━ wouldn't know.

She didn't even have /one/ before. Now, she has two.

"Want my advice?" She asked, bluntly. "Maybe start with an apology. Or an explanation. Or both."

━ was asked on many things. But things like family structure? Well, Claudia hadn't ever been consulted on that.

Her thoughts and feelings were confined to her diary.

━ extremely pleased with herself and was, in fact, smirking.

When Lestat stopped walking, she skidded to a stop herself, looking at him with furrowed brows. She only looked more confused when he asked his question.

"Are you askin' me my opinion on your love life?"

Her opinion ━

Really? She wasn't trying to set her maker up for failure. It was better for her when they were happy.

But no matter the outcome, this would keep them both nice and distracted for a long time. She would get whatever she wanted for however long that lasted.

All of that was to say: Claudia was ━

━ not a fledgling anymore, she could resist it for one day.

Her eyes landed on the fireplace, then flickered back up to him.

Yeah, there's something strange about this man.

"No. That's all. Thank you."

"Claudia."

Once the curtains were closed, she was more willing to move freely. While her request was strange, she figured that it would be even stranger to hide in a shadowy corner until sunset.

Of course, there would be the issue of the natural urge to rest during daylight hours. But she's ━

━ a good look at him. I have a big appetite." As she said that, she playfully snapped at him.

"You wanna start pickin' my meals for me?" She asked with a laugh, raising an eyebrow.

In reality, she was only teasing. She wasn't sure how he would react if she actually killed someone at his word. Especially if he told her to do it while drunk.

"I'd have to get ━

//I've had this picture saved for a while! 😭😭😭

━ freezing in place, taking in the place with wide eyes.

When she eventually shook herself out of it, she shrugged off her coat. She wasn't going to track snow everywhere.

"No, thank you. I'm fine. But... Any chance we could close the curtains?"

When Claudia walked in, she was hit with a sudden wave of nostalgia. She didn't yearn for her childhood often, but there were times when she realized that the world was so very different to the one that she remembered and a dull ache would thrum in her chest.

The shock of it had her ━

━ was lopsided. Not quite right. Yet, wasn't that just a reflection of the two who built it? It felt poetic. And besides, they'd put a lot of effort into it.

"Hold on, wait here!" With her vampire speed, she rushed inside, returning with one of Louis' hats. "Here, put this on him!"

It had been so long since Claudia had allowed herself simple joys. Innocent joys. Things like playing in the snow.

The laughter bubbling from her felt foreign, like it belonged to someone else. A girl from long ago who was presumed dead.

The snowman ━

━ desired.

She'd learned through observing how to get people to forget that it was late and instead see dollar signs.