When Ann knelt down Jasper froze, watching her. When he realized she wasn't going to hurt him he slowly moved closer and sniffing at the offered meat. He listened to the woman speak, trying to let her voice calm him but he was still on edge, never letting his guard down.  He stayed a small distance from the woman, even as she spoke. He couldn't bring himself to take the food from her hand, his mind expecting some sort of trick, even though he knew there was none.<br/><br/>At the mention of the fights, Jasper's tail flicked behind him, and his ears twitched, a faint trace of tension in his body as he remembered his past up until this point. So many things Ann was saying were unusual to him. Being allowed to go anywhere in the house, going to her with anything he needed, it was so different he was unable, or unwilling to accept it.<br/><br/>Jasper remained where he was, a short space between himself and Ann. He was close enough that if she reached out her hand would be able to brush between his ears, yet far enough that he could still bolt should he need to. His back and shoulders were tense as he stopped here. He couldn't bring himself to eat from her hand, not yet. He could feel the ache in his paws return as he held himself in such a rigid position, but chose to ignore it as it was nowhere near as bad as it had been, easy enough to ignore and pretend it wasn't there.