On the Cusp (Interview With The Vampire Fanfic)

I

Lestat's companion was a little taller than him and thinner, no such muscle on his body that Élodie's brother had. He was a slender man with dark hair that barely touched down on the collar of his green frock coat, his hair gently curling away from his face—not quite long enough to adorn the ribbon to tie his hair at the base of his neck like Lestat sometimes wore in his hair. His eyes were an iridescent green, sometimes reflecting off the light of a candle, looking much like the eyes of a cat at night.

Lestat was on the prowl, scanning the occupants of the tavern for the right meal for the beginning of the night. He offered kind smiles to those he caught the eye of and he humoured a few of the women, reaching out and kissing the back of their hands before sending them off. His companion beside him didn't look too happy with my brother's company and he looked to be refusing to look or speak to him.

I rose from my seat, gently kicking the chair out from the table. I was dressed similarly to my brother and his companion, except rather than blue or green, I wore a velvet maroon frock coat with breeches of the same material and colour. Dressed like a man as I was, I never bothered to conceal the womanly curves that were hidden poorly in men's clothing that were otherwise accentuated in women's dresses.

And so I made my way towards the stairs, letting my steps embody the clumsiness of the lesser-keen species, letting my body find its human weight. I received a few looks from the mortals around me who recognised the unnatural womanly curves of someone who seemed to be a pretty man. My breasts and hips seemed to jut out from the straightness of the frock coat and vest, and the breeches curved around my hips, stretching the straight velvet material slightly.

But the looks I received were brief. Perhaps only so because the patrons who noticed were drunk. Perhaps their drunken minds conjured up the curves of the soft-faced male walking past them. Was the confusion because of what I really was? Or was it from the many drinks of ale and spirits they had guzzled down through the night? Whichever it was, they were too drunk to care and their attention was quickly swallowed up by something else.

Lestat and his companion had taken the table on the ground floor amidst the dirt and grime of the inebriated mortals. A barmaid was quick to come to their table with two flagons of beer, setting the mortal beverage on their table and giving them a flirtatious smile. The mortal woman couldn't see their faces all that well with her weak mortal eyes in the weak candlelight that was throughout the tavern. She only saw their expensive dress, and that was all she really cared about. They were rich, they may tip well.

Lestat leant over to say something to his friend, speaking softly into his ear, using a hushed tone that only his companion could hear. My keener ears couldn't pick up on what he said with how far away I was from them. Of course, I could have picked it from their minds, but then I would have made my presence known to Lestat if I did. I didn't want to do that right away. I wanted to continue to watch them as I strode over. I wanted to surprise my brother whom I had missed so dearly.

There was a playful look in my brother's eyes as he eyed a mortal woman almost predatorily. His companion glanced at the lone female with a detached expression, but there was a strange loathing in his eyes. For what, I questioned. For Lestat? For the woman? The situation and circumstances? His situation and circumstances?

I was curious, and his mind I could pick through without being caught. Lestat couldn't read his mind and his companion wasn't yet strong enough to read the minds of anyone. I could slip into his thoughts and find out all that I needed to know. I could learn everything about this man and his time with my brother in a matter of minutes and no one would know but me. I was free to do whatever I wanted with this man and both men would be none the wiser.

"You disgust me," the man seethed to Lestat, his lips curling back ever so slightly. "I will not sit by and allow you to do this!"

Lestat rolled his eyes, "Oh, Louis. Louis, Louis, Louis." His tone was sad almost, the last iteration of the name was breathy as if he had sighed. "You should not feel for the woman. She is no better than us."