no longer you

[mermaidcursed]

Who: The resurrected and the escorts
What: You sure did die a week ago. Time to come home.
When: Forward dated to the end of the month
Where: The Garden
Warnings: death, mentions of mutilation, potential mentions of torture

Comments

[winterfrosting]

[ free of the daisychain, Cacao lands, though he keeps Truthless in his tail, to save his cold feet. He turns to face him more fully, lightly touching his chest where the Jam once sat]

Is this my husband's dough? Does his jam still pump through it? Then that is all I need to know to keep my oaths.

[purevanillacookie]

[ Is it? It's a question Truthless can't answer. Is it still Vanilla's dough? Was it even Vanilla to begin with.

He may be Truthless but he's not a Liar, so he doesn't answer those rhetorics. Instead he offers: ]

Then I will keep mine.

[ They're his memories now, for good or bad. ]

[winterfrosting]

[ he nods, satisfied. Though with Vanilla's knowledge of this man, his or not, facing him Truthless can likely see the pain there. The desire to scream and cry and hurt.

But it is also that simple. Even if the love that built it is dead, Cacao would not release their vows for any hardship. Not until he sank with it. Such was his nature. Better an echo of love than a betrayal, always. Memories of happiness will keep him warmer than any fire could]

[purevanillacookie]

[ He sees it. And he knows he should feel pain for it. Sympathy and empathy for what the other is feeling. Losing a husband. No. Losing what made his husband his husband to begin with. The love and care and heart that went into Vanilla and into everything Vanilla loved in turn.

In to Cacao.

Now all he's left with is a husk of a man who once was. And Truthless isn't sure he feels anything. How can he? Why should he?

He reaches out to take Cacao's hand, fold his fingers around it, press their palms together. ]

I'm sorry.

[winterfrosting]

As am I.

[ For not being there. For feeling hurt. he squeezes the hand folded with his]

We will make it through this.

[purevanillacookie]

[ He cannot respond to that, at first. Pure Vanilla would agree. Together, they could make it through anything.

But Truthless knows the reality of the world, and knows Cacao is in pain. How long will he last before he turns away?

He squeezes Cacaos hand. ]

Let us return home.

[ To where Lily is waiting.

Lily...

Truthless is unsure whether he can trust her. Did she know, when she turned away and headed back to the Silver Lands? Had she seen through the Towers guise, seen it for what it truly was, and deliberately left Pure Vanilla? The timing had been too convenient.

Was she a lie too? ]

[lilyberation]

( home! home where he has loved ones who he'll surely not hurt waiting for him. while they've been gone, lily's tidied up a little, made the bed, and put tea on the kettle. for the first time in a week, she's hopeful. happy, even.

and then, watching out the window, she sees it. she'd know those colors anywhere, and the green tea cream bunny is left sitting on the table where she'd been petting it, teacup toppled over, as she rushes for the door-

this is how they reunite, lily frazzled and terrified in the doorway, halfway in the snow despite not being dressed for it at all, and them, tired and weary- )

What happened?!

[winterfrosting]

[As they approach the door Cacao let's Truthless down, and instantly steps forward, half blocking him. Not to protect him, but to protect her. Because if his husband answers how he did to Cacao without a buffer... it hurt him badly enough, he can't let Lily take that brunt without warning]

He... it is like when I went into the woods at the beach. Time has... passed.

[purevanillacookie]

[ Seeing her again brings up something in him. The same sensation when he fought Gingerbrave and cast them from the tower. Cacao understood - but he didn't as well. Would she understand? She always did.

Did she turn away from him deliberately, did she abandon him.

It feels like Ire as he steps forward around Cacao. ]

Time has passed, yes. I have seen the majesty of Truth and Knowledge.

[ And he fell. He fell he fell he fell he fell ]

[lilyberation]

What do you mean-

( time passed? and now she can see that his sheep bits are- what on earthbread-






... truth... and knowledge...? )

... No-

[purevanillacookie]

Yes.

[ He has cast aside the false narrative of Truth as he was lead to believe it. ]

I am Truthless Recluse. Pure Vanilla Cookie has fallen.

[lilyberation]

What happened?!

( she doesn't mean to be so shrill. panic and dread twists in her stomach, and her heart is pounding so hard it hurts- )

[winterfrosting]

Lily.

[Cacao's tone is half worried, half warning. He steps forward to put a stabilizing hand on her shoulder. He gets it, he felt that frantic panic too.]

[purevanillacookie]

[ He watches the interaction blandly, without so much as a flinch to her tone or show or worry as Cacao does. He feels like an outsider looking in. ]

He was confronted with the bitter Truth that his entire life was a sweet Lie, and fell. He no longer exists.

[lilyberation]

( cacao's intervention only barely grounds her, but it's so hard. this is- it can't be. it can't be. )

Shadow Milk- was he behind this? Where was I? I should have-

( she wouldn't let this happen. he needed her when it came to the beast, they both knew this- )

[purevanillacookie]

[ He wasn't going to say anything, he didn't want to accuse her, unsure if his worries were unfound or not.

But she asked. So he answers. ]

You left.

[winterfrosting]

[Cacao's brow furrows, surprised but saying nothing, waiting to see what she will say]

[lilyberation]

( have you ever seen a flower go from about to have a panic attack to about to go kill her canon self with her bare hands )

[lilyberation]

...

( she left?

she left.


what the fuck do you mean she left.

somehow, the panic reaches all around back to a tranquil fury- but not at him. )

I left.

What do you mean, "I left". We both- we both know that doesn't make sense, with how vulnerable you were to him, with how I said to trust my voice- why would I leave when we're trying to face the Beasts?

[purevanillacookie]

[ Instead of answering her outright, he offers her a quote. He knows she will understand it. It was in their academy, after all. ]

"Once upon a time, lived a king in a golden crown who knew not the day he was born. The king was kind and benevolent, but lonely, for such was his role."

[lilyberation]

( it catches her off guard, and for a moment she doesn't understand. and then- then she's furious with whatever part of her is left in earthbread. )

It's not enough.

[purevanillacookie]

I admit, I wonder if you were part of it.

[ There's nothing in his tone to indicate he feels bad saying it, or is apologetic in any way. That time has long since passed for him. Instead his eyes fix on hers, almost drill into them, the blue light in the middle eerie. ]

I wonder if you saw through the Towers lies, knew it for what it was, and left.

cw lily is going to murder other lilies. im dead serious.

[lilyberation]

...

( 'do you really think so little of me?'

she almost asks that. but... she's afraid of the answer. but if this is true- if she, herself, jam and dough, left pure vanilla behind at the jaws of the beast, then dark enchantress cookie is not the only piece of pure lily who has to die. )

I would sooner crumble again than do that to you. Whatever the White Lily back on Earthbread was... she is not me.

( and if it is. then the light of freedom will need a new holder once she's done with herself. )

[purevanillacookie]

I thought of that possibility as well.

[ And he had. He had plenty of time to examine it all from various angles. But he cannot deny to himself that she is powerful, too powerful to be wrapped in Shadow Milks threads like he was. If she was an illusion, they would have noticed, she would have broken through.

Right? ]

But I do not know anymore what part of my life was lies. My journey was, my going to the academy and meeting you was, all was manipulations and machinations.

[ A pause. ]

I am sorry.

[winterfrosting]

[Cacao had kept his tongue, knowing much of this was information from their shared past he would never truly know. But something about Truthless' words lights a fire in him. Not rage. Not exactly. And what anger is there lays more with the Beast that his husband or Lily.]

And so what if it is? Does this undo those you helped? Our battles together? Even if this Shadow Milk was behind every step of it, that does not make the good you've done worthless.