Riley takes a breath. "Things from the last three years, mostly. And then little anecdotes from their lives. We did not have that much time, so I felt it better to update myself on how they all fared in the general sense."
That, and there was time. For as long as he was to be awake, there would most definitely be time for the children to catch him up on things.
Quietly though, just as the elevator bell sounds. "They've grown up beautifully, Aidan." He's not going to feel sad that he'd missed out on seeing that, even from a distance. Or that some of them were now gone.
Aidan doesn't respond to that immediately, as he wheels Riley inside. The look on his face has softened into that bastard child of hope, guilt, happiness, and a touch of helplessness.
"'Grown' is a nice way of putting it. Sometimes I do wonder if what we've actually done is ruin some of them."
That is a burden he will always carry, when he sees the wounds on people he considers his children after a fashion out in the open.
He waits for the doors to close, because it at least gives you both the illusion of privacy, for however short.
"There are things that we regret that we have to live with, Aidan." Saying that matter-of-fact now. "But do look on the bright side, for ever a little while. Guilt will eat you and the precious time you have if you let it."
Yes, he understands the guilt. There are many things that could perhaps, have been done better. But he would like to think that even if the scales do not quite match up, that there were things that they all did to make the best of what they could.
"I suppose it is a good thing that I am awake then," he's casting you a wry look now. "If you're as depressing as you sound now, it's a wonder the others have not come crying to me as of yet."
This is his way of acknowledging that yes, he will as always be ready to listen to you process your feelings on the matter of the children you sometimes feel you might have failed.
That makes Aidan blink, then let out a quiet laugh that's topped with a rueful shake of his head. Part of him really should have expected Riley to say something like that.
"Excuse me: I have gotten much better at being happy."
You could use a little bit more work. You're getting that from the way that he smiles and leans back into his seat.
"I suppose we can say that you've graduated from utterly dour and doom and gloom, to being a needy father dragon draped out on the lawn." He has heard Talk. It amused him, very much. "Empty nest syndrome, Aidan? I never would've thought."
He's not going to bother denying it now, and even if he wanted to, it was rather pointless. This was Riley, after all, and it's been too long since they've been able to talk like this.
No, he isn't going to be able to get over how happy he was over his friend waking up for a while.
"And that is why, at the end of the day, there will always be childen on the lawn, old friend." He's reaching up to pat one of the hands pushing his chair.
And because he would like to know: "So, which of your grown children has been remiss in spending time with their doting father?"
By Elaine, he is going to like teasing you about this.
He might as well ride with it, eh? And he'd be lying if he said that he did not miss the way Riley could rib him. It made Aidan feel... well. Human, for the lack of a better word.
The two of them were making their way out of the house now, and into the sunlight. Many operatives made it a point to stop and greet them; it was only proper.
There's a sigh as Riley shuts his eyes and lifts his face to the warmth of the sun. It took a long, long time for him to reach Golconda, and one of the things he has never stopped marveling over is how good sunshine can feel.
"Teasing aside though, Aidan." He's angling his head around to catch the Voidseeker's eye. "Tell me more of how you have been."
"Better than I have been in a while. The Darkest Vigil could have ended in a far more catastrophic fashion than it did."
But it did not, and just about all of the people whom he held closest made out of it alive. Not necessarily in one piece, but alive.
"There have been some... disconcerting movements, shall we say. But I believe you may have caught on to that just by asking around and updating yourself with the broadsheets."
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That, and there was time. For as long as he was to be awake, there would most definitely be time for the children to catch him up on things.
Quietly though, just as the elevator bell sounds. "They've grown up beautifully, Aidan." He's not going to feel sad that he'd missed out on seeing that, even from a distance. Or that some of them were now gone.
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"'Grown' is a nice way of putting it. Sometimes I do wonder if what we've actually done is ruin some of them."
That is a burden he will always carry, when he sees the wounds on people he considers his children after a fashion out in the open.
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"There are things that we regret that we have to live with, Aidan." Saying that matter-of-fact now. "But do look on the bright side, for ever a little while. Guilt will eat you and the precious time you have if you let it."
Yes, he understands the guilt. There are many things that could perhaps, have been done better. But he would like to think that even if the scales do not quite match up, that there were things that they all did to make the best of what they could.
"I suppose it is a good thing that I am awake then," he's casting you a wry look now. "If you're as depressing as you sound now, it's a wonder the others have not come crying to me as of yet."
This is his way of acknowledging that yes, he will as always be ready to listen to you process your feelings on the matter of the children you sometimes feel you might have failed.
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"Excuse me: I have gotten much better at being happy."
He would like to think that he has, anyway.
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You could use a little bit more work. You're getting that from the way that he smiles and leans back into his seat.
"I suppose we can say that you've graduated from utterly dour and doom and gloom, to being a needy father dragon draped out on the lawn." He has heard Talk. It amused him, very much. "Empty nest syndrome, Aidan? I never would've thought."
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He's not going to bother denying it now, and even if he wanted to, it was rather pointless. This was Riley, after all, and it's been too long since they've been able to talk like this.
No, he isn't going to be able to get over how happy he was over his friend waking up for a while.
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And because he would like to know: "So, which of your grown children has been remiss in spending time with their doting father?"
By Elaine, he is going to like teasing you about this.
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He might as well ride with it, eh? And he'd be lying if he said that he did not miss the way Riley could rib him. It made Aidan feel... well. Human, for the lack of a better word.
The two of them were making their way out of the house now, and into the sunlight. Many operatives made it a point to stop and greet them; it was only proper.
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"Well, if you had singled out one or two, then I probably would have brushed your concern aside -- but 'only too many'?" Nodding sagely now.
"This is a problem, old friend."
He is clearly making fun of you.
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It's been a long time since the two of you could banter like this. Aidan has stopped taking himself so seriously in many aspects.
(Not all of them, of course, but... baby steps, right?)
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There's a sigh as Riley shuts his eyes and lifts his face to the warmth of the sun. It took a long, long time for him to reach Golconda, and one of the things he has never stopped marveling over is how good sunshine can feel.
"Teasing aside though, Aidan." He's angling his head around to catch the Voidseeker's eye. "Tell me more of how you have been."
no subject
But it did not, and just about all of the people whom he held closest made out of it alive. Not necessarily in one piece, but alive.
"There have been some... disconcerting movements, shall we say. But I believe you may have caught on to that just by asking around and updating yourself with the broadsheets."