Italicized dialogues are said in a thick Coronian accent which is kind of like the equivalent of a northern accent in one's country.
Minutes after the encounter, Anna's mind revolved around one thought: why she had resulted in kissing Elsa's cheek. She could've simply spoken for both of them. One glare would have been enough to send those guys away. So... why didn't she?
Anna swiftly turned around in time to see Elsa averting her gaze elsewhere, mindful of the distance. Usually, Anna wouldn't mind if people gave her space. She enjoyed the privacy. But there was something about this particular situation that irked her.
"What are you doing?" she asked. "I asked you if you wanted to come with me. Why are you way behind?"
"I..."
Anna rolled her eyes. "If you have something to say, then say it."
The colors slowly returned to Elsa's cheeks and earlobes as she wrung her hands. "Why... did you ask me to walk with you?"
"I only asked you. It was your decision to come with me, not mine."
"Yes, but why? I thought you didn't like me. You could've left those guys to do what they want."
There was a tiny hint of hope lacing Elsa's soft-spoken words. Barely heard, but it was there. It made Anna's skin crawl. She had to remind herself not to get attached, not to give Elsa any ideas that she wanted more than simply being acquaintances. You'll only get hurt, she told herself.
"Don't get ahead of yourself," Anna scoffed. "I only stepped up for my own sake. I hate knowing something's going to happen when I know I could've prevented it."
Guilt seeped its way to her traitorous conscience despite the decision to be harsh. She kept telling herself that being brutally honest was better than sugarcoated words. But seeing Elsa try her best to conceal the pain it caused her made her want to take it back.
"Why are you allowed to?"
The question came out of nowhere. "Excuse me?"
"You accused me of being a hypocrite when I wanted to stop Marshall from hurting you or Ariel. Why can you step in when something goes wrong just because you want to, but I can't?"
Surprised by how forward that was, Anna wasn't able to speak and found herself locked in a challenging staring contest. This time, Elsa didn't clam up. The side of Anna's lips curled upwards, impressed by the sudden display of boldness.
"Fair enough," Anna acknowledged, then she narrowed her eyes by a fraction. "How am I going to know you weren't being one?"
"You can't," Elsa simply stated.
The blonde was stoic and Anna tried very hard to break that good girl façade of hers with a simple look. Frankly, she didn't know anymore. Normally, people would be desperate to explain themselves or start scowling at her face for being damn judgmental, but Elsa was calm and not putting in the effort of convincing her that what she was saying was true.
And Anna didn't know how to respond.
"You won't know because you're not me," Elsa continued with a soft voice. "Just like I can't understand you. You said you don't hate me, but your actions contradict that. You called me stupid and an idiot, and sometimes, I even get the feeling that my presence makes you angry. And yet... you're always there to help even when I didn't know I needed it."
Anna unfolded her arms and let them fall to her side. She tried to say something, but even as she crossed her arms again, nothing came to mind.
"If you don't like me, why did you come to my rescue?"
For the first time since they'd met, it was Anna who averted her gaze before Elsa had the chance to. The curiosity boring in those blue eyes and the way her voice sounded served as slaps in the face. Anna hadn't expected the girl to be able to say those words clearly when a few minutes ago, she was extremely reluctant to say something.
"Alright, point taken," Anna conceded. She let her arms fall to her sides again. "Your brother was just like you when we first met him. He was kind and helpful. He even helped Ariel look for her glasses when she lost them during the orientation of our freshmen year."
"What... What happened?"
"You tell me," Anna remarked. "During the orientation, he was kind. But when those people started making fun of us, he started doing it too."
"...I'm sorry."
"I can't tell if you're being honest. I don't care about me, but I don't want to risk you turning your back on Ariel the same way your brother did." Anna did her best to keep a straight face and tried to hide her deepest fear of opening up to people in the face of this surprising blonde.
An uncomfortable silence stretched between them until Elsa said, "I've been living away from Marshall, Mom, and Dad."
"Why are you telling me that?"
"Because I know how it feels to be left alone. I don't want to inflict that kind of pain on other people."
It wasn't the words but more in the way they were spoken that made Anna's chest clench. She didn't know what it was, only that it sounded wrong. "Okay." She dismissed the topic, wanting to rid herself of the emotions this girl was stirring in her. "I just wanted to be clear, I guess."
"O-Okay."
"We better get going, then. It's almost eleven. Ariel's probably there and Rapunzel, too." Anna turned on her heels and started walking towards... towards... She awkwardly turned around to face Elsa again, her cheeks flushing crimson. "What's the name of the store?"
Elsa blinked owlishly and answered, "I... I think it's 'Eyes Palace'?"
"Right," Anna nodded, turning on her heels again. She remained purposeful and walked with a destination in mind, set on going to the Eyes Palace as fast as possible instead of watching Elsa's reaction. There was no way she would let the blonde look at her mortified, especially when she could hear light feminine giggles behind her back.
The worst part was that she wanted to hear more of it.
It was silent on their way to the store, but it wasn't as uncomfortable as it used to be. This time, Elsa wasn't walking far behind. They were side by side, an arms-length away. It wasn't that close, but it was close enough for people who weren't exactly friends.
"Oh wow, you two are together!" Rapunzel said, clearly surprised.
Ariel grinned knowingly at Anna who glared at her mild enough to not be noticed by the sophomore brunette. "Where were you two?"
"Just walking around—"
"Together?"
"—when I found her." Ariel raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying Anna's explanation. "And we're not late," Anna added, ignoring the prying eyes of her cousin.
"You found her and that's why you're walking together?" Ariel asked with a playful lilt. "I wonder how that played out."
"Whatever," Anna mumbled. Technically, she was being honest. By half, maybe, but still honest.
"She helped me out," Elsa said.
"She helped you?" Rapunzel asked, disbelief evident in her voice.
Hating the attention, Anna grumbled, "Can we get this over with?"
Rapunzel looked at Elsa who was smiling sheepishly. Shrugging, Rapunzel gestured to the entrance of the store. "The girl in there said Kai's in the back room."
There was a glint of something in Elsa's eyes that was quickly overtaken by a smile. A chill ran down Anna's spine at seeing this and she gritted her teeth. There's that smile again, she thought with an ugly feeling of unease.
"You can still back out," Ariel offered. "You know I'm not angry, right?"
Elsa shook her head. "It's okay. I insist."
"Okay."
Anna decided to let things play out despite the trepidation in her gut. Her mind repeatedly ran over the conversation she and Elsa had. Something about Elsa's admittance about living away from her family and knowing how it felt to be left alone didn't sit right with her. Weren't families supposed to stay together?
Rapunzel broke through Anna's slowly building up questions with an enthusiastic yell of, "Incoming!"
"What in the...? Oh!" said a portly guy standing behind the counter. "Rapunzel? And... Elsa?!"
"C-Can't breathe!" Elsa wheezed as she was wrapped in a hug.
"Kai, I want to spend high school with a fully attached Elsa, thank you very much," Rapunzel giggled.
Anna and Ariel were clueless on how to react to the scene and the smaller redhead stiffened by reflex when the guy named 'Kai' noticed them.
"You're not with Marshall?" he asked with a thick Coronian accent.
"H-He dropped me off," Elsa answered, fiddling with her fingers. "He'll pick me up later."
"I'm glad your parents let you."
The same broken look when she was holding Ariel's broken eyeglasses in the hall was on Elsa's face. It was the same expression that made Anna queasy with how wrong it was. It was a look that almost screamed resignation.
Kai's face turned dark. "Do you want me to talk to them?"
"No need to. I'm okay."
"Are you sure?" Kai looked at her up and down. "You're wearing a dress."
"She's been wearing dresses and skirts for a while now," Rapunzel informed, receiving a glare from Elsa. "I'm not saying it looks bad! I'm just not used to it."
"I'll talk to your mother."
"No!" Elsa said a bit too loudly, it made everyone look at her. "I-I mean, it's fine! I've outgrown my other clothes and want to try other styles."
The air inside the store shifted enough that even Anna and Ariel who had no idea where the tension was coming from could feel it. The interaction between these three just added to the questions building up within Anna.
Dress. Skirt. Kai. Marshall. Elsa's mother. Elsa's family. Corona.
The more Anna observed Elsa and listened to some phrases and little sentences between her and other people, the curious she got. She had multiple questions, none of which had any definite answers. Just who was Elsa? Was she truly different from Marshall? Why was she left in Corona when the rest of her family went to Arendelle? Why was Kai miffed when he mentioned how Elsa was wearing a dress? Why was there a need to talk to Elsa's mother about it?
"A-Anyway! Uhm..." Elsa coughed and looked at Rapunzel. "Uncle Kai, you haven't met Anna and Ariel yet."
Kai gave a pause, and then he smiled. "I don't think that's the proper way to introduce someone."
"S-Sorry. This is Anna," she pointed to Anna," and this is Ariel," she pointed to Ariel. "Anna, Ariel, this is my uncle, Kai."
The cousins dipped their heads.
"You found yourself some beautiful friends," Kai grinned, effectively making Elsa blush. The sight and the compliment made Ariel grin, but Anna simply smiled in gratitude, barely able to stop herself from commenting on the 'friends' part. Ariel would throw a tantrum if she denied it openly.
"Ariel needs a pair of glasses," Elsa informed after clearing her throat once. "I'm buying because I broke one of her spares."
"Oh." Kai returned his attention to Ariel. "Would you want something expensive?"
"What? No!" Ariel hurriedly refused. "I- I have spares back home, but Elsa insisted on buying me one."
"There's no need to worry about that. Elsa is w—"
"Look out!" All heads turned to the source of the scream to find Rapunzel helping one employee hold on to a drawer that was about to fall off.
Kai helped them out and the employee spluttered apologies after being scolded. They proceeded to fix the drawer which was thankfully not that of a difficult task before he ran back to where the high schoolers were.
"Sometimes, I wonder how this place is still intact," he sighed. "Funny how it only happens when Rapunzel's around."
Rapunzel, for her part, whistled and pretended she didn't do anything wrong. Anna raised an eyebrow while Ariel somehow managed to laugh. Realizing the lack of reaction from one more person, Anna looked at Elsa who was studying the display eyeglasses. There was a worried crease in the middle of her forehead, but one deep breath and some of the tension visibly slipped away.
"Ariel?" Elsa asked, capturing the conservative redhead's attention. "Do you like flowers? Snowflakes? Hearts? Any design?"
"Uhm... I guess, seashells? I've always loved the ocean. Why?"
Elsa leaned closer to the glass and carefully studied the different designs of each frame. "Check this out." She beckoned the redhead closer.
Anna and Rapunzel's curiosity picked up and they went to the glass in front of Elsa as well. It didn't take long for them to see the design Elsa was pointing at. Judging by the way Rapunzel whistled, she, too, was impressed. "That looks sick," said the brunette.
"Excuse me?" Kai raised an eyebrow.
"It's a compliment!"
"It's beautiful," Ariel admitted.
Kai took said eyeglasses out and offered it to Ariel for testing. The spark in her eyes and the massive grin on her face made Elsa's shoulder relax considerably. The small sigh that escaped her lips was heard by Anna, but she decided to keep quiet.
"Do you like it?" Elsa asked.
"It looks nice, but isn't it expensive?"
"It's okay. Just promise not to lose it."
"That won't be a problem. We have accessories that can make managing these easier," Kai offered.
"But doesn't that add to the bill?" Ariel wondered.
"Actually," Elsa knelt and looked at the promo written. "These eyeglasses have free chains and other necessities with them."
"Oh. B-But the—" Ariel started again but was cut off by a dainty laugh.
After Elsa managed to get herself together, she smiled amusingly and looked at her uncle. "We'll take it."
Kai guided Ariel to the back room to check her eyesight, leaving the three girls to their own devices. Now that there were only three of them left and Rapunzel was testing different eyeglasses on her own, Anna had more time to look around. She noticed that Elsa was mindful of the distance again, failing epically at doing it discreetly. Inwardly rolling her eyes, Anna decided to read some flyers until Kai and Ariel came back.
"Alright. You can come back by two thirty in the afternoon." Kai wrote something on a paper. "You girls can have your lunch for a while."
"Great! I'm hungry!" Rapunzel removed the eyeglasses she was wearing and gave it to the girl behind the desk.
Anna approached Ariel and asked about how the fitting went while Rapunzel went to Elsa and was about to say something when she was interrupted.
"Elsa, do you want to watch me work?"
"Su—"
"No, no, no!" Elsa jumped at Rapunzel's outburst. "Kai! None of that! We didn't come here to watch you do your job! We came to buy glasses and," Rapunzel grabbed Elsa's shoulders, "for Pete's sake, Elsa! We're in a mall!"
"B-But I wa—"
"Actually, you're right. Sorry. Elsa, come here for a second."
Without a second thought, Elsa went to her uncle and left a worried Rapunzel behind. Once she was standing across the counter, Kai placed Ariel's chosen eyeglasses on top of it and stretched both of his arms to her. At first, Elsa thought he was going to cup her cheeks or hug her awkwardly, but then he held her bun instead.
"Wha—?" Elsa was cut off when Kai tugged on her ties. "U-Uncle?!"
"Much better." Kai pocketed the hair tie, smiling at her loose platinum locks.
She reached to touch some strands and looked at them. "W-Why?"
"Your parents aren't here, but I am. I can't do anything about your clothes, but at least with this," He ran his hands through Elsa's hair and gently placed a few on both her shoulders, "you will go out there as Elsa."
His words and the gentle fatherly smile on his face struck deep and her throat constricted.
"Hey!" Rapunzel tackled Elsa and caused her to gasp. "None of that! We're in a mall!"
"O-Okay! Okay! C-Can't breathe!" Elsa patted Rapunzel's arm twice, begging for release which the brunette mercifully granted.
"Way to ruin a mood," Kai chortled.
"I'm hungry! We'll be back by two thirty! Thanks, Kai!" Rapunzel dragged Elsa out of the optic place.
"Wait! Rapz, please!" Elsa choked. She placed her entire weight on her legs and tried to release her arm from the death grip. Rapunzel stopped and looked back with a worried expression. "Just give me a minute," Elsa promised, trying to appease the brunette and silently telling her that it was alright.
Rapunzel reluctantly complied. Glad for it, Elsa smiled and ran back to the optic place, passing by two confused redheads. There would be time to explain later if anything.
"Uncle Kai!" Elsa called as soon as she entered, grateful for the distance she had with her acquaintances.
Kai poked his head out of a room and his eyebrows flew to his hairline when he saw his niece. Elsa immediately jumped for a hug. "Oof! W-What...?" A silent sniffle was the only sound Elsa could utter at the time, but Kai returned the much-needed hug. "Shh."
"I," Elsa tried, unable to form words. The dam broke and her tears streamed down her cheeks nonstop as the warmth of her uncle enveloped her, whispering soothing words to her ear. "T-Tha... t-thank you," were the only words she could manage and judging by the way Kai's hug tightened around her, it was enough.
The accents are needed so I had to write it in a way they would stand out.