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[It seems someone has decided to change his voicemail following graduation. Hes trying so hard to sound professional, business like, but Hanna's usual enthusiasm bleeds through easily.]

You have reached the mailbox of Hanna Cross. If you don't have an appointment, my secretary will follow up with a return message shortly. [a short pause.] meaning me. I'll get back to you, don't worry.

And if this is an emergency what are you doing on the phone? Cardio is your friend. byyyye!

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[Oh. Well, that actually makes a lot of sense.]

Well yeah. CK's the jealous type. If he didn't lead with 'I will go where you are', I sincerely doubt he did any listening after the 'I want to go somewhere other than where you currently are going'.

Not to mention even if the guy thought he could graduate, which I've heard nothing about, just that I'm wasting my time, that would probably sound like Iago is asking him to abandon his court.

He's got his small group here, but last I knew, he has over a hundred cats back home. He's a servant to a god, like...that's his entire identity. He isn't going to abandon them so easily because a mortal human asked him to.

There are cats where he hopes to go. Zehun's cats never gave me the time of day.

...Iago admires that about him. That he truly cares for his duty to them. I don't know if he understands the god part, though.

Yeah, it's... I mean, no offense to who ever Zehun is? But he has a soft spot for strays, not kept cats, even if he has a duty to them too. Someone ruined that I long time ago, I'm pretty sure but we haven't exactly gotten to talking about it.

[Hanna is definitely not the person to explain this to Iago, but he has no idea how to get the Cat King to do it.] Yeah, I have no idea how to get him to explain. I mentioned Edwin and he practically hissed at me, I wasn't about to bring up his ex. I kind of do pay attention to his prowling cause he's not the most stable inmate around, so It wasn't hard to see he stopped showing up at Iago's when we had our talk.

There are strays, just...not on high security stations. Iago wouldn't be cooped up there like I was.

What is the deal? He doesn't exactly seem like the servant type, even for a god.

There isn't exactly any deal. He's a cat, and he's like...a demi-god while also being neither. I'd say he's a bridge, but I think he's thrown that bit out the window. Mostly he's just fucking bitter, and lonely. It's pretty darn clear if you have a few conversations with him, and he's not exactly hiding it now either.

I mean, the 'no one loves me' thing isn't new, just...it's been quieter.

I've been saving my file as a bargaining chip to try and get him in a better mood and he didn't even take it, which tells me this like, legitimately hurt him...

It hurt Iago pretty bad, too.

[There are things he won't share, even with Iago's bemused permission to meddle, especially not to Hanna, not even the Cat King himself. But that much seems more than fair.]

Why does he think he can't graduate?

And I thought I was bad at relationships... I feel like this could have been solved by like, taking a breath and actually, you know. Talking about it for more than two seconds and not letting the intrusive thoughts win. [Hanna sighs, rubbing at his face before he shifts over to his mattress, flopping down on it.]

Is that relevant to fixing the issue at hand? I'm not about to give you all my hard won notes and completely breech all of his privacy...

I think it might be. If he's convinced he can't, then...any planning for the future is abandoning him, right? But he's also not offering or asking for Iago to come with him, if he doesn't think he'll be there.

So Iago thinks he's not wanted, and the Cat King feels like all his fears are confirmed without ever having to risk asking. And they were probably both pretty venomous when Intrusive Thoughts won in a landslide. Iago didn't give me a blow by blow but I bet it was nastier than what he actually told me, so now they both want the other to apologize first...

[Jedao sighs.]

Anyway, you still don't have to tell me, obviously. But I do think it's relevant.

[Hanna chews on his lip, considering his options.

He has thoughts about talking about things that he feels are private, but the thing is, any answer he can give is his personal opinion. Nothing has been spelled out in confidence.

Is that a breach of privacy if it's speculation based on his behavior around the Barge and not completely rooted in his file?]

Alright, here's the deal.

Im gonna ask you if you think this relationship they have is worth saving. And that might sound a little fucked up, but im not an idiot, and I know between the two of them, theyve got some pretty fucking nasty bad habits, some of which I think are necessary to leave behind if they're gonna graduate. I could be wrong, but thats where im at.

Regardless of how you answer, I'm still gonna try mind you, but if you really think Iago and The Cat King could be functional and happy with each other? I'll spill.

But you gotta really be honest about it, alright? I'm trusting your judgement since you know Iago a hell of a lot more than I do, obviously.

I do think it's worth saving.

[He's certain of that. True respect, Iago said, and Jedao knows just how much more that can mean than simple affection, for men like them. And other things, things he was told in confidence.]

I don't know if they can be happy, but if they can't, I think it's because they couldn't be happy not-together either. That sounds terrible, but it's...I think they could be very good for each other. I'm not sure either of them has any practice with really being good to someone. But they've got to figure it out sometime, and it might as well be with someone who understands the weird shit they started out with, you know?

I mean, we're literally discussing pros and cons of two people's relationship without them. Its gonna be terrible regardless, but we also want to see them succeed, and be happy.

[He thinks it's worth it regardless of how terrible it might be.]

But yeah, no...I get it. And I'll take that any day.

So, um. You know how to graduate you gotta change? CK is of the mind that because of what he is, he can't, Im pretty sure. Like, he gets personally offended when ever I mention newly shit, or unlearning behavior and I'm starting to think he does that not just because he thinks I'm full of shit but because he believes thats just who he is.

You feel one way for so long and it doesn't feel like hurt, or a knee-jerk reaction, but who you've always been even if it isnt true.

"They're both manipulative fucks, they deserve it," Jedao says, with immense, obvious affection.

But he sobers a little.

"I...know what you mean. And I don't want to push them when it's too raw. But we'll come up with sometime. Maybe there'll be a flood we can use."

Honestly I think the Admiral doesn't think about it too much when it comes to who he picks, but humans change a lot in their life, it comes naturally...

In my experience that isn't so true of the supernatural. They live longer, or have natural instincts, and changing it would be fundamentally wrong. I get that, but I think he's stopped knowing the difference between nature and learned behavior. [As much as Hanna plays the idiot and is one at times, he actually is decent at detective work, doing research, it's the practical application of that knowledge that gets him stumbling sometimes if he has to work it out. He never has the right thing to say at the right moment.]

We're due for one though, so maybe we'll be lucky. Also, um. This is a weird ask, but if you think of anyone who might actually get along with him, that's not a cat? Maybe push them his way. He's going to try to go to ground I think, and it can't just be me and his cats that try and pull him out of it cause it probably won't work so well...

Edited 2025-08-09 20:02 (UTC)

What kind of people does he usually get along with?

I'll try, at least. I like cats. And even if he's awful and jealous at me, that's at least some proof that he cares about Iago after all.

He does care about a respect, so not someone who is going to take to harrassing him in response to him being an ass, I suppose. He holds grudges like nobodies business, but I think that's kind of a cat thing? I dunno...

And I have to wonder, does he know you and Iago are close? I've never heard him say a peep about you, but that doesn't mean he doesn't...just that he tells me fuck all.

I haven't checked in with him or anything, but he's a cat, I figured he could like...you know, tell.

[Smell it.]

Oh...yeah? Maybe? [...] More than maybe actually.

I cheat with that, but that's thanks to the admiral. It was kind of irritating having him comment on my hygiene all the time when there's like fuck all I can actually do about it so all he gets off me is calming cat pheromones, like those plug-in thingies for people with cats that hate each other? He stopped trying to hit me so much after that, I don't know if he's even realized I did it and it's been like...six months.

Would it be a good or bad idea to throw catnip at the situation, do you think?

Hmmm.

[Hanna taps his cheek as he thinks about it.]

I think if you did he might get real wise to the fact that you're trying maybe a little too hard? I'd leave the nip to Aerith. She's his supplier.

We'll save it as a provocation for if other things don't work, then.

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