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Noctua slipped through the shadows of Destiny City, by and large, unseen. There was occasionally the odd man or woman with an exceptionally sharp eye who would catch glimpses of her, but she paid them no mind, merely pulling the hood further over her face despite the heat of the summer. And despite the sweat running down her back, she kept the shroud wound tightly around her slender frame.

She had skipped therapy this week, citing that she would rather sleep. Of course, her concerned parents called Dr. Stevens right away, elated that their daughter was voluntarily choosing to sleep. What would they say if they knew that she had spent the day lying motionless in bed, staring at her ceiling until her vision transmuted and eventually faded into shadows? They had been so happy and proud of her "breakthrough." And in the end, she didn't have the heart to tell them the truth -- that she was afraid of what would happen to her if she actually got better.

Noctua paused on her stride, gaze fixated purposefully on the ground before her. It was a thought that raised its head without her permission. An idea that she hadn't known existed within her until he twisted around her heart and her throat and her stomach. She clutched her robe higher around her birdcage chest and tried to ignore the panicked thrumming of her heart against the bars of her chest. She needed something, anything to occupy her mind and her body.

The local convenience store answered her prayers.

Harsh fluorescent lights assaulted her pale blue eyes, causing her to retreat further into her robe. There were no shadows to hide in here, but the attendant paid her no more mind than they would another teenager who wandered in at this late hour. She left with a coke slushie in hand and over quota as the attendant slumped over the counter without taking her money. After that she followed her feet, aimlessly wandering around the city until she caught wind of a familiar aura. One she had not felt in a long time. Too long.

Noctua ignored the fluttering in her stomach as she followed the feeling across town until she stopped a few paces behind the only senshi -- maybe the only other person aside from Benitoite -- whom she counted as a friend in this life.

"May I join you," she asked gently, knowing that Meridiana would feel Noctua long before she spoke.

Noctua shrugged, trying to dismiss how that question hit her. She flopped down unceremoniously next to her friend and sipped on her straw. Meri hadn't meant the question to be loaded, but it always was for Noctua. It was never as simple for Noctua as "well" or "not well." And normally she'd censor herself to accomodate for the fact that most people weren't ready for her reality.

But she trusted Meri. More than most. So she offered her friend the cup and sighed. It was a bone deep sound that visibly deflated her.

"I have bad nights and good nights, but you knew that. Recently, it's been a string of bad nights. Dr Stevens thinks that it's just a normal variation in my illness but it doesn't feel that way. The nightmares are... more vivid. I didn't used to be able to feel them." She drew her knees up to her chest as though to protect herself from something that only she could see. "But I'm hoping that she's right. That these things will pass and I can go back to normal. She wants to put me on new meds..."

Noctua trailed off and tipped her head up to the stars above them. She hadn't told anyone, and revealing her fear to Meri made her feel lighter. More comfortable.

"How about you? I'm sorry that I've been missing recently. As you can tell my health has been... not ideal."