Coffee and Talks [Liltotto/Erchanhardt]

Liltotto's head rested on one of her hands as she listened to the man speak of his history with her caretaker, with such description as a vile witch with little regard to the dead, her expression would change to a mix of mild amusement and perhaps a bit of cringe. While Giselle didn't really talk about herself or her history very much, she absolutely could envision a younger, more volatile version of her hunkering down in some country's forest for dramatic effect, maybe going about with some title like 'The Queen of Death' or something, and just absolutely causing all manner of terror her heart could desire.

"Yeah, that definitely sounds like Giselle. Definitely not shocked that a man like you was alive even back then, though," She'd chuckle, it definitely proved a theory or two right - if he was around for that kind of behavior, he had to have been quite long lived, or maybe Giselle just relapsed whenever she reformed, she wasn't certain before, "I'd say my experience with her was a lot different than, scuffing with a terrifying witch living in the woods. Dunno how long it was between those two, but she was actually.. Pretty normal, with me at least. Well, Giselle normal."

She stopped eating for a moment to really think about it, "Like, even from a young age, I knew how she acted to others, and the corpse stuff, but she treated me well and tried to make me feel safe and cared for, even if she was weird about it sometimes. Once when I was little, I accidentally spilled milk, was kinda upset about it, her response was to spill the entire jug as a way to show it wasn't a big deal," She stifled a laugh, "Given it was a time before, yknow, cooling, didn't have milk for a while, but I guess it made kid me feel better, in a weird way. It was like she kinda knew was she was doing when she taught me stuff, but at the same time, had some odd streak to it."

Though, what little inkling of a smile left her face soon after, "Don't get me wrong, I acknowledge she definitely got up to a lot of awful things in the past, and being caring towards me isn't justification for it, but I always feel like she did shit to make up for... Something she lacked, in a way, not like I'd know. Trying to get a read on her is like herding cats."

Listening to the perspective offered by Liltotto did not exactly change much in the way of Erchanhardt's opinion on these matters. How could it? He had never particularly doubted that Giselle was an unusual figure, whether at her best or at her worst. It was almost unsettling, more than anything else, to think that she could display such simultaneous humanity and monstrosity.

If he'd not been familiar with her himself, he would not have been so inclined to believe anything about the good of which Liltotto spoke.

"Everyone commits at least one grave sin in their life. It is not my place to judge others when I am far from blameless in life. What matters more is what we do with the present, and I believe that service in this place is a noble aim."

Erchanhardt was not necessarily the sort to consider the Vandenreich a unilaterally good thing, but nothing was ever perfect. As far as he was concerned, there were few alternatives to even consider.

"Yeah.. The present," She lapsed momentarily into quiet reflection. Giselle definitely was doing better now than when she last saw her, but she could never understand the woman or her motives, as well as their complicated relationship. Giselle was her caretaker, but she certainly was of the awful sort in the past, the only reason she maintained contact now was because the woman displayed a willingness to change, to calm down and actually intergrate into society... Instead of being some witch of the undead, living in the woods, coasting off fear and wasting her life as her worst self.

There really wasn't much you could do with someone who becomes so entrenched in their vices they've lost the will to climb out of them, after all...

Lil bit her lip as wavering feelings filled her chest at that thought, as well as the man's words. Was this how Helle felt when she referred to her acts as noble? Ah, the shortsightedness of her previous intent and the feeling of weakness in her chest stung.

"I dunno, I wouldn't call it noble on my part," Her lips stiffly parted, a visible deviation from her previously relaxed language, her eyes averting and dimmed, "Sure did kinda waste my life and then come around here to work. I'm not like those starry-eyed recruits wanting to save the world, or the older and more knowing ones trying to maintain the peace. I just kinda.. Exist, I guess,"

She'd chuckle weakly, "It wouldn't really matter if I was here or elsewhere, would it? I'm just another piece of contribution going along, unspectacular and unassuming indefinitely, barring the world ending again and making everything crumble to zero. I dunno, i'm thinking trash thoughts again, sorry."