He listened quietly to everything that was said, and thought about it, before he could try and figure out how to respond.

Finally he said softly, "I... always liked dragons. In the books. I... I used to think that if I was ever as big and strong as a dragon, I wouldn't be afraid of anything..."

He looked down at his hands.

"And then... and then I was... but I was still scared. And... if I was wrong about that..."

She shook his head, eyes a miserable dull orange.