Lestat arrived dressed beyond the nines; it was exactly this display of ostentatiousness that made other vampires of his kind call him a brat.
He stood in the hallway, near the entrance to the masquerade, blonde hair tied back in a large black bow, red velvet frock coat hanging down, eyes carefully watchful behind the round sunglasses he'd come to adore. With the raise of an eyebrow, Lestat removed the glasses, tucking them into a carefully concealed pocket.
He smiled, and handed his invitation to a young man who was receiving them. The young man handed him a small box, and Lestat inspected it. He did not open it, because that would spoil the fun. But the young man also handed him an ornate ring, a large, round affair, onyx, something old, and heavy, and hinged. Lestat flipped it open and closed, amused. They called these poison rings, did they not? It looked like something that would have belonged to Marius.