[Open] Let's run and have some fun

[justanexpression]

Who: Jack Frost and anyone!
When: A few days after Jack's arrival
What: Jack Frost is bored. That can only end one way.


There's something very strange going on with the streetlights around the city. They blink on and off in sequence, possibly having something to do with the young man flying lazy loops over top of them, occasionally landing on one or on top of a building, leaving little frost trails wherever he went.

Having his powers, his powers, back had been such a rush the first day or two, but the lack of people had quickly drained a lot of his enthusiasm. He'd gotten used to not being alone. Maybe this was some weird bizarro world where everything was backwards and he was the only one not invisible. It wasn't a pleasant thought.

Not that he'd admit he was looking for people now, of course. Just... if he ran across someone, well, maybe he wouldn't exactly be upset.

Comments

[hairiest]

Still new to the city (and new to being just outside in general), Rapunzel was taking the time to explore. She still did not quite understand where she was, or how she got here, but she was less afraid now that she had met a couple friendly faces. This did not mean that she didn't want to immediately run back home to see her mother and Flynn and Pascal again, but she was fine for the time being.

By now, Rapunzel had tied up her hair into several loose braids, and then into one big braid, to keep it from dragging on the ground. The braid itself was still long, stopping just above her ankles, but it was out of the way of other people. She had never really had to be considerate of others when she was living on her own. Now that she was outside, she had to be careful. She didn't want to be a nuisance, and she didn't want anyone cutting off her hair!

She had not noticed the lights flickering until something up high caught her attention. Was that... a flying boy? What sort of magic was this? Should she be scared? He didn't exactly look threatening, but Rapunzel had to be on guard. Thankfully, she still had her frying pan. Why it had come along with her on this journey, and not anything else, she would never guess, but she was happy to have it. She held it close while she watched the boy dance in the sky.

...Flying sure looked fun.

[justanexpression]

Flying sure was fun, and he'd sure missed it, but now he was missing other stuff, too, and...

Well, stuff was just supposed to be how he wanted it, so it was stuff's fault that it wasn't.

It took a minute or so before he noticed someone down on the street, apparently watching him. That at least took care of the 'maybe invisible' theory. He couldn't exactly say he was sad to see it go. Not being too high up, he let go of the wind and dropped, landing crouched on his toes on the top of a streetlight, like an oversized pigeon, one arm resting on his knee, the other propping his staff over his shoulder. Even being stuck on Penrose hadn't stripped him of that particular habit; now that he mostly had his powers back, he could perch even more effectively. "So can you see me or are you just one of those people that stares at the sun a lot?"

[hairiest]

Oh, no! She'd been spotted! Rapunzel extended her arm, pointing the frying pan directly at the boy threateningly. She could not quite see his teeth from this far away, so she could only hope they weren't pointy.

"Is that a joke?" she asked, puffing out her chest and trying to act like she wasn't afraid. She had been able to knock Flynn out and stuff him into a closet. But Flynn did not have powers. This boy could fly!

[justanexpression]

She pointed... the frying pan at him?

She was lucky he didn't fall off the light from laughing. Somehow, he contained himself, just snickering into his hand through pure self-control. Yes, self-control. He had it once in a while. "Maybe. But hey, you answered my question. You can see me!"

[hairiest]

He was laughing at her. Subtly, but Rapunzel could see the snickering. Her shoulders drooped, and she instantly deflated. A boy with magic powers certainly wasn't scared of her frying pan, no matter how effective it was.

His statement was strange to her, though. So, even though she was still upset, she wanted to investigate further. "Aaare... people normally not supposed to see you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

[justanexpression]

Hey, now, he hadn't meant her to take it that hard, even if she was a little old for the sort of people he usually hung around with. He hopped down from the light, catching a breeze to land lightly on the ground, laying his staff across his shoulders to drape his arms on either side. "See, that's the thing. I don't know. This isn't home and it isn't Penrose, so who knows what the rules are."

[hairiest]

It was incredible to her that this boy seemed to be able to ride on the breeze. Could he control the weather, too, or just fly? Rapunzel had so many questions she wanted to ask at once, and yet she was also afraid. What if this boy used his magic against her? She could probably fight back, if she needed to, but the only thing magic about her was her hair, and even then, it had healing powers. Even if she could tie up someone in it, anyone with magic would likely be able to free themselves.

She thought about what to say next, eyes leaving the boy briefly to flick down to the ground. "Someone told me this city makes its own rules, like it's alive somehow."

[justanexpression]

Sure, he could do more, but he'd have to want to.

...Okay, that was a lie. He wanted to, a lot, but some of the bigger stuff didn't seem to work so well in a controlled atmosphere. He'd figure a way around it someday, but for now, the city was spared a blizzard or two. Unfortunately.

"Yeah?" He turned a little, as much to give her space as to look up at the buildings around them. So maybe he wasn't a complete jerk all the time. Maybe. He glanced back. "So you have seen other people, huh?"

[hairiest]

"Only a few," Rapunzel admitted as she lifted her eyes again. The number of people she met she could easily count on her fingers. She decided to do just that. "Let's see, there was Vanya, and Chrome. Oh, and Khemrys..." Here, Rapunzel paused in her counting to smile fondly at the mention of the other woman. "I'm actually working with Khemrys..." Back to counting. "And then that creepy guy who wanted to get a closer look at my hair..."

[justanexpression]

"Chrome's here?" He blinked. "And Khem?" Wait, no, not excited. She was a spoilsport, so he was not excited to hear she was around. He turned his surprise into something more serious. "Guess if I'm here, it's not that surprising. Haven't met a creepy guy, yet, but why would anyone care about your hair? I mean... no offense."

[hairiest]

He knew Chrome and Khemrys? That must have meant that this boy was friendly! Almost instantly, Rapunzel's posture relaxed. She was pleased by his words. So pleased, that when she opened her mouth, she was ready to divulge her secret about her hair.

But then she remembered that she hardly knew this boy that could fly, and she remembered that she needed to be one step ahead of everyone in this city. So she bit her lip and flattened her hands against her skirt in an effort to rein her excitement in. "It's kind of a long story..." And right into a subject change! "My name's Rapunzel."

[justanexpression]

"Right. I know all about long stories." At least so far as they usually weren't all that long, unless you were talking to a Yeti, but it was a good excuse to get out of talking about stuff. Hair was hair, though. How interesting could it be? But he'd be good. "Jack Frost."

[hairiest]

The secret of Rapunzel's hair would most likely get out, sooner or later. After all, the city was small. Rapunzel was pretty certain she would meet everyone. And that? Wasn't a bad thing for someone who had spent most of her life in a tower. She could make new friends without being overwhelmed.

"So how are you able to fly?" she asked. Honestly, the question had been bubbling up in Rapunzel's mind since she first laid eyes on the other boy. Now that they knew each other's names, she felt it was safe enough to ask.

[erfingi]

Loki puts his face in his palm as soon as he sees the kid. Well, he had hoped that a few others from Penrose had arrived in this city. And now there was a kid with ice powers running about or flying about.

Well, as a way of greeting Loki casts the illusion of a fire spell at the Snowchild. What was the kid's name, Kid Cool? Johnny Winter? Jack Frost? Oh, the last one sounded familiar.

BRB, changing Jack's name to 'Johnny Winter'

[justanexpression]

Maybe he should have been more specific about the someone. Or maybe he should have just been paying more attention.

It was the sudden light as much as anything that startled him, making him lose his grip on the wind like he hadn't done in decades. This, of course, did nothing for his attitude, even if he did catch himself a few feet later. It wasn't hard to figure out who that might have come from, at least, and he flailed a bit as he landed, the gestures made even more ungainly by the staff. "What was THAT?"

[erfingi]

Loki was unable to stop his chuckles, not that he wanted to, trickster god that he was. "Just a little fun," he finally answered. He was still grinning.

[justanexpression]

"Oh, I see how it is." He was still gesturing with the staff, pointing it like an accusing finger, but his own grin was slowly growing as he got over the initial reaction. He preferred playing pranks to being pranked, but hey, he could adapt. It just meant he'd be spending more time thinking of revenge for a while.

[erfingi]

Turn about is always fair play, but Loki is a cheater.

"Oh, and how do you see it?" he asked, faking serious.

[justanexpression]

Someday. Someday he would figure out how to make the fake weather in here cooperate, and then he was dropping such a blizzard on everyone. It would be amazing.

"You're just showing off." He pulled the staff back finally, resting it against his shoulder. "I mean, trust me, I get it. I was feeling pretty cooped up back there, too. So you get a little excited and POOF." He made a little exploding motion with his fingers.

[erfingi]

"Ah, you think that was showing off?" he asks. "That was only a little bit of fun. If I wanted to show off, you would know the difference."

[justanexpression]

"Yeah, okay, show off, then." Not that he was curious, of course. Bored, mostly. Yup, really bored, but willing to let the guy stretch his wings and all that.

The day something happened to make him think before he issued challenges like that would be an interesting day, indeed.

[erfingi]

"If you're sure," he said. "You may wish to stepback."

Ever seen a dragon, Jack? Well, Loki's form is slowly growing bigger, even as the gold and green glow of his magic changes his clothes and skin into black scales. When he's done, he'll be about 90 feet tall, able to breathe fire, and have a wing span of about two hundred feet.

A little jet of fire while he's in his normal form, an illusion at that, is just a little bit of fun.

[in_no_sense_civilized]

My but wasn't that interesting? He drew thoughtfully on his cigarette (and wasn't it wonderful that the store carried so many types?) and let the smoke trickle past his teeth before grinning and leaning a touch more out the window, "I know exactly what you're missing lad, be with you in two shakes!"

Where by 'be with you' meant 'ducking back into the window to point a speaker out and a moment longer to slap on 'Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies'. "Pattern, naturally, though the warm up was quite entertaining in the improv category, I'd give it, ah, let's see, three stars for novelty!"

[justanexpression]

"...What are you?" That was rude. It was terribly rude, really. Even Jack knew it was rude, but he didn't bother pretending to care. He'd met a troll or two, a goblin once, but this guy didn't look like anything he'd ever seen.

The music and comments, he ignored except for an eyeroll. For now. It would be a lie to say he'd never fancied some music to go with the stuff he'd done, but it definitely hadn't been flouncy stuff like this.

[in_no_sense_civilized]

It was fitting for how he was flitting about and only lighting a few things really. If he wanted more substantial music he'd move less whimsically wouldn't he?

"My good lad, I'm a radio DJ," naturally. "Now I'm sure you haven't met anyone of quite my caliber but I assure I'm quite genuine. And yourself? You're...hmmm, let me guess, the new window man?"

[justanexpression]

He wasn't trying to light anything, it was just happening. Okay, so maybe he thought it was kind of a fun effect, but the flying was its own game. The game could wait for now, though.

Jack landed lightly on the sill, eyeing the speaker with an annoyed frown for a few seconds before poking it with the crook of his staff, a layer of frost and ice quickly forming over the front and muffling the sound. "I'm Jack Frost."

And he was leaving it at that. He definitely didn't do windows.

[in_no_sense_civilized]

Oh my. Brainy watched the end of the staff as it poked him, bemused and probably ed at the same time, "Ah, how charming. A winter fairy." Alas that wasn't exactly a job was it? "But given this local you'll need to have proper employment, may I suggest Popsicle peddler? Ah, no, Freon technician and AC repair!"

Also? It was rude to poke people's speakers with sticks! So it was only natural to stub out his cigarette on the frosted length wasn't it?

[justanexpression]

Fairy. He hadn't quite made up an appropriately unhappy response when the... the thing went and put out a cigarette on his staff. His shout had an edge of startled pain under the anger; the staff wasn't him, exactly, but it was tied to him, and that meant he felt that. He jerked away, catching himself on a burst of wind just out of reach. If the wind got a bit protective and maybe overzealous and took a swirl around the office through the window, he certainly wasn't going to stop it now. "Watch it!"

[in_no_sense_civilized]

"Oh but I was!" he assured cheerfully. "I was watching it be rather rude to my equipment and so rudeness in turn. Quid pro quo as it were and all that. Wasn't that enchanting though? Tell me, have you always felt overly attached to frosted wood? Is it an aspect of your winter subset as it were? And more importantly would you allow me to interview you? I'm certain it'll be hilarious. In that 'are you melting in my studio' kind of way!"

[justanexpression]

Jack ground his teeth together, eyes narrowing in honest anger, before he took off on the wind, up and over the buildings on the street to go sulk on a rooftop somewhere.

[kuromu_dokuro]

"Jack!" Chrome called out when she saw him, "Jaaaack!" He was the first person to really play with her. She utterly believed in his existence and thus could absolutely see him, "Jaaaaaaack! Hey!"

[justanexpression]

He certainly hadn't expected to hear his name anywhere around here, so that caught his attention before he saw Chrome. Once he did, though, he dropped for the ground, maybe an extra loop or fancy twist in there, but no one could blame him for showing off now that he could, right?

"Chrome!" He hit the ground with a bounce in his step and a smile on his face. "You got shoved out here, too?"

[kuromu_dokuro]

"I did!" she said after throwing herself at him for a hug. It was easier to have contact with people her own age even if they were much older than her. "You have your powers too? That's wonderful! How long have you been here? I got drafted into being the police." the rapid fire questions and information were cheerful, at least.

[justanexpression]

He was far chillier to the touch now than he had been on Penrose, cold like he'd been out in winter weather for some time, which, technically, he had. He startled, half a step back when she hugged him before returning the gesture with the awkwardness of someone who didn't necessarily dislike the contact but obviously had little idea what to do with it. "Yeah, I do, and I dunno, a couple days? What about the police?"

[kuromu_dokuro]

His startled half-step was still less surprised than Loki had been. Chrome didn't hold on too long, stepping back herself with a wry smile. It was a very empty city and she found that very disconcerting.

"After I killed the dinosaur the city gave me a badge and started calling me Officer Chrome." she said wryly, wrinkling her nose.

[justanexpression]

She should mention hugging Loki sometime. Jack would either go into shock or a fit of laughter, either way he might never recover.

"After you killed the dinosaur? I don't know, cop sounds like a downgrade from that." This place just got weirder, but maybe it wasn't an entirely bad weird.

[kuromu_dokuro]

"I'm getting paid." she said mildly, "Loki-san and I got an apartment together. It's a nice, secure one, too. I don't mind being police, I think it's funny that a teenage assassin is the police department."