Nicolas de Lenfent

Nicolas de Lenfent, nicknamed Nicki is a fictional character in Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles series. He is introduced as the friend and lover of Lestat de Lioncourt, whom he befriends while still human in his town of origin.

Nicolas de Lenfent appears only in The Vampire Lestat, the second novel in The Vampire Chronicles, although he is referenced in other works in the series, including The Tale of the Body Thief and The Vampire Armand. Nicolas is also the founder of the Théâtre des Vampires, the vampire theatre that figures prominently in Interview with the Vampire.

Nicolas, nicknamed "Nicki" by Lestat, is described as having dark, curly hair and brown eyes. He is a lifelong pessimist given to depression, in contrast to Lestat's generally enthusiastic and wildly cheerful outlook on life.

Despite his cynicism, Nicolas is still convinced that the Christian teachings are correct, and he cannot understand Lestat's unwillingness to believe. He delves deeper into his cynicism as his view of the world takes a darker turn. He claims that there is no good or evil, but rather only good or bad art.

Nicolas is crucial in explaining Lestat's later fixation with Louis de Pointe du Lac, whom Lestat cites as seeming "in his cynicism and self-destructiveness the very twin of Nicolas [...] Yet Louis gained a hold over me far more powerful than Nicolas ever had". In The Tale of the Body Thief, Lestat refers to Nicki as his former lover, indicating that the two shared a romantic relationship as mortal men.

Nicolas grows up in a small town in Auvergne, France, the eldest son of a draper. His family is respectably middle-class, and he is educated.

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