lilyshadow scene that came to me and wouldn't leave me alone, so... warmup writing and ship study <3 this isn't connected to any of my fics, it's just a random standalone oneshot bc i love bxa
i want awl's confidence to be like this. the vision. please. awakened white lily please my queen
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All things considered, White Lily took the news of Shadow Milk's new allegiance fairly well.
Shadow Milk had come to the Vanilla Kingdom after a particularly nasty battle against Dark Enchantress' forces, of which the Beast of Deceit had been apart of. He claimed to be seeking refuge, his two little minions by his sides and clinging to him, the heart-wrenching image of vulnerability. He was in worse shape than he'd left the battlefield in. Pure Vanilla had been surprised he was even conscious.
So he took Shadow Milk and his two minions in, tending to their injuries as a healer first, their adversary second. When it was all said and done, he offered them asylum, and they had accepted on his terms. It wasn't long after Shadow Milk recovered fully that he came to Pure Vanilla and offered his intelligence to aid in the war against Dark Enchantress Cookie. He would have been a fool not to accept.
Pure Vanilla had been worried about breaking the news to the alliance, but especially so to White Lily. When came the time to lay everything bare, she had, to his surprise, been the most accepting. But as he knew, even her acceptance had its limits.
"If you send a batch that way, they'll get slaughtered in seconds," Shadow Milk said, dismissive and waving a hand. Not for the first time since the meeting had started, White Lily looked up at him, a dry grimace on her face.
Shadow Milk was wholly unbothered by this. He lounged in the air above their strategy table with his arms up behind his head, his long coattails just barely brushing the top of the table. A digital map of Earthbread was overlaid atop the surface, courtesy of the Golden Cheese Kingdom's highly advanced technology. Pure Vanilla had already made a note to ask her about it, hoping to gain some ideas for upgrades to the Wafflebot army.
"And would you care to explain why, Shadow Milk Cookie?" White Lily asked in a tone Pure Vanilla knew all too well. Indeed, the sound of her fraying patience had Dark Cacao and Hollyberry sitting up a little straighter in their seats while Golden Cheese averted her gaze.
"No," Shadow Milk said, not even bothering to open his eyes. He looked and sounded very content with himself. His long coattails idly brushed through the hologram of Beast-Yeast's flour peaks. "You're smart enough to figure it out without me telling you, silly Lily."
White Lily took a deep breath. "We don't have time for this," she replied, her voice thin and taut with tension. "The troops have to prepare to leave by tonight. Answer my question."
"You have a brain in that head of yours, don't'cha?" Shadow Milk scoffed, finally peeking open an eye to look down at her. "Use it."
"Shadow Milk," Pure Vanilla cut in, raising his hands, ever the mediator, "please don't antagonize White Lily."
"Ach, let him." Golden Cheese waved a hand, her wings ruffled up and flaring out as she got comfortable in her seat. The grin on her face was bright and wide, ready to watch the show. "He'll learn the hard way. It'll be funny."
Pure Vanilla turned his face to give her a proper look at his woeful expression. He knew the second Shadow Milk heard the word 'funny' what the inevitable outcome was going to be. Evidently, she knew it too, judging by the glimmer of glee and satisfaction in her gaze as she watched Shadow Milk hover slowly closer to White Lily's side of the table.
To give White Lily a bit of credit, she tried to ignore him. "Okay then," she said, standing from her seat and reaching out to interact with the hologram. "We don't send any troops that way, for whatever unknown reason. We can send them this way instead."
Shadow Milk floated above her head, looking down at her as she reworked the map. Dark Cacao leaned forward in his seat, appraising it before nodding.
"That looks good," he said. "It's a longer travel, but more advantageous to the safety of the troops. Well done, White Lily."
"Always told you you'd make a fine queen, didn't I?" Hollyberry interjected, leaning forward to rest an arm on the table. The tension was fading from White Lily's shoulders, a little smile on her face. Hollyberry's grin was infectious.
"Mmm. No, you shouldn't send them that way either," Shadow Milk murmured, still lounging on his back in the air. He had lifted a hand and was in the process of inspecting his blackened claws.
"And I suppose you don't plan to tell me why this time as well." White Lily glared up at the Beast. The bright white of his sharp grin was her only answer, and just as quickly did he turn over to continue lounging in the air, unbothered by her ire.
Hollyberry leaned back, slightly, in her seat. Golden Cheese leaned forward, her eyes shining. Dark Cacao only sighed and closed his eyes. Pure Vanilla dropped his face into his hands, the light of his seeing staff dimming into something faint. He almost didn't want to watch.
White Lily straightened up where she stood, letting out a slow, easy breath. Then, she seized Shadow Milk by his coattails and yanked him down, slamming him against the table. He gasped, scrambling, but she leaned down, pressing her nose against his, forcing his attention on her and her alone. The hologram rippled uneasily around them both. Her faerie wings had flared wide open, displaying the fleur de lis patterning of her Soul Jam.
"If you have nothing of value to add to this war meeting," White Lily said, quiet but firm, "then I suggest you leave. Now. Am I understood?"
Shadow Milk stared up at her, eyes open wide. His face darkened considerably, and then he nodded, stunned into silence. She let him go and straightened up, but he didn't move right away, staring blankly up at the ceiling. White Lily crossed her arms.
"Shadow Milk," she said, her voice tense with a warning. He pushed himself upright at that, laughing in such a high pitch that it almost seemed nervous.
"Would you look at the time," he exclaimed to nobody, pulling a leg up on the table and pushing himself up into the air in something resembling a somersault. "I just remembered, I've got to go help Candy Apple turn birds inside out. Have fun with your silly meeting!"
"You're doing what-?!" Pure Vanilla stood up in a rush, but Shadow Milk had already faded into a shadow of himself, disappearing just as quick. It was silent in the hall for a moment, and then Golden Cheese burst out laughing.
"Oh, stunning as always Lily," she crowed, her feathery wings flapping in utter glee. Entrenched in her own delight, she turned and punched Hollyberry's thick shoulder; of which were shaking with their owner's own, barely stifled mirth. Even Dark Cacao seemed amused, the barest hint of a smile on his lips as Golden Cheese continued to sing praises. "Did you see the look on his face? Oh, priceless! Utterly priceless, I want that engraved in gold somewhere- Ach, I'll have to remember it for later."
White Lily sighed, brushing her hands down her clothes. "At least he's doing his job as a jester correctly," she muttered with her own inflection of amusement, to the laughter of Hollyberry and Golden Cheese both.
Pure Vanilla stood from his seat. "If you don't mind, my friends, I would like to go keep an eye on him," he requested, and received approval in the wave of White Lily's hand.
"Go ahead, Pure Vanilla," she said, giving him a fond smile. "I'll fill you in on what you missed later."
Pure Vanilla nodded, retrieving his seeing staff from the holder it rested in, built into the chair for that very purpose. "Thank you, my friends."
He departed from the meeting with the memory of his friends' laughter and amusement fresh in his mind. Now, he was set on finding Shadow Milk and interrogating him for the answer as to why the Beast had blushed so deeply beneath White Lily's firm gaze and hard tone. And maybe, mostly, seeing if he couldn't meddle a bit.
To save those poor birds from being turned inside out, of course.
