[ And now Joseph's remembering the other reason they fought so much - Caesar's greatest talent happens to be sucking the mirth and joy from the air like some sort of happiness vampire.
His own words echo back to him - I hated you for it sometimes. Did Caesar want a fight? Was he trying to goad him? There's a split-second of confused silence, his face falling from its earlier cheer to sit in a confused sort of blankness as he struggles to get a bead on the conversation again, tries and fails to gauge whether Caesar's intent wasn't to shoot the whole thing down screaming. It was going well for about a split second, and now Joseph feels like he has to cut his mouth open and spew a whole new wave of glue-like venom, because yet again, it was Caesar whom she had turned to, and Joseph is again excluded, and there's a sliver of hurt that might be visible in more reliable light before he turns away again. He wonders what this news was actually supposed to mean, the word that, officially, Caesar knew more about his father then Joseph himself did.
Would, now.
He lets another breath leave him like a sheet of ice. He focuses on a flickering lamp casting flashes on the pavement. ]
Oh, wow. That's so incredible. I'm so glad that you could have such a heartwarming revelation about why I was abandoned as a child with my mother, Caesar. Really. I'm touched. Means the world that she cared enough to reach out to you like that. Thanks for letting me know about that very touching conversation that she decided to share with you, Caesar, with you. It's real great that you guys have that bond where, you know, she'll actually talk to you. That's really nice for you guys -- [ He turns here, hard and decisive, sweeping his hand toward the window as he speaks, ] do you see what might be the problem here, Caesar? Do you see why I don't have the most fucking sympathy over here? Any clue at all? Do you honestly--
[ Here, he catches himself. He takes a breath, then remembers how little that actually helps now. Joseph sits still as death before he tries to salvage things; ]
Look -- nevermind, sorry, just... I'm not talking about her. We'll fight if we do.
no subject
His own words echo back to him - I hated you for it sometimes. Did Caesar want a fight? Was he trying to goad him? There's a split-second of confused silence, his face falling from its earlier cheer to sit in a confused sort of blankness as he struggles to get a bead on the conversation again, tries and fails to gauge whether Caesar's intent wasn't to shoot the whole thing down screaming. It was going well for about a split second, and now Joseph feels like he has to cut his mouth open and spew a whole new wave of glue-like venom, because yet again, it was Caesar whom she had turned to, and Joseph is again excluded, and there's a sliver of hurt that might be visible in more reliable light before he turns away again. He wonders what this news was actually supposed to mean, the word that, officially, Caesar knew more about his father then Joseph himself did.
Would, now.
He lets another breath leave him like a sheet of ice. He focuses on a flickering lamp casting flashes on the pavement. ]
Oh, wow. That's so incredible. I'm so glad that you could have such a heartwarming revelation about why I was abandoned as a child with my mother, Caesar. Really. I'm touched. Means the world that she cared enough to reach out to you like that. Thanks for letting me know about that very touching conversation that she decided to share with you, Caesar, with you. It's real great that you guys have that bond where, you know, she'll actually talk to you. That's really nice for you guys -- [ He turns here, hard and decisive, sweeping his hand toward the window as he speaks, ] do you see what might be the problem here, Caesar? Do you see why I don't have the most fucking sympathy over here? Any clue at all? Do you honestly--
[ Here, he catches himself. He takes a breath, then remembers how little that actually helps now. Joseph sits still as death before he tries to salvage things; ]
Look -- nevermind, sorry, just... I'm not talking about her. We'll fight if we do.