"It does beg the question, though— are you otherwise entirely devoid of friends and loving relationships, or is it simply that all of your other relationships are lacking something that you think you can get from me?" It’s curiosity, pure and simple, rather than any desire to needle Hatter or however else it might come across. Ace is having— has been, since the deal was made— genuine trouble understanding why the man would make such a deal. Surely he’s handsome and friendly enough to make friends on his own? And it had been clear in the contract that being friends with the Devil wouldn’t get you out of going to Hell, so… It was baffling. Humans were, in general, Ace found. “Thai sounds delicious. And smells delicious, come to think of it. Is there a reason that that’s the food you went for?” Step one in becoming friends: get to know them. Right? That included asking a lot of questions, Ace was pretty sure.
Hatter hides behind the pretense of getting the food out onto the table while he formulates a response for all of Ace's questions. He can just tell the truth, but that seems too messy. Too intimate for something like a first dinner. Owner of his soul or not, Hatter isn't rather thrilled to start off with laying his wounds out in the open. "Will either answer change your perception of me? Maybe an even better question is, what is your perception of me?" That seems like enough to distract Ace for now. He stares down at the plate in front of him and grins all smugly to himself. "Thank you. I appreciate the compliments. Hopefully it'll taste delicious as well so it'll be a trifecta. It's my favorite. The flavors are bold and leaves a lasting impression."











