Should Elphaba not show a little faith in her girlfriend's spell-casting abilities? "Of course, my sweet," she murmured; and Glinda closed the gap between their mouths once more in a thank-you kiss.
29.
"Maybe I should just keep trying with the broom," Elphaba suggested for the millionth time as another pink feather dropped uselessly to the ground. "I hate to think how many flamingos you're unintentionally depriving of their feathers here."
"Oh, do be quiet, Elphie," Glinda replied, her frustration evident, "I'm trying here, okay?"
"Yes, I can see that," Elphaba said, a corner of her mouth turning up in amusement. Glinda was sitting cross-legged on the ground with the Grimmerie in front of her and the broomstick in front of that, bending so low over the book that her nose was almost touching the page. Her forefinger, with which she was attempting to keep her place, was constantly moving in circles as the words jumped about before her eyes. She held Elphaba's old training wand- which the green woman had packed into her satchel on a whim- in her other hand, and it flickered intermittently with pink sparks, before dulling uselessly again each time. The pile of large pink feathers- the product of the many failed spells- was gradually growing. Glinda had been attempting the spell for almost twenty minutes now- ever since Elphaba had downright refused to persist any longer in reciting the flying spell while Glinda continually attempted- and continually failed- to repeat it correctly.
Now officially banned by her girlfriend from using any magic until further notice, Elphaba couldn't help feeling rather useless; and the way in which she was forced to watch the stubborn blonde produce feather after feather was downright frustrating. She longed to snatch away the Grimmerie and cast the spell herself in order to get them out of this forest, which was seeming less and less safe by the hour.
"Oh, oh!" Glinda squealed suddenly, sounding, Elphaba thought, more than a little like an excited puppy, "I think something's happening!"
A glance over told Elphaba that something was indeed happening- and something more than the acquisition of another feather, although the broomstick remained unaffected. Something translucent and fluorescent had appeared at the end of the training wand and was expanding into the air, slowly, steadily; curving, as it did so, towards Glinda.
"What in Oz's name…?" Elphaba murmured, climbing to her feet and moving to Glinda's side, watching the unfamiliar entity in fixation. It was not the product of a flying spell such as she knew it, but was nonetheless curious. It grew and grew, and as it did so, curved closer and closer towards them, swelling right over the heads of the two women until they were completely encapsulated- along with the Grimmerie and broomstick- in a giant and glistening, translucent sphere.
"Oh my goodness!" she heard Glinda gasp, and followed her gaze downwards. As she did so, Elphaba realised, with a lurch, that they were no longer on the ground, but had risen into the air by several feet. She turned to Glinda, the shock at finding herself suspended in mid-air, supported only by a gigantic bubble, rendering her temporarily speechless. Glinda, however, was beaming all over her face.
"You see!" she squealed happily, "I told you I could do it, Elphie! And look! Isn't this much prettier than that dirty old broom?"
Elphaba simply shook her head in amazement. "It isn't exactly the inconspicuous mode of transport I had in mind," she managed finally.
"It's perfect!" Glinda contradicted, still beaming as she spun around as though to admire it from every angle, "It doesn't matter a bit that it's conspicuous. It's dark now, and we can stay above the clouds as much as possible."
"If you say so," Elphaba sighed. A bubble indeed, she thought cynically, Surely Glinda must be the only person in Oz who could cast a flying spell and produce a bubble.
For fear of the City's lights rendering the bubble far too visible, they landed a short distance away from the Emerald City and entered it by foot; keeping conscientiously to the backstreets and less busy areas so as not to be spotted, should any of the Wizard's guards happen to be patrolling.
"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Glinda asked nervously, as Elphaba hurried her along.
"I have a rough idea," the green woman nodded, ducking them further into the shadows as a group of passing late-night partiers meandered dangerously near to them.
"Well, are we close?"
"Very," was Elphaba's even reply, and Glinda groaned.
"You said that twenty minutes ago, Elphie!"
Elphaba gave a soft chuckle. "Then perhaps you shouldn't ask silly questions, my sweet. Besides," she drew them to a halt, taking Glinda by surprise, "We are very close this time around."
Glinda frowned, following Elphaba's gaze to the building they stood beside. "A youth shelter?"
"If I'm not mistaken," Elphaba replied quietly. She opened the little metal gate and slipped through into the building's overgrown garden, Glinda at her heels. The youth shelter- if that was indeed what it was- was large, concrete and unattractive. The few windows which weren't boarded up had bars across them, and no light- no sign of life- proceeded from inside. If the falling-apart wooden sign above the door had not read 'Youth Shelter,' then Glinda would have been most inclined to believe that it was a closed-up prison.
"Whatever it is, it looks dead," she mumbled as they approached the door, "Perhaps it's been closed down."
"Well, there's only one way to find out," Elphaba said, confidently striding the remaining distance to the door. She reached to pull the bell, but it had been broken from its chain and rested uselessly on the ground. Elphaba frowned, then moved her hand instead to the door, upon which she knocked twice.
They waited. Glinda looked down at her now-filthy, stockinged feet and shuffled them nervously. Elphaba had offered her boots to her several times, but Glinda had declined- apart from the fact that they were clearly several sizes too big for her, she would not be seen dead in boots like that. She would much rather remain shoeless and tolerate the grimy pavements and painful blisters.
They waited a little longer, and then Elphaba knocked again- more loudly this time. Still no response.
Finally, Glinda dared to look up hopefully. "See, it must have been shut down, Elphie," she said, "No matter. Let's just find someplace to stay tonight and then-"
She broke off with a gasp as the sounds of bolts being pulled across sounded before them; and quickly moved close to Elphaba. Elphaba glanced at her, then shifted the Grimmerie to her other arm with the broomstick and pulled Glinda into her side.
After several moments, there was a loud creak as the door opened by an inch or so. A brilliant green eye- the only part of its owner's face visible under the shadow of a hooded cape- stared at them. The chain had been left across the door, preventing it from being opened any further.
"We've no room," the eye told them in a deep, husky voice, "Try Saint Dorian's, three blocks to the right." The door began to close.
"Wait!" Elphaba's boot had wedged itself in the small gap between door and wall. "We're not here in search of a youth shelter."
There was a pause. "Then, why, may I ask, are you knocking on this door at so late an hour?" asked the voice in a menacing whisper.
"Elphie," Glinda said softly, "I don't like this. Let's go."
Elphaba hugged her girlfriend more closely to her side as though to reassure her, but otherwise ignored her words. Glinda felt her take a deep breath, and realised then how risky this was. If this hooded figure was not part of the movement which Elphaba believed him to be; Glinda was sure that her girlfriend's reply could put them in a great deal of danger.
"I was sent here by some Animals whom I believe are associates of your… party," Elphaba finally said steadily, "We're interested in working for your cause."
The green eye narrowed at this. "What cause do you believe this is?" the deep voice asked, "And why should I let you in?"
Glinda's heartbeat quickened: it sounded considerably as though this was the movement which Elphaba had spoken of- either that or they had stumbled on something equally dangerous and untoward.
If Elphaba was afraid too, however, she did not show it. "I think you're part of a movement fighting for the rights of those being brutalised by the Wizard's regime," she said calmly, "We share your views completely, and have with us a bout of paperwork which should illustrate this to you quite nicely." She let go of Glinda in order to undo her satchel, and offered the voice the paperwork which she had put together for the Wizard.
No hand moved through the gap in the door to grasp it, however. The green eye stared down at the papers in Elphaba's hand for a few moments- and then it had disappeared and the door had firmly closed.
"Well, that's that," Glinda said, doing her best to sound disappointed. She began to move away, but Elphaba stopped her.
"Just wait a moment," she said, "I think he's gone to get someone."
Glinda frowned. "How can you be sure?"
Elphaba simply shook her head. "I'm not."
The green woman's intuition proved accurate, however, as minutes later, the door was opened for the second time- and this time opened fully.
"Now step inside and hand me those papers," came the hoarse voice- different to the one which had spoken previously- of a figure invisible in the darkened interior of the building.
They entered obediently, and the door was immediately closed behind them. As Elphaba handed over the papers, Glinda cautiously considered the room in which they stood- a dingy entrance hall with a grey floor and grey walls. If this had once been a youth shelter, it must have been the most depressing place imaginable, she thought privately- but now the building was neglected; severely in need of care. There was no furniture at all in the room in which they stood- not even a desk or mirror- and liberal amounts of cobwebs littered each corner of the ceiling.
Glinda then directed her gaze nervously to the man who stood before them. He was old, that was for certain- his pale skin was heavily wrinkled, and he was bent almost double over a twisted wooden stick. His clothes- while giving the impression that they had once been very grand- now were old and shabby, possessing multiple holes and patches. And yet, his appearance exuded an undeniable sense of power: his gaze was sharp and penetrative, and his mouth was set in a grim line of defiance as he flipped through the shaft of papers which Elphaba had handed him. By the man's side stood a rather bedraggled-looking Fawn. His body was just too thin to be considered slender, and the hooded cape which hung awkwardly over his speckled fur was grubby. His incongruous stark green eyes stared up at the man beside him in fear or awe- furthering Glinda's suspicion that this man had great power within the society they had just entered.
As she stared, the Fawn turned his head to look back at her, and Glinda found herself drawn to his brilliant green eyes. They were the same eyes, she realised now, that had gazed at herself and Elphaba through the crack in the door. It was this insignificant-looking Fawn who had initially communicated with them in such an intimidating whisper.
He held Glinda's gaze for a few moments, until she smiled tentatively at him. Then, without returning the smile, he moved his eyes back to the old man at his side. Glinda followed the Fawn's focus, and found that the man was still flicking through Elphaba's papers, frowning slightly. If he was interested in them; he seemed determined not to let it show.
"Even if we are on the same page here, what good do you suppose a couple of young girls are to us?" he asked finally, looking up and somehow locking both women in a discerning stare simultaneously.
"We're old enough to think for ourselves if not old enough to have our views taken seriously," Elphaba objected instantly, "Or was the emphasis on the fact that we're women rather than the fact that we're young? If so, I can assure you that we're just as capable of following orders as any males, if not more so."
He looked at her in mild amusement. "Quite the fierce one, aren't you?" he commented, somewhat appreciatively. "We'll see about that, at any rate. Can you two do anything else than might be of any benefit to me, aside from following orders? Sweep the floor?" His eyes had rested, puzzled, on the broomstick in Elphaba's hand.
So this man was part of the movement Elphaba had spoken about, Glinda thought, her stomach tightening in fear.
"We're advanced sorcery students," Elphaba lied. She glanced sideways at Glinda, then added, "Both of us."
Glinda groaned internally. Goodness, Elphie, she thought, I manage one spell completely accidentally and you begin telling people I'm an advanced sorcery student?
The man looked interested, however. "Sorcery, eh?" he asked, then stood back and folded his arms. "Well, come on, then. Show me what you've got."
Glinda looked helplessly at Elphaba. "Well, I could try the bubble again-" she began, but was cut off as Elphaba thrust the broomstick and the Grimmerie at her. She took them automatically, and then looked at the other woman, bemused; but Elphaba had her eyes closed and was muttering under her breath.
"Elphie!" she said warningly, but Elphaba ignored her.
After a few moments however, her eyes had opened and her expression was one of intense frustration. Glinda bit her lip anxiously. She hadn't the slightest idea what Elphaba had been trying to do; but it was quite clear that the spell hadn't worked.
The old man, who had been watching Elphaba expectantly, began to laugh mockingly.
"An advanced sorceress, my foot," he sneered, "What was that spell supposed to do then? Convert oxygen into carbon dioxide? I can do that just fine without your phoney magic tricks. Get gone, both of you."
Elphaba scowled, and Glinda saw her fists clench furiously. Her eyes closed once more, and Glinda could see that this time she was focusing every ounce of her willpower and fury on making the spell work. "Elphaba!" she exclaimed, the Grimmerie and broomstick being the only thing preventing her from gripping her girlfriend's shoulders and shaking her. This was dangerous- why would Elphaba not accept that?
Then, suddenly, there was a flash of green light and the entrance hall was on fire. Glinda gasped as flames as high as the walls surrounded them and an intense heat was upon them: suffocating, overbearing. The flames licked at Glinda's shoeless feet and she danced fearfully away from them. Man and Fawn were staring at the fire, aghast, speechless; evidently not having expected anything quite so dramatic.
And then, as abruptly as it had appeared, the fire had vanished. There was no damage; no smoke or scorches. It was as if nothing had ever happened.
"Amazing," the old man breathed, his thin, chapped lips parted in shock. He looked at Elphaba in wonder, and then shook his head; awe all over his wrinkled face. "You two wait here," he said finally, "Eldon, keep an eye on them." And with that, he limped off along the hall, leaning heavily on his twisted cane.
Glinda's eyes were on Elphaba. Her girlfriend's eyes were closed, her expression set in a firm grimace, a green hand pressed hard against her temple. Her breathing was rough and shallow. Frightened, Glinda moved closer in order to take Elphaba's hand, to help her regain her focus- but just as she did, Elphaba breathed a sharp, jagged breath; she staggered, and then her legs crumpled beneath her. Hastily, Glinda let the Grimmerie and broomstick fall to the ground and moved in to catch her girlfriend. Just in time, she caught her under the arms; and- with difficulty- was able to prevent her from falling onto the concrete floor.
"You-" she began, her words interjected with pants as she struggled under the weight of the other woman, "Are- too- ridiculously- stubborn- for- your- own- good."
Elphaba's eyelids flickered, and Glinda could swear she was smiling. "Got us in though, didn't it?" she mumbled, almost half-consciously.
"It might have done that, but you're still completely impossible," Glinda told her. With difficulty, she shifted Elphaba so that she was at her side and most of the weight was at her shoulders.
As she looked up then, Glinda realised that she had forgotten about the Fawn. He still stood in front of them, looking half amused and half concerned.
"Is she alright?" he asked finally, in a high-pitched, rather childish voice- quite unlike the one he had used to speak to them through the door. Glinda watched Elphaba's head jerk upwards in surprise and smiled a little, glad that she was not the only one who had forgotten the Fawn was still in the room.
"I'm fine," Elphaba said, easing herself off Glinda and bending to collect the broomstick and Grimmerie from the ground. She straightened up stiffly and then added; "I don't- I mean, that doesn't usually-"
"Don't worry," the Fawn said, smiling slightly, "I won't tell Flint. I'm quite looking forward to having a couple of girls about the place, actually." His eyes rested on Glinda for a lingering moment, and she shifted uneasily. "I mean, it's just us males at the moment. Flint's never let any girls in here before."
Glinda tried to smile, and found herself grateful as Elphaba repositioned an arm protectively across her shoulders.
The Fawn's smile faded a little as he watched this. "I'm Eldon," he said after a pause, raising a cloven hoof. Nervously, Glinda shook it first and introduced herself; and Elphaba followed suit.
"Right." The older man- Flint, Glinda supposed- had re-entered the room. "I've found someplace for you two to habitate. Eldon, can you show them to the room on the second floor next to where Vorn and Leff sleep? The end room? I've just moved Thryan in with the other two. They're none of them happy, but we've got to give the girls their privacy, haven't we?"
He looked unsmilingly at them as he spoke, and Glinda took an uneasy step towards Elphaba. She wasn't at all sure about Flint- or about living in this place generally, for that matter- and only hoped that Elphaba knew what she was doing.
"Right, well follow me, then," Eldon said brightly, trotting towards a door a little way down the hall. Glinda glanced at Elphaba for confirmation that they were to follow, and the green woman shrugged before taking her girlfriend's hand and beginning to walk.
"Don't think this means you're definitely staying, mind you," Flint said gruffly as the two women followed in Eldon's footsteps, "But the pair of you look exhausted and one of you is already minus her shoes- and I'm just too soft-hearted, me. We'll have a proper chat once it's daylight and figure out just what we can do with you."
"Thank you, even so," Elphaba said, and Glinda nodded in agreement, "You're most kind for allowing us to stay here."
Flint simply grunted at this. Eldon turned to smile at them once they had left the entrance hall, pausing at the foot of a tall stairway. "He's okay really, Flint," he told them, "He's good to those who are loyal to him and tough on those who aren't. It's a good way to be, really. This way."
Elphaba nodded, as she guided Glinda up the flight of stairs after him. "And what sort of things do you do in terms of work here?"
A look of unease crossed Eldon's furry face at this. "Oh, can't say that," he said mysteriously. "We're not permitted to discuss our work with one other, let alone with outsiders. Not that you two are really outsiders," he added then, "But you're not insiders until Flint gives you the definite okay, either. Though he's never offered beds to anyone without confirming their place in the Resistance before, so chances are that you're already well in."
"The Resistance?" Elphaba repeated, and Glinda thought she saw a flash of recognition in the other woman's eyes, "That's what you are? Your aim here is to overthrow the Wizard?"
Eldon flicked his ears nervously, apparently realising he had spoken out of turn. "I didn't say nothin'," he said shortly, "I'll leave it to Flint to explain everything to you in the morning."
The remainder of the trek to their new sleeping quarters was quiet and uneventful. That was, until they reached the hallway which bore host to the room in which they were to stay.
A doorway which Eldon had been about to pass flew open, and out fell a Colt and a young Bull, apparently in the midst of a wrestling match. The Bull appeared to be winning, as the Colt fell through the doorway first, landing heavily on the ground directly in front of them. He quickly sprang up, however, his hooves raised; prepared to re-engage in battle.
Glinda sprang backwards in surprise and found herself in Elphaba's arms. She didn't mind; she would much rather have her girlfriend hold her than be in the middle of a fight between two hefty young Animals.
"Boys, would you desist?" Eldon called in an authoritative voice, "There are young ladies present!"
The pair, who had just begun to resume their fight, paused and looked around at this.
"Who made you the boss of us, Eldon?" the Colt sneered, while the Bull puffed out his chest importantly. The Colt's eyes then latched onto Glinda and he tossed his mane rather leeringly. "I mean- who are these fine ladies you have in your company?"
"This is Glinda and this is Elphaba," Eldon told him wearily, "And you can drop the pretence, Leff; they just saw you two fighting. Girls, this is Leff," he indicated the Colt, "And Vorn," the young Bull.
"Real human girls," Vorn observed, surveying the two women closely, "Not Animals. I hope Flint knows you've brought them in here, Eldon."
"Of course Flint knows," Eldon replied rather tetchily, "You think I'd do anything behind his back? He was the one who offered them a room. They're the reason Thryan was moved in with you two."
"So that's why, is it?" Leff glanced disdainfully into the room they'd just fallen out of, "Well, he don't half take up some space."
Glinda moved closer in to Elphaba, not caring to find out what sort of enormous, room-filling Animal Thryan might be, and was grateful when her girlfriend's arms tightened around her.
"It's been a pleasure meeting you both, at any rate," Elphaba said in a steely voice, before looking back to the Fawn at their side, "Eldon? I presume our room is therefore the end one?"
The Colt and the young Bull shuffled out of the way as Eldon led them importantly past; and Glinda felt their gaze on her as she and Elphaba followed the Fawn towards the last room on the hallway.
"It's not much," Eldon said, opening the door to display something which looked more like a cupboard containing a camp bed than a substantial bedroom, "But it should do you for the night. I hope you don't have any qualms in sharing a bed."
Glinda glanced at Elphaba, and they exchanged a half-smile. "I'm sure we can cope with that," Elphaba said quietly.
Eldon smiled at them- rather knowingly, Glinda thought, though he said nothing- and then bid them goodnight before leaving the room. He managed the door surprisingly well with his hooves; and Elphaba went directly to it once they were alone.
"No lock," she said, after surveying the door closely. Glinda moved to the single camp bed and sat down uneasily, twirling a strand of golden hair around her fingers. An unlockable door was the least of her worries at the moment.
Presently, Glinda felt the shallow mattress compress slightly as Elphaba sat down beside her, and looked up at her girlfriend through eyes which had suddenly grown teary.
"Elphie," she whispered, "Elphie, I'm scared."
"Sshh," Elphaba said, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman and pulling her close, "Sshh, it's okay."
"Elphie," Glinda said again. She was clinging onto the other woman's cloak now, "What's going to happen to us? We should be back at Shiz, tucked up in bed together now. What are we doing here?"
"Don't worry, my sweet," Elphaba said, and Glinda felt her lips press against the top of her head, "Shiz was only a pretence- Morrible's way of moulding us into becoming part of the sort of society she wanted. This, now- this is real. We're real."
"Are we really real?" Glinda asked, nuzzling into Elphaba's chest, "I don't feel real. I feel that I'm in the middle of a horrible dream and I might wake up at any second."
"I'm real," Elphaba kissed the top of Glinda's head again and she let out an involuntary whimper. "You're very real," she tilted Glinda's head back and kissed a sensitive spot on her neck. "And this now," she kissed her collarbone, "This is as real as I think we're ever going to get."
Glinda whimpered again- though through arousal this time, as one of Elphaba's hands had moved to a very integral place as she had spoken. "Oh Elphie," she said softly, "What would I do without you?"
"You'd probably be much better off, I should think," Elphaba replied quietly, but then her lips had returned to that spot on Glinda's neck; her hand was pressing tenderly against her- and Glinda could not bequeath much of her attention on the other woman's words.
However, right at that moment, there came a heavy thud as something slammed into the other side of the door, and Elphaba halted in what she was doing; hastily retrieving her hand.
"Elphie," Glinda moaned, taking Elphaba's hand and trying to place it back where she most needed it; past caring whether or not anyone else was outside. Elphaba pulled it back, however, shushing her; her eyes focused on the door, through which the sound of snickers were now proceeding.
Glinda groaned and rolled onto her stomach. "Our dorm room at Shiz had more privacy than this," she grumbled into a pillow.
