This is just an experiment… hope it turns out well!
The hot desert wind blew violently across the barren land, throwing bits of sand harshly into whoever was unfortunate enough to be passing through. One lone figure made its way through the wasteland, a handkerchief pulled high up over their nose and mouth in an attempt to keep the biting sand out. The small drops of blood that fell from open wounds were the only signs of life in the forsaken land. Injured and weak, they continued on, the howling wind their only companion… and witness of their plight.
The petite blonde shook the rug vigorously, turning her face away from the flying dust and dirt particles. "This is NOT in my job description…" she muttered, trying to hold the offending object as far away from her as she could.
Galinda Arduenna fancied herself quite the dancer, as the men always came calling for her by name. The calls of "Miss Galinda!" were music to her ears and while these men provided her with little more than amusement, she had to admit that there was one man she had her eye on, and he seemed to have his eye right back on her.
Galinda shook those thoughts from her head as she began to head back inside the saloon; after all, there would soon be men waiting to see her and she was not one to disappoint. The blonde was about to enter when something caught her eye. At first, she thought it was just a mirage; a trick the desert liked to play on unsuspecting people, but as she looked closer, she saw that it was not a trick at all. Galinda abandoned the rug as she began to approach, growing more cautious as she got closer.
As it turned out, the mysterious figure was actually a person; a cowboy, based on his clothing. Galinda wasn't sure where he had come from, or if he was even alive. She gingerly poked his shoulder with the toe of her shoe. No reaction. The blonde poked him again, a little harder. Still no reaction. Galinda kicked the cowboy, perhaps a little harder than she had intended because he rolled onto his back. The blonde let out a small squeak, but when his eyes didn't open, she leaned in for a closer look.
A narrow face with a slightly pointed nose… a very defined jaw line and raven hair… and green skin. The blonde paused; she had almost forgotten what the color green looked like. After all, it wasn't like anything actually grew out here. Normally, she was sure she would have been repulsed, but it almost looked good on him… he was so different from anything in her usual life.
The slight rise and fall of his chest suddenly caught her attention, and Galinda realized he was still alive. She straightened up and gripped his vest gingerly, trying to avoid getting dust on her dress, which was near impossible. She gave a tug and he slid through the sand an inch. Galinda pulled again, but was met with the same amount of success. She let go, letting him fall back to the sand, but she immediately jumped back with a yell of disgust as his blood dripped onto her shoe.
"NOT in my job description…" she muttered again as she headed back to the saloon, poking her head inside and causing more than a few heads to turn. "Umm, there's a problem out here that someone needs to fix… now."
By the time her workday had ended, Galinda had forgotten all about the mysterious stranger that had appeared out of nowhere. That might have had to do with the fact that she was currently in the bed of one Sheriff Fiyero Tiggular, who was not only her favorite client, but her highest paying one as well. Galinda was known as the "one-take woman", mainly because anyone who paid for her services could only afford her once. Oh, the blonde knew she was expensive, but how could she not be worth it? Only Fiyero could afford her more than once, and perhaps that was because Galinda gave him a slight… discount.
"So… I heard you found our mysterious guest today," Fiyero said after the heat between them had passed.
"Hmm? Oh… him." The blonde rolled onto her side. "I hardly thought it worth remembering."
"I'm curious as to find out where he came from."
"Unless he plans on paying, I really don't care," Galinda replied.
Fiyero looked at her. "You really are a business woman, aren't you?"
"I just know what I want."
"It would definitely appear that way," the sheriff said with a slight chuckle. "The doctor said he should be up by tomorrow… and then we'll have a chance to find out what his story is."
"Well, I must admit that I don't care in the slightest."
Fiyero, being the sheriff of the town, was one of the first people up the next morning, as he was curious as to who this stranger Galinda had found was.
"Is he awake yet?" Fiyero asked as he entered the doctor's building.
"She hasn't woken up yet."
Fiyero paused. "She?" He approached the cot the stranger was lying on and saw that she was, in fact, a woman. With removal of her outer clothing and hat, her gender had become more obvious. "And the green?"
"Yes, it is an oddity."
"To say the least." Fiyero removed his hat and hung it on a hook as he moved to sit in a chair, raising his boots to rest on the desk in front of him. "You can take a break, doc. I'll watch her."
The doctor looked somewhat unsure, but left the building, leaving Fiyero alone with the unconscious stranger. The sheriff looked at the green woman, watching the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed shallowly.
"I've got a lot of questions for you… green stranger."
"So, have you been to see that mysterious newcomer you rescued?"
Galinda looked at the munchkin barkeeper. "Why does everyone assume I want anything to do with him? All I did was drag him two inches into town. I have no other association with a… green man."
"All right. If you're that adamant about it," Boq said before he went back to cleaning glasses.
"I am," Galinda called to his back, but her reply was just a short laugh. The blonde let out a "hmph!" of sorts before she stalked back stage to her vanity, plopping down in the seat and looking into her mirror as she began to fix her hair. She couldn't understand why everyone thought she wanted something to do with that mysterious green man. She had merely been the first to stumble across him and that was all.
Still, now that everyone kept bringing it up… Galinda's interest was beginning to pique. Who was the mystery man, and where had he come from? And why in Lurline's name was his skin green? That puzzled the blonde most of all. She set down her hairbrush, but judging by the noise it made, it was perhaps a bit harsher than she had intended. Now Galinda wanted answers, and she had everyone else to blame!
The blonde dancer left the saloon as she made her way over to the doctor's office. She entered and found it empty, save for the green stranger lying on a cot. Galinda approached him slowly, noting that he looked somewhat different as rays of dusty sunlight filtered through the window and played across his face.
"Looks like you were curious after all."
The sound of the sheriff's voice jerked Galinda back to reality and she spun to face him.
"Well, only because everyone kept asking me about it like I cared!" she protested.
"So you came to prove them all wrong?"
"Yes! I mean, no! Stop doing that!"
Fiyero laughed. "Well, I need to respond to a call, so perhaps you could watch greenie here for a little while." He picked up his hat and set it back on his head, shooting Galinda a grin.
"Wha- Fiyero! Don't leave me here with him!" the blonde called, but the sheriff was gone. Galinda sighed in frustration before she turned to look back at the stranger. "You are certainly causing me more trouble than you're worth." The dancer moved to the desk, looking for something to amuse herself with. After all, what else was she supposed to do? She squatted down to rifle through a bottom drawer, disappointed when she was met with nothing but files. She stood up with a sigh and froze.
The green stranger was gone.
"Oh dear Lurline…" She had known this had been a bad idea! Fiyero was going to get it now! The blonde had just thought about running for the door when she felt an arm wrap around her neck and heard the cocking of a gun.
"Don't move."
"You don't move."
"Wha- no, you don't move!"
"You don't move times infinity."
"Oh dear Oz."
The blonde was released and spun around to face the green stranger. Her mouth fell open in surprise. "You're a woman?"
"Holy shit, could you have screamed that any louder?" the green woman asked, her revolver still pointed at the blonde.
"I'm sorry, I just—wait, I don't need to apologize to you! If you want people to know you're a woman, maybe you should dress like one!" The blonde's nose crinkled. "Or at least lose the man stink… yuck!"
The green woman rolled her eyes. "Oh please…" She holstered her firearm. "I don't have time for a child like you."
"I am not a child! I am a dancer, and escort!"
"You mean you're a whore," the green woman said as she began to rebutton her shirt.
"I take great offense to that term!"
"You're too young anyway. What are you, twelve?"
"I am not! I am seventeen years old."
"Wow, you're almost to your golden years, ain't ya blondie?"
The blonde bristled in anger. "Well, who the hell are you to show up here and insult me?"
The green woman flashed her a grin. "Elphaba Thropp, rogue of the west. And whom do I have the honor of addressing?"
"Oh, now you're polite. Well, Miss Elphaba Thropp, rogue of the east—"
"West."
"Whatever! You should be grateful because if it weren't for me, you'd most likely be dead, still lying on the outskirts of town."
"Ah, I see. Well, in that case, please excuse my abrasive behavior earlier and let me extend to you my most deepest appreciation and gratitude."
The blonde paused as her brain raced to keep up with everything Elphaba was saying and struggled to process it.
"You still there blondie?" Elphaba asked, smiling slightly at the blank expression on Galinda's face.
Galinda shook her head. "Well… well I don't know if I feel like forgiving you so easily!"
"Aww, you cut me to the quick, itty-bitty."
"Stop calling me all those names! I have a real name, you know."
"Which I cannot use since you have neglected to tell me what it is."
Galinda started to reply, but paused. Damn, this woman was good! Galinda hated that! "Well, you can address me as Miss Galinda Arduenna, but Miss Galinda will do."
"Well, Miss Galinda, it has been a pleasure, but I really can't stay. Important matters to attend to; I'm sure you understand." Elphaba reached for her hat, but Galinda snatched it up first.
"Nuh-uh! No! You are not leaving until I get some answers, miss… missy!"
Elphaba raised an eyebrow. "Miss Galinda, must we really go through this?"
"Yes, we must!"
"Remember who has the firepower here," Elphaba said, drawing both of her revolvers.
There was a sudden cocking noise and both women looked up.
"I do," Fiyero said, his shotgun aimed at the green woman. "Drop your weapons."
Elphaba's dark eyes narrowed as she weighed the options, but she did as she was told, and slid her guns across the desk. "So you must be the big bad sheriff around here," the green woman said.
"I am, and as such, I'll ask the questions, and you're going to answer them."
"Of course, but I might feel more inclined to answer without a gun in my face."
"And I would be more inclined to lower my weapon if I didn't see you as a threat."
"Touché. Well, what would you like to know, Mister Sheriff?"
"Who are you, first off, and where did you come from?"
"Do names really matter? Who are we all, really? As for my place of origin, I have nowhere to call home, so you could say I'm a drifter. Just another grain of sand being blown about in the wind."
"She said her name was Elphaba Thropp, rogue of the north," Galinda chimed.
"West! Dear Oz, woman, you have a horrible memory!" Elphaba said, exasperated.
"Elphaba is it?" Fiyero said. "Well Elphaba Thropp, where did you come from?"
"That depends. Where am I?"
"We're on the edge of the desert to Ev."
Elphaba smiled slightly. "Ah. I did stray far then."
"Just tell us where you're from already!" Galinda said, growing impatient and starting to feel a little left out.
Elphaba looked at the blonde. "I was born in the Clock of the Time Dragon; I don't know where."
Fiyero laughed. "That clock is merely a myth to scare those who don't fear the Unnamed God."
Elphaba's eyes narrowed further. "Well, if that's true, then I am also a myth myself because that's my birthplace, so if you don't mind, this 'myth' would very much like to be on her mythical way." She started to stand.
"You stay right there!" Fiyero said, taking a step closer.
Elphaba rolled her eyes at the gun in her chest. "Oh please, Mister Sheriff, put that down before you hurt yourself. It's obvious you're using this to compensate for something else." She winked at Galinda with a grin. "True blondie?"
Galinda's face turned pink, but from embarrassment or anger, Elphaba couldn't tell, and Galinda wasn't quite sure if she herself knew.
"Enough!" Fiyero jabbed the green woman with his firearm, the barrel striking one of her wounds. Elphaba hid her wince as she was forced back into her seat. "Galinda, go fetch Avaric."
The blonde didn't move, not wanting to miss any of this interrogation.
"Galinda."
She made a face, but left to find the man in question.
"Now what business do you have here?" Fiyero continued.
"I have no business with you, or your dingy town. I was merely blown here by the storm and completely by accident, and I would very much like to leave," the green woman replied, a hand to her chest.
"You're not going anywhere!"
The two looked up at the new voice, which belonged to Avaric, and he currently had a gun pointed in Elphaba's direction as well.
"Really? Do you even know how to use that?" Elphaba asked, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.
"Want to find out?" Avaric growled.
"You couldn't hit the broad side of a barn," the green woman said, looking down to examine her fingernails.
Avaric started to approach, but Fiyero pushed him back. "Calm down." The sheriff looked at Elphaba. "I have the perfect place for you."
Elphaba looked around the small cell. "Is this how you treat all your guests?" she asked as Fiyero undid her handcuffs before locking her inside.
"I don't know who you are or where you came from, so until I do, this is where you will stay," he replied. "I can't have you causing any trouble."
The green woman sat on the cot, picking up the folded blanket. "Oh, good, the scratchy kind. My favorite. Does this one have smallpox?"
Fiyero ignored her as he turned to Avaric. "Keep an eye on her," he said before he left the station.
Elphaba watched him go before she turned her gaze to Avaric, who was sitting in a chair, grinning at her with his shotgun resting across his lap.
"Not so tough now, are you?" Avaric said.
Elphaba stood up and approached the bars, her eyes narrowing. "I don't think you understand; I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with me."
Well? Any and all feedback is appreciated!
