[His mouth hangs open for a good few seconds before he even starts thinking of an answer to Fiddleford's question, stunned as he is. He forces himself to relax to Fiddleford's touch; of course, forcing yourself to relax never works out quite like it's supposed to, but it's a genuine attempt. His shoulders feel stiff, but he's taking deep breaths.]
I... We thought...
[But as he shakes off his surprise, the self-loathing starts creeping in again. A part of Marco berates him for even beginning to consider ways to soften the blow, to do damage control; once the head of a business, always the head of a business; heartless, wretch, hypocrite.
The hands on his shoulders ground him.]
It was supposed to be... a mix of things. A-A display - a peaceful display - in contrast with what the Fog's people - some of the Fog's people, sorry - have been doing. Just a moment of peace, just during the show, just-- no fighting, no worries... [He's already beginning to trail off, unswayed by his own arguments.] A helping hand to the neutral people...
... I don't know why I thought it was a good idea. I should have known better.
no subject
[His mouth hangs open for a good few seconds before he even starts thinking of an answer to Fiddleford's question, stunned as he is. He forces himself to relax to Fiddleford's touch; of course, forcing yourself to relax never works out quite like it's supposed to, but it's a genuine attempt. His shoulders feel stiff, but he's taking deep breaths.]
I... We thought...
[But as he shakes off his surprise, the self-loathing starts creeping in again. A part of Marco berates him for even beginning to consider ways to soften the blow, to do damage control; once the head of a business, always the head of a business; heartless, wretch, hypocrite.
The hands on his shoulders ground him.]
It was supposed to be... a mix of things. A-A display - a peaceful display - in contrast with what the Fog's people - some of the Fog's people, sorry - have been doing. Just a moment of peace, just during the show, just-- no fighting, no worries... [He's already beginning to trail off, unswayed by his own arguments.] A helping hand to the neutral people...
... I don't know why I thought it was a good idea. I should have known better.