The group took the stairs, all expect for Jack, who flew Lydia to the apartment window. Due to being over to the child's home many times in the past, Fable was well versed in where the emergency key was hidden. Frost and Lydia were already inside as she opened the door to let the others inside, the apartment was a bit of a mess, but it wasn't without its half attempts at organization. Lydia looked about, shamefaced, her mother had always demanded cleanliness, but she was hardly home these days, and her brother was always doing stuff with friends, so the child saw little point in it, she like being outside anyways.
Ever the hostess; she made tea for everyone, and told stories. In that moment, all of them saw a hint of Fable in the child. The movements, the way she told stories, even how she presented there drinks involved reasons and deep thought into what the Guardians would like based on personality and what they did for children. Approaching Fable, she presented her with a tie-dye sort of mug. Inside was a sliver of lemon and she had also squirted a little bit of honey in with the tea. Lydia had seen Fable make her tea this way enough times in the past.
For a couple of hours, the group sat telling tales and laughing. Lydia sat on the floor next to the chair that Jack was occupying, smiling up at him, and blushing when he caught her watching him and then eyeing Fable. It was at around nine that Lydia started tire, so Fable escorted the child to the bedroom she shared with her mother. That particular part of the apartment was not as messy, courtesy of Lydia's mother, though the girl's side of the room was laden with a combination of hers and her brother's belongings. Jack had gone with them, and chuckled when he caught sight of the famous baseball bat leaning against the wall alongside the window.
The two spirits sat in the bedroom as Lydia showered and put on her pajamas. "She's a good kid."
Fable looked up from between the graying strands of hair, she smiled. "Aye, she is, a lot like my sister."
Again, the similarities between the two came up, a sister? Just like him. "You have a sister?"
Her head dipped and he caught her retreating back, her eyes distancing behind the safety of her glasses. Slowly, she nodded, next she spoke he could barely make out the words. "Had one"
There was the sadness again, that strange sense of loss. He felt it coming off the fellow spirit in waves. He couldn't stop himself, he had to know. "How did it happen?"
Fable was running her fingers through her hair in thought; pausing midway she stared at him. She no longer came off aged, but contained that air of wisdom. "Pardon?"
The gold of her eyes seemed to glass over, Jack wasn't going to question for a second if she even knew her past. Her reaction to the question was telling enough. "How did you become…?"
She looked him over, pulling her hands away she adjusted her glasses. "It's a long…"
"Aunty?"
Fable shot up from her place on the bed. Lydia stood at the door wrapped up in a ratty bathrobe a few sizes too big for her. In a split second, Jack was audience to the knowledge spirit's shift from her usual form to the one she took on for the girl. It was strange, almost unnatural and yet natural when the wrinkles set into her tanned skin, the gray weaving from the roots in her leather shaded locks.
Like the perfect performer, she took on the role. Standing, Jack stood off a bit as Fable proceeded to tuck the Lydia in, making his way over to the single window in the room, he froze the pane over and gave the child pictures, beautiful intricate flowers and cherry blossom trees, whose petals pulled from the glass and floated around the room causing a very light snowfall. Delighted, Lydia stuck out her tongue to catch the flakes, giggling when Fable would brush the snow from her hair, though the spirit seemed to take no notice that she herself was darning a crown of snow-petals. Jack found himself taking down the temperature in the room, if only to preserve the image.
It did not take long for Lydia to fall asleep, Fable hummed a lullaby to her and stroked her hair in a comforting manner until the girl's breathing slowed and her gentle snores filled the room. Again, Fable took on her traditional form. Hair pulled back tightly with knives, dark as the cover of leather bound books, wrinkles absent and eyes sharp and calculating behind jeweled reading glasses. The pair locked eyes for a second, the warm colors mingling with the cold hues. Jack barely caught the flush in her cheeks. Getting up, the knowledge spirit lead the way out of the bedroom and back to the main area of the apartment, still wearing and unaware of the crown of snow-petals.
Upon returning to the others, Jack aloud the crown to melt and fade from existence. Tooth had put the dishes on the kitchen counter, and was trying to clean them while giving her fairies orders as they buzzed about her person. Bunny was absently painting an egg, while North and Sandy were engaged in a one sided conversation. When Fable entered the room, she took immediate control. Picking up her sack from the spot under the table where it had been deposited earlier. Opening it, she pulled out the map, a warm glow spilling from the paper, the source being the little snow man that signified Lydia's location in the world. The light called attention to it the moment it came to presence. For a moment, the knowledge spirit looked joyous, but shook it off. Putting the map on the table, she looked at her comrades. "Well? I believe this mission can be deemed successful, yes?"
The Guardians nodded in agreement, eyeing the map like starved children, ready for the opportunity to see more believers. She spoke again "We don't have time to visit all these believers, perhaps someday. But for now, you have jobs to do, I know now that I can't ask you all to be away from your work for so long. So for now, we'll be checking on those I haven't had the chance to look up, those being the oldest with family and children of their own."
It was the simple truth, Tooth had teeth and memories to collect and protect, North was prepping for Christmas, Bunny was readying for Easter, Sandy was orchestrating dreams, and Jack was bring the snow days. Again, they all agreed. "Alright, well, this one here…"
Her finger landed on a picture of a tooth somewhere in Britain. "This one is Meredith Bradstreet, eighty two years old, mother of four, grandmother of five. Haven't checked in on her since she was fifty at least, she was a dentist before she retired."
Tooth flitted about in excitement. "Oh she was sweet girl, always took care of her teeth, braces though, nasty business."
Smiling, Fable moved her attention to another spot on the map. "In Oregon there's a…."
She stopped mid-sentence and grimaced, as if pained. For a moment is seemed like a flicker of ash dimmed the fire in her widened eyes, terror and realization running wild in their midst. Turning for the table she ran from the bedroom, hands grabbing for her bag as if it contained a defense or a weapon. "Lydia!"
Her horror confirmed, there was screaming, a cry for help. Alert and ready the Guardians followed her down the hall. Throwing the door to the child's room open, Fable snarled. The object of her anger, her rebellion stood at the window, Lydia captive in his clawed fingers. Laughing like a mad man, eyes mirroring her own only lacking in warmth and made of something cold and cruel. Pulling a knife from her hair, Fable advanced. Wagging his finger at her as if scorning a child, he pulled from the building, dragging Lydia with him, screaming and fighting all the way. With his departure came a rush of black sand, like a storm as it crashed through the window into the bedroom, knocking Fable off her feet, cutting at her flesh like the sharpest knives, reeking of a sulfurous hell.
Author's Note: It would appear that Pitch is a step ahead of them? Smart creature isn't he? Perhaps this may have something to do with that lil mark he bestowed on Fable at their last encounter? Food for thought my darling readers... I apologize, this chapter is not action packed, more like an introduction to the action perhaps as well as the alone time that Fable and Jack have together that many of you have craved for so much. I hope this is sufficient enough, yes?
Anyway, yes I've finished my midterms for winter term... I don't want to talk about it, I feel like I failed my English exam. But I'm past the point of caring for the time being, I have other things on my mind. Comic-Con being one of them. Also, apparently, I embarrassed myself at work on Friday. The radio was on and actually playing music I like (for once) and I was singing along and someone heard me, and felt he should compliment me...people hearing me when I am merely singing to pass the time while I have my head in a fridge to clean is just not...well it's not my idea of displaying actual talents, hard to explain. Needless to say I played deer in the headlights, flushed and ran to the dish room to finish dishes. I should learn how to talk to men at some point... honestly. Oh dear, I appear to be rambling.
Anywho, read, review, favorite, alert, all that lovely stuff ;)