The height of summer had passed over the Land of Oz and the choking heat that it brought slowly died a little more each day, the creep of autumn was quick to stalk its heels leaving its presence in the twilight hours.  This was Oz, a land of wonder and magic, full of light and people.  However, often the brightest light cast the darkest shadows.  Even the shining Emerald City could not escape this; the dual nature of the city was evident, for every bright building and affluent family living within the heart of the city there were a dozen or more shacks and families in squalor laying in the outskirts.  The Wizard himself was perhaps the pinnacle dichotic example, so many citizens of Oz believed him to be a benevolent and wise leader while those who opposed his rule saw the darker nature and subsequent punishment of their self-imposed ruler, the scattered refugee Animals of Oz seeing the brunt of this dark hand.<br/><br/>Yet there were still those that chose to stand and fight, working to overthrow the Wizard’s influence. As small in number and power as they were they are a dedicated lot, strict on the secrecy of their own identities … they do not even know the true face of their own comrades.  A sad but necessary measure for if one of them were to be captured their cause would be safe, even under torture you cannot confess what you do not know.<br/><br/>Here we have one such figure, an anonymous body in a crowd.<br/><br/>The faceless shade ducked out of the crowded alley and made her way into the equally as clogged street, pulling the black cloak tighter around her bony frame. She was anything but inconspicuous, what with the natural green hue of her flesh, so secreting around the city was extra difficult for one such as herself - well.. when anyone bothered to pay attention. One can suppose that Elphaba was relatively safe in that respect - who paid attention to a single bent figure walking among the throng of people? Surely it was just an aging hag out on her own daily business, ashamed of her own twisted and age-wrecked body.<br/><br/>With her head ducked forward incredibly long tendrils of black silken hair tumbled out of the deep hood, a bright green hand momentarily appearing to snatch the troublesome threads away before returning back under the security the folds offered. No, this was no place to be caught at now and the tall figure ducked away, weaving through the crowd.