reserved at tushanshu

[wintershepherd]

Whoa there champ, just hold your reindeer a moment.

This place you're calling a "game"? I've gotta say, it really doesn't sound like that much fun and take it from me, I know fun. Besides, I've kind of already done the whole "frozen in time" thing.

... a giant turtle? Are you sure Sandman's not involved in this?

Comments

[backwordscompatible]

Well, they did mention something about dreams when we got there....

[wintershepherd]

Sandy's dreams as usually a bit more... you know, sparkly.

[ He's still getting used to the whole being seen thing. Excuse him while he beams at you widely. ]

[backwordscompatible]

Can't say I've seen too many sparkles around the turtle. Fortunately.

[wintershepherd]

[ That's a little worrisome, to be honest. He's gotten used to seeing Sandman's dream streams each night. ]

Oh hey, my friend Tooth brought up a good question. It doesn't hurt the turtle for us to be there, right?

[backwordscompatible]

No, it doesn't hurt it. [She can say this for surprising certainty for someone who's only been there a little over a month and a week.] The turtle's large enough that the entire city on its back really does nothing. So long as you don't attack it directly, it's fine.

[wintershepherd]

[ Jack runs a hand through his already messy hair, sounding a little bit sheepish with the next question. ]

How's, uh, its cold tolerance?

[backwordscompatible]

Well...I'm pretty sure I could create another blizzard up there, and it wouldn't even notice.

[wintershepherd]

[ His eyes just about pop out of their sockets. ]

You can make a blizzard?

[backwordscompatible]

[Yeah, she's used to that reaction]

Among other things.

What about you? Got any powers?

[wintershepherd]

[ He beams at her, giving a playful bow. ]

Jack Frost, the Spirit of Winter and the Guardian of Fun, at your service.

[backwordscompatible]

[It goes to show how familiar she is with the supernatural that she actually believes him.]

Seriously?

Cool. [...and the jokes begin]

[wintershepherd]

[ he's grinning now ]

Come on, you can do better than that!

[backwordscompatible]

[She grins right back. This was already the start of a beautiful friendship.]

Hey, gotta give you something to look forward to when you show up in-person, right?

[wintershepherd]

You're so sure I'm gonna get in, huh?

[ He drags his staff lightly across the ground, beautiful frost patterning into swirls and eddies. ]

[backwordscompatible]

[Her eyes briefly flicker to the magical patterns, softening. They were beautiful.]

Why? Think you won't?

[wintershepherd]

[ He shrugs beneath the blue hoodie, stepping his bare feet nimbly along with the patterns like he's dancing with the spreading ice. ]

I don't know. Three hundred years is a long time to get used to being a certain way, especially when a lot of the important stuff is crammed into just a few days.

I guess I'm just wondering if this is going to be a step forward -- [ he gives a little hop into a whorl of opaque frost, then back ] -- or a step back.

[backwordscompatible]

Three hundred years, hmm? You look good for your age.

[wintershepherd]

[ He laughs at that, still moving in tandem with his staff. He doesn't seem to ever stay still. ]

Thanks.

So what's your name?

[backwordscompatible]

[She could relate to that; it was only because she found this conversation so fascinating that she was still around herself.]

Zatanna.

[wintershepherd]

That's pretty.

[ Said in the thoughtful way of a child, despite his claim a moment before to be centuries old. Even his apparent age is difficult to determine with that unearthly pale skin -- could be as young as she was, but somehow just a little older? ]

[backwordscompatible]

Thank you.

Admittedly, it's not quite as impressive as yours. What was that I heard before about being a Guardian of Fun?

[wintershepherd]

That was part of the whole important-in-a-few-days part. Fun is... my center.

I don't know, North explains it a lot better than I do. At least, he makes it sound much more impressive.

[backwordscompatible]

Sounds like a good center to have.

I dunno, if you were willing to give it a shot, I'd be willing to listen. [Because this actually sounds really interesting.]

[wintershepherd]

[ Jack plants his staff on the ground where it somehow stays upright by itself and he crouches atop of it in bizarrely gravity-defying pose that would only work if he weighed about an ounce. It's his favourite thinking position okay. ]

Well... it's like...

[ He kind of wishes he'd memorized North's speech now. ]

Like you can put forward a lot of faces and they're all true, but they're not all of who you are but they all have something in common and that common thing, that's your center. So even though you might want to hold onto being one way or another, it's you but it's not really you, or all of you I guess, so you have to keep looking for the thing that's at the very heart of you and that's what you have to be.

[ He stops when he realizes he's kind of babbling. ]

[backwordscompatible]

[Babbling or not, she was able to follow most of it. 75%, at least.]

I think I get it.

What you're saying is that you can put up as many fronts for the world as you try, but in the end, you still have to just be yourself. No matter what anyone else thinks.