He looked at her/him, he admired her/him.
He would watch her/him from far away, as s/he would sneak off to train at night. S/he would hit the sand bag until her/his fists became bloody. He admired her/him when s/he would come back from an expedition, smiling like none of her/his comrades had died.
He would admire her/his cold facade. He admired as s/he never flinched when he glared at her/him, or when s/he had to do most of the chores when s/he got in trouble.
He knew s/he wasn't the best in the 3DMG, but he also knew that s/he wasn't the worst. He would watch her/him in the hand-to-hand combat t