Lily Flower

Pure Vanilla: The Cake Tower Trio (1)

He descended the stairs to find Red Velvet and Dark Choco bickering.

"What seems to be the problem here?" he asked.

The general directed a scowl at him. "Your old friend doesn't believe in my ability to protect you."

Pure Vanilla turned to Dark Choco. "Is this true?"

"No." He waited for the bitter prince to say his piece, but no further explanation came.

"He insists on coming to the cake tower despite never showing any interest in cake hounds before" Red Velvet cookie stated. "Why else could that be, other than my apparent incompetence?"

The warrior crossed his arms and looked away, content to give him the silent treatment.

Pure Vanilla, on the other hand, was quite pleased. He recalled that the cake tower was a little ways from his floating city. It stood as a lone structure in an acrid desert, and he had passed it on several occasions. This was an excellent opportunity to drag the prince away from Pomegranate and the Dark Enchantress. If Dark Choco comes along by his own will, even better.

"Perhaps Dark Choco cookie simply wants to keep me company. After all, I am not familiar with anyone else here. Have you considered that?" The expression on the man's face showed that he genuinely did not think of that. Was his friend's son really so antisocial? From childhood, the prince's personality had been quite outgoing, a marked difference from his father. Pure Vanilla had even teased Dark Cacao about such. "Either way, is it a detriment to bringing him along?"

'I suppose not." he replied.

"You won't be in any trouble from leaving, would you?" The healer asked his "friend" and received a shake of the head. "Wonderful, then we can be a group of three."

The general was not so agreeable to being followed by a large surly shadow, but he was outnumbered. He buckled under the healer's satisfied smile and the warrior's resolve, resigning himself to get along with two people rather than one. This was why he preferred to work alone.

Pure Vanilla packed some provisions as the other two hung around uncomfortably, standing a noticeable distance from each other. He could tell at a glance that those two rarely spend time together and apparently had no idea how to interact with each other. Instead, they watched him pack, too caught up in the awkward half-standoff to help. He found it rather amusing, how hard they tried to avoid the other's gaze. Serves them right for letting him make all the preparations. The healer tied up his bindle neatly, hanging it from his staff. He could practically sense the dirty look it gave him, and he whispered an apology and placated it with descriptions of the good desert sun.

He tossed it over his shoulder. "Is everyone ready to set off?" The question was only slightly pointed. Neither of the fighters protested, so he walked out of the castle. The two fighters soon flanked him as they set off from the barren wastelands under his former kingdom. The healer felt a twinge of remorse at the sight of dead trees and dusty candy cracking under his shoes. He really needed to shut down those wafflebots when possible. There was no telling how long Black Raisin could hold the fort.

At some point, Dark Choco pulled him away. They lagged behind the general and he took the moment to whisper, "Red Velvet is responsible for by far the largest portion of our forces. He is dangerous and I can not speak for his character. It is not about his ability to defend you as much as his willingness to"

"Should the need arise, I am capable of defending myself." Though he took his words to heart, Pure Vanilla was not threatened by the general. His wariness for the other cookies of darkness was mainly composed of the Dark Enchantress's regard for them. In strength, he outclassed the others by far. He may not be physically domineering, but that weakness had been more than accounted for by his magical abilities.