Glinda had hit a wall.

Every session with Morrible lasted an hour, and while the headmistress had backed off a little after the day with the fire and ice spells, the time spent in her classroom or her office wasn't getting any better.

After she told them about Morrible's job offer, Glinda had stopped hiding from the boys. She walked with them around campus and sometimes they even convinced her to join them for meals, but she always ate little and said less. It wasn't even intentional. She was just…numb.

The only time she didn't feel like this anymore was when she was angry. But Morrible seemed to be biding her time, Nikidik had mostly backed off so he could focus on his curriculum, and Pfannee and her gang had started to avoid Glinda.

It felt like the beginning of the summer again, and if she forced herself to think about it, Glinda was terrified. So, naturally, she didn't think about it.

Then came one evening, when she was startled out of her misery by the rattling of her window.

Glinda rolled over, turning away from the window, and pulled the thin blanket tighter around her shoulders. It was getting too cold to only use Elphaba's old sheets, but she couldn't bring herself to drag her own blanket over to the bed.

The window rattled again, sharply. Glinda scowled and pushed herself up just in time to see a small rock hit the glass, making it sound for the third time. She wrapped Elphaba's blanket around her shoulders and crossed the room, opening the window and leaning out.

"There's a door, you know," she called down. Crope and Tibbett grinned up at her.

"You were a lot sweeter the last time we did this," Crope chided. She tried to glare, but something in his tone made it impossible.

"What do you want? And why are you throwing rocks at my window?"

"To get your attention, of course," said Tibbett, winking up at her. "Morrible was wandering around the front, so we had to get creative."

Glinda swallowed. Was Morrible patrolling the dorm now?

"Anyway," said Crope, drawing her attention back down to them. "We are here to request—"

"Demand—" Tibbett interrupted.

"—firmly request," Crope continued, elbowing him, "that you join us this weekend."

Glinda leaned her elbow on the windowsill and rested her chin in her hand. "Join you where?" she asked.

"Wherever you would like," Tibbett said. "Off campus, of course."

"Boq and Fiyero?"

"Will be joining us, and look forward to your presence."

Glinda bit her lip. "Do I have a choice?"

Both boys turned serious. Tibbett scratched the back of his neck and stared up at her. "Of course," he said. "We're not going to force you to do anything."

"Whatever your answer is, we respect it." Crope tossed the pebble he was holding behind him. "We just wanted to give you a chance to get away for a while."

A day away from campus, away from her half-empty room…away from Morrible. Slowly, Glinda nodded.

"Saturday?" she asked. The boys beamed, and their expressions alone almost made it worth it.

"No offense, Boq, but this all looks…really boring."

They were in the bookshop again. Boq scowled at Fiyero and turned back to the shelf he was studying.

Crope came around the corner and leaned on Fiyero's shoulder, studying the row of books in front of them. "What do you mean? You don't think…Agricultural Finances and Productivity is entertaining?" Both boys made a face, and Boq just glared harder.

Tibbett pulled a book down. "Yeah, this is pretty terrible. Why are you interested in this stuff?"

"I'm not," Boq grumbled. "But if my parents' farm doesn't start doing better, I'm going to have to go back to Munchkinland and help them."

Glinda froze. "You mean, you might have to leave Shiz? It's that bad?"

Boq didn't answer. She looked around at the others, who looked suspiciously unsurprised. "You…you all knew about this?"

"You would too, if you were ever around," Boq muttered.

"Easy," warned Fiyero. Glinda slumped against a shelf.

"Why do you need books on farming?" she asked softly.

"We're losing workers. The Wizard is raising taxes and screwing with import rates. Even if I come home, it's not going to help anything."

Glinda stepped forward and read some of the titles. "So you're researching."

"If we can find ways to be more efficient, maybe do something different with the bookkeeping…I don't know. There has to be something I can do." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "But for some absurd reason, almost every available book on farming is written by a Gillikinese person."

Fiyero frowned. "There aren't any Munchkin authors?"

"Of course not," said Boq.

"The bans," Glinda said quietly. "They're being taken off shelves, aren't they?"

"And probably being burned." Boq leaned forward so his head was resting against the shelf. "So I can't learn anything, which means I won't be able to help my family, which means I'll be leaving Shiz for nothing."

Glinda's brow furrowed. She watched him for a moment, thinking, then turned and walked out of the aisle. She returned a minute later and held out a thick, dusty to Boq.

"It's not a Munchkin author," she said. "And, I don't know, it might be outdated. But this guy is huge in architecture. He spent years researching all kinds of buildings and structures throughout Oz. This volume's on Munchkinland."

Boq stared down at the book, then took it and flipped through the yellowed pages. Glinda rubbed the back of her neck and shifted her weight from foot to foot.

"He spends at least a few chapters talking about different farming structures, how they've evolved over time, how they compare to each other and to other agricultural bases across…Oz…" She trailed off as Boq looked up at her. "I…don't know how much it'll actually help. But at least it's a fairly unbiased study…"

He shook his head, staring wide-eyed at her. "I don't know how much it'll help, either. But this is way better than anything I've found so far. Glinda, this is incredible. This is…" He flipped it over and looked at the tag sticking out between the pages. "…way beyond what I can afford."

Glinda snatched the book from his hands and started toward the front desk. Boq hurried after her.

"No. No way," he said. "Don't you dare buy that, Glinda. Don't waste your money on me."

"If it's for you, then it's not a waste of money," she said.

"Glinda, I mean it."

"So do I." She stopped and met his eyes. "Look, you were right. I haven't been around. You guys have been trying for months to take care of me, and I didn't even care enough to know you were dealing with this. I…I know this doesn't even begin to make up for that, but if I can help in any way, I want to."

Boq hesitated, and she took it as an opportunity to step away and head up to the counter to pay for the book. After a moment, he followed her. They left the store and went out to the street, where Glinda turned back to Boq. Their fingers brushed as she handed the book back to him. He paused, looking down at their hands.

"It's weird, isn't it?" he said quietly. "A year ago, I could barely string a sentence together around you. And now…"

"And now we're falling apart again," she whispered.

"No. Not falling apart." Boq grabbed her hand and squeezed. "Just…adjusting."

Glinda swallowed. Adjusting. "When Elphie and I first became friends, and then again when we were…realizing our feelings, I guess…we had to adjust. But I don't want to adjust again. Not if it's to a life without her."

Boq just looked thoughtful. "The two of you are meant to be together," he said. "All of us know it. Maybe it's not meant to be easy, but it is meant to be."

"For how long?" she asked. "Maybe we had our time. Maybe it's over for us."

"If I know anything about Elphaba Thropp, it's that nothing is ever over for her."

Glinda gave a tiny smile. "That's true. I…I guess you're right."

"Of course he is!" They looked up to see Crope leading the other two out of the store. "What is Boq right about?"

"That I've been an idiot," Glinda said.

Tibbett wrapped an arm around her and kissed her cheek. "Don't worry," he said, "At least you're an adorable idiot."

Glinda giggled. "Oz, I missed you guys."

"Believe us, Miss Glinda. The feeling is mutual."

Something changed after that weekend. It was small, but it was there.

The boys did their best not to notice, and Glinda didn't dare hope that it would last, but things did start to get better.

They were manageable, at least. She started eating meals with them again—actually eating and joining in the conversation, instead of just sitting there. She laughed at their jokes and listened to their stories and even told her own once in a while. It was a lovely distraction, and after particularly bad days, she found that griping about Morrible was a wonderful way to relieve stress.

She started studying with Boq again, and the two would spend hours in a corner of the library, working quietly or complaining about Nikidik or, once in a while, discussing all that was happening in Munchkinland.

"It's the Animals all over again," Glinda said one day. She tucked her pen into her notebook and stared out the window.

"And just like with the Animals, no one is going to do anything about it." Boq sighed and pushed back his hair. "Oz, most people don't even realize it."

"Elphaba did." Glinda ignored his stare and went on. "You and Elphaba realized this would happen months ago."

"Yes."

"Who's next?" she asked. "The Quadlings? The Vinkans? Is the Wizard going to keep destroying races until it's just the Gillikinese left?"

"I don't know," said Boq. "Does it even matter? Whatever terrible things he's planning, he'll get away with them."

Glinda faced him. "How…how can you say that?"

"What? It's not like we can do anything to stop him."

"You really believe that? After everything you did last year? After all that work, all that you risked?"

"And all that we lost? Yes. Yes I do." Boq slumped in his chair. "I believed in what Elphaba was doing. I thought, if there was a way to fix this, it was that research. But that was when it was just the Animals. That was when Dillamond was alive, and Elphie was still here. Now, it's all useless. Whatever chance we had was gone. The Wizard won against the Animals. He's winning against the Munchkins. He just…he wins. Every time, in every way."

"Then…then what is Elphaba doing?" Glinda met his gaze. "If there's no hope, why is she still fighting?"

"Because she's Elphaba," he sighed. "It's what she does."

"Why should she be the only one?"

Boq looked down at the table and stayed quiet for a long while. "I…don't want to leave Shiz," he said eventually. "You're right, of course. We shouldn't give up hope. But not all of us can pack up and leave in the middle of the night to go storm the Emerald City. Sometimes we're just stuck in one place, and there's not much we can do."

Glinda stayed silent. She didn't want to admit he was right. But what could Boq do if he was forced to go back to Munchkinland? What could Fiyero do when he eventually became the leader of his people and was forced to put them first? What could Crope and Tibbett do?

What could she do, stuck here at Shiz, then later in Frottica, playing the good girl, the proper aristocrat, the well-mannered socialite? Nothing.

"Glinda?"

She met his eyes again, but she couldn't think of anything to say. "Oz shouldn't be like this," she finally managed. Boq just sighed and nodded. She wasn't wrong, of course, but saying it didn't change anything.

Things worked a little differently when you didn't live in the underground.

Peric and Elphaba received missions from faceless agents lurking in shadowed corners or alleyways. They reported to various posts set up throughout the city—black market stalls, run-down taverns, small, low-lit chapels.

It was the last one that bothered Elphaba the most. With the utmost reluctance, she would follow Peric into the tiny stone chapels and kneel in a darkened corner before a statue or painting of some old saint.

The worst was when they were told to meet at a chapel of Saint Glinda. Elphaba would linger behind Peric and only half-listen as he reported the details of whatever mission they had just completed. She would stare up at the saint's icon, cursing her for having too-long hair, or a different shade of blue in her eyes, all the while being immensely grateful that she looked nothing like the Gillikinese girl who shared her name. More than once, Peric had to tug at her cloak or her braid to get her attention so they could leave.

The days passed as uneventfully as they could in their line of work. Getting out of the underground turned out to be good for Elphaba, and not just because the corn exchange was dryer. The change of scenery was apparently what her subconscious needed, and she began sleeping again without images of Glinda haunting her. There were still restless days, but she quickly learned that if she flew up to one of the windows on the second story, she could easily climb up onto the roof. From there, she could sit facing the north and allow her thoughts to drift across the miles.

She and Peric continued to work together flawlessly, and on their days off they worked around the corn exchange, gradually making it into a suitable living space. They cleaned out all the dust and arranged the crates and shelves into something that resembled furniture. Elphaba stacked a bunch of boxes in the corner to give Peric a high spot to make his nest. They borrowed a sorcery book from the underground, and Elphaba spent the better part of a weekend using magic to rebuild the staircase and make sure the second story was stable enough to walk on.

The wall around the elephant skull became a sort of shrine. Elphaba pushed a shelf up against it, beneath the skull, and covered it with belongings. There was an owl feather she had found on the ground—the same spotty brown pattern as Ayla—that she placed there. Next to it was a stack of the few pages left from Dillamond's research. She had found them scattered in odd places after the rest was destroyed, though most of them were too crumbled and worn to be read. There was also a spot for her mother's bottle, whose strange green glow complimented the looming elephant skull quite nicely.

Her hat hung near where she slept, along with the scarf Ama Clutch had made for her—at least, it would, if she ever took the scarf off. She spread her oils across a board near the straw and blankets she had made into her bed. Every once in a while she would realize how empty it looked without the countless containers of perfume and makeup beside them, and she would have to look away.

A couple weeks after they moved to the corn exchange, they returned from a mission just before dawn. Elphaba put her hand on the front door and paused. Peric glanced up at her, then hopped in a slow circle, looking around them.

"What is it?" he asked, staring up and down the street.

"I don't know." She looked up at one of the windows they had boarded up. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but for the first time she noticed a tiny gap in the corner. She met Peric's eyes, then slowly turned the door handle.

Elphaba held out her hand as soon as they stepped inside, and her broom flew out of its corner and to her. Peric stood beside her, his head low and his wings out, ready to fly, but there was no point.

"An impressive entrance," said a voice from the stairs. Malky stood and stretched, then hopped down and padded over to them. "How in Oz did you know I was here?"

Elphaba shut the door behind her and set the broom against the wall. "A feeling. You got in through the window?"

"Barely." Malky looked around. "You two did a good job fortifying this place. I trust it's been serving you well?"

"It has," said Peric. "Are we reporting to you tonight?"

Malky's eyes gleamed up at them. "Thievery. Destruction of property. A warning to those who oppose us. You've done this routine dozens of times now. I already know how it went, don't I?"

"Then why are you here?" Elphaba asked. Peric looked at her, a warning in his eyes, but she ignored it. "You obviously came here for a reason. If it's not for a report, what is it?"

Malky tilted his head to the side, his whiskers twitching. "Asking questions can be dangerous. You still haven't learned that, have you, Fae?"

"Oh, I have," said Elphaba. "I just choose to ignore it sometimes. Like now, when you break into our house and stall instead of giving us an explanation."

"Fae…"

"No, it's alright," said Malky. His tail flicked back and forth. "I can see why Dillamond thought so highly of you. He also refused to follow our rules."

"He was a scholar, not a soldier," Elphaba said. "He believed that there was a peaceful way to make things right in Oz, and that's what he worked for."

"And you? Do you still believe there is a peaceful way?"

Malky studied her, his gaze unwavering. Elphaba crossed her arms over her chest and looked down.

Peric shifted next to her and hopped forward. "Enough. Fae is right. Why did you seek us out?"

"I have a new assignment for you."

"Another big one?" Peric asked. Malky lowered his head.

"It will require preparation. You will need to plan this out carefully."

"Sounds easy enough," Elphaba said, smirking down at Peric. He clicked his beak, eyes gleaming.

"You will need a third person."

They both stared back at Malky. "Who?" Elphaba asked. The Cat simply watched them, his tail flicking back and forth.

"Ah." Peric ruffled his wings a little. "It makes sense now."

Elphaba picked up her broom and wandered further into the room. "So what are we doing?"

"Have either of you heard of the Emerald Gold Towers?"

She paused and turned back to face him. "That big, fancy bank near the palace?"

Malky nodded. "It's personally endorsed by the Wizard. And we're going to rob it."