Serine walked leisurely toward the gates of Bristle Crios. She didn't need to walk anywhere but it was a pleasant diversion from time to time. It had been a while since she visited the surrounding woodlands and taken in the many sights and sounds it had to offer. Visited in person, anyway.

The horse standing at the gate was not entirely unexpected, but the sight of a small child on its back with no one else around was rather more unusual. She approached slowly so as not to alarm the child or the horse, looking around all the while, but there was still no sign of any adult supervision. As she got closer, she noticed a bundled baby tied to the horse as well. "Hello, child," she said softly. "Where are your parents?" The young girl's face shifted noticeably at the question, and no response was offered. "That's ok," said Serine as she continued looking them all over. She pulled a note from the horse's harness and opened it.

Her heart sank. She looked at the two children, trying to hide the sorrow she felt. She knew it was important to appear that everything was alright for the young girl's sake. "It's ok," she said softly while reaching for the horse's reins. "I imagine you're hungry, hm?" The little girl nodded slightly. Serine reached into her purse and produced a beautifully shiny red apple. "Here you go, child." The little girl cautiously took the apple and began nibbling at it. "There you go. That's good," Serine offered. "Let's go somewhere safe and warm, hm?" Serine gently tugged the reins to lead the horse on into the compound and toward her home. So much for her quiet night in the woods...

"Yes... you are safe here." She was unsure what the part about the blue man meant, but at least the little girl was speaking. She led them to the door of Mage House, where she lived. It was late enough that nobody was around. The horse seemed well trained and well behaved, but she had no intention of tying him to a post to begin with. As she released the reins, the House's front lights let her see something rough on what had first appeared to be smooth leather. Looking more closely she found two words stitched into the leather. Their names, perhaps?

She held out her arms toward the girl. "Come, child... Susprea, is it? That's a lovely name." She gently lifted Susprea to the ground before untying the baby's bundle from the saddle. With the bundle in one hand, she stroked the horse's shoulders several times and gave him a gentle pat before taking Susprea by the hand. She guided them into the House and on up the stairs.

She'd never felt like her accommodations were small until tonight. Her home was neat and tidy, which was not difficult considering how few possessions she kept. She chose a small space because her needs were equally small. She'd never anticipated this situation, though. She guided Susprea into the bedroom and sat her on the bed, placing the baby more toward the center. She looked the two of them over; aside from a spot of dirt here and there, they seemed healthy and well. She pulled a bottle of water and a small cloth from her purse, and began dabbing gently at Susprea first. "Can you tell me what happened?"

Eat mommy and daddy? That must have been quite a monster, and the mysterious tiny blue man must have been rather capable to drive it off himself. Periodically she passed her hand over dirt in Susprea's clothing to clean it, though it probably escaped the notice of the scared little girl. "I am sorry, child," she offered while continuing to dab at dirt as well as heal any wounds she came across, as much for her own focus as for Susprea's benefit. Despite years of seeing the aftereffects of battle, she could never quite get used to what it did to children.

She let it go at that; it was certainly too soon for the little one to go into more detail or else it might traumatize her further. She laid Susprea back and pulled the blanket over her. "Try to rest," she said, stroking Susprea's forehead in an attempt to calm her. If any bed could lull this troubled child to sleep, it was hers. She was quite fond of personal comfort, and while she had not actually slept upon a cloud she went to great lengths to have her bed as close to it as she could imagine. The comfort was certainly helped by the magic woven into every element, the bed keeping the perfect softness for whoever laid upon it and the blanket keeping anyone under it at their ideal temperature.

She began to tend to the baby as well, cleaning his swaddling with waves of her hand and dabbing at dirt gently on his face. He would need a place to sleep too. Out of habit, she left the room to "look" for a crib and soon returned with one. It could have looked nicer, but she'd never had to make one before and she didn't want to leave the children for long. She set him down gently into it and covered him with a thin blanket which of course kept the temperature beneath it at just the right level. The crib wasn't impeccably comfortable yet, but she had made it in a hurry and that could be taken care of later.

Her thoughts shifted to more long term concerns. The children could use a proper home, but in the meantime perhaps she could care for them. Perhaps, in time, Susprea would be more open about what happened. By then, talking about it would probably help her. Until then, however, she would not press the issue and instead try to learn more about what sorts of things she did with her parents and whatever else interested her. She'd have to be enrolled in school as well. Serine had no way of knowing how long they'd be with her, of course, but why should she not try to do the best she can to help them and prepare them in whatever time she did get? She waved a hand; if either of them woke crying, she would know. She'd never used that trick as a baby monitor before, but today was a day full of firsts. She checked one last time to see if either of them were still awake.

She hurried in and sat down by Susprea. "There, there, child," she said softly while taking Susprea in her arms. "It's alright... I have you. You're safe." She paused a moment to let that work its way in. She turned her head to the baby, who was fussing slightly but still asleep.

She gently placed one hand on the baby, hoping the simple touch would soothe him. She didn't have any magic tricks for this situation either, and so she was quite surprised to see it work; in moments, he was sleeping like proverbial wisdom said he ought to.

She pulled her arm back and began holding the frightened and upset young girl with both hands once more, offering gentle words of comfort now and then to try to calm her. She was really out of her element. Her old life of adventure hadn't involved children much, and the students she taught now were all much older. All she could do for the moment was try her best to comfort her and see to her needs. Maybe she'd open up more. Maybe she wouldn't.

She was momentarily stunned by that question. "I..." She tried to think of a proper answer. "I will care for you, yes." She was not impressed with herself, but with how sudden and unfamiliar this all was, her personal expectations were not high.

"Come. Let's get something for you to eat," she said, leading Susprea out of the bedroom. She'd see to their needs for now, to ease them out of the trauma they had just experienced. Susprea, mostly. Her brother was fortunate in being too young to remember later in his life. Yes, seeing to their needs would suffice for today. She could begin looking for a more permanent solution tomorrow...