So it appears that this may yet become a series of one-shots all under the same title. They might not all take place on the same day, but this one immediately follows the former chapter.
"Ooh Elphie look at those!"
The words barely reached Elphaba's ears before she was dragged across the street to the window display that had caught Galinda's eye.
"Aren't they positively gorgeous!" the blonde gushed.
It took Elphaba a second to figure out exactly which trinket Galinda was fawning over but when her gaze finally landed on the necklace and earring set, she had to admit –to herself at least- that it was stunning.
"Well?" Galinda demanded, anxiously awaiting Elphaba's answer.
"Yeah –Yes! Gorgeous!" Elphaba intoned in a fair imitation of the shorter girl.
"Elphie!" Galinda huffed. "Come on!"
With that Galinda grabbed Elphaba's hand once more and tugged her into the shop. The green girl in the lavender dress wandered the store while the blonde in black talked to the clerk.
"C'mon Elphie let's go." A rather despondiary Galinda voiced a few minutes later as the bell over the door tinkled to announce that she'd exited.
Elphaba straightened to find the jewelry set still sitting in its window case while Galinda waited for her outside. The blonde looked at the set longingly before she caught herself and made a show of preening at her reflection instead.
Elphaba turned to the sales clerk, clearly confused as to why there was still glass between Galinda Upland and the desires of her heart.
The clerk noticed her expression and then looked at the remorseful debutante standing outside.
"I would like to sell the necklace to her," the shopkeeper explained regretfully. "But the creator is rather insistent that it be sold with the complete set. And your friend insisted she did not want to buy the earrings."
"Why ever not?" Elphaba asked, more to herself than the lady behind the counter. "She wears earrings all the time."
"She did ask if the hooks could be replaced with clips. But I'm afraid that because of their design the earrings would be ruined if I took the hooks off."
"Clips?" Elphaba questioned and then realization dawned on her.
"I'll take the set," she said, quickly paying for the jewelry. She shoved the box in her bag from the clothes store they'd been to earlier and raced out the door, shooting a "thank you" over her shoulder.
"What took you so long?" Galinda asked airily as she began walking very quickly in the direction of campus.
"Why didn't you buy the necklace set?" Elphaba asked, ignoring the other girl's question.
"It wasn't as pretty up close," Galinda snipped haughtily and began to walk even faster.
Elphaba rolled her eyes and matched her pace.
"Of course not. It was prettier," she said.
A thin line appeared where Galinda's full lips had been.
"How would you know?" she snarked, and focused staunchly forward. "I don't feel like shopping anymore."
The two didn't talk again until they'd reached their room in Crage Hall.
"I didn't want the earrings," Galinda blurted finally after what seemed to her like an eternity of silence. "I don't see a point in buying them because I can't wear them."
Tears welled in her eyes and Elphaba wrapped her in a hug staying silent because she had a hunch Galinda had more to say.
"It's a stupid tradition anyway. Not everybody wants to poke holes in themselves you know."
Elphaba, who was very aware of the Gillikinese custom of ear piercing, pulled back just enough to see Galinda's face.
"I wasn't aware you had a choice," she said. As far as she knew all Gillikinese baby girls were taken to have earrings set in before they were old enough to protest or remember the slight pain.
Galinda sniffled. "I didn't," she admitted. "But when I was seven mine got infected. I had to leave my earrings out to let the holes heal and they closed over. I refused to let my mother have them done again. Rather adamantly, much to my mother's shame and horror."
"Why?"
Galinda buried her tear stained face in Elphaba's shoulder and answered in a small voice, "I'm terrified of needles."
She pulled away again, her cheeks now dry but Elphaba's dress now sported a wet patch.
"I think my Noni yelled at Momsie because after she came Momsie started making me wear clip-on's," she whispered. Then a look of utter horror crossed her face, "Don't let Pfannee and Shen Shen know! A girl at my finishing school found out once and my mother and I both nearly died of embarrassment."
Elphaba chuckled and patted the blonde's arm.
"I wouldn't dream of it," she promised, knowing that even if she were on speaking terms with the aforementioned girls she'd never betray Galinda like that.
She released the blonde finally and turned to her forgotten bag while Galinda wiped at tear tracks.
"I suppose I should have talked to you first," she said, pulling the box she'd purchased out and presenting it to her friend. "But I suppose it doesn't matter really."
Galinda stared at the box with wide eyes.
"You're meant to open it," Elphaba prodded gently.
Galinda took it and did so, gasping as the necklace and earrings she'd so wanted were revealed.
"But Elphie-
Elphaba hushed her before taking the necklace out and clasping it around her friend's neck. The pink and silver beads flashed elegantly against her pearly skin, the marble sized charm hung perfectly just below the hollow of her throat.
"But the earrings," Galinda protested again, as she fingered the delicate necklace, "they'll just collect dust in my jewelry box."
"Oz forbid," Elphaba said flippantly with an uncaring grin. Then thoughtfully she added, "Do you want to get your ears pierced again?"
Galinda gulped and looked quite terrified at the thought.
"There aren't any needles involved you know? I suppose it could be done that way, but it's not when you have it done professionally."
"How would you know?" It was the second time Galinda had voiced the question that day but this time she wasn't trying to get a rise out of her green friend.
Elphaba sighed and pulled her hair back. Galinda leaned forward to examine her ears carefully and was absolutely shocked to find a tiny jade earring resting in each one.
"Sweet Oz," she said."You've been holding out on me!"
Elphaba gave her a wan smile and let her hair fall back around her shoulders.
"My mother was from Gillikin," she explained softly. "These were the only thing I got to keep that she gave me. Aside from my bottle of course, but she didn't really give me that."
"Elphie," Galinda breathed, stunned by the new and precious secret she'd become the keeper of. "I had no idea."
Elphaba grinned at her.
"Anyway, it's not really scary at all…I've seen it done before. They just squeeze the earrings in, no needles at all."
Galinda looked torn.
"I'll take you if you want," Elphaba told her gently. "If t she'd become the keeper of. "I had no idea."
Elphaba grinned at her.
"Anyway, it's not really scary at all…I've seen it done before. They just squeeze the earrings in, no needles at all."
Galinda looked torn.
"I'll take you if you want," Elphaba told her gently, "If you want. You don't have to and I certainly won't make you; even if it is tradition."
"Well I suppose if the great Elphaba Thropp will deign to wear jewelry it wouldn't do for me to go without," Galinda decided finally, though she said it with a nervous giggle.
"All right then."
The two girls set out again for the shopping district. When all was said and done Galinda was quite pleased with the result.
"That didn't hurt at all! Milla said it would, she had hers done only last year in Munchkinland, but it didn't," she declared happily as she collected the bottle of antiseptic the store provided with each piercing and the tiny box that housed the earrings currently adorning her ears. "I can't wait to wear the ones that go with the necklace!"
Elphaba chuckled quietly to herself as her effervescent friend practically bubbled right out of the store. She followed at a much more subdued but nevertheless happy pace.
he store clerk watched in bemusement as the bell tinkled to announce their exit once more, shaking her head when the blonde continued gushing loudly as they passed the window again and disappeared.
Reviews to feed the muses are very welcome!