The moment, the very moment those chains were lifted from her wings the woman stretched them out as wide as they could go and hit the air with what handful of feathers she had left, trying to bring herself into the air. Cuts started to open again as blood seeped down her feathers from the filthy wounds, and she managed to push herself through the air a metre ahead of Lucien before she stopped, span around and crouched like a beast to observe Lucien.

12 didn't get it, she didn't understand. The only thing that stopped her from staggering and jumping her way as far as possible from his new master was the fact he willingly and knowingly took her chains off, and he didn't strike her as the type to do something as stupid as that without a good reason. Admittedly, she did owe him [i]something[/i] due to the fact he saved her from being trapped with the slavemaster...

...All of these moral issues were making her head hurt. 12 reverted to her natural state - she was too weak to make it more than a night in this strange town - as she crept forward uncertainly, wings flicking at the air every so often to check that she can still move them if she wanted to. Her beady eyes looked fearfully at Lucien, then down at the outstretched hand. Eventually, she left him holding his hand out and instead pushed herself to her feet on her own; she stood straight-backed in what would've been taken as arrogance if it wasn't actually the weight of her wings requiring her to avoid slouching to keep her spine in one place.

When Lucien asked (or, well, ordered) 12 to follow, that's exactly what she did. Her talons clicked against the cobblestones as she stepped very lightly on the floor, for each step hurt her toes and trying to fly hurt her wings. She did not see a reason to speak unless she was asked a direct question, so she walked in complete and utter silence, peering down at Lucien's back whilst she walked.