Elphie sipped her drink, and observed life through the window beside her. People passed by, mostly in pairs, their moving lips and hand gestures indicating conversations that she could only begin to speculate about. Across the street, overdressed ladies and gentlemen passed in and out of the Ozdust Ballroom doors, and Elphie couldn't help but compare them to buzzing bees in overpriced clothes. Suddenly, a face appeared in her field of vision, startling her. She coughed and spit out a sip of her drink as Boq entered the café and sat across from her.

"Good God, Boq, you nearly killed me!" she sputtered.

Boq set his camera down and handed her a napkin. "Sorry, Elphaba. Didn't mean to startle you. I was covering the party across the way there, and figured I needed a break. Too much fancy breeding in there…felt like I was at a dog show."

Elphie laughed at this. She and Boq weren't exactly friends, but were decent acquaintances, and got along well enough. He was the reporter for the school newspaper, and was known to be a bit of a gossip, but Elphie didn't blame him, considering his job and his major in journalism. He'd never started rumors about her, but she was still very cautious about what she said around him. He handed her his camera and she began to scroll through the pictures.

"So, too many noses in the air for you?"

Boq snorted. "Yeah, it was pretty awful. " He began to imitate a show announcer. "Here, we have a purebred Miss Pfannee, groomed to perfection, but a little too wide in the hindquarters. That's a few points off there… and over here there's a Giant Master Fiyero—oh, wait, he's attempting to hump the Teacup Lady Glinda….oh, stop, for the love of God! That's not allowed!"

Elphie, who had begun to chuckle, froze. A picture of Glinda in Fiyero's arms had caught her eye. His face was turned from the lens, but hers wasn't, and the look in her eyes was unmistakable. The smile melted from her face, and her eyes narrowed. Disgusted, she set the camera aside and picked up her drink. "Was he really?"

Boq, who was clueless about Elphaba's relationship with Glinda, continued. "Oh, yeah, you shoulda seen it! It really was like two dogs in heat…all the touching and grinding and making out….they might as well have started fucking right there on the dance floor. They finally went off somewhere in the back together, thank Oz, because I was starting to get a little nauseated..."

The glass shattered in her hand.

Boq gaped at her with wide eyes. "Elphie? Are you ok? What's wrong?"

Elphaba looked down at her hand. Pink and red mixed together across the green of her skin, and she stared at it, trying to bring her adrenaline down. If Glinda was truly fooling around with Fiyero…

She shook her head. If it was true, then everything would be over. Boq grabbed a handful of napkins and began to dab at her hand. She didn't even flinch as she pulled her hand away.

"Don't worry, Boq, I'm okay… I just… I need a little air." She stood up and pulled a bill out of her pocket, laid it on the table, then turned and walked away without a word, leaving Boq staring after her, wondering what he'd said wrong.