"I would not say such things if I did not mean them or if they were untrue." Thrawn works on Eli's calf, cool hands running over the muscles. He truly believes that Eli's potential would have been wasted had Thrawn not come into his life, even if it hurt to see Eli react as he did to Thrawn's meddling. It made him upset at first when he thought that Eli didn't like him.

The hands move up to Eli's thigh. "How do your legs feel?"