Chapter Text
Oh, the reliable ally that is Rye Cookie.
She's good with her weapons, is loyal, despite how she's as stubborn as a bull— which I definitely get. I'm the same way.— and, hell, she's also pretty hilarious. But it isn't hard to win a laugh out of me when I'm not busy protecting the Dark Cacao Kingdom, to the surprise of... most Cookies I've met.
And she understands me so easily? How is it possible?
Sure, the woman has grudges against others, just like I, but Chili Pepper Cookie isn't as horrible as Affogato Cookie. The sticky handed thief never tried to overthrow her kingdom–!
Well, she doesn't actually reside in a kingdom. She's a free-roaming bounty hunter, much different from my life stationed at the Dark Cacaoian walls. I can't help but be a tad... jealous of her, honestly.
That doesn't mean I don't adore the way I live, myself! I'd still give my life for the king and the kingdom! Forever. Nothing will ever be of higher importance to me than my loyalty.
But I'd love to live a day in Rye Cookie's shoes. Maybe I could visit her after the show is over?
Ah, who am I kidding?!
Dark Cacao Cookie would flip out if I did that without any notice! Especially given his habit of ovethinking when it comes to his subjects leaving the kingdom...
My thoughts come to a stop as I hear the sound of footsteps nearby, somebody peeking their head through the small opening of my tent.
"Eh, Caramel Arrow Cookie? Got something buggin' ya?" And that somebody is Rye Cookie.
"I-I... Rye Cookie! I thought you were heading to bed for the night?" I tilt my head in confusion.
"Ha, don't get your panties in a bunch! Anyway, I heard some mumblin', and wanted to see if everything was alright with ya. So... are you doin' good?" She prods.
"Everything is fine. You can go back to your tent and get some well-deserved rest." I try to insist, but fall silent, quickly changing my mind. "...actually, come on in. I'm not tired yet, and your company is... pleasant."
Of course, I caved in so easily...
"Ha! Now that's the Caramel Arrow Cookie I know! So sweet and thoughtful... and a bit of a Cookie pleaser, of course." She harshly nudges my shoulder to... punctuate this?
And, to neither of our surprise, I let out a shocked yelp, falling down to the hard ground.
"Aagh! W-what on Earthbread was that for?!" A sharp exhale of breath follows, my hands going to my chest. "You asshole!"
Hearing this, Rye Cookie laughs along, looking down at me.
"I-it was just a simple shove! What's with you being so jumpy–" She interrupts herself with more laughter, doubling over beside me. "First, it was the jelly bees earlier today, and now this? I thought you told me you ain't some softie!?”
"I swear to the Witches, Rye Cookie... quit mentioning the insects! This island is far from what I'm used to, so expect me to be at least a little on edge!" I groan out, a playful annoyance in my tone.
"Mm... I'm still gonna tease ya about this, though. Y'know me, I can't help myself." She prods at my cheek, letting out another snicker.
I don't say anything this time, only swatting her hand away with a light scoff.
"Oh, c'mon, Caramel Arrow Cookie! What's so wrong with a bit of jokin' around?" She snickers, propping her head up with it.
Yet again, I don't say anything, rolling to my side to get out of her face.
And she suddenly falls silent, as well, glaring off to the side.
Neither me nor Rye Cookie saying a thing for a good while. On my hand, it's for a good reason. In her case... she's probably doing it out of faux-petty spite. Which is— admittedly— fairly amusing, but it doesn't drive me away from all the thoughts rushing through my mind.
I've actually found my recent thoughts revolving around her quite often, especially since I had the conversation with her about our professions. It's an odd thing to have on my mind, mainly because of how I... don't have many acquaintances outside of my fellow soldiers back at the wall. So, it's most definitely a new experience.
It's nice, though. To be so open to a Cookie that isn't a Watcher like I, yet someone that still understands me...
My thoughts are then suddenly interrupted by an arm being lazily thrown over my lap, causing me to flinch a bit.
"Rye Cookie..?" I glance in her direction, and alas...
She's fast asleep. And snoring. Loudly. Probably loud enough to wake up one of our teammates.
Which causes me to let out a soft laugh before taking a quick glance outside. To make sure nobody wandering out and about could hear the snores, of course.
"...Damnit, I'm not on duty... there's no need to keep watch," I look back at Rye Cookie, a chuckle leaving my lips. "I should relax."
Then, almost absentmindedly, my hand moves to her face, brushing a strand of her hair out of the way. Now it'll be easier for me to see her.
I stiffen up in shock as I realize what I'm doing, but altogether, I ignore my mind and continue my curious staring. I don’t care if what I'm doing is "odd" anymore.
My thumb moves down to her cheek, grazing over her sharp, defined jaw. Her skin has a coarse texture; it's littered with scars, marks, and freckles that look... mesmerizing. Definitely more interesting than my clearer skin.
"She's so gorgeous..." I sigh out, my hand shifting its place yet again, now lightly gripping her chin.
I tilt her head to the left, still studying my friend with an amount of admiration and focus I'd usually only see myself using when in the presence of Dark Cacaoian royalty.
Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself or possibly reading everything wrong, but Rye Cookie and I are growing close. Sure, we don't talk much on camera here on Last Cookie Standing, but that's only because we're both headstrong bastards who put our duties before everything.
Well, I mean, my job is usually my first priority, but... being here— on this stupid show— might've changed how I approach things like... whatever this is between the two of us.
I'm not even sure how to decipher my feelings at this point. I know that I've felt devotion before. Many times. I literally had to depend on it to become the First Watcher! I've just never felt it to this extent. My loyalty to our friendship is somehow so different.
It makes no sense. She's just some... bounty hunter I met only around a week ago! Why should I be thinking about her like this—?!
A second, now defeated, sigh falls from my lips, it brushing over her face, cause her to flinch.
Seeing the flinch, I immediately step back, removing my hand from her chin. Oh, Witches... what was I thinking?! What came over me??
Rye Cookie stirs again, her eyes begrudgingly cracking open as she lets out a tired mutter.
"Cara...? Why are ya' still up?" There's a bit of weary concern in her voice, propping herself back on her shoulder as she blinks her tired state away. "Get to bed, y'big goof."
"Yeah, good idea... I-... sorry for waking you up, Rye Cookie." I clear my throat, quickly beginning to lie down, while she does the opposite.
"Planning on heading back out to your tent?" I question.
"Mhm. Just gimme a sec. Quit bein' impatient, kay?" She nods, fully sitting up before knee walking out, stifled laughter trailing behind.
"Need any help over there, 'Wild Gun?'" I quietly call out, laughing alongside her for a moment.
"Ah, shut that yapper of yers. I'm not looking to be teased right now. I wanna sleep." She then pushes me, leaving immediately after.
I stare at Rye Cookie with an incredulous look, a breathless chuckle being forced out of me as I hit the ground with a light thud. Yeah, of course she'd pull something like that.
"...I really need to get to sleep now. Today was long enough, with that lightning challenge, Milky Way Cookie suddenly being... stolen away by her boss, and Licorice Cookie's elimination..." I sigh, stretching back in preparation to sleep.
"I'm just glad that Rye Cookie and I made it through another episode. There's also the massive problem of Affogato Cookie still being here, though. And given how the teams just merged, the chance of him trying to slither his way through our alliance is... high." My mind races, words spouting out and filling the otherwise silent tent.
Time passes, and a headache begins to materialize because of all my overthinking. Just... amazing. Now, it'll be incredibly hard to fall asleep, and then the next challenge will also be incredibly hard to get through.
"Alright, Caramel Arrow. Deep breaths. In... and out..." I whisper to myself as I inhale and exhale, eventually calming down after a few rounds of deep, focused breaths.
I then glance outside again, an idea forming in my head.
Maybe I could go and blow off some stream with my bow... it would help prepare me for whatever will happen tomorrow, as well...
Nodding my head, I make my way out of the tent, observing my surroundings. "There's... nobody awake. It is late, though. I suppose it makes sense. But still..." Now that I've realized how eerily quiet the area is, I try my best to make no sound whatsoever as I grab my bow.
Stealthily, I step into the forest, splitting my weapon into its dual-blade form so I can begin to clear the flora out of the way, resulting in just enough room to begin peacefully walking down.
Because of the lack of the usual chaos, the quiet sounds of nature—chirping birds, rustling leaves, and running water—becomes increasingly noticeable. I try my best not to focus on it, though. I need to remind myself that I'm here to train, not to birdwatch.
So I snap out of it, scanning the area until my eyes land on a tree in the middle of the path.
"There. That'll be my target. All I need is something to mark it with..." My voice trails off as I find a rock, a quiet "aha!" coming out of my mouth.
Once I pick it up, I walk over to the tree again, drawing a standard sized circle on it. My focus shifts to my weapon as I convert it back into a bow. Finally, I grab an arrow and put it in place, narrowing my eyes for more accuracy.
Then I let go, sending it into the tree with expert precision.
The force from my arrow causes it to shake slightly, a couple leaves falling to the ground.
"...damn." I wasn't really expecting that, and the widening of my eyes is proof. "Hmph. I should examine the damage. I seemed to hit it quite hard."
I take a few steps forward, a curious expression taking place of my surprise. I pull the arrow out of the tree, taking a closer look at its tip.
"Alright... it still looks fine," I poke the sharp end. "and it didn't dull at all."
A sigh escapes me as I move my hand over to the tree. From what I can tell, the bark isn't exactly fractured to an insane amount, but it's obviously much thicker than the dough of a Cookie, so it was still impressive. Not to mention how it hit the bullseye perfectly!
"...can't believe I've become this good with my bow. Even the most skilled archers would be surprised by it." I enthuse to myself, letting out an impressed laugh.
But it dies out just as fast as it began once I hear rustling from a nearby bush. I immediately fall silent, putting my guard up and loading my bow with another arrow.
"Who's there?" I spit out a whisper, cautiously inching my way over to the bush to investigate.
Am I overreacting...? It's probably an animal... I might be scaring it.
The rustling continues, but I lower my weapon instead of shooting. This island is a film set. There won't be anything that would crumble me. Well... maybe the jelly bees could, but...
That thought causes me to chuckle again, my hand going up to muffle it. Rye Cookie might be right; I'm being dramatic about the bees. I've been through much worse than getting stung by a silly insect.
Like when I was exiled from the Dark Cacao Kingdom. Sure, it didn't last all that long, but the feeling of not being trusted by those I held dear... really hurt.
And there's Affogato Cookie, of course. My temporary banishment was all his fault. I can't believe the producers of Last Cookie Standing even let that snake on here, much less two other Cookies of Darkness! They're the enemy!
I suppose it makes for some good reality television, though...
Throwing Cookies with already existing conflicts seemed like their strategy, given how Chili Pepper Cookie is here. Espresso Cookie and Madeline Cookie too. But their "conflict" is basically the kind that some old married couple would have. Yet they still refuse to admit that... its amusing.
I have no room to find it funny, though. I've gone through my share of denial, myself. Especially recently, but...–
Yeah, there's really no need for me to elaborate on that. I should be heading back to camp, anyway.
So I carefully put my bow back into its place and begin walking out of the forest, just a quiet as I was walking in.
Once back to my tent, I quickly place all of my things down and prepare to finally get some sleep. I start with taking my hair out of its ponytail.
"Ugh... no wonder I have such a headache; my hair doubles my weight at this point..." I grumble, suddenly letting out a soft yawn.
Maybe I'm more tired than I thought...
I scoff at myself. Sleep is 100% what I need right now. There's no need denying that anymore.
Speaking of denial, I really should try to sort out whatever my feelings for Rye Cookie could mean. What sort of feelings even are they? I'm not at all sure. It's been such a long time since I've had a friend like her. I can't tell platonic and romantic apart anymore. At all.
I'm getting lost in thought again...
I forcefully snap myself out of it.
Keep it together, Caramel Arrow. Focus on what's important.
Now that I've shifted my thoughts away from the previous topic, I inch my way into the sleeping bag given to me. My eyes shut once I'm enveloped in it, no hesitation whatsoever.