Chapter Six: Jet
"...kidnappers?" Jack echoed and Baby Tooth nodded wildly.
"Are you sure, that sounds kind of...odd" he mumbled and she pinched his hand.
Bunnymund looked to Jack.
"So, she's been abducted but...by who?"
Baby Tooth began to cheep again and all looked at her.
"...she heard them saying something about bonus money when they were outside, she has good hearing you know" Jack commented fondly.
"That's great but seriously...any idea, what did they look like, anythin on em?" Bunnymund pushed the questions forth and the little tooth fairy paused for a moment.
"A net...dark clothing...a man and a woman...studs"
"That does not sound good" North gulped.
What time had the guardian returned to the carriage? Pitch had fallen into slumber regardless; since they had been under this strange circus spell, Pitch had found himself and the guardian sleeping...something they didn't naturally require, he was now staring at the fairy not three feet away from him. She was on her side, as normal. He just watched the young woman sleep. She looked uncomfortable...cold. He wondered when they would get promoted to haystack beds at the least.
Pitiful and irritating as she was, Pitch couldn't help but rake his eyes over her with intrigue. The delicate, soft feathers. The clinking golden belt and boots. The fascinating eyelashes that flicked out flawlessly from her closed eyes. Her features were slim and charming. Beautiful really.
Leaning back and curling up, Pitch blinked a few times, trying to water his sleep-sore eyes. It was early morning, too dark to be true dawn. Another performance that afternoon and evening. Pitch wondered if he would outlive these ridiculous humans and escape when the one who laid the enchantment died. Or would they live forever, like demons. Like him.
Growling he sat up and ran a hand through his hair. His clothes fit him oddly, he felt a lot less restricted and that made him insecure. A shy tapping at the carriage door alerted him and he slowly looked over to the wooden frame which slowly opened.
The girl from before, Arna, peered in. Stopping dead still when she saw Pitch's starry eyes watching her like a cat in the darkness.
"Hey" she called, a grin slowly forming on her face. The king of nightmares blinked and enquired what she was doing.
"I bargained a room for you two, come on quickly though or it'll go" she sniggered. Stepping back out again. Pitch looked over at Tooth, ready to kick her awake when he stopped. Arna looked around, a little nervously but more with excitement as she heard the brittle door slide behind her and she turned to see Tooth cradled bridal style in the dark man's arms.
"Hurry, before she wakes" was all he said and Carnation didn't stop to make a wry comment, she simply took them down the edge of the railing and train over the dew damp grass to a narrow open door.
Slipping in, Carnation looked up and down before signalling for them to enter, Pitch rolled his eyes as she pressed her back against the wall and slid down 'inconspicuously' toward a little dorm room near then end.
"Here" she grinned, skipping in where a little candle was burning to illuminate a bunk bed.
"I get top" Pitch muttered with a deadpan voice and Carnation blinked cautiously in the flickering light.
"Very well, here, let's get her comfortable" the thirteen year old told him, helping him lower the guardian of memories into the bed where she sunk down and a blanket was thrown over her.
"Well...Imma leave ya to rest, night" Carnation stretched and yawned with a quick wave. Closing the door, Pitch looked at his new surroundings.
Much smaller than the former carriage but definitely cosier. With a little table for the candle and a couple of baskets in the corner for clothing and stuff then of course the bunk bed. Without a ladder, Pitch clambered up using his general agility and lay down on the lumpy mattress. It was fantastically comfortable and he would have fallen right to sleep if not for the fact he had to lean over and blow out the candle first.
"Up, up, up!" someone yelled and the door slammed open with a racket. A bustle of chatter and yells awoke the king of nightmares who swore quietly to himself that he would never get used to being greeted this way.
A soft yawn beneath him reminded him of the guardian of memories on the lower bunk. Leaping down he readjusted his twisted sleeves and pulled on his boots.
"P-Pitch?" Tooth watched him with confused surprise.
"Arna got us a room in the middle of the night, you were asleep" he told her simply.
"You carried me?"
"I did"
"...thanks?" Tooth didn't sound ungrateful, she was too busy being bewildered and strangely pleased with last night's refreshing sleep. "Oh this is much better, thank god" she muttered, yawning again.
"Come on" Pitch sighed. Leaving the room and she jumped out of the quilts to follow him, running fingers through her feathery hair and over her shoulders to tidy up a bit.
"Another performance tonight?" she enquired from over his shoulders but once Pitch had looked through one of the small windows he shook his head.
"No, they are packing away...we must be travelling"
"Yes we are, and you're doing jack shit, hurry up!" a gruff man yelled at him, passing with a large crate. Outside the sun glared and Pitch snarled at it's bright rays. This just wasn't healthy.
"Arna!" Tooth called to the canary like girl who was tugging at a small tent to lower it down, a white and gold one.
"Oh, hey!" the thirteen year old grinned, waving back. Accidentally letting the rope slip and she gasped until Tooth fluttered over with ridiculous speed to catch it for her.
"Haha, there" she smiled.
"Jee, you're fast ain't ya, how come ya ain't escaped?" Carnation marvelled, Tooth helped her tug down the shelter.
"They have an enchantment over the perimeter according to Pitch and day time is the only time they will let me off the leash...literally...so they would just catch me"
"Someone lookin for ya?"
Tooth was surprised by the question.
"...Yes..actually" she didn't realise it but she had only just tuned into the fact she had been subconsciously waiting for the other guardians this whole time, hardly thinking about it directly as a result of fear and constant curious confusion.
"Lucky you, I haven't" Arna sighed, moving forward to wrap up the material.
"Oh...I'm sorry"
"Nah, don't be...been here since I was seven" she smiled crookedly and Tooth cocked her head to one side.
"Do you remember why?"
"Not really, too young I guess"
Tooth wanted to help her remember, wanted to collect her own teeth container and let her discover her past but she couldn't do that trapped in this grotesque circus. They needed to get out. As Arna trudged off with the equipment, Tooth darted over to Pitch who was standing, clearly doing no labour and not a care in the world as other workers glared at him.
"Pitch...we...we need to get out of here!"
"Oh I am glad you have realised that by now" he snarled.
"I really mean it!" she hissed and Pitch blinked at her sudden fire and smirked for a second.
"Well pray tell when you have a plan" he told her, glancing around and baring his short, sharp teeth at a man who flipped the bird at his apparent idleness.
"We might as well help" Tooth claimed but Pitch outright ignored her and went off. Sighing, the tooth fairy went over to some bags that had been lumped together by some carriage doors. Fluttering over she helped the man loading them in.
"Oh, it's you" he grinned.
Tooth near dropped the bag when she noticed Voodoo in his suspenders and boots, dark curly hair messier than usual.
"...yes..." was all she said, passing it to him quickly, he was grinning too much.
"I ain't gonna hurt you, and Trollson ain't around, don't worry" he told her. That hardly did much to settle her nerves but she appreciated the fact the brutish man wasn't currently present to torment her.
"I...thought you were a customer" she commented. Less friendly but still with a lightness in her voice.
"Nah, just a worker, me" he replied, huffing as a bigger piece of luggage was handed over.
Later that evening when all had been packed and people were running for the now steaming and squealing train, the last of the doors closed and with a wild whistle, the train cluttered into movement. Toothiana was practically thrown across her small room by the violent jerk and she gasped.
"Try to stay on your feet, fairy" Pitch rolled his eyes, not having moved an inch on his bed where he read a book. Tooth briefly wondered where he'd found it.
Tooth scowled at him before glancing around. He had his literature but she had nothing.
"Hey I might...I might explore the train" she told him. Why did she feel slightly disappointed when he didn't seem fazed let alone interested by the idea.
"Have fun" he muttered, turning the page.
Stepping out cautiously, she could hear laughter and chatter coming from both left and right and she took her instincts to turn right when she went into a very full carriage of dancers and gymnasts. Only some looked at her and those who did turned away carelessly. They were not bothered by her it seemed and it was a comfort in some way. It was better than torment or insult.
"So some eccentric freaks have her or something?" Jack sighed, leaning back and rubbing his eyes.
"Not necessarily..." Sandman gestured and they all looked.
"What do you mean?"
Sandman presented a series of images that conveyed something along the lines of there being only few people who not only dressed in such a way but acted in a way too. And they worked for a very interesting line of work...freak show business.
"Like a circus?" Bunnymund claimed incredulously and Sandy nodded.
The night went past in a blur of trees and splintering sparks off the rails. Cheering boomed through that corridor as some of the working men tried to see how far they could lean out without falling to their most likely death. Pitch stood behind Tooth in a bored fashion as the fairy couldn't help but squeal along with the other dancers as they watched the men go further and further out. Apparently a lot of people kicked the bucket this way but they didn't care, no one cared.
"What about your friend, fairy?" one of the dancers called with a cheeky smirk. Toothiana turned to Pitch then back.
"I doubt it" she chuckled.
"I'll give it a go" Pitch claimed. The guardian of memories turned back again, quicker and with shock.
"Really?"
Everyone was looking now, the guys urging him on with meaty grunts. The girls giggling and sliding fingertips over his back and arms as he made his way to the door. Facing the crowd, he smirked and started leaning back, fingers gripping the door frame. Everyone screamed and chanted for him to go further and further. Tooth was so caught up in it all, she clasped her hands together with shock, fear and excitement as he went out more and more. The wind lashing around his head and scraping his hair.
Then he fell.
Everyone shrieked and moved forward to look for him, looking out and yelling. Anxious mutters filled the corridor and Tooth felt her heart plummet. What...what...
Sly, velvety laughter shocked everyone as Pitch appeared behind Tooth and after a few moments of complete dumbfounded silence, there were cheers and loud, incredulous claims he must be a magician. After recovering from the initial shock, Tooth started to laugh, she turned and chuckled to Pitch with a grin and hearing that sound. Just for him.
He smiled.
A/N: I'm working off fizzy water here guys. So here we are, a little bit of cutesy, nonsensical nonsense and progression in this here relationship! Haha! Ciao for now!
-LAW09
~Review Replies~
Anonymous chick: Ahh, that is the cutest nickname, god bless you ahaha, I'm so happy you are enjoying the cavity love! It is dark but thanks so much for the review!
LunatrixLupin: AHAHAHAHAHA, who knows, I've tortured the poor boy before. You're not the first to suggest it either. I might just have to comply….thanks so much for the review you evil thing!
Jrobin1816: Those are the magic words "have me hooked" and I'm so glad they grace my story! There is definitely more coming! Thanks so much for the review!
"Foreverrr" Guest: I know you have! I promise there will be more regular updates now! Thanks so much for your patience and the review!
Galimatias: That is so fantastic thank you so much! It's my favourite thing to put people in a survival situation to see their reactions so I'm glad you are enjoying it so far! Thanks for the review!
BVBlover4ever: Jee golly, that's one hell of a review! Really made me smile! Wow, okay, I'm so, so delighted you are enjoying it! I can't believe you actually wanted a story like this, It's fantastic because I didn't know how many people would want to read a story like this! I don't want to spoil anything but the odds of rape happening are pretty slim if you want to know. But that guy, Trollson, definitely isn't harmless. Ooh, suspicious of Voodoo huh? It was to be expected, ahahah. Pitch is able to control shadows within about a three metre radius and his sand and transportation a limit of about the same. With more powers and fear this radius expands and vice versa when he weakens. I like the idea of him shapeshifting, will probably involve that now so thanks for the suggestion! There will probably be a werewolf because I love them ahahah, oooh, we can always get a handsome teen wolf on the scene ahahaha. The ones being mean aren't freaks. They're just more inferior workers. It is to do with them only having power in that way, yes. Oh my gosh, I don't mind. I'm more than happy to answer questions as long as they don't involve stories. It's so sweet you say to update whenever, but don't worry, I intend to be more regular with my updates. Thank you so much for the fantastic review!
RubixSoul: Wow, WOW. Ahahha, I'm thrilled you are so excited! So many capitals! Do not fear! There will be rage-quitting at some point...I think ;)
Oh man, I'm so happy you are looking into what might happen and that you are enjoying what there is so far! Well damn, that's gonna have to be a quote in the story, that's really intense. I love it!
Aye, Bunny is definitely going to get his chance. Hahaha, MOMMA OMG AHAHAHAHAHAHA. This is a fantastic review, thank you so much!
