SEEK And Find

Chapter 19

The waffles turned out to be not quite edible until the third batch. Of course, Elsa and Anna had a lot of fun messing them up over and over, and even more throwing the burnt offerings back and forth, leaving the kitchen an utter disaster area. Still, it didn't end up making the final product any less delicious.

They had needed that after what happened in the shopping district.

While they were in one of the stores, a SEEK song came on over the radio - "Love Hostage" again - and Elsa cringed so badly Anna couldn't help but laugh. That caught the attention of a few patrons, who very quickly recognised who she was and began to ask her questions and for autographs. She gladly obliged, until the crowd became so large that she had to make a hasty retreat.

Unfortunately, they persisted outside. It was a lucky thing they had already picked up most of what they needed, since it looked like their shopping trip was going to be cut short. Elsa hailed a cab, and they circled a few blocks until they lost the rabid fans.

Presently, Elsa was sipping some of the coffee she'd made with her French press and gazing out the window at the sky and the rippling water of the swimming pool. Anna was seated across the dining table from her, busy at work on her sketchpad. Elsa had asked what she was drawing ten minutes earlier, but she had told her "a thing, you'll see it later."

"Well?"

"Well what?" Anna muttered, distracted as she laid down her inking pen reached for her eraser.

"Well... how does it look?"

Shrugging, she scrubbed the grey rubber over the surface of the page, careful to hold it in place at the bottom so it didn't tear or wrinkle. "Good so far."

Elsa took in a steadying, calming breath so she didn't burst out in annoyance at how unhelpful Anna was being.

"Okay," she said another two minutes later. "Um... it's not as good as I was hoping, but it's not totally shit." Closing the sketchpad, she slid it across the smooth glass surface of the table to come to a stop inches from Elsa's elbow.

"Cool," she said with a smile as she flipped the cover open, going past several other images she had seen already. "So what is... oh."

When Elsa didn't comment further, Anna spoke up after a few seconds. "You just kinda... I dunno. Looked really peaceful and sweet, sitting there with your coffee. I thought about taking out my phone, and then decided... well, to do that instead."

"I look so majestic," Elsa commented, again touching the page, almost as if she could reach in and caress the work if she believed hard enough. "Way more than I really do."

"As much as you really do," Anna corrected her stubbornly. "And... it's not quite good enough, doesn't do you justice, but I think it worked better than a phone picture would have. That's all."

The dark, bold lines of ink seemed to capture her attention, the shading and contours that went into making her come to life on the page. "I seem... realer than real. Surreal, maybe, but..." Smiling, she looked up at Anna and pressed her lips together, unable to speak more.

"Sh-shut up," Anna stuttered, averting her own gaze.

"I wasn't saying anything."

"Well, now you are, so shut up, okay?" When Elsa giggled, she smiled a little herself. "Anyway, maybe someday I can do one worth giving to you."

"You already have. I just won't accept them. One day, you'll either sell those for millions, or you'll just keep them in your private collection to show everyone how talented you are."

Definitely have red ears, Anna thought at herself. Definitely can feel them being as red as they get.

"You look so cute when you blush," Elsa laughed easily, sliding the sketchbook back over to bump into her scattered art supplies. "Anyway, it's beautiful, and I won't hear you say anything else bad about it. Maybe someday, we can provide you with a better subject."