Skyla lounged on the couch, arms behind her head and hair undone. Her muscles were aching after a hard flight, and so this chance to relax should have been a blessing - but despite her casual pose, she was still as tense as when she'd been struggling with the sleet outside. She wasn't fighting the storm anymore, but in a way she was still facing a cold force of nature.

"So, I have reason to believe you'll be facing someone unique soon - unless you already have." The force of nature spoke in clipped tones, not looking up as she examined her fingernails. She sat on a chair with her back straighter than a signpost, legs crossed in a mechanical attempt at informality. "She goes by the name of Rosa; has an… interesting… hairstyle. And she was tough. Haven't had this much of a challenge since Hilbert."

"Oh? Huh." Skyla was barely listening, futilely attempting to focus on a crack in the ceiling. She couldn't bear to look at the motionless gale in the center of the room, yet despite herself, her gaze was continually drawn downward.

Elesa looked like a complete stranger to her. She had the same short bobcut as before, yes, but the old vibrant blonde color had become a sleek black that absorbed light like a fighter jet. Her old headset had been abandoned for a bigger device, with earpads that seemed to envelop the entire side of her head, and ridiculously conspicuous antennae ringed with red and blue - Skyla supposed they reminded her of some sort of Pokemon, but she still didn't like it. Elesa's outfit was also drastically different; a slinky blue-and-yellow dress and top, connected by a single metal band on her belly, and showing far more skin than seemed strictly necessary. Over this, she wore a huge coat of Mareep Fleece, a formless mass of golden fur that seemed to swallow its wearer whole.

But really, Skyla thought to herself, those were only minor adjustments. No, the real change was in those eyes. Once a deep but bright blue, energetic yet inviting as the warm desert sky on a summer day, Elesa's eyes seemed to have frozen somewhere along the way, an icy blue that pierced the soul, searched it meticulously for anything of worth, and then promptly dismissed it. There was no energy there, happy or sad… just indifference. To call it arrogance would be misleading as well, for that would have implied some degree of pride; Elesa simply didn't care. It was the eyes that had changed.

And Skyla wondered if the soul had changed, too.

"-so I do wish you luck when she arrives." Elesa didn't wait for a response, returning her gaze to the nail file she was currently using. Each stroke was swift and short as her words, perfectly precise and efficient. She could have been a robot, for all the difference that made.

"Was it fun?" Skyla asked abruptly. "You'd had fun in the battle against Hilbert, if I remember right."

"Yes, I had. And yes, this one was, too." Elesa's expression didn't even change as she said this. Skyla would have expected the model to make some half-joking comment about this "Rosa" girl was much more attractive as well, but that wasn't the case.

Skyla didn't respond immediately, watching those frozen eyes for any hint, any spark of life, but she was disappointed. Thoughts swirled around like a tornado in her head, until finally something was thrown out. "No you didn't. You don't have any fun anymore."

This provoked an actual reaction; Elesa glanced back up at her, a small smile playing across her lips. "Sure I don't, silly." Grateful as she was that Elesa had misinterpreted her tone, Skyla couldn't help but note the continued rigidness of the others'.

"…Elesa, do you remember that conversation we'd had, about a year and a half ago?" Skyla swung her feet off the couch and pushed herself up, sitting to face the fashion model properly.

Even robotic as she was now, Elesa could sense the sudden shift in the conversation, turning her chair to sit attentively, nail file falling forgotten to her side. "Yes, I think so. The last one we had before I moved to the new gym, right?" She tilted her head to the side curiously, but her expression didn't change. "Why?"

Skyla leaned forward, hands wringing, frowning deeply. "You told me then that you wanted to change your appearance, be more casual, more fun." Elesa nodded, and she pressed on. "And I told you to maybe worry more about redefining your fashion, right?"

"Right…" Elesa's brows furrowed. "And…?"

"And here you are now. I-I…" Skyla gestured at herself haltingly, trying to find some way to explain her point. "I wonder if I gave you the wrong advice."

Elesa frowned slightly, but her eyes were still guarded. "What do you mean?" Her hands clasped together of their own accord.

Skyla gulped. "It's just… It's…" At Elesa's searching gaze, she looked away, hiding behind her hair. "It's nothing. N-nevermind."

It wasn't nothing. This Elesa, this stranger, was not the Elesa she knew. Not her friend. Her friend made bad puns and laughed and enjoyed herself, unrestrained and energetic. This woman didn't joke, didn't laugh, and rarely smiled. Her actions were stiff and formal even in casual company, and she sat so still. There was no spark in her eyes, a silent winter night rather than a raging thunderstorm. They were completely different people, it seemed.

Oh, she'd heard differently from others, but Skyla rather trusted her eyes more than her ears. Elesa was a natural performer, and up there on stage, she could appear as lively as she wished. This was not the stage, though; it was a living room. It was a living room where her best friend had relaxed and joked, so carefree away from the life where appearances were everything. Yet now it had all become inverted, somehow, with the model carefree on stage, and stiff here where she should be able to be herself.

And at last, Skyla realized what it was that bothered her so, what the nagging fear at the back of her mind was. Illusion and reality, warm or frozen; of the two Elesas…

"Which of you is the real one?"

So this is admittedly a bit of a mess. But it is the first thing I've written and actually completed in a long time, so I'll take what I can get. I hope you enjoy, and don't forget to leave a review!