Voice testing. For the given sense of voice testing, that is.

[morethanadream]

[Don't mind Sandy. He's just going to float in the air, napping quietly.

Until his mun gives him a nice metaphysical tap on the arm.

He shakes himself awake, then blinks sleepily, glancing around the new place. Huh. He didn't think his mun would actually try playing him, but okay. It's flattering that she wants to try, although it would have been nice if she had dropped him off somewhere near his friends. Speaking of...

Pictures made of golden sand start flickering over his head. An Easter Egg. A tooth. A Christmas tree. A snowflake. All of them are followed by a question mark while he floats around the area, searching for the other guardians. Or anyone at all, really. Despite not speaking, Sandy likes meeting new people.]

Comments

[morethanadream]

[Sandy smiles. Jack's getting better at this! And this makes it easier to fuss over him in the long run.

Daughter. Sandy mouths the word, and then slaps his free hand over his mouth. Wait. Wait wait wait. Does that mean that Pitch remembers being Pitchiner? That's... he has no idea if that's a good or a bad thing. Either way, it explains why he's acting weird.

Sandy frowns and then he's signing, but the pictures are going much too fast to be interpreted properly. One moment it's a man in Golden Age armor, the next a series of buildings, and the next a young woman with long hair and cold eyes...]

[icy]

Whoa, whoa.

[ Scooting back a little to avoid getting sand in his eyes (he'd rather not conk out right now, tyvm) Jack holds up a hand to try and bank that confusion. ]

Yeah, he remembers all the Golden Age stuff. Nightlight told me about him and Seraphina before he left, Pitch agreed to explain some of it to me. [ This is all kinds of awkward, not least because of ... well, what Jack's learned about how the Boogeyman is treated after their fight in Burgess. ] Sandy, I'm pretty sure that on some level, he never forgot any of it.

[morethanadream]

[Probably a good idea, Jack. Sandy's confused, and when Sandy's confused, people end up falling asleep.

Nightlight's there too? Sandy frowns, bouncing on the balls of his feet. Of course, he's never been quite at ease with Pitch being banished under the bed, since the man was once a good person and fear has its place in protecting children, but the fact of the matter was that Pitch went crazy. Maybe it was the fearlings, maybe it's the nature of his power, maybe Manny knew this would happen and he set it in motion anyway... but the fate of Earth's children ultimately take precedence, no matter what.

So this news concerns him. How far gone was Pitch really? Could they have done something? Was it their responsibility to try? Sandy doesn't know.

After a moment of thought, symbols appear over his head. One image of Pitch as the Nightmare King, tall and lean and wearing a cloak. Next was a / and then an image of Pitch as he was in the Golden Age, followed by a question mark. How much of Pitchiner is there and how much of Pitch?

More to the point, is he still dangerous?]

[icy]

[ Feeling bad for dumping all this information on Sandy, Jack resolves himself to try and clear up as much of it as possible when he sees the two varied sand figures. He knows that Sandy's old as balls, just like Pitch, and that the two of them didn't originate on Earth, but whatever their major beef with each other was hasn't been revealed yet.

He doubts Pitch would want to tell him about that, anyway. ]

A couple of times he's attacked me, but then again he's saved me on way more occasions than not. And he's ... [ Jack's smile returns unbidden as he runs a hand through his hair. ] He's mixed his sand with my frost to create some kind of Black Ice all over the interior of the room I stay in, to keep it cool without melting through summer. He's teaching me how to use a rapier in case I lose my powers.

He keeps swinging between sides, it depends on what kind of mood you find him in.

[morethanadream]

[Well, that makes sense. Pitchiner had been a good man before he became a genocidal maniac due to Fearlings. Still, knowing some of the things he's done in the past, Sandy is wary.

He frowns, then his sand form a triangle with an exclamation point in the center. Be cautious, Jack Frost. He's glad that Pitch seems to be taking care of his friend, but he's very, very concerned that Pitch isn't stable. He doesn't know what it would take for the beast who destroyed the Pooka and changed children into Fearlings to make a comeback.

And if that side comes out, he's afraid that Jack won't recognize it in time.]

[icy]

I trust him.

[ It's said with such clarity that he nearly feels bad, but there's the truth of it. The sides he's seen of Pitch and the sentiment in some of the smaller things they've gone through over the months, it all boils down to the fact ... ]

I believe in him. It sounds stupid, but I know it's not. He's a good friend when he's at his best and I'm not going to let him sink under all those shadows again. I can help.

[morethanadream]

[Oh, Jack.

Of course, Sandy doesn't know how much Pitch has changed. Maybe he really has, and maybe he's safe for people to be around. But the fact remains that he's deceptive and Jack's need for companionship might skew his ability judge character. It wouldn't be the first time that Pitch has used someone or played on sympathies.

On the other hand, maybe it's true. Maybe Jack can help. After all, few people have tried to help Pitch before, and perhaps there's hope. Sandy just wishes that Jack wasn't missing backup when he was trying.

Sandy's still frowning, but there's only concern in his face, not judgment. Considering the fact that Sandy was murdered by the man, that's actually a testament to how kind and forgiving he is.]

[icy]

[ It's a hell of a thing to be telling the friend that your other unreformed and mildly psychotic acquaintance is a fair-weather buddy, but. Well, Jack has long since been convinced his life is a massive joke.

He leans in at a crouch, earnestly trying to make eye-contact. Letting Sandy down isn't what he wants at all. ]

I know about the things he's done. How he created the Nightmare Men, the galleon and ... all of that. [ Wincing, Jack wishes Pitch could just go poof and stop being such a cruel asshole, but realistically he never will. It's what makes Jack want to try with him, because sometimes (on extremely rare occasions) they wind up sharing a joke or chatting amiably. It always ends in bickering of some sort or outright arguing, yet even so. ] I still don't want to give up on him and leave the guy all alone.

[ That notion underscores a lot of Jack's incentive to stick it out, obviously. He won't abandon anyone just because no one else likes them; he'd be a hypocrite if he did. ]

[morethanadream]

[Sandy makes eye contact. He cares about Jack, and he genuinely wants what's best for him. It's not about letting him down, it's about Jack's safety.

You see, this is what Sandy's afraid of. Jack, no matter how he denies it, is vulnerable because of his history with loneliness. Of course he doesn't want anyone to feel the way he did: it's partly that desire to take care of people that makes him a Guardian. The issue is when the person he tries to take care of is dangerous or takes advantage of his good nature.

Sandy takes Jack's hand and pats it gently, but above his head forms another caution sign. Be careful, Jack. None of the Guardians want to lose their newest member.

He wishes there was a way to tell Jack to do what he feels is right, but to not allow himself to become consumed by Pitch.]

[icy]

[ Jack sometimes wonders if people don't underestimate him a little more than they themselves realize. Putting his staff down, he places his free hand atop Sandy's and smiles for him. See? Still himself, worries and cares aside. ]

When am I ever not careful?

[ It's intended as a tease to inject a little levity (because lbr, if Jack still has the impetus to be a lil shit then he's doing alright). ]

[morethanadream]

[Oh, Sandy doesn't think he can't physically take care of himself. He's done so for three hundred years. He just doesn't know if Jack is ready to deal emotionally.

Sandy rolls his eyes and gives a sardonic smile. Do you really want him to answer that?]