Happy Birthday, Senku!

[fun_thementalist]

Who: OTA
Where: Dining Carriage
When: Jelly 4
What: Prompts are under the cut. Create your own top levels! Tag around! Get more points!
Warnings: more cake than the recommended serving size

Birthday Prep! (OTA except Senku)


Setting up food!

Plenty of people have offered to bring a number of treats - cookies, savory dishes, snacks ... Gen was placing a half-sheet cake, decorated with planets and with 'Happy Birthday Senku' written in frosting on the table. He looked quite pleased with himself, and would help lend a hand with other food.


Setting up decorations!

There were roughly a hundred origami stars to fold, which Gen would spend most of his time doing, especially if he didn't have any help. But after, he'd be stringing them up all around the dining car, creating an effect like a starry sky from the ceiling.


Setting up party favors!

Then, of course, there were paper flower crowns to fold. Gen had no idea how many people would end up coming, so he wanted a fair number - any extras could sit in the Arms Band or up his sleeves as part of a surprise to spring on people later. You never knew when you needed a paper flower crown!


Setting up the escape room!

This is really what Gen hoped he'd get the most help with. He only had so many math tricks up his sleeve, and he was very certain that Senku knew them all already. At least Nita would be lending a hand! Otherwise, Gen was sure any room he'd make, Senku would solve in minutes.


BIRTHDAY PARTY

Greetings!

Gen would greet the newcomer with a bright smile and an origami flower crown - placed right on their head! He'd direct them to the food, and let them know of the escape room upstairs. Have a lovely time!

Food!

Cake! Cookies! Popcorn! There's some spicy, savory food that's been made by other passengers, too. But hey, at least take a slice of cake. That's what this party's all about!

Escape Room!

Featuring math, puns, and clever little questions fellow Voidtrain passengers could come up with. Of course, anyone can enter and leave as they'd like, but perhaps if they look particularly stuck on a problem, another person could help them out?

Birthday Boy!

Somewhere in this mess, Senku would be available to chat with. Probably. He's not really expecting a party, or gifts, or even a kind thank you - but all would be appreciated.

Comments

[adregem]

"It is." He affirms gently, with the dancing and running around tickling all the right places to earn such a display a hint of a toothy smile. But he returns to his new star now, remembering what to do and how to fold edges as if he's been doing this for a while now. Busy hands mean he can talk while works, though.

"But I guess that's why she was born. Evan and I once brought her to a little girl who was sad, and needed to see a higgledy again to lift her spirits. Jumblie here," Right on cue, as she hears his words, recognizes the memory for what it is, and starts dancing with the paper star juggled in mid-air. How she does this will forever remain an unknown. "She just made her laugh, and then suddenly, the little girl was okay."

Are higgledies of light shaped the way that they are coincidentally? Roland doesn't think so. The star he's folding is currently in the shape of random angles, but he's turning it around to pull out corners until the five points pop out one by one. He smiles into his work, the past invoking something more recent within him, a blossoming remembrance of how Jumblie came to be on the train for the boy before him.

With a knowing glimpse up at Inigo, he adds, "That's why I picked her, for you. You're exactly the same." He straightens up and shows the final star, this one, finally showing more of the pristine even sides that a more professional origami folder would produce consistently.

This, he offers to Inigo himself. "You make me happy. You make people happy. The perfect pair, I'd say. A sun for a son."

[flatteries]

Inigo takes the star.

It's a good excuse to stare down at it while it's lying in his hands for a moment. Exactly the same. It's the kind of thing Inigo would protest, usually. He won't deny that his and Jumblie's intentions are the same, that it's why their hearts align so easily, why she connected with him despite a lack of magic on Inigo's part, hooking up to his connection to Naga instead. But in execution? Inigo thinks she's way better than him. Not that he doesn't try to lift people's spirits, but-- he has a long way to go if he wants to be able to do it as well and consistently as her.

But Roland's feelings behind his words are so obvious. And it makes it feel like denying any part of it would be disrespecting the other man and his feelings right now.

So Inigo doesn't say a thing about it, instead doing his best to just accept the compliment.

".. I'm glad I can make you happy, father." That's all he wants, after all. All he wishes for. The happiness of those around him - to a point where he'd even give up his own place in the world for it.

He raises his gaze back to Roland's, finally. "You make me happy too."

Briefly Inigo glances off to the side, but just so he can give this star to Jumblie too. Now her treasure has been doubled, she's starting to juggle the tiny paper stars like a circus artist.

It makes Inigo remember where they are right now.

"You know.. Wouldn't you sometime like a birthday party too? You've already been here for quite some time. We should at least celebrate the good things here on the train while we have the chance to."

[adregem]

I'm glad.

Roland keeps that to himself, opting instead to continue folding with a new sheet. He attempts to make this one a bit smaller for the added layer of challenge. Stars are all unique, right? They can't all look the same in the night sky...Or so he would like to think. He continues to work on his origami star even as Inigo asks him a question he hasn't quite yet thought of the answer to; this instance of birthdays and celebrations definitely not the first time he wondered if when his would be on the train.

But old habits die hard, and he doesn't quite catch himself as he veers away from talk of it.

"Not really." Roland remarks casually, his hands busy with paper, Jumblie juggling away, He honestly can't even remember the last time anyone celebrated it anyway. After a certain age, it stops becoming an affair. "But you're right about me being here for a while now. Time flies, doesn't it?"

Expertly, he diverts again, turning his fold over so that the other side meets the same fold on the middle crease. A smile more genuine than before paints his expression with a happier note.

"Do you Ylisseans have birthdays, pup? When's yours?" He asks, aware of the mental loops he might have to go through to convert magical dates from another world to one he's more familiar with.

[flatteries]

There's a moment or so where Inigo is thinking about that answer, mentally chewing on it as he considers it. It's very much like Roland, not wanting to draw too much attention to himself, right? Or at the very least not wanting people to go out of their way for him, instead prefering to be the one going out of his way for others.

It's hard for Inigo to fully grasp the importance of birthday parties, also having a hard time even remembering the last time he celebrated his own, but people here on the train sure seems to care about them, if this whole big party for Senku is any indication. Gen even going out of his way to calculate when Senku's birthday on the train would be...

For - luckily for Roland? - Inigo is dragged straight out of that train of thought by the question.

"Oh.. August 7th."

Isn't Roland a lucky dad. Getting a straight, honest answer through catching Inigo off guard like this. And it's in normal Earth terms too! Apparently it's one of the few things Ylisse actually shares with the modern day world.

Inigo is already hard at work folding another star, if not just because he now wants to absolutely shower his higgledy in them. She seems to be having so much fun with something so simple.

"In the middle of the summer."

[adregem]

The enthusiasm for star folding is met with some form of relief that the question on his own birthday is diverted to what matters. Inigo's celebration is far more meaningful than anything Roland would ever dream of having or holding; too old for things like that, and in the first place, he's already been through forty something years of it. Inigo though, and what he knows of Inigo's world and history...Oh, that would be deserving of the grandest party the train's ever seen. That he would fold a million and one stars for.

"August 7, eh?" Roland repeats cheerfully, his own star left to the side for another piece of paper. He's glad most of all that it's a date both familiar to him, and one he can easily remember. "I'll take note of that. Seems our worlds finally found some sort of middle ground. I rememer August back home being the height of summer too..." Or at least, at the cusp of fall, usually with the transition of falling leaves darting around the first two weeks of September. His smile grows fond as he folds more stars.

"Isn't that just like you, though? Your day of birth on a season where the sun shines the brightest and highest. Heh. I like it. Don't you agree, Jumblie?" His hand drifts and offers another secret star - smaller this time - to the higgledy minding its own business, twirling and dancing as if it was performing for an audience. It may as well have been, with how Roland's eyes drift to its small frame from time to time.

He quietly reminds himself to ask Senku to count from today so he knows when August comes for his son.

[flatteries]

"Maybe it's since I take after my mother!" Inigo quickly says, like it's a way to divert the compliment slightly away from himself. It's easier than taking it in straight on, then considering just how much praise Roland constantly has for him. It's easier to think of all good qualities as belonging to his mother, and Inigo just happening to inherit some of them. "Her birthday was in August too. Maybe I've taken just a little bit too much after her.." Even ending up in the same birthday month.

But Inigo shakes his head, his hands still nimbly folding stars, his gaze occassionally shifting over to Jumblie to ensure the higgledy is still having a good time. But she seems easily pleased, just playing with stars as much as she likes, though apparently careful enough to not tear or otherwise ruin any.

"But if you recognize the months, then it must mean our calendars really are similar!" It's rare to find similarities between Roland's world and his own, so that idea makes Inigo smile as he looks over at the other. "And in that case.. you have to tell me when your birthday is too!"

[adregem]

"..."

If only they could all be as cute and carefree as Jumblie with her paper stars and her pink salt from space!

The silence that follows Inigo's statement is not unusual, though one must wonder how many more moons must pass before this part of Roland's personality shifts completely. Maybe it will never truly disappear at all; the fact that it takes him so long to front more personal aspects of himself, especially when it has nothing to do with work. He can talk about the second world too, for as long as it takes to convince someone that it's a kingdom worth allying or joining, but something as simple as this from a guy he already considers family -

- The only sound that can be heard for quite some time comes from the paper rustling against the table where they fold. Roland's eyes are focused on the design, but he's definitely not just staring at the origami star he's halfway finished with. There was no other way to divert this conversation. It seems Inigo was already well-learned with how to catch Roland in a pinch, but even without it, there was no reason for him to not tell his son anyway.

Just a force of habit at its finest. Eventually, Roland does clear his throat to speak, his voice quiet, easily mistaken as his own brand of shy.

"October 23rd."

The corner of his lips twitch upwards once, glancing up at Inigo through long bangs covering his eyes, before he reveals another star ready to be hung across the car. He can't give all of them to little miss sunshine just yet!

[flatteries]

For a little bit Inigo worries that the answer may never come. It's almost awkward, the silence that hangs over them, only interrupted by the way both of them are hard at work, and maybe slight squeaks from Jumblie as she's still playing with her precious gifts.

But he doesn't want to go back on it. It's not even a matter of it being fair that Roland gives out his birthday after Inigo did so too. It's just about him wanting to know more about the person he calls father. About not wanting to let Roland just hide forever, as if he isn't a person worthy of attention as well in a way that has nothing to do with his title as president or consul.

But then it does come.

And Inigo immediately smiles - with a brightness that could rival the sun itself.

"Oh, in October! That's so cool, father. You were an autumn baby!" Is that fact really so amazing to Inigo? Who knows, but the boy won't stop smiling. And when he grabs a new paper to start folding, it's almost as if he's starting to fold something other than a star this time. The movements are different. "Do you remember what kind of gifts you got when you were younger?"

[adregem]

Energy like that is infectious, so Roland obliges the shift and meets it with his own brand of enthusiasm: subdued, more focused as he attempts to get the folds on his paper right. Glimpsing up from his bangs from time to time, nodding where he can. It's not forced or fake - Roland just doesn't seem to know how to react when someone's giving him so much attention and it has nothing to do with what he can do. Habit, or preference, who knows at this point?

Still. He engages Inigo happily. "An autumn baby, eh? I guess so." He doesn't quite notice the difference in the way he folds the star, but his eyes are on Inigo's own work regardless. He'll find out soon enough, it seems.

Jumblie coos loudly as she plays on her own. Roland speaks over the cuteness.

"Apart from comic books, toys, and figurines?" He breathes in deep. The memory he draws back on is a fond one. "...I mostly asked my mom if I could get tickets to movies I wanted to watch. Premiere ones, so I'd be one of the first kids in line. We couldn't always afford the fancy front row seats at the theater, but when she had the money to spare, I really didn't want to leave until the last word on the screen disappeared."

The star on his end is finished, and is deposited away. But he doesn't grab another piece of paper this time, opting instead to just fold his hands in front of him on the table. "It was great. I made good memories there."

[flatteries]

"Hehe." Inigo chuckles - no, it's a near giggle with the giddiness that surrounds the sound, really. A smile seems plastered on his face at the moment, just glad that Roland is willing to go along with the topic, with this discussion. Even though it doesn't seem very natural to him, considering the constant pauses.

But that's exactly why Inigo wants to talk about these things. About Roland. The other seems to shove himself into the background so often that it makes Inigo want to drag him to the foreground, to give his father the attention he deserves.

"You haven't changed much at all, father."

But in a good way! Inigo thinks it's cute. How he's still fond of movies, still fond of figurines. Like, despite all the hard work, Roland is still nurturing such a side to him.

Whatever Inigo is folding, it seems to be shaping up to be round, with a hole in the middle..

"Tell me about one of those movies you saw! Were they very different than the ones here on the train?"

[adregem]

No, I think I've changed plenty.

Roland only smiles wider at such a statement, keeping the truth of his sentiments all to himself. There's a lot about this little exchange that convinces Roland of it; the fact that he's able to tell Inigo at all when his birthday is shows how far he's come. He surprises even himself on days like this, when the instinct to draw away is more natural than it is to actually respond. But Inigo has earned his honesty, and in his practice of trying to say what he means without the glamor of formality, perhaps Roland is getting comfortable in the act. Baby steps.

As his eyes finally catch the variation of Inigo's little paper...shape, with a hole that he masterfully folds in without having to cut anything, Roland answers slightly distracted. He's stopped folding too, content to watch for now.

"Different...but familiar too. The Ninja Mime movie we watched kind of reminded me of another movie I watched as a kid. I think I was too young to understand it, though." Roland tilts his head to the side. "One of my favorite movies growing up had these scientists who were ghost hunters at the same time. But nobody respected what they did. People thought they were loony for believing in ghosts. In the end, they were actually right and they saved the city."

He chuckles, caught up in the story he retells as if permanent in memory. Eventually, he does pipe up again, more invested than he ever was as soon as the paper takes to form.

"...What are you making, pup?"

[flatteries]

Inigo shakes his head the moment that question comes up.

"Come on, father! Has no one ever told you to not question an artist at work?" .. Is that even an actual thing people say? Who knows. Inigo sure doesn't. But it's a good enough and light attempt at deflecting having to answer that until he's actually done with it and Roland can see the end result. He's getting there, but not quite yet! He doesn't want to ruin the surprise too early on!

Besides, he likes digging into this a little. Inigo doesn't want to push too far, but considering Roland is offering up information of his own volition now, the boy figures it can't hurt to ask a little more. To make the other talk more. He finds himself liking it more than he thought, giddiness radiating like light in his eyes, almost mirroring the way Jumblie is still playing with the stars.

"Tell me more about these ghost hunters. Did you think they were cool? Did you want to be one of those too when you were little and saw them in the movie?"

[adregem]

It definitely is, and you best believe he's riding on it.

"Ah. Of course. My apologies to the master craftsman, heh. Please continue." Roland jokes in return, a smirk quirking the corner of his lips as he keeps to himself until the art in Inigo's hands is revealed...perhaps, soon. It's something he's said often to Inigo, but it bears repeating that talented people, especially in areas that Roland knows he has little affinity with, earn his greatest of respects. It makes him just as giddy as Inigo is in his exploration of Roland's own hobbies, in particular his childhood movies.

He supposes there's no harm in talking shop. What's there to lie about when he literally consumed popular media growing up, loves it to this day despite his age?

Roland continues to watch Inigo's handiwork as he responds

"I think every kid wanted to be just like the Ghost Hunters back in the day. There were four of them, you know." His eyes drift to the artificial light of the car as the memory grows even more stark as he returns to snapshots of his youth. Sitting there in plush chairs, forgetting all about his popcorn and hotdog in complete rapture of the movie before him. Who knew he would be living out every movie trope he's ever watched as an adult, in real life?

"I always thought of myself as the coolest one of them all, the guy who invented the Blaster Guns they used to capture ghosts and paranormal creatures. He wasn't the most popular one but...I don't know, something drew me to him. He didn't care if nobody liked his work or understood the need to capture ghosts. He kept going anyway."

Hello, Aremican Harold Ramis. At least, nothing could be said for how fondly he speaks of it. Would Inigo care to know that at some point, a very small Roland actually tried dressing up as a Ghost Hunter for Halloween?

[flatteries]

"I'm not surprised at all."

That that is the one Roland liked the most. Even as a child, he must have had plenty of similarities with the much older Roland - even older than his current appearance would indicate - to already have thought that way, huh? Rather than going for what everyone likes, he stuck with what felt best to him. And liking someone who invented a weapon like that, someone who did his work even if he wouldn't get any personal recognition for it.. Doesn't that sound exactly like Roland's ballpark? Isn't it the sort of man he himself is - always putting himself in the background, wanting his duty to mean more than him as a person?

Inigo smiles as he says it though, more just amused by how little some parts of Roland have changed, even across that many years. Does that mean Inigo himself is still like his younger self too? He'd hope not - he'd rather be a cool man right now, rather than that shy little boy.

His craft seems like it's almost done, and with the way it takes shape now, it should be obvious what it is. It's a paper crown, and Inigo wastes no time in putting it right on Roland's head.

"But, you know, I think guys like that deserve a little recognition too."

The smile on his face practically spreads from ear to ear as he says it.

[adregem]

"Huh?"

It doesn't occur to him, lost in his own storytelling as he is, that the paper crown has taken shape. There's barely any pressure on the top of his head, until his hand reaches for it; immediately, dialing back on the initial force of fingers gripping to hold, revealing the ornament in perfect form. Roland studies it with a sparkle of interest, growing stronger the more he realizes none of this was made without any sort of template to lead. Inigo just came up with it on the fly, folding origami like he's been doing it all his life. They were just taught how to make stars, not...not a perfect replica of a crown.

Roland meets his eye, smiling warmly. Inigo was a marvel of creativity, and he held no reservations in making sure he knew about it. "It's beautiful. You're amazing as always, Inigo. Thank you." It doesn't have much weight to it, so removing it from his head is easy; accomplished with but a simple tilt of his head to the side, plopping it back on his hand. He looks so pleased with it that he stares at it for a few more seconds before it disappears into the safety of his Arms Band.

A palm meets where his heart beats against his chest in soft rhythms, content and filled with affection.

"I'll cherish it. After all, there's no better recognition than the one that comes from someone you love. What you've bestowed on me will always be kept safe."

And that goes for more than just the origami, fairly obvious with the way he reaches a hand out to grasp at Inigo's twice as if to express himself further, with less words, the silence bearing volumes of how Roland feels. He's too lucky. This isn't what he signed up for, yet here it is bearing down on him in spades. He tries not to think if he deserves this or not; a thought too common between them that it's easily pushed aside to be unpacked later.

"Guess I'm the new Ghost Hunting King, eh? Heh." Roland adds, chuckling low.

[flatteries]

It feels a little silly, almost. That Roland decides the things Inigo makes for him are precious enough to be stored away like that, kept around. And Inigo knows the other keeps himself to those words too, that he doesn't just throw away the things when Inigo isn't looking. He saw Roland pull those flowers from the island out again, after all. There's no doubt in Inigo's mind that his little papercraft - just a little silly crown - will have the same fate, just lingering in there.

But he's trying to not be dismissive of other people's words, even when they're hard to accept. So he just smiles, shyly, before quickly starting to fold more paper stars. Doing that is easier than letting his thoughts wander here and there.

"Well." Inigo pauses slightly, but then breathes out, trying to relax instead of lingering in his flustered state.

"I do know whose help I am going to ask for if we ever end up needing to deal with ghosts on a mission." Just saying! Because then Roland can live out his ghost hunter movie dreams!

[adregem]

"Oh no. Me? What have I done, hehe." Roland's smile is almost boyish, leaning forward slightly as the stars in his sights are beginning to take a neat shape like the crown he had just received. Just because he loved the Ghost Hunters didn't mean he could actually take on the supernatural on a real mission...but he's not about to openly admit that reluctance to his adopted pup. Instead, he expresses himself as if it was a joke to ride on.

"I'll need the proper gear, of course. The Blaster Gun and the Trap Door into another ghostly dimension. Scary, right? Creepy? Can I rely on the bravery of Inigo to help me out if that ever happened?"

Seriously, please train. No horror missions, that's not his favorite genre at all! The Ghost Hunters was actually a comedy!

[flatteries]

"Of course. How could ghosts be all that bad when you have the proper equipment to deal with them?"

Ghosts certainly aren't a thing that frightens Inigo. Well, not in battle, anyway. It's not like they'd be very different from the Risen - people who have already died, but somehow are still around to fight.

So he shakes his head with a laugh, apparently entirely unafraid about the possibility. He isn't even worried, and that's saying a lot when it's Inigo of all people.

"As long as we aren't dealing with bugs, I will be right by your side." Because if bugs are going to be involved, he will instead be behind Roland's back hiding, okay.

[adregem]

He knows exactly what that means, and even if it's packaged as a joke, Roland is certain Inigo will be totally useless against bugs. He's seen it for himself. Rats he can deal with. Risen, sure. Zombies are nothing to this brave boy - though that's a dark thought for a different time. But what about, and this is something Roland postulates with an expectation of what Inigo might say back:

"God forbid we run into ghost bugs." A beat passes. Then, "I wonder if fire will affect ghosts? Or will it pass right through them?"

Roland chuckles immediately, reaching out for Inigo as if to comfort him from across the table with two squeezes to his hands before sitting back down.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding! Don't panic. Those don't exist."

'...at least, I don't think they do.'

Should the next mission have floating, transparent beetles or something as enemies, Inigo knows precisely who to contact over the SCA's to scold. Thanks for jinxing it, Roland.

[flatteries]

Roland is laughing.

And squeezing his hands.

And saying that he's kidding.

But does the man truly think that any of that is going to help? Oh no. It sure isn't. Because Inigo is sitting there across the table, and his face is absolutely as pale as a sheet. Nothing Roland says can make this okay. Because now Inigo has got ghost bugs on the brain, and if there's anything he's learned during his stay on the train, it's that anything is possible. Anything can exist.

Even ghost bugs.

"F-- Fatheeeeer....."

Look at that pitiful whine. Look at those actual tears that are appearing in Inigo's eyes. It's as if Roland somehow set off a toddler, rather than a near full grown seventeen year old.

[adregem]

Nothing, eh? We'll see about that - !

Usually, the tears would be enough to spur Roland into more serious action. On a regular occasion, he would already be trying his best to calm him down with a frown on his face, all serious and worried. But today, today in the midst of a birthday party, after sharing a part of himself that he didn't think anybody cared about, let alone would remember, Roland is a partially changed man. Today, he removes himself from the other end of the bench, tucking himself immediately to Inigo's side with his arms wrapped around him, hugging him close. But Roland is chuckling, his smile warm and open.

"It's okay! I'm sorry, I won't joke around like that anymore. I'll beat those nasty ghost bugs for you, okay pup? I'll be your shield. Don't you worry, they're not going to come get you."

Then, he plants a kiss with closed lips against the crown of his head before he rubs Inigo's arms up and down, hopefully to curb the tears already falling on his face. It's something to behold, now that Roland knows precisely how to deal with Inigo when he goes just a tad bit too far. Hopefully, his pup forgives him for this travesty of nightmarish creepy crawlies! Right after having cake too, the nerve!

[flatteries]

Thankfully Inigo doesn't seem mad at the other at the slightest. Even though Roland is the one who brought up the terrifying idea of ghost bugs in the first place.

No, he's just sad. And scared. And being overly dramatic about it, but why wouldn't he be when he feels like he can just totally be himself around the other? Knowing that he can get away with sniffling over something as ridiculous as ghost bugs, and that Roland will comfort him, rather than ask him what's wrong with him that he's acting like such a baby?

So at the familiar affection - the hug, the kiss in his hair, the rubbing on his arms - Inigo just feels himself leaning into the hold, against Roland, and sniffing a few times.

Still being overdramatic. But at least the crying stops pretty quickly, considering he's not that genuinely upset.

"Do you promise? You can't let a single one of them near me..!"

Are you locking yourself into this contract, Roland.

[adregem]

Locked and loaded, baby let's do it, Roland knows the law.

"I promise. Cross my heart, hope to die. Not a single one shall harm my Prince Inigo as long as I live." The dramatics is deliberate, but Roland hams it up for Inigo's sake too. There's not even a hint of mocking in it; all in good-nature and fun, though nothing about his declaration says that Roland won't do it if it ever came to that. Ghost bugs or ghost anything, he's ready to hack 'n slash away if it means Inigo will be safe.

That goes for any type of nasty thing, anyway. Such is the promise made and kept throughout their time in the void, and even beyond it.

"If I fail in my task, then take my paper crown off and grant it to a man more worthy of your trust! Heh." He laughs quietly, breathily into Inigo's temple, before pulling back, rubbing at the back of his neck. "Sorry. I'm getting carried away, huh?"

[flatteries]

He shakes his head. Instantly. There's no beat being missed between that last thing Roland says and that slight gesture on Inigo's part, his overdramatic freakout from a moment ago easily discarded as instead a smile plays around his lips.

"Never apologize." Look, Roland doesn't need to give Inigo the whole accountability talk this time, okay. Although he may still be pretty biased in never blaming Roland for anything ever. But in this case - there's definitely nothing to blame him for.

Even as Inigo lets go, turning back towards the paper and starting to fold a new paper star.

"I like that side of you." And though it's such a simple thing to say, something about the way Inigo says it, emotion flowing so naturally in the boy's voice, he sounds so genuine. "It's those little quirks that make us people! You're not just some cutout of a stuffy old man, father."

Which is why he likes it. Roland's dorkiness. The way his eyes start to shine when he indulges in his little hobbies.

[adregem]

Roland smiles, casting a palm out to Jumblie so she can rest on his hand. She does so happily, squealing loudly as she settles down, sat and swaying to invisible wind.

"Do you now? Well, thank you."

It's not obvious with the way he responds, controlled and collected as one might have Roland be at all times, but he feels incredibly relieved when they say things like this to him. He's had to be a Role for a long time, and it's the purpose of his life without question; but there are other sides of him that had to be sacrificed in the process of growing up. He was always the youngest, the smallest, the one with the baby-face who people called an upstart until he could prove himself on the big stage. There was no room for his love for movies, or stories, or hobbies that had nothing to lend to an ailing nation.

Yet here, here he is welcomed just as he is, when his façade breaks for a second and his entirety is seen for who he wishes he could still be. It's a bridge he's long crossed, but from time to time, the validation feels nice. The affection and acceptance is...nice.

"Teach me how to fold something. I wanna learn from you. I like knowing about the things you're good at too, pup." Such fondness overflows, urging him to slide out of his bench in order to sit directly next to Inigo, asking for some space. Is it a tight fit already? Sure. But neither of them mind the proximity, and never have. Jumblie settles nicely on his shoulder instead, popping in and out of existence until she comfortably sits there in content, higgledy silence.