He looked down at her, kept eye contact, and then smiled faintly. "I wish I had that kind of life, sometimes. The ability to live beyond the walls I know without even having to see, without the hundreds of servants and the watchful eye of my boss and Sadako and everyone. To be able to travel without the concern of schedules or a reason to be there. I wasn't allowed to be spontaneous, and I think, now that I've grown, that I won't learn how. It's one of your wonders, Sable, to be free as you are. You've probably seen more in your young life than I ever will in mine. And I'm proud of you."
He looked away again and down at the water. "You may not be able to fly, but you're definitely a bird. Maybe you're some sort of wild... ostrich or something. I'm bad with animals. And metaphors."