video;

[isdronning]

This is Queen Elsa of Arendelle.

[ She appears on the network calm and composed, no smile or anything, but she hesitates after speaking. She feels a bit awkward about addressing everyone on the ship so soon after her arrival, but it's important. It's an important step in her plan to keep herself at a distance from others, to keep them all safe from her. So here she is, likely to sound like a horribly rude person, but it needs to be done. ]

...I suppose titles have no meaning here anymore. No matter. This is Elsa, and I would simply like to request that those of you on the same deck as me avoid my room. Consider it off limits. I-- I have a certain need for privacy and don't like to be disturbed.

That said, now for those that I work with: please keep your distance from me while we work together. I...wouldn't want anything to happen. By that, I mean I... I have an aversion to touch. It makes me uncomfortable and I wouldn't want to make anyone else uncomfortable, either.

I realize these may seem like odd requests, but they are what I require. Thank you for taking them into consideration and thank you for your time.

[ There's a curt nod, and the video feed cuts off. ]

Comments

[earthandpine]

First, I'm going to set up what's called a ward. It's a barrier, not a prison. You can cross the line any time you want, but you'll break it and I'll have to set up another. It isn't supposed to contain you. Only your magic. We can do this every night, if it works.

[There are different kinds of wards, but Rosethorn wants to be very clear that this isn't a punishment for Elsa. She has no intention of trying to keep the girl locked up, and she's very deliberately only blocking magical power.

She takes the appropriate jar from her mage kit, opening it. She uses its contents to draw a line around the edges of a good portion of the room (Elsa included.) Rosethorn leaves enough space to move one of the mattresses onto the floor for herself if Elsa's more comfortable sleeping in the wards on her own.

And then she closes the circle, feeling the magic snap into place and sending up a silent prayer that Elsa's magic stops at the barrier between them. It should. At least the difference will be easy to see, with all this snow falling.]

[isdronning]

O-oh, all right...

[ Elsa nods in understanding and watches quietly as the other woman gets to work. It's a strange process to her, but she finds herself hoping that it will work. If it does... Well, that's one less thing for her to be worried about, at least when it comes to the roommates situation.

Once the ward is sealed, the change is immediate. Instead of snowing in the whole bedroom, the snow is contained to the inside of the ward, and the temperature on Rosethorn's side returns to normal. Honestly, Elsa's shocked that it worked, but pleased. A relieved smile crosses her face, and the snow on her side of the ward lightens again as her anxiety begins to ease. ]

It worked. [ She glances around the inside of the ward, and then back at Rosethorn. ] I can't believe it worked. I've never found anything that stopped my magic before.

[earthandpine]

[Rosethorn tries to keep any surprise or satisfaction from being too obvious. After all, this is exactly what she said her wards were supposed to do, and she was hoping to keep the possibility of failure from making Elsa more anxious. For all she knew, Elsa's magic was different enough from hers that her own wards wouldn't recognize it.

But that smile, the sheer, giddy relief written across Elsa's face as the snow starts to ease... it's nice to see.]

It's good, that your magic's close enough to what I'm used to for my wards to recognize it. I can try training you the same way I've trained every other student I've had. There's a good chance it will help, and I certainly don't think it would do you any harm.