No matter the lengths I might go to convince you it was impossible to manage such a terrible feat, I felt the same anxiety around meeting your mother. It would be hypocritical of me to suggest you not be nervous.

[ Mayerling pauses as he considers the option. There are so many things he could summon with Lore, and he portions enough to always stay in a steady supply of synthetic blood. There's more beyond, enough for a painting. Yet, the simple act could become a great temptation. ]

In all the time I have spent making this burrow mine, then ours, I have endeavored not to lean heavily into the past, for fear I might become stuck with it. I could fill the place to bursting with all that I have lost, and none of it would matter the most compared to those I've lost. I must ponder it before committing to it.