[ He didn't expect the sting, but it's a subject he tends to shove all the way back down, where no one can see his fear; where his thoughts are his alone to suffer. But he keeps his gaze trained on Tidus, he doesn't dare look away. At the end of the day, voidtrecker or not, he too, shared the same fate as the man in Tidus's memories, the man plaguing his subconscious even if it only shows in the small things - when Tidus refuses to look back at Roland, when he eats for only the sake of keeping his hands busy.
He wasn't the best dad, but he did his best in the end. ]
Makes sense. [ Is all he can muster up first, as he takes his half-empty mug, coffee cold and granules of the grind sinking into a murky darkness at the bottom. He wonders what Tidus's father really did; if he had left on such a sour note that his shadow and his reputation both haunt the youth to this day, a titan that he hasn't really faced, not yet, not really. Most of all, Roland wonders if his own story will follow this road. Watching William grow up without him, watching himself grow old without William by his side, getting better, becoming healthier - ]
... I find that when it comes right down to it, children tend to be better than their parents. [ He remembers Evan and King Leonhardt - how both forgave Mausinger in a flash, even though Mausinger betrayed him, killed the King, deposed the king's son without batting an eyelash. He had never felt more pride than on that day, when Evan forged bonds anew, as if it was not his father's killer shaking his hand, signing the Declaration. What a kid. ] And, going by that logic - [ He wills his throat to clear, and he shifts his tone to sound conversational, easygoing. His hand closest to Tidus starts grabbing his fork by the handle. ] - then you're definitely not your old man. Nor should you try to be him.
[ Roland wonders if he will tell himself the same thing, when the time comes. That he did his best. That he did everything, everything for Will, so that he wouldn't have to live in a world so torn by war.
Without warning, the Chief Consul quickly pierces the remaining torn up muffin piece on Tidus's plate with his fork and puts it in his mouth, chewing. He wiggles his eyebrow once, hiding under his bangs, a sharp look in his eyes. ]
https://i.imgur.com/R7NGVsc.jpg
He wasn't the best dad, but he did his best in the end. ]
Makes sense. [ Is all he can muster up first, as he takes his half-empty mug, coffee cold and granules of the grind sinking into a murky darkness at the bottom. He wonders what Tidus's father really did; if he had left on such a sour note that his shadow and his reputation both haunt the youth to this day, a titan that he hasn't really faced, not yet, not really. Most of all, Roland wonders if his own story will follow this road. Watching William grow up without him, watching himself grow old without William by his side, getting better, becoming healthier - ]
... I find that when it comes right down to it, children tend to be better than their parents. [ He remembers Evan and King Leonhardt - how both forgave Mausinger in a flash, even though Mausinger betrayed him, killed the King, deposed the king's son without batting an eyelash. He had never felt more pride than on that day, when Evan forged bonds anew, as if it was not his father's killer shaking his hand, signing the Declaration. What a kid. ] And, going by that logic - [ He wills his throat to clear, and he shifts his tone to sound conversational, easygoing. His hand closest to Tidus starts grabbing his fork by the handle. ] - then you're definitely not your old man. Nor should you try to be him.
[ Roland wonders if he will tell himself the same thing, when the time comes. That he did his best. That he did everything, everything for Will, so that he wouldn't have to live in a world so torn by war.
Without warning, the Chief Consul quickly pierces the remaining torn up muffin piece on Tidus's plate with his fork and puts it in his mouth, chewing. He wiggles his eyebrow once, hiding under his bangs, a sharp look in his eyes. ]
You're better.