[ Lestat gets caught up in thinking about the last thing he'd said for a few moments, of the fear of the unknown and facing it alone, of being in this City without a single person to know you for who you are, to see you as you've been accustomed to being seen for years. It would be like arriving here not alongside his Louis but the Louis of a century ago, who still thought him a vain and cruel and in love with needless violence. It would be like having Louis taken from him now, after they've become so close in this place. He holds Louis just a little bit tighter. ]

Of course I understand. Not all wounds take the same amount of time to heal, and you have always been much more careful with your emotions than I have.

[ He rests his head on Louis', closing his eyes, letting the weight of him and the sound of his voice and his breathing settle him. It mixes in perfectly with Armand's pressure at his side, the stillness of him in sleep, and Lestat can feel lethargy creeping in at the edges of his mind. ]

I think he just wants to be taken at face value. It sounds impossible, especially for someone like him, but that's what I believe.

[ Lestat sighs, thinking of Armand when he tried to show them what could have been, the hurt look in his eyes when it backfired, the terrible loneliness he'd felt in the blood, the wish for someone to simply look at him and see him without any of his past mistakes. It's almost relatable. But it isn't like this is all on them, there would have to be effort from all sides to salvage the relationship, but Lestat at least feels that he understands a little better now. ]

Thank you for coming tonight, Louis. [ His voice is quiet, almost said around a sigh as he tilts his head back against the headboard. ] I'm glad you're here.