Azym wants to, wants to, wants to say something, but everything he can think to say is stupid and useless and pure lies like "I'm fine" or "You shouldn't worry about me" or, or whatever. And he's not sure he can even bring himself to actually say any words, so instead he just nods because actually he does need a bit to recenter.

Zei's shower sphere runs out, its water vanishing into pyreflies leaving him and his clothes perfectly dry. He steps into them and walks over to the door and says, "Take all the time you need. We'll wait for you downstairs." And downstairs he goes.

Damn it.

Damn it.

He takes another ten minutes to feel properly presentable. He's still not in the best of moods but he thinks he'll be able to catch it if something triggers him again. At least for now. He's sure he'll lower his guard at some point later and then be overwhelmed by feelings because that's very entertaining for the audience but for now he's... mostly fine.

Zei, Wakka, and Lulu are seated at the table talking about nothing in particular, and no one comments on his tardiness. Zei smiles pleasantly at him and gestures at the food on the table still in the process of being eaten then returns to discussing the finer points of setting things on fire with Lulu.

—oh, of course the people from the world with the rampaging kaiju know how to deal with grief. That makes a lot of sense. He'd honestly expected Wakka to get on his case but it seems he'd underestimated him.

Azym wonders idly what exactly Zei told them, and decides to ask later. For now, putting food inside himself is probably a good idea; they have a long day ahead.

That they do.

Once they're done with breakfast, they rejoin the blitzball players and make their way north towards the village gates. Kimahri joins them at some point, though he wasn't inside the inn when they were having breakfast.

Hmm.

Azym hangs back until he's next to the ronso. "Do you not hang out with the others much?"

Kimahri looks down at him with... some sort of a facial expression. Then he looks ahead again. "No."

"Why not?"

"I do not want to."

Azym should probably not draw any generalised conclusions about ronso based on this one guy.

"I'm curious about how you ended up here. Wakka and Lulu are from Besaid, right, but you seem to not be?"

"I am not."

...he needs a crash course in ronso body language. This looks like he's being stonewalled but as far as he knows this may be friendly.

He doesn't think so, but he'll try not to make many assumptions.

"You are one of Zei's guardians, yes?"

"Yes."

"So how'd you meet?"

"I took him from Bevelle to Besaid."

Zei is from Bevelle? Interesting.

"Ten years ago?" Azym guesses. "When his father killed Sin?"

Kimahri remains silent.

He'll... assume that means he's right.

"Why did you?"

"I was tasked to by his father."

Before his death, presumably.

Wait, if Kimahri took Zei from Bevelle to Besaid that means he's the one who's known Zei the longest out of everyone here. Even if only by a couple of months or whatever, he doesn't know how far Bevelle is from Besaid.

Huh.

Azym opens his mouth to ask something else but something tells him he should... actually back off, for now. He nods at Kimahri then picks up his pace a little bit after a minute (so it doesn't look like he's immediately fleeing) to join the main body of the group.

Zei's closer to the back of the group, not actively participating in the conversation between the blitzballers, and he smiles at Azym then.

"Getting to know Kimahri?"

"Something like that," nods Azym. "I don't trust my instincts about anything he does because he's not human and I don't wanna... I don't know, offend, by assuming."

"Pay attention to the tail," Zei suggests. "If you've ever met a cat, it's similar. And he'll take a while to warm up to you, and even when he does he won't really become any more talkative, but existing in his presence and not trying to push too much will make him more comfortable."