Here we go!
"This is the shiniest place I've ever seen," Clover gasped. "Except maybe Reaper Headquarters - no, this is like, metal so it's super shiny!"
"I'm glad you like it!" Tooth said, guiding her into the palace entrance. She had taken Clover in for the night, more to diffuse the argument between Jack, Tenshi, and Bunny. They had gone their separate ways in the clearing, with Tenshi carving a portal, Bunny opening a tunnel, and North flying to the Pole with Jack and Jay. Tooth and Clover had flown with the aid of the wind, cutting down on time.
"I'm sorry if the pace around here gets jarring. Busy all the time...ooh! There's a bicuspid in Queens, can you stop there too?" she turned to a pair of fairies she'd overheard planning their route. They nodded and started back on their way, while another group zipped in the opposite direction carrying their haul.
"You're amazing at managing them," Clover waved at a curious little fairy that fluttered close to her. "Isn't it tiring?"
"Tiring, yes. Rewarding, so much more." Tooth smiled at a fairy group as they loaded a tooth box with the child's first baby canine.
"Thanks for letting me stay with you," Clover said. She ducked her head down and stared at the ornate tile floor. "And, uh, sorry you had to see Tenshi like that. He's really protective of me."
"If you don't mind me asking, what does he have against Jack?" Tooth reached out her hand to guide Clover toward the bedchambers of the palace. The Spring Sprite followed, still looking at every detail she could see in the walls and roofs.
"Well, I think it's mostly that their personalities are so different. Tenshi is really serious and stuff. Jack is, well, not. But he's also really protective of me…" she paused, nudging her shoe against the ground. "I'm kind of like his only family, so he can be really strict."
"Did you...know him as a human?" Tooth's eyes darted in the direction of the storage wing, just for a second.
"No, but he knew me. My zio kind of took him in."
They stopped in front of a door relieved with flowers and studded with gems around the handle.
"Zio raised my sister and I. Our family was always kind of sensitive to spirits and things, but Zio was really kind. He saw Tenshi and...Tenshi was at kind of a low point. He didn't have anyone and his work was really rough. So we became like a family." Clover's expression dropped a bit. "Our sensitive blood ran kinda sick too. Zio and my sister died when I was still small. So Tenshi lost his family again, except for me."
"..." Tooth brought her hand to her mouth. "Lost it...again, you said? That's awful…what happened the first time?"
"Uhh, but then I moved into the Reaper Apartments and lived there with him so it's all good now!" Clover turned to face her with a bright, big smile. "He still worries all the time, though. Honestly, I think he believes Jack likes me or something. Weird, right? But it's nothing really."
Tooth decided not to mention how Clover ignored her question. The girl shrugged and went into the room, marvelling over the decor and the big, plush lingered by the door. The story replayed in her mind, but she brought out a smile as Clover asked her about a bath and a snack.
Jack pouted through the worst sleigh ride of his spirit life. Everyone was silent, even North, who had given up trying to lighten the atmosphere a few minutes in. He cut the trip short with one more snowglobe. It spat them out back at the Pole, and North helped the yetis settle the reindeer while Jack led Jay to the bedrooms again.
"...can we get something to drink first?" Jay asked. Jack shrugged, saying nothing. Jay side-eyed him for a minute before speaking again.
"I don't know about you, but I'd feel better about eating all this candy-" he held out Hallow's gift in front of Jack's face. "-if I at least had some water or something. Can we get some, please?"
"Yeah, sure." Jack said. He didn't want to sound too short with Jay, but he also didn't want to be upset at all, so reality just angered him even more.
"Maybe another time, we can all have a movie night or something at my place…" Julius continued. "With everybody, you know? Except Tenshi."
"I don't wanna talk about him." Jack said.
"You mean you don't wanna talk nicely about him."
"No that is not what I mean."
"You sure?" Julius raised an eyebrow. "Last time this happened you talked...stuff...all day."
"It's not talking 'stuff' if it's true, is it?" Jack spun his staff around in his hand as they passed the bedrooms and headed for the kitchen. "He's uptight, he's annoying, and you know what? I bet he doesn't even know half the crap Clover gets up to when he's not around-"
Jack's mini-rant carried them into the kitchen and all the way through getting their late-night snacks. By the time he grew tired of the vent, they were back in his room with milk, juice, and a pile of cookies to share.
"Tatum is next, right?" Julius asked, eating another piece of hard candy. "They're probably getting ready for the next few months."
"They can stand an afternoon break, right?" Jack finished off a cookie and pulled Hallow's experimental candy gift from his pocket. He pulled one out and studied it. It seemed innocent enough…
"Yeah, and I think Bunny might like 'em. They've got the painting thing in common."
"! These aren't too bad!" Jack said, having finally eaten one of the candy pumpkins. "It's liquorice, but...rasberry too."
"Eh, makes sense with the colors. His experiments have been a lot tamer these days, huh?" Julius narrowed his eyes at the bag as Jack took another candy.
"..." the second one was nothing like the first. Jack's face crinkled at the bitterness that flooded his taste buds, and his eyes widened as heat flared all around his mouth.
"Whoa!" Jay gasped as Jack coughed and sputtered. He handed over the untouched cup of milk. "Your face is so red!"
"Guh-" Jack spat the candy out and downed the milk. The hot taste was quelled for a moment, but returned as a dull tingling sensation in his throat.
"What was that one?" Julius asked as he picked up the discarded treat with a napkin.
"Pepper," Jack rasped. "Black and red."
I'm shooting for regular Thursday updates, ya'll! Thanks for reading!