[ Talking about his full reasons probably does give better insight into why he threw his lot in with Yima, but it's something he doesn't enjoy doing. It has him hesitating for a moment, giving Ann a critical once over as he debates how much he does actually want to share. ]

I don't think you're gettin' what I'm sayin' fully. I ain't here because by accident some force allowed me to drift back into existence here. Yima's powers are why I'm still around and kickin', and I've seen her snatch other people's souls outta that abyss too. She's got something no one else really seems to have, even if I've heard Meris try and claim otherwise.

[ That's vague enough. Absolves him of having to talk about his brother's shard. ]

I ain't just makin' a choice based on her bein' nice to me, I'm makin' it based on her actually bein' able to do something, unlike what anyone else here has shown.

[ It's going to make the loss of Yima feel all the more poignant to him later. ]