( It's an awkward conversation to have, but it's an inevitable one — particularly in an environment where empathy bonding is a common and frequently discussed occurrence. Better his strange habits and tics be preemptively explained than that he come across as — to quote Alana — unstable.

He blows out a slow and thoughtful breath, head weaving in a little shrug. )

It's not painful. Not usually. It's just...

( Give him a second here to grasp for the right words. Overwhelming isn't exactly the case anymore, and he doesn't want to project any sense of fragility. He doesn't feel fragile. He doesn't feel unstable. )

Constant. Something I can't turn off.

( He huffs out a quiet laugh fueled mainly by self-directed derision. )

I don't know if I can explain it without sounding nuts or presumptuous. Maybe both.