Very Important Person

Chapter 8

TW: Abuse mention.

~ o ~

Things settled into a regular routine for a while. Without taping on her soap to worry about for a couple of weeks, Elsa would spend her days meeting up with her contacts, Edna chasing rainbows and trying to boost her career from small to big screen... and her nights paying to talk to Roxanne in ten-minute chunks. As isolated and alone as she felt, having the world's most adorable ginger dote on her meant the world.

The more time and money she spent on her, the more she learned, as well. Roxanne could play the harmonica, the piano - with her toes no less, though she could only manage chopsticks - and the guitar. The douchebag boyfriend's name was Hans, and she wasn't the only client he felt comfortable berating or commanding her in front of. She had a fluffy white kitten named Olaf who tried to interrupt her cam sessions, so they had to lock him in the bathroom but had forgotten once and he wandered into a very awkward shot.

Because finally, a little at a time, she had convinced Elsa to let her show more. Though she patently refused to watch Roxanne get herself off or go fully nude, she had seen her topless a few times. Bought her an ice blue thong off a special gift registry on an adult site - it didn't display the recipient's address to the customer, so safer for a camgirl to use - that she would tug just right to turn it into floss. Plenty of things that got her so heated that she had to shower, and eventually started to debate really getting herself off. Because why not? Nobody else was lining up to do the job.

Except for the men her parents set her up with. Elsa finally flatly refused to go on any dates - and they still set her up with some well-meaning guy. So she video chatted her parents, during the date, to inform them that she refused any further matchmaking. Having to watch Ryder squirm awkwardly behind a furious daughter seemed to finally do the trick.

Everything was almost good, except that Roxanne wasn't really real. She was a cam girl; even if she was less fake around her than the other clients, she still was far from a real relationship. Even friendship. But Elsa convinced herself that this was as close to one as she felt comfortable having since everyone in Hollywood was so fake.

There was one other thing she learned. And she decided to find out for sure if she was right the most blunt way possible.

~ o ~

"Aren't you getting sick of me?"

'Never.' The answers came so easy with Elsa. She almost forgot she wasn't talking to an old friend; she just had to get that pesky VIP payment out of the way first, and then she was talking to her red-haired angel. No worse than placing a toll call.

"Okay," Roxanne breathed as she cuddled the big pink moose she had bought her more recently. Yes, a pink moose; it was the weirdest thing on her gift registry so she decided she had to do that one. "I'm so boring, though. Like, especially because you won't let me get nastier for you, but besides that... I'm sleepy today. So I can't even give you the usual perkiness that brings the boys to the yard."

'It's okay. I like just hanging out.' She saw her smile, and gave it a few seconds before typing again. Moment of truth now. 'Anna?'

"Yeah?"

'Thanks for being here. And yes I know you're paid to but it doesn't matter. I still really look forward to our time together.'

"Sure, Mountie," she said with a smile as she started to yawn. And the yawn died halfway through as her eyes went wide. "Beh?"

'You okay?'

The girl paused for a moment, leaning her hands against her ankles. Staring off to the side. Then she said softly, "You said you weren't a creep. I thought you weren't, but... have you... been digging up dirt...?"

Looking away from the feed for a moment to lessen her pain, she finally mustered the courage to type, 'You forgot to mute it last time he came at you. I heard everything. I just didn't know what to say so I didn't.'

"You heard my name? And... heard..." Pain crept into her features. "Oh GOD. Last time you were on, I... that was the one- shit. Shit, shit, I'm... so sorry."

'Did you go to the hospital?'

"No. It wasn't that bad, he... I know it probably sounded really bad through the mic, but I swear up and down, like, it was barely anything." But she was shaking. Whether at the memory of the abuse or at her identity being less protected than before was anybody's guess.

'He deserves to be the one in the hospital.'

"Hey. Listen, that's none of your business. But like..." She sighed wearily, frowning straight down. "I know you're trying to help. So thanks, but just like, forget about it. Okay? My life, I'll handle it."

'I'm not trying to white knight you Anna. I just don't want him to hurt you again.'
'If he comes at you again I want you to get to a shelter.'

Lip trembling, Roxanne - or Anna, as she now knew - blew upward to push her bangs out of her eyes. Trying to distract both of them. "He just... gets mad sometimes. I frustrate him." A harsh chuckle. "I know how I sound. But I don't have a way out, and when he's not like that, he's... sweet. Takes care of me. Like, without his job, I wouldn't make it. Even with you being so cool and... basically feeding me in exchange for listening to me talk about nothing but bullshit."

Elsa's throat constricted as she typed. It took her so long that Anna actually said, "Mountie? You there?" before she was finished.

'Don't put yourself down like that. You have more to say than ninety per cent of the people in my life and I'm not kidding. I will hit the tip jar a hundred times if it will get you out of there and somewhere safer.'
'You're worth two of me, and ten of Hans. You are so worth it.'

To Be Continued...