Red Velvet hummed gently, petting one of his Cake Hounds gently as he closed his eyes. "You came back..." He whispered, mostly to himself as he smiled softly. "All of you came back alive." His voice came gently again, his Cake Hounds gathered around him as he smiled softly at them. "I missed you all..." He whispered, not quite noticing the figure watching them as he sighed softly in relief. Of course, he himself was banged up from the rough training battle he'd gone through with his Cake Hounds, but he barely noticed his own wounds or even how banged up he was at the moment. "I..." He looked up, sighing quietly. "I love you all." He smiled, moreso when the Hounds yipped in return.

Mint Choco silently peered through the few, spotty holes in the shrub he managed to silently hide behind, quietly asking himself why in the right mind he turned down Clover's offer to show him out of the dense forest. He didn't have the best sense of direction regardless, even when inside the castle walls of Pure Vanilla's kingdom, and he was there for most of his waking moments for Hollyberry's sake! Why couldn't he simply have asked Clover to play with him in the castle? Sighing out without a sound, his frosty eyes continued to keenly watch the Cake Hounds and the Cookie that was surrounded by them. Great, and it seemed like he was in enemy territory to add a bittersweet cherry on top of his broken internal compass, which only further silently upset the violinist. At least he hadn't been caught yet, he supposed, knowing his little mishap of a situation could drastically go sour with the wrong move. So, for the time being, he stayed still, looking for an opportunity to leave, uncaring of the direction as long as it meant going [i away] from the enemy lands he found himself inside of.

One of the Cake Hounds barked loudly, yanking on the large Cookie's jacket and getting his attention before bounding towards the bush Mint Choco was hiding in. It confused him, but Red Velvet stood up and moved towards it, sighing. "Licorice, if you're trying to turn me into another weird creature, it's not going to work." He huffed as the Cake Hounds quickly tackled Mint Choco as best they could, although they seemed to be very soft with him. It was pretty clear they didn't see him as much of a threat, even if they were trying to apprehend him for their master. The Cookie brushed the shrubs aside, looking down at him. "...Oh."

Mint Choco quietly gulped, doing his best to avoid eye contact, or even let out a laugh for that matter; the Cake Hounds were utterly adorable and were being surprisingly gentle, he couldn't help it! It didn't help that there were so many of them either, as it only amplified his want to laugh and gently pet them, though he contained himself for the time being. The dirt that was rubbed into his suit when he was softly tackled and his violin were, for once, the least of his worries as he offered up a slightly uncomfortable smile to the other Cookie. "Uhm, hello there, this is... A little awkward..." The violinist mumbled out after a moment, still keeping his eyes steered clear away from the other.

He seemed to read him for a moment before waving his Cake Hounds off of the violinist, holding his large clawed hand out to him. "Are you okay? The Hounds get excited when they think someone's a playmate, especially after a bout of training. I'm sorry." He spoke genuinely, looking him over before blinking. "I don't think I've seen you here before. Are you new?" He spoke curiously, mistaking him for someone who'd recently joined their ranks. He wasn't that good at identifying people, that much was for sure.

Mint Choco blinked a few times in ever so slight surprise, eyeing Red Velvet for a second before accepting his outstretched hand as he hoisted himself up to his feet, soon after dusting the dirt off his snow-white suit. "Thank you, and no worries. They're adorable, I'd happily forgive them if they mistook me for a playmate any day." He hummed out, leaning down to pick up his violin and bow from off the ground, pausing at the second question he was asked. "Something along those lines, I suppose; I'm new to the area, I'll put it at that." Mint Choco answered, deciding it would be for the best if he didn't share the fact he was a member of Pure Vanilla's Kingdom, for the time being, especially considering he had no idea how Red Velvet would react to such information.

"Go on, shoo." He gently shooed off the dogs, letting them run in a practiced formation back to Dark Empress Cookie's castle before he looked down at Mint Choco. "You don't look like one of us, where did you come from?" Red Velvet asked curiously, seeming too mild and mellow to truly want to attack Mint Choco. Red Velvet wasn't known for his mercy, but at the same time, he wasn't exactly known for crumbling Cookies that he didn't feel deserve it. He sat and a Cake Hound that hadn't followed the pack sat in his lap, watching Mint Choco with an adorable puppy grin.

"Oh, where did I come from...?" Mint Choco repeated slightly nervously, holding his violin by the neck a little closer to himself just in case he needed to play it; unfortunately, all his magic was good for was putting people to sleep by playing said instrument, but it was a safer precaution than nothing at all, he supposed. Red Velvet seemed in a kind enough of a mood at the moment, besides, he'd probably end up learning the truth one way or another eventually. With a quiet sigh, he decided to simply be truthful, bowing respectfully. "I am the sole professional violinist at Pure Vanilla Cookie's castle, hired by the King himself much like Clover Cookie; I'm from his grace's kingdom."

He blinked softly as he looked up at him, staring at him before petting the Cake Hound. "So...you could play something for me?" He asked curiously, watching him with a soft smile as he tilted his head softly. His eyes glimmered softly as his hand was licked by the Cake Hound, making him smile as he snuggled with him. "Awwwwhh~ You wanna be sang to, boy?" He asked softly, although it seemed a bit rhetorical since he knew that he wasn't good at singing by himself.

The violinist paused a moment, eyeing the forestry around them for a moment, weighing his options. He [i could] make a run for it and risk getting further lost in the process, or maybe somehow finding his way back to the castle, or he [i could] stay and play the instrument he was exceptionally skilled at. Red Velvet [i did] seem like good company, however, and the Cookie probably knew his way around the forest better than Mint Choco did... "I don't mind if you honestly would like me to," He offered out with a small smile, shifting so he sat politely in front of the partial-Cake Cookie, being careful to keep his suit dirt-free as he did so. "Would you like to hear anything in particular?"