he was composed, which was strange, provided that louis de pointe du lac had been frenetic for a week now. when he’d been... out of the galaxy... he’d buried himself in a bottle again, in an effort to remind himself that he was still human. and now? now, louis had come to the realization that... anything was possible. he would find answers. but those would come. he was doing his own independent research (until he could find lestat again... the one who had turned everything upside down), albeit through his job. at the other in the library, louis offered, “i’ll be there to assist you shortly.” he closed the book he’d been flipping through -- a history of vampire-lore -- and went to the other, though he kept the book clutched in his hand. “sorry for the delay. looking for anything in particular?”

“Please excuse me, I’m looking for a vase that someone said they found? It had a piece missing and I was to repair it and take it back to the museum?” Honestly, Ariel wasn’t too sure if she was in the correct location but from the address she knew she was relatively in the correct area.

she couldn’t remember ever being so FURIOUS before. just when she thought she was away... and to try and forget EVERYTHING, her past had to come back and haunt her. was the universe trying to TEST her? he was here. her MURDERER was here. that TRAITOROUS SNAKE. she wanted to make him pay for what he did to her. alcohol wasn’t the best form of comfort sometimes, and this night was the one time that it wasn’t helping. she felt her feet take her out of lux, her fingers pressing the bridge of her nose for a moment, trying to clear her senses and to calm down, but she could already feel the presence of another. “what ya looking at?”

he was growing frustrated with the absence of dani. he’d waited long enough. been patient. hadn’t he earned it? he’d brought the härga their may queen; it had been the highest honor imaginable in his village, and yet... he was here. he’d felt so blessed. he’d found her. they’d started a life together. and then... this. this separation. it was killing him. pelle, still, tried to be strong. he’d begun to construct a home, digging the earth to create a place underground as he’d seen the other homes, trusting that once he was done, dani would arrive. he heard someone in the area and so, from his place, he called out, “please, you will hand me the shovel over there?” his was worn and dull and needed to be resharpened; he’d spent too many hours here already.

“Well, it’s not everyday someone finds interest in my ship. At least not while it’s still in for repairs.” Aeryn announced from the docking bay. She was sitting on the platform, cleaning a piece of the ship. Usually she’d have the mechanics down taking care of it, but she’d learned a lot over the years. Well that and she was running off of so many credits. “Can I help you with something?”

jace couldn’t risk getting out of shape. if this was some test from the institute, or maybe something the seelies had done, he needed to be focused and alert. of course... jace had no idea who he could trust in this world. and how could he? as far as jace was concerned, everyone was an enemy. still... no better way to stay sharp. he stopped someone, then, pressing, “you ever do any sparring? hand-to-hand or otherwise?”

it wasn’t the first time that arthur had woken up in a strange place, but it was no less alarming. arthur wasn’t entirely clear on the hows, but those were rarely important. arthur was far more concerned with the what nows. he was prepared for anything, his military training making him bold, and he couldn’t help himself from stopping the other on the street. better to appear to be a fool than to risk the lives of civilians. “be careful,” he urged. “we don’t know who’s out there. maybe you should stay indoors while i figure this out.”

louis was alone. or so he assumed. but his senses, since his memory was flooding in, had been sharper somehow, strange adjustments to his body that seemed foreign almost, so when another was in his vicinity, he became distinctly aware. and there was something else. something baser. and it terrified louis to his very core. “please don’t come nearer,” he said, voice a near-terrified warning. “stay where you are. i don’t know what will happen if you don’t.”