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[center][h3]Walking After Midnight[/h3]
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[hider=Strolling Tune][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYm-fjkMJxc[/youtube][/hider]

Mist hummed in the night air all around Penelope, soft and loose, thick and gentle. The moisture was too heavy to sway on its own; humidity of Greenleaf made the notion of a light mist a fantasy. The small rainbow tablet that had dissolved on the pilot’s tongue earlier on in the evening had nearly run its course, but stepping outside had brought a whole new wave of sensations. An age old appreciation coming to the forefront of her mind as she moved on out into the once familiar streets, hands threading through the thick air as she went, feeling each tiny bead of water so acutely as it brushed her skin it was almost like swimming in air.

Fascinated as she was, her feet had carried her away once more without her much planning its course. She knew it so well that when she closed her eyes to hear the new music of a light rain starting to hit the rich canopy of rooftops and jungle alike. A peaceful lullaby after the wild rhythmic chaos that was the rave she’d left behind.

The enchanting enhancement of ambiance all around halted just as Penelope reached forward to part large waxy greenery obstructing her path, the second-nature of it giving her pause as her hazel eyes settled on the tiny section of green space allotted to a base-level family dwelling. Her lips formed a small ‘oh’ in surprise, though the word hadn’t slipped her lips even in a whisper - no chance of it being heard over the rain that was coming down. Or was that still the drugs?

She swallowed, scanning the exterior floor-to-ceiling window wall to see it entirely dark inside was a relief. The haze of her mind was preventing her from calculating any concept of time, let alone when [i]now[/i] just happened to be aside from a bad time. Very bad. In fact, there wasn’t a good one when coming here was concerned.

The foliage she was hidden by consumed her when Penelope’s hands fell on reflex, pulled in towards her chest as she took a step back. Being free from decision had been a crutch for so long now that when it came to making one, her mind seemed to idle out - much like it did now, with no part due to the little rainbow pills. 

First, had she been seen? Coming here, specifically. The entire walk, she’d been in her own little world - different than her usual style, at least. Normally, she’d at least notice things other than the way the air felt. Her mood had been too good, too relaxed - carried on from the release of inhibitions likely as far back as opening up to her captain about her own predicament. 

As she took in the overgrown green-space from her hiding spot, Penelope fought to speed up the process of getting her brain in the right sorts. Distracted by observations of what she could make out in the darkened house - curiosity making its way ahead of logic as it was bound to do when she weren’t holding the reins tight enough - were slowing her down a might bit though.

[i]Okay, focus, Penelope - now, ain’t no way to tell if someone was takin’ note of my passing through. Late as it is, most of these folk are sleepin’... everyone inside is. If anyone is still here… hard to tell.[/i]

From the neglected state of the patio, she wasn’t sure. At the thought, a heaviness settled about her shoulders as if the weight of the rain coating her bare skin had been stacking and finally registered. There had been so much avoidance for years, and standing here before this darkened living unit seemed to bring all that up at once.

A light flicked on from deep inside the quarters. Penelope looked up just as the light went out, then another came on. She pinpointed it as the light above the stove, the furthest back room in the small unit. Someone was moving around in the dim light, too far away to identify. Her hand closed around the large waxy leaf as she pulled it up as if to shield her face, an unnecessary additional camouflage. 

Obscured to one another, Penelope was free to watch the figure going about whatever it was that they were doing before moving closer into the sitting area. And then to the window-wall. Penelope’s eyes widened as she took another half-step back, pulling the leaf with her as the ever-present city light illuminated the figure as it strode outdoors onto the covered patio area. 

The gasp that escaped her lips at the sight of the man as he lit up a cigarette hadn’t been what got his attention. It was the large leaf slipping from her grasp and righting itself with a flap, rustling the nearby plants and sending the settling dew flying. “Penelope?”

There was no possible way he’d seen her. She was too far back in the wild thicket. Without thought on either party’s part, they both bolted - her away and the man she’d seen trailing after her. Though she was still feeling the effects of the drug in her system, especially now that her heart was racing again as her feet pounded the payment in turn, she still had much more agility on her side than her pursuer. And when she reached the forest, there was no way he’d catch up. He never would follow her out into the jungle.