For Bastian there was no certainty on when, if ever, he would be willing to speak about what happened. He often questioned the point of it, why verbalize the past that was better left as that? Why bring her into that reality? Maybe it was needed to get it off of his chest but as it stood..he rather keep that weight upon him then share it with the rest of them. The details weren’t anything he ever wanted them to have to visualize. He knew that she didn’t like it. He knew the old man didn’t either. But Bastian was thankful they didn’t push it. He wasn’t sure what good it would really do any of them to do so.

The best Bastian could was attempt to act as though he’d moved on from all of it. Sometimes he was even able to convince himself that he had. There were moments like now where he could act as though things were better and were going back to some sense of how it used to be. But hard as he tried he was never able to keep up that act for long. Eventually that past and those fears got the better of him. It had the ability to get the better of all of them.

No matter how bleak it could seem at times Bastian knew that Maggie was a stubborn woman that wouldn’t let herself stay to those thoughts. That was something he had always loved about her…it was something he still loved about her. Lately it was something he held to. A light in her that he kept such focus on in order to ensure he didn’t lose all hope. If he let himself become lost in the past and all that shit it held…he’d lose sight of what he did have in front of him. Something he didn’t want. Now and before Maggie helped to keep him focused…

From what he could tell she had helped the rest of the family with that as well. Especially the old man. “Ah see, have means of convincing him that I don’t.” What man could turn down a breakfast like that? Especially from Maggie. “Glad one of us has means of making him listen. Otherwise he’d be here all night and day.” Just like Bastian used to really. Not the point though. The old man needed his rest, especially now that he had the means to take some time for himself.

But likely John was sitting at home awake and working even now. Maybe even with a cigarette to his lips like Bastian that he shouldn’t be having. “I used to think that” Bastian spoke finally after a long pause. Once in his life he really thought that there were certain things that no one could ever take from him. Aspects of who he was that would never change. But he’d been taught how wrong he was. How…everything could be taken from you and twisted into something else. It….scared him still. Just…how wrong something could feel that once had been so right.

With a sigh of his own he pressed into that touch, eyes closing for just a moment even as he let a touch of a smile hold his lips at words of Sophie. “And is just as eager as I once was to get out there and explore it.” She’d become quiet the star…he was proud of what she’d done. Wary, as he knew that world, but proud still. “Hope she realizes she’s going to have her old man at all her shows now” or as many as he could get to. From what he’d seen so far she didn’t seem to mind but one never knew how long that would last. Especially with kids…even if she was not much of a kid anymore.

“Got a lot more then her playing to think about soon though huh?” not something he really wanted to face…that reality of just how old she was and how much he’d missed. But not liking it didn’t change it.