Last time on the VC's
@symphonyofmalice
@leroilestat
Lestat x Nicolas
It was even odds whether Nicolas let himself be stopped, or physically shoved Lestat out of the way. The mental coin toss fell in Lestat's favor. Nicolas stood like a mannequin and let the violin be taken from his hand.
"Nothing happened!" he snapped in response to Lestat's earnest question. That was what he found so damn infuriating about it. No one had harmed him, no one had threatened him, and he'd spun wildly out of control. What could he or anyone do to prevent that? "I'm mad, Lestat. It is not the nature of madness to be rational." There was nowhere he could go, nothing anyone could do that would make him sane.
But Lestat had asked, so after a huff of a sigh, Nicolas explained what happened anyway. Maybe then Lestat would understand just how pointless all his efforts to help would be. "I was reading in the library. If the door made a sound when Louis came in, or if he spoke, I didn't hear it. All Louis did was put a hand on my arm to get my attention. And-"
Nicolas threw his hands in the air, exasperated. "It was like being possessed. I went hot, and then cold in a flash. My mouth was sour. I swear to you I could smell the scent of deep earth, dank, cloying, everywhere. Apparently, I started weeping at Louis' feet, begging him to let me go. If he answered, I could not make out the words. Everything just sounded like mumbles and whispers at the edge of my hearing. I wasn't seeing him. I wasn't seeing the library. Absolutely nothing was holding me and yet I had the absolute conviction of being trapped."
Even just talking about it made an echo of the fear rise like a tangled knot in his throat. "No one did anything to harm me, and yet I started shaking and raving. What am I to do with that?"
Lestat stood extremely still. The words Nicolas had thrown at him still hanging in the air. When he finally spoke, his voice was measured as though each word had to be chosen carefully he knew the risk breaking something fragile between them. “You escaped,” he said slowly. “You didn’t die, Nicolas, you lived through all of it. Do you understand what that means? You are a survivor.”
He took a step forward, his expression raw now. “You think I don’t see it? That twitch in your hand when someone moves too quickly, the way your eyes flick to the light like it’s a threat. That’s not madness. That’s survival branded into your skin.”
His voice softened, almost a whisper. “The earth you smelled, the darkness, that was your mind dragging you back to your trauma. You think it was Louis that frightened you? No, it was the suddenness of touch. Your body reacting to trauma.”
Lestat drew a long breath to steady himself before continuing his eyes never leaving Nicolas. “I don’t know how you escaped or survived all these years. I don’t know what force pulled you away when every law of nature said you should be gone but you did. That means you are bound to this world whether you want it or not.”
He hesitated his voice was uncertain. “I can’t fix what was taken from you, Nicki. Maybe you’ll never forgive me for everything. I know I am part of the reason for so many of the wrong things that have happened in your life. But if you stay, if you let me try, I can at least make sure the next time you feel this trauma you are safe. Maybe Fareed can help you with this? He is a vampire physician. It is up to you what you do. I do not want you fleeing here because of this.”
"You can go if you wish but Louis has dealt with me all these years. He will not think less of you. He is probably concerned that he caused you unintentional pain."
