Bella followed Mogui through the maze of halls trying to pay attention to the turns he took and still get a good look around. It wasn't working too great, to be honest.
"That's one of Livi's." Mogui said, noticing her distraction with one particular painting of a very large butterfly.
"Really?" Bella said, obviously impressed. As any artist undoubtedly could, Livi saw a million errors whenever she looked at her own work, but she would have undoubtedly been flattered if she had heard the tone of Bella's voice.
"She does some really good stuff." Mogui continued, "I like most of it, but that might be because I'm not an artist myself. Tried for maybe a century on and off, and I'm still with stick people."
Bella looked over incredulously, and when she realized that he wasn't joking, she laughed. "And don't worry, you'll get used to the halls soon enough. Most of this house isn't even used, so, that's a whole lot less for you to have to worry about learning." It was only one more turn from there to the kitchen, a left. Bella committed it to memory.
It wasn't all that large, and was pretty nondescript as far as kitchens go. Ceramic tiles that were cold to Bella's sock feet, a fridge, sink and an oven, plus a table and a few chairs. That was all. At the sink, though, was someone Bella recognized. Tempo, her collar open and with a long strip of bandage wrapped around her neck, was washing what was very obviously blood off of her hands.
"Hello, my lord." She nodded to Mogui before nodding to Bella as well, "Hello, young Lady." Turning off the tap, Tempo grabbed a towel from where it hung on a hook above the sink. She leaned back against the counter, and it was then that Bella could see the bandages clearly in the opening of the bloodstained shirt. She could also see scars through the gap, more of them covering Tempo's hands.
"Getting something to eat?" She asked, drying her hands. The woman spoke in the same hollow voice, and never once looked to Mogui or Bella. Nodding, Bella replied, "Yeah…I'm starved…" The latter part was added after a hesitation. It was hard talking to someone when they were speaking formally. How would you say 'starved' formally, anyways?!
"I'll bet, you had quite the ride here, not too mention god knows what happened before that." Mogui said, and nudged Bella towards the fridge. "Take a look, and help yourself to anything. Not like we need it." He laughed, and hopped up to sit in the counter next to the sink.
"I think we are out of a few things, however." Tempo said, "Orange juice I know that we lack, for sure. Her highness, Ember, was the unfortunate recipient of that…"
"Haha, Ember, I remember that!" From the door, laughter rang out, and two more people entered. The one who was laughing was a young man with short, light brown hair that was carelessly messy. He had a wide grin and strolled confidently into the kitchen, keeping just out of reach of the young woman behind him. Her hair was a dark auburn and she was around Livicat's height, though the young man was a little taller. She was scowling at his comment, but there was still something strikingly beautiful about them both. Bella could see it in the cockiness of his grin and the delicateness of her hands as she pointed at him accusingly.
"That's not funny, BK. You almost ruined my favorite dress!"
There was something strange about them, though, despite the beauty. It would take Bella a while to figure it out, but she later did. They were young. Not by age, maybe, but their mannerisms. They were younger than her, even.
"Cut it out, guys." Mogui said, warningly, "You know what your mom said."
"Prince Buzzkill, Princess Ember, we have a guest. It is rude to argue." Tempo gestured to Bella. "This is Lady Isabella Swan. She is here with the Cullens."
"The boy who mom knocked out!" The two said simultaneously, laughing.
"It's nice to meet you." The boy, BK, said. Ember chipped in soon after.
"Yeah, our mom's really sorry about that, by the way. We heard her talking to
Rumil about it."
"Eavesdroppers." Mogui said. Bella giggled, "Are you two always in trouble?" She asked.
"Depends on who you ask."
"Livi says we're lots of trouble."
"But, mostly to each other."
"Yeah!"
When they spoke, their words seemed to almost bounce back and forth between them. The illusion was still there even when Bella wasn't looking, as she was still trying to find something to eat. She settled for making a chicken sandwich with the stuff she found laying around.
"Did you go talk to Livi after I told you to, earlier?" Mogui asked the pair. Both of them shook their heads and mumbled some sort of excuse.
"You probably should. Princess Livicat is strict on you two, but you know it is because she worries." Tempo pushed herself upright from the counter, " She said it was about something important. Your uncle said he would be coming sometime tonight."
Bella was just putting away the bread and had a good view of the vampires' reactions. They were ecstatic.
"Uncle DJ?!"
"Did he say if he was bringing word from father?!"
Tempo shook her head, "I do not know. However, your sister will." In a heartbeat, the two were gone again.
"Little balls of energy." Bella noted, taking a bite of her sandwich. It wasn't bad for what she had to work with. "They're Toreador as well, then, right?"
"Oh, you're getting the hang of it, dear Lady." Tempo said and smiled vacantly.
"That all you need then, Bella?" Mogui asked, hopping off the counter. Picking up the glass of milk she had poured, Bella nodded, "Yes. I'm all set."
The way back to the room beside the library was a little less confusing, though both Bella and Mogui were surprised to see only Esmé waiting with Edward. Jasper and Alice had gone for a tour with Livi, and to help pick rooms for everyone. Carlisle had gone to speak with , Mogui left Bella to eat and talk to Esmé, as politely as he could. He wanted to go and wait for his wife, or see if she had already come home.
~*~
Livi, Alice and Jasper were just coming down the staircase to the entranceway. Alice had made the job of giving what room to what person very easy. It seemed she had a flair for that sort of thing. However, it was Jasper that saw the turn of events that was coming; he felt the man before he saw him at the bottom of the stairs. Though he hid it well, Jasper could feel the fury that was boiling inside him.
The man nodded to Jasper and Alice, before addressing Livi, "Lady Livicat, may I speak with you for a moment?"
Relaxed as always, she nodded, "Yeah, sure. Alice, Jasper, you guys might as well tell everyone else that they've got places to store there stuff." Livi grinned, "No reason for us to have to move it all."
And they did go. Or, at least, they went a bit. Jasper tugged Alice to a stop once the door between them and Livi closed.
"We should wait." Jasper said, and Alice nodded. They could still hear the two through the door. If that man hadn't been so mad, or if Livi had bothered to try, they could have probably heard or felt the two of them, but they were both too distracted for the moment, it seemed.
"Lokisana was wrong for letting them stay here." Right in to the problem, then. He didn't bother even trying to cover up whom he was referring to.
"Oh? And why might that be?" Livi's answer was heavily laced with sarcasm, "They're good people. They deserve protection as much as anyone else."
"They have people to protect them!" Now Jasper could hear the anger he felt inside the man coming out in his voice. "Do you have the faintest idea what their politics are like? Those Volturi that watch over them are not lenient, Livi, not by a long shot. Do you think they'll be happy with them running to us, an entirely separate species, for protection?"
"We are the same species. We are vampires. Even if they weren't, Toreador does not close its door to anyone who comes genuinely looking for shelter, and that means anyone."
Her response was firm, even in spite of his anger. Still, he was incredulous. "You agree with her, then? They will decimate this place, Livi, and all of us with it."
"You give them too much credit. Just because you are weak and too proud to ask for help does not mean that we all are." She scoffed. "Toreador has not kneeled before the strength of Brujah or the manipulations of Hellsing. We will not fall now."
Typical of someone very angry, he brushed away her disagreement and the insult along with it, intent to continue his argument. "And what of Prince Ash? I can't possibly imagine him being content to sit back and watch as we start a war on behalf of people we have no reason to be loyal to!"
"Ash knows what Toreador does, he always has. He just doesn't care. When he has Buds and Hellsing to deal with, not to mention their leaders, who can blame him? I think you're blowing this way out of proportion, DJ."
"I don't think I am! Is it really so much of a problem for you that I have the well-being of this coven so close to my heart? Your father-"
Livi did not often raise her voice, and she didn't do it now by much, but even that little bit meant trouble, "My father is not here, and when he abandoned his home and his family he gave control to my mother. That means we follow her. I love my father dearly, DJ, so don't even try to bring him in to this."
"With him having retaken his old position as one of Alucard's generals there's a good chance he's going to get involved eventually. Not to mention, with your mother acting the way she does-"
"I stand by what I've said: My mom was right to bring them here, I doubt it's going to start anything larger than a schoolyard conflict if it does start anything at all, and you're being ridiculous." Her voice hardened, signaling the end of the conversation.
"If you still have a problem with it, Ambassador, I suggest you talk to Lady Lokisana. As staff here, I have more important things to worry about."
The ambassador, DJ, was silent and Livi stalked out of the room, throwing the door open that Alice and Jasper had been listening at. They had thankfully moved, though they hadn't left. Her arm still outstretched from the action, she froze when she saw them and let the door close behind her of its own accord.
With a sigh her arm dropped back to her side. "I am sorry you had to hear all of that." She said, her eyes downcast. No sooner than the words were out of her mouth than she felt something inexplicable: calm. It was like a cool wind, unwinding her tension.
She smiled knowingly, "Okay, which one of you is that?" She didn't know how it happened exactly, but Mogui had tried to explain it to her. They got their gifts separately, which was weird. Neat, but weird. It also came with the risk that they would get nothing. At least she, if she sired, her childe was guaranteed a few specialties.
Alice laughed, but it was Jasper who raised his hand, "That'd be me."
Livi closed her eyes, enjoying the sensation, before also breaking in to laugher. "That does feel much better. He gets under my skin, that guy…" She pulled a face.
"I can see why." Alice nodded sympathetically despite the smile on her face.
"Still, don't take anything you heard to heart. He's the type who is constantly finding something terribly, morally, wrong with what my mother does…and yet, he refuses to leave."
