tampered | Log; Complete

Log; Complete

When; Tuesday, October 14th
Rating; PG (rating could change)
Characters; Lestat

notapreacher
Summary; Lestat discovered that Louis' book was made into a movie. Now, he and Gren are going to watch it. Popcorn throwing at inaccurate parts is a guarantee.
Log; From the moment he first heard of the film version of Interview with the Vampire, he's wondered how accurate it is. Since then, he's waited eagerly for Gren to finish the book. And then eagerly waited again for the man to have a free night. Now, during a curse making the City a zoo of its own, he finally has the chance.

A picture in his room is now a television. He'd discovered it the first night he'd begun to replace things for this room. A screen that would be a picture when not in use as a television. The concept was so terribly clever that he purchased one for himself.

The dividing door that leads to the training area is shut and locked. A silent indication that he desires privacy. He'll go to the other room if need be but the fact is that he'd rather not.

Reclining on the couch, he idly pets Luce (who is currently sitting on his chest). The door to his apartment is unlocked so he won't need to rise when Gren comes. Though, he fully intends to do so. When he hears his footsteps, he'll go to the door. For now, he'll just relax in silence. The only sound being the purring of the feline he's stroking.

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Someone had to bring popcorn. Not for eating, but as a special effect more than anything, and so he's got a bag of that tucked under his arm. When was the last time he sat down and watched a movie? On Pluto, maybe? And when was the last time he sat down and watched a movie with someone he loves? That would be way back on Mars.

This ought to be fun.

Pausing a few doors down, he takes a moment. He still feels a little bit like an intruder in this building, but he was told it's fine to call the place home and it's with that comforting thought in mind that he starts moving again toward Lestat's door.

Footsteps. Those only known to Gren. Smiling, he whispers to Luce who jumps down to allow him to rise. She couldn't have stopped him anyways so the action makes him smile. Horatio and Apolline have lifted their heads to look at the door. Only curiosity from them. They recognize the steps too.

He keeps listening as he approaches the door in silence. Closer and closer. Then the feet stop at his door. He's feeling so mischievous at the moment. It would be so easy to let him knock on the door. Only, where would the fun be in that?

Opening the door before he hears the knock, he smiles.

"Hello, Gren. So good to see you."

"Vampires and their hearing." He's flattered: that means Lestat was listening for him and he likes that. It's almost enough to get him to throw caution to the wind and throw his arms around the other man out here in the hallway, but he's a little more reserved than that.

Well, no: a lot more, and he'll wait for that until later. Now, he holds forward that bag of popcorn.

An offering.

"It's great to see you." Leaning forward, he presses a quick kiss to Lestat's cheek. "I hear there's a movie on the books for tonight. Any truth to the rumor?" He's in good spirits: it's a night off, he isn't affected by the latest curse, Lestat isn't affected by it, no one else appears to be here but the animals, and they all tolerate him at the very least.

The night's got promise.

Taking the popcorn, he looks at it with obvious curiosity. He can smell it. Walking into the apartment, he continues to look at while adding a "Come in" for Gren.

"As for the rumor, I think there is a grain of truth to it." Laughing, he goes over to the couch and starts making comments in French to Watt who has taken up residence there since he got up. With a shake of his head, he picks the feline up. "Such a little rebel you are."

He gets a little noise in response which he ignores as he sets his cat on the floor. Sitting, he reaches out for Gren.

"Come here. Let me kiss you away from any prying eyes. Our only audience is the animals and they will not care."

That's an easy request: he takes a seat on the sofa next to Lestat.

"Sorry to displace you, Watt, but not really." He reaches down to give the Bengal a nice pat along his back but his attention's all on Lestat; he gets a much nicer and far more intimate greeting. He's trying hard not to be so hungry for him, but he can't help it: Lestat's way more fun than a cat or a bag of popcorn or the promise of a movie about his life.

Still, he's curious. He's read the book, but what he saw in his mind's eye while he was reading it is different from what he sees in the man next to him, and he's sure it will be different still from what's shown in the movie.

There's not a single thing he'd rather be doing or another place in the world he'd rather be than right here. He's entirely fascinated, and gladly so.

Much better. The kiss to his cheek was sweet but it was definitely lacking. Smiling, he makes a control appear in his hand. Seemingly from nowhere. The speed of a vampire is so handy. But, his curiosity is getting to him.

Badly.

"Are you ready to start the movie? Or would you like further distraction so you cannot hope to concentrate? Either would be my pleasure."

Even if he's hoping for the former.

Then again, the even has just begun. They still have plenty of time.

When did he get up to fetch that remote? He's been sitting here the whole time... right?

Maybe not; he's going to have to pay closer attention. And answer the question.

"I want it all, you know that." He gives Lestat a pointed glance. "But I'm ready to start the movie. And you can distract me during it if you really want." He has the feeling there's going to be some of that no matter what he says, and the last time he was here he gave Lestat carte blanche to do whatever he wanted to and with him, and he bets that offer is well remembered.

He's kind of looking forward to it, actually. Lestat might be surprised by some of the things he says and does, but it works both ways and the anticipation is beautiful.

"The movie it is then." Swinging his arm up behind Gren's head, he stretches out. Comfortable, he pushes the button to start the movie. Right away the picture fades away as the DVD loads.

Then the music starts and he watches the scenes as they pass. The credits. All of it.

Anne Rice? Who is she? How could that possibly be her book?

He whispers her name in bafflement under his breath. The feeling even shows on his face. But, that is all he says for now. There is no need for more.

Apparently, this movie takes place in San Francisco. He's never been to Earth and doesn't know it, but on film it looks like every other city at night. There's a lot of low talking, people he doesn't know and doesn't really care about, but then...

"Oh, I see, that's the interviewer." He's glad now that he read the book first; sitting with legs criss-crossed, he leans forward to watch a little more intently. He's right next to Lestat and can feel his arm near his back -- he loves that -- and reaches over to rest a hand on Lestat's thigh. The simple truth is starting to sink in: this man he's taken on as his lover is really something else.

He feels so lucky.

"And Louis. Is that really what he looks like?" He knows it's just a movie, but it's the weirdest feeling in the world to see your loved one's story taking place as a movie. Fortunately, that's not something he has to worry about for himself. He's just another inconsequential jazz saxophonist.

"That is Daniel. Though, appearances differ. As for Louis, that is a rather accurate representation of him. Using...oh, who was it? I only glanced at the case. Ah!...Brad Pitt. Already script shifts back and forth between accurate and inaccurate."

Setting the control aside, he listens with amusement. The acting is rather impressive. So like his Louis. How the actor would be able to capture him like that is surprising though. Only in talking with Louis could such a thing be realized. That broken humanity trapped in a vampire's body.

"There...now things go to the past. Let us see if it remains close to the truth."

One thing he's never told Lestat is that he's absolutely in love with the way he talks. His voice, the cadence of his words, his accent: it all fascinates him. That had better translate to the screen, along with his extreme beauty. Restless as the film moves into the past, he nestles back into Lestat's arm, watching intently.

When's the star going to show up? There's Louis being sad, and there's Louis being depressed, and there's Louis being suicidal, and there's...

Oh!

"Lestat. Is that you?" He looks from the screen to the man beside him, back to the screen, back to Lestat... and nods firmly. "You're much better looking than that."

He throws his head back laughing. "You focus on that then. I'll focus on how it shows me flying. I could not fly when I was that age! Ha!"

Completely ridiculous. He was too young then. And Louis had been at his doorstep. And it had been Louis' brother that had died. Louis hadn't been married.

"Married. Please. Anyways, that is a particularly poor angle to capture me in. Still, that is me. And yes, I am better looking. I suppose they cast my part with the best they could find though. And still could not find the perfect person."

When the change comes, he falls silent. Every moment of it is watched by him. Again, that wasn't quite what happened.

Of course they couldn't find the perfect person: they'd have to have found Lestat himself for that and they didn't. Secretly, he's glad: it means there's just that much more of Lestat he gets to keep all to himself.

He warned him that he's the jealous type.

"You couldn't fly then?" How old he was when he learned is a question to ask later: right now he's too engaged by the film. By the lushness of it, the texture, the... complete disregard for things in the book but movies are a strange medium. They sweep a person along and make him forget the facts. Then again, he's always been impressionable.

As the story goes on, he's completely wrapped up in it. Louis becoming a vampire, eyes changing perhaps for the benefit of the camera. He remembers Louis' reluctance to kill from the book and assumes that's accurate.

Still, the way Lestat just... attacks... makes him jump. He hasn't ever seen him on the hunt; reflexively, he reaches for Lestat's hand. This man by his side is no monster.

"I couldn't."

Chuckling at the jump, he moves his hand to where it can be reached. Ah those old days. Proving points to Louis during kills.

But, there is something that bothers him. As irritating as the man was, where is his father in all this? That blind fool who tried to take everything from him. Who actually would not die without his forgiveness. That old man is nowhere to be found.

A woman here and then him teaching him about animals. Vile animals. That was the last thing he should have taught him. But really, so many things are wrong with these lines.

"I still regret ever teaching him about rats. He could have been a proper vampire. Though, back to an earlier scene...he did not have his own coffin that first night. He slept with me. I ensured that. Right on top of me."

That's something he remembers from the book. "You think they thought the idea of two men sleeping together was too much for the audience to handle?" The question is totally tongue-in-cheek; he's slept right on top of Lestat before, although not in a coffin. He's smug about that, too. "And -- pause that for a minute -- this is why you need popcorn. Every time the movie gets it wrong, flick a piece at the screen. It'll make you feel better."

Lestat's hand gets a squeeze; a nod indicates that it's okay to start the movie up again. Before he knows it, Louis is setting the plantation on fire.

"It seems like they're leaving an awful lot out of the story."

Suddenly more popcorn is hitting the screen. Even though it didn't look like he had moved.

"They are. It's almost pitiful. Look, I'm taking him where? They've removed characters from this story. Characters important to development!" Another piece goes flying. It is a good tension reliever after all.

"And now look. They bring the whores in early. Such cruel mistresses they were too. That is why I picked them. Hardly the point though. I brought them to prove a point. After Louis couldn't manage to bring himself to kill yet again! And a little girl."

He tosses more popcorn just for that.

For the moment he's not sure what's more amusing: Lestat onscreen or Lestat in real life. But it becomes evident pretty quickly that Lestat in real life is far more interesting, far more fun, far more compelling. He can't see screen Lestat having this much fun with popcorn.

"Maybe they just messed with the timeline because they thought it would make a better movie; I don't know." He's certainly not defending the film by any stretch of the imagination. It's still fun to watch even though... even though the film version of the man next to him is entirely ghastly, but that's pretty much the way he was described in the book, too.

Through Louis' eyes. Imagine spending an eternity that depressed: no thanks.

"Claudia. Wasn't she only five?"

He's no expert on the story; he read it once but Lestat lived it. "And did you really dance her mother's corpse around the room?" That's one answer he's not so sure he wants to hear but still, he doesn't let go of Lestat's hand. He did some things early on that he's not particularly proud of. Everyone can think of something.

"She was and yes. I really did dance her mother's corpse around the room. The only time I've ever done that actually."

The tone he uses is thoughtful. Whether or not he's proud of what he did is for Gren to decide. He has no feelings either way about it. The fact is that he did it. That is all. Now wait though...

"Claudia's change. The devil child coming to life. A savage killer in the body of a little girl." He frowns as he watches the kills. "Some of those are true but only some. They do a brilliant job portraying her though."

His voice becomes fond as the movie shows him killing whole families with her. "One of the most irritating children I have ever come across."

"Claudia was?"

Now he disentangles his hand from Lestat's, only to resettle more closely. He's actually a little bit fascinated by Claudia, and a little horrified by her too. Just like he was when he read the book: what would the alternative have been? To let her die, like Lestat said.

"She and Louis really loved each other, didn't they." Still, the old adage about three being a crowd holds true no matter what and he can see the cracks in the carefully-crafted tolerance movie-Louis and movie-Lestat had for one another. That part has to be true -- it's about the most honest thing he's seen in the film so far -- and if it is it's even sadder because it means Lestat hasn't learned from his past.

Time will tell. For the moment, he works his arm around Lestat. He wants to hold him... and be held.

The sentence about Claudia and Louis wasn't posed as a question so he doesn't answer it. If nothing, Louis was so in love with the child that it was painful to watch. With Claudia...he wonders. She was so complex and devious. It is possible that she might have claimed love but never felt it.

He won't voice that aloud though. For now, on the screen, Claudia wonders why she doesn't age. The corpse and then...

"Impossible. Our hair remains as we cut it until we awaken the next night. Besides, she never cut her hair. That must be some pathetic reference to Gabrielle doing so. Nor did she ever attack me before her attempt to kill me."

In silence he watches until it's him playing the piano. He rolls his eyes at the screen. He can play far better than that. Still, he understands what is to come.

As if bored, he sighs. "Oh look. Here is her attempt now. For there are the boys."

This part of the book horrified him for so many reasons, and he's not so sure it will be easier to watch it than it was to read it. He rests his head on Lestat's shoulder, not wanting to watch but he does.

It's awful, and only morbid fascination keeps him from burying his head against Lestat's neck and closing his eyes. This happened. It happened and maybe not exactly this way but it was close enough, and he can't imagine... but yeah, he can: he remembers dying too, although the more time that elapses, the more that seems like some distant nightmare, and he holds on tightly because he's an emotional person... and he despises Claudia and he despises Louis for being so weak-willed and going along with things, and he would fight to the death to keep Lestat from injury even though he doesn't need that kind of help. That much is clear by his continued presence.

As Louis lowers Lestat's remains into the swamp, he lets out a low sigh.

"I don't like this."

He almost didn't hear those words. That's similar to what he remembered. Moving his arm down, he lets it wrap around Gren's shoulders. Watching the attack upon himself doesn't bother him. It was worse when it was happening anyways. What it truly bothering him is how inaccurate things are.

"No? It isn't so bad." Watching the planning stages and then his attack is hardly interesting. Especially when the musician he turned seems to be missing. And just look at the horror of his face.

"So that's what I looked like at that time. Or the representation of what I looked like. It's perfectly horrifying. Although, I've looked worse."

Really, he tries very hard not to laugh at Lestat's nonchalance. "Let me just say I vote for you the way you are now instead of like that, okay? That kind of thing is something I'd rather not have to see in person."

Now it's easier to settle down as the movie focuses on Louis and Claudia and preparations for their trip to Europe. It's almost impossible to resist letting his hand find Lestat's, or flirt with that shock of yellow hair, and he tries his best to separate representation from reality. It's hard when the man you love is a ghoul on-screen, and then on fire on-screen. If the tables were turned, what would Lestat's reaction be?

He'll never know, but he doesn't have to.

"How long did it take for them to put out that fire... and how did you get out of there?" He knows what's fatal to vampires: fire, sunlight, dismemberment. That's about it. That he knows it horrifies him a little bit,but that knowledge is whatever it is.

Anyway, sunlight couldn't kill his vampire. And the fact that he's thinking about things in those terms amuses him no end.

"I don't recall how long it took to put out the fire. What I do recall is that someone managed to get in there. The man found me and put a blanket over me. I had enough strength to put him under my will. He carried me out and through the crowd into an empty alley. At that time, blood was all I could think of. It was the only way I could heal."

Crossing his legs, he continues the story though his eyes never leave the screen.

"I left him there and stumbled through the night until I found a place of rest."

Paris. That's where the adventures of Claudia and Louis now led. Paris and the discovery of Armand and his coven. How would they portray Armand? And the other vampires of the theater? His interest is so evident that it is written all over his face.

So to survive he had to take a life: that... makes sense, although it's something he's tried not to think about but as film-version Lestat keeps saying, it's a vampire's nature and it has to be embraced. Again, he makes mental note of how lucky he is in the circumstance he's in to be the way he is. The others won't attack him: he's dead and his blood is no good for them. It's a small safety net to have, at least; he glances over at the man next to him.

There's something so timeless and fascinating about the look on Lestat's face right now that he doesn't say a word. The story's infinitely less interesting now that it's focusing on the others, but the two of them watch raptly, nonetheless, as the scene shifts to Paris. That's another place he never went, although there is a huge French influence on Venus... another place he always meant to go and never got to. He'll have to live it as vicariously as Lestat lives the sunrise.

The city's certainly beautiful, or at least the film's representation of it is beautiful. So much music happened there that he's always been curious, but this isn't a film about music and he can't help but sit forward just a little as Louis finally encounters the type of vampire he and Claudia have been looking for -- he thinks -- in Santiago and then Armand, who...

"That doesn't look like Armand."

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