Chapter 7: Getting to Know You
"And then Mickey got a bunch of wizards and fairies together and they used magic to pull everyone out," Ralph finished as he and Elsa walked down one of Downtown's main streets, Olaf trailing behind them.
"Well, I'm happy some good could come of all of that," Elsa observed.
"Yeah," Ralph agreed with a nod, "But all the same, I wouldn't wish what I went through on anyone else."
"Well, I feel I have to thank you again for keeping me from falling for this creature's tricks," Elsa said as she indicated towards the Cheshire Cat, still trapped in a slowly melting ice block.
"No problem," Ralph replied with a shrug before he looked up, "Speaking of which, we're here."
Looking up as well, Elsa found that they were now standing in front of a squat, concrete building. Emblazoned on the front were the words "Magic Kingdom Sheriff's Office."
"I'll go in and hand this guy off to the sheriff," Ralph told her.
"Shall I come with you?" Elsa offered.
"No, I'll just be a minute," Ralph answered with a smile, "Just wait here and I'll be right back."
After Elsa nodded in response, Ralph turned and entered the sheriff's office. Just past the front door was a desk, at which sat a bulky man with black hair and dark skin dressed in a police officer's navy blue uniform. Pinned to the breast of his uniform was a small name tag that read "Kronk."
"Hey, Kronk," Ralph began to say as he approached the test, "I need-"
Ralph was interrupted as Kronk held up one of his fingers, his gaze focused on the computer in front of him.
"Sorry," Kronk apologized, "In the middle of something at the moment."
Arching an eyebrow, Ralph leaned forward, granting him a look at Kronk's computer screen. Seeing the video of two kittens playing with each other playing on the screen, Ralph let out an annoyed snort as the Cheshire Cat rolled his eyes from within his icy prison.
"Look, Kronk," Ralph said as he stood up straight again, "I just need to talk to the Sheriff real quick."
"The Sheriff is a very busy woman," Kronk replied, still not taking his eyes off the screen as he spoke, "I'm sure whatever you have to tell her can wait a minute."
Gritting his teeth in frustration, Ralph placed the ice block containing the Cheshire Cat down hard onto Kronk's desk, the force of the blow causing the computer monitor to hop an inch or two into the air. His eyes going wide, Kronk spun to look at Ralph.
"How about that?" Ralph demanded as he motioned towards the ice block, "Do you think that can wait a minute?"
Looking down at the frozen cat, Kronk blinked owlishly before turning his gaze back to Ralph.
"I'll get the Sheriff for you," Kronk said as he reached for the phone sitting on his desk.
"Get me for what, Kronk?" Emma asked as she walked into view from around a corner, "And what was that-"
Emma paused as she noticed the ice block sitting on Kronk's desk, melted water starting to pool around it. As she looked at it, the Cheshire Cat turned his gaze towards Emma before rolling his eyes again. After looking at the frozen cat for a moment, Emma slowly turned her head towards Ralph.
"Ralph," Emma stated, "Is there a reason you're delivering the Cheshire Cat stuck in a block of ice to me?"
"Call it an early Christmas present," Ralph answered with a shrug.
"Well, I'm flattered, but I'd still like to know how he ended up this way," Emma commented with a smirk.
"You remember what happened to me last year?" Ralph questioned, earning a nod from Emma in reply, "Well, it looks like the Cat wanted to play that trick on one of our new arrivals."
"I'm guessing that was Elsa, the girl with ice powers?" Emma asked.
"Yeah, it didn't really work out for him," Ralph confirmed with a chuckle as he pat the ice block affectionately, causing the Cat to narrow his eyes at him.
"Well, that will certainly teach him a lesson," Emma commented with a chuckle of her own.
"I figured you might want to talk to him," Ralph stated, "You see, he was disguised as Goofy to get close to the queen, and wouldn't tell us what he did with the poor guy."
"I see," Emma said as a more serious expression crossed her face, "Kronk, why don't you bring the Cat back into the interrogation room? I think I'll have a few questions for him when he thaws out."
"Sure thing, boss," Kronk agreed with a nod as he stood up and grabbed the ice block before hustling away, "Cold, cold, cold, cold."
Emma shook her head as Kronk left before turning her attention back to Ralph.
"Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Ralph," Emma said, "How did you get mixed up in all this anyway?"
"Vanellope was supposed to be the one giving the new princess, Anna, a tour today," Ralph elaborated with a sigh, "She was getting cold feet, so she asked me to come along for moral support. One thing led to another, and here I am."
Emma nodded her head in understanding before an uncomfortable look crossed her features.
"Look, Ralph," Emma said after a moment, "About the last time we talked…."
"What about it?" Ralph questioned, his expression become a neutral mask.
"I just wanted to say…." Emma began, before sighing as she continued, "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I acted."
"You are?" Ralph questioned as he blinked in surprise.
"Yeah, it was a knee jerk reaction," Emma admitted, "I talked to some people and thought it through so more, and I realized you're only trying to help."
"Wow, uh, thanks, Emma," Ralph stated with a grateful smile.
"Don't mention it," Emma replied with a shrug and a smirk, "We good?"
"Yeah, we're good," Ralph confirmed with a nod.
"So, how did your first meeting go?" Emma asked, "I heard Loki showed up."
"Yeah," Ralph answered as he scratched the back of his head, "He was kind of a jerk, but beyond that, the whole thing went surprisingly well."
"Well, you guys didn't burn any building down, so it went better than I had feared," Emma commented.
"Don't count us out yet, we still have to see how the next meeting will go," Ralph joked, earning a chuckle from Emma. Looking out the door, Emma spotted Elsa standing politely outside.
"Is that Elsa out there?" Emma questioned as she pointed towards the woman in question.
"Uh, yeah," Ralph confirmed, "Since Goofy got….I don't know, kidnapped or something just so the Cat could get close to her, she felt responsible to help get him back."
"Well, that's sweet of her but I think the guys and I have it covered," Emma stated before a thought occurred to her "Hey, since Goofy's not available, why don't you show her around?"
"Yeah, I guess I could do that," Ralph agreed with a small smile.
"I'd be careful though," Emma stated with a smile of her own, "People might think the two of you are on a date."
"W-What!?" Ralph stuttered in surprise, "What are you talking about?"
"I'm just pointing out that you're walking around town with a young, pretty, available woman," Emma explained with an amused smile, "If it was Goofy with her, no one would bat an eye, but with you, people might start to talk."
"I-I'm just going to show her around," Ralph replied defensively as his face turned red and he scratched the back of his head.
"I know Ralph, I'm just teasing you," Emma commented with a chuckle, "Though, if you ask me, from what I've gathered about her from her movie, I think the two of you would make a cute couple."
Ralph's only response was to blush brighter.
"Well, I'll let you go," Emma said as she began to walk back the way she had come, "I have a frozen cat to interrogate and you shouldn't keep the lady waiting."
"See you around, Sheriff," Ralph said with a wave of his hand before he made his way out the door.
"Did everything go well?" Elsa questioned, looking up at Ralph as he stepped outside, "Is there anything more I can do to help?"
"No, I think the Sheriff can handle everything from here," Ralph replied, "She's the best at this sort of thing."
"Well, that's good," Olaf commented before a confused look crossed his features, "Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, why?" Ralph questioned in confusion.
"Your face is all like….red and stuff" Olaf explained.
"Oh, uh," Ralph mumbled as his face turned redder at having been called out before he began tugging on the collar of his shirt, "It's just kind of warm today, you know?"
"I agree, it is rather warm around here," Elsa stated with a small smile as she glanced up at the bright sun in the clear blue sky, "Where is the Magic Kingdom located, if I may ask?"
"California," Ralph answered with a shrug, "Or maybe Florida. I'm not really sure which."
Slowly, Elsa turned and gave Ralph a questioning look.
"You don't know where either of those places are, right," Ralph stated before pausing and thinking, "We're kind of on level with Italy and stuff."
"Ah, the Mediterranean," Elsa said as her eyes lit up with understanding, "That does make sense."
"So, now what do we do?" Olaf questioned.
"Well, I was thinking, since your guide is indisposed, I could show you around," Ralph suggested with a tone of nervousness.
"Oh no, Mr. Wreck-It," Elsa replied, shaking her head but giving Ralph a thankful smile, "I've already imposed on you enough as it is. I couldn't ask you to do that."
"Well, it's a good thing you don't have to ask then," Ralph said with a chuckle, "I've got a lot of time on my hands right now, so I might as well use it to show you guys around."
"Well then, thank you for generously donating your time to us," Elsa replied with a smirk, "Where should we go first?"
Before Ralph could respond, his stomach growled loudly, causing his face to turn red as Elsa covered her mouth with her hand to hide a smile.
"Wow, your stomach sounds like an angry bear," Olaf commented.
"Yeah, sorry," Ralph apologized as he scratched the back of his head, "Haven't eaten anything yet today."
"I must admit, I'm also feeling famished," Elsa commented as she placed a hand on her own stomach, "I don't suppose our tour could begin with breakfast?"
"Your wish is my command, Your Highness," Ralph answered with a grin, "I'll show you the best place in town to grab a bite to eat."
With that, Ralph led them away from the sheriff's office and into the bustling streets of Downtown, talking as they went. After a minute or two, he rounded a corner and a building came into view. The building resembled two buildings attached to one another. One half appeared to be a multistory inn, while the other was an equally tall restaurant. Both buildings were rather upscale, with brightly colored fronts and a large windows in the style of Southern American architecture. Across the front of was a neon sign that read "Tiana and Sarah's."
"So, Mr. Wreck-It, if you could answer a question for me," Elsa said as they crossed the street, the queen's gaze focused on a car as it drove by, "What are these horseless carriages that everyone is riding in?"
"I guess the proper name is automobile," Ralph explained as they approached the door to the restaurant, "Most people have a specific type called a car."
"Is that what your friend was in earlier?" Elsa inquired.
"That's an even smaller type called a go-kart," Ralph answered, "Their designed for kids but the principal is pretty much the same."
As Ralph spoke, he opened the door before allowing Elsa to walk in ahead of him. Elsa gave him a small smile as she passed before turning her attention towards the interior of the restaurant, which caused her to stop and let out a gasp of surprise.
The restaurant before her was mostly made up of a single, large dining room. The dining room was roughly two stories tall, with a balcony the ran around the edge of the second floor. Tables covered by pristine, white table clothes were scattered about the room, while booths with maroon leather couches ran along the walls of both floors, a few of them occupied by a scattering of people. Small chandeliers with electric bulbs hung from beneath the balcony while the ceiling was mostly made of glass, allowing the bright sunlight to filter in and illuminate the room. A stage occupied the wall opposite the doors, upon which sat a few unused instruments.
"It's beautiful," Elsa whispered as Ralph stepped into the room behind her.
"Yeah, it sure is something," Ralph agreed with a nod as he looked around as well.
"I've never seen architecture like this before," Elsa commented as she stepped further into the room.
"Yeah, it's uh, Art Deco, I think," Ralph stated with a shrug, "After your time, but pretty popular a couple of decades ago."
As they talked, a middle aged man emerged from a door in wall on their right. He was tall and thin, with wavy auburn hair that fell to his shoulders and a pale complexion. He adjusted his black and white maitre d' uniform before giving the trio a bright smile as he approached.
"Ah, bonjour," the man greeted, his words thick with a French accent, "Will you be joining us for breakfast today?"
"Oui, monsieur," Elsa replied, causing Ralph to blink in surprise as the maitre d' gave her a delighted smile.
"Parlez-vous francais, madame?" the maitre d' questioned.
"Juste un peu," Elsa answered.
"Well, then let me say that your pronunciation is marvelous," the maitre d' complimented.
"Thank you, I had a good tutor," Elsa replied with a smile.
"Wait, you speak French?" Ralph questioned in surprise.
"I am a queen, Mr. Wreck-It," Elsa explained, "It helps diplomatic relations to be conversational in many languages."
"Unlike Ralph here, who can barely speak English," the maitre d' commented with a chuckle.
"Hey," Ralph said with a warning tone.
"I jest, I jest," the maitre d' replied, holding his hands up to Ralph in a calming gesture, "Now, madame, I don't believe I've had the pleasure of making your acquaintance."
With that, the maitre d' took a step back before bowing gracefully towards Elsa.
"Lumiere, at your service," the maitre d' introduced himself.
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Monsieur Lumiere," Elsa replied with a small nod, "I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle."
"The pleasure is all mine, Your Majesty," Lumiere stated as he straightened back up, "Now, what do we owe to the pleasure of your visit?"
"Mr. Wreck-It claims you offer the best breakfast around," Elsa explained as she glanced at Ralph, "I wanted to test that claim."
"I believe you will find we are more than up to the task, Your Majesty," Lumiere replied before picking up three menus before pausing and looking down at Olaf, "Will you be eating as well, monsieur?"
"Oh, I don't have a stomach," Olaf answered with a shake of his head.
"I'll take that as a no then," Lumiere replied as he put one of the menus back down before turning his attention back to the others, "Follow me, if you will."
With that, Lumiere led the trio to a seat near the middle of the room. As he did, Ralph noticed a few of the other patrons looking at them and whispering amongst themselves, something that, to Ralph's confusion, caused his face to heat up. Reaching the table, Lumiere handed out the menus as they each took their seats.
"One of our waiters will be along shortly to take your orders," Lumiere explained as everyone settled into their seats, "Bon appetit."
As Lumiere departed, Elsa turned her attention to the menu in front of her, but soon her gaze was drawn to the surrounding room.
"I still can't get over the things here," Elsa stated as she placed her menu down and openly gazed around the room.
"What things?" Ralph questioned as he quirked an eyebrow at Elsa.
"Everything," Elsa replied with a half exasperated, half amazed tone, "Take the lights, for instance."
"The light bulbs?" Ralph inquired.
"Yes, I suppose," Elsa answered, "Are they….are they magic?"
"No, electric," Ralph replied with an amused chuckle.
"You say that so simply, Mr. Wreck-It, and yet I don't have the foggiest idea of what you mean by that," Elsa said with a shake of her head.
"Sorry," Ralph apologized, "I guess you are going to need some adjustment period, coming from the Middle Ages and all."
Elsa fell quite for a moment before sighing.
"And that's the other thing I've noticed," Elsa commented, "You appear to have me at a complete disadvantage, Mr. Wreck-It."
"What do you mean?" Ralph asked.
"You seem to know just about everything there is to know about me," Elsa explained, "But I don't know the slightest thing about you."
"Alright," Ralph acknowledged with a nod, "What would you like to know?"
"Well, I suppose the first thing, and I don't wish to sound rude, but what….are you exactly?" Elsa asked as she ran her eyes up and down Ralph's form, an action that caused his face to heat up again for some reason, "I mean are you an ogre? Or a giant perhaps?"
"Oh, well, I can't really help you there," Ralph admitted with a chuckle, "You see, there's only really one of me. But if you want to put a label on it, I guess giant would do. Over all, I'm what people would call a video game character."
"What's a video game character?" Olaf questioned as Elsa gave Ralph a confused look.
"Oh wow, that's a question that's go a lot of layers to it, since you guys really aren't up to date on stuff," Ralph said, his eyes going wide in realization before he fell silent and thought for a few moments, "Alright, so a video game is kind of like a game you play with a moving picture."
"I believe I understand," Elsa said, though it was clear that she didn't fully, "And what part do you play in the game?"
"I'm the bad guy," Ralph admitted with a shrug.
"What does that mean?" Olaf asked.
"So, the player, they control the good guy," Ralph explained, "In my game, that's Fix-It Felix. He's trying to stop me from wrecking a building."
"I understand now!" Elsa exclaimed, her face lighting up as she did, "You're an actor!"
"What now?" Ralph questioned.
"You entertain people by playing a part in this game," Elsa explained, "In this case, you're playing the villain, like Claudius in Hamlet."
"I guess that's true," Ralph admitted with a chuckle, "I had never thought of it that way before."
"So, your friend, Vanellope," Elsa continued, "Is she from your video game?"
"No, she's from a different one," Ralph answered.
"So, how did the two of you meet?" Elsa inquired, "She seems very….special to you."
"That's…." Ralph began to say before pausing and blowing out a short breath, "That's a long story."
"Well, I believe our waiter is coming to take out orders," Elsa stated as she indicated to a young man approaching their table, "Once we have our food, I don't have anywhere I need to go."
"You really want to hear it, huh?" Ralph questioned with an amused smirk and a quirked eyebrow.
"As I said, Mr. Wreck-It, you have me at a disadvantage," Elsa replied with a smirk of her own, "I mean to rectify the situation."
"Alright, Your Majesty," Ralph relented with a shrug, "I suggest you buckle up, because it's a bit of a long one."
After the two had placed their orders, Ralph began to go over the story of how he had met Vanellope, adding in the backstory of how he had essentially lived alone in Fix-It Felix Junior arcade cabinet for thirty years. The conversation continued through their breakfast and after their used plates had been cleared away, Elsa and Olaf occasionally interjecting with a comment or a question. As the story continued along, both Ralph and Elsa became lost in it, not noticing as people came and went from the restaurant or how the sunlight streaming in through the glass ceiling shifted its angle as time passed. Ralph explained to them everything that had happened to him and Vanellope, continuing on past the events of their film and into their arrival in the Magic Kingdom and the things they had done there.
"So, Hades," Elsa commented, "Are you friends with him?"
"Friends seems like a strong word," Ralph commented with a chuckle.
"You seemed quite friendly with him earlier," Elsa commented, "And he has agreed to go to another one of your Bad Guys Anonymous meetings."
"I suppose," Ralph relented with a shrug.
"So, that is what you're doing with your time here?" Elsa inquired, "Trying to take these….villains, and give them a sense of belonging?"
"Recently, yeah," Ralph agreed with a nod.
"Why?" Elsa asked.
"Well, they're kind of like me," Ralph answered with another shrug, not looking at Elsa as he spoke, "They were basically actors in a play, only they didn't get any say in it. And because of that, they've been looked down on their whole life. I just don't think that's fair."
"That's…." Elsa began to say as she looked at Ralph in surprise, before her look turned to one of admiration, "That's very mature of you, Mr. Wreck-It."
"Thanks," Ralph said, his eyes going wide at the compliment as he scratched the back of his head and tried to look anywhere but at Elsa, "I can't take all the credit. Most of it-"
Ralph cut himself off as his eyes fell on a clock on one of the walls, his heart skipping a beat when he saw that it was well past noon.
"Holy bits, we've been here for hours!" Ralph exclaimed as he turned to look at Elsa with an ashen face.
"Truely?" Elsa questioned with an amused tone before she glanced around and noted the time as well, "My, the time does fly sometimes, doesn't it?"
"I'm so sorry," Ralph said rapidly as he quickly stood to his feet, almost knocking over his chair in the process, "I meant to give you a tour and instead I've just been sitting here talking about myself for who knows for how long. Maybe if-"
"Mr. Wreck-It," Elsa spoke up, cutting Ralph off as she reached out and laid a hand on the wrecker's hand, "It's fine. I asked to hear your story, and I have to say, I enjoyed it. I'm sure I'll be in the Magic Kingdom for a very long time. I'll have another opportunity to look around, I'm sure."
"Oh, right," Ralph replied awkwardly as he retook his seat, "Sorry."
"There's no need to apologize," Elsa answered with a chuckle, "I-"
Elsa suddenly cut herself off as she noticed her hand was still resting on top of Ralph's, prompting her to pull it back as if it had been burned.
"What's wrong?" Ralph asked with concern.
"Now I fear I'm the one who must apologize," Elsa replied, looking away from Ralph as she clutched her hand into a fist and held it with her other one, "Touching like that, it was improper and inconsiderate."
"Inconsiderate?" Ralph asked with a perplexed expression.
"It's part of my powers," Elsa explained as she rubbed her hands together nervously, "My hands, I've been told are quite….frigid to the touch."
"Oh," Ralph replied, before looking down at the hand Elsa had touched and shrugging, "I didn't notice."
"You….didn't?" Elsa questioned in surprise confusion.
"Nah, I'm a big guy with a bit of blubber on me, and I tend to run hot anyway," Ralph explained with a chuckle, "That colds never bothered me much."
Elsa looked at Ralph for a moment before a smile spread across her face. Seeing her look at him like that caused Ralph's face to heat up again, prompting him to cough awkwardly into his hand before rising back to his feet.
"Anyway, tour or no tour, we should probably be getting out of here," Ralph commented, not looking at Elsa as he did.
"I suppose," Elsa agreed with a note of disappointment as she stood up as well, "It would do me good to stretch my legs."
"I kind of want to check out this arcade," Olaf said as they made their way out of the restaurant, "Do they have any snowmen in video games?"
"A couple, I think," Ralph answered as he held the door for Elsa and Olaf before stepping out himself. As he did, the sound of screeching tires reached his ears. Looking in the direction the noise had come from, Ralph saw the familiar sight of Vanellope's go-kart come screeching around a corner, Anna holding on for dear life from her position in the passenger's seat. A second later, the go-kart came roaring down the road before skidding to a halt in front of them.
"There you are!" Vanellope exclaimed, "We've been looking all over for you guys!"
"What for?" Ralph asked, "Didn't you guys have a princess meeting or something?"
"Yeah, but that was over like an hour ago," Vanellope replied with a note of exasperation, "I heard about what happened with Goofy and figured you guys would be walking around and stuff. What are you doing here?"
"Mr. Wreck-It and I were talking over a meal," Elsa explained, before her expression turned concerned as she looked at her sister, "Anna, are you alright?"
"Oh yeah, I'm getting the hang of this whole car thing," Anna replied as she got out of the go-kart and rose woozily to her feet, "I only threw up twice today. I think we lost Kristoph somewhere."
"So, you've been enjoying your day?" Elsa questioned with a look of amusement.
"Yeah, this place is great!" Anna exclaimed, "They're throwing a party for us later!"
"Oh, well, perhaps we should go back to the castle and freshen up before then," Elsa suggested.
"Why?" Anna asked in confusion, "Do I look bad?"
Elsa paused as she looked over the disheveled state of Anna's hair and dress for a moment.
"You look beautiful," Elsa answered, "It's for me."
"Okay," Anna agreed, "Is it alright if we walked?"
"Of course," Elsa replied before turning her attention towards Vanellope, "Thank you for showing my sister around."
"N-No problem," Vanellope said with a nervous laugh, "It was no sweat! I'd hang out with Anna anytime! And, you know, you too, if that's, like, something you wanted to do."
"I'll keep that in mind," Elsa replied before looking at Ralph and giving him a small smile, "Thank you for keeping me company, Mr. Wreck-It."
"It was my pleasure, Your Majesty," Ralph replied with a smile of his own.
With that, Anna and Elsa began to make their way down the street, the queen doing her best to keep her sister steady. Olaf followed after them, giving Ralph a wave as he went. Ralph waved back and turned his attention towards Vanellope before Elsa paused and looked back.
"Mister…." Elsa began to say, causing Ralph to look over at her while she hesitated and thought over her words, "Ralph."
"Uh, yeah?" Ralph replied, caught off guard by the change of address.
"Elsa," she said simply as she smiled at him, "Please call me Elsa."
The statement hit Ralph by surprise and he stood there dumbly for a moment before his face heated up again.
"Y-Yeah, sure," Ralph stuttered as he gave Elsa a nervous smile, causing her smile to grow before she turned and began making her way down the sidewalk with Anna again.
As the young women left, Ralph could do nothing but stare after Elsa until she disappeared around a corner, the image of her smiling at him burned into his head. As it did, Ralph realized exactly what this weird feeling he had been experiencing was.
"Oh no," Ralph groaned as he placed one of his palms against his face.
"What?" Vanellope asked in confusion.
"Elsa," Ralph stated before he let out a sigh, "I think….I think I might like her."
"Like….as a person?" Vanellope inquired, hope blossoming in her chest.
"No, I mean…." Ralph began to say before letting out a groan as a look of resignation and amusement spread across his face, "Like as a woman."
As the words left Ralph's mouth, he felt like a weight had been taken off his chest. There was no point in trying to hide it. He might as well except the truth.
He liked Elsa.
And so, lost in thought, Ralph failed to notice as Vanellope's face split into a gigantic grin and her arms pistoned in excitement.
The plan had worked.
A/N: So, this was a lot of fun to write. It's been awhile since I've gotten to write a chapter like this. I hope you guys enjoyed it! As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!