[Anger flares up, white hot and sudden within him. His hands clench into tight fists. Hector will answer for his crimes. That is fine. But the implication that devil forging itself in inherently evil is intolerable. His voice goes quiet with rage.]

Would your acquaintances have every blacksmith maimed? Swords can be turned to evil. A herbalist can choose to brew poison- should they all be quelled as well? I could forge marvels, creatures that could be as great a boon to your previous humans as any of the sciences or magicks of Lord Dracula’s castle, if I thought there was any chance they wouldn’t be torn to shreds by people to frightened and superstitious to understand them.

[The sight of this judgmental dhampir lordling stroking his undead dog while decrying the rest of his work stokes the fires within him. He drops down again and forces his fists open to hold out his ungloved hand to the pug.]

Here, boy. [He orders, desperate to put distance between Adrian and Cesar.]

I came for my pets. [He repeats to Adrian.] I raised them, and it is my job to care for them now. No one else will. The people whose safety you fret over so much would throw little Cesar into a fire if they found him. So no, they really weren’t a factor when I decided to come here.