Yeah. Don't do that to me. I can't lose you. Don't scare me like that.
(Because somebody was too prideful to abandon a mission when it turned out to be an ambush and somebody else had to maintain a neutral facial expression throughout a meeting while having a panick attack)
"I handled it. I was confident that I could handle the situation, I was trained for--"
"You can't be trained for every surprise, Sephiroth." Despite Lazard keeping his voice down, his fear and stress had quite clearly turned to anger. Not to mention the worry, the horrible sickening little drip-adrenaline kick that hadn't yet completely worn off.
"I was trained to handle surprises." The SOLDIER argued. Not that he really meant to argue, but maybe it was a different sort of urge to fight.
"You were also trained to know your limits and when to retreat for the overall success of the mission." The director flinched in surprise at his own outburst. Really, it wasn't that much louder, but it was too emotionally-charged, too full of the anxiety he'd been bottling up, locking behind doors that none of the other executives were allowed to see.
Lowering his head slightly, it wasn't entirely an act of submission. It was... acknowledgement, maybe. He'd rarely heard Lazard raise his voice, and knowing he was the cause of that... "I was confident that it wasn't beyond my abilities." He reiterated, softly. "The second wave of attacks delayed me and my return to the helicopter. If it's your preference, I can make more of an effort to return at the predetermined time in the future."
The blond sighed deeply, some of the anger leaving him. "Is that the best I'm going to get?"
Hair spilled over Sephiroth's shoulder as he tilted his head, considering. "And a more private apology?"