Of course Hickey's attractive. He is well aware that he's attractive. Still, he preens a bit at the compliment which is absolutely inflating his ego more than Billy'd like.

"He really isn't attractive," Hickey points out, with a little nod. Even if you ignored the holier-than-thou attitude and fear of anything outside his tight little morals, it's not like John Irving is cute to begin with. As far as Hickey's concerned, he's generic.

Though thinking about Irving and his station brings up another concern in Hickey's mind.

"D'you think he'll try to boss you around and go right back to the lieutenant and steward way of things? Little still hasn't shed the vestiges of Terror, Irving's going to cling to it even longer."