chapter word count: 376
noir heart: thirty-seven
Anna's head swivels expectantly between Jack and her sister, waiting with her hands anxiously clasped across her chest as she searches for an answer in their eyes.
"Maybe you should sit down," Jack gently suggests, then upon catching sight of the gold wedding ring he adds, "Mrs..."
"Bjorgman, and I'll stand, thank you very-"
"We insist, Anna," interjects the far more sensible Elsa, though Jack shoots her a look at the use of we, "you have been on your feet for too long."
Anna's mouth perfectly mimics a goldfish as she attempts to fire a protest, but something in Elsa's stern gaze coupled with the I-really-don't-have-time-for-this roll of Jack's eyes gives her pause, so though she can't resist a petulant "fine...", she waddles adorably over to the chair once occupied by her considerably more unpredictable sibling.
Jack glides over and holds the back of her chair while she awkwardly descends onto it, and as she takes a moment to relax into a more comfortable position, Elsa takes the opportunity to elegantly slide into the chair to the mother-to-be's right, and after a long exhalation that carries with it the day's exhaustion of carrying around one, possibly two unborn babies, she nods in latent agreement and winces, "Thanks, I guess I really did need to sit - my feet are killing me. So, what's this about?"
"Anna," Elsa begins, seemingly unsure of how to proceed - which smells of blatant deception to Jack, as he knows for a fact that Elsa is supremely confident in her words and how to use them for maximum impact, therefore her uncertainty is purely for her younger sister's benefit, "Kozmotis was found dead last night."
Her reaction to the news is not what he is accustomed to, not by a long shot. Her face seems to brighten immeasurably, as though someone told her Christmas was coming early, and she gasps, "Really? That rat bastard is dead? Elsa, that's-"
"He was murdered." Jack butts in, and there's something in the unimpressed rise of his brow that causes her eyes to widen while her expression falls to solemn, and hastily amend -
"...awful. Truly awful."
early update because it's Elsa's birthday, or something. Happy Birthday, you sexy fictional character, you...or whatever. Oh, and if anyone is interested, the musical theme for noir heart is the music from the opening credits to Netflix's Jessica Jones. Give it a listen, or...you know...not. Up to you.
special thanks to: oninoko, whimsical acumen, jpbake and hornedgoddess for your reviews!