#panic warning

"What is it like back home, huh papa?" Parfait would inquire, holding his dad's hand as they wandered the streets of the Cookie Kingdom. It's been a while since Dark Choco has gotten out to get some sun, so the guitarist figured this would be the perfect time to bond! "I heard it's cold! Do you guys get a lot of snow? Do you build snowcookies?"

Despite the questions, Dark remained quiet. He seemed lost in thought, merely idly walking with his daughter. The fact the had one at all was still jarring... But that's what he gets when magic can be used to make a new living pastry.

"Papa? Yoo-hoo!!" Parfait waved a hand in front of the prince's face, causing him to flinch. "Oh! Uh, sorry... Am I being too much again?"

"...no."

Parfait would give a quiet whine as she tried to decipher what was going on in her elder's brain. He's always so quiet and brooding! Maybe home just made him like that... That's something she'll have to break him out of!

"Well! Um... How about we go to that new bakery down the road? I heard they got a new flavor of pie! Pomegranate!"

The mere mention of an ingredient like that froze Dark in his tracks. His eye widened, pupil expanding like a deer in headlights. His chest shuddered, breath becoming unsteady in fear. Pom... that despicable priestess. memories of her torment would flood his mind faster than any flash flood from the Licorice Sea. The grip he had on his daughter's hand faltered, his stature tumbling to a kneel. "Pops?" Parfait would whimper out, taking Dark by the shoulders and giving him a light shake.

"H-hey! If you hate pie that much, we can- um- we can go somewhere else! Or- or um- we can-"

I really love when I hear a sound on my phone that makes me have to rip out my earbuds and leave my phone in a different room :)

The paranoia is super fun too :)

Gosh I just love it when I start hyperventilating in the middle of the night for no reason :)

The feeling of sweaty hands and feeling like you're wrong and weird is so adorable :)

"Chemyyy..." Vampire whined, the drunkard leaning on his sister whilst she was attempting to carefully pour some new experimental fluid upon one of her own soul stones. "Not now. I'm busy." Alchemist would retort, shoving her brother with some force.

Obviously, she was not attempting to hurt him, but it was enough to get the irritant she knew as family to stumble back. He'd hit the wood of a nearby shelf, though thankfully nothing fell from it. So, with no problems at hand, Vampire would just approach again... wrapping his arms around his sister's shoulders.

"I'm busy." Alchemist would indignantly state, narrowly elbowing Vampire in the ribs to get him off... and yet, he wouldn't budge. "Alchieee... I don't think this is a good idea..." The shorter could feel a tug back, something that would pour too much of the carefully poured concoction. A quiet, yet horrifying hiss would fill the relatively silent air.

"Shoot-" Alchemist would panic quicker than she ever has, setting her potion down and looking around for something to clean the fluid off of her stone. And yet, with its glimmer being burnt black, she... she could feel her eyes burn. "N-no, no no no-" Alch's voice softened, bleating as her hands rose to remove her glasses and put her hands over her eyes. She felt her brother's grip tighten on her, as if attempting to comfort him. "Hey hey, I know, I know-..." How could be possibly sound so calm at a time like this?!

"L-let go of me! I- I have to- I have to fix this-!" The poor soul that was too curious for her own good practically thrashed to get her sibling off of her. And finally, she would, accidentally slamming him back into the shelf that he had been forced into before. The redhead would wince, feeling the wooden furniture shake behind him as his eyes finally met his family member's... Lack thereof.

Black as pitch, with the hiss continuing to fill the air where panic had not settled... Alchemist would accidentally show her grim fate as she blindly searched for some sort of cloth. Those eyes leaked some strange, gooey resin. Vampire's pupils would expand, welling with tears and fear as he would bear witness to his sister's pure suffering. She was visibly hyperventilating, the blackness from her eyes continuing to flow over her cheeks and down her neck- into her clothes and staining them in the process. With the unending ooze gushing out, Alch would cough at the charred taste that would get into her mouth from the substance that had dribbled its way into it.

"I swear, their presentation only gets better with age." "I wouldn't expect anything less from someone taught by the infamous 'Phantom Thief' themself!" "Oh, come now, they wouldn't be so precise if it weren't for your influence!" "Don't flatter me, Bleu... you know that they picked that up without my help."

Laughing to each other, the two beloveds would watch their child's heist as it was broadcasted over most news networks. The notorious Specter Brew- which the two knew as their dearest child Cream Cheese Tea- was back to their usual antics. Stealing bundles if not entire bags from those richer than their own blue blood. At this time, a shaking camera was pointed towards the top of a building, which was surrounded by helicopters and flashing police lights in the dead of night.

Roguefort grinned at such a familiar sight, though Grey was just a smidge nervous. "Are they going to pull that trick that always gives me a scare?" The hotelier would murmur, picking up and pouring from the teapot in the little set that the both of them had set up just to watch this occasion. Cream Cheese Tea always did plan things far ahead of schedule, just like their father. "It never gets old." Rogue would respond with a soft chuckle. The guardian would pick up their cup, only to set it down and lean closer to the television. "Oh, oh! There they go!" They cheered, watching as their child flamboyantly fell forward, tossing their fluff-coated hat into the air, only to have it even out and act as a parachute for them to fly away with. The crowd and reporters seemed to go wild at the sight, as Roguefort swiftly turned down the volume. "So noisy, those reporters are..."

"That's..." Earl would watch in awe as he watched his child almost literally fly away from danger with bags of money slung over their back... Before turning to his partner with a relieved smile. "I was wondering what you two were doing with my spare fabrics and sewing materials! You two always never cease to amaze!" The two would find each other's eyes, distracted for a moment by the gaze of one another. "It was their idea," Roguefort would joyfully explain, "I simply helped with putting the pieces together! Quite the pleasant surprise, isn't it?" "A surprise it certainly is!" "Then it seems Cheesy and I have certainly succeeded." Grey would lean over the table, as uncouth as it was, and nuzzled against Roguefort. A motion that was full of warmth and adoration. "You and Cheesy never fail to impress me, no matter how mild or extravagant you two act day by day."

The affection, though, would quickly be cut short as whatever nameless reporter on the broadcast would pipe up. Though it was quieter, the one on the broadcast could certainly be heard. One of the helicopters was flying towards the extravagant swiper, with someone even going so far as to lean out of the plane in an attempt to catch the deviant. "Hah! Do they really think that-" Roguefort would sound cocky, but was shortly cut from their words as they and Grey would bear witness to a shocking turn of events. The parachute would get caught in the helicopter blades, and to escape both the reaching hands and the blades above- Specter Brew would let go of their safety and let themself go plummeting.

Quiet hums filled the air, ones full of contentedness and adoration. Though not much of a singer, Herb always found himself singing songs he'd heard on the wind and from traveling cookies as he tended to his precious plants throughout the greenhouse. Though where he lived wasn't the most bustling, a traveler or two always came by to take a look at his incredibly wide array of plants. Though he never offered to give any away- his heart couldn't bear to think about what would happen to those poor souls he'd leave with strangers, no matter how friendly they were- there was always one or two he'd received from those that passed by. He was happy to care for any plant, big or small, sunlight-eater or cookie-eater!

...Er, the kinds of cookies that aren't living beings, that is.

Shifting topics in his own head, not wanting to dwell on the topic of cookienivorous plants, Herb let his attention go back to the plants before him. Though most of the plants he took care of he could just take care of on auto-pilot, there was... A strange occurrence that had caught his eye. One of his plants that were the typical vibrant green... Was more of a crimson shade. Curious and concerned, the gardener approached the plant that sat just below his eye level. There was some sort of strange seed lodged in it... He didn't remember this being here! Worry growing on his face, he plucked the potted plant from its place upon the rack where various other photosynthetic plants remained. Matters were only made worse as he saw that those around this poor plant were also turning red... Or at the very least were rotting away.

"What happened...?" Herb spoke to his plants, though he knew he wouldn't get a response. He needed to get his minimal life magic working to even think of doing so, and even then they were just whispers... Maybe White Lily knew a thing or two, she loved stopping by to observe his plants and probably knew more than him. Though considering the situation was so dire, maybe he'd be better off consulting Cookgle? Ugh, maybe, but the results were always so catastrophic. He didn't need another 'darkness plague has come upon your plants to make you fall asleep forever' mishap. "Maybe I could just-"

A squeak came from Herb as a touch on his leg startled him back to reality. Freezing up, Herb didn't dare jump away, knowing that if it was one of his more lively plants, they could get hurt! That, or was one of those little snakes, and he'd have to call a wrangler while moving at little as possible. He didn't really fear the snakes that came by for him, but rather for his plants. It was a careful process, working up the bravery to look down and see what was crawling up his leg. It was...

A vine? A red and white one. He'd never seen this kind of vine before, but- "EYAA?!" Another shriek as the herbologist was suddenly pelted and ensnared in multiples of those vines. Their exterior was tough, and feeling it tight around his limbs was... something that was surprisingly fascinating. Sure, it was tight enough to keep him still, but it knew enough to not hurt him. What was this about?

Before he could question any further, the restraints quickly tugged him up into the air, pulling his limbs as far from each other as they could. There was a startled around that only softened for only a moment before Herb heard the clashing of pottery against concrete. Looking to the ground, unfortunately, his arms being split away from the potted plant he was so concerned over caused it to crash onto the ground, though rather than staying it started... Squirming? Writhing, even. Out of the dirt, the portions of it even seemed to form some kind of hand. "H-hey! Come back, little buddy...!" Herb mustered up those words, but wound up with his mouth covered by another one of those vines.

Struggling, Herb tried to find some sort of source for this troublesome situation, but... All he could find was more and more of these vines. Just when did they take up so much of the room? Had all of his little ones become such monsters? But they all looked fine! How- why? His eyes locked onto the hand-plant that was still scurrying away. The door was closed, so maybe he had some before- "Ghhn..." A dull pain crossed his body as he could feel the portions of him tied up being pulled upon. Tugged harshly, he could've sworn he heard something crack in his back. It could have been relaxing if it weren't for the fact that he knew what this meant. He could very well be pulled to pieces! It was far too easy for panic to set in, one that finally got him fighting.

Pulling back, or attempting to, Herb used all the energy he could muster to fight against the plants that had malicious intentions. After he was taken apart, what then? There was some type of crunch, something to make his head hurt, maybe his hair had been torn at? He couldn't focus on that right now! He needed out of here, even if resisting only made the popping of his limbs out of their sockets. The agonized herbologist let out a choked cry as he still tried and tried to resist being torn to bits. There was a small thought that crossed his mind to just stop and let it happen, but-

A sudden flash of heat washed over Herb. The panic suddenly fading as he felt his body forcibly relax and one of his limbs being released from the vine's vice-grip. His mind was still racing and his body was still pained, but at least he could open his tearful- he didn't recognize when he had started crying- eyes to see... A certain dark-cloaked mage with glasses whose shine blocked his eyes. He only barely recognized the figure, but he most certainly recognized the low voice that had given him a coffee plant weeks ago.

There was always something comforting and fascinating about the voices of the sea heard through the conch. No one else understood precisely what was being said, though there was something different about the sounds that arose tonight. Perhaps it was the lack of the moon in the sky that upset them, perhaps it was the muffled sounds of other cookies discussing who knows what in the other room, but... Something wasn't right. Peppermint, holding the conch close, attempted to decipher something of the bubbling sounds that were so rough it almost sounded like they were doing to burst forth from the conch if given the chance.

There were so many voices of the sea, the friends that Peppermint knew all of the voices for were scrambled and melding as if they were going through something... Something horrific. Peppermint could feel their feeble hands tremble while trying to figure out what they were saying, but none of the voices were making sense! It was just bubbling sound after bubbling sound, the noises only quieting when Peppermint had put the conch down. They were still there, yes, but at least it wasn't so prominent in their ear.

What was happening, they wouldn't be able to tell at this rate. There was something wrong with the ocean, the sea, whatever it was! Peppy wasn't exactly the smartest with the difference- just that there were different aquatic friends in each. They... Even if they did know, they weren't sure they'd even be able to sort that out with how they felt. For once, the sailor child couldn't stand to pick up the conch, and just... curled up. Knees to chest, trembling form hiding itself in as tight of a ball as could be made... Peppermint felt the tears well up in their eyes, and it wasn't even moments later that they began to fall.

Of course, this little cabin that the sailor was within wasn't locked in any way, so they were easy to discover. Those bubble sounds... Some of them were right at their door. Peppy squeaked, jerking out of their form and almost ready to run from whatever had entered, only to see... Ah- Sorbet-... "ooOoOo00oO0o...?" The miniature shark would bubble out, something that only caused more fear in Peppermint at that moment. They- they stayed silent, tearful eyes darting between the conch and the intruder that Peppermint knew was nothing more than a friend, but... "O00OoO0oo..." The faux captain murmured, misinterpreting the other and approaching the conch.

There was a moment that Peppermint's hand would send itself out from the curled up state that had already once been disturbed, but it didn't reach any further than that before Sorbet had picked up the conch. The same frightening bubbles wouldn't be in just their ears now, but... That wasn't something that they wanted to share. It was far too frightening to want to withstand, even if they could have bared it alone!

"Cracker, really, you don't have to worry about me. You know I always come back, right?" DJ never really broke from their casual speech, though they considered it to be a blessing. After all, it made things a lot less worrying for Firecracker, who was anxious as hell of being left alone. The music maker has a small pat upon the smaller's head, grinning for reassurance. "You just play your D-Ess, and I'll be back in an hour, got it?" Though there weren't any words from the littler one, the nod and tiny smile given was enough for them. They didn't want to be left in their adoptive sibling's room alone, but... Business called, as dumb as serious stuff was to the both of them.

The music meister would depart, though not without a final look back and a thumbs up to Firecracker, and then the younger of the two was left to their own devices. Two devices, in fact: A phone and the aforementioned D-Ess. Though being alone wracked Cracker with anxiety, they hoped that attempting to finish their shiny hunting of a shiny Diagal would be enough to pass the time with. They've been working on this manual hunting method, not really knowing any actual strategies, and there have been at least three days of work put into getting this shiny version. They... They may or may not be jealous that DJ had somehow gotten a shiny Pahlkia first try, so... Haha, they hope they can get one to seem just as cool.

Though, with minutes passing by, the thought of being left alone just wouldn't be quelled. No matter how many times Firecracker reset their game, no matter how many times they heard the cry of the Diagal, it just stuck in their mind. Soon enough their D-Ess was on low battery, and without a charger, all that was left was their phone. Super PEWPEW was at home, something Firecracker still internally regrets, but it deserved some time to charge, as much of a game addicts Firecracker knew that they were. Nevertheless, something about the thought of being abandoned... Again... Just wouldn't leave their head.

They found themself gently shaking, and combatting that shaking with a more voluntary version of it. "C'mon, Cracky! They said it'd only be an hour! It hasn't been that long!" They told themself off, deciding to take out their phone and check the time. Certainly, they couldn't have been gone for an hour already! The time... 7:43 PM. Helpful to know, but worryingly, the sparky cookie didn't remember what time their older sibling had left. Well... If they weren't back by 8:43 at least, then they'd know it was over an hour! They... They really hoped this wouldn't come to be the case. They don't want to go through that type of loneliness again.

And yet, 8:43 came and went...

9:43...

10:43...

At this point, Firecracker was getting desperate. The thought of being stuck here, alone, it... They couldn't bear it. They attempted texting DJ an hour ago, yet there was still no response. Their message wasn't even left on 'read', just 'sent'. Firecracker was tired, scared, and even a little hungry. Their phone was low battery, just like their D-Ess, and they may as well be too when it came to energy. They wanted to nap, but the thought of being left to be picked up by the next random stranger that decides to take them in flooded their mind. Was this to be their life now? Just going from person to person without any real guardian?

Riddled with fear and shaking more violently than they would have expected, Firecracker to looked to the exit of the studio that DJ had departed from hours and hours ago. They were gone, weren't they? DJ just wanted to leave them here to lose them here just like their dad, right? Just like- Just like when they were five... Tears pricked at the edges of Firecracker's vision as they felt their chest heave. They- They didn't want to be left alone! They loved DJ, they loved being around their sibling, and they... They needed someone to be with, anyone! Being alone- again- that just... Oh, they couldn't see, vision blurred by fear and tears.

Their gaze fell to the floor, their arms latching onto themself as they attempted to keep any semblance of calm. They couldn't do any grounding exercises that DJ had taught them in this state. All they could do was let their mind run wild and torture them with thoughts of being alone once again. DJ... Oh, please, DJ...

(Previous Part of Rollcake Coaster)

(Unicorn Path)

It was hard to see, Pancake knew that for sure. Opening his eyes was practically impossible, and whatever was above him was too bright to handle. Besides the inability to see, his body felt so sore. He couldn't even whine about it as he typically did. Or, at least, Pan didn't hear his own sounds at all. The only thing he could do was sit there and wonder what had happened. All he remembers was going on a ride and hoping to see his brother watching him, and then-

The child jerked himself up, eyes wide awake. Though he was nothing more than scared and confused about how he had gotten into this situation- there's so much bright white- his sight brought the little one face to face with his older brother and... Someone else. He didn't recognize this other person and reacted as any other child would, backing away. Unfortunately, he was met with nothing more than the edge of a table, that of which he fell off. He squeaked and cried upon falling, his already pained body only getting worse for that moment. Pancake could feel tears well in the corner of his eyes, but it was made better by his brother scooping him up in a hug and hushing him.

"Seems he's a perky one!" Spoke the unrecognized voice from an equally unrecognizable silhouette. Apparently, he was to be thankful to them, not that he could really bring the words out.

Though as time passed, with the world returning to how colorful it once was, the little brother found himself smiling at the sun and flying off of trees like the flying squirrel he always pretended to be. It was wonderful, being able to fly about and be caught by his older brother, who cherished each moment with him. Pan didn't understand where all the irritation and actions of a big meanie that sometimes happened if he pressed too far went, but he wasn't one to complain. The lively little fellow would question now and then, only to get the unsatisfactory response of "I'm just so happy to have you here". He never left in the first place, so why?

Climbing out of his brother's arms and receiving some gracious head pats, Pancake squealed in delight as he ran off back to his fabled 'Jumping Tree', AKA the tree he always jumped from because of its sturdy branches. Climbing up the bark, Pan gave a questioning little squeak as he felt his arms tremble whilst climbing. Even so, he pushed himself further, something Rollcake told him explicitly not to do. Onto one of many branches, Pancake didn't jump from it, but rather... Sat himself down. He felt woozy, like the world was blurry and spinning as it did after a teacup ride. "Aahhh...?" The squirrelly one groaned to himself, holding his head as he swayed on the branch.  "Panny! You good over there?" Rollcake's voice fell on ears that seemed to blur spoken words as much as written ones would be- not that Pancake could exactly read well.

To the road roller driver, the lack of response was immediately concerning. There wasn't a moment after fear registered in his heart that Roll practically sprinted over to the tree. Thank the Stars that he did, too. The demolitionist called again, only to hear nothing but the rustling of leaves as Pancake fell right off the branch he was sat upon. "Pan-?!" Rollcake caught his younger sibling, fear in his eyes as he looked over the other as well as he could. Hearing Pancake whining, Roll felt a heaviness roll over him as he gently removed his sibling's hand from his face. It... It was turning purple? Was this a bruise or something? Something told Rollcake that this was something far, far worse than that, yet he prayed that it wasn't anything more than just a simple little injury.