181: Gathering what forces?

Elsa stirred in her chair, slowly blinking her eyes open as she woke up from sleep in the dimly lit room.

She could hear voices talking quietly and quickly. Elsa kept her eyes closed, not wanting to fully wake up yet. The hard wooden chair was uncomfortable against her skin where she was sitting on it.

As Elsa became more awake, she realized the voices were close. It seemed they were just across the room. Her neck hurt from the way she arched her head while asleep.

Elsa became curious and tried to listen to the conversation, straining to hear snippets of what they were discussing. Since they hadn't revealed that she was awake, she had the advantage of being able to listen without them knowing.

The chair made a small sound as she shifted ever so slightly, trying to get more comfortable without giving away that she was awake.

Carefully, Elsa tilted her head upward, bit by tiny bit. Her neck hurt from the movement, but she kept going. As her eyes adjusted to the low lighting, she could