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[The change in Hank's demeanor is too quick and complete for Firo to assume he's lying, at least not immediately. He doesn't think of Hank as someone who could lie that naturally.

Still, he's miffed, given that seeing his casino given such a treatment was a pretty big deal.]

You don't remember accusing me of running drugs through it?

What?

[Now Hank's just squinting, baffled. Then it clicks. He looks no less baffled once it does, the look just gets some skepticism poured on top of it.]

What? That wasn't even real! I've never even seen your casino! That's way back in the... nineteen thirties, or whatever. The real one.

[On that last word Hank raises his eyebrows, tilting his head, making a point.]

[Okay, fair point, as loathe as Firo is to admit it. So he'll click his teeth together and try to swallow his anger--and then just skate by his own irrationality.]

All right, fine. [Forging right ahead:] Why're you here, anyway? You came all this way just to apologize?

[Nothing against Hank specifically, but he doesn't believe it. What's the point?]

[Hank hesitates. He shouldn't if he wants to be convincing, but he's not actually sure he does. He'd have to convince himself to be convincing, and that's never a winning game.]

I, uh-

[He hooks his thumbs in his belt loops and looks away, looking unhappy.]

I saw some weird enough shit back there, and there was someone with me most of the time. So.

[He shrugs.]

So. I just figured. You know.

[He pauses, sucking at his teeth, and goes on in a slightly flatter tone.]

I'd drop by. Ask about... things. You know.

[His jaw tightens, not with anger but to assume the blank but firm mask he considers his professional face.]

Like I just told you, I can handle myself.

[Still skeptical, sorry, Hank. His tone lightens, like he's attempting levity or a light verbal jab. And he is, though the motivation is to kick dirt over the implication that he might've seen anything truly distressing there. Because he didn't.]

The strangest thing I saw in there was you looking like a respectable citizen.

[Hank huffs, looking back up at Firo for a second, wry.]

Well don't worry, that part was definitely the nightmare.

Look, what's wrong with a little human concern? If I told you I still think you're the biggest, baddest guy on the block instead of, you know, giving a shit about your welfare, then would we be cool?

[Yeah, Hank might be getting a little defensive about the rejection of a sentiment he hadn't actually meant in the first place. Yeah, it might not be a great call. But being genuine for a second, not sucking up, it's a relief so Hank's first instinct is to lean into it.]

[He sighs and slips into his vaguely irritated mien like it's a well-worn glove. This situation is weird--and he blames Hank for acting weird--but now there's an opportunity for low-stakes sniping. That's a comfortable place to be with Hank, and he welcomes it with relief.]

Somehow I doubt that'd be the truth, the way you're saying it.

[Privately, he would indeed love to be known as the biggest, baddest guy on the block. Hank knows what's in Firo's heart.]

Nobody shows up at another guy's door for "human concern."

What? Yes they do.

[Okay, forget all that sucking up he was here to do, this is some weird and outrageous shit.]

We're all packed in here, it takes like a minute to walk over to someone's door and ask how they're doin. You're really telling me no one does that?

Not for no reason, they don't.

[Never mind that that doesn't make sense in the context of the conversation, since they're currently debating a reason. He means a real reason.

Still kind of a circular argument.]

What if that reason's just 'being a decent person'? There's a couple billion people in the world, I think one or two of em occasionally call someone up with the far out idea that they just wanna know how they are.

[Firo wants to argue back that he never said nobody in the whole world ...even though he did. Ugh.

Flatly:]

And today you're one of those people? Wow, gee, I'm so grateful. How ever can I repay you?

[Hank actually laughs, dryly. Sarcasm with a bite to it. In a place where everyone's so damn nice all the fucking time, that's actually pretty refreshing.]

Yeah well, you're no angel either, asshole.

[And here's the moment. Again. It's time for him to just come out and goddamn say what he's here for. He knows what coming here to suck up just for something to drink makes him - but isn't it stupid that the thing that tips him over, makes him think, no, I don't want to be this is the fact that admitting it now would make him lose the goddamn argument?

Hank pauses. It is stupid, but it's true. Looks like he talked himself out of it.

He sighs.]

I'll leave you alone, then. Let you go back to... whatever it was you were doin. Sittin alone hating humanity or, you know, whatever.

[He gives a sarcastic little wave, eyebrows raised, and turns away, his empty bottle sitting too close to the small of his back in its little pouch for him to remember that it's there.]

I don't--

[Hating people? Firo frowns, confused that his obvious realism could ever come across as misanthropy. Confused too that Hank's actually leaving, like maybe he was telling the truth about the reason for his visit.

Then his eyes land on the empty bottle.

This time, he's not quite relieved, but he does feel a sense of rightness, like the tumbler in a lock clicking into place. Now things make sense.

He calls out after Hank.]

Is that why you showed up? You just need a drink? You coulda' said so.

[He also could've just let Hank go. But he didn't. He doesn't bother to think about why.]

[He turns back, frowning. After a second he reaches behind him to touch the bottle.]

Damn it.

[Busted.]

Look, maybe I should have come around just, just to ask how you were. So. I mean. I can just... come back. Later.

[Even as he says it he knows that's stupid. So much for leaving on the fucking high road.]

[Firo takes this as a win--and that nudges him into a better mood. He opens the door wider and jerks his head back.]

Come on. I haven't had it going for long enough to be as strong as you're probably used to, but I've got something. Honestly, I don't get why you had to start with all that crap.

[He hesitates just a second more, thinking, looking like he's tasting something bad. Then he raises his eyebrows to himself, purses his lips, and heads inside, easing past Firo.]

What, you want me to hammer on the door next time yellin at you to gimme that good shit? It's almost like you think I'm some kinda asshole.

Edited (code) 2019-02-12 03:28 (UTC)

[Firo lets the door swing shut as he heads for the container. He waves at Hank to hand him the bottle.]

Well, half of that's true.

[Spoilers, it's the asshole part.]

It's not gonna be as strong as what you're used to. I've only had it going a few days.

[He tilts his chin up, acknowledging the warning, and hands the bottle over. It's not the bottle he was using in Akvos; it feels weird to use that one. Lucky thing he has a spare.]

Hey, you want me to bang on the door in the middle of the night too? I mean, if people don't do anything to be decent I might as well go all the way.

[This is what you get, Firo, for not specifying which half is the true half. Not that Hank can't guess. But why wouldn't he be a shithead about it?]

[Firo dips the bottle into the bucket, careful to fill it mostly with liquid and not with some of the very suspect fruit chunks floating around.]

Come on, you know what I meant. People who aren't, you know. [He gropes briefly for the right word.] Friends and family.

[Close.

He doesn't know what he'd call the relationship he and Hank have; it's something around the wary acquaintanceship he had with Christopher and Dragon, but perhaps less guarded given that Hank isn't a man with shark teeth or a cannibal.]

Huh.

[Well that's something learned about this guy. That clear division between 'friends and family' and 'everyone else', and the fact that there's more to that division that Hank probably doesn't have a good grasp on yet. It's an interesting little factoid and Hank watches him for a second, squirreling the observation away. Then, once that passes, he relaxes into this. This is starting to feel less like... like what he'd thought it was when he'd been walking up to Firo's door, and more like two guys sort of joking around at each other. Firo didn't have to be cool about this, but he is.]

Well, there are some people even around here who want to be nice to everyone for no good reason at all. I'd know, I've pissed a couple of em off. But, so- if I couldn't of come here just to check up on you, does that mean I'm still free to wake you up askin for shit if I want? I mean, if friends can do nice shit and gotta be considerate but I can't come by just to be nice... [He tilts his head and a hand back and forth in a 'either or' kind of gesture.] I feel like we're still not clear on that.

[A smile flickers briefly onto Firo's face when Hank mentions the relentlessly pleasant people--yep, he's run into some of those here.

He reaches over and grabs a cloth off a nearby box to wipe off the outside of the now-full bottle. The smile fizzles out at Hank's question, as Firo has the very familiar feeling of being screwed with.]

Don't be an asshole about this. [He still thinks Hank knows what he means! He sighs a long-suffering sigh.] Look, if you come and bang on the door in the middle of the night, you just might get your ass beat.

[He snorts.]

Yeah, that's fair.

[He moves closer, holding out his hand for the bottle. He doesn't push any harder on that particular topic. The question - implied question, whatever - about whether they're friends might not be one he wants an answer to. Maybe it'd be easier, if they were - or maybe it'd be harder. Or maybe it doesn't matter. It'd take more than leaving Firo alone in a freaky, dangerous place to piss him off, so Hank won't have to come up against the fact of what exactly Firo is to him for a while, probably. And that's what matters.]

Thanks for this. I promise to hold off on the beating your door down till a reasonable hour.

[Firo snorts and hands over the bottle.]

I hope you don't expect a thank you for that.

Ha. From you? I'm starting to think it'd take a lot more than that.

[He grins, not minding, and gives a little salute with his now-full bottle of slightly weaker moonshine.]

I'll take off, unless you actually did want me to stick around and ask how you're doin, tell me about your feelings...

[Firo mumbles something under his breath about not being that bad. He rises to stand, waving off Hank and his extremely untempting offer.]

Yeah, yeah, you can go now. I'll see you around.

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