AN: I love how you're all, "Operation Fiyeraba! (Wrong story, LOL!)" :P.
LetWickedNeverDie: Same here! :P I can't do the creepy eyebrow thing, either. How can people lift only one eyebrow?! It's unnatural!
Also, stop expecting bad things to happen, all of you. No-one is going to die or get tortured or anything. Not in this story, anyway *sniggers*. You can all relax for now.
Check out my blog for some fun facts about the four chapters of this fic that I posted so far - including the 'Fill in the blanks' stories in this chapter, heheh.
Day Four
"A 'Fill In The Blanks' story." Galinda held up her OzBeat magazine. "Don't tell me you don't know what a 'Fill In The Blanks' story is."
"Um…" Nessa shared a look with Boq, but he looked just as clueless as she was and he shrugged. Nessa looked back at Galinda almost apologetically. "We… don't know what a 'Fill In The Blanks' story is?"
Galinda shook her head in exasperation. "You uncultivated animals!" she declared indignantly, at which Elphaba snorted a laugh.
"I'll show you how it works," said Galinda. "Ooh, this is one about the beach – you'll love it. Here, Nessa, you can help me." She showed the wheelchair-bound girl the story. Nessa frowned slightly as she read it.
One day, [NAME 1] and [NAME 2] decided to take a trip to the beach. [NAME 1] packed a bag full of [ADJECTIVE] [FOOD] and a big jug of [LIQUID]. [NAME 2] wanted to learn how to [VERB] so they rented a pair of [PLURAL NOUN] and hopped into the water. A lifeguard blew on his [NOUN] because someone was [-ING VERB] too far into the ocean. The sun was [-ING VERB] so [NAME 1] and [NAME 2] rubbed [NOUN] on each other for protection. Eventually the tide came too close and [PAST TENSE VERB] all the [PLURAL NOUN] away from the beach. [NAME 1] and [NAME 2] packed their [NOUN] and went home.
"This doesn't make any sense," Nessa said, puzzled.
Galinda grinned at her. "Just you wait and see." She waved her pencil at Nessa. "Nessa, I need two names. Just random names."
"Boq and Madame Morrible," said Nessa.
Galinda giggled and wrote it down. "Boq, give me an adjective."
"Um… snarky?" he tried and Galinda penned it down again.
"Fiyero, a kind of food?"
"Pie," he said.
"Elphie, a liquid?"
"Milk. Glin, what is this all about?"
"Just wait and see," the blonde said. She continued to ask everyone these questions until she had filled in all the blanks in the story and she cleared her throat. "Ready?"
"I guess," said Boq.
Galinda giggled as she started reading.
"One day, Boq and Madame Morrible decided to take a trip to the beach. Boq packed a bag full of snarky pie and a big jug of milk. Madame Morrible wanted to learn how to skip, so they rented a pair of trees and hopped into the water. A lifeguard blew on his book because someone was sleeping too far into the ocean. The sun was running, so Boq and Madame Morrible rubbed strawberry jam on each other for protection. Eventually the tide came too close and slurped all the couches away from the beach. Boq and Madame Morrible packed their heads and went home."
By the time she was done, she was quite literally rolling over with laughter, as was Fiyero. Nessa was leaning against Boq, giggling madly. Even Elphaba found herself grinning.
"Now that," Galinda giggled, "is a 'Fill In The Blanks' story. I used to do this with Momsie all the time when we went on a holiday. We'd bring piles of magazines and have loads of fun!"
"Okay," Elphaba admitted, still chortling, "this is pretty funny."
Galinda beamed at her. "Let's do another one. Elphie, I'm going to tell your fortune. First I need a noun and a place in Oz."
She penned down everything Elphaba, Fiyero, Boq, and Nessarose came up with until she could tell Elphaba's 'future'.
"Okay, here we go," she said, already giggling again.
"Tomorrow, a handsome table will come your way and ask you to come with it to Munchkinland and dance with it there. Don't fall for its disgusting nature or you will turn into a goat."
Boq snorted a laugh.
"Be careful not to touch any shoes this week," Galinda went on, eyes dancing with glee. "They are bad luck."
"Bare feet all week," Elphaba deadpanned. "Noted."
"If you find yourself losing a hair, go find Galinda. She will most likely have eaten it. Ew! Elphie, that is gross!"
Nessa was shaking with uncontrollable laughter.
"The Wizard will declare his undying love for you," Galinda continued, giggling madly once again, "but you will turn him away because you prefer Pfannee." She shrieked with laughter. "You and Pfannee roll off into the sunset together and live creepily ever after. The end!"
Elphaba fell against Fiyero, laughing so hard she had tears in her eyes. The prince patted her head, grinning widely. "Hey, Fae, I didn't know you had a thing for Pfannee, but I'm glad you can live creepily ever after together."
"I would have picked the Wizard," Boq guffawed. Nessa giggled.
They spent most of the afternoon on the beach like that, taking silly tests from Galinda's magazine – apparently, Nessa's ideal boyfriend was Avaric and Fiyero's least attractive body part was his right leg – and filling in blanks for more stories. They made one about Galinda going camping and then Galinda found one that was supposed to be a love story, which she made about Elphaba and Fiyero.
""Come here, honey-bunny-cupcake," Fiyero giggled, and Elphaba crawled onto his head and bit his nose," Galinda read aloud. "Fiyero jumped onto Elphaba's closet and sang like a beast. Romantically, he screeched into Elphaba's ear, "Your foot smells like Morrible." She blushed and thanked him for that wonderful compliment."
They all howled with laughter.
Eventually, they went inside to have lunch together, after which Nessarose and Galinda decided to go to the village nearby to shop. They begged Elphaba to join them, but the dark-haired witch firmly refused.
"I," she said, "am going to take a book, sit down on that rocking bench on the porch, and not leave that spot all day long."
"I'll come with you girls," Boq offered kindly. "You'll need an escort, and I don't mind seeing Nessa in pretty dresses." He smiled at the girl in the wheelchair, and she blushed and smiled back at him.
Elphaba was glad to see them going so well. She had been worried about the Munchkin's intentions at first; but in the ten months he and Nessa had been together, he had proven that he truly did care for Elphaba's sister. He helped Nessa with everything and sometimes Elphaba caught him staring at the younger girl with a look in his eyes that could only be love. She was happy for Nessa.
"Are you coming, too, Fiyero?" asked Galinda, but the prince shook his head.
"Nah," he said. "I hate dresses. And shopping. And stores. I'll just stay here and keep Fae company."
"You really don't have to do that," Elphaba protested, but he just flashed her a grin.
"I want to."
Galinda caught his eye and wiggled her eyebrows at him meaningfully. Fiyero stuck out his tongue at the blonde – behind Elphaba's back, of course.
Galinda, Nessarose, and Boq left, and Elphaba curled up on the rocking bench with a book. They didn't have a rocking bench or anything like it back home in Munchkinland, even though they had a rather nice porch; and for some reason, Elphaba really liked it. She could just sit on it and read for hours, gently pushing herself back and forth with one foot against the balustrade.
Fiyero spent the first hour clearing the table and doing the dishes, after which he padded around the house, doing Oz-knew-what – Elphaba suspected he was just trying to let her read in peace. After a while, though, he came out onto the porch as well, clearly bored. He stood there staring across the lake for a few moments before joining her on the rocking bench.
He tried to read the title of her book. "What are you reading?"
"A dirty love story," she said.
The look on his face was rather priceless before he realised that she was joking. "Ha, ha." He playfully nudged her leg with his foot. "No, seriously, what are you reading?"
"Just a book," she replied vaguely.
He pulled it from her hands and stared at it for a few moments as the title got through to him. "Really?" He gave her an incredulous look. "You're reading a book about Ozian politics?"
She shrugged. "I find that interesting," she said defensively. "If I'm hoping to work for the Wizard one day, I need to know all the ins and outs of Ozian politics. All the laws, all the rules. Every province. And not just Ozian politics, either – I also brought a book on the politics of Oz's neighbouring countries – Ix, Fliaan, Quox – and one on economics…"
"Did you bring any fun books?" Fiyero demanded.
"Of course. It's not like I only ever read informative books." She tilted her head a little to the side. "I read adventure stories, thrillers, even romance novels. Occasionally," she added when she saw a grin lighting up his face.
"Romance stories? Really?" He chuckled. "I hadn't taken you for the romance type," he teased her.
She looked down at her hands resting in her lap. "Just because I'll never be part of my own romance story, doesn't mean I don't like to read about them," she said, trying to sound snappy, but it just came out small and kind of pathetic.
He frowned. "What? Why wouldn't you have your own romance story?" She could almost see the realisation dawning in his eyes. "Is this about your skin?"
"Partly," she admitted. "There's just nothing to love about me, Fiyero. I'm not attractive. I'm not sociable or outgoing. I'm not even nice."
"Of course you are. It just… takes you some time to open up." He put his arm around the back of the rocking bench, not quite touching her. "And that's okay, you know. Because once someone takes the time to get to know you, they will be able to see how wonderful you are. Once you open up, you are sweet, and caring, and even sociable. You're smart and funny, and how in Oz can you think you're not attractive? Just because you're green?"
"Well, it is kind of hard to look past that," she retorted sarcastically but he just shook his head, unfazed.
"You don't have to look past it," he said. "You just have to step out of the conservative ideas of beauty and look at things another way. You're the most beautiful girl I have ever seen, Elphaba. I mean that."
Feeling her cheeks heat up, she abruptly rose to her feet and shook her head in front of her face to hide her blush. "I'm going to start making dinner," she muttered. "The others will be back soon."
She started making her way to the door, then realised she was being rude and couldn't just leave him there like that. Not after he had been so sweet to her. "Fiyero?"
"Hmm?"
She took a deep breath. "Thank you."
Then she fled inside.