This is a shock to her, though Vince seems at ease. She braces one hand against the tree trunk and grips a branch with the other, steadying herself. "I've just never met anyone else who could," she admits. "If I told folk in the village that I could really talk to their creatures, they'd think I was mad. They think I've a knack, is all."

She glances down at her skirts with a sigh, nose wrinkling in weary frustration. "Girls aren't allowed to wear breeches, elsewise I'd dress more sensible," she informs both him and the squirrels.