[ Is it not going to work... It wasn't supposed to be a big deal; he never thought people would be upset at him for doing what he's been doing for years, had expected shouting when they did confront him and hadn't gotten any of that, and this 180 from everything he's grown up learning is sending him reeling a bit, so that he has to duck his head and kick off his shoes and haul himself up onto his bunk so he can give himself some time to think of what to say and how to say it.

Ellie doesn't seem to want to punch him in the gut at the moment, so he pats the mattress next to where he sits, legs dangling over the edge, so she can sit next to him if she wants, and/or push him off the bunk when she finds her anger again. ]

The mountains, mostly. Outside Soleil. You don't have to go very far, but if you make the right turns on the paths, the mountains cover up the town and the school and it's dark, like you're all alone in the world. I can take you sometime, if you want.