Old muse looking for a home

[bellbound]

Just when I'd grown used to you leaving me alone.

So where are we off to this time? A town full of horrors worse than the Dead? A deadly enchanted forest? A game? I'm still to be collared, I see. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

Comments

[bellbound]

Likewise, I'm sure.

[He's trying to decide whether this young woman has any power. Mogget can often, though not always, recognize magical beings like himself.]

[let_it_go]

[She does, in fact. But she's not nervous or upset - the talking feline seemed so polite - so the world isn't exactly turning into a frozen wasteland.]

My name is Elsa. May I have the pleasure of knowing yours?

[bellbound]

[Nothing overt, then, but she's being so friendly it's almost suspicious. Still...]

Names, yes. Mogget will do. Well met, Elsa.

[let_it_go]

[Elsa sank into a perfect curtsy.]

Where are you from, Mogget?

[bellbound]

[He seems to take this as his due, for no apparent reason.]

The Old Kingdom. A world far from here.

[let_it_go]

[Elsa was nothing if not proper. After all, one could not be a queen with poor manners.]

I could believe that. Do you have kin?

[bellbound]

[...A surprisingly difficult and loaded question.]

None. I am a singular creature, you might say. There are none quite like me that I know of anywhere in the kingdom.

[His tone is nonchalant. Perhaps there are or were other entities like himself, but they're not for conversations with strangers.]

[let_it_go]

[Elsa had asked it deliberately to see if there were more like him; had she known that it made him uncomfortable, she would not have asked. She, of all people, knew what it was like to want for privacy.]

I see. Then it is an even greater honor to meet you.

[bellbound]

And who are you? Other than nosy.

[Okay, that was a bit of an insult. But it's more of a dry joke than Mogget really trying to be nasty.]

[let_it_go]

Oh -

[Elsa was more upset by that than a normal person would be. She, who'd spent years locked away trying to hide her secrets, knew what it was like to need silence.]

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to pry.

[bellbound]

[He hadn't actually expected to upset her. Instead, he shakes his head, flopping down on his side, tail twitching.]

Did you approach me out of curiosity?

[let_it_go]

I did. If it's too much, just let me know and I'll leave you be.

[Elsa had already taken a step back, ready to leave if he asked her to go away.]

[bellbound]

[And suddenly he likes you, Elsa! It's a miracle. A person who actually knows to leave well alone. Paradoxically, this means he isn't quite so inclined to send her away.]

I've experienced much worse, believe me. [He raises a paw, gesturing vaguely in Elsa's direction.] Besides, you haven't told me who you are. A fair exchange of information, don't you think?

[let_it_go]

Oh, of course, you're right.

[Elsa straightened up and gave him a small smile.]

I'm Elsa, as you already know, and . . . well, I'm from a place called Arendelle in a country called Norway.

I suppose I'm like you because you could say I'm the only one of my kind as well. I'm human, but there's something about me that's different.

[He'd been straightforward, and she believed in returning the favor, so she held up her hand. A large snowflake formed in the air, spiraling above her fingers, gleaming and bright.]

[bellbound]

[Quite impressive. It's a subtle piece of magic. Mogget watches the snowflake spin, green eyes gleaming too.]

Very pretty. And you're the only one of your people who can use such magic? Do you know why?

[let_it_go]

[Elsa shook her head. And then, after a moment, she sat down on her skirts opposite Mogget. She may have been a queen, but a part of her still knew how to relax.]

I never found out. I just eventually accepted it.

[She didn't tell him that she once regarded it as a curse.]

[bellbound]

Interesting.

[Mogget remains sprawled on his side, looking across as Elsa. Much easier now she's nearer his eye level.]

Then you have a rare gift.

[let_it_go]

I suppose so.

I can only hope to use it in a way that will make people happy - and safe.

You know - my sister's friend has a reindeer that he pretends can talk. I suppose they can understand each other on a deeper level, but Sven - the reindeer - certainly doesn't talk with human speech. He's a very intelligent reindeer, though.

[bellbound]

[...Did you just compare him to a reindeer that doesn't even talk.]

Your sister's friend sounds like a fool.

[let_it_go]

[Hey, the comparison's in your favor, Mogget! Besides, Sven's a charming reindeer.]

He saved her life. I don't think he's foolish.

[bellbound]

[Somehow he's not especially flattered.]

Even fools can be heroes. Actually, it's not uncommon. But I suppose you must be grateful.

[let_it_go]

Of course. Intelligence isn't the mark of a hero.

[bellbound]

[He thinks for a moment.]

Why was your sister in need of saving?

[let_it_go]

[Uh oh. That's one thing she's not discussing.]

She . . . was ill.

[Let's leave it at that.]

[bellbound]

Is she better?