Comment on ErichZannIII's profile

  Chapter Seven

"Hey, Mommy…  You wanted to see me?" Lisa asked in a disgruntled tone.  She knew what her mother wanted.  She had introduced Lisa to at least three other men by now.  One was handsome but not terribly bright.  One was irritatingly dense and the third was arrogant like nobody's business…  Apparently a prince from a neighboring kingdom called the Southern Isles.  He was apparently the son of someone named Günter.  The man was arrogant and unpleasant, though, so Lisa quickly dismissed him.

"I know what you want.  I'm happy with my life as it is right now…" Lisa said, adjusting her thick glasses, pushing them up her nose with her pinky finger, and yawning.  She had pulled another all nighter, and she hadn't taken a shower yet.  But she saw that Hiccup, Astrid and Valka were there along with a younger looking man with long black hair and a disinterested expression on his face.  He seemed to become slightly less disinterested when he saw Lisa, though.  He smiled unenthusiastically and yawned as well.

"Well, let's get this over with.  My name is Lisa Fenix…" Lisa said, curtsying politely.  "Might I ask your name?"

"My name is Stoick Haddock II…  I've been studying dragon physiology and genetics for a few years.  My parents wanted me to meet you sooner, but I refused to be disturbed in my research."

"Uh hunh…  So, how's the research going?" Lisa asked, feeling hopeful but also slightly suspicious that he may just be saying the kind of thing she wanted to hear.

"Well, I've been studying the organ that allows dragons to breathe fire, and the nature of the coating both internal and external that makes their insides immune to fire and their flesh resistant to fire.  I've been studying with my grandmother.  She's a brilliant researcher, but she's getting old, and needs to pass the baton.  I really shouldn't even be here today, and I'll tell you why.  Grandma and I just started studying the reason that dragons live so much longer than humans.  But Grandma, given her old age needs someone in the lab with her to make sure she doesn't get hurt.  My parents insisted, though.  How old is this girl? Fourteen?" Stoick asked disdainfully.  Lisa sneered at Stoick.

"For your information, Stoick, I'm eighteen! I just age slowly! It's…  A long story that would be better suited for a laboratory than the dinner table.  I didn't even want to eat tonight.  I tend to only need to eat once or twice a week, so eating too much is bad for me.  I gain weight."

"You? Gain weight? You're…  What? 5'3"?" Stoick asked.

"Yes.  I prefer to measure myself in centimeters, though.  It's more accurate."

"Okay.  And you're what? 105 pounds?"

"Precisely.  But again, I prefer to use metric."

"Whatever.  Point is, you aren't overweight.  You're barely breaking normal weight."

"Yes, but I ate just the other night with the family.  I experimented on myself with genetic modification to make my metabolism hyper-efficient.  I can go with one medium sized meal a week and be good to go.  I'm working on my brother's metabolism, but his tendency to work out more strenuously than I do means he still has to eat more.  He eats maybe once every other day.  Plus, I have to add in the fact that he's male and I'm female and his body is larger and requires more sustenance than mine does."

"Can we maybe have normal conversation at the dinner table?" Came a smooth voice from the corner.  Rapunzel and Eugene were sitting there, Rapunzel with her long blonde hair and Eugene with his perpetual smug smirk.  Lisa had studied Rapunzel years ago and discovered that though her hair had been cut, the magic had not been completely lost.  She went off the fact that her tears had managed to bring Eugene back to life even after he had been fatally stabbed by Mother Gothel. 

            So Lisa harvested Rapunzel's tears, as she correctly surmised that the power still existed inside Rapunzel, but just needed to be brought back out.  Eugene, or Flynn… However you wanted to call him… was okay with it, so Lisa did test after test, taking tear samples, blood samples, and finally found a drop of blood from right within her heart that contained enough of the rejuvenative energy to replicate and reapply to her hair, which turned it golden once more. 

            Now, Rapunzel didn't cut her hair anymore and it was getting very long again.  Already even after only two years, it was down past her waist.  In fact, it was almost down to her knees.  She kept it in a long braid.  But now, she was able to rejuvenate people again.  Lisa was working on developing a serum based on the magic within her hair.  Sure, it was kind of weird, but if she could make a potion that could cure any disease, rejuvenate people to a younger age, cure any wound, or any affliction, she could be the most celebrated scientist, and she was only eighteen. 

            She had already used the superscience to essentially increase the intelligence of her family.  She wasn't sure if it was right, what she was doing.  But science would continue to progress with or without her.  She might as well remain on the cutting edge.  She just needed to know when she was starting to do things for the wrong reasons.  Even if it was the right thing, if she was doing it for the wrong reason, then it was essentially the same as doing the wrong thing.

"Uncle Flynn, it's always lovely to see you, but if you can't follow what we're talking about, just stare at Auntie Rapunzel like you always do."

"Hey, if you were in my position, wouldn't you stare? She's still as gorgeous as the day I met her, and she captured me with her freakishly long hair and smacked me not once, not twice, but three times with a frying pan."

"I told you, Eugene! Th-that was because Mother Gothel filled my head with lies about what people were like!! Wait! Where is Anna?"

"I'm not sure, really.  She said she'd be home in time but she hasn't called.  I'm worried about her…" Elsa said quietly, rubbing her arms uncomfortably.

"Okay! I don't know how Rapunzel managed to charm an entire bar full of ruffians and thugs! But if she can do it, I can at least get them to not try to jump me…" Anna said optimistically, walking in through the bar door, and sitting down next to a greying and scruffy looking man taking a long drag on a cigarette and taking a long swig from a foul smelling beer.

"Hey…  D'you mind moving over a seat or two? What are you even doing here? The princess of an entire kingdom doesn't belong in some dive bar…"

"I'm sorry…  You seem to know me, but I don't think we've ever met…  Geez, this is embarrassing.  Usually my memory is better than this…"

"Maybe this will refresh your memory.  'Sorry, Kristoff.  But, I'm in love with my sister…"

"K-Kristoff!? Y-you look…  Different…  N-not a bad different, but…"

"Yeah, well, eighteen years of smoking and drinking'll do that to a man…  You on the other hand look like you haven't aged a day in eighteen years…  If you're gonna keep talking to me, at least buy me a drink…"

"I…  Think maybe you've had enough to drink, Krist…"

"I'll tell you when I've had enough to drink! I'm counting on this shit to kill me so I can…"

"Death is never the answer.  But sure, I'll buy you a drink if you'll promise to come back to the castle with me."

"Oh, finally decided you do want a man in your life?"

"No.  I'm still deeply in love with Elsa.  But I think I can help you.  My niece is brilliant at science, specifically genetics and physics, and I think she might be able to get you in a better way."

"What makes you think I want to be in a better way?" Kristoff growled angrily, looking dangerous in that moment.

"How about this.  I'll buy you all you can drink and pay off your undoubtedly monumental bar tab if you'll join me for dinner later."

"Fine.  I was just about to get booted out of this place if I didn't pay soon.  So that works for me." Kristoff said hostilely.  He didn't sound like he liked the idea, but he accepted it as the only way to get out of paying out of his own nonexistent pocket.

"Hey, barkeep! How much does he owe?" Anna asked politely.  The bartender looked at Kristoff and frowned.

"More'n he or you could pay, lady…"

"Just tell me what he owes.  I kind of owe him a lot, though not for the reasons you might think…"

"Whatever, lady.  It's you who'll be headed to the poorhouse.  Let's see… He owes 227.5 Krone.  Still want to pay that for him?"

"I have to.  Let's see…  20, 40, 60, 80…  Here .  230 Krone.  Just keep the change."

"Great…  Now I owe my dyke ex-fiancée…"