Abyssmare and Unichord Rarepair Week 2023

Elsie/Esora (Elsora)

Prompt: Hawaii/connection/"I'll protect you!"

Ugh. I swear! Americans, especially tourists, can be so rude sometimes! Esora dusted the sand off her skirt and tried to keep her head high as she continued down the boardwalk. It was far too lovely a day for her to allow it to be ruined by a few drunk, rowdy Americans. She knew in her heart that they hadn't meant to knock her over and cover her in sand, but even though they tried to help her up and apologize, they were laughing and catcalling so much that Esora still wished sorely that it wasn't illegal to take more... retaliatory measures.

Esora exhaled and tried to return to a serene state of mind. There was a reason she'd come to Hawaii, after all, and it wasn't to get angry at the other tourists. Despite her best efforts, however, merely half an hour later, trouble brewed once again.

"Dang! They weren't kidding about just how fine real anime waifus are!" A young man only a couple years older than Esora swaggered over.

"That's because you'll never even get close enough to a "real anime waifu" to find out! Let alone be tolerated by one!" Esora shot back in disgust.

"Sorry, must not have heard you through your thick accent!" He was still grinning, but his words were obviously a provocation. Esora didn't have an accent. But before either of them could exchange another venomous word, two muscled individuals suddenly appeared behind the man.

"Sir. We're going to have to ask you to step away from the young lady, immediately." They spoke in ominous unison and grabbed his arms.

"Hey! What gives?!" He was indignant, but when he looked up and only saw two pairs of pitch-black sunglasses, eyebrows lowered angrily over them, his bravado vanished. "H-hey, man, chill! C-c-call off your guard dogs!" He tried to glare at Esora, but all he managed was a pleading look.

Esora, however, was too distracted by her own surprise to hear him. Those weren't her bodyguards.

But as soon as they departed, dragging the man away, Esora saw the tiny, white-haired girl standing behind them and understood at once.

"Commoners can be such rabblerousers, don't you agree?" Elsie smiled sweetly up at the other rich girl. Esora was on guard immediately.

"What do you want?" she demanded coldly.

"Oh, come now," Elsie pouted. "You're among friends! Or at least, now you are since that creep is gone." Elsie cast a disdainful glare in the direction of her two bodyguards. Esora couldn't see them anymore.

"I didn't need your help." Esora's tone was still guarded. One could never trust rich people who suddenly did nice things for other rich people (and Esora said this as a rich person). Even in the best of times, it was likely that the "savior" would call in a favor eventually. It was a rich girl thing.

Elsie only shrugged cheerfully. "I'll protect you, whether you like it or not!" she said.

Esora shook her head. "How did you even find me?" It wasn't as if Hawaii wasn't insanely crowded, especially on the beaches on a summer day.

"Connections! It's a rich girl thing! I'm sure you understand!" Elsie replied innocently. For just a second, Esora was reminded of another small, rich, smug, white-haired girl whom she had the supreme misfortune of attending elementary school with. Leaving Arisugawa for Yoba was a big leap for Esora, but one of the silver linings was in knowing that she wouldn't have to deal with nasty, annoying, little Kurumi Shiratori (or her pranks) again.

And I would've thought that going all the way to Hawaii would've also helped, but... As Elsie said, it was all about connection, and as a rich girl, she was bound to have more than enough for any and all occasions.

"It's not as if I don't have those too, you know?" Esora insisted. She was, after all, heir to a giant tech company spearheaded by her parents. Back home, she was even affectionately known as the CEO of their "Rich Girl Network" at school. "In fact, I do have a team of bodyguards of my own!"

"Ah, good, I was about to ask if you were really so stupid as to travel abroad without them!" Elsie smiled.

"They're better than your guards, anyway," Esora said. Unlike Elsie, who only had two flesh-and-blood protectors, Esora had four robots designed to look and behave exactly like her and her unit, except they could be armed to the teeth with a vast array of literal firepower.

"Ha! That's rich! I think I'd quite like to see that someday!" Elsie snorted.

"It's true!" Esora cried, pulling out her phone to produce a video of the robots. Elsie stopped laughing about three minutes and seven seconds later.

"Not bad, Shimizu, not bad at all!" she muttered. "But my original point still stands. Until I see them in action, your words alone cannot convince me that they are superior to my bodyguards!" As if on cue, the bodyguards returned, and without the rude American tourist.

"Dare I ask?"

"You can, but I don't know either! I leave the discretion up to my bodyguards, and they are trained not to speak unless absolutely necessary!"

Esora shook her head again. She'd met a lot of eccentric people in her day, but Elsie was something else.

"Anyway, would you care to join me? I was just about to have lunch at a quaint little diner just beyond the edge of the boardwalk!" Elsie held out the crook of her arm and Esora smirked darkly, eyes flicking towards the bodyguards towering behind Elsie. They seemed even taller just because of how short Elsie was. They were as still, silent, and sour-looking as ever.

"Do I really have a choice?" Esora asked.

"Of course!" Elsie almost sounded offended. As a fellow rich girl, of course Esora had a choice! She could decline and Elsie wouldn't push her. She wasn't that rude tourist, after all. And Esora wasn't just some random peasant.

In fact, that was the only reason Elsie sent her bodyguards after the American creep anyway. It brought up something unpleasant in her to see him trying to have his way with Esora. As far as Elsie was concerned, as a fellow rich girl, only she deserved that privilege.

At last, a part of Esora's heart softened. Even if she was still distrustful of the other rich girl, they could at least say that they shared a connection over their general distaste for people like that rude tourist-jerkwad.

And, Esora supposed, I was getting hungry anyway... So, she resigned (or as she would say, acquiesced) to Elsie's offer and linked her arm with the other rich girl. Elsie beamed and she and her bodyguards continued on their merry way down the boardwalk.

Halfway to their destination, though, Elsie let her arm go limp so she could slip her hand into Esora's. Esora's eyes widened in surprise, but when she saw the genuinely delighted expression on Elsie's face, she decided to let it slide just once. Their fingers intertwined.

Perhaps I'll protect you from your loneliness, Esora thought. Perhaps you don't like eating by yourself either. If that is the case, then... I guess we can call it even, just between the two of us. It was a rich girl thing, and maybe the Rich Girl Network had just gained a new connection.

AN: Originally was going to be more of a crack-fic based on Petite Mix ep 3 & 20 with Esora and Elsie in a bodyguard battle, Pokémon style, LOL! Then it became something fluffier. Hope no one minds!

Also, originally, this prompt was going to go to Weronika, but then I remembered Elsie's bodyguards and suddenly loved the idea of her being someone's protector through them (since she kinda already did that in-game for Sophia).

Tho originally, Esora was going to be Dalia with the idea that Dalia thinks she needs to protect Elsie but Elsie protects her instead, LOL!