Disclaimer: Shorter chapter for such a long gap. Grr. But Nessa's chair, the Wizard head, and the cage are some of the major things that kills a low-bugdet production. And I can't keep away from writing Benny and Mark. Yeah. And I own nothing. Not Wicked, not RENT, not rolly office chairs. -LostOzian
"This is bordering on ridiculous," Benny said as the rest of the Bohos fussed with Mimi's chair.
"Bordering?" Mark muttered sarcastically. Everybody ignored him.
"Benny, go practice being an evil jerk," Maureen said. "Wait, no, you're good at that. Go glitter the ruby slippers." Benny scowled.
"They're just old Converse," he said, and, like Mark, he was ignored, so he left for the kitchen to start gluing sequins on the sneakers. The Bohemians parted, revealing Mimi in a cheap and salvaged rolling office chair.
"Looking good," Collins said.
"There's potential," Roger said. Mimi practiced her I'm-an-innocent-cripple-look-at-me look. Mark shook his head slowly.
"She has to use her legs to move it," he said. "It won't work."
"Mark!" Maureen pleaded. "Pretend with me!"
"No, the chair's okay, but Wicked Witch of the East makes no sense if Mimi can move the chair with her legs, and then 'gains' the ability to walk." Mark said.
"Well, how do you think we should fix it?" Maureen said.
"Remote control," Mark said. "Uptown houses throw out so many RC cars because they can't change the batteries. Get enough of those, and we'll have enough horsepower to move the chair." Everybody stared at him, mostly because he had applied the term 'horsepower' to remote control cars.
"Somebody didn't get enough of toy cars as a child," Roger said.
"Remote control?" Angel asked seriously. Mark deflated.
"You're right, stupid idea," Mark admitted sadly. Everybody nodded.
"Wait," Joanne said. "I knew this girl in college; she became a mechanic around here. If we got a bicycle, she could take off the wheels and put them on the chair. She owes me one, too, so it'll be free."
"Pookie, that's a great idea!" Maureen squealed, glomping her girlfriend.
"You sure we can't trade parts?" Mark whispered to Roger.
"Maureen has her reasons," Roger said back.
"Wait," Collins said. "How are we going to get a bike?"
Slowly, everybody turned to look at Mark.
"What?" Mark said, clueless.
"You know we'll never ask for anything else…" Mimi rolled back and forth in the chair because it was fun. Finally, Mark got it.
"No!" he said loudly. "No! My bike is mine!" Everybody stared at him with puppy-dog eyes, including Benny from the kitchen, but nobody was paying attention to him.
"No!" Mark said again. "There are three things I care about in life: my camera, my bike, and my scarf!"
"So that's why you never get laid…" Roger commented, almost without realizing it Mark counted to ten.
"There are three material things I care about," he corrected. "And my bike is one of them!"
"Mark, you're the one who thought Mimi shouldn't use her legs in the chair!" Collins said. Mark struggled to find a loophole in this logic. He wanted to keep his bike!
"Y'know, you can get a bike on eBay for fifteen bucks," Benny supplied. Everybody rounded on him.
"Do you know how many missed meals that is?" Maureen said. "We happen to like eating twice a day."
"Well, Mimi needs a chair that rolls," Benny said. "So I'll get the bike."
"We don't need your charity, you yuppie-" Roger was about to insult Benny when he was cut off.
"If you don't want it, I'll get the bike now and then we can go and sing the score in the subway for change. 'Dear Old Shiz' would be a hit because of the harmonies."
"That was actually a good idea," Angel said, because it was true. Benny just nodded.
"Sure, because we all have fifteen bucks lying around…" Collins said. Benny decided to take the compliment from Angel and just go.