re_alignment_logs | It's now or never...

Who: Lea and Elsa [Closed]
Where: The Hub, the room Elsa occupied due to radiation
When: Just before Lea goes off to battle
What: Lea has a special gift for Elsa, and needs to give it to her while there's still time

Lea had been trying to think of a good time to give Elsa the wayfinder he'd made for her, but hadn't been able to quite convince himself it was a good idea. Because, well, she could make such beautiful tings with ice with just a thought. And not only that, but she was a queen; she must have much more spectacular jewelry at home. His little good luck charm, made of scavenged materials, would probably look cheap and lame by comparison.

But fate had decided for him, it seemed, and now there was no time to delay. There might not be a chance later, for any of them. So he was here, at Elsa's supposedly temporary room in the Hub, with only a few minutes before he had to leave for the battlefield. He knocked to announce himself, but didn't wait for Elsa to answer before he opened the door.

"Elsa?", he said as he stepped inside. "I... need to talk to you a minute."

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Lea is unsure if Elsa's speechlessness after his confession is a good thing or a bad thing. Did it mean she felt something similar? Or could she just not believe it?

He grins brightly at her compliment about the Wayfinder, though. "Thanks,"he said. "Really. I was worried it wouldn't look like much, given that you're a Queen and all. I mean, you probly have way nicer jewelry and stuff back h-"

He was abruptly cut off when a large drop of water plopping on top of his head. He blinked, looking around them, and noticed the melting ice. He frowned slightly, puzzled, and shook his head. "It's not me...", he murmured. He looked around at the melting ice, recalling the way her book had defrosted before, and what had preceded it. And a long moment later his eyes went wide, right before he face-palmed. "I am an idiot," he muttered into his hand.

Realizing that this explained nothing, he looked back at Elsa, inexplicably smiling again. "OK, you know how fear makes your powers go haywire, right?," he said. "Well, don't people always describe feelings of fear as being cold? Like a scary thought is 'chilling', and things like that? Well what kind of emotions do people always describe as being warm?"

"Friendship, love, affection... warm emotions. They're the key to really controlling your powers," he said. "It's been right under our noses the whole time! I just can't believe I didn't make the connection until now..."

"That...that's impossible, that----" she instantly replied only now putting some real thought into it. Maybe it was possible.

"But---Anna." Really, she thought hard about it. Anna was the most loving person she knew, and she loved her too. But really---- she was always too scared to feel it. Now she wasn't scared, and wasn't afraid, and she could really feel all those things. Looking down at the ice, she bites her lip. With a brisk wave of her hand, the ice disappears, receding from the walls & the ceiling.

Seeing it all disappear only makes her field of expression blow right open, with a look of wonder and relief. She could unfreeze Arendelle. She could fix the problem she had at home. She could actually save Anna.

"All of it, everything---it was all this easy, this whole time." she murmurs, hardly believing it herself. A moment passes as her gaze returns to the Wayfinder, finally putting it on like the necklace it is. It is rather clunky, but she can't imagine it any different. Elsa chuckles out of turn, hiding the color on her face. Well. Trying to.

"Well, then it is you. Just, you know. Not really." Oh that was silly, Elsa, stop talking.

Lea broke into a grin watching the ice vanish with a wave of Elsa's hand. Quite apart from the fact that this couldn't have happened at a better time from a practical standpoint, just watching Elsa's face light up like that... wow. It was almost like the sun coming out from behind a cloud, the way it transformed her.

She'd always been beautiful of course. At first, it had been in a vulnerable, fragile way, as if she were one of her own ice sculptures. Then as he'd gotten to know her, and she'd gotten a better grip on her powers, he'd seen the strength of the heart that lay beneath that seemingly fragile shell, and while he still wanted to protect her, it was no longer because he felt she especially needed protecting. This, though... this was different. And all he knew was that standing there smiling like that, trying to hide the slight blush in her cheeks, she'd never looked more beautiful.

It was about then that he realized he was staring, and his smile took on a sheepish tone. "Nah," he said. "This is all you. All I did was remind you of what you had in you all along."

The Wayfinder really didn't have to be worn like a necklace, but he was willing to admit that that was a really good way of ensuring it never got lost. Lea slipped his on like that as well, taking a moment to look at it before tucking it inside his coat. It was heavy, but in a reassuring way rather than an uncomfortable one, and Lea wondered idly if the protection implied by the story behind them might be more than just symbolic.

And well, darn. Now they were fresh out of excuses to not go out and help fight. But... he didn't want to go yet. He couldn't just leave like that. He just stood there awkwardly for a moment, hesitating, before stepping forward and resting a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Take care of yourself out there, alright?", he said gently.

It's now or never...

And Lea figures it out! <3

thats it games over this is all that needed to happen

NO IT IS NEVER OVER,