Heron Lake Plateau So there's this puzzle I work on endlessly

Her reaction wasn't what he expected. She seemed to suddenly cut herself off, or at least distance herself from him with her comment — and the light of understanding flit out of his gaze just as swiftly. It was like being with Sorina all over again. First things were going so well (perhaps better than that) and, in true Screech fashion, he'd wrecked it before anything could really happen.

But — if it wasn't Quixote, or a Redhawk, or a Blackth-oh s o n  o f a  b i tch that only left— wait, you're not serious are you? No, that wasn't the right thing to say in this situation, but he was more perplexed now than he had been a moment ago. That—came out wrong—I didn't mean— well shit, what was going on right now? What was he supposed to say? This had been a rollercoaster of a conversation and now things had spun upside down and—

I'm an idiot, he blurts loudly, and before she can get the wrong idea: You can do so much better than me, Niamh.