"Evan, Irma, Marit, Mina, Celest, Sigge, keep a hold of the little ones!" Malou shouts to the oldest of the teens in her care.

Each of the six flinches, just a little, from the pain of her direct attention. Normally she would try to avoid being so direct with them, even though they're nearly grown, but in the current situation, she's not sure she can spare their comfort.

Hildre is still dazed from making contact with...whatever that thing was, and the younger children are already starting to react to the absence of his calming effect. The teens aren't exactly up to the same standard, at least going from Hildre's description of their training, but it will hopefully still suffice until the older man is back on his feet.

As the teens disperse into the crowd of smaller children, Malou does her best to not track their precise movement, instead focusing on Roland as he approaches her with a downcast gaze and a clipboard in hand. "All seventy nine children present and accounted for, Ms. Kirkland."

She nods to the young man. "Any idea when your teacher will be recovered?"

"No ma'am," he shakes his head nervously. "Making contact hasn't taken him out for longer than a day before, but that's been under controlled conditions, and with humans, not...whatever that thing was."

Malou sighs. "Fair enough. Go take care of the old man, if you can, or else help the teens wrangle the kids."

He nods again, and quickly heads over to where Hildre is laying in the grass, and Malou again intentionally shifts her focus. The elder afflicted is normally skilled enough to withstand even intense scrutiny, at least from what Malou's seen, but she doubts that it'll help him recover from whatever making contact with the entity that brought them here.

Instead, she turns her attention finally to the fretting Rom and Thea. Without the context of the orphanage, they're at a loss for what they can do for the children that won't hurt them more than they can bear. Their worry is itself likely bleeding out into the afflicted children, so Malou needs to get them working on something, and ideally something that doesn't let their attention or thoughts wander too much. "Rom, Thea. We need to know where in God's name we've been sent, where we can get water, food, shelter. Can you try and scout out the area?"

The two look to her, briefly lost in thought before their faces harden with resolve. They look between each other and then back to Malou, before both nodding.

"Good. Try and be back before nightfall."

With that, the two get up from where they were sitting and head off, out of the clearing where the group first arrived. Rom marks the trees as they walk, and Thea leaves a deep track to follow back, and soon, the orphanage's matron, children, and afflicted tutors have disappeared between the trees.