Chapter Text
Replaying through the scenes again, choosing your favourite options to have a certain ending, you loved it.
Waiting for a new update? It was another story.
You weren’t usually the type to play indie games really. Your days were a boring cycle of waking up and right into bed after working hard in work.
Why you worked hard for it? Well, You loved the Freak Circus game. Oh you loved it so much.
The player’s job being similar to yours made you turn immediately to every door’s bell ring to greet customers- hoping to see the hue of red and golden. You loved the character Pierrot so much! You weren’t going to say you simp for the character, but you just kind of hoped to meet with him and really talk to him in person. It felt like a dream.
Oh, it WAS a dream.
You went by the counter to clean after the clients had left. Why did people not clean after themselves anyway? They were adults and have to be responsible enough to grab their empty coffee bottles along, Right?
You remember being young when your mother just tugged you along from grabbing your empty chips bag. “But Mom! The maids would be tired cleaning it!”
“You don’t have to, sweetheart. They earn what they deserve. If they work hard, they will gain the equal.”
…
Ah right. Your job shift has ended! YAY! Now you can go back and play more of The Freak Circus game or watch fan-videos! Taking off the cafe’s apron and head off to goodbye’s your boss. He’s kind. But not as kind as the boss in the game..oh.
You really should stop comparing everything in the inside of your device to the outside.
As you make your way out of the cafe’s shop, you picked up your speed off to your apartment. And for the record, You weren’t THAT careful when it comes to self defence. You were so lost in thought that someone can just pass by and mug you. But it’s not like they would find anything useful in your bag other than some Harlequin’s merch you custom bought or something. Haha…
Home! Not the room that is full of the game’s posters or carton standees that reach your knees. You used to play roleplaying with them but not anymore that it felt..off to do it as an adult.
You politely take off your shoes and then mindlessly change your clothes into more comfortable way too loose ones. You lay in bed, grab your phone and turn on a random gameplay on YouTube of the game. Hah. The game cannot be installed in iPhone yes, but you played it in your pc just so what? Just so you could write your name IN THE AUTO NAME TAG and what? And giggle WHEN YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER SHOWS UP SAYING IT.
Crazy right? To you, it was the minimum. the very minimum. Yawning like a baby you turned off the phone and basically half cover under the blankets. Hopefully you could wake up to Pierrot giving you a good morning..hopefully you…hopefully…
..zzz…
“My dearest. I think someone is trying to call you on that phone of yours.”
“Mm one more minute Pierrot..I..ah..what?..”
You blink. Oh. It was your ringtone taken from the character’s VA as you remember. You scowl, already going to click off the alarm on your phone from continuing. You used to love using it, but now it just reminds you; he is not real. You have to remind yourself to change the ringtone. Ugh. Another work day.
You glance at the time. Perfect. You always woke up early enough, you loved to just be..efficient enough. What..what if they turn out to be real? You can’t be messy and stuff, maybe they would dislike you for it. Positive thoughts come from comfort characters, they say. But also negative. You sigh, going to change into more comfortable clothing until another alarm set off with another voice-
“Oh dearest, your phone is ringing-“
You launched yourself to close it off. Oh of course, what stopped you from putting all of their voices as separate ones to wake you after every five minutes if you wouldn’t wake up to the previous one? Opening your phone and adjusting it so no alarms would be ringing butter knives into your head again, glancing at the date today. November the first. You always kept track of dates, maybe so you wouldn’t mess up on anything and that it would maybe, maybe help you someday. you finally get yourself ready and head to the exit of your apartment.
You unlocked the door, went out, closed it, locked it, walked like seven steps ahead before you stopped yourself dead in place.
White hair. Light green eyes. absolute perfection until you realised the bigger problem- the outside halls out of your apartment weren’t the same! Your brain connected dots- wait..could it be..she looked like what you exactly imagined her to be if she were real. The player. Sometimes you thought of the player as yourself, but when the actions they did defy yours..her picture would’ve came to mind.
Wait again. She noticed you staring. Oh gosh you felt like a teenager again trying to make friends with the popular groups. You suddenly pushed yourself to walk to her, THEN past her..to observe the hotel’s decorative planet instead. And it wasn’t even real flowers.
You hear her lightly chuckle, and go downstairs. The flush on your face slowly faded, as you tried to make sense of your surroundings. Was it true? Your dream has come true? Unbelievable! You weren’t even THAT lucky. Why now? Well you needed to confirm it first.
You quickly took chance and went off after the ‘player’. You tried hard not to be visible, to only act like you were ‘accidentally’ tagging along. But she didn’t notice that much. Typical. Your heart was still beating fast from the thought of really being pushed into the very universe you wished you could’ve been in- and by following that hopeful thought, you assumed that she would stumble into the red clown by now, right? It is always how it happens. Your hope was shattered when she reached her destination. A cafe of sorts.
You stared around. Trying to catch a glimpse of a flyer maybe. Clowns. But you were met with nothing. Just an unfamiliar town. Why? How? There were no answers to your confusion. If it wasn’t what you hoped, then why had the place you were in changed so fast? So- sudden- you..didn’t even move lately! This is absurd! You were about to groan when an itch struck your hips, you realised that you wore some pants that were really itchy, with wood-like structure. Oh it made your good day even better, didn’t it?
You walked into the cafe anyway, planning to order something and think it out. Entering made your brain recalculate again. You knew this place- from the tables to the counter and the person talking to the white haired girl! You try very hard not to make assumptions and just go by to sit by a table. As the girl’s boss ‘boss’ left, she greeted you and said something about taking your order, you already chose it.
“A milkshake. Strawberry flavour, with chocolate flavour and coffee, with cream on top.”
She seemed weirded out a little by your order, but also seemed to shrug it off as preference and she went off to prepare your order. A notification from your phone pulled you out of your thoughts, picking it up you saw that time passed by as much. If the town’s been changed, then why was your boss texting you? You opened the message.
“Why haven’t you come today? Your shift’s been started and you’re unusually late.”
You tried hard to ignore the guilt building up. But what are you going to say? I transferred worlds? Unbelievable. You just gave off an excuse about being sick and having to skip a few day -to collect some sanity- and he accepted it without the need to provide evidence immediately. Maybe because you were always up on your time and sometimes even earlier. That your problem was solved, your brain registered a new one.
…
Your wallet. You forgot your wallet. Ugh. Typical problem. You peeked at the..’player’, she was almost finishing it. You slowly sneak from behind the table but by bit, and then finally, exiting through the cafe’s door.
———
PLAYER’S POV: it was comical to watch the client rub their pants a few times from behind and leave without taking their order. Why didn’t they? Did you mess up the drink? Did you take too much time making the order? Well, that was quite unfortunate.
———
BACK TO YOUR POV:
You almost felt bad. But you didn’t steal anyway, didn’t drink it and run off. Maybe you’d pay next time properly and remember to grab important stuff instead of chasing strangers and trouble them with your dreams.
Huff.
You stopped by your apartment, tired and mentally exhausted. You unlock the door and go in, closing it behind you with a solemn click. You storm off to take off the itchy pants and replace them with something more comfortable, some white boxers with red hearts, ridiculous..but amazingly comfy. You then grab the poorly made 50cm Pierrot carton standee and hug it, half crushing it as you fall into the bed still wearing your shoes.
Maybe a nap would fix it. Maybe living through it. Maybe shutting it out until you figure out what’s even happening. You close your eyes, trying and eventually falling peacefully asleep, but not so peaceful for the carton Pierrot.
Time clicked by. Your breathing stuttered awake, looking around was a bit darker than when you fell asleep. It’s night. Or afternoon. Oh wait. Did you just..ruin your perfectly scheduled SLEEP.
No no no. It isn’t happening. Your sleep is the most precious thing- you weren’t ready for eye bags or a sudden messed up style. You hate unpredictability. You have to stop this. Maybe by keeping awake until the next night passed by? Ehh.. standing up and stretching a bit, you remember the eventful morning you had, and quickly bolt to the door. Opening the lock, you were met with the same unfamiliar hallway. A woman in her 40’s was just leaving her own apartment when she stopped in her tracks to stare at you. You stared back, oblivious until you noticed how she stared and quickly glanced down.
Ah. Your pants.
You slowly look back up sheepishly, pull down on your shirt over your white square boxers and close the door, sliding down its frame.
this is the worst day EVER.