[There is someone in the feast that taking this with way less weight than Salt, but that's probably to be expected. After all, what's the point of being so virtuous about it if it's just going to get eaten anyway? Why risk leaving some to spoil? But Salt has always been this kind of person, Shadow Milk thinks. Very self-righteous and self-sacrificing, even with his fall. Even now he stands at the edges like a sentinel as if watching for some invisible threat.]
[Shadow Milk likes to think he knows the other Beasts fairly well, but Salt had always been harder for him to read. Rather he seemed very straight forward and upfront, but lately... Ah well. None of that really matters now, right? Right.]
[A plate suddenly floats on by Salt, hovers right in front of him. Shadow Milk leans on his staff, appearing moments later out of the ether.]
To have a plate yourself isn't taking away from anyone else, you know!
[It was only a matter of time before their paths crossed. From the moment he arrived, he'd felt the threads of Shadow Milk's presence. Cursory investigation of his surroundings had revealed all the evidence he needed to confirm that suspicion — the research hall was an obvious hallmark of the former emissary. Since then, he'd kept a respectable distance from the other Cookie.
Best not to start a fight when there were so many dynamics at play, after all.
That didn't mean he let his guard down. He had been waiting for some time for Shadow Milk to show his hand, to make a move of his own. It was only a matter of time — the jester did seem to wither without adequate attention, after all.
The floating plate is caught with nary a glance. Instead, Silent Salt turns his attention toward Shadow Milk as he appears.]
I do not need it. [Behind the helmet, a single eye swivels in search of a soul without a meal. Finding none, he opts to keep the plate for the time being. Surely someone would be hungry soon enough.] Since when does Deceit care for the well being of others?
[It was incredibly telling that Salt did not seek him out, after he knew the other was deeply aware of his presence. The Beholders watched him frequently from corners of the Grove. And yet, perhaps it was also telling that Shadow Milk similarly did not make himself just as known! Loudly, and with confetti.]
[There is something Different between them now, though Shadow Milk doesn't know what it is on Salt's end.]
Hm, have you eaten anything at all since you arrived here I wonder! I bet you're shriveling right up! These bodies aren't like our dough from before, after all.
[Or maybe he's just a specter in a suit of armor. He wonders...]
Good question! If I told you the answer, would you even believe me?
[There are many advantages to wearing a hunk of metal on ones head. Right now, said advantage was hiding the way he grimaces at Shadow Milk's words. He has learned all too well how different his body has become. There are new needs, grotesque ones, to tend to, while old ones have taken on a new form.
Thankfully, he has already learned his lesson about eating. If a cookie-turned-man in a suit of armor falls down outside of a forest, and no one is around to laugh at him, did it really happen?]
I have eaten. [Plain, barely toasted bread suited him just fine. It was a plentiful enough resource, one he did not set the sharp teeth of guilt to gnawing at his insides.] And now I am content to ensure others do.
[His head tilts, gaze staring down at the other cookie. After a moment, a faint breath — almost close to a snort — leaves him.]
[They are utterly disgusting, Shadow Milk thinks. They have uses, but ugh, everything else. He grins though, because while he cannot see the grimace, his pause tells him plenty.]
Hm. [He doesn't believe you, or if he's eaten, it was probably hardly anything at all. Perhaps he found hardtack somewhere and has been subsisting off of that!] Very well! Do what you want with the plate, I would just hate to find you depleted and face down in the snow because this finicky human body gave up on you. Embarrassing, if you ask me!
[But that is all he will say on that. For now. Anyway, was that a laugh? Hohoho, it might have been. He seems pleased, though as Salt looks down, it's the Beholder in Shadow Milk's staff that meets his gaze, while Shadow Milk looks forward, gaze focused on nothing. Even human, his appearance is terribly different. Hair short, the eyes all closed. He is beset with dozens of scars, which he boasts proudly with his clothing choices.]
[The insistence only makes him want to pass of the plate more. Unfortunately, no one looks hungry enough for seconds, and there is no way that Silent Salt will be wasting food, of all things. He is left holding it awkwardly to the side, hovering over the heads of many.
You know. Normal things. Just like Shadow Milk's appearance is normal and not at all concerning. As he waited for his own fate to be meted out, he had watched the other Beasts in their attempts to sully those who came after them. Never once had Shadow Milk looked like this. It only proved that whatever creature reigned over this place was truly powerful.
But just how far did that damage go. He suspects that Shadow Milk has been robbed of his sight. All signs indicate as much. Nevertheless, he resorts to the one thing he knows will garner the cookie's attention. He reaches toward the still outstretched plate and steals a small slice of roasted meat between the claws of his gauntlets. It takes some tilting to be able to sneak the bite beneath his helm, but hopefully it will be worth it.
His eyes never leave the Beholder.]
Whether you wish to admit it or not - [Silent Salt speaks only after the small bite has been swallowed. He tries to ignore the way his stomach begins to roil for more. Surely he'd eaten enough earlier.] - you will supply me with information all the same. You would not turn away a powerful ally against whatever forces exist beyond the trees.
[Perhaps the strangest thing about his appearance, is the presence of his right eye, though foggy, it shines gold instead of blue. Like it might have in days long forgotten.]
[The Beholder watches with anticipation while Shadow Milk's face seems impassive, content, like he's watching the crowd even though his eyes cannot see. The Beholder however, scrunches its eye up in satisfaction as he sees Salt eat. Good. At least he is not being too stubborn.]
Very astute! It's true that it doesn't matter what was happening before we got here, all that matters is we deal with the threat, and this mess of a town is all we've got to work with! Everyone here is more use to me alive than dead, you included.
[So, surely that is a satisfying answer for his question. Believable. In character.]
You've been here for a few days, so I imagine you've gathered the basics. What might this humble Fount of Knowledge answer for you instead?
[There are so many things that he has yet to understand. Much has happened, all without his knowledge. It flies in the face of his carefully laid plans, meaningless though they were now, especially in this place.
For now, he quells his turbulent thoughts by focusing on the Beholder. From this much, he can at least draw a conclusion or two. Shadow Milk had indeed lost his sight at one point, and undoubtedly within this place.
(As he considers all of this, his fingers reach yet again for the plate, pulling away a few pieces of fruit this time. He does not realize what he's done until a burst of sweetness slides down his throat. When did he get to be so hungry?)]
And why not cast your lot with this presumed threat?
[Silent Salt suspects that he knows the answer. Shadow Milk did so enjoy being the center of the show. He doubts the cookie would be able to manage that with someone far more powerful pulling the strings. Nevertheless, he had been willing to work with other forces back home. He cannot fully discount the possibility.]
I have seen Eternal Sugar's whelp about. He saw fit to mention White Lily Cookie. How many others are there?
[Good, he's eating. He must have been fucking starving, the fool.]
[As funny as it would be to watch him just collapse in the loudest clattering of armor ever, he needs Salt to be fit enough to not get got by this damned forest.]
[That question is a good one, honestly. Perhaps any of the beasts would have expected him to go that route from the start. A smile crosses Shadow Milk's face at the mention of the Threat, but it is a dangerous one, something dripping with hatred. It almost looks wrong on his face from how friendly he seemed to be up to this point.]
Oh, to write you dissertation on that, Salt Lick. The slights of that Thing against me grow by the day! But of course, the very first thing it did was touch what was mine, and I won't forgive it.
[That expression drops quickly as his eyes narrow, though still looking forward.]
Pavlova Cookie, and yes, your other half, that foolish King of Faeries, and my own other half are here currently.
[How curious. Unlike perhaps many of the souls here, Silent Salt is familiar with the mad and merciless nature of Shadow Milk cookie. It was clear, though, a large chunk of that particular part of him had been quelled by something within this place. That some of it still lingers is discomforting, yes, but more alarming is the idea that this thing could draw it out of him.]
How strange it is, to be grateful for your capricious and possessive whims. [If it were any other Beast, perhaps the story would have gone very differently.
But then, it quickly becomes his turn to be stricken by something. He hears one name in particular and feels his chest both swell and crumple all at once.]
[That too, is a story on it's own, but perhaps it should be no surprise that the madness plaguing him was lessened tremendously when the Forest ripped out his omniscience. That he no longer had Knowledge pounding every corner of is mind left him the opportunity to hear his own thoughts for the first time in millennia.]
[More surprising may be that the rest was quelled by accepting a certain someone's hand in kindness, but he doesn't think Salt of all people, would believe him if he told him that were it.]
Once you've dealt with this thing once, you'll see why even I had to draw a line somewhere.
[Salt's reaction to Elder Faerie is ....very interesting. While he does not seem to react to that entirely, he does file it away for later.]
Fascinating, isn't it? How this place can utterly ignore the laws of nature as we know it! But I suppose its the nature of our connection to this place that explains it. Our souls were always tethered to this place, apparently.
[He will not be so foolish as to say he looks forward to it. Silent Salt might have been the one to ultimately imprison Shadow Milk, but he did not do so on his own. No small amount of effort and collaboration went into the imprisonment of the beasts. If Shadow Milk could not dismiss this threat, then the creature was not a foe to be taken lightly.
Not that it diminished Silent Salt's resolve. He would find a way to cut it down. It would just take time.]
Explain. What do you mean, tethered./i>
[The words fill Silent Salt's chest with something inexplicable. The closest sensation he'd ever come to it was his union with White Lily. That had felt like coming home after countless years away. But it did not make sense in this context.]
Always raring to go, I see. I will give you but one warning, Beast of Silence. That thing took delight in ripping me to pieces. It took everything I had to just cause it a moment of pain, before it crumbled me in an impressively agonizing manner. Then, if that weren't enough insult to injury, when one is ripped back from the embrace of death here, it takes something, a prize of sorts, from you. Just to really hammer in how helpless you are against it.
[He waves his hand in front of his face, as if to punctuate what his cost had been.]
I can't stop you from marching into those woods, but I will tell you that to do so foolishly will result in more than an injury, or even death, but a loss of yourself, too. Step lightly.
[He sighs a little, he waves to a table.]
This is going to be a loooong explanation and I'm tired of standing. Or can you not sit in that tin can of yours?
[Regardless of the intention of Silent Salt's own words, he listens to what Shadow Milk has to say without correction. It is valuable information, even if it sours his stomach all the same. What is described to him sounds like magic on the level of their creators, an unfathomable thing that even he stands no chance against.
They certainly won't be making it easy on him, it seems.]
Make no mistake, Shadow Milk Cookie. [His tone remains grave.] I intend only to come to an understanding about this creature. I will not act in haste.
[He has far too much to do, even here. He will be patient if he must. He weathered the time it took for the Silver Tree to grow. He can surely manage this.]
Nevertheless. Your warning is... appreciated. [He has been neutral toward Shadow Milk at best in recent times, but he recalls that once... Once they had been friends, had they not? Bound by their shared duty and purpose.
Such sentimental thoughts are shoved to the side as Silent Salt manages a scoff.]
I can sit fine. Find yourself a comfortable spot. I shall follow.
[Disgustingly humbling it had been, to be killed so easily and so effortlessly by their Warden. He will see that entity burn if its the last thing he does.]
Good enough for me! You're not the one I'm worried about, really. My well-meaning but naive other-half still wants to try and make friends with it!
[His hair turns completely grey for a moment, then turns back.]
[He grins a little at his scoff and finds himself an unoccupied place to sit. There is another chair if he wants to use it, but Shadow Milk suspects he will stay standing if he an get away with it.]
The veeeeeery beginning of this story begins here, you know! This place is the origin of our souls. Before we were remade on Earthbread we had entire lives here. When the entity broke free and started crumbling everyone, some of us got together for a spell and sent our souls into the cosmos to keep from being subsumed by it. How poetic!
[It is not so surprising anymore, that one might be so inclined to befriend their enemy. It is especially not surprising given the conflict he had distantly witnessed between Shadow Milk and Pure Vanilla. Knowing Truth's determination in the face of Deceit's treachery, it stands to reason that he would try to employ similar tactics against any monsters within the woods.
He does not agree, mind you, but he is not surprised. What is more surprising is that reaction on Shadow Milk's part. He tucks it away within the back of his mind. So many things to look into.
For now, he settles beside Shadow Milk's chair. Some part of him does consider remaining on his feet. It is easier to respond to threats from a standing position, after all. But those threats have yet to manifest in this place. More than anything, though, Silent Salt stubbornly wants to prove the other cookie wrong.
So sit he does, and it is a damn good choice. The tale woven for him is one straight out of a storybook, just the sort of deceitful story that he might have expected from Shadow Milk. To claim that any of their existence came into being outside of the will of the creators was truly unbelievable. Yet for conniving as Shadow Milk was, he surely would know that Silent Salt would not even begin to fall for such a foolish fantasy.
So surely there is some truth to be gleaned here.]
I do not understand. [That is all he manages at first.] Our kind, we virtues, were crafted by the Witches. Do you mean to tell me that is False?
[Despite knowing that Shadow Milk had to be telling some fraction of the truth, righteous fury rises up within him. Even if they had been abandoned, their creators were still magnificent and all-powerful? So how dare Shadow Milk imply that they — what? Seeded lies about their origins? It made no sense.]
[That the other half of his soul gives him grey hair because of his altruistic antics? Yeah, that's a funny little complaint of his but it sure will hit different if Salt ever finds out that Pure Vanilla was once thought a dead man. Of course the idea of Pure Vanilla going out into the forest to talk to the thing that might have killed him originally makes Shadow Milk want to scream.]
[He knows what it's like to have his soul ripped in half, more than once.]
Hm? I didn't say that.
[He's not surprised how much this is to swallow. After all, he thought it utterly absurd himself when he first learned of it. If it had not been for Pure Vanilla and his Light of Truth, he would have denied it much harder.]
Those things certainly did happen, but the souls we were given were reincarnated from other origins. Who knows how that could have happened! Perhaps what they called forth came from the cosmos itself, perhaps the dust of our pasts made it into the dough. I do not personally know the specifics, my Knowledge here is very limited. I can tell you that the source of this information can be trusted, or could be at the time, and I have personally witnessed some of this Truth in action.
[Phrased that way, it is a touch more palatable. His tense shoulders loosen a fraction, and he allows himself to breathe out. Though he does not relish the idea of an entire past existing beyond his knowledge, that it does not directly impede on his beliefs is enough for the time being.]
So... all of us originated here. We beasts, our other halves, all of Cookiekind?
[How far did that line go, he wonders? Surely it did not extend to every cookie on Earthbread. Shadow Milk had described it as the dust of their pasts, meaning perhaps not every one shared that connection.]
You said the entity sought to crumble us back then. Why? What slight did it perceive?
Iiiii wouldn't say all of Cookiekind, but there have been a few others here besides us. Cookies that are nobodies in the grand scheme of things. This town is quite small, and there are many other worlds represented here besides ours.
[He can be reasoned with! Shadow Milk is pleased to see this. How far the line goes is a fascinating question. He'd like to know!]
The only slight a vengeful fragment of pure hatred and spite really needs. It simply saw something that disgusted it, and acted in kind. It's hatred of "humanity" is all-consuming, that is why it treats us like toys! And boy, does it like to break toys!
[And really, its not at all dissimilar from Shadow Milk's behavior in the past. Salt can probably gather that this thing is very Shadow Milk-like but somehow even worse if such a thing could be possible.]
[There is a faint twitch from Silent Salt, a complaint that he does not yet give voice to. No cookie is a nobody, as far as he is concerned. He has seen first hand how even the smallest of souls could give rise to something incredible, after all. Charcoal Cookie had been evidence of that.
Arguing as much with Shadow Milk, however, would be an effort in futility, he suspects. Never mind the fact that the conversation is not wholly relevant to the matter at hand.]
I have seen as much. There are... strange beings in this world
[Some of you have real feathers, not ones made of icing. Then again, Pavlova Cookie also had real feathers, so maybe that doesn't mean a damn thing. Anyway...
Those similarities are definitely not lost on Silent Salt. In fact:]
And you, of course, do not enjoy looking in a mirror.
[And Shadow Milk likely would have told him he was splitting hairs over semantics! And possibly found some way to make the argument as infuriating as possible, so really, it's good Salt didn't pursue.]
Pal, just wait until you meet the two-story-tall skin deer!
[Of course that comment strikes him silent for a moment. Haha, silent-]
[A grin appears on his face, but there is something unpleasant about it. A sort of roiling anger that fuels into what was once an unchecked madness. After a moment he sighs, leans his chin into his hand, tilting his head.]
You're tongue's still as sharp as your sword, I see! I'll have you know, that comparing me to that classless upstart is like comparing your horse to a wooden plaything. No creativity! No originality! This Fool's dominion was once Creation and Knowledge and that is a crumbling insult.
[There is much more to this than what he is saying, obviously, but this is what's most believable to Salt, he thinks, so it is what he will say.]
[For a long time, the Salt of Solidtary had prided himself on being able to match wits with the Fount of Knowledge. Some part of that competition still lingered within his soul, Silent Salt suspected. And thus far, he has managed to keep up just as before.
But then Shadow Milk goes and throws a curveball like that.]
The... what?
[He's barely used to the concept of skin, now you're telling me there's a mound of it walking around? He supposes it's only payback for his own, similar barb. A pity he could not have maintained the upper hand.]
Because your creativity and originality have boded well for us in the past. [He's just saying, maybe things would be worse if they were dealing with a creature with Shadow Milk's flavor of unhinged.] I will warn you not to bring Nox Black Salt into these matters, however.
[His tone turns a little drier, a touch more chiding. Leave his innocent baby out of this.]
All that said, perhaps I am grateful that thing is not of the same caliber as you are. Loathsome though you turned out to be, your ingenuity may yet prove to be our saving grace.
[Oh how he dearly hopes one of the Beholders growing around town catch the moment Salt meets Moder.]
One of the guardians of this place! You'll know her when you see her!
[And he will explain nothing else. Sorry Salt, but he will not be defeated so easily. He's been here for months.]
[It's kind of a backhanded compliment, but Shadow Milk laughs all the same. Perhaps it's only truly backhanded for the person he is now, verses the one who would have reveled in being called Loathsome. Now it's a strange mixed feeling. Yeah, he is loathsome, but then he thinks about the few specific people who would take umbridge with him calling himself that and it leaves a sour taste in the back of his throat.]
[The mask slips a moment and he looks a little far away. It's back quickly enough, and he grins like the Shadow Milk Salt is familiar with.]
It may already have! When I fought the Forest first hand, that I was able to cause it pain in a way that mattered was pretty novel! I found a weakness in exchange for my untimely demise. You're very welcome!
[Judging by the way Silent Salt's head tilts, and the way the plume of his helm seems to perk up, he his both curious and vaguely intimidated by this mysterious guardian. He makes a mental note to seek her out. Surely a creature of such height would not be easy to miss!
As it is, it's strange to see the blink-and-you'd-miss-it sort of expression that Shadow Milk wears. Were they any type of close, the friends they perhaps used to be, he might have asked after it. As it is, Silent Salt only tucks the reaction away for the time being. Ever more things to ponder.
For now:]
Would you care to elaborate upon that weakness? Or is this another card you will choose to hold close to your chest until an opportune moment?
[Yes, he will have himself a little laugh when he meets her.]
[As for the information he is oh-so-carefully dangling in front of Salt like a carrot on a string he hums like he's thinking about it.]
I could of course, but the fact of the matter it's already been shared with the Grove and thus! It does me no good at all for you to be in the dark. How lucky for you!
[He taps his staff on the ground and in his hand pops a little paper stage! How quaint! little paper puppets of Himself and Suri appear on the stage. Suri's puppet looks appropriate stupid looking because someone is Petty. Look at how handsome the Shadow Milk puppet is. Anyway, they will begin to move as he talks.]
When I challenged the Forest, I did not do so without a plan. The thing about this place is that its chock full of magical leylines. I've been mapping them for some time. I know you're not exactly a mage or anything so I'll try to keep this simple. The Entity that's controlling the forest would need to be anchored down in order for it to subsume it in the parasitic way it does. I had a theory that it would need to do so at points of high concentrated leylines. So! With some guesswork I figured out more or less where these points would be.
[The paper dolls fight a bit, but then the Shadow Milk paper doll binds down the Suri doll and then casts a little paper fireball. Which then goes right into one of his little paper other-realm portals. The Suri doll starts to burn.]
So! I dropped a bunch of fire spells on those parts of the forest! Oh, to be right! Hahahaha, what a feeling! Of course for my insolence, I paid the price.
[The Suri doll, singed, begins turning little Paper Shadow Milk into swiss cheese. The stage vanishes in a puff.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
timeasmymeasure
III
Date: 2025-11-16 03:15 am (UTC)[Shadow Milk likes to think he knows the other Beasts fairly well, but Salt had always been harder for him to read. Rather he seemed very straight forward and upfront, but lately... Ah well. None of that really matters now, right? Right.]
[A plate suddenly floats on by Salt, hovers right in front of him. Shadow Milk leans on his staff, appearing moments later out of the ether.]
To have a plate yourself isn't taking away from anyone else, you know!
no subject
Date: 2025-11-16 04:05 am (UTC)Best not to start a fight when there were so many dynamics at play, after all.
That didn't mean he let his guard down. He had been waiting for some time for Shadow Milk to show his hand, to make a move of his own. It was only a matter of time — the jester did seem to wither without adequate attention, after all.
The floating plate is caught with nary a glance. Instead, Silent Salt turns his attention toward Shadow Milk as he appears.]
I do not need it. [Behind the helmet, a single eye swivels in search of a soul without a meal. Finding none, he opts to keep the plate for the time being. Surely someone would be hungry soon enough.] Since when does Deceit care for the well being of others?
no subject
Date: 2025-11-16 04:11 am (UTC)[There is something Different between them now, though Shadow Milk doesn't know what it is on Salt's end.]
Hm, have you eaten anything at all since you arrived here I wonder! I bet you're shriveling right up! These bodies aren't like our dough from before, after all.
[Or maybe he's just a specter in a suit of armor. He wonders...]
Good question! If I told you the answer, would you even believe me?
no subject
Date: 2025-11-16 04:18 am (UTC)Thankfully, he has already learned his lesson about eating. If a cookie-turned-man in a suit of armor falls down outside of a forest, and no one is around to laugh at him, did it really happen?]
I have eaten. [Plain, barely toasted bread suited him just fine. It was a plentiful enough resource, one he did not set the sharp teeth of guilt to gnawing at his insides.] And now I am content to ensure others do.
[His head tilts, gaze staring down at the other cookie. After a moment, a faint breath — almost close to a snort — leaves him.]
We both know the answer to that.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-16 04:54 am (UTC)Hm. [He doesn't believe you, or if he's eaten, it was probably hardly anything at all. Perhaps he found hardtack somewhere and has been subsisting off of that!] Very well! Do what you want with the plate, I would just hate to find you depleted and face down in the snow because this finicky human body gave up on you. Embarrassing, if you ask me!
[But that is all he will say on that. For now. Anyway, was that a laugh? Hohoho, it might have been. He seems pleased, though as Salt looks down, it's the Beholder in Shadow Milk's staff that meets his gaze, while Shadow Milk looks forward, gaze focused on nothing. Even human, his appearance is terribly different. Hair short, the eyes all closed. He is beset with dozens of scars, which he boasts proudly with his clothing choices.]
Then you'll just have to wonder forever! Alas!
no subject
Date: 2025-11-16 05:12 am (UTC)You know. Normal things. Just like Shadow Milk's appearance is normal and not at all concerning. As he waited for his own fate to be meted out, he had watched the other Beasts in their attempts to sully those who came after them. Never once had Shadow Milk looked like this. It only proved that whatever creature reigned over this place was truly powerful.
But just how far did that damage go. He suspects that Shadow Milk has been robbed of his sight. All signs indicate as much. Nevertheless, he resorts to the one thing he knows will garner the cookie's attention. He reaches toward the still outstretched plate and steals a small slice of roasted meat between the claws of his gauntlets. It takes some tilting to be able to sneak the bite beneath his helm, but hopefully it will be worth it.
His eyes never leave the Beholder.]
Whether you wish to admit it or not - [Silent Salt speaks only after the small bite has been swallowed. He tries to ignore the way his stomach begins to roil for more. Surely he'd eaten enough earlier.] - you will supply me with information all the same. You would not turn away a powerful ally against whatever forces exist beyond the trees.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-16 05:30 am (UTC)[The Beholder watches with anticipation while Shadow Milk's face seems impassive, content, like he's watching the crowd even though his eyes cannot see. The Beholder however, scrunches its eye up in satisfaction as he sees Salt eat. Good. At least he is not being too stubborn.]
Very astute! It's true that it doesn't matter what was happening before we got here, all that matters is we deal with the threat, and this mess of a town is all we've got to work with! Everyone here is more use to me alive than dead, you included.
[So, surely that is a satisfying answer for his question. Believable. In character.]
You've been here for a few days, so I imagine you've gathered the basics. What might this humble Fount of Knowledge answer for you instead?
no subject
Date: 2025-11-16 05:54 am (UTC)For now, he quells his turbulent thoughts by focusing on the Beholder. From this much, he can at least draw a conclusion or two. Shadow Milk had indeed lost his sight at one point, and undoubtedly within this place.
(As he considers all of this, his fingers reach yet again for the plate, pulling away a few pieces of fruit this time. He does not realize what he's done until a burst of sweetness slides down his throat. When did he get to be so hungry?)]
And why not cast your lot with this presumed threat?
[Silent Salt suspects that he knows the answer. Shadow Milk did so enjoy being the center of the show. He doubts the cookie would be able to manage that with someone far more powerful pulling the strings. Nevertheless, he had been willing to work with other forces back home. He cannot fully discount the possibility.]
I have seen Eternal Sugar's whelp about. He saw fit to mention White Lily Cookie. How many others are there?
no subject
Date: 2025-11-16 06:29 am (UTC)[As funny as it would be to watch him just collapse in the loudest clattering of armor ever, he needs Salt to be fit enough to not get got by this damned forest.]
[That question is a good one, honestly. Perhaps any of the beasts would have expected him to go that route from the start. A smile crosses Shadow Milk's face at the mention of the Threat, but it is a dangerous one, something dripping with hatred. It almost looks wrong on his face from how friendly he seemed to be up to this point.]
Oh, to write you dissertation on that, Salt Lick. The slights of that Thing against me grow by the day! But of course, the very first thing it did was touch what was mine, and I won't forgive it.
[That expression drops quickly as his eyes narrow, though still looking forward.]
Pavlova Cookie, and yes, your other half, that foolish King of Faeries, and my own other half are here currently.
no subject
Date: 2025-11-16 06:47 am (UTC)How strange it is, to be grateful for your capricious and possessive whims. [If it were any other Beast, perhaps the story would have gone very differently.
But then, it quickly becomes his turn to be stricken by something. He hears one name in particular and feels his chest both swell and crumple all at once.]
Elder Faerie... he is here too?
no subject
Date: 2025-11-16 07:14 am (UTC)[More surprising may be that the rest was quelled by accepting a certain someone's hand in kindness, but he doesn't think Salt of all people, would believe him if he told him that were it.]
Once you've dealt with this thing once, you'll see why even I had to draw a line somewhere.
[Salt's reaction to Elder Faerie is ....very interesting. While he does not seem to react to that entirely, he does file it away for later.]
Fascinating, isn't it? How this place can utterly ignore the laws of nature as we know it! But I suppose its the nature of our connection to this place that explains it. Our souls were always tethered to this place, apparently.
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Date: 2025-11-16 07:28 am (UTC)[He will not be so foolish as to say he looks forward to it. Silent Salt might have been the one to ultimately imprison Shadow Milk, but he did not do so on his own. No small amount of effort and collaboration went into the imprisonment of the beasts. If Shadow Milk could not dismiss this threat, then the creature was not a foe to be taken lightly.
Not that it diminished Silent Salt's resolve. He would find a way to cut it down. It would just take time.]
Explain. What do you mean, tethered./i>
[The words fill Silent Salt's chest with something inexplicable. The closest sensation he'd ever come to it was his union with White Lily. That had felt like coming home after countless years away. But it did not make sense in this context.]
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Date: 2025-11-16 07:50 am (UTC)[He waves his hand in front of his face, as if to punctuate what his cost had been.]
I can't stop you from marching into those woods, but I will tell you that to do so foolishly will result in more than an injury, or even death, but a loss of yourself, too. Step lightly.
[He sighs a little, he waves to a table.]
This is going to be a loooong explanation and I'm tired of standing. Or can you not sit in that tin can of yours?
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Date: 2025-11-16 07:04 pm (UTC)They certainly won't be making it easy on him, it seems.]
Make no mistake, Shadow Milk Cookie. [His tone remains grave.] I intend only to come to an understanding about this creature. I will not act in haste.
[He has far too much to do, even here. He will be patient if he must. He weathered the time it took for the Silver Tree to grow. He can surely manage this.]
Nevertheless. Your warning is... appreciated. [He has been neutral toward Shadow Milk at best in recent times, but he recalls that once... Once they had been friends, had they not? Bound by their shared duty and purpose.
Such sentimental thoughts are shoved to the side as Silent Salt manages a scoff.]
I can sit fine. Find yourself a comfortable spot. I shall follow.
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Date: 2025-11-16 10:26 pm (UTC)Good enough for me! You're not the one I'm worried about, really. My well-meaning but naive other-half still wants to try and make friends with it!
[His hair turns completely grey for a moment, then turns back.]
[He grins a little at his scoff and finds himself an unoccupied place to sit. There is another chair if he wants to use it, but Shadow Milk suspects he will stay standing if he an get away with it.]
The veeeeeery beginning of this story begins here, you know! This place is the origin of our souls. Before we were remade on Earthbread we had entire lives here. When the entity broke free and started crumbling everyone, some of us got together for a spell and sent our souls into the cosmos to keep from being subsumed by it. How poetic!
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Date: 2025-11-16 11:01 pm (UTC)He does not agree, mind you, but he is not surprised. What is more surprising is that reaction on Shadow Milk's part. He tucks it away within the back of his mind. So many things to look into.
For now, he settles beside Shadow Milk's chair. Some part of him does consider remaining on his feet. It is easier to respond to threats from a standing position, after all. But those threats have yet to manifest in this place. More than anything, though, Silent Salt stubbornly wants to prove the other cookie wrong.
So sit he does, and it is a damn good choice. The tale woven for him is one straight out of a storybook, just the sort of deceitful story that he might have expected from Shadow Milk. To claim that any of their existence came into being outside of the will of the creators was truly unbelievable. Yet for conniving as Shadow Milk was, he surely would know that Silent Salt would not even begin to fall for such a foolish fantasy.
So surely there is some truth to be gleaned here.]
I do not understand. [That is all he manages at first.] Our kind, we virtues, were crafted by the Witches. Do you mean to tell me that is False?
[Despite knowing that Shadow Milk had to be telling some fraction of the truth, righteous fury rises up within him. Even if they had been abandoned, their creators were still magnificent and all-powerful? So how dare Shadow Milk imply that they — what? Seeded lies about their origins? It made no sense.]
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Date: 2025-11-17 04:13 am (UTC)[He knows what it's like to have his soul ripped in half, more than once.]
Hm? I didn't say that.
[He's not surprised how much this is to swallow. After all, he thought it utterly absurd himself when he first learned of it. If it had not been for Pure Vanilla and his Light of Truth, he would have denied it much harder.]
Those things certainly did happen, but the souls we were given were reincarnated from other origins. Who knows how that could have happened! Perhaps what they called forth came from the cosmos itself, perhaps the dust of our pasts made it into the dough. I do not personally know the specifics, my Knowledge here is very limited. I can tell you that the source of this information can be trusted, or could be at the time, and I have personally witnessed some of this Truth in action.
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Date: 2025-11-17 04:21 am (UTC)So... all of us originated here. We beasts, our other halves, all of Cookiekind?
[How far did that line go, he wonders? Surely it did not extend to every cookie on Earthbread. Shadow Milk had described it as the dust of their pasts, meaning perhaps not every one shared that connection.]
You said the entity sought to crumble us back then. Why? What slight did it perceive?
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Date: 2025-11-17 04:34 am (UTC)[He can be reasoned with! Shadow Milk is pleased to see this. How far the line goes is a fascinating question. He'd like to know!]
The only slight a vengeful fragment of pure hatred and spite really needs. It simply saw something that disgusted it, and acted in kind. It's hatred of "humanity" is all-consuming, that is why it treats us like toys! And boy, does it like to break toys!
[And really, its not at all dissimilar from Shadow Milk's behavior in the past. Salt can probably gather that this thing is very Shadow Milk-like but somehow even worse if such a thing could be possible.]
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Date: 2025-11-17 05:12 am (UTC)Arguing as much with Shadow Milk, however, would be an effort in futility, he suspects. Never mind the fact that the conversation is not wholly relevant to the matter at hand.]
I have seen as much. There are... strange beings in this world
[Some of you have real feathers, not ones made of icing. Then again, Pavlova Cookie also had real feathers, so maybe that doesn't mean a damn thing. Anyway...
Those similarities are definitely not lost on Silent Salt. In fact:]
And you, of course, do not enjoy looking in a mirror.
[Look at him, he's got the jokes.]
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Date: 2025-11-17 05:36 am (UTC)Pal, just wait until you meet the two-story-tall skin deer!
[Of course that comment strikes him silent for a moment. Haha, silent-]
[A grin appears on his face, but there is something unpleasant about it. A sort of roiling anger that fuels into what was once an unchecked madness. After a moment he sighs, leans his chin into his hand, tilting his head.]
You're tongue's still as sharp as your sword, I see! I'll have you know, that comparing me to that classless upstart is like comparing your horse to a wooden plaything. No creativity! No originality! This Fool's dominion was once Creation and Knowledge and that is a crumbling insult.
[There is much more to this than what he is saying, obviously, but this is what's most believable to Salt, he thinks, so it is what he will say.]
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Date: 2025-11-17 05:59 am (UTC)But then Shadow Milk goes and throws a curveball like that.]
The... what?
[He's barely used to the concept of skin, now you're telling me there's a mound of it walking around? He supposes it's only payback for his own, similar barb. A pity he could not have maintained the upper hand.]
Because your creativity and originality have boded well for us in the past. [He's just saying, maybe things would be worse if they were dealing with a creature with Shadow Milk's flavor of unhinged.] I will warn you not to bring Nox Black Salt into these matters, however.
[His tone turns a little drier, a touch more chiding. Leave his innocent baby out of this.]
All that said, perhaps I am grateful that thing is not of the same caliber as you are. Loathsome though you turned out to be, your ingenuity may yet prove to be our saving grace.
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Date: 2025-11-17 10:39 am (UTC)One of the guardians of this place! You'll know her when you see her!
[And he will explain nothing else. Sorry Salt, but he will not be defeated so easily. He's been here for months.]
[It's kind of a backhanded compliment, but Shadow Milk laughs all the same. Perhaps it's only truly backhanded for the person he is now, verses the one who would have reveled in being called Loathsome. Now it's a strange mixed feeling. Yeah, he is loathsome, but then he thinks about the few specific people who would take umbridge with him calling himself that and it leaves a sour taste in the back of his throat.]
[The mask slips a moment and he looks a little far away. It's back quickly enough, and he grins like the Shadow Milk Salt is familiar with.]
It may already have! When I fought the Forest first hand, that I was able to cause it pain in a way that mattered was pretty novel! I found a weakness in exchange for my untimely demise. You're very welcome!
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Date: 2025-11-17 09:32 pm (UTC)As it is, it's strange to see the blink-and-you'd-miss-it sort of expression that Shadow Milk wears. Were they any type of close, the friends they perhaps used to be, he might have asked after it. As it is, Silent Salt only tucks the reaction away for the time being. Ever more things to ponder.
For now:]
Would you care to elaborate upon that weakness? Or is this another card you will choose to hold close to your chest until an opportune moment?
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Date: 2025-11-21 07:05 am (UTC)[As for the information he is oh-so-carefully dangling in front of Salt like a carrot on a string he hums like he's thinking about it.]
I could of course, but the fact of the matter it's already been shared with the Grove and thus! It does me no good at all for you to be in the dark. How lucky for you!
[He taps his staff on the ground and in his hand pops a little paper stage! How quaint! little paper puppets of Himself and Suri appear on the stage. Suri's puppet looks appropriate stupid looking because someone is Petty. Look at how handsome the Shadow Milk puppet is. Anyway, they will begin to move as he talks.]
When I challenged the Forest, I did not do so without a plan. The thing about this place is that its chock full of magical leylines. I've been mapping them for some time. I know you're not exactly a mage or anything so I'll try to keep this simple. The Entity that's controlling the forest would need to be anchored down in order for it to subsume it in the parasitic way it does. I had a theory that it would need to do so at points of high concentrated leylines. So! With some guesswork I figured out more or less where these points would be.
[The paper dolls fight a bit, but then the Shadow Milk paper doll binds down the Suri doll and then casts a little paper fireball. Which then goes right into one of his little paper other-realm portals. The Suri doll starts to burn.]
So! I dropped a bunch of fire spells on those parts of the forest! Oh, to be right! Hahahaha, what a feeling! Of course for my insolence, I paid the price.
[The Suri doll, singed, begins turning little Paper Shadow Milk into swiss cheese. The stage vanishes in a puff.]
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