fandomhigh | How to Make Friends and Influence People [Tuesday, March 11, 2014]

Anakin, who'd gotten a visual reminder of the time his son and Gavin Darklighter had thought they'd been Siegfried and Roy, not the most dignified island moment ever, might have let that influence the mood he was in when he'd programmed the Danger Shop.

"Welcome to Geonosis," he said with a wicked smile as each student found themselves handcuffed to a huge stone pillar in the middle of an arena. "Sometimes negotiations go poorly. In this case, they've gone straight to poodoo. You have thirty seconds before your captors will release an acklay--an image of a giant bug helpfully sprang to holographic life before them--"a nexu, and a reek."

More photos helpfully showed what was going to try to eat them.

"Working together, get out of the arena." Anakin smiled. "And girls, you have a hairpin inside your sleeves because when I was in this very same situation--" which said something about the poor choices Anakin had made in his life, "--my first wife was smart enough to have one in her sleeve and used it to pick the lock on her cuffs. I was too busy bickering with my teacher at the time to do something just as useful."

He smiled again. "Welcome to aggressive negotiations."

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Of all of the people to approach Anakin to yell, did anybody suspect that Elsa would be one?

The air around her was a good several degrees cooler than the rest of the Danger Shop, and while she still had her hands pulled tightly to her chest, they were balled tightly into fists. Her brow was furrowed, and her voice was firm.

"Don't you ever put me in shackles like that again."

Seething Disney Princess, incoming.

And it was a testament to his time in Fandom that he didn't immediately bristle at this affront to his ~~questionable~~ teaching style. "Oh?" he replied.

"What gives you the right?" Elsa was pretty certain she'd never been this angry in her life. Anakin might not have been bristling yet, but she certainly was. "What makes you think it's okay to restrain us with no warning? Somebody could have been hurt!"

No, not by the Danger Shop. Scared Elsas did not think terribly clearly, either.

"Not in the Danger Shop," Anakin said. "That's why I didn't do this on Geonosis."

Worst field trip idea ever? Way, way up there, at least.

"And people can't possibly hurt themselves in their panic, in here? Or one another?"

Because this was kind of a huge concern. Because of reasons. Angry little princess reasons.

"Not while I'm the teacher, no," Anakin said firmly. His tone softened slightly. "What frightened you so, young one?"

And this was about the point where Elsa's brilliant plan to give the teacher a piece of her mind went and fell apart spectacularly. He eyes went wide and she pulled her hands even closer against herself, and there was really no mistaking another flash of panic as she tried to sweep it away.

"It's- I can't." Because that explained it all, right. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have wasted your time."

Elsa, honey, you were hardly the first kid on the island with a big, scary secret. Honestly, it wasn't even subtle.

"Don't apologize," Anakin said quickly. "A student is never wasting my time."

Well, a student not named Jamie Madrox, anyway...

"Would you be more comfortable talking in my office?"

"I..."

Elsa would have been most comfortable not talking about it at all. But then, if they were going to be having classes in the future where there was no choice but to let somebody free her from handcuffs, this was probably something that at least Professor Skywalker was going to need to know.

"I... think so. Yes."

"I have office hours on Thursday if that suits your schedule," Anakin said, "or would you rather talk right now?"

"If I put it off to Thursday, I... might have time to work up the nerve," Elsa admitted. "Or I might lose it entirely. But Thursday suits my schedule just fine."

She would just spend today and tomorrow dreading it. Dreading it a lot.

... And probably singing about that fact or something.

Well, a Disney princess has to do what a Disney princess does...

"I'll see you Thursday, then," Anakin said with a tiny smile. "I don't bite, I promise."

"Thursday," Elsa agreed with a small nod. "And you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that."

There were certain definitions of the word 'frostbite' that Elsa never wanted to see come into being.

"Don't listen to the rumors," Anakin said. "I'm not really that scary."

That...wasn't true.

How to Make Friends and Influence People [Tuesday, March 11, 2014]

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