Five is aware enough of himself that he knows that he's not always be thought of as the best listener, or the most empathetic one. It's striking then, whenever someone decides to share something about themselves that not everyone hears, and he leans in as he absorbs the story she tells him.
Ironically, Hermione was the last to tell him about some of what she went through, unprompted by him. From what he's gathered, witches seem to have a stigma that superheroes never did. He can't remember anyone being afraid of him when he was a child. They were essentially teenage celebrities up until he jumped to the future. The decades that followed obviously changed that perception, but working directly with a larger group — he hesitates to call them peers — and dealing with their opinions is generally new to him.
"Thank god for that," he replies, smiling like she'd made a joke. They expect too much out of him, for all he's helped them along the way. It's nice that Emilia sees that, even if she seems to imply that he has no choice but to continue that relationship. "I don't know what they want from me. The distrust I'm used to, but it's been over a year and I haven't... intentionally betrayed them. I've made it clear what my priorities are."
He knows what Moran has against him, but he doesn't understand why they suddenly seem so offended that he won't give them more than what he's offered all along. On the other hand, they aren't trying to burn them at the stake, and none of them have asked him for anything worse than what he had to do at the Commission. Maybe it's a matter of perspective.
When he takes another drink, he's not as angry as he was before she found him, but he's also realistic. They're just waiting for him to give them an excuse.
"There may come a day when that balance shifts. They could find out more than they wanted to about me, and it'll be out of my hands." If they're trying to blackmail him already, he can just imagine it'll be worse if they find out how many innocent people he's killed. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my family."
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Ironically, Hermione was the last to tell him about some of what she went through, unprompted by him. From what he's gathered, witches seem to have a stigma that superheroes never did. He can't remember anyone being afraid of him when he was a child. They were essentially teenage celebrities up until he jumped to the future. The decades that followed obviously changed that perception, but working directly with a larger group — he hesitates to call them peers — and dealing with their opinions is generally new to him.
"Thank god for that," he replies, smiling like she'd made a joke. They expect too much out of him, for all he's helped them along the way. It's nice that Emilia sees that, even if she seems to imply that he has no choice but to continue that relationship. "I don't know what they want from me. The distrust I'm used to, but it's been over a year and I haven't... intentionally betrayed them. I've made it clear what my priorities are."
He knows what Moran has against him, but he doesn't understand why they suddenly seem so offended that he won't give them more than what he's offered all along. On the other hand, they aren't trying to burn them at the stake, and none of them have asked him for anything worse than what he had to do at the Commission. Maybe it's a matter of perspective.
When he takes another drink, he's not as angry as he was before she found him, but he's also realistic. They're just waiting for him to give them an excuse.
"There may come a day when that balance shifts. They could find out more than they wanted to about me, and it'll be out of my hands." If they're trying to blackmail him already, he can just imagine it'll be worse if they find out how many innocent people he's killed. "I'll do whatever it takes to protect my family."