Humanity Will Shun You {Red}

[Elsa]

A deep breath drew in the woods. Drew in fall, drew in silence, drew in the solitude. Elsa ran her hands up her hair. Snow fell as her fingers expertly unwound the tight braid. Within a matter of seconds, platinum locks fell loose about her shoulders in a gentle, snowfall. Literal snow fell about her shoulders, spiraling bits of blue and white moving. Elsa raised her hands, stepping into the woods proper.

It felt good being here. Being away from everyone, away from everything, from responsibilities, from Anna, from that world of people and pressure. Despite being here, being somewhere else, Elsa couldn't quite shake the feeling of difference. She knew that a touch, too long, too uncontrolled, and she could freeze someone. She knew her proclivities were... different. She knew that she couldn't quite feel comfortable in the sun, couldn't quite feel comfortable in the crowds, couldn't quite feel comfortable as herself, not around people.

But here? Here Elsa could all but dance. her hands wove intricate patterns, drawing crystal and ice. She painted intricate designs on the air, trails and shapes spun from imagination into existence. Her movements kept smooth, flowing, sloping, free. She kept moving and swaying, up, down, almost twirling.

A movement caught her eye, made her stop. She stared, seeing a flash, seeing movement. The cold didn't die so much as recenter, glowing about her hands now. Still, she could remember Kristoff's... friend, and she didn't quite shoot. Ready? Yes, but just holding, holding for now.

Red Riding Hood

[Red Riding Hood]

Most of the time, Red avoided the shift. It happened at full moon whether she wanted it to or not, and she lost a little bit of herself along with it, becoming almost entirely wolf (although almost never attacking people unless they attacked her first, no matter what anybody said), and the rest of the month she would make use of what extra senses and instincts the wolf blood gave her and otherwise steer clear of completely shifting. Mostly, it was because at home it was dangerous. People were afraid of wolves, they chased them away from their homes, shot at them if they were able to, hunted them for pelts and to protect their sheep. Especially a wolf like red, with such unique colouring and so often blamed for whatever misfortunes befell the village she was living in at the time - they bore her presence because they were scared of her, but they wouldn't hesitate to kill her if they had the chance, and in wolf form they could so easily claim it to be an accident.

But sometimes, sometimes the urge just became too much. The wolf blood called to her and she needed to feel the earth beneath her paws and the wind in her fur. When things were overwhelming or frustrating or stressful, she would find somewhere safe, change form and go for a run.
There was definitely something different here, she felt safer already knowing that nobody knew who or what she was, but coming to such an unfamiliar place had left her feeling more stressed than usual, and that called for a good long run around the forest, exploring the scents and various territories therein.

She was just coming to the end of her run when she smelled something strange. Was that... frost? The sharp, cold smell of snow? It stirred something within her, an age-old instinct, but it confused her too, and for a moment it was almost enough to distract her from another scent - the scent of a person here in the woods.

She dashed past the figure to where she had left her clothes, hiding behind a large oak tree to shift back to her human form before dressing quickly, peering around the tree to see if the woman was still there.

[Elsa]

Another blur, a rustle, there! Elsa's body stiffened, eyes narrowed, and she very nearly shot another blast of ice and snow that direction. Something just pulled her back, that memory again. Still, she could feel her anger and irritation rising: she'd come out here to be alone, away from people and things. And shouldn't animals be frightened of her by now?

Elsa flicked her hand up, blasting a tree near where she'd last seen the shape. The branches shivered, bits of ice and snow crackling around the wood. A few frosted leaves spun downward, falling just a touch too heavily given the time of year.

"If you're intelligent, now would be an excellent time to speak," offered Elsa, lowering her hand, but keeping the magic just at the edge of her grasp, ready for flinging at the slightest need.

[Red Riding Hood]

Red could just about see the other woman through the frost-covered branches, and now that she'd taken a moment to stop she actually took stock of them, why had there been a sudden cold snap here in the middle of the woods, only affecting certain areas. It just didn't make any sense... unless it was the woman herself who had caused it. She sniffed slightly, using the fading vestiges of her wolf scenting abilities to analyse the frost. There was something else to it, the tiniest hint of another smell that might just be ... magic? Maybe?

The woman's call made her relax just slightly, it at least suggested she hadn't seen enough to know what Red was, so she stepped slowly out from behind the tree, not wanting to move too quickly and startle her, her hands lifted slightly to show she wasn't holding any weapons.

"I didn't mean to startle you."

[Elsa]

A... person, a female person an attractive female person, and most importantly, unarmed. Still, Elsa was technically unarmed, and she could've sworn she'd seen something else, something more natural to the woods. On the other hand, there were people here with powers and alternate lifestyles, so perhaps she shouldn't quite jump to conclusions... yet.

"That's what happens when someone's alone on the woods and you come upon them," Elsa replied, keeping her voice cool, even. She kept her attention focused, nodding as the other woman drew close. "That's far enough for now," she shifted. "I'm guessing that you're someone else who arrived her by the portals? Or are you some sort of... native?"

How did that work, anyway? So far Elsa hadn't met anyone who seemed to have any concrete answers. For that matter, most of the people she'd met so far had either been related to her or outright unnerving. This encounter already seemed to fall right in those lines.

[Red Riding Hood]

Red hadn't expected the suspicion here, but it wasn't like she wasn't used to it, and she didn't really know enough about this blonde woman to judge. Her hair was almost as white as Red's own, which she found fascinating, and the face it framed was quite pretty, even with the slightly hard expression.

"I suppose so," she replied casually, stopping where the other woman indicated, there was no sense pushing boundaries right away, after all she was hoping for things to be different here. However suspicious this person was, they were nothing compared to the outright hostility that often greeted her when people found out who she was. Fairytale land was both very large and very small, and news travelled surprisingly fast, it was rare for her to be able to stay in one place for very long without the neighbours wanting to drive her out of town.

"I came through a portal as well," she confirmed "I've yet to meet anyone who didn't, have you?" it was put bluntly, but it was a genuine question. Her social skills were not the greatest.

[Elsa]

Good, she kept her distance. Elsa felt some relief, though not quite total. The other blonde kept eying her like she was used to this, with a sort of weariness that, well, actually struck Elsa as eerily familiar. And Elsa knew that people avoided her for good reason, which only validated her own decision.

"I've yet to meet many people who weren't related to me either," Elsa replied glibly. "And unless I've missed a formal gathering, we don't share blood," she raised her brow, considering. "And I don't know about you, but I haven't been exploring yet. If there are natives anywhere," she gestured toward the woods, "they'd be here. Away from everyone else. It's where all those who don't belong go."

She looked around for a moment, before fixing the other woman with yet another wry smile. "Why do you suppose I'm out here?"

[Red Riding Hood]

Red tilted her head at the other woman's words, finding all of it quite interesting. It was rare that somebody else piqued her curiosity like that, she usually found it easier to let them all get on with their own lives and hope they let her get on with hers, but there was something about what she was saying that struck a chord of familiarity.

"I don't believe we do," Red agreed easily, reaching a hand up to tug at her own white-blonde locks "Despite the resemblance, my hair wasn't always this colour." and of course that was all she'd say on the matter, she wasn't about to spill her life story to someone she just met, even that much was more than anyone usually got.

"You don't seem like you don't belong," Red pointed out, glancing her up and down. She was pretty, and she had the kind of bearing that Red associated with confidence or royalty, that generally wasn't the look of an outcast. Still, the place was pretty chilly just here "Or is it something to do with this?" she waved a hand at the frost covered tree.

[Elsa]

Ah, right, hair coloring. Still, Elsa had offered the comment more as a snide remark than a statement of any real truth. There was some curiosity there; some of that normal wondering just who this other human being was and where they had come from prior to this initial meeting, but it wasn't enough to continue that.

"Looks aren't everything," replied Elsa. Her eyes followed Red's hand, and she nodded. "Some of it is due to it being Autumn, but the frost, the snow,' she raised a hand, and a trail of flakes spun in the air behind her. Elsa did take some joy in knowing that she could manage that, seeing its little effects. She'd managed an almost eternal snowfall over Olaf, after all.

Olaf, she hadn't met him yet, but at the rate things were going, Elsa thought of it more as a matter of time. For now, she'd just keep dealing with the person in front of her: "I didn't catch your name." Had to start somewhere.

[Red Riding Hood]

Red watched with interest as the other woman formed snowflakes in mid air, appreciating the beauty of the tumbling ice crystals. She had seen magic in action before, but nothing quite like this, and nothing quite so beautiful. Her gaze drifted back to the tree and scanned over the intricate pattern of frost winding across leaves and branches. She couldn't help but wonder a little why this woman was an outcast with such an interesting gift, but she also knew that people often feared what they didn't understand, she knew that first hand.

"That's impressive." she said after a moment, nodding faintly. She wondered if it was just ice and snow or if she could control other elements, but the woman had moved on and Red didn't want to pry too much.

"Loredana. Call me Red," she introduced herself "And you?"

[Elsa]

Impressive? Elsa let out a slightly wry laugh at that. "It's been called that," she allowed. Along with monstrous, a curse, a gift, her power, her ability, several other adjectives and descriptive phrases all wrapped up in one royal package, standing there facing this other pale woman now.

This... Red? Elsa's eyes flicked to Red's hair. No red there. Perhaps elsewhere? She hadn't noticed that much, but maybe it was a last name or short for something. "Elsa," she offered, eyes returning to match Red's gaze. "I arrived here with a few companions a short while ago," she let her gaze drift, looking toward the leaves. "It's certainly different."

[Red Riding Hood]

Elsa, the name rang a bell, and Red frowned for a moment trying to remember why, she'd barely met anyone here, why would she have heard... oh, yes, that was it.

"Was one of them a snowman?" she asked casually, remembering the overly enthusiastic young man who had told her he used to be a snowman before coming here. It would certainly make sense, with Elsa able to manipulate ice and snow the way she was, and hadn't Olaf said she made him? The concept of it wasn't all that bizarre to Red, people made things that came to life all the time where she was from.

"It is," she added, "It's definitely nothing like where I came from either."

[Elsa]

A snowman? That had Elsa pausing, blinking. "I... know a snowman," she offered, cringing slightly at the sentence. It was the truth, but it just sounded absolutely insane, and Elsa knew it the moment the words had left her mouth. Then again, Red was the one who brought up the snowman, so maybe she'd actually met Olaf? Either that or another of Elsa's snow creations had somehow escaped to Tintagel, a thought that was almost terrifying.

Though like Red, Elsa did have to agree: "I don't think it's like most places we're from." She looked around. "In fact, that's probably the point," she frowned, wishing she could figure out more than that. This place felt equally welcoming and threatening to her, and she still wasn't sure which one she thought overwhelmed the other.

"So I'm here, because of that," she pointed toward the ice, before again locking eyes with Red. "Why are you so far away from civilization proper?" Because Elsa still wasn't certain whether or not this was someone she should, or even could, trust.

[Red Riding Hood]

"He's here," she said, in case Elsa didn't know, from Olaf's ramblings she got the impression that he'd followed people here rather than arrived with anyone, so it was entirely possible that Elsa wasn't aware of his presence. Not to mention the confused tone of her voice suggested she might not have expected anyone to meet him "Although he's not a snowman anymore, but he told me all about when he was..." her tone was a little pained. He'd talked her ear off.

"Maybe it is," Red agreed thoughtfully "It's certainly an interesting place, a lot of mysteries to solve..." she didn't know for sure whether or not she cared to solve them, she tended to prefer to keep to herself after all, and that seemed a lot like asking for trouble, but she wasn't completely devoid of curiosity, perhaps she could be tempted.

"I..." she hesitated, she'd met two other people here so far and one of them already knew about her, so much for her plan to keep herself completely hidden and hope people wouldn't find out, to try and live a life where she didn't have her reputation preceding her "I have a similar... 'gift'." she eventually admitted "It scares a lot of people." she added, watching Elsa for her reaction.

[Elsa]

"Here?" repeated Elsa, at first shocked and somewhat angry. Why on earth would Olaf come here? Anna was one thing, but she'd at least proven to be remarkably competent. Olaf would get killed. Likely by a butterfly or some other inane thing. Or he'd attempt to remove his head and actually succeed, only to find out that he couldn't put it back when he'd finished.

So wrapped up was Elsa that she missed the bit about Olaf not being a snowman any more (which would've proved helpful in a future thread), but she did get the bit about mysteries, snapping her back to the current one; the pale creature before her (and stop thinking she was lovely, brain).

"A gift," repeated Elsa, almost wincing at the word. "Well, hopefully yours is a little easier to hide," she lowered her arm then. Red might be many things, but anyone who could tolerate Olaf and had a gift similar to Red's was certainly no threat to Elsa. The queen raised a hand up, tapping her hair, only just realizing that she'd let her braid fall. Flushing, she began immediately braiding it back up, turning slightly as she did, as if she were doing something wholly improper.