[TADC] 📜🎪 M A K I N G ◦ A N ◦ N P C ! - Act 21 (END)

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M A K I N G ◦ A N ◦ N P C !

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⊹˚₊·‧Chapter 21: $ ./hello_world.sh

Seeing Ragatha witness her baby’s face for the first time was Pomni’s new #1 among the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

Followed up directly by the little one’s face itself.

When Pomni shifted to see her better, it felt like her heart was abruptly, almost painfully, expanding.

The baby — her baby — had the most delicate white porcelain face, with a single black tear under her left eye. She still had her eyes closed.

Ragatha carefully started to unwrap it to reveal more of her; At first all of the big, round head, which — unlike with Ragatha or Pomni — was completely hairless and instead featured something like a paint-on cap in black lacquer. Then Ragatha uncovered the body that was clothed in a white, oversized onesie featuring a ruffle collar and two black pompoms on the front of the shirt. Two tiny golden bells were attached to the sides of the pant leg seams, making the faintest little sound.

She was clearly inspired by one of those little clown dolls; with head, hands, and feet cast from sleek porcelain, and the body made from the softest, most plush materials.

“She’s… perfect…” Ragatha whispered, awestruck.

“Would you look at that, a clown. Who would’ve thought.” Jax commented, ironically, but with a hint of sentimentality in his voice.

“Another jester!” Gangle cheered.

“Isn’t that more like… a mime, or something?” Zooble sought.

“Or a harlequin?” Gangle suggested.

“Well, what is it, clown? Tell us.” Jax pestered Pomni.

“You know that this is just my avatar and that I wasn’t actually born and raised by clowns, right?” Pomni responded.

“So what you’re saying is that you don’t know?” He goaded her.

Pomni gave a defeated sigh. “She’s a pierrot.”

Jax gave one of his surprised laughs. “I can’t believe you actually knew that!”

“A… pierrot…?” Ragatha asked, sounding as if she was in a whole different world altogether, “That sounds… so nice… Do you hear that, my love? You’re a little, cute pierrot. How about we call you Pierrosie…?”

For some reason, this moved Pomni in a way she didn’t understand.
She took Ragatha’s face in both of her hands, kissing her lovingly, not caring if the others would see them like that.

“That’s a wonderful name.” Pomni whispered. “You did so well…”

Ragatha moaned into the kiss; stemming from overwhelming feelings and appreciation. 

The NPC gave a little groan, too, making everyone else look at her again.

The tiny doll opened her eye — just one of them, the left one with the tear underneath — and unlike with Pomni or most of the others, her eye looked painted on with black varnish, moving in a stop-motion manner, almost 2D animated; Similarly to Gangle’s mask.

It looked around, focusing on Ragatha and Pomni first, then the others, until it eventually started to tear up, forming actual big, glistening orbs that were rolling down its cheek — then started to cry in a very high but soft voice.

It sounded so helpless, so lost.

“Oh… oh no…” Ragatha reacted, gently stroking its little head, “What’s wrong, little one? What’s going on?”

“Uh-oh!” Caine, who was suddenly uncomfortably close, commented unprompted while goggling at the little clown doll, "It seems that our newest artificial group character is overwhelmed by the sudden influx of information and unable to process it properly! Indicating its programming to be broken or grossly incomplete. That’s no good! Welp, thankfully we can just try again—” 

As he spoke, several things happened at a rapid pace, but to Pomni it felt as if time had slowed down; Ragatha, who sensed what he was about to do, wrapped her arms protectively around the little doll, leaning as far away as possible from Caine. Who then lifted one of his arms in a manner that clearly indicated he was about to snap his fingers.
In the next moment everyone — literally everyone, even Gangle and Jax and Kinger — was jumping at him, hollering. It happened so quickly that Caine had no chance to evade or even disappear, resulting in a confusing mass of limbs on the floor.

One of Kinger's hands forced itself into Caine's, interlocking their fingers, almost like a romantic gesture, but with the intention to make it impossible for Caine to snap. Gangle was suddenly wrapped around Caine’s arm, so tightly in a manner that he wasn’t able to move it anymore. Zooble was pressing down on his other arm, while Jax was half under, half behind Caine, holding his lower gum similarly to a headlock. And on his chest Pomni, grabbing his collar with all of her strength, forcing him to look at her.

Everyone was talking at once, but ultimately, Pomni’s voice resounded the loudest. 

“I fucking dare you,” she said, and for some reason, her words weren’t even censored. “If you lay one single finger on her… if you dare to hurt her in any way… I will find a way to destroy you.”

His eyes focused on her, then nervously on the others, then back on her. He looked perplexed and surprised at first; but then his gaze darkened. Into something Pomni couldn’t grasp.

In the next moment, he was gone, reappearing in the air above them, presenting his omnipotent powers with uncanny ease, showing that he didn’t need any visual representation like a snap to get everything bent to his will.

Even though, Pomni — who now kneeled on the floor, looking up to him, next to the others — remained unfazed, glaring at him fiercely. 

Caine cleared his throat and adjusted his bow tie. “Well. I heard the audience. Who am I to dismiss their… less than politely framed wishes? You want a broken NPC running rampant in the user area of the circus? Be my guest. But don’t come running when she can’t give you any proper quests or process any kind of inquiry. I will take a bath now. Wash off some… filth.” He said, ominously, then vanished into thin air.

With him gone, Pomni quickly turned around to face Ragatha and the baby, just to see her clinging onto it, crying.

Pomni was at her side in an instant, quickly followed by the others. 

“Oh god——— oh… oh……” was all Ragatha could mutter, slightly rocking back and forth in clear shock at the prospect of her baby being wiped out of existence, in her arms, right under her nose, just now. 

“It’s okay Ragatha, it’s okay,” Zooble reassured her, gently stroking her arm.

Even Jax appeared to disregard their usual agreement to avoid public displays of affection, as he touched her shoulder.

Pomni took Ragatha’s face into her hands; The face she came to love so much in the last weeks, which could display so much strength and kindness and anxiousness, though it reflected nothing but fragility and utter fear right now. She leaned forward, kissing her again.

“It’s okay. We settled it. We made it as clear as possible. He understood. He will never do anything to her. I promise.”

Ragatha nodded, crying silently.
The tiny creature in her arms looked up to her, confused, though it had stopped weeping by now. 

Poor thing… who knew what was going on inside of her; How her experience of suddenly fully popping into existence must feel like. If she was programmed to act this way, or genuinely not able to process most things yet.

Ragatha appeared to instantly relax after glancing down at her. She leaned down, kissing the little porcelain face softly. It made something in Pomni’s chest implode, leaving warmth that would surely last for months, maybe years; For it was executed in the most tender, most loving gesture she had ever witnessed. 

“You heard Pomni, my sweet… Everything is okay. Take all the time you need to arrive…”

“Welcome to the circus,” Kinger added, and his voice, too, sounded so loving and dad-like, it made Pomni’s heart melt even more.

THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN BOOK 2, "RAISING AN NPC!"

▶ CHAPTERS 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
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Rose: Hey everyone! Since I made this post at 5AM I was too groggy and forgot that this part was actually the END so a little postscript might be appropriate!

What a journey this story was, man. When I started to write it a couple of months ago I haven't thought that THIS would actually turn into such a long story. I planned to make it between 5-20 pages, like most other TADC stories I wrote so far, but for some reason I got really involved in the plot. And that's not all! There's a second part! "Raising An NPC" which is also 60% done. I wrote both stories back in december I think, even fore episode 7 came out. I dearly dearly wanted to share everything at once with y'all, but figured both you guys and me would get more joy out of it if I make it something regular.

Pierrosie is suuuuper dear to Sapph's and my heart, we're written and drawn so much about her and we FINALLY FINALLY can now share pictures, ideas and short stories of her! We're so happy... she's our baby, too, and there's a lot to come. I hope you'll continue reading the second book, and hope it'll entertain you!

Thank you for reading and a special thank you to those who go the extra mile of leaving a comment <3

• Rose