Debutante Debut

[Claire Heart]

If you can't beat them, join them, right? Claire, as promised, decided to throw the greatest ball ever known to man to welcome the new babies of Shiz into their rightful popularity. After all, they needed to learn their places, popular, but not as popular as me. It was a moto she used to live by. Plus, with her brother back, he'd be dying for a little of the old Ozdust magic. She could still remember when they'd first come to Shiz. What a perfect pair! No two siblings had ever dawned Shiz and been more swankified. It was as if they'd been born for this.

While filling out invitations, Claire felt a twinge for just a moment of humanity. It should have been Gayelette's coming out season, but instead there she was in a jail cell. And Claire would have no one to accompany her to the ball. She'd be stag...a think she was quite unused to. She shook her head and tried to push it out of her mind. This was a joyous affair, and she planned to keep it so.

The final touches were added, and everything was in place. Now all that was missing were the beauties bouncing about the room. She adjusted the tiara that circled her blonde curls, and smoothed out her lavender dress. Tonight would be fun. Tonight she would be her old self. Tonight was the last welcoming ball she would ever attend as a student at Shiz University, and she planned to make the most of every moment if it killed her.

[Polly Chrome]

Polly floated over to Claire, and gave her a big hug. "Oh, Claire! I'm SO glad you're back. I've missed you so much. You were always with Ellie, but now, I have you back!" She embraced Claire again. Polly had matured a bit, but at heart she was the same airy girl. And she had missed her best friend. She still felt terrible for what she had done, but she had still missed...things. Maybe that's why she had been so easily lured to the dark side in the first place.

"Oh Claire, you look just perfect! Like a Princess! Everything's back to how it should be!."

Polly wore a beautiful, multicolored rainbow dress.

[Claire Heart]

"And you...as beautiful as ever!" She embraced her, smiling. Polly seemed to be back to normal, too. Maybe this was good. Maybe it was how it was supposed to be. Or maybe...no. She wouldn't think like that. They had grown from their experiences. She had to believe that. It just wasn't how things were supposed to turn out. Not how she had thought, anyway. She put on a brave face though, as if she didn't think about the past or anything at all. As if she was the same airy Claire. And in some ways, she was.

Her eyes looked around the room, half hoping to see Ellie. She and Polly were the ones in charge of announcing the new young ladies of Shiz as they entered, but though she couldn't really go off anywhere, she hoped Ellie would join them. True Ellie and Polly weren't exactly the best of buddies, they were both her friends.

[Kay]

Kay glided over to join Polly and Claire, followed, of course by the large group of people who always seemed to be following her. Kay turned to them. "All right everyone that's enough. Go off and enjoy the party, and I'll see you later." They all disbursed. "Oh, Claire! How can I ever express my gratitution! A ball! For us! You, know, this is my first debutante affair. And all thanks to you. Oh Claire, you're so good! And Polly, you look lovely as usual. I hope we'll all three be the best of friends this year."

[Claire Heart]

"I have no doubt of it, my dear." Claire wrapped her arms around the fragile beauty. She looked around her, seeing if Tristan was around. She couldn't very well announce her presence without her escort.

[Tristan Keats]

He dashed up to Kay, smiling and kissed her cheek. "Here, love. Sorry, I'm late. I had to fight my way through a pack of admirers."

[Ellie Baum]

Ellie stood on the ground outside of the ballroom, her bright eyes just gazing over the window ledge. She didn't belong here. She was different, and she always would be. But Claire...what had happened? Claire hadn't even invited her. She could hear the plans being made with Kay and Polly. Perhaps she just forgot, but there was a little twinge in her heart...maybe Claire was embarrassed by her now..

[Claire Heart]

"Well then, if both of you are here..." Claire smiled. She was practically beaming. At least one of her kids had gotten it right. Even if Gayelette....no, she wasn't thinking about her. Instead, she grabbed the mic and pressed it to her lips. "Ladies and Gentlemen may I present our first honored guest of the night, Miss Kay Upland escorted by Tristan Keats." Claire motioned for them to descend the staircase down to the main ballroom floor, amidst a flurry of clapping and cheers.

[Kay]

Kay gave Tristan a little kiss, and glided down the stairs with him. A vision.

[Taye Keats]

Taye rushed through familiar streets, awkwardly pushing his way through crowds of people. The residents of Shiz, as well as students from Shiz University, were beginning to gather as they often did for the -- albeit limited -- nightlife of the city. He had missed it so badly in the past few months -- it was ironic that there had been a time that he had wanted nothing more than to leave the quiet town of Shiz to go back to the Emerald City. After his months of isolation, the college town seemed positively Ozmopolitan.

"Excuse me," Taye muttered, edging his way past a gaggle of giggling girls. They froze at the sight of him, then eagerly began chattering away in hushed tones. Taye grimaced; was it really possible that he had spent months away in the wilderness, sleeping in fields and inside hollow trees, and girls were still fawning over him? He had to look terrible, and he was married, for Oz sake. He had missed Claire so deeply. If only he knew more magic, then he could have at least let her know that he was safe. Ozma had made it perfectly clear, however: he wasn't to tell anyone what he was up to. His mission was top secret.

But now he was back. What better place to make his own debut back into society than at a debutante debut? He was grateful for Ozma to have told him that Claire was here, helping some students out. The Ozdust Ballroom was a place that held so many memories for him. It seemed like so long ago that he was a student at Shiz going to parties every weekend. Then there was that time that Elphaba had made her dramatic re entrance into society to warn them all about the Nome King... he thought back on it almost fondly.

As he approached the emerald doors of the Ozdust, Taye looked down at himself. His clothes were almost unforgivably dusty, and his hair had grown a bit shaggy; he would have liked to have gotten a bit more presentable before coming, but that would have taken far too long. He wanted to see his family, regardless of what he looked like; he hoped that Claire could find it in her heart to forgive him for his unexplained absence. They surely had plenty to catch up on. And his children -- sweet Oz, his children had barely been born before Ozma began giving him cryptic missions to go into distant parts of Oz. How he longed to see how tiny Gayelette and Tristan were doing. He hadn't held the baby twins in so long. How big must they have grown in the past few months?

Taking a deep breath, he pushed open the double doors, and found himself at the top of a tall staircase. An unfamiliar pair of teenagers were descending the staircase in front of him, but he paid them no attention. Claire was standing before him, facing the ballroom with a microphone, looking stunning in a lavender ballgown. Was she introducing some new couple in Ozian high society? He didn't care. He gently touched her on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, m'lady," he said gently, a charming smile spreading over his lips. "I couldn't help but to notice that you're here without a date. Would you care to dance?"

[Claire Heart]

Tears streamed from Claire's eyes when she saw him. Was it true? Could he really be here, or was this all a dream. She dropped the mic on the floor with a terrible, screeching feedback; but she didn't care. She didn't even hear it. Her hand reached out and touched his face, stroking it with her fingertips. Was this real? He felt so real. "Taye...?" she asked, barely able to make the sound, her heart drumming in her ears, barely able to breathe. She didn't wait for him to say anything else, but pressed her lips closely to his, drinking him in and pulling his body close. It was quite a display for public, but well...she'd thought he was dead after all!

Ozma had said...she's told them all...Gayelette had done it. That her own daughter had killed her husband. And she couldn't bear the thought of it. But here he was! She clenched her eyes tight, praying if it was a dream that she'd never wake up. She'd thought life wouldn't go on without him, and to loose him again would be unbearable. "Oh, I love you. I love you so much!" she whispered, the tears falling onto his shoulders and tangling in his hair.

[Taye Keats]

Taye chuckled, pulling her close. He breathed in deeply, relishing the softness of her skin, the sweet scent of her hair. He held her tightly, greedily, loving every moment that she was here with him. After many long months, they still hadn't lost their love for each other.

"I've missed you so much," he murmured quietly. He pulled her back so that he could look at her. "Goodness... you're so beautiful. Memories don't hold up nearly as well as the real thing." He kissed her lightly on the forehead, brushing away her tears gently. He chuckled. "I missed you too love, but don't ruin your makeup... you act as if I've been dead."

[Claire Heart]

"You..." she could barely get out the words. "You are dead! I mean..." she shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. "Ozma brought us all together...about two weeks ago....to say you'd been killed...by Gayelette.."

[Taye Keats]

Taye froze. The softness in his expression left immediately.

"I... what?" He shook his head; his heart was pounding in his head. "Ozma told you that?" But he had been talking to Ozma... sending her letters. She knew he wasn't dead, didn't she? And what kind of ridiculous culprit was that?

"You're telling me... that Ozma told you that a baby girl killed me when I was halfway across Oz?" he demanded. He wasn't angry at Claire, goodness no, but something wasn't right here. He had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. Ozma had seemed quite reluctant to tell him where Claire was... she kept insisting that he go home to Quadling Country and rest up. Was this why?

But why would Ozma lie? That was entirely unlike the sweet little girl he had known for so long. None of this was making any sense.

"Where is Gayelette? And Tristan, for that matter?"

[Claire Heart]

She pointed to the teenaged boy standing on the staircase arm in arm with the beautiful blonde. "A lot has happened since you've been gone..." she replied with teary eyes, barely able to grasp everything around them. "Ozma said you'd gone after Gayelette....because she was trying to be the next Wizard...and because Gayelette performed the spell that aged she and Tristan...I believed her. Why didn't I question? Why didn't I believe my own daughter?" she felt as though she were about to faint.