Cole is the wonderful absolute ego boost Victor doesn't need, but it's one of those nice surprises: he figures it's as bluntly genuine as the rest of what Cole has said or fumbled through. It's not humanising, per say, but it does make Cole feel more real in a way Victor would be hard pressed to frame.

"Two more times? I was aiming for the bottom of that bottle." He's half laughing at the admission, choosing to focus on laughing, nothing else. "This isn't going to net me another year of service if I don't manage to knock them down, right?"

He accepts the second ball being proffered, lifting his more visible eyebrow to wait on confirmation before he attempts a second throw.