A Bit On The Longer Side Again Oops - Tumblr Posts

What would an interaction between Arlekin and Pomni be like?

✦ Here's an interaction they had ! Probably happens around a week into Pomni arriving at the circus and still struggling to find her mark (this third person, but mostly pomni's pov/thoughts)

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Pomni sat silently at the border of the digital lake, far away from the tent and dipping her feet or — shapeless whatevers that they were — in the water. She stared idly at her reflexion, absentmindedly inspecting the details of this new face that had replaced her own ; those saturated pinwheel eyes, that clownish white face, those miserable strands of hair… she'd never really been a massive fan of her face before, but it was arguably better than this one.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't feel the presence floating up to her when gloved hands grabbed her shoulders.

“Ah, there you are !”

“AAAGH—”

Pomni shrieked, taken aback by the sudden pull-back to earth and yanked herself away.

SPLASH

Unfortunately, that way was the lake. Pomni quickly swam to the surface, coughing up some of the digital water she almost choked on, only to hear an obnoxiously pompous laugh. She looked up, all too annoyed at the sight of the circus’ other jester, Arlekin.

“Oh, my dear colourful little Pierrot, you're so silly aren't you ?” He smirked, “Were you dying to go for a swim that much ? You'd no need to wait for me ! Ah ah ah~”

Pomni glared at him, getting herself out of the lake and squeezing the water out of her hat.

“What do you want,” she groaned, not very inclined to have any lasting conversation with him.

“How delightful that you’d ask !” He hummed, clasping his hands together, “See, like I told you before, myself and Kaufmo used to perform together-” 

Before he could even finish, Pomni’s eye twitched as her annoyance bubbled into anger.

“I DON'T want to perform anything with you,” she scowled, “I don't care what you and Kaufmo did, I'm not Kaufmo and I happen to think you're a jack%$!#.” Her words were sharp, but none seemed to wipe off the smirk on his face as he eyed her down. “Like I told you before, I'm not doing any stupid skit with you.”

“Oh, you wound me !” He dramatically bemoaned, feigning offence and pretending to clutch imaginary pearls.

But after squeezing enough water out of her hat, she grabbed her shoes and made a beeline for the tent without sparing him another glance. That didn't mean the mask-faced jerk wasn't following her, though.

“Please.” He scoffed, “Call Jax a ruffian all you want, but me ? I'm just teasing you, Poms, nothing so dreadful as you make it sound like !”

“We don't have the same definition of teasing,” She responded dryly.

Arlekin floated to her side, resting his face on his hands while wearing an amused look. 

“We also have differing definitions of fun, amore, yet I'm at least putting in an effort for us to get along~” He hummed.

Pomni shot him a baffled glare.

“Ugh,” she huffed under her breath, picking up the pace. She wasn't about to play mental gymnastics with him.

Intentionally lagging behind, Arlekin crossed his arms, smirking still.

“I give you a few weeks, tops.” He shot, flatly.

Pomni halted her tracks. For a second, she tried to tell herself he wasn't referring to what she thought he was referring to.

“A few weeks for what ?” She asked with an air of unease, her eyebrows slightly furrowed as she kept her back to him.

“Before you abstract, of course.~”

He said that so matter of factly that when she turned around to face him, he looked almost darkly disturbing to her, just for a moment.

“What are you saying ?” She breathed, clutching her shoes.

“Ah ah ah, oh my dear, don't shoot the messenger.” He waved a hand dismissively, “it's just an observation, a fair warning you could even say.~”

“An observation ?” She frowned, completely appalled, “saying I'm basically gonna die is an observation ?” She took a step forward, never feeling so ready to hit someone square in the jaw as she did in that moment.

Arlekin sighed theatrically, like he was the one dealing with a difficult case.

“You sweet, worryingly dim-witted thing,” he said, “like a dainty doe, immobile as a statue in the face of a speeding car's headlights ✧” He recited, in a light, breathy voice, like he was narrating something.

“What the f—” 

“Don't you see ?” He cut her off, floating right up to her face, “that you're doing everything in your power, intentional or not, to abstract?”

“What ? I—” She stammered, “I haven’t—”

“And don't say you haven't been doing that.” He countered, glaring down at her, “Jax told you Kinger has been here the longest, but you've not been told yet that oldest circus member he may be, I, among this group, am the second oldest resident.”

Pomni frowned. Was he boasting about it ? He continued.

“And unlike Kinger, I am still sane enough to catch the warning signs.” He added, “Isolation, Pomni, is not the solution. Desolation as you mournfully miss your former self isn't either. I suggest, you do not think too much of the past, for your sake and our own.” 

He sounded strangely curt, despite smirking through all this. Almost like he’d told this many times before, enough times to be annoyed to have to repeat himself.

“I—” Pomni struggled finding her words, “Why would you care, anyway?”

“Oh, do you think me so inhumane ?” He scoffed, “Nobody likes a funeral, you see.” The humour had a hint of sourness, “but if you wanna be the next portrait everyone speaks morosely of, be my guest !~”

“Wha, i don't— !”

“You don't? Deepest apologies, I really thought you did, with the way you behaved.” He snarked, “whether you like it or not, this is your new body” He pointed to her, “this is your new home,” he gestured all around them, “and there is no exit.” He spat, his face now scrunched in anger for the first time, “so if you want the slightest. slither. of chance. at staying sound of mind, I suggest you try to be a tad more positive, invested, dare I say. Else, we'll have another sorry crossed-out face among bedroom doors.”

Pomni’s face was a mix of confusion and agitation. She didn't like how genuine he sounded. No matter how honest he looked, she couldn't help but feel this didn't come from a place of worry for her. Yet, he did look very mad, why ? 

She breathed in and out sharply to collect her thoughts.

“I'm still not doing any — skit or performance thing with you,” she maintained as sternly as she could, “but— fine. I'll start being more— ... involved,” she conceded.

Immediately, Arlekin's smile returned.

“Baby steps, tesoro,” he cooed, “Even I know to praise efforts being made.”

Pomni watched him waltz away to the tent, humming a little melody to himself. This whole thing left her feeling slightly more uncomfortable than before.

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You guys interpret all that however you want 👀