He was a heralder of new beginnings, but only on conditions of reciprocity.

Done and done between gentlemen, is enough, sir.

But it is only at more advanced levels that it begins to be retooled at story openings in the function of a disjunct marker (Jefferson 1978) which announces that something different is coming up (i.e., the launching of a tell-worthy story) or as part of a yes-but turn architecture (Pomerantz 1984) during prefatory talk that functions to push an upcoming disagreement back into the turn-in-progress.

I'm sorry if I seem self-effacing / Consumed by selfish thoughts / It's only that I still love you deeply / It's all the love I got