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[cigsandbeer]

"Too bad; I'm busy with some shit. I'm only calling you back if you're a pretty woman ♥"

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[reformedsinner]

"It worked on me," Hakkai assures him.

Although-- he affects a slight arrested pause, one hand brushing his chin thoughtfully. "But I've been told that by inmate standards I was polite, earnest and thoughtful."

He definitely had gone to investigate his inmate ledger when he'd finally had the opportunity to do so. Poor Mr. Kiryu. He'd been the earnest one, really.

[cigsandbeer]

"Fuck off, it's not like you ever were my assigned inmate", he says, giving Hakkai a light kick under the table. "That's not even remotely the same."

Pfft.

"If I squint I could maybe see two of those traits."

[reformedsinner]

"Ah, there's more overlap than you might think," Hakkai murmurs, ducking his chin. Dragging a near-corpse from the mud, nursing him back to health and showing him how to keep going...

Well, Hakkai hadn't been assigned to him, unless the gods are worse meddlers than he's previously been led to believe. But he can certainly see the similarities with a warden's duties.

"It's politeness I'm missing, isn't it?" he says earnestly.

[cigsandbeer]

"Obviously it's the politeness."

Hakkai is only 'polite' if one only looks at the words that come out of his mouth on a purely surface-level. Dig a single inch deeper and he's an asshole (affectionate).

"Okay, so what's this great overlap, then?"

[reformedsinner]

"Well."

This is definitely moving into Talking About Feelings territory. Hakkai supposes he started it, though, and he has enough experience talking about feelings after months of guidance from Xie Lian.

"...Every inmate does come here from the moment of their death. And part of being a warden is showing them that they can keep going, and that it's-- worth it to try."

He can say it, but he's embarrassed enough that he has to look down at his hands on the table to do so.

[cigsandbeer]

...Oh no, not Feelings. Gojyo immediately has a Regret over asking.

Equally embarrassed, he awkwardly runs a hand through his hair, averting his eyes.

"--Come on, I just stitched you up and shoved food into your mouth."

He knows fully well that's not all he did, but. Feelings Talk.

[reformedsinner]

"Well, I didn't say it was exactly the same." Because they both know that's not all Gojyo did, and going into detail is just going to compound the embarrassment.

He clears his throat, and adds, "Well. In any case. I do think you'll be good at this."

[cigsandbeer]

Still embarrassed enough that he's not making eye contact, but at least the confidence returns to his tone:

"I mean, it's not like I would've taken the gig if I thought I'd be complete shit at it; that'd just be embarrassing," -- although of course he would have, if it meant keeping Hakkai and Goku safe -- "but thanks for the vote of confidence."

And he does at least mean that sincerely.

[reformedsinner]

Hakkai flashes him a quick, half-shy smile, ducks his chin and looks away.