I'm back! I'm sorry I've been gone so long. But hopefully my later writing will be better with the stuff I have to do at school;;

I hope you enjoy!

Knocking had been left up to Jack. He rapped his knuckles against the door, but then noticed the iron knocker and swung that against it instead. The hollow tone echoed in the quiet forest.

There was nothing for a moment. Oscuro flicked her tail and looked up at the second floor windows. The group followed her gaze. Dark curtains were drawn across the glass, with no light filtering through - until Jack saw a flicker of yellow and the dim shape of a hand lift the corner of the curtain. Jack saw his friends tense up, some with anticipation, others with concern.

The curtain fell back and the light disappeared. Silence hung in the air once again.

"...So is he comin' or wha-"

Bunny stopped short. The door handle wobbled and began to turn. As the hinges creaked, everyone stared at the figure that slowly made its way into the outdoor lantern light.

Hallow barely poked enough of himself out to be visible, but Jack could still survey his head as the spirit towered above him. Bed-mussed, multi-colored streaks of hair framed his pale face. His violet irises glanced at every stranger on his porch, though they lingered on Tenshi and Clover. The piercings in his ears and right eyebrow glinted when he moved his head. There were dark circles beneath his eyes.

"Can I help you?" as imposing as Hallow seemed, his voice was soft and apprehensive.

"Hallow! Sorry to drop by unannounced, but we brought some friends who wanna meet you!" Clover said, as loudly and as cheerfully as she could.

Jack sniffed to hide a laugh. He didn't want to be mean...but Hallow looked like he had been told to swallow a spider. He looked over the group again, and finally he stared down at Oscuro. The cat stretched and weaved her way past the door.

"Um...please hang on just a moment."

Hallow slammed the door, re-opened it, and closed it again softly with a quiet apology.

"What's with your 'friends', Jack?" Bunny asked, looking more irritated than cautious now.

"Well, you're pretty scary," Jack sighed, holding his staff behind his shoulders. "Hallow's anxious enough as it is. Maybe bringing you was a bad idea."

"Oi, there's no way the likes o' you are any better!"

"As long as you're nice to him, Hallow should open up a little bit." Clover said. "He's been through a lot, so...go easy on him?"

"As if we all haven't?" Bunny grumbled, more to himself than to everyone.

Finally, the door swung open again. Hallow stood beyond the frame, taller than everyone and skinnier too. He looked like one of the singers from the bands middle-schoolers seemed to love. He was wearing mostly black, but his skin and his accessories contrasted it sharply. Hallow was frighteningly pale, lighter than Jack himself. Tattoos covered his arms: symbols, animals, and flowers flowed down to his wrists, which were adorned with rubber neon bracelets. His hair was jet black streaked with different vibrant strands.

"P-please come in…" Hallow stepped to the side to let the group enter. "Sorry for the wait…"

Clover and Tenshi walked in without hesitating. Jack stepped in after them, followed by North, Tooth, and finally Bunny. The light in the house was dim, but it was better than the outdoor lanterns.

The house was just as old on the inside as it was on the outside. The unlabeled doormat was plush, if not a little grainy, beneath Jack's feet. The floor extended into old wooden boards through the entryway, with a runner rug leading up to the stairs. Jack turned to the side and nearly jumped at a strange figure, but it was only a coat rack with a dark brown cloak hanging on it.

"Um...over here is...the living room." Hallow waved them to the right, which opened up into a room full of outdated furniture, mixed with a few modern amenities. There was a brick fireplace with a TV above its mantle, a wooden coffee table with a large glass candy bowl in its center, colorful papers spread around it, and a few cat toys scattered around the dark red carpet. Oscuro had settled herself into the armchair. Hallow silently prompted everyone to sit on either the loveseat or the sofa. Clover almost resigned herself to sitting on the floor, but Hallow looked almost frightened by the notion, so she carefully let Oscuro come sit in her lap in the armchair while Hallow stood off to the side.

"Well...I suppose, um, I should introduce myself?"

I don't know why I struggled so much with this chapter. Please, if you have some feedback and constructive criticism for this one, I'd love to read it. Also if you just like it and want to push me to move faster XD

Hallow is my bean, my boi, I even have an RP blog for him- and next time, we'll get a little bit into his story, and what the Guardians think of them. See you soon, I really really hope!