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“Oh, thank the Witches, we’ve finally made it! I thought we were going to crumble before we got here,” Hollyberry yelled, a wide smile plastered across her face. Beside her stood a less-enthusiastic Dark Cacao, who grunted in agreement, exhausted from the journey.
The two cookies had met each other between their kingdoms and traveled together most of the way to the Cookie Kingdom by train. Since they both despised sitting idly around, they got off a station early to walk the last portion of their journey. Somehow, they had picked the hottest day of the year to walk, and the last portion of their travels was more miserable than either cookie cared to admit.
But now, Hollyberry and Dark Cacao had finally arrived, albeit at an awkward time. This late at night, the streets were silent, and only a few houses were still lit. Hopefully, the kingdom had an inn where the weary travelers could rest for a few hours.
Walking into town silently, the two cookies made their way down rows upon rows of houses, glancing in every direction. Luckily, since the Cookie Kingdom wasn’t all that big, they were able to locate the inn without much trouble. Asleep at the counter was a red-haired cookie sporting a large cape and a black jacket. A half-empty (or half full?) glass of grape juice sat beside the dozing cookie.
Hollyberry chuckled, elbowing Dark Cacao in the ribs. “See, this guy knows how to have some fun! I can’t condone drinking on the job, but you gotta admire that level of commitment to relaxation.”
Dark Cacao rolled his eyes and cleared his throat, preparing to speak. “Hey, wait, I’ll wake him up,” Hollyberry blurted, waving her hands in Dark Cacao’s face. “We don’t need to give this poor cookie a heart attack on our first day here. Seeing as how my face isn’t stuck in a permanent scowl, I should probably be the first one he sees.”
Sighing, Dark Cacao stepped back. “I can make other expressions, you know. I choose not to contort my face in such peculiar ways.” He tried to demonstrate this statement by raising his eyebrows, but his face stayed almost exactly the same. Hollyberry burst out laughing, and Dark Cacao shot her a disappointed look. “Your sense of humor is… regrettable. You dare giggle at the reigning sovereign of the Dark Cacao Kingdom? The audacity of some cookies…” His sarcastic declaration made Hollyberry laugh so hard that the cookie at the counter awoke with a start.
Hearing the cookie stir, Dark Cacao and Hollyberry both glanced at him expectantly. “Ah, sorry about that,” he yawned, stretching and drowsily glancing up at the two cookies before him. His demeanor stiffened when he realized he was face to face with Hollyberry and Dark Cacao, two of the renowned ancient heroes. The startled cookie hastily explained, “I don’t normally sleep on the job… I just got a little bored, is all.” He flashed the two an awkward smile, his two fangs glistening under the dim light above the counter. “It’s an honor to meet you two.” Dark Cacao wasn’t paying attention to what the cookie was saying, but Hollyberry gave him a nod of approval.
“I’d fall asleep sitting there all night, too,” she smiled understandingly. “Can we get two rooms, just for tonight?”
“Yeah, just a second,” he nodded, turning around and running his fingers lightly along a wall of keys. He pulled out two adjacent to one another and handed them over casually. “You have to be out by noon tomorrow, I’m pretty sure.” The two cookies nodded and paid for their rooms. They drowsily stumbled up to their rooms, their weak limbs in desperate need of rest. Both of them passed out as soon as they got into bed and slept soundly throughout the night.
Dark Cacao awoke the next morning feeling unusually energized. To his surprise, he’d been so exhausted last night that he didn’t wake up countless times like usual. It was around ten o’clock now, and Hollyberry was likely still asleep after the arduous journey yesterday. If Dark Cacao left her to her own devices, she might sleep past noon.
Unwilling to venture out and greet Gingerbrave alone, Dark Cacao decided he would give Hollyberry another hour to sleep and then wake her up. He wasn’t particularly eager to socialize, but Hollyberry would at least make it bearable. Pushing himself up out of bed, Dark Cacao paced around his room quietly and combed through his hair with his fingers. He’d been too tired to change into nightwear before sleeping, but it would probably be wise to rummage through his bag for a clean outfit.
After getting changed, Dark Cacao wrestled his hair into a messy bun and brushed off any grass that he’d neglected to pick off his dough yesterday. He lifted his crown from the nightstand beside him and glanced at it judgmentally; it was in desperate need of polishing. Luckily, he had some time now to clean it up. He searched through a few drawers before locating a washcloth and dutifully scrubbed the dirt and grime away, careful not to cause any scratches or chips. He didn’t have the syrup he normally used to keep it shiny, but all that mattered right now was that it looked alright from afar.
By the time he was finished cleaning his crown, it was around eleven o’clock: time to wake up Hollyberry. Dark Cacao placed the ornament atop his head and took one final look in the mirror before hastily exiting his room. Luckily, Hollyberry was right across from him, so he didn’t have to walk far to get to her door.
“Are you awake, Hollyberry?” he knocked, trying to keep his voice low. A series of quiet scuffling noises arose from behind the door, as if somebody was frantically trying to get ready.
“Yeah, yeah, be out in a second,” Hollyberry yelled, her tone drowsy but enthusiastic. Dark Cacao heard a dull thump and a series of loud crashes before his friend emerged, her hair messy and her eyes full of energy.
“You certainly look like you slept well,” Dark Cacao commented, amused by Hollyberry’s disheveled appearance. Hollyberry flashed him a playful glare and patted her hair down absentmindedly. “You really couldn’t let me sleep in for a few more hours? Some of us need our beauty rest, you know. It seems you’re deficient, maybe you could learn a little something from me,” she grinned. Dark Cacao scoffed, rolling his eyes. “You are just jealous that I do not need excessive rest to look presentable.”
Hollyberry gasped in mock offense and lightly punched Dark Cacao in the shoulder. “You’re so mean, you know that?” she huffed, her smiling eyes betraying her pouty face. “Come on, let’s go down and let Gingerbrave know we’re here. I’m sure he’ll want to show us around.” In a mutter, she added, “...Wonder if they have good juice around here.”
Dark Cacao hoped for his own sake that they did not have good juice here. Hollyberry was a terrible influence, and he wasn’t about to get another violent hangover because of her. The two cookies exited the inn, noting with amusement that the cookie who had checked them in was fast asleep once again. Hollyberry trekked briskly ahead, an infectious energy in her steps. Dark Cacao trailed slightly behind her, trying his best to ignore the cookies who pointed him and Hollyberry out.
Luckily, it wasn’t hard to locate the Cookie Castle, with its impressive spires and position overlooking the kingdom. The two quickly made their way inside the unguarded structure and began asking anybody they came across about Gingerbrave’s whereabouts. Eventually, they were told he was probably in the banquet hall, socializing with anybody who wandered inside.
Finding the banquet hall should have been easy, but Hollyberry kept getting turned around in the castle, adamant that she could navigate competently without asking for directions. Dark Cacao was a lot better at finding his way through, but he enjoyed watching her get lost at every turn. It was almost impressive how good she was at finding the wrong way to go.
After about thirty minutes of wandering the castle’s halls, Hollyberry turned around to face her stoic friend, confusion plastered across her face. “This banner looks familiar. Really familiar. Have we been here before?” Hollyberry questioned, brow furrowed. Dark Cacao shrugged casually, but an amused twinkle in his eye betrayed his ignorant facade. There were only a few cookies that could have possibly picked up on such a minute change in the warrior’s expression, but Hollyberry was one of them.
“We’ve been going in circles, haven’t we,” Hollyberry sighed, exasperatedly pressing her palm to her forehead. “You were just gonna let me keep walking?”
Dark Cacao paused for a moment before reluctantly admitting, “...We have passed this banner at least four times. I would have stopped you, but I found your poor navigation entertaining.”
Hollyberry groaned dramatically and shot Dark Cacao a skeptical glare. “Fine. If you’re so good at finding your way through this maze, you lead the way,” she huffed, fighting the smile that threatened to creep onto her face.
Much to her dismay, Dark Cacao located the banquet hall within a couple of minutes. All he had to do was remember where Hollyberry went and go the opposite way.
“...you just got lucky,” Hollyberry laughed, a little embarrassed. “Maybe I was just testing your directional awareness, did you ever think of that?” she giggled as Dark Cacao glanced at her disappointedly. The two cookies stood in the doorway, surveying the small crowd before them. “Hey, look, there’s Gingerbrave,” Hollyberry pointed discreetly.
Gingerbrave was toward the center of the room, politely socializing with a large group of Cookie Kingdom denizens. He wore a simple black suit with a red bow tie, a refreshing change from his normal outfit (or lack thereof.) The brave leader’s laughter seemed contagious, and the group of surrounding cookies looked upon him with contentment and appreciation. Hollyberry glanced toward Dark Cacao, who stared at the floor miserably.
“Oh, come on, Dark Cacao. It won’t be that bad.” She stepped all the way into the room, grabbing her difficult friend’s hand and dragging him behind her. The small crowd parted as the two cookies made their way over to Gingerbrave. Dark Cacao quickly wriggled out of Hollyberry’s grasp, unwilling to be forced around, especially in front of all these witnesses.
“Gingerbrave, hey! Over here!” Hollyberry waved enthusiastically. Dark Cacao nodded at the young leader as he walked over, trying his best to suppress his natural scowl.
“Oh, hey there! Dark Cacao, Hollyberry, nice to see you guys here! I wasn’t sure if you two were going to make it.”
Hollyberry laughed powerfully, smiling at the cookie before her. "Dark Cacao and I were both very excited to see your kingdom’s progress for ourselves. It’s looking remarkable!”
Dark Cacao nodded, remarking, “This kingdom is young, but it has great potential.”
Gingerbrave smiled gratefully. “I appreciate it! It’s hard work keeping this kingdom afloat, but luckily I have my friends to help me out,” he exclaimed, gesturing to the large group of cookies scattered around him. “Oh, before I forget, I set aside some rooms in the castle for you both.” He pushed his hair back and straightened his bow tie casually. “I’ll show you to them in just a moment.”
After a brief pause, Gingerbrave added, “Also, I didn’t mention this in my letters to your kingdoms because I didn’t want to say anything before it was confirmed, but… Golden Cheese and Pure Vanilla made it here, too! I figured you guys might want to catch up while you’re here,” he smiled brightly, studying both cookies’ expressions.
Dark Cacao and Hollyberry were both pleasantly surprised. This vacation had given them a break from their responsibilities, but now they got to see their old friends, too! It was a great victory in every regard. The ancient heroes had all kept in touch through letters (except for Golden Cheese and White Lily, of course,) but it would be nice to talk face-to-face again. Neither cookie cared to admit it, but both Hollyberry and Dark Cacao felt a bit relieved that White Lily couldn’t make it. They still had mixed feelings about her role in Dark Enchantress’s creation.
Hollyberry pumped her fists in the air giddily. “Glad to hear it,” she beamed, her voice filled with excitement. “We really do need to catch up. We’ve all been so busy for so long!”
Dark Cacao nodded in agreement. “Yes, conversing without politics getting in the way will be refreshing. Thank you, Gingerbrave.”
“No problem!” Gingerbrave smiled, his eyes gleaming. “Let me give you a quick tour of the kingdom. Afterward, I’ll bring you to your rooms. You can stay for as long as you’d like, all I ask is that you spread the word about our progress here.”
“Will do,” Hollyberry affirmed. “I know many cookies who’ll be interested to hear about the prosperity of this kingdom!”
“I will as well,” Dark Cacao replied. “ What you’ve established here is very impressive so far.”
And with that, the cookies set off on a tour of the kingdom, built from ruins by Gingerbrave and his friends. The young cookie rambled on endlessly about each structure and decoration, but Dark Cacao and Hollyberry struggled to pay much attention to him. They were eager to see their friends, after all. After about an hour, Gingerbrave circled back to the castle, and both Hollyberry and Dark Cacao suppressed sighs of relief. They were finally free to roam as they pleased.
Gingerbrave led Hollyberry and Dark Cacao down a couple of hallways before stopping abruptly and turning to face them. “Here are your rooms,” he gestured to the two doors to his left and right. He handed the two cookies one key each, adding, “Golden Cheese and Pure Vanilla are right over there.” He pointed to two doors adjacent to Hollyberry's room. “If you need anything, just let me know!”
Dark Cacao nodded politely, and Hollyberry smiled. “Thank you, Gingerbrave!” she exclaimed as she unlocked her door.
“Of course! I hope you enjoy your time here,” Gingerbrave replied before turning around and leaving Hollyberry and Dark Cacao alone.
The two cookies wordlessly glanced at each other. The air was thick with hopeful anticipation and barely-contained joy. Dark Cacao and Hollyberry each moved to a door, hoping their fellow ancient heroes were still in their rooms. Dark Cacao raised his fist to knock on his door, but Hollyberry screamed straight into hers excitedly.
“Get outta there and come say hello to your old friend!” she belted, a wide smile plastered across her face. Dark Cacao knocked on his door and shot her a comically disappointed glare.
“I cannot take you anywhere,” he muttered teasingly, amused by her imprudent antics. Hollyberry smiled at him mischievously, chuckling.
Without warning, Golden Cheese burst through the door in front of Hollyberry. “You dare address the Golden Sovereign so informally?” she yelled, but the radiant queen had an equally radiant smile plastered across her face. Hollyberry pushed herself forward to hug her friend, overjoyed to see she was well.
Golden Cheese leaned into the hug, ecstatic to see her passionate friend. By the time Hollyberry let go, Pure Vanilla had emerged from his door, beaming at the sight of the three others gathered together. He’d caught up with Golden Cheese earlier, but he hadn’t seen Dark Cacao in a few months, and it’d been even longer since he’d had the chance to catch up with Hollyberry.
“My friends! It’s so good to see you all,” he exclaimed warmly, rushing in to lightly hug Dark Cacao before throwing himself into a much longer one with Hollyberry. After all, Dark Cacao wasn’t exactly partial to physical gestures of affection, and Hollyberry practically lived for them.
Hollyberry laughed heartily, her eyes misty. “It’s been too long, Pure Vanilla, Golden Cheese,” she nodded, heart ecstatic at the sight of her closest friends. Dark Cacao wasn’t capable of seeming nearly as excited as the other three cookies, but he smiled slightly, his gaze warm.
“Have you two eaten yet?” Hollyberry asked Pure Vanilla and Golden Cheese after pulling away from the hug. “We should all go out to lunch, me and Dark Cacao still need to find something to eat.”
Pure Vanilla shook his head. “I was just about to go get something, that sounds perfect!” His eyes twinkled with an infectious joy.
Golden Cheese replied, laughing, “I could always go for something to eat. Where to?” She stretched her golden wings nonchalantly and yawned, brushing her hair back with her fingers to distract the others from her embarrassingly large smile.
Hollyberry looked toward the other two cookies, who both shrugged indifferently. “It can’t be that hard to find something. Let’s walk around town until something catches our eye! I’ll lead the way,” she started, but Dark Cacao interrupted.
“If you lead the way, we will be searching until sundown, Hollyberry.” He turned to face Golden Cheese and Pure Vanilla and explained, “She spent half an hour trying to find the banquet hall on her own instead of asking for directions. I would prefer not to collapse from exhaustion before I sit down to eat.”
Hollyberry elbowed Dark Cacao playfully, blushing in embarrassment. ”Yeah, yeah,” she waved nonchalantly, “maybe I just felt like walking around the castle a little bit.” Pure Vanilla chuckled, and Golden Cheese rolled her eyes, amused by Hollyberry’s serious tone. “And even if I did initially get lost, this place is like a maze. I’m sure outside will be better.”
Golden Cheese and Pure Vanilla both glanced at each other, amused. Dark Cacao wasn’t normally so willing to joke around. Perhaps Hollyberry had broken their stoic friend down during their travels.
“I don’t trust you,” Golden Cheese told Hollyberry, narrowing her eyes. “I’m sure I can fly around and find something.” She paused for a moment before mumbling, ”...I went to a good place when I got here yesterday, I just have to find it again.”
Golden Cheese energetically led the four heroes out of the castle and into the street, where she took to the open sky. “Wait here, I’ll be back in a moment,” she yelled over the powerful flapping of her golden wings, gleaming in the sunlight. Her jewelry reflected the light in a way that was almost blinding to any cookie who was unfortunate enough to stand below.
Dark Cacao and Hollyberry shielded their eyes as the radiant queen flew away, but Pure Vanilla just gazed ahead wistfully.
“It’s so good to be back together again, isn’t it?” he smiled, breathing in the fresh warm air. Dark Cacao muttered in agreement, and Hollyberry patted Pure Vanilla on the shoulder gently.
“Yeah, it certainly is. How have you been?” Hollyberry asked, curious.
“Ah, you know, I’ve been busy. Preparing for the expedition to Beast-Yeast has taken up most of my time… We’re planning on departing within the week.”
Hollyberry nodded, ignoring the slight sickness she felt in her stomach. Beast-Yeast was dangerous, but she was sure Pure Vanilla and the rest of the small expedition party could handle themselves. Still, it seemed too soon to go somewhere so risky.
“I cannot stand waiting idly by while you risk your life in Beast-Yeast,” Dark Cacao groaned, discontent. “I would prefer to go there myself."
“Still so eager to jump into battle, I see. It'd be unwise to go on the first expedition when you have a kingdom to rule,” Pure Vanilla smiled understandingly. “Although, I suppose that does sound a bit hypocritical of me. I just can't ask Gingerbrave and his friends to risk their lives without doing anything to aid them.”
Hollyberry and Dark Cacao both sighed in unison, but now wasn’t the time to argue about this. As Hollyberry opened her mouth to reprimand Pure Vanilla for his infuriating selflessness, Golden Cheese descended back down into the group, her hair messy from the wind.
“I’ve found this place called the Jampie Diner. It’s only a short walk away. Follow me!” Without any further instruction, Golden Cheese speedily flew off, leaving the other three chasing after her. Hollyberry grabbed Pure Vanilla’s hand and dragged him through the market, avoiding any obstacles he might’ve hit because of his poor vision. Dark Cacao trailed behind them, panting. Running was not his strong suit, especially in the summer heat.
The cookies mingling throughout the market frantically got out of Golden Cheese’s way, pointing out the spectacle to others around them. A couple of chuckles erupted from marketgoers as they looked upon the three ancient heroes frantically chasing after Golden Cheese like schoolchildren in a game of tag.
“Hey, slow down!” Hollyberry yelled, equal parts amused and embarrassed by her friend’s recklessness.
Golden Cheese heard Hollyberry and stopped in her tracks, whipping around to see her and Pure Vanilla dragging far behind. Nonchalantly, she looked around at the market spectacle she’d caused and shrugged, casually walking back over to her panting friends. Hollyberry groaned exhaustedly, and Pure Vanilla wobbled on his feet. Nearly thirty seconds later, Dark Cacao caught up to the group and put his hands on his knees, wheezing.
“Look at that, Golden Cheese, you nearly crumbled Dark Cacao!” Hollyberry yelled, patting her friend on the back.
Dark Cacao quickly muttered, “...I am fine,” before pushing himself back up and wiping the sweat off his brow. “It would not have hurt to travel at a normal speed, though.” He glared at Golden Cheese, still panting.
Golden Cheese rolled her eyes. “The Golden Sovereign waits for no one,” she stated promptly, but added apologetically, “I forgot how slow you all are.”
Once the three cookies had ample time to recover, they continued forward, this time in a group. Golden Cheese stayed planted firmly on the ground, careful not to go too fast for her flightless friends.
After a few minutes of walking, the four cookies made it to the Jampie diner. They were led to a quaint booth and given menus by an anxious-looking cookie in a pink hoodie. Hollyberry recognized her as Strawberry, one of Gingerbrave’s friends. Before the timid cookie could say anything, Hollyberry greeted her with a grin.
“Strawberry, good to see you! What are you doing here?” Hollyberry gave her a reassuring nod, and Pure Vanilla also turned to smile warmly at her. She seemed a little more at ease after being recognized by the two, although Dark Cacao and Golden Cheese both sank into their seats. Neither of them really remembered if they’d met this cookie before.
“..Oh, hello, uh… Gingerbrave suggested I work here to get out of my comfort zone a little…”
Pure Vanilla nodded understandingly. “How do you like it?” he asked, hoping to hear a little bit from the particularly quiet cookie.
“Ah, it’s alright… I think it’s growing on me.” Eager to leave the four alone, she added, “I’ll be back in a couple of minutes so you can order.”
Strawberry started to walk away, but stopped and turned back around to add, “By the way, there’s a place right across from here that has really good juice. We don’t serve any here because we can't compete…”
Then, she left, giving the other four some time to look at the menu. As soon as she left, Hollyberry glanced at Dark Cacao mischievously. “I know where I’m going after this, you coming with me?”
Dark Cacao groaned dramatically. “Hollyberry, you are going to crumble me. Remember what happened last time we went out drinking?”
She did remember him drinking a lot more than he probably should’ve and hurling into various types of foliage throughout the night. Whoops.
“You’re no fun, old man.” She elbowed him in the side, and Pure Vanilla shot her a look from across the table.
“I sometimes forget how much of a terrible influence you are,” Pure Vanilla laughed. He added with a hint of surprise, “You got Dark Cacao to go out drinking with you again? The most responsible cookie here, and you’ve corrupted him.” The compassionate healer sighed playfully, and Golden Cheese nodded in agreement.
“You must be careful. I can’t imagine what would become of this world if we had two of you, Hollyberry. Probably worldwide juice shortages,” she said, chuckling rowdily as she carefully folded her wings to fit into her seat. “Even my divine radiance could not contain any more of you, I’m afraid.”
Hollyberry crossed her arms huffily and narrowed her eyes at the two cookies across the table. “You’re both so mean,” she whined playfully. “I am a great influence. One look at my son and granddaughter will tell you that much!”
Golden Cheese scoffed. “I’m pretty sure you just got lucky,” she retorted, glancing down at the menu. The other three cookies followed suit, remembering why they’d come to the Jampie diner in the first place.
After a couple of minutes, Strawberry returned to take the four cookies’ orders. The food came out much quicker than expected, much to Hollyberry’s delight. She promptly began wolfing down her candy spaghetti with the enthusiasm of a true warrior. Golden Cheese delicately picked at her fancy jellybean meal, all the while eyeing everybody else’s food. If she hadn’t been in public, she probably wouldn’t have eaten in such a…sophisticated manner. The radiant queen was impressed with her own restraint.
Her mouth full, Hollyberry giddily mumbled, “This is some good pasta.” She was a very messy eater, so her face was covered in sauce. Pure Vanilla wordlessly handed her a napkin from across the table, entertained by her comically poor etiquette. He picked at his omurice, admiring the scene unfolding before him. If only White Lily could have made it, then everything really would have been complete.
Golden Cheese smirked at Hollyberry, who was almost done eating already. “Ah, I see you’ve saved a snack for later,” she teased, picking a stray noodle out of Hollyberry’s hair.
Pure Vanilla stifled a laugh, and Dark Cacao sighed in exasperation. “I fear my reputation will be tarnished if I am seen around you,” the bitter cookie chuckled as he swirled his spoon around in his jelly stew. He had a preference for less sweet things, but this meal was adequate.
Hollyberry swallowed before retorting, “Yeah, well, my kingdom would kick me out if they saw me hanging around such a killjoy.” Golden Cheese laughed so hard she choked on her bite of food, and she had to hit herself in the chest a couple of times before the food dislodged from her throat.
“First, you get Dark Cacao drunk, and now you’re trying to crumble Golden Cheese?” Pure Vanilla questioned, laughing heartily. “Very suspicious. I’m going to have to keep an eye on you,” he smiled, playfully waving his staff in front of Hollyberry’s face. She placed her hand over the eye, blocking Pure Vanilla’s vision.
“I’m going to do all sorts of evil things while you’re not looking,” she grinned mischievously. Pure Vanilla gasped dramatically, and Golden Cheese wheezed in amusement. Dark Cacao rolled his eyes.
“The creatures of Beast-Yeast will have to step aside so you can commit your heinous crimes,” Dark Cacao deadpanned, feigning a traumatized stare. Hollyberry picked up her unused butter knife and waved it menacingly around his face.
“You know what?” Golden Cheese blurted, grinning, “I think Hollyberry should foot the bill to pay for the trauma she’s caused us all. You know, make amends. Look at poor Dark Cacao over there, he’s going to need therapy after this.”
“You’re just saying that because you don’t wanna pay for your fancy meal, you greedy bastard,” Hollyberry yelled, laughing so hard the entire booth shook.
“So what if I don’t? Win-win, you see. Dark Cacao gets to pay for his therapy, and I get a free meal,” Golden Cheese waved her hand nonchalantly.
“I am certain I could afford therapy without Hollyberry’s… generosity, Golden Cheese,” Dark Cacao chuckled lightly. He quickly added in a lower voice, “...not that I would ever need it, of course.”
Hollyberry and Pure Vanilla both whipped their heads toward him in a rather unsubtle manner. Luckily, before the conversation could take a less pleasant turn, Strawberry came to take their plates. She gave the four cookies their total, and they just split it evenly instead of paying for individual dishes to appease the perpetually greedy Golden Sovereign. It wasn’t like money was a concern for any of them, anyway.
The four cookies left the diner feeling satiated and full of energy, ready to walk around the kingdom and talk more about their lives over the past few decades. They were all keen on staying together until sundown; there was so much to be said.
Unfortunately, Pure Vanilla made the terrible mistake of taking his eyes off Hollyberry for a second too long. Before anybody could react, she dashed toward the juice bar like a rabid animal, eyes twinkling. Golden Cheese glanced at Pure Vanilla and Dark Cacao apologetically before darting after her impulsive friend in a golden blur.
“We may as well, right?” Pure Vanilla sighed, shrugging. “It can’t be that bad.” To go out drinking on a Tuesday afternoon with Hollyberry was practically a death sentence. But Pure Vanilla didn’t care. He was marching into battle next week; it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he let loose for a little while. Dark Cacao shook his head in protest, but the compassionate cookie was already halfway to the bar. He begrudgingly followed, not willing to be left alone.
Needless to say, Hollyberry, Golden Cheese, and Pure Vanilla had a wild afternoon. Since Dark Cacao was still unwilling to drink after last time, he just made sure nobody did anything too stupid. Watching the other cookies fool around was ample entertainment for him anyway. At the end of the day, being a chaperone for his three favorite idiots wasn’t the worst thing in the world. As long as he was with his friends, he was content.