Descending the grand staircase and onto the beautiful marble floors that lined the main entrance, Elsa spotted the dark wood and glass door reading spa to the left of the check in desk. With a small puff of her chest and a tiny forced inhale she slowly she made her way over, the sound of her heals echoing across the floor. A soft glow was emitting from behind the sand blasted glass frames, a sign reading "open" was hung just right of the door frame. Unsure, or maybe just hoping no one would answer and save her the stress and anxiety, she gave a soft knock on the glass, just to be sure they were still open.
A familiar voice from inside piped up stating that the door was unlocked and to come in.
Hesitantly, and with slight disappointment Elsa opened the door.
Before her eyes could adjust to the dimmed lighting she noticed the lingering scent of sage and ylang ylang that hung delicately in the air. It was nice, the aroma was calming, just what she needed to sooth her nerves as she closed the door behind her.
It was a quaint establishment inside; Several small bamboo plants were nestled into each corner of the room, warm light radiating down from dropped ceiling lights. A simple mahogany coffee table stood just off to the right of the entryway, a matching small black love seat pushed against the wall besides it. The furniture blended beautifully against the rich forest green painted walls and wood floors. To the left was a simple but sturdy chestnut colored desk, which, behind stood a very tall and ginger bearded man with a holiday sweater on.
"yoo hoo!" he chimed, waiving at the young blond. "If it isn't miss Elsa! What brings you here dear?" he asked, looking slightly confused for the owners presence.
"Oh! Oaken, hi, I'm…I'm sorry to be dropping by so late…" her cheeks flushed in embarrassment of the informality.
"I was just… in town…. for work, and decided to stop by." her eyes trailed off to the side, one of her shoulders shrugging softly. She tried to fabricate a more nonchalant composure; Surely it wasn't a big deal for her to be there... she thought.
Her efforts towards looking composed must not have been enough, as her eyes carried back over to Oaken, surprise was still evident in his features. He had raised an eyebrow at the her hesitant response.
"oh?" he inquired
Elsa nodded, "I didn't think you would still be open to be perfectly honest." Her voice was sturdy but moved in a slow decrescendo.
Oaken nodded and made a gesture towards a stand that held their operations hours. "we are open seven days a week from 9 Am to 9 pm." He could see the discomfort in Elsa's movements.
"It is never a problem having you here Missy. You want a massage yeah? We have appointments available, big winter blow out!" The chime in his voice and quick delivery was sincere and yet ever so lightly pressing.
"you look like you could use one dear" he added, smiling again while nodding at his own statement.
"Wait, what? Right now? A massage? this late? I couldn't possibly…surely there isn't anybody working right now or there are other clients?" she stuttered, sounding more like her assistant Olaf with all the questions she had just spewed.
As frazzled as her mind had been she could feel the deep seeded ache in her bones slowly creeping up her spine like corded ivy. And Oaken only gave her a larger grin in response to seeing the woman tense up in dis-ease.
" Oh, yes! Here!" quickly the man gave a single tap on a small silver bell placed on the desk before them, his eyes looking over to a door Elsa had failed to notice at the back of the room behind the desk.
Within a few seconds the door opened and out walked a slim redhead. Her hair was styled with twin braids, one draped over each shoulder and a fair dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her uniform, was composed of a simple dark green collared button up shirt and a pair of black slacks that fit her perfectly.
Elsa's expression was somewhere between awestruck and stunned. The younger woman was beautiful. Her hair was as rich as the warm wood that surrounded them and the softened blue eyes and small frame only highlighted her presence in the room...
Wait did she really just think that?
"Elsa, this is Anna, our lead therapist here." he gestured to the younger woman turning to smile at the girl.
"And Anna, this is Elsa Arendelle, the CEO of the hotel"
Anna inhaled with a small gasp. "Wow, um, its really nice to make your acquaintance Ms. Arendelle" she muttered, tucking a stray piece of hair back behind her ear. The redhead was entranced by the look of the older woman. Her platinum single braided hair against a classic black suit and pumps did wonders for her figure, and Anna's' imagination. She could feel her cheeks flush seeing the blond expression from several feet away.
Anna's formal and perky greeting pulled Elsa out of her head long enough to reply. "It's nice to meet you too" she stated, feeling slightly out of context to the myriad of thoughts whizzing around her skull.
Oaken cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of both girls. "Anna, you will give Elsa a massage next, yes? Good!" he gleamed, lightly patting his hands together while looking back and forth between the two.
"Yes!" Anna beamed. "oh, I mean… of course, I would be happy to." she corrected, trying not to sound like an overly excited puppy as she looked back to Elsa.
Elsa was slightly slack jawed. Her eyes darting between Oaken and Anna, their immediate decision snapping her back to reality.
"you really mean right now?!" she questioned, a hint of panic in her tone. Elsa instinctively held her breath, her mind blank as she met Anna's gaze. What had she gotten herself into?
Anna nodded "yup, don't worry, its always slow on Monday nights. In fact, if you're ready, I'll just have you follow me back to room 4" Anna motioned towards the door she had entered from.
Elsa forcibly blinked a few more times before letting out a long exhale and nodding, her shoulders slightly collapsing in on themselves in defeat.
Anna smiled and turned towards the door, glancing back once at the threshold to make sure Elsa was in tow. Sure enough, she was, and into the back they went.