Who: Elphaba What: Another chat with her mother. Because clearly talking to a dead person will give her answers. When: After midnight Where: Her room Warnings: Some angst, lots of anger and resentment, references to an over-bearing father and a little dash of flailing.
Galinda had been amazing the past few days. Not that she could ever be less than that, but Elphie knew she would've closed herself off completely and possibly given in to her darker side again if Galinda hadn't been there. The blonde witch had mentioned the Wizard having had a bottle like her mother's when they'd had the talk about what had happened in Oz, and for a while Elphie had pretended to not think about it. There had been more important things going on, and she didn't want to believe it. Why would he have a green bottle? But eventually, her curiosity got the best of her and she had finally watched the rest of "Wicked." When it was revealed in the musical that the Wizard had been her father, Elphie had nearly died on the spot. But she refused to believe it at first. After all, it was only a musical, how could it possibly be that accurate about her life? But as the days passed and she thought about it, even re-watched some clips, she knew it had to be true. Everything she'd been through in Oz was correctly depicted in the musical, so why not that?
After the crisis with the bugs and Damon and Elena had gone back to their place, only then did Elphie let herself react. Galinda had been there to hold her and listen, even distract her at times. Oz only knew what Galinda was going to do next. But for the meantime, Elphie was alone. She just gotten out of the shower and was getting ready for bed. She was by no means tired, but she really just wanted to lay down at the very least. She put her hair in a braid, then sat down on the edge of her bed. Slipping her hand under her pillow, she pulled out the little green bottle she kept there and held it, looking down at it. She had so many questions, but the people that had the answers she needed weren't here.
"Did you know, mother?" It was a simple question, but the tone of her voice was fragile, something she never let others hear, except for Galinda. "Did father know? I mean, Frexspar, did he know? Is that the real reason he hated me?" Closing her eyes, she couldn't help but relive some memories of her childhood. Frexspar had been over-bearing and controlling of her. He even hit her a few times when she really misbehaved. She spent her younger years fearing her father and doing everything she could to try and please him, but nothing ever did. Nothing she ever did was good enough, and though it took her until well into her teens, she did accept that Frexspar would never give her the credit she deserved.
Elphie really did think both Galinda and Fiyero were insane when they said she was beautiful. She knew she wasn't beautiful in any sense of the word. Well, except for being beautifully tragic, but that was as far as her beauty went. Of course she knew they didn't understand why she had non-existent self-esteem, but when she spent her whole life watching her father nurture Nessa and give her nothing but cold distance and hate, it took a toll. There was also the fact she'd always been shunned for her skin being a different color than everyone else's. That was until she'd met Galinda and before she'd arrived in this world. Even with the support she had now, it would take a while to undo the years of thinking she'd come to possess.
"I really wish you were here, I really need answers. And you're one of the only three people that could give them to me. But of those three, you'd be the only one to actually talk to me without lying. Or at least I hope you would." Frexspar would undoubtedly either lie to her or give her just one more reason to hate her existence. The Wizard did nothing but lie, and to know he was her father had turned her world upside down. It was really earth-shattering to her to know that, especially finding out now after she'd dedicated herself to fighting the Wizard until the day she died. She remembered how he'd gone on about being a sentimental man, but as far as she was concerned, it was more like a sentimental man her ass. Of course she couldn't fault him for not knowing until it was too late, but the man really had no qualms being an asshole.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. That's how she'd grown up knowing him, the man who was good and generous. Elphie had looked up to him, admired him, even loved him all her life. She'd believed he could do anything, and then when she'd met him, all those preconceived notions and beliefs were broken. He was powerless and anything but wonderful. He'd been behind the evil in Oz, and everything she'd believed him to be was utterly crushed that day in the Emerald City. She'd left everything behind to stand up for what she believed in, and the Wizard and Madame Morrible had no qualms making her out to be the evil in the land.
"Why? Am I green because of whatever was inside this bottle? Am I green because he wasn't from here? Am I green because I'm an abomination?" Her gaze slid from the bottle to her hand. She lifted it and turned it over and back again, taking in her skin color. "That explains it all, though. Why father hated me, why I am the way I am. I always thought it was some fluke, or at least I'd hoped it was, that I was green. But it wasn't, was it? I'm green because of him." It was infuriating, and the tone of her voice became more resentful and angry. "My whole life I tried to please everyone around me, do the best I could for Nessa and father, but nothing was ever enough. Not for father. He was horrible to me no matter what I did. I guess he must have known I wasn't his and took out that anger on me after we lost you." She lowered her head and sighed heavily. It had weighed heavily on her, trying her hardest to do everything right and be good, yet always finding herself being blamed for things going wrong. Eventually, she'd just accepted it. She was the scapegoat, the wicked witch, the outcast. And now she was the daughter of the Wizard of Oz.
"I wish he was here right now so I could look him in the eye and ask if things would have been different if he'd known." It was surprising to Elphie that she even cared what the man thought, but perhaps that derived from the fact she had always longed for acceptance from someone. She'd found acceptance with Galinda and Fiyero, but now that she knew the man that had raised her was not her real father, she found herself longing for acceptance from the man who was, even though he was her sworn enemy. Maybe the Wizard wasn't as heartless as Frexspar had been towards her. She shook her head suddenly, a deep frown coming over her face. "Why am I even thinking this? I don't care. No, I shouldn't care. He's still responsible for the things in Oz, and I will never forgive him for that. Him being my father doesn't change that." Lifting her head, she cast a glare out the window into the night. She hoped the seals wouldn't have the gaul to pull the Wizard through. If they did, she would do everything she could think of to send him back through them. She had friends here, she wasn't hunted here, and she would not let him take that away from her.
The fact that Elphie kept bouncing back and forth in her thoughts and opinions on the Wizard was only a reflection of the constantly shifting emotions she felt about the subject. Sometimes she didn't even know where her head was. If it hadn't been for Galinda being there for her, she didn't know what she would be doing. Elphie glanced over at the door of her room, a little smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. The blonde witch truly knew how to keep her distracted from dark thoughts and help her. Of course, the shopping trip could've gone a little better in her opinion, but she wasn't about to say no to Galinda making her try on various clothing. She did at least get to stop at a bookstore and get a couple books afterwards, so she couldn't really complain. Elphie turned her gaze back to the bottle in her hands, her fingers fiddling with it. She still had a ways to go in accepting that the Wizard was her father, she still had issues she had to work through, but she knew she could get through it with Galinda there at her side.
"At least Galinda is taking my moodswings in stride. Oz knows I'm not the easiest person to be around, but she's right there with a smile and understanding." Elphie then slid the bottle back under her pillow and slid under the covers, making herself comfortable. She reached out and turned her lamp off, then closed her eyes. Maybe laying there in the dark just letting her mind wander where it would help her wind down enough to fall asleep. But again, it was the time of night that she hated the most. She laid there for a while, tossing and turning, before she decided maybe having a little company would be better. Slipping out of bed, she made her way down to Galinda's room. She quietly opened the door and peeked in, knowing the blonde was undoubtedly asleep. When seeing her friend peacefully asleep in bed, she shut the door quietly behind her and made her way over to the bed. Elphie quietly slipped into bed next to Galinda, careful to not wake her as she got comfortable. Again, she closed her eyes, feeling a little better that there was someone there and she wasn't all alone. There were times in the dead of night when she thought she was back in Oz, all alone and hunted. It was moments like these that did put her at ease. Eventually, she drifted off to sleep, drawing comfort from Galinda's presence. Galinda would undoubtedly be confused in the morning when she woke to find the green-skinned witch there since Elphie wasn't always the type to seek out company or comfort like this. But right now, Elphie needed the comfort, and she needed Galinda more than anything.