Long minutes where Louis says nothing. Has gone so, so still. He'd been meaning to make a point, but had not expected Lestat to explain what he'd been shown, to know which things Armand had chosen to display. Louis would have kept them all from Lestat forever. Loses what he'd meant to say, falling silent in spite of his intentions.

Lestat's head on his knee, explaining. Armand showing Lestat things Louis had never wished for him to see.

Slowly, Louis reaches to bring up palmfuls of water to douse Lestat's hair while he is so positioned. It is a careful dousing, no stray rivulets of water permitted to run into Lesat's eyes, across his cheek.

Eventually—

"He hurt you."

Driving true things into Lestat's mind like nails, wielding a heavy mallet.

"Punishing you, because you're where I went when Daniel got me free."

Stepping outside of his body. Watching from the ceiling as his fingers work hardened blood from Lestat's hair. His voice is very, very steady.

Armand, punishing Daniel. Punishing Lestat. All this suffering, because Louis left.