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Group Chaos: Mirage (Part 2)

The Amazing Digital Circus AU: Oasis

Author's note:

Hey, everyone, welcome back to "Info dump" (part two). I shamelessly dumped exposition and lore for you to painstakingly work through - isn't that FUN??

Ok, but on a serious note, please read the warnings below. PLEASE.

Warnings (IMPORTANT):

Mature themes

Violence/Assault

Sadism

Manic/psychotic episodes

Sensory deprevation

Suicidal thoughts/intentions

SUMMARY:

Gangle torments Ragatha within her own Mindspace.

MIRAGE (PART 2)

“You hold firm, but you don’t fight. Interesting…”

Ragatha let out a steady breath as she silently acknowledged Gangle’s soft musings. The space was dark, and the air was still. The doll was blind and firmly restrained from aimlessly floating in the depths of her Mindspace. Ribbons almost made indents into the soft plush of her stuffing beneath the fabric – her skin – as they tightly held her in place.

The ragdoll’s eye was open and looking all around her, but she couldn’t even tell if she was looking left or right… Hell, she couldn’t tell if her eye was rolling back into her socket at this point. She saw nothing but pitch black. She kept her form still and firm, resisting the urge to tug at the ribbons that were restraining her. Every instinct within her was screaming to run her hands over her body and face within the overwhelmingly black, inky space – just to find her bearings on what part of her body was where.

But as Gangle said before; she held firm. She would not fight.

Possession.

Gangle had an ability that was speculated to be a part of the skill set of her new body – her avatar. It was unclear whether it was a blessing or a curse, but one thing was definite; it was incontestable by the host.

Once Gangle latched her mask over one’s face, there was nothing that the possessed could do to escape or contest. The more the host fought back; the more distressed the host became – the harder Gangle could fight to control them – her influence within one’s Mindspace was as nimble and strong as her ribbons in the digital reality, outside the void of one’s Mindspace.

The Mindspace…

It was accessible to members of The Amazing Digital Circus when Gangle possessed another member – dragging your consciousness to the depths of one’s mind and overtaking it. It was unclear if one could access the Mindspace any other way, but it was desired to possess said access, since Caine was unable to enter it, unable to control it and unable to see into it. The Mindspace was usually a void that the host could dwell on their own; able to manifest whatever their mind could conjure up. When Gangle would possess you, it was within her power to blind and restrain you – inhibiting you from doing anything in the Mindspace.

And now, Ragatha found herself trapped within her own mind, suffering at Gangle’s will and mercy. She focused on her breathing, fixing her mind from wandering to dark and dangerous places. Her friend needed help.

She wished that Jax was there to provide it.

“So quiet, dolly~!” Gangle’s voice rang from all around her.

Ragatha recognized that tone; a tone that she hadn’t heard in a while. Taunting and twisted, teetering on the edge of a strange brink that always felt too foreign to be associated with the sweet ribbonoid. It was clear as ever now; Gangle had turned to her smile in a desperate attempt at any form of control she could have. The ribbons that coiled around Ragatha’s limbs, restraining and containing the doll from moving as she wanted, only supported the doll’s clumsy theory.

The masked ribbon wanted a fight, but the doll was not willing to indulge in the slightest. It would only add fuel to the flames – the scorching heat that would burn her wings as she flew higher and higher.

The owl was soaring far above the sands of the desert. Her head was in the clouds. She felt her high as she did before, the feeling of superiority that seduced her into taking pleasure in whatever distress she could cause.

Just to have the pleasure of willingly laughing through their misery.

“What is happening outside?” Ragatha asked, her voice numbed down more than she intended for it to sound - she was just too tired to care, “It hurts…”

“Indeed, it does!” Gangle chimed in with glee, “You are taking quite the beating for us, dolly. Your health bar is going down slowly, though, I am making sure of it~! We wouldn’t want our fun to end so soon, would we?”

There are so many questions Ragatha could ask; ‘Why are you doing this?’ or ‘what is it that has you feeling so powerless?’ The doll knew better, though…

Gangle was talking – and that was ideal. Any poking or prodding would have the ribbon clam shut and Ragatha’s hands would be tied – figuratively this time. She had to keep Gangle talking. If anything, maybe she could distract her from whatever was happening outside her Mindspace.

With a deep breath, despite the sudden and brief onslaught of pain that coursed through her being – from whatever was charging at her outside – she directed the topic of discussion to exactly that.

“Who is it?” The doll huffed, catching her breath, “Who is hurting me?”

Much to the apparent amusement of Gangle, who giggled as she caressed the doll’s cheek, Ragatha cried out as something on the outside was pounding down on her back, before the onslaught suddenly ceased, allowing her to painfully gasp for air once again.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you…~” The ribbon teased – the smile evident in her voice.

“Try me.” Ragatha coughed briefly, her body jerking as she did so, fighting to stay composed.

There was a silence that followed. The ragdoll wasn’t sure if it was due to Gangle’s desire to tease by building suspense or out of pure hesitation, but either didn’t have a good feeling to it. Eventually, Gangle answered with the mere name.

“Kinger.”

Oh god…

There was a sudden stillness that overtook Ragatha’s mind, body and soul as Gangle revealed the name of her attacker. Her oldest friend.

“He’s awake…?” The doll asked with a small voice, looking around frantically into the black nothingness that blinded her, “He’s awake!”

“He is… And he’s playing so dirty!”

Ragatha hung her head low as the news sunk in.

Her oldest friend, her mentor, was fully aware and fighting. Her mind almost froze over with dread of what Gangle decided to do with such a precious moment. Her mind raced back to the beating blows on her back. There was no doubt about it.

A knight.

“I want to see him, Gangle.”

Ragatha was only met with that menace of a giggle that Gangle taunted her with, “Open your eyes, Ragatha! He’s right in front of you~”

“Gangle, please…” Ragatha pleaded to the voice that rung all around her, cackling at the feeble attempt to convince the masked ribbon, “Just let me see him once.”

“Tell me…” Gangle’s voice purred, now seemingly into both Ragatha’s ears at once, “How does it feel to know that your dear friend is right there, just beyond your reach?”

The doll’s eye widened, focused on listening to her friend. She was onto something, she knew it! She just had to keep the ribbonoid talking, “It hurts.”

“How does it feel to be powerless; unable to see what he is going through?”

The doll cried out again, feeling the sensations from the outside, as her body suddenly tripped, then her torso was crushed; forced to lie flat on the ground. It went on for mere seconds, before the sensation was ripped away and air flooded her lungs again. She couldn’t tell, but she suspected that she was coughing blood. Every breath she took felt like knives poking into her back as the pain of being crushed caught up to her mind.

A rook…

“Gangle…” Ragatha choked out as she tried to catch her breath. “What are you saying? What is this?”

The doll was struggling to keep herself together, but she had to stay strong. She was so close to reaching Gangle – to figuring out what it was that had the ribbon turn to her toxic smile once again.

“I want you to feel what it’s like to JUST miss someone’s descend into hell as you are RIGHT THERE. To take the time you had with someone for granted…”

Finally, Ragatha understood.

“So, that’s what this is…” Ragatha mumbled, knowing Gangle would hear her regardless, “You want me to feel what you felt with Kaufmo?”

“Everything he built us up to be… everything we had is ruined.” Gangle hissed, harsh in her tone, “And we are just MOVING ON, like he didn’t even exist in the first place!”

Ragatha lets the ribbonoid’s words sink in. She felt them eat away at her from the inside, leaving a bitter, hollow sting of guilt laying heavy within her chest, but she pushed it aside.

She did what she had to do.

Kaufmo was gone and they were still here. Additionally, they had a brand-new member in the Digital Circus for the first time in years. Pomni was their new hope, just as Zooble was theirs a couple of years before. She mourned his loss as soon as that same day he abstracted, when Jax crawled his way into her room to… distract her. That man was a blessing disguised as a plague; distracting her for the past few weeks since they lost their clown friend.

Based on the discussion she heard between Jax and Gangle outside her door, on the day of the clown’s abstraction, as well as the events that followed, she was so sure that Gangle was moving on too. Gangle was their owl – the doll was sure that she would have no trouble to fly over this setback and set her keen eyes on what they all needed to survive. Ragatha saw Jax tail Gangle’s shadow like a stone in her shoe; her snake doing all he knew to distract and offer stability with his torment. Zooble, while they were usually untamable, even as Gangle’s partner, was so supportive in giving the masked ribbon space, not pushing her to talk – opting to be the wind beneath her wings; Gangle’s escape. Ragatha was always open to comfort her; Gangle’s water spring – her resting place to quench the thirst of being unheard in the relentless desert of a Digital Circus.

And despite it all, Gangle clung to her old ways.

The ragdoll kicked herself for forgetting how good Gangle was at masking the ugly, black tar that caused her to stick to the lifeless smile. Like she did when she first arrived – like she tended to do when things got tough – the whole reason why she was so tied to Jax, who broke her free from that nasty habit, by breaking her grinning capsule.

Ragatha forgot how good the burrowing owl was at moving underground and out of sight; hiding.

Gangle needed help.

“Gangle…” The doll spoke into the black void her mind had become, with an unsteady voice, “You know that we are all still here for you, right…?”

There was a moment…

Gangle’s influence faltered – glitched – a small slip up, but it was enough to give Ragatha hope. She keenly listened to the ribbonoid when she heard the first hint of responding, voice quiet and distant.

“No, you are not… Not ALL of you.” Gangle’s voice stabilized after a moment of silence, “Not anymore.”

“I know you miss him, Gangle.” Ragatha said softly and a small, nervous smile played on her lips as she grew more hopeful to talk sense into her, “I know the two of you were closer than any of us will ever know. I miss him too. We all do!”

“Shut up!” Came the harsh hiss of Gangle’s voice, tone dripping with the snarling grin she shielded herself with once again, “You don’t know anything. You don’t miss him; you probably don’t even remember what he looked like. All you care about is parading around like a little perfect princess and sucking up. You’ll never understand what we had.”

“I’m doing what I need to do.” Ragatha sighed, trying desperately to remain as understanding as she could, “And I do understand what you two have. You feel a need for him, just like I feel a need for-”

“I don’t NEED anyone. I just WANT him back. He’s not what my world revolves around, I can handle myself, I always have. We’re just a great team – he know’s what was best for us all.”

“You are contradicting yourself!” The doll cried out, threatening to burst, “You say you are fine on your own one moment, only to go on about what a great team mate he was and how much you want him back in the next. What do you really want? What is going on?”

“I don’t need anyone.” Gangle’s voice multiplied into multiple whispers, all chanting on their own rhythm, “I don’t need anyone… I don’t need anyone.”

Ragatha stayed quiet as she listened the ribbonoid desperately repeat her words, as if she was trying to convince herself. The doll felt like she was talking to a brick wall, but she couldn’t give up. The chanting whispers felt like it was banging into her skull, until Ragatha forced herself to blink through the pain enough to realize that her body on the outside, was slamming her head against the tiles repetitively.

It could be Gangle, punishing her for prying.

Or it could be a bishop…

Upon Ragatha feeling herself stop her own harmful actions after mere seconds, she realized it was the latter. The ragdoll groaned in response to the nauseating echoes of residual pain, wanting nothing but to crumple into a useless heap and cradle her aching, dizzy head in her hands. A few seconds longer, before Ragatha realized that the whispering chants of Gangle’s mania was deadly silent.

The doll’s breathing picked up, but she couldn’t decide whether it was out of worry, excitement or fear. Her body was adorned with Gangle’s mask… and if Ragatha banged her head to the tiles…

Oh no…

“Gangle?!” Ragatha cried out, frantically, “Honey, are you alright?”

Much to the ragdoll’s horror, there was only silence. She tugged at the ribbons restraining her within her Mindspace, as she desperately tried to get a reaction from the ribbonoid, but she was only met with the ribbons, still taut and lifeless as they kept her in place.

Many thoughts rushed through her head at once – none of them were good…

Did Kinger kill Gangle? Would that glitch the Digital Circus into Ragatha and Gangle being stuck together forever, since they died while Gangle had her special ability activated? Did this all drive Gangle to abstraction? Would she drag Ragatha down to the cellar with her?

Would she ever see her friends again?

For the first time in a long time, Ragatha wanted to scream. She finally had enough of this madness; and as her red locks of yarn hair began to defy gravity, along with the ribbons quivering all around her, the breaths she took grew heavier and heavier. With one big breath, she allowed herself to cave, craving SOME form of release from her confinement-

“Silly doll~”

Upon hearing the soft, sickening purr of Gangle’s voice, Ragatha instantly stabilized, crying out in relief, “Gangle! Thank goodness… You’re ok!”

“How insulting!” Gangle exclaimed with a huff, as if she was mocking the notion of being offended, “Did you really think that I can’t handle myself?! You and Jax are the same. You are ALL the same!”

Ragatha caught her breath in relief, “Honey, I’m just glad you are okay-!”

“You’re lying. You are all liars. You are just waiting for me to abstract, aren’t you? Well…~” Gangle paused her bitter rant, only to grab the doll around her neck and squeeze until she felt her lungs burn slightly, “I felt my happiest at my dear Kaufmo’s side anyway~! If you all are going to do everything you can to take me down, then so be it.”

Quick as a flash, Ragatha’s throat is released and she gasped and coughed as the dizziness slowly faded into a dull ache in her head from the lack of air she was subjected to.

Ragatha felt her heart sink to her restrained feet as she heard Gangle’s last words to her, before being reduced to nothing but manic cackles. The doll knew that Gangle was beyond words once she heard the ribbonoid’s final words to her;

“Just know, dolly… When you all break me down, I’m DRAGGING you down with me.”

There was nothing Ragatha could do now – she knew that.

She only had one ace up her sleeve…

Ragatha knew, that if ANYONE stood a chance to escape Gangle’s possession, it would be her – the doll – the one no one would suspect. She had and ability of her own, that she had never used in a situation like this, but it would definitely be a valid attempt to break free.

She was a monster.

She hated it.

And she vowed to avoid using her ability for as long as she possibly could, keeping it hidden as she was so ashamed of the depths to which her calm waters could stretch to. She knew she could probably help herself out of the predicament Gangle had forced her into.

But she just WOULDN’T do it. She COULDN’T do it.

No one would ever deserve that – she wouldn’t wish it upon anyone.

Besides…

Gangle’s torture and torment was actually a blessing; she finally knew what it felt like. She finally understood. And this was her; Ragatha, finally having to pay the piper…

For those times she had never faced any consequences for the actions of her past, long before she promised herself to never, EVER act out again. For the times no one could remember – for the times she made sure that they wouldn’t remember.

She deserved this.

The ragdoll could only pray for the safety of the others until Gangle faced her inner demons. Until then, she would stay strong. She would resist, but she would not fight. And she would forgive Kinger, no matter how much he hurt her while desperately trying to pry Gangle OFF her. She knew he was scared; as she was scared too, but she would not break or yield to anyone – not even him.

She promised him that he would go first, after all.

She just needed to last a little longer than Kinger.

She was sure that Jax would understand.

Art related to this fic: (CLICK HERE TO SEE)

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