Who: Elsa Krauss and Open Where: the X-Mansion, or at least the driveway, at the moment When: Present time. I’m not exactly sure of when that is, but I’ll edit once I find out. Rating: G at the moment Summary: For the first time in her entire life, Elsa is traveling alone. Her parents have passed on and she has decided that she is going to seek out Charles Xavier. She is just arriving right now with no prior notice to her visit. Surprise!
Travel was no rare thing for Elsa. In all of her life she never spent more than one week in one place, though the show sometimes revisited old haunts. Though she’d gone many places in that old, familiar caravan of trucks and vans she had never been on a proper bus. Her first realization was that it smelled very different from the vehicles she and the others traveled in for the show. She was used to the amalgamation of smoke from her father’s cigarettes and the feed for the animals. The bus she was currently traveling on smelled like something that didn’t occur naturally, maybe a chemical smell or something from the vinyl seat covers. In any case, she didn’t like it. Elsa couldn’t wait to get off of the bus and get a good whiff of the air outside. The next stop was hers and she wiggled her toes around in her shoes as she sometimes did when she couldn’t wait for something to happen.
The very moment the bus came to a halt, Elsa was on her feet, though her awkward suitcase slowed her escape down just a little bit. It was small and that was all she needed, but its boxy shape was a little difficult to manage. On top of all of that, it bus like everyone was just about as eager as Elsa was to get off of the stuffy vehicle and ready to trample her in the process. Already she was missing the cozy, familial atmosphere of the show. This world was so much more different than the one she had been raised in.
Elsa set her suitcase down next to a wooden bench and set to digging through the pockets of her jacket, finally showing the trace of a smile when she retrieved a crumpled up leaf of paper. She had scrawled an address onto it and though the ink had smudged just slightly in some spots she could still read the letters and numbers. This was the address she had found after a little bit of research, her final destination. She didn’t know if Charles Xavier would be welcoming after she’d had to decline when he and his friend had come looking for gifted people such as Elsa, but she had her hopes up quite high. There had been other options than this. She’d been offered a room by a charitable couple and the owners of the show she’d grown up traveling with had suggested that she stay with them to tend for the animals, but Elsa had a hunch that seeking out Charles would be the best thing for her.
Smoothing out the wrinkles in her clothing that had come from being seated too long, Elsa stuck the paper back into her pocket and lifted her suitcase once more. The sooner she could get to Charles the better. She managed to find her way to a cement curb. Taxi cabs drove up, picked up travelers, and went on their way. Elsa tried to learn by way of watching them. Hailing cabs was a process she hadn’t needed to know until this point. Almost tentatively, she raised her free hand in the air and soon enough a car pulled up. The young driver hopped out to assist her with the one small suitcase. He was charming enough, certainly more friendly than the people bustling past her who’d been so absorbed by their own agendas.
“This address, please.” Elsa slipped the piece of paper to the driver. Though she was still grieving for the loss of her parents and a few of her friends, there was no denying that she was looking forward to a new chapter in her life. She had never felt a longing for a life different from the one she’d been born into, but change, at the moment, was so exciting to her. For the duration of the ride Elsa stared out of the window, a smile fixed on her face as she took in the scenery.
As the taxi pulled up to a long driveway, Elsa straightened up her posture and took in a deep breath. This was it. She had goosebumps on her arms from the anticipation of it all. The driver put the car in park and stepped out to open Elsa’s door and hand her the boxy suitcase she’d brought with her.
“Would you like a hand with your bag?” The driver gave a polite smile.
“No, thank you. I think I’m fine.” She reciprocated the smile and waved goodbye to the man. As the cab pulled away, Elsa lifted her suitcase from the ground and began the short trek to the front door.