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'Of course you don't,' said Garovel. 'But c'mon, now. You just brought down Banda Toro in single combat. Frankly, you had no right winning that. And yet you did.'

'Well, eh... I mean, I didn't really win, though. His reaper released him before the fight could be decided, so--'

'Oh no, no, no. You're not going to get away with doing this again. You always try to pull this shit. Everyone else sees what you did and realizes that it's amazing, but then you constantly find things to nitpick so that you can continue to feel all self-conscious and unworthy of all the praise you've just earned. Nice try, buddy, but not this time.'

'I... uh...'

'Yeah, that's right. You've got nothin' to say, because you know that I'm right and that you're wrong. Just take the win, Hector.'

This seemed like one of those things that Garovel was going to harp on and never let go, for some reason. And while Hector appreciated the reaper's fervor, he didn't feel like getting sucked into some kind of back-and-forth silliness, right now.

Maybe later.

'Alright, Garovel, whatever you say.' He started working on getting his armor off, starting with the gauntlets. They were being stingy, though, as if they were glued to him.

It didn't take long for Garovel comment. 'What're you doing?'

'Trying to get this stuff off.' Agh. Goddammit.

'Just dematerialize it.'

He kept struggling with the first gauntlet. 'This armor is brand new and super weird. I'm kinda worried that if I dematerialize it, I might not be able to rematerialize it.'

'You already rematerialized it, though.'

Hector paused. 'What? No, I didn't.'

'Yeah, pal, you did. When I invoked the healing, back when you were still talking to Grigozo. You dematerialized that shoulder piece there to let me touch you, then immediately rematerialized it thereafter.'

Hector paused again. And kept pausing.

'...Did you really forget?'

Hector puffed up his cheeks as he recalled. Then he exhaled through his mouth. Dammit, the reaper was right.

'Wow,' Garovel went on. 'I know you have the flawed memory of a filthy corporeal being, but goddamn, Hector. That was like twenty minutes ago.'

He dematerialized most of the armor at once. His clothes were shredded, save only the Scarf. 'Why is it that whenever I start to feel kind of smart, I always end up doing something that reminds me I'm actually a big dumbass?'

The reaper chortled. 'Does that really keep happening to you?'

'It sure feels like it!'

'Maybe it's the universe's way of keeping you humble.'