NOTE: Before I get into this fic, thanks again to everybody who backed the Indiegogo! We did incredible, I think! Now I just have to wait for the payments to go through so I can order the copies, haha.

CHAPTER WARNINGS: sex toys. (that's it, not really even using them haha)

Now to respond to a couple of reviews:

The Chronicle: Okay but I love when people thoroughly pick apart my work! Thank you for your in-depth analysis. I won't speak about a lot of it since that would involve spoiling some of the fic, of course, but I will say that I have known a lot of people like Anna Nieves from college campuses, as well. And Elsa's feelings toward how her sister behaves mirrors my own (though she says things I would be too polite to say, haha).

Cincinnati: Yep! Do a Google image search and you might figure out something.

~ CHAPTER THREE ~

Following lunch, the last few hours of work seemed to stretch on for an eternity. Elsa did her daily duties, entered numbers and scheduled things, fielded calls that were in her department. All the while, she felt antsy and strange, but she did her best to suppress those feelings.

Part of that was caused by the reply she got almost immediately from Hans. He wanted to meet up Monday night. His rationale seemed to be that it was a neutral time; he was busy over the weekend, and there would be more "pressure" to let the night progress. On a Monday, they would have dinner, and that could absolutely be the end of the date since the following day was a workday. They could assess each other with a clear exit strategy. Elsa secretly approved of that logic, a lot more than she wanted to admit, but all she said to him in reply was that she would see him then.

Between that and her lingering awkwardness from that morning, by the time five o'clock, her hips were restlessly shifting back and forth in her chair. She actually breathed "Thank GOD" when she was able to log into the digital timecard and punch out for the day, sliding Anna's empty lunch container into the briefcase and dashing for the door. She barely had time to wave goodbye to Belle and Milo on her way to the elevator.

Once in the car, she finally allowed herself a frustrated sigh. Why was she so horny? Surely, the one single grope hadn't "unleashed the beast" all on its own — that was ludicrous! Though deep down, she knew her own neglect of her carnal needs for months on end was to blame, it still seemed silly this would cause it all to come rushing back so suddenly, bowling her over.

Trying to distract herself, Elsa did something she rarely did while she sat at a red light: turned on the radio. Most of the time, it just was a lot of noise that she disliked, but she decided to flip through a few stations for a change. Anything to pull focus from her antsiness.

"...And you know it's Friday, too," the radio sang out when she landed on a station that didn't make her want to retch. The fact that it really was Friday amused her enough to stop there. "I hope you can find the time this weekend to relax and unwind…" The tune was familiar; glancing at the LED display, she saw it was the local soft rock station. That would work as well as anything.

Maybe she was even more familiar with it than she thought. The next second, her mouth opened and she timidly sang along, "My mind's tired, I've worked so hard all week…"

She flushed, ducking her head and looking around at the other cars; no one else on the road seemed to be paying her the slightest attention. Emboldened, she sang more at the top of her lungs: "Cashed my check, I'm ready to go — I promise you, I'll show you such a good tiiime!"

That instant, the light turned green and she practically floored it, the chorus coming straight from her heart and through her lips, shoulders even starting to twitch back and forth. How did she know this song so well?

Of course; it had been one her mother loved. The melancholy stabbed into her like a javelin, and she fell silent for a few seconds, stunned and blinking. How could she have forgotten so completely that her mother was such a Janet fan? Buried it deep, she supposed. Everything about her parents, about Anna, had been too painful to think about once they all were gone from her life. So she piled work and bills and rent and "adult life" on top of everything that caused her pain until she couldn't see the pain anymore.

But by the time the chorus came around again, she couldn't help it; she wanted to sing more. For her.

"Come on, baby, let's get away! Let's save our troubles for another day!" By that point, buttoned-down, boring Elsa Nieves found herself rolling down the windows, letting the wind tug at her carefully-arranged bun. Whisking away the tears that had formed in the corners of her eyes. "Come go with me, we've got it made! Let me take you on an escapade!"

She even leaned her head out the window and belted out, "ES! CA! PADE!" at some random strangers waiting at a bus stop. For some reason, their alarmed looks only made her laugh; it was all very worth it in the moment, embarrassed as she knew she would feel later.

By the time the song ended, she was laughing and crying. She couldn't even separate the two; it had been something she needed a lot more than she realised, and she didn't have it in herself to feel any regret or shame. Not yet. She resolved to go home and download that album onto her ill-utilised iPod immediately.

At that moment, she glanced over from the stop sign to see a shop that had always prompted her skin to crawl. "Edna's Ecstasies." The garish neon pink of the sign didn't suit the rest of the surrounding businesses, called attention to itself; advertised exactly what was inside. Filth. Smut. Disgusting tools for lonely, desperate women who decided they couldn't wait for their next date.

Lonely, desperate women…

Elsa was already parking, already reaching for the door handle before she realised what she intended to do. Around the time she was walking across the street was when her mind finally screamed at her, Wait! Where are you going? This is insane! You don't really want anything they have to offer in there, do you?!

Yet she pushed the door open with a quiet jingle and walked inside.

Immediately, she felt the mental slap of regret across her cheek. Everywhere were things she hated thinking about, didn't want to see paraded in front of her. There were a thousand items she didn't even understand the purpose of, and the ones she did, she didn't want to think about, either!

This was stupid. She was feeling momentarily brave from the music in the car, from Anna prompting her to respond to that date request. Bravery didn't mean she had to put herself somewhere she didn't want to be. Shaking her head, she turned to head right back through the door.

"Looking for something?"

At first, she couldn't tell where the voice had come from. Then she finally spotted the mop of black hair and round, thick glasses poking just over the countertop.

"A-AH! Oh, I… I'm sorry, I think I must h-have… the wrong…" The lie didn't sound remotely convincing, but she tried it, at least.

"You have the wrong shop?" The rest of the head came into view a moment later, a small, wrinkle-lined face behind such enormous frames. "You confused us with another 'Edna's Ecstasies', hmm?"

Squirming, she glanced at the door again, then back to the woman. "No, I just… wasn't paying attention to what I was doing…"

"Honey…" The word was long, drawn-out, and condescending. "We both know why you're here. You're after a little something to perk up your weekend." Her eyes swept up and down Elsa's outfit, her posture, her fidgeting steps. The way her hands clenched and unclenched on the strap of her purse. She felt like she was being stripped bare, right in front of the perceptive little hag.

"N-no, I… that isn't true. I guess I just… always saw this shop and I… wondered…"

"Yes, yes. You were curious. Most people start out being curious, you know."

Why couldn't she form simple sentences lately? Clearing her throat, she pulled together some of her backbone and said, "I'm not curious any further than seeing what it was like in here. And now I have, so maybe I should-"

"Maybe," the woman seized upon, taking Elsa by surprise. "That's a funny word to put in that sentence, isn't it, darling? You swear you're only curious to get a look on the other side of the door, but maybe you should leave? Hmm, interesting."

"Why?" Elsa demanded, taking a step closer to the counter. "Why is that so 'interesting'? It's just a word."

"But a 'maybe' always has two sides. Let's take a look at this one: 'Maybe I should leave… but maybe I shouldn't just yet'. Two sides."

The woman was right, as much as she absolutely hated admitting it. "Well… I am already here, and I'll probably never step foot in this den of iniquity again…"

"Den of iniquity!" she cackled, clapping her hands. "Haven't heard that in a while! But it's really all very professional, dearie, very professional. This isn't a brothel; we sell top-of-the-line 'stress relief' products for people who require them. And pardon me saying so, but you look very stressed."

The coy look in her eyes cut straight through Elsa. She knew. Somehow, this shriveled prune of a woman was fully aware that Elsa had spent all day feeling a year of sexual frustration boiling under the surface. That was part of her trade, of course, but it made her feel no less ashamed of herself.

"And wipe that mopey look off your face," she grunted as she disappeared behind the counter. A few seconds later, she rounded the end of it — and Elsa tried not to start when she saw she was a little person. She had assumed before she was crouched down when she first walked in, but now she could only guess there was a stepladder behind the counter. "You aren't 'in trouble' for coming in here, which we both know you needed to do."

"I d-did not," Elsa whispered weakly. Unconvincingly.

"Let's take a look at some of our beginner items. Clearly, you're barely ready to be inside, so why not start with something simple?" Picking up a small box that was hanging on a row of pegs, she offered it to her. "This is a standard bullet. Just a little vibrating something to help you along, but you still do most of the work. Very popular, very discreet."

"Oh." Turning it over, she frowned. "Well, this doesn't look quite large enough. I mean… can't it get lost in there?"

The look she got in return was definitely pitying. "It's not for that. It's for the little man in the canoe, not the canoe itself."

"The little man… the clit?"

"Oh, thank GOD," she sighed, visibly relieved. "You have no idea how often I have to fill in as a substitute anatomy teacher for girls who never went through sex ed." Pulling her around the next aisle, she gestured and said, "These go where you were thinking."

"A-ah," Elsa breathed, cheeks warming further. Those were most definitely phallic-shaped. "Well, you… yes, they would, wouldn't they?" The further down she looked, the larger they got. Some of them were so detailed that she eventually looked up and away, thoroughly uncomfortable.

"Which is why I started with the bullet," she chuckled with a cheeky slap against Elsa's thigh, earning a yelp. That was not professional at all! "But if you want to get a couple of things, you could get that and this."

The one she took off the top shelf was shaped like a simple blue cylinder, and was just barely longer than most of her previous partners. Elsa took it from her, turning over the packaging to get a good look at it. Apparently, the base twisted to activate the vibrations, and it was entirely waterproof.

That gave her an idea of how to get away with trying it out with Anna still in the apartment…

"Now then," the woman said efficiently. "You're free to wander around, and I'll keep those at the counter for you if you wish. Pick which one you want when you're ready — or both, if you're feeling a little more adventurous."

"I…" Her eyes strayed to the back of the store. There were outfits there. Full outfits, ones that she would die if she were ever caught wearing. Ropes, and chains, and clamps, and- "I'm ready to check out now. Right now." Anything to get out of that store.

Tittering to herself, the woman rounded the counter and hopped back up onto her stool while Elsa set the two items on the counter. Belatedly, she realised she should probably put the bullet back; after all, the other vibrator would probably serve the same purpose. But the cashier had already rang it up, and she felt too ashamed to speak up and ask to un-ring that purchase.

"And some of this," she said smoothly, picking up a small bottle of lube that only cost a couple of dollars and tossing it into the bag. "Trust me, sweetheart. That will be… thirty-seven dollars and eighteen cents."

"WHAT?!" She glanced at the readout on the register, then back at the woman. "But th-that's so much! For only two of them?"

"That's a bargain," the woman told her blithely, folding her arms. "The bullet by itself would run you twenty-five in some stores. I try to keep my prices fair without sacrificing quality; keep up, dear, keep up."

"Yes, and that could be a lie to get me to shell out almost forty dollars!" When the woman blinked up at her, Elsa squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. "Sorry… I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude."

"It's alright. You're very nervous about this, I can tell. Most of my customers are the first time they come in." Then she sighed as Elsa began to rummage through her purse for money. "If it helps… I'll take either of those items back as long as the packages have never been opened and you have the receipt. Once you open it, it's yours, for… obvious reasons."

Elsa's lip curled. The very idea of buying one of those items that had already touched another person was disgusting enough to take some of the edge off her nervousness. "Well, I can't argue there. Alright, I… yes, go on, I'm ready to pay." She took out her wallet and offered a credit card, then jerked it back.

"Hmm?"

"How will this show up on my statement?"

"Well, not as 'Sex Toy Purchase', you silly girl. It will say 'Edna Mode', which is my name. Very discreet, I told you, I told you."

As she rang up the purchase, Elsa lifted the black plastic bag with the big pink "EE" on it. "And this is 'discreet'?"

"You want another bag?" Reaching down under the counter, she came back up with several. "Unofficially, I have… Barnes and Noble, Shopvalu, Bath & Body Works, and one cloth tote from the library." In an undertone, she added, "Normally, I charge people for these, but for you, darling… I'd give you anything but the tote for free. Because I can tell this is a smidge outside your comfort zone. Plus you bought more than one thing, which most people aren't brave enough to do their first trip!"

"Barnes and Noble." Under her breath, she added, "Anna would want to see what was in the other two."

Her eyebrows went up. "Anna, your lover?"

"ANNA MY-" Cutting her shout off, she took a moment to control herself before finishing, "Never you mind. If I had a lover, why would I be in here?"

"We sell strap-ons, too." Elsa's eyes narrowed. "Fine, fine, be coy. Sign this copy of the receipt, please?"

Elsa did. In a couple of minutes, she had the items securely in the camouflage-bag and was on her way out the door. She hesitated, then turned back.

"No one will know I came in here, will they?"

"Not from me," she told her easily, shrugging. "If you run into Anna when walking out of here, that's not my fault, now, is it? But otherwise, no, it's our little secret."

"Okay," she sighed, glancing down at the bag.

"You're fine," Edna reassured her gently. "This is perfectly normal, women everywhere own these things; there's no reason you should have to suffer in sexless silence just because things haven't been hopping in the bedroom for you lately. Take matters into your own hands! Literally! Viva la revolución!"

Unable to help it, she let out a weak chuckle. "I do feel pretty revolting right now, you're right."

"Now, now, watch what you say about my clients." But the tone was light, despite the wagging finger. "Take those home, pick one to give a spin. They do what they're supposed to do. And if you don't like what they do, so what? Think about how many people own perfectly good treadmills or exercise bikes that gather dust in the corner of their basement. And they paid a thousand dollars for those! We all try things we hope will improve our lives. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't. That's life."

"I suppose you're right." Glancing down at the bag, she nodded back at the woman. "You're very good at what you do, ma'am. Thank you. I'm still not sure I really wanted these, but thank you."

"You're welcome. Good luck!"

The last had been added with a suggestive lilt that didn't quite make it through into Elsa's mind until she was already outside the shop. It was too late to say anything about it by that point, but either way, she much preferred to rush across the street to her car before anyone she knew spotted her.

~ o ~

By the time she parked at the apartment, the two toys, along with the bag, had been nipped into her briefcase. The less obvious it was that she had purchased anything, the less chance she ran of Anna's nosy side rearing its ugly head. Composing her face and hair, and trying to pretend the day had gone no differently than a typical day, she finally left the car and headed upstairs.

"Heya, Sis!" Anna called out from the couch where she was polishing a strange metal disc. It was easily larger than her head, and glinted dully in the overhead light. "Wondered what time you got off work."

"Got held up longer than I expected." She didn't want to lie to Anna outright if she could help it, but certainly wasn't going to expound upon her whereabouts without being asked. Leaving her purse by the door, and shoes and briefcase in her room, she began to loosen her blouse from her waistband as she returned to the living room. "What's that?"

"This? Oh, it's my handpan. A Hang design variant. Just polishing it up, keeping it shiny."

Shrugging, Elsa sank down in the armchair. "I can see that. But what is it? I still haven't the faintest idea."

"Oh, you haven't- here, I'll just…" Instead of answering with words, Anna adjusted her position on the couch, balancing the podlike structure between her thighs and her feet, apparently looking for something on top to make sure it was facing the right way. Then, raising both hands, she began to strike the drum.

That is, Elsa had expected it to sound like a drum. Instead, there was a deep, resonant sound like a bell, something of that nature. The closest thing she could compare it to was a steel drum, which still wasn't quite accurate — and she hadn't heard one of those in years.

As Anna played on, Elsa found herself leaning forward in her chair, straining to hear as much of it as she could. Not only did the unique sound please her ears, but Anna was clearly at least marginally skilled; not that she had ever heard any "handpan" performances to compare it to. When she wasn't mesmerised, she found herself idly wondering: when did her sister learn to play like that? Where, from who? There was so much she had missed… and the week Anna had implied she wanted to say would not be enough to catch up on everything. It was never enough, anyway.

Finally, Anna sat back with a small smile. "You're speechless," she half-laughed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear nervously. "I can't tell if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"You're phenomenal."

"I- wh-what?" Anna blinked at her, then burst out in a huge, bashful grin. "N-nah, I… well, I've been practicing a lot, but I'm nothing compared to-"

"Hush. You're really good with that, it's… I'm no expert, of course, but as far as I can tell… yeah. Yeah, that was fantastic, I can't believe-" Cutting herself off, she began to clap and said in an announcer-like voice, "Anna Nieves, ladies and gentlemen!"

Biting her lip and trying not to blush, Anna took an exaggerated bow. Then she sat back and laughed, "Okay, okay, stop! What are you buttering me up for?"

"Nothing, honestly," Elsa laughed as she got up and joined her sister on the couch. "Where did you get this thing? I mean, I've never even heard of it before. And who taught you to play it so well?"

"Well, I got mine in Germany. It's kind of based on the steelpan, which came from Trinidad, but then the Swiss got hold of it and turned it into this thing."

"Is the steelpan anything like the steel drum?"

Anna's eyes clearly sparked with interest, and Elsa couldn't help but grin in response. "Yes! They're the same thing, good catch! Anyway, yeah, they took that design and applied Helmholtz resonator principles to theirs. So like the steelpan, it's partially percussive, but also enclosed to make it an echo chamber…"

As Anna went on, completely absorbed in her topic, Elsa found herself letting the words wash over her. She was listening, and wouldn't forget any of it, but she had missed this passionate, excited side of her sister so much. Out of everything she had lost along the way in her life, tragedies and missed opportunities, this was one thing she was able to get back. And that was worth relishing.

~ To Be Continued ~