kismet_loop_logs | oh misty eye of the mountain below

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oh misty eye of the mountain below

Who: Lea and Elsa
When: A while after their big argument and the small blizzard on the sides of the mountain.
Where: Up the tallest mountain in the range; snowcapped and +1 ice queen palace.
What: Elsa's hermitted for long enough, Lea finds out what she's been doing this whole time. Cute and conflict resolution ensues.
Warnings: FEELINGS. Also stupidly imagelink heavy.

Days and days and days passed. Elsa hid alone in the mountain range with the most eerie feeling in her chest, as though the ice she felt still lingered there.

Taking a note out of the books of architecture here on the new Cybertron, she built herself a new home; a home she full well intended on staying in, and keeping people out of. Marshmallow the mini stands guard at the front door, still as fearsome and menacing as he was the first time he drove away Anna and Kristoff. Elsa has visited him often, if not only to keep the poor giant company. Ice gates lead into intricate walkways as well as long corridors, the foyer open spaced, though twice as daunting as it's last incarnation. Long long hallways that feature detailed walls and entryways lead the way into her throne room, a room she made to be entirely useless, and yet, she still made it. Why not? No one was to come in, not now, not ever again. She made all sorts of rooms; mockups of the old gallery in Arendelle. Another room looked just like hers and Anna's when they were children. She made all kinds of rooms she never intended on making, but still did anyways.

The permafrost still sat on the side of the mountain where Galos was defeated, and it made the nightly winds cold and the afternoons brisk. Elsa never thought twice about it, thought that maybe it would melt on it's own. The areas surrounding the castle dusted the tops of the rocks with snow, but as far as she could tell, she avoided the worst. No cities were frozen over. Nothing was going to die of cold. She was just going to stay here, be alone, and wait for the time to come that she went home, and watched Anna get married.

She thought of Anna and Lea often, and it hurt her heart to do so. The cold cold feeling that rose from her stomach and into her chest always returned, and felt like it was going to turn her chest cavity to solid ice. At times it made her sleepy, and made her heart feel heavy. She almost always distracted herself from it, whether it was making icy butterflies to decorate the foyer, or living icy butterflies, to keep the air in the hallways light and feeling like she liked living alone.

Really, only Marshmallow and the butterflies could keep her company, and she was okay with it.

She'd make dresses, capes, all manners of new fashions she was too shy to wear herself, and ones she wasn't. All kinds of things to decorate the castle with, making it a positively wonderful winter wonderland of her very own. Some caught the light and put beautiful facets prisms on the walls.
But with all the ice, all the beauty, all the solitude?

Her heart still felt heavy, like every time she created something more and more intricate, that some of the cold would weigh down on her chest.

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Elsa remained steadfast on the matter. No matter how heavy she felt, she didn't leave, not for a moment. It's in the courtyard she's noticed that Marshmallow has gone missing, and she's worried, but not worried enough to leave. If there was a struggle, she certainly didn't see one, and she locks herself up back inside the castle.

Meanwhile, Marshmallow isn't chasing away an evil prince. In fact, he's talking a walk. The lack of snow in the area doesn't bother him at all, not with Elsa's magic. He'd never seen nature without snow in it (you know. he doin' what abominable snowmen do; looking at the flowers.)

At that moment, he decides that perhaps Elsa is just...a little too sad. She was sad before, when he first was created. But never, ever this sad. Their little chats (one sided, he listened, and she talked) only re-enforced the idea of Queen Elsa being upset with something. He didn't know what. But he knew who could help.

Marshmallow stays put though, nearby the castle. Maybe someone would walk by and--

Oh.

There's a someone.

He looks around cautiously; no, he's not in sight of the Queen, or the castle. Maybe now's a good time to walk back. Yeah. Queen Elsa may be worried, and her new friend can't be gone too long.

OK, Lea was willing to admit it to himself; he really had no idea where he was going. His vague idea of going 'up'- figuring Elsa would have picked the tallest mountain around to hole up on- had been complicated by the fact that there were a lot of ways that led 'up'. And not all of them were traversable by someone who wasn't an experienced rock climber. Fire powers were of little help in mountain climbing. Or direction-finding.

He sighed, and was just considering turning around, retracing his steps, and trying a different path, when a huge, mobile snowman stepped into view on the path ahead. Lea stoped where he was. The snow golem was at least 8 ft tall and powerfully built (well, if snow counted as a 'build'). There was no doubt what his purpose was meant to be; anything that big and tough-looking was probably made as a guard.

One one hand, the appearance of the snow golem was great news, cause it meant he was on the right track. On the other hand, it meant that he'd probably have to get past it to get where he was going. Not that he doubted he could do so, mind; when it came down to a battle of snow vs fire, fire won every time. But melting her bouncer would be a very poor way to start an apology.

Maybe the big guy could be reasoned with? The way Elsa had talked about the snowman Olaf, he seemed to be a complete- if rather dippy- individual, so it was possible that this guy was the same. Or of course he could just be a brainless watchdog who'd try to pound Lea flat as soon as look at him. Only one way to find out.

Cautiously, Lea approached the hulking snowman and offered a slightly nervous smile. "Hey there, big fella," he said. "Um... I don't suppose you've seen an ice castle anywhere around here, have you?"

Edited 2014-12-22 06:02 (UTC)

HEY, HEY YOU.

You're the guy he would look for! Perfect timing!

That's probably not the reaction you're expecting from a giant snow golem, huh? Marshmallow turns quite suddenly in a slow, but determined attempt to move a little more forward up the mountain, through a tight crevice of sheer rock before crunching back onto some snow.

No, he won't attack you Lea, but he will lead you to the front door. Right up to it. In fact, he'll open the door for you and the front gates. He looks a little forlorn, like he's doing something he's not supposed to do. Guilty. But Elsa was sad, and there needed to be a lot, lot, less sad.

Lea was torn between relief and confusion when the snow golem's face broke into a wide grin. Well, that was good... right? The snow golem didn't speak (if it even could) but instead moved a little bit further up the path in a way that was too deliberate to be anything but a 'follow me'. Lea hesitated a moment, but, having no better ideas, shrugged slightly and followed the snowman as he squeezed through a rock crevice. It wasn't nearly as tight a squeeze for Lea, though, and he was able to follow easily.

He was about to make a comment on the snowman's lack of conversational skills when they came through to the other side and stepped out onto the snow. There, lea got his first look at the ice palace and any quips to pass the time were forgotten at the sight of the sprawling construct. Elsa had made all that? In about a week? "Wow..."

Lea could have easily stood there for half an hour just looking, but the snow golem was already moving on, so Lea was forced to pick his proverbial jaw up from the snowy ground and follow him. The snowman led Lea right up to the gates and the huge front door, opening them up for him. Looking up at the guilty expression on his strange, silent doorman, Lea said. "Thanks, big guy," he said. "I owe you one."

He gave the snowman a farewell wave before heading inside. Now all he had to do was find Elsa, wherever she was in this sprawling palace. He sighed and strode forward. The sooner he got started, the sooner he'd find her.

Marshmallow half waved back, looking into the doors to see if anyone was there to meet him.

Nope.

Godspeed, spikey red head guy.

But even as he walks away, the words of encouragement aren't lost on Marshmallow, and he grins. He may not have followed Elsa's orders, but he was going to help her be happy again.

She's not deep in the castle, unfortunately. She's not where she'd like to be, hearing the footsteps of a stranger echoing off the ice walls, mirrored by her own heels clacking in the empty ballroom.

It's impossible to get past him, (thanks to the layout of the castle) without passing him. Biting her lip, she thanks herself for that idiotic move in terms of design, and cautiously approaches herself.

"You shouldn't be here." she mutters, just who it is hasn't come into her view yet, but it does, as does Marshmallow, quelling her worries that her big bodyguard had been vanquished.

"Lea?"

The ice palace was, to put it mildly, stunning. If Lea thought it had been impressive from the outside, the inside seemed determined to put the outside to same. Graceful curved staircases, decorative ice chandeliers , ice fountains seemingly frozen in mid-spray... everywhere he looked was something new to see.

But no Elsa. Not until he approached what seemed to be some kind of grand ballroom, at least whereupon he heard a familiar voice. The words were soft as he pushed the door open, but they resonated in the vast empty space, magnifying them. And when the door opened... there was Elsa. The one he'd come all the way out here to find. And she was wearing... wow. Lea found himself just staring for a moment, despite himself, at the gorgeous and rather... revealing dress Elsa was wearing. That was definitely a new look for her.

He refocused on the matter at hand, though, when Elsa addressed him, and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah," he said. "It's me." He then looked down at his feet for a moment, awkwardly, trying to figure out how to go on from there. It had all seemed so easy when he was practicing in the mirror...

"I just," he said, the seemed to start over. "I wanted to apologize. For... what happened last time. I don't think either one of us was really thinking straight at the time, and well... I know I probably said some things that hurt you. So I just... wanted to say I'm sorry. For a lot of things. Though most of them are tied in with me being an idiot."

He wasn't supposed to be here. He wasn't supposed to see this. Any of this. Not her, not the palace, certainly not her dress. She's scandalized, her free hand covering her up momentarily as a smattering of lacelike ice sprawled up her front and crawled towards her neck in a feeble attempt to hide herself and her embarrassment.

Backing towards the wall, she puts on a brave face, looking rather hopeless when it came to scowling. She couldn't, not really. Not with that kind of apology. It all melted, the hardness she'd tried to build up. Finally she meets the wall, though, and a spray of fernlike frost crawls up it and towards the ceiling. Gasping, she closes her eyes tight.

Why was she scared now?

Was she still scared of hurting him? Her fists clench, and for a moment, her hands stop shaking.

"You did." she pushes out with great difficulty, before realizing what she said.

"But so did I." follows up afterwards. Her hand touches the walls again, her thoughts much more simple now; she'd had the control to create this castle, and the control to create Marshmallow (who wasn't pummeling him right now) so. She'd obviously had it in her to hold on to listen to his apology. Still, through all that though, her heart still felt heavy.

"You don't have to apologize; I'm sorry too." It takes her a moment. "Not for not trusting you, I do trust you---" that much was obvious, Marshmallow waves again, looking rather preturbed---"But for not trusting myself. A-And anything that I'd said."

Part of Lea is a little disappointed when Elsa generates the lacy ice covering to help moderate the revealing nature of the dress, but at the moment it's a rather small part. He's much more focused on the fern-like curls of frost that form on the wall when she touches it. Cautiously, recalling what happened last time, he moves forward, though only to maintain the distance between them, just close enough that they could speak normally and be heard easily. This wasn't a conversation that was meant to be half-shouted across a ballroom, after all.

"I'm glad," he finally said, a soft, slight smile touching his lips. "That you trust me, I mean. I trust you too. And... I love you. Which is part of why what you said made me so mad. I didn't know how you could think that having a perfectly human reaction to a situation like that could mean you were a monster. I guess... well, I've done enough fighting over the years that I had to get used to the idea of killing, and sometimes wanting to do it, a long time ago. Guess I can forget sometimes that not everybody else has."

"It must've been a real shock," he said meeting her gaze again, expression sympathetic. "I'm sorry. Both that you had to go through it, and how I reacted to it. I shouldn't have pushed you. I just..." He lowered his eyes again, his voice quiet. "...I didn't want to lose you."

A moment later that was followed by a small, bitter, self-deprecating chuckle. "Fine job I did of that, huh?" he said. "You'd really think I'd have learned better by now..."

Edited 2014-12-23 06:02 (UTC)

Her hands continue to shake, gracing the wall again, and the frost returns as he steps forward to her. She couldn't run. She didn't want to run. But she didn't want to hurt him either. Her inner monologue begins to spiral, step by step, just like it did before. But having him standing here, in front of her, apologizing, gives her a foothold to begin to work on.

Hearing her words echoed back to her grounds her on that foothold; she thought they'd been lost in their argument. Forgotten and left there, never to be brought up again. Her train of thought barrels forward though, leaving their mutual confession alone for the time being.

For a moment she can't breathe. And the ability not to panic is something she's grateful for; she can't lose control. Clenching her fists, Elsa concludes now is the time. To confront her fear head on, just for this second. She has to, she owes him that much.

"I---" the words catch in her throat, the words monster and dangerous pummel her and destroy what little self confidence she scavenged from her creations. Elsa takes a deep breath and it helps, but the heaviness in her chest lingers. It feels like something is actively compressing, something is fighting her, and still yet, she can't panic.

"I can't promise that I won't do this again---" she finally spits out. Her voice ebbs slightly on the last syllable. "I--I mean..."

Goodness, she sounds so ridiculous.

"It was....a shock. But more than just hurting anyone, much more. I guess...it was the reason why, too." The frost intensifies, and she needs another moment to regain back her composure.

"Because I didn't want to lose you either." It's about now that Marshmallow takes his cue to leave, the ice doors closing with a delicate click. (Comical for someone of his size.)

It's then she notices that for the first time, her skin feels hot, and the color of embarrassment creeps up her shoulders and cheeks. It's another awkward quiet moment before she attempts to smile, the reason behind her embarrassment is the realization she's just come to.

"You...got so upset, you lost control. Because you love me?" She sounds more surprised, asking him a question rather than stating. Of course, her voice has gone soft, both from embarrassment and the pressure weighing down. Between You're a monster. and You're in love. she didn't know which of her condemning thoughts was more terrifying. But she's smiling about it, so it's pretty clear which one is the winner here.

Edited (LOST THE TAG IN A REALLY SHITTY BLUESCREEN WEH) 2014-12-23 11:58 (UTC)

Lea saw the feathery tendrils of frost return as Elsa's hand touched the wall. Like everything about this place they were beautiful, but also a little worrying. As jaw-droppingly vast and beautiful as this place was, there was an edge to it that spoke of an almost manic need to build, to create, whether or not the creation belonged or made sense, to the point that the geometries of the whole place felt just slightly off in a way that was hard to pin down. It reminded him of The Castle That Never Was in that way, though otherwise the two structures bore little resemblance to each other.

He nods slightly in understanding at her lack of ability to promise she wouldn't act similarly in the future. "I can't promise either, honestly," he said. A hint of his familiar smirk touched his lips, his tone holding a bit of self deprecating humor. "I don't exactly have the best track record for thinking before I act; this isn't the first time it's come back to bite me, and it probably won't be the last."

The question, though, is met with an almost surprised blink, before that smirk softens to a gentle smile. "Yeah," he said. "Not sure when exactly I first realized it but... I do. That's why I can't be scared of you. You called yourself a monster, but everything about you proves that you're just the opposite. As someone who's been a monster, in a very literal sense, I can tell you one thing; monsters don't care who they hurt. They take pleasure in causing others pain. That's not you. Even when you wanted to off Galos, it wasn't you."

"You were angry, you wanted to defeat him by any means necessary, but you were doing all that because you cared," he said. "About me, about all the other people he'd hurt and was going to hurt, about everyone. Everything you did was to help and protect others. That's who you are. You're beautiful, caring, creative, protective, and more dedicated than I could probly ever be. You're so far from being a monster that you're not even on the same continent. Got it memorized?"

She still, can barely breathe.

"Yeah. I---yeah." she murmurs, grimacing through her oppressive thoughts. It ends up breaking through into a smile. Then a laugh. A skittish one, but a laugh none the less.

"You really think that?" she says again, in disbelief. The frost finally dissipates, her hands leaving the wall to hold herself by the arms.

"...You know, I...." can't think of anything to say.

"I like being up here. Alone." she finally manages, stepping away from the wall if only just to feel herself and her weight on her own two feet again.

"...But I missed you."

Lea's smile broadened slightly at Elsa's laugh. It was a fragile thing, that laugh, but he counted it as progress nonetheless. As he did when she stepped away from the wall, even if it was only to hug herself, a gesture he'd noticed her doing when she was stressed.

"I don't think it," Lea replied. "I know it. Because I know you."

Then, unable to wait any longer, he threw caution to the wind, closing the rest of the distance between them and wrapping his arms around Elsa in a gentle hug. One that was secure enough to show that he meant it, but not so tight that she couldn't pull away if it proved unwanted. "I missed you too," he said softly.

She holds on tightly to him, like he'll disappear again if she doesn't. Of course she was surprised, but nevertheless, it's easier for her to hide behind his shoulder than it is to hide without it. She's sheepish as she buries her face into him.

"Thank you. Apology accepted."

Her body was all warm, save for thaw heavy feeling. Her hands still trembled slightly. But for a moment, she was sure she'd never want to go home.

Reassured when Elsa hugged him back tightly, Lea's hold on her tightened a bit too,pressing them as close as they could comfortably get. He closed his eyes, a small, soft smile on his lips, and gave a relieved sigh. "Thank you," he murmured.

He wasn't certain how long they stood like that, just basking in each other's presence, but eventually Lea opened his eyes, pulling back just slightly. Just enough to bring one hand up and gently tilt Elsa's chin up so that he could look in her eyes. Sparkling sapphire-blue eyes that glittered like new fallen snow. "Beautiful," he murmured, almost without realizing he'd spoken, that soft smile never leaving his face. Beautiful, just like the rest of her. As unique as a snowflake, glittering like the rarest of jewels. But infinitely more precious.

Elsa. Queen of the ice and snow, with a warm heart that no ice could truly extinguish. He leaned in and gently kissed her lips, eyes falling shut as he did so. His Elsa. His beautiful Snow Queen.

His gaze makes her even more bashful, faintly trying to turn away, but she's much too enamored. Rudely, she just stares with her mouth slightly open for a moment. She isn't sure what she's feeling, but the pain in her chest is intense for a short moment.

Oh. It's not pain. It's cold. Isn't it? It was something pushing on her chest and it wasn't him. Her hands finally stop shaking though, just looking up at him. The tension in her shoulders relaxes fully. Right here, she didn't worry about hurting him, and she didn't worry about her powers.

But then he closes that small distance, and for a second after, she's in disbelief. There's an electric feeling that crawls down her neck, through her shoulders, to her hands and then her feet, all from a little kiss. Unthreading her arms from him, she rests her hands on his forearms. Finally realizing oh this is real this is happening and the world isn't ending she closes her eyes too.

The cold in her chest finally melts, and she can suddenly breathe again. This seems to delight her, because suddenly her hands leave their short stop at his forearms, and she rests her own on his shoulders despite his height. Awkwardly, she doesn't dare part from him, her idea of 'manners' regarding intimacy entirely nonexistent. She's flying blind. 'But it's an okay blind!' pops into her mind, conveniently voiced by Anna.

Lea doesn't mind the staring. Not in the least. It just gives him more of a chance to look at Elsa. And here and now? She was something he felt he could never get tired of looking at.

Lea too feels the almost electric charge pass between them, tingling through his body. Magic, maybe? Or just love? Perhaps it's both. Lea's not sure, and at that moment, it's frankly unimportant. It was wonderful, and finally seemed to break up the pall of gloom that had lain over him since the events in the cave. There were still explanations that had to happen, regrets and feelings that needed dealt with. But with the shadows surrounding them dissipated, that would be easier now.

With Elsa's hands on his forearms, he's almost worried for a moment that she'll pull away. But those worries are dissipated like the shadows when she leans into the kiss, her hands sliding up to his shoulders. Unable to help smiling into the kiss, he wraps both arms back around her holding her close for the duration.

The kiss felt longer than it really was, its momentous nature giving the illusion of time slowing down. But eventually the need for oxygen won out. Once again Lea pulled back just slightly, this time a little breathless and grinning like an idiot. A slightly giddy chuckle escaped him. "That was... wow," he managed. He had no more idea than Elsa about the 'manners' surrounding intimacy, aside from the general notions of respect that his parents had done their best to instill into him. But if this kiss was any example, it was a subject he was looking forward to being a very diligent student in.

Abruptly, he recalled the gift that still waited, untouched, in his backpack. "Well, um...", he started a bit awkwardly, blushing a bit. "After that, probably anything'll seem anticlimactic. But I... uh made you something." And it would probably help if he actually got it out. Which he would remember in a moment.

She chuckled sheepishly, the smile on her face now hiding because wow. No really, both the way he'd said it and the way she felt sort of lined up, and she couldn't help but turn red at it.
For a moment after, she's almost dopey looking, with her eyes half lidded and her smile still there. But Elsa corrects herself. Good job, Lea. Secured a Queen's first kiss.
"Very...very wow." she mumbles, and hearing herself say it makes her laugh again, still very much embarrassed with herself.
"You what?" Forgive her, that was for lack of paying full attention, she was too busy staring.
"You made something...for me?" is a familiar sounding sentence. The Wayfinder, while not around her neck, was stashed in her pocket. Her means of keeping him with her, but not exactly close at the time. She felt a twinge of guilt for not wearing now, especially after that.

Wearing it or not, it didn't matter to Lea. Ven had always kept his in his pocket, so as far as Lea knew, it didn't matter where it was kept, as long as it was on one's person. Wearing it as a necklace was just convenient. Lea hadn't stopped wearing his like that, though. Somehow, he'd found that the slight weight against his chest had helped him focus.

Now though, even that seems unimportant as he stands there with Elsa, the giddy feeling of the aftermath of their kiss still fluttering around in his chest. Her reaction only makes him chuckle again. Man, this new lightness felt so good. And it was all thanks to her.

He caught himself staring too, her question almost startling him. 'C'mon, Lea, snap out of it, already!', he thought to himself, smile becoming sheepish. "Yeah," he said. "Kind of an apology gift, ya know?" Oh right he needed to get t out, didn't he? "Hang on a second..."

Somewhat reluctantly, he pulled away from her, removing his backpack and setting it down on the floor to open it. From the backpack he pulled a smallish object; it was relatively long and slim, wrapped in a white cloth, and tied with two light blue ribbons to keep the cloth in place. "It's no ice castle or anything," he said as he offered the small bundle to her, "but I hope you like it."

Upon unwrapping the bundle, Elsa would find it contained a single rose, made entirely of glass. Though the stem was slightly thicker than a natural rose's might be, by necessity of being able to support the glass bloom, the leaf and petals displayed a level of detail that was nigh impossible without magic. All the perfect imperfections of a real flower had been magically impressed into the molten glass as it was shaped. And the glittering red petals and green leaf had been edged just slightly with a thin coat of silvery metal, as if they carried just a touch of frost.

After a long moment, Lea spoke again, looking more sheepish than ever. "So... um... what do you think?"

She honestly, did feel kind of bad for not having anything to give him in return. But as far as she knew, not a single thought or worry trickled in between the 'oh goodness' and 'he didn't have to'.

Unwrapping it cautiously, the weight puts her off for a moment, but she's in awe of it's beauty, and of course, it's meaning. Her expression fractures into one of awe and inspiration; he'd created something so beautiful and similar to her creations. For lack of better description; it made her heart swell.

"I---I don't know what to think, but it's definitely more than just an apology." she remarks, still breathless, but now at her gift instead of other things.

"Th-Thank you. I don't..." know how to thank you properly, she means to say, but she's still stunned, turning it over in her hands. Tears? Nah, not this time, but she's close! Gifts are sort of a big deal for her.

Lea grinned at Elsa's response, even if he blushed a bit more as he did. "I'm glad you like it," he said. He paused slightly before he continued. "You know... it was partly you who inspired me to see if I could make something permanent with my magic. Ventus provided the materials, and gave me the idea of what to try and make first, but seeing the kinds of things you could do..." He gestured around them, indicating the massive ice palace. "I started wondering if maybe I could do more with my powers too."

"I mean," he said, "fire shapes are nice, and but when you get right down to it, they were really only a way to make training more interesting. And they're not really something you can share with someone else, outside of putting on a show. They're gone the moment I stop feeding power into them."

"Now, though, I'm actually considering... doing this sort of thing," he said. "Making things out of glass and metal, I mean. Not really for a living, since there's no money here, but... as something to do when there's no monsters and stuff to fight. I mean, it's not like there's a shortage of metal and stuff around to work with, or anything."

There he smirked a bit. While it was unlikely he'd ever be able to create the kind of massive structures Elsa could, due to the nature of how their respective abilities worked, it was unlikely he'd ever have a shortage of materials to work with as long as they were on Cybertron.

Hearing that her creations inspired him...well it was the last nail in the proverbial casket. She was flat out head over heels now. Scary? Yup. But she didn't care. He loved her and her powers and her creations, and she couldn't ask for anything more or less than that. Joyous little butterflies seemed to sing in her chest, making her smile all the wider.

Delicately slipping it back into its cloth cover, she's still overcome with emotion, quite so that she clumsily just kisses him again. why not? She could probably only get away with it here, the idea of retaining her queenly air in the presence of others outwon her affection many times now. This time around though, her hands stay at his chest, fear of crushing her gift still a factor.

There's a clear beginning and clear end to this kiss, as she murmurs "thank you" afterwards, her arms again, wrapping cautiously around him. Yeah, she wasn't sure how she was so alone for this whole time, but she was sure that it's not going to be something she freely does ever again.

Edited 2014-12-28 21:32 (UTC)

Lea was a bit surprised when Elsa kissed him again, but still grinned and after a moment relaxed into it. The electric spark from before was more of a pleasant background tingle this time, but that was alright. It allowed him to savor the sensation, rather than being overwhelmed by it.

He wrapped his arms loosely around her, shifting only slightly so they can both be comfortable as she returns the gesture. "Mmm...", he said. "If this is how you're going to be thanking me from now on, I foresee a lot of presents coming your way." He grinned, only partly serious. Still, this wasn't the last gift she'd be getting from him. Not by a long shot.

Again, Lea was content to just stand that way for a long moment before speaking again. "You know," he said, "I didn't get to see to much of this place before I ran into you here. Any chance of getting a tour?" Not only did he genuinely want to see more of the magnificent ice palace, it would give them a chance to walk and talk, which was a somewhat easier way of discussing some of the things that needed discussing.

His wit makes her flush a bright red, hiding her smile as well as the rest of her face from him.

"Oh, stop." she jokingly replies, her embarrassment very real. She feels like it's worth noting though --- "You won't need presents."

Standing contently gives her a few moments to look at him without being cheeky or awestruck; just genuine. However, she clears her throat, motioning off to the side.

"I'd love to show you." There's a silence though. "I don't remember half of the rooms I made. I was...kind of in a hurry." A rather frustration fueled hurry, but she leaves that out. Some of the snow butterflies have settled on the ceiling, their wings delicate and evenly spaced.

"But I don't mind at all."

Lea chuckled at Elsa's comment about not needing presents. "Well, alright," he said. "You'll still probably be getting more though."

Lea nodded, though, grin settling into a smaller, softer smile as she mentioned being in a hurry when creating some of the rooms. "I could sort of tell," he said after a moment. "It's nothing obvious, it's just... I dunno, it's more a feeling than it is anything visual. It's all beautiful, but something just felt a little... off about it in a way that's hard to pin down."

He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "And I really don't know a way of putting it that's not gonna make it sound bad," he said. "But... I could tell something about your state of mind when I looked at it."

He then blinked once, looking around the ballroom with a somewhat puzzled expression, as if seeing it for the first time. "Though now that I look again, it's not there anymore. So maybe it was just my imagination...?" Or possibly the palace had reshaped itself in tiny, imperceptible ways to reflect its creator's improved state of mind. Given the situation, either explanation was as likely as the other.

"No, it's...it's still there. I'm sure it's just this room." she visibly shrinks, seeing how her obvious despair had caused her powers to reflect that.

An icy butterfly crawls across the ceiling, helping bring out the softness of the ballroom they were cornered in. Clearing her throat, she offers him her hands, a small effort to make peace physically/symbolically, and...well. Of course, to lead him into the next room.

"It happens. It's always been that way. Probably always will be." she murmurs, rather sheepish about her flaw. "It won't make for arguments in a happy home, I'm sure." Understatement of the year.

"Hmmm..." Lea said thoughtfully, taking Elsa's hands to allow her to guide him into the next room. "I guess every artist puts something of their emotions into their work. I mean, what good is art if there's no emotion in it? If it can't make you feel something, you know?" A slight wry smirk touched his lips. "Though admittedly with you, it's a bit more... immediate than most."

"I'd be more worried about me in an argument than you, though," he said, becoming more serious again. "Least there's no worry about you accidentally burning the house down if you lose your temper. I mean, ice and snow can be melted, but once something been burned, it's gone for good."

He frowned thoughtfully. "That moment during our argument is the first time in years I've done magic without meaning to," he said. "I mean, when I first got my powers, seemed like I couldn't go three days without setting something on fire, but now..." He smirked slightly again. "Heh... guess having a heart makes everything more complicated."

Artist, he says. It makes her smile look a little goofy, big and dumb with affection. Unintentionally flattering, but still flattering.

"I always thought it was more an expression of emotion. Sort of something to be interpreted. And now...well. A way I guess to let it all out instead of keeping it all in."

Pursing her lips, the next room leaves much in the way for furnishings, there's an immense amount of space. Most of them were nothing but space, just walls. Etched rosemaling crawled up and down the walls, mimicking the hallways of Arendelle, whilst the floors were opaque and shone like there was a layer of glass between them and the textured floor. He explains his having a heart, his temper, his magic. Guilt fans over her.

"I...I didn't mean to upset you." Instinctively, her hand goes to her hair, fiddling with the ends. An expression of sentiment, no doubt; his talk of ice being reversible, fire being destructive...it only consciously reminded her of the accident with Anna and the blonde streak left in her sister's hair from it.

"It's more lesson worthy than anything. I---" she stops, attempting to use her words effectively rather than defensively.

"Magic is unpredictable. If it were as easy as you think it is, I...I wouldn't have been so scared to hurt you like I was." She cuts herself short, nodding off to the side in agreement.

"Yes. Yes it does."

Lea nodded. "It is, kind of," he said. "Which is one of the unexpected side effects of being a Nobody; with no heart, I couldn't really appreciate art or music. I mean, I could still tell you whether I thought something was technically good or not, but it couldn't really affect me at all, you know?"

Lea admired the details on the walls and floor, and wondered idly how it was accomplished. Though ironically the large amounts of empty space only reminded him more of The Castle That Never Was. Or maybe Castle Oblivion. Yeah, it was more Castle Oblivion-esque, now that he took a good look at it; despite the emptiness, there was a lot more detail here than The Castle That Never Was had ever sported.

"Oh, I know magic's not all that easy," he said. "And I'm hardly an expert. You want someone who knows the technical ins and outs of magic, you'd have to talk to a wizard, like Merlin or Master Yen Sid. Pretty much everything I know about it I learned the hard way, through trial and error- mostly error- and out out of necessity. The Organization's training methods were very much 'sink or swim'; basically 'here's who we are and what we do, here's you powers and weapons, now here's some Heartless, try not to die'. You learn the basics fast that way."

"As to you upsetting me," he said thoughtfully, "well, I'd be lying if I said you didn't, but in a way I'm kinda glad you did. Not only is it good to know for future reference that my magic reacts emotionally too- though to anger rather than fear, it seems-, but it also adds evidence to a theory I've had for awhile."

"I've told you about where I come from right?", he said. "How there are lots of worlds on the same plane, but all normally separated from each other by magical barriers?" He paused a moment both to hear her answer if any, and for dramatic effect. "Well... I think yours might be one of them."

"That's----that's not what I meant." in regards to magic. She's listened, cautiously up to this point. Each step now makes little ferns of ice scallop over the floor, etching into the glass-like layer underneath.

"Not that it's---it's just...it's not so black and white. Ice can burn. Cold can burn, all magic can be destructive. Once you burn something, yes, it's gone. But once you freeze it...it stays. Dead, but still there, reminding you that you did it." Anna's sacrifice wrenched at her gut.

His next sentence catches her off guard though, the ferns flying across the floors and into the next room.

"Yes. Sort of...?" Her lips purse though, at his mention of her world being one of the ones on the planes of his dimension.

"Lea, I---" she starts, her hands suddenly dropping to busy themselves.

"You'll have to explain, I don't...what's the theory?" She didn't want to get her hopes up. She didn't. But it was so hard not to, especially with the flutter in her chest still ever present.

Lea blinked, understanding dawning. "Oh!", he said. "I thought... well yeah." He'd already told her what he thought she'd been talking about, hadn't he?

"Yeah, I know that too," he said looking thoughtful. "Fire consumes, ice preserves; every element is going to act according to its nature. They've been doing it since long before we were ever born, they'll be doing it long after we're gone."

"Our kind of magic is... wilder than the kind that's learned from spellbooks and things," he said. "We can tap into a force of nature, and it'll obey us... but when push comes to shove, it doesn't belong to us. It's a wild thing, and it belongs to itself. And like any other wild thing, it's never going to be completely safe. No matter how perfect our control is."

"Really comes down to how its used, and if the one using it knows what they're doing," he said. "A lot like any other power or tool, really. Though you're right in thinking that any magic- by either malice or accident- can be destructive. Hell, even Cure spells- healing magic- have a creepy cousin in the form of spells that drain the life energy out of a target to heal the caster. Not a lot of people use those draining spells though, thankfully; apparently overuse has some rather unpleasant side effects."

He noticed the little ice ferns on the floor, and how they shot across the floor into the next room at his pronouncement. She was right though. A bit more of an explanation was needed.

"See," he said, "I noticed early on that our powers seem to work along similar lines. Didn't think too much of it though at first, and figured it was just a coincidence. But then I started noticing other things that were similar. Like the significance of hearts, and negative emotions causing problems. So I started wondering if it might be more than a coincidence."

"There were hundreds of worlds completely consumed by Darkness before Sora restored them," he said. "And if a world was restored from Darkness like that, no one on that would would even be aware that anything strange had happened. Not sure why that is; maybe the Darkness messes with their memory, or something. But the point is, your world could have easily been one of those restored worlds."

"That still wasn't quite enough evidence for me to say anything though," he said. "Not until I saw in our argument that my magic reacts to my emotions too. When I first got my magic, I didn't have any emotions, and by the time I got my heart back, control was so much second nature that it took a lot to provoke a reaction."

"But it happened," he said. "And there's too many similarities for me to call it 'coincidence' any more. It's not 100% certain or anything, but... it fits. Your world could easily be a part of mine."

Her face scrunches in half understanding at his explanation; her world could easily be a part of his...Swallowing hard, she fought to keep the excitement from bubbling up and out of her. It would be a wonderful happy ending, she was sure...but it sounded much too good to be true.

Silent, for a long moment, she lets the topic of magic die, her thoughts only focusing on the possibility of them being...well. Reachable, outside of this state.

"...You think if we hope hard enough, that it could happen?" she murmurs. Elsa would refuse to believe it until she'd seen it, but not because she was skeptical. Just because she didn't want to be heartbroken.

Lea chuckled at the question. "Elsa," he said, "I got my heart back. You unfroze your kingdom. We're on a planet populated by giant robots who turn into cars and things. And let's not forget the fact that we helped kick the ass of an evil chaos deity twice now. I think we left 'impossible' in the dust a few dozen miles back."

"So yes," he said, smiling softly and reaching a hand up to rest against her cheek, "I think it can happen. And though it'll take more than just hope, hoping'll certainly help."

His expression turned thoughtful after that though. "Quite frankly, when I get back home again, my friends and I are probly gonna need all the hope we can get," he said. "If we can't stop Master Xehanort, well then... let's just say we'll both have much bigger problems than being lonely, as will everyone else."

"But," he said, smiling a bit once more, "once we've taken care of him, I think all of us will be owed some time off. Which means I'll be free to borrow the Gummi Ship and take a little vacation. And assuming I can find it, I hear Arrandelle is lovely this time of year."

And there was that slightly cheeky grin of his. Talking as if their victory over Master Xehanort was a foregone conclusion. Because the alternative? Was unthinkable.

She can't help it, the idea of it all---getting to go home, be home, and have him there with her...it's hard to fight hope. It warms her up to think about it, a big smile hiding underneath her faltering restraint.

"Well. When it's not frozen over---it is! It really, really is." She doesn't comment on his pending victory. Of course, it was too difficult to think about another battle, another fight, another obstacle. It was easier, and just nicer overall, to think about the conclusion.

She envelops him in another hug, still quite enthralled by the mere idea.

"I'll have to find you a room to stay in, the doors being open now, and all."

"Heh, I bet it's beautiful even then," Lea said, gladly returning the hug. "I always did kinda like snow; we didn't see a lot of it when I was a kid back in Radiant Garden, so when we did get a decent amount of snow it was a real treat."

"And yeah, I'd appreciate it," he said. "Though... I might need it for a bit longer than just a vacation. That is, if you wouldn't have any objections to me moving in there? Eventually, I mean."

His smile turned a bit wistful. "Radiant Garden might be my hometown, but... well there's not really anything for me there now. Not after everything that's happened."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

oh misty eye of the mountain below

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A Christmas gift for you. ;)

this is topping the list rn s2g 1/2

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