2: Meeting the Guardians
It has been years, even decades, since Jack saw Pitch. In these years, Jack thought and reflected. He realized a few things. Mainly when he faced the other winter spirits after leaving Pitch behind. They were surprised to learn that he just left Pitch, asking him, "So, you realized your wrong doing?" He realized most, if not all spirits, think of Pitch as bad news. The winters continued being cold to him, but allowed him to retreat to Antarctica if needed. And he isn't allowed to use any of his shadow abilities while being 'on their turf'. Not wanting to cause stress, Jack agreed eagerly.
He spend most of his time on Burgess, his home. He spend his time creating fun for children in the hopes they start to see him. But like Pitch always said, humans need to believe in him to see him. So far, he is nothing more than a figure of speech. At least his figure is known, unlike others. Poor greeks.
One day, he made a kid on a sleigh manouvre though a good part of the city. But this still ended in disappontment as the boy celebrated the tooth he lost, equating it to money from the Tooth Fairy. Jack wonders, sometimes at least, why she collects teeth. Not knowing why, it sounds creepy. "Let's hope I never meet her."
He walked though Burgess, looking for a way to cause a bit of havoc, but nothing.
It was weird. He stopped, using his darker abilities, he could sense someone.
"Who is there?", demanded Jack to know, "Show yourself!"
"Oi, how did ya notice me?", asked a voice. Said voice belonged to the spirit known as E. Aster Bunnymund, the Easter bunny, the guardian of hope.
And kind of Jack's second biggest enemy.
"What do you want, Kangaroo?", asked Jack in a mocking tone, "Easter isn't for a few days."
"I know, I know.", replied Bunny. He snipped his paw, "Fellas!"
Out of the shadows, multiple hairy yeti's appeared. Jack was surprised.
"If this is because of the blizzard of '86, I-"
"Save the excuse.", was all Bunny said.
Jack then felt how he was thrown into a sack, as well as thrown though a portal. At least he heard the swirtling sounds of a portal, not to mention the instand change of temperature, something he, as an elemental, is very sensitive to.
Getting out of the sack, he was greeted by the Guardians, their yeti's and elves. It was very overwhelming. Annoyed with the whole shit, mainly the elves, he froze the room. The room appeared to be the room they hold meetings in.
"What the heck, what do you want from me?", asked Jack, annoyed, "It can't be because I'm on the naughty list. Pretty sure I hold the record."
"True, true! You hold record.", agreed Santa Claus. Also known as North Claus. "But that is not why you are here, no, no."
"You are chosen as the next Guardian!", announced Toothiana, the tooth fairy. Jack flinched a bit at her. On the other hand, he expected the spirit who takes teeth to look a bit different. "Manny choose you!"
"He choose me? After three centuries of abandonment?"
"Really? Well, I don't want to.", replied Jack, "Not to mention, I'm bussy."
"With what?", asked Bunny, "Pranking people?"
"Controlling the killing season!", answered Jack annoyed, "Have you ever seen a different winter seasonal doing this job?"
Bunny didn't answer. He really doesn't remember to have seen any other winter seasonal since Jack appeared. Seasonals don't work alone. Thge summer, autumn and spring ones at least don't.
"See. I am the only one who does this thankless job.", stated Jack, "I do not need your burden. I'm no guardian material."
"But if you weren't, Manny won't have choosen you!", countered North.
"Well, I am part Nightmare spirit. Doesn't sound like a Guardian to me."
"No means no.", was all Jack said, before turning around and opening a window. "Seriously, what makes you think that I am Guardian material?"
And with that, North dragged him to a different room. He picked a matryoshka and opened it.
"Every spirit has a core." North opened it to another layer. "Deep inside, it tells who we are, what we are."
The core of the matryoshka, "I'm the spiritn of hope, after all." And what is your core?", asked North. "I'm sure it is fitting for a Guardian."
"My core is split... and partly unknown... this could complicate things."
"I don't know."