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]

So this is not actually connected to the senses he seems to associate it with. Why does it need to follow the same rules at all?

[honey_twining]

"What makes you think I know?"

[all_too_familiar]

"That was more rhetoric," he says out loud.

It's all about thought processes, letting yourself be constrained by rules that aren't actually rules is a great way to stunt yourself. So if he acknowledges that it doesn't work by any other senses, and admits that it doesn't need to, he's (theoretically) a few steps closer to actually removing the rules.

[honey_twining]

"If you say so," says Edward skeptically.

[all_too_familiar]

Remember, Edward, this is magic. It works by questionable logic anyway, the trick is harnessing the questionable logic and bending it to your will for convenience.




He has to occasionally stop and think What would Addy do, but with his power and experience working with her, his model of her is fairly accurate. Not quite as good as actually having her available, but decent enough to work for their purposes. Blair is kinder than Addy would be, but he definitely displays a stubborn streak. As long as Edward's willing to humor him, he's going to be trying to improve his power. Because damn it, Edward might need or want its improvements one day, and if he ever does, it should be available to him.

But it's up to Edward to make any real progress.

[honey_twining]

Edward mopes his way through the entire process; "humoring him" is definitely the operative motive.

...But one day he manages to stop listening to Blair. And then smiles enigmatically while Blair continues his "not bothering to talk aloud" method of teaching.

[all_too_familiar]

"... Did you just figure out how to stop listening to me," he guesses, after getting no response from Edward about his current train of thought at all.

[honey_twining]

"Yes. You have finally badgered me into switching you off. I'm sure this was your plan all along."

[all_too_familiar]

"Clearly! But we're not done yet, we still need to make sure you'll still catch your name -"

And so it begins again. This time he speaks aloud.

[honey_twining]

The next breakthrough is much quicker than the first.

[all_too_familiar]

Excellent.

(Blair is so happy about this, he keeps resisting the urge to actually dance. Helping out allies! BEST THING!)

That is about the only thing Edward wanted to improve, though, and unlike some other potential magic teachers this actually matters to Blair. So, once they have the second breakthrough, Blair calls it quits and will leave Edward in peace.

Well, after he catches up with the other Cullens. There was some time he spent with them while Edward was away for various reasons, but that's not quite the same as actively focusing on them.

Esme gets help with home improvements; he helps repaint a room and fix siding and then solicits his power to find her a good person to sell the specific type of curtains that go with the style in the bedroom without being too much. Carlisle gets updates on Yvette's progress in learning all of the everything (she is learning a lot of everything, but is keeping away from getting a medical degree until her control's better) and how her control's doing (it hasn't wavered once), and then cheerily talks morality and the value of people and his general philosophy with him. He is not a fan of arbitrary moral constructs, but definitely agrees that people are incredibly important and all deserve the best chance they can get if it doesn't come at the cost of someone else. If it does - well, that gets more complicated. But generally Blair likes to minimize the hurt in the world. Rosalie gets checked on, and then asked if she'd like custom-made jewelry (his sister is planning to practice making jewelry she designs instead of just hunks of metal or endless copies) or anything pretty from foreign places when he inevitably travels around the world. He talks music with Edward, talks about the trends occurring in England and France and promising to get Edward this record while he's over there that's been troublesome to find in the United States.

If he were trying to be manipulative and win them over, this behavior might be annoying, but he's distinctly not. He sincerely likes interacting with them, he likes getting them things they like, likes being friendly. No strings attached.

[honey_twining]

The Cullens are fond of their cousin.

[all_too_familiar]

Their cousin is fond of them too.

But eventually, it's time for him to depart. Back to Europe! He gives Yvette descriptions of the jewelry Rosalie would like and buys appropriate records for mailing.

Then, he's got a clear schedule. He finds and pokes Addy (his power is still improving, but more slowly) and informs her that he's probably just going to travel around everywhere and show up periodically to poke her. She's easy to find, anyway. Well, for him. And then he's off again.

He hasn't learned Norwegian yet, and he thinks he can start getting his power to lead him to people he can help. Not in overtly vampiric ways, but helping a troubled family with a bit of well placed money and help finding a job, sitting down and talking to someone that's convinced life is meaningless and no one cares - the right person in the right place can make all the difference to one person. Besides, it's practice with his power. And nice. Efficiency!

Yvette's the one with the regular address. Well - a regular PO box. Same difference. So she's the one that gets mail from the Cullens and hears about news. Not that there's usually much to say.

[alicornucopia]

There is another Cullen, just two years after the last new addition. His name is Emmett and Edward would like to convey his thanks to Blair for the off-switch because he and Rosalie would otherwise be difficult to be near.

[poll_the_stars]

...

Oh.

And Yvette wasn't present to copy anything at all.

She is happy for Rosalie finding her mate (... Well she's happy that Rosalie's happy, anyway) but augh damn it she should have been there! Instead - fuck, and it definitely mattered to Rosalie. Idiot idiot idiot she should have realized -

Augh. Just. Augh.

Well. There's nothing to be done for it now. She asks if it would be okay to visit, noting that Blair will notice her change in location and show up eventually after she does, but until then he doesn't know anything's wrong and is currently somewhere in - China, she thinks.

[alicornucopia]

She's fine to visit, although Emmett is pretty newborny compared to other vampires she has met/been.

[poll_the_stars]

How newborny are they talking? She can wait if they'd rather.

(Not like there's a time limit that matters anymore, all of his blood would have been cleaned up by the time the first letter got to her.)

She also notes that she was not close enough to copy anything before Emmett was turned, and is extremely bothered by this. As such, she'd like to know if they know of any good colleges in the United States for her to solicit all of the knowledge from. Something close enough to reach them before turning complete, at least. She didn't learn the country very well while she was there and carefully being a very safe newborn.

[alicornucopia]

There are many fine academic institutions in the US, but she shouldn't feel obliged, of course. Emmett is coherent but short-tempered and very strong.

[poll_the_stars]

Obliged is not exactly the right word. She feels responsible. There is a wrong in the world that she could have made right if she'd realized that maybe someone else would be turned before she finished learning a good amount of everything. Rosalie is a little bit hurt because she screwed up, and she can't ever take that back.

She doesn't write that, and instead goes with, 'It's no trouble at all.'

She picks out a suitable college to stalk in the United States, packs up all of her things, and then abroad she goes. Possibly not to meet Emmett immediately, but to be on the side of the water where she won't irrevocably make mistakes just by being far away.

The Cullens get a letter with the address for her new PO box (located in Boston, the university she ended up going with was Harvard) that tells them where they can find her, and opting out of being near the very strong short tempered newborn. She'd really rather avoid getting into fights with any of her cousins.

[alicornucopia]

They're currently living in Maine, which she knows.

[poll_the_stars]

Yep. It is suitably close by that she could save some unborn children before someone's turning is completed augh.

She is a bit more misery than is customary. Not that anyone she knows is around to notice. She keeps her letters carefully neutral.

[all_too_familiar]

And in a few weeks Blair shows up (she moved abruptly, something was obviously up, so here he is) and hears about the situation. Then he hugs her, and reminds her that saving literally everyone is not her responsibility. They will just - not go near while Emmett's still a newborn. Partially because it's easier that way, and partially so Yvette can be a little bit less misery when she meets her new cousin.

[poll_the_stars]

Then when he is no longer a newborn:

Lowell siblings, in Maine.

(Yvette is subtly misery. And trying to figure out what to say to Rosalie and failing. So mostly it's just 'I fucked up I fucked up I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry.')

[alicornucopia]

Emmett seems pretty cheerful. Rosalie is infatuated and even in moments when she isn't gazing at her mate she doesn't bring it up.

[poll_the_stars]

Yvette finds an appropriate time to quietly inform Rosalie that she's going to attempt to figure out how to re-human vampire pieces. She has no idea how she'll do this, but - she has forever to figure it out. So. That's nice.

(She's seriously so sorry augh!)