thecapitol | (no subject)

Who| Elsa and Hans
What| Elsa visits Hans
Where| Hans' room, then she invites him out
When| Present day
Warnings/Notes| N/A

It's funny, how a little freedom is enough to make you feel better than you have in years. Ever since she'd finally caved and went up to the roof that one night, she'd felt a burning desire to get out and explore. Maybe it was because the world around her was enough to distract her from the upsetting thoughts that plagued her, so she craved it more than she should have. It definitely made her want to avoid people less, and along with that she'd come to realize that at her lowest, she had been rather rude to some people.

Hans is one of them. He's also the source of a lot of conflicting emotions. On one hand, his and Anna's insistence that they are engaged is still something that rubs her the wrong way, if because it had lead to Elsa having to run away after her fight with Anna. But on the other, he had proven invaluable in their time here in this strange new world. She had no choice but to trust him and Anna seemed no less infatuated with him.

After giving it some thought, she figured it's time that she talk to him. He's not going away any time soon and the longer she allows him to protect Anna, the more she knows the two are going to fall in love. It's time to get to know the man who seems so intent on burying himself in their lives. Above that, she feels she owes him an apology, at the very least. She had disregarded him when he had offered help and that wasn't fair.

So, donning a recent purchase, she makes her way to his room. It's weird- she can interact with complete strangers without feeling nervous, but somehow meeting with him is making her feel a little nervous. As she approaches the door, she squares her shoulders and stands up straight. Slowly, she reaches out to his door and knocks a couple of times.

Clearing her throat, she calls out, "Prince Hans-? It's me, Elsa. Are you in today?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

A little like Anna, Hans doesn’t seem to have many qualms with how quickly he hoes into the pastry. He generally tries to mirror whoever he’s with, but it’s important that Elsa gets the ever increasing feeling that he and Anna are made for one another. It’s the little things that give the bigger impression, so he takes care to express it when he’s able.

“I’m sure there’s a lot about this we’d never expected to happen.” Some for the better, some not so much, but it goes without saying he’s sure. At the question, he’s at his leisure to nod enthusiastically. He has no reason to hide his enthusiasm for the place, even if he’d wanted to take it for his own.

“Absolutely!” His smile doesn’t fade as she dwells on the more awkward parts of his vacation. “You’re blessed with such friendly, hard-working people. They truly adore both you and Anna, it was wonderful to witness.”

Hans is extremely good at giving that impression. With each passing day, she can truly see why the two of them clicked so well. She still doesn't approve of the spontaneous engagement on their first meeting, but given a little development, she might easily approve of their relationship. The two are so similar, it's almost unfortunate that they hadn't met before.

"I know," she says with a nod, smiling fondly. "They've always been so kind to us. I'm glad they were welcoming to you, too."

She let a small silence fall as she focused on eating for a moment, before clearing her throat. "So... tell me more about where you come from?" she asked, leaning in a little curiously. "What made you decide to come to Arendelle?"

"To be fair, Anna did leave the kingdom in my hands when you both.. had business to attend to." He gives her a wry smile, knowing damn well it was a little reckless of Anna. It shows in his face, too. A resigned fondness for the silly girl. "I took good care of it while I could. I can't help worrying for it now." He gives his shoulders a small shrug, trying to focus on the new topic.

"The Southern Isles? Well. It's not much more different. We're coastal as well, fishing is very popular. We have a lot of fairy tales about mermaids." He lets out a soft laugh. "Our festivals are very fun. If we ever make it back, I'd love for you and Anna to visit during one. There's always a lot of dancing and a lot of food." He crinkles his nose in a cheeky smile. "As for why I came? Well, with twelve older brothers it's not often I get to travel alone! Everyone had prior arrangements and, to be honest, I was very curious to see the mysterious Queen." He gives her a sly smile, raising his mug to his lips to draw a long sip from it.

Elsa notes that look in his face as he speaks of Anna. It's a look she knows pretty well- she imagines if she had been around Anna throughout their life, it would be a look she used often. As it is, she can't help closing her eyes as she sighs, remembering full well the consequences of Anna chasing after her. She won't say anything, except in regards to Arendelle. "I'm sure it will pull through," she says, trying to sound hopeful. "It's gone through worse." She means losing the King and Queen. After all, things were fine up to her coronation.

For now, she rather focus on hearing about the Southern Isles, so she listens to everything he has to say, clearly interested- especially when he gets to the mermaids. But she doesn't interrupt, allowing him to get it all out. She's about to bring up the mermaids when he says the last part, and the words are replaced by a small laugh. "Oh- well, I imagine the mystique behind it all was much more fun," she says. "Anyway!" she continues, not wanting the conversation to dwell on her. "Do you believe in mermaids yourself?"

"Most kingdoms have, I think. This one seems to have been through its own issues, too." He observes, as if that weren't already obvious. "Fortunately, the Southern Isles has about a dozen spares for such a situation. We like to plan ahead." He gives her a grin, just so she knows he's kidding around.

"You're right. It is. The mysterious is always the more interesting." He gives her a barely noticeable, knowing look. Is he talking about her? Who knows. He's moving onto the next question already. "Well, I used to be far more skeptical, but recently it's been hard to believe they couldn't exist with everything that does." Is he talking about her or here? He isn't saying! Unless she asks, of course.