A Visit

[Elphaba Thropp]

Elphie sighed, and knocked on the floor for Glinda to come on up. "Well, now what do we do?" She laughed heartily. "I never did have any... people skills!"

[Glinda Upland]

"Well...I think you handled yourself...rather well..." She tried to say it nicely. She took both Elphie's hands in her own. "Come on, dear. Those of us who talk to you know you. We don't mind. And you actually tried to scare the poor girl....so if anything you should be...proud that she was afraid. But she's strong and she's fine and if you had given the poor girl a chance, she might have even liked you. People skills or not."

[Elphaba Thropp]

Elphaba laughed. "I hear they're planning a party at the Ozdust" she said.

[Glinda Upland]

"I know. I was going to drop by, just to check on Ellie. She hasn't been to any social functions yet. I know Claire will make her use that inner popularity her father once had. Nonetheless, I still feel better seeing it with my own eyes." She smiled a little half smile. "You should go. Hide, watch a while."

[Elphaba Thropp]

"I sometimes wish she would take a little more after her father" Elphie said. "But then again, she's never really known her father - especially the way he was. I mean, he's still the same Fiyero, but I have to say, a little more... well, lovable in his current guise then his swankified Shiz self. I've always been the same. More or less. It was probably easier for me to rub off on her than the old Fiyero."

[Glinda Upland]

"I wish she knew you both. I wish there were a way to know all we know but go back as who we were...everyone would see things so differently. So much has changed since our younger days. And I have a feeling another change is coming...."

[Elphaba Thropp]

"i hope so." Elphie said.

Changing her tone she said "The Nome King's on the move again"

[Glinda Upland]

Glinda sighed. "Always. Is there a way to stop him?"

[Elphaba Thropp]

"I dont' know. But I do know that he wants to make himself more public. If I were you I'd start getting the Army of Oz together again. Whatever happened to that Tick-tock creature? He might be of some help. It's rare that you find such an unbiased creature"

[Glinda Upland]

"Machines were made to be devoid of emotion. I suppose it's a good thing. You can't get your heart broken if you never had one to begin with..." Glinda sighed. Sometimes she wished she couldn't feel. It would definately make politics easier. "I think they decided he wasn't needed very much after your husband's...resignation? can we call it that? I'll get some people to poke around the Emerald City. He couldn't have gone too far. His action would have wound down eventually or elsewise someone just stuffed him somewhere..."

[Elphaba Thropp]

"I hear he's now working at Shiz - for Mombie" Elphie said.

Hesitating slightly she added... "Speaking of hearts... how's Boq doing? I've seen him in the crystal ball working at Shiz. He includes a question about you on every test."

[Glinda Upland]

Her eyes dropped. She still hated to think that what happened to him was even partly her fault, but it was. She'd been the one to start all the trouble. A simple crush ended up in disaster. "I haven't talked to him in a long time. I do drop in from time to time, but I never get any farther than outside his classroom." She pushed back the tears in her voice.

[Elphaba Thropp]

"It's probably for the best" Ellie said. "Don't blame yourself. No, maybe you shouldn't have pushed him on Nessa at school - but it was a silly mistake. You're not the first to do it, and you won't be the last. Nessa was the one at fault. She could never let him go... I always thought it would work itself out. Both Boq and Nessa, well, they were silly school crushes that got blown out of control."

[Glinda Upland]

"There are just certain things I can't forgive myself for." Glinda forced a smile. Like you...like Nessa...Like Boq...and Fiyero Glinda really was harder on herself than Elphie had ever been, she just hid it so well behind a bright smile. But every now and then it slipped, the mention of someone no longer themselves, while she was still able to be the person she was born....pretty and popular...fighting the 'good' fight for the world. It didn't seem fair! She'd been the most corrupt of them all, but she won. It wasn't fair at all.

[Elphaba Thropp]

"No one won" Elphie said, almost reading Glinda's thoughts. "No one can win in a climate like Oz when we were growing up..."

Elphaba couldn't forgive herself either. She kept thinking of that girl... Dorothy Gale. When she had arrived at Kiamo Ko she had begged Elphaba's forgiveness. No one had ever forgiven her, how could she forgive this child. Yet somehow she had. Maybe... now was the time.