Gale/Andre - 08 - Venturing out
Andre adjusted the collar on his cream colored oxford, then tugged at the hem as he walked upthe stairs. "Gale, you home?" It was such a human thing to do, to call through a house looking for someone.
Curled up in the large arm chair in his room, Gale had spent most of the evening reading and enjoying the quiet. He enjoyed a lot of quiet these days. The only people he had any contact with were his little family of the undead and he rarely left the house unless accompanied. He was still shaken up by the incident that occured when he'd been out with Jude for the first time. Hearing his sire's voice, Gale stood and headed down the stairs. "Yes, I'm here."
"Casual evening?" Smiling he looked up at his childe, "Do you have plans for the evening?"
As soon as his sire was in sight, Gale moved to embrace him. He had given up feeling ashamed for seeking comfort in Andre's arms, he felt loved and protected there. Burrowing his face in his sire's shoulder, he replied, "No plans."
Arms wrapped around the once human and hugged him snuggly, "Would you like some?"
"Plans?" Gale snuggled into his father's side, loving the sense of comfort he found there. "What did you have in mind?"
"A trip to the museum." He was hoping it would help to alleviate some of Gale's fears about being out and about, but only time would tell on that.
"Are you sure..." Gale's voice carried his unease. /Its in the middle of the city.
"Yes." A simple word that carried all Andre's confidence. There was no way Gale could overpower him if the bloodlust rose strong. Not today, and probably never considering Andre's age. "It's time you started to learn to interact, and where better than a place you're comfortable? Besides, you owe me a tour, one from before your rebirth."
Gale's head dropped slightly, his limitations were frustrating to not only himself but most likely the other members of the family. He needed to become more independent, to not be a burden. Giving a quiet, "ok," Gale aquiessed to his sire's logic.
"Chin up boy, we're going to have a good time!" Andre chucked Gale under the chin and then patted him on the shoulder, "Is there anyone there tonight who might be glad to see you?"
Gale shrugged his shoulders at the question, "I don't really know. Maybe the security guy, Lou. Onlly other person who would be there this late would be Elizabeth but thats probably unlikely."
"Ahhhhh, was she the one I coerced into giving me your home address?" Grinning, Andre felt his pockets, checking for keys and such. "Charming young lady; do you want to change or something before we leave?"
"Probably," he chuckled a bit at Andre's question. "Liz was always a sucker for an accent, she probably wasn't difficult to 'coerce.'" Taking a quick stock of his own attire, he was casual but not slobbish, Gale shook his head. "I'm fine." /If I delay by going upstairs to change, I fear I won't be coming back downstairs, and I don't want to dissappoint you father./
"Good... lets go." Pulling the set of keys from his pocket, the elder vampire headed toward the door. "You want to drive? I've got a few cars in the garage out back you can chose from."
http://www.rmauctions.com/images/cars/MB08/MB08_r148_01.jpg
http://galthistory.org/carshow/2006car/1936_Chrysler_airflow.jpg
http://76.162.164.225/images/chrysler-ME412.jpg
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"Holy crap Andre!" This was not just a few cars, this was a fucking collection. "These should be exhibited not driven, their immaculate."
"Things come and go quickly in our lives, we need to learn to appreciate them while we can." Running his hand over the 'Airflow', Andre closed his eyes and simply 'felt' his baby. "Pick one, they're insured. Beleive me, you'll enjoy this."
Gale's eyes traveled across the various vehicles, taking in form, color, and relative age. He bypassed a purple behemouth that looked like it belonged more to a spandexed super hero than a creature of the night before he caught sight of the Dodge Coup. "That one?" he pointed to the gleaming red car, question evident in his voice. He really wasn't going to be allowed to drive this thing was he? He couldn't even believe he would be riding in it.
Sorting through the keys in the locked box, Andre pulled the right tag and tossed it to Gale, "Catch. Oh, and you have your license on you, right?" He'd caught the gleam of interest, the look of a sixteen year old boy with his first car. "Don't worry about dust and all, I have a maintenance man that comes in once a month to check them over for me."
Catching the keys easily enough, Gale reached back and patted his back pocket. Wallet, check. "Yeah..." his voice sounded a bit dazed. "I've got it.... Andre?"
"Hmm?" Bringing his eyes to focus on his childe, the wall cabinet locked once again, Andre smiled.
"Are you really sure about this?" Gale was pretty sure he wasn't just asking about the car.
"Very certain." Confidence and comfort colored the words.
Andre's confirmation satisfied many of Gale's concerns and allowed some excitement to flow through him. "Then lets go."
Sliding into the butter soft seat, Andre hooked his belt and waited for the purr of the powerful engine to slide through him. "Clutch is a bit tight."
Gale smiled and pulled the car carfully out of the garage and onto the street. The machine was pure power wrapped in a cherry red package. "So what brought this idea on?"
"What, the drive or the visit?" Rolling down the window, Andre felt the sultry air wash over him, bringing wiht it the lush fragrance of night flowers.
"The visit, really."
"You need to get out; I love having you at the house, but I want you to be able to go out and enjoy your new life. Best way to do that is start you with the familiar and move to the unfamiliar."
Stopping at the red light, Gale turned to look at his sire's face. "Are you sure I can do it?"
"Most definitely." Turning his eyes toward his childe, allowing his preternatural powers to show from them, Andre sent a message. /I am with you, you will come to no harm, nor will any around us./
The power of the car was nothing compared to the power Andre's words had on him. "Ok," Gale was relieved that his sire had so much confidence in his control of himself. After a moment of quiet, Gale smiled, "it'll be good to see the museum again, yeah?"
"You've been away too long. Even when you were human I could see how much you loved it."
"It was my life," he answered simply with a shrug of his shoulders.
"And there's no reason it can't be part of it now." Andre felt the car shift, a smooth flux from one gear to the next.
"Still can't believe you are letting me drive this antique," Gale smiled, hoping to lighten the mood a bit as he steered near the museum.
"Why wouldn't I? You've never struck me as a reckless kind." It wasn't often Andre sat in the front seat. Usually when he was a passenger, Nikolai was the driver and he was behind a glass partition. "Have you thought about what you'll do once we arrive there?"
"Too old for reckless," Gale gave a tongue in cheek smile while keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him. "I really don't know what I'd do... I suppose give you that tour we missed."
"Good start; maybe talk to friends you've not seen in a while?"
Gale carefully pulled the care into his reserved parking space behind the museum before turning to look at his sire. "I suppose I could, but eventually I have to cut off ties. Right?"
"Unfortunately yes; that's the hard part. Usually I go away for ten or so years, then return. Most people will have forgotten aobut me by then and the new ones I meet think nothing of me." It was a slow shrug.
"We have some time here though. Don't we?" He needed to know before he ever ventured forth to contact his old life.
"I'm thinking at least fifteen years. The products they have now to keep one young looking can be used as an excuse for a while." Reaching out, Andre patted Gale's shoulder, "Besides, don't forget others can and do move as well."
"Yeah, thats true... I've only been here for a couple years myself," Gale smiled faintly and laid his head on Andre's shoulder. "Thanks father."
A quick wink and Andre stroked Gale's hair. "We should go in - don't want someone coming to investigate." It was said with a grin.
"Alright then," Gale took a deep breath, taking in his sire's comforting scent before opening his door and exiting the vehicle. Taking in the sight of the museum, the place where he had once spent a majority of his time, sent waves of peace through him. It was good to be back again.
"Shall we?" The soft tap-tap of heel on tarmac brought Andre to Gale's side, his hand light on the younger vampire's back.
"Yeah," Gale breathed out as he slid his key into the lock. He opened the door and simply looked, studied the empty dark hallway that he had walked through so many times. Gale turned his head, catching his sire's eye, wanting confirmation that he could indeed pass over the threshold.
"This is your home away from home, go ahead." A gentle nudge at the small of Gale's back urged him forward.
The nudge from his sire prompted Gale's feet to move, carrying him through the door and down the long hallway that led past the collections department, behind the main exhibit hall, and eventually coming to his own office door. Gale paused, his hand placed on the aged wood as his smile grew large. This was truly his home away from home, even as his nature had changed and even his home had changed this place remained firmly fixed in his heart.
Andre stayed a few paces back, watching his childe, enjoying the show of strength that had been dormant for a while. "What are you thinking?"
"That its good to be back," he turned the doorhandle as he spoke and pushed forward into his not entirely tidy office. Everything was how he had left it. He had shut his computer down, organized a few files to pass along to the acting director and walked out the door on his sabatical thinking that he would never come back. But here he was. "Thank you for suggesting this."
"My pleasure; it's all part of your growing Gale. Of you learning how to be you again." Walking into the tiny office, Andre remembered the first time he'd ever met the young man now vampire. "You have to learn to be comfortable with what you have, who you are."
"Even if I get to be me again... I'll still always be your childe," it wasn't a question, instead Gale was making a statement of fact. No matter how he developed from this point forward he would always be connect to Andre, and he liked it that way.
"Yes, and when you were human, and an adult, you were still your parent's child as well." It was logic, maybe not direct, but truthful nonetheless. "Do you want to stay and sort out some papers or look around?"
"I think a tour is in order," Gale clapped his hands together in an eager gesture. "We can swing back by and I can grab a few things after, right?"
"You're the driver. As long as it leaves us time to feed and get home, it's all up to you." Grinning, Andre stepped back into the silent hall. He could hear people... or a person... moving, but they were somewhere else in the building.
"Its just security," Gale heard Lou moving around out in the galleries and was certain his sire had noticed too. "We are feeding tonight then?"
"I have a need to, but if you don't you could always just drop me off." Placing his hand on the cool wall, Andre let the building 'talk' to him. "I think sometimes, when people are in museums, they forget to look at the building that houses the treasures. The building itself is usually a piece of art in itself."
"We can go feed," Gale spoke with more confidence than he had felt in awhile. He knew that his sire would not allow him to lose his control, he could handle it. "The building is our greatest object in the collection, not just the biggest but the greatest. It legitimizes the history we tell and provides a historic canvas for everything we exhibit."
"Now you sound like a curator/tour guide!" Andre beamed, delighted with the telling.
"I'm better than that," Gale gave a cheeky grin. "I'm the Director." He was proud of his career, proud of this museum, and glad to be back in it. This had been a great idea.
"Show me how much better; lecture on my childe!" The confidence shown brightly in Gale's eyes when he spoke and Andre had a feeling his young vampire had taken a first step.
"Come on then, lets hit the last gallery and then pop back around here before we go to feed," Gale was excited to be back, to feel productive, back where he belonged.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Nearly forty-five minutes later and Gale was still going strong. To Andre, it appeared his child had an intimate knowledge of nearly every piece, every room, and every fixture. "Did you ever give tours yourself to school children? They way you speak of the items, I can see it inspiring some of them."
"Earlier in my career I did," Gale scratched at the back of his neck. His sire's words of praise effected him, caused his heart to swell with self-esteem. "Now I'm too busy raising money and keeping track of staff and board members to do it. The odd donor or board member yes, school groups not so much."
"You do realize some of the collages in the area offer night courses to adults, one of the professors is our kind and came to see me when I got a collection of Napoleon swords. Maybe you could work something out where once in a while these night classes could come and you'd give a tour?" It was so clearly visible how much Gale loved the artifacts he surounded himself with - adding a silent chuckle, the elder vampire wondered if that was the reason for him.
"You think I could handle that?" the question was genuine, he sought confirmation for a lot of things from his sire.
"Of course - not tomorrow, but probably within a month. You need to be exposed to humans more often, learn to build your resistance to them, learn to control yourself." Andre one-arm-hugged his childe.
"I think I would like that," Gale spoke, head tipping to rest on his sire's shoulder, thinking over his sire's proposition. He needed to get back to some semblence of normal and getting back to work, being around people, those were sure ways of doing so.
"Excellent; we'll take it slowly. Starting with tonight."
"What do you mean tonight?" Gale's voice was not worried but curious. "Hunting?"
"Yes... well, exposing you to humans. See how you do, give you pointers." Andre stepped back, his eyes scanning the empty hall, "Not like you'll get much experience here tonight, so we must go to it."
"Yeah Lou keeps pretty much to himself," Gale chuckled, this place was dead at night. "So where are we going?"
"Oh, I thought just a walk maybe. Down by the riverside, Jackson Square?" Heading back toward Gale's office, Andre lightly ran his fingers along the chair rail, "There's always people there."
"Probably why I haven't been there in a little while," Gale gave a humorless laugh and scratched at the back of his neck. "If you are sure that I can handle it, then lets go."
"If you doubt yourself then you won't be able to." Turning so he faced his chile, Andre gripped the young vampire by his shoulders. "Believe in yourself. Were you an indulgent human? Did you gorge yourself on sexual partners, chocolate, bon-bons?"
"No," his smile turned more genuine. "Only my work."
"Then what makes you think you'll gorge on blood? You know how to use your self control; believe." Dropping his hands, Andre lightly patted Gale's cheek. "Believe... I do."
"Thank you sire," Gale leaned into Andre's touch. He could do this, he would be fine. "Let's go."
"You've got the keys, I'm at your mercy." Grinning the elder vampire moved on silent feet toward the door leading outside.
"Come on then," Gale took off at a slow (for a vampire) run through the back hallways of the museum leading to Andre's car.
"Childe... in more ways that one!" Following, Andre laughed at the show of young exhuberance.
Curled up in the large arm chair in his room, Gale had spent most of the evening reading and enjoying the quiet. He enjoyed a lot of quiet these days. The only people he had any contact with were his little family of the undead and he rarely left the house unless accompanied. He was still shaken up by the incident that occured when he'd been out with Jude for the first time. Hearing his sire's voice, Gale stood and headed down the stairs. "Yes, I'm here."
"Casual evening?" Smiling he looked up at his childe, "Do you have plans for the evening?"
As soon as his sire was in sight, Gale moved to embrace him. He had given up feeling ashamed for seeking comfort in Andre's arms, he felt loved and protected there. Burrowing his face in his sire's shoulder, he replied, "No plans."
Arms wrapped around the once human and hugged him snuggly, "Would you like some?"
"Plans?" Gale snuggled into his father's side, loving the sense of comfort he found there. "What did you have in mind?"
"A trip to the museum." He was hoping it would help to alleviate some of Gale's fears about being out and about, but only time would tell on that.
"Are you sure..." Gale's voice carried his unease. /Its in the middle of the city.
"Yes." A simple word that carried all Andre's confidence. There was no way Gale could overpower him if the bloodlust rose strong. Not today, and probably never considering Andre's age. "It's time you started to learn to interact, and where better than a place you're comfortable? Besides, you owe me a tour, one from before your rebirth."
Gale's head dropped slightly, his limitations were frustrating to not only himself but most likely the other members of the family. He needed to become more independent, to not be a burden. Giving a quiet, "ok," Gale aquiessed to his sire's logic.
"Chin up boy, we're going to have a good time!" Andre chucked Gale under the chin and then patted him on the shoulder, "Is there anyone there tonight who might be glad to see you?"
Gale shrugged his shoulders at the question, "I don't really know. Maybe the security guy, Lou. Onlly other person who would be there this late would be Elizabeth but thats probably unlikely."
"Ahhhhh, was she the one I coerced into giving me your home address?" Grinning, Andre felt his pockets, checking for keys and such. "Charming young lady; do you want to change or something before we leave?"
"Probably," he chuckled a bit at Andre's question. "Liz was always a sucker for an accent, she probably wasn't difficult to 'coerce.'" Taking a quick stock of his own attire, he was casual but not slobbish, Gale shook his head. "I'm fine." /If I delay by going upstairs to change, I fear I won't be coming back downstairs, and I don't want to dissappoint you father./
"Good... lets go." Pulling the set of keys from his pocket, the elder vampire headed toward the door. "You want to drive? I've got a few cars in the garage out back you can chose from."
http://www.rmauctions.com/images/cars/MB08/MB08_r148_01.jpg
http://galthistory.org/carshow/2006car/1936_Chrysler_airflow.jpg
http://76.162.164.225/images/chrysler-ME412.jpg
http://www.hotrodhotline.com/classifieds/classifieds.php?a=2&b=24190
http://www.hotrodhotline.com/classifieds/classifieds.php?a=2&b=20207
http://www.hotrodhotline.com/classifieds/classifieds.php?a=2&b=22834
"Holy crap Andre!" This was not just a few cars, this was a fucking collection. "These should be exhibited not driven, their immaculate."
"Things come and go quickly in our lives, we need to learn to appreciate them while we can." Running his hand over the 'Airflow', Andre closed his eyes and simply 'felt' his baby. "Pick one, they're insured. Beleive me, you'll enjoy this."
Gale's eyes traveled across the various vehicles, taking in form, color, and relative age. He bypassed a purple behemouth that looked like it belonged more to a spandexed super hero than a creature of the night before he caught sight of the Dodge Coup. "That one?" he pointed to the gleaming red car, question evident in his voice. He really wasn't going to be allowed to drive this thing was he? He couldn't even believe he would be riding in it.
Sorting through the keys in the locked box, Andre pulled the right tag and tossed it to Gale, "Catch. Oh, and you have your license on you, right?" He'd caught the gleam of interest, the look of a sixteen year old boy with his first car. "Don't worry about dust and all, I have a maintenance man that comes in once a month to check them over for me."
Catching the keys easily enough, Gale reached back and patted his back pocket. Wallet, check. "Yeah..." his voice sounded a bit dazed. "I've got it.... Andre?"
"Hmm?" Bringing his eyes to focus on his childe, the wall cabinet locked once again, Andre smiled.
"Are you really sure about this?" Gale was pretty sure he wasn't just asking about the car.
"Very certain." Confidence and comfort colored the words.
Andre's confirmation satisfied many of Gale's concerns and allowed some excitement to flow through him. "Then lets go."
Sliding into the butter soft seat, Andre hooked his belt and waited for the purr of the powerful engine to slide through him. "Clutch is a bit tight."
Gale smiled and pulled the car carfully out of the garage and onto the street. The machine was pure power wrapped in a cherry red package. "So what brought this idea on?"
"What, the drive or the visit?" Rolling down the window, Andre felt the sultry air wash over him, bringing wiht it the lush fragrance of night flowers.
"The visit, really."
"You need to get out; I love having you at the house, but I want you to be able to go out and enjoy your new life. Best way to do that is start you with the familiar and move to the unfamiliar."
Stopping at the red light, Gale turned to look at his sire's face. "Are you sure I can do it?"
"Most definitely." Turning his eyes toward his childe, allowing his preternatural powers to show from them, Andre sent a message. /I am with you, you will come to no harm, nor will any around us./
The power of the car was nothing compared to the power Andre's words had on him. "Ok," Gale was relieved that his sire had so much confidence in his control of himself. After a moment of quiet, Gale smiled, "it'll be good to see the museum again, yeah?"
"You've been away too long. Even when you were human I could see how much you loved it."
"It was my life," he answered simply with a shrug of his shoulders.
"And there's no reason it can't be part of it now." Andre felt the car shift, a smooth flux from one gear to the next.
"Still can't believe you are letting me drive this antique," Gale smiled, hoping to lighten the mood a bit as he steered near the museum.
"Why wouldn't I? You've never struck me as a reckless kind." It wasn't often Andre sat in the front seat. Usually when he was a passenger, Nikolai was the driver and he was behind a glass partition. "Have you thought about what you'll do once we arrive there?"
"Too old for reckless," Gale gave a tongue in cheek smile while keeping his eyes on the road ahead of him. "I really don't know what I'd do... I suppose give you that tour we missed."
"Good start; maybe talk to friends you've not seen in a while?"
Gale carefully pulled the care into his reserved parking space behind the museum before turning to look at his sire. "I suppose I could, but eventually I have to cut off ties. Right?"
"Unfortunately yes; that's the hard part. Usually I go away for ten or so years, then return. Most people will have forgotten aobut me by then and the new ones I meet think nothing of me." It was a slow shrug.
"We have some time here though. Don't we?" He needed to know before he ever ventured forth to contact his old life.
"I'm thinking at least fifteen years. The products they have now to keep one young looking can be used as an excuse for a while." Reaching out, Andre patted Gale's shoulder, "Besides, don't forget others can and do move as well."
"Yeah, thats true... I've only been here for a couple years myself," Gale smiled faintly and laid his head on Andre's shoulder. "Thanks father."
A quick wink and Andre stroked Gale's hair. "We should go in - don't want someone coming to investigate." It was said with a grin.
"Alright then," Gale took a deep breath, taking in his sire's comforting scent before opening his door and exiting the vehicle. Taking in the sight of the museum, the place where he had once spent a majority of his time, sent waves of peace through him. It was good to be back again.
"Shall we?" The soft tap-tap of heel on tarmac brought Andre to Gale's side, his hand light on the younger vampire's back.
"Yeah," Gale breathed out as he slid his key into the lock. He opened the door and simply looked, studied the empty dark hallway that he had walked through so many times. Gale turned his head, catching his sire's eye, wanting confirmation that he could indeed pass over the threshold.
"This is your home away from home, go ahead." A gentle nudge at the small of Gale's back urged him forward.
The nudge from his sire prompted Gale's feet to move, carrying him through the door and down the long hallway that led past the collections department, behind the main exhibit hall, and eventually coming to his own office door. Gale paused, his hand placed on the aged wood as his smile grew large. This was truly his home away from home, even as his nature had changed and even his home had changed this place remained firmly fixed in his heart.
Andre stayed a few paces back, watching his childe, enjoying the show of strength that had been dormant for a while. "What are you thinking?"
"That its good to be back," he turned the doorhandle as he spoke and pushed forward into his not entirely tidy office. Everything was how he had left it. He had shut his computer down, organized a few files to pass along to the acting director and walked out the door on his sabatical thinking that he would never come back. But here he was. "Thank you for suggesting this."
"My pleasure; it's all part of your growing Gale. Of you learning how to be you again." Walking into the tiny office, Andre remembered the first time he'd ever met the young man now vampire. "You have to learn to be comfortable with what you have, who you are."
"Even if I get to be me again... I'll still always be your childe," it wasn't a question, instead Gale was making a statement of fact. No matter how he developed from this point forward he would always be connect to Andre, and he liked it that way.
"Yes, and when you were human, and an adult, you were still your parent's child as well." It was logic, maybe not direct, but truthful nonetheless. "Do you want to stay and sort out some papers or look around?"
"I think a tour is in order," Gale clapped his hands together in an eager gesture. "We can swing back by and I can grab a few things after, right?"
"You're the driver. As long as it leaves us time to feed and get home, it's all up to you." Grinning, Andre stepped back into the silent hall. He could hear people... or a person... moving, but they were somewhere else in the building.
"Its just security," Gale heard Lou moving around out in the galleries and was certain his sire had noticed too. "We are feeding tonight then?"
"I have a need to, but if you don't you could always just drop me off." Placing his hand on the cool wall, Andre let the building 'talk' to him. "I think sometimes, when people are in museums, they forget to look at the building that houses the treasures. The building itself is usually a piece of art in itself."
"We can go feed," Gale spoke with more confidence than he had felt in awhile. He knew that his sire would not allow him to lose his control, he could handle it. "The building is our greatest object in the collection, not just the biggest but the greatest. It legitimizes the history we tell and provides a historic canvas for everything we exhibit."
"Now you sound like a curator/tour guide!" Andre beamed, delighted with the telling.
"I'm better than that," Gale gave a cheeky grin. "I'm the Director." He was proud of his career, proud of this museum, and glad to be back in it. This had been a great idea.
"Show me how much better; lecture on my childe!" The confidence shown brightly in Gale's eyes when he spoke and Andre had a feeling his young vampire had taken a first step.
"Come on then, lets hit the last gallery and then pop back around here before we go to feed," Gale was excited to be back, to feel productive, back where he belonged.
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ
Nearly forty-five minutes later and Gale was still going strong. To Andre, it appeared his child had an intimate knowledge of nearly every piece, every room, and every fixture. "Did you ever give tours yourself to school children? They way you speak of the items, I can see it inspiring some of them."
"Earlier in my career I did," Gale scratched at the back of his neck. His sire's words of praise effected him, caused his heart to swell with self-esteem. "Now I'm too busy raising money and keeping track of staff and board members to do it. The odd donor or board member yes, school groups not so much."
"You do realize some of the collages in the area offer night courses to adults, one of the professors is our kind and came to see me when I got a collection of Napoleon swords. Maybe you could work something out where once in a while these night classes could come and you'd give a tour?" It was so clearly visible how much Gale loved the artifacts he surounded himself with - adding a silent chuckle, the elder vampire wondered if that was the reason for him.
"You think I could handle that?" the question was genuine, he sought confirmation for a lot of things from his sire.
"Of course - not tomorrow, but probably within a month. You need to be exposed to humans more often, learn to build your resistance to them, learn to control yourself." Andre one-arm-hugged his childe.
"I think I would like that," Gale spoke, head tipping to rest on his sire's shoulder, thinking over his sire's proposition. He needed to get back to some semblence of normal and getting back to work, being around people, those were sure ways of doing so.
"Excellent; we'll take it slowly. Starting with tonight."
"What do you mean tonight?" Gale's voice was not worried but curious. "Hunting?"
"Yes... well, exposing you to humans. See how you do, give you pointers." Andre stepped back, his eyes scanning the empty hall, "Not like you'll get much experience here tonight, so we must go to it."
"Yeah Lou keeps pretty much to himself," Gale chuckled, this place was dead at night. "So where are we going?"
"Oh, I thought just a walk maybe. Down by the riverside, Jackson Square?" Heading back toward Gale's office, Andre lightly ran his fingers along the chair rail, "There's always people there."
"Probably why I haven't been there in a little while," Gale gave a humorless laugh and scratched at the back of his neck. "If you are sure that I can handle it, then lets go."
"If you doubt yourself then you won't be able to." Turning so he faced his chile, Andre gripped the young vampire by his shoulders. "Believe in yourself. Were you an indulgent human? Did you gorge yourself on sexual partners, chocolate, bon-bons?"
"No," his smile turned more genuine. "Only my work."
"Then what makes you think you'll gorge on blood? You know how to use your self control; believe." Dropping his hands, Andre lightly patted Gale's cheek. "Believe... I do."
"Thank you sire," Gale leaned into Andre's touch. He could do this, he would be fine. "Let's go."
"You've got the keys, I'm at your mercy." Grinning the elder vampire moved on silent feet toward the door leading outside.
"Come on then," Gale took off at a slow (for a vampire) run through the back hallways of the museum leading to Andre's car.
"Childe... in more ways that one!" Following, Andre laughed at the show of young exhuberance.