The very basic idea for this has been in my head for a few months now, and having a long to-do list has propelled me to write it, naturally.

It's very much AU and will be Fiyeraba, in due time.


...


A storm was brewing on the horizon. Dark clouds pillowed on top of one another, and something in the air foretold the coming tempest. The animals that inhabited the coast, normally loud and active, remained silent and hidden away or hurrying to hide. The waves crashed on the beach with more frequency and power, warning any stragglers to seek safety. Sailors on the ships docked at the harbor shouted at one another in their preparation, and soon the sounds of crates being moved and last minute line checks sounded more like cacophony. But the air was still, and Elphaba shifted uncomfortably from inside the seaside tavern.

The last time a storm hit this part of Munchkinland, it was relentless. Rain for days, and at its peak the wind took out most of the glass in its immediate path, which included the tavern. Elphaba had suited up to the point where she was certain no water could touch her, and then she and Glinda spent the better part of a week clearing out and cleaning up the tavern. It took even longer for them to get the windows fixed. Everyone was looking for replacements, and they had no sway in the small seaside town. They had to wait their turn, like everyone else, and hope that there was no lingering showers or gusts.

They had paid for the heavier glass, though, and Elphaba hoped it was enough to save their poor tavern from another storm. It was a dismal amount of hope, but she didn't think the shop could afford another large window replacement. She supposed they could always find the owner and drag him back by his ear; but he had stopped writing them months ago, and the address he gave them was a dud, according to their friends in the Emerald City. In all but deed, the tavern was their problem, including its expenses.

Glinda came down from the upper rooms that were rented out to boarders. She had a tray of uneaten food in her hands and slammed it down on the bar, jerking Elphaba out of slight trance the sea and storm had put her in.

"Bring me food, Glinda. I can't eat this without ale, Glinda. This ale is weak, Glinda. Take it all away, Glinda" the blonde seethed. "If he wasn't such a great tipper, I would kick him out, Elphie."

"He's only like this when he's sick," Elphaba assured her. "Soon enough he'll be back to his old self, dogging all the other customers."

"I certainly hope so," Glinda replied, storing the food away for the next person. She looked out the front window, frowning at the horizon, "these windows better hold." Glinda made a noise and then patted Elphaba's arm, "I'll take the trash out tonight, and you can take Mister Nit Picky his evening whiskey."

"Thanks, Glinda."

"Well, I'd rather not deal with both of you in a tizzy," she said but smiled affectionately.

As was typical, when the first raindrop fell, ushering in the rest of the storm slowly, the tavern filled with sailors and harbor workers lucky enough to have the night free. Business was never bad. They always had a steady stream of dock workers and were hardly in short supply of sailors at the port. But there was no better activity than drinking to wait out a storm. So when Elphaba and Glinda saw the first drop on the windowpane, they roused Crope and Tibbett from their cat nap in the back.

Elphaba and Tibbett stayed behind the bar most of the night. It was probably unnecessary for both of them to be back there, but Tibbett was better at making the cocktails while Elphaba just refused to work the floor. She wasn't friendly like Crope and Glinda, who could weasel anyone into another drink or a larger tip. And she felt more secure behind the bar, gathering the beers, ales, and ciders. Besides, no one really made trouble in the tavern when they saw the mean looking green bitch behind the bar. Most of them were convinced she was a witch who could turn them into a toad, and the others knew it was better to stay out of sight or on her good side when they were in the tavern.

Two newcomers entered the tavern, bringing in a gust of wind with them, but no one paid them any mind. They headed straight to Elphaba's end of the bar, and she recoiled when they leaned against the bar, soaking wet.

"Please tell me you have a room available," the burlier of the two said.

Tibbett slide up next to Elphaba and grinned at the two, "You can share my room any day."

"What about yours?" the burly one smirked at her, leaning even closer.

Elphaba grabbed a nearby glass and drove the butt of it against his fingers where they clutched the edge of the bar. The burly one jumped back with a yelp, and his companion inched away from the bar. Beside the them, one of the tavern's regulars looked over his shoulder and grunted something before returning to his drink with a shake of his head.

"We're booked to capacity," Elphaba replied, gathering two mugs up.

"We're desperate here, please," the other one pressed.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked. "Kick someone out? Do you know a business is run?"

He and his friend exchanged looks, and he shrugged with, "Something similar, you could say."

"Then you should know you're wasting your breath."

"Really, doll, we'll take anything," the burly one said.

"I've got a tent," Tibbett offered, frowning pitifully at the two.

They levelled him with a glare, and the burly one answered, "You want us to pitch a tent in a storm. Are you mad?"

"It's likely the best offer you'll get," Elphaba replied, setting two mugs of ale in front of them. "First drink's on the house."

Tibbett gave the two a sympathetic smile and returned to his end of the bar while Elphaba filled the next order for Crope. The latter milled around the two newcomers, taking in their appearance before scrunching his nose in disinterest. It was clear neither of them were from Munchkinland, noble blood or commoner. Elphaba didn't want to assume, but she was pretty sure they were both from the Vinkus. But the Vinkus was a long way off, and in the few years she'd been at the tavern, never had she seen a Vinkun at the bar. She supposed that's why the men looked so Vinkun to her, since she'd yet to see anyone who looked or sounded quite like them. She would've asked, but small talk wasn't her thing.

"We'll take the tent," the burly man's friend decided after they finished their mugs.

The burly man sneered into his empty mug but otherwise kept his comments to himself. His friend ordered another round of drinks as Tibbett left to gather up the tent, which Elphaba was fairly certain had seen better days. The two maybe-Vinkuns spoke to each other in hushed whispers while Elphaba made herself busy behind the bar. A few of the tavern's regulars were particularly irritated that night, so she tried to hover near them and fill their mugs before their beers reached too low of a point. If it didn't lighten their mood, it would at least get them drunk, which always made them a little happy.

Outside, the wind and rain began to pick up. And as men started falling asleep in their seats, thunder and lightning joined the fray until Elphaba was sure the storm was touching land. She watched the raindrops pelt against the window. It could be too early to tell, but it looked to her like the window would hold up this time.

As the night lagged on, most of the drunkards cleared out. Some found their rooms upstairs, others braved the storm, and a handful remained slumped against tables or the bar where they'd remain until their wife or whore collected them. The two newcomers had left a while back when there seemed to be a slump in the storm. They hurried off into the night, toward the beach, to take advantage of the brief lull. All in all, despite the storm outside, the night had been a relatively good one. Patrons had tipped well. No one started a fight. And they hadn't had to call a medic in for one reason or another.

"And we didn't get groped," Glinda added, motioning between herself and Crope, who nodded eagerly.

Tibbett flipped a coin off his thumb and grunted when it hit the edge of the shot glass in the middle of the four of them. Grimacing, he downed the glass, refilled it, and passed the coin to Glinda. Her flip made it into the glass, and she pushed the shot toward Tibbett. He groaned loudly but accepted the shot before Crope filled it up again.

"I do feel bad about those poor foreign blokes," Tibbett comment as Elphaba's flip made it into the glass. He watched her warily as she glanced around the table and then narrowed his eyes when she grinned at him. "Traitor," he muttered then shot the drink back.

"We should have kicked Mister Nit Picky out of his room," Glinda said. Crope missed his shot. Tibbett laughed at the look on Crope's face.

"He's sick, Glinda," Elphaba lightly chided.

"I know, I know," she replied with a wave of her hand.

Tibbett passed out first much to Crope's delight. He gathered his earnings from Glinda and Elphaba, each of whom thought Tibbett would be the last man standing. After he stayed with them, gloating for a while, he hauled Tibbett to his feet and struggled to steer him towards their rooms in the back of the tavern. Everything was to go smoothly after that. Glinda would take out the trash and mop the floor while Elphaba stacked the stools, chairs, and benches before stowing the earnings away in the safe. Then Elphaba would stay awake for another hour or so, reading at the bar by candlelight, as Glinda tucked away for the night in the master bedroom they shared upstairs.

It should have gone that way.

Glinda went to bed immediately after taking out the trash, careful to avoid Elphaba. She gave a small wave at the top of the stairs before disappearing, though. For the life of her, Elphaba couldn't concentrate on her book. Instead, she went back to the safe and recounted the earnings to be sure. She fronted all the liquor and re-cleaned the taps. She wasn't tired, and she knew she'd just keep Glinda up if she went to lay down now.

Shouts outside caught her attention when she tried to get back to her book, though. As she approached the front window, she could see the silhouettes of the two newcomers through the tent. They were yelling at each other with arms waving animatedly. The burly one's friend shoved him before scrambling out of the tent, and the two resumed their argument. Their shouts cut off when the wind caught something, stealing it away in violent directions before landing close enough at the water's edge for a receding wave to grab it. Both of the men abandoned their argument and chased after whatever it was. Elphaba scoffed. They were going to get themselves killed.

Sure enough, before she could finish an eye roll, both of them dove into the unruly sea. Elphaba's stomach jumped to her throat, and she took a step toward the glass, pressing her face to it to get a better look. After two brutal waves, Elphaba lost sight of both of them. She'd need to call the police or mayor or someone. As she took a step away from the window, a small sound caught her attention. She looked back out to the sea, where she saw the burly man struggling against the waves, but the sound cracked again, drawing Elphaba's attention to the window in front of her.

Elphaba cried out when a beat later, the next gust of wind shattered the glass before her. She brought her arms up to shield her face from the glass, but the rush of window fragments buried into every surface available while the rain hit her like darts. Unobstructed, the rain poured into the tavern, soaking everything in its path. Elphaba stumbled to the side. Even over the roar of the storm, she could hear the maybe Vinkun shouting for help, and she felt compelled despite the burning sensation ripping through her and promise of pain waiting outside and in the damned sea.

The rain felt like flickering white fire against her skin, and, as if to torment her, seemed to pick up as she tore into the night. The damage was already done, though, she could feel it. It wouldn't have mattered if the rain beat heavy or receded. She did her best to block it out. But when she peeled her sweater over her head and the rain assaulted her bare shoulders, Elphaba let out another cry. She couldn't let the damned fools drown, though, not when she could help. So she pressed on, breaking into a full sprint when she lost sight of the burly man and his friend.


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Ehhhh?

The first few chapters will be relatively short before stretching to my normal word count.

Anyway, yay? nay?