Prince Fiyero Tiggular was bored, and the girl was distracting. That was his excuse for staring at her, the stranger who had caught his attention while he waited for his girlfriend to arrive. Whoever she was, she was stunning. She had long, flowing dark hair, pale, flawless skin, and dark, dancing eyes. The dress she wore was form-fitting, but not tight or revealing, and she was tall and slender. There was something about her he recognized, but he couldn't place her.
Fiyero wondered why he'd never noticed her before.
His girlfriend, Galinda Upland, bounced up to him dressed like a nurse, or, well... sort of. Fiyero reckoned that if nurses' uniforms had been so low-cut, tight-fitting and short-skirted, he'd have found ways to get sick many times throughout his life. "Like my costume, Fiyero?"
"Do I ever," he exclaimed, kissing her excitedly. "I still can't believe this holiday of yours."
"I can't believe you don't have anything like this in the Vinkus! When do you get to dress up and make believe?"
"When we're children."
Galinda pouted. "That's no fun at all. You do look great, though," she commented, taking in the costume she'd picked for him and looking rather pleased with herself.
Fiyero tugged at his costume - he was a pirate. He wasn't sure why. But he got to have a sword; his only requirement had been that he have a weapon of some kind. He'd been a little embarrassed, until he'd seen that everyone around Shiz had gotten into the spirit. There were all sorts of people in costume - most of the girls had gone a similar route to Galinda, in seductive versions of nurse, maid and detective uniforms. Lots of them seemed to be wearing button-up shirts, ties, and short, plaid skirts, which confused him. But he wasn't complaining.
"Ooh, there's Miss Milla!" Glinda waved at her friend (who'd gone the route of a princess, though not a very proper one) and hopped off the chat with her.
Fiyero sighed, and scanned the crowd for the Mystery Girl again. Galinda was always dragging him to things like this, then hopping off to gossip with her girlfriends, then hopping back to parade him around, then hopping off again... He wondered if she'd be offended if, next time, he paid for an escort to accompany her.
Galinda returned soon enough. "The dance is going to start soon," she said, linking her arms with his. "We should head in."
"Hey, is Elphaba coming?"
Galinda giggled. "Not to the dance!! I thought she was here, though," she said, hopping up onto her toes and looking around. "I could have sworn I saw her earlier..."
"Well, what's she dressed like?" As if the most distinct thing about Elphaba Thropp would be her costume, Fiyero thought to himself. She certainly... stands out in a crowd.
Galinda got an excited look on her face. "She's dressed as a girl."
"Um, Lin, I think Elphaba is a girl," Fiyero said, wondering if she was feeling alright.
"No, Fiyero, like..." Galinda didn't know the nicest way to phrase it. "A regular girl. I put makeup on her face and hands and she's not green anymore."
"Ohhh," he realized, feeling a tightness in his chest.
"Oh, there's Miss Shenshen!"
Fiyero grunted as Galinda disappeared again, and that's when he saw her. The Mystery Girl, the beautiful one, disappearing into a dorm building. His breath caught in his throat, and berated himself for not seeing it sooner, and for not recognizing her beauty until she was more 'normal-fied'. "Oh, Elphaba," he sighed, staring at the door that had closed behind her. How could he have known her this long without comprehending this feeling, the flurry of joy and nerves and attraction. He thought stupidly of the fact that he was dating her room mate, her best friend, and felt crushed. He looked up toward the window of her dorm. "You're going to destroy me."
He stayed where he was, resisting the urge to follow her, wipe off her makeup, and tell her she was beautiful just the way she was.