"Me? Oh, I'm... I'm fine, I suppose. I've got a long-term illness but I never get sick anymore apart from that. Win some, lose some."

He's told that lie so many times now it comes easy. It may as well be true.

But he does pause a moment.

"...I do kind of feel like I've been sent to boot camp though. Can you believe this place? What are these kids going to do when their lives go back to normal? What will they even be like?"