Shannon stiffened at his head being held still, at odds with the contrast of the feminine hand still carding through his hair and trying to calm him down. He wasn't at the edge of panic or anything like that, just nervous at the uncertainty and trying to keep it in the corner of his mind to fight back against the promise of safety from their touch. It couldn't possibly be safe to let his barriers down in front of a crowd of strangers, not with the blindfold telling them that he couldn't see.

"Is there a judgment panel I've got to face?" His voice was already going soft. Damn. Walking while talking while being led and having his hair petted was pretty much forcing him to compromise on which parts took priority. "Because they're probably going to look in all the wrong places."