Iona couldn’t help but smile at the girl.  There was something about the curiosity and the innocence of the girl that put her at ease, even after a sleepless night. “You don’t have call me miss, just call me Iona.  I think we’re beyond formalities now, don’t you think?” Iona offered, with a wink.  The mare was distracted, somewhat, by the hazy creatures that appeared from the mist.  While all things beautiful seemed to surround Erthe, a snake comprised of the same eerie mist slithered between her front hooves, causing her to involuntarily stomp on the thing.  She offered Erthe a sheepish smile before continuing.
 
“Ah, well, even if it clears up I think we’re both grounded until the mist blows through. But I’m sure we can find some other trouble to get into until then,” she adds, conspiratorially. “But no worries, we’ll get you up there soon enough,” the painted mare offered, encouragingly, gesturing to the obscured skies above.  Iona had little doubt that it would happen soon enough and once you got the hang of it, flying was as easy as breathing.
 
However, Iona doesn’t let her thoughts of the sky get away from her because, unsurprisingly, Erthe is curious about what she’s been up to. “I’m always out and about at odd hours – occupational hazard of being a spy, I suppose.  That and I never can seem to sleep through the night.  Too restless.  Too much to do or to see,” the painted mare says with a shrug of her great wings.  She didn’t mention the nightmares that continued to plague her in her adult life.  The borderline paranoia that kept her overly-alert in the evening and darkness hours that made it all but impossible to sleep.  Such was her own burden to bear – she would not put that on the shoulders of another.  Especially not Erthe.  The child had enough on her own shoulders and Iona would do all she could to ease that burden – not add to it.
 
“Speaking of.  I found something last night you might be interested in.”  Iona still was uncertain to of what to do with the bracelet that had fallen into her possession, but she knew it was not something that was well suited to her.  But maybe…
 
Iona craned her neck around whilst carefully lifting one of her wings, plucking the treasure from between the feathers there. She held it out to Erthe, gesturing for the girl to take it. “I’m not really one for jewelry. It seems far more suited to you.”