Chapter Text
“And that's it for today, my seekers! Farewell!”
A cookie clad in white and gold loudly states with vigor.
He lowers his raised hand after the seekers of truth filter out.
“Now, to clean up..” he says with a huff, placing his hands on his hips.
His starry hair flowing behind him — tied up at the bottom with a star shaped hair clip.
His long tail flicks in displeasure, looking similar to his hair.
He plants his feet on the ground, his heels clinking against the tile.
As he readies himself to clean he hears the sound of someone busting open the door.
“Ah, look who finally arrived!” He says excitedly as a darkly dressed cookie with his face shadowed by the large black pointed hat he's wearing enters.
He glares at the starry haired cookie with a grimace.
“Ah, Truthless Recluse, you are a sight for sore eyes!” says the starry haired cookie.
“Sage of Truth…” Truthless Recluse mutters with disgust.
“Unfortunately, my friend, I have no time for your little truth, no truth debates!” the Sage of Truth responds, adjusting his large elaborate collar.
Truthless Recluse lets down his black crow wings glaring at the Sage as the wings on the sides of his head flap softly in anger.
Furrowing his brow — “What's the matter..?” Softly, the Sage asks.
“I need your help. Don't bother about your book.” The Recluse bluntly states — practically demanding.
“Oh? You need my help!? Ha! That's a first. Are you finally warming up to me? How sweet!”
The Sage teases.
“Do not test me, Sage.” The recluse growls. “This is a matter of importance, it is absolutely not a game. I request you refrain from treating it as such.” He explains sternly.
“Oh wowie i- — someone's rather serious today. Well, do tell. What requires such a serious outlook?” The Sage asks.
“Well, it's not easy to explain. But, no explanation is needed in my personal opinion. I need you to assist me in making somewhere safe to hide for approximately a week.” Truthless Recluse requests.
“That — that is a rather odd and highly specific request, my friend. Did you perhaps get entangled with the wrong crowd again?
I did warn you not every cookie is open to your world view.” The Sage says, crossing his arms.
“My world view is just better than painful bitter truths.. I've informed you — “that it will only be my undoing? Yes, yes Truthless Recluse, I am well aware, we've had this exact argument many-a-time.” the Sage of Truth cuts him off.
His tail curled around his leg.
“What do you require for this “safe place to hide”..?” He asks, moving his arms to place one his hip and the other to hang by his side.
“Pillows. Lots of them.” Truthless Recluse answers.
A faint look of desperation on his otherwise emotionless face.
“If you wanted to build a pillow fort you can just say it..” the Sage of Truth chuckles, bringing a hand to his mouth to laugh into.
“It's more just a pillow pile in a secluded room. Not exactly a pillow cave and no..” the recluse shakes his head.
“It's embarrassingly more complex. I did not get myself into any wrong crowds — not this time..” he states.
“Oh? Well, that's new..normally when you ask me to hide you, it's because you angered a mob of cookies. Though there was that one time there were angry cakehounds. I'm still unsure how you ticked off such cutie pies!” the sage recounts, squealing when he remembers the cakehounds.
The recluse sighs before just stating his demands again.
“Alright, alright! Someone's been rather bossy lately, just yesterday you were demanding an unnatural amount of food. Are you preparing for hibernation in spring? Or is it something else..
I'm naturally rather curious and you are a cookie of many, many… many secrets.” The sage asks.
“As if I would just tell you. Do you take me for some sort of moron…?” The recluse responds, a hint of anger in his words.
“Fine, it's quite alright! I'm just worried about you, bud.” The sage assures before floating off to create the pillow pile.
“Make sure the softest are on the top!” The recluse calls out to him.
Eventually after waiting about an hour within the lecture hall of the sage's place of truth. Akin to a church in a way.
His leg was bouncing nervously.
His nails in his mouth, gently chewing on them.
His wings puffed up, feathers on all ends like the hairs on the back of his neck.
He glances over as the Sage of Truth returns, hands tucked behind his back, layered over his the base of his long tail.
“Ah! There you are, hello my recluse!” The sage says with a little wave.
“I actually finished a while ago but I got distracted by a book I thought I lost. Oh well, it's done now! Go enjoy your “safe place to hide”..” as he finishes the recluse instantly stands up and runs off, presumably to the room.
“My.. he's acting rather strange..” the sage muses.
“He is a bit of a liar.. I should make sure there isn't secretly an angry mob..” he mumbles in anger before going to check for said angry mob — luckily, there was none.
He sighs, turning away from the turning — closing it upon re-entering.
He walks to the room Truthless Recluse is hiding in.
Watching him curled up on a pile of pillows.
He saunters over and sits next to him. His tail gently swishes and flicks with happiness, like a dog.
He gives him a comforting smile.
Truthless Recluse raises his head to look at him, having removed his large hat and poncho-cape combo.
All he had on now was his black robes with gold trims and threads on the gown.
His wings sat weakly down by his sides.
So did his ear wings and tail feathers.
He gently crawled over and rested his head on the sage's shoulder, looking overwhelmed by something.
“What's the matter, my friend?” The sage asks, gently taking his hand and caressing it, his powder blue paws wrapping around his tan dough.
“I'm fine.” Truthless Recluse mumbles — his lip wobbling.
“Well, that's certainly a lie. Your odd request and now this? Something is amiss. Tsk! You can't lie to me! I'm your bestest friend, I know you better than you know yourself!
The sage says with a pout.
He gently pulls him close and begins to cup the recluse's cheek. His scraggly blonde hair strands seeping into the gaps between his claws.
“Just tell me..” he pleads.
Truthless Recluse bites his own lip — scoffing upon gathering his thoughts.
“Fine.” He bluntly huffs.
“Well.. you see. I'm sure you've heard of the recent anomaly.. right?”
He asks in a low cold voice.
“Oh! Cookies with strange extensions of sex? It's quite a curious anomaly.. I wonder when it started occuring, I've only done some research in it!”
The sage explains cheerfully.
“....I kind of don't want to tell you now….” The Recluse grumbles. Eye twitching.
“Aww~ why not!? Oh! Wait, are you apart of this anomaly? Is that why?” The sage asks, The look on his face becoming giddy.
A long pause weighs between the two.
The recluse glares with a look of judgement.
The sage with one of innocence.
The faint sounds of their breaths is all that fills the air.
You could almost hear a feather drop — it was that quiet.
It's suddenly broke by Truthless Recluse's shaky voice — breaking the thick silence — the air so tense you could cut it with a knife.
“I… I — am…” he utters softly.
“You see, the anomaly has 3 different versio—” “omega, alpha and beta! I believe I'm a bit myself! May I ask, which are you?” The sage butts in.
“I'm sorry, what? You cannot just state that..” The recluse sputters.
“Well, last year remember when I simply could not bring myself to be around you? I felt so strange! I thought I was sick but whenever I saw you, something about you drove me crazy! My thoughts ran wild with … inappropriate intent. I wanted to grab you, hold you, ravish you! But in a rather desperate — almost violent way.
It's like you awoke something in me! Then after a week all those weird feelings and urges went away, so did my strange symptoms of illness.
I hated it. I don't want to harm you.. I was scared of myself..” the sage admits.
“At first, I believed I should distance myself from you. But upon learning about the anomaly. My mind is now at ease, I believe I might be an alpha!”
This revelation only further adds to the concern and shock on the recluse's face.
“.. you should avoid me for a week then.. I'm an omega..” the recluse explains. “I'll ignite that insanity into you again my l—” “I adore your worry but~ I figured out a fail-safe! You see! I'm a shapeshifter! With some testing using replications of these things called pheromones. Which were replications of your scent at that time. So vanilla with a hint of alcohol and sweet flowers.
I found out if I shift my secondary sex to be a beta, I don't get weird urges. In fact! The only urge I get is one to help you.. so please, let me help you. I assume this “safe place to hide” is actually a nest to quell your mind.
I don't know much about what you'll go through or every little nuance of your experience but I want to be here for you.
Massage you, feed you, preen you. Whatever it takes to make you feel comfortable.” The sage says.
The recluse huffs. “Alright..” he answers to the sage's requests.
“You helped me make somewhere to relax but could you also make room cooler. I too will have those feverish symptoms.” He explains.
“You see, at that same time you had your bad thoughts, I was also going through something. But it was weird.. I'm not sure how or if I want to explain it.” He says.
“That's understandable! You rest up, I'll be back with blankets, the air conditioner, more pillows and most importantly, cold drinks.
I'll cancel my preaching for the week, you are far more important to me than that silly babbling. I'll be back.”
Eventually as night fell upon the peak.
Preening his wings gently he slept, the sage looked on at the recluse with a gentle look.
Combing through his fluffy black feathers, a gentle rustle as he did so.
In a soft voice he uttered “I love you..” bringing his lips to the feathers.
“I'll take care you, my recluse.”