"I'm glad you feel that way," Lazarus murmurs. Unhappily, he's been ruined before by others who have had the misfortune of interacting with Ryuzaki. The most notable example is Cesar, who spent a fair amount of time thinking that the selfish and manipulative Ryuzaki was Lazarus, and in a large way, he still blames Ryuzaki for the ultimate failure of their relationship. But that's personal, and therefore, one of the few things that Lazarus can still hold sacred.

He accepts the phone, glancing at Blaise. "I know that it's natural to feel drawn to people who are kind and informative during a vulnerable time. But I don't want there to be any misconceptions about why I'm giving you my number, OK? I want to be very clear about the fact that I want to help you out with your questions, but have none of Ryuzaki's desires or aspirations."