I'm not terrified, Loki. Publicity doesn't scare me, but that doesn't mean I have to covet or want any part of it when a better alternative is available. Just because I'm not jumping out of my seat for attention doesn't mean there is something wrong with me. I have no choice but to be in the spotlight back home and I've long accepted that facet of my life. The circumstances are different here though. Being splashed all over the covers of newspapers and tabloids based on my every action doesn't serve any purpose for me in this world. It would just be a nuisance to what I'm trying to achieve, so why would I go out of my way to put myself out there?

[ it would be the equivalent of shooting himself in the foot for absolutely no reason. ]

This isn't home. I won't turn a blind eye to injustices, but the problems of this earth aren't mine to shoulder. I can afford the discretion and the privacy here, and I actually enjoy it. [ it's like a rare reprieve — one that he didn't think he would regain after everyone in new amsterdam came to know him because of the aeries. after all, tony absolutely loathes the media disregarding how well he can navigate it. ]