The entrance of the council was preceded by a fast approaching, disgruntled looking Bernard through the open doorway, who Scott gave a questioning look to.
"I'm sorry Santa. They found their own way in, because someone forgot to let me know that they showed up early!"
The head elf and Santa shared a mutual look of understanding of which less than stellar subordinate would let that happen. After entering, Bernard promptly closed the double doors to the office and took his place beside Santa. Lucy held the staff in her hands and took in the council with, near literally, new eyes.
With her new magic vision that won't seem to go away, she saw that the council was roughly divided in half based on their magic. She could see that like her uncle, the Tooth Fairy and Easter Bunny had glowing auras around them, in minty blue and rose gold respectively. While Father Time, Sandman and Cupid had their own purple, gold, and pink orbs like the elves.
But what really caught Lucy's interest was that Mother Nature's little sphere was…? Broken? There was a sizable and noticeable chunk missing from the swirling green magic in her chest, preventing it from being whole. Glancing around the room, Lucy found that everyone else's magic was peacefully glowing in or around them. Except for Mother Nature's, whose fragmented magic seemed to almost drip and languish, pulled down by some kind of strange, invisible burden. The woman's face and posture however gave nothing away, as Lucy watched her start the impromptu meeting.
"Well Santa, I believe both of our problems have coincided," Mother Nature addressed, "This actually works out perfectly."
"We were just given word that the Lunar Magic field has finally come out of dormancy, and has fully formed into a new spirit," Father Time finished the sentiment.
Lucy, her parents and Scott all shared very confused looks with each other, Father Times words having no discernable meaning to them. But the rest of the council lit up in excitement about the once in a lifetime news. Comments and questions buzzing in the air.
"The Lunar Magic Field? Are you sure Mother Nature?" Asks the Easter Bunny.
"That things been dormant for as long as I can remember," Sandy chimes in, taking a seat in one of the office chairs.
"What do you mean by just given the word? How long ago are we talking here?" Cupid said, hovering just under the ceiling.
"Do you know if anyone made first contact with it yet?" Tooth Fairy asks.
In the midst of everyone's excitement, Scott tries several times to try and get a word in for his plight. But all his attempts fail as the rest of the council does what they do best, devolve into chaos. The Miller trio watch wordlessly as the council dissolves into its usual unorderly state, and as it progresses Lucy continues to look more and more perturbed. With everyone talking over each other and with the odd insult being thrown around, Lucy feels a cloud of suffocation begin to loom over the room. The new sixth sense in the back of her head feeling the palpable, and entirely avoidable discord. Now becoming vastly uncomfortable, the disarray felt like a growing migraine creeping into her skull. As if this would accomplish anything to begin with!
And right as Mother Nature was about to quell the disorder, Lucy unexpectedly does so for her.
"Can everyone just STOP for a second!"
With the staff still in one hand, Lucy throws her arms open in exasperation. Her newly recolored eyes and the moon stone on the staff glowed and sparkled at the shout in tandem. As the specs of magic dissipate into the air, so too does the chaos. The arguing council members quickly silenced themselves as they felt a strange sense of calming that snuffs out their desire to fight each other. Once quiet and a little confused, all turned to look at the girl in curiosity.
With folklore and humans alike giving her their unexpected attention, Lucy was frozen in place by all the eyes on her. She spares a glance to the moon on the staff as its glow disappears as quickly as it came. A new small flush of embarrassment made its way onto Lucy's face at the unplanned outburst.
"Sorry! Sorry about that," she says sheepishly, "But I don't think arguing with each other is going to help either of our problems here."
The council members looked at each other before giving their muttered replies of I suppose so's and I guess she's right's, as they reestablished more serious demeanors. At this point both Laura and Neil have grown impatient with being left in the dark. Laura takes this time to voice their concerns to the council.
"Is there anyone here who can tell us what's going on? Our daughter is suddenly magical over the course of a morning; her face was glowing, and her eyes were changing color. We still don't know what this stick has to do with any of this! And now there's talk of some kind of moon field we don't understand. We just want to know what's happening," Laura explained.
Mother Nature turned to the parents with an apologetic smile, "Of course, Mr. and Mrs. Miller. I understand your concern for your daughters' well being. Allow me to offer an explanation."
"The magical world is made from raw clouds of magic called Fields. Invisible to human eyes in its raw state, magic fields encompass the entire world like a front of air. All twenty different types. These fields are known to condense, either in small bundles or all at once. The Lunar field has recently come out of dormancy, and all the moon magic in the world has concentrated and chosen a new human host."
This explanation lent itself to a wide-eyed Lucy as if she was listening to someone read her a story book, the likes of its fantastical contents captivating her for the time being. A few of the council members listened to Mother Nature with knowing and expected expressions, as if this is a story she's told a hundred times before. The Millers simply looked dumbfounded as they struggled to decipher the explanation, which Father Time then elaborated on.
"This is hardly an unusual occurrence, however. Magic types have condensed eleven times before this. The way it has affected Lucy is just in the same vein as Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and Santa Claus here. The magic of Belief all those years ago came out of dormancy and chose St. Nicolas as its first host. Just as the magic of Hope and Wonder. The magic of Balance and Harmony, as it seems, has now chosen you."
With the last line he spoke and looked directly at Lucy to drive home the new information. Scanning the room once again with her new vision, Lucy's eyes lit up with realization as she put the puzzle pieces together.
"Oh! Oh okay, I think I get it. So, you guys with the glow are humans with magic," she points to Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and Scott in quick succession, "But you guys with the little orbs are fully magic?" She punctuates the sentence with a vague gesture to the rest of the council members.
Mother Nature perks up at this new revelation, "You can see our cores?"
"Is that the little glowy things you guys have in your chests that I've been seeing?" Lucy asks.
Mother Nature gives a quiet Yes before placing her own hand on her chest, right where her core is. She looks askance at the rest of the room, trying to maintain her air of formality, as she silently reflects on the aspect of her own broken core.
"Alright so let me get this straight," Scott finally speaks up with his fingers pinching the bridge of his nose, "Lucy is magical now, in the same way I am when first I put on the coat? In the same way EB and Tooth are?"
"In essence yes," Mother Nature answered, "And from this we can safely assume that her staff would act much in the same way as your red coat, or Tooth Fairies pin. The torch that gets passed down."
Scott finally retired from standing like everyone else and took a seat back into his office chair, "Well how come I didn't know anything about any of this field business?"
It was at this point that Bernard bitterly interjected, "I've told you about it plenty of times sir. And you would know if you've actually paid attention once in a while."
Scott turned to the head elf very unamused, "Bernard, point me in the direction of ONE Santa that has actually known about that kind of thing. Because I can guarantee you there isn't one."
Bernard, already wound up from Christmas eve being a mere week away, has decided to take this little jab as a challenge.
"Better than that, I'll give you TEN," he starts ticking off a finger at each name as he goes, "Saint Nicolas, Stephen Clifton, Soloman Clark, Simon Chordoman, Samuel Carver — "
Scott tried to argue the semantics with the elf as he was still counting, but both were quickly cut off at number eight when Mother Nature cleared her throat. She gave a stern look to the two for good measure, as they ceased their petty bickering.
"To be fair Santa, it is perfectly understandable that you wouldn't know much about it. All of these fields have settled into their routines hundreds of years ago. Once they either become active and stable or go underground, they don't tend to deviate from the norm. There are exactly 2,641 alternate timelines where you would have never encountered these kinds of problems during your time as Santa Claus," Father Time assured.
Scott couldn't decide if the explanation was as satisfying as he hoped but resigned himself to defeat on the matter.
"I wouldn't be surprised if the Man in the Moon himself had a hand in this arrangement," Sandman mused from across the room.
Lucy perked up from her spot, "Wait, wait. Who's the Man in the Moon?"
"The creator of all magic," Mother Nature began, "Eons ago he created all earthly magic. It was his little piece of clay that he could mold to his will."
"It's said that he could change the very particle structure and the very essence of what magic was," Sandy interjected.
"Until apparently he got tired of being all powerful —couldn't be me— and split himself up twenty ways for all the magic types and then POOF. Disappeared," Cupid concluded.
This idea also played into Lucy's childlike sensitivities about the fantasy of a long dead moon god. And she thought about the idea innocently enough, until she remembered the strange dream she had last night. The old man with the long dark hair in the void, the white almost circular horns on his head, the moon tattoo on his face. But the teen would not get to voice her dream theory in today's meeting, as the flow of conversation was once again interrupted.
"I'm sorry to cut this off here, all great stuff that we still don't quite get, but is this going to be permanent at all? Can it be reversed or something?" Neil asked.
"Yeah, if it really is the same thing as what Scott has then there has to be some kind of succession protocol in place right? She can just pass it onto someone else," Laura interjected.
Mother Nature gave a sympathetic look, "I'm afraid not. The rules work a little differently for the first link in the chain. For the ones first in line to carry the mantle they have to serve at least a decade before they're able to hand over the responsibility to the next the ones that have to be responsible to lay out the groundwork for the future castors."
"So... I'm stuck with magic powers for at least ten more years?"
"It appears so," Mother Nature pensively replied.
Lucy ponders this new development while the rest of the adults continue to go into further detail about the minutiae of the whole affair. Paralyzed with indecision, Lucy can't reconcile if this is a good or bad thing.
'Having magic powers was definitely not what I thought was in the cards for me. On one hand, opportunities like this don't just happen to anyone, Mother Nature even said it's been hundreds of years! But a whole decade is a very big commitment, and I didn't even know I was making it. I can't even decide what to do after high school! What am I going to do now that I have…balance magic? I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT IS'
Before she could contemplate any more of these thoughts, Lucy was shaken from her daze by the gentle placement of her mother's hand on her shoulder.
"Are you alright sweetie?" Laura asks.
Lucy takes a split second to return from earth to properly answer, "Y-Yeah, yeah. I'm fine, mom. It's just…a lot to take in is all."
She released one hand from the staff she's been cradling to place on top of one her mothers in reassurance.
"Which brings us to the more pressing matter at hand," Mother Nature commanded the attention of the room once again.
"Lucy, I know you must have a million and one questions, but I'm afraid we cannot answer all of them here and now. Christmas and the end of the year among many other things makes it a busy time for us all. And Lucy will need to shadow someone to properly learn the ins and outs of the realms. And to control her new magic and to learn the extent of her new duties on top of that."
"I think we can all understand that now is the busy season for most of us here. But our options for available Spirits for this undertaking are very limited outside of the council," Father Time warned.
This tiny tidbit of information piqued Lucy's interest, "Wait, how many more of you are there exactly?" she asks.
"Outside of the council? Four," Sandman interjects with a stifled yawn, "There's only eleven magic Spirits in the world."
"Well, twelve now," Cupid open palm gestures toward the teenager from his airborne vantage point.
"In any case, I'm afraid myself and Father Time won't be available enough to properly teach her ourselves," Mother Nature announces.
Tooth Fairy is also quick to speak up, "I'm sorry kiddo, but I can't do it either. I'm still on damage control from Halloween, it was a real blowout this year. Cavities were at an all-time high this season."
"Scott," Neil interupted, "You can show her, right? Since it seems to be unavoidable either way, you can take her yeah? We're family after all."
Scott was right in the middle of agreeing, before a sharp elbow jabbed him in the arm.
"Sir, do I have to remind you that we are currently one week away from Christmas! I don't think you should be taking on such a big responsibility this close to the deadline," Bernard hissed through his teeth.
"Now just hang on Bernard, maybe if we move some things around…" Scott began with an air of combativeness.
Lucy could do nothing but watch as the adults brainstormed amongst themselves on what the best course of action would be. Talking over each other about conflicting schedules and what's best for her and her wellbeing.
While Lucy's train of thought was derailed from her ideating session once again by the nagging feeling of Mother Nature's core. This time she puts the pieces together that since she has something to do with balance and harmony, as Father Time put it, that's what must be telling her to look closer at the legends magic.
Through squinted eyes, she can tell it's the same ball of green light and sparkle, a piece of itself lost. While attached to a strong, well put together woman, it vibrates with complex feelings and begrudgingly keeps itself afloat in the air. But just around the edges of the broken space, Lucy could almost make out the chunk that's supposed to be there. The ghost of what once was long ago and it's…cold?
Then, all at once it hits her.
She does a quick scan of the room as if she lost something, taking a head count of everyone that's here. The magical eureka moment. The thing that's going to help.
The missing piece.
She hurriedly rushes forward to the center of the group and shoots her hand up into the air (a reflex from the public school system).
"What about Jack Frost?"
Her suggestion cuts through the chatter like a thousand-degree knife. Everybody once again turns to look at her as if they saw a ghost, disbelief and confusion of the highest caliber. The room falls eerily silent, as if so much as saying his name would summon the aforementioned spirit of winter. The faces of Lucy's immediate family paled at the mention, while the others in the meeting shared fleeting confirming glances with each other. Almost as a silent message asking each other 'Did she say what I think she said? You heard that too, right?'
Mother Nature's facade wavers as her gaze fixated somewhere on the floor but whose vision spanned miles ahead of her. Father Time put a gentle hand on Mother Nature's shoulder before turning to answer Lucy in an unexpectedly kind and gentle tone.
"What about him?"
Lucy found herself in the midst of an adrenaline spike, not out of fear or stress this time, but out of blind determination.
"Well, why not let him teach me? Maybe unorthodox and a little outside the box is the best? Also where is he anyway? Last time I checked he was also a council member. And I know he doesn't have the greatest track record —"
"Track record? The guy is practically a criminal!" Lucy's sentiment was swiftly interrupted by Cupid piping up from his place in the air, "Do you know how many perfectly good arrows I've wasted on that guy?! How many potions I've been scammed out of?"
"More than that he's pure evil! His 'track record' has got to be even longer than the red man's list here!" The Easter Bunny shrilled, throwing his arms open towards Scott, "I still remember the spring of '83!"
"Lucy," Scott turns to the girl, taking off his glasses, looking more tired than he did a second ago, "Jack hasn't been a council member in seven years. After the whole Escape Clause debacle, he was…"
"Banished."
Broken out of her transfixed stare, Mother Nature finished Scotts rather frayed explanation. She turned to Lucy with a rigid and stiff, all-business look, clasping her hands in front of her.
"Seven years ago, he was voted off of the legendary council and was banished to Antarctica as punishment for his many misdemeanors to both the realms and the human world."
The legend spoke with a cold sternness that quickly turned into something more motherly with her next question, "Why do you ask about him, Lucy?"
"We would like to know that as well," Laura said as both her and Neil looked at her in mounting concern. Their faces are still not yet back to full color, they looked almost betrayed by their daughter's question.
The rest of the council followed suit, once again giving her their undivided attention with more worry for the girl's wellbeing painting them instead of shock. With the inexplicable boldness still in effect Lucy stakes her own claim in the situation.
"I'm going to be honest with you guys, I don't know. I don't know why I think Jack is so important here, but he is. At least I think he is."
"— You think?" Easter Bunny pipes up with his own skepticism. But a quick and steely glance from Mother Nature puts him back in his place as Lucy continues.
"It's this stupid magic vision that I can't turn off. It's just a weird feeling, I don't know how to explain it beyond that. But I really think that he's going to be integral to the situation here. It's my magic anyway, I'm the one that's going to be stuck with it for the next ten years. Shouldn't I get a say in who's going to teach me to use it properly?"
"That's just the thing, Lucy. He won't teach you how to use it properly. There's a reason why he's in banishment. He simply can't be trusted, he hasn't earned it from anyone, least of all you," Father Time replied solemnly.
"Need I remind you, that he froze both of your parents solid here and even locked you in a closet with them for hours that day. You were just a little kid!" Scott said.
"Exactly! I'm almost eighteen now, I'm not a little kid anymore."
"You are however still incredibly young to navigate this new development without decent guidance. With the exception of past Tooth Fairy Lilianna, you are the youngest New Age Castor to date. And the council's job is to manage the Magical World and to help its denizens. That includes you now. And all of us here only want what's best for you."
Mother Nature's impromptu lecture put a small halt on Lucy's confidence, as she almost considered dropping the matter altogether. Normally she would think about backtracking on the whole idea, but the wave of magic senses she got was like finishing a puzzle half started by someone else. The answer was blurry, but obvious. At least one glaring thing was broken because of him, and he needs to be active in fixing it.
"And I get that, but I wouldn't think magic senses can lie, I'm sure about it! How about this, let me ask him myself. If he agrees to teach me, that means it'll just be a deal between me and him, since he's apparently not a council member anymore. No legendary strings attached. Just let me have the one talk with him. If he's actually as bad as you say he is then one conversation should be all I need to realize you guys are right about him, right? And if he says no, then I promise I will drop this idea altogether."
The room fell silent once again, deliberating on the response the girl should receive. Everyone silently debated with themselves, with sparing glances at the other spirits.
"...With such a strong presence of Moon Magic at the helm, I say we listen to the Spirit of Unity. And take Lucy's request with heavy consideration," Father Time announces, breaking the suffocating lull.
"Now hang on —"
"We're not really entertaining this idea, right?"
"Just a second here,"
"Really?"
"You can't be serious, Father Time!"
"Horace…" Even Mother Nature is caught off guard by this confirmation as she almost whispers to her co leader.
Sandman, Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny, Santa, Cupid and the Millers were all spun into a tizzy. The idea to even entertain this proposal from a teenaged girl who hasn't even had magic an entire day was preposterous! Lucy soon rediscovered the suffocation of chaos once again as the room filled with outrage.
Mother Nature flourishes her wrist, and in a cloud of green sparkles she summons her gavel and promptly brings it down hard on the nearest table, temporarily clearing the air of the shouts.
"Lucy, do you think the adults can further discuss the matter alone? Legendary meetings can get a little rambunctious. But you have my word that your request will be greatly considered," she addresses the girl with a small smile.
Lucy turns to her parents for confirmation.
"Go on ahead sweetheart," Neil says, "This might take a while. We'll let you know what gets decided on."
With brief direction from Scott, Bernard shuffles to the door and opens it waiting for Lucy to follow him out. She takes another wary look around the room of magical beings. Reassuring faces from her family and the two council heads watched as she sent herself on her way.
Beyond the threshold of the doorway, Bernard takes the opportunity to also not be around while everyone is discussing that train wreck. He welcomes Lucy to use any of the factory's authorized facilities. He suggests she swing by the kitchen for some food and tell the head chef Bernard sent her to skip the usual line. He feels that she will need the extra fuel. With a consoling pat on the shoulder, Bernard and Lucy part ways for the time being.
Always a curious soul, Lucy knows a lot about the layout of the workshop from her various past family trips. But today with so much on her plate, she decides to put her winter wardrobe she brought with her to good use and goes to explore the surrounding town of Elfsburg to clear her head.
Exiting the workshop, the circular town square was bustling with the usual influx of elves from different departments. Some walking in pairs or groups, others carrying various boxes or paperwork and even a few operating snowmobiles towing sleigh bound mounts of cargo. The sounds of various Christmas songs played on overhead speakers in the plaza but got quieter and quieter as Lucy walked further away from the factory. Soon to be replaced with idle townsfolk chatter and the snow crunching under Lucy's boot.
After walking through the lightly dusted streets for a while, Lucy thought that a walk would take her mind off of the avalanche of a life development. But in the somewhat quiet hustle of the town around her, it only seemed to give more room to the thoughts. And the uncomfortable cold to boot was also not helping, especially since she'll possibly have to talk with the one responsible for it at some point.
With her staff in one hand and her other fidgeting with the tips of her hair, Lucy stops in her tracks and looks around at the elves as they pass by as she notices something. No more magic vision! She hadn't even noticed when it shut off. All she could see around her now was everyone going about their lives. So sure, that they knew what they were doing with them.
There weren't even specific thoughts about this tumbling around in her head, all of them kind of blurred together into a mist of ideas and concepts she couldn't see past. Being stuck with magic for ten years? Is it even a bad thing, or is she just anxious? What's the difference? And a dead Moon God just happens to show up in her dreams and give her powers? And how can he be dead and also be in her dreams? Is any of this planned, or is it all just coincidence? What if she never knows?
"Lucy?"
The spell the girl was under was broken by a chipper sounding voice from afar. Lucy perked up from her walk and snapped her head in different directions at the sound of her name, until her eyes landed on a figure in the near distance waving their arm in the air. With a bounce in their step, they cheerfully jaunt their way over to her.
And even from where they were coming from, she could tell by the pointy princess hat that it was a casually dressed Judy coming up to her. Often at the workshop, like a good portion of the rest of the elf population, Judy is revered as the head cocoa elf in the culinary department, and part time big sister figure to anyone at the pole in need of her.
"Judy! Hi, hey Judy, I wasn't expecting to run into you here," Lucy greeted as the little elf woman saddled up next to the teen.
"I wasn't expecting you either! I thought you weren't supposed to be here for another week? My calendar isn't off, is it?"
"No no, I am here early. It was a bit of a, uh, magical emergency," she said, holding out the staff for Judy to see.
Judy shuffled the box and accordion folder in her hands to lean in closer to the staff, "What kind of magical emergency would bring you to Elfsburg suburbia?"
"The kind that I've been dealing with all morning and needed a walk away from," Lucy sighed.
"Hmm," Judy mused, "Sounds like quite the adventure."
"And I haven't even started on the actual adventure yet!" Lucy threw both her hands into the air in exasperation.
"Is the staff a part of the emergency?"
"Yeah. I just feel like I can't leave it alone. I think it has a habit of finding me wherever I'm at anyway."
Judy looked thoughtfully at the distressed teen niece of her boss. And her eyes sparkled at an idea.
"All that sounds like a lot on your plate. You wanna continue your walk my way? I got to stop by the cafe and drop some of these off to Betty, I could use the company!"
Lucy almost debated the idea, but at this point needed the longer walk away from the 'adventure' and needed this first easy answer of the day.
"Yeah, that would be great. If I'm not imposing or anything."
"Not at all. I gotta warn you though, I can be a bit of a chatterbox."
Lucy smiled warmly at the elf, as they headed off. As they walked Lucy would soon find out that indeed Judy was secretly a bit of a talker. She went on about how it was her once in a blue moon day off from the workshop, and that her friend Betty was making her dig through her work documents so she could put in the proper paperwork for Judys upcoming promotion. Lucy peacefully listens as Judy goes on about how her friend is a workaholic, but very sweet and well meaning. And once reaching the cafe meeting spot, Needle and Thread as it's called, Lucy did see that Betty was all business, even on her own day off. Almost business formal for a day off of work, and her hair was kept very stiff and very styled.
"Betty!"
Judy waved at the blonde elf woman standing outside the stone building. Betty was currently Elf number two, training for the head elf position to one day take it over from Bernard. And just like Bernard, she had a tendency to bring work everywhere with her. Betty turned to face the pair and immediately noticed the redhead teen keeping her friend company.
"Lucy Miller," she formally addressed, "You're here earlier than usual. Your family's scheduled trip to the North Pole isn't until next week."
"Yeah, I know. Magical emergency."
Betty's posture straightened at the information, "Is this uh, magical emergency I should be handling?"
"No no Bets. It's a personal-magical-emergency. But! I did get what you asked for. You know you really shouldn't be working on your day off; you should be at home with that husband of yours. Some of us would kill to have that kind of nine-hundred-year love," Judy expressed.
Judy handed the accordion folder to Betty and set the large box down on the snow and riffled through its contents, eventually pulling out a full plastic bag and a large thermos.
"It'll be a thousand in another seventeen years," Betty gave a soft smile, "and if you want the promotion sooner rather than later, then this is necessary. And after all this time you deserve it."
"Aww, thanks Bets! Lucy, could you hold these for a second?"
Judy placed the bag and thermos in Lucy's hands while she closed the box back up and handed that to Betty as well. Lucy looked between the two elves idly chatting and was almost distracted by the warm sweet smell coming from the plastic bag, but she eventually plucked up enough courage to ask.
"Betty? Judy?"
Both women turned to the girl's summons, "Yes?"
"You guys are both very capable elves, right? You guys seem to know what your doing —"
"— Most of the time," Judy said.
"I need your guys' opinion on something, but you both gotta keep it a secret, ok? It's really big and I don't know if I want the entire Pole to know about it."
Judys look of sensitivity and curiosity mirrored that of Lucy's own, while Betty looked on in concern, she had the determined 'second in command' look, ready to jump into action.
"Of course, Lucy, we promise we won't say a thing. I could tell there was something bothering you. You don't have that same sunshiny bounce to you," Judy assured.
Lucy took a deep breath before launching into her story, occasionally holding the staff out at them for points of emphasis.
"Ok so, I woke up this morning and found out I got magic powers over night, and apparently from what Father Time said it's Moon magic? Balance magic? Something to do with harmony I guess, and I've been having really weird magic experiences all day. But I was at a council meeting earlier and new weird magical sixth senses kicked in telling me I have to get Ja — a very, bad person involved to teach me, and I don't know what to do! I feel like this is the right answer, but I don't know if I can actually trust Moon power instincts that I haven't even had for a full day! Is it the right call, to invite this specific person into the situation? What if this isn't actually the right call and it just starts messing everything up again? What if my magic senses are actually wrong? What if — "
"Lucy, calm down! You're rambling, you poor thing," Judy quickly cut her off and held one of the girls' hands in her own.
"Now I see why you needed a walk. That is a lot to happen all in one day, it would certainly tangle my tinsel if all that happened to me!"
Betty's eyes were wide, and she looked completely dumbfounded at the massive amount of once in a lifetime events Lucy just threw their way. She quickly fixed her demeanor and straightened out her clothes to better face the problem.
"I'm sorry, I—I think I might have gotten lost, what do you need our opinions on?" Betty clarified.
Lucy flushed in realizing she was indeed rambling, more so than she thought.
"Oh! Right, sorry, uh, I need your opinions on what I should do about this person. How does magic factor into all this?"
The two elves looked between each other in search of their own thoughts, Judy took her hands away from Lucys and took back the bag and thermos.
"I think, it's a very complex situation either way," Betty started, "considering that you've never had magic senses before —"
"—I think you should listen to what your heart says," Judy said.
Lucy and Betty both look rather confused at the cocoa elf's left field response, waiting for an explanation.
"For us folklore at least, magic is always going to be a part of us, mind and body. But I am a firm believer that if you follow your heart's intent, magic or otherwise, you'll get to where you need to be. Like my mama always used to say; 'In your truest heart, does it feel right?'"
Lucy takes a pause at the elf's words. Not searching too far into herself for the answers, she turns to Betty to gauge her response. Betty, never the one much for sugar coated sentiments, merely rested in minor vexation.
"I mean, I suppose she has a point. I don't think you should be worrying over how your magic will affect your decision making when you wield the aspect of harmony. I think you'll end up getting to the best course of action either way."
Lucy took another pause, looking through the two elves far off into the horizon in thought.
"Exactly! And no matter what you decide to do, I'm sure your family is going to be there no matter what. Your parents and even Santa and Mrs. Claus all care a lot about you," Judy reassured.
Betty shuffled over to Lucy and put a comforting hand on her arm, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Judy is right. No matter what choice you'll make, it'll most likely work out in the end. And even if it doesn't, you'll have others there to help you through it."
With sincerely compassionate looks from the pair of elves (and one sarcastic one from Judy at Bettys playful slight), Lucy let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding, and let their words wash over her. The mind fog isn't completely clear, but now at least she can see a way forward through it.
"You're right. Both of you, you guys were a lot of help," she said.
"Oh, it's no problem, Lucy. Me and Betty are pretty different, but we can both agree that we enjoy helping folks out when they need it," Judy smiled.
"Indeed," Betty gathered her newly acquired box and folder, "I hope this was helpful to you Lucy, but now I have to go put in the paperwork for a well-deserved promotion."
"Not on your day off you don't!" Judy yelled after the blonde elf as she took her leave.
"See ya Betty!" Lucy shouted.
Lucy and Judy stood in the snow for a beat watching as Betty disappeared from view, a spare moment of silence as Lucy tried to cement the much-needed elven advice.
Until she realized she was STARVING and hadn't eaten anything all day. At this point it's gotta be well past lunch, and her stomach loudly confirmed this sentiment, breaking up the peaceful quiet.
Judy looked at the girl quizzically, "Have you eaten yet?"
"...not yet," Lucy looked askance, "It was on my to do list!"
"Fret not, Lucy. I am always prepared for situations like these!"
Rummaging in her thin plastic bag wafted a wave of sweet-smelling goodness to Lucy's nose, some kind of baked good for sure. The elf handed her a plastic cup and a warm food item wrapped in paper. The sensation of the warmth leaking through her gloves and settling into her hands was almost like magic itself.
"My sister runs a bakery here in town, so I have access to the best munchies this side of the pole," Judy beamed at Lucy, "One of her specialties is her famous Chocolate Cinnamon Star Bread!"
And sure enough, when the paper was fully unfolded, Lucy was indeed holding a dark brown pastry twisted into a star shape, dusted with white sugar on top. The smell, now discernable as warm chocolate and cinnamon, crashed into her in the best of ways. From her expression, you would've thought Lucy had found the holy grail, the secret to the universe, the answer to life itself!
"Judy you're the best," she almost whispered to the elf.
Judy giggled, "That's not all. I told you I'm always stacked."
She gives a little shake of the thermos and gestures to the plastic cup Lucy was holding. Being the North Pole's top cocoa elf, Lucy put the pieces together in record time.
"JUDY, YOU SPOIL ME!" she shouts, contrasting her earlier whisper.
Judy whole heartedly laughs at this as they start walking once again, Lucy happily digging into her gifted star bread.
"Come on, lets cocoa on the way back. I'm sure everyone is probably wondering where you went by now."
With a clearer conscience and good food and drink in hand, Lucy follows Judy back through town to the workshop plaza. Judy manages not to strike up as much conversation with her own star bread occupying her, and Lucy was ten times more grateful for the company and the time spent away from the hectic day thus far.
Once parting ways with Judy, Lucy made her way back into the workshop where she was quickly noticed by her parents and Scott taking their own stroll around the main floor mezzanine.
"Lucy!" Laura shouted after her.
Lucy's attention directed to the trio at the top of a winding staircase, and the girl made quick work of meeting them on the landing.
"Where did you end up going?" Scott asked.
"I actually took a walk around Elfsburg, ran into Judy on the way. Are you guys done with the meeting?"
Laura and Neil exchanged confirming looks to each other and to Scott, their faces weary and resigned as they addressed her.
"We are, and we've all made a decision," Neil sighed.
Lucy's heart rate rose as her eyes fixated on the adults in front of her. Her body grew stiff with anticipation as she waited for the unbearable half-a-second silence to end.
"We're going through with your idea," Laura muttered the words, as if it was difficult getting them past her teeth.
Lucy's mouth went agape in shock, she nearly forgot to respond at all, "Really?"
"It was a very close split, but in the end the majority ruled that you're free to go ahead with your idea, and to ask Jack about this arrangement," Scott explained.
Adrenaline greeting her nerves, Lucy couldn't tell if it was a dreadful kind or an exciting kind of nervousness. She truly wasn't expecting to get the council's approval on something she thought would have been so unanimous. But a near fifty fifty split? Unheard of, but greatly welcome all the same!
"That's — that's great! That's exactly what's needed, thank you guys!" Lucy aggressively gathers the trio in for a hug in appreciation, of which the adults gladly take.
"You guys are not going to regret this! I really think this is going to help out a lot of people," Lucy exclaimed, feeling the need to explain herself more to seal the already sealed deal.
"I'm sure it will, Luce," Scott said, "Mother Nature said that she'll swing by here tomorrow morning to take you there."
Lucy paused for a moment, "Here? Are we not going back home?"
Neil and Laura grimaced and shared a sympathetic look with each other before answering.
"A lot of things are still up in the air right now, sweetie. We're going to go home and get some of our things, check up on Tulip and then we're going to stay here for the night," Neil said defeatedly.
"I had the house keepers arrange some rooms for you. Just so that you won't have to keep teleporting back and forth with Bernard. We'll see what Jack says tomorrow and then we'll go from there," Scott reassured with a gentle hand on Lucy's shoulder.
Lucy then puts on a face none of them have seen on her yet today, pure anticipation. Her eyes were alright, and her smile was wide but sure. She looked like the determined girl they've all grown to know and love.
"Great! This is great, tomorrow is going to be a busy day then," she said.
The adults looked on at the teen more relieved than before she arrived.
Scott leaned in to almost whisper something to the redhead in the midst or her reignited exuberance.
"Hey, I think Carol and Buddy might be done with morning classes. They should be in the east hall, you should get a good scare on Carol before her lunch ends," he says with a wink.
Lucy's grin turned impish, as she took the chance and started booking it down the catwalk in an eager sprint, as if her life depended on getting there in time.
Laura, Neil and Scott follow her at their own leisurely pace. And by the time that they actually make it to the east wing, they only manage to catch the aftermath of Lucy's jump scare on Mrs. Claus. Lucy was bending backwards in full laughter, and Carol right next to her was crouched with her hands on her knees, regaining her composure from the shock. The two properly greeted one another with a hug. During which Carol also realized that Lucy's parents had also joined her, and loudly greeted them as well while still trapped in the embrace.
After that the afternoon was history. Almost resembling a normal family get together under non magical circumstances. After Lucy and her parents filled in Carol on the day's events, her attempt at some encouraging words were very rudely interrupted by her seven-year-old son, Buddy. And any and all talk of the so deemed 'magical emergency' were then lost. Buddy demanded Lucy play one of his favorite (very elaborate dinosaur themed) games with him. And also asked about the fancy moon stick and why Charlie wasn't also here. All of the normal invasive questions for a curious seven year old to ask.
During the rest of the day, Lucy maintained her usual ball of energy persona. Along with the occasional haunt of the magic vision coming and going throughout the afternoon, several times during their play, Buddy had pointed out Lucy's glowing face marks that had also been appearing and disappearing. But, with Buddy around and constantly on the go, Lucy found it difficult to stop and contemplate her new powers. She even made good use of the staff at one point, using it as a prop sword in a fight for stolen elven land.
When she wasn't with Buddy, Lucy even found the courage to try and work out some form of control of her powers. In the seclusion of the spare guest room she had been assigned, she tried practicing magical control. Which only really involved thinking very hard about something hoping it would happen. And she was both unsurprised and yet disappointed when these attempts inevitably failed.
In the late evening, after everyone else had gone to rest from such a hectic day, Lucy found herself gazing out of the bedroom window. She was surprised at how awake she was, she would've figured after a day like that she would've been much more tired. But she wasn't, and in her boredom, she found herself gravitating toward the polar night sky. She couldn't actually get a clear view of the sky because of the ice-like dome encompassing the city, but she knew it was out there. The moon, hidden from her sight, was out there. She silently wondered to herself if she would dream of this supposed Father of Magic again tonight. Or if his bestowal of his power was all he had to say for himself.
And besides him, she knew there was someone else out there she needed to talk too. On the other end of the world, probably on a night much like this, hopefully lied the answer to a lot of her questions.
It would take Lucy another couple of hours or so to fully fall asleep, of which her night would be dreamless and empty. In a strangely comforting way.