A/N: Two chapter update! I told you, I told you I'd have something! Comprehensive A/N coming later.
Blonde locks disappeared under a purple hood as the girl set off at a brisk pace down the street.
Stupid, Stupid!
She couldn't help but berate herself, she'd had quite a morning.
I never should have risked it, now look what's happened!
She was tempted to smack herself on the forehead, but thought better of it and instead buried her hands in her coat pockets.
Great job, Elsa. You let your curiosity get the better of you and now you lost another laptop. Not to mention the wasted time…
She'd been… 'working', when it had happened. Elsa had just finished for the day actually, when she'd noticed something odd on her system. It was a virus she'd soon realized, one designed to calculate the location of the computer it was hacking and transmit it back to wherever it came from.
She couldn't help but be curious, right? It was rare that other hackers got the better of her and she had wanted to know who'd been clever enough to pull it off. Elsa wasn't sure what she had been expecting, but it hadn't been, well… that.
No, stop thinking about it. Think about what you did wrong, don't do it again.
Not exactly useful, Elsa knew what she'd done wrong. She'd let her curiosity get the better of her and now she was paying the price.
A fucking two thousand and change price tag…
And with that sad thought still fresh on her mind, Elsa set about making her way back home.
A loud thud resounded throughout the apartment as Anna's door slammed against the wall. A frustrated huff blew out of the girl as she trudged across the threshold hefting two handfuls of groceries.
She'd decided it would make sense to visit the store since she was already out, regardless of how wise a decision it actually was with her current mood. Due to her unmanaged temper, her trip had resulted in food for the week, a bag full of chocolate bars, and a mildly emotionally scarred cashier.
She hadn't meant to yell him - He was just asking so many questions.
See - Crap like this? This is why I don't go outside.
Anna laid out the groceries on the floor and set about putting them away. Once done, she flopped down onto her couch in the middle of her small living room, bag of chocolate clutched tight to her chest. She flicked the TV on and selected a movie to play from her media PC.
Full of chocolate and for the moment distracted from the stresses of the day by the movie, Anna was beginning to feel the grip of sleep on the edges of her consciousness. She was just about to drift off to dreamland when her phone rang, her slumber once again being rudely interrupted.
Oh, what now?
With a frustrated sigh, Anna wrenched her eyes back open and felt around for her phone, finding it had fallen out of her hoodie and ended up somewhere between the couch cushions. With several grunts of frustration and a few moments of fishing amongst the depths of her large couch, she had recovered the offending device and was half tempted to ignore the call - Until she saw the caller ID.
Kristoff.
Panic and anger settled onto her face, feeling right at home.
Oh crap, I was supposed to go see him today - I completely forgot!
Scrambling up and regathering her things, she once again flew out the door and into the world.
Exhausted, Elsa collapsed in a heap into her chair. She was both mentally and physically spent, having just escaped the crazy redheaded girl and then crossed the entire city on foot to make her way home.
She heaved a deep sigh and powered on her system, contented at the sight of glowing LEDs.
That was… A day. I can't be that reckless again.
Elsa grimaced at the thought of the girl from the coffee shop, still unsure exactly what to think about the whole ordeal. She shook her head, trying to simultaneously shake herself of the thoughts.
No, can't think about it. Can't be distracted.
She pulled up several programs on her computer, looking over the information being displayed.
Work - I need to work tonight. Get my mind off of this.
Scanning the screen, she settled on a single grouping of information and expanded it, surveying the displayed texts and graphs.
Yes… Yes, this'll do.
Satisfied, Elsa transferred the associated documents to her mobile and powered off the computer, getting up to prepare for the night and take a short nap before leaving.
Anna let out a breath as she set the last two desktops in the back of the her old truck, turning to look at Kristoff as he did the same.
"How is it that so many people have broken computers these days?" She asked him with a huff.
Kristoff gave her a small grin and shut closed the hatch of the trunk. "Are you complaining? More broken computers means more money for you." Anna laughed a little at that and Kristoff jacked a thumb over his shoulder. "You wanna hang out for a bit?"
She took a moment to mull it over in her mind and nodded. "Yeah, sure. I could use a distraction." Anna made sure her car was locked and they both proceeded to walk back towards his shop. She turned to him, taking on a more serious tone. "Kristoff… Seriously, thanks."
The blonde boy turned his head and displayed a look of confusion, but then he gave her a small smile. "Anna, you don't have to thank me. You're helping me out."
She grinned, a little warmed by his response. "Yeah well, you're paying me."
He furrowed his brows and pushed open the door to the shop. "You're doing work - good work. Paying you is only fair." With that, they both entered the shop and Kristoff proceeded to the back, not bothering to let her respond.
Kristoff's shop wasn't exactly a pristine environment, but it was homey enough. Anything someone might need could be found amongst the rows of shelves, from electronics to foodstuffs, even personal hygiene supplies. The store was a local favorite of the neighborhood, but it wasn't exactly peak business hours at the moment.
Anna took a moment to bask in the kind words she'd been given and then snatched a couple of snacks for the two before hurrying after Kristoff to the back rooms. There she found the burly blonde already splayed out on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television set.
"- new strain of Ebola -"
"- aches and pains? Try E-Med!"
"- recent rise in vigilante -"
"But Tom, I love you!" A man on the TV stared wistfully at the distraught woman who spoke.
"I know baby, I know."
Kristoff couldn't help but snort and quickly changed the channel, Anna supplying a small grin and flopping onto one of the nearby bean bags. It was a ratty old thing, but still comfortable enough to relax into when in need of somewhere to sit. The blonde boy continued changing the channel until he finally found something that piqued his interest. "Ooooh, Die Hard. You wanna watch Die Hard?" He turned to look at his redheaded friend, hopeful expression evident on his face.
Anna grimaced without looking at him, faking her best enthusiastic voice. "Yeah, sure Kristoff."
Kristoff let out a small whoop and settled into the couch, oblivious to her discomfort. Anna chucked a bag of cheesy snacks at the boy and curled a bit deeper into her seat, preparing to watch Bruce Willis kick the snot out of some terrorists.
Anna did her best to be distracted by the film despite her discomfort, but unfortunately her thoughts were elsewhere. She was busy thinking about the strange blonde hacker from the cafe, her regrettable social awkwardness, and the unexpected chase that came to an even more unexpected end.
That blonde - What the heck was that, anyway?
Anna had thought about talking to Kristoff about the encounter, but had decided against it. It's not like there was much he could do to help, even if it would be nice to get it off her chest. It's true, he was probably her best friend - more like her only friend, really - but how do you explain something so… strange, even to someone close to you?
I mean, I was expecting some generic nerd, not some pretty girl who can move like Ezio Auditore…
She was suddenly jarred out of her thoughts by a cacophony of loud snoring from the couch behind her. It seemed Kristoff had fallen asleep, the movie now forgotten on the TV. Anna sighed and got up, flipping the television off as she walked past. Stopping just beyond, she took a second to take in the room.
The back rooms of Kristoff's shop weren't exactly in much better shape than the store up front, it was apparent they'd been lived in. Kristoff's things were strewn about all over the place, the cement floors covered by old rugs and a multitude of personal possessions. Anna's gaze swept past the boy's meager bed and eventually settled on a punching bag dangling in the far corner of the room.
Anna looked over at Kristoff and decided he wouldn't be waking up anytime soon, then debated inwardly for a moment before deciding she could probably use some stress relief right now.
Eh, I could probably go a few rounds, I've got time.
Anna searched for a short period for some tape to wrap her hands and strode over to the bag stopping just in front of it. She raised her hands in a guarding position and bounced a little between both feet before snapping her fists out in a quick one-two, making contact with the bag. Two satisfying and resounding smacks resonated from the leather surface, at which Anna couldn't help but grin.
She stayed there for a good while, taking her anger out on the inanimate object. Occasionally she found herself wanting to substitute the image of the blonde girl's face in place of the bag, but somehow she just couldn't bring herself to do so.