Jasper had heard Kate speaking, but not what she had said, too lost in his own thoughts. He felt her hands on his shoulders and slowly came back to the present, eyes locked on the mage's own. He heard her last question clearly but didn't want to answer it. He didn't want her to know about the voice, his own, that belittled him, mocking and taunting where only he could hear. He didn't want her to know about how low he thought of himself, he was a slave and nothing could change that, he deserved to be what he was. He didn't want her to know that every look cast his way cut through him and made him want to curl up or disappear. He could lie and say he was fine, but he knew Kate would see through that. He could tell a half truth, that he was thinking about his past, and leave it at that. But she would know.<br/><br/>He knew he couldn't lie, it wouldn't be right. He had been punished before for not being honest, so why was he even considering it now? He was a possession, he didn't have rights of his own. His whole existence was to serve.<br/><br/>"It doesn't matter. I'm fine." He said in a low voice, just above a whisper. It was his job to do as he was told, even when he felt at his worst. He just had to fake it like he had always done.