When he first heard footsteps approaching him, Ash curled into an even tighter ball as if somehow that would protect himself. His unbeating heart was broken. Though it shouldn't have been able to, it hurt. Perhaps that was all in his mind but O! how his chest ached. It was unbearable. All of it was so unbearable.
Ash didn't look up when Kjell spoke, nor when he stopped. And when he finally spoke, his voice was nearly inaudible. Had Kjell not been Kindred, Ash's words might have just been unintelligible whispers, "What insight could I possibly give? Look upon my failure. I was entrusted with so many legacies and now they are all destroyed. I did not need this reminder of my uselessness."
It seemed the confidence he'd shown at the ball had been the real mask. Ash's self-loathing ran deep and this had just sent him spiraling back. But he also knew it was incredibly unhelpful. "Everything was... practically perfect, last night. I saw nothing, heard nothing. I do not know when they came - the people I hired for security after the event did not show up. I assume they will be found dead somewhere."