North beamed up at Jack as Jack flew into the room, as if he was truly glad to see him. "You slept long, my friend! How is first day as official Guardian feeling?"
Jack grinned, this one unforced. "Lookin' good so far," he said happily. North laughed and Jack took the opportunity to glance at the others.
Bunny was sprawled in front of the fire, utterly relaxed (or exhausted, Jack wasn't sure), which was odd to Jack in and of itself. Apart from those few seconds with Sophie in the Warren, he'd never seen Bunny relax, or be anything other than keyed up, tense and alert.
Sandy was sitting on the floor, leaning against Bunny's back and looking faintly smug. Tooth shot up from the floor on Bunny's other side, grinning hugely.
Darting over, she threw her arms around Jack and spun them in a hug, much as she had on Jack's lake.
Jack froze, trying not to stiffen up in her arms. It was almost more shocking the second time, the sudden warmth wrapped around him and her head on his shoulder and too much touch too soon too much but good at the same time and he didn't know what to do or how to react.
She let go and fluttered a few feet away before Jack could react, leaving him gasping. Tooth had already turned and touched North's shoulder gently, and Jack took the moment to try and recover.
One of the baby teeth tucked into his collar chirped up at him with worry and he tried to summon up a grin for her. He didn't think she bought it, but thankfully she let it drop.
"I need to head back to Punjam Hy Loo," Tooth was saying to North as Jack reassured the little fairy. "I've haven't left the girls on their own like this in centuries, and it was a much smaller operation then."
"...Pun...?" Jack mouthed softly, though not softly enough as Tooth glanced at him, smiling brightly.
"Punjam Hy Loo," she repeated. "It's the proper name for the Tooth Palace. Not that anyone really remembers anymore..." she added softly, drooping a little, though she brightened again so quickly Jack almost missed it. "You'll have to come by and get a proper tour, now that the girls have everything back the way it should be. You can, can't you? I mean, we never even asked what it is that you do or what duties you have or..."
"I'd love a tour," Jack said, cutting of the flow of Tooth's words as she worked herself up. "Maybe in a couple of days? It's been a long weekend, we're all still tired and you need to get back into the swing..." he trailed off.
Tooth beamed. "Sounds great, Jack! I can't wait to show you everything! Come on, ladies, we'd best get back to work in the meantime. You can visit Jack later."
There were disappointed chirps from inside Jack's hoodie as the Baby Teeth fluttered out, rejoining their mother.
Baby Tooth, who'd been hiding in Jack's hair, hesitated, fluttering uncertainly between Jack and her mother.
"Go on," Jack said. "I'll visit soon."
Baby Tooth chirped, something too fast for Jack to have a chance to understand, before darting forward and hugging his cheek. She was back at her mother's side a few seconds later, and Tooth was giving her daughter a slightly confused look before shrugging, apparently setting her thoughts aside for later.
"We meet in week, yes?" North said, hesitating for a brief moment before patting Tooth's shoulder. She swooped in for a hug, wrapping her arms around his neck before flitting toward the door.
