Mira woke up with a start in a warm, cozy bed that definitely wasn't hers, with a parched throat and a pounding headache. After water and a cool cloth on her forehead, given by a woman in healer's garb, she felt better and was able to talk to the smiling woman. Mira asked where she was, what had happened, and and if her home was destroyed or not (her memory was a bit hazy over last night). "The royal hospital, dear. You suffered from some harsh burns all over and smoke in your lungs. You also scraped the palms of your hands and your knees, so it will be hard to walk and write for a few days. And... I'm sorry about your home and workshop, dear." Mira sighed sadly, knowing intuitively they were both decimated, burned to ashes. Everything is gone... she thought grimly, glancing out the window at the mid-afternoon sky, then closed her eyes to rest. She must have fallen asleep, because when she reopened them, Prince Loki was talking to the healer and it was now dark outside. She cleared her throat to let them know she was awake, and Loki looked at her and walked over. "You're awake." "How observant," Mira shot back weakly, her voice still rough from all the smoke she inhaled from the fires. "What happened? My memory is a bit fuzzy." Loki looked regretful as he replied, "The metals workshop burned down before we could quench the fire. And I'm afraid your home met the same fate." Mira sighed and said quietly, "Copies of everything I ever made were in that workshop. It was like my second home. And my house... it was where I grew up..." She looked sorrowfully at Loki and he felt a twinge of sympathy for all she had been through. "I have nothing." Loki flashed a quick smile and Mira frowned. This was terrible, why would he be smiling? "That may not be true. My mother is offering you hired work here in the palace." Mira's eyes widened as the prince spoke, and she could barely hide a smile as he continued, "I hope you can sing." "I wouldn't be worried. It's the one thing I'm good at." Loki stayed for a while longer, speaking of completely random topics, and it was only after he left, nearly an hour later, that Mira realized he had been distracting her from the tragedy at hand. She had even smiled a few times during the conversation, now that she thought of it. A soft smile appeared on Mira's tired face as she thought, A new life of sorts... Maybe it's for the best. This, I suppose, is when the healing begins. Then, closing her eyes, she willed herself into a deep, peaceful sleep.