(retroactive)

[her_imperial_radiance]

It is after the very first Bellparty.

"Dad never comes to these," Elspeth tells her grandma. "Too many strange Bells. If there were strange Edwards, Mama might have trouble with them too, but there aren't so far. But I can reintroduce you now, if you'd like."

Comments

[alicornucopia]

"If Carlisle had a halo, Mother, how would he ever leave the capitols without breaking the masquerade?" laughs Edward.

"A halo," snorts Carlisle. "I've never heard that suggested before."

"I have," says Edward.

[prima_sequentem]

"And fluffy little wings," she says cheerfully. "You could turn them off whenever you needed to go anywhere."

[alicornucopia]

"Wings," laughs Carlisle.

"Perhaps we should just transplant him to Angela's world and turn him into their sort of angel, so he could be appropriately revered by passersby," suggests Edward. "That setup does not, alas, include a halo."

[prima_sequentem]

"Halo or bust," Lizzie says firmly. "The traditional kind, where it's like your head is a golden lightbulb."

[alicornucopia]

Carlisle shakes his head, laughing softly.

[prima_sequentem]

"It's even thematically appropriate!" Golden lightbulb, Golden Empire...

[alicornucopia]

"I already have the correct eye color," says Carlisle.

"See, there you are," says Edward.

[prima_sequentem]

"It's perfect," says Lizzie. "You could wear it for state occasions, like a uniform. Imperial Angel."

[alicornucopia]

"I'm already titled Imperial Ethicist, which is more than enough."

[prima_sequentem]

"Angel would be cuter. But it's probably a good thing that that's not how Bella runs her empire."

[alicornucopia]

"Probably," agrees Edward.

[prima_sequentem]

"And we will just have to live with the necessary sacrifices."

[alicornucopia]

"I'm sure we will all muddle along somehow," says Carlisle.

[prima_sequentem]

She laughs.

[alicornucopia]

"Did you want to meet Esme today, too, or would that be too much all at once?" Edward inquires.

[prima_sequentem]

"By all means, I will meet Esme."

[alicornucopia]

Edward tilts his head again. "She's on her way," he reports presently, and Esme is there a moment later; Edward lets her in before she can knock.

She's all asmile. "Hello, Elizabeth. It's so good to meet you."

[prima_sequentem]

"It's nice to meet you too!"

It really is. Esme and Carlisle are the kind of people it is nice to meet.

[alicornucopia]

"How have you been settling in? I know it must be something of a startlement to wake up all of a sudden, so much later than you remember."

[prima_sequentem]

"Considering what I woke up from, it's been pretty great, actually. And Edward gave me enough of a history lesson that I'm mostly not surprised by the little things."

[alicornucopia]

Esme smiles at Edward, touches his elbow. He smiles down at her.

"If you find any gaps of course you can ask any of us. Or anyone, really," Esme says.

[prima_sequentem]

"Yes, people are very helpful around here. I appreciate it. Although it does tempt me to start distributing halos."

[alicornucopia]

"Halos?" asks Esme, puzzled.

Carlisle sighs.

[prima_sequentem]

She giggles. "Sorry. I was joking earlier that someone should give Carlisle a halo and fluffy little wings, because he's so angelic."

[alicornucopia]

"When I first met him I remember thinking he looked like a god. One of the Greek ones, maybe," says Esme, "not the God, but a one."

Carlisle sighs again, and puts his arms around his wife's shoulders.