the lioness

Claudia Pointe du Lioncourt ❝daughter of the roaring lion and the tranquil waters.❞

[adollforever]

Tomorrow Is Another Day | Louis & Claudia

[peaceonlyindeath]

"Where would we be without it?" Louis’s smile grew wider as he continued to slip to different drawings in the book. They were all drawn extremely well, almost life-like in their appearance. "I’m sure you and the songbird would blow the minds of everyone with your tune. Do you think the Walpole pet store has them? I’ve only ever seen cats and dogs and fish and things." 

[adollforever]

"I really can't say. I've never been there before." Claudia had never had a reason to stop by the pet store. For years, she had been under the assumption that Lestat had outlawed any type of pets. When he'd presented her with a kitten, Claudia nearly thought he was joking. "I'm sure they have some type of bird. If not here, perhaps a city nearby. New Orleans I would assume has some place to buy songbirds. They have a place for nearly everything else."

[adollforever]

Tomorrow Is Another Day | Louis & Claudia

[peaceonlyindeath]

"A good point. Still won’t stop the curious minds from wondering though. Everyone in the world wants an explanation as to where they came from, where they are going, whether or not they are going to be remembered. I think we just need to hope for the best, don’t you?" Louis gave her a small smile, returning his glance to the page before him. "It is beautiful. Perhaps we should, a little songbird dressed in bright colors. I think it’d be lovely."

[adollforever]

"Yes." Her voice trailed off as she pondered on what he had just said. Hope. Without it, Claudia would have given up on this caricature of a family years ago. "We all need hope. In something." She gave him a smile in return, nodding her head in agreement. "A songbird would be wonderful. I can play for it. It'll be the most talented little songbird in the South." Claudia figured it would give Louis some distraction as well, and they both needed a bit more of that nowadays.

[adollforever]

Tomorrow Is Another Day | Louis & Claudia

[peaceonlyindeath]

"Our kind is something difficult to graps even with the proof in front of another’s face. I don’t know if anyone will ever be able to explain how our kind came about." One of his fingers absentmindedly twirled one of the long strands of blonde hair that trailed down Claudia’s back, twisting and spinning, careful not to tug. He pointed to one on the top corner, an accurate drawing of a finch. "I believe this is the bird Darwin studied so dearly. Beautiful."

[adollforever]

"Maybe we're not meant to be explained. Sometimes things are better left as mysteries. Makes them more intriguing." Claudia grinned at him before turning back to the album. The twirling of her hair was something that she found he did often, whether or not he knew he was doing it. Claudia didn't mind; it comforted her. She followed his pointing finger to a particularly lovely drawing. "Oh, it's marvelous. Look how small it is." She turned to him again, eyes widened. "Louis, we should get a little bird. To keep and love." Claudia would have to make sure Satine stayed away from it.

[adollforever]

Tomorrow Is Another Day | Louis & Claudia

[peaceonlyindeath]

Louis raised ana eyebrow at her stifled laughter, biting his bottom lip to keep from giggling. “Galapagos. Like the tortoise, yes, or the finches. Charles Darwin traveled there and quote end quote discovered evolution. Supposedly a very beautiful place, filled with life and sunshine.” He smiled softly, pushing back the abrupt comment, Of course we’ll never be able to experience it. He nodded to Claudia’s comment, flipping back to the page filled with different birds. “They are beautiful pieces.”

[adollforever]

"I'm certain Darwin never imagined anything like our kind in his evolution theories." Claudia gave a short laugh. Life and sunshine. Two things Claudia could never grasp. She was alive, in some bizarre way. It would never be the same, though. Claudia watched him flip the pages, scanning the page with the drawings of various birds. She always had a soft spot for sketches. At Pointe du Lac, she had notebooks filled with them. The thought of the house caused her to frown momentarily. She wondered if she would ever be comfortable entering that room again. "They are. Simply wonderful."

[tv-lestat]

Lestat spoke casually to one of the saleswomen while the other helped Claudia with her dresses of choice. He nodded to each selection, giving silent approval, and seemed modestly receptive to the hopeless flirtations the woman was giving him; he was actually barely paying attention. The dresses weren’t what he would have chosen himself, but that was hardly the point. Lestat followed Claudia to the dressing rooms and stretched out on one of the couches, all of his attention on her even though the saleswoman, “Gloria”, was speaking to him. “Take your time, my dear.” 

[adollforever]

She was used to people fussing over her. In Europe, Lestat would have her gowns specially made for her. She would endure hours of women with thick accents spatting back and forth with each other over measurements and colors. Claudia had ended up feeding from several of them, much to Lestat's displeasure. She remained calm while the saleswomen helped her into the different gowns. Each time, she would walk out into the main area and let him see. Claudia knew he was probably screaming in his head at her choices. She walked out, wearing a Versace one shouldered purple dress with a tight fitting bodice. As she caught her reflection in the mirror, she couldn't help but smile. "I think this is the one."

[adollforever]

Tomorrow Is Another Day | Louis & Claudia

[peaceonlyindeath]

Louis gave her a grateful smile, pulling her closer to him. Burying his face in her hair, he allowed himself to frown. He didn’t want Claudia to be so concerned about him, not when he didn’t deserve it. She had much larger things to worry and think about than his wretched love life. “Thank you.” He pulled away slightly to look at the book he was carrying. “Er. The Study of Botany in the Galapagos Islands. Interesting little thing, many hand drawn examples of the plants they speak about.”

[adollforever]

Claudia lay her head on his shoulder, scanning the album. Louis had a tendency to pick out the oddest things in a library. She had to stifle laughter. It wouldn't be appropriate at a time like this. "Galapagos," she repeated, as though she were just learning the word for the first time. "The tortoise comes to mind whenever I heard that word." Claudia wondered what it would be like on an island. Their kind wouldn't find much enjoyment from it, since people normally visited islands for the brilliant sunshine. "Someone spent a lot of time with these drawings. They're very detailed."

[tv-lestat]

It wasn’t unusual for Lestat to request that the shops be closed to all but himself but Claudia. It was a request that was always granted to him, with only the most subtle bending of will. He liked to avoid pushing the minds of mortals; it was much more fun, more of a challenge, to gain confidence in the traditional way. He watched as Claudia levitated toward the red dress, his eyebrows lifting, but then he only shrugged his shoulders. “It would certainly make a statement, wouldn’t it.” Lestat didn’t say this as though it would be a negative thing - he was careful to avoid interfering, even though he always had a lot to say in the past. 

[adollforever]

This was bizarre. Not having Lestat complain about dresses. The red dress was obviously quite form fitting, the kind he tended to complain the most about. In the past, Claudia would snap at him, telling him she didn't have any curves to worry over anyways. The memory caused her to bite her bottom lip for a moment, but she quickly recovered, moving to another rack. Considering every dress in the store was quite mature for her physical age, she decided to just shrug it off. Lestat had picked this store knowing what type of dresses they sold. One of the saleswomen came over, and Claudia pointed out which dresses she'd like to try on first. As they walked towards the dressing room, Claudia called over her shoulder. "Make yourself comfortable!"

[adollforever]

Tomorrow Is Another Day | Louis & Claudia

[peaceonlyindeath]

He closed his eyes for a moment, biting his bottom lip and nodding his head. “Okay. Thank you.” He squeezed her hand gently, trying to block the emotion from seeping into himself. The last thing Claudia needed was for him to become emotional and dump out all his troubles onto her. He was just happy that she didn’t hate him, although he could tell she was still irritated with what had happened. Louis couldn’t blamed her. He wouldn’t have blamed her if she wanted to leave him be and have peace with herself. He pressed a kiss to her temple, giving her a small smile. “Just stay with me. For a while.”

[adollforever]

"Of course. As long as you need me to." Claudia smiled at him, a soft smile riddled with concern. Louis always went through his melancholic stages. It wasn't anything new. Claudia had dealt with years and years of it, and she always managed to make him feel better with a joke or a laugh. This time - this time was different. She could see just how broken he was. Claudia felt like collapsing onto the floor. When Louis hurt, she hurt. Her eyes fell to the floor, her features distorted in pain. Claudia wasn't sure they'd ever be able to fully recover from this, but she prayed to whatever god that might be listening that it would. She lifted her head once again, her features once again relaxed. "What's that you're looking at?" she asked, nodding towards the album.

[tv-lestat]

It was simple for him to trust Claudia’s sense of style, even though she had picked clothing that was too mature for her physical age in the past. At this point, none of that seemed to matter. If Claudia wanted to pick her own dress for the opera, then he wasn’t going to stop her from doing it her own way and on her own terms. “I promise.” Lestat smirked at her good-naturedly, reaching over to brush a strand of hair away from her face. 

[adollforever]

She didn't flinch from this touch like she normally did after arguments. Instead, she returned his smirk with a soft smile. Clothes had the uncanny ability to drag Claudia out of any harsh mood. She believed herself to be spoiled, but there wasn't much she could do about it after seven decades. Being the natural charmer he was, Lestat had convinced the staff to stay past closing especially for them. Claudia had the entire store to herself. Her blue eyes scanned the room eagerly, and she spotted a particularly beautiful red dress in the corner. Practically bouncing over towards it, she ran her slender fingers over the fabric. With a furrowed brow, she turned back to him. "Red would be a bit too startling for Il Muto, don't you agree?"

[adollforever]

Tomorrow Is Another Day | Louis & Claudia

[peaceonlyindeath]

Louis almost never visited the Walpole public library. He much prefered reading books that he owned himself, but the books he had at the Rue Royale and the Pointe de Lac were currently untouchable. He could faintly sense another person in the library, but opted against seeing who it was. Instead, he pulled a large album from the shelf, flipping through the pages without really taking in what the words were. He had been so distracted lately, spending time wandering about or a few hours in Prospero’s home. Nights were spent sitting in awkward silence with Lestat on the bench. It was unnerving, seeing the blonde be silent, but Louis surmised that speaking would only bring more arguments.

He almost startled when he felt a pressure land on his lap, peeking down to see a familiar head of blonde hair. Claudia. He tentatively brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and spoke softly. “Please forgive me.”

[adollforever]

"I forgive you, Louis. I'll always forgive you." Her voice was nearly as hushed as his. The two of them always managed to find themselves alone in rooms filled with books. Especially after arguments. That was a trait of Louis' that had rubbed off on her over the decades. She was still annoyed with him. With both of them. Claudia knew Louis didn't need her scolding at the moment, though. She lifted her head slowly, taking in his features. His green eyes, normally calm and stoic, were glazed over with pain and worry. It nearly killed her to look at him in this state. Claudia took his hand, holding it gently in hers. "What can I do, dearest?"

[tv-lestat]

Lestat took Claudia to the nicest shops in New Orleans, most of them clustered together on Royale Street. It provided a pleasant distraction from everything that had been happening for the past few weeks. His mood was pleasant enough, even as he remained quieter than usual. “Anything you want, my dear. There is no limit.”

[adollforever]

She was a bit wary of the sudden shopping trip. Lestat had taken her hundreds of times in the past, but things had been happier then. Now she wondered if it was more for his sake than hers. Either way, Claudia decided to try and make the best of the evening. One eyebrow raised inquisitively at his comment. "Anything?" Claudia was dumbfounded for a moment since Lestat usually made such a fuss over her choice in clothing. "And you promise not to object?"

[adollforever]

Tomorrow Is Another Day | Louis & Claudia

Blonde hair fell over the pages of the book she'd read more times than she'd ever be able to count. Claudia wasn't even reading it. She just let her icy blue eyes scan the pages, picking out phrases and bits of dialogue. She felt like Scarlett. Torn between two men, different as night and day. If only she could feel as strong as her ebony-haired, fiery hero. Scarlett wasn't much older than Claudia's physical age at the beginning of the novel, interestingly enough. As she flipped through the pages, she heard movement a few stacks over. Instantly, she was on alert. Claudia vowed never to be caught off guard again. Not after that night. Slowly, she stood, setting the book down on a shelf. With movements silent as a cat, she walked through Walpole Public Library. The presence felt familiar. She crept into the reading area, which contained a large number of over-sized chairs and tables. Claudia saw him before he noticed her. His head was hung, but it was unmistakable the figure who sat across the room from her. A frown formed on her face, and she debated speaking. Instead, she walked over to him, silently. Once she reached his chair, Claudia knelt beside it, laying her head in his lap. She remained quiet, content with just being near him, thankful he was still hanging around this godforsaken town.

[tv-lestat]

Chrysanthemums || Claudia & Lestat

[tv-lestat]

He took note of the small changes in Claudia, whatever he could see, and tried not to feel frustrated that her mind was shut tight against him. The tension was obvious, but Lestat made no secret of how closely he looked her over, his eyes narrowed with an emotion that was impossible to read. It aggravated him that she was so ambiguous - a mystery, perhaps even to Louis, who never seemed to know much more than he did, but Lestat made a point never to ask. It was impossible to truly know Claudia; he had accepted that fact long ago, but the reality could be unnerving. The few days they had been apart was the longest he had ever gone without seeing her. Even when they fought… even when Claudia did not see him, there was always that time when she fell asleep and when he did, when he could look in on her if he wanted. After the attack, Lestat had the impulse to check on Claudia every night - now that he couldn’t, it seemed imperative to be certain she was still perfectly safe. 

The question made his brow furrow. He thought of the small note left on top of her coffin in that dainty, perfect cursive and drew in his breath slowly, then exhaled on a soft, humorless laugh. “I did, my dear. I wish you had come to me first.” There was no reprimand in his voice; it was quiet and matter of fact. “You didn’t tell me where you’d gone. I was worried about you.” Lestat automatically assumed that Louis and Claudia were together - it seemed to be their natural state, after all, and he forced himself not to ask the burning question that was thinly veiled by equally important concerns. “It isn’t safe for you to be on your own.” He meant when hunting, of course. “Not right now. Not after what happened. Come back to the Rue Royale. I will leave, if you wish to be away from me - but I know that you would both be protected there.” 

[adollforever]

Her gaze left the river and focused ahead of her. A few late night joggers passed, and Claudia's eyes briefly followed them as they ran by. She then looked at him for the first time tonight. Really looked at him. He looked no different than any other time she'd seen him. Yet, there was something different about his manner. The way he held himself. It was almost as if he were - tired. Though their kind didn't tire like humans, Claudia could tell all the events had caught up to him. As they should have. They were all guilty in some way for what had happened. Whether Lestat took credit for his mistakes, she'd never know. He wasn't exactly the type that reveled in admitting he was wrong. Claudia crossed her arms in front of her, redirecting her sight straight in front of her. Her brow was furrowed slightly as she walked alongside him. "Would it have made any difference if I had come to you first? I would have left either way. It seemed fitting that I didn't bother you with it. Seeing as you have enough on your plate at the present moment."

Her voice sounded strange to her. The usual chipper quality was gone. At least when she wasn't hunting. She half expected to reach up and feel wrinkles. Instead, she turned her head slightly. "I know." That was all she said for a few moments. Claudia held her head high, chin upturned, letting the small summer breeze ruffle her hair. If anyone were to spot them, they would surely be taken aback by how frighteningly lovely they appeared, walking alongside each other like two golden angels. Though neither of them had ever been angelic in their entire lifetimes. Claudia knew little of Lestat's past, but she was certain angelic was a term never used for him. She knew she was taking a risk being out alone. If anything like the abduction happened again, Claudia wasn't sure she'd recover from it. She was already a shell of her former self. Another attack would rip her apart completely. Claudia sighed, closing her eyes. "Fine. I'll return. Whether or not I want you around, I haven't decided yet." If Lestat was around, there was always a chance Louis would return. And Lestat was right. She would be protected. 

[fanningsistersdaily]

[tv-lestat]

Chrysanthemums || Claudia & Lestat

It wasn’t difficult to find her. Lestat knew Claudia’s habits, her preferences, and he knew where she liked to hunt even though they rarely went together anymore. He had finally killed, deliciously, especially after going so long without, although had done so for the simple purpose of being able to go out on the street without attracting a lot of attention. He’d taken just enough blood to look human, but his eyes still caught strange glints in the streetlights. 

As Claudia walked by the river, Lestat fell in step beside her, as though it were the most natural thing to do and there was nothing strange about it at all. He walked in silence, his expression calm and unreadable. The letter she had left for him was still safely folded away, hidden in his jacket, but he did not intend to discuss it. All Lestat wanted was to simply… be in her presence. After not laying eyes on Claudia in days, it felt exceedingly important to see for himself that she was still safe. What happened with the other vampires had left them all changed. Not that Lestat doubted Louis’ abilities, but he knew his strength was nowhere near his own. It didn’t matter that no danger remained - no, it was the unnerving realization that he would have no idea if anything were to happen… Claudia’s kidnapping had completely blindsided him. Lestat hated that it could easily happen again, especially now that they were both out of his reach in every way.

[adollforever]

As he came up beside her, Claudia's jaw clenched. Had this been weeks ago, she would have lashed out at him, screaming, perhaps slashing his face again. Or worse. Damn fool. He was too stupid to see what was unfolding right in front of his eyes. Claudia glanced at him briefly, frowning. Lestat had a youthful quality about it. Even though their kind retained a younger appearance once they were turned, Lestat appeared younger. Claudia guessed he wasn't very old when he'd been turned. Late teens or early 20's. Perhaps that was why he acted like he did. Men seemed to mature much slower, and sometimes they didn't mature at all. Claudia was much younger than him, both in physical age and true age, and she could act more adult than he at times. She hadn't seen Louis in several nights. Though she was worried, Claudia knew he was fine. If something had happened to Louis, she would know. She was honestly surprised Lestat waited this long to come find her.

It was times like this she hated not sharing his ability. She'd asked him so many times over the decades why she couldn't read thoughts. He'd always respond that the Dark Gift was different for each of them. Claudia figured there was more to it, but she knew she wouldn't get answers out of him. Lestat told people only what he wanted them to know. They walked alongside each other in silence, Claudia's blonde hair curling perfectly around her shoulders. Father and daughter. Both too stubborn to say something to the other. Claudia sighed, small white fangs peeking out over her rosy lips. She wasn't looking forward to a silent walk. "I assume you found my note." Her voice was low, yet she refused to look at him. Instead, she turned her head towards the river, watching the small ripples in the water and thought of Louis.

[adollforever]

To Father,

I used to think you wise. Not nearly as wise as Louis, but wise still. Now, I am not sure. You blatantly disrespect those you apparently hold dearest to you. Am I missing something, Father? Is this how families work? After all, I know nothing of family aside from you and Louis. Are you that much of a masochist? You know I can hurt you. Are you asking me, begging me to again? I don't think I have the strength to. That alone should comfort you. You'll wonder if that was a threat. It was. I'm just as mad at Louis as I am with you. That should also comfort you. Knowing that my rage is not merely directed at you. Why, Father? Why? Are we not enough for you anymore? Have you grown tired of us? I feel as though I'm repeating myself. And I am. Because you repeat yourself. I will not tire myself over this any longer. Whatever is the problem between you and Louis is yours and yours alone. I will remain out of love for Louis and some strange affection for you.

Stop this. Louis doesn't deserve this. Granted, he keeps things to himself. He's not vocal. Perhaps if he was, things wouldn't have gotten this bad. But they have. And you must stop. If not for him, for me. Your daughter. Your ma chérie. I don't want to watch my family fall apart. I'm helpless. And a lioness should never be helpless.

[adollforever]

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