Thursday, May 04, 2006

Chap 17: Zero Compromise

Armand is not my character. I don’t really like him, but that does not mean I’m biased against him. I know Lestat and him were lovers, but somehow Lestat can’t forget how he pushed him off the tower in TVL. Vampires are petty creatures.


Lestat was full of excited vigor when he opened the door to me. “Thank you! I love the new layout of my room. It was so thoughtful of you to arrange my books according to the authors, my bed further from the window so I won’t feel the intensity of the sunlight coming in. Sit down, make yourself comfortable.” I plopped down on the corner of the couch. Lestat took the red armchair opposite.


He had left the furniture in the same positions. “Did you like the deep blue curtains and general theme of blue? Your favourite color right?” I asked him. He smiled wider, perfect layout of teeth. “I’ll take that as a yes. I was worried you don’t like the changes.”

“No I’m ok with changes. Just not strangers trooping in my territory.”

“Sorree. Armand is kind. He was your boyfriend?”
Lestat’s violet- green eyes narrowed at this statement. I exclaimed,“Yea right guess!! He was kind of sad you don’t want to make up.”

My friend made a vexed noise and flexed his fingers. “We made up a whole Long ago. It is just that Armand asks too many questions. I didn’t want to talk to him when I was not feeling well, or I’d never hear the end of it, cherie. He made me appear to be the villain didn’t he? He was still seeking salvation even when it came to him. We couldn’t reach a common understanding.”

I smiled. Armand, also known as Amadeo as he persuaded us to call him, mentioned Lestat de Lioncourt as a “much too bright creature who refused assistance and advice even if he was suffering.” I felt that the coven leader had a quiet air of confidence and would not harm a fly. Instantly the blond interrupted. “Bianca, don’t be deceived! He is a botticelli angel, but he’s very vicious. Promise me you won’t be alone with the creature.”

Lestat, I am unharmed. Please do not get overprotective.


Promise me. I don’t want him to touch you. He must not-------- he said vehemently. As if I had not spoken.
Followed by: You don’t understand-------- said in agitation. Amadeo is not innocent. He looks it, because he was Made really young. He can be tactless, ignorant, deceiving to young girls, like you…..

I covered my ears, not wishing to hear. “Don’t. Why are you acting up? I’m not being a chauvinist! Listen. Amadeo’s my friend. I know him through and through.” The preter’s face grimaced as he conveyed his experience, which I felt was unjustified. I told him firmly that I wasn’t going to hear anymore and went off for a snack. Lestat stopped, but in his head was still composing arguments to counter my view. I was in no mood tonight to debate. I suppose that I should not, but still----- I left him and went to find his boyfriend upstairs, no doubt holing up.

“Hey Louis!” I called, flitting for a landing space. He pushed aside the curtains where he had been hiding behind.

“Hello, were you not having a chat down stairs?” at my noncommittal noise at teenage grumbling, Louis pressed a hand to his temple “You fought? Do you want me to be the middleman?”


I chirruped, gripped his shoulder gently. Louis hummed an old song under his breath. I bounced to the rhythm. He stopped humming and stood at the balcony, clouded and tight expression surveying the scenery. “What did you fight about? Surely it won’t deem a perfect reason? Lestat’s always willing to listen to your ideas.”


“He was really anti Armand! Wish I hadn’t breached the topic….. So unbearable, eugh. Passion is wasted on this sort of argument. I liked the guy. He was so sweet and gentlemanly, offering to move his stuff around. I wanted to tell him that, but he started ranting and raving.”


Louis closed his eyes, nodding. “Um hmm. And what else?”


I cocked my head, scratching at my neck part. “Ummmm, nothing else. I don’t want to talk to him anymore, I want your magic.” I Changed, propped my feet on his bed.


“Put down your dirty feet!”

“Why?” I shot him my cutest girly- girl look, but he pointed at my offence. “Okaaaay. C’mon, Louis counselor time.”

He seemed pissed but flattered. Blushed. “Don’t label me that. Come, put what I have advised you into practice. Walk in the other’s shoes.”

I mimed checking off a list. Louis suggested that I do nonaggressive stuff. Seriously he can be a Doctor in counseling and psychotherapy. “We’ve exhausted All the possible recommendations, Krys. Lestat cannot help being biased, as you unhappily told me right? Armand did all those things, Lestat is not lying. He may dramatize, but he doesn’t lie.”

“Oh yea, he did something, became over protective over me. I missed it out.”

Louis wrote it down on the notepad. “Yes your attitude is crucial in this problem solving. It is better to have both offending parties. Why not? Krys he is like this. How can you expect him to change?” he asked patiently.

“I hate chauvinistic males. My bro is, my dad is, why are guys like this? Oops. Not you heheh,”I replied hastily. It came to me---- “Lestat. All these centuries of being with people, and he still does not change?”

Louis tried to recall incidents. I shook my head at the pathetic little five minute scenarios of Claudia and Lestat together. That worked because he bossed her around, no arguing back, no speaking out of turn, no this no that. Louis had been turning over and over the golden locket chain thing with his daughter’s picture on it. I watched in fascination. I got up and came over to have a closer inspection when the mild guy tossed it out of the window. Golden drop!

“Louis! Why?” I yelled, racing to the window. “I wanted it. It’s so pretty.”
He said: I want to forget my pain, my depression. Being with you is a new chapter of my life. I don’t need that. I didn’t know you wanted to keep it.

But you could have given it to me, I whined. I put one leg over the sill but knocked against the invisible barrier. Oh yea, Lestat had erected it so no one would commit suicide.

“If our relationships become such, I won’t compromise!”I decided. “Mr counselor, what do you recommend? ”

Louis searched through all his books desperately. Nope nothing.

“There is no other way. Ok. Forget it. I will read you a story, pick one.” I said I wanted a spontaneous story. Lestat and I wove stories together, sometimes he concocted his own little plays. We bonded very well, and I think I could voice act movie animations next time! Lestat gave me stitches with his humorous playful acting of characters.

Louis worried, “Errr. Problem is, I can’t do spontaneous telling. All of them are in the pages. Choose one.” I closed my eyes and chose one. After that I lay down and slept. I think my teacher came in at eleven. I felt his hand on my forehead and then pull the blankets up. Their soft voices murmuring.

“Goodnight Bianca. Don’t be angry anymore,k? No matter what our opinions are, I still respect you. I always will. Your opinion on my friends is different. I failed to consider that. I think our diversity in thinking is unique. But will it separate us?” Sighing the vampire made to go. I reached out and grabbed on.

“Bianca. You heard what I said?” I kept my eyes shut and remained mute.

“I don’t think so. But stay here with us tonight,” Louis told him. Lestat sniffed. I did not want to let go. When I next stirred, I brushed against a cottony material. It was 2 am. No one was beside me. He had left his shirt there so I wouldn’t be lonely. I called to him mentally.
He replied that he was at a bar right now.

Will you come home? Let’s talk. Can we? I inhaled Brat scent.

Pause. Child, go to sleep. I am really far away. Ok ok, wait a bit.
I listened like crazy through the piercing silence. Until Lestat’s musical and angelic telepathic voice: Hi I’m back. What is it?

Um,… Lestat, I won’t talk about Amadeo anymore, since it’s taboo. Are you mad, is this why you’re away now? I will be careful of him, in your presence and royal escort, then I will go anywhere near, ok? Hey, are you still there?

Laughter, an image of the Ripples Bar in the south. Crawling with people, beauties skimpily dressed and shaking their butts to some hot music. ‘Yea. I’m with my friends. You know, I promised to go out with them. They’re night people! Yoohoo. I’ll come home soon. Give me five minutes.’

Whoa so fast? I giggled. I watched my digital clock face. Lestat called out so he wouldn’t scare me as he opened the door downstairs. He smelled of human perfume and cuddled up to me.




I failed my maths! I’m like clueless with stupid numbers and equations. This term I was at my wits’end, I couldn’t drop it. Noooo. Slog through like an animal and still it comes to this: 45 out of 100! I was already struggling with Japanese. “SHIIIIT!”

This woke the gentle philosopher from his coffin. He stretched himself, after closing the lid carefully. I laid my head down and pouted. He raised his brows at my red marks, flipping through the paper. “Louis, I am so dead! I dunno what to do, I don’t understand any of this, this crap! Arrrgh.” I banged the desk. My pencil case scattered its contents.

He helped me to pick them up. “Krys, I wish we could help.”

“But you aren’t any good with differentiation and algebra are you?” I moaned. “Why why why do mathematicians torture people with stuff like this!” Louis smiled quietly, reading the sums. He thought there were so many steps.

“You need to get an answer proving these formulas work? Tough. Maybe Quinn can help, if he still remembers this.” I brightened a little. I asked him who that was. “Lestat’s Little Brother, the tall dark youth with violets and owner of Blackwood Farm. Hasn’t my maker told you about him?”

I almost drooled at the mental rough picture of his description, but it wasn’t quite enough so I soon snapped out of it. “Can I meet him?” I was dreaming how romantic it would be. Quinn, twentyish, single and polite American. Closer to my type.


Clearing of the throat. Lestat laughed and said he already had a girl. In fact unofficially married. I was disappointed, went back to depression. Lestat worked hard reading my maths textbook, managing to scribble out why I made some of the mistakes. Which I appreciated, because maths isn’t some 17th Century needed subject-------- they concentrated on arts and music. He’s not bad.

“I think I have his email address. But since I don’t correspond with my Bro that manner, I need to do some searching first, cherie. Give me a week.”

Sweet deep snoring. An accented voice called to me, rough shaking. “Get up get up get up.” I pulled the covers over myself but it got worse. Lestat’s white face peered at me. And his starched white shirt from the movie.

“It isI. Where’sLouis?”I was blearily trying to make out the words, slurred together in my mind and different. His accent got thicker because of anxiety. Lestat made an impatient sound.

“Ummm, he… didn’t say.” After I finished my homework, Louis said he needed air and then went off. The golden prince folded his arms, muttering curses. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Thank you. Goodnight.” He replaced my covers and with an uncertain feeling, my friend plopped down beside me. I leaned against him. I asked him if he had an alarm clock and set it to 5.30 am. I needed to get up for school. He said not to worry.

The shrill interrupted my floating world of daisies and friends who had crossed to the other side. A note: Hello, Bianca,

Louis is back. I’m so relieved. He went to church, for peace and quiet. I was not noisy. ‘A sad face pic’ You think he’s got things he doesn’t share with us? I’m kind of jealous he tells you. I’m the boyfriend.
Anyway let’s talk tonight. Yes! We’ll go watch the fireworks. If possible do write me your answer, yes or no? Put it on my desk.

Lestat

I washed my face after stumbling like a wooden block. Then I wrote him an answer: I will! I’ll phone you tonight, Lestatie. I hope I don’t have too much homework. Don’t be too upset. Louis doesn’t confide much in me either…. I promise I will tell you my problems, you won’t miss out on anything in my life. Something you might like to know, Louis threw away Claudia’s locket. ---------Bianca
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