Ezra was not curious at all. It was annoying how much time Zeb spent in the fresher every morning. Ezra was just thankful the beast stayed up later in the evening than he did so he slept later. By the time, he got in the boy was usually done with his morning routine. When Ezra asked what he does in there all morning, Zeb simply tells him he is grooming his fur. He did not wash it per se. Every once in a while, the ghost would stop by a dusty planet and Zeb would always get off and "bath" somewhere the crew could not see him. Sometimes he would even bring back a box of what looked like dirt for "later".
Ezra honestly did not get it. He spent forever in the bathroom at the mirror looking at his facial hair. Ezra once opened the door while he was in there and watched the Lasat turn his head this way and that, looking at his beard from all angles with the smallest pair of scissors that Ezra had ever seen. There was a box open near the sink with all sorts of picks and combs in it. Enough to make Ezra's head spin.
He quickly realized he was staring and slammed the fresher door in the amused lasat's face. Ezra decided that the best thing to do was ignore his growing curiosity and find Kanan to train. They had scheduled their meditation in the mornings before lunch so Ezra could do his chores before they started. Not the most ideal situation but it's the best they could do in their hectic lives.
Ezra found Kanan in their cornor of the ghost, though he's not sure when that became their cornor instead of just another dark cornor. He had already set up in his medidation form and beckoned the boy to do the same. Ezra attempted to meditate with his teacher, attempted being the key word. When he stopped to let his mind wonder, he kept thinking about why Zeb put so much time in his fur.
Ezra had not gotten through his growth spurt yet so he did not have facial hair nor much body hair. He did have some but not enough to groom as the lasat did. Why was hair or was it fur so important the the lasat? Did he really have to spend so long in the fresher every day? What did he do with dirt while "bathing"? It was all just confusing to the boy and that confusion was leaking through the bond if the expression on Kanan's face was anything to go by.
Sighing Kanan gave up the meditation for a few minutes and asked Ezra what was on his mind. Ezra was a curious boy and the moment someone asked, he spilled all he had been thinking about. It was a wonder Kanan even knew what thoughts Ezra was trying to express. He was probably cheating and using the force to help translate his apprentice's quick speech.
The jist of what the Jedi got though told him the boy wanted to know more about his roommate. Now for the boy, it was just idle curiosity but Kanan could see something different. An interest in others for the sake of knowing about them and their culture was a huge step for someone that had lived on the streets. He smiled at the boy and had a great idea of his own.
When Ezra took a breath to continue his questions, Kanan interrupted "Why don't you ask Zeb about this?" That made the boy stop and find something on the ground interesting. "I don't want to annoy Zeb with all the questions" he started "isn't it your job to answer them as my teacher" he asked hopefully. "Not exactly" Kanan responded with a chuckle. "Ask him, you'll be surprised by the response I'm sure".
"Okay, but if he smashes my face in because I'm being nosy, I'm blaming you" Ezra quipped. "Good idea, Zeb should still being doing his routine now, why don't you go ask him while you know what you want to know" Kanan stated.
After a few more minutes of convincing, Ezra walked to the fresher that Zeb had been taking up most of the morning and knocked on the door. "Go away" Zeb yelled through the door. Taking a deep breath as if he was doing his training Ezra answered "Hey, I had a question and Kanan said now was the best time to ask". Might as well through Kanan under the spaceship early just in case this ends badly.
A minute later, feeling thoroughly ignored, Ezra was about to knock on the fresher again when it opened and he got a face full of smelly lasat breath. "What" he growled. Ezra gulped and took a step back. Once he realized what he had done, his own stubbornness pushed him back forward to ask his question. "why do you do this every morning? What's with all the tools? Do you really use dirt to bath?" Ezra spoke quickly, trying to ask before he was thrown out of the fresher.
Zeb watched the boy as he pieced together the things being asked of him and finally understood. At first, he thought it was general annoyance the child was feeling and was defensive. He guessed it really did not matter the species, a pup is going to be curious no matter what. "Come on in" he said gruffly in answer.
Ezra hesitated but came in the small fresher with the lasat. He sat on the side of the tub and watched closely as Zeb returned to his routine and began speaking. First he explained what each pick and comb was for in his case and even the type of wood the case was made of. Apparently fur and facial hair was sacred on his home planet.
Only the mightiest warriors were allowed to grow their facial hair out and being on the honor guard he was permitted to grow it longer than it is now. After the fall of his planet, he had to trim and groom it back smaller because he was not able to care for it as much and left the style even after joining the ghost as a reminder of what the empire had taken from him.
Zeb explaining using the facial hair to attract a girl had both lasat and boy blushing. He also explained the use of the dirt. Lasat body hair was very thick so they could not get wet. the earth was to suck the moisture out of their fur to prevent diseases and rot on their skin. When the explanation was over both sat in silence for a few minutes.
Ezra was thinking about how different the lasat was even though he just looked like a giant furry man. They had an entire culture surrounding fur. Zeb was content to let the youngling think and see if he had any more questions for him. Answering the questions was therapeutic in a way for the lasat. He was able to share what he could about his culture. Even though Lasat had fallen, something remained in him to pass on.
As he finished, he got an idle thought. Looking at the boy, he made a quick decision "come here" he instructed. Speaking so loudly after the silence startled the boy but after blinking in confusion a couple of times he got up and let the lasat move him in front of him. The mirror in the fresher was large and tall. Ezra could barely see his entire face in front of him because of him being sh...less than the ideal height for the mirror.
Going slowly after insuring the boy would not move. Zeb looked back in his case and picked up comb. The boy did not yet grow facial hair and the lasat did not know enough about humans to determine when he would but he could do what most would do for their own pups.
The child flinched when Zeb put the comb in his hair and gently pulled it down. He was actually pretty good at this part. Pups from all over his city would come to him for help grooming. He knew just where to untangle knots without pulling on the scalp. He could comb out the worst of the tender headed children with barely a sound.
Ezra began to relax as the Lasat continued his ministrations on his hair and began telling more stories about his home world. If the two weren't standing, Zeb would be convinced he put the boy to sleep. Now he understands how Kanan must feel when teaching him in this way. It was rewarding for Zeb as well.
When the spell was broken and Zeb was finished it was long after lunch and Zeb's routine had taken way longer today than usual. A notably calmer Padawan went looking for his teacher to tell him the answers to all the questions he had and if in a few years when Ezra started growing facial hair, he went to Zeb first. Nobody questioned why.