tampered | Log; Incomplete

"Oh yeah. I'm great at being a knight on a white horse. If I'd known that, I would have brought my trusty sax case. It comes in handy fending off all sorts of unsavory characters." Grinning now, he leans over and presses a quick kiss to Lestat's face. Just to shake things up. Just in case anyone's watching.

Just because.

And mostly, just to surprise Lestat.

"So what does she look like? Who are we looking for? Or... no, wait. She probably knows you anyway." Smug in the knowledge that others might know one of the single most notorious vampires around but he's the one who gets to have Lestat, he lets the smile grow on his face. This tour, such as it is, should be fun.

"Don't do anything too evil. I don't want to have to hurt you."

It's so nice when things are all in good fun.

The fountain is one of the few pieces Tara can find her way to easily. She shows up promptly at the scheduled hour, her hair piled on top of her head and a long skirt sweeping around her legs.

And she's armed. Despite Dawn and Buffy's okay, Tara wasn't going out at night, with a vampire, even a one all souley, and not bringing some stakes and some serious mojo with her.

She spotted Lestat -- he really was Lestat, that was disturbing -- and the guy who had to be his so-called soldier with him, and she hurried up to meet them.

With slightly pouty lips, he sighs. "It is your job to be the angel. Mine is to be the devil." Then he laughs as he rises upon hearing the approaching footsteps.

Smiling at Tara, it could only be her, he walks over to her.

"Why, Tara. You are a ravishing young woman. You neglected to mention that. I feel hurt." He laughs again as he waves for Gren to come over. There is no need to frighten the girl or anything like that.

Let's see, if she's a friend of Dawn and Buffy then it is entirely possible that she's armed. And knowing how Buffy handles vampires, it is with stakes. How cute. A stake to the heart can't kill him. Though, it will hurt some. Anyways, that doesn't bother him and he is busy seeing what flirting with her will do.

"However, I will survive now that you have provided us with your beautiful presence."

His boyfriend is such a flirt. It's one reason he loves him and he watches for a minute, amused, before saying anything.

"Hi, Tara. I'm Gren, and don't mind Lestat. He can't help himself." Reaching forward, he shakes her hand. "Really, though, he doesn't bite unless you really make him mad."

(It had to be said.)

"It's really nice to meet you. How long have you been here at the City?"

All of Lestat's sweettalking is met with a sidelong 'sorry, no dice' look from the witch. "Sorry I kept you waiting." The words are polite, but there's a definite edge under them. Almost as if she's trying to tell him that she's taken. Or interested in the opposite gender. Hey, a lot of things might get Tara shy and stammery, but flirtatious men weren't one of them.

Besides, when she paused to really take him in -- well, the hair was pretty incredible and the clothes were beyond comment, but he wasn't really any cuter than Spike or Angel. And she didn't trust him nearly as much. Which was why she was armed. A stake might not do too much, but a big ball of witched sunlight? They'd find out if he gave her reason.

She turned to Gren and smiled. "Hi. You must be the escort he promised me. It's nice to meet you."

And, so saying, because she was feeling playful and turning over this new leaf (Get your feet under yourself, young lady!) she slipped her arm into his. If that didn't put a stitch right into Lestat's side, nothing would. "Uhm. Since the zombies, but I've been hiding."

The look just makes him smile. He's seen it before so it doesn't bother him. Little does really. Still, his brow rises at her taking Gren's arm. She's an intriguing character already. One who doesn't trust him at all. And oh if she only knew the relationship he had with Gren. It might be something he mentions later. For now, he doesn't say anything. Besides, it is entirely possible that his lover will end up revealing it himself.

Instead, buttons up his black jacket over his emerald green shirt. Modern day suits were stunning. Especially when the pants were jeans instead of slacks. And since the cold doesn't bother him so he can get away with the light jacket and no proper coat.

"For the most part, we hid during the zombie incident. However, we love the night sky so much that we spend as much time seeing it as possible. Freedom with the stars."

At first when he feels the little arm slip through his wants to stop, surprised: he almost pulls back but decides not to. They can play this Lestat's way for now and he's happy to do so. Shrugging off the situation (at least inside), he nods. "It's a great night for a tour. A little bit cold, but you're probably the safest girl in the City right now, seeing as how you've got both of us looking out for you." He pats her arm before letting that hand fall to his other side, closer to Lestat.

"So tell us what you've seen so far so we don't bore you. Unless either of you already have a route in mind." Even as he offers that up they move away from the fountain and into the Square. Standing around isn't going to get them anywhere.

The fact that Lestat's speaking in plurals does tip her off, and so does Gren's reaction. Besides, it's not like she isn't used to picking up on these sorts of signals.

"Just a few places." Quickly, she listed off the milkshake and coffee places she'd gone with Dawn and Tosh, and the bar where she'd been hired this afternoon.

"Otherwise I'm completely at your mercy."

"Cassagioso? The place owned by Kimblee? How interesting." Especially with what he knew about the man. And the many threats the man had given him during the months he'd been here. One would think he'd learn to stop poking at the man. On the other hand, Kimblee was such a joy to rile up.

Brushing his hand against Gren's he nods ahead of them.

"I think we should start by showing her where you work, Gren. Since that is one of your favorite places in the City."

"Okay." Lestat might be content with that minimal contact but he's not: he reaches over and gives his partner's hand a squeeze. They get at least that much right now. And then he turns his attention back to Tara. "That zombie thing was a lousy time to make an entry into this City. I'm glad that one's over. At least it was okay to go out during the day. We have three dogs and they were pretty relieved about that part. Some of us had a little bit of cabin fever."

He nods now across the Square, away from the fountain. "We're going to start at Lux. It's a jazz club on the other side of the square and that's where I work. I'm a musician by trade, when I'm not being a tour guide to lovely newcomers. Tenor sax, specifically, and jazz almost exclusively."

Okay, okay, fine, they win. She laughs and lets Gren free, giving him a tiny push towards Lestat.

"I think I pretty much stayed inside once I got there, even during the day. Some experiences just don't need to be repeated."

She cocked her head a little, listening to the description of Lux. It was too early to be making judgments, but it almost sounded like somewhere she'd rather be working then with Kimblee. Just their meeting this afternoon and he made her skin crawl a little.

Rather than think about it, she asked, "How long have you been playing?"

He knows the answer to that question. However, he'll let Gren answer since that is where it was directed. But, since she was so kind as to give Gren that push towards him, he snakes his arm around his waist and presses a quick kiss to his lips. As if they're waiting for him. Well, as far as he is concerned, they always are.

There is one thing he'll add before Gren answers though.

"Be mindful of Kimblee. He can have a rather...explosive personality." The same can go for his hands.

He doesn't know Kimblee and has nothing to say about that; he doesn't even feel too much like a ping-pong ball going back and forth between Lestat and Tara. But now that things have been made clear, he's perfectly happy to have Lestat's arm around his waist. He's a performer and an entertainer, but it's Lestat who's the actor. Let him be one: it suits his lover to a tee.

"Be mindful of most people you meet here." That's good enough advice for anyone. He would have said the same thing about Ishiah and about Niko. And about himself and Lestat and Faye and Julia, for that matter. People merit mindfulness.

"And you wanted to know how long I've been playing? Sax for... twenty-one years. Tenor for seventeen. And piano even longer, although I'm nowhere near as good at piano as Lestat." He might as well give credit where it's due, and again, he knows Lestat could probably pick up his saxophone and play beautifully.

He's glad that hasn't happened. No one's immune to pride and vanity.

"Lux is a beautiful club, though. I haven't met a person yet who really doesn't like it there. I'll buy you a drink."

She looks away a little bit when they kiss, a blush staining her cheeks. It's not that she particularly minds the affection, but watching it -- and their obvious adoration for each other -- makes her miss Willow.

"I'll keep it in mind," she murmurs, looking instead at the City as they pass through it.

"Twenty-one years, huh?" She smiles a little, daring a peek back at them. "So not so much a soldier, then, huh?"

It is so tempting to read Tara's mind to find out where that blush comes from. He resists temptation in favor of enjoying the conversation. She clearly has more trust for Gren.

He will have to learn more about her.

"Gren's love is music. He is also very talented at it too."

That makes him smile out loud. "Thanks." He leans against Lestat for a minute, but there's another question on the table and he can answer that one. "I took a detour. Joined the Martian army. Did anyone mention to you that's where I'm from? And the year 2071?"

Maybe not; he wouldn't be surprised. "But yeah, I took a few years off for my tour of duty. Fought in the war on Titan, which may or may not mean anything to you."

"Means nothing," she confessed. "We're not so much about the space travel where I'm from, if that's the Martian you mean."

It was good that Lestat didn't try to read her mind. That would blow any chance for their getting along, the way she was right now. After Glory -- no one touched her mind. It was her place.

"In his time, he lived on Mars for a time. As well as a couple moons if I recall." He leaves Pluto out of the conversation. As if it never existed. Conveniently forgetting something is a talent by now.

Listening for a moment, he memorizes Tara's footsteps. Gren's he already knows and to human ears he doesn't back a single sound.

"Not that it matters to me what the future is. I'd rather not return home to face it. I prefer this place."

He'd like his future to be here too. If he was going to go around being confessional and admitting things, he'd tell the both of them that he's a little worried that he didn't have any visions of the future in that curse the other day. He won't complain about not being affected by a City curse and he was hit by plenty of them this past month. It's no secret that he's always liked to know at least a little bit about what's in store.

At least he can be cheerful about it now. "I prefer this place too. And yeah, that's the type of Martian I mean. Everyone thinks we ought to be little green men, right?" Instead, they get 6'2" of mixed-heritage black-haired blue-eyed sax-playing vampire-loving very private man, who happens to be delighted enough to be playing tour guide to a girl afraid of one of the sweetest men -- vampire or not -- she might ever meet. It would be amusing if it wasn't so amusing.

"So what do you do back home, and what is it you'll be doing at Cassagioso?" He hasn't been in there -- yet -- because he made the decision to go to Lux in about his second or third week in the City, despite other offers.

She wasn't afraid of Lestat. So far she was really just equal parts annoyed and amused by him. She just wasn't going out alone with any vampire down any dark alleys, especially whose fame was second only to Dracula. Who, as it turned out, was also here.

"At home, I'm still a student. I've got an on-campus work study, but otherwise I don't do much of anything." Now isn't going to be the time to mention witchcraft of any sort. "As I understand it, Cassagioso requires a bartender and secretary. Mr. Kimblee was nice enough to hire me even though I've got no experience."

He can't help himself. He starts laughing at the mention of 'Mr. Kimblee' being nice. Not after his experiences with the man. And not after how he's seen the man interact with the darker crowds of the City. Soon, he sobers and looks around Gren at Tara.

"You will have to forgive me but I never thought I would hear the words 'Mr. Kimblee was nice'. It was more than a little amusing to say the least." And with all this talk about that man, he would have to make sure to speak to him again the next time he saw an entry up.

It's interesting, he thinks, how people establish and move in their own social circles so easily and almost exclusively. When he got here he found Julia and Faye and that was a comfort. It had been a long time since he'd seen Julia, of course, and for him he'd see Faye the night before he arrived. But for Faye it had been two years, and things were different and slowly, it seems, they grew more and more apart... if they were ever actually closer. He liked her on Callisto. He liked her a lot, more than anyone since Julia. But here she had her own set of... things, her own circle of friends, and that's all right. He's got his now too, after eight months. He's been here not quite a third as long as he was in Blue Crow.

How lucky he is.

"I'll have to meet Kimblee sometime." If he tugs at Lestat's arm, it's certainly not to get him to be quiet about anything. People have told him over the years that he's generous in his opinions on others and if Lestat's more astute than he is, he'll listen; he values his partner's opinions even while he forms his own.

"So, Tara. At home you're a student. College, I assume?" She did say on-campus. "What kinds of things are you studying?" As they continue walking, he points out the nearby landmarks: the flower shop where he got his first house plants ("they help quiet the clock's ticking, but only a little"), the Rune shop, the bakery. After all, this is supposed to be a City tour.

"I didn't say he was nice," she muttered. In fact, the man had seemed kind of oily when they were together earlier. "Just that he hired me."

Honestly, though, as annoying as Lestat is, she thinks she agrees with him about Kimblee. Putting it from her mind, she turns to Gren.

"Women's Studies, with an emphasis on the occult." She looked around at everything he pointed out, thankful she hadn't had to deal with the ticking yet. The apartment was far too full for her to ever be alone.

Curiosity is an overwhelming thing. And he often gives into it. Tilting his head to the side, he thinks about what Tara said for a moment. Then he comes up with a couple questions.

"I wish to ask you something." Looking straight ahead and recalling his days of sneaking around college campuses, he continues. "What is it like going to college? And one more thing, what is that subject about? Women's Studies."

Humans never cease to amaze him. Never is there a time when he doesn't wish to know more about them.

Whether they like him or not doesn't matter at all.

Lestat's questions are good ones and they make him smile, mostly to himself. He knows what Women's Studies are; growing up the only child of a single mom made that pretty inevitable. But he'll let Tara answer for herself.

He does, however, reach for Lestat's hand. There's no reason he can't be a perfectly good tour guide and give his favorite person a little attention too.

"And while you're answering, Tara, I'd like to know what branch of Women's Studies emphasizes the occult. That's a combination I haven't heard of before, and it's intriguing." He's got his suspicions about what she'll say, but he'll never put words in someone else's mouth.

"Women and their interactions with society, both historical and contemporary." She answers almost offhand, she's so used to that question. She can still hear her father, 'you'd put hundreds of people at risk just to read a few plays'.

"Occult means hocus-pocus, but it also just means mysterious," she explained. "It's really just a study of the perception of women in history. In most cultures, almost as far back as you go you'll find cautionary tales about giving women power. Strong women are characterized as witches, or vengeful goddesses, or seductresses."

That answers one question. "And what is college like? I never really went to school. Basically everything educational I learned came to me after I became a vampire. The little schooling I had as a child was stolen from me so I often wonder what it is like. Particularly during the modern age."

Holding Gren's hand in his own, he places his free hand in his pocket.

Sometimes when he hears Lestat talk about his childhood, he feels so sad for him. It makes any problems he might have had absolutely pale in comparison. There's no real point in feeling sad over it, but he's soft and sentimental and if he could, he'd go back in time and take the pain away.

Then again, maybe he wouldn't. It might change what he has now, and that would be really sad.

As they make their way past the pub, he shrugs. "Occult also means hidden." It's just one of those things, one of those little bits of trivia that sticks with a person. He must have picked it up from a book somewhere. Maybe during his prison days. He seems to remember -- sometimes -- reading a lot, but he'd be hard pressed to say a single book title as one he'd read, at least not with any confidence.

He never went to college either. During those years, he was too busy playing music and falling in and out of what he thought was love. It's such a relief to really know what that's like now. His fingers tighten on Lestat's hand.

She laughs, her eyes darting over to him. "I like mysterious. It just sounds better."

She shrugs a little. She was home schooled as a child with her cousins and siblings -- the family liked to keep to itself, she was told. She had no idea, in those days.

"School is really just stressful. I mean, it's great with the libraries and the people..." She quashed another thought of Willow, "but sometimes it feels like they forget about the really big things." Like saving the world from vampires and demons.

"People often forget about the really big things. That is why those things remain hidden in the shadows. Completely unnoticed for centuries on end. In my world, I believe that is why the Talamasca was formed. What they will do now without their Superior General now is another story."

They are most likely very displeased with him for taking David away from them. However, he was not going to watch David fade away with old age. After the body switch his body was young and he intended to make sure it never died.

Whether David wanted that or not.

It doesn't matter now. The man isn't even here.

Tattoo parlor, fire house: all the City landmarks get a nod as they go by. He doesn't know what the Talamasca is but if he keeps reading Lestat's books he knows he'll find out.

There's so much more to learn.

"I think school's supposed to be stressful. It's a test." Like the Army was for him, or some of those auditions he went on when he was young and green and nowhere near polished on saxophone.

"And a lot always remains in the shadows. But then there are people like Lestat who like to shed light on them. I happen to think that makes the world a much brighter place, but I guess not everyone agrees."

He's biased and he knows it, but he makes no apology.

"You're totally biased," she informed him. "I've known you for what, twenty seconds, and I can tell that."

So basically it's all a big circle. Fine, she can deal with that. In fact, there are worse layouts.

"You've got the skinny on me, so now my turn. How long have you been here?"

Yes, Gren is biased. That fact always amuses him. It's as if he can do no wrong. A fact that is far from true but it is cute all the same. And cute is the perfect word for the matter.

"I will assume you directed that at us both and say that I have been here a little over ten months."

And a fascinating ten months they have been. They even gave him an all too human lover. Something he doesn't mind at all and greatly enjoys.

"Just shy of eight months." And almost half of that's been spent with this gorgeous creature at his side, and he wouldn't trade that away for anything. Not even getting his life back.

"It takes a while to get used to the cadence of this place, but it definitely has its own rhythm." Everything does. Everything has music if you listen to it hard enough. Even the City clock: it's a never-ending metronome, counting time for everything else that goes on in its confines.

"The place is kind of fascinating. I assume we're just doing a tour of the above-ground tonight, right?"

The underground's a whole different ball of wax.

"Underground is bad, right?" She's gathered that much in the week she's been hiding.

"I think we should just stay above ground tonight."

She shakes her head, though. She can't imagine being here that long; she's got things to do at home.

"That would have been my suggestion. Unless you have some knowledge of how to bring light down there, I am the one who would have to guide us at this time of night." Humming under his breath, he seemingly vanishes from Gren's side for a moment or two. When he returns he has a flower in his hand. From the cut, it's clearly from the flower shop but he doesn't let that bother him as he takes Gren's hand again.

Smelling the rose, he smiles. Roses do have an interesting scent. With one hand, he carefully knocks all of the thorns off then hands it to Gren.

A red rose.

If he remembers correctly, it means love.

Where did he...

Oh! He ought to be used to the surprises by now and this deserves attention: he takes the rose and threads it through a buttonhole on his jacket.

"Excuse me for just a minute, Tara."

He touches his fingertip to the bridge of his nose like he's got an itch. Lestat de Lioncourt, you're something else. I love you and I don't care who knows it.

Leaning forward, he gives Lestat a quick kiss. "Thank you."

There's a smile on his face that he can't quiet as he turns back to Tara. "See? He's really a force to be reckoned with." He can smell the rose's scent from here: it's beautiful. "And you probably have us all figured out, don't you."

Tara just shakes her head and looks to the side, letting them have their moment. She doesn't want to intrude and it's beautiful that they're so in love. Really.

Even if roses are European interlopers choking out the natural fauna. Give her real, overflowing fields of wildflowers anyday.

She conjures a tiny ball of light in her hand and tosses it into the air for when they start moving again -- after all, Lestat's reminded them that it's dark -- and smiles at Gren a little shyly. "Maybe a little."

That rose looks as if it belongs there. Nodding his approval, he opens his mouth to say something when he sees the light. He blinks a few times in surprise. After all, so little surprises him anymore. Though, Gren seems to have a talent for it.

"That is impressive." He studies the light for a moment or three.

"Would I be able to touch it?"

What the...

He watches Lestat watch the sudden ball of light: it must be okay because his favorite vampire doesn't seem the least bit hesitant about it.

It's really pretty.

"It won't hurt him, will it?"

"It will feel weird, but it won't hurt." She floats it over to them, an offering. She's very glad to have the focus turned away from them as a couple again.

Still, Gren's obvious concern for his lover is touching, and she smiles a little bit at him.

Even if she had told him that it would cause him harm, he still might have touched it. Since it will not, all the better. Reaching out, he uses one finger to gently poke at it. That 'weird' feeling is there but he only smiles in response to it.

"How did you do this? I've never seen anyone do something like this before."

And that is a fact.

So this is some kind of magic, up close and personal: he's only been privy to the magic or skills or whatever he wants to call it that Lestat has shared. Reaching forward, he touches it too: it feels almost like jelly.

It can't hurt him. He's already dead.

Sometimes, that's small comfort. He turns to Tara: he probably won't understand the how in her answer but he'd like to hear it anyway. And once he does he'll show her his own brand of magic by taking them into Lux.

He loves it there and that's magic enough for him.

Tara just shrugs helplessly. Witch lights are something she's always been good at.

"I can make them dangerous if the situation demands it. But otherwise, they're just useful instead of stumbling around in the dark. It's a spell," she clarifies. "Herbs, an incantation -- when you get really comfortable with a spell, you can shorthand it. I cast this one a lot.."

"A spell." Touching it again, he shakes his head. "That is a power I most certainly do not have. In fact, I don't think any vampires from my world do. Ah well, shall we continue?"

Not that he blames him. He loves that place as well. Of course, he loves it more when Gren is playing there but that is alright.

"I think Gren might be a little eager to show you Lux."

"Just another pit stop on the grand tour."

He really does love the club, though, and misses the hummingbirds more than he sometimes admits. They were like little flying jewels, but they belonged to Ishiah and it's fitting that they're gone along with him. And really, he's still getting to know Niko.

It's a slow process.

Stepping in under the awning, he gestures toward the stage through the darkness.

"The scene of the crime. That's my second home." He doesn't lead them over there, though, but toward the bar instead. "And I'll make good on that drink offer from earlier if you want something, Tara."

Lestat's drink will come later.

She smiled, shaking her head, and the light danced in the air. "No, Gren, I'd love to see where you work. And hear you play."

She's more than happy enough to be led through the bar, though she douses the flame before it can draw attention from anyone around them.

"Just tea is fine, if you've got some."

He, of course, asks for nothing. The one thing offered to his kind here is something he doesn't like. Cold blood and rewarmed blood are just vile. The only cold blood he's really enjoyed is Gren's. And the reason behind that is because it is dead blood and intoxicating.

"I have smelled tea here." Seen it consumed as well. Lux served a variety of drinks from what he had seen in the past.

"Anyways, come on Saturdays and he has a solo gig. Just him and his saxophone on that stage."

"It sounds so lonely when you say it that way. Two cups of tea, please." The bartenders here all know him; that's what happens when you work at a place as much as he works here. He takes just a moment to sniff in the scent of that rose; it makes him happy in a way he really can't begin to define. He's such a sucker for Lestat.

"But yeah, come back on Saturday. We usually have a pretty decent crowd. It makes for a nice mellow evening, and there's not a lot of trouble here as a rule. In fact..." He glances at Lestat. "I don't remember there ever really being any trouble here on a Saturday. Even on a curse day."

Just utterly careless trouble of his own making back when Ishiah ran the place, but then Vicious was banned from the club, so nothing came of it. "It's a pretty friendly crowd."

His friends are some of the best people in this whole City.

Log; Incomplete

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