CHAPTER 20 - ANNA, WHERE ARE YOU?
It's gonna be a cakewalk...
Anna looked confident when she told that to Kristoff thirty minutes ago.
"Wait, I think I got it now," she said, swiping her employee badge on a door's keypad. It beeped and flashed red.
"You're lost again, aren't you?" Kristoff sighed.
Anna glanced behind her back to make sure nobody saw her and then drew back from the door, slightly embarrassed. "You know, it would be easier if I could ask anyone for directions."
"I have explained the same shit to you at least ten times now, missy. You can't do that," Kristoff said. "You're not supposed to be seen. Nobody should know you're here."
"Yeah, whatever. It's not like the whole company knows me, anyway. I still think we're close..."
Only two elevators in Ahtohallan had access to the hundredth floor, the server room, and Anna had rendered one useless. She imagined they hung an OUT OF ORDER sign at its door, by Gerda's request, due to the pervasive smell of coffee stains. It seemed like a great idea back then, but...
That decision turned out to be a tragic, rookie mistake.
The search for an alternative was way more stressful than it should have been. Following the coffee sham, Anna had landed on the Finance department level, the most chaotic area of the whole company. Kristoff emphasized how furtive and quick Anna had to act; he advised her to get as far away from Gerda as possible, so Anna considered it prudent to take the other elevator at the opposite end of the floor.
She had been roaming around ever since.
"It's not my fault! I have never been in this department before!" Anna protested. "You know how big Ahtohallan is. It's a freaking jungle."
"It's no excuse. You have been walking around in circles like a fucking crippled chicken," Kristoff said. "We've passed by the 'coffee corner' and 'meeting room A1' sign three times already."
As Kristoff said it, Anna had just walked by a COFFEE CORNER and MEETING ROOM A1 sign. Well, it's four times now, she thought gloomily.
Anna didn't know her way around the tortuous maze of office cubicles; she prowled the labyrinthine corridors only to end up at the same spot. Combine that with the pent-up pressure of her current predicament, and the result was an immensely lost and befuddled Anna. It also didn't help that Kristoff continued to yell in her ear at every harmless mistake. His complaints, well-founded or not, only served to magnify the noisy atmosphere — the constant ringing of phones, screechy printers, and grating fax machines. It also didn't help that Kristoff prohibited her from asking anyone for directions. The fewer people she interacted with, the better, he said. Anna was excommunicated, left astray, lost in uncharted Ahtohallan territory.
And so, consequently, Anna's quest to find another elevator had a few highlights along the way: failing to notice a wet floor sign, she slipped and barreled into an old man; somehow, while walking backward, her rear bumped against an inoffensive flower pot, which fell over with a crash; she melted into walls and alcoves whenever she spotted any employee that could potentially recognize her; to catch a breath, she lingered around a freestanding sculpture of the Snow Queen, and got heavily reprimanded by Kristoff; and, of course, probably due to nervousness, she had to stop and pee, which also made Kristoff very angry. In fact, Kristoff admonished her in practically every situation (though the statue enraged him the most).
"Hey, you, ginger girl, are you the new Five Spirits secretary?" a small plump woman called Anna out, moving with prissy speed. "I need to talk with the Nokk. I was wondering if —"
"Oh, n-no, that's not me!" Anna stuttered, and vanished around the corner of the closest corridor. She buried her face in a drinking fountain, and the woman flew past her without noticing a thing.
After some time, Anna dried her lips on her sleeve and peeked out the halls, relieved to know nobody was around. "It's getting harder and harder to avoid people," she confessed.
"Every minute you spend screwing around this floor means more evidence against you. Every fuck up is recorded. Don't tell me you didn't notice the cameras?" Kristoff said.
Anna glanced up, and indeed there was a camera at the upper left-hand corner of the hall, a small red light moving from side to side on its pivot. She sighed, "Excellent. Ok, so, any suggestions?"
"We're fucking doomed," Kristoff rasped, the earpiece crackling with static. "You've been working on this shitty company for at least a month, and you can't walk ten minutes without getting lost. This mission was supposed to be easy."
"You could help me find the thing instead of screaming in my ear like a douchebag!" Anna hissed, trying to not raise her voice amidst the office space. She passed by several glass-fronted meeting rooms laden with whiteboards, filled with sticky notes, organizational charts, and economic projections. Some employees presented a slide show for a superhero product advertisement, and a bored fellow played Galaga on his phone while the others jabbered. "I should probably dump this earpiece in the waste bin. You're useless."
"You know what's useless? Those documents that old lady gave you, that for some fucking reason, you're still carrying!" Kristoff said.
"They make me blend in! Everyone carries papers around here!" Anna disagreed. "The whole point is to not stand out, isn't it? They're part of my cover! Look, I should probably... wait a second."
"What? Anna, you there?"
"I found it!" Anna shrieked. "I found the elevator!"
When the search had never seemed more fruitless, more hopeless, the maintenance elevator appeared before her in an obscure hall of the Financial Department. It flooded Anna with relief, a sense of mission accomplished. At long last, this whole ordeal would end.
"Gosh, it took you one bloody hour to find a friggin' elevator," Kristoff said.
One bloody hour... Anna thought. According to her phone, it was ten-thirty o'clock. She wouldn't make it to the Northuldra park on time, especially for lunch.
I wonder what Elsa is doing right now. Is she with Olaf? She had those weird headaches before leaving. I hope she's feeling well. Elsa always gets so flabbergasted with fans around her—
"Anna? Are you inside it yet?" Kristoff disrupted her thoughts.
"Hush," Anna said, pressing the call button and waiting. "It's almost here."
As soon as the doors slid open, Anna felt a presence at her side. "Morning, Anna," a familiar voice greeted, so close she felt its breath brushing her neck, and she turned around.
Anna's face curdled like old milk as she looked slowly at Kai, who had appeared before her like some malign jack-in-the-box in a tuxedo. He was there, all prim and proper, grinning and carrying his black leather briefcase. It suddenly occurred to Anna that, by fair means or foul, she had to get him out of the picture too. The abrupt shift of emotions, from relief to shock, was such that Anna stiffened in place. It took her a long, hesitant moment to politely greet Kai back and step inside. He pressed the button for the eightieth floor.
"I assumed you would be with Gerda by now," Kai asked with a tint of skepticism.
"Don't tell him anything," Kristoff said through the earpiece, his tone growing more serious rather than hostile. "Avoid saying any recent things you did."
Anna nodded to herself, "Oh yeah, hmm, actually, I was supposed to be with her! But Gerda had an accident in the elevator—"
"Don't talk about the elevator!"
Anna squirmed in place, "Gerda had to... go to the toilet! Stomach problems! I heard they served some nasty fish in the restaurant today!"
Kai pursed his lips, "Fish? In the breakfast menu? Strange. It's unlike Gerda to eat at the restaurant in any case. She always criticized how coarse and stale the bread was. Not to mention the sour coffee."
"Say something uncomfortable so he can drop the subject," Kristoff suggested.
"She had a bout of diarrhea!" Anna blurted.
Kai's eyes widened, and then his face twisted into a grimace, "Oh, ugh... that's... unfortunate. Either way, what were you doing in the Financial Department?"
"Nothing."
"No! Make something up, you dipshit!" Kristoff shouted.
"Oh, I-I mean, I just got some..." Anna looked up, stroking an imaginary beard, "...meetings... to schedule with... Bob. Yeah."
"Don't lie if you don't know how to lie! You shitty ninny," Kristoff said.
How am I supposed to make something up without lying? You blonde knucklehead, Anna thought.
Kai simply watched as Anna's face spasmed. "Well, be that as it may, we should discuss the meetings concerning the Snow Queen in Gerda's absence. I can see you already have the papers?" he looked at the bundle of documents Anna was still carrying. "Though I expected more workload, honestly."
"It's the same shit all over again," Kristoff said, "I have an idea to get rid of him. Listen—"
But Kristoff had no time to finish. The elevator had slowed, and the doors parted before he could.
Anna's heart constricted. Her hand immediately shot to her ear, double-tapping the earpiece.
Anyone could tell, purely by appearance, that the woman embarking was a superhero. The presence she imposed, the snarky I-don't-give-a-crap-about-anybody attitude, the way she barely spared them a glance, was enough evidence for Anna. She had a slender body with long, dark auburn hair tied into a high ponytail with some notable curly fringes on its tip. Her eyes were dull but had a peculiar, unique purple coloring. And to top it off, she wore a lavender Greek breastplate, adorned with golden straps and a long skirt of the same color, with the hem ending just above her orange-sandaled feet.
Anna thought she looked stunning, but her aura was unquestionably deadly.
"Good morning, Megara," Kai greeted, at least three times more charming than when he'd done Anna.
The woman acknowledged his presence with a mirthless smile.
Megara disturbed Anna more deeply than she anticipated. A swooning, mad terror suddenly struck her, and her flesh began to creep avidly, moving up and down her arms and along her belly in waves. It was fear; fear of being found out, fear of what she was doing and what she had to do. She had to deal with Kai alone, with a superhero by her side.
Kai cleared his throat, "Anna?"
Her head snapped towards him, "Y-Yes? S-Sorry, I was a bit distracted." Anna was too nervous to hear a word he'd said. There was sweat standing out in beads on her forehead.
"As I was saying, we should review the material Gerda handed over to you before the meetings with the Snow Queen commence," Kai said proudly, "She must have mentioned the situations with Snow White and the Sea Princess, correct?"
"Y-Yeah, she did."
"Though it seems Elsa has been running late today. I don't think she arrived at the offices yet."
Suddenly, Anna didn't regret keeping those papers anymore, as a risky but not unattractive idea came to her. Kristoff had told her to dump them in the waste bin multiple times, though she insisted, on mere intuition, that they could be of use. And nobody except her knew that Elsa wasn't coming to the office today. A plan began to bubble up through her mind.
"Well, I thought Gerda had told you?" Anna said, bringing authority and steadiness to her voice, "The Snow Queen is already waiting for you at the terrace, conference room B1."
Kai was caught off guard, "Excuse me? She's waiting for me?"
"You were supposed to analyze these reports beforehand," Anna gave him the loathsome pile of papers, "I have other matters to attend this morning. Elsa's orders."
"J-Jensen, I think we have a misunderstanding. Elsa would never—"
"I wouldn't keep her waiting!" Anna half-smiled, patting him on the back, "We both know what happened last time. Quite the squeeze she gave you, huh?"
Kai gulped, "Y-You said conference room B1?"
"Yep."
Without any other word, Kai dumped the files inside his briefcase and smashed the 'open door' button. He gave Anna a stiff, awkward bow of his head and stumbled out of the car. Megara had no reaction, but Anna found it quite amusing. Apparently, people found Elsa very scary.
Elsa...
Wait for me. I'm coming for you, either with good or bad news. Just you wait!
The elevator continued its slow and torturing ascent, with people coming in and out sporadically. The latest batch of employees talked eagerly about confusing legalese and byzantine insurance regulations, though they soon disembarked on floor sixty-one, leaving Anna and Megara alone, in complete silence. Anna impatiently tapped her foot as the car bypassed floor after floor of offices, waiting for Megara to exit on the ninetieth, so she could finally press the button for the hundredth and resume her conversation with Kristoff.
C'mon, just forty more stories up.
They passed the sixty-second floor. Nobody came in.
In a few hours, I will be with Elsa and Olaf chilling at the Northuldra park. And she will know the truth.
They passed the sixty-third floor, and nobody came in.
Yeah, it's going to be alright. I just have to connect this drive, and we'll all get answers, and I —
On floor sixty-four, however, the elevator dinged and stilled.
Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck...
Anna instantly recognized the man who stepped in — he rocked a swanky blue denim jacket, a cigarillo dangling around his lips, white earbuds, and untidy blue hair.
It could be only one despicable person — Bruni, the Fire Spirit.
The moment he embarked, it was almost as if the elevator had shrunken somehow. The air around them grew thicker, and the smell of cigarettes permeated the car like poison. Anna's heart was racing; her scalp felt cool and abruptly too small to cover her skull; she could feel the surge of adrenalin behind her eyes. She had never outright hated anyone in Ahtohallan, but Bruni was the closest she had ever gotten to.
"Jensen," he gave Anna a tiny, haughty nod and then grinned when looking at Megara, "Ohhh, Megara, it's been a while, hasn't it?"
Megara crossed her arms and lifted her chin at him; judging by the proud, indignant pout marring her face, she also didn't like the Fire Spirit's company.
"Still trying to rank up?" Bruni puffed his cigarette, leaning back against the wall and pressing the button for the ninety-fifth floor. The sudden jerk of the elevator almost made Anna faint. "If things went my way, I would have you up there in a jiffy, just so you know," he smiled.
Megara cocked her head, propping both fists on her hips, "We've had this conversation countless times. The Snow Queen is the one that decides who ranks up and down Bruni, not you."
"Still, my words have some impact on her decisions. I'm one of the few who can convince the Snow Queen of your worth. To think you have slipped by her unnoticed is kinda sad, don't you think? You're hella tough, your powers are flashy enough to be marketable, and Arendelle's little girls all wish they were as pretty as you. You know what, we could discuss this over a beer at my place. How about that?" he raised an eyebrow suggestively.
Anna fought the urge to gag.
"No thanks," Megara said flatly. "I can handle myself. No need to flatter the Snow Queen for my sake."
"Ohh, you sure? You'll need to brown-nose the Snow Queen a tad better if you want to rank up without my help, just saying," Bruni said.
Megara huffed and looked away. Bruni shrugged and moved to the back of the car, right next to Anna, and she suspected he'd done it just to leer at the bulge of Megara's bottom. "What a shame. I was hoping we could be friends, or at least whack some thugs together one of these days. What do you think, Jensen? We would be a great pair, wouldn't we?" he nudged Anna's side lightly.
"Yeeeah...sure," Anna averted her eyes, stroking her arm where his elbow had touched her.
"I can show you some moves, Megara," Bruni continued. "Some you'll never forget. I'm sure your ratings would skyrocket then."
"I'm a big tough girl, Bruni. I can beat Arendelle's criminals alone, and I can get my promotion alone. I even tie my own sandals and everything," Megara said sardonically. "Now, if you excuse me, please get lost. I'm hopping off on this floor."
Anna hadn't noticed it, rattled by her own distress or, perhaps, because of how focused she was on their conversation, but the elevator had stopped on the ninetieth floor. Nevertheless, Bruni darted towards the door, blocking the exit, "So, you prefer to dance with the little Boy Wonder, huh?"
Megara's whole face flattened sullenly; Bruni had finally hit her soft spot, but it wasn't enough to shake her swagger. She looked back at Anna, "You know how men are. They think 'no' means 'yes' and 'get lost' means 'take me, I'm yours.' "
Anna choked a laugh, and Bruni seemed bothered by that. "You should let some people stay on top for a change—"
"Get lost."
"Okey, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I was pushing it, I know. That was uncalled for," Bruni said, raising both his hands in surrender. His gaze then suddenly stopped at Anna, and an idea apparently came to him: "Hey, Jensen, maybe you could schedule a private with Meg and the Snow Queen, right? To help her out. It's the least I could do after that."
Anna gulped, "Hmm, the Snow Queen... took the day off."
Megara looked at her questioningly, "I thought you said she was waiting for Kai at the terrace?"
The Fire Spirit blinked obtusely; he didn't catch any of the implications of the recent exchange. "Woah, the Snow Queen took the day off? That's fucking weird. Jensen, why didn't you warn us—"
"Whatever, I don't have time for this," Megara gave Anna a faint, suspicious glance, and then she pushed past Bruni, exiting the car. "Hey! Wait!" the Fire Spirit called, following her out the elevator, "...we can sort this out."
Anna stepped back as the doors closed, a small groan of relief escaping her. She double-tapped the earpiece and pressed the hundredth-floor call button almost mechanically, as if she had been holding that urge during the whole ride up.
"Anna, I lost contact with you. Was it a supe?" Kristoff asked.
"Yeah, but it's alright, they're gone now," Anna said, wiping her sweaty forehead. She remained motionless for a minute until... "We've arrived. This better be worth it."
The elevator dinged, and the doors parted to the hundredth floor.
Anna walked out.
The outing at the Super Hero Museum had been an unexpected reprieve.
The halls were dim and quiet, and the temperature indoors was conveniently mild, creating a rather pleasant ambiance. The museum was also nearly vacant, free of the constant bustle that bothered Elsa's ears and temperament so much. She assumed nobody cared for the history of her kind, just for the miraculous powers that made them inhuman, the superhuman abilities that separated them from the masses.
Yet Elsa couldn't help but wonder, what did she think about the history of superheroes? And the answer was: nothing. She had never given the matter much thought, and Ahtohallan had never disclosed considerable information about their past.
You and the others were born this way, Agnarr had said.
"Woah, is this the first one? The first superhero ever?" Olaf asked wonderingly.
"It is," Elsa replied. She had been wandering around an exhibit with Olaf, watching a fascinating collection of superhero bygones. More than a dozen life-sized mannequins stood behind display windows, backlit by soft blue lights and dressed in the original uniforms once worn by the actual heroes. The showcase spanned through different eras, and each model had its own inscription with a short biography. Olaf watched Mortimer intently, a man said to be the first superhero to ever exist, who died in the Vietnam war a long time ago. His costume was roughened by time but still preserved well enough, and beside it were a few old black-and-white photographs. He had a rattish pointed nose and extremely floppy ears.
"We have barely any comics on him. Maybe it's because he's too old," Olaf said.
"I don't keep tabs on comics, but from what I've heard from Father, Mortimer didn't rise to stardom like today's contemporary superheroes," Elsa told him. "I think his early demise probably had—"
"Wait, what's that?" Something else caught Olaf's attention, and he ran eagerly around a hallway.
Elsa surveyed Mortimer one final time, wondering if he had any influence on the emergence of superheroes. She felt oddly scrutinized standing in the middle of all those dolls that stared in profusion through the windows, as if looking down on her, judging her trajectory as a fellow superhero. The exhibition reminded her of a morgue. Maybe Mortimer just happened to be a very fortunate person, like herself, and that was the end of it. She decided to let bygones be bygones... and follow Olaf before he could disappear. The boy had been jumping from showcase to showcase with wild enthusiasm. "Quickly, come here," he said, pulling her over to a large glass case by a wall. It contained a diorama depicting the assembly of the first Ahtohallan headquarters located in Arendelle.
"Did you know that they used like, some bonkers quantity like three hundred and thirty thousand cubic meters of concrete to build this thing?" Olaf babbled. "And the building has like twenty-six thousand glass panels! Maybe not that much after the attack, but..."
"This headquarters was built before I was even born, in the Runeard administration," Elsa said. "There's been a few others ever since, in other parts of the world."
"Your family definitely knew how to build a huge empire," Olaf said, snapping a picture of the diorama with his phone. "I wonder how your grandfather didn't go mad with managing all of these super people all at once."
"We weren't very close, but... I heard he was a very a methodical, disciplined man."
"Definitely," Olaf agreed. "Oh. My. God. Look at that!" and then he dashed elsewhere again, turning a sharp left on a dusky blue hall. Elsa shook her head and followed.
Olaf stood alongside a large glass box with two female mannequins inside, dressed in uniforms that Elsa recognized all too well. "Does this look familiar to you?" he wittily said and then pressed a button on a front panel. With jagged, mechanical motions, one of the women lifted her arm and outstretched it forward. A tiny puff of white smoke spurted from her palm, simulating snow. The label read SNOW QUEEN - AGE 14.
"I-It's me. I-I didn't know they still kept my old costumes..." Elsa said, coming closer and tenderly placing her palm onto the glass. At the age of fourteen, Elsa still looked delicate, soft, young, and her costume reflected this period of her life. Her hair was styled in a bun, and she wore a tiny, ridiculous white domino mask to conceal her face. In the old days, Elsa battled crime using a conservative cheerleader skirt and cape, small wedge boots, bracelets, tactical belts, and loved every tawdry gadget she owned. It was a time that Elsa wistfully remembered as the golden age of her heroism, where saving lives brought her genuine, heartfelt joy.
And then, by the age of sixteen, it was time for a sartorial upgrade. Elsa had undergone an impressive growth spurt during puberty, and her over-six-foot-four of height and ethereal beauty became marketable in the predatory eyes of the Ahtohallan executives. The girly white look became passé, now replaced by thigh-high stilettos and a skimpy leotard that showed a lot more skin than it should. The bun was switched to the French-braid (a decision which Elsa found acceptable), the mask discarded, and the levels of makeup increased drastically. It was a frivolous time in Elsa's life, and the revealing bodysuits were the least of her concerns two years later, when the incident happened...
No! Let bygones be bygones...
There was no point dwelling on her shameful past. Nowadays, Elsa found herself in another era: a different costume, a new perspective of her role as a superhero, and most importantly, the start of brand-new, precious friendships.
And maybe — hopefully — something more intimate than... just being friends.
Anna! Elsa suddenly remembered. She was supposed to call me...
Elsa fumbled with her belt, detaching a portable watch. It marked eleven-forty o'clock.
It's getting late. I hope Kai and Gerda are not bothering her—
"Look, I know it's just a doll — very well sculpted, I admit — but those guys can't seem to get your proportions right. Sixteen years old Snow Queen looks too thin," Olaf said.
Does this mean I've put on more weight? Elsa frowned, looking at her reflection on the display windows. "I think I was on a diet back in the day. Ahtohallan tried to turn me into a superhero fashion model many times, though my love for chocolate was too strong—"
"Oh, for the record, I'm pretty hungry right now. With all this talk about chocolate, diets, and food..." Olaf stared at his own belly and rubbed it. "We could go to the superhero food trucks together, what do you think?
"Well, I guess..." Elsa almost gave him an involuntary decline, but she balked when a group of youngsters entered the hall. "...sure. Sounds good to me."
Maybe Anna is on her way, Elsa thought. We were supposed to have lunch together. She probably just forgot to call me...
Elsa tried to reach Anna four times after that, but she only got voicemail at each attempt.
Anna will come... I should just relax, and time will go by faster.
Lee Shang never expected to find the Snow Queen at the Superhero Convention, let alone touring about his fiery-red Chinese food truck. And she had brought a mob of fans with her as well, more customers than he had had in the entire morning. It was an honor for him. He would show how efficient he was, not only in the field as a superhero but as a chef too.
"It's not every day you get to serve the Snow Queen," Shang said solemnly. "I'm grateful for the opportunity."
"Battle Sabre, I..." Elsa began, struggling to fit into a swivel stool right behind the counter. "... could've never guessed you were a chef, never mind owning a food truck at the Superhero Convention. I heard some stories, but I thought it was just fan fiction."
"Bù shì. Most superheroes that attend the Superhero Convention have a hobby or two that they like to show off. Mine is sharing a bit of Chinese culinary with our western supporters."
More than twenty minutes had passed since Elsa left the Superhero Museum with Olaf, both moving at a brisk pace so that no prying eyes would settle on them for too long. Avoiding the Convention personnel was easy compared to the sharp, keen-eyed fans looking for real superheroes hiding in the rowdy crowds. And yet, Elsa had managed to wander incognito for a while, camouflaged in the diverse bunch of cosplayers. Everything seemed fine until a woman, morbidly obese, drove her mobility scooter in front of them; Elsa and Olaf couldn't walk abreast between her and the crowd without bumping into people. The slowness was enough for the overweight woman to notice that someone was trying to move past her, someone important, a woman that resembled the Snow Queen more than any cosplayer in attendance, that perhaps, the real Snow Queen was at her side. Obviously, the woman screamed, running her scooter over Elsa's toes and spilling a disgusting morsel of a turkey leg she'd been savoring. From that point on, Elsa and Olaf strolled with a spattering of turkey sauce over their clothes. Elsa immediately sulked, not because of her sauce-stained boots or the distance they had to cover (Olaf wanted to eat at this particular food truck, relatively far from where they were), but from the lack of contact with Anna along the way. She hoped some food would lift her spirits, though Olaf mentioned Battle Sabre's food truck had a reputation of getting crowded — something she unquestionably wanted to avoid: more people.
Elsa didn't understand why when Olaf had told her, but now she did.
From where she was sitting, she could see the whole kitchen where Shang worked his food magic, and it was incredible. Kids and teenagers waiting in line strained their necks to catch a glimpse of the show, one that even made the Snow Queen stare with her mouth agape. Shang deftly managed the kitchenware not with two arms, bout four, or sometimes even five.
Elsa had almost forgotten the power he had.
Lee Shang could change his body complexion at will. He reshaped his bones and moved his organs around with a mere thought. Not only that, but Shang could produce completely new limbs, which sprouted and retracted from any surface of his body, faster than normal eyes could perceive. He was preparing four meals simultaneously, with five arms that worked in tandem; two of them prepared barbecued duck, chicken, beef, pork, all the while an arm protruding from his shirtless back flicked a pan with some fluffy white steamed buns. He cooked with quick and dexterous movements, yet there was a certain finesse to them, almost in an artistic manner. Two extra arms were also jutting out from his shoulders, reaching cupboards overhead so Shang could grab spices, soy, olive oil, and bottles of vinegar. He seasoned the food with one big sweep of his hands, creating a satisfying sizzling sound. And finally, to accommodate his multitasking skills, Shang's truck was three times bigger than the average size. The vehicle was embellished in Chinese decoration, painted red, yellow, and black, with its signs and menus written in hanzi calligraphy. On both sides, a large awning hung above a few stools that faced the kitchen windows, where one could see Shang surrounded by a set of sinks, stoves, and an endless collection of pots and pans. Every utensil was doubled or tripled to be used with his abilities. He could even face multiple customers from each side of the counter; Shang could conjure a completely new face to grow from his nape, looking forwards and backward at the same time.
"Chinese food is not really my thing, but seeing Battle Sabre is worth it!" Olaf said, sitting by Elsa's side on the swivel stool. He struggled just as much as she did, spinning around with his backpack as he groped for his phone.
"Boy, this ought to be a special meal for the Snow Queen! Give her some privacy. You shall wait in line like the other customers do," Shang pointed to the group of people aligned near the truck, waiting for their turn to eat. He had limited the public's access after Elsa arrived.
"Don't worry, he's with me," Elsa said. "Everywhere I go, he goes. He'll be eating with us."
"Bù hùi ba? Why would that weakling boy be your companion?" With a sickening crack, an arm sprouted from his belly and started flicking a noodle pan.
Elsa frowned and looked at Olaf, who didn't seem to be hurt by his words. He was too distracted with his phone, taking pictures of the food truck. "Olaf is... my friend."
Shang turned his back towards Elsa, but she found another face staring at her. In fact, it was a face sans mouth and nose — only a single eye, twisted and slightly deformed, coming out of his nape. It watched Olaf curiously, "Zhēn de ma? Is he a superhero?"
"Nope!" Olaf responded on her behalf, pocketing his phone. Shang looked annoyed by the interruption, but Elsa held a reassuring hand before he could reply. "I just happened to meet her one day! All thanks to my friend Anna, who should've been here by now. She probably crashed the Annamobile like last time. Anyway, not important. I'm Olaf, by the way," he went for a handshake, but Shang didn't take it.
"I only acknowledge my kind, boy," Shang said sternly. He then looked at Elsa and smiled. "Hǎo gǎo xiào. I never expected you, of all people, to befriend a powerless one. I shall make food for your guest, then. Are you hungry, boy? Nǐ chī le ma?"
Olaf ordered more than half the menu Shang had to offer.
Surprisingly, the meal was delicious. Elsa picked at a bowl of Chinese noodles and Kung Pao Chicken half-heartedly while Olaf gorged on Sichuan Pork and Dumplings. It was hard having an appetite when Anna was all that crossed her mind, and Elsa supposed she wouldn't even eat if the food wasn't that exquisite. At least Olaf was having a great time, bombarding Shang with questions about the inner workings of his powers, and the man tried his best to hide the exasperation in his answers. Elsa eventually asked him to allow the public to join them, as the people had been waiting to eat for a very long time. He accepted in uncomprehending silence and began to cook, unleashing a swirl of arms; pans and pots clattered like an orchestra, and the smell of fried food wafted out. Some families, however, thought watching the Snow Queen eat was more interesting than a man with arms protruding from his abdomen, so they gladly took pictures of Elsa's botched attempts to use chopsticks. Feeling exposed, Elsa allowed a little girl called Samantha to assist her with the annoying utensils and learned that chopsticks could be very dangerous if mishandled — Samantha managed to stick one up her nose. Elsa ended up sneezing to get them out, freezing a quarter of Samantha's hair and blowing off Olaf's dish. The pictures, much to Elsa's chagrin, were likely already floating on social media.
Thirty minutes later and the Snow Queen had finished her food. She was satisfied that Shang and the nearby fans had kept her thoughts away from Anna. But now, there was another boggling question on her mind.
She wondered why Shang seemed so distant with his customers.
The man made no attempt to interact with his supporters, not even once. He bluntly refused selfies or autographs, even from children or Asian American fans. Elsa knew how taxing the situation could be, but his behavior was borderline rude. The food seemed to be the only thing that mattered. He looked displeased, as if it were an effort for him to be there.
"Battle Sabre, I have to admit, I'm impressed. The food was impeccable," Elsa said, wiping her lips with a napkin. "Thank you."
"Kinda spicy, though..." Olaf said, sucking the last of his Coke can through a straw. He immediately popped another one open.
"Xièxiè. I won't charge you... and the boy, for the meal. It's on the house." Shang said.
"I... I was just wondering," Elsa glanced back at Samantha, who was leaving the food truck with her family. "Why do you do it?"
"Shén me yì si? What do you mean?"
Elsa paused, measuring her words very carefully, cautiously. "You don't seem... particularly fond of the attention. People here are usually thrilled by our presence. You didn't interact with any of your fans that much, at least while I was here." Actually, you seemed to detest every single one of them, so why even bother coming here?
Shang chuckled. "Oh, I'm not as friendly with them as you are. I'm not even sure how you managed to eat with all those powerless people around you. I know some of us relish the praise, the complements, the honeyed words. But I'm not like that."
"I... I know how difficult it can be," Elsa admitted. "When I was a teenager, I used to love the attention, the recognition, the applauses, my fans... this... this reminds me of that time. But I'm not like that anymore."
"Tīng dǒng le. You matured," Shang said. "It happens with most of us."
"I used to think I made people happy. That I made them feel safe. I was so... happy back then. But as I grew older, I realized..." Elsa smiled ruefully, and remained silent. Shang looked puzzled. She decided to talk about him instead, "So, why do you do cook for them? Why even bother coming to the Superhero Convention?"
"I think superheroes should be the paragon of virtue," Shang said, austere like an army soldier. "People with power in this world, tremendous power — like ourselves — are either givers or takers. We can either take from the weak, just like supervillains and criminals do. Or we give to them, take the lesser kind under our wing. I decided to be a giver. Why would God give me all this power if not to protect the weaklings? And if I can give them more than just protection..." he gestured to his food, "... I should do it."
"You consider coming here as some sort of duty?" Elsa asked.
"Shì. Absolutely!" Shang said. "As superiors, we're doing these people a favor. We should give them all we have, even trivial things such as food. What would be of this city if people like me and you didn't protect it? A suitable analogy would be to compare us with high society businessmen... giving alms to street beggars. And that's why I don't mingle with them. It's not proper."
He can't be serious. Elsa wanted to laugh. "So, you're doing this out of pity for them? Having powers doesn't mean we're better than those people. Maybe physically, yes, but that doesn't justify us treating them like trash. That girl just wanted to take a selfie with you!"
As soon as the words slipped out of her mouth, Elsa realized that she once shared the same viewpoint as Shang did...
But not anymore.
No! Anna and Olaf aren't trash. I'm no better than them. Those twins, all those kids... we're just different.
Shang stared at Elsa for a while, clearly shocked. Then, slowly, his lips pursed until they burst into laughter. "Duì bu qǐ! I'm sorry! I was just playing with you! Trying to joke around, that is. Dry-humor, like you Arendellians say. I'm not that smug, to the point of overvaluing myself like that. Cooking happens to be my hobby, that's all."
"G-Good... because I know a lot of good cooks, and they're not superheroes," Elsa said. "C'mon Olaf, we're leaving."
"What? Already?" Olaf said.
"Snow Queen," Shang stood from his seat, composing himself. "I'm sorry, but you might have misinterpreted my words, I—"
"Don't worry, Shang. I know exactly what you meant."
Elsa left the place wondering if she had any hobbies at all. Maybe Anna could help her with that.
Anna...
...
...
...
...where are you?
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Only 2 more chapters to wrap this Superhero Convention and Anna's "infiltration" story arc. This chapter was exceeding 11k words, so I decided to cut it in two (20 and 21). Hopefully it wont take me months to update again xD I'm excited to move the story to the next arc.