Chapter 1: Meeting of the Minds 

By: KillRumdar

The halls of Shiz University had a way of swallowing sound. The thick, imposing stone walls held an eerie stillness, muting every footstep, every murmur, as if the place itself demanded silence from its inhabitants. The school's ancient architecture loomed overhead like a judgmental elder, casting long, flickering shadows from the gas lamps. You could almost believe the very bricks disapproved of conversation, especially after dark.

You hesitated just inside the entryway of the Western Tower, your fingers grazing the doorframe as if seeking comfort in its solidity. This was the tower reserved for the advanced students, the ones who had proven their talents with magic were either potent or dangerous enough to warrant special instruction. The ones who could affect change—both political and arcane—in ways others couldn't dream.

And tonight, you were being pulled into their world.

The air was cool, biting at your cheeks as you stepped deeper into the tower, the distant sound of water trickling down the nearby river occasionally cutting through the suffocating quiet. You had been assigned to help them—a dangerous task, or so you'd been warned. Elphaba Thropp and Galinda Upland. Two forces of nature, each in her own right, as different as night and day.

Your breath caught in your throat as you ascended the stone steps, their rough texture scraping against your fingers as you dragged your hand along the railing for balance. You had heard the whispers about them. The girl with skin as green as envy, a firebrand with a sharp tongue and sharper mind. Elphaba, who wielded her magic with such raw intensity that even the most learned professors held her in a wary sort of respect.

Then there was Galinda. Always perfectly composed, always radiant. She didn't need to wield magic as a weapon; her charm was as powerful as any spell. And in the rare moments when her delicate fingertips traced sigils in the air, she was as deadly as she was beautiful. The contrast between them was stark—Elphaba's fierce pragmatism and Galinda's gilded socialite veneer. Yet they were inexplicably drawn to one another, orbiting in a complex, shifting dance that no one seemed to fully understand.

You reached the heavy oak door at the top of the stairs and knocked twice, each impact of your knuckles on the wood echoing back at you, amplified by the silence. After a pause, it creaked open, and Galinda Upland stood on the other side, her sharp blue eyes taking you in with the casual scrutiny of someone used to assessing people for their social worth.

"Ah," she said, her voice bright but edged with something cool. "You must be the assistant."

Her smile was dazzling, perfect, a practiced expression that seemed to light up her porcelain face in an instant. It was the kind of smile that made people trust her without thinking. Made them feel like they were basking in her radiance. But there was something in her gaze, some flicker that suggested she was measuring you, weighing your usefulness.

"Yes," you replied, your voice steady despite the slight tightening in your chest. "I'm here to help with the project."

"Of course you are," she said with a light laugh, as if your arrival was a pleasant afterthought in her evening. She opened the door wider and gestured for you to enter. "Come in, darling. Elphie's already here."

As you stepped into the room, the air changed. It was warmer, but not inviting—more like the oppressive heat that clings to your skin just before a storm. The scent of old books and ink lingered, mixed with something sharper, something that made the hairs on the back of your neck rise. Elphaba's presence, no doubt.

Elphaba sat at the far end of the long table, hunched over a stack of papers and grimoires, her ink-stained fingers tapping out an impatient rhythm on the wood. She didn't look up when you entered, but you felt her awareness immediately, the sharp edge of her concentration like a blade. She was as the rumors said, with skin a deep, unnatural green that stood out starkly against the dark fabric of her robes. Her black hair fell in messy waves, strands catching the light as she scribbled notes furiously in a language you didn't recognize.

"You're late," Elphaba muttered, her voice low and rough, like she was more accustomed to speaking to herself than others.

"I—"

"She's not late, Elphie," Galinda interjected smoothly, gliding into the room behind you. "She's just on time. And besides, I'm sure she'll be very helpful."

Elphaba shot Galinda a glance, something hard and skeptical flashing in her dark eyes. But she said nothing, only returning her gaze to the pages spread before her.

The contrast between the two of them was jarring. Galinda, all elegance and charm, floating across the room like she owned the air itself, while Elphaba was all sharp angles and restless energy, hunched over her work like the weight of the world sat squarely on her thin shoulders. They couldn't have been more different, but the space between them crackled with an undeniable tension—an unspoken power struggle.

"You," Elphaba said after a moment, her voice a whip-crack in the stillness. She finally looked up, her gaze piercing, as if she could see through you with those sharp, dark eyes. "You know what this project is, don't you?"

You swallowed. "It's about channeling shared magic. You're trying to combine different sources of power to amplify spells."

Elphaba's lips curled into a faint smirk, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Good. At least you're not entirely useless."

Galinda rolled her eyes, her perfectly manicured hand waving dismissively. "Oh, Elphie, stop scaring her. She'll run away before we even get started."

"I'm not trying to scare her. I'm trying to determine if she's competent." Elphaba's voice was cold, but you detected the slightest hint of something else beneath it—something wary. Almost like she was testing you, waiting to see if you'd flinch or fold under the pressure.

You held her gaze, refusing to let her intimidate you. "I'm competent enough."

"Hmm," Elphaba murmured, her eyes narrowing slightly. Then, without another word, she turned her attention back to her work, her fingers once again tapping out that impatient rhythm on the table.

Galinda, on the other hand, was all smiles. She leaned against the edge of the table, her blonde curls cascading over her shoulder like liquid gold, her eyes bright with amusement. "Don't mind her," she said conspiratorially, her voice softening as if she were sharing a secret. "Elphie likes to pretend she's all thorns, but she has her moments."

Elphaba snorted but didn't respond.

You couldn't help but feel the pull of their dynamic—two women so radically different yet so inextricably linked. It was like watching a storm brewing, the tension building with every passing moment, waiting for something to give. And now you were caught in the middle of it, whether you wanted to be or not.

"Let's get started," Elphaba said abruptly, breaking the silence. She shoved a stack of parchment toward you, her movements quick and efficient. "You'll need these. We don't have time to waste."

Galinda sighed dramatically, flipping her hair over her shoulder as she moved to join you at the table. "Elphie's in one of her moods tonight, I see. But don't worry, darling. I'm sure we'll have fun regardless."

She slid gracefully into the seat next to you, her shoulder brushing against yours ever so slightly. The light contact sent a strange shiver down your spine, and Galinda, ever perceptive, didn't miss it. Her lips curled into a mischievous smile, her bright blue eyes twinkling as if she were in on some secret that you didn't yet know. Her fingers brushed against the edge of your parchment, grazing over yours in a way that felt far too deliberate.

"Elphie can be terribly serious when she's working," Galinda purred, her voice dropping into a lower, almost conspiratorial tone. "But I think you'll find we can have… other kinds of fun too."

Her eyes lingered on you, watching for a reaction, and you felt your breath catch. The air between you thickened, charged with an energy that had nothing to do with the magic in the room. You weren't sure how to respond. 

"Elphaba and I, we share everything, you know," Galinda continued, her voice like honey, dripping with suggestion. "Isn't that right, Elphie?"

At the mention of her name, Elphaba's quill froze mid-stroke. Her dark eyes snapped up, fixing on Galinda with a sharpness that could cut through glass. "Galinda," she said, her voice low and dangerous, "what exactly are you doing?"

Galinda's smile widened, clearly enjoying the tension she was stirring. She leaned closer to you, her arm pressing against yours, her breath warm against your ear as she whispered, "Watch this, darling."

You stiffened, unsure of how to react, your gaze flicking nervously between the two women. Elphaba was glaring now, her eyes narrowing as she watched Galinda's every move. The atmosphere in the room shifted dramatically, the tension thickening into something nearly suffocating.

"Elphaba's always been so possessive," Galinda said with a mock pout, though her eyes were dancing with amusement. "But I think she likes it when I tease her a little. Isn't that right, Elphie?"

Elphaba slammed her quill down onto the table, the sudden noise startling you. "Enough," she snapped, her voice cutting through the air like a blade. "You're taking this too far."

"Oh, come on, Elphie," Galinda replied, her voice light and teasing as she turned to face her girlfriend fully. "You can't tell me you weren't thinking the same thing. After all, you did say you wanted to try that thing, you know where where two wom-"

Elphaba's face darkened, her jaw clenching as she interrupted Galinda. "I said I wanted to think about it," she growled, her fingers curling into fists. "That's not the same as inviting someone into our bed tonight."

You felt the heat rising to your cheeks, caught in the middle of a confrontation you hadn't anticipated. You had no idea what they were talking about, but it was clear now that whatever had been bubbling beneath the surface of their relationship was threatening to boil over.

Galinda, however, didn't seem fazed by Elphaba's anger. If anything, she seemed to be enjoying it. "Oh, darling, you know I'm only playing." She reached across the table and laid her hand over Elphaba's, her touch soft and delicate, as if that would be enough to diffuse the tension. "But maybe…" Her gaze flicked back to you, a wicked smile curling her lips. "Maybe you'd like to join us?"

Your heart pounded in your chest, the implications of her words hitting you like a wave. You could feel the weight of both their gazes on you now, Elphaba's dark and stormy, Galinda's bright and teasing, and it was as though the air itself crackled with the tension between them—and you.

Elphaba didn't say anything at first, her eyes locked on Galinda's hand as it rested on hers. The silence stretched on, thick and oppressive, until finally, she spoke in a low, controlled voice. "You're pushing this too fast."

Galinda tilted her head, her smile softening into something a little more sincere, though the playful gleam in her eyes never faded. "Am I, though? Didn't you say you were curious? That maybe it would be fun?"

Elphaba's jaw tightened again, her eyes darting toward you before quickly returning to Galinda. "I said I wanted to think about it," she repeated, her voice rough around the edges, as if the words tasted bitter. "Not… whatever this is."

"But you are thinking about it, aren't you?" Galinda pressed, leaning in closer to Elphaba now, her voice dropping to a whisper that you could still hear. "You're wondering what it would be like… if we weren't just us anymore. If maybe—just maybe—we could share something more."

Elphaba didn't reply immediately, her gaze flicking to you again, but this time there was something different in her eyes. A flicker of uncertainty. Maybe even curiosity. She clenched her fists tighter, the knuckles going white, but she didn't pull away from Galinda's touch.

Galinda, sensing the shift in Elphaba's mood, gave a soft, triumphant smile. "I knew it," she murmured, her fingers tracing small circles over the back of Elphaba's hand. "You're curious too. You're just too stubborn to admit it."

"I'm not—" Elphaba started, but the words faltered. She closed her mouth, her lips pressing into a thin line. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter, less certain. "I just… don't want this to be some stupid game."

Galinda's smile softened, and she leaned in even closer, her lips brushing against Elphaba's ear. "It's not a game, darling. Not if we don't let it be." She glanced at you then, her eyes glinting with a new kind of heat. "We could make this something special. Something just for the three of us."

Elphaba's gaze followed Galinda's, and for the first time, you saw the full force of her attention directed at you. It was intense, almost overwhelming, and you could feel your pulse quicken under the weight of her scrutiny. She was still hesitant, still unsure, but there was a flicker of something else now, something dark and dangerous that matched the tension in the room.

Galinda's hand slipped from Elphaba's to yours, her fingers cool and soft as they intertwined with yours. "What do you think, darling?" she asked, her voice a low, sultry purr. "Would you like to try something new with us?"

Your breath caught, your heart racing as your mind spun with the possibilities. You could feel the tension between them, the undercurrent of desire that had been simmering beneath the surface, and now it was being directed at you. It was intoxicating, dizzying, and you didn't know how to respond.

Elphaba's voice, when she finally spoke again, was low and rough, like she was struggling to keep control. "Galinda, you're putting her on the spot."

Galinda shrugged, her smile playful. "Maybe. But I think she's curious too. Aren't you?"

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