Author's Note.

Hello reader,

Welcome to Hotline Arcadia, a fic which fills in the story gap between Chrysanthemum Dreams and 60 Seconds to Midnight. For clarity's sake, this fic happens AFTER the events of CD and BEFORE the events of 6STM. Think of it as a prequel to the sequel.

It is primarily a more fluffy piece, exploring what the lives of Anna and Elsa were like in Arcadia while diving deeper into their backgrounds to see what makes them tick. Furthermore, it sets up some important story details that lead into 6STM and provides initial context of their motivations, preluding their character arcs later to come.

Finally, I am now on Archive of Our Own, and you can find all of my fics posted there under my same username. In terms of formatting, I far prefer AO3 to that of FFN.


I see a beautiful city and a brilliant people rising from this abyss.

I see the lives for which I lay down my life, peaceful, useful, prosperous, and happy.

I see that I hold a sanctuary in their hearts,

And in the hearts of their descendants, generations hence.

It is a far, far better thing that I do than I have ever done;

It is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.

- Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities


"There it is!" Anna bounced up to the window and pointed outward. "Woah," her eyes rounded with barely concealed, almost child-like wonderment and glee.

By her side, Elsa wore a similar look on her face, and she was rendered completely speechless.

Far below, lying on the surface of the red planet was the colony of Arcadia. Three massive biodomes were arranged closely together, housing the city and the population within. Dozens of transport ships, shuttles, and skycars were zipping through the air, most of the traffic of which was centered around the Yuri Gagarin Spaceport; their landing point.

After their month-long journey across the stars, they had finally reached their new home on Mars. Anna and Elsa had been travelling in the company of Flynn, Rapunzel, Mouse, Augur, and Takahashi aboard their ship, the Maximus. They had just left Janus Station where they sojourned briefly to get all their arrangements in order, but now, they were making the final approach into Arcadia.

"Yeah," Rapunzel leaned on her elbow in her seat and smiled. "That view never does get old."

"What, Arcadia?" Mouse scoffed, then resumed her attention to the game she was playing on her omni-pad. "It's alright. Been here enough times."

"Are you serious?" Anna turned around and looked at Mouse in disbelief. "It's gorgeous! Look at that! I've never seen so much color in my life."

Flynn guided the ship through the atmosphere as they gradually made their descent. "Sure, easy to say when you've spent your whole life on Earth," he chuckled. "You travel as much as we do, and you'll see pretty much every color there is to think of. Universe is a real big place."

Rapunzel reached over and smacked him on the arm. "Don't ruin this moment for them," she said. "Just let them have it."

Anna turned back to the view and nudged Elsa with her elbow. "I can stare at it all day. What do you think?" she asked, smiling unabashedly. "Worth it?"

"Worth it," Elsa nodded, settling her gaze on Anna. "But..." she hesitated and frowned as if in deep thought.

"But what?" Anna's smile vanished.

Elsa grinned and it looked like she had thought of something truly remarkable. "I'd rather stare at you."

"Ugh, oh my god, are you serious?" Anna looked away to hide her blush from perhaps the lamest thing Elsa had ever said to her. "You're so dorky."

Elsa giggled at her own little quip and rested her head on Anna's shoulder. The rest of the way down to the planet, they stared at the colony in amazement.

Over in his seat, Augur woke up from his nap and yawned loudly as he stretched. "Oh, damn," he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders. "We there yet?"

"Yeah, we're here," Mouse replied. "Rise and shine, gorgeous."

As they came down on the planet's surface, Flynn reoriented the angle of the ship so that they were flying parallel to it. Now, they were headed straight towards the spaceport. Various landing pads, hangars, and thoroughfares were scattered about, buzzing with traffic. Observing them from on high were several control towers, as well as gun batteries that made up the anti-spacecraft defense grid surrounding Arcadia.

At the sight of their ship, some of the gun batteries started tracking it. Flynn slowed down accordingly, while Takahashi straightened up in his seat and interacted with the holo-display in front of him.

"Control, this is cargo freighter, Maximus, requesting landing," Takahashi said in Russian. "Over."

"Reading you, Maximus," a control tower officer replied. "Inputting your clearance now. Please wait while we confirm."

While their credentials were running through the system, Anna and Elsa returned to their seats. As excited as they were to finally see Arcadia up close, they knew they weren't exactly entering it legally and therefore, needed to be cautious. The crew of the Maximus had been on smuggling runs there often enough, so they were already quite accustomed to the requisite procedures.

"Maximus, you are approved for landing," the control tower officer said. "Welcome home."

At that, Anna and Elsa looked at each other and smiled in excitement.

From there, it was a short flight to the hangar where the Maximus was docked during their stayovers in Arcadia. Once they made it inside, the ship was landed, and the engines were shut off. Then, everyone got out of their seats as they started making their way through the ship back to their rooms to gather their things.

Anna and Elsa packed up their meagre belongings – they didn't really have much when they left New York in a hurry – and rejoined the others as they finally stepped off the ship they had just spent a month in. As they crossed through the cargo hold, they passed by the skycar that once belonged to the former CEO of VanirCorp. It was part of the bribe from Anna and Elsa needed to secure passage to Arcadia.

"Whoowee," Flynn set down a bag as he stretched. "Feel's good to be off the ship now, don't it?"

Mouse brushed past him and headed straight for the small living quarters that was kept inside of the hangar. "Yeah, you got that right," she said. "Nice to finally be more than a hundred feet away from your fuckin' ugly ass."

Augur chuckled as he walked alongside her with his bag casually slung over his shoulder.

Flynn sighed and muttered something under his breath, then he, Rapunzel, and Takahashi went ahead with them.

Everyone else had now stepped off the ship, save for Anna, who lingered at the end of the cargo hold doors. For as excited as she was before, she suddenly appeared to be very hesitant.

Elsa noticed her unease and paused, returning to Anna's side. "What's the matter?" she asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I am," Anna said quickly, looking side to side for danger that wasn't there. "It's just... it almost doesn't feel real, you know? I feel like I might be dreaming still, which doesn't make any sense, because I know I'm awake."

Understanding her concern, Elsa grabbed Anna's hand. "It's real," she smiled encouragingly. "And I'm right here with you."

"I know. I'm being silly and we have nothing to worry about," Anna was still looking around nervously. "But I guess I'm getting a weird sense of déjà vu, like I've done this before. Because I have done this before, except the last time... well. You know what happened the last time."

She was of course referring to the incident when she and Nora first moved to New York. No sooner had Anna stepped off the ship that carried them there when the defining tragedy of her life struck. Elsa also recalled that deeply scarring, traumatic event, for it was she who lived again in Nora's body as a different person. The memories were all there, as was the pain. She was the one who died, now come to live.

It was raining on that fateful day. The sky was weeping. The last thing that Nora felt when she was alive was the rain on her face, which explained Elsa's fascination with it in her second life.

Elsa squeezed Anna's hand reassuringly. "It won't be like that," she said. "This time will be different, I promise. We'll take the first step together."

Anna settled her gaze on Elsa until her eyes became focused once more. "Okay," she smiled tentatively. "Okay, let's do it."

They both took a deep breath and then after a moment of great deliberation, they stepped off from the ship. One small, seemingly insignificant step to anyone else carried great weight and profound meaning for Anna and Elsa. To them, it was practically a giant leap into the unknown.

Anna waited for the sound of a gunshot, or shouting, or anything. When no danger made itself known, she released her breath and the realization crashed into her all at once. She then opened her eyes and hadn't even realized she closed them. When she looked down at her feet, she saw that she was standing on solid ground of a completely different planet, millions of kilometers away from the one she once knew.

They had made it. The lifelong dream she had shared with Nora and now Elsa had finally come true.

"Wow," Anna couldn't help but laugh at herself. "That was easy," she wiped her eyes and felt completely silly for getting emotional over so seemingly small a thing.

"It was," Elsa gestured forward. "Come on."

"Yeah," Anna's cheer returned as she bounced giddily and started skipping ahead without hesitation, pulling Elsa by the hand. "Shake the lead out of your ass and let's go! What are we standing around for?"

She had been hopeful once before. She could be hopeful again.

… … …

Over the next week, the time was spent getting acquainted with Arcadia and seeing everything it had to offer. Anna and Elsa stayed at their temporary lodging in the hangar with the others, while Flynn was getting their permanent living arrangements set up. That required the help of Mulan, one of Arcadia's top fixers.

There were a lot of moving parts to get into place, and quite a hefty sum of credits needed to exchange hands before anything was set in stone. Luckily, the generous reward that Anna had received for her work back in New York sustained them thus far, but it would take quite a bit more until their new lives were set up.

"Okay, great, I'll let 'em know," Flynn nodded as he spoke to Mulan over his omni-pad. "Thanks, M. I owe you one."

"You already owe me enough as is," Mulan replied. "I'll be in touch. Out," she ended the call.

"Looks like you guys are good to go," Flynn looked over at Anna and Elsa. "M has agreed to, uh... sponsor your residence here, at least until you're properly set up. She'll be your contact from now on. Just think of her as hotline Arcadia, your number one source for all things sketchy, shady, and seedy here. Anything you need, you just give her a call and ask."

Anna and Elsa, along with Flynn and Rapunzel, were sitting at a café nearby Elysium Park. Mouse, Augur, and Takahashi were spending the day elsewhere, stirring up some kind of trouble on their shore leave. Given that they had all just spend a month in transit through space, they were in no hurry to get back out there. Fortunately for Anna and Elsa, this meant that they had some pretty knowledgeable guides to everything there was to know about Arcadia.

The day was sunny and bright, not at all what either of them were used to. Still, the scenery of the Martian city was breathtaking, and everywhere they looked, there was natural color and vibrancy. Compared to New York, Arcadia was just brighter, cleaner, and more pleasant to look at. On the other hand, the sub-city was a different story.

"What do you know about her?" Anna asked, speaking more as a former private detective than someone inquiring out of idle curiosity. "Must be pretty well connected if she's got that many strings to pull."

"Not much actually," Flynn shrugged. "M likes to play it pretty close to the chest. You don't survive long in her business if you're an open book."

Anna and Elsa exchanged a knowing glance.

"But you don't need to worry about her," Rapunzel added, taking a sip from her tea. "She's good people and she'll treat you right. Just don't get on her bad side. We've been working with M for almost as long as we've been in the smuggling biz."

Elsa nodded, observing the children laughing in the park in the distance. "I can live with that. We all have our secrets," she said cryptically. "You said she'll sponsor our residence? Did she find a place for us to stay?"

"As a matter of fact, she did," Flynn brought up his omni-pad and showed a website with open apartment listings. "Cozy little place in Little Japan, not far from here. Just went on the market. Apparently, it used to be owned by a mercenary that got zeroed on the job."

Anna perked up in her chair and leaned forward. "A mercenary?" she asked, looking puzzled. "Arcadia has mercenaries?"

"Well, yeah," Rapunzel said. "It's a city like any other. People always need muscle, hired guns, gumshoes, and the like. Mercenary biz isn't a bad one to get into if you don't mind the danger involved. Credits can be pretty good."

"Up here on the surface is fine," Flynn said. "You got the cops and the corpos, so people don't stir up trouble here. Sub-city is where everyone goes to get their shadier stuff done."

"Huh," Anna leaned back and crossed her arms, mulling over that bit of information.

"We're trying to maintain a low profile," Elsa said, giving Anna a sideways glance. "Legal work is what we're after."

"An honest living," Flynn chuckled. "Never had use for it, but hey, it's your life. M can help you out with that."

"Right, well, let's talk more about this apartment then," Anna said.

Flynn started swiping through images of the apartment listing, revealing the full interior. "M's got dibs on it for now," he said. "Transfer her the funds and it's yours."

Anna and Elsa looked through the images of the apartment. It was unfurnished, but the interior was clean, brightly lit, and had an excellent view of the park they were in now. Given the lifestyle of its previous occupant, it had one bedroom, one bathroom, a kitchen, a living room, and a small office that had been repurposed into an armory and workspace. There was a netrunning station inside, a terminal, and a workbench for tinkering. Old foam inserts for weaponry lined the walls, attesting to a formidable collection the deceased mercenary possessed.

"It's nice," Anna said, taking it all in. "It's really nice, isn't it?" she looked at Elsa for her reaction.

Elsa smiled eagerly and nodded. "It is," she agreed. "I don't have any particular requests, so I think it's perfect."

"Awesome," Rapunzel smiled. "You guys are really gonna love it here."

"Thank you, again, for all your help," Elsa said. "We really appreciate it."

"Don't sweat it," Flynn made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "I mean, we did take your credits and that fancy skycar of yours, but that's how it goes these days. Felt good to do something nice for a change," he glanced at Rapunzel. "Maybe there's some profit to be made in doing nice things."

Rapunzel slapped him on the arm and gave him a disapproving look.

"Anyway, we gotta run now," Flynn stood up from the table. "Got a few other contacts to meet. Biz, you know how it is. Long as there's people, somebody needs something moved around."

"Will you guys be fine on your own?" Rapunzel asked, standing up as well.

Anna scoffed. "We lived in New York. I think we can handle whatever this city throws at us."

"Ain't that the truth," Rapunzel smiled. "Okay then, we'll see you later," she waved goodbye as they left.

"Let's go for a walk again," Elsa stood up and extended her hand towards Anna. "I want to feel the grass. Can you believe it's real grass?"

"I know, right?" Anna accepted her hand and stood up. "And those fountains are full of, like, actual clear water. It's crazy!"

… … …

A few days later, after taking out a sizable chunk of their savings to acquire their new apartment in Arcadia, Anna and Elsa were heading over to check out the place in person. Their home for the foreseeable future was located downtown, within the district of Little Japan.

Anna stepped off the public transit railcar and looked up at the building where their apartment was. "Smaller than I thought it would be," she said. "Guess they can't build too high with the biodome and everything."

The building in question only reached ten stories high. It was square in shape, but the center was hollow, forming a sort of open-air column of space which the apartments were arranged around. On the ground floor of that courtyard area, there were various shops, market stalls, food stands, and other vendors gathered.

Elsa joined Anna at her side and observed the pedestrian foot traffic moving around them. "It is quaint," she said, observing a talking vending machine in the distance that was distributing samples of an energy drink. "People here seem nice. Friendly."

"Yeah, makes you wonder," Anna said.

"Wonder about what?"

"What the catch is. Maybe the whole place is a front for some underground gang operation. Why else would a mercenary choose to live here?"

Elsa studied Anna for a long moment, taking note of her understandable skepticism. The part of New York that Anna had lived in wasn't exactly the safest, but then again, she was used to a rougher life on the streets. That kind of existence naturally created a more fine-tuned sense of caution, even if there appeared to be nothing amiss.

For lack of a better term, Anna simply had some pretty good street smarts. If she ever had a gut feeling that something was off, more often than not, she was right about it.

"Maybe," Elsa tilted her head side to side. "Maybe not. I think we can let down our guards a little bit, Anna. We made it."

Anna glanced at Elsa, then swallowed a lump in her throat. "Yeah, you're right," she waved away her concern. "Old habit. Sorry."

Elsa squeezed Anna's hand. "I understand, and you never have to apologize to me for that."

"Hmm," Anna smiled. "Sweet talker. Well, come on then. Let's see what it looks like."

With that, the pair walked ahead hand in hand towards the ground floor entrance of the building. No sooner had they made it inside when suddenly, Anna's omni-pad lit up with an incoming call from an unknown contact.

Anna and Elsa exchanged a glance, and then the call was picked up.

"I see you found the place alright," Mulan said, appearing on the holo-display. "The neighborhood is nice enough. Some pretty decent food, if you're into Asian fusion."

Anna exchanged another glance with Elsa, and then regarded Mulan. "How did you know we were here?"

"I know everything there is to know in this city," Mulan said nonchalantly. "Flynn already told me about you two, but we haven't officially spoken yet. I'm Mulan, a fixer and a damn good one. You can call me M."

"It's a pleasure to speak with you," Elsa smiled politely. "Thank you for agreeing to help us, although I wish we had the opportunity to meet in-"

"Let me stop you right there before you get too familiar," Mulan cut her off. "First rule of doing biz with me, keep it professional. I'm not here to be your friend. That's a liability I don't need. I don't know who you really are and I don't care. What I do know is who you're pretending to be, and that's good enough."

"What exactly did Flynn tell you about us?" Anna asked, narrowing her brows.

"He told me as much as I needed to know," Mulan replied. "Rachael Deckard and Joy Wallace. Not bad as far as fake names go. Whatever trouble you stirred up in New York must have been pretty serious, but I'm certain I have no idea what it is."

"We're not here to cause any problems," Elsa said quite firmly. "We just wanted a fresh start, that's all."

"Don't we all," Mulan nodded approvingly. "Anyway, few things we need to discuss, but we can talk and walk. Head up to your apartment. Suite 808, eighth floor. Keys are waiting for you in the mail slot."

Anna and Elsa started walking, heading for the elevator that was located at the other end of the courtyard. They weaved their way through the crowds, then made it to the elevator, punched in their floor, and waited as they ascended.

"So, M," Anna looking out the elevator windows. "Any other rules we need to know about?"

"If you need something, just be straight with me, whatever it is," Mulan said. "Seen a lot of shit in my time and nothing weirds me out. You'll get no judgment from me, so long as you don't care how my products are delivered or how my services are rendered."

"Good to know," Elsa agreed. "What else?"

"The last rule is pretty simple," Mulan said. "Don't try and fuck with me. I will know and you will regret it. I don't ask any uncomfortable questions about you. You don't ask any uncomfortable questions about me. Don't ask, don't tell. Follow these rules, and we'll get along just fine."

"Ray of sunshine, aren't you?" Anna said sarcastically.

"Positively beaming," Mulan said.

The elevator reached the eighth floor and from there, Anna and Elsa stepped out and started walking down the corridor towards their apartment. In the mail slot, they found the set of physical keys needed to unlock the door, which also held a biometric lock for easier access. They would input their credentials later on when they were settled.

Anna looked at the keys in her hand, then with a smile at Elsa, she opened the door and they stepped through.

"Welcome to your new home," Mulan said. "Take a look around. Get acquainted with the place," she patiently waited.

They did just that. Starting from the entryway, to the left side, there was a small closet with a compartment that held a washing and drying machine for laundry. To the right, past a glass partition wall was the kitchen. Anna and Elsa walked in slowly, taking it all in with wide smiles on their faces.

Across the kitchen was the living room, embedded into the floor in a pit-like fashion. It wasn't currently furnished, but from the dust outlines, there was enough room for a couch, a love seat, a coffee table, and a shelf. Lining the edge was a window that looked out over Little Japan. The only thing of note left behind was a hard light projector for a holo-piano.

"Can you tell us what happened to the last owner?" Elsa asked.

"Nothing good," Mulan said. "Some small-fish merc trying to hit the big times took on a gig. A heist. Tried to steal some experimental biochip from the Adamantius corp. The whole thing went up in flames and they got zeroed. Made the news a while back. Obviously, I had nothing to do with that."

"Hmm," Elsa nodded. "No further questions."

Opposite from living room was the office that had been converted into the armory. Anna and Elsa went inside and examined the foam inserts for weaponry that were currently empty, the workbench, and the netrunning station with a terminal.

"Not a bad setup," Anna said.

"Not bad at all," Elsa agreed.

They left the office and proceeded into the bedroom just next to it. A corner bay window overlooked Elysium Park, and it was a cozy and warm space. Like the living room, it was also unfurnished, but there was space for a queen-sized bed. Along the wall was a closet with sliding doors, and near a corner, there was the bathroom that held all the basic amenities.

"You've seen the place, now what do you think?" Mulan asked.

Anna slowly looked around, unable to hide her wide smile. "I think we made the right choice."

"Good," Mulan said. "Your funds have been processed and it's all yours. Head back to the office. Everything else you need to know, I left on the terminal."

There, they booted it up and they were greeted with a login screen after the holo-display came to life.

"M, how do we access the terminal?" Anna asked, frowning. "What's our login information?"

"It's your standard biometric system," Mulan said. "You'll need to jack in and set the lock."

Anna frowned more deeply. "I don't have any implants. Isn't there a mechanical interface to let me to do that?"

Mulan squinted at Anna. "What are you, Amish? You don't have chrome?"

"No," Anna shook her head.

"Well, that won't fly in Arcadia," Mulan said. "All the tech here works by connecting with your run-of-the-mill operating systems and neural interfaces. You'll need to see a tech-doc and get your implants done. Luckily for you, I know a guy and I can refer you to him."

"Are you sure?" Elsa asked. "I have a neural port on my neck, is that enough?"

"Maybe for rudimentary access, but you'll still need chrome if you don't want to live like cavemen," Mulan replied. "For now, it's enough to get into that terminal. Jack in."

Anna and Elsa looked each other and shrugged. While Elsa sat down and pulled out a length of cable to insert into the port on her neck, Anna sighed and paced side to side. For much of her life, she eschewed the idea of cyberware and implants, opting to get by through as many organic means as possible. However, clearly, the advanced technology present in Arcadia required her and Elsa to finally make the jump.

"What do you think about this?" Anna asked Elsa.

"I suppose I'm not completely against the idea," Elsa replied. "After all, a small part of me is already synthetic. What about you?"

Anna sighed again and stopped pacing as she looked out the window. "I'm not thrilled by it, but then again, I do have a metal arm," she chuckled and examined her metal fingers. "Guess I might as well commit to the whole thing."

After Elsa inputted her biometric data, the terminal opened up, revealing the information it stored. There was a packet filled with all manner of documents and credentials, all of which had been falsified, made to appear legitimate, and provided courtesy of Flynn and Mulan.

"What are we looking at here?" Elsa asked as she swiped through.

"Your new lives," Mulan replied. "Identification documents, residency status, all the other paperwork and mumbo jumbo you need to look like you came here legally. You're both American expatriates, so right now, you only qualify for permanent residence. Give it five years, and then you can apply for citizenship. I can make a lot of things happen, but I can't speed up time."

"I guess that shouldn't be a problem," Anna said as she examined their new credentials. "And the other stuff we asked for?"

"Open carry and concealed carry permits are there," Mulan said. "You'll be able to wear your iron, and I would definitely be packing heat if you ever head into the sub-city. Other than that, you're all set."

"Great," Anna perked up. "Thanks, M. Really appreciate everything you've done."

"Just one more thing," Mulan said. "Finding a steady gig is your prerogative, whether you want it to be clean or not so clean. If you're hard up on credits and ever in need of work, give me a call. I can always use more thumbs and I always make sure my mercs are well paid."

At that, Anna couldn't help but look off to the side and seriously consider her offer. When she was a private detective in New York, she operated directly with her own clients. Sometimes, that exposed her to a greater risk of danger than she was comfortable with. However, a third-party fixer like Mulan, combined with her own skillset, seemingly made mercenary work a natural progression for Anna's career.

"Thank you again, really, but I think we'll be okay," Elsa said, giving Anna another sideways glance.

"Understandable," Mulan nodded. "If your credits are ever burning a hole in your pocket then, you know where to spend them. Out," she ended the call.

Now alone in their new home, Anna and Elsa explored the rest of the interior, taking stock of everything they had, which wasn't much, and everything else they had to get. Namely furniture.

Anna made a frame with her fingers as she looked into the living room. She had her tongue sticking out the corner of her mouth and she appeared to be in deep focus. Across the way, Elsa was poking through the cabinets in the kitchen, finding that at least some dinnerware, as well as pots and pans had been left behind.

"Oh, fun," Elsa mused to herself as she examined a frying pan. "I can finally learn how to cook," she glanced over at Anna and smiled. "What are you doing?"

"Just picking out where to put the couch," Anna said, slowly panning her finger frame over the living room. "There, right by the window. Perfect. Where do you think we should put the- oh!" she gasped and giggled when Elsa came from behind and trapped her in an embrace.

"Put the what?" Elsa asked, placing soft kisses on Anna's neck.

"I was gonna say coffee table, but right now, I really want to jump in a bed with you."

"I think a bed should be the first thing we get."

"Yeah, otherwise, we'll have to fuck on the floor like animals."

"I meant that more along the lines of it'd be nice to actually have something to sleep on."

"Sure, that too. Whatever floats your boat."

Elsa grinned and led Anna by the hand back towards the bedroom. There, they sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall, simply looking around at everything. Even though it was empty, their home was already brimming with warmth and love and opportunity.

Anna yawned loudly and curled up against Elsa's side. Elsa wrapped one arm around Anna's back and then pulled her in close.

"Sleepy, are we?" Elsa asked, toying with stray locks of Anna's hair.

"I'm pooped," Anna replied, shutting her eyes. "Could use a quick power nap. Do you mind if- what am I saying, of course you don't. I'm gonna use you as my pillow."

"Go right ahead," Elsa said, smiling. "I'll be here."

Before long, Anna was softly snoozing and snoring quietly. While she was down for the count, Elsa decided to immortalize the moment, so she snapped a quick picture on her omni-pad.

Just one of thousands in the collection she had just started.

… … …

After another few days, the time had finally come to say farewell to their new friends. The crew of the Maximus had picked up a new smuggling gig, and were finalizing preparations to leave Arcadia once more. With their help, Anna and Elsa moved the rest of their belongings into the apartment, not that they brought much with them from New York aside from two suitcases.

Now, they were all sharing a quiet meal being prepared Takahashi in their kitchen. They were all gathered around the counter, and a bottle of champagne had been opened. Of course, Anna and Elsa refused to partake, but the others were all too happy to drink in their stead.

"So then, there we were, taking flak from all angles in the middle of a solar flare," Flynn gestured animatedly as he regaled them all with a recount of one of his exploits. "Ship's beat to hell, barely chugging along. Radiation is nearly cooking us alive, but you know what? We made it. Got to Venus before those pirates blew us to smithereens, delivered that haul of fizz, and Punzie and I made some pretty decent credits off of it."

"Bull-fucking-shit," Mouse laughed dismissively. "You did not make the kestrel run in two weeks. That's half the time it takes to get here."

Rapunzel smiled sheepishly. "It's true," she said. "We did."

The kestrel run referred to a smuggling route that was used for illicit trafficking purposes. Orbiting around Venus was Kestrel Station, a floating city built and inhabited exclusively by criminals, malefactors, and characters of ill repute. Given how unsuitable the Venusian surface was for terrestrial colonization, what with it being covered in thick, toxic clouds and volcanic temperatures, the planet was used only as a site for extensive mining operations.

"Well, yeah, we did almost lose the ship and die in the process, but then again, it's not like you would know," Flynn crossed his arms and looked smug. "Because you weren't there."

"Yeah, exactly, we weren't," Augur said. "So you could just be talking out your ass."

"Augie, come on," Flynn replied. "You know me better than that. When have I ever been one to showboat?"

"Cabrón, all the fuckin' time," Mouse said.

"For as long as I've known you, yeah, you like to gloat," Rapunzel said. "But at least you can back it up," she reached over and tweaked Flynn's cheek.

"When we met, you introduced yourself as the best damn smuggler in the solar system," Anna chuckled.

"K did tell us you were a bit of an ass," Elsa said.

Flynn uncrossed his arms and leaned forward. "What? K said that about me?" he asked. "That son of a... whatever. I'm gonna have some words with him the next time he needs meds for his practice. My rates just went up big time."

At the mention of K, Anna smiled a bit more fondly. Her best friend opted to remain in New York to continue doing as much good as he could through his services as a tech-doctor and as the proprietor of the Memory Palace.

"Dinner is served," Takahashi went up to the counter carrying a tray laden with bowls of steaming food.

Dinner that night consisted of fluffy rice with chicken katsu served with a spicy curry sauce. For the next little while, conversation flowed, jokes were exchanged, and more extravagant stories were shared. At the end of the night, when everyone was sufficiently full and swimming in a pleasant mood, it came time for the others to take their leave.

"Well, guys, looks like you'll be on your own from here on out," Flynn said. "Everything is set up and all your ducks are in a neat little row. So, uh, you know... good luck with the new life and everything," he held out his hand to shake.

Anna gladly shook it, as did Elsa.

"Thanks, Flynn," Anna said. "For a dirty smuggler, you ain't so bad."

"Aw, come here, you two," Rapunzel stepped forward and trapped them both into an eager hug. "If you ever need anything, just give us a call. It might take us a while to get back to you, what with space and all, but we'll try our best."

"We really do appreciate everything you've done for us," Elsa replied.

With Augur, they exchanged a fist bump and some more words of parting. With Takahashi, he gave Anna and Elsa a polite bow which was similarly returned.

"Rachael-san, Joy-san, I have taken the liberty of leaving my recipe for Tonkotsu ramen for you to make yourself," Takahashi said. "My parting gift to you."

Anna smiled. "Thanks, Tak, but it won't be the same," she sighed. "I really will miss your cooking."

Last came Mouse, who trapped Anna and Elsa each in a bear hug that was surprisingly strong for someone of her height. "And, you fuckin' know it, saving the best for last," she said. "Mierda, I'm gonna miss having more women on the ship to pal around with. Now I gotta go back to dealing with dumbfuck and dumbass," she gestured at Flynn and Augur. "Anyway, I got your address now so maybe I'll send a postcard or two your way."

And with that, their new friends departed from their home and Anna and Elsa were left alone. The rest of the quiet evening was spent getting ready for bed.

Anna stood at the window in their bedroom overlooking the view of Arcadia. She was safe, she was happy, and she had made it. Best of all, Elsa was right there at her side.

"God, the view really is pretty," Anna mused quietly.

Elsa looked at Anna and grinned. "I think this view is much prettier."

"Ugh, stop."

"Never."

"You're so dorky."

"So, what do we do now?"

"Now?" Anna sighed. "Now, I guess we just be normal people. With normal lives. Doing normal things."

Elsa nuzzled against Anna's side. "I think we can manage."

They lingered a while longer, looking out over the view with the lights of their new home reflected in their eyes. Somewhere above, a star shot across the night sky of Mars, carrying with it the unspoken hopes and dreams yet to be fulfilled.