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

[Sure you're not.

Honestly, Kozmotis expected somewhere like the North Pole, or Antartica. He's not sure if North is still there--he could be off wandering, as he did.

He's rather glad he might not have to deal with one of the other Guardians, though. He's not in any way feeling up to a fight, and they would have no way of knowing that he wasn't Pitch. Not anymore.]

Alright.

[ no, he isn't. you're just delusional after so long.

jack could have sent them there, sure. but he knows iowa winters, and it should be enough. plus, he has a connection there, which will be helpful. not that he's exactly told anyone about it. i mean---who would believe a winter spirit that was taken in by an older woman because he looked so much like her son? ]

There's a farm just outside of town, near a quarry.

[thanks for that. really.

kozmotis isn't anyone to debate found families. he has his little group of children after all--and he's worried about them, certainly.

he's also worried about seraphina. going back to earth...surely she's still there. and he doesn't know how that will go.]

I'll set the course. We...probably shouldn't land in the front yard, hm?

[at least not in a ship that would be completely unknown to the federation. he can get past the sensor net around earth, but he'd rather not attract attention if he could help it.]

[ they'll need to comm the kids and check on them. they'd still been in a state after jack had talked to them last. they were tough kids, though. good ones, too. ]

Might be able to use part of the quarry for cover.

[ jack gives a weak chuckle at the question. oh, that'd be the icing on the cake, wouldn't it? blow jack's cover for good, oh and by the way first contact with two new species more or less? ]

Just need to get to the farmhouse. [ it isn't just the fact that there will be a blanket of snow around it. it's what the little farmhouse in nowhere, iowa means. little spark of hope. ]

I'll get you there. It's been a while since I've flown one of these, but I haven't forgotten.

[hell, he even has a basic cloak on this ship--more of a sensor baffle than anything. it's certainly not something that anyone would have experience with.

it'd be easier to shadow-walk, but he might not be able to do that at all anymore.]

[ jack's having a hard time keeping awake. the cold is helping get his body temperature where it should be, but he's still weak. he will be until he can find a way to fix his staff. if he can.

no, he can't think like that. ]

Gonna have to show me around this thing later.

[ it looks impressive, and he wouldn't mind a tour when he's not in danger of falling on his face. his brow furrows a bit. ]

I don't know if the others will be there.

[ the other guardians. that could be problematic if they are. ]

[you fixed it when he broke it. he'll do anything he can to help, too. and perhaps the other guardians could lend a hand as well. he's sure of it.]

Sleep first. You're still too warm.

[kozmotis brushes his fingers across jack's forehead. he's feeling better, but kozmotis isn't completely satisfied.]

Well, I'd have to introduce myself eventually.

[ it was a little different then. you didn't also siphon off his magic after it was broken to contain something else. ]

You sound like Bones.

[ well, bones after he learned that jim was jack and not exactly prone to a maintaining a regular human's body temperature. that was funny for a while. the brush of the other spirit's fingers against his forehead is soothing, and his eyes drop shut briefly. he hums softly in agreement. ]

S'a funny thought. [ the introducing bit. he offers a cheeky, if exhausted, grin. ] You can still tell Bunny to go suck an egg if you want, though.

Good, someone has to keep you in line, and he does a rather good job of it when you're not haring off after idiots like me.

[you will recover, even if he has to intercede with the Tzar--or the Man in the Moon, whatever he's calling himself these days--himself.]

I'll have to think about it, but I'm not particularly eager to get a boomerang to the face.

[his nose is crooked enough already.]

[ that earns a half-hearted giggle from the bed. for both things. ]

I tell you about the time I froze his Saurian Brandy cause he put me on a salad diet?

[ alcohol can't freeze, huh? tell that to jack frost. he reaches out for koz's hand, but only succeeds in brushing the edges of the arm of his sleeve. his eyes, a bit duller than usual, flutter in an attempt to stay open, but then drift shut. ]

I won't let 'em---

He does realize now that you're not exactly human any longer, I'd think.

[koz grabs his hand before it can drop completely, feeling like his heart is going to stop. He can't tell what Jack's vitals are--he really doesn't have them.

But when the mage-stone against his chest sputters and fades, going a wispy smoke-grey like sullen winter skies, not silver and blue, koz is truly afraid. mage-stone in its natural state is clear as pure glass--it shows color depending on the innate magic of whomever it's linked to.

Jack's magic is very near spent. And he can't shore up those reserves with some of his own, like he did before with his shadow magic. Whatever attribute his magic has now, he can't help but think it will only make things worse--after all, the pendant linked to him, that Jack carries, is now pale gold.

Hopefully, all he needs is rest. But Kozmotis's center has never been hope, and he finds it difficult to feel sometimes.

It's going to do no good to sit here and fret. He goes to the wall panel again, making sure the temperature is as low as possible--which considering these little ships sometimes carried Comets, in the distant past, was very low indeed. He feels slightly better when he sees frost working its way up Jack's fingers and hands, curling in intricate patterns on his face. He wants to stay and watch over him.

He can't stand the cold in his current condition, though, so he goes to the pilot's section, working on charting a course that would take them with the greatest speed to Earth.]

Edited 2015-12-07 23:46 (UTC)

[ no, but bones still worries. he's used to caring for human and humanoid crew members for the most part, with the occasional offshoot. so he does what he normally does, and jack humors him. his magic keeps up with fooling sensors and the like when it comes to his vitals, but right now it'd be ---well, you wouldn't find anything at all.

he doesn't twitch or stir when koz holds his hand for a moment, panic clear, and there's not even a whisper of movement when he gets up to leave. the frost is good, curling over him like wispy feathers, but the stone stays the same wintry grey.

when they get to earth, he's still out of it, frost having gone from the intricate designs to the glittery sheen over foliage in autumn. his hair is brittle looking and crackling to the touch, but doesn't break. even his clothes crunch when he's moved, like the first foot into freshly fallen snow. ]

[he feels better about that, really he does. If the frost hadn't come, he'd have been far more afraid. Not that he wasn't, but at least he could fall into a fitful sleep after setting the autopilot.

He lands the starclipper close to Riverside, at one end of the quarry that Jack mentioned, hidden by rockfall. He keys the activation for the sensor hide, no one will find the little ship on a scan. Now, all he has to do is get Jack to the farmhouse.

Problem being, he has not the faintest clue which one it is. Turns out there's quite a lot of farmhouses in Iowa.

There's snow on the ground making walking more difficult, but not impossible. Now he only needs to find a direction. Perhaps...]

I'd appreciate your guidance, my friend.

[it might seem like he's talking to no one--but that's not quite accurate when you know someone who's old friends with Wind.]

[ 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.

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