That was a relief. Paul nodded gratefully. He didn't want to be a villain and he was glad that this nice man appreciated that he wasn't one. But he probably had a point about needing to show he was a dragon. In the space of a few minutes Puff had gone from thinking he pretended to be a dragon to accepting that he was one, that magic did not exist however much you wanted it to, to thinking that of course it existed. He sort of felt like he was in a therapy session, although he had never been in therapy with anyone so handsome, nor anyone who encouraged him to believe in magic. Jareth's next words only served to reinforced this impression. Paul felt like he should be lying down on a couch or something but instead he still stood awkwardly as he tried to formulate an answer.
"I... suppose I did," he said thoughtfully. "I mean, I used to be creative and lively and everything, only now I just feel so... flat most of the time. Like the light has gone out. I don't know why. I lost my friend and I didn't know what to do without him. Nothing was the same. And my parents put me here because they didn't know what else to do. And..." He trailed off, shrugged, and pulled his sleeves back down over his hands, standing stooped and awkward like a little boy in a suit.