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I was alone, I took a ride
I didn't know what I would find there
WC: 705. Sorry this took so long. I've tried to write it three times now.
Another road where maybe I
Could find another kind of mind there
Being judgemental wasn't Grace's strong suit. She was open-minded and idealistic, perhaps to a fault, but it had yet to get her into trouble. Usually, she really tried to believe the best of everyone, and to understand their motives. After all, people didn't typically do things without reason; even if they were only doing something because they felt like it, that was still a reason. Understanding the reasons that others did things was very helpful to being tolerant and kind, and Grace valued these things highly. Her mother had been too harshly judgemental, to the point of being hurtful at times, even when she meant well. But then, Grace had understood that her mother did mean well, and that she was only doing what she thought was right, and so she tried to take it with a grain of salt. Similarly, her father had been very good and kind to her, but sometimes he lacked the capacity to discipline her, because he cared so much. That was okay; Grace could just as well be her own discipline, in her own way. She knew that her parents loved her very much, and they did the best that they could. Her brother, too, for all his jealousy and competitive nature. He was just trying to be the best that he could, for himself, for their parents, and for their tribe. If his emotions sometimes got in the way, it wasn't a big deal to her. She understood his plight, even if it was not her own.
So in the same way, she had considered the type of creature who might have kept Hadley as a slave. Surely, someone like Amy would have, but she was a wretched girl - even Grace couldn't deny that much. But was that the only kind who would do so? Or might someone like her have tried to rescue him before, to save him, but not thought to break the unhealthy mentality that bound the boy? Perhaps they had felt it was hopeless, that Hadley would not know how to handle himself independently; that much was true, though she was trying to help him fix that. A good, caring master was better than being abandoned and alone, at the mercy of anyone. But then, why had Hadley been so eager to get away? Perhaps he had wanted his freedom as much as his current master wanted to give it to him, but they had not communicated well. Poor communication explained many things in life, and Hadley hardly seemed the type to be able to express himself clearly or articulately, especially to someone that he felt bound to, in the way that a slave feels bound to their master. Grace, of course, had no experience with such things; she was free, and she always had been free. She couldn't even fathom what it was like to be a slave, but she tried to understand the broken mental state that it had left Hadley in. If his master was good, then perhaps they could work together to help the poor boy heal from whatever had traumatised him so. If not.. well, then, Hadley could stay with her until he was on his feet.
A laugh rose from her throat before she even realized that she had been startled. "Oh!" she exclaimed, looking at the male who had greeted her. Their eyes met, although his face was upside down. She grinned; was this really the male that called himself Hadley's master? She couldn't see anything terrible about him just yet. Of course, people could hide their true natures, but she hardly thought that they could hide them this well, and this male was simply... well, flamboyant, and quite cheerful. She would have to try to discern why Hadley had been so keen to escape; if anything, right now, she quite wanted to have lunch with the guy. "Yessir, I did," she replied genially. "I'm Grace. And you are called...?" A name would be a good start, and they could go for there. He should already know why she was there, and he didn't seem worried or defensive, let alone angry. Wouldn't a cruel master be angry that his slave had gone missing? Curiouser and curiouser...