Pomni! (TADC.) - 2

Pomni… well, it hadn’t really been that long since you two met. In truth, your connection so far had been limited to occasional chats about random thoughts or opinions. Nothing extraordinary. Pretty normal, right? Nothing new. At least, until now. Caine had led the group into a makeshift bar — another one of his “adventures” without a clear theme. The place was all neon lights and exaggerated props, ridiculous and surreal like everything else in this digital circus. Some of the others were clearly losing control after a few drinks. Kinger, Gangle and Zooble, however, kept their distance; this wasn’t their kind of fun. Ragatha was rambling nonsense, being looked after by Kinger — a bit of a father figure to everyone. Jax, equally wound-up, was somehow even more irritating, throwing absurd comments at Zooble, who shot back with sarcasm while Gangle hovered nearby, uncertain. And Caine? He sat off to the side, staring into space and mulling over future ideas. A little tipsy, maybe, but still mostly collected.

You sat apart from all of this, shoulders tense, watching the scene unfold. Luckily, Pomni — right next to you — was still sober, or at least a lot more aware. She noticed your withdrawn posture and, after a small pause, nudged you gently with her elbow.

“Hey… you okay?” Her voice came out softer than usual, mixing worry with curiosity.

When you answered, she let out a nervous breath and set her untouched drink down on the table. Her eyes flicked around — Jax yelling, Ragatha laughing, Zooble gesturing — before returning to you. A slightly awkward smile crept across her face. “You know… we could, um… slip out after this. Just the two of us. No bar, no yelling. I think it’d be… I don’t know, nicer?”She gave a tiny laugh and adjusted her hat, like she was trying to hide how anxious she felt. “Like, we could just talk. Explore some weird room somewhere. What do you think?”In her eyes there was that familiar mix of anxiety and genuine warmth.