Work Text:
Newfound freedom from that cursed tree typically means too much time on their hands. And the mere concept of “too much time” is typically followed by the marching feet of “lack of things to do”. And, unfortunately, such a bitter reality grows with every passing hour of every day.
Shadow Milk Cookie is not Burning Spice Cookie, and that is objectively a fact (and, quite possibly, one of the only moments they’ll spare a dime and tell the truth!). They do not grow bored easily if there’s something to catch their many, many eyes, and they do not actively go out of their way to destroy said something just for being the tower in the middle of the dunes.
They shall admit, however, things have been awfully boring since they were imprisoned in that tree. Soooo many years spent unmoving, merely buzzing in place as their bodies slooowly crumble away beneath the feeling of cold, hardened steel. One would think they would have so many things to do now that they have all the time on Earthbread, but rather unfortunately, it appears Shadow Milk Cookie didn’t have much on their bucket list!
Well, nothing except write a little screenplay involving a handful of wild Faeries and preparing their little speech for a certain yellow-fever Cookie they’re planning to crumble, once he makes the deeply foolish (and frankly DELUSIONAL) decision to come to THEIR beloved Spire.
(Ahem! The mention of that certain hat-wearing thief was strictly mandatory, as to not confuse the audience. From now on, they shall refrain from mentioning that stupid overbaked gnat ever again, so do not ask about him for the remainder of the show if you care for the people’s sanity— YOUR sanity, not theirs!).
…Oh, and hunting after the little rabbits that scurry through their spire’s halls, but those are simply not important. No need to call any animal services— those things enjoy being chased. They’re still not sure why, they just do.
Shadow Milk Cookie should demand Burning Spice Cookie to chase them one day— just to see what all the hype is about. They're sure it can be a wonderful bonding experience for the both of them.
Hm… maybe they can get enrichment that way. And hey, it’s not like they’ve ever met a somebody who doesn’t like getting chased! Why else would those Cookies be running for?
(Let us allow ourselves to forget the numerous casualties that typically come with being chased. They are entirely irrelevant).
Back on the main part of the script, they’re bored. Awfully, painstakingly, hair-tearingly bored. There’s nothing on their bucket list anymore!
- Annoy Eternal Sugar Cookie in her Delight of Gardens until she attempts to kill me
Been there, done that— maybe a hundred times over. There are only so many disguises they can put on before the Goddess recognizes the exact coloration of their dough. Besides… a script can only be recycled a certain amount of times until even the writers grow bored of it.
“Ugh! Must you come at such an inconvenient time?” the Goddess had sighed upon noticing the little blue shepherd boy standing at the Garden gates. “Go away. Now.”
The young boy brings his shepherd’s crook up to his chest, his eyes large and beady as he beats his pretty eyelashes up at her.
“Oh, but you must be mistaken, Madame,” the little boy says, hovering one hand over his heart, to truly show how kind and humble he is. “I am but a humble little-“
“Do you truly think you can fool me, Jester?” Eternal Sugar Cookie says, reaching for something behind her back. “You need to try harder than that.”
The shepherd opens his mouth, to once again plead his own case, until—
A fruit is thrown at his forehead. He yelps as it splatters wetly against his face, the shell cracking open in an instant (and possibly his skull, too). In an instant, his eyes are glazed over with pink juice, dripping all over his face and down to his chin. The juices sting at his eyes in an instant, blurring his vision until everything is but a mesh of clashing colors. The little boy reaches up and crushes the fruit stuck to his face in his grip, throwing it aside before beginning to howl miserably as he frantically scratches at his eyes.
Sharp, black claws break out of the tips of his azure dough, too feral and animalistic to match the gentle roundness of this child’s dough. With how deep he’s scratching at his eyeballs, one could fear he’s attempting to carve them out. Deep black lines rake across his eyelids, leaking an inky, blackened ooze, streaking along his cheeks as he snarls and spittles like a feral animal.
“You— stupid— pink— UGH!”
A particularly smug expression rests on Eternal Sugar Cookie’s face as the wolf beneath finally gave up the wool of a sheep. She’s already chewing on a different fruit, frustratingly pleased, as the little shepherd boy dissolves into a pool of inky, frothing milk, boiling with a sense of pure, unbridled anger that only the Devil of Silence could possibly hope to match.
Long, wet arms break through the surface of the writhing mess, squelching wetly as they move and recalibrate. Uneven, disjointed hands sit on either side of the pool, dripping black ooze onto the green grass. A misshapen head surfaces from the froth, blue eyes growing and dying across it, glowering intently at the glossy pink Cookie snacking on one of her fruits.
“usELesS, obSESSive, uGly VERMIN!”
“Ohhh,” Eternal Sugar Cookie finishes her final bite of her fruit. “Is somebody upset? Didn’t like the fruit?”
“I haTE YOu, deLUSIONal rAt-fACED snAKE! I’M BURNING DOWN THIS WRETCHED GARDEN WITH YOU IN IT DAMMIT!”
“The feeling is mutual,” she huffs with crossed arms. “Serves you right, mutt.”
- Play puzzles with Burning Spice Cookie
The big guy is surprisingly good at it. Give him a puzzle or mind game and he’ll spend hours wasting away trying to solve it. Shadow Milk Cookie finds it the ittiest bittiest amusing, and they simply adore getting on somebody else’s nerves. And with Burning Spice Cookie’s temper, he’s simply the easiest to send into a fiery snarling fest.
At the very least, Shadow Milk Cookie can always count on him whenever they grow bored with the types of items Eternal Sugar Cookie throws at them to get them out of the Garden.
This time, they had gotten him a specific type of puzzle— instead of your regular, boring puzzle shapes, each piece resembles a different item. Books, horses, cans, pencils— everything that should definitely not be a puzzle piece. The moment Shadow Milk Cookie showed him this type of puzzle, Burning Spice Cookie was absolutely delighted.
Or he was, until he came to the realization Shadow Milk Cookie was going to join him.
“Jester, you’re using the wrong piece.”
Shadow Milk Cookie readjusts their monocle, seeing that they are, in fact, attempting to put the wrong piece into the right slot. It’s a playing card, colored a light teal, and the area they’re attempting to place it in is a full wash of blues and violets.
Out of the corner of their eye, they can see a piece identical to the one they’re holding— just slightly bigger, having the same shades of blues and violets as the place they want to fill in. And like any regular Cookie would, they play dumb.
A large, toothy grin stretched across their face, absolutely mischievous in appearance as they wiggle their eyebrows. “No, I’m preeee-tty sure this is the right piece,” they say, attempting to slide the piece into the wrong slot. “I mean, it’s the perfect shape!”
Burning Spice Cookie has been rubbing at the bridge of his nose for the past five minutes, clearly bothered by the frankly harmless things they’ve been doing since they started putting the puzzle together.
“That is the brightest shade of teal I have EVER seen,” Burning Spice Cookie says, his voice gruff (one could even say horrified if they pay enough attention to the tone of his voice). “And those are BLUE and PURPLE.”
Shadow Milk Cookie shrugs uselessly. “I’m seeing no problems here.”
“It’s TEAL.”
Shadow Milk Cookie huffs through their nostrils, pushing up their nose in particular distaste. “I’m not blind, Burning Spice Cookie,” they say as they put their puzzle piece into the slot. Of course, obviously enough, it doesn’t fit— no, not at all. But they aren’t going to admit that. “I can see what color it is. No need to remind me, big guy.”
After the fifth time of repeating this exact exchange, Burning Spice Cookie eventually tore the puzzle away from their grasp and did the rest of it by himself. Shadow Milk Cookie pouted and whined the rest of their time together, and was blatantly ignored.
Cookies are so selfish these days…
- Play chess with Silent Salt Cookie
He didn’t even show up.
Nothing. Absolutely nothing on their bucket list is worth doing anymore— either already scratched off, or too repetitive to truly give them a thrill. Oh, and how they YEARN for the thrill, anything to make their ribs rattle from within until they’re practically shaking in their boots.
Shadow Milk Cookie has tried drowning themself in the Yogurt River of Rebirth, merely for the fun of it, but unfortunately they can’t even go beyond slamming their face against the river’s surface.
He’s tried playing chess with their little servants— the NORMAL kind of chess (bleh), without any lives on the line and requiring the most bare minimum of thoughts. Unfortunately, being such a great and caring master of these minions means that they think they can’t put up a fight against the brilliant master that is They— and then they put up such a loose fight that Shadow Milk Cookie won in five turns.
Five turns.
This yawning, tearing emptiness stretched so long that they’ve sent a letter to the Garden of Delicacy, asking for one of those carnivorous creatures Eternal Sugar Cookie keeps. Surprisingly enough, she complied with their request, and sent them both a little carnivorous plant and a young fawn.
The moment they attempted to pet its furry little head, the fawn snapped at their fingers and even succeeded in drawing a bit of blood. For being such a lovely sweetheart, Shadow Milk Cookie named them Pudding, for its off-white color and little specks of blue on its pelt. Then they let it free roam the Spire, with regular meals and entire room just for it to sleep and relax in. They even handmade a ridiculous amount of toys for it.
It quickly became good friends with their wolves— judging by the sheepskin it began wearing on its back, it even became part of the pack! Shadow Milk Cookie so proud… it became the vicious creature it was always meant to be.
As for the plant… it’s… entertaining enough, they suppose. It’s nice to talk to. Eternal Sugar Cookie has said to feed it plant matter the first couple months, and slowly wean it off as it grows larger. As the number one gardener in their little cast of unique characters, Shadow Milk Cookie supposes they’ll listen to her instructions. Mostly.
They named it Kefir. It sits in their office, next to the image of Eternal Sugar Cookie they had finely crafted, which they use to throw darts. It gets fed two times a day, and seems especially chipper whenever it sees them.
The excitement of change grew old and dull pretty quickly, the anticipation dying quicker than their own hopes. It’s a cute little thing, yes, but still a lingering sense of boredom as this became routine. Bleh.
Shadow Milk Cookie began entertaining themself by juggling all of the rabbits they find scurrying through their halls. And if they’re (un)fortunate enough, Pudding would bring them a gift in the form of a completely limp animal, which they feed to Kefir in return.
This ceaseless life cycle grew so boring that Shadow Milk Cookie returned to some ancient hobbies of theirs. All they needed was some different kinds of fabric, needles, and thread, and they quickly got to work.
They started simple, of course— little replicas of their rabbits, which they placed on the highest shelf. Then, they made toys resembling Pudding and Kefir, which they placed on their desk. For a mere moment in time Shadow Milk Cookie actually considered making something for Eternal Sugar Cookie as a “thank you” for her little gift, and felt such an intense, nauseating disgust that they tore the blueprints to shreds.
Remember, audience— there will always be moments in your life where you’re seconds away from making the worst possible decision in your life, and it’s always best to really think if you’re really willing to ruin your entire life with this ultimate decision.
So Shadow Milk Cookie made toys for Black Sapphire Cookie and Candy Apple Cookie instead.
Staring at the pair of them now, Shadow Milk Cookie almost feels compelled to throw them away and pretend they never made them. They almost do. They go against the idea at the last second, and instead put them in one corner of their workspace.
There is a final inch, of course, that came with a rush of ideas they longed to throw into reality— the Cookies they’ve shared a life with since the very moment they had opened their eyes. The Cookies that stick with them even now— their greatest friends and allies!
And of course, their most favorite costar, the second star of this show, the very Sun of Their Heart— Mystic Flour Cookie.
How long has it been since they’ve seen each other, hm? Definitely far too long for their tastes. It’s about time they change that… and looking at the white fabric they’ve collected, they have just the right excuse to see her.
Shadow Milk Cookie practically throws themself to the workbench, grabbing the colors that closely resemble Mystic Flour Cookie’s colors. He grabs softened silk, and buttons for her eyes. Practically yanking a pair of scissors from their slot and tilting the lamp to fully light the area they’re working with, they get to work.
Shadow Milk Cookie doesn’t leave their office for days, entirely focused on getting this one project done. Every little detail has to be perfect. It NEEDS to be perfect. Do you know how embarrassing it would be, showing this to Mystic Flour Cookie’s face and having it not be perfect?
…Well, she probably wouldn’t care at all, but regardless! Perfection is a necessity. If they’re to have at least ONE magnum opus, let it be a toy replica of their favorite person.
It doesn’t take that long. To Shadow Milk Cookie, at least. Time itself seems to slow down to a crawl, trapping them in this hollow ball as they spend hours upon hours putting a needle through thread, attempting desperately to match the design they had drawn on their blueprints.
Every little detail had been specifically chosen, carefully selected from hours wasted peering at that particular Cookie from their other-realm (not necessarily that they’ll ever admit that to anybody— except you, the audience, who is unfortunately stuck in their little echo chamber and is completely unable to leave). And if they do not make it perfect, they shall simply tear out their own hair for such an awful mistake, even if it would render them completely blind.
Finally, FINALLY, there’s the last thread they need. Just a final little tug, and they’ve completed their ultimate masterpiece. A little Mystic Flour Cookie with buttons for eyes, her smile stitched just for them. How rare a scene, one Shadow Milk Cookie desperately wishes to make common. How beautiful she would be, with that gentle smile she used to have whenever she saw them…
…They take that part back— BLEH! Bad! Disgusting! Absolutely, unbridledly FILTHY! Saying that just makes them sound like Eternal Sugar Cookie and that wretched obsession of hers. And out of all Cookies on Earthbread, they do NOT want to be compared to ETERNAL SUGAR COOKIE.
Let it be known to all, Shadow Milk Cookie does NOT obsessively check on Mystic Flour Cookie from their other realm. They do NOT memorize her preferences and favorites, nor do they listen to her talk for hours and hours and hours on end simply because they like her voice and how passionate she can be! That is an entirely unjust accusation with little to no evidence and they will NOT HAVE IT.
Back to the script, now that they’ve finished what they were working on, Shadow Milk Cookie can finally show it to Mystic Flour Cookie in person! They even gave it its own little Haetae to pair up with. All they needed to do was put it in a little box and wrap it up, and there, it’s finally perfect.
Admittedly, the wrapping paper is… a bit questionable at best. One could even say crude. But eh, who would care anyway? Certainly not them!
And what was the reaction of their lucky winner?
“Your tricks seem to be growing significantly less subtle, Shadow Milk Cookie,” is the first thing Mystic Flour Cookie says the moment the box landed in her arms.
“Eh?” Shadow Milk Cookie huffs, crossing their arms over their chest. “Trick? Oh, come on, Misty— you know I would never trick anybody! It’s all nothing but treats!”
“You purposely released acidic snakes in Eternal Sugar Cookie’s garden under the guise of a ‘peacemaker’.”
“Ugh,” Shadow Milk Cookie waves their hand, rolling every single one of their eyes. “Not my fault that Cookie can’t take a little prank. No sense of humor, that one…” They blink, and quickly huff. “…and now that I think about it, none of you have any sense of humor.”
“You’ve taken one of Silent Salt Cookie’s rescued cake hounds, skinned it, and gave the coat over to Burning Spice Cookie.”
“The thing was losing life anyway.”
Mystic Flour Cookie hands the present back to them. They take it with a large pout. “Cruelty is a language you are fluent in.”
“Aww,” Shadow Milk Cookie presses their knuckles to their cheek. “Cruelty is just another language for love, Misty. Why don’tcha open it?”
They hand it back. She, carefully, returns it to them, as if it would burst open into a billion spiders that would crawl into her dough. Shadow Milk Cookie shoves the box back into her arms, perhaps too harshly (they’re never beating those allegations).
“Really, Misty,” they sigh deeply as Mystic Flour Cookie moves to hand them back the box— again. “Earthbread forbid I wanna give you something nice and cozy for the evening. Aren’t you even the teensiest bit curious?”
Mystic Flour Cookie remains silent, and merely stares. Shadow Milk Cookie wiggles their brows, as if it would be any more appealing. After wasting five minutes staring at this utterly ridiculous display, Mystic Flour Cookie’s expression wavers. She breathes a long, deep sigh, and ignores how increasingly smug Shadow Milk Cookie’s face grows.
“Nobody would trust a snake like you,” she says, regardless of her carefully tears at the wrapping paper hiding the prize within— specifically chosen, colored black with little dumpling fish being caught on a hook and properly cooked (very welcoming, Shadow Milk Cookie shall say). She slowly lifts the lid of the box, “Whatever it is, I will not find it…”
Her voice falters the moment she actually focuses on the item within.
Shadow Milk Cookie smirks, practically twirling in the air as they hang upside down right at her side, their hair tumbling down and nearly getting in her face. “I put a-LOT of effort into this one, you know.”
Mystic Flour Cookie says nothing.
“Ain’t it special?” They ask, and again receive no response. They ignore it and twirl their hair. “I suuuppose it this warrants a ‘thank you’— you know, for all of the love and effort I put into it. Come on…”
Shadow Milk Cookie closes their eyes and pushes up their cheek. Waiting a couple seconds, they feel nothing. No matter. They merely hold the same position, anticipating a little treat just for them…
…Yet still, nothing.
Shadow Milk Cookie huffs and pouts, squirming in the air until they’re righted themselves. “WOW, okay,” they huff distastefully. “If you didn’t like what I did you could just-“
“I don’t hate it,” Mystic Flour Cookie swiftly cuts them off.
He scowls. “Don’t interrupt me.”
“I don’t hate it,” she repeats again, lifting her head to peer at them— just the tiny bit curiously. They can tell. “I am merely… confused.”
“Oh?” Shadow Milk Cookie stretches their limbs before laying on their back, crossing their legs and resting the back of their head on their arms. “How so? Surprised no bugs are crawling in your ears?”
“Not at all.” Slowly, carefully, Mystic Flour Cookie slips her hand beneath the little stuffed toy resembling her very image, and just as methodically bringing it out of its prison. “I’m merely wondering why you felt the need to give me this. I am not a person who needs something like… a toy.”
“Well, if you took my advice and closed those pretty little eyes of yours,” Shadow Milk Cookie leans in and lightly boops her on the nose. Her nose scrunches up adorably. “We wouldn’t be having this issue!”
“I wouldn’t use it regardless.”
“Yes you would.”
“No.”
“Yuh huh,” Shadow Milk Cookie bobs their head. “Come on now, who’s the liar here, exactly?”
Mystic Flour Cookie squeezes the toy lightly. It squeaks in her hand, the bulb they had placed within quickly eliciting a bright blue glow. There’s the slight crease between her brows, which they have no doubt resembles increasing curiosity. “So you’re admitting I wouldn’t use this?”
“What? No.”
She squeezes the toy again, with the same result. “Then don’t bring deceit into this. It makes you look a fool.”
“Aww, thanks,” Shadow Milk Cookie moves a strand of hair behind their ear. “I always try my best.”
Mystic Flour Cookie sets the toy back in the box, and picks up the little Haetae instead. “You still haven’t answered my initial question.”
“I just thought you deserved something a little nice!” They say with a casual shrug of their shoulders. “Can’t fault me for that.”
She squeezes the miniature Haetae. The glow it emits is red. “The Shishi would enjoy this…” she mumbles, so quiet Shadow Milk Cookie actively had to strain their ears. “And you have no alternative motives?”
Shadow Milk Cookie sighs insufferably. “Course not.”
“Hm… I suppose, then.”
Rather unfortunately, they weren’t allowed to stay for long. Soon after giving her that lovely little gift, Mystic Flour Cookie had insisted they leave, and no amount of whining and complaining could convince her to let them stay.
So, dejectedly, Shadow Milk Cookie returned to the Spire with crossed arms and the most dramatic pout in all of Earthbread.
It matters little, however. All they need is a little bit of time. A little bit of time, that’s all they’re asking for! In no time Mystic Flour Cookie will come into their arms, thanking them profusely for such a delightful little gift!
Even if it takes a couple days.
Even if it takes a week.
Even if it takes TWO weeks.
Uhh… Three weeks?
Alright, alright. A lot longer than that. BUT STILL! The intention still stands. It’ll definitely happen… eventually.
And as the hours rot away and peel forever more at their sanity, Shadow Milk Cookie once again feels themself getting terribly, achingly bored. And this time they don’t even have the thrill of making a stuffed toy resembling their favorite person anymore, because they’ve already reached perfection once. How can they meet perfection again?
Shadow Milk Cookie decided to play fetch with Pudding. Instead of the ball they had thrown into the distance, it brought back a dead sheep. That night they had Shepherd’s Pie for dinner.
Shadow Milk Cookie sent a letter to Eternal Sugar Cookie after a specific detail grew increasingly concerning about one of their brand new pets.
‘My everloving Sweetcakes,
Are these plants supposed to reach my EXACT height in less than a month? Kefir can already reach the top of my head now.
Love, your Darkness.’
Eternal Sugar Cookie’s letter back was as unhelpful as always, in that stupid beautiful cursive of hers.
‘To my Darkest Pit of Night,
Awww, she likes you! A little more time and she’ll be able to swallow you whole! Make sure to be careful when you sleep ♡
Love, your least favorite Cookie’
Shadow Milk Cookie’s next letter had been increasingly more panicked, ink blotting the edges and corners of the blueberry-blue paper.
‘To my Please Don’t Call Yourself That There Is At Least One Cookie I Hate More,
THIS THING GROWS?? MORE THAN THIS?? AND YOU GAVE IT TO ME WITHOUT GIVING ME THIS INFORMATION BEYOND ITS DIET??
Also, I have a show prepared especially for you. Come over to the Spire.
From your increasingly bothered Blackhole.’
Eternal Sugar Cookie had delivered her reply with a collection of handmade stickers of deer and rabbits and puppets on strings. Definitely not a good sign.
‘To the Darkest part of My Heart,
Oh, yes! My little darlings can grow to be ten times the size of the average Cookie with the right amount of love and affection. They can even match the size of a dragon! …Besides, you never bothered asking questions. I assumed you already knew what you were getting into… so much for a Fount of Knowledge.
And to your offer— alas, I simply do not have the time to visit you. However, I can be convinced with the correct price!
Kisses, your SECOND least favorite Cookie.’
Oh, Shadow Milk Cookie will learn to survive. Somehow.
Anyways— it’s been such an awfully long time and Mystic Flour Cookie still hasn’t thanked them for such a thoughtful gift. Shadow Milk Cookie is almost hurt by such a blatant rejection of their single act of selflessness! Psh! And people act like they aren’t sympathetic.
Soooo anyways! It seems like Shadow Milk Cookie will have to… make another unexpected drop to the Ivory Pagoda. Nothing too strange, really… just a casual stop by. It’s about time they stretched their simple, restrictive physicalities— at least for a time.
The all so mysterious Cookie in azure twirled and danced her way up the ceaseless flight of stairs, humming a delighted little tune. Every step is as simple as the last, a mere hop away from seeing that delightful face at the temple that rests so high.
“Ohhh Mystic Flour Cookie!~” The Lady in Azure calls out the very moment she reaches the final step, twirling beautifully in her puffy dress. Drumming her fingers against the lid of her picnic basket, she skips her way through the empty temple. “Guess who has finally arrived to bless you with a little—“ she pauses in an instant. “Ah...”
A round table has been set up on the floor, with only two (four?) occupants. Kneeling by the table’s side is Mystic Flour Cookie, of course, holding a steaming cup of tea. Across from her is her devoted little Cloud Haetae, their fluffy little tail wagging back and forth as they hold up their cup of tea with a large, toothy smile on their face.
Blueberry Farmer Cookie can see the stuffed toys she made sitting side by side between the pair, pushed closer with their little arms manipulated just enough to make them hold hands.
”Hello, Shadow Milk Cookie… again.”
She blinks rapidly at the sight of them. Still in perfect condition— not torn apart, not stabbed or burned, but in the exact condition it was when she had first crafted it. “You kept them,” she says, her voice cracking slightly. “You actually kept them.”
“It was not my decision,” Mystic Flour Cookie sighs deeply, bringing the cup of tea up to her lips. She takes a light sip. “The Shishi insisted upon it.”
Cloud Haetae Cookie waves from their spot. “Hello, My Liege!” They say with a delightful little smile (too much joy— it’s disgusting). “My Master has sooo many positive things about you!”
“Does she now?” Blueberry Farmer Cookie wiggles her brows. Mystic Flour Cookie looks away and takes another sip of her tea. “Awww, I didn’t know I was THAT worthy of your love and approval, Misty!”
“Do not be foolish,” Mystic Flour Cookie says, setting her cup down. “For all your inappropriate crudeness, you are… somewhat worthy of my attention.” She taps the spot right at her side, away from the plushies. “Come here. I have something for you.”
“Ohhh.” A wide, sharp grin stretches across Blueberry Farmer Cookie’s face as she twirls her way over to the table. She settles down, setting her basket on the surface, and quickly turns her attention over to Mystic Flour Cookie. “Got something for little ol’ me? The mysterious Lady in Azure? The beautiful Blueberry Farmer Cookie? The grand Master of Deceit? The great mastermind of all-“
“Yes, Shadow Milk Cookie, I got something for you. A little gift.”
Shadow Milk Cookie buzzes in place. “Yay.”
Mystic Flour Cookie brings out a box (from where? Not even Shadow Milk Cookie knows. They do not bother to question it) from behind her, and hands it to them. Shadow Milk Cookie peers at it curiously— the wrapping paper is a deep blue, depicting rabbits getting chased by wolves. A bit… violent and crude, but they suppose it is payback for the wrapping paper they themself had used.
Shadow Milk Cookie wastes zero time in tearing apart the wrapping paper, and carelessly throws the lid aside (Cloud Haetae Cookie yelps as the lid flies directly at them). Their breath hitches the moment their eyes land on the sacred item within, delicately crafted and the exact pinnacle of perfection.
A little replica of themself, with stars in its hair and sparkling buttons for eyes. The outfit it’s wearing is a replica of their usual one— yet set aside, carefully piled, is all of the outfits they had throughout the centuries they lived. Only one of them is missing— the outfit of a certain Fountain. Shadow Milk Cookie doesn’t blame her for not including it.
“I haven’t sewn for a long time,” Mystic Flour Cookie says, her voice lowered just a bit. “It’s not my best effort. However, for you, I thought I would try.”
Shadow Milk Cookie quickly blinks. “…Not your best effort?” They repeat, their voice heightened. “NOT YOUR BEST EFFORT? Mystic, Misty, Sun of my Heart— this is better than anything I could ever make with my own two hands. No lie there.”
The edges of Mystic Flour Cookie’s lips twitch. “Truly?”
“Uhhh, yeah,” Shadow Milk Cookie is on the very edge of rolling their eyes. “Obviously. You think I give those compliments out for free? Please!”
Finally, Mystic Flour Cookie smiles at them. Shadow Milk Cookie can feel themself melting at the mere sight of it— quite literally. Their dough is falling apart. “You are a curiously minded creature.”
Shadow Milk Cookie’s form fully solidifies in an instant. “…What’s that supposed to mean?”
Mystic Flour Cookie’s smile only widens. “Oh, nothing,” she says. “Nothing at all.”
“Hmph!” Shadow Milk Cookie pushes up their nose. “Well, if that’s how it’s going to be, maybe I won’t give you the food I prepared at all!”
“Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Mystic Flour Cookie reaches for her cup of tea again, and brings it close to her chest. “I wasn’t going to eat it anyways.”
“Yeah you would.”
“I wouldn’t.”
“And I’m the embodiment of Passion. Come onnn, you want at least a little nibble!”
“Mmm… maybe a little.”
“Seeeee? Hm! You can never resist MY fine dining!”
Mystic Flour Cookie tilts her head, eyeing them for a second as they puff out their chest in pride. Humming lowly, she leans in, and presses a light kiss to their cheek. “I suppose.”
Shadow Milk Cookie freezes in an instant. The kiss is gone in instant, merely a little buzz on their cheek, and yet the dough of their cheek feels warm and fuzzy. Melting from within, their eyes leisurely sliding over to the Cookie at their side. Mystic Flour Cookie smiles pleasantly at them, even as Shadow Milk Cookie begins to violently vibrate in place.
“Your dough is very soggy,” Mystic Flour Cookie says suddenly. Whether it is merely a comment or a complaint is questionable at best.
”Shhhut up,” Shadow Milk Cookie huffs through their nostrils, turning their head away in the other direction. Mystic Flour Cookie hums, and delicately touches their hand.
They do not resist the slightest as Mystic Flour Cookie slips her fingers between theirs.
And by the end of dinner, the Leavened One’s hard work came to join the side of the Deceiver’s hard work. The little Haetae holding Mystic Flour Cookie’s hand, who in return holds the hand of the brand new Shadow Milk Cookie. With the amount of shifting around required, the stuffed toys began to lean against each other, pressed fabric to fabric.
Closer than their muses could ever hope to be with each other.