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It was nearly christmas, and Jer'ain, despite her dislike of the world outside the apartment, had found it necissary to venture out. There were gifts to be bought, for Lithle, for Savius, for little Taylor. For all the bright beautiful Kindred that her brother so loved, gifts like offerings at the alters of all Jer'ain's gods.

So it was that she entered the craft store, remembering the soft scarves and silver bell loveliness of Savius's raven friend. Glittering crystal was the only proper gift for that one. And perhaps she could find something for little Taylor as well.

The toddler in question was strapped into his stroller, ferociously sucking on his white lion's tail. The responsibility for his care often fell on her, with Lithle being Lithle and Savius always being out. Intent as the little boy was on his current activities, he had not yet noticed his surroundings, or the pretty shiny bits that awaited him.

Jer'ain jerked as the girl came near the stroller, all but hissing through her teeth. At least it was only a little one, too young to be an actual threat. Still, the girl was near Taylor and she didn't like it when people were near Taylor. She was supposed to protect him.

Breathe. This was a trial. She had to obtain the proper offering for Savius's bright pretty boy. Maybe the raven would smile at her. That would be nice.

She could do this.

Taylor, meanwhile, was suffering no such nerves. With Jer'ain close at hand, he was in what he felt safe enough to not mind the girl's nearness, indeed, he barely noticed it. Because there, right there, all roll sparkle glitter, was something that should be his!

He leaned forward, against the seatbelt, fussing in irritation as the bead was picked up by someone else. It was shiny! He wanted it.

Now.

"Wan!" He looked straight up at the girl, too young or too focused to notice any familarity. His own wand was tucked away, out of sight, in the same bag that held his bottles and toys.

Jer'ain, lanky teenage girl, boyish in looks to the point of being deceptive, peered down at the girl and frowned. What she wanted to say is 'go away'. What she wanted was Savius, bright and bold, to be here with words and ideas to make everything seem safe again.

This was a trial.

"Stick." She admitted at last, the word made short by her dislike of talking to those that weren't within the family. "Don't touch him."

The bead within reach, Taylor immediately reached out to take it, his brief anger fading, replaced by giggling good nature. Shiny. Shiny, shiny, shiny.

"Gag!" He gave the girl a broad toothless smile, and it was clear that he thought he'd said something important, though what exactly was unclear.

While Jer'ain was perfectly able to communicate with shrugs and eye rolls at home, when not with family such things simply left her. She didn't know how to read people who were not her people, and the girl certainly fell within that catagory.

"Yes." She answered, because she thought she'd answered it before. Reaching into the bag in the back of the stroller, she took out Taylor's stick and handed it to the young boy. He promptly stuck the end in his mouth, gurgling happily. "Don't touch him."

The last said in case there had been some confusion last time. She didn't care if the girl was going to hurt him, she wasn't to touch him.

Malen was given no more than a quick, suspicious look. He hadn't asked a question, and therefore didn't need an answer. And since he hadn't shown any interest in Taylor, he didn't need a warning either.

Taylor, meanwhile, was in heaven. There was a shiny thing in his hand, his deliciously shiny wand in his mouth, and the nice girl was here to talk to him.

"Ya gag." He had to take the wand out of his mouth to talk, but that was ok. The shiny in his hand sparkled all nicely in the light. He waved it around a bit to watch it shine.

Jer'ain's gaze followed the girl as she crouched, making sure that some amount of space was left between them. She had said no touching, and there would be no touching. Malen got a brief glance, a fluttering upward look, and a frown, before she returned to supervising Taylor. "She's my guardian."

Guardian because only Savius got to call Lithle 'Mom' or 'Dad', and her brother used to the two of them interchangably. Despite this, the three children were siblings, Savius had said so. So Taylor was her brother, and her responsibility. She had to take care of him, to keep him safe, because outside the family, no one else would.

"Wan sin." Taylor managed, speaking around the wand in his mouth. "Sin gag."

Setting the bead carefully on his lap, so that it wouldn't roll away, the infant reached forward to touch the girl's shoulder with his outstreached hand. "Gag."

Taylor snatched up the bead the moment the girl pointed at it, apparently not so friendly that he was willing to share her prize. His! But the girl still seemed friendly, so beyond grabbing up the bead, he continued to smile and giggle at her. She was a nice lady.

"He would like that." Jer'ain admitted, because it was true, and Taylor couldn't answer her. Besides, maybe the girl would go away while looking for the 'something bigger' and she could do her own shopping. She certainly wasn't going to leave Taylor alone with not one, but two strangers around. They might-- she wasn't even sure what they might do, but she knew that it would be bad.

Jer'ain heard the man's words, the irritating, grating buzz of sound of one who was not hers and not kin, and if she was special, like Savius, she would close her wings around herself and hide. But she didn't have wings. So she simply wheeled Taylor away, not leaving, but browsing through the sparkling bits. Coming across bright bells and beads of opal fire, she selected some putting them in one of the small hand baskets the store provided.

This... this was something that the raven boy would like. He had jingled like birdsong when he had visited. This, and maybe some new dead animal, a squirrel or a cat.

That would make him smile, and Savius would be so very proud.