Little Boy Belmont (Richter x Olrox)

Chapter Twenty-Two: Mixed Memories

Olrox helps Richter out of bed. His joints feel stiff from being held down for three days. He thinks back to Huitzilopochtli helping him up like this. Then Richter blinks, shaking his head a little. His memories are still scrambling in his mind. He'll definitely have to tell Olrox about this later.

The Aztec opens the door and guides Richter into the main room of the cottage. None of them look hostile towards Olrox. How much did the Aztec have to explain to them all? How long did they talk during the three days all of them were awake? His yellow eyes glance at Mizrak.

The knight looks tired. They all look tired. He looks at each of them.
"I'm..." It feels strange to speak. His throat is still dry.
"I didn't mean to harm any of you. I don't remember what happened right now, but Olrox told me. Mizrak, I'm sorry."
Mizrak looks at Richter with sympathy.
"We know that wasn't you," he whispers.

"I should have saved you," Edouard cuts in, looking close to tears.
"Edouard," Annette sighs, looking just as sad.
"You've saved me a million times before, and the one time I could have helped you back..." he trails off, voice cracking.
"You wouldn't have been able to handle Drolta, let alone Bàthory," Richter murmurs.

"But God gave you a second chance," Mizrak reasons.
"Not the Christian one," Belmont sighs, arms wrapped around himself.
"You will be alright, Richter," Tera promises him, determination in her eyes. "You've always been stronger than you think."
He manages a small, shaky smile at this.

"Besides, it's quite an upgrade you have now," Maria says confidently. He can tell she's trying to make him feel better, but they can only do so much. None of them understand what he's going through, except for Olrox.
"Thank you all for trying to help, really. I just still need time to process this," he murmurs, eyes looking more at the floor than them.

"I need fresh air," he reasons, walking to the front door. He hears Olrox follow him. Part of Richter wants to tell Olrox to stay inside, that he needs a moment alone, but he doesn't really want to be alone. So he lets the Aztec follow him outside.
They both look up at the darkened sky, the eclipse still ominous in the distance.

His hearing is a lot sharper now, he can hear just about every little insect crawling in the underbrush. Trying not to let the sudden shift in noise drive him insane, Richter speaks in Spanish, surprising Olrox. Belmont definitely studied that English to Spanish book a lot. Tēzcatlipōca also helped him during his three day rest in his mind.
None of the others know Spanish, so Richter and Olrox can speak freely.

"Lo siento, mi amor. No quise estresarse tanto," Richter murmurs.
(I'm sorry, my love. I didn't mean to put so much stress on you.)
Olrox stares at him, surprised.
"¿Cuándo aprendió a hablar español?" Olrox asks, his Spanish not having an accent like Richter's.
(When did you learn how to speak Spanish?)

"Había libros en la bodega Belmont. Busqué uno en inglés a náhuatl, pero no encontré ninguno," Belmont explains.
(There were books in the Belmont Hold. I looked for one in English to Nahuatl, but found none.)
"Tēzcatlipōca también me ayudó," Belmont smiles a little.
(Tēzcatlipōca also helped me.)

Olrox smiles back, looking happy despite how tired he appears. Richter tries to look happy, but the Aztec can tell it's a bit forced.
"Te necesito, Olrox. Nadie más en esa cabaña entiende lo que estoy pasando excepto tú," Richter whispers.
(I need you, Olrox. Nobody else in that cottage understands what I'm going through but you.)

"Cariño..." Olrox murmurs sadly.
(Darling...)
"Ya lo has dicho antes. Tú y yo, encontraremos la forma de derrotar a Erzsebet," Richter says, determined.
(You said it before. You and I, we figure out how to defeat Erzsebet.)
Olrox nods slowly.
"I'll need to help train you," the Aztec says in English.
"Train me?" Richter blinks.