I'm alive! I know this hiatus was unplanned and unannounced, and for that I apologize. I had a bit of trouble figuring out where the story was going. I didn't want it to be too much of a rinse and repeat of just meeting everyone - and I know that it might still seem that way for now, but I hope you stay with it because I finally discovered an opportunity for more conflict. I hope you enjoy the coming chapters - and thank you for your patience.
"That'd be a good start." Jack spun his staff between his palms. Hallow looked him over, his eyes still nervous. Actually - he was still looking at nearly everyone that way. Jack barely hung out with him these days, even though he enjoyed candy and Halloween shenanigans as much as anyone else. Hallow mostly kept to himself anyway, so it was hard to know what he was thinking.
"Well…" Hallow fiddled with his hands, rubbing his fingers over his nails - also black like his clothes. "My name is Hallow…"
"Yep, we got that part down," Jack raised an eyebrow. Hallow shrank back into himself, while Tenshi shot Jack a dirty look. "Sorry, continue."
"I, um...I have a responsibility to watch over Halloween," said the fidgety spirit. "For about half a century or so now."
"Wait, you've only been around for half a century?" Bunny looked severely unimpressed with what he seemed to think was a lie. Hallow quickly shook his head.
"No, no, that's not it! I was around for many ages. I started looking after the holiday more recently."
"What did you do before that?" Tooth asked. She looked far less concerned, and seemed more genuinely curious. Jack relaxed a little bit.
"Um...just stayed around, I suppose. I paint, I do science, potion making…" Hallow glanced toward the hallway. Jack followed his eyes and caught the gleam of a door handle. "Sometimes the forest animals come looking for food or shelter so, I help them out…"
He wins the award for best rejected Disney princess, Jack thought. Or the worst evil witch.
The conversation was certainly going nowhere fast, and everyone knew it. Tenshi, bless his short-tempered heart, spoke up to get a subject going.
"What about all the stuff you do at the night market, Hallow?" he asked. "You're always busy every time it comes around."
"Oh yeah, tell us about this amazing night market that I never got invited to." Jack glared at everyone in the room, which at least made them all wince. Clover shrugged.
"We seriously thought you knew." she said. Jack continued to glare, though far less severely.
"Wait...what do you mean?" Hallow's voice broke the moment up, and when Jack focused on him, he noticed the confused frown on his face.
"I've invited you to the market before." Hallow continued.
"What? When?" Jack said, alarmed. Hallow steepled his fingers and looked down at the floor.
"Not too long after we met. You were really lively and nice, and I left a pass tacked to your tree...b-but I didn't see you at the market and lost touch with you for a while after that, so I thought maybe I came on too strongly and it was uncomfortable and I just didn't mention it…"
Hallow's voice grew softer as he explained himself, never meeting Jack's eyes.
"What?! I don't remember seeing any pass!" Jack ran a hand through his hair. "What the heck? That was like, decades ago!"
"Where could it have gone?" Tooth said with a frown. "Passes don't just disappear."
"Well, if you left it on a tree, there's always the chance for it to fall or rip or something." Tenshi said. "Maybe it was just bad luck."
"No, I mean..." Tooth crossed her arms. "Passes don't just lay around unclaimed. If it waits long enough without being picked up, it would just reset and return to the Ticket Office. It doesn't rip that easily, either."
Jack stared at her for a moment.
"How do you know all of that?" he asked. Tooth shrugged.
"The Market a good place to find gifts to leave. I'm friends with a few of the staff members."
Jack leaned back in his seat. His mind was so close to reeling as he mulled over everything. He'd had so many years to think on the ins and outs of work and life - afterlife? - but every time he learned something new, it was like he had to figure it out all over again. There were so many more questions to ask, but Hallow spoke again and brought his attention back.
"Well, nothing unseemly happened at that market that I can recall, so I guess it must have reset. I'm sorry, Jack."
"Whaaat…" Jack sighed. "All this time?"
"I'm really sorry," Hallow said, biting his lip. "I should have thought that through better. If you like, I'll give you a pass for the one later this year."
"Really?" Jack saw the faintest hint of a smile on Hallow's face. "...thanks."
"How did you meet Jack, Hallow?" North asked. Hallow suddenly seemed to remember that the other Guardians were even there, and he reigned himself in a little more.
"Oh, um...it's not a very exciting story, but it was a fun night." he went back to playing with his hands. "Let's see…"
"It was Halloween in 1952, right? Cold enough for frost, but not enough to stop the trick-or-treating fun..."
I love Hallow so much. He deserves a good life. Also I SWEAR I was not trying to wait until actual Halloween to post this...
I wonder where Jack's night market pass really went...
Oh, well. We'll find that out later. ;P I need to get going on this story because I have another idea that won't really make sense unless I get through all these friends.