It wasn't easy to judge, but Fuyuki was sure that this Azusa was slowly calming down; perhaps nervousness was one of her reasons for attending Yamaku. Theoretically the school had strict guidelines on not enrolling people with mental disabilities, but due to the ambiguous wording on the exact turn of phrase used, a lot of students with minor psychological issues were admitted. Touch wood, no one dangerous had been admitted yet, but nervousness and phobias were relatively common. [b]'Apparently so, although for me it is just preference.'[/b] Rather than being nervous around large groups, he simply got pissed off with their collective idiocy; he omitted that little tidbit though. To his mild surprise he found Azusa's slightly anxious aura to be a refreshing break from the usual well-adjusted teenage attitude enjoyed by most of Yamaku's students. It felt like he was talking to someone who actually thought before speaking; very rare. [b]'That is a relief. Actually I could do with a drink; my throat gets dry very easily.'[/b] He was about to lead the way to the nearest vending machine when Azusa asked the age old question, one he had answered a thousand times. Over the years he had concocted a number of elaborate and amusing answers, sometimes as a joke, sometimes to make the person feel guilty as all Hell for bringing it up. This time around however, he went with the truth. [b]'It is a little embarrassing, but I cannot speak. I was born with a birth defect; basically my vocal chords do not work. This PDA is the nearest thing I have to a voice, which can be a problem when I run out of batteries.'[/b] One of the advantages of using a PDA was that sarcasm doesn't translate well without tone; on the flipside, it's hard to get a laugh when your punchline sounds as flat as a pancake.