Walking Mojo - part two
Lestat reached out took Louis' hands. "Louis, you're freezing!"
Louis did not withdraw his hands, but said, "Lestat I am no colder than usual."
"Don't be ridiculous." Lestat put his hand to Louis' cheek. "You're like ice! Don't you have heat in there?"
"Lestat, I am fine." Louis moved to pull his hands from Lestat's grasp, but Lestat held them firm. "Lestat."
"What Louis?"
"Please, let me go. You should take Mojo home. He'll be hungry by now."
"Louis come home with me. You need to get warm."
Louis grinned, "Lestat, I am not mortal. I could be locked in a freezer for one hundred years and it would not hurt me."
"It would hurt you Louis, it just would not kill you."
"Semantics." Louis said, dismissively.
Lestat looked at him for a long moment. "Louis . . .you left some things at the house . . ."
Louis face registered understanding. "Yes, Lestat. I am sorry. I will retrieve them at your convenience."
"No, Louis, that isn't what I mean. You can leave them there if you want. It is that I was surprised that you had been living there. I didn't expect that."
Louis looked wary. "I did not wish to leave your dog alone. What if there had been a fire, for instance." Louis explained.
"Louis, if there had been a fire, chances are you would have started it." Lestat laughed.
Louis looked down. He tried to tug his hands away again. "Lestat, release me. I have things I must be doing, as I am sure you do as well."
"Louis," Lestat looked upset. "I didn't mean that. It was cruel. I am sorry."
Louis looked up at him, shocked. He didn't speak.
"Louis, listen. I want you to come home. I want to talk to you. We haven't talked in so long. I miss you. I deeply miss you." Lestat had never been so close to pleading with Louis for anything.
"Lestat, is something wrong? Has something happened to you?" Louis asked with concern.
"Yes Louis, something is wrong. Something is very wrong when my dog knows you better than I do. Louis, " Lestat dropped Louis' hands and caressed his face. " we've been through so much. We have been friends for so long. We were lovers, beautiful one." Lestat took Louis' arms and shook him lightly, "And now I don't even know where you lie. I didn't even know where you lived. I probably would have never found this place if Mojo hadn't brought me here!"
"Lestat," Louis interrupted, "eventually you would have seen me and followed me. You always do."
"But why must I find out that way, Louis?! Why? Why can't you tell me these things? All you ever do is scold me, or warn me about some stupid thing, why don't you ever talk to me?"
Louis wrinkled his brow. "Lestat, are you writing a book? You always get in these inquisitive moods just before you begin a book."
Lestat let go of Louis and threw his hands in the air. "NO, Louis! I am NOT writing a book! I am trying to talk to you! I am trying to find out if there are any more Tabithas out there!"
Louis' eyes widened, "What do you mean, Tabithas?"
"Oh don't tell me you have forgotten her already. I understand you just saw her last night! By the way, she says Hi, and that she passed her theosophy final, and that she will miss you." Lestat flung this at Louis like an accusation.
Louis swallowed. "You . . .encountered her?"
"Yes, I did. And I was unpleasantly surprised, LOUIE!"
Louis turned and walked away from Lestat, and was suddenly very interested in the Queen's Wreath vining up his front window. "Was she your victim?"
"No Louis, she was my waitress at the Café Du Monde. She is still alive and probably mooning over you right now. And what the hell are you thinking feeding my dog beignets every night? Are you trying to kill him?"
Louis turned around. "Lestat beignets are not going to kill him. Don't be hysterical. They are good for his coat."
"What? I have never heard such an idiot thing in my life! And what the hell are you doing talking to mortals, anyway? Much less having some sort of romantic fling with one! I thought you disliked involvement with the human world! I thought it was all so distasteful to your fine sensibilities! I thought only monster bastard devils like me would ever do such an evil thing as hold conversations with mortals!" Lestat was yelling now.
Louis walked back to him now. "Lestat," Louis said, keeping his voice low but speaking through clenched teeth. "In the first place, you cannot be so stupid as to think that I have existed this long without speaking to mortals. I have an entire book proving that I do, for Christ's sake! Talking to mortals is not what I have criticized you for. I have criticized you for making friends of your victims and then killing them! THAT is unconscionable! That is needlessly vicious! In the second place, I am not having a "romantic fling" of any sort! I went there, in order to feed YOUR dog, and we happened to be reading the same book. We discussed the subject whenever we both happened to be there and that is the end of it! Finally, it is NONE of your concern, WHAT I do, WHERE I go, nor WHOM I see! You are NOT my FATHER, you are NOT my KEEPER, and I am NOT your SLAVE!"
In an instant Lestat had grabbed Louis in a rage and lifted him into the air. Instinctively, Louis closed his eyes, put his head down, and braced to be thrown into, or more likely through, something solid. Which unfortunately would probably be the wall of his house.
Mojo dropped to the ground, his ears down, and growled dangerously. He was obviously preparing to attack.
Lestat, believing that the dog would attack Louis, shouted, "NO MOJO!"
At the exact same moment, Louis, fearing that the dog would get in Lestat's way and possibly be backhanded into a tree, opened his eyes and shouted, "MOJO! NON!"
Mojo stopped growling and looked uncertainly back and forth between Louis and Lestat. Lestat took a deep breath and looked up at Louis. Louis was still braced, but looking straight into Lestat's grey eyes with absolute disdain, yet not a trace of fear. Lestat was ashamed. He gently stood Louis back on his feet. He freed Louis and stepped back. He combed his fingers back through his full blond mane, and covered his face with his hands.
Louis walked back to his steps and sat there, leaning his head against the stair post , trying to bring his breathing and heartbeat back into the normal range, and watching Lestat.
Mojo went to Lestat and leaned his full weight against Lestat's legs, in a comforting gesture. Lestat sat on the ground and pulled the dog into his lap. Mojo licked his face. "No, Mojo." Lestat said, pushing Mojo back before he tasted the blood tears. But Mojo tried to crawl back into Lestat's lap and kiss him.
Louis stood, whistled and summoned the dog, "Mojo! Mojo viens ici." (Mojo! Mojo come here.) Mojo turned and bounded up to Louis. Louis opened the door to his house and Mojo followed him inside.
Lestat watched them disappear through the open door. Lestat sat in Louis' back courtyard and wept. He wept for what he had done, he wept for what he had almost done, he wept for what he should have done. Finally, he had wept himself out, and he tried to pull together the strength he would need to do what he must do now. He stood and walked through the open door into Louis' house.
He found Louis sitting on the floor of what had apparently been a kitchen at one time, tossing snack bones to Mojo. Louis looked up at him. His face was completely open. Curious and concerned.
Lestat could not look into the emerald green eyes, he could not bear to see the silky black hair, or the soft satin lips. He loved Louis so much in that moment, and utterly despised himself.
"Louis . . ." Lestat began, in an unsteady voice, " I . . .I am sorry. I don't know what comes over me. You must understand that I never ever mean to hurt you. Louis, I don't ask that you forgive me . . .but-"
"It's alright Lestat, it worked." Louis interrupted him.
"Worked?" Lestat glanced at Louis.
"Oui, your plan. It worked." Louis reached out and touched Lestat's hand. "See, I am not cold anymore. In fact, I think I am sweating." Louis settled back on the floor.
Lestat made a noise that was half-laugh half-sob. "Louis, . . .Louis, Louis." Lestat sighed. He again opened his mouth to speak, when Louis stopped him.
"Lestat." Lestat did not respond.
"Lestat look at me." Louis said firmly but affectionately.
Lestat tried to raise his eyes to meet Louis', but he couldn't. "Louis, I don't know what to say . I . . ." He shook his head.
Louis pulled his knees up and rested his arms on them . "Lestat. Lestat, please. It is only me. Just look at me. "
Lestat shook his head. Louis leaned back against what used to be some sort of cabinets. "Fine. I was planning to be here all day anyway." He tossed another bone to Mojo. "I would recommend that we eventually shut the door, though."
Lestat laughed a small laugh. He walked over to Louis and bent to kiss the top of his head. Louis gestured to the spot beside him. Lestat sat. He stretched out his legs, crossed his ankles and folded his hands in his lap.
"Here." Louis dropped the snack box in Lestat's lap. "Feed your dog."
Lestat dug out a bone and tossed it to Mojo. They watched Mojo devour it in silence. Lestat threw another one.
"Louis, why don't you fear me?" Lestat asked.
"Do you mean because you are more powerful than me?"
"Yes."
"Because you could break me, or crush me or for all I know incinerate me with a thought, you think this means I should fear you?"
Lestat smiled, "Well it would be the intelligent thing, I should think."
"Don't make me laugh." Louis said with mock contempt.
Lestat looked at him and grinned.
"Ah, I won. You looked at me." Louis smiled.
"Beautiful one," Lestat kissed his cheek. "why do you put up with me?"
"Lestat," Louis patted Lestat's leg. "I could ask you the same question."
Lestat reached over and put his arms around Louis. Louis relaxed against him and laid his head on Lestat's shoulder. Mojo came over and laid down across both their laps.
After an hour, Louis said, "Lestat, we cannot stay here all day."
"No, Louis? I thought that was what you had planned."
"Oui, but we haven't shut the door."
"Louis," Lestat looked him straight in the eye. "Please come back home. If not for me, for Mojo. He went crazy this morning when you hadn't returned before dawn. If you stay away another morning you'll give the poor dog a fit."
As if on cue, Mojo looked up at Louis and barked.
"Well I suppose if you are both going to gang up on me . . ." Louis said.
"It will be perfect this time, Louis, I promise." Lestat told him.
"Oh?" Louis asked, as he rose from the floor, "Will one of us be unconscious or something?"
Lestat laughed and got up as well. Louis turned to Mojo. "Mojo, viens."
"And that is another thing," Lestat said, following Louis out the door, "do not speak to Mojo in French. Mojo doesn't know French. He only knows English commands."
"Is that so?" Louis said. Then he turned to the dog. "Mojo, parles-toi francais?"
Mojo barked loudly.
"He is bilingual." Louis informed Lestat. Louis turned and closed his door.
As they crossed to Prytania street, Louis said, "You know, you really should have him on a leash. He could run into traffic."
"Mojo doesn't wear leashes or collars, Louis."
"Well he has both."
"Not anymore."
Louis sighed.
They entered the house with less than an hour of night left, at least for Louis.
"Well, I am going to retire." Louis said.
Lestat kissed him, "Bonne nuit, Louis. I think I shall as well."
As they walked toward their bedrooms, each called, "Mojo!"
Mojo ran to the hall, sat in the middle and whined.
"Now what do we do, sleep in the hall?" Louis looked to Lestat.
"I think I have a better solution." Lestat moved to Louis, caught him up, and carried him into the main bedroom, and deposited him on the bed.
"Oh this is your solution?" Louis asked, laughing.
Mojo joyously ran into the room and jumped up on the bed.
"Well Louis, look at him." Lestat took Mojo's face in his hands. "do you want him to grow up warped and disfunctional because affection was never expressed in his house? And his own parents never slept together?"
Louis stared at him. "Lestat, you're insane."
"It's bad enough that he may inherit depression and pyromania from one side of the family."
"And megalomania and rage disorder from the other." Louis interjected.
"Tendency to associate with bad companions"
"Narcissism, God complex."
"Guilt complex."
"Exhibitionism."
"Melancholy."
"Oedipus complex."
"Wounded inner child."
"Delusions of grandeur."
"Claustrophobia."
"Suicidal tendencies."
"Inability to accurately describe past events."
"Inability to accept responsibility for past behavior."
"Chronic fabrication."
"Hysterics and fits of uncontrollable mirth."
"Reclusive behavior patterns, isolationism."
"Control issues."
"Memory lapses."
"You already said that, Lestat."
"Excessively argumentative."
"Aggressively Dominant."
"Passive-aggressive Submissive."
"Confused and undefined sexual identity."
"Louis!"
"Nighttime insomnia."
"Sanguinary fixation."
"Over-development of the canines leading to an unhealthy obsession with biting."
"Extreme sensitivity to sunlight."
"Engaging in non-consensual acts of vampirism."
"Obsessions on a theme."
"What is that condition where one always has to have the last word?"
"Marriage."
FIN
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