[Wow. Chris is not a huge fan of conflict in general, and thankfully manages to avoid it most of the time either because he just naturally gets along well with people or because he can defuse a situation, so he's definitely not used to someone going off on him. Especially not for something that's actually genuinely his fault.
He raises his hands briefly in surrender, kind of subconsciously sinking further back against the wall, quiet while she talks and guilt twisting in his stomach. When she's finally done he isn't sure how to actually respond, because what the hell is he going to say to that? He can't for a moment stand behind what he did now that he can look back on it, and he can't even explain what he was thinking at the time because he doesn't really remember. Some things about that night are perfectly clear--more than they should ever be--but others are sometimes distant and clouded, and he'd already been in such a daze from what happened with the stranger and the wendigo by the time everything in the basement had actually gone down.
But that isn't an excuse, and even if he doesn't remember exactly what he's thinking it's pretty clear generally; he'd been more afraid of the wendigo and more concerned with protecting the others than he had been about protecting Emily. He was supposed to be--and is supposed to be--the voice of moderation and of thinking things through and not letting anyone get hurt without really good reason, and instead he'd let fear override sense and not only did absolutely nothing to step into a situation that he knew was wrong, but had actually made it worse.
He can't explain that, and he definitely can't justify it.]
I'm sorry, Emily.
[It's the only thing he can say and he knows it sounds hollow, even if he means it utterly sincerely. There are a lot of things words don't work for, and he'd be a huge hypocrite if he actually expects Emily to just accept a sorry for this; he wouldn't from Josh, not that Josh has said anything of the sort.]
I can't... I-I was wrong. Really, really wrong. I should've done something.
[He should've done a lot of things that night, and it's really fortunate that Emily isn't a third person he got killed because of making a wrong call.
He doesn't bother to answer her questions about leaving the others or her just yet, because he's pretty sure explaining that they didn't have a choice in that won't help anything at the moment.]
no subject
He raises his hands briefly in surrender, kind of subconsciously sinking further back against the wall, quiet while she talks and guilt twisting in his stomach. When she's finally done he isn't sure how to actually respond, because what the hell is he going to say to that? He can't for a moment stand behind what he did now that he can look back on it, and he can't even explain what he was thinking at the time because he doesn't really remember. Some things about that night are perfectly clear--more than they should ever be--but others are sometimes distant and clouded, and he'd already been in such a daze from what happened with the stranger and the wendigo by the time everything in the basement had actually gone down.
But that isn't an excuse, and even if he doesn't remember exactly what he's thinking it's pretty clear generally; he'd been more afraid of the wendigo and more concerned with protecting the others than he had been about protecting Emily. He was supposed to be--and is supposed to be--the voice of moderation and of thinking things through and not letting anyone get hurt without really good reason, and instead he'd let fear override sense and not only did absolutely nothing to step into a situation that he knew was wrong, but had actually made it worse.
He can't explain that, and he definitely can't justify it.]
I'm sorry, Emily.
[It's the only thing he can say and he knows it sounds hollow, even if he means it utterly sincerely. There are a lot of things words don't work for, and he'd be a huge hypocrite if he actually expects Emily to just accept a sorry for this; he wouldn't from Josh, not that Josh has said anything of the sort.]
I can't... I-I was wrong. Really, really wrong. I should've done something.
[He should've done a lot of things that night, and it's really fortunate that Emily isn't a third person he got killed because of making a wrong call.
He doesn't bother to answer her questions about leaving the others or her just yet, because he's pretty sure explaining that they didn't have a choice in that won't help anything at the moment.]