Chapter Text
Curious what he was up to Wanting to ease the pain that has been bothering him again, Shadow Milk decided to spy on Pure Vanilla.
He followed him throughout the markets, to the Crow's Nest Inn and all the way towards the sheep pasture the saint decided to visit as a last stop.
It was... not what he expected.
It turned out what Pure Vanilla did in his free time was quite boring to Shadow Milk. He expected a royal banquet or at least a heated meeting he could snicker at, but the healer's life was rather peaceful? A snoozefest for him.
He wanted to reveal himself once they reached the sheep, a dramatic act with fancy tricks and illusions. Yet, before he had the chance to, Pure Vanilla fell asleep, ruining his plans.
What a boring cookie and a buzzkill he was.
So, not having much choice, Shadow Milk decided to settle next to Pure Vanilla, glaring at the sheep that ran away from him.
And somewhere later, he eventually fell asleep, leaning his head against something that felt weirdly similiar to the saint's robes, as a faint scent of vanilla filled his senses.
Shadow Milk- no, Pure Vanilla was sitting at small table, surrounded by books and scrolls.
He was looking up at a tome about magical artifacts meant to let you become stronger.
The passage about Souljams was very brief, bringing no new information whatsoever.
The five Souljams, worn by the ancient heroes represent five important aspects of our lives - truth, freedom, abundance, resolution and passion. They are said to grand immortality and strenght to their veilders, letting their powers surpass the ones of an average cookie. According to legend, the Souljams were created by the Witches, originally bestowed upon the five virtues, now known as the beast cookies.
There is not much information to be found about the Souljams, since most records have been long lost to history and time.
Pure Vanilla rubbed his eyes, getting up from his chair and walking over to one of the library's bookshelves.
He was just about to move on after placing the book down, having spotted something with the corner of his vision at the last moment - it was a book called "The Virtues of Cookiekind - powers and downfall".
Intrigued, he reached for the book, dusting it off and opening up at the first page.
Shadow Milk opened up his eyes, blinking lazily.
The moon was hung high up in the horizon, illuminating the night sky full of stars.
The soft moonlight was shining right at the field, basking it in an silvery glow. The grass was swaying slightly in the gentle wind, providing a peaceful scenery before his eyes.
He shifted, looking around at the sleeping sheep gathered in small clusters all around it.
Noticing that his head was still resting upon something, he lifted it up, looking to his right.
There he was - Pure Vanilla Cookie, looking at the scenery before them with a soft smile.
One of his hands was placed lightly on his brooch, the other one planted on the grass below.
The beast rolled his eyes, fully lifting his head off the ancient's shoulder.
Stirred by the sudden motion, Pure Vanilla turned his head to the side, smilling even wider at the one beside him.
Shadow Milk frowned, giving the other an unimpressed look.
Pure Vanilla just laughed quietly, hiding his mouth behind his hand.
Witches, he looked amazing in the moonlight.
"What brings you here, Shadow Milk?" left his lips as soon as his laugh ended.
"That stupid blue rock, since it doesn't seem intrested on letting me have a break from that little tantrum of it's" he grimaced through gritted teeth.
Pure Vanilla just smiled, lidding his eyes.
"Well, that does make sense, since it looks like close proximity makes the pain go away, even if only temporarily"
"And that's really weird. It never behaved this way, even back before your little 'awakening' scheme. Witches, even when it was halved it didn't hurt like that"
He chimed in, stiffing ever so slightly at the last part.
Pure Vanilla glanced down, sliding his hand lightly against the smooth surface of the blue gem on his chest.
"Do you think it has any connection to what happened during the Dark Enchantress War? Them both resonating, I mean"
Shadow Milk looked down too, tapping the crystal on his chest with an unreadable expression.
"It is possible. It doesn't really make sense, this whole pain thing doesn't, but it is still possible. Though, no idea why something like that would happen in the first place"
He healer turned his head upwards, now looking at the jester beside him.
"You know... ever since you suprised me three days ago, I've been trying to gather research on what might be wrong. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to gather much information. But there are still lots of resources in the royal library I might be able to find"
Shadow Milk looked up, meeting the gave of the one beside him.
"And what proposition do you bring along with this information?"
Pure Vanilla smilled sheepishly, speaking up.
"If we start to research it together now, it will surely take us way less time than if only one of us was trying to solve it"
He paused, swallowing.
"Shadow Milk, will you help me to solve this problem?"
The beast went quiet, thinking.
He really hated the idea of having to work together with sworn enemy. But if it meant their issue would go away sooner and their lives could return back to what they been before all this, then why not? Maybe it wasn't that bad of an idea, after all. Plus, maybe he could even manage to coax out Pure Vanilla's deceitful side he was oh-so-eager to show off as Truthless Recluse? That would be a real show.
So, after thinking it over, he responded, almost whispering.
"If that means this mess is over sooner, then yes. I will help you"
Pure Vanilla sighed, relief washing over him.
"That's wonderfull. We can start with the research tomorrow"
Shadow Milk nodded, avoiding his fond gaze.
Their Souljams were glowing, thriving on the newfound teamwork.
Maybe it truly wasn't that bad of an idea.