[ That is not what Zelgadis expected to hear. What, now Rezo gives a damn about how he feels? He probably just wants to make sure he's not going to be a liability... That's a nice, safe assumption. He'll hold onto it, so he isn't disappointed.

He tries to find it in him to brush Rezo off and walk away, and fails. God, fine, he'll succumb to the mortifying ordeal of being known. ]

I doubt it.

[ Off to a phenomenal start. He sighs and relents in earnest. ]

Listen, I'm no bleeding heart, but this? ...I didn't think I'd find it so difficult to stay detached. They know what's happening to them, and I can't do anything about it. It's... draining.

[ What he so hated about being weak was not weakness itself, but the powerlessness of being so. ]