#daniel hearing all this after just assuming that marius was dead because of louis's version of armand's backstory: i need........... a gun

[pluresque]

oh, okay. so that's about a million worse than what daniel'd been worrying about, actually. not the part about him being armand's first, because that makes something in his chest do a complicated little twist. it's everything else that's something out of a fucking nightmare.

because here he'd been, blissfully assuming that armand's maker really had been set on fire and was a pile of ash somewhere by now. should've known the universe wasn't that kind of place; instead, it's the kind of place where apparently that asshole gets to turn some kid into a vampire. as if he didn't sound bad enough coming from louis's second-hand stories.

❝ jesus fucking christ. ❞ it's pretty much the only thing daniel can think of to say about all that — or, more honestly, it's the only thing he can think that isn't a fucking tirade that this kid didn't ask for. ❝ ... so you're, what, thirty-something? ❞

it's a hell of an easier question than how much past ten were you. daniel's not sure he really wants to know the answer to that one, anyway. ❝ isn't that, y'know— i only ask 'cause i just got to hear all about vampire social norms, and there was a whole thing about that. ❞

❝ after all the work it took catching you alone, no chance, ❞ he assures him, but takes the book when he hands it back. he knows how confusing it must be for him — but if he's honest, it was part of the fun. still, he should probably take some pity on him. as he goes on about wanting to hear from armand, however, benji frowns sympathetically. while he could call out to the vampire and while he's sure that he'd come for him or sybelle, he likewise knows he probably wouldn't be too happy if he tricked him into seeing daniel.

if he's being as avoidant as it sounds like he is.

❝ i'll give it a shot, if i see him. can't guarantee anything — he's hard for me to pinpoint right now. ❞ and he does worry about him. as long as he'd known armand, as long as he'd been a vampire, he'd known him to be with louis. he knew him to be deadset against making another vampire too — shit, he'd cried when he and sybelle were made. frankly, it could only mean there was something special about daniel. it's half of why he's curious about him ( other than the fact that he'd just published a book on their kind ).

when he asks if he's his maker though, benji laughs, shaking his head. ❝ armand? no, i think you're his first. he wouldn't make me, so his maker did. ❞ it's nonchalant, despite how much more he understands now. being twelve forever sounded fine when you were twelve. ❝ that was over twenty years ago. ❞