Post by Glinda on Nov 25, 2006 16:52:55 GMT -5
So, I'm having issues with ff.net, again, so I'm posting my third chapter here. The previous chapters can be found at:
www.fanfiction.net/s/3257657/1/
Chapter Three: Lifelines
“Glinda, I really don’t know why you insist on doing this…”
“I just want you to look pretty, Elphie!” Glinda exclaimed, bouncing up and down dangerously with a curling iron.
“Be careful with that!” Elphaba shouted.
“Aw, don’t worry. I’m very good with these things. Besides, that was the last curl. You’re done!”
“It’s a good thing, too, because he’s going to be here any minute.”
As if Elphaba were psychic, there were three quick knocks on the door. The two girls looked at one another and Glinda squealed. “I’ll get it!”
Fiyero stepped into the room a moment later. “Good evening.” He smiled at Elphaba.
“It is, isn’t it?” She answered, smiling back.
“You look amazing,” he told her.
Elphaba’s smile fell immediately. She turned away. “I knew I’d catch you do something wrong,” she shook her head slightly.
Glinda bit her lip nervously.
Fiyero took another step into the room, closer to Elphaba. “What did I do wrong?”
“I think,” Glinda said quietly, “that what you did was say that she looked amazing. She doesn’t like compliments.”
To himself, Fiyero mumbled, “Oh, just like she doesn’t like romance and flowers. But she did say she likes chocolate.” Moving towards Elphaba, he said, “I brought you something.”
Her curiosity got the best of her and she turned around as he handed her the heart-shaped box. “What?”
“Chocolate. I remembered you said that you actually did like chocolate.”
Well, he’s trying. She sighed. “That was very sweet of you, no pun intended.”
Glinda gave Fiyero a “thumbs up” from behind Elphaba’s back.
Fiyero laughed lightly. “So, can we get going, now?”
Elphaba nodded and left the room with him, shutting the door gingerly behind her. “Where are we going?”
“I’ve got plans. You’ll figure it out.”
Elphaba eyed him apprehensively. “Fine. But if you pull anything on me… Fiyero, that kiss was just a game of truth or dare. I don’t normally do that. I’ve never done that. I don’t think I’d kiss someone like that unless I was at least twenty-five percent sure I’d marry him, if it weren’t for that game. I hope you understood that.”
“I do. And I knew that before you told me, Elphaba. You aren’t the type of girl who just gives herself up. I’m not stupid and I respect that.”
“Good.” Elphaba was grateful for this. She’d worried that he’d only shown interest in her because he thought she was easy, at some point. “Now, would you please tell me where we’re going?” They’d passed the café at this point, and that had been her best guess.
“But that would ruin all the fun,” he said playfully.
“Why do I get the feeling we have different ideas of fun?” Elphaba rolled her eyes. “Not even a hint?”
“Hmm. Well, it might seem kind of childish, but I can’t help it. The entire thing fascinates me. We’re almost there.”
Elphaba looked around the town curiously. She knew where they were going when she saw the sign – of course, she only saw the sign when they were standing right in front of it. “A magic show?”
“It’s not just a magic show.” He corrected. “It’s got all of this psychic stuff going on in it, and I think it’s pretty awesome.”
“I’ll have to trust your judgment.”
“Come on inside. The shows going to start in five minutes.”
“What about tickets?”
Fiyero produced two tickets from his pocket. “Here they are.”
Elphaba put her hands on her hips. “Okay, how much did one cost?”
“You are not going to…”
“Yes, I am. Tell me.”
“This once I’ll let you. Only this once.” He showed her the price on the ticket.
“That’s pretty cheap.” Elphaba dug into the small bag she was holding and took out a few coins. “Here. I’m not letting you pay for me. Not the first time, especially.”
They went inside and sat down. Fiyero and Elphaba whispered to one another until the lights dimmed and then they were silent. A magician entered and did several standard magic tricks, turning to more complex sorcery (though the audience knew it was fake; anyone who could really do sorcery remotely well wouldn’t be working as a simple show magician). Someone else then came onto the stage.
“Madame Lariha will now end the show with some psychic attractions and fortune telling.” The magician told them.
A woman whose face no one could see because of her dark, shrouded face underneath a hood came closer to the audience. “Whose fortune shall I speak of tonight?” She cackled.
Several audience members raised their hands.
The woman shook her head. “No. I shall choose my own… victim, shall we say? I feel a sort of energy.” An old wrinkled finger pointed crookedly out into the audience. “You, girl, come up here. I beg of you.”
Fiyero looked at Elphaba. “Go on. It’s just a show.”
Elphaba bit her lip. “I don’t like this.”
“What are you afraid of?” He didn’t mean to sound rude, but his question made her feel silly nonetheless.
“Good point.” Elphaba rose from her seat and stepped onto the stage with the mysterious old woman. There was a gasp in the audience when her color was clear. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“No, young miss. I had no idea of your skin when I chose you.” Madame Lariha assured Elphaba. “Sit across from me at this table.”
A small table had been set up with two chairs on either side. Elphaba sat stiffly.
“Give me your hand.”
Elphaba, ignoring any misgiving, held out her hand to the old woman.
She took it and examined it, tracing her fingers along each line, the lifeline and so on. “Ah, very interesting. You are here with someone?”
“Of course. Not many people go to see magic shows by themselves.”
“A bit of attitude, huh? Well, I suppose that someone is a male?”
“Yes. What does that have to do with anything?”
The old woman took in a long, raspy breath. “Well, your lifeline… it’s very strange. It seems to end in one place, yet continues faintly much further. This implies that you have a choice to make that will decide your destiny and length of life.”
“And what did this have to do with who I’m here with?” Elphaba asked skeptically.
“He has something to do with it, somewhere, your dark-skinned friend does, yes.”
The old woman couldn’t see into the audience. How could she know of Fiyero’s ochre skin? She must’ve seen them coming in, that had to be it. “Oh, I’m sure. And how?”
Madame Lariha brought Elphaba’s hand closer to her face. “I believe that soon, you will be given two options. One of them will be to abandon this love interest of yours, and the other will be to change your ideals less drastically and stay with him.”
“Which of them is the longer?” Elphaba couldn’t help but ask.
“The second.”
“Which of them is the happier?”
“One will seem happier, at first, but the second choice will reward you in happiness after a time.”
“And how long is that, years?”
“It may be. But you have many more years to find that happiness, don’t you?”
“This is ridiculous. My fate has nothing to do with a date I’m going on simply because of the results of a game of truth or dare.” Elphaba shook her head and pulled back her hand.
“That’s what you think, young one, that’s what you think. You may sit down. I think I’ll ask for another, more willing energy to approach the stage. Young man?” The old woman was now pointing at Fiyero.
Elphaba looked at him as she sat down. “You go. You told me I might as well. Why don’t you see?”
He sighed and obeyed. Lazily, he held his hand out to the woman.
“It is funny, the young woman has a place in your future in both versions of this story, prince.”
Elphaba coughed in the audience. There was no obvious way to tell that Fiyero was a prince, as far as she knew.
“You will spend nights together, either legitimately or not.”
Elphaba shuddered; this was getting out of hand.
Fiyero sat there silently, strangely enthralled.
“However, if she chooses to leave you the first time, you will meet again, but your nights will not last a year, and you will be dead come the end of it.”
Fiyero bowed his head.
Elphaba stood up. “Could you please choose another couple to pick on, ma’am?”
The old woman turned to her sharply. “If you so desire. It’s just that none of the other couples in the audience have such an interesting but uncertain future like the one you two have.” She dropped Fiyero’s hand. “The show is over, anyway. My time on stage is almost up. Why not cut it off by a minute or two? But if you two ever wish to know more, you know where you can find me.”
Fiyero stumbled back into the audience and found Elphaba as she grabbed her bag. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“I’ve never had that happen, and I’ve been here twice before. She normally does some sort of crystal ball thing, sometimes reads palms. I don’t know what that was all about. It was weird.”
“It surely was.” Elphaba said hotly.
“Elphaba, please,” Fiyero said gently, “I didn’t mean for the night to turn out this way. I really wanted to have a good time, and for you to have a good time, as well. I don’t feel like it worked out that way. Please, let me make it up to you.”
“No more magic shows?” She asked softly.
“None.”
“Good. I never want to do that again.” Elphaba was quiet as they walked back to the dorms. There was this strong sense to her that the woman might’ve actually been right.
www.fanfiction.net/s/3257657/1/
Chapter Three: Lifelines
“Glinda, I really don’t know why you insist on doing this…”
“I just want you to look pretty, Elphie!” Glinda exclaimed, bouncing up and down dangerously with a curling iron.
“Be careful with that!” Elphaba shouted.
“Aw, don’t worry. I’m very good with these things. Besides, that was the last curl. You’re done!”
“It’s a good thing, too, because he’s going to be here any minute.”
As if Elphaba were psychic, there were three quick knocks on the door. The two girls looked at one another and Glinda squealed. “I’ll get it!”
Fiyero stepped into the room a moment later. “Good evening.” He smiled at Elphaba.
“It is, isn’t it?” She answered, smiling back.
“You look amazing,” he told her.
Elphaba’s smile fell immediately. She turned away. “I knew I’d catch you do something wrong,” she shook her head slightly.
Glinda bit her lip nervously.
Fiyero took another step into the room, closer to Elphaba. “What did I do wrong?”
“I think,” Glinda said quietly, “that what you did was say that she looked amazing. She doesn’t like compliments.”
To himself, Fiyero mumbled, “Oh, just like she doesn’t like romance and flowers. But she did say she likes chocolate.” Moving towards Elphaba, he said, “I brought you something.”
Her curiosity got the best of her and she turned around as he handed her the heart-shaped box. “What?”
“Chocolate. I remembered you said that you actually did like chocolate.”
Well, he’s trying. She sighed. “That was very sweet of you, no pun intended.”
Glinda gave Fiyero a “thumbs up” from behind Elphaba’s back.
Fiyero laughed lightly. “So, can we get going, now?”
Elphaba nodded and left the room with him, shutting the door gingerly behind her. “Where are we going?”
“I’ve got plans. You’ll figure it out.”
Elphaba eyed him apprehensively. “Fine. But if you pull anything on me… Fiyero, that kiss was just a game of truth or dare. I don’t normally do that. I’ve never done that. I don’t think I’d kiss someone like that unless I was at least twenty-five percent sure I’d marry him, if it weren’t for that game. I hope you understood that.”
“I do. And I knew that before you told me, Elphaba. You aren’t the type of girl who just gives herself up. I’m not stupid and I respect that.”
“Good.” Elphaba was grateful for this. She’d worried that he’d only shown interest in her because he thought she was easy, at some point. “Now, would you please tell me where we’re going?” They’d passed the café at this point, and that had been her best guess.
“But that would ruin all the fun,” he said playfully.
“Why do I get the feeling we have different ideas of fun?” Elphaba rolled her eyes. “Not even a hint?”
“Hmm. Well, it might seem kind of childish, but I can’t help it. The entire thing fascinates me. We’re almost there.”
Elphaba looked around the town curiously. She knew where they were going when she saw the sign – of course, she only saw the sign when they were standing right in front of it. “A magic show?”
“It’s not just a magic show.” He corrected. “It’s got all of this psychic stuff going on in it, and I think it’s pretty awesome.”
“I’ll have to trust your judgment.”
“Come on inside. The shows going to start in five minutes.”
“What about tickets?”
Fiyero produced two tickets from his pocket. “Here they are.”
Elphaba put her hands on her hips. “Okay, how much did one cost?”
“You are not going to…”
“Yes, I am. Tell me.”
“This once I’ll let you. Only this once.” He showed her the price on the ticket.
“That’s pretty cheap.” Elphaba dug into the small bag she was holding and took out a few coins. “Here. I’m not letting you pay for me. Not the first time, especially.”
They went inside and sat down. Fiyero and Elphaba whispered to one another until the lights dimmed and then they were silent. A magician entered and did several standard magic tricks, turning to more complex sorcery (though the audience knew it was fake; anyone who could really do sorcery remotely well wouldn’t be working as a simple show magician). Someone else then came onto the stage.
“Madame Lariha will now end the show with some psychic attractions and fortune telling.” The magician told them.
A woman whose face no one could see because of her dark, shrouded face underneath a hood came closer to the audience. “Whose fortune shall I speak of tonight?” She cackled.
Several audience members raised their hands.
The woman shook her head. “No. I shall choose my own… victim, shall we say? I feel a sort of energy.” An old wrinkled finger pointed crookedly out into the audience. “You, girl, come up here. I beg of you.”
Fiyero looked at Elphaba. “Go on. It’s just a show.”
Elphaba bit her lip. “I don’t like this.”
“What are you afraid of?” He didn’t mean to sound rude, but his question made her feel silly nonetheless.
“Good point.” Elphaba rose from her seat and stepped onto the stage with the mysterious old woman. There was a gasp in the audience when her color was clear. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“No, young miss. I had no idea of your skin when I chose you.” Madame Lariha assured Elphaba. “Sit across from me at this table.”
A small table had been set up with two chairs on either side. Elphaba sat stiffly.
“Give me your hand.”
Elphaba, ignoring any misgiving, held out her hand to the old woman.
She took it and examined it, tracing her fingers along each line, the lifeline and so on. “Ah, very interesting. You are here with someone?”
“Of course. Not many people go to see magic shows by themselves.”
“A bit of attitude, huh? Well, I suppose that someone is a male?”
“Yes. What does that have to do with anything?”
The old woman took in a long, raspy breath. “Well, your lifeline… it’s very strange. It seems to end in one place, yet continues faintly much further. This implies that you have a choice to make that will decide your destiny and length of life.”
“And what did this have to do with who I’m here with?” Elphaba asked skeptically.
“He has something to do with it, somewhere, your dark-skinned friend does, yes.”
The old woman couldn’t see into the audience. How could she know of Fiyero’s ochre skin? She must’ve seen them coming in, that had to be it. “Oh, I’m sure. And how?”
Madame Lariha brought Elphaba’s hand closer to her face. “I believe that soon, you will be given two options. One of them will be to abandon this love interest of yours, and the other will be to change your ideals less drastically and stay with him.”
“Which of them is the longer?” Elphaba couldn’t help but ask.
“The second.”
“Which of them is the happier?”
“One will seem happier, at first, but the second choice will reward you in happiness after a time.”
“And how long is that, years?”
“It may be. But you have many more years to find that happiness, don’t you?”
“This is ridiculous. My fate has nothing to do with a date I’m going on simply because of the results of a game of truth or dare.” Elphaba shook her head and pulled back her hand.
“That’s what you think, young one, that’s what you think. You may sit down. I think I’ll ask for another, more willing energy to approach the stage. Young man?” The old woman was now pointing at Fiyero.
Elphaba looked at him as she sat down. “You go. You told me I might as well. Why don’t you see?”
He sighed and obeyed. Lazily, he held his hand out to the woman.
“It is funny, the young woman has a place in your future in both versions of this story, prince.”
Elphaba coughed in the audience. There was no obvious way to tell that Fiyero was a prince, as far as she knew.
“You will spend nights together, either legitimately or not.”
Elphaba shuddered; this was getting out of hand.
Fiyero sat there silently, strangely enthralled.
“However, if she chooses to leave you the first time, you will meet again, but your nights will not last a year, and you will be dead come the end of it.”
Fiyero bowed his head.
Elphaba stood up. “Could you please choose another couple to pick on, ma’am?”
The old woman turned to her sharply. “If you so desire. It’s just that none of the other couples in the audience have such an interesting but uncertain future like the one you two have.” She dropped Fiyero’s hand. “The show is over, anyway. My time on stage is almost up. Why not cut it off by a minute or two? But if you two ever wish to know more, you know where you can find me.”
Fiyero stumbled back into the audience and found Elphaba as she grabbed her bag. “I’m sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“I’ve never had that happen, and I’ve been here twice before. She normally does some sort of crystal ball thing, sometimes reads palms. I don’t know what that was all about. It was weird.”
“It surely was.” Elphaba said hotly.
“Elphaba, please,” Fiyero said gently, “I didn’t mean for the night to turn out this way. I really wanted to have a good time, and for you to have a good time, as well. I don’t feel like it worked out that way. Please, let me make it up to you.”
“No more magic shows?” She asked softly.
“None.”
“Good. I never want to do that again.” Elphaba was quiet as they walked back to the dorms. There was this strong sense to her that the woman might’ve actually been right.