exastris_scientia | retired open post // will still tag in if threads are ongoing!

[ jack is limp and snowflake light, head resting against kozmotis' chest as he's carried. the snow is still falling in light flurries, but none of them melt when they land on him. the starfleet shipyards can be seen in the distance, but everything is quiet save the crunch of snow underfoot.

at the statement to what would look to be nothing, though, the northern wind gently picks up, grasping and tugging at the other man's robes to guide him along. not too terribly far away is a farmhouse with a barn and a little antique looking light on the porch. ]

Thank you.

[everything is peaceful. the light is dimming, and all he has to do is follow the wind. it leads him true, past copses of naked trees, small groups of deer, the odd bird that braves the winter chill instead of flying south. they don't flee when they see him, for once. it's an odd feeling.

he feels relieved, when he sees the farmhouse. the lights are dark, except for that one welcoming beacon on the porch, and it's because of that light that he doesn't trip on the stairs that look like they should squeak, but don't.]

Jack, we're here.

[he's not sure if you can hear him. but the fact that the swirling grey in the mage-stone he's wearing is darkening, taking on the tone of the sky before a winter storm--he feels like you might.]

[ jack, when he first got here, used to help around the house and with the farm, even though it had long since fallen into disrepair. he stirs when they get closer to the house, the porch light shining on both of them.

his voice is soft when he speaks: ]

My room's upstairs.

[kozmotis nods, he goes to the door and opens it. he doesn't have to shift jack much, he's feather-light and kozmotis is feeling stronger for the sleep he was able to get. not much. but enough.

the inside is dark, but his eyesight hasn't suffered for being separated from his shadows, and he can see just as well. he takes the stairs carefully all the same, he doesn't want to drop jack or fall on him.

there's a door decorated with old yellowing paper snowflakes. kozmotis feels that's as good a sign as anything. the room behind it is clean, free of dust like someone comes in regularly and cleans it. there are textbooks on the desk, from presumably the academy, left behind after some break spent at home.

he lays jack down on the bed. he doesn't cover him up, instead he goes and opens the window.]

Do you need anything?

[he wants to feel useful, not as if all he has left to do is wait for you to feel stronger.]

[ how many times as he spent his breaks here? before he graduated, and before nero? well, after he'd run frank out of the picture (something about being a spiteful winter, and did you know he could freeze the blood in your veins?)---he spent a lot of time here.

though he got bored and got into trouble.

jack makes a soft noise, and manages to reach out for him, but doesn't far past curling his fingers at him. wind takes over and tugs gently at kozmotis' sleeve for him. ]

Stay? [ beat and he just focuses on breathing a few minutes. ] Don't let Ma see me like this.

She worries.

[he shouldn't be so surprised that jack has an adopted family of his own. he is, a little. mostly because of the mother thing. though it's easy enough to take in stride.

he can't conceal them anymore. he doesn't know how to prevent them from being seen. but he can certainly stay.

he doesn't curl up with jack, though--he's too afraid that his body heat will be too much for him to deal with. there's a chair in the corner, though, he pulls that next to the bed and drags out a blanket for himself, positioning himself so he can take jack's hand at least.]

Of course. I'm not going anywhere.

[not in the least because he'll probably fall on his face at the bottom of the stairs, but. even if he were at his full strength, he wouldn't go.]

[ jack's much cooler hand curls around kozmotis' when he sits down in the chair next to the bed. he can see the surprise on his face, however brief. ]

She found me. When I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do---if I wasn't just Jack Frost.

[he tightens his grip for a moment, reassuring. he's still here, he'll be here as long as it takes.]

Does she know?

[who you really are?]

[ he shakes his head a little, hair crinkling against the pillow, and sighs. ]

She thinks I'm her Jim. I couldn't---[ tell her he wasn't. not after seeing how her face changed when she laid eyes on him. ]

It's why I asked Manny to let me stay here.

[so that's how that started. stars. he's not sure how he can keep her from finding out now, unless she just...simply doesn't come home until Jack recovers, which he can't count on.

he rubs his thumb along the back of jack's hand.]

If she comes, I'll...do something. Not sure what yet...I can't hide us in the shadows like I could before.

[ jack gives a little nod, and offers a weak smile. ]

She knows I've been seeing someone. Just never---got around to introductions.

[that's right, koz. he was talking about you. ]

[koz smiles back.]

Well, I think that's fairly inevitable at this point.

But if she sees the state I'm in, she's probably going to assume you're not much better off.

[ jack shifts, raising his head in order to try and look towards the nightstand. ]

Might be a communicator in there. I can send a message, tell her we're worn out from getting back planetside. She won't bother us until morning.

[ after that...he's gonna have to figure out what to say. they can't contact hq, even if he is "officially" on leave from the ship. ]

[koz pulls away briefly to check the nightstand, indeed coming up with a communicator. he passes it to jack.]

That will get us until morning at least, but I doubt either of us will be feeling very well then, either.

[though that does give them more time than he's expected. he caught sight of a clock, it's actually late afternoon, ranging into early evening--the sun is setting early because of winter.]

[ the message is sent, his ma promises to bring some things home in a couple of days, and let them rest as long as they need. she can't wait to meet the mystery guy. jack falls into a deep sleep, and eventually that mage-stone begins to glow with a familiar blue light. it's still not as strong as it should be, but progress of any kind is good at this point.

he's still out of it enough to not realize he's being jostled around until he ---are those baby teeth squeaking and tugging at his hair as toothiana tries (and fails) to try and pick him up out of bed. ]

You're going to be ok, Jack.

[he groans and tries to squirm free from her. ] Tooth? No, you don't understand that's not Pitch.

What do you mean not Pitch. That's very much Pitch standing right there looming over your bed! It's ok, mate. You must've taken a knock to the head, but we're here now.

Put me down! [okay, he's struggling in earnest now. this is ridiculous. what if they hurt him? what if he doesn't have any magic to defend himself with anymore. ]

[it was inevitable, really, that the other guardians would have shown up. and despite all the new leaves he's been turning over, and his better nature now, he's still...not fond of them. it had been far too long, the time he spent being broken down by them, cast aside for doing no more than following his nature, as they did.

his magic was weak, unfamiliar to him now. when he'd been confronted by the two guardians, he'd been forced aside easily. he's not doing anywhere near as much looming as bunny would imply, he was quite simply no match for either of them, and is therefore more...crumpled in a corner than looming, trying to get his breath back and gritting his teeth past the pain of the sluggishly bleeding sword wound that simply hasn't had time to heal, especially with all the jostling open it's been getting.]

Bloody look at me for once in your lives, Guardians.

[the shadows don't come to him anymore, they aren't sure of he's still their ally. but the light seems to have taken him as its own--the lamps in the room spontaneously light, brightening more than they should have been able to. kozmotis is literally incandescent in his anger, glowing as if lit from within.]

Leave him be!

[jack has suffered enough for coming to his rescue. and while he'd been stripped of his magic, a different sort was returning to him more quickly than jack's is recovering. he didn't know how to control it, but at this point he's too furious to try.

he explodes instead, with brilliant golden light, his scythe appearing in his hand and the sheer force of the magic blasting everything--and everyone, except jack, away from his epicenter in the process.]

Edited 2015-12-08 07:47 (UTC)

[ jack knew that anger. he knew that upset and rage. what's a guy gotta do to get some attention around here? too much has happened. too much in so little a time. where were the others when he and koz were left to save his falling ship and crew from certain death?

what were they protecting then? ]

I told you to get--- [ he doesn't have a chance to finish his sentence before the light fills with blinding light from both the lamps and kozmotis himself. his pendant is warm and bright against his chest, and then it's like a supernova. jack isn't thrown back like tooth and bunny, but she does drop him back onto the bed. he can feel one of her baby teeth burrowing into his hood, and he doesn't have it in him to comfort her right now.

there's a sudden tingling and warmth in his chest and along his skin. it was like when kozmotis used his shadow magic to give them both a jolt to keep going to save his ship. tooth and bunny very cautiously pick themselves up, staring in a mixture of awe and confusion.]

Okay, right. Someone's testy, sure. But maybe we jumped to conclusions too quick. It happens.

[ bunny starts to apologize then, and then tooth hesitantly joins in. how were they to know, after all. they didn't even ask. jack doesn't have his staff at his disposal and that's probably a good thing. ]

We were worried about you, mate.

[ but he does have one thing: ]

Wind.

[ it comes at his call as easily as ever, and promptly flings bunny out of the second story window and into a snow bank.]

[that dismissal angers him more, the wildfire of unfamiliar magic in him rising even higher, gaining fuel from his hurt and his sadness and his anger. they had enough power that if they'd realized years ago what pitch truly was, what he had been, a spirit lost and alone and as afraid as anything--being fear, after all, didn't make one immune to it--and besides that a lost soul buried under the screaming madness of thousands...

well. things would have gone far differently. and normally he's level-headed enough to realize that there's certainly nothing that could be done for that now, but this hurt is millenia old, and it runs deep.

he's shaking as jack calls the wind to him, and blows bunnymund out the window, clinging to his scythe as he uses it to prop himself up.]

The Man in the Moon told us you were here. And that he was with you. We really were worried, Jack--Pitch is dangerous, remember?

[kozmotis can't help the snarl, the old tones of pitch shining darkly through for a moment as toothiana tries to explain why they're there.]

I shall be far more dangerous if you insist on using that name. I am Kozmotis Pitchiner.

[ they are still ignoring him! he can feel koz's upset and anger as if it were his own, and while he didn't carry it for as long---in a way it is his as well. his anger is high, but not as high as the desire to help. like when he helped save jamie all those years ago.

wind answers without being instructed, and the broken pieces of his staff clatter up onto the bed. jack scrambles for them when he sees how much the magic has taken out of kozmotis, focuses and slams the broken ends together. it doesn't take more than once like it did after pitch broke it. blue light shines brightly, swirling around and mending the totem. the temperature drops dangerously like it had when jack had been on the vengeance. ]

And you listen to him?! Kozmotis has been with me for months now! He saved me at least half a dozen times---he helped save my ship and my crew.

What have you been doing? Finding new ways to trick kids again?!

[ the sky outside has darkened again, and the lazy flurries have become a howling rush of snow. he slides out of bed, frost curling under his feet with each step, and moves to prop himself up under one of kozmotis' arms. ]

I got you. I've---you're ok. We're ok.

[just like that, the anger rushes out of him. most of it. he's still angry at toothiana and bunnymund--but he realizes that he's done terrible things to them as well, over the years, and he can't hold their suspicion against them.

toothiana looks lost, glancing between jack and kozmotis--it looks like jack is back in fine form now, and instead the other spirit--she's not sure what to make of him now, the golden light so far from pitch's usual tricks that she can't quantify it with the dark spirit--is worn thin. And he's glowing, almost like Sandy does. Pitch had never done anything like that--he seemed to suck the light out of any space he occupied.]

...what happened?

[she's willing, at least, to accept that something has changed here. kozmotis just stares at her tiredly, leaning on jack more heavily than he probably should, but he really doesn't have the energy to hold himself up anymore. he feels like he's burning.]

[ koz looks like he's about to fall on his face, and that's putting it nicely. jack slowly starts walking them towards the bed, and helps the other spirit get settled on it, casting a glare in tooth's direction at the question.

he needs a med kit. he's not sure if it will help, but it won't hurt at this point. ]

Oh, now you want to know? I thought Manny talked to all of you. He's always been downright chatty with all of you.

[ bitter? jack? no. none of you had to wonder what you were there for. none of you forgot who you were before you were spirits and guardians. ]

We nearly died, that's what.

[ just that amount of magic spent (that he'd only just got from koz) is gone and he's trembling again, even as he sets his staff down in kozmotis' safe keeping, and heads to the closet for a medkit. ]

The fearlings are gone, that's what changed him, and that's all you need to know.

[ when he turns away from the closet, baby tooth wriggles out of his hood, and he sighs, features softening, and then he gently pulls her out so she can fly back to---

she flies, instead, to koz, chirping in concern. ]

You think she'd be anywhere near him if that was Pitch?

He doesn't know everything, Jack.

[Kozmotis's memories of being Pitch are a bit muddled. But he remembers Antarctica, threatening the little fairy who's now looking at her with such concern in her eyes. He smiles tiredly.]

I'll be alright, thank you.

[Toothiana looks torn, confused, apologetic all at once. She's realizing there's far more going on here than she knows about. That any of them know about. Except Jack, apparently.]

We knew he was gone, we didn't know where. And then the Man in the Moon said you were back, and he was with you, and you didn't come back in your ship.

No? Surprise, surprise.

[ baby tooth takes the opportunity to chirp at koz, and flutters over to land on his shoulder, perching there. ]

I didn't come back in my ship because I had to leave it to go rescue him from dying or being imprisoned for the rest of forever. He was attacked and taken away from the kids he looks after on a colony world.

I ---couldn't leave him. [ jack says it, and finally sits next to him on the bed, tucking his legs up under him. he sets the medkit in his lap, opens it, and reaches out to gently open up the front of koz's robe in order to get a look at the wound. ] Not then.

Certainly not now. So--so if that's what you've got in mind, then you'd better go dig Bunny out of that snow bank before I freeze his cotton tail off, and get out of here.

[Toothiana looks alarmed at the idea of him taking care of kids--but Kozmotis is too worn to glare at her about it. He doesn't even notice--his eyes have slipped closed, he's focusing on breathing. On Jack talking about him, but it's not malicious and he doesn't care that he does it. On the slow burn of unfamiliar power working through his veins.

When he was just himself before, he didn't have much by way of magic. It was certainly common, and he could do a few spells of warding and of healing, but he'd never had much of a talent for it. Pitch Black had it to spare, calling on the power of ten thousand inside of him. He'd harpooned stars and cast them from the skies, called down darkness and death. And then he'd fallen to Earth, and forgotten. He still had power, but less over the years.

It was centered low in his chest, where the wound was--bleeding quicksilver, but only sluggishly. Moreso, the glow was brighter there, like the light was spilling through the crack in his skin. It was healing him, ever so slowly. But faster than it would naturally.

Toothiana recognizes the sort of wound caused by a sword when she sees one. And she doesn't recall any of the now dozens of species living on Earth that has silver blood. They watch over those children too, of course.]

...what can I do to help?

[She doesn't want to leave--not because she thinks Jack is in danger, not anymore, but because he's her friend and he's right--they've been ignoring him. Angry, perhaps, that he'd left.]

[ jack is seething, the anger a cold heat running through him, like dry ice. but he tries to focus it. tries to focus it on helping koz, cause that's all he can do. he remembers holding him back on that asteroid after the mage-stone had lost it's color, and jack's staff had been broken in two.

when he'd begged him not to go. please, please.

it hurts all over again, and scares the hell out of him when koz closes his eyes, even though he's still breathing. it's less anger as he gets something out to gently clean away the silver blood, and watches the healing glow. jack's never had to deal with this sort of a wound before. he wants to tell her to leave.

bunny has managed to get free of the snow and back inside, still shaking off snow, but quiet. ]

I don't know.

[ son. brother. rescuer. guardian. wanderer. son again. captain. friend. lost.

lost.

jack tries to ignore the gentle touch of wind against his cheeks, just like before---and clears his throat. outside of his crew---koz and those kids were the first time he'd felt at home in as long as he could remember. ]

I---I don't even know if there's anything in this thing that'll help. He's not even from this galaxy. [ then to koz, cause he needs to find his focus. ] Does it hurt? Would any of this help---stop it?

You know you're not allowed any more stupid for a while, right? Marta will kill me.

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