laquered cabinets, leather seats, smoke pervading the enclosed space, lestat dazzles despite the conditions. “ oh, les taquineries, teasing, ” repeats, savors, amuses himself with the shape of the words in each language. the rockstar does take the hand, finally, pulling it to his chest in a theatric movement. he flops back against the lounge, boots braced on the opposite seat. pupils blown wide, chin tilts up as he takes a drag from a cigarette and envelopes armand into the smoke. “ i absolutely almost died, ” emphatic, hand gesturing wildly to punctuate. “ spiritually. artistically. possibly medically. the video has over a million views. “ he'll continue to dance around it, avoiding the ‘ can’t seem to die because i am simply too powerful now and i've never felt worse ' aspect of this fantastical reality. an abyss impossible to name, seul l’impossible peut faire l’impossible, lestat simply refuses to recollect it long enough to consider it worthy of a name. “ i've spent a lot of time creating a disaster and surviving it just to prove that i could. ” voice drops into a delightfully drug——fueled, relaxed register. “ and —— ” beckoning the cherub's attention, “ and you love this thing that i do. don’t lie. you loved me as an actor first. ” another drag, this time it's from a vape. sweet, metallic. " but fine. you’re teasing. i’m high. we’re on my bus. i lived.” He bumps his forehead lightly against armand’s shoulder, laughing again in a way that threatens the ear drums of mortals and positively aggravates immortals. “ call it a draw before i decide to die properly just to spite you. ” he is high, and armand is here, and it is okay, but it's really not.
