☀️ Sunshine (Pomni x Ragatha)

Chapter 3 - Helpless

The forest was as dismal as it was dark.

"H-Hello...?" Pomni let out a feeble whine, wrapping herself in a tight hug. She squirmed at every little sound — creatures skittering through the underbrush, leaves rustling in the howling wind, a distant choir of wolves serenading the sky. "Ragatha? A-Are you there? You're supposed to be my partner, right?"

A bead of cold sweat raced down the length of her face. Was she alone? Please God, don't let that be true. Please be there. Please say something. Please—

"There you are!"

Pomni flinched at the sudden voice.

"Wait right there, okay, new stuff?" the voice spoke again — friendly, familiar, and soothing in timbre. "I'll come to you! Don't move a muscle!"

Pomni had a lot of strengths — she was observant, organized, and a whiz at math, but she never was very good at following directions. Immediately, she ducked her head forward, charging toward the voice as fast as her feet would carry her.

Something felt off the moment she started moving. Her whole body felt twice as heavy, and the sound of clanging metal rattled her ears with every struggling step.

Her path cut through a shallow puddle; scummy, stagnant water splattered the ground as Pomni shoved her hands close to her face. She squinted. A pair of leather gauntlets existed where those stupid rubberhose gloves had been before.

What in the world was that about? Had Caine put her in an even wackier getup to humiliate her even further?

Still sprinting, Pomni shot a glance toward her torso. An ornate sword was hitched to the belt around her waist — but that's about all she could make out before she crashed into Ragatha at full running speed, sending the patchwork doll tumbling to the ground.

"Ack! Ragatha! I, uh—" Pomni glanced around the dark woods, not quite sure what to do. In a moment of clarity, of course, it dawned on her that it would probably be polite to help her colleague up. Trying her hardest to not make the situation even more awkward, she looked away as she offered her hand.

Ragatha grabbed hold, and Pomni helped the doll back to her feet. "Oh my gosh, Ragatha, I-I-I'm sorry!" Pomni stammered, taking a deep breath, "I know you told me to stay put, but I—"

"Hey, hey. Don't sweat it." Ragatha gave Pomni's fingers a light squeeze before finally letting go. She dusted off her mud-splattered dress to absolutely no effect. "We're both safe. That's all that matters."

"You're not hurt, are you?"

"Fit as a fiddle." Ragatha smiled. "I can't say the same for my costume, though..."

"Your...costume?" Pomni shuffled slightly closer, eyes not quite adjusted to the dark yet. Ragatha's typical patchy dress was nowhere to be seen, replaced by something one might expect a goodhearted queen to wear in a medieval fantasy story. A small tiara crowned her head where her bow had sat before. Her short sleeves were twice as poofy, and her silky skirt, now a more royal shade of purple, flowed all the way down to her ankles.

Something deep inside of Pomni fluttered to life. Ragatha's new look was...different. The redhead had always been pretty easy on the eyes, but now? Pomni found it hard to look away. Ragatha's coordinated outfit contrasted perfectly with the elegant asymmetry of her face, and—

"My eyes are up here, Pomni."

Pomni yelped. "Ah! Sorry, I didn't mean to—" she shook her head, "I wasn't—"

"Oh, stop it. I'm just kidding around!" Ragatha elbowed Pomni. Pomni barely budged. "Don't get your pantaloons all in a twist."

Pomni blinked rapidly. Her what?! Her fingers spread across her breastbone as she studied herself — she'd been so fixated on Ragatha that she'd totally forgotten about her own new threads.