The silence that followed actually wasn't the least bit jarring as far as Klavier was concerned. He'd already figured Battler was annoyed or irritated anyway, so the reaction didn't cause much of a second thought. That is, until Battler actually spoke.
Klavier blinked, obviously surprised as that first comment sank in. Then Battler's face shifted to rage and... the guy started yelling at him. Straight out, blatant yelling. He was truly, legitimately angry. It most certainly wasn't expected at all, and Klavier hadn't thought the kid would have the guts to yell at him out of nowhere like that either. So to say he was caught off guard by it was an understatement.
The act of yelling alone wasn't enough to throw him off, and that was probably apparent. Loud voices weren't a foreign concept for him (it was part of his job, after all). Neither was pushing people's buttons. As any good lawyer knew, the best way to get people to talk was to get them emotionally charged. He'd used that in court before. And even on a personal level, he had a tendency to tease and irritate people. Klavier wasn't oblivious to this fact. He knew. But these were all controlled instances. Part of the plan or routine. Something like this, out of nowhere and with no benefit to anyone or anything, was certainly not something he ever liked to have happen. There was a difference between annoying someone playfully and really getting them angry.
Klavier did nothing to interrupt the tirade. No he simply sat there, staring at Battler with surprise written across his face and quietly listening as though to an interesting lecture. And when he was done and had settled back down, fuming? Klavier just continued to look at him. He wasn't smiling so much anymore, but he didn't look any less on edge either. To be perfectly honest, despite how completely unnecessary the anger felt, Ushiromiya did raise some significant points. And it was all something he had been told before by the young Skye after she'd felt 'betrayed' by him. The repetition made the comments stick a bit more than they might have alone.
But really, what got him was that very last sentence. That was what struck a chord. Because wasn't that just so incredibly true?
"Hmn." He took a small drink of his water before putting it back down on the table in front of him. "I must admit, you do raise a good point. In retrospect, none of that makes me seem very trustworthy at all, now does it? I probably come off as rather conniving right now." He answered Battler levelly, as though everything the guy had just said was only stated rather than yelled in anger. "I don't really make a habit of doing such a thing. Not when it comes to information about this place, anyhow. There's generally no reason to hold such things back. Information is really all we have here, and we should all be freely sharing as much of it as possible. ...Most especially when it comes to the dangers here."
There was a pause, and then said very matter-of-factly: "Please do accept my apologies. I was attempting to be courteous. But I see now that it came across as anything but. I really had no intention of hiding anything from you."
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Klavier blinked, obviously surprised as that first comment sank in. Then Battler's face shifted to rage and... the guy started yelling at him. Straight out, blatant yelling. He was truly, legitimately angry. It most certainly wasn't expected at all, and Klavier hadn't thought the kid would have the guts to yell at him out of nowhere like that either. So to say he was caught off guard by it was an understatement.
The act of yelling alone wasn't enough to throw him off, and that was probably apparent. Loud voices weren't a foreign concept for him (it was part of his job, after all). Neither was pushing people's buttons. As any good lawyer knew, the best way to get people to talk was to get them emotionally charged. He'd used that in court before. And even on a personal level, he had a tendency to tease and irritate people. Klavier wasn't oblivious to this fact. He knew. But these were all controlled instances. Part of the plan or routine. Something like this, out of nowhere and with no benefit to anyone or anything, was certainly not something he ever liked to have happen. There was a difference between annoying someone playfully and really getting them angry.
Klavier did nothing to interrupt the tirade. No he simply sat there, staring at Battler with surprise written across his face and quietly listening as though to an interesting lecture. And when he was done and had settled back down, fuming? Klavier just continued to look at him. He wasn't smiling so much anymore, but he didn't look any less on edge either. To be perfectly honest, despite how completely unnecessary the anger felt, Ushiromiya did raise some significant points. And it was all something he had been told before by the young Skye after she'd felt 'betrayed' by him. The repetition made the comments stick a bit more than they might have alone.
But really, what got him was that very last sentence. That was what struck a chord. Because wasn't that just so incredibly true?
"Hmn." He took a small drink of his water before putting it back down on the table in front of him. "I must admit, you do raise a good point. In retrospect, none of that makes me seem very trustworthy at all, now does it? I probably come off as rather conniving right now." He answered Battler levelly, as though everything the guy had just said was only stated rather than yelled in anger. "I don't really make a habit of doing such a thing. Not when it comes to information about this place, anyhow. There's generally no reason to hold such things back. Information is really all we have here, and we should all be freely sharing as much of it as possible. ...Most especially when it comes to the dangers here."
There was a pause, and then said very matter-of-factly: "Please do accept my apologies. I was attempting to be courteous. But I see now that it came across as anything but. I really had no intention of hiding anything from you."