Anna hurried through the glass, double doors, covered in snow and shivering. She had been in Denver, Colorado for two weeks, and she had yet to see what the actual ground looked like. The snow hadn't stopped, but luckily, the citizens of Denver were well equipped when it came to handling the soft, white substance. She moved slowly as her bright blue orbs circled the lobby of the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre; it was massive. Anna knew from Hans' brief description that this place was extravagant, but she had no idea that the word was a complete and utter understatement. Multiple staircases wound upwards, leading to second and third balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows completely covering the entirety of the front of the building. To her left was the box office, and to the right, a bar and lounge.
The strangest thing about the theatre was that it was deadly silent. No one was in the box office, no one was at the bar. She didn't even hear soft foot fall on the levels above her. Pushing her messenger bag further up on her shoulder, she slowly found her feet again and headed for one set of doors leading to the house of the theatre. If seeing the lobby was enough to take her breath away, the house killed her on the spot. It was modern, mostly straight lines, and box seats lined either sides of the walls. The stage was an empty, black hole, a blank slate ready to be used. She turned and looked up to see two different levels of balconies, and she idly wondered exactly how many the house held. She turned her way back towards the stage.
A single head of dirty blond hair stood out within the sea of red seats, a pair of boots propped up on the seats in front of the individual. A smile lit up Anna's freckled face as she moved eagerly for the first time, her tiny feet carrying her to the man in the fourth or fifth row. "Hello!" she called out enthusiastically. Nothing. Unfazed, she continued on, reaching his row. "Hi, excuse me, I was wondering if-" She stopped as the man held a hand up to silence her, not even taking the time to look at her. She frowned a bit, holding her hands at her waist, waiting awkwardly for permission to speak. The man looked to be her age. Broad shoulders, big feet, and a sketch book balanced in his lap.
"Could you not, just now?" his gruff voice asked as his pencil moved fluidly over the sketch pad. "I'm having a moment. You'll ruin the muse."
Anna held back an amused laugh with a snort. "'Muse'? Who even uses that word anymore?" she teased, trying to lighten the mood as she settled her weight on one hip, crossing her arms over her chest. She faltered when he suddenly looked at her, chocolate brown eyes locking on her blue ones. And for a single second, she could see something in his eyes shift, too, but it was gone in an instant.
He rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the stage with one big sigh. "And now it's gone. Perfect. Thank you." He placed his feet back on the ground and got up, walking down the row in the opposite direction.
"Oh, but wait!" she gasped, hurrying down the row after him, tripping over her own feet, the strap of her bag getting caught on the back of one of the seats. "Look, I can't find anyone else around. Hans said someone would be here to-"
"Hans?" It was like something clicked, and the blond seemed to become even more aggravated than before. Great, he thought, another one.
"Yes, pay attention," she said, following him out of the row and into the aisle. "I need you to take me to the costume shop. I'm the designer for the show."
"Well, you see, there's a problem with that, Red. I don't take people places. I design and build the sets, and then I go home. I'm not on the hospitality board, and I sure as hell don't arrange any tours. There's a map posted in the lobby, go find it yourself…" He continued down the aisle towards the stage.
"But-!" She stopped when her phone began to ring. She looked at the screen, relieved to see her boyfriend's name flash across. "Hans, hi! Where are y-" The set designer stopped at the lip of the stage, placing his sketchbook down, doing his best not to make any sudden movements so that he could hear the conversation. "But I thought you said someone would be here to show me… well, yes, Hans, I know you don't own the building… I know…" Her voice continued grow meek as she listened. The young man turned a bit to look back at Anna, her brows furrowed, looking like some injured puppy. "I just thought… When will you be here?" She looked at her watch. "Okay. I'm sorry to upset you…" At this, the blond made a face. The hell? She didn't do anything! "I'll just wait at the box office until someone comes around… Okay, bye. See you-" She pulled the phone away from her pale face to see he had already hung up.
The blond groaned internally at the sight of her and ran both hands through his hair. "Red!" he called out, looking up at the ceiling. Anna turned slowly to look at him, inquiring. "Follow me…" he grumbled. He finally looked at her to see the corner of her lips quirk up in a small smile before her tiny little feet carried her to him. "I'll show you the costume shop, and then you leave me alone. Got it?" She nodded eagerly, grin unperturbed. He sighed and led her up a small set of stairs bringing them to the stage. "I'm Kristoff, by the way…" he mumbled, disappearing through one of the wings.
The redhead smiled. "Anna."