sCReeeeEchhh.
Red x. Scribble. Circle. Arrow.
Crumpled papers litter the floor like flowers in a field, a blur of paper, ink, and markings. There's printed out sheets of weather patterns for the past twenty years, predictions, maps and circles and arrows and handwritten notes.
Erase that. Change that. Write that down.
He's almost done. He just needed to make an outline for the others. They wouldn't agree if there wasn't a plan. He has a step-by-step outline for them, but he's afraid it won't be enough.
They were afraid, understandably. The other courts would have more power than them combined. They had been hurt, had become paranoid. Jokul had warned him. If anything were to go wrong, things would just get worse. But he was rallying them. He had to.
They were so reluctant. Things needed to change, but no one was willing to change them.
If he could only start it, they would be-
His thoughts are interrupted by the door swinging open and North's booming laughter. He scrambles to shove the papers into an old messenger bag he had stolen from Hermes (and he claimed to be the god of thieves.) He's not quick enough though, because the others see him.
Tooth flits over, looking down at some of the papers left. He's immensely grateful that they are just weather patterns. Easy to explain, considering his nature. "What are those, Jack?"
Jack pulls on an easy smile, grinning up at her and lounging on the chair. "Just some weather patterns. Trying to figure out how I can mess them up without destroying the world."
"Yea, right," Bunny scoffs. "Aren't you not allowed to mess with Mother Nature's plans?"
Yes. He's completely disobeying the rules. It's for a good cause. "Nah. She doesn't really pay attention to us, so we can pretty much do whatever we want, as long as we don't run into the others." He realizes his mistake a second too late to keep himself from pronouncing the words.
"Us?" Tooth asks, at the same time North questions "Others?"
Shit. Why did he think it was a good idea to work at the Pole?
"Umm...yea." He swallows thickly. "Us as in the other winter sprites. And others as in the, uh, the other seasonals."
"I didn't know you were friends with the other seasonals…" Bunny regards him curiously.
Little frost, no friends left to help you now…
"We're no- I mean I- Um-There's… there's a lot about them- I mean me- that you don't, uh, know." Jack's voice is to tight, to clipped, even to him.
Sandy floats up in front of him, showing his surprise in the form of rapid-fire sand images. He waves a sand flag when Jack turns his head away, shoving the remaining papers into his bag and slinging it over his shoulder. He refuses to look at the others.
"Anyways," He said, pulling up his hood and floating a bit. "Uh, it's time for the meeting, right?"
The meeting is over quickly.
He begins feeling a little bad when the other Guardians don't meet his eye. Worse when the meeting is cut short and they are all invited to stay after and he leaves anyways.
They just go through the motions. Yea, they're a little shocked. They'll get over it. This is more important. They'll understand soon enough anyway.
But when he goes to leave, Bunny catches his wrist and pulls him back from the window, despite his protests. "Alright, your gonna tell us what's going on, Frostbite."
Aw, poor little sprite… don't you know all you bring is frostbite?
Jack tries to tug his arm away, but Bunny's grip is tight, and his staff is being taken away from him. "Hey! Let me go!"
We won't let you go this time, Frost. But don't worry, we'll take good care of you. We might even have some fun...
"Nah, mate, your gonna tell us what's going on, cause there's obviously something wrong."
"Give me my staff!"
What's up with that, anyway? Why's this stick so important to you, Frost? Maybe we should take it away… After all, only good boys deserve toys.
"Frostbite, just tell us what's going on."
He doesn't respond, still struggling to get away. He doesn't like being trapped, and this is entirely to much like previous experiences. He faintly hears Tooth's scolding tone, but he can't tell who it's directed towards. Distantly, he hears his breathing speed up, his movements growing more panicked, his frantic voice.
None of it mattered. They still came, no one to hear him or see his panic. He didn't matter.
Logically, he knows that there isn't any problem. These were the Guardians, not… They weren't going to hurt him. Intentionally, at least.
They wouldn't hurt him, right? He was a seasonal, like them. He was just doing his job.
He can barely feel himself being let go (the unpleasant warmth lingers on his wrist, over old scars) and being gently guided away somewhere. He feels the soft fabric of a chair giving under his little weight, a whisper of hands on his shoulders. He just needs to breathe, focus on brea-
Can you breath, frost? Where are your powers now? Why can't you freeze a little water? Jack Frost couldn't possibly be afraid of the very element he controls, right, freak? Isn't that right?
Frost? Afraid of drowning? I almost can't believe it.
Poor frost, you can't breathe, can you? Go ahead, freak. Take a big, deep breath. Breathe in your own element. Be scared of it.
Drown, frost.
Slowly, slowly, every so slowly, he is brought back to the waking world. Colors blur back into shapes, then faces. His breathing is still rapid, his heartbeat calming to slowly to notice.
He's sitting on one of the big, plush chairs that North seems to have everywhere. Tooth flies backwards from him as his eyes become focused, worry clear in all of their eyes. Sandy holds his staff, and he launches himself towards it, before North moves and blocks his way.
He doesn't exactly know what's happening. He probably had a flashback, he reasons. So he focuses on calming himself, calming down. Jack carefully sits back down, but he can't tear his eyes away from his staff.
There is the silence that he hates so much, all the Guardians unsure of what to say. So he breaks it, if only to hear something. "Can I have my staff, please?" The please is tacked on and stressed.
"Are you going to run away?"
"Bunny!" Tooth scolds him.
Bunny ignores her. "Well, are you?"
Jack glances around the room. The windows are closed, and yetis are oh-so-conveniently placed in front of the door. Great.
"No." He lies.
Sandy grins and floats towards him, putting forth one end of his staff like a peace offering. He nearly snatches it up, frost immediately spreading between the cracks of the wood. Ice cracks up it, and he jumps out of his chair, aiming for a side door left unattended. North catches him and slowly lowers him back into the chair, making him have to look up to see them.
"It was worth a try." He says towards Bunny.
They ignore Bunny's protests as Sandy floats forward, flashing question marks, snowflakes, staffs, and frowning faces.
"It was just a small flashback...No big deal. Don't you guys have work to do?"
"That wasn't nothing, Frostbite."
He flinches at the name. That's all you do, bring frostbite and sickness and death. No wonder no one likes you.
"Yea, it was. Don't worry about it. It happens every twenty or so years. I think they're memories from like, I dunno, a past life or something. " The lies fell of his lips too easily.
"And let's say we believe that. What's in the bag, then?"
No one believes you, do they Jack? And no one will, ever, because you. are. not. worth. it! You'll stay invisible, like you deserve.
He curses the others in his mind for letting Bunny take the lead. "Nothing important. It's just some work!"
"Then you won't mind me taking a look." Bunny says, and Jack realizes that he has the messenger bag in one paw and starting to open it.
Why wasn't anyone interfering?
"No, don't!" He starts trying to get the bag back, but Bunny holds it above his head, and there is no wind to lift him inside.
"Hey! Give it back, Bunny! That's mine!" Why isn't anyone taking his side on this?
He jumps up and tries to grab the bag as Bunny opens it more, pulling out a few papers.
Why were all the windows closed again?
He wacks Bunny on the head with his staff, but it doesn't deter him from reading the papers.
"Step One," he reads, and Jack goes stiff. "Gather spirits. Step Two, show research, Step Three, rally…"
He keeps getting slower and slower with his reading as they get more confused and Jack feels more dread building up in the pit of his stomach.
"Jack," North says slowly, speaking for the first time. "What is dis?"
Ok, sure, now North speaks up. Great timing.
He stays silent for a moment, weakly glaring at the others. "It's my work. My plans for the next few winters."
"Yea, because redirecting all storms to Antarctica is preparing for winter."
"Uh, it, umm, there's been to many storms! We need a reset in the balance!"
"Liar."
Sandy tugs on his sleeve, but Jack ignores him in favor of jumping to get his papers back. Tooth flies up towards Bunny grabbing a paper and reading it for herself. North moves to lock the door. Bunny glances up at him, reading the paper. "You got a plan here, and it doesn't look like something Mother Nature would approve of. What's going on?"
He finally gets his papers back, shoving them in his hoodie pocket after grabbing them from the others. He tugs his bag away from Bunny, slinging it over his shoulder and bolting for the door. It's still locked, and he groans in annoyance before slowly turning around to face the others. "Umm. Can I have a key, please?"
"Jack."
"Fine! It's plans for a personal project of mine!"
"Jack. Why is the such a big deal?"
"Ughhhhhhhhhh," he sits on the floor, setting his staff across his laugh, scowling at the spirits before him. "I guess you were going to find out anyway."
"Find out what?"
"How am I gonna… You know what, it's easier to just show you." He glares at their curious stares and groans again. Why did he think it would be a good idea to work at the Pole? He should have known it was a bad idea. Arggggh.
Stupid spirits, messing in business that wasn't theirs.
He gets up, searching in his pocket for the little glass sphere. He takes it, pointedly ignoring the others, frosting the thin glass over and singing the hymn under his breath. Jack carefully sets the sphere down, before smashing it with the end of his staff. The glass dissolves, releasing dirty blue smoke, swirling and twisting in a spiral. The process takes him ten minutes, and he ignores the others when the ask him questions. When it's done, he is tempted to go through and close it behind him, effectively escaping, but he feels guilty at Sandy's curious expression.
He ushers the others in, telling them to just trust him. He walks into the portal himself, muttering about how the others are going to hate this.