Chapter 3 - A Critical Role

"Okay... so the basics are we just roll the dice and then I say what my character does, right?" Elsa wondered.

It had been a few hours and Anna was doing her best to teach Elsa how to play an RPG. She'd even helped her create a character as well.

According to the sheet in Elsa's hand, she was an elven sorceress named Menzelia with platinum hair and could also use a bow with magic arrows in battle. Anna felt Elsa was basing the character a little on herself, but it was understandable. She'd done it as well.

Explaining the rules had been a little hard to explain to Elsa at first, but Anna knew the blonde was awfully keen to help her out. She admired her commitment to this, even if it was her first time. It was almost as if Elsa wanted to impress her.

"Yeah, pretty much," Anna replied. "Although, it isn't always that simple. The low numbers mean you have a bigger chance of succeeding in whatever action you're gonna do, while higher numbers mean you might not make it."

"Now, I'm confused," Elsa sighed, groaning. Even with the rules being explained to her by an alleged professional, it still didn't make sense. "Look, Anna, maybe you should ask someone else to do this. I've never done this before in my life."

"Elsa, you can do this. Allow me to be your master, my young padawan," Anna said, in a voice imitating Obi-Wan Kenobi.

That attempt at a fancy British accent made Elsa giggle. "You know, I was more of a Trekkie myself." She looked at her again. Anna was right. It was gonna be okay, Elsa just had to go with the flow. "Okay, run me through what this little campaign of yours has gone through so far."

"Basically, we're a group of adventurers on a quest of fame and glory and we need to break into a vault that holds a great treasure. It's protected by monsters and traps of all sorts of stuff. This is why we need a sorcerer, ie: you, to help us out."

"Sounds interesting," Elsa remarked, looking through some of the notes she'd made down. "So... about the die again, Natural 20 is good?"

"Right. That's what you use the D20 dice for."

"Okay. Anything higher than 20 is good as well?"

"Yep!"

Elsa nodded. She was slowly getting the hang of it, but she needed some in hand action. "Alright... is it possible for us to have a little go on our own?"

"What do you mean?" Anna inquired.

"Like, couldn't we just do this between the two of us so I can practice for the game?" Elsa wondered. After all, even newbies needed a chance to practice.

Anna chuckled. "Sorry, I'm throwing you in feet first. " She smirked and sipped her drink.

Elsa mock-glared. "Gee, thanks." Well, so much for that.

"But the next time, we'll have a session zero between you and me," Anna promised before she then looked at the time on her phone. "Well... we better get going. You wanna come ride in my car? Ariel's place is on the other side of the city."

"Considering my car is currently still out of gas," Elsa remarked. "I'll take it." She'd actually called a tow truck that morning to tow her car from the parking lot of the Subway. All she needed to do now was put some gas in it again and pray to god the engine still worked.

"Then let's boogie!" Anna suddenly chirped.

Elsa snorted. "Who says that these days?"

"Me, that's who." Anna stuck her tongue out and pulled her eyelid down, making Elsa only laugh even more.

Elsa couldn't help smiling so brightly at that statement. Anna was such a dork. She'd known her for a day, but she was so smitten with her. But she was still so conflicted about these feelings now. She was still unsure if she actually did want to leave. She wanted to stay, but was worried that being with Anna could put her in danger.

But the more she looked at and thought about Anna, the emotions stirred inside her. She realised that Anna was the first true friend she'd made in such a long time and this, going out with her for this game night, was something she always secretly wanted. A simple life with an honest and true friend.

Or maybe it would be more than friends. I like her... but I don't know if I should stay with her? What if I screw things up?

"Elsa?" Anna's voice called from the door. "You coming?"

The blonde snapped from her trance, realising that Anna already had her jacket on and was waiting for her. "U-Uh yeah, I'm coming!"

Carrie then nuzzled up to Anna's leg, Anna leaning down and petting her fur, the cat purring with love for her owner. "Wish us luck, girl. We'll be coming home from our night of honour and glory."

Elsa then packed the notes she'd written down into her purse and followed Anna out the door. "Let's hit the road then."

"Okay, no one says that anymore," Anna flatly remarked. "Except my dad."

Elsa grinned. "I like to be corny."

xXx

Ariel's house was on a beachfront not too far from Anna's apartment. The drive wasn't too long, but as soon as Anna and Elsa pulled up on the road just outside of the house, Elsa's jaw dropped at how big the place was. She'd seen big houses, but nothing like this.

It was a beachside villa that reminded Anna of the sort of place Tony Stark would live. The moon made the sand almost glow and the place had so many windows, Anna wondered how Ariel and her boyfriend Eric have any sort of privacy.

Elsa stared dumbfounded as she and Anna got out of the car. She was still amazed that Anna's friend lived in a place like this. "Does her family own gold or something?"

Her friend laughed. "Close. Her dad has a shipping company. She's staying here while she completes her marine biology degree."

"Ahhh, I see."

Elsa and Anna walked up to the driveway of the house, Elsa still a little embarrassed to be seen with Anna in public. What if people thought they were dating?

Elsa soon noticed that there was another car outside the large house. a young woman with short black hair and another girl with long blonde hair getting out of it. The woman with black hair was wearing brown pants and a red flannel, while the blonde girl was wearing a rather cute pink shirt. If they were a couple, they were certainly a cute one. As the young blonde girl looked at Anna, she grinned. "Hey, Feisty pants!"

"Hey, Cass, Punzie!" Anna called back, greeting her friends. "You ready for tonight!"

"She's been practising all week!" Cass added, playfully nudging Rapunzel's arm in her usual sassy manner.

"Just as long as she doesn't lead us into a Dragons cache." Anna folded her arms and smirked. Rapunzel never could live that mistake down.

"Hey! That wasn't me, that was Eric! And I've learned my lesson, thank you very much." Rapunzel pouted, as Cass put her arm around her, making her smile.

"Well, fortunately, Robbie Rotten won't be joining us this evening," Anna remarked.

Elsa gently waved at the two girls. She was unsure of what to say, but she didn't want to come off as rude to Anna's friends. They seemed to be chatting so well, she could have easily faded in the background, but Elsa hated being impolite. "H-Hello there."

Cass eyed Elsa over and smirked. "Well... if I didn't believe it with my own eyes, I'd say you got lucky, Anna."

"Huh?" Anna wondered, quite confused.

"Yeah, you finally scored a hot date. For the first time since me, I might add." Cass grinned knowingly. "How long you known her?"

Elsa blushed bright red and Anna sweated nervously. Elsa felt very called out and Anna was extremely embarrassed and flustered. "O-Oh she's not my... at least... well, I... I ONLY MET THE OTHER NIGHT FOR GOD'S SAKE CASS!"

The brunette was already head over heels with laughter. The whole scenario was so amusing to her. She felt a little nostalgic seeing Anna as a blushing red mess. But then her laughter was cut short when Rapunzel elbowed her in the gut.

"Knock it off, Cass," Rapunzel scolded her, rolling her eyes. As the brunette got up groaning, Rapunzel held out her hand to Elsa, wanting to start things off on a better note. "Ignore my girlfriend, she's a sassy bitch sometimes. I'm Rapunzel, or Punzie for short."

Elsa took her hand smiling, her cheeks turning to their natural shade of pale pink. "Pleasure's all mine. I'm Elsa. It's nice to see Anna has good friends."

"And I'm glad Anna's making new ones," Rapunzel admitted. As the group started to walk towards the house, the blonde looked up at Elsa. "So... how did you meet Anna? Online? Some other game night in town she hasn't told us about?"

"Hey, for the record, this is the only game night I go to," Anna told them. "And if you must know, she met me at work."

"Yep. She gave me a sandwich."

"And a place to stay." Anna finished. "I was only being a good Samaritan after all."

"Well, at least things are looking up for you at the Subway," Rapunzel stated. "But to be honest, I'm still glad I got fired from that dump."

"Why did you get fired?" Elsa inquired.

"Hans the moronic ass-hat." Cass offered, groaning as she thought of the tedious waste of a man. "All Punzie did was give the homeless guy a sandwich free of charge and he blows a gasket. Men like that have such a fragile ego. Makes me glad I'm gay."

"I know exactly what you mean, Cass." Anna rolled her eyes. "He needs to get that stick out of his ass, or hell, I'd be glad if he shoved it deeper into his ass so hard, he got internal bleeding."

"Either that or get laid," said a voice off to the side. Elsa turned around and saw another couple walking up to them. A young man and a young woman, both with dark skin and possibly of Arabian descent. The man was wearing a casual looking vest and the woman a cute blue tank top.

As the two walked up to them, the woman smiled at Anna and Cass. "Hey, guys."

"Hey, Jas, Al," Cass greeted them. "Looking forward to saving the day with us?... well maybe just you Jas."

"God, I make one bad roll and you snark about it forever," Aladdin groaned. "Eugene's right. You really are a cobra woman."

Jasmine smirked at Elsa. "Who's the new girl, Anna?"

"She's Eric's stand-in tonight," Anna told them. "And no, if anyone asks, she is NOT my girlfriend. Good to see you two, by the way."

"Is anyone else coming?" Rapunzel wondered.

"Tiana and Naveen are bringing Lottie, I think, and Aurora was gonna bring that new girl of hers, Mary or Malef- Look she had a weird name, is all I can remember, "Aladdin said with a shrug. "Must be from some European place or something."

Well, this is certainly a colourful group, Elsa admitted in her thoughts. She felt like she needed to say something, just so the situation wouldn't turn out very awkward. The last thing she wanted was to completely embarrass Anna tonight.

"I'm Elsa," She said to Jasmine, smiling.

"Nice name," Jasmine replied, eyeing Elsa's body. "And nice muscles. You go to the gym around here?"

"Actually I only just started today."

Aladdin hefted his six pack of beer. "I better get this inside; warm beer is gross." He walked ahead. "Nice to meet you, Elsa!"

A few moments later, everyone was inside of Ariel's house, all gathered in the redhead's front room. Elsa was a little surprised by the fact that Anna had so many friends. Of course, it wasn't much more than the people Anna had told her about.

First, there was Aurora ("Rose is easier to remember," she had told Elsa with a grin) and Mally, a young blonde woman around her age and her older, dark-haired girlfriend. Mally had very pale skin, even paler than Elsa's. Anna said she sometimes joked with Rapunzel that Mally was secretly a vampire or a witch.

Then there was Tiana and Naveen. Elsa remembered Tiana from behind the counter at the Subway. Apparently, Naveen was her brother and Tiana had brought her girlfriend Lottie as well. Her dad was rich, according to Anna. All the children of these rich people, Elsa just hoped she wouldn't be recognised.

At last, Ariel herself walked up to Elsa, greeting her. Elsa found her very beautiful with that long, beautiful mane of red hair. If she wasn't already trying to woo Anna, she'd probably have tried on Ariel. But Ariel sadly had a straight aura about her and she obviously had a boyfriend in Eric. But she would at least be nice to her.

"Oh, you must be Elsa," Ariel said with a wide smile. "Anna told me about you. Sorry, you had to get dragged to this. My boyfriend couldn't make it."

"It's alright," Elsa responded. "I'm just... wanting to help out my friend that's all."

Ariel shook Elsa's hand eagerly. "Help yourself to beer and food, we'll get started soon."

Elsa now stood with a plate of pizza and a cold PBR in one hand as she observed preparations. Ariel as the GM was sitting behind a cardboard foldout that had the DnD logo on it and she was thumbing through a thick book as Mally looked over her shoulder.

Anna soon walked up to her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Still nervous about this?"

"A little, but I know that if I back out of this, you'll never forgive me," Elsa jested. "You know Anna... even if I don't wanna talk about my past yet with you... I'll let you know this. When I was young, I never had friends like this, going to parties, beer, pizza all that stuff... it feels good to do it all now."

The redhead nudged her elbow. "There's hope for you yet, Snowflake."

Elsa raised her eyebrow. "Snowflake?"

"Yeah, because of your hair," Anna chirped.

"Okay, so if I'm Snowflake...you're Weasley."

"Weasley?! Oh, come on!"

Elsa cracked up. She was proud of that little joke.

Anna pouted, her lip poking out. "I don't even like Harry Potter."

"Your loss."

"Okay, everyone!" Ariel spoke up. "We're ready to go! Take your seats and let's get this quest going!"

xXx

Elsa soon found she had a knack for roleplaying. Right now she was currently trying to help Aladdin's Gnome wizard as he battled a Minotaur. The two of them were trapped in a long corridor in the dungeon and according to the story, the Minotaur was likely going to kill them if they didn't think fast.

"Damn it! I rolled a five," Aladdin groaned, as his Gome was impaled by one of the Minotaur's horns.

Anna was worried this game wasn't going to go well. Cass and her were the team's main knights and Cass had been cursed by moon-poison, leaving Anna as the only main melee character left. She was trying to roll to attack the minotaur, but she hadn't had much luck.

Her new friend, however, was greatly enjoying the game. Sure, she'd probably forgotten half the rules Anna had told her back at the apartment, but she didn't care. This was the most fun she'd had in such a long time. As she rolled the die again, she looked over at Anna.

"This is fun so far," Elsa whispered to her. "You said you did this every week with these friends of yours?"

"Yeah, but most of the time, I don't suck this badly," Anna admitted. "Glad you're having fun though."

"I am," Elsa beamed. "I don't know if I'll be as good as these pros here, but I'm certainly having fun."

"Elsa! Roll me a Dexterity save."

"Huh?" She whirled around to Ariel. "Oh, sorry, what for?"

The redhead had an evil grin as she said: "Because the Minotaur is about to hock a poison loogie at you, and you need to see if you duck and miss it."

"Yuck! Okay, hang on." Elsa took the d20 and rolled it. The Icosahedral shape rocked and rolled along the surface of the table before landing and showing it's chosen side to Elsa. "...I have a 20."

Everyone stared at her, even Anna.

"...what?" Elsa paused, having forgotten the most important thing Anna had said earlier. "Is that not good?"

"Are you kiddin'?! That's amazin', sugar!" Lottie gasped. "You've been mostly gettin' in the teens. Not everyone can roll a nat 20 in their third turn!"

Anna grinned broadly. She knew Elsa would turn out great from this. "She had a great teacher!"

"And I guess I'm a model student," Elsa humbly said, blushing a little.

"Okay, you duck and miss the loogie," Ariel said, now checking her notes. "Anna, you're up."

"Right."

Elsa blushed. She didn't know if it was right to do this, but there was a deep urge inside of her compelling her to. She knew Anna wasn't having a good time at this game, so she needed a morale boost. She leaned over to Anna and kissed her on the cheek for luck.

There were wolf-whistles and cheers from around the table as Anna turned tomato red.

"Ooooh very smooth," smirked Cass, the sassy lesbian biting her lip in a knowing manner. "And there was you saying she wasn't your girlfriend."

Anna sighed. She wasn't going to reply to that snark from her friend, but she was going to ask Elsa about that kiss later. Right now, she had more pressing concerns. "I'm gonna roll a stabbing strike on the minotaur," she stated. She held the dice up in the air and then tossed it onto the table, keeping her eyes closed.

Elsa had her fingers crossed, hoping that Anna had done well. She was very shy, so she didn't know if she had the courage to give her another good luck kiss. However, the dice soon came to a stop and Anna looked at the number, smiling.

"19! I get him right between the eyes!"

Ariel nodded, looking at her book to check. "Yep, that's a hit!"

"Way to go!" Elsa cheered, hugging Anna.

"Man, Eric's going to wish he hadn't missed tonight," Cass remarked. "This is the best night we've had in ages.

"So what happens now?" Rapunzel asked. "Can we have one of the sorcerers revive the fallen to proceed to the next room?"

Suddenly the front door opened and they all heard a voice. "Hello? Is there anyone here? I saw the lights on."

"Back here, Daddy!" Ariel called.

In walked a very tall, very broad man with a long white beard and hair tied back into a ponytail. He wore a Hawaiian shirt and board shorts with gold spectacles. His skin was slightly tanned and his arms and legs were covered in hair.

"Hi, daddy," Ariel said. "I was just having fun with my friends here."

"Hey, Mr Triton!" Some chorused.

"Good evening, all."

"That's her dad?" Elsa whispered to Anna, a little surprised. "He looks like a surfer!"

"He used to be, believe it or not," Anna whispered. "Don't worry, he's actually really nice. Don't let his size intimidate you."

But Elsa was worried he wouldn't be very nice. She knew Mr Triton all too well from the mention of his name. She stayed quiet, not wanting him to notice her. The last thing she wanted was her secret and her past being outed to all these people.

However, the blonde's luck ran out, as Mr Triton then took notice at her, pulling down his spectacles a little bit as he walked over to her. "...hello. Have we met somewhere, young lady?"

Elsa looked away, nervously. "N-No, I don't think we have."

"You sure?" He asked, looking her over. "There's something oddly familiar about you. I've seen many faces in my time and I never forget a face."

"I... I guess I've just got a common face," Elsa tried to brush things off. "I... I get told I look like tons of people. Daisy Ridley, Taylor Swift, you wouldn't believe it." She nervously giggled.

Anna looked at Elsa with narrowed eyes. Something was very fishy about this whole scenario and it wasn't the smell coming from Mr Triton's shirt. Elsa knew something and she knew she wasn't going to tell her. Was Mr Triton threatening her?

"Well, it seems you're in the middle of combat, so I'll leave you all to it." He walked over to Ariel and kissed the top of her head.

"Thanks, daddy. Oh, there's some pizza left if you're hungry."

"Thank you, sweetie. "

As he walked back, Elsa calmed herself. She was relieved that he hadn't recognised her, but couldn't help but ask Ariel "So...he knows DnD?"

"Who do you think I learned it from?"

As they got back to the game, Anna gave Elsa a concerned look. Anna had never seen Elsa so panicked. "What was that all about with Ariel's dad? I've never seen him act like that around anyone before."

"Nothing," Elsa said hurriedly, wanting to change the subject.

"All right, let's get back to it."

xXx

Everything went well after that point, Elsa winning big for their little team. Eventually, the group reached a good stopping point and had a good laugh. Elsa was still a little embarrassed from giving Anna that peck on the cheek, but it seemed like she hadn't minded it.

That gave Elsa a bit of hope at least. She was crushing on Anna so hard. Any hope that Anna felt the same way was a welcome one.

As the others started to close up shop, Ariel hugged Elsa, smiling at her proudly. "You can come and play anytime you want, Elsa! You're probably the best role-player I've seen in here since Anna came along."

Elsa blushed, humbled to have been compared to her friend so favourably. "T-Thanks, although... I'm sorry about the awkwardness with your dad."

"It's fine," Ariel admitted. "Daddy can be like that sometimes. He's just getting to that age. I guess you just looked a bit too much like one of my sisters."

"I suppose," Elsa admitted, still very uncomfortable about the whole thing. The sisters thing was a good excuse, but Elsa still knew the

"And by the way... Anna chose a good girlfriend." Ariel then smiled brightly.

She was going to protest, but Elsa decided it would be best to just go with it. After all, Elsa might actually be Anna's girlfriend soon. Having made up her mind, Elsa grinned. "Thanks."

Rose and Mally had already left back home, for some "Netflix and Chill," apparently, while Jasmine, Aladdin, Tiana, Lottie, Naveen, Cass and Rapunzel were heading to IHOP for pancakes. As the group was leaving the house, Anna held Elsa's arm.

"Do you want to go?" She asked.

Elsa shook her head. "I'm really tired. I think we should just go home, get some of that tea you made us last night."

Anna smiled. "Sure, I'll still have some, hopefully."

As the two of them headed out of the large house to their car, Anna stopped for a second. She stroked her cheek, feeling the same warmth of Elsa's lips still upon it. The kiss had been so out of nowhere, but Anna could tell Elsa might like her in that sort of way.

But she needed to be sure and they were alone now. As they walked to the car, Anna skipped beside Elsa and spoke up. "By the way... while we were playing the game... why did you kiss me on the cheek?"

Elsa stopped in her tracks. She was still puzzled of why the urge to do so had come into her head. "Um... I just... wanted to give you something for good luck. You weren't having a good game and you needed something to brighten your spirits."

"...thanks." Anna sighed. She knew exactly what Elsa was really trying to say. "You know... you could just say it out loud."

"What?" Elsa wondered.

"Admit it... you like me don't you," Anna stated. "That's why you've been wondering whether you want to stay for more than just this weekend." She smiled. "Because I kinda like you too, Elsa, so it's okay if that's your reason."

Elsa smiled, took her hand and pulled her close. Anna had found her out and she really did feel that way for her. Well... the cat was out of the bag now. "I do like you." She murmured, and then bent her head down to Anna's...

Anna gasped, and then closed her eyes...

However, before the two of them could share that oh, so special moment, suddenly there was music playing from somewhere.

Sha la la

Don't stop now

Don't try to hide it how

You wanna

Kiss the girl!

Anna whirled around, seeing Cass and Punzie hiding in the corner with the song playing on Rapunzel's phone. "Hilarious, guys, really funny!"

Elsa was giggling. While she was a little saddened her first kiss with Anna had been ruined, this was just so funny, she couldn't be mad.

"Well, someone had to break the tension!" Cass argued.

"It was my idea!" Rapunzel chirped up.

Just then, Anna saw her other friends around the other corner of the street, all of them wheezing.

Anna rolled her eyes. "For fucks sake..."

xXx

About an hour later, after Anna had told each and every one of her friends off for ruining her big moment with Elsa, the two friends were sat in Anna's apartment, drinking the redhead's lavender tea. Elsa had been through quite the day, but she was glad it was ending on a good note.

Her mind was still racing with the fact that she had almost kissed Anna. Her feelings were true. She did want to stay with Anna and give her company and provide her with the love she deserved. She really did want to give something back to Anna.

But what made Elsa feel more valid with her feelings was that Anna had admitted she liked her as well. Elsa beamed, her mind full of happy thoughts of a future with Anna. But Elsa was curious as to how Anna knew so many people.

She stretched out on the sofa, cup in hand. "So how did you meet everyone?"

"Lottie and Ariel knew each other as kids. Kristoff and I met them at the comic shop, they mentioned they had a gaming group and there ya go. Punzie and I were childhood friends. Ariel was actually Punzie's first girlfriend. Punzie is actually my cousin, believe it or not."

Elsa looked at her, rubbing her chin in thought. "You do look alike, now that I think on it."

Anna snorted. "Thanks. But don't tell her that. She honestly hates the fact we look alike. She used to be a brunette believe it or not."

"So... what about Cass? How did she get with Punzie?"

"Cass and I actually used to date," Anna admitted. "It was a looong time ago though."

Elsa blushed. Well, if that didn't confirm it, she didn't know what would. "So... you do have experience with women."

"Well... I am a lesbian," Anna stated. "Out and proud. I even have a pride flag above my bed. Kristoff thinks it's a bit much though."

"I see."

"What about you?"

Elsa paused. "...what about me?"

The other girl leaned forward, smirking devilishly. "Do you...like girls?"

"...well, it took a while to figure it out...but yes, I do." She stopped. If she was going to come out to Anna, she had to go all the way. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "There's something else I should tell you... something important."

Anna held her hand, giving Elsa a reassuring smile. "I'm all ears."

"I'm..." Elsa couldn't say it. She couldn't let Anna know right now. "...I'm a huge nerd."

Her friend couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I figured that out!" She stroked her cheek. "But thanks for reminding me. So...you're not gonna tell me how Mr Triton knew you somehow?"

"...not yet. But I will." As soon as I stop being a fucking coward about all this.

"Gotcha. And about the fact we kinda had a romcom moment on Ariel's driveway?"

A deep shade of red filled Elsa's cheeks. The moment was so perfect, aside from the musical interruption. It was everything Elsa could have ever wanted in a first kiss. "What about it?"

"Does this mean we're going steady or...?"

Looking down, Elsa was sure, but she needed to think it out a little. "Maybe... but I need to think it out first."

Anna kissed Elsa's cheek, grinning. "Well... I'm gonna head to bed. It's been a long day for both of us."

Elsa smiled kindly. "Pleasant dreams, Anna," she bid her goodnight. "I love you."

As Anna closed her bedroom door, Elsa groaned and flopped back. She looked to her left and saw Carrie nuzzling up beside her. It was confusing times like this that made Elsa wish she was just a cute little cat. Nothing to do but sleep and eat and just be cute and get stroked.

With Carrie offering no help, Elsa just sat back and thought of Anna. She really was an angel.

xXx

Author's note: Christ almighty this was a long chapter xD It was probably the most fun I had writing this whole thing with Guppy. Anyhoo, I hope you enjoyed it and special thanks to Guppy and her great knowledge of Tabletop games.