[As she steps through, the smell should hit her immediately. The strong scent of flowers wafts through the way as the path opens up into a large greenhouse.]
[The door is ajar, and even from the outside it seems almost overrun. Flowers of all sorts are creeping out, but there is one flower in particular that seems prominent. The Milkcrown. A flower that Shadow Milk has recently begun cultivating in their gardens, though he's always been cagey about it if asked.]
[The mote travels inside and float low until it reaches ...ah, the figure of someone laying on the ground, Milkcrown growing around them as if forming a bed. The mote returns to that person with a soft glow.]
[Dressed in a long, dark blue robe, stitched in gold, lays ...Shadow Milk? Or perhaps not. His long hair is like the starry sky, twinkling with stars as streaks of white flow through it. His face, though unconscious, seems softer, even despite the visible cracks running through his skin.]
she keeps going, only pausing to gently cup a milkcrown before going, leaving the flower as is. and then she realizes- )
No-
( lily runs forward, crouching beside him- he's cracking, why is he cracking? his dough- and... the stars...
something cinches in her chest. it both is, and is not him. the man she's come to welcome into her home. this is the man he was once upon a time.
she stares for a moment before a melancholy settles on her shoulders like snow. and then she gently rests a hand on his cheek, a soft light of healing magic emitting from her touch. )
[He seems in a deep sleep, though not a very restful one, as she comes over to look at him. Once she begins to heal him, that cool, soothing magic gently running through him, he begins to stir.]
[His eyes are ...tired, disoriented. They are a soft gold and blue much like Shadow Milk's.]
...?
[He looks up at her and "oh!"s very softly, weakly, and offers her a smile.]
( her voice is soft, quiet- not unlike her touch, really. as he stirs, she starts to blink away tears. his eyes, this gentle voice- it's so right and so wrong, and he looks so fragile. )
[Slowly, he begins to pull himself up, so he can sit, but the way he holds himself is very cautious. Her healing has mended the cracks a little, but there seems to be more to them. Perhaps something more metaphorical in nature.]
You ...are the Light of Freedom, keeper of the Silver Tree. I am Knowledge, and there is little that escapes my sight, you know. Ah, but ...it has been much harder to "see" lately. I have ...felt very tired.
[His expression is wry, as he threads his fingers through his hair, brushing it back behind his shoulder.]
I fear I've been asleep for some time, and only now had the strength to reach out. Thank you.
[Ah, thank you. He folds his hands in his lap. What lay beneath him were ...swathes of more milkcrown.]
To a degree. He and I are ...one in the same, though he denies it. His sorrow is mine, as is his joy, his anger. However, I am not as all Knowing as I once was.
That's a very good guess, but you're off just a little.
[He sits up straight, the best he can in his state, so that he can speak like he would when giving a lecture of some kind.]
I once explained to another that Death is not absolute, but rather, is the onset of transformation and change. I may "die" soon, but it is a happy thing. It means things have begun to change.
( though she frets gently, she doesn't interrupt either. she just watches his expression, before her hand finally squeezes is- it couldn't have been anyone but pure vanilla cookie. vanny... )
He and I will become one, and I will finally leave this tower.
[His hand gently squeezes back.]
I was worried ...that I might not have ever woken back up. We felt a loss so great, I fell into a deep slumber, a darkness swallowed me, but I called out and you answered. Thank you.
That was never within your control. Don't... think that that is a guilt you have to carry, okay?
( and then he does that and she can't help but fluster because it's shadow milk, but it's not, but it's the man she had admired so and despite everything she really doesn't have a lot of this sort of experience- he may be amused by a little squeak that she's pretending didn't happen.
...
after a moment, lily leans forward, cupping his cheek opposite of the cracks with her own free hand and presses a soft kiss against said cracks. making her own move does not make the blush on her cheeks fade any. )
... I... do too. But what happens now that I'm here?
Oh, my dear ...The guilt I carry has brought ruin to civilizations.
[But maybe that's something else they have in common.]
[Before he can say anything else, she is leaning forward and- oh! That ...such a soft gesture. He looks gobsmacked for a moment, truly caught off guard, but then his cheeks flush and he has to avert his eyes for a moment. Goodness. Spin his stardust hair around his fingers.]
I- W-well! This is ...but a dream. It will fade in time. Would you like to help me water the flowers until then? The Milkcrown have ...have really gotten out of hand...
( she's quiet for a moment. he and vanilla may have been two halves of a whole... but she and this man... are mirrors. good intent leads to hell, knowledge leads to madness, despair leads to carnage. and all that remains in the aftermath are them- bullet shells, hollow with grief.
maybe, with how much she hates herself- the lily who left vanny behind at the spire, and dark enchantress, and yes, herself as she is now- maybe she never would have liked shadow milk cookie off the bat.
...
at least he's cute when he's flustered. normal things to think about a man you definitely don't have any feelings for. )
[Ah, he settles down a little. The Fount of Knowledge was not flustered, he is an illustrious professional! He braids his hair a bit out of nerves, or perhaps excitement? Before he is looking for the edge of a table to try and pull himself to his feet with.]
There is a watering can ...ah.
[He must have dropped it at some point, its over on the ground some distance away. There's still a bit of water left in it, though.]
...I seem to have made a mess before falling asleep. Forgive me.
[But yes, just so. The can fills with water as soon as she has it righted. He stands there a bit holding onto the edge of the table, trying not to make it too obvious he needs the support. He's fine, he's doing very well. He smiles.]
Is that so? You should tell me a little more about yourself, I would be interesting in knowing more.
[He knows quite a lot already, but its no fun to just Know. He likes hearing it from the person.]
( she hesitates for a moment. because not all the comparisons are flattering. but as she starts, she begins watering the flowers. )
... I grew up in a small village, with a weak and brittle body. I wanted to know everything I could, because it was interesting- and... because I wanted to make life better for cookies like me.
I wound up attending an academy. Your academy. And I found... your work, but marked with a lily. It felt like destiny, in a sense. ( and destiny is the sword of damocles, especially to idealistic children who won't see it for what it is. ) ... I kept searching for knowledge, for truths I wasn't meant to know.
The things I've learned have hurt people. But... I love them all the same. I always will.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[The door is ajar, and even from the outside it seems almost overrun. Flowers of all sorts are creeping out, but there is one flower in particular that seems prominent. The Milkcrown. A flower that Shadow Milk has recently begun cultivating in their gardens, though he's always been cagey about it if asked.]
[The mote travels inside and float low until it reaches ...ah, the figure of someone laying on the ground, Milkcrown growing around them as if forming a bed. The mote returns to that person with a soft glow.]
[Dressed in a long, dark blue robe, stitched in gold, lays ...Shadow Milk? Or perhaps not. His long hair is like the starry sky, twinkling with stars as streaks of white flow through it. His face, though unconscious, seems softer, even despite the visible cracks running through his skin.]
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( ...
she keeps going, only pausing to gently cup a milkcrown before going, leaving the flower as is. and then she realizes- )
No-
( lily runs forward, crouching beside him- he's cracking, why is he cracking? his dough- and... the stars...
something cinches in her chest. it both is, and is not him. the man she's come to welcome into her home. this is the man he was once upon a time.
she stares for a moment before a melancholy settles on her shoulders like snow. and then she gently rests a hand on his cheek, a soft light of healing magic emitting from her touch. )
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[His eyes are ...tired, disoriented. They are a soft gold and blue much like Shadow Milk's.]
...?
[He looks up at her and "oh!"s very softly, weakly, and offers her a smile.]
It's you. You heard me, after all.... I'm glad.
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( her voice is soft, quiet- not unlike her touch, really. as he stirs, she starts to blink away tears. his eyes, this gentle voice- it's so right and so wrong, and he looks so fragile. )
... Do... you know who I am?
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[Slowly, he begins to pull himself up, so he can sit, but the way he holds himself is very cautious. Her healing has mended the cracks a little, but there seems to be more to them. Perhaps something more metaphorical in nature.]
You ...are the Light of Freedom, keeper of the Silver Tree. I am Knowledge, and there is little that escapes my sight, you know. Ah, but ...it has been much harder to "see" lately. I have ...felt very tired.
[His expression is wry, as he threads his fingers through his hair, brushing it back behind his shoulder.]
I fear I've been asleep for some time, and only now had the strength to reach out. Thank you.
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... shadow milk cookie... )
... Yes. My name is White Lily Cookie. Are you aware of- of what happens outside of this place, then?
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To a degree. He and I are ...one in the same, though he denies it. His sorrow is mine, as is his joy, his anger. However, I am not as all Knowing as I once was.
I ...am but a remnant, a missing piece.
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( she inhales softly. a remnant who got to live. while he... is here. trapped within himself.
lily watches, and she quietly takes one of his hands in her own with a gentle squeeze. )
... I'm sorry.
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[He takes his free hand and sets it on top.]
You needn't apologize. If anything, I would like to thank you.
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... Anyone would come when called, I'd like to think.
( but that's not the only thing, is it? )
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Not just for that. Ah, these cracks in my dough ...what do you think they might be?
[Uh oh, is this suddenly a little pop quiz? From the First Headmaster?]
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( somehow that seems to calm her down, actually? )
This realm is metaphysical, is it not? Born of your soul and magic. The cracks would be... a representative of a hurt you feel, correct?
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[He sits up straight, the best he can in his state, so that he can speak like he would when giving a lecture of some kind.]
I once explained to another that Death is not absolute, but rather, is the onset of transformation and change. I may "die" soon, but it is a happy thing. It means things have begun to change.
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Don't strain yourself...
( though she frets gently, she doesn't interrupt either. she just watches his expression, before her hand finally squeezes is- it couldn't have been anyone but pure vanilla cookie. vanny... )
... What... what's going to happen, after?
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[His hand gently squeezes back.]
I was worried ...that I might not have ever woken back up. We felt a loss so great, I fell into a deep slumber, a darkness swallowed me, but I called out and you answered. Thank you.
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( she knows she's not who they yearn for. her gaze falls. )
But I'll be there all the same. I promise. ... And, I will be there when you call.
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[He lifts their hands to give hers a gentle little kiss.]
I look forward to the day we can see each other on the other side.
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( and then he does that and she can't help but fluster because it's shadow milk, but it's not, but it's the man she had admired so and despite everything she really doesn't have a lot of this sort of experience- he may be amused by a little squeak that she's pretending didn't happen.
...
after a moment, lily leans forward, cupping his cheek opposite of the cracks with her own free hand and presses a soft kiss against said cracks. making her own move does not make the blush on her cheeks fade any. )
... I... do too. But what happens now that I'm here?
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[But maybe that's something else they have in common.]
[Before he can say anything else, she is leaning forward and- oh! That ...such a soft gesture. He looks gobsmacked for a moment, truly caught off guard, but then his cheeks flush and he has to avert his eyes for a moment. Goodness. Spin his stardust hair around his fingers.]
I- W-well! This is ...but a dream. It will fade in time. Would you like to help me water the flowers until then? The Milkcrown have ...have really gotten out of hand...
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maybe, with how much she hates herself- the lily who left vanny behind at the spire, and dark enchantress, and yes, herself as she is now- maybe she never would have liked shadow milk cookie off the bat.
...
at least he's cute when he's flustered. normal things to think about a man you definitely don't have any feelings for. )
Yes, I can do that.
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There is a watering can ...ah.
[He must have dropped it at some point, its over on the ground some distance away. There's still a bit of water left in it, though.]
...I seem to have made a mess before falling asleep. Forgive me.
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( silly.
lily takes the can- if it's a dream, could she just... will it to be full once more? )
... You remind me of myself. How strange.
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[But yes, just so. The can fills with water as soon as she has it righted. He stands there a bit holding onto the edge of the table, trying not to make it too obvious he needs the support. He's fine, he's doing very well. He smiles.]
Is that so? You should tell me a little more about yourself, I would be interesting in knowing more.
[He knows quite a lot already, but its no fun to just Know. He likes hearing it from the person.]
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( she hesitates for a moment. because not all the comparisons are flattering. but as she starts, she begins watering the flowers. )
... I grew up in a small village, with a weak and brittle body. I wanted to know everything I could, because it was interesting- and... because I wanted to make life better for cookies like me.
I wound up attending an academy. Your academy. And I found... your work, but marked with a lily. It felt like destiny, in a sense. ( and destiny is the sword of damocles, especially to idealistic children who won't see it for what it is. ) ... I kept searching for knowledge, for truths I wasn't meant to know.
The things I've learned have hurt people. But... I love them all the same. I always will.
I'd die for them, without question.