#* roseguided .

a small chuckle escaped from louis' lips as he sat opposite from daniel molloy . the sentiment was appreciated ㅤ─ ㅤthe man before him worried about his safety just as much as louis worried about his . but as they sat there , now both immortal and never ending , he could not help but feel as if he was underserving of such concerns ; LOUIS HAD FAILED TO PROTECT DANIEL ( even though , selfishly , he was satisfied by the idea that he'd be able to enjoy the man's company for many more years to come ) . he did not expect to leave unscathed from the book's publishing . " i'm fine , daniel . " he softly reassured him . " being alone can be a good thing . "

he watches armand rise from his chair with a smile on his lips and cannot help but let his eyes follow the man until he's out the door . he takes notice of how he only places one of his hands in his pants' pockets and how he doesn't really look at anyone while walking through the café . he notices how good his profile looks under the dim lights and how bright his eyes really are . claudia takes notice of him taking notice . and slowly he turns his head back to face her . louis purses his lips , already regretting the transparency of his affections for the coven's maître .

he sits inside an empty gallery room and , though he can feel claudia's presence there ( his daughter , his sister , his only family ) louis du pointe du lac's eyes never pull away from the painting before him . he's been visiting it every night since the younger vampire announced her desire to part ways with him and paris ㅤ─ ㅤ friedrich's frau vor untergehender sonne was illuminated by the bright white light of his flashlight . and though many critics had described it as a work reflecting hope and peace , staring at it filled louis with an overwhelming sense of melancholy .

the woman which stood there , alone and open armed , welcomed the end of the day : basked in the last rays of light provided by an orange setting sun and , though it couldn't possibly be her , louis saw claudia there . alone , fierce , filled with a wanderlust which no longer included him ( couldn't include him , not after everything he had done ㅤ─ ㅤ everything he had failed to do ) .

claudia sat on the bench next to him now and they both remained in silence , watching that woman who celebrated the death of the morning with grace and poise . louis suddenly felt as if it was unbearable to keep his gaze off the floor . HE HAD DOOMED CLAUDIA , he knew this now . never would he see her basking in the same light that painting so beautifully depicted ... but perhaps , if he could give her the one thing she wanted , if he could offer her the companionship she ached for , if he could just let her go ... then maybe she'd find light in other places ; IN STRANGER , MORE BEAUTIFUL PLACES .

he had been invited inside clarice starling's home . this was a ritual she needn't to perform : work colleagues so often were kept in the limbo between family and business ㅤ( doctor lecter had been more than happy to play within the limits that his role dictated )ㅤ that having agent starling insist hannibal let her cook him dinner felt extremely personalㅤ ---ㅤ they were friendly before but to share a meal together bound them in ways that clarice would not understand until it was far too late .

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤhannibal sat at the table , waiting for his host to join him , and took in agent starling's home . dark eyes analysed every picture , every book , the forgotten clutters of chaos ㅤ( bic pens, bobby pins, a business card with someone's number written down ) ㅤand lecter could not help but feel content there . he smelled evian skin cream in the air , l'air du temps perfume and dark mud . had clarice been exploring ? had she been following his scent through the wilderness of wolftrap just like hannibal had been following hers ?

his eyes fell upon the cutlery ㅤ---ㅤ cheap ; swedish stainless steel . his index finger tested the sharpness of the knife and fantasised about what agent starling would do if she found out about the MAN BENEATH THE VEIL . would she weep ? would she curse him ? would she be vengeful and terrible like he had been ? the corners of his lips curled at the thought . for a brief moment he yearned for a future in which their friendship would be violently ruptured by the truth . hannibal wished clarice could see him for what he really was .