Strider the Royal Adviser

[frozenfractalsallaround]

Who| Elsa and Dave
What| A few hours after Elsa is finished getting yelled at, she seeks Dave out again
Where| Dave's room
When| See above
Warnings/Notes| N/A

When things have finally calmed down and everyone has finally stopped giving her a hard time, Elsa is left unable to decide what she should do. She's come to realize that what she did was a mistake- it's taken several people yelling at her for her to realize how and why, but she knows now.

And she feels awful.

Many of them had told her to apologize, to take it back and claim she'd spoken too soon, just to avoid or at least lessen the repercussions. It's not something she wants to do, and she needs a second opinion. The only person she can think to go to is Dave- of course she considered Anna, but... Anna is too new to the Capitol, she understands how it works even less than Elsa does. Dave, on the other hand, had been trying to help her earlier. He clearly knows better.

And honestly, more than an opinion she just needs a comforting presence, one without interruption. She's come to find Dave's presence comforting, almost as much as Anna's. She'd managed to break away from everyone for a little breathing room, but now she's back in the suite, waiting for Dave. The anticipation is nerve wracking, and by the time he finally comes back from wherever it is, Elsa pretty much ambushes him.

"Dave, I need to talk to you," she says at once, standing up from where she had been sitting down, moving swiftly over to him. It's obvious from her expression that she's tired- the stress of all of this almost makes her look years older. It's all weighing on her heavily; she wants to do the right thing, but a part of her still wants to stand by what she said. "Please?" she adds, realizing it's impolite to just throw her problems onto him, and he might have some of his own with all of this going down.

Comments

[frozenfractalsallaround]

For many reasons, it doesn't occur to Elsa that pressing him to her chest is a bad idea. For one, she's never been in a situation where it's been an issue, and for two she's just so caught up in her emotions that she isn't thinking of anything but how nice it feels to hug someone and to have comforting words spoken.

It's even nicer when he finally returns the hug completely. Elsa is glad to know that he isn't angry with her, and that he understands where she's coming from. She smiles, squeezing him a little tighter for a moment before reluctantly letting him pull away. Her smile grows when he links arms with her, and she doesn't take it as nagging when he mentions getting some sleep.

"Thank you," she says with a nod, "You've really helped, I hope you know that." As if thinking about it makes it true, she lets out a yawn before she can stop herself. It's pretty late, and she's had a lot of emotionally draining conversations so far. "And you're absolutely right, I'm exhausted."

When they do reach her room, she hesitates outside of the door. The truth is, she doesn't want to be alone right now. The idea of a peacekeeper or several coming to get her in the middle of the night is a real fear for her, and it's going to make it hard to sleep. "Dave, I... this is stupid," she says, trying not to sound as embarrassed as she feels. "Will you stay with me? Just... for a few hours. Until I fall asleep?"

[shenunigans]

It shouldn't occur to Dave, but all of his other sensations don't disappear simply because it's a poignant time. It's at least easy to push the feelings back when he focuses on the fact that it's doing Elsa better than it is him. He's never really been the sort to get much enjoyment from hugs because he spends the whole time in his head feeling awkward, but there's something gratifying about it all the same.

"All in a knight's work." He smirks at his own pun before realising it doesn't really translate in the spoken word. "Knight like.." He points to himself before dropping his hand and shaking his head, rolling his eyes at himself behind his shades.

Similar thoughts cross his minds, but he wouldn't have been the first to ask to stay. He nods at her request and slips into the room, moving through to pour her a glass of water, setting it on her bedside table for her and stepping back with his arms folded. He looks like he doesn't know what to do with himself, but in that stance with those shades, he looks like the world's most pathetic bodyguard.

[frozenfractalsallaround]

Despite everything, Elsa still laugh. "I get what you mean," she says soothingly. He's always good at making jokes, even if sometimes they fall a little flat. The important part is that she understands them- and she does, mostly.

Elsa is eternally grateful that he doesn't tease her for wanting him to stick around, because asking had felt awkward enough. As he moves to pour a glass of water, she crawls into bed and falls back against the pillow with a small thud. "Thank you," she says as he places the water on her bedside table.

There's a small moment of silence as she shifts around to get comfortable, before noticing that he's standing there. She lets out a small chuckle. "You don't have to stand, you know," she says fondly. "You could sit down."

[shenunigans]

He shrugs when she says thank you, seeming to take his job seriously enough that he isn't about to joke around. When she suggests he sits, he looks hesitant for a moment before he slides down to sit cross legged on the ground, leaning against her bedside table.

"You're interrupting me." He says with a small smirk, switching off her lamp without warning. "Go to sleep."

[frozenfractalsallaround]

"I didn't realize standing required so much concentration," she quips back, the chuckle in her voice. The sudden darkness is startling, but she can't help but admire how serious he's taking this- even if it is funny. "Alright, alright, I'm going. You sound like my father."

It's enough of a fond memory that instead of drifting off in sadness, she feels warm and happy. Dave's presence is comforting, and she ends up falling asleep pretty quickly once she finally settles down.