[TADC] 📜🎪 M A K I N G ◦ A N ◦ N P C ! - Act 19

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M A K I N G ◦ A N ◦ N P C !

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CHAPTERS 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21

⊹˚₊·‧Chapter 19: Presents

“Oh, wow… Gangle! That’s… wow. I didn’t expect that. This party happened so suddenly, when did you have…”

“I had it for quite a while,” Gangle explained simply.

Ragatha unwrapped the red present, revealing a framed drawing of her and Pomni. They were drawn from the side and looking at each other with rather glittery eyes, their hands touching. There were roses around them, too. Ragatha’s chin was unusually pointy, and her hand was exceptionally big.

“Oh… w-wow.” Ragatha said.

“That’s… very sweet of you, Gangle,” Pomni replied, smiling.
In a world full of AI generations, having a handmade object was the most human thing they could get.

Gangle gave them the cutest smile. 

Then, somebody pushed another present against Ragatha’s shoulder.
It was Jax.
He looked the other way while pushing.

“Take it, or I’ll burn it.” He said.

Ragatha took the present, which wasn’t much bigger than Gangle’s, looking almost teary-eyed.

“I will also burn it if you cry, so be careful.” Jax added and crossed his arms, turning further away.

Unwrapping it revealed a book. 
When Ragatha opened it, there were several pictures stuck to the pages. It was a photo album.
Most pictures looked like screenshots of some sort—there was one from when Pomni had just entered the circus, one from their baseball game, one from their time at Spudsy’s… and a couple that Pomni didn’t recognize, maybe from before her time. Neither Pomni nor Ragatha looked exactly attractive in any of them. They looked downright ridiculous in most.

But there were also some that were clearly more traditional photographs. They were given the honor of occupying an entire page by themselves. These were the pictures that Jax had taken himself.

The first one was of Ragatha, leaned over a toilet, ugly-crying and desperate, with drops of black ooze on her chin.
Next one was her, looking into a mirror at her curve, looking disturbed. Jax must’ve made it before Ragatha had told her, because Pomni had never seen her belly this small during the pregnancy.
The next picture was of Pomni, lying on the ground, looking like the most pathetic display of an expectant parent.
Then there was one of Ragatha alone again, kneeling on the floor, sobbing, and eating a burger. She looked almost more pathetic in this one than in the one where she was puking.
Another one of her, sitting on that very same couch where Ragatha now sat, looking embarrassingly lovestruck. Right next to it was a picture where she was blushing furiously, yelling at the camera. From back when Jax had confronted Pomni with her feelings for the very first time.
After that, another picture of Ragatha puking… God, how many of these had this asshole taken!?
In the next, Pomni was standing in one of the dormitory doorways, her face absolutely shocked, with Ragatha’s hair on the side of the picture. It was taken from inside her room, when Pomni had declared her will to be a parent for the baby.
Ragatha turned the page, and there it showed Pomni kneeling in front of her in the labyrinth, snuggling her face against her belly.
On the opposite page was one of Pomni reaching out her arms, a furious expression on her face, with Jax’ ears in the frame. From when she choked him.
And lastly, a picture of the whole group staring at Pomni and Ragatha, who looked dreadfully caught. It was the moment all of them found out that Ragatha was pregnant.

Almost all of these pictures were degrading, humiliating, and embarrassing.

Nevertheless, when drops of liquid fell onto the last page, Pomni looked up and saw that Ragatha was crying. “You… you had planned all of this… from the beginning, hadn’t you?” She asked, seemingly untouched by how unpleasant the pictures were, and that everyone had now seen them. As if… as if she was okay with it.

Jax shrugged and stretched his arms out, still turned away from her. “Don’t read into it. I just thought that my Magnum Doofus was too excellent not to be shared.”
Pomni noticed how he didn’t burn the book, despite Ragatha’s tears.

Instead of pushing further, Ragatha just nodded and sobbed, closing the book and pushing it close to her heart.

It really was a sweet gift. Even though they both looked like ass in it.
She would thank him later. When nobody was watching.

“I uhm… I didn’t know we should’ve prepared gifts…” Zooble eventually said, while holding something in their hands. “So… I hope it’s okay that this is… rather spontaneous.”

Then they handed over something to Ragatha. Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be a big, light blue ring… toy
Ragatha recognized it before Pomni did.

“Zooble! That’s… I can’t take that!” She responded, shocked, trying to give them back the item. “That’s one of the parts you wear the most!!”

Zooble shoved her hands back. “No… please. I want you to have it. Not because I feel bad, but because… I dunno, man. I would also 've chosen this if I had more time to think about it. I’m a toy. You’re having a kid. Kids love toys. So… there you go.”

More tears ran down Ragatha’s cheek. Pomni also had trouble holding them back. They all were so incredibly sweet… And Pomni couldn’t help but think that this was what people meant when they talked about “friemilies”. 

“Oh! Right! Presents!” Kinger now joined in, too, “I have one, too!”

“Really, do you even know where you are, old man?” Jax asked.

“No!”

Jax laughed weakly, though also little disturbed. 

“But I know I’ve been working on something in my secret side hustle!”

“Kinger… now’s not the time for, uh… hustling…” Gangle added for consideration.

“But it is for presents! Come with me!”

With that, Kinger got up and shuffled away.

Ragatha took a deep breath, then reached out for Pomni to hold onto her for standing up. Zooble quickly added another hand, helping both of them get Ragatha up. Then the group followed Kinger.

After a couple of minutes of walking, they approached a door they hadn't seen before. It was blue with clouds painted on it.

“I was wondering why I was doing this. But seeing the theme of today’s party, I’m pretty sure I figured it out. But I'll let you guys be the judge of that!”

Then he opened the door. And made everyone gasp in awe.

Behind it was a big, exceptionally high, bright, round room, with walls that were painted in the same fashion as the door, with a big stylized sun shining on top of it. And inside a multitude of playground constructions: a swing, a sandbox, a toy castle, several slides, a ball pit, a trampoline, and even a tiny forest area with trees that weren’t higher than Pomni. All of this was accompanied by some crispy bird- and wind sound files.

It was absolutely, stunningly, beautiful.

Ragatha threw her hands in front of her mouth. “Kinger… oh god… that’s…”

“Did… you program all of this?” Pomni asked, astonished, looking around. It was so beautiful and peaceful. She could even see herself relaxing here.

“Program what?” Kinger asked, unexpectedly.

“Owo what’s this?” Gangle asked, her tiny ribbon hand pointing to a switch next to the door. Then she flipped it.

The paintings on the wall shifted into dark blue, with now stars instead of clouds, while the big shining sun on the ceiling turned into a moon, and the bird tweeting into chirping crickets. 
It was almost even more beautiful than the day version.

“Oh, that’s the light switch!” Kinger explained.

“Yeah… we see…” Zooble gave back, looking around fascinated.

“Dips on the castle, suckers!” Jax shouted and ran towards the playcube-slide-castle combination, comically forcing his body through the small door and scuttling up the tower while cackling manically. 

Gangle giggled, then put a hand on Zooble’s arm. “But… I wanted to be in the castle… as a princess…" she said, her voice tinted with a playful flirt.

Zooble's expression immediately changed from a surprised to a dedicated one. “Hah. Don’t worry, I will slay the beast for you, my liege. Or something.” Then popped off their third arm, holding it like a sword and storming towards the castle, while Jax laughed even louder.

Pomni turned to face Ragatha, who was still stunned by everything; Still holding her hands in front of her mouth, unable to stop the flow of the tears. Pomni stepped closer to her, reaching out one hand, gently brushing over Ragatha’s arm.

This broke her trance enough to take Pomni’s hand.

“It’s… I… I can’t believe this…” she whispered, “It’s not just… wonderful. It feels like… everything is going to be okay. That everything is right.” 

Pomni knew exactly what she meant. If a mere room was enough to get Zooble, Gangle and Jax playing like kids, things must’ve been very okay and right.

“That’s because it is,” Kinger responded, gently taking Ragatha’s other hand, looking down at her with warmth and care. 
The two women looked at him. 
“Do you really think so?” Ragatha asked, her voice breaking.

Kinger nodded. “I don’t only think so. I know it.” He said, carefully guiding them to a nearby bench for all of them to sit down. 

“How can you know that, Kinger…?” Pomni asked, a bit shy. “I mean… this situation… there never has been one like this, right?”

“I know because you both love it. And love is above all. No matter what hardships of life you have to face... love is the key to making it through. That counts for everything in life. As long as you cultivate love and care, things will be okay. Your little one is very lucky to have you.”

Ragatha put a hand on her belly, sobbing silently.

“You love your baby, even though you didn’t choose it. Even though nobody expected you to. Even though nobody told you how to love your child. Even though you don’t know what exactly it is. Even at the prospect of everyone else disagreeing with you! You were even willing to take care of it all on your own. And that, Ragatha, is stronger and so much more loving than human words could describe. There is no way that things won’t be alright.”

Ragatha sobbed louder and leaned her head against his side. She suddenly seemed so… young, in a way. As if, for the first time in her whole pregnancy, she allowed herself to let her hair down. To be weak.

And while Pomni felt a wave of remorse for not being able to offer her partner grounds for her to experience the same vulnerability, she felt even more grateful that they had one person in their group who could.

She took Ragatha’s hand, which she was still holding, up to her mouth; Kissing it softly.

“It’s okay… let it all out. You did such a splendid job, Ragatha. I’m so incredibly proud of you. We all are. Even if some of us aren’t good at communicating this.” Kinger’s tender voice resounded.

Ragatha cried even more; Tears of gratitude and relief. Of hope. Of tranquility. She may even feel guilt for the times when she silently doubted herself. Because that certainly was a notion she couldn’t share with anyone… not after how much she had fought to be heard and understood in her wish to have this baby.

Pomni gave her best not to feel useless again; Instead she tried to focus on the beautiful moment unfolding. And the fact that everyone here truly has become her family. 

“Kinger is very right…” she agreed in a soft tone. “I am beyond proud. So much so that I can barely think straight. And I can feel that all the others also hold you in high regard, Ragatha. And that… that all of us are excited for our little new group member.”

Ragatha couldn’t manage to answer. So instead she squeezed Pomni’s hand while getting out all the tears that had accumulated over the last weeks. 

It looked so relieving.

Kinger’s hand tenderly stroked over her back while he closed his eyes, just being there.

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