The obvious discomfort he was causing the girl had begun to weigh heavy on Swiftbeak's heart; his desire for friendship shouldn't come at her expense. Still, it wasn't feasible to avoid seeing her for the entirety of his time here, and whatever could be done to acclimate her to his presence would ultimately help her. At least, he hoped it would. To that end, a bit of honesty seemed to be in order.<br/><br/>"Mary, do I scare you still?" he asked, trying to sound simply curious rather than accusatory.