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Winds whispered their secrets from the coast to mountaintops. A forbidden language that no one on Earthbread would ever know.
Peace whispered alongside the wind, its joy surrounding all, a lingering warmth that ignored all suffering. A warmth that turned its eyes away from both Deceit and Truth.
The lands of spice and sugar felt its warmth, gazing into their eyes as it flew past. It went further, flowing through flour, yogurt, and jam.
To twirl loops through chocolate and pomegranate, never leaving one place untouched. To give a last kiss to bone and marrow, watch as it ruffled peach blossoms, as it left a lingering warmth to crystalline waters.
All until it settled into a bustling kingdom. One reawakened in its might with yellow colors and followers of the truth.
The Vanilla Kingdom was approuching spring, as animals came from all over Earthbread to graze upon the tall, unwavering grass.
It smelled of bread and spices of all forms under the roots and seeds of vanilla orchids and beans. Of jams with a hint of lingering warmth, of bread that soothed the soul.
Pure Vanilla Cookie breathed a sigh, a small smile gracing his lips as his staff blinked in his lap.
He was staring at the clouds—well, his staff’s eye was. Pure Vanilla paid no mind to it, as he breathed with the warmth surrounding him.
He observed clouds in the shape of jellies, of small cake hounds, and even ones that reminded him of a certain Beast of Deceit.
The thought of the other cookie made his smile grow larger, as small dimples appeared on each side of his tanned cheeks.
Over the past few months, Shadow Milk and he have been making…progress, so to speak. It wasn’t much, but he felt as if he understood the Beast a little more.
Ever since his Awakening, everything he did felt even more connected to the idea of Truth. He resolved that the light within him should not stay contained, but rather shared.
Truths are hard to swallow, and that is why those misunderstood minds fall into the hands of Deceit.
Yet, how can Pure Vanilla blame those who have lost their paths when he almost tasted the ambrosia that was Deceit?
He hummed, mind elsewhere, as his staff fluttered shut, as he opened his own.
Disfigured blobs of color surrounded him, everything appeared as vague shapes and shadows of their actual forms.
He noticed a white blob coming closer, the scuffle of hooves scratching the grass, growing louder as it trotted towards him.
A cream sheep, how wonderful to see one on such a lovely day like this.
The sheep belted near his face, nose smacking into him as he chuckled, “Ah, dear friend. It seems you need some petting. May I have the honor?”
The sheep belted again, almost nodding as it gently put its face into his hands. He petted the animal, his fingers ghosting over its pelt.
Yet what he chose not to focus on, however, was the odd blush-ish cyan markings on the sheep’s body.
Pure Vanilla kept slowly petting the sheep, his mind calming after a long week of reports of training Custard Cookie.
“If you wanted a hug, Shadow Milk, you can simply ask,” he smiles down at the sheep, as his comment makes the “sheep’s” head shoot up while wiggling away from Pure Vanilla’s grasp.
Pure Vanilla tried to ignore the cracking of joints and bones reshaping into a cookie-like shape.
The earlier sheep now becomes the mischievous cookie named Shadow Milk Cookie.
He shifted his gaze onto his staff, giving him a clearer view of the pouting cookie in front of him.
Shadow Milk had his arms crossed, a dusting of blue blush running from his cheeks to his pointed ears.
He started waving his hands around, extravagantly explaining his reasons, “I did not want a hug! Nope, nada, nilch! I simply—wanted to show dominance! Yes, I wanted the one and only Pure Vanilla Cookie to steep so low as to pet another cookie such as I!"
Shadow Milk leaps up, one leg raised as he floats above Pure Vanilla Cookie, a sharp-toothed grin lacing his face.
Pure Vanilla looked at the other cookie with amusement, “Oh, but of course, only a cookie like yourself deserves the best of treatment, no?”
Shadow Milk sputtered, quickly floating back down, “What! No—that is not what I meant, and you know it!”
Pure Vanilla laughs, simply basking in the beauty of making Shadow Milk stop in his tracks.
They both sat in silence, one with steam floating out of his ears, the other waiting for his response.
Shadow Milk scooted forward, legs in a crisscross as he leaned back and forth, “Okay fine!”
He raised his hands, eyes ablaze in both embarrassment and acceptance, “Yes, yes, I wanted a stupid hug, are you going to stand there like an idiot for the next millennia or will you give me one?!”
Seconds ticked by as Shadow Milk’s face morphed from defeat into shock at his proclamation, his hands twitching to cast a portal to run away from Pure Vanilla’s side.
Yet before he could do so, Pure Vanilla wordlessly opened his arms, watching as Shadow Milk all but leaped into the other cookie’s embrace.
The Beast quickly tried to regain his earlier confidence, “I’m only doing this because you looked like you wanted a hug. Not because I did, understand?”
Shadow Milk turned his face away from Pure Vanilla, burying it into his robes.
Pure Vanilla started to gently stroke his hair, the eyes under the Beast’s hair dilating with excitement as they shifted back and forth with joy.
He turned his face to whisper into the still-flushed ears, “Did you have a hard day, Bluebird? I’m here to listen if so.”
A few mumbles came from the lump of blue.
“Hm? I can’t hear you, can you repeat what you said?”
Shadow Milk lifted his head, the underside of his eyes gleaming with fake tears, “Can I not miss my other half anymore? Or did you curse me to feel an aching loneliness whenever you aren’t around?”
His mind jumped to one conclusion and grasped it in his hands like a lifeline, is Shadow Milk acting like this because of how busy he has been as of late?
Shadow Milk sighed, his shoulders hunched with the weight of abandonment gracing his soul.
“...” They both stared into each other’s eyes.
“I hate you.”
The wind tussles with Shadow Milk’s hair, making him look almost softer than clouds.
He looks divine.
“That’s okay.”
The lack of reaction made Shadow Milk seemingly shocked, “I hate you!”
Yet the blush on your face says otherwise.
Again, no reaction, just a simple huff and a smile, “Alright.”
Shadow Milk slammed his face into Pure Vanilla’s neck, hiding himself away once again.
“I really hate you, Nilly.”
How can one’s heart hate, yet seemingly love so much? A lie cannot be a lie when truth shines between its cracks.
Pure Vanilla sighs, raking his fingers through the cookie’s unruly hair once more, “I love you too, my dear.”
A loud screech of a wailing Beast rang through the meadow, a resounding smack! Of an embarrassed Shadow Milk repetitively hitting Pure Vanilla’s side.
Yet all Pure Vanilla could do was laugh, and laugh some more—his shoulder shaking as his face broke into a delighted smile.
He simply gave a small kiss to the Beast’s forehead, finally making Shadow Milk stop in his tracks, mumbling about unfair attacks against his heart.
“Sleep, Bluebird, I will watch over you.”
All he heard was a small mutter of an ‘okay’ as Shadow Milk shifted into a more comfortable position, his breath evening out.
Pure Vanilla felt a gust of wind almost knock his hat off, watching as the clouds moved faster with the wind trailing right behind.
Once the wind kissed the tops of their heads, moving fast with its duty done.
It grappled through mountain tops, shifting papers in windows, and brushing against every cookie in Earthbread.
Yet in the seclusion of one small meadow, Truth and Deceit sang hand in hand, soul jam in harmony, never to be separated again.