Chapter Text
One second she was dissipating, her crumbs scattering along the wind current from her dear friends' gaze.
The next, her body reincarnated her exact self into a different place.
Her eyes fluttered open, the coldness of concrete causing her arise. The sun hit hotly at her skin as she shakily sat upright. Her hands automatically felt around the ground, senses crashing into her. She looked around. The blur was fading, forming shapes into ancient scenery with villagers from several millennia ago, living their typical life walking around and doing farmwork or whatever. Lily was odd among them.
"Are you okay, miss?"
"Is everything alright?"
"Goodness, what happened?"
Worried voices called out to her,a crowd was forming.
The mumbling of many filled her disoriented mind. Some shocked, some concerned, others laughed at her cruelly. It was all distorted, only the ringing overlapping them all clear as day. She hadn't even realized her body hit the floor until she woke up again.
She could hear own heart in her ears now—uneven beats that slowly adjusted to the second chance that was given to her. Soft chirps of morning birds made her awakening quiter. Another weak lift of her eyelids and fog entered her lenses again. Her pupils drifted to look at the fuzzy room she was in. Rough shape of the outside, must've been a balcony; a rich, dark brown rectangle—wardrobe. She finally took a breath, sunken in lungs expanding and giving her jam oxygen once more.
I..
I'm alive..
Her first thought chimed in.
Her eyesight cleared. She laid in a heavily detailed, Victorian-styled queen bed with splashes of blue, gold and white and same wooden material as the dresser. That theme was spread around every crevice of the room. There was a old school makeup station with personal belongings of that same blue and plantlife such as vines wrapping at wherever. This bedroom screamed royalty, the walls themselves were to flex, too.
Her hand singularly squeezed the sheets below that silk, reflective blanket, they were thick and cozy, that brought a calm to her. She turned her head, there really was a balcony. And it wasn't small either. The railing had actual gold imprints and some imbedded sapphires in there as well. She wondered what cookie could have such decorations, they were not common that's for sure. She flinched upon hearing a door creaking open from her other side.
Her head still spun, but she wasn't stupid.
That was definitely the Fount of knowledge.
He came out, massaging his temples, barely off the ground. Galactic icing fell on his shoulders, sparkling like a patch of space taken right from its source. Robes scrunched but still looking as perfect. And his expression blank, but still depicting some kind of emotion—exhaustion. He floated towards one of the cabinets, which she took as a chance to peek from where he came from. The room was his personal office, it was evident from the mess of paper stacks and just entirely looking something far different from a convenient work station. A misorganized deity? Sounded alot like her. Not the point though.
How in dough's name did she get here?
Admittedly, she was caught off guard seeing her principal—shadow milk! And why was she in a nightgown?
A million questions haunted her..
I mean, that was his job after all, giving answers and truths to pondering cookies. But she doubted that he knew why she was in the past, let alone ALIVE.
He didnt seem fazed by her presence, as if he was straight up ignoring her. Anyway, her hair was unbraided and strangely untangled. She always have curls that stuck to each other when undoing it. Maybe he somehow undressed her?... That's...
Her voice cracked as she spoke.
".. Where am i?"
He slowly turned around, meeting her eyes with those familiar heterochromatic eyes, slit pupils sharpening even more.
"In my bed chambers, i dont have any spare bedrooms since i don't host visits to the castle."
No wonder, it reeked of him. Both of their scents were quite strong, actually, so there was an active war in their nostrils. His voice was also so steady, calm and monotone, as if he were robot. That, including the way he moved and acted, all the more emotionless. He was currently fiddling with scrolls, continuing the conversation with minimal interest.
"Do not worry about your physical state, i used magic to change you so I didn't peep."
That was good, very respectful of him.
"Your wear is odd, what trend from where are you following? Actually, where are you from?"
"I'm.. It's not-um-necessarily from your time.."
He blinked.
"Pardon?"
She backtracked.
"Oh! - i didn't mean it like tha—"
"You're from another time?"
He interrupted, rushing to approach. She tensed up, grasping at whatever her hand was on. He glided towards the bed, sitting at her side with significant distance with persistence. His eyes read curiosity for the first time she'd encountered him, the same curiosity she possessed.
"Are you from the future?"
He questioned straightforwadly.
"uh.."
"But of course..i can feel the power of his souljam coursing through you. Are you one of the new vessels for our virtues?(he sighs) I know.. it must've been a total disaster after our corruption, you're probably terrified of me—"
"No..!"
He paused after her sudden denial.
Goodness she was seeing more of herself in him by the minute.. The rambling, neverending thirst for knowledge, curiosity higher than any self centered king's ego—intriguing.
He asked about the events the future held, she reluctantly explained but left out grave details that could affect time ahead.(their battle, the dark flour war, etc etc)
"You studied at my academy?"
He asked, surprised.
"Yes.."
"Do folks still study there after you left?"
"No.."
"Are my records intact?"
She thought for a moment.
"I..dont remember coming across any, though I've read most of your books with my childhood friend."
"And who may that be?"
Odd question.
"... Pure vanilla cookie, your other... future halve."
"I see.."
He glanced at his souljam on his key-staff, that blank face peeking through.
"You alright?"
Her voice naturally softened.
He didn't answer her for a few seconds, shook from the new information and the concern for him all together.
"I'm..fine."
The silence after that was ephemeral, but felt much longer. She looked around again—there were a few different mini rooms for basic essentials.
"Do you have an dining hall?"
She broke the pause.
It took him a while to respond.
"Mhm..i assume you're hungry enough to ask me that."
She laughed, bringing upon a small curve of his lips.He got up and flew out of the room with a new calm he hadn't seen in a while, how nice.
Minutes later, he came back with a foodtray full of delicacies and other goodies she's read about that cookies made during the Virtue era. She'd never thought she could ever try them, what a dream come true! He placed it on her lap because of her still-weak muscles.
"Thank you..!"
"You're very welcome."
He still kept that smile.
The atmosphere around him felt much warmer now and he seemed to be much more comfortable with her. One tiny problem though..
"Wait, I never got your name."
"Oh! Forgive my manners, It's White Lily cookie."
He hummed.
"That explains it a bit."
"Explains what?"
"You smell awfully of lilies, you also have many flowerly characteristics from my observations."
He compliments cookies a bit differently.
"I hope the scent isn't too strong.."
"It's nice. No worries."
She nodded sheepishly and picked up one of the pastries to take a bite out of. He watched her eat, fascinated. Virtues don't have needs like food or sleep since their bodies ran on the souljam's radiance, but some of them still choose to eat and lounge like everyday cookies. Fount rarely engaged, he had duties and duties must've been fulfilled, even at midnight. But the way her face brightened from the taste of the food, he..wanted to try some too.
"May I try one?"
She was just gonna eat another one and offered it to him instead.
Without hesitation (and spacial awareness), he gently clamped his hand around her wrist, bringing the dessert up to his face. It had a immaculate taste, some of the flour got on his lips which he licked off, accidentally showing off fangs and a pointed tongue.
White lily was speechless, fluster suddenly knocking at her door. Her hand stayed frozen, his clawed one pressed skin and let go.
"It really is delicious.."
He mumbled to himself through chewing.
She shook her head after coming to her senses and looked away, alwhile putting the sweet back on the tray, she was pretty full already. Fount was not aware of how intimate that was, or maybe she just felt like that cause' she's read too many romance novels.
"Is everything okay, White Lily cookie?"
"Y-yeah.."
*Pause.*
"..You could also call me Lily for convenience."
He glanced at the lily wrapped around her head.
"Lily...hmm"
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Nightfall arrived.
The guardian hadn't come out of the bed from fount's insistence for more rest. So, she entertained herself by him bringing her newer works of his still in progress. Her head felt heavy after a while, slipping from her suppering hand until she fell into slumber's embrace. The scholar nearby scribbled away, he only noticed her sleeping state when her humming stopped. He got up from his chair to observe the sleeping lily.
A dim, warm yellow light had been on to ensure her comfort while she read in the dark. He turned it off, using his hair's glow to navigate around, even though he knew his room better than himself. The soft creek of the balcony door sliding thankfully wasn't enough to wake the light sleeper, he really needed some fresh air.
Stargazing was a hobby he enjoyed doing after long, grueling study and research sessions. Sometimes he'd also teach his students about the star constellations in the night sky, pointing and comparing with passion. Astronomy as a whole was his favorite topic, learning about things beyond the atmospheric barrier..
He exhaled, prompting his elbows on the intricately cut railing. He scanned the sky, pulsating dots of light appeared wherever he looked. Swirling colors of cold and warm tones swam across its premise underneath, he liked to imagine it as an artists' mind while painting. Much like the Flour of Volition—he loved her drawings. He kept a few framed ones on his academy's walls, pupils walk past them in awe every school day.
Cold air collided with his freezing dough, if he were laying facedown, you'd think he was dead by touch alone. And the warmness of Lily's skin felt so strange, he never really heeded the difference of his and others' skin temperatures. Maybe it was from the too much milk in his ingredients?
This break was taking longer than supposed to, he wanted to take a nap for once to ease his body, but the stranger lounging peacefully in his bed was making it a bit hard. That didn't mean he felt anything negavite towards her, it was actually really nice having someone by his side since he tended to isolate himself. He chose to slumber on his arm chair instead, it was cushioned and soft enough anyway
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White Lily woke up in a haze, rubbing her eyes as they adjusted to the dark. She didn't bother getting up from the comfortable bed, but upon seeing Fount murmuring and thrashing around she thought otherwise. She got up as fast as she could to investigate his distressed state. Stumbling, she snuck up on him, lightly shaking his body. He woke up in a cold sweat, gasping audibly.
"Witches-are you alright?"
She exclaimed.
"he-.. ugh.."
He grunted and grabbed at his head.
"I have a migraine.."
He groaned.
"Do you want cold water?"
Her voice quieted.
He nodded as her hand slowly guided him to lay back down. She walked to the restroom and filled a glass from the sink. Her hair was completely disheveled, luscious locks poking out from every direction like a balloon grazed her. She twisted the valve off and carefully rushed to his side.
"Here.."
She wrapped his fingers around the cup, making sure he didn't spill it on himself.
He gulped the liquid down, the coldness easing him a bit. She was quick for someone who had a terrible sleep schedule.
"Gosh.. Thank you."
He muttered.
"What happened?"
"Just...a nightmare, i can't recall how many times I've gotten it trying to sleep in peace."
He admitted, voice hoarse for whatever reason.
"Will you be able to rest for the rest of the night then?"
"...We'll see."
She sighed, not even getting reassurance, just an empty 'depends'. She chose to prioritize her own regain of energy and went back to bed. Was this gonna be a frequent happening every night she stayed here? Strange,"just a nightmare", but it looked much more horrifying than that from the outside, he just didn't want to admit it.
Shadow milk did always bottle his past and convinced himself and cookies that it was impossible to understand him. But she pried something out of him when discussing various topics, she saw it in his eyes. Those sharpened pupils rounded with the mention with one of his shared interests with her. She hated him for his crimes but she knew there was something behind the clown mask.
There's enough time for more discoveries.