Updated early. If I don't procrastinate on this, then you get it a day early. So congrats.

So I changed the last chapter's name to A Certain Smile because I realized I should save what it was previously called for a future chapter.

Has anyone figured out what each chapter title has in common yet? I'll reveal all when the story ends if you never eventually get it. But they all have something in common :3

And I want to give a big THANK YOU to lauraknatt on Tumblr who made a big Fic Rec and featured Scars of a Façade and Sun Kissed alongside so many other fan fictions. Thank you for putting word of my stories out there, friend. I really appreciate it :)

Anywho, shall we move on?

It took another hour or so from the time Anna woke up to finally reach Salt Lake City. By then, the boys had gotten up and got ready for a day full of practice before the following evening when they were scheduled to perform.

"We're here a day early," Elsa said with a nod as they all stepped out of the bus. "Not bad."

"This is really great!" Olaf said enthusiastically. "I love Salt Lake! Ooh, Els, can we go souvenir shopping during lunch?"

"I have no interest in doing that," Elsa said blandly but gave him a smirk. "Take the kid with you."

"Wait, what?" Anna said, Olaf linking arms with her.

"You and I are gonna have some more friendship bonding time, that's what!" he announced joyfully. "It'll be a blast!"

"A blast then. We have to get practicing," Sitron reminded him, grabbing him by the back of his shirt and dragging him to the theatre, Olaf pouting all the way there.

Marshmallow followed close behind, sticking his big hands in his jeans pockets. Elsa and Anna walked together after them, Oaken unloading all the heavy equipment from the bus.

"You've been doing great, kid," Elsa said, clapping Anna on the shoulder with her gloved hand. "Our shows have never run smoother."

"Good to know I'm helping out," Anna said cheerfully. "It's easy work, like, I'm actually able to hang out and get paid. Wait, no. I mean that in a good way. Not that I'm slacking. I'm a really hard worker when I put my mind to it. Not that I haven't been putting my mind to it, of course, 'cause I have. I dunno if you've noticed but I have. And I'm totally grateful for the opportunity. After all you coulda had some creepy fan. Well, not that your fans are creepy but there are some that are a little… interesting. But most of your fan base is awesome!" Anna was waving her hands as she spoke, getting redder in the face as she tumbled over her rambling. "Not that I would know 'cause I'm not cut out to be a punk. Don't let my clothes fool you— but of course you already know that." She laughed nervously as Elsa stared at her, incredibly pleased to see a side of Anna she had yet to see. "I mean, you're the absolute definition of punk. But not one of those stereotypical—"

"Anna!" Elsa shouted, cutting the blubbering redhead off. "Calm down, kid. You're talking a mile a minute."

"Sorry… I'm a rambler and it's been a while since I've had a full on ramble," Anna mumbled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, a nervous tick she had longed to get over. "Ever since Merida left, I've hardly had things to say." She side glanced at Elsa, sending her an apologetic smile. "So I'm sorry ahead of time if I annoy you."

"You're always on the line," Elsa teased, grabbing Anna around the neck and giving her a noogie, earning shouts of protest from the younger girl. "You're an obnoxious but very sweet dork."

"Get off of me, you punk!" Anna hollered, landing a soft blow in Elsa's side, forcing the celebrity off and stumbling backwards, howling with laughter.

"Ooh, the kid's gotta good swing!" Elsa praised, continuing their route to the stage door. "No wonder Hans' tooth got the fuck out of his lying mouth. I'm pretty sure one of my ribs tried to make a break for it." She flexed her arms at Anna, flashing a stupid grin. "You're some kinda super hero aren't ya? That strength gotta come from somewhere."

"Knock it off," Anna pouted, the two of them entering the stage door and ascending the stairs to the backstage area.

"I'm just playing around. Take a chill pill and—" A wicked gleam in Elsa's eye alerted Anna to the pun before she even sang it out. "—let it go!" The punk cackled at her ridiculous joke and bounded over to her bandmates, Anna cursing herself for not seeing the phrase coming from a mile away.

Instead she plodded off to do her job around the stage, assisting the techies with setting up and other stagehands with moving equipment back and forth.

It was barely her second week into the job but she was getting a hang of things with ease. It wasn't an incredibly hard job anyway. All she really had to do was make sure Elsa and the band was taken care of.

But when the caterer said that they were unable to get Arrowhead water, Anna almost felt the world quake with the tantrum Elsa was sure to cause.

So Anna decided that it was her job to do the yelling.

She reached up and grabbed the burly caterer by the collar of his shirt and yanked him down with the brute strength that Elsa had complimented earlier that morning. She got nose-to-nose with the guy and bared her teeth.

"Do you want Elsa to find out there isn't any Arrowhead water?" she growled dangerously. "Because if there isn't any Arrowhead water, there may not be a concert. Do you understand me?" The man gulped but Anna kept talking. "You better go out and get some fucking Arrowhead right now. I don't care how inconvenient it is or how far you have to travel, you better get it here before lunch time or else there'll be a big problem?" She grabbed a bottle that was waiting innocently on the table to her left. She waved the Fiji water in his face. "This bullshit will not be tolerated! Got it?"

He nodded rapidly and straightened, hightailing it out of the stage in order to accommodate the water wishes that were passed from punk to roadie. With a smirk that would have made Elsa proud, Anna gathered the offending water into her arms and trekked over to Oaken so he may dispose of them properly to another changing room where Elsa couldn't see them.

While she watched the big security guard lumber out of sight, she heard laughter come from somewhere behind her. Olaf was giggling at her, incredibly pleased to see the little roadie take charge to those around her. He clapped jovially and she curtsied sarcastically, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Excellent job!" he praised. "I think you're the first roadie to do something about a catering malfunction." He winked at her and stuck out his gloved hand. "You ready?"

"For what?" she inquired, taking his hand with her own and allowing him to hold it kindly.

"Shopping, silly!" he chimed and started to lead her out of the amphitheater. "Then we'll get lunch. We need some more bonding time, don'tcha think?"

"You're one of the good ones. You and your brother," Anna said, frowning softly. "You're really spot on. Elsa's so hard to read. One moment she's giving me this sweet smile and then she's giving me noogies. How does that even work? What is she on?"

Olaf giggled again. "She's just doing what she always does. She's actually incredibly socially awkward."

"No… no, I don't think so," Anna said, shaking her head.

"Well, I told you. Hard to read for a lot of people," he said, giving her a sad smile. "But she'll make sense the more you hang out with her. And hey, Sitron isn't so bad, either!"

"I don't really know him that well, either," she sighed. "I got to get more bonding time with the other two. Marshmallow has already become my good friend."

"I'm glad!" he gushed. "The big guy is always proving himself to be a fantastic pal!"

"I can't believe you're the older one," she teased, the two of them finally hitting the streets of Salt Lake City.

"That's me! He just got our dad's genes. I got all my mom's!" He shrugged joyfully. "But I don't mind. It's always funny to see people's faces when we tell who is the older brother." His smile grew so Anna could make out the slight buck teeth. "When we first met Elsa, her jaw dropped to the floor and she asked us if we were joking."

"When did you meet Elsa?" she wondered.

"High school," he replied genially.

They entered a small souvenir shop and started browsing around the T-shirts and hats and other items that had Salt Lake City stamped on them. It wasn't very crowded and made it easy for them to navigate around other costumers without losing each other and going on a wild goose chase.

"Did she always wear those gloves?" she asked as they came to a stop in front of a rack of shirts with assorted logos and pictures.

"Oh, goodness no," he said, raising his brows. "The Elsa I knew was completely different from the one you know now."

"You're joking."

"Nope."

Anna suppressed a snort. "I don't believe you."

"Maybe if we stop by our hometown, I'll show you some pics," he said. "I'm sure I still have some in my photo album at home." He scratched the back of his head with his gloved hand. "Although, I dunno if Elsa would be comfortable with that."

"I'll just keep it in the back of my head," Anna offered, picking out a plain black shirt with a snowman dressed in a tuxedo on the front. "Whaddya think? This is very you."

He laughed at it and took it from her. "Very nice taste in clothing, Anna. Maybe I'll buy it!" He took the sleeves between his index finger and middle finger and mimicked making an incision. "I could turn it into a tank!"

"Why?"

"'Cause I like 'em. I love the heat and can't stand long sleeved shirts… unless it's winter."

They made their way around the store a little while longer and Anna picked out an olive green crop top with a faded heart in the center or it that had called her name from across the room. With shopping bags in their leather bound grips, they continued their route around the city, talking and laughing as if they were old friends.

It didn't quite feel she had known Olaf forever but he was so relatable and sunny that it was hard not to feel a closeness to the childish goof. He was easy to talk to, that was for sure.

They entered a few more shops and bought some trinkets and shirts together. Like many of the band members of Dry Ice, Olaf was recognized and stopped by fans and was asked for his autograph. He would kindly oblige and take pictures, selfies, and even give hugs to his fans. As they entered a mall to hunt for some food in the food court, Anna was battling with a question she desperately wanted to ask since they had left the first store.

When she asked about the gloves, Olaf was astonished at the thought that Elsa would have worn the things outside of her punk persona. As if they were a complete no-no in high school. Not only did it pique Anna's interest on who Elsa really was, but it made the gloves seem more of a mystery.

As they waited in line for a Panda Express, Anna stared down at the leather that protected her freckled hands from the elements and was most likely giving her the worst tan in the history of tans since her father's sock tan. Everyone in the band wore gloves, Oaken wore gloves… now Anna had jumped the bandwagon with the rest of the fandom and donned the things in honor of the rock star that made girls and boys alike fall to their knees.

But why?

After they paid for their food and picked out a table, Olaf was the first to dive into his egg rolls and chow-mein as if it were his last meal. Anna meekly picked at her rice, teal eyes clouded over. With a slurp of his soda, the guitarist eyed the roadie up and down, sensing the pensive mood radiating from her.

"Penny for your thoughts," he said cheekily.

"It's nothing really," Anna mumbled, leaning her cheek into her hand and stuffing her mouth with orange chicken.

"C'mon! It's clearly something," he pointed out needlessly. "Seriously, I'll give you a penny!" He dug into his pocket and fished out some of the change he had received a few stores ago, slamming a tiny copper coin on the tabletop before Anna.

She stared at the penny before letting her eyes wander up to his face, finding that cartoon grin waiting for her. Anna couldn't help but to smile back, taking the penny.

"Alright, Olaf… now feel free to not answer the question," she said slowly, earning an understanding nod. She took in a deep breath before plunging in. "What's the real deal with the gloves?"

The expression of curiosity on Olaf's face melted into one of grimness and uncertainty. It was then did Anna realize how deep she was treading into the personal waters and was pretty sure she had crossed the line.

Of course it's personal, she scolded herself. You've hardly had time with these guys and you're expecting it to be answers galore.

"Anna, to be perfectly honest with you, that's not a question for me to answer," he told her, genuinely appearing apologetic. "That's Elsa's department."

"Oh…" Anna said quietly, losing her appetite.

If she asked Elsa, would she receive a cold glare and a silent treatment? Would it be something that would be banned from conversation ever again? And would Anna be stripped of her own gloves, as if she were losing some kind of ranking amongst the band?

"It's not my place to reveal such information," Olaf said quickly, horrified at the shameful look on his friend's face and was quickly trying to assure her that it was a common question. "Elsa's been asked that before, believe me, but it's really up to her to talk about it."

"I understand," she said, offering him a thankful smile. "Thanks anyway, Olaf."

"Not a problem!" he sang. "She won't hate you, I know that for a fact." He winked at her. "Just don't try to drag it outta her, yeah?"

Anna giggled. "I promise I won't."

The after party the following evening was one Anna decided to attend. To show her that being at parties weren't all bad, Olaf was glued to her by the hip so she could join he and his usual gang of whooping hyenas. Olaf was genuinely funny, the redhead was pleased to discover for herself. She was doubled over half way through the evening for the umpteenth time after one of his stories, tears streaming down her freckled cheeks and her sides hurting. The others all around her were cracking up just as much, the guitarist smiling humbly at his audience.

Sometime that night, Anna had finally broken off from the group to get a drink and find one of the other band members. Marshmallow was also attending the party, holding up a conversation with a few fan girls. She let him be so he could blossom and get more social without the help of the roadie. Elsa was somewhere in the corner with one of the party-goers and was really getting down to business with the girl.

With a roll of her eyes, Anna headed out to the balcony instead, taking a large swig of her beer. To her surprise, she found Sitron completely sober and enjoying a cigarette, gazing out to the Salt Lake City skyline.

"Hey, horse head," Anna teased, leaning on the railing beside him.

"Hey, ginger ale," he replied, sending her his crooked, toothy grin. "How ya doin'? Being a good girl?"

"Oh, of course not," she said sarcastically. "I'm drinking underage. I'm such a badass. I'm pretty sure the cops are on their way."

He chortled under his breath. "Sorry. I had to call 'em."

"Party pooper." She took another long drink before coming up, smacking her lips to test the aftertaste of the brew. "I'm shocked to see you're not causing a scene inside."

"Eh, that gets old after a while," he said with a shrug. "But I'm probably gonna start up again the next time."

"Whatcha doing out here anyway?"

"Getting some air."

"And yet you're smoking?"

"It's a habit." He took a drag before blowing the smoke out in a neat line until it billowed out into the wind. "But I can't quit."

"You're aware it's unhealthy, right?"

"Oh, of course," he said. "I'd be an idiot if I didn't. But I love these little fuckers too much to quit."

Anna smiled wryly. "I get it. So you're just hanging out?"

"Yup. What about you?"

"I was looking around for one of you guys. Olaf is hilarious but I decided to give my lungs a break from laughing so much… although my lungs aren't exactly happy with the secondhand smoke." She winked at him as he rolled his eyes. "Marshmallow is being chatty and Elsa's… she's making out with some girl."

"She does that a lot."

"Why? She never sleeps with them! She's a giant tease."

He let out a laugh that sounded like a horse's whinny. He tapped some ash off the tip of his cigarette before putting it between his teeth. He didn't respond to the roadie's exasperated statement, simply grinning at her confusion on why Elsa was one to fool around but never make the ironic commitment of a one night stand.

Instead, he continued to stare out into the city, his lopsided smile reminding her very much of Augustus Waters but with a lit cigarette and without the tragic ending. Anna fiddled with her beer bottle and watched the sky line, too, letting the image whisk her away into a stupor of deep thought.

After a couple of long minutes of silence between the two, a few partiers coming and going for a quick smoke and conversation without the noise, and the smell of the familiar coffin nails, Anna decided to ask Sitron his opinion on the question she had asked Olaf the day before.

"Hey, Sitron…"

"Hm?"

"Do you think it's a good idea to bring up these—" She lifted her hand, palm facing the bassist. "—to Elsa?"

"Hands?" he said stupidly, furrowing his brow.

"No! The gloves," she explained.

"Ohhh. Shit, I dunno," he shrugged, finishing off his cigarette, putting it out on the railing and flicking it off the balcony. "It's not like others have been curious before."

"Do you know why?"

"'Course I do. Oaken knows, Olaf, Marshmallow, and I'm pretty sure Kai does too," he said. "It's Elsa business though. We just go along with it 'cause we're a family."

"Elsa said I'm not part of the band," Anna said softly.

"Don't know what to tell you, Anna," he frowned. "Look, don't take what she's says personally. Elsa's a very sheltered, walls up kind of gal. If you get under her skin enough, then you might find yourself learning all about her." He patted her shoulder as he turned, making his way back inside. "Go and get some rest, kid. You've earned it."

He opened the sliding door and slipped back into the party, vanishing in the sea of bodies. Anna finished her drink and rested the bottle on the floor, stretching and cracking her back. Maybe Sitron was right. Maybe she should hold off on asking Elsa anything too personal and wait until Elsa was spilling her secrets to her in confidence. The gloves were clearly a delicate, yet popular, topic.

But the last thing Anna wanted was to be punched in the gut by a set of gloves being worn by the celebrity.

She took in one more breath, the scent of Sitron's smoke still hanging in the air, and headed back into the party. She pushed her way through the crowd so she could retrieve the room key from Marshmallow, who kindly handed it to her with a wink. She bid him goodnight and strolled out of the loud, booming room and into the quiet hallway.

The elevator ride a few floors below was also quiet, allowing her thoughts to roam from one to the other peacefully. Her room was a few doors down from the elevator and the hallway was warm, making her lids droop. She peeled off her gloves and let her hands get some air, stuffing the leather into her jeans pocket and strolling along the carpeted floor, her knock-off Converse making muffled noises.

With her room found, she stuck the card in its slot and it allowed her entry to the fresh and plain hotel room.

But she wasn't alone.

Elsa was sitting on one of the chairs, massaging her temple and groaning. Anna blinked and checked that she was in the right room, staring intently down at the paper with Marshmallow's scribbling of the room number.

"Uh… am I supposed to be in here?" she asked, looking up at Elsa, feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"Yeah," Elsa nodded, not meeting her eyes, her lids shut over her icy orbs, her head between her legs. "It… It was cheaper. And I didn't think you'd want to spend a night with the three idiots."

"Thank you?" It came out as a question. Anna was unsure how she should feel about sharing a room with Elsa.

A bus was one thing. They had to endure tight quarters but they all had their own personal space. But it wasn't like there was only one bed. Two queens rested side by side, the only thing between them being a nightstand. Then again, Anna had shared beds and hotel rooms with some of her friends before so it wasn't such a big deal.

"You alright?" Anna said, approaching Elsa, deciding to shove the discomfort from her mind.

"Yeah," Els repeated. "Just… fuck." She leaned back in her seat, her pale complexion tinted green. "I dunno what I drank but…"

"You need anything?" Anna asked, concern lacing her words. "I can run out and get some ginger ale. Maybe aspirin? You don't look so good. Like you're about to throw up."

"I'll be fine," the punk protested, swatting away the hand Anna had been extending to check Elsa's temperature. "I most likely drank too much."

Anna grimaced down at her but didn't press any further. The rockstar was clearly in no mood to be touched, even if it was going to be a gentle and caring one. It was an odd turn around from an hour ago when Elsa was forcing her tongue down some girl's throat (not that the girl wasn't enjoying it, of course). Turning on her heel, Anna strode over to her bed, shedding her jacket off her body. She wasn't going to take Elsa's crap now. She was tired and wanted to get to sleep.

Elsa had risen to her feet and staggered to the restroom, grumbling swears Anna didn't understand under her breath. Once the door shut, Anna kicked her shoes and socks off before removing her jeans, tossing them into a corner. She reached under and behind her shirt to remove her bra from beneath the fabric, throwing that with the rest of her clothes. With that, she slid underneath the crisp sheets with the same comfort her first night on the bus supplied her.

The room was dark when Elsa finally came out of the bathroom. Anna watched her silhouette move across the room to the bed next to hers. Slowly, Elsa crawled beneath her blankets, the gloves still glued to her hands. Anna turned over so she was facing the wall instead, giving Elsa the privacy to remove them if she wished.

There was only silence between them, their friendship on the awkwardest level Anna had ever experienced in her life.

With nothing else left to do or say, Anna let her eyelids slide shut and sleep overtake her. She could have sworn she heard Elsa wish her a goodnight before dreams infiltrated her mind and sent her along into unconsciousness.

The rest of the shows were flawless, as usual. Parties were left unattended by Anna, however, the redhead eager to get back on the bus and head into Boise, Idaho, which was their next designation according to Olaf. Instead, after the shows, Anna retreated to the hotel room and read, bringing along some pajamas for the rest of their stay. She and Elsa still shared the room, which was very irritating because whenever Anna seemed to drift into a dreamless slumber, the punk would burst into the room loudly, startling the poor roadie awake.

So the time on the bus couldn't come fast enough.

When it did, Anna was eternally grateful, making a promise to herself to never, ever, ever share a room with Elsa ever again. She'd share with Olaf or Sitron or Marshmallow for all she cared but Elsa was simply too inconsiderate. When she complained to the jovial guitarist as they drove to Idaho— her foot in his bare hands as he gave her a foot rub that he insisted upon giving— and Elsa being absent from the room, locking herself in her own to attempt to write a song, all he did was laugh.

"What did you expect?" he giggled.

"Frankly, I have no idea," Anna grumbled, leaning her back against the armrest of the couch, a magazine in her grip. She rolled her eyes up to the ceiling, letting them linger there. "I swear, it's like she has multiple personality disorder! I can't keep up."

"Nobody can," Sitron joked from the booth right behind Anna's head. She felt a leather clad hand rub her bangs and she grunted, batting it away in annoyance.

"Anyone who can keep up with Elsa is a saint," Olaf agreed. "And we are none."

Marshmallow chuckled from the couch across from them. "Not at all. Sometimes Elsa changes attitudes so fast, I get whiplash."

"You should write a song about that," Anna grunted, flipping the page in her magazine only to see Elsa's smirking face staring up at her from a recent interview back in Santa Fe. "Call it Snow Queen Whiplash."

All three boys laughed, making Anna very proud. It was clear to her that they were better at getting along with her than Elsa was. It gave her comfort to know there were some people that appreciated having her around.

Olaf was being a kind, big brother-esque buddy and took all the stress out of her with a simple foot rub. It was bliss, Anna mused, as he worked his thumbs into the bottom of her aching foot. The other two boys were simply hanging out, exhausted from their concerts and trying to regain some energy for their next set. Sitron was doing some sort of puzzle in the paper he had picked up before they left the hotel and Marshmallow was drinking a soda, reading a book on something Anna couldn't see. All she knew was it was a humorous book, for the big guy would chuckle under his breath every so often.

Elsa eventually showed her face, sitting across from Sitron with a bottle of water clutched in her gloved hand. She looked absolutely stressed out, her brow furrowed and eyes clouded.

"Nice of you to grace us with your presence, Majesty," Sitron quipped.

"Put a sock in it," Elsa spat.

All Sitron did was snicker, continuing his puzzle.

"Elsa, I don't think all that work is help you out," Olaf piped up, concerned for his best friend. "Give it a rest! You'll think of a song. All in good time."

"Kai isn't asking you almost every other day about it," Elsa deadpanned, sending him a reproachful look.

"Tell him to fuck off," Sitron stated blandly.

"I wish," Elsa sighed, letting her head fall onto the table top with a dull clunk.

"Want a foot rub?" Olaf offered. "After I'm done with Anna, I can switch to you. Really takes the stress away, right?" He looked at Anna for support.

"Oh, yeah!" Anna agreed enthusiastically. "It takes a load off."

"Thanks but no thanks," came Elsa's muffled reply. "I'll be fine without a rub."

"Suit yourself," Olaf shrugged, continuing his work on Anna.

"How long until we get to Boise?" Elsa asked, her head still planted on the table.

"A couple more hours," Marshmallow responded, scratching the shaved side of his head.

Elsa groaned bringing her fists up to the table and slamming them down on the surface, earning an unappreciative grunt from Sitron, the bassist rubbing away the mark his stray pencil made from the bit of turbulence Elsa's hand and caused. Olaf and Anna exchanged equal glances of worry for the lead singer, hoping that she wasn't working herself into the ground.

The door separating them from Oaken slid open and their bus driver spoke up.

"Hoo-hoo! We are almost to Boise but I have to stop for gas," he told them cheerfully. "Good time to make a run to the liquor store, yah?"

"I could go for a slushie," Anna said.

"Ooh, you just read my mind," Elsa hummed, lifting her head with a dreamy smile. "That sounds heavenly."

"I wanna take a quick smoke, too," Sitron added.

"We're approaching a rest stop so get ready," Oaken instructed before closing the sliding door to continue the route.

"Awesome!" Anna cheered, clapping her hands. "Slushies for everyone!"

Olaf let her foot slip out from his hands and he grinned. "Anna, you're an idea guy! I like that!"

"Thanks!" Anna giggled, swinging her feet off the couch. "And thanks for the rub. That really worked wonders."

"Glad I could help. Anytime you're feeling stressed, I'll take it off for ya!" He winked at her with his buck-toothed grin.

"Great to know," Anna said honestly, ducking down to collect her socks and sneakers.

"Really good idea, though," Elsa complimented, sliding out of the booth and sitting beside Anna instead, watching the roadie put on her shoes. "A slushie will really help me out. I love 'em."

"'Cause they're cold?" Anna grinned up at her.

"Just like my heart," Elsa countered, laughing behind her gloved fist.

"Ooh, a stab at yourself! Very lovely," Anna said, deciding to roll with the punches of Elsa's personality changes.

"I can't let everyone have a poke at me," Elsa winked.

Once Oaken pulled into a gas station, the band clambered out and made a beeline for the 7-11 that was awaiting them. Excitedly, they grabbed cups of all sizes and started pouring concoctions and mixtures of several different flavors into them, thankful for the cold blessing chock-full of artificial coloring from the unforgiving heat outside. With their drinks paid for, they returned to the bus to slurp on their sinfully sweet beverages inside.

"Mm, thank god for this invention," Sitron groaned.

"Didn't you wanna smoke?" Olaf wondered.

"Slushie over cigarette any day," Sitron said defiantly. "If you choose the latter over the former, then we can't be friends."

Elsa grinned. "Good to know you have your priorities straightened out."

Sitron sent her a thumbs up and toyed with his straw, humming pleasantly at the taste of Seven Up and cherry mixed together.

With the bus full of gas, they took off onto the highway once more. The group ended up playing a few rounds of Guitar Hero before it got tiring and Anna retreated to her bedroom to study, Elsa to her room to write, and the boys sinking into the couch to watch some television.

Not an hour later, the band arrived in Boise two days ahead of schedule, much to Elsa's pleasure. The sooner they get to the locations, she had said, the more time they can spend enjoying the scenery. Although Boise wasn't a huge tourist attraction, it was desirable for all five of the travelers— save for Oaken— to get on their feet and stretch their legs.

Instead of tagging along with the boys to go see some of the sights, Elsa and Anna headed into the amphitheater in which their concert would take place. They were walking along the auditorium of the theatre, Elsa trailing a finger along the plush seats as they strolled in a big space between VIP seating and general seating. The two paused in the middle of the room, watching as techies flew back and forth along the stage to get everything in place.

"It's weird to see it from this point of view," Elsa mused. "I just witness seas of faces all around here." She spread her arms out to her sides and made a circle, stopping when she was facing the roadie. "And every night I think to myself how lucky I am… not many people get to where I am now."

"That's true," Anna agreed.

Elsa dropped her arms and sent Anna her smirk. "What's with you? You seem a little off, if I may say so."

"I have… a lot on my mind," Anna said, shrugging and gazing out onto the empty pit, getting cleaned for the fans in two days time.

"Such as?" Elsa pressed, quirking her brow.

"…Nothing."

"It's clearly not nothing." The blonde rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. "Spill, kid. It can't be that bad."

"It's dumb," Anna mumbled.

The corners of Elsa's mouth twitched but she didn't voice whatever was on her train of thought. Anna glanced at her from out of the corner of her eye, fiddling with the question that was gnawing at her curiosity more and more with each passing moment. The punk seemed genuinely interested with whatever had Anna so pensive, leaning forward with anticipation.

"Okay… what I'm about to ask you… is personal, according to Olaf and Sitron," Anna said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "And when I ask it, please don't punch me or hate me. I'm sincerely curious."

"Shoot," Elsa said plainly, leaning back and nodding, giving her permission to ask.

"What's… what's with the gloves anyway?" Anna asked, immediately throwing her hands up in the air in front of her face, wincing and bracing herself for a storm of Elsa's shouts.

Instead, the punk snorted.

"Oh that?" Elsa said, grinning. "You wouldn't be the first to ask." She lifted one of her hands and held it up face length, giving it a wry smile. "But I can't tell you."

"Why not?" Anna demanded.

"'Cause it would ruin the whole show, kid." She flexed her fingers, her cat-like grin still plastered on her pale face. "Shatter the illusion of the band. Maybe I'll tell you one day but for now, it's my business and my business only. Understand?"

"I understand," Anna sighed. "I'm sorry I asked."

"Hey, it's no biggie," Elsa assured, resting one of her hands on Anna's shoulder. "Look, I'll show you I'm still cool with you and buy you a pretzel. You hungry?"

Anna offered her a thankful smile and they left the theatre together. And although she understood Elsa's words, her curiosity grew evermore. Something was being hidden beneath the leather and upon the pale hands of the rockstar and Anna wanted to know what it was if it was the last thing she did.

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