A terrible moment to think of Claudia. To wish he had asked her, had time enough to ask her, how she had taught Madeleine.

Louis puts it aside.

They are here, in this room. Together. Daniel is hungry and he is afraid.

Louis wants this to be easy for him. His fingers are gentle at Daniel's cheek, watching the shift of color in Daniel's eyes.

"I'm going to go in the next room and drink what Armand has left for you."

Whether or not Daniel knows that Armand had, in his own way, tried to provide for him, Louis isn't inclined to lie.

"You're going to go wash the blood off your face," Louis tells him. As if that will make him feel better about what's to come. "And when you're done, I'll open a vein for you."

The rest will come. Louis is somewhere between impressed and worried that it hasn't already.

"Okay?"