Glinda sat at her desk, writing. The Grimmerie was back in its secret drawer along with the hat and the bottle. The maid had come and went with the food (Glinda had stuffed Fiyero in the closet) and she had eaten a little. Now she was sucking on her pen, thinking about how to bend history ever so slightly. She sighed and looked up to see Fiyero sitting in the corner (sleeping?). She got up and walked towards him. He instantly looked up and smiled.
"Tough time of it?"
"A bit. How about you? How's life been, since, you know."
"A bit of an adjustment. I honestly do feel better after being cleaned up, thank you. It has been strange. I need not sleep, so I spend most of the night thinking, or making sure no animals are going to sneak into the cottage. No so much a worry about that here. I have very little weight to me but am almost indestructible. I can't feel pain, or heat, or cold. I do not tire, nor hunger, nor even breathe. The only thing I really fear is fire."
"I see. That must be strange."
"You know what the strangest thing is?" Fiyero lifted his hat and Glinda could see straight into his head. It was all hay and bran. She recoiled. "I can do that, and it has no effect. At least as a person I knew where I was thinking from. Now…"
"I'm so sorry."
"It's not your fault."
"Could you change yourself somehow?"
"I don't know what it would do. After a few…interesting episodes we concluded that my head is what keeps the body together. Whatever is in the sack that I use for my body becomes a part of me."
"Oh, I see." She replied. She was about to say something else when she heard a bang come from the bathroom followed by some swearing. Glinda went to check but could not see through all the steam.
"Elphie?" she said. She felt Fiyero come up behind her, and then a raspberry come from the tub. She went to its side but could barely see Elphaba through the bubbles. She was also almost completely submerged. As Glinda approached she glared at her.
"Oh no, Elphie! You really did melt! Why did I let you go in the tub?" Glinda wailed. Elphaba glared even more fiercely. When she did not stop Elphaba slid up but made sure she was still covered by the bubbles.
"Oh, Elphie, you're alive! Like Saint Aelphaba emerging from the waterfall."
"I hate you."
"No, you don't. Now, what was all that noise?"
"I was trying to wash my hair and slipped."
"How do you slip washing your hair?"
"It's very tangled."
"My dear Elphie, come here. Fiyero, bring me that brush."
"Glinda, I don't know how you feel about you brushing my hair."
"Nonsense. I used to do it all the time, and it's not like you have something I haven't seen before. A different shade perhaps…"
Elphaba blushed, a lovely hint of purple rising to her cheeks, and sank lower into the bubbles while tossing Glinda a glare. She giggled.
"I'll be outside." Fiyero said, handing Glinda the brush, and smiling.
"Come here." Glinda said, and Elphaba scooted closer. She began by brushing the tangles out of the bottom, occasionally clucking or tsking. Every so often she would compliment Elphaba's hair on its fullness, softness, the crimson highlight that danced in it when the light hit it at just the right angle. Elphaba slowly relaxed; she fell back to the days at Shiz, not exactly carefree but nowhere near as burdensome as now. She had forgotten the feeling of safety that came from being with her best friend. Forgot the feeling of intimacy from one of the few people who ever truly cared about her. Truly loved her.
By the time Glinda had reached the crown Elphaba was slack against her. Glinda began alternating brushing and stroking her hair causing Elphaba to sigh and close her eyes. Glinda smiled. She still knew her Elphie. She continued to comb her hair and whisper compliments now not because the hair needed combed but because she did not want it to end. After a bit Elphaba gave a shiver and Glinda realized the water was cold. She stood and Elphaba gave a little groan of disappointment before she could catch herself. Glinda reached over and opened the drain. Elphaba opened her eyes.
"What are you doing?" she asked warningly.
"Shush, you. The water has grown cold. Though I do think it is adorable you put bubbles in your bath." Glinda moved towards a cabinet and started rooting through it.
"I did nothing of the sort. I just put water in it and they appeared. Probably too much bubble residue." Elphaba replied and started to get up.
"Sit." Glinda said forcibly without turning around. Elphaba sat. By now the water (but not the bubbles) had grown low. Glinda came back with a number of jars which she sat next to the tub. She closed the drain and opened the water; testing it, she adjusted it for temperature before shaking a small amount of a powder into it. The water began to foam. Pink, of course. Elphaba arched an eyebrow.
"Unless you'd rather there be no bubbles?" Glinda replied to the unasked question and Elphaba sighed. "I thought not." Glinda turned away while the tub filled, and began to hum to herself. Elphaba was just glad she did not bust out into a full aria like when they roomed together. Glinda returned this time holding two jars and a small cloth.
"Um…Glinda?"
"ShuUUussh." She sang. Glinda rubbed something from the first jar on the cloth and then tilted Elphaba's head back. "Eyes – and mouth! – closed." She began to rub the cloth rub Elphaba's face with the cloth, and then reached down to find the hand bucket. "Hold your breath." And Glinda doused her. She started the routine again but let it sit for a while. In the meantime she began to shampoo Elphaba's hair.
"Oh, Elphie, your scalp is a dry mess. Well, Glinda will fix that! Deep breath!" she doused Elphaba again, and then a third time. Elphaba opened her eyes and was about to tell Glinda off, but petite hands connected with her shoulders and began to knead something into them. She sagged in defeat, and then positively melted when those hands reached her neck. Glinda moved onto Elphaba's scalp but she was practically mush by that point. Glinda smiled and moved back to Elphaba's neck. With Elphaba being so relaxed, she had to wrap an arm around her shoulders to get enough support to massage her. This brought her in very close contact with the emerald girl. Glinda whispered into her ear.
"So many knots and tension. Probably from carrying those terrible burdens on your shoulders. Don't worry, now, Glinda will help you with those." Elphaba gave a slight noise, almost a mew, from either the words or from the fact Glinda had started to work out a particular tense spot. Glinda thought both.
"Stay here." Glinda said and leaned the emerald girl against the tub. Elphaba went to stand but lost the fight against herself. Glinda pranced back in holding a shimmering pink bathrobe. It was long. For Glinda at least.
"Glinda. I don't think that will fit."
"It will. Quick, put it on. We have things to do!"
"I'm not getting out of this bath."
"Elphie, please. Fine! I'll look away." Glinda turned around. Elphaba extracted herself from the bath and picked up the robe. She flipped it out and around her shoulders, and slid into it. It barely came down to her knees.
"Maybe I should go live in the wilderness." purred Glinda.
"Glinda!" Elphaba's outrage was met with a cackle oddly reminiscent of her own. Then she was sat in a chair and her hair taken a hold of. Glinda began brushing it out while brushing oil into it. She was humming a tune familiar to Elphaba but she could not place it. After she was finished she handed a bottle to Elphaba.
"Here's some of the oil you like so much to put on that leathery skin of yours. Unless you want help?" Elphaba glared at her and Glinda giggled. She wrapped her arms around Elphaba.
"So glad to have you back." she whispered, and then breezed out. Elphaba took a deep breath and then shook her head. She forgot what a presence Glinda was. With that, she began the process of applying oil to her skin.
She came out of the bathroom to see Fiyero reading a book, and Glinda with her head bowed over a piece of paper at the desk. Her curls bounced adorably as she attempted to think of a line.
"This year marks the fifth since the Wicked Witch was deposed in Munchkinland. However, her Wickedness has sewn deep roots that are still growing today. I believe we can come together as Ozians to put aside our difference and join together in harmony." She said distantly.
"Sounds good." Elphaba said, working hard to keep the disdain out of her voice.
"You really think so?"
"Yeah. I'm not exactly thrilled on the message but I understand."
"That means a lot to me, Elphie."
"However, what will we do in the meantime? I mean, Fiyero can move about but it's not exactly like I can stroll around unnoticed."
"You can stay here. I'll lock the door so no one can enter."
"Not exactly a long term solution."
"I'm working on that. I have the startings of a plan."
"Really? What?"
"That would be telling."
"Another question: where will I sleep?"
"With me silly. My bed is easily big enough for the both of us."
"I see."
"Well, it's actually bed time for me." She popped up and moved towards the bathroom. Elphaba could hear her singing to herself as she washed up. She contemplated popping in to avenge herself from earlier but decided against it. Glinda came out of the bathroom with a dark green nighty- the same color as Elphaba's skin. She crawled into bed and patted the place next to her. "You need sleep too."
"Uh, let me change." Elphaba darted into the bathroom and changed into the light cream shift she appeared in. Glinda wrinkled her nose and grabbed the wand off her nightstand. She made a few small flicks and Elphaba's shift cleaned up. She replaced it and Elphaba looked at it in curiosity as she got into bed.
"What wand is that? I saw you use it earlier."
"It's my first one."
"Why do you have training wand still?"
"It's very handy compared to my other ones." Glinda rolled over. "Plus, it has a lot of sentimental value."
Elphaba smiled.
Elphaba woke to something cold on her. She opened her eyes to see Glinda cuddled on her. She smiled and pulled her closer.