Sylvain had waited patiently as Kaz reaches for him, but then gets hit with a tangled wave of emotions from the other man that has his own stomach lurching for a moment and he gives a thick swallow, trying to interpret what the hell he'd just picked up on. Not having any context here, he has no idea, but he takes in that deliberate withdrawal of his hand with a thoughtful expression before nodding and casting the other man a crooked smile, not pressing the matter.

"Sure. I was heading that direction anyway."

Easier to let the subject drop, he thinks, because whatever had upset Kaz had been... potent. And probably not a topic he wanted to broach when the other man had already had the shit kicked out of him once tonight.

So instead he turns back to the previous topic, as uncomfortable as that might be for him. He can handle a little discomfort if it's a useful distraction.

"My reputation came about as a rebellion against a cage I was never going to be able to escape. I worked hard at it, but it was never going to keep that door from closing on me. Maybe delay the inevitable a while longer, but..." He trails off for a moment before shaking his head. "Of course, coming here makes the cage obsolete, so I can leave that reputation behind with the situation that made it feel so necessary."