[It still seems almost insurmountable. Yuan doesn't turn his attention to the meal yet, only leaning back to meet Kratos's gaze more squarely from the chair.]

How are you so sure about this?

[It seems simple. Too simple, really. If being nice worked, shouldn't it have worked a long time ago? But Kratos sounds utterly convinced of this.]

[But greeting the administrative staff-- it's easy. Yuan can feel himself bracing for the inevitable rebuffing, but it isn't a tactic he's consciously tried before. Maybe there's something to it.]