#toughbug

There is part of him that does not--at all--trust Guzma.

He knows of the supposed-reformation, of the fact that this is someone his mother would trust with her life -- and yet, he cannot entirely forget the anger, threats, sending of underlings to do so in his place, and so on.

To say he isn't even slightly nervous would be a lie -- but he tries to keep it under control, lest the bugs and beasts residing within and nearby the observatory become nervous as well.

“Yeah?” he asks, glancing the man’s way for a moment before returning his attention to some of the Charjabugs wriggling about in the dirt. “I, um...”

“Your.. admin, Plumeria--” It feels so bizarre to call her that. “--has been very.. kind to us up here.”

He realizes Guzma most likely already knows of at least some of Plumeria’s feelings -- how she regards Sophocles, often treating him like a son -- but he refrains from directly mentioning them at the moment  in the event that he doesn’t.