It's always darkest before the sky goes black, &Jem&

[♦ Nor Tigelaar]

Nor leaned against a warehouse that she only knew was sealed, not if it was empty or full, staring at the night sky just after twilight. This was just one of the nights where she couldn't sleep. Sharp shadows pressed her against the side of the building. Her ears and eyes constantly on the alert for any passerby. After scanning the area her gaze always returned to swatch of sky she could make out in the gap between this building and the next.

The moon didn't have to compete with the viridescent glow of the City as much here. Buildings weren't as tall here either. There was enough sky to see that one could appreciate its vastness. Of course, no where near as much the expanses of sky over the Thousand Year Grasslands, or even out the window in what was her room at Kiamo Ko. During her incarceration, the moon was what she had missed most. The way it could light things in a different way from the sun. How it was comforting in its eerieness.

The last time she had been in these parts was when she helped Emma escape. Before that Jem had fed and housed her (if only for a night), fixed her socks (which she was still grateful for), and listened to her ramblings about Elphaba and her life in general. She wondered where the two of them were. No news had been circulated that the escaped convict was found, though the Gale Force still had ways to keep things in the press very hush-hush if need be. She avoided the grapevine if all possible, but lived on gossip and rumors. If she so desired, it was a few blocks to Jem's house. But that would be purposefully seeking someone out. Besides, more likely than not Olavo rather than Jem would be the one to respond to something hitting a window. She abandoned her musings and studied the recognizable patterns made by a celestial game of connect-the-dots.

[♦ Jemini Debark]

Jem flexed her muscles, rubbing her shoulders as she moved to the edge of the roof. She had certainly done a number on her back this time, nothing that wouldn't heal but she defiantly needed to start stretching more. The night chilled and Jem pulled her cloak tightly about her shivering body.

She lay back down on the warehouse roof, looking up into the night sky. No one at home had thought to teach her the constellations but soon after she got here that part of her education was provided by the thieves. She mentally began to cross them off, each picture, pattern or shape accounted for. Her hair was down for a change, blowing idly against her face. She sniffed, the cold air stinging her nostrils and she inhaled deeply.

Were the stars this bright at home? She wondered. She had never really looked. Did her parents ever look up at the sky as she was doing now? He shook her head, what had she been drinking to get these kind of thoughts? Or, more likely, what had she not been drinking?

She should probably go back, it was nearly midnight and Olavo would be having a fit by now. But somehow she couldn't bring herself to move. That was until she heard a movement below her. She froze, her muscles tense and ready to run. Crawling over to the edge of the roof she looked down and her face broke into an unlikely smile.

Moving to the edge of the fire escape she swung herself down and onto the platform.

"How are those socks holding up?" She called, still grinning as Nor turned around.

[♦ Nor Tigelaar]

The thud would have made Nor jump if she wasn't already turning around. She laughed softly at the question and examined the portion of her socks above her boots with a theatrical flair. With a definitive nod she smoothed the skirt of her patch dress in a futile action. It was quite hypnotizing with all the different colors and patterns.

"They're holding up great." She yawned, tearing her eyes away. She had felt similarly in the warehouse with Elphaba after looking at that purple potion. Although no magic was involved now, just a prolonged lack of food and sleep. Her gaze wandered back to the sky. Manek had dared her to count all the stars in the sky once. All she remembered was reaching the frustrating conclusion that there were too many stars and not enough time to count them all.

"When I was little my mother told me the constellations tell stories. Well, to the Arjiki they do at least." Her hood slipped back from craning her neck to see as many cellestial bodies as she could. "They remind me of home..."

Rubbing the back of her neck, she turned her interest to Jem. "So. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into since we parted ways last?"

[♦ Jemini Debark]

"They're holding up great."

"But of course," Jem joked, not moving from her perch. A gust of wind blew across the two of them sending strands of reddish hair in front of her eyes. There was some sort of quarrel going on three streets away but that was near the Region Pub and there was always something happening there. Something that normally involved a loss of teeth. Jem made a note to go over there tomorrow and see if any of the chairs had been broken up small enough to be used for fire wood.


"When I was little my mother told me the constellations tell stories. Well, to the Arjiki they do at least."

"In Glikin we have few such stories," Jem said thoughtfully, drawing her knees into her chest. "We use them for guidance I think and for travel. I don't suppose anyone ever gave much thought to them really." After all, you couldn't make money from star light.

"They remind me of home..."

"Really? Must be nice," she replied. A strand of material had worked itself loose from her hood and she yanked it out, wrapping the thread around her wrist.

"So. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into since we parted ways last?"

"Oh you know, the usual," Jem wave a hand lightly, looking down to her friend. "Got myself banned from the inn on the far side of Hable street," she grinned fondly at the memory. "Oh! And I met a friend of yours - Emma I think it was. Heard you helped her bust out," Jem said lightly.

[♦ Nor Tigelaar]

"In Glikin we have few such stories,

"There are more stories from the Arjiki than I can ever hope to remember. And not even all of those are written in the stars. Just the major ones. The Yunamata and Scrow have stories too, but I don't know those." Nor traced a few constelations with her fingers before deciding to walk over and stand beneath Jem.

We use them for guidance I think and for travel. I don't suppose anyone ever gave much thought to them really"

She focused on the brightest star she could find. "We give a lot of thought to them. The highest features around are the Great Kells, and even then, those are only along the Eastern Border. With grasslands and deserts most of the time any direction you look all you can see is sky. A while ago you could look to the Western sky and see something else. Now it's just little glittering points."

"Oh you know, the usual,Got myself banned from the inn on the far side of Hable street,"

She rolled her eyes and shrugged, "You seem to be very proud of yourself for that."

"Oh! And I met a friend of yours - Emma I think it was. Heard you helped her bust out,"

Nor's eyes widened for a clock tick then quickly changed to a small grin. "Sure did. The guards are a bit sharper than when I got out though." She dropped her voice to just above a whisper.

[♦ Elphaba Thropp]

The cloak lifted slightly at the edges of her ankles with the wind blowing under it causing it to flap up and down lightly around the edges of them. In the shadows you couldn't tell that the skin there was green. That as exactly what Elphaba was going for- operating under the cover of night was something she did often because it kept her inconspicuous as she moved from place to place working. She remembered doing that when she had worked for the Underground. Others had the luxury of working by day and sleeping by night, but Elphaba was a thing of night, of darkness and of shadows. It especially irked her when she had fallen in love with Fiyero because working at night meant that she spent less time with him. The other Underground members probably had not been as stiffed for time with their own families because they could go out on a mission in the light of day and not have to worry about sticking out or someone remembering them because they had a verdigris problem. Oh well, it was the stack of cards the game of life had dealt her and she knew nothing else to do but to deal with it. The Degreenification process she'd gone through at the ball under Glinda's hand had been interesting, but it wasn't practical for day to day given it had taken almost three hours, a lot of makeup, and a lot of magic to turn Elphaba into a pale faced, raven haired vixen for the evening. Not to mention she had somewhat adjusted to the idea of being green throughout her life. She had thought that being normal was all she ever wanted, but that night she had discovered that perhaps it was a little more complicated than that. Perhaps being white skinned and beautiful wasn't all it was cracked up to be.

Elphaba was thinking through all of this as she sneaked along the section of Yellowbrick road that ran through central Oz. She had been scarfing out old warehouses and book stores in attempt to find another copy of La Vitae e Morte since Alvaro Mercader had confiscated hers and even though they were at least on speaking terms now he had never returned her books and that annoyed her more than anything given that the book she was searching for was very limited in edition now that all magic was banned. It had been an expensive and difficult book to find before the ban and now it was next to impossible. Some book collectors estimated there were only a hundred or so of those books in the entire world of Oz since Ozma had taken over and she had spent weeks searching for the first one and now she was going to have to find another?

Elphaba lifted her eyes when she heard whispered voices above her. She decided to see what the voices were about and caught sight of a brass and wooden ladder. Her fingers folded over the rungs of the ladder and she began to climb towards the top of the roof surreptitiously to avoid being noticed in case the persons on the top of the roof were unfriendly. She told herself she was just going to take a peek and then get back down. She got to the top however, and, to her shock, she recognized the voices and the people they belonged to. Jem and Nor! She thought about turning around and going back. Elphaba was not exactly the sort to be a social butterfly but... she couldn't resist coming onto the edge of the roof. "Hello." She said from the shadows, figuring that, because she was disguised in the darkness and her black cloak and could not yet be seen, she would definitely give them a little start.

[♦ Jemini Debark]

"We give a lot of thought to them. The highest features around are the Great Kells, and even then, those are only along the Eastern Border. With grasslands and deserts most of the time any direction you look all you can see is sky. A while ago you could look to the Western sky and see something else. Now it's just little glittering points."

"They are used for navigation I think, by trade ships.Own of my father's captain's had been in town and he tried to explain it to me," Jem frowned, trying to remember. Hearing Nor's last comment she grinned

"Elphaba again right? You know I met her!" She cried, whacking her palm to her forehead. "She's interested in some of the stuff I do and well, let's say she knows how to make an entrance." Jem winced at her shoulder, it had healed up pretty well - even better when Olavo had been given the chance to look at it. there was still a scar there though, then again she had just had to add it to the collection.

"You seem to be very proud of yourself for that."

"You would be too if you managed to escape, half naked with the inn keeper's daughter and her boyfriend telling you to call in on them in future," she replied ruefully "I never did get that shirt back," she added as an after thought.

Admittedly, she was not meant to be here. Glinda would have a fit if she found out just what her latest charity project got up to in her time off. The ball had been an... interesting experience to say the least. Her gown! Well that had been fabulous and a good hair wash did have its advantages. Unfortunately it came coupled with the unending fear of discovery. Had she have said one word out of line, giving one inkling of who she was then the whole night could have been a disaster. The food had been good though.

"Sure did. The guards are a bit sharper than when I got out though."

"You're telling me - nearly gave me a heart attack getting her out of this area, Mercader does not like to be messed with," Jem said seriously. "Oh then, kind of forgot this part, but I got shot. Yeah, not to fun. But fine now thanks," she grinned half heartedly.

Stretching out again she heard a noise from behind her

"Hello,"

The greeting sent her jumping high in the air, causing her to loose her balance and smash down onto the woman beneath her. Groaning, she looked down, blondish hair had worked it's way out of her tie.

"Thanks for breaking my fall," she groaned down to Nor, their bodies now pressed together against the floor. She rolled over, winded.

"Who's there?" She choked upwards.

[♦ Nor Tigelaar]

"They are used for navigation I think, by trade ships.Own of my father's captain's had been in town and he tried to explain it to me,"

"I've heard of that, although I don't know how they use the stars to do it." Nor shrugged and leaned back on the heels of her palms. "I think they use these things called astrolabes and sextants. And charts of the night sky at different times of year."

"Elphaba again right? You know I met her!""She's interested in some of the stuff I do and well, let's say she knows how to make an entrance."

She perked up at that, which sent a spider that had been traversing her arm scuttling off into the recessed shadows. "Really now. She definitely has a way of getting a certain reaction out of people."

"You would be too if you managed to escape, half naked with the inn keeper's daughter and her boyfriend telling you to call in on them in future,""I never did get that shirt back,"

"You escaped with the innkeeper's daughter...and you're irked that you lost the shirt you were wearing?" Nor cocked an eyebrow incredulously then shook her head.

"You're telling me - nearly gave me a heart attack getting her out of this area, Mercader does not like to be messed with,"

"It's the regular Gale Forcers you have to worry about too --not just the high ranking ones that hang around with Mercader. They're crawling all over the city. Looking for " Nor recalled seeing several more over the past weeks than she had noticed in times before. Though it could just be her paranoia. After a beat she remembered her encounter with the Captain of the Guard. "I met Mercader. He caught me as I was finishing up grafittiing over in the City Centre...so I dumped the last of my paint on him. In an odd twist of events he ended up buying a loaf of bread for me. I know this sounds sacrilegious and absurd but I sort of like him. He reminds me of my father...and not just because he's the Captain of the Guard." She turned her attention to the moon for a moment.

"Oh then, kind of forgot this part, but I got shot. Yeah, not to fun. But fine now thanks,"

"Sweet Lurline!" She jumped slightly. The prospect of anyone she liked getting shot horrified her to no end. The mental image of her mother and aunts cropped up again, but a few hard blinks dissapated the image.

Hello,

Before she could react she found herself being crushed beneath a very frantic Jem. Her head was vaguely sore from where she thwacked it against the roof.

"Thanks for breaking my fall,"

"Glad to be of service." Nor rolled her eyes, then blushed at how that could be taken considering the fact that Jem was sprawled on top of her. She caught her breath a moment after her companion rolled off of her, then sat up to peer around. The shadows from where she was worked to their mysterious intruder's advantage though as she couldn't make out anything from the direction the voice had come from.

[♦ Elphaba Thropp]

Elphaba had not been present, in her life, for a great many events that made her want to giggle. Giggling was something that she in general didn’t do. She considered it to be strictly reserved for those mindless idiots who were high society girls from the Gillikin such as Glinda and her friends back at Shiz had been.

The truth was, Elphaba had had very few things happen to or around her that were worth laughing about and every day laughing had gotten a little bit harder. Finding things that made her truly happy after the loss of Fiyero had become next to impossible and finally she had given up trying altogether. Elphaba had come to terms with the fact that she was enough of a freak that her life just wasn’t meant to be enjoyable. Perhaps this was why when good things happened to her she looked on them as someone looks on someone offering them a million dollars, “Okay… what’s the real catch here? Where’s the fine print. That was how Elphaba often found out what good things did happen to her. Where was the fine print that was going to come in and destroy what little happiness she’d managed to eek out for her existence in the world. However, occasionally, rarely, she saw something truly entertaining and standing at the edge of the roof in her black cloak, disguised by all the swaths of thick material from being recognized, she saw one event that she would be sure not to forget for a long time. In calling out to the two instantly recognizable people, she hadn’t been attempting, believe it or not, to scare them senseless- just to get their attention.

It was definitely a successful venture! Her shout caused Jem to leap and fall, smashing Nor to the ground and they both laid there with limbs tangled for quite a few seconds before anyone moved and Elphie began to wonder if they were alright before it finally was apparent that no serious damage had been done. Thanks for breaking my fall. Elphaba smirked in wry amusement. It sounded like something she might have said once upon a time. Finally she decided to put the two of them out of their “misery” and stepped forward in her cloak.

“Elphaba Thropp.” She responded, smirking at the surprise the two were about to get.

[♦ Jemini Debark]

"I've heard of that, although I don't know how they use the stars to do it." "I think they use these things called astrolabes and sextants. And charts of the night sky at different times of year."

There was a very young part of Jem that wanted to snort at the word 'sextants', but then what kind of a conversation would they be having? Instead she settled for a shrug. "Probably, it all sounded a bit complicated to me,"



"You escaped with the innkeeper's daughter...and you're irked that you lost the shirt you were wearing?"

"Hey!" She objected "Pretty girls are ten a penny, good shirts are not," She pulled roughly at her current one. A thread count lower than the IQ of a rock and it was, quite frankly, a disgusting colour. But beggars couldn't be choosers and at least it fit her.

I met Mercader. He caught me as I was finishing up grafittiing over in the City Centre...so I dumped the last of my paint on him. In an odd twist of events he ended up buying a loaf of bread for me. I know this sounds sacrilegious and absurd but I sort of like him. He reminds me of my father...and not just because he's the Captain of the Guard.

"Wait, wait, wait - you dumped paint on him and he brought you bread? Remind me next time to carry a bucket around with me," she smirked, kicking her heels together lightly. "And fathers all have one thing in common, they are male and older than you. So I suppose he is a bit like your father,"


"Glad to be of service."

She nodded as she tried to regain her breath. A shooting pain made it's way from her shoulder upwards and she grasped her head. Her mind was spinning as she gasped for air. After a few seconds the moment past and her heartbeat returned to normal.

“Elphaba Thropp.”

"Elphaba?" She asked in a rasping laugh "Remind me never to be around any tall buildings with you, whenever we met there always seems to involve falling somehow," She sat cross-legged, looking up at the newcomer "Give a girl a bit of warning next time ay?"

She blinked the tears back and out of her eyes, it wouldn't do to show weakness to these ladies.

[♦ Nor Tigelaar]

"Probably, it all sounded a bit complicated to me,"

"I can't imagine why." She intoned sarcastically.

"Hey!" "Pretty girls are ten a penny, good shirts are not,"

Nor's expression darkened momentarily and she hissed. "Don't objectify anyone."

Clothing was made to serve a function; people (and Animals) were not. It bothered Nor that young girls would run around trying to attract attention of a certain nature. 'And what about the girls who don't cost a cent and didn't want to anyway?' she wanted to ask in a biting tone, but kept the thought to herself.

"Wait, wait, wait - you dumped paint on him and he brought you bread? Remind me next time to carry a bucket around with me," "And fathers all have one thing in common, they are male and older than you. So I suppose he is a bit like your father,"

"It probably won't work. I'm just insane...torture can do that sort of thing to a person." She shrugged, rolled her neck with a satisfying crack, "My father disappeared when I was two, so it's just the memory of him that Mercader reminds me of. And other things as well but it would take too long to explain why. At least in my mind there's a connection of sorts. Then again, I wouldn't trust my own mind at times."

“Elphaba Thropp.”

"Elphaba?""Remind me never to be around any tall buildings with you, whenever we met there always seems to involve falling somehow," "Give a girl a bit of warning next time ay?"

"Auntie Witch." She smiled, using the old monicker for Elphaba from when she had first met her years ago. Old habits die hard she supposed.