( Louis is surprised when he's the one Dorian looks to when he speaks of strength and not Lestat. He's always considered himself weak, and even after two centuries he hasn't cultivated the powers he ought to have had as a fledgling. But... he's the only one of them who's actually done Dorian harm.

Louis looks guilty again, then he looks to Lestat, unsure how much of a confession his example was really meant to be, but speaking first to guard him from it just in case. )

It's something that the eldest among us can do, ( Louis says humbly to Dorian. ) We grow in strength as we age, or now and then by drinking the blood of vampires more powerful than ourselves, and with that strength comes certain gifts. Some of the ancient ones can start fires with nothing more than a thought, for example. I don't know if any of us truly knows the extent of our capabilities... it differs for each of us.