[ Pride in who he is... That particular vein runs much deeper than the skin of the matter. Soren had already been forced to confront the hard reality of what he is - or rather, what he was - and who that made him. It had been a long and arduous process, and he'd needed the support of one person to help affirm him, but in the end, he had finally arrived at a comfortable level of acceptance. The needle carves agony into his flesh and he bites back a clipped, gurgling scream against it, furls his scaled hands up tight and endures, his words tumbling out with that restrained but frantic energy thanks to the heat of pain. ]

Nngh-! But... A dragon is not what I'm su-supposed to be...! Just when I was finally content with who I was, and this accused world sees fit to slowly and painfully warp me into... into this...! How can I feel any bit content?

[ It's much less about being a dragon and more who he left behind that strands him in a permanent state of malcontent. He had been his reason for living. What's left of him now? ]