Finders Keepers

[all_too_familiar]

Sometimes witches have powers before they turn. But this is rare, uncommon.

More often, a potential witch displays almost nothing out of the ordinary at all. Just, say, a little more skill with people, a little more natural charisma. An extra dose of something that could almost be called luck, if one were paying attention and on the lookout for witches.

There is one such maybe-potential, right over there. He's not from around here, but he is fluent in Italian and French and German and he professes that English is his first language and laughs when people call him a liar because of his perfect accent. He might not be the most powerful, but a polyglot witch could be useful for something. And who knows, maybe there's more to it.

Maybe someone would care to find out.

Comments

[all_too_familiar]

That is probably too long for her taste! Just from his guess-backed-up-by-magic. He could be wrong. (He probably isn't.)

Right, next relevant topic: ways to reduce the pain of turning.

[alicornucopia]

Carlisle didn't have the luxury of waiting either time he's turned a person, but in this case he's happy to mix strong painkillers and see if any of them help. A vampire will be at no risk of addiction to drugs that prey on humans, and turning itself is certainly proof against side effects usually mitigated by using only single substances and limiting dosage.

[all_too_familiar]

Well okay then, that sounds promising. He bets she'll give that a go when she decides to turn. (His estimation puts it soonish but not immediately.)

[alicornucopia]

No rush. Carlisle would be the last person to actively encourage someone with the chance to live out a full human life to choose otherwise, Volturi or no.

[all_too_familiar]

Yes, Carlisle is pretty great like that. Blair seriously doubts that she'll change her mind on this subject, but if she does, he will accept that and also leave her to live a full human life.

Well! While he's here, can he help out in any way before he goes to report to his sister? Renovations with the house, maybe?

[alicornucopia]

Esme is happy to have his assistance if he'd like to render it!

[all_too_familiar]

He does! It will be a cute house, he's happy to help with it.



Soon enough, though, be bids the Cullens a fond farewell, and swims across the ocean back to his sister to report on progress.

[poll_the_stars]

His sister is not thrilled, but also not particularly surprised. She requests an address to send Carlisle mail with, gets it, and then Carlisle gets a letter.

She identifies herself as Blair's sister, and mentions that he's spoken a lot about Carlisle and his family and she's heard only good things about them. She dutifully does not mention vampires in it at all, but what she does do is ask if anything helpful could be learned from a willing human subject that would theoretically be losing the option anyway, and therefore can afford to be a test subject. To potentially save someone else from this particular issue.

[alicornucopia]

Carlisle's letter replies that deriving reliably usable information would certainly require test subjects eventually; the actual results might have to wait decades for the technology to catch up, but it's not impossible that careful experiments performed sooner than later could help. But she should certainly consider the possibility of simply - well, it's a letter, euphemism is the order of the day - keeping her options open in the traditional way.

[poll_the_stars]

She assures him that she has certainly considered this possibility and is not in any way taking the decision lightly, but she does sincerely think this is the best way to go after all of the information provided. Careful experiments to the benefit of human knowledge is just a nice bonus.

Though, of course, she would need to know the specifics of the experiments in question before actually agreeing to them. Does he have an idea of what those experiments would involve, if he's willing to actually perform them?

(She assures him that she'll understand if the answer is 'no.')

[alicornucopia]

Well, some diagnostics could be performed without, but ultimately assessing the viability of reproductive tissue involves attempts at using it to reproduce, so that would have to wait until she wanted a child and had a father picked out.

[poll_the_stars]

She understands and will keep this in mind, and then asks if the diagnostics on their own would still potentially be useful, should she decide to not attempt to use reproductive tissue in this way.

[alicornucopia]

Yes, he should be able to tell things like 'has everything in here been ruptured by ice crystals' without that.

[poll_the_stars]

Then she believes that it would be worth her time. Is he willing to conduct careful experiments?

[alicornucopia]

If he can't talk her out of her plan altogether, yes.

[poll_the_stars]

She is perfectly happy to listen to his arguments, and in fact actively welcomes them, but believes that they would be better conducted in person. Would he mind if she and her brother visited?

[alicornucopia]

That would be entirely welcome, of course.

[all_too_familiar]

And soon enough: there they are!

[poll_the_stars]

Yvette has already been informed of the mind reader and is thinking thoughts along the lines of, "Yes I am okay with you reading my mind, at least for right now," while also sincerely trying to figure out potential arguments against becoming a vampire that could sway her, and coming up empty. And idly picking between places to be an isolated newborn in. She's a bit of a multitasker.

[all_too_familiar]

Regardless: knock knock!

[alicornucopia]

Carlisle opens the door and ushers them in. There is, uncharacteristically, some food around today. For the human.

[all_too_familiar]

"Yvette, meet Carlisle, Esme, and Edward," says Blair. "Carlisle, Esme, and Edward, this is my sister, Yvette."

[poll_the_stars]

"Nice to meet you," says the aforementioned sister.

[alicornucopia]

"And we're so pleased to meet you, too," Esme says. "Please make yourself at home."

[poll_the_stars]

"Thank you. Blair was right, it is a lovely home."