Now… we get down to tacks of brass.

“…”

Jack offers no response to North’s answer as he continues to glance down towards the ground; unable to lift his gaze from the ground even as the older spirit turns fully towards him. It was a moment of weakness that bought forth all these emotions; that made him reflect on over three centuries worth of mistakes and slip ups, some more serious than others. ( The freshest one, which had cost them the Easter of 2012 and nearly caused Pitch to win, still always remained at the forefront of his mind. )

Yes, of course, he was still happy to finally be included and accepted but— the underlying anxiety that one day they will look at him and decide that maybe he wasn’t worth it it after all… It was enough to make his chest tighten.

He chances a glance back upwards just as North’s expression brightening with an unspoken idea, making a dark brow raise in silent question. He can’t help but smile, even if it was only a small upturn of his lips; heel thumping back against the table in which he was seated upon.

“Once upon a long time ago, there was a boy…” he begins then halts for just long enough to reach out and pick up an antique snowglobe from his worktable. 

Giving the snowglobe a shake, he then holds it up where Jack can see it and taps his finger to the top of the glass, a sparkling sort of light swirling around it. 

As with most things North creates, there is a magic to this seemingly simple snowglobe, for as he begins to speak again, the scene within the glass sphere glows and then changes to show a frightened young boy with dark hair trudging through snow and through forests, playing the part of both predator and prey in his struggle to survive.

“This boy, he was all alone. He had not mother or father or brother or sister. He had no one. He could not celebrate his day of birth because he did not know it. And he did not know his age. But, with each year that passed, he proved himself. He was quick and he was smart and, soon, he was fearless, and by the time he was old enough for the beginnings of a beard––” The scene in the globe changes again to that of a young man, tall and strong. 

“––he did many great deeds that others would never have dared to try.”

“This boy, this young man, had sharp eyes and he could walk through forests without ever snapping twig under boot, and he was fast, so quick with a sword that he was unmatched. So quick and so skilled that he once defeated entire regiment of cavalry with a bent steak knife… while eating.”

He allows those words to sink in with a glimmer of mischief in his eyes before he continues, the snowglobe showing many other deeds that the thief in question had done.

“He was wild and he would laugh at nothing, at everything, at life itself. He would say to those with whom he spoke, ‘Life is made up of danger and heartbreak. I laugh in the face of both!’ and he did.”

There North’s expression turns contemplative as he thinks upon the tale, upon the strange character that he relates to the young winter spirit.

“All of these things are what made him a notorious thief and a leader of men. He led a small group of bandits and outlaws throughout all of Europe, and they were never caught. This thief was so skilled and so daring and dashing that he became known as the King of Bandits.”

“And then, one night… as the King of Bandits and his men lay sleeping on the ground… something incredible happened. Something wonderful. A moonbeam came down from the sky and gave him a dream, and the Bandit-King laughed, and he laughed, and his laughs grew louder even in his sleep until all of his men and all of their horses were awake and marveled at this strange sight. And when he awoke, he jumped to his horse––still laughing––and rode away into the darkness… and, though much confused, his men jumped to their horses as well and followed him.”

And then the globe goes dark, and North sits back in his chair, regarding Jack thoughtfully.

And I may also briefly state why.

“I don’t belong anywhere.”

“I can’t take the loneliness anymore.”

“It feels like everyone just forgot I exist.”

“Maybe I’m meant to be alone.”

“I probably won’t be coming back.”

“I have no one to go to.”

“How can I trust you?”

“You betrayed my trust!”

“I can’t trust anyone, not anymore.”

“I wonder how I could rely on people back then.”

“I feel like there’s no one for me.”

“Loneliness is cold, and I’m freezing.”

“Why don’t you leave just like everyone else?”

“You say that, but how can I tell you’ll keep your word?”

“I did all those things… Why do you still trust me?”

“You expect me to trust you after what you did?

“After everything you said, how could you?!”

“I gave you your chance, and you used it to stab me in the back.”

“I’ve been alone for so long…”

Here you go, another 16 questions to think about your muse. Fill in or ask others to send them to your inbox.

How easy is it for them to change their mind?

Does your muse keep eye contact when talking, or do their eyes wander?

Do they care how other view and think of them?

How far ahead do they plan or do they just go with the flow?

How quickly do they make decisions, both small and important?

How strongly do they live in the moment? Is there always a part of them thinking of other things, or do they give themselves fully to the experience?

Would they like to live forever? Why, why not?

How aware are they of their weaknesses? Is it easy for them to admit them?

Do they tend to see the bigger picture, or are they more likely to delve into details?

How committed are they, be it decisions, relationships or life goals?

How well do they read people?

How do they view themselves in relation to people around them? Do they think themselves better, worse or equal to them? Why?

What are their thoughts on changes? Would they prefer things to stay as they were, or do they like it when new things come around?

Do they see things as they are or as they would like them to be?

What’s their role in a party? Are they entertaining everyone, looking after people, arrange the whole thing, or maybe they’re just sitting at home?

“Don’t ever take a fence down until you know why it was put up.”

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.”

“Two roads diverged in a wood and I - I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.”

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”

“Freedom lies in being bold.”

“The brain is a wonderful organ; it starts working the moment you get up in the morning and does not stop until you get into the office.”

“Forgive me my nonsense., as I also forgive the nonsense of those that think they talk sense.”

“The best way out is always through.”

“I’m not confused. I’m just well mixed.”

“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.”

“By working faithfully eight hours a day you may eventually get to be boss and work twelve hours a day.”

“It’s a funny thing that when a man hasn’t anything on earth to worry about, he goes off and gets married.”

“The middle of the road is where the white line is - and that’s the worst place to drive.”

“You can’t get too much winter in the winter.”

“I’d just as soon play tennis with the net down.”

“What we live by, we die by.”

“Some say the world will end in fire, some say in ice.”

“Education doesn’t change life much. It just lifts trouble to a higher plane of regard.”

“The world is full of willing people; some willing to work, the rest willing to let them.”

“You don’t have to deserve your mother’s love. You have to deserve your father’s.”

“Nothing can make injustice just but mercy.”

“Thinking isn’t agreeing or disagreeing. That’s voting.”

“Most of the change we think we see in life is due to truths being in and out of favor.”

“If society fits you comfortably enough, you call it freedom.”

“I never dared to be radical when young for fear it would make me conservative when old.”

“We love things we love for what they are.”

“The only certain freedom’s in departure.”

“The artist in me cries out for design.”

“You have freedom when you’re easy in your harness.”

“To be a poet is a condition, not a profession.”

“A successful lawsuit is the one worn by a policeman.”

“To be social is to be forgiving.”

“They would not find me changed from him they knew - only more sure of all I thought was true.”

“Humor is the most engaging cowardice.”

“Pressed into service means pressed out of shape.”

“One aged man - one man - can’t fill a house.”

“If we couldn’t laugh, we would all go insane.”

“Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, and I’ll forgive Thy great big one on me.”

“I’m not a teacher, but an awakener.”

“I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way.”

“Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length.”

“I’m against homogenized society, because I want the cream to rise.”

“Poetry is what is lost in translation.”

“The first thing I do in the morning is to make my bed and while I am making up my bed I am making up my mind as to what kind of a day I am going to have.”

“I had a lovers quarrel with the world.”

“Good fences make good neighbors.”

“One could do worse than be a swinger of birches.”

“Nothing gold can stay.”