The Apotheosis

Storm on the Horizon

Elphaba went back to the Emerald Rose the next day. She smiled when she saw Glinda on duty again and waved. Glinda smiled back and said, "So, the usual, right?"

"Yeah, just the coffee," Elphaba said. "You seem crabby today."

"Ah, yeah. Shenshen's theatre friends came by. They were talking about some stupid musical production of The Life and Times of the Last Ozma they did last summer and they wouldn't shut the hell up," Glinda explained, saying the last statement in a sing-song voice.

"Oh yeah. I had to see that one. Just to ensure it wasn't overtly royalist. It was shitty though," Elphaba said, nodding.

"Oh my Oz! Do you really think so?"

"Hell, of course I do. But then, I hate musicals in general. Watching people sing and dance makes me uncomfortable," Elphaba said, biting her lip.

"Oh? Really? I mean, it makes sense. If I really wanted to sing and dance all the time, I would've majored in theatre. Honestly, a lot of people I know told me I'd be good at it, but you know...I'm thirty-eight, and still in college, so I thought I should major in something sensible like Sorcery. Even if Miss Grayling is kind of kooky and really ineffectual, atleast we're learning."

Elphaba was curious. She asked, "How are you still in college if you're thirty-eight? I mean, we're the same age and-"

"I started late. You see, I spent fourteen years backpacking all over Oz. Like the places people usually don't look at. And before that it was just the life of the average Gillikinese socialite," Glinda explained.

"Now I get it. Anyone would want to switch up things, wouldn't they?"

"Did you always dream of working for the Wizard?" Glinda asked, trying to switch the subject.

Elphaba smiled and said, "Of course I did. Though I never imagined the setup to turn into a college reunion of sorts. My closest colleagues were my classmates back in college. Well, I'd better get going. It was nice talking to you."

"I love talking to you too, you know. Why do you keep coming back here, anyway?"

"Oh, my sweet, some things are worth it," Elphaba said with a mysterious smirk. "Well, I have to meet Fiyero now. See you tomorrow!"

Glinda smiled as Elphaba left the café. She thought, well I didn't know she had a boyfriend.

Once Elphaba left the café, however, she encountered a girl with a notepad in her hand.

"Hi, would you like to-oh, Miss Elphaba, I'm so sorry, I didn't realise it was you! You've done so much for Animal Rights, what with lifting the Banns and all, you're indeed an inspiration to us...could you please sign this for me?" The girl asked, extending the notepad towards Elphaba.

Elphaba sighed as she signed it and handed it back to the girl. Fiyero was waiting for her outside the office. He was on the phone with Nor. He asked her, "Are you sure you don't need me or Fae to drop you off? Oh, Gil's driving? Cool. See you at the square."

Elphaba took the phone from Fiyero and said, "Hey, Nor, it's me. Elphaba. Can you come on video for a bit? If that's okay with you. It is? Oh, you wanna talk about college? Okay, hang on."

A few moments later, Nor's face had appeared on the screen. She asked, " Hi Elphaba! You're coming with Dad?"

"Yup," Elphaba answered. "So, what did you want to ask us about college?"

"Is it fun?"

"Oh, Nor, dearie, college is the coolest place in the universe," Fiyero said dramatically. "You'll love it!"

"Is it?" Nor asked, awestruck.

"We had the most amazing times, cherie," Elphaba said, winking. "Your darling dad had the biggest crush on me back then. And without Boq and Avaric, he would probably never have talked to me in the first place."

"Wait, what?" Nor grinned.

"Oh, Fiyero's seniors at Briscoe Hall asked him to get ladies' clothing and undergarments from the girls' dorms. So he and Boq came to our part of the grounds, and I was the only girl out. Your poor dad was so nervous that he was a blubbering wreck."

"Aw, dad," Nor giggled.

"Fae, you didn't have to tell her that," Fiyero said, embarrassed.

"I thought it was cute. As were all the attempts you made to flirt with me afterwards," Elphaba remarked with a mischievous wink.

"And she turned it back on me, too. Evil, she is," Fiyero added. Nor couldn't stop giggling.

"Not evil, Fiyero. I'm wicked through and through," Elphaba smirked.

"But dad, if you liked her so much, why did you let her go so easily?" Nor asked.

"Honestly, Fae can be really intimidating. She's intelligent, sharp-tongued, reckless and loyal to a fault. To tell the truth, Nor, I was a bit scared of her. And then she became famous and I was married to your mom and all, so, well, I guess we just drifted apart," Fiyero explained. "You know, Nor, our whole gang remembers that one time when Fae showed up for the chess finals at the Biennials. She was breathing short and coughing up blood, but she somehow won that one. And that bagged the championship for our little loser family."

"Fiyero, how many times do I have to tell you that I faked that one?" Elphaba said exasperatedly.

"Wait, what are the Biennials?" Nor asked eagerly.

"The Shiz Intra-Collegiate Biennial Sports Championship. Basically it was Crage Hall and Briscoe Hall in one team against Three Queens and Ozma Towers in the other. Our group always lost, and that was because, over the years, a lot of our talented athletes had shifted to Ozma Towers because it was more swankified. The year I joined, we had talent, but very little encouragement to win," Elphaba explained.

"And Fae devised a series of mildly underhand tactics that those bratty Ozma Towers idiots couldn't figure out. Putting pressure on the opposing teams, covertly incapacitating opposing champions, stuff like that. The six of us even gave up things we loved the most. I stopped talking to Fae, Avaric Tenmeadows gave up drinking, Fae herself gave up on going to the library, Boq gave up on talking to his mum, Crope gave up smoking weed and Tibbett renounced sex. It worked, though- full credits to Fae for that idea. And Fae was our reigning chess champion. She was always allergic to water,and I have no idea how our opposition found that out, but they basically used it to sabotage her so that she wouldn't be able to turn up for her finals," Fiyero reminisced.

"Well, that one sure blew up in their face," Elphaba said with an innocent look in her eyes.

"Wow, Elphaba, you seem to be an amazing actress," Nor remarked.

"Don't I know it?" Fiyero said lovingly. "But then, as they say, all's fair in love and war."

At the mention of love, Elphaba blushed deeply. Fiyero informed Nor in a stage whisper, "Oh, Nor dearie, here's the latest from the Emerald Palace: Elphaba Thropp is in love with the cute lil barista at The Emerald Rose."

"Ooh! What's she like?" Nor asked eagerly.

"Fiyero, I'm not in love with Glinda," Elphaba protested hotly.

"Uh huh. Fae, come on, I know danger when I see it. Just like I know love when I see it. And I can tell that you're dangerously in love with Miss Glinda the Barista."

Fiyero and Nor laughed heartily at Elphaba's annoyed expression. All at once, Elphaba grasped Fiyero's hands and said in a panicked voice, "Yero, what's that?"

"What, Fae? I don't see-"

"It doesn't make sense. It looks like a twister of some sort. Carrying a flying house. Towards the festival square... Ozdamn it, Nor, are you still there?"

But the phone connection had cut off. And so did the lights, and within moments, the whole City was plunged into darkness.