Chapter Text
As expected, another perfect score for Sage! He beamed at the A+ marked on his paper, satisfied with his work on the pop quiz. Surely he’d pass this particular final coming up!
It was a bit surprising to Sage that he actually felt a bit stumped by a particular spell. Everything the academy had thrown at him before was understood with very little struggle. The new feeling left him a bit unsure of his capability, but a strange sense of excitement also filled him.
Sage had grown used to learning everything in his classes with ease. Magic symbols? Incantations? The science behind them? How they worked? Why they were made? He knew it all!
He could easily draw a magic circle diagram and explain what each element drawn in was for. Heck, with how much knowledge Sage had on paper, he’d probably be able to make his own spell diagram!
At least, Sage could try at best. He’d most likely complete the process of diagram drawing, purpose creating, and source providing, but he wouldn’t be able to execute the spell. Sage had always struggled with actual spell casting.
So, imagine the bizarre feeling Sage had when he actually felt a bit lost on a certain spell component! It was a sudden and stark contrast from the usual pattern Sage had. But for some odd reason, it made him thrilled.
This new obstacle could help Sage feel a certain feeling he’s wanted to feel! For the longest time, Sage had heard professors of all sorts preach about that wonderful satisfaction that came after hardship. For poor Sage, however, he could never experience that sort of feeling. Everything just came to him too easily, and there was no satisfaction to come after a simple answer.
All Sage had to do now was master this new problem!
Sage was jolted out of his thoughts at the feeling of something small pelting the back of his head. He felt around his hair, pulling out the strange object and revealing it to be a… spit ball. Sage nearly squeaked at the sight, dropping the small ball and glaring over at the cookie who had sent it his way.
There, snickering behind Sage, sat Recluse who still held the straw in his hand. He gave his usual, condescending smirk at the sight of Sage’s frustration, humming to himself as he watched the latter sigh and face forward again.
It took quite the willpower for Sage to not confront Recluse on the spot, instead opting to wipe his hand on his pants and stare idly at the board in front. In all honesty, Sage had no clue how such a cookie was still in the same class as everyone else. All he did was slack off and mess with the unfortunate cookies who sat around him.
‘A classic bully,’ a label Sage had subconsciously placed on Recluse; he never did a single piece of paperwork, exceeded in more physical aspects of the academy, and loved to make trouble. He didn’t do anything worse than spitballing or the occasional tease, but his actions always left Sage’s feathers more ruffled than he’d like.
He also wanted to think that Recluse was just some idiotic cookie, only passing classes through divine intervention or something, but it just wasn’t that viable of an idea. He’s never seen the cookie do a single bit of work in class, but he has seen how the other moves during physical classes. He could cast complex spells with ease, all without breaking a sweat. Sage would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous.
At some point, he had grown a bit desperate and asked in a somewhat subtle way if Recluse would be willing to tutor him. A bit low, even for Sage, but he wouldn’t be a star student if he didn’t try to find different studying methods. But of course, Recluse hadn’t given a single second of thought before refusing Sage’s request.
A cookie so frustrating was also oddly mysterious. Recluse was almost never seen outside of school. If Sage remembered correctly, the other seemed to just disappear the moment the final bell rang. To look for him anytime after that? He’d have better luck just waiting for the next school day.
Still, even with how annoying Sage found him, he concluded that such behavior most likely came from something outside of school. Bullying towards himself, perhaps rough relationships with family members, or maybe he was just not feeling very well in the head? Whatever it was, he believed there was always a reason behind such behavior.
Maybe his behavior’s stayed this way because the cookies around him don’t report it! That was the theory Sage had come up with during his short study of Recluse. His solution? Obviously, report it to the headmaster!
…Sage’s theory was quickly disproven after his attempt at quelling such long lasting problems. With how the academy situates its conferences, it must have given Recluse some time to prepare and manipulate the situation. He saw Recluse walking the next day absolutely unaffected. It wasn’t that no one was reporting him, it was just Recluse managing to duck out of consequence’s way.
At some point, Sage had become especially disgruntled with Recluse’s antics. He’d gone to the library and searched for last year’s yearbook, hoping to find something, anything else about Recluse. It took a bit, but Sage eventually found the frame that held Recluse’s photo.
…At least Sage figured it must’ve been him. The entire frame and name had been scribbled out with a marker. He had almost groaned aloud at the sight before returning the book begrudgingly. As much as Sage was displeased with someone vandalizing a piece of school property, he wouldn’t have expected less from a cookie like Recluse.
He eventually borrowed his friend’s, Sugar, yearbook. Hastily flipping through the pages, he landed on the same frame that was previously blocked out on the academy’s copy. Seeing the very photo left Sage.. dumbfounded. This cookie… this could not be Recluse!
There in the frame was a cookie with long, silky blonde hair, wearing the most ethereal fabrics of ivory. A soft, almost glowing smile was adorned on his face, mismatched eyes squinting just a bit with it. Okay, there were many similarities between the two, but the difference between this photo and the Recluse walking about the halls was vast.
Why would Recluse wear such a sophisticated outfit for a picture? All he wore around the academy was those dark, gloomy yet most likely comfortable clothes. Even his hair was cut short, wavy curls replaced with sharp, almost unkempt looking locks. What’s the point of all that?
Ah… unless this was a cookie that was receiving more (negative) attention from Recluse! A sibling, perhaps, or maybe a student Recluse just particularly disliked. That could be why he’s never seen this cookie roaming the halls… Recluse must’ve forced them to stop attending in the first place!
The name below was ‘Pure Vanilla,’ which definitely meant that this wasn’t the same cookie as Recluse. Sage could already imagine the various reasons why this poor cookie was subjected to horrible acts by the other. They were similar in looks, so maybe Recluse envied this cookie’s? He could ask around about Recluse and this Pure Vanilla, actually…
Short questionings to cookies around the academy was Sage’s next attempt at learning more about Recluse. It was a bit difficult to do, to Sage’s surprise. Who knew that he’d have to describe said cookie by only looks for everyone to know who he was talking about? Surely for someone who stands out like that, everyone would know who he was talking about!
Anyways, that wasn’t the main reason for Sage's befuddlement. They all spoke about Recluse like he was some Virtue made by the witches themselves. They even used that same name for he saw in his friend’s yearbook: ‘Pure Vanilla.’ How odd. However, Sage figured that they just assumed he was talking about the cookie in the yearbook. They didn’t even seem to recognize his description of Recluse, so he couldn’t blame them for the misunderstanding.
The cookies he asked gave him various pieces of information about Pure Vanilla, though. Kind and optimistic, a warm smile graced on his face at all times. He was a prodigy, the absolute top of his class and even surpassing some in grades above him.
One thing all the cookies he spoke to said? They all thought it was such a shame that he stopped attending the academy frequently. Apparently he hasn’t been seen since their first assembly, which was about 5 months ago if Sage remembered correctly. Any other time he was found he was with parents or other relatives.
…Recluse must’ve targeted the smarter cookies. And now that Pure Vanilla was out of the way, he had moved onto Sage. But why..? Why did Recluse resent him for his intelligence? Oh figures, he was the typical bully. Of course he’d target Sage!
The bell rang outside, snapping Sage out of his thoughts. Everyone began to pool outside of the class while Sage packed up. Always so eager to leave class.. Sage could never understand that.
“Ah, Sage! Could you do me a favor and bring these papers to the teacher’s lounge? Something’s come up and I have to attend to it as soon as possible.” Professor Raspberry Meringue called over to Sage.
“Oh, of course!” Sage happily replied, slinging his bag over his shoulders before approaching the desk.
He exchanged nods with his professor, walking out of the class and down the hallway towards the teacher’s lounge. Sage hummed to himself as he walked through partially busy hallways. He’d always enjoyed these walks, believing them to be one of the best parts of being a teacher’s favorite. What cookie wouldn’t want to be on a professor’s good side?
Sage entered the teacher’s lounge silently, placing the stack of papers down on one of the desks before sifting them out. He absentmindedly glanced at each score, a small smile making its way onto his face at the sight of average scores and grades. Then, his hand paused.
This paper… it belonged to Recluse. ‘..R. …la’ was the name written down. The handwriting was horrific. Sage wasn’t sure if the professor would even be able to trace this back to Recluse. The score?.. Just barely enough to pass.
Sage hesitantly glanced around the lounge before looking back at the quiz paper. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to look for just a moment..?
It took a bit for Sage to fully hype himself up for this, taking a deep breath before finally skimming over the answers. Exactly half of the answers chosen were wrong. Sage scoffed slightly at the sight. Of course, what else would he expect from someone who doesn’t even try during class?
He looked over the final question, meant to be extra credit and not required. Sage was just curious, he didn’t really think that Recluse would actually try it in the first place. As he turned over the page, he was fully prepared to see a blank space underneath the question—
Wait, what?!
Sage blinked multiple times in surprise at the sight. Not only had the extra credit question been answered, but the work shown was impeccable! Sage would go as far to say that Recluse’s explanation was more efficient than his!
He shook his head quickly, turning the page again to look at Recluse’s previous answers more carefully. All of the work, including the answers that were marked wrong, was done right. Sage couldn’t believe his eyes! Why would Recluse willingly get half of the questions on this quiz wrong?! Was he trying to make a joke out of the academy?
With a heavy sigh, Sage looked at the paper with a new motivation. He’d make sure that Recluse’s lies would end here.
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It didn’t take long to track down Recluse. He had just closed the door to his locker when Sage shoved a paper into his face.
“Explain this!” Sage declared, mustering up as much sternness into his voice as he could.
Recluse stared at the paper held before him. It was his quiz answers, copied onto another paper with fluorescent blue ink. He looked over the paper with half lidded eyes, acting as if he couldn’t care less about what was being shown to him.
A short pause, and then, “People usually start their conversations with ‘hello.’” Recluse tilted his body to the side, looking at Sage from behind the paper.
“You clearly picked half of these answers wrong on purpose! How else would you get the extra credit — the hardest question on the quiz, might I add — perfect with a nearly flawless explanation?” Sage interjected, ignoring what he believed to be Recluse’s small attempt at avoiding his confrontation.
“Are you even allowed to look at other cookies’ papers?”
“I- don’t change the subject!” Sage dropped his arm down, the ink on the paper shifting to a magic symbol.
Recluse raised an eyebrow at the sight. “And using altering ink, are we?” The corner of his lip twitched up into a smirk, silently revelling in how the other fumbled over his words.
“You-!” Sage scoffed in frustration. “You’re acting like some simple trick like this is worse than anything you’ve done!”
“And did I ever say it was?” Recluse continued to stare into Sage’s eyes with those infuriatingly uncaring ones. “Besides, you’re just as disingenuous as anyone else here.”
“Wha- me?! Disingenuous?!” Sage took a step forward. He would’ve towered over the other had he been just a bit taller. “I might as well be the most genuine cookie in his academy!”
Recluse laughed, a single, almost empty laugh. “Yeah, as genuine as any cookie who depends on their grades.” He didn’t back down when Sage took a step closer, holding his ground seamlessly.
“What is that supposed to mean? You’re the one over here lying about your own grades for whatever absurd reason you have. How could I possibly be the fakest cookie here?” Sage took a small step back, subconsciously giving space when he realized he had advanced unknowingly.
“Look,” Recluse moved away from his locker, adjusting his backpack over his shoulder so it wouldn’t slip. “I fake my grades so that others don’t flock around me. It’s less attention, and I don’t have to give knowledge like it’s candy.”
“That still doesn’t make any sense! Your grade… that’s your future! You’re willing to just throw that away because you don’t want to share some simple answers? You could be a star student in our class if you didn’t just get the bare minimum.” Sage saw something flicker just a bit in Recluse’s expression.
“You’re still not getting it. And here I thought a ‘star student’ would be able to understand what I mean already.” Recluse gave a blank smile as he began to turn away. “I don’t need my grade to show what I’m worth. You on the other hand… you shape yourself based on everyone’s wants and expectations.”
The sound of the bell rang throughout the halls, pausing the two’s conversation for a moment. By then, Recluse had already turned his back on Sage and taken a few steps.
“Expectations only lead to disappointment. We’ll see if you ever truly learn that.” Recluse uttered, loud enough for Sage to hear before walking away completely.
Sage just watched as Recluse continued down the hallway, melding in with the crowd of students migrating to their next class. His feathers were definitely a bit ruffled from the interaction. Seriously, what cookie would have the nerve to call him fake to his face?!
Still, Sage managed to suck it up and make it to his own class. He couldn’t afford to let Recluse’s words get to his head. He had a rehearsal soon along with studying for finals to worry about. Oh, thank goodness the weekend was tomorrow already!
Sage’s last class for the week went by in a blur. He was still stuck on that conversation he had with Recluse… His situation was far more complicated than Sage thought. He won’t be understanding that cookie anytime soon.
He shook his head slightly at the thought. Like he just said, he shouldn’t be focusing on Recluse right now! The final bell rang, everyone leaving their classes and beginning to head home for the weekend.
As per usual, Sage was the last to leave his own class. He gave his usual polite goodbye to his professor, walking down the hallways once more towards the front of the school.
As Sage walked, he noticed something from the corner of his eye. A small movement, most likely a piece of fabric from someone’s clothes. He turned his head to see what he had seen, recognizing the familiar dark clothes slipping into the crowd.
…It wouldn’t hurt to see where Recluse went after school, right? What could go wrong? After all, Sage had taken note of how the other seemed to disappear in the blink of an eye. This could be the chance he needed to figure that out!
Taking a quick glance around the hall, Sage began to walk faster towards the front. He weaved through other students, giving short apologies when he was forced to make contact with them. He kept his eyes on Recluse, who walked out casually with everyone else.
Sage made sure to keep his distance so as to not attract attention to himself. If he could just manage to follow Recluse outside of the academy…
Sage could see the doors outside coming up, taking a few steps closer to Recluse as they approached. The moment Recluse stepped outside, however? Two cookies had crossed over Sage’s line of sight, and that small window of blindness was enough for Recluse to completely disappear. Sage had to blink a few times before looking around. How did Recluse just disappear?!
As much as Sage hoped for his confused scanning to spot Recluse, he was left with no choice but to go home defeatedly. It must’ve been a horrific play on luck for him. Or perhaps that was just one of the things Recluse did regularly.
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The first thing Sage did when he got home was flop right onto his bed. Today was awfully exhausting for some reason, but Sage assumed it was due to all the stress that came with preparation for finals. He was given some alone time for about three minutes max before he heard the door creak open.
“Are you alright, honey? You’d usually be muttering away at your desk by now.” Sage sighed softly at the sound of the soft voice behind him.
“I’m alright, mom.” Sage pushed himself up, sitting on the edge of the bed to face his mother. “I just.. need a break.”
“Ah, alright then. Get some rest now, you have that rehearsal tomorrow, yes?”
“Mhm. Will you and dad be able to watch?”
Sage’s mom gave a small, sad smile. “I’ll be able to, but your dad’s flight got canceled.” She watched Sage silently before her face lit up. “Oh, right! I’ll be right back, Blueberry!”
Sage watched as his mother quickly turned and left his room, coming back with a small box. She placed it on his lap, cupping his cheek with her hand as she looked at his face.
“As much as your dad wanted to give this himself, he asked me to give it once he found out he wouldn’t be able to make it.” She placed a small kiss on Sage’s cheek, pulling back with a loving smile.
“…Thank you.” Sage mustered up a small smile to return.
Sage’s mom gave a hum, standing up and moving towards the door. She turned at the doorway, looking at Sage with her usual gentle gaze before going down the hallway.
Sage sat there for a moment longer before he turned his gaze to the box on his lap. It had a nice blue wrapping, topped with a sage green ribbon; a simple gift box. It could have passed as a Christmas present if the context was just a bit different.
Slowly, Sage placed his fingers on the sides of the lid, lifting it up carefully and placing it to the side. When he looked inside of the box, he was met with a lovely necklace. It had a slightly thick chain, paired with a pendant made of deep blue sapphire also framed in gold. It was shaped uniquely, almost looking like an ice cream cone with three uniformly placed scoops on top (though considering his dad’s personality, that might have actually been what the shape was).
Sage’s eyes almost sparkled at the gift, quickly but softly pulling the necklace from the box. He held it up to the light, watching as the gem glittered and twinkled as it twirled subtly. Sage admired the necklace a moment longer before undoing the clasp and fixing it around his own neck. With an almost childish excitement, Sage hopped off his bed and quickly moved to his mirror, observing how the piece of jewelry looked on him.
The deep blue sapphire was a nice contrast to Sage’s pale blue dough, the gold chain and frame also accentuating his light clothing. It was like a perfect accessory for him!
Oh, Sage really wanted to hug his dad for this. His face dropped a bit at the thought, bringing a hand to lightly touch the gem. Then, he took a step away from the mirror, walking to his bed and grabbing his case.
Sage could compromise. If his dad couldn’t make it, he’d just wear his gift on stage! He undid the clasps of the case, lifting the top to reveal his violin. Slowly picking it up and holding it to his neck, he gave it a small feel in preparation.
It would be like he was right there with him.
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Sage glided the bow along the strings of his violin seamlessly, slowly swaying along with the melody he created. The audience before him was silent, enraptured by his performance. He could subconsciously see their looks of awe and hear the quiet breaths of admiration, barely taking it in between his focus. It must’ve been like watching a siren sing for the first time.
He was swift and elegant with his final measure, feeling his fingers dance along the strings effortlessly. As his song came to a close, he gave a polite bow when he heard applause roar from the audience. He could feel the crystal on his necklace swing slightly as he bent down, lightly tapping his chest as he stood up straight. He skimmed over the audience quickly, trying to locate his mother.
Seeing her familiar warm and proud smile in the crowd made the smile on his own face more genuine. Only then did he remember where he stood and began making his way offstage. He could hear the cookie on the microphone bring the rehearsal to a close, and he listened as the cookies outside began to leave the auditorium.
Sage took some time to himself in the back of the stage, clasping his case shut and wiping off the sweat from his forehead. He ran through his mental checklist one last time. He finished his rehearsal, packed up his violin, and thanked the staff already… great! That means he’s free for the night!
He gave a few final goodbyes to the staff lingering near the exits, opening the doors and being met with warm, humid air. The night sky was nice, glittering stars matching the ones that sparkled in his own hair. A handful of groups of cookies still stayed outside the auditorium, most likely still discussing his performance.
He stood there at the entrance for a moment, trying to see if he could find his mom amongst the crowd. As he looked, he took it upon himself to try and identify some of the groups along the way.
There were the wildberry family to the left, peach purée’s closer to the middle, cookies of candy floss origin, and many, many crème cookies. Figures, they must’ve been his mom’s relatives. And… huh.
Sage could see two cookies farther away from the rest of those groups. They were too far at the moment for him to see clearly, but he could make out some height difference. It must’ve been a kid with their parent or something.. Oh! There’s his mother!
And right by the two he’s found as well! He made his way over to where his mom was, taking a few sneak peeks at the cookies as he came closer. Now that he was closer, he could make out blond hair and neat clothing, though that was to be expected at an event like this. The taller cookie has short hair, which was neatly groomed and had a recognizable swirl to the end. His expression was also stern, eyes pointed and cold.
The shorter cookie, however… short blond hair, still silky and slightly curled at the ends.. he turned his head suddenly, making eye contact with Sage. At that very moment, they both froze. Sage knew those eyes. He could recognize them anywhere.
That was Recluse.