The next few days felt more exhausting than usual. (C/F) Cookie wasn't sure if they could get coffee at all in this kingdom, so they were powering through full days after nights they couldn't sleep with absolutely nothing but sheer will and it was horrible. On top of that, Strawberry Crepe Cookie's interest in doing their own little projects seemed to double at least daily and they couldn't keep up with the kid's enthusiasm. So by the time they got a moment to themself, all they wanted to do was sleep–even if they just ended up lying in bed.

"Your energy levels are lower than normal..." Strawberry Crepe Cookie points out to them one morning.

"...I noticed." They say flatly, nodding. How could they not?

"But none of my diagnostics say you're sick..." The child ignores them, resting a hand on their chin and scrunching up their face in thought. Of course they had run those.

"Do I have to be sick to be exhausted...?" This isn't that unusual an occurrence. It's been worse before, in fact it always is in the weeks leading up to and after they receive their annual rejection letter.

"Well, normally it's a sign a Cookie is sick, isn't it?" Strawberry Crepe Cookie frowns, "You don't feel like you'll crumble soon do you?"

"...No." All the time. It's more of an emotional thing though, so they're fine.

"Hmm..." Strawberry Crepe Cookie grumbles, staring at the floor before saying, "Why don't you just rest today? I can do this."

"Works for me." (C/F) Cookie slowly walks back to their little bed. Getting back in it, they pick up the book that has been beside it for so long now and open it up. About time they got to read this.

The text is easy enough to follow. It's not the most basic book they've ever read, but it's not simple either. It's littered with notes and diagrams that made little sense to them without rereading passages multiple times. About halfway through the third of forty chapters they decide to take a break to go over everything they felt and maybe take a nap.

Magic is mostly based on circles. That is true of every kind of magic. How those circles interact, and the symbols in each is what defines different spells and kinds of magic. Those more experienced or adept at magic have little need to draw those circles when using it, but certain powerful spells still summon them when used.

...They need a nap.

"Oh good! You're awake!" Strawberry Crepe Cookie smiles as they reenter the work area of the Hangar, probably looking like a disaster. "How do you feel now?"

Not much better honestly, but they're not about to tell them that. (C/F) Cookie shrugs. They had woken up a few minutes ago, realized they weren't getting back to sleep, and gotten out of bed in hopes it would make them feel more alive.

"I was just putting the finishing touches on this design, but I wanted your opinion before doing anything with it." The kid lifts the blueprint that had caused the rest to be shoved to the floor, and carries it over for them to see. "What do you think?"

They stare at it blankly for a moment before comprehending what it is. "Is this a wafflebot crossbow?"

"It's not just a crossbow!" The child says proudly, "It would take mechanisms from every kind of wafflebot and function in a way that the Cookie wearing it would be as strong as them!"

"...How does it fit one of those giant swords in there?" (C/F) Cookie feels like an idiot because their mind still isn't processing fully.

"It summons them, see?" Tiny hands point to another part of the blueprint, "Each part is magically stored until the wearer decides to use it!"

"Do we have the spell for that?"

"Uh, it should be mentioned somewhere on one of the blueprints." They frown, looking over it again.

"Sounds cool. I'm certain you can do that with all you know about the wafflebots. First you should build each version of it to test that they would work separately." (C/F) Cookie nods, "Sorry I seem unenthusiastic, I'm still half asleep."

"I can tell." An unamused expression creases across the child's face as they stare up at their face.

"How late is it?" They ask with a yawn.

"Pretty early afternoon." Strawberry Crepe Cookie shrugs, lifting themself on their crepe arms. "You were flying through that book earlier. What's it about?"

"Magic."

"So you did talk to Pure Vanilla Cookie!" They smile triumphantly.

"I did." (C/F) Cookie nods, looking up at them with little expression.

"What did I tell you? He's about as scary as ice cream!" They laugh, clearly very pleased with being right.

(C/F) Cookie gestures to the cone javelins, crepe dragoons, and tricolor zealots. Their point is proven and Strawberry Crepe Cookie huffs angrily.

Strawberry Crepe Cookie got to work gathering the parts for the crossbow as (C/F) Cookie opened the book to keep reading.

'The strength of spells is very connected with the caster's emotional state. If they do not think the spell will work, it will not. If the wrong feelings are behind a spell, it will be less effective.
But emotions are not the only factor behind a spell's success. Careful practice will always be required in order to achieve results one hundred percent of the time, especially if the caster is less confident in their magical abilities.'

Well doesn't that just fill them with confidence... Not that it's too hard for them. They're no stranger to practicing magic (attempting to at least) late into the night, but they're rather embarrassed to practice in front of a kid they hardly know. Not to mention the wooden staff they have is so useless they might as well use it as firewood.

Flipping the page, they spy the very first spell written in the book. It's a levitation spell, they've seen it before, but in the notes attached to the page is a full breakdown of the spell—something that they never even knew was a thing before right then.

"Good evening!" Pure Vanilla Cookie's voice rings through the Hangar as the door opens.

"UGH! What do you want?!" Strawberry Crepe Cookie yells from where they're working.

Clearly that was not the most unwelcoming greeting Pure Vanilla Cookie has got from them because he is rather cheerful in his response, "I simply wished to come say hello. The Cookies at the Crow's Nest tell me that you and (C/F) Cookie have been visiting quite frequently."

Closing the book, (C/F) Cookie tries to straighten their appearance as best they can before going to greet Pure Vanilla Cookie. "Hey."

"Oh, (C/F) Cookie." He smiles, "How are you? My apologies for stopping by so late."

Ok, so they still look like they just rolled out of bed. Great. They shrug, "It's not like you stopped by in the middle of the night. I was just reading the book I borrowed."

"I'm glad to hear it is being put to use!" He chuckles, "Do you have any questions so far?"

"Not really. In fact, it makes more sense than the books I've tried reading before." (C/F) Cookie snickers, "I think a lack of good study resources is part of the problem at Sugar Glass..."

Pure Vanilla Cookie laughs at this, "That would pose quite an issue, yes."

"What are you two doing?" Strawberry Crepe Cookie grumbles, coming over to listen to what they were laughing about.

"I'm making fun of a school I hate for personal reasons." (C/F) Cookie tells them.

"Haha, I've never gone to school! I didn't need it." The kid says proudly.

"Neither have I..." (C/F) Cookie mutters.

That gets them to shut up instantly.

Pure Vanilla Cookie smiles somewhat awkwardly, "The two of you are invited to visit the academy across the kingdom."

"Why would I ever need to go there?" Strawberry Crepe Cookie frowns. "There's nothing magic can do that machines can't do."

"Machines work well with magic." (C/F) Cookie shrugs, "I got into engineering because all the books in the library I could easily obtain with any sort of magic theory were on robotics."

"Really?" Pure Vanilla Cookie is interested in this too (for some reason).

"The wafflebots were cited as some of the most brilliant combinations of magic and machine back before the war..." They continue, feeling awkward for just sharing what they've learned from a book, "While machines have become more isolated from magic since, lots of what they can do can be drawn back to the principle of magical assistance. Lots of them still use some form of magic to operate due to how connected Cookiekind is to magic generally."

"How many books have you read on this?" Strawberry Crepe Cookie frowns, staring at them almost in disappointment.

"Too many." They confess with little hesitation.

"They sound very dull." The child crosses their arms.

"Most of them were."

Pure Vanilla Cookie stifles a laugh, "I'd be quite interested to hear about it."

"No you wouldn't." (C/F) Cookie stares off into nothing, remembering heavy book after heavy book of almost useless information, "It's very, very boring."

"I'll just take this then." Strawberry Crepe Cookie grabs a wrench and hurries back off into the workshop. "I'll go to bed soon I swear! Just let me finish this!"

"Huh. I think I used to say that to my roommate all the time..." (C/F) Cookie stares after them. One horrible set of memories shifts into another as they recall the countless nights of work and insomnia because of how stressed they were because of work. They feel even more exhausted thinking about it. So many late night coffees and sandwiches...

"(C/F) Cookie." Pure Vanilla Cookie's voice draws them out of their thoughts. "My offer still stands. You are more than welcome to stop by the academy. I will typically be there if I am not in the gardens or castle."

They grimace, refusing to meet his gaze, "I'm ok for now, but thanks. I'll keep it in mind."

"Do not hesitate to tell me if you change your mind." His smile is as kind as ever.

"I won't." They absolutely will.

"Goodnight then. Do not stay up too late!" He jokes, waving as he heads out the door again.

"...Bye." They wave after him, standing there awkwardly long after the door has shut behind him.

They changed their mind within two days of reading. They didn't know what half of the theories and words were. Obviously this book was written for people who had a larger basis of magic before they started reading it, or at least better understood it and had a teacher explaining all these things to them. They just felt completely lost on their own.

"Come on. Really?" Strawberry Crepe Cookie notices the uncomfortable expression on (C/F) Cookie's face as they look over the book. "He was here like... what? Yesterday? Said this whole thing to you about not being afraid to approach him, and now you're afraid to ask him anything."

"As threatening as ice cream." (C/F) Cookie replies. That was turning into an inside joke between the two of them.

The kid takes a seat next to them like some sort of parent, snatching the book with their crepe arms, "Look." They close the book with a loud bang. "You're not going to be less afraid of him if you don't talk to him."

(C/F) Cookie doesn't miss a beat with their reply, "I'm fine with that." They had always been a more 'speaks when spoken to' Cookie.

"Why are you scared of him anyway?" The smaller Cookie laughs, "I mean have you seen him? He dresses like a marshmallow! Forget that he's an ancient hero, he's about as intimidating as the flowers he grows."

"...Have you seen his staff?" (C/F) Cookie grimaces. They had seen that thing in their nightmares. "Its eye stares into the darkest recesses of your soul. It knows your every intention, your every sin, even the ones you don't remember."

"..." Strawberry Crepe Cookie stares at them blankly for a moment, "I guess it's a little creepy."

"Understatement of the century." They shudder.

"You're easy to scare." The kid laughs.

"No, there's just a lot about him that scares me." They sigh. "How's your project coming along anyway?"

"Come and see! I'll even let you test it!" They lead the way at an excited run into the workshop, accidentally bringing the book with them.

(C/F) Cookie follows behind at a slower pace. They'd need the book back anyways so they might as well see.

"Tada! This is what I have so far." Strawberry Crepe Cookie holds up a golden arm brace with a wafflebot core embedded in it. "Here. Try it on!"

"Will I still have an arm after this?" (C/F) Cookie frowns, sliding the brace on over their arm.

"Don't worry. I performed several diagnostic tests before this. It should work perfectly according to my calculations." The child smiles.

"Alright..." They calmed exactly none of their fears.

"Is it on? Good. Now try using magic with that."

"Excuse me?" That is absolutely terrible instruction.

"It will know what to do, trust me!" Strawberry Crepe Cookie waves off their nerves.

"Ok???" They raise their hand and a warmth runs through the brace. "Huh?"

A quiet whirring on either side of them informs them that they just summoned a pair of smaller berry bishops.

"Haha! See! Nothing to worry about! I started with the safest one so we'd have something to use in case another one went badly!" Strawberry Crepe Cookie exclaims.

"Huh." (C/F) Cookie looks over the device, "Wait, why is this in my size and not yours?"