[ Fabian will hear sounds like uh huh, mm--so, sounds of approval, and that's exactly what Gorgug was thinking the situation was like in his BEAUTIFUL mind palace, thank you very much.

And now he might be better able to understand what Fabian himself was looking for, with that more direct question: ]

Oh, there was a guy-- you know the animal guy I told you about in that city who was helping the cats that I gave the water jugs to? [ Gorgug definitely told him about that. ] He turned out he was made a cop too, and I was saying how you got made into a cop, but how you're really the opposite of a cop, since, you know-- you're not really a cop.

[ LOGICAL. ]

I know you're not the standard definition of a pirate, but... there's a lot about it in your life, and I didn't-- I didn't know how you saw that part about yourself. Or how you want to carry it. You know...what you would call it.

I didn't want to brush it off.

[ And it's as much in his tone as it is in his words, the careful consideration he's trying to bring: this part of Fabian influenced by his living conditions growing up, that might not make sense or mean nothing towards being another's idea of a real pirate. But this is Fabian, and until there's a better way of describing it...

Pirate-esque is the best they're got here for it. ]