Disclaimer: yeah, they aren't mine. But you all knew that.
Elphaba was so distracted by the book she had her nose buried in that she didn't realize that her usual chair, the one that hid in the back corner of the library and overlooked the river, already contained an occupant. A surprised squeak from said occupant jerked Elphaba back to reality just in time to save her from the embarrassment of having accidentally ended up on someone's lap. The green girl was halfway through a somewhat incoherent apology when she realized exactly which wayward library patron was in the secluded seat she'd secured at the beginning of the year.
"Miss Galinda, what in Ozma's name are you doing in the library?"
The blonde stood so quickly she almost overturned the chair, looking mortified. "Please don't tell anyone I was here, Miss Elphaba. Is this your seat? Here, I'll go." She turned and was on her way toward the door when the sound of Elphaba's wicked laugh stopped her, making her cower, wide-eyed.
"Not so fast, my pretty. You've just invaded my territory, but it would seem that I have blackmail material with which to punish you for this invasion because of it." Her eyes glittered with mischief as she elegantly placed a forefinger on her chin, pondering. "Now, what shall I have you do in order to ensure my silence regarding this oh-so-delicate matter?"
Galinda crossed her arms, clutching the book she'd been reading to her chest and glaring defiantly at her roommate. The protective gesture made up Elphaba's mind. "I won't say a word, but my curiosity has gotten the better of me… so you simply must show me what you're reading." The blonde arched her eyebrows in a gesture more typical of the girl she was currently facing off with, but, chin in the air, Galinda handed the book to her roommate.
The green girl took the worn volume, opened its faded canvas cover to find the title page, and upon discovering what the book was, gasped in surprise. Her head shot up to stare at the small blonde. "Galinda, is this for a class?"
The blonde's chin inched higher—the lack of honorific in her roommate's exclamation had not escaped her notice. "No, as a matter of fact it isn't, Miss Elphaba. My mother sent it to me, with a letter about how she thought I'd find the antics of the main character amusing. And you may be shocked at it, Miss Bookworm, but I'm enjoying it very much."
Elphaba laughed softly at this, glancing back down at the book's title. Emma, by Jane Austen. A book about a lovely rich girl, beloved and thought faultless by nearly everyone, a girl who amused herself with some rather botched attempts at matchmaking. It was just Galinda's sort of book, just Galinda's sort of character. "I've just developed a newfound respect for your mother, Miss Galinda." She closed the book and handed it back to the blonde. "You do know that that's one of the books from the Wizard's collection, don't you?" Galinda nodded, still wary. "My dear girl, I do believe that this officially makes you well-read." She grinned. "You should stay, finish your book. I'll go. And," she added with a playful wink, "I promise that I won't breathe a word of your library adventures to a soul." And with a wiggle of green fingers in Galinda's direction and a swirl of blue fabric, she was gone, leaving her bewildered roommate staring after her.
x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x—x
Their brief encounter in the library that day was never mentioned, but a week later, Galinda returned to their room only to find that the perfect pink décor of her half disrupted by a splash of blue on her pillow. She walked over to find out what it was and couldn't help but laugh when she saw. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen.
Author's note: So... this may have been inspired by the Jane Austen kick I'm currently on, which I generally feed while working at the University library. I'm highly recommending Emma to anyone who might be interested :)