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From a young age, Lunafreya knew she had a gift of sorts. People were drawn to her, drawn by her gentle and understanding nature to share their concerns and worries with her. Even as a child, she had done her best to help anyone who needed her. There was a feeling that came with knowing you had alleviated someone’s suffering, no matter how little, that was incomparable to anything else.
And though she could never explain how, she always seemed to be able to sense those who were suffering. It was in the air around them – no matter how brave they could try to be, Lunafreya could always feel when someone was in despair. It was more than that – she felt drawn to them with a need to take some of that pain and hopelessness away. In every person, there was goodness. Some couldn’t see it through the desolation, but Lunafreya always could.
She would help them see it too, in whatever way she could.
She supposed then that it came as a surprise to no one that she chose a career in mental health. Everyone was still surprised that Ravus has even considered healthcare as an option, never mind nursing. But he had worked his way up all the same, running his ward with tireless efficiency and Lunafreya had always admired that about her brother. She wanted to bring the same level of dedication to her own work.
She would, whether she intended to or not. Lunafreya could not see someone in distress and only give part of herself to them. It wouldn’t be fair when someone had come to her seeking help to only offer a little of what she had to give. Lunafreya had never done such a thing to anyone before and she would never start, no matter the cost. When someone came through her office doors, afraid and wary and maybe a little desperate, she would work tirelessly with them to soothe those feelings. When they relapsed, she would be there with patience and understanding.
It brought her joy to see their gradual improvement, to see them reach a time when they no longer needed her support.
And Lunafreya had worked hard to be where she was – she had thrown herself into studies upon studies knowing that the end goal would allow her to offer the help she wanted to. For a time, she dedicated herself solely to academia so she could one day dedicate herself to others.
The day she walked across a raised wooden platform, in front of her peers and their families and her own, to finally be announced Dr. Nox Fleuret had been the day she could begin her work in full.
It wasn’t always easy. Gone were the days where she could focus her efforts on those looking for help.
Some people were brought to her and resisted all attempts to soothe and heal. There were those so full of anger that they were determined to keep her out, guarded against a world that had only hurt them. There were those who couldn’t see what she could; they didn’t know why they had to see her. Lunafreya treated them all with the same compassion while adjusting what she needed to be – firm to some, guiding to others. Humans were so diverse in their experiences and ideals and pain. She would do her best for all of them.
There were those who would try to sneak around her. Who knew within themselves that they could benefit from her help but for whatever reason refused to accept it. Lunafreya had learned long before they gave her a degree that she needed the most patience with them. They would come forth in their own time and they needed to know that she would be there when that time came.
She always would be. Lunafreya would give herself wholeheartedly to those in her care.
But a part of her had to take each day as it came. The biggest consideration when working with people was that they were subject to change so often. Lunafreya could plan her days as best she could, but there always had to be some flexibility. Someone who was having an awful week and needed to see her sooner or someone who would drop their session at a moment’s notice. This person was relapsing, this person was taking drugs again, these people were all on a waiting list and she had to decide which of them not only needed her the most, but were best suited for the care she provided.
Always, something had to give. She was just happy to give it.
All she could hope, one Friday in her office, was that they would not ask anything that particular day. She had plans to see Ravus for dinner and always looked forward to seeing her brother, as busy as they both were these days. Things like this did seem to always work out for Lunafreya, but maybe that was because she never asked much. She never wanted everything to go to plan for too long, just a day here, maybe a week there. It was as if whichever divine being gave her these skills also listened to her requests.
Lunafreya had always wanted to believe in higher powers. She could swear some days that she was just grasping at the edge of them; catching a vague outline of what they wanted for her. She would always take whatever they would give. One day, she was sure she would know their plans in full.
For now, she had her own to make. And her plans for the day involved a rather sweet paramedic who was surprisingly difficult to work with, possibly an hour of notes to make and finally dinner. Overall, a rather nice end to the week.
Looking at the clock on her computer, she smiled at the time. He would be about five minutes late, as usual, rushing in and apologising like it was his fault that something happened at work. She understood that sometimes work got in the way of responsibilities, but as long as he would actually come to his session, Lunafreya would happily let it go. It was unfair to expect people to stick to such rigid schedules, especially when they had other responsibilities. This was especially true of someone working alternating patterns of twelve hour shifts, but they made it work.
Five minutes later, as predicted, one of the reception staff called to let her know her afternoon appointment was here. It was a beautiful day outside - Lunafreya wouldn’t have been surprised if he had taken his time walking around. She certainly would have liked to take a nice walk outside while the sun was high and the sky was clear.
While Lunafreya wanted to remain completely objective and work simply as a tool for those in her care to find the healing they deserved, it was just an impossible thing to ask. A whole part of her job was to build strong enough relationships that people would feel comfortable sharing the most intimate details of their lives and minds with her. It meant that she grew attached too, and this client - Prompto - was a difficult man to not feel an attachment for. As uncomfortable as all this made him, he was trying his best and Lunafreya was definitely hoping for the very best for him.
He had already had a bad enough run. A lot of people in this world suffered things that they never deserved. Fate was as cruel as it was beautiful.
Still, she was always impressed by the progress he made. For every person who struggled to take steps forward, there were some who really seemed to be doing well. It made Lunafreya smile, seeing the difference between where they were and who they were finally becoming. Always, it reminded her why she wanted to do this in the first place.
An hour later she waved her final client of the day goodbye, wishing him luck in his upcoming night shifts. He always seemed to fall back a little after those, but Lunafreya chalked some of it up to exhaustion. He was braver and stronger than he knew - everyone was, even Lunafreya herself. Everyday she learned something new about herself, found some reserve of strength or energy that she never knew she had.
If she was going to ask others to be the best, most content versions of themselves then it stood to reason that she should do the same.
She found that contentment as she finished her notes to hand over to other doctors, community nurses, occupational therapists and just about anyone else she worked with. This was hardly an individual effort - she was part of something bigger. There was comfort in being part of a team and knowing each individual contribution culminated in providing help to those most in need of it. Some days her work could feel lonely, like she was shouldering the responsibility alone. Seeing correspondence from her colleagues and reading what they had determined reminded her she need not try and help them all herself.
She had friends, she had family, she had a team. In everything, Lunafreya was just part of something much grander than she would be alone. It always helped to remember - community was something that meant a lot to her.
And it seemed her wish had been granted - as she finished her final set of notes, she would have plenty of time to get herself ready before she met Ravus for dinner. She just hoped his day had gone as smoothly as hers had. Some days he seemed so tired and no matter how high he held his head and how strong he stood in the face of it all, Lunafreya would always worry about him.
She knew she was lucky, to be able to look at her life and feel utterly content with how it was unfolding. There were so many others who could not say the same and Lunafreya knew to take nothing for granted. Everybody was just one disaster away from total ruin, but they were also one light away from darkness. She just hoped to provide that light to some until they could see it for themselves; until the darkness faded into something they could see through.
It was an honour she took seriously. As dramatic as it sounded, some people were placing their lives in her hands. She just kept them safe until they were ready to take their lives back.
But with the end of the day, for a few hours, she could stop being Dr. Nox Fleuret and go back to being just Lunafreya - a younger sister meeting her brother. She knew Ravus never stopped seeing her as such and it still warmed her heart to know. Some things never changed and Ravus would never stop seeing her as a little girl with her nose deep in books. It was a point of conflict at times, but often Lunafreya found it endearing. After all, sometimes she looked at Ravus and still saw the sullen teenager he had once been.
She found herself smiling as she left for the day, glad to have been able to make a difference. Even as small as it might have been, she was glad to be fulfilling her purpose to its full potential. Lunafreya was lucky there too, to know the path intended for her and to be completely happy to walk it. The powers that be had been kind to her, to allow her the peace that came with that knowledge. So many times people had asked her what their purpose was in life, had told her that they didn’t know why they existed. So many times people had asked her what the point of their suffering and feelings of being lost meant. Lunafreya didn’t have all the answers; no one person could be expected to know all that. All she could do was help them find those answers for themselves, and be there while they struggled for it.
She wished there was a world without suffering, but in the meantime she would do what she could to lessen the pain of others. And, sometimes, she would meet her brother for dinner.