The Rocky Bits, Before the Last of the Clouds Blow Away, Laaaaate Sunday Night.
Karla stood on the rocky bits of the beach, watching the expensive rug sink slowly into the ocean. She was glad she'd gone with the extra rocks; it had been tough to maneuver them into the carpet along with the other bit of trash occupying the middle, but it was always better to be safe than sorry.
Taking out a cigarette she'd bummed off of one of the clients at the Magic Box, she lit it and drew in a deep lungful of smoke. This was her first cigarette and probably her last, but she'd always been forbidden to smoke because of the damage she could do to her voice. As far as she was concerned, she could never sing another note and she'd still be perfectly happy, but, really, this thing tasted terrible. But it was worth it, taking slow draws off a forbidden cigarette while she said goodbye to everything tying them to this terrible place.
Angelface had been expecting her, of course. His ultimatum had been clear. Either she marry him or he would auction Elsa off to the highest bidder. Honestly, it wasn't even a choice. When it came down to her sister or her country, Elsa would win a hundred times over.
Funny, even knowing who she was and what she was; even knowing her predilection for arson when it came to keeping her sister safe, Angelface had still been surprised when she'd reached for the champagne bottle he'd gotten to mark the occasion. A happy surprise, when she'd reached for it. He'd obviously thought she was going to try to make the best of a bad bargain. A pained surprise when she'd slammed it into his temple. And then nothing at all as she'd kept hitting him until the bottle had broken.
She'd been tempted to leave him there for the morning crew to find, but the last thing she wanted to do was upset the staff at the Magic Box any more than they already would. Sure, Rita probably would have handled it as soon as she stopped dancing around the corpse, but Karla was determined to take care of it herself. The carpet had been heavier than she'd expected, even before she'd tucked his body and the broken champagne bottle into it, but Karla was stubborn.
A lot of heavy-lifting, a fair bit of grunting, and one stolen rickshaw later, she'd managed to bring Angelface's body up to the top of these rocks here and push it into the ocean. Her bloody costume had gone with it. And once Angelface's dead weight and the weight of the rocks pulled the carpet and its contents down under the ocean, Karla finally remembered what it felt like to be free.
She took one more drag off the cigarette and flicked it into the water after Angelface, then spat after it. Ridding the cigarette taste from her mouth or something more metaphorical, Karla wasn't sure. She didn't have time to waste up here to figure it out, either. Elsa was waiting for her in front of the train station, tickets to the Freya in one pocket and her princess tiara and the Arendelle crown jewel in the other. Those were the only two items that remained in their possession that could support their claim as to who they were.
As the sky to the east lightened and the rain slacked off a bit, Karla let herself smile. Home. They were finally going home.
[Establishy, NFI, NFB. Angelface and Elsa modded with permission]
Taking out a cigarette she'd bummed off of one of the clients at the Magic Box, she lit it and drew in a deep lungful of smoke. This was her first cigarette and probably her last, but she'd always been forbidden to smoke because of the damage she could do to her voice. As far as she was concerned, she could never sing another note and she'd still be perfectly happy, but, really, this thing tasted terrible. But it was worth it, taking slow draws off a forbidden cigarette while she said goodbye to everything tying them to this terrible place.
Angelface had been expecting her, of course. His ultimatum had been clear. Either she marry him or he would auction Elsa off to the highest bidder. Honestly, it wasn't even a choice. When it came down to her sister or her country, Elsa would win a hundred times over.
Funny, even knowing who she was and what she was; even knowing her predilection for arson when it came to keeping her sister safe, Angelface had still been surprised when she'd reached for the champagne bottle he'd gotten to mark the occasion. A happy surprise, when she'd reached for it. He'd obviously thought she was going to try to make the best of a bad bargain. A pained surprise when she'd slammed it into his temple. And then nothing at all as she'd kept hitting him until the bottle had broken.
She'd been tempted to leave him there for the morning crew to find, but the last thing she wanted to do was upset the staff at the Magic Box any more than they already would. Sure, Rita probably would have handled it as soon as she stopped dancing around the corpse, but Karla was determined to take care of it herself. The carpet had been heavier than she'd expected, even before she'd tucked his body and the broken champagne bottle into it, but Karla was stubborn.
A lot of heavy-lifting, a fair bit of grunting, and one stolen rickshaw later, she'd managed to bring Angelface's body up to the top of these rocks here and push it into the ocean. Her bloody costume had gone with it. And once Angelface's dead weight and the weight of the rocks pulled the carpet and its contents down under the ocean, Karla finally remembered what it felt like to be free.
She took one more drag off the cigarette and flicked it into the water after Angelface, then spat after it. Ridding the cigarette taste from her mouth or something more metaphorical, Karla wasn't sure. She didn't have time to waste up here to figure it out, either. Elsa was waiting for her in front of the train station, tickets to the Freya in one pocket and her princess tiara and the Arendelle crown jewel in the other. Those were the only two items that remained in their possession that could support their claim as to who they were.
As the sky to the east lightened and the rain slacked off a bit, Karla let herself smile. Home. They were finally going home.
[Establishy, NFI, NFB. Angelface and Elsa modded with permission]