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If someone had told Truthless Recluse that he would find the Sage of Truth crying face down in front of the Peak of Truth, he'd have probably glared at the offending cookie and internally critique them for coming up with such a ridiculous lie. Yet as he opened his door he found himself face to face with this very scenario.
"Sage, what are you doing here?" The cookie looked up from his position on the ground, specks of dirt clinging to his tear stained face and monocle.
"Some cookies in the village didn't like my lecture for the day!" The Recluse barely suppressed a twitch in his eye. Really? The Sage was disturbing him because someone didn't like his lecture? The Recluse thought that the other cookie had a thicker skin than that.
"I didn't think the Sage of Truth would be perturbed by such a thing. Not every cookie is receptive to learning." The Sage sat up from his position on the ground. The Recluse had never seen the other cookie look so unkept. His normally pristine robes were rumpled and covered in grass stains. His cheeks were blotchy from crying.
"That's not why I'm upset! I know that some cookies refuse to accept the truth or learning, but this was different! It wasn't the material they didn't like… It was me. Apparently I'm too theatrical! My illusions and demonstrations 'take away from the material' and 'that I should spend less time showing off'. No one has ever complained about my teaching methods before." The Sage sniffled, trying to halt his tears.
"Why do you care about what those cookies have to say?" Truthless Recluse had never expected that the cookie in front of him would care about something so trivial as someone not liking his teaching method.
"Because! What if they're right? What if I'm making the material harder to follow, what if it's making it harder for the cookies to see the truth?" The Recluse sighed before heading back inside the Peak. He angled his staff to face the Sage, still sitting on the grass.
"Are you coming in or not?" He didn't bother waiting for a reply, the scrambling noises from behind him were proof enough.
Once the Sage was seated quietly inside, the Recluse handed the distraught cookie a handkerchief to clean the dirt off his face. At the very least he had stopped crying. A minor victory.
"Thank you…" Came the quiet response. The Recluse had never seen the Sage looking this dejected. It must have affected the other cookie far more than he had first realised.
"Do you want to talk about it?" He asked as he set about making some tea for the pair of them.
"There isn't much to say. I was finishing up a lecture on the aerodynamics of blueberry birds. You'd have enjoyed it, I conjured some as learning aide, I know how fond you are of them…" Well the Sage must have been feeling better if he was starting to ramble again.
"Anyway… After the lecture I was taking questions when a few cookies in the back started loudly complaining that they wished they were able to focus on my lecture but the illusions were an unnecessary flourish. That it was impossible for them to take me seriously when I was treating the lecture as a magic show." The Recluse had finished making tea as the other cookie spoke, he handed one over to the Sage who took it gratefully.
"Did no one come to your defence?" It seemed absurd that no one in the village had complained about their remarks.
"Oh they did, many cookies said they understood me better with my visuals. It actually wasn't that bad at first. I was perfectly willing to start a debate on if my method of teaching was a help or a hindrance but…" The Recluse waited for the Sage to continue. Tears had started to well in his eyes again. "They didn't want to debate me about it at all! They just wanted to continue berating how I conduct my lessons. Then a few more people started to chime in about how sometimes the illusions could be disorienting, but they still enjoyed the lectures…" The Sage looked down at his tea.
"I don't really remember what happened after that. I knew I wanted to see you and then… found myself sobbing in front of the Peak of Truth." Truthless Recluse did not want to acknowledge the warmth that filled his dough at the Sage's admission. "If so many people have a problem with my lessons then perhaps I need to reconsider my methods."
"No you don't." Came the deadpan reply. The Sage looked up, shocked at the statement. "While I don't agree with your constant preaching of the truth, there is nothing wrong with your lectures. Don't let those people change who you are." The Recluse noticed a faint dusting of deeper blue on the Sage's face. Not wanting to linger on what that might mean, the Recluse grabbed the other cookie's hand and dragged him up the stairs.
"Dear Recluse, where are you taking me?"
"To my chambers, you need to rest." From how much crying the cookie had done, the Recluse was sure the Sage was exhausted. Upon reaching his chambers the Sage gasped at the room. It didn't surprise him. Despite how he looked, his room was far lighter than one would assume. Faded yellow and blue decor filled the room. The bed was no different. A white and yellow patchwork quilt covered the bed with matching pillows. He made sure the Sage was settled neatly beneath the covers.
"You may rest here for now. You'll feel better in the morning." The words were spoken with such certainty it surprised the Sage.
"I do hope you're right…" The Recluse went to leave the room before he was stopped by the Sage speaking again. "Would you stay with me?" I don't want to be alone were the clear the unspoken words. The blond paused for a moment before nodding and heading to a chair nestled in the corner. Knowing that the Recluse wasn't going anywhere for the time being had the Sage smiling before settling himself in and closing his eyes.
Once he was sure the Sage was asleep, the Recluse grabbed his staff and left the Peak. While he had promised the Sage to stay, there were some cookies he had to pay a visit to. Regardless of the intent behind the cookies who insulted the Sage, a line had been crossed. Harsh words and criticisms were a part of life, but not when they were cruel, and not aimed at someone the Recluse cared about. Especially when it affected the Sage's greatest passion. His daily lectures were the highlight of the other cookie's day. On the rare occasions that the Recluse had come down from his Peak to watch one, he could see how brightly his other half shone. How much it meant to him when cookies would look on in awe at his whimsical displays. The way his smile would widen when he was asked a question that showed how much that cookie had been paying attention to the material of the day. No, the Recluse wouldn't stand for it. Each and every cookie that had critiqued the Sage would pay for making him cry.
The Recluse found his way into the village, keeping to the shadows. Not that there were many cookies out at this hour anyway. He wasn't sure how he'd manage to find these cookies. He'd never asked the Sage what they looked like, not wanting to let on what he was planning, but he was sure he could figure it out. As the Recluse was prowling through the village the sound of voices made him pause.
"Did you see his face?" The comment was followed by a chorus of laughs.
"Oh yeah, he looked like he was about to cry!" Another spoke.
"But.. but why don't we debate it out? Witches, he's so smug, it felt so good to see something other than that infuriating smile on his face." A third voice chiming in and taking on a mocking copy of the Sage's voice. Each word made the Recluse's jam boil. So this had all been a twisted plan to deliberately upset the Sage. Though he was a cookie tainted by deceit, the Recluse had never used such a thing for cruelty. It was the exact opposite. It would be only fitting that he be the one to show them the price of their folly. Truthless Recluse used the shadows to transport him into the room he heard the voices coming from. His dark visage appearing in front of the four startled cookies.
"Who are you?" The Recluse looked at the one who spoke. He had fiery red hair and sunken grey eyes. It was the one who had spoken first. The one that caught his attention. Another cookie nudged the first in the stomach.
"I've seen him before. He sometimes visits the Sage. Apparently he's the one who haunts the Peak of Truth." The Recluse ignored them both.
"Why did you decide to complain about the Sage's teaching methods?" He knew the answer, but he wanted the cookies in front of him to say it to his face. The first cookie smirked at him.
"Why not? It was funny. What did he come crying to you?" Truthless Recluse's face didn't change, but it didn't deter the cookie in front of him. "I bet he did. Trying to get his boyfriend to fight his battles for him. How pathetic." With a flick of his wrist the Recluse had all the cookies in the room restrained by shadows.
"Wrong answer."
Truthless Recluse wasn't a violent person, nor was he a cruel one, but those cookies needed to be taught a lesson. In the morning a Shepard would wake to find three extra cream sheep in his flock that he would be sure had never been there before, but it would hardly take any energy at all to warp the cookie's perception. A simple little lie. He must have miscounted the night before, how silly of him. They wouldn't stay sheep permanently. The Recluse simply wanted to send a message. Anyone who thought it wise to hurt the Sage's feelings on purpose would be swiftly dealt with. Satisfied that he had made his point the Recluse returned back to the Peak of Truth. He went straight to his own chambers. He was pleased to see that the Sage was still peacefully sleeping. The Recluse brushed some hair away from the cookie's face before giving him a gentle peck on the cheek.
"Tomorrow this will all just seem like a bad dream. You won't have to worry about them anymore." The Recluse slipped into the bed next to the Sage. Content in the knowledge that his other half will never question himself again.