Hythlodaeus licks his bottom lip as he considers Dirk's words. How to pry them apart without angering him? That might not be possible, but he was aware that there was productive and unproductive fighting. He would need to resist being utterly antagonistic.

He played the mental reel of saying "I thought you carried some measure of love for the triangle. If you truly feel that way, should we not trim the fat?" He'd snatch his glasses and smile if his expression changed. Amusing, but unproductive.

He moves along.

"To be doubted in regard to such a topic... It has been a while, I'll admit." He really wishes he'd gone and gotten the chalkboard now, but he similarly does not want to break the physical connection first.

"An interesting take. Counterpoint: People absolutely are architectural concepts, if only because everything is." His free hand goes to his collar bones to unbutton his shirt down to the familiar glyph on his skin. He traces the raised skin with his index finger over the triangles first.

"Existence follows rules and patterns, and inevitably swings towards balance. What you call stronger looks more like oiled kindling to me. Or... To speak of the machines you and Hades so love. Without a resistor, do you believe that your combined passion won't burn out? As much as I've experimented with it, entropy does never last."

His hand leaves his chest and takes Dirk firmly by the jaw.

"Tell me what you know of stability and normalcy."