How It All Goes Down
- Frex and Elphaba have another discussion (borderline argument) about Nessa.
- Frex still wants Elphaba to stay and help Nessa, but Elphaba refuses to be beholden to Nessa for the rest of her life:
"I won't be lectured to by my daughter."
"Well, I won't be lectured by you about my everlasting duties to Nessa." (4.3.6.13-4) - Elphaba notices that lots of Munchkinlanders are wearing little straw man pins.
- Frex explains that the straw man is a pagan symbol that has made a comeback because of the drought.
- They talk about Turtle Heart, and Elphaba learns that both Frex and Melena were in love with him and kind of shared him in a way. A bit kinky there.
- She finally parts from Frex frustrated, because, as Turtle Heart's likely daughter, Nessarose would always mean more to Frex than Elphaba.
- Elphaba then goes to see Nessa and tries to talk to her about Madame Morrible and the spell.
- Nessa brushes her off and tells her to stop being paranoid.
- Elphaba is clearly the Fox Mulder of this book:
"She tried to seduce us into a secret service for an unknown master. I'm not inventing this, Nessie." - "She knew how to get to you, obviously, by appealing to your sense of conspiracy. I don't remember such alluring nonsense." (4.3.6.59-60)
- Elphaba tries to talk to Nessa about the Animals, but Nessa changes the subject with a story about how she's learned some techniques to help her feel phantom limbs:
"You know, if you slapped yourself around, spiritually speaking," said Nessarose, "you might develop a phantom soul, or something that felt like one." (4.3.6.78) - Elphaba brushes Nessa off this time and tells her to step up and be a real leader in Munchkinland.
- The two part as frenemies: Nessa promises to pray for Elphie's soul and Elphaba promises to wait for those sparkly shoes.