[Orual]

Jem frowned at the children's hostility. He had been nice, hadn't he? But they were children, after all, and imprisoned in a strange place. Their reactions told him at least that they were strong-willed young people; for many, a kind voice in a frightening situation would be enough to send a child into tears. Then he smiled. He probably would have said the same thing to an adult when he was a child.

"All right, Myself," he said, following the girl's introductions just to irritate her. "I welcome you and Him to our humble abode." He gave an exaggerated bow. "And please believe me when I say that you've better surroundings than many of us have most of the time, and though from your finery I can tell that you're likely used to a comfortable bed, warm blankets and a soft pillow, right now you've got a roof over your head if nothing else. You can go on talking if you'd like. But I'm such a villain, as you can tell from my vicious face, so you'd better be careful what you say--don't give away too much, right? I don't need anything else now that can't wait, and I'm not going anywhere, whether you'd like me to or not. I can sit here for a long time. This is my only assignment." Jem took a seat on the floor and looked evenly at the children. "Choose for yourselves what you want to do. I could care less."