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He'd stayed the night, for a change, in the giant Chamberlyn mansion as opposed to his lonely, small apartment. Most of the time when he'd come to visit Jada and the children, he'd made sure to sneak out at an appropriately late hour and return to home or, if he didn't feel like sleeping, Elysion.

Only on rare occasions did he stay put, feeling rather like a cad for taking advantage of the innocence of others who, aside from Jada herself, presumed him to be nothing more than a harmless, out of place, visiting seal. The children loved him and he loved them - which was insane, honestly, considering how much he normally abhorred children and their general noisiness. But he would worry about that later.

The soft thuds of a small body roaming the hallway woke him up from his deep slumber, the white seal nestled in the soft, cotton pet bed that the Chamberlyns had purchased for him to have of his very own. Disregarding the fact that he was sleeping in a pet bed, blue eyes groggily opened to investigate for the sudden, midnight noise-maker.

"Kittykitty?"

Giulia's young voice carried through the hall, soft but distinct. He squirmed out of his bed, rocking from side to side in an attempt to ease his way off of the fluffy, heavenly cushion. One flipper nudged the water bowl that he used only one time (he was really thirsty, okay) and he stilled. It was one thing for a small child to make noise through the house but as someone who wasn't intending to be around in the first place...

Careful not to jostle the other belongings that the children had lovingly gifted their favorite seal, he inched and scooted his way across the floor, moving towards what he hoped was the source of the soft whispering. Giulia shouldn't have been up at such a late hour and if he needed to nudge her back towards her bedroom, he'd be the dutiful... seal, or whatever, and help out. Pet. Family pet.

At least it was being more useful than the stupid cat that lurked around.

Crap.

He caught a glimpse of curly blonde hair right before it disappeared into the darkness that lay beyond the open doorway. Who had left the door open to begin with? Why weren't the alarms set? Even if the dastardly cat had managed to pry open the door, the alarms should have woken everyone up in the house, himself included!

Cursing silently to himself, he fought to force his blubbery weight across the floor, wiggling after the small child who knew better but still had managed to slip outside in nothing more than a frail little nightie.

Should he alert the others? Start squawking and create a ruckus to bring Jada out running in full messy hair and groggy state? There wasn't time to wait for them to wake up, no. She could slip and fall or worse, wind up in the frigid waters of the backyard pool.

Slick white fur turned tan as flippers converted to fingers and back fins sprouted dark slippers. The elf-like man quickly rose from his stomach onto his knees as he paused to catch his breath, black beady eyes turning icy blue. It took him a moment to regain his balance before he could stand up straight and tall, all semblance of seal now gone, save for the white pelisse on his shoulder. His gaze never left the open door, the Elysion Guardian now taking his time as he too slipped out into the brisk winter night in search of the golden haired beauty.

Blue shoes crunched in the snow, one glove rising to pull the wool of his pelisse closer towards his neck. Why in the world would the child run off into the cold with neither coat nor shoes? What on Earth could have possibly convinced her to leave the warmth and safety of her bedroom to explore the frigid, midnight air?

Glancing around, the faint light coming from inside the house gave him enough aid to spot the backside of the small girl in the Disney print nightie. Blonde curls bounced as she approached a shadowy creature around the corner of the house.

"Giulia." His words were sharp and curt, Seal's Eye stepping forward as his eyes narrowed. Was it Castor? A raccoon? Whatever it was - it wasn't safe and red flags were waving in the back of his head as the young man moved to close the distance between himself and the child. "Giulia, get away from that."

The sense of dread lingered, despite the shadow wriggling its way back into the darkness from where it had arrived. Blue eyes that had looked on so protectively began to widen in surprise as the small girl turned her entire attention towards him. Seal's Eye glanced down to feel the cold chill in his palm - had he been instinctively preparing to attack whatever had drawn the small girl from her home? He was the Guardian of Elysion, not of small children.

"I..."

His words had lost their boldness as little, sweet Giulia giggled. He had never intended on any of the Chamberlyns to see him in any other form than the playful seal they'd grown to love, so there'd been no reason for him to develop any sort of backstory otherwise.

As he saw the sheer delight in her expression, however, paired with the innocence behind her eager questions, he felt the cold defenses around his guarded heart begin to quickly melt away. Bare feet caught his attention and the young man knelt down towards the small girl, beckoning her forward and away from the freezing snow she stood on.

"I am but a lowly guardian, young maiden."

A smile curved up along the firm line of his mouth. "Here to protect and serve princesses such as yourself."

A single gloved hand rose to take hers, gently grasping around the tiny, rainbow-colored fingernails as he leaned down to kiss the back of it in a flourishing, best-attempt-at-being-Princely-like manner. Blue eyes studied the small child as he drew away, noting the rose-colored cheeks and tousled blonde hair from the girl standing in the snow in the middle of the night. Toes had grown red as well, the end of her nightgown whipping in the wind as she stood there, curious and inquisitive as ever despite the harsh climate attempting to devour her fragile being.

Without a second thought, he leaned forward and swooped her off of her feet, cradling the child against the fur of his jacket as he spun around and made his way back towards the brightly lit room they'd both snuck out from. He knew he hadn't answered her question - but how could he? It wasn't right to just lie to an infant, but how could someone at such a young age even begin to understand Elysion or the Guardians who protected it?

"I am Seal's Eye," He finally said, allowing her to conjure up any notions she might have from his introduction, "I am a Dream Guardian - I protect dreams of young maidens and princesses, Giulia. You should be dreaming right now and not chasing shadows in the snow."

His tone was firm, but the smile that danced along the edge of his lips revealed the lack of anger enforcing his words. "We wouldn't want to upset Jada now, would we?"

"I know a lot of things, young Princess."

His cryptic words lingered as he moved to push the door further open with his shoulder, the warmth of the house engulfing them both as he made his way out of the chilly night air. Ensuring it closed behind them and locked securely, he then moved towards the staircase, glancing down at his charge. "And I know that creature was not Castor, little one."

Whatever it had been, hopefully it was gone - at least for the time being. He'd have to investigate it further after tucking the little escapee back into bed.

"I promise to keep this our little secret if you will. Proper princesses need a good night's sleep, after all," Making his way down the hallway, his voice quieted down until he reached the doorway to the little girl's room. One hand moved out and twisted the knob, then returned to cradling the runaway as he entered the room, "And how else will a Dream Guardian be able to visit your dreams if you aren't busy dreaming?"

In no time she was tucked away, fluffy blanket pulled up to her chin as the Elysion Guardian moved to sit on the edge of the bed, looking down on her as fingers brushed a wayward strand of curly hair behind her ear.