Chapter Text
Pure Vanilla had never grown quite used to his other realm, if he could even call it that. Despite taking most of the souljam for himself, he’d never felt like it had been his. Maybe it was theirs, but even then, it was always more Shadow Milk’s than his own. It was… Dreary, in Pure Vanilla’s opinion.
Most of the time, it took the shape of a dying garden. The moon was high in the sky, bathing everything in a light blue glow. Despite this, the only things that gleamed were the few remaining petals on milkcrowns and the rusting gates that surrounded the place. And Pure Vanilla himself, of course. The souljam glowed even brighter than it did in the real world every time he entered this realm, as if it were calling out to its other half.
He found himself doing the same through his voice, trying to summon the other through the humming of an old tune. He wasn’t certain what he was singing, nor where he heard it, but his voice drifting through the eerie night brought him some comfort, even if it failed to do the same to his other.
Pure Vanilla could tell he was here, despite Shadow Milk’s attempts to not let himself be seen. Hints of blue would pop out of corners, and the occasional eye would blink at him. It was sometimes lazily, as if he didn’t care whether or not he was seen, but today he was almost looking for Pure Vanilla to seek him out instead.
He followed willingly. Pure Vanilla often found himself unable to deny even the simplest of hidden wishes from his other, after all.
He reached out to every glimpse of turquoise, hurried toward the whisps of hair or a moving shadow. He did it all with a smile on his face, like it was a game played with an old friend. One was very, very dear to him.
But, of course, if Shadow Milk did not want to be caught, he wouldn’t be, and Pure Vanilla soon found himself resting on the ground, trying to catch his breath. His other half had evaded him successfully, and Pure Vanilla could now hear the echoes of laughter around him. The sound made him smile despite himself. He wrapped his arms around himself as a breeze blew past. His souljam, attached to his clothes, practically sang with joy at the noise.
With every breath near him, Pure Vanilla could feel the magic buzzing in his veins. He was more powerful like this, he knew. Together they always would be, the truest sign that they were soulmates. Shadow Milk, for his part, had stopped laughing, as if he could feel it as well. Perhaps he could. Maybe every bit of joy that Pure Vanilla felt could be sent to Shadow Milk, and he’d finally be able to know how much Pure Vanilla cared for him. The thought made him smile. His light hair billowed in the wind, exposing the soulmark on his neck.
It was about the same size as what he’d seen others had, maybe a bit larger, though no less beautiful. There was a moon on the left side of his neck. It changed every night to reflect the phases of the moon, the source of Shadow Milk’s magic. A cream sheep jumped over it, and Pure Vanilla could almost hear its happy bleats. On his right side was a sun, gleaming slightly higher than the moon. Below was a wolf, howling up. Maybe it was mourning, but Pure Vanilla had always preferred the thought that it was called out for the sheep on the other side. In the center of his chest were two flowers laced together. A vanilla orchid and a milcrown lay in between his collarbone, twisting down until the center of his chest. There, they separated, but years worth of roommates while he was attending Blueberry Yogurt Academy allowed him to know that they tied again in the back in a small, lovely bow.
Even now, he wished to trace his hands along his soulmark and then his others. To feel that they were the same, with more than just what he’d seen as Truthless Recluse. To have the other's skin under his palm, to see how the tattoo blended with the blue of his body and the scars that he was sure dotted the places he’d been hurt. But that would do nothing except scare him off. Pure Vanilla wasn’t even certain that the gift he’d prepared today wouldn’t be too much for the other to handle.
But, he had nothing to lose but his will to try. So he smiled and looked up, hoping to find Shadow Milk there. To his utter lack of surprise, the blue cookie appeared behind him instead, placing a hand on his shoulder. Pure Vanilla didn’t jump before he looked back, much to Shadow Milk’s annoyance as he floated beyond the others' reach.
“Not even going to pretend to be surprised, Nilly?” He asked, crossing his arms and shaking his head. His hair was down, as usual, but a part of it had been braided and tied at the end with a little red bow. Pure Vanilla recognized it from Candy Apple’s closet. His clothes were slightly different, too. His top was tighter, a sleeveless turtleneck, which made Pure Vanilla wonder if he’d gotten Shadow Milk in his other realm while he was still deciding what to wear. His pants were looser, though. They flowed slightly when he moved, their many folds adjusting to appear like a skirt at any moment where Pure Vanilla wasn’t paying too close attention. “I expected better manners from you.”
“I apologize.” He said honestly, “I was just too excited to see your voice again.” The words must have come out too genuine for the other’s tastes, because he scrunched his nose up like he just bit into a lemon.
“Oh, silly, silly, Vanilly… You should know by now that I can see through any falsehoods you might try to spin.” He tsked, leaning down so their faces were close enough that Pure Vanilla could run his hands over the other's cheekbones. “Now, why did you enter my humble abode? And don’t you dare be all ‘Oh, Great Shadow Milk, I just wanted to gaze upon your beautiful image of perfection!’ because I will see through it.” Shadow Milk mocked. Pure Vanilla shook his head, reaching into his robes.
“No, I… Have something to give you.” He said. He lifted the book out of his robes, presenting it to the beast. Shadow Milk raised an eyebrow, but snatched it out of his hands like he was just presented with a puzzle he couldn’t help but want to solve. He flipped through it before snapping it shut and staring at Pure Vanilla.
“A book with nothing but a single chapter? And it seems to be a letter from you, Nilly!” He cried, tossing it in the air before it slid through a portal. “And what’s that little enchantment on it, hm?” He asked, tilting his head in false innocence. Pure Vanilla only smiled.
“It allows anything that you write in that book appear on the other copy, which I own. I wanted to test it before I gave it to you, so I wrote the first letter.” He offered his hand out, reaching for the other, who backed away. “With it, you can talk to me at any time.”
“Oh, Nilly, Nilly, Nilly…” Shadow Milk shrugged, grinning. “I can already do that by calling you here whenever you sleep! I don’t need any silly book for that.”
“Perhaps,” Pure Vanilla murmured, “But I thought that a playwright such as yourself would appreciate a form of written correspondence.” Shadow Milk placed a hand on his chin, as if considering the idea. After only a moment, he snapped his fingers, and a pen appeared in front of him as well as the book.
“Well, I’ll certainly try it out. It’s an interesting bit of magic, I’ll use it again the next time I see you. Until then…” He spun around, blowing a kiss at Pure Vanilla. “Bye-Bye, Vanilly!” He said.
He disappeared, the only trace of his being the whisps of smoke that had been left. Pure Vanilla covered his chuckle with his free hand. That had gone much better than he’d hoped, despite the other's speedy exit. The one holding his staff made a portal to the real world once again.
Dear Shadow Milk,
You’re surely wondering what this book I’ve sent you is. I thought that, perhaps, I could send you something that would allow me to write to you freely. Every time you write within it, everything will show up in an identical copy that I have. If you’re reading this now, it means that I’ve succeeded in using my endeavor, and you have taken it. I am thankful for that alone.
I truly meant it when I said I wanted us to be friends. Please, use this whenever it pleases you. I’ll be eagerly awaiting your response. In the meantime, I suppose I’ll tell you a bit about my life.
Things have been settling down in the Vanilla Kingdom. Gingerbrave and his friends have come to live with Custard Cream III and me in the palace. It’s very enjoyable to have them there. I recently began teaching Strawberry how to knit. She’s picking up the skill quite fast. I believe it’s enjoyable for her, as much as reading is for Wizard, and the new swingset we’ve built in the palace garden is for Custard Cream III and Gingerbrave. I’d love to teach them all, but I’m afraid they don't have the ability to sit still quite yet.
I believe I’m beginning to understand why you keep Candy Apple and Black Sapphire with you in the spire. Children are simply such a joy to be around.
Speaking of, I must ask, is there anything that they’d like to be knitted for them? I’m well aware that your sewing is beyond measure, but I can’t help but recall that they lacked knitted sweaters in their closets. With how cold things could become in the spire, I’d be happy to provide them something for chillier days. Perhaps some sweaters?
I’m sure Candy Apple would appreciate a red one. I believe some yellow and orange flames would be in order, as well. Maybe I could sneak in a few eyes on the cuffs; She’d love anything that’s got a pattern similar to what you decorate with on it. It’s Black Sapphire that causes me some trouble. Purple and black is what he prefers, I know, but I have no idea of what style he’d enjoy. I would hate to get him something that would just take up space, but I don’t want to be unfair and make only Candy Apple something. If you have any insights, which I’m sure you do, please let me know what they are.
Unrelated to the children, my cream sheep have been doing wonderfully. They’re growing so much… Sometimes, I wonder if I should deny them the treats I keep feeding them. They’re beginning to grow quite a bit chubbier than I remember them being, even after I’ve sheared them.
I made a new dye recently. It reminds me of the color of milkcrowns when it’s applied to their wool. I’ve offered to make sweaters for the children, but now I wonder if you’d like one, too. I’d love to make one for you. What style would you prefer?
Sincerely,
Pure Vanilla
Shadow Milk rolled his eyes. Honestly, that’s all his Silly Vanilly wanted to talk about? His cream sheep and sweaters? Was there nothing more interesting? Well, two could play at that game.
He snapped the book shut and sauntered over to a certain cabinet of his. It was practically overflowing with unfinished projects. Some were still fresh, ink that barely dried on the cuffs of a blouse he’d once started sewing before a certain temper tantrum from his younger minion, while others had grown holes from being worn. Some were only there to be fixed after those holes, like an old dress from Candy Apple and a torn skirt Black Sapphire once wore. It likely wouldn’t even fit him anymore, the boy having grown quite a few inches. Not to mention, he’d never been fond of female disguises. Shadow Milk was certain that the only reason he’d worn it was to perfect the skill in case it was necessary. It wouldn’t do for what he wanted, no… Ah, there it was.
A small stuffed rabbit. It had been broken apart at some point. Maybe it was from a little explosion by Candy Apple, maybe it was a result of Shadow Milk’s own moments. It was a small, little thing, smaller than most of his others. Its right foot was hanging on by a thread, it’s pale, creamy fabric resembled the shade a dying cookie might take on. Stuffing was covering the area he’d picked it up from, dusty and slightly gray with ash. One of its little black button eyes was falling off. It had a bow tie, but it had come loose, and now was tied more similarly to a noose around its small neck. He snapped his fingers, a fuller, darker rabbit appearing beside him. He tossed the dying stuffed animal into its arms without a second thought.
“As soon as I’m done writing my response to Nilly, give that to him.” He snickered. He didn’t really need to tell the rabbits what he was doing, but it had been a habit of Black Sapphire’s when he first got his own stuffed servants. They were a set of darkly-colored bats that still slunk around the spire, though over the years, they’d all been assigned to the caretaking of the spire. Black Sapphire hadn’t bothered to tell them to stop, for whatever reason, as if Shadow Milk’s rabbits would no longer cook or clean again, as it had been while…
Now, now, that was an unpleasant thought! He decided not to dwell on it as he lifted the book and picked a pen off his desk. The ink was dark and smooth, but glittered slightly. Pure Vanilla would surely appreciate the touch, or perhaps he’d hate it after it began to cover whatever room he’d opened Shadow Milk’s “letter” in.
Vanilly,
Honestly, your letter is so BORING! If you’re going to give me a little gift, you might as well make it something interesting. And yet, I’ve received barely a single stage direction! Nothing interesting, really. Not even a word about your true purpose in giving me this little book! Truly, you’re going to bore me to death with it, I think. But, because I’m willing to entertain your foolish prompt, I’ll give you a couple of answers.
First of all, I could not care less about those little gnats! They’re all worthless, and I’m sure Starberry’s knitting isn’t even that good yet. Weaving is such a better talent, anyway. But I’m sure it would be impossible for you to teach her that. I doubt you even have a child-sized loom! And a new swingset, really? There’s nothing interesting to be gained from swinging back and forth on something! Give them a slide and a ball pit, something interesting like that, if you’re going to try to brag to me about your skills as a parent. Candy Apple used to love her back when she was your little fool's age.
And yes, she does like the color red! How could you have noticed? Maybe it was all her hair charms, or the color of her room… Maybe it was how she loves to be covered in jam! She’s always been such a messy kid, but a red sweater would hide the stains. Of course, Black Sapphire just loves black and purple… But most of his disguises lean toward pink. A muted one, though, none of that neon stuff. That’s more Candy’s style. And leaning toward a wine-like tone for him. You can do that, can’t you? Won’t be asking too much?
I’m certain that your sheep will be doing wonderfully until I take back my souljam and burn your entire kingdom to the ground! But, in the meantime, let’s agree that this bunny will be so much better than them, m’kay? You’ll be wise to fix him up… Or not! Who knows what I could get up to with a rabbit with connections to my other realm that’s in your little kingdom? Then again, I already have those! Your little invites are so cute, though. If I wanted to come see you, I would, but, spoiler alert, I DON’T!
Take this as your warning not to try getting all buddy-buddy with me, Nilly. You’re such a horrible liar, I don’t know why you’d think I’d believe you. Silly silly Nilly should at least try to pick something realistic as your first grand deceit! Oh, I almost forgot; It’s your SECOND! You must be a stupid cookie to think I’d believe you. Why, not using the same con twice on the same target is practically the first rule of lying!
Wishing for Your Demise,
Shadow Milk, The Great Beast Of Decit, Totally Better Than the Ancient of Truth