Chapter 3
"Hiccup?" Cassandra wondered aloud. Two of the other girls rushed over to greet him. Elsa stayed back.
"Yeah, it's a bit strange but you get used to it," Elsa said with an elegant and practiced smile pasted on her face. Cassandra crossed her arms and looked at him, just nodding.
The other three were all very happily greeting each other.
"Hiccup is another one of Rapunzel's new friends after coming home," Elsa said, some kind of remembering sound in her voice.
"She could always use more, though, she's a little anxious but definitely an extrovert,"
Cassandra furrowed her brow, "Where was she before?"
Elsa's smile faded, as if controlled by a slider, and she looked down for a moment. Cassandra stopped herself from looking for things on the floor but did avert her gaze slightly.
"I won't go into detail but I will tell you what is mostly common knowledge. Rapunzel was kidnapped as a young child and had been missing and held captive for all of her childhood years. At sixteen, she was returned by someone she is still good friends with... That was a year ago. She's still adjusting to the real world. Still processing what happened to her... I'll stop there," she said, folding her hands and allowed the smile to return just a bit softer.
Cassandra hadn't expected that to be the story. Not at all,
"Oh," She tried to sound sympathetic. Thinking of her own struggles with friendship, she thought of something more to say,
"Well... it seems like she has no trouble at all making friends with all her talents and her... personality." She added a bit awkwardly.
Elsa chuckled, "Yeah, she's that type, isn't she? She reminds me of my sister,"
Cassandra sighed.
"So, what brings you here?" Elsa asked, looking into Cassandra's eyes so bravely it made her feel shy,
"M... My dad," she shrugged. Mentally, she kicked herself.
Elsa's smile looked genuine for the second that Cassandra dared to look. She let her gaze linger and smiled back before turning back to stare at the faraway three's conversation.
"I'm getting the feeling you're not much of a conversationalist," Elsa said, her hands unclasping for a moment to motion a 'kinda'.
Cassandra chuckled awkwardly,
"I mean, I'm pretty good at doing the respectful thing with... superiors. But, that's different than talking to peers,"
"Hm... I'd say so," Elsa nodded. Cassandra started twirling a curl, trying not to distort her face and show she was embarrassed.
"I like your hair," Elsa suddenly said.
Cassandra almost gasped,
"Huh, mine?" She quickly put her hand down and started fidgeting with the her shirt instead, "Uh, thanks! I- I like yours, too," she said, hearing the nervousness in her voice and feeling even more embarrassed. She was glad she wasn't pale in the same way as Elsa because if she was, her blush would certainly be noticeable.
Elsa squeezed her clasped hands, "Thank you," she simply replied. Her own voice sounding a bit tense. Cassandra looked around the room for her dad, hoping he'd decide it was time for them to go and she would never have to come back to this embarrassment.
She glanced at Elsa and then decided it would be fine if she walked away and eavesdropped on the parents conversation.
Unfortunately, she didn't get to eavesdrop at all as her father apparently had immediate information he had to share,
"Cassandra! Good news, you've got a job," he gave a serious smile. Cassandra's brow furrowed in confusion,
"Uh... pardon me?" she replied. He glanced at the Der Sonne's,
"I just organized with Mr. and Mrs. Der Sonne and acquired you a job as the personal assistant to Miss Rapunzel," he said, with his usual upright and detached demeanor.
Cassandra's eyes widened but she made no other reaction. She only gave her father a slight look, knowing not to argue with him in public. He blinked and had his eyes closed a bit longer than a normal blink. She wasn't sure exactly what it meant but was sure it was some sort of communication.
"That's... great," she gave a nod and a smile she hoped was convincing, fighting the urge to add a compensatory thumbs up.
"When do I start?"
"Oh, later this week, dear," Mrs. Der Sonne said. Cassandra did her own long blink,
"Thank you," and then she walked away.
Right as Cassandra was glancing back, something grabbed her wrist and pulled her.
It was Rapunzel,
"Look, look, look! This is my new, awesome, friend Cassandra! She's like- I mean, I just met her but I've never met anyone like her!" the girl squealed. Cassandra didn't let herself feel honored. Hiccup gave a friendly chuckle and nodded as Cassandra waved awkwardly.
"Ah, Cassandra, I've heard a lot about you in the last two minutes," he joked.
"Oh, really?" She said painfully.
"Hehe... So, you play bass? You should totally join Rapunzel and the Farendelle's theoretical band," He said with a hint of good-natured sarcasm.
"Oh, of course... totally," she nodded, bored with the small talk that she knew wouldn't really go anywhere. She wished they really were making a band.
But now she preoccupied her mind with the job she had just been given.