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Louis whiled away his time in the drawing room with nothing to keep himself company besides the stares of those that surrounded him. Some of the others had begun idle conversation, but he was merely an object to admire. That is, until the young red-haired woman smiled at him. He didn’t return the gesture, feeling it was impolite when he had never spoken a word to her and had no knowledge of her name.
“I’m Jesse Reeves,” she said, clasping her hands behind her back to hide their shakiness.
“Ah,” he replied, barely able to concentrate on her amidst the deluge of distress he felt. “And you must know who I am.”
She smiled. “Of course. It’s a strange time to introduce myself, I know, but it felt wrong not to.”
He nodded, trying to study her in earnest. With a pang, he recognized her. She was the same woman who had jumped onstage during the concert, taking to Lestat like a starved animal, like so many before her. He struggled to understand how she was in front of him, newly turned, until he glimpsed Maharet across the room. There was a connection between them, one he could only start to understand.
The pallor in her face shifted to red. “God…you saw that?”
“I saw nearly everything from my place backstage,” he said, his level tone showing Jesse he held nothing against her. “You are not the first, nor the last, to be enamored with him.”
“Yeah, I guess not. I just couldn’t help myself.”
He smiled mildly. “No one can.”
To his side, Gabrielle swung around in her chair. “Any guesses as to who I am?”
Jesse looked her over, hesitant to meet her eyes. “You’re Gabrielle, aren’t you?”
She nodded. “I’m curious as to who you are. I believe Louis is too.”
Jesse laughed nervously. “I promise I’m not as interesting as you think.”
“I doubt that,” Gabrielle said, her icy eyes softening.
Maharet glided over to them, smiling. “Yes, Jesse is a very interesting girl.”
Louis traced her path; she was avoiding someone. Maharet’s bloodshot eyes weighed him carefully in return.
“Well, up until recently, I worked for the Talamasca,” she said.
Gabrielle nodded knowingly. Louis stared back in confusion.
“Oh, you don’t know who they are?”
“I can’t say I do,” Louis said, his previous interest in the conversation draining away.
“They are this…organization that documents all kinds of supernatural activity. For a long time I dealt with spirits, but they also know about vampires. So, I learned about you, that your book wasn’t just fiction.”
“I see,” he said, feigning a gentlemanly interest.
More words were about to burst from her lips, but she stayed silent, not wanting to overwhelm him with such sensitive information. Rue Royale . Claudia . She hoped there would be time for her to share what she knew with him.
Gabrielle kept her gaze trained on Jesse, quelling her urge to ask her more questions for Louis’ sake. Jesse kept her in her periphery, unsure about why Gabrielle was so ardent in her interest. What she had seen in Lestat – the passion and rebellious spirit – were present in Gabrielle as well, but felt more deliberate. She wasn’t as rudderless, or as bound to the desires of others. She lived almost entirely for herself, a steadfast presence among many wavering souls. Jesse couldn’t say what she had done to attract Gabrielle’s attention, but she didn’t mind. There was so much to learn from the beings around her and no time. She had been born on the eve of disaster and she was going to pay the price for damnation with the rest of them. With that in mind, she met Gabrielle’s stare. In the uneasy silence, Maharet had walked over to Eric, who was in a more evident state of melancholy.
The front door opened, breaking the tension. Three figures emerged, the first being the tallest. Mael’s long hair was the color of straw and his buckskin jacket and hulking frame made him stand out even more. Jesse smiled at him and his serious expression broke for a moment when he looked back at her. Armand was the same Caravaggio-hewn figure as always, save for his stark modern dress. The last man, Daniel, was different from everyone else present, except perhaps Jesse. He too had blond hair, cut short, and eyes that shone violet. He was rakish, but carried an undeniable charm.
Maharet went to greet them, as she had done with the others. Mael acknowledged her with his usual stiff formality. Armand did his utmost to return her politeness, but his collected outside was giving way to his inner turmoil. Daniel, who bore an easygoing apathy, looked suddenly as if he had seen a ghost. Louis stared back at him, speechless. Like everything else that had befallen him over the past nights, it was utterly surreal. Armand took Daniel’s arm, making any doubts about their connection clear. Armand met Gabrielle’s stern, but amused, gaze. He let Khayman’s observation of him slide off like water. She and Jesse moved aside, allowing Armand to go to Louis.
Even before he spoke, his magnetism pushed outwards, transforming him into a beacon of reason. “Why don’t we talk in the parlor?”
Louis recognized the familiar pull of his words, beckoning him to give way. Though, such old tricks didn’t affect him as they once had. The boy, Daniel, had gotten what he wanted, but at what cost? Against his better judgment, Louis nodded and followed them.
Jesse raised her eyebrows at Gabrielle. “Wow…that was…”
Gabrielle smirked. “The world of these men is unique.”
“Yeah, that’s one way to say it,” Jesse said, laughing.
Mael stood at a distance from them, hands in his jean pockets. Jesse rolled her eyes at him and he slinked over, as much as a druid in rancher’s garb could.
“Gabrielle, this is Mael. Mael, this is Gabrielle.”
“So, you’re an old friend of Maharet’s?” Gabrielle asked with limited interest.
He nodded.
“What do you think of all of this, then?” she asked, with the understanding of him being an ancient.
“I’m not entirely surprised,” he said, completely stoic. “And I never had much faith in that strong headed Roman.”
Gabrielle laughed. “Do you blame him rather than Lestat?”
He shrugged. “What I think doesn’t matter now.”
Jesse stared at both of them with reverence as they continued their cynical discussion. What was it with her and charismatic blonde vampires?
“You mustn't be concerned, Louis.” Armand walked to his side. The room was smaller and darker, making it more confining than the last.
“I’m not. I’m merely…surprised,” he said, avoiding both of their gazes.
“It is all right if you are. I imagine you have been under enough stress as it is.”
Louis frowned, retreating into his thoughts.
Armand recognized the faraway look on his face, the same one he had used to shield himself for the decades they were together. Daniel couldn’t bear the awkwardness, especially knowing what had transpired between them in the past.
“How did this all happen?” Louis said, looking at Daniel, then more severely at Armand.
Daniel sighed, putting his hands in his pockets. “After, uh, you left, I went to New Orleans. I was trying to look for Lestat, I guess, at his old house. I ended up stumbling on Armand while I was there. He kind of chased me around for a while, but we ended up together.” He stopped, though much more roiled below the surface.
Louis had a confused look on his face, but didn’t ask another question.
“I didn’t plan to turn him, but he was going to die otherwise,” Armand said, his face sorrowful. Louis could see, for the first time, the genuine love in his expression. He mapped the chaotic trajectory the two must have taken. First, Armand had toyed with him as he always did with humans, but had fallen for him, a far more unusual thing. Louis knew it had to do with Daniel’s connection to him. Armand didn’t want to destroy someone who had come so close to him.
“Do you want to sit?” Armand said, noticing both of their unsteadiness.
Daniel took an armchair and Louis followed suit.
“I’m glad you have found your way through this,” Louis said, regarding Daniel with fondness.
He smiled. “I’ve always been a survivor.”
Armand stood behind Daniel, placing his hand on the back of the chair. “I want you to know we’re both behind you. The others may not understand what you’re going through, but I think we can well enough.”
Louis raised an eyebrow. “You believe they do not respect me.”
“No, at least not in the way you would like. It’s not as if they care much for me either. I’m more of a pariah than you will ever be.”
“Through no fault of your own,” Louis said tenderly. “I read Lestat’s book, so I’m aware of more than I ever have been.”
Armand’s calculated mask broke for a moment. “And neither of us ever told you ourselves, the shameful cowards that we are.”
Louis smiled, a welcome sight to them both. “Lestat would not appreciate you calling him that.”
“Of course not, that impudent man never thinks anything through,” Armand said, his insulting words diluted with a fond tone.
Daniel laughed. “You have the weirdest ways of saying you like someone.”
“Who said I like him?” Armand said, ruffling Daniel’s hair. He laughed, leaning into his touch.
Louis was surprised by the gesture. Daniel stoked a side of Armand he had rarely seen.
“That’s what ten years does to you,” Daniel said, winking.
“Indeed.” Armand walked around to Louis. “You were with Lestat before he was taken, correct?”
“Yes,” Louis said, looking down at his hands in an unsuccessful attempt to quell his sadness.
“We were at the concert too. I began to notice how much of a showing of our kind was there, as did Lestat. I knew it wouldn’t end well – I worried for both of you. Though, I never would have guessed what would transpire next.”
“Lestat put on a good show. I mean, he was really channeling his theater days, huh?” Daniel said, unwilling to keep the tone serious.
Louis couldn’t decide if he preferred Armand’s sincerity or Daniel’s callous detachment. They created a dissonance, one that somehow united them. While Daniel laughed to himself, Louis and Armand couldn’t look away from each other. When they had parted ways, they had both known that their paths would likely never cross again. However, fate had twisted them back together, no longer as resentful lovers, but as allies.
“I hesitate to ask this, but I know Marius lives, as I’m sure you do,” Louis said. Armand’s face hardened and Louis drew back. “We don’t have to speak of it.”
“No, it is only fair that you would mention it.” He dug his hand into the upholstery. “To be honest with you, I don’t know what to think. I’m glad to know he’s alive, but he…” he faltered, his eyes pools of darkness. “...left me behind. I like to think he could have saved me.”
“Instead of Lestat?” Louis asked. “Would you not have resented him instead?”
“I don’t know, perhaps. I shouldn’t linger on it any longer.”
Louis nodded, leaving behind his own worries to ponder Armand’s.
…..
“I don’t know what was going through my mind when I broke into his car,” Gabrielle said, throwing her leg over the arm of the chair. “Only that I was running out of time and a Porsche is fast.”
Jesse laughed. “I just think it’s impressive you got it running and everything.”
“I know what I need to,” Gabrielle answered cryptically.
“Have you ever listened to his music, or read the book?”
“I have heard some of the songs. They were inescapable, really, once I came back into civilization. What did you think of them?”
“I was amazed. There I was, digging into the information we had from Louis’ book, and suddenly, he’s back. I believed Louis when he said Lestat was probably dead. I should’ve had more faith in him.”
Gabrielle smiled, shaking her head. “He’s always been persistent, I’ll give him that.”
“I wonder where he got it from,” Jesse said, returning her smile. Her green eyes softened under the lamplight. Nothing else held her attention; even the threat of annihilation sunk into the background.
“Tell me,” Gabrielle said, leaning closer, “what did you think I would be like?”
Jesse grinned. “I didn’t think I would ever meet you. You aren’t exactly known for being easy to find.”
“Ah, that’s true. You must have a sense of adventure too – I can tell.”
“I never do end up staying in one place too long,” she said. “I like to see where my life takes me.”
“It has taken you to an interesting place indeed,” Gabrielle said, sighing. “This is fast becoming a circus. I don’t think any of these beings can function individually, much less with each other. I won't exclude myself from that.”
“That is very honest of you, and true from what I’ve seen,” she said. “I certainly got a sense of that when I learned about Lestat and Louis’ life together.”
“And yet they stayed together nearly 70 years. There are connections between us that are not easily understood,” Gabrielle said. “I won’t pretend to.”
“I suppose I have the opportunity to watch them play out in front of me.”
“Our very own commedia dell’arte,” she remarked, nodding towards Louis, Armand, and Daniel as they walked back in.
They appeared more comfortable with each other, though still were laden with tension. Daniel’s eyes roved around the room, though not out of concern. He made eye contact with Jesse and smiled at her.
“Wait, I totally recognize you.”
“Of course you do,” she said, grimacing. “Looks like everyone saw me.”
“It was hard to miss, it sounds like,” Gabrielle added, her mouth curving up in a smirk.
Daniel stepped back. “Wait…you’re…”
Gabrielle rolled her eyes. “I don’t bite. Certainly not more than that fiend of a maker you have.”
Daniel laughed nervously, praying that Armand wouldn’t take it seriously.
Though Armand glared at her, he made an attempt to appear peaceable. “You seem much the same, Gabrielle.”
“Yes, indeed,” she said. “Why would I change when the world offers me so little in return?”
Armand laughed drily, still flanked on either side by Louis and Daniel. With each passing moment, they both looked more unsure about their positions. “You would be surprised what you’re able to find in this century, especially after collecting a reasonable size of wealth.”
“You are well aware I have no interest in such things,” Gabrielle said, her engagement retreating into tense indifference.
“Of course not,” Armand said tersely. Tiring of the interaction, he left the rest of them, with no idea of where to go in the room. He decided he might prefer confronting the blistering intensity of Khayman or Mael. This was answered when Mael stood up ahead of him.
“I’ve heard about you,” he said. “There aren’t many fledglings of his running around.”
“Something you’re happy with, I imagine.” Armand kept up his defensive exterior.
“I wouldn’t say that,” Mael replied. “You strike me as clever.”
“And you think he isn’t?”
“To a degree, but definitely not as much as he thinks he is,” Mael said, gauging if Armand agreed or not.
He cracked a small smile. “You are right, if it gives you any solace. None of us are as intelligent or all-knowing as we think we are.”
He looked behind Mael to where Khayman was sitting, studying a chess set made out of redwood. It gave Armand a welcome idea. “Excuse me.”
Armand sat across from the ancient. “Have you played this before?”
Khayman shook his head. “No, but it does remind me of a game I played in my idle hours, long ago.”
“Do you want me to show you?” He put the black and white pieces in their correct places across the board.
His stoic face morphed into one of shock. “You want to do this?”
“Why not?” Armand said, folding his hands in his lap. “You have been watching me, haven’t you? So, here I am.”
“That is true.” He leaned down to look at the pieces. He picked up the king and queen. “Are these the ones I must protect?”
“Yes. The king has virtually no power of its own – it can move only one space in any direction. The queen, however, can move up to seven squares, or until it reaches another piece to capture.”
Khayman nodded thoughtfully. He pointed to the pawns. “And these?”
“Pawns. They can also move only one space.”
“So, the king is like a pawn?”
Armand raised an eyebrow. “Yes, you are right. He is completely dependent on her.”
“Until she decides to take the power for herself,” he said, smiling bitterly. “A familiar story.”
“Are you ready to start? I’ll show you what the other pieces do as we go.”
“Yes.”
Armand moved his center pawn forward. “Now you.”
….
“You know, he’s almost never the one to deescalate. Kind of proud of him,” Daniel said, smirking with affection.
“You have a low bar, then,” Gabrielle said, not unkindly.
“Pretty unavoidable,” he replied, taking the open spot on the couch next to Jesse. “I mean, you dealt with Lestat’s shit long enough to know that.”
Gabrielle laughed. “You are an interesting boy.”
“I guess all of this is ultimately my fault, huh?”
“I don’t think so,” Jesse said. “You were trying to find good interviews, and well, you were pretty successful.”
Daniel chuckled. “You were Talamasca, huh? Can’t say I ever wanted to talk to you guys.”
“Oh, I know. We had to give up after a while.”
“I don’t think I would have had anything that useful to share, at the end of the day.”
“Knowing about you and Armand would have interested them.”
“So their whole job is being nosy, huh?”
“Yes, but for a grander purpose,” Jesse replied. “If you think storing all our findings in musty archives counts for that.”
“Well, it definitely doesn’t hurt anybody.”
She shook her head. “I think it began to feel very pointless to me after a while. I was happy with the work I was doing, but it wasn’t changing anything, so it got boring.”
“Until you started looking into vampires. I know what that’s like.”
“Not exactly,” she said, her voice going quieter. “Maharet has been looking after me for a long time, because I’m family. I’ve only found out what she is recently.”
“Huh, that’s wild,” Daniel replied. “In another life, I would totally pick your brain – interview you , you know.”
She shrugged. “There's nothing really stopping you from still doing it, is there?”
“Nothing except…everything.”
Jesse chuckled knowingly. “I understand. But, I’ve always been somewhat of a curiosity seeker too. Being what we are now, don’t we have even more opportunity to uncover interesting things?”
He smiled. “I like your spunk. Reminds me of my old self. Being with Armand, I got overwhelmed with all I discovered about the world. I was on a speedrun, being given everything but feeling my mortal clock ticking away. So, I stopped enjoying it honestly, I had no capacity left – just a handful of addictions and a hunger for immortality.”
She absorbed his every word, finding him a modern philosopher in the truest sense.
“I made a deal with the devil, in a way. A baby-faced ginger one.”
She put her hand over her mouth, repressing a giggle. If Armand had heard, he ignored it in favor of his game of chess, which he was beginning to lose.
“Poor bastard,” Daniel whispered, motioning in the direction of Louis. He was focused on the chess game too, his cool expression warding off further conversation with the others. His state of intentional passivity keenly reminded Daniel of when their eyes had first met in the Castro bar a decade ago. Sorrowful, but incredibly open. He had never forgotten it, not even in his deepest k-hole or most intense comedown. For at his core, he still wanted him. Armand felt the same desire acutely too. Always wanting what they couldn’t have. Daniel had attained his most constant wish, yet it hadn’t satisfied him in the way he had hoped. Armand’s potent blood didn’t patch up the many chinks in his soul. Instead, they were growing deeper, though he was wont to admit it. How long could he pull off his charade of a devil-may-care attitude? It wouldn’t matter anyway. His inner turmoil was all a distraction from the impending doom. Though, human or vampire, he would endure whatever was to come at Armand’s side, until the very end.
Louis settled into a familiar place in his mind, one in which he was insulated from everything around him. He painted the world in grays, the figures and voices nothing more than muted smudges. His rekindled flame had sputtered, only leaving behind the traces of a loving, but broken, heart. He dreaded the fact that more of them were going to come, that they would share the damned death with him. Knowing that Lestat was alive but in the arms of harm incarnate agonized him. He hadn’t decayed in the New Orleans must after all, his brief stardom now eclipsed for good. The world was already forgetting. All the creatures clinging to the shadows would disappear in tandem with the memory of The Vampire Lestat. The books would be the last vestiges. He wished busying his mind with a book would be enough. But, it no longer sufficed. Nothing would until he could return to the promises made on a Carmel hill; they blew away in the winds of chaos.