Sky Clock
Chapter 12
It was already noon by the time Jack woke up, but the room was still dark as the curtains still closed from the night before. He didn't even have to look at the clock to know that the sun is currently at its peak. A natural sense for a Ranger, an internal clock that existed within the brain. He didn't know how to explain it as over time it just developed instinctively. Perhaps due to living by himself for two years, he had paid attention to this sort of things.
People say that the day after would pass more quickly than the one before, and it's true. As one grew older, the perception of time became less apparent due to daily work getting full attention. Jack was still only in his 18th year, however, for some reason he felt old. North had encouraged him to live as a regular teenager and associate with his peers during the time in high school, but he couldn't.
Jack just didn't have the same mindset as other people his age, where they would want to kill as much time as possible, he was the opposite. Time is everything in this day and age.
Rangers may be keeping the people safe, but they are themselves outcasts of the world, unable to blend into regular lives. To him the word regular seemed too foreign and frankly too boring for his taste.
The only friends he really had are his comrades in the field, the ones that he can trust. He may be could say the same to Jamie and his group, but only because he knew them the longest compared to others that he had met.
Meeting Elsa was an odd experience, it was the first time a stranger could read him so well which Jack should feel scared, but he didn't. It's not everyday where one would see a teenager acting far above their age. He wondered if the old Arendelle's monarchy bloodline is still present. If it was, then he should be addressing her as a princess. That brought him back to the dreams he had about her, it was definitely not a coincidence. The chances of seeing the same person many times in a row are almost nonexistent, but she was real.
Jack yawned and sat up, he found his eyes to be really dry and irritating, he had forgotten to take off the contact lenses before going to sleep. He used one hand to separate his eyelids and used the other to popped them out, then tossing them to a nearby trash bin. He blinked a few times to moisten the eyes and looked down. He was still wearing the outfit he had on last night except for the excessive protective gears. The knee pads and the vest lied on the ground next to a pair of black boots, the equipment belt on the table to the right of the COMLINK still attached to the arm strap, plus the NVG and earpiece. Yawning one last time, he stood up to stretch and then grabbed some fresh clothes for a shower.
Jack came out fresh and walked over to a laundry basket and threw in the Ranger outfit, he looked to the mirror and checked his hair, it is now back to its natural brown. the hot water had rinsed off the white hair dye that he used. He pushed the items that were on the ground under the bed with a foot and went to grab his COMLINK and detach it from the strap. Turning on the screen he took note of the battery level and it was still in the upper half percentage. He noticed a text message, what surprised him that it was from Elsa. He doesn't text due to the lack of friends and he had always preferred talking.
-Have you seen the news?-
Elsa must have been talking about the explosion he and Astrid caused at the seaport. Curious, Jack grabbed a remote and turned on the TV, he flipped a few channels until the news came up. On screen showed the wreckage of the aftermath that was bordered off by the APD, it seemed that there were no casualties. A woman was being interviewed as the broadcast continued.
"I went down for a cold pop when I heard the explosion, I thought we were being invaded. I look out the window and saw fire and smoke, then two more happened I screamed and ran for mah life. I ain't grab nuthin', turns out I forgot mah shoes. Ain't nobody got time for dat!" The woman said.
Jack snickered at the scene and heard laughter coming from downstairs, it sounded like Astrid and Hiccup but the former more vocal. The news host then went around interviewing more witnesses. He observed of the people in the background, all of them have their phones out recording or snapping pictures, two in particular however, did not. Both were dressed in black, one was taller than the other, from the angle he could not see their faces. The tall man dressed in black had a fedora on, he reached down to the shorter one who had orange hair and said something to his ear, the latter nodded and the pair walked away. Jack thought nothing of them, they must have been businessmen of some sort.
"The police is still investigating the wreckage, it seems to be caused from what looks like weapon storage containers. They have just given us permission for the camera footage of two unknown people who appeared last night, they may be the one who caused the incident." The female host announced as the screen switched to one with lower resolution, but still in color and Jack could see him and Astrid stalking down the hallway with guns in their hand, their faces covered. "They are unidentified and is unclear who they are associated with. A male with white hair with blue eyes, the female with brown hair and also blue eyes. Be weary of anyone with said description and report them to the APD if you think they are the same people."
Jack watched the news for a bit longer before looking back down to his COMLINK.
-Watching it now.- Jack typed in the words hitting send.
-Where have you been? I sent that text hours ago.- Elsa replied almost instantly.
Jack looked at the time of said message, it was from early in the morning which was more than 6 hours ago, he must've set it on silent or really deep in his sleep.
-Sleeping.- Jack texted back.
-Until noon?-
-What? It's weekend, am I not allow to sleep?-
-No, but sleeping for too long makes you lose brain cells.-
Jack blinked at the message, he rubbed his head with a hand subconsciously.
-That's kind of cruel, why would you say that?-
-I don't want to play chess with someone who can't think.-
Ouch, Jack thought to himself, Elsa can be really blunt about certain things.
-Well then I guess I'll eat the rest of the chocolate that I have then. There's so much of them.-
-I forbid you from doing so.- The text came rather quickly.
-Okay then, why were you asking me about the news anyway?- Jack chuckled at that.
-Nothing really, it's just that weird stuff started happening ever since you came here.-
-How do you mean?-
-Just a feeling of mine, think nothing of it.-
-Umm, ok? I'm still a bit confused.- Jack silently hoped Elsa doesn't try to pry into the matter any deeper.
-What my feeling means is, would u go out with me :3?- The text came back after about half a minute.
-I think ur cute and we should totally be togetherrrrr 3- Another one appeared.
-Pleaseeeee Jackyyyy? :D-
Jack stood there frozen staring at the screen wondering what the devil is going on. He closed his eyes tightly and opened them again, the text was still there. He rubbed his eyes with a hand, it was still there saying the same thing. The sound of the news channel became muffled noises as he stopped paying attention to it.
He blinked.
He blinked again.
He blinked for the third time.
As he was going for a fourth, another text came up.
-Y r u not replyingg? D: imma get angryyy D:-
Not know how to respond, Jack shook his head and replied.
-What?-
-What do u menadjfaskjfnskjdfnakjnwsdksfjakdn djsdakd Dkjdfn- Incoherent words came up on the screen.
-ahhhnkjnkju-
-help meedskmngk-
Jack looked at the text narrowing his eyes, something is really weird going on with Elsa today.
-Are you okay?-
It wasn't about until two minutes later that he received a reply.
-I'm sorry about that, Anna was being Anna again.-
Jack laughed at that message, of course he should have realized that it was the spritely girl. He had been silly, no way Elsa would say anything that so out of character.
-I certainly wasn't expecting that to happen, I thought you might've had a seizure of some sort.-
-Don't be ridiculous.-
-I won't, where is Anna by the way?-
-Tied up in her bedroom, I had to muffled her mouth when I announced no chocolate for a month.-
-Ah, you're not really going to do that are you?- Jack chuckled as he typed skillfully with his thumb.
-She doesn't need to know that.-
-You are an evil person.-
-Just being the responsible older sister. I'm also surprised.-
-Surprised by what?- Jack's eyebrows rose.
-You are actually capable of texting properly.-
-I'm not a caveman, if I can talk, then I can text. Were you expecting me to do it like Anna?-
-Yes. I was.-
-That's hurtful. Anyway, what are you doing for today?-
-Staying home, why?-
-Since it's Sunday and all, maybe we could hang out? I really don't know what to do.-
-Are you asking me out?-
-If two friends seeing each other nowadays is considered a date, then sure.- Jack chuckled as he typed. -Bring Anna if it makes you feel uncomfortable then.-
-Hold on for a moment.-
Jack only had to wait for about a minute or so.
-Alright then, we'll go, where shall we meet?-
-The only place I really know is Kristoff's café place, so we can meet there, or I can pick you guys up or something.-
-That won't be necessary, we'll see you there. And Anna says hi.-
-Okay, tell her I said hi.- Jack chuckled and locked the device. Turning back to the TV, not seeing anything new he turned if off.
Downstairs sat Hiccup and Astrid together on the couch watching the news, then Astrid grabbed the remote and changed channel. In front of them were half-eaten pancakes and bacon strips with coffees.
"Morning," Jack craned his neck as the two looked up.
"Oh you're up, technically it's afternoon now," Hiccup said.
"Hey Frosty, did you know that we were on TV?" Astrid greeted. "The camera's footage from last night was on the news."
"Yeah, I was watching it earlier," Jack responded. "And now we're wanted too, wonderful."
"Don't be so grouchy, last night was a success," Astrid rolled her eyes.
"Speaking of that, did you get anything yet Hic?" Jack asked.
"Uh, no, not yet," Hiccup pointed to Astrid. "She wouldn't let me do anything, saying it's Sunday, and Sundays mean no work."
"I can probably agree with that," Jack shrugged. "After that event though, we definitely stirred up one of their hornet's nests somehow."
"If that didn't, I don't what will," Astrid agreed, then snapped her fingers. "Or maybe stopping a bank robbery?"
"As if we'll run into one anytime soon," Jack chuckled. "Anyway, good work last night. Glad to know that you can follow orders Astrid."
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, squad leader," Astrid replied sarcastically. "Pancakes?"
"Actually no thanks, I'm going out today," Jack said.
"With who? Oh I see," Astrid smirked in realization. "Have fun."
"Sheesh, you're making me feel like a kid," Jack rolled his eyes. "You guys aren't using the car though right?"
"Nah," Hiccup answered shaking his head. "Oh remember to get some eggs, we're out."
"Alright, later," Jack grabbed the keys from the counter and walked to the door leading out to the garage. He got inside the car and turned on the ignition.
…
Freezing Fire was crowded, as expected on weekends and its high time. Jack still found the name to be quite weird, but it's not like the description he gave his squad any better, or made any sense for that matter now that he thought about it. Oh well, at least it was original, hopefully. He parked the SUV and walked inside, baristas busy doing their jobs and people drinking their coffees. He looked around and did not see the sisters he was supposed to meet, feeling hungry, he went up to the counter to ordered lunch.
The TV that hanged on the wall displayed the news channel, there were many people paying attention to it, some in discussions. It was Kristoff that greeted Jack when he came forward.
"Oh hey Jack, here for the same thing?" Kristoff asked.
"Well that and a chicken salad for lunch, haven't eaten yet," Jack answered.
"Alright then, want breadsticks to go with that?" Kristoff said.
"Yeah sure, the garlic ones," Jack replied.
"Got it, is that it?" Kristoff asked.
"That's it," Jack confirmed pulling out his wallet.
"That'll be $7.98," Kristoff said and Jack handed the appropriate amount.
Jack waited for his meal, when it arrived he took it and went to find a table to sit down. He found one and took it quickly before someone else got in. He ate silently as he eyed the door for Elsa or Anna to appear. Almost ten minutes later, he saw them walking in. He raised his hand to catch their attention, they saw it and went towards him.
Anna sat down excitedly while Elsa did so with more elegance. Their outfits not too dissimilar from the ones at school due to snowing weather outside: Elsa in blue and Anna in green. Still eating his salad rather slowly, he stopped and drank his coffee.
"Hi!" Anna chirped and Elsa nodded.
"Hello to you two," Jack greeted putting down his cup. "How's your day so far?"
"Boring, nothing to do. I wanted to go skating but it's too crowded now," Anna pouted.
"Why didn't you go earlier?" Jack asked.
"Uh...I slept in," Anna smiled sheepishly.
"Eh, I did too," Jack chuckled. "What about Hans then? Why aren't you two together?"
"Um, he said he's busy this week with his boss or something, he seemed a little upset too for some reason," Anna replied.
"You didn't annoy him too much right?" Jack joked, smirking and he saw Elsa doing in the same looking at Anna.
"What? Of course not, he loves me too much and he knows how much I love him," Anna countered.
"Uh, I don't think people fall in love that quickly, I think that stuff takes years," Jack commented.
"Nope, not when it's true love," Anna said confidently, Jack saw Elsa shaking her head slightly.
"Okay then, if that's what you think," Jack turned to Elsa. "So how was your day?"
"Just dealing with Anna as usual," Elsa replied simply.
"Hey! I'm not that bad," Anna complained. "And you weren't serious about the one month no chocolate rule right? Riiiiight?"
"Yes I was serious," Elsa gave a strong smile.
"Aw come on! I said I was sorry already, please?" Anna whined.
"My decision is final," Elsa said firmly.
"Jack please make Elsa change her mind," Anna turned to Jack and gave him the puppy dog face her hands clasped in front.
Jack stared at Anna for moment before turning to Elsa who was glaring at him. He looked back and forth, took a sip of the coffee and gave a nervous smile. "Sorry, but I don't know how."
"Aww," Anna slumped down on the table dejectedly, she looked up and brightened then took one of Jack's bread and ate it. "Ooh breadsticks. Yum."
"Anna," Elsa scolded glaring at her younger sister. "Don't take someone else's food."
"But it's so good," Anna looked at Jack hopefully. "You don't mind right Jack?"
"Sure, sure, I had too much anyway," Jack waved it off chuckling.
"See? He said it's fine," Anna grinned brightly and went back to chewing on the bread.
"Well not everyone can be nice as him," Elsa rolled her eyes then she saw Anna's eyes widened and no longer eating the bread. "What?"
"Oh ho ho ho, did I just hear you calling Jack nice now?" Anna grinned mischievously. "I've never heard you compliment anyone before."
"Wha-that's ridiculous," Elsa stuttered looking away, cheeks flushed slightly. "I've given compliments before."
"Oh yeah? To whom?" Anna challenged.
"To uh, to uh," Elsa began to look nervous. "To you, I've complimented you plenty of time."
"Puh-lease, family members don't count," Anna rolled her eyes. "And you've scolded me more than half the time."
"Well too much chocolate and you'll get fat one of these days," Elsa countered.
"Whaaat? No. Never! I shall never get fat, for the Chocolate Almighty had given me the ability to stay in shape forever," Anna declared. "And it's not like you're any better, you ate all the ones that you took from me."
"Still much less than you," Elsa defended herself, crossing her arms. "Besides I only took the extras."
"And those were the best ones," Anna complained.
"Then next time eat those first," Elsa smirked.
"Ha! Fine I will," Anna affirmed. "Ah! you made me went off topic."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Elsa looked away.
"You called Jack a nice person, don't deny it," Anna said accusingly.
"...Fine, I did," Elsa said slowly. "He's a nice person."
"Yay! I knew you like him," Anna cheered, munching on her breadstick.
"What? No I don't," Elsa said quickly.
Jack was chewing on his salad listening, he didn't want to interrupt the two sisters and was interested in hearing Elsa's answer.
"Then why would you two see each other alone every morning before class?" Anna smirked.
"We...just play chess, that's all," Elsa said.
"Sure," Anna turned to Jack. "Only chess right Jack?"
"Uh," Jack swallowed the salad and drank some coffee, Elsa wasn't looking at him. "Yeah, pretty much really. It's not like we have a lot of time before the bell."
"Phooey, you two are such killjoys," Anna pouted, her eyes dashed between Jack and Elsa multiple times, she finally finished her bread stick and stood up. "I'm gonna go chat with Kristoff, bye."
"Um, isn't he still working?" Jack asked looking at the counter.
"Nah, I don't think he'd mind," Anna said, she turned and walked happily to where Kristoff was.
Jack sat there looking down to his empty salad plate, then to Elsa, who was staring back. They looked at each other for a moment and Jack drank some more of his coffee.
"You know, this is the first time we're talking outside of school," Jack said.
"Yeah you're right," Elsa agreed. "It certainly doesn't feel the same without a chess set."
"Well I don't know, I like it since I don't have to suffer another defeat," Jack chuckled.
"Shame, I wanted to add another victory to my ongoing list," Elsa smiled.
"Is my name the only one in your list?" Jack asked.
"No, but it sure shows up the most." Elsa replied.
"You are very cruel, you know that?" Jack joked.
"It's just skill," Elsa simply said.
"I'd like to see you go against Hiccup one day, he's the best chess player I've ever seen," Jack said.
"Oh? That would be interesting, although it should be expected, he is quite an interesting person," Elsa commented.
"What do you mean interesting?" Jack asked.
"Hmm, let's see, he never talks to anyone unless spoken to, until you and Astrid came along," Elsa explained. "But I can't say much since History is the only class that I share with him."
"Well he does stay quiet most of the time," Jack agreed. "But he's a good friend, I wouldn't trade him for anyone else."
"That's nice, having a close friend," Elsa said slowly.
"It sure is, someone that you can rely on is always the best thing," Jack nodded and leaned in smiling. "I wonder if we'll be close friends one day too."
Elsa's cheeks turned a little pink and she turned away smiling. "It's a work in progress."
"It's better than zero though," Jack grinned.
"But still 99 spots from 100," Elsa smirked.
"Aw, so close," Jack pouted.
"You might want to check the definition of close," Elsa giggled slightly.
"Yeah, I definitely will," Jack chuckled tapping his head. "Gotta fill up the vocabularies to this caveman's brain."
"That would be preferable," Elsa giggled a little louder.
"Don't you want a drink or something? I mean we're in a coffee shop after all," Jack said after finishing his drink.
"I'm good, I only do caffeine early in the morning," Elsa responded.
"Ah okay, so you're an early riser. I don't think I can ever wake up before the sun rises without an alarm clock," Jack chuckled.
"I got used to it, it feels much less tiring," Elsa said.
"Do you sleep early then?" Jack asked.
"Not really, I don't consider around ten early," Elsa replied.
"Well it's earlier than twelve, that's for sure," Jack said.
"Why do you stay up that long? It's not homework isn't it?" Elsa asked.
"What? Of course not, as if I'll ever care that much about homework," Jack scoffed.
"Then what do you do?"
"Just playing my guitar or watching some movies."
"You can play the guitar?" Elsa's eyebrows rose.
"Yep, well I just picked it up again, but I still remember a lot of stuff," Jack said.
"I'd like to hear it one day," Elsa said, then turned away. "I mean, if that's okay with you."
"Sure," Jack said. "And I'd like to hear you perform on the piano too."
"Haven't you heard me before?" Elsa asked.
"I meant like with just us, no one else around, and we can play both of our instruments together or something," Jack suggested.
"I'd like that," Elsa smiled.
Jack was about to say something but he saw a familiar white car leaving the parking lot. It hit him that it was Elsa's car and she was still sitting here.
"Uh, isn't that your car?" Jack pointed out the window.
Elsa looked at the direction Jack was pointing at, then she looked around for Anna who was nowhere to be found, Kristoff was talking to other customers at the counter. Her phone gave a small sound and she took it out looking at it. After a few minutes of texting, she groaned.
"Anna's that one that's driving, and she's going somewhere," Elsa said.
"She can drive right?" Jack asked.
"A bit reckless, but yes she can, got her license not too long ago," Elsa sighed.
"But aren't you still here?"
"Anna was...thinking that you'll be the one taking me home," Elsa said looking away.
"Oh, I see now," Jack started chuckling. "You really don't like your sister sometimes huh?"
"I love her, I really do, but you know sometimes siblings can get...crazy," Elsa moving her hands around emphasizing the point.
"I guess I do," Jack said nodding his head. "Sure I can drive you home, but it's barely pass noon and I sort of want to do something. You don't have to be home any time soon right? Or busy with anything for that matter?"
"Well, not really," Elsa said sitting straight up. "I suppose we can do something for the day."
"Great! Why don't we go to the mall? I didn't do much last time I went there." Jack suggested.
"Sure, it might be fun," Elsa said.
"Might be? I'm not trying to stereotype but, aren't girls always excited when it comes to clothes shopping?"
"Well, I suppose I'm different."
"Alright, let's go then," Jack stood up holding his food tray, Elsa followed suit and he dumped the trash on their way out.
When reaching the car, Jack went to the passenger's side and opened the door, he held out a hand for Elsa who rolled her eyes.
"Such a gentleman," Elsa commented, Jack simply smiled and closed the door. He went to his seat and drove the car out of the parking and onto the street.
…
Sunday was no doubt one of the busiest day for shoppers and visitors to a mall, only second to Saturday. It seemed that there were less people than the last time Jack visited, the explosion at the seaport might have made people uneasy, he couldn't blame them. If he had been a regular civilian, he would've felt the same way. He parked the car and got out quickly to open the door for Elsa, she stepped out gracefully and shook her head, she smiled and hit his arm playfully, he returned the gesture grinning as well.
They walked into the mall using the same overpass to avoid traffics below. The inside was filled with people walking about, chatting, and kids playing around. Not knowing which store to start, they strolled through the plaza looking at different stores. Passing by a wedding apparel shop, Elsa stopped and stared at the different dresses on display.
"I thought you're not one for clothes," Jack said.
"That doesn't mean I can't appreciate their beauty," Elsa spoke softly still paying attention to the different attires.
"Are you imagining yourself in one of those?" Jack asked chuckling.
"...A girl can dream can't she?" Elsa blushed slightly.
"Well I don't look to bad in a tux if I do say so myself," Jack grinned.
"Oh? I'll have to judge that when the time comes," Elsa said raising an eyebrow at him smugly, before looking away quickly. "I-I mean, if I ever see you in one."
Jack laughed a little at that comment and said, "Well I'd imagine that you'd look great in one of those, so no need to dream about it." He looked to Elsa as he didn't hear a respond, she was still staring at the dress with pink cheeks. "Let's keep going, don't want to waste the whole time standing here."
"Ye-yeah, let's go," Elsa agreed.
They continued touring the shopping mall and its various shops, Elsa showed her appreciation for clothes by dragging Jack into almost every single store. What she said earlier was definitely an understatement, although despite being shoved into different ones, she never bought anything. He started to think that she only did so to irritates him, but she couldn't be, right?
"Oh come on, not another one," Jack complained.
"Please, it's not that bad, it's just shoes," Elsa said pulling him in.
"Yeah, shoes with high heels, if you didn't notice, I don't wear those," Jack said.
"Well I do," Elsa replied.
"But you're not even buying any."
"No, but I like to look around."
"So why can't I just stay outside or somewhere else?" Jack asked.
"Because I want your opinions on them," Elsa responded.
"Are they even necessary? I mean you'd probably look good on anything," Jack said rubbing his hair.
"You-you really think so?" Elsa questioned him slowly.
"If I say yes, will I get to stay outside?"
"Oh, in that case, definitely not," Elsa huffed and went inside, Jack sighed and followed her.
"You're having fun doing this aren't you?" Jack asked.
"I did say it might be fun," Elsa smirked.
"Right, you did," Jack nodded and groaned. "For you mostly, why can't we try like different type of shop?"
"What do you have in mind?" Elsa asked.
"I don't know, maybe a swimwear store? At least I get to look at something," Jack suggested.
Elsa didn't answer Jack right away as she looked at him with a raised eyebrow, she crossed her arms and huffed. "You just want to look at the girls in their swimsuits."
"Well I'm a guy still in his teenage year," Jack spread his arms indicating himself, grinning. "Can you blame me?"
"I suppose not," Elsa rolled her eyes.
"So can we go?" Jack asked hopefully.
"No," Elsa said firmly and went to look at the shoes.
"Aw," Jack pouted and slumped in defeat, he found a seat and sat down waiting for Elsa.
When they had gotten out of the store, Jack suggested that both of them should go see a movie which Elsa agreed much to Jack's delight. He had always loved watching something just to pass the time. They looked at the map to find the movie theater.
They reached the movie theater shortly after and looked at the show times, there were several choices for their current time. They ended up picking an animation film, Jack bought some popcorn and followed Elsa into the show room. Surprisingly the movie was quite good, the animation quality was top notch along with its storyline. All of its technical aspects worked wonderfully together and they had a great time. Jack literally had to held his need for the bathroom so he could see the movie until the end.
"Wow, that was pretty amazing," Jack commented as he walked out of the theater.
"I agree," Elsa said.
"I'm getting hungry, why don't we go eat something," Jack suggested.
"Didn't you just ate all that popcorn?" Elsa asked.
"Well I want real food," Jack said.
"Sure," Elsa's stomach made a little noise and she blushed. "I could use a meal right now."
Jack simply laughed and walked with Elsa to the food court. After looking through different stalls, they decided on eating pizza for dinner.
"So what toppings would you like?" Elsa asked looking at the order board.
"Anything is fine, except for anchovy, never was a big fan of that," Jack answered.
"Alright then, one medium pizza with pineapple, pepperoni, olives, sausages, and lots of anchovies. Also two medium drinks." Elsa ordered.
"Wait, what?" Jack looked at Elsa who was smiling innocently at him, he groaned. "You just love doing this to me aren't you."
"I admit, it is quite amusing," Elsa giggled slightly, Jack just sighed and paid for the pizza and drinks.
Jack brought the tray to an empty square table and sat down across from Elsa. He plucked a straw into his drink and grabbed a slice of the pizza, he looked at the anchovies sitting on top and sighed again.
"Oh just eat it you big baby, it's good for you," Elsa took a slice for her own and bit it.
"Yes mother," Jack laughed dryly and started eating. It didn't taste as bad as he remembered, the other toppings have strong flavors of their own that drowned it out. He wouldn't dislike anchovies so much if he didn't have to eat so many back in the days of training, healthy, but nasty.
Jack continued eating started noticing that Elsa was being quiet, she was already on her second slice too. Somehow the look on her face told him that she was deep in thought about something.
"Something on your mind?" Jack asked and Elsa looked at him.
"No, not really. I was just thinking about my father," Elsa replied.
"What about him?"
"Well, it's just that he seems rather strange this morning."
"Oh how so?"
"He started paying a lot of attention about the incident last night at the seaport," Elsa explained.
"Isn't that like a normal thing for someone who's curious?" Jack said.
"Usually, but I think he's acting different too, like curious, but also excited," Elsa said.
"Oh," Jack grabbed another slice of pizza. Come to think of it he didn't know who Elsa's father was, she had mentioned the Syndicate's symbol found in the man's study, and now somehow intrigued by the seaport incident. Could it be?
"I'm curious, but what does your father do?" Jack asked.
"He's a doctor," Elsa answered.
"And your mother?"
"She's a nurse, why do you ask?"
"Oh nothing, like I said, just curious," Jack raised his cup and drank from it. "So uh, what's your goal after high school?"
"I want to be like my mother and father, helping people, and to travel around the world with my sister," Elsa responded.
"That's an admirable goal," Jack commented.
"What about you?" Elsa asked.
"Huh, me? Well-" Jack scratched his cheek thinking, being a Ranger is pretty much a lifetime job until he quits. It's dangerous, but also fun and he actually wouldn't want to leave anytime soon. "I don't know, guess I'll just go with the flow."
"You should start thinking soon then, you don't have long," Elsa said.
"Yeah, I know, I'll think of something...eventually," Jack lied, he didn't like lying, especially not to a friend, but it was a minor thing so he supposed it's fine. He looked at one of the hanging TV displaying weather forecast, the bottom right corner showed the time and it was way past dusk.
"We should get going soon, I don't want your sister to get any ideas," Jack chuckled.
"I agree," Elsa giggled and pulled out another pizza slice.
They managed to finished the entire pizza and did not have to waste anything, then the both of them stood up and went out of the food court.
On the way to the exit the number of shoppers have decreased significantly, Jack noticed that Elsa had started walking slower as she looked around. It seemed like she was sniffing? Following her, he saw what she was stopping in front of: it was a chocolate shop.
"How'd I not see this when we walked in?" Jack spoke out loud.
"There were a lot of people, " Elsa said.
"Is that why you couldn't detect the smell so easily?" Jack joked.
"Oh, be quiet," Elsa said, hitting his arm playfully.
"Since you and Anna love this so much, let's go buy some," Jack said walking inside with Elsa right next to him.
Elsa expertly chose specific type of chocolates as she browsed through the shop. When she reached the counter and was about to open her purse, Jack stopped her.
"I'll pay for it," Jack said pulling out his wallet.
"You don't have to-" Elsa started saying.
"I wouldn't be a gentleman if I let a girl pay for her stuff now wouldn't I," Jack grinned giving the cashier his card.
Elsa looked at him for a moment then giggled with a hand over her mouth. "Certainly, my good sir."
They left the mall with the bag in tow, then entered their car in the near empty parking garage and Jack proceeded to drive Elsa home.
…
Jack stopped the car in front of a familiar house, it was also dark outside making the scene identical to the first time he had been here. He looked to Elsa and saw that she was sleeping with her head tilted to the side. She looked so peaceful and he didn't want to disturb her slumber, but he had to so he gently nudged her.
"Hey wake up, you're home," Jack said softly.
Elsa's eyes fluttered opened and she sat up yawning, she smacked her lips and looked around, when she saw her house she sighed and unbuckle the safety belt. She opened the door and stepped out holding the shopping bag, she then reached in and took out a smaller one and put it on the passenger's seat.
"Thanks for the ride, good night...Jack," Elsa said. "I had fun today."
"I did too, so uh," Jack responded grinning. "Next time we eat pizza can we not have anchovies?"
"If I'm in a good mood," Elsa giggled.
"Well I'm a good friend, so you'll always be in a good mood," Jack said giving her a thumbs up.
"I have no doubt that you are," Elsa agreed. "And congratulation by the way."
"For what?" Jack asked confused.
"You only have 98 more to go," Elsa said.
"Really? Yes!" Jack pumped a fist dramatically.
"You are an odd person indeed," Elsa commented.
"Huh? Wait are you saying it in a good way or a bad way?" Jack asked.
"I'm still deciding," Elsa flashed him a smiled and turned around walking to her house gate and opened it, she gave a small wave to Jack and he returned one.
Jack reached over to the bag Elsa left on the seat and looked inside, he chuckled when he saw the chocolates from the store, three small containers. He looked up and watched Elsa going inside her home, then something caught his attention. A black silhouette in one of the second floor's window was looking at him. He tried to make out the person but it was too dark, then it disappeared and the curtain fell into place. He shook his head, if he had to guess it would be Elsa's father, and put the bag down. Jack shifted the car into drive and prepared to go home when his COMLINK beeped. Pulling it out, it was a message from Hiccup.
-You got the eggs?-
Oh right, he had almost forgot about it.
-Oops, getting it now.- Jack replied and drove the car to Oaken's Market, but not before texting Elsa.
-Sweet dreams, Elsa.-
Author's Note: Updated for the extra 'date' content.
Oops, this chapter is late and I have no excuse for it, sorry. Recently after seeing HTTYD 2, I've decided to scrap the Jelsa fic I mentioned from the last chapter, I have other plans now. So uh thank you all for reviewing, being the awesome people that I always thought you were, thank you very much. I very much appreciate any criticism on my story, it really helps me improve my writing, I only got this summer to improve my terrible writing SAT. Anyway read on and look forward to more...as long as I know what the heck to write for next week lol.
