“Don’ let me stop ya now.”
Was there even a hiatus to begin with? Perhaps he did care, should those words be some matter of tough love, but a husked voice and a stolid expression would mettle itself even against another sip of poisoned flame from a glass, and then… silence. There were reasons other than health that he’d disliked such things, really. Memories inhaled by the scent of such smoke, numbing the senses but never the reminder of his own namesake, dark and bitter.
Still, the bronzened man didn’t turn away, didn’t avert his gaze of knives and hoarfrost from the conversation in question.
There had been, but it had been brief and, as with most things with the detective, had only lasted long enough to secure additional walls and nettles that urged the craving of terrible habits. Hakuba placed the cigarette between his lips but didn’t light up, not yet, instead resting his gaze on the other man with a contemplative stare. Evaluating.
“Tell me… am I due for an evaluation any time soon? In my absence, I’ve completely forgotten where we stand.”