One of the places Jack was most welcome was in the mystical bayous of Louisiana.

He'd loved it, to be quite honest. To see insects shining with their own light lining the way through the swamp, reptiles that drifted quietly through the water as the blended in perfectly with the surrounding timber, lily pads that carpeted the dark water. The bayous teemed with life, and Jack did his best not to disturb it as he distributed a gentle frost across its surface.

His flight had come to a stop once he saw a… dwelling, for lack of a better term, nestled in a positively ancient tree in the middle of the bayou. He let himself float just at the entrance to the treehouse, wondering what type of person would be living so far out in the wild. After a moment's consideration, he reached out with his staff to politely knock on the side of the door. He cringed when he saw the sparkling frost that was accidentally deposited.

"Well ain't that interesting, a spirit with some manners!" A jovial voice cried from within. "Come in, Frost, come in!"

Jack's eyes were wide as he cautiously stepped onto the plank floor of the treehouse. "Um, hello?" He called in response, looking around for the speaker. "How did you know who I was?"

A stout, dark skinned woman in a white dress sauntered into the room, a cane of her own in hand. She had blackened spectacles on her face, but over the rims, Jack could see her eyes were pure white.

"'How did I know who you was?'" She parroted back, friendly mocking clear in her tone. "Boy, they got poems about Jack Frost nippin' at your nose! Frost comin' into my bayou can only be from one thing," she said, jabbing her cane in his general direction.

A grin swept onto Jack's face. "Really? I had no idea," he crowed, leaning onto his staff as he began to float in his excitement.

The old woman let out a huff. "Just like the sprites said- easily distracted," he heard her mutter as she walked back the way she'd come.

"Hey!" He winced at the whine even he could hear in his voice as he flew after her, easily following the sound of her cackles.

"You're just what Mama Odie needed to finish this recipe!" She exclaimed from where he found her leaning over what appeared to be a bathtub full of a brewing stew, from the delicious smell. "It's needin' a bit of ice to slowly control the consistency- can't have it getting' watery too fast!"

Jack stared at her in confusion. "You want me to put ice in your stew?" He had drifted to float over the bathtub now.

"No! In my gumbo, not my stew!" She shook her head in disappointment. "All manners and no flavor, you are. Not to worry," she reached out, somehow finding his hair and ruffling it despite her blindness. "By the time you're on your way, we'll have set you straight. JUJU!"

Jack flailed in the air as a snake burst out of the gumbo and wrapped around his waist to steady itself. "What the-" He tried to hold still as it slithered up his back until its head jutted over his shoulder. Its tongue calmly brushed against Jack's cheek, which surprisingly made him relax. He could tell the snake was just being curious.

"Juju, you bein' naughty today!" Mama Odie laughed. "Sneakin' mouthfuls of my gumbo before it's done, and now you're scarin' poor Jack!" She shuffled off to a cabinet and rummaged around for a moment before coming back with a large ladle. "Alright, Jack. Add a few ice chunks now!"

Jack swirled his hand and produced several ice bits just as she asked, dropping them into the stew one at a time so the liquid wouldn't splash over the edge of the bathtub. Mama Odie thanked him after he did and scooped up a ladle full of gumbo to taste-test.

"That was it! Come here, Jack, see what you think!" She thrust the ladle in his direction, and Jack raised a hand to steady the spoon before taking a sip.

He didn't have a need to eat anything to sustain himself, being a spirit, but he'd eat Mama Odie's gumbo every day if he could. It was divine, even more so than Jasmine's tea she made whenever he made a visit to her desert. "Mama Odie, this is amazing!"

"Mhmm, what'd I tell ya? Juju, don't have too much," she scolded. Jack chuckled at the snake guiltily drew away from the ladle with a mouthful of gumbo. "Next time you stop by, I'll teach ya how to do it yourself! Can't have Europe's spirits goin' without ever tasting Mama's special gumbo!"

Jack wasn't one to argue with Mama Odie. Every time a cold front was imminent for the North American south, he made sure to personally guide it in. He'd never pass up a chance to visit Juju and Mama Odie, Queen of the Bayou.