AN: This is so easy to update recently. I'm sorry for not updating other things, but those chapters are precious pages away from being finished. For now, I hope you guys enjoy this…
Chapter Eleven: Winter Wonderland?
It was snowing when they returned to Shiz, and it was snowing with force. It was as if snow had been determined to cover every hint or suggestion of color and paint Oz white.
"You know, Elphie," Boq commented, "you look even more out of place against such a backdrop of pure, white snow than you did against trees and things, when the seasons are more… green." He didn't mention that Fiyero, too, looked out of place. Only Boq and Glinda truly looked in place against white, of course.
Elphaba glared at Boq as they waited for the carriage driver to unload their luggage. "Good to know," she said, voice laden with sarcasm.
Glinda stared helplessly at her three bags as everyone else gathered their things and began heading in the direction of the dorms. "Oh dear," she sighed, "my Ama's still on vacation and I can't possibly carry more than one bag at a time."
Elphaba, who had brought only one bag, said, "I can carry two at a time, but I've got to take my own, too."
Boq opened his mouth, but then realized he'd brought two bags and could be of no hope whatsoever.
Fiyero looked at his singular bag and then looked back at the girls. "I'll take Elphaba's and she can take both of Glinda's," he offered.
"Why don't we each just take one of hers?" Elphaba suggested.
"Because your bag is much heavier than both of mine combined and he's trying to be a gentlemen," Glinda chided at Elphaba, "so let him."
Elphaba rolled her eyes but surrendered her bag to Fiyero, reluctantly, and picked up Glinda's two extra bags. The four of them headed towards the dormitories, all except Glinda carried two bags.
When they reached the girls' dorms, Fiyero, Glinda and Elphaba headed inside, while Boq, disappointed at having lost the opportunity to get a visual of the place his beloved Glinda slept and lived, trudged back to the boys' dorms, waving a pathetic and pitiful goodbye.
Glinda and Elphaba's dorm was on the third floor, and Glinda was breathing somewhat heavily when they reached the doorway, though Fiyero and Elphaba were perfectly fine respiratory-wise. Elphaba set Glinda's things down, took her suitcase from Fiyero, and placed it on her bed. Not quite sure what to say, she tried, "Would you like to stay here and warm up a bit before heading back to your dorm in the cold? We have a stove; I can warm you up some hot chocolate."
Fiyero smiled a smile that warmed Elphaba's freezing form inside and out. "Sure. Thank you."
"It's no problem." Elphaba shrugged and began to mix hot chocolate.
Glinda began unpacking, and Fiyero was not surprised to see that the three suitcases were full of clothing, though they barely made a dent in Glinda's large wardrobe. After accidentally catching a glimpse of the blonde's bright pink underwear, he blinked and turned to Elphaba. "Long ride," he mumbled in her direction.
She nodded in agreement, "yes."
"It was too long," Glinda piped in, still giving Elphaba the occasional glare (she was starting to simmer down, for she couldn't hold a grudge for long, but hadn't fully calmed just yet). "It was very long, especially when I had to sit next to Boq the whole time."
"That was your own choice, not mine." Elphaba reminded her. "You refused to sit next to me."
"Did someone just say something?" Glinda turned to Fiyero. "Would you please tell Elphie that I am still angry with her?"
Fiyero laughed and said to Elphaba, "Glinda's still - "
"I noticed." Elphaba cut him off, waving her hands. She carefully poured both Fiyero and herself some hot chocolate and sat down at the small table in the middle of the room. "Would you please tell Glinda that she could at least try and speak to me rather than speaking through you."
"But being angry is more fun this way!" Glinda protested.
"Did you just speak to me?" Elphaba asked.
"Aw, damn!"
Both Fiyero and Elphaba raised their eyebrows and Glinda's language.
"I mean… Oh, forget it!" Glinda stood up and stomped over to her bed, folding her arms and plopping down on it.
"That doesn't separate you from us, you know," Elphaba informed her.
"Whatever." Glinda said stubbornly.
Elphaba shook her head and smiled across the table at Fiyero. "How are you feeling?"
"Warm." He answered.
"Good."
"What did you think of the wedding?"
"It was okay. Well, until you went and thought you could get me to dance."
"I did get you to dance."
"Shhh," Elphaba seemed embarrassed for Glinda, who was pointedly not paying any attention to them, to know that she had succumbed to Fiyero after all.
"Why?"
"Well, why tell everyone?"
"Because you'll never live it down."
"And I won't be your girlfriend if you ever say a word," Elphaba threatened.
Fiyero backed off. "All right, all right. Whatever you say."
Elphaba realized that she was going to be in charge of this relationship if she decided to be. Knowing that, in a typical relationship, the male would be at least somewhat in charge, she contradicted herself, "Well, I guess you could tell one or two people, if you want."
Fiyero seemed to brighten at this prospect.
"But not that many, okay? I don't ever want to hear about it again!" She clarified.
He nodded understandingly, "Sure."
She stood. "Maybe you should get going, now. I'll walk you downstairs."
Fiyero grabbed his bag, which he'd left in the doorway, and headed down the stairs. He paused at the doorway. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
"Well, since classes don't start up again until next week and I have a very small social life, I'm not doing anything tomorrow."
"Would you like to, maybe, have a picnic with me over by suicide canal?"
She stared at her feet for a moment. After a long pause, she looked up at him, "Okay."
"Great." He moved to open the door. "It's stuck."
Elphaba reached to help him. Together, they pushed the door partially open. "Oh, shit." She said, as the door persistently shut itself again. "It's not stuck. It's the wind."
"How am I supposed to get out of here?"
"Well, you have a change of clothes," she gestured to his bag simply, now refusing to look him in the eye. "You'll just have to sleep in our dorm."