Author's Note: Hey guys! So this is going to be a bigger and more personal project fic for me so this is going to get a lot of my dedication most of the time. Expect references to many things as well! If you have any questions about anything in the fic, feel free to ask in a review or a PM and I shall clear things up. Without further ado, let's get started!
~Shane/Vision.

"Each Leaf Plays a Note in the Symphony of Autumn."

Elphaba

Autumn in Oz has always been an unusually warm season. Some dub it the 'Second Summer'; others call it the 'Hell Season' due to the incredible fall in temperature once winter comes knocking on Oz's door to bare its bitter teeth. To Elphaba Thropp, autumn is an extension for her to exercise her artistic skills further, seeking out how she can blend and contrast the fiery colours of the leaves with the glaring light of the sun sitting on its cool cerulean blanket of sky or how each facial expression of her fellow peers differ from one another; some full of dread and bleary and others feeling enthusiastic and alert. To Elphaba Thropp, autumn is a two way season and like Marmite, you either love it or you hate it.

Elphaba observes the environment surrounding her, cherishing every minor detail in memory to see what stands out for her to sketch. Some leaves have already begun to fall from the trees, laying crisply on the ground and waiting for their companions to accompany them. The campus of Shiz University is filled with students engaging in conversations or occupying themselves with settling back in before the semester starts; some are rushing to and from their cars to refill their dorm rooms with work and possessions and of course, the new batch of freshman students gazing at the astonishing architecture of the buildings as they attempt to clumsily navigate their way around campus. Apart from the initial loud laughter, squeals of delight and simple chatter, Elphaba feels a sense of content.

She considers a flurry of words to describe the scene; lively, spellbinding and… nauseating?

"Nessa, could you please stop twirling around me? I'm surprised that you're making me dizzy." She pleads, her face contorting into a grimace as her fingers push her glasses further up the bridge of her nose.

The girl beside her obediently halts to fall into step with Elphaba, walking along the path towards a dormitory building, her hands gracefully swinging by her side. At first glance, the average person would not even begin to think that Elphaba and Nessarose Thropp were related- or siblings to be more specific; the former having her obsidian hair stop short of her shoulder blades and never succumbed to new styles, her facial features sharp with gloriously high cheekbones, a strong jawline to boot and her chin always slightly jutted out whereas the latter came across reminiscent that of a 19th century porcelain doll, her face more rounded and a less prominent jawline and chin causing her features to appear much softer with her chestnut brown hair either kept in a bun or a loose ponytail.

The only thing that threw people off was Elphaba's deep emerald skin, as vibrant as summer leaves that cluster together on trees that stand tall and proud.

Silence bestows over them, walking with their faces looking ahead and once in awhile one of them casts a glance to the other in a feeble attempt to read the emotion painted on their faces. Elphaba's strides are wider, she gains an advantage of walking slightly further ahead of Nessarose to guard her face from her sister's ponderings about what she could possibly be thinking or feeling. She believes it's too much of a hassle to explain new ideas for sketches, Elphaba assumes that Nessa wouldn't understand some of the jargon that spills from her mouth; after all, Nessarose isn't attending Shiz as an artist, she's attending as a gymnast and dancer.

Shiz University of the Arts encourages their students to embrace their dreams. They cater for any young person who wishes to pursue a career in which they want to express themselves in any way; through pictures, writing, films, music and their bodies. Each facility is up to its highest standard to provide the best education for anyone and everyone. Shiz University embraces the uniqueness in each person that passes through its doors.

Elphaba could boast about how she's possibly one of Shiz's most unique students, not only for her Verdigris appearance but also for her outstanding artistic abilities that span out in much of the field; painting, photography and illustration to name a few. She always had a thought that people would resent her for her work and begin to throw insults including slurs about her skin but no, students and teachers alike at Shiz respect Elphaba Thropp as a person and as an artist. So to speak, she was the Shiz University's Art Department's pride and joy, the epitome of so called perfection. But Elphaba Thropp is far from perfect as her peers make her out to be, everyone has flaws and that's what makes a person shine- they learn from their flaws to keep on going and improving. Little does she know that Shiz University appreciates her determination to prove that there is more to her than her skin and skills.

"Have you submitted the request for a roommate yet, Fabala?" Nessa feels obliged to ask, in fear that the silence has cast an awkward atmosphere between the siblings.

"Yes Nessie, I have." Elphaba replies, proceeding to bite a fingernail in thought, "Although, I'm unsure when administration will get back to me. They prioritise rooming freshman students together before they begin to help others chop and change for the year, I'm not complaining though, the lack of company is what I ideally prefer and no distractions are usually best when I'm drawing."

Nessa dramatically throws her hands on her hips, "So what, are you saying that Boq and I are going to be nuisances when we visit you some evenings?" a smirk slyly crawls its way onto her lips.

"No Nessa, I didn't mean you or Boq." Elphaba retaliates, her sister opens her mouth to bite back but she immediately stops her, "Nor the others either for that matter. I just appreciate the tranquillity of having a room to myself but the University insists I have a roommate because it promotes how everyone here 'gets along well with each other'."

"I suppose that's fair then." Nessa shrugs in agreement.

Silence threatens to loom over once more but is chased away when another person meanders past people towards Elphaba and Nessa. It's Boq. His eager wave and optimistic energy can always be spotted from a mile away; he increases the pace with a bounce in his step. Nessa runs forth to throw herself into her boyfriend's arms and Boq lifts her up, spinning his girlfriend around several times.

Elphaba rolls her eyes but the gesture fails to go unnoticed by Boq as he sets his girlfriend back down on her feet, "It's nice to see you too El." He greets in a teasing manner.

Another roll of the eyes and Elphaba returns the greeting, "Likewise Boq. I think Professor Diggs still hasn't forgiven us for the stunt we pulled last semester, I enquired about what projects are going on this year and he was quick to answer that there will be no mixed subject projects going on."

Boq chuckles, his hand moving to rub the back of his neck which is already showing signs of a red tint, "Ah yes, but he did mention to push the boundaries though."

"I don't think he meant holding an expedition of my photographs of him being photoshopped into cryptids Boq! Still, we had the highest grades in the class for taking "scare the pants off of me" literally." Elphaba shakes her head lightly at the memory.

"I thought self-proclaimed Wizards weren't supposed to get scared?"

"No, that's just a tale. He only calls himself a 'Wizard' because he's a wiz at his profession. Honestly Boq, you should be thankful you didn't choose to take Art, the amount of puns are beginning to drive me insane." Elphaba cringes.

Another chuckle flies past Boq's mouth, "Ouch, good luck with that." He turns to the younger Thropp, "Shall I escort you to your gymnastics training Ness?" Boq offers with his unique charm to cause his girlfriend to giggle bashfully.

Nessa grins, taking her boyfriend's hand, "Of course, I'd love that."

Elphaba crosses her arms, huffing at the sickly sweet display of affection, "I'll see you both later then?" she insists.

"So you do want us to visit?" Nessa quirks an eyebrow at her older sibling.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do, considering we should celebrate for you finally becoming a college student." Without another word and only a wave, Elphaba sets off, the conversation of her sister explaining to Boq about their earlier joke of nuisances in the dorm room fading further away.

She checks the time on her phone and it's merely three. Elphaba ponders the option of going somewhere peaceful to appreciate the outdoors or to retreat to her dorm room and grumble complaints to herself about the lack of inspiration. She spins on her heel to make a beeline for the old oak tree outside the Performing Arts building, the former option it is then.

The urge to bark at freshman with no sense of direction peaks at the back of Elphaba's throat; she forgets how bothersome some people can be when she has to be the one to avoid getting in their way. Wasn't everyone taught manners by their parents or were they raised be imbecilic? She remarks. Dodging and weaving through people who clearly cannot walk any faster, Elphaba notes that by the time she reaches the tree she could possibly sign up for the Boxing club.

A soft and fluid melody of a piano fills the air surrounding an open window of a building directly opposite the tree. There must be a dance practice going on- specifically ballet if classical music is the top pick. Elphaba decides that she can live with the small distraction as she hauls herself onto the first branch that can hold her weight and she shifts into a comfortable position- left leg pulled against her chest to act as support for her sketchbook while her right leg dangles lazily. She studies the canopy of leaves above her that shade her from the afternoon sun, and with a pencil sitting in her right hand Elphaba searches for inspiration.

Glinda

Her delicate hand inches further up her leg to meet her pointed toes that rest on the wooden bar. Glinda feels the pops her back elicit as she stretches; she stifles a tired yawn, whoever thought of the idea that waking up early for dance practice was a good idea should burn in Hell, but by the end of the day it was usually worth clocking in the extra hours.

Glinda's face scrunches up as she feels the sudden ache in her leg and retreats it down beside the other, she folds forward to touch her toes, holds the pose for several seconds and straightens back up again, ignoring the slam of the double doors of the dance studio.

The clacking of heels echo from the polished wooden floor to the bright white washed walls that are illuminated by the late autumn sun. Glinda watches the leaves glow under the rays, her head tilting to the side in admiration and she misses her cue to turn towards the sound coming from the front of the room.

"Girls, may I have your attention please!" a woman calls, gaining all but one facing her, "The administration have given me the class roster and we have a fairly good influx of new students joining us, because of this, I am positive that the University will increase our funds for a much better production at the end of the school year."

A small wave of cheering and clapping ignite the room, except for one.

The woman continues, "In addition, I have appointed the new head girl of the class following Milla's unexplained leave of absence. So I pray that Glinda will do a much better job for this year." Her voice raises slightly to capture Glinda's attention.

The petite dancer's expression remains neutral; her eyebrows slightly knit together, "Are you sure I should be the one Madame Morrible?"

"I have the utmost faith in you dear. You can make Shiz University proud." Morrible says sincerely, "Now, does anyone know why Milla had to leave so abruptly?"

Another girl- Pfannee- replies, "Her parents pulled her out Madame. I hear she's attending community college now."

Morrible is taken aback, "How absurd, she was a fine dancer and she had so much potential. I suppose we can't all have our way, you girls resume your practice. I need to finalize the class roster."

Glinda wanders over to the window, the low whispers she hears ask for reasons why Milla's parents pulled her out. Her back faces the majority, hiding her expression of sympathy for her friend.

"Her parents found out about her affair with a female teacher last semester." She murmurs for her ears only, staring back up at the clusters of leaves hanging onto the tree's thinner branches. Her hands are limp by her sides, her fingertips itch for an occupation.

She watches a single leaf fall from the branch's grasp, dancing gracefully in the air with the sunshine as its spotlight before landing elegantly on the ground. Glinda wonders if Milla would have continued to pursue ballet at community college, it sickens Glinda that her dear friend's parents wouldn't have minded if their daughter had an affair with a male teacher- they had been quick to pull her out once 'Miss' slipped from Milla's mouth accidentally. Poor Milla, she was that leaf, plucked from the branch and was waiting to be stepped on countless of times without care. Glinda heaves a sigh and spins around to begin work on a new routine, sending a small prayer Milla's way and the decision of what she could eat for dinner playing on her mind once she returns to her dorm room from practice.

Elphaba

Elphaba's pencil twirls between her slender fingers and her tongue clicks in annoyance. The glare of her TV is dim and the hum of its sound fills the rest of the room, she casts a glance towards her window- it's open to allow the room to breathe but alas, the wind doesn't want to make an appearance yet. Despite her skin being a green pigment, her cheeks glow pink- Elphaba must have caught a bit of the sun walking back to her dorm after several attempts of sketching falling leaves.

"I think I need a break." She mumbles to herself, leaning back on her bed which moans with age.

An arm reaches over and snatches the cup of ramen from its place on Elphaba's bedside table. She stabs her fork around a few times before bringing it up to her mouth and slurping up the noodles which string around the utensil, her stomach grumbles in satisfaction and Elphaba resumes eating her meal, her attention only half fixated on the TV. She scowls, wishing to change the channel but the remote control is over on her desk and Elphaba admits to herself that she is too lazy to get up and retrieve it.

She sets the now empty cup of ramen back on the bedside table after drinking the remains.

"Knock, knock!" There are three raps at the door before it opens and Boq peeks his head inside, grinning at the sight of his green friend sprawled out on the bed with a tragically bored expression, he opens it wider and waltzes in, followed by Nessa who shuts the door behind her and walks over to sit on Elphaba's desk chair.

"I thought you two weren't coming, thought I offended you by saying how bothersome you are." Elphaba teases, aiming the joke specifically at Nessarose.

Boq smirks and retorts, "Well, I guess you don't want this then." He throws a book onto Elphaba's bed.

Upon seeing the title and the book cover, Elphaba frantically scrambles towards it- knocking her sketchbook to the floor in the process. Wide eyed, she clutches the new object in her hands and almost screams in delight. A crooked but meaningful smile finally appears on her face.

"The L.A. BB Murder Cases!" she cries in delight, "Boq, how did you find it?"

Nessa is the next to pipe up, "He found it while we were in that geeky shop you guys frequently visit. Apparently it was the last one in stock, it's lucky Boq checks the manga section thoroughly."

Elphaba remembers to breathe and settles back onto the bed, examining the book in her hands, her fingers skimming over the lettering on the front cover and then down the spine, "Wow. You don't know how much this means to me, another part of my life is complete. I don't think I'll be putting this down for days until I finish reading it. Boq, how will I ever repay you?"

"There's no need for a repayment El. Consider it a gift. I felt bad after buying Nessa something so I thought we'd check the shop to see what they had, and this was something we both knew you would love." Boq laughs, his eyes fall to the sketchbook, narrowing suspiciously, "Elphaba, have you been drawing your half eaten ramen again?"

Hearing the question Nessa groans, turning her attention towards the TV and braces impact for another long winded answer from her sister.

"As a matter of fact Boq my boy, I haven't. I've already eaten and there's no point to drawing an empty cup of ramen now, is there?"

"That is true I have to say. Although I heard that you spent most nights in your freshman year drawing ramen? I'm sure Avaric told me you rocked up to your Art class with dark circles under your eyes and several sketches of different cups of ramen because they were different flavours."

"Avaric told you that! I told them to keep it between us but I suppose going through a… ninja… phase wasn't going to go unnoticed."

Nessa's eyes narrow at the comedic duo, "You both are complete nerds you know that?"

"Oh contraire my dear Nessie," Boq replies in a sing song tone, "You should be grateful that we're not the type of nerds to tuck our t-shirts into our trousers or sit inside all day to weirdly fantasize about fictional characters as we read cheesy fanfiction, shovelling cheap chips and soda into our systems."

A shudder sends its way up Nessarose's back, causing her to slump further into the chair in disgust at Boq's description, "Yes, I guess I am grateful." She mutters lowly.

As the clock ticks eleven, Boq suggests to a sleepy looking Nessa that they should leave, along with Elphaba's unintelligible grumbling about how tired she is. The trio spent most of the night laughing at memories and engaged in small but still interesting conversations with the TV providing background noise. Elphaba stands albeit wearily to open the door for the couple and they soon shuffle tiredly out, heading towards their dorm room where sleep is beckoning them.

Elphaba locks the door and runs a hand through her hair; she decides that sleep is also the best option for her. The drawer slides open and green hands hastily pull out an old white t-shirt and blue shorts for Elphaba to sleep in; minutes later she discards her clothing worn earlier in the day onto the floor, flicking the light off in the process and washing the room in darkness.

Elphaba flings herself onto the bed and allows herself to drift off into a long, dreamless slumber.