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Tanshin wasn't a people person. That being said and done with, the reason why he was in the park - a usually highly-populated area - was merely that he needed the room to stretch out his wings. He couldn't keep them retracted all of the time, but they were so large that they were inconvenient in many places. So he was walking with both of them out now, in a relaxed position. Their blue-black feathers gleamed in the late-afternoon sun as he strolled down a deserted path.

As he neared an equally-deserted picnic area, he could have sworn he heard crying. Stopping his contemplative stroll for a moment, the winged mage turned to look at the picnic tables, and saw a young woman curled up underneath one, sobbing her heart out. She appeared to be physically a teenager, perhaps even to a young adult. . . but the way she was crying was like that of a small child, and Tanshin's stone heart cracked a little. She apparently thought she was hidden from sight, curled up like that, and looked to be, at least for the moment, all alone in the world.

Tanshin thought back ten years, to when he was a small child sobbing his heart out and completely alone in the world. What he wouldn't have given for a comforting presence then. . . Much as the idea of being emotionally involved with another person - for however long or deeply- made him ill, something inside of Tanshin, some little piece of who he used to be, wouldn't just let him rest.

And so, making sure his long ponytail was over his shoulder and out of the way, he came over and stood beside the picnic table where the girl hid, peering down at her through molten gold eyes.

"If you're trying to hide from the world, kid, there are better places to do it."

Jaella had been hiding, curled up under her blanket in what she thought was an awesome hiding spot. After all, if she couldn't see them, they couldn't see her! But, she heard someone addressing her from outside her newly-founded safey-safe. She poked her head out, pale blue eyes assessing him warily. It was easy to see the girl had been crying, and she looked like she was about to start again.

"'M not hiding..." she murmured before popping back into her makeshift blanket tent. Oh, how convincing she was! Not.

"Not hiding very well, you mean," Tanshin said, and, grumbling mentally, knelt down next to the picnic table and peered underneath it. "Any reason why you're hiding, kid?" He asked, his ponytail falling over his shoulder again, and he couldn't fix it right now because, just his luck, it had fallen to his left side, and his bad arm couldn't move it back out of the way. Not that it mattered - what mattered was getting this girl to stop crying and go home, or to wherever she had people that cared about her.

"No." Jaella said, sniffling. "Not hiding. 'M just sitting here." she said, fiddling with a piece of grass she'd plucked out of the ground. She cleared her throat before attempting her usual cheerful tone. "I'm okay, so no need to worry." she chirped, her voice lacking its usual enthusiasm.

"For some reason I don't believe you," Tanshin said flatly. "And I'm very good at figuring out when someone's lying, so you're better off to just tell the truth." Was his voice a little more intimidating than it needed to be? Probably, but there wasn't much Tanshin could do about it. After all, it was how he'd been taught to question people - and it worked. Gentling his tone a little after a moment, he looked around and saw no-one in the vicinity who seemed to be looking for a lost child or teen or whatever this girl was. "Shouldn't you be at home?" He asked, the glimpses he got of the girl under the blanket telling him that she was fed well, clothed decently, and had all the signs of coming from a decent - at least in the physical needs way - home.

"I left a note. Mom knows where I am.And I'm not lying. Not hiding..." Jaella said, glancing at the direction of the man's voice. "Not s'posed to talk to strangers." she added before falling silent. She was feeling defensive, though she wasn't sure why.

Sighing heavily, Tanshin shoved a lock of hair out of his face. "I'm Tanshin," he said boredly. "And now I'm not a stranger. And a note's not good enough if yoru family's worried."

"They're not worried." the purple teen mumbled with all the charisma and finesse of a sulky kindergartner. "'M a big girl; I can come to the park if I want." Now she was just being stubborn. "Mr. Tanshin, 'M fine, okies? Don't worry 'bout me. Just fine. Peachy keen."

"I'm not worried about you," Tanshin said defensively. He didn't worry about anyone; he was nowhere near that nice! "I'm being practical. Go home, kid. Make up with your parents for whatever you fought over." Then, almost in a whisper, he looked away muttering a soft, "Nothing's worth being alone in the world."