CHAPTER 19 - JUST A FEW MORE HOURS
Anna hadn't felt that nervous while entering Ahtohallan in quite some time. She had a mission now, a duty that weighed heavily on her shoulders. Whether she succeeded or failed, the outcome of her actions would decide the fate of the biggest superhero company in the world and, above all else, prove the innocence of her friend and prospective lover. Yes, Anna wanted to be Elsa's lover. And have a life with her. Perhaps it was this surreal idea, this fanciful notion of building a future together, that got her embroiled in this dangerous thriller of heroes and spies. She had to find out the truth, work with Kristoff, carry out her part as they had agreed, and everything would be resolved by lunchtime.
Elsa was waiting for her at the Northuldra park.
And that thought alone was enough to crush Anna's fears and make her step into the building.
I'm gonna prove Elsa's innocence, yeah. Go in. Go out. I can do this, Anna thought as she went through the foyer's sliding doors, adjusting her bun and smoothening her skirt.
Inside, Ahtohallan continued to be grand and lavish with its modern architecture, though Anna felt something was esthetically off. It took her a second to comprehend what it was: the halls were filled with construction workers. Glaziers examined broken panes, masons chiseled marble off the damaged walls, and the clatter of drills echoed throughout the lobby. Aesthetically, Ahtohallan had yet to fully recover from the terrorist attack.
Not so flawless anymore, Anna decided. There had been much more damage than Anna had seen or anticipated, even as she witnessed the siege firsthand.
As for the employees, most were restless as customary, running back and forth in their natty black suits, glancing nervously at wristwatches, and carrying large suitcases. This aspect, the posh and frenzied corporate life, hadn't changed one bit. Anna never fancied the lifestyle, especially the business dress code, but today she had to blend in — a black, high-waisted pencil skirt and white button-up blouse wouldn't make her stand out too much, but wouldn't make her too forgettable either. And the intricate, polished regal bun covered a new trinket in her ear, and it was not an earring.
It was a small, flesh-colored piece of plastic lodged into Anna's ear.
"Are you inside the building yet?" a crackling voice said. "You should hurry."
It was Kristoff, speaking in her head through a marvelous technology called earpiece.
"Yeah," Anna said quietly, hoping the gadget would register.
"Remember, not all elevators have access to the data server room," Kristoff instructed. "There should be only two at either side of the building."
"I know one that takes you to the hundredth floor. Will it do?"
"It'll do the trick. Now hurry up. Do it quickly and avoid people that know you."
"Chill out. I'm going as fast as these heels allow me to move..."
It was discomforting having the man talk to her like a ghost, invisible and yet virtually by her side, whispering in her ear and listening to every word. Anna had to set that uneasiness aside and focus on her mission, finishing it, and going back to Elsa. She padded hurriedly across the lobby's granite floors, passing by the chandelier and decorative fountain, and headed towards the elevators. In principle, all she had to do was go straight to the topmost floor and connect the drive.
"Miss Jensen! Anna!"
Or at least, that's what she naively believed.
As soon as she came close to the elevators, a familiar voice called from behind. Anna turned to see Gerda, wobbling towards her in some uncomfortable heels and carrying a thick wad of papers. She looked surprisingly haggard, as if the past few days had aged her in some inexplicable way.
"Jensen, thank heavens you arrived early today. We have a lot of work to do!" Gerda said, gesturing for Anna to follow.
"No! Get rid of her!" Kristoff shouted, his voice piercing her ear canal like a drill, "She'll interfere with our plan!"
The high-pitched sound caused Anna to double over, and her hand shot out to her ear, "Ssh! Shut up!" she hissed.
"Excuse me?" Gerda whirled around, narrowing her eyes, "What did you say?"
"Oh, nothing! Ha!" Anna flashed an artificial grin, fumbling with her hair to keep the earpiece out of sight. "I said the cup, not shut up."
Gerda paused and gave Anna a contemptuous look, probably wondering if she was a mentally disabled person. It looked as though she was about to reply when the elevator dinged (the sound, fortunately, interrupting their conversation) and opened its doors to a slough of suited men. They vacated the car at a sluggish pace, the usual early morning rhythm. Anna thought they resembled a big herd of cattle, slow and dull, a pack of cows wearing cashmere.
And getting lost in the flock, Anna realized, could be a cunning way to lose track of Gerda.
Inspired by this brilliant new idea, and before Gerda could even react or comprehend why she started running, Anna moved towards the oncoming traffic. She pushed herself against the high flux of people without a second thought, apologizing for the few grumbles and complaints she received along the way. It took her a few shoulder bumps to successfully clamber inside the elevator.
"Wait, Jensen!"
Anna didn't dare to look back. She knew that Gerda was likely in pursuit, bumping people out of the way with her plump waist. Her hand smashed the panel of elevator-call buttons, pressing 'close door' over and over again, hoping the older woman wouldn't catch up. The doors dinged and began to close, and for a moment Anna thought she had successfully escaped, but an arm stuck out between the doors to offset the sensors, forcing them back open. It was Gerda who embarked, weary and out of breath.
"Jensen, I know we have much work to do, but no need to rush!" Gerda exhaled, one hand clutching her chest. "I have never seen you this eager to work."
"Oh," Anna said, genuinely surprised, "I, uhm, hmm... I didn't want to miss the ride up!"
"For fuck's sake, Anna! I told you to get rid of her!" Kristoff screeched.
Anna jerked her head back at the sudden scream, "Shut up!" she muttered in response, "What do you want me to do? Kill her?" Fucking idiot, she thought.
"What? You're speaking nonsense, Anna," Gerda said, pressing the button for the eightieth floor, "I can't understand a word you're saying."
"I-I'm sorry. It's nothing for you to worry about," Anna reassured.
"You have to do better than that, Anna. Dump the old wench, or she'll fuck up our plans." Kristoff said.
Anna hummed positively. She closed her eyes and pinched her nose, mentally counting up to three. Not only she had to deal with Kristoff and Gerda at the same time, but she had forgotten to press the button for the hundredth floor. Gerda would certainly be suspicious if Anna did it without reason, as their offices were located on the eightieth. And before she could think, the elevator jerked upwards and began its lengthy ascent, commencing the countdown for Anna's whole mission to fail.
She had to get rid of Gerda, somehow, while riding the elevator.
"Alright, Jensen. Since we're both here, it would be worthwhile for us to do a briefing of today's work," Gerda said pompously, handing over some papers to Anna, "To begin with, we have two C-class heroes that want a meeting with the Snow Queen in the upcoming week."
"A briefing? In the elevator?" Anna questioned but accepted the documents with no further objections. They began to stack up in her hands.
"We have no time to waste, Jensen," Gerda said offhandedly, "The first one is with Margaretha, aka Snow White, the little lady that can converse with animals, remember?"
Anna had no possible clue as to whom this person was.
"Sure..." she said, and Kristoff sighed over the earpiece.
"She desires promotion to B class. But considering the recent allegations of her assisting wildlife trafficking... we better reevaluate."
"Fuck, Anna, she's gonna drag you to work! Do something!" Kristoff snarled, "You have your own shit to do!"
Gerda continued to harp about work, depositing piles upon piles of documents which balanced precariously atop Anna's hands. It seemed endless, the number of papers that could come out of that woman. Anna tilted her head to the side, nonplussed, "Y-Yeah. Hmm, Gerda... could we do this in my office? The papers? And the talk about animal trafficking?"
"Wildlife trade is illegal, Jensen," Gerda stared at her, chin up and unblinking, "Activities like poaching elephants for ivory and tigers for their skins and bones."
"Yeah, yeah, right. It's a big deal, I know." Anna said impatiently, "Gerda, could you please—"
Gerda, could you please fuck off so I can continue my master plan to plant a virus in your servers and steal all your data?
"— slow down a bit? I can barely carry all those reports."
"We're almost done, Anna," Gerda told her. "I just hope you can remember everything."
"Anna! The elevator is going up! You have to do something," Kristoff said, "It's your problem. Grow a pair and solve it. Knock the bitch out if you have to!"
With both screaming at her ears, Anna thought she might go deaf before reaching the server room.
And they had just bypassed the nineteenth floor.
"And the other meeting is with the Sea Princess, Ariel. She's a part-time runway model, and her career was going rather well until some inappropriate pictures leaked online," Gerda said, looking somewhat disappointed. "We need to be positive that this so-called... 'only fans' account is authentic. Otherwise, she falls in the same category as Snow White. It's unacceptable for Ahtohallan to—"
Opportunely, the elevator dinged, and the doors opened to another pack of suited men. Gerda stopped discoursing and backed away to make room for them. A graybeard man pressed the button for the wrong floor two times before settling for the proper one, and then nestled awkwardly against Anna. He smelled like mold.
"Good morning," a portly gentleman came in. He was carrying a large paper cup of coffee, and an idea suddenly occurred to Anna; a naughty, impromptu plan to get rid of Gerda for good.
"Morning, Bill," Gerda responded, momentarily forgetting about the documents. "It's more peaceful when most heroes are in the Superhero Convention, isn't it?"
Bill laughed, "Tell me about it. How's Kai doing?"
While Gerda chattered, Anna shuffled closer to the man with the coffee, slowly and deliberately. Nobody noticed her wicked intentions. Then, feigning clumsiness, she swung her arms to the side for no apparent reason. The movement knocked the cup off his hands, spilling hot coffee all over Gerda and the paperwork.
"Jensen!" Gerda squealed, "Jesus, look at what you've done!"
"Damn it! Watch out, woman!" Bill said.
"Ops! I'm so sorry!" Anna brought a hand to her mouth, simulating deep-felt guilt. "The papers kinda slipped off my grasp."
"You ruined my clothes!" Gerda fumbled with her shirt, getting fidgety by the hot liquid dampening the fabric.
As some men simply grumbled in disgust, others went to Gerda and Anna's aid, doing what they could to dry the coffee stains and recollect the ruined papers. The graybeard man had coffee showered over his crotch. The brick-red carpet of the elevator had a smelly, big brown smudge on its center now, and some documents lay there like a mucky paste, completely irrecoverable. Anna thought it was best to remain quiet and leaned against the back mirrored wall of the car, watching the situation unfold. After much whining, the elevator dinged and stopped to floor twenty-fourth, and most men began to disembark. Gerda pressed the emergency stop button and grabbed the phone located in the lower cabinet beneath the call panel.
"I'm calling a janitor to clean up this mess," Gerda said, "Nobody should endure the torment of riding an elevator stinking of caffeine."
"Oh, yeah... better clean that up!" Anna agreed, although mentally lambasting herself. Having this elevator out of order was not in the plans.
"I need to change clothes and maybe wash this shirt in the sink," Gerda groused, "Meeting the Snow Queen like this is unacceptable. Unacceptable! Wait for me here—"
Oh, hell no. Nope. I'm leaving! "I'll be waiting for you on the eighteenth!" Anna said, already walking away and giving Gerda a farewell wave.
"Wait, Jensen! I-I —" but the operator on the emergency phone picked up the call, and Gerda had to answer him.
Anna took a few unhurried steps until she was out of sight, arranged what was left of Gerda's documents on her arms, and then ran off like a fugitive. She stifled a celebratory laugh. In some sense, she had managed to elude Gerda without being caught. The feeling made her slightly giddy.
"Good job, Anna," Kristoff said, "Now everyone thinks you're an idiot, and they're not wrong."
"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Anna scoffed, "And don't scream at my ear! I'm trying to have normal conversations with people, you nincompoop."
"You just fucked one of the only elevators that could take us to the server room, smarty-pants."
"You mean that could take me to the server room," Anna huffed. "You're just an annoying, disturbing voice in my head."
"What floor are we in?"
"Oh, right!" Anna had almost forgotten that she had to find out another elevator. "Twenty-fourth. Finance department."
"You better find another one quick, or that old lady will become suspicious of you."
"It's gonna be a cakewalk, no worries..."
Anna had a long, difficult morning ahead of her.
The Superhero Convention must be the hottest place Elsa had ever been.
It was hotter than the hinges of hell. The rays of sunshine probed her body like fingers, sweeping over the fabric of Elsa's uncomfortable, close-fitting superhero uniform. The ensemble was apt to make anyone sweat apparently, even superheroes like herself, which, theoretically, could cool their body temperature at will. Elsa thought she would likely end the day with sunstroke and heatstroke and perhaps even a brainstroke. The Snow Queen, the goddess of ice, wearing an undergarment of sweat from neck to ankles, sweltering in spite of her wintry powers. It seemed highly contradictory, almost illogical, to see her in this wretched state. But perhaps it was not the heat or the suit that bothered her, but rather the people, the constant social anxiety that bloomed whenever she interacted with fans.
Elsa thought she had already gotten over the fear of social interplays, considering how much Anna had encouraged her — but it appears that when faced with insane, obsessed fans, she coped by sweating like a heroin addict.
Just a few more hours, Elsa constantly told herself. Anna will come over soon, and they would have lunch together, and the interactions would become easier, and—
"Oh my god! They have all volumes of the Sugar Rush comics!" Olaf said, grinning through a mouthful of ice cream (a Snow Queen-branded popsicle) he had bought in a store.
Most of the morning had been like this: Olaf would see something exciting and squeal aloud, drawing attention towards them and giving rise to a small commotion wherever they went. The Boy Wonder and the She-Beast also had, quite unwillingly, canceled all their convention activities for the sake of guiding Elsa throughout the event, although, in retrospect, she questioned if asking for their company was a clever decision whatsoever. She could keep an eye on them for any signs of misconduct, yes, but their presence was horrible for discretion; Hercules and Belle attracted fans like magnets, reducing their pace to a pitiful crawl. For the time being, they had hardly covered a quarter of the convention activities.
Though the most irritating aspect of it all, the biggest hindrance in Elsa's tour, was that the twins — Jeniffer, Annabelle, and the elder sister Joy — were following them ever since the parking lot incident, like three murky clouds hanging overhead.
"Woah, this art is awesome!" Olaf said, "Look at how much stuff this guy has!"
After a fifteen-minute trek through crowds, Elsa found herself in a vintage fanart stand. Behind the counter, a black man with dreadlocks showed Olaf his collection of digital and hand-drawn artwork. The shop hoarded drawings like sacred treasures, all stored in glassed-in displays, and Olaf was mesmerized. Elsa found some pretty gaudy and... erotic illustrations of herself there. Olaf wanted to buy all of them, even the ones she deemed improper, but Annabelle was a fair better haggler than him, convincing the vendor to sell everything to her instead. Elsa frowned when the man agreed, but as soon as he recognized her as the Snow Queen, Olaf acquired all the arts for free. Annabelle left the store with a single Battle Sabre piece.
"Unfair..." Annabelle said querulously, and Elsa smiled with triumph.
"What a collection that man had of you, don't you think?" Hercules said to Elsa, "So many lewds. It makes me wonder what people think of you."
"It kinda reminded me of something Anna always said to me when looking at fanart," Olaf said sagely and then quoted: "The horny knows no boundaries!" The twin sisters rolled their eyes at his remark.
"I have no control over what people do with my image," Elsa replied, slightly embarrassed. "At least, I don't have any controversial kinky videos of myself circling online, right Hercules? Megara would know all about naughty and taboo practices."
Hercules flushed, and Belle stared at him, disgusted. "Oh, gross," she said.
"You're not that different, Belle. Have you seen the 'She-Male' stuff about yourself online?" Elsa said casually, "Gerda wanted Hiro to erase everything from the web."
"What do you mean? I haven't heard that story before," Olaf asked, curious. "What is a She-Male?" the twins repeated simultaneously, and Joy grimaced.
Belle cringed, "H-How do you know — I-It's not true, you know it's not! Those people are degenerates. I —"
Elsa shuffled closer to Olaf, with the air of a woman imparting a great secret, "I've heard she changes sex when transforming into beast form."
Olaf's eyes widened, "Ohhh, that's... what...how does that even work?"
Belle led them through a congested and noisy walkway before the conversation could continue, and Elsa decided to end the subject there.
Their following destination was a costume shop, one specialized in replicating superhero uniforms. The Boy Wonder opted to stay outside while Olaf shopped — showing off his muscles to a busty teenage girl — and the She-Beast joined him, prattling with some enamored middle-aged men. Elsa thought it was better this way, as they kept most of the fans outdoors, as far away from her as possible. Olaf tried a few outfits, most of them too large to suit him properly, and Jeniffer derided his picks each time he left the fitting room. Reciprocally, Elsa burst into cackles of bright, hysterical laughter when Jeniffer appeared before her with a Snow Queen costume. In the end, Olaf left the store with three unique outfits, free of charge. Jeniffer walked out with her face fixed in a permanent scowl.
"They didn't have my size! That's why it didn't look good!" Jeniffer wailed.
"They didn't have my size either," Olaf said, putting the suits in his backpack. "But I got all of them for free, so... Hey! I can give some of those to Anna!"
"Oh, I'm sure she would love it." The imagine of Anna dressed as the Snow Queen made Elsa giggle.
Anna...
Just a few more hours.
They visited a movie stall afterward, a shop that promoted all the movies which featured real-life superheroes. The local vendor, used to only greeting shoddy cosplayers, was definitely caught by surprise when the real Snow Queen stepped inside. Overjoyed by the visit, he offered the group four tickets to the Bulldozer movie exhibition, which would play in the main auditorium during the afternoon. Elsa resisted the urge to punch Joy when she snatched the ticket that belonged to Olaf; she ended up giving her own movie ticket to him for that reason. Meanwhile, Hercules complained he wasn't the main lead in any of the latest blockbusters, and the She-Beast signed the front of a fan's VHS, speaking out against piracy.
"It amazes me you haven't done any movie yet," Olaf said.
Elsa snickered, "No, I haven't. They wanted me to be the lead in a movie called Frozen, though."
And so they continued to perambulate the Superhero Convention, and within the hour, the walkways had grown overcrowded. Their stroll became more like a parade, as the number of followers and fans had likely doubled. For Elsa, that meant more angsty interactions, more autographs and selfies, more personal questions, more chances of people stepping onto her cape, and most importantly, more growing anxiety. The sight of Hercules and Belle walking so... meekly alongside her, so obediently, and suddenly so docile with fans also motivated people to approach. The comic stall was the last place Elsa had a modicum of comfort in; since then, she had been suffering from a bad case of swamp ass. She couldn't even find a peaceful, secluded corner in the park to fix an annoying wedgie — as she pushed past the masses (she'd been walking strung-out, cheeks clenched, with gaping lunges), Elsa bumped into a double-seated stroller. It belonged to a family comprised of a buxom mother, two crying infants, a snaggle-toothed girl, and a boy no older than five. They recognized her instantly.
"My goodness! I didn't know the Snow Queen would come!" the mother said wonderingly. With bags and gifts slung over one arm and a camera slung over the other, she looked like a shutterbug at the end of a long, grueling assignment. "Oh, if you don't mind, could you take a picture with my Zoey and my Ellis, please?"
I'm sorry, but I can't take the goddamn picture, Elsa wanted to say. I'm tired, I'm smelly, and my mouth aches from smiling so much. I would prefer to be left alone, you know, so I can finally tug my thong out of my ass, which by the way, I don't even know if it's there anymore. It's not like I haven't done this for the past two hours, with an irritating group of people following me—
"Of course," Elsa said, and a noxious stone of anxiety solidified in her chest. She could feel there were big patches of sweat under her arms. It's just kids, she thought, no need to be sensitive, for Christ's sake.
Then Zoey hurtled into Elsa and shinnied up her like a tree.
"Snow queen, you sho preththy and powerfuw!" Zoey bellowed, and smacked Elsa's cheek so heartily that her ear actually rang for the next fifteen minutes. "I wanth tho be beauthifuw and thaww and shthrong wiwe you when I grow up!"
"I-I'm sure you'll be..." Elsa chuckled, adjusting the little girl in her shoulders.
Ellis, hiding behind a propeller hat and surf sunglasses, wiggled in place to get the same treatment. Elsa pulled him up into the crook of her arm and hugged them both. The mother let out an overly excited cry, snapping pictures from all sorts of angles. Olaf grinned from ear to ear, teary-eyed. Hercules complained no kid was interested in him. "You are thhe beshth shuperhero!" Ellis screamed in Elsa's other ear, which at least equalized the ringing.
"You really think so?" Elsa asked dubiously. Ellis's words mollified her a little, dissolving a chunk of that anxiety stone lodged in her chest. It felt good, in some unexpected way, to see those kids happy around her.
Everything seemed perfect until Annabelle, spoiled as she was, saw how much those kids were comfortable around the Snow Queen. Elsa was giving them attention, as opposed to herself and her sister. She thought this injustice warranted her a piggyback ride, at minimum. And so, without warning, Annabelle grabbed the Snow Queen's cape and started to climb, forcefully and clumsily, on her way to the blonde's back. The selfish deed not only ruined the family's photos but almost knocked Ellis out of Elsa's grasp, as carrying three kids was too cumbersome, super strength notwithstanding. The Snow Queen did her best to hold steady nonetheless, balancing the kids over her shoulders only to receive a finger in the eye, spinning as Ellis dangled from her braid and Annabelle held onto her neck. The mother was furious, rightfully so, and Zoey started to cry, a harsh, bawling sound that was painful music to Elsa's ringing ears. Olaf worked his best to tranquilize the group (Elsa included), but by then, a deadly stone of fury had plopped in the Snow Queen's stomach. In an implacable voice, charged with calm authority, Elsa politely ordered everyone to shut the fuck up.
It all went downhill from this point on.
"Would y'all mind comin' with us?" a man wearing a STAFF shirt said. He had a spattering of acne glistening on one cheek. "This ain't a good place to stay. C'mon."
Elsa knew it was only a matter of time before the Convention staff seized them.
They insistently urged her, along with the She-Beast and The Boy Wonder, to attend a small photo stage nearby. Another round of pictures didn't seem like an improvement to Elsa, but Olaf liked the idea a great deal; grudgingly, she agreed to go there for his sake. Olaf took her by the hand, visibly excited, and they started towards another pavilion. Along the way, Jennifer slyly slid one of her legs to the side and caused Olaf to trip, more than once, on purpose. Joy looked like she approved her sister's malice, mentally praying that Olaf would fall down. Hercules and Belle chortled when he eventually did. The animosity towards Olaf made Elsa's anger stone grow into a poisonous, boiling boulder — unintentionally, a chilly aura flowed out of her, cooling a significant portion of the park. It took her a few controlled breaths (and thinking about Anna) to revert the temperature back to normal. Emotional instabilities aside, the group continued their walk towards the stage, and as they were crossing a steep pathway covered by exotic, flowering trees on both sides, a young black boy approached the group.
"Snow Queen! Snow Queen! Flerken is stuck on that tree!" said the boy, pleadingly. He pointed to the tallest tree near a small grove, orange-leafed with thick white-barked branches, and atop its peak was an obese, pedigreed cat.
A diverse crowd of all ages and sizes gathered to see Elsa in action. A gangly youngster even grabbed Olaf's hand, jumping up and down in anticipation. The Snow Queen sighed heavily, cracked her shoulders back, and walked up to the tree; she could hear excited voices buzzing like a hive of bees from behind her back. The eager whispers increased when the Snow Queen crouched, examining the area for a short while, and everyone gasped when she punched the soil. Her hand dug deep and grasped the underground roots, ripping the whole tree off the ground as if it weighed nothing. The cat held tight, but Elsa manhandled the trunk and slanted it into a vertical position, and then shook the cat down. Even the poor pet looked surprised, falling from the branches to the grass with a dull thud.
Belle and Hercules facepalmed, and Olaf apologized to the spectators.
"Here's your cat," Elsa took Flerken by the scruff and returned it to the kid, who just stared back at the conspicuous hole in the ground.
As the Convention personnel dealt with the consequences of Elsa's unexpected, astonishing act of heroism, the group eventually reached the photo stage. It had an elevated platform and a set of professional cameras, all pointing to a background wallpaper that could be easily replaced as the patrons wished. The loudspeakers had announced a photoshoot with the Snow Queen, She-Beast, and The Boy Wonder, no more than five minutes ago, and a line of fans already extended ad infinitum. The redneck employee escorted the group, circumventing the queue and going backstage. Elsa thought she could take a sweet picture with Olaf in this place, at the very least. Perhaps one with Anna, too, when she arrived during lunchtime.
Anna...
I wonder whats she's doing now...
The pleasant thought didn't last very long.
The twins had pushed Olaf aside for the tenth time in the last hour, planning on taking the pictures with the Snow Queen before him. That was the final straw for Elsa.
Is all this jealously?
"We should go first!" Jennifer said, and her sisters agreed.
"Alright, fine," Elsa said through gritted teeth, hearing a few objections coming from the crowd. Nobody liked when people jumped the line.
The girls were thrilled. They positioned themselves in the front while Elsa loomed behind them, tall and big enough that her arms could loop around each one, with Joy on her right side, Jeniffer and Annabelle on her left. A vindictive part of her wanted to punish the girls for all the bad things they did to Olaf, and there would be no better occasion than this one. Maybe a good squeeze would do, Elsa thought.
"Okey, gear up!" the cameraman said, "Say cheese!"
Anna certainly wouldn't mind.
Elsa grinned and squeezed the girls. The mischievous twinkle in her eyes shone in unison with the camera flashes. Jennifer's face was shoved on her side, buried into her obliques. Annabelle's eyes bulged, letting out a strangled squeal when her head got pushed under Elsa's chest, wriggling over the blonde's abdomen in desperate need of air. Joy squirmed in place, fighting against the grip only to end up, embarrassingly enough, with her face trapped under the Snow Queen's armpit; Elsa hoped it was pretty sweaty and stinky, despite the tickles. It was a vile thought, but the sisters deserved some subtle punishment, after all. And they stayed that way, squashed together in a writhing tangle of limbs, while Elsa simply smiled back to the cameras, in her best pretense of a friendly embrace between fans and hero. When the flashes ceased — and when Elsa heard I can't breathe, multiple times, buzzing around her waist— she released the girls; they staggered to their feet, swaying a little, Joy's face a raddled purple and Jenniffer coughing dry.
"Wow, hmm..." the cameraman gaped, sinking in his chair. "Next?"
After the sisters, Elsa took a lovely set of pictures with Olaf. She had never seen him smile with such delight before, with such genuine glee in his eyes, all so natural and pure. His exhilaration groomed her to face all kinds of fans that followed after him: funny-looking nerds; adorable toddlers; beetle-browed men; two laughing grandmas in pants suits; a schoolgirl with Down's syndrome; a flabby man with rheumy eyes and bad teeth; and a pregnant lady.
Every single one of them loved her. Why? Is it my powers, or my status, or my looks?
What would Anna think about that? Elsa wondered.
The She-Beast and the Boy Wonder took her place sometime later. It was tiresome to face the nerdy crowds for so long, and the photo shoot was a monotonous attraction. There were so many more engaging, exciting activities at the Convention that Elsa felt she was losing her time with this photography session. She had to secrete that tension off her system, find something interesting to do, and stop perspiring like an invalid. To begin with, she needed to shake off those twins, ditch Hercules and Belle, and spent some quality time alone.
Not alone... with Olaf.
Yes, and afterward, she would take Anna to the most extravagant, adventurous attractions she could find.
Anna...
Just a few more hours. She's gonna come over soon...
Elsa broke out of her trance when she heard the hustle and bustle nearby. Conveniently, a pregnant woman had begun to feel labor pains as she walked down the stage steps, and everyone around her got distracted; it was Elsa's chance to escape. She immediately searched for Olaf (he wandered absentmindedly around backstage) and grabbed him by the hand.
"Woah, where are we going?" he said, holding onto his backpack.
"Anywhere but here," Elsa replied. "There. That place."
Elsa and Olaf jogged towards a large hall. Its entrance was a dusky and long corridor, with rows of superhero statues at either side of its walls. They passed by a sign that read: THE SUPERHERO MUSEUM.
We can spend some time here until Anna arrives.
She'll come over soon.
Just a few more hours...
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
I'm still alive, yay. I wanted to shift focus between Anna's "mission" and Elsa's day trip at the Convention in one chapter, but it didn't work out. I had so many ideas in my head that I ended up vomiting all of them in this single chapter, and 1/3 of it was already like, over 10k words. So I said: fuck it, Im not cutting a single thing. In the end the original chapter 19 became 19, 20 and 21. This is the first part (who knows when I'll finish the rest). Besides that, life is going batshit crazy. As always, hit me up on discord if you want to read/proofread this behemoth beforehand.