Dark chestnut hair, eyes so dark in their green shade that they sometimes looked brown if the lighting was just right; they could also look blue as well, if she wore the right colors. Today she was dressed in a black hoodie, seemingly mindless of the cold as she wandered through the forest that she had heard rumors of from a certain young boy was the home of one Jack Frost. She believed in the Guardians, a fact that had amazed the young believer, one Jamie Bennett. The boy was now in class though, for this time of day. It was a little before noon and it was the rumors of the Guardians that had drawn her to Burgess. She was here on an extended vacation, one she believed she deserved because she could not - for the life of her - remember when it was the last time that she had ever been on one or even taken time for one for that matter. So here she was, on a wild rumor ... at least that's what most people would call it... looking for one of the Guardians. Jamie had told her that she might find the elusive young Guardian at the frozen pond. A pond that was always frozen because it was Jack's home. Well, she'd been there actually and hadn't seen any sign of the frost spirit so she'd ventured a little deeper into the forest itself, not aware of where she was really heading and unknowingly skirting the same clearing that was where Pitch's lair's entrance was. She was just wandering about really when she came upon the strange ice-like cave... although it wasn't so much a cave really as just a block of ice with a cave-like entrance. Rounded near the front and yet its walls expanded through and around trees. What the heck? This had to be the strangest thing she'd ever come upon yet... and seeing it... It made her think that maybe she'd found the winter spirit at last.
Ignoring the cold that was practically radiating off the structure, she ventured within. She wasn't too surprised when she saw said winter spirit lounging on what looked to be a bed of ice. The staff was propped nearby. As she quietly took in the dozing spirit she had to admit that he didn't seem much like himself... at least not like what Jamie had said of him. He seemed... paler than normal. Was that even possible? Not wanting to startle him too badly, she coughed a little. Blue eyes latched onto her immediately and he just stared for the longest moment but his usually brilliant blue eyes seemed to lack a bit of color.
"I'm not disturbing you, am I?" She nearly smirked as the eyes watching her began to widen with the realization that she, an adult, was speaking to him.
"I-" He was cut off by a hacking cough and her amusement was wiped away with a look of concern.
"What's wrong?" He winced a little when he finally stopped.
"Just a bug. I always seem to get sick around Easter." She wondered at that, Easter wasn't until next month. It was still plenty cool here, how was it he got sick... wait how could he even get sick?! He was the personification of winter for crying out loud! Far be it for me to know how spirits work... I always thought they were immune to stuff like this though... Guess not. Jack certainly didn't look well and another coughing fit proved that. She wasn't going to just stand by idly.
"I already know who you are, I guess I should introduce myself before I run off and get you something for that cough. My name is Kari, but most of my friends call me Mysterie." Jack raised an eyebrow at that, clearly curious but another coughing fit kept him from asking the obvious question as to why they called her that; not that it was a long story, he also apparently wondered what it was she thought she could do to make a winter spirit - who had embarrassingly enough managed to catch a cold of all things... - feel better. He didn't get the chance to ask as she disappeared out the cave's entrance. Jack could only be glad really that Jamie wasn't here to see him like this. Man oh man, he would NEVER live it down if his first believer or Bunny caught him like this. One reason why he'd been avoiding the other Guardians really. It wasn't that he didn't trust them to help him if he needed it, but it was more like he wasn't used to trusting anyone to help him with things like this. Things that were... more personal really. That's what families did and he could barely remember the faces of his own family, let alone what it meant to have one; he was more used to being on his own and since the Guardians had fallen back mostly to the routines of their normal jobs, though they did help one another out with their holidays or to help collect teeth, the others really didn't have much contact with one another or Jack.
So then, when this woman, Mysterie reappeared with what looked like a bowl in her gloved hands, Jack was more than a little surprised.
"Maybe this will help you." Jack blinked when she handed him the bowl and a metal spoon. In the bowl was chicken noodle soup; he'd know it anywhere, he'd seen countless kids eat it but unlike what he'd seen before this soup was cold. It wasn't hot. He couldn't help but feel a bit of warmth in his chest that she would go out of her way to bring him something, much less something that wasn't hot even though it was supposedly best served hot.
"Thanks." It was all he could think to say before he dug into the soup. He'd thought it might taste better warm, but since the soup wasn't going to freeze unless he made it and he really didn't do much on warmth... he was just really grateful to have something to combat what he was feeling. She smiled a little and he wondered for a moment if she might have any kids with the way she was sitting on the edge, looking at him with something he'd seen written on the faces of countless mothers who'd had to tend to their children. Yeah, he was sure she had to have kids; there was no way she had that compassionate of a heart... was there? He'd seen a lot of things, both good and bad, in the modern world and while he couldn't deny that there were people with good hearts they were truly far and few between. He was still trying to puzzle out, as he ate the soup, just how it was that she could see him. Was she really a believer?! At her age? Not that there was anything wrong with her being an adult it was just... he couldn't really recall ever having an adult see him before and the fact that she was dressed warmly told him right off that she wasn't a spirit. For all that Bunnymund complained, he wasn't really THAT affected by the cold, but he felt it safe to assume the woman before him was human. She seemed thoughtful for a moment before she spoke again.
"You know, I have allergies that tend to flare up when the weather is about to change. I wonder if that's why you're sick now."
"Could be." He replied around a cough and another sip of his soup. He sighed a little, settling the bowl on an end table on one side of the bed.
"I swear like I'm going to melt in this heat." She didn't chuckle, if only because she didn't think he found it funny right now; maybe later he'd laugh at it, but he looked too ill to really look up to it. She opted to keep silent instead.
"Maybe it has something to do with Bunny, I know he still holds a grudge against you for that Easter. Would you like me to get you some ice cream?"
"Maybe, but I doubt he's still mad at me for that. I mean it's been... I don't know.. a while. Also it's just the heat, I'm always sick around heat but I can't do anything about it. It's supposed to be spring and I guess I could get some ice cream. Thanks Myst." He says as he snuggles into the cool bed. She left again and when she came back she had a bag full of small tubs of various flavors of ice cream.
"These are the only flavors they had..." She trailed off, setting the various tubs before him on the bed so he could see his choices: vanilla, chocolate, rocky road, strawberry, chocolate chip, cookie dough and mint chocolate.
"Thanks!" He smiled and took the spoon from the bowl she'd brought the soup in, creating a bowl out of ice to scoop out some vanilla and mint before digging in.
"That's good." His normal color began to seep back into his cheeks and she watched in fascination as he smirked at her slightly.
"Now I feel much better." He could feel his power slowly returning back to normal levels, but he knew it would be a while before he was fully back to normal. She smiled.
"Good, I'm glad I could help. Especially since Jamie isn't around to help. He's probably stuck inside doing homework about now I'd imagine." She chuckled a little and only when she realized how late it was did she bid him farewell with a promise to return the next day before slipping out of the ice cavern.