"I know I said Sanzo'd come for you but pretty sure you'd wanna take him away once he did. He'd believe all too easy that the world would need to be kept safe from him."

He knows that 'cause it's how Yondu would feel in a similar situation. Only Koumyou with accept his face with depressing grace, where as Yondu would break things and sulk over the futility of it all. A ball of unsteady, volatile emotion. Koumyou was passionate but in a surprisingly controlled way (at least by comparison).

He turns his hand to look at Devero's knuckles, to see what shape his fingers are in. "Back in the maze, mission before last, I was reminded of... what happened, before I came here. I had a crew of over three-hundred men. But this upstart managed to rally a good two thirds of 'em over to his side because they all figured out that I favored Quill more'n they'd like. Somethin' happened an' my fin broke- like I mentioned when I showed. I got knocked out. Couldn't fight..."

He relaxes his hand then, letting the joined pair rest on Devero's knee. "The mutineers killed 'em. Just chucked 'em out the airlock. One after a-goddamn-nother. All of 'em beggin' for my help, all of 'em. Just left to linger. When Rocket put my fin back on I ended ever' damn last one of 'em. Later though... My last moments out there in space? I was ready for it. I deserved it. I shoulda been with them. An' if they didn't find their own places to go ahead of me then there ain't no sense of cosmic justice in any universe."

But there. He's said it. "Keep wakin' up to dreams about 'em bein' pissed I left 'em or scared I weren't savin' 'em."