The Music of Life

 **********
 Lestat   --- Heather
 Pandora -- Kim
 Catriona -- Samantha
 James    -- Patrick


 Lestat  01 (patrick )
 
 He was sitting at his faverite table , in front of him was his second
 untouched beer for the night .Sitting there one could be forgiven for
 thinking he was asleep , His eyes closed , his face a mask of death . But
 you would be wrong in thinking he was dead , for tonight he was very much
 alive. He had closed his eyes to shut out the outside world , tonight
there
 was only one thing in his world , The Music .
 
 At last he had to open his eyes once more to the world , the music had
 stopped well over half an hour ago. The light came streaming into his
mind
 , it was almost harsh , he having had his eyes closed for so long . As
the
 world came into focus he heard a voice ,
 "Hello Lestat , i was wondering when you were going to return to the
world
 of the living",
 "Hi , you're late again, the music has finnished for the night ",
 "No , i was here quite a while back , i just did not wish to disturb you
,
 you were enjoying yourself soo much "....................................
 =================================================
 02 Pandora.
 
 Pandora smiled at Lestat looked groggily up at her. "How are you my
bratty friend?" She asked, as she slid her perfect body into the chair
opposite Lestat. "Pandora, how have you been?" Lestat put his hand over
hers. Pandora had missed him. She smiled at him. "I'm so glad you agreed to
meet me." She said. "What was so important Pan, you said you had found
something very important, crucial to our kind. What was it?" Pandora
quickly looked very excited, and her eyes brightened. "Well, I was poking
around the old shrine of Those Who Must Be Kept, and I found......" just
then there was a large commotion from outside. Both vampires jumped with a
start, and raced outside.
 
 ======================================================================

Catriona 3



 In a dark hotel room, a candle burned.
 It was the only light visible.  The inhabitant of the room had pulled the
curtains, shutting out the light from security lamps and the sounds of the
road just outside.  The VCR's clock had been muffled with a pillow, the alarm
clock had been stuffed in the night table's drawer.
 The candle rested on a small saucer which in turn sat on the floor of the
hotel room.  A woman sat crosslegged before it, almost unmoving except for the
barely visible intake of air.  Her eyes did not blink; not one muscle twitched
in her face as she focused her eyes on the flame.
 She sat there, still as a statue, for quite some time.  A telephone rang in
the next room; she did not flinch.  Some minutes later, a car sounded its horn
outside her window.  Not an eyelash fluttered.  She did not even seem to hear.

 It may have been an hour that she sat there, it might have been ten minutes.
It made no difference.  The meditation took as long as it had to take.
 Smoothly, and as sudden as a cat, the woman stood, her slender legs
uncrossing as she stood straight, picking up the candle as she rose.  She
stood there for a moment, studying the candle with more consciousness now.
Reverently, she whispered a few words to herself and blew the flame out.  She
was now in utter darkness.
 Her hand reached over and flipped on the light.  Best to get ready, she
thought.
 She was quite human.  She was different, and always had been, but she was
decidedly human, and mortal.  Perfectly normal, well, that was another
matter.  She had never been "perfectly normal," not since she could remember.
Not since she'd discovered what she could do with her mind, after she had been
taught, especially after she meditated.  Moving candlesticks and lighting
little fires had only been the beginning.
 Sighing softly, she turned around and walked over to the room's dresser,
peering into the mirror.  Without looking, she picked up a soft brush and
began to untangle her thick red hair, her mind focused elsewhere.  She idly
wondered how things were going in London without her.  It had been only a few
months since she had been appointed as the Talamasca's interim Superior
General, and she was still not entirely sure how she should handle the job.
She was certainly the youngest to ever hold that position, being only
twenty-five, and the first woman in over a century in the office as well.
And, she remembered, twisting her mouth wryly at the thought, if one believed
Edwin, the prettiest.  She rolled her bright green eyes to Heaven slightly at
the memory.  Catriona MacLeod was not pretty.  It was obvious what Edwin
wanted.  In any case, she didn't have the time or the reason to be
attractive.  To get the job done, that was the order, and she would follow it
to the letter.
 She straightened the collar of the creamy white silk shirt she wore and
irritably brushed the wrinkles out of the dark blue skirt.  A thought crossed
her mind, and she glanced over at the night table.  Empty.  Her brow furrowed
and she was puzzled for a brief moment.  Sighing one more time and shaking her
head, she opened the drawer and pulled out the clock.  "You're getting old and
forgetful," she muttered to herself in her faint British accent.
 Bit late.  She'd best get a move on if she was going to finish before the sun
rose.
 Taking her suit coat and draping her trench coat over her arm, Catriona
walked out of her hotel room and downstairs to the street.  There was no need
for a car to walk such a short distance, just to the corner cafe.  But as she
looked down the road, she could see what looked disconcertingly like a fight.
Concern was etched on her face as she walked briskly down the road...

===========================================================

James 04

I watched as she left her flat , she was once again off to her job , well
if you could call it a job . It was more of a way of life , The Talamaska.
She was just about to head off towards the motherhouse when something
caught her eye , it was some sort of fight that was happing in the street .
Dear love , you could never miss anything , you always had to find out what
it is about , i supose that is why you are where you are today. As always ,
where she went i went . So off we headed down the street to see what all
the comotion was about .

As we drew closer to the scene i could feel the vibration of an immortal
near by . I was yet unable to know who it was , we were still far enough
away that all i could pick up was that it , no they , there were two of
them , were immortal . They could be of the game , or of the elxur , or
even of the vampire queen , i was just to far to tell at presant . 
I stoped at a safe distance from the fight so as not to be seen and yet to
be able to see .She , like all good field agents , blended into the crowd .
And as i was watching her i saw them , a man and a woman , Vampires .
Taking stock of them i realised that here was the great Lestat and with was
, no it could not be , yes it was Pandora . Now this is strange , something
was defantly up , from what i could hack from the talamaska's computer
files , Lestat and Pandora were very seldom seen together . What could this
mean , the two of them so close to the Motherhouse , normally Vampires and
other immortals kept as far away from the Talamaska as possible . 

They were but inchers away from the head of the Talamaska , could they see
her , could she see them . As these thoughts drifted across my mind Pandora
looked at me , straight at me , did she see me , i do not think so as she
went back to watch the spectical unfold before them . At this i entered the
deepest of my subconscience and drew upon the will and the knowlage to
close my mind to all . And here hiddend from view of eyes and mind , i
watched ................................

=============================================================

 Lestat 5

As Lestat and Pandora reached the outer doors of the restaurant, the little dude
was already on the ground with some big tank of a man on top of him...They
were rolling around on top of each other....

"Kind of looks like two pigs in a blanket eh Jess? " Lestat quipped.

Pandora started one of her uncontrollable laughing fits that she had learned so
very long ago from Lestat...

Just then, around the corner, they heard a CRASH...

==============================================================
Lestat,6

A catastrophe. That's what it was. A busload of people had plowed into another
bus at the intersection. Apparantly no one on either bus was hurt badly. Just
a few minor scrapes and bruises.
Lestat got the strangest look on his face. Pandora looked around and started
laughing. "Bad brakes, I guess."
Lestat just stared with gaping mouth at the busses. He walked over to the
accident , looked under the bus and started flinging curses in French. Pandora
started laughing even harder as she watched Lestat stomp around and kick
things.
"What are you laughing at???"Lestat shouted at her. Pandora quieted down long
enough to say, "Why aren't you brat? After all, I got this maniacal behavior
from you."
Lestat just went back to his temper tantrum. Pandora piped her laughing down
to a giggle.
"Stop Laughing!!! That was my dinner!!!!" Lestat shouted back.
Pandora looked around to see if anyone had heard. She walked closer to Lestat.
"Your dinner?" she asked.
Lestat was off in his own little world. "Every night for three months I
watched him. He was good. He would have never gotten caught."
Pandora was looking around for this supposed body as Lestat continued. "He was
an embezaller, rapist, thief, child molester, and seriel killer."Lestat
sighed. "That is so NOT fair."
Pandora finally gave up the search and asked, "Where? I don't see anyone."
Lestat was still entranced but answered with, "See the little feet sticking
out from the third wheel in front of the bus?"
Pandora looked harder through the crowd and saw a tiny pair of shoes sticking
out. "Those shoes are awful small for a man." She took a closer look. "Kind of
looks like the house that fell on the witch."
Lestat was still in his own little world as Pandora continued. "Lestat, since
when have you hunted children?"
"THat's not a child, that's a man,." answered Lestat still heartbroken.
Pandora climbed under the bus to get a closer look. She climbed out surprised
and stood next to Lestat. "Guess you're right. Boy, that's the smallest man
I've ever seen in my life."
Lestat snapped out of his trance and glared at her. "You got something against
midgets???" he snapped at her.
They both just looked at each other for a few seconds and then they burst out
with laughter. Lestat stopped  and quipped, "He was such a talented little
fella." Pandora and Lestat just continued to laugh and laugh....

==============================================================
07: Pandora

Pandora looked straight at James. He was shocked to see her here, 
especially with Lestat. Lestat had warned her about getting too close to the 
Motherhouse, but she had insisted upon it. Now, as she read his 
thoughts, she realised just how right Lestat may have been. Going by the garbled 
thoughts she was getting from the mortal, she turned to the Talamascan. 
The Woman was quite attractive, and quite young. ::Good:: thought 
Pandora. ::Maybe her youth will work against her:: She turned to Lestat and 
silently warned him of the pending danger. ::She mustn't know what I tell 
you Lestat:: said Pandora. ::No one must know::


=============================================================
IC:  08

    I made my way through the crowd carefully, my eyes on the bus
accident ahead of me.  People had already gathered around to gaze at the
spectacle of twisted steel and broken glass and fallen bodies.  Some of
the people still moaned under the wreckage and rubble, others lay silent
and still.

    I reached into the pocket of my trench coat and pulled out a
cellular phone.  Glancing around and listening for sirens, I dialed the
number for emergencies and quickly outlined the scene.  When the
operator told me that they had already been alerted to the accident, I
thanked her, hung up, and sighed in relief.  I was not the only person
to have thought of the lives of these people before the spectacle of
their death.

    Brushing my hair back over my temples, I stepped back from the bus
and looked around.  Now I could hear the sound of police cars and
ambulances nearing.  There was little I could do here; my training would
be of little use to those attempting to save these lives.  I would
likely have to give a statement, though, stating what I had seen, though
that was relatively little.  Sighing softly, I headed closer to the
buildings alongside the road and leaned against the window of the corner
cafe.

    Casually looking around, I suddenly saw just who I was standing next
to.  A young man in his twenties, blonde and perhaps six feet tall stood
next to a woman with cinnamon hair and hazel eyes that looked like they
had seen lifetimes....generations.....millenia.

    Vampires.  They were vampires.  More to the point, they were very
specific vampires that I very specifically knew by name, by action, by
reputation.  Images flashed before my mind, pages, neat and delineated
lists of information that culminated somehow into these two white
figures in the doorway of a diner.

    They were breathtaking, even of themselves, even looking as someone
who could never conceive of vampires.  And I,. a Talamascan, the interim
Superior General, for the love of God, was standing mere inches away.

    I kept myself calm and did my damnedest to appear to take no
notice.  I sincerely doubted that I was going to be successful, but I
had to give it a shot....

=========================================================

09 Lestat:


At Pandora's warning, Lestat looked to his left to see a beautiful young red
head standing close to where he and Pandora were. THe woman was looking right
at him when he first saw her, then she turned away quickly.

"Oh Please. That is so obvious" Lestat laughed as he watched her. He felt the
sharp pinch of Pandora's fingers on his arm.

Pandora was completely alarmed now. Apparantly their was another mortal near
as well who had caught her attention. "Lestat, we must go now," she whispered
softly.

"Why,? Talamasca make you nervous my dear?"Lestat sighed. "I hate to say I
told you so, but..."

"Alright, I got it" Pandora interrupted him. "Can we go now?"

"But of course ma'chere"Lestat said innocently. "Ladies first, age before
beauty, et cetra, et cetra."

With that Pandora let go of him and began to walk farther down the street away
from all of the people.

That's all Lestat needed. As Pandora went one way, he headed straight for the
woman.

He ended up rather close to her. Indeed, they were only a few inches from each
other face-to-face.

She looked up startled.

Lestat didn't miss a beat. "You know, mademoiselle, if you're going to be the
next superior general you're gonna have to be a little less obvious in your
observations."

Before she could answer, he lifted his hand to her face and began stroking her
hair. "Such beautiful red hair,"Lestat sighes as he drew even closer. "And
such seductive green eyes," he whispered. They were so close now she could
surely feel his heart beating. Lestat licked his leps and continues. "You DO
know I have a thing for green eyes don't you? As well as Talamasca Superior
Generals? You remind me of my beloved Jesse with that red hair of yours."

She looked as if she were going to answer., but Lestat wasn't really in the
mood to hold an intellectual  conversation at the moment. He wanted to play.
And with this in mind he continues. "Ah yes, Jesse. Now that's a woman. I
still remember when I first met Jesse. Do you? Surely you have it in a file
somewhere."

The woman cleared her throat to answer and was quickly cut off again. Lestat
let out a seductive laugh. "Don't worry, I'm not going to swing you around on
my hip."

Lestat paused and drew even closer. "I have something else in mind." And with
that he closed his lips on hers.

He felt someone pulling him away. Pandora. Well, he wasn't go to leave without
something damnit. He was hungry. He gently bit her lip and lovingly licked at
the blood as he continued to kiss her.

Finally Pandora managed to get him away. Lestat lifted his hand in farewell to
the baffled mortal woman. "Catriona, until we meet again..."

And with that he turned and grabbed Pandora by the waiste. "Now what was it
you wanted to talk about? Hmm. Perhaps we should go someplace a bit more
quiet. Don't worry. I'll drive." And in an instant they were both in the air

====================================================================
James 10

How dare he touch her , let alone kiss her . He was only a 
vampier after all , not a god or anything , but no i must not 
become involved , that is for others . Catriona watched as the 
vampires rose into the night sky , too fast for normal mortal 
untrained eyes to follow . She stood bitting her lower lip as she 
so often does when undesided what to do , then she turned 
around and headed back my way , towards her flat.Following 
her as always , expecting her to head upstaires , but no , she 
headed down towards the garage , was she going to take the 
car to the office , scard from her experance , no that is not her , 
she would try and follow them.


Did she know where they were going , or prehaps she planted a 
tracking device on them . It does not matter how , she was after 
them , and i had to move if i did not want to lose my love . 
Watching her take chase reminded me of all the lessons she 
had learned , the offen secret ways of the Talamaska , and 
reminding myself , it is because of those ways that they have 
been around for so long . Years and years of training went into 
the perfecting of a field agent , and Cartriona was there leader , 
the total of all the years of experance of those that came before 
her , there before me , on the chase.

I looked up , but of course i could not see the vampires , they 
had long gone . It was only Cartriona chasing a myth , and i 
chasing a dream.


=========================================================================

Pandora: 11


As they rose up, Pandora shut her eyes. She still hated flying, it 
was the final element of separation from the mortal world. She 
could feel the eyes of the young man searching for her...and she 
knew the woman was chasing her. **If only you had left her 
alone, Lestat.** she grumbled. Lestat laughed. "I had to stir her 
up, Pnadora. She looked so serious." 

"Of course she loooked serious, she was trying to hunt us down. 
We must find everyone else, Jesse, Gabrielle, Armand, Louis, all 
of them......we need to be together. I have something to tell 
you." Lestat looked at her. "You keep saying that. What is so 
important? What do you know that can be so....critical to our 
kind?" They landed in the window of Lestat's holiday house. 
"It's about....the twins..... and........Akasha." Stammered 
Pandora. Suddenly, they felt another presence in the room. 
They turned, and smiled. "What are you doing here?" Pandora 
asked.