Tip and Elphaba went their separate ways. Tip to the Emerald Palace, and Elphaba to the Seediest part of the city. As she walked through the men yelled obscenities and many of the woman offered sex. People on the ground begged for money. She walked deeper and deeper into the alleyways of the streets till she arrived in front of a brick building with a green wooden door. The sign on the building read "The Witch's Den". It was a popular place for many of the Gale Forces men. As are all brothels and bars. Walking in the smell of alcohol and sex filled Elphaba's nose.
"Looks who's back!" Yelled Lvara. She was a pretty woman with Deep brown hair, bright green eyes, and a slim body that could go into any position. It's why she was one of the most popular woman.
"Not for long I'm afraid" Elphaba responded with a scoff. She was slightly more open to the sex workers then the rest of the world. Without warning the man who had been talking with her spoke up.
"I'll pay twice for ya, girl. I've never fucked a red head. I bet ya match down below too." He was laughing, obviously drunk as can be. He reach out to grope Elphaba but she grabbed his arm twisting it, hearing cracks.
"Sorry, I'm not for sale." She pushed him into the bar. A glass breaking on his impact.
"They never learn, always think ever woman in her is for fucking" Herla, a blonde girl, spoke. "Rain wanted to see you by the ways. Never a good thing when she calls you in right away, eh?"
Elphaba just signed making her way to the fourth floor. It only had two bedrooms, one of which was Elphaba's, and a office, where Oziandra "Rain" Ko dealt with business. As Elphaba opened the door, she was greeted by Tay, a otter Rain kept as a pet.
"You used your magic." Rain's voice was old and hoarse, much like the woman herself. Her green skin was marked with wrinkles and her hair had long been silvers.
"I did, Don't expect me to apologize." Elphaba rarely disobeyed orders, and it was quiet a shock to Rain when she felt the girl's magic. That is until she had felt who received the magic.
"I wasn't. You've been under My tutelage for six years. You are at an age where you must start making your own decisions, including when to use your magic. Anyhow, I'm the cardinal witch of the west and should've intervened myself, it was after all a royal birth, I'm losing touch in my old age."
"No, I didn't sense anything either, and I was less than 100 feet away"
"Would you imply someone used magic to block our sense?" Rain said as if they were talking about someone stealing food, not blocking one of the most powerful witch's sight.
"I'm only stating a fact." Rain looked at Elphaba. She had cut her red hair again. Her violet eyes looked weary.
"No matter. Go relax, you have to leave tomorrow morning anyways. I'll even let you drink tonight" Rain changed topics.
"Like you could stop me." Elphaba left the room with a scoff.
Lvara was just leaving the second floor as Elphaba was walking down the stairs. A man was stumbling down in front of the girls. He wore an Emerald green uniform, obviously part of the Gale Forces.
"He didn't look like much fun" Elphaba said.
"Eh, He was quick though" Lvara responded. "not much more you can ask for."
"Are you done for the night?"
"You're kidding, right? The late crowds coming in. I heard that some Vinkus men are in town with the Queen, Arjikian no less. That lot is down right wealthy, and I hear they are much better then your average Ozian!" She was laughing. She liked to have men from all over, a notch on her belt, if you will.
Lvara wasn't wrong either. The Arjiki tribe, the current ruling tribe of the Vinkus, currently brought what seemed like half their army with them. They were all getting drunk, celebrating the birth of Princess Ilianora. Elphaba couldn't hear much but banging from the second floor, meaning Lvara was probably right, seeing as the girls were in too much pleasure to fake their moans. Elphaba sat at the bar with a Quadling whiskey. That is before Trolof gave her a much more expensive cup.
"From the man at the end of the bar." He nodded to the man. The same man from the train, and evidently a prince of the Vinkus. He got up and walked towards her. Sitting in the seat beside her.
"You know this is a brothel, right? You pay for sex, not for a girl's whiskey"
"Yes, but your not a lady of the night and I'm not here to screw." He responded
"Then why are you here?"
"My friends want to celebrate the birth of-"
"Your sister?" Elphaba had cut him off.
"Am I that obvious, I was hopping to get away with a little bad behavior." He whispered.
"No, I was at the train station. I saw you get off the train, holding her." Elphaba lied. The back carriages held regular civilians so it wasn't impossible that she was there. Elphaba stood to leave but he grabbed he arm and stood up too. He was tall, at least 6'2.
"Yes, well, my friends are right anyhow. It is a time to celebrate. She was blessed by a witch, you know?" Elphaba tensed at this. "she might've died, my mother two, but all went well and a small green star was left on her wrist. I came her to ask if the western witch was responsible for our luck. She said "not I, but my apprentice" so I ask for a name so I can thank this young witch but she refuses to give it to me, saying the girl would never forgive her." his accent is flat and clear, unlike her own which took year to tame to a level that people could understand.
"Why tell me all this?"
"Because you look like you need something to celebrate". He wasn't wrong. Elphaba so rarely dwelled on happy things. She called it realistic, though everyone close enough to her to know her past would say its learned hopelessness from past experiences.
"What's your name?" She asked.
"Fiyero, and yours?"
"Elphaba."
"Elphaba" he repeated. It sounded nice in his smooth voice. Nowhere else in Oz did that accent exist. His face was close to hers. His hot breath on her cheek. Elphaba put her hand on his chest pushing him away.
"If you're looking to celebrate, go with Herla, the blonde girl. She's quite discrete." Elphaba in his blue eyes.
"I didn't mean to give you that impress-" his comments where unheard as Elphaba was already going up the stairs, hearing groans of pleasure from the second floor, and an empty hall of bedrooms on the their floor. She crashed onto her bed on the fourth floor. She hadn't realized the toll her magic had taken on her till just now. She started to fade to sleep, her light still on.