I'm probably gonna say this all the time, but I mean it every time I say it - thank you so much for reading this. I'm just so glad this is being enjoyed. On to the story!
"Whose shoes are these?"
No-one made a sound. The Guardians, minus Jack, looked tense, but as footsteps came closer to the main room, Clover watched Jack and Julius with a smirk. They were sitting up straight, obviously holding back obnoxious grins.
"Clover? Did you invite guests today?"
"Heyyy, Tenshi~" Clover called as the person stepped into the room.
What was everyone expecting a grim reaper to look like, Jack wondered? Had they been expecting an old man? An edgy, leather-clad person? A straight-up skeleton in a cloak? As he looked over Tenshi for the first time in almost two years, he surmised that "somewhat-gothic teenager with groceries" had not been in their realm of possibility. That was how Jack would label him, anyway, if he had to pick a label. Skull graphic t-shirt, black jeans, black-and-white sneakers. He was a little pale, had messy black hair, and at least two bags of groceries in each hand, plus a small backpack slung over his shoulder. There was silence as Tenshi's amber-yellow eyes scanned the room. He looked confused, and then...he zeroed in on Jack.
A uniquely mixed expression of annoyance and disgust took over his face. Above his eyes, his most prominent features crinkled closer together. Jack seized the opportunity and pulled out his most charming smile.
"How's it going, Tenshi? You been feeding those Caterpillars more since I last saw you?"
"J-Jack!" Tooth's interjection came right on time. Jack and Julius had burst into laughter as Tenshi's eyebrows furrowed even more at being made fun of. But then Tenshi had taken an aggressive stomp toward the group, and it was just a bit too angry for Bunny's liking. He took on a stronger stance, making Tenshi turn his glare to him.
"What the heck is going on?" he asked - more like demanded an answer.
"Can...can everyone just calm down a little?" Clover asked, though she was pulling her top lip inward, definitely trying not to laugh. "These guys came by to visit us, Tenshi. Diplomacy stuff or something, I guess."
"Who in their right mind would bring those two on a diplomacy trip? That's like bringing foxes to rabbit burrow!" Tenshi nearly slammed the grocery bags onto the kitchen table. There was the sound of plastic containers and glass jars thudding against the wood, but nothing sounded like it broke. Clover immediately went to investigate the contents.
"Why all this hostility, poking fun?" North asked, both concerned and stern. "Are we not meeting your friends, Jack?"
"Oh yeah, Tenshi is one of my BEST friends." Jack rolled his eyes. "Best nag, best nerd, and best reactions."
"Get out of my home!" Tenshi snapped. He made no more physical advances toward Jack, however. Instead, he grabbed an apron from a hook by the fridge and tied it tightly around himself. The look on his face was even more sour than before. "You're always like this. Learn some respect before you go bothering people!"
"More importantly, where are the snacks?" Clover said, unpacking the grocery bags. She pulled out a loaf of bread, a bag of penne pasta, some bottles of mineral water...several fresh vegetables...packages of tofu, fish, meat...but nothing that could be considered a snack. "You promised you'd get some this time!"
"I didn't promise anything like that." Tenshi said, his voice still brusque. "Besides, just because food won't affect you permanently anymore doesn't mean that you can just keep eating, especially eating junk. And besides even that, you need to stop spending so much money on junk food in general! It won't kill you to skip the convenience store when you go shopping. You spend more money there than wherever you went in the first place-"
Jack, Clover, and Julius all shared a look, not even bothering to hide their grins. Tenshi was less forceful and more harried in his actions now. He began setting up a cutting board on the counter, and pots and pans on the stove.
"Um…" the poor Guardians looked like they didn't know what to do. Jack could see that Bunny was still wary, and somewhat annoyed, though he thought he could see a little bit of sympathy for Tenshi. Probably remembering the kangaroo comments Jack threw his way in the past.
"Alright, sorry." he gave a resigned sigh. "Sorry I dropped in without telling you, and...sorry for making fun of your eyebrows." Julius nodded alongside him.
"Hmph." Tenshi didn't seem to really be kicking them out, at least. He brought out a strainer, a bowl, and a bag of rice.
"Okay." Clover pouted, finishing her search and finding no chips, candy, or soda. She turned to the guests. "So, what was the, um, diplomatic meeting about? Introductions or something?"
"We're kind of going around to meet other spirits. Improve the, uh, rapport between the Guardians and...not-guardians." Jack finally took a sip of his tea.
"Oh. So Julius tagged along too?"
"Something like that."
"I wanted to see my friends." Julius said. "I'm pretty much done with the weather for now, so I figured, ya know?"
"Okay then. What do I have to do?" Clover asked. She plopped back down on the carpet floor.
"Just introduce yourself, explain what you do." Jack pulled one of the books from the floor over to himself and began to flip through it.
"Huh. Well...My full name is Carina Fioritura, but everyone calls me Clover or Clo."
"What happened to Lady Spring?" It sounded like Bunny had tried to ask that under his breath, but Clover definitely caught it.
"Lady Spring is something the previous Keeper went for. It's not really my style, though."
"That's something I've been meaning to ask about." Tooth said carefully. "I think all of us have met spirits that came before you. Old Man Winter, the Summer Sprites, and Lady Spring...Bunny mentioned Jack o' Lantern earlier." She nodded to Bunny, who rested his chin in his hand. "The issue is, we don't know when you all came into being, or how, or why. Not that it's a negative thing that you're here, of course, but…"
"Well, I didn't get to know Lady Spring personally." Clover focused her gaze down at the table. "I've only gotten to see her a couple times. She was really pretty, really vibrant. But the point is, Mother Nature passed the position to me. She said that she thought I deserved it, and she wanted me to carry on that role. I don't know her reasons, either."
"You're nothin' like Lady Spring was, in personality." Bunny said. He still looked to be in a stormy mood, but he softened his voice just a little. "You're not incompetent or anything like that, though. You've got a strong power and you use it well."
"Thanks…" Clover seemed bemused by the praise. Jack felt the same way, and he looked at Bunny with a raised eyebrow. The Pooka said nothing more. Tenshi had begun chopping vegetables. Clover cleared her throat.
"So yeah, my powers are all Spring-related, I guess. I can influence plant growth, and cause a rain shower." To demonstrate, Clover gestured to the TV set. There was a little potted succulent on its top. It was by no means unhealthy, but it was barely peeking over the edge of its pot. Clover squinted her eyes and concentrated, and suddenly the plant began to stretch. It grew like a vine, up and behind the TV's antenna, sprouting more and more plump leaves, until it stopped just short of the window. It was easily a foot taller than it had been before.
"Wow, very nice!" North said. Jack could practically see the wheels turning in his head, thinking up a good present for the younger spirit. Sandy clapped his hands together, making an exclamation point above his head. Clover smiled broadly.
"Thanks~ ah? Hey, get outta my sketchbook!" she suddenly leaned toward Jack, who was staying on one particular page.
"Is this of me…?" he asked, about to hold it up. Clover reached for it, but Jack held it up above his head. "Aww, were you drawing me, Clo?"
"Shut up, you dork, give it back!" Clover whined. "I'm not drawing just you!"
"So it's true!"
"Hey, were you gonna draw me too?" Julius asked before reaching up and swiping the book from Jack. "I wanna see!"
"No! I don't like showing unfinished ones-"
"I wanna see the finished ones, then!"
"Give it back or I'm drawing you as Raditz!"
"The disrespect!" Julius looked horrified.
"Is...this how all teenagers are?" North asked Tooth under his breath. The other Guardians looked between the squabbling young spirits on the floor, and the quiet young spirit nonchalantly cooking at the kitchen. Guardian dealings were usually in kids under 12, and completely human, at that. It had been many years since they'd had to pay attention to a teenager, though it stung a bit to phrase it that way. They were still getting used to keeping up with little children, in fact!
"Ah."
The bickering didn't stop, but the older Guardians turned to look at Tenshi, who seemed to have just realized something important. He turned to Bunny, not looking at all hostile like he did when first seeing the unfamiliar group of spirits.
"You don't eat meat, do you? Are you okay with just vegetable tempura and soup?"
"Tempura! Big bro, you should've told me!" Clover gasped. Tenshi jumped as if he'd been zapped by lightning. The annoyed look on his face returned, though it was mixed with sheer dread.
"Huhhh? Are you cooking for us all, big bro?"
Clover slowly shut her mouth as she realized what she'd done.
"Whooah, seriously, big bro? That's so kind of you!"
"Aww, big bro, I knew you loved us!"
The devilish grins returned to Jack and Julius' faces, along with a growing scowl on Tenshi's face.
"Get out of my home! I always cook dinner after work and it's not for you!"
Laughter came once again.
#SupportBigBrotherEyebrows2k18
Honestly, they make Tenshi look very serious, and they'e not that bad. Jack and Julius are being kinda mean because...well, you'll see.
We'll be going more in-depth with this weird group dynamic soon, so stay tuned!