[ He holds back the wince at the sudden movement, forgetting his injured shoulder is the closest arm to the X-Potion. It didn't matter, since he downs it as fast as he can, potion spilling from the corners of his lips, drops against dirtied skin and clothes. Roland keeps to an almost eerie state of calm as he feels the effects wash over him in an instant. Wounds starting to dull without ache, the scratches carefully managed from the inside.
The words are so laden with fear that he can hear it echo in his head. He's compromised. He's completely and utterly compromised, and these two had to be the first to see him at his weakest, at the point where he's filled with dread and doubt about being able to actually protect them. The job he set out to do, the vow he gave to them both -
Roland shakes his head and finally looks up to meet their gaze. First to Inigo's, then to Tidus. His body leans back against the tree, but he doesn't slide or sit. Roland just rests. ]
You're right. [ He chews on his bottom lip for a moment, looks at the dirt around their feet. There's a lot he wants to say but it's always been so hard to do it, to just come out and say it. So he tempers the words, makes sure he only gives what he can, a little at a time. ] I don't know how much you've been told, but around an hour ago, five of us received a weird signal on the SCA. [ The tale he recounts sounds like he's had time to rehearse it; the truth is, he's reliving it again and again. Exhausted. ] It led us straight down there - [ He points with his good arm. ] - and the spot where we all met up was quiet, and it looked like something destroyed the surrounding area. Like something fell from the sky and tried to make a landing.
[ He throws the empty X-Potion to the existing pile. ] It was myself, Kaiba, Curufin, a newcomer named Koumyou Sanzo, and...Reno. [ Quick to the draw, he raises another hand, dismissing anything. It's fine, he says quietly. Nothing happened. ] We decided to follow the signal, but the farther down that path we went, the more suspicious things became. All SCA communication lines started failing. We couldn't reach anyone on the train.
[ He looks at their faces again, intensely, as if committing them to absolute memory. The apology is not heard in what he says, but in how he says it. ] I wanted to call. I had a bad feeling. I wanted you both to stick together in case something went south. But I couldn't. And we had to keep going, no one could turn back.
[ I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't know. I didn't know what we would find, I just wanted you both to be safe. ]
no subject
The words are so laden with fear that he can hear it echo in his head. He's compromised. He's completely and utterly compromised, and these two had to be the first to see him at his weakest, at the point where he's filled with dread and doubt about being able to actually protect them. The job he set out to do, the vow he gave to them both -
Roland shakes his head and finally looks up to meet their gaze. First to Inigo's, then to Tidus. His body leans back against the tree, but he doesn't slide or sit. Roland just rests. ]
You're right. [ He chews on his bottom lip for a moment, looks at the dirt around their feet. There's a lot he wants to say but it's always been so hard to do it, to just come out and say it. So he tempers the words, makes sure he only gives what he can, a little at a time. ] I don't know how much you've been told, but around an hour ago, five of us received a weird signal on the SCA. [ The tale he recounts sounds like he's had time to rehearse it; the truth is, he's reliving it again and again. Exhausted. ] It led us straight down there - [ He points with his good arm. ] - and the spot where we all met up was quiet, and it looked like something destroyed the surrounding area. Like something fell from the sky and tried to make a landing.
[ He throws the empty X-Potion to the existing pile. ] It was myself, Kaiba, Curufin, a newcomer named Koumyou Sanzo, and...Reno. [ Quick to the draw, he raises another hand, dismissing anything. It's fine, he says quietly. Nothing happened. ] We decided to follow the signal, but the farther down that path we went, the more suspicious things became. All SCA communication lines started failing. We couldn't reach anyone on the train.
[ He looks at their faces again, intensely, as if committing them to absolute memory. The apology is not heard in what he says, but in how he says it. ] I wanted to call. I had a bad feeling. I wanted you both to stick together in case something went south. But I couldn't. And we had to keep going, no one could turn back.
[ I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I didn't know. I didn't know what we would find, I just wanted you both to be safe. ]