[OPEN] Life's flushest feather...

[wintershepherd]

Characters: Jack Frost & various
Date: Misc January
Location: Assorted around the city
Situation: Collection of threads for the latter part of January. Ping me if you want a starter!
Special Note: Jack will have Baby Tooth with him unless noted otherwise and her visibility follows the UPDATED!! belief guidelines as Jack's do.
Warnings/Rating: TBA in threads if needed.


I. WELCOME CENTER
After his announcement of the welcome center, Jack was pleased to find that visitors to it picked up considerably as did the number of volunteers who offered to help out. In fact more people than he had expected had agreed to lend their time and aid and Jack was currently sitting on the floor in front of the desk, legs folded up under him and back against the wooden front. A spreadsheet was in front of him and he chewed absently on the end of his pencil, trying to redo the schedule to give everyone some time and on a separate piece of paper was some jotted notes about finances. He was running the costs of the Welcome Center out of pocket while for the most part, the fishing shop generally broke even for paying his employees and necessary supplies.

He was all right with math but he'd been staring at this for a little while and rubbed his eyes, stretching his arms over his head. "Hey Baby Tooth," he said, twisting his head to locate the fairy. "You hungry? Seems like a good time for lunch."

II. PLAYTIME
Even with how busy things got, Jack always made time in the afternoons to stop by some of the playgrounds and hang out with the kedan children. They talked about what they were learning in school, how amazed they were to watch the turtle hatchlings trundling their happy selves all around the city. How they had learned how to shift their forms in a new way and proceed to show it off, for which Jack was always effusive with his praise and admiration. They'd practice alternations that increased their resistance to the cold so that they could romp around in the snow longer, the novelty of their first real winter having not yet worn off for them as it had for many of the adults.

Most of the time he'd just sit with them, enjoy their company and they his. When they got tired from their play, Jack would scoop them up and deliver them snugly to their homes and so it was not unusual to see the spirit carrying one of them around sundown through the various Sectors.

Comments

[wintershepherd]

"I'm not sure," Jack replied honestly. "Turtles aren't really outside pets like dogs or whatever, so I didn't get the chance to see them that often. Not," he added with an empathetic burst of affection and pride at Taraja. "That you're a pet or anything. It's just that little turtles get taken care of by people sometimes."

Taraja replied with an amused wave of understanding; she hadn't misunderstood what Jack had meant. Right now she was just basking in all the attention being lavished upon her shell and having Damian here as well had increased her happiness.

"But see where she's been growing," Jack said, tracing the groves between the segments of her shell. "It's getting stretched, and dry because of the air. Like people's hands when they're outside in the winter. I asked some of the kedan and they suggested this oil because it's made from fish and so it's natural."

Indeed, the spots where he'd attended already looked considerably different, soaking in the oil and resulted in a warm, healthy looking shine to the shell.

[demon_brat]

Damian listened, and nodded in agreement, here and there. His work was thorough, but he did focus a bit more attention to the spots that Jack pointed out.

There were things that he would snap at people over, because he knew about them. There were things that he would pretend to know, and do his research privately. But when it came to youngsters, of any species, he know just how much he didn't know. And, as this was unlikely to do any sort of harm, he was willing to listen. Yes, also learn. The calm contentment, so rare in the active turtle, was surprisingly soothing, too, for all Damian usually almost (though not quite) chafed under the affection. He got you all good and tired, did he not? he thought at her in amusement, because that had to be it, right?

Then he flashed a dark smile at Jack.

"Of course it is natural. They are far less generous with nitrates, around these parts of the universe."

So few nitrates, thanks to the fact that Asti's generous life force kept crops growing well, and so they didn't need enhancements via less-than-natural means.

No, he wasn't knocking down Jack's efforts. He was trying to make a joke.

[wintershepherd]

A tiny, minute crease on his brow at the remark as Jack parsed what it referenced, then it smoothed out again when he understood what Damian was saying.

"That makes sense," he answered with a shrug, neither taking it as a joke nor a rebuke (which was good) and dipped the rag into the oil again. His sleeves were pushed up past his elbows to try and keep the worst of the oil from soaking them. Oddly enough the oil was also soaking into the spirit's hands and having a similar effect to that of the shell, as Jack's skin was often on the drier side himself because of how cool his temperature was.

Feels good! Taraja sent, sensing the likeness. Good for everybody!

I'm glad, the winter teen responded warmly, affection laced in the thought before glancing over at Damian again.

"Maybe you could suggest this to the others," Jack offered. The information might be better received by the other turtle caretakers from one of that group (of which Jack wasn't, despite his helping) and... well, maybe he thought Damian could use a little positive feedback for sharing.

[demon_brat]

Damian'd taken off his gloves, and placed them in his pockets, and pushed his sleeves up, but he was pretty certain that most of his clothing would get oil-stained by the time they were done.

That didn't bother him. There were just clothes, after all, and he wasn't exactly short on those. And doing this was important, even if it hadn't occurred to him, before. There was no use doing it half-heartedly, as trying to keep his clothing clean would mean.

"I shall request somebody else to do that - somebody who is more likely to phrase it as a suggestion that people will listen to. Mine tend to be a little too forceful, at best." Beat. "Obviously, I do not mean Stark."

It wasn't that he was shooting down Jack's suggestion. But he was putting the priority on the well-being of the turtles, and Una making the suggestion in a way that would let people listen to it, rather than Damian's... likely-to-be-ignored-for-provoked-contrariness results, meant more people doing it. More turtles decently taken care of.

The fingers of his free hand trailed the oil-polished section of the shell, a near caress, and he joined the mental bubble of joyful words with a mild, Good for everybody, indeed. Is any place on you besides the shell in need of care? Raw, sore, he wasn't sure the words would mean that much, but if he compared it to the difference the care made, with the shell, it might.

There was a thoughtful pause from Taraja, and then, hesitantly, the idea of the soles of her feet.

I'll look at them, too.

Tu Vishan was swimming, after all. It made sense, to Damian, that maybe the turtles weren't meant for so much walking (running, odd as that idea might be, in conjunction with turtles) around as they were doing these days. He may have been a little too focused on keeping her - and the rest of them - safe to notice that there could be things to help them feel well. Better. Things that could be actually done. He took the incipient flare of shame and anger for failing to realize that and put them behind those mental walls. They were things she didn't need. So he wasn't going to expose her to them.

[wintershepherd]

Jack only nodded as Damian deflected the offer to another, knowing that it would still get done. There was still a distance between them that kept him from offering reassurance that the younger one could offer it and be taken at face value... he'd seen nothing but eagerness and willingness to attend the turtles' needs from any of the turtle parents or any of the Foreigners as a whole, in fact.

"All right," he agreed simply. Other than Taraja's care, they really had very little to talk about anymore.

He shifted further up the shell, having finished his area and beginning a new one closer to where Taraja's shell curved over the back of her neck.

Tell me if I'm too cold, he reminded the hatchling, receiving wordless affirmation in response. If she found his touch too chilling, he could swap and finish the shell and let Damian oil the more sensitive area.