Curiosity Crumbled the Cookie

2

Gingerbrave looked at the cookie that lay in the medical bed. They were lucky Sparkling, Custard, and other healing cookies were on standby. He heard Sparkling comment something about Herb's soul trying to heal itself, but something was suppressing it. Not completely. But whatever it was, it dampened his healing factor. Brave thought it had something to do with the roses, something about it felt so unnatural and suspicious. Matter of fact, it was only after Herb went to look at the pot that he fell over. He, in turn, looked over to his unconscious friend, and sometimes caretaker again. He felt horrible, but for what? He managed to get him to medical help quickly, and he was able to assist with the initial diagnosis (which only left the cookies more confused than they were before.) Yet he felt as if it was his fault, for some inexplicable reason.

He knew it wasn't, and yet he couldn't shake off the feeling of shame and regret. Something screamed at him that he should've done better, yet what else should've been done? He looked over to the black roses that were placed on the bedside table. He got up from the waiting chair and inspected the specimens. Black rose, grey step, white thorns. White thorns. Thorns. He looked over to Herb again, a hole present in his right arm. Back to the plant. He went to the medical desk, located on the opposite side of the room, opening up the drawer and applying some gloves to his hands. He squished one of the thorns with a pinching motion. He expected for some kind of venom or pus to spew out, but when he let go, he realized the color of the thorn turned from white to baby pink. As if someone decided to take strawberry jam and splash a drop upon it.

His inspection was interrupted by the return of Sparkling and the arrival of King Custard the III.. He raised an eyebrow at the younger cookie's hand before they both shot up faster than Ninja Cookie could disappear. Sparkling ran over, drink in hand, ready to heal the 'injury' Brave had. Custard readied his staff, ready to assist him when needed. Said injured cookie raised an eyebrow at his hand, taking the other and pulling off the glove to show the older healer that it was alright. Sparkling inspected his hand, looking at the tiny hole that was present. It was just like Herb's, just smaller in size.

Suddenly, it was as if the entire world had changed. Ginger Braves oceanic eyes rapidly spazzed around, making visual contact with the brown ones staring at him from behind the cracks in the walls. Ones of which he never noticed. They weren't inside of the wall, nor were they looking from the outside, but they were there, looking inward, directly at him, and her, and sparkling, and custard, and perhaps, everyone in the cookie kingdom. This, these, these. Multiple entities with multiple eyes with multiple consciousnesses watching him. Some find him interesting. Some are in fear. Some look away, reels of negativity from those eyes. And others, just, looked. At the entire room, and not in one specific place or direction.

He didn't know what to feel, it was just so overwhelming. He blinked over to the healers, and yet he saw something even more horrifying. The black substance that outlined the eye's existence wrapped themselves around the cookies. Thin, black, puppet strings. A confusing mess of them intertwined with the cookies and the walls and setting around them.

Perhaps he should've looked away.