tampered | Log, Completed

Log, Completed

When; Friday afternoon 12/5
Rating; G
Characters; Abby (

notapreacher) and some dogs
Summary; Showing off the new place.
Log; The beach is arguably the favorite spot in all the City for Horatio and Apolline. It doesn't matter how cold it is or whether or not it's raining or snowing; the dogs love it. Since Abby moved to the beach it's not just the dogs who like to go there. For three years in Blue Crow, Gren kept to himself, avoided getting too close to anybody. Proximity meant explaining things and he really didn't want to have to explain them. They were too fresh, too acute, and needed to stay buried for a while longer. In all his years there he only did the explaining to two people: Julia and Faye. Both happened to be in the City when he got here. Faye is gone now, but Julia's still here, still his closest friend.

Abby's the first real friend he made here, the first one in the City he explained things to. As always he was vague with the details, but she knows enough about him and his past.

She also knows a lot about his partner. More than he did for a long time and maybe still; he doesn't know. Out of all the people he knows here, she's probably the most likely to be curious about the new living environment and that's why he's invited her ostensibly to help him move a few things over. He doesn't need help moving anything; that will take its sweet time and he's not giving up his own apartment yet. As he told Lestat, he wants to keep it until he doesn't need to have it any more and that seems fair. But to make this an official moving trip as advertised, he does have one item in his hands. It's the guitar Lin left for him and he thinks -- vaguely -- that maybe Lin should have left him his comb instead, but he shrugs the thought away. This is a far more fitting memorial.

He'll think about that later. Right now he knocks at Abby's door, a dog seated patiently on either side of him. He's got the feeling that if the dogs could ring the doorbell, they would. They'd invite Jethro Junior out to play, and they'd do it every single day.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Nope! That's what downloads are for. And no. I didn't get one. They should have given me one though. It's not easy to say it over and over like that." She would know. She was just doing it.

"Besides, it should stay here so you can look at it and remember that story that you're obviously not going to share because it's a private one."

Smiling, she puts the books away and turns to him.

"See? I'm learning."

"You're good." He rests his hand on the back of her neck. "Curiosity satisfied? I'm really glad you're here." Now he nods to the couch by the piano, moves over, sits. "Come on over here for a minute. Let me tell you something. In all my years, I haven't been invited to move in with anyone before. I've invited other people -- well, one -- but it didn't happen. I wasn't a whole lot in the way of staying put before. I figured it would cramp my style, such as it was."

His hands clasp together on his lap: he's used to hearing other peoples' confessions, not making his own. "When Lestat asked me to move here, I didn't hesitate. I didn't have to stop and think about it. It just felt like the right thing to do. For once in my life -- and I'm not even alive any more, technically -- I knew it was the thing I was supposed to do. I couldn't have done it before, but I can do it now."

Now he turns to Abby plaintively. "When I first got here I hated this place. Now I love it. I don't ever want to leave, and the only thing I'm afraid of is being taken away from here. From this."

Sitting next to Gren, she listens. Without saying a single word in response. She listens to all of it. And, she can understand why Gren is saying what he's saying.

He's happy here. Someone loves him and wants to take care of him. Has invited Gren to move in. Okay, yeah, Lestat's a vampire. But when has she really been someone to judge people? She's dated a variety of guys. And has been friends with a bigger variety of people. Out of all those people, Gren is closest probably. She tells him everything and needs to do so.

Now he's talking to her in return. Scooting closer, she leans her head on his shoulder. "Being afraid sucks. But, it's nice to know that you're feeling things. From a friend point of view anyways. You don't want to be taken away from all the great things you have here. And I don't want you to have them taken away either. Not when you're so happy."

She'd want to hurt anyone who took away Gren's happiness.

"I'm afraid of you being taken away too. Because I know you're happy here and being taken care of."

He signs I love you but doesn't say it aloud. What he does do is rest his head against hers. "It's the first time in a long time that I've been so... content."

Abby knows about prison; she knows what happened. She's smart, she can infer enough to fill in all the blanks, fill in the parts of the story he hasn't told to anyone but Lestat. To have someone nearby who doesn't question him means so much.

It's better than he ever thought it would be, much more than he ever expected.

"This makes me feel whole again." This place, this City, this relationship, this set of circumstances.

She smiles a little bit then signs the words back to him. It's not a happy conversation but she's glad that he's talking to her and telling her all of this. He must need to let it out in the open or something.

Well, she's always got time for that. No matter what is going on.

"You know what? I can tell. Just from watching you from the time I first met you until now."

And she's happy for the change since she knows what brought it on.

"You think I've changed?"

The concept brings a smile to his face. "Since we first met? How?"

Maybe Lestat's curiosity is contagious; he doesn't know. But he's eager to know what Abby thinks and he'll pay handsomely for the information.

Probably in Caf-Pow.

"You're still really private but you're more open to people. And you're happier too. Before you were pretty withdrawn. Like you had a wall between you and all of us. But, it's like there are chips in the wall."

Wrapping her arm around his waist, she moves her head just enough that her eyes can look up. Even if she can't see him.

"You get out more often. You smile more. It's like you're not scared anymore. Or, if you are, that you know you don't have to be because someone or someones are there to protect you like you'd protect them."

She's right: he did have a wall between himself and everybody when he first got here and for a long time afterward. It isn't until pretty recently that he's started to let down his guard. There's no surprise in the fact it's happening slowly; he built that self-protection up over three years.

"I still have plenty of walls. I still wear a nice suit of armor most of the time; don't let me fool you. But I'm trying. I think I'm getting better, a little bit at a time."

What he'd really like is for prison to be gone. Wiped from his memory like it was never there, but that can't happen. He'll always have this body as a reminder of those days and he can't afford to forget he's an addict. At least now his fix is a lot healthier than drugs or alcohol.

Or Caf-Pow, for that matter.

"But enough of that stuff. Tell me what you think of the place, really."

Now she is definitely smiling. Who wouldn't? This place is amazing. Lestat knew what he was doing when he worked on this place.

"You've been asked to live in the most amazing apartment I've ever seen. And you've been asked to live here by someone who is rich and loves you. Plus, he has great taste. Do you know if he hired someone to do this place? Or did he do it all himself? I mean, I just can't see him tearing down walls to build things like Jack would. If he did hire someone though, I want that person's number. They have to come decorate my room. This place has got a lot of excess to it but somehow Lestat makes that stylish and seem like there is no excess here.

"In short, this place is amazing. You're so lucky you get to live here now. On several levels."

There. That should pretty much cover it.

Lestat does have pretty exquisite taste. Things here ought to seem more ornate than they do, but it's an eclectic mix reflecting more than two centuries of living. Personally, he feels that sense of immediate comfort when he walks in that a lot of people get in bookstores or libraries; it simply feels like home. It's exceptionally lovely and he does feel blessed to be here.

"I'll find out who did the remodel for you if you want. They were pretty quick about it." It only took a few weeks. "But amazing elegant apartment or not, I don't care a bit if he's rich. We could be staying together in my tiny apartment over in 10 and I'd still be just as happy."

He's had money before, taken it for granted, spent it, lost it. He's also spent his time being impoverished, having to scrape up a Woolong here an a Woolong there just to survive. Of course he prefers the first; he's not stupid. But there's merit in the lessons of the second and now... now he knows how to live either way.

And he knows what's important and while money makes things easier to get, it's never been a goal of his to amass a lot of it. He's only ever wanted as much as he needed in order to survive.

Just as it looks like Luce is about to come over and pay them a visit, a parade of dogs come in from the other room. Horatio and Apolline take their usual places on either side of the bedroom door and Jethro, curious about everything, sniffs out every nook and cranny.

"Poor kitty. Getting interrupted by all those big dogs. That's not nice of them now is it?" She makes a little pouty face and gets ready to stand up when she thinks of something.

"Does Luce like being held and picked up?"

If the cat doesn't then she won't do either of those. The last thing she wants to do is insult the queen of the apartment. Especially such a pretty one. But the poor thing got interrupted by the dogs so she deserves a little bit of attention after that.

"Luce loves being petted." She's one of those cats who adores, adores, adores Lestat: sits on and near him, winds around his legs, and would probably sleep on him if she was allowed in the bedroom but that honor's saved for Katan. "Come here, sweet thing. Say hi to Abby."

As if it's her own idea, the grey cat stretches, licks a front paw, yawns, looks around, and moves over to them, winding deftly around the furniture until she's near them. She jumps up, walks across his lap, and sniffs Abby's hand.

"I think you're passing the test." Her fur is so sleek that he can't resist petting her as she goes by.

"You're so pretty. Just look at you." Petting the cat, she smiles as she keeps letting Luce sniff her. She's never seen a cat like this one. No wonder she's called a queen. Luce totally deserves the title.

"Those silly dogs just get in your way sometimes, don't they?"

Like she's getting an answer, the cat looks up at her and lets out a little noise. She's just too dignified for a real 'meow' right now.

"You keep them in line though. This is your house."

"I'm not sure who was first, but it doesn't matter. She is in charge." He strokes her fur again; she arches that feline back and hops down, saunters off to her favorite chair, and curls up in it.

"Jethro doesn't seem to be bothered by her at all."

Maybe he just hasn't noticed her yet. Watt still hasn't come down from the bookcase.

Jethro is off exploring the area under the piano. This is his first time seeing one. It must be really strange for him. And it's really funny to watch him. He's most definitely a curious puppy.

"Who knows. He's so silly sometimes." Like now, trying to figure out when the piano got above him.

"Does Watt like high places?"

"Luce might be the queen of the house, but Watt's the king of high places. He usually rides on my shoulders when we're in here." Really, he is the tallest ride a cat could have; he's even taller than Lestat although it doesn't often seem like he is. But from a cat's perspective he supposes the extra two inches makes enough of a difference.

A glance over at the bedroom door shows Horatio sleeping on his side. Apolline's got her head on her paws, one eye open: she's a watchful dog.

"So I have to ask you. Were there any surprises about this place? Anything that screams out a vampire lives here loud and clear?" She hasn't seen the bedroom; the coffin in there would probably do it but that's so rarely used any more. Claustrophobic as he is, he's glad although if Lestat decided he wanted to sleep in there again, he'd defer to those wishes. "Because I think it's a pretty normal place, all things considered."

"Nope. But it did show me that Lestat lives here. No doubts about it. It just screams his name when you look around. You only need to look through the door to see it. Even the rooms he doesn't use a lot have his touch. And it's all a work in progress too. Like he'll never be done changing things. Adding them. Taking them away. It's classically modern. It completely suits him."

But, she doesn't think anyone would realize a vampire lives here. They'd realize someone rich did but a vampire? No. Lestat completely breaks the mold for what the image of a vampire lair should be. Actually, she'd be surprised if it did look like a vampire lived here. That wouldn't be like Lestat.

He loves to tell the world he's a vampire while acting nothing like the classic image of one.

"I like it here."

Over time, the place will take on some of his own personality too but he's only been here a few days. That will take its time.

"Wait till I bring my pictures over. I haven't decided where they're going to go yet. Some of them might go out here or in the sitting room. Others will go in the bedroom. That's the only room, really, that shows anything out of the ordinary. The no windows bit... that's kind of a dead giveaway. And the locks and bolts on the doors." Even the doors from this room to their bedroom have locks and he carries that key with him all the time.

He smiles at Abby, shrugging off those other thoughts. "I'm glad you like it. Come over any time... as long as it's not first thing in the morning unless there's an emergency. We keep pretty late hours, but anything after about one should be okay."

"No stopping by before work. Yes, sir!" He gets one of her biggest smiles. Gren asked and therefore she'll obey. She will always listen to him. He's earned that from here since she interacts with him the most. And no one else gets that position now that he's filled it.

If Gibbs ever shows up though, that position is going to be shared. That's just how it works. Will work. She'll make sure of that.

And probably tell them both. She can't keep a secret from either of them.

"So, you're not going to do a picture wall? Like the one you have at your place?"

For as long as he's lived on his own, he's had one of those. "Oh, yeah, I will. Like I said, there are some in the bedroom already. You know those ones you took at the club early on? I had them framed, gave them to Lestat for his birthday. I just haven't figured out where to put my other pictures yet. And now that I have my own camera, I'm walking trouble. You never know where I might turn up with it."

He thinks he'll take some of Jethro and put them down low near where the dogs eat. They deserve their own picture wall, don't they?

"I will give that place up eventually. I'm not even sure why I'm keeping it now, except I feel like I have to. For a little while longer." It's something to do with autonomy and independence and having a place near to Julia.

People ought to stop leaving this place. He walked past Faye's old apartment the other day and the door was open so he stepped inside and it didn't feel like her at all.

It's so weird.

"Why not just keep it and make it into something else? Like a music studio. Sure, you have the music room here but you could set up your place to be somewhere you can record things. Or anything else. It'll be great."

She wouldn't mind helping wire that place. Set-up the technology. Hey, she's got spare time.

"Ask Lestat for ideas. You're a sentimentalist. Maybe there's a way you can keep the old place for something else and live here. Isn't there?"

Once again, she's ever the optimist.

"I can't afford that."

That's the simple truth: Lux doesn't overpay its musicians. He earns enough for rent and food and clothing and maybe, if he's careful, has enough left over for a few little luxuries beyond that. "When I stop paying rent there, I'll pay it here."

One of these days he'll even have that discussion with Lestat.

"But it's a nice idea." The last thing he wants is to ask Lestat to incur more debt on his behalf. He's always prided himself on his self-sufficiency and just because Lestat has money doesn't mean he feels any differently about it.

He's not a kept man. He did his time as someone else's property and has absolutely no desire to go back to anything like that.

"I never said you could. I just said you should do that." She's just checking. "And you do realize that Lestat probably won't want to accept your money for rent here, right?"

She's not sure Lestat even knows how much he's spending on this place. He seems like the kind of person to have a ton of money and just throw it away without thinking about it. That would explain a lot of the things he has here.

The look he gives Abby is pretty shrewd: she's making some assumptions and he's not so sure they're fair ones. "Well, any discussion of household finances is between me and Lestat."

If he isn't allowed to pay rent -- a distinct possibility -- he'll find another way to make things even; it's what he does, not that Abby has any reason to know about that. Besides, it isn't her business.

"But in the meantime, it's a really nice idea to fantasize over. And do you really sleep in a coffin?" He's not so sure why anyone would do that by choice. Then again, he has a very healthy dislike of enclosed spaces.

"Yep. I do. It's really comfortable in there. I slept in one back home too." Not something many would do but she wasn't like many people.

"I do sleep one beds too. Actually, I can sleep anywhere. I've even slept on the floor of my lab bed and in a bathtub before."

All true facts.

Log, Completed

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