Flirty-flirty in the towncar on the way to New Orleans, talking about this and that. Eric says he has no interest in Miss Stackhouse beyond his onetime "constituent" Bill's obsession with her, and the Queen's interest. "I do not get attached to humans," and overplays it I think a little bit by implying that he'd rather fuck the King than taste the waitress. (The way Russell chuckles, it seems he's amused by all this, and maybe not because it's so flattering.) As for the Were he killed in her house? The one that was there to kidnap her? That was just him getting attacked while trying to find Bill. He brings up the fact that werewolves are "base, primitive creatures," and questioningly notes that Russell is the only vampire he knows that feels differently. If there's more to the story -- and perhaps Eric knows or senses that there is -- he'll need to know it before taking the King on.

Russell assures him that he hates Weres as much as Eric or anybody else, they're stupider than even dogs, but that like anything or anybody else they're more use alive. Eric asks what uses the King puts his Weres, and for some reason he comes right out and explains, with a coy lilt in his voice, about the blood ritual -- but points out that Eric, as a V dealer, can hardly get "fundamentalist" on him about that. The only people who care about the sanctity of the blood, he implies, are old-guard anachronisms like the Magister. (And Godric, but he doesn't know that, or why it's dreadfully important.)

"If all the supernaturals would stop squabbling among themselves and unite," he says, leaning back and into an oft-told speech, "We could conquer humans in a matter of days." He calls this his dream, and lets us in on the bigger Russell picture: "Throughout history, I have aligned myself with or destroyed those humans in power, hoping to make a dent in mankind's race to oblivion." (Like your dad, but see above re: Russell has no idea who Eric actually is yet.) "What other creature actively destroys its own habitat?" he says, which may become a theme for our Russell: "I mean, do you remember how the air used to smell? How humans used to smell? How they used to taste?" I'm sure Al Gore will be calling you shortly for your endorsement, Lord Edgington. "The inconvenient truth is that human flesh now tastes like preservatives."