While traveling to Beast Yeast for the first time, Pure Vanilla and friends find younger iterations of the Beasts, who have no memory of their pasts or misdeeds. In an attempt to figure out whatâs going on and keep them away from Dark Enchantress, Pure Vanilla takes them back to the Vanilla Kingdom which is where they now reside.
Mod is an adult
Main rule is donât be rude. Thatâs all I ask
Magic anons and the like are allowed, though they might be subject to my discretion for when theyâre used. Askers do have some power here
For the sake of stating it explicitly, the Beasts are teenagers, meaning no NSFW outside of jokes
Stuff that comes out in future updates may or may not be incorporated, some pieces of this story are already planned
I do not consent to my work being used for any kind of AI
Profiles
Shadow Milk Cookie
they/them
âFor now. Youâll get the rest of my pronouns once you prove youâre not a filthy traitor.â
Leader of the group
Eternal Sugar Cookie
she/they
âThose are the ones I mostly use. Though you should make some more pronouns for me, thatâll be fun~â
Youngest of the group (relatively)
Mystic Flour Cookie
she/her
Most responsible one who will reign in the others
Burning Spice Cookie
he/him
Oldest of the group (relatively)
Silent Salt Cookie
they/them
prefers to talk in sign language [Responses spoken in sign language will be denoted with a *]
May take off helmet depending on their comfort levels
Pure Vanillaâs notes on the beasts under the cut:
Shadow Milk
Doesnât trust easily, yet also seems to listen to me
Fiercely loyal and protective of their comrades
Once they opened up, theyâre more energetic and excitable
Playful and mischievous
Likes to cause mayhem, although itâs mostly harmless
Extremely skilled and knowledgeable about magic, both in theory and practice
Can potentially transform parts of their body?
Floats. In their words, gravity means nothing to them
Eternal Sugar
Free-spirited and listens to her own whims
Sassy. Very sassy.
Chaotic and known to cause pranks, but theyâre mostly harmless. Might be her way of being curious??
Tends to stick close to people she likes
Can seemingly create anything out of thin air (although none of the typical sigils are presentâŠ)
Can also transmute objects
Floats. Uses her wings to fly higher/faster
Mystic Flour
Extremely calm (maybe a bit guarded)
Respectful and polite
Has a certain way of holding herself⊠interacted with nobility maybe?
Most likely to give straight answers
Very intimidating when angry
Tends to need her own space to relax and meditate
Magic user, specializes in light magic (a kindred spirit!)
May have minor foresight abilities?
Has an unusually strong ability to read people
Burning Spice
Loud and a bit impulsive
Very good natured though!
Tends to get restless easily, but mellows out once heâs given something to do (a bit like a cake hound now that I think about it!)
Happiest when heâs moving around or doing something with his hands
Unofficially became a helper around the kingdom because of this
Extremely strong. Loves to pick people up
Is both extremely aware of potential danger and extremely oblivious of it (or is he just choosing to be oblivious to have fun?)
Extremely proficient with all kinds of weapons, but he prefers his battle axe
May have some healing abilities?
Silent Salt
Extremely quiet
Rather reserved and actually quite shy
Capable of speech, but prefers to use sign language (mostly talks with the other beasts. Although they did talk once when my staff wasnât on hand)
Has a habit of disappearing and appearing without notice (should I start a tally for every time someoneâs been spooked by them at this point? Haha!)
Extremely proficient with swordsmanship
May also be a magic user?
Doesnât quite float, but seems to almost skate along the ground when moving quickly
Their appearance changes slightly?? Moves?? At random??
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"đż - A dream your character believes is prophetic"
You weren't quite sure how the water swallowed you. You vaguely remembered tripping and landing in a pond, but those memories felt so far away. You tried to swim back towards the surface, but the tide was stronger, and every time you moved your arms, sharp pain shot through them. You tried to yell for help, but even your screams didn't make a sound. The bubbles just floated up gently.
...At least you could breathe. There was still a chance you could die from getting soggy, but at least asphyxiation wasn't on the table.
The world grew darker as you sank lower and lower. It was... oddly peaceful. From here, your bubbles looked like little stars, twinkling in the endless expanse. You breathed out, watching them dance as the floated up and lit up the area around you.
You did it again and again, watching the water slowly turn into the night sky. Stars of all different shapes and sizes and brightness peeked out from behind the darkness. They even started appearing below you. You didn't feel like you were sinking anymore... more like... floating. It was a little hard to pinpoint where you were in relation to any space actually.
Distantly, you could hear someone singing. It sounded quiet at first, but grew louder as more voices joined in. It sounded almost like a lullaby.
The stars are singing...? It's beautiful...
You could tell there were words being sung, but you couldn't understand them. They seemed to be guiding you somewhere. You gave up any sense of control and drifted where the stars took you.
As you drifted, a star collided with you and scattered little bits of stardust as it passed through your body. It didn't hurt. It almost felt like you were being... shaped. Taking a piece of you that you didn't need and scattering it into the cosmos. More stars passed through you, taking bits of you away. Things you couldn't quite remember... memories that weren't quite yours...
You felt heavy suddenly. The floating sensation was lost and you began to sink again. You fell right into a star cluster, and thousands of stars stripped away at your body, sanding you down. You closed your eyes.
Your back hit something. You finally landed it seemed. When you opened your eyes, there were no more stars, and your body was now a collection of large glass shards. There was no light here, so your body reflected nothing. You were just a shadow.
But shadows can't exist without light.
That's what you were always taught--balance had to exist in the world. You got up and started walking in a direction. If you were a shadow, you'd be drawn to light somehow.
Sure enough, after spending some time walking, you were greeted by a brilliant blinding light. You instinctively put your hand up to shield your eyes only to realize that did nothing because your hands were made of glass. But the light changed when it refracted through your hands. Instead of being a blob, it was now... you?
Inside the light was version of you. She was a lot older with a much bigger tiara and spiritual robes surrounding her. She looked wise and was carrying some sort of scroll. The scrolls words were cut off by the space between your fingers, so you adjusted your hand to get a better view. Except the picture changed as your shards refracted a new image.
It was another version of you. This one was a lot smaller and younger. She looked so carefree... Not a care in the world and no duty holding her down. You already knew this version, although it was weird seeing her not in the dress you always remembered wearing. You shifted your fingers again.
This version of you met your eyes directly. Her eyes were dark, but her pupils were yellow stars, and there was a small halo around her. She looked like she wanted to tell you something, but her thoughts couldn't reach you.
You pulled your hand away from your eyes. You thought you'd be greeted by the same ball of light from before, but instead it was... you.
She was perfectly calm, simply meditating in this space. She looked like the picture perfect version of what you were always told to be. An elegant, stoic, divine guardian. Someone fit to rule. Someone who would bring enlightenment for others. And yet... she felt hollow. There was no sense of life or love in her demeanor. She simply floated there, still as a statue.
Light without shadow... Shining brightly, but with no depth or way to define itself in space.
You tentatively approached her, reaching out your hand. The least you could offer her was a piece of yourself. Then you'd both be complete. But as you got close, a sudden barrier stopped you. You knocked and waved, hoping to get her attention. She didn't seem bothered. You tried knocking louder, then calling for her, and banging at the barrier. Why wasn't she looking at you? You were her other half. You would complete each other. That's what you were meant for.
A thought crossed your mind. You scratched at the barrier. You could feel the barrier cutting underneath your fingers, but you couldn't quite reach deep enough to split it open. You looked down at yourself. You grabbed the largest piece of glass that was part of your body. It felt almost like a sword when you held it this way. With a grunt of effort, you sliced through the barrier and it shattered to pieces.
She acknowledged you, finally. She looked... scared.
You stepped towards her. She yelled something you didn't hear and two dog-like beasts ran at you. They lunged at you. You didn't really mean to hurt them, but they cut themselves on your shards. Their jam coated your jagged edges. You tried to apologize, but you couldn't help them like this. You needed to be whole.
She ran from you. You followed. You just wanted to help.
She ran up a long flight of stairs and disappeared inside a temple of some kind. You opened up the temple's doors, expecting to see her, but instead the space changed as you entered it.
It was a chapel now with rows of pews and elegant stained glass windows. Light filtered in from every angle and placed in front of the alter was a large stone statue. It depicted a knight, bathed in golden light, surrounded by ten holy swords. Somehow you could tell it was looking at you.
You were suddenly very aware that you were whole again, no longer a shadow made of glass drifting between spaces. You were very aware of you dough and the heavy feeling of it weighing upon you. You felt like you shouldn't be here and that you hadn't earned the right to be here. And yet... you felt the statue calling you closer. It held out a hand, beckoning you.
You slowly walked down the aisle. Despite no one being here, you felt dozens of eyes on you. You looked at the statue and the hand it was offering you. On its palm was a yellow four-pointed star. You took its hand. The world exploded with light and you became one with it all.
---
Mystic Flour yawned, groggily rubbing at her eyes. She felt like she hardly slept at all. Maybe she had been thinking too much in her sleep to get any actual rest. That was an amusing thought.
Though the more she thought about it as she shook off the last lingering clouds of sleep, the more her dream puzzled her. It was filled with usual inconsistencies produced by dream-logic, but it felt too... poetic. Too meaningful. It felt like there was something she was supposed to understand that she wasn't. It brought an old memory to the forefront of her mind.
"My powers don't work like that, Mystic. It's not that direct, I can't guess what number you'll pick. It's more like... getting vague images. Like an unfinished picture book without any words. I can tell I'm being told a story and sometimes I can figure out what's going on. Other times, all I can do is wait for time to pass and more of the story to be finished. Then it becomes clear what it's about."
An unfinished story with no words... That would explain why Mystic Flour couldn't hear what anyone was saying in her dream. Was it maybe...
She reached down for the source of her power, letting it flow through her from her core to her limbs. She called out to it mentally. Are you trying to talk to me? She waited. No answer. Like usual.
She sighed. She got out of bed and started heading to the dining hall. No point pestering someone who won't answer; she'd just have to wait until more of the story was finished.
Mystic Flour: where did you hear that name? I havenât mentioned it to anyone, aside from-
Mystic Flour: wait a moment.
[Mystic Flourâs face turns cold and her eyes become dark. She closes her book, leaves her room, and walks down the castleâs various hallways. She arrives at one of the meeting rooms where voices can be heard inside.]
Shadow Milk: -Iâm telling you, âaeciaâ is a real word!
Eternal Sugar: then use it in a sentence. Prove it right now.
Eternal Sugar: and if you have to use your powers to look it up, then it doesnât count
Burning Spice: this is getting way more heated than I thought it would for a round of scrabbleâŠ
Shadow Milk: this is bullshit, youâre just mad that Iâm winning.
[Mystic Flour opens the door. The group turns to look at her, and quickly quiets down upon seeing her expression.]
Mystic Flour: so.
Mystic Flour: which one of you fuckers read my diary.
Mystic Flour walked down the long steps from the capital building towards the inner city. Finally free to do what she wanted, she was practically skipping as she walked, but she had to keep her excitement contained. It wasn't very befitting of a future ruler. She was thinking about where she wanted to spend her day when she suddenly saw a familiar face. "Rice Pudding!" she waved.
Rice Pudding was an older cookie dressed in a durable shirt and trousers meant for farm work with a sickle tied at her hip. She grinned as the younger cookie approached, "Well I guess the Wizards do hear me from time to time. Mystic Flour, just the cookie I was waiting for."
"Shouldn't you be down in the rice paddy?" Mystic Flour asked.
"Hah! And shouldn't you be studying right about now?" Rice Pudding replied.
Mystic Flour wanted to stick her tongue out, she knew the older lady was teasing her, but stopped herself. That wasn't a very proper response. So instead she assumed her best 'Dignified Noble' pose and responded with, "My lessons have concluded for today and I'm taking this time to refresh my body and spirit."
Rice Pudding cackled. "Well you're still talking like one of your teachers is hovering over your shoulder. Who's gonna give you bad marks around here, me?" She put a hand on Mystic Flour's shoulder. "Come on, then. I've got something for you back at my house."
Mystic Flour nodded and followed Rice Pudding down several stairs and winding paths through some grain fields before arriving at a modest home. Rice Pudding opened the door and gestured for Mystic Flour to go inside. The older cookie disappeared into a room, dug around some cabinets and drawers, and muttered about where she put the darn thing. Eventually she returned holding a dagger with a green gem embedded into the hilt.
Rice Pudding sat down and held out the dagger to her, "You're getting older now, it's about time someone gave you one of these."
Mystic Flour took the dagger and looked at in awe. "Thank you..." she said quietly, "...but am I allowed to carry this around? I don't think the nobles mentioned anything about dagger lessons."
Rice Pudding snorted and waved her hand. "No, dearie, it's not about the dagger itself. Hold it up and spin around until it starts glowing. It's some legendary artifact that points to ancient ruins or something." Mystic Flour spun around and gasped as the dagger started glowing when she pointed westward. "There you go. Now go on. Go have your adventure."
Mystic Flour stopped and looked at her in confusion. "What adventure?"
"You're some kind of chosen one, aren't you? Then you gotta go have your adventure where you discover who you really are and get stronger," Rice Pudding replied.
"I don't think that's what-"
"Ha! Are you going to wait around until you get some magical call from the heavens? Do I need to make the wind blow and have some spooky lightning effects to make it seem more magical? This is about as direct as it gets, dearie. Go on! Have an adventure before you get stuck here all wrapped up in politics."
Rice Pudding handed Mystic Flour a sheath for the dagger and the young cookie diligently tied it around her waist. Was it really okay to do this? Go on an adventure? She'd wanted to go out an explore for as long as she could remember but...
She suddenly jolted. "Wait a minute. I need to go get Wheat," she said, turning for the door. "He'll want to come with me and-"
"Oh don't worry, I already saw him today," Rice Pudding barked out a laugh. "Gave him his own quest. He's got sword shaped like a key; he can go find the power of friendship with it."
So Wheat was already gone doing his own thing... If he went off on his quest, then whatever Rice Pudding was planning would be good for her and safe. Or... mostly safe. She nodded, thanked Rice Pudding, waved goodbye, and left.
The dagger took her beyond the edge of the city, past all the grain fields on the outskirts, and into the Ghost Yeast Forest. It felt good to travel on her own. She was very glad one of her teachers insisted on teaching her survival skills because a lot of the plants were textbook examples they gave of what were safe to eat and what were poisonous. It was just a shame she was wearing her longer dressed today; the bottom of her dressed was soaked in mud from yesterday's rain.
Eventually, she reached a ruined temple hidden away behind a thick set of vines. They pulled away the second she held the dagger in their direction, almost like they were trained to respond to its presence. Upon entering the temple, the dagger shined brightly, lighting up the murals on the walls. Many of them were faded, but a lot of them featured people hanging upside down? The dagger led her down a tunnel, eventually opening up in a wide room. Waterfalls poured down and various gemstones glistened on the walls. In the middle of it all was a small pedestal with a suspiciously dagger-shaped hole. She could sense magic in the area, but she didn't feel any traps. She shrugged and placed the dagger in the slot.
The dagger glowed brightly and several runes on the pedestal lit up. The whole area shone brightly and-
The dagger's gem turned red.
Oh. That was it? She was expecting something more. She picked up the dagger and fiddled with it in her hands. It didn't seem to be doing anything else. Maybe this was some sort of clue? Or maybe this whole thing was just a prank by Rice Pudding.
Mystic Flour sighed. She turned around and prepared to head home when she noticed that something wasn't right. The gems on the walls had now all inverted color and the waterfalls were... flowing upwards? She blinked. She walked over and reached her hand out into the water. Aside from it flowing upwards, it still felt normal. She left the chamber and went down the same hallway as before, but something bugged her. It felt different, even if she couldn't place why.
Towards the entrance, she found a mirror. Looking through the mirror, she could see one of the murals she passed earlier. When she looked behind her, no mural was present. She played around with the mirror for what felt like ages, trying all sorts of spells and tricks to try and figure out what was hiding from her. The mural was very clearly visible on the way in, so the mirror had to be telling her something was hidden here. This was RPG 101.
It was only when Mystic Flour was pointing the dagger at random things trying to get a response did she notice something different. In the mirror, the dagger's gem was green. A theory was forming. She scratched a word in the wall. The mirror didn't reflect it. She grabbed a rock from inside the cavern and brought it in front of the mirror. No reflection either. She reached out and put her hand on the mirror and pushed.
Much to her dismay, she didn't fall through and discover a mirror portal. But she wasn't ready to give up. She had another idea.
Mystic Flour ran back and put the dagger in the pedestal again. The runes lit up, the cavern glowed, and the gem was now back to green. She turned around. The waterfalls were flowing normally and the gems were back to their normal color. She ran out through the tunnel and the mural she was looking at was back at the wall. She looked in the mirror and... the stone she had moved earlier was staring back at her. She held up the dagger. Its gem was red.
"Wizards above. Is there actually a mirror world?" she asked. She ran back and put the dagger in the pedestal. She returned to the mirror with the red gem dagger. Sure enough, she was now on the other side. She squealed, a big grin on her face. "This is JUST like the Wonder Chronicles!" she yelled as she ran towards the exit. When she stepped out of the ruins, she was greeted with an entirely different world.
The forest was gone. Instead, it was a beautiful riverbank. Crystalline birds swam around in the waters and rabbit with an eye on its stomach looked at her warily before hopping away. She ran through the woods in excitement, taking in every inch of this new world. She laughed as she splashed through the waters and greeted all the bizarre creatures she passed.
"Miss. I'd advise you to stop yelling like that. You might summon a thundercomb," a voice called to her. Drilling up from the ground in front of her was a small robot. "Let me turn off my night vision." It whirred for a moment and then there was a loud click. "Ah! An outsider! Greetings. It has been a long time since we've seen one of your kind. I am Lionel-232. Please come with me. We'll have to begin the transfer and identification process."
Mystic Flour followed after Lionel-232. She acted calm, but inside she was giddy. This was the kind of adventures she only got to read about in stories, and now it was happening to her! She couldn't wait to-
---
Mystic Flour suddenly woke up. She blinked groggily and took a look around. It was still dark out and her friends were still sleeping. By all accounts, nothing should have woken her up. Maybe someone sneezed in their sleep.
Her dream suddenly came back to her. It had been a long time since she'd had those dreams of adventure. She remembered there used to be a lot more to it--she usually went to a different place each time after waking up in the Mirror World. If she remembered right, the robot usually took her to a hub city and introduced her to the ruling AI. Then Lionel-232 took her to meet that jackalope who rode the mechanical dinosaur and... she couldn't remember the rest. Maybe cowboys had been involved?
She'd grown out of those dreams though. She learned adventure was just a fantasy for a lonely kid who wanted to explore. She was only allowed to hurry up and become the Divine Ruler everyone wanted her to be. Mystic Flour hummed and rolled over. Maybe this was her childhood self's way of saying "You did it! You got an adventure!"
đïž for Mystic Flour Cookie and/or Silent Salt Cookie?
"đïž - A dream that made your character want to go back to sleep so they could continue the dream"
Silent Salt was led down the familiar long dark halls to a set of large wooden double doors. His guide, a golden mechanical cookie, knocked three times before opening the doors into the Headmaster's office. "I've brought Silent Salt as you requested," she said.
The Headmaster stood at the opposite end of the office, staring out the window. He didn't turn around to greet her. Instead, he just held up a hand and replied, "Thank you, Clockwork Orrery. You may go."
Clockwork Orrery replied, "Affirmative," and proceeded to leave and shut the doors behind her.
Silent Salt waited until the Headmaster was done with whatever he was doing. They knew better to interrupt. When he turned around, they asked, "What's my mission today?"
"No missions today," the Headmaster replied, opening a cabinet and grabbing two cushions. "Today is for training. Do you know what tomorrow is?"
"Yes," they responded, taking one of the cushions offered and sitting down on the floor. "It's the start of the planetary parade where Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, and Neptune are visible."
The Headmaster nodded. "Correct. I want to make sure your powers are in good shape for that event. We will require your senses for the next several days." He sat down across from them. "Tell me when you're ready to begin."
Silent Salt closed their eyes. They counted their breaths and tuned everything else out. They needed to be focused only on themselves for this first part. They repeated the mantra given to them when they first started understanding their powers: The whole world is intertwined. Life, death, sky, sea, flora, and fauna are all parts of the greater system, moving things piece by piece. Everything is connected, and you are everything. All you must do to understand is join them in solidarity.
They reached deep down into their belly where that burning core of their power resided. They breathed in and out, watching it dance like a small ember. Then. on command, it exploded into a full fledged flame, filling them with warmth. Slowly, their surroundings started to expand. Their awareness spread. They could "see" without having to open their eyes. "I'm ready," Silent Salt stated.
"How many fingers am I holding up?" the Headmaster asked.
"Three. Now seven. Now one," Silent Salt responded.
"Good. Head to the bottom of the observatory. Tell me what you see."
Silent Salt took a few deep breaths before exhaling deeply and detaching themselves from their body. They floated down through the floors to the basement of the observatory where the Darklight Archives were. "There are three cookies looking at old texts at a table," they relayed. "One of the texts is the lunar calendar. Another is a moon phase log. I think they're part of the Lunar Impact team."
"Good. Head farther out. Tell me the state of the mountains."
Silent Salt drifted up and left the observatory. Their power flickered and roared inside of them. They held steady as their power expanded and gave them a bird's eye view of the Dark Ridge. They glided around the mountains looking for anything of note. The weather had been pleasant lately, so it wasn't like there was a blizzard causing problems or a thick fog hanging around the peaks of the mountains farther east. What were they supposed to say? They continued searching around the notable landmarks. "Mm... beavers have started building a dam on the Mint River on Last Haven. Does that count?"
"I suppose. I'd prefer things on a greater scale, but noticing small details can also have its uses." The Headmaster hummed, deep in thought for a few moments. "That's enough local practice. Keep going. Let me know when you see the shores of Crispia."
Silent Salt made a noise of acknowledgement and started the process of expanding their range again. It couldn't be done all at once; things started getting hazy when they pushed themselves too far too quickly. They just needed to breathe. In... and out... In... and out... Become one with the world. Breathe in with the expansion of the universe. Breathe out as you return to yourself.
More and more of Beast-Yeast revealed itself to them. They could see the coast. They could see the Spire of Truth and Deceit. They could see the edge of the Salt Flatland. They could see the small clusters of little villages that had been built throughout the continent. They could see other outposts of their order. Hm... speaking of the other outposts... Silent Salt wondered how their friends were doing.
They went to the Ravenous Forest to find Shadow Milk first. Their library was tucked into a particularly well hidden part of the woods. Even if you managed to find the University by sheer chance, you'd have a harder time still finding Shadow Milk's library. They touched down inside the building. Surrounded by lots of scrolls and books, Shadow Milk dozed quietly at their desk. Seems like they fell asleep in the middle of studying for their next topic. Silent Salt wondered if they should make themselves corporeal and try to wake them up, but decided against it. If they fell asleep, they probably needed it.
Silent Salt floated over to the Dry Yeast Isle to look for Eternal Sugar. Her home was easy to spot; it was the largest settlement on the island. They traveled above the market square, looking for her shop right next to the town hall. Was she still working at this hour? It turned out, she was. Three people stood in line. Someone was at the front counter taking down their requests and the specifications for its creation. Eternal Sugar was in the back, working on a project. Silent Salt slipped in and watched. It was amazing watching her slowly transform materials into an entirely new object. It looked like she was working on... some sort of wooden object? Her magic glowed around her eyes and around her hands as she worked the wood into an entirely new shape. It never splintered, it simply twisted itself to fit the mold she wanted and grew larger as she fed more wood pieces into the design. It was mesmerizing...
"You're taking a while," the Headmaster interrupted.
Silent Salt jumped, nearly losing their grip on their power. They apologized and recentered themselves. They left the Dry Yeast Isle behind to look for Crispia. They described the state of the Licorice Sea to hopefully cover that they'd been doing other things.
The Headmaster didn't seem to care, or if he did, he didn't say anything. He only told them to fly high in the sky until they could see all of Earthbread. Once that was accomplished, he told them, "The final challenge. Reach for the stars."
Silent Salt steeled themselves, then looked up, ignoring the world below them completely. The stars were bright. They could see even the farthest ones shimmering gently. They could see the way the stars moved, the shapes they made. The way they traveled together, the nebulae they came from, the way they shone and burned and exploded in the cosmic lifecycle. It was easy to get lost here. The sky was like an infinite ocean that was so easy to drown in. They felt themselves sinking deeper and yet... they couldn't pull away.
The stars were whispering. Silent Salt could hear it. They were saying things in languages they didn't understand. Or maybe it was some knowledge they weren't meant to have yet. Maybe this was how the gods talked. Through galaxies and methods beyond comprehension. It was getting to be too much. Their vision was starting to go. The whispering was getting louder. But then they heard it, clear as day.
"One day, you will understand the stars. And when that day comes... you will be ready to fulfill your purpose."
---
Silent Salt woke up curled in a bundle of blankets. Almost like they had been grasping at anything around them in their sleep. They sighed, feeling like there had been something they were supposed to remember at the end of their dream that they just... couldn't. They were just left with confusion... and longing. They reached under their shirt and pulled out a small necklace they always wore. It was a simple miniature compass on a chain, but it was plated with gold and had a four-pointed star engraved on the back. Silent Salt ran their thumb over it. A memory of home.
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Mystic Flour let out a deep breath as the last of the incense faded away. The light of the sun felt nice on her face, and she felt that radiant warmth spread out from her chest as she received her Sun God's boon for the day. With that out of the way and her spell slots full from the recent rest, she started back down the mountain.
She and her companions took the day to each go exploring on their own and see if they could gather any useful intel on where the Keystone Relic was hidden. Nearby, there were plenty of caves, there were rumors of a fairy village hidden somewhere in the woods, and there was a large town farther down the mountains. What did she want to do?
Mystic Flour decided she wanted to check out the town. There were the usual shops and guild halls, several places of worship (not that she needed to go find her god's temple anyways), a bounty board, and a large square where many people gathered and pieces of information tended to go around. She headed towards the square.
A man in a colorful outfit approached her and handed her a pamphlet for a carnival that was in town. The paper boasted neat prizes and the potential to get rare gear. She mulled it over in her head. This would most likely be an all day thing that counted as her "event" for the day, so she wouldn't be able to chase any other leads...
Oh, what the hell. She was going to the carnival. She wanted to have fun and play some silly games.
Mystic Flour wandered the stalls, playing various games that boiled down to "hit the thing", "grab the thing", and "land the thing on another thing." She was doing alright overall. She won some nice gauntlets that would be good for Burning Spice, some smoke bombs, a potion of stat boosting, some knickknacks that would be good for trading or selling, and a new spell book that she'd have to discuss with everyone else about who should get it. And, of course, some very good carnival food.
One of the last stalls she went to try was a game of ring toss. Sure, it was known for being ridiculously unfair with how small the rings were and how the pins were spaced, but she had the gold to spend. She paid her money and got three rings. She rolled her dice and... the dice showed three very high numbers. The dice gods decided to bless her today. She threw the rings and all three of them landed on a pin. The owner held out the "Mega Win!" prize box and Mystic Flour looked inside. Some gear, a new bow, a few expensive looking trinkets, and a strange pyramid-shaped object. The stall owner described it as "some sort of toy puzzle he could never figure out." She rolled her dice again and clocked it as the Keystone Relic.
This was very contrived and very convenient. She said as much out loud.
"Well," Silent Salt sighed, temporarily breaking the illusion of the tabletop game. "This wasn't what I originally planned. But Shadow Milk accidentally got themselves arrested, so you all have to rescue them when everyone meets back up."
Whoops. There's a story there, she's sure.
"Eternal Sugar kept rolling crit fails and her set is now in dice jail."
So that's why she got such a good roll just now. Someone else had to suffer clearly.
"And Burning Spice befriended the party of dryads I sent to kill you that was going to be a whole sideplot."
Hah. The charisma barbarian strikes again.
Fine then. She accepted her good fortune and took the relic out of the prize box.
"The others will be joining back up with you soon," Silent Salt said. "Is there anything else you want to do before the next part of the journey? ..."
---
Mystic Flour woke up later in the day than she had intended to. So much for catching the sunrise. Thinking about it, she was alright with that outcome. That dream had been fun, and definitely one of the more interesting dreams she'd had in a while. She had to remember to write down the details so she could tell everyone about who their characters were.
(Iâll gradually make more as the dynamics slowly expand and shift, but for now, this is just between the Beast Kids!)
(The post is meant to be read as what other people think of the highlighted character. Ex: the Eternal Sugar line under the Shadow Milk section is what ES thinks about SM.)
Shadow Milk:
Eternal Sugar: my ride or die. No matter what happens, Iâll stay by your side and youâll lead us to a better tomorrow.
Mystic Flour: the burden of knowledge will always be a heavy one. Iâm glad you let me past most of your walls. I hope one day they will all fall down.
Burning Spice: a whole heap of fun! Thanks for always making sure Iâm part of the crew. I love the crazy ideas you come up with; youâre a blast to go wild with!
Silent Salt: under the facade, you are incredibly kind and you care deeply for those around you. We will always be friends
???: HA! This toyâs fun, thatâs for sure! Theyâre going to make things very interesting~
Eternal Sugar:
Shadow Milk: you understand me, even without words. Iâll make sure the world never silences us again
Mystic Flour: loud and free spirited⊠a yapper even. But you make good company. The lengths you will go to protect everyone arenât to be underestimated.
Burning Spice: Iâm sorry for everything. Iâm glad Iâve gotten the chance to be your friend
Silent Salt: you don't take shit from anybody, regardless of size, status, or power. Itâs impressive really. I envy your confidence.
???: beautiful and powerful, exceptionally talented too. Itâs a shame she hasnât reached her full potential. When they learn to unburden their heart, they will truly become resplendent.
Mystic Flour:
Shadow Milk: intelligent and an expert in people and people wrangling. What would i do without you?
Eternal Sugar: lovely to relax with and lean on. You understand me and your deadpan sense of humor rips me up every time! Just wish youâd smile a bit more and let loose.
Burning Spice: my light. Youâre sweet and warm like a nice summer day. I love it when you laugh with me!
Silent Salt: a voice of reason and a level head. Your presence is calming and soothing. I enjoy talking with you and spending our silences together
???: quite young to be in the role she carries. Though she is wise, I donât concern myself with her daily happenings.
Burning Spice:
Shadow Milk: joyous and full of whimsy! Câmon, letâs go do some stupid shit together, ya big goof!
Eternal Sugar: itâs all in the past, firecracker. You just want to help. If anyone harms you, Iâll personally smite them.
Mystic Flour: my knight. Your loyalty and good heart are more powerful and endearing than you know.
Silent Salt: a good sparring partner and a good friend. You understand the duty we share as weapons. Despite it all, you still find ways to make me smile.
???: his strength is limitless and his drive unyielding. A true warrior
Silent Salt:
Shadow Milk: I know what we left behind pains you. Iâm sorry. Thank you for still coming with me. Our ever-vigilant watcher.Â
Eternal Sugar: You canât fool me! Yeah youâre cold and unyielding when duty calls, but Iâve spent enough time to know who you are under the armor. Youâre a HUGE softie and a big ol dork!
Mystic Flour: your heart is murky like a rippling pond. But when it settles, you are the moon that lights up the night sky.
Burning Spice: a real seasoned warrior! I trust you to have my back, and know my axe understands your sword.
???: they passed my trial. Beyond that, they matter not to me.
Transcription of @tristarnovax5 âs comment: are the ??? the beasts or the soul jams
(Who indeed :3c
âŠbut for a more substantial answer. Who the voices are, how the kids can hear them, and how the kids got their powers are big lore pieces that are part of the mystery of how the kids got to this point, so Iâm not going to reveal it directly via Word of Author. Itâs something the characters will have to share, whether you ask the kids directly or probe the others with the right questions to get them wondering too.)
(Iâll gradually make more as the dynamics slowly expand and shift, but for now, this is just between the Beast Kids!)
(The post is meant to be read as what other people think of the highlighted character. Ex: the Eternal Sugar line under the Shadow Milk section is what ES thinks about SM.)
Shadow Milk:
Eternal Sugar: my ride or die. No matter what happens, Iâll stay by your side and youâll lead us to a better tomorrow.
Mystic Flour: the burden of knowledge will always be a heavy one. Iâm glad you let me past most of your walls. I hope one day they will all fall down.
Burning Spice: a whole heap of fun! Thanks for always making sure Iâm part of the crew. I love the crazy ideas you come up with; youâre a blast to go wild with!
Silent Salt: under the facade, you are incredibly kind and you care deeply for those around you. We will always be friends
???: HA! This toyâs fun, thatâs for sure! Theyâre going to make things very interesting~
Eternal Sugar:
Shadow Milk: you understand me, even without words. Iâll make sure the world never silences us again
Mystic Flour: loud and free spirited⊠a yapper even. But you make good company. The lengths you will go to protect everyone arenât to be underestimated.
Burning Spice: Iâm sorry for everything. Iâm glad Iâve gotten the chance to be your friend
Silent Salt: you don't take shit from anybody, regardless of size, status, or power. Itâs impressive really. I envy your confidence.
???: beautiful and powerful, exceptionally talented too. Itâs a shame she hasnât reached her full potential. When they learn to unburden their heart, they will truly become resplendent.
Mystic Flour:
Shadow Milk: intelligent and an expert in people and people wrangling. What would i do without you?
Eternal Sugar: lovely to relax with and lean on. You understand me and your deadpan sense of humor rips me up every time! Just wish youâd smile a bit more and let loose.
Burning Spice: my light. Youâre sweet and warm like a nice summer day. I love it when you laugh with me!
Silent Salt: a voice of reason and a level head. Your presence is calming and soothing. I enjoy talking with you and spending our silences together
???: quite young to be in the role she carries. Though she is wise, I donât concern myself with her daily happenings.
Burning Spice:
Shadow Milk: joyous and full of whimsy! Câmon, letâs go do some stupid shit together, ya big goof!
Eternal Sugar: itâs all in the past, firecracker. You just want to help. If anyone harms you, Iâll personally smite them.
Mystic Flour: my knight. Your loyalty and good heart are more powerful and endearing than you know.
Silent Salt: a good sparring partner and a good friend. You understand the duty we share as weapons. Despite it all, you still find ways to make me smile.
???: his strength is limitless and his drive unyielding. A true warrior
Silent Salt:
Shadow Milk: I know what we left behind pains you. Iâm sorry. Thank you for still coming with me. Our ever-vigilant watcher.Â
Eternal Sugar: You canât fool me! Yeah youâre cold and unyielding when duty calls, but Iâve spent enough time to know who you are under the armor. Youâre a HUGE softie and a big ol dork!
Mystic Flour: your heart is murky like a rippling pond. But when it settles, you are the moon that lights up the night sky.
Burning Spice: a real seasoned warrior! I trust you to have my back, and know my axe understands your sword.
???: they passed my trial. Beyond that, they matter not to me.
(Ah, I've been meaning to say this for a while, but I kept forgetting.
Brother's getting married soon so things are kind of hectic and busy here. It might be a little while before you'll hear anything from me. But I do still think about this story often, and I hope to come back with some stuff soon.
In the meantime, enjoy the cookie run anniversary updates and may your gacha pulls be successful and victorious.)
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(Ah, I've been meaning to say this for a while, but I kept forgetting.
Brother's getting married soon so things are kind of hectic and busy here. It might be a little while before you'll hear anything from me. But I do still think about this story often, and I hope to come back with some stuff soon.
In the meantime, enjoy the cookie run anniversary updates and may your gacha pulls be successful and victorious.)
(Finally, this one's finished! I hope the length makes up for the wait, it ended up being over 3k words lol. I will end up making one for all of the beast kids, but feel free to ask things in between since these take a little while to make.)
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
---
The sun pleasantly warmed Eternal Sugarâs dough while she relaxed in the little makeshift hammock she had built for herself. It made her want to close her eyes and take a nap, but she couldnât. Not yet anyway. Within the next ten minutes, everyone would gradually stop what they were doing to grab lunch and rest. Maybe walk around a bit and catch up with friends. Let their guards down to recharge properly before going back to their daily tasks. That would be when Eternal Sugar would take to the skies to watch and listen.
She didnât believe this illusion of paradise. It was fun and had a lot more comforts than the wilds of Beast-Yeast, but she wasnât naive. Not anymore. She knew it would all collapse when pushed the right ways. If she was really smart, she would go all in on her investigation. Enjoy herself to the fullest and rip the fake sweet icing plaster off the walls and let it all crumble like the house of cards it was deep down. But she couldnât.
Her friends loved it here.
Eternal Sugar remembered it so clearly. Something had been different ever since they crossed paths for the first time. Pure Vanilla, White Lily, Gingerbrave, Strawberry, and Wizard had been wandering the paths of Beast-Yeast, talking without a care in the world. Shadow Milk had been poised to strike and eliminate them flawlessly. And yet⊠they didnât. They stared deep in thought, and the window of opportunity passed. It was so unlike them. Then they threw themselves in front of the whole group, hands glowing with stored magic, and simply asked âWho are you.â
The whole encounter had been so bizarre that when Shadow Milk told them all to come out and talk with these strangers, she had just listened. It had been the right decision--they got a lot of very important information and by the Gods, she was not going to say no to a bed--but the longer she stayed here, the more every crumb in her body was telling her that this was just wrong. It had to be. It was fun, but bait is never given freely--it always hides a hook.
âYou need to relax,â Mystic Flour had said to her one day while they were in the gardens. Some time ago, Mystic Flour had approached her about creating an instrument to practice with. It was a fun project, and Eternal Sugar had been happy to create a lyre for her. Since then, it had become a routine for the two where whenever Mystic Flour would play songs on her lyre, Eternal Sugar would be resting beside her.Â
âDoesnât this count?â Eternal Sugar had replied.
âIt does. But I mean with someone else. With the cookies who live here,â Mystic Flour returned. âIâve checked their hearts. Everyone here is fine.â
Eternal Sugar scoffed. âIf you try to tell me that no one here has ulterior motives, then Iâm a fucking gelatin-filled bear.â
âOh, thereâs definitely ulterior motives. Iâm certain Pure Vanilla wouldnât have given up on his expedition in Beast-Yeast if there wasnât ulterior motives. But his heart is good. Shadow Milk also sees something special in him, and I know you trust them.â
She did trust them. More than anyone. They were the entire reason she left her âhomeâ in Beast-Yeast behind and refused to be someoneâs tool ever again. âBut Shadowâs being cagey about it. I havenât gotten an answer out of them beyond âI think heâs more like us than we know,ââ she grumbled.
Mystic Flour hummed. âI think they just want to make sure theyâre right. Give them some time.â
The answer made sense, Shadow Milk was a perfectionist, but it was also the crux of the problem: the more time she gave, the longer everyone had to get attached and comfortable with this life. The more attached they were, the worse it would be when she was proven right. She didnât want any of them to experience that heartbreak again. Which is why she watched the kingdom every day, waiting for the cracks to show and the mask to slip. Better now than later.
Eternal Sugar thought faeâd gotten close once. There was a bakery that made the most delicious breads and treats faeâd ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Faeâd stolen something small at first, just to taste. After tasting the best worldly delight ever known to cookiekind, fae went back for more. Again and again and again. It got to a point where there wasnât even a need for secrecy--faeâd run out with an armful of treats cackling about how there needed to be a cherry flavor next time fae stopped in.
The fateful day started out normally, all things considered. Eternal Sugar felt particularly bold that day and was eating a stolen piece of strawberry shortcake in the front of the shop. âAs yummy as this is,â fae said as the baker came out from the back, âitâs lacking something. Not enough pink for my standards. I mean,â fae took another bite, âitâs strawberry shortcake! Itâs like⊠the perfect medium for some cute pink icing or something.â
The baker didnât even turn to look at faer as she dried her hands on a towel. âThereâs pink sprinkles on the top shelf to the right. Donât use the whole thing, but beyond that, decorate to your heartâs content.â
Eternal Sugar set faer plate down and floated over to the indicated shelf. Sure enough, there was a small container of the most delightful sparkly pink sprinkles. Fae grabbed the sprinkles and immediately began pouring enough on her cake to legally classify it as a glitter bomb.Â
âIs that all or are you taking anything else?â the baker asked.
âHm?â fae paused with faer fork still in faer mouth.Â
âAre you planning on stealing another slice of strawberry shortcake or getting anything for your friends?â she asked again.
Eternal Sugar blinked. âNoooooooâŠ?â
She nodded and wrote something on a piece of paper. âAlright then. Thanks for stopping by.â
â...Youâre being weird.â Fae finished off the last bite of cake and flew over to the baker. âThis is weird. You do remember that I regularly steal things from your shop right?â
âPure Vanilla reimburses us,â the baker replied, grabbing the sprinkles and putting them back on the shelf. âHe pays for what you take as if the kitchen staff had ordered it. And while your theft can sometimes be an inconvenience, you never touch any of the custom made orders, which I appreciate.â She grabbed a bowl and some ingredients to start working on her next batch of bread dough. âAt the end of the day, youâre a customer just like everyone else. A bit of an eccentric customer, but a customer nonetheless. So it only feels fair to treat you as such.â
Eternal Sugar didnât remember what fae said next. The world drowned out as the baker went back to work. All fae remembered was faer feathers puffing up and faer wings stretching out to make faer look bigger. Fae felt red hot anger coursing through faer and fae screeched something as fae lunged at the baker because how dare she underestimate faer. Fae remembered digging faer nails into her dough and scratching at her face trying to wipe that smug condescension off. How dare she. How dare she treat faer like a child to be talked down to. The baker pushed faer off and tried to keep faer at arms length. Eternal Sugar grabbed her hand and bit down hard, her fangs drawing pricks of jam. She yelped and pulled away. Fae grabbed whatever object was nearest to her and threw it, faer tail lashing angrily. How dare she, how dare she! Fae wasnât anyoneâs source of amusement and fae would make sure everyone knew what kind of threat fae is.
The blinding haze was interrupted by a group of crows pecking at faer and tugging at faer hair. Fae abruptly thrust faer wings to throw them off. Fae swatted at the one aggressively pecking faer forehead. Fae grabbed a rolling pin off the table and moved to swing it like a bat, but someone tackled faer from behind. They pulled faer into a tight hold and faer struggled and writhed to get out of their grip. Fae tried to get faer nails into their arms, fae tried to bite them, fae screeched that fae was going to kill them. They pulled faer out of the shop and someone put their arm around faer neck. Stupid. Fae tried to bite them, only to be met with tough leather. Their arm was covered in a bird handling glove. Black Raisin was here. Crap.
Eternal Sugar struggled harder, demanding to be let go, but Black Raisin kept her grip tight. Didnât stop faer from kicking and desperately trying to use faer wings to push away. The other cookie who had originally pulled faer from out of the bakery, fae wasnât exactly in the right headspace to remember who he was, ran back in to make sure the baker was alright. A few other cookies who heard the noise were hovering around, looking for things to do to help.
Despite her best attempts, Eternal Sugar didnât break out of Black Raisinâs hold before Pure Vanilla showed up. Fae thought maybe fae could get out while Black Raisin would lose focus explaining what happened, but fae stopped when fae locked eyes with Pure Vanilla. For the first time since faeâd seen him, he looked⊠genuinely angry. Not quite pissed, but he had that disapproving anger that only adults seemed to have. Something clicked. Faeâd broken through the sugar casing of this fake paradise and fae was about to see what was underneath. Faeâd gotten exactly what faeâd been looking for.
Eternal Sugar stopped struggling. She let Black Raisin lead her back to the castle and shut her away in some side room on the first floor. Probably an old classroom or meeting room. The purple cookie finally let her go after allowing her crows to fly in and standing in front of the door. Eternal Sugar scoffed, âSo what now?â
âWeâll wait for Pure Vanilla,â was Black Raisinâs only reply.
That suited her just fine. Waiting gave her time to plan her way out of here when things inevitably spiraled out of control. She felt the familiar tingle of her power and everything around her became a puzzle. Glass was made of heated sand. Brick was made of fired clay, which wasnât the same as sand really, but they were both elements from the earth. She could work with that. If she broke them down far enough to their bare components, she could build something new. Some sort of weapon. The metal framing in the glass could make a handle or something good to grip. If she stole the heat used to make the bricks and glass when she broke down their components, she could apply it to the metal and reform its shape. Yes, it was coming together.
Black Raisin was dangerous, but Eternal Sugar had wings. She had aerial movement while the other cookie had none. No, the real problem would be her legion of crows. There were, frankly, far too many crows in this room and outside of it. The crows could easily hamper her escape and her fighting capabilities; she needed to weaken them as much as possible. Her power told her it would be easy. Crows were powerful and intelligent birds, but she could see underneath it all that their bones were still hollow. Helpful for oxygen movement during flight, but fragile. It wouldnât take much to shatter those bones and render them useless. ButâŠ
Eternal Sugar sighed. Looking at the raisin crows brought back the image of Silent Salt humming a tune while several crows perched on their arms and head, hands full of the birdseed Black Raisin supplied everyone with. They loved those crows. She couldnât do it. She couldnât bring her friends any more heartbreak, even if this was all a trap and they needed to leave now before they became prisoners and tools. Fine, sheâd just have to get out quickly before the crows swarmed. Breaking part of the window would be sufficient, and glass shards make for a good distraction. It wasnât quite the defiant final stand she was hoping for, but such is how the river flows.
It took forever for Pure Vanilla to show up. If not for the fact that she was currently trying to investigate what âbeing in troubleâ meant, she would have showered him in confetti for saving her from the boredom of glaring at Black Raisin while the seconds ticked by.Â
âNo permanent injuries,â Pure Vanilla reported as he closed the door behind him, âbut it did take a lot of healing, so Iâll probably stop by tomorrow to check on her.â
âThatâs a relief,â Black Raisin sighed and looked back at Eternal Sugar. âNow what to do with youâŠâ
Yes, what to do with her.
Pure Vanilla started, âWhy did you attack the baker? She said you lunged at her over a slice of cake?âÂ
âYup~!â Eternal Sugar replied, swishing her tail. âIt just wasnât up to my standards, you know?â
Black Raisin scoffed, âAre you being serious.â
âDead serious. Like youâve never gotten hangry before~â she replied smugly.
Pure Vanilla sighed, âEternal Sugar, you canât just-â
She cut him off, âYeah, yeah, letâs skip the lecture about how this is such a bad and terrible thing to do and how Iâm supposed to feel terrible about not being a good person or whatever. I literally could give less of a shit.â
Black Raisin bristled slightly. âYou-â
Eternal Sugar grinned. This was it. The finale was approaching. It just needed a little nudging. âWhat are you gonna do, ground me? You know I can just fly off, right~?â She made a show of opening her wings and floating a few feet off the ground.
Black Raisin held her tongue, looking to Pure Vanilla for how to proceed. He didnât say anything for a few moments, looking deep in thought. Then he asked, âWhat do you really have against the baker?â
The question caught her off guard. âHuh? What do you mean? Am I not allowed to cause problems because I feel like it?â
âYouâve caused problems before, absolutely. But I would call those more⊠mischief and pranks. Theyâre disruptive, and Iâm not surprised youâve been banned from more than a few locations, but theyâre never outright hostile. Or done with aggression. So what really happened in the bakery?â he asked.
She scowled, âNothing happened. Youâre looking for meaning where there is none.â
âI want to understand you, Eternal Sugar. I canât do that if you wonât tell me what went through your head.â
âWizards above, thereâs nothing more to it! I beat the shit out of her to prove a point! Donât start with all this touchy feely emotional bullshit just because you think Iâm some kind of lost child!â At this point, all she wanted to do was grab him by the shoulders, shake him until some sense got knocked into his head, and yell at him to stop delaying the inevitable.
Pure Vanilla paused. â...Offering kindness doesnât mean others think youâre a helpless cookie in need of saving. Sometimes, we just want to help.â
âOh, spare me that bowl of burnt crumbs! Adults never offer kindness out of the goodness of their hearts!â Eternal Sugar snarled. âTheyâre doing it for their own ego or because they want something from you! Adults are selfish and once you donât give them what they want, theyâll do whatever it takes to wrestle you back under their control.â
âThe cookies here arenât the ones that hurt you,â Pure Vanilla said.
âBut they will be,â she spat, floating inches in front of his face, grabbing his cloak. âIâm not stupid or naive; if you think Iâm going to fall for the nice guy act from any of you, then youâre wrong. Iâd rather die and go out fighting than become an asset meant to serve you.âÂ
The room went quiet. The only sound was the occasional flap of her wings. She waited. She wanted to see what he would do. His authority had been disrespected and she wanted to know how he would use that rage. How the facade would crumble and she could rest easy knowing no matter what happened, she had saved her friends from the heartbreak that would happen if they found out later. No price was too much for freedom.Â
Eventually, Pure Vanilla spoke. âBlack Raisin, could you do me a favor? Could you run down to the kitchen and tell everyone to steer clear for a couple of hours?â
Black Raisin nodded. âAny particular reason why?â
âJust that Iâm going to be using it and I donât want to get in their way.â
Black Raisin slipped out the door to pass on the message. Then Pure Vanilla turned towards Eternal Sugar and asked, âAre you alright getting this dress messy?â
She blinked. âWhat. Why.â
âBecause you and I are going to bake brownies.â
She let go of Pure Vanilla out of sheer confusion. âAre you senile? What does that have to do with anything?â
âTo tell you the truth, I thought about having you remake the strawberry shortcake so you could understand the amount of effort that goes into the process and properly apologize to the baker for attacking her and partially destroying her shop,â he explained, smoothing out his robes. âAnd Iâd still like you to do that at some point, but after everything you just said, I knew you werenât going to do that willingly. A forced, insincere apology isnât much better than no apology. So I wanted to start somewhere else. Since the brownies keep disappearing from the kitchens, I thought teaching you how to make brownies for your friends would be a good idea.â
Eternal Sugar sat there, completely dumbfounded. Where did the anger go? The rage? The desperate need for control? Why baking instead? Brownies? A good thing when she should be in trouble? âYou should be mad,â were the words that came out of her mouth.
âI am. I donât appreciate you attacking the Vanilla Kingdom residents who have been nothing but kind and opened their doors to you and your friends. And I do still want you to properly apologize to the baker. But I donât think anger would solve anything right now. And as I said earlier, I want to understand you. I want to understand all five of you. Silent Salt and Mystic Flour shared some things that helped me see things a little clearer, and I want to meet you where youâre at.â Pure Vanilla opened the door and gestured for her to follow. âSo! Would you like an apron while we bake or are you comfortable without?â
Everything about this situation was so bizarre to her. All of her expectations were thrown out the window and now she was floating there, gaping like an idiot while her mind struggled to come up with any coherent thought. She had no idea how she was supposed to take this new direction, so all she could really do is follow what Pure Vanilla suggested. âI have magic you know,â she said as she exited the room. âI can just create brownies magically.â
âI donât doubt it,â he replied, âbut I think youâll appreciate the process better if you make them with your own hands. Food tastes better when itâs made with love and care.â
Much as she had wanted to write his words off as cheesy bullshit, he had actually been correct. There was something different about getting to bake something herself and go through the whole process on her own terms, including decorating the brownies how she wanted to. At the end of the day, when she brought the tray of sweets up to their shared living space, the smiles on everyoneâs faces made it all worth it. She felt⊠warm. For the first time in a while.Â
It had been a while since that incident. Her âbaking lessonsâ continued, although she had yet to step foot inside that one bakery again. Part of her wanted to get it over with, but another part told her that sheâd be letting them win if she apologized now. Everything felt confusing. She kept waiting for the hammer to drop and for consequences to come tumbling down to crush her but⊠nothing happened. It didnât make sense. She didnât like it. Her senses were telling her there were no threats, but her gut screamed that there was still danger hiding in the shadows that she hadnât found yet.Â
The wind gently blew by, rustling the leaves and making Eternal Sugarâs hammock swing slightly. It was so pleasant out⊠surely, it wouldnât hurt to close her eyes a little bit longer, right? She let her eyes drift close and listened to the bird song. The voices of chattering cookies heading towards the plaza drew her attention and she felt that familiar shot of panic shoot through her. No⊠she couldnât rest. She had to know what they were saying when they thought her friends werenât listening. Any one of those cookies could be the wolf in sheepâs clothing waiting to strike, or the lie hiding between masks of pleasant smiles.Â
Eternal Sugar stretched her arms and shook her wings out for good measure, then she took to the skies. Sheâd find what they were hiding. She would protect her friends, no matter what.
(Finally, this one's finished! I hope the length makes up for the wait, it ended up being over 3k words lol. I will end up making one for all of the beast kids, but feel free to ask things in between since these take a little while to make.)
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]
---
The sun pleasantly warmed Eternal Sugarâs dough while she relaxed in the little makeshift hammock she had built for herself. It made her want to close her eyes and take a nap, but she couldnât. Not yet anyway. Within the next ten minutes, everyone would gradually stop what they were doing to grab lunch and rest. Maybe walk around a bit and catch up with friends. Let their guards down to recharge properly before going back to their daily tasks. That would be when Eternal Sugar would take to the skies to watch and listen.
She didnât believe this illusion of paradise. It was fun and had a lot more comforts than the wilds of Beast-Yeast, but she wasnât naive. Not anymore. She knew it would all collapse when pushed the right ways. If she was really smart, she would go all in on her investigation. Enjoy herself to the fullest and rip the fake sweet icing plaster off the walls and let it all crumble like the house of cards it was deep down. But she couldnât.
Her friends loved it here.
Eternal Sugar remembered it so clearly. Something had been different ever since they crossed paths for the first time. Pure Vanilla, White Lily, Gingerbrave, Strawberry, and Wizard had been wandering the paths of Beast-Yeast, talking without a care in the world. Shadow Milk had been poised to strike and eliminate them flawlessly. And yet⊠they didnât. They stared deep in thought, and the window of opportunity passed. It was so unlike them. Then they threw themselves in front of the whole group, hands glowing with stored magic, and simply asked âWho are you.â
The whole encounter had been so bizarre that when Shadow Milk told them all to come out and talk with these strangers, she had just listened. It had been the right decision--they got a lot of very important information and by the Gods, she was not going to say no to a bed--but the longer she stayed here, the more every crumb in her body was telling her that this was just wrong. It had to be. It was fun, but bait is never given freely--it always hides a hook.
âYou need to relax,â Mystic Flour had said to her one day while they were in the gardens. Some time ago, Mystic Flour had approached her about creating an instrument to practice with. It was a fun project, and Eternal Sugar had been happy to create a lyre for her. Since then, it had become a routine for the two where whenever Mystic Flour would play songs on her lyre, Eternal Sugar would be resting beside her.Â
âDoesnât this count?â Eternal Sugar had replied.
âIt does. But I mean with someone else. With the cookies who live here,â Mystic Flour returned. âIâve checked their hearts. Everyone here is fine.â
Eternal Sugar scoffed. âIf you try to tell me that no one here has ulterior motives, then Iâm a fucking gelatin-filled bear.â
âOh, thereâs definitely ulterior motives. Iâm certain Pure Vanilla wouldnât have given up on his expedition in Beast-Yeast if there wasnât ulterior motives. But his heart is good. Shadow Milk also sees something special in him, and I know you trust them.â
She did trust them. More than anyone. They were the entire reason she left her âhomeâ in Beast-Yeast behind and refused to be someoneâs tool ever again. âBut Shadowâs being cagey about it. I havenât gotten an answer out of them beyond âI think heâs more like us than we know,ââ she grumbled.
Mystic Flour hummed. âI think they just want to make sure theyâre right. Give them some time.â
The answer made sense, Shadow Milk was a perfectionist, but it was also the crux of the problem: the more time she gave, the longer everyone had to get attached and comfortable with this life. The more attached they were, the worse it would be when she was proven right. She didnât want any of them to experience that heartbreak again. Which is why she watched the kingdom every day, waiting for the cracks to show and the mask to slip. Better now than later.
Eternal Sugar thought faeâd gotten close once. There was a bakery that made the most delicious breads and treats faeâd ever had the pleasure of experiencing. Faeâd stolen something small at first, just to taste. After tasting the best worldly delight ever known to cookiekind, fae went back for more. Again and again and again. It got to a point where there wasnât even a need for secrecy--faeâd run out with an armful of treats cackling about how there needed to be a cherry flavor next time fae stopped in.
The fateful day started out normally, all things considered. Eternal Sugar felt particularly bold that day and was eating a stolen piece of strawberry shortcake in the front of the shop. âAs yummy as this is,â fae said as the baker came out from the back, âitâs lacking something. Not enough pink for my standards. I mean,â fae took another bite, âitâs strawberry shortcake! Itâs like⊠the perfect medium for some cute pink icing or something.â
The baker didnât even turn to look at faer as she dried her hands on a towel. âThereâs pink sprinkles on the top shelf to the right. Donât use the whole thing, but beyond that, decorate to your heartâs content.â
Eternal Sugar set faer plate down and floated over to the indicated shelf. Sure enough, there was a small container of the most delightful sparkly pink sprinkles. Fae grabbed the sprinkles and immediately began pouring enough on her cake to legally classify it as a glitter bomb.Â
âIs that all or are you taking anything else?â the baker asked.
âHm?â fae paused with faer fork still in faer mouth.Â
âAre you planning on stealing another slice of strawberry shortcake or getting anything for your friends?â she asked again.
Eternal Sugar blinked. âNoooooooâŠ?â
She nodded and wrote something on a piece of paper. âAlright then. Thanks for stopping by.â
â...Youâre being weird.â Fae finished off the last bite of cake and flew over to the baker. âThis is weird. You do remember that I regularly steal things from your shop right?â
âPure Vanilla reimburses us,â the baker replied, grabbing the sprinkles and putting them back on the shelf. âHe pays for what you take as if the kitchen staff had ordered it. And while your theft can sometimes be an inconvenience, you never touch any of the custom made orders, which I appreciate.â She grabbed a bowl and some ingredients to start working on her next batch of bread dough. âAt the end of the day, youâre a customer just like everyone else. A bit of an eccentric customer, but a customer nonetheless. So it only feels fair to treat you as such.â
Eternal Sugar didnât remember what fae said next. The world drowned out as the baker went back to work. All fae remembered was faer feathers puffing up and faer wings stretching out to make faer look bigger. Fae felt red hot anger coursing through faer and fae screeched something as fae lunged at the baker because how dare she underestimate faer. Fae remembered digging faer nails into her dough and scratching at her face trying to wipe that smug condescension off. How dare she. How dare she treat faer like a child to be talked down to. The baker pushed faer off and tried to keep faer at arms length. Eternal Sugar grabbed her hand and bit down hard, her fangs drawing pricks of jam. She yelped and pulled away. Fae grabbed whatever object was nearest to her and threw it, faer tail lashing angrily. How dare she, how dare she! Fae wasnât anyoneâs source of amusement and fae would make sure everyone knew what kind of threat fae is.
The blinding haze was interrupted by a group of crows pecking at faer and tugging at faer hair. Fae abruptly thrust faer wings to throw them off. Fae swatted at the one aggressively pecking faer forehead. Fae grabbed a rolling pin off the table and moved to swing it like a bat, but someone tackled faer from behind. They pulled faer into a tight hold and faer struggled and writhed to get out of their grip. Fae tried to get faer nails into their arms, fae tried to bite them, fae screeched that fae was going to kill them. They pulled faer out of the shop and someone put their arm around faer neck. Stupid. Fae tried to bite them, only to be met with tough leather. Their arm was covered in a bird handling glove. Black Raisin was here. Crap.
Eternal Sugar struggled harder, demanding to be let go, but Black Raisin kept her grip tight. Didnât stop faer from kicking and desperately trying to use faer wings to push away. The other cookie who had originally pulled faer from out of the bakery, fae wasnât exactly in the right headspace to remember who he was, ran back in to make sure the baker was alright. A few other cookies who heard the noise were hovering around, looking for things to do to help.
Despite her best attempts, Eternal Sugar didnât break out of Black Raisinâs hold before Pure Vanilla showed up. Fae thought maybe fae could get out while Black Raisin would lose focus explaining what happened, but fae stopped when fae locked eyes with Pure Vanilla. For the first time since faeâd seen him, he looked⊠genuinely angry. Not quite pissed, but he had that disapproving anger that only adults seemed to have. Something clicked. Faeâd broken through the sugar casing of this fake paradise and fae was about to see what was underneath. Faeâd gotten exactly what faeâd been looking for.
Eternal Sugar stopped struggling. She let Black Raisin lead her back to the castle and shut her away in some side room on the first floor. Probably an old classroom or meeting room. The purple cookie finally let her go after allowing her crows to fly in and standing in front of the door. Eternal Sugar scoffed, âSo what now?â
âWeâll wait for Pure Vanilla,â was Black Raisinâs only reply.
That suited her just fine. Waiting gave her time to plan her way out of here when things inevitably spiraled out of control. She felt the familiar tingle of her power and everything around her became a puzzle. Glass was made of heated sand. Brick was made of fired clay, which wasnât the same as sand really, but they were both elements from the earth. She could work with that. If she broke them down far enough to their bare components, she could build something new. Some sort of weapon. The metal framing in the glass could make a handle or something good to grip. If she stole the heat used to make the bricks and glass when she broke down their components, she could apply it to the metal and reform its shape. Yes, it was coming together.
Black Raisin was dangerous, but Eternal Sugar had wings. She had aerial movement while the other cookie had none. No, the real problem would be her legion of crows. There were, frankly, far too many crows in this room and outside of it. The crows could easily hamper her escape and her fighting capabilities; she needed to weaken them as much as possible. Her power told her it would be easy. Crows were powerful and intelligent birds, but she could see underneath it all that their bones were still hollow. Helpful for oxygen movement during flight, but fragile. It wouldnât take much to shatter those bones and render them useless. ButâŠ
Eternal Sugar sighed. Looking at the raisin crows brought back the image of Silent Salt humming a tune while several crows perched on their arms and head, hands full of the birdseed Black Raisin supplied everyone with. They loved those crows. She couldnât do it. She couldnât bring her friends any more heartbreak, even if this was all a trap and they needed to leave now before they became prisoners and tools. Fine, sheâd just have to get out quickly before the crows swarmed. Breaking part of the window would be sufficient, and glass shards make for a good distraction. It wasnât quite the defiant final stand she was hoping for, but such is how the river flows.
It took forever for Pure Vanilla to show up. If not for the fact that she was currently trying to investigate what âbeing in troubleâ meant, she would have showered him in confetti for saving her from the boredom of glaring at Black Raisin while the seconds ticked by.Â
âNo permanent injuries,â Pure Vanilla reported as he closed the door behind him, âbut it did take a lot of healing, so Iâll probably stop by tomorrow to check on her.â
âThatâs a relief,â Black Raisin sighed and looked back at Eternal Sugar. âNow what to do with youâŠâ
Yes, what to do with her.
Pure Vanilla started, âWhy did you attack the baker? She said you lunged at her over a slice of cake?âÂ
âYup~!â Eternal Sugar replied, swishing her tail. âIt just wasnât up to my standards, you know?â
Black Raisin scoffed, âAre you being serious.â
âDead serious. Like youâve never gotten hangry before~â she replied smugly.
Pure Vanilla sighed, âEternal Sugar, you canât just-â
She cut him off, âYeah, yeah, letâs skip the lecture about how this is such a bad and terrible thing to do and how Iâm supposed to feel terrible about not being a good person or whatever. I literally could give less of a shit.â
Black Raisin bristled slightly. âYou-â
Eternal Sugar grinned. This was it. The finale was approaching. It just needed a little nudging. âWhat are you gonna do, ground me? You know I can just fly off, right~?â She made a show of opening her wings and floating a few feet off the ground.
Black Raisin held her tongue, looking to Pure Vanilla for how to proceed. He didnât say anything for a few moments, looking deep in thought. Then he asked, âWhat do you really have against the baker?â
The question caught her off guard. âHuh? What do you mean? Am I not allowed to cause problems because I feel like it?â
âYouâve caused problems before, absolutely. But I would call those more⊠mischief and pranks. Theyâre disruptive, and Iâm not surprised youâve been banned from more than a few locations, but theyâre never outright hostile. Or done with aggression. So what really happened in the bakery?â he asked.
She scowled, âNothing happened. Youâre looking for meaning where there is none.â
âI want to understand you, Eternal Sugar. I canât do that if you wonât tell me what went through your head.â
âWizards above, thereâs nothing more to it! I beat the shit out of her to prove a point! Donât start with all this touchy feely emotional bullshit just because you think Iâm some kind of lost child!â At this point, all she wanted to do was grab him by the shoulders, shake him until some sense got knocked into his head, and yell at him to stop delaying the inevitable.
Pure Vanilla paused. â...Offering kindness doesnât mean others think youâre a helpless cookie in need of saving. Sometimes, we just want to help.â
âOh, spare me that bowl of burnt crumbs! Adults never offer kindness out of the goodness of their hearts!â Eternal Sugar snarled. âTheyâre doing it for their own ego or because they want something from you! Adults are selfish and once you donât give them what they want, theyâll do whatever it takes to wrestle you back under their control.â
âThe cookies here arenât the ones that hurt you,â Pure Vanilla said.
âBut they will be,â she spat, floating inches in front of his face, grabbing his cloak. âIâm not stupid or naive; if you think Iâm going to fall for the nice guy act from any of you, then youâre wrong. Iâd rather die and go out fighting than become an asset meant to serve you.âÂ
The room went quiet. The only sound was the occasional flap of her wings. She waited. She wanted to see what he would do. His authority had been disrespected and she wanted to know how he would use that rage. How the facade would crumble and she could rest easy knowing no matter what happened, she had saved her friends from the heartbreak that would happen if they found out later. No price was too much for freedom.Â
Eventually, Pure Vanilla spoke. âBlack Raisin, could you do me a favor? Could you run down to the kitchen and tell everyone to steer clear for a couple of hours?â
Black Raisin nodded. âAny particular reason why?â
âJust that Iâm going to be using it and I donât want to get in their way.â
Black Raisin slipped out the door to pass on the message. Then Pure Vanilla turned towards Eternal Sugar and asked, âAre you alright getting this dress messy?â
She blinked. âWhat. Why.â
âBecause you and I are going to bake brownies.â
She let go of Pure Vanilla out of sheer confusion. âAre you senile? What does that have to do with anything?â
âTo tell you the truth, I thought about having you remake the strawberry shortcake so you could understand the amount of effort that goes into the process and properly apologize to the baker for attacking her and partially destroying her shop,â he explained, smoothing out his robes. âAnd Iâd still like you to do that at some point, but after everything you just said, I knew you werenât going to do that willingly. A forced, insincere apology isnât much better than no apology. So I wanted to start somewhere else. Since the brownies keep disappearing from the kitchens, I thought teaching you how to make brownies for your friends would be a good idea.â
Eternal Sugar sat there, completely dumbfounded. Where did the anger go? The rage? The desperate need for control? Why baking instead? Brownies? A good thing when she should be in trouble? âYou should be mad,â were the words that came out of her mouth.
âI am. I donât appreciate you attacking the Vanilla Kingdom residents who have been nothing but kind and opened their doors to you and your friends. And I do still want you to properly apologize to the baker. But I donât think anger would solve anything right now. And as I said earlier, I want to understand you. I want to understand all five of you. Silent Salt and Mystic Flour shared some things that helped me see things a little clearer, and I want to meet you where youâre at.â Pure Vanilla opened the door and gestured for her to follow. âSo! Would you like an apron while we bake or are you comfortable without?â
Everything about this situation was so bizarre to her. All of her expectations were thrown out the window and now she was floating there, gaping like an idiot while her mind struggled to come up with any coherent thought. She had no idea how she was supposed to take this new direction, so all she could really do is follow what Pure Vanilla suggested. âI have magic you know,â she said as she exited the room. âI can just create brownies magically.â
âI donât doubt it,â he replied, âbut I think youâll appreciate the process better if you make them with your own hands. Food tastes better when itâs made with love and care.â
Much as she had wanted to write his words off as cheesy bullshit, he had actually been correct. There was something different about getting to bake something herself and go through the whole process on her own terms, including decorating the brownies how she wanted to. At the end of the day, when she brought the tray of sweets up to their shared living space, the smiles on everyoneâs faces made it all worth it. She felt⊠warm. For the first time in a while.Â
It had been a while since that incident. Her âbaking lessonsâ continued, although she had yet to step foot inside that one bakery again. Part of her wanted to get it over with, but another part told her that sheâd be letting them win if she apologized now. Everything felt confusing. She kept waiting for the hammer to drop and for consequences to come tumbling down to crush her but⊠nothing happened. It didnât make sense. She didnât like it. Her senses were telling her there were no threats, but her gut screamed that there was still danger hiding in the shadows that she hadnât found yet.Â
The wind gently blew by, rustling the leaves and making Eternal Sugarâs hammock swing slightly. It was so pleasant out⊠surely, it wouldnât hurt to close her eyes a little bit longer, right? She let her eyes drift close and listened to the bird song. The voices of chattering cookies heading towards the plaza drew her attention and she felt that familiar shot of panic shoot through her. No⊠she couldnât rest. She had to know what they were saying when they thought her friends werenât listening. Any one of those cookies could be the wolf in sheepâs clothing waiting to strike, or the lie hiding between masks of pleasant smiles.Â
Eternal Sugar stretched her arms and shook her wings out for good measure, then she took to the skies. Sheâd find what they were hiding. She would protect her friends, no matter what.
(I wanted to get one of the fics out before the holidays but alas, that didn't end up happening. But know that it's being worked on! Thank you everyone for reading my stuff, I'm having a lot of fun with this blog. In the mean time, happy new years everyone!)
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(I'm planning on writing some shorts for the beast kids individually, to spend some time with them and get to know them a little deeper. Are there any particular characters you'd want to see interact with one another?)
[Silent Salt and Mystic Flour wait for Pure Vanilla in a more secluded part of the Vanilla Kingdom. They chat quietly together until he appears and joins them.]
Pure Vanilla: hello, Mystic Flour. I didn't know you were coming
Mystic Flour: I spent time with Eternal Sugar. I figured this conversation was going to happen at some point
Pure Vanilla: Eternal Sugar? Is she connected to what happened with Shadow Milk?
Silent Salt*: yes. their stories are... intertwined.
Pure Vanilla: what happened?
Mystic Flour: to explain everything requires context. But to explain the literal thing that made them upset? We were given a gift. Small stuffed animals made with each of us in mind.
Pure Vanilla: ah, did the gift giver make something that was accidentally upsetting?
Silent Salt*: ...it was less of what the gift was. and more the act of being given something meant specifically for them.
[Pure Vanilla starts to ask a question but Silent Salt holds up a finger. They fidget in place and start pacing back and forth. After a few moments, Mystic Flour chimes in.]
Mystic Flour: let's try starting somewhere else. Have you noticed that Shadow Milk and Eternal Sugar are close?
Pure Vanilla: yes. it's sort of an unspoken rule now that if they've been hanging out together for too long, it's safe to assume that they've planned some sort of prank or mischief.
Mystic Flour: I-
Mystic Flour: ...you're not wrong actually.
Silent Salt*: the monsters in Beast Yeast were the ones receiving a lot of their mischief while we were traveling
Silent Salt*: but the point is, they're very close friends. They've been friends longer than our group has been together, and they were already friends when I first met them.
Pure Vanilla: did you not all know each other?
Mystic Flour: no. Shadow Milk and Eternal Sugar were friends. Then Silent Salt met them and became part of the group. Then me. Then Burning Spice
Mystic Flour: we all lived in different parts of Beast Yeast; it wasn't like we were going to casually run into one another
Silent Salt*: except for Shadow Milk and Eternal Sugar. Their... "living situations" were near each other.
Pure Vanilla: ..."living situations?"
Silent Salt: ...
Pure Vanilla: take your time. I'm assuming there's a story there?
Silent Salt*: yes. but the hard part is putting all the pieces together in a way that makes sense to an outsider.
Silent Salt: ...
Silent Salt*: in Shadow Milk's "living situation", they were known as the Vessel of Wisdom
Silent Salt*: in Eternal Sugar's "living situation", they were known as the Vessel of Creation
Silent Salt*: those two values work together. Creation leads to learning new things. Wisdom leads to manifesting ideas.
Silent Salt*: so the "overseers" of the two "living situations" often collaborated
Pure Vanilla: Vessels of Wisdom and Creation... is that their titles and their virtues? Similar to how cookies sometimes call me the Hero of Truth because of my Soul Jam?
Mystic Flour: well, we don't have Soul Jams. These traits are just... part of us. So that's your decision, I suppose.
Silent Salt*: they're called Vessels because that's what they were
Pure Vanilla: I... don't quite follow?
[Silent Salt clenches their hands and makes several frustrated noises. They grab Pure Vanilla by the shoulders and give him a little shake for emphasis.]
Silent Salt: you are Pure Vanilla. You have the Soul Jam of Truth, but you are also a hero, a king, a magic-user, a scholar, and friend to many. You are a figure of legend but you are also a person.
Silent Salt: they were not. to the "overseers" and ones that lived there, they were Vessels and nothing more. Tools. Not people.
[Silent Salt let go of Pure Vanilla and made a gesture with their hands along the lines of "do you get it?"]
Pure Vanilla: ... oh
Pure Vanilla: oh no.
Pure Vanilla: what... happened to them? How did they- I mean- It doesn't even feel right to say this, but- how were they... "used?"
Mystic Flour: Eternal Sugar described something like a wish-granter. You'd bring what you wanted to her, and she'd have to make it. She told me it was like being a trophy.
Silent Salt*: Shadow Milk was something similar, although I would argue it was even less kind. Forced to answer any and all questions about anything. Like a well-versed scholar or a librarian. But not able to leave and only treated like an answer-giving machine. A prisoner to those who wanted knowledge.
Pure Vanilla: what stopped them from leaving?
Mystic Flour: threats. scare tactics. and at the root of it all, they were told this is what they were meant for. This was all there was. We all were.
Pure Vanilla: wait... were all of you treated this way?
Mystic Flour and Silent Salt*: No
[Pure Vanilla takes a mental note of how quick they are to say no and stores that away for another time. He'll unpack that later. For now, there's other things to focus on.]
Pure Vanilla: what were your roles then? If Eternal Sugar was like a trophy and Shadow Milk was a book of answers... what were you?
Silent Salt*: in training. an apprentice. I was learning and being taught by my masters. shadowing would maybe be the best word?
Mystic Flour: I was treated like royalty. or maybe nobility would be closer. I mostly listened to the advisors or the ones older than me. As you can imagine, I'm not exactly ready to be in a leadership role
Pure Vanilla: and Burning Spice?
Mystic Flour: he was just as much of a tool as the other two were, even if he doesn't see it that way
Mystic Flour: be gentle with him about that
Pure Vanilla: right...
Pure Vanilla: what made you all leave then?
Mystic Flour: ...
Silent Salt: ...
Pure Vanilla: is that part of the event you don't want to talk about?
Silent Salt*: we'll leave the subject at that. do you have anything else to ask?
Pure Vanilla: wait.
Pure Vanilla: can I ask how bad it was getting out for those two? Considering... everything?
Silent Salt: ...
Silent Salt*: when I met up with them, Eternal Sugar didn't speak until the next day. She was covered in jam, but she didn't even acknowledge it.
Silent Salt*: ...nothing of Shadow Milk's "living situation" remains. there is nothing but a large crater there.
Pure Vanilla: fuck's sake...
Mystic Flour: given the rather "explosive exit" and what we've told you, I'm sure you can understand how a genuinely thoughtful gift meant for them alone would affect them.
Pure Vanilla: yes... this explains a lot of things I think
Pure Vanilla: would you like me to do anything for them?
Mystic Flour: i don't think so. just be gentle
Silent Salt*: neither of them are very trusting. I think if you tried, they'd probably try to stab you ha
Silent Salt*: do you have any other questions?
Pure Vanilla: hm... I think I'd need time to think.
Pure Vanilla: actually, I do have one.
Pure Vanilla: is Shadow Milk's eye related to all of this? The X over their right eye?
Silent Salt*: no
Mystic Flour: different story. you'd have to ask them yourself about it
Pure Vanilla: i see...
Pure Vanilla: thank you for telling me about this. It helps me understand things a lot better
Pure Vanilla: I'll probably come back to ask you more things as I think of them, but for now, I'll leave you both be.
[Pure Vanilla turns to leave but quickly gets stopped by Mystic Flour.]
Mystic Flour: wait a moment.
Pure Vanilla: hm?
Mystic Flour: frankly, this is just a formality because I know you've heard this before and also, you're not an idiot.
Mystic Flour: but if you hurt either of them, I will roast you to a crisp and make sure nobody finds your crumbs.
[Pure Vanilla nods seriously, even if he does find the acknowledgement that the exaggerated threat is a formality very funny.]
Pure Vanilla: duly noted
[He leaves the two younger cookies behind and returns to his study for the night.]
