Tumgik
#black tea cookie
blueinkie · 2 months
Text
Show and tell yall...
soooooooooo, I've decided to get a little personal on here! As in I'm finally going to talk about my pirate cookie ocs. I've actually had them for a while but was too much of an anxious freak to posy about them, I shall now change that.
Tumblr media
Yup! Here they are, my sillies!
Some context as for who these two are
Black Tea Cookie (She/Her)- A descendent of one of the Tea Leaf Knights from Parfaedia. She was very inspired by all the glorious tales of her ancestors, specifically her grandmother, of how they hunted and defeated dragons. This ignited her love for hunting for creatures which eventually lead to her joining a pirate crew that also hunted sea monsters. It wasn't long until she took over by sword fighting the old pirate captain, gaining the respect their former crew. Of course she goes around stealing and killing since that's what her crew finds enjoyment in, but her primary focus is on monsters and hunting them, especially for profit. She then dabbles into being a merchant with the help of a begrudging friend ( I'll probably make another post about her later), and finds an old record on mermaids from the Creme Republic. This starts her new obsession, and is where she is now as a character.
Sea Pickle Cookie(She/Her)- One of the unlucky sea cookies from the Creme Republic. She was brought into nothing and expected to be nothing, so she resorted to cheap stealing schemes in order to get by and for attention. It wasn't long before she had gained a less than stellar reputation, and that made her feeling amazing. It made her feel important, so why not try her hand a piracy. The worse thing that could happen is that she could die sure, but the best was that she had money in her pocket. She saved, as in she stole, for a good while and started to advertise herself as a pirate captain. She got the boat, and a crew and so she set sail. She was awful at her job though, and was taken as a seriously when faced with a real challenge, backing down as quickly as she can. Despite that she boasts about how great and powerful she is when she really isn't. All she is is an annoyance to people. Her goal is to get the respect and fear from the rest of the sea as she does with her crew.
So yeah here they are! My two lesbians who are just a little insane but who cares. They both get a kiss on the forehead.
Here's some humanized art of them
Tumblr media
Was practicing expressions and ended up drawing them
12 notes · View notes
quibbs126 · 6 months
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media
More minor redesigns I did yesterday I think
I don’t know if Bubble Tea’s design looks better with white gloves or the beige tbh. Not much to say about Black Tea though, all I did was make her eyes bigger
Also I’m just now realizing they both have tea in their name. Hm
Yeah I don’t have much to say, I just feel like I haven’t posted much of anything recently
12 notes · View notes
teethlabyrinth · 7 months
Text
Tumblr media
day 17 of cookieocinktober is bookseller's monocle. AND ALSO NOT A NEW CHARACTER! today is actually a costume for my oc black tea cookie, who is an antique bookseller and book restorer, and earl grey cookie's older sister. today she's departed from her classic fashion for something inspired by dark academia and the glimmer of glass on longer and longer nights.
2 notes · View notes
memories-of-starz · 11 months
Text
My OCS :)
Black Tea Cookie- A shy girl who runs a cafe with her brother, Half Moon Cookie (one of @alex-just-vibing OCS) Also cousin of Espresso and Latte
Toffee Cookie- A teacher at Parfadia Institute. Married to Black Tea
Peppermint Bark Cookie- A substitute teacher at Parfadia Institute. A regular at the Lunar Cafe
S'mores Cookie (I changed quite a bit about them sooo...)- The advisor of Dark Cacao after Affogato leaves for the Cookies of Darkness.
Chocolate Strawberry Cookie- A paladin in the Creme Republic. Basically adopted by Grand Madeline
Caramel Apple Cookie- A model. A cousin of Caramel Arrow
Blueberry Lemon Cookie- Also a model. Has a little tension with Caramel Apple (but in a gay way)
Ginger Chamomile Cookie- One of the elders after the Mille-Feure and Carnele scandal
Linzer Tart Cookie- Knight of the Hollyberry Kingdom.
Benye Cookie- A ghost that haunts the Creme Republic
2 notes · View notes
origin-of-orbits · 2 years
Text
I'll make this digital, I swear.
Tumblr media
Tried to tag all of my cookie ocs lol, but yeaaaa
7 notes · View notes
mmmairon · 4 months
Text
Tumblr media
All patched up
1K notes · View notes
inbarfink · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
1K notes · View notes
fullcravings · 11 months
Photo
Tumblr media
Brown Sugar Toasted Sesame Cookies
254 notes · View notes
hourly-cookie-run · 1 year
Text
Tumblr media Tumblr media Tumblr media
572 notes · View notes
meowizard · 2 years
Text
rating cookie's forms while chopping wood part one
from someone who's taken classes
Tumblr media
starting off very strong! she's using both hands; sliding her top hand down when she swings. her body is angled correctly, although she does seem to slightly lose her balance at some point, judging how she moves her front foot. crucially, she doesn't seem to be looking at the target, so 9/10
Tumblr media
you may think i'm biased, but this is genuinely alright! she's not exactly holding it correctly, but that's fine because of the short distance. she's going for accuracy rather than power, which, for a beginner, will yield better results. i wouldn't hire her though. 7/10
Tumblr media
no. she's looking at the target for a second, she's not even pretending to hold it right, i- ugh. her feet aren't on the ground, meaning there's no power and next to nothing is going to happen to that wood. she is managing to hit in an arc down and below her waist, so she scrapes her way to 1/10
Tumblr media
here's the Actual Axeman- ..... maybe the axe is far too small, but dude, no one is above proper form. i'm perplexed. its very natural for him, and you can tell by the fact he doesn't brace at all for impact. but... he's hitting the wood adjacent to his shoulders. he's holding it like it's a tennis racquet. i was hoping for better. 6/10
Tumblr media
he's trying to go for the biggest swing, and the transfer of weight is too much for him. the axe looks like it could slip out of his hands at any moment. he's angled himself right, but that's how you get this big swing. bonus points because no one should have given him an axe. 2/10
Tumblr media
cheating bastard. i guess??? i fucking GUESS??? their form is good??? but there's no way i can't give blackberry a 0/10.
Tumblr media
he's not a lumberjack, we get it. i don't know why he's bending like that, or why he's leaning back. there is attempt to hold it correctly, but his right arm should be much nearer the head of the axe. 4/10
Tumblr media
theres a tiny rebound on the axe, and he loses his balance (very similarly to alchemist!), so he shouldn't be swinging it this far. he wouldn't get anything chopped quickly or neatly, per se, but it would be fine for firewood. 7/10
Tumblr media
dreadful!!! on god!!! his coat is making me SO nervous. he's doing some strange hip action that puts his leg muscles at risk of being pulled. he's likely to harm someone else, if not himself, chopping that high. 2/10
Tumblr media
he has no fucking clue what he's doing. clearly, he's only been observing tea knight - the one-handedness (literally. he only has one arm), the unblinking, the shoulder-high chops.... he assumes proper form like the book-smart nerd he is, but, to be honest, he's more helpful around his antiques. 3/10
part two
647 notes · View notes
quibbs126 · 1 year
Note
pspspspsp How about a Tea Knight/werewolf fankid or a Affogato/Lilac Fankid??
Tumblr media
Sorry, I didn’t have one for Tea Knight/Werewolf, but I got an affolilac (I assume that’s the ship name) one for you, this girl is Black Tea Cookie
So I know her name doesn’t quite sound like the obvious solution, so let me go through my thought process. So first I thought to do a poisonous purple flower, bc lilacs are purple flowers and Affogato has an association with poison. But then later I thought, “coffee is a drink, so maybe a drink made with flowers?” and so I went looking for teas, and then I decided on black tea, which technically isn’t made from flowers, but the plant does make flowers
Black tea (and also the flower of camellia sinensis)
Tumblr media Tumblr media
So initially I planned for her to be more purple, but since black tea is more red and I wanted to keep that in the hair, and the red and purple didn’t look like they belonged together, so I made her more red. I was also debating giving her the coffee pupils, since black tea does have caffeine in it, but I ultimately decided against it. I made her outfit entirely Yogurca inspired since I imagine that the family is living there, and also that Affogato might just be wearing that outfit because he was working in the Dark Cacao Kingdom. From what I understand he’s not native to the area. Also I wanted to add some camellias into her design, since Lilac has flowers in his. To be honest, I feel like she definitely looks like Lilac’s kid, but I’m not so sure about Affogato’s
Anyways, on to her herself. So like I said, in this hypothetical scenario Affogato moved to Yogurca and decided to stay there with Lilac, meaning this is where Black Tea grew up. She may look sweet and innocent (I’m not sure I properly conveyed that but that is how she’s supposed to look), but like her fathers she is in to some shady business, specifically poison. She’s been fascinated with it all her life, and I imagine Affogato encouraging this behavior. Not sure about Lilac, but he’d probably at least teach her to kill. Unlike her parents though, she is very upfront about what she does, offering people poison as a solution to their problems. And just in general she’s a pretty honest and responsible little girl. She just also deals in poison, and has possibly killed a Cookie. Nobody knows for sure if she has other than her, including her parents
I have this image in my head of her meeting either Caramel Arrow Cookie or Dark Cacao Cookie, and while they’re wary of her for being Affogato’s child, they recognize she’s not evil. She just follows them around or something. A situation arises and she just goes “we can use poison on them” and they’re just like “no, stop resorting to murder, what is your obsession with poison??”
Yogurt Cream basically made himself Black Tea’s uncle and probably tries to spoil her, but Black Tea’s favorite person is her aunt Scorpion Cookie (I suppose assume Scorpion and Lilac got back on good terms). Scorpion genuinely loves Black Tea back and trains her in the art of poison
I think that’s about it for her, hope you enjoy!
Edit: the top pic is a redesign, though not much changed other than the face. This is the original
Tumblr media
27 notes · View notes
teethlabyrinth · 2 years
Photo
Tumblr media
i wanted to do a big crowd shot of a bunch of my OCs and their relationships with each other and canon characters, so i did lol
13 notes · View notes
caterpillarinacave · 3 months
Text
y’all I just got the MOTHERLOAD of all pastries
12 notes · View notes
origin-of-orbits · 6 months
Text
just making a tumblr post
because i made a another mermaid type for crk, which is tea mermaids, it just makes sense, since tea and water (I have one, which is black tea cookie, the second, which has no design yet is butterfly pea flower tea cookie)
1 note · View note
dangans-ur-ronpas · 10 days
Text
Chapter 21
HAPPY BIRTHDAY BYAKUYA ok i said i would be going on hiatus but i got really inspired and also it's my guy's birthday today so surprise update. going on hiatus fr now tho
SEE HERE FOR GENERAL WARNINGS AND FIC SUMMARY
Some pre-chapter notes:
trust ended with makoto and never really started with kyoko now celeste is my new conversation partner
cant believe hes 31. and blond
@digitaldollsworld roman my friend romannn !!!
Content warning tags: description of depression/PTSD, mention of suicide, description of eating disorder
< previous - from start - next >
“Your hand.”
It’s the first thing Byakuya says to her as they leave the bathhouse. Kirigiri pauses mid-step, already halfway to the stairs, and turns over her shoulder.
“What of it?”
He gives her a pointed look. WIth her gloves on, he can’t tell the extent of the damage, but remembering how hard he’d tried to shut that door, he can imagine it’s not exactly pretty. “Is it broken?”
In response, she raises the hand in question, flexing it in front of him with the soft creak of well-worn leather. “It’s fine.”
Like hell it is. The fingers of her left hand hadn’t even been moving when she was typing, curled into a half-moon that skittered clumsily over the keys. But if she doesn’t want to admit it, there’s no point in him pointing it out. He has other questions, anyway. “Did you already know?”
He doesn’t mention Alter Ego out loud, but he doesn’t need to; there’s nothing else he could be referring to. She lowers her hand slowly. “Why do you think so?”
Of course, she would answer with another question. It was nothing but ambiguities and obstructions with her. “You didn’t seem surprised at all. You opened up the locker without any trouble. And you were very quick to volunteer yourself to take full responsibility.” It had been a thought in the back of his mind since the possibility of having to reveal Alter Ego to the others was brought up. She was the one who gave the computer to Chihiro, after all. He lowers his voice: “Considering how you were the one who passed that computer off to Chihiro, I can’t imagine that you weren’t aware of what he was up to.”
She doesn’t reply immediately, instead glancing around the ceiling for any wayward cameras, then behind Byakuya for any stray ears. But everyone else was still gathered around the bathhouse entrance, preoccupied with discussing their next move. Hiro was at the head of it, voice loud and excessively optimistic. “I’m curious as to how you perceived me as being unsurprised, all things considered.” She says flatly, and he feels a muscle twitch in his cheek. “And it wasn’t as if there was any lock on the locker itself. And it was the most logical thing to do, considering our room assignments.”
It doesn’t escape him how she hasn’t bothered to respond to his last statement, and it was too risky to make her answer it out loud, and especially not here or now. He hated having to concede, and especially not to her of all people, but the risk outweighed his pride. “Fine.” He grits out. Let her keep her secrets. “And where are you going now?”
He can probably guess, but he wants to hear it from her anyways. “The third floor was recently opened to us.” She replies coolly. “I am going to investigate.”
“Alone.” He doesn’t say it like a question. “You’re not bringing Makoto?”
“I always investigate alone. Anyone else…would get in the way.” She says that last part hesitantly, as if she’s not sure of her own reasoning. “I doubt he’d want to go with me regardless. Not after yesterday.”
Yesterday? He tries to think, if there was anything that happened yesterday that could have affected their relationship, but all he comes up with are the worst parts of the trial, the body discovery, the confrontation with Fukawa. The memories of everything else had blurred, melting together to become indiscernible.
She’s answering before he can even open his mouth to ask further. “I was the one who told Makoto to out you in the trial.” She says, monotone and unreadable, and then stands there, almost expectantly, as understanding sinks in.
He tries to feel angry, that familiar rush of fury, but there’s nothing, and it leaves him feeling jarringly cold in its absence. At his silence, she continues: “Let me be clear, Makoto did not want to betray you to begin with. I told him that it would be unavoidable, and the only way to clear you of all suspicion.”
“The two of you made me into a bigger target.” He points out, bitterly. A person who would be of no help in investigations or otherwise, who was helpless enough on his own to be an appealing victim who couldn’t retaliate. 
“There’s only ten of us left, in an enclosed space. With smaller numbers, it’s less likely for any one person to be willing to kill. Or get away with it, at least.” If she was trying to reassure him, she was failing miserably.
“Why Makoto? If you were aware, why couldn’t you have told them instead?”
She takes a step closer, and he barely keeps himself from stepping back. “Would they have been as ready to believe me?” She asks quietly. “You said it yourself: I’m someone who you all know nothing about. If I was the one who did it, would they be as quick to accept it? Or would they have started wrongly accusing me as well? Where would we be then?” She reaches out and grabs his lapels - in her left hand - and pulls him close, just enough to whisper: “I am the only one who can get us out of here. I’m sure you know that well.”
He feels his hands clenching into fists at his sides, but she’s right. Of course she is. Out of everyone here, she was the only one who was actively searching, trying to escape, and probably the closest to succeeding. That was the most frustrating part; that he couldn’t even properly argue back.
She releases him and retreats, tucking her hair behind her shoulders. “I will admit. If I had been the one to absolve you, then maybe you wouldn’t have had to be betrayed.” She says simply, and it’s probably the closest thing he’ll get to an apology. An offhanded acknowledgement of his miserable state.
He’s heard enough. He turns on his heel, but hasn’t made even a step when she grabs his arm so suddenly that he almost stumbles. “What?” He demands. Her fingers are tight around his forearm, and he can feel her leather glove, smooth and creased at the knuckles, digging through the fabric of his jacket.
There’s another pause, as she opens her mouth, but she’s silent long enough for him to wonder if there was something wrong with her. Then she releases him. “Nothing. Go eat.”
He was already planning to head to the cafeteria to do just that, but her tone irks him so much that he’s almost tempted to turn around and stomp back to his room. “Don’t tell me what to do.”
“Starve, then. But don’t wear yourself out.” She was already brushing past him, hair streaming behind her like a ghost. “You still have some use yet.”
He watches her go, a little stunned and more than a little scandalized. For her to belittle him, patronize him, and mock him, after he tried to help her - demonstrated concern, even - he clenches his fists to stop them from trembling, and smothers down the insult that she was already too far away to hear.
What an-! Insufferable little-! He sputters silently. To go from blatantly labeling him as ‘useless’ just a few days ago to saying this now, when his most fatal flaw had been laid bare to everyone…even more frustrating, was how underneath the anger, a smallest shred of pride had curled to life in his chest, undaunted by the disgust that immediately followed. As if he were a dog easily placated by nice words.
…The hunger must have started to interfere with my thoughts. He shakes his head, and turns back to the cafeteria. Behind him, he can hear the squeak of sneakered footsteps, pattering to catch up with him, and starts walking a little faster, knowing full well who it could be. And sure enough:
“Byakuya!”
It was just one after another. Makoto’s hand pinches onto his elbow sleeve, and Byakuya jerks out of his grasp with enough force that he almost stumbles, staggering awkwardly to maintain his balance. Makoto steps back, one hand still raised hesitantly, and his breath stutters slightly as he freezes, unsure what to do.
There’s a lot that Byakuya can say here. He’s envisioned this interaction a thousand times, in between chess and shogi games with Alter Ego, as he showered, as he rested his exhausted, sightless eyes. But the vitriol he prepared doesn’t come; the very act of trying to come up with something to hurl at him just leaves him feeling drained. Hollowed out.
Luckily, he’s saved from having to say anything at all. Seemingly out of nowhere, with only a sudden rustle of velvet to announce her arrival, Celeste appears by his side, placing one hand delicately on his elbow.
“Oh, excuse me,” She hums serenely, entirely ignoring the strange, tense air between the other two. “I pray I am not intruding. Byakuya, won’t you please join me for tea?”
She’d never shown interest in him before. He scowls, instantly wary. “What for?”
“There’s no need for such frightening looks. I have no ulterior motives.” She’s probably smiling, though he can’t make out her mouth on her pale face. Just her eyes, pinpricks of an artificial, unsettling red. “But you have not eaten since yesterday’s breakfast, no? Hifumi’s milk tea is almost passable, and I would appreciate it if you could offer your refined opinion on it.”
He doesn’t move, arm held at an awkward position away from himself to keep her at a distance. Makoto is still there, watching them, hesitating. “Um, Byakuya-”
“And…I would like to apologize for my actions during the trial.” Byakuya’s eyes snap back to her. Her posture has relaxed somewhat, and she speaks slowly, as if every word was pushing against her pride. “I spoke rather callously, and…shed some rather insulting suggestions of your relation with Chihiro. At the time, I genuinely thought I was doing the right thing, but it seems I should not have been so rash.” The hand on his elbow slackens, just enough to be in danger of sliding off his arm entirely. “I can’t imagine how you are feeling now. It’s clear now, you were one of the people closest to him, if he was able to entrust you with something so precious.”
He feels his lip curling with disgust, at her shamelessness. It was unsurprising that someone such as the Ultimate Gambler would use words like cards, and know exactly how to play them. But even despite knowing that she wasn’t likely to be genuine, the stifling, uncomfortable pressure on his chest dissipates, just a little.
And he was hungry. And he has no desire to be face-to-face with Makoto at all, and he doubts Celeste’s intentions to kill him. And there was no motive, nor had he slighted her in any way - and besides. Prepositioning him here, in the middle of the hallway with Makoto to witness it, meant that it would be very difficult for her to free herself of suspicion if he were to turn up dead.
“Fine.” He forces his posture to relax. At that, her hand twines around his arm with the grace of a snake, much like how a lady might be led by a gentleman, resting there lightly.
She radiates smugness, and the self-satisfaction of a pampered cat as she leans into him. “Then, shall we go?”
He doesn’t really want to. But sometimes sacrifices were a means for a better end, and he only spares a single glance at Makoto as he leaves, standing ignored and alone in the middle of the hallway. 
___
“Ah, Princess!” Yamada calls as they enter. And then, slightly panicked: “And - M-Mister Togami-?”
Byakuya scoffs, disgusted, but Celeste tugs him along. “Yes, I am aware of the nature of the company that I keep.” She sounds almost apologetic about it, as she half-guides, half-steers him towards a two-person table near the far end of the cafeteria. “But I assure you, he has his uses. He’s loyal where it counts, and accomplishes things decently well.” She pats his arm, a gesture that feels far too familiar for his comfort. “I’m sure you understand?”
He makes no comment, seating himself with a scowl, and eyeing Celeste warily from across the table, a graceful shape of black and white before him. The girl had always been an enigma - much like Kirigiri in her careful, conniving ways - but he hasn’t forgiven her for how she so carelessly dropped the mention of his meeting with Chihiro. It hadn’t been to clear anything up either; he was sure that her intentions were for her own self-satisfaction, and nothing more.
Yamada waddles out of the kitchen, a large, silver tray balanced between his hands. He sets it on the table with a flourish, its contents rattling slightly - an intricate porcelain tea set decorated with a swirling black design, with a plate full of small teacakes, cookies, and other such deserts - and begins pouring out two cups of tea. He’s surprisingly graceful about it, making a show of pouring the milk in a large arc and stirring it all with a tiny silver spoon, before he sets one down in front of both of them.
Celeste lifts her cup to her lips, taking a careful sip. “Hm. Better,” She praises, and Yamada swells with pride, his chest puffing out. “Thank you. You may go.”
He deflates immediately. “Ah, but-” He clutches the empty tray to his chest like a shield. “Er, to sit alone w-with another man-!”
“Now, please.” There’s a firmness behind her gentle politeness, and after a moment’s hesitation, Yamada retreats to the kitchen with a quiet grumble.
There’s some sound near the entrance of the cafeteria, and when Byakuya looks up he sees Hagakure leading Owada towards a table, talking jovially about the importance of health and food, asking about any preferred dishes, and launching into some inane story about a hamburger and aliens.
“He’s been like that since this morning.” Celeste comments, and he turns back to her. She sets her teacup down with a gentle click, and laces her fingers beneath her chin as she leans forward, her voice lowered to an exaggeratedly conspiratorial degree. “You were not there, but Hiro declared himself the de facto leader in Taka’s absence. He stated that he has rights by age, but thus far he’s only taken responsibility for Owada.”
De facto leader…as if they had such a thing. “Good. Someone has to.” Byakuya grunts, as he lifts the cup to his lips. Owada was the farthest thing from stable at the moment, and he would rather avoid having to participate in another trial so soon. The tea Yamada made is passable, though too sweet for his tastes and richer than he would like.
“Hm, quite right.” She sighs. “I have no interest in repeating yesterday’s events for as long as I live.”
She says what he was thinking out loud, and somehow, that bothers him deeply. He didn’t like how similar the two of them were, how similar she was perceiving them to be. How similar they already were.
“But let’s not waste time on depressing things.” She claps her hands lightly. “I am curious. How is your relationship with Makoto now?”
He chokes on the teacake he had just taken a bite of, crumbling into crumbs and dust into his throat, and takes a hasty gulp of tea. It’s too hot and scalds his tongue, and the raw, healing wounds on his inner cheek. He almost doubles over with the pain, just barely managing to keep his posture. This whole time, he was painfully aware of Celeste watching him over her crossed hands.
“Are you alright?” She asks, offering him a handkerchief. He ignores it and takes another sip of tea, ignoring the burns.
“M’ f-ine.” He spits. He has the feeling his eyes are watering, though there’s not exactly a clear difference in his vision to suggest if that’s the case, and counts himself lucky for not choking. He tries to blink the tears inconspicuously away, and clears his throat. “Why - why do you ask about him?”
She tilts her head as if his question is the odd one. “You underestimate how much attention you drew when you accepted Makoto’s company. In the course of just a few short weeks, we’ve seen you two develop a sudden companionship, then a sudden lull, and then rekindle that relationship as if nothing had happened at all.” He has the feeling she’s smiling, though he can’t make out the gleam of her teeth compared to her chalk-white face. “Would you like to hear some of the rumors that have been spread?”
“Not in the slightest.” He can imagine what tasteless things have been whispered already. “The truth is nothing as scandalous as you’re hoping to hear. He was the first person who discovered my blindness, and was simply assisting me. Though-”
He grimaces inwardly now, at the memory of the trial. The earth-shattering feeling of betrayal. The quiet, hesitant way that Makoto had reached out to him afterwards, guilty as a thief. “Though, I have no need for people that can’t obey orders.”
That’s not the exact reason for his avoidance of Makoto, but he’s not interested in analyzing exactly why the other boy was bothering him so, and especially not now. It’s also not the sort of answer he would expect Celeste to be satisfied with, but to his surprise, she simply shrugs, and nods as if she understands it completely.
“I am the same. Though given our situation…I have had to be a little accommodating.” She flicks a hand carelessly in the direction of the kitchen. “I am surprised, however. Given your nature, I hadn’t expected you to be so merciful. You seemed to let Makoto off very kindly compared to the injustice he did you.” She leans forward slightly, staring at him. “You’ve changed, it seems.”
“Excuse me?”
“It is not an insult.” She says, with the same, gentle tone as a nanny with a displeased child. “If anything, it is praise. You’re far more open now, when compared to before.” She taps at her face. “You’ve stopped wearing your glasses, which you didn’t need in the first place. It’s a sign that you have become less shut off, no?”
“It’s not a sign of anything. My glasses broke when Owada punched me.” Never mind the fact that he has several spare pairs in his room. Trying to wear them now when everyone knew they were pointless would be more humiliating than anything, though he still has to consciously refrain from reaching up to touch his temples, fighting the habit to adjust something that wasn’t there.
“But even so, my point still stands.” Her eyes narrow as she smiles. “Before, you seemed very distant, but now it is more obvious that you are of flesh and blood.”
He shifts uncomfortably in his seat. That was what he was afraid of, becoming more human, more like those around him. His glasses had been a part of him for as long as he could remember, even before there was a real need for him to wear them; they made him look older, Pennyworth had told him, and more mature. Less like a boy, more like a proper heir. Less like his mother, and more like a Togami.
He notices the pale, spindly shape of Celeste’s hand reaching for his face just in time, jerking backwards and out of her reach. If she’s surprised, she gives no sign, and simply retreats slowly. “I apologize. It seems I’ve said something insensitive once more.”
“...You said nothing of the sort.” He lies. Has he become that easy to read? He presses his lips into a thin line. “Even if I still had them, there’s no point in wearing them anymore. Not when everyone knows they’re pointless.”
“I see…if it is any consolation, I do find your appearance appealing now.” She says this hesitantly, shyly, hiding her face demurely behind her cup. But either she had layered on enough makeup to completely conceal her face, or she was an exceptionally skilled liar, or most likely both, because not the barest hint of a blush is visible on her at all. “You were uncomfortably perfect before, more like a little porcelain doll than anything. I rather enjoy this new, human side to you. Even the…imperfections, if you will forgive the term, are quite endearing.”
He can feel her gaze, bright red eyes, roaming his face. “Save your flattery.” He mutters. The burn on the roof of his mouth was making itself known again, and as he glances down at his plate at the remains of his earlier pastry, all he sees is an unappealing, sand-coloured blur. “Asides from the change in supposed ‘leadership’, what else happened when I wasn’t around?”
Thankfully, Celeste doesn’t push the topic, and instead launches into a detailed recount. Monokuma opened up the third floor as a reward for a successful trial, which included new amenities: an art room with just about everything needed for any medium, from sculpting to calligraphy; a very robust physics lab with a very large and elaborate air purifier; an equipment room without anything particularly noticeable; and a recreation room with a pool table, darts, board games, and a weekly magazine rack.
Byakuya raises his eyebrows at this last mention. “Weekly magazines?”
“Yes, but unfortunately, Monokuma has no intention of providing us with any new issues.” She sighs. “I asked him myself.”
He clicks his tongue, disappointed again but unsurprised, and leans back in his chair, taking a biscuit. Everything that Yamada had brought out was too sweet for his tastes, and tasted cheap, with the chemical-ly staleness of preservatives. It was killing his appetite, and he was ready to retreat back to his room.
“It seems that our school life has gained more opportunities to become enjoyable, however.” Celeste continues, ignoring his apparent sourness. “Won’t you join me for a game of Othello, sometime? I’m sure someone of your caliber is familiar with the rules.”
“I’ll pass. I have no need for a partner.” He doubts that she would be a better opponent than Alter Ego, in any case. Especially if he couldn’t see the board.
“A shame. But it was worth asking.” She doesn’t sound surprised by his blunt rejection. “I’m sure I could not compare to the games you have witnessed among the aristocracy?”
He hesitates for a moment. Her intentions were clear, full of the subtle eagerness of a child trying to wheedle out a prize for good behavior. “Witnessed, and participated. But I have to disappoint you, they’re more or less just like the gambling games that the commoners play, blackjack and roulette and such. The only difference is the wagers.”
“Very high wagers, I presume?”
“Yes, but not in money. Most of the time, all the participants have enough money to their name that mere cash becomes meaningless. So they place their stakes in other things- properties, businesses, liquid assets and even people. A family castle, their favored butler. Things that have more value to them than just monetary.” She leans forward on her elbows, listening intently, and after another moment’s pause, he continues. “I’ve only played once, and wagered a genuine second-generation [Delafoy] portrait bust. I won the original copy of the opponent’s family records.”
“A rather underwhelming prize.”
“Not at all. There’s nothing more valuable than information - especially when it’s limited.” He replies, smugly. That book of records was the only copy to exist, and the stupid, sheltered boy who had wagered it had gone nearly catatonic when he lost. He was outright disowned when his family discovered what he’d done, and the family head offered a fortune for the return of it - but Byakuya had kept it, both out of spite and necessity. That book ended up being a precious bargaining token later, when the game of inheritance found him and he needed a place to lie low.
Celeste is captivated, leaning as far as she can over the table with her chin tucked on her laced hands, eyes so wide that the red of her irises - contact lenses, surely - are twin, bloody suns on her milk-white face. Like a vampire bite, he notes distantly, with a hint of snide amusement. “It has always been a dream of mine to sit among those tables.” She says, and her voice is hushed and passionate, eager, expectant; a demand hidden in plain sight.
“It would never happen. Someone of your status would never be afforded the chance.” He scoffs immediately, matter-of-factly.
“Do the wealthy not recognize the value of skill? I’m sure I can provide a stimulating enough game for them.”
“And I don’t doubt that you could. But that wouldn’t matter.” She was certainly clever, but if she was still dreaming such foolish things, then he suspected that she would not last much longer in the mastermind’s game. He leans forward, fixing her with a stare. “The only reason why I could participate at all is because of my lineage; the Togami name is the only reason that family offered to buy back their precious records, rather than simply assassinate me and pick it off my corpse. Someone like you wouldn’t even be allowed to leave that table alive.” Those esteemed elderly with nothing to do and those spoiled brats with lofty ideals would let her join their table, for the novelty of having a member of the peasantry try her luck, but the moment she humiliated them would have marked her end. 
That answer seems to discourage her, and she sits back, plucking another cookie from the tray and turning it in her hands. “Such a violent reaction…it seems that the nobility are much less civilized than given credit.”
“Do you think yourself uncivilized for shooing away an insect? Like I said before, do not flatter yourself into thinking that we are on the same level.”
They’re quiet for a moment, sipping their tea and nibbling at the deserts. Hagakure was trying to coax Owada into eating a bowl of rice porridge, pressing a spoon into his listless hand. Byakuya watches with a strange, uncomfortable feeling growing over him, and suddenly wants nothing more than to leave.
“Ah, speaking of being human,” Celeste says suddenly, as if remembering something. “Makoto found a particularly interesting photo in the third-floor maintenance closet. And a very odd one, at that.” She pauses to take a delicate bite of a pastry, making him wait as she chews. “One of Mondo, Leon, and Chihiro laughing together in a classroom setting.”
“What?” He frowns. Were the three of them that close? He hadn’t noted them having any particular interactions between them to suggest such a thing. “When was the photo taken?”
“That, I cannot say. Monokuma seized the photo, so the only one who saw it was Makoto.” She shrugs, an elegant lift and fall of one shoulder. “But from what he said, they couldn’t have been much younger than they were when we first arrived.”
Perhaps they knew each other before enrolling here. It would be the most logical explanation, and it wouldn’t be impossible based on what he knew of them. He says as much aloud, and Celeste simply shrugs again.
“Perhaps.” She agrees, and takes another bite. “But if they did, they gave no indication of it, and certainly did not act like they knew each other at all. Though, I am inclined to believe it was nothing more than one of Monokuma’s pranks, intended to shake us.”
That wasn’t an unlikely possibility either. Byakuya certainly didn’t doubt that the bear might do such a thing. But for some reason it bothers him, sitting stubbornly in the back of his mind and refusing to be brushed away. Like a conspicuously empty patch of dust in an old room, marking the place where something unnamed once occupied and was now gone. Was it really just a prank, and nothing more?
From the kitchen, Yamada was humming, accompanied by the sound of pans and sizzling oil, hissing steam. Hagakure was still coaxing Owada into eating, while regaling him with another long-winded, far-fetched story. Despite everything, everyone was still going about their lives, domestic and carefree.
He thinks about Kirigiri, who never seemed to stop moving. Always thinking, always searching, always leagues ahead of him. She was similar to the girl in front of him now, clever and scheming and concealing everything behind an unreadable face. But different as well; Celeste speaks in an elegant, lilting cadence that reminded Byakuya of the children of the nobility that he had bumped elbows with before, and he can’t imagine himself having tea and small talk with Kirigiri in a similar setting.
“What will you do now,” He finds himself asking. “In regards to the killing game?”
Celeste tilts her head as if this were an obvious question. “I have no interest in dying. Nor do I have the stomach in me to imagine taking another person’s life.” She shudders slightly, as if the very thought of it was horrifying. “But all our amenities have been accounted for here, and I imagine we have all the provisions to live very comfortable lives. I can be content with this, so long as it ends the pointless tragedies.”
As he thought. Despite all her secretive, careful ways, the way she took to lying like a second skin; she was nothing like Kirigiri. Kirigiri had spine, at least.
He stands up suddenly with a screech of his chair, and she makes a noise of surprise. “You are leaving?”
“I have exhausted your company,” He says bluntly. “So there is no reason for me to stay.”
“Is that so…” There’s a sharp click as she raps her fingers against the patina. “In that case, thank you for the conversation. It was very insightful.”
He has no doubts about that. This was not a simple excuse to have a leisurely chat, but an exchange of information. She gave him what he wanted to know about the third floor, and he gave her a story to stave off boredom. Something to daydream about while they waited to escape.
He doesn’t bother deigning her with a proper goodbye as he turns to go. On his way out, he catches sight of Owada, sitting across from Hagakure, spoon still unmoving, watching him. Faceless and blank.
< previous - from start - next >
15 notes · View notes
fullcravings · 1 year
Photo
Tumblr media
Sea Salt Black Cocoa Biscotti
267 notes · View notes