[ When he's pulled into the blissful dark with Louis hands wrapped tight around his arm to anchor him close, Lestat feels so much more grounded than he did before, and when he blinks through the dimness at his companion he seems to have a little more awareness about him. Louis' words resonate just the same way that Ethan's do, and Lestat can hear him stalking closer and knows that the time for making decisions is now. ]

I don't know how to defend us both against someone as skilled as he is at hunting. We aren't apex predators here, he might as well be an assassin to our kind.

[ Lestat drops his voice to the same impossibly quiet volume as Louis, figuring it highly unlikely that Ethan's hearing be so good he might pick up on it. ]

I can subdue him, but not without hurting him badly, and if he were to wound you-

[ Lestat breaks his sentence off with a short shake of his head. Either he knows the result doesn't bear thinking about, or he's simply refusing to imagine it because he will not let it happen. ]

The most humane option is trapping him in a dorm room and hoping he stays there long enough for this thing to wear off. [ Lestat doesn't look happy about such a miserable solution, but seems to be facing it with grim resolve. ] He seems fixated on vampires like this, perhaps if he breaks loose he won't hurt anyone who isn't of our kind.

[ It's more likely that he'll be convinced that everyone who passes is a child of darkness, but he's trying not to think about that. ]

If we run out quickly, I think I can distract him enough to push him backward into this room. We can barricade the door.