Penny again found herself wondering if she wasn't dreaming this entire encounter, though she couldn't help but wish she were braver. Surely, Gen would not sit trembling before a dragon, hardly able to utter a coherent thought.
What struck her, though, was the fact that the dragon seemed genuinely surprised that she might be afraid of her. Was it not obvious? Weren't all people afraid of dragons?
"As I said, I... I am not quite sure what to expect..." Penny replied cautiously, not sure she wanted to admit being afraid even if it seemed plain to her. "But I... I understand that you... that you might not have intentionally scared her away. It's just that large animals, they sometimes spook the horses. I'm sure she's fine..." Probably better off for being away; at least she wasn't stuck trembling with fear.
Still, Penny couldn't help but be intrigued by this encounter. The dragon didn't seem vicious or blood-thirsty or even tricky. She (for Penny was beginning to think that something about the creature was feminine) seemed a bit, well, uncertain, much like Penny often felt. Surely this was insanity.
"I... I'm Penny," she said on an impulse, a bit of a waiver in her voice but she wanted to see how the dragon reacted to the simple introduction.