thank you! he really hasn't had the self-knowledge he needs to survive until right now, and then he has one hell of a learning curve, but i'm very proud of him for taking this step.
hee, as i was starting to write this one i thought 'hmm, i'd better look up outface to make sure it means what i think it means,' and the double meaning of causing an opponent to back down and confronting an obstacle unflinchingly really informed a lot of what came next. i think i also found a definition related to exposing oneself to danger, too.