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[Look at his tail wiggle. It's very cute. He resists the urge to shift to match, which is a funny little instinct he has now thanks to their soul merge.]

[He climbs the rest of the way out of the shadow.]

Oh, was it because I was teasing that poor little bird?

[But okay, this is something of clear interest, he will raise an eyebrow, and float up to hit comfortably in the air.]

It's loads of fun, but not very practical, I agree. Alright, what'cha got for me, Vanilly?

[ Don't you dare, remember what happened last time. And he... can't help but laugh. Dangit. ]

Well. Yes.

[ The floating is cheating, he knows you do it to be taller. He hum's and reaches out to take Shadow Milks ankle and walk him towards a spot so he can sit down. ]

Placing similar sigils onto you. Alter so that, instead of using your own energy, you call upon mine. As well as then store this energy inside yourself, so you can then use it as needed without [ huff ] touching me.

[He's looking forward to the eventual pay off of that little Deceit.]

[Anyway, he allows himself to be pulled along, thinking about what Vanilla has proposed. That actually makes a lot of sense!]

I don't see why that wouldn't work.

[Thoughtful tapping of his fingers against his thigh.]

We would have to monitor the flow of energy so that I don't just siphon you dry, though.

Rather than monitor, we can place in an automatic stop point.

[ He glances around for something to write with, getting up to fetch some paper and a pencil, before sitting down again. Side pressed into Shadow Milks as he puts the paper down and begins to draw. ]

It would have to be able to read both my energy levels as well as yours. Stop the flow of energy, despite us being unable to close our connection, or reverse it should you take too much.

[ Sketchy sketchy. ]

[Ah, okay, he leans in to watch.]

Because this is on the body and not the soul, should make that distinction easier to figure out, yeah? Something that's more hardware than software should be easier to affix a hard stop.

[Hmhm, that does remind him, though.]

I'm ever so interested to see if adding energy will actually break loose some of my sealed magic, or if it will just enhance what I can do.

Hm... much like our magichanical golems. It prevented overloads that would destroy their logistics...

[ He begins unwinding the symbols he's been making, figuring out how to flow them around a body properly, like his own. It needs to all connect, no open circles, no stray symbols...

He pauses in thought, tilting his head, wiggling the pencil between his fingers. His ears flick gently. ]

It's possible, but if your block is due to him, then I'm afraid even together we wont be able to overcome it.

[ But his tone is musing, and he lifts his pencil to his lip to tap it there... ]

We could try to force an overload, break past the seal forcefully, or we can work on identifying the seal and seeing if we can't unwind it.

[That's right, the Vanilla Kingdom was full of those crazy automatons. He kind of wants to pick his brain about them. It isn't like he's seen anything quite like them before back in those old days. He'd kind of like to take one apart?]

Mm. The body is really just an over complicated, fleshy machine, right?

[He sighs, leaning back, crossing his arms as his hair splays out as if he had dipped himself in water.]

Forcing an overload might fry me up instead. The seal is powerful, not even the Goddess could break it. I didn't spy any Deceit on her, but she was only able to sequester away a liiiiittle bit of my power back for me when we spoke. Something tells me "storming the gate" may not be the way to go.

[So. Uh. Yeah, if PV was curious about the Shadowmancy.]

Edited (?????????????????????????? i think this is what i meant???) 2025-03-22 07:18 (UTC)

[ It is, even when they were just Cookies. The similarities to Cakes were enough it meant he could use what he learned with Lily to make the golems. He watches Shadow Milk lean back like that and hm's, then turns himself sideways. So he can flop backwards to rest his head in Shadow Milks lap comfortably, his legs propped up with his feet on the couch arm so he can use his own thighs as a table for his paper.

Hair is everywhere. ]

... We might not be able to unravel it ourselves, then.

[ There's frustration in his voice and he closes his eyes momentarily as his brow furrows down. Hm. Together they would only be as powerful as Knowledge as it was, but even then the Witch stripped it away. Snapped it in half. He opens his eyes to glance upwards as Shadow Milk, expression smoothing as he beams up at him. ]

So let's try to find a loophole. Even the so-called most secure spells can be tampered with. But only once we are sure it won't harm you. Until then, we'll focus on what you can do.

[ He pauses again, studying him, letting go of his pencil to reach up and touch his cheek. ]

Is this why you can play in shadows again?

[Hair is e v e r y w h e r e. That's fine, Shadow Milk likes playing with it anyway. He threads his sharp nails through some of it idly while he thinks, and listens to Vanilla run through his thoughts.]

[As Knowledge, he could not escape the Witch it's true. A Goddess to cookies in her own right, and he had stood no chance back then. As much as he'd like to crumble their warden, he's not an idiot. Trying to break the seal may do more than hurt them, it may garner the ire and attention of the Forest.]

[So he shares his frustration.]

We can work small. We need to understand the seal first and foremost, before we can begin picking it apart. I wouldn't be shocked if there's traps threaded into it's magic for doing such a thing.

[But, challenge accepted. Something does occur to him that he- mentally hesitates to bring up. Instead he will take the change in topic. He will reach up to brush the hand touching his cheek.]

I just had a little epiphany is all, and thought to speak to one of the goddesses directly. We- made an exchange for some of my magic back.

[Yeah he is being. Awfully cagey.]

[ Understanding... Well, he has become Comprehension. Understanding the way things work has become something he's supposedly skilled in. He could look, dig his fingers in. And he feels that hesitation, lets curiosity float across Shadow Milks mind. Why hesitate? Whatever he thinks or says, Vanilla will understand.

Together in a whole.

The return touch to his hand makes him smile and he snags Shadow Milks fingers to bring them down, turning his palm to lay it over his mouth so he can kiss it, turn his cheek into it.

And frown a little against it. It was bad enough that the Goddess managed to make Shadow Milk more whole, but to exchange something for it makes him hum in displeasure.

No, this is his. He'll let Shadow Milk be cagey, it makes him obviously uncomfortable, so he'll be jealous instead. ]

I don't like them touching you.

[ Well that's more possessive than jealous but there it is, his eyes peeking around the hand on his mouth, his lips brushing against Shadow Milks palm. The tone is a little Truthless, a little flat, the look is a little blank. ]

They've done enough damage.

[To be fair, Vanilla falling into that tone, that state, does a lot to pull him out of whatever thoughts he might be lost in. Thoughts of trying to decide how to bring this up without there being uh. Issues.]

[That PV doesn't pry into the thing about the Goddesses sort of dings a little flag in his brain, too.]

[Shame it's kind of attractive.]

[He takes his hand back so he an lean down and give him a proper kiss. Maybe it'll help break him out of this Heartless spell of his. He knows that's what it is now, after their merging.]

I am not one to petition "God"s myself, either, but ...

[He sighs. Fine, he'll show him the memory, just so Vanilla doesn't get the wrong idea. It wasn't the same as one of Vanilla's deaths after all. he just ...had to be vulnerable. No secrets between them, isn't that something Vanilla has said before? When showing him- him? Now Vanilla can see how he laid himself bare.]

[ The hand being taken back makes him pout for a brief moment before the touch of their mouths. Oh, okay, that's much better actually and he reaches to stroke his fingers through Shadow Milks hair instead, humming into the kiss before it's broken so he can talk.

He sighs a little and accepts the memory, watching the way she forced him to be vulnerable. Who you will be.

How dare she.

It's less a thought and more a feeling, anger clawing up at the back of his throat. How dare she make Shadow Milk strip himself down. How dare she look into portions of him that only Pure Vanilla may. How dare she ask to know him more.

Vanilla inhales, then pauses, and exhales forcefully. Bundles the anger up and let's it go. Shadow Milk wasn't wrong. It's a step towards being who he can be, if he admits to himself.

But it rankles he grew that tiny bit without him. ]

Mm...

[ He still sounds a little displeased, a little heartless, but he's coming back around. ]

... I'm glad of your growth.

[ And he is, despite being upset he had it without him. Because it means Shadow Milk can figure out who he will be. But he hates that it was exchanged with and he wraps his arms around Shadow Milks head to force him down more so they can rest forehead to forehead.

He will think of the alignments in a second. ]

[Yeah, and all of those feelings wash through him like a tidal wave. All of that anger and possessiveness. He has noticed more of these moments in him lately, and he had initially attributed it to his Half a Heart situation but this definitely feels stronger than that. After all, how can the missing heart claim such in what Shadow Milk feels like must be twisted love.]

[So...perhaps in an opposite show of his growth, he basks in it for a moment. He's right, he hadn't liked having to lay himself bare like that when he hardly knew the answer he was looking for. Admitting to being an empty shell with nothing but a mask to rely on had kind of messed him up.]

[But it had been growth, even he knows that. It had been something he couldn't even think to see in himself before now. He knows he's already changed.]

[he goes down easily. Hums with their contact and closeness.]

It wouldn't have happened without you.

[Rubs his nose against his.]

You're the only one I would have given even the slightest amount of consideration to maybe changing my ways. You should feel very proud of yourself, taming a beast.

[And this kind of candid self awareness. It is as new and strange as Vanilla's swinging derangement.]

[ That placates Vanilla far more than showing him the memory had and finally the tension goes out of him, his smile softening, the warmth returning. But its still tinged. The same drumbeat that Shadow Milk poured into him when he was Truthless. Minemineminemine no one can see what I see no one can know your heart like I can only minemineminemine.

Twisted love indeed.

The rub of their noses makes him laugh softly and he slides his hands around to cup Shadow Milks head, hold him in proper to kiss him. Bite his bottom lip enough to split it again, lick along the line of it to drag blood away. ]

I am proud. Of you. All I offered you was understanding and love. [Mineminemine] But I didn't make you walk the path. You did that. And I know how difficult that is.

[ He drags his nails across Shadow Milks cheeks, smiling softly, licking his lips a little from where he had wiped away the blood. ]

Whether because of me or not.

[It doesn't help that Shadow Milk has all but handed himself over to him body and soul on more than one occasion. Has places himself into Vanilla's hands and trusted what he would do next. That mineminemine running through his head is just reassurance to him. He will never have to be alone again, so long as he belongs to Vanilla.]

[He makes a soft noise at the kiss, at the split of his lip, and once Vanilla speaks, he goes back down for another, pulling on Vanilla's lip through his sharp teeth.]

You gave me what I wanted most.

[He speaks softly against his lips.]

So I chose the path that would keep you as close as possible. It wasn't a hard choice in the end, really.

[ The broken lip gets a return noise from him, and for a moment he takes the opportunity to just kiss him again and mingle their blood together. Smear color across their mouths. Hums softly, happily, letting warmth overflow from him into Shadow Milk.

Slide's a hand down to the back of Shadow Milk's neck, fingers curling lightly against the nape. ]

Then let me give you more. Hold still.

[ The warmth he was flooding him earlier begins to trickle in lines along his body. He hopes Shadow Milk remembered that this particular procedure isn't painless, because soon that warmth will turn to fire, acid etching and biting away. Magic scarring deep into flesh, connecting with the magic inside Shadow Milk, attuned to the energy inside Pure Vanilla. Runes flare (blue on Vanilla, gold on Shadow Milk) as patterns weave together.

Perhaps it's not as bad as it could have been. Not with Pure Vanilla there easing the burden, taking half of the pain. Pure Vanilla did it alone and he remembers blacking out before it finished, so he murmurs encouragement against Shadow Milks mouth.

His eyes are closed as he concentrates but if they were open, what would Shadow Milk see? ]

Edited 2025-03-22 09:48 (UTC)

[It takes a moment for his mind to catch back up. Contact is still such a dizzying thing sometimes, and the taste of his blood in his mouth was near intoxicating. He thinks little of letting Vanilla do what he wants, lets the warmth flow through him, and then-]

[It begins to trace lines leaving fire in it's wake and he realizes what's happening. The runes-]

[He chokes out a startled noise of surprise. The pain is strong and even with Vanilla acting as a buffer, he feels it much more acutely than most given his body experiences, but he doesn't try to recoil away. He holds himself steady while he endures, while the magic burns lines into his skin, tethering him closer to Vanilla, to his soul.]

[Will this make the body more resilient, he wonders? Will this keep it from buckling under the weight of his sealed magic once it's free? His other body could barely-]

[Shadow milk is perhaps lucky that he is in enough pain he can't See what might be behind Vanilla's eyes. That he might catch a glimpse of foreshadowing to this script. Instead he curls up over Vanilla to catch his breath, body trembling with warmth and magic. It hurts but now that it's done, it also felt very good. Cathartic.]

[ As Shadow Milk curls over him, he lets the magic ebb away. Dark lines scour Shadow Milks body now, circling and enclosing him in magic circles. Delicate runes and sigils chase along the circles, their meaning multi purpose. Safe guards added in, in case Shadow Milk gets greedy, so he can't drain Pure Vanilla to the point of detriment. His hands move to rub lightly along them, sliding into Shadow Milks clothes to rub at aching skin, his voice soft. ]

You did so well enduring it. Breath for a moment.

[ Cathartic and perhaps like it's a piece of him coming home. The magic is ultimately Shadow Milks, after all, derived from his works that the Academy sealed away as Forbidden. The "Dark Side of the Moon" magic. Pieces of the Other-Realm. Moving one hand to find Shadow Milks own, he moves it to press it to his arm, sliding it under the sleeves to warm dark skin. ]

Go on. Take. Let's see if our calculations are right. Draw from me.

[ Testing is important, after all. ]

[He takes the moment to do as Vanilla says. He breathes, let's the magic settle in him, lets that soft ache and sting ebb. Revel's in the touch of Vanilla's hands over his skin. It's true, it feels like yet another missing piece has come home. He ...he really is scattered, isn't he? So many shards of himself littered through out the cosmos, no wonder he's struggling with who he is.]

[Once he feels his hand moved, touching over Vanilla's runes he takes one more breath and sits up a little, clears his mind and concentrates. He'll start slow, nudging the spell, activating it softly before he finds that well of magic in him, and carefully turns the knob on the faucet.]

[It rushes through him, filling him with ecstasy, dragging him into a high he's never felt. Despite himself he lets out a moan. Ah, so this is what he did to Vanilla the other night.]

[ Oh, that feels... Odd. There's the faint tingle of pleasure, Shadow Milks magic rushing over him to connect to his runes in turn, as his energy is tapped in to. But it's no where near that night, just echoes.

Though he can certainly feel Shadow Milks and he huffs a soft laugh to the moan, even as he squirms in kind. He slides his hand along skin, nails dragging gently against the new lines of Shadow Milks body. Let's his energy flow over them, sink in, fill the other with him.

It's oddly relaxing, now. He could close his eyes and let Shadow Milk devour him and drift away. They'll both feel when the cutoff kicks in, and it'll leave Vanilla feeling chilly and a little shaky. ]

Ah, might have to make that cutoff sooner.

[ He's laughing though, soft as he stares upwards. ]

A spell, please. For me?

[It is an incredible feeling. It's different from when they share each other's soul, but not by much. It feels much more tangible in a way. Like the magical energy is just pouring into him, running through his body. He feels it reaching the tips of his fingers all the way down to his toes. It's a bright, and warm, like filling his veins with liquid gold.]

[He could be drunk on this this, if he isn't careful. He feels that cut off hit, and can feel the way his body almost wants to lurch for more, having gotten a taste. Having gotten something it's been missing all this time.]

[Ah ...look at that state Vanilla is in right now. He's so soft and weak, laying in his lap. If he were still a monster, he could do something reprehensible to him right now and get away from it.]

[He brushes away some of the hair from Vanilla's face and leans down to press a kiss to that little sunburst on his forehead. He activates the magic welled up in him, making the runes on his body glow a vibrant gold. Vanilla will feel some of that energy transfer back to him, but it becomes a little more than that. It's a healing spell of a sort, something to replenish vitality. It's not terribly strong, but it should make Vanilla feel less cold and weak.]

[He also made it so anytime Vanilla takes a step, his footsteps will make a squeaky toy noise, but he will just have to wait and find that out in ab it, won't he.]

You were awfully generous, Vanilla Bean, but I agree. Hows that? Did that help? It's been a couple thousand years since I've dabbled in that school of magic.

[ Perhaps once day Vanilla will let him drink his fill, he comes back, after all. And maybe this way a death wouldn't be harsh on the other, they would be part of the other. And he hears those thoughts and all he does is smile up at Shadow Milk, tender and sweet. He knows he could do whatever he wanted to him right now.

And he know he won't.

The kiss makes him sigh and his eyes close, only to open them in surprise to the sudden warmth filling him. A healing spell. It makes him want to cry, because it's such a familiar feeling to his own healing. That piece missing out of him, even as he's stuffed Shadow Milk into the wound. It makes his smile radiant, as Shadow Milk pulls back, his hand curling through some hair to hold. ]

It does. Thank you, Bluebird.

[ He will find out about the other spell later, asshole. He sighs again and tilts his head to pull Shadow Milk against his mouth for another soft kiss, amused. ]

That you dabbled at all in it doesn't surprise me. Did it exist before you, or did you create it too?

[ One of these days he wants to cast a spell with Shadow Milk... ]

[In some small way, it's like he can still cast it. Shadow Milk had used Vanilla's magical energy to do it, after all.]

[Testing it on something small also means he's still got some in the tank, and he will have to think about how he wants to use it. This is a precious resource, so he should be smart about it.]

[Anyway, kissing is great. One of his top favorite things about this body actually, when it isn't doing everything in it's power to ruin Shadow Milk's day.]

Hm? Oh, but that would be telling, wouldn't it?

[He gives him a sly grin and then looks very much like he won't tell him.]

Hm, hm, the boring answer to that question, is that much of our magic predates me really, I simply gave it a form that could be used by cookiekind. After all, it isn't as though the moon appeared just to bring us it's magic. The magic was always there.

A secret? Kept? Oh, Bluebird, you wound me.

[ He smiles back to the grin, sweet to the sly, and then looks smug when Shadow Milk tells him anyways. Ha, he knew he wouldn't be able to hold out. His expression softens a little as he listens, nodding. ]

That makes sense.

[ Before Cookies there were the Witches, and before them? The very Cosmos? The Moon and the Sun, the Stars, the space between them all. He sighs softly, twirling Shadow Milks hair around his fingers, crossing a leg over his knee, ankle joint flexing to tap his hoof a little. ]

You adapted it for us... did you mean to make it heal stronger with love?

Allow your court jester his japes and tomfoolery, oh King.

[Look, even he knows lying just straight up won't work on PV anymore. Being coy is the closest thing to Deceit he can get, so he's going to tease him a little.]

[Despite his complicated relationship with his past, he does enjoy talking about magic, and now that he's had more and more opportunity to do this, it comes out of him much easier now. A genuine spark for the art that once had been his duty. He was baked to be a herald of magic and knowledge, and maybe deep down, he still has a love for it. Maybe.]

Well ...if you must know, to be dedicated to healing takes a special kind of resilience don't you think? It's awfully easy to become apathetic in the face of frequent hardship. If one lost sight of what brings them love, then perhaaaaps it is time to step back from the art.

[Huh. Kind of parallels a conversation Vanilla's had before.]

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