[ There's something stony in the set of Stephen's jaw, the way he stares plainly out at his son on his arrival. No longer a boy, a long way off that - a man, a powerful Cardinal, and obedient as he ever could have hoped he'd grow to be.
But the insecurity is a problem. Fine in measured doses, useful, but this particular chip on his shoulder (or out of it, like biology might somehow be a missing piece that decreases the value of the whole) has every potential to act as a wedge in any hopes Stephen might have for the future of their family.
He doesn't stand. Stays behind his desk across the room and speaks only after a pause long enough to let discomfort settle. ]
no subject
But the insecurity is a problem. Fine in measured doses, useful, but this particular chip on his shoulder (or out of it, like biology might somehow be a missing piece that decreases the value of the whole) has every potential to act as a wedge in any hopes Stephen might have for the future of their family.
He doesn't stand. Stays behind his desk across the room and speaks only after a pause long enough to let discomfort settle. ]
Do I strike you as a shallow person?