[ There's one thing good about layers. It hides the damage, whatever it was. It certainly doesn't hide the occasional moment where he's paused, stiff, before recovering and moving onward, but he certainly hadn't said a word about it since then. Had coaxed every voiced concern with an 'okay' and 'fine' and otherwise had taken it easy. All the squats from the night before certainly hadn't helped his cause, but he wasn't about to complain about that either.

Instead, his attention's full on Zell. The one who while he might not be struggling with so much physically (or so he thinks), he's definitely not been okay in other ways. A way he quickly acknowledges. Zack opens his eyes to watch the young man curiously. ]

A hallucination then. [ He nods just a bit in recognition not really seeming surprised in the least by this revelation although a foul look does cross his face. ] Well, that would explain things. [ There's a short pause before he shakes his head with a softer expression. ] I know it's easy to wanna blame yourself, but it's not your fault. It can be hard to figure out what's real here sometimes. I've got the bruise to prove it. [ A meek smile touches his lips. ]