Chapter 12: Speakeasy
Ralph was terrified.
Standing on a street in Downtown, Ralph nervously shifted his weight as he waited underneath one of the streetlights. Nervously, he glanced down at his outfit.
With the help of Calhoun's men, Ralph was able to create what he thought was a passibly good outfit. He wore a black t-shirt under a blue sports jacket, along with a pair of blue jeans held up by a brown leather belt. They had even managed to find some shoes for him to wear, a pair of brown loafers that fit his oversized feet surprisingly well. Nervously scratching the back of his neck, Ralph was careful not to touch his freshly cleaned and brushed hair, his brown locks looking the neatest they probably ever had.
Glancing around again, Ralph took a calming breath, doing his best to ignore the curious looks the people passing by were giving him as he fidgeted under the street light.
"Ralph!" Anna's voice suddenly called from down the street, "Hey, Ralph!"
Turning towards the source of the voice, Ralph spotted Anna and Kristoff making their way down the street towards him. Anna was dressed in red, short-sleeved top that left her shoulders bare, and a pair of high-waisted jeans along with some red, high-top sneakers. The small, green purse, the same shade as the nail polish she sported, completed the look, and she wore her strawberry blonde locks loose, except for the strands near the front of her head, which had been pulled back and secured with a small clip. Kristoff, for his part, was dressed in a black jacket over a white t-shirt, along with khaki pants and white sneakers.
"Hey guys!" Ralph called, smiling and waving at them as they reached him, "How's it going?"
"Great!" Anna replied with a broad grin before playfully bumping her shoulder against Kristoff's, "Excited for our date tonight."
"You certainly seem it," Ralph commented with a chuckle, "Looking good, by the way. You guys seem to already have a handle on this modern fashion thing."
"Thanks," Kristoff replied as he looked down at his outfit, "Anna implied I might want to get some new clothes for tonight. Honestly, it wasn't that hard picking stuff out."
"Yeah, guys fashion never really changes, huh?" Ralph questioned with a chuckle.
"Speaking of which, you're looking good tonight, Ralph," Anna complimented with a smile, "You clean up pretty nice, I have to say."
"Uh, thanks," Ralph answered, his cheeks coloring slightly as he reached up to scratch his head nervously, before quickly stopping himself and lowering his arm, "I just….figured, since we're going out on the town, I should, you know, put a little effort in, right?"
"Right, I'm sure that was it," Anna replied with a knowing smirk, "So, you ready to get going?"
"Well, aren't we missing someone?" Ralph questioned.
"What do you mean?" Anna asked in confusion.
"Your….Your sister?" Ralph answered, his brows furrowed.
Looking completely perplexed, Anna turned away from Ralph, only for her eyes to go wide in surprise as she found that Elsa was nowhere in site. Whipping her head around, Anna looked to Kristoff for help, but the young man could only offer her a helpless shrug in reply.
"Um, I'm going to be right back, Ralph," Anna said as she gave Ralph an awkward smile, "Don't go anywhere!"
"Okay?" Ralph replied, quirking an eyebrow as Anna turned away and jogged back the way she and Kristoff had come. Looking towards the shorter man, Ralph gave him a questioning look, to which Kristoff could only, once again, answer with a shrug.
Turning a corner a short distance down the street, Anna skidded to a stop when she found Elsa standing just around the bend, her back pressed to the wall of the building that sat on the corner.
"Elsa?" Anna said, looking at her sister in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing," Elsa answered, looking straight ahead as she spoke.
"I can see that," Anna replied, a tone of exasperation in her voice, "Why?"
"I just…." Elsa mumbled nervously, "I'm just not sure this is a good idea."
"Well, good idea or not, it's a little late to back out now, don't you think?" Anna countered, "I mean, we came all this way. You can't turn back now."
"I-I'm sure Ralph would understand," Elsa argued weakly.
"Maybe, but I bet it would hurt his feelings too," Anna retorted, her eyes narrowed, "You don't want to do that, do you?"
"O-Of course not!" Elsa hissed in annoyance.
Sighing, Anna reached her hand out and laid it on Elsa's arm.
"It's going to be okay, Elsa," Anna said gently, giving her sister an earnest look as she spoke, "It'll be fun, trust me. You trust me, don't you?"
Slowly, Elsa turned her gaze towards Anna before giving her sister a small smile.
"More than anyone," Elsa replied.
"Great!" Anna exclaimed, a broad grin spreading across her features as she looped her arm with Elsa's own and pulled her out from behind the corner, "Let's go then! We can't leave our dates waiting!"
Stumbling briefly, Elsa quickly caught herself and fell into step with Anna, mustering as much composure as she could as they walked back to Ralph and Kristoff.
Hearing them approach, Ralph turned his attention towards the sisters and felt his breath catch in his throat as he caught sight of Elsa.
She was dressed in a sky blue sundress that hung down to her knees, over which she wore a white cardigan. A matching blue purse was slung over her shoulder, and her feet were covered by a pair of simple, white, high-heeled shoes. Her platinum blonde hair had been pulled back into a loose ponytail, and her fingernails had also been painted sky blue in color.
"Hey, sorry about that," Anna apologized as the sisters reached the guys, "Elsa just needed a moment to powder her nose, you know how it is."
"Uh, yeah, totally," Ralph replied, shaking his head as his thoughts began working again, "No problem at all."
Turning his attention back towards Elsa, Ralph felt his heart skip a beat as he found her looking right at him, a small, shy smile pulling at her lips as Anna let go of her arm and stepped to the side.
"Good evening, Ralph," Elsa greeted quietly.
"Uh, hey, Your High-, I mean, Elsa," Ralph quickly corrected, his cheeks turning red at the flub.
"It's….It's nice to see you again," Elsa commented as she glanced away from Ralph and played with the strap of her purse.
"Y-Yeah," Ralph agreed with a nervous chuckle, "You, uh….you look really nice tonight."
At the comment, Elsa's eyes went wide and her cheeks flushed.
"Th-Thank you, Ralph," Elsa replied, grinning as she turned her gaze back towards him, "You're looking quite handsome as well."
"Oh, uh, thanks," Ralph said as he averted his eyes.
Standing to the side, Kristoff watched the conversation unfold with an increasingly confused expression. Eventually, he brought his hand up to his mouth and politely cleared his throat.
"Uh, hey, Ralph," Kristoff said as Elsa and the wrecker looked over at him, "Don't you think we should get going?"
"Oh, right!" Ralph replied, a look of realization on his face before he quickly beckoned the others to follow him as he made his way down the street.
As Elsa fell into step alongside Ralph, Kristoff wrapped his arm around one of Anna's and gently pulled Anna so they were walking behind the other two.
"What's up?" Anna questioned as she looked up at Kristoff.
"What's going on here?" Kristoff questioned as he motioned towards Ralph and Elsa.
"We're going on a date, obviously," Anna replied with a forced chuckle.
"Oh, don't play dumb with me," Kristoff warned before he narrowed his eyes at Anna and smirked, "You're trying to set your sister up with Ralph, aren't you?"
Biting her lip, Anna glanced around nervously before sighing in defeat.
"Okay, yeah, I might have an ulterior motive for going out tonight," Anna admitted, "But we all think they'd be cute together, they just need a little push, you know?"
"Well, they do seem to be pretty into-" Kristoff mused before a look of realization appeared on his features, "Wait, who's we?"
A look of panic flashed across Anna's features before she put on a large, forced smile.
At that moment, Vanellope sat on the edge of a rooftop across the street, watching the group make their way down the sidewalk through a pair of binoculars.
"So, how is our plan unfolding so far?" Loki questioned as he suddenly appeared next to her in a flash of green light, causing Vanellope to let out a squeak of surprise and fumble the binoculars, almost dropping them off the roof.
"Was that really necessary!?" Vanellope demanded as she glared at Loki.
"Absolutely," Loki replied with a mischievous grin.
"Well, if you must know, it's going great!" Vanellope declared triumphantly before raising the binoculars back to her face and observing the group again, "They've met up and both Ralph and Elsa keep making eyes at each other and everything."
"Well, it's good to know that the princess didn't mess the whole thing up," Loki commented, placing his hands on his hips as Vanellope lowered the binoculars and gave him a pointed look, which the supervillain blithely ignored, "On to the next stage, I suppose."
"Where's the next stage?" Vanellope questioned as she stood up.
"The Ink and Paint Club, of course," Loki answered with a roll of his eyes, "If we hurry, we might be able-"
Loki was interrupted as Vanelllope walked up, grabbed the hem of his coat and glitched. What followed was Vanellope dragging Loki along on a rapid series of glitches, shooting across the rooftops in a shower of teal pixels. Moments later, the two appeared in the alley containing the entrance to the Ink and Paint Club.
As soon as they came to a stop, a clearly shaken Loki, his face pale and his eyes wide, hunched over and rested his hands on his knees while he stared at the ground.
"You okay?" Vanellope questioned with a smug smirk, her hands tucked into the pocket of her sweatshirt, stashing the binoculars there.
"I am fine," Loki replied, taking a deep breath as he straightened up and recomposed himself, "I must say, that was quite the...experience."
"It sure is," Vanellope smirked, "So, we going in or not?"
"I'm going in," Loki replied as he adjusted his coat, "You're staying out here."
"What!?" Vanellope exclaimed as Loki turned away, "Come on, I won't be able to see anything from out here!"
"Should I be concerned about this penchant for voyeurism?" Loki questioned as he looked back at Vanellope and quirked an eyebrow.
Vanellope responded by glaring at him.
"Look, child," Loki said with a sigh as he turned to face Vanellope, "This is an adult establishment. One that caters to those of a more….roguish bent. I will blend right in but you, well, let us just say it would be suspicious."
"I guess," Vanellope agreed with a dejected expression, lowering her gaze and kicking a nearby pebble in disappointment.
Seeing this, Loki sighed again.
"Perhaps, we can get you inside," Loki pondered aloud, "If I can disguise you."
"That's a great idea!" Vanellope exclaimed happily, "What are you going to disguise me as?"
Loki's only response was to grin wickedly at her.
Later,
"Uh, you sure this is the right place, Ralph?" Kristoff questioned as he, Anna and Elsa followed the wrecker down the alleyway.
"No, this is right," Anna assured him, "I was here earlier. This is pretty exciting actually. Good idea, Ralph!"
"Thanks," Ralph replied with a chuckle as he stopped in front of the door to the Ink and Paint Club and knocked on the door.
"Password," Kronk's deep voice came from the other side as a viewport in the door slid open.
"Password?" Ralph asked in confusion, "Since when is there a password?"
"Look Ralph, I like you, but the Club's got an image to maintain, got to keep out the riff raff," Kronk explained, "So, no password, no entry."
Gritting his teeth, Ralph glared at Kronk through the view port for a moment before an idea struck him.
"Is the password….spinach puffs?" Ralph questioned.
At this, Kronk's eyes went wide in surprise before he sighed.
"Come on in," Kronk said with a tone of defeat as he opened the door.
Turning back to the others, Ralph smirked before gesturing for the others to enter. Giggling, Anna led Kristoff inside, while Ralph fell into step next to Elsa as she followed.
"Spinach puffs?" Elsa questioned, glancing at Kronk as they walked by.
"He likes to cook," Ralph answered with a shrug, "And I happen to know that spinach puffs are his specialty."
Elsa chuckled at this as they entered the main area of the Club. As they did, Elsa paused at the entranceway, prompting Ralph to stop and turn back to her after taking a few steps. Looking at her, Ralph smiled as he saw her taking in the sight of the Club with wide-eyed wonder.
"Oh my," Elsa said as she took in the sight of the Club, "It's like a work of art in here."
"Yeah, I remembered you like Art Deco," Ralph agreed as he glanced around as well, "Well, it doesn't get more Art Deco than this."
Turning her attention back to Ralph, Elsa gave him a warm smile.
"Hey, hey, hey!" Hades loudly called as he walked over to Ralph, two drinks in hand, "Look who's here after work hours!"
"Oh, uh, hey, Hades," Ralph replied awkwardly as he looked over at the god.
"So, what brings you…." Hades began to say but trailed off as Elsa stepped up next to Ralph, "Oh, hey, Queen Elsie, right?"
"Elsa," she corrected, "It's nice to see you again, Lord Hades."
"I'm sure it is," Hades replied distractedly as he glanced between Elsa and Ralph, "So, are you two here….together?"
"Um, well, you see…." Ralph mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck, his face flushed with embarrassment.
"We're here with my sister and a friend of ours," Elsa explained, her cheeks coloring as well as she indicated towards where Anna and Kristoff were looking around.
"Riiiight," Hades replied as he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
"Honey, what's taking so long?" Seph questioned as she walked up next to Hades, looking at him in confusion before it lit up in excitement as she spotted Ralph, "Hey, Ralph! Wasn't expecting to see you here tonight!"
Seeing Elsa standing next to Ralph, Seph let out a small, surprised gasp.
"Oh, uh, Queen Elsa," Seph said before giving a small curtsy, "We haven't had the pleasure. My name is Persephone."
"Ah, I imagine you're that Persephone," Elsa observed as she returned the courtesy, "It's very nice to meet you as well, Lady Persephone."
"Oh please, call me Seph," Seph replied with a dismissive wave of her hand and a laugh, "So, what brings you here tonight?"
"They're here with friends," Hades answered with a dubious tone.
Glancing around, Seph spotted Anna and Kristoff a short distance away, a look of understanding passing over her features.
"Well then, we don't want to keep you," Seph said as she looped her arms around one of Hades' and began to lead him away, "See you later, Ralph! Have a good evening, Your Highness."
"See you," Ralph replied with a small wave.
Watching Seph practically drag Hades away, Elsa couldn't help but chuckle.
"She's certainly….sunny," Elsa commented with a smile.
"Well, I'm pretty certain she's a goddess of like, spring or something, so that makes sense," Ralph commented before pointing to a different part of the Club, "I think your sister found a table."
"Well, we shouldn't keep her waiting," Elsa said before following Ralph as he led her over to her sister.
Walking up to a table with their usual group of friends, both Hades and Seph took their seats, though they each kept glancing over at Ralph and Elsa, Hades wearing a look of confusion while Seph sported a megawatt grin. Watching them, a look of confusion formed on Regina's face.
"What are you two looking at?" Regina questioned as she quirked an eyebrow.
Following Seph and Hades' gaze, Hook smirked as he spotted Ralph and the others.
"Hey, isn't that your new mate, Hades?" Hook questioned as he turned his attention back towards the god, "Ralph, right?"
"The one who runs those little meetings you've been going to?" Cruella inquired, "What's he doing here?"
"I think he's on a date!" Seph replied with a hushed, excited tone.
At this, everyone else at the table looked over at where Ralph and the others were sitting, causing Seph to sigh in exasperation.
"Come on guys, it's pretty obvious when you all look at once," Seph complained.
"Who's he with?" Ursala questioned, craning her neck to get a better look at the other table.
"The Snow Chick," Hades replied, a clearly befuddled look on his face, "Lisa."
"Elsa," Seph corrected as she swatted her husband on the arm.
"He's here with the Snow Queen?" Jafar asked in surprise.
"My, my, my," Gold chuckled, "And here I would have guessed she wouldn't have given an oaf like him the time of day."
"Hey, come on now," Hades argued testily, "Don't be like that. Ralph's a cool guy."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Gold apologized with a mocking tone, "I forgot the two of you were quite close now days."
"That's what happens when you spend all your time alone in a room with someone, talking about your feelings," Regina sneered.
"Oh come on, it's not like that," Hades said defensively as he crossed his arms over his chest, "I'm not the only guy there."
"Oh no?" Ursala questioned with a raised eyebrow, "Who else?"
"Good evening, everyone," Loki greeted as he walked up to the table, a charming grin on his face, "Do you mind if I join you?"
"Well, there's this jerk for one," Hades stated as he nodded towards Loki, "How the hell are you, Loki? What brings you here tonight?"
"I saw an advertisement for the show the other night," Loki explained, "I thought I would come and see it for myself."
"Well then, pull up a chair! Show's about to start!" Hades invited before awkwardly glancing at the others at the table, "If that's alright with you guys?"
The others at the table shared hesitant looks before Regina let out a sigh.
"Alright," she said before gesturing at Loki with her hand, "Pull up a chair."
"I do believe I will," Loki replied before motioning towards an empty chair at a nearby table and making a pulling motion with his hand. Instantly, the chair began to hover a few inches off the ground before it floated over to Loki, who sat in it as it was lowered back to the ground.
"Oh magic," Gold commented, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "Very impressive."
"Shush," Seph admonished, "We need to all get settled anyway. The show's about to start."
"Well then, I had better get a refreshment while there's still time," Loki stated before glancing and smiling as he noticed something, "Waiter, oh waiter!"
A few feet away, one of the penguin waiters stopped and turned towards him. Walking over, the penguin eyed Loki with chocolate brown eyes exactly like Vanellope's.
"Yes, can I have a glass of your finest red wine, if you don't mind," Loki stated, smirking knowingly, "Quickly, if you please."
The penguin merely glared at him in reply before sighing and walking away.
Meanwhile, Ralph stood behind his chair as Elsa, Kristoff and Anna settled in at their table.
"You guys want something to drink?" Ralph suggested, "I've heard that it's sometimes quicker to go to the bar instead of wait for one of the waiters."
"Do they have mead?" Kristoff inquired.
"I'm pretty sure they have just about everything," Ralph answered with a shrug, "I'll check."
"Can you get one for me too then?" Anna asked, "I've always wanted to try it."
"Sure, I…." Ralph began to say before a pensive expression crossed his face, "Wait, are you even old enough to drink?"
"Old enough?" Anna questioned in confusion, "What does that mean? How old do I have to be to drink?"
At this question, Ralph looked at the medieval princess sitting in a nineteen-forties bar in what he believed was modern day America, and came up blank.
"I don't know," Ralph admitted with a shrug, "I guess I'll just hope for the best."
"Well, while you're up there, I would love a glass of red wine," Elsa requested.
"You got it," Ralph replied with a smile before he turned and made his way over to the bar.
While there were a number of bartenders working the bar that evening, Ralph quickly zeroed in on one he recognized.
"Hey, Dolores," Ralph said as he walked up to the middle-aged woman.
"Heya, Ralph!" Dolores greeted as she leaned against the bar, "What can I get for you?"
"Uh, do you guys have mead by any chance?" Ralph questioned.
"Honey, I've got everything under the sun back here and some other things to boot," Dolores replied with a grin, "So, a cup of mead?"
"Two, actually," Ralph corrected, "And a glass of red wine and a root beer too, if you don't mind."
"Coming right up!" Dolores declared before she turned away from Ralph and began preparing the drinks.
"I know you're a big guy, Ralph, but that's a lot of drinks just for yourself," a voice teased from Ralph's side. Looking over, Ralph smiled as he saw Emma sitting on a bar stool nearby, a drink in her hand.
"Evening, Emma," Ralph greeted with a smirk, "And don't worry, it's not all for me."
"Well, that's good, I'd hate to have to arrest you for a drunk and disorderly charge," Emma joked before quirking an eyebrow at Ralph, "Who are you with?"
"Uh, just some friends," Ralph replied, his expression turning nervous.
Furrowing her brow at this, Emma glanced around before she spotted Anna, Kristoff and Elsa sitting nearby. Turning back towards Ralph, she smiled at him.
"Are those your friends over there?" Emma questioned as she indicated towards the table.
"Uh, yeah," Ralph confirmed as he quickly glanced at the table.
"So you're still hanging around with Elsa?" Emma inquired with a smirk.
"And the others," Ralph added quickly and defensively.
"Of course," Emma confirmed with a nod, "I guess I was right earlier."
"About what?" Ralph asked in confusion.
"You and her really do make a cute couple," Emma answered before taking another sip of her drink.
At this, Ralph's entire face turned red and he attempted to sputter a reply but was interrupted as Dolores returned with the drinks.
"Here you go, Ralph," Dolores said as she pushed the four glasses over to the wrecker, "Now hurry along. You don't want to keep your friends waiting."
"Uh, yeah, thanks, Dolores," Ralph replied awkwardly as he shot glances at Emma, who continued to smirk at him as he gingerly picked the drinks up in his large hands, "Have a good night, ladies."
"You too, Ralph," Emma replied with a nod, smiling as she watched Ralph make his way back to his table.
"So, the rumors are true?" Dolores questioned as she leaned on the bar next to Emma, her eyes trained on Ralph's table, "There's something going on between Ralph and Elsa?"
"Looks like it," Emma confirmed as she watched Ralph give Anna and Kristoff their drinks.
"I've got to agree, they seem adorable together," Dolores stated before gesturing at the table, "I mean, look at that!"
As the two women watched, Ralph handed Elsa her drink, the young woman smiling shyly at him as she took it.
"I think I could watch them all day," Dolores said as she propped her head up with her arm.
"Well then I think you better buckle up, Dolores," Emma stated, watching Ralph blush as he scratched the back of his neck, "I think the show has only just begun."
A/N: And here we go! Had a lot of fun writing this one and I'm very excited for the next chapter as well. As always, feedback and critiques are always welcome, so please review! Later!