Dark Cacao's Inbox

[winterfrosting]

DC is usually patrolling or at Pure Vanilla's house. But poking his notebook will always eventually get his attention!

Comments

continuation from mizuki's birthday, just reposting it here to get the ball rolling for stupid cutes

[purevanillacookie]

Or course you can, my friend, but I am here to help should you need it.

[ Soothe soothe, there there, gently ushers him to the door. ]

[winterfrosting]

Hmmpth.

[he's already forgot why he was arguing. So leaning on fluffy sheep friend and wow... wow he really IS fluffy like a sugar sheep. Patpat]

april something something

[purevanillacookie]

[ Coming home with the items he purchased from Ydaliar - the food things going into the ice box for now - he stands and ponders the direction of Clotted Creams room, the basket of bathing items being sat down. He has not seen Clotted Cream for some time, and while he originally thought the other was off exploring - especially knowing how time works - but he's beginning to think otherwise. ]

Dark Cacao Cookie, are you here?

[ He separates one bath set from the other, frowning down at it. The other was to be gifted to Clotted Cream but... ]

[winterfrosting]

I am.

[He walks out from the other side of the house- he was taking a break from being out and about. The village is small so it's not nearly as much work as he would like]

after cc soul get

[purevanillacookie]

[ Vanilla feels incredibly bad about making the other Cookie carry him back home, but there was no way he was making the trip under his own strength. He was sapped; exhausted physically, mentally, and somewhat spiritually. And when they arrive home, he simply takes a moment to rest. There is a part of him that feels incredibly ill over what he just did. Did he condemn those souls, simply in exchange for Clotted Creams? Were they even aware enough to be condemned?

When they've both had enough time to simply relax and de-stress, and Pure Vanilla has carefully placed Clotted Cream's Moonstone into a safe location, he moves to find Cacao and for a moment simply moves in to lean against him.

Straight against his front, just tucks himself into him, face planted into him, horns pressing in from how intensely he's squishing in.

Cacao will soon feel the wet of tears, and Vanilla's voice is small. ]

Did I do the right thing?

[winterfrosting]

[he expected this. Had since they walked through the door. So there's no hesitation in crushing his friend to his chest, regardless of the horns]

You did your best.

[right or wrong meant little in the heat of it. There was only choices. And consequences.]

after dance

[purevanillacookie]

[ Once they have returned home and gotten comfortable again, Pure Vanilla decides he has to stop being a hypocrite, and tell his new fiance his decisions and what he has done. He will wait until they're both settled, before warming up some milk - with sugar for him and a touch of cacao powder for Cacao - and setting them down. ]

My love, I ... do not wish to burden your shoulders, but you and Hollyberry Cookie have made it very plain to me that I am not to keep my decisions and burdens to myself any more.

[ He settles down beside him, curling one leg under the other, thoughtfully glancing down at his hand which he had cut on Passengers rock. ]

There are two things I wish to discuss with you, but I fear how you will react. Do not be too angry with me?

[winterfrosting]

[ he was so content in the moment, humming happily at the offered milk. Even Affogato's arrival could not douse his mood.

But that "do not be too angry with me?" drops it like a rock. Because he knows Vanilla is the type to ask forgiveness, not permission. Not that he needs to- he's an adult. But his proposal puts everything into an even harsher light.

He can feel frustration bubbling, but pushes it back. After all, he doesn't even know what Vanilla has done yet]

...

I will... try.

backdated by a lot

[purevanillacookie]

[ After Elswords disappear and Pure Vanilla has picked up the bone ring, he'll hunt Cacao down, his ears shifting and bouncing as he tracks the other via his sounds. The movement of his feet, the rise and fall of his breathing.

Just a bit, stalking him like this, brings out the Monster in him. There's something exciting about following his prey, hunting him down.

Which goes right out the window the moment he spots his fiance, and his tail begins to wiggle excitedly as he baa's and trots over. ]

My heart, I have a gift for you!

[winterfrosting]

A gift? Vanilla, there is no need to spoil me.

[He's just happy to see his beloved!!]

the afternoon before snek

[submittome]

[ Their conversation at the Cabana may have ended a little awkwardly, but Affogato can blame that on being high as fuck. Here, he's sober, and very pleased.

And he absolutely won't make an ass of himself this time.

The leather carrying case is tucked carefully under his arm as he stops by the Cookie house, eying it with a little bit of loathing and ... a feeling of being out of place. The rest of the Cookies are here, sharing a house, living together in solidarity.

And he is not.

Shaking his head, he knocks gently on the door, calling cheerfully. ]

My Liege, are you in? Forgive me for breaking a promise to stay away, but I have a gift~!

[winterfrosting]

Affogato? One moment-

[ theres some barking which Cacao quickly corrects before opening the door. He's dressed casually, his now much whiter hair in a loose braid, likely done by either Vanilla or Lily that morning.]

I did not expect you, but after doing the same to you I can not complan. Come in.

[ the house is rarely empty, but Cacao, excluding the animals, is the only one in the communal area right now]

[purevanillacookie]

[ And because what's about to happen is not suitable for main comms!

Vanilla huffs a laugh to the words in his ear, and deliberately shifts to plant his hooves in the sand and lean back to drop into the sand and drag Cacao over him. ]

[winterfrosting]

[Again he is surprised by Vanilla's strength and gives a half yelp half laugh, planting his hands on either side of his love]

Something about this beach... I feel quite young and reckless.

Some time before it begins to snow...

[sticksandbonesmods]

Dark Cacao will find himself standing in a familiar place- though it is not Ourania's bedroom, the white marble and sheer curtains certainly invoke her memory, as does the nebula-like expanse outside of the arched windows. As he waits for something, anything, it's quiet and peaceful.

And then the world begins to shift. He'll find himself at the beach, standing before Ourania's statue. Everything is largely the same, save for the bitter cold, but the fruit sharks that swim through the air are circling a pile in the sand fretfully. As he walks over, he'll realize something has been unearthed: a large clutch of eggs.

He sees the cold set in, the snow pile on and the eggs freeze over- hears whimpers from within, cries for help that go unanswered.

And then he is back in the room, Ourania holding his hands. She's so much taller than him. Was she always...? She speaks softly, yet the weight will surely settle on his shoulders.

"My bitter moon... they are beside me, yet beyond my reach. The winter will kill them if they are not kept safe- I do not know if it is wise to move the clutch, as Beiwe has always been the dragon keeper... but I ask of you: find a way to keep them warm. The winter is going to be worse than before."

[winterfrosting]

He recognizes where he is almost instantly, so he knows whatever he sees while here is vastly, terribly important. But even if he didn't the sight of those eggs would have yanked at his parental instincts like a fishhook. In fact, he was already moving towards them even before he returns to the goddesses home.

He squeezes her hands, a fire in his chest.

"How much time do I have?" His every instinct drives him to rush out the door as soon as he wakes, but even he can't carry that many eggs alone.

mid to late december, im putting this up now cause i wanna

[purevanillacookie]

[ Freezing weather and feasting aside, he couldn't let Cacao's gift to him go unreciprocated, feeling the Resolution on his finger stronger every day. So he went to the Guardians and eventually came back with a gift.

Then had to figure out how to make that gift wearable for the daily. Dark Cacao may, at one point, find a hair tie missing.

Only to find it again, placed in the same spot it had once been, but this time with a long rainbow feather woven carefully into it. ]

[winterfrosting]

[He blinks when he spots the bit of oiled leather now sporting a honestly beautiful feather. It takes him a moment to recognize it as Aurora's- having seen the Guardian so recently he knows who's feather that is.

He carefully picks it up, and feels the magics coursing through it]

How...?

continue from ring

[purevanillacookie]

[ And Cacao may be the one leading him to bed, but Vanilla is definitely trying to urge him forward a little faster. ]

[winterfrosting]

Eager. Calm, me nor the bed is going anywhere.

after his talk with mizuki

[submittome]

[ It takes a few days, but eventually Affogato makes his way to the Cookie house and knocks on the door. And when Cacao answers it? He will give him a look, heated and dark, his skin flushed and cherry red, his furs bundled up high against the cold. ]

Show me. Show me you can treat me as well as you treat the other two. Show me you have enough love left to bury me in it. Give it to me.

[ ... Those heated eyes and red skin isn't just from desire, or the cold, however. Cause as soon as Affogato stops talking, he sneezes. A violently shockingly high-pitched CHEW! noise, and he scowls. ]

And give me tea.

[winterfrosting]

[Cacao did not expect to see him again any time soon. Both because he suspected that, once he was away from Cacao... Affogato would have a realization of, honestly, good sense. Cacao was honest about his desire, but that didn't change the reality of the situation... and Affogato was a greedy creature. He knew that long before.... this... between them. Even his request to think felt more like a cream to an arrow wound- nice, but unlikely to change anything.

And he was willing to accept that. His passions were strong, but his discipline stronger- no matter how much he had wanted to chase him down. Even if he suspected chasing him and ravishing him would have got him exactly what he wanted, it would not have been at all fair or kind. And he hoped he had grown past such emotional explosions. Maybe.

But seeing him now with that look sets something off in him... something calmed instantly by the sneeze, he gestures him inside]

You're sick.

[some time between return and the revivals]

[lilyberation]

( it's morning. they should get up. there's animals that depend on them, and a.b.a as well.


but lily does not. she only turns to flop an arm across his chest, blanket bunched up to her chin. )

[winterfrosting]

[And Cacao still sleeps like the dead. If the dead snored softly. His hair tangled with hers, and his remaining arm thrown over his eyes. He is warm, and comfortable, and as long as he slept he didn't have to think about the horrors he saw so recently]

After the battle

[submittome]

[ He has given Cacao time, to let Lily dote on him and to grieve the loss of his husband. He didn't wish to intrude, to feel like he was witnessing something he is not supposed to.

But he also knows Cacao and knows his sleep will be troubled. So one day he simply walks into the Cookie house like he belongs there - even if it feels weird to do so - and begins to search the other man out, his hands holding a bundled cloth with incense and tinctures in it. ]

[winterfrosting]

[it's not hard to guess where Cacao is, considering Affogato knew him best during his darkest years. He was either in his den working himself to death or in bed, rotting.

This time it's rotting]

[a...proximtely valentines day? time is fake in the grove.]

[lilyberation]

( white lily cookie's been quiet, since the incident at the clinic. they've both been quiet, and the house feels emptier and emptier by the day. but when its safe to go out, she still makes a decision-

when she comes back inside, closing the door behind her, lily pauses like she's trying to figure out what to say when she sees cacao... but words fail her, initially, so she instead just shows him what she went out for. groceries, a dark bottle of plum wine, and a new blanket. )

If... If I'm right, it's almost Valentine's day... I understand if you don't want to do anything. But I thought maybe a little treat might be nice regardless...

[winterfrosting]

[he looks a little better thanks to deeper sleep the last few days: thank Affogato's medicines. But there's still a slightly hollow look to his eyes.

Still, they spark a little seeing Lily. They always do]

...is it already that far into the month?

[He moves to help her carry things]

[lilyberation]

( after a hard talk with pure vanilla cookie, comes another. lily sighs, gently knocking on the door to his private space. )

[winterfrosting]

[There's been a lot to process today, so he's not surprised to hear the recognizable knock of Lily. He opens the door. He looks... tired but happy. ]

Hello, Lily.

the morning after sleepover

[purevanillacookie]

[ When they are still sleep warm and cozy in their own bed, Cacao will be awakened to a giddy husband crawling onto his hips. He's fluffy again. And Cacao will also have his head taken, lifted enough, and then two horns crash into his. ]

[winterfrosting]

[Oh hello Vanilla. He doesn't even open his eyes when his husband crawls over him, but his face breaks into a sleepy smile. Someone wants... attention first thing in the morning, eh? He is very fine with tha-]

Gah-?!

[it doesn't hurt, but his headcase is a bit rattled right out of sleep sob]

love note

[lilyberation]

( dasik crawls over one morning and gently paps a folded note down for him- it smells like lilies, and the ink within is a familiar green. )

My beloved Cacao, every day you grant me peace and love. The mornings I spend watching you simply Be are something I will treasure for as long as I can. I love you so very much.

- White Lily Cookie

[winterfrosting]

[He startles slightly when Dasik brings him the note. It's not from Affogato- he always uses his crow for such things. So who?

The scent tells him as soon as he smells it, and he drags the paper under his nose to bring it in deeper with a sigh. Reading it he smiles, heading down to his calligraphy desk to answer]

Chill morning brings morning dew, a brief moment before the new day
Kissing white petals, a lover there and gone like a thief
If only I too could touch them so sweetly

[Tucked in her pillow at some point]