Unseen | Caramel Arrow Cookie x Affogato Cookie

Puzzle Pieces

Another week and a half passed. Approximately halfway through the healing process. Christmas is a week away now. Caramel Arrow convinced Dark Cacao to have workers put up lights for morale purposes. So now the citadel’s inside walls and its gate were lined with lights. It certainly was beautiful, and Affogato was surprised she was able to convince the King to put them up. Maybe she could convince the King of his ideas to restore the kingdom. Aside from that, the healing process was going as smoothly as ever. Caramel Arrow and Affogato hadn’t gotten into a fight, and when they disagreed they talked it through instead of pointing fingers. Admittedly, Affogato was the one who had pointed fingers originally. They spent more time with each other outside of things that revolved around his ankle, and thoughts of each other would trickle into their minds from time to time.

Caramel Arrow smiled as she left the cafeteria. Crunchy Chip was making the place lively with his stories and loud nature. He loved interacting with the other soldiers at his table, trading stories with one another. Crunchy Chip was really good at telling stories. But, she had finished her food, so she had to go see Affogato. The lights lined the halls, and she caught herself getting distracted by the yellow color. Joy in the air, a thing she always loved about this time of year. Snowflakes danced in the air, gently dropping onto the ground.

Finally, she got to Affogato Cookie’s room. She knocked on the door. “Affogato Cookie?”

Affogato stretched, moving to sit up. Finally, he could get this ice off of him. “Come in.” He said plainly. He removed the ice himself as she entered.

They didn’t say anything as they went through their procedure. Affogato handed her the ice pack, which she placed in a cooler, then Affogato shifted to have his legs hanging over the edge of the bed, to when Caramel Arrow would reattach his boot. A well-oiled routine they had developed. “Feeling alright? No pain?” She asked as she strapped the boot into place.

“Nope.” He said, watching her put it back on. “Thank you.” He thanked when she stood up.

“Of course.” She nodded.

“Well, shall we head out?” He stood up with a long grunt. He went to grab his staff, but she got it for him. She handed it to him. “Thank you.”

The pair fled from his room, outdoors and to the training grounds. This was a part of their routine, too. As she promised to help him with his ankle, he helped her train to return the favor. They calmly made their way, Caramel Arrow making sure to slow to keep pace with Affogato’s more sluggish pace. Once there, they took one of the open targets. The pair were greeted by a few regulars as Caramel Arrow drew her blades into a bow. “Okay,” Affogato started. “Now focus. Remember to draw all your focus to the arrow.”

Caramel Arrow nodded, then nocked an arrow. She pulled back on it and closed her eyes. She envisioned the arrow in her head. She opened her eyes and fired.

“...” Affogato watched the arrow hit its target spot on. It wasn’t what they were looking for. They had yet to get it down, but Affogato was determined to make sure she got it. He knew his eyes weren’t deceiving him that night, when he saw the hidden power she held. He still remembered the way her arrows glowed.

Caramel Arrow huffed. Not it. They had tried multiple different methods to draw this energy out of her, but not one of them worked. Affogato was the one who brainstormed the methods, usually, while she kept on trying. She nocked another arrow and drew it back. There had to be a breaking point somewhere. Caramel Arrow was determined to find it. In the future it could mean life or death, especially with how dangerous the Licorice Sea was. She fired, nothing of note happened. It was good to see her aim was always spot on, though.

Affogato thought as time went on. He came up with many ideas, but none seemed plausible. Finally, he conceded. He wasn’t going to be able to come up with an idea on his own that would work. That night, when she was alone, only she knew what was going on in her mind. He had to ask her what went through her head that night. After today’s training session, though. Start fresh tomorrow on whatever new idea they, or she, could muster.