(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

[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.

[prima_sequentem]

"I think that's a pretty appropriate comparison," says Lizzie, "except that none of the Greek gods were this nice."

[alicornucopia]

"I know. I got the better deal," says Esme comfortably. "And there were no disturbing swans involved."

Edward snickers.

[prima_sequentem]

"We should all be more grateful for the lack of disturbing swans in our lives," she says, laughing. "Also showers of gold. And bulls. Zeus had a weird idea of what mortals were into."

[alicornucopia]

"Mortals are into extremely diverse things," Edward says dryly. "Or else where would the stories come from?"

Esme giggles helplessly.

[prima_sequentem]

Lizzie cracks up.