His steps pause at the formality, he feels his heart lurch unhappily. Well, there's his answer. His gaze dips briefly, but he takes a breath and steadies himself. Zixuan looks back at her, gaze intent as he stops a barely polite distance.

He knows what his brother told him. But she is here. Alive. Beautiful as ever and forever kind and strong. However...this makes him relieved he'd found his robes returned, clean, and intact before making his way out.

"You don't...have to be so formal. Not with me." He feels his face flush, but he doesn't let himself budge from her desperately-missed presence.