[ Lestat deeply considers giving in to his own instinct to change the subject or pretend he didn't hear her and shut off the camera — she'd get a taste of her own medicine and probably be too exhausted to redial him — but something makes him pause, studying her closely. She'd shared her truth (kind of) to reassure him, hadn't she? ]

Louis was targeted last night, too. He's alright, he's recovering.

[ His mouth twists; choosing his words carefully is apparently taking considerable effort. ]

I'm frustrated with myself. I took Louis home and I did not think for even a moment about what happened to the creature, even though I left it in quite the state once I was finished. I saw an opportunity to get Louis to safety and I took it.

[ Guilt is so uncommon on his face that he almost looks recognisable experiencing it, though the anger simmering beneath it is familiar. ]

I don't know how many it hurt after I left.