"Boq!" The blonde exclaimed, letting her wand sink. She exhaled in relief upon recognising the strange looking boy in front of her. He looked so different from when they had gone to Shiz University together. After the incident with Nessarose, who had accidentally shrunken his heart in an attempt to keep him with her, Elphaba had saved him by enchanting him. The spell had resulted in Boq turning into a Tinman, not needing a heart anymore. His appearance wasn't the only thing that had changed however. The once so diligent and polite Munchkin was now everything one would call heartless, having led the angry mob of witch hunters with churning resentment to kill his former classmate. Successfully.
Glinda's stomach turned. The previous relief disappeared and left her with an awkward, empty feeling. He had once loved her. Always had he done his best to appeal to her, doing whatever ridiculous tasks she would ask of him. He had been naive enough to actually believe her excuses and Glinda started to feel bad for her behaviour. Still, it was guilt gnawing on her, not regret, was it?
They kept staring at each other, an awkward silence settling down like a thick cloud of rain over a mountaintop. Did he still love her? Or did he hate her for her actions?
"Your Goodness." He greeted her formally, shortly dipping his head, only to resume staring at her. Was it curiosity or suspicion sparkling up in his eyes? Nervously shifting her feet in her shoes, Glinda cleared her throat and straightened up once more.
"Hello, Boq." She hesitated at first. Well, this is awkward. Glinda chewed on the inside of her lower lip. "What brings you here?" She asked, trying not to sound as insecure as she was. Her counterpart didn't move a muscle and eyed her for a moment longer, obviously seeing through her pretence. The good witch tightened her fingers around her wand as she slowly let it sink. If he wasn't going to talk, perhaps he could at least help her.
"Boq, would you happen to have seen Elphi- I mean the Wicked Witch's hat?" The girl asked, almost tripping over her words as she tried to force them out as quickly as possible.
"The Witch!" Boq exclaimed, a spark of resentment glowing in his eyes. Glinda winced, taking a step back. She could feel her dress touching the wall behind her, knowing there was nowhere to go. She had to get rid of him somehow, in order to retrieve her friend's hat and the witch hunter was certainly not of any aid.
"Yes, yes, the witch... she uhm... had a hat that was..." the young sorceress made up excuses as fast as her wit allowed her, however Boq was faster.
"The hat! Is it possessed by the witch's evil spirit? I will destroy it!" He seemed to glow as he spat out his nemesis' name, turning on his metallic heels. Glinda panicked. He couldn't find it before her! And she wouldn't allow it to be destroyed.
"No, it's just... I, uh... it's mine." She managed to sound more determined. The Tinman halted in his tracks. He turned back to her, his features made a squeaking sound coming from his narrowing eyes.
"Yours?" He gave her a questioning look. Glinda inhaled deeply before she spoke, a determined frown crowning her forehead.
"Indeed." She almost snapped at him, choosing her words more carefully this time. She was Glinda the Good after all; she didn't have to explain herself to anyone. Still, she knew he would only get in the way of her search. Her fingers tapped on her wand as she thought. "However, there is something I need of you." Her words came slowly, as she tried to make something up, she wouldn't regret later on. Boq had fully turned to her, waiting for the young witch to continue.
"As you know, Munchkinland was left without a ruler after the sudden," she took a short breath, praying her best friend's sister would not be mad at her for talking so lightly about her tragic fate, "death." Glinda swallowed, she could see the eyes from outside watch her through the window to her side. She had to hurry and get rid of Boq as soon as possible to be able to complete her self-given quest and leave the spooky castle quickly.
"Go on." The Tinman's tone had changed from suspicious to curious, as he seemed to guess her next words.
"Therefore, I, Glinda the Good, am asking you to act as the Munchkins' new leader – on my behalf of course." She ended quickly, knowing she had to be the one in control. As the thoughtful silence fell upon them, Glinda realised that her idea was, in fact, not a bad one at all. She would just leave Boq as her substitute, since it was very tiring to take care of everything by herself. Plus, having been a Munchkin himself once, she knew that the Tinman would lead them with justice and prudence.
"With pleasure, your Grace." She almost jumped in surprise, as he pulled her out of her thoughts. Lifting her chin the slightest bit, Glinda nodded shortly and returned his bow.
"Wonderful." She approved, giving him another nod, hoping he'd take it as dismissal. Luckily, he did. The witch watched as the Tinman dipped his head one last time, before turning and making his way down the stairs of the tower. Glinda didn't even notice herself holding her breath while she listened to his fading steps and finally, the heavy front doors falling close. Not daring to look out the window, she only waited a few more heartbeats for him to leave the court and then resumed with her search.
