He regards her quietly, taking in the slightly alien features of her hair and eyes. He has a hot chocolate cradled in one hand, the other taped up with physio tape around the thumb.

"Don't internalise their words and names. They aren't worth you beating yourself with their judgement." He scratches under his chin, down the line of his mark. "They don't understand you and they don't want to understand you, just shame you for being different.." He offers out his drink warmed hand to shake. "You can call me Ed."