Elsie

October 13, 34 AE

2 days before Operation Cliffhanger

Most of their day, along with their energy, had been consumed by a painfully long brief on the details of Operation Cliffhanger. Elsie's attention span quit sometime during the second hour, and she couldn't get herself to focus again no matter how hard she tried.

Thankfully, she was seated in the far corner of the cafeteria, and she and Jordan kept each other awake by scrawling notes to each other and playing games like tic-tac-toe and hangman. As much as Elsie had wished Camilla was with her during such torture, instead of with the higher-ups that were front and center, she also knew that Camilla was dedicated when it came to her work and Elsie would only end up distracting her. Elsie was more than willing to suffer in silence for a few hours so that Camilla could concentrate on what was actually important.

But the hours after the brief would be a different story, and Elsie spent the second half of the meeting brainstorming last-minute date ideas with Jordan. By the end of the meeting, they both had plans made for the rest of the night, assuming that Camilla and Mack didn't have any other responsibilities to attend to.

Thankfully, both Camilla and Mack had the rest of the day off, so Elsie and Jordan spent the next couple of hours gathering supplies from the hideout that they probably weren't supposed to take. Once they had everything they needed, they parted ways, both of them wishing the other luck that everything would go according to plan.

But by the time Elsie returned to her room, Camilla was already ready and waiting; things were not off to a good start.

"Shit, sorry," Elsie apologized as she rushed to the dresser to look for clothes. Oh perfect, she hadn't even thought about what she was going to wear. Not that she had a lot of clothes in a secret hideout anyway, but still.

"You don't have to rush," Camilla assured. "It's still early."

"But I kept you waiting," Elsie mumbled as she pulled out her nicest blouse that was the only thing in her drawer that was actually folded neatly. "I know I'm not usually timely, but I thought I could at least get it right this time."

"Really, it's fine," Camilla said. "Actually... I'm the one that's early."

Her words confused Elsie enough that she stopped searching for pants and looked up at her.

"I... may have been a little anxious and started getting ready right after you told me your plan," Camilla admitted hesitantly.

Once Camilla's words managed to sink in, Elsie finally took the chance to get a good look at her. She hadn't realized it during her frantic panic, but Camilla looked completely different than she had over the past few months.

For one, she was wearing a dress. It was a long, cream-colored knit turtleneck sweater with a wavy skirt that ended just above her knees. Over it she had on a long, baby blue pea coat that hugged her figure ever so slightly. Below that she wore black, thigh-high boots that fit perfectly against her toned calves. To top it all off, her short hair was tied up into two cute buns that sat high on either side of her head.

"Hitomi made everything," Camilla explained, trying her best to subtly tug down the skirt of her dress. "I told her it was a little much, especially given the situation. I only agreed to it when she insisted you'd like it."

"Right," Elsie replied, still too surprised to say anything else.

"I can change though," Camilla continued. "After all, I know you like our new uniforms. Should I wear that instead?"

"No, this is perfect," Elsie finally said, and she couldn't stop herself from grinning widely. "I mean, yeah, the uniform also looks spectacular on you, but this is probably more fitting." She let out a soft chuckle. "You look great. I'm only worried that whatever I pick will pale in comparison."

Camilla smiled and joined Elsie by the dresser. "Why don't I help out then?"

Eventually, Elsie chose a maroon sweater, black leggings, and dark brown ankle boots. She knew she definitely didn't look as good as Camilla did, but her options were severely limited and Camilla insisted that she looked great.

They stepped outside the hideout soon after, hand in hand, nodding awkwardly at the guards as they left. Immediately, they were greeted by the biting cold of the mountains, and Elsie bit back a groan.

"Maybe I should've brought a blanket or something," she said as her teeth began to chatter. "Sorry, I guess I'm not as prepared as I thought."

"Elsie, it's fine," Camilla insisted for the dozenth time that night. "I got my temperature control abilities back, remember?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she lifted her free hand slightly and the air around them instantly warmed. Once they got the chill out of their bones, they continued walking along the dark, snowy mountain.

"Thanks," Elsie said sheepishly, but she still felt a little guilty for making Camilla work when it was Elsie that dragged her outside in the first place.

"It's no problem, really," Camilla said. "It's the least I can do after you've prepped all of this." She squeezed Elsie's hand and turned her gaze to the ground. "I know I haven't been a very good girlfriend lately, especially after everything you've done for me."

"What are you talking about?" Elsie asked, perplexed. "You've been perfect. Okay, maybe I was a little mad after you kicked our asses when you sparred with us, but I got over it eventually."

Judging by the way Camilla began to nervously chew her lip and fidget with her fingers, Elsie knew Camilla didn't believe her.

"I'm serious, Milla," Elsie said. She stopped them in their tracks and turned to face Camilla. "Our situation is pretty shitty, but we've been helping each other through it, and I couldn't ask anything more from you."

"The 'helping each other through it' seems a little one-sided though," Camilla said, her eyes still averted to her feet. "I feel like I have way too much baggage now, and you're carrying more of it than you need to—than you should be."

"It's not too much," Elsie insisted. "And I'm just happy I can be there for you when you need me. Besides, you might not realize it, but just having you around helps me out a lot."

Camilla finally looked up at Elsie, and her expression showed she was not convinced.

"I'm not lying," Elsie assured. "With all these long days, just... seeing you makes me happy again. Everything else is exhausting, sure, but I can deal with all of it because I know you'll be here at the end of the day."

"But you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me," Camilla reminded her. "And neither would your sister, or your friends."

"We all made the choices we wanted, including me," Elsie said. "I was never going to leave you in that place all by yourself; everyone else just ended up agreeing with me and tagging along. We're here for you, not because of you. It's not your fault. It never was, and it never will be.

"Besides, because we're here, we get the chance to do something good," Elsie continued. "We get to take on bad guys and help people that have been screwed over. I get that saving people is your job and you must be used to it, but getting to be a part of all of this... for me, it's worth it." Elsie let go of Camilla's hand so she could gently hold her by the shoulders instead. "You're worth it."

For a moment, Camilla didn't say anything as she stared deep into Elsie's eyes. Whatever she saw there must have been enough because she eventually placed her hands over Elsie's and squeezed them gently.

"Thank you for being here," she said quietly, her voice only wavering slightly. "I'm not sure what would've happened to me if you weren't."

"I'm sure you would've gotten through it eventually," Elsie grinned. "You're stubborn like that."

Camilla rolled her eyes, but she couldn't completely hold back a smile, and they continued on their way.

"I'm still worried about you coming with us though," Camilla said as they took their time walking.

Elsie didn't sigh loudly, but it was a near thing.

"It's my decision," Elsie said, repeating the same thing she had said every other time they had this discussion. "I know I'm way out of my depth, but I need to do this. It's... therapeutic, in a way. Besides, I don't think I could forgive myself if I wasn't there and something... happened to you again."

"I know," Camilla said, her calm voice sounding surprisingly more accepting than Elsie expected. "When you told me that last time, I eventually realized I felt the same way. If you ended up staying here and something ended up happening to the hideout..."

She inhaled sharply, cutting herself off. "Basically, I'd also like us to stick together and watch each other's backs. But that doesn't mean I can stop worrying about you being out there with us in all that fighting. I guess no matter where you are, I just want you to be safe."

For a moment, Elsie wasn't sure how to respond. After days of Camilla subtly fretting about Elsie accompanying them to Farallon, they had finally come to an agreement. And while Elsie still felt that Camilla's concern wasn't necessary, Camilla's admission made Elsie realize that maybe she was just embarrassed to be such a burden. After all, Elsie's self-defense skills hadn't improved by much, and there really wasn't much she could help out with besides being a distraction for the enemy.

But knowing Camilla wanted her there for the same reason as Elsie wanted to go with her eased Elsie's embarrassment. She wasn't a complete burden after all. Sure, she would still be useless in any combat situation, but at least she was good for one thing: supporting Camilla.

With a wide grin, Elsie wrapped Camilla in a one-armed hug and kissed the top of her head, laughing a little when one of Camilla's hair buns tapped her nose. Camilla shook her head, her hair hitting Elsie's face a few more times, as she returned Elsie's hug with her own.

"Just promise you'll stay safe, okay?" Camilla said.

Elsie leaned her head against the top of Camilla's and nodded. "I promise."

There was a shallow cave a few minutes walk away from the hideout's entrance, and that's where they ended up stopping. As soon as they arrived, they immediately began to unpack the backpack of supplies Elsie had been dragging along with her.

They first set up a couple lamps, then a tarp to act as a picnic blanket. Next, Camilla set up the dishes and utensils (all of which Elsie swiped from the cafeteria) while Elsie arranged the food (an assortment of canned goods from the ration storage). Everything was a little meager, especially since there were only so many things that Elsie could sneak out, but Camilla still beamed like it was the most amazing date ever.

With no other plans or responsibilities for the day, they took their time eating, chatting, and simply doing nothing. Even after the food was gone, they bundled up together and watched a light flurry of snow fall from the night sky. It would probably be their last moments of peace before things got crazy, and they both wanted to enjoy every second while they still could.

Of course, it couldn't last forever, especially since there was a 10 o'clock curfew. Except Elsie had one more surprise for the night, and she wasn't anywhere near ready for it. There was only so much she could do to stall though, and once they finished packing up, Elsie steeled herself: it was now or never.

"I have something for you," Elsie blurted out before she could get cold feet (metaphorically, of course; literally, her feet were already freezing, even with Camilla's temperature control).

With Camilla's curious gaze now focused on her, there was no way Elsie could backtrack now. So she slowly reached into her pocket, held tightly onto the small piece of metal that sat it there, and took it out.

As soon as Elsie opened her hand, revealing the familiar silver key strung on a chain, Camilla's eyes widened. She looked from the key, up to Elsie, then back down again, as if she still couldn't believe what she saw.

"You mentioned you missed it before," Elsie explained nervously. "I know it's still such a cheesy thing to give, but I remember how you would always fiddle with it before... all of this happened. It's my copy, but it's not like I use it anyway. So..."

Elsie awkwardly gestured at Camilla's neck, and Camilla let out a small "oh, right" before turning around. And when Camilla faced Elsie again, Elsie couldn't help but smile at the sight of Camilla's gentle fingers as they continuously traced the jagged edges of the key, and her look of uncontainable joy that seemed to warm the chilly cave. It almost felt like déjà vu, especially since Camilla was preparing to dive headfirst into battle once more. But at least this time Elsie was going to be right alongside her.

---

Thank you for reading, voting, and commenting!