Outcast [𝕮𝖔𝖔𝖐𝖎𝖊 𝕽𝖚𝖓 𝕶𝖎𝖓𝖌𝖉𝖔𝖒]

Chapter 11

Back at the Cookie Kingdom, Tarte sat in front of a fire with Pastry beside her. The stars shone high in the dark sky as the fire roared in the hearth. Outside, the leaves had changed from shades of green to the many shades of red, orange, and yellow. Autumn in the Cookie Kingdom was here. However, it was supposed to hit during Halloween, it happened to have hit the 2 weeks before Thanksgiving. Both of the women sat on a sofa with a cup of hot chocolate and some stuffed churros. Sure, Christmas wasn't here yet, but it was chilly outside. Why not have hot cocoa early? "I can't believe we're already setting up for Thanksgiving. It's amazing how fast time flies," Tarte said.

"Indeed. Sometimes I wish that's how fast it took for our friends to come home," Pastry responded.

The sudden thought of Pineapple Juice and Milk Tea came back to Tarte. They must have reunited by now. The girls were back together and were following their friends to find the Cake Hound that stole the kingdom's crown. It almost flew above her head. She sighed and took off her eyepatch to put cream on her wounded eye. "Yeah... I hope they're all doing okay. I pray their journey is going well," she muttered.

Pastry nodded. Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. She stood and went to open it, surprised to see Burnt Cheese. This time, his headpiece which was usually covering his face was off. They could see his eyes now! "Miss Pastry. Someone wanted this letter delivered to you. A Cake Hound brought it to one of my jackals," he explained, handing a red envelope to her.

"Thank you, Burnt Cheese. Oh, and you have a little something on your cheek," Pastry responded.

He cocked his head to the side and touched his right cheek. But she pointed to the other one, and when he touched it, his face felt hot. Mozzarella kissed him there again!! He scowled and ran off, one of his jackals following him. Pastry went back to Tarte and sat down once more, opening the envelope. As soon as she saw the paper, the penmanship rang 1,000 bells. She knew who was behind this letter she held in her hand.

Hey, Pastry!
It's been a while since we called. But I wanted to write this one instead. If Ms. Tarte is there with you, I want her to know that I respectfully love her eldest granddaughter, Milk Tea. She's such a kind young woman and she cares for all of us; even my Beasts and Hounds. I'm truly thankful she got to stay with us, but we were sad to see her go. Anyway, I ran into her back at the Vanilla Kingdom– and don't worry. She isn't hurt. And don't worry, Ms. Tarte. I'll do my best and keep an eye on her. She matters to me and my cake army. We'll do anything to keep her safe, even if we have to hide from the others in the shadows. But- I gotta go now! I hope this letter finds you! And I hope you and Ms. Tarte are doing well!
Sincerely,
Red Velvet + Chiffon

Pastry sighed and handed the note to Tarte, who read it to herself. But then, instead of a scowl, she snickered, leaning back in her seat. Her head rested on the cushions as the fire kept going in the hearth. "So... Someone has finally fallen in love with her. It's about time she got herself a boyfriend. And it's your very tall red-skinned ex-boyfriend, Pastry? ... I'm impressed," she said.

Both women smiled. "And I'm just glad Red Velvet loves her. She's a sweet person and I'm glad your daughter raised her to respect others. Even the ones who aren't the same as others. I hope you can continue to raise your grandchildren well."

Tarte smiled, a tear welling in her eyes. Even the wounded one was welling with tears. She sniffed and covered her mouth as she leaned forward, trying to hide her cries of relief and happiness. Milk Tea was growing so fast, as was her sister Pineapple Juice. It hurt to see them mature into young women who could handle things on their own. Pastry saw this in her and put an arm around the poor middle-aged woman. "I miss them..." she mumbled.

"Me too. But we have to hold on. They'll be home soon," Pastry said.

Even if she was right, it hurt the woman's heart to know they'd have gone through so much hell and would have to come back and recover from what had happened. "On the topic of them coming home, I hope they recognize this kingdom as their true home," Pastry suddenly said.