( Louis isn't entirely certain what to make of Armand's expression, the strange duality of it both perplexing and slightly troubling. He seems so much more human now than when Louis was traveling with him decades ago — or perhaps human isn't the right word, not for Armand. Emotive? Expressive? There's an innocent confusion just beneath the surface sometimes, and it makes him seem both very young and so ancient, all of him attuned with such intensity toward the consideration of a single thing.

In this case, Louis isn't sure whether he is the thing Armand is considering, or whether that gaze has turned inward. But the way Armand tucks his hair behind his ear is oddly endearing, and Louis feels a small stir of something like protectiveness toward him. Rather absurd, considering the staggering difference in age and power between them, and yet there it is. If Louis can go another night without inadvertently hurting Armand somehow, he can be satisfied with that. )

It's true, I have missed it... but less so now that I have better company.

( Something occurs to him, then. )

Do you remember the date of your birth, Armand?