Outcast [𝕮𝖔𝖔𝖐𝖎𝖊 𝕽𝖚𝖓 𝕶𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖉𝖔𝖒]

Chapter 4

Back at the Cookie Kingdom, Tarte had finished combing her hair to visit Pastry. There were clouds in the sky, but that stopped no one from producing items for the trains and for the ships. Trade was essential for the kingdom. And while GingerBrave was gone with the crew, they needed to ensure everything was going smoothly. As the woman walked, she could smell incense from not too far away. She was at the altar placed inside her little house, praying. Tarte knew better than to barge in, so she waited for Pastry to finish her morning prayer. When finished, she knocked, and Pastry was quick to answer. "Ah. Good morning, Miss Tarte," she said, bowing.

"Oh, there's no need to bow. How are you?" Tarte asked, patting her back gently.

"Fine, thank you. Come inside."

Tarte stepped inside Pastry's room and saw a picture. It was of her and some guy. She took a closer look, but couldn't see well with her one visible eye. It could've been her ex-boyfriend from a while ago. But it could've also been a close friend that maybe passed away. She didn't know and she refused to press the young woman for answers. "Come and sit, Miss Tarte. You wished to visit me, correct?"

Pastry's question had snapped Tarte from her daydreams as she walked to sit with her at a table. One of the Sisters from the Order brought over some Linzer cookies shaped like flowers. "So, is there a specific reason you wished to speak with me?" Pastry asked.

Tarte leaned back in her seat, adjusting her eyepatch. "Well, we haven't gotten any word on Milk Tea or MagicShell yet. I wonder if they passed through Dragon Hill. And if they did, I wonder if they brought back more gems for the Oven," she replied.

Ah yes, the amazing Oven. They could get more soul stones, maybe other people could appear in the Oven. Tarte still remembered the tear-stained face of Milk Tea when she reunited with her after so many years apart. The way she almost brought her down made her heart feel soft. And the way Milk Tea embraced Cream Unicorn when he came out. It was all like it happened a few seconds ago. "Possibly. But, a note came to my house a few hours ago. Just before I was gonna wake up, I heard a piece of paper hit my window," Pastry began.

It was intriguing. Tarte leaned in to hear more. "The paper seemed to be an envelope. And it wasn't from an ordinary person. It was from Pineapple Juice," Pastry continued.

Why did it surprise her? Pineapple Juice would write letters here and there, but for one to end up at Pastry's place wasn't expected of the bratty boba princess. "Huh. Why would she write a letter to you?" Tarte asked.

Pastry shrugged and opened the letter, reading it aloud. "Dear Miss Pastry and Grandma Tarte... I have written this letter, though I never wanted to, to tell you some distasteful news. We had gone through Dragon Hill and passed the Werehound Brute. But then we began to walk through an area of fog. It was so thick, I couldn't see anything. Neither could I see anyone around me. But when we got to a spot, GingerBrave did a roll call. Everyone was here, all except one person."

That's when Pastry's eyes widened in horror. Her heart raced as the hairs on the back of her neck stood straighter than a piece of wood. "Hm? What's wrong?" Tarte asked.

Quicker than she could blink, Pastry shoved the letter into the other woman's hands. Tarte took a look at the letter, skimming it until she reached where Pastry had stopped reading. "It says... Milk Tea disappeared."

Pastry then crumbled, leaning against the back of the couch, sobbing. "Why, dear sister? Why did you let the sinful fog trick you?" she cried.

It felt horrible. The thoughts from before of Milk Tea hugging her grandmother and uncle slowly faded as the idea of her disappearance infiltrated Tarte's mind. Pastry could see the distress in the older woman's eyes, so she stood and left the room to give her some space. At that time, Tarte held her head in her hands, trying to fight the oncoming tears. What would Honeydew do if she were here? How would she react to her daughter's disappearance? Tarte could sense her ghost lurking around, weeping silently.