Things are better, [ he protests lightly, struggling to keep his flush from darkening at the familiar smile. ] Getting better, rather. .. I'm very lucky to have caught your eye. It's been.. [ he trails off, suddenly not sure how he can even put it into words. anything he says, aral won't really understand, will he? not the way he's meant to. ] It's been an incredibly valuable experience. Not just for my career, I mean.