"The usual," he said finally, deciding just to avoid too much detail. "I liked music, so my father suggested I try various instruments. I showed an aptitude for the violin, so he sent for a teacher to give me classical training."
"Classical training?" Carolyn said with amusement.
Christian smiled faintly. That was pretty much the only kind of training there had been back then, but he supposed it surprised her because he played in a rock band. "Yes, classical. He hired the best in the country to teach me. I think he was hoping I would become an Italian Johannes de Sarto... Sarto was a Franco/Flemish composer who was popular a long time ago," he explained when she looked blank at the name.
"Ah." She nodded and then smiled wryly. "I take it your interests didn't lie in that area though?"
"They did for a while, but it got boring playing the same songs over and over again. So I put down the violin and went to work for the family instead, and then picked it up and put it down over and over. I guess this is one of my picking-it-up-again phases."
"Hard-rock violin?" Carolyn asked with a grin.
Christian chuckled. "Gia dragged me into it. Come play with us, she said. I did, and-"
He shrugged. "I like it. It's more interesting. The music gets into your blood.
I've been playing with the band for ten years and am not yet bored."
Carolyn's eyes widened. "You must have been a child prodigy."
He shrugged. "I was five when I started to play."
"Ah." She nodded. "And then Gia dragged you into the band. What was it? A high school band in someone's garage?"
"Oh, God no. We were well out of school when we started. No doubt old enough to know better," he added with a laugh that faded when he saw the way she was looking at him. "What?"
"Ten years ago you couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen," she said slowly. "And you said you put down the violin and worked for the company several times before that, but-"
"I'm older than I look," he interrupted quietly.
"Gia said that too," Carolyn murmured, peering at him more closely.
He'd thought he was being careful, but he'd obviously have to watch every word he said. Carolyn wasn't a stupid woman. Much to his relief the bartender arrived then with their drinks to distract her.
Christian picked up his drink to try it, searching his mind for a way to keep her distracted from his slip. But he grimaced and set the drink down after tasting it. It was far too sweet. He'd much preferred the drink he'd tried earlier, the slushy green one Genie had ordered and he'd copied. That had been sweet/tart, much more to his taste.
He would have ordered it again if he'd thought of it.
"No good?" Carolyn asked sympathetically.
"I preferred the earlier drink," he muttered. "But the bartender said these were popular."
"I like the sweet/tart of lime margaritas too," she said wryly. "Not too keen on sweet, sweet drinks."
"No." Christian repeated lime margarita in his head several times to be sure he recalled it for the next time.
Not having consumed anything but blood for centuries, it was hard to know what he would and wouldn't like whether it was food or drink. Everything was new to him now.
"How old were you when-"
"Oh look, the food's here," Christian interrupted with relief as a waitress approached with two plates.
Carolyn glanced around and they both sat back as the waitress set the plates on the table.
"Thank you," Christian said, and then lifted his drink.
"Could you take this away and bring me one of those slushy lime margaritas?"
She took the glass with a smile. "Of course. I'll have this taken off your bill."