Roy’s thirst for revenge, justice as he called it, had damn near consumed him. The anger that had sent Scar on his RAMPAGE was threatening to take hold and a cycle like that is not so easily broken. Sorrow because of loss, HATRED of who ( or what ) did it, not being able to have closure; he still had nightmares. The day he faced off with Envy all HELL had broken loose, they had run out of time. That was his last memory before waking up in Spirale City ( those raw emotions were still volatile ).
Pained eyes and GNASHING teeth, he was hesitating, listening / praying. This couldn’t be Maes, he can’t afford to be fooled twice. Shame on him right? God how his heart breaks ( he’s longed to hear that voice again ) and his THREATENING hand drops. He releases the collar, finding the exact pocket Maes had his family photo in, and pulled it out. His shoulders IMMEDIATELY slump in defeat ( lip trembling ) Just what really ruled over Spirale that they’d be so CRUEL as to reopen fresh wounds and, at the same time, generous in giving Hughes back.
“ I’m sorry Maes… I’m so sorry. “
This begged the question as to whether not he HAD died that cursed day. That girl, Paz, her purgatory theory that he an the Lieutenant laughed about; this ENCOUNTER gave it more credibility. All he could do was cover his face with his hand and shake his head.
“ I fought and nearly killed Envy after they revealed themself as your killer and wouldn’t stop bragging. I spent so much time looking for the culprit and when I finally found them… I lost it. “
Hearing Roy say those words breaks Hughes’s heart even more than he had initially thought it could. How much had his death alone caused? Destroyed? Saved?
He’s gone too long without a hug from his daughter or wife, so maybe he’s a bit more emotionally impulsive than he usually would. It’s not as if he’s never hugged Roy before, but this time it’s slow, and slightly hesitant, tainted by the grief and guilt they both feel over his death. At the very least Roy has accepted that Hughes is who he says he is.
“Roy, I’m sorry. If I’d been more careful, they probably wouldn’t have gotten suspicious, and I could have gotten that information to you a lot quicker... And none of this would’ve happened.”
He had sworn to support Roy from below, but his death had changed everything. He couldn’t offer his support from beyond the grave, and what important information he did have apparently never made it to Roy, they’d figured it out for themselves. To know that his death is what made Roy lose it more than anything else...it leaves a bitter taste in his mouth, and he has to fight to remember that it’s Envy who is responsible for this. Not them, but the Homunculi.
“I’d seriously like to continue this conversation, there’s a lot of questions I have about what happened after I died, but...”
Hughes glances around at the fact that they’re still in the middle of a battlefield, with monsters ready to get in a fight with them at a moment’s notice. He takes the picture back from Roy, looking at it with a downcast expression, which is usually uncharacteristic whenever he talks about his family. It doesn’t last long, as a smile creeps its way onto his face again.
“But hey! At least I still have all my pictures of Elicia! Isn’t that wonderful?? Look how adorable she is!!!”
