2.5 Walking and Bubbles and Oz, oh my!
"Do you even know where you're going?" Glinda complained, huffing hugely. She had her shoes in her hands because her feet had gotten sore from them. She was wearing my shoes- Elphaba's were much too big and Fiyero's were apparently too male. I, on the other hand, wasn't wearing any. Not that I minded, I realized, taking Fiyero's bag from Elphaba and slinging it over my shoulder- the cool grass felt nice against the soles of my feet.
We'd been trading the bag off periodically, Fiyero carrying the much heavier food-filled one. It didn't take long for the thin strap to start cutting into my shoulder and I gauged we'd been walking for an hour at least, our progress slowed by the need to stay out of view and ergo, in the forest.
"Explain to me again what happened inside Shiz?" Fiyero asked for the third time and I sighed heavily,
"I was wandering around the first floor trying to find Horrible's office- thanks for that by the way," I smiled at Elphaba and she nodded, "And then those… people with spears came storming around the corner, yelling at me to stop, so I ran. I went into the first door that was open and that's where I met up with you guys,"
"Okay…" Fiyero nodded his head. He'd heard all this before, I knew he had. So the point of this all had to be…? "So what happened after you pushed me out of the window?" he asked,
"I said I was sorry!" I protested, hoping he was just teasing me about it and not actually that mad. "Elphaba started having an argument with one of the stupidest beings on Earth-"
"Oz," Elphaba interrupted,
"What?"
"Oz," Glinda repeated, nodding her support of Elphaba's correction, "We're in Oz, not Earth."
"Right…" I wasn't used to being ganged up on, and I wasn't even sure if that was what was happening. "One of the stupidest beings on Oz," I stressed and it seemed to appease them, "So I yelled at her and jumped through the window, after which she quickly proceeded to landing on me. We started running, and here we are,"
"Walking," Glinda completed my sentence in such a dejected, hopeless and thoroughly miserable voice that I couldn't resist smiling. I was certainly not looking forward spending time with Glinda 'roughing it'.
Fiyero was looking at me oddly but didn't return to the story even though he'd sensed that I hadn't given him all the facts. Elphaba wasn't offering anything up, and those were her details to share, not mine.
"So…" I said, dragging the syllable out to seven times its length. I attracted Glinda's attention and Elphaba was annoyed at the moment of childishness. Fiyero was looking very intently at something at the bases of the trees and probably didn't register I'd said anything.
"Yes?" Glinda prompted curiously.
"How in Oz do you guys get around in this place? How do you get from point A to point B?" I asked, wondering if they had cars.
"Horseback or carriage is the best. Trains occasionally." Elphaba answered, "Fortunately we don't have those metallic death contraptions in Oz," she narrowed her eyes and I didn't dwell on the dig,
"So you can't conjure us, like, a bubble to travel around in?"
"No," Elphaba said, not catching my teasing tone, "We can't come and go by bubble… And what provoked you to come up with such an absurd idea?" she asked a little incredulously.
Glinda was all for the idea however, and I found myself laughing at her enthusiasm and the look it brought to Elphaba's face, "Oh can't we Elphie? It sounds like so much fun! AND you can make it pink! Oh Elphie, please?!"
"I said no," Elphaba repeated sternly. Glinda pouted slightly and I patted her on the arm sympathetically,
"We'll get you that bubble someday Glin," I whispered into her ear and she brightened, grinning. Elphaba looked over at us annoyed with our hush-hush,
"While we're on the subject-"
"Of bubbles?" I interrupted and she smiled not kindly,
"No, Earth and all its innovative wonders,"
I interrupted again, "You realize that cars are just like individual, personalized steam engine trains?"
"As I was saying," she said, point blank ignoring me, "I think it'll be best if we keep your pedigree hidden to everyone but us four; I have a feeling that it if the information was publicized it would attract unwanted attention-"
"Don't we already have a substantial amount of unwanted attention?" I asked snidely, "What with all the random guards chasing us and wanting to- Ow Fiyero! Ow!"
He'd stopped suddenly and I'd run abruptly into his back, almost getting knocked over. He held his hands out, and Glinda ran into Elphaba, whom he had caught in the stomach with his outstretched arm,
"What is it?" Elphaba asked, suddenly on alert. Glinda and I exchanged worried glances.
Fiyero shook his head, cocking it this way and that, swiveling and peering into the thinning forest right and then left- "Something's not right," he muttered and I felt myself drifting closer to the other three. Their behavior was really starting to freak me out,
"What's-"
"Shh!" Elphaba ordered, focused just as intently as Fiyero on our surroundings. After a second I heard why- although the trees on either side of us weren't spaced out enough yet to notice movement, the faint rustling of leaves and branches could be heard.
I didn't feel any wind on my face.
"They're surrounding us," I whispered but was ignored. Then I figured they'd probably already come to that conclusion.
"Shanny, come with me," Elphaba ordered almost mutely, "Glinda, stay here with Fiyero."
Glinda nodded fearfully and moved closer to Fiyero, taking his hand in hers and holding it tightly. As Elphaba began to move away from him he stopped her with his free hand and held on to her for a moment,
"Be careful," he said and Elphaba shook her hand free,
"Don't be worried about us," she said with a slight smile before taking my hand and leading me away.
I allowed myself to be pulled along silently like a rag doll until we had effectively disappeared from our friends' sightlines. Good riddance, because I couldn't stand it for much longer. "What are we doing?" I asked Elphaba and she looked to me hesitantly. She released my hand but didn't stop her pace,
"Getting captured," she said, turning to see my reaction and somehow dodging a low hanging tree branch at the same time.
I thought about it for a moment before shrugging, "Better us than them, right?" I rationalized and Elphaba nodded, probably pleased that I saw it her way. Although Fiyero was a man and bigger, I was sure Elphaba could give him a run for his money when she was riled up.
Only, things didn't quite happen according to plan.
We heard a high-pitched scream behind us and turned to look at each other; "Glinda," we said in unison, turning around and running back to where we had left them. Elphaba pulled me down to the ground as we neared the location, causing us both to slide forward on the grass in head-first dives.
From our vantage point we could see that there were two guards holding Glinda by the arms, three holding Fiyero on his knees and another one standing around looking stupid. "Obesity and skinny blonde!" I whisper-exclaimed, pointing them out to Elphaba. Obesity was as per usual the one looking stupid, his nose slightly disfigured and lightly bruised. Skinny blonde had a conspicuous pattern of bruises across his face.
I was glad I didn't have to explain my nicknames to her.
One of the started pawing at the hem of Glinda's dress, which was resting just below her knees and she shrieked as Fiyero started firing off threats and swear words. I pulled Elphaba back down to the ground as the guard tormenting her stopped, laughing at Fiyero's reaction.
"They're not going to do anything," I reassured her, although I couldn't be certain. If worse came to worse we could always intervene, but it would be safer and smarter to keep to ourselves until it would be easier to get them away unnoticed.
Elphaba wasn't paying much attention, "We shouldn't have left them," she muttered angrily and I put a hand on her shoulder blade so she wouldn't jump up,
"Elphie, who would be left to do the saving if we hadn't left them, our intentions were good- isn't it better that they only have two of us instead of all four of us?"
"Yes," she agreed, "But why does it have to be them?"
I turned my head so that I could look at her and she noticed the movement, doing the same. "Would you really want Glinda to be the one rescuing us?" I asked dubiously, indicating the guards.
Despite herself Elphaba let the shadow of a smile show on her face, "All right. I see your point. But the moment it gets too risky we're going to go in there and get them out, agreed?"
"Agreed," I said, taking her hand and shaking it. She gave me an odd look before resting her chin on her folded arms.
"And now we wait," she said and I nodded my agreement,
"We wait while exercising the virtues of patience and restraint."