The time before dinner consisted of a tour of the Far Frozen, given by Frostbite. They visited the library, the hall of murals, the artifact vault (including sneaking a peek at the Infini-map!). The stadium, the ice practice rooms, the guard's training field. There was a hanger for the hovercrafts. An engineering workshop where an adolescent yeti apprentice was helping an adult with a hovercraft repair.
They passed classrooms, the excited voices of an in-class literature debate perking Dani's ears. The girl peered through the glass window in the door, curious eyes fixing on the small group of students. One of the young yeti's gaze met hers, the other ghost grinning toothily and waving. Blinking in surprise, the girl waved back.
"Come, you must see the ice garden!" Frostbite hurried the group through the hall.
"Wow." The clone girl breathed. "It's so pretty!"
Trees, flowers, even individual blades of grass sparkled in the light, despite the cloudy sky. Dani darted behind one of the towering trees, thick trunked with heart-shaped leaves.
"It's almost clear!" She giggled, looking at her brother through the trunk. "You look ridiculous!" Flickers of his ghost form – white, black, and green – warped through the ice.
"Oh yeah?!" He flew forward, making funny faces at her through the other side of the trunk. "You're the one who looks ridiculous."
"But you look more ridiculous-er!" She laughed more, sticking her tongue out at him. "Like one of those fun house mirrors!"
The two played for a while, poking fun at each other. Then…. The ice drakes!
"They're so cute!" Dani cooed, eyes round.
Jazz looked at the creatures. Part wingless dragon, part slinky lizard, they were twenty feet long, with sharp claws, sharp teeth, and blue-silver scales. She side-eyed her sister skeptically. "Cute?"
One of the drakes, a juvenile all of five feet long, stuck out its tongue and licked its eye.
"Just look at him." Dani gave her best puppy dog eyes. "And look!" She pointed to a disturbed area in the snow, sky blue splotches and small silver bodies standing out against the white powder. "Babies!"
"Ah, the hatchlings have arrived." Frostbite said warmly. He walked towards the nest, gently brushing snow away. With one hand, he waved to the two girls. "Would you like to hold one, Dani with an i?"
Dani beamed. "Yes! Yes! Yes!" Excitedly, she held out her hands.
"Hold her like this." Frostbite demonstrated. "Close to your body."
The younger girl nodded eagerly. Gently, she took the hatchling, which let out a squeak. "It's okay. I've got you."
Soon enough, the baby lizard relaxed, head resting on Dani's upper arm, paws curled up against her chest, and tail wrapped around her other arm.
The clone girl cooed. "Yes, you are so cute. Yes, you are."
Jazz watched over Dani's shoulder, brow still furrowed skeptically.
Half ghost and hatchling stayed like that for a while, just looking at each other. But after a few minutes, the young drake grew restless. She squirmed in the hold, eyes darting to and then fixing on the human's red hair. She chirped curiously, head lifting. The hatching half-wrestled out off, was half-released from Dani's arms. She scrambled up Dani's jumpsuit, onto her shoulder, and leapt onto Jazz's.
"Hey!" The older teen protested, to laughs from her younger siblings.
The nosy drake investigated, sniffing, batting at, and chewing on the hair.
"That isn't food!" Jazz complained.
At the same time, the hatchling spit out the mouthful rather spectacularly, having realized it in fact wasn't edible. Still, she investigated Jazz's hair and clothing, eventually wrapping herself around the red-head's shoulders like a second scaly scarf. Innocent blue eyes blinked up at the human.
Jazz sighed. "Alright. I guess you are a little cute."
"Yes!" Dani cheered. "Told you!"
The older sister rolled her eyes.
After that, Danny took a turn holding one of the hatchlings. A few more minutes of cooing at the smaller drakes and coaxing the adults into pettings and….
"Can we go back inside? It's getting colder." The red-head shivered, frowning up at the sky. "Actually, we should probably leave soon."
"Yes. Of course." The chief nodded sagely. "Some food first, very quickly before your journey home. There is still plenty of time yet, before the weather turns."
Actually, there was not plenty of time before the weather turned.
Danny frowned out the window, clutching another mug of hot chocolate. Outside the wind blew fiercely, the atmosphere completely white with the driving snow.
"My apologies, Danny." Frostbite said surprisingly softly, a hand on the half ghost's shoulder. "The storm blew in much quicker than anticipated. I should have hastened your departure."
"It's okay." The half ghost looked up at his mentor. "How long do you think it'll last?"
"A blizzard which arrived this quickly…" The yeti hummed thoughtfully. "Those storms like this are intense but they are short lived. Less than a day, surely. Perhaps eighteen hours."
"So we'll have to spend the night." The boy bit his lip.
"It seems so." Frostbite patted his back. "Come. We will prepare a feast for all. And a dance! Music and games will surely lift you and your siblings' spirits!"
The corner of Danny's lip turned up. "Alright. Let's go." With the chief's enthusiasm, there was no way he could stay so somber.
The feast was amazing. Five courses. Ice kelp salad, with Caesar dressing straight from the Acropolis. Cave mushroom soup, topped with mammoth cheese and spices. An appetizer of garlic bread- a staple anywhere in the Infinite Realms. Giant Bison steaks with neon-colored fingerling potatoes. And for dessert…
Dani poked the shiny yet opaque, gelatinous slab with her knife. "What is this?"
It wiggled unappealingly and yet, Danny's mouth watered. "Aojngofls." He answered, grinning.
"What?"
"Aojngofls." The boy repeated, to his little sister's continued confusion. "That's the yeti word for it. Have no idea what it'd be in English."
"Okay? But…" Dani still eyed the desert skeptically. "What is it?"
"It's some kind of pudding, I think. The consistency is kinda like flan but there's nuts and fruit and stuff inside." The boy greedily grabbed a spoonful, stuffing it in his mouth with abandon. " 's so goof." He gushed.
The young girl sniffed her portion, giving at another poke. "Why's it shiny though?"
Danny swallowed his bite. "Ground up Ice Drake scales."
At that, Dani pushed the plate away violently, a look of betrayal on her face. "No! How could they?"
"The drakes naturally shed their scales and the yeti's collect them." The boy soothed. "No drakes were harmed in the making of this dessert."
"If that's true…." His younger sister still wrinkled her nose, off-put. But hesitantly, she took a bite.
Danny leaned forward, eyes wide and eager for her reaction. "Well?"
Several emotions flashed across her face in quick succession, disgust turning to surprise and then relief. She swallowed. "It's… actually good?"
"Yes!" The older half ghost fist pumped, laughing as the younger quickly started on her own piece with abandon.
"We have most exquisite merriment for your enjoyment, Great One and Kin!" Frostbite practically dragged Danny and his sisters to the dance hall, so great was his enthusiasm.
The chief flung the doors open, the sound suddenly swelling. Drums banged, pounded. String instruments strummed and shredded, some high and quivering, others low and droning. The winds trilled and rumbled, like songbirds fluttering in the trees and the distant peals of thunder. It was a cacophony, the sounds weaving together in purposeful chaos.
Around the room, yetis stomped, clapped, danced. And Danny found himself pulled into the spiral of bodies. Jazz, her red-hair vibrant amongst the white fur, spun away from him. She danced beside Snowflake, movements at first awkward and unsure but quickly becoming exuberant and ridiculous. And Dani…
The shout barely carried over the crowd but it tickled Danny's ear all the same. "Come dance with us!"
One of the younger yeti's took hold of his sister's hand, pulling her to join the other kids. Dani followed, smiling and then laughing, soon twirling as absurd and excited as their other sister was.
And Danny danced too. Legs jumping, arms flailing, feet pounding, head bobbing. His heart pounded, in time with the music. And the very air around him…. The excitement of the other ghosts, delighted to just be alive, together. His sisters, here and safe and happy. Jazz, her eyes bright and shoulders held high, without the worry she always wore like a heavy weight. And Danielle…. Twirling and laughing with the other kids, grinning like she'd never smiled in her life.
The older half ghost's core buzzed, light with its happiness, with the warmth of its love overflowing. He laughed, taken by the sheer joy.
Danny danced for some unknowable amount of time after, catching the occasional glimpses of Jazz's teal jacket or Dani's midnight black suit. The words, unknown to his ears, and the music, foreign in arrangement but familiar in emotion, flowed around, in, and through him. His hair raised with chills, moved by the shaking drone of the strings, by the long, soulfully sung notes. And his body moved along, joining the song. No, not just his body. It was deeper. The feeling vibrated down, passed his blood and ectoplasm. Down, into his core, the center of himself. He danced, not just with his body but with his very soul.
Eventually though, the music slowed, a profound tranquility over taking the room. The dancer also slowed, many of them pairing up.
Danny stilled with a soft smile on his face as he pulled himself out of the crowd. He meandered to the edge of the room, eyes set on a table of refreshments. The boy picked up a cup of slightly glowing punch. Turning back, his gaze flickered over the gathering, searching for…
Ah, there. His heart squeezed, pleasantly warm. There was Danielle.
He raised the glass to his lips, taking a sip as he watched. His little sister still lingered in the middle of a crowd of younger yetis, though the group had drifted away from the dance floor. They huddled in a corner, a few adolescents giggling to each other about something. And… Dani sat in the air cross-legged, one of the cubs curiously running claws through her hair. A slightly older kid gently swatted away the paw, leaned forward to mutter something in Dani's ear. The half ghost nodded, eyes lighting up in delighted surprise. The young yeti started braiding the shining white locks.
"Danielle looks really happy." Jazz's voice broke his attention from the scene.
Danny blinked, for a moment surprised, but then dismissing her sudden appearance… "Yeah, she does." He smiled, contented eyes back on his little sister.
His older sister smiled too, just as happy. "I don't think she's been this happy the entire week. Bringing her here was a great idea."
The boy nodded. It was true enough. Despite the slight bumps of the check up and the unexpected snowstorm, Dani looked about the happiest he'd ever seen her.
Across the room, the braiding finished up, the paws removed from Dani's hair. The girl experimentally shook her head, the ends hitting her cheeks. Her mouth opened, laughter audible in the lines of her face despite the loud music.
"Aw. Look at that. She's already making friends." Jazz cooed.
In other circumstances, Danny might have scoffed at the mushy comment. But now, his heart was too full of relief and joy to hold any cynicism. "Yeah, she is."
Neither sibling spoke for a long moment, just watching Dani talk and play with the other kids. Soon, the song ended, another fast one starting up.
Danny stepped towards the crowd. "Ready to get back at it?"
Jazz took a sip of her own punch. "I still need to catch my breath. I can barely keep up." She chuckled. "These guys are more rambunctious than Aunt Alicia's neighbors at a barn dance."
The boy laughed at the unexpected comparison. "Oh my g-d, that's what this was reminding me off."
Just then, Frostbite's booming laugh cut above the music, his energetic kick nearly knocking down his dance partner. The yetis were just as exuberant as any country folk.
"Do you remember that time Alicia's neighbor's kid let all the chickens out during the dance?" Jazz asked with a snort.
"Of course." Danny snorted himself. "They were all line dancing," Hands on his hips, he kicked each leg and then clapped and turned with a jump. "to Cotton-Eyed Joe. And those stupid chickens..." He landed, leaning forward slightly, and moving his head back and forth in a very poultry-like manner. "Those stupid chickens were trying their best to become footballs!"
"Old Man Roberts kicked one and it sounded…" A laugh broke through the words. "it sounded like a freaking rubber chicken! Like…" The sad chicken noise Jazz then made….
The boy nearly doubled over laughing. "That's the most pa..pathetic chicken noise…I've… I've ever… heard." He gasped, diaphragm flipping with the sound.
"But that's what it sounded like!" His sister argued.
"Like.. Like?" Danny tried to make his own rubber chicken noise but broke down in giggles.
A second of the red-head's nose wrinkling, trying to hold but the sound and… hands on her knees, she cackled too. The two laughed for a long while, just the two of them and that memory.
Eventually, Danny caught his breath. Wiping his eyes… "Man, those barn dances at Alicia's were the best."
"Yeah, they're always a good laugh." Jazz chuckled, again. "The only thing funnier than those chickens is Dad trying to dance to Party in the USA."
Danny laughed again, just picturing it. Jack Fenton, in all his uncoordinated orange-flanneled glory, stomping and jumping completely out of time.
He shook his head, grinning. "I wonder if Mom and Dad managed to catch a dance on their trip." But as soon as the words passed from his lips..."Their trip." His face fell, a chill anxiety suddenly dousing the previous joviality. "They'll be back tomorrow night."
His older sister stood up straighter, also sobering. "That's right."
Danny's hand frantically ran through his hair. "I still need to talk to Dani about that."
The red-head raised a brow. "You didn't talk to her last night?"
Danny shook his head. "With everything else we talked about…" He bit his lip. "I couldn't bring it up, not when she was already so upset."
Jazz stepped towards him, nodding understandingly. "That's okay. We can bring it up later, after the dance."
His eyes darted back to Dani and the younger yetis. They were playing some kind of game, one yeti blindfolded in the middle with the others surrounding in a circle. His younger sister's eyes sparkled, a hand over her mouth trying to hold back laughter.
His heart squeezed. "But she's so happy. She's happy and making friends. And she finally called me Danny again." Such relief that statement brought… she was comfortable with him, all of him. "And we just had to talk about our brothers last night and that was hard enough." It was painful, just remembering her crying, clinging to him like he'd disappear too if she let go. "But this… how can I do that to her again?"
Jazz glared, suddenly serious, as she pulled him farther away from the crowd and in front of some chairs huddled against the wall. "We still have to have this conversation with her, Danny." Voice low but harsh, the red-head crossed her arms. "We can't just let her run off to Ancients knows where."
"Of course not." The boy almost hissed, eyes narrowed in offense. "I barely want to let her out of my sight. I'd rather died than let her F-off into the sunset again. I want her at home with us. But…" He slumped into the chair, anger suddenly doused. "She doesn't even want to meet Mom and Dad. I know she doesn't." His head dropped into his hands. "She shuts down any time they're even kinda mentioned. I barely convinced her to meet you in the first place. You know how hard it was to convince her to let us buy her clothes, let alone anything else." Her furious words, that first morning…. She didn't think she needed or deserved help. She was trying to fight that thinking, he knew, from their conversation last night. But did that still linger below the surface? And…
"Jazz." His voice lowered, shoulders curling in on themselves. "I… I'm scared. I want Danielle safe and happy so damn bad. So bad. But…I'm… I'm terrified that I'll push her and she'll run. She'll leave without a word again. And I can't… I can't. I can't go back to not knowing if she's safe or okay or even if… even if…" His breath caught, voice choked.
"Oh, Danny." The chair beside him creaked slightly, Jazz sitting. "It's okay to be scared." Her arm wrapped around his shoulders. "I… I'm scared too." At that, he looked up, brow wrinkling as his older sister continued. "I don't know what's going to happen. I don't know if Dani is going to surprise us and say yes. Or if she will freak out and run. Or any number of things could happen. I can't make her say yes like I, like both of us want."
Each word was a stab to his core, driving that desperate fear and sorrow deeper and deeper. If even Jazz had these fears, then how… how….
"But." The strong conjunction drew Danny out of his growing despair. "Whether or not she stays with us is Danielle's choice. We won't know until we asks. There's no reason to catastrophize yet. And…" Her face softened, kind eyes fixed on him. "I don't know her as well as you do. But I know Dani loves you. She trusts you. She wouldn't leave you without a word and hurt you like that. And besides…" Her eyes flickered toward the crowd of yetis. "Maybe staying in Amity Park with us or running off on her own aren't Dani's only two options."
Danny's gaze followed, fixing on Dani… playing with her new friends. He blinked once, the idea rolling over him. Something in his core loosened, a hint of hope brightening his face.
The boy sat up. "I need to talk to Frostbite."
Jazz smiled, squeezing his shoulder. "Go on then."
"My turn! My turn!" Dani cheered, moving to the center of the circle.
Her core buzzed with excitement. This was the best day ever! The tour, the feast, the dance. New friends! GlacierPaw asked her to dance. WinterHill braided her hair. And now Icicle was tying the blind-fold around her eyes.
"Now we'll count to ten while you spin in a circle. You want to find and tag whoever had the ice-shaker." The yeti girl stepped back, and the sound of counting started.
Dani spun, head quickly growing dizzy. Then she wobbled forward, chasing the sound of crinkling ice. It shifted… there!
"I've got you!" The half ghost flailed for the target.
"It's not me!" The other child laughed.
The sound of shaking again. Dani chased, still woozy on her feet. Another miss, this one near. And…
"Ha! There!" She grabbed the shaker, pulling off the blind-fold.
GlacierPaw grinned at her sheepishly. "My turn?"
With a nod, Dani tied the cloth on his head.
The games continued, with more dizzy stumbling, more running and jumping, and, of course, much more laughter. Eventually though, the fun stopped, the group breaking up as adults came over to gather their children.
"Bye!" "It was fun playing with you!" "See you later!" GlacierPaw, WinterHill, and Icicle shouted the various farewells, each pulled along by their respective parents.
Dani smiled, giving her own wave. "Bye!" Then she turned her attention back to the crowd. Where were Danny and Jazz? After a moment, her eyes fixed on familiar red hair.
"Jazz!" The girl ran forward, nearly crashing into the older teen in her excitement.
"Dani!" Jazz startled with a laugh.
"Did you see?!" She waved back toward the corner. "The yeti kids invited me to play with them! It was so much fun! We played freeze tag with actual ice! And Pin the tail on the Ice Drake. And…" She blinked, suddenly realizing. "Where's Danny?"
"Talking to Frostbite." The other girl smiled, ruffling her hair. "What else did you do?"
"The littler cubs loved this game called Rabbit, Rabbit, Hare. We all sat in a circle, one person walking around the outside. The person who was It went rabbit, rabbit, rabbit," She patted the air with her hand. "On each person's shoulder. But if you got hare, then you had to get up and chase them around the circle and try to get back to your spot first!"
"Ah. Like Duck, Duck, Goose." The red-head mused with a nod.
"What's Duck, Duck, Goose?" Dani stopped her ramble, brow furrowing.
"It's the same game you just described." Jazz chuckled kindly. "I played it when I was little. You'd go Duck, Duck, Duck…." She also patted the air. "Then…. Goose!" She furiously ruffled Dani's hair and the younger girl giggled.
Just then, Danny returned. "Hey guys." He waved.
A new song started up, fast and energetic. Dani grabbed each of the older teen's hands. "Come on! I wanna dance!"
The clone girl danced with her two siblings for a few more songs. They drank some punch, snacked on some of the food. Dani talked more about the yeti kids she had met, the older two listening with rapt attention. Each wore an almost relieved smile though Danny's harbored just a hint of sadness. Actually…. Both of her siblings were being oddly subdued, a heaviness in their responses that hadn't been there before.
Dani noted the oddity with a wrinkled brow but before she could really dwell on it….
"It looks like everyone is leaving." Jazz mused, eyes flickering to the musicians. Sure enough, they were packing up their instruments.
Barely a minute later, Frostbite arrived, gathering the three. "Come. I will show you your room."
A few minutes' walk through the halls and the group came to a surprisingly mundane wooden door. The chief opened it and inside….
Wooden paneled walls, a fireplace built into one side. Wooden furniture. A bed, a couch, a desk, dressers. The room was cozy and warm, enough so that Jazz started taking off her outer layers of clothing. "This is perfect, Frostbite. Thank you."
Dani nodded. It did look really nice! But… her brow furrowed. "There's only two places to sleep."
The older girl gave her a chastising look, causing the halfa girl to blush sheepishly.
But the chief smiled kindly. "Never fear, we have prepared for this." He left the room, quickly returning with a foldable cot. "See! All have their place."
After good nights to Frostbite and a short… discussion (cough*argument*cough) about who would sleep where, the three collected borrowed pajamas from the dresser.
"You can go first." Danny motioned toward the small, attached bathroom, Jazz agreeing with a nod.
As Dani got dressed and brushed her teeth, she tried to ignore the hushed voices coming through the door. The words were inaudible… but a seed of nervousness still sprouted in her gut.
She exited the bathroom to find Jazz and Danny huddled together on the couch.
"But Frostbite did say it would be okay if she-" Having noticed her, the boy cut himself off. He met her eyes and shuffled over on the couch. Then patting the seat between him and Jazz…
Dani's brow raised in question. She didn't ask, instead shifting nervously as she sat.
Her brother took a breath, hands balled in his lap. "Jazz and me need to talk to you about something important."
Well, Dani did not like the sound of that. She swallowed nervously. "Okay?"
"First the good news." Her brother started. "I talked to Frostbite about Vlad. Long story short. The Far Frozen has beef with him. So do Fright Knight and the Observants. The Dragon kingdom and the Acropolis don't like him very much either. Mainly because Dora and Pandora are my allies and they're not cool with anyone who messes with me." He shook his head. "Point is, with all the ghosts on our side, we can probably get Vlad locked up somewhere he won't be able to bother us anymore." Danny met her eyes then, wide and earnest. "He is going to have to answer for what he did to you and me and all the other clones. He's going to pay for it. And we'll make sure he never even thinks about hurting you again."
The words hit her like a ton of bricks. Not because they hurt but because…. The sheer relief. The feeling washed over her. She'd barely even thought about Vlad the past week, too absorbed in so many new experiences and revelations. But there in the back of her mind… (Would he come back for her? Try to hurt her again? Would he try to hurt Dami again, bring him to his side?)
But Danny's words, the fervent conviction in his eyes swept those doubts and fears away.
"That's great." Dani hugged him. "Thanks for talking to Frostbite about that."
"Of course." He hugged her back. "I couldn't… I couldn't let this keep going. I had to do something…"
"And you did." Jazz's hand on her shoulder. "I'm relieved we have a plan now."
The clone girl gave an agreeing hum, relaxing for a moment in that relief. Then…
She pulled away, a hint of renewed worry jabbing at her core. "You said 'first the good news' so…" She swallowed. "What's the bad news?"
"It isn't bad news." Jazz smiled soothingly. "Remember when Danny asked you about meeting our parents?"
Dani nodded, anxiety sinking like a stone.
"Mom and Dad will be back tomorrow night." Danny continued. "We'll be back in the morning, plenty of time before they come home. But we need to make a decision…" The words came out, calm, sincere. But still… the boy bit his lip, betraying his own nerves. "About whether or not to tell them about me being half ghost and Phantom and… About you. And how we're going to introduce you…"
"I don't know…" Dani brought one hand up to her mouth, anxiously chewing on her thumb nail. (This. This was what she had been freaking out about last night…)
"You don't have to meet them if you don't want to." Jazz soothed, gently pulling the younger girl's hand from her lips. "It's your decision."
"Yeah." Danny nodded. "It's up to you. And…" He looked out, towards the door. "Staying with Jazz and me isn't the only option. Frostbite already said he'd be happy to give you a place to stay. And I have other allies we could go see if you don't want to stay here. I'm sure Dora or Pandora would love to have you. But." With the word, his expression hardened, deathly serious. "No matter what, running off on your own again is not an option. I'm not going to let you just fend for yourself. Not alone, on the street or wandering off who knows where. You deserve to be somewhere that you're safe. "
Dani blinked for a moment, startled. There was another option….
Then she scowled, offended. Did she really think she was going to run off on her own? Yeah, maybe a week ago she could have, but-
The anger wooshed out. A week wasn't that long though, was it?
She shook her head. "I know running off isn't an option." She wouldn't, not now. Not after finally having her brother back and… maybe kinda sorta gaining a sister? The point was, she finally wasn't alone anymore. And she didn't think… no, she knew, she couldn't bear to go back. "I won't run off. But…" She chewed on her lip.
The choice… that same dread and unease she felt every time she thought about the offer of staying at FentonWorks, those same feelings rose, wrapping around her core. For just a moment, she tried to imagine it. A dad to tuck her into bed. A mom to pack her lunch. Riding the school bus to school. Sitting in class. Making normal, human friends.
Dani frowned. She couldn't picture it, the very thought turning her stomach. No, she wasn't ready. She didn't want that, at least not yet. If she ever would.
But…. staying here, with Frostbite… Danny had mentioned that too. And she had so much fun here today. There was so much to do and see. The food was so good and the yeti kids loved her. A large part of her wanted to stay here.
Another part of her seemed to curl in though, shy and ashamed of her desire. She had seen it in Danny's eyes, and less obviously so in Jazz's… they wanted her to meet their parents and live with them. They wanted her to say yes….
"Let me think about it." Dani finally answered.
"Dani, we're leaving in the morning." Jazz countered, just as serious as Danny. "We need a decision before then."
"I know." The younger girl put her head in her hands. "Let me sleep on it. I'll tell you guys in the morning, I swear."
There was silence for a long moment. Then… "Alright." Danny sighed, an arm wrapping around her. "Just tell us what you want to do then."
"Okay." The girl said quietly, leaning into her embrace.
Dani's stomach twisted, torn in two. She wanted to keep hanging out with Danny and Jazz like she had this week. All fun and adventure, like an endless, adult-free summer vacation. She wanted to stay with them, to not let them down. But… she wanted the Far Frozen too. To learn to take care of the ice drakes, play hide and seek with the other kids, and get hugged by Frostbite every night.
"No matter what you decide, it's going to be okay." Jazz hugged her from the other side.
Dani hoped Jazz was going to be right.