The first thing she'd noticed upon waking up was how tiny she was. Either that or everything had grown to be a thousand times bigger than her, which she knew was possible from other worlds she'd visited before (though she believed it to be unlikely). She also wasn't human. She'd never not been human before and she may have been troubled had it not been for her history of... odd spiritual encounters, to say the least. This was just another bump in the road. No, what was more troubling than all of this was what happened before she arrived. What had she witnessed? She had thought that Otherworld had been her home, her sanctuary. There had always been something odd about it but she always brushed it off as a new, fresh, hot bowl of soup was served and she was able to climb into a soft bed every night. But it had become impossible to ignore and the confrontation had led to her literal flight. She wasn't sure how she became a bird. She just remembered panicking, noticing the crack in the wall, and then willing herself out of it as soon as she could. It felt like it'd all only happened moments ago, though it was obvious she'd either jumped in time or location or both.

Now she was alone again. She hadn't been alone since her doe found her all those years ago. She wasn't even sure how long it'd been. Time wasn't an object in her fantastical Otherworld. She should have known it was all too good to be true. But she couldn't do anything about any of that now. Now, she didn't even know the way back. While she had traveled through different worlds and realms on many occasions, she didn't know how to do it without the support of the portals that beings in the Otherworld opened. She knew she certainly didn't have the power to do so. She just hoped no one was looking for her now. She didn't recognize this place or this realm or this body but she was sure she'd find a way through it, as she had so many times before. "Hello? Is anyone here?" the tiny bird called as loud as she could.

The tiny avian let out a soft gasp and her eyes widened as she saw a great creature approach. However, she relaxed the moment she realized he obviously wasn't here to harm her. She would have been surprised when she heard the animal speak if it weren't for the fact such things had occurred in the Otherworld on a regular basis. In her old life, in the one before she met her doe, she'd been surprised by such things but not anymore. She wondered what else was different now, especially now that she was away from that beautiful, vile place. She recognized the words the man spoke as French, though it'd been a long time since she heard another language. People of all nationalities had frequented her little pocket of the universe but something there had made her able to understand every language and, at the same time, speak every language. Of course, she'd learned a few things before she went out on errands in various worlds but some of those were so long ago, she couldn't even remember what she'd learned. Those missions had only come at the start of her time in that place, by the end she spent every moment there trying to look after all the lost ones that drifted to her, looking for a home.

Was she lost? She wasn't sure what to do with that question. She didn't know where she was but she didn't want to go anywhere before. What did that make her? She'd technically found what she saught, a safe home far from anywhere she knew, but what if she wanted to return? She wouldn't know her way back. That was ridiculous, though. After all she'd seen in the past... time (the concept itself was fluid in that strange, twisted place and she was unsure of how much time had specifically passed), she didn't think that'd ever happen. Whatever ideas she had about it were gone and replaced only by the horrors she'd witnessed and, unknowingly, aided. "Um, hello. And I suppose you could say that. I don't really know where I'm going, though, so I'm not sure that matters. My name is Daphne, it's nice to meet you. What is this place?" Even if she didn't know where she was, she intended to learn about it. Perhaps she'd even make a new home here, with a new family. That'd be nice. But she knew better than anyone nothing was nice forever, even if it was promised to you.

Oh, there was another one. It seemed she was drawing a crowd. "Technically, I wasn't looking for anything," the girl stated with a light smile tugging at her lips (was that even the word to use for her mouth anymore? A beak didn't technically have any lips). At the second statement, she barely suppressed laughter. No, Daphne wasn't much of a fighter. She'd never been very strong, even when she was human. She'd always been unusually short and skinny for her age. She could do some damage with a knife, maybe, but her movements were clumsy and anyone with any skill would be able to catch her easily. However, there was also a reason she'd taken to thieving when times had been hard for her family. Even in her human form, she'd been as a shadow. Silent and out of sight.

It was a skill that aided her well in the Otherworld and in her old home, when she'd raided stagecoaches on a regular basis with other children who decided to take matters into their own hands. Daphne had been the oldest and therefore led them all and she was the one that came up with the plans, that found the little places no one would look, that seemed to gather information no one else could possibly have. Her strategy was simple enough. No one suspected a little girl and, while she never hurt anyone, it was easy to get information. She cleaned up a little, gave a nice smile to any nobles that passed through and asked when she'd be able to see their horses and she'd get their time of departure. From there, she found a nice spot in the road (a different one each time, if they attacked at the same spot or at the same time, someone would realize they were related) and they get into different positions. The first time had been the most difficult because they had to throw rocks at the coaches to get them to stop. Eventually, though, they stole some of the nicer clothes and each time they'd have someone dress up in it and stand out in the road. Any respectable person would stop. Then any respectable person would get robbed for all they were worth.

It'd all worked out fairly well for her and such skills had served her well in the Otherworld but now she didn't know what to think of all of it. The stealing hadn't bothered her when she'd been doing it for her family. She'd been taking care of them. For the Otherworld, she'd been told it was the same situation. All the things she did were to take care of her new family there. Now, though, after what she'd seen, she wasn't so sure about that. It was hard to tell what was true and what'd been a lie there. While she'd been the oldest in her band of thieves, she'd been the youngest and smallest Caretaker by far. Most of the Caretakers were adults but she was different. They'd use her to fit into little spots, to get information an adult might not share with another grownup, and even to shape stories and change the minds of influential people. She'd been a valuable asset and she thought that she'd done it all for her family. Now she wondered if she'd been the one to doom them. "Besides, if that's true, then you also know that size and strength isn't all that matters in a fight. The trick to fighting is to be smart enough to never get in one. If no one sees you, there's not much of a fight at all. Technically, you don't even have to be smart. You just need to be clever, which I think is much easier."