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You push the uneasy feeling aside and try to continue.
"You didn't see those Espimon in action! They were some kind of... I dunno, super elite stealth squad under Sealsdramon. I've spoken to Hi-Commandramon a couple of times before. I've cut deals with him. He's capable of reason. He had nothing to gain from..."
You trail off. No, that's not right. You still trust him, but he DOES have something to gain. It's just not a valid point, and Wind picks up on that.
"Yeah? Gonna finish that sentence?"
"Point is, you're pinning this on me unfairly. I didn't neglect the Espimon, I didn't open the gate, all I did was-"
"Fine," he cuts in. "Let's say all that is true. But do you know what you DID do?"
He leans towards you, raising a finger uncomfortably close to your face. Your own partner isn't around to stop this like Kaus Gammamon did.
"You subverted my authority in front of all of my members, in a time where we were already in crisis and they were lost. I know you're not a member, you don't have to follow my chain of command. But considering everything we're offering you, the most important of which is Squid's continued services— whenever you please, no less, I thought you'd at least accept that I'm in charge within these walls."
You take a step back. He tries to follow, but this time, his own partner gently stops him, doing his best to keep him calm. He grits his teeth and continues.
"I can't work with somebody who undermines me. We needed your strength to delete those Digimon and protect us. You refused, and insisted on showing off your own way. In front of everyone. It's not about one single Espimon, it's about your behavior leading to this chain of events."
You bite your lip as you mull over his words. If you could make that choice all over again, you'd still do the same thing. You can see things from his point of view, you just can't ever bring yourself to agree. And that friction between your beliefs is what he's angry about, in the end. That's unresolvable.
The most you can do is try to placate him without having to suck up your own pride.
"Okay. I can't take that back, but I'm sorry."
"You don't need to be. It won't happen again."
You pause, waiting for him to elaborate.
"If there's a situation in the future where we need that kind of power... we don't have to rely on you anymore. In fact, we don't have to rely on you for anything. I'm not unwilling to keep working with you. But if you're still interested, this has to be a strictly professional relationship. You don't get a special pass for being outside help anymore. That's over with."
