Didn't I? [ The words are rueful but resigned as he flicks a glance over at Hilda, at her denial of his theft. It may not have been something he'd chosen to steal, but that didn't mean he hadn't ripped it all away, just the same. He's pretty sure the semantics of it had never mattered to Miklan - only the end result.
In that way, Miklan just proved how very much like their father he really was. ]
And our father, for the most part, saw the rivalry between us [ one-sided though it might have been ] as something that would ultimately make me a stronger heir. [ A bitter laugh as he shakes his head, turning his gaze back to focus on some distant point. ] Goddess, I swear that's what all his favorite sayings were about. 'Adversity is one of life's greatest teachers' or 'nothing worth doing is easy'. 'When the world pushes you, push back harder'. Oh, and my personal favorite, 'be tougher than the problem itself'. [ He snorts in derision, shaking his head, lips twisted in disdain. The impression was eerily accurate, which confirmed just how often he'd had those sentiments drilled into him all his life. ]
Of course, not even that bluster could cover the evidence when Miklan's "pushing" couldn't be blamed on roughhousing and 'boys being boys' any longer. [ He sighs, looking down at his hands as he fidgets and distracts himself with digging some of the dirt out from under a nail. ] Which is most of what you heard back there from the birds that day. Miklan... his obsession grew to some pretty unhinged levels before his actions forced our father to send him away. And... well. You know how that story ended. Time away didn't help his obsession any. Clearly.
[ But he flicks his gaze to Claude then, one corner of his lips quirking up in a humorless smile. ] It doesn't really matter who was at fault. Casting blame doesn't change what happened. I can tell myself it wasn't my fault as often as I want, but I can't excuse the weight my existence put on the scales. I could sit here all day and complain about how none of it was fair, but what good does that do? I'm pretty sure nothing back home was ever about 'fairness'.
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In that way, Miklan just proved how very much like their father he really was. ]
And our father, for the most part, saw the rivalry between us [ one-sided though it might have been ] as something that would ultimately make me a stronger heir. [ A bitter laugh as he shakes his head, turning his gaze back to focus on some distant point. ] Goddess, I swear that's what all his favorite sayings were about. 'Adversity is one of life's greatest teachers' or 'nothing worth doing is easy'. 'When the world pushes you, push back harder'. Oh, and my personal favorite, 'be tougher than the problem itself'. [ He snorts in derision, shaking his head, lips twisted in disdain. The impression was eerily accurate, which confirmed just how often he'd had those sentiments drilled into him all his life. ]
Of course, not even that bluster could cover the evidence when Miklan's "pushing" couldn't be blamed on roughhousing and 'boys being boys' any longer. [ He sighs, looking down at his hands as he fidgets and distracts himself with digging some of the dirt out from under a nail. ] Which is most of what you heard back there from the birds that day. Miklan... his obsession grew to some pretty unhinged levels before his actions forced our father to send him away. And... well. You know how that story ended. Time away didn't help his obsession any. Clearly.
[ But he flicks his gaze to Claude then, one corner of his lips quirking up in a humorless smile. ] It doesn't really matter who was at fault. Casting blame doesn't change what happened. I can tell myself it wasn't my fault as often as I want, but I can't excuse the weight my existence put on the scales. I could sit here all day and complain about how none of it was fair, but what good does that do? I'm pretty sure nothing back home was ever about 'fairness'.