#him as Fiyero is correct

[what-shitfuckery-is-this-ew]

whoever is casting Ryan Mccartan’s musical roles

thank you thank you thank you thank you thank you

[reidmania]

wicked | spencer reid

summary; you and spencer go to see the wicked musical together

warnings; obviously not realistically time based, use ur imaginations!! fem reader, pure fluff i dont think theres any warnings tbh

an; yes this is the fic i started writing like a month ago after i saw wicked and there was a guy there that looked like spencer reid. it has just taken a really long time. i miss knock off spencer reid, he was so sexy, come back.

The bustling crowd was almost overwhelming, groups of people gathered around taking photos with the large signs at the entrance, others leant against walls conversing with one another, and a large group of people trying to get through the doors through the crowd.

Meanwhile, You were standing hand in hand with Spencer as you waited for the majority of people to find their way’s in before you even attempted manoeuvring your way around the flock of people. Your eyes danced over the girls who came dressed up in character, admiring their unwavering confidence as they laughed as posed with the sign.

“Should’ve wore green�� Spencer mumbled in your ear as he leant down slightly, in order to ensure you heard him over the crowd of people. Really it wasn’t that loud — it was just a lot and you wouldn’t have been surprised if you had missed something he said prior because of your focus being drawn away.

A soft laugh left your lips as you turned your head to face him. The city lights danced over the side of his face as he looked down at you, a content grin on his face. His suit jacket laid on top of his vest, his tie tucked underneath.

Your free hand lifted towards his tie to gentle recenter it, “Your tie matches” You mumbled. He had wore a dark green tie and you had a dark green thin bow tied in the back of your hair. It was your subtle way of showing your support and contribution to the main colour of the musical.

He hummed, “Should’ve just committed completely” He expressed, tilting his head to the side as your hand fell away from his tie. Your eyes rolled playfully — He had mentioned a few times since the two of you got the tickets for the musical that you should go dressed up at the main characters, to which you entertained the idea for all of two minutes before laughing and shaking it off.

Neither of you really wanted the attention of the public like that.

“Should’ve” You said, sighing out dramatically even though you both knew you were just playing along with the idea. You had seen the musical before, while it was Spencer’s first time.

When he continued suggesting how you two should go as Glinda the good witch, and fiyero because they were together (Which he only knew because you had briefly summarised the plot when asking him to come see it with you) You had to just laugh and hold back spoiling the fact that it really didn’t work out for them.

Spencer just smiled as he leant down to place a soft kiss on the top of your head, the crowd was dwindling out now, the two of you taking it as your opportunity to get through the doors and into the theatre. His hand stayed tightly wrapped around yours as you got your tickets scanned and entered.

Your eyes danced over the beauty of the inside, the large staircases and the warm lighting along with the historical indenting in the walls and ceilings around the large chandelier. Spencer was already moving towards the staircases quickly.

You followed — without much of a choice since your hands were interlaced tightly and you were basically being dragged anyways. His hands danced over the tickets the minute you two walked through the correct doors for the dress circle.

He placed another gentle kiss on the top of your head as he scanned for where your seats were. You squeezed his hand softly as he began walking towards them the minute his eyes laid on where your seats were. If anything you’d think he was more excited than you were.

“It gets pretty loud” You said softly once the two of you found your seats, you shuffled comfortably in the seat next to him as your eyes danced over the stage set up, you turned your head to Spencer with a soft smile on your lips.

“Yeah?” He asked, appreciative of your warning, his head turned to look at you, his eyes dancing over your face. You remembered when you last saw it, despite it being an amazing experience you left with a slight headache because of how loud it got.

You nodded, squeezing his hand that was still holding yours once more, leaning back in your chair as you got comfortable. Your eyes turned to admire the set again before turning your head back to Spencer.

“Im excited” You said, a wide smile on your face that was instantly reciprocated by the man staring down at you, his eyes full of love and admiration as they studied your every feature.

“Yeah? Me too.” He said honestly, leaning his head down to place a gentle kiss on your lips. You smiled as you let your body relax, relishing in the softness of his touch.

The lights dimmed and the stage lit moments later, your hand stayed interlocked with Spencer throughout, your finger tapping against the back of his hand in beat of the songs that played, which would make him smile and squeeze your hand softly.

You couldn’t help the way every time you found something funny you would turn to look at Spencer to see if he was smiling or laughing like you were. He muttered his small opinions of different scenes in your ear every now and then, making a comment on how they were factually inaccurate to which you would just give him a knowing look — which would make him smile and shake his head, returning his gaze to the set.

When popular began playing, you leant in closer to Spencer, whispering the lyrics softly while moving your head. His gaze was torn from the set anytime you got closer, he watched you with an amused grin and a soft raise of his eyebrow.

When it got to the intermission, you were unworldly glad. After spending the last— nearly two hours sitting in the same position your body ached to just move around.

“Are you liking it?” You ask when the lights came back up. People around you began moving to go to the bathroom — get new drinks, or just go for a walk. Some stayed where they were in their seats but you were already moving to stand.

Spencer followed, standing up after you, his hands instinctively coming to rest on your hips as he lead you in front of him, towards the end of the seats. “Yeah, I am. Are you? Is it as good as you remember?” He asks softly, when the two of you finally get to the end, walking up the stairs before down the next ones, leaving the dress circle.

“Yes, Better even. It’s funnier” You mumble out softly as your body felt relieved from the movement in your legs.

He smiled, looking around at the long lines for people waiting to go to the bathroom. You were both glad that neither of you needed to go. Instead, you leant against the wall, Spencer’s arms wrapped around your waist, head leant down to nuzzle into your neck as your arms wrapped around his.

You stayed like that for a while, just relishing in the comfort of one another. It was like the chaos surrounding you didn’t exist as it all drowned out into faint background noise, the only thing taking your focus was Spencer’s scent consuming your senses.

When the intermission was over, you and Spencer found your way back to your seats, his hand stayed interlocked with yours throughout the entirety of the show. anytime the music got a little bit too loud you would give his hand a soft squeeze supportively, knowing his lack of love for the loud volume.

In response he would lean down and press a gentle reassuring kiss to the side of your head, both letting you know he was okay, and showing his appreciation for your care and knowledge of the little things about him.

Spencer was never the biggest fan of musicals before, but here with you?

Well that was something he could get used to.

[phantomtrader19]

A few thoughts about the new 2023/24 London cast:

Delighted I’ll get to see Jon some more although I think it was a given he was staying anyways since he’s been in the role a matter of months, I really thoroughly enjoyed him when I saw him last time!

Gutted to see Holly go as she’s been a part of the show for nearly 4 years now.

I am super excited to see Lily Kerhoas taken on Christine as she can absolutely SING I’ve not heard her full soprano voice yet except snippets here and there, of course she was cosette in the Les Mis concert like 3/4 years ago now so she has undoubtedly improved but very excited to see her!

Joe Griffiths Brown as Raoul absolutely over the moon to see the first PRINCIPAL black Raoul I want to say in any flagship production??? (Please correct me if I am wrong) he’s only 23 too so super young! Looking forward to seeing him!

Paige, Kelly, Adam, Matt & Francesca I’m very happy are staying all very strong leads!

David Kristopher Brown as Piangi is really cool as 15 years ago he covered the role so to see him back is lovely! And a fellow Scottish so extra points!

And our first ever principal asian Meg! - Maiya Hikasa very excited to see a new Meg! And what colour her wigs going to be specifically considering how they done Ellie Young’s natural colour for her Meg wig

The rest of the cast looks amazing ! Melanie Gowie is back in the show so more gorgeous photos incoming! This time she’s back as wardrobe mistress/2nd cover Mme giry so happy for her!

Victoria Ward is back in the show she was in the last original production cast??? as cover Mme Giry which I think she’s back doing again.

Eve Shanu Wilson is now 1st cover Christine which I’m ecstatic about I’m sure I’ll get to see her again cause wow she’s such a good Christine!

Michael Colbourne is 1st cover Raoul and 2nd cover Phantom he was last in Wicked as cover Fiyero!

Connor Ewing is finally joining the cast after emergency covering so much! He’s now getting to cover the phantom too!!

Grace Hume is now 1st cover Meg and Serina Faull is now 2nd cover!

Also Lily De la Haye is now a swing! Very very exciting for her

Overall quite a large cast change this year I am so sad to see lots of the cast from the last 2 years go but super excited to see fresh faces!

[maurypovichofficial2]

Correct me if I’m wrong but Norbert Leo Butz was already balding I believe when he originated Fiyero. Jonathan Bailey, while undeniably hot, is greying. They should’ve gone with younger actors for the college students (like Joshua Bassett or Andrew Barth Feldman as Fiyero). Or make it a really long animated movie and bring back the surviving original cast. My interest is getting piqued with each trainer but by god did they crap out on the casting.

Yeah and on Broadway you can get away with an older actor in his mid to late 30s playing a college student who ages from about 19 to 25 in the entire musical. That’s harder to sell in 4k HD cinema. This is the same issue they had with Ben platt in dear Evan Hansen….which was also produced by his father…..just like wicked is….along with universal….just like wicked. I’m sensing a pattern. But anyway those picks are a little tooooo baby faced for me. Like 19 to 25 isn’t a huge age jump but they wouldn’t sell 25 for me even though they are closer to those ages. It’s tricky casting because you want them to look old enough but not TOO old. And Joshua or Andrew next to nearly 40 Cynthia Erivo wouldn’t have been believable. I just can’t believe Bailey was the best option. No offense to him but I just can’t believe it.

[wicked-secretsanta]

Merry Christmas @wickedobsessed101!

Special message: Hope you like this! Merry Christmas ❤️

Read it on Ao3

Everything everyone had ever told Elphaba about childbirth and pregnancy had certainly not been her experience. 

“It can take up a year to fall pregnant, so don’t worry if it doesn’t happen before then,” the royal midwife had told her when she and Fiyero had decided to start trying; only to turn around and confirm her pregnancy nine weeks later. 

“First babies are always late,” said her mother-in-law, the midwife, random strangers on the street; but Elphaba had gone into labour at thirty-six weeks. 

“It’s probably just false labour, and if it is real, it will still be hours. First babies take their time,” the midwife had said dismissively, rather irritated about being sent for in the middle of the night and clearly thinking Elphaba was an idiot. 

A mere three and a half hours later, Azura Tiggular slid into the world. 

When Elphaba had gotten pregnant the next time, she’d gotten a new royal midwife. That delivery had been even quicker, so Fiyero felt rather justified in being wary about the prospect of taking the family out on Lurlinemas Eve. Elphaba did not. 

“Fiyero, I’m not due for another month,” Elphaba said calmly, needlessly straightening the covers on the bed of the spare room. “And if something happened, we’d have plenty of time to get help.”

“I don’t think that’s true,” Fiyero argued. “With Daxton, he practically fell out when you sneezed.”

Elphaba rolled her eyes. “Stop telling it like that. Dax is going to hear it one day and not know you’re exaggerating.” 

“You’re nesting,” Fiyero pointed out, watching her fluff the pillows on the bed. 

She turned to him, placing her hands on her hips. “I’m not nesting, I’m cleaning. Glinda’s going to be here any minute.”

“Okay, but-”

“Yero,” she cut him off gently. “I’m fine. I haven’t missed the Lurlinemas markets in all the years we’ve been married, and I’m not going to start now.”

Fiyero sighed, taking in the stubborn set of her jaw. “I want it on record that I have no desire to deliver this baby myself.”

Elphaba snorted. “You think you could?”

“Hey, I watched both the kids be born,” Fiyero defended himself. “I paid attention, I could do it.”

“Except for when you fainted right after Azura was born,” Elphaba smirked.

Fiyero’s shoulders sagged. “Fae, it’s been seven years. Can we maybe let that go?”

“No,” Elphaba laughed. 

Glinda arrived within the hour, and Fiyero went out to meet her.

“Hi,” he greeted her.

“Hi,” she beamed, stepping forward to hug him. “How’s Elphie?”

“Stubborn.”

“Oh, then same as always,” Glinda laughed. “What is it now?”

“She wants to go to the markets on Lurlinemas Eve,” Fiyero explained, offering her an arm as her driver began to unload her luggage from the carriage. 

Glinda’s brow furrowed as she took his elbow.“So? You go every year. Isn’t it like, royal decree?”

“It’s tradition, not decree,” Fiyero corrected her. “But she’s never been this close to her due date before.”

“She has a month.”

“Azzie and Dax both came early. And fast,” Fiyero reminded her. “Dax pretty much-”

“Oh, for the love of Oz, do not tell the sneeze story again,” Glinda cut him off, wrinkling her nose. “It’s been four years, and I still can’t get rid of that mental image. How do you expect me to have a baby of my own if you keep telling me these things?”

“Maybe you should focus on planning your wedding first?” Fiyero teased her. “It’s been over a year.”

Glinda scowled at him. “Excuse me, but it took me four months to plan the engagement party, and then as soon as we started to even think of dates, someone got Elphie pregnant.” 

“Well, as far as I know, that someone was me,” Fiyero said lightly.

Glinda swatted at him. “My point is, I can’t get married without Elphie as my matron of honour, can I? And she certainly can’t stand beside me at the altar with Baby Glinda in her arms, can she?”

“No way,” Fiyero protested. “Azura’s middle name is already Glinda. You don’t get two namesakes.” 

They met Elphaba and the kids in the parlour, and Azura and Daxton dashed to greet Glinda, while Fiyero moved forward to help Elphaba up off the couch. 

“Oh, Elphie. You look so good!” Glinda exclaimed excitedly, hurrying forward to hug her and immediately pressing her hands to Elphaba’s stomach to feel the baby. 

“How was the journey?” Elphaba asked calmly, ignoring the way Glinda prodded at her belly. 

“Oh, it was fine,” Glinda said airily. “How are you? Fiyero was saying something about the markets?”

Elphaba shot Fiyero an exasperated stare and he shrugged innocently. 

“I’m perfectly able to go to the markets,” she said. “Fiyero’s just being ridiculous.”

“He does that,” Glinda nodded knowingly. 

“Hey,” Fiyero protested, but was ignored. 

The small village of Elmspire, nestled in the Lower Kells, had been the hometown of Fiyero's great-grandmother; and so the tradition of the royals attending the markets on Lurlinemas Eve had been in place since the marriage of his great-grandparents. Since he was a child, Fiyero had loved experiencing the food, carols and the ritual of lighting the fairy lantern to guide Lurline and her fairies to the village to visit and bless the people throughout the night. 

In the past seven years, getting to share the traditions with his children and seeing it all through their eyes had made it even more special. But he’d never attended the markets with his heavily pregnant wife; who was definishly not as fine as she insisted she was as they all boarded the carriage to head out to Elmspire on Lurlinemas Eve. 

“Is this your first time, Aunty Glinda?” Azura asked her, bouncing with excitement.

“Actually, I’ve been before,” Glinda replied. “But you wouldn’t remember that- it was your very first Lurlinemas, you were just a tiny little baby!”

Azura’s dark eyes widened. “Really?”

Glinda nodded with a smile. “Really. I think you’d only just started crawling- isn’t that right, Momma?”

“Sounds about right,” Elphaba said, with a smile to her daughter that didn’t seem genuine to Fiyero. 

“Az, you and Dax will have to give Aunty Glinda the full tour when we get there,” Fiyero said swiftly. “Right?” 

Azura’s face lit up. “Oh, Aunty Glinda! They have giant gingerbread cookies!” she exclaimed, and Glinda gasped with the appropriate amount of enthusiasm.

“Really? How giant? Bigger than you?” she asked and Azura giggled. 

“Maybe not this year. I’m pretty big now,” she informed her solemnly. 

“You definitely are,” Glinda agreed. “What else do they have?”

With the kids suitably distracted, Fiyero took the opportunity to lean towards Elphaba. “You okay?”

“Fine,” Elphaba reassured him, unwrapping her cloak from around her. “My back is just sore- as always.” 

Elmspire was about a forty-five minute carriage ride away from the castle, and Fiyero was grateful he had Glinda there to help entertain the kids as Elphaba kept shifting ever so slightly, rubbing her stomach absent-mindedly and Fiyero struggled not to watch her like a timer was about to go off. 

“There’s Grams and Grandpa!” yelled Daxton as he spotted the king and queen. 

“Hello, my darlings!” the queen greeted them warmly as Azura and Daxton spilled from the carriage the moment it came to a complete stop, sweeping them both into her arms. “Are we ready for tonight?”

“Grams, can we have hot chocolate?” Azura asked immediately. “And candy apples, and pastry and cake-”

“Whoa,” Fiyero said hastily, climbing out of the carriage after them. “How about we get one food thing and one drink?”

“I think that sounds reasonable,” his father agreed, as Fiyero held out an arm to help Glinda alight before leaning back inside to help Elphaba out. 

“You good?” he murmured to her, as she leaned heavily on his arm after getting on the ground. 

The look she shot him was exasperated but fond. “I just need a walk. Stretch my back,” she replied. 

“How are you feeling, sweetheart?” the queen asked her as the children greeted their grandfather. 

“My back isn’t great,” Elphaba admitted. “I could do with a walk. Do we have time before the lantern lighting?”

“Fifteen minutes or so,” she reassured her. “Enough time to do a loop- let the children settle a bit?”

“Sounds good,” Elphaba agreed. 

The more they walked, the more she did seem to ease and her eyes grew brighter. Fiyero suspected watching Azura and Daxton take everything in with wide-eyes was part of that. While Fiyero loved sharing experiences with the kids that he too had done as a child, Elphaba just loved seeing their children find joy in the holidays. It was something that she’d never really had herself growing up. 

Fiyero watched her soft gaze fixate on the way Azura held her little brother’s hand as they walked, pointing things out to him that she remembered from last year, sounding very mature. With a soft smile of his own, Fiyero couldn’t resist sneaking a hand over to cover Elphaba’s stomach for a moment, but he frowned as he registered how hard it felt beneath his hand. 

“Elphaba…”

“It’s fine,” she said breezily, not looking at him and smiling at those that passed them. “They’re just practise ones. I can barely feel them.”

“Elphaba,” Fiyero hissed, his heart dropping like a stone. 

“Momma!” Dax yelled out excitedly, spinning on the spot to face them. “Look, there’s sillymon rolls!”

Glinda looked over her shoulder from where she was walking next to Azura, shooting Elphaba and Fiyero a bewildered glance. Elphaba laughed quietly, moving forward.

“Cinnamon,” she murmured to Glinda, and Glinda’s face cleared in understanding. “Do you want a roll, Dax?”

“Sillymon,” Glinda said with a smile, falling into step next to Fiyero as Elphaba led Daxton and Azura over to the cinnamon roll stand. “That’s adorable. It reminds me of when Azura used to call me ‘Glinna’ , remember?” 

She giggled, but when Fiyero said nothing, she frowned at him. “What’s with you?”

“Fae’s having contractions,” he hissed to her. 

Glinda’s eyes widened, shooting towards Elphaba. “Wait- real ones or fake ones?”

“Fake ones she says,” Fiyero said, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on his wife. “But…”

“I’m sure she’d know if it was real,” she said practically. “It’s not like this is her first labour.”

Fiyero wasn’t comforted. 

The highlight of the markets on Lurlinemas Eve was the lighting of the lantern; wherein the lantern atop the tall lamp post that stood in the middle of the village square was lit with light green flames. Typically this was done by the youngest member of the royal family, but this would be the first year Dax was deemed old enough to do it. Azura had spent the past three weeks teaching her little brother how to do it, using their toys as stand in props. It was the most adorable thing Fiyero had ever seen. 

And as they all gathered near the lamp post, Fiyero watched Elphaba talk with Glinda and his mother and the way she kept shifting her weight, one hand bracing the small of her back. 

“Are we ready to begin, Your Highness?” the village minister asked, interrupting his musings a few minutes later. 

“I think so,” Fiyero nodded, searching out the kids. He spotted them on the other side of the lantern, talking to Elphaba quietly. She was kneeling down as she talked to Dax and Azura, a feat which Fiyero could only marvel at when she was in her third trimester. 

“Dax,” he called out, “you ready, buddy?”

Dax looked over towards him and then back to Elphaba, who said something to them with a small smile and then looked to Azura. Whatever she said, Azura nodded solemnly and then took Dax’s hand to lead the way back over to Fiyero. As they approached, Fiyero squatted down to meet them.

“You ready?” he asked again, drawing Dax close as he leaned in towards him.

“Daddy, can Azzie help me with the lantern?” Dax asked in a whisper, his gaze flittering nervously towards the minister. 

Fiyero’s heart melted. “If you want her to, absolutely,” he reassured him, running a hand over his rosy cheek. That earned him a tiny smile from Dax and Fiyero shot him and Azura a wink before rising to his feet.

“Azura and Dax are going to do the lantern together,” he told his father and the minister. 

“Wonderful,” the minister replied without missing a beat. “Let’s do this then.”

As the minister called for everyone’s attention, Elphaba slid into position next to Fiyero. 

“He okay?” he asked her in a murmur.

“A little shy about being the centre of attention,” Elphaba murmured back.

Fiyero nodded understandingly. “Ah. We have not had that problem with Az,” he replied and Elphaba snorted.

“No.”

‘Shy’ had never been a word that could be used to describe Azura Tiggular. 

It was a short ceremony. The minister would welcome everyone, and then invite the king to read the story of Lurlinemas- of how the night came to be a holy night for Lurline and her fairy court, and how they now festivated the occasion by flying around Oz and blessing those Ozians with golden candles in their windows; and how long ago in the middle of a blizzard, the town had lit the lantern with green flames to guide the fairies to the village of Elmspire. Then the lantern was lit, and then the minister would do a short prayer, followed by a carol led by the village church choir. It had been the same thing every year for longer than Fiyero had been alive. 

His father had always been an excellent storyteller- so many of Fiyero’s favourite childhood memories involved his father reading to him, and even now in his thirties, he could still find himself transfixed as he listened to his father’s tales. But this year, Fiyero was distracted as Elphaba kept fidgeting beside him.

“You okay?” he whispered.

Elphaba merely hummed, which made Fiyero turn his head towards her hastily. “El-”

“Ssh,” she cut him off, slipping her hand around his elbow. “It’s the kids.”

Fiyero turned to watch Azura and Dax step forward together to light the lantern under careful supervision. Azura carefully guided her little brother into place, letting him do the bulk of the job while being a steadfast presence at his side; and Fiyero saw so much of Elphaba in her as he watched that he could only marvel.

But his gaze was ripped away from his children as Elphaba inhaled sharply, her grip on his arm tightening like a vice. 

“Are you still going to tell me that you’re fine?” Fiyero hissed to her. 

Elphaba’s eyes flickered to him briefly before returning to the kids. “My water just broke,” she murmured calmly.  

Fiyero’s heart leapt into his throat and he started to turn towards her, but she stopped him, her free hand rising from her stomach to press against his chest. 

“Ssh, it’s fine.”

The crowd began to applaud as the lantern was lit and Elphaba moved her hand from Fiyero’s chest so that she could applaud too.

“Go Dax!” Glinda called out brightly from somewhere behind them, but Fiyero was frozen, only jerkily clapping his hands together when Elphaba nudged him. Honestly, Fiyero felt like he was on the verge of a heart attack. 

“Your water has broken,” he said through clenched teeth over the applause. “Which means you’ve probably been in labour since we got here!”

“Probably earlier,” she murmured back as Azura and Dax began to make their way back to them. “My back pain started when we were helping the kids get ready.”

As she praised the kids upon their return and ushered them over to stand with Glinda and their grandmother; Fiyero snuck a glance at his watch, trying to think back to what time that was and how much time they likely had- based on the speed of Elphaba’s past labours. He did the mental math, and then did it again when he really didn’t like the answer he came up with. It didn’t change and that heart attack felt like a real possibility. 

“Elphaba-”

“Ssh,” she said, patting his chest. “We’re about to pray.”

“You are an atheist,” he reminded her, but she hushed him again. Fiyero sighed frustratedly, wishing his wife wasn’t so stubborn. It was clear she had no intention of going anywhere until the end of the lantern ceremony. 

“Don’t sneeze,” he told her just as the minister called for those gathered to bow their heads.

Elphaba rolled her eyes, just before she lowered her head and closed her eyes. 

Fiyero did not. Instead he twisted his head until he found Glinda, who was standing hand-in-hand with Azura. After a moment she raised her eyes to Fiyero, like she’d sensed his eyes on her. Her brow furrowed.

Fiyero nodded minutely towards Elphaba, but Glinda’s frown just deepened. 

‘Baby,’ he mouthed, repeating the gesture and then involuntarily winced as Elphaba squeezed his arm again. Coupled with the sharp inhale she let escape, Fiyero guessed it was a contraction. 

Glinda’s eyes widened in alarm and her jaw dropped slightly. She took a step forward, but Fiyero shook his head ever-so-slightly. 

‘Wait,’ he mouthed back and Glinda shot him an incredulous look.

Fiyero could only shrug and turn back around. He didn’t hear a word the minister said, could only focus on the carefully measured breaths Elphaba was taking and her iron grip on his arm. As the crowd started to sing, movement caught his eye and he watched Glinda carefully move forward to Elphaba’s other side, taking Elphaba’s other arm supportively. 

By the second verse, Elphaba was gripping their arms to brace herself as she stood, rocking from side-to-side slightly. Fiyero had never been more thankful for a Lurlinemas carol to end. 

“Okay, we need to get to the hospital,” Fiyero said the moment it was done, leaning towards them both to be heard over the applause. 

“Oh, I don’t know if we have the time for that,” Elphaba said grimly, a little breathless. 

Fiyero stared at her. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Okay, you were right,” she admitted. “But can we have this conversation later?”

Fiyero made some kind of noise as he turned to find his parents, hurrying over to where they stood nearby with the kids. “Elphaba’s in labour,” he informed them quietly. 

They switched into alert mode immediately, but Fiyero didn’t have time for their reactions. 

“Her waters have broken, and she doesn’t think there’s enough time to get to the hospital. Please tell me there’s a midwife or doctor here? Or both?”

“I’m sure there must be,” his mother said immediately. “I’ll find someone. Just a moment.”

“Well, Azzie, Dax,” the king said as she hurried away, wrapping one arm around each of the kids. “I think that you both did such a wonderful job tonight that you deserve a reward. How about, when Grams comes back, you come back with us for a sleepover?”

Azura looked up at him with wide eyes. “But how will Lurline’s fairies find us if we’re not at home?”

The king chuckled, tapping her nose with a finger. “Azura, I’m the king. We have an in with Lurline’s fairies, I assure you,” he said with a wink.

Azura and Dax looked appropriately awed at this information and Fiyero sent his father a grateful look. 

“What about Momma and Daddy?” Dax asked, glancing over at Fiyero. “And Aunty Glinda?”

Fiyero squatted down to be at his eye level. “Aunty Glinda and I need to help Momma with something super quick,” he told him. “But then we’ll be right behind you. Save us some cookies, okay?”

Dax nodded, but Azura stared at him shrewdly. As his father led Dax away, she lingered and leaned into Fiyero’s side. 

“Is Momma having the baby?” she whispered. 

Fiyero startled, blinked and then smiled. “You, my girl, are getting way too smart,” he informed her, squeezing her tightly. “Yeah, kid. Momma’s having the baby. So I need you and Dax to go with Grams and Grandpa. Okay?”

“Okay,” Azura agreed easily. She lifted her head and kissed Fiyero’s cheek twice. “One of those is for Momma,” she told him. “And remember, I want a sister.”

Fiyero decided this was not the time to tell her that he had no control over that. “Thanks, sweets. Go catch up with Grandpa,” he urged her and Azura hurried off. 

When Fiyero turned back to Elphaba, she was gripping Glinda’s arm tightly with her eyes squeezed shut. Glinda looked more pained than Elphaba. 

“You okay?” Fiyero asked her.

Elphaba just made a noise, which after two prior kids, Fiyero could safely interpret as a ‘no’. 

“We can’t just stand here in the middle of the square,” Glinda said anxiously, glancing around. “It’s freezing, and it can’t be good for the baby. Or Elphie.”

Fiyero looked around the square and the surrounding buildings. “Let’s try the inn,” he said decidedly. “Hopefully there’ll be a free bed.”

It took him approximately ten seconds to decide the inn’s manager was his favourite person in the world, after she took one look at Elphaba as they entered the foyer and immediately handed Glinda a key, giving them directions to the room and a promise to be along in a moment with a stack of towels.

“Thank you…”

“Evera, Your Highness,” she said.

“Evera,” he repeated. “Thank you.”

He barely had time to let her know that his mother would be along shortly before he hurried Elphaba away. 

The moment they were in the room, Fiyero ditched his outerwear and helped Elphaba shed layers and get into the bed. Glinda hung back, wringing her hands helplessly. Evera swept in and presented them with a pile of towels, promising to send up help when it arrived.

“I need to push,” Elphaba gasped, rolling onto her side and Fiyero cringed.

“Just wait,” he begged her. “There’s a midwife coming.”

He hoped. Oz, he hoped.

When the door opened behind him, Fiyero’s shoulders sagged in relief as his mother entered the room. Which only lasted for a heartbeat until he registered she was alone.

“The doctor and midwife are at a delivery in the next town,” she told them. “There’s a retired doctor on a farm on the outskirts of the village and someone’s gone to wake him, but I’m not sure how long they’ll be. If there’s no time to get Elphaba to the hospital-”

Elphaba interrupted her with a long, quiet groan. 

His mother looked to Fiyero apologetically. “I’m sorry. Shall I-?”

“Go home with Dad and the kids, Mom,” Fiyero reassured her. “Az knows what’s happening, she might need you. I’ve got Glinda here.”

“Me?!” Glinda squeaked with wide eyes. 

“You,” Fiyero said firmly. He was only distantly aware of his mother leaving the room as he rolled up his sleeves.

Glinda grabbed his arm. “Fiyero, there is a reason that I am not in the room and only see the babies when they are clean and cute!” she hissed.

“Well, there’s a reason I don’t deliver my own children!” Fiyero hissed back. “Go. Hold Fae’s hand.”

Fiyero felt ill as he hastily washed his hands and moved to the end of the bed in between Elphaba’s legs. He’d watched both Azura and Dax be born, but he still felt completely out of his depth as he tentatively checked on her progress. 

“Well… there’s no head yet,” he announced, although he wasn’t sure if there was supposed to be that much blood. 

He was not typically down this end during the birth part. 

He looked up at Elphaba. “Fae, remember when I said I could deliver this baby because I paid attention when the other two were born? I lied.” 

Elphaba let out a half-gasp, half-laugh. “Just- just don’t… don’t faint again,” she panted, and then slammed her eyes shut as another contraction hit and from Glinda’s wince, squeezed her hand quite hard. 

“Seven years,” Fiyero muttered under his breath, rubbing her shin encouragingly. 

“What?”

Fiyero knew better than to repeat his comment. “If you need to sneeze now, that would actually be helpful,” he said instead and Elphaba just gave a small sob in response. 

It only took another contraction before Fiyero tensed. “Ohhhhkay. There’s the head,” he said slowly.  

Elphaba groaned something incoherently and Fiyero squeezed her ankle lightly, urging her to push as he eased the head and shoulders free, remembering enough to make sure the umbilical cord wasn’t caught. Once the shoulders were free, the baby slid into his hands in the literal blink of an eye- one second Fiyero was cradling the head in one palm and the next a whole baby was in his hands. 

Fiyero swore unconsciously, and both Elphaba and Glinda’s gaze whipped to him in panic. 

“Everything’s fine,” he hastily reassured them. “She’s fast is all. Wasn’t expecting it.”

Elphaba craned her neck weakly, her eyes turning glassy. “She?” 

Fiyero grinned at her broadly. “She,” he confirmed and Elphaba collapsed back onto the pillows with another sob, this one tinged with joy. 

“Oh, Elphie,” Glinda exclaimed.

“Glinda, grab me some of the towels. Quick,” Fiyero said swiftly, before she could say anything else. 

Glinda hurried to grab a towel from the pile and came around to hand it to him. Without looking at her, Fiyero adjusted the baby to free a hand to take one, but nothing was placed into his expectant hand.

“Oh.” 

That made Fiyero look up in time to see the blood drain from Glinda’s face. He took the towel from her. 

“Don’t pass out,” he warned her, starting to clear the baby’s nose and mouth- he remembered that much from Azura’s birth before he’d passed out, at least. He’d watched her like a hawk, wondering why she wasn’t crying and trying not to panic before the midwife had explained what she was doing. Then Fiyero had taken in the mess on the bed, and things got very fuzzy after that. 

“Glinda?” Elphaba said tiredly, struggling up onto her elbows. That spurred Glinda out of her stupor and she stumbled back to Elphaba’s side, stuffing pillows behind her back to help her sit.

“I’ve changed my mind, I’m not having children,” she muttered distinctly.

Fiyero snorted as he rubbed at the baby’s chest, which was thankfully drowned out by the baby’s first thin cries. There was nothing like the wave of relief that swept over him at that sound, and as he looked up at Elphaba, saw the same overwhelming relief in her eyes. A crying baby was always a good sign. 

Without her needing to say anything, Fiyero wrapped their daughter in another towel and minding the still attached umbilical cord, carefully moved to place the baby on Elphaba’s chest. 

“Here you go, Momma,” he said softly. 

Elphaba chuckled as she ran a trembling finger over the baby’s face, murmuring to her so softly Fiyero couldn’t hear the words until the baby’s cries settled into whimpers. Only then did she look back up at Fiyero, beaming. 

“She’s perfect, isn’t she?”

Fiyero leaned forward to kiss her. “Just like her mother,” he agreed. “I love you, Fae.”

“I love you too,” she said softly. 

He leaned his forehead against her temple, watching the baby settle with Elphaba’s heartbeat under her ear. 

“Oz, I’m never doing this again,” he said tiredly. “Next kid, we bring a midwife everywhere we go, got it?”

Elphaba laughed loudly enough to startle the baby, who whimpered. “Not the worst idea you’ve had,” she said amusedly. 

The next knock on the door brought the retired doctor and his daughter; and Fiyero was relieved to be able to stand back and let someone else take charge. It was all a whirlwind of activity then, checking both Elphaba and the baby over and getting them cleaned up. But at last Elphaba was back in bed with clean sheets; a clean, sleeping baby against her chest while Fiyero sat on the bed beside her and Glinda sat in the armchair, looking rather shaken. Fiyero couldn’t blame her. They'd travel back home in the morning as long as Elphaba was feeling well enough, although Fiyero knew it was killing her to miss Lurlinemas morning with the kids. 

“What are we naming her?” Fiyero asked, staring at the baby. “I think we need something… Lurlinemassy.”

Glinda perked up at the idea of names. “Ievie? Aine? Melia? Lirael? Loreline?” she rattled off a stream of options related to Lurlinist tales in one breath and Fiyero could only blink at her. 

Fiyero looked to Elphaba for a response, watching as she mused over the options. They’d had plenty of boy name options this time around, but they’d had trouble coming up with girl names. 

“I like Lirael,” she said slowly. 

“Lira for short?” Glinda suggested.

Elphaba looked up at Fiyero and he nodded. “Lirael Alvy?” he suggested. “After my great-grandmother?”

Given that the baby had been born in her home village, it seemed appropriate to him. Elphaba nodded, a soft smile crossing her lips as Fiyero kissed her gently. Pressing another kiss to her temple, Fiyero stroked one of the baby’s- of Lirael’s- tiny hands. 

“Best Lurlinemas present I’ve ever gotten,” he murmured. 

“Can’t argue with that,” Elphaba agreed. 

A quiet sniffle turned their attention to Glinda, who was delicately wiping away a tear as she watched them.

“Maybe one baby,” she said. 

Elphaba and Fiyero exchanged a knowing glance, and Fiyero couldn’t help but laugh quietly. 

[galindafication]

welcome to london, GALINDA UPLAND! did anyone ever tell you that you look just like ARIANA GRANDE? well, no matter, we hear that you are TWENTY-FOUR and working as a KINDERGARTEN TEACHER. we also hear that you currently HAVE your memories from WICKED  and have a tendency to be DELIGHTFUL as well as NERVOUS. 

will correct people if they call her 'glinda' instead of 'galinda'. the 'gah' is very important to her

has twin daughters named ellie and farrah, both named after her best friend elphaba and ex-fiance fiyero (their father). they're four years old and are mini galindas. very polite, but also very curious

when fiyero left her, she found out she was pregnant a few weeks later. she had no way of contacting him, nor did she know how to do so, so she was unable to tell him that he was going to be a father. she was upset with him for a long time for leaving her, but he'd been extremely faithful and loyal to her, even with his feelings for elphie. she decided she couldn't stay mad forever, and she knows that you don't choose who you fall in love with, so she made her peace and just wants them to be happy together. the curse brought her to london when she was still pregnant with the twins, so they have never been to oz but have been begging to go

is a kindergarten teacher and loves her job endlessly

can appear a bit oblivious

her signature color is pink, but her wardrobe is a variety of pretty, light, pastel colors. the twins usually wear pastel colors or pure white

loves video games

collects fairy figurines, witch figurines, and crystals

always wearing perfume

has a large collection of smell good lotion (and yes, she uses all of it)

loves anything vanilla flavored

has a ridiculous amount of cups. mostly cute water bottles, but it's way too many, but she DOES use all of them, she rotates between uses

loves to color. maybe it's childish, but it gives her something to do and it's always been one of her favorite activities

has lots of fidget toys. she loves clicky, clacky and crunchy sounds, so she has quite a few that she likes to mess with at home

has two refrigerators! one is for food, the other is solely for drinks

her house has to be cold year round. it helps her breathe better, and she likes to be cozy, so if she or the girls get too cold, they just wrap up in sweaters and blankets

always doing some sort of project or craft. if it's something simple but fun, she adds it to the curriculum for her kindergarteners

she calls all children munchkins. she refers to her students as "her" munchkins. she calls her own kids witchlings

has her own language. she speaks ozian, so some words are different. float / floating = floaticate / floatifying. confused / confusing = confusicated / confusifying and so on so forth

always has snacks on her

has an emergency bag that she keeps with her at all times. it stays in her purse. it's got bandaids, antibacterial cream, a tourniquet, hand sanitizer, wet wipes, pads, tampons, pantyliners, pain medication, a few portable chargers, a flashlight. she keeps it very organized, too. each thing is in it's own ziplock bag so it's easy finding and nothing is rattling around loose. she also keeps water bottles with her

has quite a few pretty light up things. a moon that lights up different colors, a light up lava lamp, light up salt lamp, cute stuff like that

is one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet

can get pretty nervous if she doesn't know what's going on around her

loves making new friends and meeting new people

makes lists. lots and lots of lists. they're all over her house

can fall asleep anywhere

loves to read

likes learning new things

her favorite mode of transportation is her magic pink bubble

will never say no to ice cream or coffee. in fact, her favorite ice cream is coffee flavored

she's not one of those "don't give me advice if i didn't ask for it" people. she appreciates advice. and she doesn't mind parenting advice either. she may have been mommy for four years, but every year is her first time raising witchlings at that age, so she'll take all the advice she can get. yes, even from non-parents. she doesn't believe that only parents can give good advice or ideas

[privilege-rpg]

JESSE ST. JAMES

☆ FULL NAME: Jesse Christopher St. James ☆ GENDER: Cisman ☆ PRONOUNS: He/Him ☆ AGE: 33 (August 14th, 1991) ☆ BIRTH ORDER: First ☆ TYPE: Adopted sibling, solo (open to twin) ☆ HOMETOWN: Los Angeles, CA ☆ JOB: Artist in Residence, Voice Studio Professor, Musical Theatre Seminar Professor ☆ SEXUALITY: Bisexual ☆ FACECLAIM: Regé-Jean Page

ABOUT JESSE

Jesse St. James is and has been a plethora of things. As a chameleon, he has spent his entire life learning how to camouflage himself to be whatever someone else needed. For the majority of his life, it was as his father's puppet, ensuring that the "bloodline" of the St. James legacy continued and with the knowledge that failure was not an option. So when he was adopted by the St. James family, as a baby, Jesse was plucked from the unobscure nursery and placed into a family that expected-- no, demanded musical talent. It simply wouldn't be enough for Jesse to be a normal child-- no. He had to eat, sleep, and breathe musical theatre like he was a fish and it was the oxygen that resided in the water. Belting passed through his gills with minimum effort and maxiumum impact. He was doing the choreography of "The Press Conference Rag" with a correct triple time step at the age of five.

Jesse, like Maggie in A Chorus Line, was adopted to save his parents' marriage. Lance was desperate for a child to carry on the family name and to be his mini-me in ways that were beyond toxic, but it never fazed him. Jesse simply knew that he had a job to do and to be the best was in his DNA, even if he didn't share that DNA with his parents. He was enrolled as a child actor in several productions mounted in LA, including the Lion King, Billy Elliott, and Les Miserables.

As a good-looking man (read: what the fuck levels of hot) in musical theatre who also happened to be interested in women, Jesse is used to getting whatever he wants, whenever he wants. It wasn't enough that when he attended Stage Door Manor as a kid that he was the cause of showmances being banned for the 2004-2005 summer stock season, but his high school theatre casting rounds were literally a bloodbath. Not only did Jesse indirectly beocome the cause of several students opting to transfer, but his parents paid off the director to select shows that would feature him as a star vehicle-- because of course they did. Broadway-bound, Jesse didn't even bother going to college and getting the BFA life because he knew it would be a waste of his time, which was the precious experience needed On Broadway in order to stay there.

Throughout his career, Jesse has been fortunate enough to play several major roles, but he is very far from a household hand outside the Broadway community. He's been compared to a young Leslie Odom, Jr. and he loves it that way. Jesse is a trailblazer in the Broadway community as a young Black actor taking on roles that have traditionally been played by non-Black folk. Some of his Leading Man credits include: Fiyero in Wicked (Broadway), Billy Bigelow in Carousel (Broadway), Harold Hill in the Music Man (regional tour), Raoul in The Phantom of the Opera (Broadway), Aaron Burr in Hamilton (regional tour), Judas in Godspell (regional tour) as well as the ensembles of Bring it On, the Wiz, Ragtime, and Into the Woods (all regional tours).

At PSU, Jesse was scouted by the university to serve as an Artist-in-Residence to help bulk up the musical theatre program. Between jobs, Jesse ultimately decided it would be a decent enough career move for him and moved back to LA to be with his siblings. He's in rehearsals for a production of Waitress at the Hollywood Bowl as Earl, but is hoping that he can trip the guy playing Dr. Pommater and steal the role for himself.

FAMILY BACKGROUND

The St. James family is well regarded among Hollywood circles for their undeniable talent and incredible work ethic. The St. James men have been acting in movies since the time of silent pictures and eventually the talkies. Marlon St. James, current great-grandfather of the St. James kids in game, was a Hollywood heartthrob actor and won several Oscars for his roles. Lance St. James has been known in the superhero universe for years in his role as Gambit. Recently, he took on a part as Walt Disney in a movie musical version of his life, showing the world that he could be fearsome in his Louisiana accent and throwing playing cards, but also sing the pants off of any Pasek and Paul harmony. His relationship with his wife, Genevieve, has been rocky since his fame skyrocketed and the rumor mill states that they're on the outs. Genevieve keeps popping out kids and adopting them in hopes of keeping Lance.

[mermaidsirennikita]

I keep seeing people fancast Jonathan Bailey in Wicked and while he’d be a great Fiyero, I hope he stays far away. Although I think that role will probably be stuntcast with a big name. Especially with them announcing today they’re inexplicably splitting it in 2, I think it’ll be a disaster. Even iconic titles like WSS are flopping, audiences aren’t into movie musicals anymore.

I hesitate to ever say "audiences aren't into", tbh. I think audiences can be into *anything* at any point in time. It just has to have a hook. That doesn't mean it'll start a trend. Could be the one thing that works for a few years. Yes, WSS flopped, but I think that had less to do with it being a musical and more to do with

A) Ansel's issues being preeeetty well-publicized.

B) It was a remake of a musical that everyone has seen the original version of. And while the original movie has many issues, I think it's one of those "problematic" movies that a lot of people have accepted for what it is over the years. They didn't want a "corrected" version. They liked it as it was, for better or worse.

C) It was very clear that it was not only a remake of a movie many people knew and enjoyed--it was a remake that brought nothing new to the table. Same vibes. Same style. It's a very boring remake.

I think musicals can still work. Wicked may very well work. I don't know enough about the source material to say if splitting it in two makes sense or not. I have a basic understanding of the story, I read the book yeeears ago (which is very different, so that hardly matters) and I've listened to all the songs, but not repeatedly for the most part. John M. Chu has his issues as a director, but I think he makes a visually beautiful movie and for all that there are things to critique about In The Heights, I still enjoyed it.

I think there are other people who could probably serve that role better than JB; he'd probably do well, but idk. Doesn't seem right for him. I feel like Fiyero should be somebody who's like... The Guy.

[klaineaddictsfanficrecs]

Unmasked

By Gleeful Darren Criss Fan

Covid sucked. It had totally ruined 2020. First, he had landed his first major role in a Broadway production. Ok, it was an understudy role, and it was a revival of Wicked. He was Fiyero’s understudy, even though he was better than the guy cast to play the role, some cocky kid named Brody that slept his way to the top. Unfortunately for the promiscuous boy, he had pissed off the director and was fired during the pandemic, allowing Blaine to step in and fill his shiny, polished shoes.

Unfortunately, Covid had other plans. The governor called for the emergency closure of all nonessential businesses, which meant the show and the theater was mandated to stay closed to the public until further notice. Initially, he had been optimistic, thinking that they were only going to close down for a couple of weeks. Now, almost a year later, there was finally a date set for opening night. It was finally time for his debut. He had finally gotten to walk back through those doors and step back on stage. But that wasn’t the reason that he had been so elated.

This morning when he was told that everyone would be allowed to congregate and rehearse together, he had practically jumped for joy. Yes, it would be amazing to see his costars again. Rachel, although a diva at times, was fun to be around and immensely talented. And his friends in the ensemble, like Sam, Tina, and Mike were a blast to be around. And even Santana, Rachel’s understudy, was even becoming his friend, even though he did not want to get on her bad side. But the person he was most excited to be around wasn’t even on the stage. And because of that, he only had the opportunity to see him sporadically, only when the costume director needed to take measurements or do adjustments. Yep, that’s correct. His favorite person to see in the whole production was the lead designer for the show, Kurt Hummel.

When he was first told that Brody was out and he was in, he was ecstatic because that meant that he’d get his chance to shine. Unfortunately, it had caused Kurt to flip out because Brody and Blaine were very different, especially in the height department. Blaine was also told that he was not as defined in a few areas, like his arms, but he was much more defined in other areas, such as in the crotch area. Blaine had never blushed so much in his life as when Kurt had to take his measurements that day.

And since then, Blaine’s outlook for his day seemed to improve as soon as Kurt walked into the theater. It hadn’t happened much at first, because they staggered days that they worked at the theater so that they could socially distance themselves. Kurt had said that he could do much of the sewing at home, so he seldomly graced them with his presence until the virus finally started to get under control.

And when Kurt was there, he would always do the responsible thing and distance himself and wear an impeccably designed and completely original mask. Of course, all of them were encouraged to wear masks. Blaine had his on currently, although he was permitted to take his off when he was singing because it was hard to sing with them on. However, since Kurt was a costume designer that didn’t have to perform or sing, his mask stayed in place the entire time that he was there. And Blaine absolutely hated it.

Yep, he hated that little piece of fabric so much. Stupid covid. Because of you, Kurt’s face was concealed. His luscious lips, his adorable button nose, his strong jaw, his rosy cheeks, and that adorable cleft in his chin were being touched, caressed even by the fabric instead of his own fingers and lips. Now, Blaine had to imagine what Kurt’s face looked like when he laughed or when he got irritated and said something fiery and sarcastic. It was just so unfair. And what made it worse was that everyone had to bring attention to them.

Kurt never seemed to wear the same mask twice, unlike most of the rest of the crew. Some of them obviously only owned one and never bothered to wash it. Kurt, however, always walked in with the most stunning, unique masks that Blaine had ever seen, which became the immediate topic that everyone had to talk about. Sam, Mike, or even Santana would comment on how amazing the mask was. Blaine thought back to the first time that Kurt had walked in with the accessory that Blaine now detested most of all.

“Oh my God, Blaine,” Tina exclaimed as she embraced him. “Did you see Kurt’s mask yet?”

tin man mask

Blaine nodded. “Yeah. It’s neat.”

“Neat? Blaine, it’s the tinman’s face, in exact detail. It’s incredible. I’ve not seen anything like it, and I’ve searched like crazy for the coolest designs and fabrics when I was making mine. I bet he made it. He has the skill, obviously. I wonder if he’d make me one.”

“I’m sure he would,” Blaine said softly, though he was really trying not to roll his eyes.

“Don’t you like it? I thought you liked the wizard of Oz. If it wasn’t for the popularity of that story, Wicked wouldn’t have ever happened.”

“I love the wizard of Oz. You know that.”

“Then, what’s the reason for that face. When I brought up the mask, you looked almost as irritated as you were when Rachel tried to make “As long as You’re Mine” a solo because she had the strongest voice. Do you not like Kurt?”

Blaine bit his lip. “No, no. Of course, I like Kurt. I was just thinking of the show and everything. Sorry. It’s a great mask.”

“Cool. I’m going to ask him to make one for both of us then,” Tina said, ignoring the look of horror from Blaine as she frantically started waving the brunette over. “Hey Kurt! Come here for a minute!”

Kurt smiled as he stepped up to the two friends. “Hi, Tina. Hey Blaine. Did you need somethi-?”

“Yeah,” Tina interrupted, shaking Kurt’s hand, neglecting to let it go so that Blaine could do the same. “We were just talking about your mask, and how cool it is, and Blaine and I thought it would be neat to have one. Where did you get it?”

“Oh, I made it actually,” Kurt replied. “During the pandemic, I had to do something to earn money and keep my sanity, so I designed and sewed masks. It was also a way that I could do my part to help. My dad was at risk, since he’s a cancer survivor and all, so it started with me trying to convince him to wear a mask. He kept fussing that he couldn’t find any that were comfortable and fun to wear, so I started designing them for him to wear.”

“He’s a Wizard of Oz fan?” Tina asked.

Kurt shook his head. “Nah, not really. This one was completely my idea. No. I designed him some masks with his favorite car models or the Buckeyes.”

Blaine did a double-take. Could Kurt be more perfect? “You like the Buckeyes?”

Kurt laughed. “Oh Heck no. But my dad does. He loves football, and he’s all about supporting the local team, you know.”

“Oh ok,” Blaine chuckled. “I didn’t take you for the type that liked football.”

“Hey, now. Don’t put me inside a box, Blaine. I was on my high school football team.”

“For like two games, and you were the kicker,” Rachel interjected, popping up behind them as if from nowhere. “Hey, Blaine, Tammy.”

“Tina,” Tina said with an eye roll.

“So, are you ready to finally get to practice together? I bet it’ll be a total disaster since I highly doubt that the rest of the cast rehearsed daily as I did to stay in optimum shape both vocally and physically. Kurt, have you put on some weight.”

“Why, yes, Rachel, I have, or to phrase it more accurately, I’ve gained muscle mass, because unlike, what you suggested, I’ve kept up with my aerobics and exercise routine daily, and I’ve actually watched what I’ve eaten better. Have you?”

Rachel’s eyes flashed. “No, I have not. I’ve actually lost weight, thank you very much,” she said, stomping away angrily.

“Thank you,” Tina said graciously. “I can’t stand her sometimes. We’ve worked together for a while now, and she still calls me Tammy.”

Kurt shrugged his shoulders. “She just feels threatened because she’s not used to sharing the spotlight much. So, you want a mask like this?”

Tina nodded. “Yeah. It’s incredible. Actually, could you make two? Blaine wants one as well.”

“Is that right? I think that I still have enough fabric at home to whip one up for both of you. Or did you want a different character? I even have couples’ masks if you’re interested.

“No, no, uh uh. No couples masks. Blaine and I aren’t a couple. I’m seeing Mike. Blaine’s gay,” Tina corrected.

“Oh, is that right,” Kurt replied. Blaine wished that he could see the rest of Kurt’s face when he had said that because if he didn’t know better, Kurt seemed to be smiling, maybe even blushing, but Blaine couldn't be sure because of that damn mask covering his face.

“Uh yeah, totally gold star gay,” Blaine responded, feeling his own cheeks grow warm. Thank god he had on a mask to cover the bright red hue painted on his cheeks. “I thought it was obvious.”

Kurt laughed, his nose scrunching up under the fabric. “Nope. and I thought my gaydar had improved since I moved here. Good to know,” Kurt said with a wink.

A wink. What did Kurt mean by that? Was he blushing too? Smiling at him? Could Kurt be interested in him? Blaine was usually good at reading people’s expressions, but with that stupid mask, he wasn’t getting the full picture. And unfortunately, every conversation after that was just as cryptic.

“Hey Blaine,” Kurt said as he stepped into Blaine’s dressing room. “Do you have a minute?”

“Yeah sure. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to see if you got your mask, and you obviously did because it’s right there. Does it fit right?”

“Oh, I haven’t tried it on yet since I haven’t left my dressing room yet. I wore a different one here today, but it looks good.” He fitted the elastic over his ears. He smiled, but then quickly realized that Kurt couldn’t see it anymore. “Yeah, it’s perfect. Yours is interesting today.”

Baby Yoda mask

“Thanks. I think baby Yoda is adorable,” Kurt replied.

I think you’re adorable, Blaine thought. “Yeah, he is. Did you need something else?”

“Um, yeah. Actually, I noticed yesterday that your costume is a little snug in a few areas, specifically around your arms and other areas and I didn’t want it to be uncomfortable so I thought I’d take your measurements so I could make the needed adjustments.”

This was mortifying. Kurt noticed that he had put on some weight during the pandemic. He tried to keep up a healthy diet, and he still exercised every day. He also indulged more in sweets though, especially since his favorite bakery started offering delivery. He and Steve, the Door Dash delivery guy, were now on a first-name basis. “Yeah, I guess that I started eating less healthy since this whole pandemic thing started and I discovered cronuts. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be sorry,” Kurt said as he started measuring Blaine’s triceps. “If anything, I just thought that you had increased your workout regime while you were stuck at home. Your sleeves have definitely gotten tighter, along with some other things,” Kurt remarked, his eyes shifting down his body. “I thought at first that you just started dressing up in tighter clothing until I saw you in the costume. Not that I mind.” Kurt said as he turned his head up and looked directly at Blaine, and were his pupils larger?

“Oh, um. Yeah. It wasn’t intentional. I can’t pull off the look as well as you do,” Blaine replied.

“Debatable,” Kurt answered back quickly, and was that a giggle? That stupid piece of fabric on his face muffled his voice a little, so Blaine couldn’t be sure. Was he flirting? “Anyway, I’ll adjust the shirt for you,” Kurt said as his fingers worked his way down to Blaine’s thighs, “although I think I need to take out the pants a little as well. You’ve clearly gained some definition in your thighs as well.”

Blaine was thankful for his mask at that moment because it hid how his mouth dropped open in shock. Was Kurt complimenting his legs? Or was he just doing his job and noticing that his pants had gotten tighter.

“Do I need to take them out in other areas? Turn around and let me get your measurements in the seat of your pants.”

Did Kurt just ask to measure his ass? “Are you trying to imply that my ass has gotten bigger?” Blaine laughed, again a blush rising on his cheeks.

“Not at all. It’s actually the opposite. You’ve obviously defined certain areas, and so your trousers are ill-fitted in some places and too tight in others. I just didn’t want you to have an unfortunate wardrobe malfunction on stage. Plus, I know how uncomfortable it is to squeeze into a pair of pants that are too tight.”

“Your pants are really tight. Why do you wear them that way if they’re uncomfortable?” Blaine questioned, thankful that Kurt was behind him and not able to see how embarrassed he was by the question.

“It’s fashionable. Plus, I have long legs. My skinny jeans accentuate my assets,” Kurt answered as he moved the measuring tape along Blaine’s butt.

“Yeah, they do,” Blaine blurted. “I mean, you obviously know what looks good on your body type,” he quickly added. Change the subject, before you pop a boner, Blaine. “So has my ass has gotten smaller.”

Kurt laughed heartily. “Are you trying to insinuate that I committed the size of your ass to memory, Blaine?” Kurt said, rising up, and resting the tape on his arm.

“Um, no, but you said my pants no longer fit right,” Blaine mumbled. “So it must’ve gotten smaller, right?”

Kurt chuckled again. “Not necessarily. Like I said, your thighs have gained definition and you have gained some muscles in your glutes as well. Therefore, it changed the fit of your already tight trousers. And since they’re white, they’re showing some things that may not be appropriate for the kiddos in the audience to see.

“Oh, um, then, by all means, let’s fix that.” Blaine laughed.

“Well, then, I’ll kinda need your pants.”

Blaine ran his hand through his curls as he turned his head from the brunette. “Wait, right now?”

“Not this exact second, Blaine. I’m not telling you to drop ‘em right this instant.” Kurt chuckled. “I’ll leave, and you can change. Then, I’ll tailor them as quickly as I can so that they are ready for the dress rehearsal Thursday.”

“Oh, ok. Thanks, Kurt.” Blaine smiled, even though he knew Kurt couldn’t see it with his mask covering his face.

“No, thank you, Blaine. It’s been my pleasure. Kurt said with a wink. Then, he turned and shut the door behind him.

What the hell? Was Kurt flirting or was he just doing his job? He had to be flirting. He had noticed that Blaine’s body had changed, and he had even commented that the changes were nice. Was Kurt trying to hint that he liked what he saw? Or was it really an issue of a wardrobe nightmare waiting to happen?

Damn that mask. Blaine had missed all the signs. The shy smiles, the blushing cheeks, the sly, confident smile he’d usually look for when he read another guy’s expressions. The signs that he had read on his former hookups or boyfriends before he felt confident to ask them out. Hell, some guys made it extremely easy, like Sebastian, who basically called him sex on a stick and gave him a room key to his dorm. Covid had already complicated his life on so many levels, and now it was messing with his love life. Not that he had a love life. Blaine sighed and unbuckled his pants. Yep. He hated those stupid masks.

The next encounter was even more confusing.

“Hey, Blaine. Are things inside your pants better now?” Kurt asked, making Blaine nearly spit out the water he had just taken a sip of. “Oh God. I meant, do they feel better.”

“Wanky,” Santana laughed. “You been lettin’ Hummel get into your pants, Anderson?”

“What? No. He had to make some adjustments yesterday.”

“Some adjustments? Is that what we’re calling it now? Santana laughed again, raising her eyebrows and perching her hand on her hip.

“I had to tailor his pants, Santana. Just like I had to make adjustments to your costume as well after you decided to get some adjustments of your own,” Kurt replied.

“Hey, just because Berry’s captain of the itty bitty titty committee doesn’t mean that I have to join too. Now, I’m ineligible, thanks to some silicone and a team of surgeons. Anyway, Blaine, you didn’t answer Ladyface’s question. How are things inside your pants? Growing uncomfortable, are we?”

“No, they actually are fine. Thanks for your concern. Don’t you have some lines to review, Santana?”

“Yeah, but they aren’t going to be as fun for me to study as the ones that Kurt studied on your ass.”

“Leave him alone, Santana. Blaine can’t help that his body changed during the pandemic, even though he looks great. Getting into better shape and taking care of your body is a positive thing, especially since Blaine didn’t have to get the help of a doctor and a scalpel to do it.”

Santana flipped her hair, “Whatever, lady face,” she sassed, stalking away.

“Thanks, Kurt.”

“For putting her in her place? She lived with me for a little while. You just have to call her out when she gets bitchy,” Kurt replied.

“No, I meant for the alterations. I don’t feel quite so obscene now.” Blaine laughed.

“No problem, Blaine. That’s my job. Although I kinda liked the view,” Kurt said quietly. “Besides, it reflects poorly on me as a costume designer if anything appears ill-fitting.”

Blaine smiled. “Well, still, thank you. I can actually breathe in my costume now. Did you make that mask as well?”

“Yeah. Do you like it?”

Chewbacca mask

Nope. Not at all, Blaine thought as he visualized how even more gorgeous Kurt would be without it. “Yeah. It’s fine.”

“Fine? Do you not like Chewbacca, Blaine?

“He’s fine, I guess. I’m more of a Han solo guy myself.”

“Oh, I like him too, but I didn’t know how to make a Harrison Ford face,” Kurt laughed. “I don’t think they sell that at Mood.”

Blaine chuckled. “No, I guess not. But does that mean that they do have Chewbacca Fabric?”

“No, I had to order it from a specialty shop online. They use a special program to put the design on fabric. My customers really seem to like them.”

“They really are unique,” although I wish you’d take yours off so that I could see your gorgeous smile again, Blaine thought. “I think that it’s great that you make them, even though I can’t wait for the day that they lift the mask mandates.”

“And why is that, Blaine? I really like seeing the different designs that people wear, and they’re fun to make.”

I really like seeing your whole face, and I haven’t gotten to see it since this stupid pandemic started, Blaine thought. “I just don’t like trying to breathe through the fabric, I guess, and I kinda miss seeing people’s facial expressions.”

“Yeah, that makes sense. Especially for an actor. I guess it’s hard to react to your scene partner’s expressions when you can’t see them. And I guess it’d be difficult trying to sing with one on,” Kurt replied. “But, safety first. I wouldn’t want anyone to get sick because of my negligence.”

“Yeah, you’re right. It is the responsible thing to do.”

“Being responsible sucks sometimes, though,” Kurt said. “I don’t particularly like them either.”

“You don’t?” Blaine asked in surprise.

Kurt shook his head. “I miss people’s smiles too, some more than others,” Kurt said as he turned and walked away.

What did he mean by that? Did Kurt mean him? Was he talking about someone else? He had never been so puzzled in his life.”

__________________________________________________________________________

The next few weeks continued to puzzle Blaine. The days that Kurt was at the theater were few and far between, and when he was there, he was bombarded with the task of fixing a burst seam or making alterations to the rest of the casts’ costumes. And since the CDC and the governor were still suggesting that every one social distance, Kurt seemed to take that to heart, barely speaking to him at all.

“Blaine, what did you think of Kurt’s mask today?” Sam asked as Sam exited the stage and Blaine prepared to enter.

“Oh, I haven’t even seen it yet. I wasn’t aware that he was here today.”

“Yeah, the CDC finally lifted some of the restrictions, although they are still recommending masks,” Mike commented. “You didn’t notice that everyone was here today?”

Blaine shook his head. “I’ve been running lines in my dressing room. With the opening night being just a week away, my nerves have been a mess,” Blaine admitted.

“Then you should definitely check out Kurt’s mask. It’s just your style,” Sam said, smiling.

“I’ll check it out,” Blaine said with a nod, stepping on the stage, and then spotting Kurt sitting front and center in the center of one of the front rows, and Sam was right. It was definitely his style.

Han Solo mask

Blaine flubbed several of his lines as his focus was pulled from Rachel and directed to Kurt countless times. It was Han Solo. Kurt was wearing a Han solo mask. What did that mean?

“Blaine? Cut? We need to try that again. That line isn’t even in this scene. Where’s your focus? We have opening night in a week, and you can’t just be dropping the wrong lines. It might throw me off. If you’re going star opposite of me, you have to match my level of talent and enthusiasm. I don’t want my opening night to be lackluster.”

“God, Rachel. It’s not just your opening night. You do realize that hundreds of people all have a hand in making this play come together. You aren’t the only person that people are coming to see. I need a break,” Blaine sighed, storming off the stage in frustration.

“Hey, Blaine, are you ok?” a sweet melodic voice asked behind him.

Blaine turned to see Kurt standing in front of him, his Han solo mask still in place. “Yeah, I just get a little flustered by her sometimes.”

Kurt nodded in understanding. “I get it. We used to be roommates. I couldn’t take it anymore. I moved in with Elliott during the pandemic.”

“Elliott?” Blaine had never heard Kurt mention that name before. Did Kurt have a boyfriend? Of course, he did. There was no way that a man as gorgeous and sweet as Kurt was single.

“Yeah, we met when he auditioned for my band shortly after I moved to New York.”

“Your band? You’re in a band?”

Kurt nodded. “Yeah, but we haven’t played anywhere with a lot of the venues we play not having shows this past year. I really miss it. We still practice sometimes, but I miss performing in front of an audience. We have a gig coming up, though. You should come.”

“Sure. When is it?”

“Friday at Callbacks. It starts at 8.”

“I have rehearsal, but I’ll try. By the way, your mask is great.”

“Thanks. It was inspired by you. You said that you liked Han. and I’ve already sold several on my Etsy page. But I saved one for you, if you want it.”

“Of course I want it. What makes you think that I wouldn’t.”

“You said that you don’t like masks,” Kurt answered matter of factly.

“It’s not that I don’t like them. I just miss seeing people’s faces.” Especially yours, Blaine thought. He had never been so jealous of a piece of fabric in his life. Those masks got to be right up close to Kurt’s smooth skin, his perfect, luscious lips, and it wasn’t fair. “I’ll try to be there Friday. I can’t wait to hear you sing.”

“I can’t wait to be back on stage again myself. I’ll see you then. And here. This is yours. Kurt placed something in his hand. It was a mask just like his own.

“Thank you,” Blaine said, squeezing Kurt’s hand as if to discourage him from moving it away from his.

“No problem. I made one for Sam and Elliott as well. They’re both Star Wars fans like you. And hang in there. Rachel does not use to sharing the spotlight, but one of these days, she’ll realize the importance of a team effort. See you Friday.”

“See you then.” Although Blaine was really tired of the fact that he still wouldn’t get to see Kurt’s beautiful smile. But then he realized that Kurt would be singing and it was hard to sing with a mask on. Kurt would have to take off the mask. There’s no way that Blaine would miss finally getting to see his face once again.

____________________________________________________________________________

Blaine was a nervous wreck, pacing back and forth in front of the little club. He debated going inside. On one hand, he’d get to hear his crush sing. On the other hand, Kurt would be there with the man he lived with, that probably got to kiss his lips and touch his face and strong jaw.

After about five minutes, he finally gathered the nerve to step inside the club, only to see the man of his dreams, maskless, and wrapped in the arms of a gorgeous, taller man with eyeliner and a leather jacket. He turned around and abruptly left the club without looking back.

_______________________________________________________________________

It was opening night, and Blaine’s nerves were on edge. He was excited. His parents and Cooper were both going to be in the audience tonight to watch him perform. His parents had already seen the special showing the night before, and then they took him out for dinner at a swanky place that Blaine could probably never afford. It was a nice evening, but it had been plagued by a feeling of frustration. Kurt hadn’t even tried to talk to him since that night that he stood him up at Callbacks. And Kurt would be at the show. He’d have to be, to make sure that everyone’s costumes were in perfect shape. In fact, he had seen Kurt running around and checking with everyone to make sure that they didn’t need anything. Except him.

Kurt hadn’t even turned around long enough for him to see his mask today. And suddenly, Blaine collided with someone hard, almost falling backward as a strong arm gripped his and prevented him from hitting the hardwood beneath him.

“Are you ok?”

“Kurt, hey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention to where I was goin-”

“Are you ok? Kurt asked again.

“Your mask. It’s me.”

Blaine Anderson Mask

Kurt nodded. “It is. I broke my rule to wear it tonight.”

“You have a rule? I mean other than to never take it off.”

Kurt nodded. I don’t usually wear the same mask twice. But I wore this one again.

Blaine shook his head. “I’ve never seen it before.”

“I wore it at Callbacks. I guess you couldn’t make it that night.”

“I was there, but I-I had to leave. I’m sorry.”

“Was there an emergency or something?”

“No, I just couldn’t handle it. I’m sorry.”

Kurt shook his head. “I’m afraid I don’t understand. You’re going to have to explain it to me.”

“How does Elliott feel about that mask?”

“He’s fine with it. He actually helped me find a picture of you to use so that I could draw it accurately.”

“And he wasn’t jealous?”

“No, why would he be. We’re just roommates and bandmates.”

“He was holding you quite tightly the other night. I didn’t want to intrude.”

“Oh, that? He needed a friend. His boyfriend of two years broke up with him the day before and we had just rehearsed a song that Elliott wrote for him. I was being supportive.”

“Wait, so Elliott isn’t your boyfriend?” Blaine asked.

“No. I just needed a place to stay when Rachel became an even bigger diva than she already is. Elliott and Danny offered to let me stay at their place. They never seemed to mind me. That is until Danny accused Elliott and me of sleeping together. Which would never happen because I respected their relationship too much, and I’m not really attracted to Elliott. I’ve been hopelessly head over heels for someone else for over a year now.”

“Wait, you have? Do I know him?”

Kurt smiled and pulled his mask off and handed it to Blaine. I thought I made it pretty obvious. I mean, I wouldn’t just put anyone on my face.” Kurt facepalmed. I mean, I wouldn’t just wear a mask with just anybody on it.”

“You had Han solo’s chest on one of them.” Blaine objected.

“Because he was your favorite,” Kurt countered.

“And you wore baby Yoda.”

“Because Sam said that you liked Star Wars a lot. He told me that you thought Yoda was adorable.”

“I think you’re adorable,” Blaine blurted, and then blushed profusely when he realized that he said that out loud. “I mean, especially now, since I can see your face.”

“Well then, if you like seeing it, then how about you make plans to see it again, tonight, after the show. Dinner. You and I.”

“My brother’s taking me out tonight. But we can do something afterward.”

“Will you show up this time,” Kurt pouted.

“I showed up last time. And I am truly sorry about that. I really did want to see you perform. I just was caught off guard when I saw you and Elliott holding one another so tightly. It just seemed like I’d be intruding.”

“You can’t intrude if I want you to be there. And he was comforting me because I thought that you weren’t coming.”

“Sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions,” Blaine said dropping his head down in shame.

“Make it up to me?” Kurt asked with a timid smile.

“Anything.”

Kurt cupped Blaine’s jaw and closed the distance between them, their lips finally meeting in an electric kiss.

“God, I’ve wanted to do that for ages. But I couldn’t because of these things.” Blaine said, referencing the mask that was still in his hand.

“I knew you didn’t really like them.”

“I hated them at first, because I didn’t actually get to see you smile anymore. I didn’t get to see your nose crinkle when something irritated you, and I didn’t get to see your cheeks redden when Santana said something distasteful. But then, I realized that I got to see another part of you that I hadn’t got to see before. I think I fell head over heels for you when I saw you in a mask for the first time. That tin man mask. It just showed so much personality. And then, you made one for me too. I still have it. I wear it all the time.”

“I have mine in my keepsake box. It was the day I realized that I didn’t just have a crush on you anymore. It had grown into something much deeper.”

“Are you saying what I think you’re saying?” Blaine asked, staring intensely at the gorgeous man in front of him.

“It depends. What is it that you think I’m saying?” Kurt smirked. Smirked, and it was adorable and so freakin’ hot.

“I think you’re saying, Mr. Hummel, that you want me to be your boyfriend,” Blaine smirked back.

“And I think that’s pretty accurate,” Kurt replied as he pressed his body into Blaine’s and kissed him firmly on the lips.

“It’s nice to finally get to do this,” Blaine whispered against his boyfriend’s lips.

“Do what?” Kurt prompted, lightly kissing Blaine’s lips once more.

“To get you unmasked,” Blaine replied before deepening the kiss.

[sabine-leo]

Wicked Tom...

Author: @sabine-leo

Pairing: Tom x female Reader  (Loki / Elphaba) 

Wordcount: 3094

Genre: Fluff (teeny tiny bit of hurt feelings)

Note: I finally found the time to write the 3rd wish for my 1k follower raffle. @adefectivedetective asked for this :  “ Tom was watching Wicked on the West End and reader plays Elphaba and he really enjoyed it so he goes and talks to her at the end”  

I do hope you like it and can excuse the wait!! 

Comments and reblogs are very much appreciated and LOVED!!

Once he had answered a question in an interview.

“What's my guilty pleasure? The thing is, I never feel guilty about pleasures.”

Well, sitting here for the second time this day made him feel a little guilty. But after being literally dragged into the theatre from Emma and Sarah to see the matinée he had found himself totally bewitched and in awe of the voices that had made him feel every single emotion there was. Using the side entrance only shortly before the show began, he felt a little wicked himself as his skin tingled in anticipation of a voice that had touched his heart and lit his soul on fire just this afternoon. 

Emma had started to tease him on their way out of the theatre. “You actually did enjoy it, just give in and say it. Sarah and myself have been right. At least this time!” Tom had chuckled “Yes, I must say that it was rather good! You have been correct. It is not above me to admit that I should have come here sooner. Thank you for dragging my sorry British butt along.” His sisters had laughed and said their goodbyes as the three siblings parted ways.  

Now, Tom leaned back in his seat and waited for the music to start.

Not half way into the show and he was, again, totally captivated by the story acted and sung before him. One voice in particular made the hairs on his arms rise, in a good way. 

Blithe smile, lithe limb She who's winsome, she wins him Gold hair with a gentle curl That's the girl he chose And heaven knows I'm not that girl

Tom gulped a little as he heard her sing those lines. He felt the heartbreak, the longing in her voice. Having felt his heart break in his life himself, he knew from where the actress drew the emotions into her voice. He felt the urge to leap onto stage and hug her close, to tell her that someone out there would be worth to open her heart for again.  

 Don't wish don't start

Wishing only wounds the heart

I wasn't born for the rose and pearl There's a girl I know He loves her so I'm not that girl

 With a sinking head and closed eyes Elphaba ended the song and the theatre lay in darkness for a second as applause erupted. Tom closed his eyes while he clapped his hands together, that voice really did a number on him. So gentle, so full of emotions yet so damn powerful that even the almost silent notes hit his ears like a thunderstorm. Some minutes later he – again - was amazed that this soft voice could blast out the probably most known song of the musical with such intensity. Defying gravity truly was a powerful song and Tom grinned as Elphaba was lifted up.

 So if you care to find me Look to the western sky! As someone told me lately "Everyone deserves the chance to fly!"

 That song sealed his fate. He needed to go backstage after the show and meet the woman with such a powerful voice. He, too wanted his chance to fly again, to defy gravity and leap into an unknown adventure…and maybe lose his heart in the process. Only to hopefully gain one in return.

 And that was what he did. Straightening his jacket as he approached the part of the Theatre where the actors would be after the show ended, he got greeted with a smile.

“Oh! Mr. Hiddleston!”

He had been under the radar the whole day but it did not faze him that he got recognized almost immediately. “Good evening.” Tom smiled politely.

“Would it be too much to ask if I could congratulate the actors on their performance…personally?”

“No, no no no, of course not. They would be delighted! As would I! Follow me.”

Tom thanked the man with a nod and followed him through the small corridors.

A door opened and Glinda stopped short at seeing him. “Oh my!” She said and pressed her hand against her chest. Tom chuckled. What a Glinda move, he thought.

“Hey, so nice to meet you!” He held out his hand and complimented her on the show but his eyes kept searching for her stage sister.

“A picture! Please let me take a picture. The both of you look so good together! Glinda and Tom, what a pair!” The man laughed and snapped away as Tom politely took Glinda sideways into his arm and smiled. That picture would likely hit the press, but Tom did not care what they would write about it. His intentions were not set on Glinda, though she was beautiful…but there was a voice he needed to put into context with a face. A voice that had touched a part inside of him he had thought lost after his last heartbreak. The man took another two pictures as Glinda lifted one foot and smiled very Glinda like with a girly expression on her face.

 At this exact moment you came out of your dressing room.

Still more than a little green around the nose and eyes, rubbing your face with a wet cloth.

“Dammit, is this another brand of body paint? It´s not yielding voluntarily!”

“Uhm…(Y/N) ?!” The actress playing Glinda said with a little chuckle and let go of Tom.

“What is it? I would hate to have to ride the tube still green. One half of the people would know who I am and the other half would look at me funny!”

“(Y/N)! We are in London after all. I really don´t think someone would even give you a second glance.” Glinda said a little louder before Tom stepped in and softly took the cloth down from your face with his big hands.

“Hey there, I´d hate for you to scratch your beautiful face in order to get the colour down.” He smiled and you could just look upwards with a stunned expression after you recognised who held your hand and the wet, slightly green cloth in his hand.

“I do think green looks rather good on you.” He grinned. “I would absolutely give you a second glance…But then again, I always had a thing for black and green anyways!”

You started to chuckle. “So that was the appeal to play Loki!?” Your witty comment made Tom laugh out loud. “Amongst one of the reasons, yes!” he slowly let go of your hand but held onto the cloth.

 “It´s nice to finally see you up close after your voice knocked me over more than one time from afar!” Tom held out his free hand and smiled. “I´m Tom by the way…” You smiled and took his hand into your green one. “Nice to meet you Tom, I am (Y/N).”

Glinda rolled her eyes but grinned. “First Fiyero and now Tom Hiddleston. Excuse me while I go dip myself into green paint to get a bit of attention around here!”

Tom and you chuckled and watched her walk into her dressing room.

Suddenly aware that he still was holding your hand Tom let go and messed up his hair instead.

“Uhm, so…I really am in awe of what you did on stage. Your voice is phenomenal!”

“Oh boy, I am glad that green counters red, otherwise you´d see me blush!”

Tom laughed a deep rumble of a laugh and looked at you intensely.

“You are correct, I can´t make out any blush under that layer of green!”

 He jabbed his hands into his pockets and teetered on his feet as if unsure how do proceed but then he tilted his head and said. “How about you accompany me for a drink or a dinner without the green paint covering you up. Then we would be on an even playing field regarding the blush department!” Tom grinned, happy with himself.

“Are you telling me you do blush too?” You asked still feeling a little wicked thanks to your role. “Only one way to find out!” Tom smiled and bit his lip.

“I suppose that is true.” You nod and smile. “If you have the time to wait until I get this paint off me, I gladly say yes to your offer. But let me warn you, it may take me up to an hour…”

Tom grinned. “Oh, no worries, I don´t have anything else planned for the night. How about you get rid of the wicked colour and we meet at John´s in about 1 ½ hours?”

“I´ll be there…” You said with a smile and turned to walk into your dressing room to jump into the shower. “See you in a bit…” Tom said and waved as he proceeded to talk to a few more actors coming out of their rooms slowly but steady with a smile on his face.

 There, he had taken that leap…

 The evening, the night turned out to be a fun and short-lived time. Tom and you connected on different levels and the conversations flowed easily from one topic to another. He was very intelligent, funny and a gentleman from head to toe. Walking you home because it was his so-called duty even if you were the wicked witch of the west turned into a rather slow and much longer walk that ended with a hug and an exchange of numbers before your flat. Over the course of the next weeks Tom and you got to know each other better and texted or talked to each other constantly if time allowed it. Both your schedules being all over the place made it not that easy but Tom took the time to walk you home at least one day each week after you finished in the theatre.

 “What are you up to in the next days?” Tom asked as you turned the last corner to get home.

“Tomorrow I do have 2 shows to play and the day after I am actually performing a song at James Cordon´s Late Late show… he is hosting in London this week.”

Tom looked at you with a big smile “Oh! Wow, that´s great! This is going to be fun. I know James, beware of his humour, he probably is going to get you to do something funny while singing!” You laughed out loud and shrugged. “He can try…Maybe I will make him dress up as Elphaba!”  

Tom burst out laughing and held his belly.

“I need to make sure I am there for the taping if that is the case!”

 Keying open your door you turn to look at Tom. “Do you..” you started and needed to clear your throat. “…do you want to come in for a drink?”

 Toms face got all soft and he touched your shoulder. “I would love to, but I get an early start tomorrow…I am so sorry but I do have to get home...” You could not help the slight pang you felt as his words hit your system. He had tried to let you down easy but given that you had needed to summ up your courage to ask him for three days did not make it better at all. “Next time?” He asked softly and tried to get you to look into his eyes. “Yeah, sure. Get home safe, Tom! And sleep well!” You said and went inside without giving him the eye contact. You could not let him see the hurt you felt. You knew it was childish and not reasonable but you really could not help it at this moment.

“Sleep well (Y/N)…” Tom said . “I am really sorry…”

To hell with it, you looked into his eyes and mustered a smile. “Good Night Tom, thank you for walking me home!” Slowly you closed the door and bumped your head against it.

You had taken the leap and…had fallen.

 Tom started to walk home. He had to get up in only 4 hours’ time but he hated himself for putting that look into your eyes. It reminded him of the song that had gotten him so emotional all those weeks ago as he had heard you singing it for the first time.

 Don't wish don't start Wishing only wounds the heart I wasn't born for the rose and pearl There's a girl I know He loves her so I'm not that girl

 He tried to shake of that feeling but he could not even come close to do it. If only you´d know that you were that girl. That you were born for the rose and pearl. That he wanted to be the one to give it to you. In the last weeks he had gotten to know you, deeply so. He had had the pleasure to hear you laugh with that beautiful voice of yours, knowing that he had been the one to cause you delight meant a lot to him. He wanted to hear you laugh again. He wanted to see you blush once more because he was a flirt when it came to you. He wanted, no, he needed to show you that he wanted, needed more than your friendship! Tom searched for his phone as he walked. He dialled a number after scrolling through his contacts.

 “James? Hey, it´s Tom… sorry for calling so late, but I need to ask for a favour. I have an idea!”

 ---- 2 days later----

 “Alright, I have got the text down and the costume fits as well. Thank you for being such a good sport and doing this!” James laughed and took your already green hand in a gesture of happiness.

“You will be an awesome Glinda!”

You said with a laugh and walked with him to the dressing rooms of his show.

As Tom had predicted James did not want you to just come in and sing, no. He had gotten himself a Glinda costume and was about to perform with you. Defying gravity would be the song the both of you would do in his show and you already had a fit of the giggles as you thought about him in a dress, with a curled blond wig. “Time to change! See you in a bit!” James called as the audience filled the seats and was warmed up by a stand-up comedian. “This will be an opening London will not forget so fast!” He called and grinned as he closed his door. You too went into your dressing room, got the final touches done and donned your black robe and wicked-hat.

30 minutes later you were standing behind the curtain covering up James´s stage as James himself walked up to you in full Glinda style. You clapped your hand above your mouth and hid a laugh.

“Ready to defy gravity…Sister?” He grinned and flipped his curls back with a swing of his hand.

“Ready when you are!” You grinned and closed your eyes to get into character.

 The curtain dropped and Glinda-James grabbed your hand.

“Don´t be afraid!” He chirped. The audience erupted into laughs and applause. As they were able to hear you again you said.

“I´m not! It´s the wizard who should be afraid… of me!” You started to sing.

 Something has changed within me Something is not the same I'm through with playing by the rules Of someone else's game Too late for second-guessing Too late to go back to sleep It's time to trust my instincts Close my eyes and leap!

 James played his part well, a bit over the top but that had to be that way. The both of you sung together quite well and as you sang the final parts of the song high above the stage…

 And nobody in all of Oz No wizard that there is or was Is ever gonna bring me down!

 A green light flashed bright and more fog wafted low above the ground as you heard a dark chuckle that did not belong into the song. It went dark for a second. Another flash before the lights came on again.

 “Well well well…the wicked witch of the west is finally about to meet a real wizard…a god even!”

You knew that voice before you could see who was speaking to you but as you looked down you nearly toppled over. Thank god that you were in a harness… Down below, next to Glinda stood Loki himself. Dressed in his full black and green leather attire. The audience was going wild!!!

 “I am going to bring you down, literally!” Loki grinned mischievous and help up his hand.

The harness started to lower you back to the ground.  What on earth happened here?

Glinda- James fell onto her knees before Loki. “Oh my GOD!! Take me! I am a witch too! And a rather beautiful one I might add…less…green!” Glinda-James batted her eyes at Loki.

Loki chuckled but waved James off. “That is the problem…I do like green. And I do like her slightly wicked behaviour…” Your feet touched the ground and Loki went around you, his eyes never leaving yours before it got impossible and he stood right behind you. He got rid of the hooks that held you in the harness and stage whispered into your ear. “Come with me Elphaba, let me tempt you to be even more….wicked!”

 The lights went out and your knees nearly gave up. Tom grabbed you by the waist and held you close to his chest. “Hello Darling!” He breathed into your ear with a chuckle and turned you to face him.

“You are going to pay for that stunt!” You said breathless but started to laugh and hugged the live out of him. The lights went back on mid hug and the hoots got louder and louder.

Tom, or better Loki leaned back a little and held out a hand. Glinda-James came in again and brought a single, deep red rose with a pearl attached to it that he handed Loki.

“Elphaba, (Y/N)…” Loki started. “You were born for the rose and pearl!”  

He handed you the rose and smiled.

“You are that girl…to me!”

His hand touched your face and the smile he bestowed on you melted your heart completely.

 The curtain came down and hid you from the audience. The microphones got shot down. It was as much privacy as you would get in a TV studio…

 “Let´s have that drink…at my place later. And I promise to make you breakfast come morning…” Tom grinned wickedly and closed the distance to finally kiss you.

 At last…you were defying gravity!

   Tags: @adefectivedetective @archy3001 @itscalledfandomsweetielookitup @faeriedelalune-blog @lil-mewlingquim07  @amazinggraces-world   @tanishahka @coniumalces  @emomemelordess @devilbat @usedtobegoodfriend96 @cest-le-temps-de-lamour @drakesfiance @confessionsofastrugglingteen  @inlovewithfreyamikaelson @heart-shaped-hell @theoneanna  @marikochi  @xxxeatyourh3artoutxxx @awkwardfangirl2014 @rainbowsinthestorm  @anchored-in-high-tide

[avinkusprince]

@goodliest​ // continued.

“I’d hardly call you a problem,” Glinda replied, setting down her pen. “In fact, I’d go so far as to say that you’ve been the key to quite a few solutions.” A fresh set of eyes on her work always seemed to help her…or a lovelified distraction to let her mind wander elsewhere for a little while when she felt particularly stuck.

She smiled up at him from behind her desk “Besides, you’re far more pleasant to look at than paperwork.”

How official she looked, sat behind a desk, hovering over papers, Fiyero thought. He still felt like a child when he sat in the study that had once been his father’s and was now his own, no matter how sincere his efforts at work were. He remembered scribbling on important documents when left unsupervised as a wee thing and still has the same sensation — that he’s making a muck of things and will soon be shooed off by real authority — whenever he mulls over his own paperwork. For the memory a brief pang of sadness, of homesickness for the home that was childhood itself, squeezed at his heart, but was soothed under Glinda’s soft regard.

What he’d meant to convey was that she had bigger problems than he had, himself (the thought had emerged from the same sentiment of being misplaced that had struck him as he admired her) but her misunderstanding was less self-deprecating and more playful; he didn’t correct her. Best to lighten up and move on.

“Oh, well I’m glad to be thought so. I am quite at your disposal for any gratification I can offer, Lady Upland,” he replied with real effort to sound diplomatic and not simply, foolishly amative.

[throughdifferenteyes-blog2]

@coraccipitris

Whoah.

It’s a good thing Fiyero’s mouth doesn’t open anymore, or it’d be hanging open at the sight of the - being? - across the way. As it is, he nearly falls over again from surprise, and it’s not just the wings that are doing it.

In another life he’d have been tempted to flirt, but honestly, even without current circumstances, someone who looks like that would have been out of even his formerly high weight class back in the day. Oh, Glinda had been pretty, but this man looks ethereal. The wings only add to the effect, and it’s fascinating to watch them move subtly as he walks.

Does this place collect the strange and magical? Is that why Fiyero was yanked here? But it feels like a crime to lump the two of them in together. If the wings aren’t - natural, somehow - they certainly seem like they were designed perfectly to suit him, and there’s no hint of discomfort or unfamiliar awkwardness. It’s such a contrast to the batlike wings of the Wizard’s flying monkeys - oh, they’d gotten better with time, but with all of Elphaba’s power it had been clear those appendages weren’t something they’d been born with.

Shit. The man is turning his head - has he been caught staring? Instinct leads to Fiyero ducking his head to avoid his gaze, and it’s too late to correct once he remembers that just standing stock-still would probably have been a better cover. Oops.

[mahalzevran]

For the character ask meme, Alistair aaaand just for fun, Fiyero 😛

Alistair

How I feel about this character: I love him, he is my bro

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Everyone really except Morrigan and Cullen

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Rhianstair I guess. They are soulmates

My unpopular opinion about this character: Is it still unpopular to say that he’s mixed? I guess that’s not really an opinion because it’s a fact. Also I think he’s more competent than he seems, so whether u decide to make him king or warden is correct. He steps up and does a pretty good job either way.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: Pls let him meet his mom. He has a whole mom out there who loves him and he doesn’t know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fiyero

How I feel about this character: Love that dude, favearijiki prince, also a dumbass

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Fae :3, maybe Glinda in a poly relationship with Elphaba?

My non-romantic OTP for this character: Glinda

My unpopular opinion about this character: More in the sense of not really talked about rather than not loved, but Fiyerois described to have dark skin (I’ll excuse this bc ppl may not have read the book) so if they make a Wicked movie I’m gonna cross my fingers that they cast him right.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon: How about him not dying? How about letting Elphie/Fabala/Fae say goodbye at least?

Give me a character to break down  

[trickstersantana]

[Para] SantanART Contest Duel

Who: Santana, @ellnaturae @shiftingdani Location: Park of Florence Farr School Time: 25 February 2019 Summary: Santana gets Free Art from artist Ell and Dani also monster discussions.  Triggers/Notes: Violence, death, corpses, body horror

Santana called Elliott and Dani to hang out next to the park of Florence Farr School of Magical Performing Arts. Because it has Art at the end, wich obviously means it gives strenght to artist to do a better job. It was all well thought. "Well, well, artist. You are here to Battle. With your pencils because the pen is mightier than the sword if the sword is broken and the pen is very pointy. This is..." She makes an illusion of confettig and sounds effect of people cheering and clapping to reveal in floating neon lights. "SantanART CONTEST DUEL: Who is the better artist?" She dissiped the illusion. "So, are you guys ready?"

Dani wasn´t quite sure what exactly they were doing, but she enjoyed the opportunity to get out of her room and away from studying and if that meant she got to spend some time with her friends. What she hadn´t expected, however, was some sort of art duel. "Huh?" Dani couldn´t quite hide the smile on her face as she watched the confetti illusion fall. She was a good artist, but she was definitely a little out of practice. "Okay. But I do have a pretty cool sword," she pointed out with a laugh. "What are we drawing?"

Elliott arrives with his bag full of notebooks and art supplies, if he wasn't wrong Santana wanted him to draw something but he saw Dani was there too and then the confetti. He chuckles "An art competition? Sounds fun" he winks at Dani "What's the prize though?" he teases Santana.

Santana looks at Dani, very interested. "Oh, my my, a sword? Did you studied the blade when everyone was busy being heterosexual?" She joked. "Since when do you have a sword and why I haven't seen it?" Elliott mentioned prizes. "Aw, don't artist want to enjoy art for the art or something like that? What about the pleasure of victory?" She complained. "I have some useful items if you want them, thought. Potions, bear plushies who make you stronger, you know it." She comments. Dani already had 1 point for asking what they should draw instead of the prize. "Anyway. I'll show you an illusion of a woman I saw. I want a realistic portrait of her. I don't have any pictures and I can't share illusions over the internet. I want to find if someone knows her."

Dani put down her bag and pulled out a sketch pad and a couple of pens. "I haven´t had it for very long, St. Pierre gave it to me for apparently not killing anyone with the net gun," she joked and settled down, giving Elliott another smile. She wasn´t going to complain about getting a prize, though Dani really would enjoy spending time with her friends. "Any other special requests? Colored portrait? Charcoal?" It did seem like Santana was definitely up to something, but for now Dani was just going to let it go and focus on the drawing.

Elliott narrows his eyes, even though he isn't really upset, he is serious about what he is going to say "Hey, art is a job like any other, artists should be paid for their work" he says getting his sketchbook out of his bag "but I was joking anyway" he then realizes they are talking about a sword "wait what? really? we are not really fighting are we" he raises his eyebrow looking at Santana.

"Don´t worry. I won´t stab you with a pen." Dani comments with a grin, in case that wasn´t clear.

Elliott blinks and then chuckles "You would be wasting a very nice pen"

Santana says a "Mmmh..." somehow worried. Remembering certain conversations about LN slayers. With the collar on, Dani was basically a common, so, why not, right? "Be careful with what St. Pierre is doing. But, well, enjoy the sword!" Santana also aproved taking advange of whatever if you could. "I want it to be more recognizable than artistic, so, what you think would be better? I guess color would help." Santana also approved asking money for doing things, but not so much when she was the one paying for it. She made an illusion of a woman in front of them. She looked dead. A grotesque, frozen dead woman, with mottled feathers clinging to her. Her eyes are piercing blue, glaring angrily. Her body was transparent, you could see her veins through it. "Can you draw her alive?"

"Yeah...I´m not sure what exactly to make of it, the course I took with him was helpful though and I need a way to defend myself. And you guys," Dani nodded, she didn´t want to go into a detailed conversation now so instead picked out a couple of pens. "Depends on what kind of woman we´re looking at," she picked up a pen and then, for a moment and then waited for the illusion, eyebrows furrowing together. "What the...?" Dani glanced over at Elliott for a moment. "What I wouldn´t give for The Angelator now..." she muttered before looking at the illusion a little more, trying to remember every detail. "You mean...draw her how she´d look as if she was alive? Before she turned into...whatever the hell that is." It wasn´t really a question. Dani outlined the face first before glancing up at Santana. "Where did you see her?"

Elliott listens to Dani's explanation and wonders what St. Pierre is up to, he was glad Dani had something to protect herself anyway, but something about it felt suspicious. He doesn't have time to voice his worry when an illusion of a dead woman appears in front of them, he shares a look with Dani. "Where did you see this woman?" he exclaims too almost at the same time as her. He can't stop looking at the illusion, her piercing blue eyes without any life in them. She vaguely resemblence an immortui but there was something else there. He grabs a normal pen, and a notebook, maybe doing too much would take away from her being recognizable "Are you hoping to find her again?"

Santana laughs at Dani's hilarous joke of her, a normie who couldn't use her magic, protecting someone as fucking strong as her. And Elliott. But specially her. "Oh my, Dani, you're so fucking funny." She keeps laughing for a bit until she notices. "Oh wait, you were serious. Aw, that's adorable." She looked back at her own amazing illusion. "I don't know what the hell an Angelator is." She nods and shakes her head at Elliott asking her if she wants to find her, doubting."I want to know if someone knows her when she was alive. Me and Kittycat saw her at the last field mission. I think she is like the undead monsters we keep encountering. I mean, she is clearly undead, she said it herself." She says, non challant. Illusion still up. "But you know, they are all connected. Probably."

Dani doesn´t even roll her eyes. It´s Santana after all. Instead she laughs, poking her tongue out at the other for a moment. And she doesn´t even explain the Bones reference. Just thinks "Muggles" and looks back at the outline she´s drawn of the woman so far. There´s something...haunting about her eyes. Sometimes that makes her seem alive even though she´s clearly dead. Like she´s ready to stare down into their soul. "The dragon was like...hundreds of years old, maybe she is too?" She then asked, making sure to pay extra attention to the eyes as she keeps drawing before reaching for another pen. "Maybe we´ll find a picture of her in a book..."

Elliott stares at Santana for a while as she laughs, he isn't sure what is so funny, but is sort of contagious and he laughs a bit too. He looks down at the drawing a couple of times, but mostly observes the face of the woman trying to notice whatever detail would be important to represent her as she was. He nods at Dani's suggestion "Maybe that would be a good idea, compare her to old photographs too, look in book, a google search?" he asks making another line to mark where her eyes should be in the face "Are those feathers?" he asks pointing out at the illusion.

@Elliott 😈 Karin:  

1d6

 = (4) = 4

@Dani Harper 🐈44/44 Fiyero Lv.2:  

1d6

 = (3) = 3

Santana thinks about it. It made sense. Maybe this bitch was super mega old like the dragon. "Do you think those things were like, alive a super long time ago and now they are back? You are right. Maybe she is soooo old no one knows anything." She shrugs. "It's worth a try, thought. I was planning on putting your drawings on the aethernet and around campus to see if anyone knew anything about her." Santana nods and makes an illusion of a white bird with blue eyes. Matching her. "Yeah! She had feathers. And before we saw this fucking ugly bird." It was important to catch up. "It talked, so at first I though it was some kind of trickster. But she was clearly not, ha..." She laughs, bitterly, glancing at her own illusion of the bitch's corpse.

Dani picks up the blue pen to devote some time to the eyes. Something tells her she has to get them right, whether Santana would be using her drawing or not. This is weird. Somehow. But if it´s going to help stopping those monsters that are trying to kill them then she´s happy to help. Or well. Glad. Maybe happy is the wrong word. "That´s a good idea," she then nods. "Even if she´s old...maybe someone´s heard her story. Knows what kind of myth or legend connects to her,"

Elliott nods giving to his drawing some shadow for the shape of the face "Were there any clues about the dragon.. or the others...?" he asks curious, he then realizes what Santana says, she thought the woman was a trickster, that's something he never thought about before, when these creatures attacked, they all defended themselves, he did too, he remembers New Year and the enormous creature. He gets lost in thought, his pen stops. What were these creatures? He never stopped to think about it, he just reacted, and now it was too late for some of them. Who were they? he corrected himself "Do you think maybe we should draw all of them? Try to find out about... you know, we have seen many now" he looks up at Santana.

Santana thinks abou how cool a name is The Myth Killers when Dani speaks. "We found the bird in the cave. It says it was its home. You know, like the dragon had like, his place. It says it lived there a fucking ton of years, but you know, I assumed it was lying lies... the woman said...something about the life she sewed together." Wich agains, all this sewing metaphors connect to the angel thingie of stitching the world together. In the end it was all about knitting. "You can't kill what's already dead... That's what it says. And that's what all the big monsters had in common! We need a cool name for them. I accept suggestions." She illusions some little monsters in front of them.  The first Samhain one, the one she didn't see but Blaine showed her an illusion of. The big thing attacking at New Years. Marley with a tittle of "Picture not avaiable. I didn't see it and everyone saw it differently." The dragon. And the undead woman. "Those are what I know of. "

"Who knows just HOW many are out there." Dani agrees with a nod as she picks up the first pen once more, doing some corrections around the eyes before turning her attention to the feathers. "We should form an investigative group and call it "The Knitting Circle", that way nobody will get suspicious about what we´re actually doing." She puts the pen aside and then smudges the edges of the feathers a little with her fingers. When Elliott speaks up however, Dani gives him a nod. "Yeah, maybe that´s a good idea. I´ve already done a drawing of the dragon the day after the whole encounter. I had a feeling it wasn´t over..."

Elliott frowns confused about those words, they seem like riddles, everything always had to be so vague and mysterious, almost like they were part of a bigger story who needed to be solve and someone could be hitting at it breaking the fourth wall, was this joke even worth it. Either way, he keeps thinking about it "But why do we need to be secreti-" he starts asking "oh yeah memory erasure..." he bites his lower lip "Nice" he looks over at Dani's notebook waiting to see her other drawing "Oh, there is another one" he suddenly remembers "Jules told me about it" he says moving the drawing of the woman aside for a second and on the next blank page he made a quick very simple drawing of a flying creature "though I didn't personally saw this one, but it was the one from the news, in new year, a second creature appeared in Time Squares" he shows the drawing to Santana, then he looks at the line up of illusions "Is that the "mom", why is she Marley?"  he deduces by elimination "I didn't really see it very well either" he sighs "I mean it was sort of a blob with faces... kind of super fucked up and creepy."

Santana shrugs. "The investigate group  can have many names, but I mean the monsters! What should we call them? The undead big monsters? Is just not catchy." She walks a bit to look how the drawings where going, while still maintaining the illusions. "My my, then you are going to try to draw all of them? Half Dani and half Elliott. It would be really useful. I doubt anyone took pictures, trying not to die and all that." So, the dragon was done already. Perfect. She thumbs up at Dani. "Oh no no, fuck secrets. I'm going to tell everyone about it. They can't erase my memory." She saw the flying creature thing. "Oh, true. There were other monsters at New Year. Added." Santana changed Marley to Shelby, and then to the blob. She remembers she is not supposed to super mock Ryder in case he returns she needs that friendship strong. She grins "I though it would be funny!"

"That and...well we already got strikes, if we get another poking our noses into things that aren´t supposed to be for us," Dani shrugs her shoulders. "I mean I don´t mind poking my nose into it, I just don´t want to get caught doing it. Or have my memory erased." She wipes her fingers on her jeans and puts her notebook down for a moment before pulling another one from her bag and handing it to Elliott. "It´s on the first pages. A close up and some full body sketches," she tells him.]

[THEN THEY KEEP DRAWING AND CHATTING BOOM DARK CURTAIN]

[rosey-writes]

The Alchemist Tributes: Book One

                                               Questioning

                                              Find a Curiosity 

And I was running late. Shoving the last of the bottles into the bag, I threw it over my shoulder as I raced out the building, bolting through the now deserted streets. I could hear the bell begin to chime and two minutes left. If I missed this and the peacekeepers didn’t kill me, Father would.

Wheezing for breath, I finally broke through the last street, skidding to a stop right by the desk.

It was 11:01.

“I’m sorry, you’re late. Please wait with the peacekeepers-”

“You don’t understand, I just got back from work-”

“You are late. Go wait with the peacekeepers.” The woman stared dead into my eyes. And I knew I was done.

“...my brother’s going up there, please.” I looked twelve, may as well try to take advantage of that.

“We all have someone going up there.” She rose. “If you won’t go willingly, I’ll have them escort you.”

My heart was thudding in my ears. Maybe I wasn’t so ready for Death. Maybe it wasn’t like I thought it would be seeing it on TV oh god I wasn’t ready to die-

“Jewelia, please.” I heard a voice from behind me and...no. No way in hell. “Why don’t we make an exception just this once. They haven’t even started.”

Eros Deamorte was helping me through.

I tried to hide my shock behind my glasses. No, it wasn’t my imagination, it was him, the fire red hair, jade eyes, an older, sharper version of his dullard son.

The woman’s face paled, and immediately she takes my hand, pricking the needle and smushing it against the paper, probably much harder than necessary, but I wasn’t pushing my luck. When I got it back, I put it in my pocket, looking back to...I still couldn’t believe I’m speaking to Eros Deamorte. “Thank you.”

“It’s no problem, sweetheart.” Eros smiled, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “I’m sure you’ll want a front row seat for this one.”

“Huh?”

“Your brother; we all know he’s going this year.”

Something about his tone seemed off. But maybe it was my paranoia. “Right.”

“But hey, can I ask you to deliver a message to the future tribute?”

Well, I wasn’t planning on visiting Illias before he went, but I did owe this guy now. Not a good thing, owing things to a Deamorte. “Of course.”

“Win for us. We’ll need a good mentor next year.”

What? “Why for nex-”

“Oh, look, the ceremony starting.” Eros pats my head, pushing me in with the fifteen year olds. “Good luck, Swift. May the odds be ever in your favor.” With a wink and a twirl, the sprout of red hair bobbed off into the crowd.

While I couldn’t see any of my brothers, I could feel their glare, Father too somewhere with the adults. Most of the other kids were staring at me too now. Wonderful. Clearing my throat, I stood up straighter, a bored expression stitched onto my face.

Before anyone could comment, a flash of smoke boomed onto the stage, and standing in the middle of it, decked head to toe in golds and diamonds, stood the one, the only person dumber than Fiyero and Illias, “Ammolite Gold, everybody! Come on, put your hands up!”

In most districts, the mayor is the one does this part, the song and dance about the dark days. But most districts don’t have Ammolite for an escort. He annoys me. I believe he annoys everybody, though most people are subtler about it. He’s loud, obnoxious, and, above all else, Capitol.

“Alright, so.” He flashed that golden grin of his. And by golden, I mean he spray painted his teeth gold. “Why don’t we get this show on the road? Play the clip!”

War, terrible war- and that’s where I zone out. The reel plays, I yawn, managing to spot the rest of my brothers. Illias was standing very front and center of the eighteen year olds, Bravon further back with the seventeens, and Satin was practically curled up mixed among the sixteens. Honestly, sometimes I feel Satin is just me without the willpower to tell dad he’s an idiot.

Our mentors for this year were up on stage as well, Lamar and Glitta. Far from the most embarrassing ones, I suppose: Lamar quiet and dignified, Glitta cocky and obnoxious but with enough sense to tone it down for on camera. I’ve known both most my life, being neighbors and all, though I never spent much time talking to either - minus telling Glitta if she lets her brats break into my room again, she wouldn't have them anymore.

Finally, the video came to an end, and Ammulite clapped, standing center stage. “Alright, now for the fun part. We’ve got an special surprise this time around!” With that, he pulled a golden envelope from his coat. I have no doubt that he based his entire outfit around the paper. “Welcome to... the Quarter Quell! It’s gonna be a good one, the Capitol came up with it, like, last week. Pretty sweet, right?” Then, he paused, putting a hand to his ear. “Oh. Uh, I mean, they came up with it when the games first started. Yeah. Totally not a rush job.”

Moron.

“But yeah, so, let’s see what we’ve got!” With that, he cut open the top with one of his long, sharpened nails, clearing his throat. “On this - wait, scratch that - on the 100th anniversary, as a reminder to the rebels that they forced their children into turning on their brethren, they shall choose among themselves who will represent them. Wait a second, this wasn’t on th-" I could see his lips still moving, but the mic was shut.

Really? Doesn’t seem like much of an extra punishment. Maybe for those kids out in 12 who aren’t swimming in volunteers, but here? Illias is still going in. They’re practically vote-ins already. When the name is picked, the mentor chooses from the pool of volunteers, or can just discard the volunteers altogether. Everyone’s just going to vote for Illias and Amazonia.

Ammolite was still talking, mic back on, about what, who cares, “Capitol says you could just use this to send your best, or you could get rid of someone you don’t like, do whatever, man,” as the peacekeepers pass around the tablets.

Illias turned back, glaring at me from his spot, mouthing put me, or else. Well. Now I’m tempted to not to, just out of spite. Whatever, It’s his life, not mine. I typed Amazonia’s name in first, her picture flashing at the top with a is this correct? Dark black hair, creepily green eyes and a smile that says ‘I eat souls for a pastime’. Yeah, that’s her. I admit, I hesitated a moment with Illias. Should I? I mean, I trust him, I suppose, I know he’s ready but...there’s twenty three other kids in there, and at least five as well trained as him… Not that I cared if he died, of course, because I don’t. With a huff, I typed in his name, passing off the tablet. Whatever, it’s not like my vote would make a difference anyway.

Within ten minutes, everyone had cast their vote, and Ammulite came back onto the stage. “Now it’s time for the fun part.” Another puff of smoke, and two balls appeared on the stage, each containing only one piece of paper. Why bother when there’s only one? No clue. I chalk it up to cyanide in the Capitol water supply, killing off brain cells.

“Now, let’s hear one for the ladies.” He sent a wink to the audience, more than a few girls letting out a dreamy sigh, as he reached into the bowl. There was a drum beat, somewhere, before he plucked it out. “Welcome onto the stage… Amazonia Rhode!”

The crowd went wild. I didn’t bother. She marched up the stage, trained soldier she was, taking Ammulite’s hand and holding it up in victory, as he kissed her cheek. Yeah, that surprised nobody.

“And now, onto the boys.” Another pointless drum beat. “Hey, we’ve got another Swift going up this year, sweet!” What a shocker. “Saw reruns of your dad the other week, ripping a guy’s lungs out, awesome.” Gross. “But, yeah, so, everyone, put your hands together for, Eliot Swift!”

Whatever, at least it’ll get him out of the hous- wait, what?

“Eliot Swift, come on up!”

No. No, no they had to have the wrong name in there, it’s not possible, I’m the only Swift who didn’t want to enter the games, no way it would be me. Illias was glaring daggers at me, and I heard laughter from every corner.

No, no, this was not- “Excuse me,” I spoke in a calm, collected voice because I’m not a savage and more importantly there’s no way they voted for me. “There must be a mistake, I believe you’re looking for Illias Swift.”

Ammulite on the stage took another glance at the paper, long and hard. Good, so it must have been a smudged letter. “No, I’m pretty sure it’s Eliot on here.”

…“No.”

“Uh, what do you mean, no-”

“No, it is not my name, it is Illias’s, why, what, who would have voted for me? Did anyone here vote for me?” Almost every single person raised their hand, with the exception of my brothers.

Really? Really? I could hear the jeers and laughter as I was pushed to the front, helped along by peacekeepers and the other teenagers that until now, I held mild contempt for, but now, now I swear they’ll pay.

As I passed the seventeen year olds, I saw him there, that infuriating puff of red hair, giving me that sickeningly sweet grin. “No one’s volunteering.” Sadist. I used to mean it sarcastically, but not anymore.

And so, I stood upon that stage, a shitty star against the sea of smiling faces, the girl next to me licking her lips like she’d found her first meal, mouthing ‘you’re first’. We shook hands, she crushed mine, I think actually broke it, but at this point, I was too high on rage to even notice.

Just my fucking luck.

Finally, Ammulite asked if we had any final words. I blacked out, brain turned off, running on complete autopilot, mind in the furthest reaches of the stem. Without permission from the control room, my hand took the microphone, tapped on it once, and used my kindest, sweetest voice. “I am going to win. Not because I want to bring glory, not because I want to live, but just so I can come back here and slice the smile off of every one of your petty, pathetic little faces. Fuck you, see you all in hell.”

I dropped the mic. On my foot. And squeaked in pain.

This was going well.

[forkanna]

[AO3 LINK] [EF LINK]

NOTE: An extra long chapter this time! It just happened to be the next one, but I figured I would post it tonight in celebration of A Very Wicked Halloween (if you missed it I hope you can find it online - Ariana Grande's performance of "The Wizard And I" was incredible)! Enjoy! Also... there might be an extra special something coming to this account on All Hallow's Eve itself. Stay tuned.

"Well, the old Lion seems to have followed Dorothy's lead," Fiyero told Glinda the next morning as they tidied one of the basement rooms. It wasn't quite as far down as the dungeons, but also beneath the "ground floor", and seemed to be primarily storage. A lot of it had already been ransacked, and the remaining junk was old, decrepit and rusted. The pile of salvageable materials was a lot smaller than the pile to be thrown out.

"Thank goodness," Glinda sighed as she moved things. For a moment, she paused to glance at the ruin that had become of her once-soft hands. They were still of a dainty shape, and not altogether hideous, but the nails were jagged and short, and callouses were beginning to form from hard work. A slight flutter went through her stomach when she remembered how Elphaba had commented that they were "a real woman's hands" now; though it sounded like an insult to her Gillikin sensibilities, the tone had told her that Elphaba was praising her for not shrinking from an honest day's work, and any praise from her Elphie made her feel a bit giddy, rare as it seemed to be.

"Now, all we have to worry about is old Boq. No progress?"

"None. He's a stubborn little pinhead! But… I suppose he'll just have to work through his feelings on his own. No spellwork can do that, anyway, but I thought we might find a way to turn him back into a Munchkin."

Waving one of his stuffed hands, Fiyero said, "Don't worry about doing that for me. Oh, I'd love to have my old body back, but to be honest… I think I like being a scarecrow better."

"You do?" she asked in bald surprise.

"I do. No one expects much from you when you're made of straw! And besides, I was such a good-for-nothing Vinkan… sure, I was royalty, but I don't think I'd have made a very strong candidate for king. Even as an honorary title in these modern times."

Tutting, she put down the old wash basin she had been carrying — rusted through the bottom, entirely useless now — and came over to grip his shoulder. "Come now, we both know that isn't true. You and I were a lot alike back then, and… well, I think we've grown up a lot. Haven't we?"

"Maybe so," he sighed with a slight smile. She could have sworn there was a twinkle in his painted eye as he went back to sweeping. "Something's certainly different with you."

"Yes, I look like a drowned rat."

"Not your looks. Your whole demeanor, the way you talk. The way you and Elphaba are around each other."

Her heart skipped over a beat, but she tried not to let on that it had happened. "And which way would you mean, Winkie?" At his frown, she corrected, "Vinkan."

"Thank you." Collecting some of the dust into an old bucket, he said, "We both know which way. And if you won't say it, I will, at least in private. You're smitten."

"I am not!" she hissed urgently, cheeks pinkening. And so easily!

"You are! And so is Elphie, even if she won't admit it. And I don't expect her to, as stubborn as she can be."

"Stubborn as an ox." They were both silent for a long moment, focusing on cleaning and inner thoughts. As Glinda pulled open the old wardrobe she had finally unearthed, she asked softly, "Doesn't it bother you at all? I mean… it's… unusual. Not criminal, but you don't see a lot of…"

"'Bunbury Marriages'?"

That made the flush a little worse. During their trip through Quadling Country, she and Elphaba had made a brief stopover in Bunbury, and Glinda had witnessed firsthand that the reports of its citizens tending not to pair off with members of opposite gender, but instead with those of the same, had not been exaggerated. Somehow, the sight of men walking hand-in-hand with other men had flustered her far more than that of women with women; likely because some of the men were behaving in ways she deemed to be quite feminine, a sight she was not prepared for in the slightest. Luckily, this had been before her own feelings for Elphie began to bubble to the surface, otherwise she might never have been able to stand sleeping in the same bed — which would have been an unnecessary expense in those days of nomadic life for the two of them.

"Oh, you're such a rascal," she dismissed.

"Maybe, but I'm a rascal that sees you turning red as a ruby." When she only let out another noise of pure exasperation, he chuckled and went on, "Hey, did I say that I blame you for it, or judge you? Not at all. I've seen a good many strange things in this land of ours, some of them in my travels with little Dorothy. You and Elphaba wouldn't even be on that list anymore."

Softly, almost impossible for him to hear, she echoed, "Me and Elphaba… together…"

"She's a catch, she is. But I don't have to tell you that."

"And it doesn't bother you? I mean, that I once had designs on you, and now you've been… well, not 'replaced' exactly, but that my designs are redesigned?"

His stuffed shoulders shrugged as he began to shift the pile of junk closer to the door. "My designs had moved from you to her once upon a time, too, so that much I can fully understand. But that was years ago. Now, I'm just happy that you're happy. If you are, that is… but I suspect you are."

"What's she got that I haven't got?" she groused.

"Oh, she was certainly more mature than you were at the time. More serious, and I think the careless idiot I was felt drawn to that sobriety. Someone who was less callow, less shallow. It's probably the same for you, since we were horses of a similar colour."

"High society idiots." They shared a little chuckle, even though Glinda was still flushed to her roots. "Alright, I guess… you're right. Something about how strong she is, and passionate…"

His painted eyebrows waggled. "Passionate, hmm?" She threw the small copper pot she had just unearthed at him, but he laughed and caught it, looking it over. "Hey, we could probably make use of this."

"Good. Add it to the 'keep' pile, you, you…"

"Handsome straw man?"

"Bale of buffoonery!"

As he continued laughing, she returned her focus to the task at hand, shaking her head. Nothing he had said was inaccurate, even down to the bit about him being a handsome straw man; he was certainly the best-looking scarecrow she had ever encountered. As for the rest… by that point, she was ready to accept that Elphaba might truly be her intended. Even if certain girls from other countries might use the word "deviant", it didn't feel like any sort of deviation to her.

It felt like the yellow brick road leading to her destiny.

So full of Elphaba were her thoughts that she almost didn't realise what she had found when she opened the grimy hat box at the bottom of the wardrobe. It was a broad, handsome belt, glittering with jewels. Perhaps it wasn't made of gold or silver, but the metal seemed to be sturdy and highly polished, even after having laid in a box for Ozma knew how long. Her fingertips traced over the ornate etching along its borders, then to the large buckle. Fascinated, she slid it around her own waist and buckled it, then found it didn't feel quite right.

"Buckles in the back," she observed under her breath, undoing it and sliding it around the other way.

"What's that?"

"This belt I found. It's lovely, don't you think?" Now that it was fastened the proper way, she turned to show off the antiquity to him. "Do you know whose it was?"

"Why should I? This castle might belong to my family, but we hardly ever came up here."

"Ah, that's fine."

"It is a nice enough belt, though. Might you be intending it as a gift to a certain tall, comely witch who's caught your eye?"

Fed up with his teasing, gentle though it was, she snapped, "Oh, I wish you would leave me alone! Isn't it bad enough I'm already-"

But that was as far as she got. Her breath was stolen when she suddenly realised that Fiyero had vanished.

"OH!" she burst out, looking frantically around the room. Where had he gone? Her steps echoed as she ran to peek behind the pile of junk, then craned her neck this way and that. "Come back! Fiyero!"

This time, she actually witnessed him popping in out of thin air. There was a puff of some kind of wispy smoke that accompanied his appearance, which had not been there for his disappearance. She took a staggering step backward, and landed on a mouldy old armchair destined to fall to the bottom of the cliffs surrounding Kiamo Ko.

"Glinda!" he gasped, still looking quite dazed. "What are… oh, wonderful. I think I must have just had a hallucination. Curse my straw-filled head!"

"Where did you go? Just now!"

Surprised by the question, it took him a moment or two to answer. "Well… I thought I was here the entire time, and only had some kind of…" Unable to think of what might have befallen him to make him hallucinate, he moved along to answer her question. "I was in the courtyard, or seemed to be. The chickens were very startled to see me appear out of nowhere. It all seemed so real…"

"Maybe…" The notion was ludicrous. But then again, she was standing there, talking to a living scarecrow, with her green-tinted witch and her cured-of-lameness sister a few floors above. Ludicrousness was a common occurrence by now. "Have you been practicing with the Grimmerie?"

"Of course not. That's nothing I've ever been interested in, I…" Looking stricken, he pressed a hand to his stuffed chest. "You don't think my feeble brains are getting feebler, do you?"

Shaking her head, she pushed a hand into her mouth. "Let me think… I was yelling at you to leave me alone, and you did. If I was holding my wand, I might think I cast a spell on accident, but I wasn't. That only leaves…"

As one, they both looked toward the belt.

"Lurline Above," she breathed.

"Maybe… you ought to take it off," he said in a nervous tone. "Before you say you wish I would fall into a fire. Oh, the last thing I want is to catch fire!"

"I'd never think such a thing!" However, she was beginning to realise that she had been thinking of the courtyard when she demanded for him to leave her be. Just a passing thought, somewhere he could go that would be far enough away that she would not be irritated with him any longer. Now, she was beginning to agree that it might be to blame. "Hmm…"

"What is it?"

"I wish…" What else could she wish for? The possibilities were endless! "I wish for a bowl of cherries!"

Nothing. They waited for a good few seconds, but no cherries appeared. "Ah," he sighed. "Well… that's a shame, really."

"It is," she sighed. "Our food problems could have been over. But life isn't kind enough to simply hand you a bowl of cherries, it's not like that. Oh, how about — I wish for a Tik Tok soldier who will do our bidding!" Again, nothing. "Confound this belt, giving me false hope like that!"

"I'll say," he chuckled. "Wishing for soldiers would have made our battle against the Wizard a pretty easy fight."

"You read my mind. Oh… well, if the only good it does is sending scarecrows outside, then it's not much use." Pinching the bridge of her nose to ward off the headache that was just beginning to brew behind her brow, she sighed and told him, "I'm going up to see Elphie, ask her if there's any spell that can tell us whether some old belt is magical or not."

"Hm?" Elphaba asked, looking up from the Grimmerie. "Not that I know of. Why do you think it's magical?"

Glinda stared in shock. "I… you… Elphie, how did you get down here?"

"Down where?" Her green eyes swept up and down the library, at the rich-but-dusty rugs and the heavy oak shelves filled to the brim with books of all kinds. Light streamed in through the few high windows that bordered the top of one wall. "I've been right here since you left me after breakfast. Studying. Sorry I didn't hear you come in, I've just been trying to figure out whether this is a spell to remove warts or to add them. The phrasing is pretty awful."

But Glinda couldn't care about warts just then. She was too busy trying to figure out exactly how she had found herself in the library. Holding up a finger, she shakily bade her, "Just… one moment, I have to be sure. I wish to go and see Nessa!"

This time, with her eyes open, she watched the world change. Everything grew murky and black for a very brief second, and it was the scariest second of her life. Like she was surging through the very essence of evil itself. But it was over so fast that it was easy to see how one could miss it if they blinked.

Then she was in the kitchens. As she did so often lately, Nessa was bent over the stove, working on her food. Normally, she had the same thought every time she saw her there: that the poor girl really didn't know what else to do with herself, since Glinda and Elphaba were the ones with the most power as witches, so she defaulted to these domestic chores.

However, this time she was distracted by Nessa's companion squeaking and dropping a cake of soap to the floor.

"AH!" Dorothy cried, leaning back against the sink where she had been about to start scrubbing pots. "Miss Glinda, where- how did you get in here?"

Turning at last, Nessa only remarked, "Oh, there you are. Finished in the basements already?"

"No, I… well, I think I found something quite interesting." This was going to be a real test, and her fear was beginning to shift to giddy excitement. "Dorothy, Nessie… I'm going to try a spell. If you find yourself someplace new, try not to be frightened!" Then she gripped her belt and said, "Take all three of us to Elphie!"

And it did.

"WHAT?!" Elphaba cried out, falling back from where she had been hunched over the floor onto her behind. If Glinda had to guess, she would say she had been examining the spot where her roommate vanished to see if there was a hole or a trap door there.

"Sakes alive!" Dorothy was breathing, also falling down bonelessly. Nessa merely staggered and leaned heavily against Glinda, as they were now standing quite close together.

"How did… you do that?" Elphaba demanded, slowly rising with a wary eye on her companions. "I haven't come across a spell that can do something like that yet! Were you reading ahead when I wasn't looking?"

Beaming, she rested her hands on her hips as she gazed around at her friends. "Not at all. Just enjoying the benefits of an honest day's cleaning!" Her index finger tapped one of the jewels embedded in the belt's surface. "This little beauty may just be the answer to all of our problems. Or a couple of them, anyway. Wait, hold on — all of us ought to be here. Fiyero?"

An instant later, he was popping into the room, as disoriented as ever. When he fell back onto the floor, the thump was a lot softer than those of Elphaba or Dorothy, the latter of whom made a second thump in shock at him appearing out of thin air.

"You could at least warn a guy!" he snapped.

"Wouldn't know how to if I wanted to. It doesn't come with a messaging service! Now then… I think we have some planning to do."

                                                ~ o ~

Late that evening, they were all about as prepared as they might be. Without any miraculous way to cure Boq of his unfortunate attitude, and deciding it was best to leave Chistery and his band of Monkeys behind to guard the keep, they were an invasion force of six: Elphaba, Glinda, Nessarose, Fiyero, the Lion, and a very knock-kneed Dorothy. As often as they tried to reassure her that they would do their best to shield her from harm, they couldn't promise everyone would come through the experience safe and sound. It saddened Glinda, but it was just the reality of their situation. If they didn't make this push to change everything…

She didn't want to think about that. What might happen if they failed. To them, and then the Animals… and then to Oz with no one left to stand in Morrible's way. She was the true threat, even above the Wizard.

"Guess that's everything," Elphaba sighed, checking the straps on her pack. She had fashioned one that would hold the Grimmerie against her back, hidden beneath her cloak once it was in place. And, of course, the black hat was already stuck upon the top of her head.

"Now I'm sorry I even found that belt, Elphie. I'm not ready to be a… an encroacher!"

Fastening the cloak, she turned to look her dead in the eyes. "Nor am I. Even if my skin is suited to blending into the background once we reach the Emerald City."

"You'd have to be completely nude," Glinda teased.

"Oh? And you prefer that plan, do you?"

For a few seconds, Glinda only sputtered while Elphaba favoured her with one of the wolfish smiles that turned her innards to jelly. Then she snapped, "Do you have to do that?! Out-tease me all the time?!"

"Only when it's fun."

"I'll show you fun! I'll give you a big barrel of fun, just you wait!" Her hands came up and curled into fists, miming a fighting pose she had seen once. Poorly. When Elphaba only chuckled at her, she wilted. "Suppose it's my own fault that teasing me like that works, isn't it?"

That prompted Elphaba to look away slightly. "Suppose so. But we can't think about such things right now. Maybe when we get back… if we get back. The others are waiting for us in the courtyard by now, and I don't want to give the Wizard and Morrible any more of a chance to track us down first. The sooner we drop in on them, the better."

She moved toward the door. Something swelled within the pit of Glinda's stomach, and she knew that it would be a mistake to let the moment slip past for any reason.

"Wait," she breathed, latching onto her forearm.

"Yes?" But when she saw the look in Glinda's eyes, she frowned at her. "Come on, we don't have time for sentimentality."

"It's not just sentimentality. It's mentality. It's…"

"Glinda, I know. But this is war. Or it's going to be war if we can't stop it, and we need to try. Or worse… it won't be a war at all. Just a mass destruction of an entire race."

Much though she wanted to argue that the Animals weren't being destroyed, she knew that as far as Elphaba was concerned, taking away their ability to speak and think was an unacceptable loss. So she didn't try. Instead, she focused on what she wanted to say.

"Elphie… when we get back, we're going to discuss this. For real."

"Of course. I…" This sigh was more scared than the ones she had given when they were thinking about confronting the Wizard. "It's been long overdue."

"Can I have another taste-test before we leave? Just…" Her voice grew tight. "Elphie, if we never come back, and I didn't have a chance to tell y-"

No words would have been adequate. Elphaba was truly a woman of action lately, and the action of taking Glinda's lips hard and fast was merely the latest example. She melted into her strong grip, painting her arms over her shoulders as she leaned up into the sweet mouth, eyes closing to the world and all their problems. In ways she could never have thought possible being brought up in Gillikin high society, she belonged to Elphaba. There was no world without her in it.

And it was equally like Elphie to draw back a half-breath too soon, to brokenly whisper, "We'll… finish this discussion… another time."

"We will," she agreed with a fervent nod. Her lips pushed into Elphaba's chin, unwilling to let the moment go entirely, and she could feel the indecision in her roommate's body. Torn between returning the affections, and doing what she felt was most important to do. "Alright… alright, we should go. Shouldn't we?"

"Nobody else is going to do this for us. But…" A ghost of a smile flitted across her lips. "Thank you for being so stubborn. And such a fantastic kisser."

Glinda's cheeks bunched with the force of her own grin. "Bet you say that to all the witches."

                                                ~ o ~

Dorothy Gale had never been so frightened in her entire life. And she had been frightened for a good many reasons in the past days. First, for being caught up in a twister, the entire house shaking around her as it sailed through the skies. Then for finding herself in a strange land, surrounded by a queer little folk that she had never dreamed could exist. Furthermore, facing down bears and lions, and kalidahs, and even having a Wizard order her to kill a real live witch! How was a humble farm girl from Kansas supposed to accomplish such things? She wasn't a policeman, or a soldier in the army. She wasn't even one of the big, strong farmhands who could wield a hoe or a rake to drive off a fox from bothering the hens!

But everything had changed. Now her poor, simple head was filled with concepts she never imagined.

"It'll be alright, Dorothy," the scarecrow comforted her, gripping her arm with one hand and patting hers with the other. He had a name, they had told it to her, but she had got so used to calling him Scarecrow that she forgot it often. "You'll see. I… I trust them."

"Well, I don't," the Lion hissed in his shaky tone. A little yip from Toto seemed to be in agreement. "This seems like a bad, baaad idea to me!"

Trying to be reasonable, she whispered, "Hush now. We're… the palace is just up ahead. If we keep jammering on so, we'll be overheard, and then we'll really be in the soup!"

"She's right; we probably ought to get moving. Nobody's going to pick us up in a horse and buggy and take us inside."

Having said so, the scarecrow took a step forward, redoubling his grip on the enchanted broom. The Lion on her other side leaned in closer, and she wound her hand into his mane for both their comfort. Steeled as best they could be, the trio made their way the last few steps along the Emerald City street to the front doors of the Royal Palace, Toto trotting in their wake.

To herself, she whispered, "Just remember what Aunt Em would say: 'we all have to make the best of our lot in life'." Then she rapped on the green-painted wood.

"Yes?" the guard asked. Then he leaned further down through the lookout hole in the door to view Dorothy's glimmering shoes, green mustache bristling as he whistled to see them. "Oh, it's you! Well, now, we've been expecting you for some time!"

"Thank you," she said, her curtsy somewhat awkward due to her unwillingness to let go of her two companions. "Might we go on up to see the Wizard, if it please you?"

"You may, indeed." In a quieter voice, he added, "Though I hope for your sakes that you've got good news; the Wizard is fairly easy to please, but that new press secretary of his…" Instead of elaborating, he merely pulled a face before pulling wide the door.

On the other side, she was relieved to see Jellia Jamb waiting to escort her. At least there was a familiar face. The young page bowed stiffly, then motioned for Dorothy to follow.

"Jellia? Or shall I call you Miss Jamb?"

"Call me whatever you like," Jellia said as she walked briskly, nose buried in a small notebook full of little notes. Her tone was neither unkind nor overly affectionate; a professional. She reminded Dorothy of the woman who worked at the general store in town.

"Right, y-yes. Well… I wanted to ask… do you like working for the Wizard?"

Withdrawing a pencil from behind her ear that had been hiding within her green hair, she answered, "Doesn't matter one way or the other. It's my job."

"Oh, and of course it is — and of course you do a fine job, you really do! Only… well, don't you have any opinion as to if you like doing it? Is the Wizard a nice man to work for?"

For a time, they walked on in silence. She exchanged a glance with the scarecrow; maybe Jellia was so pressed for time that she had no time to answer such trivial questions. But around the time they were ascending a great staircase, she did respond after all.

"This job was… simpler before he took on the new press secretary."

"Oh?"

"Yes. And that is all I feel comfortable stating. Now, if you need for me to fetch you a new dress before you see His Wizliness, or to have a bath drawn, or some cakes sent up, I can handle those duties just fine. But I can't give you any deeper opinions, Miss Gale." Her eyes seemed very vaguely sad as she glanced over her shoulder, but the look was so quick that she could have been mistaken.

"Oh. Well, that's alright. Thank you just the same." Glancing down at her knees, at the clean-but-ragged dress she had been given within the Emerald City in the first place, she sighed and forced herself to say, "N-no, I would like to see the Wizard right away. He'll understand."

And even if he didn't…

Soon thereafter, Jellia let Dorothy into the great hall that was so like the one in Kiamo Ko, except grander, and still fitted with rich finery and jewels. On the throne sat the great head, but she tried to remember what she had been told. It kept her from turning tail on the spot.

"I AM OZ! THE GREAT AND POWERFUl! WHO ENTERS HERE?"

"It is I, Dorothy! The small and meek! Your… remember me? You sent me to try and kill the Witch of the West?"

"YES! AND HAVE YOU DONE THIS?"

Perhaps the largest obstacle to this plan was that Dorothy hated to lie. Not only that, but she found herself so afraid of the consequences of being found out for lying, for hurting anyone in such a way, that she couldn't bring herself to do it easily. But there were always ways around obstacles if one knew where to look for them.

"Well, I did what you said!" It was true: she had thrown water upon Elphaba. Mopping the sweat from her brow with the back of her hand as best she could, she went on in a carrying voice, "And… and you said that I ought to bring back something of hers?"

Her round head nodded toward her companion, braids bobbing. The scarecrow stepped forward and held the broom out with both hands. Only a moment passed before Jellia hopped to attention, bringing the broom from his hands to lay before the Wizard's great head.

"VERY GOOD. NOW YOU MUST GO AND LEAVE ME BE. YOUR SERVICE HAS BEEN NOTED!"

After only a brief pause of surprise, she started forward. "B-but wait! You were to… I thought you said you'd help me get home if I did what you asked! It isn't decent to break a promise!"

"PROMISES WERE MEANT TO BE BROKEN! BUT FEAR NOT, CHILD — RETURN TOMORROW AND YOUR WISH MIGHT BE GRANTED!"

Unfortunately for the Wizard, "might" was not "definitely," and Dorothy was not satisfied. However, she had not expected to be; this was all for effect. The entire time they had been conversing, her eyes were darting from side to side, and she was leaning slightly to help afford her a better view of the back of the head itself. Only now that she had been bade return on the next day did she finally spot what she was looking for.

"But I want help going home now! Or else… I'll have to talk to the real you!"

"I DO NOT KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN!" This time, even though the voice thundered and seemed to shake the very foundation of the Palace itself, it did seem the slightest bit less confident.

Dorothy motioned for the Lion to stay put, on alert, and began to creep forward. When Jellia's eyebrows shot upward, she raised an index finger to her lips; it was a silly thing to do, for she expected the servant would still shout for the guards, or at least warn her to step back. However, Jellia actually did as she was requested, and straightened her back, staying silent but watching with wary eyes. She had a feeling that if she produced a sword and attacked, the girl might spring for her, but as long as she continued not to be a threat she would treat the guest as precisely that: a guest.

"Well… I mean… this!"

When Dorothy threw the curtain aside, she had been expecting to see a fiendish man, a devil out of the illustrations in Sunday School. Instead, here was a small, wrinkled old man with very sparse white hair and spectacles, his suit handsome but also rumpled from his stature. Fascinated as she was by that sight, and her own disbelief that it was true, she was very slightly distracted by the sight that had so captured the Wizard's attentions that he couldn't even focus on the matter at hand.

A woman who looked more angelic than mortal twirled within a glittering diamond cage. Hair like waves of gold cascaded down her shoulders and along her back, skin glinting like a lighter hue of bronze, and her eyes were closed in a bliss that Dorothy likened to tasting the first spoonful of fresh jam her Aunt Em had canned herself. The vision's dress seemed to be spun from the air itself, or else spiderwebs, and even changed colours when they caught the light. As she twisted and flowed from one pose to another, elegant, trim arms weaving symbols in the air that seemed only to fade after the hands had moved along, legs nearly a blur, she could swear the entirety of girl and her robes turned translucent, and she could see to the other side — but then she would be solid again, and Dorothy wondered if she had imagined everything.

It was the dancing woman who noticed first; the Wizard was too enraptured by her display to have eyes for anything else. A breathy "oh!" escaped from her when she spotted Dorothy standing there, agape. A half-moment later, the dazed old man whirled.

"OH!" he repeated. "What are- that is, YOU DARE-"

The last had been spoken into a device like the broad end of an ear trumpet, and came booming out of the great head behind Dorothy, but he seemed to realise with a start that it would do no good to attempt deception any longer. Frowning in annoyance, he dropped back from the horn and the surrounding levers and cranks that reminded her of the inside of a train engine, nearly bumping against the near side of the large diamond cage.

"So it's true!" she breathed in disbelief. Even up until that point, she had been uncertain, in the same way children always want to believe in the deities of their parents because they've been told for so long that they are real. "You really are a humbug!"

"Now, now," he attempted with both hands raised. "Let's not be hasty. And how dare you throw around such accusations!"

"But you are, you old fraud! Oh, how silly I feel — this is nothing but a… a big puppet!" Her hand reached up and thwacked the cheek of the head, and it made a hollow thunk that definitely didn't make her think it was alive. "And ordering me to go and kill the witches! How could you?"

Frowning yet deeper, he went on, "Alright, alright! So you've found me out. How can you blame me? The Ozians want theatrics and magic, and I'm only good at the former, so… the latter had to be feigned to keep up appearances! Don't you see?"

"But you're so…" This was scarecrow, who was too shocked by what he saw to hold his tongue. Especially since he technically didn't own a tongue anymore. "I mean, that's Oz!" His finger levelled at the girl in the cage. "At least, that's how he appeared to me when I asked for my brains!"

The accused was most definitely afraid of these reactions, shrinking even further to the back of the cage. In a calming voice, her jailor said, "Shhh, it's alright! Oh, don't frighten her so; Polly really is a sweet girl. I invited her to play my part once in awhile, to switch things up. Isn't she something? Oh, I could watch her dance all day… an old man can get lonely cooped up in a big palace such as this, you know."

"You have her locked in a cage," Dorothy countered.

"So? I can't have her running away all the time; no, no, that wouldn't do. Though I do let her out during cloudless days, when I can be sure she won't get far if she tries to escape. Really, it's not so bad, is it?"

"It is! You can't just keep young women in cages, that's an awful thing to do!"

His pout was more that of a child than of a cunning old man who had become the Supreme Ruler of an entire nation. "But… well, she can't be allowed to escape now. She's seen too much, knows too much! The best I can do for her is provide a nice, comfortable bed in her cage."

Looking back and forth, Dorothy said, "But there isn't any bed. And besides, it's the keeping her locked up part that's unkind!"

At this, Jellia appeared at their sides and pulled a secret lever. The floor beneath "Polly" changed, rolling over until a fairly large and comfortable bed was now revealed in one corner of the cage. Its occupant approached, hesitant but hopeful, glancing back at the Wizard as if to silently ask if it was alright.

"Go on, my dear. You've done more than enough for today."

"Can't she talk?" the Lion asked, as if too surprised that a woman couldn't where he could.

"She could, once upon a time. But the hex Morrible placed on the cage when she captured her…" The telling of this seemed to pain him, and he looked away. "Oh, but it would be nice to have someone to chat with again…"

Dorothy was through listening to his excuses. "And you let her do these things! Really, a man of your age ought to know better! She ought to be let go, and you've been doing Heaven-knows-what to her, and… oh, how shameful! My Uncle Henry would send for the sheriff!"

Her scolding did seem to be having an effect on the man, and his cheeks warmed. But he finally reached his end and stood a little straighter. "Now, just you listen here! Seems to me you're insinuating something that isn't true, and I'll put that to rest forthwith! I haven't harmed so much as a hair on Polychrome's head, much less anything more unseemly, and I'll thank you not to throw around such accusations!"

"Accusations like what? Keeping prisoners? Because she is — that's a cage if I've ever seen one! Like she's a parakeet!"

"Begging your pardon, Wizliness," the scarecrow went on in a softer tone, "I, um… I don't think she's saying what you think she's saying. Little Dorothy isn't the sort to think about such matters."

She hadn't been thinking of anything besides Polly's well-being and freedom, it was true. Her straw-headed friend had been very protective of her innocence, up to and including the incident in which Tin Man had been telling her scandalous things about Elphaba and Glinda. They had nearly fallen to fisticuffs over the matter.

"Oh?" At that information, the Wizard seemed to notice afresh that Dorothy was a younger girl, and wasn't quite looking at him with the level of disgust he had been expecting. "Oh. Well… alright, we can leave that lie. I might be a humbug, but not a cad." Then he cleared his throat. "Now then, to business. You seem to have unearthed a little secret that I really would prefer didn't reach the ears of the rest of the Emerald City. You've done me a great service in ridding me of the serious challenge to my power, and for that, I'm quite grateful. Might we still hold to the original deal?"

"Just a moment," she warned him, holding up a finger. "Let's you and I talk about that. Can you explain to us why you're being so mean to the poor Animals, like my good friend, the Cowardly Lion?"

The Lion merely hung his head a little lower at that description. Not that it was undeserved; Dorothy meant no disrespect, other than to point out the fact in the hopes he would continue to be more brave to combat such a label.

"Now, now, that's an internal matter," he tried to warn her with a genial smile. "Nothing for a pretty girl like you to worry her pretty head over."

"And if you're such a keen Ruler, you can tell a pretty girl like me all about it. Even in a way I might understand." This might have sounded sarcastic to the Wizard, for he bristled slightly, but Dorothy meant it in earnest; she knew next to nothing except how a farm is run, and a handful of other things. Still, she felt as if she were entitled to that much of an explanation.

And it was making the Wizard uncomfortable. They had caught him red-handed, and he had no choice but to capitulate. "Very well. You see, where we come f- that is, er… oh, but they are Animals, aren't they? Lions eat little girls! So it only makes sense to me that we tame and domesticate them, not let them go around teaching at universities! It's just preposterous!"

"But Dr. Dillamond was a fine teacher," the scarecrow volunteered. When they turned to him with surprise, he went on blithely, "Or so I've heard. So you can't say he was going around bleating and kicking the students, because it simply isn't true. Not a student who's ever been in his class would say so."

"I agree that having Lions walking and talking isn't something I'm used to," Dorothy said. "Or having them around at all, not in Kansas! Not unless the circus is in town! But, well… it seems to me if they talk and think and can be civil, then they ought to be allowed to, oughtn't they?"

"My dear, my dear, come now. As I said, I'm the Wizard, and the current ruling head of the Land of Oz. I brought unity to these four countries where there was only division when I arrived! No more squabbling with the Quadlings, no more trade embargos with the hinky Winkies… what I'm doing, I'm doing for the good of these fine people! So might I be given the benefit of a doubt when it comes to this, as well?"

Even before he finished, Dorothy was shaking her head. It frightened her to be disagreeing with an authority figure of any sort, but this one had already proven himself to be a charlatan and a swindler, and had attempted to trick her into murdering a group of highly-slandered "witches". Her aunt and uncle had always encouraged her to do what was right in the eyes of the Lord, and even though no one in Oz seemed to have heard of that particular Lord, that didn't mean she could turn her back on her convictions purely because she was abroad.

"I'm sorry," she told him earnestly, taking a step back. "But… I'm afraid… I don't think you're fit to be the President here, Sir Wizard. Not if you're going to tell Lion he can't talk anymore, or… or send me to hurt three perfectly lovely ladies who only w-want to help the Animals! Especially if you might have k-killed an innocent little baby! You're a very bad man!"

At the last condemnation, his brow furrowed. He was about to ask her what she meant by that, but Dorothy was already springing into action. Completely mortified by the idea as she was, she whipped the hem of her dress up to reveal a pair of culottes that had been hidden underneath; probably had belonged to some long-dead resident of Kiamo Ko. Around the waist of said culottes lay a wide, shining belt, glittering with jewels. Luckily, he was at least chivalrous enough to avert his eyes when she did this, but that chivalry would prove to be his undoing.

"Bring the witches to me!" she announced firmly as her hands closed around the belt. And in a blink and a puff of smoke, it did that very thing.

                                                 To Be Continued…