Ransom's brow lifts thoroughly at that. "Desperate? Interesting choice of words. Do you mean horny?" He deals in crude even when he's not forced to speak plainly. Still, it's an honest question, hence his ability to ask it. He can make a guess, given the givens, but he (discomfitingly) doesn't know what he's supposed to expect here, and had seen the recognition in Javert's expression.