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‘Oh, is that so? Well, look at you, Mr. Well-Adjusted.’

Hector snorted a quiet laugh. ‘Shut up.’

‘I liked you better when you could barely even speak to people.’

Hector shook his head. ‘What?’

‘You heard me. In fact, you should try to channel that old part of yourself, from time to time--so that you don’t forget how to do it, I mean.’

‘What are you even saying, right now? I honestly have no idea.’

‘Hector, listen to me. That old shyness of yours could come in very handy, one day.’

Hector just blinked, incredulous. He wasn’t sure if he’d ever heard anything so stupid in his entire life.

‘Don’t look at me like that. Hector, that meek persona could be used to trick people.’

‘What?’ he said again.

‘You could use it strategically,’ said Garovel. ‘Think about it. You could intentionally give certain people the wrong impression. Make them think that you don’t know what you’re doing, that you’re incompetent, that you’re not a threat. Make them underestimate you, in other words.’

‘...Y’know, usually, I can tell when you’re joking. But now, I’m just confused.’

‘Hector, don’t you see? If you could but learn to harness the power of shyness within you, then you and I could rule this gullible world.’

‘Okay, Garovel. Please shut the fuck up now.’

The reaper laughed. ‘I’m only half-joking. A part of me is convinced that it would work. If you hone your acting skills, that is.’

‘Excuse me? It’s not an act that I can just do! I was never acting!’

‘I’m not saying you ever were. But you could take that experience and turn it into an act, is the idea. And then we could use it to trick people.’