Chapter Text
Galinda's always had a love hate relationship with the Monday after a work weekend out of the city. Mondays are always the common starting point of the week for most people, and naturally they assume that's the case for a woman who makes her own hours. Most people never seem to take into account that an artist like herself might have email business hours set up on her website.
So it's more of an annoyance than a somewhat expected surprise when, after getting home in the early hours of the day from her latest job, she has an urgent email ping chime from her phone just as she enters her apartment. She sighs exhausted, but takes a glimpse at her screen to see if she knows the sender.
"E.Thropp@DillamondandThropp?" Galinda reads aloud to herself. She doesn't recognize them, but the last name and email address seems somewhat familiar. Where has she heard that name before?
Curiosity overtakes her post travel exhaustion as she slides open her email inbox. The urgent exclamation point blares next to a title that reads:
"Inquiry about hiring your services for a very high profile client."
She hums to herself and flops onto her couch, tapping open the email and beginning to scan its contents.
"Good day Miss Upland,
My name is Elphaba Thropp, I'm reaching out on behalf of my client to inquire about your live wedding painting services. My apologies for flagging this email as urgent, but my client's final day in the Emerald City is today and I was hoping you might be able to make some time to meet with us to discuss a potential job.
Please respond at your earliest convenience.
Thank you,
Miss Elphaba Thropp
D.A with Dillamond&Thropp Law office"
Oh! That's where she recognizes it. Dillamond&Thropp is a rather small but slightly well known law firm throughout the city and -very conveniently- it's located down the road from her building. They're known partially because the office is co-owned by and employs many Animals, but also because they'd been in a televised case in the last year or so. Right after they became Dillamond&Thropp, if Galinda remembers right. She never caught much of the case herself, but Fiyero had gabbed non stop about it during their catch up calls. He knew someone from that case, Galinda wishes she could remember who.
Normally on a Monday after a work weekend, Galinda would be taking the day to herself either by indulging in some much needed self care or, more recently, heading to her studio to work on another project— her summer art show. If she were to stick with her second plan of going to the studio, It wouldn't be hard to arrange a quick visit to the law office. The rental spot of her workspace is much closer than her apartment is. It’d be easy to meet with the attorney, learn about the job and who the high profile client is, then head there afterward.
She responds in a timely manner, agreeing to stop by the office at the attorney's earliest convenience and concluding the email with a preference to meet sooner rather than later in the day. She gets a response not even five minutes later, inviting her to come by the office in the next hour. She smiles to herself and pushes off the couch, heading to her room to begin getting ready.
Galinda takes her time to curl the ends of her hair just right, she pays careful attention to her usual business beauty routine, making sure not a lash is out of place, her light under-eye bags from the journey are covered and no lip tint is smudged improperly. Once satisfied, she takes a minute to throw on one of her preferred consultation outfits; a crisp white blouse paired with a pink blazer the colour of sweet pea flowers with pants to match, a pair of white pearl earrings and two thin, gold bracelets adorning her right wrist. She slips on her comfortable heels, the ones with the orthopedic insoles that make standing for extended periods of time in front of a canvas at a wedding much more bearable, grabs her purse and begins the trek out of her apartment towards the law office of Dillamond and Thropp.
The urgency of the attorney’s request piques her curiosity, and though she's still feeling that post work travel exhaustion, Galinda's interested to see exactly who it is that wants to hire her. She's outside the attorney's office in less than fifteen minutes, a small one story building that looks like it could have been built forty years ago. It does seem to have some recent renovations, like a door better equipped to let Animals of all sizes inside of it as well as a much more accessible ramp and wheelchair parking space that looks like it'd been painted fairly recently.
Galinda pulls up her phone and opens the facing camera, quickly fixing any loose curls back into place and ensuring her makeup is still pristine. Once satisfied, she flashes herself a charming smile, locks her phone screen to slide it into her purse, then with the confidence imbued into her by her moms, Galinda struts up the ramp and into the building.
It's rather quaint. The small lobby is lit up with soft golden lighting that illuminates the rich, sage coloured walls. There are a few different sized waiting chairs that line two walls of the lobby, some designed for humans and similar bodied animals while others are meant for some of the larger, four legged Animal clients. Up on the wall is the D&T logo, a simple golden coloured thing standing out stark against the dark coloured wall behind it. There are various decorative plants that sit in two of the corners of the space and a small glass waiting table that has a few magazines, as well as a poppy centerpiece.
"Can I help you?" A soft voice calls from the secretary's desk, pulling Galinda's attention away from the decor.
A small black Tamarin with the tiniest blue spectacles looks at her. She sits on her own customized seat atop the desk, just in front of a small sized keyboard. The kind that could barely fit Galinda's hands, but fit perfectly for any smaller sized Animal. The Tamarin gives Galinda a kind smile and the blonde can't help but return it.
"Good afternoon! My name is Galinda Upland. I'm here to meet with Miss Thropp."
The Tamarin nods and uses her full hands to hit the keys atop the keyboard in front of her. She reads the screen in front of her and nods, then types out another quick message. She turns her attention back to Galinda, her tiny smile widening to reveal her small, pointed canines.
"Perfect. Miss Thropp should be ready to see you now. I'll take you to her office!" The Tamarin smiles and hops down from her seat and the large desk to the floor. She's around the desk in a few quick strides, then begins to move down the hallway. Galinda is quick to follow, not wanting to be left behind in the lobby. She barely has time to take in the decor along the walls as the secretary moves fast and Galinda doesn't want to seem tardy.
The Tamarin stops in front of a glass door, shielded by blinds that cover up the entirety of it. She gently raps her knuckles against the thick panes, creating a loud knocking sound despite her little hands. There's a muffled sound from within and the Tamarin uses a small ledge to climb atop the table that sits directly next to the door, closest to its handle. She waits patiently there next to Galinda, knowing better than to open the door while the blinds are closed.
Galinda can hear the muffled sound of heels on hardwood and the door handle clicks before the door opens, allowing more light to fill into and illuminate the hallway around them. As she registers the presence in the now open door way she feels the wind taken out of her.
Standing within the space, clad in a pinstripe black blazer with a matching pencil skirt, black tights and sturdy, black heels is the most gorgeous woman Galinda's ever seen. Her hair is dark brown, tied up in what was once a tight bun of microbraids, but now has loosened with strands framing her face. She seems a bit frazzled and a little out of breath but otherwise she's very well groomed. Her cheeks are dotted with a light brushing of freckles atop the clearest, jaw dropping and stunning green skin Galinda's ever seen.
The green should be a lot more of a surprise for her, but it's far from it. Goodness, she looks absolutely ethereal. Like something straight out of a historic painting portraying some sort of deity. Galinda's completely taken by the prominent cheek bone structure that makes her face perfectly symmetrical in every single way. She wears golden framed glasses, the kind that has an interesting sideways S type frame that holds perfectly rounded lenses in place. The woman has the smallest hint of makeup on her features. Nothing too much, a smidge of earth toned eye shadow, a glimpse of mascara on the longest, most lovely lashes Galinda's ever encountered on a human being, but the most devastating part is the deep, evergreen shade lipstick that colours her lips, allowing them to stick out amongst the other features of her face and bringing all attention to them.
A series of visions suddenly hits Galinda: the woman in front of her, standing singular and alone amongst the field of sunflowers just along the outskirts of Gillikin country during summer time. Then another, with the woman sitting in front of a lily pad covered pond within Central Emerald City park whilst fireflies glow around her. A third, with the woman once again at the center of the portrait, the point of view coming from just below and capturing the warm oranges transitioning into the pinks of sunset, her face towards the sky but a smile very evident on her features.
More ideas strike at the exact same time, and Galinda feels like she's been silent for far too long before she comes to her senses. She catches herself and what felt like minutes of staring is squished into ten seconds as the blonde straightens her posture and holds her hand out towards the woman opposite her. She gives a bright smile and looks directly into the emerald eyes behind the lenses.
"Good morning! I'm Galinda Arduenna Upland. GoodWitchPaints on ClokTik. You must be Miss Elphaba Thropp." She introduces herself with practiced ease.
Elphaba, all business, reaches out and takes Galinda's hand within hers and goodness, it's warm. Galinda can't help but marvel at the beautiful dark green nails that have lighter green tips atop the fingers of the hand that now wraps around hers. She gives her a firm shake before quickly letting go.
"That I am, Miss Upland. It's a pleasure to meet you. Thank you for agreeing to come by on such short notice." She has a stiff smile on her lips, all business and no nonsense, "Please, come in."
Galinda could almost swoon and it's embarrassing. Her voice is a lower cadence, but very feminine all the same. She eyes Galinda carefully, not so subtly taking in the blonde's appearance and the way she clasps her hands together in front of her. Galinda can't deny the tiny thrill when her gaze stays just a beat longer on her face. Her heart does a few extra skips and she can't help it. Elphaba isn't just pretty or beautiful: the woman is stunning. Sexy. Hot as hell. She has the mysterious aura of someone telling the world "I'm a force of nature to be reckoned with" and it's no wonder Galinda feels so inspired merely looking at her.
The woman opposite her addresses the Tamarin with a few words then opens the door further. She steps back to allow Galinda to enter. She goes to do so, but not before pausing to take a moment to look at the Tamarin still sitting atop the table next to the door.
"Thank you, Miss...?" Galinda lets her voice trail and the Tamarin lights up.
"Penelope!" She answers with an adorable toothy grin.
"Miss Penelope! Thank you very much!" Galinda says, flashing her a smile before entering Elphaba's office.
She hears the door shut behind her and is greeted by the sight of another person within the office; her hair a mess of tamed curls pulled into a half up, half down style. She wears a traditional Munchkinlander garb that Galinda can recognize instantly, its colour a beautiful deep navy with light silver embroidery along the bottom of its skirt. She sits in a gorgeously crafted wheelchair with golden accents along the wheels and lightly coloured wood trimming. Her skin is clear and a gorgeous light brown in colour, a perfect contrast to dark brown eyes not unlike Galinda's own. Her face lights up the moment they make eye contact. It must be warm in here, because the woman looks positively flushed.
"Miss Upland, I'd like you to meet Nessarose Thropp, the governess of Munchkinland." Elphaba introduces.
Thropp! So the exact same cheekbones and face shape isn't just coincidence. These two are most definitely related.
The governess of Munchkinland is hardly the client Galinda expected to be meeting with today, it's a lot more high profile than she'd been anticipating. Most of her higher society clients are local celebrities', though with her best friend being a prince from the Vinkus, she has had many opportunities to put her name out there to some other potential political clients in the future. For all Galinda knows, this could be the very start of that next step in her career journey.
"It's an honor to meet you, your Eminence." Galinda greets, extending her hand towards the governess with a warm smile.
"It's wonderful to meet you as well, Miss Upland!" Nessarose greets, shaking the blonde's hand with a much gentler grasp than Elphaba's.
The green woman in question moves behind her desk, sliding into her tall backed office chair with ease. She waits patiently as Galinda and Nessa get all formalities out of the way, then the blonde takes the only open chair opposite to the both of them. Nessarose backs from her spot and rolls her chair behind Elphaba's desk, and the older woman takes the laptop from atop it and shifts backward from it, allowing the governess to take the space Elphaba previously occupied.
She supposes this is normal, considering Nessarose is a politician.
"Miss Upland, thank you so much for replying to my dear sister and attorney's inquiry. I hope you don't mind that I had her reach out on my behalf." Nessarose begins, bringing her arms atop Elphaba's desk and folding her hands together in front of them.
"Not at all." Galinda replies with a smile, her gaze drifting just behind the governess to the lawyer who has adjusted her sitting so that the computer rests comfortably atop one of her crossed legs, propping it up and allowing the lawyer to type without hunching forward too badly.
Galinda pointedly looks back to Nessarose and smiles more.
"I hate to make assumptions, but to be seeking out my services could only mean one thing." She starts with a smile, then looks at Nessarose's hand to see a beautifully modest golden band with a small, white diamond at its center, "Congratulations on your engagement, your Eminence!"
Nessarose's smile reaches her eyes as she thanks Galinda.
"I recently came across your work, Miss Upland. You are incredible at what you do. I think I liked practically every post you've made within the last two years your account has been going. I absolutely adored the ceremony portrait you did within the oldest Unionist cathedral from last year. Your painting of the Marlot's by the end of the video had me in tears!"
Normally, Galinda can handle her fair share of fawning, but the way Nessarose compliments her has her feeling slightly on edge. Like she's preparing to ask for something a little more than if she could be hired to paint a simple wedding. She takes it with grace and her smile falls into her practiced business one.
"Thank you very much, your Eminence. Truly, it's an honor to hear you praise my work so highly!"
Nessarose's smile is still wide.
"Yes, you really are quite incredible. My Fiancé and I think it would be wonderful if we could hire you to paint something from our special day. It would mean the absolute world to us, and would be the perfect piece to add to the drawing room of our home."
There's movement from behind Nessa and Galinda's gaze drifts to find Elphaba with a frown on her face. She's still staring at her computer, her fingers finishing as she types, but it's clear to see she is listening intently as Nessarose does the talking.
"I think we could certainly arrange it." Galinda replies, going into her bag and pulling out a paperback agenda. She knows she could use her phone for this, but it's easy to get distracted and she finds it easier to focus on the work ahead of her if she writes the information on paper. "Now, I must ask, did you have the time to review my booking website before having your attorney reach out to me?"
Nessarose gives a slight nod, then gestures to the other woman in the room.
"I was only able to skim it briefly, but Elphaba here," Nessarose turns to her with a smile, "Is my maid of honor as well, so I asked her to reach out and do more of the leg work for me."
Ah yes. Galinda is quite familiar with doing more back and forth interactions with the maid of honor as opposed to the bride themselves. Quite common in the industry.
"Oh good! So, we won't need to go over my clauses much then." Galinda says, making herself comfortable by crossing one leg over the other. She can see the way Nessarose tenses slightly and behind her, Elphaba does as well.
"There could be one or two things we may need to negotiate." Elphaba says slowly, "But we'll cross that bridge when we get there."
That causes Galinda to raise an eyebrow.
"Is that so? Well, let's iron out the finer things first then." Galinda replies, getting right down to business, "I'm happy to travel so long as there's sufficient accommodations that are easy to get to and from your wedding venue. I don't send any paintings through air travel at all, so the shipping will be directly via train and could take a bit longer to arrive. Completely necessary for the sake of the painting as well as my sanity. Trains are far safer with precious cargo than any airline I've been on."
Galinda visibly shivers as she recalls the horrible disaster at the southern Quadling airport and the disappearance of her most favourite pink valise that held some of her cuter outfits. She's still mourning the loss of her favourite sun hat. She won't risk that happening with her clients paintings.
"Oh! What season can I expect the wedding to be in? I'll need to prepare for the necessary expected weather. I imagine you'll be getting married in late summer, early fall of this year, no?" Galinda asks, jumping to a new topic turning to Nessarose with a curious eyebrow.
The woman's smile falters here. Galinda has to hide the smirk threatening to show. This seems to be where the catch comes in.
"Actually, the wedding is in six weeks."
Galinda's eyes almost bulge right out of her head. Six weeks?! She looks at the calendar on top of Elphaba's desk, seeing the day marked clearly. The spring equinox just passed, six weeks from now is only the first stretch into the spring wedding season. Galinda's second busiest time of year for work. She isn't even sure she'll have time to fit this wedding into her schedule, not to mention she stopped booking six months ago for the sole reason that she had been recruited for her dream project and-
Her silence must have been telling, because Nessarose immediately speaks up.
"Now, I know on your booking website you have a minimum of at least three months in advance, but I was really hoping you might be able to make some sort of exception, should your calendar allow it."
Nessarose's eyes are large and glossy and oh this girl is beautiful, too. Galinda is not immune to beautiful women (she never has been) and it leaves her feeling quite stuck. At the end of the day, she has these clauses and rules for a reason. She can't please every client.
With the Governess being so high profile, she can't just outright reject her. Even with her clauses, she would be a complete fool not to indulge the politician for now, potentially turning her down gently the following day. Galinda knows it isn't good to allow people to get their hopes up, but something tells her if she were to outright reject the idea now, she might never get the opportunity to learn more about the enchanting woman behind her that’s watching this interaction like a Hawk.
"I will be upfront, your Eminence, this is quite short notice. I can't promise that I'll be available six weeks from now, especially with spring being such an important portion of the wedding season around all of Oz." Galinda says it with as much sincerity as she can muster. Elphaba nods her head, almost like this is something she'd expected, then types something more into her laptop. Nessarose deflates a bit, ready to accept the answer.
"But," Galinda goes on, raising one of her fingers upward and letting a pause sit in the air around them to add some drama, "I'd like to hear about the wedding first. Tell me what the plan is, what your big day entails. If it moves me enough, I'll see what my calendar looks like and if things can be rearranged."
She gives a small sigh and another smile, tense but genuine.
"Thankfully, my spring weddings all happen to be within the Emerald City, so I won't be doing any long distance travels. If I'm not booked, we could potentially make this work. I imagine your wedding will be hosted in Munchkinland, no?"
Nessarose lights up again, brown eyes practically glowing. Her curls bounce as she nods her head, and Galinda sits back in her chair as the woman begins to outline the big plans for her upcoming wedding day. Galinda listens intently as the woman describes the same ceremony Galinda's attended at least five of in the last three months. From the wedding being held right at their home estate to being led down the aisle by her father and given away to her future husband, to the arrangement of the ceremony with the bride’s family on one's side while the groom’s takes the other, even down to her make up and gown choices. It's the exact same thing Galinda came back from this past weekend. Copied and pasted with slight changes to it.
She’d been planning on spending her last free spring weekend finishing her show pieces. If she were to take on Nessarose’s wedding request, she’d be risking precious time to finish her art before for the show’s opening night. She's already playing it dangerously by missing one more important piece this far away from the show date.
Galinda's thankful she can mask the dread. She holds her polite smile on her features, nodding along to certain parts, making small anecdotes in her planner and giving a fake hum of delight at any particular detail Nessarose seems to be very excited about. She throws in questions whenever the opportunity presents itself; arbitrary things about the theme, what wedding traditions they're most excited about, those sorts of topics.
The governess is eager to answer each one, getting a little lost in describing how they've colour coordinated everything to match the exact shades of the tulips on the estate when another movement from behind catches Galinda's eye. Her gaze once again flicks over to Elphaba, who’s paused typing to silently mouth along, word for word, what Nessarose is saying out loud. She gives a snarky looking eyeroll at a specific detail her sister says (something about the groomsmen having a tulip that matches the colour of their suits tucked within their pockets ) and it cracks Galinda's poised mask the tiniest bit. Her lip twitches, her dimple shines.
The insanely attractive sister of the governess is definitely feeling some sort of negativity towards hearing these details over and over. It takes everything not to laugh as Elphaba gets back to typing with her nails clacking against the keys with a bit more force than necessary. She swears she sees a green gaze flick in her direction, but she's quick to avoid it and bring her full attention back to the woman's sister.
Galinda goes back to listening to the remainder of the wedding details. She's the perfect actress right until the very end, where the reception will be held within their garden. She closes the planner up, clicking her pen and tucking it within the pages of the pink book.
"It sounds like you and your future husband have put a lot of wonderful ideas into this special day." Galinda says in a tone with a bit too much sweetness to it, "It's going to be absolutely beautiful. I can already tell."
She gives a slightly apologetic smile.
"I really will need to take a look at my calendar and see if there's anything I can do to make this happen, you eminence. For now, my answer is 'possibly.' But I'll be sure to get back to you no later than tomorrow morning. Would that be alright?"
The Governess' smile is polite and understanding, but the tension in the room rises. It's obviously not the answer she wants to hear. She can probably tell this is Galinda's way of holding back on rejecting the wedding. It's a bold assumption, but Galinda's met with many clients who have behaved similarly.
"Of course, Miss Upland. I am deeply sorry for bringing this on you with such short notice, but I do appreciate you having this short consultation with us." She says, her hands folding in front of her atop Elphaba's desk. Her tone has the unmistakably forced sincerity of a politician and it reminds Galinda why she's happily never pursued the same career choices as her or Fiyero.
Elphaba clears her throat, closing her laptop with a careful hand before standing up.
"This would be a good time to wrap up then." She states, using her free hand to straighten out her skirt.
Galinda extends a hand to Nessarose, shaking it once and promising to get back to her in the morning once again. She stands next, ensuring her pen is still tucked safely within her planner before she slips it back inside of her purse. Elphaba steps around the desk to meet her and see her out of the office. She opens the door and gestures for Galinda to exit first.
"I'll be right back." Elphaba directs the comment to her sister, who nods once without saying a word.
They step out of the room together and Galinda takes a moment to exhale, letting the nerves of the consultation float away. She shivers the slightest bit, her curls bouncing from the movement as the sharp exhale leaves her lips. She tightens her grip on her purse and brushes some stray strands of hair back into place with her other hand.
"Well, not the worst consultation with the highest profile client you've had yet." She mutters softly, only to immediately remember that she'd been followed out the door.
She turns her head so fast her curls whip around and smack her in the face. She sputters and lifts her hands, scrambling to toss her hair out of the way. Her eyes are huge as she meets Elphaba's widened one. She definitely heard that. Galinda immediately holds both hands out toward her.
"I didn't mean-" She begins, but Elphaba's eyebrows rise in a dangerous way that tells Galinda no matter what she says, she's just digging a deeper grave for herself.
Instead, she clears her throat and brings herself back down to the professional, composed business woman she is.
"That comment was meant for my ears only, I'm sorry you had to hear that."
Elphaba seems to understand. Her eyebrows lower and her expression changes slightly. She hums.
"Careful what you mutter in a defense attorney's office, Miss Upland. Don't want to incriminate yourself." There's the tiniest of specks of amusement in her eyes, or at least, that's what Galinda wants to call the flecks of lighter green she's seeing glittering amongst the deeper emerald.
She's also witty! Oh Oz. Galinda has to make an effort to stop a smirk from rising.
"Noted, Miss Thropp." She retorts with just a hint of playfulness.
Elphaba takes a few steps down the hall and Galinda follows. They don't say much else after that, and while Galinda is set on turning down the job, she is a bit disappointed it will mean the end of contact with this gorgeous stranger. Especially when the women would be the perfect model for her show.
That thought strikes a chord within her. It swims in her brain, the idea of incorporating the woman a few steps ahead of her into her final piece for the Emerald City Art Gallery. She hasn't had this many ideas for a new piece since she finalized paintings twenty three and twenty four, and that was weeks ago.
She holds back another sigh. It's a shame, but the office is rather close by. Maybe she'll get lucky and bump into the woman in the street in the not so distant future, and perhaps something more could happen then.
She pushes the fantasy aside as they reach the lobby of the law office. There's a Goat that Galinda does recognize, the other namesake himself Dr. Dillamond, talking with a person Galinda doesn't recognize. He's a skinny, curly red haired man dressed in a silver tinted suit with a rather pointy looking hat sitting askew on his head. They sit on two chairs next to a small table within the lobby, deep in their own conversation. Galinda pays them no mind as she puts all her focus back on Elphaba as she speaks.
"It was good to meet you, Miss Upland. Thank you again for the last minute consultation. It was very good of you to fit us in, given you have no business hours set on Mondays. I do appreciate you accommodating us. Is there a time I might be able to expect your reply?"
Galinda suppresses the delighted laugh that wants to escape because she swears the attorney is throwing some banter her way. It's just the way she says it. Or maybe it's the way green lips are almost tilted upwards in a smile.
Or maybe Galinda's overthinking it just a bit and the woman is behaving like a polite professional.
"I'll try to have it in your inbox no later than ten tomorrow morning. Would that be alright with you, Miss Thropp?" She asks, making sure to make eye contact with the other woman.
"That works." The two across the room seem to have noticed Elphaba and Galinda's presence, as both have pushed themselves out of their chairs and are making their way over, "I await our next correspondence then."
"I do as well. Until then," Galinda sticks her hand out for Elphaba to shake, and with only a slight moment of hesitation, she reaches out and takes Galinda's hand.
"It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Thropp."
It's a brief affair just like earlier and she's quick to pull away before she can get pulled into a conversation with the two strangers approaching them. She takes a couple steps backward. She makes eye contact one last time with Elphaba, flashes her one of the most charming smiles she knows she can muster, then spins around to walk straight to the door before she can see the other woman's reaction. Galinda does acknowledge Dillamond and the man with a small nod, then makes a point to wave at Penelope before seeing herself out the front door.
With that out of the way, Galinda's back to her regularly scheduled Monday. She decides to make a quick detour back home to change into more studio appropriate clothes, and perhaps maybe pick up a coffee from the tiny vegan bakery on her way. She has a full day of brainstorming, and she wants to put the inspiration she's gotten from her brief encounter with the gorgeous lawyer to good use.
Later, the blonde is finishing up after a slow day in the studio. It isn't that she didn't have any success with her ideas, on the contrary, the initial rough sketch plans she made have some decent concepts. The problem is the ideas fall flat for her show, and her show must be perfect. Galinda has worked harder than ever to achieve this dream of having even just a sliver of her work appear within the Emerald City and she intends to see it be successful.
When the opportunity of a lifetime slid into her lap at her Momsie and Momsicle's annual Autumn solstice celebration, Galinda leapt at the chance. She still isn't sure how a curator of the Emerald City Art Gallery happened to be there that night, but after an enlightening conversation with them about the best parts of Oz and a little bit of charm, Galinda had a contract offer within her inbox the next day proposing to hire her to create twenty five original pieces for the following year's summer art show with the theme:
"The Wonderful world of Oz"
It's the most perfect theme. It's been such an honor to dedicate the last few months to this project. Most pieces came together exactly as intended with no time wasted, but the closer it gets to summer, the antsier she is about not having a concept for the final painting. It horrifies her to be this behind with ideas of all things.
She slams her pencil on top of her table and grumbles frustrated. She's spent hours trying to put these ideas onto paper, minus the beautiful woman that inspired them, but it's no use. It's the woman who makes those ideas flourish and feel complete. She brings a hand up to her face and gently rubs her temple.
She hears her phone go off and decides now is as good a time as any to take a break. She slides off her chair, making her way over to another table that holds her bag. Her phone is face-down on the table next to it and she picks it up with ease. The screen lights up and she sees she has several missed notifications, a few from her socials, several text messages (one from Momsicle, a couple from Fiyero and a few in the group chat with Pffanne and ShenShen), but it's the email notification that catches her eye the most.
A second email from one E.Thropp.
Galinda hurriedly taps the notification and opens up the email.
"Miss Upland,
I wanted to say thank you again, for coming to meet us on such short notice. I meant my comment earlier. It was kind of you to come in on a day you don't normally do business.
I'll get straight to the point. You're a smart woman, and I don't want to waste more of your time than necessary. We both know you have better things to do than paint my sister's wedding, and I'm quite sure you feel the same about that sentiment. Yes, she is the current governess of Munchkinland, but the girl has been fed from a silver spoon her entire life. She sometimes feels she's outside the rules. I can only imagine how thrillified you feel about recreating yet another typical unionist ceremony with the same colour scheme as every other couple within this wedding season. For this alone, I'd understand if you turned down our request. "
Galinda pauses to bark out a laugh so loud, it echoes throughout the room. She walks back over to her seat and makes herself comfortable, pulling over her water bottle to take a quick swig before she gets back to reading the email.
"That being said, despite her flaws, she is my little sister, and for some Oz forsaken reason, she wanted me as her maid of honor. It pains me to be in such a position, but regrettably it's something you have no choice with when it comes to family. I made a promise to her that I'd do everything in my power to help make her wedding day exactly what she wants, so I'm reaching out to ask:
What can I do to make you consider taking this job?"
It's almost as if Lurline herself is smiling upon Galinda. How else is she to explain the woman who lit the embers of her inspiration after weeks, formally begging her to take on this job? Galinda knows she has incredibly fortunate luck, but this is good. A little too good. She begins to draft her response:
"Miss Thropp!
It was a pleasure to meet you today! Her Eminence as well.
Those are some bold takes on your dear younger sister's wedding! And to assume I might feel the same? An even bolder assumption! I see you're worried I'm keen to turn the job down for that reason. Forgive me for being so forward, but why not wait for my response?"
Galinda pauses. It isn't like Elphaba is wrong entirely. If the wedding had a different theme, Galinda might've considered it more than she is currently. She continues typing out her response, not wanting to give away the fact she intends to decline just yet to Elphaba.
"I'll admit, you have a good point about the wedding theme, but I wouldn't reject such an important individual’s wedding on theme alone. Unless of course, it's an obviously horrendible theme, then I may have to have a word or two first before my decision is made. I would need to draw the line somewhere after all."
She hesitates to continue typing, taking into account whether she would actually want to do this job. Money is no issue— Galinda's from quite a wealthy family to begin with and makes plenty of money herself. Any additional wages aren't as incentivizing.
The fact is, even if it was the most ideal wedding scenario Galinda could stumble into, it's still time away from working on her art show. Right now, she's in the fragile position of being just a smidge later than she'd like to be on beginning her final piece. If she wants it done well before the art show, she'd need to get an idea on a canvas sooner rather than later.
So, Galinda decides to take a chance. Elphaba has inspired her and all the ideas she has sketched without Elphaba just aren't singing the right songs she needs for her show. If Elphaba is asking what it'll take for Galinda to take on this job, permission to paint her likeness is what she’s going to ask for. Galinda decides to spell it out plain and clear for her.
"Miss Thropp, I do happen to have that weekend available. It's my one weekend in the season that I have free, but there is still a conflict that's getting in the way of me outright saying yes. As it's work related and I take my work seriously, all details are confidential and I cannot disclose anything to you. Not at this time, at least.
Now this is a big maybe, but if I can find a way to work out that little detail, then I'd be happy to further negotiate and agree to paint your sister's big day.
We've quite a few hours left until tomorrow morning. Do you think you can give me until then to decide?"
She sends off the email and grins. She wonders how long it'll take for Elphaba to respond. She checks the time, seeing it's close to six and she frowns. She spent a lot longer than she thought sketching, and supposes it's time to head home. She takes a quick second to reply to her mother, then Fiyero. The group chat can wait until she's home and in a comfortable nightgown.
She cleans up her table, sliding the sketchbook and her pencils into her purse in case inspiration strikes her at her apartment. She's out the door and locking up the place when she hears that same email notification ping coming from within her purse. She smirks to herself, swapping the keys for her phone as she places one inside her bag and removes the other. A single new email notification lights up the screen and Galinda taps it open before stepping away from the building and towards the sidewalk.
"Miss Upland,
I appreciate your quick response. Thank you.
Let's not dance around the topic. I love my sister as much as most siblings love one another, I assume, but she's a fool if she thinks she will be able to hire a high demand wedding painter six weeks before her wedding day (Just shy of, if we're to get technical.)
For your sake and mine, I took the time to draft this pros and cons list during our consultation this morning, in hopes it could persuade you to think more in favour of taking the job. However, if this other commitment of yours can be flexible, perhaps there's something I can do to help remedy the conflict?
Unless it happens to be free legal counsel. I have only so many ways I can offer assistance, my legal services are not one of them.”
Galinda laughs again and bites her lip. Everything's coming up roses and she hasn't even told Elphaba what it is she wants yet. She pockets the phone, speeding up her pace to make it back to her apartment so she can type up her next reply.
She arrives not even ten minutes later, kicking off her shoes and dropping her purse carelessly to the floor after pulling her phone back out of her pocket. She flies to the email, beginning her response and stepping forward out of the front foyer and into her apartment.
"Miss Thropp,
The list seems unnecessary, but if you went through all of that work to type it up for me then I'll take it into consideration. As for helping me out, well,"
Galinda hesitates. She needs to word this just right. Elphaba did offer just about anything she could for Galinda to take on this job, but is asking her to model for her art show a little too much? She needs to word it just right. Ease her into the idea if she can. She needs to be prepared for any kind of rebuttal that would immediately turn down the artist.
"I believe there may be something you could do to help me. While it’s not the most conventional request, I would appreciate your consideration. Hear me out first and I'll be happy to negotiate all logistics of pay, travel, time frame, anything and everything needed to be discussed. I'd be happy to sign any official job contracts afterward, if we can figure this all out."
She's about to hit send, but then she hesitates and quickly adds a final line below her sign off.
"P.S- Here's my number, I'll be able to send you a much faster response if you message me here."
She hopes Elphaba will reply sooner rather than later. She's eager to continue the conversation. Her show could depend on it, really.
She's changing into something more comfortable when her phone goes off, this time with a text notification. She's halfway into a soft pink pullover sweater, with a single white embroidered word reading "Gay" on the center of it. She abandons fixing it up in favour of the mobile device and she beams when she sees a message from a number not saved into her phone (probably the only time she ever has smiled at an unknown number, she thinks.)
'Should I be concerned about what you want to ask me to do?' Is all it says. She watches a few dots appear, then a second reply.
'Incase you can't tell, this is Elphaba Thropp.'
Galinda's laughter is immediate and she instantly replies.
'Well, that depends.' She hits send, and follows up with another message.
'Have you ever modeled, Miss Thropp?'
She waits patiently on the messaging screen. There are no dots, but a reply comes so quickly that perhaps the technology couldn't keep up with the sender.
'Is that a trick question?'
'It's not.'
'You're being sincere?'
'Miss Thropp, I am being completely, 100% genuine when I ask this.'
There's a pause in responses for just a moment, then a single world appears on the screen.
'Never.'
Galinda did expect it based on Elphaba's initial reaction to her question. The ellipses pop up at the bottom of the screen and soon, a second reply from Elphaba.
'Are you asking me to model something for you?'
'Not quite.' Galinda hits send, then continues to type. She types a few words, frowns, hits back space, and does this several times for a couple of minutes. Elphaba is obviously watching her draft this response, based on the speed of her replies. It's a little embarrassing.
"Oh, fuck it." Galinda gives up typing something and simply taps the number at the top of the screen, opening it up and hitting the call button.
There's four rings before Elphaba picks up.
"...Hello?" Elphaba's voice is only slightly tinny sounding from the speaker pressed to Galinda's ear, but she still almost shivers from how wonderful a cadence it is.
"Now Miss Thropp, I did ask you to hear me out." Galinda starts immediately, not bothering to give a hello in response and getting right to it. She must get Elphaba to agree to this. "I've got a project I've been working on for the last half a year, and I've been really struggling with the final piece. I've spent weeks, literally weeks, trying to work out an idea but I had absolutely nothing until I came into your office today."
She waits to see if Elphaba has any input so far, but continues when the attorney stays quiet.
"I'd like to use you as a model for my final piece for this project. I would be happy to paint Nessarose's wedding and perhaps even negotiate a lower fee if you agree to model for this project I'm working on."
Galinda doesn't hear anything for a moment, just the soft breathing of the person on the other line. Obviously the woman is strongly considering this proposal, who wouldn't? The silence makes her anxious nevertheless.
"That's all you want?" She eventually says, her voice sounding confused, "A model for your work?"
"Oh not just any model, Miss Thropp, in order for this to work it must be you. Otherwise, I'm going to have to dedicate the weekend of your sister's wedding to this project instead. I have deadlines I simply must meet for it, and I say this as politely as one can, but in the grander scheme of things this project is a lot more important to me than your sister's wedding. She is a lovely woman, and a governess as a client would be absolutely astounding for my portfolio, but her wedding does not outweigh what this project is going to do for not just myself and my career, but many more too."
Elphaba seems to contemplate Galinda's words.
"Miss Upland, I'm not sure why you'd ask such a request of me, of all people, but if this is what will get you to take on the job of my sister's wedding, then I am... willing to strongly consider it. I have a few questions first but-"
Galinda's practically vibrating from excitement.
"You'll do it then?!" She cuts in, a hint of disbelief in her voice.
"As I was saying, I do have a few questions. It's a tentative 'yes.' Nessarose does have a work contract she's drafted for you in regards to some wedding rules she and her fiancé have for the day. I'll forward you a digital copy, but you'll need to swing by my office tomorrow morning to sign a physical one for mine and Nessa's records."
Galinda frowns.
"Oh shoot, tomorrow? That won’t work for me. Unless you have time for a very late meeting, you'll have to wait until the morning of the day after."
"That'd be no good for me. I'm in court that morning." Elphaba replies with a sigh.
Galinda frowns and looks at the clock. It's about a quarter after six now. She can feel the mild pangs of hunger oncoming. Suddenly, an idea appears to her. The thought illuminates the world around her like a light bulb above her head.
"Would you be opposed to a business dinner, Miss Thropp?" She asks, gliding over to her walk in closet.
"Tomorrow? Or Wednesday?" Elphaba questions immediately
"How late are you working today?" Galinda replies, lifting her finger to twirl a bit of her hair between it. She hasn't felt this giddy about spontaneous plans since her early days of art school.
"Oh. I'm." There's a small pause, "Off the clock in fifteen minutes."
"Wonderful! Then why don't we meet for dinner at seven thirty?" Galinda declares, "I have my own work contract her Eminence will have to sign, as well as a modeling contract for you. We can go over the details of your sister's contract, my contract, potentially negotiate new terms if needed, and then I'll have a modeling contract for you as well. Just explaining the finer details of it all so you know what to expect."
She can practically sense the curious expression on Elphaba's face when she responds.
"Any restaurant preferences?"
"Oh! Great question. I'm vegan, so somewhere with plant based options please."
She hears a surprised 'Hm' from Elphaba's end, then the distinct sound of Elphaba's nails hitting her keyboard.
"Oatsie's then? It's the best-"
"It SO is!" Galinda cuts Elphaba off giddily, a bit too impatient but thrilled by the woman's choice, "Why Miss Elphaba, you have great taste."
She doesn't realize she's used Elphaba's first name for a brief second, and before she can flounder an apology, she hears a soft chuckle. Her heart stutters for a brief second at the melodious sound. She leans against the door frame of her closet for some support.
"Alright then, Miss Galinda." The blonde bites her lip for the millionth time this interaction and it curls into a smile as Elphaba transitions to a first name basis with no objections, "I'll be seeing you in roughly an hour. I'll make a reservation, so when you arrive it'll be under my last name."
"Thropp, got it." Galinda says, a little too chipper, "I'll let you get back to it! See you soon, Miss Elphaba!"
Elphaba says a quick goodbye and Galinda's soon hung up, tossing her phone onto her bed carelessly and giving her wardrobe a solid once over. This is, of course, a dinner meant solely for business, but that didn't mean Galinda couldn't dress to impress. If things were in her favour, perhaps a little more than impressing too. She just needs to find the right ensemble.
It takes her roughly thirty minutes of sifting through clothing before she finds something she's satisfied with; a pair of high waisted, cream coloured pants, a soft pink blouse that has a breast pocket with an embroidered poppy flower, and the same comfortable heels from the mornings ensemble to bring it all together. A neutral toned outfit with just the right pop of colour! She completes the ensemble with a silver chain complete with a tiny heart lined with pink tourmaline gems.
With a quick glance at the time, she realizes she's running a minute or too later than she'd like. She makes her way over to her vanity to make some last minute touch ups to her makeup, wiping away a bit of the earlier morning’s lipstick and touching it up differently with a softer pink shade to match her outfit. She smiles, satisfied with the look and blows her reflection a kiss before making her way to the clothes she laid out.
Once dressed, she gives herself a final once over in the full length mirror within her closet. She looks perfect. Her hair falls in loose waves that curl more towards the ends, her hips fit the high waist pants deliciously, and if she keeps the top button of her blouse open it gives a nice, generous view of the top of her chest and the little heart pendant that sits in the center of it.
Simply put, Galinda has outdone herself once again. She looks hot. The perfect combination of feminine confidence and sex appeal.
She quickly flits around her apartment, going through her files to pull out three copies of her work contract and two copies of her modeling contract. She tucks them into a bright pink manila folder and slips it into her purse, then goes to collect her phone and house keys. She runs a few last minute checks, confirming she has her planner, an extra pen, and anything else she could need to ensure the business portion of their dinner goes smoothly. When she's satisfied, she slips herself into her heels and heads out the door.
Galinda arrives exactly five minutes early to her favourite little gem amongst vegan cuisine in the Emerald city. It's not a super far distance from her apartment and studio, plus it's built within one of the more charming historic buildings within this part of the city. With beautiful, old brick walls covered by natural ivy that's been well maintained for decades. Oatsie's is its own special little place that Galinda is happy to be a patron of at least twice a week, and especially on the days where she has very little time to cook to begin with.
She pushes open the doors, the movement alerting the hostess behind the podium that a new guest has arrived. A Doe looks up from her station, her ears perking upward as she does. A smile grows on her face as she recognizes Galinda instantly.
"Miss Galinda! Good evening!"
"Good evening, Miss Deerlene." Galinda beams at the hostess the moment she gets a glimpse of her.
Deerlene smiles and then takes a glance around her podium for any order receipts.
"Odd, I don't think I have any pick up orders placed, Miss Galinda." She says, nudging a menu aside and frowning when she can't see anything.
"That's quite alright, I'm here to dine-in today actually. A client of mine made a reservation under her name." Galinda explains to the hostess, "Miss Thropp?"
Deerlene's ears perk upward again and she smiles.
"Miss Elphaba!" Deerlene replies with a smile, "She did mention she would be meeting with someone to do business. I hadn't realized she was the clientele this time. Normally it's the other way around."
She steps out from behind the podium and into the aisle.
"Please follow me, I'll lead you to your table!" Deerlene says, and Galinda does.
She's led towards a private booth in a cozy corner of the restaurant. It's illuminated softly by a hanging lamp with a stained glass shade that brightens the space in soft reds and oranges. Deerlene stops at the table and gestures with her head to the empty seat across from the person already occupying the table.
"Miss Elphaba, your dinner guest has arrived." Deerlene starts, introducing Galinda as she steps into view.
Galinda looks to see Elphaba gazing up from an open folder set out on the table in front of her. Her glasses sit perfectly atop her face yet she lifts her hands to adjust them ever so slightly. Her braids are loose from the bun they'd been earlier, now down and tied back in a low, loose ponytail. She wears the same business attire from the initial consultation meeting at her office, only now her blazer is hung up next to the booth, leaving her adorned in only a nice white blouse with slight puffs to the shoulder area.
Sweet Oz, does she look good though. Galinda gets why Deerlene assumed Elphaba would be the one meeting with a client with such a serious expression and matching attire.
"Miss Elphaba Thropp!" Galinda greets, her lips twitching in a smile as she pushes all impulse to outwardly compliment the woman down.
"Miss Galinda Upland." Elphaba replies. She holds her hand out just like she had at the office and like last time, Galinda takes it and gives it a firm shake.
The blonde takes off her jacket to hang up before slipping into her seat across from Elphaba. Elphaba closes the folder in front of her and folds her hand in front of her face as Galinda settles in. Deerlene gestures to the menus on the table.
"Please feel free to browse, your server will be here shortly!" She says, and with a little twitch of her tail she's making her way back to the hostess station.
"Thank you, Deerlene!" Galinda calls, then looks at the green woman across from her.
"And thank you, Miss Elphaba, for arranging dinner here. I hope it isn't too out of the way for you." She says, taking hold of the cocktails menu and scanning the different options.
She hears a hum of interest from the woman across from her.
"Not at all. I come here quite often myself, so it's no trouble." Elphaba replies, then raises her eyebrow as she watches Galinda scan the alcoholic drink options, "Rough day, Miss Upland?"
Galinda laughs and puts the tiny menu down.
"There were parts that were good and parts that were so-so. Not a rough day at all, if I'm honest. But a little drink with dinner isn't too out of the norm, no? Well, perhaps it is for a Monday evening, but the only pressing task I have tomorrow is spending the day with my parents, so there's no harm in indulging. Plus, something tells me there's a clause within your sister's contract about drinking on the job, and I'd like to prove one little drink with dinner won't impact the work I’m being hired to do for her."
She can see Elphaba's eyes squint just a bit, a smirk definitely hidden behind those clasped green hands.
Galinda then goes into her purse, digging through it and pulling out the same pink file folder from earlier. It's not unlike Elphaba's, outside of its custom pink colouring. She opens it up to grasp a single copy of the modeling contract and two copies of her work contract from within it, tucking it atop the pink folder. She then places it on the table in front of her before she smiles at Elphaba.
"So, you mentioned that you'd agree to my conditions for the job, but you have questions." Galinda recalls Elphaba's message.
The green woman nods.
"That's right." Elphaba confirms, "I'm going to be quite blunt with you, Miss Upland. I have half a mind to think you're absolutely insane for making the only condition to use my likeness of all things for one of your works."
Galinda's lips part and she goes to respond, but Elphaba lifts her hand to promptly stop her.
"That's just an observation, not my question. My question is-" She pauses when the sounds of claws clambering up the table leg brings both of their attention away from the conversation and to a young Raccoon that's now perched on the edge of their table.
"Good evening Miss Elphaba! Miss Galinda! Wonderful to see you both tonight! And dining in this time, Miss Galinda! I feel like it's been a while!" He grins, tiny fangs flashing out to them. He pulls out a perfectly Raccoon sized pen and notepad out of the small apron he wears around his middle and looks between the two of them, "Can I get you both started with a drink?"
"Oh you know how busy my work load is right now, dear Trinket. But you still see me all the time! You know I must visit Gracie at least once a week, or else it isn't complete!" Galinda beams at the little waiter, not answering his question at all, "Speaking of, where is she? She is in tonight, isn't she?"
"She is, Miss Galinda! She's on food running duty tonight. She'll be sure to stop by the moment she sees you, I'm sure." He nods his head then glances between them, "It's odd to see two of our regulars dining together for the first time! I didn't know you knew one another."
"We actually don't." Elphaba comments, then taps her folder with a perfectly manicured green nail, "Our schedules are quite busy, so we decided to do business over dinner."
Trinket nods his head understanding.
"Well, I hope I don't interrupt your work too much with your dinner service!" He teases and both Elphaba and Galinda laugh at the light joke.
He inquires again for their drink order and Galinda is quick to answer this time. A glass of their latest seasonal wine they've been advertising, and a glass of water as well. Elphaba orders only water for herself and Trinket scribbles it down.
"I'll go get those drinks for you and give you some time to browse the menu more. If you need it, that is." Trinket says with a wink before hopping down from the table and back to the kitchen.
Galinda laughs as she watches him go then turns to Elphaba.
"He's a dear. Him and his younger sister are always such fun to interact with." She pauses, "Wait, he mentioned you're a regular too? Do you come here often?!" Galinda questions the woman opposite her.
Elphaba's expression looks a little softer after the interaction with Trinket.
"I do." She answers, "I'm vegan as well. Normally when making dinner plans with clients, there's a short negotiation period on restaurants. When you said you were vegan, I had a strong suspicion this would be your preferred spot as well."
Galinda leans her elbows onto the table, unable to stop her smile from spreading as she's delighted to learn about this similarity between the two of them.
"Oatsie's is just that good, isn't it?"
"It was this, or another place on the opposite side of the city." The attorney rationalizes, "Though I suppose there are a couple other places you could have preferred, but they don't have as good of a dinner menu as this."
Galinda agrees with an enthusiastic nod.
"Anyways, what were you saying earlier?"
Hearing Galinda's question, she brings her hands down from her face and instead keeps them locked together atop the table. She looks composed, if a little awkward. If she's uncomfortable with the idea, she's hiding it quite well.
"I was going to ask why that's your only condition." Elphaba asks, avoiding looking directly at Galinda's face and instead just past her, "You could ask for quite a lot of things. Why is recruiting me to model for your work the only one you have?"
'Because the moment I saw you I knew I needed to paint you.' Galinda almost says.
"Because you would be the perfect model for my final piece." Galinda answers instead. Elphaba eyes her warily and Galinda waves her hand, "As soon as you sign the contract, I'll be able to give you more details about that. Until then, no spoilers for anyone outside of the project. Not even the curators of the Emerald City Art Gallery know what to expect right now."
She winks playfully and swears she can see the upward twitch of Elphaba's lips.
"I've already pretty much confirmed I would do this. Isn't that enough?" She asks, leaning in slightly. Galinda does the same.
"Why Miss Elphaba, aren't you an attorney? I think you could make a very good educated guess as to why I won't tell you about my artistic ideas until we've contractually confirmed our collaboration together." Galinda says it in a sultry like voice, unable to mask the flirtatious lilt within it.
Whether Elphaba catches it or not, Galinda can't say. Still, Elphaba smirks and eyes Galinda from behind those spectacles that really bring out the lighter green flecks within her emerald iris'. Galinda almost finds herself getting lost in them before Elphaba speaks again.
"What exactly does your contract entail, Miss Galinda?" She holds her hand out, hoping to get a copy to read for herself.
Galinda leans back and slides her folder closer. She's already scribbled her signature within the dotted line where hers shall go. She watches Elphaba reach over to take the first booklet atop the pink folder to begin reading it over. Galinda can't help but watch as she flips through it with precision, scanning the text quickly.
"That's a copy of the business contact for the wedding." Galinda explains as Elphaba continues to read, "Though one of those copies needs to be returned to me with yours and your sister's signatures."
Elphaba nods, understanding completely. She places Galinda's contracts down and opens her folder, lifting the papers inside of it and placing the contracts given to her from Galinda underneath them. She looks back up and this time, seeing the slightly thicker contract Galinda has on top of her folder next. She takes it and begins to scan the new text, a bit more closely than the previous contract. She doesn't say much, carefully reading and taking in the information as Galinda expects most attorneys do. After a moment she puts it down.
"You've thought about everything for this, haven't you?" She asks, eyeing a smaller part of text labeled ‘Section E: on publicly critiquing the piece you've modeled for.’
"For good reason." Galinda answers, "Half the reason the contract is as long as it is because of some very specific scenarios."
There's a sound of glasses clinking that pulls the women out of their paperwork and Galinda's eyes light up when she sees that not only has Trinket returned, a tray with two water glasses in hand, but so has a blonde, red eyed Raccoon just a bit smaller than he is, holding a tray with a singular wine glass on it. The two sit atop Deerlene, assisting the smaller Animals in safely delivering the beverages. The blonde Raccoon places the full wine glass down carefully in front of Galinda, then begins to wave her paws excitedly in little hand signs.
"Gracie!" Galinda greets giddily, making signs with her hands as she speaks, "I'm so happy to see you!"
The albino Raccoon, Gracie, beams, and motions a reply to Galinda. The two blondes fall into their own little conversation and Trinket makes sure to place each glass of water down carefully in front of them. He looks to Elphaba and his fluffy tail swivels a little as he listens to Galinda narrate her half of the conversation out loud.
"You'll have to excuse Gracie and Miss Galinda, Miss Elphaba. When these two get together, it's non-stop chatter between the two of them." He gives her a tiny grin as he gestures to Gracie who practically vibrates as she replies enthusiastically to Galinda, "Have you known Miss Galinda long?"
Elphaba shakes her head.
"Not at all. We're working out a deal so she'll come do a painting at my little sister's wedding." Elphaba replies, picking up her glass of water to take a sip and making sure no condensation drips onto the contract in her other hand.
The Raccoon nods, and the two of them tune into the other conversation at the other side of the table.
"That's right! I will be painting Miss Elphaba's sister's wedding. It's going to be quite a hectic season, but it all works out because Miss Elphaba here will be helping me with that final piece I was telling you about. The one that was missing from the collection."
The albino Raccoon claps her little hands together and looks at Elphaba. She signs something excitedly, but much slower than she had with Galinda. Elphaba takes a minute to register what each little gesture means. Galinda watches as Elphaba processes and then replies.
"I've agreed, but I do want Miss Galinda to tell me why she wants to use me as a model. I haven't a clue why she wants me of all people." Elphaba speaks as she signs, her hands moving a bit slower than her lips. Gracie still understands and she swishes her tail and replies.
"Miss Galinda has her reasons I'm sure! She has great taste when it comes to the subjects of her work." Trinket translates the sign language out loud since Galinda can't see it then he laughs. "She's not wrong!"
Galinda can't hide her proud smile, happily accepting the praise from her favourite Raccoons in the entire Emerald city. The two of them leap off the table and onto the back of Deerlene once more. Trinket pulls out his notepad and looks at the two of them.
"Have you both had a chance to decide what you'll be eating tonight?" He asks.
Elphaba looks across the table to Galinda and the blonde nods. the older woman gestures for her to go first and Galinda doesn't hesitate. She orders a usual of hers, ratatouille, while Elphaba opts for the soup of the day: a rich vegan stew made with the restaurant's signature broth. With nothing else needed, the Animals are off to get their orders to the kitchen and leave the two of them alone once again.
"Really though, Miss Galinda." Elphaba says, looking at her with a curious gaze, "Are you certain the only condition is to have me model for your artwork? There's nothing else?"
Galinda takes a slow sip of her wine before placing the glass down carefully on the table.
"Miss Elphaba, please, Galinda is perfectly fine." She says, waving a hand in the air, "And I have never been more certain about anything in my life."
Elphaba has to give her a skeptical look.
"I don't believe that for a moment."
"Okay, it's one of the things I've never been more certain of." Galinda relents, only slightly, "Where were we before our lovely waitstaff came to check on us? I believe you were looking at the contract?"
Elphaba gets the hint and picks up the paper again, scanning the rest of the terms and conditions. Galinda waits patiently as she watches Elphaba take her time to scan each paragraph. It's lengthy but to the point, setting out clear expectations of the model as it pertains to the work, especially regarding the collaboration itself.
When Elphaba puts the contract down she reaches into a bag that sits next to her on the booth seat. She pulls out a dark green pen, gold fine print with the name of her law firm on its side. She clicks it open and without a word she scribbles her signature on the dotted line meant for it. Galinda's eyes sparkle in the light and her smile grows when Elphaba's nicely manicured hand gives the contract back to her.
"I accept your terms, but I still have some questions. Now that I've signed, think you'll be able to answer them?"
"Oh of course, Miss Elphaba." Galinda grins as her eyes trace the lines of Elphaba's elegant signature. She tucks it into her file folder and then closes it before giving her full attention to Elphaba.
"Let's start with your first question. Why do I want you to be my model? Why, it's simple!" the blonde begins, "The theme of my show is 'The Wonderful World of Oz.' " Galinda pauses, brings her hand up and glides it across the space as she recites the title, "There's a total of twenty five pieces going to be on display. Some will be available through a silent auction that will be finished before the shows end, but there will be five special pieces that will be properly auctioned off to the highest bidder."
"The twenty five pieces are all going to show different parts of Oz and the beauty within it. There are five pieces dedicated to The Vinkus, Quadling country, Munchkinland," Galinda gives her a pointed look and a small smile, then gestures a hand to herself, "My homeland, Gillikin, and of course, the Emerald city that sits within the center of it all!"
Elphaba watches her, listening intently. She has no comments, not yet, but she has a very curious look on her face that is nothing less than adorable. And charming. Adorably charming, one could say.
"Anyway, I have twenty four pieces with perfect concepts, all of them in various stages of completion. I'd say a good chunk of them are completely done, but I still only have twenty four. I've been having an awful time coming up with the final piece for the Emerald city portion of the collection."
Galinda folds her hands in front of her then tucks her chin atop them, leaning forward and curling her lips up in a shy little smile.
"I want to use you as a model because I believe I could make something incredible with you as the subject of the painting." Galinda explains, "I saw you this morning and I went from no ideas to at least seven, Miss Elphaba. Do you know how incredibly rare that is for me?! I've got a strict schedule to follow for this show and to go from having no ideas to seven just from seeing someone is nothing less than a miracle! Truly, what luck I had to have been reached out to by the perfect person for my final piece."
Galinda knows she sounds extremely dramatic, but she can't help it. Desperate times call for desperate measures and who could blame Galinda for being so forward? This woman radiates mystery and intrigue, and she's certainly one of, if not the most stunning woman Galinda's ever had the pleasure of meeting. Verdigris included; Elphaba is the most lush shade of green Galinda's come across. In the light of her law office she seemed more emerald, but under the multi-coloured light hanging above their table, she's the most incredible jade colour.
An eighth idea hits her, Elphaba sitting outside a coffee shop, beautiful golden hoops on her ears and braids framing her face, the sky reflecting the same light they're sitting in now—
She shoos the thought away for now, bringing her focus back to Elphaba. The woman has yet to answer. Her brow is lifted as she continues to consider Galinda's proposal.
"You're asking me to be the subject of your final painting for your show because," She hesitates, repeating it as she understands it, "I gave you inspiration?"
Galinda nods.
"Well in simpler words, yes." She laughs, untucking one of her hands from under her chin and gesturing with it, "Miss Elphaba, I do mean it when I say you'd be helping me a great deal if you let me create something with you in it for my art show. I promise, we will have a thorough discussion of what your boundaries are, I'll take everything into consideration for each idea I have, though I get final say on the piece."
Elphaba nods her head as she listens to Galinda ramble. The attorney has a solid poker face but Galinda can tell Elphaba feels a bit uncertain. Galinda can understand it. She picks up her glass of wine and takes another small sip.
"Did you have more questions?" She asks afterward, not placing the glass down just yet.
"It wouldn't be anything like me having to be a live model for you, would it?" Elphaba questions after a moment of thought and Galinda laughs.
"Oh goodness, no. I don't think our work schedules would allow us the opportunity to do so. We'd take some pictures, I would use those as reference for what I paint."
"I see." Elphaba responds, "So we'd what, go take some photos, you'd make a painting and that would be it?"
"That'd be your part, yes. You wouldn't need to do anything more, but I'd be happy to keep you in the loop if you ask. I always like to tell my models how far along I am with their paintings"
A huge lie, but Galinda would make this exception should Elphaba be curious. It isn't like Galinda is going to show her work in progress shots, but it can't hurt to tell her how far along in the art process she is.
Elphaba considers it further and the uncertainty from earlier seems to have melted away.
"Thank you for explaining it to me." She begins, "If that's all there is to it, I think these are more than agreeable terms."
She opens her folder and pulls out contracts of her own. She slides them across the table to Galinda and Galinda looks them over.
"These are just some final terms and conditions for working with the Governess." Elphaba explains, "Notes of what they want shared to social media versus what they don't as well as final details regarding your compensation. The Governess wants to offer you a bit extra, as a thank you for taking on the job on such a tight deadline. You understand, your other contract is pretty full of these things as well."
Galinda reaches into her purse and pulls out a bright pink coloured pen. When Elphaba gives her a look as she clicks so the pen nib appears, Galinda can feel it. She doesn't even look up as she moves to the spaces designated for her to sign.
"Don't stress, Miss Elphaba, it's black ink." She teases as she signs her name with the perfect amount of finesse.
She hands Elphaba her copies back and keeps her own on the table in front of her, scanning over it once again. All of it pretty standard: Nessarose is offering to increase her pay by 15% more commission as well as pay for her lodging. There's a few rules about what portions of the estate can and can't be shown within camera, needing consent forms for other high status guests attending the wedding who may not want to be included in the final video product, those kinds of things. All of these would be fine, especially since for the majority of her videos the camera is pointing to her, or angling to her painting. Galinda gets to the final clause and her brow immediately furrows as she reads:
- Under no circumstances will any video or photo footage of Miss Elphaba Thropp be uploaded or included within the video of Miss Nessarose Thropp and Mister Boq Woodsman.
She slides the contract into her folder and closes it up, a frown growing on her face.
"Miss Elphaba," Galinda begins, reaching for her glass once more, "Not to be blunt, but I believe the reason we'll be having consent forms at the wedding is so you can opt in or out of the final product. What's with this section of the contract?"
She flips the paper over to Elphaba and points with her pen to the final condition. Elphaba scans the text and immediately looks annoyed. She holds back a scowl and turns her glare towards the wall. Hm. An interesting reaction. Galinda slowly sips her wine.
"Yes, well, you can thank my father for that one." She says without flinching, putting on that neutral yet fierce expression of a woman on a mission.
Deerlene happens to be walking by their table and Elphaba waves her over.
"Miss Elphaba! Miss Galinda! Is everything alright? Can I get you anything? Should I wave down Trinket?"
Elphaba nods.
"Would you get him to bring a second wine glass and the bottle of the same wine Miss Galinda has ordered, please?"
Galinda's eyebrows shoot upward. She hadn't expected such a dramatic turn at asking such an innocent question. Her eyes betray her professionalism as they sparkle with curiosity. Deerlene makes her exit to go find Trinket and let him know of the addition to his table's order.
When Elphaba looks at Galinda, she raises an eyebrow.
"What?" She asks, not understanding what's made the blonde so smiley.
"And here I thought you were the type to frown at drinking on the job." She quips. Elphaba gestures to their closed folders.
"I am, for one. For two, the moment we finished signing these contracts was the moment my work for the day was complete. Now I'm simply a client having a business dinner with a woman I happen to be hiring to paint my sister's wedding."
Galinda throws her head back and laughs. It's not fair. She's gorgeous and very funny. Galinda never stood a chance.
Trinket comes by on the shoulder of a different waiter this time. He slides down the man's arm and onto the table, placing the empty glass in front of Elphaba while the other waiter places an ice bucket with a tall bottle sitting inside. Trinket apologizes for the delay on their meals and carefully pours Elphaba a glass. He's gone almost as fast as he's arrived and he promises to return with their food soon. Elphaba swishes the white coloured wine around in her glass before taking a small sip, humming her approval for its taste.
"Hm. Not as sweet as I expected you'd choose." Elphaba comments, "It's good."
"It is, isn't it? I've never had it until today, but I like it." Glinda replies as she sips hers as well. She keeps her eyes on the woman across from her, watching as Elphaba takes a second sip out of her glass then places it down on the table. Their eyes meet and Galinda watches Elphaba purse her lips for a moment, then speak.
"I'll be honest. Part of me hoped that no matter what I offered, you wouldn't take on this job."
It's not at all what Galinda expects to hear Elphaba say. The surprise shows on her face as she blinks slowly to process Elphaba's statement a second, then third time.
"Really? You sure didn't feel that way per our email, then later our phone conversation." Galinda's response sounds scandalized, and maybe it is. It's been such a long time since she's done a gig where there's been drama within the wedding before the big day.
Elphaba takes a bigger sip of her wine.
"My family is far from being a conventional family unit." She elaborates, choosing her words carefully, "We're more on the dysfunctional side of things. Single father raising two daughters close in age, one tragically beautiful while the other beautifully tragic."
Her voice is dry and full of sarcasm as she explains. One of her hands traces a circle around the rim of her wine glass and Galinda watches her perfectly manicured finger as it makes careful circles. It's infuriating how distractifying Elphaba can be while talking about something she very obviously needs to give her full attention to. Galinda wants to make a comment, but Elphaba takes Galinda's silence as an invitation to keep speaking.
“My Father cares a lot about appearances, especially with Nessa being Governess of Munchkinland. He wants this to be the biggest event since Nessa succeeded to the position. Nessa wants this too, but she’d also like this to be the best day of her life. Naturally that means the two of them have been butting heads about what to do with me.”
Her tone is dry and full of sarcasm as she brings her wine glass to her lips to take another sip. Galinda’s frown is prominent.
“Just a moment,” Galinda cuts in as Elphaba’s occupied with her drink, “Are you not the maid of honor?”
Elphaba nods as she swallows her wine.
“I am. At first I thought my Father made her ask me to do it. There’s plenty of people within her circle she could have given this job to, many who live hours closer to her with far less busy schedules.” Elphaba grumbles and lets go of her glass in favour of letting her hands fiddle with the black fabric napkin wrapped around her cutlery.
“My Father, as it turns out, would rather have me stay away from the event entirely. He thinks I’m going to stir some sort of trouble and ruin the day somehow. However, me not being at my own little sister's wedding would look even worse, especially considering all of our extended family will be there. It took days but he finally relented to Nessa’s request.”
If Galinda could frown more, she would. Her eyebrows furrow and Elphaba doesn’t falter once as she goes on to explain a bit more about their family dynamic: how Nessa has always been coddled by their Father and how their Father’s behaviour impacted the relationship she and Nessa have. She doesn’t delve into many details about it, describing it as something strained until they grew older and Elphaba left for university. She comments on how Nessa does have a decent relationship with her soon to be husband, a munchkin named Boq, that plus having some distance may have brought them closer than they’ve ever been. Even if they do still bicker like crazy.
Halfway through her story, Gracie arrives on the shoulder of the same boy that brought the wine bucket with Trinket. Galinda and Elphaba are quick to tidy up the paperwork to make space for their meals. The two dishes are placed gently in front of the women and Gracie offers to refill their glasses (Galinda hadn’t even realized she’d emptied hers, she’s been so entranced by Elphaba’s story. Maybe her voice too.) She signs a quick thank you to her friend before the Raccoon tends to Elphaba’s glass next.
With their wine topped off and meals there, the waiters leave them to it and Galinda takes a minute to unwrap her cutlery and place the folded napkin on her lap.
“For what it’s worth, I think this is a ridiculous clause to have in a work contract.” Galinda says, giving her dish a minute to cool, “What does he expect with the photographer?! To just ignore every big moment the maid of honor is in?”
The piercing, unamused look Elphaba gives Galinda says more than the exhausted sounding sigh that escapes her lips. She seems to realize just how much personal information she’s admitted to a complete stranger, and Galinda watches Elphaba straighten her posture the slightest bit. She grabs her spoon and stirs her stew.
“They actually aren’t allowed to share any photos they take to their public portfolios or social media accounts for reasons other than myself.” She looks away from Galinda to watch the steam rise from her meal, continuing her stirring motions as she does “Regardless, I’m fine with this. Agreeing to it got him to stop harassing Nessa and I about it. It’ll be a long few days of family obligations but the moment it’s over, I don’t plan to go back until Lurlinemas. On the very last train before the holiday begins.”
Galinda sees this as her opportunity to steer their conversation in a better direction. While she would love to learn more intimate details about the woman in front of her, she can tell by Elphaba’s expression that the topic is becoming uncomfortable for her to discuss. She’s in the middle of using her fork to grab her first bite when she giggles- just once, a very airy giggle at that. This gets Elphaba’s gaze back on her and the blonde takes her time to chew her food before addressing her.
“I said the same thing after my Ama’s 99th birthday party last month.” She explains, “I see what you’re saying, Miss Elphaba. Your family is complicated and you’re trying to get through it as best as you can. If hiring me helps with that, then I’ll consider it a bonus to our arrangement.”
She giggles again and Elphaba seems to relax. She finally lifts her spoon to her lips and the conversation surrounding her family ends there. Between bites of their food, Galinda keeps their conversation going by asking Elphaba questions: How long has she been an attorney? What made her decide this was the work she wanted to do? Does she always dress in devastatingly sharp attire? Elphaba does the same, answering each one of Galinda’s questions and following it up with some of her own.
She surprises Galinda by asking her about things most have to do a bit of digging to learn about: like Galinda’s art auctions for local charities (her eye for the youth and Animal related charities specifically), her volunteer work in her first few years within the city, she even found a brief article about a contest Galinda had won during her final year of art school. Galinda feels rather touched. Most clients hiring her don’t bother to look past her portfolio, but Elphaba made a point to find out more about who Galinda is beyond her appearances. It makes it easy to be open with her.
As the conversation flows, so does the wine. They’re both three glasses in by the time they’ve finished their dinner and the casual questions about accolades the other has delves back into a more personal territory. Elphaba makes the mistake of asking Galinda what got her into painting and the woman goes on for almost ten minutes about a specific museum of architecture within the northern region of Gillikin. What ended up being a passion for buildings and their craftsmanship turned into Galinda trying to recreate it on paper and soon she found a true passion for creating art herself.
Gracie and Trinket collect their dinner dishes and the now empty wine bottle, and it’s here where Galinda prods Elphaba for details about her.
“You’ve obviously attended some sort of university. Otherwise you wouldn’t be in the position you are.” She observes and Elphaba snorts into her glass.
“Obviously, I did.” She responds after a drink, playfully copying how Galinda says the word 'obviously.' “I attended Shiz. That’s actually where I met Dr. Dillamond. He had-”
“You went to Shiz?!” Galinda cuts Elphaba off with an excited gasp, “Oh my Oz, you might actually know my friend then! He’s around our age and he’s the sort you could never forget.”
Elphaba looks mildly annoyed at being cut off, but the expression disappears when Galinda mentions someone she might know. She looks quite interested as she swirls the last mouthful of wine within her glass.
“Who?”
“Fiyero Tigelaar. Prince of the Vinkus, ” Galinda beams, “We went to the same private high school. We dated for a bit but broke up in our senior year. Our relationship is much better as friends than anything else. Quite fitting too, since a week later he got his acceptance letter and-”
She expects some sort of recognition from Elphaba, but when the woman cuts her off with a sharp laugh, it pulls her out of her rambling. She watches her gulp down the last bit of her drink and place the now empty wine glass on the table. Galinda isn’t sure if it’s just the alcohol or if it’s the lighting or maybe it’s the mood, but Elphaba looks unforgivably sexy with the look she sends her way over her glasses as she leans forward slightly.
“I do know him. Quite well, actually.”
The tone of her voice implies something that Galinda can only assume means there’s a story there. It’s a little secretive and sneaky. She raises an eyebrow curiously and the dimple in her cheek shines as her smile turns a little mischievous.
“Oh? Do tell, Miss Elphaba. I’m all ears.”
She playfully lifts a hand to her ear and leans forward. Elphaba laughs and shakes her head and Galinda can notice the slightly darker tint to her cheeks. She sits upward a little awkwardly and keeps her gaze directed more towards the space to Galinda’s right than Galinda herself.
“I won’t disclose specificities, but we had an…intimate relationship. For a brief period of time.”
Galinda’s jaw practically hits the table as she processes this new information. She immediately scrambles into her bag to begin searching for her cellphone. Fiyero has a million questions he needs to answer about his time at Shiz.
“Oh my Oz. Fiyero had a secret girlfriend in university he never told me about?! Oh, he is SO not going to hear the end of this when I call him on Thursday evening. Actually, you know what, we can call him right now! I need answers!”
Oh! How dare he! How selfish is Fiyero?! Galinda told him about every single big part of her art school experience. How could Fiyero leave out that he had a relationship with the most gorgeous woman in the entirety of Oz?!
Elphaba immediately barks out a loud laugh that distracts Galinda from digging through her purse further.
“Girlfriend? Oz, no. Absolutely not. He’s charming in a mischievous way, but no.” Elphaba leans forward as she continues to laugh, a darker tint highlighting her cheeks, “We fooled around for a few months in our second year and that’s the furthest our relationship ever went.”
Galinda wishes they had more wine.
“I can’t believe he’s kept this from me.” She sounds scandalized and dramatically leans back against the booth.
“I can’t either.” Elphaba adds, highly amused by Galinda’s reaction, “Come to think of it, his laugh at Boq’s messages about your work in our group chat make sense now.”
Elphaba pulls her phone out of her blazer pocket, unlocking it and taking a few seconds to scroll through a group text. She slides the phone across the table to Galinda and Galinda can see a link to her ClokTik account with one, single laughing emoji. Her cheeks puff and turn a dark pink.
“Unbelievable!” She throws her hands up, “The next time I see that man I’m stomping on his foot with my heaviest shoe!”
She hears another laugh, this time less sharp and a lot more sincere. Elphaba is shaking her head and leaning back against her seat. She eyes Galinda with a curious stare and her smile is dazzling as the barest hint of her teeth is visible between her lips.
“Why is it such a big deal he didn’t tell you? He never once told me you were his high school girlfriend. I feel like I would remember that detail.”
The fury Galinda has directed towards Fiyero is replaced with intrigue at Elphaba’s comment. Galinda assumed Fiyero did talk about her in his time at university (how could he not, really, she’s a prominent figure in all of his most entertaining stories) but keeping their relationship a secret? Barbaric. Galinda was happy to brag about the prince of the Vinkus being her one and only boyfriend in her life. She’s mildly insulted that he doesn't do the same.
“Well, at least I’m not the only one he was hoarding information from.” She huffs and places her elbow on the table so she can place her chin in her hand, “How is it that we both have the same ex boyfriend, whom we’re both still friends with–”
“We never dated, we-”
“Yes yes, but for the purpose of my question let’s imagine dating and having sex are one in the same.” Galinda cuts her off and continues, “What was I saying? We’re both still friends?”
Elphaba nods and Galinda goes on.
“Thank you! Now, I know I’ve had conversations involving you before. He talked about your televised case with me and he did share some stories about university, though it might be on me for not remembering names. I could have sworn he said your friend's name was Biq and not Boq–Oh never mind that, I’m getting away from the point. How are we only meeting now?! And why isn’t it because he introduced us?!”
She wiggles a bit in her seat, no longer angry with Fiyero but excited about the fact that this is something she and Elphaba have in common. A weird, rather unconventional thing, but it’s something!
“I don’t think it’s anyone's first instinct to introduce their high school girlfriend and brief sexual partner from college.” Elphaba snarks. “Though I wish he had. It might have saved me a lot of effort rushing to learn about you in a limited time frame.”
They both laugh and Galinda revels in this. Whatever anxiety she had about Elphaba rejecting this idea seems like such a bizarre concept now that they’ve learnt a bit more about each other. Trinket stops by to clear the table and check in to see if they’re ready for their bills. Galinda wishes she had the nerve to ask for a dessert or some tea to keep the night going. Elphaba must not feel the same as she confirms she’s ready to cash out. Galinda almost pouts as the ending of their evening is one step closer.
With their bills settled, Galinda takes a second to find Gracie and say a proper goodbye to her and the other waitstaff before following Elphaba towards the door. Elphaba awkwardly waves as they have an audience watching them closely as they exit the small restaurant together. Galinda shivers a bit from the mild chill in the evening air. She contemplates asking Elphaba if she’d like to walk her home when her thoughts are interrupted by Elphaba’s voice.
“I really do need to thank you for taking on this job on such short notice. I’m still shocked you agreed to it, but I’m grateful we could work this out. The couple will be thrilled to find out.”
Galinda smiles sincerely at Elphaba.
“I should be thanking you. You really don’t know how big of a deal this is for me.” She leans forward, tilting her gaze to look up at Elphaba. Her eyelids flutter and her smile becomes a bit more flirtatious, “I really wouldn’t be able to do it without you, Miss Elphaba. I think we’re going to create something very magical together.”
In the light of the streetlamp closest to them Galinda almost beams at the way Elphaba’s expression falters slightly and her cheeks flush. She wonders if it’s the wine or the impact of her words causing the wonderful shade to appear. She hopes it’s the latter. Elphaba’s quick to compose herself and adjusts her glasses despite the fact they hadn’t slipped down her nose at all.
“Right. And you’re certain the only person for this could be me?”
“One hundred percent. It has to be you.”
It’s subtle, but Elphaba tenses. She might be coming on a bit too strong. Maybe Galinda should tone it down.
“Let’s meet again soon? We’ll talk a bit more in depth about the ideas I have and your boundaries when it comes to posing. I’ll draw up a few thumbnails to show you my concepts and we’ll see if it works for you.”
Elphaba’s tension relaxes and she nods.
“Alright. We can–”
The shrill of a generic telephone ring comes from Elphaba’s blazer pocket, cutting her off. Her eyes close tightly and she frowns, the face of someone who knows there’s only one person who could be calling her at this time of night. Galinda has to bite her bottom lip to keep from giggling at how ridiculous Elphaba looks as she contemplates ignoring or picking up the phone.
“One moment, please.” She says begrudgingly as she digs into her pocket to pull the device out to bring to her ear, “Nessarose Thropp if this is to ask about how the dinner with Galinda went, you have five seconds to hang up so I can call you back when I’m home.”
Galinda’s actually grateful they stopped at one bottle of wine. If she’d been another glass deep, she might have physically reacted to the lower cadence Elphaba’s voice dips into. She politely turns away from Elphaba as she finishes up her call, certainly not because she’s in the middle of imagining some different situations where she might hear that voice speaking with her.
“I’m sorry about that.” Elphaba apologizes, calling Galinda back from the depths of her fantasies.
“No need to be.” She chirps, “Does she do that often?”
“The closer we get to her wedding, the worse it gets. April 28th can’t come soon enough.”
If Galinda didn’t know better, she might assume Elphaba’s whining.
“I’ll need to double check what my calendar looks like, but I’ll follow up with you on when we can meet for this.” Elphaba goes on, changing the topic, “Is that alright with you?”
Galinda nods once.
“Works for me.” She adjusts the hold she has on her purse, “Until tomorrow, then?”
“Until tomorrow.” Elphaba confirms. “Goodnight, Miss Galinda.”
“Goodnight, Miss Elphaba! Remember; you’ll get faster replies if you text me!”
They part ways at the same time, Galinda walking one way while Elphaba goes the opposite. It doesn’t take her long to get home and when she does, she flops onto her plush cream coloured couch and sinks into the cushions with a sigh. She can feel the exhaustion of the day and her weekend of traveling really hit her now. She thinks about having a long bath and calling it a night but remembers one more important task to take care of before she does.
She opens up her messaging thread with Fiyero and begins to type furiously.
‘You are a selfish man, Fiyero Tigelaar.’
Galinda spent the rest of her night having a back and forth with Fiyero that eventually turned into a spontaneous late night call where she gushed about the whole evening spent with Elphaba. She hadn’t realized they’d been chatting for hours until it was one in the morning and Fiyero called her out for repeating the same line about Elphaba’s ‘perfectly symmetrical and flawless’ face for the eighth time. She hadn’t meant to delve into conversation outside of poking at him for never confiding his intimate relationship with the prettiest woman she’s ever met, but when he asked how Galinda felt about her, she was gushing about their night before she could stop herself.
She wakes up to several new messages: a couple goodnight texts and some emojis from Fiyero, one from her Momsicle saying they’ll be in the city within the next hour and a half, then there’s an email notification from Elphaba.
She opens it up to find it’s a simple confirmation of everything they settled at dinner before the wine came into play. Elphaba reiterates she’ll be the main point of contact but has CC’d Nessa so she can keep up with everything should she want to. Nessa’s already seen the email, judging by the reply Galinda see’s next that thanks Elphaba and Galinda immensely for working this out.
She ponders on what she should reply with when a new text message pops up from Elphaba. She grins, tapping the notification and beginning to read the message.
‘Let's keep the reason you agreed to this between us. At least until after their ceremony.’
“Fine by me. I plan to keep this work top secret until the big show.” Galinda mumbles out loud to no one as she types and sends her reply. She then moves to the email, congratulating Nessa once again and expressing her excitement to be working with them.
Before she gets up to get ready for the day, she sends another message to Elphaba inquiring about her weekend plans. Galinda happens to have Saturday afternoon free so she’s hoping she and Elphaba can meet up to get to work. She waits a few minutes and when no sign of a reply happens, she gets up to get ready for the day with her parents.
By the time she’s finished her morning routine and dressed to impress, she finally has a reply.
‘Saturday’s fine. Meeting spot?’
They decide on a public space in one of the nicer Emerald City parks that’s about fifteen minutes from her studio and Elphaba’s office. She’s sitting on a park bench with her sketchbook on her lap, a smidge of anxiety hitting her. She was able to sketch thumbnails of a couple of poses, the different ideas she thinks could speak “The Wonderful World of Oz” with Elphaba at its center. It’s nothing too glamorous for quick sketches, but she’s sure Elphaba will be impressed. At least she hopes so.
It’s a beautiful sunny day, the first of many starting to roll in now that spring is here. The park isn’t too busy; it’s mainly young families with their small children and some older folks spending their time in the sunshine. She smiles as she distracts herself by watching a little boy muster up the courage to ask a young Wolf to play ball.
Elphaba shows up right on time. Galinda hears her footsteps approach and looks her way. She notices Elphaba’s dressed up despite it being her day off. She wears a simple black frock with long sleeves, buttoned up entirely to the very top button near her neck. She wears long boots with a small heel to them and though she doesn’t have much make up on today, she still radiates an aura of authority only an attorney could have. Her braids are mostly down, a few strands framing her face while the rest cascades down her back, and her glasses are perched just so that Galinda gets the perfect view of Elphaba’s iris’ as they make eye contact.
Galinda’s heart skips a few beats before she gathers herself.
“Miss Elphaba! Good to see you!” She gestures to the space next to her on the bench, “Please, have a seat.”
She does, sitting with enough space between them to fit Galinda’s sketchbook and their purses. She clears her throat a bit awkwardly and Galinda watches the way her fingers clench and unclench on her lap.
“So… how do we do this?” Elphaba asks, “You mentioned you’d have sketches of your ideas?”
Rather than explain herself, Galinda decides to get right into it. She opens up her sketchbook and the two of them begin to go over the first of her ideas. Galinda expects a bit of resistance to some of her suggestions, but Elphaba doesn’t seem impressed by any of them. One after another, Elphaba is either skeptical about the pose or the concept itself. It’s a frustrating half hour of back and forth that leads Galinda back to the frustrating space of having zero ideas.
“I’m not sure about any of these.” Elphaba is honest, looking at Galinda with a small frown, “I know you get final say in the art, but I can’t see myself being a model for anything like this. You want this to be the vision for your Emerald City concepts, right? These can’t be what you see for that.”
Galinda hates that she’s made a good point. She got so swept up in getting approval to paint the woman, she forgot that she needs to focus more on the concepts that actually reflect the Emerald City too. She pulls her pencil out of her bag and flips to a blank page.
“These are just a starting point.” Galinda doesn’t quite agree with Elphaba, but she doesn’t dismiss her either, “If these don’t work, then that’s perfectly fine. This is why we’re meeting after all. Why don’t we discuss your boundaries, get all the do’s and don’ts out of the way, then we’ll go back to the painting concept?”
What Galinda assumes is going to be a simple conversation of ‘yes to this’ and ‘no to that’ turns into something more thorough. Elphaba doesn’t want to be portrayed in any religious buildings or poses so that leaves a lot of the most historical and gorgeous buildings of the city out. She wants to be left out of anything that highlights the higher society of the Emerald City and doesn’t want to be painted in bright colours or clothing she wouldn’t normally see herself in. Galinda does draw the line here, allowing the bright colours to be vetoed but arguing she still has creative decisions about the outfit. They bicker for a short moment about the kinds of outfits Galinda is thinking about for this painting and they come to a compromise where Elphaba will allow Galinda to paint her in whatever outfit she deems necessary, with the most skin showing being her bare arms, shoulders and her face of course. Elphaba stands firm on everything else being covered and Galinda begrudgingly agrees.
When they’ve settled the finer details of what Elphaba is comfortable with, Galinda isn’t left with a lot of her original ideas. She frowns, knowing none of her sketches will be right for the poses Elphaba is comfortable with. She makes a few more notes before closing her sketchbook.
“Not many ideas we can work with from my sketches, but that’s not a problem. I like a challenge.” Galinda gives Elphaba a playful smirk while the other woman looks mildly unimpressed from her comment. Galinda doesn’t let it deter her as she goes on, “I think a painting with you is probably best in a space within the city you feel most comfortable in. It’ll be even more special if we pick one of the more historic buildings; perhaps the first City Hall? There’s a lot of history there, and you did mention you’re quite fond of the subject.”
Elphaba blinks slowly as she considers the suggestion.
“I wouldn’t mind that.” she answers, watching Galinda slowly slide her sketchbook into her purse “What are you thinking about for the pose?”
Galinda’s smile is a bit sly as she looks at Elphaba.
“Why don’t we head over to the old City Hall and see if it’s open for the public today? It’s been a while since I’ve been so I’ll have to get some photos of the building. We can take a few photos of different poses and see what works best.”
Elphaba seems a bit surprised by the suggestion. Her eyebrows raise slightly and though her face is composed Galinda doesn’t miss the hint of a wider gaze behind her glasses. Galinda pulls her phone out to check the time.
“You don’t have anywhere else to be today, do you?” she asks suddenly, realizing she and Elphaba didn’t establish how long of a time frame they would be meeting for. She’s been hopeful they’ll make a full afternoon of it.
“Not urgently.” Elphaba replies and Galinda can feel herself lighting up.
“Wonderful! Let’s get to it then.” She pushes herself up off the bench, slinging her purse over her shoulder and taking a couple steps forward as she lets her excitement overtake her, “Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”
Galinda continues a few more paces before she turns around to see Elphaba hasn’t moved.
“Miss Elphaba? Are you coming?” She tilts her head slightly, her smile never wavering, “We haven’t got all day, I’m sure the archive will close at some point.”
Elphaba opens her mouth to reply, then suddenly closes it. She stands, smoothing out her frock and taking a few steps to close the distance between them.
“I’m sensing you don’t have a lot of patience.” She quips lightly, watching Galinda with that piercing gaze of hers.
“I have plenty of patience!” She retorts, her heart fluttering at Elphaba’s very correct observation, “I’m simply too excited about this. I mean, there is so much we can do with the archives as our backdrop that matches what you’re comfortable with. I can picture it now-”
She begins to go on about the first idea that comes to mind. Without thinking about it she quickens her stride down the park pathway, causing Elphaba to stumble as she matches her pace. She’s so focused on the path in front of them and explaining her vision that she completely misses the slight smile playing at the corners of Elphaba’s lips while she keeps quiet and listens for most of their journey through the city.
“Elphaba, you’re standing like you’ve never posed for a photo in your life. Come on, be normal about this.”
Galinda is holding back a snicker as Elphaba stands rigidly in front of a colossal shelf within the old City Hall. She’s a little annoyed it’s taking them so long to get one pose taken, but directing Elphaba into different poses and watching her try to emulate them is still fun. Elphaba’s cheeks are flushed and she’s completely avoiding Galinda’s gaze, finding a distraction in the old wood paneling beneath their feet.
“This is ridiculous.” She mumbles to herself yet it’s still loud enough for Galinda to hear.
“Should I amend the contract to include less complaining?” Galinda comments, raising her eyebrow while Elphaba rolls her eyes.
“This might come as a surprise to you, but I don’t exactly enjoy getting my picture taken.” She grumbles in a dry voice, “It’s hard to put myself in the pose you’re directing while also trying to match the expression you want me to have.”
Galinda didn’t want to assume anything but now that Elphaba’s admitted she’s not the biggest fan of pictures, she locks her phone and slides it into her pocket.
“It’ll only be for reference, I promise. It doesn’t need to be perfect, we could even try to do expressions and pose pictures separately if that makes it easier for you.” Galinda offers the solution with a tiny smile, “Here, why don’t we just take a minute to help you get more comfortable with it? I’ll pose with you!”
This leads to about twenty minutes of Galinda encouraging Elphaba to copy her actions and try to mimic her expressions. It’s awkward at first, Elphaba seems far too insecure to put her whole self into it like Galinda wants her to. When Galinda tries to get her to pull something elegantly from the shelf, it looks a little rigid and stiff. She tries getting Elphaba to lean against the wall with the window, reading a pamphlet and Elphaba’s shoulders scrunch upward and her attention keeps focusing on the space around them whenever the sounds of a worker or another patron comes into the room.
When she makes the connection, Galinda reaches out to put her hands on Elphaba’s shoulders.
“Elphie, stop focusing on people who aren’t there.”
It pulls Elphaba from wherever her thoughts were taking her and she furrows her brow.
“Elphie?”
Galinda uses almost every ounce of strength within her to keep her cheeks a normal, light blush rather than the cherry tomato colour it’s threatening to become. She finds the quickest way to cover it up with a quick toss of her curls behind her shoulder.
“Yes, Elphie. Did that get your attention back on the task at hand rather than whatever you think is over there? Oh- I can call you Elphie, can’t I?”
She waves a hand loftily in the direction Elphaba’s attention keeps being pulled towards and then puts on her biggest doe eyed expression, already growing fond of the nickname she’s abruptly given to the woman next to her.
“It’s a little perky.” Elphaba objects quietly, but that hint of an amused smile is there and she doesn’t seem entirely bothered by it. That’s enough of a win for Galinda.
“I know! I know and I’m going to call you that~!” Galinda decides with a sing-song voice, and her hands fall from Elphaba’s shoulders. “Are you alright, though?”
Elpahaba exhales a soft breath.
“Sorry. I’m not used to this. More often than not, photos of me lead to verbal harassment from my peers about this,” Elphaba lightly gestures to the green, “Or what you’ve been somewhat exposed to with my Father and how he feels about the family image.”
Galinda can feel her fury building within her. How atrocious. How awful. How cruel. Elphaba is nothing less than radiant and to be bullied, to be scorned and made to feel otherwise? Galinda gently curls her hands into tiny fists.
“It’s a good thing none of those horrendible people are here, then.” She huffs, “I don’t care much for clowns or their bad opinions.”
She hears a light chuckle and looks back to Elphaba. She looks uncertain and still isn’t looking directly at Galinda, but the tension in her shoulder eases. Her hands uncurl from themselves and she reaches out to gently lay a hand on Elphaba’s wrist. She doesn’t grip, only lets her skin make contact with the fabric of her sleeve. When she sees Elphaba finally focus on her, she smiles.
“I meant what I said the other night. I believe I,” She pauses, “No, we can make something incredible. I wouldn’t be breaking my business rules with you to do this if I didn’t. Do you believe me when I say this?”
Elphaba doesn’t answer with words. Galinda can see her assessment, the way her eyes bore into Galinda’s own, searching for some kind of malicious intent. Galinda waits, and finally Elphaba nods once, slowly.
“I believe you wouldn’t lie about that.” she finally answers, and it’s enough for Galinda.
“Of course I wouldn’t. Now, can we try again? I promise, we can focus entirely on the posing and work on the facial expressions after.”
When Elphaba nods a second time, ready to try again, Galinda’s smile radiates that excitement sitting within her chest. She pulls her phone out and steps back to the space she was before. She opens the camera up and turns to her muse, now standing closer to the window and within the natural light seeping through. She pretends like she’s adjusting something on her phone as she takes a quick picture.
There’s no pose or ideal expression, just Elphaba standing there as she prepares for another shot at poses but the lighting casting on Elphaba? Gorgeous. A perfect candid shot that she’ll need the reference of if she wants to recreate it.
It starts a little awkward once again, but when Galinda starts talking to Elphaba as she gets her to pose, things get better. She asks Elphaba random questions and talks about things Elphaba mentioned at dinner. She asks her about her friends and colleagues, learning Elphaba’s friends don’t really extend outside of her sister, soon-to-be brother-in-law, Fiyero and a few other acquaintances from college. When Galinda mentions she called him and tore into him right after their dinner that evening, Elphaba laughs and breaks the pose she’s in, giving Galinda the goofiest shot of Elphaba whipping her head back in laughter.
When Elphaba’s cackles subside Galinda takes a few more candids, making sure to get Elphaba’s smile and a shot of her adjusting her glasses. Galinda directs Elphaba to pick up something from the archives, making her do a few poses where it looks like she’s reading and observing the different texts along the shelves. When she has to, she steps in to adjust Elphaba the tiniest bit so she can take multiple photos from different angles.
By the end of it, Galinda is mostly satisfied. The poses are perfect, she’ll have no issue getting some great sketches of Elphaba from all of these. Even her expressions aren’t the worst, though they are pretty serious in most of the pictures.
They’re standing outside of the building, the two of them huddled close to the side of the walkway as Galinda sifts through some of the final shots with her. It’s hard to focus entirely on her phone screen when Elphaba is so close and leaning over her shoulder to peer down at the shots. She seems oddly quiet as she takes in each photo.
“Even your photography skills are impressive.” Elphaba murmurs as she takes in the different photos of herself and Galinda thanks her happily for the compliment.
“I think all of the best ones happened when you weren’t expecting it.” Galinda slides out of the photo album and to her camera, opening it so it’s front facing. She adjusts her holding, making it look like she’s examining her appearance. She fixes her hair just a bit and then angles the phone more to the right so that Elphaba is on the screen with her.
Before Elphaba can blink Galinda beams and captures the shot. She laughs loudly and unashamed as Elphaba reacts a second later by stepping back two paces, aghast at Galinda’s sneaky selfie. She glares and frowns as the blonde continues to giggle as her thumbs move across her phone screen.
“See what I mean? And don’t you dare try to delete it– I’ve already duplicated it and sent it to myself for safe keeping.” Galinda holds her phone to Elphaba.
The photo on screen shows the two of them perfectly in the shot, shoulders up. Galinda’s smile is wide and her dimple shines just like her eyes. Blonde hair and light pink next to bright green and black, the contrast lovely. Elphaba’s expression is the brief moment before she noticed what was happening, an unsuspecting hint of a smile on her lips as she looks at Galinda curiously while Galinda’s has a tiny hint of mischief hidden in her gaze, her mouth open wide and smile sparkling. Galinda watches as Elphaba’s glare melts into something a little softer, a little less guarded. Her lips form a small line as she stares at the photo, then she locks the screen and hands it back to Galinda.
“I could see your point from the photos already taken.” Elphaba points out and Galinda laughs.
“But where’s the fun in that, Elphie?”