A/N: Hello! Between both summer finals and moving this week, I'm surprised I got any writing done. A quick note- while a full moon technically lasts for only a few moments, it looks full for about three days.

The Moon Invites the Madness

"Yes, I love this one!" Anna grins, turning the volume up a little more.

In the passenger seat, Elsa is wearing a pained expression. "What…what is this?" she asks after a moment, not sounding as if she'll particularly like the answer.

"This is Ellie Goulding! Don't pretend like this song isn't catchy as hell," Anna shoots back. One of her hands taps rhythmically against the steering wheel.

"Yeah, well so is syphilis," Elsa mutters, actually cringing when Anna begins to move her shoulders in time with the music.

Anna spares her a pitying glance. "Oh don't tell me you're one of those 'I only listen to moody indie music and am therefore superior to everyone else' types. They're no fun." Elsa simply huffs and folds her arms, which pretty much means she's guilty as charged. "Let me guess…Bon Iver, Elliot Smith, maybe some Arcade Fire for when you don't totally hate the world?"

Out of the corner of her eye, Anna sees Elsa shift in agitation. "We just have different tastes in music, that's all. I like what I like, and you like…" she gestures at the radio with a flip of her hand, "whatever this is."

Thanks to ingesting some foul tasting instant coffee earlier, Anna is too chipper to let Elsa's perceived musical superiority bother her. "This is poppy, catchy music. There's nothing wrong with liking different genres but," she slows to a stop at a red light. "you can't dance like crazy to Skinny Love."

Elsa sighs, obviously knowing she can't win against Anna's infallible logic. "Well, I guess not. But I don't dance in the first—"

"—CHORUS!" Anna yells, making Elsa flinch in surprise. Anna raises her hands above her head and wiggles her hips, mouthing the lyrics to her passenger. "Join in anytime, Elsa."

"Oh god," Elsa mumbles in embarrassment when she catches the commuters next to them staring. "Why is this happening to me?" She brings a hand up to cover her eyes as if the action can turn her invisible.

The song fades away to a commercial break and Anna pouts. Damn, she was sure she could get Elsa to dance to that one.

The two weeks since Elsa moved in had gone well, all things considered. Anna hasn't had any assignments since the lavellan (which is actually not a good thing, but she'll enjoy the break while she can), she's chipping in for groceries in exchange for Elsa cooking dinner for her, and Elsa herself has allowed Anna to chauffer her to class three days a week.

Any reservations Elsa apparently had with living with Anna seem to have gone into remission. While she's still not as bubbly as her cousin, she'll actually smile every now and then at Anna, and feels comfortable enough with her to snark at her music and television choices.

("Whatever," Anna had scoffed back one evening when Elsa walked in on her weekly 'Grey's Anatomy' night, "I caught you watching the Kardashians before you flipped the channel, so you have absolutely no room to talk.")

Elsa actually reminds Anna of a manticore—just like the creature shot quills at its foes, Elsa buffeted her with sarcastic remarks. She almost took offense to the jabs during the first few days until she realized that's just how Elsa is once she's relaxed. Plus, as Rapunzel had told her, Elsa sometimes seems to be softer than she lets on, which is especially apparent in the way her eyes light up whenever she watches Anna eat her cooking.

It's…comfortable, whatever it is they have. It's right on the verge of friendship, probably would be friendship except for the odd times Elsa decides to shut her out. Take the one time Elsa forgot to grab her pajama bottoms before she went for a shower. She came out to face Anna wearing only a baggy shirt that just hit the top of her (admittedly gorgeous) thighs. Elsa had slowly backed into her own room and Anna hadn't seen her for three days.

Then there's the fact that she still won't sit with her and Kristoff in Weselton's class. Despite saying she has no issues with Kristoff, Elsa has avoided talking to him. Anna's hoping today will be the day that changes, but she's not hedging any bets.

After she finds a decent parking spot, the two of them continue their light bickering all the way to the lecture hall. Sure enough as soon as Kristoff is in sight, the smile on Elsa's face fades away and she's off to the other side of the building.

"What is her deal?" Anna says in exasperation. "Do you stink or something?" She sniffs at Kristoff's fleece jacket. "Actually you do smell a little like wet dog." Anna can easily imagine him rolling around with Sven in the snow right before class.

Kristoff narrows his eyes at her. "Just for that, I'm not going to give you my theory on your roommate." He's never seemed offended that Elsa is avoiding him like the plague, though it bothers Anna enough for the both of them.

"Wait, you have a theory?" Anna asks, impressed. "That's more than I have." She just figures Elsa's not a people person—besides the times they drive to school or eat together, Elsa is usually in her room. Who knows, maybe she only puts up with Anna just because they're roommates. Somehow the thought is kind of depressing.

"I do," Kristoff confirms. "But never mind about that right now. There's something much more important going on…" he kicks at a small pile of snow, "the lack of cases."

Anna sighs and leans against the brick of the lecture hall. So it's bothering him, too. "Yeah, I've definitely noticed. Added to the fact that the full moon is tonight…I have a feeling we're about to get slammed."

Anna's father used to tell her, "Bad things always happen during a full moon." It was one of the first lessons she had taken to heart. Her lips thin like they always do when she thinks about him.

"We should watch a movie tonight," Kristoff says suddenly, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Chill before we have to go out. The moon'll be full all weekend, so we might as well have some fun before work starts up again."

"That sounds like a good idea," she pushes aside her memories and gives him a grateful smile. "Where do you want to meet up?"

Kristoff suddenly looks shifty. "Actually…would your place be alright? I hosted last time."

Anna runs through it in her head. She'd have to let Elsa know, but it shouldn't be that big of a deal. If she still wanted to avoid Kristoff, she could stay in her room. "That works," Anna says after a moment. "Sven can come too."

"Pssh, like he wasn't going to come anyways," Kristoff says breezily. His eyes zero in on the shirt under Anna's jacket and his hand comes back up to tug gently on its collar. "When are you going to stop wearing my clothes?"

Anna looks down at the green and black flannel. "Maybe when you stop offering them to me? Seriously, these shirts are awesome. Plus you've already broken them in so they're extra soft." A jacket, a flannel shirt, and a pair of skinny jeans were all she usually wore during school nowadays.

Kristoff chuckles and puts his hand around Anna's neck to bring her in for a noogie, ignoring her protests. "That's because I've been giving you all the ones I grew out of like four years ago, leech."

"YOU TWO," the familiarly annoying voice of their professor catches their attention and they look over at the hall's entrance. Weselton is staring right at them with a strangely narrowed gaze. "Yes, you! Stop flirting and get inside my classroom unless you want an absence for the day!"

The other students filtering into the class look at them in amusement and Anna thinks she sees a flash of white-blonde hair go by. Kristoff immediately lets go of Anna to stand a safe distance away. "Spoken like a man who's never gone on a date," he mutters under his breath as he and Anna hurry up the steps.

On the last step, Kristoff's foot slips backwards and it's only his proximity to the handrail that keeps him from hitting the ground. Anna barely restrains a laugh at the look of frustrated confusion on his face. "Why are you suddenly slipping on ice everywhere?" she asks as they settle into their usual seats. "You're a hunter, this is starting to get embarrassing."

Once class is finished, Anna waves goodbye to Kristoff and hurries to catch up with her roommate. "Hey, Elsa!"

Elsa turns around with an eyebrow raised before she continues walking. "Yes?" she says almost impatiently. There it is again, her occasional 'Ice Queen' persona, the one that was present in their first few interactions. Anna doesn't know what she's doing (if anything) to make Elsa retreat back into her moody shell.

"I just wanted you to know that Kristoff is coming over for a bit tonight. We're going to watch a movie, though I don't know which one yet," she starts, unsure of how Elsa will react.

Elsa stuffs her hands in her pockets. "Okay?" she asks as if wondering how this news concerns her.

"I…I think it would be cool if you watched it with us," Anna says, biting her lip once the words spill out. That wasn't supposed to be part of the plan. But if she's being honest with herself, she really does want Elsa to at least tolerate Kristoff (plus it'd be the first time she and Elsa would be together outside of dinners and car rides).

Elsa stops abruptly, causing the student behind her to nearly bump into her. Anna quickly moves in front of her to avoid blocking the flow of walkers. Elsa…doesn't look happy. A grimace is pulling at her mouth as she thinks about the offer. In response, Anna puts on her best puppy dog eyes, the ones that cause Kristoff to give her almost anything she wants.

Apparently it works; Elsa gives a defeated sigh. "Fine. See you at home." She shoulders past Anna and is off without another word.

Anna looks after her, wondering if that counted as a victory.

The rest of the day goes by slowly as it usually seems to on Fridays. By the time she, Kristoff, and Sven finally arrive at her place, Anna's about to kick the door down in eagerness.

Instead, she slots her key into the lock like a sane person might, and shoulders her way inside. "And now for the movie!" she says excitedly and with no ado, "I'm thinking 10 Things or Mean Girls. You?"

Kristoff kicks his boots off and looks around the apartment like he hasn't seen it before. "What's up with your heater? It's kinda cold in here," he says, choosing to keep his beanie on. Sven quietly huffs in agreement.

Oh, yeah. That. "I have no freaking clue," Anna responds, shrugging out of her jacket. "I had the landlord look at it but he said he couldn't find anything wrong. Sometimes it works, sometimes it half-works. I guess today it's the latter." She's actually gotten used to the unpredictable fluctuations of the heater, though today it's particularly uncomfortable. "Want some hot chocolate to warm you up?"

Kristoff pretends to think about it. "I suppose that'd be nice."

Anna flicks on the kitchen lights and busies herself with her hot chocolate preparations, noting the distinct lack of light from under Elsa's door. "How much cocoa do you want?" she asks Kristoff, who's opted out of sitting at the table. Instead, he's sprawled spread-eagled on the floor like some kind of heathen.

He lifts his head up. "Just the usual amount. And if you have some cinnamon, that'd be awesome." Sven stares dolefully at him and Kristoff chuckles. "And maybe something for Sven?"

"I'll see what I can do," she responds dryly. Since what feels like the beginning of time, she's always kept a tin of dog treats at her place as well as a few high-quality toys tucked in the corner of the living room. She takes the tin out of the cupboard and Sven pads up to her in anticipation, nails clicking against the wood. She lets the dog pick out his own rawhide bone and he bounds back to Kristoff with it, tail wagging in excitement.

Going through the familiar motions of making the hot cocoa is soothing, and the next few minutes pass by in silence until Anna finishes mixing the instant powder (with extra marshmallows, of course) into two mugs of milk. She settles on the floor next to Kristoff, passing him a mug once he sits up. They sit quietly together, occasionally bumping shoulders, until they finish their respective drinks.

"Do you want me to take a look at your heater?" Kristoff asks. "Or I guess you could stay on my couch tonight. It's not good to sleep here when it's this cold." He stretches out his hand towards her and Anna automatically gives him her own empty mug. Standing slowly, he goes into the kitchen to clean them in the sink.

"I'll be fine," Anna responds, leaning on her hands and stretching her legs out in front of her. "It's not usually this bad. I'm more worried about Elsa—I don't know how sensitive to the cold she is."

As if taking her remark as a cue, Elsa's door opens. She steps out uncertainly, wearing a sweater and the same jeans as earlier. Despite the chill, her feet are bare. "Hi," she says with a small nod once she sees Anna. Kristoff turns the water on in the kitchen and Elsa's eyes slide towards him.

"You remember Kristoff, don't you?" Anna directs towards Elsa. He gives them both a soapy wave in return but Elsa remains silent. "And that's Sven," she adds belatedly. The dog in question is still steadfastly chewing on his bone, blissfully unaware of everything around him.

Just now realizing she's still on the floor, Anna clambers to her feet. Elsa still hasn't moved from her spot by her door so Anna pipes up, "Feel free to join us. Do you have any movie suggestions?"

Elsa shrugs. "Whatever's fine." She heads over to the couch, a look of grim determination coming over her face. Once she's sitting down, she tucks her feet beneath her and presses her entire side into the armrest, as far away from the rest of the couch as possible.

Anna represses a frown. Would this really be such an ordeal for her? If so, why did she agree to the movie in the first place?

Kristoff finishes with the mugs and joins them, sitting on the opposite end of the couch as Elsa. In stark contrast to Elsa's tightly wound body, he splays out comfortably, legs taking up space in front of the couch and an arm coming up to rest against the seat cushions. "Hey," he says simply towards Elsa once he's settled.

Elsa's head turns slightly in his direction, making the tiniest bit of eye contact before muttering a "Hi," of her own.

Well, this is going swimmingly.

Anna stands in front of them with her hands on her hips. "Okay, so what will it be?" If no one else is going to address the awkwardness, Anna won't either.

Elsa stays quiet and Kristoff lazily raises a hand. "I vote for 10 Things. You've made me watch Mean Girls like forty times."

"You make it sound like I held you against your will," Anna retorts as she gets the movie ready. Shortly after her 21st birthday the two of them had watched the movie, drunkenly yelling lines at each other. That night she learned Kristoff had a surprisingly accurate Regina George impression.

Anna flops down on the couch once the sweet sounds of 'Bad Reputation' spill out of the tv and Julia Stiles pulls up in next to a carful of teenyboppers. Kristoff hasn't left her much room and so she scoots a little towards Elsa, who tenses in response and presses herself even further into her armrest.

Anna finds the behavior a little odd, though as she thinks about it, she realizes the only time Elsa's ever touched her was when she was pointing out her scar (and even that seemed to have taken her by surprise). Anna has no such qualms about touching others—she had been raised in such a way that casual touches were the norm, whether they be in learning how to hold a weapon properly or giving her parents a tight hug before they left on an assignment.

Anna can't tell if Elsa's seen the movie before and decides it would be best to be silent while it's on, though she can't help but sneak occasional glances at her. The blonde is extremely still through the beginning of the film, as if moving even slightly might have some great consequence. And even though Anna never looks directly at her, the lines of tension running through Elsa are clear as day—from the way her hand is tightly gripping the armrest to how her elbow is pressed tightly against her side. Underneath the pale skin of her face, her jaw seems to be clamped shut. Perhaps she is forcing herself to stay out of politeness, or maybe she's just much shyer than Anna had previously thought.

Wanting to give her some breathing room, Anna shifts slightly towards Kristoff. Maybe the movie itself would get her to loosen up—who didn't like 10 Things I Hate About You?

Kristoff grins throughout the movie, chuckling at the antics of the characters on screen. It doesn't take long for Anna to join him. Even though she's seen the movie countless times, it never fails to be entertaining. Elsa eventually shifts slightly, releasing her death-grip on the armrest. By the time Heath Ledger is crooning 'Can't Take My Eyes Off You', she's sitting cross-legged and her shoulders are loose. Even the apartment seems a little warmer, though that could be the hot chocolate speaking.

But the atmosphere, at least for Anna and Kristoff, soon shifts once the sun goes down. The two exchange a glance and one of Anna's legs begins to bounce restlessly. Kristoff puts a calming hand on her knee, only to take it off when Elsa shoots the two of them a look.

Still, Anna can't help but be anxious. It feels like her pager will go off in any second, signaling a long and probably painful weekend ahead of her. When her leg starts bobbing again, Kristoff silently gets Sven's attention and tilts his head toward Anna. Obediently, Sven comes over and sits on her feet. Kristoff grins and reaches down to pat him, but when he comes back up Anna can see that he's just as tense as she is.

Kristoff's pager beeps right when an argument is about to break out at prom, causing all three of them to jump. He glances down at it and pulls a face before discreetly showing it to Anna.

Mon. d. worm, 4 ft, 28.37°, 81.55°, reloc

Anna bites her lip to keep from laughing at his misfortune. But really, a Mongolian death worm? Despite the name they weren't too terribly dangerous, but relocating one would be messy and time consuming. Kristoff would probably be out most of the night.

But before she can silently make fun of his assignment, her own pager goes off. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Elsa twist to get a better view of them, probably wondering what was up with the interruptions. Anna unclips the pager from her jeans and stands up to read it so it's out of Elsa's view.

Mapinguari, 5ft, 27.37°, 83.43°

Her eyes widen. Holy shit. Mapinguaris weren't supposed to be seen at all during the winter and even in the summer they were pretty rare. The full moon indeed brought out all the monsters.

She jerks her head back up. "We have to get going," she says to Elsa apologetically. "Duty calls."

Elsa looks between her and Kristoff, confused. "You work together too?" she asks, but as soon as she says it she stares down at her hands. Anna feels a twinge of something go through her, something that seems like guilt. She feels like she's abandoning Elsa but at the same time she can't delay at all—the GPS coordinates were too close to the edge of town for her comfort.

"Yeah, when we need to. Most of the time we're doing separate things," Anna answers carefully before going into her bedroom and digging through her closet for what she'll need. Her bow and arrows are already in her trunk but she adds a couple of daggers, some tranquilizer darts, a fresh can of mace, and her trusty net gun.

The last thing she grabs before she leaves her room is her black leather jacket. It may not be as warm as her other coats, but it looks damn cool and is better at taking a beating. She comes back out a couple minutes later, pulling her duffel's strap over her shoulder.

Kristoff is milling around with Sven, clearly not wanting or needing to leave right away. He gives Anna an expectant look and she shows him her pager with a smug look.

"That is not fair," he groans, pushing her hand away in disgust. "Not fair at all." He grabs his boots and like a petulant child, sits on the floor and pouts as he puts them on.

Anna turns towards Elsa, her smugness turning into a genuine smile. "Thanks for watching the movie with us, even if we didn't really finish. I'll probably be back in a few hours." While she had only fought one mapinguari in the past, it was one of her easier assignments. One shot through the eye should be all it takes, though tracking it down might be a bit difficult. And if it decided to put up a fight…well, things might get nasty.

Elsa's eyes seem to be caught on her jacket, and she blinks before looking at Anna's face. She registers the words and frowns. "What exactly do you do?" she asks, not sounding very happy.

Quickly grabbing a bottle of water before heading towards the front door, Anna feigns momentary deafness. "What was that?"

Elsa follows them towards the door. "I said—"

"—See you later, Elsa!" Anna waves over her shoulder before opening the door and stepping outside with Kristoff and Sven.

Kristoff fails to contain his smirk, which remains steadfastly present even after the walk to their cars. "What?" Anna finally asks, annoyed.

"I know why Elsa doesn't like me," he says with supreme satisfaction. "And it is good."

"Congratulations," Anna deadpans. She tosses her duffel into the passenger seat and leans against the door. "Well?" she prompts after a moment of silence. "Are you going to tell me?"

He gives her a shrewd look of consideration. "Only if we switch assignments," he decides.

Anna laughs, "Not a chance, Mr. Death Worm. Have an awesome night." With that, she gets in her car and reverses out of the parking lot, leaving a disgruntled friend behind.

She doesn't even have time to finish pulling her arrow out of the mapinguari's head when she gets her next page.

Amomongo, 5ft, 27.37°, 83.43°

"Are you kidding me?" she mutters in disbelief. "What is with these apes?" But something about the message nags her and she checks it again instead of putting it away.

The coordinates. They're exactly the same as the mapinguari.

She doesn't even have time to curse when the amomongo slams into her, having been waiting in the tree above.

Her bones creak at the unexpected weight on top of them, and yep, her left shoulder's popped out of its socket. The breath's knocked out of her for a moment and she thinks a rib might be broken. Her fingers scrabble at the ground, trying to grab anything—her arrows, the mace, a goddamn rock—that's in reach.

Nothing. There's nothing but snow and a corpse that's too far away.

The amomongo is pissed, and one of his hands yanks her around by her bad shoulder so he can scream at her face. Anna snarls back out of pain but her new position is one she can use to her advantage.

The creature doesn't offer her much chance though; thick, black fingers come up around her mouth and throat, squeezing hard enough to ache. She struggles for breath, her own good hand desperately reaching down past the hem of her jeans and towards her boot. The tips of her fingers brush the dagger there and she grasps it as stars begin to explode behind her eyes.

Bringing it up, she plunges the blade into the creature's jugular, yanks it out, and stabs him in the chest. Hot blood splashes across her face and jacket but the creature lets go of her, roaring in pain.

Anna takes a gasping inhale, rib twinging in agitation. She takes another one for good measure and walks the two steps towards the mapinguari to pull her arrow out. The amomongo twitches pathetically nearby, slowly bleeding out.

Still, Anna's not going to wait and see if he'll have a dying spurt of energy. Since she can't pull back her bow in her current condition, she uses the arrow as another dagger, thrusting it into his eye until she feels the arrowhead scrape against the back of his skull.

Backing up until she feels a tree against her, she slides down onto the ground. Her wheezing continues even as she calls Cleanup. "I've got both the mapinguari and amomongo," she says, voice nothing but a harsh whisper. "Yes, both. Tell Recon to get their shit together; it's their job to let me know a creature's around before it's literally on top of me."

She hangs up and focuses her attention on her shoulder. Grabbing it, she slams it back into its socket before she has time to hesitate. The scream that comes out is more frustration than pain.

She fucking hates the full moon.

When she comes through her apartment door later, she knows she doesn't look very good. Her left arm's cradled gingerly against her chest even though her rib is adamantly against the action. She managed to wipe most of the blood off her in the car but there's still some in her hair and under her fingernails. Bruises will soon be forming across her lower face and neck. Though as always, her jacket managed to pull through without any substantial damage.

All she wants is a hot shower and some good medicine, maybe even a meager amount of sleep before her next assignment comes up. What she doesn't want is a confrontation with Elsa, which unfortunately seems likely seeing as she's standing in the living room, hands folded over her chest. But whatever indignation she might have had over Anna ditching her and then coming back late dissipate when she takes in Anna's appearance.

"What…what happened to you?" Elsa asks, eyes raking over every inch of Anna's figure. "Do you need to go to the hospital?"

Anna gives her a lopsided shrug. "Nah, I'm fine." Well, at least her voice is starting to come back. "I ahh…I fell." Yep, the lie's awful.

Elsa's shaking her head like she wants to argue, but Anna continues, "I need to get some sleep. See you in the morning, okay?" By then, her healing supplies will have taken care of the deeper injuries, though she'll probably have to put cover-up on her bruises.

"Anna, wait—" Elsa's hand touches her bad shoulder, causing Anna's teeth to sink into her bottom lip to prevent her from hissing in pain. Instead, she steps away just enough to break Elsa's hold. She looks up into her face, somewhat surprised to see the worry so clearly etched across her features. "I just wanted…I made salmon tonight," Elsa says quietly. "There's leftovers in the fridge."

Despite her stiff behavior earlier it seems like Elsa does indeed have a bit of a soft spot, at least where Anna's stomach is concerned. Anna gives her a wobbly grin. "Thanks. You're the best."

The rest of the weekend passes by in blur of assignments. Most of them are relatively benign, involving creatures who just require relocation away from the human population. But even then, it's rare for her to finish an assignment in pristine condition. In the past this had never been much of a problem, as she had the privacy of her own place. But Elsa changed things.

While Elsa had been concerned that first night, she quickly became concerned and frustrated by Anna's injuries and the subsequent lack of explanation.

Take the time Anna came back from dealing with a demon-possessed coyote, which gave her a bloody leg and another rip in her jeans. "I fell."

Or the triffid, which had wrapped its poisonous tongue around her arm, leaving a winding welt from elbow to fingers. "I fell."

Even the baby cockatrice's talons had managed to give her three parallel scratches down the side of her face. "I um…fell?"

That had been the last straw for Elsa. "Fine!" she yells, throwing her arms in the air. "You're out all night and then keep coming home like this, yet you want me to believe you keep falling?" A hand raises to rake through her hair, and she comes close to Anna, eyes imploring. "Just tell me what's going on, please."

The look Elsa gives her is almost enough for Anna to spill the beans. Then she remembers these beans were 'I hunt magical creatures for a living. Coincidentally, never go into the woods'. So she shuts herself in her room instead, preferring not to confront Elsa at all.

She hears Elsa slam the front door a few minutes later, obviously wanting to be away from the apartment and her strange, perpetually lying roommate.

This whole situation sucks, Anna concludes. She should have come up with some sort of cover story that could explain away her injuries and odd hours. But what could that possibly be, mafia enforcer? Up and coming street fighter? Maybe Kristoff could help her establish something that sounds halfway legitimate, or at least give her lessons on how to lie better. He was right when he said living with normal people sucked.

Right when Anna is sneaking out of her room for a snack, Elsa barges back through the door. Her pale cheeks are a startling pink, as if she's been running in the snow. Her windswept hair has half-melted snowflakes in it and she's actively glaring at Anna.

Anna carefully puts her box of cereal down, feeling hot under Elsa's scrutiny. "Look," Elsa starts, coming to stand at the opposite end of the table, "whatever it is you're doing, I need to know. I understand that we're not all that close, but seeing you come through the door like that, even if you do seem to heal quickly…I don't like it."

"Then don't worry about it," the words leave Anna's mouth without her permission. But dammit, she doesn't want to fight with Elsa, not over something she can't possibly be honest with her about. And why would Elsa care so much anyways? Just because they shared the occasional dinner or car ride didn't mean they were friends.

Elsa's eyes widen. "Seriously? I shouldn't be worried that nearly every time you've walked through the door this weekend, you've been bruised and bloodied?"

Anna puts an arrogant tilt in her chin. "Yes. I'd rather you just stay out of my business. This has nothing to do with you."

"I…" Elsa pauses, at a loss of words. In a voice that's close to a whisper, she says, "I'm concerned about you, that's all."

Anna tries to think of a possible response to such a statement when her pager beeps. Elsa flinches at the sound, lips thinning. "You're going again, aren't you?" She sounds like she's ready for another round of arguing.

Out of habit and despite Elsa trying to speak to her, Anna looks down at her pager.

Sigbin, 4ft, 26.34°, 82.43°

Her blood runs cold in her veins and her combativeness instantly changes to dread.

No.

Elsa's still talking to her but it sounds like she's underwater. "I need to leave," Anna says mechanically, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"You are not going out again!" Elsa says in disbelief.

Anna doesn't answer, just goes into her room to grab her duffel before coming back out. She's on autopilot, mind already focusing on what she'll have to deal with tonight.

"…Anna. Anna," Elsa's trying to talk to her again, or get her to listen to reason. "Would you just—"

"Leave it, Elsa," Anna snaps, tension coloring her words. "Just stop." She puts on her shoes and heads outside, ignoring the chill in the air.

She has bigger things to worry about.

Though it's not known to many, Arendelle has a surprising number of caves. They're not very deep, but they're plenty dark and private enough for those who wish to dwell in them.

Anna's headlamp sweeps the cave's entrance and she takes a careful step inside.

The odor is enough to make her gag and her eyes to water. It's a mix of the sigbin's natural (disgusting) odor and a scent that she hoped never to come across again. Her hand tightens around the dagger she's holding and she ventures further into the cave, making sure she doesn't fall on the slippery surface. The stench only becomes stronger the farther she walks, until she feels like she can barely breathe. She brings the crook of her elbow up to cover her nose but even then the odor is too overpowering.

"Where are you, you little bastard?" she murmurs, voice bouncing off the cave's walls. "Just show yourself so I can go take a nice shower already." Talking to herself gives her a small measure of comfort, a little boost of confidence she sorely needs.

Until she steps on something that makes a sickening squelch.

Heart beating painfully fast, she looks down at the human arm under her foot. "Shit—" she slips in her haste to scramble away from the limb, landing on the rest of the person's body. The relative warmth of the cave compared to the outside made the body decompose quickly, even though he (he, Anna thinks numbly, staring into his empty face) couldn't have been here for more than a few days.

Exsanguinated is the word that comes to mind. Except for the teeth marks near his carotid and a few whip-like lashes on his extremities, the man's as pale as snow, not a single drop of blood left in him.

Anna stands slowly, bracing herself against the cave's wall. In. Out. She breathes deeply, ignoring the smell. In. Out. Ignoring the memories of the first corpse she ever saw. In. Out. Ignoring how her father had looked after she told him—

A whistling sound reverberates through the cave, and Anna lifts her arm to her face just in time for it to be met by the sigbin's tail. The appendage digs deep into her skin before disappearing into the darkness.

The next attack is quieter, aiming for her head. Blood runs across her temple and down her jaw but she manages to grip the tail with her free hand, and in one smooth motion cuts the barbed tip off. The sigbin's answering screech is the sweetest sound she's heard tonight.

The air in front of her glimmers and the sigbin appears before her, no longer invisible. He doesn't look very impressive, having roughly the same appearance as a common goat. His eyes reflect red in Anna's headlamp and he moves slowly towards her, intent on draining her dry. Sigbins move in odd, erratic ways, ways that by all rights should be amusing. But in the damp, dark cave with at least one corpse nearby, Anna sees nothing funny about this situation.

The creature walks backwards, stepping in the drops of blood from his tail. His head dips into his chest, eyes visible between his hind legs. His tail lashes out again but when Anna swipes at it with her dagger, it retreats again.

Anna hurriedly wipes the blood out of her eye and reaches for a second blade in the waistband of her pants. When the sigbin is close enough, she flings the new dagger straight between his legs. His head snaps up, avoiding the weapon, and he turns his neck 180 degrees to look at her.

"Screw this," she mutters before running straight at the creature. His mouth opens, revealing a set of razor-sharp teeth. But before he can clamp his jaw around her, Anna has already set her dagger in between his ribs. Her hands are around his mouth and she wrestles him to the ground.

The creature struggles, tries to buck her off. Anna grimaces as his tail strikes her head again but she holds on, fingers sneaking towards his eyes. Her thumbs find their two targets and plunge inwards as deeply as they can.

He convulses once before a last gasp leaves his mouth. His blood-red tongue lolls out, landing across one of her arms.

Anna rolls off him, panting, and stares at the stalactites on the ceiling.

It takes a long time for her to catch her breath, and even longer for her hands to stop shaking enough to call the Guild.

Elsa's still up when she comes back. Of course she is. She gets to see Anna in all her hunter glory—half of her face is covered in blood and she smells absolutely putrid. Anna ignores her presence, slowly taking off her shoes and jacket.

She should have gone over to Kristoff's tonight. He may have been out hunting, but she has a spare key and would have been granted a modicum of privacy—something she sorely needs after fighting the sigbin. The creature had stirred up all kinds of memories with his presence, memories she would rather not revisit.

"We have class tomorrow," Anna says as she takes her gloves off. Words begin to spill out of her, uncontrolled, only a little hysteric. "Both of us should probably be asleep right now. I know I don't want to get on Weselton's bad side again. Did you do the reading? I think he said something about a quiz last—"

"Anna…." Elsa's voice is soft, and Anna can hear a lingering wariness from their last conversation.

"And his quizzes are hard, right? Like what kind of professor makes a thirty question quiz? That's got to be against some sort of rule."

"What happened tonight, Anna?" Elsa's not wearing her pajamas. Had she been up waiting for Anna to return?

"And his actual tests are so—" Anna stops talking when she feels Elsa's finger against her cheekbone, wiping a trickle of blood away. Anna nearly buckles at the gesture. "I'm sorry I can't tell you," she whispers, not able to look at Elsa. "I'm not usually like this. I'll be fine by morning, I promise. You're mad at me and I hate that. I know you probably want to yell at me right now but…" her hands ball into fists and her voice cracks, "Can you just…just hug me? Please."

She hears a sharp inhale of breath, feels an exhale smelling of peppermint fan across her face. Elsa's arms are hesitant when they wrap around her back, and she's stiff and uncertain. But it's more than enough for Anna, who leans gratefully into her roommate. Her own hands find Elsa's shirt and hold onto it before slowly sliding around Elsa's waist.

The two remain quiet and soon Elsa melts into the embrace. Anna feels fingers gently combing through her hair and another hand rubbing soothingly up and down her spine. She sighs, face pressed against Elsa's collarbone. This is the most relaxed she's felt since they watched the movie.

Anna pulls back some immeasurable time later, heart finally settled. Elsa's only a foot away, looking down at her with an unreadable expression. Anna's eyes catch on something and she bites her lip self-consciously.

"Sorry," she whispers, staring at the bloodstain she left on Elsa's shirt.

Elsa looks down and a frown comes over her face. Somehow, Anna thinks it isn't because of the stain, but the fact that it's Anna's blood. "It's fine," she answers just as quietly. She looks back to Anna. "Will you be alright?"

Anna gives her a small smile. "I'm better already. I'll umm…I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

Elsa nods and walks slowly back to her room, shutting the door softly behind her. Anna opens the door to her room and gathers what she needs to wash up.

When she turns on the shower's spray, she makes sure it's hot enough to burn away everything but the feeling of Elsa's arms around her.

A/N: Sooo...that got a bit darker than I had planned. Next chapter will be lighter, I promise.

Glossary-

Manticore (Anna compares Elsa to one)- mythical animal with a human head and face, a lion's body, and a scorpion's tail. Its tail is equipped with quills that it can fire like arrows.

Mongolian Death Worm (Kristoff's assignment)- bright red worm that's 2-5 feet in length. It's hard to tell its head from tail as it has no visible eyes or mouth.

Mapinguari (Anna's first assignment)- ape-like creature with red fur, one eye, and backward-pointing feet.

Amomongo (Anna's second assignment)- hairy, man-sized ape-like creature with long nails.

Triffid (creature with poisonous tongue)- from John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids. It is a tall, carnivorous, and venomous plant.

Cockatrice (creature that gives Anna three marks down her face)- winged reptile with the head of a rooster.

Sigbin (Anna's last assignment)- resembles a hornless goat and has a tail that it uses like a whip. It is said to come out at night to suck the blood of victims from their shadows.