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As Truthless lays on his bed, he grumbles and buries his face in his pillow. It wasn’t like he had anything better to do- Nor could he actually do something. His lower abdomen was on fire; or, rather better known as period pains.
He despised it. Due to his immortality, he only got his period once or twice a year, perhaps. But when he did get his period, it was stomach clenching, gut writhing, head pounding pain. Everything. Hurt.
“Fucking…” He groans and presses his hands harder to his stomach. “I swear to the fucking Witches-” He growls only for another wave of pain to hit harder, a bit of blood dripping onto the towel he’d laid beneath him. It was only the second day, and this mind bending pain would continue for a week, only deescalating on the last couple days.
He now bites the pillow he’s pressed his face in, screaming into it as blinks tears away from his eyes. Fucking Sage left him this morning- The man might’ve been the Fount of Knowledge, and now the Sage of Truth, but he was still so, so unskilled in comforting other cookies- It was in his nature to be blunt, and the recluse to be blunt-er, but nonetheless.
Sage left to teach his classes, but he did say he’d come back to the Spire sooner and not stay overtime. Blueberry Milk Cookie had the horrible habit of staying late and grading papers and helping students and then doing free lectures in the Square- He’d come back to the Spire of Deceit with eyebags and a little frown on his face till he got to collapse into bed beside the recluse.
They’d only been dating for a good eight months, and in that time the recluse hadn’t gotten his period; he’d thought it perhaps a blessing from the Witches.
Boy, was he thoroughly wrong.
Another wave and he bucks into the bed while hissing in pain.
Sage better fucking hurry home, and soon.
____
Meanwhile, the Sage of Truth had just finished his last class! He hummed to himself before packing away his supplies into a satchel. Students filter out of his class before placing their previous night’s homework in a pile on his desk. It was a poem he’d given out for the class to annotate and answer questions on. The poem “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley Cookie, one for the ages in the Sage’s opinion!
He glances slyly at the papers. Surely it couldn’t hurt to grade a few? If he didn’t he’d have double the workload for tomorrow… He stops that train of thought before it could leave this station and he huffs. No, no. He needs to head straight for the Spire of Deceit- his Recluse needed him! It was only nearing noon though…
His eyes flutter shut and he forces himself to take a step away.
Then, promptly spins on his heel and buries himself into grading.
It’s fine, he thinks. Recluse will be alright for a couple more hours.
____
A harrowing four hours later, Sage finally glances at the clock.
It was 3:30.
Shit, he thinks. Spent too long!
He slams his pen down and shoots up and hurriedly packs away his things. He puts his satchel on and rushes out after grabbing his staff and locking his classroom behind him. Even at this time, it’s rather early for him to be leaving the Academy grounds. But all that’s on his mind now is the Truthless Recluse.
He hopes his darling has been alright without him.
He hums before passing through the hallways, waving goodbyes to students and colleagues alike. The tiled halls of the Academy gleam in the afternoon light, shining on the walls creating a mosaic. He’d always found his Academy to be beautiful- And look at it! It is! He was the headmaster, a lecturer, and a teacher- Quite a step up from when he was the Fount of Knowledge! Instead of just answering questions, he was now paid to answer them- And look! So many cookies came to him now!
Pressing a hand to his mouth to quell the growing grin, he huffs a laugh. He readjusts his monocle and uses his magic to float. Yes, as Truthless insisted that he should be more active, he had the feeling today was important- He’d get a pass, right?
Floating now, he makes his way down the halls quite fast before reaching the entrance to the Academy. As he hovers out, he takes the road into the Square. It was still quite early, it’d be fine if he took a little time to check the Town Square, yes?
Floating down the cobbled paths, he pushes his satchel farther up his shoulder before he finally settles to contently hover. Upon his little journey, he turns, hearing a shuffling sound in the bushes. He raises an eyebrow so high it seems to travel into his hairline, but nonetheless moves forward to check what the commotion was.
He pries the bushes open, hands slightly scraping around thorns - thorns of all things! - before he sees what looks like a ball of white fluff. It sits on its haunches, looking slightly dejected. He sees the floppy ears and cream wool before he murmurs a sound close to awe. A Cream Sheep!
He smiles gently and reaches a hand downward, cupping the lamb’s snout and rubbing it softly. “Awh,” He says softly. “Aren’t you adorable?” He smiles as the sheep looks up and baahs quietly.
“Do you have no home, little one?” He asks, tilting his head and watching the lamb copy his actions. He snorts and picks up the Cream Sheep. “I have a friend- Hmm, no, partner is a better word, but he loves animals like you! I think he’d really like to see you, yes? Yes!” He laughs as the sheep just leans forward and bops its snout against his chin.
“Come now,” Sage grins. “Let’s go through the Square.” Glancing at his satchel then at his staff and the sheep in his hands, he waves his staff away before throwing things out of his satchel. Obviously they don’t fall; as he throws them, they disappear into his other realm. Once there’s enough space, he gently places the sheep in the large pocket. The lamb is a relatively small size, but its head pops out, bahing softly.
“Awhh… You are just too cute!” Sage coos and pats the sheep’s head. “Now. Let’s go!”
____
The Sage of Truth smiles as he walks through the marketplace, the lamb watching everything with wide eyes in Sage’s satchel. They pass various stalls, many selling wares, artefacts, and produce… His gaze lingers on a table with a cookie selling crystals. He didn’t believe in gemstones modifying your feelings -sounded like a load of bullshit to him- but he could be curious, couldn’t he?
He hums and floats to that stall, hands drifting over the rocks. The owner sees him and approaches with a saccharine smile. “The Sage of Truth! I never once imagined you’d peruse my stall!” She says, clasping her hands together and fluttering her eyes. She blushes faintly and waves a hand to her wares. “Please, if you need anything- Come to me,”
Sage tilts his head and gives a smile in return, oblivious to what’s going on beneath. “Thank you, my dear. Now, I suppose you don’t have a gem that takes away pain?”
“Oh! Are you in pain, my dearest Sage?” She smiles again before grasping his forearm and pulling him along to a table near the back. “Hmm… Let’s see… Ah! These here are what you’re looking for!” She nods to the table but strangely doesn’t release her grip on his arm.
The Sage looks over the gems, and immediately, a habit he can’t kick from once being the Fount of Knowledge, the names of the gemstones come to him. Amethyst, Rose Quartz, Clear Quartz, Lapis Lazuli, and Black Tourmaline… That last one… “I’ll take a necklace of Black Tourmaline, please.” He smiles and grasps the object he’d been looking for.
“Oh, of course!” The owner grins and reads the tag before looking at Sage and winking. “A discount for our lovely Virtue will be in order,” She says. “That’ll be… Ah, let’s say thirteen gold coins?”
Sage has a mini heart attack at the price but nods, summoning a portal to his other realm he pulls out a coin pouch. Yes, he did have much money- he… just kept most of it in the Spire of Deceit. He’d only recently moved there, so most of his possessions were in his room at the Academy… But he put all his funds at the Spire… He only had what was in the pouch. Counting quickly, he sighs in relief and gives the owner the money owed.
The owner grins once more and gives the necklace to the Sage. Sage smiled and moved to float out of the stall, but the woman grabbed his arm again. She still had that… Smile, on her face… The lamb in his bag let out a small ‘bahh’ and she looked down. She tuts before looking back at the Sage of Truth. “Oh… Why don’t you stay here for a while? I see you’ve got a little lamb…” Her grip on his arm becomes crushing and Sage wriggles in her grip.
“Ma’am- Please let me go, I need to go home-”
“Oh, but can’t you stay for just a little longer?” She pouts.
“N-No, my partner is waiting for me-” The woman’s expression immediately sours and she hisses.
“Just stay here, goddamnit. Who could be better than me right now?” She’s back to smiling.
Sage jerks back and he gets chills. “The Truthless Recluse,” He says after a moment, eyes sharp now as he observes the owner.
She flinches back before laughing, “Oh, whatever could you see in the hermit? Now, you should stay right here with me-”
Sage scowls and tries to back away but the woman pulls him closer. She’s remarkably strong, and his arm hurts from where her nails dig in. She blinks innocently and smiles again, trying to charm him.
“Let. Me. Go.” He says, voice firm.
“Darling, why don’t you stay- We’d be such a nice couple-”
Those were the last words she said before she was slapped.
A red, angry mark appears on her cheek, one that’d bruise.
She immediately releases the Sage, hand coming up to clutch her cheek.
“You… Why you…!” She screams in frustration, lunging at the Sage. But he dodges it and floats away into the crowded marketplace. He decides he’ll never go crystal hunting again. Looking down to his satchel, he sees the little lamb looking up at him with wide eyes.
“Sorry, little lamb.” Sage apologizes. He looks at the necklace in his hand before he tucks it into his satchel beside the sheep. “Perhaps we should leave, now.”
Glancing around, Sage and the sheep make their way through the market together. Sage doesn’t look to get any more items, but… One last place before he returned home would be fine, right?
Before approaching a shop rather than a stall (Sage was still quite shaken from that interaction), he enters the doorway and breathes in the scent of chocolate. Chocolate was always a rare delicacy- It was either made, or imported from the Flour of Volition’s territory with the Cacao mountains.
Seeing the owner of this shop- A warm old man with a worn but content smile on his face- the Sage breathes a sigh of relief. Several cookies linger in the shops, tasting some of the chocolate and others examining it. He paces around the shop several times, looking on the shelves and in the display cases. He huffs as the lamb baahs and looks up at him expectantly. Oh dear, Sage thinks. Whatever am I going to feed this Cream Sheep? Perhaps Truthless will know…
Nonetheless he settles on a box of chocolate with various flavors in each, bonbons and truffles. They also happen to be selling roses and he decides to buy a bouquet. If anyone saw him with this, they’d wonder who the sweetheart was. Thankfully, it was nearing dark and most places were closing now… He sighs in relief as he pays, having just enough to get his items. He smiles at the owner who waves and then leaves the shop.
He sighs and gazes at the sky, watching the stars far up above him. The sky was beautiful at night, much like how his hair used to be. As the Fount of Knowledge, he had hair that was the night sky- with galaxies and cosmos all gleaming within that dark blue hair. As the Sage of Truth, his hair was similar to dawn or dusk, with dark blue fading into a lighter blue, stars still shimmering in his hair. He smiles and compares the beauty of the sky to his recluse… Ah, he was always so stubborn…
…
…It was night?
No! It was night!
Blinking his eyes rapidly he straightens up before looking around, panicking. “No… Oh, no… I spent too much time!” He yelps and summons his staff, shoving his items into the other realm as the Cream Sheep bleats its surprise.
He taps his staff on the ground before a portal blooms, dark and yet mixed with eyes that watch him. He jumps through and, through his other realm, he scurries his way to the Spire of Deceit.
____
Truthless groans and presses a hand to his stomach once again, pain coming in waves. Stupid period, stupid pain… Stupid Sage! The idiot had told him he’d come home early and the recluse had believed him. He frowns and buries his face in his pillow as more blood drips onto his towel. He’d just gotten up to change it, it was agony to move, but he did it.
His bed would be soiled if not for the towels, so he thanks whoever had the idea to even make a towel. His teeth gnash as pain comes once more. His right leg hurt, and he knew he couldn’t move it. That was just a pet peeve of his- sometimes his legs just decided to give out on him when he was on his period. Perhaps it was because he was so malnourished.
Grumbling about his life, he lays on his back and stares at the ceiling, a pillow clutched to his chest. Stupid Sage of Truth…
His eyes had just been fluttering shut when the door to his room bangs open and the Sage appears, frazzled and worried. “My recluse!” He says, floating to the side of the bed hurriedly. “I’m so sorry, my dear- I thought I could grade for a while, then when I was heading home, I saw a sheep and took it with me, then there was the market-”
“Sage,” Truthless groans, his eyes opening. “You’re babbling. You’re late. Did you lie to me?”
“N-No! Of course not!” Sage splutters and he places his satchel on the nightstand as another wave of pain hits. Truthless clutches his abdomen and he groans, a bit more blood leaking onto the towel. He buries his face away into the pillow he held on his chest, embarrassed.
“I was truly on my way home at 3:30, but I went into a stall in the market and there was this awful lady who wouldn’t let me go after grabbing me-”
“What?” Truthless sits up at that, eyes a bit wide but pain still evident on his face. “Someone touched you-” He starts to growl but Sage continues with his story.
“She was really, really weird,” Sage hummed. “After paying for what I needed, she basically said she wanted to date me-”
The pillow in the recluse’s grip tears, feathers spilling out. His insides clench harder at the Sage of Truth’s words and he scowls. “That little-”
“Then, I slapped her.”
“... You… You did what?” That makes the recluse falter, falling back on his pillows. “You… Bitch slapped someone…?”
“Is that what they call it? I suppose so. She was saying these terrible things- and when I mentioned I’m with you, she started being rude! She deserved it, because no one says horrible things about my ‘Cluesy!” Sage leans forward and wraps his arms around Truthless. “I got so… So angry with that woman when she was saying those things…”
Truthless stiffens at the embrace before he reciprocates and wraps his arms around the other. “I see. But that would’ve only taken so much time…? Did you do anything else?”
“I went into a shop! Oh, it had the most amazing things- Ack, I was meant to give them to you!” Sage stands and creates a portal to his other realm and sticks a hand through before pulling out a bouquet of roses and a box of chocolates.
For him.
Truthless freezes in place. He wasn’t… This wasn’t…
Why did Sage have to do these things?
Care about him when others would rather curse him?
He tears up a little before pressing a palm to his eyecings, he sniffs and Sage immediately puts the presents down and looks nervous. “Did- Did I do something wrong? Oh, do you not like chocolate or flowers-”
“No, no, no,” Truthless shakes his head and wipes his eyecings again. He blinks them open before looking at the Sage with teary eyes. “I haven’t gotten presents like this in a long, long time, Sage.”
“Oh… Oh! So you like them?” Sage immediately brightens. “Wait- I have more!” He goes to his satchel where he pulls out a necklace of a black gem of some kind. “This was what I bought from that weird lady! It says it's used for ‘healing the soul’ and stuff, but I knew you’d like it! It’s black, your favorite color, right?” Sage grins and presents the jewelry. The recluse immediately sniffles before reaching a hand out and tugging on the Sage’s sleeve.
“Hmm? Oh!” Sage smiles again before gently placing the necklace around Truthless’s neck. The hermit feels the cool weight of it and decides he never wants to part with it. It’s his, and it’s from his beloved. He shouldn’t have doubted the Sage.
“Ah… One last thing! I brought a friend!”
Truthless’s head snaps up at that and he gives a quizzical look. “Friend? Please tell me it isn’t one of the other Virtues-”
“No, of course not, ‘Cluesy!” Sage smirks and goes to his satchel while Truthless looks at his lap. His period pains are now long forgotten, and he smiles softly at the gifts. The Sage really does love him.
“Here!” Something soft is set on his lap and his gaze snaps to that. It’s warm, soft as hell, and… Squirmy.
…
“Sage.”
“Hmm?”
“Why do you have a lamb?”
“I mentioned it, didn’t I? I didn’t? Oh, well, yep! I was on my way to the square and saw him in a bush! I know you like Cream Sheep, and I thought you… Uh, might want him?” Sage smiles, and the recluse can see his nervous ticks. His gaze darting around and trying to analyze Truthless’s face, adjusting his monocle and fidgeting with it.
“I love him, Sage.” Truthless give a small, miniscule smile. It’s enough for Sage to sigh in relief. “Just like I love you,” The hermit tacks on, watching the teacher flush at that and turn dark blue.
“W-Well, I-I love you too-” Sage sputters and looks away. The sheep in the recluse’s lap bleats for attention, causing Truthless to look and gently pet it. Cream Sheep normally like to be caressed on their chest fluff, chin, behind the ears, and their neck.
“W-Well, what do you want to name him?”
Truthless pauses before looking back at the Sage of Truth.
“He looks like a Biscuit, doesn’t he?”
Sage nods and floats a bit closer before pressing a kiss to the hermit’s head, right on that blue star. “He does…” the Sage mumbles.
“Are you going to lay down or what? I cannot eat all this chocolate by myself.”
“Alright, ‘Cluesy.”
____