Twitterpated
A flat patch of ground suddenly caved into a hole and an oversized rabbit's head popped out, his eyebrows furrowed and ears perked. He kept his eyes on the sky.
"Coast's clear," the rabbit whispered in a thick Aussie accent. E. Aster Bunnymund hopped out, and as he did so, a squat, sandy-colored individual also popped his head out.
Bunnymund! Sandman called flatly, trailing in Bunnymund's tracks. Aren't we wasting precious time playing eye-spy on Jack Frost? Sandman, or Sandy, was mute, so he communicated via sign language and visual expressions that popped up above his head. The guardians had to learn his way of communicating. Luckily, they were around for, well, centuries, so in time they could read him like a book.
The boomerang which Bunnymund threw to clear a path just came spinning back into his outstretched arm, so Bunnymund didn't notice Sandman's remarks till Sandy tapped him on the shoulder.
"And whose ripper idea was it to commence Mission: Eye-Spy in the first place?" Bunnymund said sternly.
Welllll, mine, sort of, Sandy admitted, twiddling his thumbs. Sounded like a good idea then.
"And who's the guardian most likely to get himself and everyone into trouble?"
Jack Frost…
"And that's why, mate, I laid off my egg-painting for today and came here with you, my escort, to Toothiana's palace, where Jack Frost is going right now!"
Sandy silently scowled. I don't think Jack Frost deserves to be treated as a juvenile delinquent any longer, right? Not after he recently joined our ranks! Not after the way he defeated Pitch! I don't want him to lose our trust in us.
But Bunnymund flashed a smirk. "Ah, but wasn't there more to this than just trust?"
Sandy rolled his eyes. Fine, I thought that something was up with Jack Frost visiting Toothiana all the time. I thought, maybe he's twitterpated with Toothiana.
"Aye!" The bunny nodded his large head. "And that's what we're going to find out today."
This is madness! Sandy said. I highly doubt Tooth has time for Jack's hijinks, anyways. They're just mutual friends.
"Or are they? There's only one way to find out!" Bunnymund tapped his foot on the ground, and another hole opened up before him.
I'm not coming, and you're not making me! Sandy said stubbornly. He conjured a unicorn out of dreamsand and mounted it for takeoff. Good riddance.
"Eh, you too are comin' along!" Bunnymund snatched Sandy off his unicorn. With Sandy squirming at his side, Bunnymund leapt into the hole, which transported the both of them into the palace.
"In here," Bunnymund hissed as he shoved Sandy behind one of the palace's grand columns. Just in time, Jack Frost flew into view.
"Hello-o-o!" Jack Frost called out from Tooth's window, leaning against it with his usual smirk. "Anybody home?"
Out of nowhere, Tooth zoomed over and swept him into a welcoming hug. "Jack Frost!" she squealed once they broke apart. "I've been expecting you! I wager you still keep your pearly whites in good condition?" Toothiana playfully wagged a finger at Jack.
"Uh, yeah," Jack muttered and scratched his ear nervously. He did not need Toothiana's inspecting fingers in his mouth again. Meanwhile, tooth babies from every side started flocking towards him and clinging onto him.
"Off, tooth babies, get off! Shoo!" Toothiana waved her swooning little tooth servants off Jack Frost. "Jack Frost is here to help, not sign autographs!"
Jack gently laughed his silvery signature laugh as he gently plucked the last clingy tooth baby off his arm. "Aw, Tooth, I always have time to sign autographs for my adoring fans," he chuckled. He whipped out his crook. "So where's the stash?"
At Toothiana's summons, multiple tooth babies took out the assigned tooth caskets and presented them to Jack Frost, who slumped over at a table carved into the palace wall and immediately set to work. He closed his eyes as though in deep concentration, and he held his hands over one casket, which gave off an icy glow. He remained freezing it for about half a minute and did this to the other caskets on repeat while for the Tooth fluttered over his shoulder with her petite hands clasped and twittered off her many thanks to Jack Frost.
"Aw, no fuss." Jack grunted. He waved her off and grabbed another mini casket.
"But really," Tooth persisted. "You don't understand how much this breakthrough means to me!" Throughout the span of humankind, several unfortunate children out of an entire global population tended to get into accidents that would cause amnesia. When that happened, the memories hidden in the children's teeth would slowly fade away. Sometimes the memories surfaced, depending on the severity of the accident. But often times, the memories never came back. Thanks to Jack Frost's powers, however, he could freeze some of the memories intact in the teeth. This was an important breakthrough, and Tooth realized they could both help restore more memories to children that way.
"Well, remember," Jack frost pitched in, "I know how important they are to you. I play with kids every day."
"I know you do. So then, I guess you'll have no problem helping me with even more teeth in stock!" As if on cue, Tooth's little helpers pushed open the doors leading into another separate chamber. The hollowed-out room inside was enormous, almost unbelievably so, and the shelves held millions more caskets.
Millions upon millions of caskets.
"Agh!" One glance at the jam-packed room and with a girlish shriek, Jack slipped off his bench, and only his flying skills saved him from hitting the floor. The prospect of spending eternity freezing endless caskets in that room terrified him.
"Just teasing!" Tooth said, bursting into merry peals of laughter. "This is just another spare room for adolescents' wisdom teeth that I keep whenever they're thrown away."
"Aw, thanks, Tooth, you daughter of a…" Jack grumbled, pretending to act all sore. But he didn't finish the sentence (Tooth was particularly sensitive about insults geared towards her earthly parents), and Jack resumed his work while he let Tooth banter on. Jack, not knowing how else to add to the conversation, simply grunted to show that he was listening. Eventually Tooth changed the subject.
"So. How is Ol' North? Haven't seen him for a long time."
"I can tell," Jack said, nodding. "You've been shut up in your palace more nowadays."
"Only because you were helping me restore teeth!"
"Right. Anywaysss…. North is fine. Says hi. Misses you. Says your cheery face would be a fresh change from his grumbly yetis for once."
"Ah. I see…"
"He also says for us to meet him tomorrow. Says he's got an announcement. Make sure you be there."
"I know, I know! I'm just so busy! Children will always lose teeth, you know?" Tooth gestured with a pencil while she sat perched with a paper writing her complex plan her tooth babies' various trips across the globe to collect teeth. "But what with more population growth over this century, and more kids getting into car accidents nowadays, I haven't yet learned to manage my time since you introduced me to your memory-cryogenics skills."
"Chill!" Jack Moved his hand almost as though to put it on Tooth's shoulder, but decided against it and set it down. "This is why I'm here, Tooth!"
"Oh, thank you!" Tooth said for the umpteenth time, flushing with genuine appreciation. "Oh, and I almost forgot Sandy and Bunnymund. How are they doing?"
"Oh," Jack shrugged with one shoulder, "stalking me, as usual. Like right now."
From where the two Guardians were hiding, Bunnymund's and Sandy's eyes widened as they glanced at each other. How did Jack know?
"Oh, really?" Tooth said absentmindedly.
"Yeah. But it's fine. I'm still technically a juvenile delinquent to them."
"They'll get used to you, don't worry," Tooth said. She twitched her hand to Jack's side as though to touch him accordingly, but she seemed to change her mind and she turned back to her paper with a discreet smile. Baby Tooth perked up at Jack Frost's conjecture. She furrowed her eyebrows and flitted around the castle. Baby Tooth, like Tooth's other little helpers, adored Jack, even though Toothiana made it clear that their adorations were unnecessary, no thanks to Jack! Still, Baby Tooth did everything she could to reap any signs of admirable gestures for his attention, and so she meant to root out the two naughty Guardians, if the claims were true.
"Crikey!" Bunnymund cried out in surprise when Baby Tooth accidentally bumped into him. Her eyes widened at the sight of him, and she began to flitter about and twitter an alarm and make a racket in general. But Bunnymund thought quickly, and so he snatched Baby Tooth out of the air and deliberately sat his rump on top of Baby Tooth to muffle her cries. Sandy stared at Bunnymund. How could you?
"What?" Bunnymund shrugged. "I don't want twitterin' ankle-biter 'ere to beef it out on us yet."
Meanwhile, Tooth was just wrapping up her story of her pre-Guardian background, and though it wasn't the happiest, Tooth was smiling through the bittersweet tears welling in her eyes.
"Wait, so you were a half-bird even back then?" Jack Frost wondered aloud. He smiled. "I'm sorry that no one accepted you." Jack Frost himself smiled sadly upon recollecting the memories of his own pre-Guardian days, all those centuries ago. After a pregnant pause in which Jack resumed concentrating on his casket cases, and Tooth directing her little servants where to put each one, Jack spoke up. "I never asked a Guardian this before, but…do you ever miss your old life? Before it got all laced with tragedy, to put it delicately?"
"Do I?" Tooth repeated in thought. "Hmm. I never thought of it that way. I…guess that to this day, I'm still a little shaken up at the bad parts. But at the same time, no. It happened a long time ago. I have a job that I'm wholly devoted to, and that became my life's love and passion more than anything. Who knows? Maybe the Moon changed my mindset when I first became a guardian." She then pressed closer. "How about…you?"
When Jack didn't reply at first, Tooth fidgeted with her ingrown feathers, thinking that she'd crossed the line with her question. But then after some long reflection, Jack gave off a long sigh. "It's complicated," he responded slowly. "Funny thing is, when I saw my past memories for the first time – I saw my sister. The house. The lake where my human self lived. And it hurt right here." Jack lifted a hand across his chest. Tooth took in a breath, and after a moment's hesitation, put her arm on Jack's shoulder.
"Sorry I asked," she said seriously.
"Oh, pshaw, it's okay, Tooth. Like you, I found my purpose, my reason for existing after 300 years, and you know what? I'm cool. Like you, I have something to live for – that is, if I even count as 'alive'," Jack chuckled. "I'm the Guardian of Fun!"
Toothiana was relieved that Jack wasn't upset, and she nodded cheerily. "Well, then!" she said, clapping her hands once. "I'll let you get back to work, then, no distractions!" Toothiana then glanced about. "Now where has Baby Tooth headed off to this time? Oh, she better not be kissing Jack Frost portraits again!" Here, Jack Frost spluttered with laughter.
"Baby Tooth?" Toothiana cried. "Baby Tooth! O-o-oh…" she scowled. "Why aren't you here where I need you?"
"The chemistry is there, a' right! Look at 'em!" Bunnymund sighed sarcastically, where he spied the assumed "lovebirds" from his ledge.
Sandy prod an unrepentant Bunnymund. Let Baby Tooth go!
"Oh, a'right, a'right, then! Quit yer yappin'!" And Bunnymund shifted his weight so that Baby Tooth came feebly flapping out of their hiding place. With extremely ruffled feathers, a dazed look, and crooked wings, she really did look like she was sat on by an oversized rabbit.
"Oh, stop!" Bunnymund scoffed when Sandy smiled sheepishly to Baby Tooth as though in penitence for his friend's mistreatment of her, "I sat on 'er loads o' times before. She don't e'en look half-dead."
Sorry if my chapters sounded a bit O.O.C (Out of character). This is my first ROTG fanfiction.
Thanks for reading!
KoolKat
