❄ Writings & Headcanon ❄

[wintershepherd]

A post for collective game-related writings, ficlets, whatever.
WILL CONTAIN ROTG SPOILERS, HEADCANON, AND RANDOMNESS.

( TUSHANSHU )

12/26/12 → Jack's arrival to Tu Vishan and subsequent fishing out of the ocean, takes place immediately prior to this entry.

Comments

Arrival in Tu Vishan

[wintershepherd]

It was dark, cold, and he was underwater.

Jack thrashed, reaching out blindly but finding nothing but water at the end of his fingers. He couldn't tell which way was up or down and he tried to freeze ice, anything to give him a purchase to hang onto -- but nothing happened. Panic hit him hard, as much subconscious as consciously and he tried to call for the Wind to lift him up, but only got a mouthful of water for the attempt. He was drowning, he was drowning again and he was going to die a second time--

Strong arms grabbed him from above and he broke the surface, gasping and choking. Dazed, he could only flail weakly as another pair of hands grabbed him and hauled him out of the water. Jack lay on the ground, coughing up water and waiting for the fear to ebb, thinking distantly, If Pitch were still around his Nightmares would be on their way.

He realized his hands felt empty and pushed himself halfway upright. "My... staff," he wheezed, casting around desperately for it, a new alarm tightening in his chest. Yet thankfully one of his rescuers pushed it into his arms and his fingers tightened around the ancient gnarled wood like a lifeline, though far less frost than usual danced across its surface as his touch.

"Here," one of the people said, helping him up into a wooden cart and draping a blanket over his shoulders. "You're cold. We've got a few hours ride ahead."

Jack almost laughed but he couldn't dredge it up. A light breeze brushed past them and he immediately closed his eyes, relieved that the Wind had found him already. The winter child shifted the blanket so it came up over his head like a second hood and then wrapped it close around his body, though it was nothing to do with the want for warmth. He curled up on the floor of the cart, arms wrapped tightly around the hooked staff, and slept.

---

By the time they shook him awake (accompanied by a brief exclamation on his chilled body temperature) Jack felt a lot better and when he gripped his staff again before jumping down out of the cart, he was glad that it frosted over from hook to tip like it always had. He sat on the edge of a water fountain while they explained things to him, his expression alternating between stunned, suspicious and plain disbelief -- which for a Spirit who'd recently gone through what he had, that was really saying something.

"Wait, wait, just stop for a moment," Jack finally interrupted them, hopping to his feet and walking along the edge of the fountain's stone basin. "Look, it sounds like you've got a great thing going on here, but I'm not interested. I've really got to get back, you know... seasons to change, blizzards to conjure? Best of luck with the whole Emperor thing though. Wind!" he called, feeling it buffet around him in anticipation to carry him off.

Then the kedan told Jack that he couldn't go home.