"On account of having been nearly turned into brain paste," he says to Lestat, "I'm giving you a pass for being unhelpful and also trying to shut down."

Withering, but not... you know, not funny. A little.

"Nobody's trying to claw at anyone, I'm talking to you."

Does Louis really think that's what it is? That Daniel's just digging at him because he's a curiosity? It doesn't make Daniel want to stop, exactly, because he lacks that instinct, but it does make him consider doing so. It feels shitty to just pick an argument and then abandon it so unresolved, but at which point is he just hitting his head on a brick wall?

He was able to get Louis to respond in Dubai. Maybe he's lost something, becoming a vampire. Or maybe Louis just doesn't have a use for him anymore. He doesn't know.