What's the word? 'Overachievers'? That's them, they all got ninja skills and magic. And they're all athletes, pretty much. I think they're all Americans too, so you might be out of luck.

[The problem of teenagers, or the younger people in the group in general, keeps nagging at Dixon. He feels responsible for them, if only because he's got a few decades on them. But they're clearly significantly more competent than he is in this situation, and not only don't need his help but are likely to be held back by it.

It's a toxic combination, to feel both inept and unable to abdicate responsibility. It gnaws at him. Each day here he feels like he's drowning. It's only been a week since he was preparing to just opt out of life entirely and the stress and sense of inadequacy here is making bouncing back from that more difficult than it already would be.]

Okay kid, seriously, I need you to hit me with that fucking sword.