Lestat hums thoughtfully in response as he heals up the wound on Neal's neck. He thinks about his mother who preferred to bury herself in nothing but earth each night, or to Louis who sometimes found the coffin too dour and took preference to a bed.

"Preference, I suppose. A habit far older than I."

And coffins provide some degree of safety from the outside world, not only from people but from the elements such as sunlight. There's no need to worry about sunlight on the barge, though. The artificial form of it does nothing to affect him.

"I'll stay."