Who: Varda, Elsa What: Bonding, making sure Elsa's modeling is going well. When: Recently! Where: At a photo studio. Ratings/Warnings: PG, really. 5/5 Adorbs. Status: Complete!
Adjusting to working as a model was strange to Elsa. She could follow direction and honestly she liked looking sparkly pretty. The make-up artists did wonders with her hair. One shoot had involved diamonds in her hair, another was with a new pendant design.
What was surprising was how much work it was. At first she was terrified of screwing up, and it only made her mistakes more obvious, at least to her. But the camerawoman and one of the make-up artists were both very friendly and patient, and she got used to it. For the most part, once she got started for the day, she was too busy to actually feel anxious.
She’d been doing it for a whole week, and was starting to feel a kind of confidence she’d never experienced.
There had been people on the board that though Varda's decision to hire Elsa had been a mistake. The young woman came with no headshots, no agent; It wasn't even clear if she'd ever expected to be a model at some point in her life. Varda waved away most of the concerns. There was just something about Elsa, something that resonated with her, and she couldn't put her finger on what it was. All that she knew was that the woman would be perfect.
Varda had helped her get in touch with an agent and the entire contract process had gone more than fairly. She was confident Elsa would learn the ropes quickly. It never hurt to check in on these things, however, and she decided to head down to the studio that day to see how everyone was doing.
And to bring a few dresses for Elsa to try on. They might as well take advantage of the studio while they had the space. Her arrival was low key; She was wearing basic clothing, a pair of jeans and a nice shirt, and a bracelet with only a tiny bit of sparkle. A cup of coffee in one hand, she trailed a finger over various digital prints with the other, "You really do photograph nicely don't you?"
The board wasn't entirely wrong. But there was something almost regal about the way Elsa held herself. Like in another time or place she might have been royalty. She was sneaking some bits of chocolate from the machine in the hallway. It was one of those machines stocked with upscale, expensive chocolate, and she was trying and failing not to get addicted to it.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when Varda spoke. She spun around, quickly swallowing her piece of chocolate. "Miss Varda!"
The scramble to eat the chocolate amused Varda. She chuckled. It was the kind of laugh that made her eyes squint shut a bit and seemed completely genuine, "That machine used to stock those little chocolate covered raisins. I was always buying them out when I stopped by."
Oh god she's gorgeous. Elsa breathed out a sigh and straightened. "Oh it's a shame that those aren't stocked anymore. I really like them too." She fidgeted with a strand of hair. She hadn't expected to see Varda, and Varda wasn't exactly dressed up. Almost like she was trying to go incognito. Elsa wondered why. The last time they'd met, Varda had been in a dress that had left Elsa feeling an incredible state of denial.
Mainly it was just easier getting through her day to day life if no one knew who Varda was. Of course, she had to dress up very nicely when she went into the office, and even her casual wear was nice - no rips or tears, kept in good condition. Just in case paparazzi wanted to come by and judge her with their cameras.
Her free hand reached out and casually tucked another of Elsa's stray hairs away back into place, and she grinned, "I hope you know I'm filing that away for posterity. I wouldn't at all be surprised if chocolate covered raisins end up in your basket for Christmas now. How are you doing with everything?"
Varda was well aware that Elsa got anxious in social situations. The shoot was understaffed on purpose because of it, but there were still enough people around paying the blonde enough attention that it could be nerve wracking.
It looked good on Varda. Stylish and chic. Her throat bobbed when Varda tucked her hair away and she momentarily forgot how to breathe. But that didn't feel terrible. Almost the opposite. She wet her lips, then nodded. "It's...it was hard at first. But everyone is so nice and no one is judging me. I think my first week is a success but I don't know, I've been too nervous to look at the pictures."
"Goodness, you haven't had a look yet?" Varda's eyebrows raised in surprise and she took Elsa's hand in hers. There was a slight squeeze, possibly to offer some reassurance, before the older woman was tugging Elsa towards a table. A laptop had been hooked up to a printer there, so that they could check quality before moving on to the next shoot.
There were no free hands left to grab up any particular picture and wave it in Elsa's face, so instead Varda motioned towards one with her coffee cup. It was a particularly gorgeous one taken of her with the diamonds tucked into a loose french braid. "This one makes you look like some sort of snow goddess, I think."
Elsa felt butterflies in her stomach, but didn't have time to really think about it. Except Varda wasn't letting go and Elsa wasn't sure she wanted her to, except she was touching someone and she didn't know how she felt about that.
She followed the motion of the coffee cup, and gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Oh... oh wow!"
"See? You are gorgeous. You're everything I could ever want in a diamond model. I think it's a nice addition that you also seem like such a delightful human being." Varda replied, looking just slightly smug. Elsa was a lovely woman and she couldn't ignore the effect that being near someone like that had on her.
She was also astute enough to know that her continued clutching at the other woman's hand was probably making her nervous. Gently, she let the hand go. It was still nearby if Elsa wanted to grab it back.
Elsa’s hand kind of hovered in space before dropping to her side. She kept staring at the picture, scarcely believing that was her. “I’m so sparkly. Anna is going to lose her mind!”
"Anna's your sister, isn't she? The one that encouraged you to get out more?" By 'encouraged', of course, Varda meant 'pushed into'. It wasn't like either girl had had an invitation to that party, but she was a good sport. And Elsa inspired her. It was also nearly impossible to stay mad or even slightly annoyed with someone so adorably shy, which helped.
“Yes. She ‘encourages’ me. Often and frequently.” Elsa rolled her eyes, but talking about her sister relaxed her. “She wants me to enjoy life. And I do, but usually my enjoyment is more… solo.”
"She sounds like a force of nature." Varda laughed a bit at that. Elsa seemed annoyed with her sister, but it seemed like the sort of fond annoyance she thought must exist between siblings. She'd never had any herself, so Varda had no experience to compare it to. Though it sometimes felt to her like she ought to have had a larger family. It was a strange feeling.
"I agree with her, though. There are good ways to enjoy life on your own,and you should know how to be self-dependent. But there are also so many ways to enjoy living with someone else, or a few close friends."
“She’s my little hurricane.” Elsa laughed, and her hand accidentally brushed Varda’s. She swallowed, and looked at the other woman. “I never had many friends growing up. I just preferred to stick to myself. I would have withdrawn completely if it wasn’t for her.”
It was the strangest thing, but thinking about it now, growing up with Anna felt strange. Out of place.
"There are people like that all over the world, who simply need that time to go into themselves and recharge their batteries, or prefer to be solitary most of the time." Varda said, nodding in understanding. She hadn't had too many friends growing up, either. Even through college it was mainly a series of business acquaintances and social contacts than people she could call 'friend'.
"People like that can make one or two close friends over time, I think. But they need someone to help remind them that they need the company of others sometimes.
“Yes...recharging. I like having time to recharge.” Books. She did model kits sometimes - once she’d built a dollhouse for Anna. “People are exhausting. They’re so chaotic.” She paused, then added. “You’re not exhausting.”
"Am I not exhausting because you're afraid of my reaction, or am I not exhausting because you truly believe that?" Varda asked, tilting her head to one side. It was putting Elsa on the spot a bit, but Varda's smile was still warm, and there was a playful gleam in her eye. Obviously there was no great weight on the question. She just liked to know where she stood.
Varda’s smile was like the sun on a cold winter’s day, offering a little warmth against the cold. Elsa shook her head, face burning. “No, I really mean that. You’re not...pushy.” She twirled her hand. “You’re nice.”
"I'm glad you think I'm nice," Varda admitted, chuckling so wholeheartedly that her eyes nearly shut in the process, "And I'll make an effort to refrain from being too pushy in the future. I'd like to stay in your good graces, if I can."
She took a sip of her coffee to collect her thoughts. If she was honest with herself, Varda was attracted to Elsa, and that didn't seem that appropriate. Not because of their contract even, but because of Elsa's emotional state. It was rather clear to Varda that the younger woman had little to no experience with romantic endeavors. Especially with women. She really didn't want to lead her on or put a strain on their friendship.
Instead, she focused on the way Elsa twirled her hand, "You should model some of our rings next, I think. Your hands are so perfect!"
If Varda was trying to set Elsa’s mind at ease, that didn’t really have the right effect. She looked at her hands, flattered and nervous and feeling some other things that she didn’t know how to place. Varda was this beautiful woman, noticing her, helping her show off and even giving her the confidence to show off and she didn’t know what to do with herself. Her hands felt oddly bare, though. Like she usually wore gloves all the time, but she only ever wore gloves in the winter, and only then when going out.
“I think I’d like that.”
It was a slender, graceful hand. Varda thought Elsa moved it just like a queen might, which fit in with the entire way that Elsa carried herself. Though there was one flaw with her plan, as she inspected Elsa's fingernails. For most of the shoots her hands hadn't needed to be highlighted, and their plain, unpainted state was fine since they were nicely shaped.
However, if she was going to model rings there would definitely need to be manicures involved. Varda set her cup down and pulled out her phone, "Let me just check my schedule here... How do you feel about getting manicures? Mine need a fill anyway and I know just the place. She could fit us in this afternoon if she's feeling gracious, and we could go and get some lunch while we wait."
“...really?” Elsa hadn’t had a manicure since before she and Anna had come to London. It had been a special birthday treat for her sister and hadn’t gone too badly.
And maybe Elsa would really enjoy spending more time with Varda. Which was a frightening thought.
Varda nodded as she tapped furiously at the screen on her phone. "Of course. There's nothing more pressing on the schedule for me today, and getting you settled in is more important."
"After all," She added, flashing Elsa another grin, "This job isn't easy and some pampering is in order. They'll be busy setting up the next series of shots anyway, and if I'm calling for ring modeling the stylists will have to coordinate. That takes time, so we'll let them do their work."