Bombalurinasara: Yes, technically Glinda should still be Galinda, but, in this story, Glinda doesn't even know Dr. Dillamond and isn't friends with Elphie at the point where he's taken away and doesn't have a reason to change her name. And she still needs to be Glinda the Good... mostly because I think Galinda the Good sounds a bit funny in a giggly pink sort of way. lol
AlloftheAbove: Yeahh... I realize now that this is a bit of an undertaking. I'm terrified that I'll ditch it part way through and hide in a corner for a while like I did with my other story...bites lip & looks around nervously. (To the people who might have been looking forward to me continuing said story: ...Please don't kill me. I'll try to go back to it. Just tell me whether I should in a review or message or something.)
CrystalClear444: lol. My quietness isn't necessarily good. It creeps people out. Apparently silence makes people uneasy. shrug But they have to learn to deal, right: )
I'll stop rambling now...
006. Hours
A week later, Fiyero met Elphaba in a small café off-campus. He'd gone out of his way to gather as much information on the Animals as he could. He was determined to impress Elphaba and show her that he was NOT stupid. And that's the ONLY reason, he told himself. Because I'm not stupid and she needs to know that. And I'm not shallow either!
He beat Elphaba to the café by twenty minutes. When she finally arrived, she looked flustered. As she sat down, she let out a relieved sigh.
"Sorry I'm late." She muttered. Fiyero gave her a confused look.
"Girls are supposed to have chaperones when they leave the campus," she explained, "and Ama Clutch, my and Glinda's caretaker -mostly Glinda's- is a bit hard to ditch when Glinda decides to sit around the dorm room and mope about something or other." She saw Fiyero's amused look. "I'm only kidding. She's not entirely unbearable now, Glinda. Only when she's around her… friends."
"So, aren't you going to get into trouble…?"
"No one is going to notice that I'm gone," she insisted. "Besides, I think that if boys don't need chaperones, girls don't either. Call it a silent protest. Anyway, here's my research." She dropped a notebook on the table.
"And here's mine." Fiyero pulled a folder and a book with marked pages out of his bag. Elphaba looked at the cover of the book.
"Friedrich and Butler. They were the scientists who robbed the graves of humans and Animals to compare internal body parts, weren't they?" she inquired.
"Yeah. They said that there weren't many differences at all other than in size and sometimes placement. It's a start…"
"It's a good start. I—," she was interrupted by a waiter.
"Good afternoon. Would you like to place your orders?" The waiter looked uneasy to be stuck between such outwardly unique people and acted as if he couldn't decide which of the two he could look at without ogling at him or her. He finally focused his eyes on his small notepad.
"Tea," Elphaba said.
"I'll have the same," Fiyero replied. "Could we also have an order of fruit tarts?"
The waiter nodded.
"And I'll take the check," Fiyero told him. Elphaba tried to protest, but the waiter had already rushed away.
"That wasn't necessary," Elphaba pointed out, "but thank you."
Fiyero smiled. "Let's just call it an apology for being an ass on the first day."
They spent their time poring over each other's notes, asking questions, debating what the authors meant in their writing. They had their orders refilled numerous times.
"What do you think happened to Dr. Dillamond?" Elphaba asked finally. She'd been keeping the question to herself for quite some time.
"If I were to guess, I'd say that he was taken to the Wizard so that he could decide what punishment Dr. Dillamond would get. The worst case scenario is that he was taken to that huge prison complex… I can't think of the name."
"The Southstairs," Elphaba filled in. Fiyero caught sadness flash across her features, but only for a moment before she reorganized her face to be blank.
"Why—," Fiyero caught himself. He'd almost asked her why she felt the need to cover up her feelings, but that seemed like too personal a question.
"Why what?"
"Nevermind."
Elphaba shrugged and yawned. She glanced at the wall clock at the back of the café and gasped.
"I've got to go." She said urgently. "We've been here for four hours. Someone's going to notice that I'm gone if I don't get back now." She gathered her things quickly.
"Next week then?" Fiyero asked.
"Next week," She confirmed, and she rushed out the door.
Fiyero sat back in his chair and glanced around. Outside the window, clouds were rolling in quickly and weary businessmen were now crowding inside to grab a bite to eat. Slowly, he arranged his things and placed them in his bag on the floor. While hunched over, he noticed a black mass under Elphaba's chair. In her haste, she'd forgotten her cloak. He picked it up, slung his bag over his shoulder and headed back to campus.
Okay...I just realized that I forgot to credit my friend (who insists that she remain anonymous) who allowed me to use the idea of the 'building blocks" and Fiyero and Elphaba working together for the Animals. She will probably contribute other ideas in the future. But you should all tell her that she's stupid for keeping her own writing secret. Cuz she's pretty good... At least, I think so... I'd post her stuff, but she'd kill me with the closest thing available if I tried to... And I've grown rather attached to being alive...
By the way, if you didn't catch it (I hope you did), Glinda and Elphaba are more neutral towards each other now. Not necessarily friends, but not enemies either.