Getting past the Gatekeeper was a little hard this time around until I remembered that I owed him a trinket from the mortal world. It was a good thing I remembered while I was there or I wouldn't have had something for him when I got back. I'd be forced to stay put who knew how long. But I got it, an old fashioned key I found in a closet. I tossed it to him and he caught it, examining it from all angles before letting me go. I rushed to the Graveyard and unfurled Curly Hill. I raced across Pumpkin Field and stood in the Hinterlands, staring at the tree marked with my destination. I quickly entered and was transported right into the snow face first. I growled as I climbed out of the indent I made and looked up just in time to see Tori making her way up the hill. An involuntary crooked smile came to my face.
"You're very punctual," I remarked teasingly, standing straight while brushing off snow. Tori brushed off more from my shoulder and offered a smile.
"It was a coincidence. I kept track of the date and figured you would be back after Halloween passed so I snuck out," she explained.
"Am I influencing you already, elf?" I continued to taunt, quirking a brow at her and smirking. She flushed a little but shook her head.
"I'm still a little anxious about being caught," she admitted.
"Then let's go somewhere it's less likely that you would be," I suggested. She fell quiet to think.
"I know where we can go," she finally spoke up.
"Where?" I inquired, curious.
"Follow me and you'll find out," she replied, giving me a look that made me want to listen without complaint. She took me further out past town to an area of smooth snow. Without a word she fell into it on her back and began moving her arms and legs.
"What the heck are you doing?" I questioned, looking down at her. She got up carefully and looked down at her creation.
"It's a snow angel," she clarified. I hadn't ever seen an angel but I heard they looked a lot like humans but with big white wings. I guess it looked like that.
"Ok look, let me show you how a pro does it," I stated, plopping into the snow with my wings spread. She crossed her arms.
"A pro? I'm pretty sure you haven't ever done this," she replied.
"So? It doesn't mean I won't be a pro. Now be quiet and watch," I commanded, hoping my plan worked. I did the same as her except I kept my arms in one place and moved my legs and wings. When I got up, the shape next to hers came out with huge wings spreading from the back.
"See, an angel," I pointed out smugly.
"That's not fair! You have wings!" she refused, grabbing at one. I batted her hand away and took a step back.
"It still looks better regardless," I told her. She pouted and I smirked, loving the expression.
"Ok look, I'll help you fix yours," I said, crouching to draw out her wings, when something collided with my back. I flinched, and stood quickly just in time to get hit in the side of the head.
"Hey! Quit it!" I growled, but another got me right in the face. I wiped off what appeared to be snow, and glared at Tori. She was laughing uproariously not too far from me.
"Let's see if you're a pro at snowball fighting," she taunted. I scooped up some snow and copied her, trying to compact it, when Tori hit me again in the chest.
"Give me a moment!" I demanded, but she just laughed again.
"Nope! Find cover or make them on the go. It's part of the challenge," she refused, hitting me again. Irritated, I tossed the I was working on snowball at her. She flinched but it barely did anything because it began to lose mass as it traveled.
"You didn't pack it enough," she commented, hitting me again.
"Oh yeah?" I growled, scooping up a lot of snow and taking to the sky. She squeaked in shock and tried to run but I could fly faster than she could run, so eventually I caught up to her. I dumped the snow on top of her and she had to somewhat burrow her way out.
"You cheater," she accused with a huff. I just laughed in the snow next to her. Soon she was laughing with me. And that was how I found myself almost every day or every other day. Now that Halloween was over I had nothing better to do. I couldn't stay away from Christmas Town and Tori was nothing like anyone in Halloween Town. I kept visiting and she kept telling me I shouldn't but every time she caved and we went out to play in the snow together. She would tell me what she made that day, explaining what kind of toy it was, or what she fumbled with. She was still learning so sometimes her work wasn't top notch. It sounded like she was trying though. I shared my Halloween experiences out in the mortal world and the various ways to scare them. She didn't like the sound of kids getting scared but understood that it was the point, and some liked it, plus they were always rewarded. I didn't know how much time flew by, or how many trinkets I parted with to pay off the Gatekeeper, until our time together began to shorten slowly. She was busier because Christmas was coming soon. It was almost a whole week before I got to see her again, but when I did, she greeted me on Yuletide Hill as always with a warm smile.
"I have something new to show you," she told me, taking me by the hand to lead me down the hill. I liked that we were comfortable with each other now. I mean, she was insufferably cheery and it annoyed me, but my harsh words and rude attitude often irritated her. Despite that we still got along. I followed her out past town but in a different direction than our usual spot. There were some twisting trees covered in icicles as well as a lake. I gazed at it with a tilted head and let her hand go to kneel down at the edge. I tapped a nail on the solid surface and then pressed my hand to it.
"It's ice," I commented, glancing back at her.
"Of course. That's not the cool part though," she responded, taking me by the hand and pulling me out onto it. Immediately my feet slipped and my legs refused to hold me up. I pin-wheeled my free arm in an attempt to remain balanced while Tori laughed, sliding around with ease across the ice.
"How are you doing that?!" I demanded when she let my hand drop to skate further away. She turned and twirled and then stopped effortlessly next to me. I tried to move just a little, but suddenly my feet were out from under me and I fell on the hard ice.
"Ow, holy chiz that hurt," I grumbled. Tori giggled and reached down to help me up.
"Here, I'll show you. Watch my feet," she instructed. She pulled us along and I tried my best to keep up. Gradually I started to get the hang of it. When I wasn't falling as often she let me go again, and this time, I stayed up.
"There, you got it!" she congratulated, sliding over to pat my arm. At that moment I lost my footing a little. My instinct was to use my wings to catch myself from falling but when they flew open I knocked Tori to the side. Her instinct was to grab something so that she wouldn't fall and I was the closest thing. It was a miracle I didn't fall over when she clung to me. I just held on to her until we stabilized using each other's support. Soon we were just standing in place, arms wrapped around our waist and middle.
"Um, you ok?" I asked her, gazing into her brown eyes. She was so close.
"Yeah. I'll be fine. Are you ok?" she answered. I smiled and laughed as a response. She joined me, and soon we were both laughing. I was having fun, even though the activity was a bit frustrating. I moved to let her go but further fudged things up when my feet were snatched from under me once again. Except this time I brought Tori down with me. She fell on top of me, knocking the air from my lungs.
"I'm sorry!" she gasped, pushing up so that she could look down at me.
"Hey, it's cool. It was my fault," I told her. She still smiled apologetically and I returned it. We were even closer now with more contact. She was a sharp contrast to the cold at my back. Her warmth was comforting. She pushed up and balanced herself before giving me a hand up. I didn't bother trying to stay standing so I hovered over the ice. She skated for land and I flew along next to her.
"Do you get cold?" she questioned, eyeing me in slight confusion as she stepped onto the snow.
"I can feel that it's cold but it doesn't really bother me. Are you cold?" I replied, landing next to her.
"A little. I've gotten used to the weather but it is still cold. I could bring something to help us warm up," she suggested, smiling at me in a way I knew meant it was something good.
"A treat?" I guessed, interested. She shrugged.
"In a way," she responded.
"I'm coming with you," I said, taking a few steps forward, but she hastily held me back with her hands at my shoulders.
"No. You stay here. We can't risk getting caught," she stated.
"And what will you say to get back out?" I demanded, crossing my arms. She removed her hands to place them on her hips.
"I have friends who can help me," she answered confidently.
"Is that so?" I said, raising a brow.
"Yeah, I'm sure they'll help. I trust them," she reassured. I was reluctant to let her go. It wasn't concern for getting caught skipping out on work. I didn't care about that. I just didn't want to be left here wondering where she was. I'd have no choice but to leave and end my time earlier than planned just because she was the one to get caught. I couldn't have that.
"They better. You can't get caught," I grumbled. Her brows raised and a smile curled her features.
"Aww, are you worried about me?" she teased, poking my arm. I slapped her hand away with a growl.
"No, now get moving. I want to try the treats here," I ordered. She laughed but nodded, not at all offended. I watched her jog away and then looked back at the frozen lake. It couldn't hurt to practice. A few bad attempts and more falls than I expected, Tori came back just in time to distract me. I looked up at her, lost my balance, and fell again. I snarled and clawed at the ice, leaving gash marks, before taking off into the air. I landed heavily next to Tori who was busy setting mugs down on a somewhat flat rock. She stood back to observe then shook her head, moving to pick them up again. What was she doing?
"Could you dust the snow from these rocks?" she requested. With a powerful beat of my wings it blew clean off. She smiled and set them down again.
"Thank you," she directed at me. She then emptied her pockets of shiny wrapped treats and an oddly shaped one that I hadn't seen before.
"Ok, so this is hot cocoa. It's a chocolate drink," she explained. I reached out and picked up the cup, sniffing it. It smelled good so I took a sip. It burned my tongue a little but I liked the way it seemed to warm me up. I looked over at Tori to see she was carefully sipping from her own cup, smiling again.
"What?" I muttered brusquely. Red tinted her cheeks a little.
"Nothing," she answered with a shake of her head. She looked away as she took another drink before setting it down. I finished mine off before setting down the cup. She picked up two small things wrapped in green foil and the other in red.
"Peppermint chocolate and mint chocolate," she explained, holding them up to me.
"Chocolate mixed with that?" I wondered.
"Yeah, it's pretty good. Try it," she insisted.
"Which one's which?" I asked her.
"You tell me," she responded. She giggled and switched them around, not that I needed that to already be confused. But the playfulness in the action was what finally made me bend. I allowed a small smile and picked up the red one. It was mint chocolate. It was a weird and new taste to get used to, especially with the pieces of mint making it crunchy, but it was still good.
"Not bad," I commented. I then took the other and ate it. It wasn't exactly mint but it wasn't anything I've tasted either so I couldn't compare.
"That one a little less so, but it's not horrible," I told her, making a face. She laughed and moved back to the rock to get her mug but I reached around and snagged it right out of her hands.
"Hey!" she exclaimed.
"I need to wash out the flavor," I stated, taking a drink and coating my mouth before swallowing. I held out the mug to her but she was reluctant to take it.
"Germaphobe," I accused with a smirk.
"I am not," she grumbled.
"Then drink it," I challenged. She scowled at me, an expression I found hilariously ineffective, before drinking the rest.
"There, you happy?" she demanded, setting down the cup and crossing her arms defiantly. I chuckled and stepped closer with a smile. I pulled her arms apart but held on to one of her wrists. She watched me carefully, her frown turning into a raised brow of curiosity, and then they furrowed with confusion the closer I got. I kissed her cheek and then whispered in her ear.
"Yes, I'm very happy," I confessed, pulling away only after I inhaled that warm cinnamon smell that was uniquely Tori. It was sweet but spicy and took forever for Tori to pin down when I first pointed it out to her. I couldn't properly explain what it was. At first she was offended that I thought she stunk, that I claimed she smelt bad, when really what I meant to say was that she smelled good. I just wanted to know what it was because I hadn't smelled anything like it before. With the approach of Christmas came their tradition to bake cookies, and one called Gingerbread was her favorite. So often times that was what she smelled like recently. Cinnamon, my new favorite smell. I looked at her and chuckled at her dumbfounded expression. A blush colored her cheeks and her eyes were wide.
"You know, I'm glad I met you Tori. I haven't felt so…empty, anymore. The ink barely stains my skin and my eyes glow so much just thinking of yo-um, this place, that I could be a freakin' beacon in the dark," I joked, biting my lip at my mistake. I hoped she hadn't caught that. What was wrong with me? She grinned and brushed back her hair, bashful.
"I'm glad I met you too, Jade. I really am," she replied, her head bowed slightly but her eyes looking up at me through her lashes. Why was she so attractive? Whoa, what? I jumped and my wings fluttered with the realization that I liked her. I liked Tori. Oh no. Tori seemed to catch on to my sudden unease because her shyness faded to be replaced with concern.
"Are you ok?" she asked me, placing her hand on my arm. Her touch relaxed me, if only a little, and I forced a small smile on my face to placate her.
"Yeah, sorry, I just realized that it's been a while since you got back and I shouldn't keep you too long," I muttered.
"Are you worried I'll get in trouble?" she teased, her hands trailing down to intertwine her fingers with mine. I squeezed her hand and smiled.
"Yes, I am. So let's head back. You have a lot of work to do. Christmas is right around the corner," I reminded her. She sighed but nodded.
"At least take the candy cane to go," she said, holding out a red and white cane shaped treat wrapped in clear plastic. I took it from her and she gathered the mugs.
"What's the flavor?" I wondered.
"Just try it. I promise you'll like it," she answered. I shrugged and tucked it in my pocket, the hook curving outside the pocket and tilted just so, allowing me to move without breaking it.
"We have a long way back. You sure you don't want a lift?" I offered. Her eyes flicked to my spread wings and she bit her lip, indecisive as always when it came to flying. She didn't like it but indulged once in a while. After thinking about it a long time, of course.
"Ok," she finally agreed. I wasted no time wrapping her securely in my arms and pushing off the ground. I took it slow and steady, making it as free from turbulence as I could for her. I wanted her to see that it could be enjoyable, I just found it fun to do otherwise. When I landed on Yuletide Hill I moved to step back but Tori gripped my shirt before I could. She tossed the mugs to the side before fully facing me, a look in her eyes I couldn't really place. She suddenly pulled me into a tight hug. I held her in return, burying my face in the crook of her neck and closing my eyes.
"Why does this feel like a permanent good-bye?" I mumbled after resting my chin on her shoulder. She did the same to me, her fingers gripping at my shirt again, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she pulled back to gaze at me. One hand let go of my shirt and lifted to slide onto my cheek, her warm skin sending calming waves through me. She leaned in and rested her forehead on mine, closing her eyes. Mine fell shut too as I basked in the feeling that was spreading through me. I never felt like this before. I didn't ever want to give it up for anything.
"Bye, Jade," Tori whispered, pulling away after a kiss to my forehead. I didn't like the cold feeling in my gut when she said that. Something felt off. I cupped her face in my hands to make her look at me and not her feet. When I managed to catch her eyes I opened my mouth to tell her it wasn't a permanent good-bye, but I was interrupted.
"How sentimental," a sneering voice stated, cutting through the moment. I dropped my hands and stepped back from Tori to see who it was. It was the red imp I caught causing trouble on Halloween. It probably wouldn't end well.
