So this took...a long time. I'm sorry. Chapter three will be quicker now that I'm out of school. This chapter is for the celebration the near release of season three of the show. Reviews are welcome. Please let me if there are any mistakes, OOCness, or if the pace is too slow. Lastly, I got tumblr finally: supremacyofchaos . tumblr . com

Chapter 2

Winter in Republic City was never too cold. Snow usually didn't come until January and the temperature was typically reasonable. It was because of this, that Kristoff couldn't help but ask Anna the question had been on his mind ever since they started to follow Olaf.

"Why hasn't he melted yet?"

"Kristoff!" Anna hushed him with an offended look. She glanced nervously at Olaf, who was walking several meters in front of them with Sven.

They were on their way to the hotel Elsa was staying in. Following a strange snowman to an old-looking part of the city was not the most comfortable thing Anna and Kristoff had done, but at this point, they didn't think they had other options. Time was running out and they needed a waterbender.

Plus, Anna liked Olaf. He was friendly, cheerful, and somewhat crazy. If he had been a human, Anna would say that he was dropped on the head as a baby. She was certain that she was dropped. Several times, probably.

Kristoff snorted. "Hey! That's not what I meant. I mean...he's a snowman...I get it's winter, but the temperature is clearly not cold enough to keep him as a...solid." He caught Anna's glare. "Okay, it's not like I want him to melt. I'm still wrapping my head around this."

Anna sighed and hugged her jacket tighter. Kristoff had a point. Although it was chilly, especially after sunset, it wasn't cold enough for snow. Anna eyed the snowman ahead and smiled warmly. Olaf and Sven seemed to be good friends now. Sven had tried a couple of times to bite at Olaf's carrot nose; Olaf laughed, believing that those were meant to be kisses.

Anna tugged her red scarf so it covered up to the tip of her nose. The scarf had once belonged to her father. Every time he and his wife had to leave Republic City for a business trip in which they could not bring Anna along, he would give the scarf to her before leaving her and Kristoff in Bulda's care.

She had just turned twelve the last time she saw them. She remembered it clearly. Her father gently wrapping the scarf around her neck and kissing her on the forehead. They left for a trip to the Southern Water Tribe that day, and never came back. The messenger told Anna that a storm had swallowed the entire ship; there were no survivors.

Kristoff and Anna spent about a year living at the orphanage ran by Bulda, a kind, sweet woman, and Grand Pabbie, an old friend of Anna's parents. After Kristoff turned sixteen, they left the place and rented the small apartment which they were currently living in. Kristoff found a job at one of the Satomobile factories. Anna was never lucky with jobs. She did many odd jobs over the years, but none of them lasted more than several months.

Anna never intended on settling for a normal job. Ever since she was little, she always had one goal in mind: the pro-bending championship.

Anna blinked and returned her thoughts to their current situation. She kept her eyes forward. "...I'm glad he isn't melting. I like him. But yeah...it's odd. Maybe it's part of the magic?"

"Magic?"

"Duh. Hello, Kristoff, he's a living snowman. Of course it's magic." She chuckled. "A happy snowman." She strode up to Olaf and looked down at him with a grin.

"Hey, Olaf."

"Yeah?"

"What's Elsa like?" she asked softly. She figured that she should learn a few things about the waterbender before meeting her, just in case there were going to be surprises.

Olaf smiled at her. His eyes were warm and filled with admiration. "She's the nicest, warmest person I know! She's my best friend!"

"Is she your only friend?" Kristoff's voice came from behind. Anna heard him snickering.

"Oh, shush," Anna tried to sound indignant, but it came out with playfulness instead. Anna rolled her eyes.

Olaf didn't take any offence. Anna doubted if he even understood the implication. "I got other friends. I got Gerda, and Kai, and Marshmallow, though he's mean at times, and you guys!"

"Aww..." Anna cooed.

They continued their walk in silence for the next little while. Olaf climbed onto Sven's back and lied down, his eyes stared into the clear night sky. "Look, Sven, the sky's awake!" he praised, "it's so pretty!"

Anna looked up. The bright stars dotted the black background. She was reminded of the nights where she would lie on the rooftop of their apartment building with Kristoff and Sven. They would try to make out the constellations.

"Then you should watch the sky during the summer. It's beautiful."

Suddenly, Olaf jumped off the reindeer and waddled quickly to Anna. He looked at her with absolute awe. "Oh, summer! I've always loved the idea of summer, and sun, and all things hot..." he closed his eyes and smiled.

"Oh, really? Good thing you're a magical snowman," Kristoff's tone had a hint of sarcasm.

Anna said, "I like all seasons. But I've always loved winter."

Olaf skipped ahead on the rough brick pavement. "Winter's a good time to stay in and cuddle, but put me in summer and I'll be a..." He stopped right before a muddy puddle and looked down, then he jumped over it. "Happy snowman!"

Behind her, Kristoff laughed soundly.

Shortly after, they found themselves in front of an old five-story building.

"Oh, we're here! Elsa is on the third floor!" Olaf pointed. He walked up to the ancient-looking front door and opened it up with both of his arms. He waved back at Anna, "let's go!"

Anna and Kristoff stared at the brick building with disbelieving looks on their faces. The building was made of grey bricks; most of them are chipped. The letters painted on the rotting wooden sign were fading away. The whole building was dark except for a few faint lights from the windows. The surroundings were quiet. Anna glanced around, finding no else but the three of them.

"Wow, this is one sketchy-looking hotel," Kristoff commented uneasily, "I hope this Elsa isn't some creepy, shady, serial killer that preys on young, good-looking pro-benders."

She tried to ignore the eery feeling. "Not as sketchy as our apartment building, though." She walked up the front door and pulled it open. It creaked.

"Sven, stay here, okay? We'll be back soon," Kristoff petted Sven on the head and smiled. Sven nodded and sat down. Kristoff muttered, "good boy."

The two of them headed into the building. Inside the building was worse. The front desk was empty and covered in dust. Everything screamed "ancient". The faded wallpapers were peeling off, the wooden floor ever covered in dents and holes, and the dim lights flashed every few seconds. Each step was taken with a loud creaking sound. The air was heavy.

Anna's eye twitched as she showed her disgusted expression. She sighed, "...never mind, this is sketchier than our apartment building. I mean, look at the walls..." she observed a black mark on the wall beside the stairs. "Yuck."

"This way! Up the stairs!" They followed the sound of Olaf's footsteps and his voice.

They climbed up the slightly shaky stairs. Anna feared that it was going to collapse. At one point, she questioned whether they should keep following Olaf or not. Her parents had warned her about strangers.

On the third floor, Olaf knocked on the door at the end of the hall. Anna and Kristoff stood quietly behind him as they waited. Anna rubbed her sweaty palms together and fidgeted. She didn't notice it before but her heart rate had picked up. She felt Kristoff squeezing her shoulder lightly, assuring her.

"Elsa, oh, Elsa! Your favourite snowman is back!"

Anna heard the sound of light footsteps, then the doorknob turning. Slowly and gently, as if the person behind that door knew there were strangers outside of their room, the door opened, revealing the most beautiful woman Anna had ever seen.

The woman, perhaps in her late teens or early twenties, was tall and slender. She had striking blue eyes and pale complexion. Her platinum-blond hair was tied into a single thick braid that draped over her left shoulder. Her bangs were slicked back in a messy fashion. She had a light dusting of freckles across her nose. Everything about her—rose-pink lips, cute nose, dark and thin eyebrows, flawless face—was perfect.

"Hi, Olaf," she said in her soft voice. Anna felt her heart flutter just a bit. The woman looked at her and Anna felt the spotlight shining down. "Oh, you brought...guests," Elsa spoke timidly, her eyes filled with nervousness.

"Elsa," Olaf grabbed Anna's hand, "this is Anna, and that's Sven. Anna and Sven, this is Elsa."

"Er...hi..." Kristoff scratched the back of his head. His voice uneasy.

Anna stayed silent, having totally forgotten their purpose here. Kristoff nudged her with his elbow. "Hi," Anna blurted. She felt her cheeks heating up.

"Hey," Elsa said in a barely audible voice. She broke the eye contact and looked down at her feet, shifting her weight uncomfortably.

A pregnant pause.

Anna, finally realizing that she had been staring, swallowed thickly and opened to her mouth to apologize.

"Come in, guys!" Olaf cut in before Anna could make a sound. He walked past Elsa into the room, leading Anna by the hand as Kristoff followed. Elsa didn't stop them, she simply stepped back and kept her distance.

Closing the door behind her, she asked, "Olaf, what is this...?"

"Well, um..." Kristoff's eyes flickered around the room.

The room was much, much nicer than the rest of the building. It was chilly. The room had a decent couch and a small kitchen with a fridge, a stove, and a few cabinets and drawers. A small table with two chairs were at one corner. There were two other doors. Kristoff assumed that one led to the bedroom, and the other led to the bathroom. Overall, it was a very clean place.

Anna let out a shaky breath and steeled herself. "I know this may seem kind of...strange, but," Anna paused and squeezed her own fingers, "we need your help, Elsa." She looked up to meet Elsa's gaze.

"My help?" Elsa avoided eye contact.

Anna explained, "We're the Arendelle Reindeers, the pro-bending team? You probably know. Olaf said you were a fan of the tournament." She smiled sheepishly, "and we're here...because we need a new waterbender for our team. Hasook left. So, um...yeah." She let out a nervous chuckle.

"I...uh..." Elsa looked down at her gloved hands, finding them very interesting, "why don't you sit down and...um," she took a deep breath, "would you like some tea?" She smiled and looked up.

"Sure, thanks." Kristoff grinned, pulling on Anna's sleeve to get her to sit down.

Elsa went into the kitchen and began to prepare. Anna watched her every move. Elsa's blue dress hugged around her tone figure, showing off the curves and muscles. Anna blinked once, twice, when Kristoff waved his hand in front of her face and snickered. Anna glared at him.

Without saying anything, Kristoff raised the bags he had been carrying. Immediately, Anna was reminded of something very important.

"Ooh, can we also eat? We bought food already, but haven't gotten a chance to eat. I'm starving." Her stomach growled in agreement. "If you don't mind us eating here."

"I don't see any problem with that," Elsa replied as her poured the tea, "make yourselves comfortable here. Please." She set the drinking glasses on a tray and headed into the living room. There, she set them down on the coffee table before the guests.

"You like pro-bending?" Elsa's voice was gentle, the corner of her mouth curled upwards into a half smile, "...that was a really stupid question. Obviously, you do, since you play in the league." Her cheeks had a tinge of red.

"Pro-bending is my life, I love it," Anna replied with enthusiasm. "It's the best thing ever. My dream is win the championship. Ever since I was little, I'd fantasize about it. And I used to train all the time—and shit, I mean, crap, sorry. I'm rambling..." She fidgeted on the couch. "I tend to ramble."

"It's alright," Elsa pulled a chair out and sat down. Her hands clasped together. "Everyone has something they are passionate about." Unlike the two sitting on the couch, Elsa sat with proper posture: her back straight and her hands rested on her lap.

There was another moment of silence as Elsa stared intensely at Anna, causing the younger woman to blush. Quickly, Anna cleared her throat and calmed herself. Elsa was still staring, though, it was more like observing.

"Anyway, do you think you might be interested in playing for us? The match is tomorrow and we really need someone," Anna begged softly, "please?"

"I...don't know." Elsa could not bring herself to look at the other girl. She bit her lip and furrowed her brows. "I'm not sure."

Anna's shoulders slumped and her eyes saddened. Her mouth curled downwards as she clenched her teeth. The hurt from the rejection caused her to drop her head, eyes cast downwards at her feet.

Olaf tugged Elsa's arm. "Elsa, it will so cool if you join the team! I thought you loved the Reindeers!"

"Olaf, c-can you just give us a minute here?" she requested. Olaf frowned slightly before nodding and leaving the living room.

He opened the door to the bedroom and stepped in, mumbling, "one...two...three..."

Kristoff crossed his arms, trying to hide his frown. "It's okay, if you don't want to." He wasn't mad at Elsa for refusing. He was disappointed and worried. He glanced at the clock. The unsettling feeling in his stomach worsened. "I understand that pro-bending isn't for everyone."

"I like pro-bending. I do. It's just that..." Elsa tried to explain, her expression filled with guilt. She focused her attention on Kristoff since she found it very difficult to look at Anna right now. "I'm—I'm not good at waterbending." Elsa exhaled shakily. "Tomorrow's match is going to determine whether your team gets into the top sixteen or not, and I don't want to drag your team down." Instead of meeting Kristoff's eyes, she gazed at the wall behind him.

Anna slouched back on the couch and covered her face with her hands. The entire day had been exhausting, hopeless. In the back of her head, she knew they technically had more time tomorrow. However, she could not help but feel as if this was their final chance at finding a potentially good waterbender.

She felt her dream slipping away. She bit down at her bottom lip, hard, trying to hold back the tears there were rushing to her eyes. She was being ridiculous and emotional, she knew that and she mentally scolded herself for being such a drama queen. But whether she wanted to admit or not, she had high hopes coming here.

After taking a few deep breaths, her voice croaked, "but if we don't have a waterbender, then there will be no match at all."

Elsa replied a few seconds later with a quiet and uncertain voice, "I'm sure there will be someone else out there that is capable of playing in the league. I'm...just not the right person. I'm sorry." She looked down at the very interesting floor.

Anna stared at the ceiling. She made a fist with her hand.

"Elsa, we searched all day." Anna sat up. She had to try one more time. "Look, I know that this is weird considering we're strangers and you owe nothing to us, but—"

"It's fine, Anna. Elsa has made herself clear." Kristoff squeezed her arm and pulled as he stood. Her turned to face the front door. "Let's go. We can keep looking tomorrow."

Elsa stood as well, but kept her eyes downwards. "I'm so sorry, guys."

"I wish you the best of luck," she told them, walking to the door and opening it.

"Elsa!" Olaf emerged from the bedroom. He ran and hugged her leg. "You love pro-bending, don't you?" He looked up at her, his eyes filled with hope.

"Listening to it on the radio is different than actually playing it," Elsa replied sternly, tightening her hold on the doorknob.

"But you always talked about how you've wanted to play in it one day..." Olaf said in a small voice.

"Elsa?" Anna called.

Elsa's body tensed as her eyes moved to Anna.

"I can't, okay?" she said firmly. "I just...can't." Her voice was desperate now; her face had a pained expression.

"Let's leave," Kristoff led Anna to the door.

"Sorry about intruding," Anna mumbled coldly before stepping out.

"Oh, no..." Elsa bit her lip."It's fine. I'm sorry."

Sighing, Anna kept her head down and stepped out of the hotel room.

Gods, Anna, why are you so upset? It's just a stranger. Just find someone else. No big deal.

She walked down the hall without looking back. She sniffed and blinked rapidly, holding back the tears. Elsa...they just met, but Anna knew Elsa was...different. Somewhere in the back of her head, she knew, but she could not pinpoint why. She scowled as she tried to think, or rather, tried to remember. Something was odd. However, no matter how hard she tried, she could not find what she was looking for.

"We'll find someone new," Kristoff assured her.

"Do we really have the time?"

She halted when she heard Elsa call. "Wait, Anna?"

"Hmm?" came weak sound from the back of Anna's throat. Her heart sped up just a bit. She felt hope beginning to flare up in her chest, but decided to crush it.

"I..." Elsa hesitated, not sure of what to say. "I can't...I..."

Of course. Anna resumed her walking.

"Wait! I..." Elsa called again. Anna snarled this time. What game was this woman playing?

"Anna, I'll play for you. Uh...for you team." A pause. "I'll try."

Anna stopped, her eyes widened. She turned back to face Elsa, who was nodding with her head down and playing with her fingers. When she looked up, Anna could see the worry on her brows. Elsa smiled weakly. Subconsciously, Anna did, too. A warmth spread from her chest to the rest of her body. Her heart swelled in appreciation and gratefulness. It was odd, Anna thought, but a good odd.

"Really?" Anna said. "Wow, that's...awesome!" She jogged down the hall, spreading her arms wide open when she got to Elsa then wrapped her arms around her in a tight hug. Elsa's body was stiff and cool. "Thank you!" she said. Elsa shivered.

"Um...you're welcome?" Elsa chuckled nervously, hugging Anna back.

"Elsa, you're the best!" Olaf joined the hug.

Anna let go of the hug.

"Thanks, Elsa, really. Are you sure?"

"Yes," Elsa nodded. Her cheeks were flushed. "I, er, think pro-bending is very cool."

"Why'd you suddenly change your mind?" Kristoff asked. "Not that it's a bad thing, just curious."

"I guess, sometimes, you just have to...try," Elsa glanced at Anna. "Perhaps you can gain something valuable from it."

"Friendship, Elsa!" Anna said cheerfully. "We're gonna be a great team."

"Thank you for believing in me. I'm not very good, though. Just a heads up."

Kristoff laughed and gave Elsa a pat on the shoulder. He didn't notice her flinching at the contact. "Hey, no worries. You can just stand there and look pretty the entire match if you want and leave the hard work to us."

Anna beamed, her eyes sparkling. "Oh, maybe you'll even mesmerize the other team. Distract them!"

"Anna..." Kristoff coughed.

"Sorry," Anna placed her hand over her mouth and blushed. "I have no filter," she muffled.

With the atmosphere around them significantly lighter now, Elsa relaxed her shoulders.

"How is this going to work?"

"Well, we can start off with a training session tomorrow," Kristoff suggested.

Anna added, "And how about lunch together? You know, teammate bonding time and all. We can meet at Narook's Seaweed Noodlery at twelve? They have the best water tribe noodles in the city."

"That sounds good," Elsa replied coolly.

Afterwards, Anna and Kristoff said goodbye to Elsa and Olaf. The new team were supposed to meet in front of the restaurant at noon. They would get to know each other. Then, they would train together so Anna and Kristoff could get an idea of Elsa's waterbending.

Everything sounded perfect. Anna, unable to contain her happiness, had a wide grin. The match on Sunday seemed a lot more hopeful now. But unbeknownst to them, Elsa watched them leave the hotel with panic building inside of her.

The temperature in the hallway dropped as Elsa began to regret her decision.

By the time they returned to their apartment, they were both feeling exhausted. Kristoff set down his bags and kicked off his boots before falling down first onto the sofa.

"She's not...screwing us over, right?" he mumbled, sounding tired. "She is a waterbender, right?"

Anna frowned "Kristoff, don't be so sceptical about everything. I think Elsa is fine."

"We didn't even see her waterbend. And don't you think it's a bit weird that she all of a sudden changed her mind?"

"Maybe she wants to play in the league but was too scared till now." Anna took her shoes off and flopped down on the couch beside her friend. "Sort of."

Kristoff sighed, eyes glued to the ceiling. "I don't know. I don't...have exactly the best feeling about this. She seems nice, but you can't ever judge a person solely based on their appearance. We don't really know her. And she has a talking snowman."

"Kris, I think it will be good."

"Why?"

"Why not?"

"Anna..."

"Look, we can't go back now. We've already accepted her into our team. I like her. And my guts are telling me that she is special. Plus, I need a new friend."

"Hmm," Kristoff eyed Anna with a hint of suspicion. Slowly, as the images from earlier flew through his mind: the way Anna and Elsa had interacted, the way they looked at each other...or the avoidance of eye contact. A cheeky grin grew on his face.

Anna didn't notice and continued. "I can just feel it. There is something special about her. I don't know what it is, yet. But I will find out. My instincts are telling me that we should have her on the team."

With a small snicker, Kristoff said to her, "I...think that you're infatuated with her."

"What?" Anna's cheeks heated, her ears turned red. "No, I'm not infatuated with her," she denied quickly.

"Yes, you are." Kristoff had a sly grin. "Do you not feel some sort of special connection with her?"

Anna shifted uneasily. She answered with a careful tone. "Yes...but not in the way you're thinking." It was the truth. Anna did feel some sort of connection with her, but it was nothing like the sort she had read in those romance novels. Still, it was a nerve-racking topic for her.

"Admit, Anna, you like-like her."

"Uh-uh," she shook her head.

"I saw you ogling at her," he said with a wink, "I was seriously worried that your eyeballs were gonna fall out."

"I wasn't ogling. I was simply observing." Anna pouted. "Trying to figure if she's...fit, for our team."

"Sure," he rolled his eyes."Whatever helps you sleep at night...You were totally ogling. You were drooling."

"No, I wasn't." Anna huffed irritably. She hated when Kristoff did this.

"Yes, you were."

"You were ogling, too."

"You just admitted that you were ogling her," he smirked.

"Oh, shut up. I was not."

Anna decided to stop bickering with Kristoff and head into the bedroom. Sure, Elsa was very attractive, but it didn't mean that Anna was attracted to her. Kristoff caught her staring—it was very obvious—but a girl could certainly appreciate the fine physique of another girl without being labelled as "being attracted to her".

"Just make sure you're making the right choice. If the only reason you want her on the team is because she's pretty—"

"Beautiful. And no, that's not the reason." She said firmly, "Kristoff, just trust my judgement here, okay?"

He looked at her disbelievingly. "The judgement of a girl who wanted to marry a man she just met that day."

"That was one time," she argued, feeling the growing embarrassment. "And I was young! And I ate too much chocolate." She was sixteen when she had sneaked into a party at one of the fanciest restaurants in the city. There, she met a very handsome boy whom she became immediately infatuated with. They laughed and talked all evening and she blurted out wanting to marry him. It scared him off and she never saw him again.

Kristoff shrugged. "Anyway, I have to go to sleep now; I have to work tomorrow morning," he told her, already heading towards the bathroom.

"Work? You have work tomorrow? But the match...You can't have work and pro-bending on the same day."

"Hey, I've done it before. It'll be alright." He closed the door. "Plus, someone's gotta pay the bills," he added from inside the washroom. "Think about it this way, I go to work tomorrow, which means I won't be the third wheel during you girls' lunch date."

Despite the urge of wanting to talk back, Anna closed her eyes and stayed quiet.

Kristoff slung his bag over his shoulder and looked back at his partner, who was currently lazing on the couch listening to a new musical group of waterbenders, calling themselves Frozen.

"I work until two, and after that I'll meet you and Elsa at the gym," he told her, "Anna?"

"Uh-huh, yup..." she mumbled mindlessly, her head nodding with the beat of the music. Kristoff frowned.

"And Elsa as a pro-bender," he added. "I still feel a bit insecure about it, to be honest."

"Don't worry, I'll talk to her." Anna's nonchalant reply only made him feel worse.

He furrowed his brows as he reached for the door and signalled for Sven to come. "So basically, whether or not we make it into the top sixteen depends on you talking to Elsa?"

"It will be fine!" Anna pushed herself up into a sitting position. "I'm great at talking to people." She smiled sheepishly.

Kristoff sighed.

Usually, Anna was always the one late for the rendez-vous. Throughout her childhood, she had had more excuses for being late than Sven had carrots. Okay, maybe not that many, but definitely a fair amount. Who could blame her though? Sleep was important.

Now, this time, Anna was surprisingly not late. If Kristoff had been there, he would had said that an apocalypse was happening or the spirits had taken over Anna's body. None of these would be true, of course, or at least Anna had hoped so. Anyway, Anna, dressed in her best clothing—which was a nice green dress—and had her hair done up into a somewhat neat bun, was waiting patiently for Elsa. Dress to impress, she had told herself earlier. It was, in a way, a job interview, though it would make more sense if Elsa was the one trying to impress.

Anna stood, squeezing her hands out of nervousness, and looked into the sea of people for that distinct colour of hair. It was already twenty past twelve, and there was still no sign of Elsa.

Did she bail on me? Come on!

She began to tap her foot. The waiter in the restaurant eyed her weirdly. Anna closed her eyes and sighed. Patience. Patience is a virtue. Well, shit, it was certainly a virtue Anna did not possess.

"Hi," a voice from her side alerted her. She felt a subtle chill. Elsa.

Before she even looked at the owner of the voice, she did a quick check of her surrounding, making sure that this voice was indeed talking to her. She did not need to add this encounter into her already embarrassingly long list of social awkwardness. Finally, she turned to Elsa. "Uh...um...hi, me?" she pointed tentatively at herself. When she saw those deep blue eyes immediately look away when met with her own, she gave a lopsided grin. "Of course! Hi, me! Since we're meeting. Haha. Silly." It was not helping. The two girls could not look at each other. Elsa had taken an interest in the ground; Anna's line of sight moved up to the sky.

"Hi," Anna said absentmindedly. Nope, definitely not helping with the situation.

Elsa sucked in a breath as if she was about to do something grand. "I'm sorry for being late," she said to Anna, "life...can be complicated sometimes." Her fingers played with her sleeves. She gave her a shy smile.

Anna nodded slowly. "No problem, uh, let's go in?"

"Sure," Elsa agreed in a small voice.

"So...Elsa, you're a waterbender," Anna started. Smooth, Anna, you dumbass. Elsa nodded her head in response. It was when they walked into a people-filled restaurant, with warm air filled with the delicious smell of water tribe noodles, that the tension between them began to ease up. Anna led Elsa to her usual table, the one at the corner closest to the front door. It was Kristoff's favourite spot, since it allowed him to keep an eye on Sven.

"Yes, I am." Elsa added to her reply, her voice significantly more relaxed now that that atmosphere was more lively, with people chatting away and the waiters busying themselves with serving and taking orders. "And you're a firebender."

Anna brushed her hair behind her ear. "Ha...yeah, sorry, that was stupid. That's why we're here, right? You're our new waterbender," she smiled warmly. A short pause later, she mumbled out, "I should stop talking."

Elsa shook her head, trying to hide a smile. The girls seated themselves and Anna took care of the ordering part, since Elsa insisted on it.

"How are you today?" Anna asked. It was usually a good step in starting a normal conversation. She was somewhat of an expert on it, just like how Kristoff was a love expert. She had many practices with Sven.

"I'm good, you?" Elsa, again, replied with the same soothing voice that Anna could listen to all day.

"Not bad." The redhead replied. "Are you excited for the match tonight?"

"I'm very nervous."

"It's gonna be okay. I believe in you."

"Thanks." Uncertainty was plentiful in Elsa's voice.

Anna looked down at the table. She rested her forearms on it and twiddled her thumbs. "So...which water tribe are you from?" Elsa didn't reply right away. Instead, she stared at Anna, which made the younger girl flush. "Your hair, there's a streak..." Elsa said weakly, her eyes unreadable.

"Sorry." Elsa immediately apologized. "I moved here from the Northern Water Tribe three years ago."

"Oh, that's cool," Anna grinned, "no pun intended. I've been to the north when I was little. I really liked it there." She instinctively touched her white streak. "And about my hair, um, I've had it ever since I was little. Though I dreamt that I was kissed by a troll."

"Mm..." Elsa nodded, "what about you?"

"My parents were travelling merchants from the Fire Nation," Anna answered, though she did not like talking about her parents, she felt that it was necessary for this "team bonding" exercise. "So we went to many places all over the world before they passed away."

"Anna, I'm sorry," Elsa said.

"It's fine," Anna waved her hand, "I still have a family. Kristoff and Sven. Kristoff is my best friend and big brother. My parents took him in when I was eight. He's the best, but don't tell him that." She paused a little, "what about your parents?"

Again, Elsa did not reply right away. She dropped her eyes down and Anna noticed the slight down curve of her mouth. "...they're still up there. I was never close to my parents."

"Oh," Anna internally debated whether to question it further, but decidedly that it was obvious to her that Elsa did not like this subject. "Why did you move here?"

"I wanted a different life. I like it here."

"Tell me more about yourself, Elsa,"Anna asked bluntly. She realized her directness and quickly tried to save herself. "Because, you know, we're gonna be teammates."

Or maybe I just like trading personal information with strangers I have just met yesterday. But really...

"There really isn't much to tell; my life has never been interesting. Truthfully, it's rather dull." Elsa replied flatly.

"I'm sure it can't be that dull." Anna placed her chin on her palm. She could just stare at Elsa all day—Wait... "I worked in the Hundred Year War Museum. Now, it was dull." She began to recall that period of her life.

"Seriously, I worked in there for four months, and nearly lost my sanity. It's a miracle that I didn't die of boredom. Anyway, it was, like, the most boring place ever. I mean, I like history, stories, and stuff like that, but boy, how did these people manage to turn the Hundred Year War into that, I have no clue. After the first two weeks, I started talking to the pictures on the walls. I even fantasized stories about them. Like, I used to imagine myself saving Joan of Arc, or going on a romantic picnic. I told Kristoff, and he made fun of me for six months afterwards. When I wasn't posing with the paintings or talking to them, I watch the hours tick by. Real fun. Oh, and the head of the museum. Gods, she was the grumpiest old lady I've ever met. She used to call me into her office just so she could kick me afterwards and slam the door in my face."

Anna, completely engrossed in her own storytelling (she had considered becoming a novelist at one point), did not notice the growing smile on Elsa's face or the warmth that was beginning to light up in her blue eyes.

Anna continued. "And I used to play hide-and-seek with the suits of armour. Now, you're probably wondering, 'Anna, how do you do that?'. Well, after working there for about three months, I became really desperate. So, one day, I sneaked Sven into the museum, and we rode down the halls. It...didn't exactly end up pretty. I kind of, maybe, crashed into a suit of armour...I might have destroyed several, actually...or maybe the whole row. But that's not the point, the point is, I got fired that day. The old lady kicked me out and...wait for it...slammed the door into my face. If it wasn't for my amazing reflexes, I would've lost my nose." Anna took a deep breath, her mouth had been running like crazy.

Then, she slammed her forehead down on the table, hard. Ouch. "Shit, I've been rambling on for so long! I'm so sorry, Elsa. You must be sick of listening to my nonsense," she did not remove her head from the surface, "shit, sorry."

"No, no," Elsa shook her head immediately. "I find it entertaining. I like your story."

"You do?" Anna brightened. She sat up straight, grinning happily at her new friend. No many people had the patience for her stories, so this was certainly a surprise. Well, even if Elsa did not like it, she was too polite to voice that opinion. Anna decided it was time to change the topic: "that's good...what do you do for a living?"

"I'm an architect," Elsa replied, her voice with a hint of pride.

"Wow, so do you have any buildings in Republic City?"

"Just small ones, nothing fancy. I take contracts and work at home."

"That sounds way better than my job," Anna told her. It was true. If there was one thing she really liked about working at the museum, it was to earn the history (the interesting part, anyway) of the world. She loved the music, the works of art, and those included the magnificent buildings she saw in photos and paintings. "Do you think you can point them out to me some time?"

"Sure," Elsa said as she helped the waiter place the bowls of noodles down on the table. The two girls thanked him.

"What else do you like? On your spare time?" Anna twirled the noodle around her chopsticks.

"I study math and science," Elsa did the same. "Geometry is my favourite."

"Smart..." Anna said in awe. She was not a science or math person—she had always preferred the hands-on approach to things (luckily, she was only ever arrested once)—but it did not mean that she did not admire those with the brain of science. Many of them were, after all, great contributors to the world. Anna thanked them for the radio she adored. Now that she learned that Elsa liked math and science, suddenly, this new teammate became a lot more interesting. Anna murmured under her breath, "You must be perfect or something."

"I'm sorry?"

"Nothing! I'm just talking to myself." Anna felt face getting warm.

Elsa giggled. "What are your hobbies?"

"I like eating chocolate, sing along with the radio, and drawing...ducks and stuff..." Anna trailed off, realizing that her hobbies sounded stupid compared to Elsa's. Not that she was ashamed or anything, but she figured that it was about the time she should stop embarrassing herself. Elsa might quit the team.

"Ducks?" Elsa chuckled.

"And reindeers," Anna added without thinking. Dammit, I need a filter. "I love animals." Drop it. Drop it. Drop it!

"That's cute," Anna swore Elsa's eyes sparkled.

Wow, she's still here. Okay. Jeez, I wonder why? Maybe she's a closeted duck lover? Oh, for the love of—why did I think that?It even sounds weird inside my head. Like, wow. Anna. I think I just impressed myself. Not in a good way though—

"Anna?"

"After the tournament," Anna began, "I'm thinking we could maybe go to the Northern Water Tribe." She didn't know why she even suggested that. Judging from the surprised and uncomfortable look on Elsa's face, it was the wrong move. Of course it was the wrong move. Elsa bit down on her bottom lip and looked away.

"I...uh."

"Oh, shit, sorry," Anna nervously scratched her bare forearm before clutching it tightly. "I'm getting ahead of myself again. It's understandable. We've only met just yesterday and it's a little weird to talk about vacations together right now...but hey, we'll be good friends after the tournament, no?"