◇
The last project.
You loved painting, capturing other cookies' beauty. You spend years perfecting your craft just so the beauty you see reflects on the canvas. Mixing colors until you perfectly match the dough color of your muse.
Despite your passion for capturing beauty, soon you got bored of painting the cookies around you. Every time you tried to pick up one of your paint brushes, you just stare at the white canvas.
Your friends, worried by your sudden drop of passion, recommended a trip to the Cacao kingdom in hopes a change of scenery might freshen your mind. You refused until one night you finally caved in.
Getting ready, you got into a carriage and set off after your friends gifted you a lot of items along with foods that you started snacking on while enjoying the ever so changing scenery.
After some days, you finally made it to the snowy grounds of Caco kingdom. You didn't have the time to enjoy the scenery because your usually warm dough body cries out at the sudden coldness surrounding your body.
You rushed into the house you rented, the owner helped you move in faster after noticing your shakiness. You thanked them a lot only for them to chuckle and brush off your words.
You spent your days like normal, your unmotivated mind still going strong. Today is like always going out shopping for food and going to the post office to send off some letters to your friends to update them about your stay. While leaving the building, you saw many cookies whispering, some even bowing down.
You walked forwards to get a look at what the other cookies seem to be watching. Then you saw him. With his long black hair, some white strand decorating the strands of ink his skin, a deep brown making his dough look even more eye-catching to you who has yet tried to paint such a color.
His features are sharp, giving off the look of sternness not only that but he has the most beautiful eyes you have ever seen. Like deep magenta diamonds, they take in every stall and cookie in sight like a wolf checking on his pack. His armor perfectly shined, shining ever so slightly as he moved the sun, reflecting from the snow perfectly lighting his features and armor.
You admired him while he talked to the cookie next to him. Who you didn't even bother looking at. He looked so different from your usual muses. So much sharper and ethereal. Is this the beauty many say a warrior carries?
You pull out your pocket size sketch book and charcoal pencil. You hastily sketch his figure, the rush of new motivation hitting you like a sugar rush.
After doing some sketches, you put your notebook in your pocket along with your pencil. You fixed your appearance by brushing off the snow on your hair and shoulders.
You approached the cookie who had destroyed the art block that had drowned you in unmotivation. The cookie immediately turned to face you after hearing your footsteps he looked at you with a piercing gaze. Taking in his look, you quickly decided not to drag this out.
“Hello I'm Y/N cookie. I'm an artist, and I couldn't help but notice your gorgeous looks. May I ask for you to be my muse for a painting?” You stated easily, having gotten used to asking cookies to be your muses. Maybe even the rush of motivation has pushed away your nervousness.
The cookie eyes winded ever so slightly at your words. He raises an sharp eyebrow in confusion at you. His companion, who you didn't bother even looking at, spoke up.
“How dare you approach his majesty with such improper matters!” She stated seemingly annoyed at your not so respectful approach and statement to the king.
You looked at her only to look away from her in a second, too mesmerized by the male cookies to even bother looking at her again. You waited for his response.
He looked into your eyes, staying silent for a moment before finally responding. “No…”
With that answer, your heart broke your eyes, narrowed as you took in the response. You were sad, of course, to not have such a beautiful cookie as your muse, but you can't force some cookie to pose. Their expression wouldn't be as good—well it was immortal, too.
“I see well whenever you change your mind. I'm staying at a house near the small blacksmith shop of Walnut Cookie. Just tell them my name and you will find me!” You stated mentally begging the witches to have this beautiful cookie change his mind. He only seems to nod in response.
“Sure.” The cold response only made you smile slightly. Ah! Such a different personality too he is so special.
“Well bye-bye!” Not wanting to drag this for longer, that cookie next to him was getting worked up too. You left with thousands of ideas drowning in your mind and soul.
Days passed, and you couldn't stop thinking about the cookie. He inspired you. Of course, you painted the scenery of the snowy kingdom and cookies walking through it. Some when seeing you paint walk up to you and happily pose for a quick sketch to have—it made good money but also stopped you from painting the landscape.
You learned that the cookie was actually the king of this kingdom. That cookie accompanying him exposed that–if you were bothering to listen to her. You learned he is one of the ancient heroes too! No wonder he gave off the vibe of a deity! He is one!
You had the sketches of that cookie still and made even more of them using the original ones as reference for other sketches you made of him.
You were getting a bit…poorer—it's not that bad but that means you have to sell one of your creations! That was more stressful for you instead of maybe failing to pay rent.
You looked through your creations, moving through them as you finally chose ten pieces to sell. Taking one of the sketches of that beautiful king as one of the ones you'll sell.
You set up your stand moving fast before sitting on a chair. Your dough has gotten a bit used to the cold so you could handle sitting there. You put a sign telling cookies who bothered to look at your stand that you're selling and doing live sketches.
Many paintings were bought by different cookies who were happy to get some art of their homeland displayed inside. Some happily paid to get sketched alone...or with their friends. Or grandparents or kids! You felt your pouch get full causing you to feel less stressed.
Dark Caco Cookie moved approaching the stand. He looked down at the art with a scanning gaze. His eyes stayed at the one where you sketched him.
That caught his attention enough to make him approach the stand.
It was good. In his eyes he can't help but notice how many details you got right. You had managed to capture his sharp face one many past painter cookies often softened or edited it to look kinder. At times to even fit the beauty standard. This time he looked at the painting and saw himself not an edited version of him.
He was a bit weirded out. He had never expected a cookie to sketch him in such detail, then try to sell it. He simply thought he wasn't eye-pleasing enough for this.
He turned to look at you, his armor shining under the sun like it was made out of mirrors. You had just finished selling one of your paintings over to a cookie who happily waved goodbye to you , returning the waves with your own.
You turned to look at your stand only freezing in an instant when you noticed him.
“Hello!” You said forcing yourself to be cheerful.
He only hummed in response, nodding his head in greetings as he turned to look at your art pieces…more specifically at the sketch of himself.
“I see that you have spent time sketching me…” He stated he himself was unsure of what to say in this situation but still decided to create a sentence.
“Ah..” You swallow as you try to think of a response. You knew selling one of the sketches would be weird… after all. You didn't get his permission to model for it or even sell it. So you immediately started apologizing.
“Im so sorry for sketching you and even thinking of selling it. My money has been draining, which is why I even considered selling it, but It isn't an excuse. Forgive me for this. You can take the sketch for free as an apology.”
You rushed to say, even bowing a few times, only to cause the other to look at you with confusion.
“Hn…it's okay.” He responded shortly only to flinch when you moved, grabbing the sketch the painted wooden canvas it was sketched on clacking as you placed it on the table. Your hands move to package it before giving it to him.
He was caught off guard. His armored hands grabbed the sketch, looking down at the wrapped thing before looking up at you.
He didn't expect you to be serious about giving it to him for free.
“I can't simply accept it.” He stated, moving the packaged art piece to hold it with one hand as the other moved to take out his silken pouch. Only for you to stretch your hands, placing them over his and kindly speaking.
“No no! It's okay, just take it.”
He looked at you then at the painting. Letting out a sigh, he then spoke.
“I want to pay since it's so accurate to my looks.”
He spoke sternly as he opened the silken pouch, his fingers sliding in the purple silk, taking out a gold coin, giving it to you, making you yelp.
“This is too much!” You gasped out, shocked with a gold coin you can afford paying three months rent, and the sketch was so ugly! It wasn't, but it also wasn't worth a gold coin!
He simply puts the pouch on the belt pocket before turning around, moving away from the stand. The snow crunching under his metal boots. He felt a bit stuck on how to continue this conversation, so he decided to leave since he said that he wanted to say, letting you alone with your thoughts.