The Holiday Guardians (IC)

Jack remained motionless while he balanced himself perfectly on top of his staff in the center of the frozen lake, and he only drew his hood back to expose his curly white hair and crystal-blue eyes when he sensed a slight disturbance in the air around him. The ancient mischief maker couldn't help but feel as if the darkness surrounding him had taken on an even more sinister-like quality...

... as if it animate and had a mind of its own.

After hopping down from his perch Jack reached out and grabbed his staff, and as he took a step forward the ground beneath his feet sparkled and crackled to life with a new touch of frost.

Considered by many to be the source of his power, Jack's staff was merely a conduit for him to channel his abilities, though it did seem to enhance them somewhat.

Twinetender it was known as, and it was more durable than even some of the strongest metals devised by humankind. It was a dear friend, however, and, though silent, had grown on the young Guardian. Jack kept the staff close by, and his fingers tapped on it almost rhythmically as he tried to figure out what the cause of the disturbance was.

The Darkness drew even closer, and Jack instinctively drew Twinetender up in front of him.

Sensing it behind him, Jack turned, but his icy blast seemed to strike at only a passing shadow.

"Dam-"

Jack's turned as quickly as he could, but it was too late.

His eyes widened in shock, and his entire body froze.

"Jack Frost... Tsk tsk. Wasted your one good chance. And now? Frozen? Oh dear," Pitch said mockingly from his cover of darkness.

Jack's head dropped down to stare at Pitch's arm that had pierced through to his chest, and he was left to watch helplessly as the arm slowly withdrew, bringing with it his very core: a heart made out of pure ice. It had an almost crystal-like quality, perhaps even like that of a thousand sparkling diamonds, and Jack's spirit caused it to shine out rather brightly in the darkness.

Pitch hated it, but even he couldn't mar its beauty.

But it was his now.

And so was Jack Frost.

Jack's head lifted up as Pitch took a step back, and the Nightmare Lord looked on with immense satisfaction as the young Guardian's eyes turned soulless and black.

"Wonderful," Pitch said after a moment. "Now then. You and I have a lot of work to do."

Darkness swirled around them, and when a gust of wind kicked up to blow it away, all that was left was a small crack in the frozen lake to mark where they had both been standing.

Santa Isn't Coming To Town

"Come on... just a little more. Come and get me!"

Belle had backed up all the way to the edge of the cliff, but despite the apparent danger she continued to bait the large Snow Monster into chasing after her. The giant yeti growled and roared, but Belle wasn't afraid of it at all.

When the beast came close enough, Belle turned and jumped off the side of the cliff. She fell only a few feet before landing on Rudolph's back, who had been waiting for her, and the red-nosed reindeer flew off to the side so that the Bumble wouldn't be able to grab them as it fell to the bottom of the ravine.

"Well what do you know? Yukon was right," Belle said when she saw the monster bounce back up onto its feet.

Taking control of the reins, Belle directed Rudolph back towards the top of the cliff, and she gave a passing wave to the young Elves that she had helped rescue.

"Where to now?" Rudolph asked.

"Well, back to the castle I guess. I'm sure my father could use some help getting ready for his trip," Belle said.

Rudolph nodded his head in agreement, and the bells attached to his crimson harness jingled softly the entire way back to the North Pole. The sky overhead grew darker, and the stars came out to play, but Belle could tell that something wasn't quite right with Christmas Town.

Like always, sparkling red and green lights guided her way down... but none of the villagers that she came across in the center of town seemed to be their usual cheery selves.

Belle hopped off of Rudolph as soon as they landed, and it didn't take her long to learn what happened: Santa was missing.

Not gone... missing.

Not even King Moonracer on the Island of Misfit Toys knew where he was.

Belle walked into the Globe Room in her father's workshop, hoping that she'd be able to learn something.

Talk to me.

She certainly felt out of her element. She had always been able to count on her father to help her out and offer guidance.

Tell me what I need to do.

Guo Nian. (Yuandan)


People were screaming.

This was not the height of the tourist season, but even so the marketplace had been bustling, and people had been going about their morning.

Until the creature attacked.

Demon, cat, dragon-- it was none of these and all of them--

--it rampaged through streets and across rooftops, frothing and hungry, a ferocious delight gleaming in its eyes.

The Nian, The Beast of The New Year, was free-- and while it was months yet until the lunar New Year, what English-speakers might call February, The Nian had been tamed for many, many years and it was tired of waiting its turn to be wild again.

Hongjun Laozu was missing. The legendary Taoist figure who had subdued The Nian and used it as his steed for so very very long--

--and without his iron will to keep The Nian in check, The Nian would feed on townsfolk with impunity.

The world had moved on and The Nian had slipped into folklore, legend, and tradition. Faced with the actual beast itself, the people of this Chinese town panicked on a primal level, scattering and stampeding and crying.

Fortunately, Hongjun Laozu was not the only one with an iron will.

Sprinting across the rooftops after the beast, light as a sunbeam and almost as quick, came Yuandan-- the incarnation of the first day of the year.

Her arrows jostled in her quiver, her bowstring sang in the air as she bounded from one rooftop to the next along North Street.

The Nian glanced over its shoulder at her and snarled almost mockingly, as though to challenge the very idea that she could succeed in Hongjun Laozu's place.

She narrowed her golden-brown eyes as he scampered across the roof of the Town God Temple, and she nocked an arrow to her bow, letting it fly with speed, accuracy, precision, the luck-scroll tightly wrapped around its shaft only adding to its power.

The Nian twisted at the last second, practically changed direction mid-jump like a tiger, and the arrow hit the rooftop instead of the beast. A burst of luck-magic exploded in a tiny radius, causing the shingles beneath The Nian's right forepaw to slide loose under him, disrupting his run, causing him to stagger--

--but then he recovered almost immediately, darting off at a new angle and powering down into the narrow lanes towards Fangsheng Bridge.

Yuandan grimaced with disdain.

He didn't fear her the way he feared and respected Hongjun Laozu. How could this be? She was the greatest warrioress in her family! And she wore red-- The Nian was meant to be afeared of red, which was why it was such a crucial color to the celebration of The New Year.

And yet it seemed to toy with her, to taunt her, like a cunning cat taunting the dunce of a neighborhood dog.

Well.

She was no dunce.

With a fierce cry, she bounded down from the roof, landed feather-light upon the paving-stones, and gave chase.

When they reached Fangsheng Bridge, The Nian powered down the middle of it, scattering people left and right, but this gave her a clear shot.

Again, Yuandan fired-- but again The Nian twisted as though it heard the arrow coming, and it glanced instead off of one of the stone statues that lined the bridge, its luck-magic too far off of the mark to make a difference one way or the other. As soon as The Nian twisted, it then bounded over the side of the bridge, out over the river...

...and landed on the roof of one of the many gondola boats that frequented the waterways of Zhujiajiao.

Yuandan pressed her lips into a thin line and without more than an instant's hesitation, jumped after him, sailing through the air like a wushu character, not quite defying gravity but challenging it--

--The Nian kept going, bounding from gondola-roof to gondola-roof like it was playing hopscotch, and, shouldering her bow and drawing her jian instead, holding it low to her side, Yuandan sprang and sprang and sprang after him.

There were many boats and many canals and many bridges-- Zhujiajiao had been compared to Venice in that respect --but soon they were ashore again, and The Nian continued its rampage on into the legendary Kezhi Garden...

...all the while, Yuandan struggled to keep The Nian in sight. If the beast got away from her, if it dared to go into Shanghai proper, if she gave it a chance to focus on dining on her native people instead of just giving her a merry chase, there was no telling the damage it might cause.

But now, here amongst this hundred-year-old garden, she stood before The Nian on mossy steps, backed it up against a stone building painted pale, sword held at the ready.

"[Now then]," she let the Mandarin tumble over her lips, trying to hide how hard this pursuit had made her breathe. "[You see that I am wearing red. You see that I can bring loud noises to your ears.]"

She drew a firecracker out of her belt, lit it with the tiniest flicker of sunlight from her lantern, and threw it at The Nian's feet. It popped sharply--

--but The Nian didn't flinch.

If anything, it seemed to laugh at her.

And then it turned like lightning, bounded out over a small pond beside the stone steps, and galloped deeper into the gardens.

Yuandan clenched her jaw and managed to not crow and swear with frustration, instead whirling to give chase once more, running so quickly she skipped like a stone across the surface of the small pond before resuming the run on land.

All the rules had changed!

Everything was wrong, the pillars of Heaven seemed upside-down and she was having an even harder time than usual maintaining her sense of Taoist acceptance.

Her jian whistled in the air beside her as she ran, darting through trees and stones and statuary.

The Nian must be overcome. She knew she could do this.

...but how?

Omega Joe

Boston, Massachusetts
The Coffee Bean


The nightmare started in the morning and didn’t seem to end with the bad news. First, he lost his dog tags to a one-night-stand, and second, Master Veteran never returned from his mission—whatever it had been. He had a bad feeling that something happened to him. Joe couldn’t imagine anything really happening to his mentor, but this time, this time was different. With his dog tags gone, Joe had been reduced to a diminutive state. The teenager locked his bike around a parking meter and walked over to the small café called The Coffee Bean.

The bell above the glass door jingled when he stepped through.

Maybe I just need some coffee, he figured. It was something small, but it could lighten his mood some. Rather than dine in, he approached the counter where a young waitress—perhaps still in high school—waited eagerly to greet him.

“Good Morning, and what can I get for you today?” she asked as cheerfully as ever. Hmph, she might have been too strong of a shot of joy this morning. He didn’t know how the folks from the Christmas realm could deal with that every day.

Pushing his black-framed glasses back up the bridge of his nose, the Poindexter said simply, “The usual, ma’am.”

The girl stared at him silently and he stared back with his brows slightly tilted irritably.

“Um…and what is your usual, Sir?”

“Are you kidding? I come here almost every morning!”

He then instantly remembered his situation. Blushing, Joe laughed and waved his hand dismissively at his mistake.

“I’m sorry. I’m going through a situation right now, but I’m Omega Joe.”

He removed his wallet from his back jean pocket and removed his military ID to set it on the counter before her. The waitress stared down at the ID and then back up at the geek before her and snickered.

“Okay, kid, sure. That’s a cute ID. Are you from his fan club? You’re short, lanky, and Joe is twice your size (and twice the handsome you’re not). If this was supposed to be a prank, it was a little weak.”

Joe blinked. “Prank? Ma’am, I’m not lying to you. I just lost my tags.”

He then spread his arms. “This is what happens when you lose your tags!”

“Well little boy, whether you think you’re Joe or not, we only give uniformed personnel the discount since there are so many of you kids coming in here with fake IDs.”

“Fake ID!?” Joe exploded.

The poor nerd glanced around as though he was seeking a defense from the people anxiously waiting in line behind him. It was then when he laid eyes on it. The man was enormous. The steel diner chair had molded into the backside of the uniformed soldier, porking on a ham, sausage, bacon, and cheese bagel. It was so horrifying that Joe couldn’t keep his mouth from dropping. Like a moth drawn to a flame, he took his ID back and wandered over to the portly man donning the uniform.

Joe stared up at him as the grease from the sandwich created a slick about his bulging cheeks and smacking lips. Horrendous!

“Excuse me Sir, but what military are you associated with?” Joe asked innocently.

The man tore his face from his sandwich and nonchalantly peered down at the kid. With a mouthful of cheese, meat, and bread, he stammered, “U.S. Army.”

Joe’s right eye twitched. “Wrong answer, buddy. You, Sir, are a fake!”

The man frowned. “What?”

“Stolen valor folks! Prime example right here,” Joe exclaimed.

People in the café started staring and the man paused to glance around at all the eyes checking him out.

“The men and women of the Armed Forces undergo strenuous exercise to stay in top physical shape. And the only fitness I’m watching here is a jaw workout! Please don’t tell me that you’re here masquerading as a soldier just to get a discount!”

Glancing around apprehensively, the man growled, “I don’t know what you’re hollerin’ about kid, but I got ID to prove it.”

Joe arched a brow. “Oh, I gotta see this.”

The man set down his sandwich, reached his greasy hands into his camo pocket to remove his wallet, and flipped it open to show him the ID. Joe felt his knees nearly give beneath him. It was like a physical blow to his pride that had nearly staggered him. His brain could not handle anymore. The ID that he had seen was of a black man, which the man before him hadn’t even been. He could no longer tell if it was fake or just outright stolen! Joe’s knees finally struck the floor and he posted out his hands to keep his shoulders up.

“You managed…” he couldn’t wrap his brain around it. The anger…the anger! Master Veteran had been working with him on his bearing. He didn’t know how MV could do it in a situation like this. How could anyone keep their bearing when this man just…Baring his teeth, Joe’s fingers curled into fists and with an enraged scream, his head snapped up and he lunged at the guy.

Ching!

Outside The Coffee Bean

“Agh! You’re hurting me!” Joe exclaimed.

The young waitress at the counter had personally removed Joe from the café with what Joe would claim to be a death grip on his bicep. She shoved him out the café and yelled, “Get the hell out of here, dork!”

Joe whirled and pointed a finger at her. “I won’t ever come back to this place again! You were talking to me about fake IDs that guy wasn’t even black! How did you screw that up?”

The waitress barged back into the café, leaving the nerd outside to his fit.

“Stolen Valor folks! This coffee shop caters to stuffed sausages that deface the military!”

People continued to walk by, ignoring the geek that was ranting and raving on the street. Sighing in exasperation, Joe glanced down at his wristwatch and saw that it was just about time for pictures with Santa at the mall. Before he went to go unlock his bike, he pointed a knife hand at the café and vowed: “You better hope that I don’t find my dog tags because when I come back here, I’m gonna straighten this place out!”

The Winterleaf Mall

Joe was next in line for pictures with Santa and he walked over to sit on the costumed guy’s knee.

“…Aren’t you a little old to be sitting on my lap?” Santa muttered.

“At least someone finally thinks so. Look buddy, I’m here to see the Sugar Elf,” said Joe.

“You and every other fella,” Santa grumbled.

Joe blinked. “What?”

“She’s our hottest attraction. We get so much business that my leg goes numb after all the butts that’s been resting on it.”

“Hey, I’m sorry about your leg, but this is an emergency. What time can I expect her?”

“What am I her agent? I don’t know when she comes in! Now are you going to tell me what you want for Christmas or are you going to scram?”

Joe scowled. “I’m not gonna tell you squat! You’re not even the real Santa Claus. Santa is ten times your size and build. Have you even seen the guy? Coca Cola has it all wrong.”

Hello everyone!

All eyes seemed to snap in the direction of a pink-haired elf. Her pink tresses descended in waves from her crown to frame her pink blushed cheeks and pouty bubblegum lips. Green suspenders lifted her massive orbs of delectable flesh that threatened to near spill from the red and white crop top underneath.

“It’s your favorite elf Suga’, here ta’ give ya’ some suga!” the elf announced as she dunked a hand into a peppermint candy-styled bucket and showered the children with peppermints.

There were several smiling dads crowding around, eying the elf as she bounced, jiggled, and stalked in her fur-lined Christmas heels. Joe frowned and hopped off Santa’s lap to march over and snag Sugar by the really short leg of her suspenders.

“Oh!” she squeaked before she quickly clacked away with him. Once they were somewhere off to the side, Sugar smiled down at the nerd boy and crouched, her shorts riding up the swells of her bottom for the pleasure of several grown men. “What’s wrong, little boy? Where are your parents?”

“Tris, it’s me. Joe. Where are my tags?”

Tris blankly blinked. “Um…Joe?”

“You know, Omega Joe, you slept with me last night?”

“Ha! Nice try kid, what are ya his brotha’ or somethin’?”

“If only that were the case, but you took my tags off last night, and this is what happens. I need them back. What did you do with them?”

Smiling sheepishly, Tris ran her manicured fingers back through her pink wig and answered, “I uh gave’em to my boyfriend.”

“You what? Wait, boyfriend? You had a boyfriend this whole time?”

“Well, we were at the bar, and I was too tipsy to have rememba’ed. I do rememba’ Joe though. I don’t think any drink could erase that man from my mind,” she giggled.

“I’m Joe! Damn it! You know what? Never mind. Where do you live?”

“What? I’m not gonna tell ya where I live?”

“Please, Tris. This is an emergency. I really need those tags back.”

The elf bit her lips as she contemplated the situation. “Well, I guess it won’t hurt. You’re justa’ teenaga’ right? I just wanna warn you. Beau Bear can be cranky in the mornin’. He works tha’ night shift and he’ll probably be just gettin’ ta sleep. But here’s my address.”

Tris wrote it down on Joe’s hand and handed him a peppermint after.

“There ya go. Merry Christmas!”

“Thanks Sugar,” said Joe before he ran off.

Tris’s Apartment

Knock! Knock!

There was a long silence. Joe glanced at his wristwatch and then up and down the hallway. He felt weighted footsteps by the door and when it opened, he found himself gazing up at a big, muscular dark-skinned man. There were tattoos all over his body and he was wearing his tags about his neck. Joe couldn’t stop staring at them. There they were right within his reach—well, maybe if he had a stool to stand on.

“Yeah, what you want?” Beau Bear asked. “You better not be trynna’ prank me because I’m not in the mood for no pranks right now.”

“Uh…” Joe weakly began. “I mean, it’s about Tris.”

Tris’s boyfriend’s eyes went wide—no longer affected by sleep deprivation. “What? How do you know Tris?”

He then narrowed his eyes at Joe. “You her little brother or somethin’? She never told me she had one.”

“It’s important. Can I come in? This business should be for nobody else’s ears but your own.”

“Sure little dude, come in, but make it quick,” the Beau Bear said as he stepped aside.

As Joe walked in, he felt his blood beginning to race. He wasn’t sure if he was going to survive. He couldn’t tell him that he had slept with Tris, he would murder him before he could get his tags back. He also didn’t think that he would give them back once he discovered how valuable they were. All Joe could think of was the direct approach. He would have to steal them back.

Jester walked into the small hut his boss called home. Well when he called him his boss that was not entirely true. He was more like a big brother and in his case he was the more serious big brother.

While the Jester himself was full of whimsy and loved to play practical jokes, His brother took his job very seriously. He was the one that ushered in the New Year bringing spring back to the world and fighting off the last remnants of winters icy chill. He was also responsible for waking up all the hibernating animals and setting their mood to ones of procreation.

Looking around at the place Jester was surprised. The fireplace did not look like it had been used in awhile and for someone that had it going everyday all day that was not a good sign. Walking into his bedroom he saw that his furs had not been disturbed and he began to get worried.

Of course his brother was known to go on extended journeys at a moments notice, but he usually did let him know so he was not worried and he had not heard from him in over a week, hence his visit.

He next checked the kitchen and again found that nothing had been disturbed. Of course they did not need to eat but they still chose to. Who could resist the flavors when you could have anything you wanted by just thinking about it. However his brothers kitchen was bare with no food in it whatsoever.

Now he was very worried. Even when he went on his adventures his kitchen was still stocked. His house almost had the feel of abandonment to it. There was just one more place to check before he went into full on panic mode. Walking into the hidden alcove under the stairs he saw that his brothers large axe was still in it's pride of place on it's pedestal.

Right, now was the time to panic. He never, ever went anywhere without his axe. For the first time in a very long time the smile was wiped from the Jokers face and he was at a loss at what to do.

He was a prankster and a jokester not a big thinker. For this he was going to need help and he knew of only a few people who could. Of course there were the big ones like Gaia, Santa, Easter Bunny and even Cupid, but they were normally very busy and he didn't think they would have time for someone like him. Of course there were other Deities he could contact.

Jester took a moment to compose himself then left his brothers hut with a soulful look then jumping on his unicycle he pedaled off on his way towards one of his friends that may be able to help him sort out what was going on.

It was the HInterlands, and yet it wasn't. The colors were gone, replaced by varying shades of black and white. However the Easter Bunny didn't seem to notice that things were amiss, or just wasn't paying attention. The door to home, shaped like a large Easter egg, had been colored with black and white stripes. The Easter Bunny looked around for a moment with his hand on the doorknob, looking as if he was lost in thought for a moment. After a few moments, he turned the knob and opened the door, steppingin to the bright light shining out. The door closed behind the Easter bunny, but the scene didn't follow. Staying on the Hinterlands, it was all quiet for several moments. Suddenly every door burst forth from it's hinges, an ominous darkness rushing out to take away the light.

Roger sat up in bed, covered in sweat from the strange nightmare that had crept into his sleep. He shivered for a moment before he steped out of bed, looking out the bedroom window. Judging by the sun's position, the rabbit figured it was sometimes just before noon.

He found it odd to have slept in so late, as he had been conditioned to rise when the sun rose. After all, the eggs had to be hidden before all the boys and girls got up on Easter morning to hunt for their prized eggs. However Easter was still months away, so that gave him some leeway.

He shared a treehouse with the Easter Bunny, with his own room. After all, staying with his mentor had been decided by Roger's parents and the current Guardian when he was just a young boy.

After he took a quick shower to settle his nerves, Roger took a look around the tree house for the Easter Bunny. The last things he knew about the whereabouts of his mentor and teacher was leaving for a quick trip to one of his secret places. Roger still didn't know everything he needed to take over for Easter, but he had been promised that his time was soon in coming. The trips that the Easter Bunny took were usually a week at a time, but this was the eight day and there was no sign of him.

After getting dressed and eating some breakfast, Roger decided to leave and see what he could find on his mentor. He pulled on some pants with a belt, strapped his scimatar to his back, put on his token and bag of eggs before stepping outside. Hr was greeted by the bustling activity that was Easterville, alive with the forest creatures going about their day.

The Autumn Realms are a place of mystery and wonder. While they can be a place of intense beauty, it is also a realm of danger. It is home to many dark and powerful beings and forces. In most times these forces are kept in check by The Baron and Cerelia, the King and Queen of the Opal Kingdom. However, recently things have changed. They have ceased in making their rounds of the various towns and cities of the realm. And as such, some of these beings have begun to take advantage.

The town of Falling Leaf was a small one. A place of farms and mills. They didn't often see outside faces. But if only that were true this evening. Just as Dusk fell on the town, the riders came. Goblins riding on wolfback. They were harassing the townfolk and demanding food and gold. The townfolk had dealt with them for a few days now. Every night they would come from the forest to the east.

As they wooped and hollered, surrounding an older man, they started to taunt him and jab at him with their staves and clubs. Their leader, an ugly scar-faced goblin call Naglik sauntered to the old fellow on his kness.

"Hrrnnggk... You old one.... pay the toll or suffer!"

The old man looked frantically about. "If the Baron were here you lot would be running for the hills, begging for your lives! Cowards!"

Naglik choffed and backhanded the old man. "I fear no Baron. 'Sides, word is he has left, abandoned you lot. Hrrnkssk. His cunt wife too!" The goblin leader peels in laughter, mixed with the nasally snort of his voice.

The old man glares at the vile goblin. "You are a coward. You lead these beasts? Yet you dare not attack anyone but old farmers and millers."

"Farmer, Miller, Baron, your all the same to me. Me and my riders will soon enough run this fief, and you will all bow to your new Baron, Baron Naglik!"

The old man smiles. A slow knowing smile.

"Is that so. Perhaps. But I know someone that would disagree."

The old man begins to laugh. Receiving another backhand for his determination. As he falls back, he twists landing on his face, curling into a ball as he continues to laugh. Several of the goblins begin to kick and throw rocks at the old man. All the while he laughs.

Naglik steps over and draws a long gnarled dagger from his belt and graps the old man by his cloak. He yanks the man back and up and as he does the cloak shifts and ripples in his hand. Turning from cloth into thick leather. As it transmutes, so too does it's wearer. What was once an old farmer is now a young man with a pale complexion and dark hair. His eyes are ringed a deep black lick that of dried blood. He grins as he reaches his feet.

"Naglik, you dog!" Jack Samhain backhands the goblin with just a portion of the might he inherited from his parents. But it is enough to send the goblin tumbling backwards. "You dare to usurp my father's rule? You dare to harm his people? To disparage the Baron and Cerelia? Then you do so at your peril goblin!" Jack's aura ripples with fury. Darkness pouring forth from him like ripples in a pond.

Several of the goblins charge forward, hoping to strike down the young prince. As they close the distance he waves his hand and tentacles of pure darkness burst from the shadows of the falling night, wrapping them from head to toe and hefting them from the ground. Jack strides to Naglik who is now backing away on hands and knees. Desperate to get away. But Jack doesn't stop. Instead he raises a hand and gestures as he mutters words arcane.

Naglik freezes in place and slowly, shaking in desperate effort to restrain himself, he slowly begins to move toward Jack. As he kneels before him he begins to beg and plead.

"Silence. You sealed your fate. I gave you several opportunities to flee. To change course. But you chose not only to continue but to insult my name. My Parents. Now you and your clan pay for your deeds. As you have plagued this village, you show now forever protect it. You shall stand guard over this place from now until the end of the Opal Crown. You came from the earth when my father breathed life into it, and so you shall be of it again."

As the goblins struggled vainly against the shadows, Jack slices his hand with a dagger from his coat. Sprinkling his blood about the dirt he concludes his spell. The goblins writhe as their flesh turns to grey unyielding granite and they are left rooted in place. Grotesques left standing in the middle of the town.

Several of the villagers cheer and offer trinkets and gifts as Jack thanks them for their support to the Crown. He walks slowly out of the town into the night as a large raven lands on his shoulder.

"Brother, that was... wow. I didn't know you had that much mystical power... Gargoyles... brilliant!

"Grotesques."

"No, Jacky, come on, I think it was most fair."

Jack chuckles as he shakes his head. "Wade, don't you ever listen when Bartleby gives his lessons? Gargoyles are water spouts or fountains. As there is no water, those, are Grotesques."

"Oh! Right! Yeah, I uh... I knew that Jacky, I uh... I was just testing you. Anyway, so no one here has seen them either then huh?"

"No. I am getting really worried Wade. They have been gone for too long. They never leave without telling me and never at the same time for more than a day or two. I haven't seen them in a month. I know there is something wrong. I think I need to head into the human world. This little dimensional bubble is great, but if they aren't here, they had to of gone there? Unless they went to visit one of the others. Maybe I should reach out to Santa or to Master Laozu? Master Veteran? One of them has to know whats going on. And they all spend way more time in the normal world than Mom and Dad."

"Springer already headed to the North. Of course I know why you mentioned Santa and Laozu. They both happen to have gorgeous daughters that you have had a crush on since you were a hatchling."

Jack's normal pallor shifted a few shades as he ignored Wade's teasing. "Ok. Springer is fast. Let's head to China. He can check on Santa and if he knows anything. I will check with Laozu."

Jack stops and draws a glyph on the ground as he speaks an incantation to bring him to the current location of the Champion of the Chinese New Year. The world around him melts and swirls into mist. In a second, it is back. But it is a very different world indeed. Jack is standing at the end of a bridge in a place he has never seen.



Springer jumps and tumbles in the snow. He loves the feel of the fluffy white snow under his paws as he galavants along. He pauses for a second, debating if he has time for one more romp through the tundra, and if he might be able to catch the hare he saw there. Then he choffs softly and shakes his head. He knows he is on an important trip. Rarely does he get to visit the other Avatars, but this is important. He needs to put his joy and play time aside for now. Hares later.

Springer pads softly to the outside of the North Pole. Always hesitant to enter a new place, he pads back and forth outside the gate several times. Not everyone appreciates a wolf the size of a small horse just wandering into town. Sure, he can shift to a smaller form, such is the magic he has as a familiar, but to take an ordinary form he becomes an ordinary wolf. And somehow, he thinks talking is more important if he wants to get answers. Oh well... time to risk it.

He sniffs the air hesitantly as he walks into the town. "Pardon Me! Has anyone seen Santa? I need to speak to him?"

Ni3 chou2lian3, you3 mei2you3? (Yuandan)

Lunaramblings said:

Jack stops and draws a glyph on the ground as he speaks an incantation to bring him to the current location of the Champion of the Chinese New Year. The world around him melts and swirls into mist. In a second, it is back. But it is a very different world indeed. Jack is standing at the end of a bridge in a place he has never seen.

Click to expand...

Jack Samhain could be forgiven a bit of cognitive dissonance, having cast a spell to find The Guardian of Chinese New Year, only to find himself confronted with some decidedly British architecture.

Thames Town was part of a bit of a failed experiment, one of a number of tiny towns dotted around the borders of Shanghai that simulated, to an extent, life in other nations around the world. It had been compared to the little international sections in Walt Disney World, and it was an apt comparison. Thames Town, specifically, as the name suggested, looked like a little slice of Brittannia.

Of course, this time of year it was off-season for tourists, and the place was basically deserted. Even the Chinese couples usually flocking about the sights and snapping their wedding pictures were thin on the ground at the moment.

And thus there weren't as many people here to run screaming and scattering when The Nian came barreling through, bounding over the canal that ran past Jack Samhain--

--swiftly followed by a grimly grimacing, infuriated, wearying Yuandan, bowstring snapped, nearly out of arrows--

--sparing Jack only a ferocious glance as she sped past him--

"Stay out of the way."

Belle took off her red hat and ran her hands through her equally crimson tresses as her mind raced to figure out what her next move would be. Even if things at the workshop seemed to be a little off kilter, the elves and yetis were at least able to keep up with production and last-minute preparations.

Christmas as usual.

Ordinarily she would have had some fun convincing the yetis to repaint some of the toys, but with her father missing, and with no help seemingly coming from The Big Man up above, Belle knew she had to be serious and step up her game.

The young guardian stepped up closer towards The Globe and placed her hands on her hips while she glanced at the control board.

There were a lot more switches and buttons than she remembered.

"Okay this one... spins it around. Very helpful," she said.

"This one... spins it the other way."

One switch illuminated North America, and another highlighted Australia. A third switch lit them both up at the same time. After trying almost half of the control panel, Belle was about ready to give up when she heard a rather familiar (if stern) voice behind her.

"What's all this boo-hooin' going on here? You know, you might want to consider trying some of that Holiday Cheer yourself. I hear it does wonders this time of year."

Belle rolled her eyes.

"Now's really not the time, Bernard."

"I see. Well, care to explain what you're doing?"

"Well, with my father missing, I thought I'd try and give this thing a shot. Maybe see if I could get some sense of direction. You know? Maybe get the Man in the Moon to help out."

Bernard stepped up closer and then gently patted her on the back.

"I gotcha kiddo, don't worry. This thing doesn't just show you who's naughty and nice. Here, let me show you."

Bernard inched closer to the controls, and while most elfs would have been too short to reach the control panel, he was juuuust tall enough to where it wasn't that big of a problem. He began pressing several different buttons, but soon enough the doors to the control room opened up, and another elf came walking in.

"Sorry, I know you guys are busy, but there's someone... uh... something here to see the Big Man."

It was worth taking a look.

"I'll be right there," Belle said after a moment.

Bernard gave a shrug of his shoulders, and followed after Santa's daughter as she left the workshop and headed into the center of town. Catching sight of Springer, she knew in her heart that it wasn't an ordinary visit.

Jester had a choice. He could head to Easterville and talk to the Easter bunny and Roger to see if they knew anything.

Head up to the North Pole and try to get an interview with Santa or better yet talk to Belle. She was always good for a laugh and could wrap her father around her little finger when she needed to.

Of course there was also Yuandan. The Chinese woman was very intense, a little too intense for his liking, but she also knew what it was like to be worshiped by only a handful of people.

Oh sure everyone knew about his holiday but few knew of the significance behind it. That was why he was but a Jokester, taking on the role of what the day had now become.

She however took her duties seriously and when he was around her he had the urge to prank her just to see her smile, although she did a lot when she let her guard down.

There was one last guy he could go to but he was a last resort, bottom of the barrel, hail mary, no way, you have to be kidding, pull his teeth out, shot. The guy was as uptight as they came. A strictly military guy and all that represented. Gung ho, yes sir, three bags full, follow orders and if it doesn't fit in the square hole jam it in till it does.

Omega Joe, the spirit of the American Military and their veterans. Guy was so uptight you would swear he walked with a broom stick up his ass. Jokester thought it was his personal mission to get the man to smile and took every opportunity to prank him. Oh nothing too bad, just the classics. Clear wrap over the toilet seat, dye in the shower head, burning crap outside his door, changing his plumbing so cold was hot and hot was cold. Just annoying little things.

The thing was though they may work together on occasions and attend meetings together with their mentors, they really did not get along. He would not turn to him first.

His best bet was Belle for two reasons. One she would probably be the most informed. After all Santa knew everything. That making a list thing was true. He really did know who was good and bad and he kept tabs on everyone including all the other Deities.

The other reason was she was the closest. His boss liked to make his home up north near the Arctic circle. He moved it around a lot but it remained in the same region, so it would not take him long to get to Christmas Town.

He turned his Unicycle that way and began to peddle faster. Of course it didn't obey the laws of physics so the snow was not a problem for him. He was actually moving on his own piece of land extending a meter in front of him and one behind that only his cycle could touch. This allowed him to travel in the air, up walls, on ceilings, actually pretty much wherever he wanted to as long as he kept his balance.

It also traveled very fast, very fast indeed. In no time he found himself outside the city limits and he slowed right down. There seemed to be some sort of commotion going on. He pedaled towards the center of town and spotted Belle. Her trademark crimson hair stood out in this crowd and he was about to call out when he saw what she was approaching.

The biggest wolf he had ever seen stood smack dab in the middle of the village square. By the way the elves showed only the smallest fear of it he assumed they knew what it was, and considering it's size it must be either a Deity or one of it's familiars.

Jokester decided to keep quiet and find out exactly what was going on before he announced his presence to everybody.

Roger had spent most of the day wandering the town, talking to the other residents to see what they knew. He normally didn't talk like this to strangers, but he was practically a figurehead next to the Easter Bunny in Easterville. Everyone tried to be friends with him, or at least know him beyond more than just a name. His search hadn't turned up anything, just about everyone believing the Easter bunny had just decided to take an extra day or two off and for Roger not to worry about such things.

He was nearly ready to go home for the evening when the Mayor approached him. She was worried about the absence of the Easter bunny, but for different reasons.

"Roger, has the easter Bunny returned yet?"

"No Mayor. Was there something you were needing?Maybe I can help if you need it."

She smiled brightly at his words.

"Of course. You can go in his place then. The reindeer came to haul the last chocolate shipment of the year to the North Pole, and they just need someone to go with them to make sure everything is handled properly."

Roger had taken the trip several times before with the Easter Bunny, but this would be the first one by himself. Easterville was usually the main supplier of chocolate delivery to the North Pole, turning it into sweet treats along with their peppermint candies. He just wasn't a fan of the cold at the North Pole.

"Sure Mayor. Everything ready to go then?"

"Of course. The sleigh is all loaded up and a set of winter clothes are waiting for you."

A small sleigh pulled by two of the reindeer, Prancer and Dancer, waited for him in the town square. A large red sack was in the back of the sled, magically filled with enough Easter choclate eggs to give three to every human around the the world. The winter coat was a bit big for him, but the hat and gloves fit fine, as did the snow boots. Once everything was ready, he picked up the reins and shook them lightly.

"Onwards."

The two reindeer snorted and looked back at him for a moment. They turned their head back around and were in the air like a rocket, soaring through the sky.

Springer was easily larger than most of the beings that surrounded him. As such he easily spotted Belle as she emerged. Also head and shoulders above the rest. Springer was not a diplomat and he wasn't sure how to make the best impression. So he did the only thing that made sense to his canine mind. As Belle approached he did something most uncomfortable for a wolf like himself. He lied down, rolled over and bared his throat. The most submissive posture a wolf can take. He wanted to be sure everyone understood he meant no harm and this was the most direct way he could think to show that.

Kholodnaya segodnya utrom, kapitan. Kholodnaya i trudno. (Snegurochka)


Veliky Ustyug was a place of monasteries and architecture. Largely forgotten as anything but a tourist attraction, it was nevertheless a jewel in wintertime.

It was also the home of Ded Moroz, Grandfather Frost, and the location of the post office where he would receive letters from Russian children.

This close to January 7th, Russia's own little gift-giving day-- it paled in comparison to Santa Claus' worldwide operation, but still-- it should have been a flurry of activity.

But no.

Only millimeters of precipitation had fallen in Veliky Ustyug this December.

And for close to two weeks, Grandfather Frost and his beautiful bride Spring had been missing.

Though there was a residence here built for Ded Moroz and his family-- no-one was home.

Yakutsk, meanwhile, was one of the coldest major cities of the world. It still got warm in the summer, but right now it was in the negative thirties. Not a lot of snow on the ground here either, but at least certain people were not in danger of melting and evaporating into a pale cloud.

Snegurochka would be young and beautiful forever, so long as she stayed cold enough to remain intact. She never felt the chill of winter in her bones-- she was born of this.

But now, sitting against the base of the Lenin statue in the square, arms wrapped around herself, she actually shivered. Not from cold-- but from worry and loneliness. Her parents were gone, and because the weather this winter was abnormally warm, she wasn't able to wander as far or as wide as certain others while looking for them.

She had to stay where it was thoroughly cold and hope to Chelovek na Lune that somehow they found her.

The people around here were friendly to tourists, and while they shot worried looks at this pale-skinned creature in white and red, they... sensed the otherness in her, and gave her her space.

She stared down at her tiny hands and tried not to cry tears that would just turn to icicles on her snow-white cheeks.

It was hard for her to feel things. Her heart was a snowflake.

But now she felt genuine aching lonely longing pain and she had to fight back the tears and she kept wondering why she bothered.

From the opposite side of the statue there came a scrrrrraaaaape, and she glanced up in surprise.

Standing atop the pedestal beside Lenin, his shepherd's-crook staff lazily hooked around Vladimir's stridently-upraised arm, a pale-haired, eternally-young boy gazed down at her from behind sunglasses.

"Don't be afraid, Snowy," murmured Jackson Overland "Jack" Frost-- no relation, exactly, despite his having the same last name as her father. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

"Afraid?" Snegurochka squinted up at him. It was good, she supposed, to see a familiar face. Even if he was using a nickname that always galled her somewhat. "I'm not afraid of you."

Fear was as hard for her to feel as most other emotions, she certainly wouldn't feel it towards a Guardian like Jack Frost.

"Maybe not," Jack mused, "but you are afraid of something."

Snegurochka rose to her feet to turn and face up at him better, lightly straightening her skirts. "You think so, huh?"

"I know so," Jack insisted, unhooked his staff from the statue, and dropped with effortless grace and lightness to the square grounds beside Snegurochka, and he leaned into her personal space.

"You're afraid that you'll never see your parents again. You're afraid that the world is getting warmer, the poles are melting, and soon it might not be cold enough for you to travel about at all."

"Bad enough you're going to have to retreat up into some wind-whipped frozen mountaintop before this place warms up in the summer, what if the heat spreads and the cold never comes back? You'll never come back from your pale little cloud form."

Snegurochka backed up a step, eyes wide-- and then her eyes narrowed. No, she wasn't afraid of him, and she wasn't sure why he was pushing her buttons like this-- but something wasn't right-- "We've had warm winters before."

Jack Frost chuckled, adjusted his sunglasses on his nose. It was strange enough, seeing someone wearing glasses in Yakutsk-- with the humans, the metal frames would freeze to their skin and take pieces off, though of course Jack Frost wouldn't have that problem. It was stranger still seeing Jack Frost without being able to see his beautiful, wild-yonder eyes. (She couldn't feel love, not like normal people, but she had always had a... soft spot... in her snowflake heart for Jack. It helped that her father and her Uncle Santa held Jack in such high esteem.)

"Not like this, Snowy."

"I've had a revelation about humans, you see."

"We protect them in their childhood years, guard their innocence, their friendship, their sense of fair play and their boundless imagination. But as soon as they pass into their adulthood, and they quit believing in us, well, all bets are off, aren't they? They give in to cynicism and materialism and greed."

"And they'll keep strip-mining this planet 'till they can get every ounce of money out of it they can. And suddenly they'll realize that they've done untold damage to the balance of the seasons-- destroyed the boundaries between spring and summer and autumn and winter-- ruined the very cycle of decay and renewal which we partly represent-- but it'll be too late. The damage'll be done."

"And there'll be no place left for beings of ice and snow to skate about at all. Does that seem right to you, Snowy? Bad enough you'll never know the warm touch of a boy-- or a girl, for that matter-- now you won't even get to exist. You'll just be a disembodied piece of sky-fluff, unable to act upon the world-- and no-one will ever look at you and find you beautiful again."

Snegurochka glanced down at her hands and realized they were clenched into fists, her knuckles even whiter than usual. She managed to pry them open again, her fingernails leaving half-moon impressions in her palms.

And she locked her gaze onto Jack Frost's sunglassed face.

"You've got a point. I'm assuming."

Jack nodded easily, sliding a hand into the marsupial pocket of his deep-sky-blue hoodie and bringing it back out holding a pendant on a chain like silvery ice. "A point. And a token."

If her cheeks could burn hot, Snegurochka might blush here despite herself. "What?"

Jack stepped back into her space, hands going up behind her neck, fastening the necklace chain so that the pendant rested near her collarbone. "Here. This'll keep you cold in the warmth of the sun, keep you from melting-- at least for a while longer than you'd be able to survive without it."

"It's time to stop protecting them, Snowy. It's time to start protecting ourselves. We can't afford to wait for them to learn their lesson, we have to shove them back into line."

She trembled softly as the pendant and its chain touched her skin-- again, a chill beyond cold-- she almost felt something slide into place in her heart, sliding between the cog-teeth of her snowflake.

And he started... started making even more sense.

He stepped back and he held up his staff-- Twinetender-- and he tilted his face--

--she imagined that he'd closed his eyes in concentration behind those sunglasses, but she couldn't see his eyes to be sure--

--and power glowed through him and through that mystical conduit for his innate, amazing wintry power--

--and a long thin blade, an odd sort of rapier, coalesced out of that power and into his waiting hand.

"You're good with a sword, right?"

"Winters get boring," Snegurochka replied, squinting at him. She was amazing with a sword, and she knew it. "Bears get uppity. Plus, it's always good to be ready to go into the family business."

"Heh," Jack chuckled, and twirled the blade over his nimble fingers before extending her the hilt. "Try this one."

She slipped her hand around the waiting weapon almost before she'd thought about it-- and once again she shivered, though this time it wasn't a bad shiver, it was goosebumpy delight and familiarity.

"I used to think that my staff was the source of my power," Jack noted, twisting Twinetender this way and that. "But like you, my power over ice and snow and wind comes from within-- my staff is just a conduit."

He pointed his staff at the sword in her hand. "This is Frostfang. It's a conduit for your powers, like my staff, but it's also an amplifier. It makes you almost as good with ice and snow and wind as I am." He paused a beat, and smirked. "...almost."

Snegurochka weighed the rapier in her hand, tested its balance, gazed along the length of the blade. "It's perfect. And pointy. You really did have a point."

Jack giggled, and swung his arms wide, half-bowing in a showmanship sort of way. "Truth in advertising."

Snegurochka again affixed her gaze to Jack. "You wouldn't just hand me a weapon like this if you didn't have something you wanted me to point it at."

Jack Frost sighed, nodded. "Ah, so true. I'm afraid that even though you've seen my, heh, point, some of our fellow Guardians will be a little more... resistant. They'll want to keep on being silly Guardians of Childhood even to the point that we all die screaming, forgotten, unbelieved-in. So you'll have to trip them up, help us build a new status quo. If you follow my reasoning."

She pursed her lips, and then nodded. "'Always winter, but never Christmas.'"

Jack laughed out loud at that, bounding backwards, and then jumping back up to stand on the pedestal beside Lenin again, then up to stand with one foot atop Lenin's forehead and one on his forearm. "I knew I could count on you, Snowy."

Snegurochka smirked up at him, he cut quite a dashing figure up there. "Always."

"Head to Iceland," Jack Frost instructed her. "You'll find a friend there who can help you. I've got work to do elsewhere, but I'll be in touch."

"Looking forward to it," Snegurochka nodded, and immediately turned to the west and started walking.

Jack Frost watched her go for a moment, sliding down his sunglasses to reveal pitch-dark eyes.

And then he cried, "Hey Wind!"

...immediately the blistering gusts of Yakutsk swelled around him.

"Take me home!"

And up up and away he rushed, riding the torrents of air.

...a short distance away, he landed.

And out of a pool of shadows emerged Pitch Black, grinning with sadistic glee.

"Well done, my lad. You performed my little script to the hilt."

Jack Frost didn't respond, just stood dully. He hadn't been told what to say, so he didn't say anything.

Pitch plucked Jack's sunglasses off of his face, hooked them in the collar of his hooded sweatshirt, and chuckled a dark, hollow chuckle. "She's such a tiny little thing. Still, I've always had a fondness for Cold and Darkness, and she'll do nicely to undermine any efforts to oppose us by the woefully underprepared second-string."

He brought up one hand, and in it he held Jack Frost's crystalline heart... but from one corner, a tiny icicle sliver was missing.

"And long enough wearing that pretty little bauble, she'll be as much mine to control as you are."

He laughed softly, gazing down into that heart as though he were gazing into a crystal ball. "'Always winter and never Christmas.' Oh, I love that."

Where's Waldo?

Belle moved closer to the larger-than-normal wolf, and then casually placed her hands on her hips when he got down low on the ground and rolled over on the ground. She'd met Springer on more than one occasion, mostly when she was out on various errands, and considering they were on good terms, she was surprised at how... submissive he was being.

She leaned forward and smiled.

"You're not getting a belly rub."

Belle's smile turned into more of a knowing smirk, and she straightened up her back.

She knew who Springer was associated with, but after a quick look around she couldn't spot the prince of Halloween, Jack Samhain. The two weren't always together, but seeing Springer here alone did give more weight to her initial thought that something was amiss (as if Santa being missing wasn't a big enough clue).

Belle did, however, hear the familiar sound of sleigh bells ringing in the distance, and moments later Dancer and Prancer came bounding down towards the lane. They'd been sent off to pick up a shipment of chocolate, but it quickly became apparent that they'd brought back more than just the usual goods.

"Roger?"

Belle looked towards Springer, and then back towards Dancer and Prancer as they finished bringing the sleigh closer for unloading.

"Does someone know something that I don't?"

Springer's tongue lolled abit as he rolled back to his feet grinning.

I best get a rain check. It's all I put on my Christmas List you know." Springer's wolfish grin faded as Belle called out to Roger. If she was the one greeting him, and he didn't smell any fresh Santa scent, and now Roger is doing the deliveries alone... this did not bode well.

"I think we may want to speak privately. Jack sent me to make some inquiries and I am beginning to think I may have an idea how they are going to go. At least it is always a breath of fresh air to see you."

Springer inhaled deeply. Trying to gauge how old the scents were. They seemed very faint indeed. It didn't help that the sweet succulent aroma of Belle Claus was first and foremost the one he could detect. But he didn't sense a fresh scent of Santa on her either.

Jester decided it was time to show himself. He was beginning to sense that all was not right in the world of the Guardians. Most people just wrote him off as being stupid because of his fun loving attitude and the pranks he played. What they didn't know was how smart you had to be to actually set them up. Oh the basic ones were easy, but try pulling off a multi part prank against ten people with fifty moving parts and have it go flawlessly first time and see how you went.

No Jester preferred people to think him an idiot so that they underestimated him, in fact he played up to it. His Brother had taught him that, and now the person he looked up to the most was missing and by the looks of things he was not the only one.

He had sensed the lack of cheerfulness as soon as he had entered Santa Town. Oh they were still happy, but to one as fine tuned to happiness as him, he could tell it was forced with an underlying sense of worry behind it. Now Roger was here when the Easter bunny usually made these deliveries, in fact he prided himself on it as he loved to catch up with Santa and jest that he could not make chocolate himself. (Jester had seen this on more than one occasion).

To top it off Belle seemed to know the wolf and it seemed worried as well. It was definitely an Avatar then which meant another Guardian was worried. That made four of them, and that was a big number when two were of the major variety.

He cycled slowly forward and started to juggle four balls of smoke. "Well looks like I am not the only one to come seek your council your radiance," He said bowing, his whole cycle moving down then up again, his hands never stopping as the smoke changed colors as he juggled them.

"I see what has befallen my big brother has happened to a few of my fellows and yourself as well. Not good, not good at all. It would be worse if it is not just us but the others as well. Has anyone thought to contact the others and see if we four are but isolated cases or are we really in major trouble."

He dropped a smoke ball as he said this, something he never did and the others faded away. He shrugged and looked at the others, his smile fading a little. "Now look at that, The Jester being the one to bring bad news," he chuckled sadly. "Oh the irony."

Roger raised an eyebrow for a moment seeing the other lesser Guardians already gathered here at the North Pole. He had planned on just getting a ride back, but it was obvious something was up. He pulled the coat tighter around him as a slight wind blew.

"I just came to drop off the last load of the year, as the Easter Bunny decided to take an extra day of his trip. I wasn't expecting to find a party started."

With the others gather here already, well a handful of them, then something must be up. And he could tell from the tones of their voices and body language it wasn't a good one.

"Mind if we go inside where it's warm to discuss things?"

Belle smiled, and then she nodded in agreement at Springer's suggestion that they all speak privately. It wasn't that talking aloud in the North Pole wasn't safe, but her father's workshop offered that extra blanket of security. And while Belle herself was not bothered by the cold, other guardians like Roger, who were not used to the arctic chills, would do well to warm up inside.

"Has anyone thought to contact the others and see if we four are but isolated cases, or are we really in major trouble?"

"We were just about to discuss that," Belle said after Jester had made his appearance. "Follow me."

Belle turned and started to head back inside, and she was greeted at the door by a yeti that had some hot chocolate prepared. The youngest Claus took a cup and added some miniature marshmallows, then blew on it very delicately before taking a sip.

"Mmm," she mused happily to herself.

Perhaps the only thing that could possibly measure up to a fresh cup of hot chocolate was a glass of Franklin Bean's Alcoholic Cider, but that was incredibly hard to come by.

(Totally worth it, though. One drop... it's like melted gold).

Belle took another sip of her hot chocolate, and then turned to address her little soirée.

"Okay, I guess I'll go first. I really don't know what's going on, except that, if what Jester said is true, then Santa isn't the only one to have disappeared. If that's true, and it's the same for everyone else, then I think we've got a bit of a mess on our hands.

Belle placed her glass down beside her, and then folded her arms across her chest.

"Maybe it's really nothing to worry about, but for us, Christmas is right around the corner. So... I don't know. Springer, what did Jack have to say?"

Tris had just returned to the apartment and was ascending the stairs with a tired sway. She sighed dramatically and muttered, “I never knew that bein’ an elf was tirin’ business.”

When she made it to the top of the stairs, she halted abruptly and squeaked at the form of a young teenager lying outside of her apartment door. Wait! She recognized that boy.

“Joe?” she called and quickly ran over as fast as she could in her furry heels. She carefully dropped to her knees next to the boy and rolled him over into her lap.

“Oh shit!” she exclaimed when she saw that one of his eyes was bruised black and the right side of his mouth was swollen red. There were two streams of blood trickling down from his nostrils indicating a possible fractured nose. “Oh my gawd! Joe!”

She shook the teen who was a ragdoll in her arms until his brows converged on his forehead.

“Ugh…” Joe groaned. It hurt to frown and he couldn’t even stop himself from doing so. He ached all over.

“Joe! What happened?”

His blue eyes cracked open and he gazed up at the face of the beautiful, pink-haired Christmas elf.

“Tris….tags,” he managed to force out. He could already feel himself slipping back into unconsciousness.

“Oh my gosh! Hold on!” she exclaimed, sliding Joe from her lap to the floor. She quickly rose to her feet and turned to her apartment door. Getting out her keys, she unlocked it and barged inside. The door slammed behind her and loud muffled arguing filtered through the door.

“Duke! Are you insane? Why would ya go harmin’ a little kid like that?” Tris exclaimed.

“That little punk bitch jumped me as soon as I let him in the apartment and he tried to steal my chain! He said that he knew you. I woulda’ never let his ass in here if I’d known he was gonna pull that crazy shit.”

“Those are his tags, Beau! Look at the name on’em!”

“…”

“Oh fuck! These are Omega Joe’s? What the fuck was his tags doin’ here?”

“Baby I’ll explain lata’. I need those back please.”

“Wait…he isn’t gonna try ta’ whoop my ass once you give’em back, is he?”

“No, he won’t whoop your ass, baby. Can ya please?”

“I don’t believe you. I beat the shit out of that guy.”

“Baby, I promise I won’t let him touch you. Please trust me. We hafta’ hurry.”

“…all right. Here.”

Tris barged back out into the hallway and noticed that Joe was unconscious again. She went to her knees again and delicately looped the chain about the teen’s neck. Once the tags were situated, they transformed from a steel-grey to a bright gold and the floor beneath the teenager’s body flared with a bright fiery light. Joe’s eyes snapped open and they were white with an eldritch power. His clothes rippled and morph, twisting and expanding into black Kevlar-like armor and green camo. His body abruptly inflated with muscle, filling out the dermis of a string bean kid. Once the light faded from the floor and from his eyes, Joe flashed his teeth angrily and rolled back onto his shoulders. His legs curled until his knees were above his face and the palms of his hands settled on the floor to the left and right of his head. Pushing off the floor and thrusting his feet into the air, the super soldier acrobatically sprang to his feet, his boots landing with a loud thud. His hands balled into shaky fists of anger and as soon as he turned with what Tris knew was revenge shining sharply in his eyes, she stood in his path, blocking her apartment with her body.

“Joe; stop. I won’t let ya hurt ‘im,” said Tris.

“You better come up with a really good reason why I shouldn’t go in there and-”

“And what, Joe? You’re a hero, so act like one.”

The soldier fell silent. The words seeming to dry up in his mouth and his anger immediately extinguished. Not only was she right, but she reminded him of some words of wisdom Master Veteran used to say to him. Discipline is composure. If you lose composure, you lose the faith of your men, and then you lose the war. Joe exhaled his pent-up anger on a sigh and bowed his head briefly in embarrassment and shame. He still had a lot to learn it seemed.

Joe passed Tris and headed for the steps.

“Thank you, Tris,” was all he said over his shoulder.

With her arms crossed beneath her bosom, Tris curiously turned in his direction. “Where are ya goin’?”

“I got to go take care of some things.”

“Will I see ya again?”

“WHAT!?” Duke exclaimed, causing Tris to jump in fright.

She then blushed and smiled sheepishly, “You were standin’ there the whole time weren’t ya?”

An argument ensued and as Joe descended the steps, he was so glad that he didn’t stick around.

She has a boyfriend… he thought a little miserably.

The Coffee Bean

The squeal akin to a school intercom resounded throughout the city of Boston as the heads of several residents snapped in the direction of a massive tank that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the street. Standing on it with a megaphone was Omega Joe and he walked down the length of the barrel that was aimed at The Coffee Bean. With a boot propped on the muzzle, he thrust out his hand and exclaimed, “Citizens of Boston, bring your eyes to this little establishment that houses heroic frauds. This business allows false heroes to sit here and deface the hard work and sacrifice of your men and women in arms. The Coffee Bean used to be my favorite place to escape being the hero for a while. I could relax here with a cup of joe, but after seeing the disgrace I saw this morning, no. I will never set foot in this building of stolen valor propagation!”

Thrusting his hand dramatically out to the staring citizens, he advised, “There are thieves, crooks, and cons among you. Do not tolerate their presence.” Drawing his hand into a fist, he emphasized, “Justice is the only cure for corruption!”

As he finished, several citizens clapped and cheered, and then simply resumed their lives, blending back into the day-to-day rhythm. While Joe stood there frozen in his fist-clenched posture, he felt that there was something important that he had to do. It was sitting on his frontal lobe. For nearly two minutes, the scowling soldier looked almost like a statue.

“Look Mommy, a soldier!” a little girl exclaimed.

Her mother grabbed her hand and ushered her along. “Mhm, don’t point dear.”

Suddenly, Joe’s eyes widened as he remembered. Master Veteran was missing. “Shit!”

North Pole

The North Pole had to be the chilliest training environment that he hadn’t experienced in some time. He had went to Antarctica once with Master Veteran, and it didn’t matter how super he was, it was cold as balls!...Snowballs! A large C-17 aircraft blared overhead, its propellers cutting through the icy clouds. The hatch slowly lowered as an arctic chill spilled into the interior. Joe was decked out in a different uniform composed of white arctic pants and a top with a white coat with a grey fur-lined hood. He had a black fleece gator neck (ski mask) about his neck as he turned to face the sea of gray, pillowy clouds. He was just finishing up a cigar that he had clenched between his teeth and lips, and taking a few final puffs from it, he flicked it out into the howling cold. Grasping the mask, he pulled it up and over his head and situated some protective goggles over his eyes.

Once he was all set, he ran to the end of the hatch and leapt into the air with his arms and legs spread like a star. Ice already started collecting on his uniform as he freefell to the icy earth. His hand motioned to a cord that he pulled to deploy a large, white parachute that safely lowered him to the ground. The soldier crashed into a hill of snow and ice and slid his arms free of the straps. Climbing out of the pile, he glanced over to the Christmas village. Here it was. The heart of Santa’s icy kingdom and he didn’t think he would have ever had to come here. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Santa or Belle. It was just too damn cold! Of course, Master Veteran wouldn’t have complained.

Brushing sheets of snow from his clothes, Joe trudged over to the building where he saw quite a gathering of holiday heroes filing inside. Was there a party and he wasn’t invited? It couldn’t have been for even that fool of a jester was there. If he was at the North Pole, then it must have been serious…or they were that desperate for a good time. The guy wasn’t even funny.

Joe marched over to join the group that was filing inside, feeling relieved to be some place warm, and they even had hot cocoa. Once he was inside, he pushed back his hood and pulled down his black ski mask. His blond hair was splayed into haphazard spikes from the ice and moisture already beginning to melt in it. He cradled the hot chocolate and took a sip of the hot drink with a smile. It made him feel like a boy again. Perhaps there had been some warm and pleasant magic brewed in the cup.

Okay, I guess I’ll go first. I really don’t know what’s going on, except that, if what Jester said is true, then Santa isn’t the only one to have disappeared. If that’s true, and it’s the same for everyone else, then I think we’ve got a bit of a mess on our hands.

“So Master Veteran wasn’t the only one…He’s missing too,” Joe informed.

Maybe it’s really nothing to worry about, but for us, Christmas is right around the corner. So…I don’t know. Springer, what did Jack have to say?

“Nothing to worry about?” Joe exclaimed and lowered his mug. “My master went on a mission and didn’t return. That’s something to worry about. There could be another World War looming in the future if I don’t find him!”

He then snidely remarked right before he took another sip of his cocoa, “Huh, I guess that isn’t as big of a deal than little boys and girls going a Christmas without ponies and toy soldiers.”

TearsoftheWorld said:

Belle took another sip of her hot chocolate, and then turned to address her little soirée.

"Okay, I guess I'll go first. I really don't know what's going on, except that, if what Jester said is true, then Santa isn't the only one to have disappeared. If that's true, and it's the same for everyone else, then I think we've got a bit of a mess on our hands.

Belle placed her glass down beside her, and then folded her arms across her chest.

"Maybe it's really nothing to worry about, but for us, Christmas is right around the corner. So... I don't know. Springer, what did Jack have to say?"

Click to expand...

Springer looked at the others gathered. He had a slight bit of difficulty focusing with the rich smells that were permeating the room. Between the chocolate and Belle his mind was a bit distracted. He was ever so thankful when one of the elves, a small little female, brought over a shallow bowl of the Hot Chocolate and laid it before Springer. He took a second to devour some of the delicious beverage and thanked the elf before looking back and responding to Belle.

"Jack is putting out some fires of revolt. I came to see if Santa has seen The Baron or Cerelia. Both have been missing for a few weeks now. We were concerned something happened. Obviously, we are not the only ones having an issue. There aren't many beings more formidable than The Guardians, but I can't imagine that the whole lot of them would go off on their own and just leave everything in a lurch. As far as Christmas, Belle, I know Jack would be more than willing to help in anyway he can. He knows a fair bit of magic, maybe there is something he can do to help."

Jester glanced over at the muscle bound, self righteous, Omega Joe and sighed. Once again he had to put up with the gung ho attitude of this kid who tried ever so hard to act like his hero. If only he would lighten up and have some fun he would be a much better person.

Jester had made it his personal mission to bring laughter into the Man's life, or at least laugh at him. He enjoyed playing pranks on him at every opportunity and with his by the book attitude it was so easy. It was also that that probably rubbed him up the wrong way but at least he was big enough to admit it.

"I think the rest of us would be more than happy to help as well Belle. We may not be Santa, or main guardians ourselves, but if we all pull together I think we can make sure Christmas goes off without a hitch."

Sipping his hot chocolate then looking at Omega Joe he smiled. " It might not be important to some people, but I think a few million kids might disagree, and let's not forget we run on belief. I suppose we could just forget it and give up on Santa but I prefer to try and maybe keep him strong wherever he is."

Pulling out a few balloons from his jacket, they self inflated and he quickly tied them into the form of a chicken and sent it merrily floating Joe's way. "Your Boss always survives because there is always war. I would have thought someone as big and brave as you would have been ready to fight alongside us. Still I guess you just don't have the Christmas spirit after all," he laughed as the chicken popped and streamers of red,white and blue rained into the air.

Roger eagerly accepted the invite out of the cold and the cup of hot chocolate. This was certainly not what he had ben expecting when he came to drop the chocolate off for the final time of the year.

He sipped the choclate quietly as he sat on one of the stools, his feet strecthed out from how low to the ground he was. he listened to the others as they spoke first, frowning as he heard how their Mentors were missing and had been for some time. He didn't spend much time around the others, but it didn't seem things were going very well.

He took a deep breathe for a moment as he became his turn to speak.

"It's diserting to hear that the other GUardians have disappeared or lost contact with everyone. I'm not really certain where I or the Easter Bunny really stand in all this. He's usually going away from time to time on week long trips, though he doesn't tell me what they are for. However he is usually home right on the seventh day of his trip. That was yesterday. The mayor was worried too, that's why I came by myself this time. As far as how much I brought, I dunno."

He finished off his cup of hot chocolate before holding his cup out for some more.

Bez kota mysham ne imeyut ogranicheniy. (Snegurochka)


Traveling cross-country was not effortless now, but it was much, much easier.

She didn't have to fear warm patches as much as before, Jack Frost's pendant saw to that. And her sword allowed her to harness the wind such that she could press herself onward, gust herself faster, making the energy to run almost negligible and the speeds she could attain formidable.

She snuck aboard a cargo ship in St. Petersburg.

It was three days aboard ship, she was more elusive than she'd ever been. Like trying to catch a snowflake.

It would surprise her if the crew even knew she was there.

And then, as they neared Reykjavik, she simply bounded over the railing towards the frothing seas...

...but before she hit the water, a slash of her sword puffed an updraft to slow her descent, and she planted both feet on an ice floe that bobbed out of the water to meet her. Another rush of wind and she streaked towards shore along an ice-bridge that solidified in front of her as fast as she ran, washing away in the sea behind her.

After that, she wandered up the bank of The River Elliðaár into The Heiðmörk Nature Reserve... and as the night sky darkened to the pitchest shade of navy, she stood on the riverbank and looked out at the treetops.

Behind her she heard the softest crunch.

If she hadn't just been made so much more sensitive to the flow of air currents, she might not even have heard it.

But she heard it now.

And she turned.

And there, framed grey against the night sky was the biggest black cat she had ever chanced to lay eyes upon, eyes gleaming where they caught the starlight, and teeth white in the night like a certain Cheshire.

Jólaköttur, The Yule Cat.

Different tellings of The Yule Cat's story put at it different sizes, different heights... now it was as tall as a medium-sized tree, but sleek as though it were part Siamese.

"Nice pendant," it rumbled.

Snegurochka smirked faintly.

As she recalled, new clothes were important to The Yule Cat, though she'd never been to Iceland to meet him in person. Perhaps new jewelry counted for that. "Thank you. It was an early Christmas present, and I think it goes well with my new look."

Jolakottur seemed to smirk at this, squinching its eyes a little bit shut. "Yes."

The Yule Cat padded forward out of the trees, approaching Snegurochka, moving with a feline's eerie silence despite its surpassing size; it easily towered over the tiny snowflake girl.

She gazed up at him, unafraid. Feelings did not come naturally to her-- and since Jack Frost had given her this pendant she had become almost immune to such things.

"Grýla said you could use my help."

"This river is good for salmon, but this not the time of year for salmon."

"No," Snegurochka nodded.

"But I know some mice you could help me play with."

Joe lowered his mug beneath the frown that stretched across his face the moment that The Jester decided to open his not-so-funny mouth.

It might not be important to some people, but I think a few million kids might disagree, and let's not forget we run on belief. I suppose we could just forget it and give up on Santa but I prefer to try and maybe keep him strong wherever he is.

“Those spoiled little brats ought to be thankful that they can breathe clean air every day and not the ash of a nuclear fallout. If a World War happens, then the only ones celebrating Christmas is the winning side!” After shedding such a dark and truthful shadow on the group, Joe felt he needed to add a disclaimer. “Besides that, I didn't say forget about The Big Man. We need to prioritize and come to an agreement about who to look for first. I feel that the more help we have to find Master Veteran, then the better. We just might need an army…”

Joe stepped back cautiously when The Jester’s balloon animal drifted toward him.

Your Boss always survives because there is always war. I would have thought someone as big and brave as you would have been ready to fight alongside us…

He didn't know what to think of it or what to expect. Frankly, he didn't like it, and when it suddenly popped, the joe stiffened in startle.

Still I guess you just don't have the Christmas spirit after all.

His blue eyes watched the streamers colored in mockery snake to the floor and his blonde brows crashed together like two rams.

“You of all people would talk about Christmas spirit. It’s a joke that you’re even here!” Joe growled. Slamming his cocoa mug on the table, the remaining chocolate substance sloshed out of the mug to splatter on the floor and table. “You just let me know when you want to settle our differences, clown. I will make you and your holiday look like the joke it really is!”

Belle looked over, and the presence of Omega Joe was more than enough to unsettle her nerves (even more than they already were).

Things were definitely getting serious.

When the blonde-haired soldier eventually had a sip of cocoa and offered a smile, Belle relaxed and smiled in return. There really wasn't anything quite like a hot cup of cocoa... especially when one was hanging around in the North Pole and wasn't quite used to the frigid temperatures.

“So Master Veteran wasn’t the only one… He’s missing too,” Joe said.

Belle frowned.

She'd met Master Veteran on several occasions, and if he was missing as well, things weren't getting serious.

They were serious.

“My master went on a mission and didn’t return. That’s something to worry about. There could be another World War looming in the future if I don’t find him!”

"I don't thin-" Belle started, then paused as Joe quipped that kids not getting their presents was a bigger problem than a global conflict. She didn't think his assessment of the situation was fair, but chose to remain silent.

"Jack is putting out some fires of revolt. I came to see if Santa has seen The Baron or Cerelia. Both have been missing for a few weeks now. We were concerned something happened. Obviously, we are not the only ones having an issue. There aren't many beings more formidable than The Guardians, but I can't imagine that the whole lot of them would go off on their own and just leave everything in a lurch. As far as Christmas, Belle, I know Jack would be more than willing to help in anyway he can. He knows a fair bit of magic, maybe there is something he can do to help."

Belle smiled, and nodded appreciatively at the offer to have Jack help out.

"I think the rest of us would be more than happy to help as well Belle. We may not be Santa, or main guardians ourselves, but if we all pull together I think we can make sure Christmas goes off without a hitch."

"Your help is greatly appreciated. I'm sure the kids will be very happy."

While Belle took another couple of sips from her own drink, a bit of a back-and-forth began to develop between the ever-serious Omega, and Jester.

"Your Boss always survives because there is always war. I would have thought someone as big and brave as you would have been ready to fight alongside us. Still I guess you just don't have the Christmas spirit after all."

“Those spoiled little brats ought to be thankful that they can breathe clean air every day and not the ash of a nuclear fallout. If a World War happens, then the only ones celebrating Christmas is the winning side! Besides that, I didn't say forget about The Big Man. We need to prioritize and come to an agreement about who to look for first. I feel that the more help we have to find Master Veteran, then the better. We just might need an army…”

It wasn't often that Belle grew angry, but Joe was seriously pushing all of the wrong buttons. Good little boys and girls did not deserve to be called spoiled brats!

"That'll be enough," Belle said firmly.

They may have all been in Santa's workshop, but the North Pole was also her domain, and she wasn't going to tolerate bickering and arguing. One of her hands had slipped down towards her waist, and although she contemplated using her bag of Holiday Cheer, she really hoped that she could everyone to calm down without it.

"Arguing like this isn't going to solve any of our problems. So... cool it."

To really hit home just how much she meant her pun, snowflakes formed just in front of Joe and Jester's faces, then touched their noses before disappearing.

"I agree that we need to find Master Veteran, and soon. But I also think that it'll be for the best if we all work together, and not go at each other's throats."

Belle went to grab a towel that one of the Elves had gotten to clean up the spilled drink, and then she placed it down on the ground to soak up the rest of the hot cocoa. She remembered what Springer said about Jack possibly offering his help, and decided that grouping together would be a very good start to solving their problems.

"So, I think that we should go meet up with Jack," Belle suggested as she stood up and turned towards Springer and then Omega Joe.

"If we're going to need an army, we're also going to need some pretty skilled commanders. Agreed?"

Hopefully up in the North Pole, cooler heads would prevail.