Temperance felt another stab of panic in the depths of her heart that she had found the wrong girl, but at least she could console herself with the thought she might be able to keep this child safe. She had already lost two in the dark so her luck was improving clearly.

"I...I don't know." She admitted quietly, fumbling till she was holding the girl's small hand and taking a tentative series of steps, straining her ears until, thankfully, she heard a familiar voice saying her name. "Davinder? Is that you I can hear?"

  

---

Wonderful set by Lady <3

It was not her aunt's voice that reached her in answer but that of a stranger. Instinctively, Blythe dropped...whatever it was she had grasped, knotting her hands self-consciously behind her back before realizing that she could not, at present, be seen.

"S-sorry," she stammered quietly. "I've b-been separated from my guardian."

---

  

---

Are You a Believer? † Join the Faithful!

— graphics by rune ❤ —

Davinder felt that he couldn't understand what was going on. The sun, going dark? But it was always so bright! There were so many voices, speaking English, something he had trouble managing without seeing faces. Faces and expressions were such a great help, and he hadn't even realized that. Oh, how foolish he felt.

With his hand in the strange woman's, he felt a tug. Not that strong, but he hoped it was something nice, not a monster. His heart soared as he heard his name being called by the elder Miss Fairchild. "I hear her!" he blurted out, "Miss Fairchild?" he wasn't brave enough to venture a 'Temperance.'

And he heard Blythe, too! He was glad that he hadn't gotten too lost. "Blythe. I hear her! Your aunt!"

  

It sounded like a young lady behind her and Nimiane assumed that it was the same one who had tugged on her sleeve. From a bit to their right Nimiane also heard an elder lady calling for a boy. Beside her the boy piped up and seemed to imply that a girl was near them that also was looking for this woman.Was it the same as the young lady behind her’s guardian? “Are you also looking for Miss Fairchild?” NImaie asked in her gentle voice to the young lady.

Then she looked down at where the boy’s hand was clasped in her own - for all the good it did her. “That’s good. Let’s stay here and call her again. Hopefully she can follow the sounds of our voices.” She hoped she sounded calm now that she had two stange young ones with her.

“Miss Fairchild, can you follow our voices?” Nimiane called, trying to sound louder than typical - which she never really was.

  

She allowed the older woman to take her hand and pull her along, not really have any better kind of solution than to follow the only adult she knew of at the moment. Surely she knew what to do. It had been Miss Fairschild's idea to find a match even if the I don't know was not all to comforting.

Miss Fairchild seemed to be on a hunt, but not, she judged, for matches as originally suggested. She didn't think she'd go around telling for a particular brand of matches and from the way the woman said the word, Melza judged Davinder to be a name - a strange one at that.

The farther they walked the more voices she heard, and her hopes picked up relative at the sounds of another adult and the younger Miss Fairchild.

---

@''

  

The excitable voice of her ward reached her ears and Temperance almost felt he had earned whatever keep she had been obliged to extend towards him for the last few years. He was proving most useful during this terrible time, she would certainly give him that much, and after a few more steps in the dark, keeping hold of the girl she already had a grip on, she finally caught up with the voices.

"Is everybody alright? Blythe? Davinder? And you," she addressed the older voice in the dark and thought it quite the relief that at least she was trapped in this situation with a woman, who would likely not take advantage of the dark. "I believe I have your daughter here."

She could hardly be expected to know the sound of Evelyn McGonagall's voice in the dark but it stood to reason that it was she.

The following 1 user Likes Temperance Fairchild's post:1 user Likes Temperance Fairchild's post
   Blythe Fairchild

---

Wonderful set by Lady <3

Davinder nodded when Temperance asked if he was alright. He felt fine, just annoyed and scared about the darkness. Then he realized she still couldn't see him. He reached out for her hand. "When does the darkness end?" he asked into the darkness, hoping one of the older, more experienced than himself, adults would answer the question. But with the fog going around, he wasn't sure that anyone felt sure of anything.

  

It appeared that Miss Fairchild had reached them as she felt the boy reach forward away from her. She let go of his hand, almost worried that he might get lost. Nimiane was distracted by the mention of a daughter. She didn’t have a daughter, surely the question couldn’t have been directed at her. “My daughter?” She asked to clarify, attempting to squint into the dark fog, it did no good, she couldn’t see a thing.

  

"Demelza. It's fortunate she found me." And though she too had lost track of her own children in the dark Temperance still felt a stab of annoyance at Evelyn McGonagall: one would have thought she would be more diligent after what had happened the last time she lost track of a child!

However irritated she was though it was soon lost when a small person, just the right height to be her ward, bumped against her and, instinctively, Temperance curled her arm about his shoulders and pulled him close against her. One down. Blythe surely couldn't be far behind? She heard his question and felt a swell of relief that he appeared to be unharmed.

"I don't know," she admitted in a softer voice than it was possible he had ever heard from her. "The Lord may be testing us."

  

---

Wonderful set by Lady <3

She was pleased when their group officially expanded from two to five, feeling a faint comfort in a sense of numbers. Wait mother? Could they have stumbled into her mother by sheer luck? However her reassurance soon faded into disappointment at the resounding voiced question. "I'm grateful you've been reunited but that's not my mother's voice, Miss Fairchild. I am not sure who that is. Don't be to harsh on her for she is not the one I've been separated from."

---

@''

  

Demelza? Nimiane had never heard of the young lady, but Miss Fairchild seemed quite upset with the supposed mother for losing the child. “I apologize ma’am, but I have no children.” She tried to explain in the dark. The young lady helpfully adding her confirmation of this. “Perhaps with all of us together though, we may be able to find her?”