[ Leon's still tense, from the stinging and threading of the wound. The blood loss has left certain surreality to the scene, and though he'd seen the blurry figure above him tending to the injury sites, a lot of it still felt like a fever dream. His Adam's apple bobs once in his throat as he swallows, the realization the Alucard has finished with him beginning to sink in. Not once has he looked at the gashes, and yet the other man... ]
"I'm sorry." [ Though Leon hadn't thrashed or screamed (he'd done his best to limit himself to twisting and groaning), he feels bad for having shafted the task onto Alucard so suddenly. He's drenched in sweat himself, his body and clothing heavy. ]
"I should be nothing but grateful, as you remember me despite having returned to your time." [ He feels to weak to move, and waits for his head to come back down from wherever it'd headed. ]
[Alucard's washing his own hands now. Yes, he's had leather gloves on the entire time, but it is a matter of principle. His mother would haunt him for failing to do such a basic task.]
I'm amazed you're still conscious.
[That much is genuine. It is in fact some kind of weird miracle. Alucard's had to help Sypha with Trevor getting himself far more injured than he ought to before, and passing out was sometimes the best thing for everyone involved.]
What you should do is close your eyes and try to rest. I'll go get you blankets, given the damage sustained to your clothes.
"As am I." [ He'd endured similar undergoings times before, but the faintness he had felt promised a black out at any moment. Watching Alucard wash his hands reminds Leon of Mathias tending to him after a battle, and he turns his head the other way from unwanted allusion. There isn't room to try and understand vampire Dracula's pain, not after he'd had so many innocent lives stolen for the sake of some rock. As far as Leon was concerned, Mathias died alongside the man's humanity. ]
"You did wonderfully, though. I'll do as you say." [ He watches the portrait of himself. ] "It's strange to see my portrait here after I'm long dead." [ In a time without vampires, he thinks. But is that the case? ]
"Adrian, are there other creatures of the night to remain besides yourself? I'm unaware of vampirical politics, whether there are any others helping humans, but..." [ Perhaps he won't be told. ]
[Alucard's not asked Trevor much about the family that was murdered by the church. What they were like, what growing up in this home was like. It is a tender subject, and Alucard trusts that if Trevor ever wants to discuss it, he'll do so in his own time. But one thing is clear: stubbornness? That's genetic, it just manifests differently.
Towel in hand, Alucard dries off his hand, then rises to his feet. Blanket mission is much more important.]
That is...a complicated question. They have little love of me and the feeling is mutual. Many vampires on the level with my father have not survived. Others have kept their distance for any number of reasons. At the moment, I would advise you don't focus on something that trivial.
I'll be back shortly.
[Alucard's kept a small collection of pillows and blankets down in the Hold. Sypha has fallen asleep in there too many times for him not to, so all he does is walk over Leon's feet and go straight down into the Hold itself to retrieve the blanket.
He returns with a thick woolen thing, along with a feather pillow under his arm. This next part Alucard performs as impersonally as he can, sliding the towel out from under Leon's head and replacing it with the pillow, then draping the blanket over him entirely. With Trevor or Sypha, it'd be a far more tender action.]
[ Leon curls his abs so that the pillow can come under his head. He shifts beneath the newly attained blanket, some pain surging through his leg as he does. When he's settled under, he exhales, wondering if whether or not such questions had actually been so trivial. Sure, he had little ability to do anything with the affairs of this time, but his curiosity remained. ]
"Thank you." [ For the blanket and the pillow. ]
[ He wants to ask more questions, but feels that doing so is in direct defiance of not focusing on trivialities, so. ] "...After you returned here, Rinaldo wouldn't believe that I met with you in his cabin. He thought I made you up." [ He shuts his eyes, like he's trying to find enough peace to let himself sleep. ]
[This feels like the bare minimum of what should be done, all things considered. His father would not look kindly on providing any Belmont medical treatment, never mind the Belmont who began a centuries long hunt for his own life. Alucard's mother would have found some way to knock him out already and keep it that way for some time to come. Trevor, well, that's the point where everything in terms of trains of thought grow exhausting.]
I just told Trevor and Sypha that it was the weirdest dream. They agreed.
[A lot weird.]
Doesn't matter, in the end. I just hope that when you return to your own time, none of these injuries travel with you.
"I hope so, too. Assuming that thing is still there waiting for me, I'll need to be able to fight it without any kind of constraint. Maybe I should try and find my own journal here, so I know how to go about killing it."
[ But Trevor and Sypha? ] "...Trevor and Sypha must be your comrades? I'm glad that you've made friends. I imagine that being utterly alone as one of a kind would be difficult."
I can look that much up for you, although I'll need to wear several layers worth of gloves. The simple covers were later replaced with silver ones by one of your descendants. And that will be done later.
[Meaning Alucard leaves touching them to Trevor and Sypha most days. But there's firmness in Alucard's voice, the sort that hints that this kind of discussion is best saved for later on. When there isn't an injured Belmont to deal with.]
Trevor Belmont, one of your great-several-times-over grandsons.
You need to rest, not speculate or talk right now.
[ With Alucard not budging on talking, Leon is left with no distraction and reluctantly complies to rest. ]
[ A day of very little mobility passes, Leon keeping himself entertained by reading an entire anthology of monsters, complete with illustrations and descriptions. He's never been one for reading, far too restless with an attention span that always compels him anywhere besides the book. Only like this, confined to his makeshift bed, is he able to get through anything— and only by scanning the contents. When he's finished looking through the illustrations by an apparent later Belmont (no first names carry any weight), he feels his boredom suffocating himself. ]
[ His body may still be aching, but he doesn't care. He has to move, he's getting too stir crazy. ] [ Leon follows the sounds of Alucard sifting through unsorted books, careful not to be too loud in approaching him. His voice breaks the quiet, perhaps to the other's dismay. ]
"Allow me to help you? Surely I may lend a hand with something." [ Polite and mild, but still intrusive. ]
[While Leon sleeps, Alucard tries to evaluate the best thing to do in the situation. Laid out where he is is hardly appropriate, and yet the castle? The castle feels wrong. Like some ghost of Alucard's father will return from sheer rage at permitting Leon Belmont into the castle.
So Alucard makes a more comfortable space for Leon to rest in down in the Hold proper, beside the lectern where the index resides. There's a mattress underneath him, additional pillows, and blankets off to the side should more be needed. That's in addition to a pitcher of water and a glass, as well as Alucard sitting at a work bench beside the lectern, carefully cataloging recent additions that have been brought home by Trevor and Sypha.
He's gotten Leon books when he can. Illustrated, if only for the safety of future Belmonts. Touching the journals has been impossible, even with layers of gloves. It's still agony to handle them.
Alucard's putting some of the new books away when Leon finds him. His head snaps in Leon's direction, and it's accompanied with a deep set frown.]
You shouldn't even be up! [Alucard, in a sane moment, will realize that he shouldn't be surprised by this. Trevor's just as bad at the concept of resting while injured.] Go lie back down.
"I'm sorry but I—" [ How should one word this? He doesn't want Alucard mad at him, but... ] "I can't rest any longer. I'm afraid I've started to feel more unwell from lying still than from my wounds. In any case, I've endured worse than this many times before."
[ Mathias scolded him similarly, too. ] "...So what are you sorting now?" [ Leon ungracefully attempts to change the subject. ]
[NICE TRY LEON. Alucard's face becomes even harder set at the very casual approach to change the topic.]
You had exposed bone among those injuries. I don't care if you've endured worse, you're going back and resting. If you desire the presence of another person, very well, I'll move such things closer to myself, but you are not the church's Christ where you can rise from near death after only three days.
[ Leon's attempt backfires, and as Alucard lashes back at him with hard to hear reason, he can't look him in the eyes. He hasn't had anybody treat him so coldly in a while. He does, however, understand that the dhampir is speaking in his best interest, so defeated, he lets his head hang in his shame. ]
"I understand. If it's too much trouble, I shan't disturb you anymore." [ Alucard keeping him company is too childish a request, he feels guilty for having desired it. ]
[Alucard sighs, and he brings up one hand to his face to pinch his nose. He's overstepped and snapped, he knows that much. He gets up from where he's set up shop, and as he does so, he mutters more to himself than to Leon:]
Every Belmont is like this, I shouldn't be surprised.
[With that, he actually disappears off for a few moments, only to return with his arms full of blanketing and pillows. Those get plopped down next to the lectern, and Alucard disappears off again. When he returns, it's with a small sofa behind him.
Sypha needs comfy reading nooks, and so some of the castle's furniture got moved.
The sofa gets put next to Alucard's work space. Then there's the pile of sof things, before Alucard's attention returns to Leon.]
[ Leon's eyes follow the retrieved couch, the blankets and the pillows, and he only wonders why Alucard has brought them. Actions that almost contradict his earlier scolding. Leon blinks a few times as Alucard settles the items confused by his actions. He can't tell if he's an annoyance to him or not. ]
"You didn't need to, but thank you." [ At this point, however, not taking him up on his effort would be more rude than to leave it and return to his other nest of bedding. Leon slowly angles himself, lugging his injured body onto the couch. ]
"What is the Belmont you're familiar with like? I can't tell if my later to come bloodline is being insulted or not." [ Still frowning. ]
[Alucard will live with having Leon Belmont hover over his shoulder and try to watch him work. Anything to keep the man sitting still and continuing to recover, rather than being an idiot and aggravating the wounds further.
He himself settles back down on the seat he had been on, fingers ghosting over the books he needs to catalog.]
Trevor Belmont. Current generation, involved with Dracula's defeat. He is....stubborn. Foul mouthed, scarred, and he cares about the work. Bad at sitting still, worse when it comes to sitting still while injured because to be still is an alien thing to him.
[In those words, there's a flicker of warmth. Fondness.]
“I see. It seems that the latter is certainly something we may have in common. Although I’d like to think I’m far from foul-mouthed.” [ Leon shifts some in the couch to make himself more comfortable, watching Alucard’s hands as he sorts the books. ]
“I wonder what happened to his manners.” [ Because they aren’t something he’d like his family to lose. ]
You're the exact opposite of him in the language department, rest assured.
[Alucard opens one of the books, turning to the title page, and then letting it rest. His hand reaches for a pen, and he pulls over another, much thicker book to him, and starts to shuffle through the pages.]
The manners are...personality, for the most part. The rest is a story that I am not the correct person to tell it. It'd be best for you to hear it from a descendant.
"The story doesn't sound too bright, if this Trevor is a scarred individual. Had I any influence, I'd not want that for any of my family." [ He doesn't know what's to happen to them. ]
"Should I do anything far too differently, it may unravel the very fibers of the time you live in. But should you know of any actions I could safely take to prevent any future hardships of my kin, please." [ That's the hard part. Tracking the butterfly effect at its source. ]
In truth, the way events unfold is out of everyone's control. [Higher, more churchly powers prevailed and there were no fighting them. Alucard has read the accounts of a few years before the destruction of the home, how some of the other boyars of Wallachia were beginning to understand that the Belmonts and their eternal quest for night things and Dracula made them politically weak as a noble house of Wallachia. Bringing the church in, viewing it all as witchcraft, it was....expedient. And the Belmonts were only starting to fight back after years of not considering the matter to be a problem.
Alucard sighs heavily at Leon's request, and there's a little bit of heartbreak in it.]
I don't believe that my father's death could happen if anything was prevented or changed, I'm afraid.
"A regret I have is being unable to change his mind in the moment he took the Ebony Stone from Walter. Of course, I have no idea of his later madness, or how he may feel towards humans by your time... but a lot of me wishes he could've been saved by other means. I hate that it's come to what it has."
[ His fingers curled tightly, somewhere in spilling his thoughts. ] "At the very least, I hope that you and your mother share fond memories together."
[The response is automatic. Almost unthinking, and far too blunt. Leon's brushed over the raw wound at the center of all of this, and Alucard's only defense to deal with it right now is cold truth that he doesn't allow himself to feel emotions about in front of anyone else.]
She passed before he did, her medical knowledge branded witchcraft and the church following the teachings of Exodus.
[ The conversation flinches as Leon realizes where he's unintentionally lead it to. An abrupt silence to follow the sharpness of what paranoia of the Church has done to an innocent and well-meaning woman haunts him. It's something he struggles to digest. He thinks of Mathias and Rinaldo, how they had guarded their use and knowledge of alchemy from society, perhaps all too knowing of the risk it posed to their status and safety. Leon hesitantly makes note to never divulge the true workings of his whip to the public. ]
[ Despite knowing that Alucard is not a man to openly desire sympathy, Leon can't let himself not say anything. ] "That shouldn't have happened to her. I'm sorry." [ But he knows that Alucard knows its unfairness already. There's not much to be said of a tragedy that's already befallen. What might he want to hear in regards to Sara's fate, had someone heard his story? To everything Mathias had orchestrated? ]
"In spite of those circumstances, you still pledge your loyalty to humanity. Though the rest of us may not realize how difficult that must be for you, I recognize a blessing as it is. Your aid may be very well undeserved, but I only hope we humans can help ease your grief as allies—... hopefully, as true friends. No one should go through it alone."
[Those words come out with a little more anger. He was angry. God, Alucard still is angry about the situation at the end of the day. His mother was murdered for bullshit reasons, and his father went so mad with grief that the kind thing was to put him out of his misery. He's allowed to be angry at the unfairness of it. If his mother hadn't been who she was, Alucard may have slept through his father's genocide.
Or worse.
The sympathy is genuine. Alucard knows that, but it is so hard not to chafe against it with the bitterness running through his thoughts. It takes real effort to shove it aside, to return to the far more well meaning if exhausted nursemaid mode. An easy role. One he's had to play several times over for Trevor.]
[ Leon senses the anger stirring beneath the surface, and holds his tongue. Knowing very well that his words may tip the scales of Alucard's temper, he should let this topic go. He doesn't want to risk Alucard uncovering any potential regret in decision. Compassion alone doesn't take away the dhampir's pain. ]
"..." [ Only now, he's at a loss for words. He's driven this conversation into a dead end, and the only way he feels he can potentially uplift it is to mention the wishes he assumes of Alucard's mother, how maybe she'd like him to start his life anew. That in itself is also likely to upset him further— the more Leon tries to find out, the more he's pushed from it. Or lashed at. Not that he can really blame Alucard. His own understanding of that rage is what prompted Alucard's father to offer Leon eternal life, after all. ]
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"I'm sorry." [ Though Leon hadn't thrashed or screamed (he'd done his best to limit himself to twisting and groaning), he feels bad for having shafted the task onto Alucard so suddenly. He's drenched in sweat himself, his body and clothing heavy. ]
"I should be nothing but grateful, as you remember me despite having returned to your time."
[ He feels to weak to move, and waits for his head to come back down from wherever it'd headed. ]
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I'm amazed you're still conscious.
[That much is genuine. It is in fact some kind of weird miracle. Alucard's had to help Sypha with Trevor getting himself far more injured than he ought to before, and passing out was sometimes the best thing for everyone involved.]
What you should do is close your eyes and try to rest. I'll go get you blankets, given the damage sustained to your clothes.
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"You did wonderfully, though. I'll do as you say." [ He watches the portrait of himself. ]
"It's strange to see my portrait here after I'm long dead." [ In a time without vampires, he thinks. But is that the case? ]
"Adrian, are there other creatures of the night to remain besides yourself? I'm unaware of vampirical politics, whether there are any others helping humans, but..."
[ Perhaps he won't be told. ]
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[Alucard's not asked Trevor much about the family that was murdered by the church. What they were like, what growing up in this home was like. It is a tender subject, and Alucard trusts that if Trevor ever wants to discuss it, he'll do so in his own time. But one thing is clear: stubbornness? That's genetic, it just manifests differently.
Towel in hand, Alucard dries off his hand, then rises to his feet. Blanket mission is much more important.]
That is...a complicated question. They have little love of me and the feeling is mutual. Many vampires on the level with my father have not survived. Others have kept their distance for any number of reasons. At the moment, I would advise you don't focus on something that trivial.
I'll be back shortly.
[Alucard's kept a small collection of pillows and blankets down in the Hold. Sypha has fallen asleep in there too many times for him not to, so all he does is walk over Leon's feet and go straight down into the Hold itself to retrieve the blanket.
He returns with a thick woolen thing, along with a feather pillow under his arm. This next part Alucard performs as impersonally as he can, sliding the towel out from under Leon's head and replacing it with the pillow, then draping the blanket over him entirely. With Trevor or Sypha, it'd be a far more tender action.]
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"Thank you." [ For the blanket and the pillow. ]
[ He wants to ask more questions, but feels that doing so is in direct defiance of not focusing on trivialities, so. ]
"...After you returned here, Rinaldo wouldn't believe that I met with you in his cabin. He thought I made you up." [ He shuts his eyes, like he's trying to find enough peace to let himself sleep. ]
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[This feels like the bare minimum of what should be done, all things considered. His father would not look kindly on providing any Belmont medical treatment, never mind the Belmont who began a centuries long hunt for his own life. Alucard's mother would have found some way to knock him out already and keep it that way for some time to come. Trevor, well, that's the point where everything in terms of trains of thought grow exhausting.]
I just told Trevor and Sypha that it was the weirdest dream. They agreed.
[A lot weird.]
Doesn't matter, in the end. I just hope that when you return to your own time, none of these injuries travel with you.
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[ But Trevor and Sypha? ]
"...Trevor and Sypha must be your comrades? I'm glad that you've made friends. I imagine that being utterly alone as one of a kind would be difficult."
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[Meaning Alucard leaves touching them to Trevor and Sypha most days. But there's firmness in Alucard's voice, the sort that hints that this kind of discussion is best saved for later on. When there isn't an injured Belmont to deal with.]
Trevor Belmont, one of your great-several-times-over grandsons.
You need to rest, not speculate or talk right now.
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[ A day of very little mobility passes, Leon keeping himself entertained by reading an entire anthology of monsters, complete with illustrations and descriptions. He's never been one for reading, far too restless with an attention span that always compels him anywhere besides the book. Only like this, confined to his makeshift bed, is he able to get through anything— and only by scanning the contents. When he's finished looking through the illustrations by an apparent later Belmont (no first names carry any weight), he feels his boredom suffocating himself. ]
[ His body may still be aching, but he doesn't care. He has to move, he's getting too stir crazy. ]
[ Leon follows the sounds of Alucard sifting through unsorted books, careful not to be too loud in approaching him. His voice breaks the quiet, perhaps to the other's dismay. ]
"Allow me to help you? Surely I may lend a hand with something." [ Polite and mild, but still intrusive. ]
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So Alucard makes a more comfortable space for Leon to rest in down in the Hold proper, beside the lectern where the index resides. There's a mattress underneath him, additional pillows, and blankets off to the side should more be needed. That's in addition to a pitcher of water and a glass, as well as Alucard sitting at a work bench beside the lectern, carefully cataloging recent additions that have been brought home by Trevor and Sypha.
He's gotten Leon books when he can. Illustrated, if only for the safety of future Belmonts. Touching the journals has been impossible, even with layers of gloves. It's still agony to handle them.
Alucard's putting some of the new books away when Leon finds him. His head snaps in Leon's direction, and it's accompanied with a deep set frown.]
You shouldn't even be up! [Alucard, in a sane moment, will realize that he shouldn't be surprised by this. Trevor's just as bad at the concept of resting while injured.] Go lie back down.
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[ Mathias scolded him similarly, too. ]
"...So what are you sorting now?" [ Leon ungracefully attempts to change the subject. ]
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You had exposed bone among those injuries. I don't care if you've endured worse, you're going back and resting. If you desire the presence of another person, very well, I'll move such things closer to myself, but you are not the church's Christ where you can rise from near death after only three days.
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"I understand. If it's too much trouble, I shan't disturb you anymore."
[ Alucard keeping him company is too childish a request, he feels guilty for having desired it. ]
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Every Belmont is like this, I shouldn't be surprised.
[With that, he actually disappears off for a few moments, only to return with his arms full of blanketing and pillows. Those get plopped down next to the lectern, and Alucard disappears off again. When he returns, it's with a small sofa behind him.
Sypha needs comfy reading nooks, and so some of the castle's furniture got moved.
The sofa gets put next to Alucard's work space. Then there's the pile of sof things, before Alucard's attention returns to Leon.]
Is this an acceptable compromise?
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[ Leon's eyes follow the retrieved couch, the blankets and the pillows, and he only wonders why Alucard has brought them. Actions that almost contradict his earlier scolding. Leon blinks a few times as Alucard settles the items confused by his actions. He can't tell if he's an annoyance to him or not. ]
"You didn't need to, but thank you."
[ At this point, however, not taking him up on his effort would be more rude than to leave it and return to his other nest of bedding. Leon slowly angles himself, lugging his injured body onto the couch. ]
"What is the Belmont you're familiar with like? I can't tell if my later to come bloodline is being insulted or not." [ Still frowning. ]
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[Alucard will live with having Leon Belmont hover over his shoulder and try to watch him work. Anything to keep the man sitting still and continuing to recover, rather than being an idiot and aggravating the wounds further.
He himself settles back down on the seat he had been on, fingers ghosting over the books he needs to catalog.]
Trevor Belmont. Current generation, involved with Dracula's defeat. He is....stubborn. Foul mouthed, scarred, and he cares about the work. Bad at sitting still, worse when it comes to sitting still while injured because to be still is an alien thing to him.
[In those words, there's a flicker of warmth. Fondness.]
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“I wonder what happened to his manners.” [ Because they aren’t something he’d like his family to lose. ]
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[Alucard opens one of the books, turning to the title page, and then letting it rest. His hand reaches for a pen, and he pulls over another, much thicker book to him, and starts to shuffle through the pages.]
The manners are...personality, for the most part. The rest is a story that I am not the correct person to tell it. It'd be best for you to hear it from a descendant.
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"Should I do anything far too differently, it may unravel the very fibers of the time you live in. But should you know of any actions I could safely take to prevent any future hardships of my kin, please." [ That's the hard part. Tracking the butterfly effect at its source. ]
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Alucard sighs heavily at Leon's request, and there's a little bit of heartbreak in it.]
I don't believe that my father's death could happen if anything was prevented or changed, I'm afraid.
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[ His fingers curled tightly, somewhere in spilling his thoughts. ]
"At the very least, I hope that you and your mother share fond memories together."
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She passed before he did, her medical knowledge branded witchcraft and the church following the teachings of Exodus.
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[ Despite knowing that Alucard is not a man to openly desire sympathy, Leon can't let himself not say anything. ]
"That shouldn't have happened to her. I'm sorry." [ But he knows that Alucard knows its unfairness already. There's not much to be said of a tragedy that's already befallen. What might he want to hear in regards to Sara's fate, had someone heard his story? To everything Mathias had orchestrated? ]
"In spite of those circumstances, you still pledge your loyalty to humanity. Though the rest of us may not realize how difficult that must be for you, I recognize a blessing as it is. Your aid may be very well undeserved, but I only hope we humans can help ease your grief as allies—... hopefully, as true friends. No one should go through it alone."
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[Those words come out with a little more anger. He was angry. God, Alucard still is angry about the situation at the end of the day. His mother was murdered for bullshit reasons, and his father went so mad with grief that the kind thing was to put him out of his misery. He's allowed to be angry at the unfairness of it. If his mother hadn't been who she was, Alucard may have slept through his father's genocide.
Or worse.
The sympathy is genuine. Alucard knows that, but it is so hard not to chafe against it with the bitterness running through his thoughts. It takes real effort to shove it aside, to return to the far more well meaning if exhausted nursemaid mode. An easy role. One he's had to play several times over for Trevor.]
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"..."
[ Only now, he's at a loss for words. He's driven this conversation into a dead end, and the only way he feels he can potentially uplift it is to mention the wishes he assumes of Alucard's mother, how maybe she'd like him to start his life anew. That in itself is also likely to upset him further— the more Leon tries to find out, the more he's pushed from it. Or lashed at. Not that he can really blame Alucard. His own understanding of that rage is what prompted Alucard's father to offer Leon eternal life, after all. ]
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