Having her feel the same way he did was...great. To a certain degree. A terrible way of putting it, to be honest, but that perspective mattered. It put them on a level playing field, being far from home and the expectations of their people, their culture. Here, despite what they already knew, one was no better than the other. They both had to go through the daily struggles the city brought about, facing the same problems half of the other Newcomers put up with.

And that was fine. That meant that Hiccup was better at adapting into these circumstances than she was. He had the upper hand. Just this once.

...But it was also heartbreaking.

"Isn't it?"

He wasn't the type to hold a grudge. He could say whatever was on his mind, anything that could ruin their relationship if he was the type to shoot her down even further. But he didn't. It wasn't him. And he was thankfully not the kind of kid who would think of doing that to someone who needed support. Stooping that low would make him feel worse.

"It's...well. I can't really say it's okay." His usual commentary was derisive, but it toned itself down at this point. "But. Yeah. That's that. Can't really change this until later on, like you said." Gently, he pulled away from her, each hand settling on either arm as he looked at her with a slight smile. "But I'll do whatever I can to help you out here."