Chapter Twenty: One Week
Staring into the mirror over her sink, hands on either side of the porcelain structure to support herself, Anna reminded herself over and over how lucky she was to be where she was. Lucky to know what she knew, to meet who she had met, and to have survived to recount the tales. How many other people could say that they had experienced this type of life, after all? Still, she certainly didn't feel lucky now.
The more she tried to convince herself that she was satisfied with the way things played out during her talk with Kris the more she realized that nothing could have been further from the truth. Was it the nebulousness of their relationship that had drawn Anna in so deeply without her recognizing her feelings for what they were, or had she simply been so lost in the rhythm of what she didn't know she wanted that she hadn't noticed anything until Kris had mentioned it? Whatever the case, Anna felt much worse now than she ever had before she had known that Elsa had essentially rejected her.
"I don't know why I'm so upset." Anna roughly turned the water on, splashing some of it on her face before turning it off again. "It's now like there was a chance for us anyway, right?"
Anna watched her reflection as she toweled off her face and hands, as if it might animate itself and give her some sort of insight into this difficult situation, but it never did. She drew in a deep, wavering breath as she steadied herself, readying for the day ahead. Another day of teases that she knew now meant nothing, that would lead to nothing but that same dull ache in her chest.
Leaving her room, Anna vaguely registered Kris' voice carrying through the door, but it wasn't until she was out of her room that she caught some of what he was saying.
"-these blue eyes like, like sapphires, Els! I can't believe-"
"Sapphires?" Elsa huffed a laugh, shaking her head at him before mock bowing. "Long live the cheese king."
"Hey, I'm just trying to help you out okay?" Kris grumbled over his breakfast, "You might make a connection with her."
Though Anna tried to play it cool she couldn't help the speed with which her eyes snapped to Elsa. She was searching for a reaction, anything to tell her if Elsa might react the same way that Kris had said she had when he mentioned possibly having feelings for Anna. As much as she didn't want to see Elsa's tear stained face again she couldn't help the twinge of pain in her chest as she watched the corner of Elsa's mouth quirk up in a small smile.
Oh no...
"What about you, Anna?" The smirk on Kris' face was knowing, and most certainly bait to trick Anna into admitting something that she definitely didn't need Elsa knowing. "Thoughts on blue eyes?"
Anna hadn't realized that she was still watching Elsa until Elsa's eyes were on her, blue and bright and full of a mystery that Anna would have loved to get lost in. Instead, Anna forced herself to roll her eyes and scoff.
"They're fine, I guess." Anna glared at Kris, openly broadcasting that she was onto his little scheme. "If you're into that sort of thing."
Kris hummed thoughtfully, clearly not put off by Anna's display. "I definitely pegged you as the type to be into blue. Something about you just-"
"Yeah, well." Anna cut him off before he could get too deep into his theory, "Wouldn't be the first time you were wrong, would it?"
As a look of guilt crossed his face Anna could tell that she had won, at least this round.
Elsa glanced cautiously between Anna and Kris, then turned her back on them and threw up a peace sign as she headed toward the front door. "Well then, I guess I'm off to gather some information on our missing kids since it's getting weird in here."
Before Anna could stop herself she nearly shouted, "By yourself?"
With a quick swivel on the balls of her feet Elsa was turned around again, smirking at Anna with her brows raised in a questioning expression. The look made Anna nervous, more than enough for her to begin babbling to fill the silence.
"It's just, shouldn't we be helping you?" Anna laughed nervously, glancing back at Kris for some sort of assistance (which he staunchly refused to give). "You shouldn't have to do all the heavy lifting."
Elsa's smirk shifted seamlessly into a sultry grin. In a fluid motion Elsa raised an arm and shifted the sleeve of her tee back far enough to make the slight bulge of muscle there visible as she flexed playfully.
"I think I'm qualified for a little heavy lifting, don't you?" she asked, winking at Anna.
"If you're so worried, why don't you go with her?" Kris chimed in, smiling triumphantly when Anna whirled around to glare at him.
"I, well, I mean..."
"Ouch." Elsa laughed, but unless Anna was imagining it she actually sounded a little dejected, "I get it, too cool to hang out with me. No big deal."
Anna wanted to say something to the contrary but given her track record she preferred not to give her clumsy tongue a chance to over-correct and embarrass her further. She kept silent until the door shut behind Elsa, then with a newly ignited indignation she rounded on Kris.
"I hate you so much." Anna growled, stepping toward him in a menacing way. "If you hadn't said anything in the first place I wouldn't have ever realized I had this...this..."
"Crush?" Kris suggested, then perked up as a better word came to mind, "Infatuation?"
"What the hell am I supposed to do now?" Anna groaned, pressing her fingers into the sides of her head, "She doesn't like me, so I should just drop it. Why isn't my brain letting me drop it?"
Kris made a nervous sound, or at least it sounded nervous to Anna, and by looking at him he clearly wasn't comfortable with the topic anymore.
"You know something." Anna stepped forward, an accusing finger pointing in his direction. "What do you know, Kristoff Bjorgman?"
"It's just, she never said she didn't have feelings." Kris sounded uncertain about what he was saying, "She never said those words,but-"
It was the tiniest, most minuscule particle of hope, almost not even worth considering, but as Anna's eyes widened at the news she knew what she had to do.
"I'm going after her."
Resolutely she rushed toward the door, snatching a coat from the rack on her way out and struggling to pull it on as she stumbled into the garage.
"Oh, Anna." Elsa sounded surprised, but if she had more to say Anna cut her off before it could be said.
"I'm going with you." Anna declared, nodding as if the action itself would convince Elsa to allow it.
Anna resisted the urge to squirm under Elsa's scrutinizing gaze. For a long while Elsa's expression was difficult to read, but to Anna's relief a smile spread quickly across Elsa's lips.
"You don't look half bad in my jacket, Fields. Come on, get on."
"Get...on?" Anna repeated the words in a daze, her brain only briefly registering what that meant.
Oh no. No, no, no!
XXX
If she had been asked earlier in the day what she thought her evening would have looked like, Elsa would have never in a million years imagined that she would be heading back into the heart of Arendelle with Anna again. Even less likely, that she would be doing so with Anna clinging to her like a baby koala as they roared through town on Elsa's motorcycle.
The instant they stopped moving Anna released her grip on Elsa and scrambled off the bike, yanking her helmet off to reveal flushed cheeks and a dazed look in her eye.
"You good?" Elsa asked, genuinely concerned by the color of Anna's face. "That wasn't your first ride was it?"
"Yep. Great. Fine." Anna responded, shoving her helmet at Elsa.
"If you say so."
"Why are we here anyway?" Anna huffed, following Elsa as they began their trek through town.
Elsa had reason to take a moment and consider how she should response. After all her information about the person who might be able to help had been shady at best, which had been why she had intended on coming alone. She wasn't even sure why she had been so easily convinced to allow Anna to tag along, Anna had outright refused at first but it only took a single sentence for Elsa to agree.
"We're looking for a guy, they call him a doctor but I'm not sure if he's actually a physician." Elsa explained, straightening her jacket as they wandered down a back alley. "Facilier was the name they gave."
"And what a charming name it is."
Elsa calmly turned at the sound of the smooth voice behind her, surprised that she hadn't heard him approaching in spite of the silent streets all around them. A tall, dark skinned man stood there before them with a winning grin on his lips. The strangely decorated hat on his head made him seem even taller than he already was but Elsa couldn't fault him for his impeccable sense of style.
"What a cool party trick." Elsa feigned a warm smile, instinctively repeating something Anna had said to her once before in hopes of charming their new companion. "Popping up out of nowhere like that."
"They don't call me Shadow Man for nothing." The man crooned, giving his cane a little spin before tapping the end back onto the ground with a 'click,' "Now unless I'm mistaken the two of you must be in desperate need to be calling after little old me."
Though his face seemed to outwardly express sympathy for Elsa and Anna, something about the glint behind his eyes told Elsa that they needed to take extra care when dealing with this guy. Anna must not have seen what Elsa saw though, for she immediately began divulging as much as she could.
"We're looking to help with the missing kids around town." Anna explained, "We, well, she heard that you might be able to assist with that."
Facilier took a good long look at Anna, his gaze strangely disconnected, before looking back to Elsa with a despondent frown. "What a sad thing, those children going missing. You've come to the right place though, if anyone can help you the Shadow Man can."
Elsa suppressed her urge to roll her eyes at the way Facilier referred to himself, knowing that if he was actually capable of what she was told that they would most certainly need his help. "You'll help us then?"
There was a quick flash of something on Facilier's face but it dissipated into a contemplative frown before Elsa could pinpoint just what it was. He rocked his cane back and forth in a gentle, almost hypnotic motion before smiling at each of them in turn.
"I think we can reach an agreement of sorts," Facilier paused, settling his gaze on Elsa. "join me in my office and we'll get started."
As Facilier turned to walk away Elsa noticed a door that she hadn't seen in the bricks mere moments ago and looked skeptically back at Anna. When Anna shrugged and stepped forward though Facilier's voice rang out sharp and edging on curt in the otherwise quiet alley.
"Not you, just the blonde."
For the first time in their short interaction he sounded upset, Elsa wondered if she had missed some kind of social cue or if he simply had an aversion to humans. Still, the idea of splitting up didn't sit well with Elsa. She knew that Anna was more than capable of protecting herself but leaving her unattended on a back street of Arendelle in the dark seemed foolish.
"Don't worry," Facilier's tone was sweet and honeyed again, "my friends will keep keep her out of trouble."
Elsa mouthed the words 'his friends' at Anna with a questioning look around. Anna shrugged again and waved her on though and given that Elsa had no real reason to argue against it she followed Facilier into his 'office.'
Passing through the frame felt a little like stepping into another dimension. The room felt strangely open in spite of being lined with shelves upon shelves of books, jars with labels in strange languages, and bunches of little trinkets. Elsa's eyes scanned over everything they could, but her senses were overloaded with the sheer volume of variety here.
"Impressive isn't it?" Facilier preened, as he pulled a chair out for Elsa. "My little collection?"
"Quite." Elsa agreed, slowly sinking down into the seat. "And just what does the Shadow Man need with so many..."
Elsa's sentence trailed off, but Facilier was quick with an assist and a wide smile. "Offerings. From friends far and wide who only wish the best for old Doctor Facilier."
She had to hold her tongue as her eyes flitted from little jars of what looked like dried lizards to clay pots filled with who knows what. "I was told you had, er, methods to gather information that might otherwise be unavailable. As my associate said-"
"Associate." Facilier chuckled, as if the idea of Anna being associated with Elsa was somehow amusing. "What you heard is true though, with the help of my friends I can delve into the shadows and dig up whatever dirt you need."
There it was again, his use of the word 'friends.' This place certainly wasn't large enough to house, or even host, more than a few people at once, so just who were these friends he kept mentioning?
No matter. We need to get to these kids as quickly as possible.
"And the price for your assistance?" Elsa asked carefully, a light going on in her mind as she added, "Your assistance, and that of your friends of course."
Just as she suspected, the mention of his friends seemed to make Facilier puff with pride, as if he and he alone had some kind of power over these people he kept referring to. His expression quickly schooled into one of deep thought, as if he didn't already know what price he was going to ask of Elsa. Elsa had the distinct feeling that it was all an act though, why else would he have had Anna stay behind?
"A lock of your hair would do just fine, I think." Facilier raised the head of his cane to his chin thoughtfully, "Werewolf hair is hard to come by in the city."
The hair on Elsa's neck stood on end as she struggled to maintain her calm demeanor. "How did you know what I am?"
"I have my ways."
"You have a black soul, then?" Elsa asked carefully.
"Black soul?" Facilier's face contorted in confusion, "What sort of nonsense is that?"
Elsa fell silent, thoughtfully considering how to explain. "Humans without black souls can't handle knowing about us. They lose their minds, their grip on reality. But you knew what I was without even asking."
"Who filled your head with such fanciful lies, child?" The expression on Facilier's face was almost pitying, then his gaze sharpened as he continued. "How would I function in respectable society if that were true?"
His matter of fact tone paired with all that Elsa had been told about this man were enough to shake the foundations of her knowledge about human and non-human interactions. If his claims were correct then she and so many others had been removed from society for no reason, but what proof did he have but his own word?
No, no matter how heavily the words weighed on her Elsa could not allow herself to lose sight of the mission. There would be plenty of time for musing on the possibility of true co-existence between humans and pseudo's later on.
Elsa cast her eyes to the side and an awkward laugh escaped her as she rubbed the back of her neck in feigned sheepishness, "Just something of an old wives tale I guess."
Facilier hummed but his eyes seemed more keenly trained on Elsa now. She could feel him studying her carefully, but in the end he accepted her answer with no further argument.
"I believe we were discussing fees before all this-" Facilier made a vague gesture with his hand, then leaned over the table toward Elsa, "unpleasantness came up. Now, do we have a deal?"
Elsa knew she had to be careful here, from what she had heard he was a tricky man and neither she nor those kids had time for her to be lulled into a false sense of security. "And for this lock of hair, you provide what exactly?"
"All the information you could need about those poor, poor children."
With the clarification made and no other option in sight Elsa's deft fingers began working her braided hair loose with practiced ease. After locating a lock of hair somewhat hidden, one that wouldn't be too noticeably missed, she slipped a hand into her jacket to retrieve a pocket knife and slice through the sectioned lock.
When Elsa presented it to him Facilier quickly tucked it away. "Now then, how would you like to go about gathering the information you desire?"
"Uh." Elsa hesitated, confused by the question. She had been entirely under the impression that he would be leading their little expedition into the weird and unusual, "...the normal way, I guess?"
The peal of Facilier's laughter echoed strangely in the small room, though Elsa suspected that it shouldn't have given how full the room was with things. He rose up quickly from his place at the table and paced over to a bookcase loaded with all sorts of books and trinkets, Elsa couldn't imagine how he would find any one thing among the clutter.
"There's voodoo, of course, hoodoo..." Facilier paused, seemingly staring at a small, carved box on the shelf. "I haven't even tried this yet."
She couldn't imagine what might have been inside, but she didn't have to wait long. Facilier turned and lifted the lid and Elsa was able to see that it was nothing more than a container for what looked like a deck of tarot cards. Elsa resisted the attempts of her face to express her mistrust, instead she settled for forcing a small smile as Facilier sat opposite her and shuffled the cards as if he had been doing it all his life.
Even the flashy flutter of cards from one hand to another couldn't distract Elsa from the strange sight occurring just behind Facilier, though. Independently from his body Facilier's shadow stood and tipped it's hat in Elsa's direction, causing her eyes to go wide with a mixture of surprise and disbelief.
"No need to be alarmed." Facilier grinned impishly, "My friends are always around, and they love a good time."
Elsa's brows came together as her eyes darted rapidly between Facilier and the wall, processing the fact that, as far as she could see, it didn't seem to be a trick of the light or a projector somewhere in the room. This was really happening, and at such a rapidly accelerating rate. As Facilier tapped the deck on the table a menagerie of shadows joined his own on the wall behind him, some more on the human side, but others were significantly less so in appearance.
"What a tragic life you've lead." Facilier said sympathetically as he flipped the first card, "Torn away from your family, your friends, all for this life of servitude."
Elsa's previously calm facade broke the instant her eyes fell on the card he had set on the table. Painted in picturesque detail was the image of someone that looked remarkably like her, crouched and huddled against a wall. Dark figures, clearly armed, surrounded the figure in a semi-circle, sending a chill up Elsa's spine. It was a perfect image of the night she was taken into S.N.O. custody.
A shaky breath escaped her as she began to reach out for the card, but a quick tut from Facilier sent her hand back into her lap.
"To be worked so hard when you were in pain, suffering at the loss of your love." Facilier continued, flipping another card, "What a shameful thing for them to do to you."
If the first one hadn't elicited a reaction, this one certainly would have. In graphic detail Elsa saw herself kneeling on the cold, leaf strewn ground with Merida's lifeless body clutched in her arms. For a moment she felt as if she couldn't breathe, only the quick movement of a shadow across the wall drew her from her shock.
"What does this have to do with the missing children?" Elsa whispered, too shaken to shout the words.
The atmosphere in the room quite suddenly went strange. Though they lacked eyes it seemed that each and every shadow on the wall appeared to be looking in her direction after her interruption. From the silence rose an ominous whispering, accompanied by the disembodied shadows seeming to gather around one another as if discussing something.
"I didn't mean to question the process..." Elsa breathed, "I'm sorry, continue."
The sound of Facilier flipping the next card was painfully loud in the silence of the room. "I can only imagine that it's these people who filled your head with those silly lies. No doubt to force you to work for them, rather than learn to live among the humans."
Elsa stared down at the card, a perfect replica of their home on the S.N.O. base. "Their research seems to indicate that what they've said is true, but..."
She hadn't been sure of what she intended to say. Had she been ready to express her doubt to a potentially dangerous, unreliable man? Or had she simply meant to express that she would like to have found out more before testing that theory?
Regardless, Facilier didn't seem keen on allowing her much time to consider. He flipped another card, but made no comment on the magnified S.N.O. emblem on it before flipping another that clearly showed a building surrounded by thick trees.
"There we go." Facilier chuckled, "Sometimes they get a little hyper fixated."
"This is it?" Elsa asked, leaning over to gaze inquisitively at the card. "That doesn't give me much to go on."
"I wouldn't send you out of here empty handed." Facilier snapped and the shadows on the walls stood straighter. "Show her the way."
There was a slight hesitation from the shadows, an awkwardly quiet lull during which it seemed like they might not comply. Without a sound they began twisting and contorting, bending and writhing until finally a picture began to emerge. It was a map, if Elsa wasn't mistaken, and she instinctively reached for her phone to snap a photo.
"Ah, ah." Facilier, raised a single, long finger and wagged it at her before gesturing at the table. "Photography is strictly forbidden."
Elsa's gaze followed the length of his arm to where he was pointing. Just as mysteriously as everything else that had happened here in Facilier's office a scrap of paper had appeared from thin air, and as far as Elsa could tell it was a replica of the map that the shadows had formed for her.
"All but one is alive, so you know." Facilier's tone seemed almost flippant as he said it. "With any luck you should be able to complete your mission nearly successfully."
Deciding not to mention her run in with the ghoul, or her knowledge of at least one of the children already being dead, Elsa instead chose to joke with Facilier in hopes of remaining on his good side.
"Full service information." Elsa laughed, waving the map in his direction. "Most of the other people I know would have charged extra for this."
Regret shot through her like a bolt of lightning as she watched Facilier's lips upturn in the most unsettling smile she had seen from him yet. It reminded her vaguely of the ghoul, but it was distinctly human, and far creepier than she was willing to admit.
"My dear, magic always has a price." He inclined his head slightly, tipping his hat in her direction. "It will take what it wants from us when it chooses to do so."
Elsa hardly had time to scrunch her brows together before she felt a strange tugging sensation, it felt as if someone had implanted a hook inside of her stomach and was tugging her backward sharply. As her eyes blinked shut she rapidly found herself alone in an unfamiliar alleyway, and stranger than her sudden removal from the room was the fact that there wasn't a single doorway in sight.
a/n: Hey all, still alive here! Hope everyone is safe and healthy!