Segin spent the morning going out to the near by grove that just seemed absolutely packed with berries of all kinds and filled up one of the smaller packs that Indigo kept around for their herb gathering trips. He thought they would be a great accompaniment to the meals that Duchess prepared and it gave him a reason to go out exploring on his own for a bit so it served double duty in that regard. He was slowly getting more and more comfortable around the castle and around his new family and as he walked back into the castle a smile pulled across his face without him even trying.

He was learning his way around the big stone structure pretty well, though he really only bothered learning how to get to the suites where they lived, the food stores, and the infirmary. If he knew this was going to be their permanent home he'd be more interested in learning every inch of it, but since Indigo had spoken of them maybe leaving as a band in the not too distant future he didn't worry about it too much.

His path took him by Gypsy's room and he paused, looking at the door curiously for a moment. He hadn't gotten to spend much time with the small woman yet - partially because he was afraid of frightening her unnecessarily. She seemed so quiet and timid but in a way that drew him to her more. She reminded him so much of his sisters and it tugged at his heart. He approached the door cautiously, calling, "Gypsy? I just collected a bunch of berries... Would you like some?"

Segin Epsilon

There wasn't much at all that Gypsy missed about her old life. Her existence had been horrible. Death would have been better. What she did miss was moving from place to place. There were always new sounds. Always new smells. Here in the Hallows she was safe, but every day was exactly the same. There was no excitement. Well... not that she really wanted excitement, but variety would be nice. Gypsy lay in her small room, curled up on the pile of furs. This was where she stayed most days, only going out to relieve herself and have dinner with the rest of Indigo's followers. Sometimes she would have guests, but most times she chose to stay alone. So much of her life was spent in the company of those that wished to use her. It was just to just have time to herself. It was like a long decompression of sorts. She didn't mind company, but it was nice to finally have a choice. When a voice sounded outside of the door, Gypsy's ears perked. It was Segin. He seemed nice enough, but she didn't know him well just yet. Tentatively, the tiny fae crept to the door and pushed it open. No use in peeking out since she couldn't see, so she gently swung the door open enough to step out. Berries, he'd said. Having been on the road for her entire life, Gypsy was no stranger to berries. She quite liked them, in fact. "Thank you for thinking of me," she spoke in whispy, mellifluous tones. Stepping to the side, she made space for the man to enter if he wished. Indigo liked him and she trusted Indigo's instincts. She wouldn't shut the door, but she wouldn't let him stand in the hallway. "Gypsy"

Segin waited a moment, listening for any movement form the other side of the door, and soon enough the door swung open and the small white and purple woman appeared in front of him. A smile immediately pulled across his features even though he knew she wouldn't be able to see it. "Of course! No need to thank me," he insisted, not speaking loudly, but still keeping a warm tone to his voice. He slipped past her into the small room, sliding the pack off of his back to place it between them and flipping open the flaps that kept the berries hidden away inside. "There's a ton of berries in here so please have as many as you'd like." There was far more than even everyone in their little band could eat in one day unless they each made a whole meal out of berries. Well, maybe not Indigo, he thought to himself with a smirk. Indigo was a big man and needed a lot of food. Maybe he could eat them all by himself, but probably not without giving him a stomach ache.

He picked out a couple strawberries for himself and sat back to enjoy the fruits of his labor - literally. He smirked at his own joke as he he watched Gypsy for a moment. It really was difficult to not think about his sisters when he looked at her... though one of his own littermates in particular really came to mind. "You remind me a lot of my sisters," he said after a moment, deciding to finally just speak his mind as they quietly enjoyed the berries together. "Especially my littermate Saiph. I miss them a lot sometimes." In the end they had been the ones to leave him so he couldn't pine after them too much, but that didn't mean that he hadn't grown attached to them all during the time he was tending to them.

Segin Epsilon

Little did she know, Gypsy shared a love of strawberries with her savior, Indigo. The small fae could say with certainty that they were her favorite food and so when Segin placed the pack before her, offering as much as she wanted, Gypsy's sole choice was strawberries. Gently and with great care, the minuscule wolf allowed her pink pads to graze the berries until she felt the familiar bumpy exterior of the berries that she sought. Tiny, white rimmed ears perked as Segin began to speak. Gypsy was surprised that she didn't mind having the man in her space. Perhaps it was the fact that Indigo trusted him. Was that really enough for her? Maybe she was already deconstructing the walls that she'd so carefully erected around herself. Or maybe Segin was simply a calm, non-threatening presence. Either way, Gypsy didn't feel the familiar anxiety that she usually did when a male was in her vicinity. Segin told her that she reminded him of his sisters and Gypsy wasn't sure if that was a welcome reminder or not. Her ears reflexively tucked and she waited until her mouthful of berry was swallowed before asking in her trademark soft voice. "What happened to them?" Gypsy knew nothing about Segin. Not his past, not the trauma that he'd went through. If Indigo had collected the man though, she knew that he'd experienced hardships just as she had. If there was something that she could do to help alleviate the man's sorrow, she would try. "Gypsy"

Everything Gypsy said and did seemed so quiet and delicate. Between that and her tiny, tiny size and stature it really made it difficult to want to do anything other than guard and protect her. He had kind of gathered in the time that he had spent with Indigo and the wolves he collected that all of them had some kind of dark past or trauma and watching Gypsy daintily eating a strawberry it was hard to imagine anyone wanting to hurt such a sweet woman. Obviously she had been in some way, otherwise what would have made her this incredibly timid? He would never ask though, not wanting to bring up any pain for her.

When she asked about his sisters he hesitated for a moment as he figured out how he should word some kind of explanation, using the berry he was finishing as an excuse for taking a moment to reply. Sharing his past with Indigo had been a moment of weakness and vulnerability. He wasn't against sharing it, but he didn't want to do anything that might frighten or make Gypsy afraid of him. "After our father died they all kind of scattered to the wind," he told her finally. It wasn't a lie and it was more or less what had happened, but he just couldn't bear to tell her that he had been the one that had killed him. If he saw the same fear in her face as he had seen in Saiph's he thought that might break him. "I've been on my own since then. Well, until I found Indigo, of course."

He glanced around the room for a moment and asked, "Are you okay in your room here? Would you like to go out to the courtyard? I don't mind coming by during the day and helping you out there if you want to get some fresh air." He certainly wouldn't press the matter if she was genuinely content here, but if it was just a matter of not having anyone to help her around then he was more than happy to be her guide whenever she needed.

Segin Epsilon

Segin hesitated when she asked about his family and Gypsy instantly felt guilty for asking. Her ears tucked again and she lowered her head submissively. "I'm sorry," she whispered quietly after he'd spoken. She hadn't wanted to bring him any pain from the memory, she'd simply wanted to know a bit more about him. It seemed that he'd been alone for a while. Gypsy knew all about being lonely. Her whole life had been a lonely existence. Even when she was with another, she had been lonely. Despite having asked a question that pained him, Segin continued to speak to the small woman and even offered to take her outside during the day if she wanted him to. Again Gypsy's ears tucked. "You don't have to do that for me." She didn't mind her room. Besides, she didn't like being a burden. Having someone take her outside and be responsible for her... that made her a burden. Surely Segin had better things to do than play nursemaid for a blind girl. Gypsy had been in The Hallows longer than Segin, and yet she still felt as though she was an outsider. A newcomer. Would she always feel that way in life? Her existence was entirely different from the normal wolf. She experienced a different life than they did and it always made her feel worlds apart. Indigo had done his part to include her and make her existence feel relevant, but Gypsy imagined that she would always have low self worth. "Gypsy"

Segin really had to resit the urge to get up and go lay around her when she lowered her head with the softest apology he had ever heard. He didn't know how she felt about physical affection, but he was most certainly a snuggler and at least in his mind most things could be solved with a good snuggle. "It's okay, don't apologize," he assured her, "It doesn't hurt me that much any more, I just didn't really know how to explain it all without going into the whole long story of it." And without telling her the gory, gritty details of his past. If she really wanted to know he would tell her, but the last thing he wanted was to put more darkness onto this sweet, timid woman.

Segin had seen that reaction time and time again from his sisters whenever he insisted on caring for them and comforting them. The unwillingness to risk causing a problem or making themselves a burden was something he knew all too well. He refused to let her feel that way with him though and a grin pulled across his lips as he replied, "What if I want to spend time with you and take you out to the courtyard?" He chuckled softly and got to his paws, stepping over to where she was to gently tap her shoulder with his nose. "A new patch of flowers bloomed along one of the castle walls the other day. Would you like to go check them out?" He phrased it as a question, but he didn't really intend to let her say no. It was too beautiful of a day for her to just be sitting in her room alone.

Segin Epsilon

Segin assured her that the memory didn't hurt anymore, but she still felt bad for bringing it up. Not that she really had family, but she could imagine if Indigo were to suddenly abandon her. It would feel horrible. No doubt Segin was made of stronger stuff than Gypsy. The tiny woman was fragile both physically and mentally. She'd been raised that way. Never fed too much. Always kept slender and lithe. Never allowed to develop any life skills. Always cared for. She'd never known any other way. Segin most likely had to fend for himself. He was grown in a way while Gypsy was still essentially a child.

The small woman could hear him stir and suddenly she could feel the force of his frame near her. A nose touched her shoulder and a soft, shuddering gasp pulled from the tiny, speckled lady. "Please," she released on a shaky breath. Indigo trusted him, so she didn't think he would hurt her, but she still couldn't fight the anxiety that physical touch brought. It took every ounce of her will power to not go backpedaling into the corner.

Ears tucked, she barely heard the man's offer to go look at flowers. She felt that she needed to explain. Her heart thudded loudly in her ears and her breathing was a little rough as she fought the panic. "I've been used my whole life. Physical touch... it has always meant pain and abuse." Panicked tears began filling the woman's blind eyes and she began to fight hyperventilation. "I'm sorry, Segin." Gypsy took big gulps of air and her little body began to shudder. He'd done nothing wrong, but that single, simple little touch brought a miasma of memories biting at her heels.

"Gypsy"

**Gypsy's past is full of some extreme abuse. Be warned.**

Indigo may enter any of Gypsy's threads as he sees fit.

The grin fell from his face when she suddenly began to panic just from a small touch, his ears falling back against his head. He was such a physically affectionate wolf that he never thought twice about a little touch like that. He immediately lowered himself to his stomach after taking a step back from her, guilt stabbing through him. He never wanted to cause her any kind of fear or discomfort or anything. He just wanted to give her a friend, no matter how patient or gentle he needed to be to get there. He listened to her explanation of how she had been treated, how physical touch had never been a good thing for her. He understood completely. It was a fear he had seen too often in his sisters, one he had to overcome every time he tried to treat their wounds. It shattered his heart and made him want to scoop them up and hold them to protect them from the world, but he knew that would hurt more than help right now.

"No, I'm sorry, Gypsy. I'm so sorry," he told her softly, gently. He placed his paws in front of hers, not touching, but within reach. "We'll go at your pace, okay? My paws are right in front of yours. I won't touch you again unless you ask me to, but if you want to touch me you can. But you don't have to. Whatever you're comfortable with." He tried to keep his voice quiet and soothing, a small, encouraging smile on his lips even though he knew she couldn't see it. He was quiet for a moment, letting her breathe, letting her calm whatever thoughts or memories were plaguing her before he added, "You're safe now. I just want to be your friend, but only if you're okay with that. I can go if you want me to and we can try again a different day. I can bring you some more berries and we'll just visit from time to time. You just tell me what would make you happiest."

Segin Epsilon

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe. The minuscule woman repeated the mantra in her mind, taking deep breaths which she fought to keep even. It had been a long time since she'd had a panic attack. In the comfortable lull that daily life had now turned into, she'd forgotten to always be ready. In her previous life, she was always ready to be handled. Always ready to be hurt. She didn't have to do that now, so she'd let her guard down. It wasn't Segin at all. It was her. She was the broken thing here. Her reactions to physical touch were unnatural. Yet another thing to set her apart from other wolves. The only reason that she was able to allow Indigo his light touches was because he had saved her from death. The giant man had been patient with her and he had earned those touches. Segin was new. He was foreign. She wasn't ready for him to touch her like Indigo did. Maybe some day, but not now.

Segin apologized in turn and offered to leave if she wished it. Her frail frame still quivering, she shook her head. "No, please." He'd told her that his paws were in front of hers and she could feel the heat of them right before her own. Gently, Gypsy reached one paw out and placed it upon his, her soft, pink pads settling and staying there. "I need to get used to having someone care." Abuse had been an every day event. From her father, from complete strangers. Having someone touch her and not want to use her... it was new and somewhat scary. She would get used to it, but it would take time.

With her breathing stilled and her paw upon his, Gypsy began to calm more and more. Something about the offer that Segin had made, leaving and trying again later, had instilled a bit more trust in the broken young woman. "Thank you for being patient with me. I know it's not easy." Her ears slicked back and her muzzle drooped a bit. "I know I'm a burden to everyone." The tears that had been in her milky white eyes were still there, so she reached up with one dainty paw to wipe them away.

Gypsy didn't really need to be understood. It would be nice, but it wasn't something that she needed to survive. She wondered if the wolves around her understood though. It was no secret that she had been abused, but did they realize just how abused? Forced to sleep with men and women constantly, that wasn't even a big deal. Before she even realized it, Gypsy was speaking again. "Did you know that I used to have a long, soft tail?" Behind her, the little puff of a tail gave a little flick back and forth. "It was removed on purpose. Better access." Less resistance. Gypsy sighed and placed her head down between her paws, the side of her muzzle touching Segin's paw in the process. She was trying, she really was. Some days rained memories while others were dry.

"Gypsy"

**Gypsy's past is full of some extreme abuse. Be warned.**

Indigo may enter any of Gypsy's threads as he sees fit.

Segin watched as her small, pale paw carefully settled on top of his, looking back to her face with a deep sympathy in his silver gaze. "I need to get used to having someone care." That statement resonated so deeply with him and he wasn't even sure if he could properly explain why. He had questioned Indigo over and over, trying to understand why he would want to help him when he had nothing tangible to give him in return. It hadn't felt like an even exchange and it still didn't. He had never had someone care about him before. The closest he had gotten was his half-brother, but now that he understood what being loved and cared for really felt like he could look back at those moments and understand that it wasn't love. It wasn't care. He had been in love, but his brother had exploited that. In the end his brother had been the one to pay the price, but he still didn't really understand how much Indigo cared and was still getting used to it in his own way.

When she thanked him for being patient, a small smile pulled at his lips and he immediately shook his head to her statement about being a burden, forgetting for a moment that she couldn't see him. "You're not a burden," he insisted. "And you don't need to thank me for being patient. You're worth it. I just... I just enjoy helping others feel better, I guess," he added with a soft smile. He had learned a lot of patience as he helped his sisters that had been hurt by their father, having to calm them and regain their trust each and every time so that he could get close enough to treat their wounds each time. This wasn't the first time he had laid like this with someone and let them touch him first to help ease them into things and he wondered if it would be the last. Considering Indigo had a way of finding the most hurt and broken wolves there was certainly a chance that he might need to pull this special kind of patience out again in the future.

His head tilted slightly with a bit of curiosity when she began to speak again, bringing up how she had a long, fluffy tail at one point in her life. He glanced at the short, wiggling nub for a moment, realizing that he had never really considered it. He had known wolves that had simply been born with a shorter tail and even a couple that it had been removed in an accident or a fight of some kind. When she elaborated that it had been removed on purpose for better access, dread crossed his expression, his ears falling back against his head as his stomach flipped uneasily. His jaw tensed as he brought his silver gaze back to her sightless, milky gaze, feeling a surprising about of anger and hatred for anyone that had dared to abuse such a sweet, small woman like her. "I'm so sorry you were put through that," he told her softly after a moment, struggling against the temptation to go curl around her and protect her from the world. He looked down at where her paw was resting over his, his gaze softening as she laid down her head and lightly touched her muzzle to his paw. He held still, not wanting to startle her or disrupt this small touch she had allowed him to have.

"I've seen so many wolves be hurt and abused... I've been the one being hurt and abused and it's... it's just not fair. None of us deserved it," he said quietly, partially to her, partially to himself. "I wish I could make it better." But he couldn't take away her trauma, he couldn't undo what had been done. He could only be patient and help her feel a little better and listen whenever she wanted to talk and do things like bring her strawberries. It didn't feel like enough, but it's all he had.

Segin Epsilon