Others may have taken her statement as imperious, as if she owned the grass and were granting him permission. They may have felt that by doing what she 'permitted', they would be accepting her authority. Others may have stopped themselves from doing just that, just to show her that she was not their mistress. Leto didn't care about those games. He stooped and ran his fingers lightly across the tips of the blades of grass. It was cool to the touch, much like his visions had felt. He straightened, smiling with some amusement, before falling back in step with Baba Yaga.
"There has never been one such as myself in your existence," he answered her question, without ego -- and gently. "My eyes have been stained by ingesting great quantities of a certain substance native to my homeworld. And I am different because I am the culmination of my ancestors."
He paused and turned toward her. "Does that help you?"