Elsa bites nervously at her lower lip as she continues to pace around her room. Her phone is in hand, a text waiting to be sent. The cursor blinks expectantly, ready for her to either add more words or be delivered to Anna's phone.

-Meet me at Siren's Coffee tomorrow morning at 9

That doesn't sound too weird, right? If anything, it almost sounds like she's asking Anna on a date, which is...simply preposterous. Absurd, even. Anyways, she's sure Anna would be a terrible date—trying to act all tough, scoffing at the shop's interior, turning her nose up at anything that isn't bittter, black coffee.

Because that's what delinquents do, according to her dad. They put on a huge show of being 'subversive, destructive, and unapologetic'—the phrase he always used in relation to Anna or any of her friends. Judging from her behavior yesterday, Anna fits at least two of those descriptors.

"Oh, this is stupid," she mutters to herself, finally mustering up the resolve to press 'send'. She exhales, trying to stop her heart from beating so fast. She's not asking Anna on a date; there is a very legitimate reason to meet at the coffee shop, one that doesn't actually involve drinking coffee.

Though if they happen to order drinks and sit down together, she wouldn't complain too much.

Snap out of it, she vehemently shakes her head. You've only had one conversation with her, there's no reason to be excited to see her again. And who's to say this isn't another prank of hers? She probably won't even reply—

And of course that's the moment she receives a text from Anna.

-sure thing flower girl :)

Well that's...huh. A much nicer response than she would have assumed. Not one hint of reluctance or annoyance, plus she got a nickname and a smiley face.

Her lips curve into a smile and she holds the phone to her chest for a moment before remembering herself. Why has she suddenly turned into a giddy girl at the prospect of meeting with Anna Kicklighter, of all people?

Subversive, destructive, unapologetic.

That's all Kicklighter is. She has to remember why she's even meeting with her in the first place—has to remember the toilet paper still stuck in the tree's branches, the bleach staining the grass and killing the plants in her garden.

The purpose of this whole thing is to create a beautiful new garden to replace the one Anna destroyed. She's not going to have fun or enjoy her time in Anna's company. This is purely business. Nothing more, nothing less.

If only she can convince her fluttering nerves of that.

9am in the summer might as well be dawn, Anna decides as she rubs residual sleepiness from her eyes. She's somehow four minutes early to Siren's, despite having to bike a few miles to get here. She readjusts her black hat so the brim is backwards on her head, and makes her way into the shop after locking up her bike.

She's never been to this particular coffee shop before and she looks around in interest. It's small and chic, with plush sofas and soft indie music playing through hidden speakers. Most of the patrons don't pay her any mind, but there are a few who curl their lips at the sight of her torn jeans and general sweatiness.

Oh right, this is why she doesn't like coming to this side of town. It might have the nicer shops and attractions, but the people tended to be privileged dicks.

She spots the back of Elsa's head—the plaited, white-gold hair is certainly hard to miss—and begins to make the short journey over to her. The closer she gets, the more she can appreciate how her braid is swept to the side, exposing the back of her neck. It's a nice neck, if Anna has anything to say about it. Long and smooth and pale, with maybe even the tiniest of freckles dancing across its surface.

Anna rubs at her eyes again, wondering how tired she really is to be thinking such weird things. Maybe she should cut back on the all-night gaming sessions with Hans.

"Hey," she greets Elsa once she's thinking clearly again, plopping down in the chair across from her.

The simple word is enough to make Elsa startle. She looks up from the book she was reading, naked surprise showing on her face. "You're on time," she states in lieu of a greeting, closing the book with a snap.

"Yeah, I do that occasionally," Anna replies sardonically, swinging one of her legs over the arm of the chair. "So...why are we here?"

When she got Elsa's text last night, she had been equal parts confused and intrigued. It was weird enough to see Elsa at her own house the other night, seeing her out in public like this is even stranger. Just like at school, there's a tense set to her shoulders and she looks like she's trying to take up the least amount of space possible.

She's wearing the same type of clothes she usually does—slim-fitting jeans and a plain v-neck shirt. Not exactly conservative, per se, but also not what Anna would call summer clothing. Perhaps if she gets to see what Elsa looks like in shorts, this whole gardening thing will be worthwhile.

Elsa appears to be sizing her up as well, eyes cataloging her threadbare clothing and baseball cap before moving back to her face. "We're here to get coffee grounds for the garden. I wanted you to bring the bag back to my house." She's back to sounding as prim and proper as her 'Ice Queen' nickname implies, which is a bit disappointing. Anna was hoping she'd still be flustered and stuttering like she was last night.

"Coffee grounds?" she asks in confusion, "What good would those do?"

Elsa shifts slightly in her seat, crossing one leg over the other. "It can be used as compost," she explains as if it's completely obvious. At Anna's blank look, she sighs and continues, "Compost feeds the soil, and so the plants placed in that soil grow better. The grounds here are free, which is why I wanted us to meet here."

Anna deflates slightly at that. "Oh. So...we're not getting anything to drink?" she asks almost plaintively. It's hot outside and the AC in the store isn't enough to cool her down.

Elsa arches an eyebrow. "You... want coffee?" She seems suspicious, like Anna just asked her for a blank check.

Anna flashes her a hopefully charming smile. "Only if you're buying." When Elsa glares at her, she shamelessly pulls out the sympathy card. "Oh come on! I biked five miles to get here and you still want me to take coffee to your house. That's like another two miles! Cut a girl some slack."

That seems to knock Elsa off balance. "You don't have a car?" The obvious confusion in her voice makes Anna wonder what kind of world she lives in.

"No, I don't have a car," Anna answers, a little less friendly now. "I have thrift store clothes and a bike that skips gears. I live in an apartment with no backyard and bars on the windows. So yeah, maybe I don't know the first thing about gardening. I don't mind helping you since it was my fault to begin with, but don't treat me like an idiot for not knowing about flowers or coffee grounds."

Somewhere during that speech, Elsa's mouth had fallen open slightly. Anna's never seen her look so off kilter and she feels a vague sense of satisfaction for causing that reaction.

But then she blushes of all things, and offers Anna a timid smile. "I'm sorry," she murmurs. "I didn't mean to be presumptuous. What would you like to drink?"

Great, now she's buying me one out of pity, Anna thinks as checks out the menu board and tries not to look affected by that adorable smile. Ahh well, still better than no coffee. "A medium iced mocha with extra whipped cream and chocolate drizzle, if that isn't too much to ask for."

When Elsa gives her yet another disbelieving look, Anna throws her hands up in exasperation. "What, am I supposed to get a coffee 'as black as my soul'? Please," she huffs, "I thought you were trying not to be presumptuous."

"I apparently have to work on that," Elsa acknowledges, standing up and walking over towards the ordering area. "I suppose my view on you has been influenced a bit by my dad. He...doesn't have the highest opinion of you."

Anna follows her over and cants her head in agreement. "I don't blame him. We're two opposing forces—light and dark, good and evil, Thor and Loki."

"And which are you in each of those comparisons?" Elsa asks glibly before placing her order and requesting some coffee grounds.

"I suppose it depends on your perception," Anna says lightly. "According to your dad, I'm the root of all evil and have been sent to earth just to make him suffer."

"I don't know if I'd go that far…" Elsa hedges, but there's a playful light in her eyes that seems to agree with her.

Anna's drink is up a minute later, along with a large trash bag full of grounds. Anna grabs her drink and hefts the bag up experimentally. "Jeez!" she blurts out, surprised by how heavy it is. "You really want me to bike all the way to your place with this? It weighs like twenty pounds!" The weight wasn't the real problem but rather the trash bag itself; Anna can picture it getting ripped open against her bike and spilling across the street.

Elsa has the grace to look embarrassed. "I thought you had a car," she says under her breath. Straightening slightly, she says, "How about I drive us over to my place? I can drop you back here after we're done for the day."

Anna nods, knowing she'd be an idiot to pass up that offer. "Sure, sounds good."

They head outside, Anna enjoying the taste of her ice cold, chocolaty beverage. When Elsa stops in front of a navy BMW, she can't help but snort. "Nice wheels, Anders."

Elsa grimaces in her general direction as she unlocks the doors. "It was a birthday present."

"Of course it was." Anna slides into the car, admiring the wood paneling and leather seats.

They slip into silence as Elsa backs out of the parking lot, but Anna can feel the other girl peering at her every now and then. "If you want to say something, go ahead," Anna says as she turns to look out the window. Elsa is starting to make her feel self-conscious.

"It's nothing," Elsa says softly after a few moments. "You're just...different than I thought you'd be."

"I sure hope so," Anna replies easily, unbothered by her revelation. "Like you said, your dad has some pretty strong opinions on me."

A small laugh tumbles from Elsa's mouth. Surprised at the sound, Anna turns to look at her. She never thought she'd hear Elsa Anders laugh—didn't really think she was capable of making the sound to begin with. Elsa begins to talk, not seeming to notice Anna staring at her. "Every time you've done something, he always says you're 'subversive, destructive, unapologetic'."

Anna rolls her eyes, not terribly surprised by his choice of words. "Adjectives, all of them tiring," she drawls.

She had hoped the phrase would make Elsa laugh again, but instead she practically slams on the brakes at a red light, jolting both of them forward. "Where did you hear that?" Elsa asks her tightly, humor gone and replaced by a look bordering on astonishment.

"I don't know, some book I read a while back," Anna says, bewildered by Elsa's sudden shift in attitude.

Elsa just nods stiffly and continues driving, leaving Anna to wonder if she said something wrong.

Cold Mountain.

Anna Kicklighter of all people has read Cold Mountain enough to reference it in casual conversation. And she said she read it a long time ago, while Elsa is just forging through it now because of her dad's prodding. Just how many more times will Anna surprise her?

The entire trip to the coffee shop had been almost surreal. All the expectations she had laid at Anna's feet had been upended, overturned. She loved chocolate drinks. She smiled easily and often. She was interesting to talk to and well-read.

She was...so much more than the labels her dad placed on her.

The labels her classmates put on her also seemed unfounded, at least to a certain degree. The only time Elsa ever saw her at school was in the hallways or cafeteria. She was always talking animatedly to her ragtag group of friends, gesturing wildly with her hands.

But everyone outside of that group spoke about her in hushed whispers behind her back. They said Anna had up to four different knives hidden away in her leather jacket, that she smoked on the rooftop when she should be in calculus, that she beat up underclassmen for looking at her wrong…

Elsa stops herself from continuing down that line of thinking—apparently Anna Kicklighter had been on her mind for longer than she'd care to admit.

Silence still hangs heavy in the air by the time she pulls into the driveway, and Elsa knows she's to blame for it. And so she hesitantly clears her throat. "Can you grab the bag?"

Anna shrugs silently, undoing her seatbelt and reaching towards the backseat for the coffee grounds. Elsa pointedly ignores how the action makes her shirt ride up and exposes part of a smooth hipbone.

Hefting the bag into her lap, she cocks an eyebrow at Elsa. "So...where do you want this to go?"

Elsa's fingers dig uncomfortably into her jeans as she processes the question. Coffee...she's talking about the coffee. Get ahold of yourself. "The backyard, obviously," she nearly snaps, too focused on trying not to blush to control her voice.

Instead of letting the response bother her, Anna gives her an amused grin. "Sure, sure. I'm in your indentured servitude after all, Ice Queen." She exits the car even as Elsa gapes at her.

She's already marching down the brick path towards the backyard when Elsa catches up with her, now genuinely annoyed. "What did you call me?" She had heard that stupid phrase thrown around school, but never to her face.

Anna stops suddenly, causing Elsa to bump into her. Without apologizing, Anna cranes her neck back to look at her. "It's your nickname at school," she answers without hesitation, "Apparently you give off some kind of regal, 'don't fuck with me' aura."

"Is that so?" Elsa says in a carefully measured voice. Being on this side of rumors and gossip isn't very pleasant, even if the nickname itself isn't all that bad.

"Yep!" Anna says cheerfully as she continues walking, either oblivious or ignoring Elsa's agitation. "You kind of seem...beyond everyone, I guess. It must be nice not having people bother you all the time."

That knocks the wind out of Elsa's sails. There was no sarcasm in Anna's statement, no hint of mockery. She genuinely seems to think Elsa is alone by choice.

Which...which is true, of course. But only because no one interesting wanted to come near her thanks to her dad. "And what about you?" Elsa inquires, recalling her thoughts from earlier. "People seem to think you're some kind of badass rebel."

Anna gives her a considering look before unlatching the gate leading to the yard. "People will think what they think. I mean, we're in high school; there's bound to be a lot of inaccuracies flying around. Not that I'm not a badass rebel," she's quick to add, "Because I totally am." She chortles at herself as soon as she finishes the sentence, leaving Elsa to wonder if she's being serious about any of this.

"So it doesn't bother you at all?" Elsa presses. "You don't care what people think about you?"

"I care what my mom thinks, I care what my friends think. Beyond that…" Anna frowns thoughtfully before shrugging. "I guess I don't really give a shit."

"That certainly explains a lot," Elsa says tartly, though she can't help but feel a stab of envy. Life would certainly be easier if she didn't have to worry about what her dad thought about her, or if she wasn't bothered by stupid rumors.

Anna lazily lolls her head from side to side, taking in the backyard. Elsa pretends she doesn't notice the quickly-smothered smirk on Anna's face when she notices the toilet paper still hanging off the tree. "So where's this new garden gonna be?"

Elsa opens her mouth to respond before abruptly shutting it.

Oh, god.

She was so eager at the prospect of getting coffee with Anna that she forgot she didn't even have a new garden planned out yet. The longer Anna looks expectantly at her, the dumber Elsa feels.

"I…" Elsa closes her eyes for a moment. Okay, calm down, calm down. She can salvage this. Opening her eyes again, she asks, "Where do you think it should be?"

Anna looks completely surprised. She lowers the bag of grounds to the ground and shakes some feeling back into her arms as she thinks of an answer. "Oh, I don't know...I guess it wouldn't be good to put it near the old garden, right?"

Elsa nods even though it would probably be completely fine there. Anna's eyes narrow in thought, and she looks strangely serious about this. "And it probably shouldn't be too near the patio either. How about…" she points a finger towards the opposite side of the yard, "there?"

"Why that spot in particular?" Elsa asks, wondering what's going on inside Anna's head.

Anna repositions her hat on her head. "I dunno, I guess it gives off good vibes. Plus," a crooked grin breaks across her face, "the next time I break in here, the garden would be too far away for me to ruin."

Elsa shoots her a withering glare, trying not to let that smile get to her. "'Next time'?"

"Heh, I'm just kidding. Probably." Anna suddenly clears her throat. "Anyways! Does that spot work for you?"

"It's not completely terrible," Elsa concedes, though she's relieved Anna was able to quickly resolve the issue. "Let's take the grounds over there."

Anna groans as she picks the bag up again, and trudges towards the area. Elsa trails behind her, head swimming with how much she still has to plan for the new garden. The area would have to be marked out, the grass removed, the rocks and debris dug up before they could even think about adding the compost...

"Are you free tomorrow?" Elsa asks once the other girl sets down the bag again.

Anna leans against the fence and wipes the sweat away from her face. "Sure, I guess. Are we already done for the day?" It would be ridiculous to think Anna sounded disappointed. Surely she had other, more illicit activities to take part in. Why would she want to stay here?

"There are other matters that require my attention today." Elsa winces at the aristocratic tone of her voice.

Indeed, Anna snorts in an unladylike fashion. "Sure," she huffs, "you must have many royal events to attend. I'm sorry for keeping you occupied."

"Oh, shut up," Elsa says, even as she pretends to ignore the smile Anna is giving her.

A/N: The Cold Mountain reference Anna made was a play on chapter four's title: 'verbs, all of them tiring'.