The change catches them all entirely off guard. One day, Aster is fooling about in his lab in his green frock and goggles and the next day he shows up to a Guardian meeting wearing nothing but ornamented bracers on his arms, leather wrappings around his feet, and a single-strap holster across his chest. Two boomerangs are snapped into the back of the holster, neither of which bears any similarity to the other.

One looks normal. That is, it has a proper bent shape to it and is smoothed out with pointed ends. The other looks unfinished, though they all know that it needs no work. Aster would never wear something not already perfected to his standard. The shape is crude, but clearly intended. One end is a polished stub, the other a vicious work of sharpened point, saw-like notches, and sculpted ridges. There are designs on both boomerangs that bear a striking resemblance to the markings in the Pooka's fur.

Markings they really hadn't been able to fully examine until now.

He's beautiful, Tooth thinks. In a dangerous sort of way.

Aster, of course, acts like nothing is new and completely ignores all of their collective surprise. He strolls to North's beat up workbench and seats himself on one of the new stools. It's higher than the others and spins. Still ignoring their blatant stares, he lightly shoves off of the workbench and spins in one complete circle before catching himself and shooting the bandit a look of approval. "A significant improvement, my friend. Well done."

Tooth blinks, surprised all over again. She'd half-expected his voice to have changed along with the rest of him.

North finally breaks their seeming trance. "Where's your coat?! Your goggles? Your staff! What is all this?" Here he wildly gestures at the Pooka's entire body.

Aster just smiles a little. "I've decided a change is in order. This is the change. Pookas are more than inventors and philosophers and occasional, uninterested, meddlers. It's time I embrace that." He pauses, tilting his head to the side. The smile slips a bit. "Or, reembrace it, as it were."

North chuckles at the emphasis on 'uninterested', but when Aster's expression sobers, he does too. There's a moment of heavy silence before Tooth deems it wise to intervene. "Well I, for one, appreciate the change. Aster, those markings in your fur… they're gorgeous. Do they mean something?"

The smile is back and it's softer this time. The Pooka nods at her. "Thank you. In answer to your question, yes and no."

She rolls her eyes and sighs when it only draws a low chuckle from him. "Whatever. We'll talk later."

"If you say so," he murmurs. Then he turns to North. "North, if you please. I'm pressed for time." They all groan at this which only serves to draw an indignant huff from their odd friend. "As I've stated at least four hundred and fifteen times before, I will not abuse the responsibility that's been given to me. So, North, to put it crudely: get on with it."

North isn't cowed in the slightest. "One question first." Aster lifts a furry brow in response. "Your staff… I'm concerned that you've given up a beautiful weapon in exchange for two that, in my experienced opinion, are inferior. Surely you would afford yourself as much protection as can be offered?"

Tooth can tell that North attempted to insert as much charm and diplomacy into how he worded his opinion, but she can also tell that Aster isn't impressed by it. At all. One of his ridiculously long ears has begun to twitch and the size of it makes the irritated motion that much more obvious. "Aster, please be nice…" she tries.

His gaze flicks to her for an instant. When he looks at North again, he takes a long breath before speaking. "Perhaps you'd like to try them out for yourself? Or maybe you'd prefer a demonstration?" He reaches back and they hear one of the weapons being released from its place. It's the one that looks unfinished. And sharp, and dangerous, and deadly, and ugly

Tooth can't look at it and Aster notices. His mouth twitches and his green eyes turn as sharp and as hard as the weapon he holds. This too is a change that surprises her. For all of his analytical way of speaking and his aloof mannerisms, he'd always come across as kind to her. Generous. Compassionate at times even. She holds his gaze and lets him know she very much doesn't approve.

North, on the other hand, is examining the weapon with a professional's eye. When he finishes, he looks at the Pooka and nods. "I would, actually. After the meeting we'll go outside."

Aster frowns. "It's below zero, North."

"Did you winter proof them?" North only smirks when Aster glares at him and holsters the weapon once more.

"The meeting, if you please," this new Aster growls.

Tooth barely pays attention to the conversation. Her eyes are on their fellow Guardian for the majority of it and if he notices (which he more than likely does) he gives no indication. She doesn't like this change. Initially she did, but what the bracers and the weapons imply completely snuffs out the beauty of his natural appearance. Even those only seem to add to the suddenly dangerous flair present in Aster's normally put-off manner.

Tooth decides to have words with him after the meeting is over and before what will surely be a disgusting display of martial prowess.

That is, she decides to do this until she finally tears her gaze away and finds herself staring across the table at Sanderson. The dusty little man is wearing a fond smile that's so soft she feels compelled to try and touch it (she barely keeps her hands to herself… he's not a kitten for goodness' sake!). It puts a significant wrench in her plans because it implies something entirely different than what she'd concluded.

Sanderson very much approves.

Pookas are more than inventors and philosophers and occasional, uninterested, meddlers. It's time I embrace that.

Embrace what?

Or reembrace it.

Perhaps this Aster isn't so new after all. Tooth glances at him once more and finds him looking at her. His eyes are no longer green flint, but she won't easily forget that they were. She will still have words with him, but it will maybe be tomorrow. And it will be over tea. And it will be for the purpose of getting to know this friend of hers, because she's suddenly realized that there is much that she doesn't know about him at all.

Aster seems to read something in her gaze and gives a tiny, almost imperceptible nod as if he'll allow it. Then he turns his attention back to North and raises a paw. A paw that's blessedly free of that dastardly weapon. "Now North… honestly… can you sufficiently explain to me your reasoning behind wanting to install turbo-boosters on your sleigh? And if you can, somehow, convince us that they are needed, what makes you think I'll help?"