"May I ask you something?"

Elphaba looked down from her book to Glinda, whose head rested in her lap. "You just did."

Glinda playfully ignored that. "I don't think seeing you around more is as bad an idea as you think."

"Was that what you wished to ask? Because I don't think that's a question."

"My question is… why do you still seem upset by it?"

The green woman hummed. " I'm not as upset. I've come to terms with the decision."

"It might help, you know. Letting people know who you are."

"How so?"

"They'll get to know you, just like I did."

"And they'll be less likely to stage a coup to overthrow me as their leader if they get to know me."

"That's not funny," Glinda laughed. "And it could help boost opera morale."

"Is it low?"

"No, just…" She shifted to look at Elphaba. "Seeing your face around more would… I don't know…"

"Scare people?"

"Help." She reached for her hand. "Plus, I'll finally be able to abuse my 'I know the owner' card to get what I want."

Elphaba chuckled. "Is there something you want me to do for you?"

"No. I just want to have that card in my deck. Just in case." She glanced at the clock, realizing she only had half an hour left of her Elphie time. She was more than happy to spend it in a comfortable silence, with only the clock's soft ticking in the background.

…

Glinda was glad she was able to share that picnic with Elphaba, for with the start of the fall season came the rainy season. Outside excursions had to be minimalized, lest she want to catch a chill in the cold rain.

As September morphed into October, the Opera House pulled its preparations for the tricentennial celebration to the forefront.

"We must plan as much as we can before Lurlinemas," Morrible said as she walked with Greyling and the head of the vocal department into the auditorium. "Now that 'Du Lignes di Margus' has opened, we have more time to focus our attention elsewhere."

"But not a lot of time. The auditions for 'Cypila' are in two weeks. All my dancers have been practicing for days," Greyling said. "They are… intrigued by the auditions."

"You still aren't keen on the idea?"

"I'm not against it. It just always saved time and drama when I assigned the roles. I suppose it also meant I haven't noticed any new talent or improvements."

"The owner was very precise with the instructions," the head of the voice department spoke up. "We've never received demands like this before. Oz, we've never received demands before."

They reached the front of the auditorium and turned, looking out at the house of empty seats.

"Don't worry. We will find out more about our mysterious boss soon enough," Morrible promised them, closing the subject in favor of discussing operation plans.

…

Glinda practiced her rond de jambes at the barre. Auditions started later that day, and she had to make sure her body was warmed up properly and her technique was flawless. Greyling had said that there would be a group audition for the winter ballet in the studio, followed by solo, time-slotted auditions in the auditorium. It would also serve as the auditions for the special anniversary events.

She smoothed out her rehearsal skirt, and noted how her hands were unusually clammy. She had every right to be nervous; this was a very important audition. She loved dancing and hoped this progression would show her parents that she could make something of herself and didn't have to settle down and marry right away.

Come to think of it, she hadn't heard from her parents in months. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't received a message from them all summer. Surely Ama Clutch was still in contact with them, but they hadn't made any effort to reach out to their only child.

She supposed it was a good thing. If her parents weren't talking to her, it meant that they weren't criticizing her love for ballet and demanding that she settle down and marry a respectable man.

Audition Day caused the opera house to be buzzing with activities. Practice studios were booked, music blasted through the walls, mixed with the harmonies of new pointe shoes being banged against the floors, and emotions ran high.

Glinda told herself to just stay focused on being grateful for the opportunity to audition, rather than the disappointment she was sure to feel when she surely got overlooked. She planned on doing her best regardless.

She went to grab her water bottle from her bag, but before she found it, her fingers grazed something else. Blinking, she pulled out a lavender rose with a note attached.

My beautiful dancer.

She didn't need to think about who put it there, but rather, how she put it there. The clock chiming the hour forced her to add this to her growing list of the mysteries of Elphaba as she grabbed her belongings and hurried to the main studio.

As soon as she entered, she was immediately greeted by her friends. She didn't know if that made her feel better or not. She loved seeing their comforting, familiar faces, but it also meant more competition.

No, you promised yourself you wouldn't focus on that, Glinda reminded herself as she stretched at the barre. You're going to do your best, and everything will be fine. She glanced over at her bag, where she left her special encouraging present poking out, and breathed out the nervous tension in her body as Greyling called for the start.

Greyling stood at the front of the room and taught the combination. She moved faster than she normally did, and Glinda struggled to keep up. She tried not to focus on everyone doing better than her, but it was hard to notice. She regretted choosing a spot in the third row.

Thankfully, she wasn't in the first group to perform, so she stood off to the side with everyone else and marked the movements in her mind. She felt the butterflies doing summersaults in her stomach, and right before she was called up, felt like she was going to throw up.

Relax, Glinda. Just do the steps.

No, it's not enough to just do the steps. You must show Greyling why you deserve this.

Keep it simple. Just do the steps.

Remember why Elphaba noticed you.

The music started, and she was off. Something about the music got the voices in her head to shut up, the butterflies to calm, and her body took over. She allowed herself to feel the music, and put her whole passion behind each step. No one else was with her in her trance. It was just her and the music.

Her group finished, and she returned to her friends. They congratulated her the way she congratulated them, and she smiled and thanked them, but her head was elsewhere. She watched the rest of the auditionees and practically ran out with her belongings the moment Greyling dismissed them.

She had a little over an hour before her assigned solo audition in the auditorium, so she grabbed a small lunch from the café and tucked herself away in the corner of the lounge. She knew she needed to stay focused, so she kept herself from going up to Elphaba's office, where she knew she'd be nothing but distracted.

After eating, she changed into her costume; a light blue and white dress with a large, tulle skirt, and fixed her bun. She carefully untied the matching fan that was attached to the costume to keep it together. She rarely did fan dances, and didn't know why she chose this specific piece for her audition, but it was too late to change her mind now.

She rolled her feet, trying to dissipate some of the soreness from hours of wearing her pointe shoes. She was almost finished. The second her audition was over, she was going to rip this fabric from her feet, throw them across the room, and pretend she wasn't in pain for a few minutes.

She took the rose from her bag, quickly kissed the petals, and hurried out.

All of this will be over soon, she thought as she went to the backstage area. A few other dancers were doing last-minute stretches and running through their solos. She watched Maehri do her solo, politely applauding when she was done, and the next dancer was called on.

She went to the corner to wait her turn. She didn't feel as nervous as before. For some reason, the group audition made her more nervous. Probably because more eyes could see her mess up.

"Miss Glinda Upland!"

She jumped at hearing her name, and took a final, calming breath before gracefully walking onstage. She looked out, seeing Greyling and Merante behind a table near the front. Okay, she could do this.

She curtsied to the auditioners, took her starting position, and nodded to the accompanist. The music began and she opened the fan, delicately fluttering it across her face as she shifted her weight to gracefully raise her leg.

…

Elphaba hurried down the stairs as quickly as she could. She didn't mean to lose track of time, but she had been so desperate to take a break from her piles of contracts and billings and other paperwork, that she had briefly dozed off on the sofa, only to be woken up by the clock chiming the hour, giving her only a few seconds to get down to the auditorium in time to watch Glinda's audition.

She practically flew down the stairs, only slowing her pace a tad when she missed a step and almost fell on her face. Thankfully, she reached the bottom of the staircase and slipped into her private box unnoticed, as usual.

She slumped in her seat, closing her eyes as she caught her breath. She opened her eyes, frowning when she noticed that everything was indistinguishably blurry. She patted her pockets for her glasses, but came up empty. She frowned, wondering how she had managed to get down there from her office without them. But she was too tired to run back up.

"Miss Glinda Upland!"

And too late. She watched a blurry figure enter the stage. She wouldn't have known it was Glinda if she wasn't announced. She wanted to stay and watch, but didn't see the point if she couldn't see her. Squinting would give her a headache, but she sat up in her chair as the music started. She didn't know how, but she knew Glinda was doing exactly what she did that got her noticed the first time. She could feel it. And she hoped that Glinda could feel her support.

Glinda accepted her driver's hand as she got into the carriage, where Ama Clutch was waiting for her. She was exhausted, and just wanted to go home.

"How were the auditions, Glinda?" Ama Clutch asked as they rode home.

"Exhausting. But… fun," she sighed, leaning her head against her Ama's shoulder. "The roles will be announced before the Lurlinemas break."

"I know you did stunningly. You've grown into a beautiful young lady, Glinda. I'm so proud of you."

The blonde smiled at her companion. "Thank you, Ama."

As soon as they returned home, Glinda quickly undressed and slipped into her nightgown. By the time Ama Clutch caught up with her, Glinda was already in bed, her clothes lying haphazardly across the floor. The older woman shook her head with a slight chuckle, and went to work tidying up her charge's mess.

The next morning, Glinda woke up sore and stiff. She groaned, slowly stretching her legs to avoid getting a cramp. She thought she had sufficiently warmed up and stretched before the auditions, but supposed it wasn't enough. She pushed herself up, her gentle stretches slowly helping to ease the stiffness and soreness.

"Good morning, Duckie," Ama Clutch smiled, entering Glinda's room and opening the curtains.

"Good morning, Ama."

The old woman tenderly brushed Glinda's hair from her face. "Are you alright?"

"Just tired. Yesterday was a lot."

"Would you prefer to stay home today?"

Glinda frowned. She hated missing class, and especially hated missing performances. But she knew to listen to her body when it told her to take it easy to avoid a worse injury, so she agreed. "I think that would be best. I'll have a note sent."

Ama Clutch nodded and left. Glinda pushed herself to her feet, slipped into her dressing gown, and slowly shuffled over to her desk to pen the letter. She hoped one rest day would help her recover enough to return tomorrow. She addressed it to Greyling at the opera house and sent Henv to deliver it.

Ama Clutch returned a few moments later with a warm breakfast in bed. "You were so tired last night that I didn't get to tell you the news."

"Good news or bad news?"

"A letter from your parents arrived."

Glinda paused mid-chew. Her parents finally wrote to her? After months of forgetting she existed, they expected her to drop everything just to hear what they had to say?

"You don't look happy," Ama Clutch frowned.

"What did they say?"

"I don't know. The letter was addressed to you." She procured the envelope from her pocket and held it out.

Glinda took it, but still didn't open it. Was she going to allow whatever her parents said to ruin her breakfast? Whatever they wanted, it wouldn't be anything good. It never was. It was always the same; stop dancing, get married, have a family. But what if she wasn't ready yet? They would tell her that she needed to do it while she was still young.

"I think you should open it," Ama Clutch encouraged.

She worked her jaw, but slowly tore open the envelope, pulling out a folded letter on her parents' familiar stationery. She barely made it past the first few lines before tossing the letter aside with a huff.

Ama Clutch moved to pick it up, but stopped herself. She was well aware of Glinda's rocky relationship with her parents, despite her best efforts to patch things up between them from both sides. She knew when to push, and when to let it go. And right now, she had to let it go. She patted Glinda's knee and rose, taking the breakfast tray with her.

Glinda stayed in bed for the rest of the morning. She drifted in and out of sleep, her body using this resting time to recover. An hour before lunch, Ama Clutch knocked on her door.

"Glinda, you have a visitor."

Wide awake, Glinda looked up from her window seat as Ama Clutch stepped aside, allowing the guest entry. Her eyes widened. "Elphie."

"Hello, Glinda," Elphaba said, stepping in as Ama Clutch closed the door behind her. "Are you alright?"

The controlled franticness of her voice made her sound even more frantic. "I'm fine. What did you… how did… I addressed that note to Greyling."

"I know. But word travels fast. Since our star ballerina is out, we had to cancel tonight's performance."

Glinda rolled her eyes, knowing she was nowhere near being the star of anything and that the show would still go on without her. "I'm not that important."

"But you are alright?"

"I'm fine, Elphie. I just needed a day off after yesterday." A pause, then, "Does this visit grant me an automatic excused absence so I don't have to plead my case with Greyling?"

"Now that I've confirmed that you're not dying, I suppose I can fight for you," Elphaba chuckled, pulling her braid over her shoulder as her franticness ebbed. "How were the auditions?"

"Fine. I did my best, but I don't think I walked out of there with a major role in the anniversary events or the winter ballet."

"Why do you say that?"

"I… don't know." She didn't know where this sudden loss of confidence came from. She knew she did very well. She did her best. But she knew that others did better. "I couldn't get my legs high enough for the grande battement, my knee almost gave out, and I almost fell out of my turns."

"I'm sure you were perfect, and you'll get a good role in both." She sat next to her on the window seat. "But something else is bothering you."

Glinda sighed and went over to her desk, retrieving her letter from her parents. "My parents want me home for Lurlinemas."

"You don't want to go?"

"No," she said emphatically, then softened. "They will give me a long speech about how I need to become a 'proper young lady worthy of the Upland name', and stop this 'foolish ballet dancing'." She looked up at the green woman. "They want to introduce me to someone. No doubt a man who is twice my age who has already signed our marriage contract."

"You're set against marriage?"

"No. I want to marry. But I want to marry when I'm ready, not when my parents forced someone upon me."

"Glinda –"

"If I go home for Lurlinemas, there's a good chance I won't be able to return. I can't do that. I love it here too much. I… I love you too much. I can't leave you, Elphie."

"Is there anything you can do to avoid going home?"

She scoffed. "I doubt it."

"What if the Wizard invited you to the Lurlinemas Eve Ball at the Emerald City Palace? That would trump your parents' decision, yes?"

Glinda blinked. "I suppose so. But that would never happen, so what's the use of –" Her voice trailed off when she saw Elphaba procure two large invitations from her bag, handing one to her. "Elphaba?" She took the invitation and opened it, seeing her name written in neat, green cursive above the words 'His Supreme Ozness, the Wonderful Wizard of Oz, cordially invites you to attend his most illustrious Lurlinemas Eve Ball'. She squinted suspiciously at the green woman. "Where did you get this? Is this real? You know you can get arrested for forgery."

"Of course it's not a forgery," Elphaba laughed. "I will not be arrested."

"How did you get this?"

Instead of answering, she smiled and stood. "So you'll accompany me?"

She clocked that it wasn't an answer to her question, but she had more pressing priorities. Elphaba could keep whatever her secret was for a bit longer. Her suspicion melted into excitement. "I suppose one cannot refuse an invitation from the Wizard. Oh, yes! Yes, Elphie! A thousand yesses!" She threw her arms around the green woman and kissed her. "Thank you!"

Elphaba, now used to the enthusiastic displays of grateful affection, kissed her back. "You're welcome, my sweet. And I'm sure whoever you meet at the palace will be far superior to anyone your parents could ever introduce you to."

"My date is far superior to anyone my parents could ever introduce me to."