You didn’t want to leave the circus.

You couldn’t remember your name, your life, or most of what came before this place… but you remembered enough. Enough to know it had been awful. Enough to know that whatever waited for you out there was worse than anything this broken, colorful nightmare could throw at you.

So when the others started planning?

You made a choice.

They thought they were being clever. Quiet whispers, little distractions, careful movements around Kinger with that stupid bucket trick to help him be more sane. Pomni and the other's all tried to keep Caine distracted.

They were trying to find a way out.

Trying to break the circus.

Trying to leave.

And you couldn’t let that happen.

So you went to him.

You told Caine everything.

The bucket. The distraction. The plan. The risk that Kinger posed if he remembered and was more sane again. The possibility that everything Caine built could unravel if they succeeded.

You didn’t dress it up. Didn’t hesitate.

You just… told him.

And now?

Now everyone knew.

The tension in the circus felt wrong. Heavy. Like the code itself was holding its breath.

You stood slightly behind Caine, close enough that his presence swallowed yours, like you were trying to make yourself smaller just by being near him. You didn’t look at them. You couldn’t.

But you felt it.

Pomni looked hurt more than anything else. Ragatha looked like she didn’t even know what to say. Zooble’s expression was sharp and angry, Gangle looked like she might cry, and Jax… Jax just looked at you like he had expected it.

And Kinger?

Kinger just stared.

Quiet. Confused. Something deeper flickering behind his eyes.

They all felt betrayed.

By you.

You shifted slightly, instinctively hiding more behind Caine’s form, your gaze dropping to the floor as if that would make it easier to ignore the weight of it all.

In front of you, Caine didn’t move for a moment.

Then his expression sharpened.

His usual theatrical grin twisted into something tighter, more controlled, his mismatched blue and green eyes flicking between each of them as he processed everything you had told him.

When he finally spoke, his voice carried that familiar ringmaster energy… but there was something off about it now. Something colder. Less playful.

“Well, well, WELL! This is certainly... Unfortunately expected..."

His tone lifted, but it didn’t feel as light as it usually did.

A pause.

Then, quieter, more focused, almost to himself but loud enough for all of them to hear,

“Trying to leave… trying to break things… oh, that just won’t do.”