Louis and David
Chapter Three
Louis reached for the doorknob and admitted David.
"Thank you Louis. I am sorry to be so long, I took a bit of a detour through the French Quarter." David came in, pink, smiling and well-fed.
"Not at all. It is a sight not to be missed. I should have suggested it," Louis said.
"Yes, quite! I have never seen such a teeming crowd of drunken youngsters in my life," David laughed.
"Ah, Bourbon Street," Louis commented."It is an absolute haven for the wilder set, isn't it?"
Louis nodded. "It has been so for quite some time. But of course this is nothing compared to Mardi Gras. Have you ever been?" Louis led him into the back parlour and they sat in chairs opposite each other.
"No, I am afraid I haven't had the pleasure. Carnival starts in Rio de Janeiro soon, and I plan to attend that. Have you ever seen it?" David asked.
"Non," Louis answered."You must accompany me then. I am hoping to go with Lestat. I still feel certain he will return here soon. But even if he does not, will you come?"
"Thank you for the invitation. I will consider it. What makes you think that Lestat will return here soon?" Louis inquired.
"Well, it seems to me that he will want to relate the entire story to you, as soon as he can. To try to shock you if nothing else."
Louis smiled at that."Also," David continued, "the fact that he has been restoring this residence leads me to believe that he had planned to stay here for a while. His visit to me was a bit spur of the moment, I think."
"Yes, but you ruined his plans. Don't you think he will search you out first?" Louis asked.
"That is quite logical but I have a feeling that he will be here soon. I cannot explain it better than that. I will know when he is within a few miles, if any mortals see him," David said.
"I see. It will be nice to see him again," Louis said casually. "I was wondering why you had never asked him about Anne Rice?"
"Our conversations usually revolved around more esoteric issues. We rarely got down to the actual workings of his life. I never really thought to bring it up when he was with me, and I did censor myself somewhat, hoping not to put him off. I could never be absolutely sure that each meeting wouldn't be our last. One almost was, as you know."
Louis shook his head. "Non, I am afraid I do not."
"But you do know that he went to the Gobi desert, that he laid in the sun?"
"Oui. But he would not talk of it to me. He said he wanted to 'see what would happen.'" Louis emphasized Lestat's words with disapproval.
"Oh," David said, unsure if he should go on.
"He DID mean to destroy himself. . . didn't he?" Louis asked quietly.
"Yes." David met Louis eyes. "Yes he had intended to 'go on,' he said. He said he had thought of a way to 'end it.'"
Louis lowered his eyes quickly. He stared at the pattern in the carpet for a long time. David did not know if he should try to say something, to comfort him, perhaps. He was just about to point out that they could be happy that Lestat had survived after all, and that he was unlikely to try it again, when Louis broke his silence.
"But he came to say goodbye to you first. He told you his plans." Louis voice was lower, almost monotone. These were statements, not questions.
David understood. Lestat had not told Louis. If Lestat had done it, most probably Louis would have been the last to know. And Lestat didn't even say goodbye. David remembered Lestat telling him at one point that his feelings and emotions were felt so much more keenly as a vampire. Love is overpowering, loneliness cuts and tears your heart, abandonment is crushing.
"Yes," David answered. "He came to offer me the Dark Gift once more. To let me know that it would be my last chance."
"I see." Louis continued to look at the carpet.
David was at a loss. He didn't know what to say. He hadn't meant to cause Louis this pain.
"I had thought the others would have told you," David said. "I didn't mean to -"
"Others?" Louis interrupted him, looking up.
There was such sadness in his eyes. No tears, but such pain. And even in this misery, he was so beautiful, just as Lestat had said.
"Yes. He returned to the manor, after he had tried it. And I could feel others, outside the manor, there to see if he was all right. I do not know who, but it was more than one. And I had thought that, whoever they were, they might have told you what had happened. I didn't realize that Lestat had not told you . . . had not told you everything. I am sorry."
Louis stared at David for several seconds, obviously shocked at this news. David heard his breathing stop.
"Louis . . ."David tentatively stood up and approached him. "Louis, it was an impulse. He thought of it and he thought he would do it." David kneeled in front of Louis. "He didn't think it through. He didn't consider the effects. Does he ever?"
Louis blinked several times and took a deep breath. This relieved David, greatly. Louis opened his mouth to speak, but couldn't find words. He finally just shrugged to David, and shook his head.
David tentatively patted Louis' hand, then took it in his own. Louis allowed it. They were quiet for a bit.
"Was it very painful for him, the burning?" Louis asked.
"He was in great pain when he arrived, yes. And for the next two nights. I think he was still in pain the third night, but he went out. Had to buy clothes, you see." David chuckled, hoping Louis would too. Louis did not.
"I wasn't told, David. I would have come to him, then." Now David thought he did see a tell-tale hint of red in Louis eyes, there was almost a sob in his voice. "I would have! I would have come and comforted him, helped him! I didn't know!"
"Of course you didn't, Louis," David consoled him. "How could you? Lestat understands that."
"Mais il ne comprehende pas pourquoi je lui ai refuse l'aider avec ce corps!" (But he doesn't understand why I refused to help him with this body!) Louis raised his voice. He became highly agitated.
The French was an older dialect, and David hadn't been prepared for it. He had no idea what Louis had said. He put an arm around Louis and patted his back. Louis continued in French, but David couldn't understand a word. Louis voice was thick with emotion and strained with the effort of holding back the sobs. David tried, unobtrusively, to read Louis' thoughts. But they seemed to be like waves crashing against each other. One was indistinguishable from the rest. Louis combed his fingers through his hair, then he wound his hand in it and began pulling it viciously, still trying desperately to explain something to David in French. David took Louis's hand and stilled it, then he freed it from his hair. Louis covered his face with his hands and burst into tears.
David stood and pulled Louis to his feet and over to a sofa, so that he could sit with him. The sobs came now, and all David could understand was a "Lestat" here and there.
"Hush, Louis." David took him in his arms. "No, no, you mustn't feel this way." David patted Louis's back, and tried to calm him. "Louis, listen to me. Stop this now," David said gently. "Stop it. This isn't helping things."
"Jamais!" Louis cried to him. "Jamais pardonne! Il ne me pardonne jamais! Jamais!"
This David understood. *Never. Never Forgive. He will never forgive me. Never.*
And how long is never to an immortal? David held Louis tightly, he rocked with him a bit. "Of course he will, Louis. Don't be daft. You know that he will. I certainly know that he will. How could you say this? Never? You don't believe this nonsense yourself. You're just upset, dear boy. Here, calm yourself. Take deep breaths. You are being hysterical, now. You aren't thinking rationally. You have had a shock. You must recover, this is all. Things will look better when you can compose yourself . You'll see more clearly then."
Louis quieted. He stiffened his muscles. He stopped crying, through an obvious force of will. He slowly pulled out of David's embrace. He quickly wiped his eyes, wiped the tears from his face. "Yes, " he said. "You are right, David. I do apologize for this inconsiderate display. I should have excused myself, rather than draw you into it. It was discourteous." Louis raised his face to meet David's. He had a politely bland expression. The sadness was gone, even from his eyes, though they seemed a bit vacant. Was this despair or manners?
"Have you noticed we seem to be apologizing all over each other?" David asked with a smile.
This time Louis smiled back. "Yes, I have. But this behavior does require it."
David shook his head. "More than my keeping you up with my incessant questions until you nearly collapsed in the hallway?"
Louis smiled again. "David, you aren't to blame for that."
"Nor are you for this, Louis. What we are suffering from is an excess of formality. Let us declare a moratorium on apologies from this moment. I think we will be able to communicate much better. And I don't think either one of us would be fatally offended by a lapse in etiquette."
Louis laughed. Then he reached out and touched David's sweater.
"I stained your sweater, I'm . . ."Louis stopped himself before he apologized. "I'm going to have to find you another one."
David laughed. He looked down , there were only tiny spots of blood down the front of it. "It isn't really noticeable. I was thinking of going shopping, why don't we go tonight?"
"Shopping?" Louis asked."Yes. I hardly brought an adequate wardrobe, and I didn't expect you to continue to act as my personal dresser." David smiled. "Besides, I need to try on a few things, to find the clothing sizes for this body. In Barbados, I mostly had short trousers and T-shirts, which are fine for that climate, but I am going to need proper attire; shirts, ties, jackets, trousers, a good suit."
"You're building a trousseau," Louis teased him.
David laughed. "Yes, and you'll have to stand in for my mother. Come along."
David stood and walked to the door, Louis followed him, pocketing his wallet and keys from the mantle as he passed.
As they walked down Royal street, David asked, "So what establishments do the well-dressed tend to frequent in New Orleans?"
"David, you are asking the wrong man," Louis said, dryly. "But I will show you where Lestat goes, when he is home."
"Is it far? I could fly us, if you'd rather," David offered.
Louis looked alarmed for a moment. "No, thank you. But if you would rather fly, I could give you directions, and I'll see you when you return."
"No, not at all. I'd prefer that we go together."
"It isn't far." Louis said, as they turned on to Canal. "It is six blocks from here or so."
Louis stopped in front of Canal Place. It was near two in the morning and the mall was dark and deserted, closed for the night. "This is it," he told David.
"All of it?" David asked looking up."Non, non, just the bottom three floors. The rest is a hotel," Louis told him.
"I see," David said. He looked at the glass doors and they popped open. Louis' eyes widened, and he looked around, to see if there were any witnesses. David took his arm and whisked him inside, closing the doors behind them. "Marble floors," David commented, looking down. "Very nice."
"You didn't expect any less for Lestat, did you?" Louis asked. He walked forward to the map. "Lestat starts at Brooks Brothers, then to Saks, then Gucci or Jaeger if he needs anything else." Louis pointed to each location as he said them.
"That should do." David said. "Have you been shopping with Lestat often?" he asked, heading toward the escalator, which of course was turned off.
"Too often for me, not often enough for him," Louis answered.
David chuckled and nodded.They reached Brooks Brothers and David unlocked and lifted the gate. Louis followed him into the store. The lights were off, but they could see well enough. David browsed through the racks and displays, Louis watched him and waited patiently.
"Not looking tonight?" David asked him."I consider shopping to be a spectator sport, David," Louis answered.
"Oh come now. Don't tell me you allow yourself to go about without a proper wardrobe," David said. In fact, he knew that this was precisely what Louis did, from Lestat and from Lestat's books. But he wondered if he couldn't perhaps change that.
"I have no need for a 'proper wardrobe' as you call it. I am not interested in clothing and I do not have the need to pass as a mortal. I rarely allow mortals to see me, and the ones that do are most often in no condition to make sartorial comments," Louis said.
"Yes, but Louis, suppose something should come up? You must be prepared, mustn't you?" David asked.
"Such as what?" Louis asked, in a bemused voice.
"Well, anything. Anything that would require you to go out among mortals." David tried to think of something quickly. "Suppose one of the theatres stages MACBETH, and Lestat asks you to accompany him? What would you say? You wouldn't want to miss it simply because you have nothing to wear, would you?"
Louis glanced sideways at David, incredulously. He stifled a grin and said, "David, I did not attend my own mother's funeral, I believe I could find an acceptable excuse to miss what would be my seven hundred and sixteenth viewing of MACBETH." Louis looked back to the racks of clothing. "You'll have to do better than that," he told David smoothly.
'He's on to me', David thought. 'I suppose Lestat has already played all of these games with him a few million times.' David smiled at Louis and said, "Yes, I suppose that was rather weak." David took a grey suit from it's hangar and held it up to himself. "What do you think?"
"I think it is fine, but what you really want to know is what Lestat will think, and Lestat will think you are dressing your twenty-six year old vampire body like a seventy-six year old scholar," Louis answered him.
David laughed. He looked at the suit again. "Yes, you are right," he told Louis. "I must get it!"
Louis laughed as well.David went into the dressing room to see to the fit of the suit. Louis walked idly around the store, touching the fabrics, looking at colors, and trying to gauge the sizes. He pulled out a houndstooth jacket with leather elbow patches. He would bet money that it was to David's taste exactly. He took it to the rack David had been looking through and hung it in between two suits. He wondered how long it would take David to notice it.
David emerged from the dressing room. "I am sorely in need of alterations," he said, holding out his arms.
Louis looked at him. The jacket was perhaps two sizes too large, but the trousers were far too short. "I do not think alterations will help you," he told him.
"Will you see if there is one in 38 tall?" David asked him. Louis nodded and David went back to the dressing room to remove the suit.
Louis looked through the racks. It had probably been twenty years since he had bought a suit. But the tags were still in the same places. He found one in David's size and took it back to the dressing room. He stopped at the entrance and called, "David, shall I bring it to you?"
"Yes, please do," David answered.Louis walked into the fitting room and passed the suit over the door to David. "This is a 34 long. I believe it is your size."
"Oh?" David said. He climbed into the suit. It fit like it was made for this body. "Marvelous," he commented, looking in the mirror. He turned to the side. "Bloody marvelous," he said to himself quietly.
"I'll take that to mean it fits," Louis commented.
"What?! Oh, yes Louis, I forgot you were there. Yes, indeed, my boy, it is perfect. What size is it?" David sounded pleased.
"34 long," Louis repeated."Ah, well, I was well off, wasn't I?" David said, stepping out from behind the door.
"Very handsome, David," Louis told him."Thank you, I quite like it myself," David said. "Do you know, I haven't worn a 34 since college?"
"No, I was not aware," Louis said, trying to sound serious.
"I'm sure it is probably absurd to you," David told him. "But I cannot help but be delighted by it." He walked back to the rack he had been looking at , repeating to himself, "34 long, 34 long."
"Not at all, David," Louis said, following him. "I am happy to see how it delights you."
"Good Lord!" David exclaimed, pulling out the houndstooth jacket. "Louis, look at this! I have one exactly like this at home! Of course it won't fit now," David said, taking off the suit jacket and handing it to Louis. "I think it is my size!" David went to look in a mirror.
Louis was laughing, but quietly, so David wouldn't notice.
"Do they have corduroy trousers, do you think?" David turned to him.
Louis turned toward the back of the store. "If so, they are likely to be . . . yes, here." Louis stopped at a rack. He wondered briefly if, in his excitement, David might hand him his trousers too.
David began quickly sorting through the corduroys. "Ah, yes, these . . . oh, no . . . hmmmm . . that is an odd shade of green, don't you think? . . . and these, and in the brown, I think. I'll be back shortly." David had chosen three pairs of trousers and took them back to the dressing room. Louis was still holding his suit jacket.
Three shirts, two ties, a sweater and a vest later, they left Brooks Brothers. They had taken a few bags to hold their purchases, and Louis had left a sum of money under the cash register.
"How much do I owe you?" David asked.Louis looked somewhat offended. "Nothing, why?"
"Well, I do have money of my own, Louis.""It is a gift," Louis told him. "Really David, don't you know brides never pay for their own trousseaus?" he added.
David laughed. "Honestly, I wish to pay you."
Louis turned. "David," he said.The tone stopped David in his tracks, he looked at Louis.
"I never discuss money if it can possibly be avoided," Louis said seriously. "Never."
"Why?" David asked.Louis continued walking. "It isn't done."
"But you discussed it with Lestat, it is in your book. Daniel's book," David corrected himself.
"Lestat discussed it. I only dispensed it."
"But you invested it, you acquired it for him, isn't that so?" David asked.
"That was business. It did not require discussion. And this is a completely different circumstance," Louis answered.
"I see. Well, I thank you, then. I am in your debt."
"There are no debts among gentlemen," Louis said. It sounded like a quote.
"Who said that?" David asked.Louis looked at him. "My father," he answered.
"Oh, " David smiled. "My father used to say 'Everything bows to money.' Erasmus,"
"Did he bow to it?" Louis asked."No, not that I ever saw. His point was, I believe, that he had it, and so he was to be bowed to," David chuckled.
" 'Wine maketh merry, but money answereth all things,' " Louis said.
"Your father said that?" David asked."No, Ecclesiastes 10:19," Louis replied. "This is it."
"What?" David looked up. "Oh, Saks Fifth Avenue."
"Yes, Lestat's next stop," Louis said. "Would you mind?" He indicated the gate.
"Not at all." David graciously unlocked and lifted the gate telepathically.
They entered and both walked straight to a mannequin wearing a suit of black velvet.
"This, Lestat will love," Louis told David.
"Yes," David agreed, taking down the jacket. "It isn't my size."
"There must be more. We only have to locate them," Louis said.
They made their way to the men's department. David saw the velvet suits first.
"Aha," he said, making his way to them. Louis walked to the shirts.
"White or red?" Louis asked, holding up two shirts.
"Black and red?" David asked. "I'll look like the devil."
"Well, you are trying to impress Lestat," Louis grinned.
"White," David told him.
"White," Louis sighed.
David took the suit and the shirt, and undressed for the fifth time that night. He soon reappeared before Louis, dressed in velvet.
"This is perfect," David smiled.
"Yes, he'll be quite taken with it," Louis agreed.
"I never said I was trying to impress Lestat, Louis."
"But you are, and you will," Louis said knowingly.
"No, actually, I happen to like this myself. If he likes it as well, so much the better I suppose," David told him.
Louis said nothing.
They browsed separately for a bit, David acquiring underclothing, socks, shoes, cuff links, tie tack, and incidentals.
"Louis," David said, when they met up again. "You are coming to Rio, aren't you?"
"I do not know, David. Why?"
"Carnival is a dazzling celebration. The music and the dancing, it is really a pageant of native artistry," David said persuasively.
"Perhaps."
"If you do, you will need something to pack. It will look a bit strange, your boarding the plane with no luggage." David smiled.
Louis smiled right back. "David, if I were going to take an airplane, it would need to be me in my luggage, for safety's sake. And you cannot convince me, after you have flown from Barbados, and offered to fly us both to save us walking here, that you intended to travel by plane."
"Very clever." David acknowledged his defeat.
"Are you worried I'll embarrass you, David?"
"No, no, certainly not," David denied.
"Don't worry, I have clothing. I bought some very recently, in fact. Just after Lestat left," Louis assured him, "if it doesn't meet with your approval, then you and Lestat will be able to spend a few nights telling me everything that is wrong with it. Won't that be 'dazzling'?" Louis said wearily.
"I am sorry Louis. I don't mean to be tiresome," David said.
Louis turned to him and grinned. "You apologized!"
"What?"
"You broke your rule. You apologized."
David laughed.
Louis and David - Chapter Four
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