and whereas sybelle was something of a remote and mysterious presence at his side-gorgeous in designer gowns and costly gems-benji had scores of human friends , who thought of him as eccentric and amusing and delightful with his `` vampire radio show , '' which they considered `` performance art '' of the most clever sort , assuming he supplied all the voices for the show , including the japanese- and chinese-speaking children of the night who called in and talked for hours in their native tongue , taxing benji 's preternatural powers to the max as he strove to keep up with them .