"That'd be great!" Hughes replied brightly. "Elicia loves making new friends, so I'm sure she'd make your kids feel right at home. There are a lot of things to at the park, so they should be able to find something they like." And the idea of his adorable daughter welcoming three new friends and leading them around one of her favorite places made his heart sing.
Though he hadn't been expecting the shift in tone, Hughes listened carefully and without judgement. As the other man spoke, Hughes inclined his head in acknowledgement, silently letting him talk. After a brief pause, he replied, "I may not know anything about your past, but there's more that defines a person than what they've done. I've done some unforgivable things I wish I could take back more than anything, but that won't stop me from putting my family first and giving them everything I can of myself. And though we may not have known each other long, just from talking to you, I see a man who does the same. We can't change the past, but we can do our best to move forward. I'm glad you have your husband to support you in that."
Hughes prided himself in being a good judge of character, and he didn't get even the slightest hint of ill intentions from Nikolai. Crime in his past or not, he seemed to be a well-meaning man who was devoted to his husband and children, and that was what mattered now.
He gracefully let the subject shift, sliding off his glasses to clean the lenses on his shirt. "It's really not a problem at all. I hope you weren't out there too long. Do you need to get back to your hotel to rest? I can drop you off there if you need me to, but you're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like."
"I bet you're little Elicia would be perfect new friends for them. She sounds like an angel, and she has the perfect father, so there's no doubt in my mind she's any sort of brat or bully~." Nikolai could tell just the way Hughes spoke of her, she was a kind and gentle soul. Probably wouldn't even notice the differences of Nikolai's kids.
"I am sure they'd just have fun getting to hang out with someone other than their parents or uncle~. So I think I'm gonna bring them here sometime, 'cos it sounds like they'll have a grand time being here~."
When Nikolai changed the subject to a darker tune, he was glad the other man didn't seem to judge him harshly or at all for having a dark and shady past. He didn't want to admit to someone he met that he sort of wanted to be friends with-- that he was a terrorist and a mass murderer in his past.. Though he changed a new leaf, and still had habits of killing others. But he no longer killed innocents, just people he deemed deserved to die for their crimes...
"My husband will remind me, that all the stuff that has happened in our lives, have molded us into what we are today, and that we have what we have, due to what has happened to us.. that we appreciate things better with what lives we've had.. I do not know what unforgivable things you have done in your life, but it may have helped you become who you are today.. Helped you give more love to your family, and have tighter bonds with others. Be more compassionate towards others. If I didn't do what I did in my early life, I would have never met my Husband.. it's something that I sometimes think about.. how I may hold regret towards what happened, it led me to a better life.. and in turn-- saved three kids from death or a miserable life..."
He paused and smiled softly. "I can tell you're a kind soul, a good person who loves his family with his whole heart. Never let what happened in your past, tell you otherwise what you are."
Nikolai closed his eye for a moment before opening it again to look to the driver. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble, a drive to the inn would be nice~."
