Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

BOPRecruit 16: The celebration of this particular night was still flourishing in all of its harmonious wonder, as to what was so special about this evening, I had not a clue nor cared. As I made my way past zealous partygoers and the harsh bright lights shining down from the building's decorations, brought me to the realization that my hometown has evolved greatly since I had left its great shores of prosper. There were holidays celebrated and alterations in sense of fashion amongst the locals, that seemed pecular to me. I did recognize the gold trimmings on decorative, refined, french imported suits that I had once worn to a dinner party with Lestat. No matter, I would absorb the change in culture all in due time.

Familair, ancient, architecture and stone streets past my line of vision until I could see the way out of this depressingly chippper place and into the darkness beyond. Walking along a well troden dirt path that lead me towards massive fields of tall wheat and crop that was the country side of New Orleans. I could smell the sweetness of blooming flowers in the nearby gardens and the blossoms of new born fruit, preparing themselves to be harvested for the coming spring. Oh, how I missed the smell and atmosphere that the plantations brought out in my lifeless soul. I could not quite place my finger on what was so mystical about this place, from an immortal's perspective like mine, except that I felt free and my worries were put to rest for the moment.

The further I went, the more determined my pace became into reaching my unknown desitnation a few miles beyond the swamp to the left. A prickling sensation of fear, sprang up in the forefront of mind, trying to tell me something about that all too familair bog. But, I ignored it for I did not want it too mar this joyous serenity of temporary peace. Leaving the vapers of mist and the echoeing calls from the creatures of the night behind me, I spotted a barren field coming into my view. For miles around that field, there were many narled trees, branches weighed down my clumps of moss, patches of flowers and unkept grass, covering the premisce that was once known as Pointe du Lac.

RagingSilent: My broken life. The life I had once known and grown to love, yet also loathe. Gradually, I stopped walking, my curious eyes roaming over the hard earth I stood upon. I closed my eyes, the subtle wind gently brushing against my cold skin, as I remembered the days of my old life. My wife, my child, how I loved you, yet you left me, my dreams turning to ash, ash as grey as the dead evening that mourns for the glimmer of sunlight. My trembling hands soon became fists, yet through my anger, my aching eyes sang quietly to the night, longing to once again see those who brought me true happiness.

My heart turned dark then, my body weak with grief. Sluggishly, I continued my steps, my eyes upon the dying soil. Abruptly I paused, finding myself standing before the aged property I had once lived in. The night seemed to deepen as the shadows of my old world washed over me. Upon a musty window, I placed my hand, wiping away the dust that was layered thick over it. Through the window, painful memories lay, cinders darkening any trace of color. I smiled gently, unaware of the tear that rolled silently down my cheek. I turned away, melancholic peace settling upon the surrounding night I cherished.

My eyes slowly drifted above, the moon gazing at me as it sparkled light across the sky. At that moment, I remembered when I had truly seen the beauty of the night, when I had first learned of pure darkness. At that time, I was a new born vampire, weeping at the splendor of the world, weeping at the chance I had been offered, a chance to live another life, to see what mortals would not. Grimly, my heart danced, a bitter thought forming in the back of my mind. Lestat. You gave me that chance, yet you never warned me of the torment it would bring. Despite the memory of his bitterness, and the evil behind his offer to me, a sullen truth still remained in my mind. I longed to see his face.

(New Content Will Be On the Way Soon)

Author's Note: Forgive us for neglecting to mention earlier that this story takes place around the late 1860's to 1880's. Also, that this story is wonderfully altering what happened after Louis declined Armand's offer to join him and instead of returning to New Orleans in 1988 like he said in the movie. Providing more of a romance story for him to satisfy our and our readers desires to read more about Louis and so forth.

BOPRecruit 16: As the two of us ascended the stairway, my curious eyes roamed the walls flanking my sides, taking in my surroundings. The tall blanks of furnished wood were decorated with replicas of famous works of art that I had seen many times during my stay in Europe. From the high ceilings above, the glowing flames upon the candles would shine through the crystal of the chandelleirs. Beaming down the dancing rays of light to sparkle throughout the hallway. The Inn Keeper lead me past many doorways, their wooden frames carved into complicated shapes. So caught up with my observation that my feet neglected to warn me to come to a sudden halt upon the red velvet carpet, where the mortal man had stopped, and nearly ran into him. I mumbled a quick, awkward apology as I corrected my posture beside him. "Quite alright, young sir," was my reply, plus that signature smile of his. He lifted his occupied hand and inserted the golden key into the knob, then turned to unlatch.

Before he took a step forward to open the door, the Inn Keeper turned to me and said, "You will be staying in this room here, number seven." The elderly gentlemen moved forth and stood to the side to allow me passage. "Number seven is a room for singles and couples on their honeymoon..." When I heard that last word, I gave him a strange look. "Oh, don't worry, sir. This room is perfectly sanitary, if that's what you're worried about. Heh heh!", continued the Inn Keeper, with a nervous yet energetic chuckle and a silly grin plastered upon his wrinkled face. "Erm...Anyways...your room has a balcony that looks over our Inn's garden and the nearby courtyard beyond it." He pointed across the room before me, then closed the door behind us. Shifting his point to the east section of the room, "That window there looks over the street in front of the property."

The windows he spoke of were made of clear and very pale green stained class that were arranged into a squared pattern. As for the frames of the window, were covered by dark, navy blue satin curtins that would billow in the wind, if I ever needed to feel the evening's cool, gentle breeze upon my still flesh. "And, to your left in the next room, is the bedroom." The Inn Keeper guided me over there to show me what he was talking about as he went along explaing things to me. "As you can see, the bed is king sized, four poster. Large enough to fit two people...or less in your case. All of the rooms on this side of our establishment have four posters because this is the direction that the sun rises and makes itself known." The four poster was framed with a finer looking type of carpentry, lighter than the doors and wooden floors. Four errect poles had carvings of wildlife and nature upon their inanimite flesh. The curtains suspended from the top of the frame were drawn back and made of the same thick velvet as the floors in the hallway. My eyes narrowed in thought at the sight of those.

Tucked away in the far corner, near the window sill, was a cosy wardrobe with a mirror and washing station atop of it for the morning preperations. Not far to the left of the bed, from my angle at the doorway, there was a smaller, seperate part of the room that was the lavatory. Of course, I would never need to use that unless I had consumed some bad blood, which never happened either. The Inn Keeper at my side watched me with patient eyes, allowing me time to take this new environment in. When I looked to him, he brightened up once more. "Well, young sir, this is one of the rooms with the best view. You most certainly had impecable timing before they all got booked. Considering that it's so early in the morning. Can you believe that there are still people partying out there?" He threw a furtive glance towards the tinted window, "I'm just glad that most of them are a few blocks away, not enough to disturb my guests!" The Inn Keeper raised his arms up and down before landing them back at his hips.

"Well, now, that completes your brief tour of this room," he continued, waddling his way back over to the entrance door. Pulling back the door and standing in the middle of the frame work, the Inn Keeper handed me the twin set of keys to room number seven. "Forgive me for asking and then forgetting that I had asked earlier, but...How long shall I be expecting you to stay?" A small, amused smile spread across my once grim set face. "Since you have been so kind to me and having estimated how little of my old hometown that I have seen thus far, I would like to stay for a few days to a week or so. Is that alright?" I asked. The latter nodded in response and returned my warm smile. "Aw, so you are a fellow New Orleaner? What's your name, young sir?" He looked at me, eager for the answer as I nodded to his first question and then hesitated a fraction at the next.

I was hesitant to give away my name at first, fearing that he may recognize it. But, I mulled this over for a bit and realized that none of my relatives lived close to New Orleans nor lived in the state of Louisiana for that matter. Plus, I haven't been here since I was a mortal, nearly two hundred years ago. People whom I once knew, should already by dead, long gone by now. So, what was the harm? "Louis," came my deep voice, just above a whisper. The Inn Keeper just smiled, with no hint of surprise in his posture. "Your family must have immigranted from France long ago, no?" I nodded to concurr his question. Indeed, ages ago. "Well, Louis, welcome back to New Orleans and the Redway Inn! May you enjoy your stay with us."

"I will do that," I replied, curtiously. The Inn Keeper flashed me one last sincere, welcoming smile before he took his leave from my prescence and shut the door closed behind him. As his heavy foot stops faded into the distance of the hallway, I turned to face the living room. It was the typical sort that I had expected, a magnificant fire place, low tables for meals, and furniture made of the finest material that the Redway Inn could affort. Suddenly, I cast my gaze upwards through the window across the room. I could see the darkness of night growing fainter as the sun was slowly making its way to the horizon. Shades of ebony dying away to become a deep shade of blue known as sapphire. Although that wasn't truely anything to be alarmed about, meant to me that I shouldn't dawdle about the room with the curtains drawn back. I marched my way across to them, enveloping the edges of the room into darkness. The lamps placed about the tops of furniture, I snuffed them out with my bare fingers, not taking the time to wet them like in the days of my mortal youth. With this section bathed into shadow, I swept over to the bedroom and stood by the bed side. Taking a moment to think over how I was going to tend to my sleeping arrangements.

Seeing as that I had neglected to bring my coffin back from France, I would have to make do and just sleep in the four poster with the curtains drawn close together. Plus, keep the curtains of the windows closed at all times during the day, which reminded me to remember to tell the Inn Keeper that. I would just make up a quick, simple excuse that I slept odd hours during the day and needed my privacy at any rate. Besides, I have just gotten off a two to three month long boat ride here. But, that would have to be saved for later. I could feel my body succumbing to the universal sensation of sleep. With every minute I took to think my sleeping arrangements over, the more time the sun would get to rise and my exhaustion grew dire.

My senses and train of thought were becoming most difficult to focus, so I decided to appease this. I reached out and drew back a blood red curtain. Gazing in, I noticed it was nice and dark in there. No sunlight could harm me. I carefully lowered myself onto the matress and beneath the covers. The springs of the bed beneath me, growned from the additional weight. I sighed heavily, feeling my tense muscles relax and conform to the soft terrain of it all. What a deep, soothing sensation this was, to relax upon a soft bed. A simple pleasure in life that I hadn't felt in years since that faithful night, when I had been lying in bed, dying, to have Lestat come forth and give me enternal life. Consciousness was slipping as I adjusted my head upon the feather stuffed, silk pillows. I was enveloped in darkness, but a comforting darkness. Not as restricting as a coffin, so this was a great improvement to me beyond belief. I had more room to move about in. Feel as though I were free from that wooden prison, in some way. As my lids were slowly coming down, drawing me down into a deep sleep, two people flashed across my mind. One with a dark soul and gold, platinum blonde hair. The other was of great beauty. Her eyes as dark as the twilight, with hair like the darkest hours of the night, clashing with the dusk.

(New Content Will Be On the Way Soon)