Jack's bare, unprotected feet hit the solid, glossy floor of North's workshop. Jack used his staff to steady himself and looked at the curved branch in appreciation. He couldn't remember where he'd got it from, but it was the source of his ice powers. He smiled as he felt the staff grow chilly against his pale skin and stepped to the side, just as Sandy came flying through behind him.
Sandy rolled across the floor, sending North (who had just come in the room) onto his back like a skittle. Jack struggled to help up Sandy who then brushed himself off, which Jack found strange since he was practically made of the fine grains of sand and therefore accumulated no dirt whatsoever.
Standing next to each other, Sandy came up to the belt of Jack's light brown trousers, which he always rolled up to his calves. Sandy wore what looked a bit like a bathrobe and had a golden glow around him.
There was a sudden shake as the two yetis slammed onto the ground behind them, causing Jack to stumble. He blew his soft, light grey hair out of his face as he watched the giant, clumsy creatures slipping around as they tried to lift North up, gripping him by his tattooed arms.
"Quite the entrance Sandy, as always!" North chuckled "It's good to see you, my friends! And Jack, I trust you are preparing for winter. Since, you know, it's in five days!"
Jack couldn't help but notice the fact that North seemed to doubt that he had been preparing. Technically he had been doing his job, but then again North probably wouldn't count throwing snowballs and making people slip over on the smooth iced pavement as work. But seriously, that was what he loved about winter. "Hey! I have been getting ready," he said. "Just ask Sandy!"
They turned and saw that he seemed to be playing a game of rock, paper, scissors with a yeti. The yeti began to argue that Sandy was cheating with some disapproving moans. However, Sandy tried to say that scissors beat rock by showing a rule book that was clearly wrong. The game was ended with the yeti walking off making annoyed sounds.
"Right. Well… moving on," North announced rearranging his giant red fur coat and was given a shrug from Sandy who got up and walked over.
"Now, I was hoping that everyone would be here by this time, but I'm sure they will all be here shortly so we'll begin."
Jack followed North, putting one hand in his blue, frosted hoodie pocket and gripping his staff with the other. North shoved a great big pair of double doors that were made from ebony and decorated with carvings of christmas trees, families sitting by the fire, stacks of presents and (Jack's favorite) a snow covered house surrounded by pines. The doors opened revealing what was within. Jack gasped.
There were stacks of toys everywhere he looked: wind-up robots with intricate keys slotted neatly into their backs that could dance and sing, silken-furred bears with smiling mouths and gleaming black currant eyes, musical instruments just waiting for the first note to be struck. Rows of soldier-like dolls in satin dresses and tiny collars of frothing lace. Wooden animals carved from some unknown grain that glowed in the richest of colours. Gadgets and gizmos, the gleam of oiled machinery that did bizarre things that no child had ever thought of, mountains of spell-wrought gifts stretching on into the shadowy depths of the cavern. Puppies bounced around chasing kittens and, one in particular, tugging at the bell adorning an elf's hat with tiny white teeth, playing at being a wolf.
Jack ducked as a boomerang flew over his head and stared at all the bright assortments of objects. He tore his eyes away as he heard North begin to talk.
"So as you can see we are nearly finished, just that pile to wrap!" he boomed, his face very proud. "And then we can ship this pile into the loading bay where we will put them in my sack."
Jack looked over and his jaw dropped. What he had thought to be a wall was in fact a pile of wrapped presents that filled half of the room, a great mass of shimmering colour that glittered in the candlelight like ice.
"So as a result, I will be busy for the rest of the week and I thought it would be good if we could exchange gifts now." He announced this expectantly.
Using sand, Sandy created a bag which he dug his arms into.
"Sorry. I didn't know and, well...I don't have them on me," Jack said guiltily.
"Not to worry, Where are they?" he replied, his voice light and kind.
"Well they're at my hous-"
"You have a house!" North said, surprised.
"Yeah. The people who used to live there abandoned it, so I took it since there was no one who owned it." Jack replied
"Well then, lets go!" North grinned.
They turned and saw Tooth standing there.
"Aha," North declared. "Any sign of bun-"
Tooth collapsed.