[Bravo. Her respect earns a rare laugh: an honest smile brightening his face.]

Honestly? I imagined I'd banged my head.

[He shakes it instead. He knows what she means, what answer she seeks. What answers she might possess to that interesting point she raised.]

Once the initial shock wore off, I found myself a fish out of water: a man thrown back to a bygone age. Now there's something we have in common.

[One simply doesn't outright ask what it's like to drown.]