Disclaimer: I don't own RotG. I do own Reshma, Janey and Insanity/Virhorann. Also, I own the cover image.
Yep, I own a lot.
"E. Aster, could you open a tunnel?" Reshma asks the Pooka.
"It's Bunnymund," he replies sourly.
Reshma stares at Bunny with an unreadable expression before repeating her question. "Bunnymund, could you open a tunnel?" she deadpans.
"Depends sheila," Bunny cocks an eyebrow. "Where we heading?" Jack explodes into giggles.
"You- you guys are a riot!" he chortles. Exaggeratedly, he wipes a tear from his eye. "Oh Kangaroo, you better be careful. Reshma might beat you up!"
"I'm not a kangaroo, snowflake," Bunny shoots back.
"Hey! Don't call me snowflake! What have I said about calling me snowflake?"
"Same thing I've said about calling me Kangaroo," Bunny retorts.
Jack shrugs. "I can't help it if you were born looking like a kangaroo, Kangaroo."
"Just like I can't help it that ya look like a snowflake!" Reshma steps between them, a glowing, pale orange thread extending into the ground pinched between her finger and thumb.
She ties the thread to Bunny's wrist. "You will follow this."
Bunny's bright green eyes widen as soon as the thread touches his fur. "What is this? Bloody hell!" he cries, frantically trying to yank it off. Reshma slaps his paw away.
"It's magic," the look she fixes him is one of pure disdain. Luckily Bunny is too distracted by the "magic" thread for his pride to demand he fight back or the pair would likely be arguing all day. "Through it you can sense the tunnel you need to dig. So hop to it, Bunnymund," she mocks. Jack stuffs his fist in his mouth to stifle his laughter.
Begrudgingly, Bunny spits; "Fine, Resh," and thumps the floor with his foot. A hole opens up beneath the Guardians and Reshma, gravity drawing them down it. The tunnel twists and turns: North shouting in surprise, Jack crowing in delight, Tooth squealing, Sandy with his arms raised in joy and Reshma whooping as they plummet and tumble. Bunny, in a passing thought as he bounds in his element following the path of the thread steadily becoming more orange then red, that Reshma has a nice laugh when she is not so restrained. He quickly shakes himself out of that as he emerges from the tunnel, the others spilling out behind him. Who's to say we can even trust her? he thinks to himself.
North lands on his face after Bunny, the others landing gracefully thanks to their abilities to fly, float or do whatever the hell she wants. Reshma leaps off the ground like a true Pooka next to Bunny and whispers in his sensitive ear; "Jack's right. I might beat you up." The radiant smile on her face is enough to dispel most of Bunny's anger, robbing him of his wits for a moment.
The bruised Cossack breaks him out of it with a well-timed interruption. "Would like warning next time, Bunny!"
Bunny chuckles. "Didn't think ya'd need it, mate."
"Where are we?" Tooth buzzes around the room, first to notice the plain white walls hung with a cobweb or two, plastic containers and a moth-eaten couch dotted with miscellaneous stains.
Swivelling his ears and sniffing the air, Bunny scopes his surroundings. "I'd say somewhere around England. Probably London by the pollution and noise. Quite a number of humans… is that screaming?" he glances Reshma's way in shock.
"Correct. We are in London, England, psychiatric care facilities, female ward." This earns the attention of all five Guardians.
"Seriously? A mental hospital?" Jack questions. "Makes sense I guess. For Insanity."
Sand images appear over Sandy in rapid succession. "No. The person we're looking for is in the male ward. This was the best choice for an arrival gate," Reshma reasons.
"So where is Insanity?" North asks, slightly oblivious.
"He's not here." Before the Guardians can protest Reshma continues undeterred; "But our lead to him is. In the male ward to be specific." Reshma's sombre exterior has returned full force as she lifts her skirt. Instantly North, Bunny and Jack turn away and Tooth blushes, shielding her eyes, but Sandy has a knowing smile on his face. She is about to perform some of her so-called magic.
Instead of showing off her undergarments, as she peels off her dress a nurse's outfit is revealed, navy slacks and a prim blue shirt. Even her slippers change to sensible trainers and her hair loses its otherworldly shine and glimmer. Overall she looks… human. "It's fine. I'm not naked," she huffs at the embarrassed Guardians. "You are each over a hundred years old, or over a thousand," her gaze lands on Bunny, fidgeting slightly under her scrutiny. "The bared body shouldn't faze you. You are not even fully human." Again her gaze goes straight to Bunny.
"Well, maybe I'm being respectful!" finally bursts out a very annoyed Pooka.
Patronisingly, Reshma pats his head. Bunny growls. "Thank you Bunnymund but I am not bashful and it is not as if none of you are naked. Only Jack, Nicolas and Sanderson wear clothes, if you count what Sanderson wears as an article of clothing. You, on the other hand," she makes a show of running her eyes along the length of Bunny's body, who twitches involuntarily. Before the conversation can descend much further Tooth, with her face pure, bright red, flies between them.
"Okay! Stop- stop now!" Tooth stutters. "Let's just go get the lead already." Reshma strides confidently from the room, the two flustered, naked Guardians following and Sandy bobbing serenely at their heels. Jack stops North and murmurs slyly; "I know what you can give to Tooth and Bunny for Christmas." North shakes his head in amusement.
The Guardians trail after Reshma, navigating the halls. They pass no humans until they come to an opened door in one hallway of closed doors. It is a woman, hair half brushed and clothes rumpled. It is clear she is a patient. And she see right through them, directly to Tooth.
The mental patient's eyes widen. "The Tooth Fairy," she breathes. Tooth ruffles her feathers in surprise, flitting closer to the awed woman. When the woman smiles Tooth recoils in horror upon glimpsing the state of her mouth. Three of her teeth are missing, a bloody stump in the place of one molar. "Tooth Fairy," the woman repeats. "Tooth Fairy." With sudden enthusiasm, she begins rummaging through non-existent pockets then the room, becoming increasingly frustrated as she does so. "Teeth, I need to find the teeth," she mumbles, like a madwoman – which in truth she is. Tear fill her eyes, so innocent and earnest. Tooth flutters helplessly, still horrified by the woman's dental problems. It is Reshma who takes charge.
"Janey," Reshma warns, grabbing the woman's wrists as she goes to reach for her own teeth.
"I need- I need to give her teeth. I can't find the teeth! They took them! I need to give her teeth!" the woman, Janey, sobs, straining to escape Reshma's grasp.
"Janey, the Tooth Fairy wants your teeth, your beautiful teeth, to stay in your mouth. Where they belong. Please Janey," Reshma begs. Janey is shaking.
"The teeth. Need to- n-need, teeth. They took them. No one wanted them but me! Why did they- why? Teeth! Let me give her my teeth! I don't have them… my collection. Let me give her my teeth!" Janey rambles, alternating between incoherent whispers and shrill shrieks.
As Reshma soothes hysterical Janey, apparently trying to yank out her own teeth to give to the Tooth Fairy, signs appear on her back. Sandy can read them straight away, recognising the slightly crude symbols as his own form of communication. Quickly! Put her to sleep. No dreams. The Sandman aims a handful of Dreamsand and hits Janey, who never saw it coming. Janey falls like a log, panicked expression replaced by one of contentment, and Reshma lays her carefully on the bed. The strength she used to hold Janey back drains from Reshma when she exhales in relief, the tiny quiver in her breath only heard by Bunny.
"What was that?" he exclaims, Australian accent thick. "She could see ya and Tooth! An adult! Ya better start talkin' sheila or else I'll-"
"Yes, she could see us," Reshma interrupts. "Janey still believes in the Tooth Fairy. It's why she is here. That and she has pulled out her own teeth, stolen teeth and took the teeth of that one dead man. Mostly, Janey is harmless and very sweet. Unfortunately, her habit to collect teeth to give to the Tooth Fairy does occasionally overrule it." Tooth blinks away tears for this poor, sad woman.
"She also see you, does she not?" North inquires. Reshma nods.
"Some of the humans that see me are, for lack of a technical term, crazy. Generally they have a mental disorder of some sort, most commonly schizophrenia, mania and those that have suffered from psychotic breaks. Janey is one of those humans. Hence the costume change," she gestures to her nurse outfit. "Before you jump to conclusions," she intercepts the Guardians' responses, "they do not believe in me, the Muse. They are not my believers. They can simply see me. End of story. Goodnight. Now, enough distractions. Come on." Reshma marches off, the others left with no choice but to follow.