thanks to nicpie, this chapter actually exists ^^; otherwise i was quite content to not update at all because i have a really frustrating assignment due on monday

You don't see Elsa for the next couple of days. You're pretty sure she's in her office, because you hear noises sometimes when you come to deliver invoices. You never get in because the door's always locked, but when you return from lunch, the papers have gone from you desk.

And okay, it kinda hurts. You're pretty sure now that she wasn't aware of any wrongdoing. If she was, she probably would have acted differently.

You get real proof, too, a few days later. It's a Thursday, which is usually a pretty laid-back day. When you get in, there's a yellow padded envelope on your desk, except it's not addressed to you, it's addressed to Elsa. You grab it and wheel yourself down the hall, and you're more than a little surprised when you hear voices coming from behind the door. You know you shouldn't listen, but you can't say you're not curious.

As you get closer, you start to think that it's maybe an argument – which is weird because you didn't even think Elsa was capable of raising her voice. Not that it's necessarily loud, but more like... forceful.

Another voice enters the fray, and it only makes you more confused because what could Elsa and Olaf be fighting about.

"This is the problem, Elsa!" he's saying. Projecting. It's definitely louder than a normal conversation. Not really yelling, as such – because who's stupid enough to yell at their boss? – but it's apparent he's a bit... exasperated.

"It's not the same, I want to say—"

"—Sorry, I know. I get it, Elsa, I do, but this isn't the way to go about it."

You frown a little because you have an inkling about what the problem is. That little hunch is all but confirmed with Elsa's next words, soft and hard to hear.

"How do I say sorry, then?"

There's only one reason you can think that would bring Elsa and Olaf in a room together, talking about making an apology, and you're both nervous and a little... excited? It's not really quite how you're feeling but it'll do. You want to move past this. You still- Elsa, despite making you uncomfortable, is nice. She's a nice girl, just a bit...

You shake yourself of those thoughts and turn around. It's probably better that they have no idea you heard, even if it turns out not to be about you.

You half expect Elsa to approach you during the day, but she doesn't. It makes you think that maybe you were hearing things.

After lunch, your computer dings and you jump to open the email when you see it's been sent by Elsa. As you read it, your heart falls a little because it's not an invitation to a meeting, or asking you to come to her office. It's an email that's been sent to everyone, it seems, telling them of a compulsory seminar the following day. The topic, however, piques your interest.

It's on communication.

You don't mind – it's during work hours and you can't not go, so it means you'll be getting paid for essentially doing nothing. And... maybe Elsa will be there.

You try to get to work early the next day. Not like you're not going to find a seat or anything, but still.

Hans meets you in the foyer, smiling. You like his smile, and even better, it's directed at you. He has this way of making you blush, and today is no exception.

Apparently (and you're not even surprised) the building has its very own auditorium, mostly for events like these. Hans leads the way because you've never been, and it makes you simultaneously happy and a little ill when you realise that there seem to be some new refurbishments – a little wheelchair elevator to get to the stage, ramps. There's even a spot down the front where it's pretty obvious chairs used to be, but now they've been removed.

Hans grabs a loose chair nearby and puts it in that section before taking a seat.

"Uh, you don't mind, do you?" he asks, and you quickly shake your head. Absolutely you don't mind. You'd mind more if he decided to sit elsewhere (and hush Anna there's no need to be clingy).

So you wheel right over and plants yourself next to him, before taking a moment to turn around to see the crowd.

Despite your attempt to be early, the buses and trains keep to their own schedule, not yours, and you're really only about twenty minutes earlier than normal. The other seats have mostly filled, and the room is humming with the warm hubbub of hundreds of voices, but that's not what catches your attention.

Elsa's taken a seat about halfway up, and closer to the other side of the room. You watches as someone close to her jumps up to greet a friend, and when they sit back down it's a good two rows away from where she'd been sitting originally.

It doesn't seem like Elsa's noticed you watching, either, because she's staring at her lap. The auditorium fills around her, but no one tries to sit near her. One guy has to slide past her, and you watch as Elsa's mouth moves, saying something. Trying to, really, because it falls on deaf ears as he completely ignores her.

You're about to move forward to wave at her, maybe convince her to sit near you because this is honestly painful to watch, when Olaf gets up on the stage.

"Good morning, everyone," he begins, smiling. "Thank you for being here – we understand that you have a busy work schedule, and this might, to some, seem slightly out of the blue."

There are a few murmurs of agreement from the crowd, but they don't take long to quieten down. Olaf, picking up the microphone, begins to pace the stage.

"Now, when Ms Arendelle took over as CEO last year, she made a promise to make this company a better place to work. Some of you have already seen this in action – better benefits and wages, and better hours, too. But," he pauses for effect, and it seems like he's staring right at Elsa, "this is still a business. To bring those benefits, we all have to be at the top of our game. A cohesive business is a successful business, and cohesion needs communication.

"This is something that has become apparent, of late, that perhaps the word 'communication' leaves some people confused. We do, after all, manage to talk to each other during our work days – isn't that communication? So we've brought in someone just to go over the finer points. Who knows, maybe we'll learn something."

With a wink at the audience, he hands the microphone off to a squat gentlemen who really doesn't look like a master of communication. You kind of zone out because you're too busy thinking about something Olaf says. Nudging Hans, you ask him.

"Elsa's only been CEO for a year?"

He cocks his head and looks at you. "Well, yeah," he said. "Didn't you know that?"

Leaning back in your chair, you shake your head. This..changes things.