Years of caring for others have made Sena observant. She notices small inconsistencies in people’s words and behavior, and unlike many villagers she is not easily reassured by appearances.
Sena is an experienced healer and longtime resident of Settlement 19. She understands herbs, wounds, illness and the practical care required to keep people alive in a settlement where accidents, hunger and violence are ordinary risks.
That caution shapes her first reaction to Mara.
When Mara appears in Settlement 19, she looks unlike anyone Sena recognizes. Her clothing is strange, her manner is unfamiliar, and she repeatedly demonstrates knowledge that seems impossible for someone so young and apparently inexperienced with settlement life.
Sena is an experienced healer and longtime resident of Settlement 19. She understands herbs, wounds, illness and the practical care required to keep people alive in a settlement where accidents, hunger and violence are ordinary risks.
That caution shapes her first reaction to Mara.
When Mara appears in Settlement 19, she looks unlike anyone Sena recognizes. Her clothing is strange, her manner is unfamiliar, and she repeatedly demonstrates knowledge that seems impossible for someone so young and apparently inexperienced with settlement life.
Sena therefore watches her carefully.
Despite her doubts, Sena gives Mara shelter. From the time of Mara’s arrival, Mara stays in Sena’s home, gradually becoming part of her daily life.
Her relationship with Mara is defined by that contradiction. Sena may never fully understand where Mara came from or why she knows the things she knows, but gradually those questions become less important than something simpler:
Mara becomes someone she loves like a daughter.