[ It's very novel for Gray, petting a horse that actively wants the attention. She will continue to do so until Erebus seems bored of the scritches.

D's answer sounds nice, though Gray has to wonder if it's possible to live in a place without suffering. Maybe her isolated little village was close to that; she could have seen D there, quietly living out the same constant day after day without complaint.

But that does bring up an important point or two that Gray feels obligated to raise. ]

I think you'll like it here. We're usually very quiet, and the animals are peaceful... though sometimes someone comes by who can be rowdy. And, um, Add can be ill-behaved at times, but please don't mind him.

[ She pulls back the right side of her cloak to reveal a small bird cage suspended from her right shoulder, which in turn contains an elaborate, many-faced cube in royal blue and gold. The forward face of the cube looks up with shock at the sudden reveal, its little eyes comically round. ]