He huffed a chuckle, shaking his head, "Even back when I was only a thought, I barely ate." He couldn't help but feel just the slightest bit taken aback by her words, by her kind, warm ways.
"You're not going to tell me I have no power over you again, are you." There it was, the smug smile. He knew that he did have something, some grip on her, since she'd grown and still remembered him, kept him locked away somewhere in her heart for as long as it took between saying those spiting, cold, heartbreaking words, and now.
"Send me away to face reality? I'm not at all prepared for that."
He was well aware of how fragile he was without the cues to be something for her. She wanted a companion, and there he was. She wanted something to fear long ago, and he was frightening. Wanted an adversary and he became her hurdle to jump over to better understand herself.
"I'll still be whatever you bend me to be, Sarah. It's my way."