Glinda was just about to embrace death when the coughing stopped and Elphaba insulted her exterior - sadly, it was rightfully. She could literally feel the smudged make up at the corner of her eyes (it was like she had a special sense for this) and the fine layer of ash on her skin and hair. The moment she moved her head, ash rained onto Elphaba, so she tried to keep steady.<br/><br/>She looked at the green-gray skin before her and - with a small pout (but a nice one) - she responded: "Well, not like you're looking fresh out of the shower--" she stopped herself short as realized the irony of that statement - Elphaba! In a shower! For some reason, this seemed unbelievable funny to her and she started spluttering with laughter for a split second. A moment later, she realized the mistake and quickly clasped her hand over her mouth - so as to not be too loud (as promised). However, her already smudged eyes filled with more tears - but this time they were from the suppression of laughter.<br/><br/>The release, suppressed or not, was needed: Quite suddenly, all awkwardness had fallen off her and she felt rather well here on top of Elphaba - with a hint of old times coming back at her. The scent of oil from Elphaba's skin was there again, though laced with smoky ashes, as well as the little air of blunt honesty that Elphaba used to fling everywhere so shamelessly - she remembered how much she had missed that and now it was there again for just this moment. They were just two school girls who had come to friendship through unbearable amounts of mutual loathing,<em>Ga</em>linda and Elphie.<br/><br/>And to make things even better, Elphaba had not only tried to heroically save her from the attack of lung-killing ashes, but been holding her by the hips as if to steady her, though the contact hadn't last for very long. An important message had arrived<em>nonretractably</em>, though: There was the care there, still, the care for friendship, the care she, at the beginning, had only held for Nessa and only casually extended to other people, first of all G(a)linda. Within this blueish-cold exterior there was good old leaf-green Elphie - and it turned out that that one couldn't hide after all.<br/><br/>A spark of happiness filled Glinda's heart, but having her hand still clasped over her mouth to tearfully suppress her laughter, she couldn't quite show it.