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This is Sebastian Michaelis. I am unavailable at present, but please leave a message. Should a response be needed I will reply when time permits me. Please do keep your message brief.

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[Distractions are just that: distractions. They don't help, they don't further his non-existent graduation journey, they're worthless.]

Please forbid me to do any manual labour whatsoever. Request of me to spend all my time making connections. Ask the Admiral to take away all my remaining powers. Ask him to turn me human.

[ANYTHING. What Sebastian's doing right now obviously isn't working.]

[Anything, in other words. But he thinks that both he and Sebastian know that brute-forcing it in those ways would be... less than useful. After a moment, instead, Hakkai suggests:]

I could request of the Admiral that you see every person on board as a cat.

[There's a momentary pause; that is not a suggestion Sebastian had expected. At least it jolts him out of his frustrated sulking temporarily.]

...For what reason?

Well, you'd find it considerably easier to make connections.

[Look, he'd seen Sebastian talking to Edwin at their wedding.]

I...

[He feels the need to protest that that would NOT make anyone a cat ~~spoken like a man who has not for one second considered that Edwin might not actually be a cat.~~

It feels wrong. But he did want Hakkai to do anything.]

...May I think it over?

I'm not actually serious.

Although, if you'd like to try asking yourself the question of how you would react if whoever you're interacting with was a cat....

[It feels wrong to Hakkai, too. But, more seriously:]

I could also offer... if you'd like, I'd let you experience my emotions, for a time.

[...How damned upset is Sebastian that he didn't pick up on that? Pathetic.]

...Would that not be similar to a Breach? [But he's not saying no.]

Edited 2024-06-07 17:15 (UTC)

Breaches are temporary and... well. [A pause.] Those people who we are during a breach are not real people. Do you think it would make a difference for you to experience emotions that are real?

[A week of human feelings, followed by the removal of those feelings-- well. To Hakkai, although they've left their marks sometimes, breaches are easy to dismiss.]

[There's a pause on Sebastian's end. He hates this idea too, but... thinking it over seriously does feel better than this frustrated dead-end he's been in for days now.]

Even in all those breaches, I... believe I had not a full human experience of emotions. [He can't be sure, but he thinks he'd been somewhat emotionally stunted in all of those lives, despite being human.]

...I do not know how to answer. [MAYBE it'd help? Hakkai being youkai and not human at least makes the idea slightly more bearable: he'd at least not gain the emotions of a lowly human.]

I... I would acquiesce to try it. For how long?

I see. Let's start with at least twenty-four hours to give it a fair trial. If you think it is making a difference, we could continue it for a week. I'd stay close, in case there are any -- problems.

Doubt you my self-control, sir?

[Emotional regulation of emotions you've never experienced before will surely not be a problem.]

It's going to be a new experience for you, and it might be a difficult one. I'd like to be close in case you have questions.

If I actually doubted your self-control I'd be telling you to stay home from work for the first twenty-four hours.

[Questions are not the same thing as problems, Sebastian thinks to himself, but he doesn't argue.]

...Fine. Twenty-four hours to start with.

[Problems is a more honest description of what Hakkai thinks is likely to occur. But there's no need to be insulting by doubling down.]

All right. I'll speak to the Admiral.

When would you like to start?

[He's tempted to say "right now" just to get away from this impotent frustration - how pathetic is that?]

We are due for a Flood soon, no? After its end?

Edited 2024-06-09 04:24 (UTC)

We are.

All right -- that seems like a sensible precaution. I'll contact you as soon as it ends.

Very well, sir.

[There's no "thank you", because he's still too upset, but he does feel a little bit better now having something to channel his frustration into, even if that something too is an aggravating idea.]

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