chapter six: new person, same old mistakes
Pennsylvania, October 2022
She had made a mess once again.
Elsa eyed the falling snow from her office window, a crease on her forehead deepening. The glass window had frosted over after days of a blizzard in downtown Philadelphia and its surrounding towns.
The AO was hosting a function tonight for a Halloween event, but it was really a sumptuous excuse for executives and financiers alike to blatantly mingle and gloat about how their profits have equated to sports cars and whatnot.
She rubbed the heel of her palms. She was never good at these kinds of gatherings, but throughout the years, Elsa learned what people expected out of her.
"The Andersens pulled out," Beni proclaimed. "They said that…"
Elsa turned her attention to the statute of her assistant who was leaning on her desk, his head down.
"Benicio, please finish what you were going to say."
"They sent a statement stating that they're regretfully pulling out of AO because their values have shifted," he said as if reading a letter.
She couldn't help but laugh, "Values? That is convenient, is that all?"
"Everything was fine until the broker delivered the news of the succession." He huffed, making his way to the white couch. Beni grabbed the glass on the center table, and he clicked his glass with the white vase, "What's in here?"
"No vote of confidence, huh? It would be way easier if they were just to say the truth," Elsa sighed, flipping her platinum waves to her shoulders. She walked over to the parallel couch to Beni and sat down. "And it's water with lemons in there."
"Girl," he complained, pouring the contents of the vase into his glass with a rueful look.
"It is the afternoon," she pointed out. "But if you're that thirsty for tequila, worry not, you have all night tonight."
"These dumb-headed ties don't know how to party." Benicio rolled his eyes. "I'm going to a different party after this with people who are actually having fun. You should come with me!"
"You want me to miss the first AO event held after my succession? Do you hear yourself?" Elsa crossed her legs and seized Andersen's legal statement regarding their exit strategy. She flipped the pages of flowery words of nonsense and rolled her eyes.
"You know the old one never showed up in any events? Didn't even show up for a private event with our investors at all, no offense, may he rest in peace."
She lifted her head from the documents and declared, "I do things differently."
"You'll miss out on all the fun and you are going to regret it," he sang-song.
"It still can be fun, you know?"
"Well have fun alone because I'm going downtown in a bar with my friends and if you want to have a life outside this," he tapped on the white vase, "Put some vodka here and go outside."
"What is it with you and getting me to drink?" She cocked her head to the side, her brows raising.
Beni heaved a heavy sigh. "You are the oldest twenty-five-year-old I know and I'm being genuine."
"And you are the most audacious secretary to a President of a company that I know of," she glared at him. "Make sure everything is good to go tonight before you go downtown."
"I will, I will," he reiterated, gingerly getting up from her couch. "But for the love of god, Elsa, please have fun tonight. It won't hurt to try."
Jack massaged his temple with his free hand.
Patience, he was practicing patience these days. Scanning the room full of swaying heads in a low-lit room with lasers zig-zagging the perimeter, he was starting to feel his age.
He was led to believe that this was a company event, turns out, it was an open invite to everyone in the hotel as well. And oh boy, it was as if everyone and their mothers were here. Jack didn't know why he still bothered with salutations and 'excuse me' as he ambled between the puzzle pieces of the bodies that populated every square inch of this place. But the Spirit was side-stepping for his life, not only because the sensation of getting passed through was a hollow and distressing sentiment, but these people stunk.
Somewhere here was Jamie and his friends, dancing and not drinking—Jack was pretty sure they pregamed already, and he pretended not to notice 'cause he refused to be a fucking narc—their feet moved way too fast when they got here so now they were nowhere to be found.
And no matter how cool the decorations and the lights and all of that were, it was already getting old. He bet he had about two hours in him before he started throwing snowballs at people.
He gripped his staff tighter and let out a painful groan. It was humid in this room and the music was too loud. The Guardian reluctantly attended the Halloween party in hopes of finding out what kind of troubles lay in The AO, but he'd be lying if he were to say that his presence was for that particular reason alone.
In fact, the minute that Jamie invited him to come with them, he was hoping to bump into a certain blonde-headed woman in the hotel. He imagined different ways how to talk to her and get to know her more and set up different scenarios so Jack was ready.
He was such a fucking loser, to be honest.
She saw him first before he did, and hated the way it was so dark in the venue that it even dimmed his silver hair. Or maybe it was because of the rounds of whiskey on the rocks she was nursing.
Elsa's eyes snapped back to the woman she was talking to, the wife of one of her investors, she remembered. She was a beautiful older woman, proudly wearing the grays of her hair. Elsa tried to mirror the red-lipped smile that she wore.
"Congratulations on your new position, darling. You know—"
Here it comes.
"My son, he's in Europe right now handling some business. He's also next, succession-wise, but way further down the line. You and him are very alike, let me set up a date for both of you to have a good chat."
And there it is again. For the fifth time, and it's only an hour into this party. "Thank you, Mrs. Grant, but I'll have to pass on your offer. I'll be very busy soon."
"Doing what?"
"Making money mostly." Her eyes flicked down to the ice cubes swirling in her glass.
Against better judgment, Elsa took another drink.
Yeah, that was the last time Jack listened to Jamie, that was for sure.
He already circled around the AO quite a few times. Considering how gigantic the hotel was, that was a feat in itself.
After that, he came back inside the event, watched Monty and Caleb tumble and laugh over a piece of decor, told Jamie that it was a bad idea to try and eat said decor, and watched Cupcake, Claude, and Pippa pull out their phones to record Jamie taking a bite of said decor.
Clearly, there wasn't a threat for tonight, if you didn't count teenage stupidity and underage drinking, then it was probably time to head back and call it a night.
As he walked to the lobby, he spotted a guy dressed up with bunny ears and holding a basket of eggs.
That was his last straw, unironically.
It wouldn't have mattered, if it weren't for the fact that he saw:
A couple dressed as a dentist and a tooth fairy.
Santa Claus making a run for the bathroom after his eighth Jägerbomb. Jack could have sworn that guy pissed himself too.
A person throwing sand everywhere, as Sandman (albeit Sandman from Spiderman—but Sandman nonetheless.)
A full damn Yeti animatronic suit.
A girl dressed in an elf costume, making out with yet another Santa Claus. (Jack should have just stabbed his eyes with his staff and bled out.)
Fine, maybe he would have been still fine and less butt-hurt if he saw all of these in one night and at least one single Jack Frost costume in sight. But the second reason why he attended this event wasn't anywhere to be seen so that was just awesome.
The only person who could have seen him and maybe talked to him was the only person he didn't bump into. Meanwhile, the Fake Sandman unknowingly threw sand at him five freaking times on separate occasions.
Jack looked through the window and saw the moon flickered with bright light. "Oh Manny don't look at me like that," he started, "I stayed for three full hours. There's nothing much I can do there."
He continued with a sigh. "Fine, I'll do one last round but I'm serious, I'm done for tonight."
The Spirit walked aimlessly through the hallways and lobbies of the four wings of the building. He even busted open the ballroom just to find out that well… it was indeed a ballroom.
He did rounds in places that were not even open to the public. Some guests were walking around drunk but eventually found the room they were supposed to be in. Everything was fine and normal.
Jack's last stop was the pool area.
The AO had two pools, one on the fourth floor which was an indoor pool, and the one on the rooftop. Jack began his trek from the lobby all the way up (he took the elevator up just to feel something) so it made sense to end at the top and let the wind take him from there.
The Spirit pushed the rooftop doors, his feet hitting the soft crunch of fresh snow. He smiled at how the wind whirled, hoisting the white specks into a waltz. Jack closed his eyes as a snowflake landed in his lashes, inhaling the brisk air as if he'd been suffocating for the past hour.
Intent with grounding himself now, he listened to the circulation of the wind, the beeping of cars below, and the splashes of the chlorine water of the pool—wait, what?
"Holy shit." His knees buckled as he saw the President of The AO in the rooftop pool, fully clothed and half-submerged in the semi-frozen water.
"Hmm?" Her chin lifted up from under the surface, the front pieces of her hair sticking to her cheeks.
"Elsa? Are you– are you okay?"
"Oh." She met his gaze, her eyes glassy and Jack thought that maybe for the first time since meeting her, her lips beamed into a real smile. "Hi, Jack."
The Winter Spirit didn't miss the way she blinked hazily and slightly fluttered her arms under the water. Jack scurried nearer to the pool deck, his foot heavy with every step. Could she have fallen? Maybe experiencing hypothermia?
Jack reached out a hand but stopped halfway, recalled what type of spirit he was, remembered the way Baby Tooth sneezed at the palm of his hands as he tried his best to warm her.
He faltered, opting to kneel on the snow-covered pavement. "What are you doing? It's below freezing!"
"You're the one with no shoes on," she responded with a surprisingly silvery voice.
"You're in a half-frozen pool," he argued, debating whether to pull her out himself or not.
Elsa bit her lip and tilted her head lazily, "I was burning."
Jack waited for her to finish her explanation but the President seemed content with the three words she slurred. He dared not to trace the lines that connected from her jaw to her neck, tried not to memorize the way the fabric of her dress clung to her like a second skin.
The Spirit fixed his eyes on the snow, "Is that all? Are you getting out?"
"I underestimated whiskey and lost count of how many glass—glasses I drank."
"And now you're in the pool," Jack commented with his eyebrows knitted. Fuck, why was his mind blanking on the numbers in relation to human limits and weather temperatures? How long had she been in the pool?
"And now I'm in the pool," she echoed, her eyes burning through his own with a level of intensity that was making him feel light-headed.
Yeah, this was not a good idea, at all. "It's time to get out of here."
Elsa blinked slowly and looked down at the water. "Okay."
Leaning forward as his body recoiled with hesitance, he put out his hand for her to reach. And instead of using his hand to hoist herself up, she used it as an anchor to pull him straight into the water.
He could count with his fingers the last time his ass got handed to him, but he never expected it to be from Jamie's boss. When he blinked at the chlorine water, he could hear a muffled laugh from beneath the surface.
Even with the disorienting innervation underwater, when she eventually grabbed his hand again to pull him up above, Jack felt a spiking sensation at the touch.
"I'm sorry," Elsa said in between hiccups, "I heard your commanding cadence and immediately took offense."
"Haha," he grunted, trying his best to look unamused, but failing to, because it was kind of fun to see her like this. It was kind of fun just to see her in general.
Jack tried to distract himself, not wanting a reminder that he was mere inches away from her. If he looked her in the eyes, he could probably see the water droplets weighing on her lashes or the way her smile still hadn't dimmed a bit.
"I guess I've been cold to you," Elsa mumbled. "I do that sometimes."
"It's nothing, really," he assured.
"Is it though? It's not fair, you're a guest just like everybody else."
"I've been treated worse," Jack maneuvered his body to turn by the pool stairs, hoping to start their trek out of it. "Let's get you somewhere warmer."
She'd mumble about a secluded locker room for the hotel employees. Shouldn't be disturbed by anyone there and should be close enough to avoid her from getting hypothermia.
Getting out of the pool was surprisingly an easy feat, it was the walking to the locker room that was a slippery slope, quite literally. Refusing to put back her heels, which Jack completely understood, Elsa wobbled barefoot on the pool deck, droplets of water dripping onto the snowed cement.
The Winter Spirit's hand ghosted over her spine, supporting her precarious gait.
His attentive eyes studied Elsa trying to punch into the employee locker room. Her slick fingers coated the surface of the keypad door lock as she sighed endlessly. Jack thought about just pressing the code with the end of his staff to get it over with but he thought about how she pulled him in the water to assert some type of dominance and thought maybe not.
Eventually, the keypad made a buzz paired with a resonant green light flashing.
Jack let the door close by itself once he crossed the threshold. For some reason, his feet were glued onto the dark gray tile floor as she continued to shuffle by the cupboards near the shower stalls.
Warm hues of diffused strips of light delineated the sizable mirror above the sinks. It cast soft shadows over Elsa's figure.
She wrapped a white towel over her shoulders like a shawl as she held another one for him to take.
"Thanks," he accepted and put it over his head almost immediately. He hated feeling the sticky strands of his hair latching onto his forehead and the trails that it left behind.
Once done with his dog-like drying techniques, he copied Elsa, who was now sitting down on the bench by the panels of lockers.
"It's not fair," she blinked.
"What is?"
"Just because you've been treated worse, doesn't mean I did any better."
"Still stuck on that?" He chuckled.
"Yes!"
"Why?" He laughed.
"Because!" Her cheeks flushing, she waved her arms in frustration. "I should have done better."
"Elsa, I am a stranger. An uninvited stranger you found in your office. I think you're being too hard on yourself. Is there a cup you can drink from?"
She pointed at the cupboards. He pulled out two glasses and filled it with the water fountain nearby. He gave it to her and mimicked how she drank her water.
Elsa took a big gulp and wiped her lips with her towel. "There was this time where I'd met a man, a colleague, who always took every opportunity to tear me down. He'd say flowery compliments to my face but when I made a mistake for like the first time in forever, he had made sure everyone knew. He even managed to sway the people I was with at that time. He called me names but I never did understand that.
He didn't know me so how could he just have all this hostility towards me? Indifference, I can work with that. But loathing? It's too personal."
"Well, that person sounds like a real shithead." He cross-examined."So are you saying that you held some type of animosity when you met me?"
"I wouldn't say animosity…"
"I don't think you were indifferent either."
The Spirit didn't understand where this was coming from. He had way worse conversations with other beings, and his interaction with Elsa didn't even come close to any of those. To be fair, the bar was low, it was kind of hard to tip Pitch Black's crown in that category.
"What I'm saying is," she took another sip. "I've been ruminating over how callous my actions were."
"I can tell," Jack stared in awe. He thought about how much she was thinking about their interaction like he had. "But trust me, you're off the hook."
"I hate when people make assumptions of my character despite not knowing me. But I did the same thing to you."
Now that piqued his interest. "Assumptions? What assumptions did you have about me?"
Her eyebrows furrowed and she shifted in her seat.
"I think I just saw— I don't know, actually."
"Ah… I reminded you of someone didn't I?"
"I don't even know. I'm not even sure what I am talking about." She stared at her glass.
"No, I get it," he didn't really, but he didn't want her to stop talking. "Although I stand on the hill that no one comes close to my looks and my charm, my friends do tend to steer away from yapping morons because apparently I already tick their quota in that department."
She let out a laugh, which made the corner of Jack's mouth curl. "You do talk a lot."
"I can't help it!" He announced with a bright smile. "All these groundbreaking thoughts and ideas, everyone needs to hear my brilliance."
"You are an idiot," she snickered.
"Now that's taking it too far," The Winter Spirit fake shivered. "Wow. Drink more of that water because clearly, alcohol turns you into a monster."
He took another sip of his water and put it down. Jack's index finger looped around the glass' rim, composing a reverberating note amidst the comfortable silence coming to rest between the two of them.
The Guardian wrenched his mind for any facts, topics, and news that he could rack up to talk about, but nothing was coming up suitable and adequate.
Elsa folded her hands on her lap, her nose crunching. "Why are you here? Your name's not under any reservation."
"Did you look for my name?" Jack teased. "Don't make me feel special Elsa or else I'll keep coming back."
She rolled her eyes. "Babysitting Mr. Bennett I presume?"
"Yeah, something like that," he chuckled. "Jamie and his friends… were put under our program years ago. It was my first case at the time and I didn't even want the job. Jamie changed that. We've been thick as thieves since then."
"Why didn't you want your job?"
"I was pretty aimless for most of my life. I liked being alone and just fucking around. But the Guardians—that's what my colleagues are called—helped me realize that I can have fun while serving an altruistic purpose." He took in a breath and sighed. "And this program and protecting these kids, it's my everything. They're the closest to a family I have."
She looked at the floor, picking on the threads of her towel. "And what about your old family?"
"I don't honestly remember them much. My parents were a blur but I remember my sister, Mary. They're just not with me anymore, they've all passed."
"I'm sorry," Elsa set her water down on the bench. "If it makes you feel any better, I know how you feel."
"You do?"
Jack studied her with reverence, her somber eyes landing once again on the tiles beneath their feet.
She faced him with a resigned sigh.
"I was a sibling too," Elsa smiled lightly, her eyes hazy. "But my parents and my sister, they're not here either anymore. All I'm left with is this hotel."
He didn't know what he did to collide with something so cosmic. Jack felt so connected with this woman who he'd only met twice.
Of course, the Guardian of Fun would never hope for people to experience what he'd gone through, because that would be just plain cruel. But wasn't it something when someone carried the same bearings as you? Jack saw it in her eyes, felt the way something stirred behind it, mournful and longing. He just wanted her to feel how fucking grateful he was to not be alone in all the literal sense, that she could see him, that she knows what it was like to be left alone to nothing but your job. He had this urge to hold her hand or say something in the likes of I understand you, or something stupid like that.
Instead, he settled on: "It doesn't have to be that way." He ran his fingers through his hair, feeling his cheeks flushed. "I had the same sentiments, but I didn't even realize how lonely my life was before the Guardians until I had them."
"I'm not like you though, I don't have close colleagues or close friends for that matter," she informed him. "As a matter of fact, this has been the longest conversation I've had with someone, not regarding the hotel. I like being alone."
"Don't you find that lifeless? I mean what do you do in your free time?" Jack grimaced.
She shrugged and looked up at the ceiling as if to think. "I answer emails, meet with my assistant, and attend stupid parties to please investors."
"But that's work, Elsa. You're working." Jack expectantly looked at her with wide eyes. Her expression, was unreadable, as always.
"And?" She raised her eyebrows. Her hands loosened the grip on her makeshift shawl, the white towel descending lower and lower on her back. That didn't distract him though.
"What do you mean?! That's boring! That's not even free time, that's work." He exclaimed, not like his hobbies are any better though. People watching was as low as it went when it came to hobbies, but god dammit he was learning to knit. (He loved flying but that was a given.))
"You just said that your work is everything to you!" Elsa responded.
"My work is fun," he justified.
"Mine too," she retorted back, her tone going shrill at the last word.
"Oh really?" She nodded at him. "Well, my work has never driven me to get wasted and jump into the pool in freezing temperatures to avoid said work."
Elsa squinted her eyes. "Touché."
"You've got to have something fun you like to do in your free time," Jack sighed. "Except for getting drunk and jumping into a pool."
"Shush!" Elsa held a finger to his face, "Do not mistake this as a habitual thing. This night was a fluke, nothing more."
"If you say so," he laughed.
"The hotel is my everything, it bleeds through every aspect of my life. It's hard to part with it when the day ends."
"Have you ever thought of having friends? Having fun? Living your life?" He inquired. "I am available after hours, you know." Jack bit the inside of his cheek.
Elsa leaned in closer, making the hair on his arms rise up. "You are persistent. I don't need nor want a friend. Why does everyone think I need to have fun?!"
As if talking from experience, he said, "Because it's one of the simplistic human luxuries that everyone can afford."
"Oh and now you're deciding to enlighten me with your philosophy?" Elsa scoffed.
He threw his head back. "God, grow up Elsa, and start neglecting your work responsibilities."
"What is wrong with you?"
A lot, but before he could answer verbally, an ear-splitting noise cut through the air.
"What's that?"
A series of screaming echoed under them. The ground beneath them shook, and the foundation of the hotel jolted. Her alarmed eyes found him as both of them held onto the bench.
"That has to be a couple of floors below us." Elsa surmised, jumping up from the bench and leaping to the door. "I have to go."
Guilt racked over his body, remembering why he was in the hotel in the first place. Manny wanted him to oversee the hotel and what did Jack's moronic ass do instead, play mermaid with the hotel's owner. Fuck, the kids were down there too and he couldn't even form an idea where they might be. He needed to find them.
"I'll go with you." He said hurriedly, his voice riddled with remorse.
She shook her head. "You don't have to."
"I'm going," Jack stressed through his teeth, opening the door for the both of them. He gestured for her to go first; chivalry beyond all.
"So goddamn stubborn," she muttered under her breath before exiting.
⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ ˚୨୧⋆｡˚ ⋆
no beta til i dieeeee. #dontcare #plzbekindtome. i eat comments for breakfast so #feedme.