Chapter Text
Many ticks and whirrs were heard in Strawberry Crepe's workshop as the small cookie worked on their latest invention. Their eyes glimmered as they worked, small hands intricately putting the metallic pieces together. The day was quite cold, and every once in a while shivers ran down Strawberry Crepe’s spine. But this did not deter them from their project. When Strawberry Crepe was done, they stepped back from their desk and admired their new piece of work.
Suddenly Strawberry Crepe frowned. It was not from noticing a flaw in their new invention (it was flawless!) but it came from them immediately noticing another presence that had entered their workshop.
Strawberry Crepe huffed. “Black Raisin, I know it’s you.”
The intruder suddenly froze. They stood in silence for a few moments before speaking. “Hey kiddo.” Black Raisin’s voice was cold as ever, but there was a hint of friendliness to them. She suddenly lunged out of the darkness, and glided over to Strawberry Crepe’s side. “You knew it was me. Your senses are getting sharper.” Black Raisin remarked.
Strawberry Crepe looked up at the older cookie, a small pout on their face. "Well it's just because I don't want you accidentally startling me into messing up one of my machines like last time. Why are your footsteps always so quiet?"
"It's a habit." Black Raisin replied coolly. If it were any other cookie, Black Raisin would have scolded them for such a rude tone. But she had already gotten used to Strawberry Crepe's sharp edges at this point. "Stealth is a necessary t-"
"-tactic for survival in this harsh world. Yes yes, I know."
"Speaking of which, we should probably start teaching you some survival tactics." Black Raisin gently pinched Strawberry Crepe's cheek. "You need tougher skin." Strawberry Crepe winced and scowled. “Hey hey! Stop that!” Their shrill voice caused Black Raisin to chuckle, and she let go of their cheek.
Strawberry Crepe on the other hand, was not amused. They rolled their eyes, an irritated look on their face. “What are you here for anyway? Did one of the waffle bots break down again? I’ll have you know, this kind of technology requires a lot of focus. And I don’t like to be bothered for nothing!” Letting out a huff, Strawberry Crepe crossed their arms. If they had to lecture another raisin villager for feeding the wafflebot raisins, they’d go mad!
“I’m aware.” Black Raisin did not seem fazed by their attitude. “I actually came to invite you.”
“Invite me?” Strawberry Crepe’s eyelids slightly parted in surprise. “Yes. To the annual Vanilla Kingdom festival being held in a few days.”
“Annual…festival..?”
“Pure Vanilla’s idea. He wants to strengthen the bonds of the kingdom.”
Ah, that old geezer was a big source of annoyance for Strawberry Crepe, always wanting to make sure they were “making friends!” and going on long monologues about friendship and peace and any other subjects that made Strawberry Crepe’s eyes roll to the back of their head.
“Ugh, so the old geezer sent you to tell me. Tell him it sounds LAME and I’m not going.” Strawberry Crepe turned their head away. They felt a small cold chill run through their body, but they ignored it.
“The old geezer..? Ah, you mean Pure Vanilla?” Black Raisin scratched the back of her neck. “Well no actually, I only heard about it and thought I ought to tell you. I…I was wondering if we could go together.”
“Really?” Strawberry Crepe’s eyes lit up for a second.
“You…want me to come?” Unknowingly, their hands started to fidget. The thought of being surrounded by so many cookies, all loud and energetic, made a peculiar unease well up in their stomach.
“Well, why wouldn’t I? You do help maintain the wafflebots after all, and they’ve been a huge help around here.” Black Raisin gave them a slight smile, but Strawberry Crepe just turned away. Their cheeks slightly flushed from the compliment, but the unpleasant feeling that welled up in their stomach kept them still. A cold wind blew in, and it caused Strawberry Crepe to shiver violently. Head bowed and knees wobbling, they turned their attention back to their work.
“I’m not going…”
“Strawberry Crepe?” Black Raisin stepped closer, her voice edged with concern. “You know you can’t just spend all your time in he-”
“I’m not going!” They banged their fists on the desk, which froze Black Raisin in place. Strawberry Crepe shivered and hunched over their desk, not sparing Black Raisin another glance. “Crepe…” Black Raisin slowly walked towards Strawberry Crepe's side.
Strawberry Crepe's voice was almost like a sob as they talked. “S-Stop…don't come closer..!” Black Raisin ignored their plea, stepping to stand beside them. She finally got a good look at their face: downcast eyes and a tight frown. They looked like they were fighting back tears.
Black Raisin reached an arm out, but stopped. Strawberry Crepe's outbursts were normal, but they never seemed to carry such a serious hint of sadness before. She contemplated her words for a few silent moments.
“...Kiddo..what's wrong?” Black Raisin asked gently. Her voice was like a blanket, soft and comforting. And for a moment, Strawberry Crepe felt the feeling in their stomach lighten. But they kept their lips sealed shut.
Black Raisin sighed and turned away. “Fine. You don’t have to come to the festival. See you tomorrow...” Her mouth curved into a frown as she glanced at Strawberry Crepe one last time, before beginning to slink back off into the shadows.
“They hate me, don’t they?”
Strawberry Crepe whispered, but it felt so loud. Black Raisin stopped and rapidly whipped her head around. Her mouth was agape in stunned disbelief. “Excuse me? What are you talking about…” Her voice trailed off as she properly saw their expression. Strawberry Crepe was now directly looking at her, tears pricking their eyes. Their silent sadness was an unusual persona, but it didn’t feel unnatural. Like it was a repressed side of them rather than a completely different one.
The more Black Raisin looked at them, the more she noticed how childishly round their face was. Her voice came gentler this time. “Crepe…please tell me what's going on. I don't know who supposedly hates you but…I'm here for you if you need any support.” She slowly approached them again.
Strawberry Crepe's eyes slowly darted away, refusing to meet hers. Their lips slowly parted, and they began to speak.
“The Raisin villagers. They…I was the one who hurt them, didn't I? I saw their wounds. I'm…I'm just a big, dumb meanie. They probably don't want me around…” Strawberry Crepe couldn't just believe the words that flowed from their mouth. It was thoughts they vowed never to materialise, but Black Raisin's tender gaze made them feel like they could tell her anything.
Black Raisin listened in silence, pondering her thoughts. Slowly, she put her hand on Strawberry Crepe's shoulder. They flinched at the touch but didn't pull away.
“Strawberry Crepe. Listen carefully. You're just a kid who was alone and confused. No one can fault you for that.”
“But what if-”
“None of the villagers hate you. You’ve already been making up for your mistake by programming the wafflebots to assist us. I'm sure they're all grateful for your help, as I am.”
Strawberry Crepe wiped their eyes with their sleeve. “Hmph….well fine. If you say so, I guess.” Black Raisin let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like Strawberry Crepe was comforted a little by her words. “You don't have to come to the festival if you don't want to.” Giving a sincere smile, Black Raisin patted their shoulder. “But know this, I’ll be right by your side if you do. And if anything goes wrong, you can tell me - or the crows - about it.”
Strawberry Crepe remained silent. Then, suddenly, they reached their little arms out and wrapped them around Black Raisin’s face, pressing their face against her abdomen. Black Raisin stared at them with a perplexed face. Did Strawberry Crepe really just-
“Don’t you dare tell anyone about this.” Strawberry Crepe hissed, nuzzling their face into Black Raisin’s dress. Black Raisin froze for a moment, then burst out into a laugh. “Don’t worry, I won’t. I promise.”
Strawberry Crepe just let out a huff. Black Raisin rested her hand on their back, gently stroking it. They looked cuter when they didn’t have such an attitude, really.
Strawberry Crepe closed their eyes, listening to the faint sound of Black Raisin’s breath. Being in the embrace made Strawberry Crepe no longer feel cold. Although they loved wafflebots more than anything in the world, they were cold and metallic. But Black Raisin was warm, and it made Strawberry Crepe yearn for more of this feeling. Perhaps they’ve really yearned for it their whole life.
And if Strawberry Crepe really were to open their arms up to the other raisin villagers, would they be just as warm? Their mind drifted off to dreamlike images of the raisin villagers. Strawberry Crepe had only watched from afar as they socialised and played. Back then, they had mocked how simple they are, how they barely deserved the attention of a talented prodigy. But now they pictured their outstretched hands and smiles, emanating with softness and warmth. They still had to test out their new invention but…
This festival thing doesn’t sound SO bad, I guess…