He swallows thickly, still as a statue even when Inigo's embrace jolts the cold out of him. Fearless leader? Him? What did he even know about leading, he wonders to himself? Why would anyone want Roland to lead anything? Ichigo saw it for himself. The nuke that sealed his country's fate. Would a fearless leader have allowed such a tragedy? Somewhere along the way, the young, scrappy little president who was elected too soon made mistakes, angered enemies, to the point where one of them thought it better to incite a nuclear war than to deal with talks of peace and unification. A button was all it took to end it, and now here he was again, wondering to the fates how much more he had to give before he could earn the right to know what became of his beloved home.

And if anything else happened to these people - all innocent, some defenseless children, and the boy hugging him now, the one he has come to care about as his own...If one thing should come to hurt them, any of them, what would he do then? Fearless leader? What a joke. He didn't know enough. He had to work more. Even more.

Roland lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding. It's heavy and deep. He leans his head to the side, resting against Inigo's tiredly, the weight so heavy it was crushing him as he speaks.

"Well, you're right about one thing." He says, his smile dull and wanting. "Glorfindel is a pretty fearless elf. He's been through it all, you know." So he'll know what to do. "I'll put in the work for everyone. The people kidnapped to ride this train didn't do anything wrong. They shouldn't have to deal with stakes this high, not without a say in it."

He inhales sharply, before breathing out again. Steadying, certain and sure. Regaining his center where he might have lost it. The weight of his head is still atop Inigo's, eyes closing slowly.

"Sorry. I'm rambling."

Or better yet, deflecting.