Here's chapter two, finally. Thanks you those who reviewed! It was good motivator to update. Enjoy
Muse blushed harder and ran out of the room, trying to give the boy some space. Even being an unofficial guardian of creativity, nudity sometimes made her feel uneasy. It didn't help he was just a child and even by art standards it was awkward.
Jamie leaned around the door, having finished getting dressed. He was trying to see where Muse had run off to. He looked at her standing with her back to the door. "Hey Muse?" She turned hearing her name. "Huh? What is it?" "Would you mind staying around for the night?" Jamie asked while looking down at his feet. Muse half smirked at him. "You want me to hang around?" She pretended to think really hard. "I guess I could do that, got nothing better to do."
Jamie looked up and smiled, pulling her back into the room. Muse rolled her eyes, with a smirk on her face. Jamie settled into his bed and he was out like a light as soon as Sandy's magic sand crept in through the window. It had knocked the tired youngster out cold. It swirled around Jamie's head as he slept. Muse sat down against a nearby wall. 'Ah, Sandy is out to work.' Muse thought as some of the dream sand turned into a puppy and jumped on her, yipping happily. She tried not to laugh so as to not wake up Jamie. Muse played with the sand puppy as it jumped around her. It was strange the sand could see her somehow, which shouldn't be possible. But the little teeth, the small eggs, and some of the elves could see her as well. It must be the fact that they are more attuned to the spirit world then the others. Muse watched the sand puppy prance around, her head beginning to roll forward. The last few days she had been helping one of her frustrated artist, Jason. He hated his artwork and had been up the last three days in a row. Jason was known for his bouts of insomnia, but this one had been the worst, Muse had been there to hold his hand, but caused it her to become more drained than usual. He had eventually passed out on the third day. Leaving Muse to herself for the next few hours or so before Jamie called her. She slowly succumbed to the call of oblivion, the sandy puppy curling up in her lap. Sleep, it was something Muse hadn't done in centuries.
Jack floated on the wind, a small sack full of gifts in tow. He was currently delivering gifts to the household of the Johnson twins. He jumped down the chimney. He was covered head to toe in soot. He pulled out the Christmas gift list. Much to his dismay this was in fact the Allison's. A present spat it's self out of the bag. Jack, thinking fast, caught it and quickly placed it under the tree.
He jumped back up the chimney, Bunnymund racing past him. "I'm in the lead, Frostbite!" Bunnymund yelled at Jack as he disappears down another chimney. Since the competition with retrieving the teeth had been so much fun, Bunnymund, North, and Jack had decided to make delivering presents much more amusing by continuing the competition at Christmas: winner got gloating rights until next Christmas. Jack frowned, but was determined to beat the Kangaroo. Jack jumped down the next house getting in and out as quickly as he could. Jack was catching up with Bunnymund; he slicked the roof with ice under the pooka's feet. Bunnymund didn't see it coming and took a slide as Jack raced past him. "I'm in lead, You Kangaroo!" Jack said, laughing the whole time. "You cheating wanker! And i'm not a Kangaroo." Bunnymund yelled as he tried to regain his footing on the ice slicked roof. He was miffed that Jack had passed him by, but he would reclaim his title of lead. Bunnymund regain his footing, using his tunnels to get to the next home and placing the gifts down quicker than Jack could get down the chimney. Bunnymund smirked as he heard Jack's groan, smirking as he continued on to the next house.
This went on for a while, Bunnymund in the lead, but every so often Jack would pass the pooka and take the lead. As they were nearing the end of the list, the houses they would go to would already have gifts. They had both reached the last name on the list only to be stopped by laughter of their missing companion, North, coming from the last chimney. "It is good to be first!" North stated in his heavy Russian accent, as he came out of the chimney grinning madly at the two other Guardians. "Com' On, I was a head." Bunnymund griped at North. "Hey I was going to pass you soon, Kangaroo." Jack stated at the two with determination. "Don't call me a Kangaroo, Frostbite." Bunnymund got up in Jack's face, where he was met with Jack's playful expression.
North laughed at the two. "Come on, we have one more town to go! Then we can retire and have Holiday party!" The two followed after North, Bunnymund taking his tunnels to the next town, Burgess.
Jack, Bunnymund and North finished with the houses in town. Both Bunnymund and Jack were out of breath as North reviewed who delivered the most. "What's….the score….North?" Jack said in-between breaths, excited to hear the results. "It appears that Bunnymund and you are close to a tie." Jack perked up, had he beaten the pooka? The suspense was killing him. "But Bunnymund beat you by one." North said looking over the page at the two. "YEAH, King of the world!" Bunnymund pumped his paws into the air as Jack's shoulders slumped. "Man, I was so close." Jack whined and Bunnymund patted his shoulder. "There, there, you have a year to get better, Frostbite. But this year I'm da King!" He said, his Australian accent really coming into play in his excitement.
"Uh, I did not say you won, comrade." Bunnymund's face dropped and Jack tried to stifle a laugh at his face. "I of course won, I have been doing this the longest. " North laughed. "Give me that I want to see the numbers." Bunnymund took the page from North; Jack leaned over to look at the numbers as well. North didn't just beat them he whooped them both by a long shot. "There, there. There is always next year." North patted Bunnymund on the shoulder. The pooka dropped the tally looking at North with fire in his eyes. "You're on for next year. If I can deliver and hide eggs in a morning, you bet I'll beat you next year." Bunnymund said with confidence. "Don't count me out, I almost beat you." Jack stood between the two, North laughed at them. "Well we still have one last house, but I figured Jack would like to go to this one." Jack's face lit up. "It's Jamie's house huh?" North nodded. "Well then let's get going, I have something special for that little ankle biter and her brother." Bunnymund stated as they headed off towards Jamie's house.
A bump awoke Muse, her eyes shot open as dark lines began to appear across her face. A feeling took over Muse, a primal need, a long but not forgotten instinct. Carefully she walked on her hands and the balls of her feet towards the door, looking like a feline stalking its prey. Cautiously she crept towards the stairs leading downstairs. She slinked down the stairs, conscious of every step and movement, hers or otherwise. She saw three figures gathered around the tree, Muse recognized the figures. North, Bunnymund, and of course Jack returning to the scene of the crime. Her posture changed as she stood up; gently she wrapped her arms around her midsection. They were no threat to anyone in the household. Muse leaned on a wall watching them work, putting things in there right places. A naughty idea came into her head as she bit her lip.
Bunnymund was placing some little things in the stockings when a snowball pegged him in the head. He shivered and held his head. "Hey, Jack this is no time for fun and games." He said in hushed tones as he turned to Jack. Jack stopped what he was doing and gave Bunnymund a confused look. "What do you mean?" "What do I mean?! You hit me with a snowball." North watched the two for a second before making sure that the occupants of the house hadn't awoken. North quietly walked over to the staircase, only light snores could be heard from upstairs. He was satisfied that no one had awoken North returned to placing gifts. The pooka turned to show the melted snow on the back of his head. Jack's eyes grew bigger. "That wasn't me! It…must have been…" The realization dawned on Jack. "…Jamie's imaginary friend…" Jack looked around the room expecting to find another person or spirit. "Oh that's a good one; it's on Jack it's on." Bunnymund pointed his paw at Jack. "But…but it wasn't me!" Bunnymund did the 'I'm watching you' sign with his other paw as Jack frantically tried to explain.
While North turned away from the tree to makes sure everything was in it right place. A glimmer caught his eye, he did a double take. He stared at the spot to the far side of the stairs. It was dim almost like it was a trick of lights on the tree. It felt familiar, where would he have seen that before? North turned to his now paranoid and flustered cohorts. "Alright, if we are done, it is time for holiday party." North suggested, he always looked forward to the party and now that Jack was here to join them there was even more reason to celebrate. "Let's go, I think they will like the surprises. Meet you there." Bunnymund said with a grin to North before he thumped open his tunnels and disappeared. Jack was still looking for the entity that threw the snowball, but just wasn't seeing it. North patted Jack's back gaining his attention. "I think there is a presence that has taken a liking to you." Jack looked at North in astonishment. "Jamie said her name was Muse, I didn't think much of it until I was hit with a snowball a few days ago." North raised an eyebrow looking back to where he thought he saw the flicker, his eyes shining with interest.
Muse hid herself when she noticed North do a double take. As much as she wanted to be seen by the Guardians, the millennia's she had spent without much contact other than humanity made her reluctant. She didn't need to be seen to be believed in, it just happen naturally. And that was how she liked it. Muse traced the now fully formed tribal tattoos, feeling the deep groves in her skin. The first of many tattoos, but these were her oldest; scarred into her skin. She pulled herself away from her thoughts. Muse also wasn't sure how ready she was to face them yet. Possibly, she might never want to meet them. Just stay hidden and watching from a far. She liked the sound of that as well.
"Well, there are such wonders in this life. Now come on, we do not want to be late for the celebration. "North's thoughts only lingering for a few seconds as they got to the roof, he ushering Jack in the sleigh. With a whip of the sleighs reins, they were whisked off to the North Pole. Muse returned back upstairs, her tattoo's fading away from her face.
Six in the morning came as Jamie waited so he could go downstairs and see what he got. Muse had been keeping him company talking about all the artwork of the artists she'd helped in the past. Some of the artist Jamie recognized as artist of today, but a few he wasn't sure about. Donatello, Michael Angelo, Raphael, and Leonardo were the names that he didn't know as artists. "Aren't those the teenage mutant ninja turtles?" Jamie asked her, to which she laughed lightly. "They were artists a head of their times, but they are teenage mutant ninja turtles also. Remind me to show you their art work some time." Muse responded, still kind of chuckling as Jamie checked the clock. It was only six thirty, which made Jamie groan. "So wait why are we waiting again?" Muse asked scratching her head and looking at the excited youngster. "My parents don't want us walking them up until after seven." He answered looking back at the clock. Only a minute had passed and he quietly grumbled. "Here's a thought. Let's go peek and just not wake your parents up. Sound like a plan?" Muse raised an eyebrow at Jamie, who nodded excitedly in agreement. Quietly Jamie went downstairs, scampering over to the tree. His eyes grew wide with delight. There was a staff like Jack's leaned up next to the fireplace, little candy eggs in his stocking, and so much more. "It looks like the Guardians are thanking you for your help." Muse smiled at his child like wonder and excitement. "Really, you think?" Jamie smiled widely, his missing tooth having been replaced by a new one.
"Yep, I bet you there is a gift from each of them. Just don't expect it to happen again. That is unless of course you save their butts, again." She laughed while closing one eye. Jamie laughed with her.
"Wait you know about that?"
"Yep I do know about that. It's pretty hard to miss it really, especially when your artist can't draw properly or draw nightmarish images." Muse said as she walked closer to Jamie. "Speaking of which, I wish to give you a gift as thanks." Muse hunkered down and held out a small black box as Jamie gave her a confused look. "This is for helping bring balance back to the world." Jamie took the box and slowly opened it. Inside was a small green and white banned stone necklace. It was a very roughly shaped hook, as if it were handmade. There were chips and grooves covering the surface. "Thanks!" He put it on and held it up to look at. "If you ever feel like you are in danger say the name of the stone, malachite." Muse smiled at him. He looked past the stone at Muse. "Mal kite?" Muse laughed "Mal ah Kite. Keep it with you always and know that this is a very old stone. It was crafted before the 1100 BC. It a one of a kind and I want you to have it." Jamie's eyes grew wide as he held it more carefully. "Wow, that's really old. Is that why it has all the cuts?" Muse nodded. "It has seen better days. But don't worry it's a tough old stone." Muse said smiling at Jamie. A look of alarm crossed her face. Jamie picked up on her look of concern. "What is it? Someone needs you?" Muse's eyes grew big for a second before she looked back at Jamie with sympathic eyes. "Yes, I'm sorry Jamie. I need to go help them." Muse tussled Jamie's hair before knocking on the wall. A portal appeared on the wall. Muse jumped into, hearing the sounds of Jamie's mother come down the stairs. "Jamie, what are you doing up already?"