[That was a deflection if he'd ever heard one. Evan felt a flash of compassion for the man again, remembering his own first months, hedging questions like that, assuming the worst of his fellow recruits. He smiled at Haise, though he wasn't one hundred percent willing to let the matter drop.]

Well, it's hard to top a dragon. You wonder why they don't recruit more of his size and general impressive proclivities. Certainly that's some serious magic he wields, too.

[He shot Haise a sidelong look, and wetted the bandages he meant to use to wash some of the blood from this fellow recruit.]

I won't pry; I know how you feel, I think. But you might consider trusting that your fellow recruits have seen some... odd things, and that you probably won't be the oddest.

Now. All that blood on your face -- do you have a scalp wound? We should clean that out, fast healing or no.