Whatever fears Inigo held upon approaching Roland are all but lost to the chief consul, if only for the reason that his own guilt has kept him company since the scuffle that occurred prior. And while Inigo's method of coping with what happened was to hide and isolate, Roland went the completely other direction and tried to find him whenever he had the chance. That's the prominent feeling these days, with Roland. More often than not, besides the paranoia that eats up at him, besides the weight of responsibility on his shoulders that he will never shake off...he's been worried about everyone.
And on the matter of his adopted, all he needs to do is close his eyes and imagine the blood trickling down Inigo's temples to push him to move, to go look for any sign of him where he could. But he does not succeed at this endeavor, so he goes about his business until the last possible minute when the final golem falls and the treckers return to the Royal Lake Hill for last minute celebrations.
It made sense then, that he should stand sentinel by the gate of the village exit, watching with folded arms and concerned, steely eyes as people come and go, happier than when they had arrived to assist in enlistment. There were still gaps in the story that Roland is concerned with, but at the moment, with the sun starting to droop low in the sky and the Voidtreckers at the height of their merriment before another long ride on a cramped void train, he is in a state of unrest. He still hasn't seen Inigo.
Until he does.
The boy walks over to him, quietly enough that he's taken to surprise with eyes wide and his position displaced. "Inigo...!" He walks up to him with a hurried gait, his hands immediately flying to the sides of his arms, grip firm and his head bent to try and catch his eye.
"Are you okay? Is it healing well?" His right hand loosens, hovers above the side where he was hit with the baton, where the blood drips and follows him like a stain. The responsibilities he keeps failing. The promises he continues to break.
But right now, all he really wants to know is if the boy is safe.
no subject
And on the matter of his adopted, all he needs to do is close his eyes and imagine the blood trickling down Inigo's temples to push him to move, to go look for any sign of him where he could. But he does not succeed at this endeavor, so he goes about his business until the last possible minute when the final golem falls and the treckers return to the Royal Lake Hill for last minute celebrations.
It made sense then, that he should stand sentinel by the gate of the village exit, watching with folded arms and concerned, steely eyes as people come and go, happier than when they had arrived to assist in enlistment. There were still gaps in the story that Roland is concerned with, but at the moment, with the sun starting to droop low in the sky and the Voidtreckers at the height of their merriment before another long ride on a cramped void train, he is in a state of unrest. He still hasn't seen Inigo.
Until he does.
The boy walks over to him, quietly enough that he's taken to surprise with eyes wide and his position displaced. "Inigo...!" He walks up to him with a hurried gait, his hands immediately flying to the sides of his arms, grip firm and his head bent to try and catch his eye.
"Are you okay? Is it healing well?" His right hand loosens, hovers above the side where he was hit with the baton, where the blood drips and follows him like a stain. The responsibilities he keeps failing. The promises he continues to break.
But right now, all he really wants to know is if the boy is safe.