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Remember that quote I left in Chapter 1?

"If you can't imagine Batman comforting a scared and confused child, then that's not Batman you're thinking of. That's the Punisher wearing a silly hat."

Keep it in mind.

---

Pomni braced herself for this physical exertion. She stands by Batman's head and leans down to push him up. When he was high enough, she slipped her arms through the pits of his arms and hooked onto them.

"Great, now lift with your back." Jax advised, doing nothing but watching her. "Because you can't throw your back out here... At least, not by my experience."

"Do you want us to help?" Ragatha suggests, feeling worried for Pomni since the jester is doing this by herself. "Because he looks a little... too big for you."

"He's, like, twice your size, muscular and covered in spandex." Jax added on, counting on his fingers. "And you're scrawny enough to look like a bean pole."

"It's fine... I got it..." Pomni groaned as she made sounds of effort while pulling on his body, ignoring Jax's comment about her slim figure.

Then she stops and gently lowers herself on the ground and lets the back of his head rest on her bosom - his pointy ears almost poking one of her eyes.

"What does he eat...?" She pants heavily.

"Probably human blood." Jax said while still doing nothing to aid her.

Ragatha shoved the rabbit and he hit the wall. "He's not a vampire bat, you twit. Pomni, let me help."

She approached the body and grabbed his ankles. Pomni braced herself to lift his arms and head.

"Careful, his ear is close to getting your eye." Ragatha warned, realizing how painful it would be if the jester wasn't too careful.

"Why are his ears so long?" The jester rhetorically asked, using her noodle-like arms to the best of their ability.

Both of them managed to walk down the hall successfully to Pomni's room. The reason why they didn't go to his room was because Pomni wanted him in her room. After a minute of moving (and Jax just watching), they've successfully brought Batman to the jester's room on her bed.

"There." Ragatha dusted her hands, even though she didn't need to. "He should be comfy."

"Thanks for the help." Pomni shocked the ragdoll's hand before sitting down by Batman's feet.

"Want us to leave so you can do you-know-what?" Jax teased while leaning at the door.

"I'm sure they're not going to do that." Ragatha said while moving him out of the way. "Do you mind if we leave you alone with him?"

"No, you can go." Pomni waved her hand, and Ragatha closed the door.

She rests her chin on the palm of her head and she contemplates. How did Kaufmo get out? Caine specifically made sure that all abstracts remained in the cellar.

Speaking of Caine, he magically appeared in the room with her, startling her with his unexpected visit.

"Hey there, Pomni." He greets calmly, making sure he doesn't disturb Batman's slumber. "I sincerely apologize for what happened out there. Your friend almost didn't make it, as he was dangerously close to being torn apart."

"How did Kaufmo even get free?" She asked, finally being able to ask him this question. "I thought the cellar was locked down."

"Well, um..." He looks off to the side and floats closer to the jester. "Can you keep a secret, Pomni?"

"Uh, sure." She partially lied, because she's unsure of what kind of secret he's alluding to.

"There's a minor glitch in the system." He whispered, continually looking back at the door, in case Jax or someone else was eavesdropping. "Apparently, storage for this world is running at an all-time high, and since the installment of him." He points at Batman, who was still sleeping. "The Amazing Digital Circus has a fixed storage limit, and you were the last one that this place could handle before the errors could occur. And since we've had an unexpected guest joining us recently, I haven't had the proper chance to iron out some of these kinks and erase unnecessary things. That's why he doesn't look like one of us, because there simply wasn't enough space for this place to create and render a new model for him. So there's going to be some issues cropping up for the next few days while I work on fixing them."

This... sounded good to her.

"So just keep in mind that if something like what went on earlier were to happen again, please do your best to stay safe while I work diligently and tirelessly to make this experience accommodated for everyone." He taps her head with his cane. "This should be over soon."

And then he disappears. And then Pomni started to laugh, but silently. She gets up from the bed and starts pacing around the room with the most excited grin on her pale face.

Her smile shows a bit of desperation and insanity, her lips stretching to an uncanny grin

He IS my way out! Pomni thought as she grips her liripipes. He's going to set me free from this hell! The polygons couldn't render a model for him, so they had to use his body from the real world! He's breaking the game, and that can be very useful!

She calms down a bit and looks at him, wondering a few things about him.

If that's what he looks like in the real world, then what does he do? Because there's nothing in her knowledge to find something dressed up like him. All she knows about him is that he's very strong, pro at chess, an expert in hide & seek and has extensive knowledge in computers and technology.

She approaches him, and wonders that since he's breaking the game just by existing, is he affected by the censors and other things? Like, can his clothes be removed? Can he drop the F-bomb?

So many questions, and she wants answers. And now, she finds herself going close to him and her hands reaching close to his face.

What does he look like underneath that mask, she wonders? Her hand touched the side of his cowl, her fingers slipping underneath the cowl and feeling something hiding underneath it.

He can take it off?! She exclaims in her head. That's not his true face?

Her other hand gripped the mask and slowly started to pull it back, revealing his nose.

But then she pulled it back down.

No, he would be mad... She sighs, feeling disappointed her moral upstanding prohibits her from seeing the mystery. I'll just wait until he reveals it to us... I think he would...

She resumed back to sitting in her bed, contemplating on a way to get out of this realm. Thankfully for her, she heard him waking up.

"What happened?" He calmly asked while standing up to rub his eyes.

"Caine saved you from those abstract creatures." She answered, a bit surprised at how calm he was. "And I put you in my bedroom to keep you safe from Jax. I have good news."

"What?"

"Caine told me why Kaufmo got loose briefly." She looked excited in telling him this. "Because the game is glitching, and it's because of you!"

He looked intrigued, somehow through the deadpan look of his face.

"Caine said that the game's storage had reached full capacity, and it's causing glitches to occur. Perhaps, if we can exploit this, we could break the game and find a way out?" She continued, pacing around and smiling, then she looked at him with desperation. "You're a smart guy, aren't you? You know a lot about tech stuff, right? This could mean something, r-right?"

Batman looked at the ceiling and then back at her. "What was Caine like when he told you this?"

"Kinda nervous and apologetic for almost getting us killed or worse. And he doesn't want anyone else to know." She answered honestly, still maintaining her excited grin. "Does that mean something?"

And then he starts thinking while staring at the wall. "If he wants to keep it secret, then there's something more going on that he didn't tell you... But it doesn't make sense why he would tell you."

"Well... Caine sometimes talks too much. Plus he originally came in here to say sorry." She informed, being clarity for him. "Because he felt bad for allowing harm to us, even though it was an accident. And so he tried explaining why it happened 'cause... well, he knows I freak out for just about anything."

"Hmm..."

She steps by his side and looks up at him. "Does that help?"

"Caine acts like he is the developer of this game..." He looks down at her. "Did he ever specify relating to an exit?"

"Well, when I came back from the exit realm, he said something about it being unfinished." And then she looked scared. "You don't think–"

He eased her anxiety by saying, "He can't develop an exit. It's not something that takes a long time to make."

"What do you mean?" She tilts her head to scratch the back of it.

"He can't develop something that acts like a portal between this world and the real one. It's just not possible." He elaborates before staring at the door. "However, we could crash the game."

"We can?" Her pupils expanded.

"Yes. All games can be forced to shut down due to an overload of lag, glitches and anything in between them." He said while adjusting his right gauntlet, and then his mask - because it felt loose on his head. "And if this one is currently suffering from storage issues, we can take advantage of that."

"Any idea how we do that?" She inquired, feeling more optimistic the more he talked. "Because even though Caine may act crazy, he's not stupid. He would probably catch onto our attempts if we do something deliberate."

"Ask him to create something that could contain data of some sort, to further increase the storage." Batman said while looking down at the floor and noticing a small, empty cardboard box that's open from the top.

He leaned down to pick it up and show it to her.

"Pretend this is the storage for the game." He gets down on one knee. "If we can fill it up with data, then the system will overload." He closed the box by pressing down the flaps to make it a closed box. "Then the game will no longer run properly and eventually crash, and that could potentially free us from this world."

Pomni started racking her brain for ideas. "How about some... confession box?"

"Confession box?"

"Yeah. We create a place where we can fully express our thoughts and feelings without being prohibited by Caine's rules." Pomni explains while picking up the box. "The box will contain everything that goes on in it, and if we use it a lot, then it could break the game... But we need something to make it more interesting... Because something tells me not everyone will participate in it, or keep coming back. So we need some sort of thing that'll grab their attention."

And then she looks at him again.

"What?"

She smiled. "I think I've found it."

Elsewhere:

"You want what?" Caine said while taking off his tophat scratching the top of his... er, head?

"A little venting box." Pomni expressed happily. "A little place where we can vent to someone and not be judged for it. And Batman volunteered to be the one to listen, since he's fair and understanding."

Caine looked at Batman and then back at the jester. "And you want me to turn off the inhibitors?"

"Yeah, because such restrictions will hold back the experience." Pomni nods, clasping her hands together in excitement. "Plus, this helps everyone feel better and get things off our chests. And the players could find it a welcoming experience."

Caine contemplated. "Hmm..."

Please, take the bait...

"This sounds like a terrific idea!" Caine said cheerfully while twirling his cane. "Plus, our new guest is becoming more involved, and I want to keep it going."

Pomni jumps up in excitement.

A Few Hours Later:

"Tell me again what this is?" Jax said, staring at a small photo booth that appears to have room for two.

Everyone else is behind him, except for Batman, Caine and Pomni.

"It's a Confession Box!" Pomni tried matching Caine's excitement, but was still slightly faltering at it. "A place where you can say and do anything you want."

"It also has a companion option." Caine points at a button. "Press this button, and you can have a one-on-one chat with our new guest here about anything you want. Whether it would be just a small question, or expressing and venting your thoughts aloud for someone to hear."

"Not sure if I'd want to spill my guts to someone who dresses like a bat." Jax said while scratching his back.

Gangle timidly approached Caine. "B-But he's scary-looking." She points at Batman.

"Never fear, Gangle." Caine pats her mask. "Our new friend would never harm us in any way, and we mustn't judge him for how it looks. It's not his fault he made this one."

"But it is his fault for being such a Moody Judy." Jax said while his breath.

Kinger nervously stared at the booth. "He doesn't strike me as the type who'd be helpful for our mental health."

"But he's a good listener." Pomni added on, catching their attention. "You can say whatever you want to him, and he won't judge you for it or tell anyone else."

They all collectively looked at each other.

Ragatha stepped forward first, approaching Batman instead of Pomni or Caine.

"May I speak to you, then?" She politely asked, her hands behind her back.

Batman nodded before pressing the button, the booth opening up and they both walk inside. The booth closed behind them and they both sat together, staring at nothing but a wall.

"So, is this a timed event?" Ragatha asked, feeling a bit cramped with him, since she's literal inches from holding his hand.

"No, we can stay as long as you desire." Batman replied, looking indifferent to this encounter.

"Okay then." She taps her foot on the floor. "Well... I have a few things to say about me... as a person..."

Batman did not reply, but she knows he's listening by looking at her.

"I've been here for a long time now, and throughout that time, I feel like... I'm the optimist of the group, like I'm the one everyone looks up to when they're sad or confused..." She rubs her hands through her hair. "And sometimes I just don't know what to do about that. Because I just have this pressure to hold everyone together like a stitch in threads, you know? Everyone keeps coming to me like I'm some sort of safe haven... But the moment that I ask for something... suddenly I'm invisible..."

She sheds a tear from her eye.

"I don't think I can keep it together for much longer..."

"You don't have to." Batman responded.

"Huh?"

"You don't need to be the stitch that holds them together." He reiterated, sounding very monotone but also sincere. "It's okay to not be that way for once."

"But they won't notice me... Like I said, I just become invisible to them..." She admits, her head hung low.

"But they look up to you. And even though they expect comfort and security from you, you have to let them know you're also a thinking, sentient being that needs just as much care and attention as the others." Batman advises, sounding rational and considerate. "You can't let them keep walking over you like that, otherwise nothing will change. Only you can decide how you want other people to treat you."

She taps her thumbs together while she reevaluated the newly found information she was given. While it does sound difficult for her to let the others know she would like to have some security and comfort as well, he did have a point about nothing ever changing unless she did something about it.

And then she chuckles lightly. "I never thought I would get some advice from a bat... No offense."

He did not smile back, but she could tell that he wasn't offended by her comment.

"I think that's enough for now. Thanks for this." She looks at him for once last time before opening the door and sliding out of the booth, with him following her.

"How'd it go?" Jax asked, actually curious for once.

"Marvelous." Ragatha sighed in relief.

February 3rd, 2024. 12:30 AM.