That isn’t true. [ the protest is immediate. ] Of course I should care. You can’t stop me.

[ and something dawns on him, slowly, unfurling — like billows of smoke, suffocating and reeking of rot. ]

Did… did someone make you think people shouldn’t care about you? Did someone put that thought into your head?

[ his voice lowers when he speaks — it’s a first in his presence. ]