InsaneJournal

I know there’s a bouncy side to you...
Who: Elphaba, Glinda and Portia
What: Discussing the House of Glinda
When: Last thursday afternoon
Where: Elphaba’s office
Rating: PG
Status: Complete



To say that Glinda was excited was a bit of an understatement, she was practically bouncing off the walls. Of course the three cups of coffee she’d had that morning probably wasn’t helping. But she was excited, Portia had agreed to the meeting and was on her way here right now. Elphie was here too and Glinda knew she had all the money stuff in hand, to be perfectly honest Glinda wanted to see Portia’s portfolio more than talk about the more serious side of things but she knew it had to be done.

Turning to Elphie she asked, not for the first time, “She did say ten right?”

“Yes Glinda, she said ten,” Elphaba put a calming hand on Glinda’s arm to try and stay her excitement. “Are you ok?” she asked, a little bit worried about her client all but vibrating in her seat.

“Oh I’m fine” Glinda assured her, “Stopped by Starbucks this morning, maybe shouldn’t have had extra espresso shots” she grinned before jumping up when there was a knock on the door.

“Hi, umm Miss Thropp?” Portia guessed as the well dressed blonde woman answered the door.

“Oh no I’m Miss Upland but please call me Glinda” she replied shaking the woman’s hand before leading her into the office. “This is Elphie” she added with a smile.

“Hi Portia,” Elphaba smiled and reached out to shake the woman’s hand. “I’m Elphaba and you’ve already met Miss Upland,” she gestured to the seat across from her for her to sit down.

"Hello" Portia replied, glad that this woman seemed slightly more...normal.

"Thank you so much for coming" Glinda said sitting too, "I love your work, I own several pieces, all of them beautiful"

"Oh well thank you" Portia smiled, "And thank you for inviting me here. I have to admit I wasn't expecting anything like this" she confessed.

Elphaba smiled, “Well, I hope we can exceed expectations for you.” She put her hand on Glinda’s arm again, sensing the woman’s desire to gush about Portia’s work. “Can I get you anything? Tea? Coffee?” she asked Portia.

Glinda looked at the hand then at Elphie before offering Portia a quiet smile.

"Oh tea would be lovely thank you" Portia nodded gratefully.

“Certainly, how do you take it?” Elphaba asked.

"Milk two sugars, thank you" Portia replied, "So how long have you worked together?"

Glinda laughed, "Oh we don't, not exactly. Elphie is the brains, I'm the bored rich socialite who adores your clothes" she said airily.

Elphaba chuckled as she moved over to the kettle she had set up in the corner, luckily she’d filled it up before Portia’s arrival. “We’re coming to a stable working relationship,” she joked as she set the kettle to boil. “She’s far more intelligent than she gives herself credit for, but her love of fashion can occasionally overtake all that,” she smiled at the blonde woman.

“What better thing than fashion to override common sense?” Portia joked, offering a smile, “Creativity can be just as important as intelligence and when they combine you get an incredible result”

“Oh I like that” Glinda said thoughtfully, “I just knew you were the right person, we’re all going to get along wonderfully” she clapped her hands in delight causing Portia to laugh and give her a truly bright smile.

Elphaba laughed, amused by how well this meeting was going. Glinda's natural exuberance seemed to be working in their favour. "Why don't we explain a bit more about why we asked for this meeting," she smiled, pouring the water in the cup.

"Oh yes we should do that" Glinda nodded in agreement.

"That would be a good place to start" Portia added.

"Ok,” Elphaba removed the tea bag and stirred the drink before returning to her desk and placing it in front of Portia. “No coffee for you, you don’t need it,” she pre-empted Glinda with a gentle smile as she sat down. “So, what we are planning to do is to create a...a culture I guess?” She looked to Glinda for confirmation on the word.

“Thank you” Portia said as the tea was placed in front of her.

Glinda pouted as Elphaba denied her coffee but soon perked up again when she was asked to confirm their idea, “Oh yes” she nodded, turning to Portia, “That’s essentially it. I want you to design us clothes that people will wear and love and live in” she explained, “So many ‘fashion houses’ have clothes that nobody in their right mind would actually wear, I want us to be different. I want us to be about great clothes, great prices and great designs” she glanced at Elphie to see if she had spoken properly.

“We’re thinking of collaborating with artists and designers in order to create a new type of fashion house. Sort of like a ‘Haus of Glinda’,” Elphaba smiled. “Ms Upland has a good number of contacts within the industry and we plan to use those to promote labels such as your own. As a model, she would also be able to head runway shows, publicity campaigns and show your fashions and you off to the world,” Elphaba indicated Portia with her hands.

“See” Glinda said, “I told you she was the brains. She put that so much more eloquently than I could have”

Portia smiled, “You got the essence of it across” she assured the woman still in slight shock, “You know this is a huge thing you’re undertaking. It’s not going to be easy, not in the least”

Glinda nodded, “Something worth doing is hardly ever going to be easy. I’m sure there’s some sort of saying like that”

“Something like that,” Elphaba grinned. “I never said it would be easy, but I believe it is something well worth doing. Let’s face it, fashion lives on publicity and glamour and Ms Upland can give you more of that. She’s passionate, knowledgeable and well connected,” Elphaba folded her hands together on the desk so she would stop using them as she talked. It was a bad habit she had yet to train herself out of. “So,” she took a breath. “What do you say?”

“I think it’s an incredible idea and I would love to be part of it” Portia began, before being interrupted by a squeal from Glinda who apologised and let her continue, “However” she looked at Glinda somewhat apologetically, “it’s a lot of work and I have a job I am loving at the moment. Would it be at all possible for me to provide designs and bring somebody else in to create them and sort of be my spokesperson?” she asked, thinking of Annie.

Elphaba placed a hand on Glinda’s arm to calm her. I’m never playing poker with her, she thought to herself. “That shouldn’t be a problem at all, it is, after all, completely in the spirit of what we’re trying to achieve here,” she smiled at the both, giving Glinda a small, re-assuring nod. “Do you have any suggestions for someone you would be happy handling your designs?” she asked Portia, removing her hand from Glinda’s arm.

Glinda would be a terrible poker player, every single thing would be written all over her face. Even if she concentrated on it not being, she wore her heart on her sleeve there was no doubt about it.

"I do, my friend Annie would be perfect" Portia replied giving Glinda a smile and trying not to chuckle as the woman glanced at Elphie before smiling back. They were really quite adorable if unusual friends.

Friend’s wasn’t quite how Elphaba would describe herself and Glinda’s relationship. She was still stubbornly sticking to the ‘accountant-client’ label. “Great,” Elphaba grinned, their plan was coming to fruition nicely. “Would you like to approach her about the project, seeing as you know her already?”

Glinda had dropped the ‘accountant-client’ label a while ago and happily called Elphie her friend, she was whether she knew it or not.

Portia nodded, “That is probably the best idea yes” she replied, “I’ll set up a meeting as soon as possible”

“Wonderful,” Elphaba smiled, feeling a weight lifting from her shoulders at Portia’s acceptance. This project really was starting to get off the ground, something for which Elphaba was eternally grateful since it was mostly her idea. “Now just to make sure we’re clear from the start, we plan on bringing other talents in on this project,” she explained. She didn’t want people being hurt in this venture, so being truthful and open was the best option so everyone knew the score.

“Oh yes, I understood that. It’s part of why I said yes” she smiled, “I love the whole concept, it’s truly unique and wonderful”

Glinda clapped, glanced at Elphie guiltily, then clapped again, “I’m sorry, I’m just so happy”

Portia laughed, “No apologies” she said hugging the blonde woman, “I’m glad you’re happy” She smiled at Elphaba over Glinda’s shoulder.

Elphaba grinned at the two as they hugged. “Excellent,” she stood and rounded her desk to shake hands with Portia. “You understand I have make sure the lines are drawn before we get too far into this,” Elphaba told her happily. “Thank you so much for your time and I know for a fact that we are going to get along wonderfully,” she grinned over at Glinda, proud to have helped make the woman so happy.

Portia shook hands with the more reserved woman, “Oh of course” she replied, “I’d expect nothing less” she assured her, “Thank you for the opportunity, I’m looking forward to working with you both” her smile encompassing Glinda too.

“Oh we are too” Glinda nodded, just about stopping herself from bouncing on the spot, “Thank you for saying yes.”

“So,” Elphaba guided her to the door. “Once you’ve contacted Annie, just give me a call or drop me an email and we can arrange another meeting,” she smiled, handing over a business card from her jacket pocket.
“I will” Portia promised taking the card and popping it into her bag, “I’ll be in contact soon. Lovely to meet you” she gave a little wave before leaving the office.

Glinda immediately turned to Elphie, “Isn’t she wonderful?” she said bouncing a little, “Thank you so much Elphie, this is going to be fabulous”

“I know you’re being restrained and it’s weird, so just...” Elphaba indicated the bouncing she was holding in. “Bounce, ok?” she sighed.

So bounce she did, even grabbing Elphie’s hands as she did so, “Come on Elphie, just a little bounce, I know it’s in there.”

Elphaba tried to keep her ‘stern face’ on, but in the face of such exuberance, she couldn’t help but smiling. She dropped her head to hide the smile and took a deep breath, casting a playful glare at Glinda before rolling her eyes and giving a bounce on her heels.

“I knew it” she grinned widely, hugging the other woman briefly, “I know there’s a bouncy side to you that I am determined to help you bring out.”

“Ok,” Elphaba walked back to her desk and sat down behind. “There might be some bounce in me, but not during office hours,” she held up a stern finger, trying to back it up with a stern face but failing as a small smile crept through.

Glinda giggled, “Okay, but then you know this means we’re going to have to go out soon. So I can see the bouncy Elphie.”

“Then you’ll need plenty of libations,” Elphaba told her with a grin, picking up a pen and writing herself a memo on the pad next to her diary to keep an eye out for Portia’s email.

“Oh I’m sure I can sort that” Glinda grinned before adding cheerfully, “What’s a libation?”

Elphaba looked up at Glinda from her writing to see if she was serious and saw that she was. “Drink,” she told her. “Lots and lots of drink,” Elphaba raised an eyebrow and returned her gaze to her writing.

“Oh” Glinda said feeling momentarily like she was being judged but brushed off the feeling, as she had so many times before, “Then I can definitely sort that” she smiled, though it wasn’t as bright.

Elphaba glanced up at Glinda, “Hey, you ok?”

“Right as rain” she said breezily, “I should be letting you get on with things though. You have important business to do. You’ll let me know when Portia contacts you?” she checked.

“Ok...” Elphaba said suspiciously. She suspected this was one of those things that she’d probably done and missed out on the repercussions. She’d been getting better at it, especially since Lúthien and Glinda had been in her life but she was sometimes blinkered to it. “Yeah, y’know, other clients to see, paperwork to be done that sort of thing...you sure you’re ok?” she placed her pen on the table.

“Absolutely” Glinda replied, “I’ll speak to you later Elphaba” she gave her an almost too bright smile before exiting through the door.

“Yeah...sure...” Elphaba said, more to herself than Glinda as the other woman exited. Hmm...maybe Lúthien would know... she thought to herself, picking up her phone.