rediscover | ryslig

[When Elsa opens the door, the first thing she sees is the painting. A swirl of dark, sad colors that, while it breaks Elsa's heart... isn't really surprising. It's a mess that perfectly displays how she feels as well; a chaotic mess, smothering any sort of light within them all. Even after a few days of safety and time to heal, Elsa doesn't really feel better.

But that's what this is for. To try to make them both feel better.]

Anna...

You should know better by now, Anna. Elsa will always worry, even if your happy and casual attitude was genuine.]

I thought... tonight might be a good night to stay together. If you're okay with that, I mean.

[She needs this as much as Anna does, but she won't push. If Anna wants to be alone... Elsa will accept that.]

[The soft, chastising tone of her sister's voice makes Anna's shoulders slump a little. She should know better, yes, but she still has the instinct to protect her sister from feeling sad if she can help it. An instinct that isn't going away anytime soon.

She's bundled up in bed again, less from the cold this time and more in search of comfort. If gravity blankets were a thing in Ryslig, Anna would be under a whole pile of them. The weight of all her duvets and blankets is the closest she can get to one of Olaf's warm hugs, or Kristoff's. But the thing is, none of those are quite as good as her sister's.]

Els...of course I am. It might...help with the dreams, honestly.

[Seems they both cause grief for themselves for the sake of the other, huh? It's starting to become a bad habit. Still, Elsa smiles, a somewhat sad smile that doesn't quite reach her eye.]

Good... good.

[It's a little selfish, the sense of relief that washes over Elsa, and she feels a little bad for it. But in a situation like this, where she can comfort as well as feel comforted... that sort of selfishness is okay, right? Right...

Walking up to the side of Anna's bed, she sits, unfurling the blanket she'd brought with her; made of soft flannel, it was perfect for both the chill and to comfort. She throws one end of it around her own shoulders, and holds the other end of it up. It's a sad mirror to the last little sleepover they had, but Elsa doesn't want to dwell on that. She can't let any more of her happier memories be tainted.]

Now... scooch in.

[That's...probably something they should both work on. But that's not important, now. What's important is that Elsa is inviting her to schooch, and Anna has no choice but to scooch. A faint smile ghosts across her face and she snuggles in.]

Cuddle close.

[She lets herself lean her body weight against Elsa's, her head resting on her sister's shoulder.]

Do you ever wonder what Mama and Papa would do if they were in our shoes?

[The intense, jarring pain of the wounds in her side from where the poachers had removed her lung have mostly faded, so when her sister presses in close to her side, the only thing Elsa feels is a hollow sort of ache. An ache that was easy to ignore as she rests her chin on Anna's head and wraps her arms around her shoulders, making sure the blanket covers as much of them as possible. It's less of a nest like they usually make during their sleepovers, and more a cocoon. A shield against the outside world.]

... Sometimes, yes.

[She knows their father probably would've been able to do something. He was able to push back against adversity more than Elsa ever could, that's for sure. And if he knew what happened in the dark, the things they were forced to do to survive... she knows he'd be ashamed of her. The inability to control her urges, to force her need for meat deep deep down... he'd be downright furious with her for being unable to protect Anna. But that's okay, because Elsa is already furious at herself for letting these things happen to Anna. She could have done something...]

I... like to think that they'd be able to adjust well. That they'd set up some sort of business or organization to help monsters and humans.

[As she speaks, one hand drifts up, hovering for a moment in front of Anna's face - so that she can easily see Elsa's movements with her one eye, and not be surprised by her touch - before gently trailing her pinky finger down Anna's forehead and nose. That silly little petting gesture that Iduna would do to them all the time, as both a means to make them laugh and a means to calm them down from nightmare. It seems like so long ago that she last remembered feeling this sort of touch....]

They would've done a fine job of protecting this castle from whatever foul beings would try to invade it.

[A better job than me is left unsaid. The last thing Elsa needs to do is wallow in a mess of pity when she's supposed to be comforting Anna.]

[Anna goes nearly cross-eyed (or at least she would if she had two eyes to cross) looking at Elsa's hand hovering in front of her, and then her eye closes, grateful for the familiar gesture. The breath comes out of her in a soft sigh, an exhale of relief. Maybe tonight she'll sleep a little better.

She listens, but she's also thinking. Her mind wandering a little.]

You know, that reminds me. [She doesn't even realize the implications of what Elsa's saying. She's too busy looking forward into the future.]

I was talking to Cass, about making medicines, and...well, have you ever thought that we could be doing so much more than selling pastries? We could be helping people with our powers. Monsters and humans both.

[Elsa already knows she's in for a much better night's sleep. She can't be sure if this is going to completely keep the nightmares at bay, but the knot of tension in her gut is slowly starting to unravel, and the static in her head has gone a bit quieter. Tonight... tonight she'll at least be able to deal with these terrors, if she can't chase them away.

And she'll make sure she does the same for Anna as well. As she feels her sister relax a little in her arms, she slowly repeats the motion of gently stroking her nose. Anna's calm... so she'll be okay.]

Like with medicines? or something else?

[Elsa's vaguely familiar with medicines, having made some rough poultices and such for new arrivals or fresh changes, but she's never really thought about expanding it into a full-blown business like Hyacinth House is. Hm...]

There certainly is some potential in what we can do...

[Anna nods, already feeling her body growing sleepy just from the comfort of having Elsa nearby, her finger stroking the bridge of Anna's nose.]

Uh huh. Like medicines and plants that have healing properties...we could sell aloe plants, and lavender, and thyme, and cannabis...all kinds of tinctures and salves and things like we use here at home. Think about how many people we could help!

[There's a momentary pause in Elsa's calming motions, but the expression that crosses her face is one of a mild concern, not any sort of unwillingness towards Anna's idea.]

I... do grow a small amount of cannabis already, specifically for Fiddleford. He's told me it helps a lot with some of his problems, but...

[Hm.]

Some people- [the twins] -make me worry that some might be a little reckless with it. We can grow it for others, of course, just... by request? Or we can make sure to keep an eye on it, like most pharmacies would with their stocks.

[If it helps, she'll happily give it to others. She just doesn't want to be the cause of someone developing an addiction or bad habits.]

Edited 2019-12-05 02:46 (UTC)

Oh, really? [Anna looks...a little abashed.] I did try a little with Lup. It seems like it has a real calming effect...

[She's not sure what Elsa's reaction to that will be, but she figures she should just be honest about it. After all, it's just a plant!]

I think that'd be wise. But what if...what if we did it? Opened some kind of apothecary?

[Look, joking about how destructive the twins are aside, Elsa knows that Lup has a pretty good head on her shoulders. And she cares, and knows how much Elsa cares about Anna, so she's sure that Lup wouldn't give Anna something dangerous. At least on purpose.]

Hmm... well, that was what Fiddleford said it helped with...

[Maybe she was just fretting for nothing, and it was just The Twins Being The Twins? Ah well... she lets it go with a little shrug.]

I'd like that. Finding more ways to help others... [Her arms squeeze Anna just a little tighter.] You really are the smarter of the two of us, you know.

[Smarter, stronger... it's almost weird, that Anna wasn't born first. She'd make a much better big sister than Elsa does.]

Pff, what? No way—

[She's sleepy-faced as she cranes her neck upward to look at Elsa.]

We're both really smart. And pretty.

[Anna cracks a huge yawn.] I wanna do it, Elsa...

[Elsa smiles at the compliment, but some of that fades as she looks down at her sister. Nothing will ever be able to ruin how adorable Anna is, no sir, but it just sort of... sinks in as she takes in the patch covering Anna's empty eye socket. The leafy hair trimmed short to even out what the poachers had cut away. More than any of the physical aches she felt, that hurt, seeing her sister like this...]

But you're beautifuller. [It's an attempt at a joke, something she can still laugh about so long after her coronation, but it rings a bit hollow with the sudden somber air clouding around Elsa.] And nothing that happened to us will ever change that. I just want you to know.

[They can think about business and how to expand their ability to help later. Elsa still wants to make sure that this is a night of comfort that the two of them most desperately need, so a little reassurance would be good about now.]

No, you're...fuller...

[Anna giggles, soft and sleepy, as her eyelids start to droop.]

We're here for each other. No matter what, Els.

[Without quite realizing, Anna's hand reaches up and her fingers close around one of the longer strands that remain of Elsa's hair. It's like a security blanket. But really, her sister's presence is a security blanket. The soft lull of her voice is all Anna needs to fall into the best sleep she's had in weeks.]

ryslig | rsdos

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