Cookie Rehabilitation Program

CH10.5: Velvet's Deal

"Red Velvet Cookie." Black Raisin cookie's raspy voice ring out through the prison's stone halls. Her gaze was locked onto the cookie in front of her. Behind the bars, she was met with a fierce glare.

"I'm not telling you anything." He sneered at the woman and the crow on her shoulder. His hands were bound to the floor. His clawed cake arm fist was clutched into itself.

"I'm not here for information on the other cookies of darkness whereabouts. I'm here to ask about the one known as Strawberry Crepe cookie."

She didn't flinch when Red Velvet let out a enraged snarl and showed off his sharp teeth. "What did you do?"

"Nothing that you're thinking of. We have them under a rehabilitation program we made just for them." She eyed him with suspicion.

He took a moment to process what she said. "Huh?"

"Me and other members on Pure Vanilla's council had made the decision to give them a chance and allow them the right to become a citizen of the cookie kingdom if they can show improvement." She stared at his weary expression before continuing, "we feel as if they can change and become a productive citizen of the kingdom."

"What do you need me for then? It seems like it's all going well." He was happy for them for being able to live a better life than he had but that had nothing to do with why Black Raisin was here.

"One of their conditions was that we allow them to meet with you once a month. They appear to be extremely attached to you. I'm here to lay down ground rules as their first visit is a week from today."

"Oh..." He relaxed a bit after that.

"I want to ask some questions before we start. This won't go on paper. It's for my own concern." She glanced at the door as if making sure no one was there before continuing, "Do you care for them?"

"More than you know. They're like my little sibling and has stuck to my side ever since they were scouted by Dark Enchantress." He huffed.

This seemed to spark Raisin's interest. "Were you there when they first woke up?"

"Yep. I still remember the first time i saw their eyes open in the pod. I've never had a sibling but they were possibly the closest thing." He had a faint smile at the memory.

He followed his mother diligently as she lead the way through the ruin that was the pure vanilla kingdom. She avoided the rouge bots with ease in the darkness of the night and seemed to have a destination in mind.

"Where are we going?" He asked her as he walked. His recently acquired cake arm was hanging off of the ground by a few inches.

She eyed him cautiously before deciding to speak. "I'm going to awaken possibly the last of the wafflebot engineers."

He gaped. He remembered hearing about the revered engineers of the Pure vanilla kingdom once in a book. They had mostly died out during the collapse and, the few that made it to the pods, had already left and have most likely died by old age. They weren't young cookies after all. Majority had been in their old ages at the time.

His mother entered a ruined building and, with a tap of her staff, all of the rubble that was located there separated.

It formed a path to a dark stair way leading into the ground into a basement of sorts. She lead the way using her staff,which was glowing, as a torch of sorts. At the end of the stair well, There was a small room with around 8 pods, all empty except one. He spotted it quickly as it was the only one glowing in the dark room.

"There they are. Velvet?"

"Yes, mother?"  His eye widened and he stiffened

She smiled and turned towards him. He will never forget the smile on her face. "We are about to gain a valuable ally. Their skills are admittedly a bit raw but with the right...training they will be a valuable piece."