Devero slides his hands into his pockets and steps back again, giving the other man some space. There is a voice in his head urging him stridently to back off-- it's not his place to ask, he's pushing his luck, how long will it be before Koumyou loses his patience and finds a way to shut Devero up--

After all, Madame doesn't often tolerate Devero's attempts to get her to talk to him anymore. She much prefers his mouth to be occupied elsewise.

But Koumyou isn't his Madame. He has to remember that. So though he wavers here, he doesn't break.

"Of course you don't want to talk about something painful," he says, quiet acknowledgement of asking a question with such an obvious answer. "Who does?"

That last, quiet comment makes him look up, his brows drawing. "Afraid you're going to scare me off, Sanzo?"