Golden: 1819.

[ofthefamily]

An old face. Calmer, older, and yet all the same unchanged.

At least he's not running for his life, now. And he knows where he is.

For Carlisle Cullen, this is always a good start.

Comments

[themidnightson]

He asks a question he (thinks he) already knows the answer to.

"Are they still alive?"

[ofthefamily]

"The mate is."

Hence the move.

"He wasn't all that intelligent. They were young."

But Edward seems to be kind of missing the point.

[themidnightson]

Edward's still uncertain, studying him. It's not something Carlisle' wouldn't do now. If pushed to a place with no possible other eventuality. But that was a lot of roads crossed off before one ever got there with Carlisle.

And the line between human life and vampire existences was far grayer.
(Especially when it came to any part of their family.)




"Where will you go now?"

[ofthefamily]

I was thinking about the Americas.




You truly aren't bothered by that? The -- I killed them? I don't even feel badly about it. They were a threat and I removed it.

[themidnightson]

"You are." It's more important than Edward's opinion, isn't it?
"You always will be. Even when things push your hand."

And in that. It does bother Edward. Anything forcing Carlisle to be anything other than what Carlisle wants or chooses to be bothers him. He considers those things usually far more into his or someone else's his hands to take care of. Not Carlisle's.



Casually, almost unattachedly. "Were they feeding on your school?"

[ofthefamily]

"They would have."





After a second, Carlisle picks at dirt under his fingernails that is no longer there. He's as clean as he wants to be now. I was a good fighter. Apparently.

[themidnightson]

This...shouldn't be as surreal as it feels.

"Yes." There's something smug. For a flicker. Here. Gone.
"So you stopped them from attacking someone."



It's a leading statement. It's not accusative. Even if he can't help thinking that Carlisle, his Carlisle (or are both of them now?), would catch the entire reference to what he'll have to say for the next minute with those words.

[ofthefamily]

"I did."

It's still flat.

"I only regret enjoying it."

[themidnightson]

There is the urge to swallow.





He doesn't. But it's there.





"Then, or now?"

[ofthefamily]

"Both. J'imagine. It's hard to tell."

A wan kind of smile.

"I was good at it."

[themidnightson]

Surreal. Surreal. He wants to hang on to that word.
Not the rest. Not the sensation of this being enticing.

Not when everything else it drags up is his debt to this world.
He has his own careful line. For Carlisle. And it is only for humans.





"Does it change things?"

[ofthefamily]

"No. What would it change? It just means that without...on the outside, in the world -- "

That's not it either; his words won't arrange the way he wants them to. (They will eventually. In a century or so.)

"Perhaps it was my vehemence against the Three that prevented my...slipping."

[themidnightson]

"It's not slipping to protect yourself."






Did he just use Carlisle's words on Carlisle?
And at so many decades past do they still count only as his.

How many other members had they said it to. There were differences. Between a mistaken death, and protection of self, of the family. And death was a hazy area of choices (and or mistakes. A word he hated.) For Esme. For Rosalie. For Emmett. For Jasper.

For the family as a unit, against a world against them.

He still means the words even with his thoughts.

[ofthefamily]

"Maybe." Carlisle remains unconvinced, but he smiles again regardless. He's here. He doesn't need to kill the mood any more than he already has.

"Do I ever get a handle on what language to use when? My head must sound like a grammar book."

[themidnightson]

A little sardonic, and focus unmoved to the new topic.

"It depends on your mood."

[ofthefamily]

The two vampires spoke Catalàn.

Carlisle grimaces.

"One of these decades I will bring you happy topics."

[themidnightson]

There's a flicker. It's hard to tell what it was.
It tugs his mouth out to the side only


"You'll certainly try."

And maybe the honesty of it is why --

"English I think becomes too normal. It's the way of the world, of every day speech and thought. Tertiary nature. You'll learn many more, but you come back to French and Italian when you're frustrated." Beat. "Or unable to focus far enough."

[ofthefamily]

It took me a good three years to not have a heavy Italian code-switching in my French.

[themidnightson]

"I would not have learned any of them, if not for you."

At this there's more a gesture with his fingers toward his head, that shivers in the part seconds, before he simply uses the movement to scrub his fingers through his hair, palm grazing his temple and upper cheek.


It might be a lie, but it certainly was the impetus for speaking it.
Which was not the same as how he understood it long before then.

[ofthefamily]

Et d'entendre les pensées; ça aide tes études de langues ou pas?

It's an easier topic of conversation.

Very human; small talk.

[themidnightson]

Edward considered.


The question...and it's implication....and the answer.





He's still trying to piece it together when he says, "It is complicated. It's --" He wants....to be precise.

[ofthefamily]

Carlisle can wait, with an easy smile on his face.

Edward's kind of entrancing when he's thinking about something.

[themidnightson]

"It's different for me. I've watch you. And the others. It's easier for all of us, because we have no ability to forget the books or lessons or any conversation had, previous or post learning the language, but hearing it, my way--"

There's a small shift to his face, trying to equate. He needs. His eyes land on his lap. He chooses a simple example. Hoping it will suffice. Looking back up.

"Je veux lire un livre." He holds up the book. Not talking about it.

"Before I even know what the words themselves mean, before I've studied it or tried to think about wanting to, I already know the meaning. People think as much in words as they images and concepts and sensation toward the statement. There's a book and a flicker of memories, or equating images, toward books themselves and ones open, ones being read, the placement. Toward the act of reading, and the kind of reading before them or that is sought."



Which is another way of saying -- he sort of has the master cheat code. Again.

[ofthefamily]

Eventually:

"You're such a cheat!" With a bright laugh.

[themidnightson]

"You'll be fond of that one day." Edward smiled smugly. It's one of the perks. One of the very few that came with it. "I don't even think you think about it anymore."