sticksandbones | crumbl cookies but in real life

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crumbl cookies but in real life

[ The handwriting that shows up in the journal is... not new, not exactly, but decidedly... well. Careful and precise as can be, but it's very clear that the person writing it is not currently writing with their dominant hand. Either that, or it's someone with horrible handwriting. ]

Hello. This is Clotted Cream Cookie.

Pardon my handwriting. It is, admittedly, not as clear and practiced as I'd like it to be. The forest has taken my arm from me.

I am looking for anyone who has experience in... this. Losing an arm. Adjusting to the loss in day to day life. I'm afraid it puts me at a considerable disadvantage.

[ If he sounds like he's taking this well, it's only because he's practiced it. He's not. ]

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[ ahaha. haha. no he is not. ]

... no. There are a great many things troubling my dreams, I'm afraid, and it makes it difficult to maintain any restful amount of sleep when I am awakened from it so often by night terrors.

From the Garden?

[That seems the OBVIOUS cause, considering the traumatic way he lost his arm]

From the Garden, and from the lake.

[ He pauses there, like that's all it is. The kettle is bubbling now, so he busies himself for a moment by pulling it off the fire and gathering the tea leaves he found in the cabinet. ]

... and. Maybe a little from home.

Ah.

[ Said with no intonation one way or the other how he feels. Just an acknowledgement. He understands: his own dreams are full of horrors from Earthbread too. And it's because he knows that he doesn't press- these things are personal, to share or not]

[ "Ah" is all there is, and for a moment, Clotted Cream doesn't know how to read that. It's a very ambiguous "Ah". It could mean understanding, it could mean that he doesn't know what else to say to it. So, Clotted Cream leaves it hang for a moment, pouring hot water over the tea leaves and letting them brew.

One cup is taken and set in front of Dark Cacao, and a return trip to the counter brings the tiny tabletop cream pitcher. The sugar is already out, though he isn't about to make Dark Cacao's tea for him, and he's fairly sure from what he recalls of their time in the Vanilla Kingdom that those of the Cacao Kingdom don't typically do sweets. ]

My father wouldn't have taken this well.

[ That's all he says from his position at the counter as he pours his own tea. All he'll offer, at least for now. To give a little bit of elaboration, even if Dark Cacao hadn't asked for it. ]

[Indeed. He DOES take some cream though, since Clotted Cream suggested milk. But no sugar]

Your arm. I suspect few fathers would.

[he thinks of Choco, and the long healed scar on his face that wasn't there when he banished him. It makes his heart ache, and the pain is visible on his face, though barely]

[ Is it polite conversation, or actual interest? Clotted Cream can't say... But, Dark Cacao could have ignored it altogether, too, and he didn't. ]

Hmm. I suppose.

[ Not in the same way his father would, though. He's sure of that.

He carefully carries his cup of tea to the table, taking a seat across from Dark Cacao. His tea gets cream and sugar both, but only a little bit of the latter. He is trying to calm down enough to sleep.

He does catch that flicker of an expression, though. Interesting... ]

... out of curiosity, what would you do if one of your most important soldiers were to sustain a similar injury?

[ Not son, though he'd done his research on the Ancient Cookies prior to inviting himself to their meeting. No, not son at all. Soldiers, because to his father, that's all he was. Nothing more than a pawn. ]

Hmm... I suppose it would depend on their duties. If they still feel capable of fighting, then finding a weapon they can use one handed would be the ideal. Time would be taken in their training in that case to return them to active duty. Otherwise they would be retired with honor.

[ Hmm. ]

Then you are a far kinder man than my father.

[He stops drinking his tea with such sudden stillness it's eerie, eyes very focused on Clotted Cream]

What do you mean?

[ dread]

[ Oh that is a LOT of tension in the air there suddenly. But, he isn't afraid. His father isn't here, despite his mind's best attempts to remind him of his existence. ]

In my case, he would not accept such an injury unless I was able to overcome it quickly so that it does not interrupt my duties as Consul. Though I was not born into House Custard, I was raised in it and I am a representative of it... as he is so kind to remind me on a daily basis.

[ His hand tightly grips the handle of his tea mug. Why is he telling Dark Cacao this? It's all spilling out, now, and he doesn't particularly want to stop, either. It feels good to say it. Good to tell someone what kind of a Cookie his father truly is. ]

To tell the truth, the nightmares from home that have been disturbing my sleep these last few nights are not of other horrors of Earthbread. They are of him, of his demands. As though he can truly follow through with his threats from a world away.

[An icy rage seeps into Cacao's jam. he would be the last to call himself a good father, far from it. But he never doubted his love for his son. His greatest joy. The only light in his life for so many years.

He had ruined his relationship with Dark Choco, but the idea of being so brutal and cold knowingly to a young cookie you took on as your own is repugnant to him. Chip's report echos in his head, and a lot of things start to fall into place.]

... there was a... political shift in the Republic shortly before we arrived to fight Dark Enchantress Cookie, is that correct?

[Crunchy Chip knew even less about the game of politics than he did, so he needed to hear from the source]

There was. And I was its instigator.

[ Clotted Cream taps his fingers against the side of his cup.]

I saw through him long ago. My father has always been known for his thirst for power. However, when the Magic Candies were created and the power of the Soul Jam was made evident, my father lost his mind. He didn't just want to become the most powerful of the Houses. He wanted to become the sole power, to keep the Soul Jam for himself. I could not stand by and allow that to happen, so I took matters into my own hands.

The Republic may seem on the surface to be an idyllic society where everyone is free and happy... but that is not the case. Our society has ever been split between two factions: salty Cookies, who have lived in that land for generations, and sweet Cookies, who escaped from the Vanilla Kingdom and colonized the area. The Cookies of sweet dough have usurped power over the years, and they are the ones that live happily. The salty Cookies, meanwhile, do not. The balance has been upset, unfairly so, and Cookies are suffering.

With the need for hard, round recepticles that are attuned to a Cookie's soul specifically, I saw an opening. House Oyster was able to supply me with the pearls needed to create Pearl Candies, and thus the Pearl legion. With my control over the Candies and the Pearl legion, I took control of House Custard myself, not only stripping my father of his delusions of grandeur but also making movements towards rebalancing the power between sweet and salty Cookies in the process.

[An alliance between himself and a powerful Salty cookie meant neither side had cause or means to betray the other. Clever. Dangerous and pracarious, but clever. He steeples his fingers in front of his face, watching Clotted Cream carefully]

So your Father was the kind of cookie I suspected you do be.

[His paranoia was not misguided then, just badly aimed. he frowns even more]

Tell me, when you asked for our Soul Jam, did you suspect this would happen even then?

[Or was this whole plan improvised?]

[ ahaha what a backhanded compliment. But he will take it gracefully. He knows he didn't exactly make the greatest first impression. ]

I anticipated some risk from him, but... I admit, I wasn't fully certain of my plan until Espresso Cookie announced the fruits of his research. And I certainly didn't anticipate a third party attempting to steal the Soul Jam, either. However, the protection of your Soul Jam was always my highest concern, and I would have taken it from my father regardless of the outcome of our research.

[He leans back in his chair, pondering, finger tracing the rim of his cup. He's silent for long enough to be uncomfortable.]

... what you did was bold. Perhaps even foolish. But you fulfilled your oath, and for that you have my thanks.

[ There is an uncharacteristically heavy breath let out at those words. Purely on reflex, of course, and he's quick to ignore it as he's clearly just not in sorts today, but it's... good to hear that. Far better than the alternative. ]

I am glad to hear it, Dark Cacao Cookie. I will go to great lengths to see that my Republic is able to flourish and the Cookies of Earthbread are well-equipped to handle the looming threat of Dark Enchantress Cookie. But that does not mean I will disrespect your property in the process.

Hm.

[He sips his tea again, debating his next words]

Earthbread... is a very different place now then it was when my friends and I set out on our adventures.

[A simple statement that could mean many things]

[ It could mean many things, indeed. Clotted Cream is content to let it sit for a moment, pondering those words as he takes a sip of his own tea. ]

I would very much like to hear about it, if you're feeling up to telling the tale.

[He chuckles]

I am not the storyteller Hollyberry Cookie is. I would at least likely put you back to sleep.

... those days are past. Back then, protecting Cookiekind was simpler. Fight beasts and dragons and the occasional enraged godling. But never our own. Cookies like your father, or my former advisor... or Dark Enchantress Cookie... that was never something we need handle. Perhaps that is why we did not catch what was happening to White Lily until... until it was far too late.

[He has to take a moment, sighing. He misses her. He misses his friends and the world he knew]

The world has moved on.

[ ... ah. So that's what it is. Clotted Cream smiles around the lip of his mug, and is silent for a moment as he settles it back down on the table. ]

The world has moved on from such times, indeed. However, the world is still here, and you are still here in it. The threats are greater now, more severe. Protecting Cookiekind is even more important now than it ever has been, wouldn't you say? The task may have grown to gargantuan proportions... but it is still a task worth doing. And you aren't alone in doing it.

[He's glad Clotted Cream understands. That he doesn't need to outright apologize for what was, to be fair, a reaction to a very real slight. He's not sure his pride could bear it]

As long as I have not crumbled I will keep defending them. But... it is good to know younger cookies are willing to keep the fight going, in their ways. I hope we can continue to be allies.

...against all kind of threat.

[That last bit a bit more intently said- he hasn't forgotten they were originally talking about CC's nightmares]

[ They were indeed talking about his nightmares... And Clotted Cream hasn't forgotten about that, either. The comment gets a smile, a little more genuine than the default that's usually plastered on his face. Not that that smile isn't genuine, of course, but it's considerably more practiced. ]

I, for one, would dream of nothing less.

[ He pauses, taking a sip of his tea. ]

I am glad that we were able to clear the air. And, for what it's worth, I am sorry for the way that I have handled matters in the past.

Thank you, I appreciate it.

[ and he really does. It's amazing what a little ego soothing can do for hurt pride.]

Hmm... this tea is working well. I should return before Vanilla notices I am gone.

Ah, is it? Good. My mission was successful, then.

[ Not that he'd come into the kitchen with that mission, but! It seems to be working well on him, too. Partially the tea, and partially just getting a little weight off his shoulders. ]

I hope you are able to sleep well, Dark Cacao Cookie. Thank you for the company.

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winterfrosting - 2024-04-30 22:20 (UTC) - Expand

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