Potemkin's severe presence can feel inescapable sometimes, but his body seems to fall back like a snowbank in the sun under that smile. His shoulders lower a little in relief from a tension he didn't realize he was holding until it was over, and he feels like he can breathe again. He had more at stake in that than he was willing to admit.

And, rejection or not, he really didn't want to see Ky eat an Agni X.

...is this what it's going to feel like forever? Maybe romance is meant for men of stronger wills and better nerves than him, and he should quit while he still can.

But what Ky says is encouraging, and what it promises is enticing enough for him to not give up. He starts to turn in the direction of the fenced path out of this little courtyard, waiting so that Ky can be at his side. "You are welcome. We can start on the walk while we talk more."