"Fiend?" and she sounds more amused than offended, "Actually, I sort of like that." Probably says a lot about her if she has an easier time accepting it than 'cute.' But maybe that's growing a bit on her too. "You threw it at me, don't forget. I could have just taken off with it, but I thought you were- I don't know. Bored and wanting some fun." Pause. "I was."

She listens, truly trying to take in what he's saying even if it goes so much against what she knows and how she sees herself or what good any of it does anyway. "Confidence," Ava repeats, uncertain. "Mine is derived from knowing I have the upper hand in a conflict. Or when I know I can figure out the solution to a complex puzzle or equation." Her hands twist in front of her, absently wishing she had the towel in her grip to take her uncertainty out on.

"But." A glance down at herself, her same old outfit she's always wearing, trying to see through somebody else's eyes what makes any of it appealing. Yet knows he's obviously telling some version of the truth, even if it's one she can't manage to make sense of. "I don't think I can easily get past how monstrous I feel. When I look in the mirror, all I see is something broken. It's... nice, someone sees more than that."