Glinda took to nursing with an unexpected and single-minded ferocity. She didn't particularly enjoy the experience, so she tried to make up for this discrepancy by being quite "gung-ho" in performing the duty whenever and wherever it was required. Elphaba tried delicately (for her) to point out that doing this in public was in no way chic and that biting the head off of anyone (other than Elphaba) who complained was less so, but Glinda just smiled and jostled their baby a little and Elphaba melted.

Not literally.

Thankfully, today Glinda had confined her breastfeeding to the privacy of their own little cottage, right on the outskirts of the Munchkin village they got supplies and not much else from. Elphaba returned from a hasty shopping trip (she hated leaving Glinda alone in her condition) to see Glinda almost-contentedly trying to hide her winces as the child suckled on her. Setting her bags aside and taking off her heavy black cap, Elphaba snuck up behind Glinda and snuck a hand down the other side of the blonde's open blouse, pinching a swollen pink nipple. A spigot of milk lactated out onto her hand, accompanied by a sharp cry of surprise from Glinda.

"How're my girls?"

"Elphie, you startled me!" Glinda said in a tone that conveyed handily her dislike of being startled.

"I'd hoped you'd credit me with a bit more than mere surprise." Elphaba licked her palm. "Hmm. Odd. For a bodily secretion, it tastes nothing whatsoever like you…"

"Elphaba!" Glinda cried, shocked. "The child! Innocent ears!"

"Not so innocent…" Elphaba tugged on the baby's left ear a bit. "I think she takes after me in my regard."

"She does not!"

"Oh, yes, she does. Look. She even has the slightest green tint to her skin."

"No, I mean…" Glinda shifted the baby to her other teat and let it resume suckling. "I mean you are innocent. In a way. Sort of. By which I mean, you're not bad or evil. I know, this doesn't mean much coming from me, but thought you put on a big production of being wicked and show off your green thumb-and-everything-else, you're a good person. To me, you're perfect."

"You're wrong." Elphaba smiled. "It does mean a lot coming from you."

"Elphaba. Elphaba! Elphaba, did you have an aneurysm?"

Elphaba looked up as if with great difficulty. Glinda was staring at her from her half of the room, all decorated in frilly, fluffy things which contrasted sharply with the spartan accommodations that Elphaba was able to afford with what she had left over from buying books, tools, and food. Her father wired her little enough money that year, apologizing that finances were tight in his monthly letters, thus dooming Elphaba to put off buying a new wardrobe (which Glinda had been "volunteering" her towards for ages) until next semester.

"It would be simply dreadful if you had an aneurysm, dearie," Glinda said with a bit of a shark's smile that made it impossible to tell if she was being sarcastic or not. "No, I mean that, one of my aunts had an aneurysm before Lurlinmas one year and the entire holiday was ruined. What were you thinking about?"

"Hmm? Oh, nothing, nothing."

"Yes, I think about that a lot too. What'd you get for number thirty-four?"

Elphaba turned to her homework. "Ozma the Festively Plump. It seems quite unfortunate to be remembered for one's mass."

"Quite a bit more unfortunate to be remembered for one's density."

Glinda and Elphaba shared a look.

"Did you just… make a joke of some kind?" Elphaba asked.

"If you have to ask, obviously not."

"No, that had a bit of a double meaning to it and I was wondering if it was intentional."

"Was it a very smart double meaning?"

"Yes, yes indeed it was."

"Then it was quite intentional and I commend you on catching my sly reference."

Elphaba nodded and decided to double-check her homework for any faulty answers. Glinda looked at question thirty-five. Ah! She knew the answer.

"By Oz, Glinda, you're brilliant!" Elphaba said, getting up from her bed so she could cross the room and settle her hands down on her roommate's shoulders. "I never would've got that one!"

"Really? You really think I'm smart?"

"Of course you are!" Elphaba smiled enthusiastically as she rubbed warmth into Glinda's body, with surprising effectiveness for such bony fingers. "You're the most perfect, most beautiful, most mostest girl I've ever met. Why wouldn't you be smart as well?"

"Oh, Elphaba, I'm so glad you agree!"

"Tell me, what's your next ingenious idea?"

"Well, I've heard about this most ingenious experience through which two women may stimulate each other, achieving the same effect as a man without the… manhood." Glinda gave Elphaba her most charming smile. "I would love to stimulate with you."

"Does it involve nudity?" Elphaba asked, struggling out of her bulky garments.

"Yes, of course. Take your time, I'm in no rush for you to undress me."

"Certainly! But first, I must apologize for the condition of my skin. It clashes quite drastically with your own superb coloring and I really couldn't be sorrier about that."

"Oh, it's no problem," Glinda forgave beatifically. "In fact, I rather enjoy the novelty of it."

"Glinda, would you mind terribly if I kissed you, like the boys kiss the girls sometimes when passion seizes them?"

"Not at all," Glinda said, cool and collected even as Elphaba's moist lips parted and fixated on her own…

"Did you just say something?" Elphaba asked, looking up from her homework.

"No, no I didn't," Glinda said quickly, skin flushing from healthy white to rosy pink (and even in this, she thought that if only Elphaba were a boy, such a thing would make her even more attractive to him/her).

"Because it sounded like you said 'oh, Elphaba'."

"Well, I didn't."

"Good. Because it wouldn't do to go on muttering people's names under your breath. Quite beneath a Gillikinese."

"I do agree," Glinda said, turning back to her papers. "Which is why I don't do it."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Elphaba finished checking over her assignment. "If you had a child, what would you name it?"

"Joe."

"No, if it was a girl."

"Jo. Jo is a nice name."

"Indeed."

"You think I'm smart?"

"Smarter than most," Elphaba said, privately thinking that this wasn't saying much for the "most."

Nonetheless, Glinda ran up and threw her arms around the green-skinned woman. "Oh, sometimes it's so good to be roommates with you! Most of the time it's not, but sometimes it really is!"

"I'm glad to hear that." Elphaba laid down on her bed, dragging Glinda with her. "Come, we should sleep. You can share my bed, just in case yours is uncomfortable."

"Well, the sheets are a mite bit scratchy," Glinda said as she slipped beneath the comforters with Elphaba. "You know, I've been having the weirdest daydreams lately."

"Me too," Elphaba said as she turned off the light.