face without her realizing. He looked almost… cute at this angle. "Really. "
His smile mirrored hers as he floated down from his perch on the tree to hover at her eye level, feet sting dangling. He was so small, it was much easier to really tell now that he was looking her in the eye rather than whizzing around yards above her like he often did in the circus.
"I'm glad, my dear! I did really try with this one to make it look like your world. It was very difficult with the small data set I have, you know. I had to base a lot of it off just your description alone—which was very well written might I add, almost to my level. Well not quite at my level but you know its to be expected because its my entire purpose and all and I-"
"I liked the butterflies," Ragatha injected, having to hold back a small snicker. Once you got him going you really couldn't get Caine to stop, could you? Especially about his adventures.
"Did you?" There was such genuine joy in his voice it almost startled her. She nodded, clasping her hands together.
"They were my favorite part. I'm sorry I had to see them go so soon." To be totally honest with herself, Ragatha was not always very honest with Caine. Well, with people in general—she would much rather lie than hurt someone's feelings. But especially with Caine. For the basic reasons of not wanting to push his buttons and make him do something drastic, but for other, more selfish reasons as well. To truly admit it to herself, Ragatha was rather fond of him, and she liked seeing him happy and hearing about his adventures.
But now, for once, she was really telling the truth. Those butterflies reminded her of a time in her life before the world had become too big to handle. Before things had gotten bad with her mother. Before all of the bad. How desperately she longed for that time again.
"Oh!" Caine exclaimed, clasping his hands together. "That's an easy fix!" He shook his hands like he was about to roll a die, but when he opened them a beautiful butterfly flew out instead. The creature twirled in the air between them, the sunlight glittering through its multicolored wings, before it landed on Caine's outstreached finger.
Holding out his other hand, he asked in a much softer tone than usual, "May I?"
Her eyes fell to his hand, then shot back up to his gaze before she realized what he was asking. A nervous laugh escaped her lips and she placed one of her hands in his. "Of course."
With gentleness Ragatha would've never expected from the ringmaster, he placed that outstretched finger on her hand and coaxed the butterfly to climb onto it. Its small feet tickled her as it walked down her pointer finger before settling right before where her finger met her hand.
Her gaze was fixed on the beautiful thing as it spread out its wings, letting her see every intricate inch of its pattern, all sparkling like rare jewels in the sun.
"Would you like to keep it forever?" Caine asked, his soft voice almost hesitant. Her gaze met his. Those eyes that had once brought her so much fear and confusion the first time she saw them, now brought her a sort of peace she thought she would never find within the confines of the circus.
"Yes." Her reply was barely audible, but easily heard by the ringmaster at such a close distance.
With a snap of his fingers, the butterfly stopped its gentle fluttering against her fabric skin as it shrunk and turned to solid silver before her eyes. A perfectly fitting band of matching silver twisted around her finger. The colors of its wings now represented by a myriad of gems of every color under the sun.
A small gasp escaped her lips at the sight of the ring. Ragatha had never seen jewelry so uniquely beautiful, especially something of Caine's making. Everything he usually made was abrasive and unwelcoming even if he tried to make it seem like the opposite. But this—she could practically see the passion put into it wafting into the air.
"Thank you," she said, awed, her gaze meeting his in this one genuine moment. The entire time she'd known him, Caine seemed to be putting on a show. Cracking jokes, pausing for an imaginary laugh track, performing. But here it felt real. Though Ragatha wasn't shallow enough to change her entire opinion on a person after one gift of jewelry, her view of him seemed a little more real now. That affection for him that had sat dormant in her for months warmed at the thought that maybe—just maybe—this side of him was something he'd saved just for her.
"Oh it was the least I could do, my doll," he chuckled nervously, scratching the back of his head. "You… you really do like this adventure, right?" a pause, his eyes filled with hope. "I-I made it just for you."
Instead of responding, Ragatha stepped forward and hugged him, her heart beating fast.
Caine hung slack for a moment, before hesitantly returning it, then leaned onto her shoulder. The weight of him in her arms felt right. Right like all of the nature around them. Right like the birds and the grass singing. Right like a kaleidoscope of butterflies soaring across the midday sky.
Ragatha hoped they would stay like this for a long time.