He heard her approaching before she ever spoke. He wasn't sure if it was the crazy bird genes that enhanced his hearing or if being blind automatically made all of his senses sharper. If he had to guess, he'd say it was a mixture of the two. Either way, he knew she was there, but that didn't stop him from bristling when she spoke. He didn't look up, keeping his sightless blue eyes trained on the ground, on what his hands were doing.

"Well, now he doesn't have to pay someone," he said, and though his voice was on the quiet side, he sounded belligerent. "Besides, it's better than doing what everyone else is doing. Whatever everyone else is doing." Because he wasn't sure, to be honest. He knew they were training, learning to control and hone their powers, but he'd been widely ignoring everybody and didn't actually know the specifics. He stopped pulling out grass for a moment to look up and frown. "Why can't he mow his own stupid grass?"