"I have?" Henry idly wondered, trying to compute how he could contribute to Rena's life changing, when he barely knew her. She could not possibly mean...no it was impossible that her caring for him went?that deeply upon their superficial familiarity. Surely it had to be more than that. Through the drunken haze, Henry vaguely remembered how Rena mentioned her entire family, or some members of it at least, taking some interest in what he was doing. Perhaps she meant that it was hearing about him first inspired her thusly, and not?meeting him in person. His mind may have been rare, but his appearance did not match his brilliance and was not too striking. Even so,?the good doctor could not help but feel flattered at Rena's reassurance.
?
"I appreciate that," he merely murmured, taking her explanation of being everything to her, to be a kindly expressed hyperbole, suitable in the heat of passion and unlikely to represent the depth of her true feelings. "What you say, it...it melts my heart,?especially in light of our brief acquaintance. My physique must be better than what I had imagined it to be," Hyde?stated with a small chuckle.
?
"Oh, so several generations of your family fell in love in a similar fashion, after a brief encounter, how remarkable," the good doctor thoughtfully repeated half to himself. He supposed if there was a successful family history of ?
loving parents and grandparents, he may have more of chance than he had pictured. Perhaps her words had been genuine after all. It was as frightening as it was exhilarating.
?
"You are related?to royalty indirectly? Well even that is fairly rare except at the highest echelons of nobility. An indirect line often holds no claim to the throne, but the prestige of it all, I am beginning to think Victor was more right than he knew, when he called me fortunate. How could a humble man like me capture your attention then," he wondered in bewilderment, while parts of his mind began whispering to him of his true worth. The kind of worth that had nothing to do with the luck of being born on the right side of a noble bed, but had everything to do with one's own innate talents.
?
Half heartedly, Henry attempted to make the whispers subside, only to see them flower again under the ill timed mention of his potion. <She doesn't even know the whole story in all likelihood, and even what she does, seems sufficient to convince her of my greatness. Who am I to object> that dark part of him inwardly demanded, not too different from some bad dramatic actors on stage who have the roles they played too much expression than was needed for a convincing theater performance.
?
"Disguise, that does sound like fun," Henry slowly considered and realized the train of his thoughts should be explained. "I was just thinking of theater recently, and the very prospect?seems to fit wondrously into my ponderings," he?finally explained with a?happy grin.?
Kat