"You're wearing that?"

Glinda eyed the black pointed hat suspiciously wondering if Elphie was trying to punish her for playing such a cruel trick. Or worse, because she liked the hideodeous thing.

"What's wrong with it? I think it suits me."

Oh Oz. She did like it. Even worse, she felt like it matched her personality. Which wasn't really that ugly. Or sharp. Or dreadful. Well, maybe it could be sometimes. She was hot headed and quick to assume and maybe just a little, okay- a lot, dreary, "But, but, Elphie. It sticks out like a sore thumb."

"So do I," her words weren't even bitter. Her appearance was one that she'd learned to tolerate a long time ago. Maybe that's why she never saw the hat as ugly. It was different, just like she was. Though Elphaba knew that there wasn't any good in most people, she'd foolishly assumed that the hat was a gift when Galinda- no, Glinda now- had given it to her.

She only accepted it because nobody else had ever given her a gift.

"But the hat, it's different. It's not like you."

"It's exactly like me, that's why I like it."

"But it's ugly."

Elphaba turned to her tenacious friend with an eyebrow arched slightly on her forehead. There was no need for her to say it aloud. It was obvious, especially to somebody as superficial as she was.

"Don't you dare say that! Don't even think it!"

Dark eyes fell away from the bright blue ones that almost looked like they would burst into tears. It was ridiculous how tedious Glinda could be but Elphaba imagined that had she been normal, had she been born with golden locks and shining blue eyes that she may well have been the same. The thought caused her to shudder slightly.

As much as she loathed her green skin, Elphaba had her limits.

"I don't know why you have to think that you're ugly. I don't know how many times I've told you that you're not. You're not ugly. You're just-"

"Green. Different. I stick out like a sore thumb and I like the hat. So can we just drop it?"

Now Glinda really did look like she was going to cry, "Sorry."

A slight groan slipped from Elphaba's lips and she reached up to remove the hat. There was no way that she was going to be able to tolerate the entire ride to the Emerald City while listening to Glinda spout off reasons why she wasn't ugly or why the hat was uglier, "There. Happy?"

"Why'd you take it off?" Glinda pouted, reaching out to take the hat from Elphaba's hands. She examined it with a disgusted look for only moments before placing it back on her friend's head.

"I thought you just said it was ugly."

"Yes, it is. But now you have hat hair," she said exaggeratedly, "and you can't go to the Emerald City with hat hair."

Elphaba smiled and then chuckled slightly before it quickly dissolved into the unozly cackle that she could never contain. She wasn't sure if it was the flushed look of embarrassment of Glinda's face or the notion of what it was like to be a girl – concerned with things like fashion and hat hair.

When the cackling finally stopped, Glinda's posture straightened and she eyed Elphaba warily, "Feel better now?"

Elphaba nodded, still smiling widely, "Yes."

It was weird for Glinda, seeing the other girl smile so genuinely. She reached out, gently adjusted the brim of the awful hat and smiled too, "Good."

-fin