thecapitol | Ice Ice Baby

Entry tags:

Ice Ice Baby

Who| Elsa and You
What| Two prompts! Ice rink and Clothes shopping
Where| Ice rink, and a clothing store in the Capitol
When| Present day
Warnings/Notes| N/A

[Ice Rink]

[The ice skating rink is a place Elsa has seen numerous times, and even thought about going to, but never did. It always felt "too soon". Like going somewhere with ice would be traumatic, and make her feel awful. But after the recent arena, she can't help but actually miss her powers. They had helped people- she had helped people. That's a feeling, regardless of any traumatic death in the end, that makes her happier than anything.

So after recovering from the trauma of dying once more, which is getting easier and easier to cope with, Elsa makes her way to the rink. She stares out over the ice for a long moment, before anticipation becomes too much and she grabs a pair of skates.

Moments later, she's out on the ice, skating with an almost uncharacteristically large grin on her face. For the second time, ice is no longer her enemy. It's her passion, her joy. She may not have created this ice, but it still feels like she's at home. She glides smoothly across it, doing little spins on occasion. She isn't an expert at it, but she knows her way around a skating rink.

Anyone nearby is free to approach her, if they happen to notice how happy she looks, or hear her laughing from time to time.]

[A clothing store]

[When the sky dims and darkness approaches, Elsa reluctantly hangs up her skates- but she isn't quite in the mood to go back to the tower just yet. So she decides to indulge in a little retail therapy. There are so many shops to pick from, she doesn't even know where to start.

Eventually, she finds one, though. It seems pretty fancy- and that's her style, to be honest. As strange at the Capitol is, she has to give them one thing; they have nice clothes. Odd, yes. But nice- and they're fun to look at, at the very least. Elsa begins to browse through the racks, a small smile toying at her face as she imagines herself in some of them.

After a while, she has a few dresses picked out. She holds one in particular up to her body in front of a mirror, scrutinizing herself in it. As much as she loves blue, she can't help but think a little change is in order, and she loves the way it contrasts with her pale skin. Still, she isn't quite sure.]

But is it me though…

[She muses to herself, sighing softly.]

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[There is a catcall and a whistle from behind and off to the side. Surprise! Harley Quinn is lounging in one of the chairs with her feet hanging over the arm]

Hubba hubba! That red really brings out your eyes!

[When Elsa hears the voice, she nearly drops the dress- both from embarrassment, and excitement at recognizing the owner of it. She hasn't seen Harley since getting back to the Capitol, so she's extremely happy to see her. She all but runs over to her.]

Harley! Hey! Thank you, but-

[Priorities. Prioritieees.]

Did you see what I did? Were you watching?

Of course I did!

[She springs from the chair with the sort of grace only Harley can manage and pulls Elsa into a hug]

I was so proud of you! Did you get the hot chocolate I sent? They didn't show it on TV.

[Elsa is so happy, it's likely that if Harley didn't initiate it, Elsa herself would have found a way to hug Harley even though she was sitting down. As it is, Elsa is more than happy to hug Harley just as tight.]

I'm glad- I was so happy, you don't even know.

[She pulls back at the question, before giving Harley a nod.]

I did! Thank you so much. I'm sorry they didn't show it- but it was delicious, and very thoughtful of you.

Yay!

[Harley celebrated this news by drawing Elsa into a second hug in almost as many minutes]

Well I knew you loved chocolate and since you were making your own water I figured you could figure out some way to use it. Besides that was a lot of work and you must have been scared. You deserved a reward!"

Looks good. Your stylist might be out of a job.

[Not that any stylists needed to worry right now. The job was ending up much harder work than most stylist fancied. Eddie himself was actually out here due to his stylist nearly shoving him out the door, declaring he could dress himself.

Luckily, he could. And he certainly didn't mind having something to do with his time.]

[And Elsa returns it just as enthusiastically, still high off the excitement of seeing Harley again.]

It was a very nice reward, Harley- and it was surprisingly easy to make, with how hot it was outside. It only took about an hour to have the water as hot as I would have liked- though... [She seems to have had a thought.] It didn't cost you too much, did it?

[Harley just giggles and waves a hand dismissively]

Never you worry how much it cost. It's my job remember? I go out and press the flesh and oil up those greasy egos out there to get donations. If I should choose to donate some of my own money that just means I like you more.

[A wink at that]

The important thing is you had a bit of comfort in an otherwise crappy situation. And that comfort kept you going a little longer.

[She gives a laugh, turning towards him, the dress still held up to her.]

You really think so?

[She looks down at herself, letting out a small sigh. It's pretty expensive, but... She's starting to think it's worth it.]

I would hate to put anyone out of a job, but it's hard to resist buying myself clothes.

Don't feel bad. They wouldn't feel bad putting you out of one.

[Stylists weren't really his favorite, to be honest.]

You usually go for blue right? Mix it up. You only live once.

[Elsa chuckles, though she isn't so easily brushed off.]

But I do worry, you know me. Will you at least let me buy you lunch to make up for it?

[She won't take no for an answer, but it's good to ask.]

Hmmmm....welllllll~

[She pretends to think about it then takes the girls hand delicately letting her wild eyes settle on Elsa's, she's practically buzzing with delight]

I'd love to. Do you have any place in mind?

[Elsa gives Harley's hands a squeeze as she pretends to think it over, knowing she's just doing it to be silly.]

Nowhere in particular, no. What's your favorite place? We could go there!

Oooo well I have alot.

[Because of course Harley has bounced around to several different places.]

But I think I know just the place for a date with the not-so-frosty Snow Queen. Have you ever been to the iceberg lounge?

Oh, they aren't all that bad...

[...Sort of.

But she gives him a nod.]

See, that's what I was thinking! I think my wardrobe could use with a little updating. But... well, I think people have come to expect me to wear blue because of my powers.

[She looks down at the dress, before looking around for a dressing room.]

Could you hold on a moment? I'd like to put it on so you can give me an opinion.

[The Iceberg Lounge. Elsa almost busts out laughing, before controlling herself with a small clearing of her throat.]

I haven't- but that sounds lovely. Let's go!

[She's about to go, when she realizes she's forgotten her dress.]

Oh, um... Just a moment, I'd like to buy this and maybe change into it. Is that okay? Or would it be too fancy?

[Harley grins like a summer sunrise]

Actually it's perfect. I'll spruce up a little myself over in this dressing room and we'll have ourselves a great time!

[Said with animated hand motions ending in a cheer to the heavens]

Wonderful.

[Elsa moves to disappear into one of them, changing quickly into the dress. It looks better on her than she could have thought, and when she leaves the dressing room, she steps out with it swishing around her.

As soon as Harley comes out, too, Elsa is quick to as her opinion.]

So, what do you think? I never expected to look so... good. I feel fantastic in it.

[Harley's eyes light up at Elsa's appearance and she grins wickedly.]

You are absolutely stunning! Ooo I love it!

[Harley's own outfit almost looks like a bunch of scarves wrapped around her body. Red and black alternating fabric stripes run up her arms and legs as well as a thicker set around her hips and upper body. Her thighs, shoulders and midriff are all proudly on display and on her belly three little black diamonds have been drawn in with marker.]

Seriously that dress is making you glow.

That's why you gotta keep 'em on their toes.

[He sprawls lazily across a chair, nodding to her as she heads into the dressing room. This isn't the first time, and won't be the last, though he isn't sure why they think his advice is actually anything more than him talking out his ass.

But Elsa is much sweeter than some Capitol broad paying for his time, so he's happy to help.]

Cat walk this shit out for me, Princess.

[Elsa is a little surprised when Harley steps out, and it might show on her face, because she isn't always the best at hiding these things.]

Oh, you look... good...

[She tries very hard to sound sincere, but she had expected something a little more fancy, to be honest. Now she feels a bit over the top in comparison.]

But thank you! Shall... shall we go?

[Elsa giggles lightly, and then disappears into one of the dressing rooms to put it on. When she looks at herself in the mirror, she's amazed at how different she looks, but in a good way. It's so far from what she's used to seeing, yet she can't help but think it's very... her, in a way.

So when she comes out there's definitely a spring in her step.]

So, what do you think?

[Harley just throws her head back and cackles at the forced compliment before taking Elsa's arm with her own and leading her for the door.]

You are such a sweetie, you're gonna make a great queen you know that?

[The citizens hustling and bustling around outside can't help but slow and stare when they see the two girls side by side and arm in arm. After all they are not only famous, but really very pretty. Even in her ridiculous outfit Harley is netting her fair share of appreciative glances and people twisting around as they passed so they could check out her bottom.]

[Elsa decides to focus on the compliment, rather than thinking about how it's unlikely she'll never get to actually go home. She's also pretty grateful that Harley doesn't take offense to her rather lackluster compliment.]

Thanks...

[She walks along with Harley, and as they walk and get looks, Elsa can't help but feel... good. It's been a while since she's been out and about so obviously, she usually sticks to side streets and whatnot to get to where she needs to go.

Having eyes on her is strange, but exciting.]

This feels weird. I mean, good, but... Weird.

"You get used to it." Harley remarked in a sing song sort of way. "And besides, we're pretty weird by our standards but by the standards of this nuthouse we're positively bland. We don't have scales or wings or funny tentacles, no plastic surgery either. You know how many girls would kill for a complexion like yours?" She winked.

"What I still haven't gotten used to is having an entire society as bubble headed as I am." she added with a few nearby citizens looking offended at the statement. "These guys are obsessed with fashion and style and the lives of people much more wealthy then they ever will be."

Elsa wasn't sure she would ever get used to it, though maybe that was silly of her. She had, of course, gotten used to a lot of other things, so why not being looked at? "Really? she asked, eyebrows furrowing. Was her complexion really that desirable? "I guess I'll take a good complexion over scales any day..." A nervous laugh.

"Sometimes, I think you might be a bit more bubbly than anyone here," she said, giving Harley a small nudge with her elbow to indicate she was teasing. "Not that that's a bad thing, though."

Harley grinned right back and bumped hips with Elsa appreciating her feeling comfortable enough to joke.

"I didn't always used to be so cheerful. Once upon a time I was wound pretty tight. Studying hard every day desperately trying to rise above where I started. But when you wind things too tight for too long it's not unusually for them to snap." She snapped her fingers.

"Lucky for me I had someone to guide me through that snap. Instead of becoming a quivering mess I bounced back like I was made of rubber." She chuckled "And it's been laughs ever since. Because what's the point of living if you never take time to enjoy it right?"

Her musing led them further into "The Diamond District" where some high class jewelry stores could be found along with other extreme luxuries. In the distance a cool blue building that seemed to be glowing was almost beckoning to them.

It did not look too terribly different from Elsa's Ice palace except less intricate and detailed, more jagged and thick.

Elsa couldn't really imagine Harley being different than how she was now. A less cheerful Harley would basically have been a crime, so she was glad that whatever happened to make Harley into what she was did happen. She also couldn't help but compare herself to Harley- because Harley was helping her in that same way.

"I'm starting to agree," she said with a nod, "Life just... isn't fun unless you live. I still slip up, but I try not to dwell too much on the bad stuff, or the stuff that I can't change."

She marveled at the sights along the way, and when they finally reached their destination, she had to stop and stare at it for a long moment. "Wow..." It was definitely deja vu, that was for sure. She sounded impressed, and a little wistful. "It's times like this I really miss home."

"What's it like there?" Harley urged her on as they made their way to the front door. The greeter at the door gave Harley a disapproving glance but brightened as soon as he saw Elsa and led them to a very nice but very visible table on the balcony of the second floor overlooking what appeared to be a large frozen habitat for penguins. Ice burgs and slides carved into the side of them floated in chilled water with little islands for the Penguins to waddle around on. While it was a bit nippy it was hardly cold despite appearances. Only some of the more sensitive Capitolites wore their warm weather gear. Most were dressed in beautiful dresses or flashy suits.

The ice glittered like diamonds rather then frozen water.

"It's beautiful," she said, not even worrying about tooting her own horn for once as she recalls her ice palace. As they move through it, lead eagerly by the staff, Elsa can't help but think she could do it... better. It's nice here, but it lacks a certain...

Heart. She could give it heart, if only she were able.

When they reached the table, Elsa gazed out at the habitat, a smile playing at her face. "I can't really describe it properly. It has a chandelier made of ice, a balcony overlooking the mountains, and it's just... home." More home than their castle had been. "Thank you," she said as the waiter motioned for them to sit, and she sat across from Harley, picking up a menu as she did. "You know, I've told you all about me and my home, but... You haven't ever really told me much about yours."

[He let's out a low whistle.]

Hot damn, looking good.

[Lifting his hand into the air, he twists it about, trying to get her to spin.]

[How flattering! Elsa's cheeks burn to resemble her dress a little bit, but she decides to let go a little and spin, for once showing herself off a little. It makes her feel... good.

The dress fans out around her as she spins, and she lets out a happy laugh, before coming to a stop a few seconds later and looking at him expectantly.]

Harley offered a silly smile and waited till the waiter came and took their drink orders before she answered. Her order was something called "Capitol Crush." And when it was brought it turned out to be a turquoise colored beverage with sparkling glittery ice cubes.

"Gotham City, the city that can take a punch." She began while tracing her finger along the rim.

"It's a filthy place, a grim and cynical city that has enough sense to make fun of itself but enough pride to refuse to leave when things get bad."

"Imagine a city as big as the Capitol made of stone and steel. It's dark and only really looks right under the moon. In the daylight it's more like a picture of a city, but at night it comes alive." There was a gleam of excitement in her eyes.

"In the bad old days the city was living in constant fear and chaos. Criminals ran everything and no one knew the meaning of fair play or justice. Even those who were tasked with protecting the innocent were being paid by the criminals to look the other way." She paused to let Elsa soak this in while she took a drink.

Elsa's own drink was nothing more than water, since she wasn't much of a drinker. Rarely she would, but today she wanted to keep her head clear. As Harley began speaking, she hung on every word. Gotham sounded... interesting. It would be a lie if she said she didn't think it sounded a little thrilling. Dangerous. A part of her liked the idea, even if it was exactly the opposite of what she was used to.

The small bad girl inside of her ached for it, but the much larger good side told her that it was silly, that she would be miserable there. But that bad girl caught the excitement in Harley's eyes, and when she paused for a moment, Elsa smiled.

"You sound like you love it there," she noted with a little amusement. "It sounds like an interesting place." Interesting was code for dangerous. "Is it wrong of me to think that... it sounds exciting?" The confession was spur of the moment, but out of everyone, she had the feeling Harley would understand.

Harley returned the question with an impish grin "Not wrong at all. See for how closed off you were raised? That leaves you with some longings. You want to experience life and sometimes that means going to places that seem dark and scary. And you of all people know that just because something is scary doesn't mean it's wrong. It just might not have been understood at first." She reasoned before taking a long drag from her drink.

"Gotham City may look trashy and violent to people on the outside, but in the shadows among the dirt and dust you find people falling in love. Or children growing up with big dreams. Sure the world may crush some people under it's boot but for every broken heart there's a couple that's been married happily for fifty years." She gushed.

"For every uptight, stressed out, nerdy little blond trying to understand why her dad is such a loser, there's a bubbly, bright ball of joy and fun who uses all her know how to help other people have fun too."

Harley was always good at reasoning. Elsa found that she really couldn't disagree with that assessment, so she nodded. "It's true." She took a drink of her own, before drawing in a deep breath and letting out a sigh as she listened to Harley continue speaking.

The more she listened, the easier it was to compare it to the Capitol.

"Just like here, right?" she asked. "I mean, for as... you know, for all of it's faults, it's exactly the same here." She was hesitant to be too blatant about calling out the Capitol's faults. "There are nice people here. Fun things to do. It's almost too easy to be happy here, even when you feel like you shouldn't."

"With one big difference." Harley corrected Elsa but had to pause so they could order some appetizers. Harley ordered some cheese and garlic sauteed mushrooms as well as a variety of sushi.

"The difference is that Gotham City is free. The Capitol there are cameras on every street corner and microphones in every flower bush. The citizens have to watch the games by law every time a new arena is open. Especially in the Districts. In Gotham we can go where we want and do what we want just by being determined enough. In the Capitol I can't even stay out past curfew some nights." She smirked.

"But you got one thing right. They both have so much fun to offer that it almost feels naughty to indulge when there's so much sadness in the world. That's where you gotta remember that you and I? We're no good to anyone if we're depressed and miserable. So we indulge, so long as we never forget what's important."

Harley had found herself more and more delivering these little rants about freedom and what was important. Perhaps her inner super hero was finally waking up now that the Capitol had dangled Ivy in front of her and then yanked the girl away.

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Ice Ice Baby

Shopping~

Aw yee

Re: Aw yee

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Should we play out this lunchdatething? Or handwave? I'm good with both.

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I'd like to play it if that's cool! I miss their CR

Totally cool <3

Woo!

Re: Woo!

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