[ he's going to take that as a sign that it's okay to keep petting her lightly even if in the back of his mind he still can't believe he's petting a dragon. ]

I can see how it might be uncomfortable... but you're right, I can easily tell which one is Cinderi so I don't have to worry about calling her by the wrong name. Maybe it's kind of like when a person is really tall and they feel self conscious about it while shorter people wish they could be taller.