We're different and the same. [snowpen]

[hanssome]

Who | Hans, Elsa and OPEN
What | Hans teaching Elsa to defend herself, what a good time to make friends.
When | Week 7ish.
Where | The good ol' training center.
Warnings | Not as such, just Hans being Hans.

A few weeks ago, the idea of befriending Elsa had seemed impossible. It probably seems strange to outsiders, too. Given the none too pleasant events of the Arena. Elsa had approached Hans first, and there was no way Hans could be anything less than obliging. Needless to say, nothing had panned out the way he'd imagined it would when he'd first arrived, but he feels he can settle into it much easier than he'd ever imagined. It's a world where he's needed, recognised and respected on at least some level. There's a feeling deep within him urging him not to settle into it too readily, but with how inelegantly he'd left his own world, he can't easily imagine going back home.

It's laughable, of course. So that's an internal dialogue that will probably never escape his lips. For now, he's making use of himself in protecting the Arendelle Sisters. As far as he's concerned, they're his responsibility, but perhaps not for reasons as selfless as they seem. As it is, they're both liabilities beyond compare. Their scores are low and though they may be considered strong, they certainly don't have much of a defense against truly ominous foes. Ones that aren't him, anyway.

As such, Hans offered Elsa one on one lessons in self defense. He'd started with a sword, but he'd moved on to other weapons perhaps a little more suited to her, never quite verbalising the bitter thought that she had solid aim. It had been intended as a private lesson, but the two seem approachable enough. There are frequent breaks between practice, and a great deal of Elsa's time seems to be spent listening to Hans almost ramble on about the benefits and let downs of particular weapons. Really, it looks to be a fun day for all.

Comments

[Closed to Hans]

[frozenfractalsallaround]

Elsa really hadn't wanted to this at first, but the more she had thought about it the more she couldn't deny that it was for the best. He'd made some good points and in the end, she conceded defeat and agreed to start training with him. She found him frustratingly convincing when he wanted to be, and yet he did it in such a charming way that she couldn't even be annoyed with him.

She's starting to realize she enjoys spending time with him, something that given their first impression, she hadn't expected. But he's easy to talk to and he's one of the nicer people she's met in her life. It's really no wonder Anna likes him, she's found herself thinking every now and then. He's certainly marriage material, though she has a hard time approving of the marriage while they're still here, in this strange world.

But that's irrelevant. For now, she has her head suitably in the game and she's listening to everything he says during their breaks and tries her best whenever they start up sparring again.

Eventually though, she starts wondering if a sword is really "her". It feels a bit cumbersome and hard to get the hang of. "Prince Hans..." she says, her voice a little hesitant. "Would you be opposed to me trying out one of the bows?"

casually forgets to reply

[hanssome]

Her hesitation had to subside eventually. They could close their eyes and cover their ears for as long as they like, but it won't change the inevitable future. He had to be delicate about assuring it was the right thing to do. He didn't want to traumitise her with memories of what went wrong, but he needed to be firm about the benefits in the long run.

He knows he's growing on her, more than he'd ever hoped to. She'd always been the impossible and distant Queen to him and almost everyone he knew, now he could very nearly call her a friend. He had this crazy, awful place to thank for that. It's almost bothersome how perfectly it all slips into place when he can't take the throne.

When she speaks, it lulls him out of his thoughts and he's quick to nod approvingly. "Of course!" He'll even be so kind as to step forward and acquire a bow and arrows for her. "There's no reason to stick to a sword. A bow is just as likely to show up." He gestures for her to approach the targets. "Have you ever used one before?"

gosh!!

[frozenfractalsallaround]

Ah Hans, ever the gentleman. She smiles kindly at him as he takes one of the bow and arrows for her. With how nice he is towards her and how much he's helped her, she's getting to the point where she can call him a friend. It's not something she ever expected, but she isn't fighting it. In a place like this, having a friend is a good thing. It's even better when it's someone from your universe.

With his gesture, she steps forward to where he wants her at. When he asks the question, she really wishes she could nod and say that yes, of course she has. But the problem is no, she hasn't. She's been so sheltered all of her life, she's never had the opportunity to.

"No," she says, letting out a small sigh. "There's nothing in this room that I've ever used, for one reason or another. I... spent most of my time in my room growing up," she continues. She doesn't really want to get into that, though. She clears her throat. "So, are they difficult to get the hang of?"

[hanssome]

He can feel the tension easing between them with every friendly gesture. The memories of her reluctance to bless his engagement and all of the horrifying subsequent experiences are long behind them. The imagery of ice melting as they warm to each other is beautifully fitting, if not a little uncomfortable for Hans to remember.

There's no disappointment of confusion in his tone, a bow isn't everyone's cup of tea. He can't imagine there's much need for it when you can fire shards of ice at people with incredible accuracy.

"Not to worry! I'm sure there wasn't really a reason to expect you'd lose your powers." He gives her a sympathetic look and shrugs ever so casually. Instead of handing the bow and arrow to her, he'll raise it into position himself so she can observe. "It can be tricky to get the hang of, but once you do.." He pauses to draw in a breath, releasing the arrow as he exhales and letting it sail through the air to hit the outskirts of the bullseye. "..It's worth it."

With that, he'll hand her the bow. He's ready to guide her arms into position if need be. "My Mentor said that bows are easy to come by in the Arena, and they have the added benefit of being a long range weapon so you can stop people before they get too close." He realises that sounds morbid, so he'll keep going. "Of course, then you don't need to kill them. You could just, y'know, stop them."

[frozenfractalsallaround]

At his statement, she gives a small nod. Losing her powers isn't something she ever anticipated, so it wasn't as if she needed to learn how to defend herself- that, and the fact that she'd been isolated her entire life meant that she was screwed in regards to ever learning anything actively useful such as that. Her skills were purely academic in nature. Really the only time she'd ever particularly gotten to do anything with her knowledge of things was when she'd built her ice castle. Architecture isn't really going to help her when it comes to fighting in an arena against other people.

As Hans moves into position to demonstrate, she's watching him intently and nodding along to everything he's saying. It doesn't look particularly hard when he does it. Her eyes are on his hands, watching as he exhales and she follows his movements as he lets it fly. Her eyes dart to the target and she's impressed with how close it comes. She wonders if she'll have half as much luck with it. The movements look easy enough, though she imagines that has a lot to do with Hans more than anything. He makes lots of things look easy.

She takes the proffered bow in her hands, trying not to seem as apprehensive as she feels. She tells herself that it's stupid, that this is just training and there's no reason to actually be nervous. But the truth is, it's so much more than that. She wants to succeed at something, she wants to be good so that she isn't such a burden to him in the arena. It's all starting to come together, her motivations and desire for doing this. If she can just become self sufficient, then she won't need to rely on anyone else and she won't, by extension, hurt them.

"Stopping them sounds like a nice alternative," she says, a little absentmindedly as she moves into place in front of the target. Elsa is thinking hard on what she just watched, how Hans held the bow, how he knocked the arrow and how he let it fly so easily. "You can do this," she murmurs to herself, perhaps loud enough for Hans to hear if he's listening closely. She holds the bow up just as Hans did, gripping it a little too tightly. She places the arrow in the same place just as she watched Hans do, pulls it back and-

The arrow slips out of her hand and clatters to the floor, much to Elsa's embarrassment. "Sorry," she blurts out quickly, the irritation in her voice. She's angry at herself, for messing up something so simple. "Could you show me how to hold the arrow, please?"

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley never missed a day of training, and to find her newest friend and patient in the training hall was double the pleasure.

"Elsaaaaa!" She let out a cheer cartwheeling across the room with surprising agility to land in front of them "And Admiral Ginger Burns! Are we planning a surprise bachelorette party for Anna? I'll help!"

[frozenfractalsallaround]

Elsa was quick to turn her attention from Hans when she heard the familiar voice calling her name. She was a little surprised to find Harley here, but she realized that was silly. Most people weren't her, most people would probably want to keep their skills in top shape. So really, she had no reason to be surprised.

But her happiness at seeing her faltered when Harley mentioned the bachelorette party. "Wait, what?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing slightly. "Anna isn't going to need one of those any time soon, Harley. Prince Hans is just teaching me a few things."

[hanssome]

On the otherhand, the voice is mostly unfamiliar to Hans. He thinks mostly, because it is quite loud and it wouldn't be a surprise if it heard it before. He'll smile agreeably, particularly when she asks that, it's enough to make him chuckle good-naturedly at the nickname.

"It's Westergard actually. Hans Westergard, I don't believe we've met, but I see you know Queen Elsa." He smiles between the two of them, choosing not to draw too much attention to Elsa's skepticism.

[revvinguptheharley]

Harley made an amused sound with her lips at their reactions.

"Oh yeah sure. Elsa's a peach. Makes me wish I had a big sister, instead I got stuck with this lazy older brother...ah but his kids are cuties." She laughed with good nature.

"So what are we doing? Ballroom dancing? Swimming? Yoga?" As she spoke she in turn, spin on her heel gracefully, threw her hands to the air like she was swimming and then bent over backwards to stand on her hands. "I am buzzing on caffeine and ready to rock and roll!"

[xanthous]

There's nothing outwardly strange about the two humans - while he does find it odd that people are willing to teach someone who could very easily turn around and use the skills being taught to them against their teachers once the Arena starts up again, he knows it's common enough practice. Hell, he'd even had quite a few lessons in basic defense and offense and he's not quite hypocritical enough to judge others for trying to help.

(It's not like his lessons helped much in the long run. There probably wouldn't have been much that stopped fire and smoke.)

Still, he's not one to leave well enough alone, so he eases himself down on a bench that he's pretty certain is for lifting weights or something stupid like that, and watches them for a while. He hasn't had much time to watch any recaps of the Arena just yet, so he has no idea who these people are. He knows they're relatively new additions, but so far just as unremarkable as most of the other humans. He sits there and watches them, and while his opinion hasn't been swayed much, he has to at least comment on something.

"I think thhe'd learn fathter if you talked leth."

(Nothing like some friendly, solid training advice, right?)

[hanssome]

As far as Hans is concerned, even some of the humans here fall under his category of strange. Strange clothing, strange ways of talking. He often felt out of place. However, with two trolls in his district and a personal conversation with Some, it's becoming harder to be deterred by the things even stranger than weird people. As such, he'll only cast a vaguely suspicious glance at him as he passes by and fails to address him at all.

He pretends not to find it odd that he's being watched, and instead just intensifies his attention on Elsa, going into detail about the best angles in which to hold and move a sword. He might be going a little too far into detail, but you can never be too sure!!!

When Psii speaks up, his shoulders hunch together and he'll turn to face him properly in order to give him a properly unimpressed look. "I'm sure she'd tell me if it were bothering her." He'll give her a pointed look, raising a brow at her.

[frozenfractalsallaround]

Elsa has seen... a lot of weird things, in her time here. Having only recently gotten to the point that she leaves her room more often, though, she doesn't have much experience when it comes to trolls. She's seen them from a distance and just kind of assumed that they are people in costumes.

When he speaks up and she actually notices him and she sees him from a distance, she's less inclined to think that it's a costume. But she knows that people here are from all sorts of places, so the respectful side of her resists the urge to gasp in surprise. She does tense up, however, her hands clenching a little tighter together from where they're currently clasped in front of her.

"What? No! No, his lessons are very helpful," she says, a subtle edge to her voice as she attempts to sound convincing. "I need to know the things he's telling me, otherwise I won't understand what I'm doing. That's how you learn, by understanding what you're doing rather than just doing it."

She's kind of nervous right now, but she hopes she's hiding it well enough.

[xanthous]

After mustering up his most unimpressed look - which is pretty impressive itself because of how long he's had to practice it - the Psiioniic shakes his head slowly. It's obvious they're new, and while he's definitely not the sort of person to offer advice that's actually useful in anyway, he almost pities them. Or at least the woman, because she definitely seems way more out of depth.

"You don't really need to know the howth or whyth that make thomething better at thtabbing." He quirks a brow, shifting so he can bring his legs up underneath him. He has to get comfortable for the inevitable show these two are going to provide. "You're new to here, right? You jutht went through your firtht Arena and died in thome way that wath probably horrific and terrible and blah, blah, blah."

He waves a hand, as if doing so will dismiss any trauma they went through. "You won't get a choithe of what to do, tho I'd recommend working more on building up thtrength and thpeed then underthtanding thomething you'll probably forget onthe thomebody elthe ith out for blood, too."

[earthborn]

Shepard, generally speaking, spent her time in the training center equally divided between the punching bag, the variations on weight lifting, and lap-running, but most especially she liked to stand around the sparring areas and take on all comers. What can she say? She likes hurting people.

But today, when she's done with her warm-up rounds, she finds one Prince Sideburns and his friend, Princess Prematurely-Grey, taking up the usual spot. Alright, fair enough, she can handle a little wait-time. But, after a quarter-hour, it became apparent that this particular lesson-set wasn't going anywhere. Genteel Hans might be, but he's not what one might call naturally gifted when it came to instruction.

"Y'know, you might get a little farther here with less hardware theory, and more practical basics," she really does not know how not to butt into things, "It's not like we're going to turn anyone into some kind of professional duelist between now and the next arena, after all."

[frozenfractalsallaround]

So many people seem to think that Hans is talking too much, but Elsa doesn't think so at all. She much prefers the talking part of the lessons over the physical parts, as she's much better as listening than she is acting on what he's telling her to do.

Also, that's Queen Prematurely-Grey to you, Shepard.

She's quick to turn her attention to Shepard when she speaks, clearing her throat and standing up a little straighter. "Prince Hans is more than welcome to teach me however he sees fit," she says. "I see nothing wrong with his methods."

[hanssome]

Ah, Shepard. Hans has glimpsed her before in their quarters. She's a district familiar, but she's a bit of a wild card. He hasn't quite figured out how to act around her, but she carries herself in a way that assures him he should respect her. She's the last person he'd expected to encroach upon their lesson, but as far as anyone can tell he isn't at all bothered by the approach. Even when she calls his methods into question. That seems to be a theme here.

He holds back a sigh, keeping himself straightened and polite. He'll take the criticism with a nod of understanding, remaining silent as his gaze turns from Shepard to Elsa, again nodding as she speaks.

"I'm as new to teaching as Queen Elsa to dueling, it seems." He'll lift his shoulders into a very small shrug. "You make a good point, though. I will grant you that."

[earthborn]

"Maybe I'm a little spoiled in the region of combat-ready leadership," Shepard replied, staring evenly at Elsa. She didn't have to take lip from someone who's emotional outbursts caused friendly-fire incidents, "But let's say we let you two be in charge of telling people how to govern a country, and let me be the voice of authority when it comes to violence."

Hans seems to have gotten the memo, but this woman is... new. Very pale, very pretty; the stylists have got to love her.

"Elsa, was it? Look, I'm sure you've realized that lectures and theory aren't going to help you when someone much bigger and stronger than you are is trying to wrap their hands around your throat," she gestured wiltingly at Hans, as if to indicate him as an assailant; he's not the most imposing man by a sizable majority, but he had a foot of reach and at least twenty pounds on Elsa, to look at him, "I mean, I get that fisticuffs isn't exactly your cup of tea, but... D'you mind if I take over for a minute?"

[futilecycle]

It had been a long time since Sigma had entered the training centre. He had no intention of becoming a victor, anyway, and after a year of Games he felt he had all the experience in fighting for his life that he desired. Yet inside the last Arena, something had become apparent to Sigma... that if he were to be placed within a specialized arena, he may die before he had a chance to help those he loved, for there were certain weapons he had no idea how to use, certain shelters he had no idea how to build.

He made a mental note of all of these he was unfamiliar with. The first up was the sword - it was true that it was a simple enough weapon, but he had learned in his fight with Maximus that there was true skill in the ability to strike, deflect, and disarm that the Doctor lacked completely. He selected his implement quickly, a tall broadsword his artificial arms had no problem handling. Unfortunately, training by himself would be of no use to him, and as much as Sigma loathed speaking with strangers. Awkwardly sigma shot a glance to the couple training nearly, and he shuffled towards him. The male seems particularly competent...

Remembering his manners, Sigma addressed Elsa first. His speech was somewhat stilted, and he was clearly uncomfortable in the presence of others. "Pardon me, miss. Would it be alright if I were to borrow your companion briefly? I need you to do an old man a favour," Sigma smiles, nodding to the gentleman. He had no illusions that there were women who were adept with weaponry, but for his practice it would be best to find a foe of similar stature. He was certain approaching with the sword and his sportsmanlike attitude made it clear what he was about to request.

[frozenfractalsallaround]

Elsa's attention turns to him as he speaks to her, and she can tell immediately that he doesn't seem particularly good at conversing with people. She gives him a small, reassuring smile to let him know that she's friendly and not likely to judge him or think badly of him.

The request is a little surprising, but she sees no reason to object, either. "Of course," she says with a nod. "That is, if Prince Hans has no objections." Which considering how nice he is, she doesn't anticipate him having any, but she would feel bad just volunteering him without at least letting him have a choice in the matter.

[hanssome]

At first, Hans is eager to pretend as if they're alone in the center. Thus far, he's had his teaching methods critiqued enough to dread the approach of anyone. Sigma won't get much more than a glance as he assures Elsa his attention is on her. However, knowing they're being watched, he will at least try to sound as if he's building up to something more practical.

When it's clear Sigma is approaching, he'll soften his voice and then stop speaking entirely. His smile is much wider and brighter than Elsa's, but it's just as reassuring. The two make a disarmingly polite pair given the reason they're here today.

A brow raises at the request, but the smile doesn't falter at all. He's a man who enjoys a challenge, but his eyes are set on Elsa as he awaits her delegation. He'll dip his head into a small bow at her when she gives her answer, sizing Sigma up curiously. "So it's a spar you're after, right?" He cocks his head to the side curiously. "It might be good for Queen Elsa to watch." There's that hans-on experience they were after.

[futilecycle]

Sigma smiles back at Elsa, noting how she and her companion respected each other. He isn't quite sure what to think of a Queen and a Prince. He had never lived within a monarchy in his lifetime, but figured it would be the right thing to do to treat them with respect nonetheless. "Ah. Your Majesty, highness," Sigma says with a deep nod. He feels it would not be appropriate to bow if he did not even know where it was they ruled, but the title should be enough, for now.

Returning to the subject at hand, Sigma stands straight with his weapon relaxed at his side. "That is correct. I do not mean to interrupt, but training alone with a sword is rather futile. This should only take a moment." His cybernetic eye inspected Hans curiously. Sigma guessed the man may be proficient in the blade, given the brief hints at instruction he had noticed. Though Sigma had belittled himself over his old age, there was a reason he had been given a high enough score, and the cyborg intended on trying his best. Still, he doubted he could hold much of a candle against someone with years of practice. "Go easy on me, but not too easy, should I hope to learn," he chuckled.

[acroodawakening]

He needed to learn how to fight properly. Hunting was not the same as fighting and while he could throw a mean spear and had lucked into a few victories with speed and agility, he didn't stand a chance against more skilled fighters. The things he had to fight and trap back home were intelligent but usually not as smart as people and lacking such useful things as opposable thumbs.

Interested in what they were doing, eventually he gave up on trying to figure out the bow and arrow he'd been playing with and opted to creep closer to watch.

When they spotted him, they'd be treated to the sight of a strange little man wearing just a vest of leather and fur, tan pants, and furry boots. The skin of his torso and arms were stained with animal stripes and his hair was its usual messy mop. He was simply sitting there, legs folded underneath him, cheek resting on his hand. He looked fascinated.

"Don't mind me," he said, waving a hand at them. "Carry on."

[frozenfractalsallaround]

Elsa could see Guy out of the corner of her eyes, which made it hard to focus on what Hans was saying. It was hard to do much of anything when one was being watched- but Elsa did her best to ignore him. It was made even harder when his appearance was so... disheveled. She hadn't ever seen anyone quite like him before. She found herself watching him out of the corner of her eye a lot.

The whole ignoring him and concentrating on Hans was simply impossible when Guy finally spoke, and Elsa closed her eyes and sighed softly.

"You're more than welcome to participate in the lesson," she said, forcing politeness in her tone. "But it's a little distracting when you pretend not to be there. Please, come closer."

[acroodawakening]

"Oh. Ah. Sorry," he said awkwardly, stepping forward and looking to Hans to see if he was okay with it, too. He seemed to be the one instructing.

"I'm Guy," he said. "Guy Crood."

A pause. "If you show me some of this stuff, I can show you how to make fire or set traps. There might be something I can teach you, too."

It seemed like something that should get a fair trade.

[hanssome]

It wouldn't be the first interruption Hans has faced today. He'd been sure they'd garner an onlooker or two, but he hadn't thought there would be so much interest. It's a funny little mix of troublesome and flattering, but if Elsa doesn't mind he certainly isn't about to be the bad guy.

He'll step a little closer so he's side by side with Elsa, giving the stranger a small smile as she invites him into the lesson. If he's bothered, he isn't showing it, he'll nod politely as if to confirm that it's fine.

"My name is Hans, and this is Queen Elsa." He'll nod toward her, trying to humble himself by neglecting his title while remembering hers. "I'd say that sounds like a fair trade. I've been training with a sword as long as I've been able to hold one, but I haven't started many fires or set a trap before." Or so he would like you to believe, anyway.