It was true that being alone was tiresome. How strange it was--- Will was surrounded by infinitely more people in Preya yet so much more alone than back in Hawkins. At home his periods of inward focus were intermittently broken by either Joyce or Jonathan checking in with him and he always had at least one of his three friends to accompany any venture outside. For all the loneliness of social ostracism he had never been truly isolated from others. Hana's presence on a busy street was like the safety of a comforter to keep the night monsters from grabbing hold of you. Not rationally a barrier but it certainly gave the warm impression of one. It was nice to have a friendly companion even if he could not yet call her 'friend'.
He listened to the brief ramble about games with a thrill of intellectual eagerness only known by the geeky. So much to discover was within his grasp! People from his own time would wait years for such wonders--- perhaps even unto death considering how far in the future Hana hailed from. It was overwhelming but not unpleasantly so. No comment was made on the subject (as Will was not much of a talker) but there were several appropriately timed nods and a new bounce in his step.
The last question, however, prompted a verbal response. He did not quite smile back but there was a soft brightening of his features. "I like it here. It's very different and colorful and full of hidden corners. The town I come from is tiny and extremely boring. Or was, anyway. It feels cleaner here even though there is so much more going on." A reflective pause. That had been a considerable amount of words from him and he needed a breath. "There's a lot more to learn, too. Not just in school but everywhere."