It was positively storming outside. Rain poured down and lightning crackled. Mud caked people's shoes and carriage wheels, making travel impossible. It was still relatively early in the fall, but the cold of the rain seemed to make the winter wind seem near. Glinda sat on the dirty little bed in the dirty little hotel(well, perhaps she was being harsh- the inn was cleaner than some of the others that they had stayed in during their travels) and tried not to think of who else had slept in that bed. She shivered, not just because of the cold.
She dressed for bed quickly, afraid some stranger would walk in the door- it was locked but she was sill edgy. She realized she had left her hairbrush in the little bathroom that was the greatest perk of their hotel room- other than perhaps the roof over their heads. She was about to knock on the door to ask Elphaba to retrieve it for her, but hesitated. A soft sound, so different from the rain outside floated out from beneath the door.
Glinda could hardly make out any of the words of the song, but, oh, what a song it was! The voice wasn't flawless. A little bit of hesitation as she aimed for a note on the upper end of her register. An awkward pause or two as she had to catch her breath. The little imperfections made it all the more beautiful. They reminded you that this wasn't some angel or mermaid or fairy. It was a perfectly flawed very human girl.
She was untrained, that much was clear. The talent had manifested itself on it's own. Glinda leaned against the door, eager to hear better. Slowly, softly the song faded a little and then completely and all she could hear was the rain.
Remembering her task, Glinda lightly knocked on the door. "Elphie, I... I believe I left my hairbrush in there. Could you open the door so I could retrieve it?"
There was a little gasp as Elphaba realized that her friend had been standing so close, close enough to hear. "Umm, yes. Just a moment!" A moment later she called. "Well, alright."
She'd shyly wrapped a towel around herself- clean, fluffy, and white, obviously one that she had brought herself and not found in the wretched bathroom. A bottle of oil sat on the counter and the soft green skin glistened with the application of it. Glinda stared at her for a long second before finding her voice- a voice which seemed much coarser than she remembered and flat out ugly compared to Elphaba's. "I'm afraid I eavesdropped, just a little. I heard you singing just now. You have a lovely voice."
A little bit of extra pink colored her cheeks- a blush! "It's nothing. I would harmonize with my mother when I was very little. Later, Papa used me and my voice as a display in his sermons."
"The voice of a grounded Unionist Angel, surely."
"Not quite... I'm sorry, what were you looking for?"
Glinda frowned at being pushed away. "My hairbrush. I left it in here."
Elphaba located it and handed it to her. "So you did, but here you are. Make sure you don't leave it after we leave the hotel. If you do you'll never get it back."
"Thank you," she said, but lingered. "Is that how you do it, Elphie? Keep yourself so clean, I mean?"
The black silk hair swung forward like a veil. "Yes. When I was little Mama would give me baths with milk after they discovered my aversion to water. When I was older she decided to try oil, which worked better."
"I... I see." Acting much bolder than she felt, she grabbed the bottle of oil, pouring a little into her hand, warming it. Hesitantly, she pushed Elphaba's long, dark hair aside and smoothed the oil over Elphaba's shoulders and the base of her neck. "Like this?"
"Y-yes," and Elphaba's normal strong, sure voice quivered a little. She quivered a little. "That's... sort of nice," she admitted.
"Only sort of?" Glinda asked, growing calmer for Elphaba's sake. "I'm disappointed."
"Ah... that is nice," she amended.
That got a smile. "Much better." She worked quietly for a moment, massaging the oil into her friend's skin. From the neck, to the shoulder. The bicep, the forearm. "Sing a little, for me?"
"I wouldn't know what to sing to you," she said, the wall building back up.
"I don't care, just... sing. Please." It was less a request than a demand, As such, Elphaba obliged, singing a song of far away days and hopes and dreams. Glinda switched to the other arm, slipping up. When she reached the green neck again, she paused for a second. Elphaba froze, feeling soft lips against her skin, warm breath on her neck. The song ended mid measure. "Glinda..."
"I..." Glinda faltered, knowing that she would not simply be able to dismiss the more intimate touch. "I'm so sorry. Was that horribly inappropriate?"
"The entire situation is entirely inappropriate." Sighing in frustration, she turned around. "But it isn't such a bad thing, I'm afraid." Now it was her turn to wonder if she was being inappropriate- but only for a second because Glinda leaned up to kiss her, and while they were both breaking the customs of society, they were doing it together.
When they broke apart for breath, they stared at each other. Glinda, realizing that in this situation, at least, she had to be the bold one. "Now I'm afraid I wasn't done with you, yet." Her hands still glistened with oil, and she rubbed it against her friend's chest, hovering at the edge of the towel. "I don't want to make you uncomfortable," she admitted.
"You aren't," Elphaba assured her, but she had to think about it for a second, and her hand hovered before she pushed it away. She squeezed her eyes shut, wanting to avoid her own body, but not prohibiting Glinda from touching her or seeing her. Or loving her.
Later, the rain would still trickle from the sky, and the bed was still questionable. But Glinda could not even think of that as she laid her head against Elphaba's shoulder, just above her breast. "Sing to me, again," she murmured.
Elphaba did not falter that time, feeling very comfortable in Glinda's arms. She sang, again of dreams and hope. Glinda fell asleep to the sound of the soft voice and dreamed of a place where the two of them would always be together. When she woke, the song had long since faded and she knew the dream was impossible.