Okay, so this is going to be the second 'part'. These will either be before or after Jack sees Oblivion, and one-shots. If it's before I will refer to them as Death, other wise it's Oblivion. -Z
It was the summer solstice, one of the biggest celebrations in the spirit world. Both solstices were a time of great celebration, but, this was the first big gathering since Jack had seen Oblivion.
"Must I attend this party?" Oblivion murmured, looking at Jack, begging for him to say they didn't have to go. "I've never gone before." Well, that was a lie, they hadn't ever gone before when anyone could see them.
"Yes." While it wasn't in Jack's nature to be calm, he wanted to be bubbly and convince Oblivion, but this was a more slow process. So instead, he smiled gently, holding Oblivion's hand. "The rest of the Guardians and I have spread news about you to the other spirits. You should have a formal time to meet and introduce yourself." Jack could see the hesitation and anxiety coming off in waves, he wanted them to feel safe.
"But, I already know all of them!" Jack ignored them, instead, he created a flower out of ice, and attached it to Oblivion's cloak. "Please, Jack. What... what if they hate me?" Their voice broke, and looked down at the ground.
Tears ran down their cheeks. Oblivion tried to picture being around all those spirits, they knew that they didn't take nicely to new spirits, especially if they were powerful. They had centuries to watch their interactions between each other, and they had no doubt that they may hate them.
"Hey, I don't think anyone will hate you." Jack tried to reassure them, his crystal blue eyes were so sincere, that Oblivion tried to believe it. Maybe, just maybe, this wouldn't turn out badly. "And, if they are insane, and claim not to like you, then you, me, and the rest of the Guardians will leave and have a party of our own."
"You really mean that?" Why would Jack want to leave the party just for Oblivion? It didn't make much sense, every time that Oblivion had dragged themself to be there, everyone had an amazing time. To give up that chance?
"Of course! Now, you should bring you camera. Make sure to bring the new one North gave you, it will be a perfect time to try it out." The winged spirit barely had a chance to grab the camera, before Jack pulled them off the ground with the wind, and pulled them through the air.
Lost in the moment, Oblivion forgot that they were afraid. Instead white wings extended, wind ruffling the feathers, and let themself love the feeling of Jack's hand on theirs.
"Wooohooo!" Jack yelled, smile wide, and was loving the waves of happiness and glee coming off of Oblivion. The world below them passed by in a blur, wind was cold in their face. "Faster Wind!" It obliged.
By the time that they landed, some of the worry had melted away. Oblivion clung to Jack, their hands intertwined, but they trusted Jack. It was going to be okay.
"They're going to be curious about you, but, I can do some of the talking if you want me to." Slowly, Jack led them through the trees, only to come across the true meeting spot for the party. It was a meadow, there were tables set up, food everywhere. Spirits were everywhere. All went silent as Jack and Oblivion walked past the forest, into full view.
"Jack! Oblivion! Is nice to see your faces!" North broke the silence, being his jolly self, he probably hadn't even noticed it. The bearded man pulled both into his arms, grinning madly, like he hadn't seen them in decades, while in reality, they were just at his workshop two weeks ago.
And, just like that, it wasn't silent anymore. Sure, there was so much tension in the air, you could taste it, but it wasn't deadly silent. North let go, and shoved a piece of cake into Oblivion's hands.
"It's good to see you too North." Oblivion barely got out the words, before North shoved the cake in Oblivion's mouth, much to their own horror.
"There. Too skinny. Jack, you must make sure she tries everything. Now, must find Phil." North wandered off, and Jack began laughing as Oblivion struggled to consume the treat, blush covering their face.
"Alright, let's go get some food before North comes back." Jack guided his partner with him, to the first available table covered with food. Thankfully, by the time they made it there, Oblivion had finished the food, which was tasty, but they would have enjoyed it a lot more if they could have eaten it slowly. "So, anything in particular you want to try? Here, would you hold my staff?" Oblivion took the wooden staff, aware of the trust Jack had to have to give Oblivion his weapon, even if for just a moment. Then turned to the table, which was full of delicacies.
The table was flooded with human and spirit food alike, and Oblivion had no idea what to try, or what they may like.
"Um. I don't know. What would you recommend?" Flowers covered everything, no doubt for the solstice, but it was beautiful, even if it distracted Oblivion from knowing what everything was by scent.
"Okay, how about this. Sweet or salty?" Jack grinned picking up a plate. "We'll share a plate."
"I like sweets." Without further prompting, Jack flew into action, pilling food up on the plate, much more food than Oblivion could ever hope to eat.
"Oh Jack! You must introduce me to your friend." Oblivion looked up, they hadn't even noticed the white haired spirit approaching. She looked similar to Jack, and immediately Oblivion knew who she was.
"Oh, hello Beira. This is Oblivion. Spirit of Life and Death. Beira is the Queen of Winter." She (Oblivion assumed she was female, with a title like queen, but, still…) had long white hair, pulled back in an intricate braid. Long, black robes hung off her shoulders.
"Hello." Now that they were setting up a plate, they were no longer holding hands. Beira's eyes were ice cold, a harsh cold, much unlike Jack's, but Oblivion tried to pretend they were warm. "It is nice to meet you."
"Likewise." She held out her hand, which Oblivion shook. Even if she didn't look as nice as Jack did, they couldn't help but smile at the fact that their hands made contact, that she didn't just pass through and leave that awful empty feeling. "We'll have to catch up later Jack." Without another word, she left.
"She's kinda bad with social stuff, so don't feel bad."
They found themselves sitting in the grass, sharing the food. It was all delicious, way better than anything Oblivion had managed to sneak on their own.
"Wow, this is amazing." Trying some sort of golden pudding type thing, Jack had called it ambrosia. It practically melted on their tongue. "Are all parties like this?"
Further in, there were some nymphs playing instruments, and many spirits were dancing with one another. Others sat together, much like Jack and Oblivion, some in groups of two, others in as many as ten. A couple of summer spirits were showing off their powers for the festival, ripening fruits, or controlling the weather.
"Mind if we steal Oblivion for a moment? The summer fairies said they need you for a demonstration, Jack, so we'll keep him company." Three spring sprites fluttered over, each wore brightly colored clothes. The one in the middle spoke up. "Hi, I'm Daisy. This is Basil, and Lily."
"Is that okay with you? If not, we can just sit here, I'm sure the fairies don't absolutely need me." Jack was giving Oblivion a choice, if they couldn't handle it, then it would be okay. But, looking at the three garden sprites, they looked friendly enough, so, slowly, Oblivion stood.
"Um, sure. Where are we going to go?" Wringing their hands, they looked at Jack, who had a proud smile on his face. Lily squealed excitedly, her purple-red wings fluttered faster than normal.
"Oh my goodness. We're gonna have a make over while we wait! Come on, it'll be fun!" Oblivion didn't know if it was going to be fun, but, they trusted Jack, and Jack didn't look worried at all, so, Oblivion followed the fairies.
"You are such a cutie! No wonder Jack likes you!" Basil cooed, as far as Oblivion could tell, Basil was the only boy fairy in the group. Blushing at his compliment, Oblivion shrugged.
"Thank you. You are very nice looking as well." That earned Oblivion another wave of coos as the fairies hugged him. They were his size, and because of the hug, they soon found themselves covered in three different colors of pixie dust.
"You would look lovely with some more color. Daisy, we have to find an amazing pallet for them. Natural, but popping!"
**The Spirit Called Death**
Jack had finished helping the summer fairies with their portion of the show for the morning, they would perform later on as well, but they promised they would get another winter spirit to help then.
Looking around, Jack tried to spot Oblivion, a little worried that they grew uncomfortable around so many people. But, his eyes fell on Daisy and her crew, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head. Daisy, Lily, and Basil, who he had made friends with in the last century, were sitting idly, drinking nectar, surrounding Oblivion, and keeping them engaged in a conversation, which in itself was a feat.
But, Oblivion. Instead of the old black and white cloak, that sat beside them, Oblivion wore a dark red cloak, and white flowers made into a crown atop their head. To top it all off, their silver eyes looked even brighter than normal, and a slight pink tint to their lips.
"-and then I told him, no way am I giving up this spot! I claimed it last fall." Daisy laughed, and Oblivion found themselves laughing along, mainly because Lily took that as a good time to begin drinking her nectar, only to have it come out of her nose as she laughed heartily.
"Would you join me for a dance?" Jack stood in front of Oblivion. "You're breath taking by the way." Blushing, they were going to politely decline, when suddenly, they were pushed by Daisy and crew.
"Sure." No point declining now, and took Jack's cool hand.
"Lily, would you hold my staff?" The fairies squealed in delight, and took his staff, while Jack pulled Oblivion to their feet. He slowly led Oblivion to the spot in front of the band, where a slow waltz was playing. "Are you having a good time?"
Everyone was watching them, they were almost floating across the ground, like the music carried them. All eyes on the spirits of winter and life, more eyes on Oblivion than they ever had before. But, they didn't even notice. They were busy staring right back into Jack's eyes.
"The best. Can we go to the winter solstice too?"