Caroline Forbes is full of light (miss_mystic) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2020-10-12 18:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, anna of arendelle, caroline forbes |
Who: Anna and Caroline
What: Lunch
When: Wednesday, October 7
Where: Italian Restaurant
Warnings: Low/None!
Status: Log | Complete
It had been almost two months since Caroline’s mom went into the hospital. She had been out for well over a month now but Caroline had still been so busy. Between taking care of her mom, her work, and building her relationship with Peeta, she hadn’t had much time for anything else. But now that Liz was finally doing better it was beyond time she took Anna out to repay her for everything she had done when Liz was in the hospital.
Caroline cleared some space in her schedule to meet Anna for lunch, on her of course. It was at one of her favorite Italian restaurants that offered a range of pastas and pizzas. Caroline arrived early, getting them a table and ordering herself a glass of wine while she waited for Anna.
It had been an interesting couple of months. Things had happened that she wished she could forget but Anna was nothing if not resilient. And she hadn’t dreamt too much since she had come back from being dead and it was nothing super traumatizing. That also helped with moving forward and not being too distracted.
Mostly it was rebuilding her relationship with her sister. The anxieties from before were fewer and far between but it had only been a few months compared to years of being isolated and abandoned. So between that and her work for Natasha (there was definitely more to it even if she wasn’t sure on the specifics), Anna was keeping pretty busy.
But how could she turn down food? That would just be a travesty. And Italian food at that? So at lunch time, the redhead made her way to the restaurant very determined not to be late. Though seeing Caroline already there?
“I’m sorry I’m late!”
It was reflex really. She didn’t even know if she was late. It just seemed the proper reaction based on experience.
Anna arrived not long after Caroline. In fact it was only moments after Caroline had ordered her glass of wine. She shook her head laughing at Anna’s entrance. “You’re fine,” she assured. “I was early. Helps that I picked a place not far from my meeting,” she added with her usual bright smile on her face.
The waiter came by with her wine, she waited for Anna to order something to drink, letting him know they still needed some time with the menu before ordering their food. “Sorry this has taken so long to set up,” Caroline apologized once the waiter went off to get Anna’s drink.
“Oh, okay, that’s good. I mean, I’m usually late so…..” Yeah. That was Anna for you. Just ramble and trip over words. Honestly the fact she managed to trail off and cut herself off was probably a good thing. Even so, she took a seat and gave her own order - no wine since she had to get back to work after and all - and smiled in thanks before turning her attention back to Caroline.
“It’s totally fine. I know how busy life can get.” Smiling brightly, the red head looked over the menu to figure out what would be a good option.
Caroline just laughed, shaking her head. “You’re good,” she assured again. Not that she would have minded if Anna was late anyway. After all this lunch was way late in general. She glanced over the menu herself though she was pretty sure she already knew what she was going to get. Chicken fettuccine.
“So how has it been being back?” Anna had arrived not long before her mom went into the hospital. Caroline hadn’t had like any time to catch up with her friend and she wanted to hear it all.
Anna could never be sure, so really, just better to be safe than sorry and all of that. But she did smile and nod at the assurance that she wasn’t late. And the veggie panini definitely was calling to her.
“It’s been…” How had it been? There had been the seeming weeks of freezing that had not been fun. The turning to ice and being shattered. But those were things she didn’t really like thinking about and well...not the overwhelming experience. So instead? “It’s been good. Sometimes awkward since Elsa and I are rebuilding our relationship” Or really maybe even just building it since her sister had all but disappeared on her for essentially her entire life. “But good! You?”
Caroline was an only child. She didn’t really know what it was like to have a sister. But even so she had a feeling it couldn’t be easy being distant from one. She did have some experience being distant with a family member at least, her dad. Things were better now but she still remembered those years after he left. Definitely not the same thing, but she did understand on some level. “How’s that going?” she asked. From the way Anna said it, it sounded like there was at least some progress.
“Good now that my mom is doing better,” Caroline replied. “Work’s been busy and I started seeing someone.” He had been at the hospital when Anna brought by the coffee but Caroline wasn’t in the right frame of mind to go around introducing everyone.
“It’s….going okay. I think...I hope. I mean, I have no reason to think it isn’t, just…” Just a life of experience telling her that Elsa didn’t love her and would just leave, “Sometimes I still get worried I guess.” Her sister not even showing up for the funeral of their parents? Yeah. There were some wounds that were hard to heal but Anna was also so desperate for that sister relationship again, and with the Dreams and Elsa seeming so comfortable with herself now, Anna had to believe it would be fine and it was just lingering anxieties and to just ignore them.
Anna nodded as Caroline answered, “Good. I’m glad that she’s doing better.” Smiled. And she definitely understood about work being busy. There were some errands, dead drops that totally were not dead drops, that Natasha had her do and while the redhead figured it was just hazing, after all, she was just HR, it could get busy running errands like that. “Oh! How exciting! What are they like????”
Caroline gave a small nod. There was history between Anna and Elsa. It had to be hard for Anna to just let all that go and trust that Elsa would be there for her now. “I don’t blame you,” Caroline said softly. “But you’re both older now.” Age had a way of changing people. Or, well maturity did at least. “Anyway, the most important thing is you’re trying.” She didn’t want Anna to have any regrets.
“Me too,” Caroline agreed. It was nice having her back home. But the cancer was still there, Caroline couldn’t be completely relieved. But on to happier topics. “He’s super sweet,” Caroline replied. “He was actually at the hospital. I just wasn’t in the frame of minds of introductions.”
History couldn’t ever really be ignored. It could be learned from, a reminder, but never ignored or forgotten. Which was why it sometimes was hard to remember that Elsa wasn’t going to just up and disappear on her all over again. “Exactly. We’re older and wiser and well, trying. Because yeah, that’s the most important thing. To try.”
Right? Right. Besides, there were other things to talk about. Like Caroline’s boyfriend. “Which totally makes sense that you wouldn’t be in the right frame of mind for that. But that’s good that he’s sweet. And he’s actually sweet, right? Not pretending?” Okay so maybe the Hans situation from her Dreams had her a bit worried even if it shouldn’t. Just because Hans had tricked her in the Dreams didn’t mean Caroline would be tricked in real life.
“I’m glad,” Caroline gave her friend a small smile. That was definitely the right attitude to have. “And you know I’m always here for you,” she added. Sure she wasn’t a sister and it definitely wasn’t the same. But still Caroline would be there if Anna ever needed her.
“Actually sweet,” Caroline assured. She liked to think she was a pretty good judge of character. Even her high school boyfriend, sure he had been a typical jock and could be douchey sometimes but he was actually a good person. But Anna’s question definitely caused a brow raise. “You speaking from personal experience?”
If there was anything that could be said about Anna, it was that she always found a way to look for the best possible outcome and to hope despite all the odds. Even when there might be a small voice that remained. So instead she just smiled and nodded, “I know, and you for me. Me for you? You know what I mean.”
Hopefully. And as Caroline assured that Peeta was actually sweet, Anna smiled, “Good.” As for the question? That was a hard one. “Um…kind of? I never actually have done the whole relationship thing here. In the Dreams though I got caught up in a whirlwind romance brought on by never interacting with people ever until that day and I thought the guy was sweet and he was….definitely not sweet.” Understatement of the year.
Caroline laughed at Anna’s statement or well question. “I know what you mean,” she replied with a large smile on her face. And she knew it was true. Anna would be there for her, hell she had proven that just a few weeks ago at the hospital.
Well that was a lot to take in. She’d get back to the real life bit in a minute. “Wait,” Caroline began as their food was brought over. She waited until the waiter was gone before continuing. “You didn’t interact with people in your dreams? Like at all?”
Okay, that was good that Caroline understood what she meant. Sometimes Anna really did wonder at half the things that came out of her mouth and if they made any sort of sense. They made sense in her head but apparently that didn’t always translate for others. But no matter.
Especially with the question. So Anna just shrugged as she took a sip of her drink.
“I mean, there were my parents and then a couple of servants but otherwise? When I was really little, there was an accident and my parents had the doors to the kingdom shut, only the two trusted servants were allowed to stay in the palace…. And Elsa was always hiding in her room...so it wasn’t until Elsa’s coronation when the gates were opened and I got to interact with people.”
Even in her waking life, while it had been lonely - always homeschooled and the like - she still had interaction with hospital staff and kids in the hospital whenever she was there for her health issues.
“Yeah I might have fallen in love with the first guy I met too,” Caroline said lightly. But really that sounded so lonely. Caroline knew Anna hadn’t had the typical high school experience in real life either. Caroline couldn’t imagine her life without high school. It helped shape who she was today, where she fell in love with planning events.
“I guess it’s a good thing you learned that lesson in your dreams and not here,” she added, always looking on the bright side. Though if it had happened to Anna here, Caroline would have totally kicked the guy’s ass.
It could probably be argued that Anna’s overly friendly personality was a result of so much isolation and wanting to make up for lost time. Of imagining things in her head while stuck in bed or something and getting to finally do something. She had always been a friendly child before, but instead of it getting tempered as she grew older and more familiar with people, it instead just bubbled forth.
“Hopefully not a king jerk who was just using you to gain power and was all ‘Oh Caroline, if only there was someone out there who loved you’ when you needed an act of true love not to die?”
Probably not since she was fairly certain that Caroline was talking in the real world and not the dreams but since it was Anna’s only real experience (well, there was Kristoff which was going much slower thankfully) and it had left a mark even if she didn’t really want to admit that fact.
“But yes, definitely not something I learned here so I can steer way clear of anything like that if I meet someone.” In theory. Hans had been so good at acting sweet, would she be able to tell? “At any rate, I know not to get engaged after like...not knowing someone for not even a day.”
“He said that to you?” Caroline knew they were only talking about the dreams. But still she couldn’t help but feel pissed off for her friend. ‘If only there was someone that loved you.’ Who the hell said shit like that? It was so beyond cruel.
“I’d wait at least a week,” Caroline joked with a laugh. “Or you know, six months.” And even that was pushing it. But it was at least a somewhat decent amount of time.
Nodded. “He did. It was all very….ugh.” Anna either tripped over her words as she just said everything that came to mind or stuck to such phrases. After all, some things didn’t need all the words ever. Ugh fit them perfectly. Like Hans.
“Definitely a good idea.” Smiling some, Anna took a sip of her drink. “But I’m glad he’s a real actual nice person and that you’re happy. That’s the important thing.”
“Sounds very ugh,” Caroline agreed with a nod before taking a sip of her drink. “Thanks,” she replied with a smile. “I am too.”
It was nice when she didn’t have to elaborate because who knew how that would go. Besides, there were better things to focus on. Like no jerk boyfriends that Caroline had. So she just raised her glass in mock toast with a smile. “To the good ones.”
“I’ll drink to that!” Caroline replied clinking her glass against Anna’s. Man she had missed the girl. Caroline was definitely going to have to make it a point to spend more time with her, but for now she was just going to enjoy their lunch.