The reveal of Gray's handicap caught her off-guard. As alert as he seemed, she wouldn't have guessed it, though upon reflection, there were some mannerisms about him that stood out as odd--his habit of focusing on one's lips when they spoke, his tendency to startle if approached from out of his line of sight. Taken in that context, they suddenly made sense.<b>"Oh--I'm...I'm sorry," </b>she murmured, glancing away. She suddenly felt much more like an ass than a goat.<br/><br/>Even more surprising, however, was the revelation that he had been the property of fae before, much as she was now. She wouldn't have guessed a werewolf to make a very good, biddable servant, but some did have a taste for the exotic or challenging. He certainly didn't<i>act</i>like a slave. He was reserved, but lacked the timid, cowed mannerisms of one such as herself. At the mention of the Shadows, her expression grew somewhat heavy.<b>"I've heard of them,"</b>she said as their lupine guard bounded off the trail, disappearing into the woods like a silver ghost.<b>"Some call them freedom fighters, others call them anarchists." </b>She glanced away.<b>"I try not to have a very strong opinion."</b>No doubt the Good Doctor would have disapproved greatly of her associating with rebels, and when he grew disapproving, blood tended to be spilled. Their existence was an especially galling matter to him, given his views on the proper roles of mortals. She knew better than to even mention them in his presence.<br/><br/>Though she had only known Red and Gray for a short time, she had come to like them. Maybe it was foolish to trust so readily, but she hadn't realized until now how<i>exhausting</i>it was to be afraid of everyone and everything. Just once, it was nice to talk to someone without assuming they were going to jump her bones the first chance they got. It dug at her, then, that she was unable to help Gray. The Doctor, she knew, could have restored his hearing, but not only would he never stoop to doing<i>pro bono</i>work, even if Gray had all the money in the world it would have been difficult to convince him to "waste" his skill on lesser creatures. He seemed more than capable of taking care of himself, at least, if the way he had handled those ogres had been any indication.<b>"That's good." </b>She looked back to the shadowling, the hint of a sad smile ghosting across her features.<b>"And thank you. I don't meet many friendly souls nowadays."<br/>
</b><br/>She had spared the stone cairn only a passing glance, recognizing it as a landmark she had passed on her way to the market. For once, her normally-tense posture seemed to have relaxed, with Gray running ahead and Red beside her, these woods suddenly seemed much less threatening. The moment Red's hand brushed her arm, however, that changed. She flinched sharply as they tugged her to the side, only just catching herself before she could leap away like a startled rabbit. Unsure whether or not they had noticed her sudden jumpiness, she cautiously followed them to the stones, watching as they clambered on top nimbly. Again she felt that flare of nerves she was coming to recognize as hope. How long had it been since she had had reason to be hopeful for anything? Wringing her hands together somewhat nervously, she could only nod as Red began rummaging through their pack.<b>"I <i>want </i>to explain everything. Truly I do." </b>More than anything in the world, she wanted expose the secret she had been forced to carry for what felt like an eternity. She wanted to be herself again--her real self, not the beast he had warped her into. She wanted to go home--if she even had a home to go back to.