[ So it hadn't been a vivid dream, then. That makes him feel better, but only in the sense that he has confirmation it was real. Simultaneously, it doesn't clear any of his thoughts in the slightest. ]

Oh, no, I'm perfectly alright.

[ He's not. His thoughts have been plagued by this Cookie all night, and he got very little actual sleep. ]

I can't help but feel as though I know him... And I haven't been able to get him out of my mind since we returned to the Grove. I find myself wanting to spend more time with him, but until your confirmation just now, I hadn't even been certain that he was real to begin with. It felt like a dream...