While the queasy feeling she felt around Keahi didn't entirely go away, excitement and the need to see her replaced it.
The leaves were completely gone from the trees, and the first brisk chill of winter started to sweep its way through Arendelle. Frost chomped at the morning dew and everyone was starting to light fires in their hearths and wear warmer clothing.
Except Keahi. Who still wore cut off sleeves shirts and didn't look like the crisp chill affected her. Even as they sat on the edge of the fountain in front of the castle, the sun setting along the horizon to their back.
Elsa gawked at her, trying to figure it out. Keahi's cheeks didn't look windburnt or flushed from the chill.
"Does it not affect you?" She finally asked, tilting her head in curiosity.
"Does what affect me?" Keahi asked with a clueless expression on her face. She didn't look up from the small hunk of wood she was whittling in front of her. Using the short knife to carve out a figure that Elsa didn't pay enough attention to.
Elsa stood, motioning her arms to the breeze that started, "The cold?"
"Oh," Keahi replied simply, shrugging and pausing the carving of the wood. "Does it affect you?" She asked with a coy smirk.
"No, but…" Elsa trailed off and scowled. Keahi was just being coy with her. Something more was going on with Keahi that she wouldn't say and Elsa crossed her arms. If she didn't want to say, that was her business. But it made her wonder what secrets she held.
"I can see you thinking." Keahi's voice cut through her thoughts.
"I'm not." She huffed back, sitting back down and crossing her legs.
Keahi leaned in close, a wolfish grin on her lips. "You are, what secrets are you trying to figure out?"
Elsa leaned away to give them more space. "So, you have secrets?"
"Everyone has secrets." Keahi replied plainly as she leaned back.
"There you are, Elsa!" Anna took the steps castle door so rapidly, she stumbled on the last one before making it over to the two.
"Oh, hello." Anna directed towards Keahi, surprised. "You must be the friend that Elsa has been going out to see the past few weeks," Anna tucked a strand of loose hair behind her ear before she held out her hand, "I'm Anna, her you know, sister. We met once before, dancing." She laughed breathlessly. "Elsa isn't usually one to make friends, so this is exciting."
Anna gripped Elsa's arm and Elsa cleared her throat, her palms sweating as she knew exactly what Anna would do next.
"Want to come play charades? Maybe we'll have the chance to beat the boys!" Anna jeered, excited.
Keahi arched a brow towards Elsa and then Anna. "Elsa? Play charades? How bad is she?" She laughed.
"Horrible, but it's all right few people are good at family games." Anna waves her hand dismissively.
Elsa gawked at the two and put her hands on her hips. "I'm not…that bad." She wasn't... that terrible, was she?
"All right, let's go!" Anna announced, holding her dress so she wouldn't trip over it as she ascended the stairs and disappeared inside.
Keahi rubbed her hands together, bumping shoulders with Elsa. "The poised and graceful Elsa playing a crazy game of charades? I wouldn't miss this for the world!" She looked entirely too excited about this.
Keahi tossed the little wooden figurine she had been carving at Elsa, who caught it swiftly in her hands. Elsa turned it over, her cheeks warming when she realized it was a miniature carving of her.
Elsa watched the group as she got the fireplace going.
Keahi was sitting cross-legged on the floor, watching with interest as Kristoff "spoke" for Sven.
"So you just know what he's going to say and say it?" Keahi asked skeptically, her chin resting on the palm of her hand while she arched a brow at them.
"Yes!" Kristoff said in his rough and gravel Sven voice.
"Uh, huh? Well, he counts as a separate person then, girls versus boys and so your complaint on uneven teams don't count. " A competitive edge grazed Keahi's tone.
Kristoff held his hands up, "No that doesn't count, I have to speak for him."
Keahi pulled in her knees and looked at Sven with a tilt of her head. "I can understand him. He says he's fine with it."
Sven's tongue hung out like a dog and he looked thoroughly amused by the situation.
Kristoff eyed Sven and then Keahi skeptically, thinking about it before crossing his arms. "I'm not buying it."
Olaf let out a chortled laugh. "I'm so glad Ah Ha is here. She's nice."
"Her names —" Elsa started with a laugh, coming back to the group. Warmth spread through her and it wasn't from the fire.
Keahi held up her hand, "Oh no, my names Ah Ha now, it's much better." She concluded.
Elsa chuckled, taking a seat on the couch and hugging a pillow to her chest.
Anna burst into the room. "Sorry, sorry!" She announced, coming to stand in front of the couch, facing everyone with a pointed hand to the boys. "Also, Olaf isn't allowed the rearrange anymore."
Kristoff let out a long gasp in complaint, "What! Why?"
"Because it's not fair, that's why." Anna concluded, sitting down in the center of the couch.
"But Ah Ha won't get to see my sassy Elsa walk." Olaf melted back into the couch in.
"Please, no." Elsa whispered harshly, a hand over her eyes to shield her from everyone's gaze.
"Please, yes. That sounds fantastic." Keahi interjected.
"But Anna," Kristoff said in his Sven voice, pouting.
"Sven sounds disappointed." Keahi laughed.
"Don't encourage him." Anna replied dryly, petting Sven before he went over to the other side of the couch to plop down by Kristoff. "Who wants to go first?" Anna glanced over the group.
Elsa hugged the pillow a little more solidly to her chest.
"I will!" Keahi scrambled from her spot on the floor. She gave Elsa a wink as she went to stand in the center of the floor.
Elsa melted back into the couch and held the pillow even more secure if it were possible.
Sven came over with the basket of folded paper with the list of words Keahi would have to act out.
Elsa smiled and watched the woman's face crinkle and a roguish grin plastered lopsided on her lips as she snapped her fingers. "Okay got it."
Sven flipped the hour glass.
Keahi stood with her arms above her, palms together while she put her legs together to stand straight.
"Yoga! Exercise! Ice cream! Orange!" Anna called out in quick succession.
Elsa watched Keahi, she went to say something but Anna blurted out another off the wall answer and Elsa grinned in response.
"Tree?" Elsa finally got her guess in edge-wise.
"Ah, yes! Okay." Keahi exclaimed, frantically.
"Wow, Elsa good job!" Anna clung to her arm.
The rest of the evening went by easily and she felt any fear or nervousness slip away and give way to love for her family and something foreign and yet oddly familiar with Keahi.
She couldn't place it.
But she still wasn't very good at this game.
As she looked at Keahi, she felt nothing but warmth.
Keahi was talking with Olaf and they both laughed. The woman held her hand out for a high-five. "Way to go, talking snowman." She laughed out.
Anna yawned beside her, leaning on her shoulder. Elsa smiled and leaned her head on Anna's, drawing patterns on the top of Anna's hand.
The fire dwindled down to nothing. She couldn't even recall how long they had all been playing, they were all laughing and having such a great time.
"Well, I guess I'll get going. Thanks for letting me play." Keahi announced, bowing playfully.
Anna sat up, stretching her arms. Kristoff got up and offered his hand to her to help her from the couch.
"You can stay the night. It's not like we don't have the room. You shouldn't have to walk home in the dark." Anna spoke through yawns.
"Oh, I don't mind —" Keahi started.
Anna waved her hand. "Elsa can show you my old room, it's right next to hers." She yawned again and rested her head on Kristoff's shoulder as they started out of the room.
Olaf let out a dramatic yawn. "Well, night Ah Ha." He leapt on Sven's back and they headed out.
Elsa watched everyone and cleared her throat. The fun and warmth she had felt towards Keahi most of the night gave way to her nerves again once they were alone. "Thank you."
"For what?"
"Being so good with them."
"Oh," Keahi paused and wiped her palms on her pants, "your family is…" she looked towards the balcony, a frown on her face. "... loving." She whispered.
Elsa's heart ached at the sadness that dripped from Keahi's voice.
Swallowing past the lump in her throat, she reached out to touch Keahi's warm bicep. Their eyes met and the sadness in the woman's eyes gave weight to a heat that seared Elsa the longer she looked into them.
She swallowed, hard. "I'm sure you're tired. Anna's old room is beside mine." She added hastily before practically running out of the room.