#(meme).

          ❛             i dinna ken what y' mean.            ❜          jamie's answer was curt , clipped , fixing john with a hard stare through shaggy bangs as he leaned back in his seat , hands comfortably folded along his stomach. he knew the look. he saw it reflected daily in john's face , a look of absolute devotion , of a love that had only grown since ardsmuir. he knew his wasn't as glistening , as desperately hopeful , but he'd be lying to himself if he didn't acknowledge his own feelings , as complex as they were. john had given him back his life , or well , a version of it. freedom , a luxury he never thought he'd have again.

yet here he was , appearing late at night at his print shop , up to some business in town , but his first stop had to be jamie. blue eyes fall , frustrated as he stared at the well used chessboard resting between them , plucking at a stray cloth fragment at the hem of his vest , weathering it beneath his thumbnail as he chewed at his inner cheek.          ❛             your move , milord.            ❜          he murmured , lifting his gaze to peer at the other man through his lashes. it was easier to deflect , to hide. no half living , broken version of himself would be worthy of anybody , john gray included.

a slurred giggle escaped amos's jaws before he had the chance to attempt seriousness , twisting on his heel to face the vampire with blown pupils & glitter sewn curls.          ❛             how humble of you !            ❜          the immortal shouted over the music , the base seeping into his bones & reverberating through his core. this particular club was packed , everyone rolling on something , or like amos , a lot. it should be shameful , admitting that being this high was one of the only ways amos could combat his grief. you'd think after centuries , the loss of a loved one would fade. if anything , that emptiness only seemed to grow.

amos blinked against the harsh lights of the dance floor , the man before him wavering in & out of vibrant colors , so fluid it was hard for the oracle to discern what was strobe or aura. a wave of chilly unease arched through him , as it always did beneath the sharp gaze of a vampire , but his neck rolled to the side instead with a crack , ignoring the warning of danger to arch himself closer with a wide grin.          ❛             hey .. holy shit , i do know you , don't i ?            ❜          his brain was a jumbled haze , but he recognized lestat. not from the set he'd done at the concert venue a few days ago , but from decades prior.

amos's occult shop in new orleans had long since shut its doors , but back in the 1920s it had been thriving. they'd crossed paths many times , though amos vaguely recalled lestat having two people by his side back then. here , he was alone. time had a horrible way of robbing you , didn't it ? amos blinked & swayed on his heels , the room going muffled as the dj moved to change the next set of songs , leaving the immortal to shake a bump onto his thumb & inhale with a groan , returning his attention toward the vampire with a dimpled grin & flushed cheeks.          ❛             word .. word of warning. i told you back then , too , but my .. blood tastes fucking awful. i wouldn't try it.            ❜          

          ❛             a hilarious deduction coming from you.            ❜          although his words were barbed , his grin was not. while toothy & dangerous , it was genuine as it spread across the vampire's lips as he leaned back , heaving a soft chuckle as he polished off the rest of his wine.new orleans had yet to be unkind to him , considering how many trips aro had taken to the states over the years. once crawling with vampires at the peak of its conception , it had wound down to a rare scattered few. imagine his surprise , however , after learning there was a vampire owned business in the french quarter , & one of the faces amidst the crowd was familiar. he hadn't seen lestat in years , mind you , but what were a few decades to an immortal.

          ❛             what is it with new - age vampires & their incessant need to pretend to be human ?            ❜          aro's voice dripped with disdain , not necessarily at lestat , turning in his seat to peer through the sea of patrons to hunt for a vein to open. the wine had gone stale on his tongue , he needed something stronger.          ❛             owning a public business , living in public housing .. it's like you're all attempting to put down roots that can never actually grow.            ❜           ah , he was talking about carlisle again. although lestat & louis's situation did have it's parallels. dark eyes flickered with amusement as they returned to the other vampire , twisting the stem of his glass as a frown touched the corners of his mouth.          ❛             how do you deal with the inevitable boredom ?            ❜          

                   ❛            it's a two headed guzzark , gus , & yes , they can hear you.            ❜              remind me why i was permanently sanctioned to babysitting duty ? wrangling a toddler was one thing , keeping shawn & gus in line was something else entirely. at least this particular offworld market was entertaining enough to keep them busy , though i'd already lost shawn in the crowd. hopefully mina had an eye on him , or maybe even a leash.

those leashed children in theme parks didn't really make sense to me until now. i threw the other human a glance , a small grin curling at the edges of my jaws.                   ❛            honestly , it's nice having you guys around , awkwardness with meens aside. i can't really remember the last time i spent time with another human without it being weird. you two just make it funny.            ❜              taking gus by the shoulder , i steered him carefully away from the stall we were standing at , leaving the duel headed creature to peer after us as we continued to walk.

                   ❛            am i ? oh yeah , would you look at that. huh.            ❜              my chin tipped to glance down at the front of my shirt , well , his shirt , wiping a finger pointedly across the new chocolate pudding stain etched along the fabric , popping the sugary goodness between my lips before throwing another quick glance back toward my friend , brows inched toward my hairline.

                   ❛            i look good , right ? i got a date tonight. all my clothes were dirty , & i knew you'd have one that fit me , you beautiful , cocoa headed fashion savant !            ❜               i knew gus would hate that i was wearing this shirt , especially since this was his favorite one , so to soften the blow i stretched forward in my seat with a fresh bowl of chocolate pudding , wiggling it in front of him with a beaming smile.

            ❛            i didn't ask or convince any of you to stay with me.            ❜          i murmured gently , rolling my lips together in a tight line. mari's distance & betrayal hurt the most , i think. she'd believed in me so viciously , so genuinely , that her disconnect from who she'd been back during the prior winter openly stung my hubris. i thought we'd been friends , i thought we'd been closer than that. but now all i felt were her scathing stares & equally biting jabs , something that sent the wilderness rolling beneath my skin with annoyance. it was angry with her , & that worried me.

            ❛            mari , you don't have to believe me. i wish you did still , but i understand things have been hard on everyone , i just .. i couldn't go back. i belong here. maybe rescue can come again , i don't know , i just know kodiak wasn't genuine , neither was the one i killed.            ❜          it was about protection , it was always about protection. my gaze was soft & sad as i studied her expression carefully , before closing my eyes & turning my face away , tipping it upward toward the sky to feel the soft flurry of snow against my cheeks.