"Who are you?" she asked the approaching 17-year-old Winkie.
"Name's Jonn," he said, gawking rudely at Elphaba.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
"Like what?"
"You know what I mean."
"I've never seen a green girl."
"Yeah, they're rare everywhere, aren't they?" said Elphaba, with her signature smirk on her face.
Jonn laughed. "True."
"So, why are you here?"
"I've been walking a while and I'm tired."
"Sure."
"Well, aren't you trusting?"
"You'd be like this, too, if you were looking for the serial rapists who went after your sister and an innocent 10-year-old girl," she defended.
"Is your sister part elf, too?"
"Neither of us are part elf, and no, Nessa is not green."
"Who are you?"
"Elphaba. Thropp Third Descending, if you want details."
"Not living up to your namesake, are you, Saint Aelphaba?"
"I've never been one for saints," she replied coolly. She stood up and swung her hair over her shoulder. She straightened her dress and looked up to find Jonn staring at her. "What?" she asked, genuinely curious.
"Nothing," he said, but blushed scarlet.
Elphaba looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "I think that you're lying!" she said in a singsong voice.
He laughed and raised one of his eyebrows back at her. "Maybe I am."
Elphaba rolled her eyes and turned to face the setting sun. The wind whipped her hair around her face and her dress around her ankles. She smiled. This was her favorite time of day, when the sun cast vivid oranges and reds across the world. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist. She started. "What are you doing, Jonn?"
"Sorry, it's just…" he paused. "You're so beautiful," he murmured in her ear.
Elphaba froze. She had never considered herself beautiful before. She thought she looked more like a tree, with her spindly limbs, pointy nose, and flat chest. And being green certainly didn't help. But Jonn sounded so sure when he called her that, so she couldn't help but trust him. She immediately fell, and fell hard, for this smooth-talking Winkie. She leaned her head on his shoulder, closed her eyes, and let a small smile play across her face.
About five minutes later, she heard Elliot yell something. She started and looked around. Jonn let go and stood beside her. "What the fuck?"
"Language!" teased Elphaba. Then, she saw three shadows walking towards them and her face fell. "You'd better go!"
"Why?"
"They're coming back, and Elliot considers all male Winkies suspects. Go!"
He nodded, pecked her on the cheek, and ran off in the opposite direction. She put her hand on her cheek and dreamily watched him go. So what if they saw her in her trance-like state? All she gave a damn about was her Winkie, just for that moment.