There was something to be said, speaking to someone who did not. Azrael got to lay everything out, without fear of judgement, or advice, however well-meaning. It wasn't that he didn't appreciate his other brothers weighing in, they just...didn't understand. And they would probably never understand.
The photo album surprised him, but he took it gently from Duma's hands, carefully flipping through the pages. Everything he saw spoke of a deep connection, and by the time he got to the AZT schedule, his heart gave a painful little lurch. He knew, better than almost anyone on Earth, that all men must die. He knew, and he saw, and he bore witness to their deaths. Maybe it was the hint of the human that some had thought him to be. Who knew? At that moment, he didn't even know. Not really. But the emotions had started trickling out ever since Svetlana had come into his life, only now it was fair to say they were probably more like a stream.
He closed the book and set it aside, finally looking up at Duma. "Thank you for sharing that with me," he said at last. "So you...you understand where I'm coming from. I just don't-" He broke off the sentence, annoyed with himself. "What if I can't be that person for her? She told me she loved me, and I just stood there like an idiot. This was a while ago, but still."