[ Yes, this is what he meant about their conversation being unpleasant. He has always been an abrasive individual with strong opinions. How he behaves rarely matches with how people expect the average person to behave. It has never costed him much socially, because he could leverage the eccentricity that people expect with genius. However, that meant that when it came to making genuine connections, it was far more difficult for him than the regular person.

So no, he's not really trying. This is not what he wants from Ereshkigal. He'd prefer her anger over... whatever this is. ]

Hoping that I'd bare my heart to you and reveal sorrow that you could soothe? So you could feel better about yourself after your failure to help Seoul? If so, you've picked the wrong person to use.

[ This might be the opposite of trying, actually. ]