Janius held his head back and his chin down until Julan was done with his outburst. He unfolded his arms, blinked, and rested his elbows on his knees. "Very well," he said simply. He turned his head to the game and watched on. "Maybe we can work out the rules by watching."

In truth, Janius could not very well see the game in the water from where they sat. But Julan eventually opened up. Janius did not react immediately, choosing to keep his eyes on the ball as it was splashed around the swamp water.

"Mm," Janius spoke almost as quietly as Julan, if in a more reassuring way. "The way you've been looking at her tells as much. Tell me, have you got to know her? What's she like?"

[hr]
Rhazii pressed his lips together and exhaled from his nose. "Okay, if you say so. I might, you know, still run around a bit. I don't have to worry about big things like the rest of my life or killing people when I'm transformed. That's all I meant."

As he spoke, Rhazii turned around and found a spot to start disrobing so he wouldn't destroy his clothing.