Very Important Person

Chapter 12

NOTE: Oh my God, thanks so much to all of you for reading along and all your reviews! I'm glad you're into this story! This chapter sets up the next "arc" so to speak.

~ o ~

Everything settled a bit more once production resumed on Into The Unknown. Elsa was so busy that she didn't find time to dwell often on Anna's home situation, and Anna clearly wasn't dying or in the hospital. The game helped, even though she didn't really think she was getting any better at it; at least it served as a regular distraction.

"So," Honey commented when she caught her Pokemonning in the dressing room, "this is new."

"I-it's nothing," she told her as she shut the clamshell lid and tried to slide the device under her purse - but Honey snatched it. "Hey, careful!"

"Well if it's nothing, how careful do I have to be with nothing?" She started turning it over in her hands. "This is one of those Nintendo things, right? My little sister has one."

Standing, she held a hand out in front of her. "Would you mind returning my property, please?"

But Honey was too busy fixing her with a knowing smirk. "So... for the sake of argument, how old is this snack you're talking to online?"

No answer. Just a blush that was actually visible through the heavy set makeup.

"That young?" she asked with raised eyebrows. "Alright. None of my business. But, um... aren't you taking this a little far? You're mimicking her interests and all. Most people would say that's serious."

"It's only a game," she grunted, snatching it out of her hands and shoving it in her thousand-dollar designer purse. "And she's only a friend... she has a boyfriend, and college classes."

Her co-star saw through the pointed insistence that Anna was of age, but didn't remark on it; just nodded in acknowledgement. "Okay. For the record, though, I wasn't trying to judge, I'm just... well, you said it yourself; you're worried about how the public would react if word got out. And it would be worse if she was a kid."

"Well, she's not." Then she took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I don't know what I'm doing... I like her, I really do. But she's not available and neither am I. But I should be able to just have a friend, right?"

"You should, yes. Is that what you want from this girl?"

Elsa's brow furrowed. "No. But it's what I can have."

"Norberg, come on." She shrugged and let that drop for now. "Okay, so I was just going to ask you to ask you, but now you need cheering up so it's even more important. I'm going on a spa trip this weekend with Kristoff. Tag along, get your mind off the daily stress. And you can still call your little side piece, so it's not an intervention or anything."

"Oh... I don't know, I was supposed to meet up with my parents for lunch on Sat... urd... you know what? Let's do it. They're just going to micromanage my entire life as usual."

Honey laughed and clapped excitedly. "That's the spirit! Come on, let's go find matching robes!"

"What? I mean, don't they provide those?!" But she was already being dragged off to costuming.

~ o ~

However, it was only Tuesday. Elsa privately wished she didn't have multiple days to fret over doing something this impulsive, but it was what it was. She ended up confessing to Anna the following night that she was thinking of telling her friend she was feeling under the weather.

"Whaaaat, why?" she laughed on the other end of the line. "Sounds like she wants some girl time; like, she's taking her boyfriend and still doesn't mind you coming, right?"

"But we aren't very close." Still picking at the dregs of her Lean Cuisine, she said, "I know you have to cam soon, I'm sorry... ignore me."

"Nnnnope. And maybe she wants to get closer; actually be biffers instead of just some hoe you know."

"Maybe. She does keep taking me shopping and things... I don't know, I'm so bad at everything."

Anna laughed and made a grunting noise; Elsa was reasonably sure she had flopped onto her bed again. "So, uh, where's this fancy pants place you're going again?"

"Oh, something... Hermosa? I don't even know what it means." Her mind flashed back to the adorable mechanic, so she hurried to say, "It's way out in Santa Barbara, which Honey insists will mean we won't see paparazzi, but I have a feeling we will, anyway."

"Huh... okay, cool, cool." Then she cleared her throat. "W-well, I mean not cool if they show up, but I was saying 'cool' about the whole trip. And we both know you gotta loosen up, man; let your hair down and whatever. We've been talking about that."

"Right. And talking about you needing to do the opposite. How are your classes going?"

"Oh... they're going," she hedged. When Elsa only grunted, she relented, "I'm a little behind in the calc, but like I said, I don't think I'm gonna use it much when I'm slinging hoagies or whatever, right? So who cares?"

"We both will care when you have to take more classes for more credit hours, and you fall behind."

"Yes, motherrrrr," she drawled out. When Elsa sighed, she followed up, "Sorry. I know you're just having my back and all. But I got this, okay? Promise."

"Thank you. Because I know you're good at camming, but we both agree that's not your permanent career. You are destined for something greater; I can feel it."

"Yeah, maybe." There was a long pause as Elsa stood up to dump the rest of her food. "Hey... Mountie?"

"Yes?"

Anna swallowed hard. "Listen. We got this batshit thing where I'm friends with a celebrity but I don't know which one. And I'm not digging dirt, but I can't help thinking, like... if I did find out, by accident or on purpose... would you be mad? Upset? It's... I guess I wanna know if..."

Maybe Elsa wasn't great at interpersonal relations, but she could figure this one out. "You want to know if my anonymity is more important to me than... you."

"What?! N-nawww, that's dumb, we're just-"

"It isn't."

"Oh." There was a small pause. Elsa might have been wrong, but she was reasonably sure the girl was smiling when she said, "Sorry, I just was... curious and shit."

"No problem," she chuckled softly. "And... I probably will tell you someday. It's just a delicate situation."

"Oh, no big deal... just you've seen a lot more of me than I have of you, dude."

Snorting, she leaned against the kitchen counter. "Not my fault, Anna. Seriously, you were like a used car salesman trying to upsell me your butthole."

"SHEEZE, will you let it go?!"

To Be Continued...