♡ Sticks Inbox ♡

[lovelyredthread]

Pavlova Cookie

What is the happiness you dream of?
text ♡ action ♡ video ♡ voice

code

Comments

Persnaps a little time after his arrival. After settling in at the house

[jesterlies]

[Shadow Milk is too emotionally constipated to like, actually check in and ask Pavlova how he's doing like a normal ass person. He's come a looooong way from the deranged lunatic, half mad from his own Soul Jam, that he was back in Beast-Yeast, but there's ...still a very long way to go!]

[What Pavlova finds instead in his room one day, is a doll. It is a doll of Shadow Milk, because of course it is, only it looks a little more like his current appearance rather than the jester of home, or even the fount that Pavlova might remember.]

[No note or anything, but perhaps the action speaks enough.]

[lovelyredthread]

[ Oh he loves it. Had he noticed the handmade one he'd made when he was little or something? He guesses his dad's vanity wouldn't allow such an ugly thing to bear his likeness or something.

It's fine. The ratty old one can go on his shelf.

He carries the new one around the house as he plays with the pets. It goes to bed with him at night. Not a word is spoken about it. The only time it is absent... is when Pavlova bothers the real thing.

Like he is now. Hi dad, he is snuggling against you, whatever you're doing right now. ]

[jesterlies]

[Oh god affection. His hair, even short, does the ghibli puff thing when he comes up to snuggle him.]

[He is currently working in his atelier, the one White Lily put in the house just for him. He's got an assortment of craft projects on the table, half finished. The man is cycling through his adhd by having ten things going at once, but that's not a surprise.]

[he makes a noise of surprise.]

-Little Cherub, is that you?

[He knows it is, even if technically his staff is centered on his workbench.]

[lovelyredthread]

Mm. Sorry.

[ he thought Shadow Milk would have heard him. He forgets how quiet he can be... or maybe in this case Shadow Milk had just been consumed by his projects. Either or. At least he's careful to stay out of the way of his arms so his dad can keep working.

Poor thing seems sleepy though. ]

What're you working on?

a few nights after the king's game

[bluebasketballed]

[akaza... isn't sure who else to turn to, for this particular thing. he'd be loathe to ask a child at all, but pavlova did mention his true age more than once -- and akaza, eternally eighteen, would be a hypocrite if he let someone's appearance dictate their capabilities.

besides, the kid can always say no.

so it is that, shortly after sundown, he follows the energy of pavlova that he'd been acquainted with at the tavern. whether it leads him to a public space or a private residence, akaza has the wherewithal to announce himself first, be it by knocking or clearing his throat. then, he doesn't waste much time.]

Hey, Pavlova! Can I interest you in a little adventure of sorts?

[lovelyredthread]

[ This is a little weird for him, people don't usually go out of their way to involve him in stuff. He lives with White Lily, so Akaza might notice that when he gets close.

But the little one does answer the door when called for. ]

An adventure? What kind of adventure?

[ Interest is piqued. You have his attention. ]

[bluebasketballed]

[it makes sense. people from the same worlds seem to flock together, here, for the most part.]

I received a task from our local trader to find some flowers in the forest.

[for all his confidence in initiating a conversation, here akaza takes pause, and something akin to... maybe anxiety, maybe embarrassment, crosses over his features. someone isn't used to asking for help or admitting his shortcomings.]

Admittedly... I don't have a very good track record for sniffing out flora! You seem like you know a lot, so I wondered...

Late at night, after the dance

[yourtomb]

[Somewhere in the midst of the soiree, after watching the weight of their actions begin to weigh down on Elder Faerie's shoulders, Silent Salt makes a decision. He is lucky that it doesn't weigh on his face, that his grief does not show, at least not until the festivities die down and he finds himself alone.

He can only hope that Pavlova is in a good mood after all that he has witnessed. If his boon is knowledge of happiness, then surely this evening was a veritable feast for him. It would bode well for Silent Salt if it were the case — he gets the feeling that he will need Pavlova Cookie to be in a good mood for his plan to work.

It doesn't take terribly long to find the boy, even if it means knocking on his door so late. He'll feel guilty about that later. Maybe.]

... I would like to speak with you. Privately.

[lovelyredthread]

[ He is, and he isn't. The dance was wonderful, and Salt may have seen him on the dance floor with a few different people if he'd been looking for him. It was a wonderful distraction from the dread weighing on his consciousness. He's already started to read, after all. He's read about them planting the tree together which was... damning in itself, but he hadn't gotten to any talk of the seal yet.

It's enough to make him uncomfortable when he answers the door to find Silent Salt there. He rubs sleepily at his eyes. ]

Un-- mm. Lord Silent Salt Cookie?

[ He... hesitates, but waves him inside. The temporary room is. Cute. Soft pinks and whites and yellows. A writing desk with a very large book on it, plants hanging near the window, pillows piled in the window nook, bookshelves, art supplies. A normal kid's room save for his bow, perched next to the bed to be easily grabbed. ]

What did you need?

[yourtomb]

[Indeed, Silent Salt had allowed himself to track Pavlova Cookie throughout the evening. It was largely for his own sake, making sure that the young boy hadn't gone to whisper in the ears of those who would damn them. It became especially pertinent after Silent Salt found his resolve.

The last thing he wanted was for the boy to act before he was ready.]

I apologize for the late hour. But... there is an urgent matter I must attend to with you.

[He's almost certain that he does not need to clarify what this matter is, either. Regardless, he does not jump right into it. Rather, he finds his way into the room. It is odd to look at, considering. The childlike whimsy seems oddly juxtaposed to the matter at hand.

Nevertheless, he allows himself to settle, leaning against a wall far from the door. If the boy ever felt at risk, he could easily flee.]

Given your latent abilities thanks to your progenitors, I suspect you know what I came here for.

the next day after The Reveal

[jesterlies]

[Don't think he hasn't noticed the scarcity of a particular Cherub. Though he has put the pieces together to realize the reason Salt had taken the initiative to come clean was because Pavlova must have figured something out with his power, so he thinks he understands why someone might have a guilty conscious. Despite how raw he feels still, over the multitude of things that confession brought him, there is one thing he wants to set right.]

[So, come evening, Shadow Milk knocks on his bedroom door.]

Cherub?

[lovelyredthread]

[ It takes a second, but Pavlova does answer the door. After all, trying to avoid it when he lived in the same house was just a bad idea.

He feels horrible. Not least of which being his own complicated feelings over the reveal... but his father is particular about loyalty sometimes and this feels like something of a betrayal on some level, too. ]

Yes dad?

[jesterlies]

[Alright, time to Be Dad. He's got to do this right. Communication and all that! He knows they've had a few dicey conversations in the past, and Shadow Milk has tried to learn from them.]

[He straightens up.]

May I come in? I'd like to talk to you about something.

sometime after the Reveal

[argentry]

[despite making amends with Salt, Elder Faerie is still feeling apprehensive about his relationships with the other Cookies. he's mostly kept to himself, at the inn, preferring to stay inside, away from the chilly winter and even chillier atmosphere.

but, sometime later, he finds himself wandering towards the greenhouse to be around nature. he's hoping to run into White Lily Cookie, first and foremost, but it doesn't seem as though she is around. no matter! he goes to check on the plants and see if anything interesting is growing in there.

it's nice, to be around flowers and shrubs, even if they don't normally grow like this in his own world]

[lovelyredthread]

[ Much the same, Pavlova cookie has always found himself drawn to nature and flowers in particular in no small part due to his upbringing. The smell is grounding, as is the feel of soil between his fingers, so it's little surprise that he's here.

What is perhaps more strange is the bird cage he has with him, but it's serving as a planter, so it's not totally out of place.

... He tenses when he sees Elder Faerie, but he says nothing for now. Salt may have tried to lessen Elder Faerie's involvement to the others, but Pavlova knows all of it. ]

[argentry]

[he doesn't notice Pavlova until he looks down in front of him]

Well, hello there, young Pavlova Cookie.

[he's nervous, but he's definitely not hostile. in fact, he looks relaxed, his hands behind his back as he takes a leisurely stroll. riding on his shoulder is his little pet familiar thing, the dachsologie named Puck]

After EF's Death

[yourtomb]

[It takes a bit of time to find where Pavlova is staying now that he's been ushered from his home. Silent Salt gives a little more on top of that to make sure that he's been able to settle down after everything. But eventually there is a light knock on his door.

Some part of Salt expects to be kept waiting for a long time. Perhaps the boy will ignore him. It's what he deserves, after all. But he lingers there in limbo until he's either sent away, or invited in.]

[lovelyredthread]

[ He probably should have been able to hear the clanking of armor through the door, but the sound of those Witches-forsaken things crawling all over the outside of the inn drowns it out to an extent. He doesn't have his usual coping mechanism, and it's making him more than a bit antsy.

So he answers the door and... freezes for a moment. He had said they'd talk later, but in light of everything he assumed that wasn't actually happening. He isn't... entirely sure of what to think of what Silent Salt said and did back there. ]

Lord Silent Salt?

[yourtomb]

[Once, he would have been relieved to hear such a formal title from the boy. It's far better than the other term he has defaulted to. But now, it only makes him itch. He bows his head in the slightest, fingers tightening into fists before he reminds himself how intimidating it might look.]

... Silent Salt is fine.

[But then guilt floods in for correcting him. What a terrible start.] If you would not mind.

[Since arriving and taking tea with Shadow Milk, he's pulled off his helmet. Without it, he wears his weariness and grief plainly. Mixed into it all is the expression of someone unsure. Who feels out of place.

He clears his throat.]

Thank you... for trying to help. For offering guidance. I apologize for not listening clearly.

After Pavs death.

[jesterlies]

[Where is his baby boy. Shadow Milk has been having such an awful month. He is helpless, his people keep dying, and all they can do is hold their breath while it gets worse outside.]

[He's come looking for Pav. He'll try his door first. Knock on it gently.]

...Cherub?

[lovelyredthread]

[ Ah- he's... been expecting this. He's going to be in so much trouble. ]

I'm in here, dad.

[ He's... very stiff, it's hard to move. Even without having been fully rooted down when he died, he still got the side effects it seems. ]

[jesterlies]

[You are in SO much trouble, young man. He opens the door a moment later, drops his staff and then closes the distance between him and Pavlova. Of course, regardless of whatever Pav is expecting him to do, Shadow Milk just drags him into his arms.]

[He's back, he here, he didn't get dragged into the Forest never to be seen again. Sorry if the way he's clinging to him is actually a little painful, he doesn't want to let go.]

Why? Why did you leave!? I told you to stay inside!

on what is presumably valentine's day

[lilyberation]

( hello! there is a little gift waiting in his inn room- a pale-pink teddybear holding a box of chocolates.

it smells like lilies. )

[lovelyredthread]

[ He was planning this gift as a birthday gift how dare you make him give it early. (He's not actually mad. Just embarrassed.) But after he finds the bear and chocolate he goes allll the way down to the kitchen, makes some of her favorite tea and sits it next to where she's sitting by the fire. Staaaare. What could be behind his back.... ]

[lilyberation]

( she looks up with a happy but clearly dozy smile. warmth and the winter makes for a sleepy flower, after all. )

Hello, Pavlova...