Chapter Text
The day started like any other in the monotonous, digital hellscape that was the circus. The six human residents shuffled out of their rooms to the common area, dreading what could possibly await them that day.
They congregated on the different colored couches, greeting one another. Pomni took a seat beside Ragatha, resting a hand on her lap.
“Morning, Ragsy.” Pomni greeted with a smile, her eyes soft as she drank in her girlfriend’s appearance.
Ragatha happily returned the smile, resting her hand atop Pomni’s. “Good morning, Pommy.”
“Yeesh, get a room, you two,” Jax grumbled before tossing himself onto one of the couches, sprawling out and taking up the whole seat.
Ragatha rolled her eyes at his antics, refusing to get irritated this early in the morning. She turned her attention back to Pomni. She giggled when she saw the jester’s hat was crooked. Did she rush out of her room to see her sooner?
Ragatha straightened out Pomni’s hat for her, careful to reel in the PDA lest she attract the attention of Jax again. She twirled a strand of Pomni’s bangs around her finger before pulling away with a doting smile.
“Thank you.” Pomni blushed as Ragatha retreated.
“Of course,” Ragatha replied simply, her hand returning on top of Pomni’s. “Did you sleep well last night?”
Before Pomni could reply, their toothy ringmaster made his grand entrance, appearing with a flash of light.
“Good morning, my scrumptious toasty strudels!”
While the others struggled to hide their grumbles, Ragatha managed a strained smile. “Morning, Caine! Have an adventure cooked up for us today?” She swung her arm encouragingly, the action not matching her true feelings.
Caine adjusted his bowtie excitedly, pulling it tight. “I’m glad you asked! Have I got a doozy for you all today!”
Pomni pursed her lips. Joy. That never meant anything good.
She felt Ragatha’s hand squeeze around hers. Pomni looked up to meet the ragdoll’s gaze, her encouraging smile brightening the jester’s dampened spirits.
Caine pushed on with his routine. With a snap of his fingers, six objects appeared, each resting atop its own pedestal.
“Today’s adventure will take place here in the circus! Each item will transform you into a new digital form! What form, you say? Hahaha!” Caine clutched his stomach as he laughed. “That’s up to which item you choose!”
Zooble raised an eyebrow in suspicion. “This adventure wasn’t crafted with me in mind, was it?”
Caine stuttered. Zooble was seemingly right on the money. However, their ringmaster couldn’t let them be right. He clutched his bowtie with one hand, pointing an accusatory finger at the mismatched toy with the other. “Zooble! How could you accuse me of breaking client confidentiality! I would do no such thing.”
Zooble wasn’t convinced, but before they could retort anything, Caine cut them off.
“Now, which one of my buggy bumper babies wants to take on their new form first?”
They all jumped up, ready for the opportunity!
… Or, at least, that’s what Caine was expecting. In reality, you could hear a pin drop with the blanket of silence that suffocated the room. Nobody rose from their seats.
Ragatha shuffled uneasily, but Pomni anchored her to the couch. The jester knew the awkward silence would pressure the ragdoll into offering herself as a sacrifice. So long as she was here, Pomni would ensure that was not the case.
“What’s this?” Caine pulled at his bottom teeth, his eyes darting from person to person. “No volunteers? It couldn’t be that nobody wants to participate, can it?”
The humans glanced at each other warily, five of them staying firmly planted. The sixth jumped up to his feet, fed up with everyone’s hesitation.
“You guys are being waaayyy too dramatic about this,” Jax declared, shaking his head with an easy-going smile. “What’s the harm? We are already stuck in these bodies,” he stretched his rubbery arm as a demonstration, “So how bad could a new one be?”
Zooble glared at the rabbit, already fed up with his antagonizing attitude… Not that it ever took much for him to push them over the edge. They pointed an angry finger at him. “If it’s not a big deal, then how about you go first?” Gangle held onto Zooble’s arm as if holding them back, whispering something the rest of the group couldn’t hear.
Jax rolled his eyes in response. “Jeez, don’t get your panties in a twist. I’ll be the sacrificial lamb; just pull that stick out of your [@$$] sometime soon. Life is more comfortable without it.”
Gangle’s grip on Zooble’s arm only got tighter as the mismatched toy cursed censored profanities under their breath.
Jax strolled to the six pedestals, considering his options. Each item was a different food or drink. He opted for a drink since that would be faster than eating in front of an audience. This was an adventure, not a mukbang.
That eliminated half of his options. The choices that remained included a cup of hot cocoa (hard pass for him), a dreamy herbal blue tea, and a small cup of fruity purple juice.
Well, his choice was obvious.
Taking the cup of juice, he tossed it back in one swig. Just to annoy Zooble, he let out an exaggerated breath of refreshment, smacking his lips for extra measure. “De-licious!”
Above him, Caine twirled his cane, and a chalkboard appeared overhead. Using the end of his cane, he marked down one tally. “One down, five left to go!”
“Yeah, yeah, when is this stuff supposed to hit?” Jax grumbled, tapping a fist against his chest. “All I feel so far is burpy.”
Caine checked his wrist, reading off a watch that wasn’t there. “Right about… Now!”
Jax disappeared in a poof of purple, the cloud swallowing him. The rest of the group coughed at the purple onslaught, quickly fanning the smoke away from their faces. However, they were weak to their curiosity and peeked through narrowed eyes to see Jax’s new form.
Where Jax once stood now sat a hyperrealistic purple bunny.
Zooble erupted into a fit of laughter.
“Welcome to your new form, Jax! How does it feel?” Caine asked.
The rabbit didn’t answer, instead sniffing the ground as if searching for something to munch on.
“What a riveting review!” With a snap, Jax was returned to his seat. “Now, who’s next?”
Before anyone could stop him, Kinger rose from his seat, sniffing the air as he approached the pedestals. He came to a stop in front of the cup of tea. His eyes widened as he picked up the teacup, swirling the contents. He looked up to Caine and asked, “Is this butterfly pea flower tea?”
“That’s correct, Kinger-oonie! Good catch!”
Kinger’s demeanor shifted. His eyes returned to the cup of tea, glazed over as if recalling an old memory. In the reflection of the drink, he mistook himself for someone else. “Wow, honey. I haven’t seen you in ages. I’d almost forgotten your taste…”
Ragatha stood up with an outstretched hand. “Kinger, wait, are you sure you want to-?”
Before she could finish her sentence, Kinger already lifted the teacup to his imaginary lips. From where the rest of the group sat, it looked more like he was kissing the cup rather than drinking from it.
Despite his lack of a mouth, the action was enough to do the trick. He set the empty cup back down on the pedestal, his cheeks glowing rosy pink. “Thank you, Caine. It was delicious.”
Caine seemed to blush… Or, whatever way a being with dentures for a head could blush. “O-Of course…” He hid his eyes behind his hands bashfully, peeking through his fingers to watch Kinger’s upcoming transformation.
Kinger turned toward the rest of the group with his usual dazed look, all semblance of sentience gone. “Bon voyage!”
Disappearing in another cloud of smoke, Kinger’s new form came to light as the haze dispersed…
Pomni choked on her spit.
Gangle covered her mouth with her hand.
Zooble’s eyes widened.
Ragatha’s jaw dropped.
Jax remained Jax.
Kinger was jacked.
It looked like Kinger’s typical torso had been surgically replaced with that of a gym bro. A gym bro who never skipped a day and ate nothing but unseasoned ground beef and plain white rice. Was the tea laced with steroids? As everyone ogled the chess piece, his kingly cloak dramatically slipped from his shoulders, resting at his hips.
… How on earth does a chess piece achieve an Apollo’s belt?! (Cue everyone Googling Apollo’s belt.)
Chuckling, Kinger’s pecs flexed up and down consecutively. Everyone’s eyes followed comedically.
“Everyone, my eyes are up here.”
“Wowie! Looking great, Kinger! Way to give us a show!”
Kinger looked down at himself, touching his chest to count his abs. “Wow! Looks like my aerobics classes paid off!”
“Yeah, yeah, alright, you’ve had your spotlight.” Caine marked another tally on his board with a swift flick of his wrist. He then snapped his fingers and Kinger poofed out of existence, reappearing in his seat on the couch. “Now, let’s speed things up a little! Ragatha, you’re up next!”
Before she could process her own name being called, Ragatha blinked and opened her eyes to see she was standing in front of the pedestals. She looked back to the couches, confused, seeking out Pomni. The jester was already on her feet, ready to defend her girlfriend, but any protests were drowned out by their rude host.
“Now, you have four choices left! Which one will it be?”
Ragatha still looked to Pomni, the two of them silently communicating through expression. Pomni’s brow was furrowed as she glanced up at Caine before returning to Ragatha. The ragdoll was confident that the jester wouldn’t hesitate to put an end to their ringmaster’s antics if she asked…
Ragatha gave a slight shake of her head. No, she didn’t want to upset him. Lord knows what would happen if he got angry. They’ve hurt his feelings once already this morning…
Pomni’s expression faltered slightly, but she recovered quickly, giving a tiny nod. I’ve got you no matter what happens.
Ragatha felt her shoulders drop in relief. Pomni was so sweet to her. She was forever grateful for her supportiveness, even if she was making things more difficult for herself.
Ragatha turned her attention to the pedestals, considering her options. Four items remained: One drink and three snacks. She passed over the hot chocolate, curious about the food options. There was a muffin, two boiled eggs, and a whole, unsliced ham with a protruding bone… Well, that certainly was an easy decision to make.
She picked up the muffin, silently begging the others for forgiveness when she realized the remaining options would be left for them. This was going to be her one act of selfishness for the day.
“I’ll eat this.”
“Great choice!” Caine praised her. “Now, bottoms up!”
Lifting the muffin to her mouth, she eyed Kinger warily. The chesspiece now held Jax in his lap, the comedic sight making her snicker. Did Jax realize what was going on? Her hand holding the muffin wavered… Could taking a new form mess with their minds as well? No, Caine said before that he had no control over their minds.
Kinger held out a thumbs-up in her direction, seemingly smiling at her. It would warm her heart a bit more if his chest didn’t ripple at the same time…
Screw it, what did she have to lose? It was all random and temporary anyway.
Before she could think about it a bit further, she stuffed a bite of the muffin in her mouth, chewing quickly. She hummed in surprise, eyes opening from being squeezed shut. Wow, it actually tasted pretty good! She tried to pinpoint the flavor. Maybe it was banana nut muffin? She took another bite. With cinnamon? Not bad. It definitely beats boiled eggs or ham.
As she popped the last bite into her mouth, a thought crossed her mind. Did Caine specify that the effects were temporary?
“Hey, Caine-”
Before she could voice the question, she was engulfed in her own poof of blue smoke. The transformation started before she could back out.
Her anxiety made her imagine the worst. What was she going to change into? Would she also become an animal? Maybe a horse? Ha, she would have loved that as a kid. Not so much as an adult… Wait, what if she couldn’t speak? How would she talk to Pomni? Would she have a mouth, so they could still kiss at least?
Ragatha desperately tried to clear away the smoke, waving her hands above her head. She needed Pomni’s reassurance now. But as she flailed, she felt something different about herself… Her body was moving a lot more than it used to.
As the smoke cleared, she immediately searched for Pomni. She smiled in relief when she found her, but frowned when the jester’s mouth dropped open. What happened? What changed? She didn’t feel much different…
… Was her dress always this tight?
Ragatha looked down at herself and gasped in horror. Look down at herself… Ha! She couldn’t even see her feet anymore!
She stared at her chest in disbelief. Her hands reached up and pressed down on her breasts as if she could simply wipe them off herself. Rather than them coming off as she wished, they rebounded with an overly animated jiggle. She quickly crossed her arms over her chest to stop them, her face burning.
Gangle quickly covered Zooble’s eyes with her hands. The mismatched toy didn’t protest. It felt disrespectful to look anyway, especially with Pomni there. Who, by the way, still had her mouth hanging.
Ragatha’s eyes were trained on the ground. Dear God. Everyone saw her chest… bounce. Thank God Jax went first; otherwise, this experience would have worsened tenfold.
“Wowzers, what a transformation!” Caine yelled, spinning midair. “Looks like your model physics got an upgrade, as well!”
“What-? I-I…” Ragatha was speechless; Caine’s words only embarrassed her further.
Ragatha couldn’t move. She was afraid of how her new body would react if she tried. She clenched her arms around herself tighter, desperately trying to regulate her emotions. The action only squeezed her new breasts more, practically spilling over her crossed arms. She could cry from the humiliation.
The worst part: She could feel Pomni’s gaze on her. Ragatha was too scared to look up and read her expression. Was she disgusted? Or delighted? She didn’t know which situation she preferred.
“Now, then,” Caine persisted, completely oblivious to Ragatha’s dilemma, “How about Zooble goes next-”
Snapping back to attention, Pomni quickly recollected herself and cut off Caine with a yell before he could steamroll his way through this situation. “Hey! Wait a minute!”
Caine stopped in his tracks, turning toward the jester with a twinkle in his eye. “What’s this? Pomni volunteering! Today must be my lucky day!”
Before Caine could snap his fingers, Pomni yelled, “No! I’m not volunteering!”
Caine’s hand faltered, his teeth clacking as he ‘blinked’ in surprise. “Huh?”
“What’s the idea behind these transformations, exactly?” Pomni questioned angrily. “You said they were random, but two out of three seem to be following a suspicious theme.”
“Whatever do you mean, my little Pomni?!” Caine asked loudly, wringing his cane in both hands. “There is no theme! Just pure, harmless fun!”
“Oh, really?” Zooble spoke up now, arms crossed as they stood from their seat, glaring suspicious daggers at the ringmaster. “Because it seems to me like you’re giving us the bimbofication treatment. No offense, guys.”
“None taken!” Kinger responded coolly, more focused on petting Jax than on their conversation.
… Ragatha chose to say nothing. She was too busy attempting to turn invisible.
“Yeah, these forms seem to… Violate your PG rating, Caine,” Gangle said, albeit quietly. She curled into herself with an eep! when Caine smacked his cane against his floating chalkboard, effectively shattering it.
The pieces fell to the floor with a clatter. Bubble popped into existence, quickly eating the chalkboard’s remains. He licked his lips. “Dusty!” He burst, disappearing as quickly as he appeared.
“I don’t understand! What is there not to like?” Caine's arms gestured wildly. “Aren’t these forms supposed to represent peak human performance?!”
“Is that really what you think?” Zooble raised a brow. “This just confirms my suspicions that you chose this adventure because of me. This wasn’t what I was asking for, Caine!”
Caine clenched his bottom teeth with his hands, kicking his feet in the air in an undignified temper tantrum. “Zooble, why are you ruining a good time? Why can’t we all get along and have some fun? Why don’t you like my adventures?!”
All Zooble could do was sigh with a slight shake of their head as Caine cried and whined like a toddler. Gangle reached out to place her hand on their shoulder, offering a weary smile. Zooble begrudgingly relaxed, putting their hand over Gangle’s in silent thanks.
Zooble turned to Caine with a renewed sense of purpose. “Caine.”
Caine paused. He was on his stomach midair, punching and kicking ‘the ground’. He straightened up to stand on empty air, righting his tophat. “Apologies for my behavior! I’m glad to see your renewed interest! Now, which item will you be-”
“I’m not eating any of that,” Zooble cut off, “I’m not participating in this adventure.”
Amidst the chaos, Ragatha was unsuccessfully sinking into the ground, not listening to a word of dialogue being exchanged. She was waiting for this to be over. Ha ha, fun game, Caine! Now, change everyone back!
Although she awaited the snap of the ringmaster’s fingers, the sound never came.
Finally, she ripped her gaze from the floor. She immediately gravitated to Pomni, who was glancing back and forth between Zooble and Caine’s heated exchange. Gangle looked just as miserable as she felt. Her eyes drifted over to Kinger, who was chastising Jax for chewing on his robe.
She squeezed her eyes shut. This was ridiculous. She could handle a lot, but this form was too much. Literally.
Maybe she was still asleep? Yeah… Her shoulders relaxed by a margin. Any second now, she was going to open her eyes and find herself in her bed, tucked in warm blankets.
“Fine! Adventure canceled then!” Caine wailed, the pedestals disappearing with a snap of his fingers.
Ragatha excitedly opened her eyes, only for her expression to immediately drop when she realized how exponentially worse the situation had gotten during her brain break.
“Caine, quit being a baby about this!” Zooble yelled back. “Just turn them back and let us relax today! You can cook up another adventure for us tomorrow!”
“No!” Caine pouted, crossing his arms and turning away from the group. “Until you look forward to my adventures again, I quit!”
With that, Caine turned an invisible knob and opened a door from thin air, stepping through the glowing doorway and disappearing in a flash of white.
The group stood there speechless, still processing Caine’s outburst. They looked between each other, as if asking, Did that really just happen?
Kinger broke the silence by lifting Jax into the air by the scruff, pointing a finger in his face. “No! No biting!” Jax responded by biting said finger in his face. “Y’OUCH!”
Distracted by the scene at first, Pomni remembered Ragatha’s dilemma. She quickly turned to where the ragdoll stood, the two of them locking eyes for a brief moment before Ragatha quickly averted her gaze. Pomni’s heart panged. She couldn’t stand to see her so uncomfortable.
“Hey, guys,” Pomni turned to the rest of the group, “I know this morning has been a bit crazy, and we should definitely unpack it more later, but could you give me and Ragatha a few minutes alone?”
Zooble and Gangle looked at each other before nodding in synchronous agreement. They didn’t need any further explanation. Pomni was relieved that she and Ragatha weren’t the only couple in the circus. It certainly made situations like this a bit easier.
The two of them worked together to corral Kinger, leading him away to the other room with the promise of hay to feed his new pet bunny.
After watching them retreat, Pomni turned her full attention to Ragatha. The ragdoll hadn't moved, still firmly planted in place. Pomni approached her carefully, her hands behind her back in as casual a demeanor as she could manage.
“Hey there, good lookin’,” Pomni opened. Ragatha’s grip around herself only tightened. Pomni tried to ignore the way her breasts shook as she did so.
Maybe that wasn’t the best opener considering the situation… Pomni cleared her throat. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“This is utterly mortifying,” Ragatha squeaked.
Pomni stepped closer, pressing a hand to Ragatha’s cheek. The ragdoll closed her eyes tiredly, desperately leaning into the touch with a slight nuzzle. She was desperate for consolation. Pomni rubbed her cheek with her thumb, offering a knowing smile.
“Hey, it’s not so bad, is it?” Pomni tried to comfort. “I mean, you have always been… Anatomically blessed. If you think it’s too much, you can donate some to me.”
Ragatha gave a weak laugh at Pomni’s joke, managing a small smile. “You’re so mean to yourself…”
“You know it’s true,” Pomni huffed. She guided Ragatha’s face toward her own. She rested her other hand on the small of Ragatha’s waist, pulling her in closer.
Pomni’s height was an unfortunate factor in this situation. Being roughly a head shorter than Ragatha meant she was always at chest level. Which was never a problem before. Hell, as a matter of fact, Pomni loved that aspect of their relationship. Every hug gave her two soft pillows to rest her weary head on.
She never thought she’d say this, but at the moment, having a face full of tits wasn’t the right vibe. Not when she was trying to comfort her girlfriend through an uncomfortable situation. Having said that, the uncomfortable situation at eye level was distractingly hot.
Give her a break. She’s always liked boobs more than ass… Not that Ragatha was lacking in either department.
As she pulled Ragatha close, tenderly stroking her cheek with her thumb, she swallowed thickly when she realized the only thing standing between her and Ragatha’s massive new rack was the ragdoll’s arms. She was grateful that Ragatha’s eyes were still closed. Otherwise, she would have realized Pomni was ogling her.
Pomni squeezed her eyes shut, willing her lady-boner away. Begone, dirty thoughts. Maybe later… But definitely not now.
Scraping the last remaining amount of willpower she had, she pulled Ragatha in for a hug, practically on her tippy toes to avoid burying herself and to remain respectful. She felt Ragatha tense, her arms locking tighter around herself.
Pomni squeezed her arms around Ragatha firmly, swaying the two of them back and forth on the balls of her feet. “Aww, are you really not going to hug me back? When we haven’t seen each other aaall night? How could you be so mean to me, Ragsy?”
Pomni grinned when she felt a huff of laughter escape the ragdoll. To her delight, her attempt at lightening the mood seemed to work. Ragatha’s arms around herself came undone, squeezing their way out from between them to find their way around Pomni. The jester smiled into Ragatha’s dress as she felt her arms come to a rest around her waist, pulling her in even closer.
Pomni melted in Ragatha’s arms, rubbing lazy circles on her back.
“How about we start today over?” Pomni suggested, continuing to rock them back and forth ever so slightly. “Good morning, Ragsy.”
Ragatha’s grip around Pomni tightened marginally. Pomni tried not to make a noise when her breasts pressed uncomfortably against her esophagus.
“Good morning, Pommy.”
“That’s better,” Pomni encouraged. “Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah,” Pomni could hear Ragatha’s smile in her voice, “But I would have slept better if I were with you.”
“Oh, really?” Pomni played along. “You really think we would be sleeping if we went to bed together?”
Pomni felt Ragatha’s body shake as she giggled. Ragatha’s hand found its way to Pomni’s head, stroking her head through her jester hat. “Smooth line.”
Pomni squeezed Ragatha’s waist one last time before pulling away. As much as she was pretending things were normal, certain components certainly felt different. She looked up into Ragatha’s eyes, the ragdoll returning the gaze with a weary smile.
“Feeling any better, Ragsy?”
“A little,” Ragatha sighed. She bit her bottom lip. “This whole situation still sucks, though.”
Pomni stood on her tiptoes, pressing a chaste kiss to Ragatha’s lips. The latter let go of her bottom lip with a blink of surprise, quickly replaced with a bashful smile.
The jester’s fingers found their way into the ragdoll’s hair, twisting one of her curls around her finger. “I understand. Hopefully the effects don’t last too long… Or Caine comes back tomorrow acting like his tantrum never happened.” Pomni laughed ruefully at the thought, “Whichever comes first.”
Ragatha hummed dejectedly in response, continuing to pet Pomni’s head. “I hope so.”
Pomni’s expression crumpled, pulling Ragatha back into their hug with a tight squeeze. She hated to see Ragatha so upset. She wished there was more she could do. She brainstormed… The only solution was to distract the ragdoll any way she could. Their debrief with the rest of the group could wait.
“How about we go back to my room for a little bit?” Pomni suggested, “Just to get away from everything for a little bit.”
Ragatha pulled away, taking the jester’s hand in her own with a tired smile. “I’d like that. To cuddle, right?”
Pomni fought the grin that threatened to overtake her face. “Sureee,” she said playfully, jokingly insinuating that wasn’t all they’d be doing.
They swung their arms together as they left the room. Pomni, with a mischievous grin, slyly slipped her hand out of Ragatha's, letting the ragdoll walk a few steps in front of her…
It was something silly she did sometimes. Just a pat, she swears! Although, in hindsight, maybe then wasn’t the best time.
Pomni let Ragatha get ahead before giving her a firm smack on the butt. Ragatha squeaked in surprise. What was intended to be a playful move instead caused Ragatha’s backside to wobble like a fat bowl of jello.
Pomni felt her blood turn to ice, and her face burn simultaneously. Whoops. That was more action than she was used to seeing… Although she couldn’t lie and say she didn’t enjoy the sight.
But when Ragatha stopped in her tracks, her hands curled into fists by her sides… Pomni closed her eyes, a small tear slipping down her cheek.
Welp, she was in trouble now.
Pomni begged for forgiveness the entire walk back to her room, her disgruntled lover ignoring her desperate pleas.
… They were still on for cuddling, though, right?!