"I used to be a lot of fun!" He raised the glass in the salute she'd likely seen thousands of times by now. "It just got harder as time passed. The world got dreary, and it took me with it. I'm trying, though. Trying real hard."
He took another swallow while he half-considered he was just being reeled in. Old paranoia doesn't just evaporate overnight. "And don't tell yourself things like that. You could just work here, tell people what they want to hear and stash away the tips. Buy an island somewhere or something. You seem to legitimately care about the people you meet, though. That's good! It's rare these days. Worth protecting. It's no small wonder everyone who comes through here loves you."
He took another swallow while he half-considered he was just being reeled in. Old paranoia doesn't just evaporate overnight. "And don't tell yourself things like that. You could just work here, tell people what they want to hear and stash away the tips. Buy an island somewhere or something. You seem to legitimately care about the people you meet, though. That's good! It's rare these days. Worth protecting. It's no small wonder everyone who comes through here loves you."
![[Image: yEROfKO.png]](http://i.imgur.com/yEROfKO.png)
