As he entered into Affogato's bedroom, he was welcomed to Affogato sitting at his vanity, staring at himself longingly in the mirror. Tears falling down his cheeks.
"What's happened?" Dark Cacao asked, closing the door behind him for privacy.
"You don't need to worry. It's fine." Affogato sighed, wiping his eyes as he refused to look at Dark Cacao.
Dark Cacao walked over to him, resting his hands on his shoulders as he looked at him in the mirror.
"Somethings caused you to be upset. What is it?" He inquired once again, his tone softer than before.
Affogato sniffled, burying his head into his hands, refusing to look at him.
Dark Cacao decided it would be best not to push for any more answers until he was ready to open up.
He looked around the room as he rubbed Affogato's shoulders, feeling the trembling from the cookie bellow.
"That's a nice picture you have on your cabinet, Affogato." Dark Cacao pointed out, trying to change the subject.
A shake breath came from him as he looked over, staring at the picture.
"Whose in it?" He asked, staring back at Affogato.
"My aunt. She looked after me growing in my teenage years." He softly smiled, tears trailing down his reddened face.
Dark Cacao let out an interesting sound as he carried on looking around, scouting for anything of conversation value.
A little box rested underneath Affogato's bedside table. It looked old, stained in a reddish-brown tinge.
Dark Cacao removed himself from Affogato and headed over to the box, crouching and then pulling it out from the bedside table.
"Put it down." Affogato groaned, turning around to stare at him with bloodshot eyes.
"Pardon?" He asked, dropping the box.
"The box. Put it down." Affogato commanded, standing up on wobbly legs.
"I was just going to put it under the table better. It was poking out." An excuse, hopefully enough to save him.
Affogato cocked an eyebrow as he waited for him to put it back under the bedside table. When he did, Affogato turned back to the mirror.
"What's in it anyways?" He asked, getting up from the floor.
Affogato let out a choked up sob as he sat back down.
"Personal stuff." He whispered, looking at the mirror, trying to calm himself down.
Dark Cacao nodded as he walked over, admiring the room once more before going back to Affogato to rest his hands on his shoulders again.
One of his hands crept to Affogato's face, wiping away his tears and sweeping back his hair.
"You poor thing." He whispered into Affogato's ear, "Why do you cry, Affogato? Who has upset you?" If pressuring him to answer doesn't work the first time, gently coax him into telling instead.
"It's not another person. It's me. I've made a fatal mistake." He'd sob, covering his face with his hands.
Dark Cacao swiftly moved to crouch in front of him, grabbing his hands, giving them a comforting rub.
"What have you done to make something what you call a fatal mistake?" Dark Cacao asked, staring at Affogato's eyes.
A small hic came from the cookie as he avoided eye contact, his cheek beginning to be softly rubbed by scarred hands.
"I... I can't say it." He sobbed, pushing himself away from the King's touch.
Dark Cacao frowned, moving back to Affogato just to sit in front of him.
Affogato wailed and sobbed, unable to make a coherent sentence.
"I'm *Hic* so sorry..!" He babbled, hands covering his face from view.
"Shhh, it's fine. I'm sure it's not that bad." Dark Cacao whispered, rubbing his leg.
Affogato slid down the chair, falling onto Dark Cacao's lap, wrapping himself around him to sob onto his shoulder.
"I'm so sorry." He'd sob, repeating himself over and over again as he snuggled further into Dark Cacao, who was giving his back a rub to calm him down.
"What have you done? I won't get mad, I promise." He whispered, bouncing Affogato on his lap.
Affogato grabbed something from under the chair, ripping it from the tape it was attached under, shoving it into Dark Cacao's face.
"What is thi-?" Dark Cacao's mouth closed as he read the piece of paper.
It was a newspaper, almost two years ago, when it was published. It was the case about the two murders in the Coffee Tribe, the victims; Coffee Cookie, and Vanilla Ice-Cream Cookie.
"Why show this?" He asked, taking it from Affogato's hands.
Affogato sniffled, burying into Dark Cacao's shoulder, trying to muster up the courage.
"They're... they're my parents." He whispered.
"I'm aware, Affogato. I've checked your records as your employer." Dark Cacao whispered softly, rubbing his back.
Darl Cacao felt sorrow for him. Perhaps that's why he was so upset, but surely he would've found out far earlier than this.
Affogato took a deep breath before continuing.
"I... I know who did it."
"Who?"
Affogato tapped his shoulder before pointing to the mirror, Dark Cacao turned around, only to see Affogato was pointing to his own reflection.
Dark Cacao slowly turned his head back towards Affogato, making the connection of the information.
"What..?" He asked, his hands on Affogato's hips.
Affogato sighed, bracing himself, "I did it."
"Why?" He asked
"She attacked me first! I lost control, and I just strangled the life out of him!" He wailed, holding onto Dark Cacao for dear life.
He remained silent, only comforting hushes and words. Unsure what exactly to do.
"Don't... don't tell anyone. I'm so sorry!" He kept saying over and over, hicking and sobbing.
"I won't tell anyone. I know why you did it, and I can't punish you for that. Just don't murder people for no reason, okay..." He whispered, finally deciding on what to say.
Affogato nodded, smiling stupidly from relief as he snuggled into his shoulder, "Thank you." He whispered.
Staying like that for a while, Dark Cacao glanced around the room, Affogato's breaths stabilising themselves as he calmed down.
Dark Cacao looked back over to the bedside table, staring at the box underneath it.
"You should go. Breakfast is almost ready." The King spoke, still distracted by the box.
Affogato nodded as he got up, straightening his dress before heading to the door, thinking Dark Cacao was behind him.
The King got up as he heard the door close, heading over to the bedside table and pulling out the box.
It had a four digit code to be opened. By the looks of it, it hasn't been opened for a while. Perhaps Affogato was trying to open it himself.
He tried a few codes, but all failed. Making him push it back where it came from. An annoyed groan exited his lips.
Getting up, he looked around the room, trying to find anything Caramel Arrow could be worried about.
Affogato's room had nothing strange about it. But this is Affogato's room. Something is going to be off about it. Like that tile in the wall.
Heading over to the wall, the tile was upside down, its pattern very much not lining up correctly to the rest.
Pushing against it, it only creaked, but it moved slightly, a sign that something was wrong with it.
Grabbing the sides of the tile, Dark Cacao pulled it away from the wall, and a click noise came from deep within the wall as the tile next to it lifted up.
It was a secret cubby hole. Sadly, nothing was in there. Nothing but a spider Web for a false widow. But otherwise as clean as it was gonna get.
Dark Cacao pushed the tile back into the wall, closing the cubby. Rubbing his dusty hands on his clothes before heading to the door, doing one last sweep over the room before continuing out.
He walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him before heading to the bannister, staring down it, and looking at the main hall.
It was dead quiet, except for the Cream Wolves chewing and eating their bones, given by Crunchy Chip as a treat.
Dark Cacao headed down the stairs, but not going to the main hall, but going into Affogato's old office. Strategically placed on the ground floor, in between the two stairs, while his office was the only thing on the top floor.
Unlocking it with his key, then entering it.
Not bothering to turn on the light, mainly because it didn't work. Dark Cacao glanced around the dusty room.
It was abandoned so fast Affogato had no time to grab his stuff and pack. No one bothered to go inside and clean it out.
Two reptile tanks placed themselves by the window, and book shelves lined the left wall. Why the right wall had a mirror in between two sofas and a dead plant. By the door into the office sat two shelving unites, mostly holding vials of expired medicine or poison. In the centre of the room laid the old wooded desk, rotten from the inside to the out.
Dark Cacao took a deep breath of the stale air and walked over to the desk, looking through all the drawers for anything.
Finding nothing from the drawers he looked up, scouted the room before something caught his attention.
The mirror, once again, caught his attention. The same cookie was staring at him, but now he could examine it better.
A red eye glowed from the left eye, a white cut down their right eye. He stared longily at him before lifting up a sword with a red sugar crystal in it.
Dark Cacao's eyes bolted behind him, his breath rapid and unsteady, his eyes dilated, while his bloodstream rushed around his body faster from the quicker heartrate.
Nothing was there once again. His hallucinations have been getting out of hand now.
Not wanting to be in the room anymore, he exited the room, into the main hall, and into the dining hall.
Most cookies were sat down, except for some as they were running late.
Dark Cacao sat in his seat, the end of the table, his food being served to him on a tray.
Affogato leaned over, his eyes no longer bloodshot, appearing to have applied some makeup.
"I thought you were behind me." He whispered, staring at him, fork in his hand.
"I had something to do beforehand." He explained, grabbing his fork.
Affogato shrugged his shoulders, twirling his fork before eating.
Dark Cacao sighed. He'll be staying away from mirrors for a while, unless he has some medical drugs to take...
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(W.C 1761)