Chapter Text
How long has it been since you first came to the circus? Four, five, six months? You aren’t sure. You lost count a while ago.
You stare up at the brightly colored ceiling of the sprawling red and yellow circus tent. The other circus members sit around you on couches in the lounge as you rest after yet another chaotic adventure.
“If I have to dodge one more lava shark, I’m going to delete myself,” Jax says, sitting lazily on the couch. Bits of his red overalls still have burn marks with smoke wafting up into the air.
Pomni stares off into the distance. “Why can’t we ever have a normal day? Just… one.”
Zooble shakes their head. “I don't think ‘normal’ is in Caine’s vocabulary.”
You consider the conversation. You’re used to the others discussing their dissatisfaction with the adventures by now, which you had to admit was valid.
It took longer than you cared to admit to adjust to this place and its “routine,” not to mention its curiously wacky ringmaster. When you spawned into the circus for the very first time, you almost blacked out from shock when a huge pair of eyes and dentures came flying toward you from who knows where.
Since then, you've realized that this is simply how things are here: chaotic, thrilling, and occasionally terrifying.
You’re brought out of your thoughts by Gangle sniffling loudly while staring at her broken comedy mask.
Trying to improve the mood, you say, “I don’t know… I actually like the adventures. I mean, yeah, they can be pretty wild or intense at times, but they’re fun. Caine puts so much effort into them.”
The others stare at you as if you’d grown an extra head.
Unseen nearby, a certain ringmaster hovering behind grand stage curtains freezes midair, causing Bubble to bump into him. Caine’s eyes widen and his bottom jaw threatens to clatter to the ground. He pauses brainstorming future adventure ideas to eavesdrop intently.
Ragatha blinks at you while dumping lava rocks out of her shoe. “You… liked that?” She usually tries to stay positive, but even she has to admit that today’s adventure was a bit much.
“Well, yeah. It’s exciting to say the least. Better than being bored, right?” You shrug.
Okay, maybe you’re coping. Just a little. But it’s true that you like some of the adventures and appreciate the work put into them. You know it can't be easy entertaining the same few humans day after day when all they want to do is leave. That being said, you can't help but miss your old life sometimes too.
Jax leans back with a smirk. “And there it is, folks. Another one’s gone nuts. Kinger, scoot over. You’ve got company.”
“Great!” Kinger exclaims. “What company do I work for again?”
At this point, Caine stops listening and remains uncharacteristically quiet. Eyes wide and sparkling with wonder, he whispers, “Someone… likes my adventures?”
After a moment, he vanishes with a puff of smoke, silently teleporting Bubble and himself to his office before releasing an explosion of confetti.
“Did you hear that, Bubble?!” Caine shouts, zipping around the room. “Someone enjoys my adventures! Someone appreciates them! I was beginning to think that all of my hard work was for nothing.”
Bubble coughs on a piece of stray confetti. “That’s great, boss! Real proud of you. You gonna calm down now?”
Buzzing with excitement, Caine grabs Bubble in both hands and shakes him like a maraca. “Calm down? Calm down?! Bubble, this is monumental! Historic! Who knew someone else in the circus had such fine taste in entertainment.”
Caine lets Bubble go and floats to his desk with a notepad and pen. “Now… What should be the next one?” He flips the pen in his hand while in deep thought.
Bubble floats upside down a safe distance away. “You mean the next idea for the group?”
“No, no, no, the next masterpiece!” Caine’s pen scratches furiously across the notepad, though the words come out in wild loops that are only half legible. “It must be even better than previous adventures, something to impress my dear participants,” he says enthusiastically, eager to be praised once again.
“You’re starting to sound a little intense there, boss.”
“Intense? Nonsense! I’m inspired!” With a dramatic flourish, Caine tosses the pen into the air behind him and places his hands on his hips. “Bubble, get ready. We’ve got work to do!”
~~~~~
The next day, or whatever counted as a day here, the circus members stand outside the closed stage. Zooble is nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, Caine bursts from the velvet drapes like a magician who’d swallowed an entire fireworks display.
“LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” he booms, waving the gold tip of his cane toward the audience. “Today’s adventure is... a daring dive into the Moonlit Menagerie!” A painted backdrop unfurls behind him to reveal a sprawling nighttime park lit by neon signs and the Moon herself. The calm atmosphere of the painting contrasts with the bright colors of the surrounding circus.
“So… a zoo?” Pomni asks with mild interest.
Jax groans. “Awesome. Zoos. My favorite. Do the lava sharks have a petting area?”
“Each of you will play a vital role,” Caine continues, gesturing theatrically with his hands. “A peculiar predicament has befallen our Moonlit Menagerie. Animals are vanishing! Poof! Gone, leaving nothing but questions in their wake. It’s up to you to find out who, or what, took them before the clock strikes midnight!”
Shining detective badges pop into existence above his hands. He flexes his fingers, then sends them sailing through the air toward you and the others. Yours lands gently in your palm.
“Congratulations, detectives. You’ll lead the investigation,” he says while giving a thumbs up.
Ragatha perks up, “Ooh, fun! We’re like a team!” She clips the badge to her dress with a click.
Caine’s smile widens as he watches the circus members chatter amongst themselves. His gaze skips across the group and lands on you, persisting for a second or two before moving on. It wasn’t obvious, not to anyone else. You think nothing of it.
Jax stretches and puts his arms behind his head. “I call ‘guy who pretends to chase clues but actually just hides in the popcorn stand.’”
“Denied!” Caine chirps. With a dramatic flick of his wrist, detective trench coats and hats appear on everyone.
Gangle peeks up from her notebook. “Um… I guess I could take notes?”
Pomni studies her badge. “Do we get to choose our roles, or is this just chaos dressed up in trench coats?”
“Yes!” Caine answers cheerfully, which doesn't really answer anything at all. A flickering portal appears by the group while Caine ushers everyone to step through.
Once on the other side, you pause to take in the scenery before you. Stars shimmer above a vast zoo with neon signs scattered about, illuminating winding paths and empty cages. A few signs flicker "OUT OF ORDER" in bright red. The Moon hangs low, bright enough to cast silver reflections across various bodies of water. The words "Welcome to the Moonlit Menagerie!" slowly float across the indigo sky.
The others exchange weary looks.
You sigh, but can't help grinning as you adjust your detective badge. “All right, team. Let’s figure out where these animals went.”
The six of you begin to make your way deeper into the glowing zoo. You feel something in your pocket and find a magnifying glass. It buzzes in your palm. Beside you, Ragatha trots along with cheerful determination while Kinger examines purple fur covering bits of an empty cage’s floor.
“You sure you don't belong in there, Jax?” you point to the cage with a smirk.
“Ha ha, very funny,” Jax replies while rolling his eyes.
Kinger notices a set of animal-like footprints that stop abruptly in front of an enclosure. “Look! Maybe this is a clue.”
You kneel beside the obscure prints. Raising your magnifying glass to it, the trail starts glowing through the glass, leading toward a dark tunnel attached to what appears to be a large igloo.
“Found something,” you say. “Looks like the tracks lead to some sort of arctic exhibit.”
“That’s one handy magnifying glass. Why are you the only person who got one…” Pomni wonders quietly to no one in particular.
The dim tunnel yawns before you like a throat lined with faint blue lights. The farther you go, the quieter it becomes. The air is cool, the only sound being the faint echo of footsteps on tile.
Kinger’s voice comes from behind you, steady and thoughtful. “They weren’t taken by force.”
You look back, mildly surprised by Kinger’s sudden lucidity. “How can you tell?”
He points at the clean, scuff-free walls and floors. “No scratches or signs of struggle. It seems that they may have left willingly.” Pen scratches are heard as Gangle takes notes.
Pomni frowns. “Why would a bunch of animals willingly vanish?”
“Maybe they were offered a better deal,” Jax says smoothly. “Freedom. Dental insurance. That sort of thing.”
You're about to reply when you almost jump out of your skin after hearing a sudden flurry of small footsteps rush by the group.
Penguins? They march on by, chanting “Hup, hup, hup.” Huh. You guess not all the animals have vanished.
You follow the glowing footprints out of the tunnel and into a large open room surrounded by glacier decorations. At the center stands a sign that reads "THE POLAR PAVILION" in flickering ice-blue neon. Fake snow falls in lazy spirals.
Ragatha cups her hands around her mouth. “Hello? Any missing animals here?” Her voice echoes across the empty space. No answer, though a polar bear statue gives an ominous creak nearby.
Gangle squeaks and writes something down. “B-bear statue. Hopefully not alive.”
Pomni points to a trail of water and fish scattered across the frosty floor. “Looks like someone raided the snack supply.”
Kinger bends down, eyes sharper than usual. “The fish seem to point toward the aquarium.” He peers across the room where another tunnel connects to what appears to be a large glass dome.
“Lead the way, Sherlock,” Jax says with a smirk.
The group follows the tunnel into the aquarium, where the faint scent of salt and metal hangs in the air. The water in the surrounding tank shimmers in blues and purples with schools of luminous fish swimming close to the glass before darting away. A small observation pool resides in the center of the room. There's a single penguin floating in an inner tube, sipping what looks like hot cocoa.
“Do you think that’s suspicious?” Ragatha whispers.
“I think it’s adorable,” you say, crouching near the water.
The penguin stares back with serene indifference. It points one flipper toward a dark maintenance hatch on the far wall, then resumes spinning lazily in its tube.
“Subtle,” Jax says, following the penguin’s gesture. “Guess we go that way.”
You pull the hatch open. Inside, a hallway glows faintly with bioluminescent plants lining the walls. Small tracks scatter across the floor from paws, webbed feet, and even what looks like claws. You lift your magnifying glass and the tracks glow brighter, twisting deeper inside.
“Looks like we’re not the first ones down here,” you murmur.
Ragatha squints over your shoulder. “Do you think this is where all the animals went?”
“Maybe,” you say. “Let’s find out.”
Halfway through the hallway, you get a strange sensation as if the air is watching you. You glance around. Nothing. Just the others trudging along, the faint drip of condensation, and glowing plants with… eyes?
You swear you see a pair of eyes resembling Caine’s nestled beneath the leaves. Hovering, studying, almost curious. When you blink, they're gone. You're about to investigate the plant further when Kinger shouts ahead.
“Look!” Kinger stands at the end of the corridor, pointing toward a round metal door. “It leads to another chamber,” he says, voice wavering slightly.
You hurry forward with the others close behind. The door is cold under your hand as you turn the handle and push. It creaks open with a low groan.
You step inside and stop short. Inside, the air is cooler but oddly festive. String lights shaped like tiny constellations hang across the walls, twinkling in soft blues and golds. A cheerful tune hums from unseen speakers. You stare in wonder as you watch a large crowd of animals mingling and dancing.
The rest of the detective group makes an array of confused sounds. All of the missing animals are here. Lions, elephants, polar bears, even a sleepy-looking seal sprawls across a beanbag chair. In the middle of it all, perched proudly on an ice sculpture shaped like a crescent moon, is a snow leopard wearing a glittery party hat.
The leopard turns its head, spots you, and smiles. “Ah! Guests!” She hops down gracefully and trots over to you, fur on her shoulders catching the soft lights.
Pomni blinks. “It talks.”
“Of course I talk,” the leopard says in a smooth, elegant voice. “Someone has to host the party.”
Ragatha clasps her hands together. “A party! For what?”
The leopard flicks her tail and gestures toward a shimmering clock on the chamber’s ceiling. The hands are ticking close to twelve. “Why, for the New Year, of course! I couldn’t let my friends miss it.”
Jax squints. “Your friends are zoo animals.”
“Colleagues,” the snow leopard corrects, nose in the air. “And they work very hard being adorable all year. They deserve a little celebration.”
You stifle a laugh, glancing around at the chaos. A polar bear balances a cupcake on its nose, two penguins attempt to clink hot cocoa mugs, and a bald eagle tosses confetti with its talons. The animals all look content, not captive.
“Wait,” Ragatha says, piecing it together. “You didn’t kidnap them, did you?”
“Kidnap?” The leopard gasps dramatically. “Absolutely not! I invited them, and promised snacks and refreshments. Look, fish for everyone!”
Pomni nudges one of the fish platters with her shoe. “Huh. Guess that explains the trail.”
“That’s… honestly kind of sweet,” you remark.
The leopard beams. “Naturally. One must have class, even in captivity.” She glances around. “Now that you’ve found us, why not join the celebration? It’s almost midnight!”
Before you can answer, you hear chanting from the crowd. Animals start to count down in unison as the giant clock ticks.
“Three, two, one…” The clock chimes twelve, and the lights flicker brighter, scattering reflections across the chamber. The animals cheer, “Happy New Year!” as confetti bursts overhead. Ragatha laughs and tosses a handful back into the air.
For a little while, everyone joins the animals in the celebration. Pomni begins to relax, grabbing a few sparklers before handing one to Gangle, who accepts it contentedly. Even Jax looks faintly amused when a meerkat offers him a cupcake. Somehow, the chaos feels calm.
After some time, the snow leopard finds the group and bows deeply. “Mystery solved, detectives. Thank you for your dedication. The case is now closed.”
A portal pops into existence nearby, and the group members start to walk through one by one. You linger for a few seconds to get one last look before walking through. The chamber fades away along with the faint echo of laughter and music.
A few moments later, you and the others stand once again in the brightly colored lounge, bits of confetti still stuck in everyone’s hair and clothing.
“Bravo, my sleuthing sugarplums! What a dazzling display of deduction!” Caine declares, satisfied at yet another successful adventure.
Ragatha stretches with a cheerful sigh. “Well, that was actually kind of nice. No explosions, no monsters, just a party.”
Kinger nods in agreement. “I wonder what we were celebrating.”
The group slowly disperses throughout the circus. Gangle meets up with Zooble on one of the couches while Kinger heads back to his impenetrable fortress. Jax slinks off in the opposite direction with a grin, clearly up to no good. Ragatha and you start walking back to your rooms.
Ragatha laughs softly. “Caine seemed… extra cheerful today.”
“Yeah,” you agree. “He did.”
The two of you chat for a while in the corridor before retiring to your rooms for the evening.
~~~~~
The circus is unusually quiet now that it’s “nighttime.” The lights throughout the tent are dimmed to a sleepy glow. You sit on your bed and turn the detective badge over in your hands, watching it flicker with residual digital light.
Despite everything, you find yourself smiling. Maybe it was the absurdity of it all, or maybe it was something else. Today’s adventure was definitely an improvement compared to past ones.
Lost in thought, you barely notice when a poster on the wall beside you wrinkles and begins to sprout a pair of eyes.
“HELLO AGAIN!” it booms in Caine’s unmistakable voice, making you jump. The poster peels forward like a door and Caine steps out of it, tipping his top hat. “Fancy seeing you here! You know, in your own room and all.”
You clutch your thumping heart. “Can you not-”
“-appear out of nowhere, yes, yes,” he dismisses with a wave of his hand. “But no promises!” He hovers at eye level with his hands together, buzzing with what seems to be eager yet nervous energy. “I merely thought I might… inquire.”
“Inquire?”
“About the adventure!” He spread his hands wide. “Your enjoyment is very important to me. Was the pacing optimal? The clues fair? Be honest! Wait, be gently honest. Actually, strike that, be you, which is to say-”
“Caine. I liked it,” you interrupt with a chuckle, amused by his antics.
His grin flickers brighter, eyes shining. “You did?”
“It was clever. And cute.” Your mind flashes back to the penguin floating in an inner tube without a care in the world. “I liked that it was on the more low-stakes side. It was fun figuring things out instead of just running from monsters.” You’re simply being honest.
Caine’s grin widens. His teeth gleam like porcelain as he floats around your room.
“Clever and cute!” he repeats, sounding as if he has just been awarded a medal. “I knew my creative instincts were still sharp!” He straightens his bowtie and puffs his chest proudly. “Finally, some feedback that doesn't involve complaining, crying, or mild existential dread.”
You tilt your head. “You really wanted us to like it, huh?”
For a moment, Caine’s seemingly endless movement slows while he considers your question.
“Well,” he says at last, voice softer, “as a ringmaster, I do like to know when my participants are having fun.” He straightens his outfit, summoning his usual flourish back into place. “And you, my brilliant investigator, seemed especially engaged today. It was pleasing to witness.”
You blink, caught off guard by his sincerity. “Thanks, Caine. That actually means a lot.”
His eyes flicker, as if processing your words. Then, with an awkward little cough that sounds suspiciously rehearsed, he conjures a puff of golden pixels in his hand. When it clears, a single ticket stub floats toward you.
You catch it gently. It’s warm to the touch and glints faintly in the light. Stamped across the center in neat block letters are the words "THANK YOU FOR PLAYING."
You look up, but Caine is already halfway through the poster he entered with, his smile a little softer.
“Rest well, detective,” he says, tipping his hat once more. “You’ve earned it.”
With that, the poster flattens back against the wall with a faint rustle, leaving you alone with the golden ticket in your hand.
You sit there for a long moment, exhaling a soft laugh before setting it on your nightstand.