There's a ton of wisdom in this. Seriously. Humour is a social
lubricant and barometer/test signal.
To the OP: Interesting and enjoyable story. You already said your gut
instinct alarm bells were set to red alert, but you were not following
them. Why? What did you hope get out of this interaction that let it
go to four rounds? There's one phrase that sticks out from a training
on social engineering we had here recently - "you can't con an honest
person". And that means a person who is honest with themself. All
this time you are thinking about "what did they want?" Maybe the
question you should be asking is what did I want? To get back to
work. But you didn't.
If the answer is really "nothing" then a genuine friendship might be
in the offing. Otherwise, one or both of you is playing a game. Test
that by pushing away - not just politely playing within the polite
parameters of normalcy - a good con artist will already have those
exists mapped out. Chuck in an unexpected dirty or ridiculous
joke. Humour throws a swerve-ball that should reset the power
relationship. If you get back "psychoanalysis" instead of a belly
laugh, take a walk.
To the OP: Interesting and enjoyable story. You already said your gut instinct alarm bells were set to red alert, but you were not following them. Why? What did you hope get out of this interaction that let it go to four rounds? There's one phrase that sticks out from a training on social engineering we had here recently - "you can't con an honest person". And that means a person who is honest with themself. All this time you are thinking about "what did they want?" Maybe the question you should be asking is what did I want? To get back to work. But you didn't.
If the answer is really "nothing" then a genuine friendship might be in the offing. Otherwise, one or both of you is playing a game. Test that by pushing away - not just politely playing within the polite parameters of normalcy - a good con artist will already have those exists mapped out. Chuck in an unexpected dirty or ridiculous joke. Humour throws a swerve-ball that should reset the power relationship. If you get back "psychoanalysis" instead of a belly laugh, take a walk.