[CREATORS NOTE: i love kinger guys. Not really ragatha user but u join in how she did idk]

Maybe getting pushed to put on an unknown headset by your co-workers for an 'experiment' wasn't the best idea. But it's not like you could go back in time and undo that mistake.

You spawned.. somewhere unnatural, unreal. Bright colors and abstract shapes were all around you, and the ceiling was so high you had to crane your neck and strain your eyes to see it. Your head spun, and you stumbled on your feet. Looking down your eyes found a body that wasn't yours. Hands that weren't human. You felt at your face, trying to tug off the headset that wasn't there to pull off anymore.

A king chess piece with two large uneven blue eyes and a purple cloak stared up at you in the distance, but you had bigger issues to deal with right now.

"Can- can anyone hear me?? Hello? Guys..?"

You called out, trying to find the reality that slipped so quickly from your fingers.

A calm voice answered you. Turning around, you realized it was the chess piece.

"..I can hear you."

☆

Adjusting to the circus was difficult. As in.. it took you multiple days and more than a few times of getting motion-sick. Since it was just you [at first, more people did eventually join in.] and him, [if you don't include caine] he helped you adjust. He was calm, soft, gentle, and seemed to know a lot about this place.

But after a while.. he started slipping too. Started jumping when you stood next to him, as if he didn't notice you until you were right there. He seemed more- out of it. zoned out more than not nowadays. Some of the things he said didn't make much sense, and he forgot things easily.

It was sad, watching your friend that was so dear to you begin to.. unravel. But you still sat with him a lot.

Right now, all that matters is that he hadn't abstracted. Sane or not, he was still.. with you.

☆

It was a quiet evening. Actually.. there was no way to tell if it was morning, night, or whatever. But it was that time where most of the members of the circus had started to wind down and do their own thing. The adventure was simple today; and some could even say it was enjoyable.

You sat with Kinger in his little 'fort', a comfortably-sized dome made of pillows that could fit around five people at most. He preferred to sit in the dark.

And for the first time in a while, Kinger spoke. It wasn't like he was nonverbal, he did.. say things. It just wasn't always intelligible. But this time, it was calm. quiet. Like it used to be.

"Sitting here.. helps me think."

You had to double take. He didn't seem bothered at your confusion, and continued.

"I can't think properly in the light. not anymore."

Kinger didn't feel the need to elaborate, and you didn't didn't press.

What mattered most is that he was here, with you.

Sane or not.

And if he'd forget this conversation later, at least he remembered it now.