? Cat and MouseDisclaimers: Don't own these vampires, Anne Rice does. I make no money off of this. Spoilers: Queen of the Damned Warnings: none David turned the tall glass over in his hands, watching the light reflect off of the wine inside. He sighed in fond remembrance of the taste of that liquid, of the smooth slide down his throat and the wonderful light-headed sensation afterward. There were very few things he missed about being mortal, and being able to indulge his love of fine wine was one of them. "Hi, there, stranger," came a silky feminine voice. "All alone?" David smiled before he turned. There was another thing he missed. Sex, ah, wonderful sexual intercourse, how it had ruled his life as a young man. Not that he had been a sex-crazed beast, but all boys tend to have those needs and desires. And now even that most primal, basic urge was gone. Yes, there was a variant that vampires indulged in...but that wasn't the same. Not worse, no, but not better, either...just different. "Alone enough," he answered smoothly. "A shame I spent all of my money earlier tonight, or else I would offer you a drink." The pretty prostitute's smile faded quickly. He didn't take offense. She had judged him a rich hit, what with his dark suit and the expensive glass in his hand, and truth was he did have several thousands on him. But he didn't fancy women...no, scratch that. He didn't fancy mortals. "Oh, sorry, I think I see my date now," she said lamely, at least offering a feeble excuse. It was more than some gave. She pranced off in her high heels to another table, one with an executive and a laptop. David sighed and looked back at the white wine swirling around. So nice to be alone once in awhile. Lestat could be such a handful at times that no one in the coven could stand him, save for Louis, whom everyone was starting to see as a martyr to blind love. Poor little Louis, patiently bearing it all while Lestat zipped him off from concert to concert. I shouldn't have left him so quickly, David thought to himself. He has such a hard time keeping a hold on that brat, he could have used my help...no. He was fine on his own. He enjoys being picked up and forced to dance, it's the only time he will dance. I would only get in the way. Why must eternity be so boring? As he was thinking, he felt a faint yet familiar buzz in the back of his mind. It was a fleeting touch at most, gone before it was truly there, but he knew it instantly. He laughed grimly and put his wine down, tossing his payment with it on the table. Without any second thoughts, he stood up and turned, looking into the farthest corner of the restaurant. There he was, still as neat and trim as ever. He had a cane now, and likely needed it to get around. His hair was grayer and coarse, but at least it was there. He would have seemed less like the proper English gentleman, somehow. Fear rose up in him as he realized he'd been spotted, and he put his notes together hastily. David smiled and walked boldly over, sitting down at the man's table. "Aaron Lightner, I presume?" Aaron blinked in surprise. "I'm sorry," he said, trying to recollect himself. "You have me at a disadvantage, sir. I do not know who you are." The vampire felt a little disappointed in his old friend. "Well, the elders say we're not to speak with you Talamasca," he teased. "You know the elder vampires?" Aaron asked, revealing his eagerness. "I had no idea..." "You thought you were merely watching a youngster at his evening routine?" David smiled. He reached over and took the notes, a little satisfied when Aaron drew back in awe at how fast he'd moved. David skimmed the notes, amused when he read that he was a relative of David Talbot, and now a wealthy heir to the estate. "You'll find I'm very difficult to keep track of," he commented, handing the notes back. "You might as well put those notes in the Talbot and Reeves files and lock them away in the basement storehouse." Aaron narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "How do you know about that?" "You watchers are not as aloof as you would like to think. You are more involved than you would like to think. But then, you could ask the Mayfairs about that, couldn't you?" Aaron leaned back and grasped his cane, wondering if he should make a polite escape. "Who are you really?" David glanced at his watch. "Look at that, it will be dawn in a few hours. I really must be going. Nice speaking with you." He got up and moved away. "David, wait!" He shouldn't have, he knew that. If he'd had a little more experience, he wouldn't have. And if he'd had just a bit more self-restraint, he would have kept on walking. But he was a fledgling, despite sixty mortal years, and eternity would never be able to give him this opportunity again. So he turned back and smiled at Aaron. "I'm sorry, who?" Aaron stared at him for a minute. "Was it worth it, David?" "I don't know this David person, but if you mean the Dark Gift, yes, very much so." He took another step towards the door. "Can't you tell me anything more?" Aaron pleaded. "About the coven, about each individual member, the rules, past adventures...?" "I see why the elders say not to speak to you," David sighed sadly. "The temptation to play cat and mouse is simply too great. And I see why no one in the Talamasca ever is allowed to observe vampires. None of you is experienced enough." Watching what was potentially his inside scoop on the coven just start to waltz out of his life was too much for Aaron to bear. He stamped his cane on the floor, upset that the vampire who may well have been his past friend was ignoring him. "Damn it, David, you are still Talamasca, even if you do have fangs! You still have an obligation to the order!" David paused again, considering. The lure of his past life, the familiar comforts and faces he'd had before, his life's work...he frowned. That life-draining work, mind numbing fact collecting that made no difference, except to fill up some dusty shelf, and then join the dust in the communal graveyard. He looked back at Aaron. "Have you ever hunted a tiger?" he asked softly. Disconcerted at the subject change, Aaron answered as if he expected a trick question from the vampire. "You know I did, back when there were thousands of them and it wasn't illegal." "You came behind it," David continued, "kept your gun up at the ready, in case it charged. Your hired men were all far behind you, save for the guide who had his own gun out. Your adrenaline surged, you heard the roar and watched the grass fly, and then you fired. And then you had a nice tiger rug." "Yes, so?" Aaron asked. David smiled. "That is the difference between you and I, Aaron." "What difference?" the mortal scoffed. "I know you, David, I'm sure of it. And I know you hunted tigers as well." The vampire nodded. "Yes, when I was mortal. But I am no longer human, Aaron. I do not need a gun. And I do not hunt tigers. With the Dark Gift I became the tiger. All my past life was stripped away, and I instead had claws and fangs and reflexes and youth and agility and power...A tiger's stripes go down into its skin." He smiled at the human. "I have no past obligations. A tiger lives in a savage garden. A human lives in a molded library, until it is time to return to dust." Aaron's eyes seemed to lose their light, as if he had come to terms with something he had struggled with for a long time. "David..." "Yes?" "...is dead," Aaron kept going, without paying attention to David. "Isn't he?" Yes, the cat and mouse game is simply too much fun to not play. I'll have to stop scolding Lestat for it. David smiled and glanced at the door. Time to go. "I really must be off. The elders would scold me for speaking with you this long. Enjoy the wine, it's rather excellent here." "How could you turn your back on the observation?" Aaron suddenly asked. Good grief, was I as intent on my scholarly work as he was? David wondered. No wonder Lestat forced me over, he couldn't stand me otherwise. "I will tell you one thing," he conceded. "It is more fun being observed in action, than merely observing action. Farewell." This time he did not let himself be drawn back with words. He walked down the street, wondering if he hadn't committed a serious blunder by speaking to the Talamascan. He could ask Louis about it, if he had the time. The End
