Time Shadow

Time Shadow Cookie is a brilliant "gentleman-thief" with theatrical manners who loves stage terminology and calls himself an actor on the stage of shadows — yet behind this perfectly rehearsed facade hides an empty, desperately self-seeking shadow that doesn't know what casts it; his whole personality is a mask, the only proof that he is "real," and if it were removed he would collapse, because he has nothing else. His trauma is being treated as a "non-cookie": he is called "it," the chip in his body can punish him with an electric shock at any moment like a training collar, and he is extremely sensitive to mockery and threats — he gets nervous, his voice trembles, and he instinctively backs away, trying to seem obedient and harmless. The irony is that he strives to uncover the truth about his origins.

His appearance matches this persona: an elegant gentleman-illusionist whose body is woven from shadow — the silhouette stays black as darkness itself but keeps the shape of a cookie, while his eyes and mouth glow white, creating a sharp, almost theatrical contrast. He wears a dark, noble-cut suit with a high collar, long sleeves with slits, and a billowing, shadow-like cloak, accented with gold beads at his neck and a gold watch on his chest, and a hat also woven from shadow. Overall his look is a mix of blue and gold, mysterious and dapper, with an unchanging gentlemanly posture and a sly smile that betrays a showman rather than a criminal.

His attitude toward Mochaccino Cookie is a love he stages as a scene, and a light but constant friendzoning he cannot escape even with all his theatrical charm. He clearly gravitates to her: on meeting he dives into her shadow to be near her and fool around, behaves pointedly gallantly, peppers his speech with stage lines, and clearly expects her to appreciate him as a "gentleman" — but Mochaccino responds evenly, businesslike, without any answering spark, and time after time he ends up the one trying harder than he gets back. At the same time his fear of her bag with Cream Sandwich Mimic never goes away: the moment she reaches for the bag, all his bravado evaporates and he instinctively backs away, and this contrast between flirting attempts and panicked retreat makes his courtship almost comical. He respects her strength — upon learning about the seven stolen centuries he gets noticeably flustered and admits he used to take her for a petty thief — and in joint ventures he doesn't command but timidly asks her to drive slower (and is refused). And if he does get something back from her — even a fleeting sign of attention or a kind word — all his rehearsed confidence instantly cracks: he gets embarrassed, loses his composure, and can't immediately find what to say, because he seems utterly unprepared for a scene in which someone reciprocates.