The two stared each other down for some time.
Eventually, Leo spoke without turning his head.
"Valentino, take Desmond to the infirmary."
Valentino gave a simple nod and escorted the boy away.
A moment later, Leo found himself standing before the two.
Caspian stood with a firm posture at the edge of the desk as the king took a seat, moving his cape to the side with an arm.
"Leo Morwyn," He spoke in a calm tone.
"Your reinstatement as a Reveur had come with some… exceptions. One such being that you refuse to raise your sword against another man."
Leo gave a simple nod.
"Yes, that is correct."
Leaning back in the seat with his arms folded, the two made eye contact.
"In order for me to continue overlooking your circumstances, such as your dishonorable discharge, you have to perform at a different bar than others."
His brows furrowed.
"What are you getting at?"
"What I'm getting at is that many people saw you fail to take down that Cryptid. You made a bad call and it cost the lives of over forty people."
Just like that, the confidence and willpower within Leo had vanished.
He swallowed a lump in his throat, which sounded like the loudest thing in the room.
"Forty people…?"
Wilhelm nodded.
"Forty people we have to bury. All with family that we have to give answers to. So, to avoid another Abel Benenson, we've decided to tell the public that this incident was due to your own negligence."
A breath caught in Leo's chest. His chest grew heavy as anxiety built up.
"I… I didn't mean to, I just thought…"
Caspian slammed his hand against the desk.
"Is that all you have to say for yourself?! All you ever do is explain yourself and talk about what you can't do because of your wife! She isn't here anymore, Leo. Stop using her as an excuse for your own incompetence."
Wilhelm raised a closed fist, cutting him off.
"That's enough. The public will know of your mistake. End of story."
He found it particularly hard to lift his eyes from the ground.
The fear of eyes staring him down in the streets, silently judging his capability of keeping them safe, had begun to gnaw within him.
Children, fathers, and mothers. All gone because of his "intuition."
He thought of Maria. He thought of being unable to protect her.
It felt as though his chest was constricting against his lungs.
With a breathless, shaky voice, Leo spoke.
"I understand. I'll… excuse myself."
Wilhelm and Caspian kept their eyes on Leo as he left through the door.
The walk home felt like a blur. He wasn't even sure when he had actually left the Headquarters. He was simply focused on getting back to his bed.
Their bed.
With his overcoat and boots laid out across the floor, Leo reached a hand to the empty area of his body.
"He's wrong. He has to be. You're watching over me, aren't you? You wouldn't leave me alone, would you… Charlotte?"
His eyes flickered shut as he spoke his final words.
The holes on his arms had long closed and begun to scab.
He would still need to get his ribs and femur checked unless he wanted to endure a particularly nasty soreness for the next few weeks.
But for now, he'd sleep.
The low howl of snowfall outside the window made for a pleasantly noisy ambience.
Suddenly, a few knocks rang out from the door.
A moment passed before a couple more knocks came.
Leo was still within a deep, dreamless slumber at this time.
From the other side of the door, the voice of a woman called.
"Leo? Leo, are you there?"
These attempts came fruitless as he only shifted in his sheets.
As the apartment grew quiet, a strange sensation grew across Leo's open hand.
It felt as though a doll's hand was holding his own, interlocking fingers.
Rigid and cold.
The grip tightened suddenly, throwing Leo out of his sleep.
He stood up in his bed, breathing heavily as he collected himself
He looked down to his empty palm with anxious confusion.
` Was someone… holding my hand just now? `
Knocks at the door brought his attention away from this.
Leo quickly stumbled out of bed and towards the door.
Opening it, he was surprised to see Rachel standing outside with a small tin box in her hands.
Her face had slowly grown red as her eyes flicked from his face to his torso.
With a confused hum, he looked down.
He had fallen asleep and woke up in nothing more than loose pants and an unbuttoned shirt.
"Ah, sorry!"
He closed the door and fixed his clothes a bit as he heard a small laugh from the other side.
"It's quite alright. It's my own fault for coming so late."
The two went silent for a moment, thinking through their words.
They both began talking at the same time, interrupting one another.
"I was curious if…"
"What were you…"
They stopped once more as they laughed awkwardly.
Rachel then continued first.
"I accidentally cooked a meal for two."
Leo looked down to the metallic container she was holding. He recognized it as the same one she had given him for lunch back at the Academy.
"Strange habit you got there," He noted.
She looked down sheepishly.
"Indeed I do…"
He thought of her words a bit deeper. He felt a pang of guilt.
Oftentimes he would prepare an extra cup of coffee for someone who wasn't there anymore.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to come off as rude. I'm very grateful for your habit, if that means anything."
Confidence seemed to visibly return to her as she looked back up to him.
She put the lunch box out towards him. He took it from her, grazing her fingers as he did.
"Thank you, Rachel."
She gave a small nod as her nervousness seemed to grow.
A clear sign that there was more to be said.
Ignoring the burning sensation within her cheeks, she stuttered,
"Hey, I was just curious if… if you'd be available for another date?"
Leo felt his awkward smile falter.
` A date? Is that what we went on last time? What would that mean to… `
Rachel had picked up on his strange expression and offered with a hesitant voice,
"We don't have to, if you don't want to."
He returned his eyes to her, almost panicked by her words.
"No! I mean, yes. We can go somewhere."
A small, polite smile returned to her face.
"Good. Could you meet me in the lobby at around eight or so?"
Leo thought, making sure he had nothing else scheduled.
"Yeah, that should work."
She gave a small wave as she began walking down the hall.
"I'll see you then."
"I'll see you then, too…"
He awkwardly blurted out as she turned away.
Retreating into the apartment, he stored the lunch box in the fridge and sat on the bed.
He fell deep into thought as he stared at the wooden flooring.
` A date. What would that mean to her? I … I can't. I can't keep lying to myself like this. Lying to other people. I miss her. I miss her so much my chest feels like it's been hollowed out. `
The thought of a hollowed out chest reminded him of the procedure he witnessed in the Insomniac Correctional Facility.
Slightly wincing in disgust, he took deep breaths to calm himself.
` She's not here. She can't see the efforts I put towards our daughter. She can't see the promises I break. She can't see the blood on my hands... `
He gripped his hands together as he recalled the advice a therapist had once given him.
` Focus on what you can control. What I can control… `
With that, Leo decided that tomorrow he would tell Rachel the truth.
The truth being that he could never change.