Reala splashed some water on her face and rubbed her eyes with a groan. Waking up was such a disappointment. She straightened up and pushed back her hair, meeting her own wincing gaze. No makeup. No clothes of her own. Only that all-too-human face. She looked away; her arms crossed, and she leaned back against the bathroom wall. Only her hair bore some semblance to what it was supposed to be. Mindlessly, her fingers sought out and rubbed at the scars on her arms. Of all things, at least those remained. For better or for worse. This body felt like a mask, or a bodysuit, a badge of shame. How could he have let this happen? Sighing, she let herself slide down the wall to sit and glanced at the door. The others were waiting. At least she got up early enough to avoid most of everyone. Most still slept. She still had some time to herself.

The knob rattled. Most slept, but not everyone. Was it time for him to get ready for work already? Another groan escaped her lips, and she pushed herself into a standing position as she went to open the door. Richard waited behind it, brief surprise flitting across his face as he registered who it was. When Reala didn't move immediately, she watched his countenance change. It was subtle, but the difference was enough for her to tell: She put him on edge. He was cautious, defensive. He wasn't sure what was going to come out of that mouth of hers, if she was going to start yet another fight so early in the morning.

Not today. As soon as he opened his mouth, her glare softened, and she stepped around him to leave. She could feel the eyes on her back, but evidently, she wasn't worth the trouble because no voice followed them. Good. She didn't want to talk.

Returning to her small pile of clothes, she changed out her sleeping shirt for a fresh one, a pair of shorts, her amulet, and her boots. NiGHTS was still a pile of sleeping ginger hair in bed; he rolled over as Reala pulled what had become her favourite pair of gloves on. She just needed something basic to wear for now.

With that done, she headed to the backyard and took a deep breath of the chill morning air. Yellow only just began to touch the deep blue sky; the sun barely peeked up over the horizon. "Mmm..." She stretched her arms above her head then rolled her shoulders a bit and cracked her neck as she turned back to the house. There was a protrusion where one of the bedrooms jutted out from the rest of the house, creating an corner that she could use to leverage herself up onto the roof. Not being able to fly was so annoying. Once up, she walked to the highest point on the roof where she sat down, carefully balanced, with legs crossed and back straight. Her hands on her knees, she took a deep breath. Her eyes closed. She meditated, and her mind grew quiet as the morning birds awoke.