[ Aoi wouldn't kid himself into thinking he wasn't intimidated by Ali's display. The initial unsheathing made him instinctively flinch, his mind reeling as he quickly considered his plan of action if he was actually attacked. The possibility was slim, since this guy seemed more concerned with talking than actually doing anything. But still.

He wasn't naive. It was better to be safe than sorry, and Ali has proven himself to be kind of psychotic or, at least the very least, abnormal and, by default, unpredictable.

Ali's words seem to grow more distant to his ears with each step he takes towards him, and when that blade lifts and stops at his shoulder, relief finally clears his head. With an absent wave of his arm, he hooks a finger around the blade to gently push it off to the side and away from him. He looks more exasperated than fearful or cautious. ]

Are you done butting heads with me? [ It's a sort of admittance he can allow himself to make, since he isn't accepting that he made a mistake. Usually, he could take condescending words in stride, but this guy was beginning to grate on him. Aoi isn't used to being underestimated like this. ] You can save the lecture for next time if we wind up getting stuck together on another mission.

I'm here to chase off pests and thieves. What about you?