­Notes: This was an interesting chapter to churn out, as it's a little hectic writing scenes that include the entire "charmed circle." I always feel like I've left someone out, or that someone hasn't talked enough (sorry, Fiyero).

Also, thanks very much to everyone who's left feedback so far. Cookies to you all.

­The two of them arrived at the restaurant early, since Elphaba had vehemently dissuaded Glinda from her usual practice of fashionable tardiness. "It's insult to injury," she had snapped, "showing up late so the others can gape at me when I come in. We'll be the first there or we won't be there at all." Prudently, Glinda had given in without a fight.

Although it was a mild evening, Elphaba had shrouded herself in a long dress with close-fitting sleeves, covering her hands with two pairs of gloves as if she expected them to burn through the cloth and reveal their new state. Her face was hidden by the hood of the enormous cloak she normally wore in the rain. Glinda couldn't bring herself to mind overmuch; at least it effectively hid the glares Elphaba was undoubtedly still casting her way. And if Elphaba in all her trappings did garner strange looks as the two of them made their way to the restaurant, well, surely she was used to it by now. The irony, Glinda noted sardonically, was staggering.

Once they had taken a seat in the corner, Elphaba sank as far into her chair as possible. "You can…unwrap a bit now, if you like," Glinda told her, as tactfully as she could. "There's hardly anyone else about."

Elphaba revealed enough of her face to shoot Glinda a glance that clearly said, "I'm here, what else do you want?"

Glinda's lips involuntarily shifted into a pout. "You're making this much more difficult than it needs to be, you know."

The look in Elphaba's eyes seemed fierce enough to set the tablecloth aflame.

Fortunately, Boq chose that moment to bound over to their table and seat himself across from Glinda, closely followed by most of the circle. In the midst of their oblivious chorus of greetings, Elphaba tugged the cloak further down over her face.

When Milla, Pfannee, and Shenshen showed up as well, Glinda half-expected Elphaba to walk out of the restaurant then and there. Elphaba remained where she was, but somehow managed to turn her shrouded head towards Glinda in a manner that spoke volumes. The latter forced herself not to look apologetic. After all, she had said she was meeting people for dinner, even if she hadn't exactly specified whom. But Elphaba had never asked, besides, so if she disapproved of the company, it was no fault of Glinda's.

As the three newcomers tittered conspicuously, Crope quizzically regarded the concealing hood. "Doing better, Elphie?"

­"That depends entirely on who you ask," the hood grumbled. Glinda grimaced and quickly hailed a waiter before the conversation could go any further.

Matters were forestalled until shortly after they had received their meals and Nessarose, noticing Elphaba's hands, announced it would be much easier to handle silverware without gloves on and that it was a warm night, besides.

"I'll be fine," Elphaba murmured, and went back to eating with her head curiously bent over the plate and her fork clumsily clenched in one hand.

"Nothing's wrong, is it?" Nessarose pressed. "Glinda said you weren't well and nobody's seen you all day."

"I'm fine, I said," Elphaba snapped, attempting to discreetly remove her outer layer of gloves.

Nanny clucked. "Not if you've got two gloves on each hand you're not. And why not take off that big cloak of yours? It's not the chills you have, is it?"

"No," Elphaba said quietly. "It's not the chills."

"Then what's going on?" Avaric demanded. "You look half mad, all swathed up like that."

Glinda heard Elphaba slowly draw a breath. "This morning," she proclaimed, "my dear roommate saw fit to give me a gift." She took off the second pair of gloves and made no move to hide her bare hands.

Nessarose, predictably, uttered a prayer. Avaric, just as predictably, swore. Nanny's swift intake of breath was overshadowed when Milla, Pfannee, and Shenshen squealed in unison. Tibbett, Crope, and Fiyero simply gawked dumbly. "But you're pale!" Boq blurted, lending a voice to what everyone was thinking. Then, looking closer. "You're…very pale."

"Nanny…" Nessarose began, but Nanny hushed her. Slowly, the old woman reached towards Elphaba and, when the girl made no move to stop her, pushed back her hood.

Pfannee's shriek practically shattered their glasses.

Elphaba looked murderous. "I was going to say I'd prefer that no one else know, but seeing as everyone within ten miles of Shiz must have—"

­"What happened?" several voices interrupted as one.

"Glinda," Elphaba said pointedly.

"I thought she'd enjoy it," Glinda retorted.

Boq was shaking his head and staring at Elphaba, looking rather pale himself. "Oh, no. She'd been talking about a surprise she had planned for you, but I didn't think she would do something so…ambitious. I mean, it's not that you look bad, but…" he trailed off.

Nanny was shaking her head as well, but grinning from ear to ear. "But this isn't bad at all! Just wait until your father—"

"No!" Elphaba burst out. "He's not going to hear a word of it. And neither," she gazed intently at each face in turn, "is anyone else. Everything will be fixed as soon as we figure out how."

­"Well, really, I think it's funny that you're all covered up now," said Milla, "like normal skin is something you should want to hide."

"For me it is, because it's not me. Understand?"

Milla obviously didn't understand at all, but Elphaba spoke the words so passionately it seemed best just to nod.

Fiyero was staring at his own dark, tattooed hands as if he had never seen them before. "And now you want to be the way you were?"

"We thought you might be able to find something in your library," Glinda jumped in. "If we all look hard, we're bound to turn up something. Naturally, the obvious and much simpler solution would be to speak with professors, but certain parties are averse to that idea."

Elpbaba scowled. "I beg your pardon, Miss Glinda, if I'm not overjoyed at the prospect of being smirked down upon by our esteemed headmistress—or, if she ever so magnanimously decides to proffer her assistance, indebted to her."

"Of course we can find something," Tibbett announced gallantly before an argument could occur. "We're the cleaning maids of culture, are we not? And if we all look at once, we can have something by tomorrow."

"No page unturned, no volume untouched!" Crope added, evidently attempting to sound like a seasoned soldier. Theatrically, he brandished a fork. "Who's with me?"

"I've got magazines that talk about powders meant to even out skin tone," Shenshen exclaimed, suddenly enthusiastic. "Maybe that could help you write a spell."

"Yes, very nice," Nanny interrupted, "but what does Elphaba do in the meantime?"

"I'm not going to class like this," Elphaba declared quickly. "Coming here was enough."

­"I'll get books for her, too, and she can search from our room," Glinda said carelessly.

Nessarose frowned. "But Nanny's right; you can't hide in your room indefinitely. If you skip class until we find something useful, the rest of us might have already graduated."

Glinda looked pleadingly at her roommate. "If all else fails, will you see someone? You can't mean to miss much school."

Elphaba was visibly ambivalent. Thus far, she had only missed her classes once, the day after a sudden downpour had caught her unawares. Unlike Glinda, for whom having clashing petticoats or chipped nail varnish was excuse enough to stay in all morning, she had never skipped for pleasure, so in a sense she was entitled. Then again, there was no telling how long the researching process could go on.

"I'll miss a week," she said finally. "Just five days, counting the weekend, really," she added, more for her own comfort than the others'. "I can get notes easily enough, and I'm sure I won't be out long enough to fall very far behind."

"And if nobody's turned up anything by then, you'll get help elsewhere?"

"I don't suppose I'll have a choice, will I?" Elphaba said flatly, rising to her feet. "So we might as well get started now."

Crope jumped up and stabbed the air with his fork a second time. "Come on, then. To the libraries!"