Alfred can see that this is not going... smoothly. Your presence has been hard on the family. Taking in a new member always has its challenges, of course, but you are something of a special case.

It's a complicated situation, because it certainly is not your fault. You are welcome and wanted - you, the person, the individual, the child. The problem is you represent, in many ways, something very unwelcome in this house, and it is difficult to separate that representation from you as a person.

For all the Joker has done, Alfred muses, perhaps the worst of it is the way his legacy has fallen upon his child now. You finally have a home and a family, and yet your father's shadow mars even that. Through no fault of your own, your resemblance to the man who has caused this family so much pain and torment is causing friction now that you are here. Trauma responses are not conscious things, but of course that's going to incite feelings in you, isn't it?

It is complicated. It isn't fair. No one is to blame, and perhaps hardest of all, there simply isn't an easy fix. Alfred is, at heart, a man who delights in fixing problems, and this is a problem without any fix except perhaps time and effort and the building of familiarity. He likes to think himself a very patient man, but in this instance? He wishes he could rush the process.

But, he is not helpless in this matter. He himself is, while fully aware of the Joker's many atrocities, lucky enough to have had relatively little personal experience with them. That absolves him of a lot of the struggle that the rest of the family is unfortunately experiencing. Alfred can look at you, and see you. He can hear you laugh without flinching, see you smile and feel no unease.

So he really can't be surprised that you've come to enjoy and, it seems, seek out his company. Alfred is not one to judge, and he certainly will not judge you for the sins of your father. He's willing to be the one who is glad to have you around.

"Good morning. Up early, aren't you?"