"Hi," he says.
"Hi. You can sit."
He slides into the booth across from me, careful to stay on his side like there's an invisible barrier down the middle. His book,The Goblin Emperor, gets placed precisely parallel to the table's edge.
"How'sDragonflight?" he asks, then immediately looks like he regrets it. "I mean, you said you liked it, but —"
"I'm on chapter twelve."
His whole face lights up. "Did you get to the part where — no, wait, chapter twelve. You just met F'lar properly."
"He's kind of an ass."
"He gets better. Sort of. Okay, not really, but Lessa makes up for it."
"She's already my favorite." I show him where my bookmark, his note, is placed. "Thanks for the recommendation."
He stares at the receipt paper sticking out of the book. "You kept it."
"It's a good bookmark."
"It has a smiley face on it."
"I like the smiley face."
He ducks his head again, but I catch the tiny smile. "Most people think the Pern books are outdated. All that stuff about Impression and dragon bonds —"
"Sounds like shifter bonds, actually."
His eyes go wide. "I didn't — I wasn't trying to —"
"I know. But it's interesting, right? The idea of finding someone you're perfectly matched with. Dragons and riders, finding each other across a field of candidates."
"Have you... do lions have that? Bonds like that?"
"Sort of. We call it mate bonds, but it's not automatic. Takes work. Choice." I think about Knox and Toby, how Knox knew immediately but had to wait for Toby to choose him back. "The knowing might be instant, but the building takes time."
"Oh." He fidgets with his book's pages. "That sounds... nice. Better than the instant-forever thing."
"Yeah?"
"In books, it's romantic. In real life, someone claiming you forever without asking would be terrifying."
There's something in the way he says it, careful and considered, that makes me wonder what his experiences have been. Not much past twenty and living in a shelter. How many people have made decisions for him without asking?
"What'sThe Goblin Emperorabout?" I ask, changing the subject.
He relaxes immediately. "It's about this half-goblin prince who becomes emperor after his father and brothers die in an accident. Everyone hates him because he's half-goblin, and he was raised in exile so he doesn't know any of the court etiquette or politics."
"Sounds complicated."
"It is, but in a good way. He's just... he tries so hard to be good, you know? Even when everyone expects him to fail. Even when being good makes things harder." He stops, flushing. "Sorry. I get excited about books."
"Don't apologize. I like hearing about them."
"Really?"
"Really. What got you into fantasy?"