#how did bruno get all the way here from colombia??? i dont know but we're gonna roll with it lol

[green-eyed-prophet]

Sleep never came easy to Bruno, especially not when he was in an unfamiliar place. So, when he had finally become fed up with uselessly tossing and turning in the small bed he had rented out for the night, he had decided to go out for a walk. Sure, going out in the middle of the night was a bit strange, but most things he did were viewed as strange to begin with, and he had few other options when it came to trying to shake the last of the restless energy out of his bones.

He had, of course, taken a few of his rat companions along with him, letting them stow away in the folds in his long winter coat (a much warmer alternative to his typical ruana that was needed in a climate quite a bit chillier than the one he was used to) while he set off through the empty, moonlit streets.

He didn't know too much about this place-- Arendelle, they called it-- but judging by the grand castle that overlooked the town, it was probably some sort of monarchy. Said castle looked like something straight out of a storybook, and through his late night wanderings he eventually found himself near its gates, staring up in awe of the sheer scope of the building; even bigger than Casita back home.

Casita...

He barely had time to dwell on the sudden feeling of homesickness swelling up in his chest when there was a sudden flurry of squeaking and tiny paws scurrying within his coat. Before he knew it, three of his rats had jumped out from the confines of his clothing, and were racing off towards who-knew-where.

"...Wait, wait, wait, guys, wait--!" he yelped, reaching a hand out futilely before giving chase to the small rodents. Mierda. He really should've known better than to bring the younger ones along-- they were always too curious for their own good, too intrigued by any mildly interesting scent or sound to listen to commands.

He ran after the trio, not fully keeping track of where exactly he was going or how long it took him to find them, mostly just focused on ensuring his friends didn't come to any harm in their mischief. They were the only friends he really had here, after all.

He vaguely processed climbing up a wall, then tumbling down into a patch of soft leaves. With a soft grunt, he slowly and shakily pulled himself up to his feet, glancing around for any signs of the runaway rodents.

"...Maria?" he called out in a stage-whisper in between pants of exertion. He was beginning to suspect that he was getting to be a bit too old to be running around and climbing like this, but any situation involving the rats felt urgent enough to do so. "...Arlo? ...Dante? ...Where are you?"

Seconds later, there was the familiar sound of squeaking and scampering at his side, and he turned his head to see his wayward companions returning to him in a single-file line, each with a small piece of what appeared to be cheese in their mouth. They sat down at his feet, gazing up with eager gleams in their beady eyes, as though they expected to be praised for their antics. Instead, Bruno let out a tiny sigh of exasperation, shaking his head at them.

"...What am I gonna do with you three, huh?" he tutted, reprimanding and yet at the same time unable to resist bending down to gently scratch between Maria's ears. "...Where'd you even find that cheese? And how'd you smell it from so far away?"

He was just about to stuff the rodents back into his jacket to let them enjoy the fruits of their labor in peace and get out of... wherever he was when a sudden voice caught his attention.

Startled, he froze and looked towards the voice with wide eyes, spotting a pale woman staring at him from a few feet away. Even from this far, he could see that there was a poised, almost regal air about her-- similar to the one he usually observed in his mother whenever she was conducting any sort of official business.

...But this woman was certainly younger than his mother, and even younger than him as well.

It took his mind a moment to catch up with what the stranger had actually said. Castle staff...? his eyes trailed upwards to the massive structure behind her, from where she had presumably emerged, and it was only then that he finally realized where he was-- where the rats had led him.

Oh no.

He scrambled to his feet, a string of denials and apologies launching themselves from his mouth as he took a step backward: "A-ah, no, no, no, s-sorry, I-I'm not... n-not supposed to be here, I know." Glancing towards the wall, he internally debated trying to scale back over it again, but that might've made things look even more suspicious than they probably already did.

"...T-they just..." he gestured to the three rats, who had looked up from nibbling on their bits of cheese to regard Elsa curiously, but ultimately remained at Bruno's side. He felt his lips curve upwards into a nervous, toothy smile. "...A bunch of little rascals i-is what they are..." a short chuckle escaped him, and he shrugged, trying to push back the fear that was surging inside his gut.

"...Um, a-anyway..." his gaze flicked back towards the wall. It seemed to be his only escape route, but did he really have the energy to climb it again? "...Sorry. D-didn't mean to disturb you. I-I can go..."

@green-eyed-prophet walked into the unknown.

The halls of Arendelle Castle, for as long as she can remember, were always spotless. Kai, the overseer steward of the castle staff, has commanded their staff members with impeccable detail on how to keep the whole castle running. He has been the head of the staff for many, many years now. Not even a speck of dust is seen, though perhaps the bedchamber of her parents were gathering dust. One of the most cleanest locations had to be the royal chapel, somewhere that Elsa has begun to frequent the closer her coronation day approaches. The royal is practicing the ceremony in the darkness of the chapel, something she has faithfully done for three whole years now.

Spotting a trail of rats, however, nearly makes her drop the scepter and orb right there. Her death-like grip on them, thankfully, helped save her from loudly dropping such precious relics of the past. She squints in the dark, thinking she saw the rats were carrying something in their mouths. Letting go of the objects in her hands, Elsa begins to follow the rats out of the chapel. She keeps following them by the light of the moon until it leads to the royal gardens. She scans the area until she notices the form of a shrouded person crouching down, welcoming the rats to his side. She furrowed her eyebrows, confused on why someone would choose to interact with rats in the middle of the night.

"Excuse me, but are you part of the castle staff?" Elsa asked, breaking her silence after staring at him for a couple of stunned seconds. She pulls her velvet cloak closer to her body, though it's purely for the sake of her own modesty. She is alone, walking around in the middle of the night, something that would no doubt cause a potential scandal if she wasn't careful. She shouldn't be out here in the first place, but the same could be said about this potential intruder.

Elsa keeps her safe distance from the man, debating on whether she should speak up about the rat topic or not. He could be dangerous, she noted. To run into someone with an unstable mindset does feel dangerous, but he didn't look that threatening. He is older than her, though he still looks pretty scrawny. She is certain she could take him on if he chose to attack, but she wants to avoid causing a conflict. "Erm, are you okay?"