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The guardians are covered in frost and shivering when they emerge. Jack is already drifting through the hall, stopping at a corner to wait for them. He wordlessly offers them bits of food, pulled from the seemingly never-ending depths of his pocket.

"Go on, eat." He grumbled, turning away from them and pouting. "So you don't freeze."

"What is it?" Tooth is the one to ask the question, and Jack lets out an exaggerated sigh, turning back at them.

"It's magic. Makes you temporarily immune to the cold, so you don't, y'know, die." Then, as an afterthought "Don't eat anything else here. Even if it looks like it's coming from me."

"Where exactly are we?" "What is this place?"

Jack keeps walking, going through a maze of corridors with ease while the others are hopelessly lost. He ignores them for a few minutes, tapping seemingly random spots on the wall. There's silence for a few moments, all of them to awkward and unsure to break it. Sandy finally floats in front of Jack, sand forming multiple questions marks over his head.

"We're at the Winter Court. Don't touch anything and don't talk to anyone unless I say it's okay."

The guardians freeze in place, shocked. "The Winter Court? As in, THE Winter Court?"

Jack gives them an unimpressed look, tapping another place on the wall to reveal a new corridor. "There's only one Winter Court on this planet, Bunny."

"Yea, but… But it's full of dangerous spirits, Jack! And-"
Jack cuts him off, scowling at him and eyes flashing. "And what gives you the right to say that?"

"Sweet Tooth," Tooth approaches him cautiously, noting the harsh tone in his stance. "What Bunny means is that… the Winter Court doesn't have the best reputation. It's members are… violent and-"

"Full offense meant, Tooth, but I know more about the Winter Court than all of you combined."

"How do you know Winter Court, Jack? Is very solitary, no?"

"There's a reason for that, North. But yes, I do know the Court. In fact, I'm good friends with some of the members."

Sandy floats up, finally grabbing Jack's attention. He makes a symbol of multiple snowflakes, and Jack's staff going in the middle of them. Next is a happy face, and a question mark.

"How did I meet them?" Sandy nods, motioning for Jack to go on.

"And… if I'm happy with them?" Sandy nods again, and Jack fist pumps at guessing correctly. "I met them a few decades back, maybe… ninety years ago? I had just… run into some of the other seasonals. The heat sort of… made me tired. One of them was passing bye, and uhh… sort of helped me… I guess? And I definitely trust them. They've helped me a lot, over the years. Don't judge them too harshly until you meet them, please? And for the gods, please don't insult them."

"But-but! The Winter Court is harsh, cruel, and-"

Jack's eyes flash dangerously, fading to a darker blue, not unlike thin ice. His staff stops tapping the walls, going in front of him almost defensively. "And who the fuck told you that, huh?"

Tooth gasps, annoyingly shocked at the curse. She goes to protest, but Sandy stops her. He shakes his head and puts a finger to his lips. Jack continues, the dark tone never leaving his eyes.

"I'll tell you who, the Summer sprites!" The word 'sprites' is spat out like a vile curse, disgust filling Jack's face. The guardians are almost shocked, but Jack ignores them and keep going. "The very same sprites who beat us, keep us from doing our jobs! Who tell us that we're worthless, who fucking! kill! our! family!"

Jack seems to realize what he's doing, collecting himself and wiping away a tear before it freezes on his face. He grits his teeth, consciously pulling his staff back from in front of him. He looks down, not meeting their eyes.
"Jack?"

…

"Why… When did this happen?"

Jack sighs, pulling up his hood and flying up to sit on an ice support. He hunches in on himself and speaks quietly, to soft for them to hear easily.

"It… it was a couple of years after I woke up. I stayed too long where… where I wasn't wanted. I didn't… didn't know anything then, I just… went where Wind told me. And, I guess, I stayed too far into Spr-spring. I guess that's when, I mean, that was when I met Rain."

No one interrupts him, not to ask for more, so he gives as little information as possible. "Rain… he wasn't happy with me. And I was just- just stupid, and naive. I didn't know better. Rain must have told some of the others, because later, some- some spirits ganged up on me.

"That was the first time… I guess it just became routine. It was something I just- I just- I dunno, I just dealt with it. I was fine, I mean, I had a couple of friends, I guess. Some of the other Winter spirits, some of the fae, some of the others with bad reputations."

"What did they do?"

"Nothing much! Just, uh, a few cuts here and there. Just a couple of harsh words. Wasn't that bad, I swear!" Jack fiddles with the sleeves of his hoodie, tugging them down before he realizes what he was doing. The others don't believe him, because it's obviously hard for him to talk about this, but they let him continue.

"It was fine, really. I just… I didn't realize it wasn't just me. Some of the other from Winter, some of the 'darker' spirits. It was-well, I guess it was a punishment. Winter is death, and sickness, so it's not really regarded kindly. We aren't treated very well." He clears his throat, trying to get more comfortable. "One time, they mentioned something they did to The Little Match Girls. We're all umm, very protective of them. They're not the strongest, and they get picked on a lot."

He jumps down, sitting on the floor. The guardians don't say anything, can't think of anything to say. "I… I snapped. Just… The Little Match Girls… they're so innocent, basically children still, no matter how long they've been around. And they never bother anyone, either! Just… I got mad, and I couldn't control my powers."

Finally, he stuffs his hands in his pockets, the next words coming out as a whisper. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be, mate." They're all unsure of what to say, still, but Bunny speaks up, blunt as always. "It's not your fault."

Jack looks up at him, and they decidedly don't comment on the tears in his eyes. "I'm trying to change it. I just need time."

North goes forward, offering a hand to help Jack up. "How are you going to that?"

"I'm going-I'm going to start a riot." The next words are tentative, questioning. "Will you help?"