There was a flash of disgust when she mentioned her friend Alex, along with a tint of anger in his eyes as well. Oh it didn't last long, but TJ's emotions were all a mess at the present moment...and just thinking of what the boy did; using his powers on Zero against his will, it rankled the man even more so after having just taken that trip down memory lane. After having seen first hand that he had been a victim of someone else's abilities. Had been mindraped and left empty inside his head. There was some part of him that got it; that understood that JJ's friend had done it for her, and that alone was more than enough to warrant a bit of gratitude on Zero's part. However his knee jerk reaction to the prospect of letting that kid near him again just made his trigger finger twitch.
Before being able to get in a word though JJ was already off, and as he silently stepped to follow her into the other room TJ just remained quiet as he listened to his baby sister talk to the inanimate objects. For a second he frowned in confusion until some distant memories slowly came forth. Memories of her abilities...of her talking to little odds and ends back when they traveled together. As jumbled a mess as his mind and memories were; oh the web across his brain had been ripped away, but still there was just so much new/old things to process for him...as hard as it was to put all the puzzle pieces back together TJ felt genuine concern and grief over her own apparent guilt and worry.
"I'm leaving, JJ. Not forever, or even very long...just need to head back to collect my stuff, and to tie up some loose ends." With a soft sigh Zero's gaze drifted from her and to the floor as he spoke aloud, mostly thinking aloud too. "The raiders I worked with....they'll track me down, track me here to you...if I don't take care of things first. Still if your friend is willing to take me there and bring me back again, I shouldn't be more then a few hours." Then what? That question had been burning through his thoughts ever since the other day. He wasn't a part of this town. Wasn't a man with many skills beyond killing and keeping his boss alive. Hell Zero had no clue what he wanted anymore, let alone what his little sister wanted or expected of him either.
"After that...I can move on somewhere else if that's easier for you, JJ. Haven't been in your life for a long time, and I got no idea if making up for that lost time is even possible. Or if that's even what you want. I'm not..." He went silent for a moment as conflicting thoughts warred in his head, but at least as his shoulders slumped a tad he softly spoke up again. "I'm your brother, JJ. But I'm not the same as the TJ that you knew..."