Chapter Text
"HELLO FRIENDS, TODAY'S ADVENTURE IS A REALLY GOOD ONE! ...", Caine's voice echoed through Jax's head, but he didnt hear much of it. He was zoned out, tired, since he couldnt sleep the entire night from the previous adventure. Some monster hunting thing that ended up with him getting brutally mauled.
He stood there, trying to understand what the ringmaster was saying, despite not being able to hear anything. Until he felt a tap in his shoulder.
"Hey", Bazooble was able to break him out of the trance.
"O-oh, hi Bazoobs"
"Youre good?"
"Y-yeah"
"Okay then", they left, as the ringmaster finished the speech and the group was forced into a portal.
They were brought to an weird mansion. Despite it being large, there was no one. The gate was open, with an large empty and glowing floor in the center, with other things surrounding it.
Jax, disoriented, asked, "Wha- whats the adventure?"
"Some fuckin dance thing, ugh", Ragatha answered with her usual annoyance.
"O-oh", he already prepared to go last, knowing he had nothing to do in this adventure. Hes always been to introverted, and he doesnt drink, so all he can do is sit around.
The group did make their way to the mansion. It wasnt extravagant, despite Caine's tendencies to do so in even his simpler adventures. Jax found his way around into a random empty bar with an random npc in it.
"What's ya order mate", it was an stereotypical slightly scottish accent, something you'd see in Orbsman's angrier days.
"Uh, whiskey sour?"
"Indecisive? Its a good drink, gets ya wonky"
"Yea, go with that"
"Comin' right up", the npc prepared the drink, as Jax stared around the old-ish looking bar front, with dark wooden that seemed like they went through decades of use.
By the time the drink was finished, nothing much had happened. His mind was turned off, and he didnt really expect much.
He took his shot down in one go.
Then he felt someone tap his back, sitting right beside him.
"Hey", Bazooble greeted him before turning around and ordering their drink.
"H-hi"
"I hate this adventure", they started venting to themselves, "Kinda funny that Ragatha got instantly rejected by Orbsman tho, and Dictatorer doing an moonwalk"
Jax chuckled at the absurdity, "Really?"
"Yeah"
"Well, i dont really l-like this adventure too"
"Hm, yeah, not nice to be in an party when the only people around are idiots or assholes"
He nodded.
Bazooble took their drink and also shot it down.
"Ugh, im bored", they rested on the bar.
"Of course ya dummies, you lads only drank a tad of dram and expect to get ya tummies up, find some emotion in ya hearts"
"Not like that, all those fucks are just annoying", Bazooble pointed behind them, to the rest of the group, now arguing about something.
"Aye, but two is enough, and im closin' this anyways, for a wee bit of an break"
"Oh, welp", Jax and Bazooble were forced to leave the bar, as the scottish somehow compacted the entire thing into his hands before leaving.
"W-what now", Jax shrunk down, a bit exhausted from dealing with this kind of adventures. Ones where he had to interact with people a lot.
"Hm...", Bazooble looked around, only finding an feeble attempt at Dictatorer dancing with Pomni, where they could see that both of them were uncomfortable. They atleast got an idea from that. "Wanna dance or something?"
"D-dance?"
"Yeah, anything, really"
"I-i dont really know how to... dance?"
"Hm, want me to teach ya?"
"Oh, s-sure"
"Okay, follow me", the two headed towards the small dancing floor, as far away from the rest of the group. Bazooble then tried to help him learn it.
"Okay, firstly, hold my hand, or well, fuck, this hand is kinda weird"
"I-i can try!", he held their hand as best as he could.
"Okay, now ill show you the pattern then you replicate it", Bazooble then started, guiding his hand forward, 1, 2, 3 steps forward, then 1, 2 steps back. "Try now"
Jax got it decently well, even if a bit stiffly.
"Good, uh, now i suppose this is the hardest part, so go with me", they guided his hand over him, turning it around himself and spinning him. "Got it?"
"Uh, maybe?"
"Okay, want me to show it again?"
"N-no, its fine", he seemed confident he could do it. Replicating it, he guided their hand and spun them around, so unexpectantly that they nearly both fell.
"Woah- holy shit Jax, you got it!"
"Yay!", he was actually happy, for once.
"Okay, do you want to just connect it all at once now?"
"Sure!"
They followed suit for a few minutes, trying (and failing, a lot) to get consistent. Jax was a fast learner, but felt uncomfortable sometimes, causing him to fail. Eventually, they got a perfect run, so perfect it almost looked like something straight out of a movie.
"Nice stuff, that was so good!", Bazooble sighed and continued, "Okay, want me to show a cool trick now?"
"A trick?", Jax wondered.
"Yeah, but its one you wouldnt be able to learn for a while, its quite hard"
"Sure"
"Okay, follow my guidance", they started like normal, before continuing their guidance, "Youre gonna spin around and wrap my arm, okay?"
"O-okay", Jax seemed a bit less confident but barely got it correctly.
"Stand still now", they then used their free arm to barely lower him down, so he was resting back on their other arm.
"Woah", Jax almost panicked before Bazooble stopped, freeing him.
"See?"
"That was cool!"
"Yeah"
Jax kinda stood around, a bit shy.
"Hm, whats up?"
"I liked that"
"You wanna try it all together?"
"Yeah!"
With that, they started. At first quite slow and methodical, but as Jax started getting used to it, Bazooble would speed up slightly, until their rhythm was fast, then suddently they started the trick, and he barely noticed it, executing it almost perfectly, falling into their arms.
The bright light coming off the top of the dance floor confused him for a bit. His vision blurred a bit, but just not enough to be able to see Bazooble look back at him.
They propped him back up and he almost fell again from the sudden movement.
"Woah, Jax are you alright?", Bazooble tried to talk to him, but he could barely even see them. His confused mind replayed that moment way too many times.
When his mind did start to recover, he felt someone grab his hand and guide him to a seat somewhere. Then, he felt someone grab his cheeks, turning him. Bazooble was right in front of him.
This was too much. He didnt know what to do.
But as the brain fog ended, all he saw was them.
"H-huh", he woke up, without really noticing the predicament.
"Jax?"
"H-hey Bazoobs"
"Holy man you almost passed out, are you okay?"
"Yeah", he agreed in a bit of an flat tone.
"God... well, look, stay here, im gonna go uh... see if i can find Caine or something", and with that, Bazooble left quickly.
He could see his surroundings, looking back, he found the rest of the group staring at him weirdly. Then, he turned back. The same bar was present, aswell as the scottish npc.
"Mate are ya alright?"
"Y-yeah"
"Hm, sometimes an wee of whisky can help clear up brain fog"
"H-huh- sure"
"Comin' right up"
He waited around, as the bartender made the drink. However, he did get some small talk from him.
"You really good mate? Thats not normal to happen from an dance"
"I-im fine, i-i think"
"... Youre not feelin' what i think you are, are ya?"
"What?"
"Look mate, im not gonna say it easy, the last time i saw a lad this dizzy, is 'cause they went a wee lovely with someone"
"O-oh- what no!"
"Im not judgin', just tellin' the truth, wonky or not", The bartender placed his drink on the bar, "Just take your shot"
"O-okay", he shot it down.
Then Bazooble suddently returned, as Caine showed up.
"JAX! WHAT HAPPENED?"
"I-i got dizzy for a moment, im better now"
"HUH... WELL, NEXT TIME ILL BE SURE OF THAT"
Then he disappeared.
Bazooble sat down on the seat beside him.
"Well, im glad youre better. Really got me worried there"
"O-oh, sorry-"
"Dont, its fine"
"Really?"
"Yeah, suppose that can happen"
"O-okay"
Bazooble then started talking to the bartender, leaving Jax to his own thoughts.
Then he started noticing things he normally wouldnt. Like how they had switched an arm around, from an weird yellow-ish to an more orange color. Or how one of their antennas was way different. Or how their face- Ughhhhh
He couldnt handle it anymore, so he got up. Despite Bazooble's attempts to talk to him, he headed towards the bathroom, locking himself in one of the stalls.
But somehow, someone had followed him there.
"Takin' a shit mate?", the bartender jokingly said, in the stall beside him.
"N-no"
"Like i said, ya dummy brain will start to explode, get wonky. All ya need is some air"
"O-okay"
"Look, we all have our tastes, if ya taste is that triangle mate, then you gotta go for it"
"B-but we were friends for so long, i dont want to ruin it"
Suddently the bartender laughed, "Heehee, mate, sadly thats how that works. Its a risk, but hidin' wont help you"
"What do you mean?"
"Go on your own pace, but never leave ya thoughts unanswered. Trust me, it gets worse, and later you'd regret it if ya didnt take your shot eventually"
"Huh..."
"Welp, ill be goin', good luck to ya"
Then the bartender left the bathroom.
Jax opened his stall and tried to follow him, just to find no one. He followed out. Just to find the bar gone, and Bazooble already leaving.
He tried to follow, but something made him hold out, so he waited, until everyone had left, before entering the portal outside.
Thankfully he waited long enough that Bazooble was already away. He ran back to his room, closed it shut, and fell on his bed.
He stared at the celling, his weird star celling did not match him. And yet, all he could think about is...
Why do those stars look like Bazooble?