It was fine, he thought, it was going to be fine. There was a certain sense of unease somewhere around the pit of Lothar's stomach. But, strangely enough, it also felt kind of good. He felt like he was in the grip of two contrasting forces, but the more he tried to understand them, the more the lines between them would become blurrier and blurrier. This was concerning, he'd always seen himself as someone aligned with what is good and upstanding, but right now he'd completely lost his bearings. It was as if the clear waters he'd traversed throughout his life had suddenly turned turbid. He was now a lost, stranded man, and could no longer care for crossing the waters in a straight line, no, this was about making it to the other side. He had to survive, in whichever way. Nothing else mattered any more, and somehow, this felt good. He could recognise good at least, in these stormy waters. He had to let that feeling guide him, his only anchor. In that sense, then, he had no choice but to pull that lollypop out of that little boy's firm grip. Yes, on the surface, this was very easy to do, but hardly anyone could imagine Lothar's internal turmoil. The little boy was surely stealing the show with his screeching and gnashing of teeth, but no matter, it was going to be just fine. Sugar was helping, as ever.