[ The video feed clicks on; it reveals a young red-haired woman, probably in her mid-twenties or so. She bites her lip in concentration as she focuses the device, before speaking. ]
So, I'm...here.
[Her lips quirk.] ...Wherever here is. It's a city, but...one that looks like it's been through a war or something. I don't know. It's in a
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Are you safe?
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It's telling that he would ask about her safety, too, before anything else.
Jesse looks at him through the camera in wonder. ]
I think I am, yes...at least, for the moment. It's very dark here, though.
...Do I know you?
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I'm glad to hear it. I must have forgotten my manners, I apologize. My name is Louis de Point du Lac. I am [ Another pause. He doesn't want to alarm her by bringing up Maharet... Eggshells. ] a friend of Lestat's.
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Something about the undisguised relief in his voice, combined with the fact that he knows Lestat, makes her insatiably curious. Her voice is gentle. ]
Please, don't apologize. [ His manners rival Lestat's. He must be at least centuries-old. ] My name's Jesse Reeves. I'm glad to meet you, Louis.
Is... [ Her voice is hesitant. ] ..is Lestat here? Is he alright?
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A pleasure, Jesse. [ He almost, almost bows towards the camera, but he stops himself. ]
Yes, he is. [ He adverts his eyes for a moment before returning them to the camera. ] Would you like me to come and pick you up, Jesse? I admit, I'm surprised Lestat hasn't done so already.
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Besides, Louis is calm, polite, collected. He's not at all like those vampires from the Admiral's Arms. And something about his manner begs to be trusted.
And he knows Lestat...although she noticed the slight darting of his eyes at the mention of him. ]
If you don't mind? I would appreciate that. You can... probably see better in the dark than I can, anyway.
[ Her camera pans again, to show him the wall behind her and the coordinates of her location. ] Do you know where I am?
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When she shows him the wall and sends him her coordinates, he gives her what he hopes is a reassuring smile. He doesn't quite know his way around Adstringendum, but he's certain he can find her. ] I don't mind in the least. I will be there shortly.
[ And he's on the move, if the shaky camera work is any indication. He can't fly like Lestat can, but he does have speed on his side. It isn't long before he spots her. Yet again, he finds himself thankful and his smile warms. ] It's good to see you, Jesse.
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Before she realizes it he's standing before her, and she examines him carefully. He's nearly as tall as Lestat, but with darker features and a leaner look to him.
As he greets her, she again feels that strange sense of familiarity. She can't help but smile at him. ]
Is it? I feel a bit like I'm having déjà vu. [ She looks at him searchingly. ] Are you sure we haven't met, before?
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He can't very well lie to her, but he doesn't want to set her on edge or further confuse her. He brushes a bit of hair behind one of his ears and considers her question. ] Would you believe me if I were to tell you that we have met before under different circumstances? I was also an acquaintance of your aunt, Maharet.
[ What is there to say? So much has changed in just a matter of days. Even so, Louis doesn't allow the thoughts to stiffen his smile. It's still as warm as ever. ] This place is stranger than I first thought.
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I have met you. [ Whether it was under different circumstances or not, she thinks it could have even been when she was a child, at her aunt's compound. ]
And...she's one of you, isn't she? Maharet. I've suspected it for a while, that I grew up in a house full of vampires, but the fact that you know her makes me believe it to be true.
[ She comes a bit closer to him, any hesitance diminishing. ]
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... You were not aware. I apologize. That was not mine to tell. [ Regrettably, he can't read her mind. He doesn't retreat when she moves closer and he even relaxes a little more. ] When you and I met, you were quite a bit older, mon cher.
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Thank you for confirming it for me.
[ At his term of endearment, her lips turn up at the corners. So like Lestat, and yet gentler than Lestat - without any ulterior motive. ]
How old was I? When we met?
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You were 35 years old when we met; so clever and curious. [ There's a fondness in his voice. Despite not knowing her well, he had liked her. ]
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[ She raises her head. ] Thirty-five? I'm much younger than that, actually.
[ Well, not *that* much younger; she'll be twenty-seven in a few months. But she'll be twenty-nine for several more years after that. :/ ]
[ Then, because curiosity gets the best of her again... ]
Louis, what happened with Akasha? I don't remember anything after Lestat's concert. I know something must have happened, though.
Can you tell me?
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The subject of Akasha certainly sobers him up again, though. ]
I could if you wish, yes. [ He hesitates, considering the subject. ] It... may be a subject better suited for Lestat. I can imagine he would like to be the one you discuss this with. It's his story to tell, mon cher.
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Then, boldly: ]
What are you, to him?
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